Goin' Fishin' in my Brain

Fishin'? Well, this is what I am knitting now:

Why fish? There are two reasons: 

1. I need to fill my decorative bowl at work with something, now that Easter is over (originally, I thought I would knit a sky full of stars with attitude, but I fizzled after about five of these cuties...)

and 2. June is soon! (My ZK2025 shirt came this week, yay!)

Knitting tiny things is one of the Knitalong Challenges for the upcoming event, and I think I may make a couple dozen fish to enter...ha! Having the Zombie Knitpocolypse so close (June 19-21) means that I will be going slightly out of my mind with enthusiastic anticipation of a fun, yarny weekend with friends, and sometimes losing concentration for the regular things...lol!

You know what happens when I lose concentration? Well, my mind wanders a bit. 

What does it wander to? Many times it's yarn, for sure, but sometimes it just wanders. Sometimes, when I'm sitting in a room that wishes not to be disclosed, my brain goes fishin' (so to speak) and I see this:

Don't see it? What about now?

Still no? You don't see the little doggie?

Pardon my drawing. This is a skill I have not unlocked.

Wait. That's crazy, you say? Even crazier, what if I also see a larger dog?

The two dogs actually share a nose, if you can believe it...

I'll never NOT see them again, so now I have a favorite bathroom stall at work, and that's what my mind went fishin' for this week...bwaaahahahahahaha!

Yes, you're right. That's a little weird...but it's fairly "on-brand" for Pretty. My friends know this about me, and they still hang out with me to knit. Of course, some of my friends' cats are occasionally judgmental...

Why is he looking at me like that? I just finished a sock!
I'm supposed to be dancing!!!

but cats lick their own...ummmm...feet...sooooo, who are they to judge, really? Eventually, I think he stopped judging. He even offered his belly for a good rub... Wait. I think this is a trap...😜

I hope you are finding joy and judgement-free zones this weekend. For those of you who are moms, and those of you who have moms, I hope Sunday is a good day. And if you are struggling with trauma that will make Sunday difficult, I hope you find moments of peace and even joy, despite those difficult emotions. In any case, I'm glad to see you here, so leave me a little comment about something you're looking forward to!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Movin' On In

If you've been following along, you know that I have a new job, and you probably know that I'm enjoying it! You may not remember that the cubicle I moved into was still occupied by its previous tennants' things for the first three weeks I worked there, which I didn't really mind, but this was the week I actually moved in!

All my pictures, magnets and feel-good office things came with me, and the office is another "home from home" finally! With photos of family, drawings from young friends, and even my favorite magnets, 

I feel settled here. Having some knitted things scattered about helps!

I took special care in arranging the spot where my eyes fall most...

Awwwww!, who ARE those crazy kids?

So many happy things, and I'm doing some parts of my actual job, unassisted now, so all is well. I know there will be hard days eventually, but at least I'll have some joyful things to lift my spirits when they come!

What lifts your spirits on the hard days? If it's knitting, keep some handy!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health! 

PS - I also received the new Mochimochi Land book this week! What fun!

Contemplating Christmas

While some of my friends and family have already started decorating for Christmas, 

With sofa decor, 

and shelf decor,

and wall decor...

I'm just not there yet. Well, perhaps that's not quite true...I mean, I did recently abandon gift knitting in favor of selfishly stitching and steeking a sweater for meeeee! 

I have wanted to knit a colorwork, Christmas cardigan for years, but selfish knitting is for January, and my motivation is usually gone by then. It's been a struggle since I started knitting sweaters, and it's just never come to pass... until now. This is apparently my year!

So, now that I have my handknit holiday sweater, I am seriously starting to contemplate Christmas, with all the decor and fun! I may even move some furniture this afternoon! But Birthday Cupcakes for my dear daughter are just about ready to decorate, so I'll sign off here and see you next week! 

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

It's still fall, y'all!

Halloweekends, and More!

I know I've said it before, perhaps even last week, but I really love to spend time at our local amusement park, Cedar Point! I was there last Saturday, even while the pre-scheduled blog post was going live! 

Our oldest Grandson noticed that the merry-go-round was running backwards (for HalloWeekends) on our last visit, but we weren't able to stop for a ride that day...😪. So Pop Pop and I picked that boy up and took him again last week, and he rode it twice!

We rode lots of other rides as well, and we stayed much longer than we had planned, because we were having So. Much. FUN!

On Sunday, I spent time with friends and cats, 

and I worked on my Christmas sweater!

Which is good, because I have two more sweaters to knit this month (for the girls), so I've gotta get that cardigan finished! I mean, the boys already have their hoodies, and they love them...

Of course, they also like to pick their noses and make stinky toots! As a coping strategy to being a boy-mom, my daughter has taken to buying me early Christmas gifts...lol!

That's right, I'm knitting a Christmas cardigan, and she bought me a Christmas cardigan! It's a good thing that I'm into Christmas!

Oh! Christmas is coming! I gotta get back to my needles and yarn...the sweaters won't knit themselves, ya know!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health! 

Like a Bird on the Wing?

Like a bird on the ... wait ... 

No wings for this guy yet. Lolz...seems appropriate for a day that we're going to visit prison. Unlike my brother-in-law, though, this bird will get his wings this afternoon. In fact, a few of his feathers are already finished.

For anyone who might wonder, visiting someone in prison is hard. Pre-Covid, we visited about once a month, and it was difficult, but we had it down to a routine. These days, our visits are far less regular...and the motivation to schedule each visit is scarce. Still, since we are generally his only visitors and contact with the wider world, we are trying.

Unlike the depictions I've seen on TV and in the movies, we can't take in photos, books, gifts or anything to share with him, not even a stick of gum or a slip of paper. We enter the facility, obtain our badges and lock up our belongings before we walk to the building where visits take place. Just the clothes on our backs and a government issued ID are all we may have with us. 

And a credit card for the vending machines. Who wouldn't love to share a meal with loved ones from a vending machine? Well, our inmate appreciated his microwaved, frozen chicken sandwich, Nacho Cheese Doritos chips, Payday candy bar and Dr Pepper today, and we are glad for that.

We are allowed one hug of greeting, and one at departure, visiting seated on molded plastic lawn chairs on opposite sides of a small table between hugs. This morning, we had much to catch up about, since it has been 8 months since our last visit. Family news, job news (his and ours), newsy news...our time together drags between topics and races through the words that make us laugh or want to cry. It's awkward every time.

When the visit is over, we walk back to the entrance/screening building and collect our things for the drive home. We are both spent, and I may or may not have taken a three hour nap this afternoon. But I've gotta get back to those wings! 

Like a bird on the wing is the soul that follows Jesus...or so I've often thought it should be. His yoke is easy and His burden is light (Matthew 11:28). But life is still hard in many circumstances. 

When I keep following Him, I get through the difficult things just fine. So I'll get by on a wing and a prayer (and maybe a bit of meditative knitting) when life gets complicated. I hope that you will do the same, no matter what life throws your way. 

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

X-es and Ohs

Between VBS and work, I was sure hoppin' last week!

(I don't think this frog dances...)

But this week has been super-chill, which I am so thankful for! It's given me the chance to get out into nature...

To see the birds and the bees,

(We saw this eagle fishin'!)

and the flowers and the trees... 

(Mmmmm...sweet, sun-warmed berries!)

You know the good stuff of summer! I've even had a moment to knit something fun...I mean, who doesn't love a balloon dog?

(The pig apparently loves the balloon dog!)

I'm also currently working on a crochet project I hope to take on our next family vacation! Hence the X-es and Ohs in today's blog title!

Eventually, it should be a soft, portable,  washable tic-tac-toe game for the kiddos! For now, this single X and O are waiting patiently for friends and a place to sleep. It shouldn't take too long! 😉

That's about all I'm up to at the moment, and it's good to have a bit of "down time" on these lazy, summer days. I hope you are finding some down time in your life, too. I assume you are, since you're here! 

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

One more...
outdoor Sunday school!
It's the best!