Fun Times on the Road

I have not yet started my purple socks.  But I am nearly finished with all the bits of a purple cat!

If you look closely at that photo, you may see a random granddaughter...because we are visiting!  So far, we have seen the 13-year-old in a play (Annie, Jr), 

watched the 9-year-old knit,  

play Roblox and soccer,

and enjoy all the little things, 

and we've played with our slightly skittish grand-pup (who is not quite sure about us yet). 

The car ride was extensive, so (as a passenger) I was able to finish 5 animals from the Brown Bear book!

And our sweet teenager is having the time of her life in the theater! 

And taking Polaroids! 

And reading, and crocheting and being 13, with all the appropriate acoutremont...

If you're sensing that this is another "I'm-almost-too-busy-to-blog" post, you're not wrong, lol!...but boy!, are we having fun! 

This trip will be quick, and we'll be home soon,  and there will be more knitting on the ride home. There will also be sadness, when we have to say goodbye, but that will be short-lived. They'll visit our house this summer, with a brief visit from Mom and the girls in between. Yay!

Until then, I'll be knitting, and celebrating life,  and I hope you will be doing the same! 

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health! 

Coming Up...Purple?

Everything is not exactly coming up purple, but I have much planned knitting that will incorporate purple in the very near future, because guess what??? No, I mean it...really, you guys! 

GUESS WHAT?!?!?

Sweetie got me tickets to see DONNY OSMOND for my birthday!!!

Gahhh! So excited that I am having Deep Purple dreams and planning to knit purple, sparkle socks to celebrate! I may even get myself a purple jumpsuit to wear to the concert (which isn't until July, so maybe a swimsuit instead?)...but first, socks for sure...

 

Then perhaps I'll knit socks for Donny, too! I mean, he was known for his purple socks back in the 70s, so why not now, too? I could not be more excited for this concert, it was a great surprise! Thank you, Sweetie!

Another surprise was this fairly spectacular
travel mug and cake from Jess! Wow!

It was a good birthday, and in other Knitting Knews, the scarf finally arrived at its destination in Kansas! The Girlie loves it, yay!

I am also knitting away on a very involved birthday gift for a cute grandson who will soon be two! Here's a progress shot, 7 of 9 blocks complete, ready for arms, legs, faces, fins and tails...

See the purple block there? That's going to be a cat! The last two blocks are more complicated, involving colorwork and texture, and all nine will be  the animals from Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? I am currently working on the body of the goldfish, then the sheep will be last. Super fun!

After that, PURPLE SOCKS AHOY! 

The other yarn in my "happy mail" photo from Leading Men Fiber Arts (one of my fave dyers!)  is for a Christmas vest or colorwork sweater. I have not decided which yet, but this fairly neutral green, the color is called "The Grouch," is pretty spectacular!

So many possibilities, and the 5-year-old is still asking about the Super Mario Bros.U Deluxe sweater he would like me to knit him next...but first, purple!

Oh, and did I tell you that I'm going to see Donny Osmond in July??? Gah!!!! And super yay!

What's bringing you joy today? Whatever it is, even if it doesn't include purple, I hope you have lots of it in your immediate future!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

It's Been Everywhere, Man

On March 21st, I mailed a box to my son and granddaughter. There is a birthday gift (it's silly, not valuable) and a Taylor Swift inspired scarf (handknit, priceless) in the box. 

Let's say that the box is headed for somewhere in Kansas...which it still is, by the way. I realize that Kansas is far from Cleveland, and I probably didn't mail it early enough, but the original estimate of arrival was March 25...just 1 day late for the birthday. Oh, well.

Except for the fact that the actual travel itinerary for this box, priority mail and so far, has been Cleveland to Akron; Akron to St Louis, Missouri; St Louis to Kansas City, Kansas; Kansas City to destination? No, Kansas City back to Columbia, then St Louis, MO; St Louis to Hebron, Kentucky (!?What?!); Hebron to St Louis again; St Louis to Kansas City, KS again...and, although the estimate says that the box will be delivered today by 9pm, I am not confident. So, cross you fingers and say a prayer (if you are the praying kind) that the box will, in fact, arrive today.

I guess I have to laugh, although I am frustrated. This is a first for me, and it is more angering to watch it travel back-and-forth in my notifications... But maybe I should just be glad that this scarf has had an adventure? 20 years ago, I would have simply wondered where it had gone...today, I know a part of its story. Yes, it has had quite the adventure!

To keep calm, I have carried on with the knitting (shocker, right?!?), working on some giftie things. A few dish cloths, here and there, and gifts for a soon-to-be birthday boy! 

This guy will be 2 next month, and he loves Brown Bear, Brown Bear...can you start to see the characters in these blocks?

I've knit 4 bases in a week, and there are 9 animals, so I'm going to have to hustle to get them all done, but I think I am up to the task! 

Before I can keep knitting today, I'll need to get the bread and potatoes going for tomorrow's Easter dinner. Dough is currently rising, and I'll cook potatoes as soon as I sign off...

Whether you are observing a holiday or not, I hope that you are able to enjoy some time with family this weekend. I'm looking forward to celebrating that Jesus is alive with my family and church tomorrow! 

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Snowy Spring Saturday

Happy Spring, Northeast Ohio! Isn't it lovely that we woke up to a delicate blanket of SNOW this morning? Lol...

It is actually quite beautiful, with the only real hitch being the annual Easter Egg Hunt at church! Despite the white, the egg hunt went on as planned (mostly) with kiddos clamoring for their eggs indoors, rather than in the grass...and everyone had fun. Super yay!

And knitters everywhere in Northeast Ohio are taking up their needles for some cozy stitching to pass the time without getting muddy and cold. Add in a lovely cup of tea, and this weekend will not turn out half bad!

For me, there is also an upcoming birthday, with some grand toy-knitting planned, which makes for a cozy, knitting weekend indeed! Can you guess what I've got up my knitting sleeve? 

Also, it's just one week until we celebrate Easter, so this week will be busy at work. therefore, I'm going to take whatever down-time I can get this weekend...still relishing in a recently-finished project that will make Taylor Swift fans everywhere smile.

This tiny, cabled, baby cardigan is based on my favorite sweater pattern (available as a pattern generator at knittingfool.com), with the cable and twist elements added in. It took about 4 days to knit in fingering-weight cotton, and it's taking about 2 days to dry after its spa treatment (soak and block). Oh, cotton. You love water so...

So, there are socks on the needles, and surprises for the soon-to-be Birthday Boy (our youngest grandson turns TWO next month), and the weekend has provided the perfect weather for knitting. Are the planets aligned, or what?!? 

Tell me something that is going RIGHT for you today! I hope there's more than one thing, but even if things don't seem to be going your way, I hope you can find one good thing to celebrate on this cozy Saturday.

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

It's a Good Day!

Today is a good day. The sun is shining, spring-like temperatures are on the horizon, and I've already been productive as part of a church project making Peace Crosses for our community. (I'm not in any of the pictures, but I took them all, so that proves that I was there! If you were also there, thank you! It was only an hour, but the work was restorative and fun!)

Also, I've nearly finished the requested red and tan scarf, and now I mostly need to decide on fringe or not. I'm leaning toward not, as I'd probably have to buy more yarn for fringe...but the jury is still out. 

The socks are coming along. I've made a pretty significant error on the cuff of sock 2, but since these are purposefully "wonky" socks, I've just done a quick repair (that doesn't hide it at all), and moved on. We'll see if anyone ever gets close enough to my feet to find it. Might be bad news for them, if they choose to point it out...lol!

Got a LOT of pictures from the newly-minted teenager recently, as she just did a class trip and then had a birthday the next day! These girls just keep growing, and  I am excited to hug them in person on an upcoming visit we have scheduled!

And the boys are still keeping us on our toes! So active, and with the sun peeking out more and more, we are outside and moving with them as much as we can! My quiver is full of these joyful, young people, and there are days that I cannot get enough!

There are also days that I just need a nap, which means balance is the name of the game. I am getting over a fairly significant cough, so still taking it a bit easy as that abates. Have any of you parents and grandparents figured out that perfect balance? If you have, please send the formula! I want to do ALL THE THINGS, but there are simply not enough hours in my days...still, today is a good day. 

What are you up to today? Is the sun shining, or is this a cozy up with cocoa, a movie and some knitting today? Whatever you are up to, I hope that today is a good day for you, too!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!