Blankets…

Well, in a world where every other day we get a blanket of white this knitter is fighting back with some blankets of a different kind!

I am working on blankets – the Manos Four Season Throw – in lovely Autumnal colors… This is for the knit along that Country Needle Works is having this year – so I am finished with my first block… just in time for February’s installment will be due!

And, this week I cast on Brooklyn Tweed’s Lovely Hemlock Ring Blanket with some Cascade 129 that I got at Mecca in the most lovely dark orange shade.  This is incredibly genius – and I would never have thought to do something so creative at to take a doily pattern and knit it from a bulky weight yarn.  I am loving this knit – and Heidi saw the blanket tonight.  I think if I don’t watch this one – it will wander off with her!

And – since it is so dratted cold out – my dear friend Susan is in need of some warmth… so I will be working on that this weekend.

Now, back to the books – I have a big test tomorrow. 

B is for Blizzards and Bobbins…

If you seek a pleasant peninsula, you might want to head to Florida this morning.  If you can get there from here, that is.

All of West Michigan is having some difficulty in travel today.  Yesterday we had that nice, if brief, January Thaw – and over night Old Man Winter roared back in – in less that 4 hours we had dropped from 47 balmy degrees to temperatures in the single digits – with below zero wind chills.

Thunder was replaced with gale force winds that raced around my condo all night.

All that rain – flash frozen on the roads.

But the precipitation did not stop – the rain changed to snow and that is now still falling.  The winds are still howling and they are causing large snow drifts to pile up in open spaces.

No school for the kids today – and no school for the mom either!

As you can see – the snow is covering windows, siding, bushes, any nook or cranny it has been driven in to.

So, I might have to sit down with Alice today and see if I cannot fill up some more of these….

Have Baby Alpaca – will spin!  And, look – an empty bobbin to fill!

Hopefully the “cleaning lady” will have her work done shortly and I will be able to devote the afternoon to some one on one time with dear Alice!

Stay warm and safe today, gentle readers!

It’s a roller coaster world….

The weather has warmed up considerably.  The snow is almost all melted. 

So, the 2 feet or so that we had is but a few crusty inches.  And, I have a river running through my back yard which is quite lovely, not!

Currently it is 46 degrees outside (that is Farenheit for all you International readers!)….

But, never fear – before midnight it will be a whopping ZERO outside with a wind chill factor that is supposed to be well into the negative numbers.

And, there will be snow – truck loads of it.

Insanity, thy name is Weather!

I cannot believe how exhausted I am at the end of the day. 

Brain Dead.

Thought Free.

And, I still have one more chapter to read for school tomorrow – and then there is the studying for the big test on Friday.

I am off to finish up, gentle readers.

Have a peaceful evening!

Day One is now over or Button, Button who’s got the button.

Homework – done.

Dinner – done.

Laundry – done.

Knitting time – you have got to be kidding me!

Who’d of ever thunk that I’d find myself at the end of a day and not wanting to pick up a knitting needle and while away the time knitting.

That day has arrived, gentle readers.

My brain is officially fried. 

Last night I gleefully finished my edited version of Sonnet – Sonnetina.  And, then I went to get the buttons to sew them on.  And, they were not in my knitting bag….

Okay, maybe they are in the other knitting bag….

I could not find those buttons anywhere. 

My vest could not be finished…. Alas, poor Yorick!

Actually-

Alas, poor Wallet! 

Yes, I had to stop and purchase 3 more buttons today after school to finish my vest.

But, it is now completed – and I have proof.  These buttons are divine – as well they should be as they cost me almost $5 a piece! 

Okay – without further adieu – I present to you Sonnetina!

The required “in the mirror self-portrait”…

Note the amazingly expensive glorious buttons.  See the little “peplum-ish” added edging – I like how this turned out.  I think it will lay flatter when I block it.  But I am so wearing this tomorrow!  Blocking, be damned!

Again – note the buttons!  FIRMLY attached to the vest.  There will be no loosing these babies!

And finally – a nice view of the neck – both inside and out.  And – one last shot of those AMAZING buttons.

So, I will leave you with the specks of my Sonnetina.

Cast on – Friday January 18, 2008

Finished – Monday January 28, 2008.

Yarn – Now discontinued Classic Elite Gatsby

Needles – Addi 10 1/2 for body of vest.

                  Addi 13 for applied i-cord.

This is truly the fastest thing I have ever knit and I am so happy with the end result.

Now, I think I hear Bonnie and Clyde calling my name…. stay tuned.

Eureka with an award on top!

Hold the phone, gentle readers, I have success!! 

Yes, after much trial and tribulation and a couple of trips to the frog pond – the answer came to me today as I showered.

Here is the test of true knitterly thinking, you cannot stop puzzling over a problem – it swirls and swirls around in your head until the logic of the solution steps up and scrubs your back (figuratively) in the shower early on a Sunday morning.

I have arrived!

My brain is a knitting test ground.

Must be the great company of yesterday – or the great thoughts of an amazing fiber artist (Hello Beth!!)…

Anyway – I have solved the attached i-cord dilema. 

Beatifully solved, I might add!

I even have proof… see for yourselves!

Note the seamless attachment.  It is truly a thing of wonder!

Here – a bit closer for you to see both the front and back sides… see – no funky ridge from my picked up stitches….

Here is the back side – sorry it is a bit blurry – but as you can see, no funky ridge here either!

So, are you curious, gentle reader, how I accomplished this knitterly feat????

I shall share with you – when I picked up stitches – I just picked up the stitch – no pulling yarn through to “create a new stitch”.  I just picked up a portion of the existing stitch of my fabric. 

The end result – no funky ridge at all.  My applied i-cord is the perfect finish for this vest.  I am  working on finishing the arm holes.  Then all I need to do is sew on buttons – and voila!  A completed object!  My plan is to wear it to school on day one. 

Proof to my ability to figure out a solution to a dilema. 

A good way to start – as the amazing Brenda Dayne says – “Start as you mean to go on”… And, Dame  Brenda – I most certainly will!

Then, if this was not the best and most amazing thing of the weekend – I got this award from not one, but two amazing bloggers. 

I am so honored that I make their day, but truly – they inspire me.  So, here is a huge thanks to both The Incomparable Judy at Persistent Illusion and The Brilliant and Talented Susan at A Few Stitches Short (of a full row).  These women are truly amazing women.  I am humbled by this reward – truly humbled. 

And, in my attempt to share the love with others out there… I want to share with you all those bloggers that Make My Day!

Cheryl at A Simple Yarn

Rob at the Black Dog

Jane at By Jane

Matt at the Crowing Ram

Tracey at Extreme Adventures in Knitting and Motherhood

Sarah (I knew her when) at Hand Knitter

Lynne at I was knit together in my mothers womb

Wendy at Knit and the City

Brilliant and Prolific Anne at Knitspot

Marica at Purls Before Swine

Marie at Raggedy Reee

Wanda – The Wanda Woman Knits

Ann at Punkie 53

Elizabeth at Random Snapshots

Kimberly at Woven Spun

Julia The Yarn Maven

The One and Only Yarn Harlot – Stephanie Pearl McPhee

 

These bloggers inspire me daily in ways that help me daily to be a better person than I was the day before.

 

If you are not reading their blogs –  do so.  They may inspire you as well!

 

Have a blessed evening everyone!

It could become a Habit….

… a Franklin Habit

Yes, that is correct – The Panopticon was at Mecca today doing a photo shoot for his 1000 Knitters Project.  And was it busy!! 

I pulled in the parking lot shortly after noon and it was packed. 

There had to be 500 knitters vehicles in the lot.

So, I parked and made my way inside Mecca got my number and began the wait to knit on the scarf and spend a few minutes with Franklin. 

It was so enjoyable – Franklin is brilliant.  And, it was his birthday.  Even better!

I spent the afternoon knitting with friends.  Of course Rob and Matt were there.  And, when I was walking around I stumbled into Christy and she led me to Marcia and Sharon and Dirty Sue.  With much laughter and general merriment I waited for my number to be called.  Before long Ewe-niss and 2 of her lovely daughters showed up.  It was an amazing afternoon and before it was over Laurie rounded out the fun! 

I cannot think of a better way to spend an afternoon – or with a better group of people!

I even managed to knit a row or two!  And, I watched the most amazing, fastest, ENGLISH knitter in all of North America.  I think we should have a little Knitting Throw Down… I am telling you.  This knitter would whoop the Yarn Harlot (sorry Stephanie) needles down!  I am hoping one of you Lansing Knitters will share with me the name of this most agile of knitters!  And, in advance, I apologize to this Mystery Knitter for not paying attention when her name was said.

I am headed off to soak in the bathtub and then I am crawling in bed. 

Too much excitement for this girl today!!

You want me to sign what?

So, I had orientation for school today and when I left there I headed over to pick up my text book.  

Why?

Because I have 5 chapters to read by class time on Monday.  Yes – you read that right, 5 chapters!

We can say good bye to knitting this weekend…  it was nice while it lasted!!

So, I am now armed with my “scrubs” for my clinicals, a stethoscope and a blood pressure cuff, and my text book.  I have gotten as far as rectal temperature taking – I needed a break and my kids did not want me to practice on them!!  Even after I reminded them I had done this to them before…

Yes, you can imagine the reaction that got around here!!!!!  Ahhh, motherly revenge is so amazing!!  The power!!

Well… they deserved a bit of motherly revenge for their behavior and attitudes lately.  Teenagers!

There have been many a time when my mind goes back to a lovely presentation that I had the privilege to attend when my children were very small.  The speaker was a wise woman with a great amount of sage advice.  I remember her talking about a time when her husband was traveling and she had a colicky baby that would not stop crying.  In utter desperation, she laid the screaming baby safely in it’s bed and went and laid on her bed, crying herself.  The only words she could find to utter were from the Kyrie.  Truly simple and beautiful words – Lord have mercy.  Christ have mercy.  Lord have mercy.  She said when she was at her wits end, these words helped. 

I was so fortunate to not have colicky babies – but, I do have teenagers with an advanced case of teenage-itis. 

Those words have become my mantra some days!

And, today was one of them!!

Heidi sent me a text message this afternoon – a very interesting text message.  “I need to talk to you about signing something.  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox”  (the number of x’s and o’s sent off warning bells… ) 

So, she shows up after school with this instruction from her ‘boyfriend’.  You need to type something up that says you give permission for me to date him – he turned 18 today. 

Silly kids, Heidi is 17 – not 16.  Hmmm, the plans they concoct huh?

Needless to say I did not sign anything…. And, Heidi is not speaking to me.

Teenagers – Lord have mercy on me!

If you like snow….

head to West Michigan!

Without sun it is truly a grey and white world… and yes that is about 2 feet of snow on top of the “hibernating” hot tub….

Add some sunshine, it is not much more colorful.  My grill is burried under that snow mound.

It snowed like mad most of yesterday afternoon and it looks like it continued for a good sum of the night. 

No school for the kids today – funny how teenagers get all giddy like they did in grade school with a day off of school. 

A good day to stay indoors and knit!

Positives and Negatives

The knitting continues … all that is left is to pick up stitches at the bottom and knit the box stitch border and the applied i-cord trim.  I thought I had a longer addi – but alas, I do not.  So, I will start with the arm hole i-cords and work on getting a longer needle to pick up stitches around the bottom.  I love how this is turning out – and yes, in the infamous words of Kramer “… I am lovin’ every minute of it!!”

I had a conversation with a friend today that was so uplifting.  She is an incredibly positive person – even in the face of adversity.  Conversation with her always leaves me feeling optimistic and upbeat, and I told her so.  After I spoke with her, I called my father – who has been having some serious health issues recently.  My call was two-fold – to find out how he was feeling today and to just spend some time talking with him.  As we hung up he thanked me for my call.  He wanted to share with me how much he looked forward to my calls.  I realized that I was as important to him as my friend was to me.  Now, don’t get me wrong – I know that my dad loves me.  But, it was nice to hear that my calls were a bright spot for his day. 

For the past several months, I have been working through being unemployed in a very dismal Michigan market – and there have been times when it would have been so easy to slide down the slippery slope of “poor pitiful me”.  Now, I am not saying I did not slip there a few times – but, I tried not to go there. 

In this journey I have found that I need to avoid some situations as they seem to push me down into the “Poor Pitiful Me Abyss”.  That was a revelation moment for me – negativity breeds negativity.  It becomes all to easy to complain.  I was becoming a person I did not like very much – at all.  And, I found myself attracting more negativity!  Ugghh!  How unattractive.  And, how utterly unproductive!

So, with a fresh reminder that each day my attitude is my choice to make – like the fresh fallen snow outside my door – each day I have a clean slate to make all my own.  And, with a positive attitude and joy in the day I am moving forward. 

How easy it is to miss the blessings that surround us when we are focused all that is negative.

So, gentle readers, I challenge you – are you a positive, inspiring influence on those around you? 

Go be that today where you live!

The end is in sight!

Hello Everyone!  My knitting frenzy is paying off – I am in the home stretch of the “Outside the Box Vest”.  I managed to get a good sum of knitting done last night whilst the Idiot Box talked to me.  What was on, you ask?   I have not a clue.  Nothing note worthy, that is for sure.

We are having a bit of a heat wave here today – it is a whopping 25 degrees outside!  After the frigid weather we have been having this feels downright balmy! 

Although – we did get about 12 inches of snow between yesterday afternoon and this morning…. and I think more is on the way!  But, the sun managed to peek out today and spread a little light on my corner of the world.  I savored every minute of it – because the sun has gone back into hiding – cloud cover has replaced the sunny brightness.

Okay – back to the home stretch of knitting – have a good evening all!