Tricky Gnicki!

I do not usually participate in Mystery Knit-a-longs* (MKALs). MKALs hold too much uncertainty for me, and I cannot take the suspense if I am not sure I will LOVE the finished knit... But, of course, all bets are off for just about anything in 2020, right? So I threw caution to the wind this summer, and I joined a Mystery Gnome-a-long (MKAL to knit a gnome). 

I have knit gnomes from patterns by Imagined Landscapes before, and so many of my new friends from ZKN were joining in, I just could not help myself... You all met Gnicki briefly last Saturday...

I am not sure if you know much about Gnomes, readers, but I was fairly uneducated before this MKAL, so I asked if she would agree to an interview this morning. I am quite happy to report that she agreed, so here we go!

Pretty: Thanks for joining us this morning, Gnicki!

Gnicki: Sure, sure, sure. Where else do I have to be? Wait. What is that outside? A bird feeder?

Pretty: Why, yes! Do you like birds? 

Gnicki: Gnot really...unless you have some Gnightengales stopping by...  

Pretty: Ummm, I don't think I have ever seen a Nightengale out there. It's mostly finches and sparrows out there. What about flowers? Do you like flowers? I have some flowers out front...

Gnicki: Gno, gnot really...unless you have Gnarcissus.

Pretty: Well, I have these daylillies and some hydrangea...

Gnicki: Gno. Those will not do. And this grass is kindof itchy. 

Pretty: I'm sorry. Should we head back inside? 

Gnicki (with a heavy sigh): I suppose so. But this is really disappointing, and there is a lot of climbing. Did you know these rocks are gnot gnatrolite?

Pretty: Again, I am so sorry. I have just thought of a question I wanted to ask you. I have noticed your lovely beard, but your name is "Gnicki." Are you a girl gnome?

Gnicki: "Am I a girl gnome?!?" What kind of interview is this? I mean, I haven't said anything at all about your beard...

Pretty: Oh! I'm sorry again! I didn't mean to offend you! I just wondered. And, for the record, I don't have a beard...!

Gnicki (as an aside to the audience): I suppose she has gnot gnoticed all the hairs sprouting from her chin! Tee Hee!

At this point, gentle reader, we entered the house in silence. Interviewing Gnicki was tricky, and it was a few minutes before I asked my next question. I used the time to make good use of my tweezers, which left Gnicki a little speechless. (I had no idea her eyesight was so keen!) 

Finally, I jumped back in.

Pretty: So, I notice that you have a little something in your pocket. Can you tell us about it?

Gnicki: Can't you tell that these are gnitting gneedles? 

Pretty: Oh! You knit! I knit too!

Gnicki: You may "knit." But gnomes "gnit!" (mumbles with contempt, under her breath) You really have gnot caught onto the gnitting at all, have you?

Pretty: So, you knit mostly small things, I would assume?

Gnicky: (silence)

Gnicki: You mean, because I am shorter than you? My head is starting to hurt...

Pretty: You knit big things?

Gnicki: Sure, sure. Like, what is this over here?

Pretty: Oh, that's my Summer Shandy Top. (then, tentatively) I am absolutely loving it! But my needles might be a little big for you...

Gnicki: Hand it over!

Pretty: Ummm, ok. Have you got it there?

Gnicki: I've got it! I've got it!

Pretty: So you do! I am impressed! 

Gnicki: Why? Just because I can gnit???

Pretty: I guess so. I mean, who gnew gnomes could gnit!

Gnicki: Well, we got you there in the end. Gnice job!

Pretty; Thanks! And gnice gnitting, Gnicky Gnome! Thank you so much for joining me on the blog today. 

Gnicki: Yeah, yeah, yeah. 

Well, friends, that was certainly...interesting! Interviews are always an adventure, and it all came about when Pretty succumbed to a little knitting peer pressure! For the record, no knitters or gnomes were harmed, and I am not sure we have learned anything at all.

Thanks for stopping by anyway, and I hope you will also Gnit yourself something fun soon! Whatever that might be, stay safe and Knit in Good Health!

*A Mystery Knit-a-long is a knitting pattern that is released in "clues," one piece at a time. You know the finished knit will be a garment or a toy...but you don't know if it will incorporate lace, stripes, colorwork or new techniques. There is a gamble to this way of knitting, and it is not for all knitters.

Meet Gnicki

Happy Saturday, Friends! May I introduce you to Gnome Gnumber Ten in my life? Meet Gnicki!

I started knitting gnomes back around the time the pandemic hit, by request of my daughter. Here are the other 9:

These were all knit from the same pattern, and they were super fun! But Gnicki is different...she was part of a Mystery Knit-A-Long with some knitting friends all over the country...perhaps the world! Completed just this past Wednesday, Gnicki and I have not gotten to know each other too well yet. I assume that will change, as Gnicki seems to be a bit of an adventurer...so stay tuned for further installments of the Gnome Gnonsense we will find as we travel about town together!

Wait a minute. That is NOT a gnome! That's a bathtime baby! Photobomb! 

Lol...here's Gnicki again!

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

On a Mission

Yesterday, Sweetie and I took off on a mission. Our destination? Granddaughter Central! One of the first things I noticed was Mask Central...

Then the 5-year-old tasked me with the mission, because the Barbies are (apparently) quite worried about contracting Coronavirus...

Before we went to bed, there were two masks knit, with plans for roughly 347 more before Sunday, because...all the Barbies need them! 

This  morning, I woke up with the birds, and watched the glorious sun rise...

...and shhh! Don't tell the girls, but I stole a few minutes with my Summer Shandy Top and coffee!

But it will be all Barbie Masks for the rest of my weekend...LOL!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

My Buddies

This is my little buddy. 

He is getting ready to be a big brother to more than just his little dog...

So Gramma has made him a little buddy of his own. This new little buddy does not talk much.

But this big buddy does. They talk about "Dah!" (the Hot Dog Dance and Mickey Mouse)...

And they talk about Ge (Gramma) and the Neow Neow (that is his word for Ge's cats)!

When I talk to my little buddy, he tells me about Neow Neow, Doh, Mama and Pop Pop! I think he really likes Pop Pop...

I know that he loves to play with Pop Pop...

Pop Pop makes little buddies fly!

I love my little buddy, and I am looking forward to meeting a new little buddy this fall. So is his baby blanket, which I finished just this morning:

Now it's time to check in with my friends online, do some "Mystery Knitting" and have a great Saturday! I hope that you are having a wonderful weekend, and that you are surrounded by your favorite buddies!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

                

Shall I Knit You a Hat?

Shall I knit you hat?

Or a toy? 

Or a blanket?

Knitting has been a friend to me for many years now, and it has gotten me through times of joy, sadness and uncertainty. Some say that knitting is like meditation, or like yoga, or like coffee. Wait. No one actually says that knitting is like coffee, do they? I don't think they do. Still, I agree with the sentiment. 

I am thankful for quiet mornings with a hot cup of coffee, my Bible and my knitting, and my habit is to start every day in this way. On the days that I skip one of those items, I have a much harder time focusing on anything, but just a little bit time with God and Yarn and Coffee seems to keep me going. 

My general policy is this: If it could be worse, then I am probably ok...and on most days, it could definitely be worse! So I pick up my knitting to calm my heart, engage my hands, and quiet my head. 

When I am sad, I like to knit easy things, like a simple hat or socks. I just knit the same stitch, over and over, around and around, and I can think about what makes me sad or something else...but I my head does not get bogged down in the knitting. I am centered on my hands, and I work through my feelings.

When I am joyful, I knit toys and anything in super-bright colors! A new baby? I've got a knit for that! A celebration? I will knit something colorful, and it may be a gift for the celebratee. I center on all that is good, and I lift my heart to the occasion until I am feeling like someone is celebrating me!

In times of uncertainty, I knit differently. When I cannot fix a problem, when I cannot know an outcome, when I cannot predict the future, I knit complicated patterns that take all my focus. This keeps me from centering on the things I cannot know or do, and helps me feel successful in something. I am centered on the knitting, and my mind is free from fear and doubt. 

Knitting also allows me to free my brain and focus on what God might be teaching me. After all, he "knit me together in my mother's womb,"* and he loves me unconditionally. Surely I can learn something about him from all things...what is he teaching me today?

Do you knit? If not, do you have some hobby or practice to center yourself at times of uncertainty? to comfort you in times of sadness? to bring color to your joy? Tell me about it in the comments. I will just be over here on the sofa, knitting a new toy for my grandson...

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

*Psalm 139:13-16