New Year's Day Soup

Katie's having a friend over for New Year's Eve who will spend the night. On New Year's Day, Tim is going to paint our hallway on the main floor then will continue the color upstairs. I'm going to knit and watch movies most of the day. So I've decided to make some snacks and soup for us to eat that day.

My main dish is going to be Megan's Cream Cheese Potato Soup. She gave me the recipe today (after bringing it in today for us to have for lunch). It's so incredibly yummy! I will also have veggies and dip, crackers and cheese spread, and a few other snacks that I haven't decided on yet.

Megan told me I can share her soup recipe with you, so here goes! It sounds simple enough that you can still enjoy a day of relaxing knitting.

Cream Cheese Potato Soup

• 4 cups potatoes, peeled and cut up
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
• 1/4 tsp. white pepper
• 1/4 tsp. ground red pepper
• 8 ounces cream cheese, cut into chunks

Put potatoes, broth, onions and spices in pot. Boil on medium heat until potatoes are tender. Smash some of the potatoes to thicken the broth. Reduce heat, add cream cheese, and stir until melted. If desired add shredded cheddar cheese to each bowl when you serve it.

See you all in 2010!
Nancy

Carol's BIG Idea!

Our good friend and part-time employee, Carol, loves to knit shawls and wraps. She usually has at least one or two going at all times. When she wears them in our shop, everyone loves them. One reason Carol's shawls/wraps are so beautiful is that Carol is an artist. She taught art when she worked full time. But beyond that she has an artist's eye that our customers really appreciate.

Carol proposed that in 2010 we offer a Friday afternoon Knit Together from 1-3 pm here in the shop. Her plan consists of six 2-month long shawl/wrap projects. To make it more fun she made her idea even bigger by offering a virtual Knit Together that she will handle through my blog. She will introduce each project to blog readers here and on the Knitted Together group on Ravelry, where you will know her by the name of Wiz. Carol/Wiz is always the cheerleader for our group. She's a moderator there and I frequently hear from our customers who are on Ravelry that she always makes them feel good about their finished projects.

Watch for the next blog this week. Carol will be the guest blogger.

I hope you have a Happy New Year!
Nancy

Snowbound Knitting

When I left the shop on Tuesday night (earlier than normal because of a whole lot of snow), I had the foresight to bring along a few projects to work on for shop samples. I brought home one skein of Elsebeth Lavold's Silky Wool for a cowl and one skein of Mirasol Tupa for a scarf. Both are incredibly lovely to knit! We recently got these and other new yarns in at the shop and it's always nice to have samples in the shop for customers to see.

When I got up yesterday (Wednesday) morning I knew we weren't going to be coming in to the shop. There were nearly 16 inches of snow on the ground and the snow plows hadn't been by at all! It was going to be the perfect day to stay in, watch movies and knit! Knitting any time is definitely something you don't have to twist my arm to do, but knitting on a day when I would normally be really busy in the shop doesn't usually happen until I'm home at night. It was a wonderful way for me to feel like I was actually accomplishing something for the shop, yet I was doing my favorite things; lounging in my sweats, knitting, and watching movies with Katie.

By late afternoon we were all feeling a bit stir crazy and wanted something other than soup to eat for dinner. Tim had gotten the driveway cleared, so we headed out to Super Target (without cleared roads it was only possible thanks to his truck with 4-wheel drive and his superb driving skills). It was bizarre on the roads, some vehicles were just left abandoned in the middle of the snow drifts! Super Target was dead quiet. Maybe only 20 cars in the parking lot, which hadn't been cleared. Inside we had fun buying things to make Peanut Butter Blossoms (cookies) and other nonsensical food items and stuff. Tim was so cold, he even bought a cozy blanket for lounging!

Today we are back at the shop and attempting to get back to normal. Customers are few, but that has given me opportunity to blog! The poor UPS guy just ran in, dropped off a package and told me he's trying to get two days of business completed in one day. I'm glad I don't have to lug packages around all day!

If you have a few last minute gifts to make, you may want to whip up A Noble Cowl or the One Row Lace Scarf. Both are fun to knit. The cowl takes the longest to make, but is well worth it! FYI: I only cast-on 20 stitches for the One Row Lace Scarf in order to get the most out of my one skein.