Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Monday, February 13, 2012

Weekend Moments

The beautiful sun/cloud sky we had on Sunday.
Hello!

I thought I'd share a little peek at what my weekend was like.

I did some baking on Saturday.  A raspberry pie for my Dad's early Valentine gift
The birds having a nibble outside the kitchen window.
Mittens having a Sunday afternoon nap.
And I made some good hooky progress :)
xoxo

Saturday, February 11, 2012

Weekend Plans

Hello,

It's a lovely sunny day here today which is making me feel motivated to finish up some much needed cleaning and laundry that I started yesterday.  I'm also planning on doing a little baking this afternoon and hopefully I can sneak in some crochet this evening.  It sounds like a wonderful day to me.  I'm getting closer to finishing my Granny Stripes Blanket, so I've been trying to focus on it over the last couple of days.  I think I have about a foot or so to go before I can start the boarder.  I can honestly say that I am enjoying each little cluster of every row.  I find it soothing to cluster across the row and then back again, and all the bright cheery colours make me happy just to look at them.  I have to admit, I'm already working on plans for a new blanket once this one is finished.  Since learning to crochet I seem to always have a blanket on the go.  It's comforting in some sort of way.  This time I'm thinking of doing granny squares.  I was contemplating a ripple blanket, but after doing the Granny Stripes, I thought changing it up a bit would be fun.  I'm thinking I'll do more of a throw than a bed-sized blanket, and maybe use it for my window bench in my room.  I also really would like to crochet up some pillow covers to add to the window bench so it's more comfortable to sit there.  I see it becoming the perfect place to knit/crochet and have some tea.

So enough babbling, here is the mitten picture I promised:


I'm doing Polska by SpillyJane.  These caught my eye the first time I seen her patterns, and I think they are simply gorgeous.  Of course it just adds to the appeal that she was inspired by the pattern on her hand-painted mug - and if you read yesterday's post, you may remember I mentioned about my mug fetish, especially polka dot ones.  I haven't been working on them that much right now due to trying to finish up the blanket and I've been starting some Easter projects, but I look forward to getting back to them soon.

Well, I should go put another load in the washer and then get on to the baking.  Have a great weekend everyone!!

xoxo

Friday, February 10, 2012

The Versatile Blogger - Part 2

Happy Friday All!!

What a lovely surprise I got in the comments today!  Stefanie from Knitspiring Odyssey has awarded me with the Versatile Blogger Award Part 2.  Thank you so much Stefanie!!  You are such a sweetheart and I enjoy reading your blog all the time!  You are a wonderful writer and I always go away with a smile on my face after a visit to your blog!

This time I am to share 7 random things about myself.  So here it goes:


  1. I was a cheerleader in high school.  We were the last cheerleaders in our entire school district before they turned them into dance squads.  We got to wear the real cheerleader outfits, twirly skirts and all, and had these HUGE, ancient pompoms that made your arms ache after using them!  Our performance song we did in front of the whole school was to "Hey Micky" and we made up the routine and learned it in 3 days, after one of our co-captains changed her mind on the routine she had made for us (which was a good idea because I thought it wasn't very good).  Those three days were the only time I'd ever been at school when they still had the front doors locked.  We were all so tired I was surprised we did so well and didn't drop my sister!  But all the hard work was totally worth it, and I have some of the best memories from that time. 
  2. I can play (not extremely well, but that's not the point!) the piano, violin, and flute.  I cannot read music, but I play by ear.  This always frustrated my music teachers because I would be playing the song how I thought it should be played, not how it was written.  
  3. My favourite piece of clothing (if you can call them that) growing up were rubber boots.  I would have worn them all year, every year, and everywhere if I could have!  And I won't say I didn't try!
  4. I was a ballerina when I was younger.  I gave up though before I got to the point shoe stage because it was taking to long....I also wasn't the most patient child....looking back though, I wish I would have stuck it out.  I really did enjoy it.
  5. I wanted to be an astronaut when I grew up.  I would dream about what it would be like to see earth from outer space and to see all the stars and planets, and maybe even discover some myself.  I would always stay up for the meteor showers, and it still takes my breath away to see the night sky full of brilliant stars.  
  6. I have a thing for mugs.  I'm always buying neat ones when I'm out shopping and I think polka dot ones are by far my favourites.  My Mom keeps telling me I have enough, but I know she enjoys having her morning coffee in them!  It's a dream of mine to hand-paint a few some day.
  7. When we were little, my sister and I (and our two cousins T and L when they would come to visit) used to dance around our house making up dance routines to all my Mom's old records that we'd play on this really old record player.  Songs like Venus in Blue Jeans, Sea Cruise, It's My Party, and The Lion Sleeps Tonight hold many of those special memories and are still favourites of mine.
The Rules:
1. Add the award to your blog.
2. Thank the blogger who gave it to you.
3. Mention 7 random things about yourself.
4. List the rules.
5. Award to 15 bloggers.
6. Inform each of those 15 by leaving a comment on their blog.

Okay, so I'm going to bend the rules a bit here because I read most of the blogs Stefanie listed and I know that Rae Lynne and I read most of the same blogs too, and I can't come up with a list of 15 that won't overlap, so instead I'm going to link over to my "Good Reads" page that lists all the blogs I enjoy reading that you might also like too and I'm going to choose not to pass this on.  I hope that's alright. 

I should be back tomorrow with a sneak peek of those mittens I mentioned the other day.  Until then, sleep well!

xoxo

Thursday, February 9, 2012

National Sweater Day

Mini sweater I knit to celebrate the day :)
Hello!

Just popping in quickly to say "Happy National Sweater Day"!!  If you haven't heard about it, check out this link here.  It's such a great idea!

Be back soon,
xoxo

  

Friday, February 3, 2012

February Socks - The Beginning


Happy Friday!

Wow, it's February already!  January seemed to go by quickly and slowly at the same time, if that makes any sense.  Either way, I was still surprised to see February pop up on my calendar Wednesday.  I wasn't even prepared for Groundhog day, so there were no special celebrations at our house this year.  I remember one year where I made cupcakes with cute little groundhogs (which we mini Snicker's bars, I think) peeking out of the tops.  They were really cute and fun.  I enjoy doing holiday baking and crafts when I can, so I was a little sad not to have done any this time.  Oh well, there's always next year, and Valentine's Day is practically right around the corner.  Which probably means I should start making some plans....

I cast on this month's socks on the 1st.  Those are them up above.  I didn't do the random pick this month because I knew I had this red, pink, and white yarn in one of the bags and it seemed like the perfect pair of socks to knit during the Valentine's season.  It's the Lava Flow pattern by Sockbug, and they are just flying right along.  The slip stitch pattern is easy to memorize and adds a bit more interest and fun texture to the socks, which is a bonus in my books.  I think I'm going to knit these for my Mom.  She lovingly wears the socks I've knit her regularly, so I thought she could use another pair.  Nothing says I love you like hand-knit socks, right?

Just to give you a little update on my Grandma:  She is back at the Rest-Home now and is doing really well.  She is still on oxygen, but it is making her feel better, so that's great.  I'm just so happy to see her looking and feeling better, and it's wonderful to know she is back in her familiar surroundings where she is comfortable.  I'm looking forward to going in to see her in a couple of days.  I'm going to bring the new pair of SpillyJane mittens I'm working on to show her.  Wait, what's that?  A new pair of mittens??  Yep, I just can't help myself when it comes to those patterns.  More to come on them soon.  In the meantime, have a great start to your weekend!

xoxo