Luxury Knitting

This past weekend my mom treated me to a luxurious weekend at a hotel in Connecticut.  We relaxed, I knit, she read, we ordered room service, and we watched lots of HGTV.  (I miss HGTV. A lot.)  It was so nice and relaxing.  Thanks Mom!

That gave me the opportunity to finish my Mystery Knit-a-long socks! (Called "April Showers")

That's a terrible picture, taken with my phone at the hotel.  You know, because somehow posting this one is proof that I finished them at the hotel.  Like you need proof.  Here's a better one:

Ok, not that much better but the color is better.  These socks were so fun.  Starting from the toe and moving up, we knit flowers, umbrellas, rain and clouds.  Then along the back we knit lightening.  Now I'm entered to win a knit-a-long prize.  I hope I win!

In Other Knitting News:
Yesterday, I got started on the Meadowlark vest.  You know... the one with all the swatching:

I will grudgingly tell you that all my swatching actually helped move things along pretty quickly.  I had done the pattern so many times already that it was a piece of cake!  Obviously I've just started.  I have no idea how long this will take me - it has a very interesting construction that I will do my best to show you as I go along.

I also actually did some organizing of my needles - something I've been meaning to do for a long time.  Of course, I didn't take a "before" picture but picture this in your head:  A plastic drawer full of a tangle of circular needles.  Now look at my "after" picture:

A plastic bag for each size and length all nice and tidy in a basket.  Thanks to my friend Lisa for the idea and the plastic bags, of which she has approximately a thousand so she was willing to share.  They have a white strip across them so you can write on them.  Yay.  It feels great to get a little organized.  I'm going to do the same with my double pointed needles.  By the way, here's the reason I organized:  I have no less than FIVE size 7, 16" circular needles.  Let me know if you need one.

In Book News:
Look Again by Lisa Scottoline: Love her books.  A suspenseful thriller about a reporter who sees her adopted son on a missing children mailer and the heartbreaking path this takes her on to determine if her son is really a boy who was kidnapped from his biological parents.  Exciting pace - I couldn't put it down as it got the to exciting, heart-stopping conclusion.

I'll leave you with three words:  Vanilla. Creme. Peeps.  (two more words: Get. Some.)

Warm Warm Warm

WARM fire, WARM cat, WARM knitting.  Perfect for the day after a snowstorm!

We only got about 10 inches from storm Nemo, which is a pretty normal snowstorm for us.  We did still have to do some digging out and plowing of course.

Good thing Paul has 8,000 of those car part things to weigh down the back of the plowjeep!  I think there are more in the garage somewhere.

And yet again, some beautiful snowy views:

Speaking of staying warm..... Knitting news:
I actually brought out and finished an unfinished project!  Yay!  Someone give me a medal.  This is my Tudor Henley that I started almost 3 years ago.  February 28, 2010 to be exact (you can thank Ravelry.com for my exactness)

I had to attach the sleeves and knit three rows for the neck/buttonband.  The only issue is, to be perfectly honest, that it was going to fit me back when I started it, but it doesn't really fit me now.  Hence, no picture of me wearing it.  Hopefully that will change with my new health regimen!

Also, I am making progress on my April Showers Mystery Socks:

Front of sock with, from bottom,
flowers, umbrellas and rain

Back of sock with lightning .

 Next come clouds with some beaded embellishment.  These are the most interesting socks I have ever made.  It's been fun to see how it will evolve, since we didn't know what it would look like in the beginning.  The pattern is not the same for long, so it really keeps you interested.  When they are done, there will be better/more clear pictures to show you.

Now I'm in a dilemma of what project to start next.  Or finish.  I'm dying to start an aran cabled sweater with yarn I got at Rhinebeck, but haven't settled on a pattern yet.  Or these really cool - but warm - lined Fiddlehead Mittens. Decisions!

Speaking of staying warm again.... Book News! (reading under a cozy blanket):
I finished Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter and really enjoyed it.

The story starts off in 1962 Italy with a young innkeeper who gets to know a young actress over the course of a couple of days.  Then the story jumps to present day America with an older Italian man who is looking for the actress he met fifty years before.  From there we learn what happens back in 1962 and then the years in between - for these two but also many others that touch their lives, as they all navigate the complexities of their lives while also trying to pursue their dreams.  While I really enjoyed the story, I had somewhat of a hard time keeping track of the story when it jumped back and forth in time - in addition to a few chapters that didn't seem to fit into either timeframe.  This through me off and aggravated me a couple of times, but not enough to stop reading.  It really is a nice story!

Back in the Saddle

I procrastinated all week.  I just didn't want to re-knit that whole mitt that I had knit wrongly.  I knitted ANYTHING else I could find.  Including the rest of my sock knit-a-long clue:

Coming along nicely, don't you think?

But finally, on Saturday night, I sat down to re-knit and get back in the saddle and in the knit-a-long race (which it isn't, really).  The next clue was coming out Sunday morning after all. So, by Sunday afternoon, I was back to where I should be.  Then, luckily, the next clue was short, so that got finished today!:

Front and back.  The left one is the one I re-knit --- with the eyelet pattern now in the right (and also correct) spot.  The mitts are almost finished!  The most recent clue had us finishing the top of the hands and thumbs.  Next clue will apparently be to address the provisional cast on. I. LOVE. THEM.  I wasn't too sure how they'd be -- I thought they might be too lacey-froofy --- but they aren't.  They are nice and fashionable and somewhat casual and I can't wait to wear them.  AND, i love the yarn I used -- Cascade 220 Sport Superwash -- so nice and soft and just wonderful to knit with (although a tad bit splitty).

In the meantime, while I was procrastinating getting the left one re-knit....  Paul's friend came to pick up his car - the one Paul was painting.

It matches his truck!

Know what's great about this?
Bye-bye Rob's car....

Hello GARAGE SPACE!!! I missed you so.....

In other fascinating news around here.... I got Phoebe a new bed. One that is deeper and sooooooo much cozier:

Right?????

Apparently not.

And we are enjoying our winter view:

Next post:  A book review!  It's a good one too.....

The BEST cookie ever made

You HAVE to make these.  I think they are the best cookie I have ever made.

They are called Caramelitas from the Cookies and Cups blog. (click back there for the link to the recipe)  Basically, they are an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie with a Rolo inside.  You would not believe how well the oats, chocolate and buttery caramel go together.  LOVE. IT.

While they are a tiny bit time consuming - you need to chill the dough and freeze the Rolos, then completely wrap the Rolo with the dough, so things won't get messy - it is well worth it.

Example of things getting a little messy --
oozing Rolo.

I brought them to the knit-a-long at The Spinning Room today and they were a big hit with lots of requests for the recipe. (So, here's the recipe ladies! Click up there on Caramelitas...)

Speaking of knitting... it's been knit-a-palooza around here.  I told you about Knit-a-long the First in the last post.  Soon I will be starting the second mitt to catch up to where I am on the first, before the next clue comes out tomorrow.  I hope. (read on...)

Knit-a-long the Second - the Mystery Sock V "April Showers" with The Knitter's Brewing Company - started yesterday.

And now I have both toes started.....

It's hard to see but those are the beginning of little flowers that will be on on the top of the foot.  I used Judy's Magic Cast On for the toes, which is quite fiddley especially when trying it for the first time (and sometimes the twenty first time in my case) but an excellent cast on since it makes for a seamless toe! Still a ways to go for this clue, and I need to be done with it by next Friday.  Seems do-able.  For now. (read on...)

Knit-a-long the Third - The Great American Afghan started today at The Spinning Room, hence my bringing the awesomely delicious goodies  to share -- that's another link to the recipe in case you missed the other one.  We are starting with square three and despite everyone having some trouble on row 5 of the chart - cables, a bobble and more cables - it seems to be fairly easy and those troubles will work themselves out quickly as we get used to the pattern.  Here's mine so far:

Just finished row 5 - bobble smack dab in
the middle of the row up there on top.

This knit-a-long is a little less rigid, so I can take my time with it.  Which is good since I've got deadlines for the other two!  That's a crazypants lot of knitting and I still want to get back to my unfinished Harumi Cardigan since I'm supposed to be working on those unfinished ones.

Ok, but here are some finished things to show you.  Here is a picture of the finished Gelsomina wrist warmers being worn:

This is still a terrible picture.  But I do like how they came out - very pretty cables and a nice accessory.

I also finished the Ravine hat!

(Caramelitas cooling in the background... that's
another link to the recipe)

I don't think it's really my style - not even sure I have it on the right way - but I brought it to the shop and it looked great on the owner of the shop, Deirdre.  (der.  should have gotten a picture of her...)

While I was frolicking at the yarn shop today, Paul was making this mess:

Then when I got home I had to help him clean it up by getting the white car ("my" car, with no motor and a stuck brake) back into the garage.  This involved using the ATV because of the aforementioned no motor and stuck brake.  I was in charge of driving the ATV to push/pull the car so Paul could "steer" (using that term loosely because of the aforementioned no motor and stuck brake). And, as usual, my use of the mechanical devices usually ends up with some sort of destruction:

Didn't quite clear the doorway...

But, on the bright side, Paul showed me the veritable treasure trove of parts he located in the garage attic that happen to be perfect for "my" car....

I know - I was speechless too.

Next post:  a book review! (finally.... and I think I'm already behind on my 2013 reading goal....)

Back to Normal

Ha!  I should have written "Normal" (in quotes) since it's all relative right?  The crazy awful pre-holiday and holiday weeks are over and we're getting back to our somewhat regular routine.  Whew!

We went to my sister's last weekend to finally celebrate Christmas with them.  Despite driving through a frickin' snowstorm in the Berkshires - of course, because it's always snowing there when it isn't snowing anywhere else - we had a nice time.  Knitted presents were loved!

Socks for my nephews and my sister

Here'e a not-as-blurry close-up:

My dad's slippers:

He didn't want to put them on again by the time
I got my camera out!

And I forgot to take a picture of my mom with her present, but here it is:

A cotton face cloth that I gave her with
some Burt's Bees face soap.

Ooh!  And check out my mom's creative packaging in the face of having no tape:

Duct tape!  I love it!

Our drive home that day was uneventful and even kind of pretty:

In Knitting News:
So, now I'm knitting like crazy - bet you thought I was done with that after the holidays - for upcoming classes to teach.

I made the Pretty Thing cowl by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (aka The Yarn Harlot - click there for her blog):

And the Winter Leaves Scarf for a basic lace knitting class:

Now I'm working on, and hoping to finish at least one by today, the Gelsomina wrist warmers:

After the wristers I've got one more project, the Ravine hat, and then I'll move on to my next projects.  One of them is the Great American Afghan knit-a-long at The Spinning Room.  Here is a sneak peak at 2 of the 5 (or so) colors:

That lighter color is actually more of a blue/green
and is really pretty.  The darker color is
actually lighter.  Ugh, will try for a better pic...

Oh, and next week starts the Mystery Sock V:April Showers sock knit-a-long!  Remember that?:

And then, I'm going to get back on track with finishing my unfinished projects.  Seriously, I am.  No more procrastinating.  No getting distracted by other cool new patterns........  Like this mystery knit-a-long to go along with season 3 of Masterpiece Classic: Downton Abbey starting this Sunday!

In Book News:
Yay!  Lots of Barnes and Noble gift cards for Christmas!!! So excited since I have a long list of books that I want to get.

I finished Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay. Wow.  What a great book.  It starts in 1942 Paris with the "roundup" of Jewish residents to later be brought to Auschwitz.  When the police come to her house, a young girl named Sarah hides her brother in their secret cabinet, takes the key, and tells him she will come back for him.  She has no idea that she and her family are being taken away from their home for good.  The story then fluctuates back and forth from her story to a present day journalist who is researching the roundup, and how their stories end up intertwining.  Very engaging and the author does a great job of relaying the story while going back and forth in each chapter.  Highly, highly recommend!  Here is a link to Amazon:


I just started another GREAT book that I'll tell you about next time....

That's it for now.  Except for one last picture of Mandy that I took several weeks ago, since she was, again, creatively using her pillow: