sarah

Cozy Day

February 22, 2015February 22, 2015 sarah

Hooray for snow!

I was really hoping for at least one good snow storm this winter, and here it is! ❄️⛄️❄️❄️❄️

Joe, on the other hand, claims to hate snow, rolls his eyes at my snow-induced glee, and checks every half hour to see if the snow has stopped so he can go out and start clearing it! I think maybe I shall attempt to bribe him into going on a snow-walk with me tomorrow! If he has fun (hope!) then maybe he’ll start to see that snow isn’t all bad… 😊

These cute little birds were all excited about something in our drive! They were so adorable!

By dusk, we concluded that we now have over 12″ of snow!❄️

A nice hot cup of tea and my knitting made for a very cozy afternoon!

Do do you like snow? What are your favorite ways to enjoy it?

Family

Vera

February 21, 2015February 21, 2015 sarah

My precious little niece, Vera Elisabeth, was born December 5th, 2014!

She’s just two months old now, the apple of her Mommy and Daddy’s eye, and treasured by the whole family!

Its a really good thing she’s super snuggly and loves to be held because we all adore her and are constantly waiting for our turn to hold her!

I have it on good authority that her orange Gullfoss Blanket is her favorite, which makes me so glad because whenever she is wrapped up in her blanket, she’s wrapped up in a warm loving hug from her doting Aunt Sarah! ❤️❤️❤️

Holidays

New

January 17, 2015 sarah

In this first month of the New Year, I am continually impressed with the excitement of new beginnings, and can’t help but feel that 2015 is going to be filled with adventure! Wishing each and every one of you fabulous discoveries and adventures this year, and success in every struggle you face!

Knitting

So Much to Knit, so Little Time…

January 9, 2015 sarah

I don’t know about you, but I can always find more projects that I want to knit much faster than I can actually knit them!

Here are a few recent finds that I’m adding to my queue…

The Undergrowth Hat by Mandy Powers. I just love the colorwork – and the colors used! Any contrasting colors would work great, but that teal is breathtaking! And the pattern is free!

The Glacier Gloves by Julia Mueller have such intricate cabling. I can’t wait to give them a try!

And The Gamayun Bird Shawl by Natalia Sha is truly spectacular! The feathers look so real! And I love the rainbow colors, they make me feel happy!

I have recently become obsessed with Reindeer!

Amelie-Claire’s Christmas Reindeer is beyond adorable! It’s based on the pattern for Murray The Reindeer by Dawn Toussaint. A “Murray” would make a great Christmas gift for my niece next year…

And I know several people on my Christmas 2015 Gifting List who will be getting this awesome Moose Fair Isle Hat; the pattern is by ResQCrafts! That’s right! It’s never too early to start planning for next year…

What projects are you looking forward to in 2015?

Weather

Beautiful Snowy Day

January 6, 2015 sarah

Cozy way to start the day…

Off to work! Wishing you all a lovely day! Stay safe in the snow!

Christmas, Health, Holidays

A Relaxing Walk

December 28, 2014December 29, 2014 sarah

In all the middle of the crazy hustle and bustle of Christmas and New Years, it’s easy to get stressed out and frazzled…

A nice calm walk in the woods is just the thing I needed…

These two tiny cedars are growing so close together, they look like they are dancing!

Our live Christmas tree! It’s a Colorado Blue Spruce, and I’m really looking forward to planting it and watching it grow…

… I hope you are able to find some time to relax and de-stress as well!

Wishing you and yours a wonderful, peaceful Christmas and a joyous New Year!

Family, Knitting, Weather

Snow!

November 27, 2014 sarah

First snow of the season! And before Thanksgiving too!

I started for work VERY early, wanting to be on time regardless of lovely white flakes swirling through the air…

I finally made it! In one piece (despite several scares) and on time! Perfect day to wrap up in warm woollies to keep the chill away…

The shawl is the Flambé One Skein Shawl (pattern by Michell Miller of Fickle Knitter), and the hat (above) is my Hounds Tooth Hat.

The pretty view from from my office window…

Now the hubby and I are off to be with family!

Wishing each and every one of you a wonderful and joy filled Thanksgiving!

Family, Knitting

Gullfoss Blanket for Baby

August 31, 2014 sarah

I’ve been doing alot of knitting for my little niece-to-be lately!

Just off my needles this morning is the Gulfoss Blanket by Karen S. Lauger.

I used Cascade Yarns 220 Superwash. It’s a lovely light worsted weight 100% wool that can be machine washed (on cold) and dried (on cool), so it’s perfect for baby items – warm, soft, and washable!

The color is called “Tangerine Heather,” and I love it! The brilliant orange makes me feel so happy!

You start with a nice textured seed stitch border that continues up the sides of the blanket.

There is also a very interesting horizontal stockinette stitch that functions as a second border before the cable stitch pattern starts.

The cables are really fun to knit! They are not too hard but definitely keep things interesting! They form a beautiful textured pattern on both sides of the blanket, making it reversible!

I found this post by Jaala Spiro extremely helpful because in it she teaches how to work cables without actually using a cable needle. Not having to use a cable needle is really nice because it allows you keep your rhythm flowing and unbroken.

The small markers along one side there are the wonderful antiqued brass removable stitch markers from Fringe Supply Co.;

I used them to mark each pattern repeat as I went so that it would be easy to count how many repeats I had done and how many I had left to go! This made keeping track of my progress really easy!

Now I’m off to weave in the ends and block the blanket!

What have you been working on lately? Feel free to share in the comments, we’d love to hear all about it! Have a lovely Labor Day weekend, Everyone!

Family, Knitting

Knitting for Baby

August 23, 2014 sarah

There will be a lovely new little niece joining our family circle this winter! (Joe and I absolutely love being Uncle and Aunt!)

Of course, I am totally taking advantage of this opportunity to knit lots of fun baby things – starting with this adorable bonnet, socks, and mitts set from Homespun Handknit by Linda Ligon.

It’s called the Bouncing Baby Set, pattern by Jean Scorgie. Ravelry notes here.

Isn’t it absolutely adorable!! (It’s really hard not to squeal in my head when I write/think that… 🙂

I really love the yarn – it’s Tosh Merino Light, by Madelinetosh, which means it is a 100% superwash merino wool! This makes it super soft and warm as well as washable – perfect for baby things!

I also love how its a single ply – it knits up so soft and cushy in the garter stitch… and I LOVE the color – it’s a gorgeous variegated green called “Lowland,” and it’s hand-dyed!

So, I made the little bonnet first!

The construction is really interesting. You knit it flat, shaping it with increases and decreases just two stitches in from the edge.

Then you sew the back edges together and voila! Adorable baby bonnet!

I think it looks a bit like a tulip… So cute!

And the little baby knee socks are even cuter – if that’s at all possible!

You knit them flat using short rows to shape the foot, and then sew up the bottom of the foot and back of the leg!

I think it’s so clever how they curve over the little knee area to help them stay on…

And LOOK at these tiny baby mitts! No thumbs to worry about! And the cute little ties are adjustable and removable if need be…

These are so overwhelmingly adorable that I may have to get another skein of Tosh Merino Light in another gorgeous hand-dyed color and make a second set …

One thing’s for sure: Little niece will be braving the winter in the best cute and cuddly style!

What are some of your favorite baby knits? Do you have something fabulous on the needles for a special little someone in your life right now? We’d love to hear…