Yes, I know, I'm the one who's normally really excited about getting a snow day and having more time to spend in the recliner knitting. But DANG, I'm getting tired of winter!! The hot water bottle cover I knitted last year has come in handy LOTS recently.
Okay, enough grousing, let's do a little catching up since it's been nearly a month since I've visited with you! First and most importantly, Mom's aneurysm repair on December 20 went beautifully! They kept her in ICU overnight as a precaution, but released her the next morning without even moving her to a regular room. We had her back home by 10:00 am, and according to her follow-up visit with her surgeon this past Wednesday she's doing just fine, thank goodness.
Our Christmas was quiet, but lovely. To keep Mom from trying to do too much, I stayed with her and Dad Christmas Eve so I'd be there early to try to keep her from doing much for Christmas dinner. She was still in the kitchen, but hopefully I took some of the work off her. It's tough to keep her still, THAT's for sure. :-)
All who received knitted gifts from me for Christmas seemed to really enjoy them. I love knitting for folks who appreciate it!
I knitted a lot while I was off work for the holidays, but a lot of it was dishcloths. I'd given a lot of them away as small gifts, so I wanted to start building up a little stockpile again. Also, they're good mindless knitting to do at the hospital and while talking to visitors.
I'd also purchased two skeins of lovely yarn on sale at my LYS some time ago, thinking they'd make a lovely Baby Surprise Jacket. I started that a week or so ago and it's going to be really nice. I'm going to take it along on a visit to Mom and Dad this afternoon (between winter weather systems...*SIGH*), so I plan to make some pretty good progress.
And so, my knitterly friends, I hope your holidays were filled with peace and love and that your new year is filled with health and prosperity!
I wish you the best from the frozen mid-Atlantic states!!
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Sunday, December 12, 2010
A Perfect Knitting Day
Today is a perfect knitting day! I've put a paper log in the fireplace, and as the song says "The weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful!"
And trust me, the weather outside IS frightful. This morning started with a rain/snow mix which is now switching over to snow. The temperatures are predicted to drop all day today, and by tomorrow afternoon we're expecting a total snowfall of 2" to 4". Makes you feel like Christmas is coming, alright!
I have some gift wrapping to do, then I intend to settle into the recliner with something Christmassy on DVD (I'm thinking "Christmas Vacation" maybe), a steaming mug of coffee, and some knitting. Maybe I'll finish up my Scrunchable Scarf then work some more on my Eggstra Special Socks.
Don't you just LOVE days when the biggest decision you have to make is which knitting project to pull out of the basket?
And trust me, the weather outside IS frightful. This morning started with a rain/snow mix which is now switching over to snow. The temperatures are predicted to drop all day today, and by tomorrow afternoon we're expecting a total snowfall of 2" to 4". Makes you feel like Christmas is coming, alright!
I have some gift wrapping to do, then I intend to settle into the recliner with something Christmassy on DVD (I'm thinking "Christmas Vacation" maybe), a steaming mug of coffee, and some knitting. Maybe I'll finish up my Scrunchable Scarf then work some more on my Eggstra Special Socks.
Don't you just LOVE days when the biggest decision you have to make is which knitting project to pull out of the basket?
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Confession Time
I have a confession to make....I've not been knitting much in the past week. I know, that's pretty unusual for me, beccause generally when I'm sittin', I'm knittin'.
But, a new toy has been getting in the way for the last few days. I bought myself an early Christmas present: a nifty little netbook! And, as you know, it takes awhile to get a new computer set up to suit yourself. It's been fun deciding what programs I wanted to download, which ones I probably wouldn't use, d
eleting the bloatware that came with it, upgrading the RAM. Fun!
So, by the time I had it pretty well set up the way I wanted, a terrible cold caught me unaware and I've been feeling just generally yucky. I've knit a bit on a pair of plain vanilla socks and a bit more on a scrunchable scarf I keep in the basket by my recliner.
But mostly I've sipped Alka Seltzer Cold tablets on the rocks and dozed in the recliner after work until time to go to bed. What an exciting life I lead! *L*
I did want to tell you, though, a little tale about one of the things I knitted recently.
Yesterday was our Christmas luncheon at the office. It's always a nice party, always held at one of the nice local establishments. One of the annual traditions is a "Mean Santa" exchange where we take something funny or hideous (preferably both!) and draw numbers to decide in what order the gifts are to be selected. It's always fun, and we have a good time.
I hadn't planned to attend the luncheon this year because we were waiting to get a surgical schedule for Mom's AAA repair at the time they were getting the guest list together. I'd had a little item tucked away in the closet to take to the Mean Santa exchange, but figured I'd just save it for next year.
As it turned out, Mom's surgery got scheduled for the 20th, and the event organizer had kept me on the list just in case it worked out that I could go. However, since I didn't know until yesterday morning that I was going, my hideous little Mean Santa gift was at home in the closet. So, I looked around the office for something to take for the exchange.
I looked up at my knitted Christmas lights hanging from my bulletin board and decided those would be great. (Gifts don't have to be hideous; cute is okay, too. *LOL*) My friend said that I shouldn't take them because they were too cute to give away.
I said, "You know it's funny about knitting things for myself. Sometimes by the time I've finished knitting them, I've looked at them enough!" So I asked if she happened to have a gift bag I could stick them in. She rummaged in a drawer and came up with a birthday bag in a spring-like theme that even had a piece of yellow tissue paper tucked into it. I said that the rustic wrapping would make it "mean" enough for the exchange.
Happily, the co-worker who got it was a crocheter/knitter who'd already admired the lights when they were hanging in my office and realized they were hand-knitted and was very appreciative of them. In fact, another co-worker who had a later number in the exchange "robbed" them from her! They were a HIT!
And even though I must now knit myself another set before next holiday season, I know that my hand-knit Christmas lights have a good home.
Of course, I remembered this evening that I'd never photographed them for my Ravelry page. Oh, well. They were cute. Trust me. :-)
But, a new toy has been getting in the way for the last few days. I bought myself an early Christmas present: a nifty little netbook! And, as you know, it takes awhile to get a new computer set up to suit yourself. It's been fun deciding what programs I wanted to download, which ones I probably wouldn't use, d
eleting the bloatware that came with it, upgrading the RAM. Fun!
So, by the time I had it pretty well set up the way I wanted, a terrible cold caught me unaware and I've been feeling just generally yucky. I've knit a bit on a pair of plain vanilla socks and a bit more on a scrunchable scarf I keep in the basket by my recliner.
But mostly I've sipped Alka Seltzer Cold tablets on the rocks and dozed in the recliner after work until time to go to bed. What an exciting life I lead! *L*
I did want to tell you, though, a little tale about one of the things I knitted recently.
Yesterday was our Christmas luncheon at the office. It's always a nice party, always held at one of the nice local establishments. One of the annual traditions is a "Mean Santa" exchange where we take something funny or hideous (preferably both!) and draw numbers to decide in what order the gifts are to be selected. It's always fun, and we have a good time.
I hadn't planned to attend the luncheon this year because we were waiting to get a surgical schedule for Mom's AAA repair at the time they were getting the guest list together. I'd had a little item tucked away in the closet to take to the Mean Santa exchange, but figured I'd just save it for next year.
As it turned out, Mom's surgery got scheduled for the 20th, and the event organizer had kept me on the list just in case it worked out that I could go. However, since I didn't know until yesterday morning that I was going, my hideous little Mean Santa gift was at home in the closet. So, I looked around the office for something to take for the exchange.
I looked up at my knitted Christmas lights hanging from my bulletin board and decided those would be great. (Gifts don't have to be hideous; cute is okay, too. *LOL*) My friend said that I shouldn't take them because they were too cute to give away.
I said, "You know it's funny about knitting things for myself. Sometimes by the time I've finished knitting them, I've looked at them enough!" So I asked if she happened to have a gift bag I could stick them in. She rummaged in a drawer and came up with a birthday bag in a spring-like theme that even had a piece of yellow tissue paper tucked into it. I said that the rustic wrapping would make it "mean" enough for the exchange.
Happily, the co-worker who got it was a crocheter/knitter who'd already admired the lights when they were hanging in my office and realized they were hand-knitted and was very appreciative of them. In fact, another co-worker who had a later number in the exchange "robbed" them from her! They were a HIT!
And even though I must now knit myself another set before next holiday season, I know that my hand-knit Christmas lights have a good home.
Of course, I remembered this evening that I'd never photographed them for my Ravelry page. Oh, well. They were cute. Trust me. :-)
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Don't Call Me Shirley
I can't believe that Leslie Nielsen is gone. Sure, if I'd thought about it I'd have realized that the man had some age on him. I'd been a fan for at least 40 years, so that should have told me SOMETHING. But I just didn't expect to hear that he was gone. *sad*
So, what's been going on in my little corner of the world? Well, this evening I've been playing with my Christmas gift to myself, a netbook. In fact, I'm drafting up this blog entry on it, using WriteMonkey to keep myself from being distracted. And we all know how easily distracted I am. "YARN!" *LOL*
Last Saturday I attended a 100th birthday celebration for my great-aunt. She's a terrific lady, still sharp as a tack and living in her own home. She's a crocheter, has been for many years. She also knits, sews, and is otherwise crafty, but mainly crochets now. She looks at my sock knitting, shakes her head, and says, "Oh, those stitches are soooooooo little."
Her family gave her a wonderful reception, and everyone had a great time. There were 125 guests expected, and I believe most of them were there. She received lots of lovely presents, and really enjoyed herself.
I'd knitted her a Scrunchable Scarf (HOT PINK!) and she really seemed to like it.
100 years old....oh, the things she must have seen in that century. She's told me about having trouble finding fabric during the war to make clothes for her children. She found a used coat in a thrift shop , bought it, and cut it apart to use the fabric to make two coats for her youngsters. What a talented woman!
Well, I suppose I've played with my new baby computer long enough for tonight. I really must get to bed, since I have to work in the morning. Like Scarlett said, "Tomorrow is another day." :-) 'Night, Friends!
So, what's been going on in my little corner of the world? Well, this evening I've been playing with my Christmas gift to myself, a netbook. In fact, I'm drafting up this blog entry on it, using WriteMonkey to keep myself from being distracted. And we all know how easily distracted I am. "YARN!" *LOL*
Last Saturday I attended a 100th birthday celebration for my great-aunt. She's a terrific lady, still sharp as a tack and living in her own home. She's a crocheter, has been for many years. She also knits, sews, and is otherwise crafty, but mainly crochets now. She looks at my sock knitting, shakes her head, and says, "Oh, those stitches are soooooooo little."
Her family gave her a wonderful reception, and everyone had a great time. There were 125 guests expected, and I believe most of them were there. She received lots of lovely presents, and really enjoyed herself.
I'd knitted her a Scrunchable Scarf (HOT PINK!) and she really seemed to like it.
100 years old....oh, the things she must have seen in that century. She's told me about having trouble finding fabric during the war to make clothes for her children. She found a used coat in a thrift shop , bought it, and cut it apart to use the fabric to make two coats for her youngsters. What a talented woman!
Well, I suppose I've played with my new baby computer long enough for tonight. I really must get to bed, since I have to work in the morning. Like Scarlett said, "Tomorrow is another day." :-) 'Night, Friends!
Friday, November 19, 2010
I-Cord and More I-Cord
It's been a very busy week, so I'm behind on my blogging again. (BAD blogger!) Last Friday night I did finish up my arm warmers, and I am very, VERY happy with them. I'll try to get some photos of them sometime this weekend.
Because the holiday season is upon us, I immediately started knitting the christmas lights I mentioned in my last post, and they're turning out really cute! I've finished knitting the bulbs and have started on the i-cord. Seven feet of i-cord. Sheesh, can anything be more mind-numbing that seven feet of I-CORD? *LOL*
Oh, well, it's good TV knitting at least.
Last Saturday I dropped off the Regular Guy Beanies I'd knitted for the homeless at a local charity that does good works. I hope they'll help someone who needs a big of warmth this winter. I'm going to continue knitting them, of course. I decided a long time ago to devote two hours each week to knitting for charity, and this seems a good productive way to spend my charity-knitting time.
Okay, lunch break's nearly over, so I'll hush for now. Have a great weekend, everyone!
Because the holiday season is upon us, I immediately started knitting the christmas lights I mentioned in my last post, and they're turning out really cute! I've finished knitting the bulbs and have started on the i-cord. Seven feet of i-cord. Sheesh, can anything be more mind-numbing that seven feet of I-CORD? *LOL*
Oh, well, it's good TV knitting at least.
Last Saturday I dropped off the Regular Guy Beanies I'd knitted for the homeless at a local charity that does good works. I hope they'll help someone who needs a big of warmth this winter. I'm going to continue knitting them, of course. I decided a long time ago to devote two hours each week to knitting for charity, and this seems a good productive way to spend my charity-knitting time.
Okay, lunch break's nearly over, so I'll hush for now. Have a great weekend, everyone!
Friday, November 12, 2010
Ever Have One of Those Days?
Did you ever have one of those days where you're knitting before you leave home to go to work and are reaaaaaaaally close to finishing up a project, and you think (just for a moment, mind you) "Boy, I sure wish I could stay home this morning and finish this up"?
This morning was one of those mornings. Because of the switch from daylight savings time to standard time, I'm going to bed even earlier than usual and waking up really early. So, at 5:00 this morning I was in the recliner, watching a National Geographic documentary on Netflix, and knitting happily away on my arm warmers.
Much to my dismay, when the time came that I had to stop knitting and get in the shower, I had only FIVE ROWS left to finish up my arm warmers. FIVE ROWS. *beats head on monitor* I guess the good news is that it won't take me long to finish them up after work today, but I really hate to have to put my knitting down when I'm that close to the end!
So, now I'm thinking "what next?" I'll start another Regular Guy Beanie for charity, but for myself I want to knit a set of Christmas Lights I found on Ravelry. I have scads of brightly colored skeins of acrylic yarn I've accumulated over the years, and I think this will be a great way to use up bits of it. For the "plugs" and "wire", I'm going to use up some of the huge stash of sage green Red Heart I bought years ago to crochet the infamous "Boyfriend Afghan".
Wait, have I ever told you about the Boyfriend Afghan? Several years ago (before I learned to knit), I crocheted quite a bit, mostly afghans. I was dating (quite seriously) a guy who admired an afghan I was working on and said that he'd like to have an afghan for his living room. "No problem," I said, "What color?" He chose sage green, and I bought enough Red Heart acrylic to knit a large afghan to drape stylishly across his couch.
Before I finished the project, the relationship went up in smoke. I guess this was the crochet version of the "boyfriend sweater curse" in knitting. *LOL* So, the more-than-half-finished afghan went into a large blanket bag along with the remaining unused skeins of sage green yarn.
After I began knitting, I dug out all the yarn I'd purchased and stashed during my crocheting years. My first surprise was how much acrylic yarn has improved (thank goodness!) since I'd bought all these garishly hued skeins years before. The next surprise was finding the long-forgotten Boyfriend Afghan. What on earth will I do with all this sage green acrylic yarn???
I've been taking a little more pleasure than I should in gradually raveling out the unfinished afghan and using the yarn to knit Regular Guy Beanies for the homeless in my area. I've used some of it for other small projects as well, and it is a perfect shade to put knitted plugs and wire on my knitted Christmas Lights.
I think the lights will be perfect to string around the counter top in my office. After we close the office for the holidays, I'll take them home and add them to the decorations in my apartment.
Hmmmm. I just remembered that I tossed out my well-worn door wreath after my last holiday decorating session. Wonder if I can find a quick 'n easy door decoration to knit for myself? I think the holiday spirit has officially kicked in! *going to Ravelry now to search for door decorations*
This morning was one of those mornings. Because of the switch from daylight savings time to standard time, I'm going to bed even earlier than usual and waking up really early. So, at 5:00 this morning I was in the recliner, watching a National Geographic documentary on Netflix, and knitting happily away on my arm warmers.
Much to my dismay, when the time came that I had to stop knitting and get in the shower, I had only FIVE ROWS left to finish up my arm warmers. FIVE ROWS. *beats head on monitor* I guess the good news is that it won't take me long to finish them up after work today, but I really hate to have to put my knitting down when I'm that close to the end!
So, now I'm thinking "what next?" I'll start another Regular Guy Beanie for charity, but for myself I want to knit a set of Christmas Lights I found on Ravelry. I have scads of brightly colored skeins of acrylic yarn I've accumulated over the years, and I think this will be a great way to use up bits of it. For the "plugs" and "wire", I'm going to use up some of the huge stash of sage green Red Heart I bought years ago to crochet the infamous "Boyfriend Afghan".
Wait, have I ever told you about the Boyfriend Afghan? Several years ago (before I learned to knit), I crocheted quite a bit, mostly afghans. I was dating (quite seriously) a guy who admired an afghan I was working on and said that he'd like to have an afghan for his living room. "No problem," I said, "What color?" He chose sage green, and I bought enough Red Heart acrylic to knit a large afghan to drape stylishly across his couch.
Before I finished the project, the relationship went up in smoke. I guess this was the crochet version of the "boyfriend sweater curse" in knitting. *LOL* So, the more-than-half-finished afghan went into a large blanket bag along with the remaining unused skeins of sage green yarn.
After I began knitting, I dug out all the yarn I'd purchased and stashed during my crocheting years. My first surprise was how much acrylic yarn has improved (thank goodness!) since I'd bought all these garishly hued skeins years before. The next surprise was finding the long-forgotten Boyfriend Afghan. What on earth will I do with all this sage green acrylic yarn???
I've been taking a little more pleasure than I should in gradually raveling out the unfinished afghan and using the yarn to knit Regular Guy Beanies for the homeless in my area. I've used some of it for other small projects as well, and it is a perfect shade to put knitted plugs and wire on my knitted Christmas Lights.
I think the lights will be perfect to string around the counter top in my office. After we close the office for the holidays, I'll take them home and add them to the decorations in my apartment.
Hmmmm. I just remembered that I tossed out my well-worn door wreath after my last holiday decorating session. Wonder if I can find a quick 'n easy door decoration to knit for myself? I think the holiday spirit has officially kicked in! *going to Ravelry now to search for door decorations*
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Arm Warmers
My current "recliner" knitting project is a set of arm warmers for myself. Last Christmas I received a lovely cape from Mom and Dad as a gift. It's black with a bit of black and white houndstooth check trim. I really love it, but sometimes if I wear it to work I need something heavier on my forearms than whatever light sweater or blouse I'm wearing in the office that day.
The solution seems to be arm warmers to be worn with the cape and gloves/mittens. The pattern I've chosen will go from just above the elbow to the wrist, where it will bell out enough that it will be easy to put on gloves with it. I'm knitting them in white; I'd have preferred black, but actually had enough white yarn on hand to knit them up. If they turn out as neat as I think they will, I'll buy myself some black worsted and knit up a second set. :-)
The solution seems to be arm warmers to be worn with the cape and gloves/mittens. The pattern I've chosen will go from just above the elbow to the wrist, where it will bell out enough that it will be easy to put on gloves with it. I'm knitting them in white; I'd have preferred black, but actually had enough white yarn on hand to knit them up. If they turn out as neat as I think they will, I'll buy myself some black worsted and knit up a second set. :-)
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