31/365 January 31, 2011

A New Pair of Mittens

...just in the nick of time. That's right! I have a decent stash of yarn and I really wanted a new pair of mittens for myself. So I dug through my stash. I found a ball of Patons Chunky Tweed. The ball band is gone so I can't tell you the exact color name. I cast on the required 34 stitches right away. In no time at all, I had a new pair of ice blue mittens...right before the cold snap arrived.

I have made so many pairs of these mittens that I now have the pattern for both hands committed to memory! Usually, I knit the right mitten first. Then I start on the left mitten. Once I have the left mitten started, I keep the right mitten near me. When someone sees my work in progress, they get excited and ask, "Are you knitting mittens?" I giggle a bit and answer, "Yes!" The next question is usually, "Can I try it on?"

There really is something quite magical about a hand-knit mitten. And they feel so good on your hands....even if they are made of plain ol' acrylic.

30/365 January 30, 2011

A Perfect Morning...

...a big cuppa Joe and a project on my needles!

29/365 January 29, 2011

Beautiful Bride To-Be

They grow up so darned fast. It seems like only yesterday I walked her into her Kindergarten classroom....and now she has met the man with whom she wants to spend the rest of her life. How is this possible??

We walked into the bridal gown showroom. I knew what to expect. I have been inside one or two dress shops in my time. Yes! I think it is safe to say there were MILES of satin. There were many pounds of lace, beads and sequins, too. Amanda put her name on the list to be sure she would have a fitting room where she could try on a few dresses. Amanda's future mother-in-law, Deb was there and so was Kaitlyn. Kaitlyn is going to stand as Amanda's maid of honor.

We started shuffling around the showroom looking for ideas when it hit me! My little Amanda is going to wear a dress like this and be a bride then become a wife! At that point, the tears were unstoppable. Kaitlyn teased me about it, of course.

This was truly a monumental day for me....and for my daughters.

28/365 January 28, 2011

Rose Rocks!

I met Rose a little over a year ago because of our common passion for knitting. We became good friends quickly! I love her sense of humor, her creativity and her warm personality. Every once in a while, you can hear an accent. She used to live in Bahwstun.

We did a little shopping today. Of course Michael's was the place! She and I love to craft with any medium...so this visit to Michael's makes perfect sense, right? Well that and my older daughter is getting married really soon and needed help picking out a few things. As we were perusing the scrapbooking supplies, Rose pulled this tool from the peg and said, "Hey! This is ME!"

The conversation that followed went something like this:

I asked, "What is it?"

She told me. "It's an I-Rock!"

I told her. "An Iroc?!? That's a car, Rose!"

She laughed and said, "No, I'm pretty sure it's me...cuz....I ROCK!"

Wow! Did I feel slow then!!

Yes, Rose! You DO rock! I love you!

I hope your birthday was wonderful!

27/365 January 27, 2011

The Q Train

I remember painting this little train for Quincy when he was a wee babe. I knew the caboose just had to be red. So I assigned colors to the individual letter cars in reverse order so we could have a Little Red Caboose at the end of our train. My temptation was to put it up on a shelf so it wouldn't get broken or lost. My dad advised that I needed to let Quincy play with this train so he could have memories of playing with it. I decided my dad was right. Quincy loves this toy train. I am glad there are chips in the paint and a wheel is missing. It will definitely make the story of the train much richer when Quincy is ready to share it. Good advice, Dad!

26/365 January 26, 2011

A Dozen Eggs

25/365 January 25, 2011

Hearts Galore!

What you can't see is the handle on the pink mug is a heart, too!