~Life gets in the way~

Thanks for your kind notes regarding the recipes. I'm glad you enjoyed them, maybe I can do a weekly recipe or some such thing. I love crockpot recipes also, so if any of you have good ones to share, I'd love to hear about them.... Life has gotten in the way of knitting this weekend.... THIS is what we have been doing for the last few days! LEAVES, LEAVES and MORE leaves! The yard will look nicely raked for a day or two, and then the piles and piles of leaves from the woods will blow down and into the rest of the yard and we will begin again! Or.... my neighbor up the hill will leaf blow his leaves down the street and since we live on the bend in the road, they will ALL come into our yard (much like the snow does when the town plows) :( Here is a fuzzy picture of one of the deer that visited our yard yesterday morning! They were gorgeous (there were 3) and we didn't want to open the window to snap the pic and scare them, so we shot through the window and the screen. Along with all of the yard work, came closet switching. You know..... when you have to drag your winter clothes out and store away your summer clothes. Living in New England, it is a crap shoot as to when to perform this task. Our weather can bounce back and forth from winter to summer to fall in hours and back again. I think it is safe to say that I won't be needing short sleeves in the near future (but I could be wrong). Now, in a perfect world, I wouldn't have to do this, but since we live in an EXTREMELY small house with limited closet space and there are 6 of us living in it (my three girls share a room), I have no choice. It isn't a task that can be completed quickly, so that was the largest part of my day yesterday. I did knit the back side of my little doll from the previous post and an arm and a half. I hope to have time to finish her up today, but.... our town changed trick-or-treating to tonight instead of tomorrow. So I don't know how much "knitting" time I'll have. I have also been researching (and I asked on the knitlist) for suggestions on converting flat knitting to circular - any help you can offer would be greatly appreciated. I have a very good idea of how to go about it, but would like input from people that have experience with this - maybe it will save me from frogging. It's increasing and decreasing that have me nervous. So, if you'd care to share your suggestions with me and anyone else who happens by here, then leave them in the comments, otherwise feel free to email me! I appreciate all help given. Have a wonderful Sunday! Cathy

~Reading and Knitting~

I knit one half of a Knitted Babe last night. I was surprised at how small it is, I guess I expected it to be bigger - I love it - talk about a quick knit! I can see these being fantastic little add ons to gifts. I can't wait to finish this one and make it a little outfit! I guess I know what I'll be doing this weekend - along with attempting to finish my socks-in-progress - you know.......... the ones the puppy unravelled TWICE! I don't know about you, but remaking one sock three times gets tedious. I may just have to put this pair aside and cast on my Swizzle, I LOVE the color of this yarn and can't wait to knit it up! On to the book front, Amazon is amazing! I was so shocked to see the package waiting for me yesterday when I got home - what a nice way to perk up a cloudy, cold and windy day :) I was thrilled to say the least! I not only ordered the 6th book in the Outlander series, but also Lord John and the Private Matter. Lord John is a character in the series, but now has his own story - I'm looking forward to reading it also. I will have to make room in my living room built-in bookshelf for the two new acquisitions :))) Ok, and I took another one of those silly Quizilla quizes (forgive me, I had a weak moment! lol) You appear to be a Knitting Goddess. You are constantly giving and are unconcerned with reward, you simply want others to love knitting as much as you do. If someone wants to knit miles of novelty yarns, you are there for them. If someone wants to learn short row shaping, you can help. There are no taboos in knitting, only opportunities to grow. Everyone should have friend like you around if they want to learn to knit, and there's a good chance that your passion has rubbed off on a few others. http://marniemaclean.com What Kind of Knitter Are You? brought to you by Quizilla GODDESS - I am finally a GODDESS ---- now...... if only the people I live with thought of me as any kind of a Goddess, I'd be all set! lol Have a great day, I'm off to work. If any of you make the cookies, and have a free minute, leave a quick post and let me know how you like them :). I have a few more recipes that I'll share if there is an interest. One of my favorites for Thanksgiving are Pumpkin Cheesecake Squares (quick, easy, and lowfat). Cathy

~Ramblings~

You are Dishcloth Cotton. You are a very hard worker, most at home when you're at home. You are thrifty and seemingly born to clean. You are considered to be a Plain Jane, but you are too practical to notice. What kind of yarn are you? brought to you by Quizilla Hard worker, love to be at home.... yes. Plain Jane.... not sure about that, I'll have to ask around. Born to clean.... when I was younger maybe, now I'm too tired and I realize how quickly life goes by, hence I am NOT as nutty about cleaning as I used to be. Practical..... hmmm, I guess I am. lol What are you??????? This is my sock-knitting bag! I love this thing! I have the Port-a-Pocket, but I like this bag even better. I can adjust the handle (with a good ole knot, hang it over my wrist, my shoulder, a chair if I'm out and I can fit the sock in progress in the bag. The price was right - I got it at Michaels with a 50% off coupon so it was under $4.00 - WOOOOO HOOOOOO I love a bargain. I just found out that the 6th book in Diana Gabaldon's Outlander Series was out on October 16th! I LOVE this series. I stumbled upon the first book years ago in a used book store (I LOVE books as much as I love yarn), and couldn't put it down. I have enjoyed every one of them immensely so far, although the 5th one didn't hold me as much as the rest. Needless to say, my order has been placed and I will be a very tired, cross-eyed woman when I begin to read. Her books run around a thousand pages - which is fantastic for me as I hate to "leave" a book if I'm enjoying it. My only problem is that I can't seem to put a good book down. I "one more chapter" myself into the wee hours of the morning and then I'm good for nothing for the rest of the day. Ahhhh well, I still can't wait for it to arrive. I've been working all morning, and now I'm off to spend an hour or so knitting and spending some time with the puppy (I just pulled a tick off the little guy and he is not happy with me), maybe a good movie while I knit! Have a good rest of the day - today is our last field hockey game! Which is fine with me, it is MUCH too cold for me to be outside for that long ;) Cath

~Stir 'n Drop Oatmeal Cookies~

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Bake for 10 minutes Stir together: 2 cups flour 2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp salt 1 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp ginger Add: 2 cups packed brown sugar 2 cups rolled oats Mix in thoroughly: ½ cup vegetable oil 4 tbsp milk 2 eggs Stir in 1 cup chocolate chips Drop dough by rounded tsp about 2 inches apart on a lightly greased baking sheet. Note: if you use a mixer – be sure not to over mix as they will not bake correctly.

~Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe~

Preheat oven to 350 Bake 10-12 minutes Makes approximately 4 dozen cookies Cream together: 1 cup margarine 2 eggs 3 cups sugar Add: 2 tsp vanilla 1 can (1 pie) pumpkin Stir together: 5 cups flour 2 tsp baking soda 2 tsp baking powder 2 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp salt Add dry ingredients slowly to creamed mixture Stir in 1 cup of chocolate chips (and nuts if you like) Drop by tsp onto greased cookie sheet

~Vermont~ repost

~Vermont~ repost This will be a quick post – I just got home from work and have to be at my oldest daughter’s Field Hockey Game (It’s been three years and I STILL don’t understand this game), and an hour after that I have to be at the Softball Banquet – softball is another story- that COMPLETELY RULES MY LIFE! I digress…. For those of you that asked, yesterday was a lovely trip to Vermont, mini-van LOADED to the roof – three college kids – lap tops – architecture projects and the MOST important thing…. Video games! Lol. We had a pretty nice ride, it wasn’t sunny, but THANKFULLY, it wasn’t raining. When we were about 5 miles from the college there was 4 inches of SNOW on the ground….SNOW…. it was the first time I actually wanted to turn around and come back! Thankfully, they all had the common sense to bring their winter jackets and boots – they are going to need them as I’ve heard predictions that Vermont could be getting up to a foot this week!!!! On the knitting front, I got a little done, but it got too dark to knit for too long ( Cathy

~Missing Posts and Recipes~

My last two posts are missing, including the recipes I posted. I will try to republish after work. Have a great day, Cathy

~Knitting & Baking :) ~

It's been cold here - cold enough that I've gone digging for handwarmer/wristwarmer patterns and yarn. My poor fingers freeze sitting here at the computer, and of course one thing led to another and I did the normal thing knitters do when they are digging through stash---------I made new mental notes on what I was going to make with every yarn I came across, never mind the fact that I did the stash organization "thing" at the beginning of the summer (we won't discuss the bags that are shoved into every nook and cranny that my family wouldn't dream of looking in!). I digress - I found, in these two drawers, the softest cashmere for MY handwarmers and some great denim (Patons I believe it is) superwash wool that would make great wristwarmers, gloves or hats for the kids. I also found the lovely cream colored "fluffiness" that you see up top - I have a LOT of this - a HUGE cone and two smaller ones (that is as specific as I can get at this time and it was a gift, and I have no info on it). I can't decide WHAT I want to make - I'm up for suggestions, so PLEASE help me out here and suggest away. I will NOT open any other drawers/bins/bags until I have a few more FO's under my belt - I am so easily distracted. Speaking of being distracted..... On my blog surfing today (because, you know, I didn't have any housework or anything to do here), I found Debi's blog, with a wonderful tutorial on the Turkish Cast On - I can't wait to try it on my next pair of socks. I was caught and I kept reading (as I am prone to do on very interesting blogs) and this wonderful lady made mention of a LUCET (check out her blog and read more about it)- which looks and sounds like a blast - I will have to add it to my wish list for Christmas! I can just picture my girls and myself having some fun. (I LOVE gadgets). I haven't had much time to knit (I am going to do just that in a few minutes), my son came home for 4 days from college as did a few of his friends! It has been GREAT to have them all coming in and out. I baked somewhere between 90 and 110 cookies today - Pumpkin Chocolate Chip - I know it sounds disgusting, I had the recipe for 5 years before I tried it and they are AWESOME, and to be perfectly honest, I'm not a real pumpkin lover! My husband eats them frozen - he started that during my attempt to hide them for the holidays a few years ago -- imagine my shock and surprise when I went in the freezer on Thanksgiving, to pull out the bags of cookies that I had made and THERE WEREN'T ANY! So if any of you would like the recipe leave a message and I'll either mail it to you, or if there are a few of you that want it, I'll post it. The other cookies I made were Oatmeal Chocolate Chip - a recipe that I got in Home Economics Class in Junior High (ugh) - is there ANY ONE out there that had Home Ec in School?, I feel so incredibly old even mentioning the class- lol. They were probably the ONLY edible thing we ever made, and they are my son's favorite cookies (I think it might have been a Betty Crocker Recipe or something - I should check into that someday). I also made two pizza doughs, did laundry and am now sitting here cross-eyed trying to type! lol I'll leave you with a couple of pictures of a felted bag that was given to me - I LOVE the colors - and am again itching to do some felting. Do any of you have a favorite felted clog pattern that you can share (I'm not looking for copyright infringement here, just pattern suggestions that you've done or links). My floors are FREEZING and it's only October, I figure by January I'll be needing some nice WARM woolies. I thought I'd introduce you to "Buddy" (when he was a kitten we couldn't think of a name and we all referred to him as our "little buddy" - it stuck). He is 7 years old and we love him TONS. He isn't a spotlight grabber like Beau, but I thought I'd give him some Blog time too. He has been keeping me company while Beau naps. Enjoy the rest of your weekend, I'll be doing softball practice, pitching clinic and returning my son to Vermont tomorrow - I can't see much computer time in my future - so I'll be knitting on my Socktoberfest Socks, and maybe I'll have a new FO to share. Happy Knitting, Cath

~The Most Important Things in Life~

OXFORD The attempted abduction of a 14-year-old boy yesterday and a report of a missing 7-year-old girl about 30 minutes later had police initially concerned the two occurrences may have been related. The two incidents were not connected, Worcester District Attorney John J. Conte said in a telephone interview last night. The girl was reported missing by her mother about 4 p.m. and located safely about 7:30 p.m. at a friend’s house. “We were ready to issue an Amber Alert,” he said. The attempted abduction of the boy was reported about 3:30 p.m., Mr. Conte said. The youth was approached by two white men. “We believe they were posing as Wal-Mart police.” The victim was taken to the Clara Barton camp on Ennis Road. The two men attempted to tape the youth’s hands with duct tape. “He resisted and was able to run from the scene,” the district attorney said. The above quotation from the paper is the reason there has been no posts from me. This is where I live, my street, my quiet, rural, historical, beautiful, New England country road. This is where my children play outside with their puppy and practice their basketball and softball skills, hopscotching, catching snakes, salamanders (ick) and occassionally poinson ivy! We walk our dog up this gorgeous road to the camp, waving at our neighbors and their children, or watching the horses.... you get the idea. Although I have always warned my kids that "bad" people travel, and I have taught them (too often they would say) what to do if someone approaches them, it still rocked my world when my phone started ringing off the hook about the police, state police and helicopters at the top of the hill. I, who am normally not at a loss for words, found myself searching for just the right words to explain the goings on to my kids, and to reinforce what I've been teaching them without causing them to panic. The investigation continues and we watch our kids even more closely than before. **************************************************** Wednesday is my "work from home" day. I love Wednesday, I usually get a TON of work done, while catching up on laundry and other tasks that fall by the wayside because of work, sports and school activities. I also can find some good knitting time. I had planned on adding cookie baking and meatball making to this list of things to do because my son is coming home from college for the weekend! YAY! However.... Today I opened my eyes and was greeted with blinding white pain. Now, being the optimistic person that I am, I got up, took the puppy outside, came back in, took some tylenol, and told my family I was going to lay down for 5 minutes. 45 minutes later, the pain was WORSE - I was SHOCKED! I managed to get the girls off to school, came home started some laundry sat down to work and gave up. I went and laid down - I was unable to open my eyes without wanting to scream until 2:00 this afternoon when it was getting on the time to watch the kids get off the bus (see above). I managed to go to their middle school band concert (that did little to help my head), and I now sit here waiting for the Ibuprofen to help me out. Being one who is not prone to headaches (unless there is a sinus infection involved), I was brought down. I am not easily brought down, I now have an even deeper sympathy for chronic headache sufferers. Since there is no knitting to show you today, I will share with you the absolutely gorgeous Betta Fish that keeps me company at my computer. I normally lean toward vibrant blues and purples, but this fish looks exactly like an opal (my birthstone). I'm afraid the pictures don't do him justice (click on the thumbnails for a better view), I'll try to take a daylight picture and see if I can improve on it - he truly is beautiful. I am going to take my pounding head to bed, after checking all doors and windows and tucking in the kids again. Be Safe, Cathy

~~Empty Handed~~

I'm sorry I've been AWOL, but craziness abounds lately. Before I say anything else, I would like to let those of you who don't already know, that our Stephanie, the woman who brings smiles to so many, has had a tragic loss. From my own personal experiences I can feel her pain, I've been there and it is truly a nightmare. My prayers and sympathy are with her and her family, along with my fervent hope that happy memories will someday lesson their terrible pain. A wonderful friend and I went to JCA's Warehouse sale yesterday, and although I made out like a bandit last year with some wonderful Lopi, fantastic mitten kits and various other yarns, I walked out of there EMPTY HANDED this year as did my friend who, by the way, has a stash that would BLOW YOU AWAY..... there is enough yarn hidden away in her beautiful home to start at LEAST 1/2 dozen yarn stores... and how she hides it makes me want to bow down to her creativity. We were unable to go on the first day of the sale this year which may have been the problem. I think this is truly a first for the both of us, I NEVER walk out of a yarn store, let alone a WAREHOUSE without yarn - we were both unnerved by it and spent the better part of the afternoon, trying to figure out "what happened". lol I had previously mentioned that I would share more of my birthday goodies with you all, and my little Beau is helping as you can see from the above picture ;). I received the adorable Yankee Candle Labrador Retriever Tart Burner, and he is completely smitten with it/HER??? lol I also received the 2006 Knitting Calendar which I am using great restraint in not opening! Lets see how long I can hold out! These three socks are from the Socks Socks Socks book. The grey ones are near the top of my "to do" list, as two of my daughters are asking for a pair and I'd like some myself. They are called Golf Socks and I love everything about them, from the rolled edge at the top to the little snowflake on the heel, which I'm assuming can be replaced with any motif - I'm thinking these would make great gifts for just about any occassion. I've done very little knitting from charts, so I'm looking forward to giving it another try. The 2nd pair are called Boston Bulkies and I'm truly intrigued by this---> "If you've tried double knitting before and found the knitting tedious, give Patricia's purl-side-out version a try!" "These socks start at the toe and all shaping is done by short rows. I developed them to wear with clogs and sandals. When felted, they make wonderful boot liners." The pattern is by Patricia Tongue Edraos who is from Boston. They are supposed to be SUPER warm and cushy - I think this might make a great winter boredom buster project - I love trying new things. The third pair are just cute, and I need to find a small child to make them for ;) There are quite a few socks in this book that I want to make, I can see myself spending some quality time working from it. and.... here we have the second working of the sock that my little Beau unravelled the other day, pictured outside on my poor beaten down Mums. It has FINALLY stopped raining and I'm hopeful that some sun may perk the poor things up again. The plants came up so beautifully this year and in such vibrant colors that it's terribly sad to see what 9 days of torrential rains have done to them, not to mention my cellar! ugh! Thankfully, my house is still standing, my heart breaks for all that have lost so much. Now a question for all of you sock knitters out there.... I am using Wooly Nylon as reinforcement for the heel and possibly the ball of the foot. I've read an awful lot about the merits of using this "magic thread" in sock knitting, but dont' know anyone that has had any experience with it as far as reinforcing socks go. Does anyone out there have any experience with Wooly Nylon? Is it worth it? Does it work? I'd appreciate any feedback you can give me. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday, stay warm and dry and happy knitting! Cath

~Pain ~ FO ~ Puppy~

Ugh! Dentist!! Am I the only person that can NOT eat popcorn??? Am I? I love popcorn, popcorn is low in calories (definately a HUGE plus), a person can eat a good amount of popcorn without guilt! THIS person, however, can not eat popcorn without a painful trip to the dentist a week later to have the $%@#$ hulls dug out of her incredibly swollen and painful gums! Don't get me wrong, I'm certainly grateful that there is nothing wrong with the two teeth under the lovely crowns that are surrounding the pain, but the throbbing on the side of my face is causing my eye to twitch, and since I work in an elementary school, twitching isn't necessarily a good thing! Little children are frightened by twitches ;) Ah well, live and learn - I'll learn for another 5 years until I forget how much this hurts and then I'll probably eat "just a little"! On to happier subjects.... THE earrings! They are finally finished! They were fun to make, but I'll work on some "normal" sized socks for now! Speaking of "normal" sized socks -- I had a sock (similar in style to the previous FO's I posted) half done last night. While sitting happily in my chair (listening to the monsoon-like rains that are causing my yard to look like a pond), nice and cozy, knitting away - My World Was Good -despite the throbbing in my face.Out of no where comes Beau running at full speed between my sock and my knitting bag, grabbing the working yarn on his way by, ripping the needles out of my hands and unraveling the sock down to NOTHING! I love my puppy, I love my puppy, I love my puppy......... I have started the socks again and am getting ready to turn the heel -- puppy still has a home, and is still loved. Stay dry and happy knitting! Cath

~Finished Objects~Gotta Love 'em~

FINISHED Socks!!!!!!!! These are some nice toasty warm house/clog socks. I love them. This was a project I started about a month ago and just let sit - can't remember what the yarn is, but it is really a pretty natural tweed. They worked up super fast on size 5 dpn's - instant gratification project! Gotta love those! I think I'll be making more of this type of sock for the winter - I just got my first oil bill - UGH! (another excuse to knit ;)) I started working on the 2nd mini Red Sox sock last night during the movie with my girls (While You Were Sleeping), and did something totally outrageous after the little heel - I put it down in total disgust and am now off to see if I can figure it out - with some magnifiers! lol Have a great day!

~Socks, Socks, Socks~

I spent a fantastic day with my daughter Emily yesterday. We went shopping and I bought a few "to me, from me" birthday gifts. The Socks, Socks, Socks, book is great, I had never seen it before. There is quite a variety of socks in there, and Em and I have picked out some that we must have (I'll try to post some more pics soon). Socks Plain and Simple, just arrived and I look forward to spending some time looking through it later. As promised, here is a pic of one of the Trekking skeins - My daughter Melyssa picked that one for her socks and I chose the Swizzle - they are both gorgeous! I also picked up some Wooly Nylon to use as reinforcement in the heels of socks. If there is anyone out there reading this blog, I'd love to know your opinion and/or experience with Wooly Nylon. Does it extend the life of the sock? How is it to work with? Here is the result of my Sock Profile, It seems there is no hope for me~ lol. Wow! You would have been a pair of socks as long as it's possible for socks to be before they're tights - and all multi-coloured with pretty patterns and detail all over the place - then you could stand and admire your sock-self all day! What type of sock are you? brought to you by Quizilla I wish you all a great Sunday, I will be going out for a relaxing Birthday Dinner with my DH and girls - some knitting in the car - and a snuggle up on the couch with the girls for a movie night! Happy Knitting! Cath

~Another 10 Years Off...~

Children are one of life's greatest blessings, and also a sure ticket to an early grave! My children are getting older - 18,16,13 and 11, a son and three daughters - we've had our share of "parental panic" moments - (i.e., 3 year old son tripping over sister and splitting forehead open - 3 1/2 year old daughter belting herself into Dad's truck, somehow kicking the shift into neutral rolling truck down the driveway (after Mom tells Dad not to trust 3 1/2 yr old daughter by turning his back on her for even a nano second- husband is, by the grace of God, still in one piece as is the lovely child who, by the way, is the topic of today's "pp" moment..... more on that soon) - another child, out cold in a soccer goal after her head meets an opposing player's knee (they didn't score) - 2 1/2 yr old sitting on steps mere inches away from me, inserts her head inbetween bars of wrought iron railing--- need I say MORE????! - a lovely Police officer and the ENTIRE volunteer fire department showed up along with an ambulance and the rescue truck! The lovely Police Officer just wanted to spread apart the bars and get her little head out, but ... alas, it must have been an incredibly boring day for the rest of the town, as they proceeded to saw the railing apart while blocking off my entire road with their vehicles Although grateful for their response, the curiosity factor it produced was incredible....... you get the idea. There are less of the "pp" moments now, unless I stop to REALLY think about what my oldest "could" be doing while away at college, but for sanity's sake, I won't travel THAT road right now. Fast forward to today... my beautiful 13 yr old daughter came home not feeling well from school yesterday and stayed home today. My DH stayed home with her today so that I could go in to work. I received a phone call from the normally calm, now COMPLETELY distressed DH. Apparently, my lovely daughter walked out of the bathroom after taking a shower and dressing, and called out.... "Daddy!!!!! I can't see!!!!!!!!! and promptly passed out! The poor man caught her before she hit the ceramic tile floor (he is truly hero of the day) and while he was calling 911, she came to. The ambulance was cancelled and Dr. "Mom" was called - what a heartwrenching call. Suffice it to say, I rushed home, rushed her to the Doctor - all is well - she is fine now. She is actually MUCH better than her poor Daddy, who might very well hesitate to stay home with an ill child again. This "pp" moment is good for "another 10 years" off of these parent's lives. Although if 10 years were removed for every "pp" moment we've had so far, I don't believe I would be here writing this. Although, we love our children and tell them so every chance we get, it is moment's like these that make us realize, all over again, just how DEEPLY THEY ARE LOVED and how horrible it is to see them ill. They truly are a BLESSING! Knitting? What knitting? I WILL knit the matching Red Sox Sock earring this weekend even though our beloved team lost. I must say the White Sox played a phenomenal game this evening and I hope they are able to break their "curse" and have a celebratory year like we did last year! I did stumble upon a bargain the other day - Lots of Bernat and Lily Cotton, to make up a bunch of these for the holidays. I promise to get a shot of the trekking soon. It's been a long day, I think I'll go and sit with the DD for a bit before she drifts off to sleep. An extra hug and kiss all around! Goodnight everyone! Cath

~Sheep~Socks~Mini Socks~Throws~

How cute is this little guy? This is a PUPPY toy! Someone who has no respect for our fiber-giving little friends designed this I'm sure :( I can NOT imagine giving him to little Beau and listening to the agonized little sheep noises he would be making (he sounds like a REAL sheep) -- I think he will keep me company while I play with the blog or knit :) Speaking of knitting..... I haven't done any since Saturday- I have been doing tons of work at home lately, which has seriously cut into my knitting (and sleeping) time. I have, however, reserved tonight. I will NOT think about laundry, or laundry or, for that matter, laundry -- I will NOT fall asleep sitting up in my chair, giving the puppy the opportunity to CHEW ON my knitting! I'm going to gleefully work on some socks for Socktober Fest. I will use any excuse to knit socks :). I bought some beautiful Trekking not too long ago that I'm dying to use (I'll put up a picture soon). Then, of course, there is the mate for the mini Red Sox sock (see previous post)- I should probably do that one first since the friend who has been hinting about HOW MUCH she would LOVE some Red Sox earrings' birthday has passed . but . . . . then . . . . There is this lovely circular throw . . . . . . . . . I have changed the colors to suit me and I love working this project. It's great when I'm in some serious need of instant gratification due to the frequent color changes. Along with changing the colors, I've done the increases differently. The pattern calls for yo's for the increase rows, which cause little holes - evenly spaced throughout the afghan - I prefer not to have holes. I have been working M1 increases and, as you can see, there aren't any holes (YAY) . I have also switched to the Russian Join when changing colors as I HATE HATE HATE having ends peeking through and since I have children who love to be cuddled up in afghans. I just KNOW there would be many ends poking through the more it was stretched and fought over, which would cause me great distress - which would make me dislike this lovely throw, but NEVER EVER EVER my children ;) I'm off to find something to feed the family and KNIT! (Today my world is good!)

A Story and......~The Mini Sock~

Today was one of those days where you realize just how small the world really is.... I offered my services as a "limo" driver using my father's Cadillac (somehow my 9 year old minivan didn't seem appropriate) for the funeral of a friend's Mom. It was a hard day for all involved, but at the small gathering after the funeral, as I was talking to this friend, we were discussing her family name (it's Turkish, therefore somewhat different) and the similarity to the first name of one of my uncles (he is also Turkish). As we were talking about how funny some of the names were, she asked the last name of said uncle which prompted an "AH HA" moment! I'm sure some of you know what I mean.... that moment when a story, name or comment triggers a memory from the past which flies to the surface and SMACKS you in the head! She led me over to her father, who is in his 80's, and told him who my uncle was - at which point he and his brother both had the exact same AH HA moment! Come to find out, her Dad, his brother and my uncle were all musicians (because that's what they were called back then) played in a band together some 60 years ago, he remembered my Aunt and all of my uncles brothers, kids etc. etc. etc. He remembered my mother, who in her younger days was a singer on the radio - a career that she gave up to marry my Dad and move across the country (awwwwwwwwww young love ;)) It was a wonderful moment---- to see memories bring a smile to the face of a man that had lost his wife of 59 years. I saw, in that moment, just how incredibly small our world really is - and just then, I was so very grateful for finally being in the right place, at the right time. Most of all, I was grateful for being blessed with the gift of realizing it. NOW....... the moment you have all been waiting for..... THE SOCK!.............................. The mini Sock with those lethal dpn's and a penny for scale - It really is a cute sock, I find myself falling for it's charm and I'm now having some guilt at the thought of this little guy going through it's little sock life alone - I may just have to knit it a friend -- plus, one of my dearest friends has been not so subtly hinting that she would LOVE a pair of Red Sox earrings for her birthday...... Here is our little Beau - who attempted to snack on the dpn's - he's 5 months old and quite handsome, don't you think?