The Woolen Rabbit

Gretel....

Most of you know how much I hate having my picture taken, but I have to tell you that I just LOVE, LOVE, love this hat! I love it enough that I wanted to show you what a great pattern it is!  For any of you contemplating knitting this hat.....get those needles out!

I was a bit concerned that I was not going to have enough yarn, so I skipped a few of the knit in pattern rows, but once finished, I probably could have knit them, as I had about 20 yards of yarn left over.

This is the first time that I have ever spun and knit with BFL and I am a new convert....it is THE BEST!  Soft, not scratchy and very cushy!

Pattern: Gretel
Yarn:  Handspun BFL from Gales's Art in the Darkside Iris Colorway
Needles:  US 4 and 7

Saturday's Sky

Heaven embraces the horizon.
No matter how jagged the profile,
The sky faithfully conforms.
Deng Ming~Dao

Our winter Saturday Sky...........

Gretel in Snowy New Hampshire

One of the things that I really do love about winter is the amount of time I seem to have for knitting.  With it getting dark so early at night, it is easy to justify the extra hours of knitting. 

I finished plying the beautiful BFL that I started spinning last week.  What a treat this wool is!  I worked hard to get a worcester weight yarn....now I am praying that I will have enough to do the regular version of Gretel.  I have the correct amount of yardage, but the cabling does seem to eat up large chunks of yarn.  I think I may do something size~wise in between the regular and fitted version, just to be safe.

This was the first time I have ever done a tubular cast on.  Ysolda has a fabulous video tutorial, which made it very easy to follow along!

It has been a very active winter so far up here, making for some beautiful pictures.  Knitting at night and appreciating the beauty of the NH woodlands and mountains has made this December and enjoyable one. 

Here are some pictures for you to enjoy of our last snowstorm on my ride to Jackson to drop one of the girls off at a friend's house. (so far we have had 36 inches of snow this month!)

Wildcat River in Jackson

Carter Notch Rd in Jackson,NH

local farmland

my backyard this morning after yesterday's snow

Peppermint Mittens

Whew.....what a whirlwind the last few days have been!  Cookies and baking done and then eaten, older children coming and then leaving and of course the busyness that a school vacation in ski country brings.

I did manage to squeeze in a little bit of knitting though :-).

Courtney's mittens were finished and ready for playing in this week's snow and judging from her expressions...I think she approves!

I had enough yarn left over to knit up a hat.  The hat was going to be for my 7 year old granddaughter, McKayla.....but as you can see, that didn't happen.

The hat ended up being too big for the little one, but just right for Courtney...and she smiled. (good thing I didn't tell McKayla it was going to be for her)

I used Tiennie's pattern (minus the snowflakes) and even dropping down a needle size, the child's sized hat still came out too large for a young child.  It's not the pattern, I am sure....I think I must knit much, much looser than the average knitter.  Could it be that I am a thrower instead of a picker?  Hmmm...

When my older kids get together, you would never know that they are all in their 20's.  The silliness usually just gets sillier and sillier as the night goes on.  It makes a mother's heart feel good to see that her kids enjoy each other's company even as adults....although when they are together...Hmmm.....adults?

Ashley, my middle daughter and her brother Miles were the best of friends growing up and truly shared the same unique sense of humor.

Here is a video of Ashley doing an imitation of Molly Shannon's Saturday Night Live character, Sally O'Mally.  If you listen closely.........the child almost knocks herself out...LOL!

Winter Solstice...

I'm such a happy snowman
I love the winter time.
I love those Christmas Carols
and the jolly way they rhyme.
~Welshdragon

Some people collect Santa's at Christmas time, but here, I collect Snowman in all different shapes and sizes.  I love their happy faces and their chubby little bodies!  They never cease to make me smile....all winter long and winter IS lonnggggg up here, so I keep those chubby smiling faces around until spring.

I took some time this morning to just sit and spin.  It's been a long time since I have had the freedom to do just that......life has been busy~

The roving is the beautiful BFL that Keri gifted to me last month in the special swap.  Can you believe that I have never spun with BFL?  It is pretty amazing stuff....very soft and easy to spin. 

I am trying to spin it at a thicker weight, so that I end up with a worcestered weight yarn.  I thought that I would make myself a winter hat, as my old one is looking worn and tired.  After seeing Gretel on Cassie's blog, I immediately downloaded the pattern.  It is the perfect hat for handspun. 

One of the things that I thought about as I sat and spun this morning, was how busy I have allowed my life to become.  It used to be the rare occasion that I did not spin in the morning with my coffee, but now it is the rare occasion when I do.

The internet is a wonderful thing and I have made many many lifetime friends, but I think the downside to the internet is what a time suck it can be.  Emails that need to be answered, blog pages to be read, shopping to be done, chatting with friends on AIM and more emails that need to be answered.

Do you know I managed to be so busy that I never even got my Christmas Cards in the mail this year?  Sheesh!  I feel awful about that.....how did I let myself get that busy?

As the year comes to a close and on this day of Winter's Solstice, my resolution for the next year is to slow life down a bit and be more present in the here and now, and to limit how much I am running towards the future. 

I love Anne's idea of weekly goals even more now that I have had some time to think about it.  Small obtainable goals each week is a good thing.  Along with weekly fiber goals, I am going to incorporate some weekly life goals, such as walking each day with a dog, doing something with one of the girls or grandchildren each week and so on....you get the idea.  If I put it in writing each Sunday and look at the list each day, perhaps it will help me slow down and enjoy each day for that day.

This will be my last post until after Christmas as I am going to spend the weekend with the girls making Christmas cookies and getting ready for the company that will descend upon me Monday.  It is always nice to have older children come home for a few days!

So as I close, I want to wish you all a Very Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday!

Do You See What I See?

Anne has started a little thing on her blog called Work In Progress Wednesday.  Now a little bird did tell me that she had me in the back of her mind when she thought of doing this......imagine that...<grin>.   Being the good natured soul that I am, I decided that I would join along, in spite of all the teasing I have taken over WIP's...LOL. 

I love the way Anne sets weekly goals for herself.  I think I may join along with that after the first of the year as well.

Now onto the WiP's.  See that mitten.........I have knit and ripped it now twice.  The third time was the charm.  Knitting with handspun is always a challenge when it comes to gauge for me.  The first mitten.......was a wee bit too skinny, the second one was a wee bit too long.....the third one, was just right.  Knowing what I know now....the next mitten should be done tomorrow...whew. 
Of course.......I could have knit a swatch~ eek!

No...you are not seeing things...there are 3 mitts.  Now you may be asking yourself...why 3?

The mitts that I knit last week, were to go into the mail over the weekend.  As I was getting them ready to be boxed and wrapped, I tried them on one last time, as I really love the way they feel on my hands, so soft and cushy!

The mitts looked the same....until....I turned them over.  Holy crap!  However did I manage to do that?

Now the person they are going to may or may not have noticed and may or may not have even cared, but I knew that I was not going to be able to send them that way. 

I looked at how much yarn I had left over in the skein and decided instead of ripping one back, that I would just knit another one.  The good news is, I now know that I can get 2 pairs of mitts out of one skein of this yarn :-).  So my friend will get a new pair of mitts...and so will I.

Moving on to Christmas Preparations.......
It's hard to believe that Christmas is just one short week away.  Do you have your Christmas shopping/knitting finished?  I don't, but I am getting pretty close to being finished. Whoo hoo~

Every year on Christmas Eve we have a family gathering.  I have been serving many of the same items year after year, and I thought that maybe this year might be the year to try a few new things.

Appetizers always stump me, as Martha Stewart I am not.  If any of you have some good recipes that you are willing to post on your blog, or share with me privately, I would be so appreciative.  In fact.......if you share one of your recipes, I will again share the one recipe that I could never not make on Christmas Eve.........

EGG~NOG

12 eggs (separated)
1pint heavy cream
1/2 gallon milk
1cup rum (more or less)..we like more :-)
1 1/2 c. sugar
3tsp. vanilla
                                    dashes of nutmeg
Beat yolks & sugar in large bowl.  Beat whites in another bowl and beat cream in yet another bowl.  Slowly beat milk into yolk mixture, then fold in whites and cream.  (I actually beat the whites and cream in, so that it is well mixed).  Add your rum and then top off with lots of nutmeg  ~YUM

In the spirit of giving, I will leave you with the Christmas Carole that makes me smile each and every year.  This time I am posting it a wee bit early, so that you can enjoy it for a bit longer.  Of course my family gets tired of hearing it....but oh well, it's only once a year, right? LOL
~Cheers!~

Winter Wonderland

Clearing blue sky,
A promise in bare branches.
In winter there are sunny days.
In adulthood, childhood can return.
Deng Ming~Dao

So far, in the Northeast, we are having a wonderful winter.  As you know, I live up north in ski country and the last few years have been lean ones for the ski mountains....but not this year!  Last week alone we had 4 snow storms...wheee!

One of the things I love best about winter is the time inside.  Time to work on things that get put aside on warm summer gardening days.

This weekend was an enjoyable one working on a few of the things that I have not had much time for lately.  There was some soapmaking and gift wrapping..............and a little spinning.......

I finally found a little time for one of my favorite girls....Mariah Anne.

Such a patient girl she has been for she has been sadly neglected, during this busy autumn.

With winter now upon us, I know that she and I will be spending a lot more quality time together.

I managed to finish spinning and plying the first roving that went onto her bobbins and I am thrilled with how wonderful this wheel spins and plies.  I think this might be the most consistent yarn I have had in a very long time.  I am not sure if it was because I had the time to just sit and spin, or if the wheel made the difference. 

Mariah's big wheel moves so effortlessly...:-)

........and of course, marshmallows roasting by an open fire.....
There truly is no better way to end a day than to light a fire and spend time with family.  Hannah and Courtney snuggled with Maggie, Ken snuck in some reading and I worked on some Christmas knitting.  With the wind howling and the fire crackling in the fireplace, it was the perfect ending to a very enjoyable weekend. 

I've Been Smocked!

Yes.......sometimes she actually finishes things :-)
Pattern: Smocked Mitts
Yarn:  Woolen Rabbit Opulence (merino/silk)
Needles: US size 2

Why is it that purple and red are so hard to photograph?  We have had numerous grey, snowy days up here, which has made taking pictures challenging. 

The color of the yarn is more accurate in the second photo, but I did want to have a photo with 2 finished mitts, just to prove that I do finish mates now and then...<grin>

You can find this free pattern on Yarnophiliac's blog.  It is a fast, fun knit! 

Buzzzzzzzz............

New beekeepers are told that the way to find the elusive queen is by first locating her circle of attendants.
--The Queen Must Die; And Other Affairs Of Bees and Men

I love the above picture......those markers look like bees milling around the entrance to their hive, don't you think?

This sock kit has been such a fun project for me. 

Picking up my little book tonight to find a verse suitable for today's post, made me want to read this book all over again.

After all of the research that I have done on bee keeping, both the online papers and blogs, I know without a doubt that there will be 2 beehives here this spring. 

I truly have been fascinated by the little community of bees.....the girls!

Did you know that the majority of bees in a hive are female?  They are the worker bees, who not only forage the flowers to produce honey, but they also tend to the nursery, protect the hive and attend the queen.  Did you know that these girls also know how to dance?  Yes sir...these girls know how to shake their little booties and produce pheromones.   Go take a peek at these girls waggling......fascinating I tell you!

The drones just hang around eating honey and for the most part do not contribute very much.  Did you know that the worker bees will push the drones out eventually?  I can just see those little hands waving and their heads bobbing saying...."Yo...no slacking allowed here!"   

I want to take a moment to thank all of you who pre~ordered Bee Sock kits.  The pattern is finished and proofed and the kits started mailing today.

I had offered bee markers for the first 25 kits that were pre~ordered.  I'm calling those makers the Queen Bee Markers :-).  I had inadvertently ordered smaller than expected beads the first time around and instead of returning them, I am going to include a smaller worker bee marker with all of the other kits....tis the season.....fl la la la la la...........

Anne will be listing the pattern for sale on her website Wednesday with the fabulous model shots that we have come to expect and love.  This pattern is such a fun pattern to knit........you will love it!  I will also continue to sell the kit and the pattern :-)

In parting, I will leave you with another bee gift.  I first found this song thru a fabulous blog....  Yep...this song has a way of growing on you the more you listen to it.  Buzzzzzzzzz.....................

Moving forward........

You breathe,
Frosting mountains white,
Exciting trees to verdant flame,
Dancing sparrows on your wing,
Swirling waves into long sighs
You breathe....
Deng Ming~Dao

Well, winter arrived here Monday with a bang!  14 inches of freshly fallen snow for the dogs to romp in.  No easing into winter this year for us...but that's ok by me for I LOVE winter! 

It is the perfect time to curl up on the sofa with a mug of steaming eggnog coffee, a good book, a crackling fire and some knitting of course. 

As this has been a week full of knitting....perhaps I can convince Ken to load up the fireplace tonight so that I can finish these projects :-)...mmmm

Belvedere......

Over the last few nights, I have been working on a few test projects.  One to see if my yarn will work for the pattern and the other to make sure the pattern is free of bugs for my good friend Anne.

This seagreen sock is the Belvedere sock that I test knit a few weeks ago for Kirsten. Oh my..  the lace.....the swirls....I just fell in love with the pattern!

So much so that I asked Kirsten if she wanted to work a kit into this pattern with some new merino/nylon sock yarn I had picked up.  The pattern works beautifully with the yarn, so I am excited to offer this kit in 2 new colorways.

Marie Antoinettes.......

Bee still my beating heart, for Anne asked me to test knit this incredible sock pattern for her along with Jocelyn, who is an amazing test knitter!

What can I say that has not already been said about Anne's talents?   She is simply amazing!

I am truly enjoying each and every stitch,even if this queen bee has shown us that she can be a bit fussy and demands attention...but in the end, she works her magic and gives us some honey!

I am hoping to finish up with this sock tomorrow, which may make the pattern and kit ready for the weekend!  This sock is relatively easy to knit and moves along quickly....and is fun!

I am hoping to finish both pair (yes you read that right...these girls WILL have mates) over the weekend...as I have another test knit that I am excited about. 

Go take a peak at Susan's Morocco.......oh.my!  It is absolutely beautiful!!!  I have to admit, that I was not sure that my bee colored yarn was going to work with what Susan had in mind, but I have to admit again, she has magically turned that honey into Moroccan spice!  Now I need to come up with an Arabian Night to balance those Moroccan Days :-)

So that is what has been happening here in my little corner :-)

As I close this post, I encourage you to go read Margene's post today.  Margene said what I was trying to say the other day...only much more eloquently.

Sometimes as we move forward not only with our knitting, but in life, we have to take a few steps backwards in order to move forward.  I had this exact conversation, almost verbatim with my son last week, who is walking thru some difficult pathways right now.  I told him even if he had to take a few steps backwards, as long as he keeps his toes pointing in the right direction, he can take babysteps forward........one step at a time.

....and isn't that what life is all about........moving forward...one day at a time :-)