Sock Repair Complete!

Turns out that sock repair has a long prep time before one actually gets to knit. Separating the part with the hole from the rest of the sock was fraught with partially felted wool and, of course, tiny stitches to pick up. 

But as you can see, the results are two perfectly serviceable pairs of socks. Not sure my sock knitting rate is as quick as the Yarn Harlot, because 14 rows on the striped sock and 28 decrease rows on the purple toe took a lot longer than I have time to knit in two days. Knitting 10 rows on two socks every day is a good starting point, but maybe I only need to do five  

It took very little time before China Cat Sunflower found these comfy knits to lay down on!

And create mayhem by playing with them during the photo shoot!

 I’m off to find some matching sock needle sets and select my first pattern and yarn…

December Comfort Knitting

December was crazy this year: 4 personal gigs and 4 school concerts. I decompressed by baking cookies, gifting, and knitting. 

Anise cookies!! This was one of seven recipes I made: anise cookies, Honigkuchen, Spritz, Sunflower macaroons, Basler Brunsli, and vanilla puffs. 

I put together some final exam care packages for my nephews and niece with the help of colleagues who recently graduated from college. I included popcorn, hot cocoa mix, pencils, a squish mallow, and a book/package of dad jokes. So fun!

Finally, there were was daily mindless knitting. Another sofa throw is in the making. Grateful for handspan yarn that is still plentiful in boxes. I think there may be two to three more blankets before I run out.

The cat matches and is a big fan of napping on or under while I’m working on it. We are both looking forward to napping underneath the finished project!

Merry Christmas! 🎄🎁 

May your holidays be relaxing and peaceful!

 

The Heart Wants What It Wants

Emily Dickenson nailed that quote, I'd say. My life feels like it is in the middle of a big stall. I have plenty to do, many responsibilities to take care of, and time actually does exists to accomplish the tasks at hand. Yet somehow I find myself frittering away the time in the most inconsequential ways. So naturally, it appears that I need to start a new project. Because a striped sweater with remnant yarn from the Painted Bricks Cowl was something I dreamed of for the last year. The Flax sweater has been in my Ravelry queue since last January. But I felt so guilty starting yet another big project when there were so many other things to do, starting with four unfinished knits. 

So I decided to test the theory and lined up my yarn in the order I wanted to knit it, very mindful that I might be trading one time-frittering strategy for another. The colors remind me of a sweater I had on my Sears catalog wish list in the 80's. Retro-chic for the win.  And then Friday night I cast on...

Saturday was spent mostly knitting, and I got a decent chunk of the yoke finished. It is a DELIGHT to sit and churn through these rows! Let's not forget that I like to knit while my husband watches TV that I don't really care about. The pattern offers just enough to keep me interested, but also lets me drift into another sphere of attention if there is a good commercial on. Looks like the heart wanted a sweater, and it is now getting that new sweater. 

And... I have "help"... HAHA! China Cat is mostly interested in sitting on my lap sleeping, but we did enjoy some "recreation" while I was measuring the progress. 

Today I made a concerted effort to knit AND do some of things on the to-do list. But I flipped that list idea. Instead of making a to-do list, I made a DONE list as I was finishing each item. I have two big things to finish this evening/tomorrow morning, but there are 11 items on the DONE list. Listening to my heart may have just broken the spell on my procrastination. I'll keep you posted.

Stay safe, friends! Go do something that your heart wishes you would.  :-)

Weekend of Treats

It was a weekend to write home about: three days, holiday celebration, beautiful weather, delicious food. I started my weekend out with a hike at Westwood Park. There is a nine mile hiking/biking trail around a pretty little lake. Many funny signs warn you about "no exit" so you can plan your turn-around in case you don't think you will make it. It was a great trail with lots of variety and just a little up and down to keep the blood pumping. 

Lots of wildlife was out and about. Besides these nesting Bald Eagles, I saw several varieties of woodpecker, a King Fisher, snapping turtles on a log, and your more common cardinals, jays, sparrows, and robins. Also importantly, there was a team of trail workers removing the invasive honeysuckle.

At school I've been teaching a legion of elementary children how to play Hot Cross Buns on the violin. The Farmer claimed he had never heard of the song (I blame his formative years spent in Panama) and found this classic polka version of the song. Students, teacher, and Farmer all delighted! 

I also got curious as to the history of the song and took a wikipedia deep-dive. And then I had to learn about the pastry, and then I had to make some on the appropriate day. There were plenty of leftovers... I used this recipe  as a base (omitting cranberries), adding cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and candied citron. They were delicious!

.

For Easter dessert, I found this delicious recipe for strawberry cream. It was super easy and delicious.

The previous week I made the Smitten Kitchen chocolate buckwheat cake, which the cat definitely would have eaten a slice of. It had a very earthy flavor, and almost seemed healthy, haha! And maybe Covid baking is here to stay. 

This is a not-so-funny version of the Easter Bunny who showed up on the deck Easter morning and sent me to the internet for removal strategies. Groundhogs eat 1.5 pounds of fresh food every day, and since I'm unwilling to say good-bye to gardening, this one has to be relocated. I'll keep you posted... 

Wishing everyone a great spring!

Easter Bonnet

Happy Easter, friends! The day dawned beautiful and very frosty, so I had no choice but to press my newly finished Wurm hat into action as my Easter bonnet. I hope I can retire it until fall after today, because I am excited to start gardening. I had to cover my blooming gooseberries and currants last night to protect them from the frost. This afternoon is gloriously warm and spring-like.

Knitting details -
*Pattern: Wurm (free pattern)
*Yarn: 1.7 skeins of Savage Hart Farm DK weight yarn from Vermont (purchased at the Whipple Tree Yarn store in Woodstock, VT)
*Needles: 6 (brim) and 8 (body)
*Start: March 6, 2019, plane knitting to New Mexico for ASTA conference and back
*Finish: April 15, 2019 - took a little longer as I had to re-order yarn...
*Ravelry link: HERE

A few other knit decorations for the day that I made a few years ago. The Cadbury robins eggs in the candy dish are DARK chocolate, a delightful find!

Somehow I have another five unfinished knitted items in my Ravelry queue, so hopefully I'll be able to show off something else before too long. And share a few early gardening endeavors!

I the meantime, China Cat Sunflower is not really helping my knitting productivity with his naps on my projects! I'll wake him up when he gets less cute... haha!

Knitty Kitty

Well, this update confirms some cat + knitting cliches. China Cat Sunflower is a very rambunctious teenager, but is somehow gaining some self-control around yarn and needles. I can't get my video of him playing with knitting needles to load. That's how I usually keep him from batting around the items on my lap! Enjoy the photo array below, followed by a book recommendation.

If you need to read a book about these topics to a three-year-old, check out this oldie-but-goodie title: Knitty Kitty. Enjoy!

Chop Chop!!

Well, here we are again: another three years has passed and I cut off another foot of hair for donation. I am too lazy to go to the hairdresser, so my hair keeps growing longer and longer. Cute kitten is a bonus in this new short hair shot!

We've also had lots of tree work done recently. Today a friend came over to chop down the weeds, which you can see here, are taller than a human.

The backyard is so nice and clear. We need to burn the wood piles this week, and then we'll be ready for discing and putting in the pasture next weekend!

Three cheers for fresh looks!

China Cat Sunflower

A week ago Wednesday, we had a very violent early evening thunderstorm in the neighborhood. It cleared up after dinner, so I decided to take my semi-regular walk. About a half mile away from home, I suddenly hear the tiniest and most urgent set of meows I have ever heard, and out of the tall grass in the ditch emerges one of the smallest kittens I have ever met. To avoid stepping on the kitten's head (and honestly trying to discourage the kitten from following me home), I ran all the way home. Alas, kitty cat has a relentless bounding stride and even the last steep hill on the driveway did not deter it.  Both The Farmer and I said, "We cannot have a cat right now." But then this happened the next morning:

Hanging out… looking forlorn.

Hello? (Getting curious…)

Hmmm, smells pretty good! (Cat liked the alpaca poo stench, apparently!)

PAY ATTENTION TO MEEEEEEEEOW!

Put your phone down and pet me-ow!!!

Never mind, I think I'll lurk around the deck.

Wait, didn't you give me some milk last night?

Must! Climb! On! Your! Neck!

Ladies, and gentlemen, The Farmer ended up taking the cat to the vet instead of the pound. Meet China Cat Sunflower, who loves to cuddle, meow, play, and climb anything you let him. We are letting him get a little bigger before unleashing him on the mice and the chipmunks in the barn. In the meantime, he is keeping us entertained!

PURRRRRRRRR!!!!!