Knitting Passion

A work in progress from one of the Soldotna Ravelry knitters.

I wasn’t able to get together with the Soldotna Ravelers today as I had an earlier coffee date with two very dear friends. We met at the same location - Mugz - and sat and talked and laughed and cried and drank our coffee. It was a very nice meet-up and I am blessed to have such great friends as Ms. B and Ms. S. Thank you, ladies. See you again soon.

They have music - looks like about every weekend - in the lounge, too. I’m a bit disappointed because it looks like a colleague of mine (work related) was featured there tonight. I enjoy her music, but it is usually a “chance” occasion when I get to hear it - and, sometimes it is a near miss - like tonight. (Yes, I’m pouting just a bit)

Daughter Lessa, who writes for 451Press also, (Watching Rachael Ray, Watching Survivor, and Big Brother Craze) also has another home online. Please go and read her snarky account of life on our own little Wisteria Lane. Maybe it’s just me - and maybe it’s because I know the folks of whom she speaks, but I about spat on my screen as I read it. Of course, it might be funnier to some who actually watch the show - I’m afraid I’ve never seen an episode of Desperate Housewives. (does that make me truly weird?)

In other news - hubby and I went to see the new Indiana Jones flick last night - we weren’t able to do so last weekend because the showings were all sold out. This week, I bought tickets on the way home from work - we went out for dinner - and then went back to the theatre and saw the film. I was told by the manager that the BIG seller this week was Sex and the City. Well, call me silly, but I would rather watch Indie!

We enjoyed it greatly. Yes, Harrison Ford is older, but then so am I! I thought that his stunts were reasonable (for an old guy) for the most part.

There were a couple of scenes I could have done without - no spoilers, BUT - I am a bit afraid of heights (being vertically challenged and all that) and I have a high gag reflex. When you’ve seen the movie, if you don’t know what I am referring to, feel free to leave a comment or email me and I’ll share.

Have a great weekend!

hubby’s socks were big . . . now I’ve discovered the BIG SOCK project.

Imagine, if you can, 1500 stitches cast onto several (I think I read there are 13 needles - something like that, anyway) circular needles and then sent around the world for different knitters to knit a row, or two, or ten, or more . . .

According to the big sock website the current record holder for the largest handknit sock which measured 4.95 x 4.3 x 1.9 meters is held by the Sheep Farmers Association of Austria. THIS sock hopes to measure 7 meters (22.96 feet) in diameter and is expected to be 4 meters (13.12 feet) long before the heel is turned.

I found out about this project on the Ravelry forum boards - and, doggonit, I wanna play, too. I’ve posted that I would love to see the sock come to Alaska where we could play with it for awhile.

Surely the Kenai and Soldotna area knitters (Ravelry and otherwise) could have fun with it for awhile and then I could get it to Anchorage for the local yarn stores to play with, too.

Can’t imagine how much the postage would cost to get it from place to place - that thing is getting pretty BIG! But, if everyone chipped in a buck or so, it wouldn’t be such a big project or drain on the purse.

And, wouldn’t it be fun to say you had a part in making some Guiness World Book of Records history? And, you know . . . any excuse for knitters to gather and party - ANY excuse! I’ve left messages on the ravelry board and on the website - hopefully Alaska will get to see the giant sock.

So, on the 17th and again on the 24th I met up with some of the Soldotna Ravelers for coffee and kibbitzing about knitting - and families - and hubbies - and jobs - and the cost of gas, etc. It’s been fun getting to know these knitters . . . and crocheters.

One of the daughters was working on a toy elephant in crochet. She was using blue sparkly yarn which just kinda cracked me up, being as the repubs are all blue and such - quipped that she would need to use red should she make a donkey (for the dems, you see).

We have socks in the works and scarves and elephants and leggings . . . we are a diverse and eclectic group - and that is ALL good!

Thoughts out to J’s mom - hoping she is out of the hospital by now and things are getting back to normal in the J household.

There will be another meet-up this weekend, I understand. I will be at the same place at the same time, most likely, but will be meeting a couple of my friends for coffee and chit-chat - not coffee and click-clack. One of them does knit, but the other does not - she, however, quilts!

Generally, when we get together, it is more chatter than crafting of any sort. Three good friends who don’t see each other nearly as often as we would like these days. It’s always good when we CAN get together. (can you tell I’m looking forward to it?)

And, remember these socks?

We got to meet the new baby last weekend - at the swimming pool while we were celebrating the Pup’s birthday. He is a cutie patootie!

All right, my friends - this has been a long year for Ms. Shelly, she of great passion and even greater heart. Her dream originally was to bathe campers - who have been battling great things in their lives - with some love and cover them with home-made afghans.

She put out her desire onto the internet and asked crocheters from around the internet (which spans around the globe!) for 6 inch squares that would be put into afghans for the youngsters. Next came a plea for crocheters to edge the squares and join them into the afghans.

Her dream grew - wouldn’t it be cool to enclose bags for the tags that were on each individual square - (48 tags per afghan) 140 afghans needed bags. Yellow Rose and I would be working on collecting 70 bags each.

It’s time for an update and followup request. I have 48 bags in my possession currently. I’ve gone through my emails and I think there may have been a few more promised but haven’t been received yet. (it gets a bit difficult because we all have our online personas and our real life names - and a purple moose can sometimes be easily confused, you see.)

So, here is my request - I need 22 bags to hold up my end of the deal. If you have it in your heart and have not yet contributed, now is your chance. Email me (prplmoose AT kenaiwriter DOT net) and let me know if you are able to help out.

Shelly is checking on the time when we might be able to deliver the afghans - and that will determine the absolute latest time we can gather the bags to get them to Shelly to get them placed with the afghans to get them delivered to the camp.

See how small ideas snowball?

Thanks to all of you!

Yeah, I know it’s been awhile - and just like a bad penny I turn up, huh?

Life has been busy in this knitter’s household. School had come to a screeching halt for the grandkiddos with last field trips and last concerts and last fun things with friends . . . and there are some firsts, also: granddaughter #1 walked across the floor at the middle school for the last time as a middle schooler and for the FIRST time as a freshman in high school!

My first granddaughter is a FRESHMAN! Oh, my goodness - I do NOT know where the time has gone with that one . . . or with her brother . . . the one who is going to be a JUNIOR next year - the one who is working at his first job - the one who is practicing driving with his mama and his grandpa - my own sweetcakes is a JUNIOR!

Add to that the final swim meets for the grands in the other daughter’s family and THAT daughter’s first triathlon, and, and, and, oh, yes - hubby’s and my 39th anniversary(!!!)

Busy, busy, busy - also at work. And, on the knitting front.

Really, folks, about the only place I am NOT busy is cleaning my house. Ha ha ha. I am taking off a bit more than a week in June and will try to get the house into some semblance of order.

But, on the knitting front . . .

Finished hubby’s socks just tonight:

He put them right on and declared them to be good.

They were part of his anniversary gift - gifted a wee bit late (anniversary was May 10th). Gifted ON the day was:

this Star Trek insignia wash cloth. He loved it.

We are coming down to the wire, folks . . . have you made a bag - or contacted me about a bag - but haven’t sent it on, yet? Now is the time . . . we are getting ever closer to June and it’ll soon be time for these kiddos to go to camp. We want to make it an awesome summer.

And, if you’re just not a baggy type of gal or guy . . . well, then maybe you would like to personally help send a kid to camp. Check out this contest and get in on the i-Pod drawing. You know you wanna!!!!

Those are hubby’s socks . . . I’m getting there - I think I was way too impressed with my ability when I thought I could have them finished before we went to Homer last weekend. I finished the first sock a couple of nights ago - and am progressing on the second. The ribbing in this pattern is 8-12 inches long. I make it 8 inches. Hubby’s foot is a size 12!!! so the finished sock looks humongo, but, it should fit him just fine.

During the winter he wears polar fleece socks with his birks. It’s getting a little too warm now (okay, not really - at least not for him) for the fleece - so, he may be able to soon move on to lighter weight socks like these knitted ones.

The nice thing - as if you all didn’t know - about knitted socks is that they are lightweight, but still warm.

yuppers!

a Bottoms gal. Here’s a little linky-love for my hometown!

thanks to the 451 Press Columbus, Ohio blog writer for sharing this. I grew up in what is now known as Franklinton - in Franklin County. When I grew up there it was called The Bottoms. City developers don’t like it to be known as that any longer because of the whole ghetto complex.

Trust me folks, no matter how you color it - the Bottoms is the Bottoms is the Bottoms. It was a great little place to grow up in - even though we were Po Folk and all that. I have fond memories of the Bottoms and will always be a Bottoms gal at heart (and bottom - heh).

But, I did love the video and tune - and hope you will enjoy it also - be sure to go and hear the one for which this entry is named - Ah am - a Buckeye fan - while you’re at it.

We drove through my old neighborhood(s) while visiting in March - man, it’s a long way from the Bottoms to Alaska and back again, you know? Things have changed - some things have NOT changed - it’s all good.

I’m glad to have grown up there - and I’m very glad to be here now.

See - it’s ALL good!

back to hubby’s socks. I don’t think I’m going to get them finished BEFORE the anniversary trip – will probably take them along with us and work on them at the pool or in the room or something. We’ll see – maybe Father’s Day?

Well, it’s bright and early Alaska time at any rate.

Okay - it’s not so bright - it’s just 5 am here and the sun hasn’t come up yet. However, our days are getting longer and the sun is coming up earlier each day and setting later each day - so we are quickly sliding into Alaska’s summer season.

Hubby and I are celebrating our 39th wedding anniversary this Saturday - we were married in Columbus, Ohio and had 9 anniversaries there before moving to Alaska. We had just come off a very loooooong and very white first winter in our new home state when we celebrated our 10th. That was kind of a rough one. But we carried on. (and our kids would say we “carried on” entirely too much for their comfort - heh)

To celebrate this year we are driving south to Homer to watch a couple of the younger grandkiddos in their last swim meet of the year. After we cheer them on and get our wet hugs and give high fives, PawPaw and I have a date - for dinner - a couples side by side massage - and a night at an Inn on Kachemak Bay. We’ll come back home sometime Sunday afternoon.

So, what do you get each other after 39 years?

recognize that symbol? Yup, Star Trek. Hubby is a big fan - BIG fan. I spent several years collecting the entire collection of Star Trek episodes - on videotape, mind you! - and he is the proud owner of every one on cd as well. Not to mention all of the movies and lots of different memorabilia. If it had anything to do with Star Trek - and it was within our budget at the time - he was the recipient of that thing. Christmas, birthday, anniversary, Father’s Day, just because.

This year when I found the baby trekkie washcloth I knew I had to make it up. I almost made it in red, but we all know what happens to the crew member wearing red in an episode - so it was either this teal green or purple. This was the winner.

Hope you are having a great week - I am amazed yet again, and maybe this is just me, but just how quickly is our year going by? I know, I know - that is a true sign of age.

Got a sock pattern you designed? Maybe you are thinking outside the box of sox? Maybe you are the ONE - maybe . . . maybe . . . Head on over and check it out!
——————————-
Do you have . .

Flat feet?

Mary at America’s Knitting wrote about this cool new way of knitting your socks – frogging a specially dyed piece as you knit a sock – go and read all about it!

Sadly, although several yarn shops in Alaska carry products from this company, none of them are remotely near me! And, I was craving something new and different, too.

I think I’m going to have to ask Zaynab at Knitting Grounds in Anchorage if she can get some of this – my hands are just ITCHING to get hold of some of it.

In the meantime I have just put a pair of socks onto needles for hubby! Yeah, I know. It’s been awhile since I’ve made HIM a pair of socks and it’s just about time. He’ll be shedding his polar fleece for the summer and a nice pair of knitted-with-love socks will be just right to wear with his birks as he runs out and about.

Not sure if I’ll get them done before the weekend – for our anniversary – but I am going to try. I’ve also found a pattern – it’s a baby washcloth pattern, actually – that I am going to try to do for the anniversary. It’s a star trek symbol! Think THIS without the line around it.

Live long and prosper, hubby moose, live long and prosper!

It’s update time for the Share a Square Bag Project, folks! We are on our way to completing Shelly’s dream of giving an afghan to each Camp Sanguinity camper this summer. To go along with the bags we’d like to send a bag to hold each tag - each square holds a tag telling the name of the crafter who made it - once the child has taken them off the afghan.

Yellow Rose and I are working to gather up 70 bags each. THANK YOU to those who have responded so far! You all are awesome.

The bags in the picture are some that Shelly sent me to decorate. Each is different - I bought some craft beads and sewed them to the bags with gold ribbon. Not bad for a gal whose real talent lies in talking - and knitting - and sometimes both at the same time. ha ha ha.

Meanwhile, our Alaska weather has toned down its attitude a bit. We are still in “almost” spring mode, but at least there has been no snow for a week. Yay! The temps are still a tad chilly, but I opened the bedroom window last night to get some fresh air in the room. Felt so good!

Hoping for a lovely weekend next week. Hubby and I are driving to Homer Saturday morning to see two of the grandkiddos swim in their last meet for the year. Then he and I are going to bunk out at an Inn to celebrate our 39th (!!!!) anniversary. The big plan for the night is a couple’s side by side massage.

**I** will love it. He’s not so sure as he’s never had one before, but I think he will approve as well.