Memories of Christmas

Christmas came and went!

Christmas seems to linger for weeks in anticipation of it's arrival and all the joy it brings, then suddenly it's over! I think having our daughter here for the week made it pass by so quickly too. We have really enjoyed having her here and I can't believe she leaves tomorrow. :(

Our 3 little poodles have been attached to her since she arrived... :)
here they are keeping her warm and of course giving her tons of kisses.

We all were richly blessed with many gifts and me, Patrick and the kids made a total mess of the living room opening gifts and throwing wrapping paper and bows everywhere. My hubbie gave me this pretty pair of diamond earrings and many more gifts. Too much to list as he really spoils me every Christmas, no matter how much I tell him not too. Justin really spent too much too. He gave me 10 new towels, a vinegar and oil dispenser and these nice metal measuring cups. Jennifer really surprised me with the entire set of Knit Pick's Harmony Knitting Needles along with some body wash from Bath and Body.


Zoe with my Harmony knitting needle set!

Patrick and Justin enjoyed all their gifts and Jennifer had much to open as well and
here she is Christmas Eve wearing the wrap I made for her.


click photo for Ravelry info...

She was elated with it and has wore it to keep warm while here. Once back home in St. Petersburg, Florida she will most likely only need it in the office where she stays chilly most of the time, so I know it will get some good use. They also have some chilly nights, so she may get to wear it out some evenings as well.

My mom also loved her wrap. It was going to be a mobius one and I finally decided (after seeing it on my friend Diane) that it may not be large enough, so I took the seaming out and added to both ends and made it into a wrap.


Here is the before:


Here is the after:

We also gave moma a digital frame which she just loved!

We had my husband's brother Mike and his wife Cathy over on Christmas Eve along with their daughter Christa and their son Winston and his new wife Jessica. Patrick's mom and sister also came. Cathy brought us a beautiful Christmas Plate Set, which included this one and another Santa one, which I forgot to take a photo of... but here they both are the next day at my sister's Jan's home. We had a great time together eating and sharing conversation and we also had a blast playing a game of Catch Phrase!

Then after they left and around midnight on Christmas Eve we had our exchanging of gifts with just us and our children, Jennifer and Justin.

Then on Christmas morning we headed to my sister's Jan's home for Christmas dinner and exchanging gifts with my family. When we first arrived our niece Alexis had just drove in showing off her new red bug she got for Christmas. Jan had set a beautiful table for us to eat together and she had little marshmallow candies at each place setting. We had a great meal and great conversation and then headed home after a full day of family fun.

Overall it has been a hectic and also relaxing Christmas spent with our families.
Patrick, myself, Jennifer and Justin are going to have supper tomorrow at Olive Garden before taking Jennifer to the airport. That is always the hardest part of all, when I have to kiss her goodbye. It has been such fun having her here this week, shopping with her, seeing her in her pj's, having breakfast with her, seeing her sleeping in our home again, watching her open her gifts, teaching her how to purl... finally... and most of all just being with her sitting around talking and watching movies.

I hope that your Christmas with your family was as enjoyable as mine was!

CP "CHRISTmas Luncheon"

This past Saturday was our Charlotte Purl get together. It was a cold and rainy, yucky day. Our weather has been so extreme. One day it's sunny and in the 80's and the next cold, cloudy and in the 40's. Brrr!



Anyway, I had a great time in fellowship with some great ladies. Diane (blogless) and I chatted about recent and future projects and Judy (blogless) and I discussed her recent knitting problem of learning to M1.

Some ladies brought their knitting with them and other's of us just ate and chatted.



First photo: That's Paula (new) on the far left, then me, Diane, Mimi and Rose at the end.
Second photo: Mimi and Rose chatting with our waitress.



I took my little yarn ball pins that I had made for everyone and passed them out. Everyone promptly pined them on and they seemed to be a big hit. I had worked all last week on and off drilling down those little golf tee's for the knitting needles to stick in the pins. I used Noro Silk Garden for the yarn which made them varying colors of purple, teal, gray and dark blue. I then wrapped each one in Christmas cellophane and placed them in my little snowman bag to pass around at the meeting.

I also took my mom's Christmas knitted gift to show and Diane modeled it for me. Of course I can't share those photo's here, yet. Anyway, the knitted project took a turn once I got home and turned into a completely different project. I think I like it much better now anyway.

Ok, all for now... I am cleaning the house today in preparation for my daughter who is flying in from St. Petersburg on Saturday. Her dad and I her picking her up at the airport that afternoon and she will be here a whole week! I can't wait. My Christmas tree is bulging with gifts and we are going to have to make room for more!

Christmas eve I have Patrick's family coming over to eat and fellowship, so I am glad to have Jennifer here to help me with the cooking preparation's. Then on Christmas day we head up to my sister's Jan's house for Christmas lunch and fellowship with my family. We have a busy week ahead, but I am looking forward to every minute. I am blessed beyond compare!

It's almost Christmas!

I can't believe it's been since Thanksgiving that I posted here on my blog! I have really been knitting away, but can't post anything here as I would give away the surprises of gifts that are being made.

So, after Christmas I will show you all what I have been keeping secret, promise.


To the left is one of my Christmas Santa Scarves that I made for a lady that had seen one of my clients wearing one at her doctor's office. I truly didn't have the time to make this, but she said that when she saw it, it made her smile for the first time since her home had been vandalized. Her mom's jewelry which only had sentimental value was taken and she was distraught over that most. So, I had to put my other knitting aside to make this for her. It only took me a couple of evenings to finish it and I know it will make her so happy to get it before Christmas instead of after like I promised her.

Now, something I can show you. I finally purchased my Cascade Tweed 109 LE for the
Fiber Trends Clogs I will be making for the Charlotte Purl's next KAL. Ain't it pretty?



I will use the dark purple as the trim for both pair and one pair will be red and the other pink.
I will be making a small and a medium pair. Both for gifting next Christmas... ha ... getting a head start on next year! Oh, and by the way I purchased this at The Peace of Yarn in Matthews and they have it all on sale for 25% off.

My new friend Aura and I went shopping Sunday to above said yarn store and to Hancock Fabrics where I found these Shawl Pins for $1.99 and they are so pretty.



Aura and her husband Cliff went to church with us Sunday and then we went for lunch at McAllister's in Monroe. Aura and I then later went shopping and she came back to the house and we chatted, knitted and had coffee. What a great day it was!

Of course I have been decorating the house for Christmas in anticipation for my daughter Jennifer who is flying home the Saturday before Christmas and will get to stay a week!
Here is the tree, with a space cleared for new presents which I am going to wrap in a bit.



Here is my piano all decked out with the Christmas cards we have gotten thus far and my favorite little lighted Christmas house that I got years ago from Avon.



Here is the most cherished Snow Baby figurine I have.



My Justin got this for me when he was five. He had been with me when I admired it in a store. He then on his own went and told his Daddy what he wanted to get me for Christmas. I was so elated on Christmas morning as I had no idea he had even paid attention while we were out shopping! I had not even told my husband that I like Snowbabies at that time and I had only been collecting Precious Moments. That was the start of my love of Snowbabies, but this one with the Rudolph and his little blinking nose will always be my favorite as it came from my son.



It seems as though saying Merry Christmas is being taken out of advertising these days as well as tv ad's. I choose to not shop at retailer's who refuse to say Merry Christmas or call a Christmas Tree a Christmas Tree! You never here the word Christmas hardly ever in retail, online or tv or radio. It's just Happy Holidays or Seasons Greetings.

Please make it a point to say the word Christmas this year. If someone wishes you the best this Christmas, be sure to wish them a "Merry Christmas" Please don't take Christ out of Christmas, He is the reason for the season!

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

I wanted to wish everyone a joyous and blessed Thanksgiving Day tomorrow!

I have so much to be thankful for.

A forgiving and gracious Heavenly Father
A wonderful and loving husband
A beautiful and sweet daughter
A funny and smart son
Family who love me for me
A home to live in and health
Friends old and new
A great country
A wonderful church
and much more blessings of life than I could ever list here...

Take time to enjoy your day tomorrow, whether it be time spent with family or friends make every moment in life count for something. Share your smile! Live like it's your last day everyday. Give someone a compliment, make their day. Tell someone you love them. Show someone you care. Treat other's kindly. Listen. Be generous. Hug often.

Love and Blessings!

The Knitting Nuts 1st Meet and Knit!

The Knitting Nuts

our first meet up at Dilworth Coffee House at Hoods Cross Roads
which is at the corner of Idlewild Road and Matthews Mint Hill Road.

I had been wanting to start a knit group that could meet in or close to Mint Hill. A few friends of mine at church had wanted to learn to knit so I thought this would be a perfect time to set up a get together where we could share our joy in knitting, crochet, etc... So hence the start...

We had a great time together and made new friends. Sandy (aka: Shandeh) was there followed by Rose (aka: CraftChick), Gail, Aura and Michelle (aka: wewantmore) and
of course me...Connie (aka: conicuts).

ps... aka links only work for those in Ravelry, name links are those with blogs...

Aura had knitted me this cute little acorn magnet which was felted and she had packaged it in a clear bag with a card and bow which she had stamped herself! There was a little tag that read "who is nuts about knitting" which is appropriately named as she and I are crazy over knitting.

Thank you Aura for my sweet gift!

I had been trying to think of a name for our group and that little gift was like a light bulb blinked over my head! The Knitting Nuts! So, that's what we will call our group filled with KnitNuts who are just those that are nuts over knitting!

Everyone was showing off some of their FO's. All of which are so gorgeous. Rose had her awesome Barnacle Bill and 2 of the cutest little buddy bags. Aura had her modular scarf, baby sweater and cute baby hat which Samantha modeled! Gail brought her first ever scarf and her magic scarf. Sandy had her fingerless gloves and was wearing a pair of knitted socks and I brought my Vortex dishcloth and baby hat.

Sandy was knitting on her shawl and Michelle was well into knitting a Booga bag. I had just taught Gail how to knit using a loom and knitting board so she got started on another scarf on the scarf board and we also got her started on another dishcloth using the crochenit method. She has really learned alot over the last few weeks and say's that it is so therapeutic to knit and it helps to keep her mind off of her knee pain. Aura and I were knitting another baby hat for charity and Rose was starting to CO for a project and put that off until I can meet her to let her borrow one of my 16" circular's to try knitting that project in the round instead of flat knitting in stockinette and then having to seam.

Rose and Aura were helping me with my purling continental method and Rose gave me a tip as how to hold my working yarn which really helped so that now my tension is not lost when purling continental. Thanks Rose! Sandy had brought a stack of great knitting magazines to share.

Michelle had in tow her beautiful baby girl, Samantha who was just precious. It's been so long since my baby girl was that small and it reminded me of how fast time flies. The meeting time of 2 hrs from 2-4 pm also flew and before you knew it we were all headed back home with memories of time well spent with friends that are just "nuts over knitting".

Charity Baby Boggin and more...

Just wanted to share my little hat for the afghans for Afghans charity project that Alison asked us to contribute to at our Charlotte Purl group. She will take any items that we knitted up and mail them with hers by the December 3 deadline. Thank you Alison!

I used the pattern Two Needle Baby Hat that is knitted flat and then seamed. I decided to use my new Debbie Mumm Traditions yarn in Chocolate Raspberry. It only took me a few hours to complete and I think it turned out quite nice. It's been a long time since I have held or seen a baby so mine looks a little large to me, but I hope it will be fine.

Above: before seaming and Below: after seaming

I liked the new Debbie Mumm yarn and will buy more colors as the color striping is very nice. It does tend to kink up so you have to knit with a light touch and not use too much tension while holding your yarn. I also liked the wrong side of this little hat too, but I seamed it with the right side showing. I also added some little baby dreads to the top instead of the i-cord that the pattern suggested.

Above: wrong side showing

I have still been knitting away on some Christmas gifts and I have also been knitting up some dishcloths and one dishtowel.



Above: this is the Vortex Dishcloth pattern
Very fun to knit and you must use DPN's. I didn't think I chose yarns with enough contrast so I made another one below... using Christmas colors.


I also crocheted a cute zig zag border.

Here is another Christmas one... still in progress using the Cro-Hook. I love these as they crochet up super fast and have one color on one side and another color on the other. This is stitch #55 in the 101 Double Ended Hook Stitches book.



Here is my dishtowel. Lot's of fun. This pattern is called The Leftover Dishtowel, so you can use up leftover cotton, but it takes a full skein and I didn't even make it the correct size. I stopped after 11 pattern rows, turned it vertically and picked up stitches to make the top part. I also crocheted a little button to match. I used the new Sugar and Cream striping yarn.



And last photo...remember me telling you that my first try at the Felted Stained Glass Fan Bag had turned mobius. Well here is the proof. Ugh! and the Karaoke Yarn was so pretty!

Also, sharing with you a FREE Shipping Code for Herrschner's. Use B12 to get free shipping with a $35 order until December 24, 2007.