WINTRY KNITTING

Sure do hope you all are keeping warm. Boy, is it cold. Highs have been in the 20's. Here in Tennessee that's plenty cold. Now we are under a Winter Storm Warning for Thursday and Friday and expecting...dum de dum dum...SNOW!!! As many of you know, I crave a good snowy day which we haven't had in a long, long time. They are forecasting 1.5--3" of the white stuff for Weds. nite and Thursday. I won't hold my breath, but I'll keep my fingers crossed. (Now that's a mental picture!)

Meanwhile, I am busy knitting away on a sweater for myself. I do a lot of charity knitting and I knit for family members , but I've really been in the mood to do something for myself. This particular sweater is a cardigan and made of a beautiful tweed yarn. Thank goodness, my hands are cooperating with me recently. My arthritis is haunting my knee at the moment, so I'll settle for that.
Here's a close-up (slightly out of focus) of the tweed-y aspect of the yarn.

I will let you know how much progress I make on the sweater and if the snow materializes.

Meanwhile, join me in a cup of hot tea. Nerm

UNDER THE WEATHER

Sorry I haven't been around this week-I've been under the weather. Finally caught the nasty cold my whole extended family has had for a month. And I thought I was the lucky one! But today I feel ever so much better, so I wanted to say hi. Can you believe that Christmas Day is a mere three weeks away? This is no time to be out of commission. heavy sigh.

Even tho' I've been on the couch all week, I have had plenty of time to crochet and knit some goodies for Christmas. Here are some little ornaments. These were all done in Lily cotton yarn. Love that stuff. The ornament shaped ones came from here.


I made up the tree shape and the little dress. Isn't it cute? It'll be for one of my granddaughters.

Next you can see I've been making dishcloths. These are so wonderful to wash dishes with or even used as washcloths to bathe with. The red/cream one is crochet; the green is knitted. I like the pine tree design. I'm working on a yellow one with a star in the center. Fun, fun.

I hope you are all staying well and proceeding toward your Christmas plans with no obstacles.

Tomorrow I'm hoping to get some decorations up. Nerm

LET THE GAMES BEGIN!

Hi everybody--hope your Thanksgiving was wonderful and you are full and happy. Ours was very low key this year with only nine family members. But the turkey and fixings were all there and I think there are still a few lingering in the fridge.

If you'll remember a few posts back, I mentioned my niece was having a baby and I made the sailboat baby blanket for her. I decided to add a little hat to match. It's always hard to remember how tiny newborns really are. Can't wait to hold this one. Picked up these tiny socks at the Target $1.00 aisle. How cute are they?
On Friday daughter Wendy had to work, so I kept Morgan all day. We had lots of fun. Joined up with middle daughter Amy and her girls and went shopping. Something I said I wouldn't do. But she got to see her cousins and I got some time to visit with Amy. We had a big day and Morgan slept all the way home.

Hubby and I are having a quiet Sunday afternoon watching football-our Tenn. Titans are playing Arizona and it's a close game. So I'll get back to it and we'll talk later. Tomorrow I've got to hit the ground running. Christmas is hurtling toward me with lightning speed. Nerm

KNITTING & FOOTBALL

How's it going out there, fellow blogmates? We are now officially a week into the new year and all the celebrations are past. I'm slogging (is that a word?) thru all my post-holiday clutter busting. I'm really itching to sew, but won't let myself until all is fairly tidy again. I'll tackle my bedroom tomorrow. I have actually accomplished quite a bit this week. The dining room is shining which sure lifts my spirits. Many times it seems what should be a reasonable chore turns into more than I can finish in one day. Drat the ole arthritis! But my favorite saying is, "chip, chip, chip".

I am trying to knit this tea cozy for a friend who requested it. She a good friend and her mother passed away a couple of years ago. Her Mum was from Britain and always used a tea cozy like this. The one Lyn has now is worn and ravelling, so I told her I'd make her one. After all, I've been knitting since high school and have made lots of items.
But, this one may break me yet. The ripples or tucks are so difficult to handle-it's knitting two rows folded together and stitched. I need more fingers. Here's what I've come up with so far.

Has anyone out there ever made something similiar to this pattern? I will gladly take any helpful hints or pointers.

On a happier note, our Tennessee Titans football team is in the Playoffs. Tomorrow they play the Baltimore Ravens here in Nashville.

It's great they have the home field advantage. The Ravens are a big rival and a lot is at stake. We are ranked #1 in the southeast conference, but have not received much respect from sportswriters and broadcasters. We'll see what they say when we go to the Super Bowl! Hubby and I will certainly be glued to TV tomorrow watching this game. It's supposed to be cold and rainy-ugh. Go Titans!

Have a great weekend, friends, and we'll chat later. Nerm

SEAT WORK

Remember in school, when the teacher gave you seat work? You were supposed to sit quietly and do worksheets or questions or usually something boring? Well, as I am recuperating, I've been doing my fair share of seat work. Some is not finished, so I can't show you yet, but here are two of my endeavors so far.
I saw this Swiffer cover on a web site and thought how neat it was. It's made of Lily Brand's Sugar n Cream cotton yarn. Just put it on the Swiffer and dust or mop and toss it in the wash when you're done. No more buying refills and throwing them away. How Green can you get!

If you're interested in making your own go to sheep of a different color and click on patterns. They have instructions for knit and crochet. This one is knitted. I plan to make several more because they are so fast and easy.

Here's another baby blanket for the Weecare program at church for the indigent mothers. The colors aren't showing up very pretty, but its, pink, lavendar and white. Very soft.

This cutie is youngest grandchild, Morgan, who came to visit yesterday. She's very intent on watching Dora the Explorer. Isn't she sweet? She's all cuddled up in a quilt and cozy as can be.

And finally ... for those who say dogs and cats don't get along, take a gander at this! Boomer, my shih tzu and Lily, the cat all curled up in one bed for a long winter's nap. How cute is that?

I am going to try to start posting more regularly now that I'm feeling so much better. Hope your week is great and full of blessings. Nerm

Meet Mitzy

Hope everyone is fine tonight. I finally finished knitting my kitty. I named her Mitzy and I know she is just a little different, but I hope you all are open-minded and non-judgmental. ha

I will put her on Etsy as soon as I can figure out how that works. I am really advancing in this technical stuff. Never thought I had it in me!

I love knitting and crocheting animals. I have made many for my grandchildren (much better than this ). I've done an alligator, bunnies, cats, bears, a monkey and more. Fun, fun.

My reorganization in the "sewing" room is going great guns. I might even take a photo to share with you when I'm done. I will be so proud! Have a good night.