Prehistoric Post?

Well, not prehistoric, per se...but related to same. Last weekend, while I spent all that time in the car, I knitted three dinosaurs! I bought the pattern because I wanted to knit a T-rex for a co-worker's son, then (as often happens) I decided that the girls needed dinos, too. So, I rooted around in the stashed acrylic (Why is there so much acrylic in my stash? Oh, right...the toys, the toys! Oh, how I love to knit toys!), and I found some blue and orange, and some mystery, self-striping stuff, with bright pinks and blues and greens. I started right in with Mr. T-Stripex...

After knitting the whole body flat, as the pattern is written, I seamed it and decided to put it aside for a bit. The girls were getting closer, and I wanted to have something in hand for them when we arrived...so Ms. Stega-STRIPE-ous was up next! You know, I didn't even realize that this bright yarn was self striping until I started knitting...what a happy accident! Also, by complete coincidence, I had a bright yellow in the stash that was perfect for her spines. In no time at all (well, a few hours, to be honest) I had a squishy, stripey, dinosaur body!

I was so pleased with how this worked up that I dove right back into that yellow for her legs, which I also knit according to the pattern, stuffing and sewing on when they were finished. Her back legs splayed out a little too much, so I tacked them down, as for a jointed stuffed animal, stitching through both legs and the body a few times. You can see the little pucker, if you look closely. 

The Stega-STRIPE-ous looks fantastic, and it is now officially kid-approved!

So, what do you do when there are two girls but only one bright-and-stripey dinosaur? Well, you knit another, of course! Enter Ms. Tricera-STRIPEs! But this time, you're a little smarter, a little more experienced, and a little more adventurous! I knit the legs mostly as written, but rather than binding off the tops as written, I knit some short-rows and cinched them closed, much like the top of a hat. When all four legs were done, I stitched them to the body, the same way I had tacked down the Steg's back legs. Final result? Well, when the frill was done, we had a fully jointed (well, jointed at the shoulders and thighs), not-scary-and-cute-as-a-button Triceratops!

What did we do next? Well, we played the Triceratop Rock song, of course! (Go on. Click it. You know you want to know how to do this dance. You know you do!) Wasn't that fun? I'm a little sorry I didn't get pix of the girls dancing, but I was too busy dancing myself! The dinos? Notsomuch. But they still seemed happy enough.

They did have a question, however. "What about the T-rex? Will he ever get his arms and legs?" Valid question, so I worked on those and they were done by the time we pulled into the driveway at the end of the whirlwind weekend! (The cat, of course, was not impressed. Oh, cat.)

Wasn't that a fun trip? Prehistoric? Maybe not. But I think I'll knit these guys again...so super cute! Also, Triceratop Rock was a trip down memory lane for me...when Mork and Dollface were little, I had a cassette tape of fun dinosaur songs: Triceratop Rock, The Hungry Diplodocus, How Do You Spell Dinosaur? We played it over and over in the car...err minivan...when they were small, and our whole family could spell dinosaur by the time Dollface was 3. If your kid likes dinosaurs, you should check out these tunes...so fun, and perfect plays for the car. 

Thanks for stopping by! I think that is all I have for today. I know that I should clean something, or do the budget, or maybe cook a healthy meal, but it's been a long week. I think I will knit instead. Won't you join me?

Knit in Good Health!

Take a Little Trip With Me...

Over the weekend, while the cats were blogging, Sweetie and I took a little road trip. We like to do that whenever we can, especially if there are granddaughters at our final destination! This trip was no exception, and (although they did not know that we were coming...it was a surprise) the girls were pretty excited to see us...

They had been at a party when we rolled up to the house, so we unpacked and "rested our eyes" for a few moments before they arrived home. It's a good thing we had a little rest, because the rest of our weekend was a whirlwind of activity!

There was golf for Pop Pop and Daddy, while the girls and I went to the playground. They were not as impressed with my ability to swing them so very evenly and get the shot...and I think the big one said, "What are you doing, Gwamma? And why aren't you pushing us???"

One of my goals for the weekend was to get a family picture of the four of them. When we left to come home, I was a little sad that it hadn't come to pass. But, as I was going through the photos from the trip, I realized that I did get one photo of all four of them, quite by accident.

Peanut went to her first dance on Saturday night...with a boy! She and her very handsome Dad went to a Father/Daughter dance, and all the requisite pre-dance photos were taken by Mom and Grandma. We even got the out-of-doors, pre-dance photos, complete with dogs in the background, wondering when they will get to go to a dance...

When the cats saw that one, they laughed out loud. "Dogs don't dance! Silly dogs..." I laughed when I saw the tie! We bought that one for him when he was in jr. high or high school, and I can still remember tying a full windsor knot for him the first time he wore it. I also remember that he never untied that knot. He just slipped the tie over his head every time he wore it. I wonder if that is still the same knot...

Anyhoo, while Peanut and her daddy were at the dance, we got some one-on-one time with the littlest Sweet Pea! There were snuggles, deep conversation and lots of laughs!

We went to the playground, and she just ate up all of our attention!

Bonus, a little later in the weekend, Peanut decided to sit down with her knitting. 

She's still not quite there with her stitches, but she sure loves yarn and spending time knitting with Gramma. The stitches will come, in time. For now, we'll concentrate on our selfies and popsicles! These tiny people really know how to rock the selfie!

In between selfies and knitting, there was lots of playtime in the backyard, 

and daily walks to the park...sometimes twice in one day! Look...she's helping him push her sister! 

Now that we are back in our home state, back to work, and back to the regular stuff of life, Pop Pop and I will have to be content with photos to share with friends. I'm sure we will see them again soon, and I look forward to our next visit, whether it is here or there. Regardless of the location, I am sure that the smiles will be plentiful, and I know that the love will flow as freely as ever. 

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Saturdays Are For...

White Cat: Saturdays can be glorious, don't you agree?

Black Cat: I dunno...what are they good for?

White Cat: Well, there are morning naps...

Oh, and afternoon naps!

Black Cat: Yes! And cat naps, where you cuddle up to your best friend!

White Cat: Don't forget playtime...

Black Cat: Playtime?

White Cat: Sure! We play all the time! Don't we?!?

Black Cat (With a heavy sigh and the silent thought, "How will I ever get her OUT of my space on the couch?"): Yeah, we "play."

White Cat: What? We don't play? What would you call it?

Black Cat: Whatever it is, it's better on Saturday afternoon!

White Cat: Yeah, it is. Except when Pretty finishes things. Look what she's done to me!!!

Black Cat: Wow. Bummer. I'm outta here.

Pretty: Have you two been blogging again? (sigh!)

Well, friends, looks like another chapter from the cat files. I hope they haven't said anything I'll regret! In any case, thanks for stopping by to see us. Now, on with your Saturday...and I Hope it is glorious!

Knit in Good Health!

Dynamic Duo!

Dynamic Dishcloth Duo, on their way to becoming a trio (or more)!

I wish you a wonderful Wednesday with alot of alliteration!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Saturdays in the Spring

When one lives in northeast Ohio, one learns to celebrate the Spring season with a bit of reserve. For instance, the first day of Spring this year was March 20, and trust me, all Ohioans wanted to celebrate with a bonfire and a picnic, maybe a pickup game of corn hole in the back yard. However, and we all knew it was coming, this is what my front porch looked like last weekend, on April 9th:

Not so Spring-like, right? Well, except that this is pretty typical for the month of April in Ohio, and most of the natives have come to expect it... Still, it can be disappointing. But early Spring snow makes days like today, and the past few days, so much sweeter! Perfect Spring days, with sunshine and 60-something degrees (F, for my international friends) are great for walks at our favorite parks, where the geese are nesting and therefore very honk-y and boldly close to (or on) the walking path...

Hanging the laundry out while listening to the wind chimes, tinkling in light morning breezes...

Visiting with the neighbor cat, and stopping for an ear-scratch...or 537 ear scratches!

And finally photographing the new scarf/shawl I've been working on in bright sunlight...

...so those shiny beads will really pop!

Oh, I love the Spring, even when it brings rain (or snow)! I love longer days, sunlight and the way it dances and plays on all the colors in nature, and in my knitting! Of all the seasons, I think I love Spring the best. Every April (or May), when the snow finally stops, I am once again reminded of all the promise springtime brings, with new life popping out of the ground and blooming, birds nesting and singing, and baby animals everywhere (even the skunks next door are cute in springtime). 

What is your favorite season? If it's not Spring, I hope you'll enjoy it when it finally arrives! As for me, I plan to get outside and enjoy the sun, and maybe there will even be some knitting in the sun later! 

Thanks for stopping by on this lovely Spring day, and Knit in Good Health!

Week Three, Wednesday

I promise that the new job updates will eventually settle down, but for now, here I go again - I love my new job! Today is Week 3, Day 3, and I have my hands into the work. It's going slow as I learn, but I don't mind. I know that I am making mistakes, but I am learning and getting better (I hope!). I am loving my team and everyone I meet! It's a beautiful thing, I tell ya! Here is my building, complete with daffodils, recovering from the snow we had on Saturday and Sunday!

As I walk up to this building each morning, I am thankful for this new opportunity. I am thankful for new challenges and new (and some not-so-new) friends. I am thankful to be feathering my "nest" on the second floor of Building 2!

I have a little bit of knitting at my desk, which came in handy when I experienced my first computer issue yesterday...not the blue screen of death (thankfully!), but the blue screens of eternal updates, the kind that take more than an hour to complete, after they say "100% Complete...," and require a quick visit from the Information Systems dept. Thankfully (again) the thing straightened up to fly right while that IS guy was offering me a loaner computer, and I was finally able to dig in to the job, knitting deferred, as it should be!

Of course, there are no pictures of my desk knitting, so I cannot prove anything about that last paragraph, but there are pictures of more baby hats, finished over the weekend:

and pictures of a new scarf, started over the weekend:

At least there's that. There was also an impromptu visit to the lake after work yesterday with a new friend. Although neither of us knew it at the time, I apparently named one of my cats after her! It's pretty funny to meet someone from Sydney named "Black Cat!"

She will return to Australia when she has finished training, so we went to the beach and then to Outback Steakhouse, because...well, why not? Who doesn't love a good steak and some cheesy, American version of food from down under? She got a kick out of the menu, for sure, and we had a lovely time chatting and chatting and chatting...I got home at quarter-of-ten! So much fun, and such a pretty afternoon to visit the lake!

There has been so much sunshine in my life lately, which is wonderful. I have seen a lot of "rain" in the last couple of years, and there will always be more struggles ahead...but today I will focus on new beginnings, new friendships and new opportunities. There is so much to be thankful for!

What are you thankful for today? 

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Celebratory Squirrel!

When you start a new job with two weeks of training, and you know you have to pass that assessment with at least 80%, a celebratory squirrel in your inbox is a very good thing. Celebratory squirrels bring good tidings of great joy and passing test scores...at least, that's what this squirrel brought me! 

The training seemed long, but it was not particularly taxing. In fact there were some really fun times, and I made new friends. I also knit 8 preemie hats and a pair of socks,

as well as a couple of dishcloths, although I have no photo evidence of those. Silly knitter! At the end of my day yesterday, I went to my new workstation (where I will do my actual job) and set things up for Monday. I am excited to be finding my new normal, at least as far as work goes. I am also glad to still be knitting more baby hats! So much joy in such tiny, tiny knits!

Oh! I know what I forgot to tell you in the last week...I had a birthday! And my dear daughter Dollface is the best gift-giver, can I just brag on her a bit? Check out the cool tee that came for me in the mail this week (a little late, but the totally cool factor cancels out the slightly late factor in a very big way):

The tee says, "Knitting is cool. Funny Kat Sez So." Even the tags are funny. One says, "Cold wash only. Don't tumble dry. Don't iron print. Don't slap pandas.," and the other talks about how the shirt was made by "happy people in matching socks!" I gotta wonder if those socks are hand-knit...I'll bet they are! Giant shout-out to Dollface: Thank you! I love it!!!

So, this has been a good week, and today it has snowed. In April. Pretty normal for this neck of the woods, I suppose, but slightly disheartening..Every. Single. Year. Ugh. I wonder what I could do with all this time stuck indoors? 

Oh, right...I knit! Great idea! Knit, I will!

Thanks for stopping by, and keep warm, wherever you are! Oh, and Knit in Good Health!

Training and Knitting...

I've been in training at the new job for 7 days, so far. It continues through Friday, and there is a LOT to learn about the software the company has developed and how to use it for my job! Fortunately, there is also some down time spent listening to lectures and watching training videos, and my instructors do not mind me knitting my way through. =^D So far, I have knit 8 preemie hats (for a friend expecting twins this summer/fall)...

...and I've started a pair of socks!

Actually, I suppose it is possible that I will finish the socks as I finish training. I am thankful that this last week-and-a-half has been fun and not too stressful! I hope that your week has also been good. What have you been knitting? As for me, I've got to get back to class...I wonder if there's a test today? lol!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!