Oh, Pooh!

That is all. 

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health! 

What Becomes of the Broken-Armed?

Knamma is what my middle grandson calls me, when his tongue is too lazy for the "gr" sound...lol, and I am a knitting knamma! As you (and Taylor Swift) know, knitters gonna knit, knit, knit, knit, knit...and I've been knitting for the grandkids from the beginning. It started with sweaters for their little, baby bodies before it moved into toys, and these three monsters were one of the first toy adventures for the boys' house, in 2019:

Now that the boys have a dog, sometimes toys are caught in battle situations. While I am no Doc McStuffins, when I saw this poor guy's arm last week, my heart broke a little: 

So, as a knitting knamma does, I mustered the troops (actually a small collection of rubber duck nurses), and readied the operating arena and surgical tools...

You may not know this, but this type of prosthetic surgery is typically done with no anesthesia, so it was really no surprise that the patient wanted to try out that new arm before I was even finished with the procedure.

In the end, the hardest part of prosthetic surgery turned out to be matching skin tones. Just like flesh, yellow yarns come in many shades, and even though I got close(-ish?)...we will always be able to see where I mended that broken heart...errr, arm. (The "nurses" seem quite impressed with my work, yay!)

At least toys are easy to fix. I've come across three broken-heart situations in the last 6 months that I'd fix if I could, but there just isn't enough yarn in the world. Instead, I have prayed for the families of two young dads (Tony and Erik) and one young mom (Mandy), terminally ill and/or taken from their families far too soon. Their stories are not mine to tell, and I only knew one of them personally, but I have agonized through my prayers for friends at the pain these losses have brought.

I've also been reminded that this life is full of uncertainty and things that are out of my control. I am glad to know that there is One greater than me who is in control, and I have prayed that He will watch over these families, weaving his love through their broken hearts and surrounding them with the love of family and friends who point to an eternity of hope. 

If you have lost a loved one recently, or too soon, or ever...I pray that you would lean into faith, call on the name of Jesus, and trust that He is enough. The Bible tells me that He has prepared a place for me, and that there will be no more pain or tears in heaven. I lean on this when I have pain and tears on earth, and I remember that answering his call is something I must do daily...hourly even. 

And now, celebrating like it's the end of a major sporting event for those gone to heaven (some far too soon in my mind), I lift my John 3:16 sign and remind you that "God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." 

Physical life is fleeting, but spiritual life can be an eternity of joy. I hope you will reach for that joy in all things, especially if you are feeling broken-hearted today. 

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Germy Weather

It's been a challenging week, and I think this "hooo-huuum" face says it all:

On a normal Friday, I would have fought harder to keep that beagle-face off my dinner table, but a week of late-April showers and gray weather

coupled with the germ I've finally succombed to, Strhinovid, maybe? (Strep, rhinovirus and covid have infected several around me lately...)

These have all weakened my resolve, and curtailed the fun knitting. Just a single sock, with a second started, stays with me so far this week. 

So I'm taking it easy today, and thawing a chicken for soup to support my immune system,

and hopefully I'll be feeling so much better before next weekend...because opening day is only a week away! 

It is in these moments, friends, that I'm glad we can connect online, without sharing these snotty germs, so...

Thanks for stopping by, wash your hands, and Knit in Good Health! 

Decisions, Decisions...Birthday Edition

Our youngest grandchild will turn 4 very soon, and my daughter has requested a certain character knit for this fine, young Peppa Pig loving kid! I bought a book of patterns online,

went through all my worsted-weight, acrylic yarn

and determined I did not have exactly the right colors for "Candy Cat," so I went shopping...and now I do. 

In fact, I have a nearly completed Candy Cat in my bag right now!

Trouble with that is that the kid may have a new favorite character now. By our best estimation, that would be either Rebecca Rabbit or Pedro Pony. Referencing the photo above, I certainly have the patterns for both...and I may even have the yarn. Of course, there is the distinct possibility that I'll need to go shopping again, which (let's be honest here) is no tragedy for me! But gosh...I do have some yarn here.

Still, if I can't find the right colors, there will be shopping, and decisions! After all, the party is coming, and I do NOT have time to knit ALL of the characters! (After all, I've "wasted" significant portions of my spring break playing with these hooligans...lol!) 

So, it seems that it is time to make a decision! I wonder what I will choose for this kid...?

Whatever the choice, I am sure that the toy will be well loved, and that will be a birthday-edition WIN, so I'll take it! I hope you are also having some wins where you can, and if it's your birthday soon, I hope you have cake!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Still Starting Socks!

As we covered a few weeks ago, I (like most people) only have two arms. I also have but two feet (again, like most people) yet I keep knitting new socks.. in fact, I cast on this pair just a few days ago... 

Perhaps it's the lure of single skeins, that occasionally come with too much personality for a whole sweater...

Perhaps it's the lure of a small project that can be worked on literally anywhere (though never in the bathroom, I do have limits) ...

Oil changes take awhile...

Perhaps it's the fact that's socks were my first knitting love! This pair has cables AND tiny, tiny beads, and I LOVED knitting them (in 2009)! 

But the most likely reason is probably that socks wear out...and although darning is satisfying, it's just not as much fun as casting on and knitting a new pair! 

So, here I go, here I go, here I go again...knitting socks and taking names while I get the oil changed.  What are you doing for fun today? 

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health! 

The Agony of de-feet

Sometimes, when you're working on a project, everything turns out all hunky-dory! Like this "Happy Spring," crochet banner I've started for my office! FYI, I only have N and G left, so it's actually almost done! 

Also almost done is the third pair on a trip of stripey socks, using one of my favorite commercially produced self-striping yarns,  Felici (by Knitpicks.com).

Unfortunately, as you can see, there is something wrong with my second striping skein of pinks...and sometimes this happens with Felici. It usually starts with a knot (which is where the trouble started onion this one), then the yarn changes. 

I've seen Felici shorten stripes, skip a stripe, or even change the order of colors, after a knot...but this is the first time I've used a skein that appears to have been mishandled by the dyers (mechanical or otherwise) after the knot.

I was a little upset when I first noticed the mistake. Truthfully, I'm still in a little agony now, but I'm probably not worked up enough to reach out to Knit Picks about it. I do love it when my handknit socks match perfectly, but I have not stopped loving Felici...and as I said before, knots do happen with this yarn...so I'll probably just finish these socks before moving on to the next pair. These pink stripes are not a gift, and they will still be comfortable and pretty, so no harm, no foul. I've got bigger fish to fry. 

After all, I live in northeast Ohio. Have you seen the news about northeast Ohio lately? This is my favorite of all the info graphics I saw on FB this week...lol! (Not sure who the OP is, but shout out to my buddy Karen for sharing on her profile!)

Yeah, 4 seasons plus a meteor in one week...and I've also heard that Bigfoot may be on the loose, so I'm just gonna stay inside and play with yarn this weekend. I hope you also have solid plans for the weekend. If yes, drop a comment to let me know what they are! 

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health! 

Improvisation

Sometimes I just can't find the pattern I want, so I start to improvise. I usually start with a good idea of the shapes I need, but sometimes not much more. This week's projects were no exception... any guesses?

What about this one? 

Do you see Peppa's father, Daddy Pig? Lol...not what I was after, but now I have a sudden urge to knit a bunch of pigs...weird. What about now? 

This time, I see the 1970s "Little People" dad from my childhood...but that's not what I'm knitting either. Maybe the first accessory will give a clue...

or the legs, or the hat? C'mon! Take a guess! 

Did you get lucky? 

You did, if you guessed that this would be a lucky leprechaun! 

Ain't he something!?! And, wow!, was he fun to knit! So much fun that I figured I'd try my hand (and needles) at a semi truck that can drive over a plate of cookies next, because...well, maybe I'm just random that way? Random or not, that was the first pic of the post, and I think I have hit the mark!

What will Pretty knit next? Nobody really knows, and anything is possible. You'll just have to pop back to see next Saturday...I can barely wait, myself! 

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health! 

Has Anybody Seen My Pig?

Grandsons, are fun. A bunch of boys also bring more chaos than the girls ever did, tho. Take my pig, for example. This is the last place I've seen him, and that was last Sunday...just after I finished his new sweater.

The boys delight in hiding this pig, and that was super cute when they hid him on top of the toy box, under a bed (with his nose poking out) or in a closet. As they've gotten older, they've also gotten better at hiding (I think Mommy helps sometimes?), and this is good for their brains and provides loads of fun for them. Yay!

But I want my pig back. Im sure he's not as cold and hungry as I imagine, but I miss him.  If you find him, please send him my way? 

In other news, I have managed to find my Christmas socks, 

and I've stashed my regular socks until after Christmas...

There were a couple of casualties in those well-loved, and oft-worn, handknit socks.

I looked at the hole in that sock when it came out of the washer, then I looked at the darning that had already been done...and I saw that it's mate was heading down the same road. 

It was a hard decision, I loved this "Good 'n Plenty" pair (made in 2015), but sometimes it's just time to let them go. Darn! That was a good pair of socks! Heres a pic from when they were new! 

Just about everything looks better when it's new! Just ask these friends, celebrating their first Christmas season. 

But some of the old standby toys are still looking pretty good...remember the Alphabet Soup from 2012? The boys really enjoyed it on their recent sleepover! 

They also enjoyed puzzles

and Magnatiles

and rock climbing at the Y

But mostly they enjoyed hiding my silly pig! Again, if you see Snonk, please send him home. Thanks. 

Happy Saturday, friends. I hope you have all your holiday [pigs...and elves?] in a row, and that December is shaping up into a good month for you! 

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!