Merry Christmas

Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.
~Norman Vincent Peale

Mom's Eden

I went to visit my mother and my sister in Eden Utah a couple of weeks ago. I have been going to this part of Utah since my sister moved up there over 20 years ago. Eden is over the mountains east of Ogden.

My mom and dad retired there almost 11 years ago now and my father passed about 5 years ago. My mother moved down the hill to this amazing condo with a million dallor view. It is play land. She is 73 and still snow skies at a slop that is litteraly 20 minuets from her door. Boating, water skiing and golfing are all close at hand.

This last visit was the first time I was there during the fall. My visits have all been either during summer vacation or over christmas break. Inspiring fall colors where to be found at every turn. I made my mom drive me all around so I could take lots of pictures of this place called Eden.


The View From Mom's Balcony
(yes, those are hot-air balloons in the air)



Reflections on the Lake




Road to ???




My Beautiful Mom and her new "Monkey Socks"

Do You Feel it Coming Around the Corner?

School started in South Pasadena yesterday. All of my jobs have revolved around the school year.

Private flute and piano teacher
Director of Handbells at my church
The "Waldorf" inspired pre-school that I had at my house when the boys where young.
Then I became a real Waldorf teacher for 9 years.

June has always meant that my schedule got lighter and I would have free time. We always spent August away somewhere and September meant the beginning of not just the kids schedule filling up but mine too.

Now the boys don't live here most of the year, I have retired from teaching and handbell directing, and my life can often be the same day in and day out.

But yesterday, even though the weather outside is far from "fall like" I sat on my front porch with Miss Claire watching all the kids walking to school with their new backpacks and it just felt like fall.

The start of school gives me the hope that fall really is on it's way. We may have weeks of hot weather ahead but I can smell sweater knitting just around the corner.

I found this on flickr. Waldorf teachers and parents have been "felting" scenes like this for a very long time. Take a look at her other felted dolls they are wonderful.


Nushkie Design's



I want to start needle felting like this again and making
Nature Tables that will celebrate the Seasons once again in style.

Baby Time

Ok I have to jump in after 5 months and do this quick post so I can be in the drawing for this cute little outfit.

Wandering Waif Collection GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

Why would I care about this cute little outfit? Because of the cutest little girl ever. Miss Claire.



I am Claire's "nanny" 4 days a week. We are having the most fun ever, and now I am a hopeless sucker for these cute girly things as I have two grown boys and didn't get to dress and knit and sew for a little girl.

So cross you fingers!

No Posting but a lot of Knitting

When does a knitting teacher get to knit her own projects?
Maybe never.
I have been knitting up samples for the april classes at Unraveled. It has actually been a lot of fun because they are relatively easy knits so the instant gratification comes into play to keep me happy.
Two of the new classes for me are Baby Hats and Booties



and Beginning sock class using a child size sock to learn from.



I have one more class to get samples made up for, a spa set for mother's day. And then it will be time to think about next month.

Along the teaching thread, I am not sure why we have not been taking pictures of our classes and what the students make in them. There have been so many great things made and fun times to be had. So I have started doing that. This was a beret class from last month. Everyone finished their project. Yeah!!!


I will be adding an FO page to the stores website for our customers. If you have anything you have finished bring it in so we can take a pic and but it up on the website!
Gotta love knitting for work. Doesn't get better then that?

Speaking of getting better. Hubby and I went down to San Deigo last weekend. Of course I had to go to a couple of yarn stores.
First I went to Knitting by the Beach. It was a great little store. With lots of good yarn. But the best was the owners own designes, she is really good. She has made up a lot of garments using Habu yarns. Just beautiful. Well worth the trip in if you are in the area.

Then I went to The Black Sheep in Encinities. It was a great store. With so much yarn. I mean it is as big as Unraveled and filled to the gills with lots of things. They use a lot of ribbon yarns in their class projects so they had a wall of yarn from colnette, fiesta, great adirondack and some prisim. Now I am not one to use a lot of these yarns, but the wall was a spectacular sight full of amazing color. I did find something to come home with though.


First some lace weight Alpaca, just because it is so pretty. Misti Alpaca and Alpaca with a Twist which is Alpaca and silk. Be still my little heart. Now I know I won't be knitting on this any time soon. So it will live in the treasured basket in my living room where I can see it everyday.
Bet you can't guess what my favorite colors are?


And some Lousia Harding Cinnabar for the great bag on the front of Knitting Little Luxuries



I can still plan and dream about my own knitting projects.

I Must Knit Faster

I have come to the conclusion that I have to learn to knit faster. There are just too many things to knit and not enough time. I know that that is the way all knitters feel. But really, have you looked at my queue on Ravelry or my list of favorites? I want to do them all and I am having a really hard time making choices.

I was going to knit for myself this year. What happened? I have been doing class knis for Unraveled and that always takes more time then I think it will and I have some good classes coming out of them. So I really can't complain about that.

My great joy is the new baby in my life. One of my dearest friends just had her first baby. she is an older mom which means I get to play with a very small baby. That has to be one of the greatest joys in life. And of course the second greatest joy is knitting for a baby, the third greatest joy is that she is a girl! Having boys of my own and nephews this is so much fun!!

Right now on the needles I have a pair of socks, presto chango #2, Cocoon Lace Scarf, Montego Bay, Celtic Tote, Mom's golf club covers, a hibernating felted stash tote, and my "larger then life" bag that needs lining and finishing.

The solution? Knit faster so I can enjoy knitting all the things I want to knit. I am going to try and do combination knitting. I hate the continental purl. But after watching Mary knit today, I think that maybe combination is the answer.

But of course I am deluding myself. No matter how fast I knit there will always be more to knit. So really I need to knit, enjoy every stitch, and enjoy all the ideas and inspiration that is out there in Ravelry land. Because after all, isn't knitting supposed to be relaxing?
Didn't KnitDad just have the same post?




One Day Beret by Kirsten Kapur, free online pattern






Raisin Beret by Raven Jakubowski







Quantt by Star Athena










Boho Beret by Shannita Williams-Alleyne is a free ravelry download







Baby Sweater on Two Needles (February) by Elizabeth Zimmermann

Designing (don't laugh)

We are putting together classes for the next two months at Unraveled. For some reason, that I can't think of right now, I got the idea that I wanted to teach beginning lace. Ok, nothing wrong with that, but then I decided that I wanted to have my own lace scarf pattern for the class.



Ok, what was i thinking. I spent pretty much the entire day yesterday going through stitch pattern books and online resources, doing the math, and doing the charting. I came up with something that works really well mathematically but now that I have a few inches knitted I don't like it. I could have just found a nice "all over" pattern, add a little boarder and be done with it. But no, I was doing something asymmetrical, because that is that type of girl I am, (a little off on one side). The lines of the two main patterns are too much alike and I don't like it.
So now I have the choice to start over or use the Fiber Trends Cocoon Lace Pattern AC-73 by lace master Evelyn Clark.

Yup, I think I am going to choose "Cocooning" and go back to my Lady E! Decision made? Stay tuned.

Speaking of Lady E, she is out of hybernation and almost done. I have just under 2 skeins left.












Next up is Mom's Christmas Present. Argyle Golf Club Covers. She is going to be golfing again in Utah before I know it so I have to get going on these.

Happy Valentine's Day

Compliments of A Cottage Industry

Bye Callie

We lost our dog of 13 years yesterday. She was attacked by another dog and was so badly hurt we had to put her down. She was a very small sheltie, the cutest sweetest thing ever. Very much the little lady. She was my boys childhood dog so with her goes a large piece of our lives.

Callie came to us on Christmas Eve 1994
and left us Feb 1, 2008
We will miss you

First Video Podcast!!

Unraveled is having a Celtic Tote knit-along starting this week. We are trying to make it a mutli-media event. You can participate by coming to the store, by watching videos on the website, and the Unraveled Yarn group on Ravelry.

I made a video with tips and tricks for the pattern. It was a lot of fun to put together.

It was a little nerve racking and there are already things I want to change next time. But all and all I think it is pretty cool.

Check it out KAL Video
Of course the only reason that this was even possible is because video production is what DH does so I have access to the equipment and more importantly the expertise.

Thanks Sweetie!!

2007 Knits and Simply 2008

Here are my knits for the year. I think there are a few things that I didn't get pictures of and are gone off to their new owners. But all in all this is it. Much of my time and energy has gone towards knitting for the store and classes. This year we are revamping classes and such at the store, more drop-in kinds of things, so the prep time should go down.

I want to knit much more for myself and family this year. Even though all the things I knit for the store are my idea, I still knit with "what would be good for the store in mind". So this year it is going to be what is good for the me and the family first and then add store things.

I hope I can actually pull that off. It sounds like a good goal.

A P.S. to this post. I don't do resolutions. I am not disciplined enough for them. But an overall goal or theme for the year usually helps me in all areas. After thinking about my knitting above I realized that I really do have a theme running already this year. Simplify. What does that mean? With everything I am doing I want to simplify my life. Consume less, be deliberate in my choices, eat simple foods, fresh foods, make small changes over the year that add up to big changes as time goes on. Simply and consistently keep life simple. This easily fits with being pickier about what I am knitting and why I am knitting it.