11/27 And Beyond!

 Jen Daly. Gives us an opportunity to create a winter banner—free instructions begin 11/27. 

Isn’t this great!  I’ll be making this to add to brown headed daughter’s table runners or it could use it as a banner through January. 

Want to knit an Advent scarf?  Here is your opportunity presented by Wolhobby with this knitting event begins December 1 and runs through 24th

• Registration before December 1 is free, after that  it will be € 5 until December 12 and € 9.50 after that. This will also be the final sale price of the pattern. Everyone who is registered will receive the pattern in 1 file after Christmas, so you don't have to save all individual days.
• You can use any yarn with this shadow pattern
• You can join the Facebook page to keep up to date.

Advent socks!  Yay!  Join in this festive knitting project--find this group on Instagram

and beginning December 1

A different type of Advent count down is this Advent Wreath Sew Along--the pattern is free to print; each day you stitch one of the motifs with thread and stitch of your choice--find this on Instagram at stitchingdownto.Christmas

This is one of my favorite designers.  Think I've knit every Advent scarf she has offered.  You can find her on Ravelry--Tricia Weatherston

This years scarf is an infinity loop that can be knit according to the length you like best. The scarf is created in a variety of textured stitch patterns with a supporting staff of cables.

The scarf is free until Dec 26th, with the coupon code RORY. Be sure to download the clues even if you are not knitting immediately. On the 26th of December,  pattern will be inactive so that designer can amalgamate all the clues and add some pictures. When it returns to ravelry store it will be for a fee.

When you download the pdf has instructions for the cast on so that you can be ready for the first clue. 

One colour will show off the stitch patterns best but a gradient would look lovely as well. Lighter colours will show the textural stitches to their full effect.

The cast on number will vary according to the length you love. Some like a single loop to be cozy to their neck, and some like a loop much longer to wrap a few times around the neck.

The pattern repeat is 80 stitches and the gauge of 6 sts to the inch will produce the following.
160 sts= 26 inch loop
240 sts= 40 inch loop
320 sts= 53 inch loop
400 sts= 66 inch loop
You will need a circular needle long enough to hold the number of stitches cast on.

We will be knitting this year’s Advent scarf in Ravelry group, Zemy’s Deck Do join us there!

Here comes 12 days of Christmas!

This Twelve Days of Knitmas Mystery Knit-Along(MKAL) is our FIFTH annual let’s-spend-this-awkward-post-holiday-time-knitting-together-and-shaking-off-the-stress-of-the-season MKAL.

Simply put, it is a free twelve-day mystery knit-along full of fun and friendship, and at the end of it, you have a beautiful project to gift or keep.

How do we get the clues?


Since you’re already here, go ahead and grab this pattern - it’s free!

Next, click here to sign up for the emails. This is where all the magic happens, including tutorials, freebies, and discounts from Nomadic Knits and our collaborators.

Signing up for the emails is the best way to receive each day’s clue as soon as it is released. While the emails go out around 4 AM EST each day, clues are released daily on Ravelry around 7 or 8 AM EST. (It’s later than the email updates because it has to be released manually, which requires me to be awake)

Clues are released daily beginning on December 26th.

Where can I participate?

We’ll be hanging out in our Facebook group and would love for you to join us there! We have a wonderfully kind community where all are welcome.


Share posts on Instagram using #twelvedaysofknitmasmkal, and you’ll be eligible to win prizes there, too. (Your profile must be public for us to see the pictures.)

You can also join the fun in our Ravelry group!

Can you give us any hints?

Sure thing!

This year’s Knitmas project is a luxurious Moebius cowl full of textured motifs to keep your fingers happily knitting row after row!

Thanks—-Giving!

 When you look up Thanksgiving, you find all sorts of  searches on the Date of Thanksgiving, the story or history of Thanksgiving, recipes, decorations, traditions, etc.  have you ever given a thought of Why You Celebrate this special fourth Thursday of November each year! 

Oh yes, for some it’s the beginning of Christmas shopping—all those sale ads hit you in the face.  Our kids loved the catalogs that arrived in our mailbox (this was before social media bombarded us).  They would find the best pencil they could and begin to surf the pages to circle any toy or item that took their fancy.  

To others, it’s the Macy Thanksgiving parade with all the pomp and circumstance of music, dancing, floats, giant balloons!  To the guys, it’s football!  

For others, this day means family—to our family it is the one day we set aside to enjoy each others company—we might lack one or two members who are celebrating with the other family, but in spirit we are ONE!  

This year is no different—about a month ahead, we begin the conversation about who will host the day—who hosted last year—someone never remembers (that’s me) and there is the special one who does!  That’s decided—next comes the planning of the meal—who’ll bring what and it’s always their favorite dish.  Food is always good no matter if the seasoning is off, recipe is just not right, burnt, under done—we rejoice anyway and no one remembers what it was like last year!

2023 is our extra reason to be thankful on Thanksgiving—we have a new addition to our family.  It has been a tough year for him and his parents—our little CDH baby boy is growing up.  Now at 9 months, he weighs 20 lbs, hopefully he’ll be home soon from children hospital, after 8 months of his life spent there with caring hands of doctors and nurses.  He has endured 10 surgeries, spent several days in NICU or PICU, suffered heart stoppage and being resuscitated but still has that winning smile and demeanor every single day!  He is carried by many around the world in their hearts and prayers!  

Yes, we are thankful on this Thanksgiving Day for this miracle little boy—

He gives you that look and you melt! 

As we count our blessings, we say THANK YOU to our almighty GOD for this precious warrior! He makes us happy each day!!

Make your Bed?

Recentry there was news story on our local TV station--it was an interesting story, a departure from all the other sad and disturbing news items.  

" Making your bed everyday may sound like a tiresome task to some, but one company will pay you a $1,000 if you can commit to the chore for the next 30 days. Jewelry company Shane Co. created the bed-making contest to motivate others to start off their day a little more intentionally."

Do you make your bed every day when your feet first hit the floor?  That is the only task I complete some mornings before I begin other chores around the house.  Do I think I could earn this money---just for making my bed?  There are other things that go along with just making a bed--You must figure out why making a bed makes you a better person!  go here if you think you want to enter this contest!

This is the best speech every--all about what you can accomplish by simply beginning day by making your bed first thing in the morning!

1. Make your bed 2. Find someone to help you paddle 3. Measure a person by the size of their heart not by the size of their flippers 4. Get over being a “sugar cookie” and keep moving forward 5. Don’t be afraid of the circuses 6. Slide down the obstacles headfirst 7. Don’t back down form the sharks 8. Be your best in the darkest moments 9. Start singing when you are up to your neck in mud 10. Don’t ever, ever ring the bel

What do you learn from making your bed? 

Week Round-up

 Looking back on the week, I don’t think there was much accomplished!  Let’s recount our days—hubby spent one day at daughter’s ranch—mowed pasture, repaired the electric fence (horses keep rubbing against it);  he fixed the roll up door on the shed—he was gone all day!  That left me some quiet time.  What did I do with that time?  

 I decided on bindings for four quilts, cut the width, pressed in half and sewed them on quilt

Finished up this gift for a friend—just need to add a hanging sleeve

Made a horse comforter for great grandson, who loves horses—this will be one of his Christmas gifts

In the evenings, with my feet up and tv on our favorite show, my hands are busy stitching bindings on five quilts.  Still, have seven more to stitch. 

Cast on with hand-spun cotton for November gingerbread dish cloth.  

Of course, there was time searching for knitting patterns and dinner recipes.

Yes, as I reflect—didn’t do too bad!

Got The Blues!

No!  I don't have the Blues!  I'm looking forward to working with Blues!

Bonnie Hunter has invited us to sew with her on 2024 mystery!

I'm anxious to see how the Blues create indigo way.  I love blue fabrics so I ordered

the fabric that she recommended.  I don't usually do that.  With this quilt, I"ll be able to use some of my  own hand dyed indigo fabrics.

There were two color ways to order so I chose this one with strong, darker blues

Here is the fabric selection spread out--

here comes the day after Thanksgiving!

Gather your blues and be prepared for an exciting adventure into blues!

Round To It…

Do you ever have those “round to it” times?  Oh, yes!  I want to do that when “ I get round to it!”

The photo below shows all the patterns printed off that were

“ round to it”patterns!

And guess what, after months of saving these scraps of paper, I’ve not done a ONE of these patterns!  Just put them aside and think “I’ll get round to it” someday—that day hasn’t come, I guess!

Now, my tastes have changed and I’m onto some other “round to its”

Like—finishing hubby’s socks—oh goodness, these socks have been a “

round to it”

since early 2023.  

Nope—started—not finished and winter is a’comin’.

I’ll get “ round to it” soon!  Look how many needles are out of service just for this pair of socks—gee whiz.  

Each time I sit to knit, another reason pops up to place these socks back in the queue of “ round to it” projects. 

Maybe, today is the day………

Will be a good day to knit—oops, I didn’t get “ round to “ measuring the length of his foot—but, I could knit on the other sock’s heel-

I’ll get “round to it” soon! 

 

 

Soup On!! ETC, ETC, ETC

 Love this time of year!  There is a light chill in the air and we are thankful for it!!  So many reasons to enjoy this time of year—

Time to wear hand knit socks!!

• Time to cuddle up in a comfy chair and read a book
• 
  Recent birthday gift from brown headed daughter
  
  
  
  I love that if she has read the book, she includes a review on post it note! 
  
  
• And….. lots of soups! 

  
• First up--chicken sausage gumbo!  I take the easy way out with this gumbo mix--all the spices and thickening agents you need.  Just add cooked chicken (found half rotisserie chicken in freezer) and always have smoked sausage on hand!  Instead of rice, we use riced cauliflower--Yummy good!  Along side we have a nice loaf of French bread. 
• 
  
  
  Second night--split pea soup!  I know, most people don't like split pea but we do especially when we add smoked ham hocks as the seasoning meat
• 
  
• 
• We put the fresh ham hocks on the smoker for several hours, then bake them two hours and now added to the slow cooker
  
  Cooking on low while we do errands and tonight we will have a cooked soup ready for the table! Yum! Yum!
  
  
  Another soup—tomato basil soup!  One of my favorite from National known restaurant!  Instead of buying the ready made jar, I decided to try my hand at making this delicious mixture.  

  

  After all, our basil had been trimmed before first frost—let’s begin……..fresh tomatoes, onions, garlic, vegetable broth, etc

  

  Look at this delish bowl of tomato basil soup! Served with toasted cheese sandwich on jalapeño cheese bread! Great meal!
  
  
• This weekend we are hosting family and friends for chili and veggie soup (hubby makes a great soup with beef stock and lots of fresh veggies)  I make the chili and will have lots of goodies accomplishing the soup night==of course, by Saturday night, the temperature will be near 80 again--down goes the AC for sure!  

What's on your soup agenda is for this week??

Holy Moly!!

 Yep, It’s here!  The official start for the holidays—did you participate in Halloween activities?  

Our bucket of goodies was displayed on our front porch as we were attending an adult block party—watching the cameras we saw polite youngsters grab only one bag,  as usual there were a couple who took more than their share.  omeday they will learn!

This weekend is International Quilt Festival!  Will you attend?  I’ll be there with a friend who

Has never attended!! She’ll be blown away! 

Getting ready for Christmas?!!  Seems every year December 25 comes closer than the year before—maybe, it’s just my age.  Here is one way to begin your season now!

Fort Worth Fabric Studio always has unique fabrics and patterns for your sewing pleasure

Order a kit or as I do, use from your stash.  The patterns are free on their website beginning November 8.  Let the sewing room light up!!