Angel.

This is my nephew Nathan's Steeler hat in the making.

I Can See Clearly Now

Listen: I Can See Clearly Now

I can see clearly now, the rain is gone,

I can see all obstacles in my way

Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind

It’s gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)

Sun-Shiny day.

I think I can make it now, the pain is gone

All of the bad feelings have disappeared

Here is the rainbow I’ve been praying for

It’s gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)

Sun-Shiny day.

Look all around, there’s nothing but blue skies

Look straight ahead, nothing but blue skies

I can see clearly now, the rain is gone,

I can see all obstacles in my way

Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind

It’s gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)

Sun-Shiny day.

Book Club Selection

I've selected the first book for our book group: The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga.

Another FO

I fell in love with Fair Isle knitting.  This is called the Fake Isle hat.  It is really fair isle with only two strands of yarn.  One strand is the cream, the other is a variegated Noro Silk Garden.  I don't know who the recipient of the hat will be.... maybe me?

I am working on a Steeler hat for my nephew Nathan.  Two years ago he asked me to knit a hat for him.  I hope he still wants one.  I feel guilty that is has taken me 2 years to knit.  Two years to a 11 year old is a lot longer time than two years to a 49 year old. I wanted to knit 4 hats in 10 days for Christmas but I only got this hat knitted.  I still plan to knit 4 hats--one for each of my nephews.  

I have fallen in love with knitting like never before.  It makes me so happy.  I love knitting gifts for my friends and family.  My sister liked her scarf.  It matches her new ski jacket.  I could not have gotten a closer match if I had tried.  I do believe in a power in this universe that makes things like that happen.

Mom is sizing up this hat and seeing what coats she has to match it.  I think she just might be the recipient.

Where Are You Christmas?

Listen: "Where Are You Christmas"

Where are you Christmas 

Why can't I find you 

Why have you gone away 

Where is the laughter 

You used to bring me 

Why can't I hear music play 

My world is changing

I'm rearranging

Does that mean Christmas changes too

Where are you Christmas

Do you remember

The one you used to know

I'm not the same one

See what the time's done

Is that why you have let me go

Christmas is here

Everywhere, oh

Christmas is here

If you care, oh

If there is love in your heart and your mind

You will feel like Christmas all the time

I feel you Christmas

I know I've found you

You never fade away

The joy of Christmas

Stays here inside us

Fills each and every heart with love

Where are you Christmas

Fill your heart with love

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone. I am spending the day with my mom. Last night we went to a Christmas Eve Candlelight service at Northway Community Church. I had mom open one gift from me. A Cabled Neck Warmer. She loved it. But she did want me to shorten it a bit, which I did this morning. It looks great. She is standing beside the Christmas stocking I knit this season.

This is the outfit mom bought me for Christmas.  It is perfect.  The right color.  Sweatpants and a long-sleeve t-shirt.  I love lounging around in comfy clothes when I am at home.

New Book Group Forming

*** New Book Group Forming ***

I am starting a new book group. I have two friends who are interested and I sent out an email to a couple other friends. This new adventure is a growth activity for me. I am not normally an organizer of people, but I really want to be in a book group and I also would like to start my own group with friends that meets in my home. I have led books groups at Barnes & Noble in the past and enjoyed it immensely. I stopped doing that when working full time and leading the group was too much for me. The last book group I led was a classics book group. I read one classic book a month. It was great. The new group will read a variety of material, but I hope we do read some classics. Wish me luck on this new adventure.

A little of everything

These are vacation pics.  This is Pam and me in front of the condo.  From left to right: Amy, me, Pam and Jelani.  What a great trip.  It brought me back to life.  I feel like I am living again.  I flew to AZ, then the four of us drove to Mexico and spent a long weekend in a condo on the beach.  It was so relaxing.  As good as camping.  I hope to repeat it next year.

I have a small decorated tree in my living room.  Sophie loves to lie under it.  Sophie and I came down with a cold this weekend.  She is on antibiotics.  I am not.  She had it worse than I.  

I do not like this cold weather.  The good news is that yesterday was the shortest day of the year and the days start getting longer from now on.  That is very good news.  The bad news is yesterday was the first day of winter.  UGH! We still have to go through winter.  I am looking forward to spring when I can sit in the park and read before going to work.  And go camping and hiking and be OUTSIDE.

This is my most recent FO: Christmas stocking.  It is my first fair isle project and now I am addicted.  I knit both continental and English style.  It was so much fun.  I plan to make more for gifts next year.  Let me know if you would like to be on my gift list.  Plunketts?

Christmas Projects

This is a reversible cable scarf for my sister.

OMGosh!  I love this project.  This is my first Fair Isle project and I have fallen in love with fair isle.  This yarn is luscious.  Cascade Pastaza.  I got the pattern from Ravelry.   Celeste was my inspiration.  She knit the Christmas Stocking which is on display at Knit One North.

My Family

Angel resting in her cat hammock.

Sophie prowling around.

Angel and Sophie mean so much to me.  Angel likes to lay around and take it easy.  Sophie likes to run around and play.

The Sun Came Out today

If you are reading this you are probably a friend or family member.   I want to say that today the fog was lifted off of me and the sun came out in my life when I woke up.  What a difference.  I feel so much better.  Life is really, really hard and depression makes it even harder.

A Finished Object!!!

I finished this hat this morning.  I'm going to give it away to charity. I knit it according to the pattern except that I used smaller needles.  It is too small for an adult head.  It will be fine for a child.  If I make it again for an adult I will need to do a few more repeats of the cable pattern before I decrease at the top.    

The Definition of Insanity

... is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different  results.  Do you ever feel this way?  I do!

Knitting a Little

This is my new project.  I am practicing the Norwegian Purl with it.  Sometimes I think it is easier to throw the yarn front and back than to make all the twists and turns required of the Norwegian Purl.  This was going to be a hat for my nephew whose favorite color is yellow.  But I think I better make his hat in gold instead.  This hat will probably go to Mary Ann so she can donate it to the winter coat charity she in involved with.

This is the sweater I started a year ago.  When I get to a part that I am uncertain about I stop.  This is where I am now.  I need to pick up the stitches for the right sleeve.  I am nervous about doing this so here sits the sweater.

Norweigan Purl

I learned the Norwegian purl yesterday from youtube.  Connie told me about it.  I had never knitted Continental style before.  It was slow going but I learned something new.  I am knitting a yellow cable hat for my nephew.  His favorite color is "butter."

Good Morning!

Hilton Head Island!

My nephew Evan making a great drip sandcastle!

I spent Labor Day at  McConnell's Mill State Park.

It was a beautiful sunny day.  A great day for a hike!

I spent Memorial Day weekend: Camping in Cooks Forest State Park!  Notice Molly is missing from the picture.  It was a sad time because it was the first camping trip without Molly.

My beautiful cat Angel

My Best Friend and Lifelong Companion Died

Molly was 14 years 4 months old.
She died January 17, 2008.
I am very sad for I lost my best friend in the world.

Recent Finished Object

This is a baby blanket I knit for someone at work. It is the second time I knit this pattern. It was enjoyable to knit. I would knit it again. I got the pattern from an old issue of Creative Knitting magazine.