What happens at knitting...

Those of you who know me know that Thursday is my favorite day of the week.  If this is your first visit to the blog, you might wonder why.  There really is no mystery to it - Thursday is the day that my local knitting friends get together for an evening of knitting, and dinner together, and (best of all) lots and lots of laughter!  

For those of you who do not knit (there are some friends and family members who read my blog, even outside my knitting group), you may have some preconceived notions about what goes on amongst the knitters.  Especially after reading the "Heard at Knitting:" status updates, I know that you are all wondering what happens at knitting.  I really wish I could tell you, but knitting is a little like Vegas. . .and we all know that "what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas!"  Still, to protect myself from being considered a dowdy grandmother in a rocker, just sipping tea with the other dowdy knitters in their rockers...well, I'm going to invite you in for some of the fun!

First, what doesn't happen at knitting?  You will not find blue-haired bitties in my knitting group, focused on our own ailments (and remedies), with the occasional mention of the "good ol' days."  You will not find the prim and proper ladies pictured in Rockwell prints, sipping tea and trading recipes as life goes by.  You will not find knitters bargain hunting for the cheapest yarn and needles to make scratchy blankets and sweaters their families may wear and use only out of a sense of duty.  

What you WILL find on Thursdays, in the church library, from 6-10pm, is more of a pajama party atmosphere.  Real women, having fun. . .comparing their latest works in progress (a light-as-air, lacy, mohair wrap to chase the chill of summer air conditioning; a winter head wrap, knit of super bulky wool, as a commissioned piece for a co-worker, and knit without a formal pattern; a new knitter, practicing knits and purls with acrylic yarn, and her mother who is working a thick and squishy baby blanket for her daughter's first son; a sweater with a bit of lace, knit in a cotton/wool blend, with a little re-write to the pattern; a red, wool, cabled-and-hooded cardigan; and many, many more).  You'll find all kinds of yarn, from the very affordable to the all-natural and luxurious animal fibers, some costing a pretty penny per pound!  You'll find new knitters, as well as "seasoned" experts, and you may even find someone crocheting in the group.  We have singles, marrieds, moms, grandmothers, daughters, and the laughter...oh, the laughter!  

"What's so funny," you ask?  Well, the last things I posted to the Heard-at-Knitting status were "You came in late and missed the boob story," and (totally unrelated, I promise) "I like your tassel."  So yes, we talk (and laugh) about boobs and other body parts.  There are double entendres that I will not repeat in my mostly family-friendly blog, many of them quite unintentional (like the tassel comment above), and some that are uber-intentional!  We talk about, and eat, the yummiest treats, and we share a bit of ourselves with each other each week!  We also "share" about our families and the other non-knitters in our lives, and when somebody suddenly raises a hand, declaring, "Wait a sec, 23...24...25...I have to get to 30!," the conversation pauses briefly, and then continues (as though uninterrupted) as soon as "30!" arrives.

This week was really a barrel of monkeys, as one of the gals brought in some toys she thought our 5th-grade teacher friend would like to have for her class...I think she called them Squishies, and there were hundreds of them!

These are just the few that I took home...

There were cows, and dolphins, and lobsters, oh my!  But for some reason, we were really taken with the clams...perhaps it has something to do with the fact that they look a little like sheep from the front...

Or maybe it's because they seemed so into the conversation, even attempting to join in from time to time...

Maybe it's just that they were so CUTE!  

Climbing around, all over the table...

...and then getting all shy, trying to hide!

Of course, they were not really that stealthy, "hiding" on top of my swatch...

...and eventually they just took off running!

Which made us all sing a song together, dissolving into laughter!

C'mon, watch it!  It's only 21 seconds, and it'll make you smile!

What a silly, fun bunch of knitters we are!  I am so glad to be a part of this group, and I'm happy to share some of my joy with you!  If you don't have a local group of people to knit and enjoy life with, I hope that you will find one...and if you live near me in Northeast Ohio (I'm PKJewelry on Ravelry), I hope that you will check out the CKW Group there and come out to "play" with us some Thursday!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Am I a HOARDER?

Oh noes!  I looked in the cupboard the other day, and I got a dreadful fright! It seems that someone must have wanted to see a new TV reality show...Knitters who Hoard (or Hoarders who Knit...is either one really better?).  We won't even talk about yarn, because it goes much deeper than my stash...just trust me.  ANYway, when I opened up my kitchen cupboards, guess what I found?

There were mugs in every cupboard!  Mugs and cups of nearly every shape and size had taken over my kitchen...some that I use every week, and some I haven't seen in DECADES!  There were mugs with ergonomically correct handles:

Sweetie likes the ergonomically correct!

There were mugs for soup:

Sentimental mugs:

I broke my "World's Best Mom" mug within a week. =/

Matching mugs:

These match my not-fancy-but-nearly-unbreakable Corelle dishes.

Insulated mugs:

Celebrity mugs:

My Mom loves Elvis...this was a Christmas present from her.

Quirky mugs:

Seasonal mugs:

Do I really need to decorate EVERY room for Christmas?

Commemorative mugs:

We actually had FIVE of these.

Souvenir mugs:

I should've gotten the magnets.

Plastic mugs and sippy cups:

Oh, and a candle holder:

No idea why or how it got in there...I don't usually burn candles

It was an interesting walk down memory mug lane, but I knew immediately that it was time to "thin the  herd" in my mug collection.  I don't think my house will ever be able to hold enough people to use all of these mugs, and I don't have a dishwasher, which means that it would take several hours to hand-wash them if I ever DID want to use them!  (How does it get dusty inside the cupbord???)

Some of the mugs went into the trash, and some went into the recycling bin.  The really special Daddy mug (a Father's Day gift when the kids were very small), and some others, still have a place in my cupboard.  I was so brutal with the rest that I even have an entire shelf free now!  (As you are my witness, I will not fill this shelf with new mugs.)  I really feel accomplished, especially since there has also been knitting during my recent spring cleaning (of a couple cupboards) spree!

For a friend's baby shower, I knitted a "Little Man" sweater and hat that I designed as I went.  I have not written a formal pattern, but I started with my fave sweater recipe, fingering weight yarn and an idea of braided cables.  IMHO, it turned out pretty great, and the Mommy-to-Be liked it too, soooo Yay!

AND, I finished another pair of socks!

AND, I am swatching (no, really, I AM!) for the baseball sweater that YOU helped me choose for my next knit!  It's been a good couple of days.  I hope that you have also been getting things done this spring!  Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

VD, wait a minute...no

I guess I didn't think the letters through this week.  I mean, I knew I would not knit them in order, because I wanted to knit them by color...so I started with the vowels, in camo yarns.  Then I used some pink yarn, because this alphabet is for a girl, then yellow and purple, and now a shade of aqua!  

What I did not realize when I switched colors, from purple to aqua, was that I was knitting V-D.  Hmmm..., what to do, what to do...

I know!  Knit another letter, and knit it up quick!

It took me a minute to decide which letter to knit next, but then I got to thinking...I really, really like these two letters together:

Does anyone else have a sudden taste for ice cream?!?  Let's go!!!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!  

(after the ice cream...you don't want to get your yarn all sticky!)

Help me make it through the Knit...

With all the "transitional" weather we have had this spring, Pretty thinks it's time to cast on a summer sweater.  You know, one to keep with her ALWAYS...for the chilly morning commute...and for the lower than she needs AC in the office (and almost every restaurant she will enter this summer)...I'm thinking cotton or cotton blend, a lightweight sweater, maybe a little lacy even.  I have some cotton/wool (Brown Sheep Cotton Fine) from last year's Wool-A-Palooza, and some mercerized cotton (Classic Elite Provence) from the year before. and I think there may be others hiding around the stash, so I have the yarn.

Now I have to pick a pattern, and there are just so many options!  The thought of sifting through every pattern I love is throwing me to-and-fro in my Knitting Mojo, and frankly, I am afraid that putting off the decision will only add more "gotta-knit-that!" patterns to my queue on good ol' Ravelry, so will you please help me decide?  I've narrowed it down to 3 choices, and here they are, in no particular order:

Petal is a short sleeved, lacy little number that is sure to ward off the chill of a blowing vent on my shoulders.  With short sleeves, tho, I am not sure she will be warm enough...

Turn of the Glass is a feminine, but substantial DK-weight cardigan, with long sleeves and no lace (but look at the rib detail that helps to shape the waist!), and I WILL knit this one eventually!  Should this be my next cast on?

This DROPS pattern (with numbers for a name...must be some foreign thing), is also in the running.  This one, in the natural, off white yarn shown, reminds me of the stitching on a baseball, and therein lies the charm for me.  Because so many springs and summers found Sweetie and I spending sultry (or snowy!) afternoons watching our favorite shortstop on the field...the lace pattern here will certainly evoke pleasant memories every time I wear it!  Of course, DROPS patterns sometimes make my head spin...

So, what do you think?  I've thunk and I've thunk 'til my thinker is sore! Please leave a comment to share your opinion (and let me know if you have knit any of these, as well!).  While I'm waiting to hear what you think, I have a long-overdue quilt project to get started on with these:

I know, it's not a great pic, but that's a little by design.  This is for a friend, surprising someone, and I don't know who might read what...so, this is me being secretive (yet still posting things on the Internet...yeah, not so secretive...)  I have been looking forward to this project for some time, and I am hoping to go shopping by or before the weekend for the first of my supplies...yippee!!!  I'd say that I'll keep you posted, but like I said, it's a secret, so maybe not.  lolz!  

In any case, there should still be knitting.  You can't hear the TV over a sewing machine, and there are a couple of shows I kinda love, so there should still be quiet-and-relaxing knitting.  Once we pick a cardigan, there will be even more to show off, I am sure!

Thanks for stopping by, and (in advance) for leaving me a comment to let me know which one you think I should knit knext!  Knit in Good Health!

PS - By the way, if you're thinking that post title reminds you of a "vintage" country song, here it is...

Va-Va-Va-Voom!

Va-va-va-Voom?  

Yeah, well I finished a violet letter "V" this week, and that's the v-word that popped into my head first.  And look, this letter is ready for action!:

It's just the most Vivacious letter ever!  Don't you agree?  (Please agree!  I have hit a block in my letter knitting, and it was a month between this and the last letter I knit...and I really don't have the voracity today for long explanations, peppered violently with v-words...thanks.)  You know what else this Violet V inspired me to?  Well, look:

Another Bulky Hat and Scarf!  Now Mindy can haz a set, just like Dollface!  Well, not just like Dollface, because hers are red and white, and these are violet and white...and DD's hat is bigger (by request) than DIL's hat..., but other than that, they are exactly the same.  =D  So, I have knit a "V" and a hat and a scarf in purples.  What did I do next?  Well, I have had this little cradle purse for quite awhile...

In fact, I even blogged it three years ago!  But there it was, waiting patiently in Peanut's toy box, without a baby!  Every time I opened it, I thought to myself, "Self, why have you not made a baby for this cradle purse?  You have the supplies, and you have the skills..."  Finally, after finishing with the letter V, I announced to Sweetie that I was ready to make another baby.

(silence of the most awkward kind)

Wait...let me clarify...I was ready to crochet a baby for the cradle purse...which I then did.

Awwwww!, how sweet is she?, all tucked in...!

After I made the baby, I decided that it was time for a break, both for me and for Sweetie!  (Don't tell anyone, but I think his heart stopped for a second there..."make another babyyyy?!?!?!?")

So there's my crazy for this week, and happy Saturday to ya!  

I gotta sign off now, or I'll be late for Zumba, but thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Nom Nom Nom. . .

Are you ready for some knitting?  I was!  It's been pretty busy at Pretty's place lately, and the knitting-time had taken a major hit.  But this week (finally!) there were some finished objects in my knitting bags, and here they are: 

A very hungry little "redhead"!

Back Socks. . .from back when I hurt my back, just before 

Sweetie tweaked his back, hence the project name!

And a secret little something for a friend. . .I think 

it's finished, but it may need a hat?  Hmmmm. . .

Then there's this, which is not finished:

But, it's on it's way!  It's one of my own patterns, and I had hoped to have it done at the start of winter. . .best laid plans, and all that jazz!  (Jazz hands!)  With the warm winter, and all the extra activity around, that was a fail, but I think I can still finish it before summer starts at least!  We shall see. . .

What are you working on?  Have you switched over to your warm-weather projects, or are you still draped with wool these days?  Either way, thanks for taking time out to stop by today!

Knit in Good Health!

Happy Easter!!!

There's candy in these eggs!!!  

Here!  Have a little chocolate bunny!

Or just get the wrapper off, and give it back, K?

Thanks!  And Happy Easter!  Gramma says to Knit in Good Health!  

I wonder if she has any yarn that needs to be tangled???

A Big Finish!

It's been a busy week for Pretty!  

I had a birthday, check out my new knitting bags:

The one on the left is from Peanut and her mommy...a new knitting bag for Gramma Pretty!  And the one on the right is from Connie, who knows of my cupcake awesomeness!!!  Super yay!

I also had jury duty and a doctor's appointment this week.  Not nearly as much fun as a birthday, and no cake involved in either...boo!  But that's life.

Most of the rest of this week has been uneventful...well, except for Thursday. On Thursday, one of my "knittahs" finished an epic project!  She's been working on this Girasole shawl since she joined the group.  It's miles and miles of lace (in fancy, lace-weight yarn), and this week, a few of us had the privilege to bear witness as she finished binding off about a-gazillion stitches!  

So, what does a doll-faced, redheaded knitter do when she finally finishes a project of this proportion?  Well, first, she spreads it out on a large table, letting her friends oooh! and aaah! their hearts out, with exclamations of "Stunning!" and "Beautiful!" and "OMGosh, that is gorgeous, and it isn't even BLOCKED yet!!!"

Then, she and a trusted friend are very, very careful as they remove the lifeline that has saved her sanity more than once...

...and she gets very close to the stitches, admiring each one and barely containing her joy!  She has spent hours, and days, and years knitting this wool into a garment of warmth and comfort and healing and triumph!  (This knitter, not unlike many in our group, has seen some rough patches over the last few years. . .the knitting has helped us all through some of those!)

Finally, before we all leave for the holiday weekend, there are final shouts and cheers for the photo finish of the epic Girasole, and the redheaded, doll-faced knitter who produced it!

Oh, and there are plans to celebrate Easter by blocking this shawl, on Sunday afternoon. . .it's gonna be a party!  Congrats to you, CrazyCrafter!  May you Knit, and wear your new shawl, in Good Health always!

Thanks for stopping by to read and share the joy here.  I hope that you will also be sharing time with family this weekend, and I wish you many finished projects and much joy as you Knit in Good Health, yourself!

Which Came First?

Which came first, the chicken or the egg-hat?

Well, in Pretty's house, the Egg-Hat clearly came first. . .12 of them, in fact!  Of course, once a knitter produces 12 hats for eggs, the knitter also feels the need to display the art, like so:

But this knitter realized, somewhere around hats eight and nine, that she had no pretty platter or other such dish, upon which to display her eggs!  So, what do you think she did?  She bought one, of course. . .(enter the Chicken)!

Yes, yes, she knows that this is a rooster.  It is also a whimsical, 2-quart casserole dish, with a wire basket for carrying.  It is really quite lovely on it's own, but it is SPECTACULAR when it holds a dozen hatted eggs, fresh from our favorite farm!

Now that Pretty has a grandchild, new holiday traditions are afoot!  I am just giddy with the thought of a little Peanut asking, "Gramma, can I help you get out the Easter chicken?," someday!

I hope that you have some pretty things about your house this spring, and I hope that the big questions in the universe (Chicken or egg? C'mon! Which is it?) don't stop you from smelling the flowers around you here and now.  

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!