knitsmitten

Knitting

2009-07-31T20:10:00.008-05:00

According to my blog, my last knitting project was a pair of mittens for Sam. I'd like to be able to recall everything I've knit since.

I'm drawing a blank, but I do have a couple projects on needles:

Rainbow socks for Anna in Opal, lollipop and a boatneck sweater my friend's new baby boy in Mission Falls 1824 cotton.

Memory jog. I also knit a nice green scarf for Brad. That just needs blocking; plenty of time to finish that before the snow flies. I could probably completely finish socks, sweater and scarf in a matter of hours. Don't you think?

Golf

2009-06-21T22:56:00.011-05:00

In May I went golfing on a real golf course for the first time. My husband, Brad, has been golfing for over 35 years. He used to hit golf balls with a few hand-me-down in the fields behind the house where he grew up. He was on the golf team in high school. He has three brothers who also golf, so golfing has always been his territory and something he has enjoyed with his siblings.

We had discussed the idea of me trying out the sport in the past and I always scrunched up my nose at the idea. To be honest with you, I never really thought of it as much of a sport and I've always been turned off by the costs associated with it. "I'll stick to my knitting", I'd say. And his reply was "that's probably best since you probably would not take it very seriously and I'd want to help you get better".

In March, we went to Play-A-Round Golf in celebration of Brad's birthday. We went with a group of people and had a lot of fun. My sister-in-law had recently purchased clubs and she was starting to join her husband on the course. When they invited us to play at a real course that day in May; I went thinking it would be fun. It was. Here's an outline of my golfing experiences so far, only time will tell where it leads me.

1. At Play-A-Round Golf the most memorable line of the evening was "Whacky, whacky"! One of the women there came up with that line when she'd smack a long drive.

2. At Arrowhead (April 25) , my first outing, we golfed 9 holes late in the day. I had some nice straight shots and had way more fun than I thought I would. Brad shot better than normal because according to him, "he was thinking less about his shots and more about mine". My sister-in-law was surprised I did not bring my knitting.

3. At Blackwood (May 15) we golfed 9 holes and I got to experience a fun, memorable hole. It's so hard to describe the challange of this hole and the feeling when you're teeing off this hole. You're on one side of a small ravine and you have to hit over the creek to the green.

4. While at Bethany Beach (June 16), Brad and I played nine holes late on a windy day. It was a nice course, bathrooms at the fourth hole and nice greens and carpet-like fairways. There were also yardage marker stones along the fairway. He was so close to an eagle on one shot, it was fun to watch. He also shot back-to-back birdies. I regained some confidence, hitting better than my game at Blackwood.

5. Today I bought my own clubs on e-bay.

Happy 20th Anniversary!

2009-05-18T21:00:00.000-05:00

As soon as I opened the mailbox on May 15 and held the package from my brother, the date sounded familiar. May 15. May 15. Then it came to me from the dark corner of my brain. My brother had remembered the anniversary of our bicycle trip across the USA.

So many years prior I had sent him cards celebrating the event. This year, he had remembered and sent not only a card, but also a cd with jpegs he had scanned of his slide collection from the trip.

It has been wonderful looking through those photos and remembering those days we shared. Thank you, brother.

All In A Day

2009-05-17T20:56:00.003-05:00

Finally, here is another post.

Often after the sun sets, I reflect on the day and ask myself, "what the heck did I do today?", feeling as if nothing got done.

So here is today.

7:15 woke

7:45 fixed breakfast for the girls

7:50 packed banana bread for coffee hour after church

8:00 showered. Yep, I actually got a shower today!

8:30 kissed hubby good-bye (he very rarely works weekends, but this was one of those days)

8:45 packed the girls in the car and drove to church

10:10 intergenerational choir practice

11:30 lunch

12:00 cleaned up the kitchen (yep, sometimes I leave all the dirty dishes until later)

12:10 helped child #1 in the bathroom

12:20 resumed kitchen clean-p

12:30 helped child #2 in the bathroom

12:40 went for a walk with the girls who were very eager to push their "babies" in strollers

1:00 asked one of our teenager neighborhood sitters if she'd come by 4-5 pm so I could run

1:15 returned home

1:50 went to YMCA for open swim

2:15 entered the pool

3:05 left the pool and helped the girls with their showers at the YMCA

3:45 drove home

3:50 got a craft and games out for the sitter

4:00 ran

5:00 returned

5:10 computer time suck while the girls played

5:40 fix dinner

6:00 my parents drop by

6:30 dinner

7:15 help with toothbrushing, baths, PJ's and hair brushing

7:20 watch some TV with the girls

7:30 neighbor stops by to pick up George, the fish we've been pet sitting

8:00 read books with the girls and lights out

8:30 down stairs and more killing time on the computer time

10:24 post this

See, I did something after all! All in a day.

Mittens for Sam

2009-02-09T22:05:00.001-05:00

I finished a quick pair of mittens for Sam. I'm wondering if he will actually wear them. What I'm envisioning is a reaction similar to the one from A Christmas Story when the kid got a pink bunny outfit from his grandmother.

I had fun knitting them for him.

Who Needs A Sled?

2009-02-01T21:00:00.001-05:00

Yesterday we had a great time playing on the little hill next to our house. The snow had a thin layer of ice on it so the kids were able to do some "butt sledding" and belly flopping.

When the girls get older they will realize how small the hill is, and be bored with it. But now it's the perfect sledding hill

Playground Mittens

2009-01-27T20:47:00.000-05:00

I've knit two pair of Playground Mittens, one for each of the girls. The Noro Kureyon was a gem to knit with and the mittens are beautiful. The girls are not too much into wearing them, oh well. Maybe next year.

I finally convinced T. to put on the playground mittens and swish her hands in warm water to shrink them a bit. I've got to get her to do it again because they still are not small enough. Or since spring is less than 6 weeks away, maybe I will set these mittens aside for next winter. Who knows how much their hands will grow by then!

Pattern: Crossroad Knits - Playground Mittens

Yarn: Noro Kureyon

Needles: US4 dpn

Happy Birthday, Brad!

2009-01-23T23:04:00.010-05:00

Last week we celebrated Brad's birthday. The girls had a great time making and decorating the cake. Any excuse to bring out the sprinkles and they're in!

My idea to rent him a clarinet has proven to be a huge hit. Most every day he gets it out and practices a bit. Of course he is not pleased with the sound, but I'm impressed and think he sounds great! I had hoped to have his old clarinet restored, but it was beyond repair. Rental costs for the student clarinet can be applied to purchase of a new one. I hope he decides to buy one and continue practicing.

My 2008 Rockin' ABCs

2009-01-10T07:59:00.004-05:00

I thought it would be fun to celecrate events, accomplishments and new products that came into my life for 2008 in the form of an alphabet. Here goes.

'A' Amy's 50th!

'B' Big Apple Circus

'C' "Colonel Hathi's March (The Elephant Song)" The Jungle Book

'D' Diapers No More!

'E' Emma Haring

'F' Flat Stanley

'G' Gilmore's

'H' Harmony Needles

'I' IPhone

'J' Jingle Bell 5K

'K' Knit 2 sweaters, 2 hats, 4 Christmas tree ornaments, 2 dishcloths, a market bag, a pair of socks, a triangular scarf, a putter cover

'L' Lemonade Stand

'M' MacBook, Mad Men

'N' Noro

'O' Obama

'P' Pumpkin Plant

'Q' Queen as in "Dancing Queen"

'R' RE instructor

'S' Sibling GAP Bike Ride

'T' Trailside Cottage

'U' bcmes a cmmn acronym 4 me as I m intrdced 2 txt mssgng

'V' Victory Brewery Gift Card

'W' Winter Olympic Scarf Project

'X' Xylophone

'Y' Y's Owls

'Z' Zingo

Let The Games Begin

2009-01-07T10:54:00.006-05:00

My first finished object for 2009 was mailed today to the Special Olympics Winter Games Scarf Project. I had to use the required Red Heart yarn which was oh, not so lovely to work with. Mine is worked up in a single crochet, lengthwise. For some reason, crochet seemed a fitting technique (I had not crocheted an item in decades.) It's funny because many of my knitting buds thought the same and crocheted too!

Soon the scarf will be in the hands of a worthy group and my hope is that it will embrace a very Special Olympian.

100 Things About Me

2008-12-28T15:15:00.006-05:00

I finally finished 100 Things About Me.

3. I have 1 sister and 2 brothers.
4. The house I grew up in had 12' ceilings, huge pocket doors, a cubby space (our clubhouse) under the front stairs, accessible only through the walk-in closet and a small winding back staircase.

5. I lived there for 18 plus years. The house next door to us on the north side was about 2' away. We would crawl out our attic window and into the neighbors' window to visit.

6. I remember the milkman delivering milk in glass bottles in the box on the back porch.

7. I played high school varsity field hockey.

8. I played high school varsity lacrosse.

9. I never had a cast on any part of my body.

10. After high school I starting running to stay in shape.

11. I like to run; it puts me in a meditative state.

12. I like to run alone.
13. I like sneakers; I really like sneakers. It would be so easy for me to go overboard and buy a new pair every month.
14. My longest run ever was the St. George Marathon in 1991.
15. My most challanging run ever was the Imogene Pass Run 1992.
16. I have not been running much lately.

17. Now I dash - after our two beautiful little ones!
18. I met my husband in 1977.
19. We married in 2001.
20. In March 1987 I had an in-office biopsy to remove a grape-sized tumor from my neck.
21. In March 1987 I was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Disease.
22. In April 1987 I had a staging laperatomy to remove my spleen and move my ovaries, moving the ovaries would keep them from getting "zapped" if I were to get radiation treatments.
23. In Summer 1987 I had radiaiton treatment.
24. I've been cancer free for 20 years.

25. I guess I like a challenge.

26 . My brother and I rode our bikes across the US in 1989.

27. I've climbed Mt. Rainer in Washington.

28. I've hiked The West Highland Way in Scotland.

29. I like to wash dishes because I find it very calming.

30. A window over a kitchen sink is a must for me.

31. I don't like to unload the dishwasher.
32. I hate to iron.
33. Green is my favorite color.
34. I hate teal.
35. I like math and numbers.
36. I think palindroms are cool.
37. The like two kinds of cake: carrot cake and (now) Jan's cake.
38. I like pie, almost any kind of pie.
39. I do not like to talk at movies.
40. I like to stay through and watch all the credits.
41. I never was able to get popcorn or other snacks at a movie as a kid.
42. I like to hike and camp.
43. My feet hardly ever get cold.
44. I like to knit.
45. I blush easily.
46. I am a Unitarian Universalist.
47. I have an undergraduate degree in Geography from Northern Arizona University.

48. I've worked as a cartographer in a County Assessor's Office.

49. I've worked for the USGS as a cartographer mapping Mars.

50. I've worked as a programmer.
51. I've worked in a day care center.
52. I've worked as a janitor at a ski area.
53. I've worked for the National Forest Service in cleaning bathrooms in campgrounds.

54. I've worked for the National Forest Service as a fee collector in campgrounds.

55. I've worked as a forest fighter in Idaho and Montana.
56. I've worked at McDonald's - for about 12 hours over a 4 day period.

57. I've worked as a secretary in Alaska.

58. I like the toilet paper pulled over the top of the roll.

59. I like to play with Playmobil.

60. I like to play board games.

61. Cribbage is my favorite two-person game.

62. I like to play cards.

63. My favorite game these days is Mr. Thurston's Mother's Game, a variation of Oh, Hell.

64. My favorite solitaire game is Accordian.

65. I like to work in my garden.

66. I always notice when someone misuses the words "fewer" and "less"; it makes me cringe.

67. I like to make snow angels.

68. I like to listen to the birds sing.

69. I like to type.

70. Thanks to my sister, I'm a touch typist. In my high school college-pre students were not required to take a typing class. My sister was in college at the time and told me to take typing!

71. I don't have any cavities.

72. Cheetos Snacks Crunchy are my favorite junk food.

73. Lucky Charms are my favorite junk cereal.

74. Ginger Ale is my favorite soda.

75. Someday I want to knit a blanket like this.

76. I like to ice skate.

77. I like to be outdoors.

78. I'm not much of a reader.

79. Someday I'd like to own a yurt.

80. I want an iPhone for Christmas 2008 (got it)!

81. I like eggplant.

82. Geometry has always been my favorite subject.

83. I'm not a good swimmer, I sink.

84. I recently got a Nikon D50 and want to take a digital photography class.

85. Groundhog Day is my favorite holiday (harmless hype), fun movie too.

86. I like to do jigsaw puzzles.

87. The first car I owned was a Pea Green Ford Maverick with 3 on the column.

88. Then, Phyllis, the yellow Fiat.

89. On to, a Subaru DL 4WD wagon.

90. Then, a Isuzu Trooper for a brief time.

91. Then to a 1990 Toyota Camry, what a great car!

92. In 1997 I bought my first brand new car, a Volkswagen Passat Sedan.

93. I learned how much trouble a brand new car could be.

94. In 2005, went back to the realiable Toyota. With our second child on the way we traded in the Passat for a Sienna LE.

95. I usually buy white cars. I like white cars.

96. I like snow.

97. In November 2008 I started taking Body Pump classes at the YMCA. The weight-bearing exercise is good for my bones. I feel stronger. Also, I'm enjoying the camaraderie; it's a fun group.

98. Hadn't ran a race since 1999 and I ran a 5K on Dec 17, 2008. My time was 37:11; my time was not great, but I had a great time.

98. I like crossword puzzles.

100. I like to read mysteries.

Christmas Wrap Up

2008-12-26T09:04:00.011-05:00

Celebrating Christmas this year was especially fun with our three-year-old and five-year-old. They were so darn excited. "A" kept talking about how she was going to walk downstairs and see Santa and then run back to her bed. "T" couldn't wait to spread the magic reindeer-attracting dust (oatmeal and glitter) she made at school.

Here are some of my memorable moments:

On Dec 23, "A" did something that made "T" really mad. She stomped downstairs, yanked "A's" Christmas list from the mantle and with pen in fist, scratched the items off the list.
After "T" hung her stocking, she stood back and recited the words to "The Night Before Christmas".
"A's rendition of Deck The Halls cracks me up. She sings "deck the halls with bells and jolly, fa la la la la". Then she announces that she does not know any more of the words.

Stash Burner

2008-12-17T07:30:00.017-05:00

Tell me, can you look at this ornament without saying "aaw, how cute? I think it's so darn cute we'll keep it for our tree, but I do have another on needles as a gift. For me the button at the hanger makes it. I also love color combinations suggested for these festive ornaments designed by Julie Williams. For me it was the quick knit I needed last week. No, I have not wrapped one gift yet.

Pattern: Mini Christmas Stockings

Yarn: Frog Tree Alpaca Sport Wt, oddments from stash

Needles: US2 dpn

Surprise Snow

2008-11-21T10:32:00.008-05:00

This morning we woke to a winter wonderland. Here's what T had to say about that "it's not even Thanksgiving yet!" We built a snowman family and enjoyed the fluke snow. It has put me in the mood for Christmas earlier than usual.

All summer I waited for my parsley to grow and it never did much of anything. Now after a bit of cool weather it's much healthier. I'm going to try to protect it and enjoy it all winter long.

BTW yes, I have been knitting. On needles now is an adorable pixie. I got the kit from E at our knitting group's yarn swap. I'm also working on a scarf for Special Olympics. I've decided to crochet it to give my hands a different action. At night I've been having pain and numbness in my right hand. The project specifies you make the scarf with specific colors of Red Heart yarn it's an awful yarn to work with, but affordable to most people.

A Shore Thing

2008-11-17T22:13:00.002-05:00

This past weekend we went to Ocean City. Fall is one of the best times to visit the Jersey shore. We enjoyed the deserted boardwalk, the view of the rough surf, dancing with strong winds, playing plenty of cards (Mr. Thurston's Mother's Game), plenty of Mack and Manco pizza and family fun!

Knitting In Public

2008-11-08T20:26:00.010-05:00

Imagine my surprise when, on our way to my nieces field hockey game today, we drove by this statue! It's located outside the Berman Museum of Art at Ursinus College. The metal piece is so realistic I thought a college student set a black leather purse next to it as a joke. Do you know of any other outdoor knitting sculptures? If you do, please share.

I know where I'll be knitting on June 13, 2009 - wwkip day.

Vote Today

2008-11-04T06:15:00.003-05:00

Big Apple Circus

2008-11-01T21:56:00.017-05:00

Today we went to the Big Apple Circus in New York City. Marsha told us about it and I'm so glad we got to go. The girls' memories are reflected in their play; they created circus acts and NYC skyscrapers.

Congratulations Phillies!

2008-10-31T21:52:00.004-05:00

Today hubby went to the parade celebrating the Phillies victory over the Tampa Bay Jays for the World Series Championship. He said his walk from work to the Broad Street was like a walk in a "sea of red". He described a huge police presence at the parade: police in cars, on bicycle, on motorcycle and police on horseback. Maybe that's why, reportedly, the crowd was well-behaved.

I remember back in 1980 when the Phillies beat Kansas City. Yes, it's true. I don't watch a heck of a lot of baseball, but when it comes down to these seven-game series for the championships, I can't stay away from it. It is great fun and great for knitting by!

Some Serious Pumpkin Carving

2008-10-30T20:51:00.002-05:00

This year the girls really got into carving pumpkins. T was quick to announce "I'm making mine scary, boo!" However, A was not so sure about the whole thing. She told Gram that she was afraid of witches and Mommy knew it. So, Mommy never told her stories about witches or showed her pictures of witches.

Five Spares, Zero Flats

2008-10-27T19:34:00.011-05:00

Would you sit in a car four hours out and four hours back in a day to ride your back thirty-two miles? On Sunday my two brothers, sister, nephew and I rode our bikes from Meyersdale, PA to Cumberland, MD along the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP). This 32-mile ride completed our ride which we started back in May. Mom and Dad went along to shuttle our vehicles for us, that was a great help.

It was a beautiful day for a ride, clear and a bit windy, but not too cold. Most of the ride was downhill. We rode through three tunnels. One was about a half mile long - that felt long. You could not see the light at the end of that tunnel. That one was well-lit, the others were not lit; we used head lamps. The one tunnel felt like a wind tunnel. A steam engine travels between Frostburg and Cumberland for weekend riders. The bike trail follows along it. At one tunnel, a sign advises "Do not enter tunnel with oncoming train" duh!

As we got closer to Cumberland, there was a beautiful vista looking over the countryside. Cumberland looks like a really neat town. We had a late lunch there at The Crabby Big - a BBQ place along the C&O canal.

Just to log the drive/log. We left my place at 7:15 AM, started riding at about 11:45 AM from Meyersdale, got to Frostburg at about 2 PM and rode on, arriving in Cumberland at about 4:00 PM. We left Cumberland at 5:20 PM and were back at my place at about 9:00 PM.

The Most Wonderful Wallaby

2008-10-21T20:39:00.026-05:00

As far as charity knitting is concerned, this sweater for afghans for Afghans (AFA) was the most rewarding project I've knit. I took on the sweater as a challenge to myself, there was a need for the sweaters and the US deadline was October 14. I finished the sweater on October 13, e-mailed AFA and they said just ship it out to CA and they will get it in time to go to Afghanistan. Phew! I had fun with the whole random stripe thing using the dice (see previous post) and I used up a bunch of yarn in my stash. Most rewarding of all is that it gives me a great feeling to know that the sweater will help keep a child warm this winter.

T was cooperative enough to try it on for me while she was playing in the leaves. I really like the way the colors worked out, even though I ran out of options at the yoke and had to finish up the top-most knitting with purple. It was a pain to knit in all the ends. I really do need to learn the technique of weaving them in as you knit.

The Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania

2008-10-13T20:44:00.042-05:00

We spent Columbus Day weekend with friends at a cottage in the Wellsboro area. The weather could not have been nicer. The cottage was located near Ansonia, just yards from Pine Creek Trail, a rails-to-trails bike path which paralells Pine Creek in the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania. The photo to the left is the view from the front of our cottage.

Friday night after dinner at the cottage we had enough daylight for a quick bike ride towards Wellsboro. A rode in the bike seat on the back of Hubby's bike and T on the tag-a-long behind my bike.

Saturday morning we all had breakfast and then headed to Colton Point - lovely vistas (right) and a one-mile loop hike. Later Saturday we all biked to Turkey Falls. C is an avid cyclist; he rode on for several hours. The rest of us headed back to the cottage. After a quiet dinner we played some games and called it an early night.

Sunday we cleaned up and packed up for the drive home. We had a lovely and very relaxing weekend, one of those let's do this again next year weekends!

Mad Men

2008-09-28T17:23:00.005-05:00

Rarely do I find a TV drama series that I can't miss. Remember Ed (2001) and Northern Exposure (1990)? Yep, two shows in 11 years.

Fastforward to 2008, AMC's Mad Men beats them all. To me it's fun, accurate, sad and sexy. I've seen every episode. If you haven't seen it yet, check it out.

If you can explain this to me please do. How do the seasons work? I don't understand it. AMC's episode list for season 2 list 9 episodes. I had to search deep into their website to find out if and when there was a 10th episode and when it was going to air. When does season 3 start?

Roll Of The Die Sweater

2008-09-18T13:19:00.009-05:00

My Roll Of The Die Sweater is one of my WIPs - it's a Wonderful Wallaby for afghans for Afghans. I have six different yarns to use in the striping. I've assigned each yarn a number. In order to randomly stripe, I roll. This may be the fastest Wallaby I've ever knit because I can't wait to roll the die! Fast and fun.

In other related news. When we make it to the main library, I love to walk past the shelf of new books to see if any new knitting books have arrived. Usually I only look at the craft section. However, this week my eye was drawn to another section of the shelf and I found Dice: Deception, Fate & Rotten Luck. Can't wait to read it.