Knitting Insomniac

Summary of the Year

2009-12-19T03:00:00.000-08:00

Oh my, it is the end of the year, almost, and it has been a very long time since I have posted. Alas, I fear I got sucked in by Facebook.

At first, you think you will only be socializing with your online friends but own now. You get sucked into playing the games. Ah yes, the games. It started out simply with FarmTown which "farm", you start out plowing your field and planting a few crops then selling them. Next you move on to expanding your acerage and purchasing buildings. You ask your friends to become your neighbors. You send them gifts and they send them in return. Then you populate your farm with the animals you buy and receive as gifts. It snowballs from there. When you sell your crops it allows you to by other things form your farm. The kicker is you can purchase more farm coins with real coins (this I do not do). And on and on.... Of course there is a time when your crops are ready to harvest and if they are not harvested they spoil which is not good. It makes you look like a failure as a farmer and when you neighbors come to visit you farm it looks bad.

As you can see it can get very complicated and time consuming and this is only one game. Before you know it you are farming in a couple of other farm type games, running an amusement, living in Yoville and maintaining several houses. There are do many that keeping up with them is like having a second job.

I have pared down the games I participate in and am coming back to the lighter side. I am knitting more and reading more. I think I am recovering very well.

This year has been eventful. I am still working at not for the government. I past a year in September. I think this is almost the longest I have been on a contract in years. Hopefully, this one will last till I retire. Would be nice. I have made many new friends and lost a few. This is the way of lift.

I have reconnected, via Facebook, with may of the people I went to high school with. I got a message one day from someone who said he thought I had gone to school with him and that there was a group for me to join. We started getting together and now have a pretty large group. It has been fun getting to know them again. There are now plans for our 40year reunion and I am really looking forward to it. I went to the 20 year but had not gone to any of the others.

The interesting thing I have learned from seeing these friends again is that so many of the things that seemed so important back in the school days really were not that important after all. It does matter any more who is popular and who is not. Too bad we did not know it then.

It is this time of year I take stock of the past months. All in all it has been a pretty good year. I am healthy and have friends who care about me. I have money in my pocket, gas in the car, and food in the frige. When it all comes down to the bottom line those are the essentials. That is about all I can ask for. The rest is gravy.

I am knitting many things ranging from a hat, for myself, socks for my mom (she really liked the ones she got for Christmas), and oh yes, a Clapotis for my wonderful friend Nancy.

I have been to Portland to visit my sister and her family. This time we went to the shore and small towns along the cost. Must go back in the Summer when we can go in the water. It is so beautiful there. Of course, we had to stop by the Tillamook cheese factory and have ice cream. It was great. It is so much fun being with my niece and nephew at the age they are now, 7 and 15 (almost). Looking forward to someday moving out there to be closer to them.

My family did Christmas early this year. It is so much cheaper for my sister's family to come before Christmas and then they can be in their own home for Christmas day. I also enjoy being in my own home Christmas day. It is a log less pressure.

Am looking forward to a great new year. I am going to do my best to start it off well. I hope you do too.

The Time Coming Update

2009-07-19T07:08:00.000-07:00

Hi, my name is Carol and I am an Facebook addict. I have been spending a lot of time exploring and playing games. Farmtown is a big time sucker and I feel that I now have control. I am getting away from it more and actuall doing other things.

On the other side of FB I have connectec with a lot of people from the past and family I do not get to see often. This has eally been neat. Among those are people I went to high school with. We have a FB group now and have located close to 100 alumni. We have had a couple of happy hour get togethers that have been great fun. It is interesting how all of the things you think are so important in high school like who was popular, clicks, etc have absoultely no importance as adults. It is so nice to talk with people you never would have back then. How things change?

I have been knitting once again on my hemlock ring. I started it last year and did not have the patience for it. I am 3/4 finished and hope to have it done soon.

Things are busy at work trying to keep up with stuff around the house. With all the rain and heat this year it has been hard. The fact that I am getting older and slower doesn't help either.

This is all I have time for right now but promise do better with updates. I will have picture also next time.

Looks Can Be Decieving

2009-04-15T20:37:00.001-07:00

If you have not yet view the performance on youTube or elsewhere of Susan Boyle on Britian's Got Talent here is your chance to be blown away.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-KiGva9dV4&feature=related

I cannot tell you now many times I have view this and enjoyed it each time. I am heartened to know that this very plan unassuming woman who at first impression appeared to bore Simon Cowell before she had a chance to open her mouth. I totally enjoy the reaction when she sings the first notes.

This just proves that beauty comes from within and judging by looks is very short sighted. This video has been viewed globally over 15 million times. I am so honored to be one of the number. Whether whe wins the completition or not she has already one the admiration of millions. I say good on her.

I had a wonderful Easter weekend. My friends Nancy and Don came in for the weekend. I also had the pleasure of having their new puppy Milly visiting Gracie.

I was so proud of my Gracie kitty. She did not kill her but was very interested in her and would have liked to get a really close look at her if she had been still long enough. I was encouraged that she accepted her being in her house so easily. She did not kill her on sight which is really good. She only growled and hissed at her a couple of times.

Now I feel good about getting a puppy this summer. I am starting to look for Sheltie puppies. I am hoping to connect with the breeder I got my Holly from years ago.

I have not been knitting a lot the past couple of weeks. I still have a little bit to redo to finish the summer shell. Maybe I will do that tomorrow night rather than play on Facebook all night. I am going to have to back off for a while it is getting to addictive.

I am hoping that the spring weather is finally going to come and stay for a little while. I am getting very tired of the rain and cooler temps.

What a Difference a Day Makes

2009-03-29T07:44:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was totally a winter day. After the ice chunks came the snow.

Today we have sun and melting snow.

We lucked out and did not get the full load that was predicted. It was good that we did not get the 8-10 inches forecasted. I think we ended up with 3 or so. With the sun out and temps going back up this week it will be gone in a day or so. This should be the last blast of the season but there is supposed to be another storm coming through this week. I think this one could be bad unless it breaks up before it gets to us.

OK, now on with Spring. Once the snow is gone I think I am definitely going to have to mow the new grass. This moisture is really going to make it grow this week.

You asked for it... You got it

2009-03-28T08:08:00.000-07:00

We have been under a winter weather advisory since early yesterday. Rain, ice and snow were expected last night but somehow we caught a hole in the storm system and just back getting the icy rain late this morning. How it is raining small ice chunks. This can't be good.

I am trying to be more domestic today. I made a pot of chili last night. Yes, I did actually make it from scratch. Here my contribution for today, since I am not able to get out for knitting and coffee today much to my dissappointment. Maybe tomorrow. It could happen.

These are very bit cupcakes. Not sure why I felt compelled to bake them but it just seemed like the thing to do on a sleety Saturday. Anyway, the house smells really good now so I guess that was the purpose.

I am also doing some Spring cleaning. It is time to get started going through and changing out clothes for the season and just generally getting things into shape. I have two ways to arrange the furniture in the living room. One for winter so I can get to the fireplace and Spring putting the sofa in front of the fireplace. I had planned on make the change today but guess not. Maybe next weekend.

I have decided I need to organize my time at home better so I have time for facebook, knitting, that pesky house stuff (the grass is going to need mowing after all this moisture), and socializing. That is my goal for the Spring.

I almost have the Summer Shell completed but will wait until I have it put together to share it. It is turning out very nicely so I think I will like it a lot.

Now I am going to sit for a minute and enjoy one of those cupcakes with some nice raspberry tea. Stay safe everyone in KC area.

Lovely Saturday Morning

2009-03-14T04:37:00.003-07:00

I am so glad it is Saturday. It is the day I look forward to all week. While I like what I do most of the time at work, Saturday is just so much better.

I used to get up early Saturday morning and storm through the house and get the cleaning and laundry done right away so I can get on with the rest of the day. Well, that does not happen any more so I am working on that today. I know it sounds like I am always cleaning but most the intent is there. I need to put that plan in to action which doesn't happen if I am sitting at the computer playing games or doing facebook. My goal is to get better organized with my time.

Since I was getting bored with what I have been knitting I have started something new for summer. I am doing the Summer time Shell from Creative Knitting. I really like the way it is working up. The back is nearly to the arm holes. I have purchased the yarn for another sweater but did not like the pattern. Maybe I will do it some other time. So

Lovely Saturday Morning

2009-03-14T04:37:00.002-07:00

I am so glad it is Saturday. It is the day I look forward to all week. While I like what I do most of the time at work, Saturday is just so much better.

Lovely Saturday Morning

2009-03-14T04:37:00.001-07:00

I am so glad it is Saturday. It is the day I look forward to all week. While I like what I do most of the time at work, Saturday is just so much better.

Lovely Saturday Morning

2009-03-14T04:37:00.000-07:00

I am so glad it is Saturday. It is the day I look forward to all week. While I like what I do most of the time at work, Saturday is just so much better.

I know...it has been a long time

2009-03-02T13:58:00.000-08:00

Well alot has been going on in my little world. My current aggervation is my UverseTV is not working. I am waiting for some guy in India to call me back after an hour of waiting for my DVR to recycle (yeah right!@#$$). It spent yesterday downloading updates them puked when it the it through a failed client error. Fast forward, I think the evening will end with a scheduled tech visit (I would bet a buck on that). OK, I am through venting on that topic.

UPDATE I just got my call back and guess what...A tech is coming to fix the DVR tomorrow and not the slave receive is not working either. Hummm...May be time to go back to DirecTV.

Back to my little world. This is the first day in 2 weeks that I have felt 100%. To fastforward, I had the flu X3 starting a week ago Sunday, ending with spending the day Saturday in bed all day sleeping for about 12 hours total. Boy am I glad that is over. I would not wish this on anyone not matter how much I hated them. I have not had anything like that in years so I guess I was due. As luck would have it, this is the first year in about fifteen that I did not get a flu shot. I in no way feel that is the reason I got it now but I find it interesting.

Now on to the good stuff. I have been just piddling with knitting lately. Not sure what new exciting thing I want to start. I am doing an Irish Hiking scarf out of wonderful purple Touch Me. It is really going to be pretty, so stay tuned. I am also working on the Hudini socks but not sure I like them yet.

Here is the Kitty Pi I did for Gracie. She was not sure about it at first but she loves it now.

On a sad note...this weekend starts Daylight Savings Time. I think I am the only one bothered by the change. I feel like I am late for everything the whole time and I am so excited and relieved when it is over. I think my inner clock just cannot reset itself. I am night person and the world is not very sympathetic to us as a rule. I normally go to bed about midnight and awake about 5:30 or 6:00 to get ready for work. I try to go earlier but if I do I end up waking earlier. This means that during DLST I end up going to bed at 1:00 but I still need to get up at the new 5:30 or 6:00 with is actually 4:30 or 5:00 my time. So as a result, I get even less sleep. Yes, it is possible to function on that about of sleep. I do it all of the time. I would not recommend it to everyone but it works for me. As you can imagine, this does not make my doctor happy as everytime I go she suggests that I really need to get more sleep. Not sure what the answer is other than getting a night job which are not very plentiful.

I am just glad that I have a job now. It is ironic that I am working a government contract because I have said many times I would not. This one may turn out to by my saving grace. Go figure.

Retreat

2009-02-03T16:36:00.000-08:00

This past weekend was the annual Studio retreat at the Elms Hotel in Excelsior Springs, Mo. I think fun was had by all. This year there were 60 knitters in attendence. Attendee from my knitting group included Laura, Kay, Chelle and her mother Carolyn.

The weekend began with some knitting by the fire in the lobby and a soup/salad buffet. It was a good way to start the weekend. As it was a little chilly out I start mine off with an Irish coffee and went from there.

Saturday morning began with a nice breakfast followed by a lot of leisurely knitting. Classes were offered but I did not select any thing time. There was really nothing I that struck my fancy. This is not a reflection on the class offering. I am not much for taking classes unless there is a particular technique I want to learn.

After much knitting and getting a UFO finished and ready to felt. I started this back pack some time ago and just needed to finish the straps. The strap was a divided and done in a double icord. I was not sure I liked it at the time but now I must admit I like the affect.

I can hardly wait to felt it. It was meant to be a baby gift but I am thinking it will end up being another type of give. Not sure for who yet. I guess it will be a surprise.

After dinner Saturday night there was a fashion who. Kay shared her beautiful Angelina sweater. It was remarkable in that it was done with fine yarn with small needles. Quite an accomplishment.

Each attendee receive a door prize. Mine was the book Andean Inspired KNITS written by Helen Hamann. It is a beautiful book. I love many things in it and hope to knit something from it soon.

Every year The Studio bring wonderful things for the yarn market. This year included Dome Hill yarn. This year is dyed by none other than our very own Kay http://trivimp.blogspot.com/. The Studio is now carrying a supply of the Dome Hill sock yarn and you can also purchase through Kay's Etsy store. Check it out.

Among the knitters we met Friday night, I believe her name was Michelle, who made this very lovely dragon scarf. It was very striking. I think this is one I would like to do.

Not sure when the last time was that I had such a good time. Will look forward to doing it again next year. Hope you get a chance to go.

The Year is coming to an end

2008-12-23T12:51:00.000-08:00

One more day to work before the Christmas holiday. By decree of GHW Bush I am not working Friday as our building will be closed. Somehow he did not decree that I would get paid for the day. Of course, the government people get a holiday every time someone sneezes. I am glad to have the time off anyway. I have not had a four day weekend in a while.

I hope to get some painting done if I can decide on the color. I got a new comforter set for my bedroom that does not rally go well with the yellow walls. They need to be more gold. So the plan is to make the change.

This is the car next in line. My old car needed to be replaced and when this one became available it was the answer to the need. It is a very sweet car with all the bells and whistles. It will last me a long time. It is part of an estate and will have to be probated but it should not take too long.

I should be able to finalize everything in a month or so then it will be all mine. I will keep the old car for a while to drive during bad weather.

This year has been rough in many ways but I am optimistic that the new year is going to have a lot of promise. My friend Chelle always picks a word to represent something to strive for. Mine for next year is Happiness. I am going to strive to find happiness next year. I have also discovered that I have not had a lot of JOY in my life for a while. I am going to dedicate time to looking for that also. Due to circumstances, mostly beyond my control, I have misplaced it. I know it is out there somewhere and I am conficent that I can find it.

I wish you all Peace, Happiness and Joy in your New Year.

What I have been doing lately or Boy have I been busy

2008-12-20T04:05:00.000-08:00

What a glorious sunset to a long and busy day. As many know, I love beautiful sky pictures. I have many. I am always fascinated by the color patterns and the light play on the clouds. This was taken from my friend Nancy's front yard just south of St. Louis. I was there to attend a family memorial service and this was a perfect ending to the day. It was almost like God smiling down and conveying that all is well with my soul.

There is always something clean and simple about a view like this. What more can I say...I think this says it all.

Last weekend was a very busy time for me. I flew to St. Louis Friday night to attend a memorial service on Saturday for a family member. Afterward I drove to Springfield, getting in at 10:00p to do Christmas with my family. My sister and her family came in early to do Christmas here so they could be at their own home this year Christmas morning. I must say that I liked it alot this way. We were all at my Mom's to open presents Sunday morning. Then because of the changing weather I left Springfield to get home before the storm front got here.

When I left Springfield it was 64 degrees and by the time I got to Carthage it was 48 degrees then when I got home to Lees Summit is was 34 degrees.

My wonderful friends Doug and Janet took me to the airport Friday night so of course my car was at their house. They were kind enough to bring my car home so I could have it for Monday morning.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that I also brought a car home with me from Springfield. As many know I have been anticipating getting a different car. Well, I am buying the car I brought home. It is a 2004 Toyota Solara with extremely low miles. It will be probably a month or so before it is mine but I do have it at my house.

This is one of my very favorite things I got from my sister. It is made in Africa by women as a cottage industry. It is woven from native grass and dyed with leather grip. They are imported flat then when they reach here they are soaked in water and shaped. I think this is one of the biggest ones I have seen. When I was in Portland last time we looked at the art market where they usually are but could not find them. My sister went to a shop to get this one. If you are interested this is the link for it www.topanien.com .

Also, as you can see I am thoroughly gamed up now. I got an Xbox 360 Live with games. I already had the Wii so my nephew brought me some of his games to play. I also got Wii Fit to go with it. All are very much fun. I have been pretty busy since I got back last weekend but have carved out a little time to play. Since I am going to be off for 4 lovely days next weekend, I plan on doing a lot of playing.

My Christmas wish for all of you is to relax, be happy, and enjoy being with friends and family as much as possible.

What's New?

2008-12-04T16:03:00.000-08:00

Ok...OK. I realize I have once again been a bad blogger. The way I see it is I get to it when I get to it. Things have really been busy lately and I just have not been in the mood to share.

Yes, I have been knitting all along but just not sharing. So here goes. This the the Abby from Knitty.com. I enjoyed this a lot. It basically is a lacey cowl that I am giving my mother for Christmas. She always likes to have her head covered in the winter so this will be easy for her. You really cannot see the laciness but it is there. I love the color of this wool silk blend I bought when I was in Portland.

The other night while talking with my sister she asked if I could make her a stocking cap. Having nothing new on th needles I just whipped this one up. It is nothing fancy but does have some cabling. I know she will like it.

It is cold here and she is coming next week so I am sure she will bet a chance to wear it while she is here. Her family is coming home early to do Christmas in Ozark then they will be in their own home for Christmas day. As this has rarely happened it will be a novelty.

A friend sent this poem and I want to share it with you. I was very touched by it.

A Different Christmas Poem

The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,
I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight.
My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,
My daughter beside me, angelic in rest.
Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,
Transforming the yard to a winter delight.

The sparkling lights in the tree I believe,
Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.
My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,
Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep.
In perfect contentment, or so it would seem,
So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.

The sound wasn't loud, and it wasn't too near,
But I opened my eyes when it tickled my ear.
Perhaps just a cough, I didn't quite know, Then the
Sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow.
My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,
And I crept to the door just to see who was near.

Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,
A lone figure stood, his face weary and tight.
A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old,
Perhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold.
Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled,
Standing watch over me, and my wife and my child.

"What are you doing?" I asked without fear,
"Come in this moment, it's freezing out here!
Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve,
You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!"
For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift,
Away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts..

To the window that danced with a warm fire's light
Then he sighed and he said "Its really all right,
I'm out here by choice. I'm here every night."
"It's my duty to stand at the front of the line,
That separates you from the darkest of times.

No one had to ask or beg or implore me,
I'm proud to stand here like my fathers before me.
My Gramps died at 'Pearl on a day in December,"
Then he sighed, "That's a Christmas 'Gram always remembers."
My dad stood his watch in the jungles of 'Nam',
And now it is my turn and so, here I am.

I've not seen my own son in more than a while,
But my wife sends me pictures, he's sure got her smile.
Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag,
The red, white, and blue... An American flag.
I can live through the cold and the being alone,
Away from my family, my house and my home.

I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet,
I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat.
I can carry the weight of killing another,
Or lay down my life with my sister and brother..
Who stand at the front against any and all,
To ensure for all time that this flag will not fall."

"So go back inside," he said, "harbor no fright,
Your family is waiting and I'll be all right."
"But isn't there something I can do, at the least,
"Give you money," I asked, "or prepare you a feast?
It seems all too little for all that you've done,
For being away from your wife and your son."

Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret,
"Just tell us you love us, and never forget.
To fight for our rights back at home while we're gone,
To stand your own watch, no matter how long.
For when we come home, either standing or dead,
To know you remember we fought and we bled.
Is payment enough, and with that we will trust,
That we mattered to you as you mattered to us."

PLEASE, would you do me the kind favor of sending this to as many
People as you can? Christmas will be coming soon and some credit is due to our
U.S service men and women for our being able to celebrate these
Festivities. Let's try in this small way to pay a tiny bit of what we owe. Make people
Stop and think of our heroes, living and dead, who sacrificed themselves for us.

LCDR Jeff Giles, SC, USN
30th Naval Construction Regiment
OIC, Logistics Cell One
Al Taqqadum, Iraq

What a Week

2008-11-25T00:18:00.000-08:00

Have been knitting quite a lot but have been to busy to take pictures. I am about 3/4 finished with the Abby (cowl) and it is really looking nice. I think it is for me and I will love it. I do not like hat,scarve, or hoods on my head so I think this will be the answer. I can have it around my neck to keep it warm and then pull it over my head with I need it.

I am also working on a scarf that is really cute. Veteran's Day Laura, Mary, Shari and I were at Knitcraft and a couple of knitter's came in with them on. It is very easy and can be done with any yarn. I think I am going to felt it so will see how it comes out.

I have completed every thing I am going do for Christmas. I just do not have the time for anything else.

I have been very busy dealing with a family illness that I will not detail but it has been real eye opener. For those of you who do not at least a will get with it and get it done. I have realized that I have been extremely remise in not getting mine updated and getting a trust done. Do your family a favor. Let me tell you from experience that probate is not a good thing. When my husband died it cost me $2,000 to get my own money.

I am making the appointment with the attorney every soon to get my crap in order.

It's OK to be Happy...Everyone else does it

2008-11-09T02:18:00.000-08:00

OK..I realize that it is an unusual title today but this is my new montra. I have spent the last several years worrying about a lot of things I have not control over. Having a somewhat controlling personality that is must part of what I do, sometimes depending on what it is. I have had ups and downs in the job arena.

Don't get me wrong. I have been able to get work but much of it was not satisfying. It was just a job to sustain me financially. Now that I am in a more stable position and doing something I really like to do, tech writing, I am for satisfied. I like the people I work with and not having the extreme stress I have had on the last couple of contracts. The offset of less money is worth it.

Lately, I have been stressing about getting the money together for the house insurance and taxes that come due at the end of December. This in addition to personal property tax on the car and car insurance. Oh yes, throw Christmas in there also. Well, I am finished stressing about that. I can't spend any more time on this. It will all work out, it always does and I has taken up too much of my mental time.

Bottom line, I am happy with where I am right now and it is OK for me to enjoy being happy. I am going to practice HAPPY every day and give myself a break.

I have been having fun at work writing a user guide and passed the rough draft on to the client just so they could see the direction I was going. I got the most wonderful comments of "I LOVE this ....this is so much better than anything we have had....I wish you could write all of our stuff". To a writer this is very gratifying.

Also, my guy that always gets me his weekly status every week has finally cracked and I have brought him over to my side. This is very good because no one else has had this success with getting his status on time. Am I good or what?

Another good thing I learned this week is there is a fitness center in our building that is FREE to everyone...even contractors. So guess what I am going to be doing in the future? Since I get in fairly early and can leave about 3:30, I am going to start working out on my way out. Sweet!

I found a new Los Campos Mexican resturant on 350 hwy that I really like so now I have somewhere to get Mexican for lunch other tha Taco Bell. I have been to the one in Liberty and have always liked it.

I have hesitated to get on the scale lately because I have felt that I have eaten badly for the last month so I have not gone to WW either. I bit the bullet and got on the scale this morning and was down 2 lbs. I attribute this to the lower of my stress level. I certainly have not been exercising more. It could also be that I have been taking my lunch rather than eating out. Who knows...I really don't care. I am just happy I have not gained. Guess I feel comfortable going back to WW now.

OK...that is all of my happy talk for the day. On to other fun stuff.

I had a very good day

2008-11-01T06:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was an excellent day. I have been working now at my new contract for a month and a half now and I am liking it more all the time. It is the first time in a while I have been able to relax on the job and really dig in.

I was request to write a user guide for a new segment of an existing system. There was already some user stuff for other parts of the system that the users really do not like. I offered up my first drafts, which for a tech writer is difficult to share, since it is very rough. But the client I am doing it for really wanted to see it...so I sent it up.

I got word yesterday afternoon the the client really, really liked it and are excited about seeing the finished product. What a delight to have such positive feedback for a change. This after working my last in the past for a micro manager who gave very little feedback, much less positive.

It has been so much fun doing the work I really like for a change. The people I am working with now are really warm and inclusive to boot. The only draw back to this contract is the money is a lot less but as we all know there are trade-offs to everything. At this point, I feel it is worth it. This has been a big boost for me psychologically. A dollar amount cannot be placed on that.

OK on to the knitting stuff. I finished my vest that is taken an adapation from the Great Baby Alpaca vest. I used a Ashford worsted, which was a dream to knit with. I got it the last time I was in Columbia at Hill Creek Yarns. I would definitely use it again.

I am working on several other things I hope to get ready for Christmas. Mostly socks so they should go fast. I have three pair done and probably two or three to go. I can do socks pretty quickly go I my have time to get some done for myself along the way.

I am also working on the Abby cowl from Knitty

http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEfall08/PATTKSabby.html

I am going to try it this winter as a head covering, since I have to park outside this year. I don't hats or hoods so this my be my solution. If I like it I may make a couple. It is an easy 18 row repeat and works up fast.

I am so excited that daylight savings time ends tonight. I am almost giddy. I don't know why it affects me so much but I hate it in the Spring when we spring forward and can't wait until it is time to fall back. It is worse this year since the fall back has been pushed back to November this year. I do pretty well once it starts but this time of year I start to get more irritable and I have a harder time focusing. When it is finally time to fall back I feel like all is right with the world. Not sure is it has to do with circadian rhythm or the fact that I am a night person but I am absolutely affected. I will be back to right tomorrow morning. Yeah! ! ! ! !

Haven't Seen One of These in a While

2008-10-11T14:56:00.000-07:00

This is what I saw this morning when I looked out of the window. I cannot remember when the last time was that I saw one of these. My friend Carla recently saw a walking stick. Haven't seen one of those lately either. Wonder if it is a sign of an early weather change. I understand that we are supposed to be getting some much cooler temps next week.

The weather change makes me want to knit me some more wool socks. I have a couple of other things to finish before I get started on them. I was out with friends the other night for a drink and happened to have some sock knitting with me while I waited for the rest to come. One of the girls asked if I ever made socks to sell. My immediate answer was NO. She indicated that if I was ever inclined that she would like a pair. I had made a pair for one of the other friends I am closer with and saw them and really liked them. When I explained that she could not afford to buy them and what I would charge if I did sell them I think she changed her mind.

Besides, knitting things to sell takes the fun out of it. If you sell people expect to get the piece when they want it rather than when I get ready to give it too them. I cannot stand the pressure.

It's Blogging Time Again

2008-10-06T15:59:00.000-07:00

This is the finished mitered vest. It is going to be a Christmas present for my sister but she has already seen me working on it so I am posting the picture. I think the colors really turned out well. It was my first time working with Noro Kuryeon. It is kind of scratchy but softens a lot after is it rinsed. I think she will like it a lot. It was very easy and quick to knit up so I may do another one for my mother. I think she would like it also.

Gracie really liked it too. She has been feeling a little neglected since I have gone back to work. Yes for those who don't know, I am back to work. This is my fourth week as USDA and I really like it so far. This contract is a long one so I feel like I can relax and settle in a bit.

Gracie has gotten very possessive of my time when I am home. She likes to lay on the arm of the sofa and get scratched and petted. Boy that is the life.

Friday I took the day off to attend the Speaking of Women's conference at the Overland Park Convention Center. I have attended every year for the past 10 years. It is a great day for all women's stuff. The day begins with registration where you are presented with a tote bag with all kinds of goodies followed by a continental breakfast and the opportunity to visit the health screening and exhibitor booths. There is a key note session with a great speaker.

The hostess is none other than Cynthia Smith who used to be the director of KCPT and now is associated with Shawnee Mission Hospital who is one of the sponsors of the event.

She is wonderfully committed to this event. She lets her hair down and is very down to earth.

After the key note speaker, we attended a breakout session. There is usually a really good selection. I chose Eating in Season which was very informative. The presenter prepared a fresh Marinara sauce that smelled wonderful. Unfortunately, we did not get to sample the result. This was just before lunch.

The lunch was great as usual. The Beef Producers sponsored the lunch so it was a very nice salad with delicious beef atop it.

The Lunch time speaker was the daughter of Allen Funt from the Candid Camera television show. She was very engaging and funny. It was a great time.

Of course the knitters same armed with knitting to do while we listened and watched. Laura is skilled enough to do both.

Carla and Lorena were having a fun time also.

The closing speaker was Dan Buettner. He traveled all over the world studying aging and where the longest live people were. At first I was not sure that I was going to be too impressed but I liked him a lot. There is a quiz at www.bluezones.com that you can take to predict how old you may live. It was interesting that the people who lived the longest were in Sardinia. There is not work in their language for retirement. They never stop working. Hmmm, is this a clue? Also, they eat a huge breakfast and smaller meals later in the day. No fast food there.

Saturday I had intended to stay home and get lots of yard work done but I got a call from Chelle saying that they were going to Old Missouri Town for the fall festival. Well she didn't have to twist my are very hard to get me to forget about yard work. There were several spinners there. This lady was a delight. She belongs to the Osage Spinning Guild. It sounds like it is a fun group.

Man, I think that catches for now me up.

Back from Vacation

2008-09-04T18:34:00.000-07:00

As many know I spend last week in Portland. This is a forest fire in the mountains which is very unusual for this area. I think this is the first they have had in a long time. Just shows you how dry it has been everywhere this year.

From the plane I had a great view of Mt. Hood. I have only seen it from a distance when in downtown Portland. Have also seen Mt. St. Helen from there also but not up close. Alas, the were not visible this time.

One day we went to a small amusement park, Oak's Park (like Fairyland Park in Kansas City for those who are old enough to remember) that was ver quaint. It was really sweet that they let the Mommies put the little ones on the rides. Mom really enjoyed being there with Erik and Alexis. It was a fun day.

This was after the tug boat ride.

Sunday we went to the Pittock Mansion which is situated atop a hill that overlooks downtown Portland. The grounds included beautiful gardens. Many containing old fashion roses. This was a lovely place build by the owner then he was 79 years old and he lived there for 5 years until his death. He was a remarkable man who worked until the day he died.

The view of Portland is breath taking. There are many different views. This day was not very clear so you cannot see it but normally you can view both Mt. Hood and St. Helen from here.

I am sorry that I cannot remember the name of this flower but I really think it is wonderful. It looks similare to a rose but that is not what it is. If anyone knows the name please comment.

I really loved the color of this rose. It reminded me of the sunrise.

Yes I did get to do a small amount of yarn shopping. Fifteen minutes to be exact. We went to Yarn Garden to look for sock yarn and unfortunately they were getting ready to close. I did get yarn for socks for Alexis and Erik. Alexis decided that she wanted some for her birthday in November and Christmas. There will be much sock knitting going on this fall.

I am also moving forward with the mitered vest along with several other things. Stay tuned for progress.

OK Time for an Update

2008-08-22T09:10:00.000-07:00

As some of you know I lost my contract two weeks ago. I have been pretty busy since then doing house stuff while looking for another job.

The dining room finally got painted, not that I was in a hurry. It had been waiting to be painted since October of last year. I am very happy to have it done and I really like the color. Today I got the drapes hung and purchase the new light which I hope to get installed tonight. I also have the paint of the master bath going. I have been intending to get it painted the last couple of days but have been busy getting errands done and new job related things going.

I am really excited about this contract it is supposed to last 5 years. Sure hope it does. I will be nice to know that I am going to be somewhere for a while and can settle in a little bit. Still the little contractor in the back of my mind will not let me relax completely for a while to make sure it is going to work out well. After the inital period I will be able to let go and get comfortable.

This will free me up to get the rest of the house things done that need to get done before the end of the year and get some money back in savings, which has taken a great hit this year. I had not expected to spend almost $10,000 on the house all at one time.

The new company pays weekly which will be very strange. I have not been paid weekly in about 10 years. I think it will be good but just different. It will be much better than monthly which one company did years ago. I did not like that at all.

As a result I have not been knitting alot. I am still working on a sweater and some other things but not very quickly. It is almost time to start Christmas stuff. Not sure how much of that I will do this year.

I hope now that things can kind of settle down I can decide on what I am going to make and get started. I have ideas but need to find the patterns I want to use.

It is Really Green

2008-08-04T17:14:00.000-07:00

I finally got my dining room painted. I went with green but did not anticipate it looking like a ripe avacado. I think it will grow on me just like the new hair color did. The picture does not really show how green it is.

I have some trim to paint and some touch up but other than that I should be ready to put up the drapes and new light (yet to be purchased) by this weekend.It has only taken almost a year. It was time to get it done. Now on to the next room.

Friday is my last day on my current contract. I have been on this one for 7 months. Now it is time for something else. Anybody got BA or Tech Writer job openings where you work. If so, let me know and if you would like to submit my resume for a referral. I know most companies offer from $500 to $1000 for a referral hire.

On the knitting front here is the summer shell ready to do the neck and armhole stitches. Hope to have it finished in time to start my sweater for ravelryolympics on Friday.

My other WIP is ...drum roll please....a shawl. The Luna Moth shawl to be exact. This shawl does not require the use of markers so I thought it was right up my alley. I do use markers when it is absolutely necessary but I perfer not to use them if I can. They seem to get in the way for me, especially if there are YOs involved. I am almost finished with the first repeat so will see how it goes. I am using my Noro sock yarn so I am anxious to see how the colors work out. Stay tuned and you will have the opportunity to see the color changes also.

Well, that should catch me up, blog wise.

Mission Accomplished

2008-07-14T16:15:00.000-07:00

Well, last night was the culmination of the last 7 month of work. I went to work at 10:00 and left at 8:00 this morning. Boy, could I easily get used to working a shift 11:00p to 7:00a. I am trully a night person. I was so please that the part of the project I worked on turned out realitively well. Now on to something else.

Since I knew that if I went straight home I would have crashed and the rest of the day would tank so I went to the boat to unwind. It was a good day with a $400 gain, for a change. It must have been my day because it seem, for a change, that I won on everything I played. As Laura said, I won more yarn money.

I took a detour to the Old Mill Stitchery in Liberty on the way home to see what they had on sale. The shop has been rearranged and it seemed that they must be getting ready for Fall inventory. They shelve were a little sparser than in the past. While I was there a yarn sales person was there with some very cool stuff so maybe there will be some new stuff next time I go.

The next stop was KnitCraft for some Noro. I got Color 80 to make an Einstein jacket. I think it will be a neat colorway. KnitCraft has the Kureyon on sale for $5 so that is a great deal. Didn't see anything else I really needed.

I am really trying to stick to the plan of only buying yarn for specific projects. I really need to update my queue and projects on Ravelry. I have not been very good about that and know it is something I need to improve on.

Called Mary to see what she was doing and we ended up going to Starbuck's and knitting for a bit. Such a treat to be able to do that on a week day. Even though I was exhausted and was probably not very coherent, I really enjoyed the time. At 3:00 I finally had to go home and crash. I had not slept since 7:00 Sunday morning.

Once home, I collapsed on the sofa and woke up about 7:00. I wanted to sleep more but knew if I did I would be awake about 2:00am. Mind you I had about 4 cups of coffee today which did not hamper my sleep.

Now I am working on round 2 of the Summer Tank. I ended up frogging the back because it has to many mistakes and was going to be to big. I am already to the motif at the waist and should have the front completed soon then to redo the back. Now I know where the mistakes were it should go fast.

Now I am slowing down again and looking forward to going to bed to finish catching up on sleep. Tomorow is another day.

What I did with my weekend

2008-07-07T01:01:00.000-07:00

These are the wonderful friends I spent the holiday with. On the right is my dear friend Nancy, middle Wanda (hosting the afternoon/evening activities) and of course me on the left.

I took the train to St. Louis to be picked up by another friend Friday night then on Saturday Nancy picked me up after the Independence Day parade. We went to the carnival to have lunch and rides then back to the house for a great dinner. Nancy had gotten a watermelon at Walmart that I think was the best I have had in a long time. After a two block walk back to where the carnival was we found our place to watch the fireworks display, which was great.

Finally, the cuff of the first Girl's Best Friend sock is complete. Now on to the rest of the sock and beyond. I took time on the train to figure out what was not working about this pattern. I took only the chart with me and I found that there is an error on the chart and that is what the problem was. I ran into trouble with this spot when I worked on it some time ago and gave up only to start over again. I feel very accomplished now and look forward to finishing this one and the the second. The design does not really show up very well so I will probably do them again in a solid.

We have had a lot of rain here and the Missouri river is pretty full in Kansas City but there is a lot more water in the St. Louis area. This is the ball field in Kimmiswick.

The train ride home was pleasant and uneventful. It is definately the way to go. Roundtrip cost $51. Less than a tank of gas.

So, this morning I am lookong as the peach tree an this is what I saw. The little sucker has been eating my peaches. Good thing there are a lot. There should be plenty for both of us.

Here Comes the Tank

2008-06-29T05:15:00.000-07:00

I decided it was time to make something for me to wear so I started the Summer Tank from the Summer Knit N' Style. I really like the lace detail at the botton and middle. It is working up really fast so it should be a FO soon. Only thing I am concerned about is that it may be too big. I am using Cottonease and I am hoping that having the acrylic will keep it from growing like cotton can do. Will have to see how the back measures up and iff I feel it is big I will do as Shari with her tank and make the from the next size smaller. If that is better I will do the back over. If this one turns out good I will probably make another. I like tanks like this under a button down shirt.

SSK yesterday was nice. We had a new drop-in. She was getting coffee and came over to see what we were doing. We invited her to sit in and as a true knitter she had her knitting in the car so she joined in. It was great to meet her and we hope she will come again.

That is one thing I have to say about out SSK group, we love having new knitters and feel the more the merrier. I think we are a pretty friendly group. We are very good at sharing information and techniques. If you run across something in a pattern you are not sure about, most likely some will know or can hel figure it out.

I just wish we could find a better place to meet. Borders is OK but sometimes it is loud and the chairs are not very comfortable. Also, sometimes we get very loud and I think we might be bothering other people. I was listening to us when we got going and it was just like a flock of chickens clucking at the same time. It would have been a good AFV to film us and put chicken sounds. At least we have a good time.

Thursday Again

2008-06-26T12:50:00.000-07:00

OK I have not done this one in a long time but it cam out about the same as last time even thought I am out of practice at being a wife.

As a 1930s wife, I am
Average

Take the test!

Laura started with this one so I thought I would copy her.

I am having a good week. I bowled last night and for the first time did well. I bowled a 122, 121 and the final game was 143. This is more like the old days. I used to carry a 150 average. Hopefully, I will continue to improve.

I have been busy

2008-06-22T09:36:00.000-07:00

OK today I have worked in the yard and basement, where I found some summer clothes I have been looking for, cleaned my bedroom and the bathrooms then finally installed new light fixtures on the front of the house.

This is the new light fixture. I looked for a long time to find something that was not to foo foo and not brass or polished nickel. Everything l looked at was either tacky or gigantic and just would not fit the look of the house. I was going to wait until I got the house painted but the old lights we literally falling apart. These came in white or black but I didn't really like the white ones. If I decide I want a different color I can always paint them and black usually provides a better base to paint.

So now at 2:30 I am ready to have some lunch. I am thinking salmon on a salad. I am thinking I am going to start leaning toward eating more vegetation. I have some new friends who are into the eating RAW. There are several meetups in that vain that I am going to investigate. I like fruits and vegetables a lot and that is mostly what I eat. Not sure I will totally cut out meats and dairy but I don't eat a lot of that stuff now. Since I am loosing wait anyway and trying to be healthier I would like to learn more about now to put things together to provide better nutrition for my future. Over the last 20 years I cannot say that I have taken the best care of my health but I do not think it is to last to start at anytime in our lives.

Oh yes. I have been doing some knitting also.

The Clapotis has now been completed and is waiting to be blocked. I used a lace weight from Crafty in a good way which is hand spun and hand dyed by Andrea Scott from Mission Kansas. This was lovely yarn to knit with and l love the color way which is Mary. Speaking of Mary, my friend Mary and I started our Clapotis at the same time but she used Lorena's Lace Lion and Lamb so I am anxious to see out the two compare. I love her colorway also, but I do not remember what it is called. I think we will have to model them at SSK with we both have them blocked.

The bag part of the felted back pack is is done and I just have the strap to do. I did this out of Lambs Pride Bulky on size 10 1/2 needles. The pattern called for worsted weight on 10 1/2s so it it rather tighter than I would like so I am not sure how it will felt but I am going to give it a shot and see. I probably should have gone up a couple of sizes but oh well. I do like the red, white and purple together. I am anxious to see how it comes out. I think the felting will take place this week.

I have also started a pair of cotton socks knitting two at the same time on a magic loop. While I am happy I figured out the technique I am not totally sure that I will always do my socks this way from now on. As I understand from others who are doing this the heel will be the challenge. Since I am doing anklets I am getting close to that point so I will see soon enough how it goes. I think the advantage I may have is that I am not using the 2 At A Time book, which I understand has many errors so maybe I will have not problem. I should have something probably have finished socks to show next time.

I HAVE BEEN TAGGED

2008-06-09T13:05:00.000-07:00

I usually do not do these things but here it goes.

OK...I accept the meme challenge

The Questions:
1. What is your first name? Carolyn
2. What is your favorite food? Raspberries
3. What high school did you go to? Raytown South
4. What is your favorite color? Red
5. Who is your celebrity crush? I don't crush
6. Favorite drink? Amaretto Sour
7. Dream vacation? A cruise to Australia
8. Favorite dessert? Cheesecake
9. What you want to be when you grow up? A
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One Word to describe you. Patient
12. Your flickr name. clcalton

After all of the weather drama last night tonight it is beautiful. The sun is out and the temp is mild. This is the way it supposed to be for the next couple of days. Later in the week it starts with the bad stuff all over again. I have definately had enough.

I am kntting away on my mindless project. Should be done in a day or so. It is a gift so that is why I am not showing it yet but I will soon. I think my next project is going to use something from my stash. I am going to try getting my inventory down so I can have room for new things when I can afford them

It is Storming Again

2008-06-08T14:25:00.000-07:00

The weather has been so strange this Spring. It took forever for winter to be gone the we have had storm after storm this month. Tuesday we had tornado sirens then Thursday night coming home from salsa dancing there were 70 mph winds and torrental rains in town but nothing at home until 11:30 when big winds came through with more rain.

I have just lost my DirecTV because there is no signal. The wind is very calm compared to the very strong wind we had about 30 minutes ago. It really sucks because I was Tivoing something. I hate it when that happens. At least I have stuff recorded that I can watch.

I just love my Tivo. I was panicked today because my Tivo was not recording. I really didn't want to have to replace it right now. Fortunately, I remembered to recycle it before calling for support. I was thrilled when that solve my problem.

I have been thinking of trying the ATT Uverse TV to see how it is. They are really pushing it just to get their customer base going. Has anyone tried it?

I am about half done with the sleeves for Laura's sweater but I am taking a little break. I am working on something simple, quick, and mindless for a little while. Laura brought her finished sweater to SSK yesterday and it really looked great. She did hers in cotton and my is in alpaca so it should be neat to see them together in the different fibers.

I am thinking maybe it is time to finish the hemlock since I have decided to try to finish things that I have had started for a while. I got off on the stitch count along the way and I think I am ready to tackle figuring it out.

The storm is getting very bad now so I guess I had better turn the PC off. More later.....

Time for a Change

2008-06-01T06:37:00.000-07:00

Can you tell I had too much time on ym hands in the wee yours of the morning. One of the topics for discussion at SSK yesterday was hair color. Well I just happen to have some I got at the Last Speaking of Women's Health conference and I came across it going through a cabinet. I decided that I woule give it a try. I was supposed to be very light brown so I thought it would be suttle. You be the judge. Here is the before color.

Here is the after. A little darker than I had anticipated. Guess I didn't account for all the gray sucking up the color. The color is much the same as it used to be in my youth (a very long time ago). Well I had decided I was going to shake things up a little so this much be the beginning.

Today is such a gorgeious day that I have been outside planting things. There is much to do outside. Things to plant and dead stuff to cut out. I normal have all of my planting done by the middle of May. We are a month late. I got some Stella Doro lillies at Lowe's. I love them because the bloom all summer and come back each year. That is the kind of thein I am leaning toward planting so there is less maintenance. I need to measure so I can order pavestone edgers to put around the flower beds.

I would love to be able to relandscape the front of the house but that is another thing to add to the list of things that will have to wait until fall. The list has gotten very long but little by little I will get to it. I may have to start hiring things done that I cannot do myself anymore. This is a hard thing for me to decide but as I am not getting any younger and my strength is not what is used to be I cannot do the physical stuff as well as I used to. I new the time would come.

The Clap is finally a FO

2008-05-31T17:06:00.000-07:00

After many weeks the Clapotis is finished. I really like it done in the lace weight yarn and the color is nice too. I must say that this one will be an only child. While I like the result, I found it very boring to knit. Only if I were in the mood for some major mindless knitting would I make another.

As you can see Gracie is extremely impressed.

There has been progress with the test knit sweater. I have only the sleeves and finishing to do. Should have be able to call it a FO soon. This one is going to be for myself for a change.

I just got this great book on cables. I think maybe my next project will come from this book. I has some great cable patterns. I enjoyed the Irish hiking scarf a lot so I am ready to do some more advanced cabling.

My friend Chelle http://www.hangingbyathinthread.blogspot.com/ blogged about experiencing a feeling of malaise. I think that hits it on the yead for me. I have been in this funk for the last two months (whining about it plenty). Things just were out of sync...well that is all over now. I met a friend at Margarita's after work Friday. It was nice to see here again; it had been a while. After leaving here I decided that I had done enough whining and I need to suck it up and move on. I am looking forward to June being a good month. Stay tuned.

Recent Activities

2008-05-25T08:32:00.000-07:00

I think this is going to be the year for peaches. Aboutr 4 years ago I had a peach tree come up next to my deck stares. Not really in a good spot but I decided to leave it since it did come up by itself (probably buried by a squirrel). Year before last I had 3 peaches which were not of much size but tasted really good. Last year when the tree was blooming we has a late freeze and all of the blooms were gone so of course there were not peaches. This year even with all of the strange weather we have had I think the peach crop is going to be big barring any unforseen disaster.

This will be so fun. I have had several people tell me just to cut the tree down because of the bad location but I cannot bring myself to do it. I feel that if this tree wants to survive where it is I will do what I can to help it. I fill update the progress as time goes buy.

I am glad to have a long weekend. The best part is my friends are here from St. Louis. They have a graduation to attend in St. Joe tonight then leave sometime tomorrow to return to St. Louis. They are both in education and have a couple more days left in the school year to complete.

I am so glad they were able to come this weekend. I have kind of been mentally exhausted lately so it is good to have a diversion. I have had some personal sadness and disappointment the last couple of weeks that I will not go into because I do not what to get started whining about it since I do need to move on and leave it behind. I am ready to suck it up and move on.

I have been knitting but have nothing to show right now because I am still doing a test knit for a friend who is going to submit a pattern for publication. When this has been accomplished I will gladly share.

I also have some baby things to do which are always fun. I have several baby friends on the way this year so I guess I need to get started. Not sure what I will decide on as yet but will share when I decide (soon).

I guess I need to cut this short...I am going to a cook out this afternoon so I had better be on my way.

A friend share this with me so thought I would share it with you.

2008-05-12T15:41:00.000-07:00

One morning on my way to work the sky looked like this. I just happened to have the camera in the car and as one of my favorite things is sky pictures. I just wanted to share it with you.

The New York Times
May 11, 2008
Op-Ed Columnist
Call Your Mother
By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN

The ad popped up in my e-mail the way it always has: “1-800-Flowers:
Mother’s Day Madness — 30 Tulips + FREE vase for just $39.99!”

I almost clicked on it, forgetting for a moment that those services
would not be needed this year. My mother, Margaret Friedman, died last
month at the age of 89, and so this is my first Mother’s Day without a
mom.

As columnists, we appear before you twice a week on these pages as
simple bylines, but, yes, even columnists have mothers. And in my case,
much of the outlook that infuses my own writings was bred into me from
my mom. So, for once in 13 years, I’d like to share a little bit about
her.

My mom was gripped by dementia for much of the last decade, but she
never lost the generous “Minnesota nice” demeanor that characterized
her in her better days. As my childhood friend Brad Lehrman said to me
at her funeral: “She put the mensch in dementia.”

My mom’s life spanned an incredible period. She was born in 1918,
just at the close of World War I. She grew up in the Depression, enlisted in
the Navy after Pearl Harbor, served her country in World War II, bought
our first house with a G.I. loan and lived long enough to play bridge
on the Internet with someone in Siberia .

For most of my childhood, my mom appeared to be a typical suburban
housewife of her generation, although I knew she was anything but
typical. She sewed many of my sisters’ clothes, including both of
their wedding dresses and boy’s suits for me. And on the side, she won
several national bridge tournaments.

My mom left two indelible marks on me. The first was to never settle
for the cards you’re dealt. My dad died suddenly when I was 19. My
mom worked for a couple of years. But in 1975, I got a scholarship to go to
graduate school in Britain and my mom surprised
us all one day by announcing that she was going, too. I called it the “Jewish Mother
Junior Year Abroad Program.”

Most of her friends were shocked that she wasn't’t just going to play
widow. Instead, she sold our house in little St. Louis Park , Minn. , and
moved to London . But what was most amazing to watch was how she used
her world-class bridge skills to build new friendships, including with
one couple who flew her to Paris for a bridge game. Yes, our little
Margie off to Paris to play bridge. She even came to see me in Beirut
once, during the civil war — at age 62.

The picture of her in Beirut makes me think back in amazement at what
my mom might have done had she had the money to finish college and
pursue her dreams — the way she encouraged me to pursue mine, even
when they meant I’d be far away in some crazy place and our only
communications would be through my byline. It’s so easy to overlook
your mom had dreams, too.

My mom’s other big influence on me you can read between the lines of
virtually every column — and that is a sense of optimism. She was the
most uncynical person in the world. I don’t recall her ever uttering a
word of cynicism. She was not naïve. She had taken her knocks. But
every time life knocked her down, she got up, dusted herself off and
kept on marching forward, motivated by the saying that pessimists are
usually right, optimists are usually wrong, but most great changes were
made by optimists.

Six years ago, I was in Israel at a dinner with the editor of the
Haaretz newspaper, which publishes my column in Hebrew. I asked the
editor why the newspaper ran my column, and he joked: “Tom, you’re
the only optimist we have.” An Israeli general, Uzi Dayan, was seated
next to me and as we walked to the table, he said: “Tom, I know why
you’re an optimist. It’s because you’re short and you can only see that
part of the glass that’s half full.”

Well, the truth is, I am not that short. But my mom was. And she,
indeed, could only see that part of the glass that was half full. Read
me, read my mom.

Whenever I’ve had the honor of giving a college graduation speech, I
always try to end it with this story about the legendary University of
Alabama football coach, Bear Bryant. Late in his career, after his
mother had died, South Central Bell Telephone Company asked Bear Bryant
to do a TV commercial. As best I can piece together, the commercial was
supposed to be very simple — just a little music and Coach Bryant
saying in his tough voice: “Have you called your mama today?”

On the day of the filming, though, he decided to ad-lib something. He
reportedly looked into the camera and said: “Have you called your
mama today? I sure wish I could call mine.” That was how
the commercial ran, and it got a huge response from audiences.

So on this Mother’s Day, if you take one thing away from this column,
take this: Call your mother.

I sure wish I could call mine.

Sunny Sunday Morning

2008-05-04T05:21:00.000-07:00

Now I call this Spring. The sun is out, I have the window open, and I am on a roll with Spring cleaning. I have done the kitchen, even down to scubbing the floor on my hands and knees. At least, after loosing some weight, I am able to get down on my knees and bend over far enough to reach the floor to scrub it. My knees still do not like it but it will be OK.

Now I am just taking a break to have a cold drink and blog before I start moving the living room furniture to it's Spring time position. Of course this involves vaccuming and dusting to complete the whole process. Meanwhile, the laundry is in progress with the bedroom next in line.

Maybe I will get some knittng in tonight. I am almost finished with the Clapotis. I have 3 more decreases to do then the last 13 rows and it will be complete.

While this has been an interesting experience, I have found it rather boring. I am not sure I will do another one unless I want to do it for mindless knitting in maybe a worsted weight. This one is a fingering weight so it is lighter weight. I used this yarn so I could compare it with the one my friend Mary is doing in Lorena's Lace.

I think my next project will be a sweater. I have not done one since the one I did for my sister at Christmas. I also have, of course some socks in the works. I am knitting them as tube socks then going back to do the heals. The tubes are done so I will probably do the heals in the next couple of days. I also have a baby thing to do that I need to get started on since the baby is due in July.

OK...I have rested enough. It is time to move furniture and get on with things. It is 11:00 and I am planning on being finished with my cleaning by 1:00 so I can go shopping with Susan to look for smaller closes and some shoes with leather soles to wear for dancing.

Yes I have started doing some salsa dancing and am planning on doing some east coast swing with my singles group. You may recall that my New Year's resolution for this year was to get out and socialize more. I think so far I have been working that directions. This along with going back to Weight Watchers (so far down 20lbs at WW plus 15 prior to that since October) has been my major accomplishment this year. In addition, I am trying to aquire perm employment so I do not have to keep looking for work every year. So if you know anyone in KC who is looking for a tech writer, business analyst, QA person keep me in mind.

OK, I am really finished again.

On the Move

2008-05-03T19:48:00.000-07:00

I have been checking out a different blogging tool. I think I like it better so come visit me at http://knittingfastasican.multiply.com/ . I am not closing this one down just yet so I may be back here soon.

Spring is Here..Finally

2008-04-16T18:20:00.000-07:00

Today the temp was over 70. What a treat? I think (hope) we can put the last of the cold weather behind us. I am on my second round of allergy season since the grass is not growing and the Bradford pear trees are blooming. It is not as bads as the early season but it is noticable.

What's new at my house? I got my car back Monday night and wonder of wonders, the bill was only $250 to flush the transmission and replace the fluid. It passed the computer test with flying colors so we are good to go.

I had a foundation company come out to look at the basement wall. Unfortunately, the front wall has started to bow but has not started moving. I really need to get something done soon before there is more damage. I had anticipated an estimate of $10,000 to $15,000. The finally amount is $5,900. Much better than I had expected but now I have to figure out how to pay for it and not totally tap my savings account out.

I am sure I will figure something out.

So far I have dropped 6 stitched on my Clapotis. It is going well but is kind of boring. I think I am going to start a baby something to trade off to.

I got new pictures of my neice Alexis today so I thought I would share. She is becoming such a beatiful young lady.

This is her new dress. She picked this out herself. The dress thing is fairly new for her. I think she made a good selection.
This is the everyday Alexis. The likes to be casual most of the time. She has the dark hair I used to have and the brown eyes to go with it. She has just started playing soccer. I hope she learns to like it and lot. She has so much energy it would be a good focus for her.

I hope this summer to be able to get out to Portland. It has been a while since I have see my sisters family so I have not seen Alexis as a kindergardener.

A Better Day and More to Come

2008-04-13T16:12:00.000-07:00

I am having a better day today. I got a grip and am moving forward. Last week is a week I can do nothing about and I always figure if you cannot do anything to change what is let it go and move on. I want and stood out in the sun today and I think the vitamin D helps. I was wishing that it was warmer so I could get started cleaning out flower beads but the temp is supposed to be 25 degrees tonight then by Tuesday it is supposed to be 70. The clouds that are left should move out tonight so maybe this is our last cold snap. It is about time. I think we have all had enough winter, even thought it is Spring.

OK, here is what I have for WIPs. I started this sock from som OnLine that I got on sale at KnitCraft. I was not sure how it was going to strip but so it was a surprise. I like it. I am knitting this as a tube and then will go back to do the heel. I saw somewhere in a pattern to do the tube the at the point where the heal should be you snip the stitches the pick up the stitches on both sides and do the toe decreases for the heal. I will be interested to see how well it fits. I don't like a short row heel but I thought I would give this a try. Stay tuned.

Here is this progress on the Clapotis. I have done 4 drops and am almost ready for number 5. Since I am using a lighter weight yarn, mine will look different than the one Mary is doing in Lorena's Lace. It is interesting to see how the same pattern works up in the different yarns.

The only thing about the pattern is that it is kind of boring after a while. You only drop stitched every 12 worse so ther is not much going in with the pattern the rest if of the time. It is basically k1 ktbl k3 ktbl the purl back. The sock is my car knitting so I may have to start something a little more exciting to switch off to.

SSK was nice yesterday. After my week it was nice to be with everyone and think go something else. We were a smaller group yesterday as several had other various other things going on. I was running early, after getting my hair cut so I went to Jason's Deli and thought I would get some soup or something for lunch. While standing on line I thought a baked potato would be good, not knowing that their potatoes weight about a pound. I could only each abount 1/4 of it.

One thing I forgot to mention yesterday while whining is that I went salsa dancing Thursday night with the singles group I have joined. It was a lot of fun. The Isle of Capri has free salsa lessons on Thursday night. My intent was to go watch but I ended up jumping right in and did really well. I figured I would only last a short time but I danced the whole 2 hours. It was way more fun than aerobics or walking the treadmill. I got on the scales the next day and had lost 4 lbs. Gee just think if I went every day. I would be thin in no time. Maybe I will be inspired to go workout more often. I know it would help and now that it seems that we are into better weather I can make myself go. Well, it could happen....

Cheese with My Wine

2008-04-12T08:50:00.000-07:00

I have had an incredibly bad week. Not the normal bad week but a bad week to the power of 10. It started out when I found out I did not get a perm job I was applying for. As it turns out I spent 2 hours of unpaid time to fill out an application and take some stupid test only to find out that the job went to a man who will probably take flight when the next lucritive contract comes along. After finishing the application process I got a call the next day from the headhunter telling me that the job had been offered to a guy who had worked for the company on a contract and he had declined because he had a long term contract with Sprint. The hiring manager really liked my resume but just after I call (oh sure) the guy they had offered the job called and said his contract got cancelled and could he still have the job. So they gave it to him.

Work was not smooth either but I will not go into that. It was mostly me and my OCD wanting everything to be organized correctly, so in otherwords my way. I was not happy with the work product but my client was to that is all that matters.

With all of the rain the last few days, my foundation is settling even more so the house is popping and creaking. Such fun to listen to. I have a foundation company coming Monday so maybe they will be able to help me. I am so anoyed with myself for not taking care of the problem before it got to this point but I just did not have the money to do it. I still don't but there is no choice now.

To finish off my week when I got home last night and pulled into the drive way my transmission went out. At least it was in the drive way and not on I70 or at the boat late at night. So the car has now been towed for repair but of course being Saturday the shop is not open so will have to wait until Monday to get the diagnosis. Hopefully, it will be something cheap and easy. I have my fingers crossed. My wonderful aunt has lent me her car do I do not have to rent on.

OK....I am through whining. Tomorrow is another day....the sun will come up tomorrow...la...la...la.

Oh yes, I did do some knitting this week. I have started dropping stitches on the Clapotis.

2008-04-05T08:42:00.000-07:00

Here is the Round throw. Gracie is still not sure she want any one to have it. I think she is going to have seperation issued when it goes to its new home. It is not as big around as I thought it would be but I am tired of doing it. I thing Iam going to do some crochet around the edge to help it lie flatter.

Yes I did start my Clapotis. I link doing it with the lovely spreadsheet that some kind person posted on the now defunct Clapotis KAL. It has made it much easier to keep track os thr repeats. I am not as far along has I would like to be because I am not sure I like it in this yarn. I will go a little ferther and then decide. I cannot remember what this yarn is but I got it out at KnitWits originally to make a shawl that I have not gotten to yet. I do have some Koigu that I had intended use but wanted to see how this would work. The Koigu is still an option. There is also some Noro sock yarn I could use. Will have to see what works best.

On another note, I went to a over 45 singles dinner meet up this week. I really had a good time. I have not done the singles thing for a long long time but decided that one of my goals for this year was to develop a more varied social life. I met 55 new people at China Star in Overland Park. I was pleasantly surprised had how diverse the group was. I found this group on Meetup.com. I had joined another meetup earlier thsi year but it really did not work out. The events they had were always at a bar. I am so over the bar thing. I did that 20 years ago and do not want to do that any more. This was nice to be in a room with people where you could have a conversation and mingle without all of the noise. I will definately go again.

Allergy Time is Here, Again!

2008-03-24T18:32:00.000-07:00

I am on my second week of allergy season. This year is the worst in a long time. I called my sister yesterday and she did not recognize my voice. She though I was a telemarketer.

I am not sure how much more I can stand to cough. As some times I think I have enough allerge
y med on board and them I get overwhelmed and cannot keep ahead of it. If I can make it through the next couple of weeks I should be ok.

Had a fun weekend in spite of the allergy business. My friend Nancy was here for a few days. She was able to ride the train from St Louis coming in on Thursday afternoon which worked out well. Since I am working downtown she got off at Union Station which was very convenient for me to come pick her up. We drove around downtown so she could see all the changes going on there.

Friday we made the trek to Lawrence and the yarn store of yarn stored, Yarn Barn. There were so many nice things but I was good and only bought a pattern, which seems the be the majority of my purchases this weekend.

Saturday we did the big yarn shop run to Knit Wit, Old Mill in Liberty, Urban Arts, Stitch Nitch and finally to YarnCraft in Independence to meet some of the SSKers. After some yarn purchasing we all went a lovely coffee shop just off the Independence Square. I had to leave to take Nancy to the train to get her home to have Easter with her family. As luck would have it I was able to locate the station in Independence to we did not have to drive clear to Lees Summit to catch the train. I was then able to return for a little knitting with the group.

I think I am going to be ready to do the Clapotis really soon. I think Mary is in line to do it with me. So it should be fun. I have some Koigu that I bought at Stitches Midwest that I am going to use.

I also found this shawl I am going to add to my queue. I really like it http://www.elann.com/ShowFreePattern.asp?Id=265024

I do have some pictures from Saturday but alas I cannot remember where I put the camera again so I am going to tag over th Chelle's place because she does know where her camera and actually does have pictures http://www.hangingbyathinthread.blogspot.com/.

Progress Happens Sometimes

2008-03-16T12:14:00.000-07:00

Here is where I am on the round throw. I am about half finished with the navy then I will bind off. I think I am going to try to do a i-cord bind off to make it lay flat. I am anxious to get this completed so I can move on. Also, I want to see how big it is. I have it on the larges cable that I have and it is getting pretty bunched up. I think it going to be very nice. I will give it to the VFW Auxilary to raffle at their craft fair this fall. Hopefully it will raise a little money for them.

Not sure my Gracie kitty will want to let it go. She has gotten very fond of it. It is a good meditation piece for her. She get a little piece of it in her mouth to suck on and then kneads it with her paws. She really get into it.

This is the sock I am designing. It is kind of a sampler sock so I am not sure if I am going to have the same stitch patterns on both socks. I guess I will decide on that then I get to the second sock so stay tuned. The color is a much brighter red but it does not show up in the picture.

As usual SSK meet at Border's yesterday. In the bargin books they had these knitting sets for $5.99.

It is a great deal if you have someone who would like to learn to knit. It includes basic techinque, project and a set of needles with a skein of year along with some accessories. Several of us purchased them. I have someone in mind for the one I got.

Today I am laying kind of low. After returning from SSK yesterday I was not feeling to well. Kind of feverish and scratchy throat. Today I am feeling kind of fluish. Not really bad but just not well. Still have a low grade fever that I hope is gone tomorrow. My throat does feel better this afternoon so maybe it is just an allergy think. I noticed this morning that my trees are budding and that is usually what hits me first. Next it will be the grass. It is the price I pay for Spring.

I am thinking that I am finally going to do the Clapotis next. I have som Koigu I got at Stitches Midwest that I am going to use. It is about time. I have it as first on my Ravelry queue so maybe I will start there.

I seriously need to do some updating on Ravelry. I have been remiss in keeping things up. Will try to work that in this week.

What's new? Not much

2008-03-06T17:11:00.000-08:00

I have still been working on the round throw. I am almost ready for the navy and be done with it. It is big enough that it takes a while to get around it. That is why it is taking so long.

I had, what seemed like an all night dream...yes you got it...I knit in my dreams. The dream was about a shawl that I guess I am going to have to design since I spend so much time thinking about it in my sleep. Will let you know how it comes out on paper. I guess it may be one of my next projects.

I don't know if you listen to XM radio but I have grown to love it a lot. I can listen to in on the Internet while I work which makes it nice since it blocks out everyones noise. If you are a listener of you may have heard Jeanne Robertson who is a humorist. She is from the South and does speaking engagements for business meetings, conventions, etc. If you have not, I would like to share a story she related to one of her audiences. I have to laugh every time I hear it.

Her husband Jerry, who she refers to lovingly as “left-brain”, is usually included in her stories. She explained that in the South when a friend is ill or has passed it is the customer to take food over for the family. She personally takes 7UP pound cakes. She makes them by the dozens the places them in the freezer for the next time one is needed.

Since she is on the road a lot with speaking engagements, "left-brain" takes the pound cakes when the occasion arises. On this one occasion she heard of an illness and went to her freezer to get a pound cake but there were none.

She was preparing to leave for another engagement but want to send a cake so she asked “left-brain”, who was on his way to badminton ans didn't want to be late, to go to the grocery for ingredients. He agreed as long as he could go through the express checkout.

After being gone for some time he returned with two bags in hand and others hanging off his arm. With exasperation he deposited the bags on the table and went back for more. After the second trip there was another and another.

Jeanne found her shopping list, while "left-brain" was bringing the bags in, which she had for once numbered to assure a trip through the express line. Reviewing the list, she new the reason for so many bags. Here is her list:

Original List:
1 lb Butter
2 Vanilla
3 Dozen Eggs
4 Lard
5 lb Sugar
5 lb Flour
6 6-Pk 7UP

Purchased
1------1 lb Butter
2------bottle Vanilla
36-----Dozen Eggs
8 lb----Lard
25 lb---Sugar
30 lb---Flour
36 bottles--7UP

Of course, there was no trip through the express lane. On the way out the door to badminton “left-brain” admitted that he had figured out what he had done but by that time the checker was ringing up the 7UP and people were lined up behind him laughing so he decided that he would take the excess ingredients back later.

I love hearing this women speak. She has such a funny perspective on things. I hope some day do hear her in person.

Just a Quick Post

2008-02-27T20:59:00.000-08:00

It is late and I am tired so this will be quick.

I have been working on the round throw and it is coming along well. I have finished all of the red and started on the white. It is taking longer to get around it now that it has grown. I will finish the white in stockinette then do something pretty with the blue. I am thinking I may do an i-cord bind-off but that remains to be decided. I will post a progress picture tomorrow.

I am taking a belly dancing class tomorro night. Lord knows I have enough belly to dance with. I think it will be fun and a different kind of exercise.

Well, I am going to sleep now. More tomorrow.

Wonderful Evening

2008-02-23T08:00:00.000-08:00

Recently on DirecTV a new channel appeared in the line up, Ovation http://www.ovationtv.com/. It is a performing arts channel that offers a variety of programming. I happened to discover this channel while surfing one day when I heard the most wonderful voices of the King Singers. They are an a cappella ensembles of 6 men with incredible voices. While once again on the internet I happened across the Folly Theater site which had the schedule for the Harriman-Jewell series and to my delight the King Singers were appearing this week. I was lucky enough to get standing room only tickets for the event. Yesterday I got a call that there was a cancellation and tickets were available so I was thrilled that I would be sitting down for the performance, although I would have been willing to stand.

What a great performance. It was one of those that you wished would never end. The wonderful thing was to see so many young people interested in the performance. There was a bus load of students from William Jewel College. The performers were gracious enough to come out for autographs and pictures. The excitement of the students waiting to meet each one was very heart warming. Each performer was so generous in speaking with each person until the last one. This after standing and singing for a hour and half. This was thoroughly enjoyable and I look forward to seeing them again when they return next time.

I had taken my sock to knit on and found no time to think about it. But have no fear I will find time today at SSK. Also the red through is progressing nicely. I think this is maybe inspiring me to get back to the Hemlock Ring and finish it up. If I can get that completed and decide what I want to do with the Petal vest I will be close to caught up with my WIPs, I think. Then I will be able to start my new mitered jacket from the Reynolds Cabana I bought last week.

My goal is to not have more that one big project and a sock going at the same time. I just need to focus. I think I can, I think I can...... Now that Spring is coming soon, I hope, I need to concentrate on getting my house in shape. I have much to do this year.

What a Day!

2008-02-21T18:07:00.000-08:00

I decided last night that I wanted to go to the casino because I had some food comps that ran out last night. Of course I was not there just to eat. I had my weekly $12 comp coupon to spend/donate. The machine I selected to play hit a bonus right off and for a change I got the major prize which was $235. Everything I play paid a little more. In essence, I played on house money, for a change and had a meal to boot. It was still fairly early when I got home so I got some more knitting in on the red round throw and got to bed at a decent time.

This morning when the radio came on the first thing I heard was that the roads were a sheet of ice and there were accidents all over. This made for an interesting traffic morning getting to work. I left the house at 7:45 and got to the office at 9:00. This is normally a 25 minute trip. Tomorrow is supossed to be more of the same then Saturday is to be in the 50's. I am ready for Spring!

Catching Up

2008-02-18T17:40:00.000-08:00

So, even though I have not blogged in a while I have been knitting. This is the latest sock from some Regia that I bought at Stitches Midwest 2007. I bought a bunch so I have plenty to work with. I am thinking I probably still have enough to do a vest of even a short sleeve sweater. Will have to think on that.

I finished the Irish Hiking scarf done on bigger needles. I really liked the original version done according to the pattern but I think I like this one much better because it is looser and the edges do not roll. Since it is looser it really did not need to be blocked so it is ready to go. There is still plenty of time to wear it since the weather in Kansas City goes from 40s-50s on day and 20s-teens the next.

This is my latest project. It is one of the components of the Medallion Caplet from the VOGUEknitting Winter 2007. I the medallion to see how it would knit up. Not that I really want to do the caplet but thought I could use the motif for something. I like knitting it so much that I am going to keep knitting it into a round throw. I started out with the red because that is what I had with me at the time I decided to started it. Now the plan is to make it red, white, and blue and will be donated to my mother's VFW Ladies Auxillary to sell or raffle at one of the may festivals where they have a booth.

Every year my mother mentions that I could make something for them and I never seem to get anything ready for them. I think this will be well received and appreciates.

As you can see these are a couple of happy knitters, Mary and Jennifer, checking out the yarn at the Old Mill Stitchery in Liberty, Mo. We took a short road trip there Saturday to check out their yarn and see what was in the sale bin. Afterward we had lunch in the tea room. Look below to see my acquisitions.

This lovely cotton acrylic blend Reynolds Cabana was in the 1/2 off bin. I also purchased a pattern book that has a lovely mitered square jacket which is supposed to have 15 different colors of 1812 cotton. As you can see, I am going to be working with 5. Many of the 15 colors were only used for a small portion of the squares and I see no reason to go that route. The cost would have been too much so this is going to work just time.

I am very please this my current endeavors. There are many more things I want to do and would like to do them all at the same time but as we all know two hands can only do so much.

Today was a good day. I had President's Day off, even though I did not get paid for it. I should have been good and stayed home to get things done that I have beem procrasting getting done but I just could make myself do it.

I did need to get the oil changed in the car so I took it to the dealership on State Line which put me over on the West side of town. For reasons on clear to me my car continued to head West and I ended up in Lawrence, Ks. (better known as the home of Yarn Barn). It was fate, there was a parking spot in front of Yarn Barn with time left on the parking meter. What more could I ask for? I even had time to walk down the street to Tellers for lunch which was wonderful.

I also had something to take back to Best Buy which went so easily. If you do not have one yet, they have a Free Rewards card that, of course, tracks your purchases. One of the features of this card is that you do not have to have a receipt to return things. The customer service person can pull the item up and process the return. It would be great if other stores did the same.

My last stop was Costco. I had my yearly rebate check from my Costco Amex to redeem. As first I was a but miffed because I thought I had to spend the check at Costco but to my delight I could spend it or cash it, which I did. All-in-all I thoroughly enjoyed the day. The stuff I should have done will get done in time.

Jane of All Trades

2008-02-06T17:24:00.000-08:00

Don't ya just love this Kansas City weather? Last night, instead of snow, it sleeted the snowed later in the night making for a bad rush hour this morning. Of course, I needed gas so I headed to the convenience stop down the street. Boy am I lucky I have anti-lock breaks. I applied the breaks before I got to the end of the street but started to slide into oncoming traffic. I stood on those breaks and finally came to a stop just in time. This was not a good way to start my day. Got to the gas pump and wouldn't you know the pump was frozen up so I had to pull around to another one. It was colder than a well diggers witch. From there things when pretty good even though it took 1 1/2 hour to do a 30 minute drive.

Now on to the Jane of All Trades part. I have been fighting with my sump pump lately and it finally croked today so the first thing I had to do was go buy another one. I always bet on a failure when I least want to be bothered with it so it stands to reason that it would be now. I have a neighbors who keeps telling me to let him know when I need stuff like this done but of course he was not home nor were my other neighbors. I jumped in the car and ran to Ace Hardware to get another one and got it installed myself, again.

This is a task that I end up doing about every 3-5 years so I kind of have it down pat. Ah, the joys of homeownership. That was $175 I would rather had spent on yarn or at least the gambiling.

So now I just fixed me some breakfast for dinner. Everything including bacon, eggs, and fried potatoes. Yes, I know that is not a good Weight Watchers dinner but I really don't care tonight.

Ok, I have whined enough. I am going to do some knitting and relax. I think everything is under control now.

A Week In Review

2008-02-03T10:41:00.000-08:00

Ok just let me say that I pirated this photo from my friend Chelle's blog http://www.hangingbyathinthread.blogspot.com/ since I did not have my camera yesterday at SSK. This is the fruit of Kay's new endeavor Dome Hill Yarn, that can be seen at http://trivimp.blogspot.com/. Kay and her husband are building a geo dome house on some acerage to the east of Kansas City.

My selection was the brown Chocolate Truffle, third from the right. Currently she is offering sock yarn but will be moving on to worsted soon.

I am excited to knit this up to see how beautifully the colorway displays. I am hoping this will be soon. I am trying to make myself finish some WIPs before starting anything else. It will be hard but maybe it will spur me on to get things wrapped up. So on with the knitting.

It has been a busy week. I finished the Irish hiking scarf I was working on last week. It turned out nicely but unfortunately, I have misplaced my camera again. I do have batteries now but the camera has not shown up. I am cleaning today so it should be uncovered soon. I will definitely post the picture when I find it. Anyway, getting back to the scarf. I used size 10 needles as opposed to the suggest 8's. It is a much looser result, which I like.

As usual, I do have socks going that I have for car knitting. Some times at lunch, I go to my car and knit for a while just to get out of the office. I also take this knitting to the movies when I go. I have been knitting for so long that most usually I do not need to look at what I am doing so it is easy for to knit in the dark. Yes, I can also purl. This seems to intrigue people but is seems perfectly natural to me. I am trying to switch off at times and to continential, but I am not as confident in my skill as yet to be able to not look. I am sure give enought practice that will come too.

I am working on the third level of the petal vest. Since I do not have enough of the Toasty Toes for the complete vest, I an using a solid navy Cascade 220 for contrast. I think it will work out just fine. Once I get through this level I will be ready for the half level the complete the lacy part and up to the shoulders. At this rate it will be ready for next winter.

Boy, SSK attendence is really growing. We meet at Honkerbeans in Lees Summit and fortunately there is plent of room. We have gone from one table to two and now three. Yesterday we had three new in the group. I think quite a few are finding us on Ravelry. It is great to have new people. We are a pretty flexible group. Everyone comes when they can and stays as long as their schedule allows. The more the merrier, I always say.

On to the next week.....

Hurrah for Payday

2008-01-26T08:49:00.000-08:00

Yes it is true...Yesterday was once again payday. If you have never not had one for several months you will not be able to relate to the feeling. Unemployment helps a little but it does not hold a candle to Payday. It is such a good feeling to know that there is the potential for another one in two weeks. In fact, it is a very liberating feeling. Not that I am counting but the last time I had that feeling was October 19th of last year. As I have been working as a consultant for most of the last 15 years. I go to great lengths to say as much money as I can for the times when I am not working. I am not sure how others work it but I try to have at least what I need to pay my bills for six months and more if possible.

The new contract is going well. I really like the people I am working with. I think it will be very interesting to be involved in this project, hopefully for a good part of the year. I am looking forward to not looking for a job for a while.

Ok, not to what is happening in the knitting area. I have been working on a Irish hiking scarf using the pattern from on-line but I am using larger needless so it will be looser. I think I really like it better. It is my car knitting so it is taking a little longer to complete but it is about half finished. If my camera had batteries, I would provide a picture but is doesn't so picture in your mind the Irish Hiking scarf in a deep blue about twice the width and length of the picture below.

I really enjoy doing this scarf because it uses so few memory cells since it has an 8 row cable repeat. I actually like doing cables a lot. Not sure why I have not done an Aran sweater as yet but I guess I should put one in my queue.

As ever there is always the ongoing sock. I guess you can never have to many socks. I need to start on some cotton ones for the warmer weather. Before we know it the wool ones will be too warm.

Also, work is continuing on the Petal vest. It may be next year before I get to wear it if I don't get on with finishing it. I guess it just my knitting ADD again. Oh well, on with the knitting!

Sunny Sunday Morning

2008-01-20T10:16:00.000-08:00

It is colder than a well digger's witch's whatever this morning. As least is is sunny and the streets are clear.

I am sitting here with a nice big hot mug of raspberry tea watching old movies. So far I have watched Meet Me In St Louis, The Fountain Head, and now I am watching I Remember Mama. Today on TMC there is a Patricia Neal series of movies playing so that is why I watch The Fountain. Will probably watch The Subject Was Roses when it plays. There was Patricia Neal interview early this morning that was very good. She is one of my most favorite actress.

Friday night I met some friends a the Majestic Improve at Zona Rosa to see John Bizzarre. I have not seen him before but had heard him on XM radio 150 Comedy. I really enjoyed the theater and show.

He went to Iraq and Kuwait with a group of comedians to entertain the troops. One of the comedians, Danny Bevins, video taped the trip and a DVD was produced called "Comics On Duty-We Love you, Mrs. Bevins". I purchase a copy and found it very heart warming to see now the comedians were received and what it meant to the troops to have them there. Well work a viewing.

I just finished by tweed socks so they are ready to wear. This week I found my Irish Hiking Scarf and remembered how much I enjoyed making it so I decided to make another only this time on larger needles so that it would be a little looser. I like it a lot better than on the smaller needles. While it is very pretty smaller I feel the gadge is to tight for me.

I am also still working on the other WIPs which I will not list again, since I am sure it would bore you, again.

I got my $9.99 books from Crafter's Choice this week and I am please with my selections. After my recent book purchases I cannot imagine that I should ever need to buy another, yah right! Now I have many more things to queue on Ravelry. Oh well, I guess it was bound to happen.

It Seems Almost Like Spring

2008-01-13T10:49:00.000-08:00

We have had some nice weather this past week...up in the 50's-60's with cold at night. It is lovely and is making the trees want to bud. This is not a good thing because you know that it is going to bite us on the butt. Just like last year when the trees bloomed and I had high hopes for my peach tree, then came the freeze and all the blooms were gone and I had no peaches.

This tree came up by itself. Not sure how unless a big bird eat the see them crapped it out landing where the tree came up or another scenario could be that a squirrel burried it thinking it was a nut. Nonetheless, the tree grew next to my deck and I have left it to see what would become of it. Probably should be cut down since it is very close to the deck railing but I haven had the heart to so I have decided to let it go until it becomes impaired and can no longer stay there.

I am starting something new. I signed up sometime ago to distrubute Watkins products. If you are not familiar with Watkins it is a company that has been in business since the lat 1800's and is best know for their pure vanilla and cinnamin. Their produce line includes some of the best herbs and spices as well as cleaning and personal products. Check out my website https://www.watkinsonline.com/ccalton/ .

If you would like to place an order online please reference my Associate No 375714 to allow me to get credit for the order. At this time I am marketing online to see how things go.

I have used these products for years and have been completely satisfied with everything I have used. I particulary love the Soup and Veg Mix. I used it is my soup and just about everything else, when I do cook.

I am giving this a try for some extra pocket change and to have something built over time that I can do when I retire. I want to have something that will make me want to get up and going in the morning when I retire that has some value and that I can do from anywhere. I think we all need to look to the future.

OK, know on to the important stuff....knitting. I have not started anything new this week, in an attempt to get better organized and get some FO's in the can for the new year. I am nearly finished with one pair of socks that are Regia Tweed. I thought I needed something that was a little more subtle to where for work rather than the stripy ones. I am still working on the Petal vest getting ready to start the 3rd row. Also, working on the Best Girl Friend Socks. I need to take a look at them and see where I am off on the chart. It just does not look right.

Still on the list is the Hemlock Ring. I want to get it finished soon. It seems as though I was excited about it at first then when I got the hardest part done, I backe bored with it. I just need to pick it up and the the fan and feather part to get it off the needles. It is my goal this year to finish up all the WIP's so I can feel better about starting new things. I do not want any orphaned project. If I am not going to finish something, I need to frog it and used the yarn for something else.

I am starting to get in the mood for a road trip. Not sure where it will be this year but I am think going South this year. Last year was East, year before was West, time before was North. Would love to go to New Orleans. As many of my friends will recall the ill fated cruise from New Orleans which did not happen due to hurricane Katrina. The cruise has never been rescheduled and New Orleans was never visited. I think it may be time for that visit.

As I sit here blogging I am watching the squirrels cavorting in the trees doing God know what, give the time of year. My maple tree had ten of the little guys running through the limbs. They had been running across the roof which sounded like a herd of something. It looks like they had a good winter becuase they are very fat. I think that is because of all of the acorns on my tree in the front yard. They are about the size of a large gum ball. The tree drops tons of them so I am sure they were well fed. I cannot say what they are doing on my deck right now but let me just say that there will probably be some baby squirrels this year.

HIHO HIHO It's Off to Work I GO

2008-01-08T17:37:00.000-08:00

Start a new contract yesterday after being of for a couple of months. It is kind of strange getting up early and going out to work.

I have not worked downtown for some years and a lot has changed. I am working across the street from the new Spring Arena. I have to day it looks better than I thought it would. Have not been inside yet but I understand it is pretty cool.

Just around the corner is the new HR Block building which have a nice cafeteria. I forgot my lunch this morning so I went there for a salad. I must say I am impressed with what is finally going on downtown. The Power and Light district is shaping up.

On my way back from lunch there were news crews and fire trucks the next block up. My initial tought was someone got injured but as it turns out there was a gas line hit by a piece of construction equipment.

So now that it is my second day on the job, I think I am going t like it a lot. The people are really nice and I have my own cube for a change. No one there has to share. This was very exciting to me after having to share shace with 5 other people at the last contract. Sometimes it takes so little to make one happy.

I have not knitted much since Saturday since I was trying to get things done before returning to work. I am working on several things. I did get the gloves finished and the second row of modules for the Petal vest, getting ready for the third row which will be solid navy.

I am also working on a Regia tweed sock. Not to happy with the yarn this time because it is broken within the skein. I have had to join the yarn three times so far and I am almost to the toe decrease. I think I am giong to give up and use the other skein to complete them. It is very frustrating. It is not like I do not have enough things started but these are black and I thought they would be more appropriate for work. I am sure they will be fine.

OMG It Is Cold here

2008-01-02T21:12:00.001-08:00

Today the temp only got to 19 degrees. As you can see from the Forecast at a Glance, tomorrow is supposed to be in the 40's while Sunday is supposed to be 60's. It is said that if you do not like the weather in Kansas City, wait just a little and it will change. Perfect example. Hopefully, next week will be great weather for me to start back to work.

Today was my drug test for the new contract. Also included is a background check. Boy, you feel like a criminal just trying to get a job. Times sure have changed, and not for the better in come cases. There was a young man there at the same time getting a court ordered drug test. Evidently he had been doing this for some time. He was on a first name basis with the lab techs. He did not need to be told the procedure. It was kind of sad, he was a nice looking young name.

I received some new books from Crafter's Choice. The Best of Interweate Knits, HandKnit Style II and Knit Kimono. I have had my eye on these books for a while and here was a BOGO sale one. Of course, this weekend there was a $9.99 sale so I ordered the other books I wanted since they were on sale. I saved $70.

I especially like the Knit Kimono. There are a couple of things I want to queue. HandKnit Style has some great things also. I am very please with all three selections. I have added them to my Ravelry library.

The First Day of the New Year is here

2008-01-01T14:36:00.000-08:00

This is the beginning of a new time in life for me. Tomorrow I will be 56 years old. Many women do not like to tell their age. I do not have a problem with people knowing how old I am. My hair may be gray and I have lost my girlish figure but I do not loose sleep over such things. I have worked hard for every gray hair and I never have been to think so it is no big deal. I have yet to color my hair because I am not in the least vain. I learned after I became 40 that I had reached the stage where I did not have to take any crap off of people, nor did have have to impress anyone.

So Happy Birthday to Me. With a birthday so close to the holidays I do not pay to much attention to it. It is basically just another day. It only comes into play when I have to put my age on something. I just make the change accordingly and it puts me another year closer to retirement.

My friend Chelle selects a word to focus on for the year and I try to do the same. My word this year is "TOLERANCE", particularly for my own short comings. I tend to have very high expectations for myself that at times transfers to others. Many times I am disappointed in myself and others because we cannot live up to those expectations. This year I am going to give us all a break. I have learned over the years that we are all trying to do the best we can to get through the life we have.

I am working on completing the gloves today. I think I will be needing them. I will probably make a scarf to go with them

This morning we have very strong winds. I thought the windows were going to blow in. There was a fast moving cold front coming through so it is barely 20 degrees now. I just spoke with a friend in St. Louis and they are getting the strong winds now so you can imagine how fast the front is moving. It is supposed to reach Atlanta by morning.

I have finished the second row of the vest. Since I am limited on the varigated yarn I am going to switch to the navy Cascade 220 for the next row. I think it will be a good contrast. I really like they way it is working up. After this row of modules there is a half row then on to the lace and upper part which is ribbed. This should not take to long so maybe it will be complete in a week or so and ready to wear. Stay tuned!

I am thinking when this is complete I will be ready to do something in my queue. I think first on the list is the Clapotis, which I already have the yarn for. I started it this summer but was not able to get into it so I think I am ready now. I would like to get a couple of shawls done this year and use some of the yarn from my stash. It is definately time to rotate some of the yarn since there is always something new I am interested in.

Finally, IT is over

2007-12-30T08:59:00.000-08:00

Yes Christmas is over for this year. Now on to a new year and new opportunties.

Yes, I am going back to work week after next. I have secured another contract position. Some where new this time. I think it will be fun to be doing something entirely differents. I will be working downtown new the new Power and Light District so I should be in the thick of things.

Now I truly will have to get my to-do list completed, now excuses. I am finally, yes dare I say it, going to paint the dining room. I am going to clean the house throughly, again, so I will be ready to go to work again.

As for knitting, I have been doing many things lately. I did finish the Christmas things and the last of them will be mailed tomorrow to my sister's family. They will have many Christmas mornings this year. My brother mailed his gifts, which they have already received in Portland, and Mom's is on they way so they should get them eary this week. Mine they should have later in the week. This should be fun for the kids not getting everything all at once.

Anyway, to get back to the knitting. I am working on a pair of gloves custom made to my little hands. I have very short fingers so when I buy retail gloves I either have to get children's gloves, the stretchy kind, or the gloves that are an inch too long in the fingers. Neither are very workable so I decided that a custom pair are in order.

My friend Chelle started the "Girl's Best Friend" socks from ther pattern she downloaded from KnitPicks. She was not sure that she liked they way they were working up so gave the pattern to me to try. She started hers using Cascades Fixation hoping that the stretch would provide a better fit. Not liking Fixation myself I started this pair in Lang JAwoll.

This is what I have so far. The pattern is fairly involved so it does not go very quickly but I am almost to the end of the lace part. From there on it is just stockinette. I think I am going to really like them, even thought they are a slow knit for me.

In my spare time I have been working on just a plan pair of navy socks to wear with slacks for work. I need some that are a little more conservative for professional times.

I know that this does not look like much just yet but it will. I found this wonderful vest pattern that I just feel in love with. It is modular, as you can see, in an unusual way. It is called the "Petal Vest" and is a Knit One Crochet Too pattern. They have it rated as Expert but I am not sure why. It is not really that complicated.

This is what I have so far. I really like working on it and seeing how it builds on itself. I can see alot possibilities for variations. Stay tuned for progress.

Well, I think that brings me up-to-date. Now on to the new year.

To all of my friends....HAPPY NEW YEAR! ! ! !

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL.....

2007-12-23T16:30:00.000-08:00

I think I am as ready as I am going to be for Christmas. I have not shopped alot this year since I am not working at this time. After all, it is the thought that counts.

As many may know my sister's family was making their maiden voyage, driving from Portland, OR to Lees Summit, MO for the holiday. They had quite an adventure starting with being stuck in traffic for 4 hours in SE Oregon. This was only the beginning. As they progressed on to Wyoming, they got into blizzard conditions which prompted them to turn around and go home. They started this journey Wednesday afternoon and finally made it back to Portland this afternoon.

While I am sad that they will not be here for Christmas, I am extremely thankful that they are safe. This is an adventure I do not think they will want to try again. The summer time will be a much better time to try again when there is good weather an they can sight see along they way.

So this year it will be my mom, brother, and me for the holiday. They are in Springfield and the weather is much better there. Not sure how long I will be able to stay as they weather looks like it is turning again by Wednesday. Will have to watch the weather report. If it looks like it is going to get bad I will most likely come home earlier than later.

I have all of the gift knitting done that I am going to do. Anything else will have to wait until next year.

Now...I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Organization Continues

2007-12-17T20:04:00.000-08:00

In keeping with the recent weather in Kansas City, here is my crocheted snowman. He still needs eyes, nose and buttons that will be done tomorrow. He will be going to one of my red hat friends. Every year she has us to her how for our Christmas get together which is really a treat. She cooks wonderful things and always has some kind of fun activity for us to enjoy. We were supposed to be together last Tuesday but due to inclimate weather, the event was reschedule to tomorrow.

Today was my day to finally get my yarn closet organized the way I wanted it. This is attempt #2. I have had the wire cubbies for some time but had not gotten them put together. This gives me a lot more storage room for the yarn I already have. This does not give me license to by more to fill the space. I am going to concentrate this year on using what I have. If I do buy something new it will be for a specific project. I have a bad habit of buying something fom the sale bins thinking I can find something to make from it. How is this work for me, you ask. Answer, not very well. I have a couple skeins of various things but not enough to completely make something. This is not very productive or ecomonical.

I think I am almost ready for Christmas. I have just a couple more things to get the wrap. This is not going to take long since I have not bought a lot this year. I have been, for the most part, conservative with my spending this time. Mainly because I am not working right now and I have about $3000 to pay out in by the end of the year. Next year will be different.

Christmas Memories

2007-12-15T19:18:00.001-08:00

This it the time of year that everyone is so busy running here and there shopping, doing holiday cards, attending parties and in general going crazy to be ready for Christmas morning. Whether you are staying home or traveling it is the same every year, it seems that things will never get done in time. Some how it always turns out ok.

When all is said and done, the most important thing is to be with people you care about. Family, friends and neighbors all contribute to making memories. We all have them. Some are good memories and others are not. I choose to embrace the goods ones.

In the days gone by when all of my family was still here, young and vibrant, there were many good memories made. My grandma raised 6 fine children, mainly on her own. My youngest uncle was 13 when grandpa died of stomach cancer leaving grandma to keep the family going. The family did not have a lot but they did have great love for each other.

These fine people produced my generation. There are 14 cousins of this generation who are now the old ones. The oldest is 77 down to the youngest who is 39. Now some of these cousins have children who are having children. Talk about feeling old.

The memories that come to me this time of hear are of the family Christmas dinners. Everyone would have their Christmas morning at home then in the afternoon gather at someones house, usually ours. There was always much food, drink, and merriment. Our house had a large rec room in the basement with room for everyone to spread out. There was a ping pong table with an extension that made it big enough for everyone to sit down to eat all at the same time. This was quite a sight. In my younger days we numbered 20 or more eating at once.

As the cousins grew older and got married the number grew to 30+. You can imagine the noise level. In our family ther is an interesting thing that would happen. There would be multiple conversations going on at the same time with various people bouncing between conversations. When things got going it would seem like the walls would viberate. This I learned many years later was very intimidating to new members of the family. Growing up with this it seemed perfectly normal to us.

When dinner was over and the table was cleared the evenings entertainment was a huge bingo game. We played for a nickle a card. Us kids would clean up. Oh, those were the days that made such good memories.

Now that my generation is grown each one has started their own family traditions so we do not get together for holidays any more. Life goes on and this is the way it is supposed to be. Families will always carryon to create their own memories. The are nice to look back on.

This year my family will be with my mother. This is the first year without my dad so it will be different but it will be a much better Christmas than last year. The kids will have fun waiting for the morning and the anticipated present opening. The amount of presents will be scaled back but I am confident that everyone will get pretty much what they want.

My wish for everyone is to have a wonderful Christmas. Go out and make all the memories you can and share the ones you have. That is what keeps them alive.

Oh the Midwest Weather

2007-12-10T15:42:00.000-08:00

This weekend was a weather shocker in KC. Today was not so bad. I got out and had lunch and ran some errands before the predicted ice storm to come.

This is the up-to-date weather map for the Kansas City area. We are in the circle. There is not much hope that this ice storm is going to miss us.

As you can see from the forecast we have 100% chance of freezing rain tonight, tomorrow, and tomorro night. Hopefully, this front will move on out and nothing else will be behind it for Christmas.

I have been knitting some today also. I am to the gusset for the huge socks I am doing and am ready to do some felting. Gracie was really impressed with the body of this snow man. I was making in for an exchange at my Red Hats Christmas meeting but it has been rescheduled until next week due to the weather. This works better for me time wise so I can get him done.

This is the bag I am doing for my Mom. Got some bamboo handles today but am not extremely happy with them. I really wanted leather but JoAnn's did not have them and my time to look for them today was limited. Maybe I will find some later this week that I am satisfied with.

On the job front. I got a call today from a New Jersey headhunter presenting me with an opportunity. The person was obviously Indian which in itself is not a problem. I have may friends who are Indian and they are lovely people. The problem with this person is that he is not familar with the geography of the country. The position is with a large telecom company and would be a great fit, if it were not in Tulsa, OK.

It was very difficult to understand what he was talking about to begin with. He asked if I knew where Tulsa was and how far it was from me. Oh, also if I took the job would it be necessary for me to move there. He had very little detail about the position. His main concern was if he could submit my resume for the position. I had to ask if the positon was a direct hire or contract and what the salary range was. Let me just explain that this is not my first experience with this. The main purpose for these head hunters is to get submissions. My understanding is that they get paid by the submission and not the just the placement. I am not at all comfortable with this type of recruiting.

I had thought that this type of recruiting had fallen out of favor but I guess not. It is another case of sending jobs off shore. The telephone give is a New Jersey number but I think it is patched in from India. I just to not like the idea of being recruited for a job in the US from another country.

O M G

2007-12-09T17:43:00.000-08:00

When I logged into Ravelry I found this link to the "Worlds Larges Stash" http://mochimochiland.com/weblog/?p=111. I think this one has got most yarn shops beat. I am so envious both of the stash and the space. This is a truly bless knitter. I think all of us can only dream of such things. This person is either very rich, an incredible bargin shopper, or a major hoarder. Either way all I have to say is WOW!

The winter weather has settled in to Kansas City this weekend. There was ice yesterday on the driveway and street. I did not go to SSK, although I was dress and ready to go. When I went to get in the car I was going to go get the mail and discovered that the driveway was a sheet of ice. I thought better of my trek across the street. The last thing I need to do is fall and hurt myself. The outlook for next week is not that good either. We are supposed to have more ice and cold, all week. I have a feeling that we are in for a bad winter.

I actually have been knitting away today and have completed two things and almost a sock. Since as with everyone these are Christmas presents the pictures will have to wait. Wince there are still a couple of weeks before Christmas I may have time to get a couple more things done, in between job hunting.

On that front, I am going to keep up the effort on through. You just never know what is going to come up. The best job every could come along.

Good Day-- Friday

2007-12-07T19:28:00.000-08:00

I had a good day today. I went to Weight Watchers for my first week weigh-in. I did good, loosing 2.8. Not a bad start considering when I weighed in I was 16 lbs. less than the last time I weighed, in October. It is interesting that I am able to do so well with my eating when I am not working. I think there is a message there somewhere.

Good news...I have selected paint for the dining room. Now that I mostly have my house in order I will have not excuse not to paint. I finally had to take the drape with me into Lowe's and get the color selected and purchased. It is time for this to be done before Christmas so I will be ready to go back to work.

I think I am over my Christmas grinchiness ahead of schedule this year. The difficulty is that this is the time of year I miss everyone who is not with us now. Even though they are not here in the flesh, they are in my heart and that is the part of me that hurts. I work through it every year and am fine by the time Christmas is here, but it usually takes longer. I call this progress.

I did get some Christmas shopping done today and enjoyed it. Each year there is usually one of my family that I spend a little more on. Not necessarily on purpose but it just works out that way. It works our pretty even over time. I of course will not say who it is but he/she will be absolutely gobsmacked. I am pretty please with this one.

I have a couple more things to get knitted and others to get bought then I will be ready. I may even decorate the house for a change. I usually put up a tree of sorts. It is actually half of a tree that hangs on the wall that is the side of my guest closet. It works out great because it does not sit on the floor to be in the way. Next to my front door there is an etched window that looks in on this wall so from the outside it looks like a tall tree. The tree stays decorated and is stores on a shelf in the storage room in the basement. I really love it. I will supply a photo when it is up.

There is Always Tomorrow

2007-12-05T19:17:00.000-08:00

I had a good day today. I finished the cleaning in my bedroom and have stuff ready for the Federation for the Blind to come next week and pick up a bunch of stuff. It will be good to get that out of the house.

I got a call today for an interesting job out-of-town (won't tell where so as not to jinx it). The thing is that it is a direct hire or in my mother's words, it is a real job. If all it works out it would mean eventually moving (but not right away). At first, the opportunity arose I just said it was not an option but the more I think about it, there is a possibility. Will have to see how that all goes.

Nonetheless, I have some things cooking. I should have heard about one today but did not. There is still hope for it since there was not a definitive rejection. I also have a meeting in the morning to talk with another recruiter. Eventually, probably after the holidays, something will present itself. Until the unemployment check will keep coming.

It amazing how we can manage with less money. Kansas unemployment is $407 per week. Today was an exciting day because I actually got 3 checks to catch me up to the first weeks I was off. This was a great treat. Now I will have money for Christmas.

The main thing that is a concern is the health insurance. Did you know that if you loose your job that you qualify for COBRA coverage. For those of you who have never experience COBRA essentially you pay the full premium. Basically, it is the portion that your employer pays in addition to what you pay on each paycheck. This means that if you pay say $70 per month when you are working, it goes up to let's say $287 per month out of your own pocket. This is what I will be paying for coverage that has a $1500 deductible before it pays anything unless you have a medical emergency. After the $1500 they pay 80%. This is what is known as a high deductible indemnity policy.

In the old days before the managed care fiasco started with the HMOs this is the kind of insurance we all had. You went to the doctor and pay usually $25 for an office visit and you could go to any doctor you wanted. The insurance company did not care. Everyone had an prescription card and paid $2 or so per prescription. There were not commercials advertising pharmaceuticals and we all took what the doctor thought was best for up. The only time you used your insurance was when you had diagnostic test or were hospitalized. Those were the good old days. Employers paid the full premium for the employee and usually the family. Medical costs were much lower and the doctors did not have to inflate their charges to $100+ for an office visit just so the insurance company would pay the $25. Things were much simpler then.

I was working for a pharmaceutical in the 80’s when the HMO was in its infancy, and I remember being in meetings when it was said what a boon it would be to the pharmaceutical and insurance companies. In the beginning, many paid no copay at all of if there was one it was nominal. I think the first on I paid was $2. Then it went to $5 eventually rising to ….you guess it $25. Amazingly, the amount we used to pay the doctor anyway.

They fought long and hard to be able to advertise their products. Well, we all now what the power of suggestion does. How many times have you seen an advertisement for a new drug then go to your doctor and say I want some of whatever it? We are all guilty of this. So now instead of pay a flat $2 or even $10, now we are tier on a formulary. For those who are not familiar with this it a list of drugs that the insurance company will pay for and the new the drug the higher the copay cost is. We are not paying $30, $40 and higher for a brand name prescription. This because we always want the newest thing when some of the older drugs that are less expensive will do just as well or better.

OOPS! I almost forgot this is a knitting blog. I have not been knitting a lot this week since I had so much to do on the house. I have worked a few rows in here and there so I am making progress. I have a couple of Christmas things ready to come off the needles and a couple more to go on. The new stuff may have a swatch with an IOU attached under the Christmas tree. Will have to see how I do the next few weeks. With the house nearly done I can devote more time to knitting and get it done.

Knittng Again Soon

2007-12-04T18:18:00.000-08:00

I have not been knitting the last couple of days because I really need to finish up my delayed Spring cleaning. I am very close to be there. I have the front bedrooms mostly in order.

I got things in the kids room rearranged which was a big part of the effort. U had an entertainment center in there that took up a lot of room so now that is gone and a much smaller tv cabinet is in there. Also did the closet clean out so I could put my stash in there.

The cabinet came from the other bedroom where it was used for a nightstand. Will have to find something to replace it so I can finish that room. Now on to my room which is not quite as bad as the others were.

I have the clothes switch completed and the summer stuff taken to the basement. I am getting closer to reaching my goal. When this is complete I will have not excuse not to be painting the dining room.

I now have a theory that when I get my to do list completed I will get a job offer so of course I need to get on with it. I do have a meeting Thursday to talk with a recruiter who mainly does direct hires. This would be a good thing.

Still Water Runs Deep

2007-12-01T16:50:00.000-08:00

Your Passion is Purple!

You've got a ton of passion, but you don't always wear it on your sleeve.
If something truly excites you, you let your inner intensity shine through.
But otherwise, your passion tends to morph into energy ... which you never lack.
You're a balanced woman, knowing when to turn on the fire in your heart.

What Type of Passionate Woman Are You?

This is so true. I most usually to not openly express passion or emotion. I think I used to as a small child but it usually did not work out so well for me so I learned that there is a time and a place for expression.

It is possible for me to very angry or hurt or sad and no one would ever notice. I have become very adept at self control. I wish some times I could allow myself to let go of such control but it is not easy. It makes me feel very vulnerable and that can be extremely uncomfortable for me. This is something in my character is am working on all the time.

I think this is also why it is difficult for me to ask for help or allow others to do things for me. I know that I cannot always do everything for myself so I am working on that also. I have always been the one to do the helping. This too is a hard thing to let go of.

OK, enough of that. I am knitting on several things. I need to focus on Christmas things and get them done. I have two things nearly done. My goal is to focus on them tomorrow and get them out of the way. There are couple more things I want to do if I can fit them in them that is it for Christmas knitting. Time is going to run out on me.

On the job front, I have a couple of things I expect to hear about Monday. One is a tech writer contract that would be a lot of fun and the other is a possible contract for hire that would require a lot of travel. Not sure how Gracie would like that but I will worry about them when the time comes.

Life's Little Bumps

2007-11-20T20:38:00.000-08:00

Well, just when you think things are going down one path there is a U-turn and you head a different direction. Case in point is my new contract that I was supposed to start on the 27th. Unfortunately, it got cancelled so now I am looking at other options. Not sure what the reason was. Could have been that the client was just not ready when they thought they would be or the project itself could have been cancelled. Nonetheless, for whatever reason I will not be there.

As you can imagine, I am disappointed but that is the way it goes in the contracting business this time of year. It usually means that something better is yet to come so I will keep looking. I have a couple of other leads working so we shall see.

Right now I am working on some socks, my hemlock ring (I am bored with it right now), and a couple of other things. Other than that I am just hanging loose trying to get as much done in the house as I can. I am still in organization mode so I am ready to move on to the next room. Wish me luck in getting through eveything on my list.

New Beginnings

2007-11-18T14:10:00.000-08:00

I have been organizing this weekend. Yes I have gotten the bug. I have had my yarn stash in my bedroom but decided that it needed a new home since I was running out of room in the current location. The solution was to clear out a spare closet and relocated the stash. When I am finished I will supply pictures of the result.

I was not feeling well this morning so my progress has been hampered. I think I eat something last night that was on the verge of not being good any longer but it seemed ok so I eat it. It as some veg beef soup that I probably should have frozen but I wanted one last bowl. Well needless to say it is gone now. After some chicken soup and pudding followed by a nap, I am feeling much better. I think I will be able to finish my organization project this evening and more on to the next project.

I need to complete my to-do list this week. I will be starting a new contract on the 27th. This one, I think will be fun. I have not done quailty assurance software testing for a while so this will be something different for a change. It is only supposed to last a short time but may work into something else. You just never know.

Autumn in Lees Summit

2007-11-16T11:01:00.000-08:00

This is the view from my kitchen window. What a lovely Autumn day. There is a crispness in the air along with the gusty wind. The only thing missing is the smell of burning leaves I remember from my childhood. Too bad we are not allowed to burn leaves anymore. It sure would eliminate the need for all of the leaves being picked up by the trash service to be hauled off for recycling. It would seem to me that the diesel fumes from the trucks would be worse for the environment than the smoke from the burning leaves not to mention the smell.

As kids it was fun to jump into the piles of leave that were so painstakingly raked only to be scattered once again. It is nice to think back to such times and those memories.

I have not been knitting a lot this week so I have nothing to show. I have been trying to get things done in the house and outside before I good back to work. I am still bored with the dining room re-do so I still need to paint. I tried the color samples on the wall and I think the base color needs to have a little more green in it to work better with the sage drape I bought. I think I like the living room color because it has a peach tone but very suttle. This is a to-do I need to get wrapped up so I can move on to another room. The kitchen will be next then on to the bathroom. Once I get rolling with the new contract, I may just have someone come in and to the painting. I do ok with the wallpaper removal so if I at least get that part done and wall prep done the painting is no big deal and could probably be done in one day.

I have so many things on my list for the house that it will possibly take most of next year to complete. With the painting inside and out complete I can start on updating the bathrooms and kitchen. Then I can sit back enjoy it all. I a few years with I am ready to sell, it will make it much easier to get it ready for market.

New Stuff

2007-11-05T20:33:00.000-08:00

St Louis was fun this pat weekend. Interestingly enough, we found a new yarn shop that was having a grand opening. My friend Chelle found the same shop. To continue down the path she ended up going to Knitorious as did we. It is a wonder we did not run into each other. I got some lovely Toasty Toes hand dyed worsted and some white yarn that I will probably kool ade dye. Not sure on the colors as yet.

I have decided that there will be no further yarn purchases for some time. I really have gone over the edge lately and I need to come back. At least until I get back to work. I also need to get some WIPs completed. I am now working on a sweater, socks, hemlock ring blanket and a bag. I need to be diligent in completing them so I can still have time to get some Christmas things done.

I guess I am going to have to look for a job soon. I an officially unemployed after being on the bench for the last to weeks. I did file for unemployment today. Since I worked in Kansas that is who will pay this time which is better than Missouri at least but not as good as some other states. I do enjoy not working but unfortunately it does not pay much. The thing that is different this time is that I don't have a car payment or house payment at this time so the unemployment will cover my bills.

I do have an interview for a short contract for a technical writer that might be fun. It should last about 5 months which would get me to Spring. In the contracting game it is a better time to find something. I have been doing this kind of work for a long time so I don't worry about it any more. Something always comes through when it needs to.

Not WORKING Update

2007-10-31T16:06:00.000-07:00

For those of you who might be interested in what my Gracie kitty looks like, here she is in all her lazy glory. She is a 5 year old calico who I adopted from the shelter after my lovely dog Holly died. She mainly was brought home to help my elderly Siamese cat to get over grieving for the dog. She died over Labor Day so now it is just me and Gracie. Although, there is a possibility of a new puppy in the Spring, depending on what I am doing at the time.

This is the middle of week 2 not working. I could really get use to this if it paid better. Next week I will start unemployment if something does not come up this week. I have been making good use of my time as you can see. The dining room wall is ready to prime and them paint. I just have a little spackle to to do tonight then I am ready. It has been 15 years since I have addressed this room. I definitely think it is time. I think the color is going to be a light sage with a lighter value of the color in the ceiling inset.

Next comes the kitchen followed by the living room. Eventually, the main bathroom and bedrooms will get some attention also. This all is going much slower than it used to as it is more difficult for me to repeatedly go up and down the ladder.

This is the first finished Coriolis sock. It will make a good slipper sock but I think I would like it better done on smaller needles and single thread. I really like the concept.

I could not wait to start on the Hemlock Ring blanket. I really like it and if goes fast but I need to look over my last round. I am off one stitch in one repeat and as I really want to go strictly by the pattern I must correct it. It is going to be really pretty when I get it done. I am on row 35 and the center of the ring goes to row 47 then starts the fan and feather to complete it. That part is pretty straight forward to it should not take long. So stay tuned for up dates.

Lovely Fall Sunday Afternoon

2007-10-28T13:03:00.000-07:00

I am sitting here enjoying the wonder Fall day. I think this is my favorite time of year except for Spring. I especially love the cooler crisp air. As I have gotten older I find I just cannot take the heat. Someday I guess I will have to move where the temps are more moderate. Alas, I am not in a position to do that just yet. Maybe in a few years I can accomplish that.

It was a very cool evening so I did have to break down and set the thermostate to heat so the furnace would come on in case the temp dropped dramatically. Last night I did light the gas logs for a bit just to take the chill off in the living room so the furnace would not come on. My Gracie kitty took full advantage of that. She just have been really chilly in the middle of the night because she came in and got under the covers with me for a snuggle.

On the job front. I may have something starting this week if things work out. It would be long enough to get me through the rest of the year to a time when there are new contracts and new budget money to go with them.

Only as Old as You Feel

2007-10-25T17:57:00.000-07:00

I have always felt like an old soul. This I guess proves me wrong

My New York age is 23

This New York age puts you-generally speaking-into the young category. That's what you were hoping for, right? Run and tell your friends. Then get drunk (as usual). Then sleep it off. Then pop an Adderall. Then come back and consider experimenting with a more mature type of New York life (just once in a while). Have you ever been to the Village Vanguard or the Living Theatre? Eaten at Elaine's? Taken a date to Michael Feinstein? Before you laugh, check 'em out and see what old-school NYC experiences you can add to the new.

What's your New York age? Take the Time Out New York quiz and find out!

Still not working but that may be ending soon. I think I am going to look for a real job. Meaning a permanent job. I have been working on a contract basis for a long time. So if any one know of a Business Analyst Job in the Kansas City area, let me know.

Day 2 Not working

2007-10-23T18:28:00.001-07:00

Although day 1 was everything I had hoped it would be day 2 is in the running. I slept unti 8:00 today...that is real sleeping in at my house. Did some laundry in preparation to a quick run to my Mom's. Have a couple of things to do for her then return home for the rest of my week.

Many job submissions are in the works and more to come I am sure. I have a couple of perm things I want to submit for on my own. Not sure I would remember how to be a perm employee but I could probably work into. After consulting for 14 years, most of the time, it would be a novelty. I have felt pretty much like a job gypsy with makes it difficult to form close work relationships. This has been more apparent with my last contract, I think because I worked with several consultans from my company.

Normally, I am the only consultant from my company on my team. I think I was able to come much closer this time also because all of the consultants were officed together. Unlike on my other contracts, I miss the rest. I think we are going to do something soon after work. That will be nice to see them.

I have been able to get some good knitting time in. I finished the red ON Line socks last week so I started a new pair last night from JAWoll for the road. Sock one is almost done so probably the second one will be done this week. That will be another one off of the sock list.

I think I am ready for something totally new and different. Have not decided just yet what it will be but I think I am interested in maybe some mitered squares and rectangles then maybe some lace. I still have a shawl to do so maybe I will start that too.

My First Day Off

2007-10-22T22:04:00.000-07:00

Today was my first day not to work. What a glorious day. I actually enjoyed cleaning. I know I know, but when I have the time that I feel I can really devote to cleaning and I don't feel rushed it is not that bad.

Tomorrow is my day to start removing wallpaper in the dining room and kitchen. Hopefully, it will not take long. The walls were sized and I use Downy in warm water to saturate the paper. It released the past and makes it much easier to remove.

I realized today that I had the plan to paint the rooms post-wallpaper but I had not selected colors. So, this afternoon I went to Lowes and took care of the selection. I selected a Laura Ashley paint which of course is more expensive but the good news is it will not take a whole gallon to do both. I went ahead and picked out the color for the living room as well.

I have been working at getting some things put on my Ravelry. I have loaded some of the books in my library. Next come the queue. I have to get my list finalized. Progress is being made.

I need to finished one item that is almost done so I can start something else fun. As usually, I do have another pair of socks started. I seem to finish one pair and move on to the next. Some are for presents and some are for me.

Another Pair Bites the Dust

2007-10-18T19:25:00.000-07:00

The red socks are complete. I started them last Friday when I was at the Speaking of Women's Health conference. Really didn't have a lot of time to work on them or would have had them finishes sooner.

I like these a lot. One thing I did without noticing is the stripes are in the same order but the patterning is reversed. I evidently started the heels on opposite sides so where the stripe might be wider at one point in the sole it is on the instep on the other sock. It is a design feature and in the long run no one will know but me.

Well tomorrow is my last day to work on my present contract. Not sure where I will go next. My consulting company is looking for something. I am hoping to have a few days off to get some things done at home. I have gotten so disorganized this last year. I really need to remedy that quickly. It has made me feel at such loose ends.

I may not always be organized at home but I usually am at work, but not this last year. I will take the weekend to get a game plan together then hit the ground running on Monday.

2007-10-12T18:23:00.000-07:00

This weekend I am dog sitting for some friends. They have a wonderful dog Gracie. Not to be confused with my cat Gracie. Gracie, the dog, is a mixed breed. I think she got the best of each. She is such a neat little friend. I am staying with her so she can be in her own home. Besides I am not sure she would enjoy getting to know my Gracie. Also, I have the dogs next door who play in my back yard a lot. I am not sure she would like getting aquainted with them either.

Of course, I am knitting while I am sitting. Althought I already have some socks started, I started another pair. The reason being that today was my day attend the Speaking of Women's Health conference. I wanted something that I could take with me to work on there. The coriolis socks were not a good candidate for this event. So I started a pair for another person on my Sock List.

Getting back to the Speaking of Women's Health conference. If you have not heard of it or have been to one you need to check it out. http://www.speakingofwomenshealth.com/Events/ This the 10th year and I have been to all of them. It is an all day conference for must women's stuff. It is a lot of fun and you come away with arms loaded with goodies. If you are interested in going some day you need to order your ticket early because it is so popular now that it sells out very quickly. I highly recommend it.

Other than the sock I have not knitted much this week. Not sure why but I guess I just was not in the mood. This mood does not usually last very long until I am off and knitting again.

My friend Chelle is into crochet now, have just learned to do a granny square. I am very proud of her for developing this new skill. It can be very helpful even in knitting. I have not crocheted in some time but I may be inclined to so some soon. Who knows.

Here is my card

2007-10-06T20:50:00.000-07:00

You are the World

Completion, Good Reward.

The World is the final card of the Major Arcana, and as such represents saturnian energies, time, and completion.

The World card pictures a dancer in a Yoni (sometimes made of laurel leaves). The Yoni symbolizes the great Mother, the cervix through which everything is born, and also the doorway to the next life after death. It is indicative of a complete circle. Everything is finally coming together, successfully and at last. You will get that Ph.D. you've been working for years to complete, graduate at long last, marry after a long engagement, or finish that huge project. This card is not for little ends, but for big ones, important ones, ones that come with well earned cheers and acknowledgements. Your hard work, knowledge, wisdom, patience, etc, will absolutely pay-off; you've done everything right.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

Not sure but I think it is suome what accurate. Will have to give it some thought.

I am slowly but surly working away on all of my WIPs. The Coriolis sock is coming along. I an not really happy about the heal on this one the I am not frogging it. I will fix it late and it will look just fine. Will do better on the second one. This is my first time doing a short row heel and I did not do a very good job on hiding the wrapped stitches. I know now where I went wrong so that will remedied.

The baby sweater just needs sleeves which I am working on. Maybe I will have time to do them tomorrow. I am not sure now that I have enough yarn to do socks. Will have to see later. I think the sweater will be really cute.

The computer bag has been felted and I need to sew on the strap. I think is going to be a good fit. I want to line it and construct some pocket in the lining. Should be very nice to just throw the computer in and go.

Little by little I am getting used to Ravelry. I am trying to get project loaded that are compete as well as some to go in the queue. It is just fun to look around.

What I have been up to lately

2007-10-03T19:30:00.000-07:00

Well, here I am once again trying to get caught up I have not blogged since 9/21 but that does not mean that I have not been knitting. I have a few things in the works that are progressing fairly well. I started this bag for my laptop. I have a rolling bag for it but sometimes I just want to take the laptop and not all of the other stuff. It is ready to felt and I am anxious to see if I got the size correct. Stay tunes for the finished product.

This is a baby sweater that I am using one of my Socks that Rock yarn. I am working on the sleeves so it should be ready soon. The baby is not due until January so I have plenty of time. My cousin and his wife are having a girl so I thought this would be cute.

My most recent start is the coriolis sock, by Cat Bordhi. I have been extremely interested in this pattern. I goes really fast. I started this yesterday and I am ready for the heal already. This is my first toe up sock and I can hardly wait to see how it comes out. It is done with two strands which makes it very cushy. I was thinking of giving for a gift but may need to keep them for myself.

I have been spending some time playing in Ravelry. It is very cool but I have not gotten a lot of my stuff loaded at yet. I think it is going to take some time.

Celebrate! ! ! I am Ravelry'd

2007-09-21T18:54:00.000-07:00

It finally has come. The long awaited invite to Ravelry. Here is what it looks like.

Hey there,frecklegirl has invited you to Ravelry!"Here you go! Thanks for your interest in our little site.Let me know if you have any questions or problems!Jess"

I have logged in but not looked at it yet. I just had to share the good news.

I am in the process of doing the HAPPY HAPPY JOY JOY dance.

WoW! That was fun.

Now drum roll please. The Russia sock are done. I am going to get them in the mail tomorrow. Hope they get there in time. It not, the thought was there and they will be enjoyed upon return.

I am so excited. I get to go to the Lake of the Ozarks this weekend. I have not been all summer. The weather is going to be great and it will give the rest and relaxation I need.

Closer Ever Closer

2007-09-19T05:08:00.000-07:00

I have moved up a lot on the list for Ravelry. Mabye I will get the long awaited invite soon.

I am finishing up the current pair of sock so I can get them in the mail tomorrow. Then onward to other WIPs and starting some new things. I feel like I truly have knitting ADD I want to start a bunch of things and do then all at the same time. O to be cursed with only two hands.

2007-09-15T08:53:00.000-07:00

Finally, I found the camera. Here is what I have been doing lately. This is the Kaffee Fasset I bought in Columbia at Hill Creek. I love it but the repeat is very long. As you can see there is only one sock complete at this time. I have not had time nor patients to sit down to fine the part of the repeat I started in so my stripes will match. That is on my list for this weekend.

Here we have another sock. I have lost the label so I do not remember what it is but I like it anyway. comes with matching reinforcing thread. I have not used this before and not sure I like it. Maybe it will feel better after the socks are washed. I am trying a different pattern on the cuff that does not really show up well in the picture but it looks great in person.

I am trying to get these done this week so I can send them to my friend who is going to Russia. She tends to get cold feet and as I am not sure how cold it gets there. I hope she will have them to enjoy on the trip.

I have other thinkings I am working on but they are for Christmas to I will not picture them at this time. Just let me say that they are really looking good and the reciepents will be happy to have them.

Complaint Corner

It seems like I am knitting so slowly lately. Not sure weather it is the weather change or my allergies kicking my but. Just have not felt up to par this week. Several at the office have been not well either. We kind of think it is a bug going through the office. Hopefully, we will all feel better next week.

In general I have just been in a funk. I need something new and fun to do that will maybe inspire me. I think I am just bored with everything right now. I have plenty to do at home and work but just do not want to do it so I employ every avoidance behavior I have in my arsenal. I just need to suck it up and get things done.

I have much painting and clean up to do. Now that the weather has gotten cooler I can maybe get the painting done inside. I have not been able to have the windows open to let the smell out since it has been so hot.

OK complaint corner is closed. I am done.

Will to to SSK this afternoon and knit with the girls. That always makes me feel better.

Yes I am still here....

2007-09-13T05:40:00.000-07:00

OK...Yes I am still alive and knitting. I have been so busy lately that I just have not made time to blog. I have been out-to-town, in town, working, going to Worlds of Fun, playing poker (won a little), knitting and I don't remember the rest.

I have miss located my camera so I cannot give you pictures right now of what I have been knitting but I assure you have have been.

Mostly socks and other stuff. I have a lot of socks to be made. My friends see them and say "when am I going to get my socks" so I add them to the list. There are probably 13 on the list now. I have three pair done so I have several more pair to do. Some are for kids so they won't take as long. I do them mostly in the car at lunch or when I am out somewhere since they are easy to stick in my purse and carry with me.

I need to decide on what else I think I can get done for Christmas. I have a couple of things started, one of which is almost finished and ready to block.

So as you can see I have been busy. As soon as I fine the camera I will supply some pictures so stay tuned.

What I have been up to lately

2007-08-27T19:01:00.000-07:00

I am long for some Fall weather. I think Spring and Fall are my most favorite times. When the temperatures are mild and the trees and flowers are beginning or almost ending.

I left a Starbuck's cup in my car Saturday and this is how it ended up. Poor cup, it did not have a chance.

Here are my latest Trekking socks. I have had the yarn for some time and have just gotten around to making them up. This pair when pretty quickly. Not sure if I am getting faster or if the pattern was just so simple that the time needed to complete was short. Nonetheless, I like them a lot. I made them with just a simple 1x1 rib since the yarn is so colorful.

Ah...my lovely little niece, Alexis,who is 4 and soon to be a kindergardener. Isn't she beautiful. She took her test to determine if she could go to school this year even though she will not be 5 until November. There was never any doubt that she would pass with flying colors. Indeed, she did pass in the 95th percentile. She is ready and excited about going and even has her backpack.

She is pictured here with her wonderful big brother Erik. He is starting Middle School this year. I can hardly believe that he is a 6th grader. Boy how time flies. He is a gamer who loves to play all kinds of video games . He is also a musician, playing the big bass in school. He is a good looking young man, with a kind spirit. He is a good brother who loved his sister and watches out for her. I think they will always be good friends.

Well, it is about time to get started on Christmas things for the ones I care for. The list of items to be made includes some sock, sweaters and who knows what else. It all depends on how much time I have how many things get done. Will get started very soon now. Stay tuned for progress reports.

Hopefully I will get my invite to Ravelry soon so I can place items there as I get them done.

A couple of more things from my notes

2007-08-17T20:37:00.000-07:00

I looked at my Russian Continental notes and had a couple more tips.

Always...Always slip first stitch purlwise when doing garter stitch. It makes one loop for each two stitches. This make counting rows much easier and gives a nice smooth edge. Perfect for picking up stitched. This works great.
When picking up stitches, loop the second needle through each loop along the edge then knit the loops. This makes a nice smooth seam.
For a smooth bindoff-bind off on the purl side. This makes a nice edge to pick up stitches.

Begin by purling two together
Place the stitch back on the left needle lengthening the loop
Continue these two steps until the last stitch then pull the tail through and cut.

I hope you find these tips and helpful as I did.

On another note, I had heard of this the John C. Campbell Folk School http://www.folkschool.com/index.php some years ago but had lost the information. Just happened across it again and wanted to share it. It is on my list of places I want to go some day.

I never got to go to summer camp and I think this is the closest I will get. Just another thing to look forward to.

What I learned at Stitches Midwest

2007-08-15T18:45:00.000-07:00

In addition to all of the Stitches fun in the Market, I did actually take a couple of classes. I am glad it was only two because I am not sure I could have sat through more than that and really absorbed the information.

I took Russian continental knitting and Russian grafting. I thoroughly enjoyed both. The instructor was Galina Khmeleva http://www.skaska.com/products.html . I loved her no nonsense teaching style. For those of you who do not knit continental or do knit German continental this knitting style is just another technique to add to your skills. I have tried to do German continental but have not been very successful but I did find the Russian style much more comfortable. I am a thrower from way back and can knit pretty fast so it will take me a bit of practice to get up to speed with Russian continental but I think I am going to like it. I think switching still will help my hand.

Additional tips and tricks Galina imparted:

Selecting the correct needle size for the yarn being used. Here it is in a nut shell.

Double the yarn then give it a twist loosely.
Lay the needle along side the yarn.
The needle should be the same size as the twisted yarn. Basically, the needle should be twice the size of the strand of yarn.

To determine the length of yarn to begin casting on, for instance for a sleeve, wrap the yarn around the wrist then fold the yarn over that length twice. This should eliminate running short of tail yarn with doing a long tail cast on. This works for hats, sweaters, etc.

The Russian Grafting was great also. In Russia the knitters do not join seems using Kitchner stitch or any other form of sewing. They graft sock toe and sweater seams. The beautiful shawls the knit that have the fancy edging are all grafted. It make a seamless presentation and looks though it was knitted as part of the shall. Due to the weight of some of the shawls they are knitted in pieces then grafted. If you are interested I would suggest taking a class if available in your area. I can see were I will use this technique a lot.

Another little tidbit someone else shared that is one of those "why did I not think of that." You know how when you do a knit in front and back increase you sometimes be a bump like a purl? Well, here is the great tip. Knit in the front of the stitch then rather than knitting in the back, slip the stitch onto the needle. It makes a nice smooth finish.

That is what is so fun about going to an event like stitches. Knitters are such sharing people.

What I did at Stitches Midwest

2007-08-13T18:35:00.000-07:00

Well what can I say. You just have to be there to get the full affect. There is so much going on that it is hard to describe.

Here is our group before the Friday fashion show and banquet. Some of the group took the bus trip organized by The Studio in Kansas City and the others flew in on Thursday. I for one flew, since I did not have the extra day of vacation to do the bus.

I would love to post some of the pictures I took at the banquet but unfortunately blogger is being stubborn about uploading pictures tonight. Maybe everyone else with blogs who were at Stitches is trying to upload at the same time.

This is only a glimpse of what the Market looked like. There were 10 aisles of vendors with some across the back and front. Much fiber was felt by many hands during the time it was open. Those of us who were registered for class were able to get in Thursday evening for a preview purchase. It was nearly too much to take in. I only got through about half of it and had to go in several trips. I did not make any purchase the first night. I pretty much wanted to scope out the vendors and make a game plan. I had come equipped with patterns so I could make wise choices.

I ended up with yarn to go with some of the patterns I had selected. Here are a couple of my purchases. The Socks that Rock blow were not among the patterns but you know what? Socks are socks and a pattern is not always required.

The worsted my Gracie kitty is interested in is for a specific sweater. This yarn was on sale for 50% off so I felt good about purchasing it. As you can see Gracie feels good about it too.

A really neat thing that I did was some resting and knitting for Linus Project http://www.projectlinus.org/about.shtml. If you have not heard of Linus Project it if a group that knits blankets and sews quilts that are donated to children who may have had a traumatic event in their lives. It provides comfort at a time when it is most needed. The lady who was attending the booth explained that intitally she has approached Stitches to see if the group could pass out information. Stitches got on the bandwagon and provided a corner booth of the exhibit hall with tables and chairs. They contacted Plymouth Yarn who donated yarn for the cause. Knitters were welcome and eager to sit and rest then knit for a bit. What a great idea? There were enough squares knitted to make 15 + blankets.

At the same convention center was Wizard World. Basically a Scifi, comic book, video game convention. Here we ran into a few of the characters attending. There were many colorful people. I think this convention and was almost as big as ours. Everyone seemed to be having a great time.

This Super Man can save me any day. I think Robin was just hanging trying to pick up some tips.

Best of all were the Star Wars Characters. They almost made wish I was going to that convention too.

Well there you have it. It was a great time and I did not want to go home, even thought I was exhausted. I definitely will do it again. Maybe not next year (not sure I could afford to do it every year) but soon. Hope if you have not attended that you too will think about going.

Stitches

2007-08-08T15:11:00.000-07:00

HiHo HiHo it is off to Stitches Midwest I go. The day is almost here...I have been waiting for so long. I have vision of beautiful fibers and gadgets dancing in my head. Taking the class in Russian Continental and Grafting will be great fun but that is only a small part of the anticipated experience.

I am excited about getting into the Market to see what is new in the way of patterns, yarn, needles and well...everything else. My inital notion was to take an extra duffle to bring back all the yarn purchases but have changed that a little. I am only going to buy yarn I have not seen in KC. No sense hauling it back if I can get it at home.

I am off to finish packing now. Stay tuned for Stitches details.....

Bad Blogger Repents

2007-08-06T18:43:00.000-07:00

So...once again I have been a bad blogger. It has been some time since I have posted anything. Why? I don't know other than I just have not been in the mood. Rest assured that even though I have not posted...I have been knitting in preparation for Stitches Midwest. I have several things ready to go and a couple that I may have to finish while I am there. If not, I will get them done eventually.

This is the mutil-directional scarf that I started on the way back from North Carolina. I really enjoyed doing this. The patttern is so versitile since the size you make the base triangle determines the size of the scarf. It would be very easy to make it a shawl. The concept is very similar to entrelac. I think that is going to be an addition to my to do list, maybe for next year.

This scarf is just a simple stockinette done in ribbon. Not sure I want to used that again. It is kind of a pain to use and gets twisted very easily. I do line the colors alot though. They do not show very well in the picture but they are jewel tones. I think It is something I will use a lot this fall.

And now...drum roll please. This is the yellow sweater made from Lion Brand Microspun. It is very soft and should be comfy to wear. The only thing I did not like about the fiber was that I split all the time. I had to fix stitches a lot. I must say it was very forgiving when I needed to to that. It still did not make up for the difficulty factor. The other thing I learned is that if I ever use it again, I need to go to smaller needles. It seems that the sweater is pretty heavy and therefore, it stretches when worn. I do like the color.

On another note. I did listen to the new Harry Potter. Although many may have either read the book or listened to it as I did, I will not be a spoiler and tell anything except that I did like the way the story ended.

Well I am off Thursday to Stitches Midwest, finally. I have been counting the days. It is unreal that the time is almost here. I am excited about being with my knitting friends and meeting new ones. The two classes I am taking should be interesting. Russian Continental and Grafting. I hope to learn these new techinques and be able to share what I have learned.

That being said...let me at the market. I am anxious to see what new fibers are there and hopefully make some great purchases.

Will let you know what I fine.

Definitely T.G.I.F! ! ! ! ! ! !

2007-07-20T17:34:00.001-07:00

I AM SOOOO GLAD IT IS FRIDAY. I have had just a stange week and there was not even a full moon.

To recap my week.....

Monday it seemed like everything I did was wrong.

Tuesday I went to lunch and my car was running just fine but when I came out to go home when I turned the key....nothing. One of the guys in my office came and gave me a jump start. I met my friend Jen at Social Suppers to check it out (more on that later) and when I came out, nothing. The car had to be towed in to the shop.

Wednesday the resultof the car thing was that the battery cables were loose. So this little episode cost a total of $110, including car rental.

Thursday I woke up with what I think now was a migraine without the headache. I felt as I used to when I had a migraine making me somewhat dizzy and sensitive to the sunlight. I was fine is sitting still but moving my head would bring on the dizziness. I thought maybe my blood pressure was up but when I took it it was 120/72 so that was not it.

Here is the part about Social Suppers www.socialsuppers.com . It is a place where they have all of the ingredients prepared for the dishes you select and you just go in and combine the ingredients and package them to freeze and use later. I went in to do the dishes I selected Chicken Maribella, Chicken Saltinboco, Meatball Calzone, and Raspberry stuffed french toast. The whole think took about 30 minutes. After Social Suppers I came home and went to bed and slept all night.

Today I woke up still a little dizzy. So, I tried the french toast this morning (it was great). I once again took my blood pressure and this time it was 152/82. I waited about 10 minutes then tried it again. This time it was 122/76. I proceeded to get ready for work and when I was walking out the door my ears popped and the dizziness went away.

Evidently, my ears were vapor locked. After this I have felt great all day.

Let the strangeness end here. Tomorrow is another day and I have faith that it being a Saturday will be great.

Needless to say, I have not done much knitting this week so I have much to catch up with.

Car Update

2007-07-18T19:14:00.000-07:00

I am happy to say that the problem with my car was minor. As it turns out the battery cables were loose. I would have thought that the tow truck driver should have figured that our but did not so oh well.

The bill was $40 plus $70 for the POS Ford Escape Hybrid that the rental company that starts with an E. I hate dealing with them but since they are the only one who will pick you up. Anyway, glad that episode is over. No on to other things.

I am on the verge of completing about three project; sweater, shell and scarf. I need to get myself organized this week and get them done so I can start about three more things clapotis, Berroco knitting bag and seed bead bag. I think it is my knitting ADD at work. There are about ten things I really want to do but there is so much to do and so little time to do it. I think I need a project planning session. At least I need to get my patterns out and narrow the list. Will give that some thought this weekend.

Time for a New Car?

2007-07-16T20:24:00.000-07:00

You may remember that this past November I paid my car off. Something I have not done in a long time. I was so happy to have accomplished this. The car has been such a good car that has 92,000 miles with very little trouble. Well, I spoke to soon.

On the way home from vacation I got a call from my uncle informing me that my car was dead. Being such a great guy he took my old battery and got it replaced so the car was running when I got home. I drove the car all week with no problem. I drove the car at lunch today.

I got in the car after work to meet my friend Jen and while on the phone letting her know that I was leaving when I turned the key it would not start. I got one of the guy at the office to jump start it for me. One would think that I should be good to go. I stopped to meet Jen and when I got in the car again it would not start.

This situation prompted a call to AAA after I was unable to jump the car with Jen's. The tow guy tried to jump it with not success. The battery was getting juice but would still not start. Alas, the car had to be towed to the shop.

I fear that this is only the beginning. Will have to see what tomorrow brings. I may have to make the decision to trade it in. I was hoping to be able to wait until next year so I could have everything else paid off. I would like to be able to buy the car I want instead of the one I can afford.

Being the prepared knitter that I am, of course I had some knitting in the car to I spent my waiting time wisely. Let that be a lesson to you all. It pays to have car knitting going on.

What I Did on My Vacation

2007-07-10T18:04:00.000-07:00

This is my friend Nancy after meeting me at the St. Louis airport.

She and her husband Don were the vacation coordinators this year and it is thanks to them that this vacation was such a success.

We have been friends for the better part of 40 years so we know many things about each other and our memories a long. Most people think we are sisters. We are thinking of getting tee shirt "No We Are Not Sisters" to wear when we are together.

We drove through Kentucky then on to West Virginia which is very mountainous. They were very lush and green but of course there were a lot of ups and downs. The best part was that by this time I had a little nest in the back seat of the car. I had much time to read and knit. Something I have not done on a trip in many years. I am usually the driver and still as yet have not been able to figure out how to knit or read while driving. Of course, I have not spent time trying to accomplish this.

This is the view from the deck of the condo. The condo was great, having 5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and a large kitchen/living room. There was plenty of room for the 8 of us to be together as well as time to ourselves. As you can see the housed are elevated with space for parking underneath. This is to allow for the times when there is high water.

This was the view on the beach every morning. This is truly a privilege to be able to see this even one day in your life. What a wonderful creation. Morning walks were incredible. The one thing I discovered is that it is very difficult to walk on dry sand. The set sand was much better. I had thought there would be a lot more shells on the beach to gather. I did get some nice clam and oyster shells but there was not a lot of variety.

This is more beach. It was something you never get tired of seeing. The waves were pretty rough on the Atlantic side much of the time. We did go to the inlet side one day just to swim. It was much like being at the lake. Very calm and easy to swim. The sand bars went out about 30 feet.

Vacation is sadly over. Next year's vacation is yet to be planned. Many good memories were made for this year and next year's are waiting to be made.

This was my first time to the shore of the eastern coast. I can now say that I have been in the Atlantic, Pacific oceans, and the Gulf of Mexico. Soon I will begin thinking of what next years vacation will bring. Could be Florida or Maine who knows.......?

Hi from the Beach

2007-07-02T12:00:00.000-07:00

I have only 8 minutes left on this computer so here is a short post.

We are in Rodanthe, NC on the outer bank island of North Carolina. The beach is great (water is cooler that anticipated) beach very sandy. Condo is great along with the company.

A good time is being had by all. With 8 of us we are still getting along just fine and everyone is speaking to each other. What more would you want on a big group vacation.

Had wonderful seafood last night for dinner .. . . forward to more of the same real soon. I think we are going to go to the light houses one day and at some places you can by fish right from the boat.

Time is running out....more later. Pictures to follow after I return.

What Next?

2007-06-20T21:01:00.000-07:00

Well, I made lunch time trip to Knit Wits to see what wonderful things they had. It had been a while since I had been there. Here is what I found. What am I going to do with it, you say. Since many others in SSK have been working on shawls, I thought I would give it a shot.

Mary and I have decided to to the Clapatis and I think this would look great for that. You really can't see it but it also has some green in it. I am anxious to wind it to see what it look like out of the hank.

Not sure when I will get started on the Clapatis but it is not like I don't have enough things going. On the lacy shell I am ready to start binding off for the arm holes then finish the top part. I have not had a lot of time to knit the last week or so due to trying to get yard stuff and house stuff done. Unfortunately, I am slowing down and cannot multi-task the way I used to.

After returning from Stitches I am going to have to tighten my belt and and stop spending so much money on knitting. I think with the potential purchases I may be making at Stitches I should truly not need to purchase any more yarn for this year. Will have to wait and see if this is the case.

I have discovered that I really must pay more attention to the maintenance of my car. I have neglected to have the brakes done and find that I do need them now, pretty badly. You know how it is when it seems to be working OK sometimes things get overlooked. I went to Sears and thought I would have them done there. Let me tell you it was a very slow evening at the mall. Automotive at Sears was not busy at all so I thought this would be a slam dunk.

Na Na! I was told that the cost could be $150-$1400. After an hour of analyzing they condition of the pad and rotors the figure I heard was $852. This was a no sale. I had them put the brakes back together to be done another day. This car has over 90,000 miles. I am not excited about spending that much when the dealer quoted $189 each for front and back. So...hiho...hiho off to the dealer I go.

It has been a month for such things. Since I am in the midst of high dollar dental work to the tune of $1,000. This was very unexpected.

Hopefully, once the car thing and dental thing are done the money going out can slow down.

Is it Friday yet?

You Knit What for Dogs

2007-06-15T19:25:00.000-07:00

I am cannot believe anyone would actually make this much less put it on their poor dog. It is a Lion Brand kit to boot. For anyone interested it is 50% off. What a waste of time? No self-respecting dog would voluntarily put this thing on. The model looks pretty humiliated.

I have not been doing a lot of knitting this week. I am still trying to get caught up on my outside work. Hope to get that done this weekend so I can get back to some intense knitting.

I am lining up projects to do while I am on vacation. I think the main one will probably be the clapotis. I need to get the yarn picked out and bought probably this next week.

I am really excited...I finally got my wireless to work. After a process of elimination I found the setting that needed to be changed. Did some other hocus pocus which has helped to run faster so I am 2 for 2.

I am so ready for a weekend. I hope to get a lot done. I had been moving very slow recently and not feeling 100%. I had a little bit of a headache the other day but had nothing with me to take so one of my friends had some Aleve. I had forgotten how much I love Aleve. I felt so much better after taking it. Evidently, my arthritis was causing me pain that I did not key in on. I guess I was consumed by the pain cycle and did not realize it. Now I am taking the Aleve prior to retiring and I have been sleeping much better and not waking up in pain. I used to do that and for some reason stopped. I guess I was feeling so well that I stopped. I know now not to do that. Here is to better living through chemistry.

Preparing for Travel

2007-06-10T14:17:00.000-07:00

It seem I have a bit of traveling to do this summer. My long awaited trim to Cape Hatteras is looming in the very new future. I am starting to count the days. I can picture myself lounging on the beach listening to the surf roll in. Hope there are no hurricanes thinking about getting fired up by then. My track record in recent years has not been good for long range planning of vacation anywhere place there could be a hurricane.

My last experience was the cruise to Cozumel that was supposed to leave from New Orleans the day Katrina stuck. I have yet to have the heart to reschedule. That trip had been planned since April. Wouldn't you know I would pick the wrong day for a cruise.

That is why I have been excited about this trip but not too exuberant. I do not want to tempt fate. Anyway I was checking the TSA regulations with regard to knitting needles, etc. Since it is not likely that I am going to a trip with no knitting. Here is what I found.

Transporting Knitting Needles & Needlepoint

Knitting needles are permitted in your carry-on baggage or checked baggage. However, there is a possibility that the needles can be perceived as a possible weapon by one of our Security Officers. Our Security Officers have the authority to determine if an item could be used as a weapon and may not allow said item to pass through security. We recommend the following when bring knitting needles on an airplane:

Circular knitting needles are recommended to be less than 31 inches in total length
We recommend that the needles be made of bamboo or plastic (Not Metal)
Scissors must have blunt points In case a Security Officer does not allow your knitting tools through security it is recommended that you carry a self addressed envelope so that you can mail your tools back to yourself as opposed to surrendering them at the security check point.
As a precautionary measure we recommend that you carry a crochet hook with yarn to save the work you have already done in case your knitting tools are surrendered at the checkpoint
Most of the items needed to pursue a Needlepoint project are permitted in your carry-on baggage or checked baggage with the exception of circular thread cutters or any cutter with a blade contained inside. These items cannot be taken through a security checkpoint. They must go in your checked baggage.

I am not sure why these regulations apply to both carry-on and checked but I am sure it made since at the time to the ones making the rules. I can just visualize a knitter going off because or a dropped stitch or mistake and stabbing someone with an Addi. We are a pretty dangerous bunch.

This is something to consider for those going to Stitches Midwest 2007. I will probably definitely buy some needles while there. It make me wonder why the would not add yarn to the list of items not allowed. Some of us are so creative that we could probably fashion a weapon out of a wool nylon blend that could be deadly. Ooops! Now I have done it. They may be monitoring my blog and now they will know that there is that possibility.

On second thought naaaa, I think I am save. Why would they want to read about knitting anyway. I am sure they have better things to do.

New Camera

2007-06-05T20:17:00.001-07:00

Last night I broke down and bought a new digital camera (pictured above). I have had my old one for a long time. Close to when digitals first came to be. It is bulky and heavy and while it does take fairly good pictures, I just wanted to have something new and more advanced.

The new camera was purchased at Nebraska Furniture Mart. They always seem to have pretty good deals on most things, althought as with anything you need to know your pricing. They do not always have the best prices.

Will take some pictures tomorrow of WIPs to see now they come out and do some experimenting with features....so stay tuned.

My Weekend in a Nut Shell

2007-05-28T05:21:00.000-07:00

Took my mother to Branson yesterday to shop a little (bought very little) and have lunch. Rather than shopping at the outlet malls (many to choose from) we chose to go to the new Branson Landing which is build along the water front in downtown Branson (down the street from Dick's 5&10). It is a nice venue if you do not have a mall close by but there is no shop there that you would not visit if you did. Nothing really original or unique. With in the area there is a Hilton hotel so if you were vacationing it would probably be a nice place to stay.

The real bite was there is a parking garage that was free when I was there when it opened it first opened. Well, the free is no more. They are cashing in on every car that parks at least $2.00 up to $8.00 if you loose your ticket per car.

The whole thing is a pain because you get a ticket with a code that you have to punch into get out of the garage then you have to put money in before the gate will raise. As you can imagine, it is a big CF trying to get out. Cars back up and people get impatient.

In addition to the kid and parents were rude. There is a trolley that runs down the middle of the shopping area. So I was trying to get Mom on and into a seat when some rude kid nearly bowls her over to get in the seat. I asked if we might sit there since I had been waiting and the mother mouthed off that they were loading to and needed a seat. Begrudgingly she made the kid move. Then getting off a kid in the back of the trolley was jockeying for position with another kid (both unsupervised) and nearly knocked Mom over. I was close to jerking a knot is his tail when the driver reprimanded him. I think he had had enough of these kids too.

If that was not enough, on the way back to the house this guy on a motorcycle was riding next to me and decides to pull in front of me. He almost clipped the front of my car then flips me a off behind his helmet. So of course I had to send one back at him. Mom asked what that was for and I told her he deserved on in return because I was not doing anything to menace him. Boy, what a jerk!

Today we will go to visit Dad's grave in the Veteran's cemetery. There is to be a ceremony conducted by the Korean War Veterans with a rifle salute. My brother will participating in the rifle salute. Following that Mom will be coming home with me for the week for a visit with family.

Well, that is my weekend so far......

Long Weekend

2007-05-26T18:58:00.000-07:00

I am with my mother this holiday weekend. It has been raining on and off all since I arrived. This is a good thing since there has not been much rain here for some time. Southern Missouri unlike the Kansas City area has not been getting all the rains this season. As a matter of fact, it has been a long time since there has been enough rain here to make the creek flow that runs next to the property. Nice for a change.

As I sit here typing this I hear the spring time country sounds. Loud but also peaceful.

I got to see the new addition to the family. Her name is Babe. She is a mix probably lab and something else, approximately 10 weeks old. She is a very sweet girl who has big feet to grow into. What beautiful eyes she has.

She is a very quite puppy. No hyper at all or barky. Her favorite thing so far is eating and sleeping. Mostly sleeping. I think she is a night dog. She likes to sleep in the day time and comes alive after the sun goes down. She is already mostly potty trained, does not some into the house uninvited and pays attention very well. One big plus is she likes her aunty.

Tomorrow we are off shopping. Not sure where or what for as yet but what the heck who needs a reason to shop. May decide to do the outlets. Sometimes they have pretty good sales on holiday weekend.

What a Day! ! !

2007-05-25T18:32:00.000-07:00

I, unlike my friend Chelle, did not have the day off today. My day started off with me finding a puddle of oil on the garage floor under my car. It has been in need of some maintenance that I have been putting off for a while. Well today was D-day for the maintenance. I had to drop the car off at the shop to have it checked out. Especially since I am going to be doing a little traveling this weekend.

The verdict turned out to be that there was nothing leaking so the mechanic was not sure where the puddle came from. So I just had the maintenance done. I got off very cheap at $400. The car is a 2002 Buick Regal with nearly 90,000 miles and the only thing I have had to do is change the oil, new battery, and tires. Not bad for 5 years.

I had been giving some thought to buying a new car with better mileage but I am over that now. Even though I am spending $200 a month for gas it is still cheaper than a new car payment.

I have a good start on the lace bottom shell. I am glad to be doing the mindless stockinette part. As mentioned I am using Red Heart Luster Sheen which is pretty nice to knit with. It does split a little but not as much as the LB Microspun.

I am not usually a blue person but I do like this blue since it is a little darker. Besides it was this blue or white as a choice and I did not want to do white. I would have had it completely dirty by the time I got it completed. I am looking forward to seeing this complete I think I am going t like it. If I really like it a lot I may do another in a different yarn.

Do overs in Process

2007-05-20T08:51:00.001-07:00

OK. I got a grip and finished knitting the yellow sweater. All that is left is the binding off and assembly. I am glad now that I had to redo the back. I was able to fix the flaw that had been bothering me so I guess there was a reason that I made the mistake. I had a short row that probably was not visible to anyone else but me. You know how it is the you know it and it bothers you it needs to be fixed. I feel much better now that it is corrected. Now I can go on to wear the sweater and be happy with it.

As for the shell lace border. I did end up frogging it back also. I only had to go back 5 rows which does not sound like much but with it is 5 x 300 it adds up. I am ready now to focus on it and redoing these 5 rows and moving on to the mineless 80 rows of stockinette. Onward and up ward.

I think this is the last thing I am making specifically for Stitches. This is good because I need to spend more time on my yard than on my knitting for a time.