Me: Good morning!!

(awkward silence)

Me:  Oh dear... have I come to my senses?

My Reply to Myself: Sorry, but no, you are still talking to yourself. 

Me:  Oh well...  I hope someone shows up soon. 

Today it's all about knitting as promised!

So long story, short. 

I have made DH several scarfs over the years.  We were out a few weeks ago and I noticed (gasp!!!) a hole in his cashmere scarf, so darn, darn, darn...  That made me curious, and you know curiosity killed the cat.  I went to the coat closet and removed all the woolen scarves and began to examine them and you know I only found one other scarf that was math eaten.  Can I just say "Thank you GOD!!"

Let me insert here scarves have been hand laundered in gentle washing soap and sprayed with the essential oil lavender to ward off any more holes created by moths.

Back to the darning...  no matter how I darned, it showed, so I took a little snip at the bind off edge, unraveled and began to re-knit his cashmere scarf.  It is now complete and was worn just this weekend. 

Pictures of the recreation? 

My Reply to Myself:  Sorry, no.  Maybe another day.  I do however have pictures of the second woolen scarf I discovered with those pesky holes.

Me:  Did you snip it too?

My Reply to Myself:  Yep!  I sure did.  I knit a few different patterns before I finally decided, I would try the mistake rib stitch.  I tried several different needle sizes too, and I finally landed on US size 8, 5.0mm needles.  The yarn is a worsted weight wool.

Me:  I was telling this story...

My Reply to Myself: Excuse me!!  go right ahead...

Me:  I believe I will. 

I worked on the scarf yesterday and I took pictures to share with you too!!  That is if there is really a you out there lurking quietly so you won't be noticed. 

Like my said, I did try several different needle sized and stitch patterns before settling on the mistake rib stitch for this particular project.  I like the result of the US size 15, 10mm  needles, but not for a man's scarf.  I may think about ladies scarf using the  US size 15, 10mm needles, because it gave an airy, feel to the scarf and did not seem masculine at all.

So I finally settled on the US size 8, 5.0mm needles, for the worsted weight yarn in black for DH's new/re-knit scarf, because it yielded a heavier result that I believe will be warm and worn often.

Oops!  I said short and I am going on and on.  Let me get down to business.

Here is my pattern for this particular mistake rib scarf:

You will need:  US size 8, 5.0mm needles, your choice worsted weight yarn (the old scarf weighed ), and a yarn needle
Gauge:  Sts X Rows = 4 inches (not terribly important since this is a scarf)

Pattern stitch:
The mistake rib stitch  is a repeat of 4 stitches +1
K2, P2 across to last stitch, K1

NOTE: I slip the first stitch of each row because it seems to give a cleaner edge to the scarf.

Instructions:
Cast on 51 stitches

Row 1:  Sl1 as if to knit, K1, K2, *K2, P2* repeat from * to * to last stitch K1
Repeat Row 1 until your scarf is as long as you would like. 

I will update this post when I complete the scarf with more exacts.  Below are pictures of the scarf on the needles.

 

If you are looking for an easy to knit scarf that will be warm you might like to give this a try!

Hope you have a wonderful day today and find a few minutes to relax ans knit a few stitches.

See you tomorrow!

Debbie

Me: Where are those chocolate covered potato chips?

Reply to Myself: What ARE you talking about? I have been outside on the porch knitting in this lovely weather and now I am sitting here at the computer working on a blog post.

Me: You know exactly what I am talking about… I’ve got pictures to prove it!!  Would you like to see?
I wanted something salty, so I grabbed a bag of chips from the pantry and then I thought well… maybe not… maybe I really want something chocolate so back to the pantry. Wouldn’t you know it, no chocolate, except some semi sweet chocolate chips.

So as I so often do, I said to myself: “What do you think we can do with this?”

And this is what we did:

I grabbed a few more things

This is what you will need if you want to have chocolate covered potato chips for a snack.

small microwave safe bowl

1/2 cup measuring device

semi sweet chocolate chips

some chips - as you can see I had wavy on hand

wax paper (not pictured) - cause I didn't think of that until I needed it to lay the chocolate covered chips on... duh...





After I grabbed most of  what I needed, I measured 1/2 cup of the chocolate chips into the measuring cup

See:

 



Then I poured the chocolate chips into my small microwave safe bowl



Then I put the bowl in the microwave on high for 30 seconds.  I did this twice.  Now...  I just want to say don't get impatient and put them in for a full minute.  If you do, your chocolate will burn and trust me.  Burnt chocolate is NOT good.  It will be a nasty mess and you will have to start all over... 

Ok.  Now take the bowl out of the microwave and stir.  When you take the bowl out after two 30 second turns in the microwave, it should look something like this...



Stir this until it looks something like this.



Now you need to put the bowl in the microwave for 15 second intervals stirring between each 15 second interval until the chocolate chips look something like this.

Now dip your chips and lay them on some wax paper to allow the chocolate to harden.

 

They look Yummy!! 

When the chocolate is no longer soft, you can put them in a bowl and serve them OR you can just eat them off the wax paper. (grin)

Let me run get one and see if they are any good, I'll be right back...  this is what I found...



I didn't get any!!  Where did they go!!  They must have been good.  Hope you like them too!

Tomorrow, I will show you one of the things I have on the needles.  So be sure and join me for some knitting talk.

Debbie

Me: Hello!! So glad you could make it today.

MY REPLY TO ME: Me too!! I am glad to be back in the swing of things. So... what do you say, let's get this blog going again!?

ME: Great!! Since it has been a while let's take a minute to review. If you want a more detailed writing check out the original postings.

Here we go:

1. Research and Plan
a. make a list
b. make a decision
c. purchase a day planner
d. plan daily and stick to the plan
e. follow the 6 most important tasks rule
f. prioritize
g. delegate
h. follow through
2. Reduce Clutter
3. Write it down! NOW not later!!!
4. Make a decision and act on it
5. A place for everything and everything in its place.
6. Put it away NOW, not later!
7. Clean as you go
8. Multi Task

That bring us up to date... Whew!!

Now for my last getting organized and staying organized tip.

Tip #9

Develop a routine/system.

Once you find a place for everything and have everything in its place, it is easy to sit back, relax, and enjoy the beauty of your de-cluttered environment. BUT don’t do it! Treat yourself with a reward and move on. It is very important that you continue to develop the habits you have been forming over the past few days, weeks, even months.

If you just sit back and relax, before you know it disorganization and clutter will creep back in your lovely home and take up residence once again.

We have discussed systems and routines in some of our secrets. A planner is one system. The inbox is also an example of a system and a routine for all incoming paper. A daily division of cleaning is another example of a system and a routine for maintaining a clean home environment.

In order to get organized and stay organized it is vital to have systems that have specific procedures and guidelines that can become routines in your daily lifestyle. It is a good idea to write out each system so that you can make them simple, efficient, and fit your lifestyle. You know what they say; KISS – Keep It Simple Sister! Avoid extra steps, anything that will require more effort. We all like things quick and simple.

Make sure your systems and routines work with your kid’s schedules, running errands, household chores, laundry, office time, mail, exercise, family time, your personal quiet time and any other area of your life that you can think of.

When you have your systems and routines in place things should flow smoothly. You need to be dedicated to doing a little each day once you are organized, so you will stay organized, so you can relax each day and enjoy your clutter free organized home.

WOW!! How time flies...

It has been quite a long span since my last post!!

Well, let's not cry over spilt milk. Let's just pick up where we left off and get on with the getting organized tips.

But first I want to share a few photos of what I accomplished while the blog was neglected.

This is a scarf and earwarmer set I whipped up.

A slouchy hat I designed for fun.

Ahh... a cup cozy for valentines day.

Another Slouchy hat. This time knit in a worsted weight yarn.

And yes, you know I could not leave out the precious little one. You can probably tell, she didn't really want her picture taken, she was trying to watch the Superbowl in her team sweater.

That's what I have been knitting. What have you been knitting?

I'd love to hear from you!

Let's talk again on Monday! Don't forget to bring your favorite morning drink and join me for an organizational tip and maybe a little talk about knitting, or crocheting, or beading, or... you never know what might be on my mind.

I'm lookiong forward to our time together.

Thanks for dropping in today.

Debbie