Monthly Archives: December 2016

More Snow and More

Another Sunday, another snowstorm! We are 11 days into December, and this is the second weekend in a row that we’ve had snow! Maybe all the snow will get used up in December and then January and February will be dry!!! ??? !!!

The snow really IS beautiful, and if no traveling is required, the snow gently falling makes for a cozy day inside. Last night it was snowing too. I watched Mary Poppins and did some knitting in front of the fireplace. Anyone else love Mary Poppins?

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I am working on a sweater coat for the Little Darlings. I hope it works . . . not sure I’m adding the right amount of increases to get the shape right. If not, I’ll try again. I haven’t made the dress that will go underneath the sweater coat yet as I want to see what length of bodice will work best.

I am going to use this fabric. It is a very subtle snowflake design; I have just enough left. The dress below was for Talyssa from 2014. I am using the same yarn; I love the color!

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I don’t want to make anything else that is too Christmasy. Snowflake patterns can be worn throughout the winter, so I’m making a few of those now. Unfortunately, I have quite a few Christmas prints that I never got to use this year. I am set for next year. I WILL NOT buy any Christmas prints in 2017! Ha ha!

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This was the snow falling last night, so silent and bright!

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Today, more is piling up.

I filled up the bird feeder before the snow started last night, and the birds are happy. I loaded up the platform with peanuts; those always go first. The blue jays love those. I forgot to put suet in the suet feeder, so the woodpecker is settling for seeds. Do you see the mourning dove in the tree? I don’t blame him (her) for hanging back. Those blue jays can be mean.

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As soon as the big birds leave, the sparrows flock to the platform one by one.

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And then, whoosh, something scares them (probably me) and they’re gone.

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Lucy and I had a photo shoot today. It was quick and painless, she’s great. Here’s a sneak peek.

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I hope you all are having (or had) a great Sunday!

Thanks for stopping by!

Bye for now!

Oh, one more photo . . . I got this fabric months ago . . . see, I’m still dreaming of flowers.

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It’s so pretty!

Winter is in Full Swing

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Winter bullied its way in last weekend; autumn is long gone by now. We broke an early snow record last weekend, and we will be getting even more snow this weekend. I know we’re not the only ones. It’s been a dangerous week for multi vehicle accidents on the highways, and some places have almost two feet of snow already. Yes, winter 2016 is proving to be a bully!

The day after Thanksgiving, two weeks ago now, we went to the local tree farm to pick and cut down our Christmas tree. We have a couple of tree farms which are minutes from our house, but choose to drive a little bit farther. This one is quite festive and busy. I think it’s more fun to share this experience with many others. I love seeing all of children and the dogs that come along.

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These tractors take everyone on a fun ride around the farm and to the specific location that grows the type of tree you are looking for. We always get a Fraser fir, the kind with the short, but soft needles.

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Our chihuahua loves to come help us pick out our tree. As we roll along on the trailer, he’s taking in the smells of the farm.

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They have “zillions” of trees. We found ours in a matter of minutes, a huge change from last year.

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Thank goodness for husbands who don’t mind kneeling down on the ground and doing the dirty work. (My husband also gets the honors of stringing the lights on the tree, bless his heart.)

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Our tree gets wrapped in twine, then gets a good shake to remove any dead needles. Afterwards they put a ticket on the tree and give us the other half. The tree waits outside for us while we go into the barn for doughnuts, hot cocoa, and to shop.

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My daughter got a little bag of doughnuts to bring home; I had a bite. The hot cocoa was EXTREMELY sweet, but I did manage to drink a small cup. 🙂 We resisted purchasing anything . . . except the tree, of course.

The tree is all tied down on the roof of our car. It’s ready to become a part of our home for the next couple of months. (These trees drink a lot of water, but last well into January.)

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My husband put together a little video of our visit to the tree farm. I have it on my Facebook page. Click here to see it, if you’d like.

Thanks for visiting with me today!

Have a great day everyone!

Bye for now!

A New Knitting Pattern

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A beret knitting pattern is now available for the Little Darlings! The pattern will also fit other dolls who wear a size 7-8 wig such as Linda Macario’s Penny and Polly.

This beret is knit in the round on DPNs with fingering weight wool. If you’re looking to learn how to knit on DPNs here’s a quick project for you. While you’re learning something new, you can make something cute at the same time. I include tips that helped me learn this technique.

It took me quite a few tries to finally get comfortable with DPNs, and now that I have, it’s one of my favorite ways of knitting. There are three reasons for this: no purling, no seams to sew up, and a nicer looking piece. The hats especially benefit from being knit in the round. I don’t like how the seam ruins the patterning of the decreases, and adds stiffness.

Out of all the YouTube videos this one was the one I watched again and again. I remember watching it for the first time and thinking to myself, “no way was I ever going to be able to knit with all those needles”. It seems very daunting at first, but once you get it you wonder why it seemed so hard.

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