Hard to believe...

that it is only a little over a week before Xmas is here!!  We just finished buying the gifts for my husband's family. He always likes to wait until almost the last minute!  Mine were bought throughout the year and mailed really early.  Every year, to me, and I'm sure to many others, it seems like Xmas comes earlier and faster! 

Hope you all have good holidays....

Something....

I'm reading....

 

 

I'm knitting.....

 

 

I'm stitching..... (pardon the wrinkles!)

 

 

 

 

 

Do the Wiggle...

This is my progress on the "Wiggle Scarf" (pattern on Ravelry). I'm getting closer to having it done. Well, that is what I tell myself anyway....  There are 4 rows that you have to repeat over and over and over... so I find myself only picking this project up once a day and doing those 4 rows once. And then putting it back down!  But eventually, I will be wearing this sucker - LOL!  I'm using Lorna's Laces worsted in sort of an aqua shade....

All Is Pretty Good These Days...

My illnesses are slowly going away. I still have some bad days, but for the most part, all is good! The double vision went away two weeks ago - yippee! I was so relieved!  I'm back to visiting the yarn shop and spending way too much money on yarn!  I'm back to knitting and reading again! 

My parents are coming to see me! They will be here tomorrow afternoon. They will be staying in a hotel this time around....

Here is my second lacey baktus.  It is being done in Claudia Handpainted Sock Yarn - not Koigu like I mentioned before. The color is so lovely!  I just love it and cannot wait for it to be done. Now if I would quit starting sixty zillion other projects, maybe it would be!

Crunch Crunch - Yum = Love...

I love this scarf!  I just put it on when I finished it and walked around the house singing - I Love My Scarf... I Loooovveee My Scarf! LOL!  It is called the "Jawbreaker Scarf" (pattern on Ravelry)...  She did it in a worsted weight yarn I believe. I used a colorful sock yarn and a size 9 circular needle.  It is a very easy knit and can be made bigger if you want. Mine turned out to be six inches wide and 70 inches long! 

It Has Grown On Me....

I love this pattern. It is called the "Lacey Baktus" (pattern on Ravelry) - altho it could be lacy instead of lacey....  I can never remember. Anyway.... I didn't care for the yarn I chose for it. I didn't like the texture of it. But I did like the color.... So I kept on knitting away. And as time passed, the yarn texture grew on me. Too bad this one isn't for me...  It will be given away at Christmas time...  I have, however, started another one for me using Koigu sock yarn in a gorgeous orangey/yellow color!  When I get a bit more done on it, I will share it with you here!

This is my "Jaywalker scarf" (pattern on Ravelry)... Or at least this is what it looked like when I took the picture. I messed up the scarf after that and had to start over - aghhhh!  Anyway, she used six different colored skeins of Koigu sock yarn.  I decided to just use the two different colored skeins I already had here at the house. For one, switching back and forth with two colors is all I can handle. And two - six skeins would cost about $90.00 or more!  With a bout of double vision (still going on) - I'm not knitting as much - and when I do, it is for short bursts of time during the day and evening.  But then again, slow and steady gets the worm!  It doesn't help though that I had to start the scarf over again!!!  Oh, if you decide to knit this, make sure when you slip the two stitches, slip them together (at once)... Otherwise I found (or maybe it is just me) that the holes and little loopy rows don't match up....

Taaa Daaa - DONE!

I finally finished something!! In my defense, I had 10 weeks of not feeling good (due to all my illnesses) - so I wasn't knitting (or cross-stitching) at all!  Well, due to the illnesses and my numb fingers from one of the issues. But now that I've been feeling better and my fingers are finally back to normal - I've been knitting like a madwoman! I'm just about to finish something else (will show you when I get it done)..... Haven't been cross-stitching a whole lot, but I'm doing a bit here and there.  Oh, this is the Chinook Scarf - done in 100% cotton....

Yes, I'm Still Here!

Let's see, I left off with a bunch of stuff that had happened to me... In between then, I've been diagnosed with Lyme disease and with Shingles on my face! Oh boy!  I'm in the second week of treatment for the Lyme's and the pills are just about gone for the Shingles and it looks much better.  I had an MRI last week and found out something is going on with my neck, which could be what is causing the numbness in my fingers on both hands - which makes it quite hard to knit and cross-stitch - but I'm still plugging away at it!!   I'm now scanning the sky for the plague of locusts!  Here is just a tiny bit of my Chinook Scarf!  It is being done in a worsted cotton - in this pretty pretty shade of pink...  I love this pattern! It is so easy to do - and the lacey border is knitted right along with the rest of the scarf (pattern on Ravelry)....

Hey Everyone!!

Sorry I've been missing in action lately!  For the past month, I've gone through some health issues. Nothing serious....  But I haven't felt much like doing anything.... I'm just getting back into knitting and reading again!  Which feels good.  I get worn out very quickly. I've lost weight - which is a good thing! But I would have rather done it in a more pleasant way - ha!

Along with tons of scarves, I've started 4 shawls.... and I'm doing some scarf/shawlette type of items... including the Chinook scarf.  I had started the Pimpeliese (sp?) but it was getting annoying to me for some reason - LOL!  So I've set that aside. Oh, and I started the Wingspan.  It is made up of 8 triangles - and is quite easy to knit - even though at first, it seemed a bit confusing.  But after reading some explanations of how to do it, I realized how simple it really is!! 

So I've been having a lot of fun with my knitting (before getting sick)... and now after going almost 4 weeks without any knitting at all - I'm slowly getting back to that feeling of enjoyment again!!

Hope you all are doing well. I'll get some pictures up soon!

Just Some Rambles....

I've always been a routine oriented person - doing things on schedule - on certain days, etc.... I swore when I retired two years ago, that I would change that - be more spontaneous - mix things up a bit.  And yet, I'm still doing things mostly on schedule.... I've tried and tried to break myself of it - but it is ingrained in me. That being said, every once in awhile, I go a bit crazy (ha) - and go out of order.   Today, instead of washing my hair, I went to the grocery store. Tomorrow, instead of going to the grocery store - I will wash my hair! I am a real renegade - I tell ya!

Happy Mother's Day To My Mom!

My Mom, my older sister, and me....  from long long ago! Don't you love our matching dresses - LOL!
I talked to my Mom this morning (she is in Ohio - I'm in Virginia).  We talked about the gifts I sent her.  She has dementia - so she wasn't quite sure of what I gave her - but I know she will enjoy them... I don't even think she knew it was me she was talking to - or me who gave her the gifts.  But I know...  I know that she is my Mom - and that I miss her - and that I love her....

Shades of Red....

 

 

A single cable scarf being knitted with Blue Sky Alpaca Cotton; a lovely book that I'm reading for the second time; a primitive sampler that will soon have the word "Ohio" (my home state) stitched in the square near Anna's name. Can't wait to have it framed and on the wall with my other "Ohio" samplers....

Ahhhh yarn...yarn...loverly yarn....

Some new yarn, and some fun conversation with strangers in the yarn shop who didn't look at me like I was a weirdo when I started talking to them! LOL!  That upped my mood immensely!

When I Grow Up....

I will be a shawl! A pretty pink fluffy cozy (not too warm) shawl.... which will "fit" me perfectly....

(Blue Heron Petite Beaded Cotton/Rayon yarn in "Berry").

Shopping & Knitting & Stitching.....

I went to my favorite little town of Occoquan a couple of weeks ago.  I bought this candle (well, among other things)... I had wanted it when I was there on my birthday in December - but was already spending too much money - so passed it buy. This time, I grabbed it. I believe it used to be an old sugar or maybe flour shaker...  The scent of the candle is Orange/Clove. Smells divine - almost like Thanksgiving....

To take a break from knitting scarves (which of course I'm still doing) - I've gone on a cowl kick.  This is done in a basketweave pattern... I'm planning on trying to finish it this weekend - so I can wear it this year - while it is still cold outside!

 

"Winter Wonderland" by Blackbird Designs. I had started this design awhile back, but just didn't care for the linen color I was using. So I set it aside for a bit. Then I saw a finished one on a blog I read. I grabbed mine back out - found a piece of linen I liked - and the rest is history. I'm loving this!   I have fun with it every time I pick it up to put a few stitches in.  I did change the colors of the greens in it.  I'm using DMC threads with Lakeside Linen in Meadow Rue I believe....

Knitting in Color....

Today was an overcast, chilly, rainy/sleety day. What better time to knit a bit on this color filled scarf... I was never a fan of orange until I started knitting years ago.  Now I love it! The orange in this scarf reminds me of sunsets over the ocean, creamsicles and fruity drinks with tiny umbrellas...

The yarn is Rowan Colourscape Chunky in "Candy Pink"...  I'm using size 11 needles. I cast on 13 stitches and am doing a K1, P1 stitch - ending with K1 (just do that over and over - easy peasey)...

A Finish.... (the bear keeps saying he is keeping the scarf... I told him - remember the old saying.... "the bear gets it"... well, I'm not talkin the scarf!  He quickly said - okay - you can have it back!


A Work In Progress....

Little Bit of Snow....

Was trying to get a few shots of our light dusting of snow this morning. The cardinal showed up better than I thought he would (low battery in my camera of course)! Never fails... And a hungry squirrel...one of the many that were out there this morning - well every morning - LOL!

Oh Xmas Tree of Yarn...how I love thee...

I saw this craft done on another blog I read. I decided to try my hand at it!
I used a medium sized styrofoam cone... a strand each, of two different yarns...started wrapping from the bottom up (no glue or pins needed) - it just stuck!  And then I put little colored "pearl" straight pins for "ornaments" and then for the top, I used little felting balls.  I thought they looked like balls of yarn!  I'm sending this one off to my sister as a surprise giftie....  And then later on this year, I will probably make one for me too!