Knitting again...

~knitting around and around~

About 8 months ago I started this sweater for Ben. (Knitting Pure & Simple, Hooded Tunic). I was off to a good start, had divided for the sleeves, and was at the point where I needed to knit around and around for about 9 inches. This is where I lost my knitting mojo. About 7 months ago, I put it down. I didn't knit a stitch on that sweater or anything else for 7 months! I was worried that perhaps I would never feel like knitting again. Last week, while I was home with a injured Mia, my friend Amanda stopped by. She is a knitting fanatic and of course had her knitting with her. As we sat drinking tea and I watched her knit, I thought, jeesh, I feel like knitting again! So, I dug out the sweater, and am back on the knitting wagon!

The yarn is very special, my friend Kate gave me about 8 skeins of it! It is natural undyed sheep wool. It smells sheepy in fact. When her knitty grandmother passed away, Kate inherited a ton of this yarn. It feels special to be making a sweater with it for my son, and when Kate has children, I'll send it along her way (in Alaska!).

I even casted on for a little LTK pilot cap for my friend's daughter's second birthday. The yarn is Malabrigo twisted in grape. Truly Malabrigo is the most delicious yarn. I can't wait to see little Maya in it!

Night Four...

Tonight's meal was local polish sausage, carrots & broccoli in a cider vinegar-mustard sauce over whole wheat couscous...tasty. I used up my half-box of couscous, carrots and officially I am out of broccoli until next summer!

I even made cookies from the pantry (and used up a half container of 5 grain oats that no one "liked" for breakfasts)...as cookies with maple syrup & honey they are delicious! The recipe was on the box...I added chopped pecans leftover from a New Year's appetizer I made....oh how thrifty I am!

I also made a pair of mittens for myself...with left over yarn from the hat I made for Luke for Christmas! I love that!

~the frugal factor was brought down by the buttons...but I love them! Pattern on ravelry: "twinkle mittens."~

Dinner One...

On tonight's menu of frugal eating we had Carrot Soup, baguette and brie. Yummmm. In the colder months we always eat soup on Monday nights. Sometimes I make a double batch to freeze. The carrot soup recipe is from my french host mother: Evelyne. I learned so much during my study abroad (so soooo much), one thing I learned was an appreciation for french food. Eveylne cooked nightly, and we usually ate a smaller dinner (if you call at least 3 courses small) that often was soup. I made sure to take some of my favorite recipes with me when I left. I've been making this soup for nearly 10 years now (gasp!)...it lends itself to many variations and is always soul-warming.

So here it is....French Carrot Soup

6 (ish) carrots, chopped

1 potato, peeled and chopped

1 onion, chopped

2 T butter

2 T tomato paste

1 t sugar

6 cups veggie stock

Simmer all together in your favorite dutch oven (however did I live without my Le Creuset???) for about an hour. Puree (I use a stick immersion blender--super easy) and season with salt and pepper to taste....add a little milk, cream or yogurt if you are so inclined...enjoy.

~Tonight's dinner simmering on the stove! I collect red Le Creuset!)

~Setting the dinner table...my children each received an enameled place-setting from Nova Natural for christmas...I just love them & so do Mia and Benj. ~

On a separate note, I finished Mia's Gnome Hood....it is so adorable. I must make one for Benjamin as well. As a rather gnome-prone kind of gal, this is simply squeal worthy.

~Mia loves her new Gnome Hood!~

I went to the grocery store and wound up spending $21. In addition to coffee, milk and tea, I also bought butter, yogurt and clementines. Tom also picked up some eggs from a coworker lucky enough to have chickens. This is such a fun way to remember the summer bounty and take a little break from buying at the big grocery store. Happy Monday!

wip (it good) wednesday!

It is still wednesday right? Ah, good...I'm in time for a little wip post. Still knitting here...working on a dk weight cabled...(yes cabled! I did it--it is easy-peasy! Now what was I so afraid of???) beret for my sister...and a fun hood for Mia made with leftover beautiful Dream in Color merino from her Christmas sweater...I plan on one for Benj too...

~On my needles...~

I recently finished up a new little LTK pilot cap for Benj....my first foray into the lusciousness that is Malabrigo! I also picked some beautiful "grape" for a LTK pilot cap for Mia. Malabrigo--where have you been all my life? I love it...so soft, such beautiful colors...I just wish it was a bit easier for me to get my hands on...although my wallet probably doesn't mind! Happy Knitting!

Vacation!

Oh what a glorious vacation...but all good things must come to an end. Back to school tomorrow! Back to our rhythms and routines...back to waking up before the sun---**sigh.**

We spend our vacation celebrating and enjoying eachother's company. There was plenty of knitting...

~Manos del Uraguay silk-merino blend beret on the needles for Auntie.~

Enjoying new gifts, such as Bella & a new Mama-made Christmas sweater...

~Knitting details: Dream in Color merino in Lunar Dazzle colorway....Knitting Pure & Simple pattern (of course!) ~

A special trip to the Children's Museum with special friends (with a side trip to a yummy yarn store with KJ for Mama!!!)...

~Benji loooooved the train table.~

~Mia and Emmerson played so well together.~

We've been enjoying the lovely wintery weather with plenty of sledding in the yard and snuggling in the house. I hope I don't have too big a case of the Mondays tomorrow!

Belle's New Hat

Once Belle (Mia's new Waldorf doll) joined our home, Mia asked for a new hat for her...I was excited to oblige and try my hand at adapting my favorite LTK pilot cap for a much smaller head...I think it turned out darling...and Mia (& Belle) are happy.

~left over yarn from a sweater I made last spring for Mia...~

~Modeled by Baby Benjamin, because Belle is in the arms of a sleeping Mia!~

~Just because....a quick shot of cuteness!~

I'll be trying my hand at a few more projects for Belle...Mia declared she just "neeeeeeds" a new dress. It is fun because the projects go quickly for such a small recipient!

wip (it good) wednesday!

Speaking of works in progress...I made 2 little wip bags for my knitty friend Jen for her birthday. I could use a few of these myself!

So....I thought I might be able to pull off this sweater in a week, well...that was a wee bit too ambitious...as you can see, I'm still knitting round and round to complete the body (and round and round) let's see if I can do it in 2 weeks, shall we???
It does look mighty cute though (mr. Gnome thinks so!)

So much knitting to do!!!

wip (it good) wednesday!

Oh the knitting that must go on before Christmas! On my needles right now...a hat for Luke, and a sweater for Mia. I have a made quite a few of both of these patterns. I love the Knitting Pure & Simple rollneck sweater. That pattern was the first thing I ever knitted, finishing it in over 6 weeks, for Benji! I have since made 2 others...and in a lot less than 6 weeks! I am still no "speed-knitter" I like to take my time. However, I think I can pull this one off in a week, and then cast on for Benji's sweater next. On the docket are a lot of little projects for my Handmade Christmas...I love giving gifts that are handmade! So special...

On a different note...I came upon this little set up the other evening after Mia had gone to sleep...I can only imagine her story behind it! I just had to take a picture.

Happy Martinmas friends...I'll post about our Lynch Family celebration tomorrow. For now we are off to deliver food to the local food bank, and then for a romp in Grammie & Poppie's woods in search of the perfect lantern stick!

This & That...

A little finished knitting project...it looks super cute on Mia...I can't wait to snap a shot of her in it!

A little Benji cuteness...we had a sunday morning to ourselves, just mama and her boy!
And a tried and true Play Dough recipe:

Mix in a medium pot:

1 cup flour

1/2 cup salt

2 T cream of tartar

add 1 cup water and food coloring if you desire

stir over medium heat...it will look like a globby mess, but keep stirring it turns out great. Trust me, I've been either playing with it or making it for 30 years (ok, I might have taken my teens and early 20s off, maybe!)

Make sure it is not too hot before little hands touch it--but playing with it warm is great! Store it in an airtight container in the fridge--it lasts around 2 weeks.

Enjoy friends!

Knitting & Home Love

I have mentioned my new chore wheel...here is a quick shot of the kids playing with playdough. I made it from scratch using the same recipe from Feed Me I'm Yours. Using my Mother's copy of the book & I also have my mother-in-law's copy. It was all the rage apparently in the late seventies! Anyways...if you don't make your own playdough--you should! It is so easy & cheap & fun for the kids. They love to play with it while it is still warm....I loved that too.

Oh and here is the wheel...I need to adjust it a bit though already...so there is more "coloring" in my future...I love to color with beeswax crayons...it smells like honey!
My friend Jen just wrote a great post about how much she loves knitting...she must have read my mind...because I was thinking the same thing! Yesterday we discovered that Benji didn't have any mittens...and so I made one last night and will make another today! (first on left below) How great is that? I love the utilitarian aspect of knitting. I made something my son needs to keep him warm. I also love small yarn stores...I hit up a favorite yesterday and left with tweedy green (2nd from left below) for a sweater for Benji, Manos del Uraguay silk & merino for a hat for my sister (3rd from left below) and the most gorgeous Dream In Color yarn in Lunar for a sweater for Mia (4th from left below). I am positively giddy about that last yarn. It is so so so beautiful.
I also finished up the sweater-vest for Benjamin. He looks very handsome in it!
PS-isn't the hanger with Benjamin Bunny just too cute--a second hand find for $1--I couldn't resist!

Off to drink coffee and finish Benji's second mitten. Happy Sunday friends!

wip (it good) wednesday!

Ahhh, the wip wednesday post. I love it! I like to take stock of what I've got going on & what I've finished. I have made a pair & 1/2 of mittens as christmas presents...and have more to make. I do have some other projects brewing...but for now, I've got 2 knitting projects that I'm focusing on.

I am making another Knitting Pure & Simple sweater for Mia. This time a shrug in a beautiful raspberry color to add extra warmth to dresses at school. The yarn is NH handspun & dyed that I got at the Shaker Village Harvest Day.

~I just cast on last night...but am certain it will knit up quickly!~

The second project I featured at last week's wip wednesday post. I also got the yarn at Shaker Village. It just dried from blocking & now I have to find a suitable zipper & sew it in! I think Benji is going to look so cute...

So that's what is going on in my neck of the woods....I have a sad "frogging" to do soon...I'll save that story for another day!

Sandwich Fair!

Yesterday we did our annual Sandwich Fair Day! Tom came home late the night before, so we were a bit tired! The weather was gorgeous...I was happy to put the sweaters I made for my children as Equinox presents on them...plus warm woolies underneath, and with fleece-lined jeans, their sensitive systems were well protected. We had been pushing it (emotionally and physically) as a family the past few days, so after a just a few hours at the Fair, we called it a day and hiked back to the car with babes-in-arms...I was happy to have my husband home again to help lug those kids...they are getting so big! We got home and napped until a lovely dinner at my parent's house. Here are some highlights of our time:

~I love this picture of Tom and the children walking to the fair.~

~Sharing an icecream~

~I mean it! Actually sharing an icecream...I love my kids!~

Knitting notes (knotes?) : Those are the Knitting Pure & Simple top down cardigans in vermont o-wool. Benji is wearing a matching LTK pilot cap, and Mia is wearing a malbrigo hat made by my dear friend Kate (thanks Kate!)!

wip (it good) wednesday!

After finally completing a project that took months and months...I cast on for a project that can be down in a matter of hours! Chunky mittens...christmas is coming you know!

So while I sat at the dining room table and whipped up mittens...my children played "ice cream for sale" under the table. I couldn't resist snapping a shot of them too!
Mia was talking about friends...and she said, "I'm lucky because I have a friend who is always around." and then she pointed to Benji. Ahhhh....that kind of stuff does a heart good.

Happy Feet!

Finally done...

wip (it good) wednesday!

I've been a busy little bee...knitting & cooking...cleaning & celebrating. I love fall! I feel so industrious getting ready for winter! So, I picked up a project that had fallen to the bottom of my knitting basket. Last winter I made my first sock...I never made the second (darn you second foot!) As the weather got warm I had no need for merino wool socks...but lately, well I've been needing my slippers...and soon enough, I 'll be grateful for two socks.