Waiting for Winter Mitt-along Prizes and Winners

(Please note that all of the photos in this post have been provided by the generous people who have donated the prizes. All of the links to the products/shops are provided in the blog post.)

Hi, Knitters,

I am here with the Waiting for Winter Mitt-along prize winners! I have asked a few of my favorites if they would donate a prize or two for our knitalong participants who finished a pair of mittens during the month of December basically. I got a great response and I can't wait to share these fantastic prizes with you. Thank you to everyone for contributing.

I want to thank everyone for participating during this busy time of year. We had 200 pairs of mittens and fingerless mitts knit from the Waiting for Winter Mitten pattern! This successful amount of knitting is tremendous and somewhat surprising because the knitalong ran from December 5th to January 5th. This is perhaps the busiest time of year for most with the holidays, family demands and travel. Regardless, you all came through and each of you whipped up a pair of mittens or two, or three or even four pairs. What a fantastic and impressive feat. 

Here is some basic information for you about the Waiting for Winter Mitt-along:

Click here to see the finished mittens! The variety and amount of mittens is amazing.

Click here for the Waiting for Winter Mitten and Fingerless Mitts pattern!

Click here for my Ravelry group, Itty-Bitty Knits! Come and join us. Everyone is welcome here. There is so much fun stuff going on all of the time, swaps, knitalongs, charity knitting, constant chatter and friendship, help, and general camaraderie. It is a fun group of generous knitters.

I have randomly selected prize winners from the finished mitten thread on the Itty-Bitty Knits group. I have eight fantastic prizes to share. All of the winners need to private message me on Ravelry at susanbanderson with their mailing address to pass on to the donators. All of the generous prize donators are sending out the goodies directly to the winners.

Let's get on with the prizes and winners.

First up, my Itty-Bitty Knits friend, Heather or mommytofive on Ravelry, has just opened a brand new Etsy shop, called Luv Bug Bags (click right here to check out her shop). I instantly fell in love with this Big Box mitten motif bag she donated. It's such a perfect prize for our knitalong. I wish I had one for myself but alas, it is going to one of you..... 

The winner of the Luv Bug Bags mitten motif bag is ptrosper (rav id)! Congratulations and ptrosper please pm me on rav with your mailing address and include which prize you won.

One of my favorite Wisconsin yarn creators is always Jeanette of Sun Valley Fibers (click here for the Sun Valley website).  Jeanette is always so fun and willing to jump in and participate. I love that. Her yarn is simply gorgeous and luxurious. 

Jeanette donated a skein of her Merino Cashmere Worsted in the Topiary colorway, 220 yards. I bet this is one squishy skein of yarn to hold and the greens that Jeanette dyes up are always the best. 

And the winner is of the Sun Valley Fibers yarn is....

Linnetknits (rav id)!! Congratulations Linnetknits and please pm me on rav with your mailing address and include which prize you won. 

Now I saw that there were many mittens knit up in another of my favorites, Cakewalk Yarns. These mittens are beautiful and fun to look at. Cakewalk Yarns has wonderful sock yarn but also squishy fun worsted weight yarns. The speckled yarns offered by Cakewalk Yarns are some of the prettiest and most unique yarns out there.

Click here for the Cakewalk Yarns etsy shop!  She is on a short break but will be back very soon.

Rose, the talented force behind Cakewalk Yarns, has donated a skein of her 100% Superwash Merino worsted in one of the best colorways ever invented called Chalkboard. You get a generous 100 gram/215 yard skein. 

And the winner is.....

monkeybuttbabies (rav id)! Congratulations monkeybuttbabies and please pm me on rav and give me your mailing address and include the prize you won.

I've known Kate of Knits in Class Fiber Studio for quite awhile now. She is a talented knitter and indie dyer from Minnesota. 

Click here for the Knits in Class Fiber Studio shop!

I contacted Kate to see if she would donate a skein of yarn from her gorgeous etsy shop filled with fiber and yarns and here is what she donated in her words:

I'd like to offer up one of my new spring colors (in the photos above), Greener Pastures, in BFL DK, which is a bright and fresh springtime green. The skein is 8 ounces, 500 yards, of 100% BFL wool yarn. I recommend anywhere from a US needle 4-7, for a gauge of 5-6 stitches per inch. This DK is heavy enough to substitute for a light worsted yarn in many patterns. The yarn is kettle dyed using Greener Shades dyes.

And the winner of the glorious Greener Pastures skein is....

boxermama (rav id)! Congratulations boxermama and please pm me on rav with your mailing address and include the prize you won in the message.

Next up, we have a crazy good prize from my buddy Jaala (pronounced Joll-a) Spiro of Knitcircus magazine and now Knitcircus Yarns fame. Jaala has a clever and beautiful offering specifically for you mitten knitters, her self-striping Malabrigo base worsted weight Twin Skeins. You knit a mitten with each skein and you have matching striped mittens! I want some of this soooo bad! I'm super excited about this unique prize and I can't wait to see someone knit up some mittens with this clever yarn. If you don't win you can still get some for yourself. Click here to see a different colorway Jaala created in the Knitcircus Yarns shop.

And coming soon from Knitcircus Yarns are Twin Skeins of self-striping sock yarn done in two separate skeins. Yes to that.

Click here for the Knitcircus Yarns shop on Etsy!

Here is the prize description from Jaala:

I have something special for your knitters; my new skeins made just for mittens, Knitcircus Malabrigo Twin Skeins in the color Ruby. Each one is 105 yards, with colors moving from hot pink to deep red to mulberry.

I love this prize. And the winner is....

Melissa-Jane (rav id)! Congratulations Melissa-Jane and please pm me on rav with your mailing address and include the prize you won.

When I think of Luna Grey yarns, I think of the prettiest, most soothing colors around. Jackie, the talented dyer and owner of Luna Grey Fiber Arts, makes wonderful and interesting colors come to life through her yarns. 

Click here for the Luna Grey Fiber Arts shop!

Jackie jumped on board for our Mitt-along and donated the following skein of her Spectra Bulky Peruvian Highland Wool described for you in her own words:

Shades of pale aqua and soft green hand-dyed onto my "Spectra" base yarn.  A soft, lofty 100% Peruvian Highland wool.  Knits up quickly and wears beautifully.  All yarn is hand-dyed in small batches in my smoke-free studio.

100g (3.5 oz)

Approx. 110 yds

Bulky Weight - 3 ply

Gauge: 3-3.5 stitches/inch on U.S. #10-11 needles

Handwash in cool water.  Lay flat to dry.

As with all hand dyed yarn, expect subtle color variations between skeins.  

Dyes are colorfast and should not run or fade. 

It's so pretty! And the winner is....

JaneBG1923! Congratulations JaneBG1923 and please pm me on rav with your mailing address and include the prize you won.

Now I have a spectacular prize and offer from another one of my favorite people and yarn companies, Infinite Twist.

Click here for the Infinite Twist shop and website!  Please take time to read about this unusual company and be sure to check out that beautiful handcrafted spinning wheel I am longing to own one day. I am excited to be working on a super fun project with Infinite Twist in the near future. I'll keep you posted.

Cate Carter of Infinite Twist is offering the most wonderful and unique prize for you. Here is the unbelievable prize described by Cate:

I'd like to offer a prize that can be offered in either fiber or yarn

depending on the winner's preference. I've just released spinning kits

with 5 oz hand-dyed fiber plus a skein of silky rayon (descriptions

and pics on my site here:

http://infinitetwist.com/product-category/fiber/). (From me: Be sure to check out these lovely choices.)

I can ship a spinning kit immediately, but would need about four weeks

to spin up and ship the fiber if the winner wants yarn.

So you can either have the fiber in the colorway of your choice sent to you immediately or if you prefer, Cate will spin up the yarn for you! That's so cool. I can't believe this generous offer. If you choose to have the yarn spun up for you, it will take at least 4 weeks to receive your prize. It will be worth the wait.

And the winner is......

Debbie4 (rav id)! Congratulations (I can't wait to see what you pick out) Debbie4 and please pm me on rav with your mailing address and include the prize you won.

Last but not least, the one and only Marian of the incredibly hard to get and popular Freshisle Fibers yarns contacted me after she saw my own Waiting for Winter Mittens knit in her Suffolk Wool self-striping watermelon yarn. She has donated a skein of her fun and whimsical watermelon striping yarn, including the seeds, to one of you! I can't tell you how lucky the winner is to score a skein of this elusive yarn. You have to be on your internet toes to get your hands on Marian's watermelon sock or worsted weight yarn. This is a true treat. I would not have even thought of asking Marian for her yarn so I was incredibly happy that she offered.

Click here for the Freshisle Fibers website! Check out all of their offerings and read about the interesting company. 

Here is the information about the donated prize skein: 

100% Suffolk wool yarn - hand dyed - self striping watermelon

Approximately 120 grams, 4+ ounces, 200+ yards, 2 ply worsted weight.

And the winner is.....

KnittingBlitz (rav id)! Congratulations to KnittingBlitz and please pm me on rav to give me your mailing address and include the prize you won.

Phew! That was a long post but all good fun. Congratulations to the winners and a huge gigantic hug and thank you to the prize donators. You make these knitalongs so much more exciting. I appreciate all of the effort by everyone.

Up next, the Opal Sock Yarn Bunny and Bunny Hat patterns will become available in my Ravelry Pattern Shop!

Take care.

best, susie

Belfast Hoodie Finale

Hi, Knitters,

I finished my Belfast Hoodie designed by Carrie Bostick Hoge for Quince & Co. It's so comfortable and cute. I just love it. I took advantage of my son being home and asked if he would take some photos of me wearing my sweater. We started at the kitchen table and then headed out to the woods for some outdoor shots.

Here is some general information for you:

Pattern: Belfast Hoodie by Carrie Bostick Hoge (on Quince and on Ravelry)

Yarn: Quince & Co. Lark in the the Pomegranate colorway

Needles: US size 8 needles, Signature Needle Arts, 32-inch circular

Buttons: Oak tree branch buttons from Wooden Treasures on Etsy 

Construction: Bottom-up, raglan-yoke combination, seamless

By the way, the green hat I'm wearing is my new design for a new alpaca yarn company called, Our Back 40 premiering at Vogue Knitting Live in New York on January 18-20th. Find Our Back 40 and my hat called the Ruche Panel Tuque at booths #807, 809, 811, 813 at VK Live. I'll give more details on it all shortly. The hat turned out super cute and the yarn is squishy, warm and soft. The yarn is being touted as cashmere quality alpaca and it is. I really think you'll love this yarn and hat pattern. If you are attending VK Live in NYC please go check out this new yarn company.

Now for the cardigan! After some snowy woodland photos of the cardigan I'll give some more details about the making of it.

Warning: Lots of photos ahead. To enlarge the photos just click on them.

Now for the step-by-step photos of the Belfast Hoodie:

Above the yoke was still on the needles ready to begin the hood. I was thrilled with the fit so far. Since it was bottom-up this was the first time I could try it on.

After the hood was knit I picked up 384 stitches around the fronts and hood to add the ribbed button bands and hood edging. 

This is the last bound off stitch of the front and hood edgings. A funny thing happened when I was binding off those hundreds of stitches. I got impatient and bound off the last 6-inches or so way too tightly. If only I noticed this right when I took this photo. When the cardigan was wet from washing and I went to block it I noticed the bottom front edge on the left side was pulling way up. No matter how hard I pulled it down to be even with the right side, it would not budge. 

One reminder to all, if you bind off too tightly there is no possible way to stretch it out later. It is what it is.

I was impatient once more and while my wet cardigan was laying flat on the blocking boards I pulled out about 6 to 7 inches of the bound off edge. It was interesting and kind of hard because it was wet. I grabbed my needles and was hunched over the blocking boards on the floor loosely re-binding off those inches when my husband walked by. He asked me what I was doing. It looked weird, I know. I tried to explain to him that I had bound off too tightly and therefore the bottom edge was pulling up a couple of inches. 

He shrugged and said, "Huh, rookie mistake." Then he just walked away. That really made me laugh at myself. There was no reason I could not have waited until the yarn was dry to fix it. I just wanted it to be right immediately. I didn't want to look at that pulled up bottom edge while the cardigan was drying. 

Note to self: Work on patience in 2013.

The pockets are picked up and knit on and then the sides are sewn on. I used a crochet hook and went through the center of each of the marked off stitches and picked up the yarn being held on the inside of the cardigan. Then I placed each stitch on the needle. The pockets were the perfect finishing touch.

The button sewing took me a lot longer than I thought it would. For some reason I struggled a bit to get the garter ridges on the yoke to line up. I had to remove and stitch back on a couple of the buttons more than once. In the end it worked out great. Perseverance pays off.

I also added three more buttons for a total of six. The pattern calls for three buttons. I like the option of being able to close this cardigan up. The cut oak branch buttons are the perfect match.

What a sweet cardigan it turned out to be! It is everything I hoped for, versatile and so comfy. The pomegranate colorway of the Lark yarn is so interesting. It looks different in different lighting. It is sort of a raspberry color but not exactly.  I like this color and will use it again. This cardigan just flew off my needles for some reason.  It is a longer length with long sleeves, and a hood, so I don't know how I got it done so fast. I am just happy to have a new handknit garment to wear. Hooray!

The Quince & Co. Lark yarn is 100% American worsted weight wool. It is smooth and fun to work with. The real magic comes in when you wash and block it. The stitches even out, the fabric becomes so soft and squishy. There is no itch to this wool at all. I have worn the cardigan with a short sleeve t-shirt and a sleeveless t-shirt underneath and it feels like butter next to my skin. To block this cardigan I just soaked it in Soak Wash for a bit and then laid it out flat to dry. That's it. 

Look how nice those stitches line up! I did learn a new twist on a buttonhole in this pattern. That's always fun to learn a new technique while you're knitting a project.

Well, I'm off to a good start on my sweater knitting for 2013. I hope I can keep it up. I haven't been doing as well with my sock knitting but something has got to give. 

Coming up still this week I will be posting the prize winners for the Waiting for Winter Mitt-along and the prizes. I have some good stuff lined up. 

Then at the end of the week I will be making the Opal Sock Yarn Bunny and Bunny Hat patterns available in my Ravelry pattern shop. 

Hold me to it! I hope you are all well and that your knitting is treating you kindly this winter.

best, susie

.... and found!

Hi, Knitters,

Yesterday my husband and I went out for a long hike through the nearby woods and then we went ice skating on a frozen lake not too far from our house. I took a very short video of our skate for you. It's one of the prettiest winters I can remember around here. White is hard to capture on camera, unlike the fall season, but I still try. For email subscribers, if you can't see the video on your email, click here to see it on youtube.

Now for some serious business, the winner of the Knit with Me book by Gudrun Johnston is knittingrandma (rav id) or Debby! Congratulations to Debby! I have already collected her mailing address and forwarded it on to Gudrun. What a great turn out for Gudrun's book giveaway. Thank you for entering and I have another fantastic giveaway for you just around the corner. Keep your eyes out for that, you won't want to miss it.

Do you remember this hat? It was lost. The hat was knit out of the most favorite yarn I ever spun. It was from Fiber Optic roving I purchased with Laura and Leslie from The Knit Girllls by my side at the Kentucky Sheep & Wool Festival. It was a vibrant gradient silk/merino blend. The hat went from fuschia to purple to red at the top. This favorite handspun yarn turned into my most favorite handknit hat ever (and that's saying a lot because I have been knitting for almost 30 years and I've knit hundreds of hats). I had the photo above on my blog banner for a long time. It was a hat that couldn't be replicated due to the memories of being with Laura and Leslie and Dianne (my host) at my first ever fiber festival and then spinning the yarn. The process of creating the hat and the memories involved could not happen again.

I even made a pattern in memory of my favorite knit hat that was lost called, The Lost Banner Hat. This has been an incredibly popular pattern in my pattern shop even though the numbers don't really show that on Ravelry. This made me happy that at least a fun, simple hat pattern came about for people to enjoy. 

Now for the twist. I've told the story before but for story's sake, TC wore the hat to school one day and then I never saw it again...... until now!

This photo was taken yesterday! Look who's wearing her favorite hat again! That's right, it's back on my head once again. Here is what happened. Last week I was digging through the garage for something and I happened upon an old tattered black backpack that belonged to TC a couple of years ago. You guessed it, when I looked inside the backpack before I threw it out, my crumpled hat was on the bottom of that dark backpack! 

I gasped. 

I really could not believe my eyes. 

I swear I looked in that backpack for this hat many times before. But I won't question. I gave it a wash and it has been back on my head where it belongs ever since. True hat love has been found once again. This hat feels and fits like a million bucks. It keeps my head and ears so warm. The Lost Banner Hat is everything I remembered it to be and more. I am hoping for many years of togetherness to come.

Even my Amaryllis is celebrating the Found Banner Hat. I have four of these beautiful blooms in my living room right now. I can't get over how beautiful this flower is in contrast to the white snow outside. I still have a second stalk ready to bloom soon. I look forward to that.

When we came home from our winter hike and lake skate our house smelled so good. My son had just pulled these homemade loaves of bread out of the oven. The warm bread with a little butter really hit the spot after being out in the cold for hours. He is loving his new bread book that I gave him for Christmas. It is fun to watch him go. 

Well, I finished the Belfast Hoodie and it turned out great. I'll see if I can get someone to take a proper photo of me wearing it today instead of taking the photo of myself.  I'll post all about it then so you can get the full view.

I hope you are all enjoying the season. I am soaking up every minute with my house full of kids and friends and cousins, and the beautiful cold temperatures and the snow and ice outside. It's the best.

I'll be back soon with more.

best, susie

Knit with Me - a review and giveaway!

(All photos used in this post are photographed by Carrie Bostick Hoge for Quince & Co. and are from the book Knit with Me.)

Hi, Knitters,

Ahhhhhh, Gudrun Johnston..... what's not to love? I have admired her work for a long time now. She's originally from the Shetland Islands and now lives in the woods in Western Massachusetts with her family. Gurdrun is talented, smart, adorable, prolific, her husband writes novels, she has beautiful children, she makes a fantastic model.... and now she has a brand new collection of knitwear that celebrates mothers and daughters, well, really just women in general. When Gudrun asked if I would be interested in being on the blog tour for Knit with Me, A Mother Daughter Collection, I already had her book in my hands as I had purchased it from Quince & Co. the day it came out. The answer was an easy yes!

The idea for this mother daughter inspired collection came when Gudrun and her teenage daughter knit Agnes (remember mine?) together, one for each of them. Click here to see their mother daughter Anges sweaters. Gudrun was experiencing the same exact thing I have going on at my house with two teenage girls. My own girls, like Gudrun's daughter, enjoy my knitwear, the sweaters, socks, hats, mittens, and cowls and they like to wear it all and often. 

Gudrun decided to take action and help her daughter knit her own sweater while making the same sweater right along with her. Gudrun had so much fun with the mother daughter knitting adventure of making Agnes together that it sparked the idea for this collection made in collaboration with Quince & Co. Gudrun's intention for the Knit with Me collection is to provide knits that mothers and daughters, grandmas and granddaughters, aunts and nieces, or simply friends with friends, can make together. It's a great idea and a wonderful, warm, charming, accessible collection for girls and women of any age.

Click here for Gudrun's website and blog, The Shetland Trader. 

Click here to see the entire Knit with Me collection of 12 designs on Ravelry.

Click here for the yarn used for all of the projects in Knit with Me from Quince and Co.

The collection includes seven sweaters and cardigans that come in a huge range of sizes to fit from the upper 20s to well over a 50-inch bust. The sweaters are simple and doable with elegant and interesting touches. There are also cute legwarmers, hats, a scarf, and a cowl. Every item is classic and timeless which is always a good combination for knitwear.

Let's take a look at a few of the projects together.

The cover cardigan is called Ambrosia. Guess what? I already have the yarn, Quince & Co. Puffin in the Frank's Plum colorway, in my house waiting to be wound and knit into my own Ambrosia. It's a deep, dark and vibrant purple. I can't wait to whip this one up this winter. It will go so fast with the bulky weight yarn on US size 11 needles. Purple delight! I can't wait to start and I'll keep you posted on my progress. I mean, how could you not love this cardigan?

By the way, Gudrun has a very simple sweater included in this collection called, Granny Smith (click here to see it).  This sweater is intended to be a first-time sweater knit for you and/or for your younger knitter. She is hosting a knitalong that starts on January 7th for the Granny Smith sweater and she also has a general Knit with Me knitalong starting for any project in the book on January 7th.

Click here to read all about (and join in!) Gudrun's knitalongs for Knit with Me!

I love this photo in the book. Carrie Bostick Hoge does such an incredible job with the photography. As always, Quince & Co. produces fantastic patterns that use their yarns to the fullest. It's all very impressive.

Here is an example of some interesting detail. On a few of the sweaters/cardigans Gudrun shapes the bottom edge so it doesn't hang in a straight line. I love this design element so much. Braeburn (above), McIntosh, and Brock all have this feature.  

What a stunning color!

The setting for the photos is breathtaking and there are lots of extra photos included in the book.

Gudrun models with her daughter in the book along with several other mother daughter teams. They are all fresh, real and adorable together. I love this sweet cardigan, Empire, above. What a perfect all-season piece for any wardrobe.

By the way, if you haven't noticed the projects in the book are all named after different kinds of apples. That makes it even better in my eyes!

Who doesn't love a chunky cowl? If you don't want to start teaching someone to knit with a sweater Gudrun offers some simple accessories knit on big needles that will do the trick. Instant gratification is motivating for everyone, hands down.

Here is Gudrun with her beautiful daughter both wearing Soay. I am making this little cardigan, too. I love Gudrun's expression of pride and love while looking at her daughter in the photo above. This photo tells a story. Knit with Me is simply a treat, a feast for the eyes, an inspiring sampling.... you can tell that so much love and effort went into this amazing collection.

I love Knit with Me on so many levels. You don't have to be teaching someone to knit to enjoy this book of simple, fast, doable, affordable projects (yes, the yarn is so affordable!). The pairing of Gudrun Johnston and Quince is genius. Quince & Co. makes knitting accessible to everyone with affordable quality yarns and patterns. You can't go wrong, trust me.

I am happy to offer a copy of Knit with Me to one lucky winner today! Please leave one and only one comment on this blog post that includes your Ravelry ID or your email address. Remember to be patient when posting a comment. There is a delay before your comment will appear and is posted on the blog because I have to approve each comment to avoid spam. I will contact the winner in a few days to collect a mailing address so Gudrun can get you your book. 

Good luck and let the comments begin!

best, susie

Winter Wonderland

Hi, Knitters,
This morning we woke to a true winter wonderland. Overnight, a crystal frost formed covering every limb and tiny branch on all of the trees. The sun was shining and the snow was blindingly bright. The best part of it was that the gentle wind was blowing the snow off the trees in our front yard and it seriously looked like a real-life snow globe out there. My husband and I just sat and watched out the front window for few minutes. It was fantastic and dreamy.

I snapped the pine tree above on my run later in the morning. The pines are so beautiful right now as they are coated with heavy snow and it is simply breathtaking. On the down side of this picturesque snowfall there are broken tree branches littering yards and entire trees uprooted from the weight of the heavy snow. In our neighborhood I've seen a couple of huge pine trees that uprooted and tipped right over. That is sad. The snowstorm was the second biggest 1-day snowfall total (around 18-inches) in Madison's history.

I can't get over the beauty of it all even with the tree issues.

One good thing with the cold temperatures and snow is that the outdoor skating season has arrived. Last year we didn't get to skate at all due to the warm temperatures and that was disappointing. Madison has many gorgeous maintained outdoor skating venues. We have a few favorites. Today we hit Tenney Park with its brand new warming house. This is actually a frozen lake area, well maybe it's more of a lagoon. There are bridges and windy areas to explore.

Here is my husband skating away. He is surprisingly good considering he hasn't skated all that much in his lifetime. He is just coordinated that way. He just had a birthday, too. We have lots of birthdays at this time of year in my family, the celebrations don't end on Christmas. My dad's birthday was right on Christmas but I don't ever remember a big to-do about it. We usually gave him a card and said happy birthday but then went on with Christmas. He never seemed to care much about it or was used to it anyway. My niece was born on the 26th of December and my husband on the 29th. My sister's anniversary is on the 27th and my parents' anniversary was on the 18th. It has always been a big month for lots of reasons.

TC has gotten to be a good little skater. She can jump and spin and do foot work. Those lessons have really paid off for her. My son bought her those pants for Christmas. They are her new favorite. They are like a waffle shirt fabric with snowflakes. She is so cute.

I love looking at everyone's knitwear at the rink, hats, scarves, cowls, mittens, sweaters. It is a feast for the knitter's eyes. I even got a couple of inspirations for a new hat pattern.

Here is my son and his girlfriend, Miss Molly. She has been knitting up a storm lately. She is almost finished with some new socks for her sister and she knit a bunch of my tree ornaments and tiny sweater ornaments for the season. She is enjoying the time off from college at semester break.

Tenny Park is such a great place to skate. It is lined by adorable old houses, some quite colorful. I love to skate here.

Now for a bit of knitting, I picked up a mere 384 stitches for the button bands on my Belfast Hoodie. I have worked 3 long rows in rib and now I am on the buttonhole row. I think I am going to add a fourth button, it is written for three. Then I have two pockets to work and it is finito! I'm so close.... it's exciting.

I got my son a new bread baking cookbook for Christmas. Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day was recommended to me by a neighbor who is an expert bread maker so I took his advice. My son has been making bread ever since. It smells like heaven in our house, and tastes like it, too. I gave my sister, who is an excellent cook and baker, this same book. I think she will enjoy it.

It has been so busy in our house but we even snuck in a Badger basketball game yesterday to boot. We were gifted 6 tickets to the game so we couldn't resist gathering everyone up to head to the game. We had fun even though it wasn't an exciting game. I think the Badgers won by 30 points or something like that.

Well, happy new year to you all! I will be back with a review and giveaway on January 2nd, 2013. And then I'm considering doing a year in review-type post later in the week (we'll see if I can get that together or not) and then the Waiting for Winter Mitt-along ends on January 5th. Prize drawings for that will come shortly after. There are over 120 finished pairs of mittens and mitts already posted for the knitalong. I can't believe that number considering we did the knitalong right over the holiday season.

There is much to look forward to in the upcoming year and I thank you, as always, for sharing your time and knitting with me on this blog year after year. It is such a place of comfort for me and that's mainly because of all of you! I love it here.

Take care, dear Knitters.

best, susie