A Concert and an Unfinished Sock

Hello All,

Last night my sister, her boyfriend, my Mom and I all went to see Michael Bolton in concert. My Mom was and still is a huge Michael Bolton fan, so my sister and I grew up with his music. My Mom has seen him before in concert, but this was the first time for the rest of us. He did a great show! We all had a ton of fun.

Things on the knitting front haven't gotten much farther along. I've got to the beginning of the heel flap on the second sock, but that's it. I'm hoping I will get a chance to work on it some today while we drive to the city. I want to get it done so I can see if they both match or not! I have a terrible time with making things match. I usually always have one mitten either longer or fatter than its partner.

Tonight is our town's community night, so I'm hoping we are back from the city in time to take part in it. The weather looks a bit like it might rain, but maybe it will hold off till after midnight.

Well, things need to get moving around here, so I should be ending this. Have a great day everyone!

Happy Knitting!

A Knitting Accomplishment!!

Hello All,

I'm back from a spur of the moment trip this past weekend. My Mom and I went to Birch Run to do some shopping at the Prime Outlets. We had a very successful trip! Mom got some nice furniture and accessories for the house and I got myself and my sister Coach bags. It was a lot of fun. Very quick though, and we both agree that we need to go back again soon.

On the drive there I worked on the white baby sweater, and then since I had a bit of troubles with it and didn't know how long to knit the arms, I started a Confection Shrug for my cousin's little girl (the flower girl from the wedding). I'm using Bernat Cottontots in Country Red, although I would say the colour is closer to a deep hot pink. I haven't finished either yet, but hope to get them done some time this week. I just need to sit down and get to it.

I know this isn't helping me get those two projects done, but on Monday Mom and I had to run into the city, so I went to my lys and picked up some sock yarn. I was struggling with the socks I was trying to make for my sister's boyfriend, so I thought I should start out with a baby sock, just to learn the ropes, and then move on to his pair. I bought four balls of Patons Kroy Socks. The one I used for the baby sock (I've only got one done so far, but hey, it's a start!) is called Lavender Jacquard. It is such a beautiful colour and it works up with a neat little pattern. I'm going to have to buy another ball to make some socks for me with! This was such an exciting feat for me to knit the sock and have it turn out so cute! I've been on a high from it since I finished on Tuesday. I can't wait to start the second one, I just hope they both match!

We have a busy week again. It is already the middle of the week and I feel as though it's just begun! Things have been getting done around here though, the entrance way is painted, I've got my baking done, and even an appointment finished. Tomorrow holds a concert, Friday is another appointment with the interior decorator and a medical appointment, and then this weekend's plans are still up in the air. Everything will fall into place I'm sure, as long as I get some time to knit!

Happy Knitting!

Amazing Designer

Hello All,

Things have been a bit slow on the creative front around here for the last so many weeks, but yesterday I was trying to change all that. I started sewing a re-usable tote for my sister and worked a bit more on the baby sweater, while planning some other new creative ideas. I have a ton of knitting projects lined up; now the hard part is choosing which one to start when I'm finished the sweater!

I was doing some "research" on Ravelry last night and came across some of Jane Richmond's gorgeous knitting patterns. This lady is amazing! Her designs are practical while still being stylish. I'm loving the west coast casual style right now, so her patterns will fit right into my wardrobe. I'm so excited about that because I have a hard time finding knitting patterns that I would actually wear and love. I can't wait to have some time to knit a few of these things up for myself! You can check out her Etsy shop here, and her blog here.

Well I'm off to do some painting outside, I hope everyone is having a glorious day!

Happy Knitting!

A Little of This 'n' That

Hello All!

Sorry the posts have been slow lately, I haven't been doing much that's worth blogging about! I'm hoping to change that today. I've got a few ideas floating around in my head, now I just have to pick one and get started!

Yesterday my Mother and I went to Petoskey for the day. The picture above is one I took of a house there that I just love. She had to pick up some fabric she ordered in at Joanns and I wanted to check out some of their yarn that was on sale. I got two balls of this, one in Bubblegum and the other in Turquoise. I don't have any plans yet for them, but I'm working on it!

I started working on this which is the Seamless Yoked Sweater from here, done in white Bernat Softee Baby. If it works out, it will be the sweater for my sister's co-worker's baby. I was looking for some cute duckie buttons while away, but couldn't find quite what I wanted, so I'm settling for some plain white ones. I'm sure they will look cute once their sewn on. It was nice to have all that knitting time in the car though, I got quite a bit done on it. I'm hoping I can get it finished before the end of the week, but that just might be wishful thinking.

My Mother's sister is coming down tonight to stay for a few days. She is going to help with some painting and any other things that need to be done around here. She's a good worker, so I'm sure we will be busy this week!! She's also a lot of fun, so I'm really excited she's coming down.

Oh, by the way, our first cake class went quite well last Thursday. I think we are going to learn a lot. I'll leave you with a picture of our cake (we shared working on one since my back was too sore to roll out the fondant).

Happy Knitting!!

P.S. It is starting to feel like summer again here after a very long cold spell!! Thank goodness!!

Let Them Decorate Cake!

Hello All!

Tonight is the first class of a cake course that my Mother and I are taking. It is the Wilton Gum Paste and Fondant course. We took Wilton courses 1, 2 and 3 in the Winter, and this is the last course to complete the Wilton cake decorating. It starts tonight and runs for 4 Thursdays. We each have to make and decorate a cake, so we both chose chocolate this week. We are each going to do a different filling though. My job this morning is to find two different filling recipes that do not have to be kept cold. I'm thinking a chocolate and a mocha one. How does that sound??

Yesterday was another busy popcorn day. I worked all day on it, even though I had a desperate need to knit. I've been missing my knitting for quite a while now, and can't wait till I can find some time to get back to it. My sister's co-worker is having a baby so I think making something for her will be my next project. I have to ask my sister if she knows what she is having so I'll know what colour of yarn to buy. I just love new excuses to buy yarn!! :o)

Speaking of yarn buying, my Mother and I are going on a day trip to the Joanns store in Petoskey on Saturday. This week they have a sale on Lion Brand's Pound of Love, so I think I'll get a couple of them. I'm excited to see what else they have on sale.

Well I should be off, I still need to find those filling recipes and then get to work on icing my cake!!

Happy Knitting!!

Stress Relief

Hello All,

Have you ever noticed how stress relieving knitting is? Every time I find myself stressed, I also find myself reaching for my knitting. If I happen to be caught without my knitting, I find myself wishing I had it with me. I'm amazed that something that can be stressful in its own right, can also be so soothing, so comforting, so relaxing. Sometimes it helps if it is a complicated piece, because then I can focus on it and not whats going on. While other times it helps to be simple so I can just feel like I'm accomplishing something and still be able to pay attention. I wonder what those who don't knit do when they're stressed. I pity them, because I can find my sanity in my knitting. It may be the thing that keeps me from flying off the handle on extremely stressful days. All I can say is I'm so thankful I learned how to knit!

Happy Knitting!!

Oh Sunny, Sunny Day!

Good Morning Knitters,

What a glorious day it is outside here. Sunny and warm after a long spell of cold and rain. Such a nice change. Too bad I'm stuck in the kitchen for most of the day making caramel popcorn....but oh well, what can you do when you need to make a living?

I've been taking it easy the last few days, since I haven't been feeling well again. Luckily it has helped, and I feel much better and ready to get back to work now. I did some knitting yesterday. I never got the bolero for my cousin's little girl finished in time to bring it with us to the wedding, so that's what I've been working on. I've got the back completely done, and I'm now working on the left front. I hope to get to work on it a bit today, but that all depends on how fast I am with the popcorn. I still need to have my coffee, and I think that will help!

I feel that now since things have slowed down a bit around here, I'm on the edge of a creative spree, I'm just hoping it actually gets to happen! New things to do seem to keep popping up left and right around here.

Well I'm off to the coffee pot and then on to the popcorn. I hope you all have a lovely day, and take the time to do something that excites you!!

Happy Knitting!!

A Wedding Weekend

Hello All!!

I am back from a weekend away at the wedding. Everything went great. It was a beautiful ceremony full of love, and the happy couple were surrounded by the people who are most important in their lives. It was just such a wonderful time.

I took lots of pictures to document the trip. Since we were driving even farther north than where we live, I got to see a lot of different scenery. The trees were so green and lush up there, I was amazed.

We stopped at Agawa crafts and Canadian Carver along the way to do a little shopping. I got the cutest pair of moccasins!!

We stopped in Wawa for a coffee break at the only Tim Horton's that I know of between here and there. This is a picture of the giant goose when you first come in to the town. There are three more, and I'm not sure what they have to do with Wawa, but the sign for the town has a goose on it so it must have some significance.

They also have moose up there in abundance. I found out though, that they are very shy creatures and do not like to have their pictures taken. I tried and tried, and the best picture that I got was the one that leaped across the road in front of us. I kept getting pictures of a moose bum as it walked into the bush. There even was one right by the side of the road, and when we stopped he actually hid behind the only tree that was there, just so I couldn't get a good shot!! We ended up seeing 9 moose, 3 which were babies, on the way up and 2 adults on the way back. They also have a lot of bears up there, but we never seen any. We did however have 4 around our Bed & Breakfast that prevented us from going outside in the dark since on of them was quite bold. We did see a video that the groom's sister took after the wedding of a bear standing on top of the bakery dumpster downtown, and judging by the look and size of him, I'm glad we didn't see any!!

It was such a fun time of getting together with family. The day of the wedding, my Mother and I went over to the house to help get things set up for the reception and then we headed off to decorate the church. After that, we came back, and realized everyone needed to get ready for the cerimony! Time got a litte bit away from us, and the bride, her family, and my Mother and I ended up being a tad late...but isn't the bride supposed to be late?? It seems to be sort of a tradition!

My dress turned out great and matched the bride's colours perfectly. I had to do some last minute pinning to make it fit perfectly, but it looked very nice.


The cake turned out well, and everyone seemed to enjoy it. The bride even said it was just what she was hoping for. So mission accomplished!!

We spent the evening having a lovely homemade meal made by the bride's Mother, and ended the night with a bonfire in their backyard.

All in all it was a beautiful wedding and a wonderful weekend trip. It was nice to spend time with my cousin and her family, and to see her house and the town she lives in. It was a ton of fun getting to know the groom and his family and reminiscing over old times. I fully enjoyed myself as did everyone else. I wish the couple a happily ever after!

Popcorn!

Hello All!




This was what my yesterday consisted of. Lots and lots of caramel popcorn making. I had an order to fill for this coming weekend, and with all the other things I've got going on right now, I had to buckle down and get right to work on this one.

Today is dedicated to wedding cake decorating. I baked up the cakes last night, and now I need to decorate them. The wedding is this weekend, and we are leaving tomorrow, so there is little wiggle room here. I also sewed my maid of honour dress, but I still need to hem the bottom and sew on the black lace. I will post pictures either tonight, if I have time, or the beginning of next week when we get back. I'll be sure to post some pictures of the wedding and the cake too. I'm taking my Mother along as my photographer since I will be taking part in the actual ceremony and will be quite busy throughout the day. A maid of honour's jobs are many! ;o)

I hope you all have had a wonderful first half of the week, and to all you Canadians, I hope you enjoyed Canada Day yesterday! Now I should be off and running!

Happy Knitting!!