The Most Perfect Secret Santa Ever

Posted on December 19, 2012 by atangledyarn84

I received the most bestest unbeatable secret santa gift ever!!!! Drum roll please………………………….

That’s right ladies and gentleman, it a drum auger/pipe snake. The moment I opened it I knew exactly who my Santa was!

I live a rental house with poor plumbing and I’m always borrowing tools from the maintenance guy at work. He is always helpful, full if great tips, and never makes me feel like a “girl” trying to fix my own problems. And our shower drain problems of late make this auger a perfect Christmas present.

I was touched by the thoughtfulness if his gift and the hilarity of it made laugh until I almost cried. I know very well he went over the money limit too! This gift my dear blog friends has single handedly catapulted me into the holiday spirit. I put a bug in Santa’s ear to put something extra special in his stocking (and it may or may not be some jam from my secret pantry stash)!!

I wish each and every one of you a very Merry and Special Christmas!

T-minus 6 days to Christmas

Secret Santa: Day Two

Posted on December 18, 2012 by atangledyarn84

Day two and I still can’t ferret out who my person is…..they are very stealthy and sneaky.

On the upside I have a new coffee mug and marshmallow goodness for my cocoa!

T minus 7 days to Christmas!

Secret Santa

Posted on December 17, 2012 by atangledyarn84

My secret Santa at work must know my hobbies and possibly my vow to learn socks in 2013…..

Now to whittle down the suspects!!

T-minus 8 days to Christmas!!!

Christmas Preparations

Posted on December 16, 2012 by atangledyarn84

My unbelievably wonderful husband decorated our entire house all by himself. I’ll admit to being a little grinchy, but his wonderful surprise helped me beat the grinch! So I did the last of our shopping today, wrapped all our gifts, and cleaned the house.

As a reward, I treated myself to a homemade mocha, some scarf knitting, and my newest book! So here I sit relaxing under the stockings waiting for Christmas to get here…..

Are you ready for Christmas?

Everything But The Kitchen Sink Soup

Posted on December 14, 2012 by atangledyarn84

After a long tough work week, I am in no mood to cook. By alas, we must eat. So bleary eyed I started pulling leftovers from the fridge and staples from my pantry yesterday. I ended up with a (medium hot) spiced beef and veggie soup.

Roughly here is what I put together:
– leftover mashed sweet potatoes
– stew beef cubes
– canned green beans
– jar of homemade salsa
– leftover home grown frozen sweet corn
– canned hot chili beans
– beef bouillon cube
– fresh ground black pepper
– crushed red pepper flake from leftover pizza delivery packet
– garlic powder
– water
(I didn’t measure I just dumped and stirred)

Turned out pretty yummy and filling! The husband was neutral about it. I think he could taste the sweet potato (even though I didn’t tell him) and he doesn’t like them.

I’m calling this a win. It was hearty, delicious, and it cleaned out my fridge! It was even good for my packed lunch today…

A Headband For Every Head

Posted on December 12, 2012 by atangledyarn84

One of my favorite projects for winter is the Trinity Stitch Headband/Neckwarmer by Anglea Juergens.

(Ravelry link to my project here)

It’s so beautiful, yet a simple knit! I made like 10 of these things while watching the Olympics this summer. I had to even laminate the pattern page because it was getting so much use!

I knit all mine using Serenity Chunky Weight by Premier Yarns. Yes yes….it’s acrylic. But it washes well (important when you sweat like I do scooping snow) and its oh so soft and squishy. Plus with my great coupons from Joanns it can be affordable.

I can whip several if these out on a lazy Sunday for my “gift” stash. All though truth be told I have several in my own hand knit pile so I can where whatever color suits my fancy that day! The author is a super duper knitter and was so lovely to deal with on the purchase. I highly recommend this pattern!

Happy Knitting!

Cold Snap

Posted on December 11, 2012 by atangledyarn84

Baby it’s cold outside! We finally dipped below freezing in the last couple of days in Kansas. No snow though 😦

Despite the lack of snow, I got to put on some of my warm (and stylish) hand knits. It’s a ruffle scarf knit from Starbella Flash yarn, Rav link here.

And grab some delicious coffee to stay warm. My office always has fresh and hot coffee every morning…

I found this ceramic mug with rubber lid at a clearance Easter sale at Hobby Lobby. It’s easy to clean and keeps my coffee hot hot! Couldn’t live without it.

T-minus 14 days to Christmas and I can’t wait! Hand knits always put me in the holiday spirit!!

Happy Knitting!

Family Photo Outtakes

Posted on December 10, 2012 by atangledyarn84

We wanted a Christmas card photo this year for the first time since we got married. Well….the dogs were less than cooperative to say the least. But on the bright side I have a hilarious outtake to show you!!

Notice the people look fine, the dog on the left looks a bit intoxicated, and the dog on the right is very unimpressed. Thankfully the photographer got at least a couple good shots (but those are for Christmas presents so I can’t post yet)!

Happy Holidays!!!

Christmas Clearance Event!!

Posted on December 9, 2012 by atangledyarn84

Welcome my Christmas Clearance Event!!!

Please take a few minutes and let me know if you like anything. Email me at atangledyarn@gmail.com. I’ll take payment via paypal on all items listed below with a flat rate of $5 for shipping on all items!

All items are first come first serve. Don’t miss this great sale!!!

Frilly Knit Lace Scarves – $15 each

Very warm and stylish!!! (If you don’t like any of the in stock colors – I can do custom orders with 7 business days’ notice)

Bobble Knit Head Wraps – $8

These are knit in SUPER soft yarn and feature a button closure so they fit any size or shape of head.

Hand stitched Felt Sewing Decoration – $8

Blue/White/Brown Cotton Hanging Dishtowel – $8

Knit Cotton Coffee Sweaters – $2 each

Silky Soft Fingerless Gloves in light brown – $8

Pink and White Brick Style Cotton Dishcloth/Hot Pads – $10 for the set (100% machine wash/dry)

Pink and Light Purple Linoleum Style Dishcloths (Cotton) – $8 for the set (100% machine wash/dry)

Red and White Knit Hot Pad set – $10 (100% cotton, machine wash/dry)

Basket Weave Dish Cloth Set in Blues – $12

(100% cotton, machine wash/dry)

Basket Weave Dish Cloth Set in Pink/White – $12 (100% cotton, machine wash/dry)

Basket Weave Dish Cloth Cotton Set in Green- $12 (100% cotton, machine wash/dry)

Brown/Tan/White Brick Style Dish Cloth Set – $15 (100% Cotton, machine wash/dry)

100% Fleece Swiffer Dusting Cloths in Assorted colors – 2 for $6 or 4 for $10

These are great and 100% machine wash and dry, no more buying refills!

Makes a great stocking stuffer, wand not included.

Cotton Dish Scrubbers – $1 each

These are knit in 100% cotton and abrasive acrylic so they can be washed and sanitized. Ditch the gross sponges this year!

FO Friday: Baby Blanket Victory

Posted on December 7, 2012 by atangledyarn84

(Sorry for dark iPhone shots…but I finished late last night and just couldn’t wait!)

Victory is mine!! My soft green baby blanket is done and represents the first of many (I hope) stash busting projects! You can find my Ravelry notes here.

I used Caron Simply soft in a light green color and held the yarn double. I wanted bulky yet super soft feel. I am in love with this pattern because its only one row to memorize and makes for great TV and car knitting. This is the third time I’ve made this pattern and probably won’t be the last. A sure sign of a great pattern!

Due to the holidays and my craft fair prep…..this blanket took a little under two months (ouch). This pattern is actually very fast, I just had to put the blanket on the back burner several times.

This shot does the best justice to the color. And schedule permitting I will try to take some better shots this weekend. This blanket is destined for a little baby boy due in April? and his wonderfully excited parents. I can’t wait to meet him!!

Snow is in our forecast next week. And I plan to knockout my Christmas shopping tonight. Hopefully this combination will put my holiday spirit and knitting drive into high gear!!

Happy Knitting!!

My Tangled Yarn Knitting Adventures

Ramblings from an obsessed knitter

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