We’ve got snow

 This might be what I need to spend a day in the sewing room.  —Ann—

Off the needles

I went a little crazy at the yarn shop back in July and bought gobs of baby yarn for our much anticipated twins.  Those little side button cardigans were so much fun to knit but a little impractical for twins, it would take a lot of time to button 7 buttons on squirmy infants twice.  Zippers are the way to go for twins, zip and done.  I knit these little open front cardigans because skin to skin is what the baby experts are pushing now.

The baby experts are also stressing swaddling so I ripped the first little cardigans and used all of the yarn for the baby wraps.  I still have most of 2 balls of the white yarn but I can mix it with something gender specific when the babies are born.  Don't you love that about yarn you can rip and reknit until its right. We are hoping they make it into November for the birth but.................

--Ann--

Off the needles

A finish this weekend!  Darling daughter-in-law bought this yarn for me on their honeymoon in New Zealand.  It's their first anniversary today!!!  A large hank of 80/20 merino/nylon fingering yarn like 760 yards of the variegated orange (small ball in bottom pic). And that's all the yarn I have left.  After shopping local and no luck for a matching orange/rust colored yarn I ordered a couple skeins and found a great match. I knit 4 rows of the NZ yarn and 2 rows of the near match of Shiney Penny  by Yarn Love from Simply Sock Yarn company.  The sleeves are the shiney penny yarn.  The pattern is Autumn Square by Hinterm Stein. This is the second pattern I have knit of hers and love them. The bodice is garter stitch so all knitting, the only purling is the first few rows of shaping the neck and the shoulder insets where the front and back of the bodice are joined.  Her directions are so clear and easy to follow. I was happily knitting along and missed the square design feature oops. I like it without.  The sleeve is picked up and knit in the round with a few rows of purling before the cuff is split with more rows of knitting the garter stitch. I did a little more shaping in the midriff because I do not have narrow hips like the designer.  The bodice area would have looked sloppy big on me and I like things a little more fitted.  The neck, cuffs and hem are all finsihed with a mini I-cord.

Darling daughter was here for the weekend to help me celebrate my birthday.  We went shopping in Sioux Falls, I picked up my sewing machine after getting it serviced, I've been with out it for over 2 weeks maybe thats why I haven't done much recently, not really I have a spare, that excuse doesn't work. We did a little shopping, wore a mask in each of the stores and a squirt of hand sanitizer.  She bought lunch!! always a treat when your adult offspring pick up the tab!!! Then we stopped at the apple orchard and bought a couple bags of apples.  We had a great weekend. Hubby was off elk hunting and he shot one. Still celebrating  --Ann--

4th anniversary

 Its the 4th anniversary of my 16th birthday!  It must have been a warm autumn that year since I'm wearing short shorts.  These days lately have been changing season, jeans and a sweater in the morning then short pants and a t shirt after lunch and a sweater again in the evening.

Where have I been the last 2 weeks... not blogging?  At home accomplishing next to nothing.  It would be so nice to report on a lovely trip to somewhere, anywhere... but no. Just being a responsible citizen staying home and if I go anywhere wearing a mask, using hand sanitizer  and washing my hands.  This is the year we have put more alcohol on our hands than in our mouth.  I did get my flu shot have you? I wish I had some projects to show but nothing finished, a small project for church is on the table but in finding the right blues I made a huge mess  and until I sort that out I'm not making any progress.  Its a mess to the point of reorganizing the stash.  The unending creative time back in March was like a snow day I get to stay home, I can do something fun, I can do something that wasn't scheduled is how I have always thought of a snow day but every day??!?! I did have coffee with classmates last week in the park and book club met in the park and bible study met in the park.  Every social gathering I have been to this summer has been in the park. Time to stop whining about the last 7 months, I did do a lot of quilting, knitting and reading just no traveling. Time to change my attitude for the next year of my life, count my blessings, be grateful, be kind, be happy to have a home that is warm and cozy and get myself reorganized.  --Ann--

knitting heels

Back to summer here!! Short pants and short socks!!  I like these footies so much I knit more.  The designer is brilliant and takes most of the counting out of the slip stitch heel by simply adding a marker at the center of the heel when you begin the short rows.  Knit 8 past the marker, kfb, k1, w&t.  I simplified even more so the purl row rather than p 19, I purled 8 past the marker, pfb, p1, w&t.  The next 2 rows were 6 past the marker then 4, then 2.  Easy as can be!  Just count from the center marker!!  I used her method on my next 2 pairs of socks.  I had to adjust my numbers a little because this is heavier yarn knit on larger needles and fewer stitches.  There will definatly be more slip stitched heels in socks in the future.  --Ann--  Savoring these warmer days.

what have you been watching?

1. Longmire   modern day western
2. Jack Ryan  based on Tom Clancy character
3. Outlander  
4. Anne with an E  threads of the original Anne of Green Gables books this series discusses lots of social and economic issues of the period. Well done.
5. Virgin River  Hallmark meets Northern Exposure 
6. The Marvelous Mrs. Maizel her clothes.. sigh.. fashions from the 50's and 60's.
7. The Land Girls British short series what the women were doing for the war effort.  Beautiful hand knit sweaters sigh.
8. Broadchurch British mystery 3 seasons after the 3rd episode I'm thinking why haven't they solved this...........a more real time approach to solving a mystery and I was drawn into it. Very Good
9. The Tudors about Henry the 8th and his 6 wives. We can only watch a couple episodes a week, they were not very tolerant of a lot of things. I look at hubby and say well nobody was beheaded in that episode. 
10. Sweet Magnolias like a 10 episode hallmark movie only it ended on a cliffhanger and all the budding romances fell apart. I hope they make the second season.  Might have to find the books.
11. Hamilton amazing!!! original cast

Lots of time has been spent in front of the tv these past several months and it seems it will continue but baseball and golf have replaced some of our viewing pleasures recently. Anyway lots of time with the knitting needles. --Ann--

Coffee and Kahlua kind of day

It was a coffee and kahlua kind of day.  A cold, cold front moved in, not the kind that pushes the humidity out and brings a crystal blue sky.  This was the kind that dumps snow in the Black Hills and drops the temperature two seasons overnight.  The cicadas packed up their instruments to await another gig, kind of cold. Turn on the fireplace if I had, one kind of cold. Put on the wool socks and wool sweater kind of cold. That improved my attitude.  Homemade tomato soup kind of cold. Put on a stocking cap because I got a haircut and it is short, kind of cold. Curl up with a good book and a quilt, kind of cold. This is three days running now for the cold. Maybe today I will have a coffee and Bailey's.  --Ann--