Knitting, Quilting and Cookies!

All I did was offer to drop Mom off at the yarn shop. I wasn't going to go in because the sweater/wrap that I purchased hand-dyed yarn for last year is still in the works...and hasn't been touched in months. So I left my Mom at The Yarn Shop in Lincoln, Nebraska and went about my errands. When I was done, I circled back to the store to pick Mom up. Well, she wasn't done with her lesson yet and wanted to finish just one more round on that sock! And I started to just browse around. The yarn shop had redone the store and it was a bustle of activity. Women knitting at the table, more men and women sitting in the little cafe part..smells of red pepper soup wafting in the air and if that wasn't bad enough, I found myself smack dab in the middle of the shop surrounded by the most beautiful yarns. I wasn't going to buy any of course. I was just looking. Then I picked up a kit for a cowl and hat. Wow..mohair and silk yarn? I bet that's warm. And this looks like something I could complete fairly quickly..not like a sweater, say. And wouldn't it be nice while the family is playing games at Christmas to have a little knitting to do by the fire. Oh...what can it hurt? I bought the kit, needles..and a ball of yarn that I just fancied. That's it. No foul. No harm done...wallet a little lighter. Step a little lighter!
I couldn't wait to get home and start knitting! It had been so long and while I've never been a 'lightening fast' knitter, I got my groove going. And after tearing out my project (after 7 rows) and starting over, I completed the cowl!
Yesterday...even though I'm only halfway done with the hat, I picked up more yarn..this time for a cool scarf I saw..another couple skeins "just because", more needles and the other kit that I didn't pick up the first time. Pictures to come! :)
So what else is going on? I have projects started in my sewing room for stocking stuffers and today I'll be making some cookies for our family Christmas this coming Saturday, New Year's Day! And here is the recipe. I don't make many cookies, but I make these every year. They are easy, taste great and ...easy!

Cranberry Noels

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons milk or cream
1 teaspoon vanilla, rum or almond extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped pecans
3/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add milk, vanilla and
salt.
Gradually add flour, cranberries and nuts until fully combined.
Divide the dough in half and roll each half into an 8 inch log about 2
inches
wide. Roll the logs in the coconut, pressing lightly to get the coconut to
stick. Wrap the logs in plastic and refrigerate for a couple of hours until
firm (I actually left them wrapped for a week!!).
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Cut logs into 1/4" slices and bake on
ungreased
cookie sheets about 12 minutes until edges start to turn golden. Cool on a
rack.
Makes about 60 cookies.

Enjoy!

By the way... the Yarn Shop is in Sutter Place Mall in Lincoln, NE..and in that same mall are also a couple of quilt shops. :)