No pictures to post..

but I did want to jot off a quick note. I hate when too much time has passed since my last post.

Christmas was very good this year. I made the best ever tomato sauce with meatballs and pork brasole(?) and homemade lasagna and mini pecan pie tarts - yummy. My mother and brother came over for diner, but since David had to work, it was an early night.

We celebrated with the boys on Christmas Adam and Christmas Eve, then took them home to their mothers. I got nice knitty gifts from them - Domino Knitting and The Ultimate Sourcebook of Knitting and Crochet Stitches. I love them both (the books and the boys)

Well, David is demanding his computer back so more later....

Tis the season ...

to be RAOK'd! I received this lovely scarf from Lizzi - that is my stepson, Jeff, modeling it:

Thank you Lizzi - I really love the colors and how soft it feels on.

and to give equal time to the other brother, Robert opening gifts:



We exchanged gifts with the boys tonight because we don't have them on Christmas.

Hope everyone is having a joyous holiday season!

Happy Solstice!

Raise a mug of wassail and celebrate the turning of the wheel!

I promised pictures and here they are:


The before

and after

The above recipe works really well in a crockpot - stays warm and yummy all day!

and now for something completely different

Get Your Own Christmas BlogCard Here!

Thanks to Kerstin for this - I needed the laugh

Thank You everyone...

for the birthday wishes! I had a great day yesterday with my girlfriends. We went out for Mexican food and girl talk. Margaret gave us each $10 worth of scratch off tickets and we all won something. I also got a gift certificate to AC Moore - so I am really happy. We went to Starbucks (a blue co. yippee!!) for desert and sat in front of the fireplace - it was a wonderful afternoon - even with out knitting.

After I got home, David and I went for the tree. I love my tree! I will post pictures later, but trust me it looks gorgeous!

later...

Doing nothing isn't working!

I am really not in the holiday spirit now - I am stressed and grouchy. I tried doing nothing as Norma suggested, but it is not working - I am feeling more stressed. It is my birthday weekend and still no tree, the decorations - in a box in the basement, the presents - all over the house. Cookies - not happening, lasagna - take out anyone?

What I really want is to go away somewhere all by myself - just me, my yarn, some hooks and my denise needles! Heaven

Tonight is my office Christmas party, David is not coming because he has to work, so I am going alone. Tomorrow is my birthday, 43 years old, man where did the years go? I'm going to brunch with my girlfriends. David and I can celebrate after the holidays, when hopefully he is back on days. Tmrw night there is a SnB in Park Slope at the Tea Lounge, I think I will go, maybe that will get me out of this funk.

Later.

Capelet Pattern - sort of

Ok I still have not comp at home, so I am going to post this from work. I haven't actually written out the pattern so this is just the basic directions as far as what I did. The yarn I used was a hand dyed silk I won on ebay - it is a sport wt.

With a size D crochet hook I chained a length to fit comfortably around my shoulders, join with slp st. HDC around for 1 1/2 inches or desired length increase as necessary to achieve a multiple of 10 + 1 for the first pattern. Switch to a Size F hook - I used the spaced scale stitch on page 106 of the Crochet Stitch Bible continue in that pattern changing to a Size G hook after a few inches, till desired length (3 - 4 inches shorter than the finished length you desire). Then I switched to the sea stitch on page 112 and a Size H hook and did 3 rows to finish. Then I did a row of sc around the front opening and Voila!

I had to fudge the numbers to make it fit but all in all it worked out really well. Happy Friday all.

No catchy title today

I have to go home tonight and finish cleaning the apt so we have some place to put the tree. David is home trying to fix his computer. We have a major spyware invasion, seems like some site the kids visit causes major problems with the computer. He has to reformat the hard drive to get rid of the worms and whatever other crap got through. This will be the 3rd time this has happened so the boys won't have web access anymore. They have plenty of games and spend too much time on the computer anyway.

I am not getting used to his new schedule and don't like him being out on patrol after midnight, but there is good news on the horizon, his captain has said he will see about putting him back on days after the new year. Of course that won't help with my birthday or the holidays, but it is better than February or never.

I have lots of baking to do this weekend - I want to make cookies to give out to co-workers and friends. I love making cookies. I want to put them with the Christmas gifts for my girlfriends. We are getting together Sunday for brunch and gifty exchange. I was thinking of knitting each of them cotton sacks with yummy soaps, but I don't know if I can get them done by Sunday.

A few people have asked for the pattern for the silk crochet capelet. I will try to post the instructions tonight. It not really a pattern, just more of a guideline and stitch directions.

later....

Pictures

Here are a few pictures

David & me at his Christmas Party


The sweater I am making him that was supposed to be for his birthday, which I may have finished before he reaches SS age

It is from The Purl Stitch by Sally Melville

This is the yarn(expect it is much prettier and blue in person)


Later..

Scrooge is alive and well...

and working for the NYPD! David got into a tiff with his Capt. at work and ended up being transferred to midnights for the next 2 months! ARGHH!!!!!!!!!!!!! That really is going to mess up all our holiday plans as well as the boys schedule. On the midnight tour he is back to working 4 days on 2 days off. He loses his steady days, so now we have to figure out when and how will will pick up the boys and return them home and when we can celebrate Christmas (he was off before this) Oh bah humbug!

I still have lots of Christmas knitting to do - will post some pics later.