No Time to Waste

It's strawberry season in central Ohio.  Actually, it is coming to a close soon.  Last year I made freezer jam, which Blake loved.  He requested more after consuming my entire batch.  This morning I went up to a local pick-your-own farm and brought home 4 quarts.  I made freezer jam with half.  The remaining strawberries are going to become a pie.  My mom gave me her strawberry pie recipe.  It is a family favorite.  Unlike some recipes, it does not use gelatin.   I'll have to think of a good meal to go with that special dessert.

I'm back to making progress on the Taize shawl. It goes to work with me everyday. About 3 days a week I'm able to get a few rows in over lunch. It is approaching the 1/3 done mark. I'd like to get this done by the fall and then keep it at the office. It will be nice to wrap myself in, especially later this year when the project I'm working one reaches its deadline. The move-to-production date is October 1. That weekend will be a long, exhausting one. I don't anticipate being home much between September 13 to mid-November. Having this shawl with me will help.

  

Of course I can't just work on one project.  I'm also trying to make progress on Decimal.  I've finished the body up to the armholes.  I'm now working on the left sleeve.  This is my 'sitting in front of the television' project.  Below are a couple photos of it.  The color in the first photo is closest to reality.  The second photo is a close-up of the sleeve.

Next Thursday my sister Patty is coming into town.  We will be attending Knitters Connection.  We are taking a class from Cookie A on Friday.  I can't wait.  Also, Patty is going to bring her spinning wheel and some roving. She is going to attempt to teach me how to spin.  We'll see how that goes.

One for the History Books

The school year has come to a close.  All three kids achieve outstanding grades and created lasting memories.  I am so proud of all three for what they accomplished this year.  Here is a blurry picture of Trisha as she leaves middle school for the last time as an 8th grader.  I can't believe she is going to be in high school!!

Unfortunately the kids have had to learn some very hard life lessons.  About 2 weeks ago, one of the star football players from the high school drowned.  Kristin knew him pretty well since he briefly dated one of her friends, was in the class ahead of hers, and was friends with the guy that took her to prom.  His death brought back all the pain and sorrow from the tragic death of another friend back in December.  Then, two nights before school was to let out for the summer, Trisha learned that one of her classmates had taken his own life.  That tragedy has left me stunned.  Trisha and I have talked.  She's asked 'Why?' and I've told her that there will never be a way to understand what all was going through his head to make him feel that that was the only solution.  The accidental deaths are no less tragic, but they are easier to understand 'Why'.  All we can do is pray for them and their families.  And hug and kiss our own kids as often as we can.

The summer is already packed with activities.  Blake and Trisha have camps to head off to.  Kristin has volleyball conditioning and a 3-day-a-week babysitting job.  I have Knitters Connection and a girls' weekend away. Ed has his 6th Ironman Triathlon.  Together we have a week at the beach.  We may not be able to fit in a trip to Tennessee this year.  The kids are going to be disappointed about that, but I'm not sure when we'd be able to fit it in.

On the knitting front, I finished the baby blanket for my friend, but forgot to take a photo of it before gifting it.  I'll see if I can get my friend to forward a picture to post.  I'm now trying to get Decimal finished.  I have another summer sweater waiting in the queue, but have vowed not to start it until Decimal is off the needles.

Hoping Spring Brings Happier Times

Prayers are needed for a good friend of mine, Donna. 2009 is turning out to be a very difficult year for her and her family. Her husband, Dean, lost his job in March. Donna has been out of work for over a year now, but has been able to find part-time temporary work. As of yet, Dean hasn't found a new job. Their oldest son is graduating from high school this year and plans to attend college in the fall. Their other son is a freshman in high school. Last week, Donna's mother was diagnosed with ALS. The family is devistated. They are praying that the disease progresses slowly so that Kathy and her husband, Fred, have many more years together.

This news is hitting my family hard because Donna's parents have lived across the street from my parents our entire lives. My Mom has commented on several occasions that Kathy and Fred have been the best neighbors that anyone could ever have had. Her parents have been extremely helpful to my parents in the past 9 years since Dad had his first stroke. Kathy and Fred have been there whenever Mom needed assistance. They have come over at a moments notice when Dad has gone into seizures. They have helped with running errands. They even cleaned up a horrid mess in Mom and Dad's house after one of Dad's 'episodes'. (I won't describe the mess, but be assured it was a mess you would think twice about touching even if it was your own family.) They also have a huge garden and share their harvest with my parents. They are angels!! I just pray that God is merciful on them.

Switching to happier news now.

Easter was spent in Cincinnati with my family. We didn't do a very good job coordinating the menu because it was heavy on carbohydrates and desserts. We had two kinds of potatoes, mac-n-cheese, and about 7 desserts. I made two.

First a fruit tart. It was a recipe I improvised from several other recipes and if I say so myself, turned out quite well. Heres a picture. Doesn't it look yummy!!!



My other dessert was a lemon sponge pie. This is an old family recipe from my paternal grandmother. It is Dad's favorite. It didn't get cut on Easter, so I sent it home with my parents so that they could enjoy it through the week. It is like a lemon meringue pie with the custard and meringue folded together.



Here's the latest progress on Decimal. Coming along slowly. I'm through 2 balls of yarn. 10 to go. This first picture is a little blurry, but the color is right.


The second picture is clear, but the color is off.



Yesterday I bought WendyKnit's sock book. I really like it. After I finish Decimal, I'm going to try a few of her socks. My goal is to go through the book and make all of them. It is a nice learning resource.

Happy Easter!

It is hard to believe that it is mid-April already. I feel like the year is passing by in a blur.

Work is a big pain in the butt! I can't remember if I've mentioned it already (forgive me if I have) but I'm on a HUGE project to convert the company's financial systems and business processes. The Go Live data is October 1, 2010. The pace is exhausting and the documentation requirements are extreme. The project management having us document everything, sometimes multiple times in different formats. It is hard to keep up on top of being in meetings for over 7 hours a day. Lately I've been working close to 48 hours a week. I come home in the evenings with barely enough energy to cook dinner and check up on the kids and their homework.

I am gratefull that I do have a job, though. A good friend of ours lost his job last month. He's had a few leads but they were all on the East Coast. He and his wife don't want to think about moving or having him commute long distance yet. I just keep praying things turn soon.

Ed's job is in a precarious state right now. His company has announced that they are trying to sell off the division he is in. Until a buyer comes forward, we don't know what it means. If it gets bought by a smaller company, Ed thinks he'll be safe. But if it gets bought by a larger company, he thinks he'll be out of a job when the companies get merged. The third possibility is if no buyer comes forward. In that case, a lay-off is possible if his company decides to consolidate resources.

On to happier news.

I finished my February Ladies Sweater. You can see pictures here. I love it.

I am now working on Decimal. It is coming along nicely. I love the border pattern.

I hope to have this completed soon, so I can where it during the warm weather.

Speaking of weather, today is a beautiful day. I'm off to enjoy the nice spring day. Hope you can too.

My daffodils aren't blooming well this year. Here's one of the few that flowered. I need to find out what's going wrong.

A Day Off

I decided to take a day off work. Since the end of January my work schedule has been crazy with training and meetings. The craziness has kept me from blogging. Here's an update of my slow progress.

Long ago I started a pattern for a throw made out of Lion's Brand yarn. It got shoved into a drawer and forgotten. Over the winter I pulled it out and finished it. The kids love it now. It was an easy knit3, purl 3 pattern on size 13 needles. A nice project for in front of the television during the winter.


My February Ladies Sweater is slowing coming along. I stopped on one sleeve to start the other. Once I get the second sleeve to be the same length as the first, I'll evaluate how much yarn I have left and how long I want the sleeves to be. As you can see, I already put on the buttons. Once I cast off and weave in a few last ends, this puppy will be done!

Sorry this isn't the greatest picture. Black, especially black with metalic thread intermingled, doesn't photograph well.

I needed some instant gratification last week. I was feeling a bit blue about something that has been on my mind for a while so I decided to stop at one of a LYS on the way home from work last Friday. I found a sample of Fetching sitting right next to a basket of Lorna's Laces Angel. It was love at first sight!!! When I got home I cast on and by Monday evening I had the yummiest pair of mitts.


Yesterday was my birthday and I received a very lovely gift from my sister Patty. This is some yarn that she dyed and spun. It is about 55 yards of sport weight wool. I'm not sure what to make with it yet. Right now I'm just carrying it around with me like a kid with a teddy bear.


I have my next potential project in mind. It will be another stash-buster. I promise I won't cast one until the FLS is complete!