Dove Grey wins out over Oatmeal

I posted a few posts ago that I had started knitting a cowl and didn't like the way it was turning out. The yarn was not chunky enough and the needles weren't the right size. I went to knitting group last night and found the perfect yarn!! It is a lovely light grey and made by Silenzio. I bought the size 13 needles the pattern recommended too but dropped it down to a size 10.5 US. Here are so pictures I took of it:

This is what the Cowl is going to look like when I get it done. It is called the Gap-Tastic Cowl from Ravelry.com.

Here is the yarn I'm using. Silenzio 90 Lt. Grey. You can see I just started the project.

Here is a closeup of the yarn.

Closeup of the start of my project.

I will show all of you the Cowl when it is done. I hopefully will get it done pretty quickly because the weather is changing back to cold here in Charlotte over the weekend.

If you are working on any project (knitting or not), let me know what you are working on!

Just a little of this and that!

Last night John and I went to Jenny and Kevin's for dinner. Of course, Owen was there too! Megan and Ken were invited also, which was a nice surprise! Jenny made a wonderful dinner of zucchini crabcakes, rice and a wonderful salad. For dessert she had cantaloupe and kiwi cut up in chunks, which was lovely!! She knows we are all trying to eat healthier and she succeeded with her dinner!

After we got home I picked up the cowl I am knitting and decided I really need to get different yarn, something more chunky and a different color. Tonight is my knitting group that meets at the local yarn shop in Mint Hill. I guess I will be making a purchase and I also realized I need 13 size needles too for this cowl. I'm thinking something in an oatmeal color or a nice dove grey!! We'll see what Sara has at the shop tonight.

Yesterday was a great day-visiting with family, eating a healthy dinner and then relaxing with John!

Hope everyone has a great day today!!

It Takes a Witch by Heather Blake

I was suppose to do this review on Friday and got distracted and forgot. I apologize!

Here is what amazon.com had to say about this book:

If Heather Blake's It Takes a Witch is any indication of mysteries to come in 2012, this stellar standout series debut has set the bar. high. Extremely high!

Blake has elevated the cozy/mystery/paranormal/amateur sleuth genre to platinum with this wickedly delicious first installment in the Wishcraft Mystery Series.

Darcy Merriweather and her sister, Harper, are descended from a lengthy succession of witches who have the power to grant wishes by casting spells. The Merriweather gals have landed at Enchanted Village in Salem, Massachusetts, to join the family business, but murder greets them shortly after arriving.

Darcy and Harper were enmeshed in dead-end jobs and going through the motions of everyday life until their aunt surprised them with a juicy family secret.... they're witches. Not just any `ole witch: Wishcrafters - witches with the capability to grant wishes with a simple spell.

Keen to start anew, the sisters travel to their aunt Velma's magic-themed tourist community to explore their recently discovered talent.

When wannabe witch, Alexandra Shively, is found laying on the ground with aunt Ve's scarf knotted tightly around her neck, and aunt Ve's honey, Sylar, kneeling beside her, things don't look so good for auntie's squeeze.

Aunt Ve's obstinately remaining in Sylar's corner, but Darcy overheard him wish that Alexandra would disappear for good. With Harper's attention diverted by her latest adoration, Darcy is inclined to discover the truth. Even if it'll take a bucket of wishes to get to the bottom of this beguiling mystery... Darcy's determined.

It Takes a Witch is an absorbing, entertaining, fast-paced -- not to mention hilarious - cozy. Blake wields a charming blend of laugh-out-loud moments, electrifying mystery components, enchanting paranormal elements , heart-thumping romance, vivacious characters, and an energetic plot. Love Pepe!

Now for those who know me, know I am a hardcore cover tart. Blake's cover has me pulling out my broom in the daylight doing flips. Stunning. I am pulled into Blake's hypnotizing world and want to drink green tea with Darcy, Harper and aunt Ve.

My Review of the Book:

I really loved this book and I'm glad there will be more since this is the first in a series! Bravo to Heather Blake!! Who wouldn't love this cute cozy for its witches, wishcrafters, murder, intrigue..... I normally don't read books in the genre, but I loved this one! I would high recommend it!

My New Knitting Projects

I have been knitting alot lately. I took a small break from knitting after Christmas. It was a very small break, probably a week! I received some really beautiful yarn from one of my knitting friends, Ginny. She is in my knitting group and a real sweetie! The yarn she gave me is by Dream. This is Smooshy which is a cashmere sock yarn, which is hand painted. The color is Nightwatch 220. I found a pattern of a shawl on ravelry.com called Summerflies. Here is a picture from ravelry of the shawl:

Here are pictures of what I've got done so far:

I am also working on a Cowl pattern called Gap-tastic Cowl. I guess the writer of this pattern figured out The Gap cowl and put her spin on it. This is what her Cowl looks like:

The yarn I am using for this project is Mini Mochi by Cascade Palace Yarn. Color 313. The colors are beautiful in this yarn. Here is a picture of the colors:

As you can see, I am not very far along on this project. I just started it today. If this works out some people will be getting this cowl (I will be using other yarns)for Christmas!

Well I'm off to knit!

What Beautiful Weather we are having here in NC!!!

The beginning of the week was freezing cold, I'm talking in the teens for us. Now the temp today hit 69!!! It is gorgeous out. I think there is rain coming our way though. I really enjoyed being out in the warm sunshine today. Think I'll take a walk with John before dinner!

We had a great breakfast with Megan and Ken today. We went to our favorite breakfast spot called Skillets!

Praise for Barnes and Noble. I had gotten a Color Nook about a year ago and the leather cover wasn't holding up the way I thought it should. It seemed to have buckled and there were some splits in the cover. I took the Nook and my original receipt to B&N today and they didn't hesitate at all they just replaced it with a new one! Gotta love that!!

Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend!!

Eating Healthy Really Works!

John and I have both been doing really well on eating healthier. We both have lost a pound already and it has only been 4 days. It really hasn't been that hard to do, we just have made different choices when we eat. We have also got some more exercise in but not too much. Just walking has really made a difference. We plan on continuing along on our eating healthy path together!

This weekend is suppose to be warmer than the beginning of this week so I'm hoping we could walk on the greenway near our house. I sit alot during the day at my job and then come home and knit, read or watch TV which doesn't help with the exercise thing either. Now the days are staying lighter later we can walk when we get home from work and not worry about being hit by a car!

I hope everyone has a great weekend! We might go to see War Horse or the new Sherlock Holmes movie. I will definitely be cleaning my jewelry area up-never got to that the other day! I hope I can start creating some more sparklies too for my etsy site. Take care!

Eating Healthier in 2012!

I know people make New Year Resolutions to diet, lose weight, exercise more, etc., etc. I have decided to eat healthier, not a resolution I just need to make some changes in my eating habits. I have lived in the South for about 7.5 years now and I have eaten more fried food in the past 7.5 yrs. than I have eating in my lifetime before that-LOL!! Now I love fried chicken just as much as as the next person, but I have started ordering grilled chicken again. I also need to add some fish or seafood to my diet (of course grilled, not fried). I have decided to cut out french fries and order more veggies or a baked potato (not loaded) instead. My daughter, Jenny told me about a website that will help me track my food and exercise and help me get to the weight I want to be. Here is the website in case you are interested: www.myfitnesspal.com. If you have an iphone, etc. you can sync it with your information from this site.

Now I really need to figure out how to get more exercise in my life also. I sit alot of the day at my computer at my job with some walking from one end of the building to the other but I need to do more. I am going to try and walk on my lunch hour or right before dinner when I get home. I might not be able to do this every day but atleast every other day would be good.

Wish me luck!!

Feather and Fan Scarf I Finished

Last year I started this scarf for myself. It is called Feather and Fan. I love this pattern and chose a wool and silk lovely skein of yarn from Brooks Farm Yarn. There website address is: www.brooksfarmyarn.com. The yarn line I used was Solo Silk. I bought this yarn when I was at SAFF (Southeastern Animal Fiber Fair) in the Fall of 2011. I love this yarn and the way my scarf turned out! If you are a knitter, you really should try this pattern and this year!