Remembering

September 11, 2001

September?

Okay people what did you do with this year. It just started a few days ago, remember snow and not being able to go outside unless you are an 8 year old boy who does not feel the cold.
And then a few day of so hot you feel like you better change your ways.
And now it is September. I want to know what you did with the rest of those months. February, April, June, August and their friends...
It just can not be September already.
And yesterday it was 100 degrees..you can't have it both ways. Either cool off or give me back my months.

CAKE

If you are ever bored, get cake and knitters.
That is all it takes for a grand time!
I forgot to take pictures, I was eating cake!

It's my Birthday

At my age (over 21) it is not correct for me to enjoy my birthday. I alway have loved birthdays. Mine and everyone elses, especially when there is cake.
I love the idea we have a day to reflect on the last year and the joys and sadness. I love the idea there is a day just for me.
I love presents, and this year I have asked for new Iced Tea Glasses, and nail polish. Maybe a neckless.
So it is not about the presents, it is about the reflection....and the cake.

Joy

Sometimes I knit because I am troubled, and it relaxes me. And sometimes I knit because I am happy.
Yesterday I knitted with two friends, we were all doing the same pattern and chatting. And I was knitting for joy.
It was pure joy to sit with friends and enjoy the company and the yarn and the pattern.
And since it is a present, I am not saying what.
But I wish you all joy!

FO's and Friends

Yesterday I went to Knitwits.
Yesterday I could not knit, it was one of those days where I dropped everything, including stitches. I forgot things, including how to cast on two sock on two needles. I forgot my iced tea. I forgot the yarn and needles for the new skill we were to learn.
I wore a pair of pants that had the string tied too lose and I looked like one of the teenagers who have the crotch of their pants at their knees. And believe me the look does not improve with the age of the wearer.
But my friends all helped me out. I got smiles, not laughts at my pants. I got borrowed needles and borrowed yarn. I got wonderful conversation with people who have had days like mine, and just jumped in to make mine better.
And being better involved a conversation with our Sock Mom, Jill. And we were talking about not how many things we have finished, but how our abilities have grown.
And I am not sure we appreciate that in ourselves. I know I am the first to point out that I can't...but the last to point out that I can.
And I have watched people go from knitting their first sock on great big needles with lots of help to knocking off a pair of socks in a month in fingering yarn.
Debbie that is you I am talking about. You have become someone who understands knitting, and the projects you make are beautiful. How you have learned so much in so little time just blows me away.
Mary, who did not think she would ever knit anything but her first sock, is making a sweater, and had a pair of socks on 9" needles. Wow!
Joan who pulls a finished pair of socks out almost every time I see her.
And Brooke, who is famous for not knitting a sock, had knit two pair in one week. And brought me tea!
And I can go on around the room to all the people who have that Ah Ha moment, who keep trying, who lend needles, who lend yarn. You who get it leaning over to show the one who is not getting it yet. And I see people who are growing as knitters, and as people. I see friends.

On thing lost and people lost

We were given direction to Marietta, GA, really simple ones and we found the square, then we found the loop that goes around Marietta and spent the next couple of hours going around and around.
Since B and I are women, we stopped and got directions. No matter where we were we were told to go three lights and take a right. And our destination was right there....NOT.
We finally turned by accident and found the road we needed to be on, only to have Wyatt (the Dodge vehicle, see the link, Dodge, Shootout at that Corral, Wyatt Erp)start limping real bad on his front tire.
B went in to talk to the Nicest Man in the World at Midus, who had one of the fellows come out and test drive...this part was a little unsettling for me..sitting in the car knitting, strange man entered..I threated him with knitting needles, only to be told he was not after my body, just testing the car.
And the test showed a problem and we had to wait to get it fixed. Which includes chocolate and knitting.
And we were only about three miles from where we had been looking for the whole day.
But the Knit shop was closed for the night. So off we went the next day, and took that one wrong turn that sent us south insead of norht. Finally got turned around, and found the shop.
It is a lovely shop with a puppy to greet us and yarn fumes to make us happy. And we made our purchases and found our way home. 10 minutes...that is all it took.
And to the thing lost. I was given a charm. I put it in a safe place. Please let me know if you can tell me where that may be, as I do not remember.

So I have conclued, I am not a navigator, but I am a very good hider.

We made it

We are here and we are tan.
The road trip was different, we for no apparent reason had to take two hours to get from Jellico, Tennessee to 15 miles down the road. But I am knitting so all is well. B drove the whole way and things did not get exciting till we got into South Carolina.
There you can buy Aritlley Shells...so we tried to figure out how many of those we needed. PEACHes, that seems to me to be pronounced Peach es.
That is what the sign said.
The we found out where to by not only a box of rocks, but a truckload.
And all of these can be kept in the Top Gun Storage and Bait shop.
The lake is wonderful, the weather is HOT, the company fantastic. The adventurers are napping, knitting and swimming. Wish you were here!

The New and Improved Adventures of B and D

We are off on a trip to see my children. B is coming to meet my children. I figure if they liked J..who I married, then she will make the list in pen, as my friend.
We have packed enough yarn to open a shop, planned several large projects, like we are going to be gone a month, not a week. We have a KAL from our LYS..looks like a ball to make. Socks, and wraps. She may be bringing sweaters.
And today we are off to the wilds of the south. We will go through Tennessee, North and South Carolina and finally get to Georgia.
I am not sure she knows that me giving directions could end us up in Alaska. Oh well, more knitting time.
Excited, well yes!!!!

Startitis and life

I suffer from startitis, sometimes I buy needles to put one more thing on my needles..don't look at me like that, I can not be the only one.
So I have socks. Many pairs of socks. I am learning to do toe up so had to put several pairs on the needles. I have Fishbone Gansey, which I am loving, on the needles in Pagewood Farms Denali.
And a Sweater, or two. Green Gables and a project to be named later.
A shawl in some homespun..to put over my sholders when I am cold. It may be a blankie for when I am overwelmed. Don't tell anyone.
And a mystery knit a long shawl with Junko from Knitwits.
But I am on vacation next week and for some reason I am thinking that this will be a week that is like a month long.
And here is where the life part comes in. I think we all make plans and life jumps in to make you change your plans. And all the stuff we have on our needles does not fall off as quickly as we think it might.
Since the knitting police does not seem to care if I finish or not, I am pretty sure I will be the one up a 5 on Christmas Eve, one sock in hand, one of the needle, crying and eating leftover Santa Cookies.

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I did it again

Why do I do it...can't seem to help myself, every time I get a sweater off my needles, I swear I will never do another.
I am a fluffy sized woman and acres of plain knitting is the most boring thing I can do to myself.
It makes me tired to think about it.
So Karma is making me make another sweater. I am doing Green Gable and I am doing it in green. Which is not my color.
So do you see the Karma part. I am doing a project I will hate in a color I don't wear.Hum...
On the other hand I love green sock yarn. And I buy green sock yarn. So when I finish my Karma sweater, I will be able to knit and wear green socks.
Any bets on how long this one will take?

Lace and the Mystery KAL

When I started back knitting, I wanted to knit socks. I did not want to knit anything else. Sock yarn just fasinates me. The colors, the texture and the way it feels in my hands. The needles used also keeps me entertained, double points, circulars with magic loop, or two circulars, or little tiny circluars. And the methods, of cast on, of the patterns, of the heel flap or no flap, turning the heel is truly one of the amazing things in the universe. You can knit them up or down, or even sideways. I was just in love.
I got distracted by sweaters a time or two. And even knit a Clapotis. But socks were my love.
But no lace. Lace is on the other side of the wall I built that sais in big letters..I CAN"T DO THAT..IT IS TOO HARD.
Then I got destrasted by Wendy and Lucy. Wendyknits.net. And she knits socks so that was a safe place to be..right.
Not so much. She said come join my KAL. I said no thanks it is lace. My friend B said come join the KAL, it is in sock yarn. Sock Yarn knit a long...okay I'm in.
And I did it. It was so fun. Turns out lace is not the monster under the bed, but a few yarn overs and some knit 2 togethers, and slip, slip knits. Well I can do that. And I did.
I made the Summer Mystery Shawlette and had a ball doing it. Try lace, not the monster, I promise.

Split Neck T-Shirt Sweater

Done, and I love it. It is an easy knit and looks great on me.
I will do another.
I also fell into a KAL on Wendyknits. And I made my first lace shawette. It was a mystery knit and turned out just wonderfull. I knit it in Dream in Color Starry. Everyone needs to knit one.
I love my LYS. The people there are beyond friendly and helpful. I have never been there that I did not feel welcomed.
It is like going home, and finding a bunch of friends who have yarn.

The Tale

There had been scratching in the drop ceiling of the sun porch. I think rat! I tell my darling husband, who says that he hears nothing.
I leave and go to knitting, forgetting the rat, the sun porch and the husband. And have a loverly time. I love my LYS, it is Knitwits in Cresent Springs, KY and we have such fun there, but that is another tale.
I go home to find the husband, telling me we have a problem. I think to myself, no. Rats not my problem, they are why the man is here. And the pack of mean dogs we have are barking their silly heads off. ( this pack is 2 small poodles, and one overweight shih tzu.)
We have a racoon in the ceiling. Nooooooooooooooooooooo!!! Racoons are 9 foot 8 inches tall with claws and teeth like a shark, and carry every disease known to man.
And he tells me his plan to get the raccoon out of the ceiling that includes me holding a sheet for it to fall in, while he breaks the tile.
Noooooooooooooooooooooooooo!! 
So being the big girl I am, I cry and call my best friend B. And tell her the tale of the raccoon and how I am being made into a raccoon hunter. She laughs and I find a pencil and erase her from my friend list.
And go to put on my raccoon hunting outfit. A wool hat, Bella's mittens, a long sleeve sweater, jeans and snow boots. It is 102 degrees in the sun room. I do not care. The dogs are in a frenzy!! They are also hiding in the living room, where they have decided it is safe to bark and not have to really do a dog thing like chase or harm whatever it is in the ceiling. They are smart and they are chicken.
He come in armed with a laundry basket, that has replaced the sheet and a Swiffer Sweeper ( with the swivel head, remember this part) And tells me that I am to break the tile and he will catch the raccoon and take it outside.
So we start, he speaks raccoon to the monster, it come to where he is and I pull with all my might all the time screaming like a little girl, and the head of the sweeper rotates, just like it said it would.
So he tells me to go find something else to break the tiles and I do, and pull and out pops the raccoon. It is a baby, fits in the palm of your hand, but in my mind it is still the 9 foot 8 inch monster who will eat us.
So he takes it outside. And 15 minutes later goes out to see if it is okay. It is not, so he moves it and again in 15 minutes he goes out and find it in the middle of the street. Crying.
So he puts it in a box and gives it food and tuna.
The next day my ex-friend B comes over and puts her hand in the box where this monster lives and PICKS IT UP! She talks to it, and cuddles it. And she took it home to care for it till it can be released. His name is AJ.

Uh Sorry

I am just sorry. I can't seem to keep this up. I am out of excuses. Just life gets in the way.
Part of what went on in that I am knitting a sweater. Yes another. This is the Split Neck T-Shirt and I am using Cascade 220 in Red. It is really a fun knit, if you like knitting sweaters, which I am not too fond of. But I get all caught up in the excitement of a Knit-A-Long. I seem to forget the part where I have to knit it. I am in a knitting funk. I really need to finish all the things I have on my needles. So I lined them all up, And I am trying to finish them before I cast on a ton of new things.
We will see how this works.

Socks and Gratitude

I am making Pink and Purlple socks for my ggd. And I am grateful she came thru surgery and is going to be well.
I am making Rockin Socks for my daughters best friend, who sat with her thru the surgery. Love you L.
I am making short socks for Brooke, who keeps me sane...or saner than I should be.
I am grateful for all the people in my life. Sometimes I forget to tell them, but I do make them socks.

Fish

I am doing so well on the fish...I think I can swim better.

And okay on the fruit /veggie thing, and coming up on March I have to figure out my next change.

And I ordered an e reader. I will let you know how this works into knitting when it shows up, but I am hoping it will make my books and patterns portable.

And the socks are coming along really great. Can's wait to get them done.

The split neck T shirt is almost to the sleeves, and I have cast on socks for my BFF, and my GGD. Purple and Pink. Tosh sock and Cascade 220 Superwash.

Pictures to follow......

Have a wonderful weekend, please. Have fun, hug someone. And be grateful for the people in your life.

Wish Me Fish

I finished the Never-ending Afghan. I finished and mailed bed socks for my son and bed socks for my granddaughter.


I am doing pretty well on my first habit change. I am trying to eat a fruit or veggie with each meal or snack. I am better at breakfast or lunch than I am at dinner. I got some broccoli and cheese to see if that helps.

This month I am adding fish. I am going to add two servings of fish to my diet each week.

I am almost to the end of my first pair of Tessere Socks. These are the ones in two different colors on one needle. And herein lies the tail. I wanted to learn to do two at a time socks, and due to my slow learning curve with some things, I decided that using two different colors of yarn would keep me from knitting them together. And it has. So I am almost to the toe and will have them off the needles today or tomorrow, and cast on the other pair. I love the pattern, it is easy to work.

So off I go into next month, with a sweater, a clapotis, and my socks.

Wish me fish!!!~!

New Year New Knitting

Happy 2011. Yes I am finally writing again. There was some quiet Holidays where I spent most of my time missing my family.
There was some knitting, And a burst of Startitus that ended up with a Clapotis, a sweater, Bookmarks, mittens, and an octopus's foot load of socks. I have finished two pair of socks that were on my needles, one pair of wool bedsocks for my DS, and a pair of socks for my DGD.
So I am  also trying to change some habits this year. I am adding a fruit or vegtable to every meal or snack. That is my first change. So far I am doing okay, not perfect, but better than I was. And I am taking that as a win. First time I did not have my f/v I did not slit my wrists or say oh well thats it might as well eat the house. So I am very proud of me.
Today I am off to knit at my LYS and we are doing socks, and mittens. Mittens are new for me. I will let you know how it goes.