Pick Up Sticks

Finished Knitting

I finished the last of my Christmas knitting last night...about 1 day too late to send along with my son to NY and his girlfriend.  While I did finish the hat early enough to wrap and send...the mittens were finished last night.

   

The hat is a free pattern called the Slouchy Copy-Cat Hat  and is a lovely, easy pattern.  The mittens are a combined pattern between a basic mitten pattern and the eyelet mock cable rib from the hat.  They look really narrow in the photo but fit great and look really pretty on your hand.  I kept notes when knitting so maybe I'll write down what I did so I can knit them again.  I hope Jess likes the set.  The mittens will be sent along to college after the holiday break.

 

Now that gift knitting is done - the next big decision is what to knit next?  I want to rip out - again - part of my February Lady sweater and shorten it as the length grew when blocked.  But right now I would like to knit a wrap to keep at work for the chilly mornings in my office.  I just ordered some Shaeffer Anne yarn from the Loopy Ewe and just need to decide what pattern to make.  I have the Ostrich Plumes Stole Pattern from Knitspot that looks easy yet very pretty.  I want to start a pattern that will be easy to knit New Year's Eve when having a glass of wine or two and watching a movie - we are obviously having a low-key night!  Then we are having a Rose Bowl Party on Jan. 1 and an easy pattern will work while still being able to entertain a houseful of people.  But my yarn may not be in yet - so decision....decisions.

Christmas

I can't believe Christmas has come and gone.  This year has just flown by.

We had a lovely Christmas - two actually.  One on Christmas at home with the rest of the day spent at my hubby's brother's house where there was lots of good food, great company and lots to drink.  I never really had a drink of my own other than a glass of wine with dinner...but I did spend the day tasting everyone's microbrews with my favorite being Mad Elf from Troeg's a local brewery.

 

 

Then on Saturday my parents were visiting from NC and we spent the day at our son and DIL's new house where we celebrated Christmas.  It was a fun relaxing day spent in front of the fire.  I knit lots of Christmas presents this year.  My niece Lauren always requests handknits for Christmas.  This year she asked for mittens - which of course I made along with a gathered scarf which turned out so pretty if I do say so myself...no pictures to show totally forgot.  She is coming for a Rose Bowl party on Jan 1 - go PENN STATE - so maybe we'll get pictures then.  My DIL is so fun to knit for - she received a felted bucket hat and matching mittens.  The hat is still a little big so I will refelt it this weekend.  But doesn't she look great in it?  (See their dog Cody in the background of the picture?  their new house has a big picture window and her curls up there in the deep window sill.  He is not a small dog - he's part lab/part beagle but curls up in the window like he's a cat!)

I also knit my mother a wrap in Sterling and Silk - it was so pretty and again I didn't get a picture of it. I so want to make one for me.  The yarn was a dream to knit with.

I also knit my two SIL's neckwarmers - I think they liked them - hard to tell...if not I'd love them back as I thought they turned out so pretty.  I also knit my son's girlfriend a hat and mittens - well I finished the hat and one mitten so the hat will be gifted and the mittens will go back to college with him to give to her later.  More on this present later.

Today is back to work - yuck!  Actually it's not so bad because it's very quiet here - most people take off but since I'm fairly new here I don't have lots of time to use yet.  Guess I should get back to work!

Loving the Cold Weather

I have been joking with Carrie from CA about the weather.  She commented on her blog that it was cold there - 43 degrees.  It has been in the teens here in PA and I am loving the cold weather.  We even had a small amount of snow this past weekend...enough to make me hope for more...but after our youngest son gets home from college on Thrusday!

Winter makes me want to eat soup!  Every weekend I make a pot of soup and eat it all week for lunch plus one night for dinner with a loaf of good bread.  My hubby likes soup as well but can't eat it all week long like me.  I could literally eat soup for breakfast, lunch and dinner - EVERY DAY!  Any leftovers get frozen and handed off to my father-in-law who I always send home with tons of leftovers so he doesn't have to cook just for him.

I found a listing of tons of soup recipes on this blog.  I have copied lots of the recipes to add to my favorites.  Most of the time I don't use recipes - just wing it with whatever ingredients I am hungry for.  Today's lunch is Pasta E Fagioli-  a recipe based on a copycat of the Olive Garden's soup.  I love their salad as well and found a copycat recipe for their salad dressing ...may have to try that out as well.

Our addition is now under roof and has all the windows in - all 11! The electrician was in to start yesterday and will finish today - with lights and heating.  The french door gets delivered today as well...so maybe Mark - our contractor - can work in a heated room tomorrow.  Drywall should be almost done by the end of the week!  See my UGLY garage in the background!  That gets sided this spring - come hell or high water!

Christmas

My friend Dion sent this email to me - now I see it all over everyone's blogs.  Here are my answers.

 

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?  Both! Whatever fits better

2. Real tree or Artificial? Always REAL – but this year may put a small artificial one in our new room

3. When do you put up the tree?  Whenever our youngest gets home from college – he’d disown us we picked out one without him.

4. When do you take the tree down?  Usually New’s Day

5. Do you like eggnog? NO!!!!

6. Favorite gift received as a child?  My VW bug – I was 16 – is that still considered a child.

7. Hardest person to buy for? My mother

8. Easiest person to buy for?  My husband

9. Do you have a nativity scene?  I used to…not sure where it is.......hmmmmm

10. Mail or email Christmas cards?  Cards – if I take the time to send them

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I don’t think I’ve gotten anything that was bad…if so see #14 

 12. Favorite Christmas Movie?  My family loves The Christmas Story – not my favorite – we just watched elf and it was pretty funny

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?  Around thanksgiving – every year I say I am going to shop early and I never do

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Absolutely!

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Cookies

 16. Lights on the tree? Lots of solid white lights. No colors and no blinking or flashing. Yuck

17. Favorite Christmas song?  Silent Night…makes me cry every I hear it at church at the end of the service they dim the lights and sing it.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Usually travel to brother-in laws

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? Yes

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Star

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?  never

 22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Crowds of people in the stores

 23. Favorite ornament theme or color?   Basic green and red – no themes

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Ham

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? Good health for my family…and on a selfish note – for our addition to be done!

An Extra Day Off

I ended up having a surprise extra day off - well at least half the day.  I had a doctor appointment and ended up having to have some tests done so I ended up with the afternoon off.

I went for my tests and as I drove there the sky got so dark.  I pulled into the parking lot and the sky opened up - with torrential hail/sleet.  Of course my umbrella was at home - it was sunny when I left home.  I pulled my coat up over my head and made a careful dash to the door.  what a mess...there was about an inch of hail on the ground!

Then I headed home and knit on my Simple Yet Effective Shawl.  I cast on for this yesterday and knit last evening while watching TV - Sunday evening TV stinks!  This is an easy pattern and shows off the Noro silk Garden.  I flew through both skeins and think I need a third.  So I'll head to my LYS tomorrow after work.  I should be working on gift knitting - but this one is for me!