March...A wrap-up...

Today ends March - the third month of the year is behind us. But, I managed to accomplish a few things...

1. My Shut Up and Knit Your Cabin Cove Yarn Along Socks are coming along well. I am almost at the toe of the first sock and plan on working on the socks the rest of this week-end.

2. Yarn Life Challenge and Red Sweater KAL - The red sweater is ready to block and then put together...it turned out lovely. Plus I have a UFO that is a red sweater that just needs to be put together...I am behind on my sock committment to myself of a pair every two months.

3. A Year in Bread is going to be lots of fun and am excited about learning how to bake bread better...it beats the heck of of store bought "white".

4. On the knitting front - a red scarf is in the works as well as a Log Cabin Knitted Bed covering.

5. And, finally, I actually completed something for Project Spectrum 2007 - Feb/Mar - with a gorgeous turqouise scarf. My version of PS this year is to complete a project in one or all of the chosen colors for the month...

So, how was your March...

New Hat Pattern...

My friend Jen suggested this gorgeous hat as my next project...I think it is an awesome hat. She suggested that I could do it without the beads - but, I think it is about time that I try adding some beads to my knitting. You can find the pattern here.

Of course, I have to finish my Cabin Cove Socks, a red scarf, and my Log Cabin Cover for my bed first...

Lace, Lace, and More Lace...

With all this talk about lace everywhere and from everyone, my brain has been wanting to check out some books. So yesterday, I dropped by the library and picked up...A Gathering of Lace. Oh. My. Goodness. I. Am. In. Love. With. Lace.

This book has the most incredible patterns and everything in it is just gorgeous! Think this calls for me to just DO IT (as the old Nike commercial would say...) So, I have some yarn that is lace weight - not expensive stuff - but, good enough that if it turns out okay, I can still use the item. Am starting small with a little bag...but, I gotta finish up so other stuff first...

Sorry, Can't Get to My Computer...

A friend sent this to me today via e-mail and I thought it was so cute...

Debbie Tagged Me...

My friend, Debbie, was just overjoyed at being tagged...it was the first time she's been tagged. So, you just have to appreciate the enthusiasm! So, when she tagged me - I just gotta go with it...

Seven Things to Do Before I Die

1. Visit Paris, France - it's my grandfather's birthplace and I want to see it.
2. Take a trip back to Puerto Rico to re-discover part of my childhood and see the places I lived as a child now as an adult.
3. Hike the Appalachian Trail.
4. Spend a month at the seashore - either on Cape Cod or somewhere in Maine and just hang out walking the beach, knitting, and reading.
5. Learn how to take beautiful photos.
6. Create some beautiful quilts.
7. Visit some of the big name National Parks in the United States...I've been to a few - but there are still a few to go...


Seven Things I Cannot Do

1. Swim - only if like a rock counts...
2. Ski - there is no way that I am going to go down some mountain at breakneck speed hanging on to two poles with weird things on my feet.
3. Sing - cannot carry a tune - even in a bucket.
4. Draw - never been that type of an artist.
5. Fix Stuff around the house - that's why there are handymen.
6. Not help someone in need...I do try to help by doing a lot of charity knitting & quilting.
7. See an animal go hungry...

Seven Things That Attracted Me To...New Hampshire

1. The Water - there are tons of lakes here and all are so beautiful.
2. The Mountains - what's not to love about the mountains. They take my breath away.
3. The small towns with their greens and round abouts in the center of town.
4. The four seasons ... actually we have five in NH - Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter and Mud. Spring and Mud can run at the same time...depending on the amount of snow that we have.
5. The vegatation- lots of woods and big trees - and roads - not all big interstates...which gives one time to appreciate their surroundings.
6. The proximity to other states like Vermont, Massachussets and Maine.
7. The culture and educational availabilities. Within thirty minutes I can be a Dartmouth College to visit their library, museum, or attend a play or lecture.

Seven Things I Say

1. "What did I say, Mother?"
2. "Ya'll" - Hey, I grew up in the South.
3. "Honey" - Same reason, I grew up in the South
4. "F**k a Duck - Hey, I never said I was an angel
5. "Killian, that's not polite" - to my cat who is infatuated with my old knit afghan.
6. "Ya'll just came in - now go lie down" - to the dogs who seem to think that my only job in life is to open the back door every five minutes so they can go out.
7. "I'll be there in a minute" - covers when I'm reading, at the computer, at the sewing machine, or want to finish a row of whatever I am knitting on.

Seven Good Books

1. Gone With the Wind - Margaret Mitchell - my most favorite book ever.
2. Elegant Stitches: An Illustrated Stitch Guide and Source Book of Inspiration - Judith Baker Montano - got me started on embellishing quilts and knitted items.
3. Little Women - Louisa May Alcott - from childhood I've loved this book.
4. Six of One - Rita Mae Brown - one of her funniest and best as far as I am concerned.
5. Peyton Place - Grace Metalious - one of the best written books as far as plot and characters.
6. The All New Joy of Cooking - Rombauer, Becker, and Becker. A big help in learning to cook.
7. Rodale's Successful Quilting Library - All fifteen books in the series - have been wonderful in learning how to quilt better.

Seven Good Movies

1. Gone With the Wind - there will never be another Scarlett or Rhett than Viven Leigh and Clark Gable...it is my all time favorite movie...
2. Love, Valor and Compassion - This is one of my favorite movies - if you haven't seen it - it is really good. It's an Indie and has an incredible cast.
3. 9-1/2 Weeks - Kim Basinger at her best! And, Mickey Rourke isn't bad either. Of course, he was a lot younger and in much better shape.
4. Body Heat - William Hurt and Kathleen Turner - her first big role - and it is hot!
5. Top Gun - What can I say...it's worth watching to hear Berlin sing "Take My Breath Away"
6. The American President - It's a fun movie...
7. A toss up between: A Chorus Line and Practical Magic - they both are great movies.

These movies are always guaranteed to brighten my day and they make a great week-end of movies to relax with...

I'm supposed to tag 7 blogs - but, I'm not really good at that - so, if you want to play - let me know in the comments and I'll go check out your 7!

One Less Hat to Wear...

Can anyone say "beat the dog"? - not that I would - but, I truly thought about it the other day. Miss Isis Dreamweaver was suddenly very, very quiet. That usually only means one thing - she's into something...

I know she looks like a perfect little angel...but, there are days...

Searching for her led me to her crate with her inside along with my "ugly" knit hat...everyone jokes about the hat...and says it's ugly - but, I loved that hat.

It was my very first knit hat from a trillion years ago when I first started knitting - it wasn't even done in the round - and had a seam up the back, two nice rows of cabling, and a large circle at the top of my head because I refused to put a pom-pom on the hat. (I'm just not a pom-pom kind of girl)...and now it is gone!!! Huge holes eaten into the hat by Isis!!!

It a darn good thing it is Spring - cause I'll need from now until winter comes to knit another hat!!!

I'm looking for a pattern so if you care to share the name of your favorite and where it can be found or bought let me know...

The First Day of Spring...

Oh, how wonderful to feel Spring creeping in. Today the sun was shining as I ran a few errands and it felt wonderful.

I love Spring - it is such a wonderful time of renewal - not only of the earth but of one's mind, body, and spirit...and I truly intend to enjoy all that Spring brings to me.

May each of you enjoy the Season and prosper and grow in this time of renewal.

A Year of Simple Things...Week 11

Some of you might have noticed a new link on the right side of my blog. It is called A Year In Bread and it looks like the link below. One of the reasons that this has called my name is that I love homemade bread. But, I'm not very good at baking it. So, this group of three is going to teach how to bake bread to those of us who want to learn. Three bakers, twelve months, thirty-six recipes of all kinds of different breads. It looks like a such a simple thing...



Feel free to click on either link and join in the bread baking...it looks like it will be fun.

What's Up With This?...

I am a fan of Peanut Brittle! A big fan - so much of a fan that I have been craving it for the past two weeks. Do you think I can find it anywhere around me??? I have been to every grocery store within 25 miles of my house - and there is NONE! NONE!! Not even my old standby:

So, what's up with that???

PS...if I owe you e-mail or haven't been commenting on your blogs for the past few days - I've been without Internet since Saturday afternoon until about 3PM today...I'll get caught up in the next few days...

Catchin' Up...

A Three Day Vacation...Nah...it was more like a three day get stuff caught up time!!

Tuseday became a day for me - I needed it! Two of my outdoor cats, Apollo and Zeus, were heading for a new home and I had agreed to deliver them so that I would know where they were going to be. It was a good decision.


The top photo is of Wanderer and Zeus (black cat) and Apollo is in the bottom photo.

The trip took about 25 minutes into the farmlands of Cornish, NH. They were going to become barn cats and chase mice (which they dearly love to do) on a lovely horse farm of 110 acres! The barn was huge - and immediately upon arriving Zeus set out exploring (after eating breakfast) and headed up into the lofts of the barn...Apollo followed later that day (I understand) he was a bit shy. The lofts will now be their new home complete with bedding that has been prepared for them and a great high perch to watch the world from.

While it was a very difficult thing for me to do...it was the right thing.

The rest of Tuesday was spent at a new Yarn Shop in White River Junction. It was a learning experience for me and found some new things that already have improved my knitting.

1) I was not carrying the yarn around my little finger - therefore I was knitting loose...but, I've got that covered now...and after I finish my Cabin Cove Socks - I will be knitting the new way.

2) The way I have always cast on has been to knit my stitches on - but now there is a new way or a different way - learned the long tail cast on.

So, it was a worthwhile trip to the yarn shop...

Wednesday and Thursday were spent sorting though all my yarn and organizing it so that I know what I have and what projects I have yarns for...and knitting.

Now, if anyone wants to come and help me shovel approximately two feet of snow off my back steps, I'll be waiting for you - shovel in hand.

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Today would have been my Dad's 88th birthday...I never knew him very well - he and my mother were divorced when I was 7. It was very difficult for me. We started to get to know each other about two years before he passed away at the age of 51. I don't have many photos of him...thus no photo today.

But I still wanted to say - Happy Birthday, Dad...

That White Stuff...

SNOW! Yep...can you believe it...the weatherman is saying 18-24 inches in my region...OMG! And, to make it worse - all the snow from the last big storm is about melted!!! It's March - what can I say!

I know I've been absent for a couple of days - but, I'll be back tomorrow and fill you all in...just needed a couple of days to play catch up...

My Other Grandson...Buster...

Buster has been my daughter's cat since they moved to Arizona almost ten years ago. He is a Manx and has no tail...his coloring is just beautiful...and he takes a while to get to know you. And, yes - he is a BIG boy!!!

Quiz Sunday...

Your Dominant Thinking Style: Exploring

You thrive on the unknown and unpredictable. Novelty is your middle name. You are a challenger. You tend to challenge common assumptions and beliefs. An expert inventor and problem solver, you approach everything from new angles. You show people how to question their models of the world.

What's Your Thinking Style?

Project Spectrum - February/March...

Project Spectrum's colors for February and March are blue, white and gray...I chose to knit something in a shade of blue that has suddenly become one of my favorite colors...turquoise! Suddenly I am wild about this color....



The Pattern: Yarn Harlot's One Row Pattern Scarf - that Susan told me about.
Size: 6" wide x 76" long
Yarn: Caron Simply Soft Brites in the Blue Mint Colorway

Saturday Sky...March 10, 2007

This is it! A little gray and zero sun...and I'm still trying to figure out where the 40's are that the weather man promised...but, it is March after all. One of the things that I really love in the winter is the naked trees...each tree is so different. Some of the branches are knarly, some are straight and sleek, while others just seem to just be. Each season is so different...yet so beautiful.

CaC: Favorite and Future Vacations...

Over at Create A Connection the topic for Thursday's photo day is to post a photo of a recent vacation and why you enjoyed it. Then to post a photo of a place where you would like to vacation and why you would want to go there.

Last year we went to Maine twice! Everyone who read my blog knows that I fell in love with Maine. It was everything I imagined it would be and more. The ocean and waves drew me in, the food was wonderful, the charm of the towns made me want to spend lots of time there exploring! And, since it is not far from home I will go often to get my Maine fix. Below is a photo of me at the coastline...I can still smell the salt in the air!

My dream vacations would include: Alaska - found this photo of the Winter Solstice in Fairbanks at Wikipedia. Since I was a child I have been fascinated by Alaska! The ruggedness of the area, the beauty of the mountains and landscape, and the people have always been something that I have wanted to learn about and explore.

Another dream vacation would be Paris - actually, all of France - why be picky! My reason for wanting to go there is because my grandfather on my father's side was born there. Wikipedia had this beautiful photo of Paris...

Sevilla, Spain - my mother's family lived there before leaving everything behind and moving to Puerto Rico to start a safe life...Thanks to Wikipedia for this beautiful photo of an evening sunset in Sevilla.

So, there you have it - one past vacation and three dream vacations. Where would we be without our dreams?

February and March Snows...

This is what my house and yard looked like after the February 14th snow...having arrived here October 31st of 2004 - we have only had a few winters and they did not deliver in the snow department. I know that for a fact because for one of those winters we had a very expensive yard ornament in the form of a snowmobile. And to be truthful I thought the winter of 2006 - 2007 would be the same. Surprise!

My back yard - the garage where my outdoor cats live has barely an opening for them to get in and out...they were not amuzed. You will note it is almost half way up my fence.

The front of the house - my dear neighbor came and worked some magic with his snowblower so that I could get from my front door to the curb.

Another shot of the front of the house - it was most interesting to shovel the stoop and stairs...
But this was the best - the side of house in front of the garage where Scarlett parks - she was off snowmobiling that week-end...Please note the depth of the snow from the street to the garage - it was that deep all the way across my side yard. Quite interesting...but, gosh it was gorgeous! And since we got another snow storm last week...it looks about the same in the back and front yards - but the area in front of the garage has been snowblowen...

Knitting My Cabin Cove Yarn...2...

I know it's not a lot - but it is a start and this first sock should be done quickly...I just needed some mindless knitting and worked on a scarf. But, I am loving the way this yarn is coming out - the picture doesn't do it justice...at least I don't think so.

A Year of Simple Things...Week 10...

Sushi! I love it! And, learning how to make it is so simple! This is some that Scarlett made...smoked salmon, cream cheese, scallions and white rice.

I know most of you must think that all I do is eat...but, really it isn't! I do read, knit and quilt...it is just that a lot of things are food related. Between us we must own 400 cookbooks...and we used to try and cook a new recipe every week...some were keepers...others lead us to call Pizza Hut for a quick delivery immediately...but you don't know until you try...

Diner Food...

If there is a diner around, I'll be there! Have no idea what it is about diner food - but, I love it! And, here in New England, there is no shortage of diners...believe me...I've eaten at most of them. But this is the one I frequent the most...

DaddyPops Tumble Inn Diner in downtown. The building behind it is the Moody Building. I'll share with you about that some other time. Every time I go there I have the exact same thing - whether it is first thing in the morning or near closing time at 2 PM...2 eggs over medium, the best homemade fried potatoes, rye toast, cranberry juice, and hot cocoa...all for the grand sum of $5.00 including a 20% tip. I mean how can one go wrong...plus they have become friends...and it is kind of neat when they know you well enough to start getting it ready when you walk in the door.

Out and About...Claremont...

Claremont used to be a mill town...textiles from what I understand...and then the mills closed. But they still line the river on Waters Street and a few have been put into use - one is the State Building where one can get their driver's license, or other services which the state offers.

Five years or so ago, the city hired a new city manager whose purpose it was to revitalize Claremont. Some changes have come about but the best is what will be happening along the river front in the mills.
The above view is from across the river...it was taken from the City's Planning offices and shows the length of the mills.
A close up of that area with the river (check out the ice). These mills are being converted into a small classy hotel, small shops, and the Common Man Restaurant. There will also be a bridge walkway that will cross the river...The mountain that you see in back of the clock tower of our city hall is our city ski park. There just has not been much snow the last two years...the first year we were here we went and got to watch people skiing, snowboarding, and tubing.Hopefully, there will also be some loft living in some of the old mills. The structures could be made into beautiful lofts with great windows that would over look the river and downtown.

My Corner of the World...

New Hampshire is where I reside...and too be honest I have had a love for New England all my life...and it took me a while to get here. I live in Claremont...it is a city (we don't have many cities) and sometimes you can find it on maps and other times you can't. Claremont is situated between Keene to the south and Lebanon to the north. The Vermont line is 5 miles from my house. Concord (our capital) and Manchester (our Queen City) are 1-1/2 hours and two hours away. Boston is 2-1/2-3 hours (sometimes more, sometimes less) depending on traffic...and when I want to see the ocean I head for Portsmouth which is two hours east. Within 45 minutes I can be in three marvelous ski resorts!

Just outside of Lebanon is Hanover, home to Dartmouth College. I love Hanover and love to browse the stores (especially the Dartmouth Book Store) and the Hood Museum.

If I head right up the Interstate I can be in Canada (Montreal) in three hours and Quebec City in five.

To the east of me is Newport (where there is a yarn shop), Sunapee (a ski resort and lake area for summer swimming), and New London where Scarlett works.

I tend to spend most of my time in Claremont and Vermont...my quilting class is in White River Junction...and I have two yarn shops in that direction...

I sort of wanted to give you an idea of where I live...as in the future I intend to show you my corner of the world as I take you out and about the area...

A Year of Simple Things...Week 9...

Another Simple Thing...Murchies Empress Blend tea! I love this tea which is a mix of China, Darjeeling and Ceylon teas. It was the tea that was served at the Empress Hotel in Vancouver, British Columbia from 1972 to 2001 and was the tea that I enjoyed each day during the time I was there and then during their wonderful High Tea Service. Each time I drink a cup of it I am reminded of the time I spent in Vancouver and Vancouver Island. Simple things that create memories are sometimes the best...

A Year of Simple Things...Week 8...

This has become my most favorite soap to wash my hands...it is Dove's Deep Moisture Nourishing Hand Wash...This hand wash has saved my hands this winter!!! It's just such a simple thing!!!!