Winter Knits

See these fingerless mitts? I never thought they were exactly the brightest idea out in the knitting world. My fingers are the coldest part of me when I am outdoors. Who wears these things? Well, never mind. A friend got a pair for Christmas that had owls on them and I immediately knew that I had to knit a pair. My MIL loves owls and she loves handmade stuff from me. I found the pattern and knit her up a pair as fast as I could. I guess my thumb is hiding in the picture, but they really do have a thumb gusset in them.

Because the mitts felt like an incomplete gift I knit her a cowl, too. It was part of my plan for the Knitting Olympics. To compete in the Olympics you choose a challenging project that has to be knit in the 17 days that the Olympics last. You cast on at the Opening Ceremony and have to finish by the closing ceremony. I learned cabling for the mitts and learned to read (and knit) a lace chart for the cowl. Whew. I learned two new skills and completed my items before the end of the games. That means I am a gold medalist!

This is the full length of the cowl after blocking, but before buttons. See? Lace. The buttons add some extra bling to the cowl, and you know how I love some bling.

I made Taco Salad for dinner the other night. My youngest thought I was crazy for photographing it. Why not? It was very pretty and I love it enough I could eat it every night. The recipe? Lettuce, shredded cheese, ranch dressing, taco meat. Crunch some fritos on top and you've got dinner. I give it a healthy dose of tomatoes in summer, but the tomatoes at the store are not worthy enough to be purchased this time of year.

It looks like my little blog has 6 followers. I have to find a way to check and see who you are. I had no idea I had "followers". How fun! Maybe I can convince you all to check out my little etsy store in the sidebar. More will be added soon to my store.