I'm Ready To Roll

My fingers have defrosted at last (see post below this one) and I have made 120 chains. The first few rows are always finicky but once past that hurdle it's "flying fingers fun!" It's going to be a plain single crochet stitch as I have two other crochet projects on the go, using a "ridge" and "bobble" stitch. I have to concentrate so much on those that I want to watch TV while making this blanket. I can't remember how I used to make a knot to begin the chain but I now use the one shown on "The Art Of Crochet". If you love crochet go have a look, she has so many great projects and easy to follow videos.

Blown Away

My eyes are watering...finally getting some feeling in my cheeks, I made the mistake of going outside in this gusty frigid day without my scarf. It's 17 degrees with a wind chill of 4 degrees and wind gusts going above 40 mph. But I just had to take a look at the ocean and saw these poor Canada geese, not flying straight but sideways struggling against the wind. The waves are calm today but you can see the spume being blown away. It's the perfect day for beginning a craft project and as soon as my fingers work properly I'm going to begin crocheting with the wool Jonathan gave me for Christmas.


Click on photo's to enlarge...you can see the geese better...the same for any photo on this blog.

Come For Tea

This is my cup and saucer collection. I love to drink out of a cup and saucer, I always have, the daintier the better. I have collected these over a number of years. Some are from my Mum, one from a lady I have adopted as my Grandmother (she is a collector too), she gave me one from her own collection. Gale, a woman I used to work for gave me one. One from a sister and one from a niece. I bought a couple myself from antique shops (I love antique shops!). The wee cabinet came from my brother John who got it at an antique shop. I love my collection, if I had a bigger apartment I would collect more!

By Christine Neary

The Red Slippers

I knitted these two wee hats thinking they would turn out to be two big hats for adults. But I may have used the wrong size needles so now they will fit a child. I will have to try again. I also knitted some slippers (see "Going Green" Slippers blog entry). These two items knit up very quickly, so if you have lots of slippers and hats to make then try these.

Hat Pattern:

Use 6.5 mm needles with bulky/chunky yarn.
Gauge: 12 st x 24 rows = 4" square.

Cast on 60 stitches (for slightly tighter hat, cast on 56 stitches and adjust following counts accordingly; a child's size should start 52 stitches).
Next 4 rows *K2, P2* repeat.
Next 16 rows stst to end.
To decrease:
*K2, K2tog* repeat to end (45 stitches on needle); purl row, knit row, purl row.
*K1, K2tog* repeat to end (30 stitches on needle); purl next row.
*K2tog* repeat to end (leaving 15 stitches on needle).
Purl row then cut yarn and draw end back through remaining stitches. This will leave a little hole in the top which will make it easier to attach a pompom. Sew the seam together from the inside of the hat.

By Christine Neary

Artwork By Logan Richman

These are a couple of drawings by Logan Richman, she is 9 years old soon to be 10. I take care of Logan and since she was little she has always liked to draw. When she was 5 years old we were sitting drawing and she would get upset because her drawings didn't look like mine. I would always tell her that the more she practiced the better she would get. Apart from that she was only 5 years old and by looking at these drawings, I would say she has improved a lot!

By Christine Neary

Orange You Glad To See Me?

You must all think I've got nothing to do! No, I have been busy all day, but between being busy one must reward ones self with a treat. I forgot I had this chocolate orange hidden away. You best take a slice before they're all gone!

Apple Blossom Amaryllis

A week before Christmas we received this "Apple Blossom" Amaryllis as a gift, she has been growing so quickly and today she bloomed.

Birdie Di-splayed

This is Birdie my eight year old parakeet who will stay in this unusual position for hours, even sleeping. It looks uncomfortable but she enjoys getting settled into this split. Finally someone took a photo of her for proof.

Jeo's Breakfast Pizza

This delicious and easy recipe is made for a 13x9 inch baking dish, adjust accordingly.

You will need:

2 containers of crescent rolls (any flavor and brand).
10 eggs.
Enough cheese to cover the top (any favorite cheese).
1/2 to 1 pound of bacon (cook before adding).
2 tablespoons of milk.
Salt and pepper (add as if flavoring your scrambled eggs).

Spread crescent roll dough on dish like a pie crust, going up the sides, leaving no holes. Whisk eggs, milk, salt and pepper together and pour into dish. Drop in cooked broken bacon. Top with grated cheese. Bake following the crescent roll directions. Crust should be golden brown, if eggs are not set cover the crust with tin foil and continue baking. This recipe is so easy to customize to your favorite things like using ham or vegitables or different spices.

By Jonathan Neary

Purple For Macklin

This purple blanket was crochet for a little girl I used to babysit for. Her name is Macklin and she now lives in Delaware. I made this for her Christmas. It was a single crochet stitch in her favorite colour. I did a scallop edge, the same as my yellow blanket. Once you get started it crochets up very quickly. Macklin loved it.

By Christine Neary.

"Going Green" Slippers

These are the slippers I made for Emma (a young girl I used to take care of). They are made of green organic wool as she is into saving the world. The colour is called pistachio. They knit up very quickly. There isn't much to it, plain stitch all the way. I made them a wee bit different by adding a charm on the front. It says peace and love, just perfect for Emma. Here is the pattern below.

Cast on 54 stitches.
Knit every row until the piece measures 5 inches.
Next row cast off 9 stitches, knit to end.
Next row cast off 9 stitches, knit to end.
Next row cast off 3 stitches, knit to end.
Next row cast off 3 stitches, knit to end.
Next row knit every row until measures 4 inches from the last 3 cast off stitches.
Next row knit 2 together to end of row.
Knit one row.
Next row knit 2 together to end of row.
7 stitches remaining.
Cut wool, thread through remaining stitches and sew slipper.

By Christine Neary.
Pattern from Betty McCreadie.

My Christmas Gift To Alcina

This is a crochet yellow blanket I made for my friend Alcina for Christmas. It is very simple to make. I started off with a thick yellow wool then I ran out of it and the wool shop didn't have any more left. So I chose a different yellow and it's texture was a lot thinner. It worked out pretty well with the thicker wool and when I finished the blanket it almost looked like lace. I usually put fringes on my blankets but this time I made a scallop by going into every third hole six times, it worked out pretty well. I gave Alcina the blanket for Christmas and she was delighted with it, she said she would treasure it forever so that's nice to know.

By Christine Neary

ME POEM By Amy McCreadie

I was on the ship at midnight

No storms in sight

I could hear a whisper

Far into the night

Nothing in sight but water so clear

It's getting louder I can hear

It's getting ever so closer by the minute

Then BANG across the sea

Nothing in sight but me

It's moving towards me I can feel it
Sssss, it's gone now or is it
Only I can tell.

Amy And Tilly

Copy That

I found this sticker on the bottom of a mixing bowl. Perhaps this label should go with every sewing and craft project I make, though most often than not it is only me who see's the mistakes.

So Good Their Bad

I can't stop eating this Christmas present. "Mrs. Prindables" caramel covered apples rolled in candy. It's my favorite apple, the granny smith, the combination of tart apple with caramel and sweet chocolate is amazing!

Farm Fresh Eggs

After reading an article about store bought eggs, I went on a search for real fresh eggs. Just because it says “fresh” on the box or “organic” means nothing, those eggs are up to two months old before they get to your fridge.

I tried many farm stands and country stores, but all of these places had their eggs in fridges already with no way to tell how long they had been there and often the yolks were pale and the whites were cloudy, a sure sign they had been around a while.

Then I discovered Iacona Farms in East Hampton, where you can see the actual chickens and speak to the people who collect the eggs every day. The eggs are a beautiful brown color, the yolks are bright and the whites are clear and they taste delicious.

By John Neary

Oh the Possibilities!

This lovely Christmas colored wool was one of my presents from Jonathan. I can't wait to begin crocheting something for myself. The wool is Red Heart super saver in claret and medium thyme.

Isle Of Arran

Home for the holidays on Isle of Arran, Scotland. Photo by Scott Bremner.

Holly Jolly Memories

For the holiday season I am asking my blog friends what is their favorite Christmas memory...this is Amanda Smith's memory.

"To this date I have had 19 Christmases. I can't remember a majority of them, just bits and pieces of different ones. The one Christmas I think I will always remember is the one of 2008, and not just because it is the most recent one, either. It was a notable one because it was the first Christmas in my new rebuilt house. We had no Christmas decorations anymore, the fire had claimed them all. Because of that, my mom decided to give me her Christmas village--which she had been collecting pieces for for years. I always admired it, she always set it up so nicely every year. Along with the village she also handed down some of her ornaments that she had had for years. I now think that all of those things will be family heir items. They were very special to her and are just as special to me. Also during this Christmas...my cousin Jeffrey, who is like a brother to me now, had moved into the house as well and loves decorating as much as I do. So we went out and bought as much stuff as we could with what little amount we had to spend. We were up all night decorating all of the living room, outside, and a little upstairs. What really made this Christmas memorable, at least for me, was that every Christmas I could remember, we had a fake tree. Since my dad knew how much I had wanted a real one, he went out and got one. The smell of fresh pine illuminated the whole Christmas aura of the house. Luckily this year, we have continued the new tradition of having a real tree."

Breakfast Of Chocolate Champions

Some people start the day with a cup of coffee or tea. I must have my hot chocolate! Humid Summers, chilly winters I sip my hot chocolate with relish every day. My little brother got me this mug from the Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut. I make my hot chocolate from scratch using Ghirardelli double chocolate flavor cocoa with milk and heavy whipping cream. A luxury is Williams-Sonoma peppermint hot chocolate made with real chocolate shavings, it is very expensive so just a spoonful added to the cocoa. I've just finished my mugful, using a spoon to scrape the bits of chocolate from the rim...ahhh tomorrow morning...

Holly Jolly Memories

For the holiday season I am asking my blog friends their favorite Christmas memory...this is Scott Bremner's memory.

"My first Christmas memory is hearing Santa on the roof of the house after he dropped pajamas through our loft hatch. I was seven years old and my little brother Paul was three. It was when I lived on Isle of Arran. My favorite Christmas song is Last Christmas by Wham."

My Friend The Robin

When I was a gardener working in England many years ago, I had a friend, a robin. Whenever I was digging in the vegetable garden, I would stand an extra spade close to me and my little friend would come and sit on the handle, and whenever I turned over
the soil that had a worm in it, he would jump down and gobble it up then fly back up to the handle and wait for the next one. He was fat and had a big red breast and he stayed with me all that year. He was cool.

By John Neary

Holly Jolly Memories

For the holiday season I am asking my blog friends what is their favorite Christmas memory...this is John Neary's memory.

"One of my youngest Christmas memories is when I was six or seven years old. We were lucky to have a TV at home, a black and white one of course, it was 1959ish, and there was a lot of cowboy movies from America on TV, and I, like all of the boys I knew, wanted to be cowboys. That Christmas, my parents got me a cowboy outfit, it had everything, two six guns, a rifle, chaps, a cowboy hat and a vest with fringes. I remember getting dressed up in my new cowboy outfit, with the help of my dad and I remember him telling me not to stand the rifle against the wall barrel down, he said it would fall over and I might accidentally shoot someone. I was reluctant to go out of the house all dressed up but I soon figured out that a pillow tied over the foot board of my bed, like a saddle, made a great horse. I fought many Indians that winter, rode across many prairies and my trusty steed never let me down. Happy memories."

Sunset On Georgica Beach

In the summer, people flock to Georgica beach for sunbathing, swimming and sand castles. The beach is just as beautiful in the winter with the sun now setting on the water. There may be much fewer people but the views are still breathtaking.

Holly Jolly Memories

For the holiday season I am asking my blog friends what is their favorite memory of Christmas...this is Christine's memory.

"I would have to say one (or many) of my favorite Christmas memories was when I lived in Glasgow. I may have been about 6 or 7 years old the year I received my cot for my new doll. I remember writing out my list for Santa on Christmas eve and my Mum took the wee letter and my sister Kathleen's too. We watched as she put it up the chimney (we called it the lum) so Santa would get it and read our list. We then went to bed. I was very excited because that was when I believed in Santa. I imagined him squeezing down our chimney and not giving any thought to the fire below and drinking the milk and biscuits my Mum had put out for him. When I went to bed every noise I heard I thought it must be Santa and I was afraid to move in case he heard me. When I woke up in the morning I looked at the bottom of my bed to see if I had a stocking with goodies in it and there was an orange, some sweeties and a wee toy, that was exciting enough. Then I ran into the sitting room with my sister and there was my new life sized blue cot with a new doll. There was a knitted blanket in it which I think my Mum knitted. I remember putting my new doll in the cot to go to sleep, it was a great feeling to know that Santa knew what I wanted and I got it. I believed in Santa for quite a few years."

Holly Jolly Memories

For the holiday season I am asking my blog friends what is their favorite memory of Christmas...this is Suzy's memory.

"I have many childhood memories of toys and surprises but the one I remember fondly was as an adult in the mid 1990's on the night of Christmas eve it began to snow. I went outside into our field that was surrounded by woods and just roamed around enjoying the peaceful feeling the snowfall gave. It was the first time we had a white Christmas. Though it was not a dramatic moment it affected me even after all these years."

First Snow For Chopper

This is the adorable doberman puppy my brother Stefan got this November

A Welcome Splash Of Color In Fall

Photographs By John Neary