I'm Off the Hook, Part Two

The story continues....

The kids and I left my sister's home on Monday and returned to our daily routines on Tuesday. I was still in a bit of pain, but it wasn't as uncomfortable and with being so very busy at work, I ignored it and kept moving forward.

2. Dana lands in the local emergency room. Wednesday morning, my abdomen would not be ignored. It hurt to cough and to breathe. Despite my absolute fear, terror and utter loathing of all things related to needles, I went to hospital. After multiple injections, withdraws, a CT scan and half a liter of iced-down contrast dye to drink (I almost would've preferred a shot in this case), I was diagnosed with diverticulitis. (Yes, Dad, I do see the writing on the wall and will change my ways). In a nutshell, I have consume more fiber, less red meat and more vegetables. I left the hospital Wednesday afternoon feeling nauseated, exhausted and more than a little disgusted with myself. The sour mood carried over the next couple of days, but then something wonderful happened and it just brightened my week immeasurably.

3. A lavender scented bit of Heaven was found in the mailbox. Yes, Marianne's socks arrived and I was, quite literally, astounded. Made from a soft sage green Merino wool, these socks are incredible! They're as soft as they can be and the tiny, immaculate stitches are unbelievable. My photos cannot possibly do them justice, but here's an attempt.










Look at the lace detail!






And, as if the socks weren't enough, Marianne also included stitchmarkers and chocolate! I was floored... just floored... and the carepackage made a lousy week wonderful again.

Marianne, I can't possibly thank you enough!

I put the socks on my feet before bed on Saturday night and went to sleep. For the first time this winter, my toes didn't get cold during the night. Waking up Sunday morning (in a much brighter mood and feeling like my pre-illness self), I tucked my new socks between my mattresses and there they are right now. These are my "sleep socks." I only wear them at night. They've become, if you will, my "blankie" in only two short days. That's the honest truth. :)



The stitch markers are just as beautiful and I treasure them!
Again, THANK YOU MARIANNE!


P.S. "I'm Off the Hook," the title of the blog, refers to my situation. I now understand why you sockers love socks. Yes, there's a galaxy-sized diffference between Hanes and "Marianne's Magyckical Masterpieces." That said, I should eat crow. And more crow. And more crow after that. However, I must avoid red meat, ergo...I'm off the hook. LOL Now, would one of you kind ladies please e-mail me a very simple, straight-forward sock pattern? As soon as my current projects are done (yours is felting as we speak, Marianne), I'm going to try socks again. [Intense blushing in Bedford].

Again, thank you Marianne!

I'm Off The Hook, Part One

It's been a wonderful, awful, and unbelievable week. I've been "missing in action" lately or at least, it felt that way to me. The chronological order events, starting from last weekend up to today, are as follows:

1. Spent last weekend with Denise. After an almost year-long absence, I spent an incredible weekend with my sister and her family. It was fulfilling (a strange word, but appropriate) to see her again, spend time in her company, catch up, rant, gossip, giggle and snort. Over the previous year, I felt as though a part of me was missing and that part, naturally, was my sister. I finally had a chance to spend quality time with her kids and get to re-know my youngest nephew, Trevor, who will be two years old in June.

I didn't get a chance to teach her to knit; we were too busy just hanging out together if that makes any sense. Trevor also kept us very busy. The boy is a "blur". He runs from one activity to the next, charming everyone, from breakfast to bedtime. I genuinely tried to get a decent photo of him, but literally, all but two of the photos were a blur.

Trevor checking on my son. "Who can be asleep while I'm up?!?"

He slowed down for one other photo too. He was modeling the latest fashion trend, unitard with cowboy boots.

The one blemish on the weekend was the abdominal pain I kept having. I thought to myself that it was the chili I ate, cramps, or sitting/driving for five straight hours in the car. Depressingly, the weekend came to end and it was time to return home.

Missionary Knitting

It was originally planned that my sister, Denise, who recently moved back to Maryland from the suburbs of Denver would come to my home this weekend. Sadly, the plans fell through and she isn't able to make the trip to Bedford.

Imagining the combined howls of our children when they learned that we would not be getting together this weekend (not to mention my own - - I haven't seen my sister in almost a year), I gamely decided to brave the wilds of Washington and Maryland again. I'm going to make the trek - - five long hours in a car with with a pair of "Are we there yet?" kids.

For the last year, Denise has heard all about my knitting...probably in excruciating and unwanted detail. It's something she admires, but has never tried. She likes the product, but doesn't know the process of it.

I have a goal. I'm going to teach Denise how to knit this weekend and if she doesn't like it, then I'll rip all the hair out of her head (just like in the old days). LOL One of the keys to knitting, in my opinion, is loving the fiber running through your fingers. With that in mind, I wondered if there were any LYS' in Denise's area. A quick online search and LO and BEHOLD....I struck gold!

1. Ch'naca Farm and Fiber Works. This baby is only 0.3 miles from her house!

2. Crazy for Ewe. 45 minutes away.

3. Stitch Today Knot Tomorrow. 0.6 miles away.

She doesn't stand a chance!

This is my favorite photo of us.

It was taken about 14 years and 100 lbs ago (in my case).

It's been a very quiet and pleasant two weeks. The focus lately has been on family. My daughter, Andie, celebrated her 12th birthday on 2.2.07 and the next day, we enjoyed a mother-daughter shopping & dinner expedition. It was a lot of fun and I'm stupified (that's a good word) at how quickly she and her brother are growing up and maturing. Skander will become a teenager on 2.25.07 (13th birthday) and I'm still in denial. :)

I've been knitting quite a bit lately, but the projects are for folks who read this, so I don't want to upload photos quite yet.

Now for the weather.... Bedford finally got snow last night and it was a nice compromise. There was enough white stuff to cover the ground and feel/look like a real snowfall, but the roads were clear this morning. At long last, winter has arrived.

Photographed here is my completed and long-since mailed Red Scarf project, an Irish Hiking. Swallowtail Shawl class starts Friday and I'm really looking forward it! I'm pretty nervous ("LACEWEIGHT?!?!," she says panicking), but excited too. Please wish me luck (I'm going to need it). Cheers all!

Making a Case Here

The "Temptation Twins," Dianne & Linda, have been making a subtle and sweet effort to encourage me to open my mind to sock knitting. They've told me how wonderful their teacher is (I have no doubt whatsoever), they show me pictures of their efforts (their sock patterns are lovely and the fiber colors...just breathtaking) and most intriguing of all, they're actually enjoying the process of sock knitting, itself.

My once firm anti-sock stance is somewhat wavering. Weeks ago, I wrote on M.'s site that I would run naked down Main Street before I ever knit another sock. I'm kind of regretting those words now and hoping that M. and Dianne won't hold me to that vow (they're gracious people, so I think I'm safe on that score). However, I still have a firm point to make...

Slippers are ART. I fully believe that design, ingenuity, colorcraft and skill go into making a sock, but I still believe that slippers are the superior calling and to make my case, I present the following:



Modern Art. Notice the ballerina is not
wearing socks.

Pop/Cinematographic (is this even a word?) Art.

In any event, these aren't the "Ruby Socks!" ;)

Danish Painter, C.W. Eckersberg, circa 1820

The Slippers of Cinderella by Aubrey Beardsley, circa 1898

Dr. Pozzi at Home by John Singer Sargent

(Again, he's not wearing socks).

Me at the thought of having a "Godiva" moment down Main St.

On the Needles

On the needles now is an Irish Hiking Scarf using Plymouth Encore. It's slow going, but what's nice is that I've memorized the "two row combination" and just have to do the cable knit on each eighth row.

The rows have become so familiar that I hardly have to check where I am, which was great last night because I was absorbed in "Heroes." (Yay! It's back!)

Pictured below (or wherever these things land) is a "Shredder Cap." Bedford's LYS owner/teacher/knitter extraordinaire is also the mother of an Air Force pilot stationed in Iraq. Son called mother and asked if she could make some under-the-helmet caps for him and his team members (squadron?). This is a very simple pattern that knits up quickly and makes a nice, warm skull cap.









Now for the weather. We had sleet. It melted the next day. End of story. (Sorry Marianne!) ;)

The kids made a foot tall iceman.

Happy Feet/Part Two

Here's Aunt Jo wearing her KnitPicks/Winter Night.

Here are my uncles, Ted & Steve. Their slippers were made from Yarn Barn's (Ebay) New Zealand wool. They're sage green and match what I and my kids wear.


Uncle Ted
---->





Uncle Steve
<-----

Missing from the photos are Gramma (Manos del Uruguay scarf/Wildflowers), my father, Edward (black felted slippers), cousins Jamie & Charli (Cranberry slippers), Joey & Tyler, cousin & nephew (Lamb's Pride hats), Kori (Lamb's Pride scarf) and Charli (Lamb's Pride hat).

I was having too much fun hanging out to remember to run people

down and take more pictures!

Happy Feet/Part One

This pair of slippers started out with Galway Paint and Galway in Periwinkle Purple. I purchased the skeins from Roxy's Yarn at Ebay, but didn't realize how well they blended until they arrived together.










The finished project.













Here's a shot of Aunt JoAnn in her new slippers & sitting on Aunt Karen's lap.

Karen's slippers were made from KnitPicks "Wool of the Andies"/Cranberry.



Below are a pair of KnitPicks/Hollyberry. Karen and JoAnn were supposed to get the Hollyberry slippers, but I overshrunk them and they were too small. It worked out for JoAnn's daughters, Jamie and Charli, because the small pairs fit them.

Slippers & A Bowl

It's been a knitting and felting weekend. What more can I say?

Happy New Year!

Cat Bed Anyone?

Weeeellll, I should've known better. Having used this yarn before (my size 15 mens slippers), I knew that this particular yarn doesn't shrink alot into itself, as opposed to straight, untweeded worsted or bulky yarns. That said, my bowl is not stiff enough to be a bowl, but it is an awesome (and large) cat bed. Does anyone need one? My cats have them already, so I'll happily give and/or mail this to anyone who could use one.

The felted slippers went much better and I like them a lot. They're not as fuzzy as Lamb's Pride, but just a stiff & formed. I'll definitely use Plymouth Galway again.

More Felting

This is a fast "wash cycle" posting. :) I found a pattern online for a shallow bowl and it was a quick knit (methadone, if you will, until the Bristol pattern arrives). Here's the unfelted bowl knitted up. I used a bulky weight blue tweed (no name) 100% New Zealand wool purchased on Ebay (Bob from Yarn Barn is a delight!).

I also received my first ever skeins of Plymouth Galway and the slippers went faster than ever. It knitted soooo nicely and quickly; I was amazed. Now while the photo makes the yarn look blue, it's actually a very, very pretty green, "Forest Heather," to be exact.

Needless to say, once the Saturday housekeeping is done, I'll be cooing over my washing machine watching these babies shrink (big pirate laugh).

Happy holidays y'all!

Couldn't resist this one and didn't even try

I like felting; I really, really like felting and when I saw these bowls, my jaw fell open and "oooooohhhh" came out. That said, I bought the pattern and will be watching the mailbox like a hawk. I'm sure it's going to be a while before it arrives so in the meantime, I plan on studying color cards and figuring out combinations (though I'm sure I'll copy several that Carol Bristol used - - especially the center red and blue ones).
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
In the spirit of the holidays, my wish for you is an old Irish favorite:

May love and laughter light your days,

and warm your heart and home.

May good and faithful friends be yours, wherever you may roam.

May peace and plenty bless your world with joy that long endures.

May all life's passing seasons bring the best to you and yours!

To Do

My father and his wife are coming up from Mississippi on January 10th. The Alexander clan is getting together the weekend of January 13th to celebrate the holidays en masse. Mentally, I've been preparing a list of things to be done and it goes like this....

1. Clean my car
2. Scrub gas grill
3. Scrub out oven
4. Clean fridge
5. Scour bathrooms
6. Reorganize & rearrange barnyard sty (aka daughter's bedroom).
7. Replace broken closet door in son's room (subject son & friend were wrestling at the time)
8. Grocery shopping and menu planning
9. Knit up three pairs of slippers for aunts X-mas gifts
10. Keep up with laundry, ironing, cooking, dusting and vacuuming.
11. Work full-time job.
12. Oh crap...rescue squeaking field mouse from ferocious kitten who just brought it into the basement as I sit here typing (job completed & now I'm grossed out). Does anyone else have a cat or cats that actually bring the rodents in instead of keeping them out?????
13. Knit dishcloths.

Ha ha...can you tell where my priorities are? :) The rest will get done in time and believe it or not, I'm not that stressed. TGTK...thank God there's knitting. Happy holidays everyone!

Soaps & Such

Okay...now I'm beginning to get a little frantic. I've been knitting for months now, but it just doesn't seem like enough. I've been shopping for Christmas since August (and I'm very well prepared - - better than I ever have been before), but I'm still starting to feel the pre-holiday "burn." You know that "I must do more" feeling.

It began when I saw Kristen's "ticker" and pirated one for my site. Now, every day, the Christmas countdown faces me first thing in the morning. The ticker must go. :)

In the meantime, the soap is finished and waiting to be shrink-wrapped. I completed a leaf washcloth and ironically, I had some matching molds for the soaps. Below are the finished soaps and one more washcloth.

While one snoozed....

...the other slept at a friend's house and the husband was at work, I had some quiet time and made felted bowl "fillers," my soap.


The soap is a goat's milk base and I added a bit of dried lemongrass and lavender.







Fortunately for me, I had some help and/or quality control of a fuzzy sort.










Having decided that the soap was inedible, Liberty fell back into her
favorite standby, a sweet look. If that wasn't effective,

















a threat. Scratch me or be scratched.

Leftovers I Can Live With....

The Lumpy Bowl. This is an example of me goofing around. I had a small ball of Playa left from my last bowl, so I created this lumpy bottom half. With a bit of the remaining Lambs Pride (Andie's scarf), I knitted up the strange top. It's odd looking, but believe it or not, it looks cute on my kitchen window sill.







An Apple Hat made from Christmas stocking extras and a bit of Wings.



More Baby Hats (Pronto from Skander's scarf) and cotton (from Trevor's hat).

Conquering the Stash

What am I knitting? Slippers, slippers and more slippers. It's been the story of my life these last six months and as proof of that statement, I can honestly say that I barely glance at the pattern now. The monotony of it is driving me mad, but it'll be worth it soon.

To break up the routine a little bit, I've been using leftover yarn to make odds -n- ends, which I'll photograph and post tomorrow. It's fun to use the stash leftovers and see the pile of yarn get smaller. The word, "stash," is a pretty relative term though.

I have seen, with my own eyes, a large, two car garage that had floor to ceiling shelves stocked with yarn. The lady has industrial sized cones of yarn and hanks as big as my car. My stash? I have a half full wicker laundry basket.

The Knitnapper has discovered the wicker basket by the way. Liberty now stealthily creeps up behind the couch, under the end table and up to the basket. She then puts her front paws on the basket, leans in and grabs whatever ball is closest to her. Then, like greased lightening, she takes off. (Nascar drivers wish they could move so quickly). You wouldn't have any idea she was there, but for the "creeking" sound that the basket makes. I then shout, "ANDIE! CAT!" and resignedly, my daughter goes into the kitchen and begins to rewind my yarn. Libbie can have a small ball of yarn wrapped around the kitchen table and chairs at least three times in less than ten seconds.

This is the August photo of Libbie. I'll take a new one. She looks the same, just larger (and sneakier).