YARN ALONG

We act as though comfort
 and luxury were the chief
 requirements in life,
when all we need to
make us really happy
is something to be
enthusiastic about.

  ~Charles Kingsley

Two of my favorite things are knitting and reading, and the evidence of this often shows up in my photographs. I love seeing what other people are knitting and reading as well. So, what are you knitting or crocheting right now? What are you reading? Joining with Ginny for this week's Yarn Along.

I have been having
the happiest of days
knitting on my Abigail
and by the time dusk
falls I hope to be have
the body complete and
adding the ribbing! Since
the purl side of the cardi
is what shows I have learned
to slow down and really
look at my work as purling
is something I still have
a little trouble with, my
tension can get a little
wonky sometimes.
While it is not perfect, I
am still very happy
with how the cardi looks
and I can't wait to wear it. 
I would love to cast on
another one, this time with
the knit stitch as the outer
stitch and in the color buoy,
I think it would make a
lovely summer cardigan,
but first I need to finish this
one.

I bought the Kindle
version of the book
An Everlasting Meal
and now have a hard
copy in my cart because
I need to hold this book,
flip the pages back and
forth, savor the words
Tamar Adler has written.
Modeled after How to Cook a Wolf
by M.F.K. Fisher, Tamar
inspires you to think about the
food you are preparing, to
not be wasteful, to realize
that good meals don't have
to be complicated. To me
the book is a love story
about food and as someone
who loves all things related
to food I'm loving each
word.

WEEKENDING

Anyone can carry his burden,
 however hard, until nightfall.
 Anyone can do his work,
 however hard, for one day.
 Anyone can live sweetly,
patiently, lovingly, purely,
till the sun goes down.
 And this is all life really
 means.

~Robert Louis Stevenson

 weekending, my favorite part of the week. a time to relax, live, love, just to be. if you'd like to share your weekend either with words, photographs, or both, leave a link to a weekend post in the comments. Joining up with Amanda.

1. Spent a few hours in the local hardware store and can't wait to go back,
    it was a great experience and they carry everything!

2. Loving this. The only change I made was to serve it on spinach.

3. Trying to adjust going from 83 degrees to 60 degrees in just two days.

4. Using a Neti Pot for the first time and hoping it helps with what is already
    shaping up to be a horrid allergy season.

5. Finally got to watch my all time favorite episode on The Lucy-Desi show.
    I'm not sure why 'they' never air it, it's great, Darling!

6. Wondering about cutting half my hair off as 25 inches maybe too long for
    someone my age. What do you think?

7. There has been lots of knitting, knitting, knitting , but that's okay, I
    admit I have a slight addiction.

8. Spent an enjoyable hour talking on the phone with a friend and it was a
    nice.

9.  Drank about a gallon of my new favorite tea.

10. Enjoying all these moments in my days that make up a life!

THIS MOMENT

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Joining with SouleMama. xx

AND THE ANSWER IS....

“I like nonsense,  it wakes up the brain cells.   Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, It's  a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope. Which is what I do, And that enables you to laugh at life's realities.” ~ Dr. Suess

Thank you so much
for playing the other
day, it was fun, although
I was surprised at how
many of you thought
I would not only photogragh
mouse droppings, you
thought I would post
pictures! I'm  sorry to
disappoint you, but
nope, not mouse
droppings! :) 

 The answer
is..

Forbidden Black Rice!
I have been looking
for this rice for awhile
now and had to go
all the way to
The Spice & Tea Exchange
in Charleston, SC to
find it. Now I can't
wait to prepare it
and hope it lives
up to all the hype I
have been hearing
about it.

Thank you again
for playing and we
must do it again soon.
I hope you have
a day filled with
a lovely breeze,
laughter  [because
you should laugh every
day] and overflowing
happiness.

YARN ALONG

Two of my favorite things are knitting and reading, and the evidence of this often shows up in my photographs. I love seeing what other people are knitting and reading as well. So, what are you knitting or crocheting right now? What are you reading? Joining with Ginny for this week's Yarn Along.

As you can see my abigail cardi
is back on the needles,  meeting
gauge and having the pattern
knit correctly. I am on row 37 and
can really see now how the pattern
is going to flow. I have to say
a big Thank You and send a hug
to all the wonderful women in
blogland that have made this
cardi possible because without
the help of amazing friends like
you I would be sitting in tears
with empty needles. Thank you!

I have started working on my
Christmas knitting [yes, I know
it is the beginning of Lent,
but Christmas really will
be here soon] and cast on a
cowl using alpaca lace . While
I love how baby soft this yarn
feels, it is taking me a little
time getting use to how fine
lace weight yarn really is, it's
fine!

On the reading front I am
almost finished with 
Coop . I like how Michael
Perry, the author,  draws
the reader in making them
part of his world. The words
he uses to paint a picture
of his childhood, his
life  as a married adult
and parent on a small
piece of land in Wisconsin
feel like he is just one
of the guy's sitting at the
kitchen table sharing stories
over a hot cup of coffee.
I like it! 

DO YOU WANT TO PLAY AGAIN?

It is one of man's curious
idiosyncrasies to create
 difficulties for the pleasure
 of resolving them.

  ~Joseph de Maistre

We played once before,

but these are different,

do you want to play

again? 

I'll reveal the answer

on Thursday.

Enjoy the day!

Much love.



WEEKENDING

Happiness and sadness
 run parallel to each other.
  When one takes a rest,
the other one tends to
take up the slack. 

~Hazelmarie Elliott (“Mattie”)

weekending, my favorite part of the week. a time to relax, live, love, just to be. if you'd like to share your weekend either with words, photographs, or both, leave a link to a weekend post in the comments. Joining with Amanda

Saturday was a girl's
day, hanging downtown
at the park, visiting
the library, browsing
the local shops and
finding a pottery class
to take this summer.
Breaking my yarn stash
challenge and buying
yarn for a few Christmas
presents, having sushi
for dinner and then
eating way too much
Valentines candy.
Sunday has brought
some much needed
rain, getting all the
socks folded from the
sock basket, listening
to Adele, baking pounds
of kale chips for snacking
and remembering to
be thankful for this
life I have...it's a
good weekend.

THIS MOMENT

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. 

Joining with Amanda. xx

YARN ALONG

Two of my favorite things are knitting and reading, and the evidence of this often shows up in my photographs. I love seeing what other people are knitting and reading as well. So, what are you knitting or crocheting right now? What are you reading?  Joining with Ginny.

So much can happen in
just seven short days.
I finished Star Crossed Slouchy Beret
and had my daughter
model it for you.
I like that you can wear
it up and show the pattern,
or tuck your hair in and
wear it slouchy. It's two
hats in one! :)
I found it to be a fun
knit and would love to
knit a few more.

We had a cold front come
in over the weekend and
while all the fruit trees look
okay, my poor tulip tree didn't
fair so well and lost all of
it's early blooms. Also
lost this week was my
Abigail Cardigan.  It seems

I can't read a pattern

properly and ended up

with a yoke 26 inches instead
of the required 13 inches.
I had thought my gauge was
correct, but upon closer
inspection I messed that
up too. I sent my husband
to the LYS while he was
in town for a set of
larger needles [they carry
Hiya-Hiya] so before
this cardigan is complete
I will have a good idea of
what needles I like. I have
finished rewinding all
my yarn and later on today
will cast on once again.
I love this yarn and the
look of the cardigan
so I am not giving
up. Even if the temperature
is 100 degrees by the time
I finally cast off I am going
to wear this cardigan and
I promise to show a
photo to prove it!

I am still reading Coop,
but it's usually late at
night so it's going a
little slower than usual.

What have you been
up to this week?

Happy St. Valentine's Day

Nobody has ever measured,
 even poets, how much a heart
 can hold.

~Zelda Fitzgerald

[A surprise heart I found floating in my miso soup]

I want to say thank you for
all the prayers to my Weekending
post, they mean so much and
I have passed them on to
the person who can really use
them.

You have all filled my
heart with so much love and
I just want to say that I am
honored to call you all my
friends and you are loved!

I wish you the happiest of
St. Valentine's Day!

WEEKENDING

One of the most tragic
things I know about human
nature is that all of us tend
 to put off living. We are all
 dreaming of some magical
 rose garden over the horizon
 - instead of enjoying the
roses that are blooming
outside our windows today.

~Dale Carnegie

weekending, my favorite part of the week. a time to relax, live, love, just to be. if you'd like to share your weekend either with words, photographs, or both, leave a link to a weekend post in the comments.  Joining with Amanda.

I am listening to
this non stop and still
trying to wrap my head
and heart around the news
that my friend, a friend I
have had for more than
twenty years, will not
be on this earth much
longer- Cancer-terminal-
it all seems so unfair!
I have spent each moment
since I heard the news
 really paying attention
to my world, my surroundings
and how I am living each
moment. I have cleaned
my house from top to
bottom, because that
is what I do when I'm
stressed, I clean. I have
baked bread and made
soup. I have knit, read,
walked is the early morning
cold. Last week we were 79
degrees and today it was
27 when I went outside.
This afternoon I will make
chocolate turtles for my
guys because I promised,
I will call my friend and
talk, I will cry and then
I will continue to live, but
from now on it  will be a
life lived a little more aware
of how short  it is and how
quickly it can change.

THIS MOMENT

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. xx

 

 

LOVE TODAY

"Live with reverence for
the mystery of being,
gratitude for the gift of
life, and humility regarding
the human place in nature."

~ The Earth Charter

Please do not
take today for
granted...

Love with all
your heart,
laugh often,
hug someone,
go outside and
feel the fresh air,
eat something
wonderful, create,
smile, pray...
enjoy the day!
xx

YARN ALONG

Two of my favorite things are knitting and reading, and the evidence of this often shows up in my photographs. I love seeing what other people are knitting and reading as well. So, what are you knitting or crocheting right now? What are you reading?  Joining Ginny for the Yarn Along.

I need to apologize for
the grey pictures because
even though we don't have
the rain we need so badly,
we do have cloudy, grey
skies and I just couldn't
get a bright photo.

I wasn't going to,  I
thought I had talked
myself into waiting, but
I broke down and cast on
Star Crossed Slouchy Beret.
Since the pattern uses
size 10 and size 11 needles,
this should be a very
fast knit.  I feel very
selfish because I really
want to keep it for myself.

My Abigail is moving right
along and I am almost
done with the raglan shaping,
but with each row there is
an eight stitch increase so I
am not moving along as
fast as I thought, although
I have to say I am just enjoying
the process so there's no rush.

I finally opened my copy of
Coop which has been on
my nightstand every since
Amanda recommended it
on a past Yarn Along. It
took me a little while to
get use to the author's
style of writing as he switches
from his childhood to the
present, but now I am
really enjoying the book. I
have bonded with the people
on the pages and want to
learn about their stories,
their lives, what happens,
I'm hooked!

INSPIRATION

Without inspiration the
best powers of the mind
remain dormant. There is
 a fuel in us which needs
 to be ignited with sparksJ

~Johann Gottfried Von Herder

It started with a spark
and then it grew.
I used one of the
hundreds of grouds
that we grew and
with a lot of sanding,
a little stain, and a
decorative rub on 
I now have a yarn
bowl to hold my
yarn. Thank you
once again for the
inspiration I receive
from all of you!

WEEKENDING

“Ten times a day something
 happens to me like this -
some strengthening throb
 of amazement - some good
 sweet empathic ping and swell.
This is the first, the wildest
 and the wisest thing I know:
that the soul exists and is
 built entirely out of attentiveness.”
― Mary Oliver

weekending, my favorite part of the week. a time to relax, live, love, just to be. if you'd like to share your weekend either with words, photographs, or both, leave a link to a weekend post in the comments.

Joining with Amanda.

Saturday I spent the whole day

doing just what I wanted to do,

not anything I really needed to

do, but a day just puttering from

one thing to another...

Sitting on the back steps drinking

coffee and watching the sun glisten

off the beautiful art work a spider

constructed in the apple tree.

              Amazing!

Taking my daily walk and noticing

more signs of spring no matter what

that groundhog said. Working on

a St. Valentine's gift that I hope

turns out. Finally starting a book

that has been on my nightstand

for months. Making a batch of

yogurt and getting a jar of kimchi

prepared. And of course there

was knitting.

Today there will be digging in

the dirt as my herb bed seems

to be taken over by weeds, new

recipes to try and hopefully a

cool sea breeze as we are suppose

to be 79 degree today.

I hope you weekend is everything

you wanted and you are having

the best time!