Christy's Blog

Resolutions

2011-01-02T19:00:00.004-07:00

It has been a very (very, very) long time since I posted. Things went crazy here last summer. I finished graduate school, I took a temporary gig as an instructor for Student Nurses from a local college, I stopped being an ICU Nurse (part-time, which felt like full-time) and am now a Clinical Nurse Educator at another local hospital. All these changes really decreased my mental capacity for blogging.

2011 seems like a good time to take on some Official Resolutions.

I will exercise more and make healthier food choices. (Please note I did not say "lose 100 lbs" or "diet." Those resolutions set me up for failure every time I make them.) This one will entail more time outdoors and participation in our CSA.
I will strive to spend more time enjoying my kids than being annoyed with them. This will involve being more consistent with chore expectations and homework expectations, so that we can have some quality family time with less nagging and weeping and gnashing of teeth. Hopefully, my new schedule (off every weekend), will promote some fun family outings and enjoyment of our lovely State.
I will use what I have more often, concentrate on sticking to a budget, and decrease our debt load. This one is most likely going to involve knitting from the yarn stash I already own. It also means I am struggling mightily with the decision to purchase (or not) the Blue Moon Fiber Arts Rockin' Sock Club for 2011. I seriously don't NEED anymore sock yarn. Seriously. But does exclusive, hand-dyed sock yarn really count as "stash?"

I have some knitting projects and new yarns to share, and some books I'm reading, so hopefully this old blog will have some new life in 2011. If you are reading this, thanks for stopping by, see you soon.

Summer Vegetables

2010-07-08T19:57:00.003-06:00

3 months since I last wrote a blog entry! In a nutshell, here is what I have been doing:

Finishing up graduate school
Being a mom
Knitting
Getting over pneumonia

and... my new "hobby" this summer has been...COOKING UP THE FRESH VEGGIES FROM OUR CSA.

We bought a share in Grant Family Farms CSA, which provides us with a weekly (big!) box of organic vegetables and a loaf of artisan bread. This week, we will start receiving fruit. It has become a sort of game for me to use up all the vegetables each week, or else freeze something for later so none of it goes to waste. It seems that since I have seen the farm, and met some people who work there, that it is much more important to me to actually eat them up properly. We have gone from a family who eats out or eats takeout 2-3 times a week, to a family who eats more than one green vegetable per meal, and we are dining out now more like once every two weeks.

Check out my mad cooking skills:

That's a Lasagna with farm-fresh spinach and whole-wheat pasta. I based it on a recipe from Rodale's Natural Food cookbook. I made this one, and one to freeze for someday when the fresh spinach is not coming every week.

A funny thing happened that doesn't happen with a box of baby spinach from the grocery...a large, fat caterpillar crawled out of my bunch of spinach. I can tell you, when I got through with my triple-and quadruple-washing and detailed inspection of every single leaf, I am certain there were no more little friends hiding out in there!

On my agenda for tomorrow is Kale and White Bean Soup, or maybe turkey burgers with green salad including fresh english peas (shelled by my children) and kohlrabi, which I've never even seen before yesterday, and certainly never tasted. If I find a fabulous way to cook it up, I'll give you a recipe link.

Knitting updates tomorrow. I am on a quest to "finish or frog" with the Stash and Burn podcast girls.

A short intermission from everyday life

2010-04-05T09:28:00.009-06:00

My husband, children and I went on a fun family vacation to South Dakota for Spring Break. We drove about 8 hours each way, and spent two whole days at our destination, but it was just the refreshing getaway that I had hoped for. We saw the Oregon Trail Ruts, Mt. Rushmore, Wind Cave National Park, and stayed at the WaTiki Indoor Waterpark Resort.

The children got along surprisingly well, on the long roadtrip and otherwise. Amazingly, really. To the point that at a restaurant, a very nice lady came over to tell me that we had a nice family and that she was impressed at how "nicely and pleasantly everyone interacts with each other..." Outwardly, I thanked her for saying so. Inwardly, I was thinking "whose kids are these?"

My husband and I made a pact that we would avoid all news coverage and political chatter, on television and radio, while we were on our trip. All the negativity, fear, and anger wears me out emotionally, so for our vacation we had none of that. Our thought was that if something earth-shattering happened, someone would be talking about it somewhere, so we didn't need to worry about it ourselves.

Knitting is, for me, a coping mechanism for stress. I have realized that it is also an escape from all the messes I have to clean up, and problems I am responsible for solving, as a Mom and as a nurse. I may not be fixing everything, but at least I am making a sock. My house may still be untidy, but at least I'm accomplishing something. On this trip, I discovered that as I was enjoying my family in a setting free of housework, unpleasant news coverage and deadlines, that I had much less of a need to knit. I still did knit some, but I didn't feel as drawn to it as I do during my everyday life.

My car-trip knitting was a pair of thick, warm socks that I am apparently going to finish for my husband just in time to store them away for Spring:

These are Elizabeth Zimmermann's "Woodsman's Socks", from The Opinionated Knitter. I'm using two colors of Paton's Classic Merino that were sitting together on the shelf at Michael's and they called out to me: "Make us into some warm wooly socks!" The colors are called Grey Marl and Burnt Orange. The heel appears to be different colors because I decided to use up two half-bobbins of heel and toe reinforcement thread that I had on hand, rather than start a new one and subsequently have 3 partial-bobbins to use up.

I finished the first Cascadia sock from January's Rockin' Sock Club shipment:

It's my first successful toe-up sock. It actually fits my foot. Well, it mostly fits my foot. I learned something important from this project...Addi Turbo dpns size 1 are NOT the same size in millimeters as Knitpicks size 1! Who knew? (OK, lots of people knew, but not me, until now.) The moral of that story is use a needle sizer or you will have surprising gauge issues.

I also learned a lesson this week about my computer monitor's color properties. I used the coupon from the Rockin' Sock Club to order 3 skeins of Socks that Rock from Blue Moon Fiber Arts. A lovely golden yellow semi-solid, a soft, subtle, pale peach, and a sort of funky hand-paint colorway that I've been drawn to since it first graced the website. And here they are:

They are basically the same color, even though on my computer screen they looked entirely different. I still love them though: Wonderful Goodness, Narikama, and Hoofle Foofle. At least two of them are destined to be socks for other people, so it won't really matter that they are so similar, but I still thought it was kind of funny.

I'm off to tidy up the house, and hopefully knit a little bit before the kiddos get home from school. Thanks for visiting my little blog, and have a fantastic day!

Phoebe

2010-03-22T22:01:00.002-06:00

We had to have our cat euthanized this past weekend, and it was one of the hardest decisions I've ever made. The logical part of me knew it was the right thing to do, but the emotional strain of it was terrible.

We found Phoebe inside our apartment building's hallway in 1996. Since you had to enter a main door in order to get to the actual apartment doors, we figured she must belong to a fellow apartment-dweller, but signs on all of the entrances and an ad in the newspaper did not help us find her people, so we became her people.

I named her Phoebe, because she stunk to high heaven and we were fans of the TV show "Friends." Phoebe, the character on Friends, sang a song called "Smelly Cat." Since our cat was smelly, her name became Phoebe. We thought she was a kitten because she was so small, but the vet told us that based on her exam, she was probably more like 4 years old. She stayed the size of a kitten her entire life.

Phoebe was there when my eldest child was born in 1997, and when complications from the delivery had me near fainting in the bathroom one night, and I was unable to call out, Phoebe went and jumped on my husband's chest and yowled at him until he woke up, so he could hear my squeaky voice from down the hall. I thought then that maybe we should have named her Lassie...

She was affectionate and "talkative", but only on her own terms. We could live in the house with her and not see her two or three days, and then she'd come out of her hidey hole and want to be loved and rubbed, and would therefore rub, love, knead and purr until we were overcome by cuteness and couldn't help but pet her for as long as she wanted. For the last year or so, she had lost her sense of day and night apparently, because she would wake us up at night by pawing at our hands and hair until we woke up to pet her.

She developed a slight limp, and by the time I could make her an appointment at the vet's she was dragging a foot. Last Friday she completely lost the ability to move her hindquarter, and was dragging around with her two front feet. The heartbreaking part of this was that she didn't have any pain, and didn't seem to realize her back feet didn't work, because her cuddling, purring and nuzzling never stopped. It would possibly have been less traumatizing to take her to the vet's office if she hadn't acted so darn happy all morning prior.

I am completely certain that nothing good, curative, or painless was going to come of an 18-ish year old cat with paralysis of 2 legs. But having faced that, I still feel like we might have somehow betrayed her by having her put to sleep.

Rest in Peace, little Phoebe.

In which I hit a gate and am disqualified from the Knitting Olympics...

2010-02-17T09:18:00.003-07:00

As everyone probably knows, the Winter Olympics started last weekend. As everyone who is involved with knitting and the internet probably knows, so did the Yarn Harlot's Knitting Olympics.

I love everything about the Olympics, both Winter and Summer, but the Winter Games are my favorite. I love, love, love the opening ceremony, the parade of nations*, the figure skating, all those events that involve athletes speeding down and around icy tracks and mountains. It is exciting to watch, and the snowy scenery in the "beauty shots" is always gorgeous, since there aren't a lot of ski-runs on flat, boring terrain.

I felt that this year, I am finally a strong enough knitter to find the Knitting Olympics to be fun. I bought yarn, needles, and a Dale of Norway book with lofty plans to make a beautiful nordic sweater for myself. I was visualizing myself wearing a fabulous colorwork sweater and people asking me "where did you get that fabulous sweater of perfection? You look 40 pounds thinner in that sweater! I've never seen anything as beautiful as that sweater!" Those statements will be made, but unfortunately not about this sweater, and probably not while I'm wearing it. I have had gauge problems. I have ladders and wonky stitches. My eyes hurt from trying to count increases on dark-purple wool. I also have simply too much non-knitting life going on right now to enjoy muddling through a labor-intensive project that appears to be leading to a mediocre result.

So, right about the same time this morning that I was watching NBC's Matt Lauer discuss Lindsey Jacobellis's unfortunate disqualification from the Snowboard Cross (or is it Snow Boardcross?) competition, I decided that my knitting and I have "hit a gate" and become "disqualified from the finals." I am looking forward to whipping up some nice, easy, stress-free worsted weight wool socks for my husband during this olympics. They can be my consolation prize. During the next Olympics, when I have a child who will be driving herself to activities, I will be done with graduate school, and maybe my husband's ship will have come in and I won't have to be working so hard to bring in my own ship, then possibly I can whip out a complicated sweater in 17 days. Maybe next I should knit up some warm mittens for Lindsey Jacobellis...

*Did you guys notice all the fabulous knitwear those teams were wearing?! Team USA had awesome caps and cabled sweaters, the Swedish Team had fabulous slouchy crocheted hats, you could publish an entire book of 2010 Winter Olympic Knitwear!

How a Knitting Book Changed My Eating Habits

2010-01-21T19:21:00.004-07:00

I always knew that knitting has a strong influence on me, and so does the internet. They have entwined for me lately in a way that makes me feel like a true child of the 21st Century.

1. I borrowed The Knitter's Book of Wool by Clara Parkes from our local library. This is a wonderful book that includes a list of sheep breeds and their wool characteristics, among many other informative things. This led me to a google search for "Jacob Wool Yarn", because I am intrigued by the thought of a lavender sheep. (I do realize that Lavender Jacob sheep are probably not actually lavender, but it's fun to imagine them that way.) My Googling led me to...

2. Localharvest.org which is sort of like Etsy for farm items. They have a page where you can search farm-fresh and handspun yarns, fleeces, and other fibery goodness, and you can buy it right from the actual farmer who raised it. In some cases, you even get a photo of the sheep that your yarn came from. In addition to the yarn and fibers, the site has many other headings, including "CSA." Further research on Community Supported Agriculture made me very excited to sign up for our share of produce from a local farm. It's organic, it's fresh (well it will be...right now it is still seeds.) and grown right here in Colorado. I was so psyched about signing up for the CSA that I posted a status update on Facebook.

3. One of my Friends suggested that I read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. This book was inspiring to me, a memoir about how a family ate only locally grown or locally produced food for a year. I found myself wondering, as I read it, what would it be like to quit my job, and move to a farm and grow some tomatoes and potatoes. I never knew there were so many different varieties of veggies in this world, and I found it incredibly interesting to read of the local-food experience.

I feel kind of horrified that some of our food animals are unrecognizable compared to their ancestors of long ago, and the idea of genetically modified grains and adding hormones to our meat and dairy scares me for the future health of our children. This book made me feel good about my decision to join the CSA.

4. Another Facebook friend (who, incidentally I met on the Knitty board) suggested that I get Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison, due to it's extensive and encylclopedic information on all different sorts of fresh vegetables and fruits. So I bought it, and now for the past 3 days my children and I have eaten freshly prepared vegetarian meals, and they don't even seem to miss meat. I am not becoming a vegetarian, I still love my meat, but now that it feels important to eat locally produced, grass-fed meat, we will be eating less meat. So tonight, Creamy Tomato Soup and cheese toast, with Cherry-Berry Crisp for dessert. (We won't mention the fact that the crisp is going to be served with CoolWhip. I'm sure there are some local non-dairy-cows that made it...)

And all this awareness and interest in locally produced food stemmed from a Knitting book. My farm-fresh, locally produced yarn will be delivered soon. I'll be sure to show you pictures.

Happy 3rd of January

2010-01-03T21:56:00.002-07:00

I was working New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, so I missed my chance to blog in the new year. 2010 seems exciting to me, because 2009 was not wonderful, and I'm frankly glad to see it go into the Archipelago of Last Years. Goodbye to the year marked by the "great recession", Balloon Boy, Octo-Mom and the Christmas Underwear Bomber.

2009 did have some joy in it, as all years will...it was the only year in which my husband and I will celebrate our 17th Wedding anniversary, and the last year that I will have three children who are not yet teenagers. It was the year in which I knit my first adult sized sweater, worked up the nerve to start Graduate School and move my career forward, and tried snow-skiing for the first time. I read some good books, made some new friends, and learned some new things.

I am looking forward to a fresh, new, 2010 with lots of room for more joy and new things to learn. I am sure it will have its share of trials and wierd news stories. We'll see what it holds, but for now, goodbye to 2009. I'm really glad to see you go...

A Late-to-the-party Book Review, and Some Socks

2009-12-27T21:27:00.006-07:00

I am enjoying a nice, week-long stretch off of work, and a two-week break from school. Christmas was great... we mostly relaxed at home, went to a fantastic Church service, ate a low-key dinner and have been enjoying watching the kiddos play with all the new Christmas loot.

My knitting and reading time has increased during this little break from work and school, and look what I finished:

This is a pair of plain stockinette socks for Mom. The knitting was boring, but the yarn was fun.
They are a large woman's size, about 9"/72 stitches around, and using the Yarn Harlot's plain sock recipe from Knitting Rules.

I also finished the March Rockin' Sock Club installment, "Rogue Roses" by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (who is the same as the Yarn Harlot) in the Gertrude Skein Colorway.

I think these socks are beautiful, but the rosebud pattern twines up the leg in a biased pattern, and they really twist up when they are not on my feet. But honestly, they are normal-shaped socks when I am wearing them.

On the reading front, I finally started reading the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. I feel it would almost be insulting to link to them, since I am pretty much the only person I know who hadn't read them yet. In the last 10 days, I have read the first 5 books in the series. I personally think the J.K. Rowling is a genius. I love how the books, which are intended for a younger audience, grow in length and difficulty as the series progresses, and how the "wizard words" which are new in the first book become normal vocabulary for the reader as you progress through the series. Muggle, grindylow, and polyjuice potion, for example.

I also finished knitting an awesome hat yesterday, but it will photograph better tomorrow in the sunshine, so standby for details.

I'm still reading, too! Whistling Dixie in a Nor'easter

2009-12-02T06:19:00.005-07:00

I just finished reading "Whistling Dixie in a Nor'easter" by Lisa Patton. This recommendation came via Facebook, from a friend of mine from High School who is friends with the author. (How's that for a circuitous connection?) Since I had a bit of a break from schoolwork over Thanksgiving, I decided to read something for pleasure, and requested it from the public library. I really enjoyed this book. If you need a little escape from holiday madness, you should check this one out.

It is the story of LeeLee, a priveleged and pampered woman from Memphis, who winds up following someone else's dream to run a quaint bed and breakfast in Vermont. "Quaint" turns out to mean "tacky and stinky", and the joys of living in New England were interesting to see from the point of view of LeeLee, who had never even tried to locate Vermont on the map before. Experiencing this Southern Belle in Vermont was enjoyable, as was seeing her inner strength and ingenuity emerge when the going got tough, and her Southern Gentlemen weren't around to rescue her.

Knitting On...

2009-12-01T21:26:00.009-07:00

I never intended to have nearly 3 months between posts. Between work, kids, and school I have been on a one-way train to Crazyville lately, but that's really not an excuse, I don't suppose.

I have been "knitting on through all crises" as Elizabeth Zimmermann wrote, and I have been very prolific as far as hats go. There's just something about a hat, when the going gets tough, that soothes me. It is most likely the fact that there is only one, as opposed to a pair like socks or mittens, and also that gauge is not necessarily a big deal, since people and their heads come in a large variety of sizes. Here are the two I can find photos of:

Robin's Egg Blue Hat in Noro Kochoran. It's too big for me, but it was fun to knit, and the yarn is so soft and fuzzy, that I don't mind.

This is Frivol, in a stray ball of pink Cascade 220 that I had in the stash. This is a really fun, sideways pattern. With cables and bobbles and short-rows. I am sure I'll whip another one of these up sometime, it was so much fun. I also made a tam, and a great colorwork hat from Vogue Knitting, but the pictures are trapped in the broken camera...

My most ambitious project, and the one that I am the most proud of:

You see that outdoorsy, woodsman in the photo up there? Well, that's my husband wearing his big, warm, wooly sweater that I knit for him. I am gloating with pride that I followed Elizabeth Zimmermann's directions for a Seamless Saddle Shoulder Sweater, and that I persevered through miles of stockinette in order to complete an XXL size sweater to keep my man warm on a hunting trip. I have wanted to knit him a sweater since I first met him, when I was 16. It's probably a good thing that I didn't knit then, but I'm guessing the "sweater curse" does not apply after 17 years of marriage.

The details:
Pattern: Seamless Saddle Shoulder/Brooks Sweater, from EZ's Opinionated Knitter/Knitting Workshop/Knitting Without Tears. (I referred to all of those books while knitting it, but you could knit it with just one of them, I'm sure.)
Yarn: 9.5 skeins of Bartlettyarns Sheepswool 3-ply (from Schoolhouse Press) in Dark Sheeps Grey, which is actually brown. This is thick, wooly, slightly oily yarn, that feels a little scratchy while knitting, but after I washed it, it feels much softer. It is seriously warm and sturdy, and I'm sure this sweater will last for years.
Needles: Size 10 US. A 40" and 24" circular, also from Schoolhouse Press. I got 3 1/2 stitches to the inch.

All I can say about this pattern, is just to TRUST Elizabeth and do what she says. It will look strange sometimes, and you will want to argue, but seriously, she was a knitting genius. I now understand a great deal about sweater construction, and am looking forward to making many more sweaters.

I hope someone still stops by my blog after all this time. If you're still here, Thanks for checking in. I'm looking forward to sharing this holiday season with you.

A Book Review, or "Holy Crap, I found time to Read something!"

2009-09-21T05:44:00.003-06:00

I saw The Passion of the Hausfrau on the "new books" rack at our library, and it looked interesting, and then a bout of the dreaded "Seasonal Flu-Like Illness" provided me time to sit/lay down and read something not related to school, so look...A book review!

This book, by Nicole Chaison, is the journal of a stay-at-home-mom of 2 children, complete with cartoons to illustrate the stories. She illustrates the joys, difficulties and hilarity of motherhood. She also discusses, in a unique way, the frustrations shared by many mothers which we often don't discuss. In a way, I wish I had read this book when my own kiddos were smaller. It might have helped me to feel less alone in my world of toddlers and infants. Chaison's story about "How I came to sit in Cat Diarrhea" could have stood beside my stories of "How the 2-year old barfed down my neck" or "Why is my toddler in the top of that tree?" and possibly helped me to feel more like journaling and less like running away from home.

If you need a chuckle, and like an intelligently-written memoir, you should check this one out. Especially if you are a mother.

Goodbye, Summer!

2009-08-25T09:59:00.014-06:00

Summer of 2009 was very hectic.

Having three children has challenged my organizational skills, and perfected my referee-ing skills this summer. If I had only had a whistle and a flag : "Foul! Name calling related to physical features! 10-yard penalty!...Unnecessary roughness! No hitting your brother in the nuts! Ejection from the living room and removal of television privileges for 24 hours!..." In the midst of the perpetual battling, some days felt like a riddle...how do you get 3 children to 3 different places at the same time with one mini-van? But, the parental trauma that was summer is now ended, and the school year has begun. I am looking forward to finding the new routines and the new form of "normal" whatever it looks like.

We did find some fun over the summer, however, and I found some knitting time in between everything else. (And sometimes, instead of everything else...)

I had a high-school reunion. It was more than 10 years, but less than 25. We danced to "Pour some Sugar on Me" and reminisced about the large and tall hairstyles we sported in our youth. But I'm not saying when I graduated.

I took my sock out boating with my family. My Dad didn't think it was TOO weird that I had to photograph the sock on vacation...

The kids, my parents and I went to the American Museum of Science and Energy. The "Hair Raising Show" is still a big hit.

We participated in the Denver AIDS Walk. In order to ruin my children's lives forever (according to the 11 year old), I let my sock have it's picture taken with the AIDS Awareness Condom.

What I should be doing right this minute is either washing dishes or reading assignments or writing a paper for school. (I'm kind of disconcerted that every minute of my life seems to have more than one thing I should be doing "right now.") What I am doing instead is showing you the knitting projects I have on the needles currently, hopefully to motivate myself to finish something:

The Colorwork Hat (Rav link) from the latest issue of Vogue Knitting. This is not technically "on the needles" but look at all those ends! And by the way, have you seen any of my sewing-up needles? There are about 47 of them in here somewhere and I can't find even one! I hope to finish this up by Thursday, which is the earliest day I will be able to run and purchase more sewing-up needles.

Vilai Socks from Sock Innovation by Cookie A. These require much concentration, they are beautiful and I love them. I love them so much that I have hidden their project bag away from the children, and now I can't find the sock to photograph it...

Almost a whole pair of socks for my Mom. They are a little crazy, but cheerful. They are Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's basic Sock Recipe, and are knit from Online Savanne Color which I ordered from Simply Socks Yarn Company. It's probably a discontinued color, but I have loved all of the Online sock yarn I've tried. It feels nice to knit with, the colors are bright, and it is machine washable.

Talia: A project which will have earned an entire post for itself if I ever get it finished. Those stitch markers are some that my BFF Vickie made, and I love them!

I am looking forward to whipping out some small projects as part of the Stash and Burn Podcast "Single Skein September" Challenge. Stand by for details. I can't believe it's almost September!

Summer Reading: Mudbound by Hillary Jordan

2009-08-02T18:10:00.003-06:00

I hope to return to the knit-blogging soon, but apparently my "Knitting Mojo" has taken a hike, hopefully a temporary one...in the meanwhile, I read a really good book.

Mudbound by Hillary Jordan showed up on last year's NPR Summer Reading List but I never got around to reading it. This year, I remembered the title, and I am very glad that I requested it from the Library.

Mudbound is the story of a community of families in the 1940's, in Mississippi. The book gives perspectives of rural southern farm life from the points of view of all members of a white land-owning farm family, as well as from the members of the family of neighboring black tenant-farmers. It describes how life is hard for all of them, and the racism, sexism and social injustice which pervades the culture of post-WWII southern America. The author develops her characters and tells the story so well that I found myself crying outwardly while reading the book, and once it made my so mad that I had to put the book down. I won't say the book was "enjoyable" because of the gravity of the subject matter, but it certainly drew me in and wouldn't let me go until I finished the book. It's not easy to read, but it is certainly thought-provoking and I highly recommend it.

Edited to Add: It's 4am and I am in the process of losing sleep over a particularly disturbing scene of violence toward the end of the book. I don't want to say more and spoil the story for you, but I thought you should know. Damn this visual imagination of mine!

In Appreciation of the Yarn Harlot

2009-07-27T13:21:00.003-06:00

As a new knitter, I read every knitting book I could get my hands on. I had piles of low-end yarn and plans to make beautiful and spectacular hand-knits that would make me look lovely. I had pattern books and plans to knit gorgeous gifts which would make heirlooms out of the everyday birthday present. I took a knitting class, and made some knitting friends, but out of the group I felt alone in my excitement about yarn and the wooly wonders of knitting.

When I read Knitting Rules by Stephanie Pearl- McPhee I realized that I was not really alone in my yarn obsession, but I was merely misunderstood by the non-knitters in my world. Stephanie, aka the Yarn Harlot, inspired me to buy nice yarn and dare to knit with it (I believe her quote was "you can't make a silk purse from a sow's ear..."). She explained sock construction with her Basic Sock Recipe (ravelry link) in such a way that I can know make socks without looking at a pattern (much). When I discovered her blog, it opened up a world of the internet knitting community for me, and let me to other fun and informative knitting blogs.

Although I am not much of a celebrity-following person, I waited in line with around 300 other knitters to get a book signed by Stephanie and she was still gracious and friendly by number 245, who was gushy, tongue-tied, goofy me, and even posed with my unfortunate sock-knitting disaster so I could blog about it.

The "Yarn Harlot" has helped me to knit better and more confidently, and helped me find knitting community which has led to great friendships as well as some nice handknits. She taught me that knitting is also extremely funny (the story of the sweater for her teenage boyfriend), and at times thought-provoking (why golf is a legitimate hobby and knitting is not) and touching (the doula knitting while the mother is in labor.)

I wanted to take a moment to appreciate a knitter with a good blog, who was kind to me even though she didn't know me (and it was nearly midnight) and who writes books which I enjoy a great deal. I hope she continues to do all these things for a long time.

"Let your conversation be always full of grace..."
--Colossians 4:6a

Baby Surprise Jacket

2009-07-10T13:08:00.006-06:00

Look! I finished a whole entire knitting project!

This is the Baby Surprise Jacket (Ravelry link) from Elizabeth Zimmermann. This is one of the most interesting knits I've done... you have to just trust the pattern and go along, because it doesn't look like anything useful until you're done and you fold it up. Then, POOF! A lopsided stripey garter-stitch thing magically becomes a baby sweater.

I used a DVD from Schoolhouse Press to understand how the thing goes together, and I highly recommend this approach. Meg Swansen explains all the steps very plainly, and the DVD's menus make it very easy to directly jump to the parts you need to see again.

The yarn was 2 full balls of Swish Worsted in Wisteria, a little less than half a skein of the bare Swish and maybe 2/3 of a skein of leftover pink Swish. This is a great use for leftover yarns. The worsted weight appears to have made about a 9-12 month size sweater, and I'm looking forward to seeing what size it comes out with sock yarn and sport-weight yarn.

Here's the back: I love how the design makes a right angle. I also love how Elizabeth planned a row of increases to create fullness for the baby's diaper (mine fell right above that first bottom white stripe). Now that we're all environmental and cloth diapers are more widely used than they were a few years ago, that just makes the sweater that much more practical.

It's really too bad that I don't have anyone to give this right now...it would be the perfect gift!

A helpful hint: The pattern requires you to increase on either side of a neutral stitch for many consecutive rows. I found this difficult to see in the garter stitch, so I put a ring marker on either side of my neutral stitch and did the increases before and after the marker. This eliminates the need for bright light and enabled me to knit this and watch TV at the same time.

If I make this again:

I will use snaps or velcro for closures. These bunny buttons are very cute, but I'm quite sure are a choking hazard as well. Maybe snaps underneath and for a little snazz some i-cord knots sewn down very tight, or something...just probably not bunny-buttons of death.

And, I will save enough of my lightest color to sew up the shoulders. I did it as neatly as I could, but the purple still shows through. I don't love that, but I don't hate it enough to rip out my neck treatment and buy a whole new skein of white in order to fix it.

If you haven't made one of these, I highly recommend it. It's not only a cute garment, but it makes you feel smarter once you're done.

Heroes

2009-07-07T08:48:00.002-06:00

I heard on the news this morning that Michael Jackson was an "American Hero." He was certainly a famous pop-star with a longstanding music career. He was an icon for sure. He was also a person who deserves to have some dignity in his death and not the circus of media hype and ebay-sales of tickets to his memorial service. But I disagree with the word "Hero."

Do you want to hear about some Heroes?

Well, I know a man who is serving with the US Armed Forces in Afghanistan. He is away from his family, in a dangerous war zone to work to preserve Freedom. His wife is home caring for 3 children, parenting and loving and providing for their needs, in her own way working to preserve Freedom.

I know a couple who provided total care at home for an invalid daughter with severe mental and physical disabilities, for 50 years, with no home-healthcare assistance, and despite the fact that the physicians recommended that the girl be institutionalized. They centered their lives around their child and gave her the best life they could, even when she couldn't interact with them.

I know a person who has had his feet amputated due to medical reasons, who is friendly and caring, and has goals he will accomplish, and continues to have faith in God despite the personal losses that came with losing his feet.

Today, I invite you to think of your own heroes. Celebrate them for a moment. And then, hum "Beat It" and practice your moonwalk if you must.

The Housekeeper and the Professor

2009-07-05T21:17:00.003-06:00

In between everything else this past week, I read a wonderful book. The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa. It is a beautiful story which challenges traditional definitions of Friendship and Family. The Professor is a mathematician who suffered a traumatic brain injury and can only store 80 minutes of short-term memory. The Housekeeper is a young single mother who is hired to care for his household needs. It is at once humorous and touching, but it didn't make me sad. It made me think about relationships and the beauty in people.

In addition to it's literary value, I enjoyed the fact that it is only180 pages long, and therefore a manageable length to provide me with some escape from stress without feeling like a lot of work to read. It would be perfect to take on a plane trip, or to the beach, and you wouldn't even have to worry about your kids picking it up and reading it...no bad language, no sex, but still a nice story that will stay in your heart for a while.

Summer Reading 2009: Laura Rider's Masterpiece

2009-06-24T12:09:00.003-06:00

This is my second-annual reading through the NPR Summer Reading list. I requested as many of the books as are available at my local library, and as they come to me I'm reading as many as I can. Due to graduate school obligations, I am limiting myself to selections that are less than 300 pages.

I just finished reading Laura Rider's Masterpiece by Jane Hamilton. The main character, Laura is married to Charlie, and through the years the spark has gone out of their marriage. In a strange turn of events and a quest to become a writer, Laura helps Charlie maintain an email love-affair with a local radio celebrity. As the email affair becomes more than electronic, a truly bizarre love-triangle ensues. I found it a fairly quick read, humorous and intelligent, and "provocative" without being "smutty." (You may define smutty differently than I do, so if you tend to avoid sexual content, this is probably not the book for you.) The end left me a little puzzled, though; I really had some difficulty determining who were the bad guys and who were the good guys, but I suspect that may have been the author's point.

I liked this one. If you need a book for the beach or the pool that is a little poignant, a little funny and a little sexy, you ought to check this one out.

Today, I am loving.....

2009-06-17T10:37:00.007-06:00

...that my rosebushes have survived an April blizzard and June hailstorms unscathed.

...that my Rogue Roses Socks are coming along.

They are fun to knit, not too difficult, not too easy, and the yarn is springy in both senses of the word...its color reminds me of the season of Spring, and it has a lot of bounce. Socks that Rock Mediumweight...my new favorite yarn ever. I promise a better picture later, but here is a Rogue Rose sock on an actual unruly rogue rosebush:

...the Queen of Beads Socks!

The first shipment from the Rockin' Sock Club is finished. I had never knit with beads before, and I found it to be enjoyable. Stringing the beads ahead of time and sliding them along to knit them in is a really neat technique. It seems to decrease the shine on the yarn, but it doesn't detract from the beauty of the sock, in my opinion. They aren't perfect, but I'm pretty sure the recipient is going to love them.

...funky self-striping sock yarn.

This is OnLine Savanne Color. Isn't it a happy colorway? It's been a fun knit, since I am easily amused by self-striping yarn, but t's my first attempt at knitting a sock on 2 circular needles and I'm still undecided whether I like to knit socks this way. I like the 2 circulars for the plain knitting of the leg, but the heel-flap, heel-turn and gusset are proving to be fiddly and awful for me on the two circulars. For some reason, purling with this needle set-up seems about 10 times more difficult than purling a heel flap on double-points. I may do the second sock on dpns if I can get the same gauge.

Most of all, today I am loving that I am finishing up my Nursing Theory class. Goodbye to Jean Watson and Dorothea Orem and Katharine Kolcaba! At least for now...

As if 2009 hasn't been wierd enough already...

2009-06-09T20:14:00.004-06:00

This is an actual photo of the tornado that came within a couple miles of my house on Sunday, June 7. I downloaded it from the Channel 7 News website, because I was not home to photograph it. And, I probably would have been cowering in the basement if I had been home, like the "storm-phobic" person I am.

The worst part about my family looking a tornado in the eye like this was the fact that we were all in different places. I was at work, my husband and 2 youngest children were at a church picnic, and my oldest daughter, who is 11, was home by herself because she didn't feel well. I called home when I saw the TV news-crawl in my patient's room, and the phone was answered by a weeping, terrified girl. So inside, I immediately became a quivering emotional wreck, but over the phone I had the collected-mom voice "Just go down to the basement, take your cel phone, and a grownup who you know will come get you when it's clear." In the background I can hear hail falling (the size of golfballs, it turned out) and the storm siren wailing. It was terrible.

Hubby and the other 2 kids were apparently on their way home from the church when the warning came, and it turned out that the funnel was physically between the church and our home. And the home phone wasn't working. And Hubby's cell phone had died. So he couldn't readily get in touch with our daughter at home. Not to mention that I couldn't get in touch with him either, which added to my own distress.

In the middle of all this drama, I am supposed to be caring for 2 critically ill patients and preparing to potentially evacuate them into the hallway. On ventilators. Things were going so badly, in fact, that I had a little breakdown in one of my patient's rooms, and started to cry in front of the family. When the family members offered to bring me ice water and tissues I knew it was time to pull it together.

My son said he just "sat in the corner and freaked out", and my youngest daughter executed her famous coping mechanism....she sat down in the inner hallway of the church and fell asleep...like a possum, I guess, she just shuts down and plays dead until the danger passes.

In the end, a neighbor came to get my daughter until my husband got home, all are safe and we only have a couple of hail-dents in the hood of our car. We were all on edge yesterday, and watching the weather forecast has taken on a new dimension of importance, and the 11-year old will not be staying home alone for a while, even on a sunny Sunday afternoon. This is definitely going to be one of those stories for the family history books.

Returning to the Blog

2009-05-11T15:02:00.011-06:00

Primary Reasons I have been away from the blog:

1. Masters in Nursing courses at University of Phoenix. I think I made an "A" in my first class, but if there were a grade, I'd be making a "C-" in housework and motherhood studies.

2. Dental Appointments: 3 children and 1 Mom, times a cleaning and at least 2 appointments each equals about 10 trips to the dentist since February. I love my dentist, though...he has never once made a remark connecting 3 kids needing fillings with poor parental dental oversight.

3. Isolation. Unfortunately, the grey depression-cloud has been threatening to pounce, resulting in some blog-avoidance on my part. I didn't think anything was really blog-worthy. But...see below.

Things I should have blogged:

1. A really funny-looking hat:

This is the Dubblemossa hat kit from Schoolhouse Press. The Unspun Icelandic wool is a bit of an adventure, and so was the two-handed, two-color technique which I learned. It's extremely warm, with 4 layers of wool around the brim, and I love it, even though it is pretty ridiculous looking, and I'm not sure I'm brave enough to wear it outside of the house.

Details:

Pattern came with the Dubblemossa video from Schoolhouse Press
Needles: Size 3 16" circular and dpns. If I make another, I'll use size 4, because this one was a little tight.
Yarn: Unspun Icelandic, one wheel of Natural, one wheel of Blacksheep. I love this yarn, and I'm looking forward to using it again.

2. Some mittens that don't match in even a small way. Not "fraternal twins", but more like "second cousins."

I bought two skeins of Noro Kochoran on sale from Webs. This is some seriously beautiful, fluffy and soft, bulky yarn which knits up quickly on size 10 needles. It told me that it wanted to be mittens. So, I whipped up a pair of Kochoran Mittens, but instead of using the stripe pattern recommended in the pattern, I knit them straight off the ball. And here they are, a pair of mismatched mittens. So I'm off to knit a third mitten from the rest of the ball and see if it happens to match one of these mittens better.

3. Bingo night at Chick-Fil-A! It was one of the most fun things we've done recently. Chicken Sandwiches, milkshakes, and prize-winning. Kids enjoying themselves so much they forgot to bicker among themselves. It was a fabulous Saturday night.

4. 3-D Viewing of "Monsters vs. Aliens." Great family movie, and cool glasses!

5. How about 18" of snow in April? After some 70-degree days, and just to keep us on our toes. I think God just proved he has a sense of humor, and likes to play a practical joke every now and then.

That's the gas grill, where it had been happily cooking meat the previous weekend, and the wheelbarrow, which had been involved in some gardening recently. Crazy, rapidly changing weather we have here.

6. I read some good books: The Used World by Haven Kimmel, and Breakfast with Buddha by Roland Merullo.

The Used World is a sometimes-comical, sometimes-heartwarming story about 3 women who work at an antique emporium in rural Indiana.

Breakfast with Buddha is a fictional memoir written by a "normal", Protestant, affluent suburban father of 2 who winds up on a week-long car trip across the countryside with a Guru/Yogi/Spiritual leader. This book is at once very funny, but also thought-provoking.

I'm off to do something which is really boring and unbloggable. But, seriously, I'll keep in touch better in the future...

2009-03-26T19:47:00.004-06:00

Hello, Blog! I bet you had forgotten about me, or else you thought I had abandoned you forever. I'm back, although the camera battery is dead, so no photos until it recharges...

The wierdness of the week is the Weather. It's toying with me. It got so warm last week that I opened all the windows and got my capri-pants out of the closet. I ordered these cute summery shoes. It was 78 degrees last Sunday, and today on Thursday....a foot of snow and still falling. The good news is, the school system had the foresight to cancel school all day, even though it wasn't actually snowing yet in the early morning, but by lunch time we had blistering winds and driving snow. Other good news is that DH's company released them early, and has authorized working from home tomorrow. The bad news....I still have to be at work at 7 am and the snow isn't supposed to really stop until around 6am.

I'm still knitting! A really fun Swedish Dubblemossa cap in Unspun Icelandic Wool to be exact, and it's so much fun to knit that I haven't really done anything else. Standby for pictures this weekend.

I have to go make cupcakes with my kids and make good on my promise and retain "cool mom" status.

Book Review: The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by D. Wroblewski

2009-02-25T10:08:00.004-07:00

I just finished reading The Story of Edgar Sawtelle for my book club. What a great book!

This is the story of a mute boy who lives on a farm in Wisconsin with his parents. The family breeds, raises and trains very special dogs. I won't reveal too many details, because I don't want to spoil it for you, but it is a dog story, a story of growing up and friendship, a mystery, a ghost story. The characters are all very believable and real, although not all are likeable. It also is a parallel to Hamlet, according to the segment I heard on NPR, and for the whole month it took to read the book I was regretting that I had not paid more attention to Hamlet in High School and College. I expect this will turn out to be a book that is studied by High School Honors English classes in the future, which was my justification for purchasing a hardcover copy.

I enjoyed this book because the story had many layers, and it was very thought-provoking to read. It was not what I'd call "light reading", and required a lot of attention, but I never found it boring. (Well, there was some of the middle that I felt bogged down in, but by the end, many of those details turned out to be very important, and I found that it really wasn't boring after all.) The author is extremely skilled at creating visual images with his words, and conveying non-verbal communication. It is a very impressive work of literature.

February is for Teal

2009-02-22T12:43:00.009-07:00

***This Post Contains a Spoiler for the January 2009 Rockin' Sock Club***

Recently, instead of my knitting challenging me, expanding my horizons and teaching me new techniques, it has primarily served to frustrate me. I am knitting a pair of socks for a gift (I'll post them when they are all done and in the hands of the recipient...) which I designed myself, from yarn I adore. Somehow, I've managed to botch up the leg pattern, which I designed myself so there is no one to blame, and I need to pull out several rows and re-knit. Instead of having the discipline to sit down and do that and move forward, I opted to start a new project.

Next, I cast on the Rockin' Sock Club kit for January, which is gorgeous all around....gorgeous yarn, gorgeous pattern, gorgeous beads and fun, fun, fun to knit.

***Spoiler Starts here***

Well, the first sock was fun, and finished in record time. The second sock is a different story. I can not for the life of me reproduce the "Tubular Cast On". I thought I had it figured out after the first one, and fantasized that the second sock is always faster than the first. Oh no! After about 10 tries at the recommended cast-on, I have finally resorted to my old standby Long-Tail Cast On and it doesn't matter to me if the very top of the cuffs don't match. Hopefully, the person who I'm going to give these to won't mind either.

I have recently registered to begin a Master's Degree program in Nursing (MSN), in hopes of achieving a job where I can make a difference to my patients through expertise and quality care for less than 12-13 hours at a time, and in "regular clothes" rather than scrubs. I also hope to gain understanding of many of the issues which frustrate me because I don't really understand the way hospitals are managed, and increased knowledge usually decreases frustration for me. My first class will start in April. I am very excited and hopeful about this new venture in my career.

To celebrate my leap of faith, I swung by the closest yarn shop to my University campus, which happens to be one of the most inspiring shops for me, The Knitty Cat, and bought yarn for a new project.
I want to make Talia, out of good yarn that is enjoyable to knit, and I want to have it finished by the first night of class so I can wear it for luck. I bought a nice bag-full of Berocco Pure Merino in a gorgeous teal color and cast on.

This is a great knit...easy enough, yet also interesting. I did learn a hard lesson, though, since I am pretty new to knitting lace patterns, especially in garments...."one stitch off" is a much bigger deal than it sounds like. In the picture on the right, you can see the wonky, messed up lace pattern which I continually told myself was "not a big deal". Elizabeth Zimmermann said in a video that the most important part of the sweater was up by your face, so make that part perfect. This is the bottom of a long vest and will be nowhere near my face, so it doesn't matter, does it? Well, insert your favorite expletive here, I think I'm going to have to rip back almost the whole part I've knit to find the "just one stitch" that was "no big deal". Denial...it ain't just a river in Egypt.

On a happy note, that up there is the yarn which The Knit's Meow sent me as part of a Knitty Valentine's Day Surprise Package. Not only did she send me six (!) skeins of Manos del Uruguay, but also a gingerbread house kit, and chocolates (really good chocolates)! That yarn is telling me it wants to be knit into something beautiful. Like a Cloud Bolero. But I absolutely must must must finish something successfully before I subject this fabulous yarn to my recent bad-knitting-karma.

When I put it all together after photographing it, I noticed a color theme...

Today's Blog post was brought to you by the color "Teal."

My Life in Bullet Points

2009-02-11T20:18:00.002-07:00

I guess it's time I posted something, so everyone would know I am still alive and um, knitting...

In the past 3 weeks:

I have learned of events which have caused me to distrust the internet and the whole concept of "online community". But I do not extend that distrust to "The Blog" nor to it's readers.
I have had some sort of midlife crisis, I think, leading to registration and finalizing arrangements to begin Graduate School in April, joining of a gym and signing up for Personal Training, and resuming my involvement in Weight Watchers (and I've lost 4 pounds.)
I received my first installment of the Rockin Sock Club 2009, and I've finished one sock. Unfortunately I can't show it to you because...
I managed to somehow break my "good" computer, and until DH can fix it I am stuck using a not-so-fabulous laptop which doesn't know how to talk to my camera.

There have also been

Sick Children
A Husband with long hours and work deadlines
Home improvement projects and clean-out, apparently also as a result of this Midlife Crisis.

So, please come back in a few days and check for photos of knitting, when we return to our regular programming.

Inauguration

2009-01-20T20:24:00.003-07:00

Today at 10am Mountain Time, a group of nurses and other hospital staff stood around a patient's TV and watched the Inauguration of Barack Obama. During the invocation and Obama's inaugural address, you could have heard a pin drop in the hospital. It was a respectfully hushed 30 minutes that I will always remember.

I do not remember a moment where people stood together in awe of history this way, and there was unity and patriotism all around. We stood together, teary-eyed, all for our own reasons, although we all have different ideas of "the issues", we felt a great togetherness as Americans. I imagine that this was a pervasive feeling everywhere today. I pray that today is the beginning of the end of America as a group of Us and Them. I hope that this feeling of hopefulness and togetherness stays with us for a long time.

Lifestyles of the Pampered and Knitterly...

2009-01-14T18:58:00.006-07:00

I have to tell you about the lovely day my husband gave me yesterday. He gave me a sizeable gift-certificate to the Blue Dragonfly Salon and Day Spa and I spend the best part of the day having a massage, facial, manicure and pedicure. It was so pampering that it was a little bit overwhelming, and in the future, I will probably break those activities up into a couple of visits...in the off-chance that I am again gifted with such a nice present. The staff there was very nice, friendly and professional, and I felt the services were reasonably priced. If you live near here, you should check it out.

I have also finished a couple of knitting projects and started a new one.

Here is my Abby Cowl:

Pattern: Abby from Knitty, designed by Amy Singer
Yarn: 1 skein of Royal Fiber Spinnery Alpaca, in a colorway called either "Cosmos" or "Garden Cosmos". I can't remember and I lost the label.
Needles: Size 8 circular

I enjoyed making this, and I love the yarn. The pattern was interesting enough to keep my attention, while still being simple enough to knit while watching TV or listening to Podcasts. The problem with this yarn/pattern combination is that the yarn is so soft that the cowl is a bit too "floppy" and therefore not the look I was hoping for. Also, I ran out of yarn before I got to 16 inches, and I had to stop at 13 inches. This means that it's a little too short for the over-the-head look that is pictured with the pattern, and that's probably OK since that look did not turn out to be very flattering on me anyway. So I'm afraid I've made a lovely thing from beautiful yarn and a great pattern that will be destined to stay unworn in my closet.

I made these for a coworker:

These are the Garter-stitch Booties pattern from Elizabeth Zimmermann's The Opinionated Knitter.

EZ was a genius, I tell you! The first one of these I knit had me convinced that I was either crazy or stupid, because the odd little object I was knitting did not resemble anything I've ever seen, let alone a baby's foot. And on the last step, I folded the knitted blob in half to weave up the seam and Poof! A cute little bootie was on my needles when I least expected it.

Yarn: Plymouth Happy Feet. I lost that yarn label, too, so I don't know what color it is.
Needles: Size 3.

This project is the perfect way to use up sock yarn and other lightweight yarn left-overs. I made the pair in one evening, and made the I-cord ties the next day. I really want to try some with striped yarn to show off the fabulously intelligent design. Hmmm....Noro Kureyon Sock booties? Opal or OnLine Self-striping Booties? People need to get busy and make more babies for me to knit for.....

And last, but not least, I cast on some huge, thick, sheepy socks for DH:

I was feeling especially like making a nice gesture after my day at the spa, and last night my feet were freezing, so I cast on a pair of thick socks for him. Somewhere there is some logic in that statement, so I'm going to let it be. I'm using the Woodsman's Thick Socks pattern from Elizabeth Zimmermann's Knitting Around. I had purchased some of the Sheepswool yarn from Schoolhouse Press, and there you go...big, thick socks. This yarn is great! It's scratchy and wooly, but in a good way, and it has a not-so-faint sheepy smell. It's the natural color of the sheep, also. I feel like "Ma" in Little House on the Prairie, knitting warm woolen socks for my man. They are going very quickly, and I'm guessing I should have the pair finished over the weekend.

Lest you think that I am a Lady of Leisure, what with all the knitting and spa treatments, let me disclose that I am now about to go take down the Christmas Decorations and wash laundry. Yes, I said take down the Christmas Decorations. Maybe I should just throw a sheet over the tree and keep it until next year....

HIV Carelink "Love Unleashed" Workshop

2009-01-11T21:19:00.003-07:00

Yesterday, I attended the Love Unleashed workshop given by HIV Carelink. It was a very informative and thought-provoking day. This workshop is an in-depth training session to prepare us to volunteer with people affected by HIV/AIDS. I was given much new information, and heard the personal experiences of a man currently living with HIV. It is shocking to me the scope of this illness in our country, and even more shocking that it has "fallen off the radar" of the media and the minds of Americans.

I was convicted by the lack of action and compassion on the part of mainstream Christianity as a whole towards people affected by HIV and AIDS, and I am now searching and praying for exactly what my role will be in serving this population and increasing awareness. I have several ideas which I am exploring, so stand by for details. I am looking forward to seeing what God has for me to do for HIV Carelink.

On the Needles January '09

2009-01-05T09:03:00.004-07:00

I wanted to know what I have on the needles so I can finish some things up and feel like I've accomplished something. I'm afraid that this post is just reinforcing my insanity and now making it obvious to the whole world, but here I go anyway:

This about 1/3 of Abby from Knitty. A nice, soft, lacy cowl made from Royal Fiber Spinnery Alpaca which I bought at the Alpaca Festival last spring. I like how this yarn is knitting up, and the lace pattern is fun...easy enough, yet still interesting to knit. I'm hoping to finish this project soon. I have some podcasts downloaded and I am planning a little knitting time this afternoon.

This knitted object began it's life as a garter-stitch scarf from some more yarn from the Alpaca Festival. This is Hand-Spun and Hand-dyed mohair/merino/silk from Wynham Farms. I love the color and I love the look and feel of the yarn, but I swear I do not know what it wants to be. The garter-stitch just isn't doing it for me, but I don't have any other ideas. So, please comment if you have an ideas for this bulky and loopy, fuzzy, soft yarn. (I have 220 yards of it.) It's on it's way to being a novelty-yarn, but it's not really. It just has me stumped. This one is destined to be nothing but a swatch if I don't have some sort of knitting revelation soon.

This unfortunate February Lady's Sweater has been cast-on since October. I am having bad feelings about it because of it's girth (which also happens to be my own girth, and that is adding to my bad feelings toward it) and the fact that I feel I am stuck in a never-ending section of Gull-Lace. In reality, I only have about 3-4 inches of lace left and then I can whip out the bottom garter-stitch. Once I'm past that, the sleeves will be a piece of cake. I want to wear the thing, I just am having some trouble getting through the knitting.

That cute little triangle is the first installment of the January Afghan Knitalong at Knitty Cat. I have let the knitalong go for the past 3 months, and I am excited to be jumping back into it. Partly because the surprise of receiving a few rows of pattern directions via e-mail every day is really fun, and partly because I have chosen the perfect spot in my house that needs a new chair, and this afghan will look beautiful draped casually across it.

This is the beginning of the first of a pair of Jared Flood's Green Autumn Mittens from Vogue Knitting Magazine. I had been wanting to try Jamieson's Shetland Spindrift, and I really love it. This is the "foxglove" colorway, and it is a little more pinkish than this photo shows. These are a fun knit, a little bit difficult and requiring some concentration...good for when I need my knitting to take my mind away from life for a while. My brain can not handle thinking about anything else while I'm Cabling and Bobbling.

Have a great day, and I hope we can all fit in some knitting-time today!

Welcome 2009!

2009-01-04T14:18:00.008-07:00

I will admit that I did not enjoy 2008. I will not even go into the reasons why, because almost all of you will have shared some of the same pain as I did in 2008, and I don't want to bring it back up again. That Year is banished to it's island in the Archipelago and we now have a NEW YEAR with new hope and a fresh start.

This year, I am trying a new form of New Year's Resolution. I am not going to vow to lose weight, to clean my house, to stop yelling at the kids or to be a better Nurse. I am hopeful that this year's resolution may lead to those things, though, because my Official Goal for 2009 is to

BE KIND TO MYSELF AND OTHERS.

I'm afraid that might sound rather a no-brainer, now that I've typed it out there for the world, but let me explain. If I am not trying to be perfect (or appear to be perfect) then my stress level will go down. If I have to choose a food, I am going to choose what is the kindest choice for my body...if I have had no water to drink, then Diet Coke is an unkind choice. If I do not have any clean clothes to wear, then doing the laundry is a kind choice. Maintaining a clean and welcoming home is a kind thing to do for my family. Providing motivation through consequences to get the children to do what needs to be done is kind, although raging at them is not. Fixing a situation that my husband is totally capable of handling himself is kinder to him than depriving him of his chance to succeed or excel at something that is "not his department", and will eliminate a huge source of resentment and anxiety for me, which is kind to me. I believe if I can focus on this goal for even half of the time, it will be a better year.

On another note, we have had a busy, but wonderful, Christmas season. I was feeling sorry for myself on Christmas Eve because of my lack of local family members, and late that afternoon planned an impromptu little party for my neighbors and wound up with a happy houseful of about 16 people. I learned on Christmas that large family dinners are great, but this is a lot of fun, too:

That's me and the kids (and hubby behind the camera) getting ready to chow down on Swedish Meatballs, Mashed Potatoes and Green Bean Casserole, followed by an inspiring dessert of Frozen Cherry Pie and Ice Cream. It was low-key, but you know what? The holiday didn't come crashing to a miserable halt because we only had 2 side dishes and store-bought dessert.

After the Holidays, DH's family flew in and we showed them the touristy side of Denver and the Rocky Mountain National Park (which is my most favorite place to go and if you hang around my blog at all you might be tired of it by now, but NOT ME!)

Tomorrow, We will return to our regularly scheduled knitting...I have a couple of projects on the needles, and a few brewing up in my brain. I also just signed up for the Blue Moon Fiber Arts Rockin' Sock Club 2009, so stand by. The children's and husband's Christmas Break has seriously interrupted my knitting time!

Happy New Year!

Why I Am a Nurse (Thanks for the Reminder)

2008-12-21T09:17:00.002-07:00

Yesterday, I had a moment to remember why it is that I work 12-hour shifts full of physically and mentally (and sometimes emotionally) strenuous work and strange, smelly substances that the "rest of you" don't even know about.

In our ICU, we had a patient who was extremely ill and remained that way from around Halloween to around Valentine's day. Mr. G was unstable and uncomfortable and distressed for much of that period of time. He had had more surgeries than I can even count, but I personally remember sending him to surgery 3 days in a row at one point. He was difficult to take care of physically due to his high number of drains and IV's and frequent need for linen changes. We transferred him to a longer-term hospital in the early Spring, and everyone felt sad to see him and his wife leave our unit. All the nurses on the staff had cared for him at some point, I'm certain. He had a new grandchild, and I remember that I was caring for him the day after the baby was born, and I remember thinking "He'll likely never know this baby..." We decorated his room with Holiday Decorations at Christmas because we did not want "his last Christmas" to go un-recognized.

So yesterday, in walks a woman and her healthy-appearing, upright-walking, smiling husband. No one recognized him. When he introduced himself, there was a generalized hubbub and happiness among the staff. Mr. G is now back at work, and playing with his Grandchild, and was thanking us for helping to "make this the greatest Christmas ever."

I am grateful to Mr. G and his wife for sharing themselves (and their cookies...which he baked himself!) with us. Seeing this couple validated for us all exactly the purpose of what we are doing here...and that all our hard work is not in vain. I feel motivated to stick with Nursing, throughout it's trials and difficulties, because at least once last year, God used my hands to heal someone and return him back to his family and his life.

Book Review: Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali

2008-12-18T22:32:00.002-07:00

Infidel was not a book which I would have chosen on my own, but was selected by my book club. I am glad I read it...it provided me with new insight and information on cultures and countries other than my own and made me quite thankful for the freedoms I have enjoyed.

The book is a memoir written by a woman who was raised in Somalia, and due to her father's political values was forced to flee the country and live in several other countries throughout her youth. Her family were Muslim, and she speaks about her traditional upbringing and the expectations which were placed upon her as a female, and the hardships which she and her family faced. As I read the book, I was surprised and a little chagrined to learn that while I was watching "Fraggle Rock" on cable, listening to DuranDuran, and studying about the Mesopotamians, there were people my age suffering in civil-war-torn countries that I had never even heard of. It's really too bad that current events were not stressed more in our educational system.

As she grew older and began to think for herself, she realized that she did not agree with much of what she had been taught, and began to speak out against the oppression of women in these cultures. As she spoke her truth, people who disagreed threatened her with death, and killed someone who participated with her in making these statements. I don't want to spoil everything for you, but I found the entire chain of events fascinating.

This memoir has given me some new insight regarding my own ideas, and certainly was thought-provoking. It was graphic at times, so be warned about that, but I highly recommend it. I will count this book among the most important and changing things I've read.

Grateful

2008-12-15T07:45:00.008-07:00

Things are good.

Even though it's frightfully cold outside, I was able to send my family out today in warm wooly things that I knit with my own two hands:

I whipped up a funny hat this weekend. Well, if it wasn't sub-zero cold outside, it would be a funny hat, but in this weather, it's a good, warm, practical hat that happens to look a bit, well, funny...

Pattern: "Maltese Fisherman's Hat" from Elizabeth Zimmermann's Knitter's Almanac
Yarn: Rowan Country, 2 balls and a small amount of leftover Blue Moon Fiber Arts Icelandic in Star Sapphire for the trim.
Needles: Size 11 16"circular and set of dpns.

I love making these hats, they are quick, but interesting to knit. You can have some fun with color, because to me, that pointy shape just invites a little bit of silliness.

What else is good? Christmas goodies! I have been baking up a storm. And making fudge. Do you want my recipe?

Marshmallow Cream Fudge

1 jar Marshmallow Cream
1 1/2 cups Sugar
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/4 tsp. salt

Bring the above to a full, rolling boil in a saucepan. (Use a bigger pan than you think you need, because it grows and foams while it cooks.) Boil at a full boil for 5 minutes. (at sea level. At High Altitude, I boil it for 5 minutes and 30 seconds. ) Remove from heat.

Quickly add:

1 tsp. Vanilla
1 bag of Chocolate Chips (or Peanut Butter Chips, or Butterscotch, or White Chocolate chips)
Nuts if you want

Stir until smooth and melted. Pour into buttered 8" or 9" Square pan. Allow to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until firm.

I'm off to listen to Christmas music, and read while the laundry washes. I'm reading a really interesting book, I can't wait to tell you about it.

The Christmas Season

2008-12-11T12:28:00.003-07:00

This time of year is festive and celebratory. I relish it because I love to show people how I care for them, through gifts and goodies, and spending time with people I care about. I look forward to the celebration of Christ's Birth, and the carols and music, and it is often a time of joy and reflection for me. This year, the money is tighter than I ever remember it being, the children are older than they have ever been, and the gifts are more expensive. I find that I am a little caught up in the materialism of X-mas this year, rather than the Gift of Love that came at Christmas. I feel afraid that this will be the year everyone remembers as the "year with no good presents." I so want it to be the year that we showed love and enjoyed the blessings we have, and shared with others, and learn that it's not about the presents under the tree.

I write this to give myself a pep-talk, and remind myself (and anyone else who reads this and needs a reminder themselves) what this Season is really all about...

"But the Angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.' " Luke 2: 10-11

"Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:34

"It came without boxes! It came without Tags. It came without packages, boxes, or bags!...Maybe Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store! Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more....." Dr. Seuss

The Christmas-Elf Maltese Hat

2008-12-08T14:56:00.005-07:00

I have been wanting to try Elizabeth Zimmermann's "Maltese Fisherman's Hat" since I first saw it. It's a little silly-looking, but warm and practical, and it's interesting with it's spiraling decreases and short-row earflaps. I had a skein of Sheepsdown on hand, and I thought this would be as good a project as any...

First, the gauge was off just a bit, but I have just learned that when you are working with giant yarn and big needles, "just a bit" really isn't. So the thing is huge. And because of this, I ran out of the brown Sheepsdown before I ran out of hat. I had some Lamb's Pride Bulky leftovers in my stash, so I double-stranded it and made the top of the hat Cream. Well, that was boring, so I threw on a red Applied I-Cord border (also Lamb's Pride Bulky) just so I could learn how. I figured this thing is already strange, so I might as well really go for it. And I made that multi-colored tassel, and completed the Most Ridiculous Elf Hat Ever.

My son, however, thinks it's a wonderful hat. He likes the style, he likes the colors, and he likes how warm it is. He has claimed it as his own, and here I thought it would be relegated to a Halloween Costume or something. He thinks it is the Coolest Hat Ever.

A Sheepy Hat

2008-12-07T19:02:00.006-07:00

I decided that if I was going to be an Elizabeth Zimmermann reader/knitter then I had to try some of the Schoolhouse Press yarns which she wrote about. I ordered myself some Sheepsdown, a super-bulky, fluffy wool yarn in the colors of sheep. It was affordable and a good value, I think, considering I got a hat from one skein in about 3 hours of total knitting time.

The Brioche Stitch (or "Prime Rib" as EZ calls is) was a little wierd at first, but once I got past the first couple rows I got the hang of it. It's very stretchy and lofty, and combined with the fluffy Sheepsdown it makes a nice, warm hat. I thought it felt a little itchy at first, but after using it for a while, I realized that it is pleasingly scratchy, like a cute sheep in a meadow. It even had a faintly sheepy scent, and an occasional piece of hay embedded in it. I felt like a pioneer farm wife knitting a warm hat for my husband out of yarn fresh from the sheep. I'll admit, it's a little, tiny bit on the homely side, but it's a good hat nonetheless:

I can't believe how much I can say about a boring, brown wool hat. I truly have a knitting obsession, I guess.

The Idea with a Life of it's own

2008-12-02T20:41:00.004-07:00

Do you ever get an idea (specifically a knitting idea) in your head and you can't stop thinking about it until you sit down and knit? I believe the proper term is "obsessing".
Well, I got into my head that I want to make DH a Fisherman's Sweater. Like the ones Elizabeth Zimmermann knit, in the round, with steeked armholes, out of good, warm wool the color of sheep in Ireland. So, I swatched, and I determined that with the yarn I had on hand of sufficient quantities, the gauge was going to be smaller than I wanted, and I was afraid that I might not like him anymore after knitting a sweater like that for his large, manly frame.

I have been wondering what it's like to knit with Cascade Eco-Wool, and I thought I might test-drive some before buying a whole sweater's worth. And...the Knitting Habitat is having a Holiday Sale. (It doesn't count as an actual yarn purchase if it's on sale, does it? Because I am on a yarn-diet...) So I decided to make a Swatch Cap or two to decide whether this sweater-fantasy is a project I can realistically tackle.

I have been working on this idea for at least 2 hours today...scribbling notes and schematics, choosing cable patterns and figuring out the math and stitch counts. Those orange cards up there have one row of each cable pattern written on them, so I can make sure I'm matching up the rows correctly and don't have to carry around two or three different books while I'm knitting this thing. I knit about 1" of hat earlier and realized that I had mis-calculated the number of stitches I need and made a 30" diameter tube of knitting rather than a 20" hat. I know I said DH is large and manly, but he certainly does not have a super-human 30-inch noggin. That one is frogged, and I spent DD's Ballet class re-figuring and re-drawing schematics, and re-casting-on a more appropriate number of stitches.

I have to go knit now, I'm sure I won't be able to sleep until I get through at least one repeat of each cable pattern, but that may take me all the way to the crown, and then I will have to figure out the decreases. Maybe I'll knit a lining like for the "Very Warm Hat"...I better make some coffee, also.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like....

2008-11-30T21:50:00.010-07:00

CHRISTMAS!!!

We decorated our Christmas tree and hung our lights this weekend. I love the tradition of decorating the tree! We have collected special Hallmark ornaments for each child, and I have cross-stitched many ornaments to commemorate the years, so pulling them out brings back fun memories every year.

The Youngest gets the honor of putting the star on top of the tree every year. This, I am told, is not fair at all, because she gets to be the youngest for always and the older ones only got to be the youngest once.

In a rare moment of togetherness, the kids all stood still in the same vicinity without arguing (for the first time all weekend) so I thought I should snap a picture.

The finished tree. I'm trying not to worry about the fact that we were so excited to hang ornaments we forgot to put on the garland. It's still pretty, but it's going to bother me about the garlands. We'll see if I stay up late some night re-decorating it.....

Do you like my Santa nesting-dolls? I love them. I especially like how the surprise of the tiny doll being a snowman makes little kids giggle. And that's my shrine of Christmas Cross-Stitch Past. My friends at the Stitcher's Garden in Albuquerque were a huge support, a wonderful group of women, and every time I get out those Snowmen and Santa I think if them.

So now that there is snow on the ground, and a Christmas tree in my living room, I'm ready to start all the baking and wrapping and spreading-of-the-good-cheer.

The Seamless Yoke Sweater is Done!

2008-11-29T13:27:00.007-07:00

I finished this today and I am thrilled with it. It's not perfect, but I still feel pretty clever for making it like no other sweater in the world. It's my first original design, I suppose.

Here are the details if you're interested:

Yarn: Knitpicks Swish Superwash Worsted, 7 balls of Wisteria, a little more than 1/2 ball of Ballerina (pink) and a little less than 1/2 ball of Bare (cream). The Bare yarn comes in a hank that is about twice as big as the other colors.

Needles: Size 7 16" and 24" Circular and dpns.

Patterns: I used Elizabeth Zimmermann's book, Knitting Around for the instructions and proportions, and I used color patterns from Traditional Scandinavian Knitting by Sheila McGregor. Specifically, the snowflake and zigzag patterns are from page 61, and the others are based on patterns on page 55.

To fit the 6 year old for the next 2 winters (hopefully), I knit a 32" sweater. I made 3" ribbing on the sleeves and made them about 2 inches longer than they should have been so she can fold them up. I decreased for the sleeves as EZ recommends for an adult sweater, but using the proportions the suggests for the child's sweater. (I cast-on 25% and increased every fifth row until I got to 40%.) I wish I would have knit another inch and a half of neck ribbing, because it's a little lower than I had planned, but I was dying to see what it looked like finished and I got impatient.

I had some trouble with matching the color patterns at the end of the round, but it's on her back behind her right shoulder and I refuse to worry about it.

I also had a little difficulty making the underarms seamless, because somehow I had some holes at the end of the Kitchener Stitch sections. But I did the phony seams as EZ suggests and I am tremendously happy with that detail.

I am so happy with this project. The yarn is very soft and squishy, the colors combination makes me (and my daughter) happy, and now I can in good conscience start another project...I used up 8 skeins of stash yarn for this sweater! I wonder if I can finish a couple more in time for Christmas.....

Elizabeth, Sheila and I make a sweater

2008-11-26T10:37:00.006-07:00

I've read much of Elizabeth Zimmermann's work recently, and I have been wanting to make a sweater for quite a while, but I was kind of scared...the time, the amount of yarn, the possibility of never finishing it. Well, EZ's Seamless Yoke Sweater seemed simple enough, and I had enough yarn on hand to make a child-sized one, so I decided to go for it. I figure the worst thing that could happen is it comes out terribly and winds up being returned to it's previous yarn-ball state, and I will have learned something in the process. I got out my Knitting Around book and cast on.

The first Christmas after I had learned to knit, my mother gave me Traditional Scandinavian Knitting by Sheila MacGregor as a gift. As a beginner, it just evaded me....the pictures were interesting, but I had no idea how to translate the text into actual knitting. Now that I've gotten the hang of knitting, I love that book, and I found some color patterns from traditional Scandinavian garments to work into my sweater.

Look!

Once I finish those snowflakes I will be to the first yoke increase. It actually is starting to look like a sweater. (I took photos when it was two sleeves and a body, but who wants to read a blog post about 3 knitted tubes?)

I'm trying my hardest to learn the 2-handed color knitting technique. I've read it in books, and I've watched it on the Knitting Workshop video, but still it evades me. I was quite entertaining yesterday, sitting in a bookstore trying to knit in public without swearing out loud, so I kept saying "Shhhhhhhh" and "FFFFFFF". It's a little wonky, but I'm trying to be gentle with myself, it's only my first try:

Also this weekend, I fell down in the yarn shop and broke my "yarn diet." This skein of Manos Del Uruguay just wouldn't let me leave it on the shelf. It first told me it wanted to be fingerless gloves, but it has changed it's mind and now wants to be a hat, I think. Although it was probably not the most fiscally prudent purchase, it makes for good Yarn Pr0n :)

I Love Living in the 21st Century!

2008-11-23T21:51:00.003-07:00

I have been upset lately by the fact that all of the news and talk radio programs are focused on the state of the economy and politics, except for the ones that are focused on politics and the economy. Neither of those topics makes for cheerful and uplifting Television or entertainment, as you all probably know. Well, this weekend, I discovered two technological advances that have made me very happy, and may eliminate my TV News viewing....

First, Netflix. I could be one of the last people who haven't tried this, but let me say that I love it. You just put movies, or how-to DVD's, or Documentaries, or TV Series, into your queue, and they turn up like magic in your mailbox. Once you've watched them, you put them back in the mailbox, and in a couple of days, poof! Another movie (or two) to watch. This is very exciting to me because my family is notoriously bad for forgetting to return movies to the library, resulting in fines and occasional temporary revocation of our library-use priveleges, and we are even more notoriously bad for doing things like returning the case to the rental store while the disc remains in our DVD player. With Netflix, there are no late fees at all, and no cases, just envelopes. I am foreseeing the resurrection of the Family Movie and Game Night at Chez Us.

The other fabulous technology I've just now figured out are Knitting Podcasts! These are short talk-shows and interviews about Knitting and Fiber-Related Topics. You just go right to the websites and listen on your computer or download them to your Mp3 Player. I'd heard of them, but I thought you had to have the IPod Brand MP3 players to access them. I was surprised to find out that I can listen to them on my off-brand player! They provide something to listen to while knitting or doing housework that don't involve the TV News and teach me something fun about knitting while I'm at it. I haven't fully explored the world of Podcasts yet, but I have found these:

Y Knit: This one is primarily focused on men who knit (Y as in the Y Chromosome, I think.) but the hosts (podcasters? I'm not sure of the term) WonderMike and HizKnits are hysterically funny. Their podcast is both informative and full of humor and innuendo. A great combination for times when I need a good laugh.
Ready, Set, Knit: This one is done by the owners of the WEBS Yarn Store in Massachussetts. I enjoy the conversational tone of it, including a discussion of new available yarns and products and a Knitalong segment. It's a little more mellow, and good for listening to while working around the house. I found it difficult to knit my own thing while listening to someone give directions for a Knitalong project.
KnitPicks Podcast: This one is hosted by Kelly, from Knit Picks. She has some high-profile guests, as well as lots of useful information about available products and project ideas.

I know there are tons more podcasts out there, so many that I honestly may never use my Mp3 player for music anymore. If you have a favorite one (knitting related or not), or if you have your own Podcast, please comment and let me know about it!

Doll Clothes and Dishcloths

2008-11-19T13:44:00.007-07:00

I have found a fun new thing to knit: Dolly clothes! Specifically clothes for American Girl Dolls, and their younger sibling Bitty Baby. Ravelry has a whole group of knitters who knit for these dolls, and there are many free patterns available to make. This not only uses up stash yarns that may not have another use (like single balls of sport-weight cotton) and leftovers of things like sock yarn and worsted wool scraps. You see, the designer outfits which are made specifically for these dolls cost at least 25 dollars or so, and since it's only fun to play dolls (I've heard) if you have multiple dolls and multiple outfits, it is quite possible to spend as much or more on doll clothes as my average annual income. And I'm only exaggerating a little bit. So check out what a cool mommy I am:

I had some KnitPicks Shine Sport (2 balls) and no plan for it, and then I found THIS PATTERN and it turned into a 2-day knitting obsession. I've never knit a cardigan with a button band before, and I've never knit doll clothes. I had a lot of fun putting this together. I gravely underestimated the length of time required to put the button band, neck band and side seams into an 8-inch sweater. I sat down at 9:30 and told myself I'd knit for "45-minutes" and finish it up. When I finally finished I had a kink in my neck and it was 11:35. I'm happy with my result, though, and I'll feel good about gifting this. And I'm designing a skirt to go with it, and I've started a pair of legwarmers, scarf and hat. And that's just for one of the 6 American Girl Dolls who currently reside here with us. I'd better get cracking! (I'll post some pictures once I get the ensemble completed...)

I have been immensely enjoying my Barbara Walker Treasury of Knitting Patterns. From it, I designed some dishcloths:

The blue and green one on the right is the "Diagonal Woven Herringbone" pattern, with a garter stitch border. The Red and Yellow one on the Left is the "Slipped Hourglass" pattern. I had fun making swatches from the book into useful dishcloths. It gave me a chance to try it out and see what the fabric characteristics are without a huge time commitment, and if I made a mistake here and there, it will still look OK while washing dishes.

The Slipped Hourglass pattern was fun, a little tricky until I got the hang of it. I think it would make a nice scarf....

The Diagonal Woven Herringbone Pattern would be nice as a reversible thing such as a scarf...the right and wrong sides are different, but both attractive:

My Position on Proposition 8

2008-11-15T09:57:00.004-07:00

Today, 11/15, is a Nationwide day to protest Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriages. I admit that this issue was not really on my "radar screen" during this election...after all, I'm already married, and I don't live in a state that was voting on this. I have been thinking about it today, and I am amazed at how full-circle I've come on this issue in the last 3 years.

First, let me say that my Christian Faith, and the Bible guides me in my understanding of marriage as a heterosexual relationship. I was taught to believe that homosexuality is a behavioral and lifestyle choice. As I have broadened my relationships outside of the traditional "Church Lady" circle of friends, I am realizing and accepting that all of the openly homosexual people I have met share that they were aware of their homosexuality at a very young age, and learned to conceal it at a very young age as well. "Church People" let them down if they turned to them for support, and certainly they were not welcomed to remain in their Christian Faiths, for the most part.

I can not reconcile what Christianity teaches me about Christ's Forgiveness, Grace, and Unconditional Love, and caring for our fellow man regardless of whether we agree with them or not, with the messages of hatred and discrimination that opponents of Proposition 8 are spreading. My marriage is holy and sacred to me, and whether or not someone else marries someone of their same gender will not change that.

The government allows people to cohabitate and reproduce who are not married, a heterosexual couple who lives together long enough can be considered "common-law-spouses" even if their relationship is abusive and dysfunctional. Yet a loving homosexual couple is not considered married? This is not fair and seems to go against the American Ideals of equality. (I don't recall that the Declaration of Independence stated that all Straight Men were created Equal...)

This is an historic time in our nation's history. There was hatred and violence when women lobbied to vote. There was hatred and violence during the Civil Rights movement of the 1960's. I hope our country can rise above the violence during this current time of change. I support those who are rallying today and pray for peace and safety.

Fall Break Fun and Festivities

2008-10-31T15:20:00.014-06:00

The kiddos are on Fall Break this week, a brilliant move on the part of the Schools, in my opinion, because they can avoid the Halloween controversies related to families who celebrate it and families who boycott it. This also prevents me from needing to create festive Halloween Treats for 3 different classrooms, not that I would ever begrudge my poor children that pleasure.

The first really fun and fabulous thing I did was last weekend...Knit in Public Night at the Theatre! My friend and I went to see "Girls Only! The Secret Comedy of Women" at the Galleria Theater in the Performing Arts Center, and it was a great evening. Not only was there unapologetic knitting in public, there was much kinship and laughter, as well as dinner without any children and a lovely cocktail called a "Hot Flash", which was apparently several different liquors with enough coffee in it to make it warm and brown. I don't remember a lot after the whole Hot Flash experience, but I do have some wonky knitting to show for it.

That photo shows the yarn I got in the little "Goodie Bag" they gave us. I have now learned the advantage of taking a non-knitter, like my friend Michelle, to a knitting event...they will likely give you their free yarn, thereby doubling your yarn jackpot. That is sock yarn from Lime and Violet (the peachy color) and Sunshine Yarns (the green). I have never tried either brand, but they look and feel beautiful.

This is what happens to a lovely "Two Weeknights with Warrick" Scarf when you try to knit in a dimly lit theater after drinking a "Hot Flash".

We also attended a Pumpkin Carving Party hosted by the Youth Pastor of our church. This was my first time ever to attend a Pumpkin Carving Party and I'm now all for them. You see, I despise everything about pumpkin-carving, primarily the mess and the goo, but everything really. So I was relieved that all this could take place at someone else's home, with plenty of folks who enjoy the activity to help my kids while I hang out and munch on snacks.

The kids and I also went Bowling yesterday, and had a great time. A surprisingly good time, actually, considering the fiasco that was the previous day's trip to the "Paint your own Pottery" store. (I shall not speak of it. It's too painful...) But look! I am still a Cool Mom and I have photos to prove it:

In Knitting News: I have discovered Elizabeth Zimmermann and Barbara Walker; the knitting classics, I suppose. I have been dreaming of knitting a sweater with Fair Isle designs for at least a year, and talking myself out of starting. Well, Elizabeth Zimmermann's idea of knitting a Swatch Cap is just the thing I needed to give me the confidence to "Just Do It" using her instructions in Knitting Around.

Check out this great cap:

Knitting this has given me a way to evaluate my stitch and row gauge in the round and in pattern, test out my color scheme, and practice knitting the patterns. The bonus is that I now have a cute hat that will match the sweater, and how fashionable and coordinated is that? So hopefully, this project will grow up to be a size-8 sweater for a six-year-old Girly Girl. But at the very least, it's a great little hat!

Mittens, a Sock, and New Stash Yarn

2008-10-13T09:49:00.006-06:00

After twenty-something years of experiencing the change from crisp fall days to just plain cold, you'd think I'd be used to it by now. But no. I was totally shocked to have to scrape frost from my car windows this morning. As if I had never seen frost before. Maybe someday I'll be mentally ready for the weather change, but today all I feel like doing is snuggling up in a warm blanket to knit and read. It's too bad that there are people who live with me and need me to do more than read today.

I have been knitting, though. (Of course I have.)

I am excited that I am making some progress on the Mitered Mittens:

These are great mittens, and a really wonderful pattern. You may wonder, if it is all so fabulous, why it's taking me so long to knit a pair. First, I tried the Afterthought Thumb and made a huge unravelled mess where there was to be a thumb. So I had to reknit the first mitten. Then I used the Thumb Trick, which worked much better than the Afterthought method, but then I made the mitten decrease too soon and it was too short for me. So I frogged and reknit the top decreases. Then I cast on the second mitten and knit about an inch and realized that I didn't like the color sequence the ball of Kureyon was giving me for the second mitten, so I frogged and rewound the ball. Now, I'm really moving along, and the next pair will be like a piece of cake.

I just need to graft the toe on the Youngest's first sock...

That is Opal Mississippi Yarn. I love the self-patterning, and I love the feel of the yarn itself. I will definitely buy more Opal in the future. I'm pretty sure that when this pair of Children's size 2 1/2 socks are complete, I'll still have enough of that yarn left to make an adult-sized pair of anklets.

And, to totally break my yarn diet, and give myself something to look forward to, I bought the yarn for my Cascading Fuschias Bag class I'm taking at the Knitty Cat:

I may not make it for 2 more weeks without casting the bag on. I love Lamb's Pride, it is the yarny equivalent of comfort food to me, like rice pudding. It's not fussy but it's always nice. I will carry that bag everywhere once I get it done.

Let's Make History

2008-10-10T15:30:00.005-06:00

I checked out two DVD's from my local library and watched them over the last 2 days. Coincidentally (or maybe not) the videos both turned out to be about women who weren't afraid to speak their mind.

First was Iron Jawed Angels. This movie was a portrayal of the Women who championed the right of women to vote. I remember learning about the "Suffragettes" in history class, but I had no idea what was involved, or the length of time they struggled. Those women really knew what they wanted, and how to articulate it, and didn't stop until they convinced Legislators to vote for the 19th Amendment. "Suffragettes" sounds kind of cute and quaint, like they quilted little banners saying "Let us vote!" and used their feminine wiles to get the men to let them go to the polls. That word doesn't begin to cover the persecution, disgrace, imprisonment and abuse which they faced, and faced with courage. The character of the psychiatrist in the movie had a great line: "Courage is often mistaken for insanity in women." This movie inspired me to have the courage to be a little crazy!

The next movie I watched was Shut Up and Sing. This one is about the Dixie Chicks and the experience they had after making a statement about George Bush and the Iraq War which offended their fan base. The American people and the news media basically made them into "traitors" and "unpatriotic", boycotted their music on the radio and had gatherings to destroy their CD's. Now, what was that part about Freedom of Speech? Doesn't that apply to everyone? Even Country singers with an opinion? Seeing this documentary a few years after the fact is interesting. Interesting, but no less upsetting to me. Again, more women with courage to speak out and bear the consequences, and come back with class.

I saw a little cross-stitched sign in a gift shop once that said

"Well Behaved Women Seldom Make History"

And while I don't currently have any plans to picket anyone, nor to stand before the world and speak out right now, these movies remind me that it is better to have a strong opinion and stand for it than to be complacent and quiet. Where would we be if women hadn't been willing to do that? There certainly wouldn't be the demographic of "Undecided Female Voters".

And for the record...Natalie Maines was right.

Mitten Mania

2008-10-08T18:53:00.011-06:00

I have currently been on a mitten-knitting binge of some sort, it must be the crisp, fall air and pretty yellow aspen trees in combination with my need to use up some yarn stash. Mittens, I've found, are a wonderful way to use up stray yarn balls and make useful objects for people you care about...not as much of a commitment as a sweater, not as difficult to explain to a non-knitter as the reason I knit socks, and pretty quick and portable to knit.

First, I made some Maine Morning Mitts from a singleton ball of Noro Kureyon

You can see that the Noro had an abrupt and odd color change, which made these mittens look like the mates from 2 different pair, but they were warm and soft and handknit so therefore did not deserve to be frogged and re-knit. If I made these again, I would use 2 balls of the same colorway and make them in the same color sequence so they don't look quite so wierd. It's a great pattern, though, and I bet I have more yarn that could turn into these mitts without much convincing.

Next, I finished the pair of the "Yellow Harvest Mittens" from this post. I don't have anything to add from the previous post. I still think it's a great pattern, and fabulous yarn, but not together.

Then, I knit my husband one of the Men's Convertible Mittens from Knitpicks, in their Shamrock yarn. This is a fun pattern, sort of fiddly and annoying at the ring finger/pinky part, but fun. I couldn't get the hang of picking up stitches for the flap right out of the middle of the glove, so I knit the top separately and sewed it on after it was knit. They fit DH well and he thinks they will be perfect for hunting, yard work and driving. Hopefully he'll get lots of use out of them, and all his friends will be impressed with his loving wife and her mad knitting skills.
That mitten is modeled by my son.
It actually fits DH well, but he wasn't home for hand photos.

A couple of days ago, I received a copy of the Knitter's Almanac by Elizabeth Zimmermann, who was a true knitting genius. I just HAD to try the Mitered Mittens. And I happened to have some Kureyon just sitting there waiting to be something good. So...

Now, I have to go complete enough housework that it will be acceptable to sit and watch Project Runway and finish that Mitered Mitten and hopefully use those needles to cast on for the other Convertible Mitten.

Another day in the ICU

2008-10-04T11:28:00.002-06:00

I worked the last couple days in the ICU, and I was absolutely exhausted when I finally had a day off. Exhausted like I didn't want to do anything, took a nap like I was in a coma, and then woke up more tired because I had stressed out nightmares while I was napping. So for the rest of the day, I felt badly about myself for being so "lazy and tired."

After some reflection though, I realized that while at work, I was involved in preparing a body for the morgue after a sudden and unexpected cardiac arrest and then an hours-long, unsuccessful resuscitation effort which left the night nurse in tears and desolation, and the man's poor fiance in shock at the bedside trying to come to terms with everything. It was sad and it was difficult emotionally, and it was also physically strenuous. The next day, I spent much time on the phone regarding my own patient's care, as well as took some verbal abuse from an angry patient, while assisting a coworker in the care of her dying patient, who suffered and suffered and would not let himself go. We did everything humanly and medically possible to ensure that this poor gentleman could die comfortably. And it was torture watching him struggle. I can't imagine what it was like to be his family, or him for that matter.

I decided that if any "normal" person had been involved in either of those two deaths, everyone in the world would have been sympathetic and said it was totally acceptable to be spent, and emotional, and exhausted. You should go lie down, we would all say, take care of yourself, it's been a rough couple of days. But, for ICU Nurses, that is just business as usual. I expect myself to "suck it up and deal with it." I beat myself up for being tired and tearful, and start in with "shoulding all over myself." I should get up and do housework, I should go to the gym, I should do laundry, I should snap out of it. Sharing your emotions with other nurses may get you a label of either "too soft" or "codependent."

Often, I joke to my coworkers that this is a "wierd job." I'm beginning to face the facts that this is beyond "wierd" and moving straight toward damaging and unhealthy.

Free Range Knitter by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee

2008-09-29T06:18:00.003-06:00

This weekend was turning out to be sort of a bummer, since my hubby was away for his High School Reunion, and although I love my kids, they sort of suck the life out of me after several days without another adult in the house. We wound up at the mall, killing some time, and there was Free Range Knitter, the new title by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (aka the Yarn Harlot.) Of course, I had to buy it, and my weekend immediately improved.

I really enjoyed this one. I like that she can find such great insights about life and parenting within the realm of knitting. (If you are not a knitter, you are going to think that is a crazy statement, but you'll have to go with me here...) I like how she discusses the traits of her friends, and their knitting experiences and what they mean to her. These essays made the budding writer in me want to try to write my own essays about the wonderful people in my life, if not for publication then just for the process of it. I was especially touched by the accounts of her daughters' and her great-aunt Helen's knitting experiences. Her friend's struggle with depression was very poignant to me, having recently dealt with that on a personal level, and made me wish I'd thought of a garter-stitch blanket as therapy.

There were many humorous essays as well, and they were blended nicely so you had some reflection and then some laughter to balance everything out. I laughed out loud at the explanation of how to knit a hat if you are 12 years old, and the letter to Nana. My son said "Mom, I didn't know that knitting is so funny!"

This is definitely a book to add to your collection if you are a knitter. Not only is it good quality reading, but it will give you some written proof that you are not the most obsessive knitter on earth, and not alone in your knitting "Lifestyle."

Summer Reading: Petite Anglaise by Catherine Sanderson

2008-09-22T12:53:00.002-06:00

Yes, I know it's officially Fall! I finished this book on September 19th, so it was still "summer reading" to me. This is another book recommended by NPR on their Summer Reading Recommendations List. I'm glad I found these recommendations...I wound up reading things that I would not otherwise have tried.

**Please Note: The following post may contain "spoilers" about the book**

Petite Anglaise is the memoir of an English woman living in Paris with her boyfriend and their daughter. Life was hard, and love was less exciting for her, and so she started to blog about her experiences. Her blog became very popular and began getting hundreds of "regular" readers and commenters, ultimately leading to a real-life romantic connection with man who read her blog.

The book was written more like a "chick-lit" novel than a memoir, which I liked. My reading this summer has actually been kind of intellectually strenuous, as far as reading for relaxation goes, and although I've enjoyed it a lot, it was good for a little break. Her story is interesting, for sure. It inspires me that someone would leave her home country and go make a life in a new place and learn to speak a new language because she loved Paris and was determined to live there. (Why am I having such a hard time deciding whether or not to go on to Graduate School?!?) To be honest, I was irritated with her at times, too...cheating on your mate is never acceptable as far as I'm concerned. If you don't love someone, have the guts to break up with them before you go sleeping with someone else! It was interesting how her life and blog began to intertwine, and how she grew in (and out of) her relationships.

Overall, I enjoyed this one a lot. Some romance, some sadness, some blogging, some funny stories about her kid... it was a good read.

September Knitting

2008-09-19T10:08:00.008-06:00

September is now well underway, and we are falling into the routines of school/work/activities pretty well. Now I just have to tackle the chaos which has ensued in my house, and try to figure out how to keep everyone in clean clothes, and happy and fed within the new budgetary constraints which seem to have fallen upon us. Things are tight financially and apparently are going to be tight for a while. There is nothing to do but cope with it, and try not to let it get me down. This means cooking more at home, buying less "goodies" such as snack foods and making my own cookies and such more often. It means driving less by running errands on one day instead of every day, and using coupons and buying store brands and things which are less convenient to make, such as dry raw rice rather than the "Minute Rice." It means using the library rather than purchasing books, and brewing coffee at home rather than stopping at "FiveBucks". It is also going to mean a "yarn diet", which I unfortunately started last week with "one last yarn purchase" in true addict fashion. (Very much like my parents in the 1980's...We'll just smoke up this last carton and then we'll quit.)

To justify myself, however, I used the Last Yarn before the big Yarn Diet to start my Christmas Knitting and here it is:

Those are Turn a Square Hats, designed by Jared Flood /BrooklynTweed. I know that Jared is a genius, because these hats are so simple, yet so clever! I showed them to my husband and said "Look Honey! Squares on top of my hat!" and even my non-knitting spouse thinks that is a genius trick. The recipients of these hats are sure to think these are brilliantly-knit hats, even though they only took me an evening each, and I'm pretty sure that I have enough of the yarns left to make two more.

This is the first one I made, and I modified it to fit my husband's largish head, I thought, and it even came out too large for him. I modified it by using size 8 needles, and adding an extra inch before the crown shaping. DH likes it because will be a good warm hat with plenty of coverage for snow-shoveling and cold weather activities, but he's certainly not going to make any sort of style statement with it. (Maybe the statement "my wife knits funny looking hats.") I like the color combination, though, and I will enjoy making a second one.

Specs:
Yarn: Noro Kureyon #149 and Lamb's Pride Worsted in Chocolate Souffle. That Chocolate Brown is rich and beautiful in real life and the Noro is a brown/tan to greyish variegated which I really enjoy and is quite masculine.

Needles: Addi size 7 16" circular for the ribbing, and Clover size 8 Bamboo 16" circulars and dpns. This gauge made the fabric a bit loose for my taste, and made the hat too big around to look as attractive as it should. It's not a total reject, but it could be better.

This is the slightly wonky crown of the grey hat.

Specs:

Yarn: Noro Kureyon #233 and Lamb's Pride Worsted in Charcoal Heather. The Noro ranges from a teal to green and then blues to grey. If I had started from the other end of the ball, I'd have a grey and blue striped hat, which is what I really wanted, so I'll make that one next.

Needles: Size 7 Addi 16" circular and Size 7 Brittany Dpns. This gauge made the nicest fabric, in my opinion.

In a further attempt to deny the half-finished February Lady Sweater that is languishing in my knitting basket, I am making the Yellow Harvest Mittens from the latest Vogue Knitting Magazine. I am using the Blue Moon Fiber Arts Icelandic which my husband gave me for my birthday:

These are a teensy bit snug on me, so if I do them again I'd use size 9 needles, instead of the size 8's I am using. They can't be frogged, though, because this yarn wants to be felted so much that it somehow bonds itself to the other stitches as soon as it's knit. Even tinking back 3-4 stitches is some hard work.

I love the yarn, and I enjoy the pattern, but together, not so much. I'll finish them and wear them with pride, but I do not think they are going to wear well, and I would recommend that you save your Icelandic for another project, and use another, more spun, less felty yarn for this nice pattern.

I'm off to try to corral some laundry, find the floor in the family room and wash some dishes. Maybe if I hurry, I can still have time to knit....

Catching Up

2008-09-09T09:21:00.009-06:00

Things have been pretty busy here. Definitely a good kind of busy, with lots of fun things going on, but busy enough to keep me away from the blog.

On Sept 6, the Oldest and I participated in Denver's AIDS Walk 2008 at Cheesman Park. It is a fun way to spend time with each other, but also offered my tween-age daughter and I an opportunity to have discussions about topics that might not come up naturally in any other setting, such as how HIV/AIDS is contracted and prevented, and why that drag queen walking in front of us has a water bottle shaped like a man-part. (I'm not kidding. A great big one.)

The AIDS Memorial Quilt sections were there again this year. Just seeing the volume of it is an emotional experience for me. I am always touched by the panels themselves. One that didn't photograph well, but had a huge impact on me, was a panel made by an IRS Agent in Kentucky, who found a final tax return with an attached death certificate, listing AIDS as the cause of death. So the Agent made a panel for the man, so he wouldn't be forgotten.

This one also had an impact on me...it's a panel for "Baby Dennis" and that little T-shirt says "I AM SOMEBODY."

This is the Memorial Garden. That Pavilion is so pretty, and it was an absolutely beautiful day.

On September 1st, Our Family and our friend Sean went up to Rocky Mountain National Park for some hiking and fresh air.

I have no words for the beauty of those mountains.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

2008-09-09T08:10:00.003-06:00

The Book Thief is one of those books that stays with you once you've read it. It is the story of a German girl and her foster-family in a working-class neighborhood during the Hitler regime. The narrator of the story is Death.

The writing is fantastic. The author uses vivid descriptions and especially color imagery in such a way that I found myself really seeing the events in my mind much more than I usually do when I read. The imagery evoked strong emotions for me, to the point that once I had to take a break for a while because I was a bit overwhelmed. The narrative voice was very interesting, and although it took me a chapter or two to get used to the book's format, I eventually could not put it down.

I think that what struck me was that throughout the darkness of the time and the horrors of war, there were good people who shined. Some of the characters surprised you with the goodness they were capable of. To me, that is real life...surprises at people's strength in a crisis, and other times being surprised by the evil they are capable of.

I could describe this book all day and still be unable to do it any justice. I highly recommend it, though, trust me. It just may give you a new outlook on something or teach you an important lesson. It certainly did to me.

For My Friend...I Hope You Are OK

2008-08-28T12:44:00.004-06:00

I have a friend who is struggling with some addiction issues right now, and if you are reading this you know who you are. I found a brilliantly written blog post by Augusten Burroughs about Sobriety/Addiction and the importance of Alcoholics Anonymous. I think it may encourage you, as we both share an appreciation for his work, and you introduced his work to me in the first place.

The post is linked here: For the Ten-Days Guy

I feel that it would be pushy and inappropriate of me to email this link to you, and certainly not within boundaries to do so. I am also certain that if this is something that will help you, you'll come across it, and if God happens to lead you to my blog, then here you are and there's the link.

I hope you are OK.

A Sweater, A Book, and the First Day of School

2008-08-25T17:08:00.006-06:00

Hooray and Hallelujah! Today is like a holiday for me...it's the First Day of School! It's the end of working weekends to save money on childcare for the summer. It's the end of listening to bickering children all day. I love the first day of school. Do you hear that? It's the sound of my children being somewhere else for a whole 7 hours.

I have made some good progress on the February Lady Sweater:

After making at least 3 unfortunate errors of knitting and another 3 unfortunate errors in judgement regarding the correction of the errors, I have had to rip out the yoke and lace three times. I finally have it right, and now it's going pretty quickly.

See the Gull Lace, isn't it pretty?

I'm feeling pretty proud of myself for tackling this project and sticking with it, even through all the mis-counting and lace errors. It is going to be a lovely sweater, I hope, and worth all the troubles.

I also finished reading The Sister by Poppy Adams. This is the story of a family, specifically the relationship between two sisters, as told from the point of view of Ginny, an eccentric elderly woman. The plot of the book had several surprises, and it was interesting to see how the two women remembered their life events so differently. I enjoyed it...it was interesting and the characters were engaging, and the story line was definitely not predictable. It was definitely not light reading, and took me longer to read than I expected, but it was definitely worth the time.

False Starts

2008-08-19T09:07:00.005-06:00

If knitting the February Lady Sweater was an Olympic Event, I would have been disqualified for false starts. I am getting burned out on sock-knitting, and it got kind of chilly last week, so the thought came to mind that I would like to knit myself a sweater. I even had enough yarn on hand to make one...9 balls of Cascade 220 Superwash just sitting there in my stash.

Night before last, I cast on happily, after actually making a 2 real-live gauge swatches and determining that I needed a size 7 needle. Unfortunately, I was increasing on the wrong side of the stitch-markers and creating triangular gussets rather than the nice line of a Raglan sleeve. So I ripped that out and restarted yesterday. I got about halfway through the yoke, and discovered that I apparently have forgotten how to count, and my now-correctly-knit Raglan increases were not spaced correctly. So I started again.

This is as far as I've gotten this morning. My increase columns are actually straight, and I know my sections contain the correct number of stitches because I sat down last night with the pattern and figured it out on paper.

My goal is to get through with the yoke today and hopefully to start the lace pattern tomorrow. Unfortunately, my children and their need for clean clothing, food, and school supplies will most likely cut into my knitting time. I'll let you know how it goes.

Finished! Summer of Socks Pair #2

2008-08-14T19:10:00.003-06:00

I really thought I'd have made more socks than this by now, but for what it's worth, here is my second pair completed for the Summer of Socks:

Pattern: Basic Sock Recipe by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (from Knitting Rules!)
Yarn: Shibui Sock in colorway "Spectrum."
Needles: Knit Picks Size 1 dpns
Knitting Time: 7/8/08 - 8/14/08

I knit these socks while watching my kids swim at the pool, at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, at the Dentist's Office, and while watching the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

Denver Museum of Nature and Science

2008-08-11T19:11:00.010-06:00

We have decided that it would be cost-effective to buy a membership each year to some local museum...supports the museum and gives us something fun to do with folks who visit us. This year we have a membership at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. My parents are visiting this week, and last week DH's Mom and our Niece came to visit, and we have been using our Museum Membership to it's best advantage. Today, I got some good pictures to share.

Above and Left are some examples of the "Gems and Minerals" Exhibit. We all love this one, it's interesting and beautiful to look at. I've seen it several times and I've learned something new every time.

This is an example of the Dioramas in the Wildlife Halls. They are life-sized, perfectly detailed models of the animals. They are beautifully done, and it's relaxing to me to just sit in there and look at them for a while. (If I hadn't been entertaining guests, I probably would have sat in there and knit my sock.)

My son's favorite exhibit is the "Prehistoric Journey". They have a nice collection of dinosaur fossils, and many Museum volunteers who are willing to answer questions and share what they know.

These pictures do not even show half of the fun exhibits we saw. We saw an Imax movie about Beavers and the kids went with their grandparents to a Planetarium show about a "Cosmic Journey."

I even showed my Sock-in-Progress the view from the Sky Terrace:

I realized today that this museum is a "Happy Place" for my family. It's somewhere we can go away to for a few hours, learn a little something and spend time together without worrying about what jobs are waiting at home or school the next day. If you get a chance to go, you definitely should, it is good family fun.

A Wolf at the Table by Augusten Burroughs

2008-08-06T17:37:00.003-06:00

I took a little detour from my NPR Summer Reading list, and read A Wolf at the Table by Augusten Burroughs. This was a very good book, although disturbing, and a departure from the "find-some-humor-in-the-bad-situation" that Augusten Burroughs usually writes. It is a memoir of his father, and the cruel mind-games and abuse his father heaped onto a little boy who wanted only love from him. It is quite graphic and upsetting for the most part, but definitely worth reading. The book held my interest, and evoked many emotions. It also gave me some food for thought about how my relationship with my own children could be improved, and what children are looking for from their parents.

At the beginning of the book I felt that maybe little Augusten whose point of view the book is written from had skewed bad memories of his Dad. As the book went on, I realized that from whatever point of view you took, this Father was just a Crazy Bastard and he didn't deserve to reproduce, let alone be called "Dad." My idealism told me that surely, at the end, the Father would go to AA, Become Sober, and Make Amends to his son and all would be better. Too bad this is a memoir of real-life and not Christy's World where everything turns out perfectly.

Summer Reading: The Story of a Marriage by Andrew Sean Greer

2008-08-04T17:03:00.004-06:00

The Story of a Marriage is a beautifully written book about a couple and the choices they both make for love. It has some surprising plot twists, which not only challenged some prejudices and stereotypes related to gender roles, race, and sexual orientation, but also challenges some traditional ideas of Romantic Love and "Happily Ever After."

Andrew Sean Greer is gifted at painting pictures with his prose, and his characters are so believable that I wonder how on earth he can so realistically create both male and female characters and (I believe) accurately portray their emotions. I wonder how he knows so much!
Sometimes my heart ached for Pearlie, and sometimes for Holland. It's unusual to encounter a book that so poignantly portrays emotions.

I loved this book. It is different from every other "Love Story" I've ever read, and very intelligently written. I hesitate to tell too much and spoil the surprise. I enjoyed it immensely, and would read it again for good measure. I admit it is not a book for everyone, so check out some reviews and read the fly-leaf and decide for yourself.

A Weekend to Remember Happily

2008-08-03T15:08:00.012-06:00

I have had an absolutely wonderful weekend! I haven't felt this refreshed and happy in a very long time. DH and I went away for our 16th Wedding Anniversary weekend to a Bed and Breakfast near Rocky Mountain National Park, and we had a wonderful time. We had no internet or cell-phone due to the remoteness of our location, My Mother-in-Law had the children, and it was fabulous to have nothing to focus on except each other and relaxing.

This picture was taken in Estes Park, Colorado, right in town at a park. This Elk family (there were more on the other side of the park) apparently come down and graze here every evening. They seemed totally oblivious to the fact that there were about a hundred tourists photographing them. I have seen some pretty interesting things in my life, but these Elk that inhabit Estes Park could be pretty high on the list.

We went to the Wild Basin Area of Rocky Mountain National Park and went hiking. At the Trailhead, this is the sign that greeted us. In case you can't read it, it basically says "Mountain Lions Frequent this area and they can harm and kill you." We especially enjoyed the part about "If you see a Lion, STOP, Don't run, and pick up small children." Welcome to the Mountains, enjoy your hike!

This is Copeland Falls, on the St Vrain Creek. It was just a short 0.3 mile jaunt from the trailhead. The water is so cold and fresh, and we enjoyed stopping and enjoying the scenery and watching the chipmunks.

We continued on the trail to Calypso Cascades, about another
1.8 miles or so. This is a section of trail that the guide-book called "Moderate". This is also where I realized that my mind, which loves to hike and enjoy nature, also houses some fantasy world where I am in shape and not at all plus-sized; Oh yeah, and that the Guidebook people who think this piece of trail is "Moderate" must be trail-runners and body-builders or something.

The Calypso Cascades were beautiful and totally worth all the Motrin I had to take that night.

In addition to relaxing and hiking and spending time with my husband, this has been a weekend of Yarn and Knitterly Joy! Look!

This pile of goodness is a package from my Knitty "Summer Lovin'" Swap partner, Georgie! She sent me spices and honey from her local area in Indiana, some fun toys and goodies to share with the kids, a beautiful crocheted backpack, a Debbie Macomber book (which I have not read before), Soho yarn, and some cushy Aloe-Vera socks! I feel so spoiled to get this box after my fabulous weekend away.

Of course, while on our little trip, I had to do some stash-building and support the yarn economy! I went to the Stitchin' Den and had a little yarn splurge:

This is Lonesome Stone's 50/50 in "My Friend's Rosegarden." Lovely and soft, and a huge skein, which I think will be enough for a hat and scarf. Also, I got Mountain Colors Twizzle, which I've always wanted to try. I have a couple possible projects in mind for that skein already.

Last, but not least, My DH gave me a gift certificate to Blue Moon Fiber Arts for my birthday, and my order was waiting for me when I got home! That is Icelandic in "Star Sapphire" and Socks that Rock Medium Weight in "Purple Rain." I thought it was appropriate that the sock yarn colorway is named after a song that we used to dance to at Proms way back in the day.

Summer Reading: America America by Ethan Canin

2008-07-28T21:31:00.005-06:00

The latest stop on my trip through the NPR Summer Reading List was America America by Ethan Canin. This is a very engaging and thought-provoking novel about a powerful political family (the Metarey's) and their relationship with the main character (Corey) and Senator Bonwiller, who runs for President. There were several other important relationships woven into the story, which was very interesting and well-done. It is written out of chronological order, which requires some thought and concentration on the part of the reader, which was a little more intellectual energy than I had to give for the last couple of weeks, and I felt as though I was slogging through it at times, but that was purely my own problem and not related to the book itself.

My favorite character was Mr. McGowar, who was Corey's neighbor and his father's best friend. Everything about Mr. McGowar was endearing to me, and his strenght of character and the obstacles he overcame were very touching and made me "choke up" on more than one occasion. Of all the characters in the book, he was the person I would have most liked to spend some time with.

Finally, I'll say that it is interesting to read a novel about a political campaign and scandal that occurred in the past while our country is right in the middle of our own political campaign and scandals. Much of the book takes place during the Vietnam War, again an interesting coincidence considering our country's own current war. I was intrigued by the parallels, and I have some new insight on current events after reading this.

Miscellany and Minutiae

2008-07-26T09:21:00.007-06:00

The new season of Project Runway has started, and my 2 oldest children and I enjoy this show immensely. Just as some families enjoy watching sports, mine enjoys watching wannabe fashion-designers snark at each other while trying to compete by making clothing for supermodels out of household items like fly-swatters and coffee filters, or designing couture items for female wrestlers. We make popcorn, and have an hour of togetherness around the TV, while the youngest asks questions such as "Why are those boys talking so much like girls?!? Do you think those ladies in the dresses look like Barbies?" My husband spends 40 minutes making fun of us for watching, and then becomes interested at the end and winds up watching it with us. Part of me can't believe I'm blogging about this "reality" show, since I have scorned Reality TV since its inception. But I will no longer take the high-ground, and admit that I am hooked on this one, and I have jumped on the Bandwagon.

Would you like to see what I've been knitting?

I call these "Sockalicious!" (Sorry, Blaine.)

These are actually some straight-up stockinette socks in ShibuiKnits Sock for Summer of Socks. The yarn is yummy, the colors are fun (they sort of remind me of the Gay Flag in an abstract way.) but frankly, the knitting of them is boring me to tears. I'm going to get the heel turned on that second one today if it kills me, and then cast on something more fun to alternate it with.

This is my Afghan Square of the Month from the Knitty Cat Knitalong. This one is lovely, and it is by far the most strenuous cabling project I've ever done. I'm feeling pretty clever and like a real Knitter-with-a-capital-K to have hung in there and kept up, but I'll also be glad when it's finished.

And finally, look at our little garden!

The front row is Bell Peppers, and the second row is Fennel. There is a row of onions behind the Fennel, but I'm afraid the Fennel is going to choke them out. And look at this!

That's a Squash plant, with actual Squash Blossoms on it. This means that we will have some actual Squash by the end of the summer, Lord Willing and the Creek Don't Rise. This is the most progress we've ever had with gardening, so wish us luck!

Big Blogging Plans

2008-07-19T16:57:00.003-06:00

Sigh. I had such big plans for the blog today. Because...I actually had a real live date with my actual husband and no children. (Relax! We got a babysitter, they were safe and happy and so were we.)

We went to lunch, and then to the Denver Art Museum. It was a lovely day, and we had coffee on the terrace. There's much to photograph outside the museum...several installations of sculpture, a fantastic panorama of the Denver Downtown skyline and the interesting architecture of the surrounding buildings. I even took along my sock-in-progress with hopes of getting a great "sock on vacation" picture. Guess what? The camera battery went dead before I even got one single picture taken! So you'll have to take my word for it...I really do some fun things besides knitting and I have a great marriage. Next time, I hope to have some photographic evidence.

Spring Forward

2008-07-08T09:04:00.006-06:00

I completed my first pair of socks for Summer of Socks '08. Not too shabby, I don't think, a completed pair in 17 days, and I worked and kept the kids alive and fed while doing it.

Here they are:

Pattern: Spring Forward from Knitty (This year's Viral Knitting Pattern, I predict. Seems nearly everyone is knitting them or planning on it. I'm glad I could jump on the bandwagon, because it's a great pattern.)

Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in the Simply Socks Third Anniversary Colorway. (I tried to link the colorway, but apparently it's not available right now.) I love this yarn, it's springy and soft, and the colors are wonderful, in my opinion. I wish I'd chosen a lighter color for this pattern, because the lace is obscured somewhat by the strong color contrast. But I still love them.

Needles: Knitpicks Harmony Size 1 dpns. These are my favorite needles for socks. Not flimsy at all, nice and slick, without the risk of impaling myself as with the nickel-plated ones.

I am obsessing over what the perfect choice for my next pair will be. I've made several gauge swatches and tried 2 different patterns which have both been frogged. Hopefully, I can get over this "sock-block" soon, or none of my housework will ever get done and I also won't have any sock knitting to do. (**Thunk** That was the sound of DH passing out from shock at that last sentence and falling onto a pile of sock yarn stash.)

Cupcakes to Share

2008-07-07T16:14:00.010-06:00

Today I had a milestone event which may define the second half of 2008 for me...I rode my bicycle to the grocery store for the first time. I rode it not only for exercise, but because it costs too much to start the stupid car to justify driving the 2 mile round-trip to the supermarket. It was a gorgeous day, and it was a fun little outing with the 6-year-old. This is probably the beginning of a tradition of self-powered transportation for our family.

Here we are on our way to the store:
(Public Service Announcement: We Absolutely should have been wearing helmets. We could have been killed or maimed. Always wear your helmets, as we are going to do in the future.)

It was my daughter's idea. She wanted to make cupcakes and decorate them. It seemed like a great idea, so off we went.

<---We watched some little praire dogs playing in a meadow we passed. Okay, it's a vacant lot, but it had flowers and prairie dogs....

These are the ingredients we bought, and the cookbook we used. We made the "Kid Simple Cupcakes", which are yellow sour-cream cupcakes with homemade buttercream frosting.

And here are the cupcakes:
(We actually made an entire dozen, but this is what we had left after the kids and my husband had their samples.)

All in all, a good day. I spent some time in the outdoors, saved some gas money, had quality time with the kiddo and got a delicious cupcake out of it!

Summer Reading: Pretty is What Changes

2008-07-02T08:46:00.004-06:00

You all need to read Pretty is What Changes by Jessica Queller!

This book is a memoir written by a woman who loses her mother to Breast and Ovarian Cancer and then finds out that she carries the gene that will most likely cause her to contract Cancer as well. The decisions she must make regarding prophylactic mastectomy (which she honestly refers to as "cutting off her boobs" for parts of the book) and the effects of this knowledge on her life and relationships are remarkable and harrowing. It is extremely well written, touching and emotional, as well as very interesting to the medical professional in me.

I had several surprises while reading this, not the least of which is the fact that in 14 years of professional Nursing practice I have never even heard of BRCA-1 until this week, when I read this book. I understand that I work in Critical Care, and genetic mutations may not be on our radar screen all the time, but surely this would have come up sometime. I apparently need to read more and learn a lot more.

I was also surprised, slightly amused, and certainly touched by the apparent willingness of Cancer Survivors to show each other their newly reconstructed breasts. It seemed that pretty often women are taking new friends into fitting rooms and bathrooms and whipping off their blouses so other women can feel how natural they are.

The nagging question that this book left me with, however, was what would the outcome have been had this young woman not been an affluent writer with an affluent family in New York and Los Angeles? Would a farm wife in Nebraska or a suburban part-time secretary whose friends are not well-known celebrities have insurance coverage for genetic testing and prophylactic mastectomies? I really don't know the answer, and I'd like to.

At the end of the book, I felt as if I knew Jessica personally. I cried real tears in certain parts of the book, and smiled outwardly in others. If I could speak to her in person, I'd wish her well and congratulate her for a well-written book and thank her for discussing this issue and making me aware of it.

Knitting Camp

2008-07-01T13:00:00.011-06:00

Last week, my two oldest kids went to "knitting Camp" at the Knitting Habitat. They had a blast learning to knit felted bags, and they are very proud of their projects.

It was wonderful that my son, who was a little self-conscious about his new knitting skills, got to meet Mr. K, a gentleman who has been knitting since 1941, who came into the shop and showed us his latest projects. I apologize for not photographing him and his nice work, but I wasn't sure if he would understand my knitting blog and the need to take pictures of perfect strangers. A part of me resists turning into "the crazy woman with the camera."

My husband accused me of "spreading the disease", and creating my own entourage of knitting enablers. I say, family togetherness and sharing a hobby is not a bad thing. And now I have a reason to keep stocking up on Lamb's Pride Bulky...it's for the children!

The Summer of Socks continues, and although I can not compete with some of the participants who have knit 6 or 7 pairs of socks in the first week, I am proud of my progress all the same.

That's an entire "Spring Forward" sock knit in 6 days. A personal record for me. I think I will be able to get done with the leg and heel turn of the second sock today. This is a great pattern, fun and quick, and I like how it's working with my yarn, so I feel very motivated to keep working and get them done.

Over there is my completed Afghan square from the June Knitty Cat Knitalong. Something wonky happened in my left cable, but I'm not going to fix it. I'm going to call it a "learning experience."

I hope you are having a wonderful summer full of fun and knitting, if that's your thing. If not, I hope you have a summer full of whatever your "thing" is.

A Fun Photo Meme...Try One Yourself!

2008-06-27T19:24:00.005-06:00

1. What is your first name?
Christy
2. What is your favorite food?
Bacon-wrapped Filet Mignon
3. What high school did you go to?
Oak Ridge High School
4. What is your favorite color?
Purple
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
No one in particular
6. Favorite drink? Coffee with Bailey's
7. Dream vacation?
Alaskan Cruise
8. Favorite dessert?
Creme Brulee
9. What do you want to be when you grow up?
Thin and Organized
10. What do you love most in life?
Laughter
11. One word to describe you.
Giving
12. Your flickr name.
ChristinaJRN

1. christy, 2. most amazing vittles, 3. Just before kickoff, 4. Soft purple, 5. Reminder to Self: Slow Down on the Caffeine, 6. Irish Coffee and Bailey's/Dark Chocolate Custard - GF, 7. Alaskan Sunset, 8. day 58: creme brulee, 9. bookshelf, 10. Why did the chicken cross the road?, 11. Give us this day..., 12. Christmas Cakes

This idea came from Mandy.

Just answer the questions, and do a Flickr search of your answers. You have to choose one picture from the first page of results and put your answers into the Mosaic Maker and see what you come up with.

It was fun to see what strange things came up in the Flickr search for my answers... for example, #5's search string was actually "no one in particular" and I came up with that odd little animal. And that woman in the first photo is totally not me, she's who came up first for the search for "Christy." If you do this yourself, leave me a comment and let me know so we can all see yours!

Knitalongs and the Shaven Cat

2008-06-27T08:00:00.006-06:00

The "Summer of Socks" Knitalong is underway. The official Cast-on time was Midnight on Saturday, June 21st. I didn't make the official cast on since I was working the next day and I didn't think the sick people would understand that their nurse was tired from staying up late knitting. But I did cast on a sock on Saturday, and I am making great progress:

This is the Spring Forward pattern (from Knitty) in Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock, in a colorway to commemorate the anniversary of Simply Socks Yarn Company. It's a lovely pink and brown, and I'm sure I will enjoy wearing them. This pattern is going more quickly than others I've knit, it's only really got 2 different pattern rows, and no purling. I'm pretty sure it is going to be this year's equivalent of the "Monkey" socks in popularity.

I also have finished the Monthly Afghan square from Knitty Cat:

This needs to be blocked pretty harshly, to make it lay flat, but it is a lovely square. You can't really see the Bobbles down the center in that picture, but I like them a lot. I don't like making them, but I like the end result.

And to give you a smile as you go, my very own "LOLcat": Poor Duster after his vet visit and summer haircut:

This was my lesson in the joys of owning a geriatric cat. He was so matted and tangly from shedding and being too arthritic to groom himself properly, that when I took him to the normal cat groomer, they said I'd have to take him to a Veterinarian due to the closeness of the shave they were going to need to do. Well, of course he's due for his shots this month, so in order for the vet to shave him he would need his shots. And an exam. And because he's 16 years old, lab work and a blood pressure check. So 300 dollars later, I have a bald cat who needs anti-hypertensives. I don't begrudge him that, though. He is a sweet kitty who gives nothing but love. I will try hard not to mind giving him medications.

Summer Reading: Trauma by Patrick McGrath

2008-06-25T21:28:00.004-06:00

I just this minute finished reading Trauma by Patrick McGrath, and I needed to spend a moment to reflect what I just read.

The book is the story of a Psychiatrist who treats patients with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, the way that his career has an effect on his relationships, as well as the way that his life and his past effect his current situation and practice. It's a psychological thriller in many ways, with a mystery that unravels throughout the book, as well as the story of family and romantic relationships, and how they shape him and are shaped by his experiences.

Initially, I felt the book had gotten off to a slow start, but as the story went on, it became more and more engaging and I was less able to put it down. I think that this perception of slowness at first came from the fact that the author is a master of foreshadowing, so as the story goes on you start realizing that things earlier were important clues to the mystery that you didn't even realize existed at the beginning. Although it is disturbing and somewhat graphic at times, I highly recommend this book. It's exciting and thought-provoking.

For more good summer reading, you can see suggestions here.

Finished!

2008-06-15T12:41:00.005-06:00

Look, I finished those summery socks I was making for my daughter:

I used Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's "Basic Sock Recipe" from Knitting Rules. I had a lot of fun making them, mostly because my eldest daughter has large feet for her age, and often feels left out of the footwear fun because it's so difficult to find her age-appropriate (pre-teen) shoes and pretty socks in her size (Ladies Size 11). These fit her absolutely perfectly.

Here's how I did it:
Yarn: Online Summer Cotton Color in color #1049 (I'm about 99% sure of the color number, but I lost the ballband)

Needles: Size 1 Knitpicks Nickel-plated dpns. (I love making socks on double-points. And these needles are especially nice to work with, in my opinion.)

Recipe: I cast on 72 stitches, at a gauge of about 8 1/2 stitches per inch. I made 2 inches of 2 x 2 ribbing, and then made 8 inches of leg. I used the Eye of Partridge Heel instructions, which I had never tried. I like the way it looks, but I had trouble keeping track of which row I was knitting, so I'll probably just do a good old slip-stitch heel flap from now on. Then I made 8 1/4 inches of foot before doing the standard flat toe. The sock is about 9 3/4" long in total. I ended when I had 32 stitches left and grafted the end. Her feet are a little squarish, so those toes are perfect for her. If I was making socks for my more narrow feet, I would have decreased some more.

This yarn (Online Summer Cotton Color) made very lovely and soft fabric. I think these socks are pretty much "seasonless" and she can enjoy wearing them a lot. I only found one knot in the whole 400+ yard ball. And this yarn has such generous yardage that even after making some large women's socks that aren't short at all, I can still probably make a preemie hat out of the leftover yarn. And it certainly is soft enough to be a baby hat. I definitely recommend it if you want some cottony wool socks.

And look! More roses bloomed this weekend:

The Adventures of the Summer Sock

2008-06-11T10:05:00.011-06:00

My Sock-in-progress was getting kind of bored, so I decided to give it some more things to look at this past couple of days. It was feeling a little left out, I'm afraid, since I've been reading more lately, so I decided to give it a little individual attention.

On Saturday, it went to the pool...

The sock really enjoyed it's time in the shade watching the kids play. It also laughed at me when I got a sunburn on the right side of each leg between my knee and my ankle...apparently every single year I have to re-learn an important lesson about sunscreen and the need to use it frequently, even while knitting in the shade and wearing capri-pants.

Today, my sock and I went out and enjoyed my roses, which just began blooming yesterday. I am very grateful to Ellen, who owned my house previously, for leaving such lovely flowers for me to enjoy.

See how happy my sock was to be in the garden? It is also especially excited to meet it's new sock-friends, that will hopefully be ready to play by the time the Summer of Socks 2008 is over...

Lady of the Snakes

2008-06-10T19:14:00.003-06:00

I just finished reading Lady of the Snakes by Rachel Pastan. This is a fabulous book, I could not put it down.

It is the story of a young woman, Jane, who is trying to have a fabulous career, maintain a healthy marriage and raise a child all at once, and the conflicts that ensue as a result of her many roles. I could really relate to her struggles, as can many of us working moms who have felt the pull of our vocations and our families and had to choose between the two at times. It had all the elements of "chick-lit" that I enjoy...a female protagonist, relationship difficulties, and some sex, as well as being intelligently written and having two plot lines at the same time: the modern character, Jane and the historical figure who her life's work focuses on, Masha. It is very interesting how the author intertwined the two story lines.

If you need a good book to go to the pool or beach or on vacation, this is a great one. I checked it out from the library, but it is definitely worth purchasing. This is definitely a book I'd read again.

Summer Reading: The Confessions of Max Tivoli by Andrew Sean Greer

2008-06-06T14:08:00.004-06:00

In an effort to expand my literary horizons beyond my usual choices ("chick-lit" and historical romances), and to find ways to entertain myself that do not cost actual money, I have selected several books from the NPR Recommended Summer Reading list and have requested them from my local library system. Well, the book that appealed the most to me (The Story of a Marriage by Andrew Sean Greer) was actually not available at our library, and instead I chose another of his novels, The Confessions of Max Tivoli.

This is the story of a man, Max, who was born in the 1800's with a disorder which caused him to be born as an old man and progress back to infancy as he aged chronologically. My initial thought was how far-fetched this is, but the book is so well-written that by the end, I was considering that this might actually be a rare medical condition that I just never heard of. There were several passages that made me actually cry, and I felt like I personally knew the main character by the end of the book. It's a story about an unconditional friendship, and of someone hiding the truth of his inner self and earning love by being who people thought he was, and all the conflicts that this facade caused him. It was thought-provoking and touching, and the prose is absolutely beautiful. You should check it out.

Back to Our Regularly Scheduled Knitting

2008-06-05T21:55:00.011-06:00

I apologize to those of you who may watch this space for knitting and have been bored by the other content lately. Please understand that the camera was broken, but now we have a new one and I can post some pictures finally.

I hit an emotional rough spot a couple of weeks ago and all I could muster was some Garter Stitch. So I made these: These are the Felted Boxes from Mason-Dixon Knitting. They were much fun to make--I enjoyed picking out crazy combinations of Lamb's Pride Bulky and the garter stitch was mindless enough. The felting process, however, did not go as well as I would have liked. Those have each been through 4 cycles in my Front-Loader and are still a bit wonky and unevenly felted. I have a large one knit up, but I'm going to take it to a laundromat and see how it goes in a top-loading washer. In case you are interested, those are made using size 11 needles and double-stranded Lamb's Pride Bulky in Orange You Glad, Lotus Pink, and Limeade.

I am participating in a Knitalong through the Knitty Cat, and I am enjoying it immensely. Ann, who is the genius who owns this shop, emails us a few rows of instructions each day, which allows us to complete one square per month for the next 20 months. Here's my square for May:

I'm using size 7's and Cascade 220. That's a terrible picture, but it's proof of the knitting nonetheless, I suppose.

I have also been experimenting with lace knitting lace, and am nearly halfway done with a Branching Out from some Knitpicks Merino Style:

In other news, I got a fantastic surprise package from Ladybug03 in a Ravelry swap:

This big box of wonderfulness contained: Some gorgeous Merino and Bamboo blend sock yarn, some Knitpicks Sock Garden, a circular needle and some instructions so I can learn the Magic Loop, some Harmony double-points in case I decide to stick with the familiar for a while, some Soak Wool Wash samples, Work-in-progress tubes, Chocolates, a scented candle, some toys for my cats, hand lotion and a gorgeous project bag! It's just like Christmas!!!

On the home front, school's out for summer, so we'll see what happens to my knitting and blogging time. The eldest is on to Middle School next year and I'm not feeling ready to relive that nightmare, so I'm planning on enjoying every single moment of summer. I've also dusted off my poor neglected Cardfile in an effort to regain control of my home. Standby for further developments.

Five Minutes of Wonderful

2008-05-28T21:52:00.011-06:00

I continue to knit, but my camera is broken and I can't show you. Things have been a little uncertain and a little rocky around here lately, but things are evening out now I believe.

I just finished reading Songs of the Humpback Whale by Jodi Picoult. What a wonderful book. It is the story of a family who is separated and reunited, and the events that occured and discoveries that they made on the journey to coming back to each other again. I love how it is written from the point of view of 5 different characters, and the way the story weaves together through chapters which are not in chronological order. It gave insight into what the characters were thinking and experiencing and also made the reader think about what was happening and how it fit into the rest of the events. Not only is it a great story, but it is very intelligently written

"...I'll go home and be the ideal wife, the perfect mother. I'll do everything I've been doing and I won't ever bring this up again. I'll live the most ordinary life there ever was, just as long as you promise me that I'll get five minutes of wonderful before it's all over." (from Songs of the Humpback Whale)

The above quote made me think...what are MY five minutes of wonderful?

There are the ones that are so wonderful they are difficult to describe, such as looking into the eyes of my babies when they were moments old. That realization that the world is forever changed because there is a new, fresh person in it who brings something special that only they can bring .

There was the moment I realized that I would marry my husband. I was 16 and he was 18, and I saw him standing in his parents' living room by the Christmas Tree and I just knew inexplicably that we were going to be together forever without question. That was wonderful.

There was the time I was invited by my friend to attend a rehearsal of the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus. Even though it was only October, they were practicing for the Christmas Concert, and that music and their beautiful harmonies were like a gift that came unexpectedly. The men were so friendly and welcoming, and I felt so priveleged to attend. I suspect that most married housewives from suburbia will not have the opportunity to be a guest at such a rehearsal.

There was the Grand Canyon...I distinctly remember standing there thinking how small we are, and how big God is to create such a marvelous place as that.

I am grateful for my many, many moments of "Wonderful."

A Humorous Moment

2008-05-20T12:19:00.001-06:00

I am not having a very good day, and I came across

This Post

Which Made me smile. I thought you'd enjoy it also.

I swear, I still knit, and I will blog about it soon. Company's coming and it's a house-cleaning emergency around here....

Scary Times

2008-05-13T10:46:00.004-06:00

Is it just me, or does everyone need a vacation from life right now? (Need a vacation, but can't afford it...) Things feel uneasy and uncertain, and there is a generalized feeling of anxiety in everyone. The war, the "housing bubble", natural disasters here and abroad, record-high gas prices...It's as if the world as we knew it is gone. Even my "Bush Bucks" (Economic Stimulus Check, as renamed by my Sister) didn't make me feel happy...there are so many places I could send it that it just causes me internal conflict. Do I send the kids to summer camp? Do I pay off a bill? Do I save it? Do I cash it into gold coins and put it in a sock for when the whole market collapses? Someone suggested to have it changed into Euros.

I remember happy things like meeting a loved one at the Airport Gate, and looking at your 401K statement without feeling a little ill. I remember when 10 dollars would buy half of a tank of gas. Sigh.. I remember being able to afford a house-cleaning service, but that was before milk went over 5 bucks a gallon. I never clipped coupons before, but I do now. I am finding myself needing to re-consider every purchase. I suppose this will make me a better, more fiscally-responsible person of high moral character, once it's all over.

I can sort of picture myself an old woman, muttering to myself about spoiled-rotten kids, knitting, unraveling and re-knitting the same wool into reusable grocery sacks, because that's how we had to do it in the Great Not-Technically-A-Recession-But-Very-Much-Like-A-Recession of 2008.

Some Complete Pairs of FO's

2008-04-24T11:51:00.009-06:00

In April, I had set a goal for myself to finish some of the singleton mittens and socks that I had languishing in my knitting basket, feeling lonely for their "friends." I did finish a stray sock and a stray mitten, which leaves me with 2 singleton socks to complete, and quite a feeling of accomplishment also, since now I get to blog about 2 new FO's.

These are NHM #3 from Selbuvotter by Terri Shea. I enjoyed knitting these a lot, and I'm sure I'll make more of this type of mitten in the future. I used Brown Sheep Top of the Lamb sport weight yarn in White and Great Grape, and size 3 dpns.

An important lesson I learned from this project is that it's possible for one knitter using one pattern and one set of needles to knit the same yarn can somehow achieve different gauges at different times. I don't know how this happened, but look:

They don't just look differently sized in the picture. They are actually significantly different. I'm keeping them, though, because when they are on my hands you can only tell if I hold them together and say "look at my mismatched mittens."

I also finished the second one of these Monkey Socks.

I used some beautiful and soft yarn, Lonesome Stone Mountain Feat, in a colorway called "Jingleberries", and they are lovely to wear. The variegation in the yarn sort of obliterated the lace pattern, I think, so I'd like to do some solid-colored ones sometime. This is a great pattern, easy to follow, and as many have described it before "intuitive." I never got to the point where I had memorized it, though, and had to keep my chart with me while I knit.

In the interest of being held accountable for single socks, I still have on the needles a pair of Men's Cable socks in Trekking and a pair of Baby Cable Rib socks in Tofutsies. Not to mention these which I just started for my daughter:

I know what you are thinking. I DID need to start a new pair, because I got some new yarn which my beautiful daughter picked out herself, and she doesn't even have one single pair of handknit socks. I do not have a yarn addiction and I can stop whenever I want.....

2008-04-15T16:38:00.003-06:00

I have no knitting to blog about because I have hit a low knitting spot. I am really not interested in anything that I have already started, but I don't know what to do next. I have on the needles 3 socks which are the second of their pairs, and all are nearly half done. I have one-third of a Clapotis which is boring me to tears, even though the yarn is lovely and the pattern is well-written. It's just too much stockinette. I started a Quinn Cabled Bag, and it's going to beautiful, but it's not talking to me today. I really want to make a sweater, and I have the pattern and the yarn, but I'm not sure of the wisdom behind making a wool sweater at the beginning of Spring, so it will be done just in time for summer... I may start it tonight, anyway, because Lord knows, there is not a lot of logic to this knitting hobby for me, anyway. Why start making sense now?

I am reaching a parental milestone today. Tonight, I get to go to my daughter's Classroom and preview the Sex Education films and have a question and answer session, before the children view them next week. Only it's not Sex Ed. anymore, it's called "Family Life Education." Our Baby is growing up, and will be learning about where Babies come from... I can't believe we're already here, it seems that yesterday she was a toddler.

In which the Mutant Sock and I Go to See the Yarn Harlot in Denver

2008-04-05T11:03:00.015-06:00

I had a fabulous time last evening at a book-signing and presentation by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee at The Tattered Cover in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. There were hundreds of knitters there, all of us knitting and laughing and generally enjoying each others' company. My friend, Tracy, and I had fun with the fact that it was our first book-signing, and we greatly enjoyed the fact that we now each have found a "yarn friend" in each other.

Look at all these wonderful knitters! And I love that there were men there, knitting in public with the rest of us!

This is the Author taking a picture of us with her Traveling Sock. Most of us were taking a picture of her taking a picture of us. --->

In my world, I believed that I could not attend a Yarn Harlot gathering without a sock in progress to photograph with the Author. So last weekend, I cast on my first pair of Toe-up socks in some lovely Koigu, a nice mindless Stockinette sock for distracted knitting in public. As people walked by me last night, as I was knitting, several folks stopped and looked and when I saw them looking said "That is a beautiful sock." So, I believed that maybe, just maybe, even though I thought it was coming out a little bigger than I expected, that perhaps it really was going to be OK. So I kept knitting it. And people kept saying it was pretty. (The fact that when I showed it to Tracy she burst out in laughter should have been a big clue.)
I now realize that what they were most likely thinking is "Oh My Gosh! Look at that enormous, bizarre and deformed sock!" but were too polite.

When I got to Stephanie's table, I showed her my sock, hoping to get a photo of she and I and the sock. The sock which I would treasure as the "Book-Signing Sock", to commemorate my first book signing and first time to interact with a real author. After a short banter, Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, the "Yarn Harlot" whose books I enjoy and read and re-read, who is a true knitting celebrity, giggled and said "What were you thinking?"

This is Stephanie and her normal-sized human sock being held in front of my own Mutant Giant Sock:

All in all, it was a wonderful evening, despite the fact that the bookstore employees were apparently a little frustrated with the sheer number of us, and I think a little scared of the giant crowd with pointy sticks. I really hope that she comes back to town again on her next book tour.

Evangeline

2008-03-20T19:57:00.004-06:00

I just finished these and wanted to share.

The pattern is Evangeline from MagKnits

The yarn is Plymouth Royal Llama Silk, and it is beautiful and soft, and the silk makes it nearly perfect. If I didn't knit it up, I would have just petted it. I won it in a Ravelry contest from my LYS, Knitty Cat. Thanks Ann!

This was a relatively quick knit, it took me about 3 hours to finish each mitt. I like that it used only one skein of yarn (I had 12 yards leftover from a 103-yard skein.), and that it uses worsted weight, of which I have plenty on hand. I think they'd be great gifts, since the cables make them a little fancy.

Coffee Cozies

2008-03-03T08:33:00.010-07:00

This was a fun and quick weekend project. The colors are fun, and the pattern was easy to memorize. It used up a stray skein of yarn, and since you get 3 cozies from one skein, you could easily use leftovers this way.

Most importantly, since I have been unable to resist the charms of Noro Kureyon recently, this project allowed me to enable myself by the statement "It's OK, it's for gifts."

Pattern: Kureyon Coffee Cozy
Yarn: Noro Kureyon #195 (I think.)
Needles: US 7 dpns
Total time per cozy: About 1 1/2 hours

Spring Cleaning

2008-02-27T08:07:00.015-07:00

This week, I finally have had it with the CHAOS in my home. (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome--courtesy of the FlyLady) My children are good kids overall, but they are slobs, and all the clutter and mayhem apparently flipped some sort of switch in my brain, because now I want to re-claim my own home. The switch-flipping event was the moment when I couldn't get in the front door because all 3 backpacks were dropped right there along with 3 coats and 3 sets of hats/mittens, apparently as if little fairies were coming to put them away. So I got out my old Sidetracked Home Executives book and decided to make big changes. And you know what, it's actually WORKING. It's not perfect, but it's getting better every day, and there is light at the end of my cluttered, chaotic tunnel. Look, I made a card file!

Even my Knitting has had a bit of a Spring-Cleaning theme. I have been making these Selbuvotter. Lovely and warm and bright, but definitely wintry:

I love making these mittens, but the relatively complicated colorwork and fiddly thumbs were making me tired, so I took a break and made a set of Dishcloths from some inexpensive worsted cotton that said "Spring" to me. I'll probably put them away to be a gift set for Christmas or some other occasion. Here they are together:

Here are the pattern links, etc.

This one is Nubbins. It's Peaches 'n Creme in a color called Pink Lilacs, and Sugar and Cream in Soft Violet. I like the way the nubby edge looks, but it was kind of boring to knit, overall. I'd make it again, though, if I need something that looks interesting, but is pretty mindless.

This one is the Infamous Darrel Waltrip Dishcloth.

It's the same Pink Violets yarn from the other cloth. This was really fun to knit, and I finished the whole thing in about 2 hours. I really liked how the color-pooling turned out with this yarn.

This one is the Lacy Round Cloth.

It's some Sugar and Cream Twist, on size 8's. It would have been easier to knit and more functional at a smaller gauge, so I'll use size 6's if I ever make it again. This is also a great pattern, it looks much more complicated than it actually is.

Rocky Mountain National Park

2008-02-18T14:13:00.003-07:00

We ventured up to the Rocky Mountain National Park yesterday, our first trip to the mountains since moving to Colorado. What beautiful country!

Selbuvotter

2008-02-15T08:45:00.004-07:00

I first saw this type of mitten on the Yarn Harlot's blog, and I thought "I could never make those." But then, the Interweave Knits website started talking about "knitting fearlessly", and I saw some of these mittens on Ravelry, and I was inspired. I ordered the book Selbuvotter: Biography of a Knitting Tradition by Terri Shea, and I found the story of the mittens very intriguing. Combine my intrigue, my Scandinavian heritage, and my desire to learn something new, and I have a new favorite thing to knit. Well, actually, everything that I knit for the first time becomes my new favorite thing to knit. This is my current favorite thing, I guess.

I finished my first pair a couple days ago, and here they are, all washed and blocked:

I found the patterns to be well done, although there are several errata, and if you are going to make some, check the website first so you don't get half-way in and find your chart doesn't work out. The trick was figuring out the tension with the colorwork, which I think went well after the first cuff. The aspect of these that I found challenging for both mittens, and I'm sure will continue to give me grief, is the palm-side of the thumb. There aren't charts for that part, and you have to figure out how to "continue in pattern." This is a lot to wrap my brain around, and let's just say there's a reason I didn't photograph the inside of the thumbs.

Pattern: NHM #9
Yarn: KnitPicks Palette in Red and Cream (about 3/4 ball of each.)
Needles: US Size 3 dpns. I got about 8 stitches to the inch in the colorwork pattern.

Incidentally, I soaked them in Dr. Bronner's Castille Soap with the Lavendar scent, and they are not only pretty, but they smell wonderful, too. Too bad there aren't scratch-and-sniff java scripts for blogs.

Just a few things...

2008-02-05T21:32:00.000-07:00

There are a few minor things I'd like to clear up with the co-occupants of my home today. Since my family doesn't seem to hear or understand me when I speak, I'll have to share them here.

1. Snow is wet and cold and it sticks to your shoes. If you do not wipe your feet, then the floor will become cold and wet. Apparently, as I learned today, a clean floor has a higher affinity for wet, cold, dirty stuff than a dirty floor. This does not mean I will stop cleaning floors. Also, large, man-size shoes carry more dirty, wet snow than do small child-sized shoes. I'm just saying.....

2. Little fairies do not come in the night and clean the kitchen, and the dishes do not put themselves away like on Beauty and the Beast. One person with one mouth who drinks one thing at a time does not, under any circumstances, need to use 6 different drinking vessels every day. When you, as a group, have used all the glasses, coffee cups and Mason jars to drink from, you are using too many dishes. Rinsing a cup between beverages is a great idea.

3. Previously worn socks do not belong under the kitchen table. Not even if your feet were cold and wet, you forgot they don't belong there, or you are more comfortable eating without shoes on. (Where does this quirk come from? How does your footwear affect your dining experience? This should be investigated.) By the way, there is not a logical reason that clean socks should go under there either, so don't even try to make one up!

Aren't they precious? This is what a happy family of children looks like on a lovely summer outing at the zoo. This kind of picture helps me on a day like today. It reminds me of the good times, when everyone is happy and smiling and eating snow-cones... and I didn't have any desire at all to kick them, and their socks, out into the snow with 17 dirty drinking glasses.......

Crazy

2008-01-29T20:51:00.000-07:00

Things have been absolutely crazy here. DH has been working long hours and extra days, therefore some things that he would have helped with and activities he would have shared transporting the kiddos to have fallen to me. I am not good at holding down the fort by myself, and the house is just chaos and mayhem. Additionally, last week, DH had a car accident (not his fault) and our car was totalled. So car insurance claims and the hassle of replacing a car have ruled our lives this week while we are trying to hold jobs and raise children and keep a house, and it has not gone well. But we got a new car today, and some of those hassles are done.

Here's my question: If I am spending quite a lot of money, and you are selling me a car on which you will make a commission, why is it so darn much time and effort to buy a car after I've picked it out and have loan approval.? 5 hours at the Car Dealership. 5 HOURS! They should put laundromats in car dealerships so you can do something useful, instead of taking a tour of the service department and waiting at tables for mysterious office people to materialize with stacks of paperwork.

In a futile quest to maintain some order in my home, I decided to knit something new, because at least I can finish a row and it stays done, unlike all the other home activities I get to do, like dishes and laundry. I got the book Selbuvotter, and I'm learning to make mittens. Terri Shea's book is great, and I am enjoying learning to make these. The thumbs and gussets are giving me some trouble, but I'll figure it out, I'm sure.

This is my first attempt. It is supposed to be sized for an adult woman. But, without a gauge swatch, I was surprised to find it is coming out child-sized, so it will belong to my youngest daughter.

That's Knit Picks Palette in red and cream, on size 2 dpns. Very nice yarn, but especially very nice yarn for 2 bucks a ball.

Here is the second attempt. Same Palette yarn, size 3 dpns this time. This one is coming out the proper size for an adult. The yarn is a bit thin for size 3's though, and it seems a bit less firm than I'd like a mitten fabric to be. If I can figure out how to make the thumb, I'm planning on trying these again with some Nature Spun Sport or something a little thicker.

Two More Hats

2008-01-23T09:30:00.001-07:00

I'm realizing that hats are my "thing" this winter...they knit up fast and many people need them. I'm thinking that I may need to call for a moratorium on hats for a while, though, since there are only a finite number of people with heads in my family, and an apparently infinite number of very cool hat patterns.

Here are the latest entries in the Hat Parade:

Pattern: An Unoriginal Hat by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee

Yarn: 2 Strands Lamb's Pride Bulky, one Rust and one Aran; Less than 1 skein of each.

Needles: Size 11

This fabric is very dense and it hurt my hands to knit with this yarn/needles combination. In the end, though, it's a very warm and water-repellent hat. If I did this again, I'd use two less contrasting colors.

This one is for my husband, who needed a warm hat that covered his ears.

Pattern: Basic Hats pattern from Knitsimple Magazine, Holiday 2006 issue. This is a great pattern with different brim styles, gauges and sizes given. This is the roll-brim, man's size hat

Yarn: Noro Kureyon, color 195. A tad more than 1 skein. I had to add the new ball at the crown. This is a great colorway for men. The blue is more navy than the picture shows, and that stripe in between the two black stripes is a heathery brown, not the pinkish color that it looks like.

Needles: US Size 7 (brim), Size 8 (hat)

Modifications: I added an extra 1 1/2" to the body of the hat before the crown decreases to ensure the hat would go all the way over his ears. My gauge was a bit big, and it's about an inch more around than it should have been. But that's OK, because he has a big melon. But don't tell him I said so.

The Yarn Economy

2008-01-11T20:48:00.000-07:00

On the way home from work, I was listening to a show on talk radio about the current state of the economy. I'm sorry that I missed the name of the speaker because he was brilliant. But he made me worry about my role in the economy of yarn....

The chain of events they discussed was this:

The mortgage and financial institutions are not lending or providing credit as freely as previously because they overextended themselves to people who couldn't really afford the loans they were getting.
People who used to go into credit card debt and/or take out easy home equity loans to support their overspending now cannot get credit or home equity loans, and so...
People will potentially buy fewer goods and services
The companies which provide these goods and services will have to lay off employees to cut costs because they won't have as much business
The suppliers to the stores will have to make less inventory, and so will have to lay off employees as well.

This made me think. In an effort to save money and be more financially responsible, I am trying to knit from my stash and buy less yarn. If lots of people do that, then the yarn stores will potentially have to cut hours/personnel because they won't have as much of a market for their goods and services! And...if that happened, then yarn companies would make less yarn! And...if that happened, there could actually be a SHORTAGE of yarn in the future. This thought terrified me, because in our quest to save money and be responsible now, frugal knitters could actually knit up the stash of beautiful yarns that we will potentially NEED in the future.

So a "Yarn Diet" now could deprive me of future yarn because it could collapse the Yarn Economy! Excuse me, while I run off to the yarn shop to save the world!!!

First Knitted Objects of the New Year

2008-01-10T12:22:00.000-07:00

I got to fly to visit my parents for a few days, and basically the flights and airport-waiting time were spent just knitting. So, here are my first FO's of 2008:

The above 2 photos are of the Multidirectional Diagonal Scarf by Karen Baumer, made in some previously knit-and-frogged Noro Silk Garden. I used 3 balls, and I wish I would have had 4. As it is, it's about 6 1/2" wide and 59" long, so a nice size, but I prefer longer scarves usually. I used size 7 US needles. This is a fun and sort of mindless pattern to knit, once you get it memorized. Definitely a good TV and Movie-watching project.

And here is one Monkey sock:

I used Lonesome Stone Mountain Feat yarn, and it is very soft and yummy. I'm nervous that those bright colors will run though. More details on those when they are all done.

I knit the toe and grafted it on my return flight. I think the man next to me was a little nervous about the sewing needle and the turbulence, but he was a good sport.

HAPPY 2008

2008-01-04T06:26:00.000-07:00

Here we are, 4 whole days into the new year, and I didn't wish everyone a Happy New Year! I hope 2008 is a year of new beginnings and positive changes.

I have decided to dispense with the New Year's Resolutions of 1. Lose 60 pounds and 2. Organize my house and keep it cleaner. These resolutions, I've realized, say to me "Maybe this year I can be good enough." So this year, I say, "I am a worthwhile person and I deserve to treat myself nicely." (I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, people like me!) So.....

CHRISTY'S RESOLUTIONS FOR 2008:

Knit a little every day
Allow myself to go to the gym 2-3x each week.
Keep the laundry caught up better because my family is worth that effort, and as the FlyLady says... "Nothing says I LoveYou like Clean Underwear!"
Cook more healthy food at home, hopefully using the "Saving Dinner" Heart-healthy menu.

My goal is that with #2 and #4, some weight loss might happen. And with #3, perhaps minus a layer of dirty clothes on the floors of 3 bedrooms and a laundry room, and with drawers full of clean folded clothes, the house will look cleaner and I'll have more time to spend on other home projects.

So, there! My Resolutions are out in cyberspace for the entire English-speaking world to read if they want, so I have to stick to them, right?

On another note, I have logged my shockingly large yarn stash on Ravelry, and I have over 15 miles of yarn in my house! The new rule is I have to complete 2 projects using existing yarn before I am allowed to buy new yarn. (This also in true Flylady style...if I bring something in, I must fling something else.) I'm trying to decide if my new rule needs to include a clause involoving some sort of Extra Credit for finishing a project using more than 4 skeins of yarn. The great thing about this rule is that I made it up, so I get to change it at will.

On my needles right now:

A Clapotis for the Second Wave Knitalong (Mmmmmmmalabrigo)
A pair of Monkey Socks (Lonesome Stone Mountain Feat...beautiful!)
A Multi-directional Scarf (Silk Garden)
A Quant (Matching Silk Garden)

Thanks for reading, if you stuck with me this far. I promise at least one FO and some pictures of something next week.

My new Christmas BallWinder of Joy

2007-12-28T14:55:00.001-07:00

I already knew that my husband was high on the list of the world's great husbands...but his Christmas gift to me definitely moved him to the top of the list! He bought me a ball-winder and swift, and a Lantern Moon knitting tote. I think what touched me about this gift was that he listened to me talk about things I'd like and went out of his way to find a ballwinder on the internet, and also that he is supportive of my knitting hobby.

On Christmas eve, after the kids were tucked in and all the stuff was done, I sat up and made yarn cakes on my new toy:

I hope you all have a happy New Year.

A Couple More Knitty Hats

2007-12-13T21:40:00.001-07:00

I seem to be on a headgear binge lately, especially headbands and ear warmers. Here are two more:

On the left is Foliage, which gave me much trouble at first, and I have cast it on 3 times in worsted-weight Malabrigo and frogged them all. This Lamb's Pride Bulky was perfect on size 10's, and I was able to whip that hat up in a little over one evening.

On the right is my slightly crooked Quant, which is my first venture into the world of entrelac, and it is like Crack to me! You see, I can't stop until I've finished the current diamond, and then just look! Some stitches to be picked up...I can't leave it that way, it looks messy! So I do the next diamond, etc. etc. etc. I finally had to just admit I was powerless over the entrelac and sit down and finish the thing so I could get on with my housework.

Here is it's wonky crookedness, close up:

It looks OK when it's actually tied around someone's head, so I have decided to just love it like it is.

Yarn: Noro Kureyon
Needles: Size 8

I am currently making another one of these, in Silk Garden, on size 7's this time, because I felt that my gauge was a little loose and holey, and not all that warm.

Thanks for looking at my show and tell :)

Completely (and possibly inappropriately...) Random Thoughts

2007-12-10T18:34:00.000-07:00

First of all, I am disturbed and disheartened by the shootings in the Denver area this weekend. A gunman went first to a youth training center for Christian missionaries and killed two people and injured two, then went on to a church in Colorado Springs and killed some more people, notably two teenaged girls from the same family. That is unfathomable to me...losing your children in a violent incident after church on Sunday!? The other side of the coin is equally terrible...being called and informed that your own young son has killed 4 people and has been shot himself. I feel terrible for everyone involved. And this on the heels of the mall shooting in Omaha. I keep wondering if the attack here was encouraged by the coverage of the Omaha shootings. It's just senseless and it shakes my feeling of security.

Secondly, and totally unrelated... after trying to park a Dodge Grand Caravan at a crowded mall parking lot today, I want to know whose big idea it was to call it a MINI Van? I had to try three spots before I could find one that would allow me to open the door enough to get out. How about a MINI Bus, or a BIG FAT Station Wagon? My next car will be a mini-cooper, I swear.

Warm and Colorful, by Kristin (and Christy)

2007-12-04T21:27:00.000-07:00

I finished a project from my new book, Kristin Knits by Kristin Nicholas--The Checks and Dots Mittens! (Well just the dots, actually.)

I love combining colors, and I love colorwork, but not too complex since I'm new at it. Kristin Nicholas's patterns are perfect for me; I love the color, and I just realized that the charts and color changes remind me of Cross-Stitching, which was my first love, hobby-wise; Then I moved to the dark side and took up knitting.

The mittens are from the book, and the Headband is from Knitting Daily and is designed to coordinate with the mittens. The set is for my oldest daughter, who is colorful and outgoing like the knitting. When it's cold, folks will certainly see her coming!

Yarn: Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Worsted in Lotus Pink, Christmas Green, Purple Flutter and Prairie Goldenrod. Less than one skein total for the pair of mittens and the headband of the pink and green; just a smidge of the purple and yellow.

Needles: Mittens--Brittany Size 7 dpns; Headband-- Size 7 Addi Turbo 16" Circular and Size 8 Clover Bamboo 16" Circular

Modifications: I used 4 colors instead of 5 for the headband, and I only used 2 colors for the cross-stitches instead of 3 as the pattern suggested. On the mittens, I added a stripe of purple in the cuff for a little extra zing. As if screaming bright pink and shiny kelly green were not zingy enough as they were.
Time to knit: Mittens: about a week for the pair; Headband: about 5 hours total, not including sewing in all those ends you see in the picture.

I would recommend both of these patterns. The mittens have a choice between plain or ruffled edging, and a checks or dots pattern. The directions for both are very well written and easy to follow. The headband was a nice quick knit, but honestly that bobble edging was tedious, and I would avoid it in the future.

Thanks for looking at these, and enabling my knitting insanity.

Warm Necks and Hands

2007-11-28T21:19:00.000-07:00

Things have been busy here with Christmas preparations. We are very nearly finished with all the shopping for gifts, and we have one more evergreen tree outside that we need to put lights on in order to say we are done decorating. And, of course, I have been knitting some gifts and here I want to show them off!

This is a shawl for DH's Grandma, who is frail and in a Nursing Home. It's just a large triangle knit in garter stitch by casting on 3 stitches and increasing w/ a YO at the beginning of each row, like a giant dishcloth. In case you're interested, it's in Lionbrand Homespun, color Delft, on Size 11 Circulars. It should have been larger, I suppose, but it was so boring that I had to finish it as soon as it got just large enough.

This scarf is for DH's other Grandmother. She wanted a "sky blue" scarf, so I had some Soy Wool Stripes which fit that bill, but I needed something fairly quick, so I added a strand of Soy Wool Solid in a coordinating blue, and knit a 2 x 2 Rib on Size 15's. The whole thing was done in a weekend. Here's a closer picture of how the yarn looked together:

These are the Peekaboo Mittens from Magknits. I made them for an unnamed recipient who might read the blog. This was a fun knit, because with the finger-slot, there was never more than 2 inches of anything before you got to change to some new thing, so it went quickly and was never boring, but also was easy.

See how you can pop your fingers out if you need to? Very practical, and very cool! These are from Lamb's Pride Worsted, in the color "Purple Flutter", which I just love.

And, Last but not Least, I finished a "Dot Mitten" from my new favorite book, Kristin Knits by Kristin Nicholas:

I used some Lamb's Pride from the Stash, and I think this could be the niftiest mitten ever! I've cast on it's "friend", and I can't wait for my daughter to wear them and have warm, colorful hands!

Happy Thanksgiving

2007-11-22T22:00:00.000-07:00

This Thanksgiving began a little melancholy, as I miss my friends and family since this is our first major holiday in Colorado. A little frustrating as well, since I had some timing problems getting my dinner done, and the beautiful chocolate pound cake I baked overflowed the pan and filled my oven with smoking globs of burning cake batter. It tasted fine, but boy, was it ever ugly.
In the end, it turned out nicely and we had a lovely time having dessert and coffee with some of our neighbors and are getting to know them better.

I am so grateful to be living here in Colorado, and for the snow that we have on the ground, and for my fireplace. I am grateful for my wonderful family, and for friends who keep in touch. I'm thankful for my children and especially for a wonderful husband who is helpful and supportive. I am looking forward to this holiday season and to see what adventures the next few months bring...the last several months have certainly brought their share of adventure.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my family, friends, and cyber-friends!

The Delores Project

2007-11-11T21:24:00.000-07:00

The Church which we've been attending is encouraging us to participate in serving the needy populations of our community, which is what Jesus talks about in Matthew 25:40:

"...I tell you the truth, whatever you did for the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." (NIV)

Tonight I had the opportunity to participate in serving a meal to the resident of The Delores Project, a homeless shelter for women in Denver. The experience was wonderful, more fun than I had expected, a great example of teamwork, and it changed a lot of my ideas about homelessness. It has been easy for me to be comfortable with homelessness, thinking that if they wanted to, they could get out of it, or that all homeless people are mentally ill. The reality is that many of the women I met tonight are educated and once had careers. Things like illness/injury made them unable to work and unable to be rehired, and without income they are without homes. Another woman I met had worked for a large corporation that went belly-up and took not only her income, but her retirement savings. There are many who suffer from mental illness, and I am coming to realize that our health system fails our mental health patients in many ways, so they are victims not only of their illness, but also of the system which is supposed to help them.

What a blessing to meet these ladies, and to see how appreciative they were of a meal similar to those we feed our family routinely. I realized that things which I do every day and think nothing of, such as going and buying groceries, or possessions that I take for granted, like blankets, towels, and warm coats, are truly something that I should be grateful for, because there are people not very far from me who are lacking those things.

I am looking forward to returning there, and find myself thinking of other needs which I have the means to meet for some of these women.