So Long 2017!

As I get ready for church and pile up what I take in the car, 

Lena joins the heap!

She isn't ready for me to leave again!

I assured her of a return for a big winter's nap later today!

(Bill drives and I knit on the 45 minute drive in to church

which is a very nice time for both of us as we talk and sing on the way!)

(If you don't approve of cats on the table, I'm sorry.

I do and so do my cats.

Tables can be cleaned when there is company to eat on them;

I am the sole human occupant for most of the year and I like the company!!)

Vested Interest!

 After all the post-travel piles were sorted and back in their place, I enjoyed a lot of this yesterday!

 I received a birthday kit from DH to make this vest. 

 I will be lengthening it by another 5" because I don't like cropped on me.

Which means I will get to do more of the pattern part!

This is a 12 row repeat and it is very easy and enjoyable to knit!

ReMake BFL Socks

 These socks are finished and ready for wearing again!   

 Such a nice and warm pair of handspun woolen socks!

I had knit these a year ago (or more)  but did not like the feel of the thicker yarn between my toes!

I snipped the yarn above the toe and unraveled them since this was a toe-up knit originally,

 it was an easy job. 

 When I finished knitting the grey socks on the way home yesterday,

 I picked up the stitches on this pair and knit a regular toe down and Kitchener-ed the stitches closed!   Now I will get to wear this nice pair of cold weather socks!

Travel Home Day

 We woke up to snow on the ground this morning!

 Bill hammed it up for the camera-it was 30F and soon the snow changed over to sleet .

 We waited for all the morning rush hour traffic to clear up....

...so we left at 10:30 and still  had bumper to bumper traffic all the way down I75!  

We only had a few moments of clear driving and the rest was slow and tense.  

It was very tiring on every level!

 On a positive note, I did get a lot of knitting done!  

I finished the socks for my dad.

(Yarn is Stroll fingering, Thunderhead colorway, 2.5 needles, 72 sts)

 I had all the ribbing to complete up the leg and when I finished that, 

I made another pair of the Tough & Toasty mitts-they are so much fun to make! 

I am not done making that pattern yet!!!!

(You can see how dreary it was all day-even our sunny Florida didn't have any sunshine for us!)

All the cats were greeted with love and hugs-I am writing this now with another cat cradled in my left arm-we are as glad to see them as they seem to be to see us-always nice to have a welcoming committee!

(Thank you to my GA peaches for a 'beyond wonderful' week!  See you next month!!!)

Wrapped it up!

 We put the new place mats to use for our roast beef dinner last night!

 Early in the day I finished a pair of Tough & Toasty mitts for my daughter and she finished a pair of socks.  

 After our slow and comfortable start of the day, we got to work re-covering all eight of the dining room chairs;  they sure look more modern than the old gold and burgundy tapestry seats!

 When we finished the chairs, I refreshed daughter's memory on plying her singles so she will have some yarn!  

 She picked it right up without a problem;  I cheered her on but she didn't need much tutoring!

Ta-da!  A 78 yard skein of superwash/nylon awaits its second matching skein...she is spinning it right up!

Ready

My daughter finished the new place mats and wall hanging just in time for us to use for Christmas;  it's how we roll sometimes!

It is our thank you present for having us for the week! 

Marsel fell in love with these panel projects when I saw her in August-I remembered!

She will have a whole year to add additional quilting before she uses them next year!

Have Yourself....

         ....A very merry Christmas!

Thank you for sharing, encouraging and inspiring me throughout the year!

Focus-Family!

Abigail had really grasped the sewing and designing skill!

Barbie will be getting a whole new wardrobe!

(that's David in the background!)

 This tunic top almost beat us but we persevered!

 Here's another area of perseverance-Abigail played second piano for church this morning!

 Our oldest grandson, David, ushered during the morning service!

 And our souls were uplifted by the sermon's message by our son-in-law, Pastor McKee!

 We took time for a family photo after church!

The rural area in which they live is filled with pastures, paddocks and lovely old civil war era buildings!

(the roof was updated more recently but I still love spotting these old treasures!)

Sew a Seam or Two... Heart to Heart

 Abigail and I set up her new sewing machine and put it and her through the paces today!

 We picked out fabric from Mom's stash and pressed and stitched 

and created a thread catcher/pincushion for her to use for future projects! 

 What a wonderful way to spend a day...

In the evening, I managed to finish the foot of the sock and turn the heel!  I hope to bind off the leg soon!

A Winner!

 Random number generator chose comment #1-Deb of Araignee'sTangledWeb

 as the winner of the Tough & Toasty mitts!

Thanks for leaving comments and cheering me on my birthday!

(I plan on doing giveaways more often on this blog!)

A Full Day!

 I'm knitting a pair of socks for my Dad;  using the K2, P2 rib up the top of the foot to ensure a good fit since I haven't knit him a pair in fingering weight before now.

It's nice to have a pair of socks going again!

We had an incredible time at the movies!

My daughter and I haven't been to see a movie together since she was 5;

it was time!

My DH bought me a rose-he hasn't missed a birthday in more than 40 years!

What a perfect day!

Giveaway!

I'll gift this pair of  Tough & Toasty mitts to one person who comments on my blog today

 in honor of my 62nd birthday!  

I finished knitting them in the car yesterday on our drive to GA!

Knit of handspun, superwash Merino, 

 they will be easy care 

while comfortably warm and stylish to wear!

Thanks for stopping by my blog and brightening my day!

It's the Season

 All of my front porch is lit up with Christmas Cactus' in bloom!

 In the yard, there is much of the same color combinations!

 This is the 20' East Palatka Holly tree all ready for the robins to descend upon it!

My local Cardinals love it, too!

 The Mandavilla is still covered in blooms...

 so is the Calliandra!

And Bill and I are leaving the 80* weather and to go and see our Georgia Peaches....

to have ourselves a merry little Christmas time!

Drifting into First Place!

 The sweater is finished! 

 It is wonderful, fits perfectly and I'm thrilled!

 It's been a long time since I can say I have had such a sweater success!

 It is comfortable unbuttoned which will be the way I wear it most often!

But when I need to, I can button it up for additional warmth and style!

The yarn is soft but still has enough wooly memory and character.

I am on a sweater high!

STATS:

Pattern is Drift by Emily Nora O'Neil  (Nora Gaughan)

Yarn is KnitPicks Wool of the Andes Superwash, Pampas Heather, Worsted Weight--12 skeins

Needles - #5 and#7  (I used the new Foursquare circulars from KnitPicks)

6 wooden buttons 5/8"

Birthdays and Bands

 On the way to visit Will and Ethan for their birthday party,

 I finally accomplished the button bands on the sweater!  

Buttonholes were easy to count out using the K2P2 regularity!

 I am stitching the sleeves in place now-one is in and one to go!

  I'm getting close to finished!

 Bill and I left early for the party so we could have time to celebrate Christmas gifting.

The boys were so cute and it was wonderful to snuggle them again!

Yes, the cousins enjoyed the birthday party, too!

As they say, a wonderful time was had by all!

TOUGH & TOASTY!

 Well the confusion on the pattern was all me-the second one flew off the needles!

I wore them for sleep last night; 

 wow, my hands feel so limber this morning instead of stiff and awkward! 

 It's lovely to have them be warmed by the light wool!

These will be going in the dyepot for a warm, chocolaty brown!

The designer wanted a pair of mitts that echoed the small leather mitts worn by bikers;

I think she nailed it!

STATS:

PATTERN-is TOUGH & TOASTY by Martina Behm.

YARN- fingering Bare Hare by KnitPicks  (and I have enough to make another pair!)

SIZE-large because the medium was too small !

NEEDLES-#3

(I want to experiment with worsted weight yarn on #5 needles for a man's size (Bill expressed an interest, too)