Cozy...

Have I mentioned that along with knitting and crocheting one of my favorite passtimes is reading?  I LOVE to read.  Lots of different stuff too.  One of my favorite novels ever is The Grapes of Wrath.  I recently read the non-fiction best seller The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot.  Both very heavy books.  But I love to read "fluff" too.  Waltzing at the Piggly Wiggly by Robert Dalby was a very fun read.  And I have enjoyed many "Cozy Mysteries", too. 
I am currently listening to the audio version of Murder is Binding by Lorna Barrett.  According to her website, the fictional town of Stoneham is "...About five or ten minutes down the road from lovely Milford NH".  Which is MY HOMETOWN!  I spent the first 28 years of my life in Milford.  Which got me thinking about my childhood dream of being a writer.  And then I started to wonder...Can I write a Cozy?  I thin I'm going to try!

Sunshine

If you have been reading this on a regular basis, you know that things with Bud, my sisxteen year old son have been strained for the better part of the past year.  (And if you haven't you can read about it here: http://nonishooksandneedles.blogspot.com/2012/05/having-rug-pulled-out-from-under-me.html).  Recently, I realized how much I miss him.  I miss the way we used to pick a dvd to watch together.  I miss our Boggle tournaments, just he and I.  I miss singing along to a Beatles CD in the car with him.  I miss my little boy.  There was a line on the sitcom "The Middle" a few years back that really hit home with me.  I can't remember it exactly, but it went something like this: "There he was!  My sweet little boy was trapped in the hideous shell of a teenager."  Boy, did that hit home.

A few days ago, Bud came home from school and started telling me about an assignment he had done.  Being the week before Thanksgiving, his advisory group had been given the task of writing a letter of thanks to someone.

"I couldn't see the sense in writing you to tell you thank you for anything," he said, pushing a knife deep into my heart.  Then he continued.  "I am thankful for a lot that you do, Mom.  You buy me food that I like, you put money in my lunch account at school.  You cook awesome meals.  I know I don't seem very appreciative, but I am."
And that's when my little boy peeked out of the teenage shell.  But it gets better.

"So who did you write a letter to?" I asked.
"Ladybug.  I thanked her for being my crazy little sister."

How awesome is that? 
Every once in a while, there's a little ray of sunshine that gives me hope.

Sandy Relief

"What can I do to help?" 

 

 

 

 

 

Bust your stash and make something warm, that's what.

 

http://www.brettbara.com/knitting/make-it-better-craftalong-for-sandy-relief/

FORTY!!!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday to me!!!!

How Many Licks...

I have to say that this is the best commercial ever.

A couple of years ago, Bud even had a t-shirt with the now iconic image of the boy and the owl.  It is simply timeless.

One of my all-time favorite candies is the Tootsie Pop.  Orange, preferably.  And I am proud to say, that my Ladybug is following in my footsteps.  But do you remember the rumor that if you got a wrapper with the entire picture of the Native American boy (Indian when we were kids.  We were far from P.C. in the '70's and '80's.) shooting an arrow at a star, that meant you got a free Tootsie Pop?  I, to this day, have no clue if there was ever any truth to the rumor or not.  My guess is that there was one retailer somewhere who decided to do this for the neighborhood kids.  And an urban legend was born.  I can't remember if I ever got an entire "Indian".  But it was something we all strived for.  And the desire to possess one made it all the more elusive.  Bud had one a few years ago, and it's hanging on his bedroom wall.  Tonight, Ladybug got a Tootsie Pop for dessert, and what do you know?

Yeah.  There he is, in the lower right hand corner.

How cool is that?  Her first complete "Indian"!

Itchy Twitchy

Another thing that I love to do besides knitting and crocheting is reading.  A few years ago, I discovered www.paperbackswap.com.  Essentially, you list books that you are willing to part with.  When another member orders one of your books, you send it to them.  All you have to do is pay for the postage to mail it out, which is usually between $1.50 and $3.00.  For every book you send out, you get one credit.  You can then use this credit to order a book from any other member.  It has been a great source for me to find some out of print books, or books I just wasn't sure would be worth spending money on.  Once you receive the book, you can do whatever you'd like with it.  Keep it, swap it again, give it to a friend...anything.  The book is yours.
Quite a while ago, I put the book Knit 2 Together by Tracy Ullman and Mel Clark on my wish list.  Yesterday, it came.  I have not been knitting much lately, simply because it's summer time.  It's been very hot.  I'm busy doing outside stuff. Mainly taking Ladybug to the town beach.  I'm always afraid to bring my knitting to the lake because sand manages to get in everything.  Unfortunately, knitting has been set aside.
Soooo, long story short, I'm aching to knit.  I spent yesterday afternoon practically drooling over some of the beautiful designs in this book.  And in the midst of one of the hottest weeks this summer, I am attracted to the adorable hooded sweater made with a wool/microfiber blend.  I simply can't make this right now.  Even though the temperature has dropped some, it's still too hot to knit a sweater made from lamb fur.  But my fingers are tingling to cast this sweater on for Ladybug to wear this fall.  What to do, what to do...

Milestones

I had started another blog at the beginning of 2012.  I have since deleted it.  I figured I could just mark the milestones here on this blog.  It was going to be about all of the milestones that are happening in my life this year.  The first one was back in May when Bud turned 16.  But, we know waht happened less than a week before, so I didn't post anything about my "little" boy having a milestone birthday.  (And if you don't know what happened, you can read about it here.)   And then we found out that my mom is going to have open heart surgery this summer for a birth defect that she was just recently diagnosed with.  So some seriously unhappy stuff has been happening this year.

Today, however is another milestone for me.  One I wouldn't change for anything.  Today, the Man and I celebrate 10 years of marriage.  We have been together for 18, but didn't decide to make the lifelong commitment to one another until 10 years ago.  Because we had been together for 8 years and already had a child together, we kept it simple.  We got married on my parents deck, wearing jeans and t-shirts.  The Man and I don't like to dress up very much, so instead of sttressing out about tux rentals and wedding gown shopping, we decided to do what we wanted.  Bud was our ring bearer (or Ring Bear, as he said at the time), and my twin neices were the flower girls.  It is one of my favorite days of my entire life.

Tonight, we are going to a wedding of a former co-worker who is very dear to me.  I can't imagine a better way to celebrate our commitment to one another than being part of another couples promise of a lifetime.  At the beginning of 2012, I had no idea that this is how I would be spending this milestone.  I wouldn't want to do it any differently.

Frail

Growing up, I always felt my dad was the strongest man in the world.  Of course, that's a natural thing for a little girl to think.  But part of it was that he was tall and hefty.  I was a very petite little girl and looking up at his 6'2" frame, to me, meant he must be strong.  And, in reality he was strong.  Very strong.  He had his own carpentry business, so therefore he was hauling shingles up ladders, lumber around job sites and moving heavy power tools.  Looking back, I think the best way to describe him back then is robust.  And muscular.  And...well,...strong.  A child often sees their dad as the most amazing person in the world.  For me, my dad was indestructable.  Superman-like.  Even when he was injured, he wasn't hurt.

In June of 1996, my father was diagnosed with non-hodgkins lymphoma.  At the time, they gave him six years to live.  That was if he went through all kinds of treatments.  If he decided to do nothing, six months to a year.  He had his first two grandchildren, and there was no way he was going to miss out on watching them grow up.  Thus started the treatments.  Chemo.  Radiation.  A bone marrow transplant in 2002.  There was no question in any of our minds.  He was going to beat this thing.

And here it is, 2012, and Pop has out-lived all predictions.  Some of the treatments he has had were experimental and are now obsolete.  Some worked, some didn't.  But he was able to see my nephew and Bud reach the age of 16 my twin neices the age of 14, and Ladybug the age of 7.  He is now back on chemo, again.

Saturday night, our church group went to a minor league baseball game.  Looking at Pop, sittting a few seats down from me, I was taken off guard.  His arms and legs looked so thin. So weak.  He looked so...frail.  I literally had to swallow back the tears.  At almost forty years old, I finally noticed the toll that cancer had taken on his body.  He isn't Superman, no matter what my inner five-year-old might think.

Cancer sucks.

Jackie Whiton: A Must See!

If you haven't heard about Jackie Whiton and her plight, please watch this.  I know Jackie, and I'm proud to say that I support her and the stand she is making.

http://www.wmur.com/news/nh-news/Peterborough-clerk-says-she-was-fired-over-EBT-cards/-/9857858/15276636/-/3n84t/-/index.html

Let it be known that Jackie is making a stand about welfare, not the loss of her job.

Back to Needles

It has been quite a week in my home.  Everything going on with Bud has sent us all into a tailspin. We've been doing a lot outside with Ladybug due to the nice weather. School is winding down. Seven school days left for Bud, eight school days left for Ladybug. (The first winter in my life when there were NO snow days. I think it is a New Hampshire first.)  And I recently found out that my mom is going in for open heart surgery sometime this summer.  What is one to do with all of this chaos?

Knit.
And knit and knit and knit.
And then knit some more. 

And that's exactly what I've been doing.  I have some projects going that I will share once they are completed.  The big thing I'm working on is a shawl for my mom for her hospital stay.  I brought a lot of my UFO's closer to FO's this week. I honestly think knitting saved my sanity.

Having The Rug Pulled Out From Under Me

That's exactly how I feel right now.  A few months ago (Late December or early January, I can't remember which) The Man and I discovered that Bud, our 15 year old son was smoking marijuana.  After the standard "Where did we go wrong?" feelings we sat him down for a talk.  He promised he'd stop, and we let it go at that.  Some might say that we were naive for doing such a thing, but you have to understand, Bud has always been an honest kid.  Sometimes brutally so.  Looking back, I wonder if this is why we believed him, or if it was because of "Not MY kid" sydrome.  We really wanted to beleive him.  We thought he was a curious kid who experimented a bit.  Most of my formative years were during the Reagan administration, and I embraced Nancy Reagan's "Just Say NO!" campaign whole heartedly.  The Man, who is eight years older than me, had a MUCH different time as a teenager.  We are two parents who, as teenagers, had very different experiences.  The Man can talk to Bud about all of the negative effects of certain drugs first-hand.  I can just say "Don't do it.  It's bad.  It's illeagal"  (Not very effective, I know.)

Fast forward to April.  April 20th to be exact.  You know what April 20th is, right?  Or should I say, 4-20?  Apparently, in the pot-smoking community, 4:20 is the universal time to light up, so 4-20 is an entire day to light up.  With the help of an at home drug test (CVS for around $15), my suspicions were confirmed.  He had smoked in the last 30 days.  Anger, hurt, betrayel and more "Where did we go wrong?" feelings came flooding at me.  This time we stressed about the value of trust and how he broke it.  We also made it perfectly clear that if he was ever caught, he was on his own.  We would not bail him out, come to his rescue, or anything like that.  Once again, a promise of not doing it again.  This time, we only half believed him, and cautiously, slowly, returned some privelages we had revoked.

Yesterday, at 2:14, only 4 minutes after school had been dismissed, I got a call from one of the deans.  They had caught Bud buying and he was currently high.  That's when the rug was pulled out from under me, the wind knocked out of me, you could have knocked me over with a feather, and a bunch of other cliches.  After scrambling to find a place for ladybug to go after school, I headed to the high school located in the next town.  WHY?  Why would he do this?  How could he continue to lie to us?  (And of course) WHERE DID WE GO WRONG?  Then, like a ton of bricks, it hit me.  We didn't go wrong anywhere.  We taught him about right and wrong.  We had told him that even if he didn't agree with the law, it was still the law and he had to obey it.  This was NOT my fault.  This was NOT my decision.  These were NOT my actions.  I am a good parent.  And so is The Man.  We have done our best, and made our fair share of mistakes.  But we are overall good parents.

And now, facing charges of possesion, he has the opportunity to basically be an "informant" to the local police.  Give them credible information about drug activity at the school, and they'll drop the charges.  The officer who was at the school when I got there basically said that they wanted to be able to curb some of the stuff going on.  Essentially, There's bigger fish to fry.  He told Bud to think about it.  He has plenty of time to think.  He's on a three day suspension.  Which means, because it's a holiday weekend, he doesn't go back to school until next Friday.  He turns 16 on Thursday.  I don't think it's going to be a very happy birthday for Bud this year.  I hope he remembers it.

The Monkees

Those of you who read this on a regular basis know that I'm a fan of the Beatles.  But did you know that I'm also a fan of the Monkees?  Oh, yeah.  Not as hard-core as the Beatles, but a fan, just the same.  My very first concert was the the Monkees on November 20, 1986 (with my sister L and best friend at the time, M) when they were doing the 20th reunion tour.  I was 14 years old.  (I'm 39 now, for those who are mathmatically inept.  I won't be 40 for a few months.)  I discovered the Monkees and the Beatles around the same time. And while I have always appreciated the Beatles, my preference for the Monkees has waxed and waned over the years.  Out of nowhere, this song came to me the other day and it has been stuck in my head ever since.

Which, I don't quite get.  It's not a better known song of theirs. (When most people think of the Monkees, they either think of the theme song, or "Daydream Believer".  I mean no disrespect to Davy Jones, or his family, but that song was overplayed when he passed away back in February.)  But there was something about this song that I've just always liked.  The tune, the melody, the vocals...I don't know.  I just like it. 

And, as with the Beatles a couple of months ago, this may be another obsession, so don't be surprised if I post more Monkees stuff.

Snd? Seriously?

I just noticed today that my header said "Noni's Hooks snd Needles".  Seriously?  How long has it been like that and I haven't even noticed?

Knitting Night

Wednesday nights used to be about having a few hours to myself.  That has gone by the wayside since Awana is over for the season, and the last time Ladybug went, Buddy and I had a huge blowup fight.  (And I mean HUGE.  The joys of parenthood.)  So I thought that knitting on Wednesdays was over.  Then, the library changed their hours and are only open until 8:00 on Wednesday nights now. (I live in a small town with a small budget.)  So knitting group has been moved to Wenesday nights.  Maybe tonight I can pick up my long neglected knitting and relax in the stitches.  I hope so.

Hectic Life

Yeah, I know.  It's been a while since I posted anything.  But life has gotten hectic.

We found out that our 15 year old son is making some destructive decisions with his life.  That in itself has overshadowed our lives for a few weeks.  I won't go into details, but we're wondering what the heck we should do about it.  We're completely new to this.  I was a fairly good teen, so this is all so foreign to me.

Also, Ladybug has been wanting a pet for ages.  I ruled out a dog from the get-go because I know I would be the one to take care of everything.  A cat is automatically ruled out, because the man is extremely allergic.  Hamsters and gerbils make me think of the mice that I set traps for, so they are out.  So we got a parakeet.  Parakeets aren't a lot of work, but more than I thought.  And no one else in the house is willing to change the newspaper in the cage, so that falls on me.

And as of right now, Ladybug is in her room having a fit because she won't do her homework.  It quickly escalated into a power struggle and I have just been called a horrible mother.  Cries of "I want Daddy" keep coming out of her room.

Work has gotten busier with springtime.  Business always picks up in the food industry in nicer weather.  But it makes it harder just to get a pee break some days.  Plus, there have been rumors recently that a certain Hollywood celebrity has been staying in the town in which I work.  Supposedly, he is at the local artist colony writing a movie.  For some reason, people expect us to know if there is any truth to the rumors.  Hmmm, lets think this through.  "Sightings" of him around a small (no, tiny) New Hampshire town, with no photographic proof?  I don't think so.

But, with all of that said, I wouldn't trade my life for anything.  No matter what, I love both of my kids very much.  I might not always like what they do, but I will never stop loving them.  The Man and I can get through this together if we just stand by each other and support one another.  Work is crazy, but for the first time in years, I can say that my coworkers are my friends and that I can count on them for helping me when I'm in need. 
Although hectic sometimes, I have a good life.  I just need to remind myself every once in a while.

I'm So Tired

Because I am...

And, of course, it's The Beatles.

Today, I'm just going to say that my thoughts and prayers go out to my friend C and her children A and E.  My heart is with you.

Random Beatles.

Today's Beatles fix was chosen in a new way.  Usually I have a song in mind and post a video for that particular song.  Today, I went to You Tube, typed in "The Beatles" and closed my eyes while I moved the cursor.  Just goes to show that there is not a single "bad" song by them! 

Enjoy!

(About) The Beatles

Just a really fun song!



More Beatles

Yup. Another video of The Beatles. This one is from the White Album. Written about (or for) Mia Farrow's sister. When they were doing all the meditation stuff in India, Prudence Farrow was there as well and locked herself in her room. This song came from it. Good song.

The Beatles

As I stated in an earlier post, I'm a pretty big Beatles fan. I have been on a real big Beatles kick lately. Watching youtube videos, listening to them on my ipod and Pandora, that sort of thing. Bud and I even watched the mockumentry "Paul McCartney is Really Dead" last night. (Don't waste your time with it. Even as a mockumentry, it was horrible!  And just for the record, I do think that Paul McCartney is alive.  But if I had been a teen during the "Paul is dead" hoopla, I can see myself falling for it.) In fact, when I get like this, some people might even call me obsessive. So, for today, I'm going to indulge in my obsession. I had never seen this video before yesterday. I have no idea what it's from, or what Paul is talking about. The first part just makes me fall in love with him because he is so adorable. The second part brought tears to my eyes.

P.S.  I have no idea when the current obsession will quiet down, so be prepared for more Beatles related posts!

Apple Squares

Since this is called Noni's Hooks and Needles, maybe you don't know that on occasion, I like to bake.  Sometimes when I have a couple of extra apples, I just have to make a batch of these.  I loved it when my mom made these when I was a kid.  They have become a favorite of my family as well.

Apple Squares

1 C sugar
2 C diced apples (I like to use granny smiths)
1 egg
1/2 C oil
1 1/2 C flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350. Combine sugar and diced apples.  Let stand for 10 minutes.  While letting apples stand, in a seperate bowl, sift dry ingredients. Then mix oil and eggs with apples.    Add dry ingredients to apple mixture.  Batter will be stiff.  Bake in a lightly greased 11x7 pan for 35-40 minutes, or a 9x13 pan for 25-30 minutes.

These are so good when cut into squares, but they are even better when...

...you top them with a little bit of vanilla ice cream and caramel syrup.  YUM!

Stress

As you can tell by the title of today's post, I'm a little stressed out.  There are several factors to this stress.

 Being the mother of a teenager who is almost exactly like I was at that age is no fun.  I have a fairly decent idea of how Bud works.  Not a clear idea, but I can usually figure it out. He's a lot like me in soooo many ways.  Some of them make me proud.  Some make me cringe.

I miss my husband.  I work in the very early morning.  My work day starts at 4:00.  Not long after I get home, the Man leaves for his second shift job. He works Sunday- Friday, and I work Tuesday-Saturday.  Which means we are home together on Saturday nights.  That is our only night together.  And getting up at 3:00 am to be to work for 4:00 usually means that I'm ready for bed at about 9:00.  Which is the same time we put Ladybug to bed on non-school nights.  So, it's not like we can curl up on the couch and watch a movie.  When we do, I'm usually snoring within a half hour.

I haven't been able to go to knitting group at all for the month of March.  Ladybug has basketball on Monday nights and it ends just as knitting group begins.  I could still go, but that means I have to plan dinner for 4:30 in the afternoon or 8:00.  So, no knitting group until next month.

Lastly, this knitting pattern I'm trying to design is driving me crazy.  I just want something simple to knit for my night alone tonight.  I'm thinking I might just dig out some cotton yarn and make a simple yarn over dishcloth.  Nice and mindless.

I hope you're all having a less stressed week than I am.

A Happy Song

Have I mentioned before that I am a BIG Beatles fan?  No?  Well I am.  And this song just seems to fit my mood on this warm spring New Hampshire day.  Enjoy!

A Knitting Adventure

As some of you know, I published my last post on www.ravelry.com.  It isn't anything complex, and most people who have experience with crocheting in the round can figure out how to make it without a pattern, or with minimal instructions.

But, I'm very excited to have something on ravelry now. On that note, I'd like to get more on there.I have an idea for a knit hat, but since spring is on it's way, (HOPEFULLY! I do, afterall, live in New England.) I'm giving myself a deadline of the fall to not only design it, but have at least one completed project.  I love cables but have never designed anything with them.  I've never really designed anything knit. It's going to take a lot of trial and error.  And it's going to take a lot of swatching.  And frogging. But I am prepared for all of this, so it shouldn't be too bad, I hope.

The reason I'm posting about this is accoutability.  I put this out there so I have to be accoutable for the statements I have just made.  Now, there is no going back, right?  Heaven help me!  I'll keep you all posted!

A Hat Made With Hooks

So since I titled this blog Noni's Hooks and Needles, I thought it was way past time to show something I made with hooks.  This is a very basic single crochet hat.  I have made dozens of them over the past few years.  This is the very same pattern I used when I taught a few friends how to crochet back in January.

And since I have pictures of one of my crocheted hat, I thought I'd include the pattern, too.  This is the actual pattern I sat down and wrote out to teach my friends.  I have made so many of these, that I don't even think about how to do it anymore.  If you notice any errors, please let me know so I can correct it.

Single Crochet Beanie

Materials Needed:

Worsted Weight Yarn  (I used Vanna's Choice for the one shown, but any worsted will do.)

Size H (5.00mm) crochet hook

Plastic yarn needle

Ch 4.  Join with sl st in beg ch. to form a ring, or use magic loop method.  The choice is yours.

Rnd 1: ch 1, work 6 sc in ring, join with sl st in beg ch.

Rnd 2: ch 1, 2 sc in each sc, join with sl st in beg ch. (12 sc)

Rnd 3: ch 1, *sc in next sc, 2sc in next sc; rep from * around, join with sl st in beg ch. (18 sc)

Rnd 4: ch 1, *sc in next 2 sc, 2sc in next sc; rep from * around, join with sl st in beg ch. (24 sc)

Rnd 5: ch 1, *sc in next 3 sc, 2sc in next sc; rep from * around, join with sl st in beg ch. (30 sc)

Rnd 6: ch 1, *sc in next 4 sc, 2sc in next sc; rep from * around, join with sl st in beg ch. (36 sc)

Rnd 7: ch 1, *sc in next 5 sc, 2sc in next sc; rep from * around, join with sl st in beg ch. (42 sc)

Rnd 8: ch 1, *sc in next 6 sc, 2sc in next sc; rep from * around, join with sl st in beg ch. (48 sc)

Rnd 9: ch 1, *sc in next 7 sc, 2sc in next sc; rep from * around, join with sl st in beg ch. (54 sc)

Rnd 10: ch 1, *sc in next 8 sc, 2sc in next sc; rep from * around, join with sl st in beg ch. (60 sc)

Rnd 11: ch 1, *sc in next 9 sc, 2sc in next sc; rep from * around, join with sl st in beg ch. (66 sc)

Rnd 12: ch 1, *sc in next 10 sc, 2sc in next sc; rep from * around, join with sl st in beg ch. (72 sc)

Rnds 13-32: ch1, sc in each st around, sl st in beg. ch. (72 sc)

Finishing: weave in ends.

Happy Crocheting!

Stupid Leap Year

I have been wanting to try knitting two socks at once on circular needles.This past weekend, I bought the book 2-at-a-time Socks by Melissa Morgan-Oakes.

Last week, I ordered some yarn and long cord circular needles from www.knitpicks.com.  My package came today.  I have everything I need to start a pair of socks.  Only guess what?  We still have the rest of today and all of tomorrow left in February.  And February is for Finishing.  I guess I'll work on the crocheted hat that has been sitting since the class I tought back in January.  Stupid leap year.



A Knitting Playdate

I think that most everyone has a friend in their life that they can always remember having.  Or close to it, at least.  For me, that is my friend R.  R moved into the neighborhood we grew up in when she was 3 and I was 6.  The first time I met her, she dragged her little plastic slide into my yard and asked me if I wanted to play.  I said yes, and we have been friends ever since.  Over the thirty plus years of our friendship, we have gone our seperate ways at times and always reconnected.  A couple of years ago, we reconnected for what I hope is for good.  We have continuously e-mailed and facebooked each other since.  And every few months or so, we get together to knit.  Yesterday was one of those days.  We went to coffee shop the next town over from where R lives.

We didn't have coffee, but instead had some very delicious tea that they serve there.  We talked. A LOT.  R and I can not see each other for six months (as was the case yesterday), and jump right into a conversation as though no time at all has passed.  We knit. A LOT.  I worked on the poncho I am hoping to finish for ladybug by this spring.  And R showed me a couple of projects she was working on.  I didn't think to take a picture until she had put most of them back in her bag.  But she had some beautiful sock yarn that her husband had given her for Christmas a couple of years ago.

We had plans to go to the yarn shop a few doors down, but we got so carried away talking and knitting that before we knew it the sun was setting and the yarn shop had already closed.  Well, it's like I told R, we'll have to do that another time.  It just gives us an excuse to get together soon.  Although we don't really need an excuse!

The Most Amazing Woman I Know

Last April I was blessed with a day of knitting with my Gramma.  The purpose of our knitting was so she could teach me how to turn a heel when knitting socks.  She was knitting (on average) a pair of socks or mittens a day.  (I went with my parents and it was the first time in a I-don't-know-how-long that I was sitting in the back of my mom's car!)  When we got to my aunts house, my Gramma was waiting for me with two socks, knit to the heel flap, ready to teach me. She asked me if I wanted to learn her grandmother's way, or the right way.  I told her I wanted to learn her grandmother's way.  And then, something amazing happened. She started to talk about her grandmother.  I have a fairly decent knowledge of family history on my Grampa's side of the family, but Gramma never really told me much about her side. 

Gramma learned to knit when she was 11 years old from her Grammy.  (That's what she said, too. This cute little old lady sitting across from me called her grandmother Grammy.  I don't know why that surprised me, but it did.)  Her Grammy never learned to read or write, she never had a pattern to follow.  All of the measuring she did was with her hand.  The length of the cuff of a sock was the length of her finger.  Different fingers for different sizes.  Her thumb was for a child's, her index finger for a woman's, and her middle finger for a man's.  A sweater was just held up to the person to see if it would fit.  She knew the difference in the width and length of her hand and others in the family, so she could knit mittens for them from memory. 

Gramma is now in a nursing home and today is her 102nd birthday.  She is teaching others in the nursing home to knit.  She has seen a lot and been through a lot.  Just the fact that her fingers are still nimble enough to knit astounds me.  She has an amazing faith in the Lord and trusts Him with his plans for her each and every day.  My Gramma is amazing.

Finished! (#2)

As part of February is for Finishing, I completed a pair of socks that have been sitting for almost a year.  I wanted to learn how to knit socks, but quite frankly was a bit intimidated by turning a heel.  It just sounded scary.  So, I knit two socks all the way up to the heel flap and then they sat. For a couple of months. Until my Gramma taught me how to turn a heel.  After which I very excitedly turned the heel on ONE of them.  And then they sat some more.  So, after finishing my Mod Cables Hat last Monday, I dug them out.  Here is how they looked a week ago:

And here is how they look today:

                                                                                  
The one on my left foot is the first one I made.  Along with being one of my first socks I ever knit, It is also one of the first projects I ever tried on dpns.  If you look closely, (please don't, though) you can see that the one on my right foot is so much nicer.  It's amazing what a little bit of experience can do!

What have you finished this week?

My Husband Loves Me

We were heading out to do some errands today when The Man asked if I wanted to go to the yarn shop.

"I don't know," I replied.  "I'm doing this February is for finishing.  I'm not sure I should get more yarn if I'm not going to be starting something any time soon."

Then he said the best thing!  "Well, you'll need yarn for when February is over."

I love that man!

Finished!

I finished my first item!  Woo-Hoo!  I actually finished it yesterday.   So this is what my Mod Cables Hat looked like on Friday:

And this is the finished product:

It's a rather snug fit, but that's part of what makes it so warm.  I needed to get it done in time to take it to knitting group last night to show it off. ( And since it was chilly on the walk there, I had to try it out.)  Hearing my fellow knitters "Oooh" and "Ahhh" over my hand knits never gets old! 

                                                                               

February is for Finishing

I recently started following a blog that I found simply by not knowing what to knit next.  Well, it's actually a little bit more involved than that, but it sounded better this way.  Anyways, I love post-Christmas knitting, because I always choose something small and fairly simple for MYSELF.  This year, I decided to knit myself a new winter hat.  (Aside from the Halloween weekend snowstorm, we had a late start to winter here in New Hampshire.)  So I was browsing through hat patterns on ravelry and came across the exact type of hat I wanted to knit.  Mod Cables Hat jumped out at me.  I had only made one thing before that had cables, and these cables looked...fairly easy.  I clicked on the pattern and was brought to Jeanne's blog, www.lifeincleveland.blogspot.com.  Let me just say that besides being a talented knitter, she is also very humorous.

Last week, she posted this:

And may I say that I am so happy that she did.  She has put a challenge out to NOT start anything new in February.  Instead, the challenge is to only finish projects that are already in progress.  Here is the best part: WITHOUT ANY GUILT.  So, here are some U.F.O. s I chose to work on in February:

                                         
Let's see how I do.

What time alone?

Sooooo...I didn't have any time alone on Wednesday.  Kind of a bummer.  Well, actually, it wasn't a bummer.  At first, I was downright ticked.  Bud decided to stay home from Bible study.  He just wasn't in the mood.  And really, I'm just glad that at age 15 he has a desire to go to a Bible study with a group of adults that are all not only older than him, but older than his parents, too.  So, I kind of figured he'd spend the night in his room playing video games or something like that, but he wanted to watch TV with me.  Specifically, The Office.  Considering we haven't been getting along lately (he's a 15 year old boy. Enough said.), I should have jumped at the opportunity to spend some down time with him, just hanging out.  Did I?  Unfortunately, I did not.  I spent the majority of the evening stewing because "My night" had been ruined.  Wait a minute.  Ruined?  Let me rethink this.  Hmmm...My teenage son, who only last week was telling me how much he hates everything I do wanted to spend time with me?  And I resented him for it?  I think I have some apologizing to do...

Ahhhhh....Wednesdays

I have recently come to love Wednesday nights.  My man is working, Bud is at bible study, and Ladybug is at Awana with a friend.  Do you know what that means?  Yup.  That's right.  I have the house to MYSELF!  I get to take a shower without being disturbed.  I then make myself a cup of tea and do one (or two) of three things.  I either

1. Read a book and enjoy the quiet solitude of the house
2. Watch a movie or TV show that nobody else in the family would want to see
3. Get out the needles and yarn and knit

Sometimes, when I'm feeling really crazy, I watch a movie and knit AT THE SAME TIME!

Tonight, I'm going to live on the edge and watch a movie and knit.  I'm working on a Mod Cables Hat designed by Jeanne at lifeincleveland.blogspot.com in a soft green.  The Help should be good entertainment.

I never thought in a million years that a few hours a week would be enough, but at this point in my life, I'll take what I can get!