Current Knitting Projects, Brownie Recipe, and a Surprise Revealed!

Last week, as you may have noticed, I took a break. I have been dealing with some health issues, and when I made a list of all that I needed to accomplish a week ago, my husband said, “Let go of the blog post. If anyone calls you asking where it is, you can say that you have been sick and took some time off.” And so, I let it go. I often am the one who puts the most pressure on myself. And I didn’t hear from any of you…

As I mentioned last month, I have started knitting more again. And I now have several projects going, which I am sharing with you today for inspiration. Maybe if they turn out well, I can share patterns. For now, I will show you the beginning, and I will let you know how they turn out.

The first project I started this fall and shared a picture of in a previous post will be a throw blanket if I am successful.

The second project I started is for my youngest niece—I am hoping that it will work as a poncho, and if it does, I will make 2 more for her older sisters.

And the third project is making hats for my daughters out of this yellow and red yarn (colors that they chose). They have outgrown the hats my mom crocheted for them, and so I am knitting hats for the first time. The yellow one is for Emma, and it looks really small, but because of the ribbing stitch, it will stretch. Again, I am not following a pattern—just taking measurements and figuring it out as I go.

Progress so far…

And view from the bottom of the hat.

Why do I have so many projects started? Well, I am trying to knit whenever possible, which means that I like to have a project whenever I have a moment. Also, some projects I want to complete sooner than others. The blue throw project is beside my rocking chair (and I estimate that it will take me about a year to complete). I would like to get ponchos made for my nieces to wear this fall/winter. And the hats are an urgent need since it is getting cooler, and the girls want to keep warm this fall. When I spent the day on Friday at the hospital for a doctor’s appointment and tests, the knitting project I took along kept me occupied and relaxed. And because I am trying to take more breaks during the day at home to sit on the recliner sofa, I like having a project right there, too, to pick up and knit during my breaks.

Another project going on in the house right now is not even my own. Last week, Ellie was playing with dolls and was inspired by the machine embroidery on the doll’s shirt to start her own stitching project. I provided the supplies and have threaded needles and tied knots for her, but have given no design assistance whatsoever. My heart nearly bursts with happiness as I watch her sit and stitch either listening to an audiobook or as she listens to me read. And sometimes, we just sit together—I knit and she stitches. Considering that she is only 5, I think she has a lot of potential! I told her that I want to frame this or make something special out of it to keep as her first free-hand embroidery project.

And finally, here is the preview for the mini-collection release that I told you about a few posts ago. Note, this is not the blue and green palette that I have been working on…this collection is a limited edition and it looks right for this time of year…I will only have a few of these zipper pouches available, and when they are gone, they are gone. The one pictured below is the only one with a coral zipper, the other zippers will be yellow and green. I don’t have the supplies to make more like these at this time.

Here the zipper pouch is pictured with my husband’s vintage art supplies, but it can be used for anything that needs to be kept in a handy storage bag.

And if you are a subscriber, I will be sending you a discount code, and link to purchase these before I make them available to the public this week.

And last of all, I am sharing a link to a brownie recipe that I made for my family yesterday. I was hungry for some gooey, chocolatey goodness, but I also wanted to eat something that wasn’t loaded with unhealthy ingredients, and so I made this recipe from Nourishing Meals: Chocolate Walnut Brownies. Yum!

Happy Monday!