It's been a little while since I did Ten on Tuesday, but I really like this week's topic…10 Favorite Things To Do When You’re Alone.

I don't get much time alone where I am not working, but I have to say that I really enjoy those stolen moments when it happens and this is what I love to do best.

1.  Sew.  Years ago when I was first married, sewing was the mother of necessity.  I stitched curtains and sewed for the kids and when I didn't have to do that any longer, the sewing machine was put away for many years, until the last few years.  Now that I don't have to sew, I enjoy it even more.

2.  Knit.  My love of knitting is what brought me to my current career and how I met so many of my dearest friends today.

3. Walking and listening to tunes.  It's been a little while since I have been able to walk as much as I would like to, but when I am able there is nothing that I enjoy more than the sun shining on my head and energizing tunes singing in my ears.

4. Blog reading.  I don't get to do this very much either, but when I have a few extra minutes alone, I love reading different craft and food blogs getting new ideas and recipes.

5.  Sitting out in the yard watching the birds after dinner with a glass of wine and a book or knitting.  I love my little bird friends.

6.  Visiting fabric stores.  I always come home inspired…maybe a little too inspired judging by my fabric stash.

7.  Sitting on the beach with a good book.  I don't get to do this very often any longer as going to the beach is not nearly as easy, but I am looking forward to when I live closer again.

8.  Watching endless house hunters/international house hunters even if they are re-runs.

9. Organize and sort with no interruptions and no one checking out what I am tossing away.  It's no fun otherwise. 😉

10. Staying up ultra late and waking up to quietness.  I wouldn't like that all the time, but every now and then it feels a little decadent.

…as much as I enjoy stolen moments alone, I can honestly say I don't love being home alone at dinner time, that is when I miss my family most.  How about you, what do you like to do when you have a little alone time?

   
As I have mentioned in the last few posts, May and June have been a whirlwind of activities with Hannah's prom and graduation, the birth of a new grandson and the announcement of another one on the way.  We also helped Miles and his wife move into and paint their very first purchased home and in between there were birthday celebrations along with Mother's Day and Father's day, various knitting projects and a new puppy.  I kept thinking I could do a big photo blog post and then go from there but finally gave up on that idea, so….I will start with today, Independence Day and a beautiful red sock to accompany the weekend.

Anne Podlesak, who is not only my friend, but a very talented designer, has been working on an e-book of amazing patterns.  Tomorrow she will be releasing the first pattern from the book, Icarus.  There is also going to be a KAL on Ravelry, so you might want to check it out.  The yarn that she used for this pattern is a new base for me, Sumptuous Sock Yarn (a MCN blend) and the color is a new one I created for this sock.  Anne chose the name, Girl On Fire, and I loved it!  Anyone who purchase the pattern will be given a credit for the pattern if they choose to purchase the e-book when it is completed.

Also to celebrate not only the holiday, but the completion of my colorway page (by tomorrow), I am going to have an Independence Day weekend Sale.  The sale will run from noon (est) tomorrow until noon (est) Sunday and will include 10% off of all items and free shipping on total sales over $200.00.

Happy 4th of July!!!

Dad

WOW….May just flew by and here it is the 11th of June already!  I was going to do a round up post of the happenings in May, but I think I will just wait and do it at the end of June because June is going to be as busy as May.

One thing I did manage to do was to finish my Bluebelle sweater.  I was frantically trying to get it finished to display at Squam Art Fair and I almost made it.  I did however find some perfect buttons made by Melissa Jean.  I love both of these buttons, but I am leaning more towards the one on the left.  What do you think?

Pattern:  Fellows Cloche by Amy Herzog
Yarn:  Woolen Rabbit WW Kashmir
Colorway:  Clara Bow (October 2013 Yarn Club Colorway)
Needles:  US size 6

This pattern designed by the very talented Amy Herzog was part of the 2012 Yarn Club line up.  The theme as you know was the Roaring 20's and Amy had told me she wanted to design a Cloche.  Perfect I thought…I love hats!

The design while simple is full of texture.  The brim is knit in a linen stitch with a series of short rows to create a brim that was typical of that era.  The yarn base that she chose, WW Kashmir was perfect for this hat.  It's very soft, but not so soft that it would lose it's shape.

In particular I love the back of this sweet hat.  So VERY 20's.  I could see
Daisy Buchanan wearing a hat like this, couldn't you?  Speaking of which, I can't wait to see the new Great Gatsby movie!

The yarn colorway is called Clara Bow, who was well known in her day for sporting a lovely cloche atop her head.  It was a fun mailing and an even funner knit!

Have a peaceful weekend!!

Pattern:  Folly Cove
Yarn:  Woolen Rabbit Frolic
Colorway:  Red Hot Chili Peppers
Needles:  US 6 and US 7

Do you not love this sweater design?  The pattern was written by Julia Farwell Clay and I thoroughly enjoyed knitting it…each and every stitch.  There is something so soothing knitting stockinette.  The mindless back and forth or round in round in this case at the end of a busy day quickly quiets the soul.

Even though simple in design, the little touches of lace on the back …..

….a little more on the front neck…..

…..and a little touch on the sleeve, all went towards making this a comfortable yet fasionable sweater.

I have actually had this sweater finished for a few months and had hoped to wear it in these photos, but I made it a touch smaller than I normally would wear, anticipating more weight loss.  Not being able to work out or walk most of the winter slowed the weight loss process down, but I have been given the OK from the doctor to start power-walking again, so you will definitely see me in Folly Cove this fall!

Thanks Julia for a lovely design!!

Remember the little piece of fabric I showed you last week?  Well, this is what it became.  It's been a very long time since I have made curtains, so they are not perfect, but Stacey tells me that little Asher enjoys looking at the big elephants when he is being changed.  I spent a good portion of last week working on these and Ken was kind enough to staple them on to the support board as I am not really good with any type of sharpish tool.  Those heavy duty staplers make me nervous as I would so be that person to staple my finger, ha!

Saturday was about all things Prom…here is Hannah getting her hair done by one of the Stylists at our favorite Salon.  I will do another post this week with more details and pictures of the event.  Hannah looked so lovely in her pretty dress.

…and of course Sunday being Mother's Day was a special treat for me as all of my kids were home for the day, along with my parents and my brother.  I know it gets harder and harder for them all to be here at one time as they all have busy lives, so I never take it for granted when karma allows them all to be here together. 

Miles was so excited to meet is new nephew, especially as he is going to become a new daddy in December.

As the day came to a close and everyone went home, Ken and I enjoyed my Mother's Day gift from Miles and Jen.  A wonderful bottle of Chardonnay and 2 fresh lobsters.

…..it was a wonderful weekend!  I hope yours was as well….

A few weeks ago we planned and actually pulled off a surprise baby shower for my oldest daughter, Stacey.  Surprising Stacey is a feat in itself.  She is a sneaky one this girl of
mine and is always snooping when she is expecting a surprise or a gift.

My husband, Ken, is an administrator of a senior center which has a big thrift shop building, so I told her that someone had brought an amazing group of baby things, such as a furniture quality changing table, baby clothes with tags, etc.  I told her that Dad had tucked the things aside for her to look at, so if she wanted, he could meet her at such and such day and time.  We had all of the guests park in a different parking lot and then waited to see if we could actually surprise her.

There was one way to tell if she was truly surprised.  You see…..Stacey would never go out without makeup if she were expecting something like a shower, but being 8 months pregnant and just running over to meet her Dad, she definitely would go out au natural, so when she walked in without a stitch of make-up we knew we were successful…YAY!

Many, many thank you's to Stacey's best friend Dawn, who put together an amazingly creative party, from the party favors right down to the cake, games and decorations.  Not only is Dawn Stacey's friend, she is also a nurse working along side of Stacey in the OB section of our local hospital.  Such a fun party!!  Dawn is permanently hired from here forward to be in charge of special events, she did an awesome job!

Knowing that Stacey's little one was going to make an early appearance due to her history of placenta troubles at the end of her pregnancies, I set about finishing his little sweater and curtains.  The tentative date to induce her was May 22nd, but we all thought he might make his appearance a bit earlier.  I finished his sweater last week and started his curtains this weekend.

It's a good thing I got that sweater finished because………

…..he made his appearance in the wee hours of this morning. 
Born at 1:40 he weighs in at a wee 5 pounds and 18 inches.
I think it will be a little while before this sweater fits his sweet little body.

Welcome Baby Asher!!

I bet you are wondering about the title.  Easter ~ Beer?  I know, right?  Actually all of the kids were home here for Easter except for my son's family, so we had a really nice time.  My two daughter's husbands Brian and Jeff have become good friends and both share a keen interest in brewing beer.  What you see above is Jeff's concoction of Watermelon beer.  I know….it sounds terrible, doesn't it?  I hate beer and I hate watermelon even more, but I actually like this brew, go figure!

Ken usually is wonderful about helping me get the house ready for Easter dinner, by setting the table and just helping me time things in general, but this year he was fascinated by the beer process, so he hung out with the guys.  I was happy to see this!  I just put the girls to work instead, especially since eventually the torch will to handed over to them in the next few years. 🙂

Brian was especially proud of his fresh hops (see the bag on the top) and of course they used the green hops pellets as well.  I think the fresh looks so much better, don't you?

Brian is a real beer connoisseur and has spent years researching different brews and different recipes and really comes up with some good beer.  I really loved his Vanilla, Oatmeal Stout a few years ago (and remember I hate beer). I think it had a touch of NH maple syrup in it as well….maybe that was what made me like it.  Hmmm.

Here's Brian's beer that was bubbling away.

….the boys pouring their different brews into their carboys.

2 different beers….a watermelon mash and a double IPA.  Brian tells me that patience is the key.  Let it sit longer than you think you should and you will be rewarded with a nice full bodied beer.  Sounds almost like a good wine…hmmm.

I had a great video that Jeff sent to me on my phone of the yeast activating in his beer, but I just couldn't get it this post no matter how hard I tried, but it is pretty darn cool.  I wish I wasn't so technology challenged at times.

….and really, I am still knitting, truly I am.  Right now I am working on the Sunnyside Cardigan made with my Woolen Rabbit Opal in the Robin's Nest colorway.  We will have a new member of the family in the next month, so I am diligently knitting away. 🙂