Happy Thanksgiving

Here in the States, it's Thanksgiving week. I like to think of this as the time of year for sitting back and sharing time with family. Reflecting on what you're grateful for is critical for me to do everyday.

It will sound cliche, but I'm so very thankful for my family. This has been a tough year for so many reasons, but having the opportunity to share time with family has been such a blessing. Thankfully, a a wedding (not a funeral) was the catalyst in seeing my dad's side of the family.

Holidays lead to time with my in-laws. Here is an image of my mother-in-law's bread turkey as an appetizer. I tried to find the instructions and recipe online to add a link, but to no avail. Cathy made this look so easy.

This is the lovely Molly. Our most recent addition to the family. I like to joke that she's the only daughter I'm ever going to get. We are so happy that we can share our home with her.

I've been frantically knitting hats, mittens, and other gifts. The last few weeks of the year fly by quickly. My Scheepjes Folk Bookazine arrived and I'm trying to get through my other projects first. The temptation to start making any of the projects in the Bookazine is killing me. I'm thinking about the Farrah Scarf for my new staff in San Diego. I'm planning to use a cotton blend so that it can be useful through most of the year.

I have a confession. I've never owned any Scheepjes yarn. I asked some family who wanted to have a present under the tree for me for a few balls. If I get a couple balls of Whirl, I hope to make one of the Read Between the Lines shawls. There is a knit version and a crochet version. The illusion knitting is so beautiful with the gradual color changing  yarn. Don't you agree?

Also, I need to start making seat covers for our dining room chairs. I had started some basic patterns about a year ago that I was adapting for seat covers. Sadly, cream color cushions don't mesh well with having kids...and messy grown ups. With the lovely patterns in the Art of Crochet Blankets book, I can experiment with the patterns and beautify my dining room. When I want a little break, I'll work up a motif and post the results.

Lastly, there has been a lot of Lego fever at my home. Buying some used sets on eBay and a few from the local store, my younger son will have a very Lego birthday and Christmas. Shopping for the nine year old is tricky. We're planning to get him some camping gear for scouts. I'm making gifts this year...not buying very much. I really want to make stuffies for both my boys, but time is limited. Maybe I can plan for next year.

Have a great week and happy crafting!!! See you in December.

November...how is it over halfway gone?

Last week's post wasn't very personal, and I know some of you readers are family and friends that want to see what I'm up to. It's been a busy week between work and home. I spoke at a panel this morning, so work continues into the weekend.

My NaNoWriMo progress...I've made it to over 26,000 words. After making it past the halfway point, my motivation has lessened. I'm hoping to try to catch back up this week. We'll see how it goes.

WIPs - I'm almost done with my first quadrant on Andrea Mowry's Rose Cardigan. This is my selfish knitting project. Generally, you knit this sweater with hand painted yarn, so the colors fade together. I'm liking the more noticeable fade with the solid colors. Starting with the beautiful burgundy and going a faded orange is not for everyone.

I've made progress the Marled Mania Cardigan for my sister-in-law. I'll post a pic when I'm a bit farther along.

I finally found the pattern I want to use to make my mother-in-law's gift. I haven't openly told her about this blog, so I think I can get away with showing. You might recall that she loves Halloween and Day of the Dead. I found the cutest crocheted skeleton stuffy and I want to make it and stuff it with some lavender scent. Check out Spinayarn's blog that has this creepily adorable free pattern.

I'm going to start on the cute gift for my mother-in-law tomorrow. I've agreed to a couple of text knits. A hat and a pair of mittens. I'm planning to make the items as presents for family and I'm excited to work on the beautiful patterns. One of them is "secret." I'm not sure how much time I'll have to make the things I wanted to for my own kids for Christmas.

The Art of Crochet Blankets arrived this week and I'm planning to use design concepts to make some awesome decorations for my little dining room. I want to use different patterns to make cushion covers for the chairs and I want something pretty to decorate my table top. I can't wait to show you what I pull together. After the holidays will be my true start date. So much crafting to do in so little time!

My boys are going to my nephew's 2nd birthday party tomorrow. I can't believe how quickly time flies. James is so adorable! He has the same blond hair that my Jeffrey had at his age. Then, cub scouts stuff, conferences, and Thanksgiving...what a week! I do love two paid days off from work and family time.

I'm not sure where the time has gone, but I'm happy to have 2018 all wrapped up.

One last thing, if you'd like to see some fun WIPs and yarn on YouTube, check out episodes 36 and 37 from PotionYarns.

Have a great week and happy crafting.

November Releases!!!

I hope your November is off to a great start. Work and home are busy. My nephew turns two years old very soon. I haven't had as much time for crafting this week, which is why I've been so drawn to some big pattern releases. I always think you buy more when you don't have time. I wanted to post about my top three pattern collection releases that I'm super excited about. All the images below are from the publishers, not my own images. My goal is to entice you into finding some craft-spiration. The advertisements in between posts and on the sidebar, might pay me something at some point, but note of the embedded links in my posts themselves are for profit.

Yarn Book 6 - Folk (Knit and Crochet Patterns) - Released November 2

I had been following Sheepjes for some time now. They have great CALs (crochet alongs). I hadn't ordered any of their pattern collections because it looked like I'd have to order internationally. Rachele Carmona has a beautiful pattern in the book and had posted about it on her blog. I was entranced with every pattern in the collection and pre-ordered it from the Knotty House in Canada. It released on November 2, but I won't get it until November 21 based on the current estimate. I guess there is a strike with the Canadian Post. Good things are worth the wait...but I'm impatient. I need to be working hon holiday gifts anyway. There is a US based online shop that sells Sheepjes...the yarn is so tempting. Check out Sheepjes for a give away that ends very shortly.

The Art of Crochet Blankets (all crochet) - Release Date November 13

Rachel has also been posting a lot about this book release. The patterns are now listed on Ravelry, if you want to see pictures of the 18 patterns. I'm eyeing so many of them. To start on of the patterns in this book or the Yarn Book? So hard to choose. I've pre-ordered the book, so I'm likely to get it by Thursday or Friday. Check out Rachele's blog for giveaways that began on November 9, 2018 that will end upon the release date. I'm hoping for some free yarn.

Winter of the Fibre Muse Quarterly (all knit) - Release Date November 20

I've had the fun of seeing Frenchie's next batch of designs for her next quarterly come together. Here is a link to the lookbook. There a four lovely patterns for three accessories and a sweater. Each design has one of the four fibre muses in mind. I'm considered a mystic, but there are aspects of dreamer, giver, and seeker in me as well. If you like the designs, I recommend pre-ordering the book to get a discounted price. The KAL (knit along) will start on November 26 and run into January.

Happy crafting and have a great week!!!

After a Wedding and Halloween...two weeks later...

I'm sorry to have missed you last week. My cousin had a beautiful wedding day and we were traveling on Sunday. I hardly ever get to see my extended family so it was a big treat.

Here is a great image of my dad, his older brother and my two cousins playing Parcheesi. This was quite the epic game.

You would think that I'd have so much time to craft, but I only stuck to one large project the majority of the time. I was working on the Marled Mania Cardigan. With the markers in place, it's a mostly mindless knit, which was perfect for the flights, the frequent waiting around, and relaxing at night. Some of the smaller projects that I've been doing needed a chart or if I forgot what row of lace I was on...disaster! I'm having fun bringing in different colors to the cardigan. I hope to make one for myself after the holiday season is over.

We had a new addition to our family this week. Meet Molly.

Halloween came and went so quickly. My boys were happy to dress up and I think I have a picture of me in my little costume. We didn't coordinate this year and I'd be surprised if you could guess who my older son was dressed as. Can you guess who I am?

Ethan is dash. My sister-in-law was Anna to coordinate with her son's Olaf costume from the movie Frozen. It was super cute. My brother-in-law's costume didn't turn out so he seemed comfortable in the non-costume. If only I had a picture of them.

I've started NaNoWriMo...just keep typing...just keep typing. My current goal is 2,000 words per day to give me some wiggle room. Friday night, day 2, was the first night I couldn't meet the goal, but I've been feverishly working on the writing this weekend. I'm hoping to catch back up and have 8,000 words before Monday. I was thinking of some pattern designs that could go with the book...if only time was allowed for such ambition!

Exciting news! The Colorblock Slippers pattern from Kelly White that I tested last month is live. Check it out. It's a great pattern for holiday giving and you can whip up a pair in a weekend. The size range is great, from toddler to men's. Even if you're not looking for a slipper pattern currently, please give it a heart.

Lastly, I wanted to take a moment to remember my grandfather, Harold. His birthday was on November 1. He passed away a few years ago, but I still miss him. My mother-in-law was planning to do a Day of the Dead celebration. The first person I thought of who I wanted to remember and ask to come visit me was my grandfather. Earlier I had been thinking about him at my cousin's wedding. Knowing that he was with us, but wishing he could have been there in person crossed my mind several times. He had been very sick and was in a lot of pain when he passed, so there is some consolation in the fact that he free from the suffering. Ultimately, I feel so blessed to have been able to share time with as much of my family as possible last weekend.

Happy crafting! Have a great week.