Orange you Glad it's Wednesday?

When I was teaching, I was always thankful when Wednesday rolled around. In our school district, the students leave on Wednesdays at noon giving the teachers and staff planning time. It was also a fun time to get together with my colleagues and go out to lunch. I do miss the comaraderie of being with my fellow teachers... I also looked forward to Wednesdays because it meant that the work week was more than half over! (Even though I enjoyed teaching, I always appreciated a good weekend break).

Last Wednesday when my husband, Matthew and I were wandering around our little main street, I stepped into the local library and picked up the book, Victorian Christmas Crafts by Barbara Bruno. I have to say that I thought it looked a little cheesy at first, but it's loaded with fun, hands-on activities for both adults and children. One craft idea that I decided to try was that of making a Pomander ball. If you google it, there are tons of how-to sites, but here's what I did:
1. Press whole cloves all over an orange, no less than 1/4 inch apart.
2. Sprinkle with cinnamon to help fight off decay (and add an additional pleasant scent!)
3. Leave in a dry, warm place for 2-3 weeks.
Mine have only been drying for about one week, and the house smells great. I may have to keep one for myself. :)





I've also finished one of many gift knits/craft projects for Christmas. I actually started this scarf a couple of months ago and just needed to work a couple more inches and then block. I'm thankful I had a head-start for this one!





Pattern: Noemi by Norah Gaughan
Source: Norah Gaughan: Vol 1 (Berrocco)
Yarn: Blue Sky Alpacas' Alpaca & Silk; I used just over one skein

I'll eventually have more details up on Ravelry, but this was a fun little lace project to do. As my husband pointed out, it's not a very warm scarf, but as I pointed out to him, it's more of a decorative accessory!

P.s. I meant to post this last night, but I'm been having a lot of problems with Blogger lately. Anyone else having difficulties???

Mashed Potatoes

You Are Mashed Potatoes

Ordinary, comforting, and more than a little predictable You're the glue that holds everyone together.

What Part of Thanksgiving Are You?

I thought this was a fun, little Thanksgiving quiz to share. It really does describe me even if I'm not crazy about the "more than a little predictable" part. I do love mashed potatoes, though! Yum!

Close to two months ago I agreed to knit a Lucy Bag for a friend. I have made three before, and they all took me about two weeks NOT two months. Well, life happens, especially with a toddler and the ups and downs of first trimester pregnancy. I am happy that it's now complete and I can move on to Christmas knitting without any feelings of guilt. :)

A Few Little Pick-Me-Ups

Not that I have been necessarily "down" in spirit, but I did need something to change the pace a bit in my knitting world. I had picked up Knitting for Baby and couldn't wait to start on these adorable little booties. I just didn't have any yarn in my stash that I wanted to use for the project. On Saturday one of my friends and I had a "girls only" day in Santa Fe, and I discovered a new yarn shop right off the plaza. It's called Tutto, and I found the employees helpful and friendly. I highly recommend the shop if you're ever in Santa Fe (it's by the Blue Corn Cafe). The pattern for these booties is in the book, but a very similar pattern can also be found here for free. I used Koigu Painter's Palette Premium Merino (one skein will make two pairs), and I can't wait to use it again for a Baby Surprise Jacket. :)
The past week I've started reading the Little House series again. I haven't read these books since probably middle school, and I just love them! I enjoy the simplicity, adventure, and love of family as depicted through Laura's eyes. It's also interesting reading them from an adult perspective. There are definitely terms and that are not politically correct, as well as prejudices and stereotypes. I wonder if the most current editions have been edited? From a teaching perspective, I hope not, as I believe it could be a powerful conversational tool between parents/teachers and children. Anyway, I'm enjoying reading these books again, and they take me back to my own childhood (I've always wanted to try pouring hot molasses or maple syrup into a pan of snow to make candy. I wonder if it really works?)

So, what's on your reading lists?

Another Way to Use Wool

This Sunday has been particularly relaxing, especially in comparison with this past week. My husband's side of the family has been going through some difficult transitions, Halloween was hectic as usual, and Matthew's sleep habits have been less than ideal. But right now I have a pot roast cooking, Matthew's sleeping, and I have some time to write about what I've been up to in the crafting world--a subject that always makes me smile. :)

Lately I've been really interested in needle-felting, a craft that I had never tried before. After looking at all the beautiful and adorable examples on Etsy, I decided to bite the bullet and purchase a kit. I ended up purchasing the Waldorf Wool Maiden Kit from Sage Dream Design (Amy was delightful to do business with, had VERY fast shipping, and was quite generous with the amount of roving included in the kit). I received the kit last Saturday and spent every spare minute I had over the weekend working on the doll. I had SO much fun, and it took me back to my corn-husk doll making days in early elementary school. I learned a lot from the instructions, but my favorite part was embellishing the dress and making her my own. I also made a little pumpkin from the leftovers.

During my search for needle-felting ideas, I came across the magazine, Living Crafts. I highly recommend this magazine to any craft-lover, but it especially seemed to be focused on making crafts for and with children. I found it at Borders, but the magazine's website has a list of retailers. The fall issue that I picked up had a number of needle-felting projects including a family of hedgehogs (complete with a story to tell your children) and a pumpkin house. I didn't have enough orange roving for a pumpkin house, but did manage to make a little hedgehog.

I am excited to purchase more roving and experiment with new projects!

Halloween was basically a bust with Pat coaching a game, me working, and Matthew only making it to one house before throwing himself on the sidewalk in tears. I have not been able to snap a pic of him in his bear costume yet, but in keeping with the political climate I thought I'd share with you this picture I took at the local pumpkin glow.

By the way, we made it a famiy event and voted yesterday. I am happy to say that I exercised one of my rights and duties to this country (plus I don't have to deal with the crowds on Tuesday!). Have a terrific rest of your weekends!

Surprise!

There's going to be a new little addition in our family come spring, and I'm excited to finally be able to share the news! I'm now fourteen weeks pregnant, and we have been blessed with how smoothly this pregnancy has gone so far. Yes, there has been plenty of nausea and exhaustion, but many fewer complication than my previous pregnancy.

I'm starting to have an appetite again, and my energy is returning, so hopefully I'll start to be a bit more productive. Matthew has been such a trooper when Mommy just wants to lie on the sofa most of the day...

Speaking of Matthew, he's still nursing and still sleeps in our bed at night. We'd like him to be weaned and in his crib by the time the baby comes (he starts out in his crib; he just comes in our bed in the middle of the night). Any suggestions are welcome!

Bonjour!

Last week I finished knitting a new hat for Matthew. The weather is cooler now, and he has outgrown all of his hats from last year. I wanted to make something a little different, so I thought a beret was in order. My husband's side of the family is French-Canadian, so the beret (kind of) fits with Matthew's heritage and definitely our last name. When we went to the park he was so busy playing and having fun with Mommy, Daddy and the dogs that he didn't even think to take it off...or maybe he just liked it that much. :)

Pattern: Pompon Beret

Source: Simply Baby by Debbie Bliss

Yarn: Cashmerino Aran in Navy and Stone

Notes: this hat was knit flat, then sewn using a mattress stitch. It was a quick knit, and the yarn, though pricey, was very soft.

While I was in Santa Fe last week picking up yarn for this hat, I also picked up the premiere issue of Debbie Bliss's knitting magazine. I've always been a fan of her patterns, but her yarn is just so darn expensive! I still do use it for small, or very special, projects, but I'm interested in checking out Ravelry to find what others are doing for yarn substitutions. Just one more reason I love Ravelry!

Tonight they're calling for a bit of snow here in northern New Mexico, but I don't want to get my hopes up--I can't wait to see the white stuff!

There is only one oak tree that I know of in our neighborhood, and everytime I pass it, I just have to pick up a couple of acorns. To me, they are a symbol of fall. As a child, almost every fall-themed book, poster, commercial, or magazine I saw almost always depicted a picture of a squirrel with an acorn surrounded by fallen leaves. I lived in the Phoenix area until I was eight, then the high desert of New Mexico until I was eleven, so even today an acorn is something special. (By the way, the tree is on public property, so I'm only stealing from the wildlife...which is why I only pick up a few). :)
I decided that our dining table needed a little fall facial, so I made a very simple table runner out of some fat quarters I bought on sale a while back. It is lined with flannel instead of interfacing, a tip I find very useful from Bend the Rules Sewing. The mums were a gift from my very thoughtful aunt, and they compliment the runner perfectly.Last weekend my husband humored me by agreeing to go to the annual Taos Wool Festival in beautiful Taos, New Mexico. The sun was shining, but it was cool enough for Matthew to wear the sweater I made him over the summer. When you're among fiber lovers, you have to show off just a little! While I oohed and aahed over the yarn, DH and son watched a sheep shearing, observed the sheep, goats, and alpacas, and literally ran all over Kit Carson park. It was a good day for all of us. Unfortunately, my camera ran out of batteries just after we arrived at the festival, so this is the best I've got. P.s. Matthew didn't drink all of the soda!