Winter arrived with a vengeance last weekend here in Massachusetts. We didn’t get any snow but the temps dropped into the single digits and when it does that I want to hibernate in my cozy house. I’m never at a loss for things to do inside and so today’s Ten on Tuesday topic is 10 Things To Do Inside When It’s Too Cold To Go Outside.

1. Knit. Of course this had to be listed first but the truly great thing about knitting is that you can do it anywhere – inside when it’s cold, outside when it’s warm, it’s the ultimate portable craft.
2. Spin. Like knitting, spinning can be done outside but there’s something truly awesome about spinning with soft wool when it’s cold outside.
3. Build a fire. We have a wood stove so there’s always a fire going here but I remember how comforting it was to build a fire in the fireplace in my old house when the temperatures plummeted.
4. Read. This is best done by that fire.
5. Play video games. On Sunday Dale and I played the Wii for a good portion of the afternoon. The physical games like bowling and tennis were a great alternative when we felt like we had been sitting on the couch for too long.
6. Play cards or a board game. It’s fun, it makes you laugh, and there’s something so cozy about playing games on a cold winter night.
7. Bake cookies. Moving around, gathering ingredients, mixing the batter and all of that will warm you up. The hot oven will warm the kitchen and the yummy cookies will warm your insides.
8. Organize/clean something. My kitchen pantry is calling my name. So far I’m ignoring it but if it’s cold again next weekend I will tackle this.
9. Eat things that will warm your insides. Spicy chili, buffalo chicken dip, a hot bowl of soup – you get the idea.
10. Snuggle by the wood stove. This can also need to another rather pleasant indoor activity. Just sayin.

I’m taking the Skinny Minny Photoshop Elements Class from Kim Klassen and what you see above is my homework from day 2. It was pretty simple, really — take an image and add some text. The photo is of Savery Avenue in Carver and I have walked there a couple of times since the start of 2012. The pine trees are very tall and there’s a feeling of peace and serenity along this road. I thought for a long time about what word I wanted to use to describe the photo and finally settled on hush. I think it truly describes the feeling that comes over me when I look down that long road or up into those tall trees. I am small and it is quiet and still, almost a sanctuary.

It’s the perfect place for a walk with a friend.

I took this photo of the pond near my office on a day last week when the temperatures turned frigid – that’s not foam you see along the shoreline, that’s ice forming as the water hits the sand. Cool, huh?

Have a great weekend!

I’ve never been one to knit for Christmas, you all know that. However, if I happen to finish something in the weeks leading up to Christmas I will often wrap it and give it as a Christmas gift. Such was the case with the Poet Society Tam for Hannah.

I bought the yarn, Madeline Tosh Vintage, on my first trip to WEBS last spring and I bought it specifically for this hat. The color is called Fragrant and it makes me think of spices and warm drinks.

You may have noticed that the brim of the hat is a contrasting color. That is because the I ran out of yarn on the first attempt at this pattern. Yes, the pattern is written for this yarn specifically and yes, I ran out anyway. I was frustrated but I loved the design (I always love Kirsten’s designs) and I knew it would be great on Hannah so I ripped and restarted, using this pretty brown for the brim. I actually like the way it looks so I’m calling it a design decision.

I found the buttons in my mother’s button box and I like the way they pick up the pink tones of the yarn.

It’s a big, slouchy, youthful hat and I love the way it looks on my daughter. It goes with her hair color and it’s just her style.

Around here we call that style goofy.

Do you remember that Cookie pledged to knit with handspun for all of 2011? And did you happen to follow the pools and see who thought she’d keep to her pledge? Yes, that would be me. And on Saturday my prize package arrived. It’s been a long time since I won anything on a blog but let me tell you, this was worth the wait!

It was packaged beautifully and done up in pink and purple. No surprise there, right? I opened it up to find so many pretty and practical goodies!

There was the beautiful calendar of all island photos. And island sounds awfully good right about now.

And there was the pretty little notebook with a poppy on the cover. Poppies are one of my favorite flowers, you know.

There was a package of cupcake wrappers with a crafty theme and there was the sweet smelling candle. It was about then that I picked up on the Caribbean them of the package. Cookie has been paying attention and she knows my love of all things beach-y!

There was candy. Malibu flavored candy. Hello, lover.

And there was the awesome bag with a dolphin on one side and a pelican on the other. It will be great for grocery shopping but even better for the beach. I just have to make sure my stepdaughter, Jessica, doesn’t steal it. She has a thing for pelicans, you know.

The best part of the whole package, though, were these 2 gorgeous skeins of Cookie’s handspun. Yes, that’s right, she sent me her handspun. Over 1500 yards of laceweight handspun. Ahem. Only a real friend sends you their very own handspun yarn. I’m already looking at patterns and making plans to knit it up.

Thanks for the inspiration and all the awesome goodies, Cookie!  Looks like I’m going to make good on that goal to knit with handspun after all!

I like a warm bowl of homemade soup, especially when the temperatures dip below 30° like they do here in January. I made soup on Saturday and again yesterday and that got me to thinking about my favorite kind of soup. And that got me to decide that this week’s Ten on Tuesday topic would be 10 Favorite Soups.

1. Chicken and Rice. I sort of follow Pioneer Woman’s recipe but I don’t add the food coloring, green pepper or the pimientos and I do add celery and carrots.
2. Minestrone. I use a recipe from a cookbook of my mom’s and it has beef that you cook for a long time before adding all the veggies. I love it with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.
3. Campbell’s Vegetable Beef. I know that canned soup is full of sodium and not all that healthy but if I’m going to have a can of soup it’s going to be this one.
4. Panera Bread’s Forest Mushroom Soup. This is no longer on their menu but when they had it I was kind of addicted to it. Honestly it was more like gravy than soup and that may explain the irrational love I had for it.
5. Split Pea with Ham. I realize this is not a favorite for a lot of people but I think it’s wonderful. I love how thick and hearty it is and think it should be kept pretty simple – peas, carrots and chunks of leftover ham. My friend Tom makes great Split Pea with Ham soup.
6. Baked Potato Soup. I have actually never made this but I’ve had it in several restaurants and I always enjoy it. I like it to be creamy and thick and topped with bacon and cheese.
7. Cream of Broccoli. I haven’t made it in ages but it’s a definitely a favorite.
8. Fish chowder. I posted the recipe I use here a while back and it’s still one we all really love.
9. French Onion Soup. Dale loves it when I make this and it’s pretty simple. It takes a while to caramelize all those onions but then it’s easy as can be. And really, it’s an excuse to eat lots of Parmesan cheese.
10. Tomato soup. The canned kind is just fine with me and I like it made with milk. It’s best when served with a grilled cheese sandwich.

I have always said I’d never knit an afghan. I am a quilter and, frankly, I like quilts better when it comes to form and function. Also, they are much faster to produce. And yet, a few months ago I started contemplated knitting a blanket with leftover sock yarn. I’ve seen some really colorful ones and I’ve become . . . intrigued.

The week before Christmas I spent some time planning and researching. I studied various mitered square techniques. I knew I wanted my squares to be joined together as I went along since I am not being a big fan of seaming. And I knew I wanted them to be squares and not diamonds. I cobbled together ideas from this mitered square blanket pattern and this mitered square wrap and shawl and then I took the plunge.

I’ve got several squares completed so far and I love it. Each square is simple and fast and I’m taking excellent notes so that I can put it down and pick it up much later and (hopefully) not be confused.

There’s just one problem. Since I was so sure I’d never knit a blanket I didn’t actually save my sock yarn leftovers. All those socks I’ve knit over the years and I’ve only got enough yarn to knit 12 unique squares.

It would be funny if it wasn’t so pathetic.

A shot of the landscape from our second walk of 2012. It’s scenery like this that keeps me motivated right now.

Happy Weekend!

I promised you glamour shots of my last pair of socks for 2011 and I always deliver on my blog promises so here they are.

You’ve seen this picture already but it’s bigger this time and these socks are so lovely I don’t think you’ll mind seeing it again. I’m sure you recognize the yarn as Knitterly Things Vesper Sock Yarn. It’s my favorite of all sock yarns and for good reason. The colors are always beautiful, it’s soft and it wears really well.

Of course the most amazing thing about this sock yarn is the striping. Julia’s stripes match perfectly every time. Truly.

The stripes are so perfect that I don’t even have to measure the length of the leg or the foot, I just count the stripes. This makes for very quick progress on sock #2, and that was a lucky break last week as I raced towards finishing them.

Since I didn’t finish them in time for Christmas I will tuck them away and not wear them until next December. It’s like I’ve already got a present finished. It’s a present for me but those are the best kind of presents!

Delicious!