Cricket in a Biscuit

After all the last minute rushing and prep, Christmas finally arrived! I hope yours was merry. We enjoyed time spent with family, and it was a happy holiday, indeed. With the gifts safely delivered, I can show you what I've been working on. The big knitting project which claimed not one, but two of my interchangeable cables was a baby blanket for my nephew, Cooper, who will be arriving this spring. The pattern by Marie Grace Smith is one I've been wanting to make forever, but I allow Darren's input on a lot of my baby projects, and he kept vetoing this one. One day, though, I walked into Jo-Ann Fabrics and these yarns just called to me. The pattern recommends a solid color, fingering weight. Of course, the yarn I chose is worsted weight, not even close to the same, but they were the perfect neutrals; it just seemed right. The nice thing about blankets, they are a simple shape, so the yarn weight really doesn't matter. Just knit until it is the right size. This blank...

Many years ago, there was a candy shop in Duluth, which was owned by my maternal great-grandfather. Though it has been closed for decades, the candy tradition has been passed down through the family. Every Christmas, we start churning out sweet treats by the pound, which is what I was busy doing this weekend. My sister and I happened to have the same weekend free — anyone else have totally insane December schedule this year?! — and we enjoyed spending the time with our mom. We all use the same core recipes: English toffee, caramel, and chocolate covered cherries, but over time we've each developed our own twist. Mine is sea salt toffee with dark chocolate. My sister likes to add turtles to her selection, and my brother's family has ventured into the white chocolate territory. Last year, my mom found the old family recipe for butterscotch, which was pretty good. I would not be sad if those became a regular feature! You're probably wondering if I'm going to share s...

There comes a time each year when I have to get real about what can actually be accomplished before Christmas. This week was that time. I create so much unneeded stress by trying to do all of the things; it is almost a relief to realize certain things are not going to happen and just let them go. It is possible I could finish my big knitting project by Christmas if I really commit. You might remember from last week , the project was derailed by an interchangeable cable failure. If there is one thing I want to finish in time, it is this project, so I found a way to keep knitting. It isn't pretty, but it works! Instead of one circular needle with a long cable, which would be ideal, I'm using three shorter needles. The first Frankensock , my answer to last week's sock woes, is finished. It fits, which is a nice change, but there is room for improvement. Observing all the feverish sock knitting as of late, the kids each requested a pair of socks for Christmas. That wi...