Happy Easter

There has been some Easter knitting going on here.

Treats are ready for the bunny to deliver. 

I wish you and your family the most wonderful day as my family celebrates the life and sacrifice of our Saviour.

Merry Christmas!

I have not blogged for a long while.
I have a good excuse.
I've been busy.

I can't post photos of it all, because I'd hate to give away all the Christmas surprises.

But my fingers have been flying; I have callouses to prove it.

Here are a few of the things I've been doing:

 Bleaching "once green" bottle brush trees.

 Nougat or Big Hunk...

Sadly, our last remaining large maple on our parkway had to be cut down.  The trees on our street date back to the 1930's and they are just dying.  You may remember a few years ago when a tree on our parking strip broke off at the trunk in a windstorm and buried two of our girls' cars that were parked under it.
The remaining tree had to go.  It was a sad day for us.

Next spring, we'll be planting new ones.
Can you believe it was the middle of December in this photo, taken last week from the front door?  The temperature hit the high 60's.
Where is our snow?????

Easter bunnies...off the needles

I've been away longer than I planned on.

 I've been teaching the Little Cotton Rabbits class again at The Wool Cabin; just in time for Easter.

Here's the dress for the Dutch Bunny in the yellow and white striped tights.  It's almost dry and then it will get a button and a seam up the back.
I made another little Lambie.  She's slightly different than the last one and off to a new home soon.
I have made over 30 of these little stuffed toys.  I think I might have an obsession.

Bunny (with a Lamb thrown in for good measure) Time!

It's time to start knitting those little Easter basket goodies.

What little girl wouldn't want one of these in her basket?  The bunny in the pink dress is the sample for the class I'm teaching at The Wool Cabin.  It's Little Cotton Rabbits Bunny Girl in a Dotty Dress.

 Her friend is a little fat lamb.  I love the plump little bodies.

 I gave her a little tail to shake...you know, as "in two shakes of a Lamb's tail".

 The lamb is a combination of Little Cotton Rabbit Legs/shoes with a head and arms from Fuzzy Mitten's free Lamb pattern.  I had to modify both patterns as they are not the same size.

I'm not sure I love the white border around the dress neck.  It blends in a bit with the lamb's white neck.

Live and learn.

Have you started your Easter knitting. 

Does anyone other than me knit Easter bunnies and lambs?

Easter Bunny and Santas....what?

An Easter Bunny paid a visit here at the House (wrong holiday, I know). 

She came to see the Santas.  She is dressed in her nice warm tights on this bright, frigid snowy day.

This is before she had a "little work" done on her face.  I restitched it.  Too thick yarn so I took out one ply, gave her a nose reduction. and a little eye job.  I think she looks better in the "after" photos (top two). 

And of course I need to show you her undies...

and her tail (isn't it just the cutest?).

 Her companion, Miss Fox, couldn't be left out.

I don't know whose backside is the cutest.  I love Miss Fox's tail.

OK...I've still got socks to knit.  3 pair down and one to go.  It was fun to take a little knitting detour.  

I'm off to make potatoes au gratin for a huge party tonight and I just got in from snow shoveling.  At least the oven will warm up the house.  It's hard to type with gloves on  ;)

The stockings were hung....

 The stockings were hung (minus one) by the chimneys with care.

 Did you know you could knit with fabric strips?  You can.

I'm not even worrying about St. Nick yet.  There's more decorating to do.

The Season's begun

Tree trimming

 In progress.

 And finished.  Someone (mwho we won't mention by name) thinks we have a few too many ornaments.  I don't think so. " The more the merrier" , I say. 

 Abby even wrapped some of our gifts.  It's nice to have them under the tree early.

When the girls are home for Thanksgiving, we start decorating the day after.  It helps to have all hands on deck.  (We have a lot of ornaments to unwrap).  And it's nice to enjoy the holiday for the whole month of December.  With the decorating done, I can concentrate on other things.

Have you started....or finished your decorating?

I still have a few small things to do.

Grateful

For a wonderful family, 

For a loving Heavenly Father,

For good friends,

A warm home,

Plentiful food.

Blessings beyond measure.  Too many to count.

I am grateful.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Stockings and more stockings

I've been busy with Christmas Stockings.  I am finally done with every one's needlepoint stocking but mine.  They've only been 28 years in the making (give or take as there were long periods where I never worked on them).  I'm glad to have them done in time for Christmas this year.  There was a little snafu in that the finisher put the wrong braid on my husbands and had to redo it.  I took it out of the bag carefully and the braid immediately ripped off.  Seems she was in a big hurry and didn't stitch it down tightly or very close together.  I'm still debating whether or not to fix it myself or take it back to the shop for them to have her redo it.  I'm not very happy with it.

The two knitted socks are blocked and the ends woven in.  I still need to attach the twisted braid that I made at the top of both socks.  They were a Dale of Norway pattern.  I like them but can't recommend the pattern.  The directions and graph don't work at all.  When making decreases it was a free-for-all as to the actual stitches working in pattern (not at all).  So glad to be "almost finished with them".

 I was very happy with the bullion stitches, french knots and crewel stitches I used in the hair and the pom-poms on the elves' hats.  When I started this group of 6 Melissa Shirley hand painted pet it-point canvases 28 years ago, the style was flat continental type needlepoint.  Now stitchers are adding great dimensional stitches.  I made mine the same as the first stocking I did 28 years ago, with just a bit of 3 dimensional stitches on them.  I wanted them all to match.

Let's hope I'm around next year to see my stocking (number 6) hung with the others on the mantel.  That's assuming of course, that I get mine done.  I think I'll start as soon as this year's presents are wrapped.

P.S.  Please excuse the poor quality of lighting in the photos.  It's dark and snowing and there's thunder.  I could not get a better photo.  Maybe I'll try again in ....OH SAY, March.  Winter has definitely arrived here.

Christmas Crafting.

It's that time again.

I don't start to decorate my house for Christmas until Thanksgiving is over.  I hate seeing decorations going up in stores and the Christmas offerings in Costco in September.  But when you give gifts you've made yourself you have to start early.

I finally finished the Dreaded (stockings from %#$@#) needlepoint stockings.  Now it was time to dig in and make these.

One is off the needles and I am working on the duplicate stitch and embroidery on the cuff.  The pattern is one I purchased at the Wool Cabin a few years ago.  It's a Dale of Norway pattern with 4 different stocking patterns that is no longer available.  

I've already cast on for the next one.  Only 7 more weekends to go until Christmas.

It really has crept up on me this year.  I am going to have a mad dash to the finish line.

What projects are you working on?

Turkey Day

This little knitted toy is perfect for the holidays.  He's only a few inches tall.

I knit him using a free pattern designed by Susan B. Anderson for Spud and Chloe yarn a few years ago. Here's the link if you wish to download the free PDF turkey pattern.
He's a great little October project.  You can finish him in plenty of time for the Holiday.  
I think one day I'll make one of these for each place setting at a Children's Thanksgiving Table.

Pirate knitting for Halloween.

How cute is this?  It's a free pattern from Spud and Chloe yarn.

Spud and Chloe have a lot of free patterns to download.  Check out their page.

I wish I had a little one to knit this for.

I think it's the perfect jumping off place for a pirate Halloween costume for a little girl or boy.

Wheewww...on to other random things.

The weddings over.  It was fun having the girls all together.

Their bridesmaids necklaces were darling.

The garden is overflowing with tomatoes of all shapes, and kinds. 

So or course we made bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwiches. 

I made sloppy joes for the family party on Saturday.

And made up one of the pair of socks.  I've got a start on Christmas gifts.

and speaking of Christmas....

The petite point sock from "you know where" is finished.  It's off to the finishers today with B's sock that I finished last year.!

Hallelujah!...I'm singing the whole aria, not just the chorus.