Knitters Treat Exchange (Because I don't have enough to do, Part 2)

Knitters Treat Exchange Questionnaire

1. What's your favourite type of yarn?
Soft wools, merino. Lately it's sock yarn. I've discovered sock knitting!

2. What's your least favourite type of yarn?
Novelty yarns, eyelash types.

3. What's the first thing you do when you visit a new yarn shop?
I inhale and breathe in all the wonderful wooly smells, then I wander and touch and fondle the yarns. I often purchase by touch. After that I look at the books.

4. What other crafts do you do / would like to do?
I crochet, which I learned as a small child. I have been knitting for two years and do that most often now. I also enjoy counted cross stitch, but my children distract me too much to do it regularly.

5. What magazines do you currently subscribe to?
Interweave Knits, Knit Simple

6. Put this type of magazine in order of preference:Knitting / Crochet / Other Craft / Food / Home / Fashion / Celebrity Gossip / Garden
Knitting
Home
Garden
Crochet
Other Craft
Food
Fashion
Celebrity Gossip

7. What items do you like to knit / crochet?
Socks, baby items, scarves, wrist warmers, hats, felted purses, afghans. I'm working on a sweater and just joined a sweater KAL.

8. Are you allergic to anything?
I'm not, but my son is highly allergic to cats. No cat-exposed yarns, please!

9. What do you like to* smell of?(*This is not a typo. The question is: What do you like to smell of)
I like to smell of vanilla, citrus scents. In my home, I like crisp, outdoors scents. My candles are lily of the valley, macintosh apple. One of my very favorite scents is of laundry hung outside to dry. I still hang my sheets outside to dry because of this!

10. What's your favourite way to relax?
Knitting, reading. Having coffee with friends.

11. You're stood in front of a Victorian style sweetshop, an Italian cafe, an old fashioned bakery and a dainty tea room. Where do you go first?
The Italian Cafe!

12. What do you come out with?
After sitting and knitting for a bit, I come out with a tall, black coffee.

13. Where do you go next?
I go to the bakery next door!

14. Any other words of wisdom for your pal?
My favorite color is red, but I'm drawn to greens. I'm a slow knitter. I rarely keep anything for myself.

Because I Don't Have Enough To Do

A short time back, I joined The Sexy Knitter's Club and signed on to participate in their next knitalong (KAL). The two spring/summer sweater candidates were chosen from a long list of beautiful choices, after participants voted. From those two, I decided I am going to knit Sahara in the short-sleeved version. For me.

Since I broke down and decided to stay home today, day 4 of the fever kicking my butt, I was presented with the perfect opportunity to get the yarn for this project. No, I didn't venture out of the house. I went to good old reliable WEBS and chose Goshen in Apple Green. Goshen is from WEBS' house line, Valley Yarns, and therefore economical. I will be knitting this sweater for less than $40.

I will be knitting this sweater.

From 3:00 AM until 5:00 AM I was up with nasty nose issues, leading me to the conclusion that this pesky fever all week is now a sinus infection. My face hurts (I know, it's killing you, too!), my teeth ache, so I called in sick and called my doctor this morning before I have to spend the whole weekend this way. Nurse Nancy reported to me that the office was full of really nasty germs and sick elderly people. She would make sure the doc called in good meds for me, saving me from having to get dressed and go to the office. God Bless her. In between nose honkings, I've knitted, and gone around disinfecting doorknobs and countertops, phones, and random surfaces as I think of them. There's a reason why I need to get better...

Mayhem is turning EIGHT on Sunday. Yes, April Fools' Day. (The joke has been on me ever since.) This morning she went off to school with cupcakes for her class as a treat. Chocolate, with bright green and purple icing. With sprinkles. I have to stop and pick up some surprise gifts for her after I drop her and the Absent-Minded Professor at karate with their dad today. How can the baby be eight??

Maybe I will surprise both kids and take Bruno along with me when I pick them up from school this afternoon. The kids and their friends love when Big Dog comes to school.

I added an email address to my sidebar. (Have you noticed I'm not good at this being sick thing?)

One last thing... I took this in my backyard two days ago.

Second Verse, Same As The First

My first "big people" sock is finished!

The second half of the pair is already underway. Hopefully it will go faster than the first. I am even pleased with the way the first half of the pair turned out. Wild Thing (which is what I've named the sock, even though the pattern is called Just Ribbing) even fits! That's always a plus when knitting a sock that one intends to keep for one's self, I've discovered. Proof that the sock fits is below.
I love the way the toe finished up! Who says grafting the toe is tough?


Did anyone score good loot at The Loopy Ewe last night? In the wink of an eye, nearly everything added in the update was gone. I managed to get a hank of Yarn Pirate sock, color "Sonoma" and a hank of Cider Moon Glacier in a yummy pink and green colorway called "Giddy." I also had some of Yarn Pirate's "Malamute" in my cart, but it was snatched away before I could check out. *sigh* Who has my Malamute???

EZ Says

There is no right way to knit; there is no wrong way to knit.

So if anybody kindly tells you that what you are doing is "wrong," don't take umbrage; they mean well. Smile submissively, and listen, keeping your disagreement on an entirely mental level. They may be right, in this particular case, and even if not, they may drop off pieces of information which will come in very handy if you file them away carefully in your brain for future reference.

~Elizabeth Zimmerman

The other day, when I complained about my mom taking over my knitting, telling me I was doing it all wrong, this quote from the great EZ came to mind. It's really what got me through the moment. More like the long, long, afternoon. (I know, that wasn't a sentence!) Since I made a point of mentioning EZ's words the other day, I thought I would share the whole quote with all of you.

Don't expect to me to pull off a submissive smile, though.

All Over The Place

Another blogger, Tiennie, asked what readers have been up to recently. I can say that I haven't been doing nearly as much knitting as I want. I've been up to my ass in alligators at work. Major stress. Being an educator isn't all bad. This week Borders was giving a 25% discount to current and retired eductators. I was able to buy Last Minute Knitted Gifts at a discounted rate.

The past two nights I have been in bed by 10:00 after having napped in the afternoon, and slept all night. Knowing me and my sleeping problems, two nights in a row of sleep usually means trouble. "Are you dying, or what?" my Buddy B asked me today. Not dying, but catching something. I have a fever of 100.6. No major symptoms, just tired and feverish. Not even a sore throat. To add injury to insult, the past two days have been 75 degrees or warmer, absolutely beautiful, and I've felt like a slug.

It's not all bad around here, though. I won another little blog contest, which was a pleasant surprise. Once Stick Chicky and I get our emails coordinated, I will be the proud owner of another yarn prize. Yarn in the mail is always something to look forward to!

Speaking of yarn in the mail, look what arrived from The Loopy Ewe yesterday:

The top picture is a more accurate depiction of the colorway, which is called "Java." This lovely stuff will eventually be socks for my dad. The bottom photo gives you an idea of all the different colors in this deep, dark yarn.

And a little shot of spring for you all, before my crocuses are all gone...

Sock Progress... Anyone have a toe?

Big People Sock numero uno, which is what I've fondly dubbed my Just Ribbing (pdf) sock made with Wild Thing yarn (from Apple Laine), may actually be finished sometime today. Maybe. See?


My tootsies have defied the pointy toothpicks of death in order to bring you some photos of the sock nearing completion.

If you haven't tried Apple Pie sock yarn from Apple Laine Yarn, treat yourself to some. This stuff is yummy and a joy to work with. The Loopy Ewe carries Apple Pie, but sells out quickly. I ordered mine from Canada, from an online store called Pick Up Sticks. The service was great, prices (with exchange rate) were good, and it only took a few days longer for shipping. That didn't matter since I'm a slow knitter.

Speaking of slow knitting, do you know I don't knit right? That's according to my mother. (Insert eye-rolling here) If something isn't done the way she learned it, then it's not correct. Now, the photos above show that I am indeed capable of producing knit objects. I must be doing something right! Having been on the receiving end of her criticisms for the past 40 years, I'm accustomed to this, but yesterday she was really annoying.

Yesterday, Mom and Dad were in town, and I was working on my sock while visiting with them. "You aren't doing it right," Mom insisted. "Here's how I did it," she said. Now, she hasn't knit in years and years, mind you, and has never followed a pattern in English, but she was determined to take over my sock and re-learn me how to knit! I just kept reminding her (but mostly myself) that there are many different ways to knit, and if the end result is the same, what does it matter? Thank goodness for Elizabeth Zimmermann! There's no right or wrong way.

The icing on the cake is that after all of Mom's preaching and nagging, she caught sight of my sister's nearly complete Booga Bag in my car as I was leaving. "You can make me a bag like that. But with longer straps that I can wear across my body. And not so many stripes. I need it before we leave for Germany at the end of next month, too. Maybe a little deeper, so the camera will fit in it. You do know I want to take your camera, right?"

Gosh, I don't know if I can knit it right. Wait! Did you say MY camera???

Evidence of Spring (to convince myself)

If you have any doubt about it, Spring really is here. The calendar says so, and I have found signs of Spring outside. Photographic evidence follows. This is in attempt to convince myself and give encouragement to anyone else suffering from cabin fever and/or the Winter Blahs. I hope it helps.

So, without further ado, I present to you:

Crocuses in my front yard.

Cider Moon icicle in Mardi Gras along with those crocuses. Hmmm, maybe "Crocus" would be a good alternative name for this colorway. (There's a link to Cider Moon in my sidebar!)

And mud! Plenty of mud in my backyard. Notice the absence of the cold, white substance known as snow. Yep. All gone. If you look closely you may see many large-ish doggy footprints though.

What have we here in the corner under the kitchen window? Daylily sprouts! Only about 2"-3" right now,but keep the faith, my friends.

In June and July they will look like this:

Hang in there!

My Lucky Day

Every day I read Stumbling Over Chaos to see what Chris and her cats, Chaos and Mayhem are up to. Chris is great at posting the contests other bloggers are having and once in a while I drop in on a new blog and enter a contest. I usually enter if there are yarn or knitting books involved; more to comment on the new blog I've found, than expecting to win. I've found some of the regular sites I read daily that way.

Imagine my surprise this morning when I opened my email to find a message from Sprite telling me I was one of the winners in her recent blog contest. She had asked about book recommendations and chose winners at random. Lucky me! It looks like I will be the recipient of two balls of Panda Cotton yarn in the Fern (greens and yellows) colorway and some sock-shaped point protectors. Thanks, Sprite! Picture of Prize

Forget jewels or expensive tokens. Just give me a little bit of yarn now and then and I'll be happy. Oh, and something good to drink while I'm knitting.

Progress

What do you know? It looks like a sock. Sort of. The heel is turned. I've picked up the gussett stitches and am working on the instep. Today was gloriously sunny (but cold) so the sock made a trip outside for a photo. I may actually get to start sock number two by the end of the week!

Spring arrives tonight and Bruno thought he would celebrate by parading around the yard with a very big stick. He thought he was helping me clean the yard. Then he whapped me in the side of the knee with it. Thanks, Bru-nut. I don't plan to photograph the large bruise that is already forming. Here's the dog and the stick.

Socks

I think I'm finally getting the hang of knitting with these toothpicks. I've turned the heel of my first big people sock, my Wild Thing (the name of the yarn, not the pattern) sock. To celebrate, I ordered some sock yarn from Cider Moon, a small Central Ohio yarn dyer. Having grown up in Central Ohio, I still have a fondness for the area. Their yarn can also be found at The Loopy Ewe. Send them some support!

I also decided to join two sock KAL's. Might as well keep me moving on the socks! I joined The Sensational Knitted Socks KAL and Interweave's Favorite Socks KAL. I have the books, and I'm starting to knit socks. Belonging to a group will help keep me moving and provide me with help and support along the way.

My Dad expressed an interest in receiving some handknitted socks and I can't think of a better way to thank him for all the great things he's done over the years than giving him a pair of socks to wear in the Birks that seem to always be on his feet. He has inside Birks and outside Birks and just swaps them as he goes in and out of the house, kind of like Mr. Rogers swapped his loafers for sneakers when he came and went. (Just in case you didn't know, all those cardigans Fred Rogers wore? Those were handmade by his mother. Knitted, of course.) I guess I know where my love for Birkenstocks comes from. I think I have 5 pair right now. And yes, like my dad, I wear them in the house with socks in the winter.

Must be a German thing.

Alone time

There are some people I know who will do just about anything to avoid being alone. Not me. I really enjoy being alone. That's probably because it happens so seldom. My house is busy and chaotic to the point of me often saying, "I go to work every day because it's the one place I can go to the bathroom by myself." Seriously.

This weekend, Mayhem and The Absent-Minded Professor took off with their dad to see their godparents and also go to the Deer and Turkey Expo at the Ohio State Fairgrounds. It's an annual thing. That left me, worn out from a hectic school schedule and some late nights (I'm a building rep for my teacher's union and we've had some heavy-duty grievance hearings this past week), home with the 4-legged kids.

Know what I did? Not much! I slept. Finally. Embarrassingly late, I might add. Bruno and Coco are so good to me, when I let them sleep with me. They know if they get to sleep in the people bed, that they better not ask to go outside at 6:30 in the morning. When the big old blue blanket gets tossed on top of the bed, the doggy blanket, the tails start wagging. B & C know they get to be on the bed! Normally Bruno sleeps on the floor beside the bed, and Coco sleeps in a crate (that's a nice word for doggy cage). Lest you think badly, it's big enough for me to get into, or both of my kids to be inside at one time.

Saturday I didn't do much. At some point I got dressed enough to go out and clean up the "land mines" in the backyard. After that, I built a fire and camped out on the couch. I read an entire James Patterson novel, Step on a Crack. I didn't feel like knitting. (What's up with that???) I watched the fire. I dozed. I went to bed and slept 12 hours.

Today I did venture out of the house. To reward my furry compatriots for their stellar behavior, we walked two miles early this afternoon. B= 120 lbs. C= 95 lbs. Connect them both to one leash with a splitter. I got more exercise than they did! After that, I headed to Borders to pick up this: The Friday Night Knitting Club and this: Favorite Socks: 25 Timeless Designs From Interweave. I added a large coffee to my purchases there. Seattle's Best Coffee isn't Starbucks, but it will do in a pinch. Plus my purchase adds to my holiday rewards bucks.

On the way home I stopped at Panera to get a sandwich to go, planning a late lunch/early dinner. Heading toward home, I called my favorite Chinese restaurant to order a take out container of hot and sour soup to go with it. Might as well have what I want since I don't have to feed any kids, right?

In about two or three hours the quiet will be shattered by "Mom! Guess what we saw!" (Wow) "I got to touch a..." (Eeewwww) and "Do I have to take a shower?" (YES... especially after touching that!) The washer and dryer are already going, getting the kids' clothes ready for another week of school. I'm going to clear away the evidence of my little smorgasbord meal and go knit.

Or read.

Or not.

Forecast: Pictures

When I want something crafty made in a hurry, I still go back to crochet. I know I can produce a granny square baby blanket in short order. This one is made with Lion Brand Jiffy that I pulled from my stash. Time? Less than three hours! My mom (who is still around) and Tante Annemarie (who is with the angels) taught me to crochet when I was about seven years old, so like reading or typing, it's a skill I don't really have to think about.

I thought you might like to see a sock progress picture. Even if you don't, here's my sock, dammit!

And even though my little sister hates to be called Christabelle, here's Christabelle's Birthday Booga Bag nearing completion. I love the colors. Probably because I bought the yarn for me. Go figure.

I am productively knitting (and crocheting). Work is really getting in the way, though. Tonight is the third night in a row that I've brought work home with me. UGH! Don't get me started on the state of affairs at my school. There's not enough space in the blogosphere, which is really sad. The morale in my building is at an all-time low, and I don't see it improving anytime soon.

Guess I'll just keep doing this: knit knit knit knit knit knit knit knit breathe knit knit knit knit knit knit knit breathe knit knit knit knit knit knit knit...

Seventy with a chance of snow

Ahhhhh, spring is in the air. Today it reached 70 degrees in my fair city! Blue skies, sunshine and mud, mud, mud! Boor Bruno and Coco. They love the mud, but don't enjoy the rigorous battle with the towel to get the paws clean each time they come back into the house. The warmth won't last much past tomorrow, though. By Saturday we are to expect snow in the forecast again. Hopefully not enough to shovel.

I knitting news, the Booga Bag for Christabelle's birthday is nearly complete. I do have to do the miles and miles of i cord (OK, really it's 6 feet) for the handles still. Then into my trusty Kenmore for felting it will go.

The cuff of my Wild Thing sock is knit! I have begun the heel! Woohoo! I love turning the heel of a sock. I always feel so doggone accomplished. Plus, there's the bonus of knowing I'm nearing the home stretch. Work has really been getting in the way of finishing this beautiful sock. I've had to bring paperwork home from school the last two nights in a row! Hmmmmph! How rude.

That's all the news that's fit to print. Really. Everything else I have an opinion on today would involve really foul language. Trust me on this. Seriously.

What I Saw Friday...

Friday afternoon it was warm and sunny, nearly 50 degrees. (Today even more so!) My dogs were making a racket in the backyard, loud Lab barking combined with the screeching of a large bird. A hawk is regular visitor in my neighborhood, which is a bit unusual considering our urban location; being less than a mile from a shopping center, less than 3 miles from a mall, and less than 5 miles from the Ohio Turnpike. Hearing the ruckus, I went to investigate. The hawk was indeed sitting directly over my backyard on the telephone pole.

After letting the dogs in and grabbing my camera, which is almost always by my computer near the back door, I managed to snap this shot:

The hawk had moved farther away, but my camera has a 10x zoom lens. What attracts the grand bird? One backyard neighbor has several bird feeders. This hawk finds the small birds create quite a dinner buffett! Sometimes this grand fellow snatches dinner from the neighbor's yard and dines in my backyard. The kids and I have seen him many times over the past two years. This is the first time I've managed to capture him in a photo, though.

Back to regular programming next time...

Books, books, books

Courtesy of my dear friend Eva, a book meme.

Look at the list of books below: *Bold the ones you’ve read* Italicize the ones you want to read* Leave blank the ones that you aren’t interested in.

If you are reading this (and haven't participated yet), tag, you’re it!

1. The DaVinci Code (Dan Brown)
2. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)
3. To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
4. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
5. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien)
6. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien)
7. The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Tolkien)
8. Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery)
9. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
10. A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)
11. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling)
12. Angels and Demons (Dan Brown)
13. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling)
14. A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)
15. Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)
16. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Rowling)
17. Fall on Your Knees (Ann-Marie MacDonald)
18 The Stand (Stephen King)
19. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Rowling)
20. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)
21. The Hobbit (Tolkien)
22. The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)
23. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
24. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
25. Life of Pi (Yann Martel)
26. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)
27. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)
28. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis)
29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
30. Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom)
31. Dune (Frank Herbert)
32. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks)
33. Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
34. 1984 (George Orwell)
35. The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
36. The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)
37. The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)
38. I Know This Much is True (Wally Lamb)
39. The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
40. The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
41. The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel)
42. The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
43. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella)
44. The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)
45. The Bible (have read the New Testament, and first five books of Old)
46. Anna Karenina (Tolstoy)
47. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)
48. Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt)
49. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
50. She’s Come Undone (Wally Lamb)
51. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)
52. A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens)
53. Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)
54. Great Expectations (Dickens)
55. The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald)
56. The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)
57. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling)
58. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)
59. The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood)
60. The Time Traveller’s Wife (Audrew Niffenegger)
61. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
62. The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)
63. War and Peace (Tolstoy)
64. Interview With The Vampire (Anne Rice)
65. Fifth Business (Robertson Davis)
66. One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
67. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (Ann Brashares)
68. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
69. Les Miserables (Hugo)
70. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
71. Bridget Jones’ Diary (Fielding)
72. Love in the Time of Cholera (Marquez)
73. Shogun (James Clavell)
74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje)
75. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
76. The Summer Tree (Guy Gavriel Kay)
77. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
78. The World According to Garp (John Irving)
79. The Diviners (Margaret Laurence)
80. Charlotte's Web (E.B. White)
81. Not Wanted On The Voyage (Timothy Findley)
82. Of Mice And Men (Steinbeck)
83. Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier)
84. Wizard’s First Rule (Terry Goodkind)
85. Emma (Jane Austen)
86. Watership Down(Richard Adams)
87. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
88. The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)
89. Blindness (Jose Saramago)
90. Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer)
91. In The Skin Of A Lion (Ondaatje)
92. Lord of the Flies (Golding)
93. The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)
94. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)
95. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum)
96. The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton)
97. White Oleander (Janet Fitch)
98. A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)
99. The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield)
100. Ulysses (James Joyce)

Cheers to me! I believe I counted 56 of those 100 that I have read... 56.5 if I can count that I have gotten through a good portion of The Bible already. I would however, add some books to the list, or replace some. None of the Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder is there. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe is there by itself, but really The Chronicles of Narnia, the seven books as a collection, should be on the list. There are many contemporary authors on the list, but nothing by Tom Clancy or James Patterson. Last but not least, I would include The Audacity of Hope, by Barack Obama. (I know, I know, my liberalism is showing!)

Stash Enhancement

For ages now I have been longing to knit a Log Cabin afghan; ever since I bought the Mason-Dixon Knitting book last April. I have looked at many different yarns and have wondered if Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece might be the best choice. I didn't want something all cotton, but am drawn to cottony yarns. I'm someone who wants to touch before buying though, so I delayed making a decision. My LYS just started carrying Cotton Fleece and today I stocked up with eight skeins to get started. Some people don't like making afghans, they complain about them being boring. I loved the basketweave afghan I made my best friend, K2, last year. This one might be perfect for covering up with on the bus as we drive home from Washington, D.C. in June. The overnight bus ride home is a little chilly, as I found out last year.

Yeah, I know. I need another project like I need a hole in the head. You might notice I did not say I was going to start this Log Cabin project right away! Want to take bets on how long I can delay? With colors like Wolverine Blue, My Blue Heaven, Barn Red and Banana, I don't know how long I can hold out!



Did I mention why I was at the yarn store to begin with? It was to meet my friend Sharon so that Mayhem could deliver the Girl Scout Cookies to her! Sharon knew I needed a little retail therapy this week, I guess.

I did, however, already start another project. My younger sister turns 39 next month, and yesterday I cast on for the Booga Bag. I promised her a "real purse" for her birthday. She loves the little clutch I gave her at Christmas, but needs something she can really use every day. It's turning out to be a quick knit - I'm 1/3 of the way finished already. Gotta love circular knitting! I'm using Noro Kureyon in dark colors, blues, grey, purple and a little green. It's a discontinued colorway, #52, I believe. Picture soon, I'm sure.

The Wild Thing sock isn't very wild. It is slowly coming along. About 4 inches of the 6 inch top is knit so far. My mom and dad saw it Saturday and were surprised that I had moved on to knitting socks. Having grown up in Germany during WWII, they both learned to knit socks at a very young age. For once, I didn't take any "ribbing" (get it?) or teasing about my knitting, with the exception of the chosen color. I guess socks are "real knitting" in Mom's book. Dad commented that he loves to wear handknit socks, so once I have this sock thing for big people moving faster, he's getting some.

Trust

According to my reliable Merriam-Webster, trust is defined as "assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something."

What I'm finding, as I gain more experience in life, is that the list of people and things I can truly trust is growing shorter and shorter. I find myself questioning why that may be. Am I more jaded? More realistic? Besides counting on the sun rising and setting each day, the love of my kids and family members, and eventual death, there are only couple of other constants.

I have a circle of true friends I can count on for the truth, no matter what. They will always be my friends, no matter what. They've been with with me through thick and thin, good times and bad, without judgement. Those friends know that above all else, I value the truth, even if it's going to hurt for a little while. And they know why. Even one of the lessons my dad taught me as a kid still sticks with me today, a quote from Ben Franklin: It takes far fewer words to tell the truth. These friends I can trust.

Life experiences have taught me I can count on myself. I can trust myself and my intuition. This is huge. For a big part of my life I didn't have the confidence to do this, and would second-guess myself and my actions, or sit idly by and let life happen to me. It took a long time to learn I could count on myself. It took even longer to learn that I had to tell people I can't trust to go away, even if I still care about them.

Lastly, I can trust knitting. Follow the pattern. Form the stitches. Make something beautiful from sticks and string. Even better, if something goes wrong, if a mistake is made, I can rip it back to the bad part and do it over; make it right. (Too bad life doesn't work that way!) Example: My sock in progress, which I started over 3 times... or was it four?

Follow the pattern. If I get stuck, I can ask anyone in the knitting community - online or at my LYS - and get an answer to get me back on track. Not only that, I can receive encouragement and support to keep me going; sometimes far more than I ever anticipated! I can trust the knitting to work. I can trust people to have answers. From experience over the past two years, since I first took up the pointed needles, I can trust that the rhythmic motion of forming stitches will serve as a form of meditation for me when I am troubled... with the end result being something lovely for someone else. Example: Super Quick Baby Socks. (I purposely made them not match by using variegated yarn which would be stripes on a big project - Caron Shadows.)

Big Exciting Friday Night

How did you spend your Friday night?

I spent the evening, once the kids were in bed that is, with this movie
The Family Stone. I added this for good measure Jacob's Creek Shiraz Cabernet.

The movie I've seen before, on the big screen, and I was in tears laughing. After a week that can only be described as hellacious (highlights of which included me telling my principal to "bite me" and coming to the conclusion that men are stupid) I needed to laugh, and definitely to not think!

Don't ask. Seriously.

My good friend Jimmy Buffett says, "breathe in, breathe out, move on."

Isn't this amusing?

Go here to make your own: http://www.acme.com/heartmaker/heartmaker.cgi
That's all I'm capable of blogging today. Pitiful, huh?