Happy Days!

Happy Saturday all! Can anyone guess what's making me this happy? 

Could it be flag football, with my favorite almost-seven-year-old ball carrier? (By the way, thanks to Jan & Tom for the new team swag,  pictured above!)

Or knitting new colorwork mitts that match my last sweater? 

Or maybe it's frozen cokes...

Zombie parades...

Halloweekends theming...

and tiny pumpkins at the end of the trick-or-treat trail at Cedar Point!

Well, it's a little of all of that, to be sure! It's also abundant apples, making my first apple crisp of the season, following flag football... 

and we have dinner plans with friends later! There is so much good in our personal lives right now, which is so wonderful..because current events in the news often leave me worried about the world that seems to be falling apart around me. 

Still, despite all the tragedy, I know that God is in control. Even though it sometimes feels like no one is in control, because we live in a fallen world,  God is always in control (Isaiah 55). He leads me to find peace (Psalm 23) and to love others (1 Corinthians 13) while I live in this world full of uncertainty and [often misguided] disdain. I'm so thankful that "He's got the whole world in his hands," because I know it's too big a job for anyone else.

I'm also thankful for all of my friends, and for you coming to read the blog, too! What are you thankful for today?

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health! 

A Hand-y Post

As I was looking down at my knitting this morning, I noticed my hands. 

Oh, they're nothing special...no fancy manicure, and I'm a chronic nail-biter, so I'm easily embarrassed by my hands. So, when asked to take photos of a project I'm test knitting "on actual hands," I felt personally challenged. I started with this: 

These are, of course, not "actual" hands,  but Flat-Stanley-style hands I keep so my actual hands don't show up in photos. But then I got to thinking 🤔,  "Hey! I have friends with hands!"

And so I do! Though my friends were slightly dismayed when I asked them to don the mitts and display a silly mug, they did eventually agree...so yay! 

As I looked over the resulting photos from the 2023 hand sessions, I couldn't help but notice how beautiful these hands are. 

Their beauty is not the result of fancy polish or finger exercises...it comes from living and loving and learning, and their beauty grows as they keep going. 

Thank you, ladies, for letting me get silly and take pictures of you and your hands. And thanks for all the ways your hands have helped me through the years. 

Thanks also to Shana, who has helped me to see the beauty in my own hands. Maybe I won't balk so much next time! (By the way, if you like these gloves, Shana has a pattern coming out soon...seems like she always has another great pattern coming out! Check out Shanalines Designs to see all her designs and patterns!)

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health! 

Woolapalooza 2021!

Breaking out of the Pandemic, our beloved Great Lakes Fiber Show returned this year, and the little knitting group that could had our first public adventure together in over a year. It was a blast! 

The start of the day was a little unsure, as wind and rain had pelted northeast Ohio all day Friday last week, and more was predicted for Saturday. Still, we pressed on, determined to see all the yarns we could and have fun! #yarngoals #friends #turnaroundforapicture

(Pictured: That time I yelled, "Turn around for our first picture!," but only half of them heard me.)

I do love to document the fun, and there is usually an arrival selfie. But first the setup... #smile

(Is she taking it? I think so, Diana...lol)

Then the perfect shot! 

#notgivingawaymyshot

(Wait! Where did Andrea go??? Ugh! Oh, well...)

It was a chilly day, though it did not rain, and we had such a good time. We saw sheep...

(And a random guy in the back also saw the sheep... #photobomb)

We shopped outdoor vendors... 

#yarnbyrds #yarntruck

We shopped indoor vendors... 

#decisionsdecisionsdecisions #leadingmenfiberarts

Alice bought a hat!

(As you do, when it's that cold and you did not bring your own. FYI, even in NE Ohio, it should NOT be this chilly on May 29th! #butwedidgettowearsweaters #knitterwin)

And there is this picture of me and Diana that I keep, even though it shows several of my chins, because Diana looks fantastic (as per usual)!

(There's the Pretty selfie we all know and love...lol! #badanglesareus #imprettytoo)

Finally, in agreement with Alice, we decided that it WAS cold (the high temp that day was 52°F), and we were about shopped out. So, we headed out for lunch. #toochillytositintheparkinggrassthisyear

We headed to lunch, then a little side trip into Amish Country, then home to sort through the newly acquired stash! And just about the time I remembered that I don't have that fantastic porch for photo shoots any more, I also remembered these granite countertops! Ooooohhhhhhhh!

All in all, another great trip to Woolapalooza, and we can't wait to do it again next year! Of course, we will keep knitting (and looking for more fun opportunities to laugh together) until then! If you knit, and you're local to me, come join us!

Oh, and gratuitous pics of grandkids, because, well...LOOK AT THEM! Sooooo cute!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Love Lifts Us Up

Clearly, according to the musical fates, love lifts us up where we belong! So, what else does love do? 

Love doesn't use the gift, so that it won't get worn out. Love treasures the handmade, and invests in the hands that made it. Love sends that handmade item back to its origins when the original recipient meets Love in Heaven...and Love then wears the gloves.

A few weeks ago, just after Christmas, I told you a bit about my Aunt Mickey. I feel like she left us too soon, and I know I am not the only one. Still, we are grateful for the legacy of love she leaves behind. 

Yesterday, I learned that a gift I had sent her in love has come full circle. On her first trip to Italy, to visit her son and his family, I asked if she might look for some yarn for me please. I sent money (which I think she sent back with the yarn) and told her to pick something that she liked. She brought back yarn that I mostly knit into baby things for my first granddaughter, when we were expecting her more than 10 years ago!

But some of that yarn was knit into a pair of matching mitts, one for me and one for my very generous Aunt Mickey. I sent the mitts with a note of thanks, and I didn't really think about them much until my cousin sent me a pic of the mitts while looking through some of her mom's things in February. Did I want them back? Mom didn't wear them much, she didn't want to stretch them out...she could maybe send them to her sister-in-law, still living in Italy? 

Yes! This sounds like the perfect solution to me, and I am happy to report that the mitts have arrived, back where they started. 

As far as I can see, the note says,

"Cousin Pam made these for Mom as a thank you for the Italian yarn you or Mom brought her on that first trip to visit. It looks like she never wore them, probably didn't want to ruin them by stretching them out.

Let's not hold on to use things for "someday".

You can get good use of them for at least 6 months out of the year!"  

Love, Mar

Good thoughts, Mar. Let's not wait to use things. Let's wear the gloves, use the crystal punch bowl just because, eat with the good silverware and sit right on the couch. Let's live life abundantly, loving one another, as life is meant to be lived. Let's not wait for someday.

I know it is a pandemic, but how can you show someone your love today? Make the phone call. Write the letter. Speak the kind words. Feed the sheep. 

All the love to you, readers. Whether you are family, friend or internet acquaintance, all the love to you!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Baby Sweater in Italian Yarn, 2011

[Mostly] Speechless Saturday

I am taking the weekend off of work and all things think-y, but thought I'd take just a moment to check in. Here are four photos that have made me so happy this week:

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Winner! Winner! Gnoblin Dinner!

Always enter the contest, right Mary?!? Even if you're the only one...lol! 

Congratulations to Mary, who has gnamed the gnew gnome, Gnoblin!!! Thanks for playing and winning the pretty knitty contest! 

(And the crowd goes wild!)

(Or...crickets...it makes no difference to Mary, I'm sure. I know I saw some row counters around here somewhere..."Birds of Emotion" I think they were. Wait, are you a knitting Mary? Shoot me an email, friend, and we will get you all set up!)

Anyhoo, I will be putting together a little package for Mary, and perhaps I will leave the contests to the bloggers who have time to promote contests...lol!

Since I finished knitting Gnoblin, I  have had much on my mind. PB Sandwiches for one thing...

 

I finished this beauty during virtual knit night on Wednesday, then made a plan to cast on matching mitts, as you do! I'm sure I'll have photos soon, but in the meantime, here's another shot of the hat:

I think I love it! Know what else I love?

Well, yes. I DO love coffee! I also love my little Bubbo, his mommy and upping my selfie game with them. 

I'm pretty sure we exasperated the little guy while we played with the camera on my new phone instead of watching neow-neow videos...so, here you go... 

(One minute, nine seconds, please don't feel obligated. It is just a cat video, seriously!)

Because we all love a good cat video, right?

Right. And more gratuitous pics of my grandson!

And now that fall is in the air, and the cats are in the laps, I think I will take this opportunity to turn on the oven and bake my first apple crisp of the season! We went to pick apples just this morning, and my mouth is already watering. If you're in the neighborhood, stop on in for  a taste...we even have vanilla ice cream to go on top when it comes out of the oven...I just know I am going to burn my tongue, and I can't wait!

Are you looking forward to anything this weekend? Drop a comment and let me know what gets you excited about autumn!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!