News from the Nest, October 31
Happy Halloween, my spooky friends!
I saw this on my friend Jen’s Facebook page and immediately and emphatically tapped the ❤. I did a little research on Steve Garnass-Holmes, to whom this quote was attributed. He has written many spiritual poems, and my gut is that this quote was an interpretation of one of his lengthier poems. But it is pretty perfect!
Halloween: A Day When We Get it Right.
Strangers come to us
beautiful, ugly, odd or scary,
and we accept them all
without question,
compliment them,
treat them kindly,
and give them good things.
Steve Garnass-Holmes
new on the blog
O.K., Just a warning that this might cause a bit of calendar whiplash. I know we were just talking about Halloween, but…
- Don’t you just love these little Knit Gnome Christmas Tree Ornaments?
Table of Contents
(Quick Aside: Couldn’t they just as easily be called Knit Knomes or Gnit Gnomes? No wonder the English language gives some folks the fits!)
Back to the Knit Gnomes…I’m trying to use up the bits and bobs of yarn that fill my office/craft room. Besides buying a small bit of fur and the little noses (which could be knit, too), these little guys were made with various yarns I already had. You really don’t see the bodies/heads under all the fur, so it doesn’t matter what color you make them or if they end up being multi-colored (like mine are).
And get creative with the hats! I made mine with different stripe patterns to give them their own identity! And if you pull the hat down around the nose more, it gives your little gnome a little bit of a ‘bad boy’ look.
- Need a refresher on or want to learn how to knit with double-pointed needles? I’ve got you covered! Check out How to Knit in the Round with Double-Pointed Needles.
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thanksgiving
Oops, here’s that whiplash again! It’s that time of the year when we have three holidays in a short span of time!
- Sharpen your kitchen knives before Thanksgiving! I found a mobile knife sharpener in my area and have him scheduled to come this morning! Nothing better than sharp knives before all the carving of things begins. And I especially love that I don’t have to drop them off. I coordinated with several of my neighbors, and so he will pop into seven houses on our small cul-de-sac.
- Print off this Thanksgiving Planner to help organize your preparations. I’m not promising you’ll be sitting back eating bonbons on Thanksgiving day, but being prepared and organized will certainly help bring down the stress of the day.
- Use a small teapot to serve your gravy!
- Are you in charge of gravy? Go ahead and make this Turkey Stock now for the best gravy on Thanksgiving day! And it isn’t just for gravy! We also use it after Thanksgiving for this low-fat but creamy Turkey Soup.
- If you have a large gathering, consider a dessert table with some mini desserts like these mini pecan pies! All the deliciousness without a ton of guilt.
- If you will be a guest at a Thanksgiving or Friendsgiving meal, print off some of these wine tags to take with your bottle of wine.
- Need a unique centerpiece that you could put together today (in 5 minutes) that will still be lovely for your Thanksgiving table? Shop your yard (or your neighbor’s) and make one of these Pumpkin Succulent Planters.
- It’s a good time to clean out and organize your fridge and freezer to accommodate space for what’s coming.
- You can’t beat these little leaf-shaped cheese crackers for a seasonal treat!
- You can prepare the batter of these Pumpkin Spice Donut Holes the night before and be the most popular person on Thanksgiving morning.
bits and bobs
- Does your guest room need a refresher? Simple sewing skills are all that are needed for this easy and very accommodating bedskirt and these pillow shams. Also, check out these tips for welcoming houseguests.
- I love our readers and their suggestions! I’m all about crowd-sourcing ideas and tips. Karen read of my decluttering challenge, given Terry’s reluctance to part with his busting-at-the-seams t-shirt inventory, and shared this idea. If you or your family memory are challenged with parting with sentimental t-shirts, make a quilt of them!
more knitting things
- Katie knit the Grace (Rosebuds and Ruffles) blanket using Plymouth Yarn Encore in Baby Pink (of course!) She hasn’t blocked it quite yet, but she did a great job. And don’t you just love the ruffles!!!!????
If you want to learn how to knit or are looking to brush up on your knitting skills and knowledge, pop over to the How to Knit page, which houses all of the posts that teach knitting skills. Or, you could go ahead and visit each one by clicking the links below.
All About Knitting
- All About Yarn, including different fibers and weights, how to read a yarn label, and a Yarn Weights Chart
- All About Knitting Needles, including material, sizes, styles, and a Needle Conversion Chart.
- How to Cast On Using the Long-Tail Method, including calculating how much yarn is needed to cast on and how to make a slip knot.
- How to Knit the Knit Stitch
- How to Knit the Purl Stitch
- How to Knit the Seed Stitch
- How to Bind Off, including how to weave in your loose ends.
- How to Read a Knit Pattern, including a Common Knitting Abbreviations Chart.
- This simple Garter Knit Dishcloth will let you put all your new skills to good use!
- How to Block Your Knitting.
- Common Knit Errors; How to Prevent or Diagnose and Fix Them
- Join yarn using the Russian Join
- How to seam pieces of knit fabric with the Mattress Stitch (for sweaters, tops, pillows, etc…)
- How to Knit in the Round with Circular Needles
- How to Knit in the Round with Double-Pointed Needles
- How to Knit in the Round using the Magic Loop Technique.
- Organize Your Knitting with these free printables.
- Check out our Gift Ideas for Knitters.
one more whiplash moment!
Of course, everyone knows that the best deals for artificial Christmas trees are on Halloween, right? Truthfully news to me, but if you are in the market for a good artificial tree this year, King of Christmas is having a Halloween sale, and I noticed some were close to 40% off.
have a great day, my friends!
My schedule is packed this week, so I’m off to start chipping away at it. I hope your day and your week are fantastic! I’ll see you in November! 😉
Hugs,
For Thanksgiving and other big meAl gatherings I like to cook ahead as much as possible. To save space in the freezer I use freezer bags rather than containers. I spread things out in single layers. Even sauces spread thin. When I need something I can break off just exactly as much as I need with my fingers.
That is a brilliant suggestion Rita! I will share that with our readers next week. I love the sharing of ideas that goes on at Nourish and Nestle.
Hugs, Lynn