Here in Topeka

To Sprout

2010-08-25T13:27:00.000-07:00

My sweet little complicated, particular, loud, loving, smart, wonderful boy. I can't believe you are old enough to start Kindergarten in just a matter of days now.

You are the child who constantly keeps me on my toes. Who is a whirling bundle of energy one moment and the softest loving boy the next. You are always surprising me with the new things you figure out and say. Right now I love it when, if you don't want to eat something, you'll say, "But I can't use that. I'm not hungry to it." I'm sure that they'll teach you the correct ways to say that in school, but for now I'm enjoying your little idiosyncrasies.

You've been my constant companion these last five years while your sister and brother went off to school. Now it's your turn to try your wings, and I am filled with the conflicting mommy emotions of equal parts dread and excitement for the new opportunities that will open up for you and will eventually take you further and further away from me. This will be a new chapter in both of our lives. I will have to get used to going to the mailbox by myself instead of waiting for you to wrap your skinny little arms around me and take our daily trip together. You will be off to explore new adventures every day. I will fill my days with busy work too. We will both adjust to it, surprisingly quickly I suspect, and maybe even wonder what we ever did before.

But for now, I am holding on to these last days of your babyhood with all my might.

To quote you, my precious son, "I love you lots and lots and lots".

For Always, Mom

Multnomah Falls

2010-08-24T00:01:00.000-07:00

I feel very fortunate to have been born on the Oregon coast, and to make my home in the Pacific Northwest where I am surrounded by beauty everywhere I look.Less than an hour's drive from my front door is Multnomah Falls, located in the Columbia Gorge. I first visited this waterfall when I was a child. It never fails to take my breath away every time I see it.It's a mile hike to get to the top of the waterfall. We didn't get to do it on this day. But we will be back in September to take the walk with our children, which I hope will be their first of many. We walked as far as the bridge with Grandma:The view from the bridge looking toward the Columbia River:
The bottom of the upper falls:
Looking down at the lower falls from the bridge. Girlie said this pool was looked like it was shaped like a heart:
My babies on the trail:
I can't wait to come back in September. That's when the salmon will be jumping at the fish hatchery and we'll make our trek to the top of the falls. I'll be sure to take pictures.
I have been knitting a lot and I do have a finished project to share with you, but that will have to wait for another day.

Hood River and Fish Hatchery

2010-08-21T21:18:00.001-07:00

We took last Saturday to make another small getaway. This time we went to Hood River for some fresh picked peaches and to the Bonneville Fish Hatchery (which Sprout calls the fish factory). My mom was in town to join us for the trip. She's going to be snowbirding practically the upcoming entire school year from October through April (insert sad face here) so we don't have very many visits left before she leaves.

The farm in Hood River had a corn maze, which we all enjoyed:

The town is called Hood River because it sits at the feet of Mount Hood:
It was a beautiful valley.

Funny, I didn't get any pictures of the fresh fruit we brought home, but it included peaches, apples, cantaloupe, cherries, orange cherry tomatoes, plums, Walla Walla onions, and jalapeno peppers.

I remember as a child my Grandma Hasel would make a trip to Hood River and come home with boxes upon boxes of peaches for canning. It was a much longer trip for her from the coast. For us it's an hour and twenty minute drive, prime time for catching up on book club reading or knitting. I don't can the peaches, though. My family prefers to eat them fresh and juicy. There's nothing in the world that compares.

Next stop, the Bonneville Fish Hatcherywhere we ate a picnic lunch and nurtured ZimDee's love for fish
Here he is going on (and on...and on...) about the many facts of different fish. I love this guy:You can buy food pellets and feed the Rainbow Trout:
But the funnest part of all is if you can spot Herman the Sturgeon. He put on a great show for my boys:

Herman with some playmates:Watching for Herman from outside:There he is! Can you see him?What a great day.
Next up: Multnomah Falls

Enchanted Forest Sunday

2010-08-19T14:23:00.001-07:00

As promised, here are pictures finishing up our little getaway last weekend. We spent Sunday at the Enchanted Forest in Salem, Oregon.I've been visiting the Enchanted Forest since I was a child myself. Back in the day, it was just little buildings and castles with stairs. Over the years they've added some rides, but Disneyland it is not. Still, it's a great place to spark the imaginations of my children.

They even have miniature squirrel cages:
But the best part of all was the log ride. I've been waiting for years for my babies to get big enough to go on the fun rides with me. It was the highlight of the day:

Good times.

Summer Vacation

2010-08-19T12:40:00.000-07:00

The Count and I have been talking about how we could really use a vacation. Not even Hawaii or Bali (don't we wish?), but seriously, just a day or two to get out of our routines. Or heck, how about out of the city limits?

We chose the hottest weekend of the year to make our little family getaway. I was looking forward to the heat as my last farewell to summer before accepting that fall was soon to be here. And seriously, for a girl who was born on the cold Oregon coast, you would think that I would be used to the Pacific Northwest's permanent state of spring and fall. But I crave the heat. I seriously do not understand when my friends complain that it's too hot here in Portland. It will be cold soon enough, trust me.

So where did we choose to go to enjoy the heat? Newport, Oregon, which turned out to be the coldest place in the state. It was so foggy that we couldn't even see the ocean. Here are some pictures:
We chose Newport because we have been promising our budding marine biologist, ZimDee, that we would take a trip to the Oregon Coast Aquarium before the summer was over. Yes, he's still as obsessed with fish as ever, and I hope he continues down that path. We also chose Newport because we could get there and back in a day without having to rent a motel room.

Apparently, a lot of other people had the same idea, because the line to the aquarium was longer than I've ever seen it:Which left me time to take some scenery pictures:

And it was all worth the wait.

For the jellyfish:
And the crab:

The tidepools:
The seals:
And the walk-through tunnel:
There was a really cute scene with a puffin splashing Sprout, I think on purpose:

And a very cool creature called a basket star:
But no trip to the aquarium would be complete without being eaten by a shark:

Next stop: The Enchanted Forest in Salem, Oregon.

By Popular Demand...

2010-08-13T22:22:00.001-07:00

I was able to get Girlie to take a picture of me wearing my new sweater:Hooray!

My Very First Sweater For Me!

2010-08-13T11:09:00.000-07:00

I've knit sweaters before, for pay (not so rewarding), for family members (definitely rewarding), and for my babies (very rewarding). But this is the first sweater that I knit for me. And I love it.

I'll admit it was touch and go there in the middle. After trying it on halfway through without the sleeves I was ready to give this away to someone, anyone who would take it. I am just not a vest person, and that's what it looked like to me. That dress rehearsal night was not a good night. I peeled off the half-finished thing and laid it on my dresser and went to bed. But I didn't go to sleep. I sat there in bed just staring at the disappointment that was to be my introduction to wondrously making my own clothes and made the determination that I could make sweaters for everyone else, but it was just not in the cards for myself. And that was a sad thought indeed for a knitter with a stash that contained yarn to make *just a few* sweaters and patterns and big plans.

Well, if I was going to give it away, I might as well finish it, I thought.

Then a magical thing happened as the sleeves took form and the applied I-cord was, um, applied. The sweater started to look, well, cute. People were noticing what I was knitting and asking me questions about it and getting excited. Knitters and non-knitters alike. And that is quite a range, I've found. Have you ever noticed that the yarn and patterns and stitches that really appeal to knitters hold little interest for non-knitters, and vice versa? If you hit on something that appeals to both, you've struck gold. At least here in my world.

As with a lot of things in my life, I'm so glad I persevered and pressed on just at the moment that I wanted to give up.

So without further ado, here is my sweater, my very first sweater for me:(My apologies for no pictures of me actually modeling the sweater. It's a classic dilemma: the person who knits is usually the best photographer in the house too. My friend Amy was just talking about this.)Pattern: Tulips for Women, size XS

Needles: size 7 for the body and size 5 for the seed stitch border

Yarn: Dream in Color Classy in Petal Shower, Dusky Aurora, Gothic Rose, and 2 very different shades of the same colorway, Cloud Jungle. (I used a half a skein of all the colors except for the Dusky Aurora, which required a full skein to finish the borders).There was no seaming to be done on this sweater, though the trade-off was many, many ends to weave in.

Unfortunately, I won't be able to wear the sweater yet or show it off at my Monday night knitting group or this week's knitting guild meeting, because I'll be dropping it off to be judged at the state fair on Monday morning. The fair doesn't open until the last week in August, but they like to have their submissions early. In fact, the deadline to submit your intention to enter items was August 6th. Luckily, I found that out on August 5th. Whew!

I haven't decided what I'm going to do with the left over half skeins of yarn yet. I could make the child's version of this sweater, or some thick multicolored socks. Right now I'm leaning towards the sweater, but it will have to wait, because I've already moved on to my next project.

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder...I Hope

2010-08-10T15:46:00.000-07:00

*Puff*

Is this thing on?

It's been so long since I wrote on my blog that I forgot my user name, let alone my password. But inspired by my dear friend Amy's entertaining return to writing on her blog, I thought I'd give it a whirl. HTML? Magic links? Those will have to wait until I relearn this while process again.

So what happened to 2009? And the first half of 2010? Let's just say that we have felt the effects of the economic downturn like everyone else in this country. By the grace of God we have been able to keep our home and business running, and that is saying a lot, and I am thankful.

My babies are not so much babies anymore. Girlie will turn 13 in October. Yes, I will have a teenager living in my house. We've had some sensitive moments already, but she remains a sweet spirit with lots of heart.

ZimDee is now 8 and will be entering 3rd grade. This boy has charm to spare and is a friend to all.

And my littlest one? Sproutie will be starting kindergarten in the fall. All day. Be still my heart.

There has been lots of knitting and laughter amid storms and tears and friends and family. I can't wait to share it all with you again. But for now, it's good to be back. I've missed you.

2009-07-29T23:47:00.001-07:00

Some Christmas Knitting

2008-12-02T18:55:00.000-08:00

Just because I haven't blogged in a couple months doesn't mean I haven't knit all during that time. Oh, no. I have been a knitting fiend. And I can prove it. Here are a few of the Christmas gifts I've knit so far:

The first is the Polarknits Skull Beanie. Am I allowed to say that I really liked the pattern, but the yarn, well, not so much? My fingers ached all through knitting this. What appealed to me about the pattern and the yarn was that it was bulky, therefore a fast knit, no? Well, it did go fast, along with my desire to knit for a few days. Still, Girlie looks fabulous in it, so all is not lost:
Dare I say that I'd love to knit this pattern again, just with another bulky weight yarn?

Now, if you've read my blog for any length of time, you know how my ZimDee loves fish. Little Sproutie has also developed a love for sea creatures from hanging out with his brother, yo. So out come the knitting needles, and pretty soon this takes shape:
What a silly looking little fish. My greatest accomplishment so far where this fish is concerned has been to keep it successfully hidden, hopefully until Christmas morning.
The pattern is Kureyon Carp. Sadly, I found no link to it out on the web, though you can find it on Ravelry. The pattern calls for the fish to be felted, but that's not really my cup of tea, so I kept it as is. I used Malabrigo Seleccion Privada yarn with some Fun Fur thrown in. Doesn't it seem almost like sacrilege to use Malabrigo and Fun Fur on the same project? But I think the boys will love it, and that's what counts.

By the way, the eyes are some buttons left over from my scrapbooking days. Guess when I gave up scrapbooking? Yep, when I started blogging. I realize now that this blog has become my scrapbook, and I get just as much pleasure (if not more) from looking at all the pictures and reading my old postings. Sometimes I surprise myself with what I wrote--I don't remember being so cheeky. Sometimes I laugh, sometimes I cry, but always I smile.

It's great to be back!

Some Catching Up Before Moving Forward

2008-12-01T09:59:00.000-08:00

I know it's time to start thinking about Christmas, and I am feeling the excitement of the season this year like I haven't for a while. But if you'll indulge me for a moment, I'd really like to show you how adorable my babies were this last Halloween. (yes, yes, I know it's December 1st, but sometimes you have to go backwards to move forward, know what I mean?)

Here they are in all their glory. My vampire Girlie, my penguin ZimDee, and my pirate Sprout:Next came time for the Annual Walk or Bike to School Day, and this year ZimDee was old enough to participate. He got to ride in tandem with Dad while Girlie rode on her own. The funny thing is, if you look closely you can see that ZimDee's little feet aren't even on the bike pedals. Apparently he just held on tight to the handlebars with his feet spread out on either side of the bike and kept instructing his dad to "Slow down!" Of course, when he returned home he proclaimed it the Funnest. Bike. Ride. Evar.
And more knitting to show. These are the Sweet Dreams socks from Dream in Color, knit in their Smooshy sock yarn in the Wisterious colorway. This sock now lives on the shelf at Twisted, the best little yarn shop in Portland.
I may have to knit a pair for myself one day.

Now, did I hear you say you wanted to see a close-up of that scurvy pirate? But of course:Aye, Avast! Um, I mean 24 days til Christmas!

As Promised...

2008-11-30T15:00:00.000-08:00

Here are pictures of my babies' first day of school. ZimDee is now 6 and is in First Grade. His teacher is fantastic, and we are so happy that he will be in her class for Second Grade as well. He has really blossomed this year from a sleepy kindergartner to an enthusiastic first grader.

Girlie is now 11 and is in 5th Grade. We're very pleased with her teacher as well, and appreciate the fact that she is focusing on preparing her students for middle school next year. Be still, my heart.
I figured it out in my brain (I know! I'm so smart!) and realized that this will be the last year that Girlie will be in the same school as either of her brothers. The boys will go to school together, but not so my angel girl. It makes me a little sad, but she's ready to spread her wings.

Not to be left out, here is Sproutie with his Drammies on his first day of preschool:
He is becoming quite a little man. With him in preschool for two half days a week, I am finally able to volunteer in my older two's elementary classrooms, and I'm really enjoying it.

It took a few weeks for little Sproutie to build up enough stamina to stay awake on the ride home from school. Here he is after his first day:
(Notice he's still got his little backpack on).

Fall also brings with it Girlie's birthday. This year I tried to make a quadruple layer lemon cake with lemon frosting. It turned out more like something you might see in a Dr. Seuss book:
But it still tasted fabulous. Girlie didn't mind one bit.

And lest you think that I've forgotten that this is a knitting blog, here are some pictures of Knit Purl's first sock club project:These are called Andamento Socks and they are knit with Koigu yarn, in a specially dyed colorway called The Pearl. My love for Koigu yarn is well-known, so I was very pleased with this selection. The colors in these pictures do not do the yarn justice.
And notice the pretty decorative cuff. I knit these socks up in two and a half days, fueled by the emptiness of my house with all three children in school. It was just the project I needed to get me through those first quiet days.
Now things are not so quiet anymore. Here is why:
I just had to show you the new haircuts that these two hooligans got over Thanksgiving holiday. Aren't they getting big? Please, babies, don't be in such a hurry...

No, Your Eyes Are Not Deceiving You

2008-11-28T19:27:00.001-08:00

I am finally updating my blog!

To ease into this slowly, I will start with where I left off. That would be the pink socks and the green sweater, both of which are now completed.

Here are the pink socks, knit with Lorna's Laces Flamingo Stripe on size 0 needles:This was the first pair of socks I knit using the two at a time toe up method. I've since cast on for two additional pairs (which are in time-out at the moment) and finished another pair that you will probably be seeing in publication before too long. I'm finding this technique to be much more useful than I expected it to be.

We also left off with the start of a green sweater, knit with Louet MerLin. Here it is on the finishing table:
And here it is in its completed form:
The pattern is Camellia by Kate Gilbert. The sweater now resides in the window of one of my favorite local yarn stores, Twisted.
I've enjoyed keeping up with all of you through your blogs. If you have missed me as much as I've missed writing, then it looks like the thing for me to do is to write more often.

During my unscheduled hiatus, I got my children safely settled into their new school year. Girlie is now in 5th grade, ZimDee in first grade, and little Sprout is now going to preschool two half days a week. This allows me to volunteer in the elementary school classrooms, which at first I found completely exhausting, but now I really look forward to it every week. I really like all of their teachers, and this is going to be another great year. Pictures of Sproutie's first day of preschool will follow in another post.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and are looking forward to the magical Christmas season.

Knitting Progress and Dish Rag Tag Sign Up

2008-08-01T10:11:00.000-07:00

I've been making great progress on my Flamingo Stripe socks that I'm knitting in my two at a time toe up sock class. Unfortunately, I'm going to have to miss the last class, so I read ahead in the book and was able to turn the heels by myself so that I'll be set up to learn the crochet bind off that will be covered when I'm not there.
I expected knitting two socks at a time to be fiddly, and it hasn't disappointed in that aspect, but just like motherhood, it is turning out to be funner than I anticipated. I don't know if every pair of socks I knit in the future will be done two at a time, but I will be using this technique more than I thought I would.

I'm doing a bit of test knitting too (you can go ahead and laugh).
This little green object will grow up to be a sweater someday.
I've been asked to knit the sweater with Louet MerLin, which is 60% linen and 40% merino wool. It's very slippery. The pattern called for size 4 needles, but I had to go down to size 1 to get gauge. Am I destined to knit with tiny skinny needles from now on? I hope not. Isn't it purdy so far?

Finally, sign ups for Dish Rag Tag start today. There are only 300 spots available this year, so if you want to have some fun, go now!
If you sign up, let me know what team you get assigned to so that I can root for you. See you there!

Fair Ribbonage and Some Hopscotch

2008-07-28T10:21:00.001-07:00

So are you wondering how our entries did at the county fair? Because I'm here to tell you.

My red and white gull wing socks got 3rd place. Still a ribbon, no? They fared better than the face cloth, which is my first submission ever to not win a ribbon. I figured out the problem: I entered the cloth in the knitting: other than specified category, not realizing that that term is so broad that it encompasses, well, everything else. So the little face cloth, while cute and pretty, had to compete against a lot of unusual and gorgeous items. So I'm ok with that.

The jams fared better. Girlie won 2nd place for her raspberry jam, and I won 1st place. Here is Girlie standing by the jams, with the arrow pointing to her red ribbon. My blue ribbon is on the shelf below hers.
I'm so proud of you, Girlie!

Sunday morning ZimDee discovered some sidewalk chalk and made his way out to the driveway. When I followed him out there, this is what I saw:
I had no idea he knew about hopscotch. I asked how he learned about it, and he said his kindergarten teacher showed him at school. You will notice that each number is drawn in a different color. The boy's a genius, I tell you.

So me and my boys spent the morning playing hopscotch.
I hope your weekend was as wonderful as mine.

Happy Anniversary

2008-07-25T08:21:00.000-07:00

Today is my 16th wedding anniversary. As I rise before the sun comes up (and those of you who know me well know how unusual that is) I am flooded with memories.
I remember how beautiful my sisters were that day (and you still are, ladies!) Inside, we'll always be three little giggly girls, playing with Barbie dolls and chasing cars.

I remember my brother David walked me down the aisle to give me away.

I remember that fidgety little flower girl-- the niece whose own wedding I just attended last month (and who asked MY daughter to be the flower girl at her wedding). How does time go by so fast?

And looking over these photographs that become grainier every year, I remember the man I married. So strong, so sure.

Today, I remember. Oh, yes, I remember...

Works in Progress

2008-07-24T10:56:00.000-07:00

I had gotten so used to not being able to share the knitting process with all of the secret projects I did that now I almost forgot that I could. Come along, friends, and see what I'm working on now:

First is the Creatures of the Reef Shawl.

This is my second Loopy Ewe knitalong. The first Loopy knitalong I participated in involved a project I couldn't talk about. Where was the fun in that? That project was knit with Dream in Color Classy yarn. This knitalong is all about Dream in Color Baby, which is almost lace weight. The color is Beach Fog. I had bought the Creatures of the Reef pattern almost a year ago, but was too intimidated to try to knit such a large project that involved hundreds of stitches with tiny yarn. When the knitalong came along, I finally felt up to the challenge.

Some of it is surprisingly easier than I expected, and other parts are, well, challenging. It's exciting to see the pattern emerge from the knitting. Below is a close-up of scalloped sea shells that involved purling 13 stitches together through the back loop. It sounds a lot harder than it was.
I'm getting a real sense of accomplishment with this project, and gaining confidence in my knitting. This shawl is definitely only for at-home knitting, when I can pay full attention. But I'm having a great time with it.

Next, I'm in the middle of a 4-week series of a sock class with Judy Becker, she of the magic cast on fame. We're learning how to do two socks at a time toe up (say that ten times fast) in class. I had tried this method before on 2 circular needles and found it too fiddly to enjoy. I thought I'd give it one more try, having the chance to learn it from the master. Imagine my absolute happiness when Judy said you can do this method with the magic loop, which is my favorite way to knit socks. The heavens opened up and angels sang and rejoiced. Endless possibilities for my knitting became known.

Here are the socks that I cast on for in class. The yarn is Lorna's Laces Flamingo Stripe, sweetly gifted to Girlie by Patti from my knitting guild. This is my stopping point until the next class on Saturday. Yes, I've finished my homework early like a good student.
In fact, I'm such an over-achiever that I cast on for a second pair while teaching my mom how to do the magic cast on. This time I used Crown Mountain Farms Sock Hop in the It Takes Two colorway.
I am in love. The colors, the texture of the hand spun yarn, oy vey. I think I may have found my new favorite sock yarn of all time. Granted, I haven't knit with Wollmeise yet, but until I do, my heart belongs to Sock Hop. (And yes, these socks are also knit to homework dimensions. I wasn't teacher's pet all through school for nothing.)

So now you know what is occupying my time these days. And happily so.

For all of you that remember the fun I had with Dish Rag Tag last summer (my team won 2nd place--way to go, Ladies!) I wanted to let you know that Emily will begin sign-ups next week for Dish Rag Tag 2 on Friday, August 1st. I highly recommend it. The number of participants is limited, so mark your calendars. Who knows? Maybe we could end up on the same team this year. If not, I will root for you wherever we land.

Zombie socks

2008-07-23T10:26:00.001-07:00

I participated in Sock Madness II this year, and once again I made it only to level two before being eliminated. Who am I kidding? I don't knit for speed, but for the relaxing nature of knitting. Still, it's good to know that I'm consistent, having made the same showing as the year before. And I love a good challenge.

The result is the Zombie socks.
I used a mystery colorway of Blue Moon Socks That Rock that I obtained from their barn sale in Scappoose last November. The scattered bits of red and charred black just screamed "zombie" to me.

I have to admit to not being terribly thrilled with the socks. And I take full responsibility for that. I have seen and felt socks knit with Socks that Rock that look gorgeous and feel heavenly. The fabric has a wonderful drape and density. I think I should have knit these socks on a smaller needle size (or two). Has anyone else out there noticed that the longer they knit, the more they start needing to use smaller needles, or is it just me? I overheard a conversation in a knitting store where two ladies were discussing this phenomenon, and one said to the other, "I hope I don't end up having to knit on ought-4's". Yeah, no kidding.

Another reason I didn't particularly like the socks is the same reason why other people love them. If we all thought exactly the same way we wouldn't have much to talk about, would we? And I'm cool with that.

It's the runs in them, or what I refer to as holes. They were really fun to knit, but for me not so much to look at or wear. To me they look like I poked my fingers through them when trying to put the socks on.
There are sock patterns out there that incorporate lace in them, with the yarn overs creating a delicate design. I look forward to knitting and wearing some of those. My favorite sock patterns, though, have more texture than, well, holes.

So I put these socks in the limbo knitting basket. You know the one: it holds projects that you're not quite sure what to do with, or misbehaving yarn that you wound thinking it would be perfect for this pattern, but was not. I couldn't decide if I wanted to frog the socks and make something for myself that I would really like, because if I didn't like these, who would?

Enter my mom. She was here for a visit and happened upon the socks and gasped. I'm like, "I know, aren't they awful?" and she very reverently proclaimed them to be the most beautiful socks she had ever seen. Flippantly I asked, "Do you want them?" Another gasp. A speechless nod yes.

So the story has a happy ending after all.
My mommy loves her socks. And they couldn't be going to a nicer home.

Going to the Fair

2008-07-22T16:25:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again.For the second year in a row, Girlie has submitted her raspberry freezer jam to the Washington County fair. Her brothers are in awe of their multitalented big sister and just had to get right in there and see everything she was doing.
Girlie's mom also submitted raspberry freezer jam and some knitting to be judged. One is a cotton face cloth, seen blocking below in the lower right hand corner (details to follow in a later post).
The other is a pair of socks (called Gull Wing Socks) that the very talented Cindy designed. I "borrowed" this image from her blog. The yarn is Stitch Jones in the Secret Touch colorway. The socks are knit on size 0 Addi's, using the magic loop method, which is by far my preferred method of knitting socks. You can find pattern details on Cindy's blog or over on Ravelry.

We will be going to the fair this weekend to see if any of our submissions earned any ribbons. I always get a little tickle in my tummy when we walk into the exhibition booths and search for our entries. Will it have a white, red, or blue ribbon, or any at all?

I'll be sure to let you know.

Wish us luck!

More Catching Up

2008-06-27T11:28:00.001-07:00

I'm on a roll now--two blog posts in two days. Not sure how long I can keep this up, but I'm certainly going to go with it when the inspiration strikes.

The school year ended with ZimDee graduating from kindergarten. He had a great teacher. She was also Girlie's kindergarten teacher, and I hope that Sproutie will be in her class when the time comes (that time will be here sooner than I know it!)ZimDee celebrated with a few of his closest friends.
I seriously think I'm in trouble with this boy. He is adored by all the ladies. He brought home his yearbook on the last day of school signed with curly little girl writing proclaiming "you're kyute" and "I like you-a lot". In kindergarten! I'm going to have to keep my eyes on those little girls who are after my boy. (In all fairness, he is pretty irresistable).

Two days after school got out, my beautiful niece Stephanie got married. Here she is dancing with her dad. *sigh*She was such a lovely bride.
There was not a dry eye in the house.Stephanie was the flower girl in my own wedding 16 years ago. Coming around full circle, Girlie was Stephanie's flower girl.
ZimDee was a ring bearer. I don't have pictures of him yet, but he looked so completely adorable in his little tux. When I get the pictures back, I will share.

Here is a picture of me and my sweet angel girl, growing up so fast right in front of my very eyes.
And where is Sproutie, you ask?

I think a house fell on him.
I just had to share these pictures of him sleeping in the hotel room. Doesn't it look like a scene from the Wizard of Oz? Even down to the striped leggings. All he's missing is the sparkly red shoes. Maybe Dorothy already came along and took them.
Or is it just me?

And yes, I have been knitting. Like the wind, in fact. I just got so used to not being able to talk about it with all the test knitting that now that I can share, I almost forgot how to.

Remind me to show you Girlie's dragon scarf, three scarves of my own, my tea cozies, and some wash cloths. What am I knitting right now? I finally reached into my UFO pile and started working on a sweater that I began knitting for my sister over three years ago. I still have so much to show you. Thanks for sharing it with me.

Poor little knitting blog...

2008-06-26T14:15:00.000-07:00

Poor little knitting blog. So neglected. So patient. Why have I forsaken you?

Whether people want to admit it or not, Ravelry has taken up a huge chunk of blogging time. Something has always got to give. And Ravelry has been great for the knitting community, but what of the friends and family that actually enjoyed pictures of your babies and musings on Easter egg hunts? Sure, you can join a specific group on Ravelry and make small talk about these and other subjects, but where else can you monologue on the subject of your choosing at your leisure? Or read about what your friends are doing in detail? This is where blogging still holds its value to me. But, just like having another baby, your time can't help but be divided, as much as you'd like to be everywhere at once.

So I love Ravelry, yes I do, and I enjoy seeing a lot of you on that site. But I also miss the friends I made before the days of Ravelry, and I so appreciate you checking in on me when you notice that I haven't written a blog post in literally forever. I miss your comments when something I've written has touched you.

I make no promises or expectations beyond the fact that I will write when I can, as much as my la vida loca allows. A particular challenge for me is that you need undivided time to write a coherent sentence. After the millionth interruption because so and so is playing with MY toys, I need a drink, I need a blanket, please can I have a snack, he's playing with my toys again, well, that doesn't leave much left for you and me. Blog posts are abandoned because I just can't get into the groove again after so many stops and starts, and blog posts are not even attempted to be begun because I don't have the energy to balance exactly one hundred and fifty-one (wait--here comes number 152...and 3) things at once. But I want you to know that you all are never far from my thoughts. I hope you know that, whether I happen to write once a day or once a year.

Having said that, let's try to catch up with where we last left off. Girlie got the part of Sacagawea in the 4th grade school play. Many of you wrote your heartfelt congratulations and good luck wishes. How did she do, you all wanted to know afterwards. The answer is: fabulous. I expected nothing less. This girl was prepared. Here are some pictures from that wonderful night:(she is third from the right here):
The whole family came out to see her command performance.
Flowers and presents, and best of all, pizza and family followed the performance. I'm so very proud of you, Girlie!

Next came Easter. The Saturday before was a gorgeous, beautiful sunny day. We walked to our local park and participated in their annual festivities. This was the first year that Girlie was too old to hunt for eggs. My sweetheart was happy to help her brothers instead. Here we are at the park:If you noticed that my expression is more of an annoyed frozen smile, then you are very perceptive. The problem was not so much the average challenge of taking a good picture with three wiggly kids. I'm not a rookie. I've got that part down cold. My particular challenge is that the Count (you've got to love him--more on that later) takes forever and ever and then forever some more to actually snap a picture. It's something I've "discussed" with him ever since we had children. His delayed photo snapping finger skills are not a deal-breaker by any means, but it does get annoying every now and then when I realized that great pictures of me with my kids are going to be rare. This one up here is the best that it got. Pity.

But we went home and colored Easter eggs and waited anxiously for the next day to hide our beautiful eggs. Here are the kids and the Count in action. This most unflattering picture of the Count yawning is my passive-aggressive way of getting revenge for the yucky pictures he took earlier. I could use some therapy. I readily admit this.
If I do say so myself, I love how the eggs looked "hidden" on our deck:
Why are the eggs hidden on the deck and not in the yard? Because as beautiful as the day before was, it was blustery and rainy all day on Easter. But why am I writing about Easter in June? Because I have been trying to find the time to write about it ever since then. It was that, or nothing, and I'd rather you hear anything from me than silence.

Much has happened since Easter that I can't wait to catch you up on. Just let me catch my breath first...

What is Happening

2008-02-19T08:17:00.000-08:00

What a busy time. I have been occupied with finishing up some soul-crushing test knitting and commission knitting work, and it's taken a lot out of me. Remember how I kept insisting that regardless of the deadlines and long hours involved that I still very much enjoyed doing it? I think it's safe to say that I'm over that now. Not that I won't ever do test knitting and sample knitting again, because I definitely will for a chosen few (you know who you are). But right now I need to take a few steps back and fall in love with knitting again. And actually knit a project that doesn't have to immediately be packed in a box and sent away. To put down my knitting when my children want to play without wondering where I'm going to find the time to make up for it. To say YES to friends and family when I'm invited to do something. To sit down and write a blog post and have actual projects to talk about and share. I put too much of my heart and soul, of myself, into my knitting to not give it to the people I love. My children want me to knit projects for them, patterns which they have chosen, and that's what I'm going to do. A sweater for myself (or even two!) may be in the works. I'm going to become a project ho again. This knitting monogamy, only working on one project at a time until it's done, is for the birds. I am so solid and reliable in other aspects in my life that I want to throw caution to the wind with my knitting. We all must have an outlet, a safe haven, and knitting remains mine.

So watch for some finished objects (Natey's socks) (hey--there's two of them) and some progress reports on a dragon scarf for my girl and plans for some fishy toys for my boys.

But for now I have to go do something very important that can't wait for another minute: my baby boy wants to play peek-a-boo. And right now he's my most important project, along with his brother and sissy.

My love to all.

Tales of a Fourth Grade Something

2008-01-18T12:44:00.000-08:00

Girlie came home from school last week with the news that the fourth grade classes in her school were going to be putting on a production of Lewis and Clark, and she wanted to try out for the part of Sacagawea. She told me that there were a lot of roles for boys in the play, but Sacagawea was the only girl part. Tryouts were to be held after school this week. I would have loved to watch the auditions, but it was a students-only affair so there would be less distractions. In this precarious balancing act between holding on tight and letting go that they don't tell you about in the instruction manual for being a mom, I told Girlie I would pick her up after.

On the day of the audition, I thought I would try to give her as much of an edge as I could and play up on her natural features. I braided her long dark hair like an Indian maiden. (Of course brother had to get in on the act when he saw the camera come out):
Then I sent her on her way with my love and all my good wishes. You know those times when you hope and pray for the best while trying to prepare yourself for the chance that it might not happen? That's where I was.

All day long I thought about Girlie until it was time to go pick her up. As I pulled into the parking lot of the school, what did I see but 20 other girls with long black hair pulled into braids. Guess I wasn't the only one who had that thought.

Girlie said that so many girls tried out for the part of Sacagawea, while one boy each tried out for the parts of Lewis and Clark, as well as the other male roles. I asked her how she felt she did, and she said "Fine". She had done her best, the auditions were over, and she was ready to go home and play.

The play is going to be held on the Thursday before spring break. There is a knitting guild meeting that night, but I won't be attending.

I'm going to go see a 4th grade production of Lewis and Clark.

Watching my daughter play Sacagawea.

Yes, SHE GOT THE PART!!!

Meet Miss 4th Grade Sacagawea, 2008:
I'm so proud of this girl I could burst.

Knit Wars

2008-01-15T13:44:00.000-08:00

I've become a Knit Warrior.

Read more about it here on the Lime N Violet site.

Won't you cheer me on in my quest? You can follow along with my progress on the sidebar. Or join me in the epic battle...

Spring

2008-01-14T12:35:00.001-08:00

I can feel spring coming. Whether it's the little patches of sunlight that are trying to shine through or maybe it's just the hope in my heart, but I'm excited for the coming of spring. For the crocuses and daffodils, and most especially the tulips to poke their sleepy heads out from their comfy bed of earth. Much like how I found my children when I came to tuck Girlie in to bed last night:
Spring cleaning has hit with a vengeance here in my home, and Girlie's room got a complete makeover. Her fluffy bed looked so inviting that her brothers had to try it out for themselves. I love how you can only see the boys' little brown eyes peeking out. And notice, if you will, ZimDee's contribution to the decor of the bed by carefully placing his whale shark, ray, and hammerhead shark along the blanket at the foot of the bed. I think I have a future marine biologist on my hands.

Girlie is excited about her new haven, though she's unbelievably kind about sharing her space with her brothers when they want to play. Oh my how I love that girl.

I'm in the middle of a knit for hire project, so knitting talk will have to wait.

While the weather is still cold outside, I've been enjoying sitting down with a hot cup of spicy chai tea, which is quickly becoming one of my favorite things to drink. Don't worry, Peach Pleasure Jamba Juice and PG Tips black tea, you can never be replaced. But it's good to try new things now and then. Especially with the promise of spring fast approaching.

River Rock Scarf

2008-01-09T00:07:00.000-08:00

My blog had been particularly quiet these last few months due in part to the holidays and to the busy-ness of sample and test knitting. It's hard to write on my blog when I can't talk about what I'm knitting on, especially when I'm really excited about a project, or when I've had to frog something for the umpteenth time and just want a little love.

On the exciting front, a project that I'm really happy about has just been put up on the Knit Picks site. It's the River Rock Scarf from No Sheep For You by Amy Singer; pattern by the very talented Sivia Harding. Here is the model from the Knit Picks site:
And here is the scarf on me. This was a very hard project to pack up and send away. I'm just going to have to make one for myself. In fact, it's on my list of projects to knit to keep in 2008. My sister A. also had her eye on the scarf while I was knitting it, so I'd love to be able to make one for her as well. As much time as sample and test knitting will allow.
The original project was knit with fingering weight yarn, so the beads (1678 to be exact) were probably easier to load for that than they were on the sport weight yarn that I knit this scarf with, but the end result was worth a couple of broken Big Eye needles. Observe:
And:
This project was knit with size 7 needles and 3-4 skeins of Knit Picks Shine Sport in the Green Apple colorway.
I finished this project back in October (hence the sunshine and dry deck) but I'm not allowed to blog about the projects until Knit Picks releases them.

A word about sample and test knitting: I enjoy it, otherwise I wouldn't do it. Everything has its pros and cons, and this is no exception. The cool thing is that a lot of times I am assigned to patterns that I might have overlooked otherwise. I learn something new with each and every project, and I feel like it has really broadened my knitting skills.

I just hope that I can find a balance between sample knitting and personal knitting in 2008. It would be nice to be able to share more of my progress with you all as I go along.

Reflections on 2007

2008-01-07T10:56:00.000-08:00

Girlie and ZimDee went back to school this morning after two weeks of vacation. Sproutie is wandering around the house like a lost soul, searching for his playmates. I have to admit that I am, too. It has been beyond wonderful having them home with me all day. Now it's back to regular routines. A good time for me to reflect on the year that has just gone by.

2007 started out in a blur, a sentiment expressed to me by most members of my family. Losing my brother David in November of 2006 was something that forever changed my life. Grief is a difficult road to walk, and no one else can do it for you. Thus 2007 began with my making my first tentative steps on my journey back to me.

January 1st started out with a bang of three knitting assignments. Knit Picks asked me to knit a pair of lace socks. My cousin James' wife Shari, whom I adore, asked me to knit a yellow sweater for their adorable daughter Jessica. And my dear friend Mamma and I embarked on some pirate knitting--that is, knitting a pair of socks with some yarn called "Black Purl" (get it?) while we watched the Pirates of the Caribbean series. I must mention that Mamma and I live in different states, so this was virtual knitting at its finest.

I will say here that you might see a theme emerging. Knitting was an essential part of my healing this year. The repetitive, meditative motions were healing to my soul, and produced beautiful finished projects for my efforts. When I couldn't deal with the emotions that bombarded me during that time, and when deciding what TV show I was going to put on mute to ignore or which pair of pajamas to wear became too overwhelming to deal with, knitting was a constant. It held no judgment of me. I wasn't letting it down in any way by not being able to participate fully; it was just there waiting for me like a long-lost friend whenever I could get to it. Each stitch I knit was a memory, a prayer, a shared perspective, a childhood lost and then regained, a stepping stone on my way back to the light. The sadness was always there, but it was starting to be covered with peace and acceptance and love.

The lace socks for Knit Picks were finished, to be replaced by yet another commissioned work of knitting for the company (for a total of six time-consuming projects this year). One pirate sock was completed; the mate abandoned when Mamma finished her complete pair two weeks before I finished my first sock. Not to worry--it's waiting patiently below deck for me to get back to it someday. (Keep to the code and all that). The yellow sweater for Jessica was complete, and received with much excitement. Shari told me that Jessica did not ever want to take it off. Shari also confessed to me that she asked me to knit something yellow because she had read that the color is soothing to people who are grieving. She had lost a brother herself some years ago, and thought to reach out to me to help me in my healing the only way she could think of: through my knitting. Wonderful angels like that came and went throughout the year, just when I needed them most.

Another part of my healing relating to knitting was joining the board of the Tigard Knitting Guild as co-newsletter editor. The monthly board meetings in addition to the regular guild meetings were very good for me. It was something positive that got me moving and out of the house when I wasn't sure I was ready to venture out. To be in the company of cheerful women with a purpose was very healthy for me, and I made some new friends that are "keepers". I will continue on with the board in 2008 as secretary.

In May I traveled to Washington DC with my mom and sisters for Police Week: a memorial tribute to my brother and other fallen officers. It was powerful yet extremely overwhelming. I WILL return to Washington DC and to the wall that bears David's name, but not during Police Week again. It will be with loving family who will trace the letters of his name with their hands and remember, always remember...

Sproutie turned two years old in June, and he has become my "busy" child. It never occurred to Girlie and ZimDee that so many toys could be broken and scattered. We call Sprout "the De-Struc-Tor". If there is a mess to be made or something to be broken, this child is behind it. But one look in those big brown eyes and that clown smile and my heart just melts.

ZimDee turned five in July, and much to my dismay, started full-time kindergarten this year. Emotionally I wasn't prepared for it and had my doubts that he was ready, but he has flourished in school. His teacher is wonderful, and I'm grateful that she has laid a positive foundation for his future education.

Girlie turned ten in October. She started 4th grade in the fall, and also has a phenomenal teacher. Girlie has become quite a young lady, and soon will tower over her dad and me. She already wears a bigger shoe size than I do. She's always been a peace-loving child with a wonderful imagination. I'm thoroughly enjoying the privilege of being a part of these sweet children's lives.

A big constant in my life has been the love of my family. The Count's patience during this year helped me in my healing process, and his willingness to work on deep-seated issues have made our marriage even stronger. The love of my children is my daily medicine.

When I sat down with myself and looked at my life in front of the Christmas tree this year, I found that I am exactly where I want to be.

It has been a year of sadness and loss, healing and love. When all is said and done, it is the love that remains.

I'm looking forward to sharing 2008 with you, my friends.

Catch Up

2008-01-02T11:25:00.000-08:00

There has been a lot of secret sample test knitting going on around here, but I did manage to get a few small projects done in between.

The first is the Square Textures Dish Cloth by Linda Luder. The pattern can be found in the Leisure Arts booklet, Nifty Knit Dishcloths. I have to admit that I like white dish cloths the best, because you can bleach them when they inevitably get dirty.I knit it for my reverse Dish Rag Tag partner, Wendy. We had such a fun group for Dish Rag Tag that we decided to keep the fun going by sending some goodies, along with a knit dish cloth, to the person who sent the original package to us in the tag (this time unhurried). Not to toot my own horn (ok--toot, toot) but I was voted Miss Congeniality of Dish Rag Tag 2007. All I know is that I had a great time as captain of Team XDR (eXpress Dish Rag--get it?), and my team worked very hard to earn a respectable 2nd place finish. If there is going to be a Dish Rag Tag 2008, I will be the first to sign up for it, and I would recommend it to anyone. It's great fun, and Emily organized it very well.

As for Christmas knitting, ZimDee (he of the big brown eyes and toothless grin) asked me to knit a hat for his kindergarten teacher, and it had to be purple. How could I resist the charms of my 5-year-old child, the one most appreciative of my knitting? I could not. Behold, the purple hat:
Modeled by the very handsome Sprout under the Christmas tree, as he was the only child available at home for me to try the hat on at the time:
Isn't he precious? Though at times I wish he would stay as still as he is in this picture.

Specifications:
Pattern: Blue Sky Alpacas Royal Baby Set
Yarn: South Company Rio De La Plata, 100% Merino wool, in the Sparkling Grape colorway
Needles: size 9 circulars; 16"
Notes: This pattern was written for baby size, but in using thicker yarn and larger needles, it easily fit an adult (even though it's being modeled by a baby in the picture--tee hee).

ZimDee reports that his teacher loved the hat. Please add a star to my mommy crown.

And speaking of ZimDee, he was in need of some thick house socks. Mommy to the rescue again:
His little legs and feet look so adorable modeling his new socks. Please note that the stripes match up perfectly. I had to waste 3 feet of yarn, and break into another ball of yarn when an unmatched pair would have easily used one, but doesn't this picture make it all worth it?
I thought so.

Specifications:
Pattern: simple basic stockinette socks, using the magic loop
Yarn: Adriafil Knitcol, color 049
Needles: size 6/ 32" circulars

It was nice to finally knit something that was actually going to stay in my house for once. I must do more of that in 2008.

A Child After My Own Heart

2008-01-01T11:00:00.000-08:00

Note tough guy at the mall, drinkin' a lil' sumpin' sumpin':A Jamba Juice custom made for his size. Dude is not afraid to wear hand knits in public (that would be the hat made by yours truly; the sweater--maybe next year).

This guy's got good taste. Watch out there, ladies. This one's a heartbreaker.

White Christmas

2007-12-31T14:14:00.000-08:00

We got a great surprise here in the Portland area on Christmas day: snow! It only lasted for about an hour, and disappeared about an hour after that, but it was beautiful.
The view from our deck:
And from my kitchen window:
The Count jumped around like a little kid. I think he was even more excited than our kids. It was a great Christmas present for me to see him react with such childlike joy.

All that snow covered Mount Fuji.
Oh wait--that was Girlie's school project: to build a volcano. Once again, the Count reacted with great enthusiasm.
I think most of the student's dads got more involved in the actual building of the volcano than the 4th graders themselves. They had great fun making it erupt with baking soda, vinegar, and red Kool Ade.
The boys are very excited for the time to come when it's their turn, now that they know that their dad's got some mad volcano building skillz.

On the knitting front, I cast on for the Lace Panel Twin Set by Connie Chang Chinchio (of Henley Perfected fame--another project I'd love to be able to knit this coming year). The pattern is from the new book Sensual Knits by Yahaira Ferreira, which is full of beautiful designs. After several attempts of trying the lace panel on the camisole and having it not come out right, I emailed Connie to ask her about the chart. I was thinking since it was New Year's Eve that it would probably be a couple days before I heard back from her. I sent the email, then got up to make myself a cup of tea. When I sat back down at the computer, her reply was already waiting for me. She answered my questions cheerfully and graciously. How wonderful is that? I got the information that I needed to continue on with the pattern. If you have the chance to knit one of her designs, I would highly recommend it.

And finally, just look at this sweet face:
This is Ameera, the newest member of our household. She's the sweetest 2-year-old kitty that we got from the animal shelter (The Cat Adoption Team in Sherwood, Oregon) for Girlie's 10th birthday. She's such a precious girl and we're happy to have her (I'm talking about both Girlie and the cat). We couldn't be more pleased with girl-kitty. I would highly recommend a rescue kitty for anyone who is interested in getting a wonderful companion.
Ameera says Happy New Year to one and all, and I echo that sentiment. I hope 2008 is a great year for each and every one of you, my friends.

Merry Christmas 2007

2007-12-24T17:35:00.000-08:00

From our house to yours. I hope everyone has a blessed holiday season filled with love and laughter.

One Year Later

2007-11-03T00:30:00.001-07:00

My brother David asked my mom a question not long before the accident that took his life a year ago today. He asked her, "Do you think my sisters are proud of me?" It makes me sad that he didn't know that the answer was an unqualified yes. But I know that he knows now.

Music speaks to people in different ways. To some, it's just a pretty tune and nothing more. To others, like my brother and myself, music and lyrics held (and still hold) a much deeper meaning. We shared a love of music and books that I continue to carry on. I can still hear David's voice singing the songs we loved whenever I listen to them.

And every once in a while a song comes along that describes exactly how you are feeling. I don't know how it happens, but it always amazes me. The following song tells you where my heart is today. Where I've been, and what I'm looking forward to when my time here is done.

I will meet you at the circle's end, David. This much I am sure about.

Now I have the same question for you, one year later:

Do I make you proud?

Silly Me

2007-10-04T10:11:00.001-07:00

Every year our grade school holds an annual Walk and Bike to School event. We've done it with Girlie since she was in first grade. Kindergarteners don't participate, so I stayed home this year and put ZimDee on the bus while the Count and Girlie rode tandem.They set out for the meeting place, and when the Count returned, he said it was the weirdest thing. There were no other walkers or bikers this year, and when they arrived at the school, there wasn't the usual reception tables with water, bananas, and apples. Maybe they really scaled it down this year. Odd.

But when Girlie came home from school, it was all made clear. The Walk and Bike event was scheduled for THE NEXT DAY. I had written it in my calendar wrong. So Daddy and his girl got to ride their bike to school two days in a row.

I wish I could tell you that that was an isolated event, but sadly, I can't. I've always maintained that you lose a certain amount of brain cells with each child you have, and they never come back. Also, this phenomenon is multiplied by the number of children you have. So there is no hope for me now.

But you know what? I can still take sticks and string and make pretty things with them. Observe:These are some dress socks for the Count, which he will wear with pride to his niece's wedding reception later this month.

Specifications:
Pattern: Lava Flow Socks by Sockbug
Yarn: Blue Moon Socks That Rock Silkie, in the now "retired" Chapman Springs colorway
Needles: Size 1 Addi Turbo circulars
Modifications: I chose to knit a traditional heel with flap and gusset as opposed to the short row heel that the pattern called for. (I find short row heels to be rather ill-fitting and fiddly to do).
Notes: The pattern was easy as pie. Stockinette all the way with some slipped stitches thrown in for interest. I thought the yarn colors were very fitting for the name of the pattern--they brought to mind lava erupting from a volcano in the middle of the luscious Hawaiian landscape.

The Count has pronounced them as perfect. He may just get more hand knits from me with that attitude.

The Class of '57 Had its Dream

2007-09-25T15:44:00.000-07:00

I had the honor and privilege of escorting my mom to her 50th high school reunion this fall. There she is in the picture above. Can't you find her? I know right where she is.

Imagine attending high school while Elvis was shaking his hips and singing about hound dogs. Wearing poodle skirts and those black and white saddle shoes. And riding around in those big Chevys. I think I was born too late.

I was happy to go with my mom to her reunion and happy not to attend my own 20th reunion. Why? Because the yahoos I graduated with knew nothing about school spirit, or how to throw a proper shindig. These teenagers in old people costumes know how to throw a party, let me tell you.

The first night was an icebreaker at Round Table Pizza. There were guess the then-and-now photos, and way too many desserts.

The next morning was a tour of the high school. Followed by a really fun fashion show and lunch. The formal dinner and picture was that night. You should have seen those people cuttin' a rug when the 50's songs started playing.

The last day was brunch at a vineyard. I won't say who, but some people got a little tipsy...

Here is my mom and her best good girlfriend JoAnn in front of the Old Main Building of Roseburg High:

If these halls could talk, imagine the stories they'd tell...

These two ladies sure aren't saying:

Brunch at the vineyard. We won't talk about how Andy (down in front with his thumb up in front of all the beautiful ladies) needed to be helped up off his creaky old knees once the cameras stopped flashing. No, we'll keep that one to ourselves.
I had a great time with this lady.
Thanks for inviting me, Mommy.

A Big Reason Why I Didn't Have Any Spare Time to Write on My Blog This Last Summer

2007-09-24T13:31:00.000-07:00

Could it be these Norwegian Stockings now featured on the Knit Picks website? And you thought I was just kidding about all the commissioned projects. Now you know.
Specifications:
Pattern: Norwegian Stockings, from Folk Socks by Nancy Bush
Yarn: Knit Picks Essential, in Pine green and Pumpkin; and Knit Picks Bare (natural)
Needles: Size 1 circular, using the magic loop
I have to admit that when I agreed to knit these socks, I had no idea that they were fair isle socks. "Yeah, next time maybe do a little research", as a caveman would say. Nevertheless, it was a great learning experience for me to learn two-color knitting. I still use the technique when weaving in ends as I go, but have reverted back to my ghetto throwing technique for everyday knitting. To me it just feels like I can control the tension a lot better. I know that continental knitting is a lot faster, but I knit to relax, people, not to win any sort of race.
Both my mom and Girlie have expressed interest in owning a pair of socks like this. Someday, Ladies, you will.

Newport coast pictures

2007-09-18T06:31:00.000-07:00

My little family and I took a trip to the Oregon coast a few weeks ago. As you know, I was born and raised in Coos Bay, and I consider those beaches and cliffs to be the most beautiful in Oregon. But this trip wasn't about beaches--it was all about the fish. ZimDee is obsessed with fish and marine life, so we took a jaunt over to Newport, which is home to the Undersea Gardens and the Oregon Coast Aquarium. In other words, heaven for my little ZimDee.

Here is a picture of the Newport Bay bridge, taken by yours truly. I do fancy myself a bit of a photographer, don't you know. How did I get the birds to fly just right? It just happens to me.
Here's ZimDee in the motel room getting ready for his big day out.Please note the picture of the blowfish on his shirt and of course the binoculars. This boy is serious about his fish.

Here he is by the jellyfish:
And the crab:
I have about thirty other pictures of him with the same hand-on-his hip pose by all the many different kinds of sea creatures, but you get the idea.

Here's Girlie next to some other kind of crab. When did her hair get so long?
And all three of my babies in the jaws of a shark.
Here's Daddy and Sproutie getting to touch a starfish (sorry about the picture of your hair, honey):
And a close-up of Sproutie's big cheeks and little finger touching the starfish. By the way, as much as ZimDee loves fish, he wouldn't even think about touching the sea cucumber, or "sea Su-cumber" as he calls it. I think it offends his sensibilities, or something.
I just love the pictures with Sproutie's cheeks. Here's another one looking down at the sea lions on the waterfront.
Finally, brother and sister walking hand in hand back to the car at the end of a perfect day.
These are the days I'll always remember.

Oh My Gosh Oh My Gosh Oh My Gosh!

2007-09-16T12:20:00.000-07:00

I received my September sock club package from one of my favorite indie dyers, Ruby Sapphire. They are a mother and daughter team, and they produce some of the most beautiful colors of yarns I've ever seen. Besides, they're so nice. If you want to see some fabulously colored yarns, go check out their etsy shop.

So why am I so thrilled about their September sock club package? First of all, we all know how much I love the color purple. Look at the name of the sock pattern--Purple Maze. And the adorable foldover needle case, in purples, of course.Then check out the variations of purple in this yarn:Here's a closer look. I love any and all shades of purple, and my favorite hand-painted yarns are those that have white running through them. It just looks so right to me.

The yarn is their new Panda line (60% Superwash Merino, 30% Bamboo, 10% Nylon). It's so shiny and soft. Perfection.But even that's not what got me all excited. Look at what they chose to name this colorway:Yes, KATRINA. When I wrote to them and told them how much I loved the yarn, they said they created it with me in mind. I'm touched and honored. What a lovely surprise.

Dish Rag Tag Love

2007-09-15T12:05:00.001-07:00

I received my prize in the mail from Emily for placing 2nd in Dish Rag Tag:Some pretty wooden knitting needles made in Russia, and a certificate that says in part:
"Certificate of Dish Rag Tag Glory
This Certifies That Katrina
Has achieved SECOND PLACE HONORS in Dish Rag Tag 2007
and earned all the rights and priveleges thereof
signed by Emily, Dish Rag Tag Commisioner"

The certificate made me giggle. I've been involved in a few knitting competitions, and I have to say that unlike some (Sock Wars, anyone?) this one was organized and run very well. A big thank you to Emily for making Dish Rag Tag such a fun contest to be involved in.

And if that wasn't enough, my fabulous teammate Lisa sent me a special thank you for being captain of Team XDR:A sweet card and the most beautiful skein of Dream in Color Smooshy yarn in the Wisterious colorway. *sigh* Thank you so much, Lisa, for such an unexpected and thoughtful gift. I can't wait to knit some socks with this gorgeous yarn.

My teammates have gotten together and decided to do a reverse dish rag tag swap, this time without the time constraints. We will be knitting a dish cloth for the person who sent the original box to us, and loading the package full of goodies for our teammate. How fun is that?

Dish Rag Tag 2? I am so there! I would recommend it to anyone who wants to have some fun.

Catching Up

2007-09-13T11:44:00.000-07:00

I mentioned in an earlier post that test knitting and blogging don't leave much room for one another. First of all, when I'm knitting commissioned work, there's always a deadline. Second, the work is almost always "secret", so I can't talk about it, even if I did have time to write on my blog. When the project is published I finally get to share it with all of you. And I'm sharing one of my favorite assignments so far today, Beaded Placemats for Knit Picks:And a close up of the beadwork:This was the project I wrote about here when I was talking about re-learning how to crochet, as the placemats called for a crocheted edge.

Specifications:
Pattern: Beaded Placemats from Home Knits by Suss Cousins
Yarn: Knit Picks Shine Worsted (love this yarn!) in Terra Cotta
Needles: size 5 straights
Modifications: The pattern called for buying a length of pre-strung beads and sewing it to the edges of the four placemats. Considering my love of beading, this would not do. Instead, I went to the bead store and bought 4mm and 8mm poppy jasper to match the yarn, and copper, black, and gold seed beads to coordinate. I love how they turned out.

The placemats were featured on page 2 of the Summer 2007 Knit Picks catalog, or you can find them here on the Knit Picks website.

Since I'm catching up, I may as well "toot my own horn" as my Grandma would have said, and tell you that before mailing my Sockapalooza socks to my pal, I entered them into the Washington County fair. They were my only entry this year, so everything was riding on them. Here is how they did:See the orange socks just to left of my pink & yellow socks? When I first walked in, I thought those were my socks. I was ok with 3rd place, at least they got a ribbon, but then I realized that those weren't my socks--the ones with the blue ribbon on them were mine!
Hooray! (You're not really supposed to touch the exhibits, but I hoped they would make an exception for one surprised girl). I had been sick with bronchitis for several weeks, and making it out to the fair was one of my first well outings, and what a pick-me-up that was.

But even better: This was the first year that Girlie entered her very own freezer jam in the fair, both strawberry and raspberry. Do you see the blue ribbons on each side of her head? Those are hers!I couldn't be more proud.

Finally, a highlight to the end of the summer was Cat Bordhi coming to town for a book signing, hosted by Blue Moon Fiber Arts. She talked about her new book, New Pathways for Sock Knitters. If you haven't read this book yet, you must! It will completely open your eyes and change the way you think about sock construction. In fact, Amanda, Donna, and I were so impressed with Ms. Bordhi and her book that we started a knitalong for the book. If you would like to join us, click on over to the blog, and if you're on Ravelry, find us here.

Here is a picture of me with the ethereal Cat Bordhi:Did you notice her necklace? It's made of baby socks!

Finally, I'll end with a picture taken of my sweet family at a cousin's wedding over the summer:Please don't be in such a hurry to grow up, my little ones.

Hooray For Team XDR!!

2007-09-07T23:12:00.001-07:00

A big congratulations to my fellow members of Team XDR (stands for eXpress Dish Rag. Get it?) (Thank you to Lisa for coming up with the name). We won 2nd place in Dish Rag Tag! It was my honor to be your team captain and to work alongside each one of you. What a great effort that was made by all.

Here is what the box looked like when it showed up in my mailbox:

To see what it looked like by the time it reached its final destination in Alabama, read Emily's post here.

This was the box of goodies I sent to Amy in Florida:

And a close-up of the seed stitch heart dish cloth I knit for Amy.

There was quite the stir and drama in my house when the box arrived. I haunted the mailbox, and when I saw the mailman drive up, I snatched it the package out of the mailbox and quickly knit the dish cloth, re-stuffed the box with goodies, and made a mad dash back to the post office. I may have used some salty language. I don't remember--it's all kind of an unreal blur to me now.

My fabulous teammates made the same kinds of effort, and it paid off with a silver medal finish. Thank you to Emily for putting on such a fun contest that took up much of my time with plotting and planning, charting and mapping. And a very special thank you and congratulations to my wonderful teammates Amanda, Donna, Lisa, Erika, Wendy, Val, Elizabeth, Lauren, and Amy. You girls rock!!

First Day of School

2007-09-06T19:24:00.000-07:00

My darling dear Girlie's first day of 4th grade was yesterday. Will someone please tell me how she is growing up so fast? I asked her that once when she was two years old, and she said to me in all seriousness, "It just happens to me." Here is my precious with her adoring brothers:Here's the whole gang at the bus stop giving Girlie a big send-off. No, it wasn't raining, but ZimDee is very particular about his hats:
And here is my priceless family this morning, waiting for the bus on what was ZimDee's first day of kindergarten. I just love how he is clasping his hands, with an expectant face, ready for anything:
The bus came quickly, too quickly. If he didn't look so excited I would have jumped right on that bus and snatched him right off again.
I know it's a big growth opportunity for my little boy, but indulge me this whimsy:
The school bus driving away with the most precious cargo inside. I honestly don't know how I snapped such a clear picture with the tears welling up in my eyes.

As I was telling my dear friend Mamma, you all can use this picture for evidence in my commitment hearing. Go ahead, I won't mind. I could use the rest.

It's going to take me a while to get used to having two children in school. Little Sproutie and I hardly knew what to do with the quiet today. Give us time, I'm sure we can find all sorts of trouble.

But today. Today I stop and reflect on how much I love my children. And how that love grows so big, so fast. It just happens to me.

Where To Begin?

2007-09-05T17:59:00.000-07:00

After some subtle and not-so-subtle urging from friends and family, I've returned to the blogging world. I hadn't meant to be away for so long. I skipped the whole month of August 2007. How can this be? Let me say this emphatically: test knitting is so not conducive to good blogging.

Where to begin? With a thank you to my amazing Sock Hop Sock Swap '07 spoiler, Meg. She went above and beyond the call of duty with her package to me.The wonderful box contained a sweet card, a chocolate bar with pecan praline (yum!), Madagascar vanilla lip balm, some "protect the swag" moth repellant, a vintage beaded flower kit, and a beautiful skein of yarn of wool/tencel yarn from one of my favorite indie dyers, Ruby Sapphire, in the Persia colorway. She knit a Hedera sock for me out of Crystal Palace Panda Wool (sent along with her notes on the pattern). If that weren't enough, she asked her brother, who is a glass blower, to make me some beads to match the sock. Which she then proceeded to make the most beautiful stitch markers for me from some of the beads. I sent her an email when I received the package, but wanted to formally thank her on my blog. Meg, you are the best! Thank you again.

We were very busy over the summer. One of our favorite trips was to visit Mt. St. Helens in Washington state. I was very mindful of the fact that my brother had made that trip almost exactly a year to the date in 2006. I felt his presence everywhere.I breathed in the cold mountain air and sat in the sunshine with my babies. It was a good day.

I finally finished knitting the pair of socks I started for my mother-in-law last fall.They were received very well. My mother-in-law did not mind showing off her 80-year-old "sexy legs" as she put them. Bravo to you, mom!

In birthday news, this little dude turned Five:ZimDee, I remember the day you were born like it was yesterday. And tomorrow is your first day of kinderdarten. How did that happen so fast?

2007 Knitalongs and Swaps

2007-09-01T11:13:00.000-07:00

Happy Anniversary, My Love

2007-07-25T16:27:00.000-07:00

Happy 15th Anniversary, my Darling.

That picture doesn't seem so long ago. Back when I was a candy striper and you were a crazy boy in love with me, sitting together on a chair at Grandma's house. Nice sweater, by the way.
Two rings, three children, and a lifetime later, I'm as in love with you as the day I met you. You are a good man. Strong and true. Bringing to me peace and quiet comfort when my world was rocked with sadness. Loving me back to life. Patient and kind, a loving father and the best husband a girl could have.
I love you.

This is only the beginning...

Husband Q & A

2007-07-25T16:01:00.000-07:00

In honor of my 15th wedding anniversary, I thought it would be fun to answer a meme I found from LavenderSheep.

(By the way, if I want html to work on my blog, I have to use Mozilla Firefox. It won't work for me on Outlook Express. Discuss amongst yourselves.)

2 things you compliment your husband on while in his presence:

1. His muscles.
2. His great work ethic.

2 compliments you give about your husband to others:

1. His great work ethic.
2. His calm, low maintenance, good nature

2 Traits you married him for:

1. His sense of humor.
2. His sense of adventure.
3. The way he can ease my mind and bring me peace.
4. The way he's up for doing anything, anytime.
I could go on and on...

2 days you cherished most being together with your husband:

1. The days that each of our three children were born.
2. Our wedding day (though much of it was a blur).
I actually don't get to spend a lot of one on one time with him. What I wish for is a regular day when neither of us have anything going on, and we could stay in or go out or do whatever crossed our mind. Just be together. Someday...

2 Material things you would give your husband if you inherited a fortune:

1. A big truck like he has always wanted.
2. A motorhome, something else he has always wanted, or some tools, don't know what, but he'd buy me yarn though he wouldn't know what.

2 things you would miss most if he left for 2 weeks:

1. His help with the children!
2. Sharing his perspective on situations.

2 things that crossed your mind the first time you met your future husband:

1. He's so short! (5'2", but pictures made him look taller).
2. He's so easy to talk to.

2 favorite dates:

1. Dinner at the Chart House or the Melting Pot (which is being postponed tonight because I'm sick :(
2. Our weekend trip to Victoria, BC, Canada

2 funny, odd things you love about your husband:

1. The way he mixes up phrases, like "it takes two to tangle"
2. The way he has a set procedure to how he does everything, like backing into the driveway the exact way every time. OCD, anyone?

2 places you have lived with your husband:

1. Lake Oswego, Oregon
2. Tigard, Oregon

2 favorite vacations:

1. San Francisco
2. Disneyland

2 people to tag:

I'll leave it open to whoever wants to do it, just let me know if you decide to in the comments.

Standing Here At Your Shores I Am Once Again Home...

2007-07-02T15:22:00.000-07:00

Frustratingly, I still can't get html to work on my blog, so I guess I just have to write in between the pictures and leave a picture just hanging there at the top. That picture is of a significant building in my life. Any guesses? Mom, how about you? This building is the hospital where I was born. Back then it was called McCauley hospital. It is located in Coos Bay, Oregon, where I was born and raised. It sits across the street from Mingus Park and the ballpark where my beloved Uncle Jim used to referee softball games. As you can see, the building is all boarded up now, but that's where it all began.

Since I don't have a lot of control of the order of how the pictures appear, I'll just have to muddle through here. Last Saturday my sister Angie and I took a day trip with my nephew Tim and my niece Stephanie to the town where we grew up. It was the first time that Angie and I had been back since we lost our brother David last November. We chose to look at the trip as a celebration as we drove past the houses where we used to live (most of them torn down now), and the schools that we attended.

But the healing part? That was standing on the cliffs of the ocean and feeling the sand between our toes on the beaches:

I love this picture of Angie dipping her toes into the cold water. I don't know if you can tell, but the sand is not sand like you think of in a sandbox, but rather little pieces of shells and rocks. It's beautiful. This beach is not one that's well known to people who aren't from the area. It's a favorite among locals, and I'm sorry, but I'm sworn by birthright not to disclose it's location.
It's a secluded cove.
Surrounded by cliffs and trees. You have to walk a ways to get there, but the view tells you you're going in the right direction.
A lot like life, wouldn't you say?

What? No html!

2007-06-28T12:51:00.000-07:00

For some crazy reason, my blog won't allow me to use HTML computer language today. What that means is that I can't hyperlink to websites, and that my pictures are kind of random. But stick with me here, we've got a lot of ground to cover.

First of all, you can see by the randomly placed button at the top of this post that I have joined Dish Rag Tag (http://yarnmiracle.com/2007/06/12/dish-rag-tag/) is the best I can do for you at the moment. Is anyone else having trouble with their html? I posted on the sock a month knitalong blog with no issues, but this one just is not having it.

Anyway, I am captain of Team #4 (our default name until we decide another, much more clever name). The competition (see, there's that word again) will start in August. Emily will mail boxes out to all the 11 team captains, each box containing a finished dish cloth, two balls of kitchen cotton, and a little treat or two. When we receive the box, we will remove all of the contents, eat the treats, put one of the balls of cotton in our stash, and knit (quickly, I hope) a dish cloth with the other ball of cotton. Then we will fill the same box with the dish cloth we have just knit, two balls of kitchen cotton of our own selection, and some goodies and mail it to the next person on our team. Teams consist of ten players each. Since we have over a month before the competition begins, we are still strategizing over the best route for our box to take. The tenth and final person on the team will mail the box back to Emily. I'm excited already. And NO knitting on your dish cloth until your package arrives. There's no other way to put this mildly, so I'm just gonna say it: I hate cheaters. I hope nobody cheats. That ruins it for everybody. And for what? A coupla skeins of yarn for your ill-gotten prize? I just know that yarn karma would kick in and bite you big time for that. No cheaters.

Since I haven't posted for a couple of weeks, I've got a lot to catch you up on. First of all, my little ZimDee graduated from preschool:

Despite his rather blase' expression, he loved it and it's all he's been talking about ever since. In fact, when I do something that pleases him (like getting him some juice) he'll tell me how proud he is of me for graduating. I love that guy. The ceremony was adorable--you can see they had the children wear caps, and they even played "pomp and circumstance" when they walked out. So cute.

Next, this little dawg turned two years old. Where has the time gone?

A word about my Sproutie: he is the sweetest bundle of naughtiness you ever did see. He's so naughty that it's almost funny (most of the time). Here he is with some of his presents. Think he was mad at me for making him wear the hat? After all, you only turn 2 once. Indulge mommy, sweetheart: With Auntie and brother (and cousin Natey in the background) with his cake. What a sweety pie.
And all of a sudden, my little baby boy is a big little boy. How does that happen? And why so fast?

Ok, before I get all verkempt, I need to distract myself with some yarn. Nothing spectacular, but something I dyed myself.

I had a very specific idea in mind that I wanted green and pink and white. I just love when hand painted yarn keeps lengths of white in it. I used Dalegarn Baby Ull. I wound it by hand onto my umbrella swift. I tested a lot of colors I had around the house (Kool Ade, etc.) until I found the colors I wanted to use. I had visions of dyeing yarn all day, but it was so involved and so much work that I was exhausted after finishing these two skeins.
My hats off to all the indie dyers out there who dye yarn into beautiful colors for us to enjoy. I'd like to try my hand at dyeing more yarn in the future, but I would have to invest a little bit of money to get the right stuff. Someday...

Now on to the knitting. Remember the socks I started for my mother-in-law last fall? (I'd link to the post, but remember my html issue...) Well, I finally finished them. Here they are:

They were my May entry for the sock a month knitalong. There's a lot to be said for a knitalong that keeps you accountable to finish at least one pair of socks a month. I'm pretty proud of myself for finishing a pair of socks every month since February. For me that's quite an accomplishment.

Here are the specs:

Pattern: Just plain stockinette, baby.

Yarn: Regia 4 Multi Effekt Color, #5385

Needles: Knit Picks size 1 circular, using the magic loop method.

Comments: I'm so proud of myself for getting the stripes to match exactly on both socks. It involved using up quite a length of yarn (a couple feet) but it was worth it in the end to have the socks look the same. I love how this self patterning yarn works up. Added bonus: my mother in law thinks I'm a genius. Let's not correct her, shall we? I will give her these socks when we visit her sometime this summer.

Next is the sock I knit for my Sock Hop Sock Swap pal. I love the idea of this swap, in which you knit one sock for your partner, and send them the yarn and pattern to finish the second sock (along with some goodies, of course). Here is the sock I sent to my pal: Pattern: Acorn Lace socks by Fiber Trends

Yarn: Lorna's Laces shepherd sock in the Aslan colorway

Comments: My spoilee Cary said her sock fit her perfectly. I will probably knit this pattern again for myself or someone in my family in the future. Lorna's Laces was a dream to work with, as always.

My Sock Hop Swap pal sent me the most wonderful package with a sock of my own to finish. I will post a picture and details soon.

Next is my June contribution for the Sock a Month knitalong. These socks are for my Sockapalooza pal, and I'm so proud of myself for having them done early (they're not due to be mailed until August).

I chose the Conwy pattern from Knitting on the Road by Nancy Bush because my pal had travelled to Conwy, Ireland, and has fond memories of her trip. As an added bonus, this was the sock I was knitting on when I saw the Yarn Harlot a couple weeks ago. Here she is holding the beginning of the sock:
And a close-up of the stitch pattern:
My pal specified that she liked patterned socks, but didn't want one that had a lot of yarn over holes that would easily snag. I think the faux cables in the Conwys worked out spendidly.

I used Sunshine Yarn twist in the Tulip colorway. (http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=4375) Dani is a very talented yarn dyer, and is very nice on top of that. I would highly recommend her yarns if you haven't seen them before.

Finally, what is this yarn? No, I didn't dye it myself (even though I have three willing helpers at the ready at all times--one of which is pictured in the photo). I left that to the masters at Blue Moon Fiber Arts. This is the Sherbet colorway. Wonder what it is destined to become? It's the project I'm working on now. Details to follow.

My love to all. I've missed you.

Legacy

2007-06-11T00:58:00.000-07:00

My love of all things crafty stems from growing up around both of my grandmas knitting, crocheting, beading, painting, writing, sewing, and quilting. I remember at Christmastime my Grandma Hasel would set out beads at the her round table and make Christmas ornaments. There was always a crafty project afoot whenever I was at either of my grandmas' houses. If I needed a dress for the singing program at school, Grandma would make it.

I've dabbled in many crafts throughout my life, but knitting is the one that has completely captivated my imagination. Its meditative nature has a real calming effect on me.

Sometimes the thought has crossed my mind of what kind of legacy I will leave behind. What will I be remembered for? How did I affect my corner of the world? Does everything I knit really make a difference, or am I wasting precious time?

First and foremost, I'm working very hard to raise healthy, loving, responsible children. I consider that to be my best contribution to humankind.

My family and friends are very important to me, and I hope this is always clear in my words and actions.

But what about the things I knit? Will that all be a waste of time?

I only have to look at the items around my home that were made with loving hands to know the answer to that question.

ZimDee's favorite pillow case is one my Grandma Hasel hand-painted for me when I was ZimDee's age. The artwork is of a little girl (she is supposed to be me) sitting down with a kitty among flowers. Grandma wrote my name in cursive above the picture. Her handwriting was exquisite, and I think about her every night when I tuck my little boy into bed. I nursed all three of my children with with this same pillowcase on a pillow cushioning my sweet little babies. I don't know if Grandma ever imagined that when she painted this pillowcase for her 5-year-old granddaughter that it would also become a favorite of her great-grandchildren as well. I'd like to think that that's what her hope was.

All three of my children sleep under hand-sewn quilts. Girlie and ZimDee sleep under quilts knit with care by my Grandma Lyn. Sproutie sleeps under a quilt that his Drammies, my mother Karen, sewed for me.

Though both of my grandmas are now in heaven, their love for me lives on in the items made especially for me, the same items now treasured by my children.

So am I wasting my time knitting things for the people I love? I think not.

A Night With The Harlot

2007-06-08T23:44:00.000-07:00

The Yarn Harlot came to town and once again did not disappoint. Just like last year, my sides hurt again from laughing so hard.Here we are posing with each others' socks in progress. She's gotten a lot further on hers than I have on mine, especially since I had to frog the whole thing 50 rows in this morning. I'm knitting "Conwy" from Knitting on the Road by Nancy Bush for my Sockapalooza pal. I think I'll send my pal this picture along with her socks when they're done so she can see that they were actually held by a celebrity.

Stephanie was as funny and witty as ever. I always enjoy listening to her speak. By the way, she did finish her sweater. She wore it tonight and it was gorgeous.

It was good to see Chrissy, Chris, Amanda and her mom (and sweet baby Everett!). Donna (who is blogless despite ever-mounting pressure) and I rode together and had a great time. I'm already looking forward to next year. Thank you, Stephanie!

When the Wind Blows

2007-06-08T14:48:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone who wrote sweet words of welcome for my sister and her family regarding their move back to Oregon. I wish I could tell you that it is all going smoothly, but I can't. The sale of their house in Chicago fell through and it puts everything in a precarious position. Please keep my sister and her family in your thoughts as they deal with this challenge.

My sister's setback and some confusing emotional stuff of my own this week have caught me off guard and really knocked the wind out of me. I tend to pull deep within myself when things trouble me, but my friends aren't allowing me to do that this time. They're dragging me out to see the Yarn Harlot tonight. We're going to start out with dinner at Henry's. (I'm not much of a drinker, but a beer is sounding pretty good right about now.) Then we're going tomake our way over to Powell's to listen to Ms. Pearl-McPhee tell us funny stories about knitting. I'm going to sit and knit with friends and laugh tonight.

That's just what the doctor ordered.

Dreams

2007-05-31T14:07:00.000-07:00

I had the best dream.

In it, my sister Angie came to see my for my birthday. Her husband decided to fly out too to go on a job interview here in town. He was trying to find a way to somehow move their family back to the Pacific Northwest. It would involve much sacrifice, but it would all be worth it in the end to have us all back together, where we belong, with each other. So important, now that we have painfully learned how quickly our lives can turn on a dime.

In the dream, it happened so fast. They flew back to Chicago. Then there was a teary phone call saying that there was a job offer, and it had been accepted. Like magic, their house in Chicago was sold and the perfect little house was found and purchased here in Portland.

I have dreamed some form of this dream many times in the five years since they moved away. It never failed to bring tears to my eyes and a long sigh over what could have been...my children growing up surrounded by the love of their Auntie and Uncle and cousins; unhurried time that a rushed week once a year of trying to fit everything in before you go can never, ever begin to cover.

Except this time I didn't wake up.

It really did happen.

Welcome home, Angie. You are right where you belong.

Now, what are we going to do today?

Seven Random Facts About Me

2007-05-25T10:20:00.000-07:00

This is a fun meme that's been circulating around blog-land. I may very well be the last one participating. Here are 7 totally random facts about me:

1. You will never find me setting foot inside of a bank. I'm terrified that I'll be caught in the middle of a stick-up. I do all of my banking at the drive-through or ATM.

2. I'm not a vegetarian, but could easily become one. I think most meat is yucky and will pick around it if it's in a dish I'm eating. I seriously could live on Jamba Juice alone for the rest of my life and be quite happy with that.

3. Thinking about pretty yarn never fails to cheer me up.

4. I despise seafood. That sounds really odd coming from a girl who was born and raised in a coastal town. The smell, the texture, the taste...intolerable. On a good day I might be able to choke down some salmon, if it's not too "fishy" tasting.

5. One of my biggest pet peeves when eating out at a restaurant is to get a fork with even slightly bent tines. Can we say "OCD" (obsessive/compulsive disorder)?

6. I am a complete germophobe. Elevator buttons, ATM buttons, hospital rooms, hotel rooms, anything on an airplane or public transportation gives me the absolute willies. Kind of puts a damper on travelling, wouldn't you say?

7. I still believe in ghosts. Even more so as I get older.

I tag whoever else has not participated yet and wants to.

Then & Now

2007-05-21T15:06:00.000-07:00

Thank you all for your sweet comments and loving thoughts during the aftermath of my Washington DC trip. Many of you emailed me asking about the beautiful shawls I wore during National Police Week. Weren't they lovely? I had never worn shawls before, and now I want to wear them with everything. They kept me surprisingly warm and comforted, which was the result intended by the givers.

The tan shawl I wore to the candlelight vigil and at the Peace Officers Memorial wall was a birthday gift from my dear friend Mamma. Sharp knitterly eyes recognized it as the Pacific Northwest shawl from Fiber Trends, which carries a lot of meaning for me since that is where I live, and I was missing home. This shawl was knit with love, from her heart to mine, and I treasure it.

The purple shawl I wore to the memorial at the capital was knit by Tracey, my most gracious sp9 spoiler. She said she knit it with prayers of comfort, peace, and God's love. It's the Forest Canopy Shawl knit with Kidsilk Haze. So soft. I'm a lucky girl indeed.

And as a knitter, I appreciate every stitch, every row, and every hour put into making these beautiful gifts. My heart is full.

Kimberly at Woven N Spun has issued a challenge for those who choose to accept it. The task is to find your high school senior picture and post it on your blog with a current picture of yourself. Since my *gasp* 20 year reunion is scheduled for this summer (and NO, I am NOT going) I thought I'd play along.

Here I am 20 years ago, Class of 1987:

My face just says it all, doesn't it? I remember purposely choosing a picture for the yearbook in which I was not smiling, to show how I felt about the whole small town high school experience.

And here I am today. That's better.Life since high school has been very, very good.

I'd love to see anyone else's then & now photos, if you so choose. Be sure to leave me a comment when you've posted your pictures so I don't miss them!

Back Home, But Forever Changed

2007-05-21T12:45:00.000-07:00

Views from Washington DC

The Washington Monument from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial:The Lincoln Memorial:
National Police Week in Washington DC was emotional and exhausting, as expected. I was deeply touched by the honor bestowed upon the memory of my brother and his fellow officers who died in the line of duty. Here is one of many examples of the meaningful tributes paid during the week:This is my mother, my niece Stephanie, my oldest sister Angie, my middle sister Laura, and me at the candlelight vigil held at the National Peace Officer's Memorial:At the candlelight vigilFinding my brother's name on the memorial wall
At the Capital Building with my brother's wife Celia and my sister Laura:
Listening to President Bush speak at the Capital:

Celia and I meeting the PresidentI have to say, regardless of politics, to hear the loss of my brother acknowledged by the President of the United States was powerfully moving.

A heartfelt thank you to all who sent words of encouragement and support while I was away. It is so unbelievably good to be back home.

Here I am

2007-05-10T13:10:00.000-07:00

It's been a very long time since my last post, and for that I apologize. I am still trying to find out what is the new "normal" for me with everything in my life.

First, let me answer some questions posed by readers. The tea blossom sent to me by my wonderful Secret Pal 10 is available for purchase at Adiago Tea. I've already made an order, and found them to be quick with shipping.

Next, how did I become a test knitter for Knit Picks? Last fall I was reading through messages posted on my local Stitch n Bitch board, and the design coordinator for Knit Picks happened to be looking for test knitters in my area and posted a message. I responded, references were checked, and here I am. Not a bad gig.

Speaking of Knit Picks, I finished my latest assignment last week. I've mentioned this before, but it bears repeating: secret test knitting is not very conducive to regular blog writing, when I am not able to talk about what it is that I am knitting. I'll try to keep my sidebar updated so you'll know when I'm working on test knitting projects. If I haven't written in a while, chances are it's because I'm working on a secret assignment.

I can't show you or tell you what the project is, but I can give you a sneak peek. Remember in my last post how I was worried about doing a crochet border? This picture illustrates a border without the crochet edging, and one with. It's very subtle, and though my camera didn't pick up all the stitch details, it's quite a noticeable difference in person.
(The finished crochet edge is the one on the bottom). Isn't that color lovely? I never would have chosen it myself, but after knitting with it, it really grew on me. It's Knit Picks Shine Worsted in Terra Cotta. And here is a super secret sneak peek of the beaded fringe I added:The round reddish colored beads are Poppy Jasper. I have to say, I'm very pleased with how this project turned out. Look for it in an upcoming Knit Picks catalog.

Next I want to say a big thank you to Kimberly, my very gracious Sockret Pal spoiler. Look at the final package she sent me:There was chocolate sheep (I love that they included a black one), a lamb pez dispenser, some note pads, a scissor fob with "Trina" spelled out, a tape measure, a zippered pouch woven by Kimberly, an adorable sheep card, and two skeins(!) of yarn spun and dyed by Kimberly. Here's a closer look:
My camera doesn't show it very well, but that purple skein is very sparkly. I love it. And what's the name of that pretty little multicolored skein of yarn on the left, you ask? Well, it's "Trina". Kimberly dyed it up just for me. *doing the happy dance*

And the icing on the cake was the pair of socks Kimberly knit for me out of the same yarn:
Aren't they adorable?

Thank you so much, Kimberly! It was very nice getting to know you through the Sockret Pal swap.

Speaking of receiving packages in the mail, I found this mess in my mailbox yesterday:A horribly smashed, ripped open and wrapped in cellophane(???) box.

Let me set the scene here. Last week I was one of the extremely lucky few who was able to score some yarn during Yarn Pirate's maiden voyage into selling yarn on her own website. I believe she sold out in a matter of minutes, and her shopping system actually oversold a ton of stock. She had to email several customers and let them know that their order would be delayed while she dyed more up. I didn't get the dreaded email, so I waited anxiously for my pirate yarn. Do you see where I'm going here? Yes, that mangled package was the shipping receptacle for my highly anticipated pirate's booty. (To see what all the fuss is about, click here to see some of her amazing colorways).

I anxiously opened the packaged--well, actually, looked inside the already gaping hole that was the box, and my fears were realized. Precious yarn was missing. Hyperventilating, I fired off an incoherent email to Ms. Yarn Pirate herself, Georgia, who responded very quickly not to worry, she had me covered. She would mail out replacement yarn the next day.

Georgia, YOU ROCK!

And I just know that some mail carrier in between here and Seattle is living it up with the purloined yarn. In fact, I'm not convinced that the damaged box was an accident at all, but was a result of some sharp eyes on the lookout for packages containing Yarn Pirate's coveted new colorways. After all, we know the ways of pirates, matey.

Would you like to know what I'm knitting now? The progression goes like this:From a beautiful skein of Blue Moon Socks That Rock in Love in Idleness Colorway, given to me in the best birthday present ever from my dear friend Mamma, to this:which is ready to be knit into this:
My sweet friend and I are doing another round of friendship knitting, this time to Titania's Revenge by Cookie A. This one's challenging, to be sure, but girlfriend's got my back with any knitting pitfalls I may encounter, so how can I go wrong?
Say you don't like flashing? You're reading the wrong blog.

And just as quickly as I swooped in here to update you on everything, I will be leaving again. I'm off to Washington DC to National Police Week where my brother and his fellow fallen officers will be honored. It will be a very emotional time for me and my family, so if you think of me next week, please send thoughts of strength and healing.

My love to all.

On Crochet...

2007-04-24T12:03:00.000-07:00

When I was a little girl, my mom and my grandma taught me how to crochet. I can remember hooking loops together to make endless scarves over summer vacations. I don't have any of those scarves myself, but I will bet you money that my my mom has some packed away in a box somewhere, probably never to see the light of day again in this millenium. Just the knowing that they are there is enough to satisfy her.

Since crocheting came easy to me, I of course was fascinated by knitting. Ironically, I didn't learn to knit until after my 30th birthday. The crochet hooks were long put away well before I turned 10. Paper crafting took the place of the needle arts until the knitting bug hit me. Hard.

For some reason, I regarded crocheting as the black sheep of the needle arts. Probably because it's so simple. You tend to place value on those things that don't come easy.

If a knitting pattern called for a crochet edge, I passed it by. I'm sure I could pick up the skillz again if I wanted to, but who has the time?

I taught my mom to knit a couple years ago, and she's very content to stay in the squares and rectangles area of scarves and blankets. Sl1,K2tog,PSSO? Not for this lady. She crochets circles (literally) around everything, but she's happy to leave her knitting squared.

Now comes the reason why I love test knitting. I'm usually assigned a project, yarn color, or technique that I otherwise wouldn't have looked twice at. And I haven't been disappointed yet by what I've tried.

But then Knit Picks assigns a (still secret for now) project to me that requires a crochet edge. Oh nooooooooooooooo! My first thought was "how can I get around this?" The answer was that I couldn't. Enter my mom, who was in town for the knitting guild's shop hop.

"Mommy, can you teach me how to crochet again?"

You should have seen this woman's face light up, as if she had won the lottery. I liken it to my Girlie, who has confided to me that it's not really her thing (sob!) asking me the same thing about knitting.

So we sat down at the kitchen counter with a pot of tea and warm cookies fresh from the oven, me all thumbs, my mom going through it just one more time about 20 times, with my grandpa giggling at our silliness in the background.

And I sat back in my mind and thought, what a precious moment. These don't come often enough anymore with my whole family scattered to the four winds. We've lost so much, immeasurable loss, yet we can find happiness in the simple act of hooking loops together; a shared purpose. My heart was full.

And I learned to crochet again. This time not at my mother's knee, but by her side.

Spoilage

2007-04-23T10:38:00.000-07:00

My Secret Pal has been at it again. Look at this sweet package that arrived on my doorstep:My pal sent the cutest little stationery pad with two ink pens, A Post-it Flag pen that has little post-its actually inside the pen, and some cute post-it page flags (she must know how I flip through a new knitting magazine when it comes and mark the pages of a pattern that I want to knit!)

She also sent a chocolate bar (yum!) that donates part of its sales proceeds to endangered species, which made Girlie very excited. Both about the animals and about the chocolate.

Also included was an adiago red bloom black tea blossom. It's a hand-woven tea cluster that unfolds into what looks like a pink flower when you put it in hot water in your tea pot. (!)(!)(!) I've seen these before, and love them. I mean, hand-woven tea leaves? Doesn't that sound like a perfect meld of two of my favorite things, knitting and tea? Secret pal, please, please tell me where I can get more of these!

And last but not least, there was a sock pattern and a set of sock needles, 5 of each size from 000, 00, 0, and 1. Perfect for knitting with beads. The pattern is from Y2Knit and it's the Top-Down Anklet or Sock (I'll be doing the sock). My pal knows how much I love sock knitting! The funny thing about the set of sock needles is that I had almost bought them on the shop hop and regretted that I hadn't. And then here they come in the mail from my Secret pal!

Thank you so much, Secret pal. I love it all.

Shop Hop, 2007 Style

2007-04-22T16:24:00.000-07:00

My knitting guild put a shop hop together yesterday, and I was on the planning committee. It was great fun, though time-consuming. We as a committee had great chemistry, complemented each others' skills, and checked our egos at the door. Each meeting we had left me feeling like I had something valuable to contribute, and that everyone was pulling their own weight. This was such a positive experience for me, one that I really needed to help me ease back into some semblance of a normal life after losing my brother. A big shout out now to my fellow committee members Chrissy, the blogless-but-we're-working-on-that Donna, and Lynette. You girls are rock stars!

Speaking of Chrissy, it was just one year ago that we met, during last year's shop hop. What a difference a year makes. Wouldn't you know that we'd be running it this year? But those who know us well aren't the least bit surprised.

Before I get started with pictures of my plunder, I want to say a quick hello to the very sweet Tiffany and Jenni (it was so nice to finally meet you in person!), as well as my pal Amanda, who were all brave enough to come along on the adventure bus. It was great to have you all there! And I just love it that my mom Karen was able to join us for the festivities.

Amanda's post tells you all about the logistics of the shop hop, so I won't repeat them here. Let's just get to the good stuff: the plunder!

At our first shop, All About Yarn, I found this yummy yarn and pattern:The yarn is Jojoland, and it is 100% Cashmere, and is surprisingly affordable for 400 yards (especially with our 20% shop hop discount!) The pattern is written for the yarn, and takes only one skein to complete the project. I wasn't going to buy it, but Donna and Amanda are such enablers that they said they wouldn't be my friends anymore if I didn't (just kidding). I was also able to get my hands on some of the new Addi Turbo lace needles. I'll let you know what I think of them when I get the chance to use them.

Our next stop was The Knitting Bee, where I found these beauties:Above is Blue Sky Alpacas Royal Baby Set, that I had been drooling over for actually a couple years now. I didn't realize until yesterday that the pattern was available for purchase (d'oh!) I plan to make a hat for Sproutie with the natural Blue Sky Alpacas Organic cotton, and a hat for ZimDee with the muted green organic Cotton. The hat on the right is basically the same pattern written for bigger heads, which I plan to make for Girlie with the ever so soft pink Blue Sky Cotton.

I also scored a handful of really cool sock patterns, which I (smartly this year) had on my list to keep an eye out for. I think I did pretty well. Pictured with the patterns is a magnetic board to help keep track of your place when you're working on a pattern.Finally, one of the pitfalls of being on the Shop Hop Committee is seeing all of the raffle prizes in advance. When I didn't win the prize for the Blue Sky Alpacas Baby Hoodie that I had been jonesing for, well, what was a girl to do but buy it for herself? I plan to make it for ZimDee and pass it down to Sproutie as they grow, which little boys do, all too fast. Isn't that a luscious color of brown? And I'm not really a brown person, but for this I made an exception.
The next store we visited was Knit Purl. They were the only shop that offered a 15% discount whereas all the other shops offered 20%. But of course, they had something that I really wanted:This yarn is called ShiBui, and it is made exclusively for the store. It's 100% superwash merino, and I can't even begin to tell you how squishy and springy it is. Instead of illustrating to the store that offering a bigger discount would produce larger sales, Katrina goes ahead and tips the scales and throws it all off. What can I say? I'm a dork. But I have been searching high and low for a delicate soft pink and soft yellow sock yarn for-like-ever, so when you put it right in front of my face during a SHOP HOP, people, what am I supposed to do? I know.

The next stop was Dublin Bay, which is a gorgeous yarn store and not to be missed if you are ever visiting in the Portland area. Most people I spoke to on the shop hop claimed this was their favorite store. I can't say I blame them. Chandeliers, wood floors, friendly, helpful staff that actually know what they're talking about. What's not to love? There I happened upon this:The sweetest cutest little stuffed bunny kit from Rooster called, of course, "Miss Bunny". I actually had to fight my own mother for this, as it was the only one the store had. This was some serious shopping, people! The fact that she gave birth to me could have no bearing on my resolve to get what I wanted that day. Actually, I think she let me have it, knowing that she could try to use the guilt card in the future to make me give the finished object to her.

I was also able to get some Hand Maiden Sea Silk, which wouldn't leave my hands once I touched its incredible softness. To show that I'm a bargain hunter, I picked up some Katia bamboo that was on clearance (I scored at 70% off). The pink and blue balls are destined to become Norberta for my sweet dragon-obsessed Girlie. I also found the most adorable sheep calendar and greeting cards by Thomas Joseph.

The next store was Lint. Trish Anderson from Tanglewood Fiber Creations was there, selling her beautiful handspun yarn at major discounts. I was able to get this:The skein on the far left is to become a hat for my husband, since it's in our high school colors. The two skeins in the middle will become scarves, and the skein on the right is going to become socks for moi. But that's not all.Trish was selling items hand-knit by her own mother! The tags read "Spun by the daughter from the finest Merino wool, knit by the mother." Softy that I am, I couldn't resist. You couldn't make these items for these prices! After my discount, I got the hats and slippers for $8 each, and the adorable sheep socks for $16, which will become my house slippers.

Just look at the close-up of these sheep:And look at sweet Sproutie modelling them:At our last stop, Molehill Farm, I came away with these:Two beaded fish kits to knit so my ZimDee can love me forever and ever.

It was quite a day and quite a haul. I'll be busy with these projects for some time, though if the urge to knit some cool socks along the way hits, I may have to answer the siren call...

Sockret Pal Socks

2007-04-16T22:44:00.000-07:00

Now that I know that my Sockret Pal, Laura has received the socks I knit for her, I can safely show you here:Pattern: Molly Pitcher Socks, created by Kimberly at Woven N Spun. In a neat twist, Kimberly was my spoiler, I was Laura's spoiler, and Kimberly was Laura's spoilee. Funny.
Yarn: Sunshine Yarns by Dani in the Sangria colorway.
Needles: Size 2 Knit Picks circulars, using the magic loop method.

This was a fun little knit and I'm really happy with how the colors turned out. Snaps to Kimberly for writing such a pretty pattern.

P.S. Edited to add that the colors of these socks count for April/May Project Spectrum colors of (green), Yellow, and Pink!

Fun Movie questionnaire

2007-04-15T13:13:00.000-07:00

I'm a little slow in posting this, but Amanda challenged me to answer these movie questions. I'd love to hear what my readers' answers would be:

1. Name a movie you have seen more than 10 times. The Incredibles is going on its millionth showing right about now.

2. Name a movie you’ve seen multiple times in the theater. The Sixth Sense. I saw it exactly six times in the theatre. The best part was knowing when the spooky parts were and watching other theatre patron's reactions.

3. Name an actor who would make you more inclined to see a movie. Johnny Depp, purely for eye candy. Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd, Tom Hanks.

4. Name an actor who would make you less likely to see a movie. Julia Roberts, Charlize Theron. To me it seems like they come from the "Look at me, I'm acting!" school. And I never have liked Tom Cruise, even before it became fashionable.

5. Name a movie you can and do quote from. What movies don't I quote from? They're all fair game. Classics rich with material are Tombstone and Raising Arizona.

6. Name a movie musical in which you know all of the lyrics to all of the songs. Victor/Victoria.

7. Name a movie you have been known to sing along with. Mulan.

8. Name a movie you would recommend everyone see. The Razor's Edge had a profound effect on me as a teenager.

9. Name a movie you own. The Devil Wears Prada. "That's all."

10. Name an actor who launched his/her entertainment career in another medium but who has surprised you with his/her acting chops. Eddie Murphy.

11. Have you ever seen a movie in a drive-in? If so, what? When I was a kid, don't remember what. I always fell asleep. But I do remember my parents having a heck of a time hooking up the sound thingy to the window.

12. Ever made out in a movie? What? And interfere with the whole popcorn experience? No way. There's a time and place for everything.

13. Name a movie you keep meaning to see but you just haven’t gotten around to yet. Napoleon Dynamite.

14. Ever walked out of a movie? Yes. Some Halle Berry stinker. My brain won't even try to recall the name.

15. Name a movie that made you cry in the theater. Titanic (yes, I'm a dork).

16. Popcorn? Always, with butter. It's not a movie without it.

17. How often do you go to the movies (as opposed to renting them or watching them at home)? Not as often as I'd like to at all anymore. I'd like to change that...

18. What’s the last movie you saw in the theater? Dreamgirls.

19. What’s your favorite/preferred genre of movie? Mystery/thriller.

20. What’s the first movie you remember seeing in the theater? Star Trek.

21. What movie do you wish you had never seen? Powder! I think it's the worst movie ever made.

22. What is the weirdest movie you enjoyed? Fargo. How do you explain to someone, "You should see this--it's pretty funny." -- "What's it about?" -- "A guy hires someone to kidnap his wife and the wife and kidnapers end up dead and...oh. Never mind."
My husband thought I was pretty weird for enjoying O Brother Where Art Thou?--another Coen brothers movie. And none of my friends enjoyed Lost in Translation. I guess I am a bit left of center.

23. What is the scariest movie you’ve seen? Amityville Horror at a much-too-young age. I swore I would never live in a house that had stairs.

24. What is the funniest movie you’ve seen? Funniest movie is such a tall order. Instead I'll answer with the last movie I saw at the theatre that had me laughing so hard I couldn't breathe, and that was the new Dick and Jane when Tea Leoni drives up in the beat up car to pick up Jim Carrey from the border and he comes running out with his beat up face shining in the headlights and jumps when he sees her swollen lips from the bad botox experiment, and all the illegals are jumping onto and falling off of that little car as they drive away. Good times.

I told you I was a dork.

Warning: Picture-heavy Post Ahead!

2007-04-08T15:53:00.000-07:00

I've never gone two weeks without writing in my blog before. So much has happened.

We left off with my ouster from Sock Madness in round 2. The pattern for round 3 was released last Wednesday, and it was with genuine relief that I didn't feel under the gun to have to knit it up quickly. I've heard from many people that this is their favorite pattern so far in the tournament. I have filed it away to knit sometime at my leisure. I do like how that sounds.

I received some wonderful birthday goodies from sweet friends. My wonderful secret pal sent me two skeins of Louet Gems Pearl in the Eggplant colorway that I had been coveting (Isn't that a sin? This yarn may well be worth it). My sneaky pal (I just know we're going to get along) had asked me which was my favorite Cookie A. pattern, to which I replied that I really wanted to knit the Gothic Spire socks, but couldn't find the Eggplant yarn anywhere. Lo and behold, a birthday package arrived with the Eggplant yarn inside. Now that's what I call spoiling. Thank you so much, Secret pal! You made my day.

The very thoughtful Kim sent me a care recovery package with teas, a refrigerator magnet, and a relaxing music CD to help me get over the craziness of Sock Madness. You are one of a kind, Kim.

And I met Amanda for lunch at the Macaroni Grill (ooh now I'm getting hungry...) where she gave me a tea cup and tea diffuser and three yummy balls of Crystal Palace Kid Merino in the prettiest purple, lavender, and green (one of my favoritest combinations) I've ever seen. Thanks again, girlfriend!

Thank you to all of my friends who emailed or called me on my birthday. I feel very blessed to know each and every one of you.

Most of my family came to town for the week of spring break and my birthday. They were here for a very special reason--to plant a tree in memory of my brother. More details about the tree to follow, but right now I'm going to show you how we celebrated my birthday:
Oh, yes, that's American Idol karaoke. And let me tell you something, that Simon is brutal. I can't think of a funner way to spend your 38th birthday than singing badly into a microphone along with your mother, two sisters, daughter, and niece. I must also confide that the mimosas were flowing freely, courtesy of my sister L's sweet birthday gift of ornamental champagne flutes. Trust me, nobody can touch my rendition of Heart's "Alone".

We ate my favorite birthday cake, a quadruple layer chocolate cake that weighed 7 pounds. We played cards and games. Some of us stayed up until 3 am laughing and crying. There were many showings of "Firefly".

I'm still recovering.

We planted the tree on the last day that we were all together. It was a beautiful sunny day. We chose a Weeping Atlas Cedar, which we all felt was very appropriate. We all prepared a little something to plant with the tree. I enclosed my wishes in this:One of my very favorite yarn sellers, Ruby Sapphire, listed these two yarns for sale:Can you guess what they were called? The colorful one on the bottom was named "Trina" (what my family has always called me) and the beautiful blue-green on top? David. My brother's name. Did they know? Do they read my blog? Or was it all a wonderful coincidence?

I decided to combine the two yarns together to knit the pouch (the pattern can be found here).I enclosed my wishes and a few meaningful trinkets and placed them at the roots of the tree.You can also see the sweet things my mom and sisters left with the tree.

Here is David's tree:And how it looks in my yard:Planting the tree for David has given me a real sense of peace, and it stands as a physical symbol of my path to healing, as well as a place to go to be with him in my thoughts.

Another symbol of beginning to heal? I had 4 inches cut off of my hair yesterday.
Before (look at that sad little face):

And After:I also had it darkened to match the color of my boys' hair. No, I'm not grey yet, just having a bit of fun. I'm actually wearing little braids today, which I can show you courtesy of ZimDee playing with the camera:That must be what I look like when I'm sitting at my computer. That will give you all a good mental picture of me writing on my blog. Notice my favorite ratty blue sweatshirt that I'll never part with--it's way too soft to get rid of now!

Finally--a finished object. These are my Sockret Pal socks that I was supposed to mail by April 1st (Sorry, Laura!) But I hope they are worth the wait!Pattern: Molly Pitcher Socks by my Sockret Pal spoiler, Kimberly, at Woven N Spun. Isn't it pretty?
Yarn used: Sunshine Yarns by Dani, another great little Etsy shop, in the Sangria colorway (fabulous!)
Needles: Size 2 Knit Picks circulars.

Speaking of Knit Picks, what did I find when I visited their site just the other day? Another project that I knit for them, Lace Cuffed Socks:
The pattern was from the book A Gathering of Lace by Meg Swansen (daughter of the great Elizabeth Zimmermann). The yarn is KnitPicks Essential in cocoa and fawn. The entire sock is knit toe up in stockinette, which is very easy. But let me tell you, the cuff almost did me in. It took me days and days to get it just right. I must say I'm pretty pleased with the finished product, however.

And I was tickled to get the Knit Picks catalog and find a picture of the Straight-Laced Socks I knit for them in there.

Now Knit Picks has me working on another secret project, not socks this time, to be unveiled in upcoming months.

I'll leave you with a picture of me and my babies this Easter morn:They don't look too happy in the picture (I think Mr. Sunshine was in their eyes), but trust me, we had a good time. Just look at those brightly colored eggs in Girlie's basket.

My love to all.

That's Not Flying; That's Falling...With Style

2007-03-25T13:25:00.001-07:00

It's official: I'm out after round two of the Sock Wars. Not for lack of trying, either. I followed my dear friend Mamma's advice and turned my visiting family into my own imported personal cheering section. I was doing so well. Remember how I was just saying in my last post how second socks seem to go so easy for me? I think I was setting myself up to fall on my own sword.

I finished knitting the first sock (except for kitchenering the toe) late into Friday night. I woke up bright and early on Saturday and started right in on the second sock. Smooth sailing, or so I thought.

I must have knit the 2-inch ribbing over a dozen times, and it never behaved right or looked right. If I wasn't so in love with the yummy yarn I'd have pushed forward, but the Claudia's Red Wagon just pleaded for perfection. Finally at midnight on Saturday night, after knitting and frogging the cuff all day, I compared my work to the first sock and realized that I had left something out. Something major. Like a knit row in between each ribbing row. Aaaaaaaaaaaah!

So at midnight I cast on, to work the sock correctly this time. And I knit for four continuous hours, until I literally couldn't see straight anymore. My opponent still hadn't posted her finished socks, but in the interest of, I don't know, staying healthy, I had to retire for the night (or early morning).

When I rose at 8 am on Sunday morning, I checked for my opponent's status to see if she had finished. She hadn't posted anything, so I continued on the sock for another hour. When I checked back in after that hour, her finished socks were on the list. Finally.

Here is a picture of how far I got in the making of my socks:I have mixed feelings about being out of the tournament. The fierce competitor in me is disappointed that I couldn't advance further in the competition. The realist in me knows that I really am a slow, contemplative, meditative knitter and would likely lose a speed knitting contest to a 4-year-old. A 4-year-old monkey. Really. My common sense tells me that even if I advanced beyond this round, my days would have been numbered in any of the future rounds. But I liked the idea of being a dark horse. Letting my money ride on a dark horse has paid off more than once in my life.

The wife and mother and sleepy person in me is a little bit relieved to be put out of my misery. I fought a good clean fight, with style, and I'm happy with the effort I put into it. And really, that's all that matters, isn't it? Besides all the free sock patterns I'll still have access to as a participant in the tournament.

I really hope they make sock madness a regular occurring event. Even though my run was short, I really had fun. The best part? Once again driving my friends and family crazy jabbering on and on about the competition. I love doing that.

And now that the competition is over, I can unravel some stitches and make these beautiful socks fit ME. Yes, Me.

Only after I finish my Sockret Pal's socks and a few other projects I've got going on...

Sock Madness

2007-03-23T05:13:00.000-07:00

I was able to start on my round two socks for Sock Madness:I'm absolutely loving the Claudia's handpainted sport yarn. And the colorway (Red Wagon) is fabulous.

We are required to post progress pictures of our socks, so here is mine. The pattern is fun. Wish me luck as I try my best to stay in the competition.

Must. Sleep. Now.

Socks, Socks, and More Socks

2007-03-21T22:39:00.000-07:00

I received my match today for the Sock Hop Sock Swap 2007.This is the kind of swap where you pick out the pattern and knit the first sock for your pal, and send those along with the yarn to finish the second sock; and of course some goodies. This is a relatively small swap, with only about 13 participants. Swaps like these are a good way to avoid second sock syndrome.

Fortunately, I'm one of the few who doesn't really suffer from second sock syndrome. For some reason, I really like to knit a pattern more than once. And for me, the second sock seems to fly off of my needles, since I'm already familiar with the pattern by then. I have certain patterns in my notebook that I refer to again and again when I'm looking to knit a gift for someone. Those are my classics.

I haven't designed anything by myself yet, and before now never really felt the need. But I'm starting to get a feel for how certain stitches come together in certain ways, and I'm not ruling out knitting something of my own design in the future.

I've also joined the Favorite Socks Knitalong.I just bought the book as an early birthday present to me (I'm so bad that way), and there are definitely a few patterns that I'd like to knit this year. Specifically, the Austrian Socks by Candace Eisner Strick and Meida's Socks by Nancy Bush. Most of the patterns in this book are not new, having appeared in earlier issues of Interweave Knits magazine. But the publishers have included six new patterns to keep you interested. And since I didn't start subscribing to Interweave until a year ago, it's nice for me to have all the patterns together.

I'm happily working on some secret socks for my Sockret Pal. Since she already knows my identity, I can't post a picture yet until I send them, but rest assured they are lovely.

My Secret Pal 10 hostess, Shelby, is putting on a contest. Since the prize involves Socks that Rock yarn as the prize, count me in! The first part of the contest is to make sure that the link to your SP10 questionnaire is clearly visible on your blog. Check. (On my sidebar). In the second part, she wants to see what we're working on right now. Since I can't show you my Sockret pal socks, I will show you another pair that I'm working on at the same time. In fact, these socks were supposed to be for my Sockret pal, but, well, I didn't swatch. So sue me. I believe in turning lemons into lemonade, however, so the socks that were supposed to be adult size 8 fit my 4-year-old son. Ta da:My kids have been asking me to knit them socks for a while now, so I don't mind this turn of events at all.I just love the look of his little feet and skin with the sock. Notice how he likes to pretend he is knitting any chance he gets.I'm also well into the second sock for my Sockret pal, so no worries there.

Yarn I'm using: Ruby Sapphire Sapphire Superwash yarn (75% superwash wool, 25% nylon) in the Gemma colorway.
I have to say I love this little mother/daughter shop. They are super friendly, they answer questions quickly, and they ship fast. And their colorways are out of this world.

Pattern: Molly Pitcher socks by Kimberly at Woven N Spun. Pattern to be made available soon.

Finally, it's T minus about 12 hours for the next round of Sock Madness. Your little warrior girl will do her best under the circumstances.

And in less than 36 hours the first of my family will be arriving for a week. I've been busily preparing my house for the visit, and really like the changes I've made. I did massive spring cleaning over the weekend, and it felt very healing to be out with the old, in with the new; both to my house and to me personally.

I love it when that happens.

Sock Madness, Round Two

2007-03-18T23:28:00.000-07:00

The hostesses of Sock Madness announced today that Round 2 will begin sometime this Thursday afternoon. This does not bode well for me, since I will have family coming beginning Friday afternoon and staying through the following weekend. I will give it my best effort, but it doesn't look good, my pretties.

I have my yarn and needles ready for the pattern to be released, and will give it my all while I can. Timing plays a big part in this competition, and sometimes it goes your way, and sometimes it doesn't.

But just feast your eyes on the lovely yarn I will be working with: It's Claudia's handpainted sport in Red Wagon. I've heard such good things about this yarn, I wanted to try it out for myself. If I have to go down, I will go down in style.

Cookie A.'s Website is Up!

2007-03-13T10:04:00.000-07:00

You know Cookie A. of Pomatomus fame? Or Monkey, or Baudelaire, or Hedera? This girl designs some seriously wicked socks. She took a bunch of her patterns to Stitches West this year and sold them at her booth. Those not able to make it to Stitches (me included) wondered if there were any other way to buy these patterns. Knitters asked, and Cookie A. responded!

She has created a website with which she is selling downloads of her patterns. One warning: only go there if you feel like being seriously tempted to buy them all!

Sock Madness, Round One

2007-03-12T01:40:00.000-07:00

Sock Madness officially began at 3:45 am on Saturday with the release of the first pattern. It was a fairly simple sock, using both solid and variegated yarns in a striping pattern. I didn't quite achieve color changes without jogs at the joins, but the socks are finished:Pattern: Mad Cow socks, available to Sock Madness participants
Yarns: Dalegarn Baby Ull (solid navy blue)
Perchance to Knit superwash Kona Merino in the Cha Cha colorway (variegated)
Needles: size 1 circulars, using the magic loop method
Notes: I've already heard this mentioned a few times, and I have to agree that if I wanted striped socks, I would just buy self-striping yarn and not go through the hassle and fiddliness of jogs and joins. Though this pattern may be a good way to use up the odd skein or less of sock yarn.

In Sock Madness, to even the playing field, socks must be knit the size of an average woman's foot (7-9) or larger. The rules of the competition state that the socks must be modelled on adult feet and a picture submitted to the Flickr group. Since these socks were for the Count, he gladly modelled them for me. Now, many's the time I've almost choked on my morning tea while doing some blog reading and a man's hairy leg unexpectedly pops out from the text, so I'll spare you that here. But if you are truly interested (and the Count does have nice legs, I'll admit), the Flickr link is here.

To advance beyond round one of the competition, you need to be one of the first 16 people out of your group of 32 to email and post a picture of your completed socks. I'm pretty sure I've made that goal. Now I'm going to rest and recoup so I can be ready for round two, starting in roughly two weeks. For the rest of the tournament, knitters will be pit against each other one on one. I'm not sure how far I'll be able to advance, but I do feel pretty darn good about making it past round one.

Another great thing about these socks? They are exactly the current (Feb/March) Project Spectrum colors of blue, white, and grey.

How cool is that?

The Saga of ZimDee's Teeth

2007-03-07T01:16:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time, there was a boy called ZimDee who had the most beautiful smile this side of creation.His Mommy and Daddy thought it would be fun to take ZimDee to Mount Rushmore to git some American histery lernin and kulcher and stuff like that there. In the summer of 2005 they piled everybody up in a rented RV and took off for sights unknown.

When they arrived at the magical place of Mount Rushmore, they learned that it was carved out of granite. Everything around them was made of granite, including, unfortunately, the walkway leading to the monument.

ZimDee and his beloved big sister Girlie thought it would be fun to chase each other around this granite walkway. Can you see, dear reader, what is coming next? Yes, indeed, little ZimDee took a tumble and went boom.

This next picture is very painful for me to show you, because I had gone to ZimDee when he fell down and checked his little knees and elbows for scrapes. He looked fine. He wasn't crying; in fact he was very quiet. So Daddy said let's pose for a picture in front of the presidential monument.Daddy snapped a picture, then zoomed in for a close-up. Then he said, "Katrina, I think something's wrong with ZimDee's mouth." I bent down to check, and all his teeth were there, but when I looked further, I found that his two front teeth had split in half vertically. (Hey, I know it's cringe-inducing, but I have to tell the story, and if 3-year-old ZimDee could handle it, surely you can keep it together too).

I scooped him up and ran to the nearest park ranger and asked him if they had any emergency services available. They did not. The ranger recommended that we take ZimDee back down the mountain to an urgent care facility. We quickly loaded everyone up for the 20 minute drive down to Rapid City. As a former dental assistant, I knew that urgent care would just refer us to a dentist anyway, so during the drive, with ZimDee's head on my lap (wer'e in an RV, remember?) I called 411 on my cell phone for the closest dentist to us. It was nearing 5:00 pm, but somehow I got referred to a wonderful pediatric dental office who was willing to stay open and wait for us. When we arrived at the office, x-rays were taken, and it was determined that the right front tooth would need to be extracted immediately, but they would try to save the left front tooth. (I'm trying to speak in layman's terms here--those are teeth E & F to me). Thankfully, the x-rays showed no discernable damage to his permanent teeth.

When they pulled my baby's beautiful tooth out of his mouth, it was me that was crying. ZimDee never even let out a peep. Here is a picture of him post-extraction, with his sense of humor still intact.We then made our way to our final destination, where ZimDee's older cousins pronounced him "cool" and "tough-looking" and made him laugh some more. God bless them for that.

Eventually ZimDee learned to live and thrive without that front tooth. The permanent ones are not scheduled to erupt until he's 6 or 7 years old. That didn't bother him. He never once complained about his teeth, even when the remaining front tooth started to turn purple, as the dentist warned us it might.

Then one day, not so long ago, ZimDee and his beloved sister Girlie were--you guessed it--chasing each other around the house when that remaining tooth got knocked loose. I kissed him and comforted him and figured I would let the tooth come out on its own time. When I meant on its own time, I figured it would happen here at home. I was wrong.

I took ZimDee to preschool on what seemed an ordinary day last week. When I picked him up, I had just enough time to load him in the van and scurry home to meet Sissy's school bus. (Isn't scurry a fun word? I don't think it's used often enough. But I digress...) ZimDee's teacher said something to me about thinking that his mouth might be bothering him, and I shouted a thank-you over my shoulder and told her I would check it when I got home. I asked Zim about it during the ride, and he said he felt fine.

Upon arriving home, I sat ZimDee down to get a closer look. Here is what I saw:It didn't register with me immediately, because I was used to seeing a gap in his smile, but his tooth was gone! I called his teacher and told her his tooth was missing; did she know that? She said no. I asked her to please look for the tooth. She called me right back and said she found the tooth over by where ZimDee had been playing, and she would keep it for me.

When I asked ZimDee what happened to his tooth, he was quite helpful--NOT. What he said was that the monster took it and and put it in his pocket. Umm Hmmm.

So the tooth has been collected and the tooth fairy consulted and ZimDee is once again symmetrical.

And they lived happily ever after. THE END

p.s. And I bet you thought this was a knitting blog!

p.p.s. Yes, those are Farmer John bib overalls I'm wearing in the Mount Rushmore picture. I was on vay-kay-shun. In an RV. With three small children. Don't you judge me!

My love to all.

Thank you, Jennifer!

2007-03-06T13:49:00.000-08:00

Jennifer held an Oscar contest on her blog last week, and I won! Here is a picture of the awesome prize she sent: Inside a purple bag (my favorite color!) I found some wonderful yarn that Jennifer hand-spun herself. It's destined to become The Harlot's One Row Handspun Scarf or My So-Called Scarf. I haven't decided yet.

Here is a picture of my Girlie showing off the stickers that Jennifer so thoughtfully added for my babies:All three of my kids had a great time creating works of art with their own stickers.

And here is a close-up of the pendant:It's part of a Chinese New Year tradition called lai see, where givers fold crispy dollar bills and put them in red envelopes and give them away for good luck. The Count's family participates in this too, so I was very excited to see the pendant.

Thank you, Jennifer, for such a wonderful package!

Secret Socks!

2007-03-04T12:29:00.000-08:00

Test knitting makes for sparse blog fodder, because if I can't talk about my knitting, what do I tell you all, my pretties?

As I was knitting yet another pair of secret socks that I can't tell you about, my trusty Knit Picks size 0 classic circular needles, which have hardly had a moment's rest since October and have seen me through many, many secret knitting projects, finally gave up the ghost last night. Their little body just couldn't hold out from the constant use and the needle separated from the cable. A moment of silence for my little soldiers, if you please.

At $4.99 a pop, I think the valiant little needles more than paid for themselves. If it had been a pair of Addi's at 3-4x the price, I would have been kinda mad. I put the socks on four double points and continued on with the socks, and determined that I would order another pair of circulars on Knit Picks today.

So this morning I sat down with my cup of tea at my computer and pulled up the Knit Picks website. Of course I have to browse the new sock patterns. And lookee, lookee what I found: the Straight Laced socks I test knit for them! Squee! I was NOT expecting that!

So now that they've officially been published, I can share specifics:Pattern:Straight Laced Socks from the book Knit Socks! by Betsy McCarthy (whom I met in person when she spoke at the Tigard Knitting Guild).

Yarn:Knit Picks Swish Superwash in Wisteria and Ballerina (5-6 balls total) and Knit Picks Butterfly Kisses in Plum and Rose (1 ball total).

Needles: Size 4 Knit Picks Options circulars, using the Magic Loop method

Variations: None, as this was an assigned project.

Observations: These socks were a very quick knit, due to the easy lace pattern and worsted weight yarn. Like a lot of knitters, I've been moving away from using Fun Fur (or Butterfly Kisses in this case) due to lack of stitch definition, but let me tell you, the non-knitters who saw the fur cuff fell in love with it. Go figure. Knitting this sock may be a good way to use up the bits of fun fur left in your stash, or I could easily see knitting the sock without the fur cuff, as the lace pattern is a pretty one all by itself.

The worsted weight Knit Picks Swish yarn was great to work with to knit these socks. I have to say that I love the colors this yarn comes in. The Ballerina was a perfect soft pink, and the Wisteria a nice shade of my favorite color, purple.

This was the first sock book that I bought (from the author herself), and for a beginner, the perfect one. Betsy lays out the patterns in a very logical manner, and there are a lot of great patterns in the book. This is the one book I still pull off the shelf whenever I'm ready to kitchener the toes of my socks, as she diagrams and explains the method so well.

What a happy surprise to wake up to today.

Update

2007-03-03T18:25:00.000-08:00

I just heard this from my Sockret Pal, Laura:

"We are all safe and well. I will write more when I can. We are still without power, phone, cable, internet. I am using a friends right now. We were so lucky. God is good!!"

Thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers for her family.

Worried

2007-03-03T12:57:00.000-08:00

My Sockret Pal spoilee, Laura, lives in Enterprise, Alabama and her daughter attends the high school there. Please keep her and her family in your thoughts and prayers.

A Sweater for Miss J.

2007-02-25T11:14:00.000-08:00

Here are some finishing photos of my cousin's daughter, sweet J's sweater.

Upon blocking, I realized that the front and back pieces were each four inches too wide! I consulted the knowledgable ladies at my knitting guild, who informed me that I would have to *gasp* cut the sweater. As luck would have it, the topic of the guild meeting was steeking. So I got to watch it in action before actually doing it. But first I had to sleep on it.

The ladies assured me that "all" I needed to do was to sew a line just inside where I needed to cut to reinforce the stitches. I carefully measured from the center of the sweater out, drew my line, and put my sewing machine to work.Ok, that was easy enough. Now for the cutting. Haven't you heard? It's all the rage. Amanda did it just this week. Steady, girl.
When it came time to the actual cutting, I was surprised to find that it was kind of fun. Tres risque'. And the best part is, nothing fell apart or unravelled. I felt very bold throwing the excess pieces in the trash, as if it was no big thing, as if I did it all the time. An added bonus was that I didn't have to weave in ends!

Then came the tedium of sewing the pieces together. I won't bore you with any pictures of that. Remember, I'm a knitter, not a seamstress.

And what have we here? A finished sweater, my pretties! Specifications:
Pattern: Off-to-Class Guernsey Pullover from Hip Knits, child's size 10
Yarn: Bernat Cottontots, 100% Cotton, 5 skeins Sunshine, 1 skein Wonder Dreams
Needles: Size 7 straight
Modifications: Mom preferred a longer contrasting ribbed hem and sleeve cuffs rather than the same color garter stitch edge called for in the pattern.
The sweater fits me perfectly. If little Miss Thang ever grows out of it, she can hand it down to me!
I want to tell you why knitting this sweater meant so much to me. Sweet J. is the daughter of my favorite cousin and the granddaughter of my favorite uncle. My middle son was named after them. I never got to see Miss J. in person until we gathered together in Arizona for my brother's memorial. Her daddy looked so handsome in his Marine dress uniform, and sweet little J. looked pretty as a picture in her little dress. When I first laid eyes on her, she looked just like my uncle, whom we lost years ago. She was shy at first and I tried to give her time to warm up, but it was hard because of her resemblance to her grandfather, and because I was missing my own little Girlie at home, who is just about her age. And I was very, very sad about losing my brother.

Between the funeral and the reception I lost it. It's quite a story, but one for a later time. I made my way to the ladies room, collapsed on a chair, and cried and laughed and cried again. Miss J. was there in the room not quite sure what to make of this hysterical girl whose size sometimes makes her seem more like a child than a woman. With some urging from her dear mom, she made her way to me and put her arms around me. It was like being held by an angel.

Then during the reception they started showing pictures of my brother's life on a screen. I felt myself start to lose it again, when a sweet voice from the chair next to me pulled me out of my reverie with one question. An innocent question that reminded me of a simpler, carefree time. Miss J. asked me what I was for Halloween. One little question that doesn't seem like much, but it was enough to pull me out of the darkness back into the light. I answered her that I had been a princess, and wouldn't you know it? She was too. An instant bond was formed then and there. From that moment on until she had to leave, we were inseparable.

When her mom (whom I adore) asked me to knit J. a sweater for her birthday, I was honored. I didn't quite make it in time for her 8th birthday, but I tried!

To me, this is not just a sweater. It represents my expressions of love and thank you to an angel who helped me get through one of the saddest days of my life. I will always remember your sweetness on that day. I love you, little princess.

SP10 Questionnaire

2007-02-21T12:45:00.000-08:00

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
I love cashmere blends (who doesn't, right?) I'm big into sock yarns these days. Blue Moon Socks That Rock, Sunshine Yarns, and Ruby Sapphire are some of my current favorites, as well as anything from the Loopy Ewe.
I'm really moving away from novelty yarns that don't show much stitch detail.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
I store all of my needles together in clear plastic Iris drawers. I'm always on the lookout for cute little bags to carry my knitting projects or gadgets in.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced? I would say I'm a strong intermediate. I've been knitting in earnest for about 4 years. I learned to knit about 8 years ago when my sister dragged me along to a class. The rest is history.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list? Yes, the link is here and always on my sidebar.

5. What's your favorite scent? vanilla, coconut, pink grapefruit, jasmine, gardenia, rose.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy? Chocolate. Chocolate is good. I also really like Lu's Le Petit Ecolier ("the little schoolboy") tea biscuits/cookies.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin? I don't spin and don't really have the time for it, despite all the best efforts from many good friends. Maybe someday, but for now, not so much. I also do beadwork. My favorite beads to work with are 4mm swarovski crystals, just about any color but orange or brown.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
I'm a child of the 80's, and therefore love 80's music. I'm also a big Elvis fan. Musicians I've been really enjoying lately are The Fray, Keith Urban, and Little Big Town. I am MP3 compatible.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand? I love purple of any shade far and away above all other colors, from periwinkle and lavender to deep dark purple and anything in between. I also like pinks, blues, and greens. A combination of any or all of those colors would be fabulous.
Please no orange, tan, or brown. Try as I might, I am just not a fan of those shades.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets? I am married with three children (daughter, 9; son 4; baby boy 1). No pets.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
I love long scarves and prefer gloves to mittens. Ponchos are ok. Hats just look really dorky on me, I'm sorry to say.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit? Right now socks and scarves.

13. What are you knitting right now? Socks, socks, and more socks and a sweater or two with the odd scarf thrown in.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts? Absolutely.

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic? It really depends on what the project requires. I prefer metal knitting needles to all other materials. For double pointed sock needles, I'm partial to Crystal Palace bamboo.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift? Yes. My kids call it the spiderweb. No need to go to the extra work of winding any balls of yarn for me.

17. How old is your oldest UFO? A couple of sweaters, going on a year now.

18. What is your favorite holiday? I really like them all.

19. Is there anything that you collect? Besides yarn? Any and all knitting gadgets, cute sheep for my bookshelf, and tea cups and saucers. My day is not complete without a proper pot of English tea, usually PG Tips, Lifeboat, or a good darjeeling. Earl Grey or fruity herbals are not for me. And I love me some Jamba Juice!

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have? Sock patterns are always welcome and desired here (hint, hint)! I subscribe to most knitting magazines (Vogue, Knitters, Interweave, Cast On). I would love to get my hands on a pom pom tree.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn? I'd love to learn how to make two socks on two circular needles. I've got the Cat Bordhi book, but haven't mastered the technique yet.

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements? I am most definitely a sock knitter. I wear a size US 5 shoe.

23. When is your birthday? March 26.

Sock Madness

2007-02-16T08:11:00.000-08:00

Remember how much fun I had during the Sock Wars? Even though it pretty much ended with not a bang but a whimper? One of the biggest flaws in that war was lack of involvement and moderation from the organizer.

Now there is this:Sock Madness is only accepting 128 participants (64 novice knitters and 64 experienced knitters). The distinction between novice and experienced is in the amount of pairs of socks that you've completed. If you've completed less than five you're considered a novice, and more than five makes you experienced. Unfortunately, even though I don't consider myself terribly experienced in sock knitting (I'm more of an advanced beginner), I have technically finished seven pairs of socks, even though three of them were the same simple pattern on DK weight yarn for the Sock Wars. (The other socks being 2 secret pairs for KnitPicks, that beautiful pink pair for my darling niece Stephanie, and the Mock Croc socks, which were my very first pair).

I'm kind of shaking in my boots because the experienced knitters are going to compete with complicated patterns involving fair isle and intricate charted designs. The novice category would probably be a better fit for me, but rules are rules, and I choose to look at most things as a learning experience.

This will be a tournament style competition where two people are competing with each other, and the first to post pictures of their competed project (no mailing involved!) advances to the next round until one winner is declared fair and square in each division. This is where the slackers are not rewarded for dropping the ball, as was the case in Sock Wars.

One really cool thing is that the competition is using original sock designs never before used, and only competitors will have access to these patterns.

Sign-ups are still open at the moment, but once the number reaches 128 they will close. If you want to play with me (and I would love to have someone I know to root for in the competition), go check it out!

Good luck!

More Cuteness

2007-02-15T06:43:00.000-08:00

If you can stand it, I'd like to share more boy cuteness today.

Here is Sproutie's new favorite position to play and watch TV: It's a rare photo of him being still, so enjoy it while you can. What makes it even cuter is when he bends his knees and brings his feet up to dangle in the air. What a cutie pie.

And here is a picture of a phenomenon that's been slowly starting to transpire around here: The beginnings of cooperative play between brothers. Some days are better than others. I do realize that most of their relating time will be spent wrestling and rolling around the floor as they get older (if they're anything like their cousins Nate and Tim), so it's nice to capture the calm moments of play.

Before I had kids, my sister told me one of the sweetest sounds I'd ever hear is that of my children laughing together. She was so right.

Now lest you think I'm not a knitting fool, I've got evidence to the contrary: This is the front of a sweater for my cousin's daughter J. I had been hoping to get it done in time for her birthday last week, but try as I might, I just couldn't get my fingers to fly. And this pesky business of sleep--why did it keep trying to interfere with my trying to knit all night?

The front of the sweater is done, and the back is close to completion. Sleeves to follow.

Why Sproutie Should Never Be Left Alone in the Kitchen

2007-02-13T07:58:00.000-08:00

What do you get when you cross award-winning raspberry freezer jam and a busy 20-month-old? This face!I thought that when I laid him down for a nap upstairs, that's where he would stay. After all, Girlie and ZimDee would at that age. But not my adventurous, curious Sproutie.

I was busy working on my computer downstairs when in he walked in all of his glory. Note the innocent look on his face:
I think he's honestly trying to figure out how I knew that he'd been doing something naughty.

To answer my own question, what you get when you cross raspberry jelly and a busy baby boy is a huge, much-needed laugh for mom.The extra work involved in cleaning up the kitchen and my little son is clearly made up for in future showings of these pictures to Sproutie's own children.

Just when I thought I had this child-raising thang all figured out, my third child turns everything upside down. And you know what? I wouldn't have it any other way. I was a third child myself, so I know all the tricks. My days would probably be quieter, calmer, and less messy, but they would also be infinitely far more dull without this sweet little spirit in my life.

These Are the Days

2007-02-11T17:44:00.000-08:00

I've picked out my yarn for February/March Project Spectrum, for which the assigned colors are blue, white, and grey. How perfect is this:
It is the Cha Cha colorway from Perchance to Knit. This was a colorway made available to SP9 participants. I bought it back in October, and it was waiting for an occasion such as this to be knit up.

Except it still has to wait just a little bit longer while I finish up some other projects. This yarn is destined to become a pair of socks, though I haven't quite decided which pattern I will use yet.

And look who I caught napping in their natural habitat this weekend:

My biggest and littlest boys. They fell asleep to a kung fu karate chop movie while I knit quietly in the background. These are the days I will always remember. To quote the Van Morrison song that I borrowed this post title from, "There's only here, and there's only now".

My love to all.

Secrets and Sock Yarns

2007-02-08T23:12:00.000-08:00

I can finally share with you a snippet of a super secret knitting project I've been working on. Does it look like a pair of socks? That's because it is. I wish I could share more, but then someone might have me...disappeared. Here is a picture of my sweet Girlie to tide you over until I can share more details about the socks. She's getting very good at this ball-winding thing. Not too fast, not too slow. That's a'girl.
The yarn is the Sangria colorway from Dani at Sunshine Yarns. No, she doesn't have any more right now. I wasn't sure how I would like the color combination of wine and yellow in this yarn, but I do, oh, yes I do. Though I'm just teasing myself with having the skein wound into a ball. The Lord only knows when I'll have the time to knit with this golden wine-y goodness. Why must I torture myself in this way?

And look what the gals at Ruby Sapphire cooked up. A yarn called Trina. To this day, that's what my family still calls me. I guess if I were a skein of yarn, this is what I'd be. Multicolored sock yarn in happy colors.

My love to all.

Thank you, Tracey!

2007-02-08T09:44:00.000-08:00

I must share with you what my SP9 pal Tracey sent to me in her final reveal package. There were heavenly Godiva chocolate bars and hot chocolate, a relaxing spa set of lotions and soaps, adorable heart-shaped measuring cups and frying pan (which Girlie thinks are just for her--she has already confiscated them for her cooking set that her Grandma got her for Christmas). There was also a set of size 7 noble needles with rainbow dyed wood toppers. Tracey said they are supposed to help me knit happiness back into my life. The needles were held in the most adorable purple polka dot (!) needle case. Tracey also sent the most yummy skein of purply sock yarn from Fearless Fibers. I can't wait to knit a pair of socks (Tracey said they must be for myself) with this yarn.But that's not all. Included in the package was a beautiful Thomas Golding spindle and fibers to experiment with. The smaller white bundle of fibers is an angora blend, and the pink and purple fibers are silk, baby. Tracey said to save those for when I've got more experience with spinning.
You would think that would be enough, but no. You're not going to believe what comes next:The most gorgeous Forest Canopy shawl knit in deep purple Kidsilk Haze. Here it is modelled by Girlie in her pajamas. Tracey said she knit it with prayers of comfort, peace, and God's love. She said she hopes it will comfort me always. I will wear it with proudly and think of my super sweet secret pal when I do.
Isn't it lovely? Tracey, I am overwhelmed by your generosity and kindness. Thank you for making SP9 such a fun, therapeutic experience for me. You are the best!

I signed up for this a while ago, but am just now letting you know that I am officially participating in Project Spectrum this year.

Here are the color schemes set up for the next coming months:

February / March
Blue, White, Gray

April / May
Green, Yellow, Pink

June / July
Red, Black, Metallics

August / September
Brown, Orange, Purple

I'm going to personally challenge myself to find skeins of yarn that have all three colors in them already and knit a project (most likely socks) out of those. Project Spectrum 2 officially started on February 1st.

I wanted to share a picture with you of how big Sproutie is getting. He's in desperate need of a haircut at the moment, but he hasn't been cooperating in the barber chair lately. Here he is sitting and knitting with me in my natural habitat (notice the stitch marker in his hand). He will just sit very close to me and "knit" right along with me. I love that.If I look a little tired in the picture, ok exhausted, it's because, well, I am. But my babies don't mind. I get sloppy wet kisses whether I'm well-rested and put together, or in my sweats and jammies knitting to Law & Order. What a life.

More Snow Pictures

2007-02-06T23:19:00.000-08:00

Yeah, I know I'm a little lame posting these snow pictures now that the snow has come and gone, but snow here in Portland is still a magical thing and brings out the kid in all of us.

Here is the Count sitting in our back yard with the bundled boys while Girlie busies herself making a snowman:Some fun on the sled. Powdery snow like you see in this picture is very unusual for the Pacific Northwest. One end of our street:And the other end. I just love how the evergreens look white with snow:A closer look. Is that guy trying to cross-country ski there in the background? Okey dokey then.My bundled babies on the sled:
And I really like this next picture because when the Count took down our perfect Christmas tree after the holidays, I wasn't quite ready to give it up. I asked him pretty please to put it on the deck where I could see it from the kitchen window. He looked at me like the crazy person that I am, but he did it. Just in time to get flocked by real snow. To me it was like a gift. (Don't mind the awning--it had to be tipped down so it wouldn't collapse under the weight of the snow).And finally our creek surrounded by wintery white. I'm happy to say that I can see my tulips starting to sprout up now in the back yard. But the snow was such a fun, special time here.

I have more pictures to show very soon of my SP9 reveal package (Tracey spoiled me but good! Thanks, Darlin') and snippets of some knitting and such for you to see. Until then, my love to all.

It's been so long!

2007-01-29T13:51:00.000-08:00

It's been far too long since my last post. Life continues to be crazy busy, and I still have miles to go before I sleep. But I've missed you all, and have much to tell you.

First of all, I want to say a big thank you to my SockRet pal, Kimberly, for this wonderful package:I know we're not supposed to know the identities of our pals yet, but she let it slip in an email, and I'm glad she did. She dyes beautiful yarn and sells it on her website, Woven N Spun. She's even offering a 10% discount to SockRet Pal participants, so if you haven't had a chance to see her handiwork, go take a look.

The package that Kimberly sent me included a matching set of notecards, pens, and coffee mug (which I of course will take my tea in). She also sent a sweet little box of Whitman's chocolates and the cutest little pair of pink scissors in a pink case. Those immediately went into my knitting notions bag and I've received many compliments on them. And finally, Kimberly sent a skein of her own yarn in the Pumpkin Spice colorway. Thank you so much, Kimberly! I feel very spoiled.

The pumpkin spice yarn is destined to become a pair of Aran Braid socks, of which you can find the link to the pattern on the Mystery Socks Revealed blog that Amanda did a fabulous job putting together. Very well done, Girlfriend!

We had a bit of snow two weeks ago. It's all gone now, but I wasn't able to share pictures with you then because my camera was broken. Those are the trees by our driveway. They looked so beautiful flocked with snow. I will be sharing more snow pictures in a later post.

I have been furiously knit, knit, knitting away on so many projects for other people. I enjoy it very much; I think it's fun, and I usually learn something new with each project. Usually the projects are spaced out nice and even to where I don't get overwhelmed. But this time everything happened all at once and I have found myself buried. I do see a light at the end of the tunnel now, but it got pretty hairy for a while there. I've still got plenty of work to do, I'm not done yet, but it's coming along. It's important to me to keep knitting fun; a haven.

Most of the projects that I've been knitting unfortunately can't be shared until they have debuted on their respective websites or in catalogs. I am allowed to show you glimpses, which I will in due time.

One project I can share with you is a scarf that my sister A. asked me to knit for her friend's birthday. Here it is modelled by the lovely Girlie: The first picture here is just illustrating the gossamer effect of the yarn when it's spread out. Here it is worn as a conventional scarf: Details:
Yarn: Bernat Matrix, 2 skeins
Needles: Size 13 straights, bamboo
Specifications: Scarf is knit in garter stitch throughout.
Measurements: 18" x 72", with an added 3" fringe to each end.
Notes: This was a very quick knit. Recipient is reported to be delighted and has been sighted wearing said scarf around the windy city of Chicago.

Finally, I got to meet Louisa Harding last week when she came to my favorite local yarn store, Molehill Farm. Here we are standing next to the display of her yarns.
She was a delight to talk to as we discussed her designs and books. Meeting her in person and knowing what a sweet lady she is makes me love her patterns and yarn even more.

My love to all.

Expressions

2007-01-17T08:08:00.000-08:00

I want to thank everyone for their wonderful expressions of love and support while I've been sad. It washed completely over me, how much I miss my brother and always will. But I'm very lucky to be surrounded by people who love me and who allow me to walk through the storm, beside me when it's possible, or waiting for me on the other side when I have to walk alone.

Portland has been hit with a little bit of snow. This doesn't happen very often, so when it does, it's a pretty big deal. It looks like a winter wonderland out there. I would show you pictures if I could, but for some reason my camera is not allowing pictures to load onto my computer. I hope it's something easy, like me being a dork, which is usually the case. The kids have been off school all week, since Monday was a holiday. They've been frolicking and playing and drinking hot chocolate like little elves from the North Pole. These are the days I hope they always remember, sister and brother playing together, in the snow, in the rain, in the sun. Making forts out of couch cushions, fighting, making up, always laughing. I've got a few of those memories myself, and they are what sustain me now.

There has been much knitting going on. In fact, the needles have been flying. I've been doing a lot of test knitting, and a lot of commissioned knitting for other people. When I'm finally able to post pictures, there will be a feast of things to see. Until then, you'll just have to use your imagination.

My love to all.

I Believe

2007-01-15T21:22:00.000-08:00

Oh, how I'm missing you tonight, David.

MP3 File

I Believe

Recorded by: DIAMOND RIO
Words and Music by: Skip Ewing and Donny RossMIDI by: Carole Nichols

Every now and then
Soft as breath upon my skin
I feel you come back again
And it's like you haven't been
Gone a moment from my side
Like the tears were never cried
Like the hands of time are holding you and me

And with all my heart I'm sure
We're closer than we ever were
I don't have to hear or see
I've got all the proof I need
There are more than angels watching over me
I believe, oh, I believe.

Now when you die your life goes on
It doesn't end here when you're gone
Every soul is filled with light
It never ends, if I'm right
Our love can even reach across eternity
I believe, oh I believe.

Forever you're a part of me
Forever in the heart of me
I will hold you even longer if I can
Oh, the people who don't see the most
See that I believe in ghosts
If that makes me crazy, then I am
'Cause I believe.

There are more than angels watching over me
I believe, oh I believe.

Every now and then
Soft as breath upon my skin
I feel you come back again

...and I believe.

Which End Is Up?

2007-01-10T09:51:00.000-08:00

I must apologize for my absence here on my blog. So many things are happening all at once, it's hard to know which end is up.

Mostly good things.

One good thing is that I finished my first Pirate Sock. Just look at how the colors flashed: Mamma and I both got sick while knitting on our pirate socks. We were beginning to think that we caught scurvy from those scalawag pirates. I'm finally mostly over this sinus congestion/head cold thing that literally knocked me off my feet.

Unfortunately, the second sock will be a little longer in coming. Life is craaaaaazy right now.

You know I will fill you in when I get a moment to catch my breath.

My love to all.

Pirate Knitting

2007-01-02T17:20:00.000-08:00

What is Pirate Knitting?

It's the gathering together of luscious Black Purl Lorna's Laces yarn, the even more luscious Johnny Depp, some chocolate, some Jamba Juice, and two friends who cast on together for the same project at the stroke of midnight across the miles on New Year's Eve, and knitting "together" throughout the day on New Years Day.The friends, of course, are me and the lovely mamma. The project is Walking Away Cascade socks from Fiber trends. You might recognize this pattern as the same one I made for my beautiful niece Stephanie for Christmas.
These lovelies are for me. The top picture is the front ribbing of the sock, and the bottom picture is the lace cascade down the back.
These are more than just mere socks. They represent healing and friendship and a determination that life doesn't just go on, it goes on in style.

Drink up, me hearties, Yo ho!

2006 Knitalongs and Swaps

2007-01-01T14:03:00.000-08:00

2006 Finished Objects

2007-01-01T13:49:00.000-08:00

*Sproutie's Striped Sweater

*Rosie's baby blanket

*Olympic Rowan Aura Hat

*Rowan Aura Hat for A.

*Sproutie's 1st Bday sweater

*Sproutie's hat

*Tim's Illusion Scarf

*Natey's Noro Hat

*The Count's Noro Hat

*ZimDee's Noro Hat

*Mother's Noro Hat

*Poo-dee Clogs No More

*Sproutie's leggings outfit

*Papa's square

*Justin's square

*Kim's Picot bag

*Silk Daisy Stitch Scarf

*Mock Croc Socks

*Blue Picot Bag for Fairs

*Steph's Picot Bag

*Diane's Picot Bag

*State Fair Daisy Silk Scarf

*Girlfriend's Swing Coat Sweater

*Passport Pouch

*International Socks of Doom for Sock Wars (for Mamie)

*Angela's Chocolate Picot Bag

*Second Pair of Sock Wars International Socks of Doom for Mandy

*Third Pair of Sock Wars International Socks of Doom for Moa

*KnitPicks Lace Socks (teaser)

*Stephanie's Walking Away Socks

*Natey's red wool hat

*Natey's black cotton hat

*The Count's If-You-Want-To Hat

*ZimDee's Fishie Hat

What Am I Doing on New Years Day?

2007-01-01T13:19:00.000-08:00

Wouldn't you love to know what I'm doing right now?
I can tell you this much: it involves knitting with a dear friend, some Lorna's Laces Black Purl yarn, some chocolate and some Johnny and some Jamba Juice.

Wouldn't you love to be me right now?

2006 Knitting Year in Review

2006-12-28T05:11:00.000-08:00

At the one year anniversary of this blog (already?) and as the year 2006 draws to a close, I'd like to share my reflections.

In a year that brought wonderful gains and immeasurable loss, knitting has been a constant calming influence.

First of all, if it weren't for this blog, I wouldn't have met so many wonderful knitters and bloggers, and I know that I never would have accomplished so much in my knitting skills and projects. Some bloggers I've met in person, wonderful people all, and some I have yet to meet, and I look forward to that day as well.

When this year started, I had barely moved on from rectangular scarves and square baby blankets. Oh, how things have changed.

This year I learned how to knit hats. My first hat was for the Knitting Olympics. (*Olympic Rowan Aura Hat). That was such a fun way to feel like a community among some 4,000+ knitters. I know it was a pain for the Yarn Harlot to organize, but I had a blast. I went on to make a total of 11 hats this year. Here are the links to the others:
*Rowan Aura Hat for A.
*Sproutie's hat
*Natey's Noro Hat
*The Count's Noro Hat
*ZimDee's Noro Hat
*Mother's Noro Hat
*Natey's red wool hat
*Natey's black cotton hat
*The Count's If-You-Want-To Hat
*ZimDee's Fishie Hat

This is the year I also learned how to make socks. Thanks to Amanda's Mock Croc Sock knitalong, I was on my way. And addicted. I might as well state that right up front. There are so many beautiful sock yarns out there, my head starts spinning just thinking about it. Here are the socks I made this year:
*Mock Croc Socks
*International Socks of Doom for Sock Wars (for Mamie)
*Second Pair of Sock Wars International Socks of Doom for Mandy
*Third Pair of Sock Wars International Socks of Doom for Moa
*KnitPicks Lace Socks (teaser)
*Stephanie's Walking Away Socks

I knit three sweaters and one pair of leggings for my little baby, who is now 18 months old.
*Sproutie's Striped Sweater
*Sproutie's 1st Bday sweater
*Sproutie's leggings outfit

I knit a sweater for his sweet older sister.
*Girlfriend's Swing Coat Sweater

I knit two baby blankets, one of which you'll see here:
*Rosie's baby blanket

four scarves:
*Tim's Illusion Scarf
*Silk Daisy Stitch Scarf
*State Fair Daisy Silk Scarf

I knit 6 bags
*Kim's Picot bag
*Blue Picot Bag for Fairs
*Steph's Picot Bag
*Diane's Picot Bag
*Passport Pouch
*Angela's Chocolate Picot Bag

and a pair of clogs
*Poo-dee Clogs No More.

Unfinished objects started this year but waiting for me to pick them up again include a sweater for my sister, a cardigan sweater for myself, a pair of socks for my mother-in-law, and two pairs of socks for myself. I consider that fairly manageable.

I participated in several knitting swaps and enjoyed most of them. I met some great friends that way.

My knitting goals for the upcoming year are to finish the above mentioned unfinished objects and start a few more. I'd love to learn colorwork this year, intarsia and fair isle. I want to knit a lot more socks, a few sweaters, and a few scarves.

Another goal of mine is to get started on the road to becoming a Master Knitter through the Knitting Guild Association. I've received my paperwork in the Basics, Basics, Basics course (a pre-cursor to the actual program) and I will keep you posted on my progress here on my blog.

My favorite knitted project of 2006 is one I didn't even write about on my blog. I don't know why. Maybe it's because it seemed so effortless. I needed a scarf that matched my pink coat, and one morning I went out and bought the yarn and the needles to make it. I sat down that afternoon with a pot of tea and literally whipped it out, and wore it out to dinner that night. I love it because to me it's so striking that it catches my eye every time I pass by it, it served a specific purpose, and the buying and making of it was so pleasurable. (I know some of you thought I miscounted above when I said that I made 4 scarves and only listed 3. Thought you had me there, didn't you?)

The funny thing is, out of all the complicated stitch patterns and new techniques I've learned, and out of all the luxurious yarns I've run my fingers through this year (merino wool, 100% silk, cashmere and cashmere blends), my most favorite knitted object of this year is a simple garter stitch scarf knit with acrylic yarn and fun fur. I kind of like the irony of that. You can take the girl out of the ghetto, but you can't take the ghetto out of the girl. How appropriate. Here are some pictures of the scarf that won the distinction of favorite knitted object of 2006:
My wish for you all in the coming year, my dear friends, is peace and love and happiness, and just enough new yarns and patterns out there to always keep you wanting more.

All my love, Katrina

zimdee knits

2006-12-27T05:12:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures of the last of the Christmas knitting, finished last week.

The first is the hat the Count said I could knit for him, "if you want", modelled once again by the photogenic ZimDee:The hat was knit with Mission Falls 1824 Wool (100% Merino Wool) in color 16, Thyme, since green is the Count's favorite color. This is the first time I've worked with Mission Falls yarn, and it won't be my last, as long as they continue to manufacture it, that is. Isn't the stitch detail wonderful? And the Count really likes it. This hat will not go unloved.

Next I wanted to knit a hat for Zim, since he had so graciously modelled hats for everyone else. I started this one, and left it on the counter to go get the mail. When I returned, this is what I came upon: ZimDee said, "Yook, Mom, I knitting." I asked him what he was knitting, and he said a fish, which is his favorite kind of toy. He didn't even mess up any of the stitches. I'll make a knitter out of him yet.

Here is the finished product: And this time ZimDee gets to keep it!
His hat was knit with Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran (55% merino wool, 33% microfibre, 12% cashmere) in color 104, Pale Grey. ZimDee gets a lot of compliments on his hats at preschool. He can't wait to go back and show this one off.

Speaking of Debbie Bliss yarns: I don't buy into the hooey that a competitor claimed that her yarns lacked the fiber content listed on the label. I knit four hats in as many days with four different fiber contents. The first was with wool/cotton, the next was wool/mohair, the third was merino wool and the fourth was merino/microfibre/cashmere. Guess which was the softest and most luxurious? The Cashmerino by far. If they are fudging with the fiber content over there, they're doing a fabulous job of it. I for one will continue to use her yarns, as long as they continue to be soft and pretty and knit up as nice as they always have.

I just love how fast and easy hats are to knit. And ZimDee's hat was the project that marked the phenomenon for me of not having to look at the project while I was knitting it. I've heard many experienced knitters say that if they are doing straight stockinette that they can watch TV or a movie without looking down, and it was hard for me to believe. But it happened to me without even realizing it. I feel like I've graduated or something. Is there a diploma out there for knitters who don't have to watch their knitting? I'd like to put one on my wall.

Merry Christmas

2006-12-26T11:25:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas day, filled with joy and laughter. I spent the day squeezing some brown-eyed angels. And knitting. A peaceful day.

And this was the best present of all: my three babies playing together on Christmas morning. I came around the corner when I heard some giggling, and here is what I found.This is what Christmas memories are made of.

Merry Christmas, David

2006-12-22T13:49:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas, David.

MP3 File
I will always see you as laughing, your eyes twinkling with wonder and mischief.

I love you and I miss you.

For always, Your Sis, Katrina

Knitted Christmas Gifts

2006-12-20T10:50:00.000-08:00

I wasn't able to knit all the Christmas gifts that I wanted to this year, but I am proud of myself for what I did get done. These knitted gifts are now on their way to their beloved recipients in Chicago.

First is this pair of socks for my beautiful niece Stephanie. Pattern: Walking Away socks from Fiber Trends.
The lace that runs down the back of the sock is exquisite. I will definitely be using this pattern in the future for socks for myself and my loved ones.
Modifications: I did have to change the pattern somewhat at the end of the ribbing, or the top of the foot portion would have been too wide. I made some decreases and I was good to go. Since this is just my 6th pair of finished socks, I still chalk this up to inexperience.
Yarn: Koigu KPPPM #1308 (100% Merino Wool). This beautiful yarn has shades of pink, burgundy, and browns. Perfect for Stephanie. These are some of the prettiest pinks I've ever seen. I've heard talk of people saying that Koigu is overrated. Frankly, I don't know what they've been smoking. This yarn is a dream to work with. Soft, strong, doesn't split, and is the colors are exquisite. I love it.
Needles: Size 2 Knit Picks circulars using the Magic Loop Method. Knit Picks has the interchangeable Options needles, which I would highly recommend. But those start at size 4. The smaller sizes of 0-3 are sold fully assembled and are very reasonably priced. The cable is flexible without being too wimpy. Did I mention that the cable is purple? Fun. The join is smooth. No, I don't get a commission for talking about how much I like the needles. I'm just calling it like I see it.
On a side note: I know that sock blockers can be outrageously priced, but they are probably one of the best knitting investments I've ever made. They give the sock a great shape and add that extra finishing touch.
Overall: I'm very happy with these socks and I hope they fit! They are also my December entry in Chrissy's Sock-a-Month 2.

Next are two hats for my sweet nephew Natey. You may recall that I knit a hat for him with Noro Silk Garden earlier this year (see sidebar). Unfortunately, it was too big. So when I asked him what he wanted for Christmas this year, he was very specific. He said he wanted two hats: a black one knit with cotton and a red one knit with wool. Not fire engine red, or orange red, but blood red. And could I please make them a bit smaller than the first hat? (He also asked for black house socks, but I ran out of time for Christmas. I'm thinking birthday...) I was thrilled that my nephew in his 20's was so specific about exactly what he wanted, down to color and fiber. Not that it matters, but he dates girls. He's just very fashion-conscious.

Here is my ZimDee modelling the two hats. First is the red one:Pattern: My own. 5 rows of k1,p1 ribbing followed by straight stockinette for the rest of the cap.
Yarn: Lamb's Pride Bulky (80% Wool, 20% Mohair) in Blue Blood.
Needles: Size 10 1/2 Addi Turbo circulars, 16 inch; size 10 1/2 bamboo double points.
Notes: A very quick knit.

And the black hat:Pattern: My own. 9 rows of seed stitch border followed by straight stockinette to finish the cap.
Yarn: Rowan Wool Cotton, color: ink. This is a classic yarn and one of my favorites. I love the stitch detail it provides.
Needles: Size 5 Addi Turbo circulars, 16 inch. Size 5 bamboo double points.
Notes: I hope it fits! If not, I can knit him a bigger one and he can send the smaller one back. I know a little boy who wouldn't mind wearing it again.

Here are the hats ready to mail:You know, of course, that my Christmas knitting is not quite done. Now that ZimDee got to try on some new hats, how can I not knit one or two for him? And of course, the Count saw me knitting hats and said the classic line, "You can knit a hat for me if you want." Ooookay. Believe me, I love it when my family wants me to knit something for them, but the Noro hat I knit for the Count earlier this year (see sidebar) went unloved and unworn. When I asked the Count where it was, he pulled the classic man mind-bending: "I don't remember that." If I hadn't have knit it myself and put a picture on my blog, I might have fallen for that. But after searching high and low, no hat was found. So it looks like I'll still be knitting some hats for some boys to go in their Christmas stockings. And you know I will be loving every minute of it.

Oh. My. Gosh.

2006-12-16T20:02:00.000-08:00

That's all I can say. Oh my gosh. My Secret Pal has spoiled me, but good. She told me that a special package was on its way, but I had no idea how special. Take a gander at this:Her adorable card said she wanted to send chocolate to help me knit through the holiday. Bless her heart. Christmas is going to be tough this year, there's no getting around that. But knowing there are people out there who don't even know me yet still care about me touches my heart.

Just look at this plunder of Koigu in rich blues. Looking at this yarn reminds me of the deep blue sea. Gorgeous. And then there is the handpainted yarn from Perchance to Knit in the exclusive SP9 colorway of Foxtrot, complete with crystal stitch marker.But that's not all. Next is the Anemoi Mittens pattern from the ever-talented Eunny Jang, with everything I need to make them (Size 1 AND 2 Bamboo double pointed needles, Knit Picks Gloss yarn in Cocoa and Serengeti, and the most adorable sterling silver and Swarovski crystal stitch markers that I've ever seen).
And that's STILL not all. There was also the most beautiful velvet brown KnitOne bag, lined with light blue silk, which includes a matching silk accessory bag. I am utterly speechless. And the bag wasn't empty, either. It was stuffed full of all sorts of knitting goodness: a very elegant Oriental silk needle case, size 7 birch straight needles, size 2 metallic Knit Picks double pointed needles, a Snip'n ruler, an adorable brown and pink zippered needle case, a Yarn Clam (which I can't wait to try--it's the clear object on top of the brown needle case). Also three skeins of Tough Stuff Libertina Yarn (100% Falklands Wool) in Pimpernel colorway, just enough to make a pair of socks.
There was also some mint milk chocolate Hershey's Sticks, some Eucerin hand lotion, some bath effervescents, and the cutest little post-its in the shape of the letter K. Whew!

I am ever so grateful, Secret Pal. Words cannot begin describe how overwhelmed I am by your generosity.

I can't wait to meet you!

Santa Picture

2006-12-15T14:56:00.000-08:00

Here is our Santa picture this year. It was Sproutie's year to cry, based on how Girlie and ZimDee reacted during their one-year-of-age Christmas photo with Santa. But he did pretty good. I think because sissy and brother were right beside him, and mom and dad were in front of him. No smile, but at least no crying. His right hand looks like it's just hanging there, but in reality he had just thrown his baby Piglet toy in protest when the picture was snapped.Each of the kids have a special baby toy that they've brought with them to Santa pictures every year. For Girlie it's a fat little Pooh Bear. You can see the top of his head in the photo. For ZimDee it's a little tan floppy dog we named Hobie. He's not holding it because it was all he could do to stay awake for the picture. Hobie is under Pooh Bear in Girlie's lap. Girlie also brought an extra puppy this year, which is under Hobie and Pooh. I think this animal is putting in a one-time only showing. And of course, little Piglet was thrown from the floppy arms of our little Sprout.

By the time it was our turn in line, wouldn't you know it, ZimDee had fallen asleep. So if he looks like he doesn't know where he is, it's because he doesn't.

And Girlie just loves the camera. That's her camera face, maybe you've seen it before.

I just love how these pictures capture a moment in time of my babies' personalities.

Back from the Beyond

2006-12-13T20:56:00.000-08:00

I've been distracted by some business that took all of my mental and physical energy. Trust me, we do not want to even go there. The good news is that I'm back, my friends. I've missed every one of you.

I got my first check in the mail today from Knit Picks for test knitting the socks for the catalog. Just in time for Christmas.

I also heard from my Secret Pal that her package is on its way to me. I’m very excited to get it. She already sent me a gift certificate for Kpixie. How spoiled am I?

The shiner is almost all gone. Life is good.

My love to all.

Christmas Tree

2006-12-05T22:23:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday the Count and I packed up the kids and went to Sleighbells Christmas Tree Farm in Sherwood, Oregon. (I always wanted to rent a post office box in the town of Sherwood and give my address out as Sherwood Forest and see if the mail would actually be delivered or not...but I digress).Here is Sproutie (with his shiner-inducing pacifier, no less) looking adorable in his new Christmas coat among the snow-flocked Christmas trees. The flocking was gorgeous, but a little out of our budget this year. Besides, there's nothing like the smell of a freshly cut natural Christmas tree in your house.

Here is my beautiful family among the trees: The farm was really pretty, with rolling hills of different kinds of trees: Douglas Fir, Blue Spruce, and Noble Fir. Here are Girlie and ZimDee looking for just the right tree for us:And here I am with my babies, standing next to the 7 feet tall Noble Fir we finally chose. I think it is the most beautiful Christmas tree I've ever seen.
And here I am in front of the tree in our house, lopsidedly but most proudly decorated by my Girlie. She takes such special pleasure in putting the garlands and ornaments on the tree that it's now become our tradition.
As you can see, there is still a trace of the shiner lil' Sproutie gave me. I'm also showing off my new hair color for the holidays. She went pretty dark this time. Maybe it'll make me look a little bit more like my children.

I got ahold of the complete DVD one-season series of a little show called Wonderfalls, and am almost through the third and last disc. Apparently people really liked the show, though only three episodes aired on TV. It's ok. Not horrible. Not great.

I've been busy knitting for my wonderful niece Stephanie. It's a Christmas present, so I'll have to show you later so I don't spoil the surprise. This present was supposed to be for her birthday last month, but I ended up giving her the present I bought for her for Christmas on her birthday instead. I'm really liking how it is turning out.

I sent the lace socks off to Knit Picks and heard back from the design coordinator that she received them yesterday. She had one comment about them: "Stunning." That really made my day.

Things have been really up and down. It's been hard not knowing how I will react to anything. Sometimes I'll be truly fine, then five minutes later I'm not. This unpredictability in my own self is a little startling. The Count has been so supportive, and my kids have been wonderful. They are all keeping me grounded in the busy work of life.

I miss my brother every day. I still don't think I can wrap my mind around the fact that I live in a world that doesn't have him in it. I don't think I will ever get used to that, as long as I live.

Thank you to all who have been checking in with me to see how I've been doing. It truly means so much to me.

Knitting and Healing

2006-11-29T22:36:00.000-08:00

In the midst of all that has happened with me and my family this month, I do have some knitting to share.

I had packed some knitting to take with me to Arizona, and I carried that bag around with me everywhere I went like a security blanket. I didn't knit a stitch, though I knew my knitting was there, quietly waiting like an old friend if I needed to pick it up. Just the fact that it was there was enough.

A beautiful-spirited border patrol agent who I'm convinced is an angel brought a skein of yarn to me one day when she came to pick my sisters and me up to take us to my brother's house. Right now that precious skein of yarn is sitting on my bookshelf, right where I can see it whenever I sit down to knit. Little things like that really do make a difference to a grieving heart.

Last month Knitpicks put out a feeler in my area for test knitters through the local SnB site, and I was intrigued. I answered the call, and after checking my references, I was offered a project to do. A paid project. With yarn provided. When I returned home from Arizona, a package was waiting for me from KnitPicks containing the yarn and the pattern for my project. It was just what I needed to ease me back into knitting again. Just when I needed it.

Since this project is for an early 2007 catalog, I can't show you entire pictures of the finished product, but I did get permission to share some detail photos with you as a teaser:

Since the project is (ahem) lace (ahem) socks, it also qualifies for my November Sock-a-Month requirement and my Lacevember star. Sweet.

Sometimes the universe aligns just so, and you can be happy in that moment. I love it when that happens.