Whatcha' Up To...

Have you been watching the Olympics?

We have been watching the skating, 

skiing and we watched some of the snowboarding.

I am surprised at the ages of some of the excellent athletes, 

both the young and older.

We went to the Summer Olympics in 1996, in Athens Georgia.

It was so exciting, a once in a lifetime experience.

We had tickets for soccer, gymnastics, track and field, wrestling and the gold medal soccer game.

Did you watch the Superbowl?

They showed this pretty picture of the Golden Gate Bridge before the game.

I guess all the hype surrounding it has dyed down, it wasn't a great game...

still we enjoyed it! 

My KC Chiefs were out early, 

I don't really know much about any of the other teams but the Seahawks played a great game. 

They seemed to be the better team, and were certainly deserving of the win.

I finished up my knitting contribution for the 

"Make For Another Makealong 2026"

3 Hats and 1 Cowl

I wish I could have donated more but I don't really knit quickly.

A lot of people have participated and Leanne has collected so many warm, handmade items.

I also finished up the box I put together for the... 

"Beat The Winter Blues Swap"

You may remember what "I Received", the box I put together is headed to Florida.

The person you give to is different than the person you receive from.

I had so much fun putting this together 

You have to include yarn and a book.

I included 2 skeins of yarn, one a purple blend, the other a cream color.

The book, "The Baking Games", nuts, candy, specialty teas, honey lollipops, lip balm.

Hand lotion, one of my favorite recipes that has a "knitting" connection, a hand knitted washcloth

and dill seeds from my garden that she can plant in hers.

I have been puttering around the house, 

we have not been out really, 

but it is warming up some and I think we may go to our local Aquarium on Thursday.

I need a little fun.

I'll close with this delightful thought...there are only 37 days until spring.

It's A Heat Wave...I Am A Happy Knitter

 Is it hot where you live...is it hot everywhere?

I went out yesterday, I had an appointment and the heat was oppressive.

I can assure you I will not be going out tomorrow.

I have a few meals planned for here at home, nothing that will require the oven.

We will use the grill - "maybe" - or the toaster oven.

I have a chicken from Costco and I plan on making chicken salad tomorrow.

We enjoy chicken salad sandwiches for dinner with fries or pasta salad.

We also enjoy fresh vegetables cut up with a good dip.

I have been dreaming about a good deviled egg, I think I will make some.

In other "news"...

I started a new knitting project many moons ago.

I started this 3 times and had to rip it out 3 times...the 4th time was the charm.

I am knitting this with yarn I received in my 

"Beat The Winter Blues" swap box from a girl in the knitting group, Mary Ellen.

Thanks so much Mary Ellen!

I am knitting with this swanky dk yarn in the color "Velvet Underground".

This is beautiful yarn and I am really enjoying working with it.

I have vases of these blue hydrangeas scattered all about the house,

they really brighten up our space.

They elude joy and happiness... 

I feel like they are a big contributor in making a house feel like a home!

My blue hydrangea bushes are in the backyard and the flowers are so heavy they have been hanging over.

I have cut a lot of them because their stems can't hold them up, 

they are not in the front yard and passer-bys can't see them anyway.

I have been watching a few older movies on television.

Do you remember "Turner and Hooch"...

I love this movie and enjoyed it just a much this time as I did the first time I watched it.

I also watched "Still Mine", a movie from 2012.

A Canadian romantic drama, based on a true story, this was a little sad but very endearing. 

Be sure to have those tissues close by!

The USA won again.

We are in the knockout round of the games so you have to win your match to stay in the tournament.

This is so exciting, I have to be honest and say I forget about the other countries.

I have only watched the USA games as I know a little bit about the team, 

and so son Mike and I can share the excitement together.

That's a wrap...I hope it is a little cooler where you are!

Sticks And String...Who Knew?

I forget when it started, more than 10 years ago now...I fell in love with knitting. 

Now, it is a huge part of my life...

the art, the friendships and the entire community. 

Wonderful people in my life and there is always something on my needles.

I am still working on my 3rd blanket.

This is a blanket kit for beginners, and although I have been knitting for 10 + years,

I find these kits fun and inspiring.

The kit from Sierra Yarn includes everything you need to make the blanket.

All of the yarn, the circular needle, the pattern and a tag for the finished product.
It is their Dream Cloud Blanket in light blue/ivory.

The yarn is 60% Baby Alpaca and 40% Pima Cotton, it is as soft as a cloud.

For this blanket, 

I am holding two pieces of yarn together and this bowl comes in handy managing the yarn.

Do you remember the "Beat The Winter Blues Swap" I participated in?

Mary Ellen who received my name, sent me an amazing package, which I talked about here.

Well, as if that weren't enough, 

and it surely was, she also sent me these elegant stitch markers.

Stitch markers are vital to knitters and if you knit, you know...if you don't knit, then you don't!

We got out for a walk on Saturday...

the sky was so lovely and the clouds so pleasing.

We walked on a path near Allaire State Park, 

I did not bring my camera and did not take any pictures inside the park.

The weather was so pleasant with temperatures in the low 60"s.

Have you ever watched Saturday Night Live?

Until recently, 

I had never watched one episode, 

but Harry Styles was hosting last Saturday so we stayed up and watched it.

It is definitely not my kind of show, I know it is very popular but slapstick comedy is not my thing.

I am glad I watched, 

Harry performed two singles from his new album and I really enjoyed seeing him perform.

You may remember that we have tickets to see him at Madison Square Garden in September.

We also have tickets to see...

Shrek The Musical at our local community theater in July.

Things are all starting to fall into place and it feels a bit like spring! 

Can We Please Talk Knitting?

 I love to knit...

if I could pick any one thing to do...I would knit.

If you have two sticks and some yarn, you can create anything.

I am currently working on this 

Donnie's Hat

for the "Make for Another 2026 Makealong"

I am knitting this with 2 shades of gray alpaca yarn.

If I finish this hat by February 15th, I will have 3 hats and one cowl to donate to this makealong.

When I finish the hat...next up for the needles is a 

Sierra Yarn Dream Blanket

This will be the third blanket I have knitted, one for my mom and one for son Mike.

This is a kit that includes all the yarn you need, a circular needle and the 

"handmade by me tag".

This is Mike's blanket all finished up...you may remember that I gifted this to him this past Christmas.

I joined in on a "Beat The Winter Blues Swap" with my knitting group.

Everyone who joins in, fills out a form with their yarn preferences,

likes, dislikes and what genre book they like to read.

 Everyone's name goes into a "hat" then you receive the information on the fiber friend  

to send a surprise package to.

You have to send one skein of yarn and a book...but look at all the goodies I recieved.

The package I received was sent to me by Mary Ellen, someone I have only met through zoom,

but she is part of the fiber group.

My box included...

2 skeins of yarn, a beautiful cookbook, a needle punch kit, chocolates, 

cocoa mix and marshmallows.

Thank you Mary Ellen, I enjoyed receiving this special package.

I have not completed putting my package together, when I do, I will share a picture before I send it.

I made this

Boursin Cheese Pasta

again last night, this time I used rigatoni pasta.

I liked using the larger pasta as the sauce settled nicely into the tubes of pasta and held onto it well.

I like these New York Style Breadsticks.