Two Days Before 2024

What do you do on New Year's Eve EVE? Years ago, and for many years in a row, this day brought an overnight lock-in for the teens at the church we belonged to. Lots of coffee, midnight balloon drop, giant inflatables, no sleep, and cranky-by-2am-Jr-and-Sr-highers...it was a blast! (There was even some occasional knitting!)

8 years ago, our daughter married the love of her life, in a blizzard. It was beautiful, it was cold, we did gingerbread favors with a cookie decorating table...and we celebrate their lives together today! 

Today is also the day that I'll take down the tree, because I always take down the tree on the Saturday after Christmas. And it is time...but I am dragging my feet a bit. I love the decorations, and even as I pack them away, I look forward to next Christmas. 

Looking at the tree, I was surprised to strip so many cookies and caramels from its branches this morning! But I think the girls will be happy to get a sweet treat in the mail this week...

And now it is time to bid farewell to this year, and welcome all things new. Time to plan knitting projects, pack January birthday boxes for shipping, and think about what kind of cookies I should bake for the cookie jar when all the gingerbread is gone...

Do you have plans for 2024? Do you have plans for 12-31-23? (Read that 1-2-3-1-2-3, pretty neat, huh?) I'm generally in bed before the ball drops on New Year's Eve, but maybe I'll stay up tomorrow...who knows? (But please don't call me at midnight!) 

Thanks for stopping by, Knit in Good Health, and have a safe and happy new year! 

Magical is One Word

Magical. What does that one word make you think of? Very recently, this word took my mind to Disney World! This was a good thing, since Sweetie and I actually went to Disney World last week, in celebration of our 30th wedding anniversary! Magical is one word for Disney World, and it is a good one!

Another word for Disney is wait. A large amusement park (or group of parks) known around the world is going to bring lots of fun, and lots of waiting. This is a good reminder, whoever you are. The waiting started at the airport, 

and continued at the hotel, 

then on into the parks. We even waited to fill our water bottles, 

and then waited at this sign! (One of our faves, throughout the day!)

But the waiting is just part of the game. The waiting builds anticipation for the fun! After all, we were at Disney World for 4-and-a-half days! Since we stayed at a Disney resort, it was all-Disney, all the time, and that part was magical!

Another word for Disney is crowded. This is almost synonymous with the waiting, but it's a little different...the crowds are not all Disney all the time. The crowds are made up of moms and dads and kids, old and young, who are not getting enough sleep in their hotels. They are outside their normal routines, and grumpy often ensues. Everyone without a Disney uniform or character costume is just a little unsure of where they are, and how to get to where they want to be. It takes a little extra grace and patience to be a part of the crowds at Disney!

Yet another word for Disney is YUMMY! Boy oh boy, did we eat good on this trip! Here are just a few shots of the yummy, yummy-ness we experienced:

Words cannot even begin to capture the tastes and smells of Epcot and all the parks!

Finally, my last word for Disney is FUN! Despite the crowds and the waiting and being out of our own element, we had so much fun! I can prove it with all the selphies we took. See?

We are smiling in nearly every one!

Even though one of us finally had his fill of the photos,

It was a trip we will not soon forget!

Happy anniversary again, Sweetie! I love you!

Thanks for checking in to see how the trip went! If you are planning a trip anytime soon, I hope you find all you're looking for. I also hope that you and your crowd will not be grumpy and sleep deprived during your time in the parks. It really can be the most magical place on earth!

Until next time, knit in good health!

My Dream Come True

The 28th of February is not a special date. It comes around every year. Unlike the 29th of February, which we only see every 4th year, the 28th of February is very ordinary. 

I have an uncle who was born on the 29th of February (Happy Birthday, Uncle Bill!), and he is a twin! Pretty cool! He's around the same age as my mom and her sisters, but he's had less than 20 birthdays! Don't worry, he is celebrated every year, but those leap-days don't come around every year for the celebration.

A few years back, on a Saturday, Sweetie and I were talking. We were talking to a minister, in preparation for a wedding, and we were planning to get married in June. It was February 21st, another very ordinary day. We were eager to be Mr. & Mrs., and eventually I just blurted out, "Well, could we get married sooner? Like next Saturday?," and none of us could really come up with a good enough reason not to do that, so we did. We got married on February 28th, which turned that ordinary day into something quite special indeed. 

So, here it is, February 28th...again. Sweetie and I are still married, and we are pretty content with the cards life has dealt us. We are not the same crazy kids who got married "next Saturday" on a whim, but we do still enjoy our life together, and we occasionally still do crazy things. These days, crazy might be more staying out past 10 o'clock, and less like the "Hey, Baby! Let's go to Vegas!" of our youth, but as long as we're together, it's all good.  :)

Happy Anniversary, Sweetie!

No big plans for today...there has already been knitting (of course), 

and there may be some spinning (on that new TurtleMade spindle - I love it!)...

and Sweetie has promised to hang a new picture frame in the hall for me.

Yep. We are livin' the dream, baby!

What are YOUR real-life dreams-come-true? :)

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Happy Anniversary, Pretty. . .Contest on my Mind!

Throws confetti. . .dances. . .turns music up. . .takes a swig. . .looks around, laughing. . . Notices crowd. . .turns down music. . .

Well, hellooooooo, everyone!
It's so good that you came for a visit today.

Why?, you ask. . .Because today is the 1-YEAR anniversary of both my Blog and my Etsy shop!

. . .she pauses until the applause fades just a bit. . .

I know, right?! I am sooo excited! Know what I'm gonna do to celebrate?

Yep! A contest! The winner will get to choose ANY ONE ROW COUNTER from the Etsy Shop! OR, if you don't knit, you may have your choice of two bracelets (shown below), made by Pretty Knitty herself!

Here's how to enter:
Leave me a comment, or
email me at PrettyKnittyJewelry (at) yahoo (dot) com,
letting me know
1. How did you first find my blog? and
2. Which counter-style (or bracelet-style) you like best, of the following:

The Knitting Row Counter that counts up to 100 rows, like this one:
The Knitting Row Counter that counts up to 20 rows, like this one: The Crochet/Knit Counter that counts up to 99 rows, like this one:
For the Bracelets, we have All Pink:
or Pink and Green: I will accept entries until March 30th, and I will announce the winner in the March 31st blog post! Please be sure to watch the blog to see if you win!

That's all there is to it. . .enter away! And if you want to see more examples of my work, check out the Etsy shop!


Knit (and Enter) in Good Health!

Contest Time!

Which is nothing like Hammer-Time! Unless you count the fact that both might just make you wanna dance! So, in honor of my One-Month Bloggiversary. . .

do a little dance, make a little. . .wait, I digress. . .

Instead, how about I give you a chance win a prize?!

So, I began my blog on March 24th, just after I opened my Etsy shop, and just before my birthday. There has been much celebration in my life lately, so I wanted to share it with you as well! And, since I have such generous friends, they have agreed to help me with spread the word, and Knitting Nonstop even offered to share some prize booty (that’s yarn booty, by the way) for the contest!

If this is the first time you have read PrettyKnitty's blog, welcome! If this is your 10th read – well, Yippee! Here are the specs:

1. To enter, leave me a comment, letting me know how many posts you have read (hint: it will be a number between 1 and 10 at this point), and what your favorite pastime or hobby (other than knitting) is!


2. I will enter all of the comments into the Random Number Generator on April 30th to find the contest winner.


3. Make sure to check back on May Day (that’s May 1st four you youngsters!), when I will announce the winner of the contest!

Here’s the booty, Knitting Tools and SOCK YARN!:

A Row Counter and Stitch Markers made by PrettyKnitty (that’s me, and these are the result of my clay-play-day - Millefiore, polymer clay, cane beads!) The split rings of the counter and markers will fit needles to size US 4 (3.5mm), making these great tools for sock- and other fine-guage knitting! :

The counter sits on the knitting needle, between stitches. Different colored seed bead embellishments with each bead charm mark the beginning, middle (row 10) and end of the counter. On each row or round of knitting, the knitter slips the working needle into the next ring, and when you reach the end of the counter, you have completed 20 rows of knitting. In addition, it comes with illustrated instructions!
The markers also fit needles up to size US 4 (3.5mm), and they match the beads on the counter, with different color seed beads embellishing each one.A beautiful skein of Noro Sock Yarn in the S150 colorway (blues/greens mostly)! This 100 gram skein has 462 yards; it’s a 70% wool, 30% nylon blend of deliciousness! (The bottom picture shows the more true color.)


Good luck to you all, and as long as you’re here, check out the rest of my row counters and markers over at PrettyKnittyJewelry.etsy.com!

Knit in good health!

April Fool!

“And I love silliness. . .and crafts.
Which is why I knit and make jewelry and other things.”

Like today.
Today is April Fools’ Day.
And, today is my birthday. Or, as I prefer to view it, today is the 20th Anniversary of my 21st birthday! That’s right. . .and it’s waaaaay more exciting than. . .say. . .being birthday number four-one. So, that’s how I am looking at it.

To celebrate this big anniversary, I had a big day planned. It’s a Wednesday, so I am off work, and so I will clean the bathroom and vacuum the carpets and wash a load of bath towels and do the dishes and think about giving the dog a bath. Then. . .

Will she knit? She loves to knit!
Will she bake? She loves to bake, AND she loves cake!
Will she make something for her etsy shop? She loves etsy!
Will she watch Little House reruns? She loves classic TV!

Nope, none of those things today. Today, I planned to play with polymer clay for the first time! And play I did. . .here’s a photo of the finished product:
Tiny sweaters and socks and mittens. . .aren’t they adorable?! I thought, here’s a craft I have not tried, I wonder if I can make things. . .tiny things. . .tiny knitted things. . .in clay. . .and, viola! I can! Now, what to do with them? Well, I suppose I will leave that for my next post! In the meantime, thanks for stopping by. Are you having fun today?