Arggg…this is becoming all too familiar.  Last summer I started these Icarus socks for Courtney.  I chose the larger size as she wears a size 9, but as I was knitting along, I felt like they were going to be too loose for her.  Usually I listen to that little voice, but I soldiered on and when I brought the first one with me when I visited her at school in the fall, of course….too loose. 

In typical Kim fashion, I lost interest knowing that I was not going to have to knit 2 socks which as you probably know I struggle with, but now 3.  They sat on my desk almost all winter when finally after completing my last yarn club mailing and SPA the desire to get UFO's finished came back with a vengeance.

The first (second) sock is completed and I am almost to the heel on the last sock and this time they fit…whoohoo!!

So this week's Ten on Tuesday's topic is Ten Chores I Do That My Spouse Could Do But Doesn’t.  I, like many of my friends struggled a little to find 10 things that I do that Ken does not/would not do.  It's easy to think of the things that someone else does, but a little harder to give yourself credit for the things that you do, but here goes.

1.  I am in charge of all of the touchy, feely things as Ken likes to put it.  The girls (and my son still occasionally) come to me when they need an ear to talk to or a shoulder to lean on.  They go to him when they need $$. 😉

2.  Along with that, I bring the girls to the mall for a day of shopping, for haircuts and an occasional mani/pedi treat. 

3.  Making and changing the bed has always been my job.  Ken does help now and then because the new mattress is so darn big and heavy, but mostly I do it myself.

4.  Cleaning this old house.  I loathe dusting more than just about any other chore, but then I really hate looking at the dust, so I get it done.

5.  Windows…see above.  More than dirty windows, I hate streaky windows, so Ken lets me take care of it.  (guess how his windows come out? ha!)

6. Gardening.  Ken cuts the lawns and does all of the weed wacking, but I tend to the vegetable and perennial gardens.  It works for both of us.

7.  Caring for the dogs which means cleaning the dog yard, feeding and bathing them, and trips to the vet.  I pay for all of their expenses as well.

8.  I take Ken out for dinner every Friday night…it's my treat to him (and me) for a work week finished.

9.  Holiday planning and cooking for my large family.  I really enjoy doing this, even Thanksgiving, which I used to hate when my 5 children were still living here…all that work to be devoured in short minutes.  Now that I do not have to chase the kids while I am making dinner, I really do enjoy it, even if I do miss those cute little kids I had to chase around.

10. I am the social director.  I plan and now make sure we go on vacation, I plan and host most of the birthdays for my children and parents.  I also make sure that Ken and I get out and do things as he tends to be a homebody.

Whew!  Finished!  Ken and I really do share a lot of the responsibilities here at home, working in tandem.  He's a keeper!

Years ago, this very Irish girl would have been staying out until the wee hours of the morning celebrating this day, dancing on tables and singing old Irish tunes at Timmy Meehans in Massachusetts.  As the years have gone by and I have grown a little older and wiser, these days I just raise a glass, wear green and know that my head won't hurt come mornin'.

I hope that you enjoyed St. Patrick's Day today however you celebrated the one day that everyone is Irish!

Kristen Brooks Photography
Pattern:  The Snow Queen Jacket
Yarn:  Woolen Rabbit Emma
Colorway:  Blue Moon

When designers ask me if they can use my yarn for their designs, I am always flattered and thrilled to see what they create with the yarns.  Anne Podlesak and I have worked together over the years on a number of products, most recent with her lovely Rapunzel sweater from her Legendary Knits Volume 1.  When I received these pictures of her newest creation, The Snow Queen Jacket, I was blown away by how beautiful and feminine ths sweater is.  Lovely!

Kristen Brooks Photography

I love the detailed stitch work along the sides, the bottom and on the sleeves.  It really makes the sweater come to life and compliments the soft blue-gray yarn.
Anne has become so amazingly talented over the years I have known her and I just love what she is creating now.

Kristen Brooks Photography

It is very appropriate that I am posting this Snow Queen sweater on this night as I sit here listening to the snow plows banging around outside my window.  Here it is,
March 13th, and we are getting dumped on by snow yet once again.  We should end up with a new 16-18 inches by tomorrow morning (groan). 
The upside of the extended winter is my knitting mojo has really come back and my focus to finish some items has been extraordinarily good. 🙂

Today's Ten on Tuesday is "10 Things You Can Do Yourself But You Get Your Husband To Do Instead"

Where to begin….Ken does so many things here.  When we met I had been a single Mom for a good spell and was accustomed to doing most everything for my family.  When I finally married Ken, it was a bit of a struggle for me to hand over some of the reins to him, but over the years, he has taken more and more on, and I have been ok with that.

1.  Laundry…Ken did most of the laundry when we were first married, but as the kids have grown, they now do most of their own and I now do most of my own as well, but it was nice to have him do it when I was working nights.

2.  Groceries!  Ken pretty much took this over when we got married.  I tend to spend too much and God bless his heart, he enjoys this task.  Me, I find the whole process of shopping for food such a waste of energy.  Off the shelves into the cart, out of the cart onto the belt, off of the belt into a bag, the bags into the car and then into the house to be put away.  Yes, I was happy to pass on this task.

3.  Homework.  I always thank the good Lord that Ken came along to help the kids not only with their homework, but with the college process.  I'm not sure they would have made it to college if they only had me to depend on.

4. Yardwork.  Ken does all of the grass and tree cutting, along with the weed-wacking, which I am grateful for.  I do all of the vegetable gardening…tilling, fertilizing, planting and tending.  It's a good marriage of work

5.  Snow, oh the snow……bleck!  Ken does the shoveling and roof raking, which is a lot up here in the mountains.  I take care of my car, but he always makes sure that I have a shoveled path to my shop so I can work.  Yes, he is a good man!

6.  Cooking.  Ken does a lot of the weekly cooking as my hours in the shop usually run very close to our dinner hour.  I do all of the cooking when we are entertaining and have company, or when I feel inspired by something I have seen on one of the cooking shows, but Ken does his fair share for sure.  I love this about him!

7. DIY.  Ken has learned how to "do it yourself" from the bottom up in this old house that we bought and has learned so much over the years.  He is pretty accomplished at sheet rocking and mudding.  The mother of necessity when you can't afford to hire someone.

8. Schelping.  Ken is the best schelper in the world.  He is always there to either pack my car for me when I have to do a show or help me lug things in and out when he can come with me.  Such a huge help!

9.  Organizer.  Ken keeps me on task 85% of the time.  As a true ADD person, it is not always easy for me to stay on task, but Ken being the organized soul that he is, he can usually  help me stay focused when I am finding it hard.

10.  Companion….there is no one I would rather spend my life with than this man….he is my true companion.

Knowing Ken, the humble man that he is, he will be a tad embarrassed that I dedicated an entire post to him, but he is a good, good man. 🙂

…..some knitting time!

It's been a very busy 3 weeks with dyeing the yarn club mailing, turning around to dye for SPA and then coming home to dye back orders.  C.R.A.Z.Y, but it's all behind me now and I have actually had some time to enjoy sitting back and knitting.

You may remember my dilemma whether or not to pull back my sweater almost all the way to the start when I had crossed my cables incorrectly.  I was so dismayed after I pulled it out, so much so that I had to put it aside for a spell, so I worked on another headband for my oldest daughter.  (pictures this weekend when she is free).

Once I came home from SPA, I sucked it up big and just worked on this sweater front, every evening and finally it is finished and blocked.  Tomorrow I will start in on the seaming.  I won't lie, I hate putting a sweater together, but it is my mission to have this finished by the end of the week, so my seaming needle is ready to go.
Wish me luck!

Storm breaks into pieces,
Clouds charge the horizon,
Revolving of the heavens
Generates all movement.
Deng Ming~Dao

Normally when I get behind in blogging even though I have the pictures, but didn't have the time, I just let the opportunity pass and look towards the next blog post.  The last 3 weeks have been crazy busy, but there have been some nice things tucked in between that I didn't want to let pass without a post.  The next few posts may not coincide with the immediate moment, but they were moments that made me smile.

2 weeks ago Carole and Dale came up to spend a weekend with us in the North Country.  Ken was the cruise director for the stay and I think he did pretty good.  When they arrived after a little rest, we went on a sleigh ride along with a visit to a few local watering holes that we enjoy up here.

The next day we headed over the Kangamangus Highway to visit the Ice Castles at Loon Mountain after we had an enjoyable lunch at Woodstock Inn & Brewery.  We had a lot of fun laughing our way through this winter wonderland of ice. 
That Dale, he is such a hambone, but we love him so!  I wish we could have seen this at night when it is illuminated, but we had a lot of fun all the same.  Next year Ken and I are definitely going to make a night trip over the Kanc to see the castle at night.

We really enjoyed showing Carole and Dale a little bit of the beauty of the mountains that we get to enjoy every day.  I knew that once they left I was going to be full steam ahead with the dye pots fulfilling a busy yarn club and getting ready for a show and this little snowman totally depicts the way I felt yesterday when we got home after my show at SPA and a whirlwind trip to Boston (more about that later).

It's a beautiful place that we are so fortunate to call home and I love it when friends come to visit!

Carole switched up Ten on Tuesday again with a sentence challenge starting with the words, "I feel", so here I go…

1.  I feel so fortunate to live in such a beautiful spot in our country and I love sharing it with friends.

2.  I feel under prepared for SPA, but for the first time ever, I feel ok about that.

3.  I feel very blessed to have a family of good, kind children and 5 beautiful grandchildren.

4.  I feel hopeful that I may have found something that is helping with the never ending inflammation and back/leg pain that I have.

5.  I feel the Sun's growing warmth in the sky even though it is still very cold.  Spring is coming!

6. I feel happy that Day Light's Savings time is right around the corner…w00t!

7. I feel challenged to get a sweater finished for SPA this week, but I'm not placing any bets on getting it finished.

8.  I feel that I am finally learning to cut myself some slack without feeling guilty about it.  Not always, but even sometimes is advancement. 🙂

9.  I feel crazy excited to see Sting and Paul Simon in concert next week!!  I have waited what feels like my entire life to see Sting live.

10. I feel the wonderful anticipation of spending fun time with dear friends this weekend.

How do you feel today?

This picture embodies the guests that we had here over the last week.  The word is Carole's "word" and the sweet little bird is a gift from Dale.  A gift of friendship and the hope of Spring soon to come.

Have a wonderful weekend!!

If ever there is tomorrow when we’re not together… there is something you must always remember. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we’re apart… I’ll always be with you.
~ Winnie The Pooh

I know that so many people loathe this holiday, but I have loved it from way back when I was young.  I remember how much fun it was to pick out my little box of valentine cards to pass out during elementary school.   The excitement of decorating my valentine's paper bag that would set atop my school desk and the anticipation of opening all of those cards from classmates…and the candy.

Valentine's day can be a hard one though, especially when you have recently been through a break up…been there and done that!  For some reason however, I have never connected romantic love with this holiday (probably a good thing).  It has always been more about love, just love, and candy.  Love for my husband, my children, my family and my friends and it is one I have always loved to decorate for.  Perhaps it is the grown up expression of what that little paper bag on my desk meant to me.  It was always a happy day for me in those young years.

So on this cold February day,
I want to say Happy Valentines Day to all of you out there!