Finishes! Yay! And a Green Surprise ~

As of today we have a teenage grandson!  How that happened so quickly is a mystery. It seems like just yesterday we got the phone call announcing his arrival.  (And in the interim we have been blessed with  four more grandchildren as well.)

These socks in the colors he requested last summer when we were together were part of his birthday package.  I hope they still fit, as we've heard rumors of how quickly he is growing!

This is the second hat that I've made from this pattern, this time for our son-in-law's birthday. It's a fairly quick knit.

Lately  I've been trying to complete some of my numerous UFOs like this pair of socks. (As you can see sock 2 doesn't quite match up but no one will see that toe in my shoes.  Although it doesn't look like it, they are the same size.  Sock #1 just slithered down the sock blocker while drying.)  I fell in love with this yarn color the minute I saw it!  The pattern is free on Ravelry, and I've used the SKYP stitch on lots of other socks. It's a winner.

This crazy amaryllis was a Christmas gift from our kind neighbor, and I just had to share it.  Have you ever seen an amaryllis with 3 blooms? Who knew what was in that bulb? I guess it's making up for the one I bought last year that had no blossom at all!  Have a wonderful weekend.

Fun Projects!

In a recent post I mentioned joining several KALs. (What? With all the other UFOs awaiting me?)  Well, I did, and even added a third one to work on during the Olympics.  Thankfully, that one doesn't start until next month.

Every January Wendy of Knitters Brewing Company features a sock KAL, and every year the pattern gets more interesting, er....... challenging.  This year celebrates her 10th year of doing this and started officially yesterday.  This is about half of my cuff, and I have no idea where it's going next.

Then, I happened onto another KAL for mitts, thanks to Tanna. (She has a really nice blog!)  I'm anxiously waiting for Clue 2 tomorrow and have decided to only tackle one mitt at a time.

My awesome sister made this pillowcase for me for Christmas.  Click on the photo to see the details as it's a great fabric for knitters.  (And she knows my favorite color is red!) She also made pillowcases for all of her seven grandkids. Isn't she amazing?

And besides that, she knit this fabulous scarf for me!  She's one crafty person, that's for sure. Isn't it great to receive something handmade just for you?  Hope you all are looking forward to a good week!

Two Birthdays Down, and Two to Go!

Three birthday gifts have been delivered, and two have been opened.  One is still on the needles and not "due" until the end of the month.  The recipient of number three has wonderful self-control and chose to wait till his real birthday......so stay tuned for that reveal.

This is the vest I made for Max, and much to my surprise he immediately put it on!  It fits with room to grow. (The pattern fits sizes 2-8 and is an uncomplicated knit.)

It's hard to believe that this little guy is now six!  We had a fun time on Saturday watching him play with the Magic Tracks that were also a part of his gift.  He's in kindergarten now and learning to read.  In fact he read the book that we gave him to me when he took a break from playing.  Happy Birthday, Max.  May this be the best year yet with many more to come!

Happy New Year! And One More December Finish, Too.

Why did I wait until today to post New Year's greetings?  Well, it's like this: in our family there are 3 birthdays after Christmas, one on the 28th, one today, and yet another on the 10th, quickly followed by one more on the 29th! So, you see, I've been knitting like a crazy woman.

This cowl has been delivered already.  It's a quick fun pattern from Darn Knit Anyway and was a great way to use a large button already in my collection.  Here's a close-up of the button which is one of my favorites ever.

The gifts for the next two birthdays are done, but I can't post them until next week after they've been delivered.  In case you're wondering, our snow is GONE!  The photo on my header is witch hazel which blooms here in January; there are several of these bushes/trees we see on one of our walking routes.  And in case you're interested, my goals for 2018 are to finish:12 WIPs along with 12 sock WIPs, most of which are missing sock # 2, and to finish some cross stitch projects along with some quilts that are just minus their binding. Wish me luck!