A Little Introspection, Ellen!

Those of us who knit know that all our thoughts get knit into the things we make. While knitting along many thoughts pass through our minds - some stick, some we let pass. I've noticed recently that my life has taken many different turns and brought many different people my way. I credit some of this to the process of knitting.

One of the thought lines that has stuck with me since I started knitting children's sweaters (which I never expected to be doing by the way!) is: What have I learned from my children? When I dug a little deeper and began to reminisce, I discovered that I've learned a great deal from them!  

Here's the short list (not necessarily in the order I learned them!):

1. A dog can be your very best friend.

2. Don't be afraid to travel alone. You learn a lot about yourself that way.

3. Beauty is not how large or small your body is - it's how you treat people.

4. Fight fair - no name calling. Don't stay mad for long.

5. Coffee shop visits can be good for the soul.

6. Anyone can wear red lipstick if they do it right.

7. A cup of fancy tea can make everything right with the world.

8. Have a nap when you feel tired.

9. Olive oil, salt and pepper is the best salad dressing.

10. When you are little, it's okay to wear your new boots to bed. (Maybe it's okay at any age.) :-)

11. Take lots of pictures, print the good ones and keep them.

12. It's super cool if your socks match your top.

13. Bright colours are the best.

14. Knees/legs with flowers water-painted on them look great.

15. You really can kiss the sting out of a scratch.

16. Take care of your skin. 

As you can imagine, that list could easily be twice or three times longer than it is, but those were the immediate things that came to mind and thought I'd share them with you.

The children's sweaters are slowly getting finished and Ellen is happy to participate in holding them for a photo. I've used Patons 100% Superwash wool for the two boys sweaters featured below. Very nice yarn and soft enough for it to become a kid's favourite sweater!

Sweaters...Autumn...homemade compote. It all seems to go together so well. This week I found a giant bag of fresh cranberries at the grocery store, so now I have to find ways to use them up. Today I made up a cranberry compote recipe. The end result turned out pretty good, if I do say so myself.

Here's the recipe:

2 cups fresh cranberries
3/4 cup fresh raspberries
2 clementines (peeled and sectioned)
1 teaspoon grated clementine rind
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
small piece of ginger grated (probably equal to 1/2 teaspoon)

Place all ingredients in a pot and place over low heat. Let simmer, stirring occasionally, until most of the cranberries have popped and the raspberries are no longer whole. I like compote to be tart, but if you like it sweet, by all means add more sugar.

A bit of a long-winded post today but not as many pictures. There's an old saying that says, "A change is as good as a rest." We'll go with that for today!  :-)

Boys raglan sleeve.
Machine knit with hand finished edges

Boys square sleeve.
Machine knit with hand finished edges.

Cranberry compote atop brown rice cake with almond butter. Yum!