What's New?

So, besides the New Year, what's new?

I have a few FO's I can show you!

Since 2011 started, I have completed the following projects already... Okay, I admit the first one is cheating, since I started this pair of mittens in mid-December. They were intended to be part of Mayhem's Christmas gifts.



Next up, a hat for Bill. I used the leftovers of Berocco Ultra Alpaca that I had from Dad's hat. It's soft and warm, and knit up quickly.



Sticking with the winter accessories, this next hat will be gifted to a friend next month. My pal Chris, whom I've known since junior high, currently lives in L.A., but remains loyal to Ohio State. He'll be back in Ohio in February, and requested a hat in (blech, phooey, gag!) OSU colors.



I've dubbed it the "Ugly-ass hat," and decided I'm a very good friend!

The kids and I think that Bruno is having an identity crisis, or has aspirations of being a sheep dog. He's taken to carrying around this:



and sleeping with it, too!



We're in the middle of a January deep-freeze, but had happy mail yesterday. Our new swim suits for the cruise arrived! Hooray for Lands' End Overstocks!
:-)

Secret Knitting and Sacrifices

A certain middle-schooler that lives at my house every other week is obsessed with purple. Her coat is purple. Her backpack is purple. Most of her clothes are purple. Are you seeing a trend here? So last week, when it was Dad Week, what did her dad get her? A white hat and white gloves. Ugh! This is a young one who, like her momma, has a love for the fluffy white stuff that falls from the sky. She plays in it, even when there's only a dusting on the ground. You know what that means; dirty gloves/mittens!



How do you keep white gloves clean on ground like that??? (And see Bruno? he's spotted a squirrel up on the lines above him! mmmmm squirrel!)

Being the type of mom that I am, and knowing that wool mittens are the best winter weather gear for playing in the snow, I've cast on a pair of, yep, you guessed it, purple woolen mittens. Even though my darling Mayhem is a cookie-cutter image of me, and we share the love of snow, we do not share the love for purple. More than once I have threatened to friends that I am going to stab my eyes out with my dpn's before finishing these mittens, and I fear I may not finish them in time for our Christmas celebration on the morning of December 24th... not because I can't, but because the purple is killing me!

Darling Mayhem knows nothing about these mittens at all. I have been working on them at night, or when she is at her dad's, or in the car while waiting to pick her and her brother up from school. I just reached the point of needing to put the thumb stitches on hold for mitten number one, so the hard part is done; keeping track of the gussett increases. I feel safe showing you a photo, because Mayhem would have commented here by now if she were a reader of this blog. (She is not one to keep quiet, trust me!)

Pardon the crummy cell phone photo, please. As you can see, I was in the car, but not driving, I promise.



I am using this pattern - Alex's Mittens (on Ravelry) which is a roomy pattern and well written. I knit it before, for Bill's younger son for Christmas a couple years ago.

So far this December we have had only a dusting of snow (.7 inches) which made the dogs ecstatic (me too!), but we are expecting 5" tomorrow afternoon and into Monday morning. *happy dance* That will be good knitting time for me for finishing up mitten one and getting number two knocked out of the way. Then it's on to another gift project. A dear friend of mine who lives in Los Angeles has requested a hat in OSU colors. GAH! More stabbing out of the eyes.
Sheesh. The sacrifices I make! ;-) GO BLUE!

Baby it's Cold Outside

It's been really cold here lately, barely reaching 30 degrees most days for the past 10 days or so. You know, the kind of days where you don't want to go outside unless you really have to. Combine that with the gray skies and the early darkness that sets in, and you have a hibernating Karen.

So what have I been up to, you wonder? I did some Christmas shopping online (thank you, Amazon!) and then I spent 3 days sleeping off a cold/flu kind of thing. I used so many tissues that I thought the front of my face was going to peel off! eeeew We all have to be healthy for December 19. That's when my entire family is gathering at my parents' house to celebrate Christmas. With my dad being sick, we can't take any germs!! And ALL of us have to be there. Period.

When I wasn't sleeping I started re-reading the entire Harry Potter series. The kids and I had been to see Part 1 of The Deathly Hallows at the movie theater right after Thanksgiving. That inspired me, along with some friends doing a mini book club, to read the series again. The books are so much better than the movies!

I have also been doing more knitting since my shoulders are better! I can knit for longer periods of time and don't have pain, so I am actually finishing things. Not anything big yet, but my endurance is increasing, and it's so encouraging. I have been released from PT as well. Hooray! So, knitting? I am working on a secret project for Mayhem for Christmas involving very purple yarn to match her coat. I detest purple, but like all middle school girls, she looooooves purple. So purple it is. Bleah.

Last night I finished a hat for my Mom for Christmas. At Thanksgiving she was saying she would love a warm hat.


I'm almost done with Book 5 - see how the hat matches the book?

This hat took me two evenings, maybe a total of 3 hours (including the finishing) to knit. It's knit with Berocco Sundae, a bulky yarn on size 11 and size 13 needles. It's a pattern from my LYS, but if you search Button Band hat on Ravelry, you will find similar patterns.



Other than that, I am job hunting, Christmas shopping (frugally), and waiting, rather impatiently, for some snow to arrive here in T-Town. It seems that it has fallen all around us, and in places that don't normally get snow, but none here!

The kids are with me this week, so we are tidying up and getting the Christmas tree up by the end of the week.

Do you have snow? Is your holiday shopping done? Are you knitting gifts for the holidays?

Four Years

A funny thing happened last night, while I couldn't sleep. I noticed, while looking at the sidebar of my little blog, that I have been writing here for four years now. Happy Blogiversary to me!

So much has happened in the past four years, but one thing has remained constant. Knitting. Even when I haven't been able to knit because of physical limitations, like right now with my shoulder issues, I think about knitting, or plan future knitting, or read knitting books. My corner of the couch is piled high with knitting books and magazines, and skeins of yarns to fondle. I even cheat and knit little projects like dishcloths, or afghan squares; albeit very slowly. Snails' pace slowly.

Some Ravelry friends and I are swapping 12" squares every other month. The goal is to eventually have enough squares to make afghans for ourselves. Being newer to this swap group, I have only received (and sent out) two squares so far, but others are getting close to having small blankets. Last night I started square #3, again, slowly because of pain. In less than a week the orthopaedic surgeon and I will decide if surgery is the best option for resolving this whole mess.



August/September square and goodies I received.

On my fridge I have a magnet that says, "I knit because I'm smarter than you." Really, knitting doesn't take a lot of smarts. If you can read, you can teach yourself to knit. (I did!) BUT, I credit knitting from keeping my brains from turning completely to mush while I'm job hunting. I'm smart enough to do something that exercises my brain and helps keep me mentally sharp. Gauge. Stitches per inch. Reading patterns. Meters vs. yards. It all keeps me from totally losing my mind these days.

Today I helped Absent-Minded Professor with his algebra homework. (Yes, he's in high school now... eeek!) After walking him through the challenge problem, the very last problem, he asked, "How do you know how to do this stuff?" My answer?

Knitting.

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.

Now Appearing On Stage...

Hey, is this thing on? Anyone out there? tap tap tap Ahem. Can you hear me?

After the 2nd snowiest winter on the record books, the northwest corner of Ohio has finally emerged from the grips of the snow that blanketed the earth for a good part January and February. It would take me too long to explain what had me in its grips all that time. Let me just say I was kind of buried, like my car.

Now, the sun is warming the earth, and life is springing forth. These crocuses are already finished blooming in my yard, and the daffodils are blooming. The trees have burst into new little green leaves, literally in the past three days, almost while watching them!

On President's Day, a holiday with no school, the kids and I ventured to the Toledo Zoo. We had to get out of the house, and they sported some hand-knits a la Mom. (There is still knitting happening!) Yes, my children are alive and well, and Absent-Minded Professor just recently let me know that he is as tall as I am! I promptly informed him I can still kick his rear end if need be!

In February, even without my thinking much of it, I added another year to my life's experiences. That called for a bit of a hair style change. I like it. Bill loves it. I think I'll keep it.

It's now spring break. Mayhem turned 11 years old on April Fools' Day. Yes, I tell her every year that the joke has been on ME ever since! As part of the celebration, we took the "little kids" (Bill's college boys are the "big kids") to The Henry Ford Museum. It was fantastic, and I wish I had thought to take Absent-Minded Professor when he was three or four and obsessed with Trains and Thomas the Tank Engine! We had to let Mayhem drive in this photo... it was her birthday, after all.

This week, even though the kids are with their dad, and I am on spring break, I have a crazy, busy week. Bill is finally moving in. We are cleaning, and rearranging. I am getting my taxes prepared. We're heading into the home stretch at school, which means I have to make sure all of my 12th graders have what they need to graduate!! Bill's oldest son will be graduating from college in mid-May and we are excited about that.

You wondering about my kniting, too? Yes, it's still happening. I have a whole 'nother post coming up about that. This year I decided at New Year's to dedicate the year to completing my UFO's... my Unfinished Objects. So far, since January One, I have not cast on for anything new! I know, I know, it's killing me. I certainly have not become a monogamous knitter, by any stretch of the imagination. I just can't stay with one knitting project only from start to end. All of the new patterns and designs and yarns coming out have been tempting and taunting me. Then there's fact that I have enough Dream in Color Classy in my stash to knit an entire February Lady Sweater!

If I have anyone that still peeks to see if I do blog, I have some posts lined up to show you what I have finished. I have a post to show you the eleventy-billion unfinished projects. Then I can show you what I've tossed into the time-out corner because of knitting errors that I made while adjusting to a crazy medication designed to help me with my migraines. It makes me incredibly scatter-brained. And before you make a smart-alecky comment, I'll say it for you: what's different about that from before?! hahahaha

The Day After The Day After

It was the day after The Day After. You know, not The Day After Christmas, or Boxing Day; it was the next day, December 27. Mayhem and The Absent-Minded Professor, exhausted from THREE Christmases, declared it "Pajama Day."

December 24th the kids were with me, and we celebrated together. A little dog embarassment was in order. Poor Bruno.

"I got an X-Box!"

Christmas Day, the kids were with their dad and his side of the family, while I was with Bill and the College Guys. (Somewhere there's a photo of me in a turkey-induced coma, snoozing on Bill... Thanks, College Kid!) Buying for the College Guys was tricky this year, but I think they were happy and surprised with their gifts.

The Day After was spent with my side of the family; that meant 20 of us were together, spanning four generations, and that didn't even include everyone! For us, the day ended with a 2-hour drive home.

At Oma and Opa's

The rules for Pajama Day were simple:

1. Participants could sleep in as late as they wanted, and had to stay in their jammies all day. (Mayhem was the winner, staying in her bed until Noon!)

2. Movies, video games, new toys, knitting and general R-and-R were required.

3. Christmas cookies and treats had to be eaten all day if available.

Later in the afternoon, I laid in my favorite corner of the sectional sofa, in front of the fire, watching light snow fall outside. My knitting and a book were in my lap. One of the Labs snored and dreamed at my feet. The kids were happy and not fighting. It was one of those rare moments when you know how blessed you truly are. The kind of moment you file away to revisit and treasure later on a day that's not so good.

Here's hoping you had moments that pointed out your blessings to you, too!

Catching Up

Hey! I'm still alive!



I don't know if I can begin to tell you all of the things that have happened since mid-July when I last blogged here, but I will try to catch you up.



Yes, I still knit. I still write the blog for Yarn Cravin'. I seem to be able to do that regularly. Go figure. I even find time to work there once in a while. I am constantly knitting, but don't seem to finish many projects. I'm working on that, really. I did finish some little socks and a sweater for my brand new great-nephew, whom I will meet at Thanksgiving. Yummmm... can't wait to smooch on that baby!

The kids are doing well. They have adjusted to our shared parenting arrangement of one week with dad, one week with me, and seem to be OK with that. School is going well for them and me, and life has settled into a routine of school/work in the mornings, study/play in the afternoons, knit/tv in the evenings. Life is quieter and peaceful now that we're all in a routine.

Mayhem is playing the viola, having just started orchestra this year. She is already making "real" music. Absent-Minded Professor is thrilled that he is nearly as tall as his dear momma... just one more inch to go! Next year he will join me at the high school. He got braces right before school started in August and we can see a huge improvement already. College Kid the Elder had swine flu in October and was brought home for several days to recuperate. (The younger kids and I get our vaccines this week - finally!) Bill and I can't believe the oldest will graduate in May! College Kid the Younger transferred to Ohio University this fall for his second year of college and is having a fabulous year with their debate team.

Right now Bill and I are getting ready for Thanksgiving; we have so much to be thankful for! This is my favorite time of year, and Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. To answer the big question: No, we aren't married yet. We are still working out the logistics of combining our families and households. I don't know when the wedding will be, or even how it will be. Right now we are deliriously happy just knowing it will be.

Someone stay on my case about blogging, OK?

Where I've Been...

Have you been wondering about me? Here's what's going on! I have been to eleventy-billion softball games to watch Mayhem play. Her team is undefeated and just finished regular season play. Tournaments start next week! Not one single game was rained out.

The kids and I have been to The Toledo Zoo. The new children's area is beautiful, but geared toward little kids. My kids liked it, especially the "kids only" treehouse. We are really too grown-up for it, though.

Somehow, Mayhem was turned into a giraffe for a few moments.

One of my lifelong friends has the good fortune to finally be blessed with impending motherhood! I knitted a blanket for Linda's baby shower, and attended. We have known each other since Kindergarten, and I wouldn't have missed it for the world.

Araucania pima cotton. All garter stitch.

The glowing Linda and a friend.

Bill and I again took a big group of 7th graders to Gettysburg andWashington, DC this year. Here's Bill and I at Mount Vernon. He's a big fan of President Washington. (I'm a Lincoln fan, myself.)
This year, my Absent-Minded Professor was old enough to go on the trip!

He was one of two students chosen to do the Wreath Laying Ceremony at The Tomb of The Unknown Soldier at Arlington.

My kid is wearing the red tie.

At the Lincoln Memorial, my favorite place in DC, all the kids ran up the steps, and Bill stopped me to have a very serious conversation. CJ took our photo afterward.

I said "yes"!!! I am the future Mrs. Bill. No date is set.


And the rollercoaster continues with pro baseball games and trips to Traverse City and swimming and swapping the kids back and forth with their dad...

Plans... Interrupted

Saturday morning, today, dawned sunny and warm, and I had a plan. I was going to pull weeds like a madwoman and then sit outside and knit to my hearts' content until late afternoon. It's Memorial Day Weekend, after all.

The little people at my house, however had other plans. It started with the phone ringing non-stop and the words, "Mom can you take me to..." repeatedly. My plans went out the window and I proceeded to shower, put on clean clothes, and drive my children all over God's green earth. One packed up clothes, swimsuit and towel and was dropped off to spend the night at a friend's. The other was transported to a video game store to trade in one old game and buy a new game. Unfortunately, that store didn't have the needed new game, so off we went to a different part of town to find the "absolutely must have today, Mom!" game. You know, the kind that is so urgent that he would die if he didn't have it.

I had hoped to share neat flower bed with newly planted flowers with all of you. I can entertain you with this, however. It's the most unflattering photo of me ever taken, and I'm only sharing it for two reasons. First, it documents my career flexiblity and the fact that I may have the option of working as a clown if my illnesses cause me to be canned from my current job. Second, the hair is gonna go. Next Saturday I have an appointment to drastically change the hairdo. That hair has not been cut in two years. (Thanks, Mary, for the lovely portrait of me!) Put down any drink you may be consuming. I'm not responsible for your computer.


Here is proof that I am knitting still. Look! It's on two circulars, even! The pattern is Eleanor, and it's free on Ravelry. You just have to join. The yarn is a custom dye for our sock of the month club by Sarah at Perfect Day Yarns. (Look her up, I'm too lazy to link today. Sorry.)


Hope the knitting is good in your corner of the world.

MAKE TIME TO REMEMBER OUR VETERANS AND FLY THE FLAG THIS WEEKEND!!!

World War II Memorial, Washington, D.C. 2008

Spring Happenings

The crabapple trees are blooming here. My front yard has two trees, but some streets are lined with them, almost making a canopy of blooms as you drive down the road. A strong gust of wind sends the petals flying, making it look like snow. They're beautiful, and I had to share.



My entire weekend was spent sitting at softball fields. Mayhem had her Pre-Season Tournament. Friday night it was cold and rained off and on; her game wasn't until 7:00PM. Saturday she played at 2:00PM and it was sunny, but chilly. We all sat bundled in sweatshirts and blankets. Sunday morning, finally, it was warm. Why so many games? They kept winning!

Mayhem had a great weekend. She had several hits, and scored two runs this weekend. Here's a photo of her coming in to home plate. Score!

Mayhem's team won the Championship for this tournament. Regular season play starts this week.

And what do I do to stay sane at the games? I complete my UFO's! Look: My Monkey Socks from last year's sock club. ~blush~ Size 2 US needles. Yarn is Muddy Maumee (custom dyed) from Perfect Day Yarns for Yarn Cravin's Sock of The Month Club.

They have been worn and are warm and comfy. My sock skills are definitely improving, as these fit better than any socks I have made so far.

Just Keep Swimming

Without boring you with all the details, I've finished the round of medical tests related to my migraines. The MRI showed I do indeed have a brain in my head. The brain even fills the entire space! I was allowed to see some of the scans after asking the technician, and they were pretty awesome. While the tests are done, I don't have answers yet. Just keep swimming, just keep swimming...

My Dad just celebrated his 75th birthday and I knew I would be seeing the youngest of my great-nieces and great-nephews at his party. A.J. is not quite 18 mos. old and I wanted to give him something special. I decided to whip up an Oliphaunt. Here's my version:




This is knit with Brown Sheep Bulky on size 8 1/2 U.S. needles. I started it Saturday evening and finished it in the car Sunday on the way to Dad's party. Bill and the kids loved watching it take shape. By the way, Bill was driving.

My children were lovely for Dad's party, and Absent-Minded Professor agreed to wear something other than his usual black or grey t-shirt. My Mom was so pleased to see how nice he looked. I was stunned to see how grown he suddenly looks!


This weekend, my LYS is having a knitting retreat. 40 of us, maybe a few more, are heading off-site, overnight, to knit and be silly together. The weather is supposed to be gorgeous, and we will be together from 9 AM Saturday until 5 PM Sunday. I am taking 3-4 WIP's that I want to finish and also my spinning wheel.

If it's cold where you are, or you need a little hit of spring, this is for you. I took this photo on the way out of my hometown Sunday, after my Dad's party. The kids and I stopped to show Bill one of our favorite places, Kingwood Center.
Pink daffodils. I think I have to look for some of these to plant in the fall.

Spooning With The Dog

My two very large Labs have become accustomed to sleeping with me in my king sized bed, and since I still stay on "my side" of the bed it isn't a problem. Last night, plagued by insomnia, and struggling to get comfortable, I finally fell asleep well after 2:00 AM and woke around 4:30, warm, and snuggly; wondering who in the world I was spooning with at my house. I must have been dreaming and hadn't gotten fully awake yet. Yeah, that was it. I was dreaming I was spooning... Only when I opened my eyes, I found that I had snuggled up to Bruno, my huge yellow Lab, who just turned eight years old this week. Happy Birthday, Old Pal. (Coco turned eight, too... or at least we think she did. She came from the pound and we made her birthday the same day as Bruno's.)

Note to self: Get a life. Soon.

Mayhem turned 10 this past week, and I celebrated by giving her a wiener dog. She's been begging for ages for a dog of her own. Wasn't she surprised to see that her crafty momma knitted it for her! I used the Dotty Dog pattern from Knitted Toys by Zoe Mellor. The dog is pink and purple, and ever since I presented it to her, she hasn't stopped toting it around. It's been dubbed "Pinkie" and I've already had to knit an i-cord collar for the new pet. Here's a cell phone photo of Pinkie in progress... the stripes are the belly. Can you see the hole for stuffing?

As soon as the home computer is deloused (Absent-Minded Professor downloaded a virus... darn junior high kid!) I will show you the complete doggy, and happy kid.

Sock Club at Yarn Cravin' is in full swing and we have some new challenges. I'm working on socks on two circular needles (a big change for me - I'm totally a dpn girl) and trying the Chevy pattern from Knitting Socks With Handpainted Yarn by Carol Sulcoski. This book is fabulous, and full of gorgeous patterns of all skill levels. Plus it explains how to avoid flashing and pooling that comes with using handpainted yarns. This photo shows my sock after just completing the set up rows.

The other day I posted that I had ordered The Knit Kit. Readers, it has arrived, and it is cool. "MacGyverish" is the best word I can think of to describe it. Really, everything you need is right there, in one little egg-shaped flat packet. It looks a bit like a birth-control packet, but performs beautifully! The thread cutter slices through yarn easily, allowing one to not even open the back to unfold the scissors. That prevents the spillage of the stitch markers. The tape measure works smoothly. The stitch counter works effortlessly, and with just enough pressure, plus also includes a lock for when you toss the whole kit back into your bag. I love that there's a little crochet hook included for picking up dropped stitches, although I probably would have tried to make it a bit finer for sock yarns. It's less than 1/2" thick, so this fits easily in any bag, even your purse. This is a great gift for other knitters, a treat for yourself is worth the $20, in my opinion.

Thank you, those of you that posted good thoughts about my health. The neuro appointment was long, but thorough. I have started a new med to prevent migraines. It has some strange side-effects, but I'm hanging in there. An EEG has already been done and I have more tests coming up. I will try to not bore you with details, but I'll keep you posted.

Is it Spring where you are? It's snowing here.