Yarn Along

Hello! Happy Wednesday.

I finished up my second Earlyrising hat. This one was for Chase.

I still need a photo of my dad and Chase together with their matching hats.

This was knitted with the farm blend yarn from the brown alpacas.

It's super warm and soft! A fun cabled hat that looks good on everyone.

I am determined to finish this sweater!!!!!!

It's the Olive Basket Cardigan by Amy Miller.

I started it last summer and it's just waiting for the last sleeve to be knitted.

Why oh why do I hate sleeves so much?? Chase was sick the past few days so I was able to get some good knitting time in. I am almost done. Looking forward to this spring cardigan.

And this doesn't show it well, but that little project bag is from Seashore Sharon.

It's so cute! I'll promise to take a better picture. She goes to thrift stores and buys wool sweaters, felts them and then sews them into super cute project bags. She gifted one to me. Thank you Sharon!!!!

I haven't read much this week. Still reading A Little Life. It's a looooooong one!

What are you knitting and reading?

joining in with Ginny at Small Things.

Hi Nan

Hi Nan!

Nan is my grandmother. She spends most of the year in Florida. When she and my grandfather are "home" they are a few miles away in Manasquan. But from fall to spring, they're snowbirds.

Anyway, now that I'm a full time working gal, it's hard to make phone calls to say hi to people. By the time I get home, the house is full of busy kids, meals to prepare and what not.

Nan doesn't text, so that's out...she does however read my blog.

So hi Nan! I have a question for you. I have been admiring this cross stitch for over a year and I know that I won't get around to it. If your wrist and hand still allow you to cross stitch can I beg you to make this for me? I'll buy the kit and mail it to you. Pretty please?????

For those of you that know my grandmother, she is a counted cross stitch pro and amazing quilter. Her stitches are perfect and meticulous. I did not get this trait from her!!! I'm a bit of a mess and sloppy with my quilting and embroidery, but I do love doing it. Just don't have as much time as I would like these days. 

So, Nan, what do you say???

This is an Alicia Paulson embroidery kit.

Link here: Winterwoods ABCs

Yarn Along for an Early Riser

I have two early risers in my life. My son, Chase and my dad. They wake very early in the morning and are ready to start the day HOURS before the rest of the world. I think of myself as a morning person in general, but more of an 8 am kind of morning. After coffee and the news kind of morning person. So when I saw this hat pop up I knew just who I would make it for. 

Pattern name: Earlyrising by Annie Rowden

Here's the adult large version that is on my needles.

A smaller one is next. Knitting with farm yarn, the brown blend from the herd.

Annie is running a knit along with this hat pattern so you can join in on her Ravelry group page.

KAL link here.

I am still reading A Little Life.

I am still enjoying it. About half way through the almost 800 page book. 

Joining Ginny today for the Yarn Along. What are you knitting and reading these days?

Recipes

I have been trying some new recipes lately and we've had some major winners! So good that they were handwritten into my cookbook. Only the best make it to the cookbook. (I should really take a picture of that book. It was my prize for my winning cookie recipe in 4th grade girl scouts. It's falling apart but it holds my best recipes)

Anyway, here's one that we devoured. It's a Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole.

I made it last night and served it with texas toast garlic bread. I doubled the recipe for my family and I used a lasagna size pan for the baking part.YUM.

Here's the recipe link.

Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole

Another winner is this Chicken Pot Pie

I made it with just a crust on top but it would be yummy with the crust on the bottom too.

I also did an egg wash on top of the crust.

And the other new one was this Chicken Wild Rice Soup.

I substituted the rice for the Uncle Bens orange box and seasoning packet.

This was so good. Perfect for a cold day or night.

Do you have any favorite recipes you would like to share? I'm always up for trying something new.

Purple Debbie...I'm looking at you!!! :)

Brown

"Mom, does my hat match my eyes?"

Yes, Chase. My only brown eyed baby :)

Frozen

Hey fellow frozen people. Holy cow it's cold out today! And the news says it's going to be even colder in the next few days. But no worries, a warm up will appear next week. For now I will bundle myself in alpaca socks, hand knits and drink a lot of hot coffee.

The alpacas don't seem phased at all. They were out in the fields this morning. I guess it helps to have your own alpaca suit attached to your body. I was worried about the chickens, but when I woke up at 6 am, I looked outside and there they were, all in the outside pen. They seem happy. Crazy ladies.

So...I have a dilemma. A big one. A tragic one!!!!

I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO KNIT!!!! Oh the horror.

I am not in the mood to knit another sweater. I'm not a fan of sock knitting unless it's baseball season.

I just made a beautiful big shawl. I finished up a pretty cowl. I knit my sister a hat.

I feel like learning something new. But not something that will make my brain hurt.

I have my eye on a hat. This hat.

Maybe in farm yarn. I see it as a good hat for a man or a woman.

A good utilitarian hat that will keep someone super warm.

So, if you are a knitter and have any project ideas for me, share! Would love to know a favorite project you have made lately.

Stay warm!!!!!!!!!

Yarn Along

Over the weekend I knitted away on my Starshower Cowl.

I used my cormo/cotton yarn from Woolful. It has a linen feel.

For a small item, it was a lot of knitting. A fancy stitch where you have to slip a stitch over a few stitches every row for a while. I liked knitting it because it kept my attention. I was never bored!

My revelry page link here.

I am reading A Little Life. I took it to work with me today to read on my lunch hour.

I had been told that there are parts that will make you sob. Well, 175 pages in and I had not hit that point. Then while I was at work, you guessed it. I hit a really tough part.

I'm really liking it so far. It's not a book for everyone. Long, very character detailed. My kind of book. Reminds me in a way of The Goldfinch. Has a similar feel.

Joining with Ginny for the Yarn Along.