Some Christmas Finishes

I feel the time crunch. Do you? Every year I promise myself that I won't stress about making a few Christmas gifts, but when the time is near I always find myself in a bit of a tizzy, trying to get it all done. Baking, pieogre -making, wrapping, cleaning and decorating... it seems the list goes on and on.
We got Kaleigh a Kindle and I thought I would sass it up a bit with a pretty cover. The fabric is an Amy Butler print with matching insides below...

I should have used the next bigger size pattern because this one is a little on the small size. Still usable but I had to take out the two upper corners to make the thing fit in. What a disappointment. After Christmas I'll make her another that will fit. I think I'll let her pick out her own fabric, too. That way she'll have two and one that fits and she really likes.

I started this piece last year. It's a free pattern from Gailpandesigns called A Christmas Wish-Free BOM. I believe it has nine blocks but I only completed four. My impatience didn't allow me to stitch all nine or to leave them as unfinished so I made a small table topper from it. Below is what it looks like being used.

Well, not too good of a pic, I'm afraid, but you get the idea. It really does look nice with a candle flickering atop. I told the kiddoes not to eat or drink on the coffee table while I have that out. I don't really want to have to wash it if I don't have to. As you can see, Billy, our dog taking his place on the couch. No matter how many times we tell him to get down he finds his way back up there again.

One other small finish; an Ipod cover for Cassidy. She is forever borrowing mine so we thought she should have her own. I thought a cute cover would go nicely and help protect it just in case she drops it.

Hope you are enjoying some snow...we haven't had any significant snowfall yet here in Massachusetts. I'm sure we will though...soon enough!

Stunning...to Me, Anyway

I read the Granny Miller blog every time she makes a post. She's educated, sassy and is a source of abundant information on many topics. I've learned so much from her. Today she wrote about Wal-Mart's recent venture into Homeland Security. I was shocked. I wrote Wal-Mart an e-mail of my opinion and irritation at the whole thing. It reminded me of the books 1984 by George Orwell and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. Eerily similar! And scary!
We've had so many around-the-table dinner discussions at my house referring to both books and how life is today. If you haven't read either books, I highly recommend both. If nothing else, read Granny Miller's post today. You may be just as shocked as I am. My next post will be something crafty; promise!

Scarf for a Manly Man

I find knitting for a man to be difficult. They don't want anything the least bit scratchy, nothing too matchy, and something that must be useful. I racked my brains trying to think of a gift our sweet piano teacher, Mr. B. When one of my friends brought over a finished scarf to show me, I knew that was it!

I really liked her scarf because it was soft and it wasn't long. It had a hole on one end to slide the other end into and it hung just on the chest. It wasn't long and taking up coat room in the chest area. Actually it's called a Keyhole Scarf. I knew I had to make one. So the above is the finished gift for our piano teacher. The color kind of looks like a piano, doesn't it? The coloring is just perfect. I bought the yarn and pattern kit through Herrschners using Curly Q Yarn by Red Heart. It's "cheap" yarn but machine washable/dryable, reasonably priced, knits up v-e-r-y quickly and makes a great gift. I ended up buying four more skeins of other pretty colors so I could make three more for gifts and one for myself. I like it that much!

Trio of Woodsmoke Woolworks Sheep and Lambs Hats

I made a goal for myself last Wednesday that I would finish three hats by Sunday evening. I already had one done, the largest of the three, but still needed to start the other two! Well, guess what? I made it! My three youngest daughters will have their pink hats (to match their pink coats their grandma is giving them for Christmas)! The pattern, Sheep and Lambs by Woodsmoke Woolworks, can be found here. Today is just beautiful with blue, sunny skies and temps in the 40's. The little ones are outside enjoying the sunshine. I think I'll go out for a walk up the street to the mailbox and then make myself a cup of tea and pick up my cross-stitch project. It's nearly done, too. Very cute... just a few more x's and it'll be ready for finishing.

Finding Quiet In Between the Chaos

We're smack dab in the middle of Thanksgiving weekend. I hope your day was filled with family, friends and lots of yummy food. Our Thanksgiving was very nice and the food was wonderful. I ate a bit too much so I need to watch myself over the next few days. I'm nearly done with my Christmas shopping but still have a few things left to make. I've been trying to get my work done during the day so in the evening I can relax with the kiddoes and watch some old movies and either cross-stitch, knit or sew. I've been trying to sneak in some quiet time just before bed, too. I'm enjoying reading, Old Christmas: From the Sketchbook of Washington Irving. It was written in 1875 and is such a relaxing read with many black and white, old-fashioned drawings. When that is complete I'd like to move on to The Home Book of Christmas by May Lamberton Becker. The book is a treasury of short stories, history, tradition and songs. It looks to be a very enjoyable read as well. I love to light a few candles and sip on either Hot Cinnamon Tea or Chocolate Mint Tea. Lately my husband has had the wood stove burning and it makes for a very snuggly, cozy retreat.

My days have been filled with homeschooling and the normal cooking, cleaning, errands and everyday-living type things with more shopping than usual thrown in. I like to make several gifts for my girls and I love to see their faces on Christmas morning when they open what I've made them. I thought Cassidy, who's ten, would like a little zippered pouch (which I've made many of) to hold her knitting and crochet tools in. She's just learning both arts and is in need of organizing her own things. I thought a little personalization was in order, too, so I cross-stitched her name on the front. The inside is lined with a pretty red cotton. The two prints together make for a very pretty combination. I have many other projects that are nearly done. I'll take pictures and post them, too, as I finish them up. I told both Kaleigh and Cassidy not to visit my blog until after Christmas as I don't want to spoil the little surprises I've made them. More to come!

Homespun Living's Knitted Dishcloth and a Daytrip to Harney's Tea

A few of my on-line friends decided to do a knitted dishcloth swap. I decided to knit my favorite cloth of all time, Homespun Living's Waffle Dishcloth. I've made several for myself and not only do I like the design, but I also like that it has some texture and gets the sticky stuff off my countertops that my little ones leave behind.

Remember I mentioned that we enjoy daytrips? This jaunt was to Harney's Tea Room in Middleton, New York. As you can see, they offer a large selection of loose tea. They brew several flavors at a time that you can try and you are also able to taste a couple you may be curious about. The "upper-crust" of New England seem to enjoy the trip as much as my "oh-so-average" family does; so we not only enjoy the tea, we enjoy the clientelle as well!

The scenery was so beautiful as we meandered along our way...

Old churches are scattered throughout the countryside, and churches like this are in nearly every town center.

A lone silo that once belonged to a thriving farm. There are still many dairy and cattle farms along the way. I always enjoy traveling through western Connecticut and into New York. We make the little trip usually twice a year and visit several antique shops dotted along the way.

Lately we've been busy cleaning up the gardens and yard. Once the fall chores are under control, we'll be taking more daytrips. We seem to visit the same places year after year depending on the season. I'll be sure to bring you along on more of our daytrips throughout New England.

A Daytrip to Salem and Sew Nautical Finish

Fall is such a beautiful time of year, don'tchya think? I've been stitching or knitting in the evenings and we've managed to sneak in a few weekend day trips. My most recent finish is Sew Nautical by Carol of istitch. I changed the color of the linen and used silk thread instead of the colors on Carol's original. I finished it as a heavy-weight using the book The Heavy Weights by Judy Odell of Just a Thought. This will be a gift for my brother and sister-in-law to go along with the pillowcases I made over the summer.

We went to Salem, MA the day before Halloween. What a hoot that was! As we walked to The House of Seven Gables we passed some interesting sites. This red house is so typical of the homes we walked by.

This scary view was in front of one of the homes we walked past. There was a sign on the front gate that read, "Please enjoy the display but don't open the gate!" We thought it was quite amusing.

Here is a pic of some of my kiddoes. My oldest son and his fiance didn't make it to Salem quite yet, so we decided to start the day without them. My second son was supposed to come along, too, but sleep seemed like a better deal to him!

This is the side of The House and the street is rather narrow.

This is a pic inside the patio portion of The House. It really does have seven gables! Everyone, and I mean everyone, counted the gables! The tour of the house is quite nice and the trip up the hidden staircase is um.... troubling! If you don't like closed in spaces, this is not the staircase to go up.

Our day was very tiring but so much fun. We didn't do any of the scary stuff as I didn't want my little ones frightened. There was an incredible amount of people and some were dressed as witches, warlocks, warewolves, etc. Most were just playing but some weren't! ...LOL... which was scary in itself! There is a lot of history in Salem, MA, so if you ever have the opportunity to visit, I would. Glouchester is nearby too, and I hear is a beautiful seaport to visit. We tried to get there but the traffic was very heavy by the time we left Salem so we didn't go. My little ones were asleep before we reached the highway! I'll be back soon with a knitting finish and another day trip!