Waiting. . .

Doctors and dentists have rooms dedicated to waiting. All through life we wait. . .waiting for Christmas. . .waiting to go to school. . .waiting to get to summer. . .waiting to grow up. . .waiting, waiting, waiting. I've done a lot of waiting in my life.

When our kids were small, I did a lot of waiting on Sweetie. Sweetie was a sailor in the US Navy, and he was attached to a "big submarine boat" (as Army Boy and Dollface called it) that was deployed frequently and with little notice. Most of the "runs" on Daddy's big submarine boat were short (a few days to a couple weeks) and there were just a few days to prepare. That left us waiting for Daddy to leave, and then waiting for Daddy to come home.

There was always an awkwardness around the exchange of responsibility that must occur when the Navy wife's husband deploys or returns. . .waiting to be in-charge-of-everything, then waiting for him to come-home-and-take-over-the-dirty-and-strenuous-jobs again. These were tricky waters to navigate, and we had a couple times that we nearly drowned in the stress and strain on our marriage, but I am happy to report that we did survive!

There was one deployment that lasted 6 months. Known as a "Med Run," Daddy's big submarine boat went into the Mediterranean Sea, and Daddy got a taste of real Italian pizza, real German beer, and a guided tour of parts of Israel. When it was time for the deployment to be over, and time for Daddy to come home, the kids and I made him a present:
You may be able to tell that this shirt saw a LOT of wear in it's day. This is one of my favorite pictures of him wearing that shirt. Dollface (just 2 years old here) and Army Boy (about 3-and-a-half) were so excited that he went to put that shirt on! They sat with him and told him all about how they dipped their hands in the paint, and Mommy let them put the paint on the shirt. . .
"and-den we have to wa-a-a-shhhh (and she demonstrated, rubbing her tiny hands together furiously), so da house not get all paint!"That 6 months seemed like a really long wait to all of us! It seems like the best things are the hardest to wait for, aren't they? Like waiting for a wedding. . .or waiting for weight-loss success (plugging my 40 pound weight loss over the last year - go, Pretty! Psst!, anybody need any XL hangers? lol). . .But I still think the hardest thing to wait for is for a beloved Daddy to return home from a long deployment. The reunions will be sweet, the separation is difficult at best. . . . . .but the waiting is agonizing. Peanut is now officially waiting for her Daddy to come home. There should be a mid-tour leave for her birthday, then the deployment will end next fall. The waiting. . .oh, the waiting is the hardest part.As I wait, I will pray, and I will cry, and I will knit. You're welcome to join me on the journey, and to see what comes off my needles in the form of woolen therapy, as well as updates to the Etsy store. Even though I am waiting, the world still turns. It's best that I keep on keepin' on, or I might get dizzy and fall down!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Tormented Knitting. . .

After last week's fun-times in polymer clay, this weekend is looking a little more somber in Pretty-ville. Not to worry anyone, but Pretty has been feeling a bit tormented, and her heart is just a-drift in a sea of emotion. . .so she cast on something in blue to get her through the weekend:

Drift cardigan in Lamb's Pride Worsted, Tormented Teal colorway. . .

I even tried to lift my spirits up by their bootstraps, casting on some instant gratification projects, like this little pouch for me to keep in the shower with my leftover bits o'soap tucked inside to be all used up:

Peaches and Cream yarn, stitch pattern from this cloth

Then there are these little cuties! Leftover sock yarn made into tiny socks for key chains, or just for fun. They're barely big enough to go onto my index finger, and I am thinking that they would make great Christmas ornaments (if I were to get my knitting-tush in gear and make like a gazillion of them before the tree goes up)!

Just a basic sock pattern, cast on 20sts, top-down

Of course, thinking about Christmas is sure to lift a Pretty's spirits! But thinking about Christmas also makes me think of the thing that is the (whisper it now) S-N-O-W...and that does NOT usually lift Pretty's spirits! Of course, any excuse for a new, lace scarf does lift the spirits, so I guess this was also a good project to work on a bit this week!

Mirabelle in hand-dyed yarn from Cozy Spirit on Etsy

Still, you may be wondering what has Pretty a little down-in-the-needles today. . .and this is it: Army Boy is still in the Army, and the Army is still sending Boys (and Girls) waaayyyyy far away from their families in service to their country. It's Army Boy's turn again in the very near future, and I am sad that I will not see a sight like this for many months:

Peanut loves her Daddy.

I am proud of my son's choice to be a member of the military, to defend the country where he was raised in freedom and wealth, without worry (in general) about his safety and health. I am thankful that we live in the age of accessible Internet, Skype, Facebook and Blogging. I am happy that we will be able to regularly keep in touch with just a few strokes of the keyboard on many days. But, just as Hurricane Irene weeps over the east coast of this great land, I have shed a tear or two in preparation for his departure, and I am sure that I will shed a few more in the coming days and months of his deployment.

To ease the heartache a bit (both mine and theirs, I hope), I have stuffed into these two tiny socks some photos of this beautiful family. My hope is that Army Boy, Wifey-Poo and Peanut will all be able to look at these photos regularly, wherever they are. I hope that they will smile at the memories of the first few months of their lives as parents, and I hope that they will grin in anticipation of their sweet times of reunion.

There's a little prayer in there, too.

All in all, this is not as bad as it could be. We will miss him, and he will miss his lovely wife and daughter, but I keep reminding myself how much God loves my Army Boy. Oh, how he loves us! And, if God loves him (and us) with such immeasurable love, then I have to trust that He will be watching over it all. . .holding us up when we need the support, and rejoicing with us at the reunions when they come.

So, don't be sad for Pretty. Say a prayer, if you are the praying kind, and take every opportunity to laugh and knit with Pretty! Life is for living, and I am glad that I can share it with you. :)

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

NOT ANGRY. . .

You've met those people who are NOT ANGRY, haven't you? Oh, they have an axe to grind or a bad attitude to share, but just ask them. . .they will gladly tell you that they are NOT ANGRY!!! (I have added exclamation points for emphasis and embellishment, but please note that exclamation points are pretty standard when one states that one is NOT ANGRY.)

I will pause here to let you know that I have not had a bad week so far. As a matter of fact, I had quite a bit of fun over the weekend. . .I played with polymer clay for hours upon hours, and I came up with a bunch of fun stuff!
Besides playing with clay, I have also tried my hand recently at the wildly popular "Angry Birds" game on my smartphone. . .and let me tell you, it's just a tiny bit addictive!!! lol All this time with the birds has even inspired some new creations that will likely appear in the Pretty Knitty Jewelry shop soon!

But the more I looked at my birds, and the more I realized that they are close but not exactly like the birds in my favorite phone game, the more I got to thinking. . .these birds are NOTsomuch ANGRY. . .they are simply misunderstood. The red guy, he's NOT ANGRY. . .he is just incredibly frustrated at my lack of slingshot skills. The little blue one? He's NOT ANGRY either. . .he has a split personality disorder. . .that must be difficult! The blackbird is NOT ANGRY. . .he's a suicide bomber on a mission for his deity, and his religious conviction is startling. Last but not least, the yellow one. . .you know what? I think he IS angry! He may deny that fact in capital letters, and with exclamation points, but I think he (or she?) is angry. . .maybe because of the genderless depiction I have chosen for him (or her?).

At times like this, I am really thankful for the sheep!

There will always be more sheep in the shop, because the sheep just belong there. Sheep and yarn go together like rama-lama-lama-ke-dinga-de-dinga-dong! And, by the looks of things, we will also see some new friends at Pretty Knitty Jewelry. . .canine friends, home-sweet-home friends, and fall friends, too!!!

The new friends will likely keep their distance from the birds. . .no matter how NOT ANGRY the birds claim to be. Perhaps I will cage them, but then I might have to finally figure out why the caged bird sings. . .that might be too taxing for my Pretty Knitty brain these days. :)

I hope that you are not over-taxing your brain, or if you are, I hope that you are at least winding down with your favorite hobby. Thanks for stopping by, friends, and Knit in Good Health! (But please don't knit angry. . .it really messes up your gauge!)

The Recovery Process

As sweet as the wedding was last Saturday (see "candy bar" preparations for reference):
. . .as sweet as it was, and as much fun as we all had at the rehearsal and wedding, the theme of this week seems to be RECOVERY. Recovery of the "hurty feet" which resulted from the too-high heels. . .recovery from the fog that has been my "wedding-brain" for the past 2 months. . .recovery from the flurry of activity that surrounds the days and moments just before (and during) the wedding and reception. . .recovery from EVERYTHING!

In the name of recovery, I have been putting my feet up and pampering them in handknit socks all week. Finally, a full week after 6-hours-in-heels, my feet are starting to feel normal again!

The brain is not so quick to recover. I have spent the better part of this week trying to remember if I have paid all of our regular, monthly, household bills on time. . .trying to figure out how much spending we actually did over the past 6 months on this fabulous (and totally worth it) party. . .and also trying to locate all of the things I had "put aside (somewhere?) until after the wedding!" Yes, I am still suffering slightly from wedding brain, but at least I can still calm my thoughts (and nerves) with knitting:

Medallion Lace Socks (designed by my friend Andrea),

knit in Destination Yarn (dyed by my friend Jeanne)

"What's next?," you ask? Well (with my feet up), I am planning some new pieces for the Pretty Knitty Jewelry shop, for starters!!! I am pretty excited about that, and the plan is to get some new pieces ready to list in September. Then I will DEEPLY DISCOUNT the pieces that have been there, to get a fresh new look in the shop!

Keep watching the blog for updates and information on special blog-reader discounts! Until then, thanks for stopping by! Oh, and Knit in Good Health!

Just Married. . .

On Friday night, with one more wake up until the wedding, we went and set up the tables at the hall. We took the groom and several strong young men with us, and we got the tables in place and the linens and centerpieces looked lovely!

The bride and her family returned to the hall on Saturday afternoon to put out the cupcakes "just so" for display. . .

. . .and a bridesmaid helped Dollface with her dance moves!

Then off to the church, where she had her hair done, and flowers carefully placed. . .

. . .and the Flower Girl did the same! (That's the sweater I knitted for her!)

After one final check, she was ready. . .

. . .for her walk down the aisle! I think her dad was ready too, but the moment is always a little bittersweet for the father of the bride. . . Snake, however, was totally ready to see his dollfaced Bride walk down to join her groom!

And then they were man and wife! (Cue rose petals in the air!)

After the ceremony, we all danced the night away to celebrate love!

Thanks to all of the family and friends who had a hand in making this wedding happen. Thanks also to everyone who came to show their love and support for Mr. & Mrs. Snake. You mean so much to all of us!

A special thanks to all of the behind-the-scenes folks who went above and beyond for this wedding, in the name of friendship. Whether you were emotional support for the bride or her mom, or a key player in the planning, we could not have pulled off such a perfect day without you!

So, there are the pictures I have. More will come in the next week or so from the wonderful photographer we hired to capture the moments of the day (Harbor Light Photography), and I will share as I can.

As always, thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Today is The Day!

Everyone is getting ready for a wedding, and I don't have much time to blog. . .but check out the cool thank yous (thanks for the perfect supplies, MotherTuckers) we put on the gift bags for the bridesmaids and flower girl:

Each bag got two tags, a thank you and a photo of the bride and groom!

Now, off to the hall to finish setting up, then into my dress and off to the church this afternoon. . .it's a good day for a wedding!

If I don't see you there, I hope that you will be Knitting in Good Health, wherever you are. Check back next week for pics of some of the fun!

3 More Wake Ups. . .!

And since it's on the front of my brain, here's a sneak peek of the "goodie bags" for the reception!
I got the bags from FairestLJ on Etsy (paper goods and paper-crafting supplies, great shop!), and they are perfect in every way. Then Dollface let me make up the newspaper clipping to attach to the bag. . .edited to protect the innocent, of course! And the ribbon can be used to close up the bags once guests have added some sweet treats from the bar! It's gonna be fun. . .

So the favors are done, the bulletins are done, the dresses are done, the decisions are made, and we are ready for a wedding! It is all so exciting, and now we rest until cupcake day, known to most of you as Friday! lol

So, for the rest, I am casting on a KAL sock for The Knitting Like Crazy group on Ravelry. . .in Destination Yarn, Bonfire. . .so hot it sizzles!:
. . .and, while I'm at it, another pink hat for Peanut! It's the Baby Beret from a book called Baby Knits Heads & Toes, and isn't it just adorable?!?

Between stitches, I am fretting (a bit) about the head count. . .did I account for everyone?. . .and buying up all the eggs and butter and sugar for the cuppy-cakes. . .and charging all the batteries in the phones and cameras. . .and thanking all my friends for loaning me (or giving me) the little odds and ends that have made the planning so much smoother! I have good friends!

The next time I blog, I will be getting ready for a wedding!

Until then, and forevermore, Knit in Good Health!

Thanks for stopping by!

7 DAYS and counting. . .

I will not post daily from here until the wedding. I will post today that there are 7 days more, and I will post on Wednesday, as usual. And next week, you know, on THE DAY OF THE WEDDING? Well, there will be a post, but it may be short! lol

Today has been good so far. :) I've only been moving for two hours or so, but the laundry is in, and I am going to the farm in a bit for my CSA. . .so far, so good! Other items on the list are picking up Sweetie's tux; helping Dollface and Snake get their new apartment "just so," so they have someplace to go after the honeymoon; maybe catching a movie later; cleaning up our house in the aftermath of the daughter's move. . .wow! If it weren't so close to the wedding, I'd consider climbing back in bed for a NAP!

But if I did that, I might forget to blog all the knitting that happened this week! Oh, and there was knitting!

Knitting for the wedding:

Even the wedding garter is eager!

It loved perching on my knee. . .

Knitting for the baby:

She is a cutie, and she keeps growing.

She must have a new hat!

Knitting for stress relief:

A little Christmas in July knitting therapy for me.

Started in July, finished Aug. 4th, in plenty of time

to wear them for Christmas!

Yes, there has been knitting, yay! And there will be more knitting this week(although it may not get blogged). After all, there are wedding rehearsals and dinners, and cupcakes to be made and iced, and gifts to be finalized and put together. . .it's gonna be a wild week! But truly, I cannot wait for the Big Day. . .I may be more excited than she is. . .seriously. . .not!

After all, she has her bestest friends around her. . .

. . .and there is just so much "bride stuff" for her to do in preparation for becoming Mrs. Snake! I think she is having fun, and I think she is looking forward to the celebration, but I also think she is looking forward to the days (and weeks) after the wedding, when all the crazy party planning can be put behind her! In all honesty, I'm looking forward to that, too!

Thanks for stopping by Wedding Central today, and Knit in Good Health!

Wedding Wishes Wednesday...

Wow! Wednesday already!

It's Amazing that it is August already!

OMGosh! That wedding is weaseling it's way in here!

I am waaayyyyy busy, and so thankful that everything is coming together. . .as a matter of fact, I'm nearly giddy with excitement at the thought of the blessed event! Sure, there's a little stress. . .but you know what else there are?

Good friends who get it! Thank you to my beautiful neighbor-friend for this haul:
Wine and chocolate and chocolate cookies and tissues, wrapped in delicaate tissue and artfully arranged in a beautiful gift bag. . .yep, all the bases are covered for the mother of the bride for the next week-and-a-half! Thank you, Thank You, THANK YOU, Karen!

Know what else I've got? Yep, the knitting! Knit night is tomorrow, and my knitting-friends will probably hear way more than you want to about this wedding (Jenifra, can you please bring the cage?), and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for listening to every detail along the way. . .Pretty haz fantastic friends!!!

Looking back through the summer, I notice that I have talked about me and my family a LOT, Tell me, dear readers, how have you been? I hope that you are finding yourself filling your days with fun times and friends. Oh, and knitting! Never forget the knitting!

Knit in Good Health!