The Woolen Rabbit

Wednesday's Work.....

Nothing makes my heart smile more as a knitter than to see my children enjoy the hand knits that I have created for them.  Every knitter out there knows just how happy!

There has been quite a bit of knitting happening here even though I haven't had a chance to show you the finished items on the recipients.  This lovely scarf was a gift that I gave Hannah last year for Christmas.......let me rephrase this.....I gave her a ball of yarn and a promise..ha!  She has been a patient soul and I finally finished the scarf just before this Christmas

I did change up the pattern a little bit because I wasn't sure that Hannah would like so many different pattern changes within one scarf, so I knit the first three patterns and then repeating those same three patterns backwards creating a big circle. 
I'm happy to say she loves it!

Pattern:  A March Through Time
Designer: Christina Campbell
Yarn:  Sporty Kashmir
Colorway:  Cornhusk

The headband is one that I made a while back when I made about a gazillion of them because I LOVE this pattern designed by the talented Bonne Marie of Chic Knits.  My girls all wear and love them!
(shhh....Hannah has it on inside out...LOL)

Pattern:  Elisbeth Headband
Designer:  Bonne Marie Burns
Yarn:  WW Kashmir
Colorway:  Chimney Sweep

  Hannah had spent her afternoon hiking in the mountains of Franconia Notch not too far away from where she goes to college, using the presents that we gave her for Christmas.  A backpack with a waist belt to keep the weight off of her shoulders and some trekking poles to help stabilize the ankle that she sprained badly this past summer.

I love that my children who have grown up here in the mountains of New Hampshire love and enjoy the beauty and bounty that these mountains have to offer.

 

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Weekending......

 

Weekends certainly go by so much faster than the work week don't they?

Even though I stayed home, this weekend was a full one.  There was a lot of cooking and baking happening.  This Cranberry Orange Pecan bread was made with some of the cranberries that I used for Christmas Decorating.  You can find the recipe here.

In my year of Harmony I am trying to be more organized, so this weekend I made all signs of Christmas and Winter go away in this old house and replaced them with some early Spring and Valentines Day decorations.  I know...we still have lots of winter to come, but it gives me something to look forward to.

 

I did spend some time working out in the shop, but not too much time.  I had a big order going out to my friend, Elizabeth Doherty of Bluebee Studio.  While the yarns were dyeing it gave me some time to work on my quilt.
All of the pieces have been cut out, pinned and ready to be sewn tomorrow.
I love these cheerful colors!

What did you do this weekend?

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Hat Trick.....

Pure light is all colors.
Therefore there is no hue.
Only when singleness is scattered
Does color appear.
Deng Ming~Dao

Wow...it's been a busy week here, but when Elizabeth sent me a copy of her newest ebook, "Hat Trick", I stopped for a breather, poured a cup of coffee and took some time to look at the patterns with their beautiful stitch textures.

Elizabeth and I have worked on a number of different designs and I have loved every one of them, so when she approached me about sending her some yarn for these hats, I was very happy to do so knowing that whatever she used them for would be something that I would enjoy knitting myself.

I really love this grouping of very wearable hats! This pattern, "Crosscheck," was knit with my WW Kashmir yarn and comes in two sizes.  The beanie style closer fitting hat worn here by Elizabeth's handsome model is one I know both my son and son in laws would be happy to own and the the slouchier style shown on the woman in the first and last pictures is one that I would enjoy wearing myself

Thank-you Elizabeth for always making my yarns look amazing!!

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And................

IT'S A GIRL!!

4 years ago, I saw this quilt on "Cluck Cluck Sew" and fell in love with it!
I loved the combination of colors...yellow, brown gray and PINK, so much so that I purchased the fabrics that she used hoping that one day I would have a reason to use it.

Then I had one grandson...and another grandson and somehow I knew that the pink fabric would just not do, so I knitted in green and quilted with reds and blues while this cheerful fabric continued to live in my stash.....
Until today!


(no....this is not mine, but Cluck, Cluck Sew's picture, I will post my progress as I go along)

I knew that today was the day that my son Miles and his wife Jen would find out what sex their baby would be at their ultrasound appointment.  I knew how very much Jen wanted a little girl after having 2 boys, with the youngest one being...well...a challenging 3 year old..ha!  He is such a little cutie even when he is being a 3 year old.  I just love him!

So when Miles called me this morning, in typical Miles fashion, he kind of led me to believe it was going to be another boy before he blurted out they were having a baby girl who looks healthy and strong.
Everyone would have loved another healthy strong boy, but I can truly say that we are all excited to be looking forward to welcoming another girl into the family, it's been 16 years!

Congratulations Miles and Jen!!!

 

Weekending.....

 

Weekends go by so quickly don't they?  
This weekend I spent most of my time knitting, cooking and working out in the studio getting a yarn club mailing ready to be mailed out.  I have joined with Anne Hanson for an Indie Untangled mailing next month and I love the colorway that we will be using.  I will share it with you when I can.

 Saturday evenings most always include.s appetizers of some sort and a few hours of a brain game such as Bananagrams, Racko or Quiddler.
(the last 2 games were Christmas presents.) 
I need to keep this aging brain working and flexible..ha!

This recipe that I found on Pinterest was scrumptious!  Little wonton cups filled with arugula, lime sour cream and topped with spicy shrimp.  You can find the recipe here.

Ken spent most of his weekend working up in the room next to our bedroom.  We are on the last leg of refinishing this old house.  This room is going to be a small living room for either us or guests to watch television, read or in my case use my spinning wheel.  We certainly could have used this room when the kids were growing up, when they had their friends over for sure!  Hopefully when we sell this house in the next few years the new owners will appreciate this space as much as we would have.

That's pretty much it.  It was SUPER cold up here, but thankfully we missed the dumping of snow that our Massachusetts friends were blessed with, so all in all it was a good weekend.

What did you do this weekend?

Friday's musing.....

 

Thunder and rain at night.
Growth comes with a shock.
Expression and duration
Appear in the first moment.
Deng Ming~Dao

Things can not remain in stillness forever. 
Winter storms may destroy some things, but they also prepare the way for life.  If things are swept away, it is appropriate.  There must be an opportunity for new living things to emerge and begin their own cycle.

~thoughts to think about over the weekend...

Have a wonderful weekend in your corner of the world!

 

Freeing Up Time....

 

One of the ways I have been creating more time for myself has been by visiting social media sites, especially Facebook, much less.  I love Social Media, especially Pinterest, Instagram and FB, but I find that not only do they quickly suck up so much of my time, but I often find myself feeling anxious.  Pinterest with it's wonderful pictures and ideas can make me feel overwhelmed at times from the overload of choices and FB with so many political posts definitely makes me a bit more anxious about our future and that of our children.

 

The upside to backing away from the computer a bit is that I have had a lot more time for knitting.  In the last few weeks I have finished 2 infinity scarves that I will share once I get the recipients to show them off, 1/2 of a mitten set and this lovely cowl designed by Ann Hanson.
This is a new yarn I am trying and holy moly, this stuff is incredibly soft!  It is a DK weight blend of Merino, Yak and Silk.
Once I finish the cowl I will block it out and wear it for a little bit to see how well it holds up and if it does, I will definitely be adding it to the line-up here at The Woolen Rabbit.
Check back soon :)

Harmony....

“Out of clutter find simplicity; From discord find harmony; In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” ~Albert Einstein

My word for 2017 is "Harmony".

When I started thinking about which word I would want to embrace for the upcoming year, the first word that came to my mind was "Organize".  Now, if you know me, you know that I am not the most organized person on a good day....well, I should rephrase this.  I am surprisingly organized in my chaos, but that chaos always leaves me chasing my tail.

When I mentioned the word "Organize" to my husband and a dear friend, I could tell from their expressions that they were not sure that this was the word for me, and knowing myself I could understand their apprehension.

My friend made a comment that made me think on it a bit.  I can't remember her exact words, but it had me search some of the synonyms for organize.  One of the words made me smile because it was "create" and all of my life this has been a word that has guided me.  The other word that jumped out at me was "harmony".  Not in the musical way or even world peace, but what jumped out at me was the balance in the word harmony.

As I get older the need to lighten my load gets stronger, both in the volume of items that I own and in the space that occupies my spirit. One of my goals for this year is to downsize and reduce my stuff.  I think that it will free my that spirit of mine.

Also as someone who is ADD to the nth, procrastination is always my companion.  I always get what I need to get done, but when you procrastinate you know you will pay for it on the other end by working incredibly hard in a short period of time, which takes a lot of joy out of the creation.
This is something that I really want to work on in this upcoming year, which I know will be a challenge.  I have found tools online that I hope will help me learn to stay on task better.
I know that no person can completely change, but it is my goal this year to work on creating better habits.  I am told...if you do something for 21 days it becomes a habit.

So for 2017, I am going to strive for harmony and balance in this new year.

What is your word for 2017?

Happy New Year!!

This is the moment of embarking.
All auspicious signs are in place.
In the beginning, all things are hopeful.  We prepare ourselves to start anew.  Though we may be intent on the magnificent journey ahead, all things are contained in this first moment; our optimism, our faith, our resolution, our innocence.
 Deng Ming~Dao

Almost every year I use this Tao quote to start off my year, because it is so full of hope....and I always use this beautiful picture of my favorite wind chimes.

I am looking forward to 2017 and a fresh start to a new year. with all of it's promise.  I have chosen my new word that I will share with you this week.  This new word will have me visiting with you more often, so I look forward to visiting with you again on a regular basis.

As we start this new year, remember to give those you love a hug to remind them how much you love them.

Peace
~