Knitting Passion

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!
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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.

Yup, a day late and a dollar short . . . but there you go. I promised pics and pics you shall have!

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At left is a picture of Sherry working on a sock in some GREAT colors! The pattern is Tidal Wave - I wrote about it a few entries ago - pretty neat to see someone else working on it. (the link goes to a pdf of the pattern.)

I can’t start on mine yet - and it is for a really DUMB reason! I bought new needles last Tuesday, set them aside until I had finished a project - and when I took them out discovered that I had NOT purchased size 1 dpns as needed. Oh, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO (heavy on the sarcasm - can’t help it - I am SUCH a nudge!) I bought size 0 dpns!

sigh!

So, now I need to wait until I get paid later this week to buy size 1s. Well, maybe I will NEED size 0s at some point - but, good golly they sure are teensy needles.

My hands go numb with size 2s! Of course, that COULD be because I was watching I Am Legend while finishing up the baby socks. Have you SEEN that movie? Shiver! Wow! And, that’s all I have to say about that! (ala Forest Gump - heh)

So - am off to bed - have to be up bright and early in the morning - going to take the expectant mama her new socks - for her AND the baby.

I’ll post pictures of the finished project tomorrow. Have a great rest of Sunday - well, it IS Sunday in Alaska still.

So, I met Sherry from the Ravelry knitting group Alaskan Knitters this morning for coffee. We had no clue who the other was . . . so how in the world would we hook up?

Well, I am all about the obvious - so I wore my purple moose pin - my log in name at ravelry is Purple Moose, after all. AND - I had my knitting out on the table and was working on one of the baby socks.

Sherry came in and gravitated right to me and said - oooh, here’s another knitter! I grinned and said - are you Sherry? Yes - are you Barbara? Yes! And, we laughed.

Her hubby, bless his heart, grinned, bought their drinks, grabbed his book - and a kiss from Sherry - and left us to our conversation.

TWO HOURS later he called and told her he was in the parking lot - TWO HOURS!!! I guess it is true what my nephew told his mother back 20 years or so ago when we were stuck in SeaTac airport for 4 days (due to a volcanic eruption in Alaska which had grounded the planes - ALL of the planes - 4 days before Christmas!!!) . . . “Mom, Aunt Barb can talk to ANYONE about ANYTHING - ANYPLACE!!!” Yes, I embarrassed him greatly. Yes, I would do it again.

And, you know what? Deep down, I am secretly a shy person. No, really! Quit laughing at me! Why does everyone laugh when I say that?

heh

It was great fun, Sherry! I hope to join you again another Saturday.

Afterwards I did some book shopping for a grandson who lost his book on the school bus - called to make sure I had the right one - and, guess what! He told me the wrong number on the phone - and now I have to return it! (sigh!) What I won’t do for my grand-younguns.

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New (to me) charity project you might want to check out:

Scarves from the Heart. Here is a little about the founder:

My name is Shirley (Shelly) Heikkinen, I am a wife, mother, and grandmother who in 2001 retired from my office job. I have a 43 year old daughter who is battling cancer, and recently lost my younger sister to cancer. At the time I began this venture, neither my daughter or sister lived close enough for me to be able to help them with physical needs, so my role was that of moral support. Their battles left me with a lot of negative emotions that were not conducive to my own physical health, worry was taking a toll on me and I knew I needed to do something about it. One night lying in bed I got the idea to knit scarves for cancer patients, I knew that neither my daughter nor sister would want it done in their names so I decided to do something locally. The next morning I called the St. Joseph’s Regional Cancer Center (formerly the Sister Mary Pia Cancer Center) and Scarves from the Heart began.

You may view her blog at The Yarn Tart.

I hope you will read more about this project and donate if you can. If you are interested in beginning such a project in your own area, there is information on the site to help you get started.

Soooooooooooooooooo - off you go now - have fun, be careful, and enjoy your weekend.

I am hoping to meet up with some of the Ravelry knitters this morning - from the Alaska Knitters group. We will meet at a Soldotna coffee shop.

Of course . . . . THIS is what Alaska threw at us this morning . . . so . . .

a nice fresh spring snowfall - about 3 1/2 inches or so - and, on the day AFTER I changed over from winter studded tires to summer tires. Bwahahaha! Alaska has such a great sense of humor.

Will a measly 3 1/2 inches stop us from getting out and meeting for coffee? Well, I can’t answer for the rest of the folks, but it won’t stop ME!

In fact, I will be meeting a second group - of dear friends - at 2 this afternoon at another coffee shop for a love-fest of coffee and laughter and hugs.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhlaska!

By the way - for those of you who like to do yarn crawls while on travels . . . here is a GREAT place to visit FIRST - America’s Knitting - just go to the state and town you are planning to visit and you can find most - if not all - of the local yarn shops listed there.

I wish I had found it beFORE going to Ohio in March, but at least I have it for the next time. And, check out the projects page to see a pair of my socks featured. That pair is now finished and I am working on the baby socks. Hope to have them done by Monday to take to the pool to give to the mama. She only has a couple weeks left in this pregnancy and I’m not sure how much longer she’ll be coming to the pool for her lap swimming.

thanks, Mary!

Hope you are all enjoying a snow free day. We got OUR snow for free! lol

I’m a bit disappointed, though, because I did not make a yarn run in all the time we were there. There just wasn’t enough time - what with running around visiting with relatives and then doing our sightseeing with our granddaughter. It was SO much fun to introduce Ms. Thang to our Ohio.

I was born and raised in Columbus and hubby was born in W. VA and raised in the Columbus area. Some family still in the area - and, in order to see as many as possible we had a no-host get-together Thursday night at a buffet restaurant. (poor folks there will never be the same - haha) It was good to get reacquainted with everyone.

While I was not able to visit any yarn shops - I DID get some knitting done. I made a pair of baby socks for one of our friends who is going to be a grandpa soon. Okay, the socks aren’t for HIM, they’re for the baby - but you knew that, right?

Right.

It’s the first time he had ever seen self-patterning yarn. He kept asking me how I had done that - did I use several balls of yarn. I had to tell him I wasn’t quite as talented as he thinks, because it all came from one skein.

Gotta love messing with folks’ minds, huh?

So - we arrived back home earlier this week, but it has taken me this long to be reacclimated to the time change (four hours) and catch up somewhat at work. And, this morning I get some extra time as I am only working a part day.

I even logged in to my Ravelry account yesterday - didn’t get to stay for long - I was looking for a pattern for socks using the Tofutsies yarn I purchased eons ago. They had one listed that I’d seen elsewhere (on the Tofutsies yarn site) so I’ll either use that pattern or one from my stash. But I need to get the yarn done up - right?

And, I need to get busy on the second afghan for Shelly’s Share a Square project. I finished the first one before we left. Bought some beads while in Anchorage for the bags. Thanks to the folks who let me know they were working on bags for the project - if you have time to do one or two, drop me a note, too.

Have a great day, everyone!

Oh, my - these are some great (80’s throwback) colors for yarn . . . Jelly Yarns. I am loving the colors and I’m sure the granddaughters will as well.

In fact, I’m so sure, I’ve just ordered the belt and bracelet pattern, black yarn, and pink heart buckle for the Girl’s birthday.

They even offer free patterns. How very cool is that - and it is a great looking little purse, too!

These colors remind me of when Ladybug (my youngest daughter) competed in a scholarship pageant the summer between her junior and senior year in high school. For her talent she decided to sing “Anything you can do, I can do better” from Annie Get Your Gun. (side note - I was in that musical when I was in high school - long, long ago).

Deciding to try to impress the judges a bit, we went for an updated version of Annie toting her gun. Ladybug was decked out in the neon colors that were the rage back then - guess that was actually the 90s that the colors were so vibrant and NEON.

It was also when the super soakers first came out - so, Ladybug wore bright colored tights, shorts, suspenders and shirt with a jaunty little tam on her head. In her hand she carried one of the super soakers. She had greens and yellows and pinks and oranges covering herself. It was really a cute outfit and she wore it well.

Unfortunately - or perhaps not unfortunately as God has it all in His power at all times anyway - she did not place in the pageant and we came back to Alaska to carry on with our lives. Don’t know about her, but I would not have given up that trip with her. It was great fun to visit Iowa and Illinois (the pageant was in Illinois) and see the sights while she was so busy practicing for the pageant.

I saw Ronald Reagan speak at Truman’s Library (? I think it was Truman’s - somebody out there help this old gal remember whose library is where) on the Iowa side of the river. I also visited all of the Amana Colonies and experienced a glorious midwestern thunderstorm. I LOVE the rain, so gloried in it while the folks at the Miniature Barn grumbled.

I also suffered a bout of heat stroke. But I am fully recovered all these years later.

Memories from a ball of yarn. Pretty cool!

I love, love, LOVE this idea! You know, people toss their old keyboards and typewriters without thinking about it. And, here is someone who is making use of the things - recycling at its best. Right?

I am secretly lusting after those many keyboards out there in hubby’s space - okay, not really, but everytime I see these chokers I get to thinking about all of the various pieces of computer equipment out there.

I could knit something around them, right? Right? Heh - yup, just as soon as I find the extra time to do that. LOL

And, from keys to buttons - look at these vintage buttons! I’m thinking a cardigan with these . . . yummy!

And, while you’re in etsy land - mosey on over to check out the “upcycled” hats and clutches. Who among us has NOT accidentally felted a favorite sweater? Yeah, I have one in just that color of pink, too. Sigh! I wore it home after our wedding nearly 40 years ago. I think it is still in my hope chest.

What? You didn’t have a hope chest? You’re too young to know what a hope chest is? They don’t do hope chests any longer? Oh, my. You all do make me feel my age some days.
Not really, but it’s fun to poke fun at myself sometimes.

I have been thinking about how much fun it might be to felt up some sally’s sweaters and making some bags or hats from the results. Had no clue I would be an “upcycler”. I just thought of it along the lines of the 3 r’s (reduce, reuse, recycle). Fun to do my part.

I’ll have to keep my eyes open.

Actually, as you read this we are back on the ground.

Hubby and oldest granddaughter and I have set off on a journey back to his and my old stomping grounds - the land of our fathers and mothers - the land where we met - the land where we started our life together.

No, it’s not all that romantic - we’re visiting family and friends in Columbus, Ohio. I was born and raised there - hubby (born in West Virginia) was raised there. We each still have some family living in the area and we both have friends there still.

Granddaughter and I are spending time in the hotel pool each night - Grandpa can’t do it because of his poor diabetic feet - he has no feeling in his feet so must be very careful. But granddaughter and I do not have that problem. We love the water and packed our bathing suits just because we can.

One of the things I hope we get to do is visit some of the yarn stores in the nearby area. I was disappointed when I couldn’t do that in Juneau, so am looking forward to exploring a bit in Columbus.

We’ll be also visitng COSI (Center of Science and Industry) which was always so much fun to visit when I was a girl and then when my oldest was a youngun. They are in a new location - well, they’ve been there several years, but I haven’t been to it. It is actually a quite historical location, having been built around an old high school building. They have kept the structural integrity of Central High School, while building around it. Sort of looking forward to seeing the inside of it - I’ve driven by it on my last few trips back “home”.

Oooh, they’re showing a movie about Greece! Yay. Looks like it will be a full day adventure there.

I am a member of Ravelry . . . but hardly ever have time to play there. Is that sad or what?

You see, I do have a reason. I only have just so much time - and when I get to reading other people’s stuff - checking out what THEY are doing, I suddenly find myself with NO time left over to do things of my own.

I can either read online - or I can knit (crochet, etc.) offline.

I can play online - or I can see my Share A Square projects grow.

I can play with others at Ravelry - or I can knit and crochet things for my loved ones here.

But, I LOVE to read about other projects - to see what others have to say - to PLAY!

Sigh!

I was actually able to join the group early on in its beginnings. I was one of the lucky ones who was chosen. And, I’ve fallen down on my duties, I’m guessing.

It’s a nice thing that they still let me come in and update my list of needles and such, huh? Oh, and to check out all of the folks from Alaska who are members - hey, there is even one just in the next town up from me. That’s sort of cool. Because, it is possible I might never meet some of these folks otherwise.

It’s not like we have knit-ins here in the central Kenai Peninsula or anything.

But, I imagine THAT could happen, too. But it would take more time - and time seems to be something that I have little of these days. It is a very precious commodity.

Like fuel for my car.

But that is a whole ‘nother story. (oy! the prices!!!!)

Last night I finished edging the first afghan for Shelly’s project. (by the way - bags for the tags are still needed.) I have all the squares for the second one edged, but haven’t joined them into strips yet. I’ll do that when I return.

Return?

Ah, yes . . . we are packing for another trip. This time hubby and oldest granddaughter are going along. This time we are traveling out of state - or, as we Alaskans say - “Outside”. We are going Outside for spring break.

The granddaughter and I were supposed to travel to Washington DC with her 8th grade teacher and other students and staff. Just like I did two years ago with her brother. This time there were not enough students interested in going (WHAT??? At that age I would have LOVED to take a trip!) so the trip was cancelled.

Hubby and I felt that she should still get her trip, so when we got the money back from the DC trip I started looking for good deals. We were able to get airline tickets, hotel and car for all three of us for the same time frame. How cool is that?

We leave tomorrow morning to drive to Anchorage where we will leave the car with friends and then we fly out just before 10 pm.

DC? Nope - we are giving her a history trip of her very own (family) history. We will visit an aunt of mine and an aunt of her grandpa’s. Then we will have a no-host dinner with some of my cousins, some of his nieces and nephews and some good friends. We just don’t have enough time to go to everyone’s house, so we’ll do the one big hoo-hah to try to see as many as possible all at once.

Side trips (besides the two aunts) will include a vist to COSI and the Ohio Historical Museum (to see the mummy behind which her grandpa gave her grandmummy her first kiss - oh, I am so punny!

This trip I am taking along my needles and some baby socks in progress. Maybe I should take along a self-addressed envelope just in case they decide to take them away from me? Nahhhh.

Just one more thing about Juneau (well, one more that I can think of right now) - I rode from Anchorage to Juneau with the First Dude! Only I didn’t realize it until later.

You see - I saw him in the Anchorage airport, then again in the Juneau airport. And, I kept saying - who IS that guy? I know I know him. I’ve seen him on TV!

The women with me said they had no clue . . . and it bugged me all the way to the hotel. So, I got the ironing board set up (yes, I still iron - especially after a long trip and the luggage has been dropkicked by the ramp rats one too many times) and was staring out the window as I pressed a pair of slacks. Suddenly the light came on and I shouted THE FIRST DUDE!

By the way - while I was in Juneau, Governor Palin revealed that she is SEVEN months pregnant with her fifth child! She is due mid-May. That is a mighty long time to have hidden a fifth pregnancy. She used smoke and mirrors - welll, jackets and long scarves, anyway.

So, of course, I (and probably thousands of other grammas in the state) am going to knit her a pair of baby socks.

something like these. With our crazy laws against accepting gifts, she will likely donate them to a hospital, but I am okay with that, too.

Sigh! I know, I really need a life. haha

Since I have just come home from a trip (for work - in Juneau) and after this week will be heading out again for a trio (for fun - to Ohio - where it snowed 20 inches last weekend!!! meaning they have about 16 inches MORE than we do here in Kenai - ALASKA!) I thought it might be fun to talk about carry-ons.

Or maybe to talk about carrying on. Heh!

As per usual, I can talk about just about anything - at just about any time - AND - to just about anyone.

No, that isn’t an original sentiment of mine - it stems from a VERY long layover (4 days!!!) in Seattle one year right before Christmas - when one of our mountains decided to blow her top and caused many, many, MANY planes to be grounded. I was stuck there amid hundreds of people - back in the day before 9-11 - back when they still had lockers (thank God!) for you to store your luggage in so you wouldn’t have to lug it all around with you.

My nephew was coming home for a Christmas visit - from the Navy - and he and I found each other in the throngs of people. Three days later his mama showed up on HER way back to Alaska from a visit to Ohio and those were the first words he said to her - Mom, Aunt B can talk to ANYONE, ANYWHERE, about ANYTHING. Heh

I think there was some eye rolling and pleading going on there, too. Silly nephews!

These days - post 9-11 - there are no more airport lockers. You must lug your luggage (hmmmm - the name, the name!) with you wherever you go. (please notify security if you see unwatched luggage) And, somehow, traveling is a little less fun at times.

But, I can still talk to anyone about anything, just about anywhere. Including airports. In other words, I still carry on.

How about all of you - are you carrying on these days? And, if not, WHY NOT? Where’s the fun in that, I ask you?

I also ask - have you made a bag lately? Have you read about the project over at Shelly’s? She no longer needs squares - she has more than enough to finish several afghans over the original number of 140. Thank you to everyone who helped by donating squares.

That includes a friend of mine on the other side of the country whose square I was recently edging in black: You know, I have never met this online friend, but I feel closer to her everytime I get to put one of her squares into an afghan.

These are well-traveled squares - too bad they don’t get mileage, huh?

SPEAKING OF BAGS . . . .

Bag Ladies and Gents still needed. Read about the project here and contact me at prplmoose AT kenaiwriter DOT net if you’d like more information or would like to contribute. THANKS!

Bag Ladies and Gents still needed. Read about the project here and contact me at prplmoose AT kenaiwriter DOT net if you’d like more information or would like to contribute. THANKS!

Now, you all know that a trip (ANYWHERE) to the big city is an opportunity to troll through either bookstores OR yarn shops.

Can you guess which one struck my fancy this time?

Yup, you’d be correct!
One of my sweet sisters in Christ joined me for a drive up to anchortown Friday. I had entered some pictures into the Fur Rondy photo contest and it was the first day of the show - so we went to see how many had made it onto display.

Once again, no ribbons for me as none of the pictures “placed”, but all five were IN the show so we did get to see them hung among the others.

But, a good “girlfriend’s day out” ABSOLUTELY MUST include perusing the yarn shops available. My friend has recently begun a quilt, so the first stop had to be the quilting/yarn store in mid-town. We ooohed and ahhhed over the pretty colors in the quilting section. I heard some “I could do that” comments from time to time and I loved it. She CAN do it - she can do anything she would like to try!

And, that includes knitting - although she has never tried . . . yet.

In the yarn section she was fascinated with all the different yarns and such - I kept saying - just wait until we get to the Knitting Grounds if you think THESE yarns are cool.

So after lunch at the City Diner - sorry, Lessa, they have taken “chicken fried bacon” off the menu - we stopped to visit with Zaynab (pictured above) before heading out of town.

I was a bit disappointed that we had gotten there before all of the Friday Night Knitting folks. And, we were not able to stay longer because of the whole driving through the mountains to get home thing . . . but I got some great shots of my friend modeling some of the gorgeous knitted items through the store.

AND . . . she even asked if we thought she could knit some socks - well, of COURSE we think she can. But, we might want to start with a simple scarf first - just to get those knits and purls down.