Wednesdays Are For Knitting: Little Hipster Cardigan

April 10, 2019 By Carole

On Sunday Hannah and I went to a baby shower for my cousin Len’s daughter, Megan. Of course I knit a sweater. He’s due in June and his name will be Jackson.

I think a baby named Jackson totally needs a Little Hipster Cardigan in blue Berrocco superwash. The pattern is very details in some parts, particularly when it comes to incorporating the increases at the shoulders into the cables but there is less detail when it comes to picking up the stitches for the edging. Sean came to my rescue for that part, thank goodness.

I stole the idea for the care instruction tag from Kym. And yes, Megan calls me Auntie Carole because Cousin Carole sounds just . . . weird.

I couldn’t just bring a sweater so I also purchased some baby blue jeans and long sleeve onesies. I think Jackson is going to be quite stylish when he wears the ensemble.

Hopefully this will all fit next winter!

Right Now: April 2019

April 9, 2019 By Carole

I’ve got about 5 free minutes to write this blog post . . . let’s see if I can come up with something entertaining and right now-ish.

Reading: The Tattooist of Auschwitz

Knitting: An adorable stuffed bunny. And socks.

Planning: New York City 2.0, this one with Dale and Hannah – next week at this time we will be there.

Sleeping: In our guest room while Dale works on painting the bedroom, etc. It’s cute and cozy, almost like sleeping in a tent with those slanted ceilings we have, but the bed is a full and I’m used to a queen. I’ll be glad when we can move back into our regular space.

Buying: All the things for the bedroom makeover. New sheets, new duvet cover, new curtains, new pillows. I can’t wait to set it all up!

Choosing: Paint color for the walls in the bedroom. There are so many shades of grey. Certainly more than 50!

Learning: To use this cool new heated hair styling brush. It’s like getting a fresh blow dry but without having to actually wash and blow dry my hair. I love it.

Loving: Amaryllis in April. I’ve had 6 blossoms on Ally already plus there are 2 more stalks growing. The two other bulbs I planted at the same time should have their first blossoms open in a day or two.

Remembering: My brother Donald. Yesterday was the 36th anniversary of his death from a motorcycle accident and, while my grief has certainly lessened over the years, sometimes I’m still overcome with sadness about this loss.

And that’s a wrap!

Sometimes Mondays

April 8, 2019 By Carole

Are about reflecting on the simple pleasure of planting pansies in the dirt. I bought two trays of pansies in a variety of colors and I had enough to not only fill my window boxes but also this little pot by our back door as well as a few out by our driveway.

As the expression goes, you can bury a lot of troubles digging in the dirty and here’s one thing I know for sure: gardening is good for my soul.

Eye Candy Friday

April 5, 2019 By Carole

I hope you don’t mind another shot of my amaryllis, Ally. She’s a real show stopper – these are blossoms 3 and 4 you can see in the photo. There are still 2 more buds and another stalk is coming up. I guess I won’t need an Easter lily this year, I’ll have an Easter amaryllis instead!

Happy Weekend, friends!

Three On Thursday

April 4, 2019 By Carole

Today I’ve got three things to tell you that are sort of . . . in a roundabout way . . . connected by fire. Let’s go.

Our wood stove has been super smokey lately. It’s gross and stinky and the smoke detector goes off and it’s just . . . ugh. We both know it means the chimney needs to be cleaned but we were also both hoping we could get through until the end of the burning season without doing that. Yesterday, though, I called uncle aka the chimney sweep and they are coming to clean the chimney on Monday. It means we can’t have a fire on Sunday, which definitely blows, but it also means the wood stove will be burning brightly again soon.
I used to burn candles all the time. For the last several months, though, I have laid off the candles and I’m using my essential oils diffusers instead. I like this for many reasons, not the last of which is that there’s less smoke in the house (see number one) and also because I can change the scent daily – or even more often should I choose. Some of my favorite combos lately have been lavender/lemon/peppermint, bergamot/sandalwood/myrrh, joy/geranium/cedarwood, and frankincense/sandalwood/geranium. The company I get my oils from, Young Living, has some great blends, too, including joy that I already mentioned plus peace & calming, release, valor and so much more. I still burn unscented tea lights and there are twinkle lights everywhere so I’m not missing scented candles at all.
I lit myself on fire Tuesday night while making dinner. It was actually my sweater but still. Fire. ON MY PERSON. You’ll be glad to know I didn’t actually suffer any injuries. What happened was this . . . I leaned over the stove to get something from the cabinet above the microwave and my sweater, which is one of those cascade type styles with fringe, caught on fire. I didn’t even realize it at first and then I felt hot and looked down and . . . FLAMES. I know about stop, drop and roll but my kitchen floor is ceramic tile (and I’m old) so I went over to the sink and tried to smother the fire with a small dish cloth. Yeah, that didn’t work. Then I realized I was standing in front of the sink which has, you know, actual WATER, so I grabbed the spray nozzle and sprayed myself down. All the while I am yelling for Dale to come and help but he was in the bedroom with the vacuum cleaner going (nothing sexier than a man with a vaccum, I know, unless you’re on fire) and didn’t hear me. I got the sweater off and threw it in the sink and soaked it. But here’s the weird thing – aside from some of the fringe burning off, the rest of the sweater is absolutely fine. No singe marks. No burn holes. Nothing. All’s well that ends well but let me tell you, the song This Girl is on Fire will never be the same.

And that’s a wrap for this Thursday.

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