Wow - 2 posts in one day

This is exciting, I made my post about the 'renovated' cardigan today. When I checked it on the blog I found that Fab Fibers sent the above award to me. The criteria for the award per Rosanne are: "It goes to people-like anyone of my bloggy friends out there-who take the time to leave a comment, or a word of encouragement. Or the one I love the most, a compliment on something that I created and shared with my friends." Rosanne is most deserving as a very talented felter, knitter and bead artist.

There are rules to using the award posted on her blog One is to nominate 5 blogs. I nominate:
Suzanne at Hooked on Felt
Monique of Stitches and Strings
Kay, Forum Admin. for the Felting Forum
Holly of Knit with Snot
Caps of Kibbles & Knits

Cardigan Reincarnation

Early in January I read Suzann's TextileFusion blog. She showed how she renovated her cardigan by cutting it for darts and adding length with pleats. Very good photos included with her text. She inspired me to take another look at a cardigan I had shelved for a couple (or more) years.

I knit this cardigan when the oversized sweaters with drop shoulders were in fashion so it was always large on me. I wore it then but later the fit wasn't comfortable. Okay, I pulled it out from the bottom of the sweater stack, laid it on the dining room chair so I had to look at it a couple of times a day. Then I got braver and actually pinned it as Suzanne suggested. After several more days of looking at it, trying it on and adjusting the pins; I got brave enough to make the running stitch and take it to the sewing machine. I sewed it well inside the marked running stitch, just in case. While I still had this warrior mentality, I grabbed the scissors and cut.

I also turned the button hole bands to the inside and sewed them down like a facing. I thought about making frogs for a front closure but the design may be too busy for that. It is still large in the body and arms but not nearly as bad. I had never cut my knitting, steeks sounded scary. If I ever do this again, it should be easier and probably not as overly cautious.

Winter with 64 degrees??

It seems much of my recent blogs have had to do with the weather. I see others are having the same issue so I don't feel so bad about it. But February 10, we had temps up to 64...that is unreal for Michigan. The rain is here today and possible thundershowers for tonight. I will not complain about the rain and storms, it is so much better than the tonadoes that devasted so many in states west of us. They are all in my prayers.

Some exciting things have happened here that are pleasing, new pictures of customers projects have been added to the Your Pictures page of our website. A group of mostly new knitters from Chicago shared their pictures as well. I hope you enjoy looking at them all.

Suzanne Pufpaff has some new entrelac designs, a mobeius
and a butterfly shawl. I can't add the photo here for some reason so I hope you will go look at this on our website, when the shawl is layed out flat it looks like a butterfly. That design is so great because it also looks great on.

A New Beginning, the day after Inaugration

What an uplifting and refreshing day yesterday was. We watched the Inauguration with friends who voted for President Obama. Of course, they were excited and expectant. I did not vote for him although I was impressed with his campaign, the organization of it and little details that were included throughout. I know our country needs a change but I wasn't sure he could do what he wants to do.

I was extremely impressed with the huge crowd of people that were in DC with apparently none of the problems that often come with a large public gathering. I thought his speech was excellent, despite what some commentators thought 'that it was not remarkable'. I thought it was very appropriate and he "covered all the bases". I pray God gives him the wisdom to make the right decisions. I also pray that we follow his lead by being more open and caring with each other.

Nature's Lace Shawl

The news across the country is the 'deep freeze'. We are not the coldest by far, it did get to -2 before we went to bed last night. We don't have the most snow, another 4 inches yesterday and last night, about a foot where it isn't drifted or plowed. But here is our little corner of the world. The tree branches look so much like the most intricate lace shawl to me. The little pine tree just in front of our north pasture is wearing such a lonely one that God put a sunbeam on it..

Paperweight Snowfall

Since Friday, we have had snow falling like it does in those old fashioned glass paperweights, gently falling straight down. Even though most of the snow was in small size flakes, it does pile up as shown in the picture.
Today was so tempting we had to get out in it. We got our cross country skis out for the first time in a few years, I made it around the curve in our driveway before I lost my balance and went down. There was so much fluffy stuff (snow, not me?) that it didn't hurt but I sure had forgotten the technique of getting up with those long things attached to my feet. After I finally got back in an upright position, I was rather pleased with what I could still do. Course we probably only went 1/2 mle.

The forecast for the coming week is windy and very cold so I have started Jill Turner's Button Wrap I am doing this one in our Burgundy Heather, hope I remember to post it when finished.

Hemlock Ring Blanket

This gorgeous blanket was not knit by me, I wish. Julie Ridl knit it with our sport weight yarn from a pattern created by Jared of brooklyntweed. There are links on our web page to Julie's blog where she gives some tips on knitting it and to brooklytweed's blog for the original pattern information and close up photos.