Some Finished Objects

Several people have asked me about the photo in the Christmas post.  The photo is of my Granddaddy and this is my all-time favorite photo of him.  He loved Christmas and every year, he hit the woods with his ax, sometimes with one or more grandchildren in tow, to find a Christmas tree.  The quality of this photo is not so good since it was one of those polaroid photos but I love it anyway.

I have a bunch of finished objects to tell you about:

My Mother's Christmas scarf.  The Two-Way Ruffled Scarf by Churchmouse Yarns done in Kidsilk Haze.  She loves it!  You may remember that I made one like this for me back in the summer and almost lost it when Mother saw it. 

Catherine's Shawl by Madelinetosh Yarns.  This Kale colorway in tosh is very difficult to photography.  I finished this in December and it is still unblocked.  I'm rather disappointed in this.  I can't decide it it's too small or I'm too large.  I'm hoping that blocking it will work some sort of sizing magic.  I'm waiting on my new blocking wires from Churchmouse to arrive and hopefully, will have a blocked photo next weekend.  I think if I were to do this again, I would add more repeats and might do in a DK weight.

Two baby hats for my sister-in-law to give as a gift.  Good old Berroco Comfort Chunky along with In The Making's House Hat Worksheet makes short work of these!



Welted Fingerless Gloves for me in Rowan Baby Alpaca DK.  A wonderful pattern by Churchmouse and the yarn, wow!  The yarn was buttery soft.  But......I knit the second one at a much tighter gauge than the first so I frogged the first and reknit it.  See how much bigger it was.....

 

(Please forgive the red tissue paper.  It was nighttime and I was in the middle of gift wrapping).

And finally, a decent photo of my Koigu Linen Stitch Scarf.  I've discovered something.  It's mightly hard to photography (at least for me) Koigu without it looking all mottled.

Hope you've enjoyed these!

Merry Christmas to all.........

Tristan's Blankie of Many Colors

Tristan’s Blankie is finished.  It was actually completed back in November, November 17 to be exact.  It is now in Kentucky, ferried by a family member going to visit at the first of the month, and is all packaged up waiting to be opened by the little fella himself on Christmas Day.

This blanket was fun to knit in a being 8-years-old and rolling down the grassy bank at my Grandparent’s house kind of way.  When it came time to change colors, I closed my eyes, plunged my hand down in the basket of not used yet yarn, stirred it around, and pulled one out.  Unless the color family had been used in the row immediately below, it was used, no matter what.  And along the way, I happened on some surprisingly pleasing color combinations, well, surprising to me anyway. 

Here’s how the entire blanket looks  Forgive the lumpiness.  That’s from the dead grass underneath.

I hope the boys love their blankets as much as I loved making them.  I've told their Mother that these blankets are for loving, for taking on picnics, for spreading out to look at the stars, and for cuddling on the sofa on a cold day. 

Along towards the end of this blanket, I started thinking about making another one, this time for me.  But since I had so many baby gifts to knit, I decided to wait until after Christmas to make that decision.  But for the past several days, I’ve been thinking more and more about log cabins and blankets in general.  I've realized that I miss having a log cabin going.  All that garter stitch going on for miles.  The kind of zen knitting after a long day, the comfort when I could use comfort, and the joy of having something familiar when I’m between projects or having a “moment” with a project.  So, we'll see what happens.......

Seen at the Piggly Wiggly

Seen at the Piggly Wiggly (aka The Pig) in Warrior, AL this evening. 

I've seen this bear riding up and down Highway 160 and Highway 31 but this was the first time I've caught him stopped.  I didn't realize this was a business, I just thought it was some guys having fun with unsuspecting motorists!  It turns out that Larry of Larry's Bear Den is just promoting his business, which is located in Warrior.  He used a chainsaw to carve the bears and birds that you see in the truck.  He does amazing work, doesn't he?  That standing bear is impressive. 

So, if you're looking for a last minute gift for the person who has everything or would like a lifesize bear for yourself, give Larry a call.  He'll be happy to hear from you.

A Must Enter Contest



Elizabeth of Liz Thomas Photography is having a contest over on her blog, Three Boys and a Thousand Hills.  You'll need to scroll down to the November 26th post for details (I know, I'm a little behind here).  Elizabeth is my friend, cousin, mother of my three favorite fellas, and photographer extraordinaire.

I just love Elizabeth's work.  I really do.  Her studio is the farm where she lives or the village nearby and I'm not sure how she does it, but her work always looks fresh and different.  She just doesn't take pictures, she tells a story.  I'm ever amazed at her ability to capture the soul and the spirit of the people she photographs.

This past fall, I got to be Elizabeth's assistant for an afternoon shoot.  Since then, I've decided that when I retire, I want to be her assistant.  I just love this photo from that afternoon!  Doesn't it look like it belongs in Southern Living?












Back to the contest, she has some fabulous prizes to give away!  And one of them just happens to be a custom child's hat made by Graves Gap Knitting!  Two of the options are the pumpkin one pictured above or the striped one below.

Oh, and before I forget, Elizabeth says that if anyone in Alabama wins the mini session, it can be scheduled the next time she comes home to Alabama.  Personally, I think it would be well worth the trip to Kentucky.  But then again, I'm always looking for a reason to see the fellas!

When you enter the contest, please be sure and let Elizabeth know that you heard about the contest here.  And if you win a prize, be sure to let me know.  Good luck!

All photos used with permision of Liz Thomas Photography.

Thank You Mr. Mailman!

Friday and Saturday were lots of fun at my house!  My orders from Churchmouse Yarns and Teas came.  Yes, two orders (I splurged)!  I placed an order on Monday but they were out of one item but were expecting it again soon.  I happened to check again on Tuesday and the item was in so I ordered it!

This was Friday's order!  It was just like Christmas!

Here's what was in my bag:
-one skein of Rowan Baby Alpaca DK in Color 205 (Jacob).  This is destined for Churchmouse's Welted Fingerless Gloves and I'm swatching now.  The yarn is SOOO soft!  Cream in not really my color but it will be on my hands, not next to my face
-a linen project bag
-a beautiful, blank, notecard

Also included was a lovely note from Susan C. at Churchmouse.  Thank you Susan! 

Saturday's mail brought this:

My order was all packed and wrapped in tissue paper and included another lovely notecard.

In the box was the Wooly Wreath and Garland Kit.  I don't think I'll get this made in time for Christmas but it'll be fine to leave up through the winter. 

So, thank you Churchmouse and Mr. Mailman for making my days!
The coffee's on so I'm going to swatch for my new gloves!

Supper at Big Daddy's

I finally ate at Big Daddy's.  I've been meaning to stop by for a while now and finally ate there a week ago with friends and cousins, Virginia and Kelley.  It was a cold night and the atmosphere (and temperature) inside was warm and welcoming.

In 2008, Big Daddy's won the Birmingham News' readers choice award for best ribs.

This night, we didn't try the ribs.  I had the Bar-B-Q chicken and Virginia and Kelley had the Bar-B-Que pork.  They prounouced their pork delicious.  My chicken was a little chewier than I would have liked but the flavor was good.  Next time, I'll try the pork.  See that little cup of slaw?  You can put that on your sandwich or on your plate like we did.  Those fries!  Oh, they were the crispiest, most wonderful things ever.  We all loved them.  I could have eaten a plate full of just fries!

We met Big Daddy while we were there and he gracefully posed so Kelley and I could take a picture of him. And, Jon, if you're reading this, he says he ships his Bar-B-Q all the time.  Just give him a call!

So, if you're ever travelling I-65 between Birmingham and Huntsville and are in the mood for barbeque, hop off at one of the Warrior exits and check out Big Daddy's.  Tell him that the crazy ladies taking all kinds of pictures of his restaurant and their food sent you.

Fast Forward

Have you ever felt like your life was on fast forward and you weren't the one pushing the fast forward button?  Well that's exactly how I've felt since my last post.  The days just seem to be flying by at an alarming speed.  So, what exactly have I been doing?  Well, I've helped my parents with a huge project, stopped by the Gee's Bend Living Exhibit, gone shopping with a friend for something to wear to a wedding, attended two baby showers, gotten stuck in two epic proportion traffic jams (thankfully I had my knitting), attended a giant wedding, travelled to Nashville for Thanksgiving and some Black Friday shopping, drove across the interstate for another Thanksgiving dinner and to see my three favorite boys, listened to Alabama fans whoop it up, and saw Auburn fans cry in their sweet tea (even non-football fans like me check the score of this game!). 
 

But I haven't stopped knitting.  I've been making baby hats for seven babies that have either arrived since October or are scheduled to arrive this month and next.  I've also finished a blanket but that's another post.  I've made an adult hat and am working on another.  And I'm making my Mother a scarf for Christmas. 

Stayed tuned for more updates this week!