Knitting Update

Did I mention that I'm an ADD knitter? How's this for proof:

Exhibit A: The February Lady's Sweater. I'm reusing yarn I had for a previous project. I've completed 10 repeats of the lace. It is one of those 'knit till you want to stop' deals.


Exhibit B: The Unpatterns Simple Sweater. I bought the yarn (Delectable Fibers) last year at Stitches East, where I also took the Unpatterns class. I've been wanting to go with this, but didn't start until now.


The swatch turned out great, but when I started the sweater the colors started spiralling around the body. I frogged it and restarted using all three balls of yarn that I have. The randomness I desire is achieved.


Exhibit C: Drawstring Tote Bag: THis is another left over from Stitches. I also took JC Briar's 'Get Twisted!' class. I fell in love with cables. Included in her handout is instructions for making the sample squares into a little tote bag. I've completed the 4 squares. Two were done in class and the other two were completed here at home recently. Now I need to block the squares and finish the bag.


Exhibit D: Socks. My sock history hasn't been too successful. My first several pairs were thick socks that were given to Ed. He likes them because they keep his toes warm while hunting. The first pair for me turned out perfect after they were accidentally washed in the washer and felted slightly. My next 4 attempts resulted in socks that were too large, because the yarn doesn't felt. I'm now trying another pair, using a smaller needle.


My defense is that the weather is getting cold and a girl has to have something to do while indoors. Lord knows that cleaning isn't any fun!

Today - The Last Day of Indian Summer

Today is supposed to be the last warm day around here for a while. Tomorrow is supposed to turn nasty and cold, with possible snow over the weekend. That's okay with me, though. I like the chill in the air. One of the most peaceful moments for me is snuggling under a pile of blankets in the middle of the night.

Today is a big day here. Dash turns 11 today!!! I can't believe it. I've been replaying his birth in my head all morning. His entry into the world had a bit of drama, but fortunately there were no complications and he has grown into a sweet, creative, imaginative, smart boy. He's anxious to have his body mature, but I'm not. I want those freckles to hang around for a long time.

Today is also a me day. Last night I was feeling very yucky with a headache and a sore throat. Ed was diagnosed with strep earlier in the week, and I was thinking I was coming down with it. This morning I felt a bit better, but still not quite myself, so I decided to take the day off and not spread any germs that I might have. I'm going to do a lot of knitting and relaxing. I've had some troubles on my mind lately and today is going to be my day to realign my thinking.

Enjoy Today!!!

Doing Something Right?

As a parent, as I'm sure with other parents, I occasionally wonder if Ed and I are doing the right thing. This happens most with our oldest since every new experience for her is a new experience for us. She has started high school now and she thinks she should be afforded a certain amount of freedom. We let her hang out with her friends as long as homework isn't due or family activities are scheduled. I do wonder, though, if we let her go too often with her friends. This particular group of girls is very social and feel they must have sleepovers every weekend.

If I had to classify us, we are not overly strict parents, but we do try to make every attempt to let her and her brother and sister know what the boundaries are and what the consequences will be if the boundaries are crossed. We also insist that the kids check in with us regularly when they are away and we let them know that we double check also. We know that we can't shield her from temptation, but we hope and pray that she is mature enough to make the right choices when temptation arises.

Last week there was an incident that tempted our oldest daughter. During a sleep over with 5 other girls, a plan was made to call a boy 2 years older who drove to pick them up at 3:00 am. After getting picked up they cruised around and hooked up with an 18 year old boy. At 3:30, the local police pulled them over. All of the parents were called to pick the girls up at the site of the pullover. Fortunately, we were not called because our daughter chose not to go along. She was the only one who stayed back at the house. The host girl's father found her asleep in the daughter's bed after the police called him. The mother called me the following morning to tell me what happened. She said our daughter was still asleep and that she'd take her home after she got up. Later when I talked to her, I asked 'Why didn't you go with your friends?' Her reply was 'I knew I shouldn't.' I then told her how happy and proud her dad and I were for her.

I guess we are doing something right. It is awful darn hard, but it must be right.

Here It Is

Here's a few photos of the finished blanket. This first one isn't a good representation of the colors. I took this without the flash. It does show the details, however.



This on was taken with the flash. The colors in this photo are a bit more electric than the actual blanket, but it's close.


Here is Dash giving it a test run. Obviously this was taken before I washed it. Don't want to give the new little guy some stinky kids germs.