The Turkey is Gone...

The turkey is gone, and now it's time for a little holiday decorating...

We call this "Decorating with Style!"

Happy Christmas season, everyone...and Knit in Good Health!

PS - Don't forget that you can still enter the contest for a Christmas Surprise...the deadline to enter is Monday!

Busy Week!

Like many Grammas in late November, I am having a very busy week! There has been knitting, for sure, but there has also been time with Mork, Mindy and Peanut,

and even time with our newest addition, to be born early next year, meet Sweet Pea!

Did you notice in the first picture that Peanut is wearing a hand knit?

Mindy is, too, but I haven't gotten a front-facing shot of her in that lovely scarf...yet! There is still week left, so I may well have a shot of that for you soon! For now, I'll just show you a shot of my latest knit in Jingle:

Flap mittens with fingers for Peanut! She was so excited when she saw the first one, but isn't trying them on "until there is twooooo mittens, Gramma!" What a sweetheart!

Yes, it's been a busy week, and these next two days will be even busier, but I've got Grampa Joe's cookies in my new biscotti jar, from ITALY (thank you, Italian cousins!!!), 

and K-cups for my Keurig, so I think I'm gonna make it!

What have you been busy with this week? Entering a contest, perhaps? Cooking? Knitting? Whatever it is, thanks for taking time out to stop by. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours, and may you Knit in Good Health all through the holiday season!

I'm done with Barbie...

My fingers and I are glad to announce, without a bit of reserve, that I am done with Barbie! Well, I am done with her new wardrobe, knitted on teeny, tiny, size ZERO (2mm) needles, at least! 

My goal was to knit 24 pieces of clothing for Mork and Mindy to put into Peanut's Advent Mittens for her to count down to Christmas...remember the mittens? 

Anyway, I ended up accidentally knitting 25 pieces of clothing. (Please pardon the background in that first shot. Barbie was picking out her outfit this morning, and she didn't have time to tidy up before I arrived. I was so excited to see the Princess's new clothes that I just barged in there with my camera.) There are 9 short-sleeved tops, 2 sweaters, 8 pencil skirts (one with a ruffle), 2 fuller skirts, 1 pair of pants and 3 dresses. So glad I finished in time to get them into the mittens before Dec. 1st! Whew! But my fingers are ready for a change, so you know what I'm going to knit next?

That's right...lol! Glove/mittens, in fingering weight yarn, on size 1 (2.25mm) needles for Peanut! After that, maybe some bulky knitting? And maybe not...I seem to be smitten with the tiny, tiny knittin'!

What are you smitten with? A contest perhaps? Or is it something in your knitting basket? Tell me in the comments for a chance to win a Christmas surprise from Pretty!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Almost Thanksgiving!

It's almost Thanksgiving...I love this time of year, and I should be "Wow-ing" you with photos of pumpkins on the porch...

...and morning sunshine on the house, with leaves in the grass!

Wait. Something is wrong with that second picture...where did all that snow on the party car come from??? Oh, that's right...it came from here:

Which is pretty much how it looks at my house and where I work these days...these mid-November-I-can't-believe-all-this-snow days! I guess it is what it is. I live in NE Ohio, and snow comes, pretty much every year! Still, it came pretty stinkin' early this year, so I am glad that I have indoor views like this:

And this:

Lotsa knitting gets done while I'm trapped under cats! 

Just ask Barbie!

I hope that your heart is warm, where ever you are, even if your feet and hands and nose are not...and that you find much to be thankful for, regardless of the weather. Have you entered the contest yet? No? Well, what's stopping you?

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

That Girl

Well, if you know me on Ravelry...or Facebook...or even Instagram, you have likely noticed a new addition to the Pretty Knitty Family.

That's right! It's Barbie! And may I just say that, while I've never realized it before, there are many sides to Barbie's personality... Oh, I know that she can be whatever she wants (doctor, lawyer, construction worker, librarian, etc.), but I've recently learned some really new things about her. For instance, did you know that Barbie is grumpy before her morning coffee?

Yep. Sans caffeine, she can be pretty rough. The low humidity and static electricity that's totally messing up that hair isn't helping anything either, let me tell you! But, once she's had that cup of joe, she's much more pleasant to be around. 

Did you know that Barbie's not just a coffee drinker? She tries to get in her 8-12 glasses of water each day, too...

...and the occasional white zinfandel in the evening.

Of course, I enjoy that too sometimes. I guess I can't fault her for her choice of beverages, but I do wish that she would stop for a potty-break a little more often...for her own sake. I mean, if she's going to wear short skirts,

and tight pants, to show off those legs,

it would be nice if she didn't feel the need to cross them so tightly, all the time. It really makes her look stiff and unapproachable, a little "doll-like" even... 

But maybe that's part of her master plan. After all, when a girl is as pretty and talented as Barbie, I suppose she has to do something to cope with all the dinner-and-a-movie invitations when she just wants to hang out at home with the cats. 

And really, if you get to know her, she's not that stiff and unapproachable. She's just a normal girl, with a warm smile, who'd like to be your friend. She'd like that even more if you will knit her a really warm sweater for the winter, which I have.

So, now that we are friends, I guess Barb and I will be spending more time together, which is more than ok with me! After all, she's a really good listener, she never questions me about watching Hallmark Christmas movies before Thanksgiving, and she loves everything I've knit for her so far. What more could I really ask for in a friend? I think I'm going to see if she'd like to learn to knit!

Thanks for stopping by, friends, and don't forget about the contest! There are only a couple of entries so far...so your odds are really good if you enter! This link takes you to the details about posting your comment, or emailing me at prettyknittyjewelry AT yahoo DOT com, to enter.

Oh, and Knit in Good Health! 

(Here are the links to tops, pants, skirts, more tops, a sweater, another skirt, a dress, another skirt, and another skirt! All of these free patterns, and hundreds more, can be found HERE.)

Not Quite Wordless Wednesday...

It's not quite wordless, because...while the blocked sweater requires no words...

I really didn't push the contest very hard last week! So, again, here's that beautiful lace (why do I always forget how magical the blocking is?):

and here's the contest:

Have you knit something you love lately? Tell me about it in the comments, along with your contact info, and I'll enter you in a drawing for a Christmas surprise! (If you have trouble leaving a comment, just shoot me an email at PrettyKnittyJewelry AT yahoo DOT com!) 

Deadline for entries is December 1st, and Good Luck! 

Oh, and there's been a bit of Barbie knitting, too. Gosh!, but she is a clothes horse!

Thanks for stopping by, on behalf of Barbie and me, and Knit in Good Health!

Drumroll Please...

It's almost Christmas, so I thought I'd have a little contest! But that's not what the drumroll is all about...so, once again, drumroll please...

Because the Big Sister Cardigan, she is finished! (Ta-Daaa!) From the lace hem...

to the cabled waistband and ice-cream buttons...

to the shawl collar and raglan sleeves,

and even the fancy cuffs, with just a touch of that lace from the hem...

This knit, designed by Gramma, is ready for Peanut to wear!

All that's left is to wait (patiently???) for Peanut's upcoming visit! Oh, and I could block the thing to open up the lace and even all the stitches out, extra-pretty like...but I think I'll just lay it flat to dry, like I'll tell Mindy to do when she washes it. Of course, even without that extra step, I love this knit! 

Have you knit something you love lately? Tell me about it in the comments, and I'll enter you in a drawing for a Christmas surprise! (If you have trouble leaving a comment, just shoot me an email at PrettyKnittyJewelry AT yahoo DOT com!) Deadline for entries is December 1st, and Good Luck!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Italian "Ice-y" for Halloween

The Frozen hats have landed at their destination, in Italia, and everyone loves them!

The Trolls (parents) love them...

Elsa loves them...

Kristoff loves them...

Olaf really loves them...

Even Sven loves them!

Well, about Sven...I hear that he loves his antlers for only about 10 seconds at a time...but that's longer than White Cat!

So, in their Frozen hats, there were more treats than tricks for the Italian cousins, and I was so happy to have my handmade hats hanging around for their Halloween fun! Now, off to finish that Big Sister Cardigan!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Hexed this week...

Halloween was yesterday, and trick-or-treats the night before (in my town). Mr. Pretty and I had a cozy perch on the porch as we passed out candy,

and then we warmed up inside, with cats and knitting.

Well, I warmed up with cats and knitting...there is a possibility that I was pretty selfish with the cats and with the knitting. Of course, we do have that little space heater, so we were both pretty cozy pretty quick. You know, even though the thermometer has finally taken the plunge for fall, it has certainly been a beautiful one!

Despite the cooler temperatures, there have not been many finished projects this week, as we have been out and about, enjoying autumn. 

So, when I had a day (on Tuesday) to be in and out of waiting rooms, I took the opportunity to knit some new hexipuffs!

It's been months since I've knit a hexipuff, but with these, I'm now up to 156 (#157 is that one still on the needles, I'm aiming for a total of 400). Maybe I'll work on these more when I finish the big sister sweater, but maybe not. I mean, the instant gratification of a finished hexipuff in about 45 minutes is pretty alluring, but this blanket is still going to be years in the making...sometimes that sucks the motivation right out of my needles, ya know? In the meantime, I am enjoying the bulky afghan I knit last year, hot coffee with sweet cream and marshmallows, and holiday TV. 

I wonder when Linus will finally see the Great Pumpkin? I feel a little sorry for him. That pumpkin patch does seem very sincere. =/ I don't think I've ever seen a pumpkin patch quite as sincere as that one, so I'm not sure what the trouble is...keep the faith, Linus. Keep the faith.

Thanks for stopping in to the blog today, friends. I hope that fall is bringing you all that you hoped it would, and that your pumpkin patch is sincere. That Great Pumpkin is watching, so keep up the good work, and Knit in Good Health!