The Most Wonderful Day Of The Year!

Posted on September 3, 2013 by Deborah

Bwahahahahaha…the kidlets head back to school today. Thank goodness the running amok all day long, screeching like banshees is done with for another summer.

I don’t like children very much. I tolerate them at best. They are loud. They can be smelly. They can definitely be dirty…and they ask WAY too many questions.

Why?

WHY?

I don’t know why! Go ask your father!

So in honour of today’s special day (Back to School Day), I am spending the day in my jammies, knitting, reading, skinning and chopping tomatoes for sauce along with making one last batch of peach jalapeño … Read more...

What I Did On My Summer Vacation

Posted on August 19, 2013 by Deborah

I am back from Vacation. Did you miss me? I hope so.

I love vacations. They allow you to spoil yourself with too much food, too many spirits, too many late nights and too many days sleeping in. All that spoiling leads to weight gain and a vacation hangover of monumental proportions.

Time to get back in control before I become the eighth Dwarf named Glutton.

I did accomplish quite a bit of stuff around the Homestead though. The gardens kept me busy picking and weeding, along with herbs being trimmed, washed and hung to dry. With the bounty … Read more...

Chapter 3 of the Homestead Vacation

Posted on July 25, 2013 by Deborah

Diary of a Homestead Vacation continued from Chapter 2 (review past post here)

Three seasons of the year I love to cozy up in sweaters and I realized I didn’t have a knitted cardigan anywhere in my closet. I have a zip up hoodie and a few pullovers, but no actual cardigan style sweater. Pullovers are ok if you are layering to head out in -25C winter weather, but for spring & fall, I need something to ward off the chill without ending up feeling smothered like pullovers are prone to do, along with being quick to shrug … Read more...

Mexico…Here I Come!

Posted on June 12, 2013 by Deborah

OK..maybe not at this very instant….but hopefully in the middle of the winter that will be here all too soon. I can hope, pray, beg and plead and maybe, maybe…I will get to go…..

Meanwhile, for those that follow me on Facebook (if you don’t, here is the link: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Northern-Homestead/110250042496781) you know that I started my latest knitting project a couple weeks ago (yes, I still have the knitting bug).

I came across this gorgeous pattern on the Ravelry site, (seriously, if you have never been to this site and are an avid knitter/crochet person, you are missing … Read more...

The Best of April

Posted on May 1, 2013 by Deborah

ZOOOM…… Another month whizzes by like a kid on a skateboard. Where the heck does the time go? Although I am pretty darn happy, no wait, I am ecstatic even… to be rid of April. April Showers, April Snows, April Hails, April High Winds, Mother Nature threw the book at us in April. She apparently is getting back at us from…what??? What’d we do to her??!! Don’t answer that…..

Instead, concentrate on being here in the infant stages of May wondering, praying, and hoping that Mother Nature will finally deliver the nice, warm, Spring weather and keep it here. She … Read more...

Elefantito

Posted on April 15, 2013 by Deborah

‘Elefantito‘ is Spanish for ‘Little Elephant’, and this adorable, knitted pachyderm will steal your heart and demand space on your bedside table, take centre stage in your living room, or become a cuddly inspiration on your desk.

I have just finished making this gray woolen softee for the daughter of a client. She is just shy of 2 years old, petite and cute as button and I found myself making it for her after I came across the pattern for it on Ravelry.

All told, I think it took me about 7 hours start to finish (over … Read more...

Anatomy of A Sock

Posted on April 10, 2013 by Deborah

Yup, this is another blog post about toe smotherers….first, let me preface this by saying that I have not, nor will I ever become a lover of socks, more like…I may actually tolerate them from this point forward now that I have completed 2 knitting torture projects.

Torture project # 1 if you recall was for my daughter. She loves socks, loves them so much she always has to have a gift box full of them under the Christmas tree every year. So it made sense that my first foray into attempting to knit a pair would go to her. … Read more...

Knitted Market Bag

Posted on April 8, 2013 by Deborah

This is one of those projects where size doesn’t matter…or gauge either. It can be knit on any size needles, but obviously, bigger is better to get a nice, large-holed, stretchy lace effect. Combined with sturdy cotton yarn, this market bag will last a long time, replacing the unnecessary and wasteful plastic shopping bags and is washable to boot!

I used up some remaining balls (3) of Bernat’s Handicrafter Cotton in an Apricot/Sand colour and it gives the finished product a nice, self-striping pattern. I used 5.5 mm (U.S. # 9) straight needles for the bag and 4.5 mm (U.S.# … Read more...

Giveaway Winner is….

Posted on April 2, 2013 by Deborah

Drum Roll please……Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat…

Kelly C. is the proud owner of 3 new Northern Homestead Dishcloths!

Congrats Kelly!
You will be contacted via email to obtain your mailing particulars.

Thanks for those that entered for a chance to win
Look for another great giveaway in a few months time!

For those that can’t wait and would like to knit their own dishcloths, click the hypertext link above to get to the easy-to-follow pattern.… Read more...

Giveaway Reminder!

Posted on April 1, 2013 by Deborah

Just a wee note to remind folks to drop a note in the comment section of the 200th Blog Post anniversary to enter to win a 3-pack of Hand-Knitted Northern Homestead Dishcloths.

These gorgeous dishcloths are made from 100% cotton and really are remarkably absorbent and durable, hubby actually endorses them…yes, he does the majority of the dishes at the Homestead as our house rule is whoever cooks, the other cleans up!

Click the link above and scroll down to leave a comment, the draw date is TOMORROW,
so you don’t want to miss out!… Read more...