Let The Holiday Knitting Begin...

Little Witches
Simply Worsted
US 6/4mm DPNs

It is that time of year again.   Time to get started on holiday knitting.   My first contribution to the season are these lovely Little Witches.   When I saw these ladies on Facebook, I knew I had to hunt down the patten and make one (or three) for my kitchen (kitchen witches are good luck).   Then I realized that a friend with an upcoming birthday might like one (or three), and maybe another friend would really appreciate one (or three).   What can I tell you?   They are a lot of fun to make.

Still, Halloween is only the beginning of the season.   There is of course a Thanksgiving wreath to be made (not done yet) and Christmas/Hanukkah gifts to whip up.   My sister's gift is done (Yes, I said done).   I love, love, love it and I hope she does too.   No pictures yet because she reads the blog and I want it to be a surprise.  

Day 12: Sew & Quilt Shop

Sew & Quilt Shop
Bunnell, FL

Look what I made today at my favorite local yarn shop!   Even though there isn't any in the shop name, once you get there you will find plenty of yarn, along with friendly, knowledgeable, and welcoming staff.    This is my favorite place to go when I feel like running away from home.

Today, the talented Teresa Bovino, demo'd her Christmas Ornament pattern (available at the Sew & Quilt Shop).   We used Plymouth's Steletto on #3 needles but you can use any fingering wt. yarn.    I bought a ball of Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino to make some more for my family.   I didn't have #3's with me (and I am trying not to buy things I already own) so I used the #1's I had in my purse.   I am happy with the final product but the finishing was a bit tight.  For my next attempt I definitely will go up a needle size or two.

This is number twelve, in the 31 Days of Where I live blogging challenge.

Each day I will post a thought and/or picture relative to something I like about living in NE Florida.  

You can see the whole list of posts here.

Come knit with me...

Have you tried my Simple Comforts Wrap?   Why not?   The pattern is simple (hence the name), but not boring.   With a one row, four stitch repeat, you will have the pattern memorized in no time.   If you can cast-on, knit and yarn over, you can do this.  The resulting wrap can be dressed up or down and is too cozy for words (all evidence to the contrary).   Best of all, the pattern is free (can't beat that) on Ravelry.

You can see a photo of the original Simple Comforts Shawl in my sidebar but, sadly, that one went up in smoke when my house did (more about that here).   This one is a sample in progress (Will I finish it before this Saturday?  Come on by and find out.)   This time I am using Skacel's SimpliWorsted (available at S&Q).   This is the first time I have used it and I really like it.   It was reasonably priced, is mostly natural fibers, is suitably soft and snuggly, and the drape is perfect for a comfort shawl.

If you live in NE Florida, have just realized that Christmas is only 85 days, 13 hours, and 11 minutes (as of this writing) away, and that a cozy shawl would be just the thing for Aunt Bess, please join me at the Sew and Quilt Shop, in Bunnel, FL, this Saturday (and another two weeks hence), for a Simple Comforts Wrap workshop.    I can help you pick the perfect yarn, the appropriate needles, and get you started on your way to cozy comfort.

Care to join us?   Here is all the information you need:

Simple Comforts Wrap Workshop
Location: Sew & Quilt Shop (directions here)
                 4601 E. Moody Blvd. #B-6,
                 Bunnell, FL 32110
                 386-586-5409
                 sewandquiltshop@bellsouth.net
Dates: Saturday, October 5th & 9th
Time: 10am to 12:30pm
Price: $15 per session
Supplies - Simple Comforts Wrap pattern (download here)
               - 800 - 1000 yards of worsted weight yarn (I can help you pick the perfect thing)
               - knitting needles that match your yarn (12" straights or 24" circulars)
               - 1 stitch marker
               - scissors/snips
               - yarn needle (for weaving ends)
Need to know - Cast-on
                        - knit stitch
                        - yarn over (increase)
                        - Bind-off

Please do call/email ahead and let us know that you are coming.

Note:   This Saturday, October 5th is also Sew & Quilts' monthly Knitting/Crochet group, described thusly:

"Creative Critters: Crocheter + Knitter = Critter - Seasoned beginner, almost professional, or wanna be crocheter or knitter join us for a few laughs and a bunch of tangled fun! Sit & Stitch...Don't miss Saturday, October 5th 2pm - 4pm or Monday, October 7th 10am - Noon!!"

Feel free to stay on for that (there are lots of great places to grab lunch in the area).   I am planning to.

               

Just Bullets Today...

Lots going on at Chez Serenity these days:

• We are finally back in our house.  YAY!    Okay, so I miss the apartment a bit and still run over once a day to use the internet (better than ours) and the pool.    But, we are sleeping in our house.   Most of the rooms are done.  The last of the furniture was delivered on Friday.   There were some glitches.   The a/c did not work in the living room (fixed).   The satellite TV worked for a day and then died (fixed).   The only outstanding thing is the leak in our roof.   As part of the re-contruction we had the vent in our kitchen changed from circulating to venting.   Now we have a leak around the roof vent, causing water to come in through our dining room ceiling (Summer in FL, it rains every single day, really hard, but not for very long).   We are hoping to hear from our contractor later today with a repair plan.

• T2, our youngest, my baby, started college last week.   College!  Even now, a week later, I am stunned by the fact that I have two sons in college.   We are not yet in a position to give him a car. He is not only at a different school than his older brother, but in the other direction from home.   That means that I drive him and pick him up.  So far it is going well.   He LOVES college and I found a very nice coffee shop to knit/surf/blog from each day.   Hubby's car is paid off early next year.   At that point, I will get a Prius, and T2 will get my car.   I am looking forward to that.

• Do you remember my talking about running away from home a few months ago (more about that here)?    The men were grumpy so I took my toys (aka knitting) and ran away to a the Sew & Quilt (& yarn) Shop, where I was, as usual, welcomed with humor and affection.   While visiting the other day, one conversation led to another, and it looks like I will be teaching my Simple Comforts Wrap sometime in late September or early October.   How cool is that?    I will post the details when we have them.

• Two kids in college and a wake-up call (i.e. house fire), have us looking hard at our spending habits.    We are committed to not replacing much of the stuff that we lost in the fire and (gasp!) not eating out so often.   With that in mind, T2 and I came home yesterday after school with the intention of virtuously eating lunch at home.    While he made the veggie pizza (we are doing Meatless Mondays), I made iced tea.    Unfortunately, the tea pitcher burst as I was pouring in the boiling water.   I now have third degree burns on my belly and second degree ones on my leg.   T2 had me wrapped in wet towels and at our local ER in a matter of minutes.   They sent me home with creme, bandages, and instructions to rest and apply cool compresses.   Yesterday was pretty bad but I am in considerably less pain today (None, if I don't move, so I move rarely and carefully).    T2 pointed out that it would have been less trouble and expense if we had just gone to Panera.

Never a circus around when you need one....

I am blogging from Panera Bread today, not because our internet stinks (which it does) but because I have run away from home.   I am sure every Mom out there has found themselves in a position similar to mine.   Hubby (normally the soul of kindness) had a wretched day at his new job yesterday and is in a wretched mood today.   Perhaps not the best day to clean out the garage but once it was clear that, that was the plan, I got the boys up to help him.   It seems that T1 would rather play DandD then help.   Yes, I know, who wouldn't, but most of us would grumble a bit and then get the job done.    That is not what happened this morning.   After trying, perhaps too hard, to smooth things over, only to be snapped at by both Hubby and T1, I formed a plan of my own.   I took a quick shower, found something pretty to wear, and ran away from home.

Since, at my age, joining the circus is out of the question.   I did the next best thing.   First stop was our local Eddie Bauer outlet.   My favorite cami's were on clearance with an additional 50% off.   I got one in every flattering color (some shades of green are just not good to me).   The "Deal of the Week" were their wonderful t-shirts, got one long sleeve black and one short sleeve black.   I am in a bit of a black mood.

Then came the drive to my ultimate "I need a day for myself" destination.   The Sew and Quilt Shop in Bunnell, FL.   They sell yarn, nice, pretty, luscious, yarn.   I was planning on picking up enough Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran to start an afghan but got distracted by their other wonderful yarns.  All of the curly scarf yarn is on sale two for one.   I quickly grabbed a two skeins of Katia'a  Ondas.  One a  multi-shade red and the other a blue/green variegated (both for me).   I am not normally a fan of frilly yarns or man-made fibers but after making a few of these scarves for gifts, I want one (or two) for myself.   Next, I fell in love with a particularly lovely pink/yellow colorway of Blue Heron Yarn's lace wt Egyptian Mercerized Cotton.   I quick trip to Ravelry and I can see a new Citron-Grand shawl in my future.   At that point I thought I was done but during the requisite post-purchase chatting, a pretty shawlette caught my eye.   Turns out that it is made from a free in-house pattern.   Two  hanks Plymouth Yarn's Kudo and I was good to go.

Lunch and blogging done, I am heading over to a nearby Michaels and TJ Maxx.    No more spending for me today but window shopping can be fun too.

While driving around I am listening to Harriett Lerner's Dance of Connection.   Particularly apt since we all seem to have forgotten how to speak nicely to each other.