Tickled Pink!

Or you can call this Wordless Wednesday, because this next 22 seconds clearly needs no words...

Knit (and giggle) in Good Health!

I've Knit Everywhere, Man...

You may have seen the posts on Instagram, but even if you haven't, this is the story. It's like my knitting world tour, because (yanno) I've knit everywhere, man! I've knit everywhere, man! And this week, the tour focused mainly on the offices of medical and dental professionals. I'm generous with my knitting like that...

Generous or not, I can't help but feel a wee bit more well-traveled lately...I've had five checkups/appointments this week! First up, I went to the dentist, where I knit on a lovely washcloth and had my teeth cleaned...

Then I was off to physical therapy, for my left hip and neck. No time to wait before PT, so no knitting there. The day after PT was a trip to the center for orthopedics, where I saw another doc about that arthritic hip, and I knit on the second sock of the second pair of Jingle-all-the-way socks...

Then to the neurologist on Thursday, to talk about why I fall down...

That's the cuff to the first sock of the third pair, which was significantly longer by the time I got to my family doctor on Friday...but I forgot to take a photo at my last appointment of the week. My brain is not as agile as it was at the beginning of the tour.

I don't often air grievances here, and I try to keep the blog as positive as I can, but this medical week has left me and my brain in need of a nap! (I really need to take more nap cues from the cat, who sleeps anywhere, using anything as a pillow, without needing physical therapy for her neck or back...)

Of course, nap or no, this cutie gives me and Pop Pop a bright side whenever she visits,

and I did finally manage to finish that second pair, 

and cast on the third, as well as casting on for that June KAL with Cleveland Knits West, Brickless! (I cast on at knit night, amongst friends and Jimmy John's, with Pandora streaming all the hits of the 80s in the background. It was heavenly.)

All in all, I guess it's been a good week! All the medical reports are good, and the tests show that I have all the working parts I am supposed to have, even if I am a little clumsy and slightly short of vitamin D. I hope that your week was also a good one!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health, wherever your tour takes you!

Big Hat, Little Hat...

Sometimes the hats I knit are big,

And sometimes they are small,

And sometimes I don't knit any hats at all!

Same goes for socks...lol!

This week is a busy one, with lots of time for knitting in waiting rooms. Hats and socks and washcloths are perfect waiting room knitting, so I think I am all set! See you on Saturday, hopefully with a third pair of Jingle socks on my needles!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Holidays, Hats, and Weddings

I've told you about my big Christmas Socks idea...socks for all of us for a Christmas photo. That means I need 7 pair...1 pair men's size 11, 2 pair men's size 9.5, 3 pair women's size 9-ish, and a tiny pair for Peanut! I decided to knit them from largest to smallest, and I am making pretty good progress! I started on July 1st, with a Christmas in July knitalong pair (men's size 11), and I'm well into the second pair now. :)

Of course, I've gotten a little distracted by insect knitting - three more Bee Baby Hats are blocking right now...here's a pre-blocked photo:

There are other distractions, too...like the wedding I will be attending this afternoon! Remember the Tiny Bride from a few months ago? Well, the full size bride and groom are making it official this afternoon, and I'll be knitting at the reception this evening. :) What do you suppose is the most appropriate knitting for a wedding reception? Christmas socks? A gray hat?

Well, whatever I knit, I will celebrate these two lives being knit together in love today. Congratulations Kate and Shawn! I wish you years and years of living, loving and laughing together! And when times get tough (hard times are eventually a part of every marriage), I wish you strength, endurance and patience for one another. The hard times are never fun, but each one that you weather will bring you closer together.

Actually, I wish that for all of my friends - strength, endurance, patience, life, love and laughter - it's the only way to live! Now, off I go to celebrate life with some of my favorite people!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

The Knits of our Lives

Like yarns through the needles, these are the Knits of our Lives.

When my kids were small, I was a stay at home mom, which I loved. I also loved to watch the soap opera Days of our Lives at naptime, and my own life was punctuated by the death and resurrection of Roman, by Sami's antics, and by all the friends and enemies of the Brady family. I kept watching until Marlena was posessed by Satan. At this, I could no longer willingly suspend my disbelief. Everyone has a breaking point.

These days, I work full-time, which leaves little time for watching a daily soap opera. So, rather than fictional characters, my life is now punctuated by the online antics of real people I kindof know. I do know some of them in person, but many are more peripheral to my life, except through social media...I may know what they had for dinner last night (it looked yummy on Instagram) or I may know that they are planning an amazing 4th birthday party for their kid (judging by what they are pinning), or maybe I saw that amazing home run (or heard about it on Facebook, or I was tagged, because I like baseball)...but the social media that truly chronicles my life is the one called Ravelry.

For those who don't know, Ravelry is social media for Yarnigans (people who knit, crochet, spin fiber into yarn, etc.), and I am a yarnigan! I didn't realize how big a yarnigan I was until this past weekend, in the Emergency Room.  

Please note: Mr. Pretty and I, Mork and Mindy, Peanut, Snake and Dollface are all fine. Everyone is ok. Here's what happened:

Wicked Hiccups. Mr. Pretty got a case of wicked hiccups, and he could not swallow anything without throwing it back up again, and it was Saturday night, and the moon was full...so, of course, we went to the ER. Eventually he was admitted to the hospital, and on Sunday he had a procedure to dislodge a piece of food that was stuck (and how!) in his esophagus. We were home by Sunday afternoon, and everyone is fine. But while I was sitting with him in the ER (and then at his bedside on the 6th floor, and in the waiting room during his procedure), fervently praying and knitting socks, I got to thinking about the socks I was knitting the last time he was in the ER (on a Saturday afternoon, for severe back pain). When was that again? I'll just check Ravelry. And I thought about the dishcloths I worked on after I broke my fingers...was that just last summer? I'll check Ravelry. And then there were the afghans I had crocheted for Dollface and for Mindy for their bridal showers, and all the afghans I've knit and crocheted for bridal and baby showers, and to comfort friends going through rough times. I thought about all the sweaters for Peanut, and for other babies born on my watch, and the toys and booties and hats. As I let myself wander down the path of my projects, I realized that each one marks a life event, or a special or challenging time,  for me or someone close to me...and it dawned on me:

MY WHOLE LIFE IS IN MY KNITTING ON RAVELRY!

Well, my whole life since 2007 or so (when I joined) anyway. 

Thank you Ravelry. Thank you Casey and Jess, and all the Ravelry staff, for all you do so that I can chronicle my life through my projects. It is so much more than an online notebook for my knitting, it is a diary, a journal, a blog for my pretty knitty life. Thank you for having the initial ideas, and building on them through the years, bringing together yarnigans and their projects from all over the world! 

If you are a yarnigan, and you are not on Ravelry, run (don't walk) to sign up! And if you are on Ravelry, friend me there (I'm PKJewelry) so I can keep in touch with your life, too! 

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Belle of the Blog!

So, I mentioned some time ago that I had visited dear Peanut, and that I had some things on my needles for her...a sweater (that she loves and fell asleep in when she received it, even though it is the middle of summer...check out those "shades!"),

a pair of socks, and a doll blanket (that I never took a finished photo of...oops). I think I also told you that she had requested a Belle doll as well, but it took me a little while to get around to that...Gramma only has TWO hands, after all! Well, when she received the box with the blanket, sweater and socks, I hear that she turned to her mommy and said (with furrowed brow), "Didn't I ask for a Belle too?"

This. This made me laugh - right out loud. =D It also prompted me to finally knit Belle! lol! 

I think she turned out pretty well, but we shall see what Peanut thinks! I really like knitting the topsy-turvy princesses, but the hair is kicking my artsy butt a little...still, I think she looks pretty good, and she is far from having a bad hair day! 

Such a lovely princess

for my lovely princess! 

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Don't Worry...

...Bee Hatty. Buzz.

That is all.

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Calico Cattitude

Yes, I know that these are the Dog Days of Summer, 

but it is high time the Cat got some blog time. After all, I put up with a lot through the year, Pretty is nowhere to be found, and it's my time to shine! Besides, see how photogenic I am?

My picture should ALWAYS be on the blog, not just when I am hugging her foot (BTW, I love feet. I don't know what it is about feet, but I love them. Don't judge.)...

...or hugging her knitting bag (I love her knitting bag, and I cannot believe she took it with her the last time she went to visit Peanut...seriously?)

I am also not really at my best "in front of the knitting." Would someone tell Pretty that? Anyone?

I am prettier than Black Cat, definitely more graceful and refined...

...not to mention that she usually looks annoyed, and that's just not attractive.

Sometimes I look annoyed...especially when I hear that Pretty is knitting Christmas socks for the whole family. I am NOT wearing Christmas socks.

But usually I am just incredibly adorable.

I'm sure glad that you came by the blog today. If she were here, Pretty would say, "Knit in Good Health." I, however don't knit (it's an opposable thumbs thing), but may I ask a favor? You have feet, right? Would you just stretch them out for a bit on our sofa over there? I really need something to hug...thanks.

Sincerely yours,
White Cat

Trying New Things

The older I get, the harder it is to try new things. I like to say that I've gained some wisdom through the years, and that some new things simply are not a good "fit" for my life right now...they don't make sense...yada, yada, yada. Closer to the truth, most times, is that I am just plain afraid to try new things, more so now than ever. I'm afraid I'll fail. I'm afraid I'll fall. I'm afraid I'll get hurt (see running in 2013). Still, every once in awhile, I do step out of my comfort zone (a tiny bit) and jump on some new bandwagon...you know, like knitting a red, white and blue soccer ball during the World Cup.

Or maybe commenting on a political post on Facebook, which I very rarely do, but I did this week. (By the way, for what it's worth, I really don't think Facebook is the place to make your case about politics, in general. It is far too easy to start a heated argument, that can turn ugly fast, by the over-sharing of your political views online. At the risk of sounding like your mother, please tread lightly, friends. Try to put yourself in that other guy's shoes for a minute before you rip him a new one.)

No pictures of political comments in the blog today, but I am going to show you a picture of some yarn that's mostly not mine (except that really, it mostly IS mine).

I have another crazy knitting plan brewing, and in that box you could count 14 balls of stripey, Christmas yarn that I plan to turn into Christmas socks for my whole family! Now, I have not told my family this yet, but it's not a secret either...and I've never asked them to do anything quite like this...I just think it would be really neat if we could all wear matching, hand-knit socks on Christmas day, even if we can't all be together. I've even cast on the first pair for a Christmas in July Knit-along!!!

Are you trying anything new these days? If not, what's holding you back?

Thanks for stopping by, Happy Christmas (it's only 175 days away!), and Knit in Good Health!