As Kat Knits

Moving Day!

2007-05-19T19:07:00.001-04:00

Hello everyone - well, I have made the BIG move over to wordpress.com - head on over and see! I still have some housekeeping things to do, but I will be waiting for your arrival! Here is the link http://askatknits.wordpress.com/

See you there!

Bloomin' Mother's Day!

2007-05-13T13:59:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone! Happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there! It is a beautiful day here - and it was such a blessing to have 2 of my kids with me to worship today. An even bigger blessing, to take communion with them. This was a great way to start the day. We had a nice dinner - and they were off to their dad's house.

Hope you are all having a wonderful day - filled with blessings of children and all that goes with them.

My Heidi made the Chamber Orchestra - this is an audition only orchestra at her school. After much hard work and practice - she made it on Friday! Here is a "hurrah" to Heidi for making this one pround mom! You are amazing, Heidi.

Did you all have a nice weekend? I did some house cleaning on Saturday morning - and Saturday afternoon I sat in the sun and knit! At LONG last my BF socks are complete. How do they look?

They will be blocking shortly and winging their way to their deserving recipient. I have truly loved knitting these socks for my pal. Each stitch was lovingly done - she is truly an amazing person. I am eager to see if she likes them!! The color and the pattern will suit her to a "T".

Here is to all of us moms having an awesome afternoon - blessings to all of you!

2007-05-12T19:32:00.000-04:00

5 Minutes for Mom is having a Mother's Day Giveaway - stop on over and check it out!

Welcoming Friday - it has been a long week!

2007-05-11T07:03:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone! I am certainly glad that it is finally Friday! It has been an infinitely long week! Last night I went to Knit Night - I had missed the past couple of weeks due to other commitments - and it was soooo good to be back! I love seeing what everyone is working on - Ann was working on her Tulip Socks, AnnMarie was knitting a beautiful bag to be felted, Ruby was knitting a baby sweater for the shop, Barb was finishing up her second bucket bag - a gift for her daughter for Christmas, Karen was seaming up her first Wallaby!

Okay - when I grow up, I want to be as organized as Barb!! Christmas gifts in May!!! Plus, Barb will be retiring in June - how exciting for her!

For myself - I was working furiously on my BF socks. I managed to get quite a bit done - I have 3 repeats before I start my toe decreases. I hope to knit at lunch today - and then the weekend comes and I have nothing on the agenda!! So, this mother requests for Mother's Day - uninterrupted knitting time!!

Tulip Time has been moving along - outside of a few traffic hassles - it has been a fairly uneventful week. The weather certainly has cooperated - this is good for all those visitors to our fair and blooming city. This year we had a bumper crop of tulips!! All that cold weather in March and April certainly helped that out! For all of you out there who have never been to Holland in May - our city plants over a million tulips - springtime here is truly a thing of beauty.

What are all of your plans for your Mother's this weekend? Come out of hiding and share with me what your plans are - I might have a prize for a randomly selected commenter!

Have a great weekend everyone!!

Tulip Time!

2007-05-06T18:16:00.000-04:00

Hello Everyone. Well, it is Tulip Time here in Holland - and we are gearing up for a big week. My plan is to work out of town on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday! Avoid the traffic on the big days! There will be parades, street scrubbing, bands, and miles and miles and miles of tulips.

It has been a productive weekend here.... my dinner companion has been "fixing" things for me around the house! Curiouser and curiouser, he seems quite handy and even tempered. He was even patient with me to watch the Kentucky Derby on Saturday afternoon - hats and all!!

I had drawn this line in the sand about what would be acceptable and unacceptable in my next relationship - if there ever was one. You all know - those qualities of the "perfect imaginary man". My list was quite long and included things like must listen to NPR, loves to dance, listen to jazz, like teenagers and dogs. Well, this line I had has been moving - there are times when I cannot even find my line!! I have been laughing much, feeling special, and had some quite intense conversations. He has introduced me to his family and it all feels so "alright". I enjoy his teasing sense of humor and his smile. He was not what I was looking for - but I think he is what I need.

Well - I had better get off here and enjoy what remains of this truly lovely Sunday. Wishing everyone a wonderful week!

Ciao dall'Italia (Hello from Italy)

2007-04-24T06:53:00.000-04:00

I am a lucky participant in Lynne's Special Swap and travel genius Lu sent me off to Italy!

Ciao dall'Italia! La LU bella lo ha trasmesso fuori su un viaggio bello in Italia. Ci erano tesori dappertutto e non potrei chiedere un agente migliore di corsa. La LU proviene dall'Italia in modo da lo ha trasmesso a tutti i suoi posti favoriti!

Translation: Hello from Italy! The lovely Lu sent me off on a beautiful journey to Italy. There were treasures everywhere and I could not have asked for a better travel agent. Lu is from Italy so she sent me to all of her favorite places!

As you can see - Lu sent me some amazing goodies! Zara Plus and Karabella yarns in awesome colors! Sensibilità così morbida e squisita! An incredible idee & filati magazine with some amazing patterns inside, molto chic. Some lovely, much needed, note cards - semplicemente perfetto! And, last but not least, some incredible Italian chocolates. Wow, erano squisiti oltre le parole! My kids loved them!

LU, grazie, li ringraziano, li ringraziano per essere così socio stupefacente di scambio! Adored il pacchetto ed il viaggio!

I wonder what Lynne has planned for the next 2 months!

On the life front - work has been insanely busy. I have worked until 8 or 9 PM most nights this week. Plus, I have had kid comittments to squeeze in. On top of all of that - I came down with a "Spring Cold"... that has left me feeling, as Garrison Keilor would say, "mighty puny". Plus - last weekend, I watched my girlfriends 2 year old son - Alex. This mom of teenagers had "amnesia" for how quickly a toddler can get into something. Before I knew it, young Alex had "frogged" my second Bloomin' Feet sock! Now, mind you - I was almost the the toe decreases!! AARRGGHH!!!!!! I am sure you all probably heard my mournful wail! Alex certainly thought it was fun - this might be the way to frog all items - the pain is not slow, but quick! Of course, the number of tangles in the yarn was exponentially increased with the number of times he moved as he frogged. Can you say tangled mess? I'd have gotten a picture - but I could not find the camera. Suffice it to say - I have cast on again and I am about an inch from the heel flap. What is on my agenda for the weekend? Can you say knitting!?! For all you bloomin' feet participants who are reading - be patient my sock pal - it shall arrive next week! And, I have an "Alex Ban" in effect until the sock is cast off!

On top of all of this - there is some good news on the personal front. I have been having some dinners with what seems to be a very nice gentleman (that sounds old doesn't it?). I am intrigued with him - and looking for flaws. I have not seen any that are scaring me to date. He has a good sense of humor - makes intelligent conversation - works - and he has a big goofy dog. He seems more than a bit interested in me - which amazes me. LOL. I am a middle aged, slightly overweight (okay, this may be an under exageragtion, but it is my blog! LOL) and I have 3 teenaged children. I find this frightening myself! He is 3 years younger than me - and I am very surprised our paths have not crossed before. We have many mutual friends. In fact, it was through a mutual friend that we were introduced. For now - it is nice to have dinner with someone occasionally. We have also been going for long walks on Sunday afternoons - which has been a much needed activity in my life. For now, I am enjoying myself. One day at a time.

Have a great weekend everyone!!

PS - if you are wondering about my Italian - go check out www.altavista.com, Babel Fish is a wonderful tool!

I am a travelin' girl...

2007-04-23T06:55:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone! I had a great weekend here in sunny, warm Western Michigan! Yes - you read that right - sunny and warm! The leaves are popping out on the trees, the birds are singing, flowers are blooming! It appears that spring has decided to stay!!

I got a wonderful package from my Special Swap pal - I will post pictures from my journey tonight. It is an awesome package of goodies - incredible yarny goodness!! More later on this.

My package will go out today - if my day goes as planned! I got a few calls over the weekend with some things to take care of this morning - but I have planned the day as a "paper catch up day".

More later on my weekend adventures!

Cafe' Pops and one proud Mom!

2007-04-20T07:09:00.000-04:00

Hello Everyone!! Last night was my daughter Heidi's big spring orchestra to-do! It was Cafe' Pops - some great desserts to delight your palatte and some even better music to delight your ears. Heidi is a sophomore and is in Concert and Symphony Orchestra - she plays the cello. I tried to snap some photo's last night - but it was a bit dark and the "no flash" request had gone out to all of us in the audience. This is the first year for Symphony Orchestra at Holland Public Schools - this is true dedication for both students and teacher - this class starts at 6:30AM every morning - this is an hour and 20 minutes before the regular school day starts! All I can say is WOW! They were awesome - it was an evening designed for a mother's pride. I have been attending concerts for Heidi since she was in 5th grade orchestra - let me tell you, all those hours of practice have certainly paid off. The high end cheese cakes paled in comparison to the musics the students played. I had goosebumps! If any of you would like a "replay" there is one more big event - the All-City Concert is May 20th at the Dome. Not only will you hear the Orchestra's and Jazz Band that played last night - you will be treated by the Middle School Orchestra's and the 5th grade orchestra. Come on out and have your senses delighted by our amazing musicians!!

Not much to share on the knitting front - and work is still at an insane pace. I am happy it is the weekend!

Have a good one - one and all!

Let's start with One Day

2007-04-17T18:02:00.000-04:00

Won't you join me in spreading the word. http://www.onedayblogsilence.com/OneDayBlogSilence.com.html

Sunday's are fun days!

2007-04-15T20:07:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone! Well, I had a great weekend - a really great weekend! The weather seemed to have given us all a break and the sun came out! It is amazing what a little sunshine can do!

On Friday I got together with some friends for dinner - we laughed and had a great time. On Saturday, I did a bit of work on the phone in the morning - this is okay - I am thankful for the business. I went to play Euchre on Saturday afternoon - more laughter and more friends! On Saturday night I went to see a hockey game (okay - hockey????) But - it was fun or at least the company was fun!

Sunday dawned and it was so nice that this afternoon I went for a walk along Lake Michigan - my poor body could certainly use some exercise - it was so lovely!! Fresh air, sunshine - and my walking companion was a nice surprise. Ladies - I can tell you that chivalry appears to still be in existance. It was a nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon.... my poor pups are snoring in my bed right now - they are tired!!

I have a hectic week looming before me - and I am heading off to a nice hot bath with a glass of wine and the Yarn Harlot's new book!

I will leave you with a photo of my finished Bloomin' Feet Sock - the other is about half way done.

I need to get my Special Swap out in the mail, but I am not sure it will happen this week - but I will have it winging it's way to it's recipient the following week for sure!

Have a great evening everyone!

Operation Haremail

2007-04-12T06:21:00.000-04:00

I love to arrive home and find a package on my doorstep! I arrived home Tuesday to find a nice little box waiting for me! I got my package from my partner for Operation Haremail - Debra (I think she is blogless because she did not send me her email or her blog address! Hint, Hint, Debra if you are out there reading this!!) sent me a nice package that contained a book, an adorable bunny pen, and a great chocolate bunny! Thank you so much Debra for the treats! I would post a picture, but I cannot find the camera cord!!

On the weather front - we had melting of snow this week - only to have Mother Nature drop another 5 inches on us yesterday!! Aaacckk! It made for just lovely driving conditions! We have more of a mix today - some rain, some freezing rain, some flurries - I think that covers all the precipitation one could get, doesn't it??? LOL

I have been extremely busy at work but this is a good thing. I am off to finish getting ready to head out the door. Have a great day all!

It's Monday already?!

2007-04-09T06:50:00.000-04:00

Good Morning everyone!! I hope you all had a wonderful Easter weekend. We certainly did here - inspite of the SNOW!! It was snowing so hard on Friday night - I could not see the vehicle in front of me! All this cold has made the neighbors Magnolia tree blooms shrivel up - it had been starting to blossom last week and was looking so gorgeous. The Forsythia bush seems frozen in time - a yellow sentinel covered in a frosty white blanket. The weight of the show has pushed over the daffodils - they are all laying in disarray - casualties of the snowy blast. As I took Daughter #2 to school this morning it was still snowing. I am avoiding the weather forcast - I don't really need to hear that this will continue all week, thank you very much!

I watched the Masters yesterday afternoon and knit on my SKB - I have the body done - I bound off yesterday! Now all I have to finish are the sleeves and the neck band!! I also worked on my BF socks. I am almost done with sock #1 and will be casting on sock #2 this week!

I broke my New Years Resolution though last week. My LYS had a "sale" and I picked up some yarn for some scarves for Christmas gifts. I also got some E. Lavold Silky Wool to knit Wendy Bernard's "Something Red" . My plan is to cast this on for my next project - I am in a "top down" knitting mode!

Well, off to the shower for me - I hope all of you have an easy "re-entry" to the week! Have a great Monday!!

The Ragman

2007-04-06T07:21:00.000-04:00

On this very Good Friday I leave you all with something written by The Rev. Walter Wangerin Jr.

Have a most blessed day.

Ragman
Walter Wangerin

I saw a strange sight. I stumbled upon a story most strange, like nothing my life, my street sense, my sly tongue had ever prepared me for.

Hush, child. Hush, now, and I will tell it to you.

Even before the dawn one Friday morning I noticed a young man, handsome and strong, walking the alleys of our City. He was pulling an old cart filled with clothes both bright and new, and he was calling in a clear, tenor voice: "Rags!" Ah, the air was foul and the first light filthy to be crossed by such sweet music.

"Rags! New rags for old! I take your tired rags! Rags!"

"Now, this is a wonder," I thought to myself, for the man stood six-feet-four, and his arms were like tree limbs, hard and muscular, and his eyes flashed intelligence. Could he find no better job than this, to be a ragman in the inner city?

I followed him. My curiosity drove me. And I wasn’t disappointed.

Soon the Ragman saw a woman sitting on her back porch. She was sobbing into a handkerchief, sighing, and shedding a thousand tears. Her knees and elbows made a sad X. Her shoulders shook. Her heart was breaking.

The Ragman stopped his cart. Quietly, he walked to the woman, stepping round tin cans, dead toys, and Pampers.

"Give me your rag," he said so gently, "and I’ll give you another."

He slipped the handkerchief from her eyes. She looked up, and he laid across her palm a linen cloth so clean and new that it shined. She blinked from the gift to the giver.

Then, as he began to pull his cart again, the Ragman did a strange thing: he put her stained handkerchief to his own face; and then HE began to weep, to sob as grievously as she had done, his shoulders shaking. Yet she was left without a tear.

"This IS a wonder," I breathed to myself, and I followed the sobbing Ragman like a child who cannot turn away from mystery.

"Rags! Rags! New rags for old!"

In a little while, when the sky showed grey behind the rooftops and I could see the shredded curtains hanging out black windows, the Ragman came upon a girl whose head was wrapped in a bandage, whose eyes were empty. Blood soaked her bandage. A single line of blood ran down her cheek.

Now the tall Ragman looked upon this child with pity, and he drew a lovely yellow bonnet from his cart.

"Give me your rag," he said, tracing his own line on her cheek, "and I’ll give you mine."

The child could only gaze at him while he loosened the bandage, removed it, and tied it to his own head. The bonnet he set on hers. And I gasped at what I saw: for with the bandage went the wound! Against his brow it ran a darker, more substantial blood -- his own!

"Rags! Rags! I take old rags!" cried the sobbing, bleeding, strong, intelligent Ragman.

The sun hurt both the sky, now, and my eyes; the Ragman seemed more and more to hurry.

"Are you going to work?" he asked a man who leaned against a telephone pole. The man shook his head.

The Ragman pressed him: "Do you have a job?"

"Are you crazy?" sneered the other. He pulled away from the pole, revealing the right sleeve of his jacket -- flat, the cuff stuffed into the pocket. He had no arm.

"So," said the Ragman. "Give me your jacket, and I’ll give you mine."

Such quiet authority in his voice!

The one-armed man took off his jacket. So did the Ragman -- and I trembled at what I saw: for the Ragman’s arm stayed in its sleeve, and when the other put it on he had two good arms, thick as tree limbs; but the Ragman had only one.

"Go to work," he said.

After that he found a drunk, lying unconscious beneath an army blanket, and old man, hunched, wizened, and sick. He took that blanket and wrapped it round himself, but for the drunk he left new clothes.

And now I had to run to keep up with the Ragman. Though he was weeping uncontrollably, and bleeding freely at the forehead, pulling his cart with one arm, stumbling for drunkenness, falling again and again, exhausted, old, and sick, yet he went with terrible speed. On spider’s legs he skittered through the alleys of the City, this mile and the next, until he came to its limits, and then he rushed beyond.

I wept to see the change in this man. I hurt to see his sorrow. And yet I needed to see where he was going in such haste, perhaps to know what drove him so.

The little old Ragman -- he came to a landfill. He came to the garbage pits. And then I wanted to help him in what he did, but I hung back, hiding. He climbed a hill. With tormented labor he cleared a little space on that hill. Then he sighed. He lay down. He pillowed his head on a handkerchief and a jacket. He covered his bones with an army blanket. And he died.

Oh, how I cried to witness that death! I slumped in a junked car and wailed and mourned as one who has no hope -- because I had come to love the Ragman. Every other face had faded in the wonder of this man, and I cherished him; but he died. I sobbed myself to sleep.

I did not know -- how could I know? -- that I slept through Friday night and Saturday and its night, too.

But then, on Sunday morning, I was wakened by a violence.

Light -- pure, hard, demanding light -- slammed against my sour face, and I blinked, and I looked, and I saw the last and the first wonder of all. There was the Ragman, folding the blanket most carefully, a scar on his forehead, but alive! And, besides that, healthy! There was no sign of sorrow nor of age, and all the rags that he had gathered shined for cleanliness.

Well, then I lowered my head and trembling for all that I had seen, I myself walked up to the Ragman. I told him my name with shame, for I was a sorry figure next to him. Then I took off all my clothes in that place, and I said to him with dear yearning in my voice: "Dress me."

He dressed me. My Lord, he put new rags on me, and I am a wonder beside him. The Ragman, the Ragman, the Christ!

A Harlot's Tale

2007-04-03T17:46:00.000-04:00

Hello Everyone! Well, hope you all had a marvelous weekend - mine sure ended on an up note. I traveled across this great state from Holland to Ann Arbor to see The Yarn Harlot - Stephanie Pearl-McPhee speak at the library there.

I headed out right after church, it would certainly be busy and I wanted a seat, so I arrived in Ann Arbor shortly before 1PM. This is great, I thought - AND - I found a parking spot less than a block from the library, even better!! On my way in, I met a wonderful woman from Kalamazoo (I am so sorry I do not remember her name!!), she was sitting outside in the glorious sunshine knitting a sock, of course!

Inside the library, down stairs in the conference room were dozens of knitters! It was truly a great experience! Shortly after my arrival (I had already purchased 3 books for The Harlot to sign - one for me, and one for Rose, and one for Ruby) we all learned that Stephanie was delayed - there was fog at the Detroit Airport - she could not land - they shipped her back to Chicago.

Now, imagine this picture - dozens and dozens of knitters all anxiously awaiting the arrival of The Yarn Harlot - and there is no uproar at all - we all simply pulled out our knitting and began to knit. It was the BEST SnB I have ever attended! The library was kind enough to offer us some substitute entertainment as we patiently knitted away on our socks, sweaters, lace work, etc. It was also April Fool's Day and the library had the children all making the most amazing of hats - they paraded past us knitters' in a lovely parade!

Finally, the word came that Stephanie had arrived (her cell phone had long since died - charger in Detroit, cell phone in Chicago). It was so worth the wait!! Please excuse my pitiful pictures - I was overcome with excitement to be seeing Stephanie (can you imagine this???!!!)

I was in the back row - but here she is! In a sea of knitting heads - our fearless leader appeared! She was breathless and thankful to some kind gentleman who drove her from the airport to Ann Arbor - his wife must be a knitter!!
She took our picture, we took hers, and we listened to her worries and concerns. And, while I was listening a thought popped into my head. We knitters do make a difference! And, in a very big way - to quote Stephanie "one small stitch at a time". I read today that Caps for the Capital collected over 280,000 caps. Does that make a statement to all of you? I have a proposal for all of you - if we all took a stand and made our stand known - peace could happen! We could knit for peace! If there were more people knitting for peace - wars just might cease! After all, how many violent knitters do you know? I don't know exactly how to go about it, but I believe that we can make a difference. What do you all think?
Okay - I apologize profusely Stephanie and I owe you a drink or two for posting this photo - this is operator error, not object error! But, here is The Harlot holding my "Bloomin' Feet" sock! Woo Hoo! Pretty amazing, huh? And, don't you just love Stephanie's sweater - it glowed - seriously! I am sure that Stephanie will have a marvelous tale to tell about her travels to Michigan. Check out her blog and see!

Have a great day everyone - watch out - we have SNOW in the forcast Lynne!! :-)

April Showers...

2007-04-02T07:49:00.000-04:00

Good Morning everyone! First off, we have a winner - Beth had the correct guess of 30! Congratulations!!

Did you all have a good Palm Sunday? I know I did - up early and off to church, then I headed out for Ann Arbor to hear The Yarn Harlot.

I have pictures that I will post later - it was an awesome day. I met some amazing knitters, and Stephanie was truly worth the wait!

More details and photo's later - I cannot be late for work!!

Have a great day all!

One year and counting!

2007-03-30T07:36:00.000-04:00

Good morning everyone! TGIF! It has been an eventful week here at the Christensen Huis - my kids were bouncing off the walls because Spring Break starts today (and when they are teenagers, it makes for some pretty heavy duty bouncing!!) - they are headed off with their Dad to the Bahamas for a week of fun in the sun. It has been insane at work - major changes in lending criteria have made the learning curve steep! My boss was a casualty of "being downsized" - his position was eliminated yesterday. When he called to tell me I cried - he is the provider for his family. I liked him and feel awful that this happened to him. It also means that my "new" boss is in the Detroit area - miles away from our team - and the markets are vastly different. My team-mates and I are nervous about what will shake down next. We lost our "go to" person who fought our battles for us. Change is not always good.

On a brighter note - it is Friday, I am thankfully busy at work and low enough on the totem pole that our jobs are safe. We are the peons after all!

Spring is unfurling slowly and beautifully here - my tree in the front yard has leaf buds on it, the birds are singing their beautiful chorus', and it smells so good outside! I took this photo of my "Sunday sky", an amazing sunset that we had on Sunday night. Beautiful, isn't it?

So, yesterday I mentioned a small contest to celebrate 1 year of blogging. That's right, it was a year ago that "As Kat Knits" was born. I have enjoyed the process of this tremendously and even more - have enjoyed finding other knitting bloggers. I enjoy reading your blogs as much as I enjoy blogging. I have made some good friends that I would have never met if it were not for this media! To celebrate I have a fun little contest... taking a page from my friend Lynne - I have filled my antique Irish Bread bowl with yarn. Guess how many skeins I have filled it with. Here you go ...
Or maybe this view is better...
Or perhaps this one?

Get your guesses in - you will have until Sunday night, April Fool's Day to vote.

What will you win? I have 3 skeins of Cotton Chenile ready to ship off to the winner in lovely "spring" colors. So, gentle readers - get out there and vote! Have a fantastic Friday.

It's Blogiversary Eve!

2007-03-29T14:48:00.000-04:00

Wow, tomorrow As Kat Knits will be 1 year young! Where did the time go? It is hard to imagine how much change has happened in the last year of my life - job changes, life changes, knitting challenges, and new friends! I feel a contest coming on - I shall ponder it over the evening and post the details in the morning.

The weather here has been just lovely! Hope it is equally lovely in your corner of the world.

Stay tuned for more...

Traveling Tuesday!

2007-03-27T14:52:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone. I have been working on travel plans - knitting travel plans. Where am I going, you ask? Well, it is not me going - I am in Lynne's Special Swap and the theme for March and April is to send our pal on a "knitting journey". I have been working on all the fun stops for my pal to travel on. I think I have her "itinerary" about complete, but am looking for 1 or 2 last "must" stops. This has been so much fun, and I am excited to see where she is going to "send" me!!

Has everyone been bitten by the "Spring Fever Bug"? I know I certainly have - I am itching to get outside and play! I saw signs of life in my garden this morning - my yarrow is coming up!! The birds are all singing amazing chorus', it is so grand to have the windows open to listen to them. It is also grand to have the HEAT OFF!

I have Knitter's Guild tonight - it is WWIT night. I know we all have had those moments of weakness - the "What Was I Thinking" knitting blunders. I am bring 3 WWIT items tonight - I will post photo's of my lovelies later. I think you will all agree - What was I thinking! Trust me ladies - if you are over 12 and weigh more than 100 pounds, a "furry poncho" just does not work! Heck, a "non-furry poncho" does not work! If you recall "Virtual Kat" from a month ago - you can easily see why a poncho and the "wide angle backside" do not go well together! So, I am hauling off my early knitting adventures off for "new ideas" at the Guild meeting tonight. There should be laughs for all - at least with what I am bringing. The knitting blunder I am not bringing is the sweater I knit for my "dear, departed husband" (and before all of you start commenting and asking if he died - no he is alive and well, or at least that is what I last heard! He just has "moved on" - to another state!). Some ideas that some of the gals from SnB were rather funny... the one I thought was funniest was take the sweater out with me to "find a new owner". Can you see me walking down the streets of Holland holding my sweater up to male passers-by, sizing them up? My fear is that it is (excuse my language here...) asshole sized and I am certainly not looking for another one of those! Another thought was to "felt" it a bit so it can fit my son - but, the same connotation is ringing in my head, and my son is very dear to me! It is gorgeous yarn - Noro Cochoran - a real waste of good yarn, if you ask me. It was the first sweater I finished and sending it to the Frog Pond would be painful! I think I will keep it as a reminder of what not to seek in a male companion!

Okay, enough of this line of thought - watch for photo's of my WWIT - hmmm, I think I can add a picture of my husband to that line up as well!

Have a fabulous Tuesday all!

Weekends are for knitting...

2007-03-25T19:51:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone! It was such a lovely weekend here, right now it is 70 degrees outside - it was an amazing day. I did quite a bit of knitting this weekend watching March Maddness - see how far I am on my Simple Knitted Bodice!!
What are those 2 cakes of yarn you ask? Well, as I went through my stash - I discovered that I did not have enough yarn to complete this sweater! I had to go buy 2 additional balls of Ultra Alpaca - different dye lots, thus I am working them in with my other yarn. I am working on the waist portion, almost ready to start the lace work. I am having so much fun knitting this! Top down sweaters are definately my cup of tea! I love how I can try it on as I go!! This sweater will be sure to fit!

I have plans for this summer that I am dying to share with you all! I have arrived in knitting - I truly believe that! Rose from my LYS asked me if I wanted to go to Sievers School this summer for a week long class with her! Now, Rose is an amazing knitter. She has taught me so many new and fun things - she was the one who encouraged me to take the class with Beth Brown Reinsel! So, what is on the class list this summer? Knitting from South Sweden with Carol Huebscher Rhoades as our instructor!! Think on this gentle readers - a week of knitting!!! In my prior life this would not have been possible, but it surely is now! And, you cannot imagine how honored I am that Rose has asked me!!! Can life get any better???

I am working on my Bloomin' Feet socks as well, but I have to tell you - it has been hard to put down SKB this week. I promise to do better next week Amanda and post a photo of my sock progression for you! Hopefully I will be done with sock #1 and have sock #2 started. That is my plan and I am sticking to it!!

Have a good Monday everyone!!

Chain letters

2007-03-22T11:23:00.000-04:00

What are your thoughts on Chain Letters? I have never been one to participate in them, I frankly find them a nuisance to the nth degree. Well, I got one at work the other day - have you all heard of the "Financial Blessings Letter"? Someone, this chain letter is unsigned, so the victim (me) has no idea who is my tormentor! If you are in my office and you put this letter in my mailbox, you might want to stop reading by blog about now... it is going to get ugly from here forward.

So, I go up and ask the receptionist if she knows who put this in my mailbox - she laments to me, no - but I got 6 of them!

Basically, the gist of this "letter" is that if you do not send this letter out - great peril awaits the poor sap who does not send it on to dozens of other poor saps. Yet - if you do send this out to the unsuspecting public - a treasure trove of blessings are just waiting to be showered upon you.

Here is my question - beyond my asking above what your thoughts are on chain letters - is there anyone out there who believes this?? I guess I can see why people answer those emails on the "Ethiopia Scams" etc.

So, as I am not going to send this letter out to any of my friends, so-called friends, acquaintances, or even those people who are not friends - stay tuned to see what horror befalls me in the next few days! I am sure to keep you all posted!

Hey - the sun is out after the rain of yesterday - it is about 50 degrees outside and tonight is Knit Night, it is a good day in my neighborhood! Have a good one in yours!

Spring has Sprung!

2007-03-21T07:01:00.000-04:00

Welcome Spring - come on in! Sit down and stay for awhile!! Are you all as excited as I am that we ushered in spring last night? Boy oh boy - I can tell you that this household certainly is! And, it seems that as March came roaring in like a ravaging lion, the forecast for the next 8 days are more lamb-like! We are supposed to reach 50 degrees today - and it is supposed to rain! Unlike the song - rainy days and "Wednesdays" don't always get me down! The rain will be welcome - something to wash all the dirt away. Something to help perk up the grass and encourage the tulips and daffodils to bloom! With a week of 50 degree temperatures, by the weekend there will be color everywhere!

I have been looking through the new Knitty.com and there are several patterns that have caught my eye! Tahoe is certainly a lovely sweater!

I love the drape of the yarn and the sleeves! Debbie Bliss and Koigu - can you get a better combination than this?

What about Bauble? I have not done any bead knitting, but the colors drew me in!
Nice? I love this! This would match much of what is in my "spring" closet! Michaels here I come!

Then I saw these... Quill Lace socks!

Okay, I can see my daughter in these - I don't have any Lisa Souza yarn, but I do have a goodly amount of sock yarn in my stash - I will have to finish my Bloomin' Feet Socks and cast these beauties on!

But, the thing that really caught my eye was More stripes!
I have some Noro Silk Garden in my stash - all I need are 4 skeins of a contrasting color. I think that will not break my New Year's Resolution too badly - so I am heading for my LYS to get the yarn! This sweater will also help me with my resolution - it is "steeked" - so I will be learning a new technique as well! I need to knit furiously on my Simple Knitted Bodice so I can cast this beauty on!

Have a wonderful day as you usher in spring to your neighborhood!

Sunday Blues

2007-03-18T11:06:00.000-04:00

It is a chilly day here in West Michigan - a mere 29 degrees out. Here is a picture of our morning sky though - there is blue sky and do you see the buds on the trees?

It amazes me that just a couple of warm days and buds appear on the trees and tulips and daffodils are coming up.

Last night I had dinner with some friends to celebrate St. Patrick's Day - I really wonder how much green beer is served in Ireland! We went to our local pizza parlour - I know, there is some real Irish fare! They had a band that was not very Irish either, so I was home early. Plus, I had work calls - I need to counsel those people on getting a life!

I worked on SKB yesterday and I have plans to knit much more on it today - while I watch March Madness this afternoon. Knitting and college hoops, what a great afternoon. Sunday nights used to be a much better television night when Grey's was on - how many of you are watching the Apprentice this season? It has not impressed me at all. I am ready for the "Reality Show" phenomenon to fade away. It seems to be an insult to one's intelligence - or have we all become voyuers - wanting to peer in to other's lives - lives that are orchestrated by directors. Seems a bit odd to me - but, maybe I am odd! After all, I blog about my life so you all can read about it!! And, as you can see - I read about your lives too! Okay, I definately need to get a life! That is most certainly true! (There is my Lutheran comment for the day!)

Have a relaxing Sunday everyone!

Frenzied Friday!

2007-03-16T07:25:00.000-04:00

It is March and Madness has arrived! For those of you who don't know, I absolutely love March Madness. I have my brackets filled in, there is smack talk around the coffee pot at work, and I have my $5 in the office pool! What can be more fun than hours of college basketball and March?!

March is also a birthday month for some friends of mine! Not only is March 17th Saint Patrick's Day - it is also the birthday of Lynne and Ruby! Stop by and wish them a Happy Birthday!!

Several of you asked me what SKB was - sorry about that. I thought I was the only knitter who had yet to cast on Stitch Diva's Simple Knitted Bodice - now you all know, SKB = Simple Knitted Bodice. A decidedly feminine sweater that is knitting up quickly! What more can a girl ask for as spring is looming on the horizon!

I heard from the weather man that a warming trend is going to usher in the end of the month - this is good since March roared in like a lion!! I am not holding my breath for no more snow this month, but even it more white stuff falls I know it won't last!!

Hopefully you all will have an awesome Friday and an even better weekend. Oh, and Lynne and Ruby - you have the most happiest and blessed birthdays!!

Spring? Or winter?

2007-03-15T07:33:00.000-04:00

Well, only in Michigan can the weather go from 68 degrees one day to 34 degrees the next. Spring is challenging Winter and the Old Man is not quite ready to give up yet. Keep on trying Spring - he can't hang on that much longer!

Judy is having a little contest that you might want to stop by and see. Put on your creative cap and write up a post for her sock adventures! There will be 3 lucky winners and you have until the 17th to enter. Get on over there!!

On the knitting front - I am working on my Bloomin' Feet socks for my pal - they are coming along. I am about an inch from my toe decreases on sock #1. I have been knitting on my lunch hour - it is a nice break for me during the day! As I knit, I think good thoughts about my sock recipient - I think these socks are gonna look awesome on her feet!

I also pulled some yarn out of my stash and cast on SKB - yes, I know - everyone has already knit this! But, I had some lovely Berroco Ultra Alpaca in an awesome hot pink shade and I thought - this is just the "pick me up" I need. I am working through the neck and shoulder increases. I am liking the yarn alot as well.

Several weeks ago I went to a doctor who had been an OB-GYN, but she is now doing Women's Mid-life health. It was an eye opening visit. First of all, to have a physician talk to me for over an hour was shocking, to say the least. When the longest time you ever get to spend with your physician is what, 4 nano-seconds at best? I was impressed to say the least. She listened, asked questions... and she put me on some medication - which is doing amazing things, I might add! She also scheduled me for a bone density scan and a follow up with her in a few weeks. The one thing I kept thinking was something she said to me, women take care of themselves last. This is very true! So, my fellow readers - please take heed. If you are over 40 you need to have a mamogram. When was your last pap test? Have you had your blood pressure taken recently? Do you know what your cholesterol levels are? Do these things for you!! YOU are worth it! If your doctor is one on the nano-second chart - tell him or her that you'd like a bit more time. Write your questions down if you need to!! Okay, I will get off my soap box now!! But, remember - I care about you, take care of yourself! :-)

Have an awesome Thursday everyone. Keep on cheering Spring on!!

Rainy Days and Mondays...

2007-03-12T08:41:00.000-04:00

Gentle Readers, it seems that spring is creeping into West Michigan! Yesterday the temperature soared to 50 degrees - and when I woke this morning, it had not dipped below 40 degrees out. They are predicting a warm day today - with a sprinkling of rain. Rain on! It will help wash away that dirty snow! Tomorrow - be still my soul - a whopping 60 degrees are predicted!

Don't you just love the progression of seasons? I certainly do - it is so comforting. Without any work from us, each season arrives with it's unique gifts. As the days lengthen and the weather warms, I am so happy to be alive and experiencing every moment of it.

I knit quite a bit yesterday on my Bloomin' Feet socks. I am almost to the toe on sock one, and will hopefully have it completed this week! I love the pattern I selected - it is a fun sock to knit!

Have an awesome Monday everyone... enjoy your day!

Beth Brown Reinsel

2007-03-11T10:36:00.000-04:00

Wow! A day with Beth was truly amazing. It started out bright and early with Beth teaching us Swedish Cast-ons. Who knew there were so many different ways to cast-on? I learned 4 new cast-on's and made swatches of each. Then we cast-on to work our twined knitting swatch. Now, twined knitting is the english translation of Tvaandsstickning - or knitting with 2 ends of the yarn. I learned about yarn dominance and "S" and "Z" plied yarns. It was an awesome day. I knit a "Twined Wrister" to practice the twined knitting stitches.

As you can see, the stitch pattern is interesting. I loved this knitting technique.. I cast off a bit to tightly, so next time I will go up a needle size or two when I bind off. I purchased some patterns from Beth - from Twined Mittens and Socks (these are truly amazing...) to Swedish Lovikka Mittens - which are knitted and "fulled" (Beth corrected us on our felting terms) to Norwegian Mittens to Scottish Sanquhar gloves, and of course I could not resist a top down Aran sweater pattern. The best treat of all was that Beth came to SnB at Friends of Wool that evening. She was working on her Latvian mittens - she humbled me to no end, she was knitting away without looking at the pattern! We laughed and I felt so honored to be in the company of this amazing group of women, knitting, talking, sharing - it was a great evening of fellowship. I was re-energized in my resolution to learn something new. My brain was spinning with all the new things I learned and how I could use those things to expand my knitting skills.

Taking a day off made for an insane Friday - I was sad not to be able to take Beth's cardigan class on Friday - but with all I had going on, I could not be out of work one more day. I spent the day digging out and all this while the phone was ringing off the hook. I am glad the weekend is here!

On Friday I arrived home to find a package from Sunshine Yarn - my next installment of her Sock Club yarn had arrived. It is so gorgeous - she calls it "Fresh" -

It is so soft and the colors are truly amazing - and yes, it so reminds me of the glorious colors found at the Farmer's Market! Dani, this yarn is so beautiful!!

I hinted at some news I needed to share - as most of you are aware, I have been having marital strife for the past few months. My husband moved out unexpectedly last July, he moved back home for a few weeks in November and abruptly left again in December. Well, last week he moved away - as in to another state - to Kentucky. Honestly, it was as if a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I had heard from him numerous times each week since his departure in early December that he could not "focus on our relationship" and how "overwhelmed" he was. It was draining for me and I was struggling with guilt that I could not "fix" what was wrong. At one time, I loved my husband so deeply - I believed in him unfailingly. It became harder and harder to love him through all this. On the evening that I was having dinner with some friends and his parents came up to me to tell me what a failure I was - it ended for me. I called him and asked that his parents respect my privacy. My husband runs away from problems, he does not solve them. So, it is the end of a chapter - and I am looking at a new page. I can look back on the errors I made in our relationship - hindsight gives one 20-20 vision. I am going to try and avoid those errors... as best as I can.

So, now that I have put a downer on your Sunday - don't be sad for me, please. I feel so unburdened these past days - it is a very good thing. Spring is knocking on the door, the sun has been shining. The dirty snow is all melting, soon the spring flowers will be growing again. I feel like my life is moving like spring, the things I have been struggling with are melting away, like the snow and new life is emerging in it's place.

Have a very blessed Sunday. Thanks for letting me share.

Baby it's cold outside!

2007-03-06T07:56:00.000-05:00

Well, we woke up this morning to zero outside... all I could think was I hope it is going up from here! BRRRRRR! Evidently we have some more snow coming as well, 3-6 more inches! It seems that winter does just not want to give up! With a December and January that had virtually no snow, February certainly made up for it with a vengeance!

Not much knitting content, I am sorry to say. I have been so busy at work - so busy I worked on Saturday morning for a few hours and Sunday afternoon for a few more!

I had dinner with a friend last night - it was a nice break. She is one of my knitting buddies from SnB at my LYS. I am taking a day off this week - Beth Brown Reinsel is coming to Friends of Wool to teach a couple of classes. I am taking the Swedish Cast On and Twined Knitting classes on Thursday. A whole day and night of knitting - this sure sounds heavenly to me!

I have some news on the homefront, but I am not ready to share yet. Have a great Tuesday everyone - stay warm!!

It's a very Special Day!

2007-03-03T18:30:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone - I came home from work yesterday to find a box on my doorstep. It was my Special Swap package from Kim and did she send me some goodies!

The box was filled with some amazing things! A bottle of her favorite wine, Clos Du Bois - which is right now chilling in my fridge for later! A box of chocolates - mmmmm! Some adorable heart shaped stitch markers - how awesome since the theme was "Hearts and Roses"! Also a great row counter - in pastel pink! A book on Aromatherapy recipes - just what this girl needs in her stress filled life! A beautiful note Rose note pad and pen, which are already in my purse! And, last but not least - 3 skeins of Khroma yarn - a 50/50 blend of Alpaca and Merino - can you say soft and yummy!! It is in 2 coordinating shades, Winesap and Pomegranate. Kim, I love everything you sent! What an awesome package!!

I have so enjoyed reading Kim's blog - she and I have several things in common, but what struck me first off was that we both have Cavalier King Charles Spaniels. Kim is off this weekend showing her puppy - I have been thinking good thoughts for a HUGE win for her!!

And, a huge thanks goes out to our lovely hostess, Lynne for inviting me to be part of this very special group and for giving me such a great partner! I am really looking forward to the next 2 months in which we receive a NEW partner - mine is Lucia - and I am thinking about where I can "send" her on a fabulous knitting vacation.

Hope you are all staying warm and dry - the March Lion just keeps on roaring here. We have had snow and blowing all weekend. I am ready for spring.

I am heading out tonight to an AMBUCS benefit. It is a "Casino Night" - wish me luck! LOL

Have a great weekend all!

It's a white frosted world....

2007-02-27T07:25:00.000-05:00

...and my 100th post! Yesterday morning we woke up to a clean white blanketed world. Roads were not too bad - we got about 4 inches of snow over night. It appears that we have some more on the way this week. Here are some pictures of our snowy white world...

Frosted and white - all the dirty snow has been covered up. A beautiful start to the week.

I have been judiciously using my shoulder - there are just some things that you need to use both arms for, and work is one of them. While I can knit - I have been coming home and resting my shoulder so the healing process continues to take place. The doctor told me to do some very gentle range of motion exercises - so I am trying to do them diligently. Teyani sent me the names of some of the holistic things that her husband took and did to work towards recovery of his injured shoulder. I have been out to my local health food stores to pick up some of them. I also have been using a heating pad intermittently during the night - this is helping tremendously. I think it keeps my shoulder from "tightening" up at night.

It is exam week - so it is study central here. This is one thing I do not miss from my school days. Exams really stressed me out - I am glad that my kids, for the most part, are not stressing too much over the exams.

I sent out my packages for my Special Swap partner, Kim, yesterday. Thanks to Lynne for organizing this great swap!! I am looking forward to our travel theme for the next two months. I have been toying with some ideas. I think I have narrowed it down, but I need to do a little research to finalize my decision!

Have a great Tuesday everyone!

You can't keep a good knitter down!

2007-02-23T21:25:00.000-05:00

Or a so - so knitter either! I went out to SnB last night - it was the last Thursday of the month and that is the night that we are all working on our "block a month" squares - this is the afgan I am knitting for DD#1 to take with her when she heads off to the University of Michigan in the fall. So, rather than sit home and feel sorry for my disgustingly pitiful self, I determined that I would at least go to Friends for the evening. Before long, I had my knitting needles out and found that I could knit a bit. Nothing dramatic now - just simple stockinette on some bed socks I am working up. Who could use bed socks more than the most pitiful person in West Michigan - me! Are you about ready to smack me yet? I know I sure am!! So, as long as it is not complicated - and I don't move my arm too much. I CAN KNIT!!

This is a very good thing because I am feeling much less sorry for myself.

I want to take a moment to thank all you amazing blogging friends out there for all your words of encouragement and support. It means more than you can ever know to have read all the comments you have all left for me. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart... it feels good to have so many friends - in so many places!

On top of everything that happened this week, of course work suddenly got busy. Go figure, right? I have enlisted my darling daughter #2 to go in tomorrow to help me put the VOLUME of paper work in order and get things in over night packages to go down to processing.... thank goodness for children! It will only cost me a new pair of jeans!! A good trade off!

Tomorrow night, some friends of mine are having a "Tapa's" party. I am not quite sure what I am bringing - but it will be a nice evening. Good friends, great conversation, music, food, and yes, a glass of wine or two. I am really looking forward to this! The last get together they had was one I attended with my husband - I had a great time, he did not. I am going to relish the fact that no one will be nagging me to leave.... ahhh, the simple things in life.

We have another storm rolling in - what is it with this? This week in the 40's - sunshine and meltingness - now another 6 - 12 inches of snow are on their way. I am sending "Grace" away for the winter!! LOL

Have a great weekend all - you are all the best!! Oh - and I will have my package out for my Special Swap tomorrow - my wrapping helper is home!!

Graceful, thy name is not Kat

2007-02-21T22:33:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone. Lent has begun and who'd of thunk I'd be giving up knitting! Yesterday, on a morning that the sunrise was gorgeous after a beautiful starry night - think no clouds - I headed out to work, on a mission to purchase some "paczki's" for the Tuesday morning sales meeting - Fat Tuesday - eat sweets in preparation for giving them up for lent, right?

Well, close your eyes and imagine this - I get out of my car and begin the walk behind my office building to the "Wesco Gas Station" where the office staff SWEARS to me that the best paczki's on earth are. So, as I am walking - briskly - imagine me hitting a patch of ice - very thin - very, very slippery ice. Are you putting 2 and 2 together? If I did not hurt so much I'd be laughing right now - so I hope you all are! While my feet seemed to be sliding in slow motion - my fall to the earth was not slow by any means. Can you see me? Face down on the parking lot? I mean flat on the ground! I jumped up so quickly - I amazed myself, praying that no one had seen me do the "swan dive" onto the black top. My knee was killing me, my hands were skinned up, my wrist was not feeling too pleasant either. But, I continued on to purchase the damned paczki's (and I am not even Polish - sorry to all of you lovely Polish readers out there!) and bring them back to the office. I headed to the bathroom to wash the parking lot grime off my hands, clothes, shoes, coat - what I really needed to do was head back home and start over!! My knee was a bit skinned, my hands looked like they were going to have some nice bruises too! But, nothing looked broken and nothing was bleeding - maybe not so bad after all. AND - no one saw me fall - this must be a good omen.

I continued on through the day - sitting at my desk and working away. The worst was over right?

By noon I could not lift my right arm - at all. It was most comfortable next to my body - not moving. I started to think something was very wrong. As the afternoon progressed, the pain increased - I am no wimp and have a fairly high tolerance for pain. By 2PM I classified the pain as "30" on a scale of 1-10 when I called my family doctor. The phone nurse told me, "go directly to the ER, do not pass go, do not collect $200.00" So, I managed to put my coat on and headed out to the hospital.

Thank goodness I did not break anything. But, they fear I have torn my "rotator cuff" and I have a goodly amount of fluid on my knee. I sit here before you with my right arm in a sling, pumped full of Motrin - avoiding the Vicodin they also prescribed because it
a. gave me nightmares

and

b. made me dizzy and nauseous!

I go back to see my doctor next week - how am I going to make it without knitting for the next few days!!! AARRGGHHH..... stay tuned to see how this progresses!

Virtual Me?

2007-02-19T17:57:00.000-05:00

Okay, while reading Lynne's blog today - I about died laughing - until I went to My Virtual Model myself. Hmmm, can you say diet?

Here I am in all my virtual glory!

I put clothes on her to hide the hips and thighs!! Please notice there is no rotating allowed here like there is in Virtual Model World. They also did not have an option for "big round boo-tay" either - so she is not very realistic!! LOL Now, for the "more mature" button - it needs to be more mature! Nose wider? What are there any other choices? Stop by and see what Virtual Lynne is doing - maybe Virtual Lynne and Virtual Kat should start a Virtual Knitting Group. They can discuss the pros and cons of virtual existance! Imagine it - in the virtual world there is no laundry to do. Just point and click to get a new outfit!! Also, loosing weight would be just a click away - vanish those hips for an evening!! Also, having a bad hair day? Non-existant in Virtual World - just click on another do and away you go!!

There might be some merits to this Virtual World - hmmmm, bring me another Virtual Cinnamon Roll....

LOL. Have a great evening everyone!! Oh, and if you go make a Virtual You, drop me a line so Virtual Me can come visit you!!

Sunday Sunset

2007-02-18T22:30:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone!

I hope you all had a great weekend - it was snowy yesterday, but we had some sunshine today. At least enough to have a sunset this evening.

It was a pleasant ending to a lovely Sunday. I went this afternoon to knit squares for "Warm Up America" - this had been postponed from Super Bowl Sunday due to the weather. As you can see, we have a good amount of snow out there. The great news is that we are supposed to get RAIN next weekend. Can you say flood? I am not so thrilled about that prospect!

It was nice knitting with the SnB group today, but I really wanted to work on my Bloomin' Feet Socks! Here is a photo of my progress... they are coming along beautifully. And, I have a conference call this week that should afford me at least an hour of uninterupted knitting time!

I think that they are turning out nicely... don't you?

Have a great week all! Stay warm and dry!

Snowy Saturday

2007-02-17T09:25:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone! What, you say... snow again??? I am just shocked at how much snow has fallen over the vast majority of the midwest and beyond in the relatively short month of February. The weatherman tells me that we are supposed to warm up next week though - warm up into the upper 30's that is. So, melt all this snow and we should have floods by next weekend. I am not sure if I should start on the ark, but stay tuned for updates here!

Not much knitting this week - but, I am happy to say that I am at long last caught up at work!! Yipee!!!!! This week also closed the chapter of filing my tax return with my "husband". Funny how money can motivate a person to suddenly be nice, isn't it? The return from the federal government came in on Friday - so, of course, Kyle called me NUMEROUS times during the day - frantic to get these funds. He was less that happy that I was working in Muskegon and Spring Lake all day. I am amazed at what I ever saw in this person - he certainly is not what he was when we met. Or maybe he was, but he somehow managed to "hide" his true self. I met some friends last night after work for a drink and some unwind from the week time - unfortunately Kyle showed up as well - sometimes I would like to just drop off the face of the earth. Did you ever feel like that? For as large as Holland has gotten, it still is a small town - darn it all! I don't want any "sympathy" for the end of this relationship, nor do I want to discuss it with anyone. Does this make me weird?

I am going to treat myself today - I am going shopping for a camera! I am excited to take this "leap" into modern technology! Watch out for new photo heavy blog postings!

So, I am heading out to find a camera - then I am stopping by my LYS to finish up my "Special Swap" partner's package so I can get it in the mail this week. Then, I am getting together with some friends to play Euchre this afternoon. A day just for me...and I am worth it!

Have an awesome weekend all!

Playing catch up...or the faster I go, the behinder I get

2007-02-13T10:48:00.000-05:00

Hello All from white and wintry Western Michigan! I know, what on earth am I complaining about - I don't have 110 inches of snow on the ground like those poor folks in New York State do - it is just that I am hungering for a view of the sun - you know, a small reminder that it still exists! There has been grey clouds with snow flakes falling from them for what seems like an eternity - or at least the past 30 days, or so my weather man tells me. It makes for dreary days - not so great, as I am sure you can all imagine!

So, I believe I am over my ailment - this is a very good thing. I truly appreciate all the kind comments from all of you - 2 days off from work was certainly unexpected and it has made me so behind, here on Tuesday a week later I am still struggling to catch up! I find myself thinking about the story from the Bible - you know the one when the earth stood still for 3 days - this would work wonderfully for me right now - 3 days = 1 and I might be all caught up! So, while I know this won't be happening - I press on to get as many things as I can finished in the hours alloted in each day. If you have sent me an email recently - be patient - I will get an answer back to you sometime this week, certainly by the weekend.

I have been doing a bit of knitting - I am proud to report. I am working on my Bloomin' Feet pal's socks - and I am LOVING the pattern. I am doing "Spindle Socks" and the yarn I have selected is working beautifully with the pattern. I selected Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino in the most amazing pale pink - the yarn and the pattern were made for each other! I have turned the heel on sock #1 and am about half way to the toes! I shall try and post a photo of my progress - I am throughly enjoying the pattern - it is fun and an easy knit. I hope my pal will love these - I think they will look awesome on her feet! I am also keeping my eyes open for some fun items to include in her package!! I hope to have sock #1 finished this weekend and begin its mate as well!

Okay - I have finished my tea and I need to get back at it - have an awesome Tuesday everyone!

SUPER.....sick

2007-02-08T07:23:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone. Are you all surviving the wintry blast most of north america is getting? We have had a goodly amount of snow and the promise of more on the way; frigidy temperatures that dove well below the zero mark - an unusual feat for those of us sheltered along the shores of Lake Michigan; a couple of snow days that made my children sing; and Super Sunday... As you can see it has been an eventful few days here at the Christensen Huis!

Sunday EVERYTHING was cancelled - and I mean everything, from church services to Super Bowl parties - even knitting super bowl parties. With visibilities of less than zero, all of West Michigan hunkered down in their homes to stay warm and cozy. And then it hit....

By Sunday night I was not feeling well - I could not put my finger on it, but I just did not feel great. This was not the harbinger of something wonderful - rather the foreboding of what was to come. I came down with the flu - I will refrain from the gruesome details - suffice it to say that on Wednesday morning when I pulled my feeble body from bed to get to the office, there were 10 less pounds of me. I was so miserable I could not even knit! I am telling you - it was not a pretty sight - no knitting, it has to be really bad!!

Wednesday the schools determined that the kids could again venture out to classes again - and wonder of all wonders, the SUN came out! By the time I left work yesterday afternoon - it was a balmy 20 degrees outside! We are having a virtual heat wave here!!

More snow is on the horizon for the weekend, and still cold temperatures - but the weather man says no more frigidy coldness like we had.

Watch for pictures of my socks for Amanda's Bloomin' Feet Swap - they are still coming along beautifully! I promise to get some pics posted this weekend.

Gotta fly now - have an awesome day all!

In the bleak mid winter...

2007-02-02T14:47:00.000-05:00

Blogger (silent) Poetry Reading is happening. Go see Grace's Poppies and get your poems posted. If you post - please leave a comment for her (and me - I'd like to read your poetry as well!).

Here are my contributions... these were my Grandfather's favorite poems. I had them memorized at a very young age.

Fog: Carl Sandburg 1878-1967

The fog comes
on little cat feet.

It sits looking
over harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.

Trees: Joyce Kilmer 1886-1918

I think that I shall never see
A poem as lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the sweet earth's flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.

I leave you in the quiet silence of a snowy Friday afternoon...

Revealing!

2007-01-31T06:56:00.000-05:00

Hello all - it is reveal time for SP9. My spoiler was Jessie - she was a great pal for this round. Heatherly was my hostess with the mostess and my final package, filled with goodies went off to my spoiler on Monday. I hope she gets her package today!!

Work has been extremely busy, thankfully! I have to get to work now - have a good day all!!

On the Fair Isle!

2007-01-28T17:40:00.000-05:00

Hello Everyone! It has been a very hectic week here at the Christensen Huis - I worked a lot and went to knit night on Thursday - there were not enough hours in the day. Last year my daughter saw the Fair Isle bag in VK and she really wanted me to knit it for her - so I had gotten the yarn to knit it up for her - but with all the Christmas knitting - I did not even think about starting this project - that topped with the fact that I had NEVER done Fair Isle - it got put on the back burner. Well, she asked about the bag again this week - so I went and dug the yarn and the pattern out from my stash closet and headed down to my LYS for some Fair Isle pointers. I can knit continental - but the bottom of the bag called for stockinette and was not knit in the round. I cannot purl continental - I have tried - it is an excercise in frustration - and not something I want to do for 1 row much less the 15 rows I'd need to do to get the bottom completed. So, Rose taught me Norwegian - no, not the language - Norwegian Purl to be exact! I can Norwegian Purl!! Woooo Hoooo! So, Fair Isle is sailing right along!

I shall post photo's later on.

I am sending out my final package for my SP9 pal tomorrow - I got her some lovely stuff! Touch Me lace weight yarn, some soy silk roving, and some treats for her and her family. She was such an awesome pal - I hope she likes her last package.

I am also sending out the package for the Luxury Fiber swap I am in - that package will be heading to Washington State tomorrow as well. I will post what was sent later in case the recipient reads this blog.

Hope you all had a great weekend. Here is hoping this week is not as insane as last week was!

Heifer Project

2007-01-24T07:24:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone - hopefully your week is moving along smoothly!

I broke a resolution this week - I confess I bought some yarn to knit this after being inspired by Chris to take on the challenge of knitting a Moebius! Well, cast on I did - and around and around I go!

With all the chatter in the blog world about the Colts and Da Bears - I thought I would share with you a Super Sunday Twist! I am joining in with my LYS gals in a "knit in" on Sunday afternoon. I am taking pledges for my knitting time! I will be there from 1 - 5 PM knitting squares for "Warm Up America" - and your pledges will go towards the purchase of a Knitting Basket from Heifer International. If you are interested in sponsoring me - please leave me a comment and I can accept paypal pledges! You would be helping 2 great causes - how awesome is that! Or should I say SUPER! I like the idea because there is no looser in this contest - only winners all around!

Well, I am off to work for the day - please leave me a comment and a pledge! If you'd like to knit a square or two - that would be welcomed too!

Have an awesome Wednesday!

Oh Canada!

2007-01-20T10:12:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone - Canada arrived here in Michigan yesterday - both with the weather and with a wonderful surprise from Erin (blogless - I think). She was my partner for the Luxury yarn swap from Swap Bot. She sent me some amazing sock yarn - dyed locally in British Columbia! It is gorgeous - shades of blues, purples, greens - just beautiful and sooo soft! I think that I might use this yarn for Bloomin' Feet which starts this weekend - I believe that Mr. C is working on the matches for Amanda - this yarn reminds me of crocus' and iris' - those beautiful spring blooms. She also included some yummy dark chocolate - made locally as well. So you see Cananda arrived on my doorstep yesterday!

We are also getting some "Canadian cold air" via the jet stream - along with some lovely "lake effect" snow. Right now out my window it looks like a lovely snow globe - flakes falling steadily down. A beautiful day to knit!!

Thank you so much, again, Erin for the amazing package! I love it!

Fourteen year old boys and birth control...

2007-01-18T20:40:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone! How do you like the title? Well, it has been an interesting week here at the Christensen Huis - get yourselves something to drink, pull up a chair, and get ready!

About 2 weeks ago, my son - Sam - came home with some paperwork from his life skills class. He either had to write a 5 page essay on adoption OR he could have "Program Baby" for 2 days and 2 nights. Sam and I had a long discussion about all the people we know who have either been adopted or wanted to to adopt... it is a good list, varied - some in state and some out of country adoptions. Sam though felt that 5 pages were, well... F - I - V - E pages...you know LONG and lots of work. And, even though I cast my vote for the essay - last night he came home from school with his new baby "Max". Max who fusses, cries, needs to be changed, attended to - and quite franky - slept as much as most new babies do. Sam got very little sleep last night - how he managed to not wake me up is something I am still wondering about! Well, anyway - if any of you have the priviledge of having teenagers in your homes - you know that they need a LARGE amount of sleep - kind of like babies themselves, now that I think of it!! Sam had a bit of a reprieve - he could drop the baby off to the life skills class so that he could attend his other classes today - but he had to go get "Max" at the end of school today and once again - the new baby is in the house again tonight. Although I helped Sam a bit after school so he could get his homework done. This baby has some kind of monitor inside it - if it cries for any length of time - it is registered and how quickly you respond to the cries is registered as well. So, we have "fed", "burped", "changed diapers" (although this is an odorless - messless process - this would be nice in REAL LIFE!! LOL) etc. This all needs to be logged by Sam to turn in to the teacher. Sam was not his usual self at the breakfast table this morning - he informed me that he WAS NEVER having kids! I am not sure what brilliant teacher thought this up - but Holy Cow - they deserve an award! Sam and I had an indepth conversation this morning about the consequences of sex - something we had talked about before, but it had new meaning this morning - my son is growing up - he is not my baby anymore. I am proud of him (as I have always been) - but I am seeing him through "new eyes" and hearing him with "new opened ears" as well! I know that a 5 page paper would have never have taught him what he learned these past 2 days - I am glad that he did NOT listen to my suggestion!

Hopefully, this baby will "sleep" better here tonight than he did last night - but I am so glad he is here in our home!

Urgent Reqeust!!

2007-01-16T18:07:00.000-05:00

Hello Everyone. I have a very special request for all of you out there. I have participated again in SP9 and the end of January is when we are to reveal ourselves to our spoilee.

If it is not too much trouble - I was wondering if you all could stop by Kimberly's Blog and tell her that someone sent you there to say "hello". Please do not reveal who sent you - she has been such an awesome pal for SP9 - I want to make the waning days of the swap special for her. If you all could stop by and increase the mystery as to how you all found her - I'd be so grateful.

I intend to reveal myself to her in the last week of the month - so help me out in bringing her some good cheer!

Thanks to all of you - you all are the best!!

PS - I got a package from my pal - Thank you so much!! I will try and have my daughter take a picture and post it here later this week. It was filled with some great goodies! She did not let me know who she was though - hmmmmm - am I supposed to figure out??? Help me out here pal!! :-)

Thanks again to my pal and to all you pals out there!

It is going to be a very Special Year!

2007-01-14T20:54:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone! This is a special post - I would put this as a link on my sidebar, but hey - I have no clue how to do that! Hmmm, this could be something to add to my "learn list" for 2007! Anyways - I am a very, very honored member of Lynne's Special Swap. This should be a great deal of fun and I am looking forward to getting to know my other swap partners better over the course of the swap!

The weekend was pretty good here at Christensen Huis - I did some paperwork for a class I am teaching on Monday at work. It is a class for new Realtors at Greenridge - and I am spending some time tomorrow morning talking about the mortgage process. From First Time Homebuyers to Credit, from FHA and 100% financing to the application process - I will share with them the knowledge I have (it is really not a vast amount people - honestly - I just have been doing this job for awhile!). Now, if I have not bored you all to tears - how about some exciting knitting news!!

I am working on a hat for my eldest daughter - Rachel - for her birthday. And, I found a great idea for some yarn from my stash that I intend to whip up a small shawl for her birthday as well. Photo's will be arriving this week - I promise.

I will leave you with some pictures from the Holidays -

The "top half" of our Christmas Tree - I know - it was HUGE! We have a vaulted ceiling in the living room area. And, yes - it is almost touching the ceiling! Okay - so I am not the best judge of heights out at the tree farm! :-)

Here I am with Heidi and Sam - sans Rachel. She was with us on Christmas, but just for a couple of hours. I have some pictures of her, but none with all of us together. Don't you love Sam's hair though? So, like the bottom half of the tree? Hee, hee, hee! You should have see us taking this baby down!!

Miss Noel - the Christmas Kitty! Yes, this was after she dragged the tree skirt out from under the tree and had pulled down a strand or two of the lights from the lower branches - and here she is curled up taking a "cat" nap under the tree! Isn't she sweet?

Now, here is Copper - he is a bit smarter - picking the sofa for his resting spot!! You can see that he brought is stuffed animal with him - see the blue dog in the corner of the sofa? He has to hide it from Penny! Copper does not like to share his toys!!

Sleepy Penny - she could care less what toys Copper has. LOL! Penny is the only dog I know who can sleep sitting up!

Have a great Monday everyone - more later!

Knitting Backwards 101

2007-01-13T11:46:00.000-05:00

This is now normal purling looks like - see needle in front - normal purling. But, when doing Entrelac, constantly turning your work back and front to knit and purl makes for wasted energy. You can work your entrelac from one side with very little turning except for when you need to pick up your stitches to go on to your next square. What follows is a "knitting backwards lesson". If you have questions - you can email me at kachrist37@gmail.com for more help!

When working backwards you do not turn your work - see the yarn coming from the left side of my work? This is a purl row and I am working it from the right side (or knitting side) of my work.

I insert my LEFT needle into the BACK of the stitch on my RIGHT needle. See - the yarn is coming from the LEFT side of my work.

Wrap the yarn counter clockwise around my LEFT needle as above.

Pull LEFT needle forward through the stitch on the RIGHT needle. This is your new stitch, sliding the stitch from the RIGHT needle off that needle.

Now work your next stitch. I found this technique incredibly easy when working with a small number of stitches. I don't know why you could not use it on a longer row, but when you are knitting 20 or more stitches it does not make as much sense.

Here is your lesson for the day! Now I have helped you learn a new technique! Have a great weekend everyone

Friday fun!

2007-01-12T15:12:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone! Did you all have a great week? How are you all doing on your resolutions??? Still hanging in there? I am proud to say that I have 2 bags of clothing going to Goodwill - 1 bag in the "garage sale" section - and - drum roll please - I have 4 bags of things that went in the TRASH!! My closets are cleaner, more streamlined, organized AND - I love it! I also worked on my "stash" closet - I now have my yarn on the shelves - organized - I know, be still my heart!! I also have my sewing machine and sewing related items in there as well. AND - I have some paper craft things in a clear plastic box - all ready for me when I need to make a card quickly!! How about that ladies!! It felt so good - this weekend I am going to tackle my kitchen cupboards and the pantry!

I also brought some magazines I wanted to save for various reason downstairs and put them in a book shelf I was not using - decluttering is happening at the Christensen Huis!

I even worked on my half pi shawl this week a bit. I am almost done with section 2! And!! I went to SNB last night and had fun laughing with the ladies at Friends of Wool. It was Sue's birthday and she brought goodies to eat!! A fun evening was had by all. The Afgan Class of 2006 was there with all their squares to work on assembly - I have to tell you, I was amazed with how beautiful their squares were. This caused me much excitement, because the Afgan Class of 2007 will meet in 2 weeks to start on their afgan journey - and I have a ticket for that trip!! There are several techniques that I do not know how to do that I will be learning this year! So, this class will continue to help me with my resolution of learning!

I did have a small breakdown on the yarn front. My daughter wants me to make a "shawl" for her birthday - I truly tried and swatched some yarn from my stash, but I did not have anything that I could get the perfect gauge with. I had to buy 2 skeins of yarn - but - I found it on sale at Friends of Wool - so I only paid $8 for it!! This did not break my budget at all!! I will be so excited to see my daughter's face when she opens her gift! I shall try and post a photo of said shawl and daughter #1 after the 6th of February - which is her birthdate. Hold the phone - she will be 18 years old!!! I cannot believe this, because I swear she was just learning to walk yesterday!!! Where does the time go??

We are getting close to "reveal" time in SP9 - I have been having so much fun with my spoilee - I have been dropping hints the past couple of weeks - and we have been laughing and having so much fun together. She is an awesome pal! I am working on the finishing touches for her last package - she is a SAHM and she home schools her children! AND, her husband is in the Army. As the end of the month gets closer, I will post the link to her blog and ask you all to pop over and say hello to her!

Have an awesome weekend everyone!

First Friday!

2007-01-05T13:35:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone and welcome to the First Friday of 2007! This is surely something to celebrate, right? How did Week 1 go for all of you? So far - so good here.

I have printed out my resolutions and put them in several places - in my planner for work, on the mirror in my bathroom, on the fridge in the kitchen. I think that this will help me stay focused on what is important to me this year - what I need to accomplish - where I want to go!

How are you all doing? Did you all fall the the Resolution Wagon? That is okay - get back on and try again! Be your own best supporter - not your worst enemy!

I am excited to have made it through a week of this New Year! I actually got out some yarn from my stash and cast on something for ME! I had gotten a gorgeous skein of Lorna's Laces - Helen's Lace last summer to make the Half Pi Shawl and I cast on this week! I have the first set of the pi completed and have started on set 2! I am in love with this yarn - it is amazing. I selected the Vera colourway - and I am so happy with my selection!

This picture does not do the yarn justice - it is knitting up beautifully - burgundy's, rich browns, some amazing greens, and a dusky khaki - dyed perfectly! I will try and have my daughter get a picture of it next week and post my progress. If you have not knit this pattern - it is definately on my must knit list! I am flowing through the sections easily and can even knit while watching TV! So, I was so happy to pull this out of my stash and treat myself to this little gem. I did not realize that I had such a nice "stash store"!!

Speaking of "Stash Store" - on my plate for the weekend is to clean out and organize my stash closet - and my bedroom closets. There may be some destashing going on here next week, so be on the lookout for that!

So, there is my week one synopsis - drop me a note letting me know how you are all doing.

Have an awesome weekend everyone!

It's a New Year or Starting off on the right foot....

2007-01-03T14:48:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone, Is your year starting off right? Or do you need to start again on the other foot? In an attempt to use the correct starting foot this year I have written down an actual plan. I know, stop the presses! This coming from a "shoot from the hip" kind of gal is a big reality check! I am a make no plans, go where you wanna go person. Well, that wasn't working too well for me - too much lack of structure makes for too much room for error. In looking back at what worked in 2006 and what did not work - there was alot more that did not work than what did. Thus I knew that I needed some drastic changes. Now, I said to myself - this is the one thing you do well - change. So, go for change and do it right!

Now, how do you go from "fly by the seat of your pants" to "structure city"? Did I really want to live in "structure city"? Was there a happy inbetween place between the two? I believe that there is, and starting out with a plan is a good place to start!

I have divided my plan into two parts, the "me" part and the "homelife" part. I believe that by working on the things in each part, life will be so much better. After all, I am now 46 years old and I need to "get a life" or at least work on a new and improved one.

I will start with the "me" list:
1. I resolve to listen more and talk less!
Where did this come from you ask? Well, on New Years Eve - I discovered how much my kids and their friends had to say - and what they said when someone was really listening. I am sorry to say that I was a poor listener to my kids; oh I listened, but I knew what they were saying - or at least I assumed I did. No more assuming for me - I am working on listening - actively listening to what my kids are saying. You know the old addage - this is why our Good God gave us 2 ears and one mouth - we were supposed to use one more than the other. Lo and behold - I think I am getting it! This listening part also is going to help my spiritual life - I am going to listen more for what God is saying to me. I think that this focus will help me with my other resolutions.

2. I resolve to value me more!
This is going to be a challenge for me, but one that I will embrace. I need to become more healthy - no this is not a diet - I have failed at those for years. It is always the first resolution I have always made and the first resolution that I have always broken. I am not making a list to set myself up for failure - I am making a list to track my success! I want to be more healthy in many aspects of my life - from health and wellness to spirituality. I believe that resolutions 1 and 2 go hand in hand. I want to be fit mentally, physically, and spiritually - and this won't happen without some work. My friend Lynne sent me a book last summer that I read and then did nothing with. She sent it for a reason - she knew what it was. Now, I am working on my prayer life - with a purpose - more value of me for me!

3. I resolve to knit an afgan for DD #1.
My Rachel will be leaving for college in August - and it will be here all to quickly! What better way to spend the time than knitting an afgan for her when she is far away. Something knit with love to wrap around her. I have signed up for an afgan class for some kindred spirit support and the inspiration to finish this afgan - there is a time frame to the class!! Which will lead me right to resolution #4....

4. I resolve to learn something NEW every day!
I know that it will be a challenge for me to go from "wherever the wind blows me" to "this is the plan" so in order to help my "free spirit" attitude - I have added in the importance of learning - and I will incorporate this into all parts of my life. Home and work, family and faith - there is so much to learn!

This moves me on to the "homelife" resolutions. These were not as fun as the self improvement ones - or maybe these are just more visible, measurable, verify-able!

1. Save more, spend less.
Simply said, incredibly hard to do. I am not a great saver - but I sure as heck am an amazing spender. With the changes in my life recently, I have discovered that one needs to have a measure of all things in their life for balance - and in order to have a balanced checkbook, one needs to spend less! I am working on this and have set in place the following things to help me accomplish this one important resolution!

2. Organize my knitting stash and knit from it!
No purchase of yarn, no exceptions. I have a good sized stash, and I am going to whittle it away. I have committed to this, and thus far it is working! I have pulled some fun yarns out and have been looking over patterns. This is so much fun - what I thought I would do when I bought the yarns and what new possibilites for that yarn are tremendously fun!!! I know my LYS will not be happy with this - I am sorry ladies - truly I am. This is important to me. When I have knit ALL my stash yarn, I will gladly buy more.

3. De-clutter my home.
Garage sale, donate, and toss are the categories! How freeing this will be!! I have alot of things that we don't use, need, or want - I am going to find homes for them or sell them or throw them away... but they are not staying a the Christensen Huis any longer!!

4. More home cooked meals!
This will help with a healthier life style and with a healthier wallet! And, I will spend time listening to my kids as we prepare dinner together!!! I love how this plan is coming together, don't you???

5. Prioritize time better.
People, I am the Chief Procrastinator! There is some sick part of me that believes that it is better if you are in a panic to complete a task. No more - there is a plan and I am sticking to it! As with budgeting money, my time is going to be budgeted as well. I have been working on this since the 1st and I know that after 30 days, this will be so much easier. This time management will help with all the other resolutions - and will help me be successful as I move forward into 2007.

I am excited and a bit anxious for what lays ahead - I shall keep you all posted on my progress.

2007!!

2007-01-01T09:35:00.000-05:00

Good Morning One and All! Hopefully none of you had too much New Year's Eve cheer last night and are bright eyed and bushy tailed this morning!

The New Year dawned here gray and dreary outdoors but we are sunny and bright here inside at the Holland Huis - at least those of us who are up are bright and sunny! I hosted a small New Year's get-together for my kids last evening. The ladies are up and the boys are still snoring away. I even got a good nights sleep - so there was not too much commotion last night! I have fresh turn overs and juice awaiting the sleeping giants!

So, it is the day of resolutions! Are you all ready? I know I am not! I have some that are easy, but others that are hard. I will share shortly - I have to get them from my brain onto paper!

I read a really great New Years post this morning at Felt Like Knitting so I thought that I would share my "Top Ten Reasons I Like Knit Blogging" - drum roll please.....
10. Podcasts!
9. Journaling - I have found this to be a wonderful way to keep track of thoughts and ideas.
8. Swaps, Exchanges, and KAL's. This has been so much fun! I have especially enjoyed SP8 and 9 that I participated in in 2006. I have also met some awesome knitters in this process and I cherish their friendship! 7. Meeting other bloggers! This past summer I got to meet several fellow knit bloggers at Threadbear in Lansing. Laurie, Handknitter Sarah, Lynne from New York, Sharon, West Michigan Laura, and Susie all traveled over to Lansing for a day of knitting fun. I am hoping that 2007 will allow for meeting these lovely ladies again and that I will have the opportunity to meet more of my Knit Blogger Friends!
6. Discovering Etsy shops online! This has been amazing as I have found wonderful sources for amazing yarns. You are all so talented - and I am honored to be able to buy your yarns and knit them into something lovely for myself or my loved ones.
5. Stash explosion - see above!
4. Teaching knitting classes and taking knitting classes- although I am not in the same league as Handknitter Sarah - I have discovered that I love helping other knitters learn a new technique. I also have discovered that, while I am a fairly new knitter - I had my 2 year knitiversary in 2006, I love learning new techniques. On my calendar for 2006 is to join a group to knit an afgan one square a month and to tackle lace!
3. Discovering all the knitting helps there are online! From Knitty.com to all the other knitting help sites - what a treasure trove of amazing information.
2. Finding comfort in the camaraderie that exsists in the knitting community. This is a giving group of people - I am amazed. Here is to making 2007 as amazing!
and my number 1 reason I liked knit blogging this year...
1. Being inspired, sometimes amused, and always touched by reading what you are all doing in your lives. Thank you all so much for sharing!

Have a most Blessed New Year!

SP9 Questions

2006-12-27T20:54:00.000-05:00

Here are my pals responses:

1. The oddest gift you have ever received (not asked for)
when I was 16, my parents gave me a complete set of luggage. i thought they were trying to tell me something...like to take a hike, get lost, or it was time to move
2) the oddest gift you ever asked for
a baby.
3) the oddest gift you ever gave
I would like to think I don't give odd presents...but ummm....hmmmm...honestly I don't know. I try to be so practical in gift giving.
4) the worse gift you ever got
Most certainly it would have to be the Precious moments Christmas wrapping paper that my MIL gave me one year. I do like PM and she thought I would enjoy the wrapping paper to use for the next year. Hey, it's the same year she gave hubby a case of salad dressing. :)

My answers:

1. Boy, I had to think long and hard about this one - I think the oddest gift I ever received - that I did not ask for - was a George Foreman grill!

2. The oddest gift I ever asked for - hmmmm, some people would say that all the gifts I ask for are odd! :-) But, I suppose it would be the year I begged, and I mean begged - for a serger! All that begging must of worked, I got one!

3. The oddest gift I ever gave - hmmmmm, I guess there have been some odd things I have given - no fruit cake on the list though! I gave my first husband an antique "Santa" advertisement. He returned the "begging favor" and I got it for him!

4. The worst gift - hmmm, now this is really difficult, I am telling you - there has not been a gift that I felt was "worst" - oh, I know - the year someone gave me some really awful perfume - you know, the kind that if you have it on, it arrives days before you do!?!

I have to tell you all.... my spoilee has been a true blessing. She is an amazing mom.... She home schools their children, her spouse is in the military. They host "alone" military family members at their home for holidays. She is amazing - and more!! I could not have been more blessed to receive such an amazing pal. We are having an awesome time getting to know each other - I believe that this is the start of a friendship for life. Thank you SP9 for starting us on the path to friendship.

We have had an amazing time getting to know each other. :-)

Birthday Blues

2006-12-27T15:57:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone - I am so glad that today is my birthday AND that year number 45 is OVER! This past year has had its downs and downs (not many ups unfortunately). But, the year is over and a new day dawns on year 46 - I see it rising with hope and promise.

It has been a year of struggles - loosing a job I had worked at for a long time - a place that I gave my all and more to. Only to be "downsized". What a lovely term that is, huh? Trust me, trying to find a job at age 45 is not so spectacular. Almost every job I applied for I was told I was "over-qualified" (translation, per a nice HR person, you make too much money) When a company can hire someone for less, they do so - and I don't blame them so much. But, it was a challenge. I took a job offer in hopes that looking for employment while employed is so much more successful. It took some time, but it did work (one of the few things that did work out in year 45).

Then there have been the personal struggles - my husband determined this summer that he wanted to leave. He did so for over 4 months. In November he had contacted me to tell me how miserable he was, and we decided to go for counseling. He moved back in. We went to counseling and unfortunately he did not hear what he wanted to - mind you, the counselor told EACH of us what we needed to work on and she gave us homework each week to work on together. My husband was home less that 3 weeks when he determined that he needed to move out again. He has been gone ever since - yet he managed to call today to wish me a "happy birthday" - what I wanted to say was it would have been happier if he had not called. I did not say that - I just thanked him for the call and went on with my day. I am not letting him come back home again. No more ups and downs there anymore.

Right around Thanksgiving, my daughter's best friend's father committed suicide. It suddenly made all my problems pale in comparison - amazing how quickly life gains perspective. My family surrounded this family with meals, prayers, shoulders for tears, and we cried tears with them as well. My daughter still cannot comprehend what happened - and we struggled with Christmas joy when this family is still hurting so very much. We found thanks in the simple promise of Christmas though - and we were so happy to have each other.

If it had not been for my faith and knitting, I surely would have lost what was left of my mind. Although, my kids somedays will tell you I am crazy! I am looking forward to this new year and all the opportunities that it will bring. I am teaching some new knitting classes in a NEW place. And, I have decided to join the local chapter of the Knitting Guild here in Holland. I also am going to make it a priority to get back to choir (both bell and voice) regularly. I allowed myself to be absent and that was not good.

I also got my kids a kitten for Christmas - Miss Noel is quite a character. Copper and Penny think so too. There is much running and chasing going on at our house these days - and I realize that I need to "kitty proof" my living room! I shall get a picture posted soon of Noel. She is adorable, 12 weeks old, and she is a calico. And, she is such a mischief maker. She is providing comic relief and tell me, who can ever have too much comic relief??? Laughter is a balm for the weary soul.

So, as my 46th year dawns - I see the light of new promise and like the birth of the blues - I shall sing and dance on! Tonight, I shall drink a wee toast to all of you, my blog friends. Cheers!

Welcome to our world!

2006-12-25T07:39:00.000-05:00

I want to share with you all something written by R. Kent Hughes from "The Gift". May your Christmas day be most blessed!

The Birth of Christ

From ground level, Joseph and Mary were insignificant nobodies from a nothing town. They were peasants. They were poor, uneducated, of no account.
Joseph and Mary capsulized the mystery of grace - because the King does not come to the proud and powerful, but to the poor and powerless. As happens so often in life, things were not as they seemed to the world around, because humble Mary and Joseph were the father and mother of the King of Kings.
They appeared to be helpless pawns caught in the movements of secular history. But every move was being made by the hand of God. The Messiah had to be born in tiny, insignificant Bethlehem! As the virgin traveled, she bore under her steady beating heart, hidden from the world, the busy thumping heart of God.
The Creator had woven Himself a robe of virgin flesh.
The baby Mary carried was not a Caesar, a man would would claim to be a god, but a far greater wonder - God who had become a man!
The journey left Mary increasingly weary as she trod those dusty miles to the south. And when she and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem they were exhausted - especially Mary. And then the pains began. Perhaps at first young Mary wasn't sure and didn't say anything to Joseph. But then, when there was no doubt that it was the real thing, she informed him - probably with tears. She was just a girl of thirteen or fourteen years.
We are all familiar with the haunting simplicity of Luke's description of the birth: "While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, as son."
In Bethlehem the accommodations for travelers were primitive. The Easter inn was the crudest of arrangements. Typically it was a series of stalls built on the inside of an enclosure and opening onto the common yard where the animals were kept. All the innkeeper provided was fodder for the animals and a fire to cook on. On that cold day when the expectant parents arrived, nothing at all was available, not even one of those crude stalls. And despite the urgency no one would make room for them. So it was probably in the common courtyard where the travelers' animals were tethered that Mary gave birth to Jesus - with only Joseph attending.
Joseph must have wept, as well as Mary. Mary's pain, the stinking barnyard, their poverty, the indifference, the humiliation, the sense of utter helplessness, the shame of not being able to provide for young Mary on the night of her travail - it would make a man either curse of cry.
If we imagine that it was into a freshly swept, County Fair stable that Jesus was born, we miss the whole point. It was wretched - scandalous! There was sweat and pain and blood and cries as Mary reached to the stars for help. The earth was cold and hard. The smell of birth was mixed into a wretched bouquet with the stench of manure and acrid straw. Trembling carpenter's hands, clumsy with fear, grasped God's Son slippery with blood - the baby's tiny limbs waving helplessly as if falling through space - his face grimacing as he gasped the cold and his cry pierced the night.
My mother groaned, my father wept. Into the dangerous world I leapt.
It was a leap down - as if the Son of God rose from his splendor, stood poised at the rim of the universe, and dove headlong, speeding through the stars over the Milky Way to earth's galaxy, finally past Arcturus, where he plunged into a huddle of animals. Nothing could be lower.
Luke finishes the picture: "She wrapped him in strips of cloth and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn." Mary counted his fingers. She and Joseph wiped him clean as best they could by firelight, but Mary wrapped each of his little round, steaming arms and legs with strips of cloth - mummy-like. No one helped her. She laid him in a feeding trough.
It was low. No child born into the world that day seemed to have lower prospects. The Son of God was born into the world not as a prince but a s a pauper. We must never forget that this is where Christianity began - and were it always begins. It begins with a sense of need, a graced sense of one's insufficiency. Christ comes to the needy. Ultimately, he is born in those who are "poor in spirit."
The story moves quickly as Christ's birth is announced. Shepherds were the first to hear. "And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified." The shepherds on that wintry night were naturally huddled close to their fire, while above, the icy constellations swept by. Suddenly, as if a star burst, glory dazzled the night, and an honored angel stepped forth as the shepherds recoiled in great fear - despite his reassuring words.
That the message came to shepherds first, and not to the high and mighty, once again brings us to the refrain that God comes to the needy, the "poor in spirit." Shepherds were despised by the "good," respectable people of that day. They were regarded as thieves. The only ones lower than shepherds, at this particular time in Jewish history, were lepers.
God wants us to get it straight: He comes to those who sense their need. He does not come to the self-sufficient. Christmas is for those who need Jesus! Whatever our situation, He can deliver us. The angel said the "good news" was for "all the people." Whoever you are, He can deliver you. "Because Jesus lives forever...he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them" (Hebrews 7:24-25). Listen to the angel's words, again, slowly: "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."
Now see what happens. "Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." Here we need a little Christmas imagination. Perhaps there was a flash and suddenly the bewildered shepherds were surrounded by angels.
Not well that it says that it was a "great company" - beyond count. I think that every angel was there because this was the most amazing and greatest event that had ever happened in the universe. I think they stretched from horizon to horizon, obscuring the winter constellations. I like to imagine that they radiated gold, pink, electric blue, hyacinth, and ultraviolet - and that some were sparkling. And then, when they lifted their voices to God, it was cosmic stereo!
How we all would like to have been there - to be a fly on the ear of one of the shepherds' sheep. But hear this: though the choir in Heaven did it, we on earth have a part, and it is the best part, because we are children of grace. God became man, not an angel. God redeemed us, not angels. Ours is the best part, and we will sing it for eternity!
The angels departed, the glory that lit the countryside faded, the constellations reappeared, and the shepherds were alone. They allowed no grass to grow under their feet. They took off running, leaping the low Judean fences, and entered the enclosure wide-eyed and panting. They searched the stalls and quickly found the new mother and her Babe out in the open among the animals. Immediately they began to announce the good news, telling all who would listen about the angels and the baby. When they left, they continued glorifying and praising God for all they had experienced.
This Christmas is not enough to hear about Jesus. It is not enough to come peek in the manger and say, "Oh, how nice. What a lovely scene. It gives me such good feelings." The truth is, even if Christ were born in Bethlehem a thousand times and not in you, you would be eternally lost. The Christ who was born into the world must be born in your heart.
Christmas sentiment without the living Christ is a yellow brick road to darkness. That is the terrifying thing about all the Chrismas glitz - that Christmas can be burried by materialism and sentiment and people will not even know or care.
He really did come into the world; and because of this, he really can come into your heart. This Christmas, let us lay our lives before Him and receive the gift.
In this world of sin,
Where meek souls will
receive him still
The dear Christ enters in.

Christmas is coming....

2006-12-21T07:20:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone! Are you almost ready for Christmas? Has your Advent experience been getting you ready for Monday? There is still time to stop and think about what all this preparation is really all about. I absolutely love this time of the year - the lights, the music, the decorations - all of it! But, the reason I love it most is what was done for me 2000 years ago in a stable - we all got the best gift we will ever get - and we did not have to put it on our list or worry about anyone watching whether we have been naughty or nice - how awesome is that? If you have not done so - get out the Christmas story and read it with your family before Monday - spend a few minutes - or longer - thinking about the gift of Jesus. I promise you that they will be minutes well spent as we all hustle around so we are ready for Christmas morning.

Speaking of gifts...I had a package waiting at my doorstep when I got home last night. My secret pal had struck again - I will try and have my daughter help me post photos this weekend, but I will share with you all the great little gifts she sent me (I was worried, I had not heard from her and I am glad she is alright!!) I got some awesome Sockotta yarn - in a denimy colorway - I can see some new socks in the New Year from this great yarn. She also sent me some awesome finishing clips - wow, these are so cool. I have seen ones like them in magazines but not in any of the LYS's in my area - good incentive to jump in to seaming up a project!! I also got a great little scissors!! I find that scissors are a bit like measuring tapes - I know I have them but where are they??? She also sent me a GREAT magnet! I love it and it is residing on my fridge! It will be great to keep my 2007 Knitting Goals list in sight!

Speaking of 2007 Knitting Goals, have you all been to YarnLife?? If you have knitting goals for the New Year and want some help this is the place for you to go! What better way than to stay on track with fellow knitters. I also want to remind you all that there is still time to knit a cap or two for Caps to the Capital. Knittymama had a great reminder on her blog about this. You can get directions at Caps to the Capital. Won't you join me in knitting a cap or two? I think that Knittymama also has a link for a contest if you knit also! There is some additional incentive.

I hope that all of you, my blogging friends, have a very Blessed Christmas!

Coffee Goodness and an amazing scarf

2006-12-17T12:03:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone - while I cannot post a photo (I cannot find the camera cord!!) I wanted to thank Carin for the wonderful goodies she sent me! It was an awesome box of goodies! Starting with some Cherry Tree Hill sock yarn in a yummy coffee blend of colors, some yummy Chocolate Cherry Walnut biscotti, some delicious Rocky Road Fudge, some awesome coffee - Demon - roasted locally in New Hampshire where Carin lives - wow is it amazingly good! She topped off my package with some much needed "knitters" post it notes entitled - "socks, socks, socks". Quite appropriate! Carin, thank you so much for the yummy goodies! You were a great swap partner!

I also wanted to post photos from the ISE2, but as I said earlier - I have no clue where the cord to the camera is! Too much Christmas clean up!!
I received such an awesome scarf package from Nancy - she knit a gorgeous scarf out of Alpaca - wow, I am impressed! I also got 2 skeins of Noro Kuryeon - my favorite! Thanks, Nancy for the lovely goodies!

It has been a hectic time here at the homestead - I am behind on so many things! Work has been very busy, this is a good thing, but I could use a little respite! I am vowed to finish my Christmas shopping this weekend - I need to finish up the stocking stuffers. I have one mitten left to knit - so I am confident that my holiday knitting will be complete. I also seem to have come down with some kind of bug - I am tired all the time, my nose is drippy and my throat is a bit scratchy! I am eating Vitamin C's and working on trying to get some rest! Hope you are all doing well as Advent winds down and we await Christmas.

Have a great week all.

Norovember goodies!

2006-11-30T08:07:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone - sorry it has been so long between posts, but I have been so busy at work! It has been a bit crazy here!

I have finished my Clapotis! I LOVE IT! This is probably my favorite item ever knit - it is so soft, and I really love how the yarn worked so perfectly with this pattern. I have worn it for several days now and I get compliments every day on it!

Here is the photo shoot that my daughter took last night after work:

It is amazing, isn't it?

If you have not knit Clapotis, you need to - it is a fun knit!

And, it is so versatile!

Go to Knitty and knit Clapotis!

On the other front of Norovember - I have completed mittens that I cannot publish here yet - shhhh, they are a secret! I am working on a second pair and will start pair #3 after that. I have also almost finished the sleeves for a sweater that I cannot publish yet either. Norovember has been very productive for me!!

Hope you are all having a great week - I will try and catch you all up this weekend.

Secret Pal 9 Goodies!

2006-11-20T15:39:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone! Are you all getting hungry for some Turkey and all the fixing? I sure am!! My daughter #2 and I have been menu planning for a couple of weeks now! We have got our "game on" and we have our cooking marathon planned! From potatoes to stuffing, from cranberries to veggies, from turkey (fresh from an Amish friend) to pumpkin pie (from fresh pumpkins and home made crust) Heidi and I are ready to prepare the "Feast". I am so blessed to have a daughter who loves to cook like I do. She is fun in the kitchen as well - I love the holidays.

I arrived home on Friday and found a wonderful box on my doorstep - my Secret Pal has struck! Inside the box were some wonderful goodies - a great circular needle case, some amazing coffee (I have tried it - wow is it good) Buzz Blend is so wonderful! I also recieved a new tape measure - I, like the Harlot, can never find a tape measure when I need it - there has to be 8 gajillion in my house - however, none in plain sight! She sent me the rare and coveted Black Sheep from Lantern Moon. He is so cute! I love him!! I also got a amazing skein of Alpaca in a great brown/black/grey colorway. It is so soft - wow. Beautiful stuff. Thank you so much Secret Pal - you made my week! I will post pictures on Wednesday when my daughter gets back home from her dad's house.

Speaking of daughter #2 - she gets her driver's license on Friday! This will be great. And, she is excited!

I have so many things to be thankful for this year - many, many things. I will share more later - have a great day all.

Yarn Aboard Goodies and more!

2006-11-16T21:53:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone - wow has it been busy here! New job and stuff to learn makes for long days!

I wanted to share with you all the wonderful things I got from Lisa from Yarn Aboard - she sent Lewis and Clark loaded up with lots of goodies!

Anyway, Lisa sent me yarn to make not 1 but 2 pairs of socks! And, one of the yarns was STR that she got at Rhinebeck!! She included such wonderful little treats in her package - tea packets and mini M and M's and a great little notebook for my knitting bag! She also included some stamps for Easter cards!

Lisa - you are awesome. I really feel like you took the time to read my blog and get to know me! My daughter wants me to knit the funky socks you sent YESTERDAY! :-) They are so cute! I am looking forward to casting on with all the yarns you sent me!

Thanks for being a simply awesome pal! And, thanks to Amanda for organizing such a great swap! I will definately sign up again!!!

As for Norovember - I have finished my entrelac bag -

And - I am on the decreases on my Clap - she is looking lovely!

Hope you are all having a great week and will have an awesome weekend.
Night all!

Yarn Aboard!

2006-11-09T16:45:00.000-05:00

Lewis and Clark arrived at my doorstep yesterday - updates and photo's this weekend! :-)

Post Election Bliss - or not

2006-11-08T07:47:00.000-05:00

Hello Everyone. I don't know about you, but I am soooo happy that all the election ads are OVER! It was impossible to avoid them - they were EVERYWHERE! I never thought I'd be so happy to see November 8 roll around! I will avoid the discussion on winning and loosing candidates - I hope all of you voted - I did, end of subject!

On to Norovember! I am finished felting my entrelac bag - tres' cute! I will post photo's soon. I have to just weave in the ends of the Noro mittens I made for daughter #2 - shhhhh, they are a Christmas gift for her! I am two stitch markers from decrease rows on my Clap - I love this knit!! I am so happy I started it! I cast on at lunch yesterday Sursa for my girlfriend - again a Noro creation! My husband leaves Saturday morning for "Deer Camp" (more on my husband in a later post) but then I am going to finish the sweater I am knitting for him for his Christmas gift. Wow, there is a lot of Noro going on here!

My good friend Lynne has a great idea that you all need to sign up for. She is looking for mitten donations for some Buffalo inner city children. Let's all get over to her blog and sign up to send some mittens her way for This is the perfect way to get your family involved in helping! Knit mittens, buy mittens, clean out your mitten basket and send gently used, clean mittens! Help keep some kids hands warm this winter!

On the work front - I started a new job on Monday - more on that later, when my brain stops swirling around.

Have an awesome Wednesday everyone!

Norovember is well under way!

2006-11-02T16:31:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone! Hope all of you are having a marvelous week - I am working, knitting, cooking, and doing laundry! Life is hectic here in Holland! We have tests to study for, papers to write, books to read - and those are the things that I have to keep my teenagers on pace for! Halloween was a pretty good sized "speed bump" in the road for them. You know, houses to teepee, etc! :-)

On top of that, I am loving all of the Norovemberish things I am knitting! I have an entrelac purse that I am almost finished with, knitted in Kureyon - this will get felted and hidden away for a Christmas gift! I am half done with one fun mitten - knit from Kureyon and a strand of mohair - also a Christmas present. I need to cast on the sleeves for Cornelia Tuttle Hamilton's Larstorp in Iro! As you can see Norovember is well under way here!

Well, I have to get dinner in the oven - so I can sit down and knit ;-)

Have a great evening everyone!

Some Coffee and Norovember

2006-10-26T08:17:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone! Are you all ready for time change this weekend? An extra hour to sleep? I am excited because there is an extra hour to knit! That is awesome in my opinion - although I do have to work Friday night and all day Saturday. I will still have an extra hour to knit!

My daughter has the "Decomposers Festival" tonight - a ghoulishly fun time for orchestra students! What is "Decomposers Festival" you ask? Well - it is a concert where all students dress up for Halloween - and the audience can dress up as well. They play some "scary" music - and since my daughter is so witty and bright - she and her friends are the "deal or no deal" girls - I know, what am I thinking! Pick your battles, parents. But, Heidi is in the Chamber Orchestra and the Symphony Orchestra - so I get to listen to her play twice! It is a fun time for all.

Does anyone out there like coffee as much as I do? If you do you might want to head over to the Knitter's Coffee Swap site and sign up. Hurry - there are only 50 spots available and I have taken one of them!!

If that does not interest you but you love Noro yarn then Norovember maybe be for you. I was so excited about this KAL - I have cast on Clapotis in Noro Silk Garden - I just took a class on entrelac and knitting backwards - yes, knitting backwards - and I picked Noro Kureyon for that - it will be the cutest felted bag when I am done. AND, I got some Silk Garden this summer at a 'close out sale' to make my girlfriend Sursa for Christmas. I also want to get out a sweater I had started last year - all I need to do is finish the sleeves of Larstorp done and sew it together! If I get really motivated and get all these projects done - I can cap off the month by knitting Gesta with some Kochoran I got on sale this summer as well. I think that Norovember will be soo much fun.

Hope you are all having a great week. I cannot believe that October is almost over - but it has been much colder than normal here with snow and freezing rain. I hope that November warms up a bit!

Have a great Thursday all!

48 Things You Could Care Less About

2006-10-18T13:47:00.000-04:00

1. FIRST NAME? Kathy
2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? I sure was – my mom and a great aunt.
3. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY? Yesterday. I cry easily – like for commercials. I am pretty sappy!
4. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? It is not bad, if I do say so myself.
5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCHMEAT? I am not a fan of cold lunch meat – but I adore corned beef and hot pastrami sandwiches.
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Yes, I am a good listener and extremely loyal.
7. DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL? Blog
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Nope, they have been gone for years.
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Not in this life – or the next!
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Special K Red berry – mmmm, I like that stuff.
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Hmmm, do I have a pair of tie shoes? I don’t think so, but if I did I don’t think I would untie.
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Strong? As in muscles? Nope – but I am strong in faith, strong in spirit, and extremely bull headed!
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? Anything coffee flavored.
14. SHOE SIZE? I am a size 8 ½ to a 9, depending on the style.
5. RED OR PINK? Red, never – EVER pink. I am not a pastel kind of gal.
16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? My procrastination.
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My Nana.
18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? Sure, or at least leave a comment so I can go read it!
19. WHAT COLOR PANTS, SHIRT AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Black pants and shoes and a green shirt and jacket.
20. LAST THING YOU ATE? Chicken tenders at Uccello’s for lunch today.
21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Muzak at the office and Teresa talking.
22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Orange.
23. FAVORITE SMELL? Bread baking in the oven and the smell of newborn babies!
24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Jodi, of course.
25. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE YOU ARE ATTRACTED TO? Their smile.
26. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON you stole THIS from? I think I do – I like to read her blog.
27. FAVORITE DRINK? Chardonnay, please.
28. FAVORITE SPORT? College football – college basketball, pick one depending on the season.
29. EYE COLOR? Hazel
30. HAT SIZE? I don’t know, large? Not that it is filled with brains! ;-)
31. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Nope, I am at the “in between” stage of glasses – not quite ready for reading glasses.
32. FAVORITE FOOD? Pasta anything.
33. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Never, ever scary movies – happy endings, please.
35. SUMMER OR WINTER? Hmm, I love all seasons, but if I had to choose I would say winter.
36. HUGS OR KISSES? I have to pick????
37. FAVORITE DESSERT? Crème Brulee.
38. WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? I have no clue.
39. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? See #38.
40. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING? Other than knitting books? Hmmm, maybe I need to get books on tape – then I can “read” and knit!
41. WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE Pad? Not a thing.
42. WHAT DID YOU WATCH LAST NIGHT ON TV? Jeopardy and Law and Order something or other. Now if I answered on Thursday I would say Grey’s Anatomy and ER.
43. FAVORITE SOUNDS? My daughter playing the cello (only a mother would love that – and she is so much better now than when she began 5 years ago!)
44. ROLLING STONE OR BEATLES? Both – there is no way to choose!
45. THE FURTHEST YOU'VE BEEN FROM HOME? China
46. WHAT'S YOUR SPECIAL TALENT? I don’t know if a positive, upbeat attitude is a special talent, but if it is not, I don’t have one.
47. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Zeeland, Michigan
48. WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? Stolen from http://www.januaryone.com/!

Have an awesome Wednesday everyone!

Swap Pictures or I Am One Lucky Knitter!

2006-10-15T16:40:00.000-04:00

Hello Everyone - I wanted to show off the treasures I recently received from my swap partners!

First off from Renee who was my partner in KTS2 I got these wonderful goodies - I wanted the picture to do justice to my discription! Thank you Renee! Notice especially the cute card with "Knitting Mice" on the front! I love it and all the treats, Renee!!

Next up are the goodies I got from Shelley my Hot Socks Swap pal. How awesome are they? She did a GREAT job of spoiling me! I am one happy knitter -

Thank you Ladies for the wonderful treasures you sent me! You both rock!!

When it rains, it snows?

2006-10-12T08:29:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone - well, I am certainly one lucky knitter. It has been raining swap boxes this week! And, we had our first SNOW last night!!

Renee was my spoiler and did she spoil me!! I will post photo's this weekend, but I wanted to share with you what treasures she sent to me! In my package, all neatly wrapped, were not 1 but 2 skeins of Lamb's Pride worsted in the Winter Blue colorway. There was a skein of Sockotta yarn in an awesome blue, green, grey colorway (can you say Socktoberfest?) She sent me not 1 but 3 different teas - Zhena's Gypsy tea bags, Almond Happiness loose leaf, and Cherry Vanilla loose leaf! 2 HUGE bars of dark chocolate with orange! And, a great candle with a lovely Christmas holder. Renee, you are so amazing - what awesome gifts. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I feel so spoiled!

Have a great day everyone - and if it is cold where you are - stay warm!

Really HOT socks!

2006-10-11T08:16:00.000-04:00

Hello Everyone - I arrived home last night and found a package on my doorstep! Shelley was my Hot Socks Swap partner and she sent me a little box filled with big goodies! Inside was a lovely card hoping that I enjoy the goodies as much as she enjoyed getting it ready for me!! Shelley - I LOVE THEM! She made me the most gorgeous "sock bag" - I love the fabric and I have already filled it with a pair of socks I am working on! I will post pictures this weekend when my daughter brings the camera home! Inside the bag were some awesome treasures - a skein of Regia sock yarn in a wonderful blue-brown-green colorway, a small knitted bag that held 6 gorgeous green stitch markers that Shelley made herself! They are so cute! And, they are my favorite color!!! She also included a bag of Starbucks Bella Florentina Coffee! Thanks so much Shelley for the wonderful gifts you sent!

Get to know you questions!

2006-10-05T07:25:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone.

Jody, one of the hostesses from SP9, posted some questions on her blog - I invite anyone to answer them - as she did. Here are the questions and my answers!

1. Where is your favorite knitting spot?
I love to knit anywhere - but my favorite spot is the sofa in the living room. My dogs will come and get curled up with me as I knit - makes for a peaceful way to pass time.

2. If you suddenly could never knit again (shudder) - what would you do instead?
Boy - this is a tough question! I am sure that I would make cards - and probably alot more than I am doing now! I also might do a little quilting occasionally! I would definately not be as happy doing those things as I am knitting!!

3. If you could travel anywhere in the world - where would you go and why?
Scotland - I am fortunate to have been there twice - but I would love to live there! I certainly would like to go back as a knitter - I was not knitting when I went there before. The people are so nice, the scotch is so good, and the country is so gorgeous!

4. When you were little - What did you want to do "when you grew up?" Are you doing it?
I wanted to be a mom more than anything in the world - I got my wish, I have 3 amazing children who are the joy of my life!

5. What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?
I love coffee icecream!

Have a great day everyone - please leave me your email address or blog address so I can stop by and say hello!

Socktoberfest questions...

2006-10-04T11:57:00.000-04:00

Hello Everyone - Lolly asked us Socktoberfesters to answer a few questions about our sock knitting history. So - here it is!

When did you start making socks? Did you teach yourself or were you taught by a friend or relative? or in a class? I started about 2 years ago, when I began knitting. The LYS where I took my first class was having a "toe up sock" class. I loved the sock yarns - and the teacher/owner promised me that I could do this! So, I signed up.

What was your first pair? How have they "held up" over time? My first pair was some self striping yarn and they were awful - my heels sucked. I was taught short row heels and I had major difficulty with the wraps and turns. I also struggled with the cast on technique - thank goodness for Judy Becker!! The socks have held up well - no one wears them! I use them as an example in my classes that I now teach on toe up socks.

What would you have done differently? I would have frogged them and knit the heels again. I would have also spent some time looking for a better pattern!! I was intimidated by dpns - I should have tried them. The second pair I knit was out of Cascade Fixation - I made some socks for my daughter - they turned out wonderfully - knit on dpns - and they have lasted wonderfully!!

What yarns have you particularly enjoyed? I love Lorna's Laces, Koigu, and Schaefer sock yarns. I also have knit socks with Blue Sky Alpaca Silk and with Drops and with Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino - wow are they also nice to knit with!! RY Cashsoft is also yummy and makes even yummier socks!

Do you like to crochet your socks? or knit them on DPNs, 2 circulars, or using the Magic Loop method? I have never, ever crocheted socks - eewwww! LOL. I have knit socks on dpns, 2 circs, magic loop and I really prefer dpns. Don't tell my students - I teach toe up magic loop!

Which kind of heel do you prefer? (flap? or short-row?) I love the heel flap version for myself - it fits my foot better. It also fits daughter #2 better, but daughter #1 prefers short-rowed heels.

How many pairs have you made? I have knit myself 2 pairs, daughter #1 - 2 pairs, daughter #2 4 pairs. Shhhh, I am working on Christmas socks for my son and my mom! My completed total is 8 pairs.

Have a great day everyone!!

International Scarf Exchange VS Socktoberfest

2006-10-03T11:00:00.000-04:00

What a battle!

I am trying to finish my scarf for my ISE Pal - but I was overcome by Socktoberfest yesterday! I tried to resist but I was down for the count - have you all seen the new Jo Sharp book? Knit 1 has some awesome patterns in it - and there are not one but TWO sock patterns in it! Of course I was looking at the Alpaca Silk Gorgette and before I knew it I was casting on a pair of socks! I am doing the lovely picot-edged socks in the book. I have about 3" done on sock one. I hear my scarf calling to me - traitorous knitter that I am - I am ignoring her. I have about 36" done - half way - and I have "floor time" at work tomorrow, I promise that I will sit and knit during the 4 1/2 hour time block. I am a captive audience for calls from people asking about interest rates, etc. It has not been the most productive time spent - work wise, but it is excellent knitting time!

We had rain again yesterday - and more is expected for today. The leaves are beginning to turn colors - I bet that north of here they are getting some great color. We will all have to stop in to say "hi" to Susie and ask her how the leaves are looking. You might also check out her Etsy shop - she spins and dyes some amazing yarns. Be sure to tell her that Kat sent you. All you Socktoberfest and Hot Socks participants might find something lovely to knit up a pair of socks for yourself or your loved ones!

I better get back to work here gang - have an awesome Tuesday!

SP9 Questionaire Answers

2006-10-01T21:03:00.000-04:00

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like? I love Jo Sharp and Rowan – basically anything they do. I also love Shaefer, Lorna’s Laces, To Knit Perchance To Dream – Susie’s yarns are so awesome, and Koigu for socks (or lacework). I would love to try some STR – I have not had the pleasure as of yet. I am not a fan of acrylic’s at all.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in? Good question – I am currently not using anything other than the packaging they came in.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced? I have been knitting 2 years – my Knitaversary was August 17. I would consider myself an adventurous intermediate – or I know enough to be dangerous!

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list? Yes, I do.

5. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products, etc.) I like crisp, clean scents. I really don't care for floral-y scents at all.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy? I do have a bit of a sweet tooth – and I love dark chocolate.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin? I have been known to make a card or two and I sew. I do not spin.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD) I love jazz – Diana Krall, Michael Buble’, Tony Bennet, Harry Connick Jr. are some of my favorites. Yes, my pc can play MP3’s.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand? I tend to gravitate towards earthy tones; greens, browns, rusts, greys, blacks. I dislike pastel colors – pinks, yellows, beige.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets? I have 3 teenagers (Rachel, Heidi, and Sam) and 2 Cavalier King Charles Spaniels (Copper and Penny).

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos? Scarves and mittens – yes. Hats – not very often. Poncho’s – occasionally.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit? Socks!

13. What are you knitting right now? I am working on a couple of sweaters, some slippers for Christmas gifts and socks.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts? I love to receive handmade gifts!

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic? I prefer circ’s and I have a nice collection of Addi’s, some bamboo, and some Bryspun plastics that are great for lacework.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift? No – I do not.

17. How old is your oldest UFO? Boy – I have a sweater that is almost 2 years old. Yikes!

18. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas and Easter!

19. Is there anything that you collect? Antiques and Santa's.

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have? I have been bitten by the “lace” bug recently – I don’t have a lot of lace patterns, but would love to work on a collection of them. I have a subscription to IK.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn? I am a “beginning” lace knitter. I have knit some lace socks – they are treasured by my daughter who I made them for. I picked up a skein of Lorna’s Lace this summer and have recently cast on the Half Pie Shawl – and I really love how it is looking. Of course, it is a fairly uncomplicated pattern! I love the shawls that I am seeing on so many blogs – I would love to learn lace knitting and in all it’s complicated glory!

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements? Oh, yes – I am such a sock knitter! I wear a ladies size 8 ½ M shoe, my foot is 10” long – and I like my socks to be a little loose on my foot.

23. When is your birthday? (mm/dd) 12/27

SP 9 and much more fun!

2006-10-01T13:33:00.000-04:00

Hello Everyone! SP 9 starts today! Wooo Hoooo! Socktoberfest starts today, too! Could life get better????

I am knitting more inches of my scarf and plotting out my sock progress! I am so excited to work on socks! I have some plans for socks and October!

Did you all see my post from yesterday? There is a contest brewing here as well - If you post your suggestions for this lovely Indira Gandhi yarn -

Some lacy pattern - any and all suggestions will be entered into a drawing. You have until Midnight - EST - on Friday to post your suggestions. You could be the lucky winner of a skein of Shaefer Anne for Socktoberfest!

On to SP9 - the questionaire's are posted on the blog and I will be working on my answers and posting them later today. Hope all of you are having a great Sunday!

Dreary Weekends and a CONTEST!

2006-09-30T09:53:00.000-04:00

Hello Everyone! It is Saturday and it is still raining! We saw a rainbow last weekend, so I knot that the flood is not coming - but I am sure it has been raining for almost 40 days! It has been cool and damp - good weather to have a fire in the fireplace (if you have one) and get your knit on!
I have been working on my scarf for my scarf pal - it is gaining in length s-l-o-w-l-y but surely. I love the yarn I chose - Alpaca with a Twist Baby Alpaca. This yarn is a dream to knit with. I am seeing some socks in my future using this yarn!
Socks seem to be the theme for fall - from Socktoberfest to Hot Socks the blog world is filled with sock themes. I have read about sock knitter casualties from Sock Wars to Toasty Toe Knitters working on their socks for their pals. If this does not get your fingers itching to cast on some socks - I don't know what will!! I am teaching another sock class in October as well - I love new sock knitters!
I did some "Stash Enhancement" yesterday - I tried so hard to resist, but I found a skein of Schaefer Andrea yarn (100% silk) in the Indira Gandhi colorway. Before I knew it I was shelling out some money and driving away with this treasure. There are 1093 yards of this beautiful silk - I am going to look for a lace pattern to knit this up into. I will welcome any and all suggestions for patterns. I think I can even have a contest around this - the winning suggestion will get a skein of Shaefer Anne for a pair of socks! Leave your posts as to your suggestions - I am excited to see what your ideas are!
Have a good weekend everyone - stay warm and dry!

Autumn is here!

2006-09-23T16:45:00.000-04:00

Are you ready for some knitting? Socktoberfest is right around the corner!! What could be more fun than knitting socks on an Autumn day! Get on over to Lolly's and sign up!

I am so ready - I have my sock patterns and have been looking for some fun yarns! I want to do Widdershins from Knitty in some lovely Mountain Colors Barefoot - in a gorgeous fall colorway. And - some Jaywalkers, I think in some Koigu I recently acquired. And - I have some awesome Lorna's Laces that I got from Judy that I am itching to knit. So many fun things to do! Get your knit on people! It's Socktoberfest!

Rainy days and Mondays....

2006-09-18T14:42:00.000-04:00

Hello there, it is a rainy, cool Monday here and I have come down with a heck of a cold. Can a Monday get better than this?

I am working from home today so I won't infect my entire office - although I am sure that is where I got this cold!

It was a quiet week and weekend - I worked most of it, but I had yesterday off - I slept most of the day and I knit a little. So much for a productive day of knitting!

I have a beginning knitting class to teach this week - that should be fun! But, I have decided to not teach classes next month. I have to work on a fundraiser for school and I can see that it is going to require some extra time to get it done correctly.

The new season of television is here! Are you all excited for Grey's Anatomy to start on Thursday night??? Okay, I know - I admit - I am BORING!!! :-)

Well, I better get back to work - have a great day everyone!

16 Candles!

2006-09-10T19:24:00.000-04:00

16 Years ago, I gave birth to the most amazing baby - she was a gift from heaven. A sweet, adorable, sleeping through the night at 5 weeks of age miracle. Miss Heidi was a joy - the sweetest toddler - inspite of temper tantrums! And, she has turned out to be the most lovely young lady. Here she is with her best friend - my "other daughter" Shaina - my Heidi is on the right. She is 16 today and I could not be more proud of her. She is truly an awesome person - and I am blessed to call her daughter. God was smiling on me the day he sent her to me. I give thanks daily for this precious gift. 16 is a great age - she is 14 hours away from her permit - drive on, Miss Heidi-Lou-Who! I love you!

On the knitting front - I finished the socks from "Greetings from the Knit Cafe'" Wow - are they comfortable! Blue Sky Alpaca Silk - mmmmmmmmmmmmmm, are they a treat. These socks scream - put me on and relax! They are the first socks I have knit for me! What a treat they are!

I love them!!

Hope you all had an amazing weekend - I know I did!

Oooh Laaa La!

2006-09-08T19:43:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone! Happy Friday. I wanted to be the first to let you all know that Becky http://www.kniftyknitter.blogspot.com/ - my spoiler from SP8 - has started a KAL!!! Wooo Hoo Becky! Come on and join us in the Oooh Laaa La KAL http://www.lalaknitalong.blogspot.com/. It will be loads of fun - we are knitting the "La La Scarf"

Looks like fun? Go get the book - it has amazing patterns in it - you will want to knit them all! Or, maybe all of them ;-) Get some Kidsilk Haze and get your knit on! Join us and make this gorgeous creation for fall!

And, when you stop by to say 'hello' to Becky - congratulate her on her new job!!

Thanks everyone - and have an awesome weekend!!

Laboring on Labor Day

2006-09-04T16:36:00.000-04:00

Hello Everyone! Did you all have a great weekend? It was not bad here - I got all the furniture moved on Friday with the help of my friend. We unloaded the truck on Saturday morning with help from a couple of friends - so my garage is packed to the gills with furniture. I worked today on unpacking the boxes - putting things away and moving some furniture around. I moved in the kitchen (photo's later) a "sideboard" that has some excellent storage - it replaced a smaller cabinet that I moved downstairs for the stereo that came home from Clare - now the kids can have music (can you call what teenager's listen to music?) downstairs - thus saving my sanity. Smart mom, huh? I moved my bedroom around - but I am waiting to finish up until Kyle gets his dressers out of here. Then I will move in a couple more pieces from the garage.

I have been trying to diet - emphasis on trying - but it is not easy working 2 jobs and dieting! I am figuring that I have done some good exercise this weekend moving all that stuff around! That is a bonus - I am in the http://chub-club.blogspot.com/ and I am not happy to admit that I have only lost 1 lb. since signing up. I am hoping that stress keeps me from loosing weight - sounds good, doesn't it? :-)

I did get some knitting done last night and this afternoon - I worked on my socks from Knit Cafe - I am close to (within 10 rows) to my toe decreases! Woo Hoo - and just in time - the weather has been decidedly nippy at night - sock weather is knocking on the door. Photo's of these great socks are coming - stay posted.

Have a great evening everyone - school and work tomorrow.

Ushering in September

2006-09-01T07:38:00.000-04:00

Hello Everyone. Well, it is Friday and September 1st! Welcome September! I am ready for a new season - school to start - life to get back to normal (is there such a thing?).

As Labor Day weekend unfolds - I am heading to Clare today - moving furniture out of the cottage. A friend is helping me - and I am eternally grateful for his help. My challenge for the day is biting my tongue and saying nothing to my husband - wish me luck, or better yet - say a prayer for me!

The remainder of the weekend, I am cleaning the house and moving my bedroom furniture around. A new perspective all around.

On a positive note - SP8 ended yesterday and sign ups for http://secretpal9.blogspot.com/ start today. Get on over there and sign up - it is 3 months of fun.

Have a great long weekend everyone!

2006-08-30T19:25:00.000-04:00

OK Go - Here It Goes Again

Okay - one take and "Here It Goes Again" Now, this excercise could be fun!

The end of an era

2006-08-29T12:49:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone - I think it is time for me to share with you what has been going on in my life recently. It has been kind of surreal around here lately, but I am forging onward - taking it one day at a time.

My husband left me on July 17th - the day my basement flooded for the second time in a week. Perfect timing huh? Did I know he was leaving? Nope, I certainly did not. Had he left before? Yes, unfortunately he had - a number of times. But, he was never gone more than a night. And he was always sorry for leaving. He really picked a great day - he knew I was going to be out of town all day - and he finished packing (he informed me that he had been packing things since the 4th of July - but, as he was so eager to point out I did not notice) He has moved in with "someone" else. And, yesterday he informed me he was filing for divorce. So - it is the end of an era. Sometimes, you cannot fix something that is broken, no matter how hard you try.

Can you be competent in your life - yet incompetent in relationships? I am definately feeling the need for a Relationship 101 class - maybe even Remedial Relationship classes! Too soon old - too late smart.

Here's to having a happy Tuesday.

Where did the weekend go?

2006-08-27T21:14:00.000-04:00

Hello Everyone! I cannot believe that it is Sunday night! I had to work at Chico's this weekend - thus it flew by. Here it is Sunday night - I am sitting here with a glass of wine with "Iron Chef America" on - do I lead an exciting life or what????

In light of my trying to maintain my excitement level I have joined a new swap - I saw it first on Kerry's blog http://kerryknitsinslny.blogspot.com/ You should check it out - it is the "Hot Socks Swap" and there is still room for YOU! Here is the link http://hot-socks-swap.blogspot.com/ get on over there and sign up. You too could be getting some new sock yarn AND some choice beverages. Here are the answers to my questionaire - :-)

1)What do you prefer - solid, variegated or self striping? I love solids for certain patterns and variegated for others.... basically, there is not a sock yarn I don't like.

2)Favourite colours? I love greens, browns, earthy tones.

3)Are you a beginner, intermediate or experienced sock knitter? Intermediate.

4)Tea, Coffee, or hot chocolate - what's your favourite? If coffee, what do you use to make it? I love coffee and have an auto drip pot.

5)Do you have a fibre preference? (i.e. Are you a yarn snob like me?) I am a yarn snob - I prefer natural fibers.

This has been a LONG week - but it is over and a new one is beginning! I knit for brief moments today - my daughter drove to church, I got the heel turned on my second "Greetings from the Knit Cafe" sock - I need to get moving on this so I can get my second pair done for September for Sock-A-Month 2 - plus - the weather is getting cooler here at night - I would love to pull these babies on at the end of a long day.... mmm, that sounds heavenly.

Hope you all had an awesome weekend - more next week!

Route 66

2006-08-25T22:16:00.001-04:00

Hello Everyone! I got home last night to find a package had arrived from Phoenix, AZ! I was stunned to open the box and find these treasures tucked inside. My Secret Pal - Rebecca of http://www.kniftyknitter.blogspot.com/ - has been my spoiler in SP8. Rebecca, I can only say WOW! You have truly out done yourself with this box of goodies! She sent me a box that has a southwest theme - sharing with me treasures from Arizona!

The pralines, chocolates, and peanut brittle (note that it is Jalapeno flavored!!!) are from an Arizona candy maker. Mmmmmmmm, yummy - yummy!

Check out the Cherry Tree Hill sock yarn in Peacock colorway! I love it!!

Her card was so perfect - she even shared with me that the Oasis Soy Silk yarn in the Canyon colorway was the colors of the sunsets. I am thinking about what lovely creation I will knit with this lovely yarn! It is so soft!

My pal knit me this lovely gift sachet! Tied with silk ribbon!! Isn't it cute!!!! Rebecca, is this knit with soy silk?

And inside were these awesome earrings - made from felted balls!!! I LOVE THEM!!! Rebecca - you were truly an awesome secret pal to have. Please everyone, stop over and say hello to Rebecca and tell her I sent you! She lost her job this week - I know what that feels like. Rebecca - from the bottom of my heart - thank you - thank you - thank you! And, I will leave you with the words of one of my favorite songs (bet you did not know that Rebecca!) Whoooooooo - whoooooooo!

If you ever
Plan to motor west
Travel my way, take the highway that's the best
Get your kicks on Route 66
It winds from Chicago to LA
More than two thousand miles all the way
Hey, get your kicks on Route 66
Now you go through St. Louie
Joplin, Missouri
And Oklahoma City looks mighty pretty
Hey Janis, now you'll see Amarillo
Gallup, New Mexico
Flagstaff Arizona
Don't forget Winona
Kingman, Barstow, San Bernadino
Won't you get hip to this timely tip
When you make that California trip
Get your kicks on Route 66
Now you go through St. Louie
Joplin, Missouri
And Oklahoma City looks mighty pretty
Now you'll see Amarillo
Gallup, New Mexico
Flagstaff Arizona
Don't forget Winona
Kingman, Barstow, San Bernadino
Won't you get hip to this timely tip
When you make that California trip
Get your kicks on Route 66
Get your kicks on Route six six
Get your kicks on Route 66
Get your kicks on Route six six
Whoo whoo ------

Shhhhh! It's a secret!

2006-08-24T09:40:00.000-04:00

Hello Everyone! I can hardly believe that SP8 is waning! I have so enjoyed this swap. I have gotten my "reveal" gift ready for my spoilee! I knit her the Cable Footies from One Skein. I loved knitting these! What a great pattern! I used Manos del Uraguay - and needed just a bit more than one skein.

I love how they turned out! They are so comfy! I hope my Secret Pal loves them as much as I loved knitting them for her! :-)

PLUS I think they qualify for Sock-A-Month 2!! Wooo Hooo!

Have a great Thursday everyone!

Flooring!!

2006-08-22T15:49:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone! I have my house back - well almost anyway! The bedrooms and family room have carpeting and the bathroom has vinyl (or whatever they call it). My stairs are bare - and the dufus did not reinstall the toilet. DUH - did he think my kids would use it in the tub??? So, I call the place I got the flooring - they did not send enough carpet to do the stairs (are you seeing a pattern here?) they will order more and it will be here end of this week, beginning of next week at the latest. I ask about why the toilet is not installed (I paid for this in my bill) "He did not put the toilet back?" I am still waiting for someone to come install the darn toilet. Well, I have a place for my teenagers to go now besides my living room! Hallelujah! (can you hear the chorus, because I sure do!!)

I completed my first socks for Sock-A-Month 2!! I will post a photo later, they are a surprise for someone!! One down, five more pairs to go. I am working on the socks from "Greetings from the Knit Cafe'" - one done and I am almost ready to turn the heel on sock 2. I also am working on "Widdershins" from Knitty.

Now, on to SP8 - I sent off a HUGE package to my spoilee - I am excited to see how she likes what I sent her. This has been a fun swap - my spoiler has been awesome - and I am working on trying to figure out who she is. Hmmmm, I know she is in Phoenix and that is about it. :-)

I want to thank Lynne from http://iwasknittogetherinmymotherswomb.typepad.com/ she sent me a wonderful book and has been praying for me, as has blogless Laura from West Michigan - thanks to both of you for being such good friends. I will share with all of you shortly what has been going on in my life. I just have to come to terms with it on my own first. Life can suck at times - but I am working on making some sweet and tasty lemonade!

Hope you are all having an awesome week.

Picture Success!!

2006-08-17T19:04:00.000-04:00

Well, these are the lovely gems that Judy Becker sent me! Are they not gorgeous??? As soon as I have finished my "Widdershins" and the socks from "Greetings from the Knit Cafe" I am going to cast these on using the "Jaywalker" pattern! Again - a HUGE thanks to Judy Becker - creator of the "Magic Loop Cast-On". Judy and her blog can be found here - http://www.persistentillusion.com/blogblog/index.php. You should check our her blog and let her know that you are a Yarn Collector like the rest of us!

I cannot believe it is Thursday - it has been a LONG week. I have started working another job, a part time position at Chico's to supplement my full time job at Heartwell. I also had high school orientation for Heidi and Sam this week, of course the school in it's infinite wisdom determined that these orientations could not happen concurrently - so I had to take off 2 afternoon's to stand in lines! I have been working early to make up for the afternoon's off. I really could use a weekend to sleep and knit to get back to the center!

I have a light at the end of the flood tunnel though - the carpenter/handy man is coming on Saturday to remove the distroyed vanity and replace it with the new one and - drum roll, please - the carpeting and vinyl will be installed on Monday and Tuesday of next week!! This is a joy beyond belief - my children will be back in their rooms for the start of school - no more 'camping' in the living room!

Well, I have laundry to do and I would like to sit down and KNIT tonight! Have a great evening everyone!

Blogger error or....

2006-08-17T07:34:00.000-04:00

Operator error???

Okay, I have been trying to post a picture of the awesome sock yarn that Judy Becker sent me, but Blogger is not cooperating. GRRRRRRR!

I have to share with you all - I have not had much time for knitting lately and it has been very frustrating! Between back to school chaos, getting bids from contractors to replace the vanity in the kids bathroom, and work - there are just not enough hours in the day!

This weekend, outside of doing laundry - my plan is to sit and knit and knit and knit and knit!!

Hope this week is winding down nicely for all of you - have a great Thursday!

Mad Monday

2006-08-14T08:34:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone, I apologize for being so delinquent on posting, but it has been a hectic week around here. I had a garage sale on Friday and Saturday, and spent Sunday afternoon getting household chores accomplished.

I did get a wonderful treat from Judy Becker http://www.persistentillusion.com/blogblog/index.php, 2 skeins of Lorna's Laces sock yarn. My daughter took a picture of it, but she is not up yet to help me load the photo! THANK YOU, Judy! I shall use the yarn in the Sock A Month 2 contest, watch for updates. I will post the pictures later today, now I need to get out the door to work. Have a great Monday all!

Cooling off

2006-08-07T13:19:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone - I am happy to report that we here in Michigan are going to be experiencing a cooling off - of the weather that is! It is supposed to be nice this week, in the 70's during the day and even cooler than that in the evenings!! I can only say - hurray! I am ready for 90+ degree weather to go away - my LYS - Lizzie Ann's Wool Company - has gotten lots of yummy yarns in for fall. I am resisting until I get my UFO's finished for the UFO KAL http://ufoaugust.blogspot.com/ If you have not joined - you should, it might get you motivated to get stuff of the needles and finished.

I took a class in Clare, Michigan last weekend - a great beading class. So, yes I cast on a new item - but the teacher - Deanna from Deanna's Vintage Styles - came in from Detroit to teach this class. It was fun and I will post photo's as I progress. I love learning new techniques and Deanna was an awesome teacher. The techniques she taught will really add some sparkle to Christmas gifts - I have been working on a list to start as soon as August is over.

My friend, Ramona, had her 30 year class renunion this weekend - fun was had by all. I helped her out by taking tickets so the reunion committee could mingle with their class mates. Here's to Ramona and her class - who for the most part looked awesome!

Well, lunch break is over - back to work for me! Have a great week everyone!

Show and Tell

2006-08-02T17:42:00.000-04:00

Well, it's been a heck of a week - and I promised you all that I would show you what I got this week from my SP - she is so awesome. I opened the box and you'll notice that the tissue paper and the paper crinkles match! She had a lovely note inside - and inside I began unwrapping and found some wonderful items!

I found not 1 but 3 skeins of Nature's Spun - in AWESOME colors! I love how this felts and it knits up beautifully. I have some plans for this yarn - I am thinking about knitting some socks for the "Sock-A-Month 2" KAL I have joined. Can you see them? Purple socks with green cuffs, heels, and toes? Umhmm, I can see them! Next was some really nice novelty yarn - good for my stash, my pal told me - and I am happy to say that this yarn fits in beautifully. One of the gals at my LYS was knitting a very gorgeous scarf - I am thinking that gorgeous lace weight yarn she sent me earlier and the Trendsetter Eyelash will be a nice take on the scarf my friend is doing. She is knitting hers out of a novelty yarn and Kidsilk Haze - 6 rows of the novelty yarn, then knit with the scarf body color, adding rows of the novelty yarn sporadically in the scarf and ending with 6 rows and bind off. I shall keep you all posted. Next, was some awesome hand creams, in yummy fragrances! They will keep my hands, heels and elbows soft as summer winds down! Now, the absolute BEST part was Knitting Rules - AUTOGRAPHED by the Harlot. MY PAL is amazing! I am in possession of a personalized autographed copy! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you Pal - your gifts brought tears of joy to my eyes. In a week of chaos, your gifts brought me such joy. Thank you!

Now, here are those socks I knit for daughter #2 - They are the lace socks from the Spring IK. What a great knit - and I had such fun knitting them. I am working on another pair for my daughters friend! If you have not cast on these socks - there is still warm weather as August is just beginning! You can count them in the "Sock-A-Month 2" KAL also!

Hope you are all having a great week!

The Heat is ON....

2006-07-31T11:04:00.000-04:00

...can someone please turn it down???? Okay, I know that this will come back to bite me mid February when it is 12 degree's outside, the wind howling, and there is 4 feet of snow over the ground - but, it is HOT outside, I am MORE than ready for a break from the heat. A cool breeze would be welcomed - immensely! Now that I have that out of my system - sort of, LOL, on to other things.

I have joined UFO August! Woo Hoo, a contest is involved - I have brought my sock to work (#1 on my list) I want this sock done by next week! It could be done, although I have a class to teach on Wednesday night and a GROJ (Get rid of junk) Sale coming up next weekend that I am working on getting ready for.

I also wanted to send a HUGE thanks to my SP from SP8, SHE ROCKS - yet another box of goodies arrived at my house on Saturday. My daughter took some great pictures which I will post later today. She is absolutely the most amazing SP ever! Her box brought tears of joy to my eyes... Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!

I have to get back to work - have a great Monday everyone!

Swatching fun at Thread Bear

2006-07-25T15:15:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone!

I wanted to update you all on my fun day at Thread Bear in Lansing. There was a great group of bloggers there knitting for the day. It was so much fun! Lynne was there from http://iwasknittogetherinmymotherswomb.typepad.com/
and Laurie from http://abitsheepish.blogspot.com/ and Susie from http://toknitperchancetodream.net/ and Laura from West Michigan and Sharon from Lansing - I am sure I am missing someone, so forgive me in advance! It was a wonderful day, we knit and laughed and talked and ooohhh'd and aaahhhhhh'd over ALL the YARN at Thread Bear. Here is the best part, for knitting a swatch - they give their customers 10% off a purchase! Is that awesome or not. I have found another reason for the Harlot to recommend knitting a swatch! ;-) BTW, I heard that she is going to be in Ann Arbor on Sunday - not sure where, but that is what I heard!

The downer of the day was arriving home to discover my lower level (read finished basement) had flooded again. It was not a great way to end the day. Lynne and Laura - thanks for your listening ears on the way home. I sat down at 11:30PM and did what you suggested Lynne - I gave thanks for all that happened and felt like I was surely at the bottom with no where to go but up!

Here is the second perk - I am going to get to knit with Lynne and Laura again on Thursday. See - it is getting better already.

I went today to pick out new floor coverings, but I am most excited for the plumber to arrive tomorrow morning - I am not putting ANYTHING back until he GUARANTEES me that this won't happen again! I know, I am not asking for much!

Well, my break better be over - my tea is finished - back to work for me! Have a great afternoon all!

Flipping over Flip Flops!

2006-07-21T08:24:00.000-04:00

Hello Everyone!

I arrived home yesterday after a LONG day at work, topping off a LONG week to find on my door step a PACKAGE! My awesome Flip Flop Swap Pal, Sheri http://kaleidoscoptic.blogspot.com/ sent me a wonderful package of goodies! First off, a really cute pair of lime green (my favorite color!) flip flops. They are beaded and have a rattan sole! They ROCK! Next off, she included not one, but TWO pairs of Ann Taylor Loft socks. WOW! She also included TWO skeins of Sugar and Cream yarn - one in Hot Green colorway and one in Summer Splash colorway (could this be more perfect for the Flip Flop Swap??) To top it all off, she included a GREAT tote bag that I can put my knitting in and head to the beach in my stylish flip flops! Sheri, THANK YOU! You are awesome!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Water, Water Everywhere...

2006-07-18T15:37:00.000-04:00

...and all of it is in my basement! Yikes, bloggers - we got rain. And, I - unlike Noah, was not prepared! So the rains came down and the waters came up - all in my finished lower level (see how we can alter the name of the basement?) So, the water sucking up people - better known as Service Master - just left after ripping out all my carpet and padding.

Am I having fun yet, you ask? Heck NO! The only thing I am truly grateful for is that my kiddo's were not home - they are at their dad's this week. Now, imagine my joy (or not as the case may be) when I got to clean my teenage children's rooms today! If any of you out there are mothers, then you all understand that this is something I ask of them daily - you know, like a broken record - "did you clean up your room?" Begging, pleading, and bribery have not been successful in inspiring them to clean up their rooms! Well, water in the basement and only me and my hubby home did a bang up job on cleaning those rooms! When the kids get back home on Friday listen for their screams of agony as they see their rooms!

Say a prayer for me - more rain is on it's way tomorrow! If any of you know the rain, rain go away dance email me the steps!

Oh - and it is only 6 days until my knitting road trip to Thread Bear with some bloggers. It won't go fast enough!! Have a great Tuesday everyone!

The Heat Is ON!

2006-07-15T08:30:00.000-04:00

Hello Everyone! Well, summer is here and the heat is as well! We are supposed to reach 95 today with a heat index of well over 100. Heat and humidity are not the best friends of a good hair day! I told my husband that we should just sit in the shade with the mister going and a LARGE pitcher of iced tea!

It rained quite hard last night, just adding some more moisture so the dew point is really up there! LOL

Hope you are all staying cool as summer is rolling along!

Have a great weekend!

Summer fun

2006-07-12T12:14:00.000-04:00

Hello Everyone!

I signed up for a quick fun swap yesterday. It is the Flip Flop Swap
http://knit2blog1.blogspot.com/
that I found the link for on Lolly's site http://www.lollygirl.com/blog/

Check it out - sign ups are until Friday the 14th. Join us for some Summer Fun!

Happy Hump Day everyone!

Re-entry

2006-07-11T18:48:00.000-04:00

Hello Everyone. Whew, it is only Tuesday? How is it that after a vacation it seems like the days drag by? Well, it feels like it should be at least Thursday!! Re-entry has it's challenges!

I brought my yarns from my Secret Pal to my LYS - Lizzie Ann's at lunch today. There were "oooh's" and "aaahhhh's" from all. My Secret Pal may not know this - but she made my re-entry week a thousand times better than it could have been by her amazing package. I am going to nominate her for Secret Pal of Secret Pal 8! She is awesome!

Hope this Tuesday was kind to all of you!

Secret Pal Surprises!!

2006-07-10T08:37:00.000-04:00

Good Morning Everyone! We were going to head back from our cottage last night, but we had some bad storms roll through. A nice line of them in our path home. So we headed out first thing this morning! And, at the door waiting for me when I arrived was a little box from my pal! It was PACKED full of wonderful things. I was so surprised to see such lovely things! I will post photos when my husband brings his camera home from work. Until then, I will give you all a description of the treasures I received!

First off - Thank you Secret Pal! You are the best!!!! I opened the box and began to pull out my gifts - first some awesome note cards with a lovely gal sporting a great green knitted cardigan! Next, a box of tea - and Aveda tea at that! Looks delicious! Next, a bag filled with GORGEOUS stitch markers - made from fresh water pearls! They are so beautiful! Next, (and by now I am thinking, WOW, what a pal!) I opened a red tissue wrapped bundle that held not one, but TWO balls of Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran Tweed, colorway Twig. It is so lovely! It feels so WONDERFUL! Next, I opened another red tissue wrapped bundle and inside I found a ball of Kaalund Silk. Oh my gosh, it feels so soft. 450 feet of softness, looks like I am going to be working on some lovely lace! The colorway is Brushfire - reds, purples, golds - wow. It has a great sheen also! Finally, in the last wrapped package, some Zitron incanto yarn - in a blue, green colorway. It is beautiful. A HUGE thank you to my secret pal - she is amazing. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU.

Hope you all have as great a pal as mine is. :-)

PS to my pal - a written thank you is on it's way to you. :-)

Vacation's Over

2006-07-07T08:31:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone - well all good things must come to an end, and so it goes for vacation. Today I take my kiddo's to Ludington to drop them off to their dad. They are sleeping right now, as teenagers are wont to do! I am making breakfast one last time this morning, bacon cooking will wake them up - don't you think?

I found something fun at YarnYenta's sight http://www.yarnyenta.blogspot.com/ - the world's longest poem. You all need to go and check it out - http://chokaonit.com/ It is a choka poem, older than haiku. It is easy, two lines that do not rhyme. First line is 7 syllables and the second line is 5.

My couplet is this:
Knitting in the quiet dawn
Clicking needles talk

Okay - I am off to make breakfast for the kids! Have a great weekend everyone.

4 th of July Meltdown

2006-07-05T09:29:00.000-04:00

Hello Everyone - I sure hope all the fireworks are over, poor Copper cannot take another night of loud noise. He has been living under the blankets of our bed since last Saturday. I have tried everything - music, radio, television - but none of it helps, he can still hear those dratted fireworks.

I woke up this morning to 48 degree weather, thoughts of 'summer's over' have been circling my head ever since. I promise I shall boot those thoughts out, but as I am sitting here in my polar tec robe and my wool felted slippers, savoring HOT coffee - it is a little challenging to say the least.

Here is something exciting I found - not that I want SP8 to be over, I am having fun with being a spoilee and a spoiler, check out this link http://secretpal9.blogspot.com/ I for one, will be signing up again. Thanks to Polly, http://polliwannablog.blogspot.com/ for sharing that link on her site.

Hope you are all having a fabulous short week - I am working on my socks and have a pair of slippers to felt for Jenna at the lake - she is a 4 year old cutie who lives a couple of doors down from our cottage. My poor husband is back at work, but it is kind of nice to be hanging out with my kids - plus they don't say "all you ever do is knit"! While it may be chilly, the sun is out and my agenda for the day is sunshine and knitting!

Catch you all later!

Happy Birthday America

2006-07-04T09:08:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone! Today America is 230 years old! Wow - that is amazing! The day looks like it will be beautiful here - it is sunny and the birds are singing!

This vacation week is flying by - we took a boat ride yesterday and I sat in the sun and knit! I ask you - does life get better than that?

We met friends for burgers last night - mmmmmmm, they were good - as was Linda, Ramona, and Ed's company!

Well, I need another cup of coffee - have a safe 4th everyone!!

Vacation!

2006-06-30T11:22:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone! Today is my first day of vacation! We are heading up to our cottage - and I am declaring July - UFO month. I am going to use this week off to work on all UFO's hanging around this house! That should keep me from buying any yarn this month - I am saving my money for a Road Trip to Lansing with some Michigan Bloggers and Lynne - who will be visiting Michigan! I have some socks from the very first sock class I took - I never finished them - they were not my best effort, which I frogged trying to fix beginner errors that I am going to cast on to knit Grumperina's Jaywalker socks! It is really lovely Mountain Colors Barefoot yarn that deserves to be knit into something lovely - rather than the first try toe up socks that I was learning. Sunshine and knitting sound like a great combination to me - heck, rain and knitting are not too bad either!

Hope you all have a great 4th of July! I shall try and check in next week if I can find an internet connection!