Human Rhythms

A big fan of Taproot Magazine,

I savor each issue from cover to cover.

Filled with thoughtful, uplifting articles, 

personal and enriching stories,

practical recipes and projects,

the magazine's contributors are a varied 
and talented bunch.

Pictured above is Taproot's third issue 
which includes a knitting pattern called 
"Family Mittens" by Carrie Bostick Hoge.
  
My dear friends Mary, Vickie  & I thought 
these squooshy mittens looked fun to knit.
Mary continues to teach me about the potential 
of hand spun yarn, color and texture. 
Vickie encourages me to learn 
all that I can about fleece and fibers, 
knitting & spinning techniques, 
and pairing just the right yarn and project
(a skill that still eludes me.)

No longer able to resist whipping up a pair of these 
cozy mitts, I reached into my handspun stash and found 
enough Into The Whirled merino-silk blend 
to knit a pair of the Child-Toddler size for my niece. 
I think they turned out pretty well. 
I hope my dear friends agree.

Oh! Here's my big find this week - 
The Lumineers.
Debut album released in April 2012.
On the David Letterman Show last Wednesday night.
Somehow they've slipped by my radar...until now!
Enjoy!

Wild Skies

 Wild skies put the joy in yesterday's 

spontaneous joy ride around Cayuga Lake!

 Here I was standing with my camera facing west, 

and I literally spun around facing east and took the top photo.

 

I snapped this photo a few steps away from the previous two,  

and you can see the rain burst is no where in sight. 

I saw thee full rainbows at various times traveling down Rt. 89.

One was a double rainbow, and I chose to simply 

enjoy the moment rather than try to capture it with my camera.

A glorious fall day in upstate NY, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

 During the wee morning hours before work, I knit. 

Over the course of this past week, I managed to knit up

this huggable, lovable bunny rabbit

for my one and only niece. She's almost two, 

and while she will surely have many friends in her lifetime, 

I'm hoping this little long-ear will be counted among them.

For anyone interested in whipping one up: 

Small Rabbit with Sweater 

by Debbie Bliss, "Toy Knits" 

Korean Tea

Catherine's 2008 blog post positively transformed 

my cold-weather beverage of choice  

from the classic wedge of lemon, 

slices of peeled ginger, 

cinnamon and honey 

into this one-scoop jar of gold. 

Catherine has clear (simple) instructions, 

just click on the link above.

I like using organic lemons and local honey.

With cold season already upon us, give this a try 

and let me know what you think!

Fun, Fun, Fun!

I don't want to ruin the surprise, but...

I just can't keep this secret from you until December 25th!

 This is my Christmas gift-in-the-making for my niece,

a wonderful (advanced) kit from GoingGnome.com.

Being my first dry felting and sculptural project, 

it's only right that I should load up my shoulders with 

all kinds of pressure to make something truly special, fun 

and imaginative that my niece will surely enjoy for years. Right.

 Despite my performance anxiety, I think it's turning out great! 

The kit includes all of the needles, colorful fiber and beads 

you could need, complete instructions, encouragement for 

your own creativity, and all for a very reasonable price.  

Amidst squeals of delight and a very happy heart, 

more gnomes and woodland animals are fast on their way.

After all, when it comes to gnomes "one is the loneliest number."

Did some one say, "Photo shoot!?"