Christmas Stocking

After two years, I finally knit Jonas' Christmas stocking. I finished it on Boxing Day. Oh well. We'll get to use it next year, and there may even be semi-matching stockings for Jason and me!

The fair isle knitting wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. The big snowflake section at the top was the hardest bit. I don't know if it was more difficult than the other sections or if I just found my stranded knitting groove. I will always think of Jimmy Stewart and my dad whenever I see this stocking, as I knit a huge chunk of it while watching 'It's a Wonderful Life' on Christmas Eve while Dad snoozed on the sofa next to me. Mom read a book at the dining room table, and Jason sat with her, picking at leftovers. Kelsey the Chocolate Lab settled herself near Jason's feet and proceeded to perfume the air with a near constant barrage of dog farts. Jonas was safely tucked into bed. Aside from some sadness which is not mine to discuss, we had a good Christmas. 

Pattern: Modern Classics Christmas Stockings by Knit Picks Design Team

Yarn: Knit Picks Telemark (100% Peruvian Highland Wool) #24619 Grass and #23935 Drift, 1+a smidge balls each

Mods: I used size 7 16'' circs and size  7 dpns. Used first section of 'modern' chart part 2 rather than first section of 'classic' chart part 2. I duplicate stitched Jonas' name. Otherwise, I actually followed the pattern for once.

-- Sent from my Palm Pixi

Dad's Sweater Vest

Is this the beginning of a messy, tangled disaster? 

-- Sent from my Palm Pixi

My Little Pumpkin

-- Sent from my Palm Pixi

Ready for Treats

I just finished Jonas' Halloween costume. It took me three days to make it, and I sewed it all by myself! It's the first garment I've sewed. Finally, I can do more than pillows and pillowcases. (I still like knitting best, though.)

-- Sent from my Palm Pixi

One Week Ago

I can't believe it's already been a week since we took this picture on our way to SAFF. 

Last year I decided that I would be a drop spindle kit at SAFF this year and learn to spin. Unfortunately the vendor I wanted to get my kit from wasn't there this year so I decided to come home and buy a kit from my LYS. Renee and I bought needle felting items to try that out. I really don't have the gift for needle felting, and I've already stabbed myself a couple times. I think I should call it quits on that!

We dragged ourselves away reluctanctly and drove back to Cherokee with a Volvo packed with yarn, needles, roving, handmade soaps and patterns. After a brief nap for Jonas, we headed down to dinner at Paula Deen's. Friday night the service was great, the food so-so. Saturday night the service was some of the worst I've ever had, the food good but salty. I ate a spinach salad with warm bacon dressing and the crab stew. Then Jason and Joe went to see WILLIE NELSON in a small concert. I really, really wish I had gone because I lurve Willie, but I was dog tired. (And it was the only chance for the men to have some father-son time since Jason went to SAFF with Renee and me).

Sunday morning we were up early to drive to the Pancake House in Gatlinburg. How crazy are we that we stood outside in 38* for 30ish minutes waiting to get inside and get our table? Apparently, it's tradition in Gburg to eat at this place and wait in the crazy line. The food was pretty good, but I find it suspicious that Jonas and Jason have both been battling colds this week.....

-- Sent from my Palm Pixi

Mommy's Helper

Things were quiet. Too quiet. I came upstairs expecting to find him in a puddle of pee from a potty training accident, and instead I found him cleaining the bathroom mirror. Good. I'll add that to his future list of chores.

Meanwhile, the potty training accident happened 15 minutes later. At least it was on the hardwood floor and not one of the few carpeted spots in the house!

-- Sent from my Palm Pixi

Jacob Sheep

Yes. It has FOUR horns. 

-- Sent from my Palm Pixi

Sooooo Good!

Paula Dean's at Cherokee was good. I ate a low country boil. The sausage was a tad too spicy. And this is coming from someone who can eat a whole bottle of Chalula's in one sitting.

Now I'm experiencing my first gelato. It's BLUEBERRY, and I'm in love!

Tomorrow I'm going to have crab stew and a salad, and for dessert I'll have the RASPBERRY SWIRL gelato. Yay!

-- Sent from my Palm Pixi

Roadtrip Knitting

We're on our way to Fletcher, NC for the Southeastern Animal & Fiber Festival (www.saffsite.org). I'm endlessly knitting a shopping bag for the goodies I'll buy tomorrow. I have another bag for my shopping in case I don't get the woolie one finished in time!

We're eating at Paula Dean's at Harrah's in Cherokee tonight. I already have on my stretchy pants....

-- Sent from my Palm Pixi

Wishes & Stitches, update

Just finished Wishes & Stitches. Yes, it's 2:30 in the morning. But once Jonas & the house were taken care of, and after I went to a very long P.E.O. meeting, I finally got to curl up with the book. I couldn't put it down. I could totally relate to the lead character, Naomi. I think this was her best book, yet. Can't wait to see what Rachael comes up with next!

-- Sent from my Palm Pixi

Wishes & Stitches

The third book in Rachael Herron's Cypress Hollow series is out today!  I just downloaded my copy, and I can't wait to read it.

-- Sent from my Palm Pixi

Manwell for Jax

I just finished The Manwell. It's been a little over a year since the last time I saw Lara's wee dog, Jax, but I'm fairly certain this sweater is too big for him. Perhaps he can wear it as a nightgown? Hopefully La will get at least one pic of Jax wearing it, and I'll post it as soon as she sends it.

Now back to the baby cardi and the Christmas stocking.....

-- Sent from my Palm Pixi

Overdue Book Review

See the Rachael Herron books listed above? Go. Buy. Them. Or buy digital copies like me. (And be sure to check out Rachael's blog at www.yarnagogo.com.)  

A Life in Stitches is the latest release. It's a book of personal essays. Rachael's writing is like having your BFF sitting next to on the couch, gabbing over chai lattes. I laughed. I cried. (The essays about her mom really hit me since I continue to battle emotions regarding Mom and her MS.) I promised myself that this time I really would post a blog about Rachael's mad writing skills. 

How to Knit a Love Song and How to Knit a Heart Back Home are the first two novels in the Cypress Hollow Yarn Series. I'm eagerly awaiting #3.  They have everything- yarn, romance, strong heroines, yarn, zippy dialogue, plausible plot lines, yarn, and a knitting pattern at the end of the book. Did I mention yarn?

Honeymooning is a short story that features two characters from Cypress Hollow. It's a fun, quick read. Your Rachael Herron Collection will not be complete without it.

I wish I could describe the books in such a way that you'd trip over yourself in your haste to buy them, but I don't have the words. Be assured that if I bought them for my nook, that means I love them enough to a) KEEP THEM FOREVER and b) CARRY THEM WITH ME WHEREVER I TRAVEL. If that's not convincing, what is? 

Be sure to check out Rachael's blog!

-- Sent from my Palm Pixi

Another WIP

Baby sweater for a February baby (not mine), great book of baby patterns, and Jonas' new Halloween flashlight (when you turn on the light, it says 'boooooo').

-- Sent from my Palm Pixi

Watching the Lincoln Days Parade

-- Sent from my Palm Pixi

Back By Popular Demand

I know I should get back to blogging, and Michelle has now asked me twice to resume the project of the month blogs.  

I'm currently working on The Manwell.  It's a turtleneck dog sweater designed by Stephanie Michaud and printed in Sock Yarn One-Skein Wonders. I'm using Lion Brand Magic Stripes yarn in #201 Denim Stripe. (I use this yarn A LOT since I bought about 20 balls of it on super clearance back in 2006. I know. Yarn hoarder. In my defense, sock yarn was very rare in the Hardin-LaRue area back then....)

As for the challenge this month, I will knit Jonas a two-color Christmas stocking. Fingers crossed.

And hey, it's nice to see ya'll again, dear readers!

-- Sent from my Palm Pixi

The Cat Who Wouldn't Die

We took Ruthie to the vet to be put down today. It was not as terribly sad as when we took Ringo last July because Jason and I had made the decision together last night that it was time. I would like to write the same quality eulogy for Ruthie as for Ringo, but I've been saying goodbye to her since we found out she had a necrotic kidney in June 2006. This experience is unlike any I've ever had with a beloved pet. All the ones before have been hit by cars, run away, or like my beloved dog Spot and Ringo, unplanned euthanasia. (Ok, so Philip's cat Boots and Dad's lab Duchess both died in their sleep, but I was five when Boots died and living in Atlanta when Duchess died so they weren't really my experience.)

Ruthie came through her kidney removal surgery five years ago with no problems. (Unless you count her personality change and the sometimes mis-matched pupils as problems.) But this last year has been a very slow decline in her health. In April I took her for a checkup and found out (many hundreds of dollars later) that she had spinalosis, arthritis, hip displaysia, and alzheimers. She started taking pain meds twice a day. This past week she went on a hunger strike. She couldn't hold down her meds anymore. And when she did eat, she couldn't keep that food in her belly, either.

It was time to let her go. To end her pain. To finish the long goodbye. And now that I'm writing about the end of her 12 years on this earth, I'm finally crying for her. She had driven us crazy so many times over the past five years that it's easy to forget she was once so incredibly sweet and cute and adorable that we named her Ruthie after the little girl on "7th Heaven." I will miss that version of my Baby Ruth. The house will be too quiet now. Especially at night when we're trying to sleep.

Goodbye, Ruthie.

Raindrops On Roses And Whiskers On Kittens

Happy Mother's Day!

Quick update on Jonas....He turned 2 last Monday (the 2nd). He's a full-on toddler, complete with temper tantrums and stubbornness and whining. Yay. At his wellness checkup, he weighed 29 lbs (65th percentile) and was 36.5 in tall (90th percentile). His favorite things are: Toy Story 3 (Buzz and Woody), Sesame Street (Murray and Super Grover 2.0), Tangled (Mandy Moore- he's had a thing for her since birth), whole milk, peanut butter crackers, mustard, mango dum-dums, books, calling his dad by his first name, shoes & socks, and his stuffed creatures (Stinky Monkey, Kitty, Bear and Bunny).

I Didn't See His Face, But His Thighs Were Amazing

I would love to share pictures of my trip, but I don't know how on this Macbook! I'm sure it's something really simple, and I'm making it harder than it is. I just haven't had the chance to play with it, between all the traveling and trying to keep it out of Jonas' clutches. (Which is really, really hard. I'm very frustrated that in a house this size, I have NOWHERE to put my things that he can't get to them. Grrrr!)

So we had lots of fun on the trip. Jonas loved Olivia! Michelle and Olivia drove over one day and met Meli, Jonas and me at Potomac Park. Once we strapped the kiddos into their strollers, we were off for a walking tour of the Mall and a picnic lunch (where Jonas took off and almost took out a runner with the most amazing thighs ever). It was wet and colder than I had expected. Luckily, Michelle had a spare long sleeve shirt for Jonas to borrow. So what if if was a pink-brown-green polka dot kimono-style shirt! Jonas was adorable and warm.

We also had a blast with Other Michele/Virginia Michele/This Michele/MicheLe. She almost made me pee in my pants with the stories of the old Rabbit she used to have. And I'm so happy she was there to get my obscure movie references! I think Jonas has recovered from meeting her dogs, too. (And now would be a wonderful time for a picture of Riley the Great Dane, but alas.....)

In Fayetteville, Pam took us to a yarn shop downtown. I can't remember the name right now, but it was Sunflower something and on Anderson St. The owner was pretty awesome. I'm definitely looking forward to going back to her shop. In Alexandria, Meli & I checked out Fiber Space. It's off of King St so it was easy to get to. I'm also looking forward to visiting that shop again. I missed out on Yarn Cloud in Woodbridge, VA. They were closed for inventory, but I'm sure I'll check it out the next time I visit Meli.

The long leg of the trip was the drive home from Stafford. We would have made it, if I hadn't detoured to Lynchburg to visit Randolph-Macon Woman's College (now just Randolph College because they went co-ed). The detour added about 2 hours to the trip. I gave up in Lexington, and because it was so late at that point I opted for a hotel instead of hitting up the hospitality of my friends in the city. Jonas was cranky, and I didn't have energy to be social. But we woke up rested and refreshed the next morning (Good Friday) and hurried home where we had to wait all day to finally see Jason again.

I guess I'm rested up from the trip and Easter and the Royal Wedding so now I have to get back to work around the house. I didn't finish my Lent To-Do List. There were some things that I needed to be home to do, and I didn't take my three week road trip into consideration when I made the list. Oh well. I completed 54 out of 67 tasks, and I think that's not too shabby.

Next blog.....long delayed book reviews for Rachael Herron and Suzanne Brockmann.

The 2011 Travel Season Has Begun

Good Monday to you. Last week I was at the Masters practice round with my dad and step-mom-in-law. It was soooooo beautiful. And I may have a bit of a golf bug now. Maybe.

The rest of the week in Aiken flew by quickly. I managed to squeeze in two visits to The Sassy Knitter. Most people take a picture of their children next to trees to show how they're growing over time; I photograph my child with my LYS owner, Karen!

Yesterday, Jason headed home to Kentucky, and Jonas and I took off on our first one-on-one roadtrip. I planned a short day, just 4 hours up to the Fayetteville, NC area to spend a few nights with my friend Pam and her family. And killing two birds with one stone, visiting Pam was an item on my Lent To Do List. I have been planning on visiting her for the past NINE years, and if only I had done that back then, I could be touring around Italy right now....

From here we're driving to Virginia to see the Killians and the V-Team. That's right- Jonas and Olivia are finally going to meet! I'm super excited about that. Meli, Jonas and I are also going to do the touristy DC thing, and since my last touristy trip to DC was at the age of 6, I'm looking forward to it a lot more now.

All for now. I've got NINE years of catching up to cram into a few days. I'll post pictures later when I'm on my laptop.

P.S. The Lent To Do list is mostly finished. I had to work really hard to whittle it down before this trip. There are some things that won't be completed, like scanning in a huge album of really old family photos, but I'm okay with that. I will do that as soon as I can and not NINE years from now. I think I've done a good job of giving up procrastination, and yes, it's been hard and Lent-worthy.

Before & After

I've learned by posting these pictures that I have A LOT to learn about using a Mac! I guess they speak for themselves so I will stop my futile (for now) attempts at adding captions. Jonas is absolutely fine now. Once his lip shrank back to it's normal size and once his teeth and gums weren't so tender and once he got rehydrated, he turned back to his normal, daredevil self. Although I will admit that he's a bit more clingy, and my blood pressure has remained elevated. And I may have a few more white hairs, too.

Just A Quickie

First, last Friday night Jonas tripped on his own feet, fell, and knocked his mouth on the corner of the stool he was carrying. He knocked one of his front teeth completely out- root and all. The other front tooth was knocked back just a little bit. I cannot stress enough just how much blood there was; it was horrible. I took him back to the dentist today for xrays and a check up. Dr Murphy says Jonas is healing well. It was really neat to see the xrays because you can see the adult teeth hanging out right above the baby teeth. I will post before and after pictures soon.

Second, I don't have the pictures on my computer, yet, because I'm typing from my new MacBook Pro! I FINALLY got it!! I'm super excited. I'm hoping I'll start blogging more now that I won't be stuck back in the office.

That's all for tonight. Time to watch Survivor with my husband.

Procrastination is the thief of time. -Edward Young

Every year when I decide what to give up for Lent, I try to pick something I haven't given up in the past. Last year I gave up cussing, with a 25 cent penalty for every slip of the tongue. The year before that, when I was pregnant, I gave up ice cream (though some may argue that was my doctor's choice rather than mine). The year before that I gave up using elevators, and since I worked on the top floor of a four story building and needed to move between floors usually while wearing high heels, that was the longest 40 days ever!

I was having a hard time deciding what to give up this year. I really wanted to challenge myself. So I finally decided to give up what I think is my biggest vice- procrastination.

Now, how in the world does a person give up procrastination? I started by putting off answering that question until closer to Lent. Finally the end of February arrived, and I thought I should make a list of all the little and not so little things I keep putting off but really needed to do. And then I decided to wait and make the list on Fat Tuesday. Tuesday arrived, and I was bored so I actually made the list. There's almost 70 things on my Lent To Do List. I became so excited, I gave up procrastination on Fat Tuesday, a whole day EARLY. I mostly did some easy stuff, like weaving in the ends of an entrelac scarf I knit for Renee back in January.

Of course, the real kicker came the next day when I was telling Mom about my Lent To Do List, and she said, "Honey, Lent's next week." I pulled out my phone, looked at the date, and sure enough, I was a whole week early in giving up procrastination. I have a really hard time with this concept, but I believe that's what they call irony. (I think I understood irony in high school and then Alanis Morisette came out with her song that was more about bad luck than irony, and I've been confused ever since.)

Naturally I started with a bunch of easy projects, like making up baby sweaters, weaving in yarn ends, sewing buttons, etc. Everything was going quickly for that first week, and I really felt like I was accomplishing a lot. Now, however, the easy stuff is finished, and I'm left with the things I really don't want to do. Like get the year-old ding in my windshield fixed, have my car detailed, write a will, take donations to Goodwill, write a blog entry about Lent, get my hair trimmed, visit a friend I've been planning on visiting for 9 years. I know it may sound silly that I haven't done or don't want to do some of these things. They're so little (except in the case of visiting Pam because she was in Italy for some of those 9 years, and international travel is a big thing for me). But for whatever reason, I've put them off until they've made this Lent To Do List, and because Lent is the one religious tradition I've always followed whether Methodist, Baptist, or without a church, every one of those things will be taken care of by Easter.

Here are some pictures of some of my Lent To Do's Done's....

Buttons sewn on green baby sweater for a gal at church. My favorite vintage pattern and mint green acrylic from the stash. I actually like acrylic for baby cardigans because it's so easy for a sleep deprived parent to wash.

Purple socks for Renee, which were started last October. Yarn is Malabrigo sock yarn. Don't know the official color.

Finally ordered my new laptop. It arrived yesterday, but I haven't had the chance to look at it thanks to Mr. Grabby Hands who decided yesterday would be a great day to stop taking naps.
First professional haircut for Jonas. After 22 months, he finally had enough hair, I couldn't just trim around the bottom of his hairline. He sat in Grandpa's lap and handled the experience well.
Knit up four of these cozies for a Facebook thing. They are completely finished. I even blocked them, as you can see. Now they are in a pile on the counter waiting to be mailed or hand delivered to the recipients, and yes, that's on the list! (The paint brushes, raisins, and knives had nothing to do with the cozies...) Yarn is Lion Brand Wool. Threw the wrapper away without getting the color. I adapted the cozy pattern out of Knitting With Balls.
Gray socks for Jason. I bought this yarn at the shop in Solvang, CA when we were out there for Meli's & Other Jason's wedding three years ago with the promise of socks for my patient husband. Started these in November. Yarn is Trekking XXL.
I started this tank last April. It's the Sleeveless Tuxedo Shirt by Theresa Schabes in Interweave Knits Summer 2007. I finally knit an adult clothing item that fits, and best of all, fits me! And the only reason I knit this was because I stumbled upon the yarn at The Sassy Knitter in Aiken, SC and snatched it up on sale at $13.85 a skein! (I checked Louet's website today, and the skeins are going for $24.95 now.) I remembered the pattern, and thought, why not? The linen is so soft, and it feels really good against my skin. Yes, the lace panels are not the same size and yes, the parts I crocheted are a bit wonky, and yes, I'll have to search for a different bra to wear with it. But I love it anyway. Yarn is Louet Euroflax Sport Weight, and the color is soapstone.

Entrelac scarf for Renee. This was my first attempt at entrelac. It's really easy once you get going. Yarn is by Noro, but I don't remember which one. It's cotton. I used three balls. I started this in January, and I finished knitting it in a week. Then it got buried under other unfinished projects, and I never wove in the ends. (My great-aunt Esta gave me that painting. It's from 1870 and was painted by a man in Millersburg, KY.)
Blue sweater for my former co-worker Kelly. I just had to make it up, weave in ends, and sew on buttons. Her baby shower is next week so I'll give it to her then. It's blue acrylic. Red Heart Baby, maybe? My house eats ball bands like you wouldn't believe. Now my sofa is eating vintage double point needles!
Bella mittens in a bulky wool from Knit Picks. The color is wallaby. I adapted Subliminal Rabbit's pattern to add a textured hand. I've been wanting to knit this pair for myself for two years. It took forever for me to find the perfect yarn, and then it was always on back order. I started these before Christmas, but left one thumb unknit when I realized I'm not really a mitten-wearer. I decided to finish them and send them to Barb (aka Meli's Mom) because I love her and because I owed her a Facebook craft. :) I actually have sent them off because that's on the list, and she has received them and loves them. Yay!

Same old vintage baby sweater pattern for Amanda in OK. The yarn is from Hobby Lobby. I only remember camouflage being in the name. Again, the ball band vanished. I've had this finished since the beginning of February so I just had to mail it to her.

Ginger and Mary Ann

Kimberly and I have been helping each other sort through our accumulations in an attempt to streamline our lives. She helped me part with an outfit I used to wear on dates with Jason back when I was 19 (like these mom boobs will ever fit in a size M gray wool vest ever again without major surgery!), and I helped her part with some God-awful plaid pants.

Kimberly left me to sort through her jeans while she took a bathroom break. I made three piles: keep, toss, and what-the-heck-were-you-thinking-I-must-mock-you-for-this pile. The majority went into the keep pile. Maybe two pairs went into the toss pile. And then I came upon one particular pair that I couldn't believe she had in her wardrobe- skinny, dark, denim capris. Sure they look great on a stick-thin 6' model or on a 13-year-old. But on a petite, late-20's career gal? Not so much.

As soon as she returned, I pounced. "Uh, Kimberlyyyyy. Why do you have skinny, dark, denim crappies? Don't you watch "What Not To Wear"? They say crappies make you look short, and you're already short. So what gives?"

Kimberly made an "are-you-blind?" face, held the pants up to her body, and said, "Lora, don't be silly. These aren't capris; they're full-length jeans. Why did you think they're capris?"

So I held them up to me, and they were at least 6 inches shorter on me, or a pair of capris.

I don't know about Kimberly, but I almost peed my pants laughing! Then I remembered the episode of "Gilligan's Island" when Mary Ann had amnesia and thought she was Ginger. Ginger had to squeeze into all of Mary Ann's tiny clothes while Mary Ann wore all of Ginger's. Good thing Kimberly and I will never have to trade closets!

Almost Missed January

Happy New Year! I'll try to blog regularly now that I have a desk and non-fire-creating computer.

During December, Jason bought a new computer for himself and gussied up his old one for me. Then he sold his old old computer. Which leaves the old old old computer attached to the tv for watching Netflix. I still have the fire hazard laptop, but it's more of a paper-weight now.

Operating computer, check. Desk, check. New green task chair with lumbar support, check. First posting of 2011 (albeit, a lame posting), check!