Happy New Year!

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Happy New Year!

A new year...a fresh start.

Wishing everyone all the best in 2010!

Resolutions

1. Diets - Diet and moderation in all areas -including yarn/fiber, food, and spending. The "Monthly Adventures" Stash-along should definitely help with part of this one!
   
2. Organization - sort, prune, and organize at least one area each week. Before I know it, I should have everything arranged and be able to find things once again!
3. Personal improvement - continue to strive toward my personal best - physically, mentally, and emotionally. Yoga will definitely be a big help!

I think three resolutions should be enough...especially since they each have three parts!

All the best to you and yours for a wonderful new year!

Christmas Goodies...."May the Norse Be With You!

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I had a wonderful Christmas, and got lots of lovely goodies. I hope everyone else was suitably spoiled!



It all started with my "pre-Christmas gift" from DD, the collection of the Peanuts specials. I dearly love Charlie Brown and all his friends....and the Christmas one is extra special!






Then, on Christmas morning...
Growing up, I LOVED watching Lamb Chop and Shari Lewis. It was one of my favorite shows. Now, thanks to DH, I have my very own Lamb Chop puppet! I'm so thrilled!





DH found a wonderful Viking Ship candy dish for me. I absolutely love it! It was even made in Norway - how awesome is that!

I also got an assortment of awesome T-shirts. Two are knitting related, and one is reflected in the title of this post.












Oh.....I also received a fabulous Norwegian sweater too! It's by Gjestal. Yes....Gjestal. The very same company that makes the Gjestal Ulteppe Garn sold at Nature's Yarns! I'm knitting a sweater using the GjestalUlteppe Garn yarn too - talk about 6 degrees of separation! It applies to yarn as well!


Oh...and doggie was very into Christmas this year too! She got a new stuffed hedge hog and a football shaped tennis ball toy. Needless to say, she was quite excited and ran off with both after "easing" them out of her stocking!!!

Merry Christmas! God Jul!

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Merry Christmas Everyone!

I wish everyone a Merry Christmas! Whether you're Christian or not, my wish for you today is that this be a day of joy that you spend together with family and friends and enjoy each other's company.

I'm having a fabulous Christmas! It's cold outside....and there's LOTS of snow still on the ground, so it definitely "feels" like Christmas! It's rather rare that we actually have a "White Christmas", so this year is extra special. The Christmas lights are even more spectacular when the snow glistens in their glow.

Winter Wonderland!

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My front yard - a beautiful covering of pure, white snow!

Wow! It started snowing last night, and it hasn't stopped since! So far, we've got over 20 inches of snow here! Unbelievable! This morning, there was only about 6-7 inches on the ground. Sandy was LOVING it!!!! She's still loving it - she truly enjoys "bounding and leaping" in the snow....just like a gazelle!

My deck is absolutely covered with snow. However, it's a great place to get snow for making "Snow Cream"! Yummmmmm!

And my neighbor's car is almost entirely hidden!

My postman actually delivered packages today! It's unbelievable! Our road has not been plowed at all - and probably won't for a few days. However, my dear postman trudged through two blocks of unplowed snow to deliver packages to the folks in my neighborhood. How awesome is that? He definitely went well above and beyond the call of duty today. I'm absolutely amazed by his dedication!

The good thing about all this snow is that I'm really making progress on my "Weekend Retreat Cardi". I'm well into the first arm! It's starting to "look" like a sweater! Wahoo! However, I'm starting to worry that I may have made it too small! Ugh! I decided to make a large rather than an XL because I knit very loose....but now, it looks like I should have made the XL after all. Oh well....perhaps that will give my diet the extra boose it needs! After all, I can't let all that work go to waste!

Juletrefest!

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God Jul!

This past Friday evening was the Juletrefest for our Sons of Norway Lodge. We always have a wonderful smorgasbord of both traditional Norwegian foods as well as American food. This year was no exception. I tried a new dish using a recipe from my friend, Pat. It was a very festive yam, apple and cranberry casserole - delicious! Many thanks to Pat for this wonderful recipe. (Sorry....I only took a picture "pre-baked" version).


There was the usual dancing around the Christmas Tree, the singing of carols in both Norwegian and English, as well as a visit from Santa. The kids really enjoyed getting their presents and treats. I just love the look of wonder and anticipation in their eyes!























I also got in some knitting while singing carols. I'm finally down to the ribbing on my "Retreat Cardi" - it's about 1/2 done! After that, all that's left are the sleeves and the button bands! I should have a finished cardi within a couple of weeks! Oh, I almost forgot - I wasn't the only one knitting or crocheting at the lodge meeting! Check out the crafty mother/daughter team that I found at the back of the room!

The Sweater Tree

On Saturday night, I was in Washington, DC for a holiday party. As I was walking up Connecticut Avenue, I spotted a fabulous "sweater tree" in the window of "United Colors of Benetton". This is the ultimate in Christmas trees - it's entirely decorated in miniature knitted sweaters! How cool is that?

More Dorsets!

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I've made a couple of additional Dorset buttons as part of an exchange with friend from Michigan. We decided to create 2 Christmas themed Dorset buttons for each other. I had a lot of fun making mine, and was absolutely awed by the beautiful Dorset buttons Judy made for me. Mine are rather simple by comparison.













Judy is a very talented embroiderer and has embroidered holly and holly berries on the first button and a lovely poinsettia on the second button. They are absolutely beautiful!

These Dorsets were all created in silk - just gorgous! It's so much fun to share with others.....especially at this time of the year. I'm definitely in the "Christmas Spirit" now! (Be sure to double click for a closer look!)

Fabulous Hand Raised NZ Fibers!!!!

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Janet, a fiber friend of mine, spent some time as a shepherdess in New Zealand and raised some lovely Corriedale and Romney sheep. She is selling part of her stash...and oh, my is it lovely stuff! I got to see photos of her sheep "frolicking in the field" and fell in love with the awesome NZ landscape. Wow....talk about and idyllic view! As for her sheep - they looked VERY happy! Such a lovely farm. All the sheep were coated, so there is virtually no vegetation! It is awesome........(I wish I had some pictures to share, but she only had snapshots with her...no electonic photos.)

Of course, even though I have enough fiber to keep me spinning for years, and years, I just couldn't resist purchasing some of Janet's luscious wool. It's absolutely gorgeous and virtually devoid of VM! The decision was hard, but I decided on two natural colors of pure Corriedale as well as some from a Corriedale/Romney ewe that was over-dyed in red. It's actually more of a berry or magenta red - absolutely awesome!


I can't wait to start spinning this wool! The medium brown should spin up into a nice rich brown. I think the lighter wool, which has some light and some dark tones to it, will spin up into a luscious heathered yarn.

Oh...and now for the eerie part. Since I purchased 3 bags of wool, I wrote "Three Bags Full" in the memo section of my check. We got a chuckle about that. When DH arrived home last evening, he walked by me singing....."Three bags full....". Oh, my was I weirded out! I asked him why he sang that....and he said, he just "felt like" it - how weird is that? The fibers were no where in sight...and he had no idea that I'd purchases any!!! He's evidently picking up on my "fiber thoughts"! I feel like I'm in the Twilight Zone right now....eerie!

On the knitting front, I've completed a number of small projects. There are a couple that I can now "display" as the recipient now has them. There are a couple of additional ones that I can't yet divulge, otherwise, I'll ruin the surprise!

This snowflake ornament is quite pretty, but it just would NOT stiffen up for proper display. I wetted it and pinned it out. After drying, it was floppy as could be. I then starched it to death on one side, let it dry, and repeated the same on the second side - again, pinned it out and let it dry. Once again, still quite floppy - not as bad as originally, but pretty bad.


I made this scarf for a friend in the UK that looooooves pink! (Sorry for the dark photo ...the white wall made it too bright with the flash, so I had to take this without the flash) It's a combination of 2 yarns - hot pink Ulteppe Garn (100% wool) and Trendsetter Super Kid Seta Print(a variegated yarn in pinks and purples that's 70% mohair and 30% silk). It can be worn as a boa or looped around the neck for a more "ruffled" look.


This closeup of the scarf shows more of the proper coloring. You can also see some of the halo from the mohair, as well as the slight color changes in the various pinks and purples of the mohair strand. I'm tempted to make another one so I have one for myself! (Love pinks and purples!!!)

Our First Snow....and the Norwegian Christmas Bazaar

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The weatherman was TOTALLY wrong today- he said we wouldn't see a wisp of the white stuff until well after dark. Obviously, he was mistaken. This shot was taken just and hour or so after the snow had begun. When all was said and done, we had a total of just over 4 inches at my house!

This morning I arrived at the Elks Lodge to "man the sweater booth" at the Norwegian Bazaar and within a half hour, the snow started. It made for a lovely view out the windows and generally put us all in a festive Christmas mood. However, I believe the crowds were somewhat limited by worries of slippery roads. Many did venture out....and were appropriately dressed. Check out this little guy - don't you just love his hat?

My favorite part of the bazaar is the food - lots of Nordic treats to select from over at the Norwegian Church booth as well as the freshly made heart waffles. Of course, I went home with some lingonberry jam, some cloudfruit spread, salted licorice, as well as assorted other sweets. Mmmmmm!










I also love the sweaters - they are so warm, cuddly, and colorful! I found a traditionally styled one for me this year and I'm planning to wear it as my "winter coat". The one on the upper right of the photo is the same as the one I selected - it's going to be one of my gifts from DH. Love it!










The Norwegian Ambassador stopped in for a visit and to do some shopping as well. He graciously posed for a picture with me and the various "wares". The colors and the variety of items is always intriguing. I love everything about the bazaar. Everyone is happy, festive, and dressed in some flavor of Nordic dress. Ahh.........