Potpourri...

Because sometimes a week is full of random, here's a little bit of everything... 

...like rain and puddles...

and boys and Pop Pops!

A desire to knit loopy beads, 

then more loops...

and even more loops (143 at my last count)! 

Could I make another lizard, but smaller? Yes, but they don't make as nice a lizard as the original, crocheted beads (made before the Kansas trip)... They do still look pretty cute in a bowl on the coffee table though,

or on the kitchen counter. (Caution: Not breakfast cereal. Do not eat!)

Finally a few walks around our favorite parks and properties have shown us that the butterfly game is strong this summer!

And the bees are doing ok, too. 😜

Even a very recent funeral at the church reminds me this week that everything comes full circle, and this lady was well loved in her 94 years on this earth. (If you're the praying kind, please keep her hubby of 74 of those years in your prayers. His heart is achy, as is to be expected.)

Yes, it's been a good week, and fall is on it's way. For those of you who might wonder, I have put out some pumpkins, but that's it so far. 

I don't mean to rush it...but kids are in school around here, the days are shorter, and the aroma of autumn is all around. Life is short. I will surround myself with things I love. (Yes, mostly yarn.)

Some of my lovelies are splashy young men, coming to visit for dinner very soon, and others are breakable. I'd better stop here and give the house a run-through to move some things out of reach!

Thanks for stopping by, friends! Surround yourself with what YOU love, in this season and in those to come, and Knit in Good Health!

¡Todas Las Cosas Nuevas!

You know how you can look at a thing for years and years, and then one day, it's like you're seeing it for the first time again? Like when the daffodils bloom...you've seen them every year, but this year, it's like they bring fresh hope because SPRING IS COMING!

Something like that happened to me in the last couple of weeks, when Rosemary Kiladatis contacted me to let me know she had finished translating my dishcloth pattern into Spanish! THANK YOU Rosemary! She asked if she could do this a few months back, so she could teach knitting to more people (which I am always for). Wanna take a look? Here's a link to the pattern on Ravelry: Gramma's Favorite Dishcloth (Grandmother's 2nd Favorite)

So, if you're looking for a little something fun and easy to knit, give it a shot. And if you'd like some cute pics of a couple of boys who never stop moving, well I aim to please with that as well!

Just like a good run through the spring rain, I love the concept of a good, old-fashioned fresh start. Ephesians 4:20-24 says this:

That, however is not the way of life you learned when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

I love that. I absolutely love that God is a God of second chances. And third chances. And fresh starts. This is what the story of Easter is all about. 

What new things are you looking forward to this spring? 

While you wait, thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Oh, and I have a new sweater, too!

DROPS Sweater of Doom

The morning weather was a little dreary, 

And my eyes were a little bleary...

But I've taken a nap,

And I have cat on my lap,

So it's time to knit something, clearly!

Yes, it's a gray Saturday, and my neighbors (and the cats) have requested that I stop "Singing in the Rain," so here I am. Working on the DROPS Sweater of Doom. The good news is that the sleeves are cinching up those humongous armholes. 

The bad news is that the sweater is still not a perfect fit. 

But (she says in her most optimistic tone), it isn't blocked yet, so there's still a chance! I am holding out hope that a good blocking will make me fall in love again with the DROPS Sweater of Doom. Have you ever knit a sweater like that? Perfect, beautiful sweater (on the model in the pattern), and then...DOOM! Notsomuch as pictured?

I'm going to go find my "Gorgeous" pants. I think I need them today. But maybe I'll wait until the cats move. They look so peaceful... 

I wish you sunshine and rainbows in your knitting, and in everything you do! If these are not part of your actual weather forecast today, I hope that you will find them in your heart. They're there...although they are sometimes difficult to see...but I know you can find them!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

I Believe Spring has Sprung!

We have had many false starts...

...more false starts than I care to mention. I mean, c'mon! I have two pictures of SPRING SNOW here!

Even so, I know that Lap Naps

and Coffee Cravings

always give way to sunbathing

and squirrel stalking!

Eventually, if you can make it through the rain (and snow) showers of spring, you might even be rewarded by some pretty!

Winter in northeast Ohio always feels a lot longer than it should be, but I think we are over the hump...I see the sun this morning, and it's supposed to be rather warm today!
So even though it may still drizzle and spit,
I'll take it and wonder, "Now, what shall I knit?"

Anything special or spring-y on your needles? Tell me about it!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

PS - My apologies, no knitting at all today. BUT, I have finished spinning 60 grams of the BFL! Yay! I see some lovely lace in my future!

Lace and Rain...

Many of you know that I live in a place that got hit by Sandy. It was not a direct hit, we are very far from the ocean coast in the northeast corner of Ohio here, and we were not nearly as inconvenienced as many others were. Still, there was rain for 6 days straight (in her defense, it was raining to our west before Sandy came in from the east, but she did contribute to that 6 days with at least 4 of her own). Yes, there was rain...and WIND! It was not good weather to be outside... You all know what that means, right?!?

Luscious Lace Knitting...

Bing! Bing! Bing! Yes...there was knitting! You know me so well. When the rainy weather keeps me in, and I face the prospect of losing power, I am glad that my hobby doesn't require batteries! (I need light, but you might be surprised how little light you need if you are not working with black yarn!) So I worked on my sweater, which no longer looks like a lace border for my coffee, and now looks more like a skirt for a my-size Barbie:

I know, it needs to be blocked. Still, it's lookin' good!

Yes, it would be a short skirt, but on these needles, it certainly doesn't look like it will fit around ME yet! Oh, I can't wait for the magic of blocking... Even so, even unblocked, it is starting to look just amazing, and I am really enjoying the knitting! That's kindof amazing, seeing as how this is a DROPS pattern, but it IS heavily modified...maybe not so amazing? Either way, it's coming together, and I can't wait until it's ready to wear! You know what else is coming together? 

Many Miniature Mittens

I have 22 mittens complete! In the picture, there are only 21, please don't hold that against me. I promise there are now 22. I don't know why I was worried about finishing these for December...they are going SUPER-FAST! So fun!

And now, I think I see the sun in tomorrow's forecast! After all that rain, I am going to go outside to enjoy this bright Saturday, and feel the sun on my face, maybe we'll even get a walk in! I hope that you get to do the same. :) 

Thanks for stopping in, and Knit in Good Health!

Something New. . .

Due to some of the questions I got last week, I feel like I should clarify. There are no weddings in the immediate future for the Pretty Knitty family. But, now that I think about it, why not follow something old with something new? I mean, there really is no nostalgia in new (yet), but everything has to start somewhere!

So here's something new: I started the second Monk Sock yesterday! Yayyyyyyy! I WILL FINISH THE MAY SOCKS!!! Aaaand, I watched Ninja Assassin. . .well, I knitted through it anyway! I did not ask Hubster questions about the plot. . .since I was really not paying that much attention. . .but do note that this is not my general taste in movies.

Oh, and three other new things are the Brothers and Sisters sweaters that were finally finished yesterday! They turned out pretty cute!
I think that about covers the new stuff. We were going to go for a walk in the park again today, but then we looked up. . .yikes! Is that coming or going? Hard to tell for sure. . .

Well, a quick stop at the craft store to see where the weather is headed. . .I have a new jewelry/craft project in mind, but there are a few supplies I still need. . .

And then back to the car, where we decided to just go home rather than chance getting stuck in the rain. That's when the downpour started, but we were in the car. . .we got soaked (even with the umbrelly) just trying to get in the house! lol But the rain stopped after a while, so we did manage a quick walk in the neighborhood anyway!

All in all, it was a Pretty Lazy Saturday, lazier than usual, but it was good! There was knitting, and yarn winding (please don't ask about that tangled mess. . .I don't have a swift, and I DO have two cats - sigh!), and soon there will be television watching that involves far less blood than Ninja Assassin. . .Yay!

Knit in Good Health!

Rainy Saturday! Yay?

This is what it looked like outside most of this past week, while I was inside this building at my work-a-day job. . .nothin' but blue skies and sunshine and temps way above normal, near the 70s (F) even on Thursday and Friday!:
When I woke up this morning, not having to work today, this is what it looked like. . .drizzle and dark clouds and around 40 degrees (F), no sun in sight. . .for the whole day! lol:

Do Rainy Days and Mondays always get you down? Not me, usually. . .and here is why:

You know that College Girl is home on Spring Break, and today is the first day of the whole week that we have all mostly been home together! Yay!

The other reason is, of course, that rainy mornings are good for watching classic movies and knitting on sweaters. . .no new photos of Salsa, sorry!. . .but the lace is coming along. . .slowly. . .and it was fun to work while watching Dorothy's adventure!:

And rainy afternoons are a good time to cast on all 100 needles of the knitting machine to knit up a super-quick, carry-along blanket for a new baby boy! Just a simple stockinette in gray, with a finished-by-hand, narrow, seed-stitch border in blue and the baby's initial duplicate stitched in a corner. 3 hours, start to finish, and most of that was the hand-knitting!:

Hmmmm, rainy afternoons are also good for practicing spinning! I got these new, resin spindles from Dragoncraft's Etsy shop! I am afraid that I have not really done them justice in this photograph, but they are all kinds of gorgeous! I have even spun a little fiber on the pink one! Happy, happy! Joy, joy!

So, what was the weather like in your neighborhood today? Whatever it was, I sure hope that it didn't get you down! I hope that you got some knitting done, and that you got to spend a little time relaxing and unwinding. . .

Knit in Good Health!