Freeze Frame!

White Cat: Psst!  Have you seen Pretty?  Or the Black Cat?  I'm taking over the blog!  I'm taking over the WORLD!!!  Meow-ah-ha-ha-haaaaa!!!

Pretty: Notsofast there, Cat!  I'm right here...

White Cat: Rats!  Foiled again!

Pretty: That's right, but you have a point when you say I've been scarce lately...

White Cat: I'll take over the blog for you (face hopeful, kitty eyebrows up-and-down, up-and-down)!

Pretty: Thanks, but no thanks, Cat.  Actually, I've been thinking about it, and I think I'm going to take a little break from the blog...maybe for a couple weeks, maybe for a little longer.  I'll be back, but in the meantime, I'll be casting on some new things, catching up on my own blog reading, cleaning out an inbox or six, and finally watching all of the Elvis movies I DVR-ed last month!  I sure hope my readers won't mind too much...

White Cat: (yawn) They'll be fine...they'll probably just knit.

Pretty: Haha!  You're probably right!

Readers, thanks for stopping by!  Sorry there's not any knitting content today...but I hope to have lots of knitting content in just a few weeks!  Thanks for understanding, and Knit in Good Health!

The Guest Room

White Cat: Testing...Testing...1, 2, 3...Testing...is this thing on?

Black Cat: (sigh!) It's a BLOG, not a podcast.

White Cat: But, it's our turn, right?

Black Cat: Yes...she said we could blog today.  Did you ask her about the knitting?

White Cat: Why?

Black Cat: Because it's a Knitting Blog, you dope!

White Cat: Oh...I didn't ask her...did you?

Black Cat: No.  

White Cat: Oh.  (sigh!)  Now what?

Black Cat: Did you see this?

White Cat: What? 

Black Cat: This empty room here...how long has this been empty?

White Cat: I dunno...a week maybe?

Black Cat: Hey!  You don't suppose...is this, could it be, is it a ROOM FOR THE CATS?!?

White Cat: And you think I'm "out there?"

Black Cat: NoNoNoNoNo!  Look!  The Kitty Condo could go here, and the Catnip could go here, and the cushy cat beds could go right in the middle...maybe we could bring back the sofa so we can keep our toys under there...!

White Cat: Back up the train, there...do you really think this is a room for us? I bet she's gonna store yarn in here or something...

Black Cat: (sigh!) You're probably right.  (sigh!)

White Cat: But, just think...if it were a cat room, we could get a LOT of beauty rest in here!

Black Cat: Yeah, you need a lot of beauty rest.

White Cat: Hey!

Black Cat: What?!?  You think I'm kidding?

White Cat: You big dope!

Black Cat: I'm just tellin' it like it is...

White Cat: I'll tell YOU like it is...

Pretty: Hey, you two!  Knock it off!  I'm moving some furniture in there today, so you better scoot!  That's gonna be the guest room, so Mork, Mindy and Peanut can visit next month!

White Cat: I told you it's not a cat room!

Pretty: That's right, it's a guest room.  So, you two scoot!  If I'm going to knit at all today, we've gotta get this bed moved, and the TV set up, and the nightstand...so much to do!  

To the readers: Oh, HI!  I almost didn't see you there!  So glad that you stopped by!  I wish I could talk longer, but as you see, I barely had time to blog today!  I hope that your day is everything you want it to be, and that you have some time to Knit in Good Health!

PS - Mork is home!  Go here to see some photos!

Wordless Wednesday...

Because there just aren't enough words to contain the joy...

...the love...

...the relief...

...of being HOME!

Of Cats and Socks

So, the cats have been bugging me lately.  The say they'd like to do a guest post again, and that's pretty funny for two reasons:

1. They really did NOT seem to enjoy their last guest post, and 

2. I just finished knitting these!:

A pair of Hello Kitty Hats!

I once knitted a small Hello Kitty hat for a small girl, but the girl grew...so more hats are flying off the needles!  Yay for Kitty Hats!  These are a really fun knit, by the way...and if you've got a girl in your life, you should try one!

So, cats...what is it you have to say?  

Pretty looks about...no cats to be found, well, except for the hats!

OK, then...no guest bloggers today.  Well, let's see the sock!

Technically, it's a sock-and-a-half...

It's one of the Traveling Socks...and boy!, has it traveled!!!  This sock has  seen four states, three doctors' office visits, two cars, and a partridge in a pear tree!  Yeah, I made that last part up...but that first sock is very well traveled!  The second sock, notsomuch...BUT, at least I am working on the heel already.  Even though this sock has mostly only seen the living room, it's well on its way to being finished.  Yay!

And I still don't see the cats anywhere...maybe they'll be around to help me out on Saturday...I have a pretty busy weekend ahead of me.  I suppose I'll just wait and see.  Until then, thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Play Ball!

Remember the Baseball Sweater? You know, the one I started in April? The one I wanted to have to ward off the chill of the office AC? The one I desperately wanted to finish before the heat of summer was upon us?  Lightweight, part cotton, part wool, perfect for the whole summer...yep, that's the one!  Well, I am pleased to announce that it is finished!  

And the crowd goes wild!...and asks for pictures...which Pretty happily provides, free of charge!

First, a little detail:

Yes, you've seen similar shots, but this one is blocked.

And here is one of the amazing buttons I found...shiny!

And now, one of the whole sweater...

Oh, I just want to pet it!  I love this sweater!

May I just say that I love this sweater?  I mean, I really love it...like, I have not taken it off since Thursday (well, except for in the shower).  Wait, let me just show you how much I love it!

I LOVE THIS SWEATER!

I love the yarn, I love the lace, I love the buttons, I love the fit, and I LOVE THIS SWEATER!!!  (Click the link there for all the details on the RAV page, and a couple more pics.)

I even love this sweater FROM BEHIND!

Despite all of that love, I will say that I was less than thrilled with the pattern writing, but for me, that's true of most DROPS patterns...I'm not sure if it's something with the translation or what, but this pattern was very confusing to read, especially the instructions for the back.  There was a fair bit of waist shaping AT THE SAME TIME as the traveling lace (which gives it that hourglass shape on the back that resembles the stitching on a baseball, hence my project name), and that was quite the challenge!

Apparently I was up to the challenge, tho, because the sweater is finished...and that frees me up for some mindless knitting, like this:

The Yarn Harlot's One Row Scarf pattern is amazing!

And that's good, because I'd really like to finish this scarf to gift it before winter is over...I think I may make it!  lol!

What projects are you desperate to finish?

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Wild and Wonderful Wednesday

Now that I've roped you in with an absolutely FANTASTIC title, I have to come clean...I got nuthin' today.  My last few weeks have been pretty wild stressful.  Good Wonderful things are coming, to say the least, but the getting there can be pretty tough.  You can read about it HERE, if you are so inclined.  :)

Despite all of the roller coaster emotions, and the Ravellenic knitting that distracted me for a bit, I did manage to get the baseball sweater blocked, tho.  I've even stitched it together...now, all it needs is buttons.  That means I need some motivation to find buttons for the baseball sweater...I may even have something spectacular in the button box, but I won't know until I get off my duff and look!  

Here's hoping your summer is sailing along smoothly, and also that your fall is full of fine friends!  Thanks for stopping by, and for putting up with the alliteration...  Knit in Good Health, friends!!!

The dolls, in their new home, far away from Gramma.

1200 Miles Away From Home

Last August, Pop Pop and I witnessed heartbreak...

This photo STILL makes me cry!

In March, it was pure joy for a mid-tour leave...

Wait, you're the "Daddy" from the pictures!  That's you, right? 

And for the whole year that her daddy has been in Afghanistan, we have been blessed with so much of the muchness that is so good for Grammas and Grampas...

Look at that face!  We can't get enough...

But this last week was bittersweet, to say the least.  As soon as we left our driveway for the 600 mile journey to the Army base Mork will soon return home to, we knew that we were 1200 miles away from home.  He was farther, and his journey will likely take longer than the approximately 20 hours we spent driving to and from the place Mork, Mindy and Peanut will now call home.

On the one hand, if he had not been deployed, we would not have had this amazing year with Peanut and Mindy living locally.  On the other hand, who wants their kid to go to Afghanistan and carry big guns?  I mean, maybe there are parents out there that would be excited at the prospect...not me.  Don't get me wrong, this has been a GREAT YEAR (just look at the pictures!), but I wish Mork could have also shared personally in the many joys we were so privileged to witness firsthand.

Now that the time has come for him to be home with his wife and daughter on a permanent basis, we are thrilled!  We are also heartbroken that "home" for them is a 10 hour drive that we cannot make 3-4 times each week.  But the better thing is (and has ALWAYS been) that this little family will be together...

Last week, we loaded up the cars with their stuff (5 cars in total, traveling in 3 different "waves" to the new apartment), and we drove them down and helped Mindy turn an empty apartment into a beautiful homecoming for her one true love.  Pop Pop and I helped to move boxes, assemble furniture, unpack boxes, wipe down and wash things that had been in storage for the past year, and grab all the Peanut snuggles we possibly could.

Pop Pop's little flower.

It was pretty tough to leave, but we know that they will be fine...better than fine...Daddy is coming home VERY SOON!  :)  And, at the end of our 1200 miles we realized that we have made that same 1200 mile journey before, and we can (and definitely WILL) make it again.  We won't see them as often as we are accustomed to, but we will see them.  

So we say a prayer of thanks for the time we've had, and a prayer of thanks that Mork is coming HOME.  We say a prayer of protection over them as they wait for Mork, and as they all get reacquainted.  We say a prayer of thanks that there will be a leave after his return, and we pray that their plan to come back to us during that leave goes off without a hitch.  And, at the end of our prayers, we are already planning our first visit.  :)

What are you thankful for today?

Ravellenic Knitting: Part Two

I promised pix, so here they are!  First up, the summer dishcloths art squares for Team Odd (the Oddballs on Ravelry):

A picture outside their new home!

I worked on them for the first part of the Olympics, in preparation for their journey to another state they will call home.  There are flip flops, a ladybug, and a multicolored lovely in a colorway called "Field of Dreams," which reminds me of summer baseball in days gone by!

In the Oddballs, the utterance of the word dishcloth
is strictly forbidden...it just is.

The Homespun Hammerthrow was not my only event...I am also plodding along on a Hat Dash for Team CKW.  I'd like to say that it will be done before the end of closing ceremonies tomorrow, but I haven't even started the flower...but, I have nearly finished the hat part:

Yes, it's being modeled by a melon.  I'm still in my jammies.

So, there you have it, photos of the Ravellenic knitting!  While I'm at it, here's a photo of the bridal shower afghan I mentioned on my Family Blog:

Crocheted beauty from the bride's brother's wife's mom.

Off I go now, to finish that mad dash, and hopefully there will be medals for Pretty along the line.  I really am doing my best to represent!

What did you knit for the Rav Games of 2012?  

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Ravellenic Knitting: Part One

Have you heard about the Ravelympics Ravellenics?  I know I mentioned them in this post, and there was some contraversy over the name...some copyright or trademank issue...and it was kinda outrageous.  BUT knitters are pretty bounce-back-y from such blows to our egos, so we are still having games in conjunction with the actual Olympics!  Our games are meant to challenge our knitting selves with projects that will stretch us as the knit-thletes (and crochethletes) that we are, and I am no exception to that rule!

My projects this year aren't so much about stretching my knitting skills as they are about stretching my knitting time during a transition in our family.  You see, the schedule for the Games (Olympics AND Ravellenics) currently coincides with the time I knew that Sweetie and I would be escorting Mindy and Peanut to their home (several states away) to set up housekeeping and prepare for Mork's return...YAYYYYY! for Mork's return!

Sooo, amid the stuff and the extra lovely people that I have had the honor to host...and despite a cross-country caravan to move all that stuff and all those people to the southern hospitality they'll call home...my goal was a few dishcloths (art squares) for the Homespun Hammerthrow event, and a lace beret for the Hat Dash event.  Have I made any progress?  Well, yes...I have!  Nothing is finished yet, but there has been Ravellenic knitting..and there will be Ravellenic knitting photos in Part Two...sooo, stay tuned!

Have you reached the finish line on anything lately?

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Uncopyrightable?

Why UNCOPYRIGHTABLE?  Have you not noticed how fixated I am lately on words without repeating letters? No? Hmmm, you must not be paying attention, because I am totally fixated...hey, fixated has no repeating letters!  See?  It's pretty much taken over, and there's a reason for that!  Well, actually, there are 26 reasons!  

Wait, there are only 15 letters there.  Hmmm, wonder why that is...oh, that's right!  That's a word!  It's one of the longest words in the English language without a single repeating letter!

There are actually two words that have 15 letters without a repeat, but the other one is dermatoglyphics, and without knowing exactly what that means, I was hesitant to use it as a post title!  (Of course, for those of you wondering, dermatoglyphics is the study of the patterns of ridges of skin on the fingers and palms and bottoms of the feet...yeah, still not a good post title for a knitting blog.  lol!)

In any case, I love that I can spell this word in knitted letters, with no computer trickery!  Pretty neat, huh?

What's your favorite word?  Does it have repeated letters?  

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Let me introduce myself!

"I'm Pretty, and I am the bride's brother's wife's mom."  
This was the absolute BEST introduction I have had the privilege to make at a bridal (or any) shower!

Oh, and I got to make this for a gift:

Yes, I know this is not the knitting blog, but this is
technically NOT knitting, it's crocheted!

Thanks, Snake, for having a sister who is getting married, and thanks to the girls for inviting me to join in the fun!

What is your favorite shower game?

The Big Reveal...

You've seen every letter along the way, but you haven't seen this yet...and it deserves it's very own post!  Look at THIS:

I LOVE this shot of my alphabet!

You know what that means?  Yep!  The whole kit 'n kaboodle, the entire alphabet is finished!!!

26 letters. Worsted, acrylic yarn. Size 2 needles. Phew!
Glad to be finished with that!

You can see that those "camo" letters really blend in!  That's like Pretty lately, just trying to blend into life, and still get some knitting done along the way.  If I'm lucky, I'll even be able to get some of my Ravellenic knitting in before the Olympics are done.

How are your Olympic-sized projects going?

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!