What Do You Do?

What do you do when you have plenty of yarn left even after knitting your daughter a scarf, and an ear warmer? Well, I test knit Opulent Armwarmers .
I find I don't knit fast enough to be a good test knitter but I certainly enjoyed these. The cables are beautiful, they aren't difficult as long as you don't try to knit them during an exciting basketball game or shoot um up type of movie. I think I messed up the cable on one of them during a particularly exciting ball game. Of course I didn't realize it until I had finished that armwarmer so the cable is going to stay that way. Since the mistake is high up on the arm my daughter's coat will cover my mistake. I took creative license when photographing them and put the mistake on the bottom. They are blocking at the moment. What do you do to properly block something like this? I gave them a nice gentle bath and then stuffed them with plastic bags. I will take more pictures when I have a hand model available.






What do you do when the grand kids visit and it is almost 80 degrees outside? Well, we play in the leaves, ride our bikes and dig in the dirt. We have LOTS of trees around us so there are always plenty of leaves collecting around the house and the girls love playing in them. Grandpa is sitting on the studio steps playing with a new camera. These two either ham it up or ignore the camera completely.




What do you do when there is a lovely Sunday ahead of you with no obligations other than church? I plan to photograph some knitting in progress, take a long walk, work on my to do list and knit. Have a wonderful Sunday and let me know what you are doing.

February? Are You Sure?

I really love this little car seat blanket. It has already found a home with my great nephew Wyatt. His middle name is Cooper. I like the sound of that, Wyatt Cooper. I predict great things for this little cowboy. He is my parents first great grandson and has two girl cousins. Seems like just a little while ago his daddy was a small boy.

These three vests were knit primarily at the hospital. My mom had a total knee replacement the end of October and I spent a lot of time with her. About a month later my dad broke his ankle and spent one night in the hospital. I spent the evening trying to convince him that yes he needed to spend the night in the hospital for a couple of reasons he wouldn't want me to mention here. He left by noon the next day right after my mom's physical therapy appointment.
Scattered around in there were a few emergency room visits for my father-in-law and those offer a lot of opportunity to knit, talk about knitting, teach a little knitting and in general pass time waiting for test results. Do you like the buttons I used on the vests? I know, I can't see the buttons either. I can't see them anywhere. I have, somewhere in my house, the cutest flower buttons in the perfect colors for these vests but they are hiding from me. So, I did a tiny little braid and tied the front of each vest closed and the girls slip them on over their heads. I actually kind of like the look but I really want to find those buttons.

My daughter purchased a new coat and of course needed some knitted accessories. We were in a wonderful little shop in Manhattan, Kansas called Wildflower Yarns and Knitwear. She picked out this lovely purple in Lamb's Pride Worsted as her school colors are purple and white. We bought several skeins thank goodness. I have really enjoyed this yarn. I have had difficulty getting the purple to photograph well but the colors in the neck warmer are close. It is a little darker and richer than in the photos. Anyway, I have completed a scarf, a neck warmer that I test knit from a pattern on Ravelry called Dear by Holly Peacock, Calorimetry and am test knitting a pattern for arm warmers. There are also supposed to be mittens in this yarn but I haven't gotten there yet.
I have knit a second Dear for a man and he is currently wearing it to determine where exactly he wants the button and if it is too long or not long enough. I adjusted Holly's pattern in length only and used completely different yarn than shown here and it is sooooooo yummy. Pictures to come when he returns it for any adjustments.


This was such a fun little cloth to knit. I have a Ravelry friend who lives on a lovely farm, has a beautiful country home and is just as helpful and giving as the day is long. She lost a son last year and when I saw this little scene on a cloth I knew it was ment for her.

Hopefully this launches me back into blogging mode. I had better get the camera outside and photograph some works in progress. There are always a few of those.

Join In

If you haven't visited The Dizzy Sheep lately go take a look. I have my yarn and I plan to make a square for The Blanket of Change. How about you?

http://www.dizzysheep.com/Archive/Blog/2009/1/30/United-Blanket-of-Change-Participation

Is There Anything More Beautiful?

I have never had much use for politics or politicians. I said repeatedly right up to election day "will it really make a difference" who wins?

After watching as much of Tuesday's events as possible I have decided that yes, it did make a difference. Tuesday was a new beginning. There was so much symbolism, so much beauty, so much hope and so much emotion that I don't remember seeing except with the passing of someone who touched the lives of a few or the masses. The poetry, the prayers, the speech, and the music from the the quartet to Beyonce singing "At Last" were moments in history that I think I will remember as well as I remember where I was when JFK was shot, and what I was doing on 911.

Saturday I will also listen to poetry, to prayers, to music, and to memories that filled 86 years of one man's life. Saturday we will gather to honor my husband's father. He left us peacefully on January 8, 2009 surrounded by his family. His breathing changed as the sun set and he took his last breath as twilight faded into night. I had prayed two days before that he could go home with the sun and my prayer was answered in Our Lord's time, not in mine. He loved to dance and the only time I have ever felt the true joy of dancing was in his arms. He called me his street girl with a smile and a twinkle in his eye. I only had the pleasure of really getting to know him the last few months of his life and I will cherish those months until my last breath.

So, in January 2009 I have seen the book closed on one man's life and a new chapter begun in all our lives. May we all cherish the minutes, the hours and the days that we have to make music, read poems and create memories.

I Want to do This

I need a jump start after our rather hectic last few weeks. I will fill you in later. In looking for a new project or something new and different I ran across this project on Ravelry and I have decided to participate.
Check it out and I hope you will want to be a part of it as well.

http://sticksandstitches.squarespace.com/the-milkweed-project-you-p/

Fiber Fest 2009

February 14, 9:00-3:00
St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church
828 Commercial, Emporia, KS

• Buy, sell, swap yarn, patterns and accessories.
• Learn or brush up on knitting or crocheting.
Knit: 10 a.m. (basic) and 11 a.m. (intermediate)
Crochet: 1 p.m. (basic) and 2 p.m. (intermediate)
• See demos of weaving and spinning.
• Talk to knowledgeable fiber fans.
• Get some help with your dropped stitches and other problems.

...And there’s no admission fee!

For general information, contact Karen Whittlesey at (620) 794-9107.

To buy table space to swap or sell your yarn, contact Ann O’Neill at (620) 342-6998.
Tables are $5 each, which will be donated to St. Andrew’s to help the needy of our community.

Snow date: March 7.

We are excited to host our first fiber event in Emporia. We do not have a local yarn shop but would welcome any and all vendors to join us. Currently there are several of us who have stashes to destash setting up tables.
There is a quilt shop Prairie Pieces, Plum Bazaar craft store that any beading enthusiast should not miss, as well as a variety of other businesses within walking distance.
We hope to see you in Emporia on February 14. Contact me if you have any questions.

Christmas Panic

It was brief but it was true PANIC. You know how you just know something? Deep in your gut you KNOW this something but it is still driving you crazy? I KNEW I hadn't lost the cash I took out of the bank for Christmas gifts but I couldn't find it, ANYWHERE. I needed to divvy it up between the credit card bill, the checking account and finish shopping but I could not find that bank envelope. I needed to get out the door to finish shopping but I was so concerned about that money I couldn't enjoy myself. After all, if I didn't find that envelope I was spending money we REALLY didn't have. Since I KNEW I hadn't lost it and that I would find it I went on about my shopping but with a heavy shadow dragging along with me. Fast forward a few hours and I am home checking email, sipping a Coke to try and console myself and retracing my steps from the day I went to the bank. Self I said, the envelope should be in the bank bag with the checkbook but you have already checked there at least a dozen times. Self said, check again. So I unzipped the bank bag and realized that not only was the money not there but neither was the checkbook. If the checkbook wasn't in the bank bag that means I had actually sat down, reconciled the checkbook with the bank statement and put everything away in the fire box as I was supposed to do. Check the fire box and there it was. All of our Christmas money safe and sound and waiting to be spent. The new question was....... when did I do this? I am usually not that punctual with my book keeping and everything would have normally still been in the bank bag. I keep trying to get myself organized and when I do it comes back to bite me.