It's That Time of Year

The Christmas Waltz song keeps running through my mind today...

Frosted window panes, candles gleaming inside
Painted candy canes on the tree
Santa's on his way, he's filled his sleigh with things
Things for you and for me

It's that time of year when the world falls in love
Ev'ry song you hear seems to say
"Merry Christmas, may your New Year dreams come true"
And this song of mine in three-quarter time
Wishes you and yours the same thing, too

Right.  The candles on our window sills just went off on their timers, as did the Christmas tree, and I'm eating a candy cane as I type. Check, check, and check! But, honestly people, the only way our window panes would be "frosty" today is if I went out and soaped them! I think we may have hit the mid 60's again today, after 72 earlier this week. I don't want to sound all Scroogy, but I hate December weather that feels more like May. Bah! Humbug. Still, I hope that Santa will come our way...even if he has to leave the furs in the North Pole and wear a pair of Bermuda shorts!

Maybe we should be singing my favorite song from The Muppets Christmas Carol...makes me laugh every year when I watch it:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwahCM3mC9A. Put me in a better mood, just now.

OK! So, we are a week away from Christmas Day. How are things coming along? Well, I've most of my baking done, as you can see in these pictures of Hello Dollies and Delaware Butterballs; Banana-Cranberry muffins; and star-shaped Sugar Cookie cutouts:

 

 

 

Missy M made a batch of Nana's Nuts and Bolts (our name for Chex Mix) after Thanksgiving...which we consumed in record time. Maybe we can get her to make some more, please. Oh, and I pulled out Nana's recipe for Cheese Ball...simple but always tasty...and made both a cheese ball and a cheese log from the same batch. Must have the savories with the sweets!

We'll have M's Breakfast casserole on Christmas Day; and unless we are entirely too full (again this year), we'll roast a turkey breast with all the trimmings for dinner. Just need to make our traditional coconut cake for dessert...oh, and Monkey Bread for Christmas morning! I'll try to remember to take a picture of the finished product this year before we eat it.

I went to a wreath-making workshop a couple of weeks ago, and now my "masterpiece" adorns our front door. I'm really proud of this effort, because Missy M treated me to a similar workshop a few years ago in Louisville...and I was a complete klutz. This time, I had a better idea of what to do...and what I wanted the end product to look like. Plus, I wasn't afraid to use plenty of pins!

2015 Merry Christmas Wreath: I made it myself at Toms Creek Nursery!

We got the yard decorations out, the Sheepie tree up in the dining room window, and the aforementioned candles in the front bedroom windows:

We even got tickets to the NC Symphony's Holiday Pops, presented at High Point University. That always puts us in a festive spirit!

I've also got my annual newsletter typed, printed, and folded; and the cards are ready to be sealed and stamped (Mr. T's job this year) so we can make the mad dash to the P.O. tomorrow to barely meet the deadline. I do believe I have all my shopping done...and even more importantly, my purchased gifts are all wrapped and under the tree. I have one gift to finish knitting (so what else is new?), which should happen tonight. And then...I can sit back, relax, and enjoy the season, right? Well, it's a plan.

Why am I so far ahead of the game, you ask? Well, everything was accelerated because our Lunn Family Christmas get together was earlier than usual this year, meaning most of the shopping, wrapping, etc., had to be done by December 11. T&LaD drove down from KY, Missy M drove up from GA, and Mr. T. and I drove over from NC to meet up in Nashville last weekend. We had a wonderful time together! Breakfasts at the Bistro in the lobby of our Doubletree; dinner at Coco's Italian Market; and dessert and gift exchange at J&J's house. Superb!!

And we even got to attend "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!" at the Opry, with Stewart cousin Scott starring as Old Max (the Grinch's dog...all grown up and doing the narrating for the stage play). He has a fabulous singing voice, which he got to showcase on the song "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch." What a great performance! His dad, cousin Mark, even joined us for breakfast, making it an all-around family weekend. Check out the interview and pictures of SS in character here: http://www.broadwayworld.com/nashville/article/BWW-Interview-Bringing-THE-GRINCH-To-Life-At-The-Grand-Ole-Opry-House-20151130

Missy M will be taking some vaca days next week, so she'll head her Mini up I-85 on Sunday to join us for the Holidays. Her dogs, Ella Rae and Dixie, have been with us since she was here for Thanksgiving (they stayed with us due to her travel schedule in early December). Mr. T., who is still catching up on work after being out for 8 weeks, isn't planning on taking any days off, but neither is he planning on leaving town for business either. It should be a joyful and peaceful approach to the Season.

I do need to head to the grocery store for this n' that, but we aren't making ourselves crazy with last minute preparations this year. It has been so hectic for the past few months (all year, really) that we are relishing a more laid-back approach.

Fingers crossed that we achieve it. Toes, too! After all, it IS that time of year. Right?

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Here are a few photos from the past weekend. And don't forget to check out my final post for the year plus pictures, over on our gardening blog. Click here to go there!

Terry joins us for breakfast at the Bistro

Dessert and gift exchange at Jack and Julie's house

Cousins Mark and Scott Stewart with Patricia

Leaving the show...heading to dinner at Coco's Italian Market



Thomas, Julie, and Jack showing off the Christmas Cracker prizes: xylophones and crowns

Make That a Double

Coffee. I need coffee...lots of it. Keep it coming. Grind some of those 100% Columbian beans, baby...extra strength. Biggest mug we have, please. Make it a double. It's been a long night. 

Let me catch you up with the story.

Missy M and the grand dogs made the 8-hour journey over the river and through the toll booths, arriving late Wednesday evening. Since Mr. T and I are housebound this Holiday Season, we are hosting both family celebrations here...so she and the mutt-mutts are traveling the Turnpike twice.

Both of her dogs did fine on the long trip, although Dixie simply will not sleep in the car. She's not disruptive (like Gussie could be at times); she sits quietly and watches...watches, the whole way. Ella Rae is more active, shall we say? Jump in the front seat, take a nap. Back to the back seat, look out the window. Back to the front, try to help drive...and so on. But, since ER does nap occasionally, she was ready to roam when they pulled into the driveway.

After a frantic meet & greet with Abbie (Duche$$ cannot be bothered for such mundane matters), they ALL chowed down on some nibbles of kibbles...as we pet parents scarfed some supper. Then, off to our assigned beds...Thursday was going to be a big day.

Wait a minute! Haven't I got the wrong week? Thanksgiving is next Thursday, you say? Yes, but Missy M has miles to go before she can take those vacation days. She had a business trip to take to Dallas and made arrangements to fly out of and back into Piedmont Triad International in Greensboro.

 

PTI sounds impressive...and sports some mighty fine, long runways thanks to FedEx...but names can be deceptive. Service to/from is limited, forcing a choice of small aircraft (that I call Pretend Planes) or a long layover in (where else?) Atlanta. M decided on an American direct flight to Dallas, meaning she choose a Pretend Plane. Oh, I know, that's my personal problem with the noise (causing a loss of hearing for a couple of hours after the flight) and the lack of space (there's just something wrong when they ask you to gate-check your carryons 'cause there's not enough room in the cabin for both people and their packings)...she's happy to deal with those issues in exchange for a direct flight.

 

About that direct flight business...right.

 

As Snoopy would say, "It was a dark and stormy night." Oh, no...not here. There was a beautiful, purple-pink-and-orange sunset, splashed over NC Highway 68. No, the storms lay in two flanks between her Departure and her Arrival gates: one stretched along the Mississippi River, centered over Memphis; the second, more powerful system headed directly for...drumroll, please...Dallas. I began to chew my cuticles almost the moment I returned home from PTI and pulled up both the WFMY Weather ap and Flight Tracker on my iPad. [An aside: PTI may be a disappointment in flight choices, but they are top-drawer on their website, offering a direct link to Flight Tracker...an excellent tool for nervous parents plotting the course of their flying offspring. Click here to go there:  https://www.flyfrompti.com/airline-service/flight-trackers/]

We watched her flight head south in order to avoid the Memphis air space...good plan! But then along about 9:20, after crossing the Mississippi into Arkansas, the little black Flight Tracker airplane following the little white route-line turned and headed north. What?!

Thankfully, at almost the same instant we received the following text:

"Hello from the beautiful state of... Louisiana"

Her 'direct flight' had just made an unscheduled stop in Shreveport. "Better on the ground than in the air," were the first words out of Mr. T's mouth. No truer words...

Here's what the Weather ap shots showed (below). Not exactly comforting, eh?

 

Future forecast

Screen capture -
Dallas area, 9:35

She was on the ground for a little over an hour, and then we got a text she was back on the (refueled) plane. I knew I wouldn't be going to sleep until she was tucked up, safe and sound in her hotel room. But, I had to try to settle her pups who had shifted into searching mode: where is she? Where is she? Can't find her. Where is she?  So I took them to the front bedroom...and they seemed to accept that I was to be their bed-bud for the night. I turned on ESPN to mask the noises of a resting house...first we saw basketball, then football, and finally water polo (I kid you not!). Here are a couple of shots of sleeping dogs lying...

Dixie, settled for the night
(See her heart...on her head?)


 

ER, first nap of the night

With much tension, I watched the little FT plane make its way on my iPad from Shreveport Regional to DFW...first to the south, then turning north into the gap between the two waves on the Weather ap. 

With great relief, I read the first text when she landed. With even greater relief, I read the last text when she assured me she was safe and sound, all locked in her room. 2:45 a.m., our time. Turn off the TV, turn out the lights! Let's get some sleep.

Not to be. Abbie couldn't understand why I wasn't sleeping with Mr. T where I was supposed to be, so she divided her time between bedrooms...with long stop-overs on the den sofa. Up, down, up, down...repeat...

And no time to nap, as Mr. T has PT today. Of course, I might catch a few zzzzz's before I head to PTI to pick-up our traveller who is scheduled to return tonight, but I kinda doubt it: she texted that Dallas is expecting ICE later.

Yeah. Better make that a double. More coffee? Naw...it must be 5:00 somewhere, right?

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

UPDATE: 9:45 p.m.

Missy M's plane is in the air and on the way. I'll be starting back on caffeine soon since a delayed departure from Dallas (weather...what else?) means a late arrival in Greensboro (now projected to be 11:43 EST). Here's the screen capture of Flight Tracker, showing the little black plane leaving DFW and beginning to follow the little white route-line, weaving its way through the weather, to GSO:

Double-double espresso, anyone?

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

UPDATE: 11:43 p.m.

Travel girl is home again, safe and sound. Let the Thanksgiving begin!

Rewind

Don't you sometimes wish you could hit the REWIND button on your life?  Maybe to go back to the moment before you made a huge decision...that you now see was exactly the wrong decision to make.  Possibly to go back to before you said something you wish you hadn't said to someone.  Or, just to go back to the moment you thought "I don't have time to stop for gas this morning; I'm running late already.  I'll stop this afternoon on the way home."  Yeah, right.

I downloaded some photos from a couple of weekends ago, and it allowed me to hit REWIND on my own life...if only for a brief period.  Back to before we had gotten the news about Mom's lung cancer...and our whole focus changed.


Ella Rae and Dixie in the garden

Missy M was here then with my grand-dogs her sweetie-pie-mutt-mutts, Dixie and Ella Rae.  They are both such bundles of energy...and make it almost impossible to snap a decent photo.  Believe me, I tried!  All I had to show for my efforts was a half-frame shot like this (right).  They loved being able to get into the garden...but, they didn't seem to get the concept of walking/running on the paths, NOT on the nice rows.  You should see the row of lettuce I planted with Dixie's help that weekend:  it now has tiny plants growing in these huge Basset-sized paw-prints, right in the middle of the row!




Maredith and Thomas
warming up on the deck on a cold night
in early February



We had some steaks we wanted to grill out, and we didn't let a little (hahahahaha) cold weather stop us. Bring it on!

We opened a cold bottle of Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling. (I toured that Washington State winery before Missy M was born...and I still love their wines.)  Mr. T got the grill going, and then he rounded up the little firepit and the fire-starters we use as mini-logs.  Missy M raided the hall closet for jackets and gloves and hand-knitted scarves (photo, left).  The night was remarkably clear, and the stars were out in force.  It was just lovely.



Trimming the boards for the Piano Bar Veranda

That was the same weekend that Mr. T built us a new deck onto the garden shed.  It was designed as a simple rectangle, about 6 x 8...just big enough for a couple of chairs and a small table, where we could enjoy a cup of coffee in the morning...or a cold beer, after a long day working in the garden.  Well, he's constitutionally incapable of building something as designed...even if he is the one who designed it!  By the time he'd finished, he'd re-worked the deck-top into what we are now calling The Piano Bar Veranda (imagine:  the top of a baby-grand piano...:).  Amazing!

Was that really just two weeks ago?  Sigh.

Ah well...moving forward. 

Mom's had a good week, with more good days than bad.  Her pain meds are working well, she's tolerating the increased dosage, and we are thankful for that.  We are baffled about nerve pain in her feet that wakes her in the night (no other symptoms).  And, while her good humor is present most of the time, her energy level is low.

Bro T will be with us through Thursday when he heads back home to KY...although I really don't know what we'll do when he's gone.  He has brought such a ray of sunshine that we will all miss terribly...until he returns in April.  We've got fingers (and toes) crossed that SIL LaD's health is improved and can come back with him.

And, I must say that all the cards and messages that have arrived here at Casa 3917 have made her (and us) feel so loved and supported.  "Thank you" seems so inadequate...but it's all I can think of at the moment.

Thank you.  From the bottom of my heart.

Just in Time

We're back at the roost...apparently just in time for the next round of arctic blast and blowing snows.  May I repeat myself?  I have had enough of this...!


Just Enough Ruffles Scarf
for Missy M, 1/2011

We made the 8-hour trek over the mountains and up the WV turnpike ($6 in tolls, each way...) to Missy M's house in Louisville last weekend.  There was still a good deal of snow on the side of the all the roads along the way...as the old saying goes "waiting for the next snow storm."  I delivered the Just Enough Ruffles scarf (photo, left), and we had a pleasantly uneventful visit with her and the pups, Ella Rae and Dixie. 

This was our first time to meet Dixie, who is a bea-U-tiful Basset girl.  She is a tad on the smallish side for a Basset, weighing in at "only" 53 pounds when she went in for her snip-snip operation and teeth-cleaning last week.  [While 53 pounds is indeed a large dog, remember our Drool Gang for reference: Gus weighs about 63 pounds, Duchess tilts the scales at 74 pounds (!), and Elmo comes in at 54.]  She has an almost silky coat and gorgeous coloring, that being white and red, a lot like Elmo's.  She and Ella (all of 18 pounds...and looking like a pup in her "new" haircut) are still working out the new living arrangements, but all-in-all it appears they may become best of buddies...except when they are vying for Missy M's undivided love and attention...and food.  Naturally.

When we arrived so late on Friday night that I think it may have actually been Saturday morning, Dixie would have nothing to do with me.  Absolutely nothing.  Barked at me even.  Me!  The Momma.  She let Mr. T (Not-The-Momma) pet her and give her a belly rub...showing off her operation stitches with pride.  But with me?  She drew a line and wouldn't cross it.  Broke my heart, of course...but, what are you going to do?

Well, here's what I did.  Next morning, I got up early to fix the dogs their breakfast.  (The humans in the house could fend for themselves...:)  I opened a can of tuna to mix with their dry kibble, and voila!  I'm the Queen Mother!!  It also helped that Missy M and Mr. T headed out to see a movie in the afternoon, and since I was nursing a sinus problem, I stayed home with the dogs.  While I sat on the sofa, knitting on my Slanting Lace Scarf and enjoying several cups of hot tea with lemon, Dixie (after some help up with the hind-quarters) cuddled up next to me in the center, with Ella balled up like a cat on "her" pillow on the other end.  We bonded.


Missy M's new office at
KFC

Some of the conversation centered on Missy M's new promotion.  She's headed across the parking lot to the "Big White House" to work her Instructional Design magic with KFC.  Her first four and 1/2 years with Yum!Brands has been spent on a training team working with Long John Silver's and with A&W.  Now, she goes to play with the Big Brand, so to speak.  Her favorite part about the change so far?  She got an office with a door and a window out of the deal (photo, right).  Woo hoo!

Just ahead of the next KY snowfall, Mr. T and I hopped in the Endeavor to head out of town.  We took a giant detour around the city, though, in order to meet up with Brother T (minus SIL LaD, who was stuck at home because of the cold weather and the ice concerns) at Cracker Barrel in LaGrange.  Great town, by the way, with an active train track running right down the middle of the main street.  M and I love the yarn shop there, Friends and Fiber, and we once had to wait to cross back over the street to our parked car while the train went through.  Uh, no...we didn't get to the yarn shop this time, darn it.  But, it was lovely having a couple of hours with Bro T, along with a big CB breakfast in front of a roaring fire, all the same.

BTW, Missy M reports the latest snowstorm dumped another couple of inches of snow on her in the city, and SIL LaD reports almost 6 inches of the stuff on their mountaintop in Northern KY.  We joked that she may not get off the mountain until Easter...or, as she says, until Derby Day in early May.  Ha ha?

Back home in NC, we had a nice day on Wednesday (temps reached the 50's, believe it or not). All the snow melted, and the ground is ready to receive some more. Thursday brought a return of the cold, so I decided to heat up the house with blackberry cobbler and some homemade bread (photos, center/below; recipe, end of article). We are in the twenties here today, with snow predicted for Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday; accumulation predictions are mixed. We'll see...




Blackberry Cobbler




White Bread




Mr. Squirrel and the new Critter Feeder

 Mr. T made it home from the highlands, and his first task on Friday was to refill the feeders, which were slap-dab completely empty.  He also put two new dried corn ears (photo, right) on the newest critter feeder (from that last trip to Tractor Supply...:); believe me when I tell you that there's nothing but cobs there this morning. 

So, if we are to believe the creatures, we've got weather on the way.  Big time.  Hoo boy.






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Easy Fruit Cobbler

2 cups fruit (blackberries, pealed peaches, apples, whatever you have)
2 cups sugar, divided
4-8 T. butter (the more, the richer taste - I use 6 T.)
1 cup milk
1 cup self-rising flour

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  While the oven is preheating, put the butter in a loaf pan and into the oven; allow the butter to melt, then remove the pan. 

Meanwhile, pour 1 cup of the sugar over the washed/prepared fruit; let sit for a bit.  In a large mixing cup/bowl, mix the milk, the other 1 cup of sugar, and the self-rising flour together into a batter.

Time to assemble!  Pour the batter mixture into the melted butter in the loaf pan.  DO NOT MIX.  Then, spoon the fruit (and any syrup that has formed or sugar that remains) on top of the butter-batter in the loaf pan.  Again, DO NOT MIX.  The fruit will sink below the batter, which will form a dough and crust around the fruit while baking.

Bake for one hour, or until brown on top and bubbling all around.  Remove to a rack to cool for at least 20 minutes.  Serve warm with a scoop of ice cream, if desired.  Enjoy!

2010: That's a Wrap!

Welcome to our world, Dixie girl!

It's that time again.  Time to say goodbye to the old year...hello to the new one.  As we prepare to welcome in 2011, we are also welcoming a new Drool Gang member into the (extended) family, so I thought I'd lead this post off with a photo (right) of Dixie.  She is such a cutie-pie and is joining Missy M and Ella Rae (who I'm not supposed to refer to as my grand-dog...:) in L'ville.  She's 2 1/2 years old, with red and white coloring (she looks a lot like Elmo, don't you think?).  And, she's got a big voice for such a little girl.  I haven't met her in person (canine?), but I have heard her bay over the phone.  Woo-woo!

So, it's New Year's Eve.  Most people celebrate by going out on the town, putting on party hats, and toasting with champagne at midnight.  Us?  Well, we are such party animals (NOT!) around here that our agenda for the day has been a bit different.

We have been enjoying the results of Mr. T's BirdCam that he got for Christmas.  We've taken lots of pictures (which I'll post at a later date)...or, I should say it's taken lots of pictures, and we are trying to refine the results.  Oh, the camera itself is working great, and we are loving the pix we've gotten so far.  We do seem to be getting more than our share of bird-butt shots however, either because of the shape, size, or location of our feeders.  Solution?  Get some new feeders...and put them in some new locations!



N/M/E is all smiles at Tractor Supply
in Oak Ridge, NC

 So, we spent the last day of this year in Oak Ridge, NC, at the Tractor Supply (our other home-away-from-home), loading up on new feeders, as well as gluten-free dog food and dog treats.  Hey, around here, it's all about the birds and the dogs!  That's a shot (left) of Nana/Momma/Edith in the back seat of Mr. T's Outlander as we were leaving the store.  He's on the other side of the vehicle, trying to tie-down the 4 new feeder poles on top of the car.  Tee hee.

After our little shopping spree, we headed across Highway 150 to J.P. Looney's for a celebratory lunch...and a little bowl-game-watching time on their big screens.  N/M/E was still bummed out because her Tennessee Vols had lost a tough one to the UNC 'Heels in double-overtime last night in the Music City Bowl in Nashville.  No comment about that.  Sure, we'll pop the cork on a bottle of bubbly at the stroke of 2011, but we'll also be happy to stay home for the evening and off the roads.  (I guess you might say we'll drink, but we won't drive...:)

Before we close the door completely on this busy year, I wanted to take a few moments to put some projects in the record book, marked as "finished."  So, here goes for the FO's:



Mr. T in his Christmas Cable Vest

 As I've posted before, I completed the Cable Vest for Mr. T in super soft Tahki Stacy Charles Savoy yarn (a 52/48 silk/wool blend) in a rich red (photo, right).  Got it all wrapped up and under the tree for Christmas.  He seemed geniunely surprised when he opened the package, saying "when did you do this?!"  Of course, the answer is, as always, "when you were out-of-town, dear."  One reason I have so many projects going at a time (I tell myself...:) is that I can work on one that is unrelated to the giftee when he/she happens to be in the same room with me; then, when said giftee is away or goes to her own room, I can pull out the project related to that person.

Case in point:  N/M/E's afghan.  She also seemed surprised when she opened the big Santa sack that was nearly full-to-overflowing with the Galaxy Ripple Afghan in Natural, 2 colors of Periwinkle Blue, and Velvet Night (which is a beautiful Royal Purple) Bernat Berella 4 yarn (photo, below/left).  "When did you do this?!"  I'd worked on this project whenever she was in her room and late at night after she'd gone to bed...and I had also taken it with me for the long flights to-and-from Hawaii.  She did walk in on me as I was crocheting the strips together, but I was able to cover up my work before she realized what I was doing.



N/M/E's Christmas Ripple Afghan

 I've posted about this pattern before, so forgive me if I'm repeating myself here.  I completed the "original" Ripple afghan for N/M/E over 31 years ago, using a kit with 4 shades of olive green I got I don't know where.  I took so long in finishing that first one (I was going through my counted cross-stitch period, when knitting took a back-seat...:) that she had changed colors in her living room (as well as changed locations of the living room from Covington to Barlett, TN...:).  I had to get creative and add two more strips along with crocheting a border in her new color (peach).  I had originally sewn the strips together as the pattern directed, but taught myself how to crochet the strips together after I'd repaired that first one so many times.  She still has it, by the way!

Since then, I have made I-can't-even-begin-to-count-how-many afghans using this wonderful pattern, which...wonder of all wonders, I still have the original directions.  You may have gotten one from me!  It is knit in strips (usually 8, two each in 4 colors) with a 6-row repeat, so it is easy to memorize, easy to take with you anywhere (I've knit the strips in my chair, in the car, at sporting events and symphony concerts, and on flights all over the US and Canada, as well as to-and-from France, the UK, and Brazil!), and easy to pick it up and know where you are in the pattern.  I don't think the pattern is copyrighted...if it ever was, it has probably expired by now.  I've searched online for it without success; if you search for Galaxy afghan, you get links to a crocheted pattern.  I thought I'd share this jewel with you, so check the bottom of this post for the particulars, if you are interested.



Missy M's Traveling Woman Shawl -
a 2010 Christmas gift

 I finished knitting Missy M's Traveling Woman Shawl on the last leg of those long return flights home in September.  I had wanted to honor the spirit of the pattern, so I used a bamboo-blend Seacoast handpainted yarn called "Rain" from New Hampshire via Louisville, and I did most of the work while I traveled...with the Traveling Shawl.  That photo is of the shawl (right), in progress, on the lanai of our room in Maui. 

After the knitting came the blocking.  Good grief!  What a chore, when you don't have a blocking board or wires.  So, guess what I asked Santa for this year?  You betcha!  And, because Missy M is really getting into lace knitting, Santa made sure that she too had a blocking board and more T-pins.

For my beautiful sisters-in-law, I did a "Just Enough Ruffles" scarf in Ultra Alpaca/Blueberry Mix (for SIL J) and a "Magical Moebius" cowl (with a pattern from Cat Bordhi), in a "Kentucky Blue" chunky hand-dyed Araucania wool yarn (for SIL LaD).  I loved doing both of them...and I forgot to snap a shot of either before wrapping them up.  Well, I do have a photo of the Ruffles scarf around SIL J's lovely neck, but she is wearing the Silly Santa Hat we gave Brother J in the same photo...and I've promised that I won't publish those pictures unless provoked.

I also forgot to get a photo of the Sophia "Wise Woman" Cowl (from a pattern in the One Skein Wonders book) that I knitted for N/M/E's BFF AW.  I had just enough yarn left to try out a mitten pattern called Smitten, that Missy M shared with me, for a gift-tag .  M found it on KnitPicks.com, where it was originally designed as an Advent-type garland.  She had knit several as ornaments for her tree, and they looked so cute.

Amazingly, I also had time during the Holidays to finish my own Picchu-Picchu sweater, knit in Berrocco's scrumptious Ultra Alpaca yarn!  I'll save the photo and description for another post, however.

That's the wrap-up of the FO's...and the wrap of 2010.  Hope you and all of your family and friends have a safe and happy New Year!  See you again in 2011!!


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The Pattern for the Galaxy Ripple Afghan (for Bernat Berella 4 yarn) - approx. 48" x 60" finished

• CO 16 stitches.  [Bernat Berella 4 is an acrylic yarn, developed especially for afghans.  You'll need 8 oz. each of 4 coordinating colors of worsted weight ("4") yarn; this used to be 2 skeins each color when Berella "4" weighed out at 4 oz.  Now, since it weighs out at 3.5 oz per skein, you need 3 skeins each of 4 colors, especially if you crochet the strips together and add a border to finish.  It knits out to a gauge of 16 stitches = 4.5 inches, using US 10.5 needles.  I knit fairly loosely, so I've found that I need US 10's to get that gauge.  However, I do use a larger needle when I cast on and when I bind off, so it won't be too tight.  Try a US 11 for this only.)
• K 8 rows (4 ridges) in garter stitch.
• Begin the 6-row Pattern Stitch (below) for 50 patterns.
• K 8 rows (4 ridges) in garter stitch.
• BO loosely (remember to use a larger needle to bind off).
• Make 2 strips each in 4 colors.
• Sew strips together as follows:  Color A, Color B, Color C, Color D (center of the afghan), Color D, Color C, Color B, and Color A.  (I have found that I prefer to crochet the strips together with a simple slip stitch; it makes the seam/join so much more sturdy.)
• Steam-press lightly to relax the seams.
• Either crochet a border around the whole afghan, or add a fringe (knotting ten 10-inch strands of yarn in every 4th st across the two short ends).
• Enjoy!

Pattern Stitch for the Galaxy Ripple Afghan:

1. K4, * wrap yarn around needle TWICE, K1, repeat from the * to last 4 sts, wrap yarn around needle ONCE, K last 4 sts = 33 stitches
2. K4 *, drop 1 wrap st, P2, repeat from * to last 4 sts, K4 = 24 stitches
3. K4, K2tog, K12, K2tog, K4 = 22 sts
4. K4, K2tog, K10, K2tog, K4 = 20 sts
5. K4, P2tog, P8, P2tog, K4 = 18 sts (this makes the "bump" or ripple row)
6. K4, K2tog, K6, K2tog, K4 = 16 sts

Repeat these 6 rows for the pattern stitch.