Happy Handwork

The Perfect Panini

2010-05-19T10:58:00.018-05:00

Have you ever had a Panini? This Italian sandwich is similar to a grilled cheese sandwich. Typically the sandwich is pressed on a grill to melt the cheese and toast the bread. I'll show you how I make a Panini.

First off, I don't own a Panini press. Don't get me wrong, I would love to have one. I do what I can with what I have on hand. Cast iron pans are my press. I have 4 cast iron skillets including a grill pan. Cast iron is inexpensive, wears forever, heats evenly, is made in the USA and will give your wrist a workout. Start off by pre- heating your skillet or grill pan on medium heat.

Next use a uncut loaf of bread. Use any kind you like. Italian, Sourdough, Foccacia and Ciabatta. Make sure you pick a dense bread. I wouldn't use a white bread. I love the look of a rustic sandwich. Cutting your bread thick is the trick.

Roasted peppers taste wonderful melted in between the layers of meat and cheese. You can roast them yourself on the grill. For this application you can cheat like I did and purchase them already roasted and peeled in the can.

I've tried making the Panini's all different ways. I played with all of the different ways to toast the bread. Using butter, olive oil and just plain naked. All work well. Of course butter spread on the outside of the sandwich tastes the best. If you are watching your fat and calories naked is almost just as good. Layer your bread, meat, peppers, and cheese.

This sandwich is made with roasted turkey,cranberry mustard, peppers and provolone cheese.

Now for the fun part! Add a skillet to press down the Panini. I normally use 2 skillets to press the sandwich. Press for about 4-5 minutes each side.

A perfect Panini. Someone even told me that my Panini was better than Panera Bread's Panini. What a compliment. I encourage you to dig out your iron skillets, throw caution to the wind and create a sandwich all your own.

Magic Ball

2010-05-05T07:29:00.022-05:00

Do you know what a magic ball is? It's a beautiful ball of yarn with special little surprises hidden inside. The theory is that as you unwind your ball of yarn while knitting one will come across fun treasures inside. It's like opening a present.

The sky is the limit when it comes to fiber choice. You can use any yarn you happen to have. I received the pink ball from a swap. My partner used bulky weight alpaca.

Think about the recipient and choose items they will enjoy. Things like buttons, charms, lip gloss, row counters and stitch markers always are welcome. Even some yummy chocolate hidden inside is nice. I am making one for a young girl who loves to crotchet.

I started with a cute pair of socks in the center. I'm using a yellow cotton yarn that's perfect for crocheting dishcloths. Wind the yarn around the item you have stashed inside.

Keep adding little treasures as you wind the yarn into a ball. Other idea's for surprises are any type of candy, jewelry, or a sweet little note.

Tie a pretty ribbon onto the ball or decorate with feathers, bows or floral birds. Adding a crochet hook or a set of knitting needles is a nice finishing touch. Each magic ball is unique and different depending on the recipient. Have fun! Create something lovely for someone you love!

It's Been Such A Long Time........

2010-04-29T11:25:00.008-05:00

It's been such a long time since I have blogged. I can't believe how fast the time has flown by. I've noticed several things since I've been away from blog world. First and foremost, blogging challenged me to finish what I start. I miss that. Reading blogs inspired me to broaden my skills. I miss that too. So here I go with a new commitment to myself to get back on the blogging train.

I have been creating lots of different things over the past 7 months. One thing I have been occupied with is hand painting yarns. I have graduated from Kool Aid dyeing to professional dyes. What a colorful world I have been exploring. The picture above is a sample of playing with different colors of dyes. I'll tell you this, the finished yarn is not what I planned. I sure like it though.

I knitted up a swatch to see how the colors would meld together. The yarn base is a Merino 100% wool bulky weight. The feel is soft and smooth. I knew whatever pattern I chose for this yarn would have to mix up the variegation of color in the yarn.

I came across the Chickadee cowl pattern with the help of the search tools in Ravelry. The stitch pattern is pretty simple. The pattern is a linen stitch. It's perfect for variegated yarns. I love the results!

Another experiment in dyeing. I don't know how I did this one, but I adore it!
I have a lot more to share with you all in the future. Please stop back again!

Rocky Mountain High

2009-09-09T23:00:00.007-05:00

I have dreamed of becoming a forest ranger. That is, I did as a child. My family took camping trips out west to mountain country. I would watch the scenery pass me by from the front window of our truck camper. Being here brings back a flood of memories. Here it is over 30 years later. Today I sit in the front seat of a convertible next to my darling. We spent the day in Rocky Mountain National Park. It's an unbelievable sight! Words can't describe the awesomeness of this park.

The road that loops around the park goes up over 12000 feet.

The drive to the top tested my nerves. There came a point that I couldn't look over the edge of the road. There is no guard rail. I will admit that I was terrified!

We were lucky to see Elk graze on the rocky tundra at the highest elevation.

At the highest point it was cold and rainy. Then the sun shone down like a gift from God! What an experience!

Chasing the Sun

2009-09-07T22:14:00.005-05:00

I was lucky to capture these beauties on film Saturday morning. Morning glories are on of my all time favorite annual flowers. They look so pretty climbing up an old gear box.

I planted several different varieties. I don't remember the name of this purple flower. The colors are so vivid.

The vines are now climbing on my sunflowers! It's lovely to see. My Grandmother took pictures of her flowers. She loved to garden and wanted to share and remember her success. Grandma would pull out her photo's for all of us to see. When I was younger I never understood the draw of flower pictures. I always politely sped through the dreaded flowers! Look at me now. I never would've thought that I would be taking pictures of flowers. I bet my Grandma would be proud.

We have been chasing the sun all day today. We left for vacation and are heading west. It's amazing to see these awesome wind turbines along the interstate. This is a shot of a cool turbine near Paw Paw Illinois. I'm sure the windmills are all over the country. There is something so majestic about these huge power makers. We found ourselves mesmerized by them. I am planning on blogging from the road. That's if I can get Internet. I hope you stop by and join me on our adventure!

Marching On Baby

2009-09-04T06:42:00.007-05:00

My very first sock is taking shape. I can't believe that I waited so long to jump into sock knitting. So far I am finding the process fairly simple. The pattern is from the book Getting Started Knitting Socks by Ann Budd. The leg of the sock is a simple knit 3, purl 1 rib. I have knitted away with no problems. Or so I thought!

The issue is me! I was so excited to get to the point where I could try on the sock. I had been anticipating that moment for several days. Finally I tried on the sock......It's a little big. It's not huge. It doesn't fit snug. I looked back at the pattern. Hmm, what did I do wrong? I read the first paragraph where it talks about size. I just skimmed through that part you see. I knitted the wrong size! When I saw the number 8 and I assumed it meant shoe size.

My thought about the second sock is to knit the correct size. I can't imagine frogging this entire project. It's just a little big, right? What would you do? I have learned yet another great lesson. Read your pattern carefully from start to finish! lol! It makes for a funny story. I will surely always remember my very first adventure into sock knitting.

Have a great weekend!

Back in the Saddle

2009-08-27T22:00:00.001-05:00

I know it's been such a long time since my last post. I want to thank Grace, Susan and Marsha for the sweet e-mails. You all inspired me to sit back down at the computer and pound out a post. Thanks girls! I can't believe how fast the time has flown. It's been an event filled summer. Lots of work and not enough play! lol! Our summer here in northern Illinois has been a cold one. It's the coolest summer I can remember. The weather is not helping my garden. I am praying for heat so my tomatoes can ripen. I was able to get several jars of pickles made. Looking at the calendar I was shocked to see that fall is less than 30 days away. The first day of Autumn begins on September 22. Speaking of fall, I have finally started knitting my very first socks. I hand dyed the fiber myself. I call it cornfield colorway.

One of the creative things I have been playing with is dyeing yarn. I have been experimenting with different methods cooking batches of wool yarn. I am using simple supplies like good ole Kool Aid. You know, the stuff you drank as a kid.

First you need to make sure your fiber is 100 percent wool. For this method I used the crock pot. I filled the container half full of water and set the heat on high. Let the water get steamy. Using yarn that has been skeined soak it in water with a touch of soap for at least 20 minutes. Squeeze out the excess water. You are ready to add the yarn to the crock pot. Because I was experimenting I decided to pour the dry Kool Aid right on top of the yarn.

I used lemon lime and orange Kool Aid. The smell from the kitchen was perfumed with fruity scents! I gave the yarn a slight stir to dissolve the powder. I wanted the colors to meld together and still look orange and green. I'm not sure how long it took for the colors to bond to the fiber. Probably not more that 30 minutes. You know it's finished when the dye is gone. The water will look clear.

Take the yarn out of the crock pot. Watch out, it's going to be hot. Let it cool off. I rinsed it in the sink. Hang it out to dry and then re-skein the yarn. Here is the finished product.

What do you think? Pretty cool. I have tried all different methods that I will share with you in the future. I have to say that the entire process is so enjoyable. If you have any questions please ask. I'm not an expert but I can muddle my way around and tell you what not to do! lol!

Super Simple Clothes Pin Bag

2009-06-20T15:18:00.011-05:00

I don't know about you but we have had some pretty wet weather here. Yesterday we got over 4" of rain. This morning the sun was shining and the breeze was blowing. It's the perfect day to hang out the laundry. I got busy sorting and washing. I brought the clothes outdoors and was surprised to find all of my pins on the wet ground. The bag is totally destroyed. All of the rain and wind split it apart.

I have wanted to make my own bag for years. I never got around to it. Hmm, I need to whip up some kind of bag quick and don't want to go out to the store to get any supplies. I searched through my summer clothes box and dove into the very bottom. That's the archive section. I have things in that box that haven't seen the light of day for years. Yup, many years.

I present you with a sleeveless shirt from the early 90's. Notice how long it is? I don't know what I was thinking when I purchased it at Farm and Fleet. Long shirt on a short person? It never looked good on me. It's better suited as a clothes pin bag.

First thing you have to do is button up the front of the shirt. Turn it inside out and measure down about 5" from the lower edge of the armhole. Draw a straight line across the shirt. I used my favorite blue wash away marker. Whack off the extra fabric of the shirt if you need to. I had to cut off 10". Darn dumb shirt! lol! The next step is to sew on the line. I used a simple straight stitch. Make sure as you are sewing that you won't come up and hit any buttons. That could mess up your machine. I know these things from experience. Trust me.

Next I stitched up the button lapel of the shirt. That's to keep in your pins. Again, be careful of the buttons. I left the top button opened for looks. :)

Now you are ready to sew up the armholes. If I was using a shirt that had sleeves I would sew up the edges of the sleeves. Pretty easy so far. Now we are ready to turn it right side out.

Final step is to put it on a hanger. I used a cheap 10 for $1.00 plastic hanger. It fits snugly. Now put it to work! This took me about 30 minutes from start to finish. Yes, that includes fishing through the "vintage" clothing!

Warm Woolies

2009-06-15T21:46:00.010-05:00

One of the groups I belong to on Ravelry is Malabrigo Junkie's. For the month of June we are participating in a charity KAL. One of the charities is Warm Woolies. This vest is my first item that I am donating to Warm Woolies. It's also my very first vest I have knitted. You can find the vest pattern here. Warm Woolies knit warm wool items for deserving children living in orphanages in Russia, China, Mongolia and Kazakhstan. The organization also donates to Native American Reservations in the United States.

Do you remember a quite a few years back when Diane Sawyer reported on the state-run orphanages in Russia? It's a story that has stuck with me since it first aired in 1989. I know that many children were rescued from the horrible conditions and continue to be adopted to loving homes. The winter conditions in these nations are brutal. They don't have the luxury of well heated buildings. About 8 years ago a very dear friend and I made several baby quilts for hospitals in Romania. I quilted the fabric together and Ann Marie sat at the serger sewing the edges together. I'm not sure how many we made but it was a lot. Any little way I can try and help some little child that needs to be kept warm is well worth the effort.

Part of the requirements for the knitted items are they must be made with animal fiber. Also you must knit in bulky weight. I used worsted Patons doubled for the vest. It's knit on large needles size 10 1/2. I used 2.25 skeins for this size 6-8 project. The great thing about knitting with bulky yarn is instant gratification. It knits up super fast too. I'm going to knit a hat to match next. I wanted to start today but I got caught up in mulching the flower beds.

A very good friend of mine gave me a whole case of vintage natural wool. I am planning on making more 100% wool items for Warm Woolies. I plan on dyeing the vintage wool in bright colors. I have experimented with Kool Aid and will share that with you later in the week. If you would like to join me in a charity KAL for Warm Woolies please check out the link at the top of this post.

Is It June?

2009-06-08T22:00:00.003-05:00

The weather man just commented that June 2009 is one of the 14Th coolest on record. It feels like April. Lots of cold and rain. It's great weather for handwork. I recently finished machine quilting this beautiful log cabin quilt top for one of my very good friends. There is something so special about this simple quilt block. Come in for a closer look.

When I quilt a design for someone it usually takes a lot of planning and playing. I get to know what my customer likes. I try and get a feel for her personality. I ponder on as many combinations as I can think of. I always pray over each top I quilt. My friend is passionate about her garden and is an expert gardener. I tweaked this floral design and quilted it all over the quilt especially with her in mind.

I quilted large and small flowers. I wanted it to look like flowers were scattered all over her quilt. I also used a green and blue variegated YLI thread. It was a dream to work with. The machine quilted flowers glowed with color. Her response? She cried when I unfolded her treasure. I love those kind of reactions! I am so blessed!

NASB:Psalms
{7:17} I will give thanks to the Lord according to His righteousness
And will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.

Bowled Over

2009-05-29T08:36:00.002-05:00

I didn't do much knitting the past month. I have been in a knitting slump. After ripping out my last scarf I felt burned out. Frogging back 400 stitches per row will do that to a person. I set my scarf aside and kind of gave up for a while. I knew I needed to find something small to work on that was totally different and new. Knitted and felted bowls. There is something so unique about a handmade bowl. It defies all logic.

The pattern is pretty simple yet so creative. I got it from the book One Skein by Leigh Radford.
The fun thing about these projects is how you can use them. They look so darn cute with a few eggs inside.

I think a felted bowl full of buttons is so sweet!

How about a bowl filled with sewing notions. It just fits.

Or how about adding an adorable knitted strawberry to a handmade bowl?

I love this itty bitty pattern. You can find it here. These bowls would make a great gift filled with the recipients favorite things like chocolate perhaps. The best thing for me was I got my groove back! Yippee!

Thank you for stopping by. I have a ton of stuff to share over then next few weeks. I have been working on all kinds of things. Everything from knitting to quilting and gardening. I leave you with this final shot of my first small harvest from the garden. Mmmm, fresh radishes!

Psalms{128:2} For you will eat the labor of your hands.
You will be happy, and it will be well with you.

What's Going On?

2009-04-29T07:29:00.014-05:00

I was so surprised to notice how long it's been since I have written a blog post. Time seems to go by so quickly. So, what have I been up to? Actually lots of stuff. Today I wanted to share this cute little baby ruffled hat. The pattern is called Lilly and you can find it here.

The yarn is Bernat Cotton Tots colorway wonder dreams. I used size 9 needles. It's a fairly fast knit. Perfect for a little baby girl. I have finished a few other items this past month. I'll blog about those later. Lately my mind is not on knitting.

It's spring and my mind has been on gardening! Look what's growing in the basement. Yup, I've got lots of tomatoes and a few mini pepper plants growing.

I also started herb plants. I've got basil, sage, dill and thyme ready to transplant into larger pots.

Lat Thursday I spent most of my day playing in the dirt. It was wonderful to get my hands in the warm dirt. My mind swirled with grand gardening idea's! I bought a few plants at Home Depot.

Here are a few of the items that have been planted: Bok Choy which tastes great stir fried. Several broccoli plants, red romaine lettuce plants. By accident I purchased some iceberg lettuce plants. Those plants should be interesting. I planted radish seeds and all kinds of greens including my favorite, arugula. Yum!

This morning I checked the progress of the garden and look what I saw. You have to look closely. Yes, the greens are growing! Now if it would only stop raining and dry out a bit. I have lots more to plant.

Need an Idea For Dinner?

2009-04-08T06:56:00.002-05:00

Do you need an idea for a great, quick meal for dinner tonight? Boy, do I have the recipe for you. I am passionate about creating a fantastic meal each and every night. Most evenings when I come home from work I know that time is of the essence. I can't spend 2 hours chopping and sauteing. Lets not even think of all of the clean up time. I don't want to spend a full evening chained to the stove and the sink.

Beef Fajitas fits the bill. I promise it's easy peasy. This meal can be made entirely on the grill. First you want to start out with a great piece of flank steak. I get my meat from a small local grocer. I find that the larger the grocery store the less quality meat they offer. At least that's how it is in my area. I always let my meat get to room temperature. I never cook a cold piece of meat. Alright if you are using a gas grill like I do pre heat your grill on high for 15 minutes. Next squeeze 2 to 3 limes over your flank steak. Don't forget to salt and pepper your steak. There is no need to marinate your steak for hours. Just sprinkling your juice while your grill heats is enough. Throw your steak on your grill and cook each side for about 5 to 7 minutes. On my grill it turns out medium to medium rare. Just the way my family likes it. Remove your steak from the grill and tent it with tin foil so it can rest for about 10 minutes. While it rests we can cook our veggies.

Check out this beauty! Trust me, it's out of this world! Is your mouth watering yet?

Next get your veggies ready. Remember we are cooking everything on the grill. Slice your onions in 1/2" rounds. Don't separate them into rings. Seed and cut your peppers like I have so they can cook easily on the grill. Turn your grill to medium heat. If you like add a bit of olive oil to your veggies to keep them from sticking to the grill. It will take 8 to 10 minutes to cook. After you have removed the veggies from the grill quick throw on your flour tortilla's for 20 seconds per side.

Slice your rested meat thinly on the bias against the grain. Next slice your veggies. This is great! Not a pot or pan to wash! Yippee!

Put together your Fajitas. Yum! Make sure to make some guacamole and salsa if you are a fan of those condiments. I have a great recipe from guacamole. If you are interested just let me know in your comment. I am always happy to share.
I guarantee you that if you serve this meal for your family or friends you will be a total rock star! Enjoy!

Unique Gifts

2009-04-06T20:48:00.001-05:00

How about a little something different today. Want to make a pincushion? Do you have any scraps laying around? How about some pretty fun fabric?

Quilting stores offer charm packets for sale. The package usually contain 5" squares of a collection of a fabric line. I enjoy picking up some of these and trying to come up with different ways to use the mini collections. I belong to a group on Ravelry that swaps pincushions. After checking out my secret partners collection I thought she needed something totally different. Something pieced with pretty fabric. Maybe even a monogram.

I got busy cutting strips. I cut strips in different widths. I wanted the finished piece to look like a pieced quilt but I wanted the process to be easy. I cut 1", 1 1/2" and 2" strips.

Start sewing the strips and mix up the widths. After you have your desired Width finished cut on last large strip about 2 1/2" X 5" to finish off you piece. For my project I made 2 sets of strips.

Sew your 2 sets together. Looks pretty good.

The possibilities are almost endless. This would also make a great scrap quilt block.

If you are able add a monogram for that extra special touch. Then you cut your piece to your desired finished shape.

Here is the first one. I love how it turned out. It's unique and sweet.

I made a few others for some quilting friends that have birthdays coming up. If you are looking for a special gift for a friend that sews give this a try.
Thank you for stopping by!

Spring Has Sprung!

2009-03-25T07:52:00.011-05:00

It's such a joy to see a pretty flower among the brown colors of early spring. I have these tiny Iris's growing in my perennial bed. They are the very first to greet the change in season. The iris's only stand 5" tall. The sight of them reminds me of all the colors to come. I am so grateful that winter is over.

I love the sound of spring also. This morning the birds woke me up with their beautiful singing. Such lovely sounds. The robin's arrived a few weeks ago.

I am amazed at the Lord's creation. New life springs forth!

How about a little knitting? I have been working on a really unique and pretty scarf.
Just Enough Ruffles is the pattern. I was able to finish it in time for our trip last week down south. I used a Malabrigo yarn in worsted weight. The color is pollen. The colorway looks like spring to me.

I love how soft it is. I am calling it my butter ruffle. I cast it off too tight so I didn't get all the ruffling I wanted. I still love it. I also learned a new short row technique.

Here is a goofy shot of me and my butter ruffle in Nashville. I sure needed the extra warmth that day. It was 40 degrees and raining!

I want to try the pattern again and get the ruffle right. This is Malabrigo worsted in Floral colorway. It is just gorgeous! This screams spring to me.

The garter stitch border is finished. The next step is the short rows. What do you think? I've got lot's more to share with you. I have lots of finished knitting and even some quilting to show off. Thank you for reading. Thank you for your comments. What are you working on?

Unbelievable!

2009-03-06T10:30:00.004-06:00

Imagine my surprise when I was notified from Grace that I won her shawl give away contest. Grace bloggs over at Lovin Comfort Knits.

The shawl is beautiful! Look at all of the work put into this beauty.

This shawl is called her red heart shawl. Can you see why? The hearts are so pretty! Grace, I can't say thank you enough. I am so blessed to receive such a wonderful,incredible gift. Thank you!

Quiet Disaster

2009-02-20T09:30:00.011-06:00

It's been quiet around blogland the past few weeks. I haven't had too much to share. I don't have any big project that I'm working on. I've been enjoying working in the kitchen and baking like crazy. I had a Valentines day post for you but then disaster struck! More about that in a minute. First I wanted to share with you a few more gifts for baby. We had another baby shower at church last Sunday. I made 5 more receiving blankets and another hat. I can't show you all of it because I forgot to take pictures before the gift was wrapped. Mind you I finished with the blanket embroidery at 9:00am Sunday morning. I had a whopping 30 minutes to spare before we dashed off to church. Nothing like waiting to the very last minute. Why do I do that? Is it just me? I find myself in this predicament far too often. The hat I knitted is so easy peasy yet still kept my interest. The pattern is here.

The blankets were well received by the new mother. I have enough flannel serged to make 12 more blankets. I will try and finish as many as possible for the future. Anyway it was great getting to know my sewing machine again. I even had to dig out my instruction book. giggle

Back to baking.....I have been baking valentine cookies for all of my sweeties. I found this recipe from Ina Garten. It is a wonderfully yummy cookie.

Chocolate White Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Copyright 2001 Barefoot Contessa Parties!

Ingredients
1/2 pound unsalted butte,r at room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 extra-large eggs at room temperature
2/3 cup good unsweetened cocoa
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 pounds good white chocolate, coarsely chopped
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Cream the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the vanilla, then the eggs, 1 at a time, and mix well. Add the cocoa and mix again. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt and add to the chocolate with the mixer on low speed until just combined. Fold in the chopped white chocolate.

Drop the dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, using a 1 3/4-inch ice cream scoop or a rounded tablespoon. Dampen your hands and flatten the dough slightly. Bake for exactly 15 minutes (the cookies will seem underdone). Remove from the oven and let cool slightly on the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool
completely.

You can use white chocolate or any kind of chocolate chip. For my first batch all I had an hand were the Christmas red and green chips. I followed a friends advice and separated the green and red and only used the red ones. They turned out beautifully.

The dough is delicious and very chocolaty.

Anyone want a spoon?!!!

The smell from the oven is pure heaven!

They taste so good. It's a cross between a brownie and a cookie. Yum! I got so many compliments. While I was writing up my blog post last week for Valentines day I had a computer disaster. Early last week I had an alert pop up on the screen that warned about a Trojan horse. My antivirus program noted the file name and alerted me that it couldn't remove the vicious file. I tried to do it myself but it seems as though the file was hidden. I am not an expert or computer whiz. Three days later the virus took over. It started doing strange things like re-directing me to different sites. Locking out other sites I was trying to get to. All that being said we were dead in the water until Monday. My son was able to remove suspicious files and we needed to download another program to remove the nasty virus. Here is my question. I have purchased the original protection for 49.99 each year, Now I have to purchase a totally different blocker for another 39.99. My computer should be as safe as Fort Knox right? I'm still having issues. Even as I write today's post I am unable to load pictures like I was able to do before the attack. I also can't post comments on blogs like Tracy's. I'm reading, I can't seem to leave a comment. The system is so slow. I think I may need an expert. Has anyone else ever had these issues? Just curious. Anyway, I will not give up!
Thank you for stopping by. So, what's new in your life?

Gifts for Baby

2009-02-04T09:07:00.009-06:00

My hands have been busy working on gifts for babies this past few weeks. In a perfect world I would make baby quilts for each newborn. I have come to the realization that I can't make a quilt for each new baby. Now I make receiving blankets for each new child. Here's my process:

All blankets are made from 1 yard of pretty flannel fabric. I serge the edges and then fold under the edge and press with an iron. After searching all of the stitches that came with my sewing machine I pick up a complementary stitch pattern. I get comfortable and start sewing. The stitch patterns take a bit of time so be patient. After the pattern is complete I finish off the hem with a simple straight stitch.

Since my machine can embroider I stitch on the last name initial monogram. I have been making these blankets for several years. They are always well received.

It's been bitter cold in my area for the last two weeks. In this kind of weather you must wear a hat. I wanted to make a few hats to keep the new babies toasty warm. I did a ravelry search and found this simple pattern from Major Knitter. It's a great easy pattern. I knitted almost the entire hat while watching the super bowl. The yarn is from the Bernat cotton tot line. The colorway is wonder dreams. Size US7 needles. I'm really happy with the way it turned out. I am planning to make another solid blue hat too. Thank you Jennifer for the great pattern!

I also cast on for these cute booties. Christine's stay on booties have been knit by many a knitter. Click here for the pattern. By the way it's a great story too. Since I have never knit socks I am having some trouble with this project. Size 1 needles are my first issue. How do you use toothpicks to knit?!!! I don't know, maybe this will get better as I go. For now the going is slow.

Want to do a little stash busting?

2009-01-24T16:29:00.011-06:00

Each January I take stock of my household and try to organize to bring some order to my chaos. I go from room to room and try and put everything in it's place. I had an urge to knit some gifts for my sister and sister in law. After going through my quilting room I couldn't justify buying any new yarn. I have some yarn in a plastic bin that I have not touched in a few years. Most of the yarn is stuff I bought when I first started knitting. Several pretty acrylics and other novelty yarns. As I sorted through the large pile I was reminded of an old saying that I love. Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without. I love that saying. Because I am knitting gifts for non knitters I had to use washing machine friendly yarn. I searched through Ravelry and found a great pattern. Fourteen is the name designed by a guy knitter. I thought his design was very clever but I couldn't for the life of me figure out how to knit the brioche rib stitch.

I am the kind of person that has to see something before I can learn how to do it. I found a great video on you tube that really helped me master the stitch. Click here to watch the video. It's ever so easy. For this neck warmer I used Lion brand wool-ease thick and quick color claret.

You need to find some bulky or super bulky yarn. For the blue version I used 2 strands of Lion Brand Jiffy yarn held together to use it up! The colorway is midnight blue.

I really like this brioche stitch. Look at the definition. Notice the prop?
After knitting my first neck warmer I made a few changes in the original pattern. Here are the details:

Yarn- any bulky weight yarn or use two strands held together for extra stash busting

Needle size- 13US

Cast on 15 stitches. You must use multiples of 3.

Knit 4 rows.

knit brioche stitch each row until neck warmer measures 24".
*With yarn in front slip one as if to purl, with yarn in front k2tog, rep. from *

Knit 1 row.

K3, yo, k2tog, k2, yo, k2tog, k2, yo, k2tog, k3.

Knit 2 more rows.

Bind off in garter stitch.

Go find some large funky buttons to add some flair to your neck warmer. That's it! I made 2 of these neck warmers in 4 hours.

For this one it's Lion Brand wool-easethick and quick color raspberry.

I hope you decide to do a little stash busting. Let me know if you decide to make a few of these quick projects. I would love to see yours!
Now back to chores!

Rebel With a Cause

2009-01-12T07:10:00.006-06:00

Have you ever done something that seems so wrong yet felt so good? I feel a little like a rebel. I was taught from a very young age to never put a wool item in the wash. I was also told that if you made the mistake of washing wool in the machine don't think about drying the wool clothing in the dryer. I have been guilty of shrinking beautiful sweaters down to toddler size by accident. Hmm, that was a long time ago. How things have changed. I have found that I adore shrinking old wool sweaters in the washing machine and then burning them in the dryer to felt the fabric even more. Here are a few of my creations. I had a pincushion swap last month and my mind went crazy with ideas. I was only suppose to make one pincushion. I can never seem to make just one of anything. If I'm going to go through the process I going play and let the creative juices flow.

You start out with some thrift store wool sweaters. Most of the sweaters I purchased were way out dated and already felted.

I found a few really nice wool sweaters from Ireland that I'm not sure I can cut up.

After the washing machine does it's job and felts the wool like magic start cutting.

To make the handle for your tea cup you need to make lots of i-cord. I found this cool tool that makes I-cording at Joannes. Remember to read the directions for the cording tool. You can only use a skinny 100% wool yarn.

You just use the colors that you like and create a cool tea cup or coffee mug. Here is a great video of the pattern here. I love the way this one turned out. I'm sure that if I hit some other thrift stores I could find better patterned sweaters.

I couldn't stop with the teacup. I had to create a sweater pincushion.

This one is made out of a cashmere sweater. I made sure to cut the sweater so I could put the cable to good use. Cashmere is a little harder to felt.
It's cute!
Thanks for stopping by and checking out my little pincushion parade!

Happy 2009!

2009-01-03T15:42:00.013-06:00

Happy 2009 to you! Wow, I can't believe the year is 2009. I feels like we just rang in the year 2000. Time sure marches on. I hope everyone reading had a wonderful Christmas holiday. Our family had an awesome time together enjoying each others company. As much as I delighted in all of the festivities it's good to get back to daily stuff like knitting, quilting and fun sewing. I worked on only one project during Christmas. I decided at the very last minute to knit a scarf for my DS's girlfriend Bree. I know I shouldn't have started a Christmas knitting project 4 days before the great day. You could call me a glutton for punishment. Even my DH looked at me and said,"You can't get that scarf done on time." How right he was. I finished January 1, 2009 at 11:50p.m. Ha! So, here are the details of my very first FO (finished object) of the new year......

Scrunchable scarf is the pattern. It's very simple to knit and the stitch definition is great. I modified the original pattern. Here are the details:
Cast on 26 stitches.
Slip the first stitch as to purl with yarn in front.
K2, P1 until the last stitch K1.

I chose a gorgeous merino wool from Malabrigo. The colorway is velvet grapes. The variegation is stunning.
Needle size: 10 1/2
I love how the color makes a zig zag pattern. I may add some fringe to the edge.

Slipping the first stitch and knitting the last makes a fine edge. It was a nice project to knit. It's been almost a year since I knitted my last scarf. Now I remember why. It seems to take forever to finish.

One of the best gifts I received this Christmas was an Ott light. Boy, what a difference a little more light can be. Here is a shot of my favorite chair with normal lighting. You can see the Ott light but I have it turned off.

Same shot with the Ott light on. What a difference.

Here is a hat I'm working on for my son. Just the floor lamp is turned on.

My project illuminated by the great Ott light! The Ott light makes all of my close up work including reading more vibrant. It's a great tool. Not real pretty but who cares when you can see good! I have lots of fun felting projects to share with you this week. Please drop by again. Happy 2009!

Trim A Tree Thursday Part 3

2008-12-18T08:29:00.011-06:00

Trim a Tree Thursday continues this week courtesy of The Southern Hostess. I have really had a lot of fun participating in this home Christmas tour. Thank you Brett!

Last Christmas we purchased a skinny tree for the living room. It fits the room very well. The ornaments on this tree have been bought over the years of my married life. I noticed that the skinny tree needs more help. Something to add a bit of sparkle. After Christmas I will shop the sales to find the right bead garland for 50 perfect off.

This ornament is one of the very first ones I bought as a young wife in the 1980's.

The angel graces the top of my skinny tree. It's hard to find the right top for your tree. I have gone through several. They all seem to break or the lights go out and there is no way to fix it. I bought this angel from Pier One.

I always put my manger scene on the entertainment center. Everyone can see the beauty and true meaning of Christmas. Jim Shore is the artist.

This fold up ornament tree sits on top of our corn burning stove in the dining room. I can adjust the limbs so we can still pour the corn into the hopper.

The ornaments are all hand blown and hand painted from the inside of the piece! This is one of my favorites.

More Jim Shore. The detail is amazing. Santa makes a statement placed on the dining room table.

This is the view from here this morning. It's my day off and I have to finish up the Christmas shopping. I better get moving. We are expecting another snow storm this evening. I hope I can get everything finished and be home before the snow flies!

Trim A Tree Thursday Part 2

2008-12-11T00:01:00.001-06:00

Today is Trim A Tree Thursday hosted by Brett at the Southern Hostess. Come on in and have a peek at a few of my decorations. The dining room is my Christmas of old. I decorate the entire room with colored lights. Old World ornaments hang on the garland. Also a few mercury glass ornaments decorate the pine boughs. The tree could be called a Charlie Brown tree. I remember my Great Grandmothers tree looking like this one. Lots of tinsel hanging on the branches to hide the large gaps. A vintage 1950's Santa sits on top of the charlie brown tree.

The tree skirt is an old grandmothers flower garden quilt. The quilt is tattered and torn and has a lot of holes in it. It has new life underneath the Christmas tree. I used to play with this wooden manger music box when I was a kid. Each Christmas at Grandma's I would wind up the box and listen to silent night. Great memories!

Just before I got married my Grandmother gave me all of her old Christmas ornaments. She questioned why I would want all of "that old junk". I felt very lucky to get all of that old junk and other "junky" treasures too! I was 21 and didn't know anything about antiques, decorating or anything else for that part.

As she handed me a box of Shiny Brite ornaments I was hooked. I loved the cool old ornaments. Silly me even admired the box they came it. I package them away very carefully each year. They are so fragile. Some of the ornaments have broken over time. Every year when I take the boxes out I think of my Grandma and smile. I'm so grateful that she saved her "junk" just for me.

I was a small child in the 1960's. During that time several of our family members had silver tinsel trees with big red ornaments. This tree pays homage to that era. My foofy girly green and pink tinsel tree has the added glitz of pink boa's! You would never catch me dead wearing a boa. It works on this tree. I got the idea of adding feather boa's from Kathleen. Great idea Kathleen!

I purchased these vintage 1960's pink and green polka dot ornaments from an E-bay auction 5 years ago. The original price tag on the box read 97 cents.

This is the view from here this morning. My peach trees are twinkling with ice. It's so pretty. Make sure to drop by next week. I have a few more things to share. Merry Christmas!!!!

Trim A Tree Thursday

2008-12-04T07:25:00.013-06:00

During the holiday season one of my joys is decorating. I have so many gifts given to me through the years that I put on display. The Southern Hostess has inspired me to "Trim a Tree on Thursdays". For me it's a great push to dig through all of my boxes and put out my Christmas decorations. I have slacked off the past couple years and a lot of my decorations have not seen the light of day until this year. In my living room I like to use all of my handmade ornaments and quilts too. This room has more of a primitive look to it.

I get in the mood with a little help from my friends. That is classic Christmas DVD's and wonderful music. After a few Lindt truffles and a nice cup of tea I'm ready to go adorn my home.

These are the handmade ornaments that hang on the living room garland. I have made a few. I can't say which one is my favorite. I love them all. Most of the ornaments were gifts from friends.

I never realized how hard it is to take good pictures of things with tiny lights on them. I have taken at least 50 pictures between last night and this morning. I am so grateful for digital camera's. Remember the old days(just a few years ago) when you had no idea how your pictures were going to come out? O.K. so please excuse my lousy shots. If you have any idea's please share! Anyway click on the picture to get a better view.

I usually keep the garland up all year and decorate it for the different seasons. Because I have so many snowmen I will keep them displayed for the next few months.

A snowman and his wife sit on top of the quilt rack.

I put up two trees in this room. This tree sits in an old crock that my in-laws made sauerkraut in many, many years ago.

I am a Jim Shore collector and show them off on this tree.

For all of my warm weather friends this is the view from my living room window. Snow!! Not very much. Just enough to make it feel like Christmas time. I better get back to the basement. The Christmas boxes are calling my name. I have so much to show you the next few weeks. I better get busy. Have a wonderful day. Merry Christmas!

Cozy Comfort

2008-11-28T17:00:00.003-06:00

Flirtaion cozy is finished! Here are the details:

Pattern: Flirtation cozy.
Needle size: size 8
Yarn: SWS by Patons
Colorway: Natural Garden

This pattern kept my attention. One wrong glance and poof, it's time to rip. I must have ripped at least 10 different times. I do like how it looks. The warm colors of the SWS by Patons made this cozy. Anyone for some hot chocolate?

It's been snowing here all day. The weather report is very vague. They are calling for 3-8 inches. That's quite a large range. I noticed my horses bucking and jumping in the snow. I ran inside to get my camera to get some action shots.

By the time I raced back outside the action was over. Just searching for green grass.

Before the snow covered the ground I needed to pick up as many pine cones as I could. One of the young ladies at church is getting married next month and needs pine cones for decorations. I have plenty of them. As I walked around picking up all of the large beautiful cones I was surprised by these.

I found several of these tiny pine cones. I added a quarter to the bowl so you could see how small they are. These are so cute. I have to find something to do with them. Any idea's?

First Measurable Snow

2008-11-24T07:09:00.003-06:00

We have had our very first measurable snow of the season. The snow comes as a surprise to our area. The weather forecasters didn't predict the snowfall until last evening. Yesterday our temperatures was in the mid 40's. I found it hard to believe that it would snow overnight. The snow is pretty.

Let's go out and take a look at the garden. I love the footprints in the snow.

The lettuce is still under cover. I checked on it yesterday and it's looking good. I'm not worried about the wet snow covering the greens. I'm still praying for my Thanksgiving salad. I think I'll make it!!

I love the way the snow covers this tiny pine tree. I would love to walk around my property taking pictures of the snow laden branches. I'm on a work time crunch so I can't lolly around this morning.

Sam the snowman is in all of his glory. He has his hat and scarf on and is ready for the day! Enjoy yours!

It's a Cold One

2008-11-20T22:36:00.005-06:00

It's a cold one here today. The wind had been howling and racing across the fields. It's rare that I can hear the wind when I'm all snug inside my home. I live in an old farmhouse that dates back to 1858. If you would drive by where I live you would never know that my house is that old. It has been updated again and again. The silver lining in the changes in our home is that our walls are almost a foot thick. If the doors and windows are closed you don't hear anything. No wind or rain. That is unless it's gale force wind. The loud wind has been raging stongly from the nothwest all day and into the evening. With the wind came snow flurries. The snow didn't stick. The cold and snow got me in the mood for snowmen. I read through my Wool Pets book by Laurie Sharp to get some idea's. You can check out Lauries site here. I took a chance at making my own little snowman. Isn't this little guy cute? Because I am new to needle felting I don't have a lot of supplies. As a matter of fact I have only one needle. I broke my needle before I could finish Sam the snowman. I need to finish and attach Sam's top hat. A snowman has to have a hat. I am also making a little i-cord for Sam's scarf. A snowman must have a scarf to go with his hat.

I have been sampling a new pattern that I would like to make for gifts. On the needles I am knitting a mug cozy. This is my second attempt at the pattern. I was plotting away on attempt number one and was almost half way finished when I thought I made a mistake. Notice the word thought. I ripped the entire cozy and re-knit the cozy and realized it was right all along. The self striping yarn messed with my eyes. Or was it the lateness of the evening?

Quilted Postcards and Gardening Update

2008-11-14T07:32:00.013-06:00

These are the quilted postcards I made for our fall swap on Ravelry. This is my third postcard swap. Our group exchanged cards with 13 swappers. I challenged myself to only use a stack of 8" squares left over from a quilt I made a few years ago.

I cheated and added a 1/4 of a yard from my fabric stash. Here is a close up of one of the cards. I ended up stitching 22 quilted postcards in all. If you remember my post a couple weeks ago here I showed you some beautiful fabric. The batik leaf print was so totally gorgeous that I knew I had to fussy cut them out and applique them to my pieced backgrounds. Then I used a variegated gold embroidery thread to compliment the vein in the leaves. I really enjoy sewing these cute cards. I also make sure to send a few to some friends and relatives. My great aunt who is 85 loves getting mail. I am so honored that she enjoys my quilted post cards.

These are the cards I have received so far. I love them all! My plan is to decorate my sewing room with all of the postcards. I have a vision for a quilted postcard border.

This is what I sewed with the rest of the pretty fabric I showed earlier. Wildflower pincushion is the pattern. I will admit that my sewing skills are little rusty. It took me several reads of the pattern to figure it out. I wanted the pincushion to look like a pumpkin. What do you think? It's so cute.

The fall lettuce crop is still growing. Even after a few very cold nights in the low 20's! After one especially frigid night I waited for the sun to rise to check and see what survived. I had everything covered with the floating row covers. I put my hand under the covers and could feel crunchy leaves. I thought for sure that all was lost.

I am so grateful for the warm weather that we have enjoyed for the last few days. It seemed to revive the garden. Nothing was lost! Maybe I will be able to harvest some baby spinach!

The arugula is still producing many wonderful leaves. I have lots of spicy, nutty leaves to share. I am amazed that my garden is still growing on November 14. Awesome!

Roasted Potimarron Soup

2008-11-10T06:03:00.011-06:00

I have a rare vegetable that grew in my garden this year. It's called a Potimarron pumpkin. It's also know as a Hokkaido squash and Kuri pumpkin. The color is an intense orange that is almost red. I couldn't find a lot of information on the potimarron. That is information in English. It seems as though this pumpkin is popular in french cooking. The potimarron is known for it's sweet and savory taste with a touch of chestnut. Sounds good right?!

I did some searching on line to find a good recipe. I found this blog with a nice post about the potimarron. I cut the pumpkin in half and roasted it in the oven cut side down for 1 hour at 375 degrees. After the pumpkin has cooled scoop out the flesh. Saute a chopped onion in pan with olive oil. Add your pumpkin flesh to the onion with 3 cups of milk. Also make sure to add salt to taste. I always use Kosher salt. I love the way it tastes. Cook until it boils very gently. If you have a hand blender put it to use and blend your soup right in your pan. I don't have a hand blender so I used my regular blender. The recipe calls for creme fraiche. I didn't have any so I used a very small amount of sour cream. The soup is very thick and creamy.

The pumpkin has quite a few seeds. I carefully went through the seeds to save them for next year.

I simply placed the seeds on a paper towel to dry. Don't you love planning for the future?! If you are interested in growing this unique pumpkin please let me know. I always love to share.

If you decide to make this soup don't leave out the sage browned butter. The sage browned butter added another layer of flavor to the soup. It was very simple to make. In a small pan melt 4 tablespoons of butter. Add a few fresh sage leaves. Cook the butter until it starts to foam and then brown. It's so good!

The soup is fantastic! It was a huge hit at my house. I'm sure you could make the same recipe with any pumpkin or squash. This is the perfect soup for a cold fall evening.

Maine Mitts

2008-11-03T06:08:00.009-06:00

Maine Morning Mitts are finished and gifted to my DS girlfriend. The key to this simple pattern is the yarn. This pattern is perfect to show off striped yarn like Noro or the yarn I used Boku by Plymouth Yarn.

One skein of Boku makes one pair of mitts. I used color #1. Bree loves tye dye so I thought this yarn would be perfect. I should mention that I did hand wash the mitts when I was finished to soften them up. Good thing I did. The color bled and needed to be rinsed 4 times. The yarn softened.

I really liked the way the thumb gusset was done. I also learned a few different ways to increase. M1R and M1L. All in all it was a nice, interesting knit.

Bree was really happy with her first mitts. Isn't she just adorable?! I felt kind of weird asking her to model them. My son explained to her why I needed a model and wanted her to see my blog. My family knows about my blog. I also have a few friends that know about my blogging. I can't explain why it felt weird, it just did. Have you ever felt that way? Do your friends and family read your blog? Just curious.

The silver lining in this project is I can finally knit a pair for my DH! He's not the hand knit kind of guy. He doesn't wear sweaters or scarfs. All he will wear is a hat. I cast on for his mitts last night. I am using 100% Alpaca in classic black. I am using the same pattern. He wouldn't go for cables or anything like that. It must be simple.

Second Harvest

2008-10-29T08:18:00.008-05:00

It's harvest season in my area. The farmers are out all day and most of the night reaping this years crop. The colors in the fields are amazing. It reminds me of spun gold. I love this time of year. The sound of the combines harvesting across the countryside is so comforting to me. I relax when I hear the hum of the engines.

I'm hoping for a second harvest of my own. I planted some more lettuce and radishes a few weeks ago. I'm planning on baby greens for a Thanksgiving Day salad. Sounds good right? I know what you are thinking because I'm thinking it myself. I'm crazy, nuts, unrealistic so on and so forth. That may be too much to expect. Usually my garden has been put to bed by now. I can't seem to let this gardening year go. I purchased a 60"x50' roll of garden row cover. It should keep plants safe to 24 degrees. Maybe, just maybe I can make this work.

Last night it got down to 28 degrees. Brrrr. I uncovered my tiny little plants carefully. Looks like the garden quilt works. The lettuce is safe and sound.

On the knitting front I started another fingerless glove project. I picked out a very simple pattern to show off this colorful yarn. This is the first time I have knitted with Boku by Plymouth yarns. Hopefully it will soften more when I block it. I'll blog more about it next time. Hopefully I will be finished by then.
On a personal note thank you for all the well wishes for new new position. This is my first week with my new employer. So far so good. I fell very blessed.

Felted Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-26T16:13:00.001-05:00

It's that time of the season to pick a few pumpkins. I have a few surprises growing. Want to see?

I have a wide assortment of pretty pumpkins out in the garden. I have a few white pumpkins and some rare potimarron squash.

These miniatures are my favorites. Wool Winder designed one of the cutest felted pumpkin patterns I have ever seen.

Don't you love the way they turned out? My fingers are itching to knit up some more. I have given away a couple of these cuties. I am pondering the thought of an entire Thanksgiving arrangement. I can just see felted pumpkins all over the table!

I used Lambs Pride by Brown Sheep Company in a few different colorways. Orange you glad, prairie goldenrod and orange creamsicle. This pumpkins is orange you glad.

For the stems I used Lambs Pride colorway forest shadows. This was the tiniest little hat I have ever knitted. It's so sweet! It's the perfect cap for the pumpkin.

Here is a closer look at the Malabrigo pumpkins. The color is called Rhodesian. The variegation of the yarn adds a realistic depth to the shape. Give these little cuties a try. I promise the mini's will put a big smile on you face!

Finally Friday

2008-10-17T13:26:00.009-05:00

Hmm, can you tell I'm in fall mode? I adore all of the warm, rich colors of this season. I'm working on a few fun knits. I'm just giving you a peek at this project. Some of you may already know what I'm making. As soon as I'm finished I promise to show you the end result. As you can see from my sidebar there is a really cool quilt giveaway going on. Pigtails and Snails is having a contest. Go check it out!

I'm also working on some sewing projects. This is some of the fabric that I picked out. I can't wait to get back into my sewing room. I'll show you more later.

We had our second frost last night. As the sun started to rise and burn off the fog I couldn't resist taking a picture. I covered the basil and peppers. The lettuce and beets didn't mind the frost.

I found the entire scene mesmerizing.

Our colors are almost at peak time. Another few days and the finale of the fall show of color with be here.

On a personal note I have given notice at my current job. It was a very tough decision to make. I'm not a person that likes change. I have been with my current employer for almost 4 years. I will miss them and all the people I have met through the years. I believe God has another plan for me. That plan included a choice of 2 jobs. The one I chose is in my same field. The position will be more challenging. That's just what I need. My family and friends are rejoicing with me. Only the Lord could deliver two opportunities for me in this tough job market. Praise be to God! I give Him all the Glory!

Lake Geneva by Boat

2008-10-15T09:02:00.003-05:00

How about a fall boat ride? The weather is perfect. It's 84 degrees and sunny. I promise that on this boat ride you won't get sunburned. On our boat everyone gets nicely bronzed. Today we will relax and enjoy all the colors of fall.

This will probably be the last boat ride for the season. Everyone in my family wants to come along. The two men in my life are sharing the captain's position.

My DD and my DS's girlfriend love to sit where the action is. If you want to sit in the bow of the boat you may get a little wet.

Even little bear loves a great ride on the boat! By the way, you look great in your bikini! Wow, you have lost weight. Your looking 15 years younger!

There are some huge mansions on Lake Geneva. It's so neat to cruise around the lake and dream about living in one of these homes.

I found some info here on the web for this estate. Stone Manor (officially Younglands), the 18,000 sq' magnificent Italianate palace with a 250' veranda and an expansive lawn visible from downtown Lake Geneva. The estate was built in 1900-1901 by Otto Young, a man who made his fortune buying real estate along State Street in Chicago following the great fire of 1871. It was constructed for over $1,000,000 and features such as gold-plated fixtures, a basement bowling alley, and a third floor miniature golf course astounded even the wealthiest resident. The property was a single family home until 1939 when it was presented to the order of St. Anne to be used as an Episcopalian private school for girls. The school was discontinued after only a few years. Later the mansion housed an elegant French restaurant Around the 1980's the mansion and remaining property were purchased for back taxes, reportedly for $74,000. It has recently been restored and converted to 6 condominiums ranging in price up to $1.6 million.

This mansion is my DD's favorite. Richard H. Driehaus Estate is awesome! It sits on 36 acres. I can't even imagine what the price of this estate would be.

I don't even think that I could afford this little shack! Ha Ha!

You can take a romantic steam boat ride on the Lady of the Lake. I hope you enjoyed this little tour of Lake Geneva by boat. Please make sure to get outdoors to savor the fall season!

Fabulous Fetching

2008-10-10T11:17:00.002-05:00

It's been a busy week. I didn't have a lot of time to knit. I did finish Fetching. What an easy pattern. In my opinion it's a classic glove design. The cables are divine and the picot bind off is so cute.

Here are the details:

Pattern: Fetching published on Knitty.com

Needle size: 6

Yarn: Alpaca with a Twist- Baby Alpaca- one skein 110 yards.

Color: 5004 it's the color of the cornfields in my area right now.

This is all the yarn I had left. It's the perfect one skein project. I am planning on knitting more for gifts. Next time I will bind of the traditional way just to see how it looks.

The thumb method used was very different than any design I have ever attempted. Basically you knit the thumb onto waste yarn. When you are finished with the glove you pull out the waste yarn and pick up the stitches. The first time I pulled out the waste yarn I was a bit concerned that I would loose my stitches. I found a great tutorial on this blog that really helped.

I leave you with this photo of the sunset that greeted me when I arrived home last night. I am always in awe of the works of the Lord. I know a lot of people are very concerned with our economy myself included. As I watched the beautiful sunset this scripture came to mind:

NASB:Isaiah{41:10}

Do not fear, for I am with you;
Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you, surely I will help you,
Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.

The Results

2008-10-06T10:36:00.003-05:00

We have some winners here! I was very technical about the picks as you can tell. I wrote each name on a slip of paper and put the names in my Amanda hat. I then chose 4 names. Here are the winners.

Quiltersal

whitestone

Debbie

joyfulsister

I wanted to give a prize to the person that has left me the most comments. Tracy at Woolwinder has left me 68 comments. Thank you Tracy!

I still couldn't stop drawing names. I have some pretty stitch markers and such to give away. The runners up are:

Ariel

Mari

Karrin

Susan

Congratulations to all of the winners! I want to thank everyone for entering. I also want to say a big thank you for reading my blog and taking the time to leave me a comment. Thank you all for inspiring me with your projects!
Please e-mail me at:

cinnamongirl93@gmail.com so I can get all the winners their prizes.

Have a wonderful day!!!!

Say it isn't so

2008-10-04T17:30:00.013-05:00

Last night I was contently knitting away on my fingerless gloves Fetching. I knitted until about 11:00 pm. We didn't watch any t.v. or have the radio on. We were listening to an old cassette tape. O.K. now I'm showing my age! Anyway I didn't hear the weather report. I had now idea that it would get so cold last night!

Say it isn't so! The frost hit my beautiful garden last night. I awoke to frost on the lawn and on my windshield. I was praying that my garden was spared. My pumpkin vines are dead. So is the watermelon and zucchini. The morning glories are finished too. This has been my best gardening year ever. I don't want it to end.

On Wednesday I spent the entire afternoon deadheading flowers and doing a bit of weeding. I took this shot of the garden on Wednesday.

I did some tilling. My DH surprised me with this little tiller last month. I use it every chance I get. I love turning up the soil and making it all pretty. I get so lost out in the garden. It's a good lost.

I harvested some of my beets. Yum! Yes, I'm one of those strange people that loves beets.

I picked some yellow peppers. This is the very first year that my peppers turned yellow before the frost hit.

I picked some red ones too. I stir fried the peppers and some zucchini and garlic that night for my side dish. I also added a nice handful of lemon basil. My basil plants were huge.

The basil got hit by the frost too. I cut off half of the plant to try and save it. Can you see the dark basil leaves in the front of the picture. Ugh! I thought I have at least another week of harvesting. I didn't make my pesto yet! I am praying that my basil will continue to grow.

Tonight my garden sleeps under warm blankets.

Make sure to enter my giveaway if you have not done so. Scroll down to the next post.

It's My Blogiversary

2008-09-29T10:00:00.000-05:00

It's hard to believe it's been a year since I wrote my very first blog post. I have had so much fun and have made so many wonderful internet friends. Friends that help to inspire my own creativity. I have also enjoyed getting to know you through your blogs. It's so cool! I wanted to thank you for reading. It's a great feeling to know that someone is reading you blog. Right? When I thought about celebrating this milestone I knew a giveaway would fit the bill. What's a celebration without some gifts?!

Here are the rules of this giveaway:

1. Do not post this giveaway on your blog. This giveaway is for my readers old and new. Even if this is the very first time your have read my blog you are eligible to enter.

2. Leave me a comment. Any comment you wish and tell me how long you have been reading. The deadline is Sunday October 5, 2008 at midnight central time.

That's it! I have a few fun prizes that I am giving away. This is a peek at the gifts. I have lots of surprises up my sleeve. Whether your interests are a knitting, quilting, cooking or reading I have something for each interest. O.K. don't forget to leave me a comment! Good Luck!

The Reveal

2008-09-26T10:30:00.001-05:00

I am thrilled to announce that my very first sweater is finished and wearable.

Here are the details:

Pattern: Wicked by Zephyr Girls.

Yarn used: Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece colorway coral. I purchased 5 skeins. I used 4 skeins and a 1/4 of the fifth skein. I had massive knots and yarn barf in one of the skeins that couldn't be undone. I'm sure if I didn't have that problem i would've used four skeins. The feel of the fiber is perfect.

Needle size 7.

The neckline is so pretty. It is the only part on my sweater that is a touch too big.

I knitted the sleeves mid length. Kntting them at this size gives me more options. I can wear the sweater alone or with a shirt underneath.

I started knitting this sweater in early May. I got bored with my project and set it down for about 6 weeks. I'm glad that I blogged about this sweater. You all inspired me to get back to it and finish it. Thanks so much for getting me back on track.
We are going out of town for a wedding. I am wearing it for some of the festivities. Hooray!

A Little Saucy

2008-09-23T20:22:00.001-05:00

One of my favorite garden delights. Basil tomato sauce. I have been making this sauce for over 12 years now. I don't think that I could end a summer without having jars of this goodness in my pantry. Looks yummy right? It's so easy to make. Can I show you how?

Let's go out to the garden and do a little picking. We have lots of red ripe tomatoes. Now if you don't have a garden head out to a farm stand or farmers market. The price for bulk canning tomatoes is very reasonable.

Look at all of this basil. Mmmmmm! I sure hope I can use it all. I also planted lemon basil and cinnamon basil. The lemon basil tastes great with zucchini and chicken and fish(yuk). The cinnamon basil I haven't used yet. Have you tried cinnamon basil? If so what did you make? Alright lets get on with sauce making. We need to skin the tomatoes. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add tomatoes a few at a time to remove the skins.

Plunge the fruit into ice water to stop the cooking process. Slip the skin off.

Cut the tomatoes and add them to a large stock pot and start cooking.

I like to use a potato masher to crush the fruit. It works great.

Next chop up the basil. Add it to the pot. Bring the sauce to a boil and simmer on low for about 2 hours.

Make sure your jars are sterilized. Follow the directions that came with your water bath canner. Add 2 tablespoons bottled lemon juice and 1 teaspoon salt to each quart jar. If you are using pint jars it's 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Fill with the basil tomato sauce.

Place jars in your water bath canner and process for 45 minutes. If you don't want to can your sauce just put it in freezer containers. It tastes just as good. There is almost nothing better than opening a jar of summer sunshine in the cold of winter. My favorite way to use my sauce is add a little heavy cream and parmesan cheese. Serve it with pasta. You could also add some tomato paste and it tastes better than spaghetti sauce. I hope you give it a try. I promise you won't regret all your time and effort.

Buzzing Around

2008-09-17T07:46:00.003-05:00

Last week as I was knitting along on my Wicked sweater I was surprised by a hummingbird. I looked up from my project and he looked at me and darted away. Immediately I ran to the basement to find my mother in laws feeder. I mixed up for sugar water and hung the feeder. Since last week I have seen the little hummer one other time. He buzzed past me when I was carrying groceries into the house. This morning when I let the dogs out I saw him again. I grabbed my camera and ran outside with me red robe on. I was able to get pretty close. I hope you can see the sweet little hummer. I think he may like me. He was buzzing in and out of the trees. He would circle semi close to me and then go to the feeder. How thrilling for me!

Wicked is coming along. The body is finished. I knit 2 sets of increases for the hip section. Now I think it's a touch too long. That's o.k. I am leaving it. I am almost finished with one of the 3/4 sleeves. I have to knit the twisted rib to the edge. Then on to the next sleeve. I really wanted to have it done by now. On a personal note I am getting ready for a job interview. It's for a part time position. My full time job has cut our hours due to the economy. Please wish me luck and if you want say a prayer. This job sounds like a nice place to work. I would like to get hired! I'll share more about it later. Got to go! Have a great day!

Just Peachy

2008-09-11T09:34:00.008-05:00

I spent part of my morning making peach jam. I am so thrilled that the peaches came from my very own peach trees. I planted them in 2004. This is the first year I have gotten a harvest. My peaches are so darn sweet and juicy! I had to compete with all kinds of insects to see who would get the most of the harvest! I was able to can 6 jars.

My very favorite way to use this scrumptious jam is in a PB & J sandwich. There is something so utterly delicious and tasty about peaches and peanut butter. When I think about taste I am reminded of a scripture that means so much to me.
Psalms {34:8} O taste and see that the Lord is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him! God is so good!

I was also able to make my much anticipated peach custard. A whopping 4 quarts of golden goodness!

The custard was really good. It was a standard custard recipe. It did have a few ingredients I would never of thought of, like ginger. The only change I would make to the recipe would be to leave out the ginger. I am not a ginger fan. I should know better that to follow the recipe to a T.

Yesterday I spent a lot of my day off knitting on my Wicked sweater. I had an idea to follow the measurements of on of my favorite ragland sweaters I bought a few years ago at Talbots. I love how this sweater fits me. It kind of hides my middle section which is a good thing! Maybe it's the 3 1/2" ribbing on the bottom? I turned the sweater inside out and did some measuring. I proceeded to use the waist measurements and to knit the ribbing just like the bottom of the Talbots sweater.

I was hoping to show it to you today finished. I had great plans. I was a head of schedule. Things were looking well. I cast off the sweater after all of those K2,P2 ribbing rounds. I couldn't wait to try it on. I slipped it over my head. I ran up the stairs to the full length mirror in the bathroom. Agh! No good. I looked like I tried to stuff myself into a stovepipe. I also noticed that I cast off a tad too tight. Maybe I could pull it off. After pondering for a few minutes I knew if I left the sweater as is I would never wear it. I needed a few increases for my hips. Mind you my hips aren't huge. I think it would look more pleasing to my eye if the sweater was a bit more A-line shaped. My decision was to rip out the entire ribbing. Ripping is not an easy task. You look at all of your work and fight with your mind to make your fingers unleash all of your time consuming stitches. Oh well. I have gotten pretty good at ripping! Today I will keep chugging along on increasing. Then I will try it on again to see how it fits. I will finish this sweater!!!
Thanks so much for stopping by today. I always enjoy reading all of your comments. Until tomorrow....God Bless you!

Lil' Carmel Dumpling Bag

2008-09-03T10:09:00.010-05:00

This was my Labor Day weekend project. This pattern was published in Interweave Knits Magazine fall 2008 issue. After surfing through a few finished projects on Ravelry I got inspired to knit up this cutie!

This Lamb's Pride Bulky yarn called out to me to become a dumpling bag! The colorway is Prairie Goldenrod. I love the variegation's of the yellow and gold colors. To me is speaks of September. The official start of fall.

I learned an interesting technique with this bag. The I-cord handles are knitted separately and then joined together on your circular needle.

It's really cool to see it come together. Even I could do it!

To put some final touches on the lil' dumpling I added an embroidered vine all the way around. The stitch used is a simple chain stitch. I also added some french knots in a pretty red berry color.

The bag only took a day to knit. A few hours to embroider. I did most of that in the car. Then I had to search for the rings for the handles. I went to Michael's and Hobby Lobby and had no luck. Yesterday at work I got an idea to use napkin rings. On my way home I stopped at Pier One and found several funky napkin rings. They may be just a touch too big but I like the finished look. I washed it this morning and was so surprised when I pulled it out of the washer. I jumped up and down thrilled with how it felted. It's so darn cute! More dumplings on the way!

Look at Frosty

2008-08-28T07:00:00.001-05:00

Here she is, the Hedgehog of the hour......Frosty! Isn't she adorable?! This is the first Hedgehog I have made. I am thrilled at how she turned out. This is the very first knitted toy that I have made. I am hoping to knit a few more for gifts. Frosty will be staying put at our house. She is all mine!

Here are the details: The body was knit with New England Highland Wool. Colorway- Aster. The paws were knitted with a small amount of Cascade. For the back I used 2 different yarns held together. Bernat Disco colorway Roxy Rose and Knit One Crochet Too Jam Yarn Color 737. The Disco yarn has a fantastic iridescence to it. To me it has the look of real fur. After searching two different store for eyes and a nose I decided to needle felt the eyes and nose. It's not perfect but I still think she is cute.

Frosty enjoys peaches just us much as I do. She told me to get out the ladder and start picking.

Even Cassie likes Frosty. She was a little apprehensive at first.

Aah, how sweet!

Bear is not thrilled with the new addition. He wants to know if she has a squeaker. I better make sure that Frosty is put away when I'm not home. You know, that whole sibling rivalry thing. Giggle
Thanks for letting me be so goofy. It's the small things in life right? Have a fantastic day!

Good Morning Glory

2008-08-22T08:15:00.001-05:00

Fridays flower is the fantastic Morning Glory. In my opinion Morning Glories have a wonderful old fashioned charm. I planted an entire row of Morning Glories this year. I have been anticipating the sensual blooms for months. The flowers are teasing me. I was expecting a boat load of blooms. I was only getting one single bloom per day. I adore the heavenly blue color.

I check on my garden a few times a day. I do a walk thru to see the progress on the bounty. Wednesday morning was a foggy start to the day. As soon as the sun started to burn off the fog I could see lots of blue flowers on my vine. Imagine my surprise!

The flowers are large in size. They measure about 4 to 5 inches across. The shape is trumpet like, perfect for bees and hummingbirds to pollinate. The honey bees are humming around the entire garden. It's a great sound to hear. I am so grateful to hear the buzzing. I planted 2 different varieties. This is "Clarks Heavenly Blue". As the name suggests the flowers bloom in the morning. By the early afternoon they fade away. I also planted "Flying Saucers". I am still on the look out for the striped bi colored flowers.

As I gaze at the vine I am reminded of a powerful scripture: John 15:4-5 "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. Those verses encourage me to stay close to the Lord. I know that without him I can do nothing. Amen!

On the knitting scene I am working on my very first toy. Can you guess what it is?

It's a Hedgehog! The pattern is very well written. It's from Fiber Trends. You can see it here. I should finish the body today. I hope to have it felted tonight.
Thank you for stopping by! Until next time......BTW the peaches are almost ready!

Off to Market

2008-08-17T17:19:00.010-05:00

It bothers me to use all of those plastic bags at the grocery store. I almost always have to double them so all of my items won't spill out all over the parking lot. It is a little embarrassing crawling around on your hands and knees looking for a can of soup that rolled away under a car after the bag split open. Not to mention all the harm the bags cause to our environment. And then animals getting caught in them or eating them. Not a good thing. I searched around Ravelry for a pattern for a grocery bag. Saturday Market Bag by Jodie Danenberg fit the bill. It's available on Ravelry as a free download. If you would like to get the pattern click here . I did do some revisions to the original pattern via disdressed blog.

The bag pattern was fairly easy. The pattern repeat is 4 rows. First you start with really big needles. Size US 15's to be exact. I then picked out some 100% cotton yarn. Lily Sugar'n Cream works well for this application. I purchased the super size and the colorway is Hot Pink. I got to learn a new stitch. The Kitchner stitch was new for me. I watched the video on knittinghelp.com so I knew what to do. I use that resource all the time!

I have to admit that my first try didn't turn out so well. This is my first attempt at the pattern. I knitted it exactly the way the pattern was written. I started a few weeks ago. I cast on for side number one and put it down and forgot where I was. I thought I could save it and just knit side two the same size. Can you tell I forgot to knit 2 pattern repeats! I seamed the two halves together still hoping to salvage my knitting time. The bag is really long and very short. It's the perfect size to carry a gigantic zucchini.

Or I could use it for my feet as a papoose?

Maybe Bear would like to lay on it. Nope, he doesn't like it either! I know just what to do.....Oh yeah, that's right.....Rip It! Rip It! Rip It!

Wildflower Friday

2008-08-15T06:00:00.006-05:00

Today is Friday and I thought I would share some Native American Wildflowers with you. Maybe you have seen these flowers blooming along side of the road. This first one is called Chicory. The color is the best example of periwinkle blue I can think of. This plant grows the best in rocky ground like the shoulder of the road.

I did a search on Chicory and was very surprised at what I found. This is from the website:
The root of the chicory plant is long and thick, like the tap-root of the dandelion. When dried, roasted and ground, it makes an excellent substitute for coffee. There is no caffeine in chicory, and it produces a more 'roasted' flavour than coffee does. Many coffee producers offer blends with up to 30% chicory, which cuts down on the caffeine content of your cup. But many folk enjoy a cup of 'coffee' made entirely from ground, roasted chicory.

Another perk about chicory is that it's more soluable in water than coffee, which means you use a lot less of it when brewing. Very economical for someone on a tight budget.

Chicory also offers extra health benefits that you wouldn't normally get from your cup of coffee. It is reported to help cleanse the blood and improve the health of your liver.

Hmmm, You would have to be pretty desperate to dig up the roots and roast them. I do have a pioneer kind of spirit. That's going a bit far even for me. I'm glad I'm not a coffee drinker!

This flower is a Thistle. The bees are busy buzzing around and pollinating the flowers. It's great to see so many of them. I was a little concerned about the decline in the honey bee population. Anyway, you have to be careful around this flower. It has prickles all over it. They are sharp. I read somewhere that you can eat the young leaves in a salad. I'm not that adventurous.

The color is a very clear purple. The thistle seeds are a favourite food of goldfinches. This pretty butterfly is taking a drink of the nectar. I can't believe I was so lucky to get a shot of this!

Little Things

2008-08-13T09:01:00.010-05:00

I have been knitting some necessities while watching the Olympics each evening. The first must have home project are felted coasters. I found the pattern in the May issue of Creative Knitting Magazine. I worked on these while cheering for the the historic men's 400 relay. That was an awesome moment in sporting history!

I puchased Bernat Felting Natural Wool yarn at Hobby Lobby. The colorway is called Happy Bouquet.

I did notice that this yarn bleeds quite a bit. The felting process fades the color.

I have picked 4 peaches from one of my peach trees. I know what you are thinking.....I should have a bushel of peaches by now. Let me show you why I don't.

We have been invaded by Japanese Beetles. I have never seen anything like this infestation before. We have them by the thousands.

In one day they ate all of the leaves on my plum tree. One day!

We have 4 traps set near the garden. In 12 hours one of the traps were filled to overflowing. Even my DH was totally grossed out as he changed the old bag to dispose of them. The sight is like something out of a horror movie. I have to say that the sight would gag a maggot!

Needle Felting Fun

2008-08-07T22:49:00.006-05:00

I was introduced to needle felting a few weeks ago. I had the pleasure of attending a make and take demo by Back to Back Alpaca. With some friendly encouragement from the owner I was needle felting in no time. I have admired this art yet didn't have any teaching in the procedure. It turns out that it is very simple. Not to mention fun!

I purchased a basic kit to get started. Everything you need to begin is in this kit.

A few of the key components are a very sharp barbed needle and a foam cube to place your wool on. All you have to do is design or transfer whatever your design is onto your medium. Next you place a very small amount of wool roving or yarn onto your pattern and take your needle and poke it through the layers.

After searching several minutes(almost late for work) for the holster for my phone I had an idea of making my own phone case. The next day I traced around my phone to make a pattern. Then I traced that pattern onto a piece of felt. I drew a simple flower shape onto my wool felt and picked out some curly roving. Then I pulled apart the roving that I was using for the flower. You only need a very small amount. As you can see I used a bit much. It truly is a 3 dimensional flower. Then you go crazy with the needle punching it through the felt. Your shape comes to life. Just think of all of the embellishing one could do with this technique. The possibilities are endless.

P.S. I still can't find my holster for my phone. I guess it's where all of the single socks are!

Sunflower City

2008-08-01T08:26:00.012-05:00

Sunflowers are one of my favorite summer blooms. The plants vary in size and color. Some are tall and produce one large flower. Others are a bit shorter with several blossoms that bloom on branched stems.

This is a mix of sunflowers called "Fun in the Sun". They stand tall at the edge of my garden. I'm sure they are over 15 feet tall. I can see them waving to me in the wind from my porch.

This varieties is Hallo. They are just my size at 5 feet. I have so many of these beauties in my garden this year. Their faces greet me with warm smiles.

This sunflower is called Chianti. The deep burgundy color is unique. The tallest this velvety plant will be is about 4 to 5 feet. I have them planted near my cucumbers.

All of the different varieties compliment each other so well. I bet a few would look great in a vase on my kitchen table. I can't bring myself to cut them. I enjoy watching them dance in the wind.

Sunflowers are so happy. Gazing at their beauty puts a smile on my face. Note to self.....grow more sunflowers next year

The Beauty of the Growing Season

2008-07-30T07:59:00.018-05:00

I am always is awe of God's awesome creation. As I sit here at my computer and type my mind wanders to the scenes before me. It may be the hay field down the road.

Or it's the tunnel of tall corn that lines my road.

I am astounded to see the honey bee land on this squash flower, pollinate it and that in turn produces fruit.

I am thrilled to see one of my first peaches of the season start to ripen on the tree. As I shot this picture the scent of peaches enveloped me. My thoughts drift off to homemade peach ice cream. That reminds me of something... Want to see?

The peaches remind me on some yarn I purchased at Midwest Fiber and Folk Art Fair. This is one of my finds. Brooks Farm came to the show all the way from Lancaster Texas. The color is MD3 in the duet line. Come in a little closer to see the twist of the fiber.

It's funny how nature reminds me of fibers. Things like yarn and fabric. The colors of crops, flowers, trees, water the sky and even the ground we walk on inspire me to create things with my hands.
I thank the Lord for all of His creation! God is so good!!!!

It's Good To Be Back

2008-07-28T07:00:00.004-05:00

It's been a quiet week. Especially with out the Internet. There was no blog reading. No Ravelry. No paying bills online. No surfing what so ever. In a way it was nice. Mostly it stunk! I'll say it again...It Stunk!!!! I was able to find another provider that would service us way out here in the country. The pickings are very slim out here in the sticks. We feel very lucky to have Internet access. I'm still not sure what happened to our former provider. The company took down all their signs. Even the phone number has been disconnected. We were lucky and didn't loose any money. Oh well. It's good to be back.

I have been knitting some nice cotton washcloths. I was inspired by Renna to knit some of these simple but enjoyable cloths. She found the pattern here. The pattern is a waffle stitch that's very easy to remember. The pattern also keeps you interested. I used cotton Lily Sugar'n Cream. The needle size is US6. The Tribble was a great way to use up leftover yarn. You knit the Tribble on the bias. I tried to tell my DH that I was knitting a tie for him. He had that shocked look on his face when I held the bias knitted piece up to his neck. I had him going for a second!

If you have never knitted a cloth give it a try. Once you use your cotton cloth to clean dishes or pots and pans you will never want to use anything else. Just feast you eyes on some of the colors. They offer loads and loads of pretty colors for a very good price.

It's the perfect knit for a hot summer day.

OFFline

2008-07-24T20:31:00.002-05:00

Hello all, I love living in the country, however, my internet service is through a small country company and has been down for the last week. I'm having my daughter post this for me till I can get the company to fix my internet. I hope to be back online within the next few days! I miss hearing from you all, barb. If you need to contact me please use the email address on the top of my page and I might be able to retrieve messages on my cell phone and should be able to respond. thanks barb!

Watermelon Salsa

2008-07-17T06:27:00.005-05:00

I have a very interesting and different recipe to share with you today. I am always looking for something unique to make for dinner. I feel like I make the same 7 dishes over and over. My stand by menu is good. I like to spice things up if I can. Sometimes I'll try something different that is a total disaster (a very athletic rabbit stew) and I'll have to serve ice cream for dinner instead! Other times it's a huge hit. I could tell you stories of some of my dinner tragedies. One thing that is not in my menu is fish. I can't stand the taste of fish. Ever since I was a little girl I have hated it. I spent many evenings sitting at the dining room table all alone with a plate of fish in front of me. I just don't like it. Growing up with a Swedish-Norwegian back round I had to endure a Christmas Eve dinner filled with the 9 courses of fish and other unique things like Silta. That's a head cheese. Yuk! Anyway, the only fish I can eat is Tuna. I do enjoy tuna steaks on the grill. Now I add this salsa to the side of the steak. It's very good.

Watermelon Salsa

4 cups watermelon, seedless, chopped into small cubes
1/2 cup scallions sliced green and white parts
1/2 large yellow pepper diced
1/2 seeded cucumber diced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely minced(be careful with the seeds use gloves or plastic on your hands)
handful of cilantro chopped fine
1 tsp sugar
1Tbsp olive oil
1 fresh lime juiced or 2Tbsp balsamic vinegar for a deeper flavor

Toss all ingredients together in a large bowl. Serve at room temp. or chill it. It is great with fish, chicken, pork and beef. It's even great to munch on alone right out of the bowl.

It tastes so summery fresh and is very colorful. To make the Tuna steak marinade the steak in 3 Tbsp. of olive oil for 1 hour. Lightly salt the fish if you like. Get your grill nice and hot. For 3/4" steak grill for 1.5 minutes per side. For a 1" thick steak cook steak for 2 minutes per side. That's it! I also made some fresh zucchini from the garden. I sliced off the ends and cut the zucchini lengh wise. On the cut side I drizzled olive oil and sprinkled some fresh herbs and a touch of salt. Throw your veggie on the grill cut side down.

This is a fast meal that won't heat up the kitchen. Your family and friends will think you are a rock star after they feast on this! BTW I purchased the tuna steaks from Trader Joe's. I always stock up when I go. Trader Joe's charged about $5.50 for 2 nice size steaks. The tuna is wild caught. It's not farm raised.
I hope you give it a try. Let me know who it turned out. If you have any questions I would be more than happy to answer them.
Have a great day. Tommorrow knitting!

Old Red Barn Co. Contest

2008-07-16T09:59:00.004-05:00

I was doing a bit of surfing this morning and clicked on one of my favorites. Imagine my surprise to see a contest giveaway. It's a huge give away. I think it's probably one of the best prizes. A quilt! Oh ya, a finished quilt. Something you can wrap yourself and your special someone in! You could lay it out on the soft grass for a picnic. Click Old Red Barn Co. and enter! I would love to win this. How about you? It would be so cool if any of us won! Old Red Barn Co is also giving away runner up prizes. They make handmade soaps and sugar scrubs. Go check it out if you like. It's a very cozy site with lots of great photos. Also good food and fun quilting! Good luck!
Today we are going out on the boat for some fun in the sun. It finally hit 90 degrees for the second time this entire year. A day on the water relaxing is just what we need. I'll be back tomorrow with knitting pictures and a special recipe. I'll give you a little teaser. The main ingredient is a juicy, sweet watermelon.
See you tomorrow!

Friday's Flower Linden

2008-07-11T06:21:00.001-05:00

Today's flower is from our Linden tree. It is also commonly called a Basswood tree. The specific name is Tilia Americana. The flowers are used for herbal tea, and this infusion is particularly popular in Europe. I have not attempted to make tea from the flowers.

Our proud tree is covered with tiny flowers. With all of the rain this season the blossoms are producing in record number. The tiny bells smell a little like fabric softener. The smell is intoxicating.

The timber and has very little grain, so it is a popular wood for model building and intricate carving. Also the acoustic properties make it popular for electric guitar and bass bodies and wind instruments like recorders. It is also the wood of choice for the window blinds and shutters industries. Real wood blinds are often made from this lightweight but strong wood which is well suited to natural and stained finishes.
I encourage you to take some time today and gander at all the different flowers in bloom. Take a deep breath and discover God's awesome creation.
Have a marvelous weekend!

Doing it Continetal Style

2008-07-09T18:27:00.007-05:00

Knitting is such a great hobby. It has so many great steps involved. First and foremost is the fiber. The texture and colors fascinate me. The skein above is from Woolen Rabbit. It is a called Opulence. The fiber is a Merino/Silk yarn. Rhubarb is the color. It feels like butter.
My knitting can be improved. I am striving to better my workmanship. I will have to admit that I am a thrower. I knit English style. That's how I learned to knit. I feel very comfortable in my style of knitting. But I know there is more out in knitland. Sometimes I get aches in my hands. I also tend to strain my neck and shoulders. I am perpetually trying to find that perfect spot I can sit in. I am aware that there are other styles of knitting. In the video below Lorilee describes needing to know how to have more than one style in your knitting repertoire. It's a good idea not to do the same movements over and over.

I really want to master the continental style of knitting. It looks so easy. I started to daydream about all of the stockinette stitch that could been knit lightening speed fast. Then I started to think of all the other projects that I would like to make. How about the yarn? I would need to get more in my stash for all of the beautiful sweaters I want to knit. Hmmmm. The wheels were turning. After watching the video I knew I could do it. I pulled out some cotton yarn and a set of bamboo straight needles size 6. I have to say that it is harder than it looks. The tension feels awkward in my left hand. My middle finger is clumsy. It feels so foreign. The first thing that I noticed was how loose I was knitting. Normally I knit pretty tight. I mentally have to tell myself to loosen up when I knit.

This is what my swatch looked like after 4 row of doing it Continental style. To me it seems loose. If you look close you can see some mistakes too!

Then I switched over and knit English style and see what the difference would be. I knit 4 more rows. The only deviance is how tight the stitches are on the needle.

I am wondering how many of you knit Continental style? If you do how long did it take you to feel comfortable. Also what do you think the benefits are? If you have any hints please share them!

Fireworks with Kansas

2008-07-08T06:30:00.000-05:00

On Thursday evening we ventured out to Summerfest. It's held in Milwaukee Wisconsin the week before the Fourth of July and runs for 11 days. Every day several bands perform. We went to see the 70's band Kansas. My DH always enjoyed listening to their music. We left right after work. The drive only took about an hour. We arrived on a mission to get some good seats for once. Usually we stand way in the back and crane our necks to see the band on stage. Imagine our surprise to actually get some good seats on bleachers about 20 rows back. I will have to say that the people watching was at an all time high! Milwaukee started to light off the fireworks and everyone on the bleachers stood on top of them. I couldn't see anything! Yes, I know I'm only 5.3' but that was ridiculous. I do have to say that the fireworks were awesome. They were lit off right over the water. It lasted for a hour. Then at 10:00 Kansas hit the stage. They sounded great. Kansas sounded a great as the recors. Oh no, did I just date myself with that statement? Big smile The only problem was I couldn't see even the top of the band members heads. We ended up standing way in the back and were able to see Kansas just fine. Sorry, but not any of my Kansas pictures turned out. My daughter laughed when she found out we were going to be out past midnight. Actually she teased us endlessly that ole Mom and Dad would be out until 1:30a.m. I don't know, I'm not that old yet! Or am I? Hmmmmmm.

I continued car knitting on Wicked the way to Summerfest. It is great mindless project to knit in the car. I am finished with the body of the sweater. Yeah! I do have to make another decision about the bottom of the sweater. The pattern calls for a seed stitch. I would like it too look a bit more finished. I'm checking on Ravelry to get some other ideas. I am determined to wear my sweater to the Midwest Fiber & Folk Art Fair in 2 weeks!

Knee High by the Fourth of July

2008-07-06T16:10:00.008-05:00

One of my very favorite things about summer is sweet corn! I like mine buttered with lots of kosher salt. Easily I can munch down 2 ears. When I make it at home I roast it on the grill. I peel off the leaves and save them for my horses to feast on. Then I place the corn directly on the grill grate. It only takes about 15 minutes to roast it this way. It's fast and you have no mess to clean up. This yarn is from Crazy Monkey Creations and is called Panda Toes. Click here to go to her Etsy store.The colorway is Ripening grapefruit. I think it looks like Sweet Corn. Want a bite?

Here in the Midwest the farmers have an expression "knee high by the fourth of July". It is a gauge of how well your corn crop will be. It means that the growing conditions have been good so far. I have known that saying since I was a child. Every year I make sure to keep a watch on the progress of the corn growing. The corn is almost to my waist. That means a great corn crop for our farmers! Hallelujah!

This is a shot of the field corn crop growing across the road from us. By the time it is ready it will be about 12 feet tall. If Bruce was growing sweet corn it would only grow about 4 to 5 feet tall. One of my all time favorite songs that I sing almost everyday is from the musical "Oklahoma". 'Oh what a beautiful morning' has a line that says; "The corn is as high as an elephant's eye, An' it looks like its climbin' clear up to the sky." The lyrics are very true!

The weekend has been absolutely beautiful. The weather is warm and sunny. Also very low humidity. As I thought back on our past 4th of July weekends I can't remember one as perfect as this one. We did a lot this weekend. So much so that this afternoon we are relaxing a bit. I have lots more to share with you.
I hope your holiday weekend was wonderful! Until next time.................

Lots of Lace

2008-07-03T06:33:00.003-05:00

Gust is coming along little by little. I am really enjoying the process. I am amazed that little ole me is actually knitting lace! So far so good. I had done about 13 repeats of the 12 row pattern. Each repeat takes about an hour to knit. I know I'm slow. Thanks o.k. I really don't want to hurry. Whenever I hurry that's when I make mistakes. Come in for a little closer look.

The pattern is so interesting and has great texture. It really looks like waves. I have never blocked anything before. I suppose the lace will totally change after It's soaked and blocked.

I won an on-line contest on Ravelry last week. This was my score. I opened up the box and was so surprised to find my winnings wrapped up in this cool wrapping paper. Thinking of the blog, I had to take a picture to show you.

I recieved this very informative book. Sew U by Wendy Mullin is a guide to sewing your own wardrobe. What a great book. Now if I could only find a book on how to make your own Time Machines.....

Quilted Postcards

2008-06-27T06:13:00.007-05:00

These are Quilted Postcards. You basically make in mini quilt that is 4" by 6" just like a postcard. I came up with an idea of butterflies and sketched it out. I looked around my sewing room to find the perfect fabric to use. I took the fabric that I used for the backround and backed it with a piece of flannel and machine quilted it. I wanted it to look like the butterflies were in flight. The next step was to fuse the butterfly applique to some fusable webbing called Steam a Seam. At that point I ironed the applique to the backround and machine stitched the little bodies onto the applique. Then I ironed on another piece of Steam a Seam to the back of the mini quilt. For added firmness I placed an index card in the middle of the mini front and the fabric I used for the back. I ironed all of the layers together. At that point I finished the edges with a very tight zig zag stitch and used variegated thread. For the finishing touch I glued on some Swarovski crystals for the antenna. Here is a close up of one of the finished Quilted Postcards. I took them into the post office to mail them. Even the postal workers were impressed! I had to use a 42 cent stamp to mail them.

I swaped with 14 other people. I made several extras to mail to friends and family. It was a huge hit! Here are some of the others I have received

This one is from Sally and the first one that was mailed to me. Isn't it pretty? I have received almost all of the cards from the swap. I took a shot of what I have so far. A few of these are my test ones. Sally was kind enough to send me one of hers before I started this swap.

I have to share some interested facts on one of the fabrics I used.

This is a vintage Hoffman fabric from the early 1970's. I found it in a fabric store that has been around for over 40 years. I was lucky enough to get a tour of the shop's basement. It was loaded with all kinds of fabrics that were out of date. I saw this funky fabric and had to have it. Can you imagine all the cool hippies making clothes out of this? My friend and I bought the entire bolt.

This is a shot of the top of the bolt. Notice the price. Yup, $2.69! That's what I paid per yard! You can't go wrong for the 1970's price!

Prime Peak Time

2008-06-19T18:23:00.009-05:00

My lace project Gust is coming along slowly. I had to frog back several times. You know the saying; Good things come to those who wait, well that is so true. I am enjoying the challenge. I really have to concentrate on the directions so I don't miss a yarn over. Last week Jennygirl suggested I put in a life line. I have followed her advice and I am feeling a bit more confident with my lifeline inserted after each repeat. So far I have finished two repeats. Here is the progress of Gust. It is so beautiful! The yarn reminds me of a few of the flowers that are blooming in my garden.

This pretty Peony is still blooming. This plant is in it's prime peak time for the season. I actually dug part of this plant from the house were I grew up. These peonies grew on the south side of my parents home. I always looked forward to the spring when I knew these pretty flowers would make their debut.

I also noticed that the delphinium's have just started to bloom. They blues are so gorgeous. The colors are reminding me of the yarn I'm using for Gust.

This peony is one of my favorites. I just adore the deep pink color. The blooms are almost finished for the year. I am always amazed at the size of these flowers. The blooms are larger than my entire hand!
This is not the most flattering shot of this...but here it goes.... Susan if you are reading this is for you! I put my Wicked sweater on some scrap yarn so I could try it on. It seems to be fitting real well. I am really getting bored with all of this same stitch. It seems like I've knitted miles upon miles of stockinette stitch! Yes, I will finish. My question is how do you get through those tedious patterns? I think for me I need to work on something more complicated to keep the knitting mojo going!

Do You Think Anyone Will Notice?

2008-06-11T17:24:00.006-05:00

I'm really not suppose to be starting another project, but I am. Gust is my very first lace project. The pattern is from Knitspot. Anne Hanson is one of my favorite knitting designers. Last year her blog was one of the very first blogs about knitting I came across. Ever since that first read I was hooked and visit her place everyday. It's my day off and I really should be doing some cleaning. I don't want to! Let's play hooky! Want to join me? I think if we bake something really good know one will notice the bathroom hasn't been cleaned.

One of my handsome hubby's all time favorites are brownies. I think I should make a pan. Want to give me a hand? You can lick the spoon and the bowl. I promise that at my house these brownies are calorie and fat free. Another cool thing about my baking is this pan of brownies is chock full of vitamins and nutrient's. It's the perfect food! Yum!

O.K. here is the spoon. Mmm, tastes good!

While we are waiting for the bribe I mean brownies to bake let's do a bit of knitting. What do you think of the beginning of this pattern. It's pretty. You have to come in closer to see the yarn I am using.

This is a hand dyed fingerling weight yarn from Crazy Monkey Creations. It's the Panda Toes line and the color is Berry Blast. I just love all the variations in the colors. Don't you? Oh, did you hear the buzzer? I think the brownies are done!

Because you are my guest please let me know if you want an in or out piece. I also have whip cream or vanilla ice cream. Whatever you like. Let's sit down and relax and do a little knitting.

I've Been Tagged!

2008-06-04T09:12:00.003-05:00

For the first time I have been tagged by Sarena and JennyGirl.

The Rules:
Each player answers the questions about themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5-6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.

1. What I was doing 10 years ago:

I was a stay at home Mom of two wonderful children. My oldest just finished her first year of high school. My youngest was 9 years old. 1998 was my first year in the professional quilting business. I had a great first year in business. I was having a blast tearing up the horseback riding trails with one of my closest friends. We packed up our horses and rode a different trail at least once a week that year.

2. What 5 things are on on my to-do list for today (not in any particular order):

Go to the gym and work out.

Clean the entire house.

Work on my quilted post cards for my swap.

Do some laundry.

Go see a movie with my daughter.

3. Snacks I enjoy:

Hmm, My all time favorite is popcorn! The kind you make on the stove with olive oil and lots of salt! My other fav is cookies. Since February I haven't had much of either!

4. Things I would do if I was a billionaire:

Tithe to my church first! Seed into other Christian ministries around the world. I would love to buy another home in a warm climate. Pay off all of the debts of ours and our families. Of course my husband and myself would retire and spend time traveling the country. We would have to visit every quilt shop and knitting store!
I could go on and on......

5. Places I have lived:

Not very exciting. I have lived in Northern Illinois almost my entire life. When I was 12 we sold our suburban home near Chicago and moved to a dairy farm in Marshfield Wisconsin. We milked 35 cows twice a day everyday for one year. It was very hard work! My parents sold the farm and moved back to Illinois. Farm life was not for them. I loved living and working on our farm. I am not afraid of hard work!

I will tag Threadbender, MountRobson, learningtobethankful, quiltersal, finnishwahine and woolwindings. I hope you want to play along. If anyone else wants to play too please be advised that you have been tagged too! I would love to meet you via our bloggs!

Swap and more!

2008-05-28T10:32:00.006-05:00

This is the final pincushion I chose to sew for my swap partner. She told me she loves bright primary colors. She also has a passion for things more contemporary. That was the perfect excuse to do some fabric shopping. I, of course, don't have anything in my huge fabric stash that would work. I will have to admit that this swap really tested my creativity. It was the first swap, the first pincushion and the first contemporary item I have ever made.

I also added one more to her swap. This is the original pincushion I tested out. My partner mentioned that she likes flowers so I fussy cut out the fabric to show off the flower. I added a few more items. Things I Learned From Knitting (Whether I Wanted To or Not) by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, I haven't read the book yet but I'm sure it's another great read from the "Harlot".

This is the swap I received from MissLove. The pincushion is a mini felted one. It's so cute. She was also so sweet and added some fabric to the package.

I have been working on my Wicked sweater. It's really coming along. Right now I am decreasing for the waist. I'm in love with the color. Not so much with the yarn. I have found huge yarn knots in each skein so far.

I love watching Food Network. Last week we were watching Diners Drive In's and Dives. It's really a fun show about all types of local restaurants all over the country. Last week the show featured The Frosted Mug Drive In. The Drive In is located about 2 hours from where we live. The Frosted Mug makes their own Root Beer and Italian Beef and so on. My mouth was watering. I showed DH and his mouth started to water. We decided to take a mini road trip on Sunday. I checked the Food Network website and got the link for the Drive In. I clicked on the web site for The Frosted Mug to get the address and directions. We had a wonderful Sunday cruise. The day started out a little chilly. It even rained about 25 drops. We didn't care. We were going for homemade Root Beer and Italian Beef's!! WooHoo!! We took the scenic tour through Chicago. All I can say is I was really getting hungry! Finally we were getting close. I packed away my knitting so I would have plenty of room for eating yummy delicious food. We say the sign off in the distance........It looked kind of strange. Not one car in the parking lot. As a matter of fact I don't think a car has driven on this lot for months!

We were laughing so hard! Can you believe it? This place has been closed for months! This makes for a great story. I guess you can say the old saying still holds true.....Phone First!!!!

Graduation Day!

2008-05-19T16:05:00.010-05:00

Once upon a time not so long ago a darling daughter was born to a thrilled couple. She was a very happy and content baby. What a blessing for her young parents.

The sweet darling daughter brought joy and happiness to each person she spent time with. Her smile would light up a room.

Her baby brother adored his "sissy". He would follow her everywhere. He missed her when she started school.

Just like all little girls she loved dressing up. She was so thrilled to be asked to stand up in her Uncles wedding as the flower girl.

The darling daughter had so many dreams and aspirations. She was charmed with animals. She had her own mini menagerie. Her favorite were her horses.

She grew up strong and beautiful. The darling daughter was funny and witty. She was smart and confident.

She had the world at her feet when she graduated high school. The darling daughter matured into a responsible adult.

Time has gone by so fast. It's hard to imagine that my DD has graduated from college! This is not the end of the story. It is just a mere chapter in her book. I can't wait to see what happens in the next chapter

Congratulations to our darling daughter. Your college graduation was one of the proudest moments of our lives.

Pincushion Party!

2008-05-15T18:12:00.015-05:00

Yarn by Yarnpig

Fabric by Moda

IMPORTANT NEWS UPDATE! IMPORTANT NEWS UPDATE! IMPORTANT
A recent study has indicated that fabric and yarn gives off certain Pheromones, that actually hypnotize women and cause them to purchase ungodly amounts. When stored in large quantities in enclosed spaces, the Pheromones (in the fabric or yarn) cause memory loss and induce the nesting syndrome therefore perpetuating the species (aka fabricus or yarnicus maximus). Sound tests have also revealed that these fabrics or yarns emit a very high-pitched sound, heard only by a select few breed of women known as quilters and knitters. When played backwords on an LP, the sounds are heard as chants "Buy Me" "Cut Me" "Sew Me" "Knit Me" "Wind ME"! Studies have also indicated that aliens have inhabited the earth helping to spread the effect that these fabrics and yarns have on the human population They are called fabric and yarn store clerks. It's also been my experience that these same Pheromones cause a pathological need to hide the fabrics and yarn away when taken home (or at least blended into the existing stash) and when asked by a significant other if the fabric and yarn is new, the reply is "I've had it for awhile".
I found that on Jan Patek's site and thought it spoke the truth! I thought that you might be able to identify with me! O.K. now on to some fabric kind of stuff....Susan is having a hand dyed fabric giveaway here. Go check it out and tell her I sent you!

I really love pincushions. I have several that I keep in my sewing room on a shelf. Some are very old. Others are handmade. The rest are store bought. I find them to be kind of whimsical. I have only made one pincushion myself. On Ravelry I joined a group for swapping pincushions. I thought that I could really get my creative juices going!

I dragged out some of my scraps. Hmmm, I don't think I have enough. Big Lie! Anyway I searched the Internet and found a few patterns for pincushions.

I found this very basic pincushion from Tammys Times. I used some old fabric sample squares I bought several years ago. I'll tell you more about that a little further down. I also added a touch of embroidery to the edge and an antique button.

It turned out pretty sweet! I do like it.

Then I tried another print print and colorway. I also experimented with how much stuffing I put in. I also found that clipping the entire circle gave it a nice crisp edge. I'm still not sure how to stitch the opening closed the best way. That's one of the reasons I added some embroidery. I really want to make my swap partner the very best pincushion I can! BTW this is not the pattern I am using for the swap. I'm just getting warmed up here!

I used to work at a quilt shop many moons ago. One of our fabric rep's was retiring and wanted to sell all of her sample books. My boss bought the entire lot. Of course, I needed to get in on the fun too. I always wanted to make a simple block quilt with scraps. This is all from one fabric collection. It is my spring quilt. Now, don't yell at me but the binding is only sewn onto one edge. I still need to hand stitch the rest of the binding on. I am not telling on how long ago I started this!

Look what just started to bloom today! The lilac's are so beautiful!

How about this one? O.K. close your eyes and take a deep breath. Mmmmmmm, is smells like the most expensive perfume. Right?

I drove by this market yesterday. Look at what the sign reads. Yup, 10 weeks until sweet corn!!! Hooray!!!! I'm stocking up on the butter right now!

Enjoying the Day

2008-05-09T06:17:00.011-05:00

Spring is showing her colors this week. Come on, lets get out and enjoy the day! I'll grab a quilt and our knitting and we can picnic knit. Wow, these tulips are the perfect lipstick pink color.

Lets lay our our quilt and take a look around to see what's blooming.

The flowering crab tree is covered in blooms. Can you smell the sweet perfume? This is the most blooms I've seen on this tree.

The flowering almond is looking so adorable and embraced in tiny flowers. This bush is on the brink of exploding in blooms.

The viburnum has got to smell the absolute best. If I could only offer you smell-o-computer! I imagine that heaven must smell like this!

Let's kick off our shoes and enjoy the warm sunshine and the heavenly scents.

I'm working on my sweater little by little. I have to say that it is more fun knitting out here on the grass. Are you having a nice time? What project did you bring along?

Just in this short mini picnic time we've gotten a lot of knitting done. My sweater is looking good. I just love the stitch on the neckline.

I hope you are enjoying your day where ever you may be. Also, I wanted to wish everyone a Happy Mother's Day. Take time to enjoy the simple pleasures of life! I pray blessings on you and your entire family. May goodness and mercy follow you all the days of your life.

A little eye candy.

2008-05-05T17:51:00.007-05:00

One of my very best girlfriends is expecting her first grandchild in June. I really wanted to bless the mother to be with some handmade receiving blankets. First I took a yard of really cute flannel fabric. I pulled out my serger(haven't used in over 5 years) and started serging the edges. The next step was to fold over the serged edge and press it flat. I then used a decorative stitch (on my sewing machine) of little stars to finish the edge. The final touch was to monogram the initial of the babies last name to the front. I used a variegated embroidery thread in blues for the initial. I love how the blankets turned out. So soft and comforting. I will say that my escapade in getting them finished was not comforting! Because I haven't used the serger in so long I forgot how to thread it. To top that off I couldn't find the instruction book that came with my machine. Agh! My first 4 went smoothly. The next day I stopped at Hobby Lobby some more cute flannel jumped into my cart and begged me to take it home. I should have said no, but I can't resist beautiful fabric! That's when my sewing world started to crumble! The thread in my serger broke. I tried and tried to re-thread it but to no avail. Anyways, after about 2 hours of messing around with my serger and searching for the book I decided to stop with 4 blankets. I had to save my sanity you know! I'll finish the rest another day.

This is my current knitting project. This is my second attempt at the Wicked sweater. If you remember my first try with Wicked I made the wrong size and had to frog the whole thing! I did my swatch for my sweater and made double sure that I am knitting the correct size. I even circled all of the correct numbers in the pattern. I wonder why I didn't do that before? Duh!! LOL! I am using Cotton Fleece by Brown Sheep Company. The fiber is 80% cotton and 20% merino wool. The color is called coral sunset. It is truly a stunning color.
I also received some yarn in the mail over the weekend. Come on take a look.....

I have been reading NHKnittingMaMa's blog for a few months now. Amanda hand dyes beautiful yarns. Last week she posted some new yarns and colors on her blog. I have wanted to purchase some of her yarn and after seeing her photos I surrendered to the temptation! This is called Copper Canyon. The fiber is 80% merino and 20% bamboo. This is one of the softest yarns I have ever felt. I wish we had touch-o-vision on our screens so you could feel it too. It feels better than butter!
Mmmmmmmm!!!!!

I Did Some Quilting.....

2008-04-29T17:49:00.005-05:00

Today, I thought I would share with you one of my other passions. It's quilting! I enjoy all aspects of quilting. The planning, picking out fabrics, cutting, sewing and watching your quilt come to life. You see, I love color. My whole life I have been attracted to all different types of fiber. I do have to admit to you that I couldn't even sew on a button until I was about 29 years old! My first love is fabric. I'll show you my stash sometime. Anyway, about 11 years ago I had a dream of owning my own quilting business. I was a stay at home mom. I really wanted to make some extra money for our family and work from home at the same time. My DH believed in me and we purchased my Gammill Quilting machine. For us it was a huge amount of money. I trusted God and dove right in. I did really well and paid for the machine in less than a year. I was booked for about 9 months in advance. After a while it took it's toll on my body. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy it. I just can't work it full time. I still manage to do several quilts for customers a year. Here is one I did for a customer over the weekend.

For those of you who don't understand how it works, let me explain. A customer comes to me with her pieced quilt top and backing. I load the quilt top, backing and batting onto separate rollers of my machine. My Gammill has a 14 foot wide table so I can work on any size quilt. I then start sewing! It's kind of like driving a car. So I drive the sewing machine to make the stitches. The three layers are sewed together and tadaa finished quilt! It took me a while to master that technique. Here is a close up of the star block quilted. I wanted the stars to look like they are spinning. It does right?

This is the finished quilt. You can click on any of the pictures and get a better look. I still adore quilting. I love to work on customers quilts too. It's is so inspiring to see what other quilters are creating.

If I can leave you with a word of advice... If you have a dream just do it!

Lets go for a ride!

2008-04-23T13:15:00.003-05:00

It is such a gorgeous day. This is the perfect day to go on a ride. I thought you might like to ride along with me. Come on. Let's get ready. We need to get Cassie out of the paddock. Hopefully we won't have any issues with Minnie Moo. Cassie and Minnie have this love hate relationship. Cassie doesn't want Minnie anywhere near her. She pinnes her ears back and gives Minnie a good chase around. On the other hand if Cassie is separated from Minnie she whinnies and calls for her. Love, hate. That's how it is. I have to watch them closely when I enter the paddock. I don't want to get in the way of the chasing game. I think 1000 pounds of horse hoof would really ruin my pedicure! Not to mention a broken foot. We need to get Cassie all brushed and pretty before we leave. Not to worry. I'll do all of the dirty work. I promise you won't smell like a horse. Now for the saddle. I'll have to give it a swing to reach her back. I'm not sure how much my saddle weighs. It's pretty heavy though. Like my DH says (emphasis on the German accent)I'm strong like bull!

O.K., did you get on alright? How does it feel to be in the saddle? Are the stirrups too short? Let's go for a spin. Hey, this is so much fun. Let's do a little warm up. Walk.....trot......Ready? Canter! Woooo!!!! Want to go faster? Just give her a little squeeze with your heels. Whooo Hoooo!!!!! O.K now that you are comfortable lets go down the road and see what we can find. Don't worry, I'm right behind you.

Alright, here we go. First we will go down the edge of my property. Aah... The wind in our face and the sun on our shoulders. Feels so good! Wow, you are doing great. I bet you had riding lessons.

We will be riding for about 2 miles one way. Look out... I see a pheasant. We live near 2 different hunting preserves. Pheasants are common. They like to dart in and out of the way. Most of them can only fly a short distance. Cassie is handling it just fine. She didn't even spook. You didn't either. Nice!

This is one of my favorite places on this road. This farm is at least 100 years old. I was very blessed to meet someone that actually lived here. I met Charlotte when we moved here 14 years ago. Charlotte was 82 and lived in town when I met her. She told me stories of her childhood here on this farm where she was born. The house has long been sold and abandoned.

Whenever I ride down this road I always stop at Charlotte's gate and look around for a few minutes. I wonder what it was like all of those years ago. I'm sure farm life was really tough. I also dream about all the fun they had too!

This is where Charlotte's house stood. The very first time I saw her homestead it was in a total shambles. The roof was caved in. The windows all broken. The front porch leaned into the ground. I always thought it would be cool to buy the place and restore it back to it's glory. It burned to the ground about 10 years ago. Sometimes when I would ride over I could swear I could picture Charlotte and her brothers and sisters playing together under the majestic oak trees.

Charlotte's ancestors built this home about 1 mile southeast of her farm. In the 1880's it was a very famous creamery. I have seen drawings of the large spread at the library. The home still stands. The farm has stayed in the family for generations. Now it is a large dairy farm.

This is Charlotte's family cemetery. I'm not being morbid here but I love cemeteries. I enjoy looking at all of the old headstones. For me it is really interesting. Don't worry, I would never ride into the cemetery. We can look from here. My place is 2 miles directly behind it.

We should start for home. It shouldn't take too long to get back. Want to race? O.K. we will take our time and enjoy the sights. This is the very first time I have seen this on the side of the road. Someone decided to dump their trash! I can't believe it! I just don't understand why in this day and age someone would be so lazy and thoughtless to pollute! I'll have to come back with the truck and get rid of this mess. BTW my farm is in the background of this photo.

Did you have fun? I hope you liked your ride. You did great. I bet you are a seasoned rider. Let me know if you want to go out exploring again. Next time we will load up and drive to a cool trail. Does that sound tempting? It's always more enjoyable to ride with friends! Thanks for coming along. You helped make my day!

Knitting News

2008-04-17T06:51:00.005-05:00

I have knitted my very first scrumptious cupcake. Isn't it sweet? I used Plymouth Jeannee for the cake and Bernat cottontots for the icing. The cherry is the Jeannee that I used for the cake. I used size 4 double point needles. Woolwinder has been baking I mean knitting these yummy treats. Go check out her blog. Lots of inspiration over there! The pattern is from Eva McDonald. Now, come in a little closer because I need a little help......

As you can tell from this picture, I have very noticeable ladders. Did I over stuff the cake? I'm not sure why it looks like this? I was trying to keep my stitches tight. I was having a little bit of a problem with my fingers working the decreases so tight. The needles really seemed to stress out my fingers and hands. I am using bamboo double points. The yarn really dragged big time on the needles. Anyone else have that problem? As a fairly new knitter I thought the bamboo needles would work the best for me. Now I'm not sure about that. Maybe switch to plastic? I read that the Yarn Harlot likes Pony Pearl needles. I have read that Knitpicks Harmony needles are nice too. What are your favorite double pointed needles?

My purse is almost finished. It's off the needles and all sewn together. For the lining I cheated and bought a small pink tote bag to place inside. All I had to do was cut off the handles. It fits perfectly! I purchased these bamboo handles. I didn't realize that you have to purchase your own hardware to attach the handles. Hmmmm. I need to make another trip to Michael's. It turned out pretty well.

Rain, Rain Go Away Come Again Another Day!

2008-04-10T22:04:00.010-05:00

It has been raining for what seems like days. Because of all the snow we had this winter the ground is totally saturated. The flooding is starting to take over areas of our property. My horses are stuck inside until the water recedes a bit. I have to keep remembering that April showers bring May flowers. One of my favorite May flowers are Virginia Bluebells. They are so beautiful.

I have been drooling over my Knit Picks catalog for a couple of months. I really want to buy the new options needles. I happened to notice a free purse patten. This Chunky Cable Purse caught my eye. I have seen purses like this for sale at department stores. What a fun purse for the spring. This is the picture of the purse on the website.

I stopped at Michael's the other night after work and picked up some yarn. I chose Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick and Quick. This is the bulkiest yarn I have ever used. It sure works up quick. The color is raspberry. I was hoping to find something a little brighter but the selection was limited. I cast on late Tuesday evening. I knitted whenever I had a spare moment.

I'm almost finished with it. I need to find handles and a set of magnetic snaps. If I ever make this again I will used a wool fiber. I have an extra felted flower that I may add to the purse. What do you think?

What A Weekend

2008-04-07T06:55:00.008-05:00

We had such great weather this past weekend! The sun was bright and the temperature was in the 60's. Hooray! One of my favorite firsts of the year is hanging out clothes on the line. Especially our sheets. I don't think there is a better smell than climbing into bed and smelling the great outdoors! I also had some of my work blouses hanging out so I can be reminded of the glorious open air. If you have never hung sheets or clothes out to dry in the fresh air I urge you to try it!

I was able to get some outdoor chores started. I worked on cleaning up the garden. Look what I found as a spring surprise. These are miniature irises. I can't remember the name. My friend Susi planted these for me one year as a birthday gift. I love gifts like that! Aren't they cute? I was just checking on the garden on Wednesday. By Saturday the mini irises were blooming.

On the knitting front I finished another Amanda Hat. I tried to finish it for Malabrigo March Maddness. I didn't give myself much of a chance considering I cast on for this project on March 29! Oh well, I got it done. I love the colors. I used the leftover half skein from my DD's Tudora. The yarn is Malabrigo and the color is Emerald Blue. Come in for a closer look.....

Look at the stitch definition. Pretty cool right? This pattern is on my list for Christmas gifts. I know. Christmas is months away. My problem is that by the time I think of making a gift for Christmas it's too late. I'm trying to plan ahead.

On the horse name game still no name. I have several that I am considering. I like Lady, Elizabeth, Cashmere and I could go on. Her and I are getting to know each other so I'm sure the name will hit me suddenly. This is my sweetie checking out the neighbors horses.

New Addition

2008-04-03T06:58:00.007-05:00

This is the newest addition to the family. She is a beautiful 10 year old dark bay quarter horse. I have been searching for a petite horse for about a year. This little beauty fits the bill perfectly. I don't have a name for her yet. I was hoping you all could help me out with some ideas.

After week of riding I must say she has the smoothest stride I've ever ridden. Hmmm, I wonder if I could knit and ride at the same time?! LOL!! After going for a ride my body doesn't feel as fatigued. Another positive quality is how short she is. I am much closer to the ground! A big plus as I get a little older.

This horse has quite the personality. She acts like such a lady. She is sweet and majestic. She is so interested and curious about what's going on around her. She is eager to please but not a pushover. She is quite sassy and independent. So, what do you think? Any ideas on the perfect name?

For Everything There is a Season......

2008-03-29T21:05:00.009-05:00

Every season when the ground wakes up I find myself day dreaming of planting. Usually I can plant cold weather seeds the last week of March. This year I was not able to even get to the garden due to all of the snowfall. As the picture shows the snow is almost totally gone. Hooray!

I have all of my different lettuce and spinach seeds ready to go. These seeds are great for producing fresh salad greens. Arugula is great for adding zest and nuttiness to your salad. It is ready to harvest in about 30 days. Mesclun mix is so pretty and adds great texture. Spinach is so beneficial to your health. Lastly the lettuce mix has a great range of leaf color. When you harvest your salad it will be better than any salad in any high end restaurant. And you grew it yourself! I am hoping to get my lettuce in the ground on Wednesday.

I have a love for heirloom seeds. This year I have already started my tomato plants indoors. I am planting several varieties. San Marzano is an Italian paste tomato. Costoluto Genovese is a Italian slicer. Big Rainbow is huge and pretty. Mortgage Lifter is a large pink beefsteak tomato. Husky gold is a low acid tomato. And lastly red and yellow pear tomatoes. Sounds pretty good right? I thought I would show you how I start my seeds. It's really easy.

I use Jiffy peat pellets to start my seeds indoors. You can buy them at almost any discount store. I found these at Walmart. Peat pellets are inexpensive and cut down on extra planting steps.

All you have to do is put the pellets you need in a tray and fill it about a quarter of the way with water. The water soaks into the pellet and tada you have a peat pot.

You add two seeds to each peat pot and cover the tray with plastic wrap. I put my tray in a warm spot and wait for germination. This year I just let my tray sit on the kitchen counter. It only took 5 days and look what I have. Tomato seedlings!

I uncover the tray. At this point I will weed out the weaker seedling so I only have one seedling per pot. Then I put the trays on a shelf with a fluorescent light. Starting you own seeds indoors is super easy. It also is cost effective. Not to mention you can grow unique and different plants. This method works great for vegetables and flowers too. Give it a try. If I can do it anyone can!

We Have a Winner!

2008-03-26T06:07:00.003-05:00

First I want to say a huge thank you to all of you fiber junkies out in blog world. Thank you for taking the time to check out my blog and leave a comment. I never could've imagined all of the interest a little contest could stir up. By Tuesday evening I had 335 entries. Wow! I enjoyed the whole process. Now on to the news your waiting for. Drum roll please..........

The winner of the Celebrate Spring contest is:

Knitting Major! You scored two beautiful skeins of Malabrigo merino wool and spring surprises too! Jennifer, your e-mail did not come through so please contact me. My e-mail is at the top of the page.

I couldn't pick just one winner. I also ran the numbers again and let the generator choose two runner up's.

First runner up is: Jenny Girl.

Second runner up is: Grace Yaskovic. Grace, please contact me. Your e-mail is not linked to your blog.

I will have a special spring surprise packages for you both.

Because of all of the fantastic fun I had I will be hosting another contest soon! Have a wonderful day and Happy Spring!!!

Contest Update

2008-03-25T19:54:00.003-05:00

All of the entries are in and recorded. My next step is to enter all of your names to the random number generator. I did notice that quite a few entries had no e-mail address linked to their account. Some of those same entries do not have a blog. That being said you will need to check in tomorrow to see who the winner is. I expect to have my winner tomorrow morning. I have had such great and interesting comments. I enjoyed each and every one! I wish I was independently wealthy so I could award a Malabrigo prize to everyone! Good luck to all!!!!

Spring Time?

2008-03-22T21:12:00.013-05:00

Spring seems to be play an early April Fools trick on us. We had a beautiful first day of spring. The snow was gone. The robins were singing. Canadian geese were flying overhead. Every person I saw seemed happy and thrilled that spring finally arrived! People had a smile on their face and a bounce in their step!

Unfortunately for us we got hammered with a foot of snow the very next day! I know the winter wonderland pictures are getting old but I just want you all to share in my pain! It has been a long, cold and snowy winter here in Northern Illinois. On the positive side I can still use hand knitted items to keep warm. How about another neck warmer? Come on take a look.....

I am really enjoying knitting cables. The process is still captivating me. This pattern is called Cherry Garcia And I used Malabrigo chunky in Stonechat colorway. This is a great one skein project. I just made it with only 6" to spare. I finished it this evening. Here is a close up of the fabric:

Pretty gorgeous color right? I want to thank you all for participating on my Happy Spring contest. If you have not entered please scroll down and join in the fun!
Happy Easter to you and God Bless you on this very special day!

Celebrate Spring Contest!

2008-03-20T06:12:00.008-05:00

In honor of the first day of spring I thought a contest would be fun. As you can see the lucky winner will receive two skeins of yummy Mmmalabrigo worsted weight yarn. The colorway is called velvet grapes. It truly is beautiful yarn. Each skein has about 216 yards. That's not all you will receive. The winner will also find some fun spring surprises in their package too!

So here are the rules. You can only enter one time. If you mention my contest on your blog with a link you will receive an extra 3 entries! If one of your friends enters because of your input you will get one extra entry. And lastly, just for fun, make sure to mention in your post one of your favorite flowers. One of my favorite flowers are lilacs. The purples and blues and pinks are so striking. The smell is divine. Heaven must smell like lilacs.

The contest ends on Tuesday March 25, 2008 at 7:00p.m. central time. When you leave your comment make sure and click the e-mail box so I can contact you. If you don't have your e-mail linked to your profile it won't work. You can also send me a message when you click on the little envelope next to the comment count. My e-mail is at the top of the page. I am so excited about this contest. I can't wait to read your comments and check out your blog! Happy Spring!

Mmmm Malabrigo

2008-03-18T22:35:00.006-05:00

Malabrigo yarn....I just adore this beautiful fiber. The colors are amazing. The touch and feel is like...heaven. If I could, I would wrap myself in each and every skein I own. Oops did I actually type that aloud? Come on, I know that I'm not the only yarn lover out there! I am in good company. Right? I found a great online source for one of my favorite yarns. Twist, yarns of intrigue(just got to love that name) has a full color spectrum of Malabrigo yarn. Cathy, the owner was so helpful. This first platter of yummy Malabrigo is called emerald blue. Come a little closer to see the flow of colors.

The blues look like the sky. Maybe even the ocean. This yarn sparkles with warmth and freshness. Mmmmmm. You know, I think this is my favorite colorway so far.

I couldn't wait to wind it into a playful ball. My DD couldn't resist my new yarn. She asked me to knit her a Tudora. I, of course, jumped at the chance. It's almost finished. I just need to find the perfect button. It has to be one of my great grandmothers vintage buttons.
P.s. I did buy more yarn. I'll share it with you tomorrow after my quilting play date with my best friend. Stay tuned for some surprises tomorrow!

Amanda Hat

2008-03-12T11:39:00.008-05:00

This is my Amanda hat. I used the left over skein of Malabrigo from Tudora. This is is pretty quick knit even for me. I finished it in a few days. It's part of the Malabrigo madness KAL. I know what you are thinking. Spring is in only 8 days away. Why am I still making hats and neck warmers? Believe it or not it still can get quite chilly here. Not to mention these projects are fast and fun to do!

This is a close up of the stitch pattern. Pretty cool right?

Unfortunelly I am not a hat person. Don't get me wrong I love hats! I just don't seem to ever look good in them. Maybe my face has the wrong shape? I don't know what the reason, I just can't wear hats. That's why I'm so thrilled about this pattern.

This is probably one of the best pictures of me with a hat on ever! Wow , I am amazed. I wore my hat to the gym to (get killed) work out with Jamie. Then came home and did all of my outside chores wearing my sassy hat. As I'm sitting here typing I still have on my little cutie! Don't you want to make one?
Now, what can I start on next?

Tudora

2008-03-09T12:41:00.004-05:00

This is my first project with cables! It is a pattern called Tudora that is in the winter issue of Knitty. I found this pattern on Ravelry. The yarn I used is Malabrigo merino wool. The color is a deep variegated burgundy. I only used half of the skein. This is a great pattern for all of those left over skeins of yarn you don't know what to do with. I belong to a forum on Ravelry for Malabrigo Junkies. For the month of March there are all kinds of KAL's for Malabrigo Junkies! I have to say that I am addited to this beautiful yarn.

I have not blocked it yet. Isn't it so pretty! What do you think? O.K. I just wanted to give you a quick update. Now on to the next project. It's a hat. I'll show it to you later. Now we're off to the home and flower show. I hope you all have a great week end!

Signs of Spring

2008-03-05T13:23:00.008-06:00

I finished another neck warmer last night. The yarn is a shiny and soft recycled cashmere. The yarn has a real natural sheen to it. Not to mention the pure feel of the fiber. I don't know if any other yarn could feel as good as this one. Aah, cashmere. Don't you just love it? I wish my stash was full of the soft yarn. I would love to be dressed only in cashmere. Maybe I could get a cashmere goat? No, I need a whole herd of goats. Maybe quit my job and raise cashmere goats. We have plenty of room to raise them. DH will have to put up more fences. Whoops, I was just doing a little dreaming there. We did have goats for a few years. I even milked one for a whole summer until she kicked me in the face! Our goats also loved the taste of wood. They ate about half of the south side of the barn. Goats are cute but destructive creatures. Sorry, no more goats for us!

I took this picture of myself just before going to the gym. Oh yeah, I'm back on workout road! So far 3 workouts with my daughters friend who is a trainer. Wow, I almost feel like I'm not going to make it through the sessions. The gym has a defibrillator on site. I did check! I do know that she is not going to kill me but it feels like maybe....No, I'm so glad I'm back on the healthy wagon.

The weather is changing just a bit. We have had a few warm days. Also lots of sunshine. The snow has been melting like crazy. I actually have streams flowing through the snow.

As the snow melts it has no where to go. The ground is still frozen so the water collects in low areas. Factor in the cold nights and we have ice all over. Actually we have several skating rings! I love to ice skate. I have not skated in years. Anyone want to go ice skating with me?

Look what I found in one of the perennial beds. That's right, spring bulbs trying to pop through the hard soil. How beautiful to see the cute green shoots. I know we have more cold and snow on the way. It's nice to know that spring has almost sprung!

Another sure sign of spring are Peeps! I adore Peeps! I especially like them when they get a touch stale. I open the box a tiny bit and let the air do it's job. Then all the sugar that coats each tiny peep. Yum! I only like the yellow ones. I can taste whatever chemical they add for color in the purple and pink and blue ones. I know, I'm still not eating any sugar or white flour. No Peeps for me! At least I could look at them and take a picture to remind me how much willpower I have.
Am I the only adult on the planet who loves Peeps? Come on, share your story with me!!

Milk Chocolate Around My Neck

2008-03-01T17:16:00.010-06:00

This is some silky and soft lace weight cashmere wound worsted weight. It is recycled from a sweater. The color looks just like milk chocolate. I bought this yarn from a very nice lady on ebay last year. I kind of wasn't sure what I would do with it. After finishing my little cotton kerchief I thought this yarn would make a nice neck-warmer too. Since I'm still doing no sugar or flour it's nice to have some milk chocolate to work with! LOL!

When I got home yesterday I was greeted by this lovely sunset. I ran into the house to grab my camera. I was hoping the pictures would capture the beauty of the outdoors. This is my perennial flower bed.

Right now the snow drifts are about 3 feet deep.

The sun dial is handmade by my husbands Uncle many years ago. It is make up of old broken china and colorful bottles. It needs a little restoration. I just adore it! Some day I will make one of my own.

This is the view from my front door. I just couldn't resist sharing some of my outdoors with you today.

A Little Bitty Luxury

2008-02-27T00:07:00.010-06:00

I need a break from my first sweater. After the whole making the wrong size sweater fiasco I decided to knit something up quick. Instant gratification. My first idea came to me Sunday night at 10:00p.m. Crazy right? I ran out to my quilting room with hanks of cotton in hand to wind some yarn. After all, I had to check on the horses why not wind up some yarn too! LOL! At first I was going to knit a dishcloth. After looking at the pink yarn I knew it was way too pretty for scrubbing pots and pans! I just adore pinks, mauve's, strawberry and every other color. This sweet cotton yarn was begging to be worn.

Don't you just love these colors! The yarn is by Classic Elite Yarns and the colorway is hot pink multi.

The Kerchief Scarf is fron Last Minute Gifts by Joelle Hoverson. By the way the pattern says it takes less than 2 hours to knit. I would have to say it took me just a bit longer. Do you like it? I think it's really sweet.

I thought I would leave you with this final picture. Here's a shot of our mailbox. It's pretty well buried from the snow plow. The weather forecast for tonight is 2-4 more inches of snow. This has been one of the top ten snowiest winters ever recorded.

The Congo Calls

2008-02-24T13:32:00.008-06:00

I just returned from our annual Aglow Retreat. We had such an awesome time. We had wonderful music, fabulous fellowship and awing teaching. Our speaker was author Maria Chapian. She has written over 30 books and been nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. What a powerful woman of God. We all were so blessed! We stayed in a hotel right on Lake Michigan. It was only about an hour drive from my home. What a difference in the landscape. When I woke up yesterday this was the scene from my window. It was just so serene.

We saw deer coming right up to the hotel looking for food. They would step ever so dainty.

They would come closer and just watch us. It seemed as though they were listening to every word we spoke. I was amazed by this. Where I live we are out in the open. I never see any deer by our farm. What a treat to have them visit us.

Speaking of treats....Yes, I'm still on the no sugar or white flour thing. I feel great. I have more breathing room in my clothes. Hooray for that! Anyway this recipe was waiting for me when I got home. My Aunt sent it to me to try. She has had this clipping from the newspaper since 1965. If you can read the clipping it states that it is several years old. I thought Congo Bars would be a nice treat for my guys today. Not to mention with our over 40 degree temperature I can almost feel the congo beat of summer!

O.K. so I have not baked for at least 3 weeks. Can you tell? I guess I got a little confused with the low, high speed. I just have to laugh! Please, laugh with me!

My mess was just not on the counter, mixer and toaster. Yup, also all over me! I'm just showing you one leg here. I also got it all over the front of my shirt and sleeves and floor! LOL!

Aahh! The smell of the congo baking in the oven. Yes. that's right I'm still celebrating Christmas! LOL! BTW big snowstorm heading our way for tomorrow. Way up were I live we are suppose to get 8 to 10 more inches! Alright, I just started up the grill outside. You know it's over 40 here. The perfect tempature to grill some hot dogs for lunch! Then for dessert the Congo Calls!
Anyone want some congo bars?

Sweater News

2008-02-22T07:29:00.006-06:00

Yesterday one my lunch hour I started putting my sleeves on waste yarn. The reason for that was to see how the Wicked sweater was fitting me. I have never put anything on waste yarn so I was a little nervous. What if I do it wrong and all of the stitches drop off? I really had no idea how to take them off so I just used a big sewing needle. It worked! After dinner I was ready to finally try it on. My first clue that something was wrong was not being able to put the sweater over both shoulders. UUMMM...So I ended up putting the whole body of the sweater on waste yarn. I was so excited. Finally, I thought this would be the magic moment in first time sweater knitting!

Nope! My sleeves are too small. Only about 2" too small! Also at that point the sweater should have covered my bust. Mine covered about 3/4 of my bust. I knitting the wrong size! Come on, laugh with me!! I knit a small when I thought I was knitting a medium! How funny is that? I have to laugh. I didn't realize that the first size was an extra small. Oh well, what can I do? I am going to rip back a row and put the sleeves back on and keep increasing. I think because it's a raglan sweater it could work. Maybe the neckline would be higher than in the pattern. I also may frog the entire project and start over again. I am kind of a perfectionist. Don't tell anyone. I'm really still in the beginning stages of the sweater. But I already knitting over 220 yards.....Hmmmm... I just can't seem to make up my mind. Help! What should I do? I am desperate for some advise. What would you do if you were me? I think that for today I going to take a break from my first sweater.

When I got home yesterday this was waiting for me. This is a mystery quilt from Jan Patek Quilts. I love Jan's designs. Her style is very primitive yet so warm. This is a block of the month. I hope I can keep up! She also sent the borders and sashing. The colors are so rich. If you have never heard of Jan Patek designs please take a look on the link above.

Also in the package were samples of her newest fabric line she designed with Linda Brannock. This line is called "Wildrose". The prints are florals and paisleys. Sweet vines and buds.

As soon as I came across this fabric I found my new favorite. I need to get more of this one. I'm talking yards more. It's perfect for backgrounds and everything else in between! I just love new fabric! How about you?!