Northern Visitation

My brother and his wife are driving my parents south for the winter and were to arrive today around dinner time..................what to do to make the time go faster?!

Keeping with my January theme of "clean it out, finish it or toss it.." I took the big box of flannel fabric and cut it all up into usable 6" squares and tossed the scraps. I just have to decide if I am going to make a raggedy edge quilt or the traditional kind for the 2 baby quilts I now have fabric for?!

We bought 4 new shelves for Bill's garage and so I decided to put them together.......Bling was a lot of help as usual! I got two done when they called to say they were just 20 minutes away!

We rushed over to their place to be the welcoming committee! Shared a meal and much conversation! Welcome to the south family!

Russian Boot Slipper Tutorial

When I shared the pattern for these age old slippers (yesterday's post) with Jessica, she made a face like I had opened a package of Limburger cheese--"They are made flat and need to be seamed up to finish? Who has the time or inclination to seam up their knitting?!", says she.

So , Jessica, this is a remake of the old pattern just for you and all the blog friends who wish to make them in the round with NO seaming!

SUPPLIES:

1 skein of Chunky weight yarn (hand spun works great, too!) 3 - 4 oz

#8 US circular needles

tapestry needle for finishing off yarn tails

Gauge-3.75 stitches and 4 rows per inch

Sized for child 9" (youth 10", adult 11")

DIRECTIONS:

Cast on loosely 32 (35,38) stitches using the knitted cast on method and the magic loop method on the circular needle (A loop will separate the stitches at the end of the first 32 sts and the needles will leave a loop at the other end, too.)

Pull needle through stitches and pick up 32 (35, 38) sts on the bottom of the cast on row-you now have 32 (35.sts on each side of the cast on row (64 , 70, 76 sts total)

Purl one round. (When you knit in the round you have to alternate a knit and purl round for garter stitch and for stockinette you will knit every round-just the opposite of flat knitting!)

Knit the next round and continue alternating rows until you have 14 garter stitch bumps between the needles. (14 rounds total ending with a purl round.)

Decrease row for the toe shaping: needle 1-Knit 29 (32, 35)sts, k2tog, p1

needle 2-p1, k2tog tbl, k29 (32, 35). (tbl means through the back loop)

next round decreases one stitch on each needle -

-as in k28 (31, 34), k2 tog, p1 needle 2-p1, k2tog tbl, k28 (31, 34)

Continue each round with one less stitch until there is a completed round of k13 (16, 19), k2tog, p1, p1, k2tog tbl, k13 (16, 19)--then begin the top band. (You can also stop the decreases sooner so that the slipper will be lower and not boot high--the greatest part about knitting is to be your own designer-go ahead and experiment!)

Purl one round, knit one round for 7 rounds total-3 garter ridges ending with a purl round. Bind off the next knit row LOOSELY as this is the opening for the foot and you want it to stretch!

Bury the ending yarn tail and the beginning yarn tail and you are completely finished! Enjoy making a bunch of these!

( I made each slipper in just under 2 hours -see how you do, the second one went faster, 'cuz I didn't have to take any pictures!)

Around the Yard Today

We started the morning with a visit from a Sandhill Crane couple.

Our Mexican sunflowers are raising their sunny faces to the sun.
The poinsettia from Marsel is just stunning.
The peas are climbing and blooming......soon we will be picking the green goodness off its vines!

Finished the Russian boot slippers. They are still too big for the kid I was making them for so will make another pair.

Visit a la' Sons

Our sons came for a visit wed/thurs to play golf with Dad, see me , eat homecooked meals and meet Nyki! We had a wonderful time. Matthew won at golf this time by the way! On thursday, Bill worked on Caleb's car-brakes needed an overhaul.

We were working on putting Bill's inversion table together-it was a bit much for just one person but with all the boys expertise, we had it together in no time!!!! When I came in, Nyki had done several rows on my knitting for me! Talk about helpful!

A Finishing-Up Day

I finished the Psalm quilt in cat fabrics.......
I made a pair of fingerless gloves for a freezing relative up north......... out of
the yarn I dyed the sock-blank way: it worked perfectly! (the gloves are a truer rendition of the color rather than the sock blank!)

I am loving Nyki and her energetic ways! Cleaned the breezeway........

and the garage........so they are all ready for the next wave of construction now that my Dad is here to help Bill (they arrive this Saturday!)

New Family Member

On New Year's Day I got a phone call from someone who drives by our home (and sees the sign for our lost Tom) to offer a kitten to us. We went and got her on friday and she has wormed her way into our hearts already! We have named her Nyki... for new years kitten. I struggled with the offer because I still miss Tom so much but she is helping me look forward and not backward. I have figured out that I will not be replacing Tom (impossible!) but I will be filling the void he has left in my life.

You will be inundated with pics because she is just too cute and 'helpful' to the doings of my day. She helped me finish up the newest Psalm quilt and was even more helpful as I handsewed the binding on!

And knitting takes on a whole new kind of meaning........much more aerobic as I chase, untangle and repair!

Bill installed all 4 of the garage windows. There had been a mix-up on the order and then another and yet another but finally it has worked out-it is so much brighter in there now!

I pulled out these orange crates from the storage garage. They have history! They used to be in my mom's room as a child, I grew up with them-we laid a board across the top and a voile skirt tacked around it to make a vanity and then later a desk...........they served as bed tables for Marsel and now freshly painted they are under my quilting frame as storage units! I did a major overhaul of the sewing room on Saturday-cleaned out junk, tossed old projects and scraps and condensed the treasures into an order that makes them usable again. I love January for cleaning out piles!

Thought for New Year's Day

Just think if what you did today determined the quality of the rest of the year.............

What you invest in today is seed for the rest of the year!

Family.....conversations........reading material.........activities.

You can spend the rest of the year working that thought out.

What am I doing?

Watching feel-good movies on Hallmark channel while sewing (mending), quilting, knitting, reading a Gilbert Morris book, listening to Bill and keeping in touch with the Yahoo Group friends who spin wool, too, and e-mailing friends and family............

New Year's Eve

I finally went to the doctors on Monday and with the assistance of medicines I am doing better. Yes, anti-biotics with steroids are kicking the strep throat into submission and causing a bit of a buzz in my head..........needless to say, I am awake a bit longer and knitting so fast I can't see the stitches as they fly from my fingers!

I knit this neck warmer from Knitty Winter 2008, called poinsettia. It will be heading north to an appropriate recipient!

I dug through my stash and compiled this for the next Psalm quilt..told you I needed to make more of these!
All cut out now and ready to be sewn together-today most likely.

I took the leftover yarn from the socks I finished for Marsel and have started a pair for Abigail so we will all have matching ones. I knit the rest of the KnitPicks bare yarn into another sock blank-this one I will dye in shades of pink and then knit into lacey handwarmers. I will explore the Knitty site for a pattern so I can ring in the New Year with yarn in my hands tonight!

I also got news from the doctor that my mammogram this month is a non-issue...always good news but that the baseline bone scan I had came back with moderate to severe bone loss in my lower spine-- already......at a young 53-I felt this was quite a shock of a diagnosis. Needless to say, I am now adding to my diet Caltrate with D and a weekly dose of Fosomax! I am grateful that there is something I can do to stem the deterioration , grateful the doctor suggested the bone scan now, and trying to get used to the idea.

Home Again

In full bloom.......

We traveled back from GA on Friday, it was very traffic-heavy but I slept most of the way......

Matthew and Caleb followed us back -had a nice lunch stop a quick pitstop at Caleb's to drop off some of the bounty from his sister and brother-in-law that was in our truck and then on to home!

I am still without voice, have a very sore throat and the only thing I do well is sleep so that is what I am going to do!

Merry Christmas!

We had a great day of family, food and fun in each other's company. I woke up with sore throat and cold..........kept me kind of slower than usual but it was so therapeutic to sit back and watch all the family dynamics.........I am mute but grateful!

Chritsmas Eve Day

Matthew and Caleb arrived safely in the middle of the night last night and when they woke up and got going this morning they took Abigail and David shopping. Bruce was working a half day; Bill puttered outside--------all this to say that Marsel and I got 3 hours alone in the house! We cleaned, and finished up all the loose ends to get ready for tomorrow. AND then we did something we have never done together before-we made a traditional Polish cookie, Krusciki. (See Marsel's blog for pics!)

I finished the mittens and additional rows on David's hat.

I finished hand sewing the binding on the Psalm quilt for us.

I am full of fudge lickings, Krusciki testings and all around smiles...........

Hope you are feeling as blessed as I today.

Christmas Vacation!

Having fun in Georgia; I am getting a ton of grandkid time! We will be making Christmas cookies this morning! David makes incredible buildings with his legos and such and Abigail keeps us serenaded with piano recitals........its great!

I finished the socks I gave Marsel last year to learn how to make socks...........she likes wearing them better than making them! I am happy to accomodate her! We finshed putting the binding on the quilt, too, by the way!
The hat I made for Abigail to match the 'gator scarf was a bit too short so I added an inch. Now I am making her some mittens to match. (She is going north to visit Bruce's side of the family so she will need them!) Marsel always has a book to read while I am here............

and appropriate accessories! Ah, it is good to be loved.