Guess What?

Chicken Butt! 

Wait, wait, wait. That response was appropriate in the summer, when I knit ALL THE CHICKENS, but notsomuch now. Still funnier than the "Poopy Butt!" I get from the grandsons, though. 

"Gramma is a Poopy Butt!" is also fun, but I was talking about the knitting. Because, as you know, I knit. I knit quite a bit. As in, I realized I had a bunch of extra yarn from a sweater, 

so I knit some fingerless gloves.

However, before I was finished with those gloves, I realized they were destined to be a birthday gift, and I gave them away as soon as they were done. The recipient loves them, yay!

Then I cast on another pair last Sunday, 

and they are finished today! I couldn't decide where to take my outside photos, so I tried three locations, in a tree...

on a bench...

and on a tempered and textured glass table...

Which is your favorite? I'm leaning tree or table, but the bench ain't bad either. Hey! It only took me 4 years to find my spots, sooo take your time picking a fave and drop a comment to let me know which you like best (if you want to, no pressure). 

As for me, I'm off to the craft room to pick my next project, and I'll be knitting pretty until then! 😘

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

PS - Did you guess? Did you guess that I was knitting? Lol...

Re-Evaluating

With the world in its current state, I am re-evaluating some things. I'm not offering solutions or pledging my faithfulness to anyone in particular (well, except Jesus...and Pop Pop), but all the dismay in our country has me thinking. So. Much. Thinking. It has impacted my 2021 knitting mojo, and these mitts are all that I have worked on in the last 7 days...

I also think I am stalled out because I bought a bit more yarn over the holidays than usual. I'd show you a picture, but I am a little embarrassed. This also got me to thinking, "If Jesus came back today, how would he feel about my 'treasures' here?" Because I think he could come back any time now...so I feel like I should take a hard look at my stuff...like, I found this in a closet this week...

A radio from a car that we bought when the kids were learning to drive...15 years ago. Our son took this radio out to put in a better one, and I told him to keep the old one. So there it was, in the closet of his old bedroom, with his baseball trophies (which will become his treasures the next time we see him).

In the last week, I have cleaned out 3 closets and some basement craft supplies, and I have filled the big, black trash can out back twice. This led to the finding and organizing of over 750 photos (there are more, I have to get more albums), and these great finds...

1982

1993

1997

I feel like most of my fashion and hair decisions in the 80s and 90s were made under the influence of hunger, as I was always dieting. But, looking back, I have no regerts! (Future me, this is not a typo. It is a reference to a commercial for Snickers that takes place in a tattoo parlor...ha!) In fact, it is almost my duty to share these photographic treasures. Look at all the joy and laughter that just brought to my blog friends and family! (You're laughing with me, right?)

Back to the point...I feel good about my progress, and I plan to keep going. Less junk is less to clean, and less for my kids to clean out if I leave before Jesus does come back (see Swedish Death Cleaning...which I heard about in a blog this week...lol!). And if Jesus does come back first, I will feel so much better (I hope) about the treasures that I do have left.

So, if you need me in the next couple of months, check the nooks and crannies of my house (I should be easy to find as it gets less cluttered). Or maybe check that bin of yarn over there...hopefully all this cleaning out will also lead me back to the knitting mojo. 

I hope that your knitting mojo is strong, and that you are in a relatively good head space. I am getting there, I assume!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him." 

-Matthew 24:42-44

It's a Life...

It's a Wonderful Life is one of my very favorite movies. I identify with George Bailey, a rule follower who does what needs to be done because somebody has to...even when he would rather somebody else do it. I have seen it so often that I sometimes skim past the opening scenes, when the Clarence the clock-maker is called in to get the rundown on who this George Bailey fellow is. But this morning, as I was going through photos to blog, I got to wondering what that conversation might be if Joseph were telling Clarence about Pretty.

Clarence: If I do well, will I get my wings?

Joseph: I suppose so, but this one could be a challenge.

Clarence: What do you mean? Is there something wrong with this gal?

Joseph: She is Pretty.

Clarence: Ummm, would you like me to clean your spectacles, Joseph? I am very good at cleaning spectacles. Perhaps I could earn my wings if I clean enough spectacles?

Joseph: No! She is called Pretty...pay attention to what happens here...

Clarence: Wait. Is she taking photos of her front porch?

Joseph: Not the porch, what's on the porch?

Clarence: A pumpkin...?

Joseph (slaps head in frustration): Okayyyy...there is a pumpkin, but what else do you see?

Clarence: Why is there winter-wear up against the pumpkin?

Joseph: Not just winter-wear...there are socks, too...she knits.

Clarence: Wait. She is taking pictures of knitwear...on the porch...who does that?

Joseph: Pretty does that. The neighbors have started to notice...

Clarence: Can I go back to the George guy?

Joseph (with a heavy sigh): You can do this. Here...let's look at something else.

Clarence: You mean she's a cat lady, too? A cat lady who knits? It really doesn't get more stereotypical than that...

Joseph: She only has two cats...

Clarence: Two is halfway to four, and four is halfway to eight. 

Joseph: Yes, but it's not about the cats. We just need an intervention with the knitting! She knits all the time! Her neighbors are talking. Her friends are talking. She is knitting at work! You have to get down there and save her from her obsession with the knitting!

So Clarence comes down, he talks to me about the yarn, and I knit him a hat while we sip hot, buttered rum by the fireplace. In the end, he returns to heaven with hats for Joseph and God, and they all decide that these are the best hats they have ever worn. The bells do not ring, and Clarence does not get his wings, but he does thank Pretty warmly for the hat...and he decides that perhaps wings are overrated. 

It would be a different movie, for sure. I would likely still watch it, with the cats...and maybe some knitting. 

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Matchy Matchy

Now that our little loves are in a mountain state of mind, my knitting has taken a turn. I recently acquired a couple of skeins of a snowy, stripey mix, and hats just flew off the needles!

These stripes are in a colorway called Stone Harbor (KP Felici yarn), but I see Elsa when I knit them. I see blue sky, sunshine and clouds, and snow caps in these lovely hues...and in my mind's eye, I immediately saw fingering weight, slouchy hats and hand warmers that would accompany them on a mountain hike! I am still working on the fingerless gloves, a pair for each of them, with cuffs and tops that can be folded or not, depending on the warmth needed for each part of the hike.

In a perfect world, I would have thought to get extra to make a matching set for their mommy, and I still may. But even if that is not in the cards this time, I will keep knitting. Speaking of matching, I can't wait to visit them this fall, so we can all wear our matching leggings together. This LuLaRoe has really stolen my heart, and matching Disney leggings are things of my dreams...when you wish upon a star, and all that jazz. (Jazz hands!)

I guess that's about it for today. Some knitting, and some matching, and life goes on. I hope that today has found you with some time on your hands, and that you are using that time to do something you love!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Pair-ing Down the Stash

One of my favorite knitting acronyms is SABLE, otherwise known as Stash Acquired Beyond Life Expectancy...or more yarn in my stash than I would reasonably be able to knit before I die. Since none of us can know the hour or the day of our death, I suppose I may have reached SABLE...I especially think this might be true when I take a walk down to the basement, where the majority of my yarn lives! (Don't worry, it is in plastic bins and bags, well protected from moisture, cats and husbands who may wish to de-clutter.) If I live to 100, and I can still knit, I may not have acquired SABLE...yet. Still, there is a LOT of yarn down there, and I've been working to use up some of it, two-by-two. For instance, there was a recent finish of a pair of rabbits that just flew off my needles!

There are also fingerless mitts, pair 1

pair 2

and pair 3.

Two by two, I am pair-ing down the stash! It might be a good idea to clean and de-clutter the basement while I'm at it, but the truth is that I probably will not...lol! After all, if my stash-busting is to be successful, I will surely need to sacrifice other things (like cleaning and organizing) to meet my goals...right?!? Right!!!

Another thing that I tend to stash is regret. I know that I am forgiven by the sacrifice that Christ made, and that I will be white as snow when this life is over. I am so grateful for that! But I still beat myself up sometimes for the mistakes I have made. I look back and wonder how such a good, good Father could forgive my really big sins...but He has. Because He sent Jesus, who took on all our sins and spilled his own blood to pay our debt, we are free forever to live life to the fullest!

Life is so much better when we let go of our regrets, de-stashing the guilt and sadness we feel, and live a life filled with love and kindness. After all, Jesus did not die for just Pretty, he died for all of humanity! If you are stashing regrets, I hope you will take a moment to really consider that. Jesus was God's only Son, and he died so that you and I could be free of blame and regret.

If I were a betting woman, I would wager that we all live with some regrets. The sad truth is that each one we hold onto represents a step backwards. Whether you believe that Jesus was the son of God or not, I hope you can see that stashing the guilt of past sins keeps you from moving forward. The next time you are held back by feelings of guilt over something that happened before today, please take just a moment to clench your fists as tight as you can, and then slowly relax and open your hands. As you release the tension from your fingers and hands, mentally let go of whatever is holding you back with regret, and take a step toward forgiving yourself for being human. Wiggle those free fingers, forgive yourself and thank God for His abundant mercy!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit (YOUR stash) in Good Health!

E-Check

I live in Ohio, where we have to have an emissions test (E-check) on our cars every other year. Yesterday, I took the party car for her required test, and it got me to thinking...

What if we had e-checks for people? Before you get too far into that thought, I should clarify. I am not proposing a biennial test of vapor emissions from anyone, especially not husbands! Rather, a human e-test would be a personal and regular evaluation of our emotional responses, and how those responses color our world and affect those around us. 

Even if this is only the second post you've read in this blog, you will likely recognize that Pretty was created as a very emotional person. If this is the first post you've read, I hope you'll take a few minutes to look around the blog and see what I mean. I am very, very emotional. The truth is that we all are. We may differ in how we react and respond, but we are all created emotional beings.

Some time ago, while working with a group of 5th and 6th graders at church, I shared this idea with them, and they were not instant believers. But when I said, "Girls cry and boys yell, that's just what happens," even those pre-teens agreed that maybe I had a point. While there are exceptions to this rule, it does carry on into adulthood, and it is a good thing to keep in mind when dealing with people (and their emotions)! The best advice, whether you want to laugh or cry or yell, is to just let yourself feel it, and be careful to not direct your feelings at someone who has nothing to do with them.

Just this morning, Sweetie was working on a job in the living room, and when he realized that the job might not go smoothly, that there might be yelling involved, he chose how to react and respond. Well, he chose to take his reactions and responses out to the garage, so that his outbursts (if there were any) wouldn't affect his very emotional wife. He was also protecting me from the smelly stuff he would be spraying, and I am thankful that he shielded me from flying emotions and chemicals! (For the record, when he came back in, he reported that there was no cursing or throwing things. The job went much better than expected...yay!)

I tend to manage my emotions with deep breathing, prayer and knitting. Sometimes I also cry and even yell...and that's ok. I do my best not to let my emotional reactions spill over onto others, but sometimes I just need a good cry. At other times, I need a good laugh, and it seems to me that the laughter and tears balance each other out pretty well. Everything is a process, and when it comes to emotions, it is still best to just let myself feel it.

Often my knitting reminds me that there is a process to everything. You cast on, follow the pattern, and then bind off. Sometimes there are seams to sew, and there are always ends to weave in. In the end, you have a completed project and maybe even a gift for a dear friend!

Sometimes my knitting goes late into the night. Those are the times that I can embrace the stillness and listen for God's leading through an emotional time, and share my heart with a cuddle-y friend.

And sometimes I even put the knitting down, in favor of complete stillness. Usually the clicking of the needles is like a balm for my heart, as His Word is a balm for my soul, and I alternate between knitting and just holding the stitches in my hands. In these times, I opt for the simplest projects, and I pray through each stitch, remembering God's promise to never leave me or forsake me. 

I am thankful that I was created to be this me, knit together in my mother's womb. I am one of God's masterpieces, and I am loved. I am so very loved, and you are too. If you're not feeling loved today, remember John 3:16 - For God so loved you and me that he gave his one and only Son, that you and I, when we believe in Him, will not die but have eternal life. (My paraphrase, His idea.)

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health.

Wednesday WIP-day

So, I've had a bout with casting on again... It is not usually my style to have several projects on the needles at the same time. I like to pick a project, choose yarn, cast on and knit until it is finished. Complete projects are so satisfying to me, regardless of size. When I have unfinished knitting, it makes me twitch just a bit. Actually more than a bit. I hate to have unfinished business...at work, at home, in my knitting...anything unfinished makes me twitch. You might imagine, then, that this view makes me twitch a little more than "just a bit," and you would be correct. 

There are six (6) wips on that page! SIX! Five of those are newly cast on! Still, there are so many things in my head, and I was starting to worry that I would begin to forget what my intentions were for each one. The only logical conclusion I could make was that it was time to CAST ON ALL THE THINGS! Apparently, I am well on my way... 

Looks like I'll be knitting happily for many hours in the near future...but I'll be dreaming of the FOs coming off my needles. I am sure that you will hear about each one as I bind off and line them up for their glamour shots. Until then, I'll do my best to keep you updated on the current WIPs and whether or not I am drowning in the anxiety of the unfinished. lol! 

How many WIPs are in your craft room?

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!