Tea Stands for Tuesday 11/14/23

Happy Tea Party Day.  We've been at the River House for a bit.  It is a beautiful time of year in California.  The sun is out but it isn't too hot.  Great porch sitting weather.

I've posted views from the porch before, even some with the same cup.  I don't think I've ever caught this tree dressed in red before.  We don't get the kind of leaf colors found in the North East so even this much is a delight to the eye

Our front porch was just made for spending time on.  It is wide and deep, plenty of room and pretty much sheltered.  I think it is the reason we bought this particular place.  I usually take my morning cup of coffee out there.  Sometimes I even knit out there,

Now that you have my report, please join me at Elizabeth's blog to visit everyone.

Welcome October

We usually have beautiful weather during the month of October here in Northern California.  I hope to get out and about to enjoy some of the beauty nature offers.

Tea Stands for Tuesday - 2/9/2021

 This is what February during a pandemic looks like at my house.

I spend a lot of time drinking tea and knitting. 

I know this post is brief but it is about all I can manage these days.  I really miss my online friends,  making art and my neighborhood walks.  Maybe one day I can get back to that. 

I hope you are all keeping warm and well.  Please join me in visiting Tea Stands for Tuesday at Elizabeth's blog. 

Tea Stands for Tuesday - 10/20/20

Welcome and try not to trip over the dust bunnies.  I really have had other things to do lately.  There is always time for a cup of tea though.

To begin with, I've been wearing this heart monitor for nearly 2 weeks.  It is to check arythmias.  If any of you are familiar with the Holter monitors with all their leads and connections you will agree this is amazing new technology.  The whole thing fits in the palm of my hand and records every single heart beat for up to two weeks.  I'm impressed.  Once I'm done I put it in the provided box and mail it back to the company who produces a report for my physician.

In an effort to entertain myself, and remain calm, I decided to drink my tea and knit a dishcloth.  I dug into my yarn stash and found some cotton yarn that seemed to reflect the season.  Here's the pattern, it is familiar to most knitters and an easy thing to make for those new to knitting.

Grandmother's Favorite Dishcloth
Designer: Unknown
The cloth in this photo was stitched by Joyce Skeens. Thanks to Knitting Exchange for letting me post it on this site.
Rating: Easy

Materials: Sugar and Cream yarn; Size 6 or 7 needles (US)
Instructions:
Cast on 4 stitches
Row 1: Knit 4
Row 2: Knit 2, yarn over, knit across the row.
Repeat Row 2 until you have 44 stitches on the needle.
Row 3: Knit 1, Knit 2 together, yarn over, knit 2 together, knit to the end of the row.
Repeat Row 3 until you have 4 stitches on the needle.
You can now either bind off or do a round of single crochet and make a little loop of chain stitches in one corner so you can hang the cloth to dry when you are finished using it.

That's my report.  Now I'm off to join the rest of the tea group at Altered Book Blog.  It is always fun to catch up with friends there.

Tea Stands for Tuesday 10/6/2020

 

Good Morning Friends.  Isn't this a lovely tea illustration?  I'd like to credit it but I don't recall where I saved it from.

I've been knitting instead of drawing teacups.  Keeping my hands busy and creating, just in another medium.

This is another pair of socks going to DH.  Almost done.  Perfect fall colors I think.

Now I'm going to sip my cup of Earl Grey and visit Elizabeth's blog where everyone will be celebrating with a drink of some kind and chatting about what they have been doing.

Tea Stands for Tuesday 5/12/2020

I look forward to Tuesdays and the tea party Elizabeth hosts every week.  It is one of my happy places.  I will be having a cup of English Breakfast Tea as I join the group.

Here is a pair of socks I just finished knitting for DH.  Hot off the needles as they say.  I'm calling them his Quarantine Socks.  I used some yarn from my stash and the two socks aren't exactly alike.  I'm fine with that though.  Not recycling but certainly using what I have.

I hope everyone is staying in and staying safe.  

Tea Stands for Tuesday - 2/11/2020

It is still Tuesday morning in my part of the world but I may be the last guest to arrive at Elizabeth's tea party.  February means it is Valentines Day soon and spring about to begin.

This is my favorite teacup/mug.  It was a gift from my granddaughter.    I'm going to enjoy using it every morning

Speaking of Valentines, isn't this a cute hat?  I haven't made it but I plan to sometime before next years V Day.  The hat pattern is free on Ravelry until Valentines day.  For anyone interested put "love-hearts-hat" in the pattern search engine there.

I didn't make any Valentines this year but I'll bet some of the other tea party guests and Elizabeth did.  Lets go look!  Click here.

Tea Stands for Tuesday 4/30/19

Good morning on this last Tuesday of the month.  I hope everything is well in your world.

I'm still in the process of knitting this wrap.  I think I'm about 3/4 finished. The tea I'm drinking this morning is only sitting next to the knitting for the picture.  I normally keep to two very far apart as I view it as an accident waiting to happen.

On another note, I spotted this bunch of succulents while I was out walking.

Aren't thy amazing?   I've never seen the bright yellow blossoms before.  Anyone know the name of the plant?  One of the benefits of taking a walk is spotting things you might barely notice otherwise.

Time to visit Elizabeth's blog and "notice" what my friends there are doing.

Tea Stands for Tuesday 3/5/19

Hello friends.  It is wonderful to check in with you every Tuesday.  I can't thank out hostess Elizabeth enough.  Be sure to visit her blog.  

Tuesday is the one day of the week I try to get a blog post together.  I used to be a pretty regular blogger but life changes.  I hope to get back to it sometime soon. 

Here you see my glass of water and breakfast.  Well, half the plate was for me and half for DH.  I usually have yogurt and fruit but this morning I was in the mood to cook.

photo from Vogue Knitting magazine

I have spent quite a bit of time knitting this winter.  I'm making the shawl pictured here.  Vogue pattern, Rowan Kidsilk Haze yarn

The patterned part is called a mosaic slip stitch.  Can you see those tiny lengths of yarn?  Like knitting cobwebs.

I'll be visiting everyone soon and knitting in the meanwhile.

Tea Stands for Tuesday 2/5/19

I'm showing up for the tea party at Elizabeth's this morning and hope to connect with my friends there.  I've had a worrisome couple of weeks but things are beginning to level out.  

Times like this it is nice to have the old reliable coffee pot on hand,  We've gone through several Melita coffee pots over the years.  Used it long before the phrase "pour over coffee" was around.

Knitting is my go to when life is not as I would like it to be.  I made this baby blanket just in time to take it to a baby shower.  I'll tell you a little secret.  It was easy-peasy.  I used self striping yarn by Hayfield.  I find self striping yarn entertaining as I see what each section is going to reveal.  

I believe there will be some interesting things going on at the tea party so I'm headed there next.

Tea Stands for Tuesday - 11/20/18

It is beginning to feel like winter here.  I've been drinking tea and thumbing through my knitting books for inspiration.

Here is a hat I recently finished.  I am trying to use up some yarn I have left from other projects.  Hats seem the easiest way to use bits and pieces.

There are so many books full of inspiration.  Surely I'll find a suitable project.  If you knit, tell me what you have on the needles.

While I ponder patterns, lets hop on over to Altered Book Lover and see what is happening at the tea party.

Happy Halloween 2018

Happy Halloween to those who celebrate.

knitted dishcloths - vintage Halloween postcard

Catechism for a Witch’s Child

When they ask to see your gods

your book of prayers

show them lines

drawn delicately with veins

on the underside of a bird’s wing

tell them you believe

in giant sycamores mottled

and stark against a winter sky

and in nights so frozen

stars crack open spilling

streams of molten ice to earth

and tell them how you drink

a holy wine of honeysuckle

on a warm spring day

and of the softness

of your mother who never taught you

death was life’s reward

but who believed in the earth

and the sun

and a million, million light years

of being


- J.L.Stanley

Knitted scarf

I'm attempting to finish some knitting projects and get pictures posted.  This is a scarf I knitted for DH.  It is wonderfully soft and squishy.  Perfect for fall weather.

September knitting

Earlier in the year I set myself a challenge.  I wanted to learn to knit Fair Isle mittens.  

They took me quite a long time to finish.  I had to be in a place of peace and quiet so I could concentrate.  I did do some less complex knitting in between times working on these.

This is said to be a traditional "selbu" pattern.  I think the points on the mitten top and on the thumbs relate to that.

Even though I struggled at times, overall I enjoyed the process.  I may even knit another pair at some point.

Tea Stands for Tuesday - 5/29/18

Here we are on the last Tuesday in May.  Memorial Day (in U.S.) is over and that is usually considered the beginning of summer.

We've been at the River House where I watch the sunrise as I drink my morning cup of coffee.  

I've been knitting.  I know it isn't the season for scarves but this one was begging to be done.  A very easy pattern using two colors of Malabrigo yarn.  I insist the scarves I use look good on both sides and this one does.

When I'm not knitting I'm just hanging out here and relaxing.  

Hop on over to Elizabeth's blog and see what's up with the other tea party friends.

March knitting

A little knitting has been finished.  A dear friend is going to be a grandmother for the first time so these are for the yet to arrive grandchild.  

What is it about tiny things that makes me smile?  I held this little foot covering in my hand and felt happy.   It almost felt like it was filled with the weight of a little foot.

I've posted these elsewhere so you may have seen them.  They are just too much fun not to share on my blog as well through.

Just a bit of yarn and a few stitches.  Sometimes it is truly the little things in life that bring us joy.

Tea Stands for Tuesday 1/16/18

Trying to post from my phone. 

I don't seem able to add a picture of my tea. 

Nor can I add link to Elizabeth blog

This cowl is long so it can double up.  The pattern uses a slip stitch and was available free on the Purl Soho site.  It was really easy once I got going.  The yarn was soft and the whole project was enjoyable.

The top section in the above picture is the "wrong" side of the knitting, the lower section is the "right" side.  I like both sides and that's important to me when knitting a scarf.

November knitting

I had a lot of fun knitting this top for the 4 yo GGDaughter.  The minute I saw the pattern I knew it was something I wanted to make.  I could hardly wait to get my yarn and get going.

The pattern is called Azel Pullover, it is available on Ravelry.  There is also a cute picture of it being worn there.  

I used Malabrego yarn, the colorway is closest to the second picture.  The pattern calls for a Bernat acrylic which is pretty widely available.  

This was a fast knit - as far as knitting goes - and made me smile every day that I worked on it.

Monday morning 10/23/17

I knit quite a bit.  I'm not a beginner but certainly not an expert. 

There are still lots of things I need to learn and one of those things is part of a pattern I'm working on.  A button hole.  A button hole made using a cast on cable for those of you who know stitches.  I googled, I Youtubed, I scratched my head.

It is a good thing the local knitting shop runs "knitting labs".  You just show up, pay a tiny fee and there is an expert knitting teacher there to help.  I'll be at the lab tomorrow.

Where do you go when you need help on a craft?

Socks in September

I've been knitting.  Not knitting as much as last couple of years when I was making lots of Christmas presents.  Still, I usually have a pair of socks on the needles.  Something easy to carry, easy to pick up when the mood strikes.

DH is a great fan of hand knit socks.  This is his latest pair.  It is rewarding to knit something that gets lots of use. 

Now that this pair is done, I have the fun of choosing yarn for the next pair.  Fortunately he isn't conservative so I can go with any color or design I want.