It's Been Awhile

Hah. I'll bet you all thought I'd given up with the blog, but no. It's been flitting around in my head, for months, but I'd end up choking. Always. I'm a blog wuss. Does anyone know of a support group?

This will be a short one, dipping the toes in the water type. I HAVE been knitting these past few months, mostly stealth projects. I'll get to those in future posts (did I just write 'future posts'?!?!?). I still have a few stealth projects to knit but I'm also going to devote more time to 'selfish knitting' this year, knits for ME.

At some point early November I decided all the kids, young and old, large and small, needed felted clogs, holiday gifts and checking with calendar in hand I decided it was 'doable' and it was. (note there are two pair of pink clogs, the first pair was too small for Gracie aka Little Miss Bigfoot)



My mother was telling me a month or so ago that she has been experiencing getting chilled, which is a rather new thing for her, but partly (mostly) due to her being more sedentary. I got to thinking about this and of course decided a shawl was in order. I went with the 'Pie Are Square Shawl' ala EZ, and true to EZ decided on the garter stitch. I had two huge skeins of pure alpaca that I'd picked up at the Yarn Barn in Kansas... what, 3 years ago, gorgeous natural brown (think light dusting of snow on trees) then knit the attached lace border (more alpaca, mix of light natural and pale gray). Finished the knitting on the night of 22 Dec, soaked it and blocked it the next morning, put the box fan on a low setting to further enhance the drying and it was ready for gifting Christmas Eve. Right off the needles it looked like just so much crap. Honestly. I had more than a few anxious moments, I couldn't even take a photo of it.
Silly me. It blocked out beautifully.





No photos of Mom with her shawl, she really doesn't care for having photos taken of her but I'm hoping to get them at some point.

I've been inspired by Cindy and her tunes. Here's one for you, to bring in the New Year.
This is one of The Very First Tunes I remember as a child and absolutely loving it. I still do.



Until next post, Happy Knitting to all, best wishes for a Happy New Year to you and your loved ones, and yes, Make Good Time.

Bobby's Big Blankie, specs revealed.

Apparently the Bobby's Big Blankie was a hit with most of the folks dropping by last post, Thank you... Someone had asked me about the 'hits' on the blog, you know, after being 'Harlotted', and silly me, it just hadn't occurred to me to check the number before, when I actually did check and then recheck... well, it was over a thousand... closer to two... so the folks who came by and were brave enough to leave a comment, Thank you!

The pattern is Plymouth Yarn Design Studio #1063 for Boku yarn. This is what it looks like.

The yarn I used is Noro Big Kureyon, colourway #7, I started out with some in my stash then of course I needed more... found the rest of it on 50% and then 75% discount. I found 17 tags, although I'm thinking there were a couple more skeins than that... I have two more wound skeins and one not wound (and therefore not counted in the tags).

Mine ended up a bit larger, measuring 56" in length and 51" in width. I didn't do the mitred border either, I picked up along the sides first and used garter stitch, then picked up along the ends and used garter stitch, the ends having more rows.

My plans for the left over yarn... pillow covers. I've already knit one for a 14"square, just winging it, one side the mitred squares, the other side stockinette with garter borders. I had some shell buttons I used and they are seriously pretty with these colours. I have 2 18"square pillow forms that I'll knit covers for, but not anytime soon, those can wait.

Bobby really does love his blankie and he does appreciate all the time that went into the making of it.


I also made this little sweater for Gracie. Knitting Pure & Simple, children's neckdown cardigan #981. She and I made a trip to the lys last Fall, she saw this yarn and 'fell in love'... bright cheerful colours, it was on sale, how's a Grandma to refuse? Ok, there ARE things I refuse her, on a nearly daily basis... but this... this I couldn't... refuse.
The yarn.. It just says 'Andes' on it, 100% wool, NOT a superwash so it comes back to me for proper baths.
I made it a bit roomy, long in the sleeves and body length, you know how kids grow in the Summer... She's already gotten to wear it a few times and it should fit her fine next Fall and Winter.



This is a nice yarn, softens nicely after a good proper bath, the pattern Very Easy. She and I both love this little sweater. I have left over yarn with which I'll knit up a hat and pair of mittens, hopefully by next Autumn when she needs them.
I have tried to find a link for a good look at this yarn, Ravelers may have an easier time of it, Elizabeth Austen, Andes, this is colourway #11... Bubblegum Sunshine... snort.

I've also made a pair of socks for DIL Deidre, for her birthday... it hit me that I hadn't made her socks, ever. No photos. Camnesia. Addle brain. That's me. None of that reflects my love for this young woman, well, except knitting her the socks because we all know.... handknit socks=love.

Most of my time is being spent with yardwork, either here or at Mom's... between the rains and Gracie Days.

Avery turned 33 on the 21st (Monday this week), we had him here for the weekend, birthday gathering, dinner, and cake. Fun times.

I was going to include photos of some of the things growing in the yard but 'it's' just not going for it. Maybe next time.

Happy knitting to all and continue making good time.

Lucky Dude

Yesterday evening Bobby calls, (he's in DC, business) tells me he just had dinner and saw a Borders Book store and since he was needing a book to read he popped in, and hey... guess who's going to be here this evening?

Yep. To say there was some excitement on my part is a bit of an understatement. I actually talked him into 1) buying me a copy of the book 2) staying and listening to the talk and 3) getting that book signed.

What does he say? "I need to get a photo of the sock", yes, he HAS been listening....

Now, the Summer of 2006 I did get to meet Stephanie, in OKC and she's not been back since... she was kind and gracious to sign all my books. As you well know, she's had another book since then which the ever lovely Gretchen gifted me and I posted it off to Seattle, WA to the equally lovely Ms.K who in turn went to hear Stephanie, had her sign it, mailed it back to me...

Later last night I called him back, asked him how it went... he told me to check my email. I did.
Oh and hey, James, thank you for taking the photos...





He is one lucky dude.

He did say this... "it was kind of weird, all those women...(surely there were other men there besides Bobby and James?) and as soon as Stephanie showed up they all started knitting"

Weird? Nah, inexplicable perhaps? Only to the non-knitterly types.

He's a Very Good Sport, and yes, he does have handknit socks and he also has this....



Happy knitting to all and continue with the making good time.

seems I've stumbled down a hole.....

E'gads.... and before you ask (if you're so inclined) I HAVE stumbled down a deep dark hole, over and over and over.... I really do need to do something about 'that' hole... like fill it up, and I'm working on it.

Bobby brought home some new tech, which is always and yet never a surprise, you know? He has his computer interests and I have my fibre interests ('interests'=obsessions).. after getting it set up and learning what he wanted to know (for starters anyway) he then placed this new piece of tech on my desk. It's an iMac . Now.... I had my computer, (and being late to this whole world) I had finally gotten comfortable with it, had it at my beck and call, you know what I'm talking about, quit snickering.... it did what I wanted it to do and in a timely fashion.... now for something entirely different. No... not really but it IS different and I'm learning and I apparently really am a dork.

Personally, I'm thinking he's just trying to ward off Alzheimers... in me.

I've also been experiencing a strange 'block' to posting... I'm thinking it's stemming from the new tech learning event, in part.... some mornings I wake up feeling very positive about posting but then I'll get distracted, side tracked, snagged and just lose it.

There are things to tend to and so I'm just going to jump in and.... tend to them.

First up..... Saisquoi? needs a 3rd PIF person, if you're wanting to join in she can hook you up!



Next up.... I have been gifted this lovely award by 6 wonderful women. (this is probably another reason adding to that 'block' mentioned above, how does one choose only 10?) Mary Ann aka nonizamboni has helped me out with this.... I'll take them as I 'think' I remember the order in which they were given, that way I'll get to include everyone who makes my day!

First up was Amy, she's a local knitter and with that in mind I'll start with the local knitterly bloggers who make my day....

Amy
Emma
Sue
Kathy
Eric & Tony
Ann
Ree aka The Pioneer Woman... no, she doesn't knit that I know of, but can you imagine if she did? Reading through some of her posts though I have gotten the strong impression that she lives in Oklahoma and I love reading her stories and seeing her photos.

So ok, there's only 7 blogs there (Eric and Tony blog together) so I'm going to mention some blog-free people who make my day....

Ms.K... yes, ok, she does have a blog but she's taking a break from it and she definitely makes my day.
Gretchen.... (I think it counts that she's been a guest blogger here) she definitely makes my day. She's very sneaky.... I loves me some sneaky.
Lynn..... she lives in Northern Ireland, Lynn, you do indeed make my day.

There will be more lists.

Knitting? Oh yes.
Will there be photos? We'll see how it goes.

Thorpe hats.... these are great hats. Still haven't gotten a photo of Conor and Gracie in theirs, nor Avery in his but.....


Gracie's.... two colourways of Paton's SWS

Avery's.... Peace Fleece, Grass Roots
This yarn was gifted to me by the Most Lovely Dianne, two skeins, it didn't surprise me one bit that Avery chose this yarn, but he's not getting the other skein.... mine, all mine.

I have gotten some incredibly delightful gifts over the past few weeks and as soon as I find that little 'whateverit'scalled'.... sigh.... I'll show them.

I'm also working on a Blanket. For Bobby. Noro Big Kureyon #7 colourway, muted colours (I love them)... I call it the BBB, sometimes I add another letter to that but we'll let it stand as the triple B.
I want to finish this blanket in a big way so I'm not allowing myself to start or work on anything else (although Norma directed me to a 'calling all hands' so a blankie square is going to sneak in)... but seriously.... I want this blanket off my needles, finished at which point I can resume other knitterly pursuits.

Other news..... you know that Sneaky Gretchen? She signed me up, put me in 'the' line... Ravelry, yep.
I had opened my mailbox one morning, saw the 'invitation' which puzzled me, seriously puzzled me. I started thinking about it... Gretchen was my prime suspect, I asked her about it and she 'fessed up', and proudly I might add... (this whole event has tickled me greatly)
She knows me so very well.
I've only gotten as far as registering, I'm 'MsKnotminding', I still need to create an account with Flickr.... blah blah blah.... heh.

But for now... it's 67F here in Tulsa this morning, I've opened windows and doors letting the fresh air flow through, it's delightfully balmy, the thermals have come off for the next 24 hours at least, and the daily chores and BBB are calling me.

.......and now it appears there will be no photos today.... back to the drawing board, just as soon as I clean up the exploded brains bit......

Happy Knitting to All and continue making good time.

On this day 54 years ago.....

Well Friends, it's come to this, 54. Today is apparently 'the' day.

To celebrate... well I FINALLY joined in on the 'Pay It Forward'... the first time I saw this was on Sarah's blog, back in September. I was arse deep in alligators at the time and although I was wanting to join in, I knew I wouldn't be able to pull it off. I figured I'd get my chance eventually... and I did.



I joined Joselyn's when she posted in December... and silly me, there's actually two versions (that I've seen) of this going around, one is for 6 months and one is for a year.... apparently from the comment I left on her blog to join I was thinking hers was for the year version, nope... but ya know what?

What's the title of this blog?
Close your eyes and say it... Marianne's Knotminding... so....
I'm splitting that time and going with 9 months, blast me if you'd like, but there you have it. (I am just painfully aware of how time can get away from me, and allowing myself plenty of it)

“It’s the Pay It Forward Exchange. It’s based on the concept of the movie “Pay it Forward” where acts or deeds of kindness are done without expecting something in return, just passing it on, with hope that the recipients of the acts of kindness are passed on. So here’s how it works. I will make and send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment to this post on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange. I do not know what that gift will be yet, and it won’t be sent this month, probably not next month, but it will be sent (within 6 months)(or in my case, 9 months) and that’s a promise! What YOU have to do in return, then, is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog.
I will now Pay It Forward to you THREE, I wonder who you will be?! Please, be a PIF! You will enjoy it just as much as we do!”

And, remember…you have 6 months (or 9 months, to be 'fair') to get your gifts done!
Also, you don’t have to knit or crochet to participate, anyone who can make a nice handmade gift is welcome to join.

Any takers?

Havala's Birthday Celebration Dinner... much fun was had by all, the sushi was delicious, as were the Pearl-tinis (Glenna, Pearl-tini cupcakes?). I'm really not much of a drinker, but people, these babies are GOOD. Pearl pomegranate vodka with cranberry and pineapple juices, absolutely yummy, refreshing, and oh so pretty. They'll also kick your butt. Havala and I had two...each. and we laughed. and chuckled. and gigglesnorted. She loves her scarf and after reading the comments (she and I both thank you) she finally 'got it', that K1P1 Forever...

I got to wear it to Knitnight to show (off) and I've got to say, it's NICE, warm and soft...

Today's going to be a busy one, I'll be driving out to pick Avery up, bring him here for a couple of days, we're having a dinner this evening... I hope not to have camnesia... the camera is charging as I type...

I have been knitting, two projects, well.... one pattern, two items, knitting the Thorpe hat, one for Conor and one for Gracie.
More on those next post, with photos (hopefully).

What's a birthday without cake?

You Are a Chocolate Cake

Fun, comforting, and friendly. You are a true classic, and while you're not super cutting edge, you're high quality. People love your company - and have even been known to get addicted to you.

What Kind of Cake Are You?

or flowers?

You Are A Lily

You are a nurturer and all around natural therapist. People see you as their rock. And they are able to depend on you. You are a soothing influence. You can make people feel better with a few words. Your caring has more of an impact than even you realize.

What Flower Are You?

Or fibre?

What kind of yarn are you?

You are Merino Wool.You are very easygoing and sweet. People like to keep you close because you are so softhearted. You love to be comfortable and warm from your head to your toes.
Take this quiz!








Quizilla
Join

Make A Quiz More Quizzes Grab Code

Or sammiches? Heh.

You Are a Grilled Cheese Sandwich

You are a traditional person with very simple tastes. In your opinion, the best things in life are free, easy, and fun. You totally go with the flow. And you enjoy every minute of it! Your best friend: The Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich Your mortal enemy: The Ham Sandwich

What Kind of Sandwich Are You?

Happy Knitting to All and carry on with making good time.

Happy Birthday, Baby Girl.....

I love my daughter.


Shall we count the.... rows? Smooch gave it a shot.



I'm thinking there's a gazillion rows of K1P1 in this scarf... yep, you got that right, K1P1, all.the.way. yep, and this scarf is looooong. It measures 5 inches in width (39 stitches) and 98.5 inches in length... so how much do I love my daughter?

Plenty and then a whole lot more.

Boku yarn and there's actually 3 colourways there... started out with 'A' and 'B' then halfway through continued with 'B' and then used 'C'.....

I also remembered I had blogged about her birthday last year...

http://knotminding.blogspot.com/2007/01/happy-birthday-havala.html

but while reviewing that post I also took a little stroll down memory lane... last January.

Now I know I'm not the most consistent blogger, never have been, can't even imagine, but dang, I sure did a better job of it then... and I got to thinking about it and wondering what happened and then it hit me.....

It was all that 'looking' and 'finding' and 'packing' and then 'moving' and 'unpacking' (feel like bitchslappin' me?) then the 'remodeling for 2 months' and all those activities involved with Mom's house and moving her (thank you Deidre, Aardron, Havala, Bobby, and everyone else who helped out with that one) and and and.... it all just wiped me out.

Not to mention the Emotional Upheavals, and.....

The Ice Storm.

The Holidays.

The Cold Virus (yeah, you didn't know about that one, kicked my butt).

So, pretty much the last 6 months have not been blogger post friendly.

(btw, that Cold Virus? the reason I didn't respond to comments from the past two posts, and for this I apologize, sincerely).... I'm just a blog wuss.

Havala..she's 31 today... my baby is 31 years of 'earth age' today....
birthday tradition... we'll be eating sushi tonight... we do love our sushi.

She and I have a lot of fun together, we laugh a LOT, it just happens... one of us will do or say something which may or may not be totally crazy or ridiculous which starts the other one giggling which turns into snorts and laughs and we just.can't.stop.

One thing we had to come to terms with this year, and seriously, I mean absolutely no disrespect, with all the funeral services we had... we absolutely cannot sit next to each other, or really anywhere close to each other because... (I know, this is so bad)... we get tickled about the same kind of thing and whether it's something someone says or how they say it.. one of us will... well, it starts with a smile, innocent enough, but if we look at each other? "It's all over now, baby blue" it takes heroic efforts to get it under control. we bad. we don't mean to... be bad.

Knitting?

I had a case of camnesia on Christmas Eve. Gracie and Conor received their mittens and, bless them, put them on right then and there and love them. They were here last Thursday and came in wearing them... that wasn't a case of camnesia, that was 'addle brain' on my part, didn't get a photo. Hopefully I'll get the opportunity to get photos of them and their mittens.

Conor needs a new hat.
I have yarn for a sweater for Gracie... her birthday will be here before I know it.
I need to get back to Bobby's blankie.

I need more hands to knit with. Obviously whoever was in charge of 'design' wasn't a knitter. Make that Knitter. But as I was told, many years ago by a beautiful Italian soul... "respect the design".. truer words have never been spoken (well, ok, maybe truer words have been spoken but these are right up there, you know?).

I took them to heart and make the best of it, having only 2 hands to knit with... I'm more than grateful.



Happy Knitting to All... may we all continue making good time in 2008!

Invasion?

I just had to share this..... Ann's post.....