Warm Wishes and Greetings!

 All is quiet-----All is calm----resting peaceful in the house.  

Our Christmas Eve Eve began when the brown headed daughter arrived and she and her sister spent the day doing 'sisterly stuff"--don't have any idea what that means, but they have a giggly good time.

Christmas Eve is Texan Fajita night at blond headed daughter's ranch--son is grilling the meat (chicken and beef) as the other family members are bringing along sides---Oma is making her prize winning Tres Leche Cake with the aid of grandson, Waylon, who pokes holes in the cake before the magic milk ingredients are poured over.

Christmas Day--Celebration of all time--birthday party for Jesus!

Of course, a feast to rein on the table and thanks is given for our blessed year.  Little man, JD, is home from hospital--8 months of his 10 months life span is long enough!  

May your family receive many blessings for this holiday season

and

May your 2024 be blessed even more!

See you next year!

Here It Comes!

 There is fumbling going on!  So on track for days, then, the ball got dropped (like that football slang?!)  it just takes little distraction to take you off course—two, no, now three days behind on the advent scarf….this will not be worn Christmas morning; unless I take the piece and fling it around my neck along with needles and yarn attached!! Or stay up late a couple of nights playing catch up—NOT!  Sleep is a requirement! 

 Also, behind on the latest Bonnie Hunter mystery.  I decided to do only half of each step and that didn’t help…oh well, maybe, it will come together sometime in the future.  Think there is an older mystery in a file box, just ‘aging’!

There is pleasure in thumbing thru Instagram, finding solutions to my UFOS!  Just more to add to the pile to complete……..and now, here it comes…… new projects beginning in 2024!  Hi Ho, it’s off we go to leave UFOS in the dust and start a new UFO!

Here is #1 

Vintage Sunburst Quilt Along Pattern
Free PDF Fat Quarter Shop Exclusive

Civil War Quilt 2024 pieced blocks

From Riley Blake

Free! Block of the month begins January

AQuilting Life.com will also have another block of the month

Join Kim Diehl on Instagram to sew this beautiful top beginning February

Patterns by Jen

Okay, that's all I've got for now--which one or two or three or four of these projects will join your UFOS??

Wham--ed!!

WhamageddonWhamageddon Whamageddon

Have you heard about this crazy trend?  Not hearing Wham's Last Christmas is the object of the 'game"

What are the rules?  

1. go as long as possible without hearing and recognizing the song "Last Christmas by WHAM!
2. if you hear the song by another artist that's fine--just hearing the original song takes you out of the game.  Cover versions are okay.
3. It begins December 1 and runs till December 24 at Midnight
4. Losers must post on social media with hashtag #Whamageddon
5. Play fair, don't send the song to your friends

Don't worry--The above song is not the original--it's a cover!  So, if you are playing, you are safe. I'm OUT!  When we were walking through Wally World, THAT song came over the speaker and of course, my ears perked up--"it's that SONG and it was original by Wham!  So, here I am posting on social media --##whamageddon!!  Of course, my hubby, who was in a different department said he didn't hear it!  he is hard of hearing everything!!

Good Luck to you!

Soup’s On!

 As I’m knitting by the fire, on this rather chilly morning, the other resident of the house is trying to attach toilet paper holder to bathroom cabinet. There has been lots of moans and groans and then he stomps out of the house mumbling under his breath…..

Ok, he’s gone, I assume to hardware store, I’ll continue on my restful project at hand.  Earlier , I chopped head of cauliflower into flowerlets and placed in oven to roast, along with garlic cloves and half onion.  This will be our dinner—don’t shake your head and say not for me.  The roast veggies will turn into a delicious soup!  served in a small bread bowl—how, can you complain about that?  Here’s the recipe.  The house is smelling oh so good!

It’s that season of soups for us southerners getting only a few days of cool weather.  We were invited out Tuesday  for—you guessed it—soup! 

I was assigned starter to bring. Decided to take this quick and easy one—dried beef dip—yes, it’s that dried beef that comes in a jar.  Another gal is bringing dessert— https://www.berlyskitchen.com/cherry-fluff

Other soups this week: French onion ( think I’ll try Julia’s recipe), green chili stew and chicken noodle—my version!  Making soup makes me warm all over!  As Julia would say “Bon appetite” !  

Focus….

 As I’m knitting on one of the advent scarves, there is a focus problem!  The pattern is based on 80 stitches!! Yes, 80 in each repeat!  Thank goodness, I only cast on 240!  The first clue given was to cast on what you think would be a good width for a loop scarf—80 x ?  Some chose 400!! I’m having trouble with 240, can’t even fathom more than that—now, I’m thinking 80 would have been reallymanageable!  

My brain has this knack of wandering....... never mind that I have this small problem with my brain, there is always the minor interruption-- like someone walking into the room and  talking to me!  Wait...I'm losing count!  Stop!  Right there!  bummer, I lost count and need to start all over!

I tried putting post notes across under the text (just can't follow charts either!) but that didn't work--lost where I was.  So, then I just put one postanote under where I was at the time of the stitch--that worked.

But, somehow, when I'm knitting, my brain starts thinking of something totally out of context!

It's like a 'squirrel" moment every few minutes!

I've got to FOCUS! FOCUS! FOCUS!

I WILL get through these 54 rows without a mistake--well, close to being perfect!

Oh no, breaking news just popped up while I was waiting this--

Yay! We’re Knitting!!

 For days, I just sat and thought about knitting—what do I want to knit, what yarn to use, needle size—of course, all those advent projects became available December 1—okay, old gal, just choose one and begin—that’s my brain giving me a pep talk.  But, did I begin with one of those Advent ones?  Nope!  I got myself a Stephen West pattern!  

It’s four yarns of varied contrast.  I already had a skein of Knit Picks Gloss Lace yarn—ordered three other skeins!  Again, I sat and thought about knitting…….

The pattern was printed off—you need to begin somewhere and some time!  Once I got started, I was back in my happy place!  We’re knitting!! And that’s all I wanted to do when I sit in my comfy chair! 

Just knitting away until I discovered that KAL doesn't begin until December 26!  Guess I"m well ahead of schedule on that project so I'll relax and turn my attention to one of the other Advent projects.

While looking in my fiber closet for something else, I found this assortment of handspun yarns==some are plied, most are not--looks to be angora bunny, wool, linen/wool blend==yary!  this will be perfect for Tricia Weatherston's Advent Mystery infinite loop!  So glad I had the yarn on hand and can use my handspun.

As I waited for December advent knitting to begin, I cast on with this bulky cotton yarn (also found in my forgotten fiber stash)

I needed some cotton hot pads and found this easy pattern from Purl Soho— and also from Purl Soho I found a hat pattern to knit for great grandsons

Now, I just need more hands and time to accomplish all this knitting!!

Wrapped in Warmth

The other day there were falling garments from the top shelf in the closet--gee whiz!

These falling garments were all hand knit or hand woven scarves, wraps, etc.  A couple of the scarves are felted projects from a workshop, held many many moons ago!

I tried to neatly stack the pieces up on the sofa so I could browse through them.  Of course, that took some time as I relished each piece and remembered why or when I completed.

Some are hand spun fibers, others are hand dyed purchased yarns.

I found some unique shaped ones -this one is knit with handspun silk--that was alot of fun to knit!

I remember this one as I plied it with a stainless steel yarn so the scarf could be twisted and shaped to wear--that was interesting to do

Here are a couple of scarves that were woven--the blue one is dyed warp with hand spun silk weft

One on the right was a yarn that was balled and spaced dyed--great fun to do

Couple of nuno felted pieces on cloth base

Handspun cotton--blue was dyed after knitted; other one is brown handspun natural cotton

Lace is my knitting passion and it is reflected in this grouping

Another lace scarf with handspun wool/silk blend

and more of lace!

What to do with all these scarves?  There is no way I can wear them—I just enjoyed knitting over the years. 

These will be Christmas gifts--I'll offer them to the family first, then to friends.

I'd love to see someone else wearing one of my creations.