Saturday, January 30, 2016

PJ time

Hi there,
It's Saturday morning (late), and I'm enjoying leisure time in my PJs. Sigh!

We were able to catch up with David and Susan last night for dinner. Our temps have risen quite a bit since the ice storm, and I wanted to give the Purl Ridge Cowl #2 and matching fingerless gloves to Susan while we still have a month or so of winter left! She was a good sport to model them at the restaurant with me!























Susan has an amazingly stocked pantry and freezer. One item she usually has on hand because she orders it by the dozen for gifts is this:



















So I asked her to bring me a jar, thinking ahead to snacks for the Super Bowl. Perfect for a simple dip. You mix a half jar of the relish with one 8-oz cream cheese and serve with Fritos Scoops! That's it!

I'll be deciding about game snacks all week. Please share any favorites of yours in the comments!

Go Panthers!!!
(Peyton, I love you, have a great game!)

xoxo Tammy

Saturday, January 23, 2016

Winter Storm '16



















Hi there,
Here's a glimpse from our world. Snow overnight on top of the ice. It is so beautiful and crunchy.



















It wouldn't be a good idea to be out on the local roads, yet we are not as affected as the northeast is today.

Steve gave me a Churchmouse Yarns gift certificate for Christmas, which I had great pleasure in spending. My wonderful package arrived last week, and that is a gift unto itself.

Sully was excited too!





































That's two beautiful skeins of Isager yarn, Alpaca 1 in #61 plaster and Spinni in #61 shell pink. I plan to double-strand these for a lovely cowl, but for now I'm going to enjoy just admiring the yarn on the skeins. Thanks to Sharon for her recommendation on this combo, I would not have come up with it on my own!



















I started this Purl Ridge Cowl in Berroco Ultra Alpaca (periwinkle) last February and stuffed it away in a bag after a few rounds. After picking it back up a couple of weeks ago, I plowed through it and even got inspired to make a pair of matching fingerless gloves. I was inspired by this lovely set by Gretta in Australia. We were supposed to enjoy dinner out tonight with friends Susan and David at a restaurant in Denver. (Not that Denver, but Denver, NC -- did you know there is also a Dallas, NC?) I was going to give this set to Susan tonight as a surprise gift. She ordered a purple bullet journal for herself, she has the purple Inkjoy Stylus pen, and she always has a pretty manicure with beautiful rings, so I thought this set would be perfect for her. The bad roads have made us scrap our plans so Susan (!), if you happen to read this before I see you, SURPRISE! 



















Next I cast on a third Churchmouse Welted Cowl in Rowan Felted Tweed in color 165 Scree, described as barely blue stone grey. I should have enough yarn to make a matching pair of CM welted fingerless gloves.

Steve mentioned this morning that he would like a pair of handknit manly fingerless gloves, which would help him with his photography in the cold weather. Yaaaayy, I'm thrilled about this. If you have a favorite men's fingerless gloves pattern (very plain) and suggested yarn, please add to comments! 



















About this time tomorrow, we'll be settling in to cheer for our Panthers as they beat Arizona to proceed to the Super Bowl!!!!!


xoxo Tammy 

Friday, January 22, 2016

It's still snowing























Hi there,
I only stuck my head out once today just to take this photo! The sleet/freezing rain started up in the middle of the night, and we had ice covering the roads before the sun was up. Word came via email while I was still in bed with the news that the college WAS CLOSED for the day. That is a very rare event, and I was so relieved. My hubby asked me if I knew how to put my Jeep into four-wheel drive. (Not really, ha, but it wouldn't have mattered anyhow because it was not going to leave the garage!)

I want to shout out my sincere thanks and appreciation to all of the men and women law enforcement officers, fire fighters, and Town road crews who are out working in our community today!

My good friend Sharon in Nebraska asked if I was prepared for the huge blizzard coming our way. It doesn't really blizzard in North Carolina. Blizzard equals wind, and a gust of 10 mph is a big deal here. I'd take that over the ice any day, though.

RM, this is for you!























It's going to be a lovely three days hibernating and getting ready for the Panthers game on Sunday evening. The whole city is ready!

Photo courtesy of my daughter



















It is Charlotte Restaurant Week again, and the only disappointing thing with the storm is that we've had to cancel our dinner plans for tonight and tomorrow night, but we can easily reschedule.

xoxo Tammy 

Sunday, January 10, 2016

Wild Card Sunday













Hi there,
I'm writing this while watching the MIN vs SEA wild card game. We're waiting to hear who the Carolina Panthers will play at home next Sunday, either Seattle if they win, or the winner of the Greenbay vs Washington game.

In our family, we exchange Christmas wish lists so everyone has an idea of what to shop for that will please the recipient! My son gifted me a new pattern book for knitted potholders:

Potholders to Knit























It seems like most potholder recipes are for crochet, so I was excited to find patterns for knitting. All of the potholders in the book are knitted with Muskat cotton yarn from Drops. Muskat is a DK weight, 100% mercerized cotton very similar to Tahki Cotton Classic, but much cheaper and comes in a 50 g center-pull, ready-to-go ball.



















I ordered a supply for my stash from Nordic Mart, and I was very happy with their customer service and shipment. Ben requested some Panthers-colored potholders for his kitchen. I'm on it!

(Oh boy, MIN just lost by a missed field goal so we will face SEA next week!)

practice swatch for crochet border



















Many of the patterns call for a crocheted border so I'm practicing. Nothing hard, just sc and hdc -- I can do it just need to get into the flow.

#MDKcoloring



















The very first thing I ever knit from Mason-Dixon Knitting was the ballband dishcloth in the same colors as here. So that had to be the first thing I colored!

Go Panthers!

xoxo Tammy 

Sunday, January 3, 2016

Sunday before Monday

Hi there,
Christmas Break has felt like a whirlwind, and it seems impossible that we'll already have to return to work tomorrow. How can 17 days pass by so quickly?! Nearly every day of the holiday was in the mid-70's and felt like we live in Florida. This morning I was so happy to see frost on the grass.

In #knittingnews, I finished a second CM Welted Cowl in Blue Sky sport weight baby alpaca in taupe (creamy oatmeal). Softest yarn ever, lightweight, drapey!



















My daughter gets a kick out of my knitting labels, so I sewed one into each cowl using the blanket stitch.

my practice swatch



















Far from perfect, but this is a new skill for me. I admired how @annshayne had sewn on her label to a blanket she made for a wedding gift. Isn't it lovely? My labels were purchased from Mountain Street Arts.



















I was a 70's teenager and love the PEACE sign!

Family friend Alexa gifted me with the most delicious handmade sand & sea scrubs!



















The aqua jar is lemon peppermint sea salt and the brown is vanilla latte sugar. They both smell so incredibly good. What a thoughtful gift for a knitter's hands (and body). I'm hoping she'll start selling these from her Travel Well Magazine website. You can also find her on twitter/instagram: @TravelWellMag.

Remember the Christmas Stocking InkJoy gift for 2014? This year's office supply stocking gift was the PaperMate InkJoy Stylus Pen in assorted colors!

Susan's family, Christmas 2015


















I'm not one to make Resolutions, but I have set the goal for myself to try to knit every single day of 2016, even if it is only a stitch or two. That's easy to say when I am rested and relaxed, but we'll see how it goes once the daily grind gets going.

Steve has chosen the 2016 Word for us . . . whatever! (That's the word--WHATEVER--not my opinion of his word, lol.) That is going to be our response for life's absurd, irritating, annoying moments. Wish us luck!

Happy New Year, and thank you for taking the time to stop by here!

xoxo Tammy