knittin' nut

Camporee!

2011-10-30T08:14:00.000-07:00

BG just bridged up to Cadettes in her Girl Scout troop and one of the planned events is to attend the 100 year camporee in Savanna, GA. I understand there will be 5000 scouts there from around the U.S. and the girls are excited to raise the money to attend. It will be a full week of activities. Right now, we have 14 girls in our troop and are looking to raise about $900.00 per girl which includes transportation, registration and meals for the trip. (meals at the camporee are included in the registration). If you would like to help, click on the donation button to the left.

Thanks for your support!

Time Passes...EEEKK!

2011-08-21T05:27:00.000-07:00

It's been more than a year since I updated this blog. And such a year!
First, we spent most of the rest of last year preparing for DH to deploy to the 'sandbox'. I spent the time making lists of things I wanted to accomplish while he was gone (with underlying fear and anticipation wearing on my nerves). DH spent the time fortifying the house so that BG & I would be safe and secure. New square foot gardens went in and a fence was built, home repairs done and 'retirement' planned so that all the major bills were paid off and we could live debt free.
DS#2 and family visited for a few weeks and we were able to cuddle the (then) newest granddaughter. They had another daughter shortly after returning to Germany. Presenting Lillie Denise!

The garden produced in abundance and we canned pickles, green beans and butternut squash. Tomatoes were harvested and frozen. I bought a new pressure canner, an Excalibur dehydrator and a vacuum sealer. Onions, carrots, potatoes and apples were dehydrated and stored. We discovered Jack Spirko's podcast: thesurvivalpodcast.com and listened for ideas we could incorporate into our lives.

Summer and fall passed far too quickly and soon we were saying goodbye. DH to go to final training and BG and myself to return home to a much emptier house.
Next up was our annual ThanksBirthHanuMas party in December. I knit fingerless mitts for the 3 older girls and tucked in gift cards for Bath & Body Works. The hit of the party was the array of Screaming Slingshot monkeys, cows, chickens, pigs and ducks that were whizzing around.

Then the new year. It started off with a bang...or rather, a sickness. I was awakened in the night by a call for help from BG and walked into her bedroom to find she had been sick. I then backed out quickly, calling for her to wrap up everything in the sheets and sent her in to shower. She proceeded to be sick for most of the week, sleeping on the couch as I tossed her mattress and bed frame into the garbage! (Yes..it was that bad!) Repainting her room had been on my list of things to do in the spring, but spring was too far away. So we cleaned, sorted, painted and assembled a new trundle bed with a new mattress.

Spring brought a new addition to the family. My first great-granddaughter.

New garden went in in the spring and is producing peppers, tomatoes, peas, carrots, beets and corn...all of which have been processed as they become ripe.

Knitting has been done. A couple of finished projects:
Anna-Margrethe

A couple of crocheted market bags

Out of Cheese (a MMario design)

and a pair of fingerless mitts in Steeler colors for dd#2

We have a few Yellow Ribbon and FRG events over the year. Sciatic troubles for me slowed things down on the home plans I had, but things are getting better. Now we are in full scurry mode in anticipation of DH's return. Thank heaven for email and instant messaging that has allowed us to stay in touch. All is well. Looking forward to having my man home safe and sound.

Ravelympics 2010

2010-02-16T07:31:00.001-08:00

And we're off! The Winter Olympics are in full swing in Vancover and so are the games at Ravelry. So far I have earned a medal in Aerial Unwind (frogging a stalled project and reclaiming the yarn)...

...and a medal for Sweaterboard Cross for finishing Oriental Lily...a tunic baby sweater for Ajala

Onward! I am hoping to work on Offler and I cast on Ruba'yat mittens.

First Sewing Project

2010-01-18T07:33:00.000-08:00

BG made her first machine sewn project this weekend. A simple fleece hat. She picked out the material, talked to the store employee about how much fabric she needed, and did all the cutting and sewing herself. She is very excited and can't wait to try another one.

Another "What was I thinking??"

2010-01-14T06:06:00.000-08:00

One of the advantages of homeschooling and having homeschooling friends is that you don't have to wait til the weekend for a sleep over. BG had her cousin, who I am also homeschooling this year, and a friend over Tuesday night after Girl Scouts. The 3 of them watched a movie and ate popcorn while camping out on the living room floor. Actually, it went much better than I thought it might. No fights...no loud laughing and yelling. They were still talking when I stumbled to bed at 12:30 am, but were quiet enough that it didn't interfere with my sleep. Friend brought some school work with her, so the 3 of them did math together on Wednesday. There were a few scuffles (like..what do we play next? and I don't want to do that), but, all in all, it went smoothly.

Facebook has this current thing about posting an old picture of yourself. I don't have any digital pictures of myself as a youngen, but found this family one of DH, DS, BG and myself. Hard to imagine that young man in the back is a burly Army father of his own little girl. And BG is taller than me now! I think she was about 18 months old in this picture. AH, time.... As Terry Pratchett says (paraphrased) Endless days of rapidly passing years...

Long Time

2010-01-10T09:40:00.000-08:00

It's been a long time since I blogged and realized many things have happened since BG went off to camp. She had a great time and is eager to go back this year.

DS#2 got married and had a baby. Ajala Michelle was born in early September of 09. For New Years, we got the message from them that another baby will be born in August of this year!

The family got together on December 12th for our annual ThanksBirthHanuMas gathering. No injuries, barfing or fights...it was a good day!...lol.

I received the KnitPicks set of DPN... 6 sizes from 2.00mm to 3.25mm.. and "Continuous Cables" by Melissa Leapman. Trying to go Cold Sheep and not buy any new yarn till I have a chance to knit up a lot of my stash. I made several washcloths and tribbles as gifts to the DDs, so was able to use up some of the cotton here.

Heard about a great way to use up sock yarn stash. Match yarn and pattern and bag it under the labels of the coming months and challenge myself to knit a pair each month thru out the year. We'll see. I did finish one pair this past year.

SOTN: Offler Stole, grey scarf for sis-i-l (started as a Christmas present for 08), the Messianic scarf/stole from YarnYenta, and recently started: MMario's MMystery shawl KKnitalong. This shawl is not going well as I have dropped stitches (again) and will need to restart clue 1 (5th time).

Will try to do better about blogging this year...but no promises.

Camp Gilgal

2009-06-28T05:29:00.001-07:00

Its been a busy month. Lots of preparations to get BG ready for camp. But first, we needed to celebrate her birthday a little early. She will celebrate her 9th birthday at camp, too.

Camp Gilgal is sponsered by Jews for Jesus, so BG was very excited to go and see some of her friends from the Ingathering there. This is her first "away from home/ away from me" camp. The leaders are so sweet and take lots of pictures to add to their flickr account so we can see our children enjoying themselves. One of the first activities is for each cabin to make a tribal flag. Here BG is cutting out elements for the flag:

And here is the finished flag:

And here... well... I am not sure exactly what they were doing that required a little war paint... lol.

3rd UFO Finished

2009-06-08T13:10:00.001-07:00

Finished another scarf that has been in the works for a few months. This is my version of the TNT scarf. Pardon the picture. It's hard to take a pic of something around your own neck...lol.

Done in Serenity sock yarn with about 1700 or so beads. I thought I might have a problem with binding off, but I cut the yarn with enough beads for the last row and bound off the first 5 stitches, passed the end of the yarn thru as if it were the last stitch, slipped the beads in place, and then continued binding off the next section. Was a lot easier than I was thinking it would be...once I figured it out.

2009-06-07T13:12:00.000-07:00

Few bragging rights here. DH's Army Med unit trained this weekend and the local news caught a little of the action.

Starts and Finishes

2009-06-02T09:53:00.001-07:00

First let me brag about a (finally) finished. I finished my Queen Anne's Lace shawl that I made with #10 crochet cotton as a tablecloth for my antique oak pedestal table.

MMario's design is beautiful and an easy knit, although with 4 extra repeats of the last several rows, it took quite a while. I started it August 08 and finished May 30, 09. I will say to MMario's defense that I wasn't just working on this project. Babysitting, other knits and general life did not let me put in the time I should have.

Now for a start. A group of us at Ravelry have decided to read the Little House books over the summer with our children and do crafts along those themes. Hopefully I will blog more often with finished crafts that BG and I have done together.

In other knitting news: SOTN: Arch-shaped socks 75% done, MMario's Offler stole 10% done, Ankh socks 20%, 3 scraves at various stages and YarnYenta's Shabbat scarf about 10% along. Hmmm...may need to add a new project?

Nature Center

2009-05-20T08:39:00.000-07:00

BG's Brownie troop went to a local nature center last week. Lots of new things for them to see and learn. They got to pet real animal pelts of animals that had died naturally (or hit on the road). Then they drew their own animals with 2 criteria: Where they lived and what they ate. BG drew sort of a cross between a giraffe and a bear. It lives in the woods and eats pine cones...lol.
I snapped a few pics.

Knitting Night

2009-05-07T10:24:00.000-07:00

Last night our knitting group met at the Franklin Park Conservatory for a nice stroll and knitting. While the Butterfly exhibit is showing now, most of them were in the windows, too far from my phone camera, looking out at the wide world wondering why they were trapped inside. Instead, I got a few pics of the foliage and a 'surprise' in the desert room. Also pics of the permanent Chihully art. Enjoy!

YES! This really is a chair covered in cacti!

Lightbulb

2009-03-29T14:04:00.000-07:00

So, over at the Mended Drum (Ankh=Morpork Knitters Guild - Ravelry), the subject came up and the jokes are being posted. How many (insert noun here) does it take to change a light bulb?
Here's one of my favorites: How many mice does it take to screw in a light bulb?
Only 2.. it's getting them IN the bulb that's the problem.
What's your favorite?

Therapy Update

2009-03-27T17:54:00.000-07:00

Well, didn't get great news at therapy today. NO KNITTING! Not until I go again next week at least. Things looked fine when I left last Tuesday, and by Wednesday evening, my finger was giving me a bit of a problem. More swelling on Thursday morning that I was able to massage away. Today, the pain and swelling were back along with less flexibility and the therapist noticed more rigidity. So I got a change of exercises to do and NO KNITTING...sigh. There are sometimes I wish we had removable parts. I would just stick my finger up on a shelf and let it heal. But....
So, I have no knitting news to report.
Off to play games with the family. It's game night!

Blogging Habit

2009-03-26T11:31:00.000-07:00

It didn't make it as habit...sigh. I missed 11 days so far this month. 2/3rds is better than none tho, so will take heart to blog more often.
The 2nd eagle egg has not hatched yet and is now 3 days overdue according to laid-hatched stats of first egg. Chick is doing great and I have hopes of seeing the 3rd egg hatch in a few days. Some of the nesting sites I checked out online are disappointing this year. One nest was abandoned completely this year and another has no eggs as of yet. Last year, we watched with anticipation a nest with 3 eggs, but because of age of the eagles (older) there was only a little hope. Alas, all 3 of the eggs proved to be infertile. BG loves sneaking up to my pc and watching these parents feed their chick. Such majestic looking birds! It is my understanding that they have been removed from the endangered lists now. Let's hope they remain that way.
Knitting group last night. There were 8 of us and lots of laughs. I knit several rows on my version of the TNT scarf before my finger started giving me problems.
Got a couple of rows knit on my socks today without too much problem.
Seedlings are sprouting in the little peat pots in the window. Looks like we will have plenty of plants to set out later. Put in the asparagus seeds this morning. I don't think DH realizes yet that we won't be eating any for 3 years.
BG used 3 TP rolls and created a totem pole. Can you guess what animals are represented?

Another C&PP

2009-03-23T09:47:00.000-07:00

DH did an incredible amount of yard work for me yesterday. He got the old stuff off the fence and raked and bagged leaves. He has already figured out a time line in order to be able to ready a garden for me. Herb seeds have sprouted in the one container.
My latest C&PP: http://www.suttoncenter.org/eaglecam.html
Fun to watch the parent eagles feed the little chick, with anticipation of 2 more eggs to hatch.
Worked for a while on QAL. another row done....many many more to go!

Mid-Month Slump

2009-03-21T04:48:00.000-07:00

Falling off on the daily blog challenge...sigh. Will try to end the month a bit stronger.
Spring is officially here and I have been trying to get seeds started in trays to put out when the weather gets better. DH is gung-ho on having a garden this year. He has plans to move fences around a bit in the back yard to open up a little more space, also to insure a little privacy and keep the veggie thieves at bay. They and the underground life that seems to thrive here will be our biggest hurdle to a successful garden this year. Several years ago we tried a small garden, and while the tomatoes did well, our beans grew to nice bushes and over night we had lace leaves due to bugs or slugs. Not one flower or bean was produced due to the little buggers. I am considering more container plants rather than in ground ones. This also means I need to brush up on my canning skills which I haven't used in probably 20 years.
I am also looking forward to going with a knitting friend to pick strawberries this year. I have a hankering for some jam...yum.
Been a tough week in the housekeeping department. I have maintained, but not progressed in the Mt Vernon cleaning.
Due to the still half functioning finger, I have only been knitting on my version of the TNT beaded scarf. I haven't measured it, but would say its about 18-20 inches along now. At my knitting group on Wednesday, we decided the weight of it would make a nice weapon if accosted. Sort of knitted nun-chucks.
Not much else going on here... til next time...

Search Parties

2009-03-18T18:35:00.000-07:00

OK, no one came looking for me...lol. Really, I got some work done in RoD, but not much. Mostly I just moved things around and the major pile is now in the center of the room. Actually have had a rough week of bad sleep, so have been doing what I need to and vegging a lot.
Knitting for any length of time seems to destroy any flexibility I gain from the therapy I am getting for my finger. It looks better, swelling has gone down, and I can hold it straighter if I don't knit. Knitting group was tonight and I did a few inches on the beaded scarf, til finger started looking more like an L-bracket and I could lay my hand flat on the table and pass small animals under the knuckle. They tell me this could take longer to 'cure' than they originally thought. At least the iced cappuccino was refreshing and conversation was good.

Another Bookcase Down

2009-03-14T15:13:00.000-07:00

Saturday: #7 is done. It's the one with the most antique books in the upstairs hallway. Cleaned well, moved and cleaned the wall and woodwork behind. Have some more books to send to the thrift store and some to take to half-priced books and see if I can get anything for them. The house is starting to look pretty nice. Now I need to keep up with it all and not let it get this bad again. I also cleaned out the bedside table and dusted under the bed.

Sunday: On the game shelves. They weren't too bad, just some organizing and dusting. I finally scrubbed the bathroom floor which has been on my list all week. And did the combs and brushes in a sink of warm water with a little shampoo. Another job I haven't gotten to for a while and really like to do once a month or so. A PP job I did this AM (before bath floor) was to clean the fridge shelves. Amazing what you can think of to do to avoid a more unpleasant job!

This coming week I will be entering the Room of Doom! This is the craft/PC/home school/junk room. If I don't post in 2 days, send in the search parties.

Til tomorrow.....(if I come out alive)

2009-03-14T00:35:00.000-07:00

Its 3:36 AM right now and, since I didn't get to blog yesterday and am having an awake time, I thought I would drop a note. For all the ups and downs this week, I think I finished well. Several of us got together in the chat room and played 10x15. We make a list of 10 things that need to be done, ask chatzy to roll the die and tell us what number, and then we all run to get that chore done in 15 minutes. My list:
1) clean cat litter
2) bring up dry clothes, fold and put away
3) Vac upstairs rugs
4) scrub the tub
5) scrub bathroom floor*
6) swish and swipe
7) clean bathroom woodwork**
8) clean bathroom shelves
9) sweep kitchen floor***
10) straighten 2 shelves in kitchen
(bold print indicates job done)

The game was on! *I ended up totally cleaning and organizing 4 shelves in the kitchen as a Productive Procrastination to avoid bathroom floor and **I only cleaned the woodwork around the door and wall around the light switch, but...
I also vacced living and dining room, dust mopped and wet swiffered dining room and hall wood floors, cleaned off and out the blanket chest, Clean floor and woodwork behind the chest, cleaned dining table down to one small pile of leftovers from previous desk cleaning, cleaned the fridge out (***another PP to avoid sweeping), wiped counters, washed a comforter, ran the dishwasher, shined my sink including the faucet scrub, had BG sort through a big stack of her papers and toss or keep, and still found a little time to knit!
Whew! Not bad and I felt so much better. And the good news is that I did all that from 9 AM-12:30 PM!
BG was still sick with sore throat and now has a nasty cough, but she didn't have a fever. I tried to give her things to do that didn't require a lot of moving around. We hadn't done any homeschooling all week, but she did do the next pages of her grammar while resting on the couch.
DH called and asked me to meet him and a group of his co-workers for dinner and to watch Glenn Beck together. The concept was good, but the restaurant was a bit too noisy for me. Food was good and plentiful, but service was a bit lacking. We actually had to ask to have menus brought to us and it was another 20 minutes before the waitress came back to take our orders. We asked for carry out containers when she did finally bring our food...and she brought one. 15 minutes later she wandered by to see if things were okay and I asked for the second container then.
DH took the leftovers and wandered home while I went to the store and picked BG up from her aunt's. We were all in bed by 9 PM, which may account, in part, to why I am up now.

Creative Procrastination

2009-03-12T06:48:00.000-07:00

Ever notice that when you don't want to do something, you can accomplish a lot in other rooms or areas of your life? Creative and productive procrastination. I use it all the time and I have talked with my Flysisters about some of their favorite ways to procrastinate.
1) Clean something in the room farthest from where you really should be working. Tell yourself you will get there eventually.
2) Knit that Christmas gift you want to give this year. Can't wait til the last minute...again.
3) Shower to get yourself pysched up for the day, clean shower, tub, sink, toilet, shelves etc before leaving bathroom.
4) Chat and tell others how much you need to be working there. Building virtual friendships is important.
5) Blog something like this.

What are your excus....I mean...Creative and productive ways to procrastinate?
(I need new ideas...these aren't working for me anymore...lol)

The Best Laid Plans....

2009-03-11T17:51:00.000-07:00

....soon go astray. After being somewhat lethargic about cleaning and blogging yesterday, I planned on getting up and getting back into the swing of things. BG woke with a fever and a sore throat. Called the Doctor and got first available appointment..3:00 pm. I did manage to clean my small appliances with the help of one of the FlyGuys at my chat room. Also got a couple of loads of wash done. Although BG's rapid strep test came back negative, they are treating it as such. Doctor's office was nice enough to phone prescription in so that it would be ready when we got there. We made one stop along the way, and when we arrived at pharmacy, found that they had not checked their phone messages. Another 20 minutes to wait, got home in time to put dinner in the oven so that we could eat at a decent time. BG's temp spiked again after dinner, so needless to say, I did not make it out for my weekly knitting group night. I decided knitting night was knitting night, and curled up on my bed and got about an hour of uninterrupted knitting in.
All is well that ends well, right?

Learning To Be Frugal

2009-03-09T17:43:00.000-07:00

Learning to be more frugal can be tough at times, but recently I have had a bit of success with roasts. Our local store had them 'buy 1, get 1 free' so for the price of 18.00 I got 2 very nice beef roasts. Into the freezer went one, and the other found itself simmering with onion in my crock all day. This afternoon, I added potato and carrots. I sliced part of the roast, reserving the other half, and we had a very filling dinner. The other half I split into 2 sections and cut into small pieces. Part went with the leftover potatoes and carrots into a roux with a little seasoning for beef stew later on this week. The rest went back into the crock with 2 bags of frozen veggies, beef stock, chicken flavoring pack, more herbs and spices and will become 5 lunch sized portions for DH to take to work. I did this with the last roast I bought and it worked out well. 18.00 divided by meals for 12 equals 1.50 per meal. I say..can't beat that!
I did a big pot of chili make the same way over the weekend. BG and I ate from it one night, I have some in fridge for the 3 of us for dinner this week, and 4 lunch containers for DH. Gotta love a man that prefers to take homemade meals!

Just Waiting

2009-03-08T14:06:00.000-07:00

Mom had to go out today. She didn't say when she would be back and didn't leave any messages for me to forward to you. So I just wanted to say Hi and tell you that I am watching for her. She should be back soon....I hope.

Feegle

Pics and Progress

2009-03-07T07:48:00.000-08:00

Finally took and uploaded a few pics to share of the Mt Vernon cleaning. There are places I can go and admire now. Brings a smile to my face and a sense of accomplishment. A look at left bookshelf area before:

And after: A little neater and much cleaner. Found some books to donate to thrift store and a couple to pass to grandkids.

Desk pics before and after below. I would have taken a pic of inside...but it was too scary!

More tomorrow....

Spiritual Cleaning

2009-03-05T08:12:00.000-08:00

Whether you celebrate Lent and Easter, Passover, or just do spring cleaning, as you work, think about your spiritual life as well.
In our house, we celebrate Passover in a Messianic way. While I don't normally go thru and clean all the leavening out of the house, this year, it so happens, I am working my way thru deep cleaning and I am reminded of what DH tells me every year. You see dirt, you clean dirt, the more you clean, the more dirt you see, the more you clean...etc. Round and round it goes. Dirt happens. Everyday dirt happens. Soon you realize this is not a job that will be accomplished on your own. Never will there be a day without dirt of some kind.
Options? a) Hire a maid to help...or a whole van full of maids. (tomorrow there will be dirt) b) Close yourself off, seal up the house, get air purifiers, don't allow anyone to move, eat, or do any other dirt making activity (IE: don't live). c) Deal with it on a daily basis knowing tomorrow you will have to do it again.

Warning: Religious part: Messiah Yeshua (Jesus) died to cleanse me from my sins. He did this once and for all. I can neither add nor subtract from His work. The day I accepted Him as Saviour, His work was complete in me. I am clean. Tomorrow there will be dirt. His cleaning is for everyday, every hour, every minute of my life.
Here is the dirt I found today, L-rd. Clean it up, will you? Thanks..again...and again...and again.

Early Rising

2009-03-05T04:19:00.000-08:00

DH woke me by slamming a door downstairs at 5:30 am. Now, 2 hours later, I am sitting in my robe, coffee is all most gone and cold, emails have been read, forums checked and answered. Just doing a little more procrastinating here before digging into either a) the china cupboard or b) the dining room desk. I start the dining room today in my trip around the house deep cleaning.
It's not been an noneducational time. Chatted with a friend from Australia about the differences in money, weights and measures, and in the value of old books. Googled 'Existentialism' to better understand and answer a post on another forum. Laughed over the differences and similarities in regional dialects.
I am struck again that, although we may be from different countries, states or regions, and have different values and ideas, we are all...when you get down to basics...very much alike. We all have wants and needs, all have joys and sorrows, frustrations in life and ways to handle those. We all desire someone to listen, to understand or sympathize, to laugh or cry with us. Sometimes we look for opinions, ask for ideas and solutions. But, more often, as women, we really are looking for an ear to hear and a hug to say it will be okay. Far too often, we find these in the virtual world with virtual shoulders to cry on, virtual hugs, and virtual pats on the back. Sadly, for many of us, gone are the days of the neighborhood coffee clatch and visits on the back porch. Often, we don't even know our neighbors. And yet, next door may be another lonely lady looking for the same things we are. I, personally, didn't even connect with a knitting group till I looked on the internet first...and then it was one person...now several..and we meet together. We live within a few miles of each other and still aren't really involved in each others lives like our mothers were with their friends and neighbors. In this modern world, our 'best friend' may be someone who lives a great distance from us and we have never met face to face. Modern technology has opened many doors for us, but have we let it shut many, too?
Would be interested in your feedback from this musing. Do you still have a 'best friend' you visit with often? Do you know your neighbors?

Progress

2009-03-04T08:58:00.000-08:00

Got the last of the living room done in my Mt. Vernon cleaning challenge today. Looked longingly at my loom, but she will be my reward for getting this house back into shape. BG is looking forward to learning to weave. Also got a start in the bedroom by cleaning off the top of my dressser, dusting and NOT putting alot back. Personal goal...keep it decluttered!
Start therapy on finger today, dental appts tomorrow, back to therapy on Friday. Now that I am not watching babies, I am trying to get caught up on doctor and dentist visits that having babies didn't allow.
Started knitting a little something onna stick for my CMOT Dibbler swap...not giving any clues..he he

Til tomorrow....

Up & At It

2009-03-03T05:00:00.000-08:00

I remember my Dad telling me that in the mornings. So often I am up and stumbling around, grabbing coffee, perusing the Rav forums...anything but 'at it'. Despite good intentions and master lists, ToDo lists, etc. a good hour is wasted just sitting around trying to get my eyes open and playing with pc. I tell myself its my 'me' time..that quiet time when DH has alredy left the house and BG is not awake yet. And yet...to really turn that time into 'me' time...time to fortify myself to face the day, shower, make myself presentable and feeling good about myself..ah..that is the challenge.

Little later in the am...Its hair day...wait..make that HAIR day for BG. The day to take a few hours and wash, condition, comb, braid. Her hair is super curly (think Jimmy Hendrix, only longer) and almost water proof to start. Its not til I add soap that her hair feels wet. Then I use the massage setting on the shower to power wash the soap out, add a ton of conditioner and work that in well. Power rinse again. Then we comb section by section, adding leave in conditioner and braiding as we go.

More later..noon time. Went with 4 smaller braids in the back and 2 pony puffs on top for bg's hair. I was thinking cornrows, but my hands are too tired to work it.

Got another bookshelf done today as part of the Mt Vernon cleaning! Only 4 more to go!

Ode..Yet Again...Another

2009-03-02T08:38:00.000-08:00

Ode..Hebrew..meaning yet again...another. Another grandchild is on the way! For those keeping score, this will be #14 birth wise. #9..BG.. changed designation tho with adoption. This will be DS#2's first child and, the way it looks now, the first to be born outside the US as he is stationed in Germany. Not sure at this point what will happen next as he and his girlfriend are not married (yet?) and he could get orders at any time. Time will tell and we can only wait to see.

The Mt. Vernon cleaning is going well so far. Stairs and downstairs hallway are finished and have started around the corner in the living room. First up is the TV area and bookshelf behind it. Lots of dust! Even as I dusted the back of the TV, I could see more dust settling. Must have to do with electronics attracting things out of the air. Need to add clean areas to my weekly list so they don't get this bad again.

Haven't knit in a few days, so no update there.

Listening to The Tenth Gift by Jane Johnson on audio book. It was recommended by one of the Rav book clubs. It is another one I may have to listen to a second time. I get busy doing something else and realize I have missed parts.

First week day at home without babysitting. Off to see what I can accomplish!
...til tomorrow....

Dreams of Sewing & Cleaning Update

2009-03-01T05:30:00.000-08:00

I went looking for some bone colored yarn in the bins in the basement yesterday. Found some fabric I had bought to make BG some clothes (pattern sizes were children's 2-4 and she is wearing adult sizes now) and started to dream about sewing again. Thinking maybe, when I get the house a little more up to speed, I will make some things for granddaughters. Once upon a time, I did a lot more sewing. The only things my sewing machine has been out for in the last 6 yrs have been DH's 2 kilts, which he helped make, and to sew on some of his Army patches. I used to work for JoAnn Fabrics and have lots of fabric stash left. Once I had 2 big garbage cans full of fabric, but decluttered one whole can full a few years ago. (I am not counting the 4 totes of fabric we used for our litergical banners.)
House Cleaning update: Started in the stairway and removed books from the 2 bookshelves, cleaned the shelves, dusted the books, moved shelves away from wall, cleaned floors, walls and woodwork behind them, replaced everything except a small stack of books that I want to get rid of. Thinking of taking some of the books to Half-Price Bookstore and seeing what I can get for them, and some can go to grandkids.
Moved on to area in downstairs hall by the closet. Removed everything, washed floors and woodwork, took register cover off to vac....and ran screaming for my life as an inch thick, 10 inch square dust bunny tried to eat me! Well, maybe not eat me...but it was scary what was in there! Clogged my mini vac twice getting it out. Today I will be moving on to the other end of the hallway.
Also got 2 more shelves cleaned in the kitchen, everything put back nicely organized.

Til tomorrow......

PS: found the bone colored yarn

Virtual PJ Party

2009-02-27T20:16:00.000-08:00

So, in honor of my new found freedom, my flysisters in chatzy threw me a virtual pj party. Lots of chat and ROFLOLs. Even party hats ^ altho one did get a little tipsy and put on a lampshade []:-}
Over the past couple of years of FLYing, these ladies have helped me alot. Not just in housework encouragement, but with dh's army training time (gone for 19 months) and everyday ups and downs. We rejoice together and its been a place to rant and whine when upset....and someone will turn the mood and laughing will start. Births, deaths, child troubles, and child accomplishments have all been discussed and shared.
Most of these ladies were ones that hung around on the old noodlebug chat room that FlyLady used to use for her once a month Q&A. We found that the room was available 24/7 and made good use of it. When it went down, one of the members made a chatzy room for us so we could continue our friendships. Some have dropped away, some come occasionally, some are new to the site, all are welcome. I have even had the pleasure of meeting a few face to face.

On the finger front, I had my assessment yesterday and they gave me a plan of exercises, most of which, I was pleased to see, I was already doing. There is still some bruising and swelling even after 2 1/2 weeks. Mobility is up, but still far from normal. Knitting happens, but I take more breaks now.

Making good progress on the BSJacket. At least 1/3 done.
Need to go thru my stash and find the yarn for The Grim Squeaker Egg Cozy which I may make larger for a TP cover. Thank you sallyinwales for developing the pattern.
I want to make a skirted diaper cover/soaker for newest granddaughter. I have yarn, just need to check pattern.

Life Returns

2009-02-27T15:15:00.000-08:00

After a year of watching 2 little ones, I have a life back. Today was the last day for watching them 5 days a week, 9 hrs a day. I love the babies...don't get me wrong...but at my age and with BG still at home and homeschooling, everyday is a bit much. The biggest missing part was being able to go out at the drop of a hat. Getting 2 little ones dressed, sippys ready, diaper bag ready, into car seats, out of car seats, 2 carts at the store....well, you get the picture. I don't know how DD does it all the time...or did before I started watching them.
BG is excited. She is already planning trips for us to the library and COSI and the zoo and...and... And I hope to get her back involved at the rec center for classes again. Homeschooling will be a bit easier too when we get back on a real schedule, I can sit and help her, and we don't have to wait for baby nap time.
I am looking forward to deep cleaning my house (did I say that?). Going to do the Mt. Vernon method in each room. For those not familiar with this method, you start in one corner of a room and really clean that area before moving on to next. If you need to stop for the day, you start where you left off. This way you are not tearing apart an entire room (that never gets put back..SHE that I am) and then its easier to keep clean. Working on my FlyLady habits is another thing I am looking forward to. Too many of them have slipped since dd moved in a year ago and I never was able to re-establish them properly.
Til tomorrow.....

Knittin', Nothin', and Time Wastin'

2009-02-26T04:12:00.000-08:00

Last night was our weekly knitting group get together. We had a nice group out including 2 new ladies. It was nice to see progress on everyone's projects (except my QAL). I did get several rows done on the BSJacket before switching over to complete almost a whole round on the QAL. I had to stop a couple of times to stretch out my finger which still hurts. I start therapy tomorrow, so it will be nice to see if any of the exercises I have been doing are making any difference.
Managed to get most of the daily stuff done in the house yesterday, but nothing extra. Just hoping to maintain til next week when I can start working at deep cleaning and decluttering this place room by room.
Over at Ravelry, (Reclaiming the Home) SallyinWales posted a great item about time wasting and gaining an extra week. I will paraphrase: If you can find 12 minutes a day x 5 times a weeks that you waste, and use that time to do something productive towards a goal, you will have gained an entire week of working towards that goal. Fits right in there with what FlyLady says about the 15 mins a day toward decluttering and cleaning your home. I know I spend way too much time just playing cards on the pc. I could be using that time for something more constructive than reaching the next level on Facebook Scramble. (on level 16 with 489 more games to reach level 17 x 3 mins per game + time for starting next game...mentally adding wasting time in my head and guesstimate several hours)

Blog Challenge

2009-02-25T05:21:00.000-08:00

The moderator on Reclaiming the Home (ravelry) has issued a daily blog challenge. I don't know if I am up to it or if I have anything worthwhile to say on a daily basis, but am going to give it a try.
Today marks the countdown of dd#3's ex moving back in with her and watching the babies full time....which means I will have my days back. 3 days and counting..lol. Already planning major cleaning and decluttering missions in the house and outtings with bg.
OTN: Arch-shaped socks which keep telling me they would be happier as mittens. Only 2 1/2 inches into them, so there is still time to change over.
BSJ (jacket..not to be confused with BSJ hat) for newest granddaughter.
QAL tablecloth. I am almost done with the 2nd repeat of the last motif to enlarge it. 4 more to go before I lifeline it again and check size on table.

Another Month Has Gone By....

2009-02-12T10:42:00.000-08:00

and I am still working on the QAL shawl. Well, not right now, as I have 2 of my fingers splinted together. Tuesday I tripped over the humidifier in the hallway and didn't quite catch myself with my hand. Instead, I managed to dislocate my ring finger on my right hand. Spent 4 hours in the ER getting x-rays, feeling stupid, getting peeled off the ceiling when they popped it back in place cause that took the pain level from a nice throbbing 3 to off the chart bad, more x-rays to make sure that it was indeed back in place, and a wonderful splint that doesn't allow my to use my middle or ring finger..all for 100.00. Wednesday saw me back at the hospital seeing their Ortho clinic where they resplinted and referred me on to an Ortho specialist. Today I saw the specialist who (for the low cost of a 25.00 office visit) removed the splint, taped the 2 fingers together and referred me on to physical therapy at...you guessed it...the hospital. 2 nights of taking vicodin has revealed a slight reaction to the meds, so won't be taking them again. Still watching babies, so occasional bumps to the swollen knuckle are to be expected.
Frustrated that I missed yet another night of knitting group, I started a straight knit scarf of larger needles. I tried working on the sock, but couldn't hold the yarn tight enough to keep tension.
Went to visit my newest granddaughter (and her parents..lol) this past weekend. My she is growing so fast! The first year goes by so quickly it seems. Her colic is better as dd-i-l is drinking camimile tea everyday. Seems to pass thru the breast milk and soothe dgd. Not a big napper tho. Short cat naps are all she seems to get during the day. She laughs and coos and loves looking at her toys. DD-i-l told me her doctor said she was beyond her age in some areas, which is good.
Got my package from my Igorina swap partner. Still finding little things to tuck into the box I am sending her. This turned out to be a good swap if I say so myself (being the moderator of it). Everyone seems happy with it.
Not much else happening in this little life. I hope to blog more often, but then I have said that before.

New Year, Lost Marble

2009-01-12T10:50:00.000-08:00

Another year is in progress and I have been so bad about posting. I have a few reasonable excuses...well, reasonable to me.
Have a new granddaughter (#13 in line-up) born Nov 15th. I went up to be with son and dd-i-l at the hospital and as labor progressed, dd-i-l asked everyone to stay. Out of the 13 grandkids, this is the first that I actually got to see being born and it was amazing! Granted, I was present for the births of my own 4, but was a little occupied to view the process. Leeve came into the world at 7 lbs, 12 1/2 ozs and is nursing well, putting on weight, and generally causing lost sleep and miles of walking as most newborns do.
Family Christmas gathering was at dd#2's this year and not all the kids could make it. Still, we had a good time, exchanged gifts, ate way too much and generally laughed ourselves silly. Christmas day was spent at dh's parents' home as usual. It was nice, quiet and I actually got a little knitting in.
New Year's Eve, BG stayed up with me to watch the ball drop. DH even came out of the basement long enough to say Happy New Year and to exchange kisses. New Year's Day, BG and I went to dd#2's to watch the parade and snack. We also started stripping the wallpaper off her living room...which may have led to the events of the next 3 days.
Jan 2: dgs#11 (in the grandkid line-up) decides to puke.
Jan 3: dgd#8 pukes.
Jan 4: I puke, BG pukes, dd#2 pukes, but is busy cleaning up puke from her dh, dgd#3 and dgs#6. dgs#4 is visiting his real mom for the weekend...pukes, followed closely by his mom.
10 people in 3 days...I think we set a record of some sort.
Jan 6: dd#3 wants to know if I disinfected the entire house before she brings the babies over for me to watch....uh...NO. Babies show up with snotty noses and coughs.
Jan 8: Babies are now puking, so I go to dd's house to watch them instead of bringing them here. sigh..
So here it is: Jan 12th. I think we are all fairly healthy, dd#2 has repainted her living room, I saw my only marble over the holidays, but I lost it again.

Oh yeah, knitting! QAL still going, scarf for sis-i-l who mentioned she would like to have one for Christmas (on Thanksgiving), Mystery Socks.
Ankh-Morpork Knitters Guild News: The Igor Thwap has started over at Ravelry. I am a swap-moderator virgin, but don't think I am doing too bad. 46 showed interest, 42 returned the questionaire and were paired off.
Let the lithping begin! (insert evil laugh, thunder and lightning here). Now where did I put that thpare body part?

Son's Visit Home

2008-11-02T16:57:00.000-08:00

DS was here for 2 weeks on leave and was able to bring his girlfriend along. We had a good time introducing her to some of the sights around Ohio. This picture was taken outside Sol's Exchange in Berlin, Oh. She was excited to see scenes of the Amish community there and to learn that they were of German descent.

She got her hands into making her first jack-o-lantern. I guess they don't do Halloween like we do here in the states. They even dressed for the occasion in traditional Moroccan dress that they brought from her parents.

. Also, we celebrated my youngest granddaughter's 1st birthday. The little princess got her first tricycle, but brother wants it, too. These are the 2 little ones I watch every week so DD can work.
In knitting news, I finished my Morpork Pie shawl and blocked it out. It's 72 inches across and feels nice and warm. Thanks to MMario for such a great pattern.

SO Far- So Good and Unexpected Arrival

2008-10-01T04:28:00.000-07:00

Printed out the spreadsheet of chores and routines, posted it on the side of the fridge in a plastic page protector and...it seems to be helping. Yesterday, BG helped by watching the babies play while I was able to get some extra cleaning done in 15-30 min spurts. House is starting to look presentable again. DH was impressed enough with clean kitchen that this AM he actually wiped up his coffee spots and rinsed his spoon....AND put it in the strainer..not just leaving it on the counter. WOOHOO! (life's little pleasures)
Well, here is a strange turn. Saved this post to finish later and went out to wait for babies to arrive. As I was standing there watching the neighborhood kids walk to school, I hear "mew". One of the boys had a little orange tom kitten following him to school. He said it wasn't his...as in: "I don't think its my kitten. My orange kitten has yellow eyes" (DUH!) So kitten is happily purring and eating Feegle food on the back porch. I am hoping to see this kid on his way home and hand the kitten back off (if it is still here). Poor thing looks to be about 6-8 weeks old and is covered in fleas. BG went out to comb it to see if she could get some off. I know DH doesn't want anymore cats around. (last time we found a kitten, I showed him and he didn't say a word. Then a few minutes later, he said, "Should we call it OhNo..as in Oh no..another cat?") Feegle has been sitting in the kitchen window staring at it with a pouty face..like: You aren't going to bring THAT THING in, are you?
In knitting news: I fixed the mistake in the Morpork Pie by going to the one section that was messed up, tinking only those stitches for several rows, and knitting that section back up. That is a first for me as I usually tink back entire rows to fix a mistake unless it is straight knitting where I can just drop the one stitch down. With lace work, I couldn't do that. But this method worked well and I will remember how next time. Thankfully, someone else at MMario's group was having the same problem and someone posted pics of how to fix it this way. Timely information!
Cast on the Wasp Woman socks with a wool silk blend from Creatively Dyed. Too big. Frogged and started with a smaller needle..still too big. I don't think the yarn has enough stretch to make these feasible, so frogged till I can find another yarn.
Got out my Jitterbug yarn to cast on the Mummy Returns socks, but was interrupted by waking babies.
Still working on QAL

FlyLady Routines/knitting time

2008-09-23T05:27:00.000-07:00

Since DD moved in and then out, and I started watching babies 5 days a week, my cleaning routines have gone out the window. Add to that, the switching of the Master/Spare rooms and moving BG's homeschooling area. After numerous attempts to get back on track, I have decided to print out an Excel spreadsheet of what I hope to accomplish each week and will post it in a prominent place. My house and life were so much better when I was cleaning the FlyLady way. Lately, it seems a bit of depression has set in again as I look at the rampaging dust bunnies and general clutter that surrounds me. I have started re-posting at my ChoreWars site also. Its nice to have a place where I can be accountable to myself and to give me a little extra incentive to get this house back to normal...or what I would like normal to be. (I have made a deal with myself to buy yarn after [and only if] I accumulate enough 'gold".) Aside from the regular routines, I set aside time each week to tackle a major cleaning area in the house. This will include finding homes for the stuff I want to (or have to) keep and tossing a lot (I hope). I did this when DH was off at Army Training and found that the whole house was so much easier to clean and my life was more on an even keel. Lately, I seemed to be wave-tossed and going with the flow...all the while getting more and more frustrated with myself and family. I even may get my weekends back which, up to now, have been alternately set aside to catch up on the things that I didn't get done during the week and sitting around feeling sorry for myself.
Progressing a bit on the QAL shawl and was on the Morpork Pie shawl too, til I found a mistake and am having to tink back a couple of rows to find it. I don't think it can be too far. I probably just dropped a couple of yarnovers. I want to start a new pair of socks for the Super Sock Scarefest, but am trying to limit my new projects until I finish something. I just know, the way things are going, if I start something new, I will forget about the shawls and they will lie about unloved and unfinished.

The Mundane Life/Finally a Break!

2008-09-16T05:15:00.000-07:00

I know most of life is routine and dull, but isn't it nice every once and a while to get out and enjoy? Over the weekend we got to just that. Last Thursday we drove up to Mohican Adventures to stay in a cabin with my son and daughter-in-law. A quiet dinner on the back deck overlooking the river was just the ticket to destress after the hectic week. Friday brought us intermitant showers and drizzle, so we drove thru the Mohican State Park and visited some of the sites there. There was a school group doing some exploration of the river down by the covered bridge, so we got to see them find fish and other natural river life. We gathered buckeyes and BG learned to skip rocks across the water. Saturday was muggy, but at least it didn't rain. We hiked up to Lyon's Falls and drove around to the dam. After a nice lunch, we played minature golf and DH took BG on the go carts while DS tried to speed past them. DD-i-l and I sat out as she is 8 weeks from her delivery date and we didn't want to push our luck. We drove home Saturday night as DH had Reserves to attend on Sunday. His enjoyment time was somewhat hampered working on a PowerPoint presentation he needed (and waited til the last minute to assemble).
I got a little bit of knitting done. Finished a washcloth I had started last week and did 3 more rows on my Queen Anne's Lace shawl/tablecloth. I am in the final pattern, but will repeat it a couple of times to get a nice diameter to fit the fining room table.

catch up

2008-09-09T17:34:00.000-07:00

Seems I am always catching up, but never quite there. Another school year has started and I am behind. We need to get BG's assessment done and paperwork in for last year's homeschooling. BG has already started the new year of work, and seems to enjoy it a bit better this year. We have had 2 days in a row that the babies came sleeping and stayed asleep long enough for us to get a good hour of school work in.

We are getting away this weekend with my son and his wife. DD-i-l only has about 9 weeks left to her pregnancy and I sure need time away from watching dd's babies..even if it is only one day. Most weekends are spent trying to catch up on the housework that has slipped during the week when the babies are here. It will be nice to just sit and talk. Maybe I will get a good bit of knitting done too. New granddaughter is due mid November and her name will be Leeve.

DS#2 is planning on being home on leave in the middle of October. It will be good to have him home even a short time. He emailed me to tell me which PTerry books he has finished and which ones he just bought. We have another Discworld convert! I might even let him watch The Colour of Magic on my pc when he is here.

OTN: Morpork Pie shawl from MMario which is about 65% done. I have about 15 rows of round knitting to do then the border.
Queen Anne's Lace shawl from MMario which I am knitting up in crochet cotton for a tablecloth. I would estimate about 60% done. I have about 15 rows to do before I start the repeats to make it the right size. I just don't know how many repeats I am going to do. Enough for it to hang nicely over my 58 inch round oak table.
Mystery stole 4. Just started this project as the only clue out so far is #1. It is a beaded shawl and this will be my first beaded project. I got to row 5 (8 overall) and noticed I was 2 stitches over the count, so I ripped back to row 3 and found I was now 3 stitches short. grrrrr. So I frogged completely and am casting on again. It wasn't as hard as I thought to bead as you add the beads one at a time after you knit the stitch instaed of threading on all the beads before hand. A bit time consuming though. Pictures of the finished clue are showing up at the group and it looks nice.
Not OTN (yet): Sock Scare Fest socks, though I am downloading the patterns for a more convenient time.
Also planned for the near future: The Ankh-Morpork Knitter's Guild has decided to read Terry Pratchett's books in order and make an afghan square for each book. This is definitely something I want to do. We will each end up with our very own Pratchgans!

Pratchgan

2008-08-16T14:25:00.000-07:00

Been a while since I posted, but had to share this exciting news. As I posted earlier, I was priviledged to contribute a square to the Ankh-Morpork Knitter's Guild's Pratchgan project. 99 people contibuted squares which Cherryred assembled and backed. After a little back and forth talk with Rob, Terry's assistant, Cherryred was able to present it to him in person! Here for your pleasure are a few pics:

All wrapped up and heading to its new home..PTerry's bed!

Early AM

2008-05-30T04:48:00.000-07:00

I find myself with sleeping child time. Both babies and BG are still in bed...well, dgd is BACK to sleep after waking up crying several times overnight. I should be using this time to do things like make my bed, get dressed, maybe start a load of clothes. Instead I am fiddling with this blog. I was trying to get a link up with a changing pic...similar to the Ravelry button. The pic saves to my pc correctly, but when I link it here, it stops moving. I think it has to do with the original site I am trying to link to. The other ones I have tried have given me a code to copy and paste...this one didn't. Maybe I will try again later after many cups of coffee.
I didn't get to post yesterday about the Wednesday night knit. We had 18 people!!!!!!! (sorry Pterry, had to use that many !) I kinda felt bad cause we were scarfing up the tables left and right so other customers where milling around like they had no where to sit. (we only really used 5 tables) This was the first week we hadn't used the tables near the windows as some were bothered by the setting sun, but the electric lighting is plentiful, so it wasn't a problem.
I need to go shopping for the Music With Socks Swap I am doing with the Ankh-Morpork Knitters' Guild. Witht he 'luck' I have been having trying to produce a likeable/wearable pr of socks for myself, I may opt for the skein/pattern idea. Then I just need to find an awesome cd of music.

Sigh......

2008-05-29T06:14:00.000-07:00

I really had reasonably good intentions of posting more often. Life sure interferes sometimes. Not only are my days filled with caring for dd's children, BG is now on crutches and needs extra help. Words that aren't quite comforting to start a phone conversation with: "The good news is...she's ok". BG fell up the steps at dd#2's house and twisted her ankle. We spent a few hours in the local ER getting x-rays. There doesn't appear to be any breaks or fractures, but they splinted her foot anyway and she is not allowed to put any pressure on it till her regular DR gets a look at it next Monday.
Started a pair of socks, (Nutkin Socks) got 3 sets of pattern into it and 'tried' it on...didn't fit over the heel. So frogged it til I can decide if I want to use the yarn for a different pattern or just add extra stitches somewhere. The pattern has no give so doesn't stretch..nor would it tighten up around the ankle again once on.
Working on the Seamless Baby Kimono in a Caron Simply Soft Tweed.. colorway Dark Sage. I love this pattern! It works up easily and fairly quickly. Body is done and I am working down the first sleeve. I did the one side tie and am not sure I like it. I may opt for small buttons instead.
I am sure there are many other things I can post about, but time has run out and I am needed.

Mom?

2008-05-06T09:21:00.000-07:00

Mom? Where are you? I know you were told to lock yourself in the bathroom for extra knitting time....but........... Mom? You forgot me, Mom! ...Mom? ...Are you coming out? Mom!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(posted by Feegle)

knit?

2008-05-02T18:47:00.000-07:00

For a blog that's supposed to be (somewhat, at least) about knitting, this one sucks. Since I have started babysitting 2 of my grandkids, knitting time is down to a bare minimum. Just enough to keep me from going completely over the edge. Wednesday nights with our group still happen, but it seems some nights I get more coffee and chat in than knitting. We have some competition for the chatting also, in the form of a Bluegrass band. The music is great, but a bit loud. I used to knit while BG had her piano lesson, but these days I am rolling the double stroller up and down the hall keeping the babies entertained instead.
OTN: slowly working up the sleeves for the wool/silk sweater; BS Johnson hat (at a stand still while waiting for 4 lost stitches to reappear out of L-space); a light mint green baby blanket for new grandchild that should make an appearance in November.
O(ff)TN: the 2 single Jitterbug socks. I got past the heel and was doing the decreases when I realized I didn't like the way it fit on the ankle.
Looking at a couple of patterns:
http://www.knitzi.com/freedownloads/Nutkin.pdf
This one looks great, but not sure if I should use one of the Jitterbugs or my other skein of Wollmeise.
This free pattern from Ravelry looks good for the Moss Jitterbug:
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/zombie-socks#
Decisions..decisions

House Sitting

2008-04-01T04:20:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity to house/dog/cat/fish sit at my son's this past weekend. BG and I went up Friday before son and daughter-in-law left to board the plane for Las Vegas where her sister got married in a beautiful family wedding out in the desert amid red/orange sand and rocks. Mostly we relaxed and vegged out in front of the TV. I got a good bit of knitting in. I finished the 6 pattern repeats of chart A and started chart B on my Bloody Stupid Johnson Hat, and started a pair of socks on ML from the new Jitterbug I bought at Knit-Wit Knits, (645 East State Street, Salem, OH.) If you are ever in the Salem area, stop in. The shop is located in the back of a thrift/craft/resale group of little stores, but worth the visit. The owner was very friendly and helpful. There was a nice little toy area for BG to play while I wandered.
I say I started a pair of socks, but actually I started the first sock of 2 different pair. I have one of Moss (75) and one of Castagna (128)on the magic loop. Hopefully SSS won't set in or I will have 2 unfinished pair.. lol.. or I will be wearing mismatched socks.
Returning now to the real world....sigh

Match It for Terry

2008-03-19T04:10:00.001-07:00

As you may have noticed from previous posts, I am a big Terry Pratchett fan.
This is copied from http://www.matchitforpratchett.org/

Terry Pratchett, author of the bestselling Discworld novels, has been diagnosed with a rare form of Alzheimer's. He has donated half a million pounds (approx $1 million) to Alzheimer's research and appeared in the media highlighting the low levels of research funding Alzheimer's receives. Millions of loyal readers from around the world have responded and are helping to match Terry's donation.

If you would like to help, follow the link or click on the Match It pic on left to take you to more info on how.

Kit's New Name

2008-03-12T09:55:00.000-07:00

Well, we think we have finally found the perfect name for our wool stealing, wrestling kitten. We originally named her Ode which is Hebrew for 'yet again, another', but it never really stuck. Rodent and Pest were other names we toyed with, but she never responded. So we have been referring to her as Kit. After picking up balls of wool from where ever she drops them after stealing them the last couple of months, we were sure she had been a sheep dog in a past life. This too did not create any response in her.
Recently, I reread the Terry Pratchett/Tiffany Aching series ("Wee Free Men", "Hat Full of Sky" and "Wintersmith") and realized the aweful truth! She was a Nac Mac Feegle!
( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nac_Mac_Feegle )
Looking directly at her, I said, "Are you a Feegle?" and she ran over and jumped on my lap! She has been coming whenever we call her name now.

Lost Projects

2008-03-02T07:37:00.000-08:00

Been rooting around lately looking into bins I have stored. Found 3 baby afghans, 2 sweaters, 2 full size afghan, 2 washcloths. (and that was only 2 bins) Maybe I should make this year the year of finishing lost projects. I don't have enough XP points on Chore Wars to buy new yarn yet...lol.

adaptation

2008-02-28T08:02:00.000-08:00

I like to think of myself as someone who adapts well when hit with a new situation. DD and the babies are in, still sorting thru clothes and things and deciding what to store and what to keep here. Babies came with colds, so sleep hasn't been overly abundant. Just trying to settle into a routine everyone can live with for a while. DH tends to hide out at his pc, then makes the run toward the bedroom at night. BG has been a big help running little errands and helping to entertain the little ones. I gave her the week off 'school' till things settle down a bit more. Truthfully, I don't think I could pull a lesson out of my head this week. (or any other convenient crevice of the body)
Almost done with my Ankh-Morpork swap items. Wish I could have thought of more creative things, but time slipped away fast on this one. Considering they are due to be mailed tomorrow, and all the scurrying with house prep and 2 DDs moving, I am doing well. (I still have hair and it isn't any greyer that I can see)
Kit still won't leave my wool alone. When she couldn't find a skein to swipe, she found my Fawkes socks and ran off with them! She is definately a wool-gatherer. We think she was a sheep dog in a former life.

edited 'cheers and growls' to include pic of Fawkes socks

2008-02-23T06:56:00.000-08:00

In the continuing saga..........

2008-02-22T05:05:00.000-08:00

Argh. Just when you think you have it mostly together, it comes undone. RoD is as complete as its going to be till DD and babies move back out. Sitting back on my laurels (tuckus really) (ok,ok, its an ever widening franny) and enjoying a little down time logging in my points at Chore Wars, BG comes up to talk with a popsicle in her hands. She off handedly mentions that she had to get it out of the big freezer cause the ones in the little one were all liquid. Now I know what you are thinking. Did I get up and run down to see why? NO. Its amazing how we sometimes tune out the little ones when they chatter at us all day and that's just what I did. Said the appropriate 'mommy' answer.."Uh huh" and didn't think about it. Didn't think about it at all till DH woke me at 5 am and said those awful words "Honey, the fridge is dead". Thankfully, we have been having sub freezing weather here, so everything I could rescue from the warm box in the kitchen went out on the back porch. Called around, found a good deal on new fridges at Sears, went and bought one, then came back to finish cleaning up the mess. Checked the sticky trap we put under there when we saw a mouse in the fall...empty..yeah! Moved the fridge out to find a herd of dust bunnies and 2 dead mice! eewwww! A couple of 15s of cleaning brought me a clean floor and tiles. Now I just had to wait for the new one to be delieverd..the next day. New one was installed with a minimun of fuss and looks great. Now to keep it clean..
Did you notice I mentioned Chore Wars above? Reclaiming the Home on Ravelry started a group. Looked like so much fun, I showed the ladies in my Noodlebug/FlyLady chat and we started our own. I created a list of about 120 items of chores around the house, we claim our chores for time and little virtual rewards and 'gold coins'. Its a great way to track what I actually have done and what I need to do. Another yarn-a-holic and I promised each other we would not buy any new yarn til we reached a certain level of points. Good incentive, huh?
DD#3 is supposed to be moving in here with little ones tomorrow. DD#2 is also moving into their new house this weekend. Hoping to start with a cleaner house before all the confusion starts.
OTN: still the BBS, Bloody Stupid Johnson hat, and swap item for Ankh-Morpork Knitter's Guild swap

Room...ahhh..hmmmm

2008-02-17T05:09:00.000-08:00

Well, DH likes it, but just not sure myself. Was in love with the soft brown of the paper, but it has to be sealed. So I got the clear satin varnish they recommend and....
Its a bit darker than I would like, but I guess it does have that 'leather' look we thought it would have. Not sure its the romantic retreat I was thinking....more like living inside a tree or cave. Will have to see when I get bed and decorations in to warm it up a bit.
But first...DD#3 gets to use it with her 2 little ones while they get on their feet again.

Room of Doom walls done!

2008-02-14T08:03:00.000-08:00

here is the corner before, cracks and ugly old paint

then finished

update on RoD

2008-02-13T11:47:00.000-08:00

The Room of Doom is slowly becoming the Room of Delight. 3 walls done in the ripped brown paper so far, turned the corner and ran out of paper, so dh is ripping more as I speak. The rest of the house is barely managable right now. Just trying to keep on top of the important things like dishes and meals.

lol..just saw the date on the image...looks like I need to update the camera.

More later with final pics

textured ceiling

2008-02-10T07:36:00.000-08:00

how to get a texture ceiling:
Option A:
1) open can (this can take up to 10 mins, so be patient),
2) stir gritty thick stuff being careful not to break paint stirrer (option ..get a 2x2 to stir)
3) scoop into paint pan (can't pour...maybe glop)
4) roll special looped roller in texture paint...push hard
5) find a wall scrapper..evenly distribute gritty mess around roller that doesn't roll
6) apply to ceiling using a light touch at first to distribute texture
6a) swear
7) increase pressure on roller to push, shove, roll, and generally spread the grit
7a) more swearing may be in order
8) apply light pressure to even out all the different peaks of grit
9) wipe up floor where excess grit fell
Congratulations. You have just textured 1 square foot of your ceiling!
Repeat 1-9 until 12 x 12 ceiling is covered or until your arm falls off, your neck cramps, or you throw in the towel.

Option B: Hire someone

Room of Doom

2008-02-10T05:07:00.000-08:00

Well, all I can say is that it is progressing. We now have a time limit to get it done. Just as we were taking down the ceiling paper, DD called and asked if she and the 2 little ones could move in til she got a job, apartment and generally on her feet. What's a mother to do? Of Course we said yes.

So DH worked away finishing the ceiling scraping. As you can see, the ugly flowered wallpaper is gone leaving these even uglier dark pink painted walls which have another 2 layers of paper under them. So we primed the walls and ceiling white. Then noticed areas where the paper lifted under it from being wet.
So back to scraping! I was so mad. About 1/3 of the walls had to be re-scraped! Thankfully we had bought 2 gallons of the primer knowing we would need them to do both ceilings and walls.
Work was on hold for a few days as DD and babies were here for a short visit before she went back home to pack up the rest of her house.

Walls and ceiling are all primed now, cracks filled.

Next stage is to lightly texture the ceiling to cover imperfections. Then we plan on using the brown paper technique which will hide problems in the walls. Will post pics when it is all said and done.

In knitting news, the Nagini socks have been totally frogged and I will think of something different to use the yarn for. After turning the heel (which was a reverse heel flap, not a tradional short row heel) I found it was 3 inches too long for my foot and...had I added googly eyes.. would have made an interesting snake sock puppet.

I am starting the toe decreases on the BBS for Socks for Soldiers...just in time for the Army to change regulation colors again!

Started the first short row sequence on my Bloody Stupid Johnson hat http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEwinter07/PATTbsjohnson.html

Got my Pratchgan square finished and mailed. Made 3 dish cloths for the January swap, mailed out with a bag of OSU M&Ms and a row counter I made in OSU colors. Received 5 beautiful dish cloths from my swap partner. 2 Gloden Snitches, a PoA (large blue), NY state (white) and my name! (small blue) How cool is that!

Kitten stikes again!

2008-01-23T04:40:00.000-08:00

I can remember a cat we had when I was little..Gino. When he wanted fed, he meowed. When he wanted out in the morning, he jumped on my Dad's bed and said "Me-out" (at least it sounded like that). Kit does not seem to have developed the voice to ask me to get up and feed her. The only time I hear her is if she looks around and can't find me and walks around panic-stricken meowing till I call her. Then she jumps up, purrs and promptly starts chewing on my arm.

I would like to tell you now about how she woke me this morning. I felt her jumping on the bed, heard her jump off, felt her jump on again and try to scrambled under the covers on DH's side. Groaning, I grabbed her and put her off the bed. That was when I felt the yarn. Digging under the covers, I recovered my skein and realized it was one I used to start a watch cap for DH. I got up, picked up the skein, and started winding.... around the bed post, around the dresser, out into the hall, around the humidifier, down the steps...half asleep I was amazed when I got to the bottom and realized the yarn went back up! Winding... back up the steps to the landing, around the box of books, back down the stairs, around the corner, around the desk chair and...WooHoo... there were the needles in the kitchen doorway! Surprisingly, this time she hadn't chewed all the way thru! Ah, what we put up with to have a cute, cuddly pet in the house!

Finished my Koolhaas! Haven't worked on my SSS..sigh.

In the RoD, I have taken off the first layer of wallpaper half way up the 2nd wall. Got 7 bins of yarn and banner trims out to the garage. I need to rearrange my pantry shelves in the basement so that I can still get to the cans. Then I will be placing more of the craft item bins from RoD down there so that I can remove the shelves from the wall and do the top half. Mostly I feel that I am just moving things around in there, altho I did find several skeins of yarn to donate to another Wednesday night knitter. She has been making small toys and things for kids in our local Children's Hospital. I have seen several ideas on Ravelry about how to organize my yarn and have great visions of how I want it to look when I am done. I think, when I honestly take a look at the amount of yarn I own, that taking down the walls and installing doors, and using the yarn as removable insulation is my best bet right now....lol. But, since this would be another 'out of sight..out of mind' ploy, I guess I should forget it.

goals

2008-01-20T07:12:00.000-08:00

Goal is a four letter word, but one that I am learning slowly. I need to set realistic goals this year and stick with them. Some will become habits, and some will be just jobs done. In the housekeeping department, FlyLday is helping me create habits that make life a lot easier around here while keeping up with chores. Other goals will be things like the Room of Doom in the previous post and knitting of course. Getting projects finished in reasonable times and not starting new till others are finished. As a free creative spirit, schedules have always been seen as counter-productive and nasty. I am beginning to realize that they are actually my friends. Schedules can be freeing as it allows me to get things done and still have play time. So...I am exploring ways this pc of mine can help instead of hindering. I spend far too much time web surfing and playing games, then wondering where the time has gone.

All this goes hand and hand with another 4 letter word (in my book at least) called discipline. Not having much in my growing up years and not having done it for myself as an adult has severely effected the way I raised my children. You cannot pass on something you haven't learned yourself. Now I see the effects in my grand kids. Dh came from a heavily disciplined family and so we are at odds on the subject at times. Its not that I don't see the need, but rather the method. I want to instill in bg a self discipline she will enjoy for years to come. There's is much for me to learn this year.

New Year, New Projects

2008-01-12T08:24:00.000-08:00

Wish I could report that the Nagini socks are finished, but, alas, I have not worked on them since the last post. I started the SpringShawlSurprise KAL and am on row 38 of clue 1. Clue 2 is out and clue 3 will be due soon, so really need to sit down in a quiet, no distraction place and just knit. (Yeah, like that exists around here!) Also OTN..well, currently ripped out and ready to restart...is my 6 inch afghan square for my Ravelry group, Ankh-Morpork Knitter's Guild. We are making squares based on things from Terry Pratchett's Discworld books and the squares will be assembled into a Pratchgan as a gift to TP. I am doing a lifetimer/hourglass and have already changed the pattern for 4 stitches less per row to get it to the 6 inches. I had knit it thru the center of the hourglass and realized it would be too long. Now I am going thru the chart and finding rows that I can skip and still have it look like its supposed to. Need to lose almost 2 inches of knitting at this point. I think I can do it.

New kitten is such a joy! She has presented me with several balls of yarn this week. She finds them where they are stashed and brings them as a gift to my bed. One of them happened to be the gold from the illusion knitting I was doing, and as I wound the 40+ feet of yarn back on the ball, I saw that she had eaten thru the black contrasting yarn...grrrr. So illusion knitting project has been ripped out. I wasn't extemely happy with the design and was not sure whether to continue. I guess kitten decided for me. I never told you her name, did I? Officially, her name is Ode...Hebrew for 'yet, again, another' as in..another cat in the house. But we have toyed with other names: TSD (Tazmanian she-devil), Pest, Rodent, Vampiress (as she loves to leave teeth marks and draw blood). Mostly she just gets Kit.

DH informs me that he is signing up for another 3 weeks of training with the army which will happen late February or early March. This is in anticipation of earning his E6. Also, summer 'camp' will be longer again this year as they are scheduled to deploy late '08 or early '09.

I am really hoping to buckle down and get a lot of housecleaning
done while he is gone. Aside from regular chores, I am planning on switching the master bedroom and the spare/craft/storage room. This was my 2007 resolution, but it didn't happen. So I guess it's the 08 resolution now. As you can see, there is much work to be done, stripping wallpaper, repainting, sanding and refinishing the floors. (Yes, that really is floral wallpaper from the 50s in there!) The reason for the switch? WALL SPACE! The current master bedroom is slightly bigger, but not one wall of the room is solid wall. There are windows, a fireplace and built in bookshelves, doors and closets. I cannot rearrange in any way and the outlets are in inconvenient places, so we use a lot of extension cords and power bars. Ah, the joys of owning an older home!
The MB will become the spare/craft/computer room and I will still keep my clothes in the closets here.

Also, in the near future, I will be helping DD#2 pack and move into her new home. They are in contract, inspection has been done, loan 'approved' but not final, and just waiting for closing to take place. I am so happy for her. This was the first house they looked at in person and its darn near perfect for them. Price was great, too. She will be leaving a 3 bedroom townhouse with galley kitchen and 1 bath for a 4 bedroom bungalow with 3 full baths and a huge country kitchen! There will even be room for DS-i-l to have a real office for his internet work.
http://www.shawnolson.net/ (shamelessly plugging his site)

Not much else right now. I wil try to be more faithful in my blogging this year...but that's not a promise..lol

update

2007-12-19T09:24:00.000-08:00

The dang Nagini sock had me about to rip out my hair as I had to rip it back not once, but 6 times due to cables going the wrong way and a dropped stitch. This is my first toe-up sock, so its taking new brain cells that I am not sure I have. I did get several rows done on the sweater as it was the most mindless thing I took on my trip. My socks for soldiers socks are past the gusset decreases and on their way down the foot. I started a pair of socks with my Tofootsie yarn and didn't like it, ripped and started another..same thing. Will have to relook for another pattern. With the holidays, my mind is not up to snuff.
My family is getting together for the weekend to have our annual ThanksBirthHanuMas celebration. I think I have most everything ready to go. With 2 additional grandchildren this year, my son's house will be more than crowded.
DH's family gets together on Christmas day, so we will be heading there. I haven't bought anything for that get together yet. Time is sure slipping by fast.

adoption

2007-12-08T13:46:00.000-08:00

YEAH!!!! The adoption is final and we are now not just custodial grandparents, we are parents again. Although BG thinks its great that her cousin is now her neice, said cousin wasn't too happy and whined that she didn't want to call her Aunt..lol.
If you look closely, you can see the devilish eyes of my kitten who insisted on sitting IN the tree while we tried to decorate. She has managed to take down everything we put up several times. She stays away from it during the day when we are around to yell at her, but sneaks in at night and strips the tree bare.
We had 5 inches of snow here this past week. And, of course, after I shoveled, we had another inch and are expecting freezing rain on top of it. Fun time of year....NOT.
Flying (FlyLady.net if you haven't heard) and family trials and celebrations have taken their toll around here. Homeschooling has been light or non-existent lately. Good thing we go year round around here!
Not much happening knit wise. Still working on the first Nagini sock which I have tinked or frogged about 6 times already. Finally turning the heel now. Still looking for the 'perfect' pattern to use for my 2nd skein of Wollmeise. Missed several of my Wednesday night group sessions and lost some of the motivation to get knitting done. Well, hopefully, next year I will get back on track.
Happy Hanukkah...Merry Christmas to one and all!!

Cheers and Growls

2007-11-09T15:48:00.000-08:00

Editing this post to finally include the pic of my Fawkes Socks!

Man, I gotta get a working digital camera! Mine is acting to weird. You push the button and hold real still for about 4 seconds til you hear the click. I got several pictures of blurry floor before I figured out that it wasn't actually taking the picture when I pushed the button.
Anyway, finished my Fawkes socks last Wednesday after our knitter's group. They look and feel wonderful (if I say so myself). In place of a photo of the socks themselves (grrrr..camera) here is a pic of the yarn from the Wollmeise yarn shop http://shop.strato.de/epages/61425309.sf/en_US/?ObjectPath=/Shops/61425309/Products/ss_00070/SubProducts/ss_00070-0002

So as not to reduce the number of ongoing projects, I started a sweater for dh.
I need a few projects to take with me on a trip next week, so the Nagini socks, the sweater (for those mindless knitting times), some fingerless gloves I just started and the BBS are being packed

Reading...well, actually listening to... "Mistress of the Art of Death" for the audiobook club in Ravelry. I am one book behind, but have "The Handmaiden's Tale" here to 'read' after this one.
Also got Terry Pratchett's new one "Making Money" to listen to in the car.
Audio books are favorites around here. I can clean, knit, whatever while enjoying.

I have reduced the number of possible patterns down to 6 (giggle) that I think I might use for the other skein of Wollmeise. I have heard alot of people say they like the Jaywalker pattern, but I have this really nice blue/black wool I bought at Knitter's Merchantile that would look good for those. I would tell you what the yarn is, but the shop wound it for me and the tag fell out and I can't find it! I realized I need to use it soon though. Its very tightly wound!!

Off for another fun day of cleaning, packing, and general trip readiness!

back to 'normal'??

2007-11-03T09:32:00.000-07:00

DS is back in Germany, DH is off for his reserve weekend and BG is sick, lying on the couch with some tea and videos.
When I walked (ok ..stumbled) down for the morning coffee, I realized how badly I had let the house go this past week in order to enjoy DS's visit. Sooooo..I sprang into action. (after I checked emails, my groups in Ravelry, got a second cup of coffee and generally poo-pooed around) Logged onto my Flylady chats for inspiration and a good kick in the franny, washed clothes, stripped and remade the bed and generally freshened up the house. Now I can go knit with a peaceful mind. I even started a big crock of chili!
Got "Eldest" from the library on cd to listen to, reserved Terry Pratchett's new one to listen to next week. I love listening to audiobooks. Seems if I have to read an actual printed one, nothing else gets done. So this way I can clean, knit, bathe..whatever...to my heart's content.
Found a couple of new groups on Ravelry to join.
One specifically for Pratchett fans...how cool is that!!!! AND another for audiobooks! ahhh..there's something in there for everyone.
Another group I joined is for Wednesday Night Knitters...this is too cool! While our little group knits at Luck Bros, there is a similar group knitting in BC, Canada. Sort of makes a bit of a sisterhood thing going.

What a Week!

2007-11-01T04:30:00.000-07:00

Visited DH's parents so they could see DS before he heads back to Germany.
DS's driving test...he passed!!! Now he can go back with his license and make his CO very happy. It would have cost about 2000.00 to get it there!
Finished sewing a pirate vest for friend's grandson to wear on Halloween.
Bg woke with a sore throat and was worried she wouldn't get to go trick or treating, but we made it. She looked cute in her witch's costume for a short while. Then the hat wouldn't stay on, the cape bothered her neck, so by the time we reached the 5th house, she was down to just her regular jacket. At least the weather cooperated this year.
Today we take DS and his GF to the airport to catch their plane back to Germany.
OLC will probably not make it thru the weekend.
OTN: turned the heel of the 2nd Fawkes sock, another few rows on the pair of BBS, 4 inches up on toe-up Nagini socks.

New Granddaugther

2007-10-29T03:25:00.000-07:00

Well, time was not favorable for me to actually make it to my daughter's for the birth of her new daughter, but all is well and Autumn made her appearance on Oct 27th at 1:09 pm. She is 7 lbs 5 ozs and beautiful. Hoping to make it up there this next weekend to see the baby in person.
I am 3 sets of pattern into sock 2 of my Fawkes socks and started the toe up Nagini socks.
Home study for bg's adoption went well and we only have the physicals to go. The case worker was very encouraging.
On a sadder note, I think the time for putting our Old Lady Cat down is rapidly approaching. Her cancer is getting worse and she is losing more weight. She spends her time curled up on a towel in front of the heater. It will be very hard for me as OLC was born on my lap and is the last of her line stretching back to great-grandmother that we have had in our family. Her mother also died of cancer and was also born on my lap. OLC is 15 now as was her mom when she died. We have the new kitten to console us, but as all animal lovers know, it is not quite the same.

Lions and Tigers and Bears..Oh My!

2007-10-24T11:49:00.000-07:00

well...not really those things...but sometimes feels like I am being chased this week.
Took a trip to visit son and daughter last weekend with our other son while he is home on leave. Walked around Mosquito Lake for a while and enjoyed the warm fall day and peaceful atmosphere. Then it was back home to hectic cleaning and getting paperwork ready for BG's adoption home study, packing an emergency bag in case daughter goes into labor before her due date, reminding people that they owe letters of recommendation for the adoption, and generally frying my brain trying to remember all the things we need to do.
Finished the first Fawkes sock and it looks great (if I say so myself). Cast on the 2nd and have the ribbing just about done. Will work more on it tonight at my knitting group.
Added another inch to each of the BBS I am making for Socks for Soldiers. Almost have the gusset stitches reduced.
Speaking of SFS...our Sarge Kim Opperman has been nominated for Microsoft's Above and Beyond Awards for grassroots efforts in support of our troops. Of the 400+ nominated, she made it to the final 15 ... 3 nominees in each of 5 categories. There are some outstanding people out there and it is gratifying to read their efforts. If you would like to vote: http://www.microsoft.com/industry/government/federal/AboveandBeyondAwards.mspx
You can vote up to 5 times for each category.

Fawkes Socks

2007-10-17T19:56:00.000-07:00

I am loving these socks! Turned the heel, finished the gusset decreases and am moving down the foot now. They are such a vibrant red and the pattern looks very nice. I am SOOOOOOOO going to hate to cover these with shoes!
Took my wonderful German yarn to the knitting group tonight and everyone loved fondling the soft wool. Two newbies at group tonight and everyone was knitting away at great projects. Its great to get away to knit and chat and laugh.

Fall is here...

2007-10-16T12:55:00.000-07:00

...apparently, anyway. Rainy cool day with leaves falling rapidly from the trees. The big tree across the street is still very green and full...whereas the one in my front yard is nearly bare already.
Ds and his gf are here for a visit while he is on leave from the Army. They brought me the most scrumptious yarn! Rohrspatz & Wollmeise ( http://www.rohrspatzundwollmeise.de/ ) in 2 fantastic colors... Pfauenauge which is dyed in greens, blues and purple, and Indisch Rot which is in vibrant reds. I had started my Fawkes socks in Lorna's Laces, but ripped and restarted in the Indisch Rot. Both yarns are of the same weight and texture, but the LL has a bit duller reds and some purples. Have worked the first sock thru the leg and am now starting the heel flap. This pattern is fairly easy, doesn't get boring, works up fast...so hoping I don't get bogged down with SSS.

Time.....

2007-10-12T06:22:00.000-07:00

seems to be moving way too fast. Getting ready for son's 3 week visit (Army leave), birth of the new baby (12th grandchild..due Nov 3rd), Begger's Night costume, a week long conference in Nov, the court date for babygirl's adoption, hubby's 2 week training (absence from home), and by then it will be time for the family ThanksBirthHanuMas celebration in mid-December. Still getting the house ready for the home study we need to do to adopt babygirl...wondering if they will call ahead and will I actually be home when they do?
The plans I had about making more of the gifts this year are probably not going to happen...unless I can table everything and just knit for the next 8 weeks...sigh.
SOTN (still on the needles): BBS for Socks for Soldiers, The Heraldic Lion center panel for an afghan.
The stash grows in anticipation of wonderful things to knit. Patterns are added to the file. AH!!!..to have a full time cleaning lady so I could sit and do the 'womanly arts'.....

Dark Mark Illusion Scarves

2007-10-06T05:58:00.001-07:00

YEAH!!!.. Finished the scarves last night at the Girl's night out. Met with a couple of my Wednesday night knitters and also met a few new ladies. One was a true HP fan and gave a rousing approval of the scarves. (see "Update" post for link to pattern).
Babygirl spent the night at her aunt's so dh and I had the house to ourselves....mmmm. But Fate stepped in in the form of a clogged drain in the bathroom, and in the process of getting out the plunger, I tipped the shelves that are behind the toilet and got whacked in the head with a bottle of massage oil. The resulting pain and lump meant that..instead of romance..I got a backrub while I held a bag of ice on my head and cried. Such is Fate. (for more info on Fate..see Terry Pratchett's Discworld series of books)
Speaking of Discworld... (giggle) If you haven't read any of these wonderfully funny books, may I suggest that you check your local library for anything by Terry Pratchett. The first of the series is entitled "The Colour of Magic" and there are 30 books in the series (thus far). My son introduced me to the books by telling me about "Thud!" which turned out to be book #30. Being somewhat compulsive, I looked for all the books at the library and started with book 1. I then found them on audio at Audible.com and now own all 30 books plus a couple of extras such as "Going Postal". Pratchett writes fantasy/comedy and as you are laughing over one of his statements, you realize..Hey, that's actually quite profound! (for a rundown on all the gods mentioned..google Discworld and check out Wikipedia)

Ravelry

2007-10-05T08:21:00.000-07:00

Got my invite last night and went immediately to check it out. WOW! Now I see what all the hype is about! Entered some basics and then went exploring. I found several sock projects to add to my queue of future projects, hooked up with the friends list, and even entered all my straight needle sizes on the handy chart area. (circs and dps will have to wait..need to sort and size...blush). Its going to take me several visits to explore farther.
This week's kniiting progress:
I have 10 rows to go to finish the pair of Dark Mark scarves!!!
I started a witch's hat for babygirl to wear out on Begger's night.
I dug out a crochet afghan project and added several rows.
Other news:
Babygirl's adoption process is finally moving again so I have been spending extra time getting the house ready for the homestudy. Court date is set for the 29th of Nov.
Daugter number 3 is getting ready to deliver, so I have to pack for a trip up to watch her son while she is in the hospital and recouping. Will have to plan several projects to take along.
Other than that...my life is dull...giggle.

rainy day musings

2007-09-27T07:02:00.000-07:00

As I ponder weak and weary..On a day so dark and dreary...

Its raining. Its been raining since yesterday. It actually would be a good day to curl up and just knit if there weren't so many other things that demand what little attention I have today. After 2 nights of really bad or little sleep, I am doing good to hold my head up.

Last night's WestSide Knitters meeting was very cool. I managed to get several rows done on my Illusion scarves. Only 52 more rows to go and then the fringe. Next project: a Heraldic Lion done as a center panel for an afghan. Hoping it works up well, and if it does, I want to do a smaller version as a Gryffindor scarf. Thinking already as I translate graph to written knitting terms, that I may want to fill in some areas and simplify it a bit.

BG found a cool cape in black mesh with purple spider webs on it for her Halloween costume, so I am starting a witches hat in black for her that will have purple eyelash trim on it.

Columbus Air show this Sunday! We are going then having friends in for middle eastern food after. Should be fun. hmmm...Where did I put that tabouli recipe?

update, I guess

2007-09-21T05:15:00.000-07:00

Been a while..so new to this blogging thing. Or should I say "So? Nu?"
Our Wednesday night knitting group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WestSideColumbusKnitting/ is going strong. We meet at Luck Bros. Coffee http://www.luckbroscoffee.com/rw/ at 6 pm on First Ave, Grandview, Oh...so if you are ever in the neighborhood and want to drop in... All crafters are welcome to come sit a spell, work on a project and chat and of course, enjoy the great coffee and tea choices.
OTN: 1) Still the Socks For Soldiers BBS. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SOCKFORSOLDIERS/?yguid=195932459
I turned the heel and am decreasing the gusset stitches.
2) Started the last pattern sequence on my Dark Mark Illusion scarf http://thestormmoon.blogspot.com/2007/05/dark-mark-illusion-scarf-pattern.html
I am knitting 2 at a time for gifts for the HP fans in the family. They are WAY COOL. Big thanks to Storm Moon Knits for posting the pattern.
3) Found a few older projects hiding in my stash. One is a black shawl, stocking knit triangle, very simple pattern....just need to keep at it. I figure its about half done.
O(ff) the needle...grrrr...a sweater for babygirl which I had done up to the armpits for her. I did a test wrap and it didn't look like it would fit her anymore, so I took it off the needles and then realized it was bigger than I thought, but couldn't get it back onto them..so its back on the ball..sigh.
Wish List: My Fawkes socks out of some yummy Lorna's Laces.

Babygirl and I went to the WoolGathering at Young's Dairy near Yellow Springs, Oh last weekend. I was very good...only bought 2 skeins of yarn. AH....to have an unlimited yarn budget!!!! I could be swimming in the wonderful colors and textures I drooled over while looking around!! BG was able to experience a little spinning tutorial with a drop spindle and a very nice older lady took her in hand to show her how to crochet while I oooo'd and aaaaaaaaahhhh'd and ran my fingers thru everything I could.

On the home front, Homeschooling is pretty much in full swing here. FlyLady routines are coming along. Anticipating the visit from my son who will be on leave from Germany soon.

a little about me

2007-08-23T12:31:00.000-07:00

So, here's the run down. I am mom to 6 kids. Yeah, you read that right, but it wasn't really all my idea. I have 4 actually birthed from me. Daughters are 36, 34, and 28 and my son is 30. All are married or have been married at one time or another with kids of their own. I am also mom to a step-son aged 22who is active duty Army and stationed in Germany. So I have been this close ~~ to being an empty-nester 2 times. 7 years ago my husband and I became custodial grandparents of (at that time) the youngest granddaughter. So I got to start all over with a 4 month old. Fun, huh?
All together, we have 11 grandchildren with a new one on the way by the end of this year. Hopefully, before then, we will finish the adoption process that will change us from 5 children and 12 grandchildren to 6 children and 11 grandchildren. And my granddaughter will become a sister instead of a niece and her cousins will be nieces and nephews....lol.. in fact her 16 yr old half sister will be her niece (no red-neck blood lines here...lol)
More later....

well, here it is

2007-08-23T11:01:00.000-07:00

I was encourage to start one of these..so here it is. LOL..Now what?