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I finally found the box that holds all my boots.  Funny how a little thing like a pair of boots (or two, OK, four) can suddenly make your once bare looking closet feel like it is full of possibility.  With this nippy weather and mornings full of frost, a pair of boots really does make my day.  Last week, while mourning the missing box of said boots, I decided to come up with a pair of boot cuffs.  I cast on a  half a dozen times but once I would start a lace pattern, it would all look wrong to me.  I pulled out my lace pattern book and tried three or four which were all frogged.  I did complete this one in yellow but it will never get a mate because I really don’t like it and I took bad notes so probably couldn’t redo it even if I wanted to. Most of that work was done sitting next to the woodstove encouraging Eddie (who is in charge of keeping that fire going) as he tried different methods of starting the fire.  The good news is that Eddie has gotten working the woodstove down to a science so if there is any down time, you can find me there, right in front of it most likely surrounded by little ones looking for a snuggly place to play.  I have moved my tea kettle to the top of the woodstove and tea has become quite the popular thing around here now since there is most always water going in the kettle.  For me, right now, it’s coconut oolong tea given to me by my Alex, oh how I miss her.

I am now working on a simpler style of boot cuff, no lace except perhaps around the top edge, hmmm maybe in a white cotton thread or perhaps a light beige.  We will see.

Today, I have a date with an apple peeler and my favorite soup pot (aka canning pot) to make about 20 pounds of apples into apple butter.  I am blessed to have my friend Charlei’s recipe which our kids loved when she gifted us a jar this summer.  It does not look like any of the apples we got at Huber Farms will make it into apple sauce since the kids have raided the variety I bought to make it.  Apples with peanut butter, apples with hazelnut spread, apples with well, everything.  I hope to perhaps can up some apples for pie making later on and perhaps we will have to make another visit to the farm to get some applesauce canned after all.

I am yarning along with Ginny this week after not having the time to do so for quite a while.  I guess life is finally slowing down as my knitting basket has a half dozen started projects in it already.  I plan to knit today while the apple butter cooks though I need to hone in my apple ninja skills to keep those kids away from the rest of my apples.  50 pounds I purchased, really!  Those kids and their apples.

Thank you for all your comments and emails about our new larder.  Alot of you sent emails about what all is in those jars, why we keep our eggs on the counter, what meals me make and I will answer those questions in a few days…promise.  Oh and thanks for all the love on the free chalkboard labels tutorial, I can’t wait to see what you all do with that.

It has become apparent that there is nothing like the impending arrival of our first true winter to get me going in the finishing knitting projects department.  Every minute that we are not packing, enjoying the visits of friends or sleeping, I have been knitting 🙂

I started this winter helmet last week and it worked up just like I saw it in my head.  It was quick and easy and it fits Matthew and I only had to take it apart two times (well, three but who is counting).  The only problem was I didn’t like the way the decreases I chose for this pattern make it look on top.  Kinda pointy, no?  To me it reminds me of a knights helmet but the point on the top is throwing it off.  Yeah, I do not like it but it will stay that way this time. Why, well because we will be in cold weather in a short 20 days or so and that does not allow me to be picky 🙂

I immediately started another which has helped me to fix some problems with my note taking to write down the pattern and this time I chose to make the decreases by knitting two together followed by a slip slip knit and it now lies flat on the top instead of pointy, me likes…yes, I do.

I planned on making one for Chris and JP next not thinking that the big boys would want one, but they have told me in no uncertain terms that they do.  So, next up are four more winter helmets as well as what to call this hat.

Oh,  I used Brambleberry yarn for both of the helmets.  Matthew’s is Meadow Blackberry worsted and I can’t remember the color of Livie’s but it is also a Blackberry worsted.  Luckily, I have a few more colors that I ordered in my last yarn binge during their last sale so I can get started on the boys helmets ASAP 🙂

Yarning along with Ginny today on our 4th straight day of non-stop rain.