~Successful Surgery and Elmo~

A huge thank you to those of you that kept Nicole in your thoughts and prayers on Thursday. Her surgery was a complete success and I haven't the words to describe how relieved I am. I feel as though I can finally breathe, as though I have been holding my breath. The surgery lasted 3 hours and went well - she had no side effects from the anesthesia and is healing as expected. I'll spare you all the details, but suffice it to say, it was THE longest day of my life and terrified doesn't even begin to describe my feelings. I have renewed faith in humanity and the kindness of strangers. I'd like to tell you a short story of the Elmo you see pictured below being held by a very happy Nicole as she leaves the hospital. Nicole has wanted a stuffed Elmo for a couple of years, and as some of you may know, they are hard to find in stores (this kills me because I gave away an Elmo years ago). About two weeks ago it occurred to me that eBay might be a good place to look for an Elmo to keep her company for this frightening event. I found the Elmo you see (chosen because the auction was ending soon and I was desperate to get it here before Thursday) and emailed the seller to ask if she would consider upgrading the shipping to express (at my expense) so that it would be here in time for Nic to take to the hospital. When I checked back to see if there had been a response, the listing was gone, but there was an email from the seller telling me that she and her family would like to send him to her as a gift. To say that I was surprised and immensely touched would be an understatement. She wouldn't take no for an answer telling me that any child, no matter what their age, deserves a smile especially in a frightening situation such as this. She also told me that if I didn't mind accepting it from a Yankee's fan that she would be incredibly happy if I accepted their gift. I gratefully accepted and Elmo was sitting on the seat of the car waiting for Nic on Thursday morning. She held on to him for dear life all the way to Boston, carried him into the hospital and he was waiting for her after surgery. He has kept her company since, and I find myself fighting back tears of happiness every time I look at her. People ARE good and I am grateful.

~Hospitals and Field Hockey~

So much to tell, so little time. I'll save my exciting knitting purchases for another post. It's 11:30 and I have to get up at 4:30. Some of you may remember me talking about Nic's heart issues and the procedure to correct it. Well we have our pre-op tomorrow at Children's Hospital in Boston and the surgery on Thursday. To say that I'm a wreck is an understatement even though I have all the confidence in her Dr. and it is a somewhat common procedcure, it is still torture for me to know that someone is doing something to her heart! ugh! Matt is coming home Thursday which has everyone MORE than happy, we haven't seen him since August and ALL of his sisters miss him (me too - more than I can say)! We are also looking forward to "Senior Day" tomorrow afternoon - Lyss is playing in her very LAST home Field Hockey game, bittersweet to say the least. She is Captain and has played goalie this year for the FIRST time - she has been in the paper the last 4 weeks as the #1 goalie for SWCL East and the team made Districts - this is a HUGE accomplishment for them as they didn't win any games last year! They are a wonderful group of kids that have come together and pulled something off that no one thought possible! It also gives Nic something to look forward to after the pre-op appointment and before the surgery. I'll be back when all is done.

~Socktoberfest Post~

This is my VERY LATE Socktoberfest sock questionnaire post! I hope I'm not too late on this, life just seemed to get the best of me lately. I am looking forward to trying to catch up with all of the Socktoberfest fun ~~ so here goes! When did you start making socks? Did you teach yourself or were you taught by a friend or relative? or in a class? I taught myself how to knit socks. I was ABSOLUTELY TERRIFIED of the needles, the heel, the toe EVERYTHING! I kept my few trusty reference books near me, used the internet if I got too confused and plugged away. The first sock I knit was a Christmas Tree Ornament sock - it hooked me. I just can't imagine how the first person to ever knit a sock came up with it! It is truly genius and NEVER boring! What was your first pair? My first wearable pair of socks were a basic 2 x 2 rib at the top, ankle high pair of clog/house socks. Toasty warm and fun to knit - I have to say that I was TOTALLY fascinated turning a heel - making the toe, Kitchener stitching! IT WAS DEFINATELY MAGIC! I don't remember what yarn I used for them, but these are similar. I have since made all sizes, colors and shapes, but unfortunately I didn't take pics of many of the adult socks before they were gifted (I NEED to keep more for me). What would you have done differently? I would have used a softer yarn, but at the time I didn't know much about socks, sock yarn or all of the wonderfulness out there! There were no LYS's around here that I knew of and large craft stores didn't have the variety of yarns they carry now. The internet didn't occur to me as a place to look for "sock yarn". I also had a trying time teaching myself dpn's (I was using cheapo metal ones that kept sliding out of my stitches), I wish I had known what was out there to chose from. What yarns have you particularly enjoyed? I like Trekking XXL a lot, A LOT! I love the colors, I love the way it works up, it is fun to watch what the colors will do next. I've used Reynolds Swizzle and Kroy, I want to try the Koigu and I have a lovely skein of Fleece Artist here waiting for me to knit it up along with lots and lots of others in my sock yarn drawer(s) ;). I also have had my eye on some gorgeous colorways from Scout - I missed the first ordering of the Socktoberfest Colorway due to some serious computer issues :( Do you like to crochet your socks? or knit them on DPNs, 2 circulars, or using the Magic Loop method? Although I have crocheted for years and years, I have so far only knit socks on DPNs. I can NOT knit socks with metal dpn's of ANY kind, I am a total klutz with them. They slide out, end up on the floor and ruin my sock knitting fun! I have the Magic Loop pamphlet sitting here waiting for me to give it a go and I also would like to try two socks on two circs some day, I just really enjoy my dpns and keep putting it off. Which kind of heel do you prefer? (flap? or short-row?) I love the heel flap - absolutely. I love everything about it, and it's fun to do! I've only done short rows once and I wasn't all that fond of it. I do have a LOT of sock books and plan on making myself try different styles of heels and I suppose I should try the short rows again just to give it a fair chance. How many pairs have you made? I have made probably 9 - 11 pairs of adult socks and at least a dozen pair of baby socks - and 1 & 1/2 pair of sock earrings - those 00000 dpn's will poke a hole in your finger like you wouldn't believe! lol ********************************************************* Socks are truly my favorite thing to knit, I take them with me for something to knit on while I wait and watch sports and they are a fantastic conversation piece. People seem to be fascinated that someone would knit something they could buy at Walmart and most don't "get it" when I try to explain that the two can't be compared. DPN's totally fascinate people and keep fidgety kids still and somewhat mesmerized which endears me to most of their Mom's ! lol I often forget to post pictures on this blog of finished socks because they are always going - I guess I should be more aware :)

~I am Thankful~

I am more thankful than words can possibly express. This is the vehicle my oldest and youngest daughter were in on Saturday afternoon when a "driver" coming down the road toward my daughter decided to suddenly take a left. In my daughters own words "Mom, he looked right at me and just hit the gas and turned into me" - I don't know, maybe he thought her car was a mirage?????????????? Oh and did I mention that his license was suspended so he was driving ILLEGALY, he was driving someone else's car and that he almost certainly has other more serious "issues" as well!.... as you can see - he didn't quite make the turn! He also showed no regard for the girls after the accident. I am more than thankful that they are ok. Nicole has a splint on her wrist for a sprain. They are sore, but in one piece. I am blessed..... but I am VERY, VERY ANGRY. Thank you for your thoughts, prayers and wishes for Jenn. I will share them with her soon. If I haven't contacted you personally, please forgive me as my computer crashed and although I now have a new one, I haven't retrieved everything off the other one.

~Please Pray~

Please pray for my dear friend Jenn who has just lost her husband, 7 year old son and 4 month old baby in a horrible car crash. I just have no words, but I beg you all to pray for her.

~Birthday Camping Weekend~

First off, Thank you all SO MUCH for all of your "Blogiversary wishes" they are truly appreciated! We had a crazy busy week last week with Field Hockey games, doctor visits and some stressful, hurtful personal encounters, and getting ready for our 2nd and last camping trip of the year! We had a great time and absolutely perfect New England weather - gorgeous tree color and upper 70's during the day. The camp ground was very woodsy and quiet - a nice relaxing weekend with the girls, Dh and Beau. Time for knitting, reading and playing some games. The only sad part of the trip was missing Matt - we haven't seen him since he left for his second year of college at the end of August. We will hopefully get to see him next weekend! The girls carved pumpkins... ... sat by the fire... ...and watched this spectacular full moon rise up through the trees! Creepy no? Nicole snapped this shot while it was behind the uppermost branches of the trees on the nearby hill. I love it! Today is my birthday (not counting anymore - see there are only TWO candles on the cake/devil dogs ;)) The girls and Mark had no time for cake, but they creatively put together this devil dog birthday "cake" for me! It was yummy! I have a new computer to hook up ~ YAY! This one is on its way out quickly, so I have no desire to lose everything by waiting much longer. I'm sorry this is so short and lacking in much detail, but I'm all partyed out!

~One Year of TightlyWound~LooselyKnit Blogging~

Today is... TightlyWound~LooselyKnit's ONE YEAR Blog-Anniversary! As I said in my first post, my world is mostly out of control and knitting DOES play a big part in it - I'm grateful for that. I find knitting to be a great stress reliever that produces lovely objects (most of the time! lol) that I can give as gifts to the people that mean the most to me, or that need the "warm hug" of something handknit to help them through a rough time. Knitting is truly a double gift - to the knitter and the giftee! I have tried many new things over this first year, and I contribute a lot of it to the blog world! There have been knit-a-longs for fun and for supporting those that are sick and in need of comfort, Stephanie's Knitting Olympics and lots of fiber outings and online shopping - maybe too much online fiber shopping! lol There are so many talented and gifted knitters that are part of this ever expanding world, and it is incredible the things that one can learn while exploring and visiting blogs! I LOVE IT! I wasn't sure what to expect when I started this blog - it was started on Family Weekend at my son's college last year - an event that I was sadly unable to attend. What I have gained are a few wonderful "blog friends" that have been a gift for me. There aren't a lot of people that comment on this blog, but the ones that do have meant more to me than I can express in words. There is always a kind word, a helpful tip and the kind of support that only compassionate, caring people can give when life throws a curve-ball ~ you are truly appreciated and a blessing in my life. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

~Knit-a-Longs and Crafting Fun~

(all pictures are clickable) Well here we are again in October! I have once again joined Lolly's Socktoberfest and made another button.... (feel free to take it, but please save it to your own computer ). I will most likely be concentrating on baby socks this year, as there seems to be an abundance of babies on the way! I'm hoping to get in another pair for me, because out of all of the socks I have knit, I have only kept one pair! ******************************************************* There really has been knitting and crafting happening here - I finished the Absorba bathmat from the Mason Dixon Knitting Book - it was made out of 4 strands of Sugar and Cream and size 15 needles in the Log Cabin style. It was a very quick knit and although I read a lot about how sore people's hands were while knitting this, I didn't seem to have a problem. I switched to my Denise circs when it was too cumbersome to hold on regular needles. I made this to fit in our RV's bathroom. I think there will be more of these to come. It is incredibly soft and squishy underfoot and would make a great gift - maybe in a basket with some handknit face cloths, special soaps, body lotion etc. I LOVE this book - there are so many great ideas in it and it is a fun read! Ann and Kay did a fantastic job on it :) **************************************** I have joined Laura's . I have been wanting to knit Christmas stockings for the family for years, and never got around to it. I don't know that I'll be able to finish all 6 this year, but at least I can get started and keep it going. Check it out and knit-a-long with us! ***************************************** In other crafting news... The girls got together and replenished my potholder supply, digging out my old loom and loops and going to town. There are more, but those have been put in the camper and you get the idea anyway! lol ************************************* I've been washcloth knitting also - quick, easy, mindless projects to take along to field hockey games, doctor visits etc. I made some for the camper in my favorite Sugar n Cream color (Spice Print) which is no longer made - if any of you have any idea where I can get some I'd truly appreciate it). ***************************************** Yesterday, I did something I don't normally do, I went with a friend Yard Sale"ing"! We had such a good time, and I was thrilled that I found some things for the camper - correll dishes and a Farberware pot to name a few. I also got a Tupperware cake carrier for $1.25! My friend picked up a bread machine like mine for $4.00 and a turkey roaster (electric) for $5.00. All in all it was a great day and a lot of fun! I'd show you pictures, but the camera is out of batteries and I have no more in the house! ugh! Well it is a rainy Sunday, I've got laundry going, dishwasher is running and I've pulled out Fall/Winter clothing and stored away my summer things - so I think I'll go and do some knitting. I'll leave you with a picture of my little Beau and his "blankie" from yesterday!