Where Hands Create.

To Noro or not to Noro - that is the question...  Yes, it is a silly way to start the blog, but hey, I am trying to be creative. 

The first Noro is related to the knitalong project we started this month from the pattern Wrap Me Up! by Knitting at Knoon.  Warning - I am completely addicted and just have to share my progress to date.  The pattern is a blast to knit, and it drives you to complete just a bit more before you put your needles down.  The finished project will be a wrap, but one of our adventure driven friends, Peggy, is planning to adapt the project into a vest.  Too cool.  Another plus for me - yes - is that I get to knit with Noro (Silk Garden) - and Noro is one of my favorite yarn lines...  Others in our knitalong group are knitting their project in other great self-striping yarns such as Mochi Plus, Wooly Stripes, Ty-Dy Cotton - but my favorite is the Silk Garden.  Without further ado - here is my progress thus far!

And here is a close up of the first three blocks...  You start with the strip of three mitered squares and then go to the double moss stitch.  The patterns are not hard; the patterns are great - and once you are comfortable with picking up stitches - there is just fun knitting with great yarns.

Several folks have already heard my analogy that this project is like reading a really fun book with short chapters - you just gotta read one more before you go to bed...  If you are interested in joining in the fun - it isn't too late, and you will not be sorry!

Now to the "cat of the hour" - yes, Noro continues to be a photo hog and is the second Noro!  Here he is with a classic profile and a front on photo of this handsome specimen of a cat.  If you have been in lately, you will notice that he rarely leaves his nest of the Spud & Chloe Outer blanket in the basket - except those few times when he stretches and rolls off the table....

    
 Have a happy week and enjoy some yarn.  That is an order from Noro! 

Wow, we are already two weeks into the new year!  Guess that means that 2010 will go faster than 2009, huh?  I know folks say that time traveling faster is a sign of age; however, I really believe that our world is going faster than it did 40 years ago.  Maybe not spinning faster - but we have such a need for speed in communications, cars, success, etc.  I think this year, 2010, one of my resolutions is to enjoy more along the journey and ensure that I look around versus just keeping my head down; simply enjoy life and some of the small beauties that are each day.  Anyone else in with me?  An example or two is coming....  Can you feel it?

At the end of the year and first week of 2010 we had the "blue" moon.  I was delighted to just sit on the front porch with a cup of coffee that morning and relish in the beauty of it.  Here is a snap on that cold winter morning in Comfort...   Isn't that moon incredible.  The picture doesn't really capture the amazing color (a dusky purple and almost turquoise) of the sky and the incredible stillness of the early dawn and the sounds of our little town waking up.

Another fun example was on a recent trip to Kerrville to visit Creations - we went past the "Watering Hole" a local bar, and there was a horse waiting amongst cars for their owner inside to have a beer.  Good old Texas.

As you can imagine, the last couple of weeks of the year is a busy time for any retail shop.  We had inventory and also a new computer system to bring up.  As Mom and I are often thinking of things outside of our projects at hand - we popped out one day and bought the shop a Christmas present - and it was a fireplace!  We really felt that the warmth needed to be brought up a notch!  We hope you enjoy.  Please know the heat of the faux fireplace is toasty - so if it gets too much, no worries we can just adjust it's fan.  Neato!

Did I say inventory in that last paragraph.  Boy, I really didn't realize how much we have grown in the past year.  We do have quite a stock of yarns, patterns, and stuff.  You really learn it when you touch each piece and affix a barcode.  However, during inventory, we rediscovered some gorgeous yarns that had less than desirable spots - and we took time to really review what we had - and we have some great stuff.  As you can imagine - Mom still is finding great new items to purchase, so there is even "mo better" yarn arriving every day!  In a nutshell - if you haven't been by recently - stop by, bring your knitting, warm yourself by the fireplace - and enjoy the shop we have built!

Now to close, I am going to come back to what I believe I do well - enjoy the wonder of my family.  First out is Mom.  She is simply amazing.  During our inventory efforts - she had taken a break and was on the computer ordering online.  Yes, this is a common site - so not much was thought of it.   I arrived on Saturday early morning to Mom with a huge smile and a very, very clean car.  To her car she has affixed two magnets that speak to the fun she had that day online.  As you can imagine - we have had multiple requests for bumper stickers...and a lot of laughter. 

Now to the part that I think everyone really reads the blog for...Noro and Laurel.   The shop cats are so fun - and I obviously am a proud cat parent in that I take a lot of pictures of these guys.  My poor human family is rarely  captured - but the cats are frequently the stars of the show.  These pictures were taken during the busy time of inventory - the kids are just so tired from all the efforts of counting on small paws....

  Here is Noro on Noro....

...and Laurel on Ms. Bab's Yowza!       

 
Happy Knit Year!  Don't forget to enjoy the small joys each day...and of course knit.