Gifted... Part One

In the spirit of the season, and an attempt to get into that season, I have been working on some hand-knitted gifts to exchange with my sister and her family this week. She and I decided that we wanted a simpler, less-commercial celebration of Christmas. a Tomorrow evening we are exchanging gifts and my contributions toward that end are displayed below.

A quiet evening of pizza, our four kids and the men with us is bound to be much more enjoyable than a wrapping paper ripping frenzy, which always seems to happen when the whole family gets together.

So, on to what I've made. For the boys, including my brother in law:

Family Ribbed Hats, from the book, More Last Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson.

Red is for Aaron

These hats are stretchy and warm, and made of Lamb's Pride Bulky wool.

Blue is for Nicholas

Again, I used Lamb's Pride Bulky.

Black and Grey is for the Brother in law. He'll use it for shoveling, and the occasional trip out sledding.

This hat used Shepherd's Shades by Brown Sheep, which contains no mohair.

My sister wanted a totally different hat; one that would keep her warm while walking the big Golden Retreiver who shares their lives. She is receiving Thorpe, a wonderful earflap hat. Both of my kids also have this hat, courtesy of me.


Back to Lamb's Pride Bulky for this one. The trim is crochet, and their are long braids hanging down from the earflaps. Thorpe is a free pattern on Ravelry, if you are a registered user.

More on the topic of "Gifted" in the days to come, because I have been receiving some blessings from some special knitting friends!

Thankful

Thanksgiving has come and gone, but I have reminders still of all that I have to be thankful for.

I'm thankful for Family: There were 20 of us for Thanksgiving, and being at my younger sister's house meant we could all sit in the same room together. Here's the table before we all sat down.

I'm thankful we have enough to eat. Here's my mom and others getting the meal ready, with plenty of room to be together. Having plenty of food to eat and share is a blessing. And wine too. Can't forget the wine!



I'm thankful for the kids in my family. Mine, and others. Here's my Absent-Minded Professor (red shirt) playing with his favorite male cousins.



Mayhem playing pool with her 6 year old cousin, Hadley.



I'm thankful that my 10.5 year old Lab, Bruno, still likes to play. His health hasn't been great off and on lately, but today he was feeling good. He gutted his "baby" and was having great fun showing off.


I needed to vacuum anyway.

I'm thankful I finished the Rainbow Blankie. See? Knitting and my knitting friends are a blessing in my life.


I have woven in the ends since I took that photo!

Good thing it's finished, too, because the recipient arrived yesterday, November 30! Meet my newest great-niece, Ansley Rose. I'm thankful she arrived safely and is healthy! Congrats to my nephew Andy, his wife Rebecca, and big brother, AJ.

I'm thankful for the love and support of my family and friends.

On the Needles and Finished

Yes, I'm still here, and still plugging away. It seems like the days are so long, and I'm up to my eyeballs in coping with grief and sadness and depression, and *poof!* before I know it, an entire week, or month, has passed.

Knitting is keeping me grounded in some ways, more so than just about anything else. Well, that and keeping my chin up for my kids when they are here with me. Mayhem is in choir and orchestra this year so she has twice as many concerts. Absent-Minded Professor has discovered girls and has an on again, off again relationship with the same girlfriend that sends his moods on a rollercoaster ride!

So, finished projects?

Easy Baby Cardigan, (ravelry link) by Diane Soucy. This is going to be a gift. A quick, easy knit. I used Mirasol Hacho, a DK weight yarn.

Elf Hat, (ravelry link) by Classic Elite yarns. This pattern sells for $6 alone on Ravelry, but if you can get to a yarn shop, you can buy the whole pattern booklet (Classic Elite Yarns Toboggan) for $9.50 and get SEVEN patterns! I used Toboggan yarn in Garnet and the Merino/Alpaca blend is yummy and warm.

I also finished a pair of plain vanilla socks from Colinette Jitterbug, but they are currently in the laundry and I will not fish them out to photograph them for you!

Nearing completion is what I have affectionately dubbed the Rainbow Blankie From Hell. This will be another baby gift, and I love the way it looks, but the yarn was a disappointment. Five of the 7 balls had defects in the ways of breaks, weak spots, knots to rejoin broken spots. I was sucked in by the gorgeous, deeply saturated colors, though. I ended up having to double the yarn in order to make sure that this wouldn't fall apart. Avoid Tonic by Jojoland.



This blankie is pretty much thought up on my own, but loosely based on a blanket I saw on the Purlbee blog. The light blue border was added because I decided the blankie wasn't wide enough and so the light blue represents the sky. The border is wider on the sides. It has made for good TV knitting, though.

Once that blankie is finished, I'm on to Christmas knitting... hats, mittens, some ornaments, an e-reader cover, slippers. Good thing I have a big stash of yarn!

It's also time to get ready for Thanksgiving. What are your plans? For the first time ever that I can remember, we are having the family here, instead of two hours away, in our hometown. We'll be at my younger sister's new house. There's a lot to do between now and then.

Oh! One last thing! Remember when you're out doing your holiday shopping that the Saturday after Thanksgiving is Small Business Saturday! Shop Main Street, not Wall Street. Drop in those small, independent stores and shop local.

Signs of Life

Today I took a look around the yard and found plenty of signs of life, despite the cold, rainy spring we've had so far. April was the second rainiest we've had on record here in T-Town, with about 6.5" of rain! I still have my furnace turned on, set at about 66*, and it kicks on at night most nights.

This tulip, all by itself, is out in my yard, not in the flowerbeds! Note the fact that we're into May and it still hasn't bloomed.



Hostas and Lilies of the Valley in my shady corner of the front yard



My lilac bush... not quite ready to bloom. It will smell heavenly when it does, though.



The crabapple tree in the front yard will bloom any second now. I can tell that it's Mother's Day, or nearly, when this tree blooms.



Bill loves these tulips planted in front of the house.



And don't forget the daffodils! I don't remember anymore what variety these are, but they are so ruffly and pretty.



So where have I been? Mostly busy with family. My Dad became very sick after the holidays, and was hospitalized in early March. After an infection that nearly killed him, a major, life-changing operation, 7 weeks in the hospital and rehab center, he is finally back home. He still has stage IV cancer, of course, but is more stable and has less pain. Bill has been a lifesaver for me through it all, helping with the kids and the dogs and keeping me sane (mostly!).

My beloved knitting friends knit me a blanket, to comfort me, and wrap me in a hug. Anytime I leave home to stay at Mom & Dad's it goes with me.



The pattern is Barn Raising from the book Knitalong by Larissa Golden Brown. Each of those squares is knit from sock yarn!

Of course, I am still knitting. Most recently, I whipped up some preemie hats for donating.



And I made a baby sweater for a knitting friend who is expecting this summer.



I learned something new on that sweater; applied i-cord! It was fun, and made for such a nice, finished edge. Another friend is expecting, so I'm deciding what else to knit, along with working on finishing UFO's.

Believing in Christmas Wishes and Amazing Surprises

There was only thing I wanted this Christmas. I admit there were days it was hard to keep the faith, but the week before Christmas, Santa came into the yarn shop, and reminded me to keep on believing!



Dad made it to Christmas and my wish was granted! His cancer is very aggressive, now in his liver along with the lung and bones. The day before my family gathered together, Mom told me his hair had begun to fall out, so I started a hat for him from Berocco Ultra Alpaca. (50% wool, 50% Alpaca). I finished it at the table while we visited that day. Dad immediately put it on!



We had the opportunity to take some photos of Mom & Dad together,



and Mom and Dad with all of us sibs... we don't look alike, do we?



I know these photos will be treasures and bring us comfort sometime very soon.



All the "little" cousins were enjoying having the "grown-up" table to themselves!

As for surprises, well this beautiful man below, the love of my life, gave me an amazing surprise this Christmas. Bill pulled off an incredible surprise, which is not easy to do because I am nosey and I have incredible hearing!



The gifts were all ready for when the kids woke up.



Here's a photo of all my critter together. :-)



The first gift I opened from Bill, was a plastic pail of sand with seashells and gift certificate to Margaritaville Key West, complete with palm tree bottle opener. "Cool," I thought, "I can order a shirt online," and Bill went and fetched two bottles of Land Shark from the fridge. At 8:3oAM.





Gift bag #2 had another plastic pail full of sand, with a shovel and shells... and I had to dig for treasure. A sealed metal spice canister held an incredible surprise... flight itinerary to Florida!!!!



Sand pail number three really blew me away... See? The treasure I unearthed in the sand in that bucket had the itinerary for a Caribbean Cruise!!!!! Miami to Key West to Cozumel!!



Bill even had an ornament made to commemorate the occasion.



Think about how hard it is to find beach toys in Toledo in December!!! <3



Bill even made sure my precious baby Bruno (and Coco, too!) will be taken care of while we are gone.



Once my kids left for their Dad's, we prepared for Christmas day with Bill's boys. My two big sons surprised me with a gift certificate to Yarn Cravin', my very favorite yarn shop. I sent the entire red velvet cake (made from scratch!) home with them.

Christmas miracles happen. You just have to believe.

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

The tree is up, dear friends. See? Mayhem helped me assemble the tree last weekend, and we got it all decorated. It's mostly ornaments the kids made over the years, and ornaments that the kids received each year as they have grown up. When they leave home, they will take their ornaments with them.



I have been busy wrapping presents this week while the kids are at their dad's. See?



My kids, though, have been told they are getting nothing but coal for Christmas! hehehehe Other times I tell them all they are going to get is socks and underwear. ;-)

We've even been blessed with just enough snow to make the ground all white, and cold enough temperatures to keep the snow from melting. Okay, that's not quite true. It's been frigid here! Most of the country can comiserate, as below-average temps have plagued most of the fifty states. Thank goodness for my trusty wood-burning stove.

As for me? Well, the only thing I truly wanted this Christmas was for my dad to still be here for the holiday. He has fought valiantly and bravely against his cancer all fall, and I'm happy to say that I am getting my Christmas wish! This Sunday, my entire family is gathering to celebrate Christmas. Dad will have everyone with him; his kids, his grandkids, on down to each and every great-grandchild, and family from as far away as Alabama. I'm so excited for Sunday!

One last piece of good news from me... I had a job interview today. I hope to hear something by Christmas or shortly after. Send some good vibes, cross your fingers, say a prayer. Any or all of those would be greatly appreciated!

In the meantime, hug the people you love. Tell them you love them. And from me to you, have the merriest holiday ever!

FO Alert

I actually have a Finished Object to show off today! The hat I started for Dad is complete, all the way down to weaving in the ends. My younger sister will deliver it to him on Saturday. Interesting... there's a pattern here. I knit for Dad, little sister delivers the hand knits to him, I see him with the gifted knits later. (Remember the socks??)

Anyway, here's the finished Utopia hat. Please excuse the crummy cell phone photo. I was excited and couldn't wait to get a photo uploaded from my trusty Nikon.



My nephew is out of the hospital and adjusting to life with diabetes. He's really taking it all in stride and is back at school. Thanks so much for the prayers and good wishes.

In knitting news, while sitting watching TV last night, I decided to teach myself something new. I dug out my little book of Magic Loop Knitting and a long circular needle and taught myself how to knit using one long circular needle. This is something that I have been meaning to learn for ages. With having a bum shoulder, I figure I need to exercise my brain. ;-)

All Over The Place

The past few days I have been, quite literally, all over the place. Well, except for being on the internet, that is! My crazy life has continued to spiral out of control with the shit storm hitting my younger sister's house the worst this week. Her youngest son, age 8, was diagnosed with Juvenile Diabetes and is still in the hospital. I am not sure what else can rain down upon my family right now, but your continued prayers and positive energy are appreciated. Meanwhile, I spent part of this afternoon at the hospital with my dear little nephew and he is one of the bravest and most resilient little guys I know!

My dad has finished one week of radiation and will be starting chemo next week. He is in enormous pain, so much so that he has morphine at home. My kids have finally been fully apprised of their Opa's health situation, and Mayhem helped me choose yarn to knit hats. I started one today while working at the yarn shop. I thought that Utopia (Ravelry link) would look nice knitted up in the black Malabrigo Twist I have, so that's what I cast on today. Here's the progress so far:


One cable repeat done.

I have realized that knitting does indeed aggravate my shoulder issues, so I have to limit just how much knitting I do each day. (Boooooo!) It also hurts to use the computer unless I camp out on the couch or put the computer in my lap. (What the heck??) I also realized that I am looking forward to having some resolution to my shoulder issues, even if it means having to have surgery. Now you know I'm desperate! I certainly don't know what I would do without Bill right now. He helps me so much with the kids, the dogs, the house and the yardwork.

In the midst of all the craziness and uncertainty that is my life, my trusty Nikon still goes everywhere, and I am still taking the time to find the beauty that surrounds me every day.





I hope you're making time to enjoy Fall and your loved ones!

Perfect 10

People all over the world are commenting on today's date: 10-10-10. Has today been a perfect 1o for you?

Here in the Midwest, the trees are trying to change colors, but temps are reaching the mid-80's. Yesterday we spent a great deal of time in the car, having decided to visit Mom and Dad for the day. There's a new addition at the old house where I grew up. It seems strange, but it's totally necessary, and I'm thankful for my brother-in-law, my niece's husband, and his father who gave up their Saturday to build the ramp.



The sky looked like this on the way home, and I had to take time to marvel in the beauty of the day. Farmers were busy harvesting with their giant combines, creating a hazy, dusty sky at times.



I spent part of the afternoon napping and knitting in a lounge chair in my sunny backyard today. Listening to Jimmy Buffett. In shorts. Barefoot. It's October, people!!! Really, though, with not a cloud in the sky, and an intermittent breeze, the day was one of those perfect 10 kind of days that you want to file away for revisiting later. With as dry as it has been, the wind through the leaves sounded almost like rain.



While my chocolate Lab and I soaked up the sun, my two "guys" retreated to the shade. Wimps! ;-)



Like a true Midwesterner, I know that this kind of Fall usually means something, and that "something" usually equals a big Winter. That doesn't scare me, but it does take some preparation. Do I look prepared?



I was kind of hoping that the firewood would reach ALL the way to the ceiling of the back porch. Oh well.

The Proof

I promised some photographic evidence of Mayhem in knitting action, and I have it for you today. She is getting faster, and more proficient. When her dad picked her up this evening for his week with the kids (we alternate weeks with our custody), she made sure to pack up her knitting and take it along. Perhaps she'll need to learn to purl in two weeks...





There's also an FO alert! Dad's socks are finished, and I dropped them off at my younger sister's house this afternoon. She will deliver them to Dad tomorrow. I'm particularly pleased that I was able to make the stripes match up.



These would have been done about a week sooner, but I decreased too many stitches at the gussett and didn't discover my mistake until I was nearly ready to start the toe decreases. UGH! I had to rip all the way back to the gussett. Absent-Minded Professor could get them on his feet today, so I'm pretty sure that they will fit Dad okay.

Tomorrow is Monday and it's back to PT and my wonderful torturers.