"New" knitting inspirations!

So, for the past few days I have been working on some plain, blue and orange wrist warmers (BSU) to possibly put on a ETSY shop that I want to start.  As usual my attention has dropped from them and I needed new inspiration.  So last night I dug through the books I do have to look for hats and "prettier" wrist warmer ideas.  I just about kicked myself in the tail when I remembered that I had Kristin Nicholas's  "Kristin Knits" book!  I got it for Christmas last year, drooled all over it and let my busy life keep me from making anything in it.  Sad, very sad!  If you don't have this book, GET IT!  I love it!  I just don't know why I have tried anything in it yet!  Insanity!!  This book will make you drool if you get excited about color like I do.  So here are the inspiration, the Fingerless Flower Gloves!  I need to finish the couple of handmade gifts that are on my list for Christmas and I will start on a pair for myself.  Who knows maybe one of the gifts will get a little extra something added to them.  I will keep you posted.  Thanks for all the lovely books Kristin.  And  love your blog too.  Please keep up the beautiful work.

Now I must get back to the girls closet and "cleaning" out all of the small things in it.  Those two have way TOO much in there.  It would drive you crazy mad!  Then later all the Christmas lights will be dug out of the attic to be checked so that they can be put on the house tomorrow.  I have a feeling that if we wait for this coming weekend, we will be too late to get on the roof.  I'm not that brave.  I just give "helpful hints" from the front yard. :)

Remembering Happy Simple Days...

Where has the week gone. I was keeping busy with so many things

that I forgot about posting! What is this world coming too?! I finished some

wrist warmers, did some baking, painted some sweatshirts to see if I should

start an ETSY account and sell some, got Thanksgiving shopping done, etc.

I got quite a bit done, so I'm happy. :) Last night was class night. All the

girls came over and we had fun. There was alot of stitching and hooking

going on and a lot of chit chat! It was awesome just to hang out with the girls.

We are going to start meeting every other week to hang out and share projects,

and have girls night. Hopefully it will keep us on track with our projects too!

So Julie had come over early with the intention of leaving early so that she

could go out to eat with her family. After awhile, her husband texted her and

asked if she just wanted to meet them at the restaurant and she texted him back

saying something about "really into this, having fun, go without me..." yada,

yada,yada... We all cracked up that she was going to miss out on dinner just to learn that darn granny square! Hope it was worth it Julie!

She finally went home after a bit, Nancy got to a good stopping point on her sock and left and Di and I stayed right where we were parked in the living room, knitting away.  The boys came home from another hockey game and laughed at us.  We were in the same spot as when they left for the game.  Any way, Di left around 11:30 and I finally went to bed around 12.  We are all addicted to yarn, what can I say!  

This morning I get up, start laundry and realize that we may end up with rain.  That made me think of one of our walks down by the river back in October.  The girls had a blast and Brenna absolutely loved seeing Duck Weed for the first time.  She kept calling it "Duck Salad".  Cracked us up!  It's funny how the little one say things when they are 4.  Later on down 

the trail we saw some "stuff"  and she wanted to know what the green squishy stuff  was.  We told her it was algae growing on a rock by the side of the river.  She ran over to Glenn and told him that there was "allergy" growing in the river.  Too funny!  I laughed so hard I nearly hurt myself.

It was a fun day had by all.  Good memories!

So as you go about the day, think back to a day that you spent with your family and all the smiles and laughs you had.  You have to otherwise time passes too fast and your little ones are not so little anymore.

There is a sign we have hanging near our front door that a friend gave us awhile back and it is so true for our family.

"Abnormality is the normality at this locality!"  

Spend any time with my goofy bunch and you will find that to be right on the money for us!

Thanks for "reading" my ramblings today!  Have a great Day!

(PS:  please forgive how the typing layout on this post came out.  I tried out something different and it definitely did not turn out how I thought it would.  So we won't be doing this again.  I did not want to re-type everything.  thanks!)

Yesterday was one of those days where I seemed to have had a lot of energy to get quite a few things done.  I got up early and did all the laundry [2 loads :)], we went to the grocery store for necessities, went for a hike/walk on the greenbelt down by the river, came home and baked banana bread and made an awesome soup for dinner and knitted these hand/wrist warmers up before the girls got ready for bed.  I still have to add half thumbs to them (for my liking).  I made them from the pattern I previously posted but made a few changes like a shorter wrist area and making the upper hand area a little longer.  I'm liking them alot!   I finished Glenn's over the weekend and he had to wear them today to work.  I'll get pics of his when he gets home.  

The girls had a blast walking along the river.  They love finding new "treasures" and sights.  I was wanting to go for a good walk when we made it out there but I realized after seeing how much fun the girls were having that a good paced walk could wait another day.  Em had fun taking pictures on her own and Brenna was her model at times.  They are such hams.  It was a great day just to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather and lots of people were out fishing along the river also.

Here's the little squirrel that posed for the girls as "he" was chewing on a twig with berries.

Em and Brenna posing for Mom.

One of the spots where we just sat by the river bank and listened to the water.  Love that!  One of my favorite things!

Great day for food and knitting in Idaho!

The Boise River, downtown Boise, ID by BSU

Sorry for not posting the recipe I promised yesterday.  The day got away from before I knew it and I really didn't have an urge to be near the computer either.  Who knows?!  Then when I felt like doing something, I stayed up late to finish Glenn's wrist warmers.  So now I must begin mine.  I would have a picture, but he took them to work to wear in the morning.  Anyway,  it's a really nice fall day here.  The girls and I went to see a show with the Golden Dragon Chinese Acrobats this morning at the Morrison Center on BSU campus.  It was fun.  The both of them were glued to their seats and didn't move an inch.  Then afterwards, we had to go find Dad to eat lunch with him so the girls could tell him about the show.  Good day had by all!

So here is the recipe.  I originally found it on Cooks.com but as always, I change it to my liking.  I change every recipe I get my hands on.

Sausage Potato Chowder

1lb. smoked sausage

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 med. onion chopped

3 stalks celery, chopped

1-2 cups carrots, chopped

2 potatoes, cubed (yukon gold)

2 cans chicken broth

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can cream of potato soup

1/2 cup sour cream

1 c. milk or heavy cream

cheddar cheese

*Heat olive oil in a soup pot. Saute onion, celery and carrots until just soft and onions are transparent.  Add sausage and brown lightly.  Add chicken broth and potatoes and cooks till potatoes are tender.  Taste to see if any chicken bouillon cubes are needed.  You don't want too much salt.

*While potatoes are cooking, combine soups, milk, and sour cream together until the lumps are gone.  Add to the soup pot and heat till everything is well heated through.  DO NOT BOIL!  Serve with crusty bread and add as much cheddar cheese to the top as you want!  Enjoy!  :)

New yarn!!

So I ended back at the LYS (local yarn shop) because I needed another set of needles to be able to work on the wrist warmer once I get past the cuff area.  You have to work the pattern back and forth instead of in the round so that you can make the thumb area.  Well, when I first read the pattern I thought that I would be able to get by with out the second set, but obviously I didn't have a clue about what I was "doing".  So after really thinking about what would have to be done, I made a trip to the LYS for the second set of needles.  So I will be able to continue on with the wrist warmers.  I know you were worried there for a second. ;)  While I was there, I could not pass up the 40% off sale on a couple of yarns.  The one below is Araucania Pomaire, which is a 100% pima cotton (color 15/lilac combo).  It will become a nice gift for someone I know.  It has a lot of gray, earth tones and a little "purple" color in it.  When you see it up close it is a good color for guys.  Really!  All of their yarns are gorgeous!  The colors are awesome!  I see some felted slippers for myself made with the wool yarn in the near future.

Then the other is Four Seasons from Classic Elite Yarns (color 7602/yellow daisy).  This will also become a gift for someone.  This is such a pretty, cheery little color, do you think?!  

So now it time for the wee ones to get to bed so that I can continue to work on the wrist warmers.  I'm working with a deadline you know.  I just don't know when the deadline is suppose to be.  Just soon!  haha! :)  I also found my recipe with all my changes for the sausage potato chowder.  I will post that tomorrow!  I'll have a short time of "quiet" in the house until the boys get back from The Steelheads hockey game they went too.  TaTa For Now!

My Socks!

So here are my latest socks made with the Merino Kind yarn.  I tried a new pattern for the cuff and REALLY like it.  I used it from a wrist warmer pattern I found last week and really liked how the pattern looked and had to try it.  So now I know that I will love the wrist warmers when I make them.  I don't make "pointy" toes when making my socks.  The whole toe area is done in 10 rows and that way my toes don't feel like they are being smashed together.  Hate that!  Anyway, they were worn all day and they are super soft.  Can't wait to make another pair with the other Merino Kind colors I have.  Today was a great day for wearing handmade socks being that it rained all day and they sure felt good when cozying up on the couch knitting at the end of the day. :)

So after dinner, I sat down and casted on for Glenn's wrist warmers.  He is outside all day long at his job and in the winter his hands get SO cold.  They are from the same pattern as the link above.  Just pay attention when you go to the site because there is a pattern for both men and women.  The men's has a ribbed pattern and the women's has the decorative pattern.  Glenn liked the pattern on the women's because it looks like a cable when done.  I like it best too.  I'm a little bored with the rib pattern lately.  I'm hoping this doesn't take too long and I will have the pair done by the weekend.  We'll keep you posted.  Happy knitting!
I also added a new shirt design on my Cafe Press site.  I think it's awesome.  You'll have to go look!  And don't forget, all the items are great for Christmas presents!  :)

Late Night Project

I stayed up until after midnight just to finish the foot area on both socks!  I will finish the toes today if its the last thing I do.  Must get busy doing chores and getting the girls going on their assignments so that I can get to it later!  I'll show them off at the end of the day. :)  TTFN!

One New thing we can not forget about!

(Glenn and the kids 7/05, Splitrock Lighthouse, MN)

one of my favorites pics

I had a momentary lapse of insanity (which isn't unusual) and forgot to post the link for Glenn's new page.  I have been on him for so long to do something creative.  He is very creative, imaginative, funny, etc.  I think when he saw how easy it is for ME to blog and keep up a page, he took the plunge.  So yesterday he sat down and finally did it and he had fun!  It was nice to see the wheels turning in his head as he was coming up with things to put on his page.  Is been a long time and hopefully he will keep plugging away and finally do some of the projects he has always talked about.  Yeah, you could say I'm a big fan of his.  YEA GLENN!!  Bigger and better things are yet to come! :)

Rainy, but cozy & relaxing weekend

So by the end of the evening last night I was feeling like I really did not accomplish much of anything for the whole weekend.  Then Glenn reminded me of all the little things that were done and the happiness that went with it all.  For dinner one night my little sous chefs helped me make sausage potato chowder.  It turned out fabulous!  I will post the recipe.  I just can't remember where I placed it after making my changes to it.  Anyway, everyone has to have their own cutting board and little knife because the little sous chefs don't share work space too well anymore and we don't anyone else cutting "our" vegetables.  This chowder was so good on a damp, cool day.  I think all of it was eaten except for one bowl, which didn't last long when the "snacky" feeling started to hit some people in the house.  So this recipe will stay on our favorite list.

We even made, pumpkin bread, cinnamon pancakes to put in the freezer and homemade alfredo sauce for dinner one night.  Everyone enjoyed all the good smells in the house.  No one went hungry.

On Saturday, my friend Di came over for a short bit and we went to the yarn shop down the hill from the house.  She was looking for some little notions and a basket style bag.  I have to tell you that I was a good girl and didn't not lose control and buy everything I saw.  Matter of fact I didn't buy a thing.  I just admired all the pretty "eye candy" that was all over the store.  Very hard you know.  I thought that I would have a break down a couple of times, but kept my self together.  That darn will power!  But oh the sock yarn!  So YUMMY!  It just makes your head spin!

Sunday, I just caught up on a couple of projects that needed to be done around the house with Glenn's help.  I did a bit of knitting, not much though.  Not as much as I would have liked.  But the other projects had to be done.  Hopefully, I will be able to sit this evening and really make some progress on my socks so that I may finish them by tomorrow or Wednesday.  Cross your fingers.

So really when I look back I had a busy weekend and got a lot done and it was a happy weekend with everyone staying in and keeping cozy.  Just not a lot done in the area I would have really liked!  Don't worry my little socks, I've got you in my sights my little pretties!  You will be done in no time, even if I have to stay up late to work on you.

My first attempt at teaching a class!

Well it's not the first time I've taught a class.  It's just been a while, and a different subject.  The classes I taught before was while I was in the USAF and they were about fighter jets.  So this was a bit easier.  It was a mixed class with a couple of girls learning how to make socks on the "Magic Loop" and Julie started learning crochet so that she can learn granny squares.  I sure hope I didn't "monkey" it all up for them.  I think it went well and everyone had fun.  We were laughing enough!  I can't wait till next Friday and see how everyone has done with their "homework".  Yes, I'm a meanie, just a little!  Thanks to Nancy, Di and Julie for taking my classes and making this evening fun.  Be ready to go at the next class girls!  :)

Busy Days and new socks!

It's been a busy few days around here since Halloween.  The weekend flew by and I don't feel like I got anything accomplished accept for knitting after the girls went to bed.  It sure is nice to have my own iPod to zone out to while knitting.  Make a big difference after a hectic day.  Monday Glenn and I celebrated our 22nd anniversary and Tuesday was Brendon's 21st birthday.  WOW!  Time flies by.  I still remember the night he was born and he stayed awake staring at everything for 6 hrs before he finally went to sleep.  And I sat there holding him and watched him the whole 6 hrs.  I better stop before I start crying or something.  I still tell him that he has been the best anniversary present I have ever gotten.  What better gift could you ask for on your 1st anniversary?  Anyway, we went out for our traditional anniv/b-day dinner, had homemade raspberry white chocolate cheesecake for Brendon's b-day when we got home and just had a great time with all of us together.

So here are the socks I finished for Em.  I'm pleased with them except for the toe area.  They look too square for me.  Hopefully they will shape better after Em wears them  a bit.  I wasn't too pleased with the yarn either.  I used Sockatta for Em's and Brenna's.  I am hoping that when I wash them they lose the stiffness that they have now.  As for an opinion right now, I'm glad the yarn was on clearance at the LYS.  I'll keep you posted as to what happens with them.

Here are the socks that I am making for myself now.  I'm liking this yarn a lot.  It's Merino Kind and it's really soft and the colors are great!  It's color #122.  I decided to make the cuff from a pattern  that I found on the web over the weekend for hand/wrist warmers.  It has a "twist" look to them and I am really liking them.  When I finish these socks I am going to make a few pair of the wrist warmers with the same pattern.  Glenn has already asked for a dark blue pair or two of them so that he can wear them while at work.  He is outside all day long and in the winter his hands take a beating in the cold.
I finally got around to taking all the Halloween decorations down today.  I was a bit sad.  I really like having my mice hanging around the house inside and out.  All the spider webs look really cool all over.  And I love seeing my sticky eyeball wreath out by the front door.  I love seeing people get grossed out by it when they touch the eyeballs.  HAHA!!  So I had to get a few Thanksgiving things out even though there is not the same amount as there is with Halloween decorations.  Just wait till Christmas!  That really brightens Brendon's day when he has to help get all the bins out of the attic and help decorate the 9ft. tree!  You do know it's a Mom's job to make their kids suffer with helping with Christmas decorations.  Makes my heart warm just thinking about it!  :)

I'll keep  you posted to how the socks turn out and I have a Cafe Press site coming and will post a link to it.  I think all you yarn lovers will love what I have done.  It's hilarious!  Cute too!  Have a great evening!

Halloween!! Finally!

So Halloween started out kind of gloomy around here.  The girls actually thought it was going to be a wash out.  We had sprinkles early in the day.  Then things cleared up and they were pretty darn happy.  We finished putting out some electric pumpkins near the entry and putting out last minute creepies around the yard.  I wait to set those things out just to make sure they don't get destroyed are "lost".  It has happened before.  So sad.  Then we went in the garage to carve all our pumpkins.  We each pick a pumpkin pattern every year so that we have some pretty cool ones sitting out front.  I tried getting up off the floor afterwards and felt like I was broke in half.  Brenna asked if I was broke because of how I was standing!  I sure felt like it!  But the pumpkins turned out great!
Finally Dad made it home (after being made to work overtime!).  Everyone was rushing to get together and things were good.  We ended up having a woodland fairy and a pretty princess at our house.  They were so excited to finally be able to put their costumes on.  I wouldn't let them play with them before hand.  After this they can play dress up if they want.  A good time was had by all.  They weather was great!  No rain, 60 degrees out and no need for coats and mittens!  Lots of loot was gathered and the little goblins were tired by the time we got home.  Two of their goblins friends stopped by to say hi and check out the decorations and pumpkins.  And our mice infestation (from Martha Stewart site).  I used black fun foam sheets instead of paper so I wouldn't have to cut mice out again next year. They are all over inside and out!  Eek!! The girls loved it all.  I'm glad they had a fabulous Halloween this year!

We hope everyone had a great Halloween!

Here are the leaf gnomes that like to play in my yard every fall.  They are enjoying the rewards of all their work from earlier.
There is ONE leaf gnome working ever so hard getting all the leaves together for fun later.  The other one decided she needed to follow bugs around the yard instead of helping.

This is my neighbors tree.  I just love having all this beautiful color around me in the fall.  It just makes me happy the be surrounded by all this color.  Too bad it can't be all year long.  You would see me doing a happy dance!  Not that it would be a pleasant sight though!  :)