Spring Cleaning

"Clean up! Clean up! Everybody, everywhere - 

Clean up! Clean up! Everybody do your share!"

So started our favorite clean-up song when my kids were little! Yes, it is from Barney. Yes, my kids watched Barney. Yes, I watched it with them. At the time, I think we all enjoyed it, even though many of my mom-friends just. could. not. Barney., and I know they judged me for it. You know what, judge-y mom-friends? Your judgement does not determine my viewing habits! If I want to watch Barney, I will watch Barney! (These days, I do not want to watch Barney. Perhaps I have come to my senses?)

Anyhoo...back to cleaning up. Lately I have been looking at my phone storage (as you do), and wondering when I will actually reach capacity. Right now, this very minute, I have 5,262 high-quality photos and videos on my phone (and memory card), along with dozens of apps and other fun stuff...and I hope to keep this phone for at least another year. That means that I will need to clean it up...

After all, I have a new grandson, and Sweetie and I are planning a big trip overseas in early 2020...there will be more photos! I need to find a storage solution for all that digital content in the next few weeks. Any suggestions, friends? At this point, I am thinking of getting a thumb drive with a bunch of storage, but I am not sure if those "go bad" eventually. Another thought is an external hard drive (always a good idea, IMHO)... I wonder what do all my tech-savvy friends do? They probably do not read my blog...hahaha! Knitting friends, how do you save all those pics of your knitting and family?

I know that I will feel great when I have cleaned up my phone, but this figuring it out has me a bit stressed. I cannot just move it out and lay it aside, without worrying that I might lose the record of precious memories... For now, I will do my research and uninstall some apps to make space for more of the things that are precious to me. 

As I think about all the digital "junk" in my life, I have a new appreciation for all the "sin junk" that I no longer have to carry around. Jesus has taken all of that on himself, even the junk that has not yet happened (but it will, I am making new mistakes and sinning every day...ugh!). All I can do is say, "Thank you, Jesus, for cleaning up ME!" If only I would decide to stop holding on to my guilt and shame, as though they are precious photos that I want to look at every day, that would be awesome. 

For now, just like with those digital photos, I tentatively lay down my sin and the negative feelings as I confess my sin to the Father every day. As I try not to pick them up again, I trust that Jesus has taken them to the cross. And because I have been cleaned up by Jesus, I call on the Holy Spirit living within me to help me make better choices. 

It is a process, so as I lay things down, I fill my life (and my phone) with good things that I am thankful for...a good Word, the coming of Easter and Springtime, cats and yarn, and salvation for my soul! Even though the days are sometimes hard, the years are flying by, and then one day - heaven forever. Amen and Alleluia!

Wanna join me? 

Until then, thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

20...of 5,262...photos and videos on my phone. lol!

Yarn Barf

Having a hard time coming up with something to say today. My brain feels like yarn barf.*

Rather than sorting through all my thoughts in a discombobulated jumble, I will simply leave you with this lovely pic of Dollface and little Nugget!

I hope that your Saturday is lovely!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

*Yarn barf is the mess of tangles and knots that sometimes pops out of a center-pull skein or ball of yarn. Before you can knit, there is much untangling to do...unless you choose the horror of scissors cutting off all that beautiful yarn!

I Like Math?

Last Thursday, I mentioned math in a casual converstaion. This prompted my friend* to ask if I like math. "Nooo!," said I, wide eyed with wonder at this ridiculous question. "Who likes math?" After a short but uncomfortable silence, I then heard myself say, "Well, except for the knitting. There is a lot of math in knitting."

"Really...?," said my friend curiously.

"Well,  sure! You know, let's say I want to knit a pair of socks...generally it takes 70 grams of yarn for a pair for me, but it takes 90 grams for a pair for my husband, and over 100 grams for socks that would fit my son-in-law nicely. So, when you buy the yarn, it comes in 50 grams or 100 grams, and you have to know how much to get, and how much you'll have left. With 30 grams leftover, I could knit a pair of fingerless gloves, or the toes and heels on another pair of socks!"

Polite nodding commenced...

"Or, maybe you want to knit a sweater, and you have a pattern that takes worsted weight yarn, which has approximately 220 yards in a 100 gram ball...but you only have DK weight yarn in 50 gram balls, about 150 yards each. Math to the rescue! And you get to use ratios!"

The polite nodding continued, though his smile was fading. I went on...

"Or, like right now. I am knitting a blanket with a pound of yarn, and I am close to being finished, I have 24 more rows. But I am not sure I have enough yarn to finish. What do I do? Math!!! Weigh that yarn to see that there are 2.8oz left (of 16), which means that I have already used 13.2oz on how many rows? Wait...these are 12 row blocks, and I need a total of 19 blocks, and I have 17 completed. If 17 blocks takes 13.2oz, then how much yarn do I need for the last two blocks? A simple ratio, and 19x13.2/17 tells me that I need a total of 14.75oz, and I started with 16oz, so I will have plenty to finish, with just over an ounce leftover! Isn't that great?!? I wonder what I can do with that last ounce? I suppose I will have to use another ratio to figure out how many yards it is, then maybe a baby hat or booties?...oh! The possibilities! Doesn't it just make you want to knit more???"

At this point, I looked over. The polite nodding had stopped, and he was just...there, silent, head slightly cocked to one side... So I said, "Huh...I guess I DO like math! And knitting...ha!"

"Yeah, Gramma. That's great, but don't you have to leave for knitting?"

So, yeah, I like math. I love Jesus with my whole heart, I enjoy knitting (probably a bit too much), and I like math more than I readily admit on most days. That is me in a nutshell. I also like talk...and talk...and talk...apparently. Lol!

What do you like? Whatever it is, thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

*Based on a true story. 
*No, friends, the baby did not talk to me. But I am sure that he was thinking all of those things. And so what if I embellish a little here and there...?

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

"It's something to say when you don't know what to say," is one way of describing my Mary Poppins title word today. It is also how I am feeling on this sunny Saturday, as I look at a blank blog post.

Something to say on a Saturday. For a Pretty Knitty gal, like myself, that should not be difficult...and yet, today I find that I do not have much to say. Very, very interesting. Of course, I could drone on and on and on about nothing. I am fairly skilled at that (just ask Sweetie!), but I think I will keep it short...you know, since I have nothing to say. 

Winter is still here. Although it will be warmer today than it has been all week, almost spring-like even, the weather men and women assure us that the temps will plummet again in the coming week. Normal weather in northeast Ohio, so it is what it is, and it is still winter. There are worse things.

Worse than winter would be no knitting, and there is knitting, so things are good. I have knit some small dolls for the grandkids, a couple hoodies, and now I am working on another afghan for the newest grand. 

When he heard about it, he was quite pleased. Just look at that grin!

That giraffe he is holding is also one of my knits, and I love that it is easy for his little fingers to hold onto! I put that together way before he was born, and it was super fun...Jelly Bum patterns are cheap and quick, and you all know how I love to knit toys! (Evidenced by 3 more giraffes below!)

So, I think that's about it on this uninspired Saturday. Not bad for a Pretty Knitty gal with nothing to say! Now it is time for me to find a sunny spot to do something...knit. perhaps? I am sure I will venture out at some point to take advantage of the warmer temps, but there will be knitting as well. You can count on it!

As for all of you, thanks for stopping by! If you have something to say, leave me a comment. If not, well then, Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious! Oh, and Knit in Good Health!

Lent and Remembering

After last week's accidental impropriety, this week I am insanely aware of the approaching season of repentance: Lent. Working in a liturgical church this year has brought up memories of my childhood church experiences, and it has opened my eyes to new church traditions. 

Growing up Catholic, Lent was part of life. No meat on Fridays, and giving something up for the season were expected...no questions asked. In truth, I asked questions all year long as a pre-teen/teen, but I do not remember getting very good answers. Neither my parents nor the nuns at Catechism class seemed to have answers. Still, I pressed for proof, asking to see it in the Bible when I did not receive an explanation that satisfied me. This often landed me in front of a priest who told me that it was his job to know the Bible, not mine. I just needed to repent of my disbelief, say a couple memorized prayers and be a good girl. 

So my family observed Lent. We did not eat meat on Fridays. We gave something up for the season. The very young did not have to give anything up during Lent, but as we grew we were encouraged to give up something we generally enjoyed, like chocolate or pop. As a teenager, I started to give up water skiing almost every year. Growing up in Ohio, and never having had the opportunity to water ski to this day, giving up water skiing was not a huge sacrifice, but at least I had an answer when Fr. Hilkert asked what I had given up for Lent. I may or may not have been a smart aleck as a teenager...

I will pause here to say that I did not enjoy being Catholic as a kid, but I recognize that things have changed through the years. I know several practicing Catholics whose faith and trust in Jesus puts mine to shame. I only share with you what I remember of my experience, and (to be fair) that was a long time ago! I am thankful that I was raised in a faith tradition, growing a hunger in my soul that could only be satisfied by the truth I eventually found in Jesus. Thanks, Mom and Dad!

The churches I have attended as an adult have been non-denominational, Christian churches. All of them celebrate Easter and recognize the season of Lent in some way, although none of them practice the traditions of Ash Wednesday or individual Lenten sacrifice every year in a broad way. 

This year, working at a United Methodist church, my liturgical roots have come to the forefront of my memory banks once again, and it is kinda cool. On Wednesday, there will be a worship service, complete with the imposition of ashes. I will not be able to go to the Ash Wednesday service this year, but I am interested to hear about it, and to chat with church members about their observance of the season.

With all of that as background, I am confident that Lenten traditions of sacrifice are meant to help us identify with the sacrifice and temptation of Jesus in the desert, and the days leading up to the grandest sacrifice of all time: when Jesus gave His life in place of yours and mine. While I do not think that giving up chocolate or social media or water skiing (ha!) can ever match the sacrifices Jesus made, perhaps the time gained by giving up these things can afford us the opportunity to focus on what Jesus did and what that means for you and for me. If I were to give up coffee for Lent, for instance, every time I think of coffee would become an opportunity to think about Jesus...to praise Him for who He is, to confess to Him my sin, to thank Him for what he has done and to ask Him to be Lord of my life over and  over again. In this capacity, I can finally see the value I missed as a kid. 

What are your Lent and Easter traditions, friends? Please comment and let me know...I am so interested to hear some of your experiences! The more I learn, and the more exposure I have had to different churches through the years, the more my faith has grown. I am so thankful for the sacrifice Jesus made through Easter, and I will approach Lent with a new appreciation this go around. 

Until you get back to me on that, enjoy this picture of a knitted bunny!

And if you have a random knit square, and you are not sure what to do with it, check out THIS LINK. Easter is coming, so it is a great time to make a bunny!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit Bunnies in Good Health!

PS - I am so very thankful for the Pastor, the staff and the congregation of Avon United Methodist Church. I am enjoying learning about their traditions, and I love working there!