Knitting Passion

Bag Gents, also needed. Wrote in my last post about the need for bags for the Share A Square tags . . . I mentioned a 3×5 bag I had - the beautiful Chinese silk bag shown in the last post - but on reading Yellow Rose’s entry about it, it looks like bigger ones are needed.

We are also trying to limit how many bags each person donates - so as to not wear out any one person - AND - to allow more people to become part of the project. Sound fair enough? Yep, I thought so, too.

So, on reading Yellow Rose’s post about this - and, thanks, btw, for the cool button!!! - I see that my thoughts of a 3×5 inch bag might be a tad off the mark. I had forgotten just how much space 48 tags might take up. So, you might want to play with it for a bit to come up with a good size. If you happen to have 48 business cards lying around, stack them up and see how much space they take. I’ve noticed that most of the tags on the squares I’ve put together are about business card sized. So, that should work.

So, I have one person up for the project so far - daughter Ladybug is dusting off her sewing machine even as I type this - well, maybe later. She is taking the wee gorlie to her swimming lessons right about now.

I’ve finished two of the 6×9 pieces for the HAP project also highlighted in the last post.

I really like how this pattern is turning out. It’s called a mini cable, but it’s not really a cable - it still looks very cool. I’ve found that fourteen repeats of the 4 row pattern makes up the 9 inches called for - and once you get three or four repeats done, you have the pattern pretty well in hand. I have had to frog a couple of times, because I messed up on one of the wrap rows, but that’s not too bad, eh?

And, just for the sheer joy of changing the subject just one more time . . . whatever happened to JANUARY, friends???? Good grief! That’s one twelfth of the year gone already. I know I must be getting older - these days just seem to RACE past me.

Shelly has done such a great job with, first, having the idea, and second, following through on the idea to gift 140 campers with afghans . . . Share a Square was born on a whim and took off on a wing and a prayer.

A lot of people have written and said they could neither knit or crochet, that they could sew. So, it is THOSE people on whom we call now. All of the squares needed to complete the afghans have been collected. They are being joined together. That part of the project is complete.

The first youngster to receive an afghan loved it - he would not take the tags off it (each square in each afghan is made by different people who place a tag on it with their good wishes) for two weeks she was told. Then he would shuffle the tags like cards, looking through them again and again.

So, Shelly had another great idea - wouldn’t it be fun if each child had a bag in which to hold their tags once they were taken off the afghans?

Yeah, I thought so, too. So, I agreed to put out a plea to you all requesting your help in this. We are putting together 140 afghans, so we need 140 bags. They can be as simple or as fancy as you choose. I will be collecting 70 bags and Sherry at Yellow Rose Garden is collecting 70 bags.

The bags pictured above are just to give you an idea. The white bag is probably too big for the project, but the dark red one is just about the right size at 3 1/2 by 5 inches. I received it at a welcome home shower for a Chinese orphan who was adopted by people at church. It is made of Chinese silk and held candy as I recall - from China.

But it looks to be a perfect size to hold all of the tags from an afghan.

If you are interested in helping with this part of the project, drop a comment here - make sure to leave your email address. I’ll get in touch with you and we can exchange address information at that time.

Thanks, everyone. These kids are survivors!
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And . . . if you like the tv show Survivors, be sure to stop by Lessa’s and jump in the pool!

Time for a Share a Square update, I’m thinking. Shelly tells us that she now has all the squares she needs. She could use a few people to put black edging onto the squares and/or sewing an afghan or two together.

I’m finishing up one - one is completed and in the box to be returned - I should have this one finished by tomorrow and into the mail by the next day - Saturday at the latest.

I have the first row of black around the second afghan and will follow that with a colorful row and then another row of black. Then it is off to the Post Office.

Now, if you have not been able to help out the SAS (Share a Square) project, how about a HAP project? Even though Deborah has been busily collecting 6×9 inch squares for the HAP (Homemade Afghans Project) project, she has found time to also donate squares to Shelly’s SAS project. There are some very cool people out there in the great blue ether, aren’t there?

So - HAP - 6×9 inch squares can be knitted or crocheted (several patterns available at Deborah’s site), sent off to Deborah who finds volunteers to stitch them together. The finished - bed sized - afghans are packed up and sent to military hospitals where they are given to returning, wounded, troops.

It’s a worthwhile project if you have a mind to help out.

I’ll be headed to Anchorage next week for a two day conference for work. I have a skein of cream colored acryllic that will go along with me - to be made up into HAP squares. Won’t you join me?

Yes, I know this is a knitting blog (grin) but it is sort of a life of the knitter blog, too, you know? But, today I WILL be posting about knitting (and some other stuff) but knitting mostly. Hurrah, I hear you all shouting!!!!

This is a scarf I gave a dear friend for her birthday. Actually, her birthday was the day I went into the hospital, and it was not quite finished. So, I gave it to her at church this Sunday - on MY birthday. It’s a silk blend and feels just gorgeously soft. I cast on 40 stitches, using size 13 needles, then knit one row and k1, p1 the next row. It made a really neat looking pattern - sort of a rib on one side and a knobby rib on the other side.

Miss S loved it, so that made it worth it, huh?

Okay - there’s your knitting for the day - what are YOU designing - or what is on YOUR needles?

Now, for the other things - do you like giveaways? Oh, me, too. Although, they DO keep me in this chair for much too long so I have to confine myself to only a few moments going to the spots and signing up and then linking back, etc. Otherwise my cheeks get pretty tired and sore - and NOBODY needs to see that, as my granddaughter the Pup would say.

However, Summer over at Creative Mom Cafe has some very nice autumnal fabrics for a giveaway. Be sure to stop by and sign up and maybe give her a link back on your site, too.

And, while I tiptoed through her comments I noticed a few other giveaways -

Air Force Family is giving away a book my grandkiddos (and yours, too, I’ll bet) would love: Sea Animals.

And, for the romantic in us all - Eden is giving away a Nicholas Sparks book (The Notebook) over at her Goddess of the Home blog.

For even more - and this is where the tired butt syndrome comes on - check out the Bloggy Giveaways Winter Carnival at Rocks in My Dryer. There’s gotta be SOMETHING that rocks your boat over there. Have great fun, friends!

still more about the Knitter - but, hey, be sure to check out Summer at Creative Mom Cafe on Monday for a crafty sorta giveaway, okay?

On Tuesday before the docs would let me out of our local hospital I had to do the dreaded treadmill stress test. Oy!

I was trussed up rather fetchingly with leads and wires and whistles and beeps - while the tech told us about his next patient who would have his heart stopped thru medication and immediately restarted with medication. He seemed much too thrilled about all that - “it’s so cool,” he said. “They just go along on the treadmill, I push the button and they sorta slump and go ‘uhhh’ and then I reset their heart with the next button.”

Okay . . . . then he plopped me up onto the treadmill and started that baby up. Yeah, I made sure he didn’t have that plunger anywhere near me.

The doc looked at my short legs and took pity on me after 5 minutes. He was going to make me do 6-10 minutes and then said that he forgets women have shorter frames - a 6 foot guy can easily do 10 minutes. Hahaha.

I passed this test with flying colors, btw. While driving to Anchorage later that day I nosed through all the documentation I was taking up with me and found this doc’s notes on the stress test . . . “patient was dyspneic, but joking.” Yup that’s me - breathless, but always with the jokes, baby. lol

Once back in my ICU room, I was allowed to begin getting ready to go home - well, to Anchorage - while they readied my discharge paperwork and prescription orders. About 4 pm I finally got all that, we stopped at the pharmacy, and then ran home to get some clean clothes for the Anc. trip. I was going to Providence Heart Center for an angiogram! Woot!

Now, my daughters will tell you that I would rather drive than be the passenger - so I can tell you that I was on edge slightly (!!!) while hubby drove. It got really dark - he doesn’t see well in the dark - I tried to sleep so I couldn’t feel him driving the saturn like it was his van - that didn’t work. I made it 115 miles or so to Girdwood where we made a pit stop - and I took the keys away from him for the last 35 miles. Yes, I wasn’t supposed to be driving (due to the new drugs) but dagnabbit! I wanted to make it there in one piece!

We spent the night in our favorite B&B where hubby would stay while I was fussed over at the hospital. I spent Tuesday night there with him and was able to watch him eat brekkie the next morning while I had to be happy with juice only. (sigh!) Then off to the hospital we went.

What a great staff in the cath lab!!! I cannot say enough good about them as I was treated so well by them all. They got me (yet again) trussed up into an ohsolovely open backsided gown and the IV started while question after question was asked. Then I met the doc and began my wait until it was my turn for the angiogram. And, this, my friends, is where it begins to get a bit surreal.

I’m not an itty bitty gal by any means and my cholesterol levels have been elevated. I fully expected the doc to tsk and moan a bit as he searched out my arteries. Instead he was quite pleased to note that my arteries were BIG and BEAUTIFUL and just like they should be - a cardiac doc’s dream! (yes, he speaks softly, but with many exclamation points!) Of course, that being the case, he does not know WHY I had the heart attack. He knows that I did - the ekg and enzyme changes show that - but, he likes to know WHY and how it can be fixed.

I’m an enigma!

So, they kept me overnight for observation - more forms - more questions on birthdate - more pokes and prods and vital checks. More fun nurses - more laughter - I love being me!

On Thursday I was scheduled for a chest CT to rule out blood clots - and an echocardiogram to check my valves and blood flow.

The doc again came in to visit with me and to tell me that they just don’t know what happened to cause the heart attack. I do have a congenital “defect” as one artery is not where it is supposed to be - but that didn’t cause it. I do have a teensy artery that may (or may not) have had a blood clot slide through, causing a spasm, causing the heart attack. But that artery is SO SMALL that even if I had a problem there they do not make stents or balloons that small - sooooooo -

And - I am a bit anemic - that and the (possible) blood clot could have been caused from the kidney surgery 7 weeks ago.

Have made an appointment with my urologist to check on that - and an appointment with the internist to followup on the Anchorage stuff - sigh, my insurance is gonna love me!

So, there you have it in a nutshell. And, now I will quit talking about it. Thank you all for caring and reading and commenting and guest posting. As one of my friends says, maybe God just healed me during the drive to Anchorage. You never know - He does have that power!!!

file this under The Knitter herself, rather than knitting.

Hey there, friends. I am home again, home again, and jiggity - jigging my jig. Albeit, I am jigging a teensy bit slower due to some new meds and doctors’ orders. Doctors plural, you’ll note. I have several new docs now - how can a girl get just so darned lucky, I must ask?

Thanks ever so much to Winnie from Watching the View who stood in for me by writing about The Intimidation of Knitting. Winnie - don’t be intimidated - we’ll convert you yet!

Thank you also to Mark from Get Incensed who wrote about knitters and special rooms in a totally hilariously snarky way. Mark, thank goodness I did not have stitches to pop when I read your entry.

If either of you ever needs a guest entry, please feel free to let me know and I will do my best! It’s so nice to know that Lessa sticks up for me so well - read that “guilts people into helping out her mum so well.” Ooooooh, look Mark - italics - and barbara reads them quite well. hahahahaha.

Lessa wrote recently on her Watching Rachael Ray blog about “Go Red for Women“

As she says, this is even more important to our family now that I have had that first heart attack - trusting the Lord that it is the ONLY heart attack I ever have!

Yup - that’s why I’ve been away for a bit - it happened last Sunday morning as I was getting ready for church. I was just drying my hair and I felt a fist tighten over my heart - hmm, perhaps a muscle twitch? Nope, it wouldn’t let up like a muscle twitch. Maybe heartburn? Nope - hadn’t eaten anything yet.

Do I go on to breakfast and church - orrrrrrrrrr - do I go to the hospital? (this, by the way, is not a conversation I would encourage anyone to be having with themselves at this time - GO TO THE HOSPITAL!!!)

Then I broke out into an all-over sweat - that is a sure sign I was in trouble. I took my blood pressure and it was pretty high - so I took two aspirin, my bp meds, and asked hubby to take me in to the hospital. We did bypass the emergency squad - also not a great idea - and he drove me over himself.

Once to the Emergency Department I told the desk lady my name and birthdate (always with the birthdate - sheesh!) and she entered it into the computer, gave me a (very lovely, indeed) plastic bracelet and ushered hubby and me through the doors . . .

whereupon she began to yell “CHEST PAIN!” and lordamighty you shoulda seen ‘em whip into action - rushed me down the hall (breathe, barbie, breathe!) to a clean room with a monitor - whipped me outta my clothes - got me into an ohsolovely open backsided gown - and into a bed where they began to hook me up to beeps and squawks monitoring devices and poked me for an IV.

Blood samples were taken and a Troponin test was done. You can read more about it at that link - but short story is this - the first test did not show elevated enzyme levels, although the EKG showed some damage somewhere - so the second was ordered for 6 hours later - yes, friends, I lay on that hard ED bed for SIX hours plus. The second Troponin showed elevated levels and the doctor came in to visit with me again - a bit shocked because they did not think from my description that I’d had a heart attack - the test proved otherwise.

I was admitted to ICU for observation and stayed there until Tuesday. The third Troponin was even more elevated, but the subsequent tests came down to a normal level. Yes, pokes for blood every six hours! Ouch!

My hubby and Lessa were awesome - with me every step of the way. Daughter Ladybug brought me the neatest handmade card from the grands and brightened the room with her smile.

I’ll tell you more about what happened after Tuesday - tomorrow.

For now, know that I am blessed - I am much better and in no pain - and I am praising my Lord for HIS hand on my heart.

Now, go on over to the Go Red for Women site and find out how heart healthy YOU are, okay?

–[This guest post is from the one and only Mark Jabo. Mom and I adore him - and now you get to see why! He’s almost as snarky as I am! Enjoy! ~L]–

Hola! Bonjour! Ohayo gozaimasu! ‘Ello! Dude! Greetings to all you passionate knitters out there.

This is what’s known as a guest post. As in, I guessed I could write a post about knitting, but now, I’m not so sure …

One of the most common bromides in “the writing game” is to “write what you know.”

Another common bromide is to put random words in quotes so you appear as if you have “inside knowledge” and are “superior” to all the “common folk” who don’t know as much about your “topic” as “you.”

Having said that, I know absolutely nothing about knitting.

Well, … that about wraps it up for this guest post ….

….

….

Hahahaha. Aren’t we having fun?

And only 135 more words and a link to go before we can qualify Barbara to get paid for hanging out in the hospital.

Pssst. Between you and me, I don’t think Barbara thought this plan through before she put it into action. Sure, she can get people to blog for her, but the amount of money she’ll make from this post will just about cover a Band-Aid. And that’s only if the hospital buys generic.

I’m not sure why I think Barbara can’t read anything in italics, but let’s not let that stand in the way of a good time …

As a non-knitter (or should that be knon-knitter?), I thought maybe we could all learn something if we were to explore some of the common misconceptions about knitting.

So, grab your balls (of yarn) and let’s take a look at (cue dramatic orchestra music) …

The Top Five Misconceptions About Knitting!

We’ll start with one of the most common mistaken ideas people have about knitting right off the bat …

1. Only old people knit. I’ll say that louder for all of you who have hearing aids … ONLY OLD PEOPLE KNIT. I’m kidding, of course. Sure, your grandmother knits. That doesn’t mean only old people knit anymore than the incident with your uncle means that only kids over 21 should be allowed to have birthday parties.

Knitting is more popular than ever among teens and young adults. Hey, I even heard Apple is coming out with the iNeedle – a combination knitting needle and MP3 player which allows you to purl and listen to your favorite Big Band tunes at the same time.

Now, that we’ve dispensed with the “old” stereotype let’s move on to another common misunderstanding about knitting ….

2. Knitting is just for women. Please. Haven’t 40 years of Cosmo and a woman running for President taught us that there are no gender restrictions on what men and women can do? You bet it has.

Don’t worry, we’ll get that whole pay discrepancy thing hammered out in another 40 years or so.

Did you know there is a website dedicated to men who enjoy knitting? It’s filled with nearly a dozen (okay, eight) pictures of men who knit, a rundown of the history of men in knitting and links to other useful sites … like ones that offer self-defense tips.

Knitting is not just for women. It’s also for men who are secure with their masculinity. Really secure.

Man, we are just exploding one myth after another. Let’s continue ….

3. Everyone who knits owns a least seven cats. This is absolutely not true. Five cats is usually the max. No one is saying you have to have a cat if you knit, but most other animals tend to get bored after playing with a ball of yarn for 57 minutes straight.

Knitters are good-natured people who like to have fun, especially with bloggers who gently rib them about their hobby. For that reason, knitters may have other pets they keep in their knitting basket such as cobras. Asking you to get the red yarn out of the basket is their way of accepting you into their group. Sure, you may require an ambulance, but you’ll have a knitting story (and a snake phobia) to last a lifetime.

Shall we proceed to the next big yarn (zing!) about knitting? ….

4. There are only five things you can knit: a scarf, a hat, socks, gloves or an afghan. Okay, now we’re just getting silly. Savvy knitters know that you can also create a square piece of knitting and call it whatever you’d like. It can be a potholder, a drink coaster, a doily, a trivet or a decorative wall hanging. Many knitters refer to this square piece of finished yarn by its more common name: practice.

Many people unfamiliar with knitting often make the mistake of calling an afghan a “blanket.” This is incorrect. A blanket covers your feet when you lay down, all an afghan has to do is cover your shoulders when you sit and read or watch TV. Truth be told, an afghan is really just an extra wide scarf. Or is a scarf just a really narrow afghan? It’s all so confusing.

I told you I didn’t know anything about knitting. But, everyone is in agreement on the final point ….

5. There are no reliable, first-person accounts of anyone actually witnessing a knitting project being completed. This is one case where the perception is totally true. No one has ever been in the room with someone as they put the final stitch in a sweater and said, “A-ha!”

And it’s not just because “A-ha!” is something people only say in 18th century detective novels.

The normal chain of events is you see a friend of yours on Tuesday, knitting what she says is a sweater but actually looks like an amorphous conglomeration of stitching. When you go over to her house on Sunday, your friend proudly displays the finished creation.

Doesn’t that seem a bit odd? Can anyone actually be that talented?

You are not alone. There are many of us who suspect that there is a section of desert in the Western United States where highly-evolved sentient beings (”knitters”) have a vast underground warehouse of finished products. The warehouse is divided into five sections: Hats, Socks, Gloves, Scarves/Afghans and Practice.

Everyone knows that knitters are merely waiting for the right moment to bond together and save Planet Earth but, in order to keep busy until Judgment Day, they knit.

You may not believe everything I’ve told you about knitting fallacies and about the existence of alien beings who knit. But I was abducted by one of these knitters and have been with her for nearly two years now.

And if there’s one thing I know about knitters it’s this: sex with them is fantastic!

–[Hi guys, Lessa here - Barbara’s daughter and fellow 451 blogger. Barbara is currently in the hospital again - this time with a spot of heart trouble, but she’s doing fine, so don’t worry! In the meantime, some others have stepped up to do a couple guests posts for her, so that she doesn’t have to worry about you all, either. If you’d like to do a guest post, please contact me at lessasdesign [at] gmail [dot] com and let me know! I’d be happy to coordinate the effort with you. I’ll also be stopping by here regularly to scoop out your comments from the spam filter too. Thanks and enjoy the post! ~L]–

The Intimidation of Knitting
Guest post by Winnie from Watching the View

In the past few years, I have really wanted to learn to knit. I have a few blog friends who knit and they post such cute creations. Whenever I see their photos, I say, “I wanna do that!” I would love to be able to make a scarf for my mom or a cute little hat for my forthcoming new nephew.

The idea is not completely ridiculous; I do have a crafty side. I like to paint, make collages, and do other small crafts. I can even sew somewhat. But knitting? It scares me. It may go back to third grade art class. We had to do a little art project for mother’s day that doesn’t even probably qualify as knitting, but there was yarn and some kind of needle. All I remember was that I could not get the yarn to go where it was supposed to in order to make a flower thing on the fabric. I went home and cried and my mom let me stay home the next day we had art class. (Yes, it was that traumatic).

Fast forward to yesterday when I was at Michaels for some other craft needs. I perused the knitting aisle as I do from time to time and saw a “Knitting for Dummies” book which came with some needles and some other weird things. I thought about getting it and even planned to tell the clerk that it was for my niece (I don’t have one), because otherwise I would have to admit my true crafting inadequacy. I ended up not getting it, though, because it did not come with any yarn and didn’t seem to explain what kind I would need.

I imagine that one day I will have to breakdown and take a class, because it seems like it is something that you have to learn by watching someone, sort of like dancing, which, by the way, I can’t do either.

~~~

Check it out! Help mom get herself a DECAF coffee when she gets out of the hospital! Sign up and Create amazing slideshows with your own photos & video–free!

apparently, friends, akismet spam blocker has been blocking some of your comments. I read about it on the 451 press forums tonight and thought I should check and sure enough there were NINE of your comments that had been blocked.

I apologize - the powers that be are looking into the problem and hopefully will have it fixed soon.

Thanks so much to all who commented!!!!

barbara

5,723.49 miles is the distance one of the Share A Square squares has traveled to get to me - it came from Fredonia, New York, made a stop in Denton, TX, and then was sent here to Kenai, AK to be placed, along with 47 others, into an afghan to help fulfill one woman’s dream.

The most cool thing about this particular square, however, is that it was made by a friend of mine - a friend I haven’t met yet, but one whom I hope to meet someday. When I opened the box Shelly sent me and found two squares from this friend . . . well, it was just VERY cool.

AND - a square from one of hubby moose’s coworkers was also in the box - actually TWO squares from each of these ladies, as I received two “kits” to put together.

So, HER squares (the coworker’s squares) traveled from Kenai to Denton to Kenai - and will soon make it back to Denton - for a total of 8420.24 miles for those squares.

The ones from Fredonia will have travled a total of 9933.61 miles (give or take). And you know, there are squares that have traveled even further! I’ve placed squares into afghans from the Netherlands, Australia, Japan, and . . . now I’m drawing a blank - but these squares have come from ALL OVER!!! Way to go, internet folks!

Of course, the squares won’t stay in Denton, TX as Shelly is gathering up the afghans - 140 is her goal - to present to kids at Camp Sanguinity this summer. She had a dream, you see. And, unlike some of us who have a thought that doesn’t quite make it to dream stage . . . Shelly set out to make her dream come true.

She’s had a LOT of support and help from people in the great blue ether - people whose hearts were touched by her request and who set out to help make her dream become reality.

Shelly and I have been talking about another way to make these afghans more special. Stay tuned for information on that project. Maybe some of you who don’t knit or crochet - but who DO sew - might be able to help with this.

Stay tuned.

Knitting is not my first learned craft. I actually didn’t start to knit until I was in high school when a friend showed me how to cast on and do the basic knit and purl stitches. She may have shown me, but by the time I was ready, I totally had forgotten how to cast off. That first piece was truly a sight, I’ll tell you!

My first craftiness actually was crochet. My grandmother taught me when I was four years old. She sat me down on the porch - oh, yes, we had a porch on nearly every one of our rentals - with strips of fabric tied together and taught me to make my first rag rug.

But, what I remember most is the big wooden crochet hook she gave me. I sure wish I still had it, but have no clue whatever happened to it. It was hand whittled by her brother, so that would make him my “grand uncle”, right? Yeah, I get confused, too, by the various stages of relationships.

I came across a site this morning that has me waxing nostaligic. Turn of the Century Crochet Hooks. Here’s a picture I borrowed from them:

These just remind me so much of the one I used for the rugs.

In talking with my friends on Saturday, we began to compare notes on, of all things, how we hold our hooks. My grandmother was never able to get me to hold the hook “properly” (see figure 3 on that page). Instead I hold the hook so the end is tucked into my palm and I control the motion with my whole hand. I guess that is the easiest way to explain it.

Holding it the way the picture show and the way Grandma wanted me to always felt too awkward.

So, my friends and I were chatting about it and I finally think I have the answer to it. I was only FOUR years old!!!! My dexterity wasn’t as good then as my grandmother’s and so I learned to hold the hook the way it felt best to me.

And, you know - it works, too. My gauge is generally right on and my stitches look neat.

So, I guess the moral of this story is - hold the hook the way it feels best to you - and crochet or knit to your heart’s delight.

By the way, I’m still watching what to do in Columbus this spring. Granddaughter is beginning (I think) to get excited about the trip - or maybe she is just resigned to spending 10 days with her doddering old grandparents. lol. At any rate, WE are excited.

Hubby and I have both received our passports (what? you don’t need a passport for Ohio?) and we have been picking up some things for the granddaughter also. (a new carry-on bag, notebooks - all in various shades of PINK, etc.)

So, stay tuned for the updates.

p.s. if there is an ad on this site that you find distasteful, I’d like you all to know that I have no control over the ads shown on this or any 451 press site. But, I will take your concerns to TPTB. Thanks for bringing them to my attention.

So, in my last post I promised to tell you about a great hat we saw Saturday. That’s it, there on the left. Click for a larger view. At first I thought the flowers were crocheted, but they look like “I cords” close up.

The gal wearing the hat was too cute. She and her daughter had taken a trip to Homer and while there had heard of “the” hat. Supposedly, she was told, only folks who live in Homer (our very own berg full of granola nuts - or so they say) would be brave enough to wear such a hat. AND, her daughter moaned in embarrassment, MOOOOOOOOOOOM, you CAN’T wear THAT color. Heh, can we all say CHALLANGE???

I thought so.

She even agreed to model the hat for us. Says she loves it. Turns out that she is an elementary school teacher hereabouts. “They can always find me on the playground,” she told us.

Sadly, I’ve already forgotten her name. I apologize in advance - I’ve invited her to come by to see herself here - I am getting older and I forget names and such if I don’t write them down. (This is my not so sneaky way to remind my family that my birthday is coming up quickly - hahahaha) Serioulsy, I did forget the last name - and I think that her first name was Mary. If the owner of this great hat DOES visit here, please sign the comments and let us all know your first name, okay? And, thanks so much for letting me take your picture AND for giving me permission to post it here.

Yes, you can ask my daughters - I do talk to strangers. After all, a stranger is only a friend you haven’t met yet.

Oh, and if you are looking for a felted project or two (or ten) check out this link my friend sent me: Free Felted Projects. Lots and lots of links to felted bags. Surely there is ONE in there you would love to work on for your end of the winter project?

You all have a lovely week!

At just 4 weeks post-op, this has been a bit of a tough week. I think I probably pushed just a bit too hard. Decided to try for 8 hour days this week - and pretty much made it right up to Friday.

At five hours Friday my body said NO MORE! And, there wasn’t even a “please” attached to it. Sigh! So, I signed out, told everyone I would be available by phone if needed and came home to crash in my chair. (I love my chair sometimes! These times, for instance.)

In between snoozes I finished another pair of baby socks. I actually made three socks from this particular yarn. Midway through the second sock the patterning seemed to change and it was too different from the first to make me totally happy. ( there had been a break in the yarn and I guess I missed when I picked up the pattern again) So, I pulled enough yarn out of the skein to find the right starting point and, while a tad different in the heel, I was quite happy with the results.

Here you can see the adult sized socks with the baby socks next to them. Daughter #2 has a friend who is preggers with her first baby (awwwwwwwwwwwwww) and these will go to her - along with the white pair with the yellow, blue, and pink flecks in them - if she has a girl.

click for larger view

My friends and I had coffee this morning to show off our completed projects from the last few months and that is why all the baby socks are on the table with our bags. There will be more pictures over the next few days. I’ve got a shot of a really cute hat to show you, too.

In the meantime, all of your Big Brother fans, check out Lessa’s blog to see the latest news.

It’s completely finished now! Yay for me. What??? Oh, you have no clue what I am talking about? Ahhhh - that is what my family says all the time. Ha ha.

The bag, of course! I felted it up last weekend, but just put the finishing touches on it tonight.

I used leftover yarn from last winter’s sweater project, by the way. The same friends and I decided we would do felted bags next. I’ve actually completed several - one I use often, another I gave to a dear friend. Then, I made a couple of mini bags and I’m still not sure what I’m going to do with those.

But, then I made three more - my friends and I are going for coffee Saturday morning to show off our finished objects. Well, we are going to have coffee and chat also . . . but the intended purpose is to show off our finery.

So . . . . here is the completed bag:

This is after the felting has been completed. Isn’t this a great color? I love it and I’m looking forward to carrying it. It’s a bit on the smallish side - I guess you would call it a clutch. But it is big enough to hold checkbook, wallet, and other necessities.

I then decided to add some embellishments to it. Now, I’ve had these beads for quite awhile. I don’t even remember anymore why I bought them. But, I thought they might be perfect as a little “bobble” for the clutch bag.

Next I decided to check the fabric box to see what I might have to line the clutch. I haven’t lined any of the bags before, but I really like the idea and thought I would give it a go - if I could just find the right piece of fabric. Tell me if you think I did a good thing here.

Oh, now really - just how perfect could it be? PAISLEY!!! Yup, just transport me back to the 60s and drop me onto the disco floor.

Okay - so it wasn’t disco in the 60s, but we DID go clubbing - complete with black lights and the like. There was that week down in Florida . . . erm, never mind.

I hope you heard me say that in the best Alfred Hitchcock voice possible. Yes, I grew up watching the chilling (to me - at that time - in black and white - I was a little girl!) Alfred Hitchcock show. But I always loved how he would walk out and fit into his silhouette - double chins and jowls and all, turn and say to ME - Goood Eeeeeeeevening !

But I digress . . . this is, after all, a knitting blog.

Finished my socks a couple of nights ago - and last night I finished the second of the little orange ones. Yes, for those of you who might be counting, this is the SECOND pair of the little orange ones. (And, the orange color is better in the photo in that entry, btw) The first pair, along with the blue pair, is winging its way to merry old England for a friend who will be a first time grandpa this summer.

This pair and another, yet to be decided on colorwise, will go to ANOTHER friend in England who has discovered that HE will also be a first time grandpa this summer. Must be sumthin in the water, I tell ya. (glad I’m not drinking THAT water!) heh.

It would seem that the same stuff is in the water hereabouts, too . . . and I drink a LOT of water, so I am going to have to watch it.

What? You mean that’s NOT the way babies are made? Hmmmmmmm

oh! a mother’s room! Aha!
hahahahahahaha