Universal Truths

This week, I found that there are still things that are universally true. For example, if you grow a pretty flower, and you post a picture to Facebook, someone, somewhere will agree with you that the flower is pretty. Maybe someone else won't be impressed, but that's ok. This week, I got to "chat" with a friend in Japan who also loves the simple beauty of Morning Glory blooms!

Also, if you throw something sticky at the ceiling, it will stick to the ceiling. I guess I didn't realize how sticky this little kawaii squishy chicken was...until the three-year-old whipped it up to the ceiling with most of his strength! He thought it would bounce down hard, and we were both surprised that this chick just hung there for a rest! Hahaha!

Oh! And if one knits a green dinosaur, it will be universally accepted, without question. But, if one knits a rainbow dinosaur, well...there will be questions. This knitter doesn't care. Bring on the questions!

Does he like crunchy, cheese snacks? Well, did you see his yellow paws?

But watch out, he also likes coffee. Hey! Get away from there, Cheese-Paws!

Too late. Lol...

Oh, and if you go to the beach with kids, even if you don't plan to go into the water...

...those littles will find a way to be completely wet and covered in sand! 

(Both of the bigger boys looked like this, but that middle kid is too fast for my camera! And, if you're worried, the baby and I stayed off the sand. We were only covered in sweat...ha!)

Lastly, and perhaps the most universal truth I learned this week is this: If you ask a child who is drawing a "Pirate Map" whether there are sharks in the water, you will soon be singing Baby Shark while the mommies in the room roll their eyes! I did not take a picture of this moment, but if you are a parent...or a grandparent, an aunt or an uncle, or a child-care worker in any capacity...you know the truth of this one!

Hmmm, I can't explain it, but I have a sudden urge to knit a baby shark. Who'd a-thunk it?!? 

::Ummm, anyone who has ever known you, Pretty!::

Hahaha! That's right! I know that's right!!! <smacks leg, rolls over with laughter!> I don't think it's a universal truth, but it is a very truth-y truth, to be sure! 

There is one more truth I'd like to end with, and that is this: Most people, in most places, will respond to kindness with kindness. So be kind this week, friends! 

Thanks for stopping by, 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!

The Enablers Weekend...

The first knitting blog post after Wool-A-Palooza is traditionally dedicated to the flashing of stash acquired at the fairgrounds, but this year I dedicate this post to my ENABLING FRIENDS!  While I did not acquire as much yarn and fiber this year as I have in years past, I did get a few amazing things...but I had an absolute blast hanging out with some of my favorite enablers of all time!

Just WHO are you calling an enabler, Pretty?!?

Who am I calling enablers?  Well, first let's call Jenny out...look at her, encouraging even the First-Years...

Brenda loves to shop, and I think she had fun!

Oh, and who else but an enabler waits in line with you at a favorite booth for half an hour to check out, shopping right up until the purchase point?  That's right, it's enabler Annie!

Deciding how many colors she "needs" in her stash...

Don't get me wrong...I love them for the enabling!  You see, I am what you might call "shopping challenged" (though not nearly as challenged this year as in years past).  I have a tendency to pick up an item, consider it for a while, then just decide that I don't really "need" it...so I put it down and walk away, looking back wistfully, saddened by my own frugality.  I need the enabling, or at least a little peer pressure, to help me get my shop on!  So, thank you Michelle for making the first purchase of the day!

Mini skein for hexipuffs...I wonder if any
of us will actually knit that pattern...

And thank you Jenny, for asking the hard questions,...

How could ANYONE not buy yarn here?!?

...and for making me feel really good about my restraint, especially at the Pollywogs booth, with all that Lamb's Pride!

Ooooh!  Pretty!

It was a lovely day, hot but not too hot, and we laughed and took pictures and bought yarn and other items!  

Wow!  That's one happy knitter!

Lest you might think that my knittahs and I are the only enablers out there, we even took photos of total strangers, to prove that we are part of a larger knitting enablers community than you might have guessed...

Knitters, "in the wild"...

(I did tell these ladies that they would be in the blog, but I didn't get their names...I hope I run into them again someday.  I think we'd be friends...look at all the Lamb's Pride they are purchasing!)  Overall, the event was a really fun time.  Fiber and yarn at the fairgrounds, with a fair atmosphere and fair food, and the fairest friends of them all...it's no wonder that I'm still smiling on Wednesday!  Oh, and I also have this new stash to smile about:

Textured cotton for a tank or two, sock yarn for another hitchhiker,
pins from Gita Maria's beautiful collection, beads for my new
Pandora bracelet, and some fiber for spinning...Yay!

Until next time, I will be fighting the urge to cast on a cotton tank top and a new hitchhiker...and to get out the spindle again for this gorgeous mohair blend fiber...  Hey, where are all my enablers?  Should I keep fighting, or just dive right into it all?!?

I hope that you had a lovely holiday weekend, and if you knit, I hope that you get to a few festivals through the summer this year.  This one is always on Memorial Day weekend, so mark your calendar for 2013, even if you missed t last weekend...you won't be sorry!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

WHAT-apalooza?

WOOL-apalooza, of course! Today is the day reserved by my knitting group for wandering around the fairgrounds, fondling fibers. . .I could not be more excited about anything!

Or could I?

Guess who's coming to dinner after Woolapalooza? Little Miss Peanut will be coming to see Gramma and Grampa tonight! Yay!


Unfortunately, all of that anticipation makes for a boring blog post, but I promise you pictures of babies and fiber-y goodness on Wednesday!


Will I see YOU at the Great Lakes Fiber Show? If you see me, ask me for a card and get a discount on your next order in the Etsy Shop!


Look for me in Wooster, and Knit in Good Health!

Something Blue. . .

Yes, I had to finish the thought! And this is the Dawing of the Age of Aquarius. . .not really, but that is a great earworm! The Wollmeise is in the colorway Aquarius though, so I call this K1 B1 Shawl project "Dawning of the Age." get it? get it? And, it's blue. So, still no wedding, but the thought is finished! Yay! Oh, and here's a picture! And that is really all I have for you today. You see, today I will be frolicking about the fairgrounds in Wooster, enjoying the sights and sounds and textures and tastes of Woolapalooza! If you live close to Wooster, you should come check it out! There will be fiber in every form for show and for sale, and tools of the trade, too! Oh, and Pretty Knitty and her pretty friends will be there. . .look for us!

And if you can't make it, well, at least I hope you will have some time this weekend to Knit in Good Health!

FIBER FANTASTIC!

So, yesterday I went to my first ever Fiber “Event”!

And the crowd roars!

And I bought yarn!

And the crowd roars!

And I bought a spindle as part of a “Learn to Spin!” Kit!

And the crowd roars!

And I totally exhausted myself wandering around the Wayne County Fairgrounds at the Great Lakes Fiber Show, in the heat of an almost-summer sun with my knitting buddies, and with some new friends, too! As a matter of fact, we saw a new friend walking by herself while we were headed out to the car for lunch, and we had fun adding her to our group! Hi, Mandy!

And the crowd fidgets a little, wondering if the host has made Mandy uncomfortable. . .

But I digress. . .I, being a list maker, made a list of 5 sweaters I would like to make in the near future. . .and, amidst the wool soak and spindle kit, I GOT YARN FOR THREE OF THEM!

And the crowd roars!

And I came home and took some pictures, and wound some yarn (thanks, Michelle!) and cast on a sweater, the Lacy Ribbed Top from the July Creative Knitting Mag!

And the crowd roars!
Now, I am going to go upstairs and knit on my sweater, at least a little, before I turn in. . .what a great weekend this has been so far!

Knit in good health!