Empty Nest

Today my 18 y/o left for Navy boot camp. I have mixed emotions, and my worry meter is as high as it can go and them some. It seems like yesterday he was a newborn in my arms. He has grown into a responsible man and makes me proud. Following a long tradition on family members that went in to the service. His Papa could not be prouder of him, as he was a Navy man himself.

Where do I go from here? I will pray every night that he is safe, and have faith that he will be home safe and sound someday.

In the midst of all this I have been knitting a sweater for my Mom. I is a Knitting Pure and Simple pattern. It was fun to make and the pattern is simple. I just had moments where I could not count. Will post a picture of the finish sweater soon. All there is left to do is finish the cuff of the sleeve and the button bands.

My next knitting project will be all for me. I will be making the Dogwood Blossoms sweater by Knit Picks in purple. Here is a pic.

This will be my first time steeking. Wish me luck.

Changes

It's been awhile since I have been here. I hope to make this at least a weekly post, with a few changes. My life is not all about knitting, so I will talk about other things going on in my life.

Today is a hard day for me. 17 years ago my oldest was born, he was the most beautiful baby. He has chosen to not speak to me for the last several years. He is mad at me for having BiPolar disorder. I can understand his anger and frustration, it still really hurts. To make today a sad day 4 years ago my baby sister passed away. I sit here stuggling with emotions not knowing whether to be happy or sad. I will be stronger as time goes on, but today I can't be strong.

Special Olympics Scarf Project

In 2009, the Special Olympics World Winter Games invited knitters and crocheters from around the USA and the world to create a special gift for the athletes of the World Games. The response was overwhelming with more than 55,000 handmade scarves, and in the end created an incredible sense of welcome and well-wishes for the Special Olympics athletes, where the response and generosity is still spoken about today.

With the 2010 Special Olympics Idaho Winter Games approaching in just five weeks, we are hoping to welcome the athletes here in our great state with a personal gift that inspires them to strive for their best in competition while sharing the spirit, kindness and respect of all communities.

Let’s bring the scarves back!

Our goal is to provide the gift of a hand knit or crocheted scarf to each of the 650 athletes competing in the Idaho Winter Games as they arrive during the Opening Ceremony on March 12, 2010.
Anyone is welcome to knit or crochet a scarf for the 2010 Special Olympics Idaho Winter Games, we just ask that you follow a few simple guidelines to help maintain consistency and uniformity across these gifts for the athletes.

Design: Any design or pattern is welcome.
Colors: Red Heart Super Saver Cherry Red and Red Heart Grey Heather – Ideally the scarves incorporate both colors, please.
Length: Approximately 55 inches long
Width: Approximately 5 inches long

All scarves must arrive by Tuesday, March 9, 2010.

Please deliver or ship to:
Special Olympics Idaho
Attn: Scarf Project
199 East 52nd Street
Garden City, ID 83714

With 2010 just a few hours away. I have been trying to come up with a resolution that is easy to stick to. This is what I have come up with so far.

1. Learn how to knit cables
2. Lace is on the list
3. starting knitting for myself
4. write my blog more

The weather is not very promising for the weekend with the prediction being a storm of epic proportion. I have decided to stay home and not go out tonight. My plan is to finish up some of last years knitting so I can start on something for me. Not sure what yet since there is alot I have tagged in Magazines and on Ravelry.

Summer has been in full swing here, but not really. We have had rain nearly every day. It rained 28 out of 30 day in June and July has not been much better. When it is not raining it is very hot and humid, we are talking like 90% humitidy. I have been knitting and I have made 2 pairs of wool mittens and working on 2 more pairs. Socks are also on needles and I am making them using 2 circular needles.

My big knitting project of the summer is a felted bag for a friend. It is the Dumpling Bags in the Fall 2008 issue of Interweave Knits. Here is a picture of the bag in progress.

I will have it finished this week and then on to the embrodiery and felting.

Summer knitting and Reading

As summer is approaching I am starting to think about what to knit. I am still catching up on ufo's and have a pair of socks on needles. My thoughts are to finish up and start on Steggie form Knitty.com for a friends son. He will be starting Kindergarten in the fall. Then I will turn my attention to hats and mittens for winter.

As for knitting for me I will be making myself the Irish Hiking Scarf and Hat on Ravelry.com. I am still trying to decide on what type of yarn I want to use, it is such a hard decision. Alpaca is winning at this point, but who knows I could change my mind again.

Summer also brings reading on days to hot to knit. I have started to make a list of summer reads. Right now I am into Debbie Macomber books, I also like non-fiction so if you know of any good books let me know.

Test Knitting and Shop Samples

I have been knitting up a pair of sock to test a yarn for Abstract Fiber (Portland, Oregon). The yarn is a Super Sock yarn in the colorway called Asia. It has been a pleasure to knit with this yarn. The only thing I would do different is to knit it up on a US size 2 instead of 1's. I will post picture's later.






Then I will move on to finish all my ufo's. It makes me feel very unorganized to have so many things going at one time. Some of my ufo's: Readers Wrap, Vest, Sweater, and an Afghan for knitting. I also have sewing,Quilting and cross stitch unfinished. I have to finish things for now on before starting something new.

Just an update on how my leg is doing. I went for x-ray's and a followup yesterday and it is finally healed so I can be walking on my own 2 feet as soon as I get it up to full strength.

Spring has finally sprung here, the snow is finally almost gone. Along comes all the spring things to do. Spring cleaning is top on my list and the first thing on the list is a new coat of paint on the ceilings and walls. I can't wait for warm enough days so the windows can go up.

I am still not on my feet progress has been really slow. I have been killing the time by finishing some ufo's. First on the list in the readers wrap, then I will finish my sweater. I am also testing a yarn and will be making a pair of socks with a railroad rib cuff. The yarn is absolutely gorgeous. I hope this will work into something I would be willing to work for yarn.

Winter seems to be holding on here in Northern New England with another 12" expected today. I can't even tell you how sick of winter I am. I keep dreaming of days sitting outside with the warm sun on my face and my feet in the lake.

My leg is healing nicely and with the help of pysical therapy I hope to be on my feet soon. My goal is to be back up walking at least 3 miles a day by fall. I really miss being able to go out and socialize.

I have decided that this year will be a selfish year of knitting, and I have already picked a couple of things to knit. My first project will be Easy Basket-Weave Cardigan by Ann E. Smith


I'm not sure if I will make the sweater exactly as it is here or use some creative design on my favorite sweater pattern.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR from my family to yours

I have had an interesting couple of months. To start I haven't finished my Christmas knitting. A lot has gone on to prevent me from knitting. My b/f is not able to drive so I was taking him to work and staying in town to conserve gas.

Now on to the biggest reason I have not been knitting. On Wednesday December 17, I was walking to a friends house on the snowy roads and I fell on a patch of ice and broke my leg in 2 places(spiral fracture). Luckily someone saw me fall and got me help. My friends called my b/f and my parents as well as 911. They brought me a blanket and waited with me for the ambulance. The ride to the hospital was pretty uneventful. I spent 5 hours in the ER hallway with everybody looking at my leg and shaking their head. I finally got taken to a room and I must have slept cause I don't remember much until around 4 am when they told me I was having surgery at 7am. To make a long story short I have a titanium rod in my leg held by 4 screws.

I am at home now and still not feeling well....

Stretching Your Knitting Bucks

In today's world, we all have to think of ways to economize and stretch our finances a little further. Here are several thought provoking ways to have your knitting dollars make cents!

1. Shop online and save on gas. Shipping rates are probably cheaper than incurring the cost of driving.

2. Try 1 skein projects.

3. Buy used knitting books, or try and get hold of them for free.

4. Check the web for free patterns.

5. Shop with a project in mind and stay with that. They always say shopping from a list is the best.

6. Get an extra skien or two to make sure you have enough and some for another project later.

7. Organize a yarn swap or try a bartering group.

8. Make projects that use up your stash like hats, mittens, scarves and baby sweaters.

9. Inventory your stash - you'll be amazed at what you have and this will help avoid duplicate purchases.

10. Consider using a less expensive yarn for trimming and accent areas and using a better yarn for the majority of the project.

I have completed most of my Christmas knitting. This is a good thing because I can't stand all the hustle and bustle at the stores. Don't even get me started on the grabbing and pushing, the nicest people become extremely rude and so not themselves. Anywho, enough of that.





Reading is another passion of mine and I have been reading the Chicks With Sticks trilogy. I know what your thinking it is a teeny bopper book. Who cares? It is still a book and a good one at that. I have also recently read The Knitting Circle by Ann Hood. I found myself putting myself into the lives of the women in this book. Knitting has helped me through alot in my life. I call it my therapy, the clicking of the needles and getting into a rythmic trance tuning out all around me. I have even been caught falling asleep mid-stitch. What are some of your favorite knitty reads?





I am going to leave you with a great fall foilage picture.

Fall is here in Norther New England and that means official sweater weather. The girls in my knitting group The Village Knitters have been sporting their newly knit sweaters. We meet almost daily at our lys http://www.fiberphilia.com/. Michelle the owner is very nice. Chreyl and Burla are great at teaching and helping with knitting errors.

I just bought yarn to make myself a sweater, can't wait to get started. It will be a Raglan cardigan with a hood. This will be a treat since I don't usually make things for myself.

Shopping Trip

This has been a fun week on Tuesday my friend and I went to Freeport. We had the the best day. Our main mission of the day was to go to this shop http://www.beadinpath.com/index.php. I was like a kid in a candy store looking at all the beads and buttons. Next trip I will bring more money and buy more.

We also went to http://theknittingexperience.com/ in Brunswick. It is a quaint little shop with comfy couches to sit and knit. The shop carried a lot of yummy yarns of all kind of textures.

I didn't find the buttons for the sweater I am working on, but I have a feeling the search will be fun.

It's been a month since I last wrote. I have been doing a lot of knitting, sweater #2 is almost complete and then I just have to make 3 vest and all my sisters kids are done for Christmas. Then I will make a sweater for my brother, he won't care if it is done for Christmas as long as he knows its coming. I have been test knitting a shawl which is coming out gorgeous, it will be fun to wear.

I am hoping to get a new camera soon so I can take pictures of all this knitting.

I have also been doing some beading. I made myself some stitch markers to learn the technique of turning the wire. It is not as easy as it looks.

Knitting in the summertime is sometimes a challenge. With all the humidity ,then add hands sticking to the yarn and needles. Where do you get relief? For me it comes in a couple of ways. I knit at my lys in the sun room which is air conditioned or stay up later at night and knit as it becomes cooler in the evening.

Knitting at the lys is not only productive it is a great time to catch up with everyone on goings on around town. A bunch of us are currently making afghan squares for an afghan to be auctioned off to help the local library with funds for a new and better building. A couple of us are thinking about continuing after this one is done and then giving them as needed, for example a house fire, homeless, as a comfort for someone who is ill. You get the idea, it would just be a way for us to give in a time where incomes are being stretched and then stretched more. We are hoping that as people clean out Stashes of yarn they will donate yarn not wanted to yarn left over from projects and we will do the rest.

I am almost done with my with my first fair isle sweater and getting ready to make #2. With that sweater starting and with merletto mitts going on the needles later today, 1 sock to finish, and an afghan on hold until cooler weather I feel I have become a true crafter. There are many other projects not mentioned from quilts to cross stitch in progress with no end in site LOL.

My love for crafts is getting expensive as alot of others have said the same, when do you stop and just by gas. Never is my answer, why give up something you love to do. I just plan it into my monthly budget and only buy for what I am making at the time, only buying onsale or with coupons. I get my fabrics at Mardens(my fav) or Walmart(markdown rack only). I also find alot of useful craft things at thrift stores.

In this day and age where times are tough and cost are high I still can find a way to do what I love. Wether using coupons, discounts, or sales. I intend instead of spending money on gas to go shopping I will knit most of my holiday gifts. I coincide any hobby shopping on the same days I grocery shop.

Spring/Summer has finally come to Maine and I find myself already thinking about Christmas knitting. It takes time for me to get things done and with everyone in the family getting a knitted item I can see some late nights in my future. Some of the things on the list so far 2 fair isle sweaters, 5 vest, a felted bag, and a readers wrap. I haven't thought about what to make hubby yet and his family.

I have been thinking about going back to college and finally getting my degree. I will be changing my major to Social work when I go back. After 14 years in Medical Records a change would be refreshing. I want to work with Veterans and get them on the right path to the care they require. Being a Vet myself it will be a way to give back some of what I have learned.