Snowflake Cushion

I have always wanted to knit more things for my home besides afghans.  I got this magazine about a month ago.  There are some cool patterns inside.  I find Debbie Bliss patterns easy to knit.  I have used some of her yarns also.  They're nice. 

 

In this magazine I found this pattern.

It's called Snowflake Cushion. 

I am not crazy about the red and black on cream color scheme.  I want something that will look nice on my sofa which is a light brown.

So I found these colors - country blue and chocolate.  I am using Caron Simply Soft.  I thought that by using an acrylic I could toss it in the washer if it got dirty.  Plus I have yet to find a yarn store here with a good selection of yarns.  At this point  (photo) I am only halfway done.  I wonder what kind of buttons I can find.  I love buttons. 

Sophia's Scarf Part 2

Here it is.  I think it came out nicely.  It is made from an angora blend so it will keep her neck warm but won't make it roast if she wears it for a decoration!  It's very pretty!  Now I can get back to the pillowcover I started or finishing the hat hat I started for myself.

Sophia's Scarf

I started this the other day.  We don't know if Sophia has a scarf or if she does where it is....the joys of moving and moving and moving. I found the directions on a free knitting pattern site but I don't remember which one.  I used 2 skeins of  Patons Angora Bamboo http://www.patonsyarns.com/product.php?LGC=angorabamboo and a size 9 (5.5 mm) needle.
Diagonal Stitch Scarf:
CO even Number of Stitches.  I used 24.
Knit 5 rows. Start Pattern.
Row 1: K1, * yo K2tog, repeat from *, K1
Row 2: Knit
Row 3: K2, * yo K2tog, repeat from *, K2
Row 4: Knit

Repeat Rows1-4 until desired length, end with Knit 5 rows. BO
CO=cast on
YO= yarn over the needle
K= knit
BO= Bind off

This is a great pattern.  Very easy.  Can be used with cotton yarn for the spring and summer.

Love to Knit Socks Giveaway

Love to Knit Socks Giveaway


Love to Knit Socks

By Bronwyn Lowenthal
Bring out your inner fashionista with this book that features 35 stylish sock, legwarmer and bootee patterns. As always, knitwear designer Bronwyn Lowenthal brings her innovative and unexpected ideas into her designs. Have you ever made knit flip flop socks? I didn’t think so. You’ll find that and more in this creative book, including a surprisingly sultry pattern you won’t believe until you see it for yourself.

Win this Love to Knit Socks book!


http://www.allfreeknitting.com/sweeps/love-to-knit-socks-giveaway

Christmas - Keep It Simple

As some of you know, we have moved three times since October 2009.  So we have very few decorations anymore.  What we do have is in our storage unit which is tiny.  I don't have the room to go through each box and look for things.

This is our tree.

I bought the tree and the trimmings at Hobby Lobby for about $18.  Everything was 50% off.

We live in a small apt. (on the 3rd floor - no elevators here) so we do not have room for a large tree. 

 Do we need a large tree? Not really. 

 It would be nice to have a real tree but I can't carry it up all these stairs.

Then having to buy all the decorations and carry them up.

And back down again after the holidays.

Why does our society always have to have the biggest and most expensive of everything?

Can we survive with just the basics?

Sure we can!

Baby Sweater

I made this baby sweater (I haven't mailed it yet) for a friend of my oldest daughter who just had a baby boy 2 weeks ago.  It was a very easy pattern.
 I found here. http://www.petitepurls.com/basics/b_garterhood.html
 I followed the directions except for knitting front.  I knitted both sides of the front after the split.  To me it's easier to knit both sides at once and then they are even.

Here's a photo of my knitting. You just need to attach another yarn to knit with.  I used the other end of the skein that I knitting from.  I also try to knit both sleeves at one time too.
Since this is a sweater for a new baby I chose to use an acrylic yarn so there is  no allergic reactions from yarn.  Acrylic can be thrown in the washer.  The yarn I used was Caron Simply Soft Eco.  It was nice to work with.

Beret Finished

 I finished the Beret last night. Sophia wore it all night and was out the door this morning with it on. Here are some crappy photos of her with the hat on. I ran down and got the camera out of the car this morning!! Maybe I will take a better photo when she comes home from school.

It was a really quick knit especially since I have been knitting the continental way. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuRLFl36tDY

The worst part was using double pointed needles at the end. 

So don't let this scare you away from trying this pattern!!

All Day Beret

Here's a photo of the beret from yesterday.  I took it with my phone. I think it looks really cool.  Sophia asked if I would get it finished today.  I will try.
I am using the yarn that the pattern is written for but you could use any #4 yarn.  This yarn called Bamboo Ewe is a blend of bamboo and wool.  It knits very nicely.  The only thing I don't like is you cannot throw it in the washer.

All Day Beret

I am knitting this hat for Sophia. http://www.stitchnationyarn.com/Patterns/free-pattern-all-day-beret.html

It's an easy knit in the round hat.  So far it's looking very pretty.  I will post a photo of my work. 

The camera is in the car so i have to remind Frank to bring it up tonight.

New Blog

Join me at my new food blog....http://isgrocooks.blogspot.com/

The End

Our shipment was finally delivered to my mom's house last Saturday. It was picked up in Italy in May.
Maybe when I get my computer back I will blog some of the photos that I never got to post from Sicily.

But since there weren't many people reading this blog, I doubt if I will continue.

Last Post for awhile

Telecom is turning off our telephone/internet connection this week. So I won't be able to post until we get back to the US!
Thanks for visiting....
9 days to go.

Went to the Beach

Over the weekend we went to the beach in Falcone. They have sand on the beach instead of the gravel that is everywhere else. On Saturday it was chilly due to the wind. Here's a little video to show you how windy it gets here!

The Castello Part 3

These are photos taken from the inside of the Castello.

The courtyard

A beautiful mosaic

Under the tower

A Cross.

water!

The Sacristy

Cannon balls???

I did not get any photos of the inside of the church because
there was a service going on. It was beautiful as usual!

Festa della Repubblica

The Festa della Repubblica is celebrated on the second day of June, and it commemorates the institutional referendum of 1946 when (by universal suffrage) the Italian population was called to decide what form of government (monarchy or republic) to give to the country after World War II and the fall of Fascism.

After 85 years of monarchy, with 12,717,923 votes for and 10,719,284 votes against, Italy became a Republic, and the monarchs of the House of Savoy were deposed and exiled. This is one of the most important Italian public holidays which, like July 14 in France and July 4 in the USA, celebrates the birth of the nation. A grand military parade is held in central Rome.

The Castello Part 2

The restaurant we went to was near and named for a local castello. In the last post was a video as we drove up the mountain towards it. Here are some photos of it.

The castello

The other side

sign - look at the date!

The Tower

Some shots of the inside tomorrow!

The Castello

Yesterday's meal

Yesterday the whole family went out to eat at this restaurant
in S. Lucia del Mela.
It's up in the mountains. Beautiful location.

The whole restaurant was set up for banquets. Must be a busy time.
We were seated on the left side of this room.
There was a huge room upstairs.
A very nice place.

Of course I didn't think to start taking photos of
the food until after the antipasto course.
The next course was this delicious shrimp risotto.
The food was served by the wait staff. They
brought around platters of food and served everyone.

Then we were served pappardelle in a Marsala wine
sauce with mushrooms. It was very good.

Next was the first meat course. This they brought out on plates,
one plate for 2 people. On it were spiedini, sausage, lamp chops and lemons.
This meat was grilled. Delish!

The next meat course was agnello al forno (baked lamb)
with potatoes and carrots.

This was the wine we drank along with water and coke.

After a bit they brought us fruit cups and
then some of us got cake, which I didn't care for.

Then coffee and amaro.
We were all so stuffed! It was a great day even though
We had to miss the Formula One race.

Cherry Dessert

I got a half of a kilo of cherries at the mercato on Wednesday. What was i going to do with them??? So I cleaned and pitted them and put them in a small pot with a couple of tablespoons of sugar and let them boil for a few minutes.
I mixed up an all purpose cake batter.

1 1/4 c flour
1 c sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1/4 c oil, I used light in flavor olive oil
3/4 c milk

Mix together in one large bowl. Then add the cherry mixture. Pour in a baking pan. It will be thin. Bake at 350F/160C for about a half hour. Enjoy!

Note: I would have added a tsp of almond extract but I didn't have any!

It's really good. You can exclude the cherries and add 2 tsp of lemon zest for a lemony dessert.

Pears

This is a shot of the tree in our yard. Pears are coming. I don't like them but I like to see things growing. The fig tree has figs and the grape vine is doing fine!! I'm a poet!! But we won't be eating any of these because we will be gone by the time they ripen.... Oh well!

Car Wash!

One of the business ideas we had before we came here was to build a car wash. Frank's family said that would never work here. Then a few months ago this place was being built.
It's a car wash! There is a huge one in Barcellona P.G. and it is always full!

Vacuums
I love that building in the background.
It must have been a beauty in it's day.

Automatic washer. Notice the parked car...
barely enough room to get by.

Self service washing

These are the coins that operate the machines.
On the sides they look like keys.
The name of the car wash is Atlantic, hmmmm.

Falcone Beach

Yesterday we went to Falcone and walked on the beach. It has sand. That's a rarity here. It felt really weird getting sand on my feet. Yesterday was a beautiful day.

Capo Calava

We drove out to this place and took a little video.

This past weekend...

Early Thursday afternoon we lost our phone line which includes our internet connection! The whole weekend w/o a phone or computer!!! It wasn't that bad! lol
No one calls us anyway!
Saturday we decided to take a ride and we got stopped by the carabinieri.

They routinely pull cars over (here in Sicily) and check the paperwork. Since we are moving back to the US, we are not going to get Italian drivers licenses. That was the only thing they said that Frank needed to do since the International DL was running out in October. I think they were surprised that Frank had a carta d'identita, which is the official ID for citizens. I have one too!

This photo does not resemble the men here. They were dressed in the complete uniform. They looked pretty spiffy! Even with the sidearms! AND they drive this car!An Alfa Romeo...which is like the cops in PA driving a Lexus. It is an expensive car. They were very nice and the whole thing took just a few minutes and then we were on our way.

Pay It Forward or Pass It On?

Read this story - http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/051910dnmetgive.3b08e43.html?npc

It will change your day!

Space Shuttle

Have your children seen a space shuttle take off into space? I ask this because Atlantis went up the other day for the last time. Only 2 more shuttles will blast off into space and then the program will be over! My youngest had never seen this. We watched it together and she thought it was cool!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzfD9Ewl1Jc

Boy was I praying that it wouldn't explode! Remember Challenger?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4JOjcDFtBE

I am surprised that the American schools don't take a minute to turn on the TVs and let the children watch history being made. Why? I think it's important. Do you?
While I was growing up in the 60's going into space was a BIG DEAL! It was exciting. We had space food and trips to the Johnson Space Center. Now what is there? Do kids today know who was the first American in space or even that the Americans weren't the first people in space? Who were the first men on the moon?

Check out the videos with your kids! The internet is so wonderful for things like this!!

Primary Day in Pennsylvania

If I was in PA I would not be voting since Independents aren't allowed to vote in primaries. What a shame that is but I hope that the Democrats are not casting their votes for Arlen Specter. The man is 80 years old and has been in the Senate since 1980. Time to stay home!

He was a Democrat, then switched to Republican, then last year jumped back to be a Democrat. What is up with that?? He's a flip-flopper!

He voted for every TARP and Bailout that came down the line.

I don't know much about Sestak but he's got to be a better choice!

Caleca Dishes

http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/marisol-dinnerware-place-setting/?pkey=cdinnerware|tbldnwset

Check out these dishes. They are made in Patti just down the road from us. They are only sold in the US by Williams Sonoma.

??

I haven't had much to write lately because we haven't been doing anything. We are NOT patiently waiting for Frank to get his last paycheck. It is ridiculous that he has to beg for what he is owed!
We watched the Formula One race yesterday. One guy from our team, Ferrari, got 2nd place. Yahoo!!!
On Friday, we drove to Milazzo so Frank could visit his former employer. I noticed that the oleanders planted in the median strip have started to bloom. Colors range from white to fuschia. It's very pretty. It will be stunning when the shrubs are loaded with flowers.

They came!

The movers got here last night! Yahoo. They weren't allowed to leave Calabria over the holiday weekend. The woman in the UK was wrong! It kills me when people insist on something that you know deep down cannot be correct!
The boxes are gone and will soon be on their way back to the US! I hope they get there before we do!

What's up? Niente!!

The movers were supposed to be here over the weekend. No phone call or anything. BUT we had a holiday on Saturday. But still it would have been nice to get a call. This is the stuff that bothers me. If you make an appointment you should keep it! Maybe we will hear something today!

Liberation Day Fun

View of surrounding mountains

Yesterday we all went up to the mountains to have a cookout.
It was Liberation Day (WWII).
It was a warm day, a little breezy but you didn't have to wear a jacket.

More mountains.

The fire.

Pippa, Frank and me

Food!
We had homemade bread, antipasto, pasta,
sausage, potatoes, steak and fish.
I ate my first artichoke yesterday.
It had been roasted in the fire.
Yummy! Could used some butter though!

Happy Anniversary

Today is our 25th wedding anniversary!

And the 14th anniversary of my friends Stacey and Brad!

And now for something completely different....

Has anyone heard about the website that the actress Janine Turner has started? http://www.constitutingamerica.org/
Constituting America’s mission is to reach, educate and inform America's youth and her citizens about the importance of the U.S. Constitution and the foundation it sets forth regarding our freedoms and rights.

Today's reading is Article 1 of the Constitution.


http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution_transcript.html
Check it out.

Beautiful Things in S. Stefano di Camastra

On Saturday we decided to take a drive. What else can we do! We started driving on SS 113 toward Palermo. Most of the time when we drive towards Palermo we drive on the autostrada. SS 113 for the most part hugs the coastline. We drove throught a few nice towns with interesting buildings. Then we got to S. Stefano. We didn't know anything about this town. A friend that Frank had in Pennsylvania came from there in the 70's to Berks County like Frank came from Falcone. Then we started seeing this beautiful pottery.

Look at these tables!

Artwork from HANDPAINTED tiles.

Platters

Look at this wall!

I knew that this was the city that I

would find the platter I wanted!



All different kinds of items here.

Cool buildings too!

More tile artwork.

You could buy sinks and matching vanities, decorated the same.

Light fixtures, dishes, ashtrays, things to hang on the walls, fountains, etc!!

We even saw a fireplace.

A nice way to spend an afternoon.

We even went into to a stroe and bought sandwiches for lunch.

That's a rarity here!