Dancing Kites.....

My COB sister Chris, (Crusty Old Bitch) sent this link to me. ENJOY. then you can read the post I wrote earlier today, seriously, watch it, listen to it to the very end.

http://www.kitelife.com/videos/demo/bethell_promo.htm



HEY! Ms. K wrote me saying she couldn't get that link to work....anyone else having problems with it?

Let me know. (it works fine for me)

***********Please note******** I asked Dianne what she did to finally get it to work, she wrote that she just kept clicking on 'play' repeatedly and that it finally gave it up and played.

I'm hoping to ask Bobby about this, perhaps there's some program running in my pc that may not be in other pc, you know how that is.....if it turns out to be something like that I'll come back in and let you know.

*************INFO UPDATE: You must have Windows Media Video 9 program in your pc to be able to make this run.........for all those folks out there unable to watch this...I'm sorry. seriously, very sorry.

Rambles with a Rant thrown in.......

I've been a bit distracted lately, this does not bode well with ADD, anyone out there know what I'm talking about? Lots and lots of fun. NOT.

I did receive a very quick email from Angie the other day after I last posted, she is, of course, sick with worry about Jeff's physical state, as per her email he would be in hospital this week having tests run, they weren't sure what the problem was exactly so exploratory tests were on order. I've not heard back from her, therefore I don't know anything more. I do know that I have kept her, Jeff and Holly close and sent huge amounts of love and healing thoughts and prayers. I'd like to thank everyone who took some time to do the same, keep the thoughts and prayers flowing.


Now, since I have you in the mood maybe, you can see that I'm a proud member of the Dulaan Brigade (see that button on my sidebar?) and for those out there who might want to do a really good deed, or deeds...check this out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qd3HovTEFoO which is titled "One Steppe at a Time", the other link about the knitting http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ODiK3YdZ2o go watch them, I'd be surprised if you didn't knit at least one thing, be it a hat, mittens, scarf, vest, you name it, these beautiful people need it all.
If those links don't take you to those 2 particular 'youtubes' then go to www.youtube.com and type in Dulaan in the search space. Be prepared for your heart and soul to be touched.

I'll be going through clothes around here....you know those clothes (well, maybe not, but I have them around here) that are there for...options? And the bluejeans (32x32) that Bobby has, ahem, grown out of (to 33x32) and they're not hardly worn...sweaters, long sleeved heavy t-shirts, there may even be jackets around here that might not be warm enough for their severe winters but certainly would be good for the milder temps of late spring, very early autumn. Yep, gonna gather them up, give them all a good washing for good measure and pack them all off to Flagstaff, Arizona. The knits of course will be heading to Sedona, Arizona.

Now for an update on that beautiful gift certificate Bobby gave me for our anniversary.....I took it all in, traded out one of the skeins of cashmere for a RED skein, oooooh, pretty! And, remember I was going to trade the rest in on some of that buffalo yarn? to make him some bed socks? WARNING: Rant ahead. At first I can't find it....I wander the shop 3-4 times, thinking I've seen it all, surely, so I ask....oh, there in the WINDOW.....in a huge, we're talking HUGE bowl, and it's full to overflowing with buffalo yarn, ok? Now, I went online to American Buffalo Products just to scope it out, see what the prices were....$48.00/skein, and thinking back to the last time I had been in that particular lys, I recall their price to be around 50.00-52.00 maybe....but I picked up a skein to look at the tag....(whatthefuck!)....I know I didn't say that loudly...in fact I THOUGHT I had said this just in my head but it may have come out as a whisper, under your breath type of thing.....and why? $59.99. Yep.
Now, I do understand that 'making a profit' gig...I do..but you know the company that makes the stuff is making a profit at 48.00 a whack, and that 'as a rule' those companies sell to other companies at an amount less than their selling price, right? or am I wrong? I'm thinking even if the lys is having to pay 48.00 a whack (which I really really doubt) still..I know, that shipping and handling business, but guess what? Both businesses are in Oklahoma....not that far away from each other, hell, someone could drive there in an afternoon, have a pleasant drive and....you get my drift...still....what they have going now (if you even think for a moment they're paying 48.00) is a 12.00 profit/skein. WHY. Why indeed, and of course in that split second it hit me 'why indeed'....that IK issue with the little ankle socks? yep, that one, Buffalo Gold buffalo yarn sells for 60.00/skein. I'm just going to take a really wild guess here...SNERK...they thought they could sell theirs for the same amount....guess what....did I walk out of there with the buffalo yarn? HAH, hell no. This decision has absolutely nothing to do with how much I love my husband...when he gets his buffalo bed socks the yarn will have come from the company online. That's my story....and yes, I'm going to stick with it. nuff said. ALL CLEAR....RANT OVER.....

In the knitting....like I mentioned above I've just been distracted, and knitting has been on the slow side. I do have socks on the needles, made with Lisa Souza sock merino in the Sage colour....yes, oh so pretty, oh so soft. See, Dana and I made a deal, we made this deal before the holidays set in...we met through comments we had left on a Harlot post..about socks. Dana doesn't knit socks (although, she's being sorely tempted), go check out her blog, her 24 Jan. 07 post says it all, I loved this post, seriously, go on, read it. Dana, however, is the absolute Queen of the Felted Clogs...she is the Felted Clog Superwoman, she has knit so many of these....Our deal? I'm knitting her some socks, she's knitting and felting me some clogs. YAY. That's a definite win/win situation. I have one more sock to go, and I've got to admit, these socks are going to be hard to part with, just so you know, Dana.

My son, Avery, has been wanting some fingerless mits so in the odd minute here and there I've been playing around with the yarn, having knit up a ways, frogged, done something different...frogged again...it'll work itself out, I know.

In the meantime, it snowed here a bit this morning. It's cold too. Not snowing at the moment but maybe there'll be more later tonight...

I'm also waiting on a package from Peace Fleece, my SIL gave me a gift certificate for my birthday...I am so excited. Over on Jason's blog (I love Jason) he was writing about this yarn....doesn't say what it is yet, there's a photo that just took my breath away...and then I read....Peace Fleece...Anna's Grasshopper which is exactly one of the colours I ordered...then in his next post he swatches, and bathes it.....mmmmmmmmm. Plus, Kate is always singing its praises, loud and clear and I have the very highest regard for her opinions about yarn..plus, she has an article in the Knitty surprise, addressing our beloved stash as a...collection, go read, and congratulations Kate! I checked the tracking on my package...it says TODAY!!!!!

Happy Knitting to All and continue to make.good.time.

Wings.........

Just a bit of a fly by to............

Thank each and everyone who came by with best wishes for Bobby's and my anniversary, seriously, 'ya'll' are such sweet folks. A HUGE welcome to the new callers, I hope you all come back.

Ms.K, mercy, I DID try to say "btufttem" 5 times really fast, I couldn't get it out of my mouth the FIRST time.

Gretch, I finally got the FI socks off his feet, gave them a good bath, they were dry by the next evening at which time he put them back on and are still on his feet. I'm thinking buffalo bedsocks/hang around the house socks are definitely in order. Now I'm just hoping the LYS has the goods.

Wanda, I do love that stubborn streak you have.


I'd like to make a request now, you see, Angie's last post a few days ago mentioned that Jeff, her husband, was feeling sick, and she hasn't posted again, I emailed her but haven't gotten a reply, this morning I checked on Holly's blog and Holly left a message that Jeff has possible kidney stones, we know that's no day at the beach, right? So my request is this, to take a few moments, send some healing energy their way in whatever manner you prefer, I know Angie must be beside herself with anxiety over this, perhaps some encouraging words, let her know that she, Jeff and Holly are in our thoughts and prayers, I'd really appreciate that.
Thank you!

Gracie informed me not too long ago that she no longer liked wearing hats.....?!? So........I had some left-over yarn from her holiday socks and made one of these for her, the Calorimetry, from Knitty, I used US4 needles, the yarn is a sport/DK weight, went with the pattern stitchcount but didn't do the full 15 recommended rows for the middle part, just sort of guessed at it. It fits, she loves it, keeps her ears warm, and it does cover a fair portion of her head to keep that body warmth in.




Chapped lips and all.....



Happy Knitting to all and continue to make good time.

Rambling on.......

FAIR WARNING: See up there under the title, where it reads that....I'll ramble on about life, love, etc.? yeah, today I'm rambling, rambling big time, so, if you're looking for exciting knits, or even clear precise blogging you can excuse yourself, I won't mind, I realize there are 'greener pastures' out in Knitbloglandia....today I ramble.


Yesterday was Bobby's and my official wedding anniversary, we have a history that spans around 36 years, but we've only been 'officially' married for 3. The exact date.....get this, I think he had it 'planned', 1-23-04.....yep, easy. He claims he didn't plan it that way, ok, I'll believe him. What we had planned for the evening was dinner out, this seems to be very important to him, going out to dinner on special occasions, mostly so I don't 'have' to cook, this is how he thinks and I've gotta tell you, I appreciate his thinking on this more, way more than I could ever express with words.

The thing is....he was a bit late in getting home, not that I'm the sort to just be 'waiting' for dear husband to get home....I had gotten settled in late afternoon with some knitting and you know how it is, I'm just not one to be watching the clock. So he comes in and there's rustling going on....I get up to greet him and he has packages.....

I would like to take a few minutes here, let you in on what we do and don't do, between Bobby and I. He doesn't gift me for the holidays (except, I know, that wonderful trip to Kansas, but he didn't consider that a 'gift' per se) and he may or may not for my birthday (but I promise I don't have to cook, unless I really want to) and he may or may not on our anniversary...and I'm more than ok with all that. Seriously. He ALWAYS remembers to wish me happy birthday, happy anniversary the minute he wakes up........(Christmas really doesn't mean that much between us, same with Valentine's day).
He has always been very clear to me on just how much he loves me. Now, it's not beyond me to go out and gather goodies for us for whatever occasion, you know, the day 'after' Valentine's day when the chocolates are half price? Yep, we score big time.
We also live fairly simply, (that sounded odd/off but really, it's a fairly simple life we have here) we don't have tons of.....well, I was going to say stuff, but really there seems to be plenty of stuff, hmmmmm, ok, did you notice the couch that had the stash on it? That's just an old, very old couch, and no, it's not the most comfortable, it's also not nearly as funky as it could be considering its age...but we won't replace it anytime soon....grandchildren for one reason...and it's alright, we're just not that much into 'image' and 'consumerism' and needing a home that looks like it came right off some magazine's page. Our tastes run more 'Arts and Crafts' style, but sheesh, the prices! That's also not to say that someday we won't bite the proverbial bullet and buy a few pieces....but never mind. You get the idea. We just don't spend lots of money. That said. Yeah, I'll get back to the story at hand.

I see the packages and comment that he's been out shopping (I'm feeling just a tiny bit of shock) and he says 'yep, I got us some goodies'....then I'm saying, 'but...I didn't....' and he says, 'no, that's ok, I got us our goodies'........ok, this makes perfect sense to me.....there's 2 boxes of chocolates, one with truffles (he loves truffles) and another box with all.dark.chocolate. at this point I'm swooning. but. there's more........a bag from Restoration Hardware (honestly, I'm just picturing him shopping...2 different stores?) with a big jar of "No-Crack Super hand cream, cucumber mint" because he HAS noticed that cold wintery weather takes a nasty toll on my hands. At this point I'm swooning even more than before, but wait.....there's one more bag.......


This just nearly sent me into a dead faint. He went to one of the yarn shops in town......those 3 skeins? Lobster Pot cashmere. He immediately starts telling me about the yarn and asking if I liked the colours, that he really didn't know 'what' to get me but that I should consider this as a 'gift certificate', see, while he was at the yarn shop looking around and of course someone was there 'helping' him, they suggested he just purchase a gift certificate, he doesn't think very highly of gift certificates ("I don't want no stinkin' gift certificate") and he looks at her and says "This will be her gift certificate, if there's something here she doesn't want then she can bring it back in and trade it out for something else, right?" "Well, of course she can." "Well, this makes for a really pretty gift certificate then, doesn't it" The man does like 'presentation'.

So.........more rambling if you please......of course, I love the cashmere, and I'll keep one, but....I just keep thinking there should be something extra special for Bobby in this....and they do carry the American Buffalo yarn, and there would be enough on the trade to get some..but..he doesn't wear hats, or scarves, or gloves (actually if it gets that cold he has these gloves, more like ski gloves that he'll wear...if he has to) and he doesn't wear sweaters much,(not that THAT was going to happen with buffalo) he has a cotton sweater he'll wear maybe once a year,.....that pretty much whacks the 'list' down to.....socks. Holy Crapola. remember that? But this is a very special occasion, right? So, maybe bedsocks, wear around the house socks. And really for me, I'd get to experience the fibre, right? I mean, come on, he bought me yarn.

The rest of the evening is a bit of a blur....I think I told him about the most recent episode of Grey's Anatomy which I had finally gotten around to watching that afternoon....George's dad died, I cried, Christina was sorry he was now a member of the Dead Dad Club, I'm also a member of that club....but like Bobby could've really cared...heh. Dinner was good. Life is good.

So, today? I'm busy baking Bobby's bread (just try saying that really fast 5 times), and loving every minute of it.

This morning I had to run out and get some yeast for the bread baking and I got these for Bobby, put them in his room (yes, he has a room he pretty much calls all his own), he won't be able to miss them when he sits down to his pc. Tried to get bright colourful blooms, he likes that.

The card......artwork by Michael Parkes 'Water Music' 1982, the original is oil painting on wood, 60x50cm

I'll think about the yarn today, and tomorrow, then Friday I'll head to that shop, hopefully with a clear plan in mind.


Happy Knitting to All and continue to make good time.

No Stinkin' 'Title'.

Yeah, go ahead and have a little fun with this. Having been a big fan since the beginning..then my kids were too. Aardron and Avery used to sing the 'Lumberjack' song to my dad, he found it highly amusing, the song AND those boys singing it to him.

Which Monty Python & the Holy Grail Character are you REALLY?

You are King Arthur of the Britons! You let no-one stand in your way, you are brave and strong! Keep searching, you'll find the grail yet!
Take this quiz!








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Yuh-huh..................................I'll be getting back to my knitting now.

Happy Knitting to all and continue to make good time.

Happy Birthday, Stephen!

Stephen is my one and only brother. If our souls haven't in fact known each other forever, it's pretty close to it. We were a quiet little family, growing up together, he was my very best friend. He was born with brown eyes, big brown eyes, the kind of big brown pools of melted dark chocolate eyes. Yeah, those kind. He was the laid back baby, (except for the bouts of chronic colic, ow) he was the sweet, gentle, happy little dude. I was the busy little monkey, and always pestering him, all he ever mustered up in frustration was to tell me "Cut it out, Baby Anne", yep, I was really lucky. He hated yard work, I loved it, so when we were growing up we traded, he did the housework, I did the yardwork. He also took on plenty of the cooking (Mom and Dad had their own business, less than a mile away, those were the good old days,eh?) and I didn't care for it, but you know, young dudes...they really do get hungry....and really, outside of Sunday dinners, which Mom would do, it was my Dad and Stephen who did most of the cooking.

Stephen has the heart and soul of the bard, he's sensitive and poetic. I cannot even begin to express this 'being' in him, I wouldn't be able to do it justice......hey, I'm not the poet in the family, he is.

I don't have a photo to post but take it from me, he's a handsome man, he was the lucky one blessed with the family gene for premature white hair.....oh yeah, that plus the Scottish/Cherokee hair thing....lots of it.

Happy Birthday, dearest Brother, wishing you the very best for your birthday, and yeah, it's a date, that swinging on the stars together....catching moon-beams in a jar, we've done that before, haven't we. Stephen, I love you dearly.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Another Birthday today......RABBITCH.......I'd like to say a few words about this woman, I adore her, I think she is an exceptional woman/human being. A dear sweet friend and I had been emailing about one of Rabbitch's posts a few weeks ago....and what I wrote....well, that she reminded me of a dear friend I have in Tulsa...but that "Rabbitch has a mouth on her that would take sailors to their knees begging for either mercy or lessons. She also has the heart in her that would take angels to their knees begging for the same." I have the greatest respect for this woman. So................

Happy Birthday, Rabbitch, hoping your birthday weekend has been great....and nice loom!



I finished the FI Mansocks, they are on the Man as I write, he's still tucked away in bed, sleeeeeping, so no photo op here.

Happy Knitting to All, and continue to make good time.

Happy Birthday Gracie!

Daphne Grace.....my one and only Granddaughter turns 4 today.

She's just the best. She's hilarious, smart, sweet, kind, and nurturing. She's sensitive, in a good way. But she also has quite a bit of her grandmother (talking about this grandmother) in her,(just ask her mom and dad) in that...you don't want to.....piss.her.off. She has a healthy mean streak in her (ask her brother). But that's not to say she's just not busy keeping it all balanced out. She loves her brother, she adores her brother, and he adores her.

This girl has a wonderful imagination, is quick with the witty phrases (and of course doesn't realize this yet), and she is......The Princess of Puzzles...and yes, this is one of her titles. A 100 piece puzzle? For her a piece of cake.....slice O' pie.

As with her brother, I was gifted with highest honours in getting to be there for her birth, amazing. Her Grandma Sandy and I just held each other and cried, for pure joy. Gracie is our Faerie Girl.

Gracie's due date was 27 Jan, which was my maternal Grandmother's birthdate, (Deidre opted for a week early) but Gracie was named after my Grandmother, the Grace part, now she was originally going to be Heather Grace.....but Conor had other ideas on this, he's the one that came up with Daphne, when I heard this I thought....does he watch 'Frasier'? no, silly Grandma, try 'Scooby-doo'. Yep. But I think it's a lovely name, Daphne, and of course we had planned all along to call her 'Gracie'.....(I couldn't wait for the "Say Goodnight Gracie" she never, ever fell for it).

A few photos.
Of course I should've been getting ready for this post, requesting a few baby pics from her mom, but....you're getting to figure me out here, eh? I do happen to have this one.......and yes, she was a robust baby, a true bouncing baby girl.


She loves snow.







Yep, it's official....



Loves to dance.





Happy Birthday Gracie, I love you.

Oh, hey, isn't 4 the magic number for learning to knit? I've already given her knitting needles, and some yarn, and she tells me she already knows how to knit but that I can remind her sometime ......again......later.......let's put this puzzle together, eh, Grandma? All in due time.


Happy Knitting to All and continue to make good time.

Arse over Teakettle

No, not me. But I did watch a crow do just that, on my way back from the market early this morning. Yep, you heard that right, on my way back from the market. I finally left the house for a bit of hunting and gathering, for Bobby and I, also for my Mother, Bobby to deliver her goods on his way to work. But...that crow....I love crows...but they're having a bit of a hard time on this white frozen hard like concrete stuff that's covering every surface as far as you can see. These are NOT, I repeat, NOT rip-snortin' conditions. Not for me anyway. This stuff is just getting more polished as the days go by. When I got up this morning, out looking for the newspaper.....it was 30F....it felt damned balmy...it felt so good I sat down and enjoyed it for a few minutes.


We're supposed to be getting snow this weekend, and the temps between now and then are not going to be such that the above mentioned surface will melt away beforehand. I guess we've been due, eh?

Hege, your package is all ready to be taken to the post office and wing your way but I don't know just when exactly I'll be getting to the post office. I do apologize, is there any chance that 'Patience' is your middle name? I will try to find my vehicle (I drove Bobby's to the market) under the above mentioned white stuff, maybe get lucky and get out tomorrow morning.

Today is yet another special day....it's Neo's birthday!


This is FSF Jo's son, quite possibly the cutest little boy ever. Neo, many happy wishes winging your way little guy, hope today is as special for you as you are to your Mom and Dad. And yes, Jo knit that pullover hoodie he's wearing....really nice,eh?

Photo of above mentioned white surface covering everything.....


The Smooch up in the tree....I have a few of these. We are NOT using the 'c' word. (due to 'the stench' that's out there behaving like some kind of borg...search, search, destroy)


ZOOM IN



Hey, look, more of my buddies.







Happy Knitting to All and continue to make good time.



(of course, it has now occurred to me that....crow.....the word itself may attract 'the stench', hopefully 'it's' baleful eye will pass over....and not notice.........)

FI Mansock......

I really wish I'd gone out and taken photos yesterday of the white treacherously slick concrete-like stuff that's covering everything...yesterday there was a bit of sunshine, you could see the glaze, this morning...no sunshine.

I was actually trying to remember the last time I left the house...other than to walk out and get the newspaper, it was last Wednesday, the 10th, ran out for lightbulbs. So this is day 7 and really, it's not so bad...at all. It does help that I'm knitting from my stash for the year, and it does help that I'm not needing any sock yarn, in other words I'm not 'needing' to go to the LYS to get my fix of wool fumes, fondling the yarns, etc. We've had the good fortune of our power staying on so there's the bit of food in the freezer, and the 'other' stuff in the pantry, so really, it's all good. To all you good people who have to go out into the above mentioned conditions, keep it safe and cautious.

Here's a mansock for you.



I finished it off yesterday morning as in weaving those ends in, Bobby came home last night and asked for it, he put it on and remarked how nice and so much more warmer it was than his other socks...even the ones I've made him, there's a reason for this...the yarn.
Knitpicks Telemark which is a very sturdy sport weight, Peruvian wool, knitting the socks on US3s, and since his ankles aren't that big..I cast on 48 stitches, did the k2p2 for the ribbing....then just played around with the colours for the pattern.
The funny thing is.....I did all that, divided the stitches in half for knitting the heel flap, picked up those gusset stitches and started decreasing as per usual...then zoomed on the foot and ack...ran out of the dark brown (I have another skein for the 2nd sock) hmmmmmmm. At that point I did try the sock on his foot and it's damned near perfect as far as fit, the length of the foot, and I was planning on using the Burlap colour for both heel and toe, cool, so I start decreasing on the toe and nearly finished..... when I finally start hearing that alarm bell that's been going off in my head....I look at the loaded needles and count, dude, I had the same number of stitches on each needle, now you may be thinking....so?....right, I have 3 needles loaded and that's just not right, WTF, after sitting there for.....what seems to be 30 minutes just staring in disbelief at the knitting.... ok, I'm not the greatest at taking stitches off needles and frogging back then picking up stitches to go back on the needles, a complete klutz is what I am, so what do I do? oh yeah....tink city here I come, thank whatever powers that be it's just the toe...so I tink and tink and finally get to the point where I started the decreases....count the stitches....hmmmmm 56. I had not decreased enough times to get me back to the original 48. I looked at Bobby and asked him how he thought the sock fit, how it felt.....too loose? why no, it fit like a glove, in fact it fit perfectly. Whew. So, the 56 stitches stayed put and I rearranged the stitches to their proper places and decreased, grafted that toe, started weaving in the ends.....



the gratuitous 'inside' for those of you who like that sort of thing (don't we all?) and I do like to think the unholy alliance is still in force.....



Close up on the pattern.


Bobby got home last night and asked if it was finished, I showed it to him, he put it on, left it on, slept in it. He so graciously took it off this morning and handed it to me, as I told him I needed it to make a matching mate.....(although....I think mixing up the patterns would've been fun).

Speaking of socks, Julie has some socks up, loving the colours, happy colours, but she's used Grumperina's pretty gusset instructions, yeah, check it out, I'm going to be using them on the next pair of socks I make.

Dianne has been knitting on her First Sock Ever, go cheer her on, she's doing a great job and has stepped wholeheartedly over to the Dark Side, welcome her with open arms.

FSF Jo has been spinning and has been posting the most delectable photos of fibres, she's also completed her first pair of Jaywalkers, they're beautiful. Also, that beautiful boy of hers, Neo, will be celebrating his birthday tomorrow, go send him lots of birthday wishes.

Kelly has been spindling, her first spindling ever and I am so impressed and inspired with/by her yarn.....there's no stopping her now. Look at that BFL fibre, it brought tears to my eyes, I really want some of that goodness. Also....she has a photo of Molly, I am so charmed, completely. Seriously, Molly is a must see.



Happy Knitting to All and continue to make good time.

On this particular day in 1972.....

I was gifted with a bouncing baby boy.

Aardron arrived in the world. Happy Birthday, Aardron!!!!!

"Every household should have a railroad tool"

Straight from the birthday boy's mouth........I had a bit of a hard time getting ahold of Aardron (ARE-drun) this morning, no answer on the land-line, no answer on his cell, finally Deidre picked up on hers, they were OUT having breakfast! That's what prompted the above quote. Folks it started raining on friday, which turned to ice, and then changed to....what shall we call it...mix of ice and sleet...slice? hard pellets of slice...which then turned to hard pellets of a mix of snow and sleet=sneet, all in all several inches of white that's hard as concrete out there, oh it's kinda pretty, but terribly deceiving, no soft fluffy stuff here. But hey. It did actually really truly snow here this morning, not much, enough that it looked kind of sweet coming down..for just a little while....and the sun is trying to peek through the clouds, nice.

Happy Birthday Aardron! or Narn-narn which is what he called himself when he was just a wee lad, we still call him that.......heh.

I do have a few recent photos though, here he is all grown up, playing in the snow.....


Christmas morning..........


A bit fuzzy photo of Dad and Daughter..........


The family...............


The Warrior.......(with the blue metalic shades on)............


Yeah, I know, I don't have the scanner hooked up yet, I keep thinking if I wish hard enough I'll just wake up some morning with it hooked up and all the knowledge that I need to work it like a pro already installed in my brain, won't have to think twice about using it,etc.
I've got some great photos of family and friends just waiting in the sidelines. Oh, I hear you, I had all weekend of complete stay at home time and I didn't hook up the scanner to my pc.......I was busy.

I love Aardron. He's smart, has a great sense of humour, he's a pretty good dad (his kids love him) and I'm guessing that even though he drives Deidre nuts sometimes....(we all do that right? well, not drive Deidre nuts, but our own spouses/SOs/etc) she loves him enormously also, they've been together since '91, got married in '95 and just keep on carrying on.....

He has the mind of a scholar/philosopher, the soul of a bard, and the heart of a warrior.

He is my bouncing baby boy, always has been, always will be.

There are so many Aardron stories, the fun/funny ones, the sad and touching ones, you know. They're all jammin' around in my head right now....

While he was growing up....in middle school....I had a job where I had wednsday afternoons off, he'd come home from school and walk from the bus drop off home, taking a cut through a vacant lot and then into our backyard and come in through the back door. Every single wednesday....I'd be waiting for him, I'd see him through the kitchen window, walking toward the house, I'd wait on the other side of the door....when he opened it I'd scare the crap....er, I'd startle him plenty.....it was priceless....(I know, weird mom) but the thing was....he always spaced it out, that it was wednesday, scare day, crazy mom behind the backdoor day. We both laughed, yeah, I know, crazy mom.

When he and Deidre decided to get officially married, I was on a job out of town, they called to give me the good news and I was thrilled, Aardron then told me, what he really wanted was to get married in kilt....so I checked around, ordered it (Clan Gunn) and yes, it was made in Scotland, ok.......cool, the other cool thing about their wedding....I got to walk him down the aisle, and even cooler was that we were preceded by his two grandmothers and his aunt and sister...his womenfolk.......and yes, he had a traditional best dude waiting for him......but before the wedding ceremony? I was in charge of all the guys...me? the person who is always, always late? yep...I braided Aardron's hair, helped him get the kilt situated which was funny because after he got all his clothes on, he stood there, wriggled his hips, down dropped his boxers which he stepped out of and announced he was ready to go. We went to grab a bite of lunch, young dudes they do get hungry, ate and of course we were late. Never ever expect me to be anywhere on time. He wasn't worried, Deidre wasn't worried either, she knew.

Aardron, I want to thank you for hanging in there with me, I know it wasn't always easy, or fun being first-born, I was so young, inexperienced...if I'd known better I would certainly have done better and I thank you for choosing me to be your mom, you've taught me plenty and then some.

I love you.


Knitting? I have finished FI mansock #1, photos soon.

Angie, I've not been able to make/leave comments on your blog, my browser is seemingly not wordpress friendly these past few days.....I didn't want you thinking I was ignoring you...I did leave a message on Vintageme...........

Happy Knitting to all and continue to make good time.

53 years ago.......

Hege, you are the winner! I'll be emailing you soon as I get this posted.

My daughter got busy this week, back at work after having 2 weeks vacation, she was to have taken a photo of this 53 year old woman. Soon.

The Knitpicks package arrived in the post yesterday which thrilled me to no end, the Options needles are beautiful. I am just so itching to cast on ......at this point anything, but I'm thinking the Swallowtail, finally. I do need to finish up on Bobby's socks...yes, I've been slacking....and there's a couple more little projects I need to do, and are you wondering why I can't go ahead and start the shawl and still work on these other things? I'm just taking a wild guess that once I start Swallowtail I won't put it down, and its 'deadline' is far into the future, well enough anyway, and the little projects I need to do, they need to be done ASAP. Plus, I'm thinking I want to do more than one of these shawls. It seems that as far as my heart's desires go, it's all about lace right now. Magical stuff, that lace.

It's a rather cold, wet morning here. The Great NW recent weather is here, with ice, possibly snow so I'm thinking it will be a nice weekend spent mostly inside at home which is perfectly fine with me, I am a hermit at heart and love being home. Bobby and I do have plans to eat out this evening, my choice, a vegetarian place, the food is so good, and I'm really looking forward to this. Tomorrow evening we had planned to go out (shock) and listen to a bit of live music, a friend of ours drums for this band....Odd Sheep Out..... I'm pretty sure that's what he said....a woman, another guy,.....they're from Canada.....I asked Richard if the woman was a knitter....of course he had no idea..(muggle)..he does believe we'll enjoy the music, we'll see, actually I've kind of psyched myself for it and am now looking forward to going, we'll see how the weather turns.

It's a quiet morning, and I'm feeling a bit reflective, and it feels good. Probably not the best time to write this post but there you have it.

Oh hey, it's my birthday and I think I'll spend it, hmmmmmmm, oh yeah, knitting!

I thank each and every one of you for playing along with me, there are so many family birthdays in January, that most of you hit on every one of them.

Happy Knitting to All and continue to make good time!

Fly by again..........

Just a quick fly by....and to answer some of the questions....

Julie, I wish I had all the colours of Patons but alas, I don't.
Wanda, I love the way your mind works, "organizing time in the knitting trenches" indeed, and I like the idea of having yurts in my backyard.
Ms.K, yes, denim marl and yes, it's one of my very favourites also.
Angie, small and cramped it may be, you still have a room and I'm just a tad bit envious.
Jo, stilts were my #1 choice of play equipment when I was in grade-school, love love love them.
Charity, you have got to be one of the very sweetest in Knitbloglandia, no kidding, seriously.
Emma, looking forward to seeing the pattern chart.
Hege, this one's for you, ok, all of you who have used the Paton's Classic merino wool for projects, sing out your experiences please....either direct them here in the comments or...well, actually, that's a good idea. Hege can come back and read them here. She's wondering about the 'wear' and I'm just guessing here to mean the longevity of the knitted fabric, I've used it mainly for felting and it felts very sturdily, I also used it for the Pirate hat, knit back in Oct., and the red beret that was part of the holiday knitting, alas, I have no item that I knit for myself (and not felted) so have no experience as to longevity, pilling, any of the problems, etc.......
Sarah, and Peg, and for all of you who like looking at stashes.....I had originally planned to show it a little at a time but I'm showing the rest of it today, well, not all of it, there's still that HUGE bag of Lion Homespun (seriously, doesn't everyone have one of these?) and the various skeins/balls of 'other' stuff that I just didn't feel like hauling out in that they're stuck away in a different spot, they don't need to be protected against moths,bugs,etc.

The various wool.


The beloved alpaca.


The laceweights, also beloved.


The cotton/plant fibres.


The sock.


The 'warshrag' stuff.


The oddballs/left-overs.


I love each and every one of you.

Happy Knitting to All and continue to make good time.

Happy Birthdays!

No, not mine.

Happy Birthday to Aunt Shirlee and Emma!

Aunt Shirlee is Bobby's Auntie, and therefore she's mine also..........has been for years and years and we love her dearly.

She's really quite the lady, lots of fun. Back in '99 or 2000 she went to clown school. Damn, I need to get the scanner hooked up to my pc, I don't have digital photos but plenty of others......yeah. I have this great photo of her....as Spunky.....hope I spelled that right, it's great, again, damn......I promise that when the scanner is hooked to this pc I'll post that photo. You'll be amazed.

Emma is a knitterly friend, lives just a couple blocks away and is part of the neighborhood library Knitnight group....we just had so much fun last night,eh Emma? She's starting the Pirate hat, again, and wanted instruction for a provisional caston so at last night's meet up I showed her how, and also the other ladies. It was actually quite comical but it did get done.

Monday I hauled out the stash and took photos and am working on an inventory sheet, what an ordeal, now I know there are those of you out there, you probably have a crafty room just for you and your beloved fibre and knitterly things, this is something I only dream of, and with that beloved room of yours it probably looks like a really good lys (sigh) but my stash is at least nearly respectable by your standards, by mine, it feels vast. So, I'm going to post photos one at a time, the way I grouped them....today the Patons Classic Merino.................


Still working on the FI Husband socks.

Happy Knitting to All and continue to make good time.

Not much going on......

Don't really have much to say here, just thought I'd shake it up and post again, you know, just trying to post more often.....throw you guys off a bit. Ms. K has a hilarious post up RIGHT NOW, go read, all about naming storms as they really should be named. Have some gigglesnorts. Rabbitch has a rodent crises going on, and although I hope she gets it out of her home ASAP it's still got me rolling with laughter. Been there, done that.

The only project I have on my needles right this minute (read that will change before the day is over) is this,
and yes, it will have a mate also....these are for Bobby and actually I took this photo yesterday during the day and knit on it more last night....I have knit and turned the heel, picked up the gusset stitches and have decreased and am now zooming along the foot.....

FSF Jo, here's to you.......I have this problem with the daily newspapers in that we get one every morning, Bobby gets up, gets his coffee then sits on the couch and reads every bit of the paper, now I'm the one who goes out and gets the paper from the front yard every morning, I then take it into the kitchen, flip on the coffe maker, then go through the paper pulling out all the trash parts, but of course certain headlines will catch my eye, or seeing that there's recipes, and thinking....I'll save these parts for later, I just know I'm going to read/cut out/whatever later. What do I really have? A large stack of newspapers that after a week or so I go through again, and some get tossed out but still, there's a stack of newspapers on my table in the kitchen....ack.


Happy Knitting to All and continue to make good time.

Scattered Quiet

HowManyOfMe.com

There are: 4 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

How about that? That's with my legal/married name, well, part of it, they weren't asking for a middle name which in my case happens to be my maiden name, yes, legally, but I did run the thing on my first name and maiden name and it came up at 147, still pretty low.


Not much has been going on around here, well, I take that back, when your brain starts in on the scattery thing.....it seems like there's all kinds of stuff going on but in reality? Nothing much actually gets accomplished.

Tried to do some yarn dyeing yesterday, all my beloved magpies, you might choose to not look, not at all to your tastes, I know.



Did I achieve what I was going after? no, not really. Although, I do kind of like it, in fact, the more I look at it, the more I like it, FSF Jo, can this be my 'weird thing' for today? I like muted earthtone colours. I may overdye this stuff, I may not, I keep wondering how it would look, knit up into socks. If you went walking through the woods...in just these socks...would your stockingfeet just blend in with the earth? They just might.....well, ok, if there's not lots of leaves on the ground they just might.

I've also been working on an argyle sock for Bobby, he was so happy...did you all catch that? He 'was' so happy.....I need to rethink this argyle thing because I'm wanting to do them in the round and I was using a bit heavier yarn...so when you start carrying all those yarns around, yeah, of course, he does have skinny ankles, the socks would just 'fill' them out some,heh.
But no, I'm designing a simple FI now and....yep, he's all happy again.

It's been quiet.

Happy Knitting to All and continue to make good time.

Happy Birthday, Havala

My Daughter, Havala, is 30 years old today. She's my baby. I found it a bit odd feeling when my firstborn turned 30, nearly 5 years ago, then when secondborn turned 30....well, there was that odd feeling again.....but for my baby to turn 30? Odd doesn't even begin to describe what I'm feeling.....but hey, am I happy to celebrate her life? You can bet your whole stash I am!
Pretty, eh?


I think she's absolutely lovely, always has been and of course, always will be to me. She's bright, smart, sensitive, funny....she reduces me to tears and gasping for breath from laughing at things she's said or done.

If you don't know, I have 2 sons, and believe me, I love them dearly, I love them to no end...(and when it's their birthdays I'll write about them, but for now, it's Havala's day).....when I found myself pregnant (sounds rather odd, eh? 'found'? had I somehow 'lost' myself un-pregnant??) for the third time....with two sons....oh, how I wanted a daughter! The doc kept telling me she was a boy, size, heart rate, all that....I kept saying 'she', that doc was plenty surprised.....I was ecstatic.

I breastfed her for 2 years (too much information?) and when she started eating food, her favourite meal was steamed broccoli, apricots, and yogurt.
She was not so much a morning person. She didn't stay in a crib very long, I had found an antique youth bed that I refinished, it set very low to the floor so she was sleeping in that bed at a year old, in the mornings I'd wake her up, she'd sit on the side of the bed with a scowl on her face, walking by I'd look in on her and she'd tell me "Don't look at me, don't talk to me, leave me alone" which I was very glad to comply with but it always tickled me, she'd eventually go through her clothes and pick out what she wanted to wear for the day, always creative, and when given that little bit of time by herself she would then be the happy little bird that she's been known for.

With two big brothers she was a rough and tumble kind of girl, always adventurous and wanting to have a good time. At the age of 4 she was jumping off HUGE boulders into the lake and swimming (all my father's doing). This is another fun little story and for those of you out there who do not like snakes, stop here, or don't think too much about it, Havala was just sitting up well by herself, I had her out in the garden bed with me, very early spring, getting the beds ready for planting, while digging I found a little nest of garden snakes, they were just babies, and very sleepy, I gently picked them up and put them in Havala's lap so she could play with them, which she did, she was having the best of time and no, she wasn't hurting them at all, didn't try to eat them....I was sitting there just enjoying watching her when my mom drove up, I'm thinking 'uh oh', she walks up to where we are and screams...she does NOT like snakes, at all, and she couldn't believe I had given HER granddaughter baby snakes to play with. It's a good thing Havala didn't scare easily, what with all the screaming and yelling on my mother's part, nope, she just sat there gleefully playing with the wee beasties, (who were warming and waking up a bit and getting a bit livelier) pretty much oblivious to my mother's distress. I loved it.

I loved watching her expressions, from babyhood on, and found it such a gift to be able to 'read' her so well, I'm thinking it was the female to female connection, but she was always easier to read than the guys.

There's so much more that could be written here, but what with that 'overload' in my head and the ADD (on my part) I'd best leave it for now, you'll most likely hear more about the girl in future posts.

For now, Happy Birthday Baby Girl, and may you have many many more, and thank you, oh you know how much I love you.........


Alright.....about the 'other' birthday contest, I'll leave the guessing open until....let's say...friday this week, the 5th,.....that should give anyone who comes by a chance to leave a guess....then when it's my birthday I'll post, soooooo that's how you're going to find out if you've won or not. I've been having so much fun reading the guesses, and want to thank each and every one of you for playing with me.

On the knitting front, there's really not much news, working out a pattern for some argyle socks for DH, he's all happy about this, getting more socks....I'm working on a little bitty project, can't say, not sure how it's working out anyway,... I'm waiting to hear from a couple of family people...feet measurements, will also be hauling out the stash some day next week....hoping to be dyeing some yarn today.....we'll see how it goes.
Seems to me 'odd' was the word of the day....heh. What's with that?

OK....FSF Jo, another weird thing.......I had blue eyes up until age 6, then they turned green.


Happy Knitting to All and continue to make good time.

Black Eyed Peas

First post for 2007!

We had a very quiet New Year's Eve, for dinner I baked some fish, steamed some broc, sliced up an orange and split it up on two plates and called it good, and it was!
Just a quiet evening, and I loved it.

Soon I'll be putting on the pot of Black-eyed peas, had a bit of panic yesterday at the market in that I couldn't find any in the fresh produce, nor in the frozen foods, ack! Finally went back through the fresh produce and just happened to see them, they were in little bucket type containers....score! I'll also bake some cornbread to go along with the peas, it's a recipe made with whole spelt flour and honey, very tasty stuff.

Finally, although it's cold outside, the sun is shining and that means photos. This is the gift from my mom, the spindle, and yep, it's a Turkish Spindle, bolivian rosewood, made by the gifted Ed, of Jenkins Woodworking, and it's a beauty. It's shown here with some gorgeous pencil roving from Wanda,(Wanda, this is so soft and pretty, THANK YOU!) and the "A Walk through the Garden" roving from UK Jo,(Jo, as I've written before, beyond sweet, THANK YOU!) and one of the bundles of "Carrot Cake" roving I found at the Yarn Barn in Lawrence, Kansas.

I'm still working on the 'ends and pieces' of holiday knitting but not feeling at all stressed and enjoying spending time reading up on blogs, catching up with emails.....no stress, how sweet is that?

I have a birthday coming up soon, and for fun.....a bit of a 'contest', guess which day it is, leave your answer in the comments, the ones who hit it I'll put their names in the hat and pick from them, the prize? a set of stitchmarkers....I'll even throw in a bit of fibre-y goodness, yeah, I know what you're really after. Heh.

I got a huge giggle yesterday, Hege left a comment about the number of socks I knit last year and that she's spent 3 months knitting 1.5 pair....huge giggle in that she knits these incredibly, heartbreakingly, beautiful, stunning colourwork sweaters. Oh yeah, go check them out.

Yesterday evening I approached DH with a future BD request....and of course, he was only too happy to agree to it (doesn't have to ponder that this year) so put in an order to Knitpicks, and since I made the order on the last day of the year.....and it's going to be hardput to be patient for this package....

OK, UK Jo, (she doesn't even know I'm doing this...heh) another weird thing.....again as a baby, I would wake up in the middle of the night (I know, not so weird) singing, and playing by myself, and of course this would wake my mom and dad, mom would come in to see what was going on only to find me having a great time singing and entertaining myself, didn't want anything, didn't need anything, and so she would go back to bed. I did this nearly every night, they quit checking on me but I would still wake them up with the singing and playing......and no, none of my kids were like this.....

Happy Knitting to All and continue to make good time.