My weekend……in one short post.

• The highlight of the weekend was seeing this dear sweet little boy and his parents.  I don't get to see him as frequently as my other grandchildren who live here in town, so I am always surprised as he grows.  He is such a sweet baby.
• I ate alligator.  If you know me, you would now that I rarely taste things that just doesn't sound like something I should eat, but yet, it was strangely good.  Kind of tasted like fried pork bites.
• I finished Courntey's socks and brought them to her.  It's wonderful to watch her grow up.  She will graduate this Spring…how can that be already??
• I swatched and failed.
• Asked for help from friends and it was all revealed.
• Swatches completed and sweater started with fingers crossed that it all works out.
• Lemon Drop Martini's and Nachos…..would a weekend happen without them?
• Taxes finished and I was not hit with a huge tax bill this year, thanks to Ken's advice for my quarterly taxes and his careful eye to detail with deductions that I might miss.  Thank you Ken!
• Watching the snow melt is almost as satisfying as all of the above things,not quite, but yes…it's finally looking like Spring might actually happen!!!

and one more picture of our sweet little baby playing in his little bouncing chair….such a dear sweet little boy. 

Pattern:  Birch Bark ~ Custom Fit
Designer:  Amy Herzog
Yarn:  The Woolen Rabbit Frolic
Colorway:  Autumn Aster
Needles:  US 6

From the moment I saw this sweater on Amy at her Make.Wear.Love retreat last fall in Sebasco Maine, I LOVED it.  I loved that she made it with one of my yarns too!

If you remember, I had mis-crossed a few of my cables, all the way down at the beginning of the sweater.  I won't lie and tell you I was completely tempted to just leave it, especially since it was not only completed, but blocked.  I had a few friends try to find the mistake and it was hard for them to spot, but still at the end of the day, I knew this would be hanging in my booth as a sample and knew that it would drive me crazy once I knew it was there, so I ripped it out.  I was pretty discouraged about having to do that, so I set it aside for a spell to marinate.

My word for this year is "focus", which is not always an easy feat for this ADD brain.  Part of that for me is the desire to finish up all of these unfinished projects not only cluttering up my space, but my brain, so I buckled down and finished 2 items this last month…whoohoo!  I would have modeled the sweater, but the downside of not being able to work out all winter with my back acting up has been a few extra pounds, but every day when I am working in the shop and looking at this sweater, it will be a motivator to get back out there now that my back is feeling better.

I am so happy that this sweater is now in my closet too! 
Thank you Amy for a lovely pattern!

(Lake Winnipesaukee in Center Harbor, NH)

All that we experience is subjective.
There is no sensation without interpretation.
We create the world and ourselves;
Only when we stop do we see the truth
Deng Ming~Dao

Over the last week I made a conscientious effort to really limit my time on-line with social media.  I love that the internet gives me this fabulous connection to the people in the world that I love, but sometimes I really feel that it cuts into the time that I could be doing some of other things that not I only I should be doing, but that I enjoy doing.

This post is just a small compilation of my week in pictures. 

Last weekend, Ken went down to spend some time with his Mum in Pennsylvania as she has not been feeling well.  During that time, Hannah and I spent some time together, shopping at the mall, going out to dinner and watching some tv.  It was very relaxing.  The picture at the top was taken on my way home from bringing Hannah back to school after her Spring break.  The sun looks so much warmer than it was or still is…brrr!

I have been enjoying some cooking shows on tv lately, so I splurged on a new cutting board to give some new recipes a try….(and maybe a tripod jumped in my car as well).  I love the grain of the teak board, it's so pretty and even prettier with 5 coats of food grade mineral oil on it now.

I also spent a lot of time knitting.  I promised Courtney her socks and I hope to maybe bring them down to her on Sunday if we can get away.  I only have the toe left to do, so they will be finished and ready to go…finally!  She's been a patient girl.
  I also worked a ton on my cabled sweater.  It is all seamed and the neck stitches have been picked up, so it too should be finished this weekend as well.  It's amazing what you can get finished when you just sit and do it without interruption.
(I love how my ipad cover matches her socks, almost as much as I love the knit companion app that is on the ipad)

I also picked up this book that I purchased last year and started reading it again in earnest….one of the reasons why that tripod came home with me.  I have all the tools to take good pictures, now I just need to spend time focusing on learning how.
  A litle more time has been devoted to reading each night before I go to bed again as well. I always used to enjoy doing this to unwind after a long day and I am enjoying again.

I would never want to give up my connection to the great world of the web, but I am working on finding a better balance to help me focus on some things that have fallen by the wayside a bit.

I hope that you all have a wonderful weekend!!

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. 🙂