Wednesday, October 31, 2012

It is Halloween!

It's time for Halloween,

A day for trick or treat,

When the kids dress up in costume,

And walk proudly down the street.

They ring alot of door bells,

And collect alot of candy too,

And if they happen to see a ghost,

They will be greated with a boo.

Pumpkins light up the windows,

And decorations adorn the front yard,

So be careful when you come in,

Because the skeleton will be on guard.

So go have alot of fun,

And don't have any fear,

Because it will soon be over,

And you'll have to wait till next year.

 

Sunday, October 28, 2012

It's the last weekend in October

Hard to believe, isn't it? Wednesday is Halloween. (It is also Loretta's Bday) Cindy and I will be dressed as the Knit Witches!

Tomorrow, I am making final adjustments to my costume. I have a bit of sparkly dark blue tulle cut and ready to attach to my skirt, glass eyeball beads to make into earrings and necklace. Wondering if I have a pair of shoes I can embellish? No pictures today as I don't want to spoil the surprise but there will be pictures later. We do hope you will come in and enjoy the day with us.

Finally, a bit of cool weather to let us know it is Fall and Winter will follow. Joe had a crackling fire going when I woke up. I LOVE our slow Sunday mornings enjoying coffee in front of the fireplace. Today, I cooked for us! Our main course was boneless chicken stuffed with crawfish jambalaya from La Boucherie - a true taste of Louisiana, Swiss chard sautéed in butter with french custard banana pudding for dessert.

I have knitting I need to do but can't seem to settle into it today. A true sign that I should just leave it be. I have been doing so much knitting on demand that its time to knit for fun for awhile. I'm going to finish Alexis' Wallaby, I have a small bit of fun Christmas knitting lined up for November and then baby knitting will begin in January! This time of year, I must remind myself to SIMPLIFY. It's easy to get overwhelmed and try to do too much during the Holidays. A pitcher of frozen margaritas in the freezer in December is always a good thing at our house!

Below is a fun pic from the current Vogue magazine. It is a Marc Jacobs ad with ladies dressed as witches

 

 

Monday, October 22, 2012

Halloween Costume and Wallaby

I spent most of the day working on my Halloween costume! There is lots of purple tulle and a purple hat... It's looking pretty fun! Cindy and I are going to be something to see!

After a fast trip to the grocery, homemade vegetable soup is simmering on the cook top. Joe is fighting a cold/cough so it's full of all the good stuff! The weather is supposed to turn quite cooler by Friday! Won't that be a pleasant change?

I woke up at 3AM - I really do hate it when I do that! The good thing is I finished knitting a Wallaby sleeve and got a good start on the second one - the one I had to frog. We are going to watch the baseball game tonight - Giants and Cardinals. We know who we are voting for so skipping the debate! Maybe I can get a good part of the second sleeve done.

 
I love the Opal socks hanging in the front window. Another Opal delivery of a new collection should be arriving soon!
 

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Sunday's Knitting - Wallaby

While watching the Texans with Joe this afternoon, I am knitting on Alexis' Wonderful Wallaby sleeves - they need to be 20 inches long.

I have been instructing a Wallaby KAL/class on Fridays this month. The participating knitters are knitting the smaller-sized Wallaby so they can easily keep up with the homework knitting each week. I am knitting the small (8-10) adult Wallaby.

This past Friday, everyone was supposed to be at the place ready to knit the sleeves onto their Wallaby. Many were completely confused with the instructions to get them to that place! I thought knitting the sleeves on would be the part they needed help with! So, as I reach that place on Alexis' Wallaby, I am working to simplify the instructions and include an easier version with their class notes. I do hope they will want to knit another Wallaby in the future!

I am running a bit behind the other knitters at this point. I wouldn't be quite so far behind if I hadn't knit almost one complete sleeve (17 inches worth) on the wrong size needle and had to frog it down to the ribbing. Frogging is as much a part of the process sometimes as the actual knitting and purling. That sleeve was a "show and tell" and was frogged while they knitted their sleeves onto their sweaters.


Tomorrow, I have to work on pulling my Halloween costume together. If not, I will be having to do an all-nighter at some point! I think Cindy has hers done! I will put on a movie, sit down and get it done. We are needing some big square buckles for our shoes! We may have to make those. Joe thinks we need a couple of authentic looking brooms! I particularly like the Geico commercial with the witch in the broom factory. It took several times seeing it to actually realize what they were advertising!

Next Friday, Saturday and Sunday we will have hot apple cider and a few munchies for everyone again. We look forward to seeing you!

Sunday, October 14, 2012

A Perfect Sunday

I slept in this morning, lulled by the rain and low, rolling thunder. Simple things can be such a luxury.

Joe is cooking today - I love it when Joe cooks. The house smells wonderful! There is a pork tenderloin (stuffed with cream cheese, jalapeños and wrapped in bacon) from HEB in the oven. Navy beans with onions and bell peppers are simmering. My contribution is cornbread. Dessert is coconut cream pie.

We have been knitting this morning. Joe is knitting a new scarf yarn for display. I am working on the Vera cowl (also for display) in Shirato from the NORO Vintage book. Shirato is like knitting with butter! The stitch pattern and the yarn have been most enjoyable.

The little red Wallaby is finished and on display in the shop - the Wallaby class is ongoing this month on Fridays. It has been easy-going and fun. There is lots of homework this week! Pouch, sleeves and sweater body up to underarms to be completed by Friday. Everyone (except me) is knitting a small size so it shouldn't be too much knitting.

Wonderful Wallaby
The Opal Sock Yarn Bunny is also finished and at home in the shop -

One ball of Opal sock yarn will knit the Bunny and the baby hat with bunny ears!

Don't forget iPurl is open today from 1pm to 5pm! Take your handwork and go to iPurl while hubby watches football! I hope you are having a wonderful Sunday!

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Sunday Afternoon

It is a beautiful, cool Sunday morning! Finally, cooler weather has arrived if only for a few days. When the weather turns cooler, I like to knit a new sweater for Bella!

I look forward to our Sunday afternoons more than ever now that I am working all week. It is a day of rest for us, doing the things we enjoy together. Today, I cooked chili and cookie dough brownies for dessert. If I am tired, Joe is happy to cook or grill.

We are settling in for a day of football, knitting for me and at some point an afternoon nap!


I have several projects in my knitting basket -

1) The red Wallaby in Ultra Pima for shop display (finished today)

2) Alexis' Wallaby in Sierra for the Wallaby class that started Friday (have to stay on track with the class)

3) my Color Affection/Affliction/Addiction (whatever you are calling it) for the shop KAL (really enjoying it)

4) a scarf yarn in Halloween colors that I know I will want to wear in the next couple of weeks (finished today)

I will finish two of my projects this weekend and I am not planning to add more for now! Too many projects OTN causes me to feel pressured. I never do knitting for Christmas! The Holidays are hectic enough without adding the pressure of finishing knitted gifts. I usually start knitting ornament covers out of leftover sock yarn just for fun - they are quick and easy! I knit for enjoyment and relaxation most of the time!

I am looking forward to knitting for the grandchild that is on the way. My daughter, Pam, is expecting her 3rd child in April. I am waiting until they know girl or boy before starting to cast on! Baby knitting is pure enjoyment!

Cindy and I will both be in the shop on Halloween. We have decided to be in costume! We will have munchies and hot apple cider for everyone. We hope that you will join us for knitting and fun! More about this as we get closer to the date!