1-31-2018 Super Blue Blood Moon!

Won't see another one for 150 years!

The last one was in 1866.

DH and I got to watch the entire eclipse

as the moon was setting on the western horizon

this morning!

Amazing!

https://www.space.com/39208-super-blue-blood-moon-guide.html

#5shawls5days challenge...

(the red-white-blue shawl that I started

several days ago

is actually made using a similar 

asymmetric triangular construction.)

1-30-2018 #5shawls5days

The #5shawls5days challenge began yesterday.

It is a KAL with designer Ahora

to help others learn shawl designs and techniques.

I did her challenge last year

and really enjoyed it and learned lots

so signed up again this year.

So, yesterday's design was triangular.

1-29-2018 She Broke the Piano!

Yesterday,

after our GD's birthday party,

we attended the QCSO Signature Series.

The audience sat on the stage in a semi-circle

around the 3 performers.

The pianist, Marta Aznavoorian,

was the most amazing pianist I've ever seen

in my entire life,

and I've seen LOTS!

She played so hard that

she broke the piano

and during intermission

the concert hall had to bring in a piano repairman

to fix the piano for the second half!

1-28-2018 Happy Birthday!

 GD#2 turns 4 this weekend!

1-27-2018 Baby Shower

Today I attended a baby shower

for my next door neighbor

who is expecting her first baby (a girl)

on February 16th!

So excited for her!

 Also... shawlette progress...

1-26-2018 Winter Olympics 2018

Starting a patriotic themed shawlette

for the 2018 Winter Olympics

which start in a week or so!

Tonight DH and I went to see the play

"In The Next Room"

(or as it's known... The Vibrator Play)

at Augustana.

1-25-2018 Joyful Cowl KAL Progress

1-24-2018 Fisherman's Kep #3 Progress

Here's the progress 

on my 3rd Kep

which is Chicago Bears themed...

1-23-2018 More Card Wallets

Knitting Card Wallets

for all those merchant cards we get!

I made one years ago and LOVE it!!!

Use it all the time!

So, thought I would make some for

my knitting pals' birthday gifts this year!

Five done, 3 to go!

And these cute slippers

finally fit my youngest GD...

She loves wearing them 

on this hard cold floor in the basement!

1-22-2018 Yoda

Random... I know!

This was coming out of the wall

in the guest room where I stayed this weekend!

Love it!

1-21-2018 A Foggy Trip Home

Driving home from Chicago

we had heavy fog the entire way...

one quarter to one half mile visibility.

Made for white knuckle driving!

1-20-2018 Grandma Time!

 Got to see the GrandSons this weekend!

Woo-Hoo!!!

1-19-2018 Baby Sloths

OMG...

how cute is this?!?!?!

Baby sloths!

 http://www.thetwistedcrocheter.com/…/crochet-amigurumi-bab…/

I may have to give this a try!

1-18-2018 Mid Winter Thaw

It is supposed to warm up into the 40's

this weekend and rain!

Hoping it will melt all of this!

Finished my Lena B wrap...

1-17-2018 Another MKAL

I love knitting cowls

because I wear them all winter!

So I'm participating in this MKAL

using up the last of my sock yarn stash.

1-16-2018 Matchy Matchy

We just happened to both wear our matching sweaters

to our knitting group today.

We knit these 2 or 3 years ago.

Zero degrees with a -15*F wind chill outside...

perfect weather for our Nordic sweaters!

1-15-2018 Challah in a Bag

In a gallon Zip Lock Bag, mix

1 cup cool water

1 TBS. yeast

1/2 tsp. salt

3 TBS. sugar

1/3 c. oil (I use olive oil)

3 c. flour

Zip bag and squish with fingers

until all the flour is wetted.

Let sit on countertop overnight

or 12-24 hours.

Sprinkle countertop with 1/4 c. flour.

Divide dough into 2 balls and shape loaves.

Let rise 30-45 min.

Bake at 350*F for 30-35 min.

MMMMMmmmmmm.

1-14-2018 Card Wallet

Love this little card wallet so much

I'm making several more...

you know,

for all those merchant cards you get!!!

1-13-2018 Got Those Needles Clicking!

 Finished the second pair of mittens for the GDs

and am starting a Mystery Cowl KAL...

1-12-2018 Wooden Knives

What my DH makes while I knit!

The one on the right is a spreader,

the one on the left is so sharp it will cut!

1-11-2018 KEP #3 Progress

After having to frog and re-knit the headband,

progress on Kep #3 is moving along nicely.

Making headway on the headband liner.

1-10-2018 Mittens

Making the GDs some mittens

( The World's Simplest Mittens )

to wear when they come to play at Oma's house.

1-9-2018 Bread in a Bag

Today I'm doing a test run

of making this bread in a bag:

Challah Bread in a Bag

and if it goes well,

may give it a go with the GDs.

1-8-2018 Fair Isle Hat

Received my Fair Isle Hat in today's mail...

Thanks so much, Hollie!

1-7-2018 A Sheet of Ice

It has been sleeting this morning

and there is a nice layer of ice on everything

so I've decided to stay inside

and re-knit the KEP headband.

I'm much happier with the big Xs now

as they line up and mirror each other

much better now!

The top photos show what I ripped out

and the bottom photos show the re-knit headband.

Look at the big Xs.

1-6-2018 A Trip to the Frog Pond

Rip-it, rip-it, rip-it.

My original charting was correct

yet somehow I started to overthink it

and decided to change things

and ended up not liking it

(the big X's were not lining up correctly)

so today I took a

trip to the 

frog pond...

rip-it, rip-it, rip-it...

(2 days worth of knitting!)

to begin again.
Here is what I ripped out:

Now that I am back to using the original charts,

things are working out perfectly!

Whew!

1-5-2018 When 0*F is a Heat Wave...

DH and I went grocery shopping this morning

and commented on how 'warm' it felt compared to the last week,

so when we got back to the car we checked the temperature

and it was 0*F.

After a week at -16*F with -35*F wind chills

this feels almost 'balmy!"

1-4-2018 Happy Birthday!

Today is my sweet baby boy's birthday!

Love you to the moon and back!

And your boys are returning tonight 

from a trip to Mexico

to visit their other grandparents

and attend a family wedding.

Safe travels!

Today's progress on Kep #3...

Ooooh...it's warming up!!!
We are almost into single digit negative temps!!!
Woo-hoo!