A knitters Journal

Of course, Ravelry is the ultimate be-all of needle art organization for most fiber artists, but I've come to realize that electronic organization is not for everyone.  It seems, more and more people have joined the movement back to pen and paper organization.  

While browsing for a Nintendo DS sock pattern, I came across this VERY neat knitting journal!  I absolutely love the idea (and I'll be sure to post pics of my own journal when I get around to making one)!  As much as I love Ravelry (and I do!), one must admit that there is NO substitute for the *touch and feel* of fiber arts. There's a certain sensual tingle that runs up every knitters spine when they run a piece of luxurious, fluffy, silky fiber through their fingers. A knitting journal is the perfect way to combine this strange "touchy" addiction with the ability to keep track of projects, needles, stash, and gift and queue lists. A physical journal is the perfect place for fiber swatches ~ wether it be the yarn for that specific knitting project, or the roving for your next creatively designed handspun yarn ~ swatches are perfect - the touch and the feel.  As long as you have all of the proper elements, a journal should be fairly simple and fun to assemble. Grace, at Kathyrn Ivy.com, has been so completely thorough in this area, by providing everything you need to get started - and it's all free!   The site even includes all of the free printable pages you'll need to create your own fiber organizational masterpiece! 

Put THAT on your New Years Resolution list! ;-D 

It's all come to a Cohesive Culmination!

www.Cohesive Culmination.com

Ok, so there's a double meaning here..  

Firstly, please visit my dear friends new blog!  There are only a few posts, but he is VERY new to the blogoshpere, and I've found his posts to be quit interesting thus far!!! (

although I may be a bit biased.. :-D ).  Oh!  While your there, click on a few ad links to cheer him up this holiday season! 

Yes, all of my Christmas knitting, and other planning has come to a very neat finale, and it was a beautiful day!!!  Our family is SUCH a blessing!!  We have done al we can to teach our children about the true meaning of Christmas - the celebration of Christs birth, the wonderful gift of the ability to GIVE, and a time of family bonding.  They honestly LOVE the family bonding time, and I couldn't imagine Christmas without it.  It has to be the biggest part of Christmas for us!  

I spoke with a friend yesterday, who did NOT share that family time.  For the first time, is dawned on me, that this is not the way for Christmas for everyone!  Some spend this holiday (and others) alone. Some  spend it with acquaintances, or even friends, but there are those who spend it alone.  What a breakthrough for me! Thank you LORD for the family time you have given us, I will cherish it and never take it for granted again! 

 

$100 Walmart Give away!!

Click here to Check it out!  

Sense & Sensibility E-PATTERNS are here!! YAAY!!!

I absolutely love long, flowing, dresses and skirts. I love the feminine, vintage wardrobes of a time when ladies were ladies.  In my arsenal of, somewhat limited, resources, I have stashed away a few websites that I adore that offer this type of attire, or sewing patterns for this type of attire.  

Well, I have had my eye on this website for SO long, LOVING the 1910 tea Gown Pattern as my favorite.  Well, come to find out, Sensibility.com is now finally offering e-patterns for immediate download!  Yipee!!!!  Talk about instant gratification!  (doing the happy dance!)

Updated knitting Projects!

I can't believe I'm spinning!!!

Thanks to some marvelous friends on Ravelry, I am spinning!!! I can't believe it!

I know I am a bad, bad blogger! But I have put some things in place that will, hopefully, make it possible to have a nicely updated and interesting blog, we'll see!

I have been busy - between the kids, homeschooling, homemaking and keeping, (yes, there's a difference ;o) knitting and, now my newest hobby - spinning, I've really got to stay on top of my game to keep my blog updated. My lack of consist ant content is simply a sign of my lack of organization. LOL However, with the help of my newest favorite website, Happy Housewives, I am slowly coming around. It's like boot camp, and I LOVE it!

Exhaustion has set in...

Well, this is just a post to post.. Because it's been so long. We are back from our wonderful vacation! It was great!

But.. now we're back.. :-) the laundry has piled up, the house is out of sorts ( to me at least!). I am back on our MOTH schedule, which has been a God send! And we have begun schol again. I have also gotten our meals menu together. I AM, however, having a really hard time, fitting in my work schedule.

Things usually work them selves out though, so I am not worried. Just pretty tired! I am glad and feel so blessed that school is going so well! DD is dong wonderfully with her new Math U See curriculum. Some of the concepts are a bit of a challange for her to grasp, but that's the fun of it I think. It really keeps it from getting stale. Life as it is, is a blessing, just needs some fine tuning. Thats the exhausting part.. when I'm not quit so exhausted, I'll post exactly what fine tungin resources we are using.. but until then!

n

Playsilks, Puppies & Soap, Oh my!

So what on earth have we been up to?? So much!
Making homemade toys, soap and getting our little pug Pinky re-adjusted to being home. (See previous posts below for details on each)

In an effort to rid our home of plastic-blinky-blinky-blinky-non-imaginative toys, we are on a quest to make new, fun, natural material toys to replace the ones we're just gotten rid of. One of which are these lovely playsilks! What is a playsilk -- hmm.. here's a good definition. We had so much fun dying them with koool aid yesterday, and dd and son began having fun with them almost immediately.


In addition to the playsilks, we've been playing around with wool roving, making felted balls and fairies. What fun that was! Click below to flip through the pics to see the felt ball making fun!

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The kids had a ball! And it was a most impressive science project!


Many of our toys are typical Waldorf inspired toys ~ very simple toys, faceless dolls (to make way for imagination) and natural materials. DD has also been on a very big Fairy kick and added fairies to our list toys to make. Here is her first Waldorf inspired fairy, named Angelica. We plan to make more very soon, and with each go, we plan on getting better at it! ;-)

All of the wool roving for this project and the felted balls, was given to us by some dear fellow ravelers, who read about our interest in natural wool toys, and donated some wool to experiment with! From color dyed, to natural combed wool to raw wool straight from the sheep! This little play has provoked some kind of a desire to play with wool (oh no! Could the spinning bug be hitting home!), and as such we have 2 LB of roving on order from The Sheep Shed Studio. Maybe I won't spin it.. {clearing her throat}, I simply DON'T have time...
...TO BE CONTINUED.

So, I decided to show my gratitude to these generous wool-giving ladies, by sending them some handmade soap we recently made. That was another fun venture. Click through the stack below to see the process (you can also click to enlarge and see a description.:

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In more news ~~ Pinky is home and settling in just wonderfully!


She did have a vet appointment yesterday for a small imperfection we spotted in her eye. All is well, however, and we left with some eye drops to administer 3 times a day.... oh joy! But hopefully, this will mean clear, beautiful eyes for a long time to come.




Until later..

n

Puppia Harness - Now available!

Our new shop, Puppia Pets, is now stocked with beautiful harnesses for your pet. So, why a Puppia Harness? Here are just a few reasons, the Puppia Harness is a best bet for your small dog:

- High quality materials are used in manufacturing. Makes for a very durable Puppia Harness!
- No velcro, so your pup will NOT pull away. Velcro harnesses can be dangerous for very active pooches.
- Puppia Harnesses have the sizing down! They are very well fitting, making them exceptionally comfortable for your pet.
- No neck/throat strain. If you have a small breed (like my pug, Pinky), then you know how delicate their throats can be. This harness puts the pressure of pulling across the chest, as opposed to the throat.
- The Puppia Mesh Harness is awesome in the summer heat!
- More control for you! It is easier to control a dog across the chest, then it is to control by the neck alone.

These are just a few reasons the Puppia Harness is one of the most popular small dog harnesses available today. For A full selection of Puppia Harnesses ( including the Puppia Orion, Puppia Rainbow, Puppia Dotty, and the Puppia Spring Harness ), at VERY impressive prices, check out Puppia Pets!

n

Knitting Projects!

Click on each photo, to shuffle through pics! 

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Does $10 go a long way?

When it comes to a produce Co-op, it does!

We are pretty pleased with our stash from the Produce Co-op we joined. The Co-op is a group of folks who come together to buy fruits and veggies in bulk. In GA, one family goes to the Georgia State Farmers Market every 2 weeks, and purchase fruits and veggies in bulk. They then bring them all home and divide them up among all the family "Baskets". This means that each family is able to get more for their money than they would at their local grocery store.

This is our first week, and we were a little bit unprepared. We brought this big basket, that we THOUGHT would be big enough, but others were there with laundry baskets! So, hubby grabbed one of the smaller stashes ( I wouldn't have done that, but momma was busy with baby in the car) and packed our basket up, and in two weeks, we'll be better prepared with a much larger vessel of some sort!

So here's what we got for $10:

1 lb Strawberries
1 lb Broccoli
1 bunch Bananas
2 lbs Carrots
2 ears Corn (? maybe this smaller stash was for non-corn lovers?)
5 Apples
5 Potatoes
1 lb Grapes
2 Heads Lettuce
2 heads Collard Greens

Now, I think that's pretty good, especially for one of the smaller bounty's. It worked out just fine, because this is just enough for our small family of 4, for 2 weeks. We look forward to our next visit, when we will be much more prepared and hopefully, just as pleased!

Here's another way to make your $10 go far! For those of you who are faithful users of Ravelry , the knitting and crocheting community, Check out Revelraiser, a fundraiser for the amazing folks behind this absolutely awesome site! So your not the donating type? oh, you WILL be when you see THESE BREATHTAKING PRIZES!!! If for nothing else, you must check out the link just to drool!

I turn my back for 10 seconds....

So, here's why I should NEVER turn my back on the kids to ask the sales person a quick question, right?

I turn my back for just a quick question, and I turn back to my baby boy dressed like the missing princess from YMCA! Oye Vey! My poor baby.. do you see the eveil fairy godmother back there? Yes, she's the culprit!

Needless to say the people around me thought this was hilarious, Daddy? ~ not so much.. LOL


We are very close to starting our new school year, our Sonlight curriculum is here and looks VERY interesting! We're really excited to get started. DD had such a great time putting together the castle box that the books came in! All we need to get now is our handwriting from Abeka and Math U See and we're all set!

Listen In:
Birds? chirping? Yes! Early morning bird songs are so pretty.

View from the front window:
Kids at play, must be spring break?

Supper Plans:
Fish

In the garden:
Gardening Plans: We will begin out Square Foot porch garden any day now! Hubby bought the wood, now I wait!

Beauty in the common things:
We are so blessed to have a home, our health and so much of everything we take for granted!

On the Needles:
Silk Sleeves, Koolhaas hat, and finally, my Shetland Triangle! (Thank YOU Trudi!), Socks and Chevron Scarf.

Something New:
Baby boy is walking! (he's actually been walking for about a month, but I forgot to tell you.. hehe) and Video Podcasts!!! LOVE Vcasts, and this one --> Lets Knit2gether, in particular!

n

I'm Mrs. Beaver!

Which Chronicles of Narnia character are you most like? created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as Mrs. Beaver Peter Pevensie 63% Mrs. Beaver 63% Aslan 63% Lucy Pevensie 60% Edmund Pevensie 57% Susan Pevensie 50% Mr. Beaver 40% Oreius 33% The White Witch 30% Mr. Tumnus 30% Ginarrbrik 13%

Hubby is Peter!

Hats, Scarves Bags, and Boxes

Boy, what a bunch of updates I have! I have been so bad at keeping everything updated, but I will truly try much harder to stay up to date here. Our horrible HughesNet connection is partly to blame, and the rest is simply time. I think if my connection as faster, my time issue would probably resolve itself. But, until then.. we carry on.. :-)

First, a FO:
My dear sons new hat, scarf and mitts set! Isn't he a cutey pie!

And a WIP:


Chevron Scarf
Pattern: Scarf Style by Interweave Press
Yarn: Bernat Softee Chunky

I've wanted to try this pattern, and being a new knitter, decided I would do this in a solid color first time around, not expecting much.. I L-O-V-E it! The pattern is really very, very simple, and produces such lovely results ~ even in a solid color. Can't wait to see it some to life in color!


We are gearing up for our new Homeschool year (yes, we start just about anytime during the year!). Our Sonlight curriculum just arrived in the mail and it looks like so much fun! Now, we await our Math U See Beta and Abeka Cursive Handwriting and we're off the the races! It's also time to get our reading list in for the six flags 6 hour reading program and time to sign up for the Pizza Hut Book It! program.

On the home front:

Listen In:
Momma's sweet baby crying sleepily as he learns to fall asleep on his own..

View from the front window:
Nippy, nippy.. wait! Is that snow?!

Supper Plans:
Cabbage and Ground turkey (Yum!)

In the garden:
Gardening Plans: We will begin out Square Foot porch garden any day now!

Beauty in the common things:
The peace of sweet baby boy finally falling asleep (yes, that quickly!) and the quiet time between then and the moment I lay my head down (The ONLY few tranquil minutes I have all day!)

On the Needles & Hooks:
hmm, lets see: 2 hooded scarves that are just draaaging on.. , socks, sleeves & a Chevron scarf. In the next week: Another diaper soaker for the baby, Tiramisu Baby Blanket (gift), Koolhaas hat and the Hemlock! (Yes! Can't wait!)

Something New:
My beautiful new Lexie Barnes Lady B knitting bag! Love it! All the room I need, I can get a few small project, a couple of large projects, all my needles and all my every day stuff (including a diaper!) in this bag! It's water proof, has sturdy, non-slip shoulder straps, double zipper, matching needle cases, TONS of pockets, and is absolutely gorgeous to boot! (see pics below!)

n

My new year is just beginning!

well, I really need to blog more often. Today is a new day! I will blog more often, as I settle into my new home/homeschool/cleaning schedule. So this is a quick update.

what's new in knitting? my baby boys adorable hat!

what's new around the house?
a new schedule that I think will really work! I've kept my days, and added seasonal, etc. but enough that I'm doing small intervals of cleaning in between this littel guy wanting my attention.

what's new in sewing?
I need to get my machine fixed, as the tension is off, and it doesn't matter what I do, nothing works. then I need to make 2 aprons and a knitting needle case, for all my beautiful new needles I got for my birthday from my dear hubby!!! ( I must blgo about my beautiful needles later!).

what's new with friends?
ahhh, a dear frined is leaving to go to California! I will miss her dearly, but luckily, the internet and other modern techno's make the world a much smaller place. Of course, that doens't mean that lovely "written" letters on beautiful paper, won't be in order!

I know this is a quick post, but I promise to give more detail this week. Until then..

n

Cutest little wool soaker butt!

Just finished little man's wool soaker! How cute! It turned out really nice, I like it a lot with the small adjustments I made to the pattern. Thanks to my dear friend Trudi, I started out with the Ottobre wool soaker pattern as a base. Then I came across a few other patterns that I liked different details of, so I added the additional ribbing from the Sheepytime Sheepy Sack pattern at the bottom of their pattern page. I love how it came out. I made the legs just a bit longer. And I made the waist a bit longer as well, and then folded it down in half, before lacing the drawstring through. I thought about adding eyelet holes for the drawstring, but decided against it, so that as he grows bigger if I need, I can unfold the waist for a longer rise and not have to worry about holes from an eyelet row. The Ottobre pattern was super quick to work up and was a pleasure to knit, so I'll definitely be doing about 6 more of these! :-D

n

"Momento Bowl" & Beautiful Yarn Storage Ideas

We've come across a great book, "Weekend Knitting" by Melanie Falick. I highly recommend this book if you appreciate the beauty in the medium that we work with as knitters and crocheters. The pictures are heartfelt and warm, the ideas are great and the little tid-bits throughout the book, capture the rythmic, homely essence and pure beauty of knitting.

From this book, comes an awesome idea ~ We call it our "Momento Bowl." While our bowl is still a work in progress, it is still pretty and inviting. As we finish projects we will begin adding smaller sample balls of yarn and prettier needles. But for now, the simplicity of what we have works both as a beautiful storage solution and a Momento Bowl to share and create memories with friends for a long time to come!

Weekend knitting describes it best:

"Inevitably, if you leave knitting projects or pretty yarns or knitting books around your house, some of your guests are going to want to knit while they're visiting. To be ready for such situations, try setting up a quests knitting bowl or basket. In it place a small piece of knitting (just a few rows worked on a set of pretty needles) and yarn leftover from finished projects. When quests ask to knit, invite them to add on to the knitting you've started with whichever yarn they like best from the bowl. After a while (months or years, depending on the industriousness of your guests), you'll have a long, colorful ribbonlike momento- a memory quilt of sorts - of creative time spent with friends and family. You'll see the inevitable holes created bu the knitters who learned to knit on this ribbon as well as the complicated stitchwork of the experienced knitters who have stopped by."

-- Weekend Knitting, P. 129

Speaking of storage solutions -- do you see my nifty little yarn ball winder? Oh, I absolutely love! See how neat my balls are? (you should have seen them before!). On the storage front, this book has some great ideas for decorating with yarn (I've starred [*] my favorites!):

"

• Place pretty colors together in clean wooden bowls*, natural baskets, or other creative holders. Scour yard sales and antique shops for unusual choices. Casually combining an assortment of colors often leads to new discoveries about how colors play off one another.
• "Dress" a vintage dress form in yarn. Drape yarn across it's shoulders, or around it's neck or waist.
  
• Drape yarn around the back of a chair or on the door of a cabinet or armoire.
• Fill an armoire with yarn and leave doors open to display.
  
• Use a hank of yarn as a curtain tie-back.
  
• Hang different colors of yarn on the pegs of a coat rack.
  
• String an assortment of yarn on a cord and hang form a wall hook. *
• Line up cones of yarn on a shelf.
• Set up shelves and cubbies along an entire wall and arrange the yarn in a pleasing sequence of colors and textures. While some knitters will do this in a storage or workroom, it can also work well in a more public space.
  
• If you like to paint, draw or take photos, consider using your yarn as a subject for a still life. "
  

-- Weekend Knitting, P. 41

DD Learned to KNIT!!!!

After much trial and error ~ well, a little trial and error.. :-D, It is with great pleasure and excitement that I announce that DD has got it!!! She learned to knit! We tried a few months back and she wasn't ready yet, but after her big sis came for a visit and learned to knit, she decided to give it another try.. and she got it! She's very excited, and spends her own time concentrating on "her" knitting.


She is really enjoying it and keeps adding to our Momento bowl.. (I'll fill you in on this neat tid-bit later).

Here she is casting on (her favorite part). She is already planning her Christmas gifts for next year!




Now we can sit and knit together.. oh the joys of mother-daughter bonding.

n

Stinky Diapers?

Well, turns out that my dear little ones cloth diapers were coming out of the dryer smelling somewhat fishy because, Desitin contains COD LIVER OIL... hehehe That would be a really good reason! But after a good stripping, cold wash, then Hot wash with 1 C baking soda, dawn, Oxyclean and 2tiny caps bleach, then a few really HOT washes, all clean and smelling fresh again!

Breakfast in Bed... :-D

DD decided that she would make Breakfast today, since I've been under the weather the past few days. She decided toasted Blueberry Bagels and butter were in order, and a delicious cold cup of milk. She also decided that this pretty serving plate would make a grand compliment to her breakfast plan! Pretty decisive for a 5 yr old, I think! So we sat in bed together and ate our bagels and shared our cup of milk. It was a delight!

n

Hello and Happy New Year!

Well, Christmas gifts are done, and the holidays are over! What a wonderful time of giving! Everyone loved their gifts (that's my moms lace scarf in the pic). One thing I learned in making gifts this year, I will be starting VERY soon on next years gifts! :-D

It has been some time since I posted, mostly because of the holidays - preparation, guests, festivities and aftermath. I hope everyone's Christmas was blessed and New year will be great! I thought I'd give a little update and get used to getting on (and off) of my blog, in an effort to make it a more regular part of my day... :-) So, I was browsing around some of my favorite blogs this morning, and went to check on the Large Family Logistics blog to see if she was back up and running. And she is! not too many posts, as she is taking care of her precious little guy, who was brought to this earth prematurely, and is doing exceptional now! So, other then a few minor updates, there won't be much going on, HOWEVER.. there is so much wisdom in this site. and I find myself going back time and time again, for motivation, wisdom, inspiration. When I forget what to do, how to do it, or don't know where to get the energy to do it from!, I wander back over and read various topics on home keeping, home management, home Schooling, etc. I decided to borrow an update feature from her, I think it's kind of neat, short sweet to the point, so with a few minor personal adjustments:

Listen In:
:-( little sniffles, coughs (from mom AND baby) and the hum of the Vick's humidifier.

View from the front window:
Pretty day in GA, cool and crisp but bright and sunny!

Supper Plans:
New years Leftovers~Yes we still have them!

In the garden:
Greens & Kale (Broccoli is all gone! it was mm mmm yummy!)

Beauty in the common things:
Little gleam of sun, shining through the window.

On the Needles & Hooks:
3 scarves and a big cozy wrap! (It's that time of year!)

Something New:
I am finally on Ravelry! Yeay! I LOVE this site, if you haven't signed up for an invite yet, please do, it is awesome! For those already on Ravelry, my page is http://www.ravelry.com/people/ngabriel
Please come by and visit!