Kick it up

I am making these felted clogs (Fiber Trends) for my sister for her birthday. She saw mine and said that is what she wants. Now I see why everyone was knitting these. They are a blast to knit. Other than that I feel like I am knitting in my sleep. I just haven't had enough down time. Now the busy season is here and I also have gifts to do.

More knitting

This is the poncho that I am making Annie. It is a kit from Fleece Artist. I finished it once and had to rip out the entire thing because it was way too wide and short. I cast on less stitches and I think it will work this time. I love the color.

Hey, I forgot to tell you this but I pawned off the sweaters that I didn't want on my sister and mom. They loved them all so much that I knew that they were going to a good home. I even pawned one off that wasn't sewn up yet on my mother and she will finish it. I feel cleansed. I can start a bunch more projects that I will never wear. I found two enablers!!!

Wiped out

This is how I feel. Mom is still here and goes home today. I am pooped. Haven't been doing much of anything other than working at the shop and cooking for groups of people. The house looks like someone dropped a wrecking ball on it. I hope that everyone had a good Thanksgiving. Funny how having the whole family around makes the dynamics go back to when you are about six years old. Ok, on to Xmas.

Lights

The lights in our backyard are almost all in. See the tiny thing to the right of the picture? Those are the new copper lights. The others are up in trees and you can't see them. We will have light for Thanksgiving. The weather is so good that we could probably eat out there but we won't. I want to pretend that it is cold and November like. Hell, if I had a fireplace I might even put it on just to make myself feel better.

So, tomorrow is the day that people start arriving from my family. Mom comes tomorrow and Wen is my sis and her family and Evan. I won't be blogging for the next few days. So, Happy Thanksgiving and have a wonderful time.

No news is good news?

So I don't have any news of any kind. This is why you get to look at Lily. I have the day off today and I really don't feel like thinking of anything clever. Like I ever do...

Back to knitting

So the sweater IS growing. It feels like it just inches along (because it does just inch along) but I am getting into it. I have other stuff going at work and I will take pictures and show tomorrow. Tomorrow I am going to Circque D' Soleil. I am not one to knit in public so the knitting will inch even slower.

I got my haircut yesterday. Annie said it was cute. Mr Yarn said I look like Pat Benatar. I say I look like I got electroshock treatment.

So I was so wrong

I apologize for speaking too soon. I have to say the Stones were amazing. Yes, Mick is old, but I have never seen so much energy in all my life. Not only that but since he started out so damn ugly he really hasn't aged. He looks the same. Not only that but any guy that can move like that at his age is ok in my book. I never had that much energy in my life. It also didn't hurt that we were sitting on the floor in section 14 and we were in 400.00 seats. The stage and the whole show was probably one of the best concerts I have ever seen (and I have seen LOTS of concerts).

Best part was when they sang "Sympathy for the Devil" I felt like I was back in time.



Ok, and I do dance like a white girl...

It's only rock n' roll

Guess what? I am going to the Stones concert tonight. Shut up, I AM. I don't even want to go but I will be damned if I miss history. I will then be able to say that I saw the Stones and Paul McCartney before I died.

Ok, I will try to not embarass Annie and I won't try to dance.

Homey

I decided to can some chutney. I haven't canned anything since I moved from San Jose and all the fruit trees. I think I miss doing it. It is a lot of fun. This is a cranberry chutney that is spicy and GREAT! Here is the recipe:

From NPR article
Susan Stamberg calls this recipe "my truly favorite cranberry side dish." It's from Madhur Jaffrey's cookbook East/West Menus for Family and Friends (Harper & Row, 1987).

Garlicky Cranberry Chutney

Susan Stamberg calls this recipe "my truly favorite cranberry side dish." It's from Madhur Jaffrey's cookbook East/West Menus for Family and Friends (Harper & Row, 1987).

1-inch piece fresh ginger

3 cloves finely chopped garlic

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

4 tablespoons sugar

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

l-pound can cranberry sauce with berries

1/2 teaspoon salt (or less)

ground black pepper

Cut ginger into paperthin slices, stack them together and cut into really thin slivers.

Combine ginger, garlic, vinegar, sugar and cayenne in a small pot. Bring to a simmer, simmer on medium flame about 15 minutes or until there are about four tablespoons of liquid left.

Add can of cranberry sauce, salt and pepper. Mix and bring to a simmer. Lumps are ok. Simmer on a gentle heat for about 10 minutes.

Cool, store and refrigerate. ("It will keep for several days, if you don't finish it all after first taste!")

No name sweater

This is the sweater that I am working on at the shop. Comes from the Holiday knits book. It is going fast and is fun to knit. I LOVE the Donegal Tweed by Tahki that I am knitting it out of.

It is Friday. One more day and I finally will have two days in a row off. Guess what I am going to do? Yup. I am going to knit and sit around. Of course I always say that and it never actually happens.

You waited for this?

So I got the camera to download (battery crisis is over) and I ended up with this substandard picture of a really beautiful sweater. Double click on it for more detail, but as it evolves you will see better photos.

So, nothing is really happening other than life is just too hectic these days. Seems that I never get to go home and just be a vegetable anymore. I miss my house. Lily is starting to not know who I am. Mr Yarn gives me a look like he might have forgotten too. The cats? they always acted that way.

Pffft

I did recharge the batteries to the camera last night but I simply forgot to plug in the charger. Ok, I will be the first to admit that I am losing it. So, you will have to wait to see the sweaters that I started (one at work the other here at home). The Jade Starmore sweater Zauberflöte is fun to do and is already beautiful. Alright, I only did about 10 rows but I can see it already. I will show you tomorrow. I swear.

I am a bore

The batteries died. I forgot to recharge the other ones. No pictures today and really not much to say. I am grumpy. I only had one day off this week and I am tired. So, I have nothing to amuse you with. Oh, wait...maybe this will do.



Yarn!

Lots of knitting

Well the sale was yesterday and I am pooped. The "Mohair Madness" sale went ok. I found out that I am more wild for mohair than most others. So, it was only an ok sale.



I did finish the Karabella shawl. I didn't use Karabella Gossamer as called for. I used none other than Kid Silk Haze. I like how it turned out and it was a fun knit. I am now moving on to the cable sweater in Holiday Knits. Here it is (bad picture)



I am making this out of Donegal Tweed by Tahki.

Happy Anniversary

After all the times I probably embarassed you I doubt you read here but just in case you do:

Happy Anniversary, sweetheart!

It is Mr Yarn's and my fifth anniversary. I am the luckiest person in the world to have found him. I can't believe that there is another human on the planet that can put up with my crap.

Thanks Rich. I love you.

Baa Humbug

Molly brought me a toy last night! It is a pooping sheep that poops Jelly Bellys. It only poops the cola and the butterscotch ones (for the sake of looking realistic you know). I love this toy. It amuses me to no end.

I started a new sweater that I will have to bring home to take a picture of. It is out of the Handknit Holidays by Melanie Falick and Susan Pittard. This book is great! I am also knitting a shawl from a Karabella pattern. I am not doing it out of Gossamer, I am doing it out of kidsilk haze. I will take a picture later and show you that too.

The trash man is LOUD

I have never lived anywhere in my life that I was woken up by the trash man. I don't mean the dog barking at the trash man, I mean the trash man himself. He makes my life miserable. He yells to the other trash men, he plays his music so loud (are they allowed to do that?) that it is loud for ME and I am nowhere near it. If it were just the banging of trashcans I would say that he couldn't help it, but the stuff that is loud he can help. He wakes me up every wednesday and then I feel grumpy.

So if you come into the shop today and I grunt, you know why.

Its over

Another halloween gone. Damn, you would think that every child on the planet came to our door last night. They were all really cute and it was fun giving out candy.

On another note...



Here is the second Birch. This one is going WAY faster than the first one. I must have caught on (about time).