Mitten, mitten, who's got the mitten?

Me, that's who!

It's actually very hard to use one hand to photograph the other hand as it reaches for the brownies . . .

I love the colors and the fact that I'm mostly using up odds and end from other projects. It makes me feel thrifty even if I'm actually not!

Today was a very busy day, culminating in a last minute dash for a new swim cap as I have a swim meet tomorrow - the Minnesota Masters Ice Breaker Meet. I'm really only aiming to keep my goggles on when I dive off the blocks.

This week's Saturday Seven - a sweater, a pair of pants, four books and some artificial flowers. See, even small stuff takes up room so off to the rummage sale it all goes.

Freezing cold but we're still here!

Oh, I'm still here alright! Still knitting - although on another pair of mittens by now - and still waiting out winter.

Although I meant to make the Ruth's Mittens from Norwegian Handknits: Heirloom Designs from Vesterheim Museum but I seem to have mislaid my copy of the book. This is driving me crazy! So I switched back to my old standby - Family Mittens from Homespun and Handknit.

Since then, I've started a pair of Quo Vadis mittens from Spillyjane Knits. I'm trying to knit multicolor mittens to match a scarf I wear with my new black puffy winter coat. I need more color to get through this winter!

This week's Saturday Seven was pretty simple - cleaning out a few cupboard brought out mugs, sweaters and a puzzle. Bye, bye clutter!

More outdoor hockey this week - here's hoping our sore throats all go away!

Let's go Gold!

Getting our "grit" - Minnesota style!

This was the first outside mite hockey tournament for our family. Three days of games - all outside. Oldest Daughter didn't play until she was 10 and she skipped the mite system so it's all new to us.

Wednesday night and we are all watching by standing on a big mound of snow just outside the boards. Good thing those little kids are so darn cute - otherwise we would have all gone back inside.

I asked Youngest Child if his coach gave him any special instructions and he said, "Yes. The coach said the other team were all little kids so don't knock them down." As Youngest Child is only 7, the other team must have been composed of four year olds! 

This may have lead to his Gold Team's amazing win! And they won again today, too. There may be something in this hockey thing . . . let's see if they can make it a three-peat tomorrow!

As for the whole knitting thing, you can't knit standing on a mound of snow outside in the 15 degree F. weather. So, I'm still creeping along on the Tangled Up In Blue socks. And I'm thinking of using some of this project's 

leftover yarn - Dream in Color Classy - to make some mittens. I have a new winter coat that needs some cute mittens!

Today's Saturday Seven was easy. 

I've been cataloging my books using the Shelfari.com site and it makes weeding out books very easy. I'm thinking of offering them up at my Monday Night Book Club next week. Then, the remainders go to a rummage sale.

Anti-knucks?

Knucks are fingerless gloves - they cover your knuckles, get it?

These, however, only cover fingertips. What they are, of course, are the toes of 2-at-a-time Tangled up in blue socks. I'm finally out of the toe increase section and into the true ribbed foot portion. 

I've been dividing up my knitting time between the socks and my old Brown Aran Sweater project.

It never photographs well - but I am on the underarm and chest portion. I'm on the fence as to whether I should rip it out and start again. I originally started this with combination knitting and I just don't like the way the fabric lies.

I may start another bottom portion and see which one I like better. One big problem is that the yarn is so dark that I can only knit on it during the day!

This week has been Project Week at Youngest Daughter's school and she has been building a balsa wood bridge with a partner. Once the first one was built, they took it to school and smashed it! All for science, of course. 

Now, they are on bridge #2. I think this whole week has been fueled by Mountain Dew and gallons of ice tea!

"Drs. Stanley and Livingstone I presume?'

As for the Saturday Seven, sad to say, I didn't photograph it. Youngest Child's outgrown socks, polo shirts and sport shorts. Off to the rummage sale!

*Content not necessarily related to knitting

Okay, so I'm a reader. I read a lot. Much of it is related to knitting - because I do that a lot as well - but much of it is strictly recreational. 

In 2009 on Shelfari, I participated in the 50 Book Challenge group and got up to 85 books.

In 2010, I participated in the 50 Book Challenge group again but I made my challenge a 100 book challenge - and made it to 122 books. 

This year I finally found the Shelfari 100 Book Challenge group and I'm shooting for 100 or more books. 

I've already made a start on my reading but the most fun have been trolling the other member's book lists to find titles I'll want to read in the upcoming year. 

Courtesy of one of those other member's personal website, I found this great book reading blog, 

Book Chick City. 

Well, her site sounds right up my alley and I've signed on to her own personal challenge, the 100 books in a year challenge.

You can find out the information about the challenge here or by clicking through her  button on my sidebar. Luckily, I can overlap all these "100 book" challenge or I'd never get anything else done.

I'm always on the lookout for new books to read - send me any book title suggestions through the comments page!

Shaking things up in the New Year

I took a little time out today to revamp my running playlists for my Ipod. For some reason, I can't find a "real" video of this song but this is an excellent song to listen to when you are working out. Bouncy, silly and a great beat - these describe almost all the Fountains of Wayne songs on my playlists.

Have a nice Wednesday!

Jumping into the New Year feet first!

Hello!

How are you? We are fine here at Chez Daisy - just jumping from project to project in honor of the New Year.

First off - some time ago I promised a photograph of the Little Bits quilt from Last Minute Patchwork and Quilted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson. I sewed this quilt over a year ago for Youngest Child - but just never got around to quilting it. Well, the lovely ladies over at Two Quilting Ladies finished it up for me and I bound the edges and wrapped it up for Christmas.

Not the most exciting present this year but he's been using it every night!

After that project was out of the way, I finished up the ruffled skirt I learned to make from a pattern in Sew Serendipity. This is a great book with good ideas for adapting patterns to fit different figures.

It was a bit tricky trying to find patterned fabrics that I would wear in both summer and winter.

Tan, browns and black fabrics seemed a safe bet!

Then, I had a few days off the sewing for the holidays. 

Or, as the cartoonist put it, "Then, a miracle occurs."

I used some of that rest time to finish up my Citron Shawl. It's lovely - soft and warm - just in time for freezing winter at my house.

I also used my time off to finish a last minute Loopy Scarf for Youngest Daughter. I bought five skeins of Patons Bohemian yarn at the Minnesota Knitters' Guild Holiday Party for all of $4 TOTAL! 

I've also been using these sunny cold Minnesota Days to work on Mr. Daisy's brown River Grass Gansey. The color is just too dark to work on at night  - so I've started a new light-colored project for evening knitting!

A toe up pattern - Tangled Up in Blue by Judy Becker - with some Pagewood Farms Yukon sock yarn in the Vineyard Blues colorway. 

That, a cup of tea and some Buffy the Vampire Slayer on Netflix have been keeping me awake this week!

So, really, most of these projects are done and gone. This may look like a lot of crafting but spread it out over December and it's a reasonable amount. 

The sweater and the socks are going to be my boon knitting companions this month - I promise!

I even had some time for a Saturday Seven.

A cook book, some unopened Christmas cards, some cheese spreaders, an ipod accessory, some coasters, a tea caddy and a pen. 

More sewing news later this week and updates on the gansey. See you later!