It's All About the Handknits

Guess What I'm Becoming?

2009-08-31T21:02:00.001-06:00

Come February call me Grandma!

Gone, Baby, Gone

2009-08-08T18:09:00.004-06:00

The empty house has a different empty feeling than when Big Guy has just gone to visit his dad. These 3.5 weeks away from him are the longest I will have ever not seen him--must get that web cam working. Even when I left I still picked him up from school almost every day. I've never gone more than 8 days without seeing him. My heart is broken.

And He Changes His Mind

2009-08-01T22:21:00.003-06:00

Big Guy is going to California after all. He was afraid his dad and brothers would make him change his mind (so was I) and they did. It's sad that his brothers want him to move three states away rather than be with me. I've never felt so hated before. I hope the big brothers miss Big Guy more than they ever imagined.

Gotta Have Faith

2009-07-31T12:28:00.006-06:00

Well, it's entirely different news than before.

Once everything was packed up and a new school being faced on August 10, Big Guy has decided to stay in Utah with me!! It finally dawned on him that he'd be leaving behind everything he ever knew and didn't want to go. We're playing it by ear right now; he says he may decide to go to California once he officially starts high school.

I have to admit: My sisters were so right on this matter! Aren't older sisters the bomb!!!???? Thank you dear sisters. I love you!

Okay: Here's some knitting content.

Meet Mr. Crabs:

He was knit for Big Guy while he was on Scout Camp at the beginning of July. I was kind of worried Big Guy would think he's too old for a knit stuffed toy, but both he and his older brother pronounced it "Awesome!" It is a fun and quick knit. The pattern is a row by row pattern (so no measuring) and so it can be sized up very easily by just using bulkier yarn, or sized down by using thinner yarn. Big Guy's is made of worsted weight and is about 12 inches claw to claw. I am planning on making this again for gifts.

When I took Mr. Crabs to work everyone fell in love with him. I had this great idea that I should knit one for the office and whoever was feeling crabby that day would get to keep him on her desk. But then I realized Terry and I would be fighting over him every single day. (Tongue in cheek there).

Now my mood is vastly improved I will be knitting much more! Here's to my sisters being right!

Happy Knitting!

ETA: Little Guy turned a milestone birthday so he is now known as Big Guy

First Place

2009-06-29T19:27:00.002-06:00

Being the third child I've always wanted to be first at something. Well today I got it.

My attorney has never seen a case where one parent (Mr. C in this instance) has so totally alienated the children from their mother be awarded custody. The custody is temporary, to be reviewed in December after all of us having individual counseling. The evaluator could not say anything I had done wrong, but reamed Mr. C a new one for having alienated me (during the marriage and since the divorce) and then said "Little Guy misses his dad." She thinks Mr. C deserves another chance. Not even a court order has kept him from disparaging me in front of Little Guy. So let's sacrifice my last child. At the age of 14, in Utah, the minor child's wants weigh more heavily than anything else.

I kept asking my attorney: "What did I miss? What did I do?" There is no answer.

Looks like there's going to be a trial in my not-too-distant future because I am not giving up.

I am still in shock.

For all of you who think Mr. C is "the bomb": I wish you could have been in the conference room today to hear the real story. Think about it: who would leave "such a great guy"?

Oops!

2009-06-22T20:56:00.001-06:00

Really, I have been knitting. I could take a picture of the things that need to be sewn together, but that would be incredibly boring.

But soon!

Happy Knitting!

There's a Reason It's Not Covered in the Etiquette Books

2009-05-13T15:55:00.004-06:00

And it's called Common Sense. One does not send wedding announcement/invitation to your ex-wife's family.

Give me a break. But it's provided some comedic relief for me!

I'm trying to decide who would feel more awkward: the future Mrs. C or the former in-laws? And here's the easy answer to that: The former in-laws are sensitive enough to all parties to know better.

Happy Knitting!

Race for the Cure

2009-05-09T22:02:00.006-06:00

From top to bottom:
The felted purse for the top fundraiser for Race for the Cure--Teri, the only other knitter in the office, won it.

One of the fifteen dishcloths I knit for the gift bags.

One of the sixteen felted Noni Forget-me-nots I knit and felted and glued pin backs on for the female team members. Plus three more for the felted bag.

I'm too tired/lazy to go find the Noni pattern to relate the story behind the forget-me-nots, but it goes something like this: The Noni designer was asked to design a flower for a woman to use to decorate her bra to wear in the UK equivalent of our Race for the Cure. Proceeds from the pattern sales go to cancer research. I thought that was such a good thing I decided to do one for each team member. I only wish I could have gotten someone to agree to wear a bra exposed with me, I would have covered our bras in these flowers. I love the office where I work, but sometimes the other workers can be a little staid. I did get one nurse agree that if she ever runs she'll do the bra thing with me. Rest assured, we will be wearing the decorated bras on the outside of our t-shirts. You know, to keep the disgust factor to a minimum!

It will be our team tradition and each year we'll add a new forget-me-not, but a different color each year. Blue was the default color because I had so much left over from a bag (yet to be finished) I had felted.

TEAM PHOTO!!!
Happy Knitting!

The First Curse Word on This Blog

2009-04-28T23:36:00.005-06:00

And just when I thought I was numb:

Just when I thought the pain couldn't get any worse, I found out tonight that my second child and his wife bought a house. I'm a realtor. They didn't use me. I am a little hurt by it, but figure they lost out since my closing gift to them would have been my commission (minus what I have to pay in taxes and to my broker). On a $150K house (I don't know what their purchase price really is) that would have been a closing gift of $2160 (cash). Hmm, wonder if their agent (if they used one) will match or beat that. Think not!

A little back story here: I spoke with this child twice on my b-day last Saturday. And my child Number 3 was here for 48 hours straight this past weekend. And Big Guy knew about the house. Apparently it's a big secret from Mom.

But what really hurts (and it took me a couple of hours to realize this) is that the future Mrs. C (on Big Guy's phone as Future Mom) knows about the house.

I wish the children could see that there was another side to this divorce. However, one parent has chosen to keep the children out of it. And it wasn't Mr. C.

It's been a really sh*tty 10 days and I don't see it getting any better.

No happy knitting. Only a broken heart.

Dad's X-Wife

2009-04-19T22:35:00.003-06:00

That's how my phone number is identified in the new cell phone Mr. C bought for Big Guy.

And just when I thought my feelings couldn't be hurt any worse than they already had been.

Baby Wrap and Other Things

2009-04-15T14:42:00.007-06:00

I can't believe I forgot to post this! This sweater was done last year for a niece's daughter, Brynley, who was born in December. It's from Cool Knits for Kids and made from Cotton-Ease. The baby is in a warm climate (think Christmas with 70 degree temps except this winter when my sister, the baby's grandma, took the snow with her down south) and also the third child so Mom needed something easy care. I made some modifications such as actually knitting the front band on instead of knitting separately and then sewing on.

This scarf is One Row Scarf from The Yarn Harlot. It was a very fun, fast, and easy knit. When I took it to work to show off it matched a co-workers sweater so it became hers. This was stash yarn and it was written in Japanese so I have no clue what it was called, but it sure is pretty!

These are hats I did for charity. One of the ladies at the office was getting a knitting class together for the LDS Humanitarian Project and I offered to do a couple and to donate some kits for the ladies who participated. The yarn is just acrylic baby yarn and the pattern on the left is from Cottage Creations book Projects for the Community. The one on the left is just a basic hat pattern.

This hat and bootee (spell check wants it spelled this way) set didn't photograph very well. The actual hat color is brown with lavender trim! The hat is from Knit Baby Head & Toes. And the booties are from Cool Knits for Kids. I made these to match an outfit an office worker's daughter had bought for her daughter. I wish I had paid more attention to the color of the photograph and gotten it correctly because it really is a striking color combination.

Check out the counters on the sidebar. I'm the team captain for The Stream Team (Race for the Cure). If you want to pretend we're The Stream Team because we're so streamlined feel free to do so. But the truth is the Urologist I work for is sponsoring our team and he named us. So the stream refers to something totally not so pleasant! You will be seeing some knitting related to The Race for the Cure. More about that later.

The other counter is for weight loss. Duh.

Running will be found here from now on.

Dish cloth knitting will be found here.

Happy Knitting!

Heart Felt Sunday

2009-04-05T22:11:00.005-06:00

Today I made this rose! It's a needle felting mold from Clover. It was amazingly easy and took only about an hour--not bad for the first attempt. The reason I titled it Heart Felt is because it's three different sizes of felted hearts made into this rose corsage. I've done lots of felting (fulling) in the washing machine but this was my first attempt at needle felting. I can hardly wait to order the hedgehog mold (probably not 3-D). It think it will be so cute on a tote. Go check out the Clover site.

Check out what Millicent (the cat) did to my laptop mouse. She chewed it up. Last spring she chewed through a wire on my electric blanket after I had put it in storage. Luckily she's smart enough not to chew on anything plugged in. And that's amazing considering she fell off the bed not once but twice the other night while she was chasing her tail. That dang tail gets so wound up at bedtime.

And this is Kyler's Kardigan from Cottage Creations. It was made for my niece's daughter, LaLa. And her Aunt Kate picked out the buttons. The yarn is Paton's Decor. This sweater has an option for a zipper and the mom is probably going to wish I had used a zipper since these buttons are a little "catchy" on the buttonhole.

On the "running" front, I am gearing up for the Race for the Cure on May 8. I'm hoping to be able to run the whole 5K, but will still be happy if I have to walk part of it. A year and a half ago I finished a 5K running program, but once I got to where I could run 25-30 minutes at a time I was done. I'd accomplished my goal--but not run a race. But now one of the women I work with is a runner and it's inspired me to try again.

Happy Knitting

What Did YOU Pack for Christmas?

2008-12-27T15:01:00.005-07:00

I went to my mom's for Christmas Eve and came home on the 26th. The bag on the right held my clothes and makeup. The other two bags were my necessities: My Knitting! Yes, more knitting than wearables. And a good thing too since we were pretty much blown in. The wind blew so long and hard on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day that there was no way I was driving home in my lightweight PT Cruiser, aka Voodoo.

This blanket is Moderne Baby Blanket from Mason-Dixon Knitting. It's for my new grand niece--Brynley. The yarn is Lion Brand Baby Soft in pistachio, lemon drop, white and lavender. I couldn't decide what to do with the edging. I really liked the look of I-cord (check the one on Ravelry), but didn't want to put that much time into it. So I did six rows of st st and let it roll. Gave the look with none of the hassle.

More about Christmas knitting in another post--gotta run to a wedding dinner.

Happy Knitting

Will I EVER Get it Right?

2008-12-22T23:55:00.002-07:00

My second attempt at Yarn Harlot's Unoriginal Hat. This time I made sure I had yarn which could achieve gauge (Brown Sheep Bulky in Cranberry Swirl). Two hours of knitting and it doesn't fit! Way too small for me. Luckily I have a daughter-in-law who is absolutely tiny.

I'm going to attempt the pattern again. But maybe not for a few days.

Happy Knitting!

More Christmas

2008-12-22T02:14:00.003-07:00

Apparently I'm turning into a posting machine.

Here are the Christmas gifts for my officemate and her husband. The dark gray pair is Dashing from Knitty.com and the multicolor is Fetching from Knitty.com and the beanie is my own design to match Fetching. I used Cascade 220 Handpaint for the multicolor and Cascade 220 for the gray. (click for big, you can actually see the cables!)

Happy Knitting!

Very Unoriginal

2008-12-21T23:27:00.002-07:00

This is The Unoriginal Hat by the Yarn Harlot (link on sidebar). Very, very easy. I used Lemongrass Wool-Ease Thick and Quick, size 10 needles. It was pretty tight knitting since WETQ is not the gauge needed for this project, so I was fighting it all the way. But it was fun and it's only 36 rows! What can be more instant than that???? Even with the cables slowing the knitting down?

Happy Knitting!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-19T19:46:00.008-07:00

Long time no posting again. I'll be better in the new year!

This first picture is the three Cottage Creations Babies and Bears sweaters I did for the three grandsons of women I work with. I truly love this pattern and wish I'd kept track of how many I've made over the years. When my children were younger they called this the magic sweater because it in no way looks like a sweater while being knit.

A pumpkin hat for Jayden, the son of the Physician Assistant in our office. He looked pretty cute in it!

Bats! From a pattern (purchased) that I found through Lime and Violet's Daily Chum. Anyway, these are a quick knit and so fun. I did the fangs with glow in the dark yarn by Bernat (from Michaels, but they got rid of it). Again, one of these went to Jayden.

A turkey hat--one of three that I did. Also found through Lime and Violet's Daily Chum and this one was free. I did one for Jayden (that kid is starting to hate me I think), one for a coworker's grandson, and one for my niece's one year old, Lala. This was a fun hat but after doing six turkey drumsticks I was ready to be done!

Okay, not knitting but still a project. A smocked gown for a baby who wasn't supposed to live. I couldn't let her be buried in a gown done by someone impersonal. The baby lived!

Eight pairs of Evangeline, eight pairs of Fetching, one pair of Dashing. All free patterns (do a search on Ravelry and/or Knitty.com). For office workers. They were a big hit. I used Cascade 220 superwash wool and I could get two pairs (not the Dashing) out of one skein. I even added 2 extra rows on the Fetching and one extra pattern repeat on the Evangeline. Only with the camel color did I really run short on yarn. Very fast knit and very economical.

Happy Knitting!

Smiling So Hard My Cheeks Hurt

2008-09-15T21:08:00.002-06:00

A looooonnnnngggg time since the last post, hunh? I didn't knit for quite awhile, but I'm back in the groove--pictures soon to follow.

Why am I smiling so hard? Mr. C has moved to California and I've been awarded temporary custody pending a custody evaluation. I've had Big Guy full time since July and more than half the time March through June. It's been fantastic. I realize things can turn on a dime, but right now I'm enjoying the extended time with Big Guy. He's doing so much better in school--there is something to be said for a parent being through with work (outside the home--since work is really never done for a parent) in time to be there after school. Right now I've got the best of both worlds. And I do realize how fortunate I am.

And since Big Guy loves to fish it gives me lots of time to knit while sitting on the edge of the lake/pond and having him tell me about the fish and how to catch them. Very informative. He even lets me reel one in occasionally!

Big Guy is a great help around the house. He loves to fix things and hang things, etc. Plus he's learning a little cooking. Last week he grilled one of the best steaks I've ever had. Tonight he grilled shrimp.

Happy Knitting!

Finished Projects!

2008-05-06T17:13:00.005-06:00

I can't believe I finally finished this. It was knit more than a year ago for a friend's birthday. But when I went to line it I couldn't find the knit part. Then I made the lining but couldn't find the handles. Then I moved. Then I found the handles, but couldn't find the bag and lining. This past weekend I decided it was do or die on this since it was a year overdo (a really good friend to be so patient). I bought new handles. Then I couldn't find the bag and lining. I could picture which sack it was in, but couldn't find it. I went through every box and yarn container in my basement looking for it. I finally decided I would just have to reknit the bag and suddenly I remembered where I had put it--in the container next to the sofa so that I could finish it. And the handles were there! But I like the new ones better. Details: Ticker Taper "yarn" by Moda Dea, color Sunset, one skein. I don't remember what size needles. The pattern is Chinese Charm Bag from Stitch and Bitch. It was actually the second one of these bags I've done for gifts.

This year's b-day gift for the same person. I gave her both presents today and she was so sweet about the one being over a year late and this one being 2 weeks late. Like I said, a good friend. This is Bathing Beauties by Fiber Trends, Grace (Patons) cotton yarn. Size 3 needles. A quick and fun knit.

Okay, I'm dang proud of these socks. I started them May 1 and finished them today, May 6. Here's why the dedication to getting them done. Unraveled Sheep in Sandy is having a sock knitting contest and I really, really wanted to be the first person to get an entry in and I was. They are Leaf Lace Socks by Fiber Trends. Sleeping Dragon yarn in Mossy Frog. Size 0 and 1 needles--next time I'll use 1 and 2. These are the socks I was knitting when I broke the circular needle.

Big Guy is still sick so I've gotten lots of knitting (and ironing done).

Happy Knitting!

Broken Hearted

2008-05-05T19:17:00.004-06:00

I was at the pediatrician's office this afternoon and knitting away on a sock when look what happened to my needle! I've never had one break like that before. I must have been tugging too hard when I pulled the stitches through. Even though I have "emergency knitting" in the car, I didn't want to leave Big Guy to run out to the car. I was reduced to reading about vaccines while I waited for the doctor. Big Guy has a virus which presents a lot like strep. Nothing but time will make him feel better. I'm very sorry he's not feeling well, but being a Knitter I look on the bright side: lots more knitting time!

Look who was in Salt Lake yesterday. The Yarn Harlot! She gave a great presentation as always. The King's English Book Store even had copies of her books for purchase. That was really nice since I hadn't been able to find her most recent one anywhere.

Almost every Friday night for the past two months I have had dinner with several well known, well recognized local media people. I've never been tongue tied or stumped for an answer around them. Yesterday while waiting for the Yarn Harlot to start I was returning to the auditorium from the restroom. One of the library employees was walking with a woman. He directed me to the front entrance of the auditorium, when I turned to thank him I realized who he was escorting--Stephanie Pearl-McPhee aka The Yarn Harlot. Words totally failed me. I could not remember her name, my manners, or even my name. This was my clever statement: "OH! Hi (long pause). It's you I'm here to see." (DUH!) Maybe the local media should take up knitting and I'd be quiet.

The Unraveled Sheep in Sandy is having a sock knitting contest (among other contests) this summer. So guess what there will be a lot of on this blog?

Happy Knitting!

Catch Up

2008-04-30T22:10:00.005-06:00

Here are the bowls post felting. I'm really pleased with how they turned out--especially after all my false starts. I learned something when I was felting them: Don't use the mesh laundry bags and towels. The bowls ended up with lots of lint. I had to refelt them using jeans. I think I'll get a pillowcase and add a zipper for future projects. These were April's present for my sister in Washington.

Socks from Meilenweit. These were car knitting and I had to finish them by April 30 because Unraveled Sheep is having a sock contest for the summer and the socks have to be made with yarn purchased from US on or after May 1, 2008. So to the shop I go tomorrow after I cash my paycheck! These socks were just basic garter rib. Easy-peasy.

Evangeline (from Magknits.com-no longer in service) and Fetching from Knitty.com. You know, the usual that I'm doing monthly so that the Christmas rush isn't quite so rushed. However, I was very rushed to make the deadline--just finished the last one this evening. Which means I knit three of these in a little over 24 hours. But, hey, meeting the goal is what's important.

No pictures of this month's most popular items: eight dishcloths for a friend who moved to Florida. This woman has everything she could possibly need, but everyone needs more dishcloths right? So I knit a Utah one, a Florida one, a palm tree, a flamingo, and four textured cloths. All in incredibly bright colors. Wish I'd thought to look for an alligator one since Gators are a FL football team. I did luck out and did a two color cloth in green and orange--the Gator colors. I didn't know those are the Gator colors. I almost frogged the cloth because it was so garish.

Happy Knitting!

I'm In Love!

2008-04-21T11:46:00.006-06:00

Meet Millicent, my new addition! Big Guy and I received her from a friend. We are really loving having a kitten around. Millicent is almost 7 months old and personality plus, but not really frisky which is a good thing in my book. I do have to remember to put the knitting in a safe place. She's already chewed up one circular needle (luckily a cheap one) and chewed on some yarn. She is so much fun.

Here are some catnip mice I knitted for Millicent and a friend's cat (link is on the side bar). Notice the extremely elongated mouse. That's what happens when I don't read the directions completely. I kept thinking: This is taking so much longer than the ones I knit last summer. That should have been my clue that something wasn't quite right.

Felted bowls (before fulling) based on a pattern from One Skein by Leigh Radford. I did them bottom up so that I could utilize every bit of the Noro Kureyon. You can see how little I had left. I actually knit the smaller bowl three times because I kept messing up my increases. I'll post a picture of the finished product next time.

The lack of posts has been due to my mom being so sick. Five weeks ago she had a stroke, the following week she had a heart attack, and since then it's been one doctor's appointment after another. She's gone from being a very active person to someone who can barely get out of bed. And then complications from a cardiac ablation. Luckily one of my nieces had just moved to Utah and is now living with my mom; what we would be doing without Kate is just not possible to think about. She's been a godsend. Like I said in an earlier post: mysterious ways.

Happy Knitting!

Some Cooking with the Knitting

2008-03-12T12:44:00.006-06:00

This is what's left after three of us had dinner. It's Parmesan Gourgere with Chicken Filling.

It wasn't the quickest chicken potpie I've made, but it's definitely the best and worth the extra few minutes. A gourgere is the same dough as the dough for cream puffs, but you add cheese(s) to the dough before baking. Yummy! Let's face it: I made it and it turned out so it really can't be hard or time consuming.

This the the gift I did for my sister in January. It's a takeout hot drink cuff (I'm sure there's a real name for it out there). It's a free pattern on Knitpicks website.

This could be considered my $2 sweater. Made from Wool-Ease purchased at Fred Meyer years ago when they had it on sale for two skeins for a dollar. Obviously mismarked in the ad, but they honored it and I bought close to $50 worth of yarn that day. I started this sweater late Christmas Eve and finished it in January. It was a night I couldn't sleep (isn't menopause a joy and coupled with the ex stress) and I had to start something new. We all know that it doesn't matter how many projects are on the needles there are times when nothing but something new will do. The pattern is Lacy Cardigan from Blue Sky Alpacas.

These are felted buttonhole bags I made at Christmas--one to give away one to put in gift stash. Pattern from the Mason-Dixon website.

These are hats I made for Big Guy and one of his friends. The yarn is Araucania Nature Wool in an olive green color. Looks almost like camouflage. I thought the two hats would take two skeins but they only took one. So the extra skein made a hat for Son #3 and the rest will be a hat to go to the gift stash.

Willie Warmers in Fun Fur and Wool-Ease. 'Nuf said.

Happy Knitting!

Back, Again

2008-03-10T12:23:00.010-06:00

Lots of knitting content ahead.

First of all check out the socks which took me forever to finish. They were the ones I carried as emergency car knitting. My MO for the socks-in-the-car is that it takes forever to complete the first one, but then I get excited and finish the second one much more quickly.

This is Sunday Best Cardigan from The Little Sublime Handknit Book. It's a gift for a friend's baby due in May. I didn't make it to the baby shower (went to see Menopause: The Musical) but the sweater did. And my wonderful officemate who had hosted the shower brought me leftover food the next day. Yum, yum. Atkins Who?What?

I have set a goal this year that every month I will send my sister in Washington a little something handknit. For March I did dishcloths. The pics aren't great but they are (clockwise starting with noon) a palm tree, a dragon fly, the state of Washington (it's upside down--I didn't notice when I photoed late last night), and the February mid month dishcloth KAL.

These are Fetching (from Knitty.com) knit from Cascade 220 Superwash. The pair with the ribbon was the February gift for my sister. The other pair goes into the gift stash.

The green ones are Fetching and Evangeline (Magknits.com). Going into the gift stash. Another goal I have this year is to knit one skein of Cascade 220 Superwash into two pairs of fingerless mitts each month and put into the gift stash.

Another goal is to knit one dishcloth every Sunday--so far so good on both goals.

Okay, it looks like Blogger is tired of this post and isn't cooperating with me anymore (I'm sure it's not my impatience!) so I'll end the knitting content now. But there is a lot more knitting to blog about.

Things are going better in my personal life. Mr. C has been traveling a lot so I've had Big Guy (he's almost as tall as me now) with me quite a bit during the week. It's so much fun having him for days on end and having a real life with him.

Happy Knitting

Mysterious Ways

2007-12-22T20:40:00.000-07:00

I no longer pretend to believe as I once did, but I do know there is a God and He moves in mysterious ways. Occasionally when I look at Little Guy I wonder if I made a mistake leaving Mr. C. I look in LG's sweet face and can't believe I am not seeing that face and kissing those cheeks everyday. That's when God steps in and Mr. C does something which brings me back to reality. Mr. C's latest not-so-little action has astounded even his Bishop. It is so absolutely unconscionable that it just reaffirms my decision. My only regret is leaving the children with him. Which due to his recent actions may be a moot point soon. It is hard to believe this man was sustained as a man of God in a church. I should have gone with my instincts: grabbed the child and fled a year ago. One thing I do hold true is that Mr. C did give good and wise counsel to his congregation. It's just too bad he has never been able to apply it in his own life.

Now on to Knitting! Look at those cute hats. They are for my 3 year Grand Nephew who lives in Washington. My niece couldn't find any hats which fit so she sent me his measurements and I knit these (from WoolEase) to take a break from packing. They were a welcome distraction. Niece says they fit perfectly, but pics of him wearing them haven't arrived. I hope they did fit and she's not just trying to humor me!

Next!
.Tree Jacket. I'm too lazy to find the link, but it was an online (instant download) pattern on the internet. Google if you're interested. It was fun (except for the purling in the round), quick, and inexpensive. I used Lion Brand Cotton Ease in Taupe. I finished while waiting for the Thanksgiving Turkey to cook. The knitting kept me from hogging the new grandniece who is cute, cute, cute. That's not my new house in the background, by the way.

Now on to Cooking! Check out these cookies LG made this weekend. We made sugar cookies (stars), but he wanted fish shaped. I have a fish cookie cutter, but he wanted a muskie. So he downloaded a pic from the web and made a template (that's what's at the top). Awesome job.
There has been more knitting going on. I made a large felted tote bag for a gift, but forgot to take a picture of it before I gave it away. GRRRRR. And I've made two buttonhole bags from the Mason-Dixon blog and did remember to take pics, but when I went to post them I realized I still need to take a picture of the finished product. GRRRR again. Next post.

Happy Knitting and Merry Christmas!