A Smile Just for You!

Have you seen this? It was in our local newspaper this morning. I just love it. What a fabulous photo. You can see the article here: Koala Rescue

Step by Step

It's slow going but I have made strides with my Alice Starmore, Kinsale sweater. Shoulders and neck are done. Yes, there are knitter's out there that have flown through this pattern but the tiny needles and so much K,P does hurt my hands. The pattern itself is not difficult at all just tedious. I've started a sleeve but then yesterday casted on for an entirely new project, KAINO, it's an Alpaca vest by Norah Gaughan from the

Berroco: Norah Gaughan Vol 1 (ravelry link). I needed a knit requiring less concentration and this has been waiting a while now. The yarn Berroco Ultra Alpaca in gray I purchased sometime back.

I've been wanting to knit a 'tam' although the pattern I had in mind was a fair isle. Looks like I cheated and knit one much simpler in a solid color! It's still pretty and the fair isle tam is still on my list. Pattern is 'Meret' Mystery Beret by Woolly Wormwood found here Ravelry Link.

The Leaf Lace Shawl by Fiber Trends was knit for my mother-in-law for Christmas. She admired my red shawl that I wore to my sons wedding so much that I decided to knit one for her too. She's in Florida for the winters but I thought she my cozy up with it in the evenings watching TV.
Yarn is 'Peace Fleece' a tweedy worsted weight wool and the color true to the photo.

Classic Elite Twisted Rib Cardigan knit in their 'Sundance' cotton yarn. 3/4 length sleeves are on purpose! I did knit the collar much longer even though it still looks rather normal sized. The pattern is found in their City Park booklet. The button was from a collection of buttons that belonged to my grandmother, my Nana. I only had one and knew that one day I'd have a use for it!

Trashcan Turkey!

You're right! We cook it in an aluminum trashcan. It's wonderful. The pictures reveal the trick. Season your bird. Turn him onto a stake with aluminum foil covering the ground. This time Larry put a pan under him with some beer in it ( a little flavored steam), cover with trashcan and line the top and around the bottom edge with hot coals. 3 hours and your ready for a scrumptious meal. This was our Christmas supper.

He also cooks (traditional for us) breakfast Christmas morning of biscuits and sausage gravy, scrambled eggs (my son does those), bacon, coffee and juices. Our older sons that are on their own come over with some of their friends they've grown-up with. It's a fabulous time with all of them gathering annually at our house. I hope their parents are OK with them leaving home and coming to our place for breakfast!!

Before each meal my husband blesses it and prays a prayer of thanksgiving for the birth of our Saviour, His saving grace to each of us and the miracles He's given. And they all said, AMEN!

Cats and Knits

Is there something about knitting that just draws cats? Whether it be in yarn form or finished my cats want to be near it! Here's Esther cozying up to a pair of felted slippers knit especially for my husband when he was badly burned this past July. Knit by the giving hands of DANA She had never even met him before but wanted to do this lovely thing for him. My husband wears them but I admit so do I and of course Esther enjoys them too! Thanks Dana!!

Vintage Finds .....

Isn't this a very cool bag? Nice
and tall, in excellent shape and old! It comes from a company called, "Flamestead of Vermont" It has a square bottom 6.5”x6.5” and 15” tall. The company a silk screen design business in the late 1940’s was owned by Betty Lake Heald also the designer. Info thanks to the internet! Interesting huh? I'll be using it this spring for my current knitting project.

Cowl or Neck Warmer

Just finished a gift for my sister who fortunately doesn't read my blog! The yarn is Elann.com's Undyed Merino/Silk superwash. It's super nice too! It's folded over in the photos. It measures about 15 inches long and you can wear it with either end showing on the top. Does that make sense? I added extra yarn over rows at one end. It's a pattern called, "Silken Smoke Ring" by Angela Ho and Flora Young for Elann.com. Ravelry Link or Elann The bottom photo is the pattern model just to show how it's supposed to be worn.

My Nellie has such a hard life. She's the Queen Bee!

"Let us unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and ruler of nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions."

--George Washington, in the first presidential proclamation, in 1789, of a day of Thanksgiving

Another man's trash.................

Everyone knows I like a bargain. I like old too, things that is! Vintage and antique is so much better than today's product. Anyway I found this lovely stool at a neighbors trash stash! The legs I'm sure are chrome. I like the red because my kitchen happens to be red. It's a 'Cosco Stylaire' kitchen step stool. It's in great shape as it is although I do want to strip it, repaint and clean up the chrome. Here's one on eBay that mine should look like Retro step stool. Pricey too!!! I like FREE!

Better than Knitting!!!

Eating good bread of course! This No Knead Bread recipe is the best and sooooo easy! Flour, salt, water and a cast iron pot will have you on your way to Artisan Bread right out of your own oven for pennies!

Gift for Mom

This was a gift for my mom's birthday. The pattern is called 'Sunray' and the yarn is Crystal Palace, Fiord, used a 10 1/2 needle. It's an unspun wool. Loved how it turned out. At first I didn't like the roll but I think that makes the scarf different. Neat pattern stitch too. I found one of those large safety pins for it but I really wanted one much larger. I remember my older sister used one on a skirt. Bring back any memories?

I'm calling it finished. The Estes Vest from Interweave Knits Fall issue. Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Bulky. The i-cord around the entire edge about killed my hands. It's too small and I even skipped the waist shaping the pattern called for. I am so glad I did that! There are no buttons on mine anyway and I think I like it. Pockets aren't deep enough either. Complaining aren't I? I just hate to put so much time into something and it not be perfect at least for me. I call it the 'Honey Comb Vest'.

I'm a Mom-In-Law!

Bride and Groom (my son) and their grandparents.


The Groom and friends!


My kids all dressed up pretty!!


The in-laws!


Myself and my sister in our knitted garments! She's an avid knitter too! She was crocheting the trim on her sweater only a few hours before the wedding!

The big day was Saturday, Sept 20th. An evening 6:00pm wedding. Quite lovely, the kids did a great job planning and preparing. Lots of family and friends. It was really wonderful. I got to dance with my son, THAT was special. They are honeymooning in Jamaica right now!

The Bottom Line!

Please watch till the end as this young man walks away. He KNOWS!

Our vacation turned out very nice. Tropical Storm Hanna did her little thing and moved on and left Sunset Beach, SC just in time for our arrival. We had a week of great weather for the guys fishing from the pier and my walking on the beach in the mornings and even nights by moonlight.

I have a fabulous story to share. I was walking on the beach the first morning we were there. In the distance was a man coming my direction that stopped and I could see him drawing a line in the sand with his foot. When he approached me he stopped and ask, "Did you see me draw a line in the sand?" "Yes, I did," I said as I was smiling but surely looking perplexed. He then said, "If you look at the end of the line you will find a sand dollar. I thought you might like the pleasure of finding it." WOW! I thanked him and walked on and there it was, untouched. I picked it up and looked back at him and we waved. Isn't that wonderful? I was so touched by that and have thought of it almost daily since. I have the sand dollar in a special case with others that I have found while on vacation. I forgot to add it to my collection picture on the table. I had it in a secure place you know! So, here's a picture of it after I'd gotten it home.

The wood boardwalk is how we get to the beach. It's new this year. It used to be a grassy path. Most beach houses have names and ours is "When Pigs Fly". Check out the 2 sea stars! Finding those was due to the storm Hanna washing them into an inlet where the boats go out into the ocean. It's always the best place for shells. Unfortunately they are dying and not able to get back out to sea and some already dead.

Walking on the beach at night is my favorite time. I go late so most times I am totally alone, no one as far as I can see. One night I saw three fox and deer on the dunes. In the eight years we've been I have never seen those animals there. We always do feed raccoon in the backyard late at night with leftovers. I saw three that came one night to eat. Even had a fox come for dinner too! Feeding the seagulls is something we always do too. The bread we throw doesn't even make it to the sand. They eat in flight. The wildlife is always a surprise each year.

I hope we can afford the gas to get there next year!

The Flax lace washcloth turned out nice. I hope it will be as fine as one I use knit in Euroflax Linen. This is Fibranatura Flax a much less expensive yarn. The soap pictured is handmade by Catie. So, I am being double treated with a lacey handknit washcloth and luscious handmade soap!

We are heading into hurricane country tomorrow morning. Where we are staying Sunset Beach, NC is currently under mandatory evacuation!! This should be lifted before we get there tomorrow afternoon. Tropical Storm/Hurricane Hanna should become a problem for that area late tonight or very early in the morning. We were there in 2003 for Hurricane Isabel. It was a voluntary evacuation so we stayed. They have to do that because of the bridge access to the area. It has to be tied open when there are high winds. Once they do that there is no entering or leaving Sunset Beach! We really need this vacation and no one needs a hurricane!

She gets my vote!