From the heart........the S&B girls

Inspiration...........yup, that's how this story started. A few months ago, I watched a local program that highlighted a Manchester, N.H. women who had recently completed assembling a bundle for a soon-to-be-mom, who could use a helping hand. I can't recall exactly how many she had made but, believe me it was in the thousands.I have a group of friends who meet every Tuesday to Stitch or Bitch at their leisure and as I related the story, we thought............We can do at least one gift basket for a new mom in need of a helping hand.

So I bought a large container and thought I'd see what we could do to fill it.

 My friends didn't disappoint me......handmade sweaters,booties,helpful books, onesies,warm mittens for mom.......

 Our oh so talented seamstress Gisele made baby sacks with matching receiving blankets

and of course, matching burp cloths. How cute is that!!!
 Bubble rompers,holiday wear............

                                             a little intro to Minnie Mouse

Newborn hat teething ring handmade washcloths baby shampoo and baby lotion, wipes,gift card from Target for diapers or whatever mom needs Coffee cozy to help keep her morning coffee warm. We all know it will be a while before she can have that coffee in one sitting.

A few more outfits to grow on

not to mention the never enough sleepwear

Now the basket is full............and ready to go.

Of course, can't forget much love from all who participated in giving someone a helping hand.

my Tuesday night girls

We are still meeting every Tuesday evening............much has happened this year.

Sue,our senior knitter is 91 and recently took a fall leaving her with a broken hip. We are all hoping that her surgery will be successful.......

New patterns are always on the table so.......placing yarn orders is often an important part of the evening.Socks are still high on the priority list this year and a washable yarn from Knit Picks is a favorite.

Of course ,our Margie is always coming in with a finished project or 2 and everyone says........."Oh, maybe I'll try that next time" Here she made leg warmers for the grandchildren. Or maybe it was nieces.I forget because I'm telling you ,she has several finished projects to show and tell every week. Hard to keep up with her.  Well, I'd better get to my knitting......need to get past the casting on stage..........Chuckled the Hobbit

Getting back to the blog............again.

 I know I keep trying to be faithful to my blog....But the lure of the outside world keeps distracting me. Hopefully this is the real thing. First, I started to Facebook............I'm sure this is a wonderful thing for many but, to me it is like living life with the "Flight of the Bumblebees" playing in the background. I need mellow and time to focus on my thoughts.I will continue to check in on my Facebook people but, my heart belongs here,where I can form a complete sentence and not wait for someone to "like" it.

 The past few months daughter Sarah has been doing a seminar of sorts on the process of creating dance.She has been explaining the different elements ,dynamics,repertoire and interpretation of the process.










Audience involvement is how each event was completed...........as you can see a good time was had by all.

Her dancers are beautiful and devoted to their profession..............maybe someday you too will have a chance to see them..........said the hobbit

Building a community

I have a circle of friends that get together to knit and I refer to them as my "pond".We are from several different towns yet, we consider ourselves neighbors...........all have similar yet different interest and we support each others efforts.It takes work and patience to develop such a community but, the rewards are so worth it.

One of my daughters has taken this to another level.She lives in a small N.H. town that once was thriving and oh so proud of it's people. Time has taken it's toll and like many small towns all over the country, people have forgotten how to be neighbors.Leave it to the younger people to come up with a plan.

A few years ago one of her friends started a tea shop were people could get together and talk about what they wish for the community. There were many naysayers but, he hung in there and kept taking baby steps with his project. He is committed to the project and now..........local musicians pop in to entertain on a regular basis.

Young people come to  share their hopes and dreams for the town and no one thinks that a plan is too small or too big to give it a try.Daughter Sarah (in red) waits her turn to explain her plan to bring DANCE to the area.

A local photographer put together these photos of her company.What started as a conversation with friends is now becoming a reality.

Of course there is always time for a little whimsy and I had to take a picture of these creations from the HEADHUNTER series of Mugwump Made. Artist Kay Koczarski had her knitted works on display,yes,those teeth are knitted.The tea shop is currently closed...........no they haven't given up. They need a larger location to move forward with "the plan". It amazes me what these young people have accomplished. Can't wait to see what the next year brings...........................said the Hobbit

Tuesday night with the girls

How we love getting together on Tuesday night. So many things to catch up on. This particular evening a surprise visit from Donna (in red) was very exciting to us.

We loved having her come by.Wish she could make it every Tuesday. The Holidays without her beloved George were hard but, her family brought her to Florida to spend a few carefree days. Now she is back with us and we are bound and determined to get her to knit her first pair of socks.

There are always magazines to check out and Betty (to the right of Donna) dropped her knitting to write one down from the latest MARYJANE FARMS magazine.She is writing on a journal that she made for each and every one of us.Pages to write wish knits and recipes and to-do list A calendar to mark Fiber Fest Fairs. A page containing our birthdays, e mail and phone# so we can always be in touch........she is so sweet.

Deb was working hard on a new pair of socks.Seems she treated herself to a "Book of Socks" for Christmas and after thumbing through the book......

She  was sure that she was only going to be able to understand one of the patterns.

So she quickly got started on that pair and I'm pretty sure that she'll find another and another that she can handle............That's what I call my "baby steps" theory..................Said the Hobbit

The girls are back!!!

 After a long holiday hiatus,my crafty friends manage to get together for our weekly knitting get together.We were 10 brave souls who weathered some pretty cold weather to talk about family gatherings and new projects that we hope to do.

Looks like the holidays didn't stop them from knocking those needles.........

DEB 4th on the right tackled her first felting project and made this great courier style bag. He advice to newbie felter...............she had to run it through the washer 3 times to get the proper felting texture. So if you plan on doing a similar project ............don't panic if it doesn't come out the first time.

GISELE ,at the very end of the table brought in a gorgeous cotton knit sweater that she had made for her grand daughter.

A simple basket weave pattern highlighted the soft pastel colors that made up the yarn.Nice work Gisele.

CINDY S. 2nd on the left was busy making birthday gifts.......This little lobster to be is going to make a little girl very happy.











If that doesn't do the trick ....how about these bunny slippers. I need to get this pattern from her. I know a few little girls who would be hopping all over their home with a pair of these.An added feature that she came up with was to put indoor/outdoor sealant on the undersole  to keep the slippers skid proof.You can find this in most hardware stores. I found this one at my local dollar store for $1.75 per tube. We all know how they run around and safety first with the little ones is a priority. Have to brag here. She was recently published at Knit Pick yarns when she created THIS PATTERN Kudos to you Cyndi........we are most proud.
                                                 Pretty clever right? ......said the hobbit

Moving right along to Christmas

 As you know .....daughter #1 took the first shift in holiday prep.......Part deux as we like to say, belongs to Sarah.

With Thanksgiving behind us, she quickly got her tree up and decorated as was ready for her annual Christmas card writing party.

We gathered our cards and stamps and quickly got to the task of writing those little notes to friends and family that we miss and haven't seen as often as we would like.Her party gives us just the right push we all need to get the job done.



Her wall was marked with the mantra of the day..........We shouldn't take things too seriously.

A table had been set to make it all seem like a fun time. She managed to find this coffee urn that reminded everyone of the good old days when time were less hectic. Isn't it a beauty?

When all was done there was time for chatting and tales of the wonderful events that had come to pass in 2013.......Then off we went to get a little Christmas shopping done and of course, get those cards and notes off to the post office. At least that was the plan,as soon as we had one more serving of that delicious breakfast casserole she had prepared.............said the Hobbit

kiss your babies today

Needles are still knocking

I've been a bit slacking with my news about my !knitting group but, they haven't 

New projects are being started every week...........I can't keep up with them I'm still in the attic finding the past..........quite the trip.

One that really amazed me was a pair of gloves done by CindyS. This is so far down on my to do list.But she whipped them up in no time at all.

Check out the detail on the back. Amazing isn't it. Some lucky person got these as a gift. 

New to our group is Deb. She got the bug to try doing socks This is her first attempt!!!Teeny tiny cables run up and down her leg. Great first pair don't you think? She is currently busy making socks for everyone on her Christmas list.Very lucky people ................said the hobbit

MY CRAFTY FRIENDS

Every Tuesday night my friends and I get together to work on our knitting projects.It really helps us move our projects along. You see, someone will always remember what you've been working on and no one wants to say. "I gave up on that " I am so behind on posting their work that I might be in danger of being kicked out of the club. That isn't the case with Cyndi S.

                                         HERE'S CYNDI BUSY WORKING ON AN APPLIQUE
A difficult pattern never stops her from jumping right in and getting the job done. Of course when her daughter has a special request that is even more incentive to tackle the task.

After the holidays "the daughter" saw this great sweater and Cyndi got right on it . The sleeves have a detailed leaf pattern.

The back was even more intricate highlighting this great square of gorgeous design. The color on this photo is somewhat bleached out by my camera but, I wanted you to see that it is  knit around the body versus waist to neck. The blue line that you see is where she had to insert the sleeves.

It has a kimono type fit and I wish she had put it on so you could see how it would look  but,oh no, she is too shy.........I had to promise to photo shoot this without her face showing..........anyone who has this kind of talent is a beautiful person don't you think?..................said the hobbit.

The girls of S&B are ready to roll

After a crazy busy December we are back on schedule and ready to start new projects for next Christmas.We usually meet on Tuesday evening and as you know Christmas and New Year were on Tuesday so for some of us it's been a month since we have seen each other.There was lots to catch up on and not much planning done......but,then,there is always nextweek.

After New years I got to work on these socks............just for me. The sock queen,first on the right side of the group photo, gave me this amazing yarn and I thought it was about time to put it to good use.

There is no actual pattern used. I started at the cuff,which I made 2 1/2 inches in a tight rib. A 5 inch leg then a short row heel. This means NO heel flap. So much easier than picking up stitches on the flap. I actually enjoy doing both but, it's a great tool for a beginner to get through their first pair of socks.The bottom of the foot was done in a Purl 1 Knit 4 pattern just to give it a little texture. I had such a great time doing them that I made an extra pair for the sock Queen. It's like cooking. It seems to taste better when someone else cooks for you. Know what I mean?

These 2 tried to stay out of the group picture.Ms g on the left is a first year knitter.Ms. Button on the right has many talents that I hope to share in the coming year.Surprise !!!! I found you.........said the hobbit