How to celebrate...

It seems like yesterday that this was us:

But, as you may be able to tell by the photos flanking ours. . .you know, our kids' wedding photos. . .it's been a few years since we "tied the knot."  As a matter of fact, Mr. Pretty and I were recently doing the math, and the end of February marks our silver anniversary!  It seems like just yesterday that we made all the promises, wide-eyed and all smiles (with a few happy tears), and pledged to remain. . .through better and worse, sickness and health, richer and poorer, yada-yada-yada. . .and we placed bands of gold on the third fingers of our left hands.  But the fact that our youngest got married, and our oldest made us grandparents last year. . .

Well, that really brings it home.  It's definitely been 25 years!  There's been better and worse, and sickness and health, and richer and poorer, and more.  There were times that it was so difficult that I didn't really know if we were gonna make it, but we did, and I am so glad!  If you had asked back then, I am sure I would have said that I'd rather not have to endure the hard parts. . .but there's something about going through the difficulties together that has grown us both as individuals and as a couple.  As high school sweethearts, we have basically grown up together, and I love him more than I ever thought possible. . .exponentially more than I already did on our wedding day!

Sooo, how does Pretty celebrate 25 years with Mr. Pretty?  Well, I started by finishing that sweater so I could wear it. . .

. . .and then there was a little trip over to Texas Roadhouse for a steak dinner.  Woo! Hoo!  Yep, we are wild and crazy still!!

Thanks for indulging me.  Now, back to life as usual (and, of course, knitting).  

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Finishing?

I thought I heard you say that February is for FISHING. . .

*smacks forehead*

. . .so I have finally ripped out the border on my Abalone sweater (I know, I know, technically it's a mollusk), and I am working on the redo, and finishing the armholes.  (There was funny bunching to the stockinette fabric at the corners in front on my first attempt, and I think this has been in Time Out for over a month.  Upon closer inspection of the photos on the actual pattern, I don't think this was a mistake, but a design element.  Either way, I didn't like it, so there was frogging of 16 garter ridges, knit in the round. . .yuck!)

It's been a long couple of days on this one. . .but I may actually finish it in February, too!  Go Pretty!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

C-A-T, and other words. . .

Why is it that when I am taking pictures that do NOT involve a C-A-T of any kind, one of my furry friends seriously wants to hone in on the action?  BUT, when I want to take a picture of this:

I have to include a toy kitty, because the others cannot be bothered to jump down from their regal positions on the back of the sofa!  Silly girls!  But, I did finish the letter C and the letter T this week, so even a toy C-A-T seemed appropriate!

At first, I was going to take lone pics, like this:

But look how lonely the "T" looks.  In that last picture, it looks like it's missing a V...I wonder what color V will be...black, like the remote?  Maybe.  But, for now anyway, it can hook up with C and A (or B and U, or C and O, or B and A. . .you get the picture!) and not be quite so lonely.  Whew!  There's nothing quite as sad and pathetic as lonely letters!. . .or is there?  Sweetie and I were both pretty sad and pathetic this past week. . .nothing too major, but we both "tweaked" our backs at different times, and ended up at the doctor's office over it.  Of course, with all the down time, I also started two pair of socks.  One pair waiting for him at the doctor:

(These are my "Back Socks" on Ravelry.  Name's not too

original, it's just a plain vanilla sock in a crazy yarn, 

so I didn't have to think too much while I worried.)

This other pair is "Helen Socks" from a pattern I found on Ravelry, by verybusymonkey.  It's such a pretty lace, but only a 4 row repeat, and very easy to do without too much thought. . .you know, like when you don't want to tax yourself too much, but you need something to take your mind off of your hurty back. . .sigh!

So there's been a lot of sitting at my house this week. . .which means there's been a lot of knitting, and that's a good thing - yay!  And our backs are mostly better (or at least getting there) - yay!  And, although February has not really been about finishing for me, I have gotten a LOT done, in the knitting world anyway - yay!  I hope that you have had a productive week (free from injury), and that it's been mostly good for you, too.  =D

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

All about U, Y? B-cause!

Cryptic title, no?  Well, not really, I suppose. . .here's what I've been knitting the past few days. . .the letter "U". . .

. . .which means that the vowels volume is now complete.

Well, unless you include "Y" as a vowel.  Y would you do that?  Well, it's just a silly rule of the language.  The vowels are A, E, I, O and U. . .and sometimes Y.  Sooo. . .

. . .the vowels are now complete, even if you include Y!  B-cause I am (apparently) very obsessed with motivated to make a complete, 26-letter pot of Alphabet Soup!  See?

The cats, they are not so impressed with the soup. . .

Whatever.

. . .but they are glad that the toys provide so many new "hiding places" when the dogs come over with the baby!

They'll NEVER see me HERE!

lolz, Cat!

What's your latest obsession?  Is it craft related?  Something else?  Inquiring minds want to know everything!  (see how I used all the vowels?  haha!)

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit (or whatever) in Good Health!

O Valentine!

Yesterday, you may remember, was Valentine's Day.  It's not a big deal at our house. . .never really has been.  In fact, I worried a little that Mork might not "get" how important this Hallmark holiday is to some girls. . .however, over the weekend, Mindy brought Peanut, and their "Valentines from Daddy," to our house to show off a little!  Take a look:
First, there were the "dozen roses" 
(chocolate covered strawberries actually)

Then there was the bear and balloon for the baby

Follow that up with a Skype session from the best Daddy-Valentine ever

Then, well. . .YUMMM!!!

It was a good Valentine weekend for Mindy and Peanut!  (Also for those around to "help" eat the strawberries!)


As a bonus, Pretty finished the letter O!  The other vowels were not quite sure about this donut-shaped addition to the family. . .

But, hey!. . .it's a donut-shaped letter. . .who wouldn't learn to love that?


Another item in the "Finish Department" over the weekend is this hat:

It's a hat for Peanut, but you may notice that Peanut is not wearing it.  That's because this is the hat with the unique distinction of being the first hand-knit that Peanut has absolutely, unequivocally and without any doubt, refused to wear. . .lol!  


I put it on her several times, and it fits snugly (as it should, to keep her head and ears warm).  Every time I do, she sticks her fingers up in the brim immediately, ripping it off and throwing it as far as her little arm can throw (I think she may be a fast-pitch superstar someday) grunting, making the face and slapping her thigh as the hat flies!  Considering her opinion of the hat, I think I am gonna skip the mittens for now, and find another recipient for this stunning piece of purple-ness that I so lovingly knit. . .anyone have a baby girl who needs a hat?


So, there you have it.  A new letter to love, and an new hat to hate. . .happy heart day to me!  I hope that your holiday was everything you wanted it to be, and that chocolate was somehow involved.


Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

iBlog

I know that this is not a shock to you, but iBlog.
I blog a lot...twice a week, in fact!
Also not a shock, iKnit!  
As a matter of fact I knit the letter "I" this week!

Since I had already knit an "A" and an "E," it seemed only natural to knit an "I" next...can you keep a secret?  Ok, then...would you like to buy an "O," round and neat?  A nearly perfect circle, tidy and complete...it'll cost you just a nickle...  Well, I'll be knitting an O soon, so look for me and my trench coat in a couple days.  On second thought, I might keep the O.  Who knows?

So, iBlog and iKnit.  Oh, and iBuy too.  My latest purchase involves evoL.  You see, my friend Cozy makes bags that are good to hold knitting (or other things, they are very versatile that way!).  Well, Cozy listed a bag last week that is supposed to say Love in beautiful batik...only it doesn't.  Poor cozy doesn't have cats to help settle her brain between projects.  That's ok, though, because now the bag she made is not just for Valentine's Day...take a look:

Yes!  You are evoLy, indeed.  So much so that I have already filled you with a project...a hat and mittens for Peanut!

With another winter holiday upon us, I feel the kneed to knit for that girl's knoggin, and here I go!  In general, knitting is better for me than chocolate, so I am pretty happy to have a project going right now!


Don't forget that February is for Finishing, and go enter Jeanne's contest!  (I finished an A, an E and an I this week!)  

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Today's blog post is brought to you by Vintage Sesame Street.  

Hmmm, I wonder what Gordon and Maria are up to these days...

Alphabet Soup!

I have noticed many ambitious bloggers planning their posts alphabetically, with a new letter for each consecutive post, to the tune of 26 posts.  That's ambition and commitment!  Me, I'm not that committed...but I think I can get through the alphabet in this post...so, heee-eeere she goes!


A is for Alphabet Soup, my newest project on Ravelry.  I have finished my first letter...

...and I am well on my way with the second!  (I'm starting with the vowels.)

B is for Bubble.  I like bubbles.
C is for Cookie.  Are you with me?
D is for Dollface...you can see her profile here! (along with the rest of the fam!)
E is for E (see Alphabet Soup above) and Etsy.
F is for Friends, found on Facebook, Ravelry, Twitter...you name it!
G is for Gramma, I am one!
H is for Hat.  See the hat?

I is for Indigo, and all of the colors that make knitting fun.
J is for Juggling, which I mostly do with time.  With chainsaws, juggling gets messy.
K is for Keepsakes.  Do you save them too?
L is for Love...and Valentine's Day is right around the corner!
M is for Mork AND Mindy!  (By the way, I am so proud of Mindy...see "T" below!)
N is for Nosy, which is what I am on Facebook, Ravelry, Twitter...you name it.
O is for One & Only.  There's only one Pretty!
P is for...say it with me...PEANUT, of course!

Q is for Quiet...something overrated and under-appreciated at the same time.
R is for Reality, which I sometimes need to check.
S is for Snake (see "D" above for details) and Sweetie!
T is for birthday Tutu, made for Peanut by Mindy, with nothing more than a picture and an online tutorial...I think her mother-in law may be rubbing off on her...and I am so proud of her crafty skillz!!!

U is for Under the gun...twice a week to get the blog out on time, and once a year to get the Christmas knitting done!  lol!
V is Very, Very extraordinary...wait, that's a song, not a blog.
W is Wishy-Washy...or what I suddenly become when I try to pick a pattern.
X is for Xylophone.  There are not many "X" words.
Y is for YOU!  Thanks for reading my blog!!!
Z is for "Zap!," which is what the knitting super-hero says each time she kicks your butt at craftiness...right, Standby-Go?


There you have it.  Alphabet Soup for a Wintry Wednesday!  I hope that you enjoyed it, because I'm pretty impressed that I made it through all the letters!!! Oh, here's another spoonful, from typing class...


The quick, grey fox jumped over the lazy, brown dog.  


Yeah, I totally rock.  By the way, it totally took me two or three tries to type that, too...I am a fan of spell check!


Thanks for stopping by, and Knit (and spell) in Good Health!

You gonna finish that?

I see by some of Wednesday's comments that February IS for FINISHING!  Yay for every UFO that will become an FO this month!  And YAY! for the knitters and quilters and crafters who will be freeing up some space for new WIPs!  Casting on is so much more fun after you've finished an item or thirty!

Don't forget to head on over to Life in Cleveland to sign up and post your finished projects each week to enter the CONTEST!  (See Jeanne's blog for details about the how, where and when...)  I am extra excited for the first week's prize package because it will include some Pretty Knitty Jewelry!  (I have something very special for the winner, but it's a surprise!  Shhh!)  Head on over to the shop to take a look around at my stuff, then GO ENTER JEANNE's CONTEST!!!  It's gonna be so much fun!

Speaking of finishing AND the shop, I am not finished yet with my blog ch-ch-ch-changes yet...there's one more tab up there, to tell you a little bit about the Pretty Knitty Family, and I think my next page will feature my row counters and other Pretty Knitty Jewelry.  I really wanted to have that done for today...but, you know what happens to the best laid plans, right?  Right.  They have a car accident that screws up much of their week.  Well, at least that's what mine did.  Not my fault, nobody hurt, and the other guy has good insurance (yay!), but the party car looks like this:

It's kindof a bummer, but the car is currently in the shop, and I am hoping that their plans include a "February is for Finishing" clause as well.  Regardless of the inconvenience of the situation, I do have a rental and there has been knitting, so I am gonna call it "all good" in Pretty-Land.  :o)

And speaking of the knitting, here's what I've started to finish this month:

Buttons on the Sheep Sweater (finished now!!!):

A hat to go with:

A new green hat to replace the green hat she said was too tight and pointy (?), this one more slouchy...BUT, I can't finish it until she brings me the old hat to pull out for more yarn...lol!:

Oh, and this one is not knitting, but I had a "skin" made for my new iPod...the company is called skinit, and although they have LOTS of designs, I used one of my own photos...I think it turned out pretty cool!  (BTW, here's a 20% off coupon code, if you want to make a skin or two for your own stuff...FEB12):

All in all, it's been a week since last Saturday...ain't that always the way?  I hope that you are on your way to finishing some things this month, and Good Luck in Jeanne's Contest!

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope that your Saturday is great, and that you will find some time to Knit (and sew and craft and FINISH SOMETHING) in Good Health!

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

There are changes afoot at the Pretty Knitty Blog, but they are not too major.  I am taking a page from a friend's book. . .errr blog (thank you, Life in Cleveland!). . .and I am trying out some of the things on blogger that I have not tried before. . .like Pages!  Who knew that my blog could have pages?  with tabs?  You did?  Good for you!!!  I just realized that this was an option, and I am pretty stoked to play with it!


My first page is going to be (drumroll please. . .)


THE PATTERN PAGE!


. . .and the crowd goes wild!. . .


Because I now have three patterns up on Ravelry, and all are free!  I had them in the side bar of the blog for a long time, but that side bar was getting pretty heavy.  Sooo, without fanfare, pomp or circumstance, I moved them to this page (see the tab right under my blog banner?) last Saturday.  After the move, I felt a little like this in my brain:

Dollface was so tired after her recent move to a new apartment!

Anyway, my brain was tired from the trial-and-error-and-finally-triumph, so I stopped there, and (of course) I picked up some knitting.  I am so glad that I have knitting to rescue my occasionally over-burdened brain!  There is just something so soothing about sheep. . .

. . .and the color PINK. . .

. . .and sheep. . .

. . .and knitting for Peanut!  Even though it's not quite finished (still needs buttons, but I have those on hand!), I am pretty happy with how this turned out, and I have officially called it another finished object!  Yay!!!


Speaking of finishing, some of my friends are embarking on a journey this month.  They are committing that "February is for Finishing," and I am thinking of joining in.  My brain, of late, is just flirting with frogging that bind off on the Abalone.  And there are so many toys I would love to cast on. . .'course, if I choose Mochi-toys, I could call that finishing. . .(that project says "WIP," does it not?).  In any case, whether February is for finishing or for finding freedom to cast-on some things, it should be a fine month!


What will you be finishing in February?


Thanks for stopping by, and Knit (and finish) in Good Health!