Burned out on fingerless mitts...

I was reading blogs today and seems like everyone is gearing up on their Christmas projects.

Last year I made at least a dozen pairs of fingerless mitts. I made Toast, Those Mitts and Toasty all from a-friend-to-knit-with patterns. They were great, but then I started on this last pair. They were for me. The one on the left was knit last year just a few days before Christmas and then I ran out of steam. After all those mitts I didn't even have a pair for myself. I came across them the other day and decided I need to get the right one done. After about an hour of knitting I only have a few more rows and then the thumb and I will be done. I should have nice Toasty fingers by Thanksgiving.

I decided this year there will be no marathon of knitting, actually I'm hardly knitting anything for anyone - but then - yesterday I went to the LYS and saw this really cute project. Something that all the girls in the family could use - from the youngest to the oldest so of course I hopped on the knitting marathon again. I can't give away the details because its a surprise - but hopefully I will end up with one when all the knitting is done. I should probably make mine first - what do you think??

Have a good weekend!!

Random Wednesday Thoughts

Thanks for all the comments on the dog hair situation. I actually took the pet vacuum part of my vacuum and used it on Marley the other day. It all seems to be lessening. I also bought a new rug for the living room - which seems to have helped quite a bit. The other rug was navy blue, some wool, very comfy to roll on and scratch your bag. I just went to Home Depot and bought one of their area rugs (see below). Its a low berber and covers a lot more of the room. You don't see as much of the wood floor, but I don't see as much of the hair laying on the floor.
As Tom pointed out - the hair is still there, you just don't see it. The key word being you - meaning me. What am I working on this week with Marley - not jumping on the bed the minute we leave the house. I broke her of laying on the couch when we left - by putting newspapers on it, but now she likes our bed!! Has anyone started their Christmas shopping yet?? I am moving right along and have set the goal - done by Thanksgiving!! That would be a first for me. It also helps that 2 of the grandkids are teenagers and money is always good.

Knitting is progressing although I have nothing to show. My sock did not get finished so maybe later today or tomorrow I can try to figure it out on my own. At our sock club were starting a KAL - 2 socks at one time. Good thing we are all beginner sock knitters. Ought to be interesting.

We have had some great weather for the past 2 weeks - actually better than October. In the upper 50s (which still is not 70 but better than the alternative) and sunny. So that is it for today - I'm off to mow the front yard - but I do need to find my gloves. Hopefully this is the last time we have to mow for this year. I like to mow grass but I am definitely ready for a break from that job.

Medina has their Candlelight Walk this weekend. The paper said they light 5,000 luminaries around the town. It will be great if the weather stays warm - makes all that shopping I am planning on doing a little more enjoyable because once you find a parking space that is where you walk from. I have been cutting coupons out of the paper all week for some of my favorite places - I just might get some good bargins.

Enjoy the rest of the week!!

Just some random things....

Do you know we had some snow here on Wednesday?? That is one of my early days, I get off at 10:00 a.m. My plan was to mow the grass - hopefully for the last time. The sun was shinning, it looked like I was in for a wonderful day. About 9:45 it started to darken outside and by 10 it was snowing. It didn't stick to the ground but for about an hour we had lots of flurries. I am off at 10 today, the sun is shinning, but it is supposed to be 60 today so hopefully I won't see any flakes as I'm mowing.

There has been knitting going on (especially on snow days). Below is my first sweater for me. So far so good, the pattern is 28thirty by Zephyr. I knitting it out of Malabrigo, color Stonechat. It is just beautiful. The only problem is it seems a little small. Boy am I hoping it stretches or blocks out. I bet Kris and Sara are hoping its to small!


I finished a pair of socks and this pair is close to being completed. I have to get up to the heel this weekend as sock club meets next Thursday and I want to be doing the heel there in case I have problems.

Also on the needles is Juliet - again by Zephyr. I took out the lace pattern and just went with plain stockinette stitch. I ripped this out about 3 times. Its hard to do lace and watch TV. This one is either a Christmas present or BD present, depending on how soon its done. Lots of Zephyr patterns being knitted, but they are top down with very little seeming- so thats a plus.

Next I have a question for anybody who reads this blog and has a dog. Marley sheds so much - I can't even describe it. Anyone have any good ideas on how to deal with lots and lots of dog hair? I blame this on Tom. When I went to the animal shelter he said look for soft eyes, he didn't remind me about the shedding.

I have got to get moving, sunny skies and a lawn mower are awaiting me. Also Marley is looking at me very impatiently wanting to get outside. She has been in the house a lot this week due to her not feeling well. She is banished from the barn for the time being - there are to many nasty things she liked to roll in and eat down there. You think she would have learned her lesson last week, but no its been more of the same this week. Sorry girl - I'm keeping my eye on you today.

Enjoy your weekend - may it be sunny and warm - as sunny and warm as it can be for November.

Can it be November already??

Well, Halloween is over - most of the leaves are off the trees - the time has changed - it must be November!!

Last night was Trick or Treat in Medina and it was just about perfect. So much easier that they are now older and can get around by themselves. We usually go into town because its just easier- there are sidewalks, stree lights and the houses are closer together. After about an hour their bags were full and they were ready to go. It was a little cool but I can take that over the rain that we had up until about 2:oo p.m. yesterday. As you can see most of the leaves are gone off the trees in the woods. Our picnic area is cleaned up, benches stacked and were ready for what comes next.

Today is a lazy day for us. Tom and I have done a couple of things around the house, but mostly its been watching movies, football and nap taking. I'm off to do some knitting and more football watching.

Happy November!!

My Handsome Son!!

Thought you'd like to see what a handsome son I have!! This is him and his girlfriend going out to a party on Friday night. The men in Tom's family are all bald by the time their 30 usually so he must take after my side of the family, although I can't quite remember anyone being this hairy.

Its Sunday night and my knitting is calling me. Talk to you later in the week.

Jackie

What's been going on here??

Thanks to all of you for the BD wishes. Yes, I am now officially 60 - sounds old when you say it but one of my friends told me to embrace it - so I think I will try that for awhile. Tom and I both were on vacation last week. We started out our vacation by going to a steer show that Jessica and Tyler were in. It was in Medina and was quick. We were back in less than an hour. Jessica was her usual smiling self and did really good showing the calf. This was Tyler's first show but he handled it like he had been doing it all his life. He got first with his calf in the first class he ever went in!! Yeah Tyler!! They still need help from Dad and Grandpa.

On Tuesday we went to Columbus to the All American Quarter Horse Congress. We had never been there before and we were amazed to say the least. We watched some classes, saw some demonstrations, shopped and ate. We decided next year we will go for 2 days and see some of the bigger classes - like reining.

On Friday we headed to Kentucky. It was a great drive, beautiful Fall leaves and scenery. We ate out, went to the Kentucky Horse Park Farm and just did some seeing of the sites. Our favorite was a Blue Grass Driving Tour through all the thoroughbred farms. Just miles and miles of fence, big farms and horses. If you have ever seen the movie Dreamer it looked just like that.

After seeing all those beautiful farms I now want this (below) - board fence and stone walls. I think I'll be saving for awhile, but it certainly was spectacular.

Well its already Friday and raining. We have had several days of really nice weather which I spent entirely outside mowing, walking and generally enjoying the days (one weather forecaster said it was our Indian Summer). I do hope we get some nice weather - the joke in our house is that I have fence to paint - the board fence that we do have in that nice black color like above.

Enjoy your weekend!!

Jackie

October Wednesday

What's going on here today??

Vegetable beef soup cooking on the stove. Peach, blueberry cobbler to be made later. Some new knitting. The cropped cardigan did not work out - boy was that thing small - so rip, rip, rip and starting a new sweater - 28thirty. I think this yarn will be better suited for this sweater. Also some magazine reading and I bought some DMC thread for a little sewing project I'm going to attempt.

High wind warnings this morning, but then the sun came out so Marley and I were off for a walk. This is Tom's horse, Cooper standing at the fence. He followed us down the lane as far as he could go.

Marley enjoying running through the hay field.

One of those pictures that I uploaded and then went - Where did that come from?? Didn't know how to get rid of it either - The sun was shining, I was just aiming at the dog running through water but I don't see any of that here. Just ignore. Senior moment - I can definitely say that now, Monday I got a Golden Buckeye card - here in Ohio it gets you discounts at certain places and if you need to show proof that you are a senior you whip this card out. That was kind of depressing. They could have at least waited until after my BD.

Cooper wondering why he didn't get to go walking.

That's all I have for today. I'm off to do some knitting before I have to get back to work. Hope your having a good Wednesday!!