Happy New Year!

Happy New Year indeed!  2013 was filled with unexpected surprises, some welcome, and some not so much so.  After a busy summer coming up to speed with my husband's business, we were hit with a historic flood in September.  Our neighborhood backs up to a creek that became a roaring river that spread beyond it's banks threefold.  We helped evacuate our neighbors across the street as the river washed away their acreage and engulfed their home.  Luckily, the house remains standing and the owner, who is a builder, has been working feverishly to rebuild his land and home.

This fall we also helped out daughter apply and get accepted to three universities, but we're still waiting on my Alma mater - CU! I would love her to join the ranks of forever Buffs!!

Our neighborhood welcomed a new baby this year! This is a third child for my lovely, little German neighbor and her husband, and their first girl!  I luckily got to spend some of my winter break knitting for her, NOT in pink, when not skiing.

I'm counting my blessings as I count my stitches.  I hope you can as well.

Here's the Stay On Booties Instructions for the little wee ones in your lives:

Yarn: I used up leftover sock weight yarn
Needles: size 3 double points

CO 9 stitches
K in st st for 32 rows, or 16 ridges
Now you should have a little rectangle swatch of knitting.
Pick up 16 stitches along the longer sides, and 9 stitches on the shorter side. 50 stitches in total on your needles.
Join together by Purling 4 rounds, Knit 4 rounds, Purl 4 rounds, Knit 4 rounds, Purl 4 rounds.
You should have a little basket shape, where the little foot will go!

Now to shape the top of the foot:
From the 9 stitch end, Knit and Purl ROWS back and forth, knitting or purling the last stitch (depending on the row you are on) from the 9 stitch needle with the first stitch from the next needle, decreasing as you go. This creates the top of the booty.  Keep going until you have 32 stitches left on the needles. This will be the ankle.

Ankle:
Knit 3 rounds. On the fourth round create the eyelets for the ribbon or Icord:
Knit 2, YO, K2TOG all way around.
Now knit 22 more rounds then BO.

Sew in ends. You can use a ribbon or knit an I cord for the tie.

Here's a link for the Baby Hat as well, so quick and fun!

Hope you stay cozy!!

Lazy Days

Ok, I admit it.  I'm moving at a snail's pace these days.  My mojo seems to have taken a hiatus.  I guess it's just the season, and that is all there is to it for me.  I try and justify my lethargy by remaining faithful to my handwork.  It seems my knitting is my only salvation for my discipline, or lack thereof.  Yes, I'm getting the dogs out, doing laundry/dishes, preparing meals, showing up for work, but really there is not a lot of "joie de vivre" in much of it.  It's more like I'm on cruise control, a very S L O W cruise indeed.

HOWEVER, here is a peek at two of the knitted pieces that have come from my mid-winter slumber:

Saphire Wavy Feathers Cap

Click here for pattern!

Entwined Cowl

I would direct you to my Ravelry Page for more details, but alas, I have yet to post these.

Sigh . . .

Saphires and Diamonds

Ha ha, did that title capture your attention?  Well, I hope so.  It sure has mine.  These days have been as precious as jewels.  The colors!  So beautiful.  We've been getting treated to some beautiful sunrises and sunsets:

So much inspiration. 

I've been wanting to get some new yarn to take the Wavy Feathers Cap out for a spin again, success!



Left Cascade Kid Seta Shade 31, Right Karabella Gossamer Color 6302

 AND I've been wanting to stitch a new dish towel using Emily's festive little houses:

So I'm a happy camper.  After bopping around the house at night without a gripping book or something tempting to watch, I now have pleny of projects to hold me through the New Year.

What's got your attention these days?

Making Waves

Just in time for the holidays!  Here's a quick peek at the wavy feathers cap I completed for a friend:

The yarn was oh so lovely to work with.  Yes, it was a bit fiddly given it was finger weight yarn, and BLACK, which made for close work.  I hadn't ever worked with Yak yarn before, and given the price, may never again.  It was so light but strong.  I love the dissonance of that.  It worked up well into a lightweight, yet warm cap (as promised by the pattern).  Click here if you want to make one as well!

Giving thanks for those animals and the yarn they provide, and thinking it's time to do some yarn shopping.  I feel a need.

Happy Birthday to Ewe

If you need to stock up on ANYTHING related to fiber arts, today is as good a day as any to head over to Shuttles for their birthday sale, %15 off EVERYTHING in stock in the store.  Books, buttons, needles, yarn, wool roving, you name it.  Just sayin'!

The prayer shawl is coming along nicely, may have to pop on over myself.  See you there!

Knitting As A Spiritual Practice

It feels great to be back, and feeling almost 100% again.  As always, Mommy Chicken is the last one to catch and recover from the family's colds.  The down time did give me a chance to start a Prayer Shawl for someone special, and pick up one of Max's favorite reads The Hunger Games, fantastic!

I've been curious about these "Prayer Shawls" for some time now and always thought they must be worn when praying.  Sure one could use them that way, much like the Tallits in the Jewish tradition.  However these particular shawls are made WHILE repeating prayers, blessings, hopes, wishes, good intentions, mantras (you catch my drift?) much like Mommy Chicken Prayer Flags.  I love that, don't you?  It's a bit of a longish story how I came about targeting this project, but let's just say it's culminated in my offering a Knitting As A Spiritual Practice class.  Check out the link for more details and to register.  I'd love to have you join me!

This weekend we were also lucky to get a visit from "The Uncles" or "The Brothers," Brad's two siblings, Mark and Ted.

Ted, Mark, and Brad (L-R)

They filled their time as much as possible with football games, meals out, bike rides, and visiting on the back porch (priceless). 


At a family favorite, Brasserie Ten Ten

Rachel, Ted, Brad, Mark and Max (L-R)

Saying goodbye is always tough, especially for Brad and I.  As he so poignantly shared, "You don't think about the repercussions of the decisions you make when you're in your 20's, but you sure do feel them down the road," and sometimes it's tough.  He's referring to the fact that all our siblings and parents live in other states.  How nice it would be for all of us to have each other's support more than on occasion.  Alas, I get melancholy. 

I guess I will sum up by returning to gratitude.  How lucky we are to share the time we do.  Perhaps we value it that much more?  Now I will bid you all adieu until next time, and try to be good to yourselves and one another.  Our choices are all we really have!

Responsibility Will Set You Free

I've spent the past, oh, 4 to 6 weeks doggedly keeping at my Spring Cleaning.  I've been hard at it knowing that May would be bringing visitors and celebrations the like I haven't seen in 15 or 20 years.  This past week I crossed off my final Spring Cleaning to-do's (that's not to say there won't be last minute touch-ups) that I really wanted ta-done.  Including finishing off my wispy, shrug-like cardigan:

I am creating a project on Ravelry (complete with photos) for anyone who may want more details.  Check back for the link! 

With this sense of completion comes a tremendous source of satisfaction and ENERGY!  I'm so excited to have the hard stuff done, that now it's on to the fun stuff.  There are fabric buntings, paper garlands, and flower pot cozies to make.  Whee :)!  The past 2 days I've spent some time scrounging in my stash for the necessary items, and taking a final sweep into town for anything I didn't have on hand.

I will post more pictures, and tutorials in a bit, probably after this week?  I must say, I might be taking a break this week from the blog.  I don't want to disappoint by not doing any of these projects justice with diluted posts, but I am thrilled to have met my goal of 10 postings this month.

So I will wish you all a thrilling week, and please do check back next week for more surprises!

Home Stretch

It's almost time, I have about 2 more rows, that's all, just 2 more rows on the Whispy Cardigan.  So why do I find myself blogging instead of knitting?  I guess I'm an excellent procrastinator.  But, why really?  Why not sprint to the finish line?  I guess because I've learned over many years and many more projects, that it's the doing that is the most satisfying.  The imagining, while creating, of all the things you will do with this new something.  And somehow, reality never quite lives up to the imaginings.  Perhaps that's one of the reasons driving my insatiable desire to create?

Be that as it may, I do want to finish.  I have plans to wear this adorable little shrug-like cardy for my Niece's graduation, which just so happens to fall on the same weekend as Mother's Day AND my Birthday.  So, I will CAREFULLY find my way back to my needles, and oh so patiently knit those last 2 rows, bind off, weave in the ends, and Block my piece.  Probably the first time I've ever blocked a piece, but this yarn and this cardy-like shrug deserve, no, demand it!

Hold On To What Is Good

and hold onto your seats, it's gonna be a bumpy ride.  Let's just say re-entry into my life on Brigadoon Farm hasn't been easy.  Perhaps I was spoiled by my get away.  And it's not that I didn't work, I did, but on one thing.  Thoroughly and to completion.  I wasn't distracted by laundry, cleaning, feeding, driving, going to work, or caring for anything else but that one task.  See what I mean?  Spoiled.

I guess I had my own unpacking to do this week.  It was more than a bit overwhelming to come back to all that I have created for myself.  The family, animals, property, job, house, you name it, none of it was good enough and none of it was getting what it deserved.  I felt so torn in too many different directions. 

And now I must say "THANK YOU" to my husband, children, friends and co-workers for weathering the storm with me.  I am so incredibly blessed that I have such loving people in my life to hold me up when I don't think I can hold myself up.  With their help, I will get back to taking life one day at a time, and allowing myself some grace when I don't measure up to my own expectations.

And a "THANK YOU" to my sister, Allison, who gifted me this incredible yarn so that I can continue to do what I love best, create with gorgeous yarn!

Allison's Color Way

And Anna, thank you for the house call and your healing hands.  And Pam, thank you for your kind listening, and lovely poem:

Hold on to what is good,
Even if it's a handful of earth.
Hold on to what you believe,
Even if it's a tree that stands by itself.
Hold on to what you must do,
Even if it's a long way from here.
Hold on to your life,
Even if it's easier to let go.
Hold on to my hand,
Even if I've gone away from you.

Pueblo Indian Prayer

May all of you receive many blessings today and through this weekend.

Two Steps Forward . . .

and One Step Back.  Sounds a bit like a line dance instruction, more like life.  This past week I've had the pleasure (?) of slowing down in order to allow myself to recover from "the Crud."  You know, the stuff that settles in to make you realize just how slowly the days are warming?  But, I've turned the corner and no longer am having that lovely "out of body"/ "moving under water" experience when climbing out of bed in the morning.

The silver lining of being sick?  I did make some good headway on my Spring Shrug.  I've completed one sleeve and am cruising through the back, almost halfway!

The knitted fabric is a little womply, but hopefully some blocking will take care of that.  The first part (beginning of sleeve) was a bit tricky and fiddly, but once I completed 3-4 inches of knitting it got a lot easier.  Or maybe I just got over my fear that lace weight yarn was fragile?  It's amazingly tough for such a dainty thing.  Kinda' like snowdrops.

Another plus, I had the excuse to lay in bed and indulge in one of my all time favorite movies:

The gorgeous scenery helps allay my impatience with Spring's slow arrival here in Colorado.  The costumes are simply to die for.  And the story, ah well, Jane Austen knows how to tweak my soul.  I feel more about this film than I dare share in this space, trust me.  I do so enjoy thinking about the intricacies of love.

That being said, I was able to peruse the garden on my way to the hen house yesterday.  That in itself felt very productive!  I snapped a few pictures of the early spring bulbs to share and as a note to myself for the fall season.  I do so like to plant bulbs in the fall.  A panacea for the upcoming long, dark Winter, knowing that promise is buried in the ground.  These pictures will hopefully act as a map later when I try to find some places to stash hope!

Iris Reticulata and Crocus

Learning to Shrug

Taking a peek in a favorite book, Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy by Sara Ban Breathnach, I was reminded how to complain.  Or rather, how to not complain.  Or something like that.  This book is full of great reminders, and this day my take-away was "Learning to shrug is the beginning of Wisdom."  Which got me thinking, of course.  But not just on how to live life more fully, but about SHRUGS!

I have to admit, I don't follow these day books like most ordinary folk out there.  I don't thumb through until I find "today's date."  I like to use my intuition and open the book at random and see what pops out at me.  And of course, my intution never fails me.

Wouldn't knittng a shrug be the perfect Spring project?  AND I just so happened to have the perfect yarn in my stash.  Now at this point I like to play my "Is the Universe Trying to Tell Me Something?" game.  Go ahead, roll your eyes, I know my family does.  But really, if I was meant to committ to this project I would have enough yardage of the yarn required, etc. . .

(fingers crossed, drumroll please)

Yup!  Guess I have a new knitting project.

"Socked" In

Another snowy day here.  Seems like the snow has come to stay.  One could say we're "socked in!"

What say you?  Yes!  Speaking of Socks, at last, a Ta Dah moment!

Rachel cozy in her socks!



Max cozy in his

Interesting thing, this "Ta Dah!" stuff.  While in yoga yesterday, my teacher explained the meaning of "Tadasana" or mountain pose.  Did you know "Ta Da" means "I am that?"  Maybe that's what is feeding my desire to create?  Striking when you think of it.  Each sock knit, each cookie baked, each blog posted, each relationship shared, a connection to "I am that."  A connection to the creative spark that got us on this journey in the first place.

Makes me want to stand tall, feet firmly planted and centered on the earth, and with my heart open, take a deep breathe and go out into the world.

Missy has her Ta Da! moment

What about you?

Sock Debacle

Ok, ok, so I may be a little dramatic.  Not quite a Sock Debacle, but rather than a "Ta Dah!" moment, as Lucy from Attic24 is so fond of declaring, perhaps more of a "Ta Dah Dud!" moment.

Last year my son, Max, was knitting socks in his 5th grade at his Waldorf School.  In an effort to support him, I decided to knit socks along with him.  4 1/2 pairs later it was spring.  I was in love with each and every pair, but not enough to finish off the toe with the dreaded Kitchner Stitch.  Here is the first pair I "finished."  I knit these during the fall and the colors in this bamboo/merino blend reflected Nature's Glory.  My oh my I was inspired!  Even the yarn color, "Citrine," spoke to me.

But wait, you say "How pretty!"  How can that be a "Ta Dah Dud" moment?  Here's how, and its not a new concept "HASTE MAKES WASTE!"  I was too hasty to go through the trouble of doing a sincere effort at the Kitchner Stitch.   Instead, I quickly sewed up the toes so I could walk my pups.  About a mile into our walk I could feel my toes coming through one sock.  Crap!  Off they came and the live stitches were thrown on a holder, and the socks thrown back into my handwork bag until a better time.

Well, the autumn and the holidays came and went, as they will, and the socks are being resurrected.

This lovely pair was intended for my daughter, Rachel, but being 15 and Fabulous, not sure if they'll ever get worn.  Perhaps I will frog the decrease, knit a little longer, and waa laa, another pair for me! 

This pair was intended for my husband, who declared he doesn't like handknit socks.  So . . . I will now have 3 new pair of socks, after I finsih with the dreaded Kitchner Stitch, of course!

Lastly, this pair is intended for my son, Max, who can always use another pair of socks. Bless him, he is actually, genuinely excited by the idea, or a very good actor.  I waited on decreasing for the toes knowing that his 12 year old feet would probably grow some over the summer.

See how good I am at rationalizing my procrastination?

Who knows, perhaps someday soon I'll resurrect my "Ta Dah Dud" moment and have my own "Ta Dah" to share?