Yarn Along

I have really been enjoying taking part of the weekly Yarn Along with Ginny these last few weeks. I do not have any knitting photos however. The weather has been a bit yucky and my camera is not working as well as it did when it was new, resulting in really awful photos lately. 

I finished my husbands Christmas present. He's really bummed that I didn't share any details of it last week, he was hoping to figure it out.

I am steadfastly working my way through the last glove. I have promised myself that I will not be knitting another hand related item for awhile. This last pair makes six pairs of hand warming knits. Next I will be making this and maybe this for some Christmas stockings. I whipped up a little i-cord bunny and a backpack basket for the bunny I knit last year. I may ask my SIL to kidnap the bunny so I can make some jammies. I really wanted to knit this for my niece this for Christmas, but it was not in the yarn budget. Maybe it will be my first project of the new year. I have decided what to do with the angora yarn. I will use big needles and a garter stitch. I think that the yarn will be best served with out too much of a pattern.

I read Odd Thomas this last week. It was surprisingly good. I picked up the last book of the Among the Hidden series and the second in the Leviathan Trilogy. Still not certain if I like the Leviathan books or not, but I will probably read them any way.

For some unrelated photos .. we had a bit of a windstorm this week. The wind whipped the lake up into a frenzy and then froze it. Pretty amazing!

Yarn Along

~Knitting and Reading along today with Ginny~

I'm nearly done with Leviathan. The story follows two people a boy and a girl, and I don't like the girl's character. Now that the two have have met each other it's been a little better, because I can see her through the boys eyes, but not by much. Its been a tough read. I probably won't read the next two books, unless this one has a really impossible cliff hanger. I have really enjoyed the AT-AT Walker in the story though, that part has not disappointed. I finished book five of the Among the Hidden series, if you have a grade school kiddo who doesn't like to read I encourage you to have them try out this series. It is action packed and doesn't slow down for too much of the emotional stuff, just enough to flesh out the characters. I polished off So B. It it was a good story, but not my cup of tea. I gravitate to more action packed books, and this was a character building book. My Mom, who likes that style of book, said it was really good so I will trust her judgement.

I am able to knit again! My MIL gave me this stuff from Avon that is supposed to be corns and such on feet, but it worked miracles! It's not completely healed, but it's healed enough that I can knit again!

I finished one glove made from the same pattern as these gloves , all but the weaving in of ends, and started a secret gift for the hubby. I'm not sure how often he reads the blog so I won't give anything away! I picked up some more yarn from Agape Angoras so I will be ripping out the cowl I made and re-knitting it. I'm going to go up several needle sizes like in this pattern. I will decide when I cast on if I will try and follow a lace pattern (like this or this or this) or knit it straight garter. Do you have any thoughts?

Spread the Love

Not sure if you are aware of this, but Christmas is coming. Shocked? I knew you would be.

A few friends of mine make and sell products. I thought that during this Christmas Season I would send them some love by giving them a little ad space.

If you have been reading my blog awhile you probably have already met Agape Angoras. I encourage you to email her and get some information on her prices and availability. I will be purchasing a skein of yarn will be from her soon, I need to make a few corrections to the cowl I attempted to make and more yarn will be needed.

A fellow blogger, who through her blog first encouraged me to cloth diaper, just opened a shop called Wild Feather Toys. She and her husband make blocks and toys. The toys are made in Maine from reclaimed hardwood and polished/protected with natural beeswax. I am hoping to win a set from their giveaway. If you "like" them on facebook there is a coupon code!

Last, but not least, is Abigail's Attic Accessories. Julie hand makes accessories for mamas and babies. From her Etsy shop:

"Part of the vision for Abigail's Attic is to provide simple but elegant and whimsical products at an affordable price without losing quality." 

Please take a moment and support some Maine businesspeople. A little goes a long way!

Felted Bowl

Awhile ago I finished knitting up my Christmas stocking and had a few yards of wool yarn left. Not enough to make something, but too much just to toss. I found this pattern on raverly and thought I'd give felting a try.

I knit it up in a jiffy and it's been sitting in my basket since summer time. One day when Stomper was away with Mimi I thought I'd give it a try. I filled a bowl with hot tap water and soap. I put on a pair of rubber gloves and got to work. It felted quite a bit so I put it over a bowl on the pellet stove and let it dry. When it was dry I realized that it didn't felt enough and I'd have to do it some more.

I searched the web for more tutorials and found this video.



I felted it again with hotter water for a longer period of time. My final result was a firm fabric and a sweet little bowl. I am quite pleased with it!

Yarn Along

~Reading and Knitting - my favorite duo~

Joining Ginny today for her weekly Yarn Along and you should too!

I've been devouring books lately. I go through reading phases where I can't seem to get enough, how about you?

I finished Splintered --amazing Alice in Wonderland inspired book. Her inspiration was Lewis Carrol and Tim Burton. The book is filled with jaw dropping imagery it was fascinating to read. I picked up Leviathan, but I'm not sure if I'm going to read it or not. I am intrigued by the Star-Wars style AT-AT Walker in it though that the main character is piloting, which is why I picked it up in the first place. My sister told me it's good, so I will probably press-on and get into the book. Secondly I am reading So B. It along with my Mom and a teen I am helping out. I wouldn't say the book is awful, but I don't like it. I am reading it to encourage the kiddo I'm helping out so I guess liking it isn't necessary. So B It is about a teen going off in search of her mentally disabled mother's identity. Thirdly I am reading the fifth installment of the Among the Hidden. It is such a fast paced series that I am devouring it, of course the fact that its only a few hundred pages long and written for elementary reading level helps. The story is so action packed that I think even kids who hate reading would be able to handle a few chapters a day.

My knitting is on hold while I wait for my finger to heal. I have some skin sensitives and I wasn't being careful. The result was that my first knuckle on my right hand ring finger has a painful crack in it that makes bending it near impossible. I tried to knit and keep it straight, but do you know how difficult it is to keep your ring finger straight while the other ones bend? Before I hurt my finger I finished off another ribbed hat and cast on for a pair of fingerless gloves. I knit these gloves before, but this time I'm not putting tips on the fingers. I really hate knitting the fingers of gloves, so hopefully I will follow through with finishing them. I also finished up a felted bowl I started over the summer. I had to felt it twice, I learned a lot in the process.

How about you? How is your reading or knitting going? Feel free to leave a link in the comments! 

Play Date

We had a play date with some friends recently. Four moms and five kids in the crisp fall air. It was nice to go to someone else's house and play with their toys. They spent a lot of time "cooking" for us Moms and bringing us plates of questionable plastic food (is it broccoli? or celery?), pulling out every noise making toy into the same room, and running around outside.