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!

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!

Marching (reluctantly?) Into Springtime

Springtime in Ohio is a fickle thing. Snow, wind, sunshine, mild and freezing temperatures, ice and rain... all the confusing weather messages, and the daffodils and crocuses coming up... Oh, and Amazon packages flying through the air! (Seriously, Amazon. If it is small and light, or flat and light, pop it into the mailbox rather than leaving it out in the open like a cardboard kite!) For what it's worth, the package we almost lost was recovered, and the wind continued through the end of the week!

In the beginning, Spring always seems reluctant to make a commitment. It is normal this time of year to see a clear, blue sky with 70°F on Monday (Hey! I can still write Haiku!)...

then light, drizzle-y snow and wind by Wednesday, building and building until power goes out at work on Friday (power was on at home, so that's where I went for the rest of the day)!

Thankfully, we took advantage of the great weather last weekend to spend some time at local playgrounds,

and going out to dinner with family...

and I had projects to keep me busy when indoors was the place to be! Look! A second Leprechaun!

Yes, I am so thankful for yarn friends (Irish and otherwise) and for warm, hand-knit socks! These two pair are finished,

and the third, companion pair (in pink!) is well underway!

Now that it is Saturday once again, and we are one, full week past the worst time change of the year, I think it's safe to say that we are going to make it through just fine. Whew! I think I'll do some knitting to celebrate! 

I hope that you have not blown away yet, and that you have some great things to be thankful for! Can't think of any? It must be time exercise that gratitude muscle. Think harder...I mean, you woke up this morning, so I am thankful for that! Oh, and you found an entertaining blog to read...lol! But seriously, I am glad to see you here. The world would be a little less bright without you in it. Sooo,

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! 

Happy for the Valentines!

I am at a stage in my life where I don't look for Valentines, I make them.

I surround myself mostly with things that bring me joy, sometimes holiday-themed and sometimes not. This year, I am finding Valentine's day joy in getting things back to normal after our big paint job! That means hanging things back on the walls and the curtain rods, now that it's been a couple of weeks,

and even reconfiguring some spaces, like adding a tiny, corner desk to the dining room. 

These are small things, for sure...but along with the colorful knitting,

they make even mundane days feel light and airy in my heart, and help to ac-cen-tuate the positive in my life, which cannot be a bad thing! After all, there are so many places in this world to find offense and negativity. Heck! Sometimes it even seems to seek me out, but ain't nobody got time for that! So I'll keep holding onto the love in my heart for those around me, and I will do my best to live with abiding joy, while I start looking for clover and leprechauns to help me celebrate the next holiday! None in here...yet!

As for Valentines, I have a few that I celebrate with all year long, whether we see each other daily or not. No need for special cards or events over here, because I know that I am loved. There is deep contentment in love that doesn't need to shout, even though it sometimes makes mistakes. 

I hope your life is surrounded by folks who see you, who get you and who love you. If it is not, it might be time to seek some new relationships...or refresh some old ones. Either way, I'm glad you are a part of my world. Happy Valentine's Day to you, my blog family!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Surgery Number ... I've Lost Count

So the 12th day of Christmas was Monday, which would make today the 20th day of Christmas...but, technically that's not a thing. However, today is the 19th day since my little procedure, and I am counting that as a definite thing! Thinking back to my hysterectomy in 2012, and my hip replacement in 2015, this back surgery of 2025 has been the best of the three! 

There has been relatively little napping, my stitches look good, and the worst part of this recovery was probably the allergic reaction I mentioned last week. Now that the intense itching is past me, I can revel in the fact that the last 20 days have allowed me to knit not one

not two

but 3, that's THREE!, full pair of self-striping, Christmas socks

PLUS five tiny gnomes!

The gnomes are currently meeting to discuss what I should cast on next...and now that I'm off the heavy-hitting meds, I'm also working on getting approval to return to work soon. Although getting back to work will ultimately cut into the knitting time, the paycheck will make me feel better about all the yarn I own!

I mean, we all knew I'd go back, if only for the socialization I'm missing...gosh! I hope I remember how to act around people. I don't want to have to go back to puppy school...wait, that's a story for another day, isn't it? 

Anywhoo, I'm recovering well, knitting much and doing my best to follow doctor's orders, so I can continue. Prayers and good thoughts appreciated! What's been your biggest challenge this week? Drop a comment (or send an email) to let me know how I can pay for you...

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health! 

Oh, What a Week!

What a week this has been! This week included Thanksgiving (there was a very brief post on Thursday), and then a sleepover with the boys last night, so I am just a smidge worn out this afternoon! But it was so good...from the dinner table

to the tree decorating and football

(Yes, I had to fix it...which I'm not proud of.)

to the failed and successful photo attempts...

Our holiday was made complete by the people we shared it with. We have a great family bunch, to be sure, though there is not a photo of the whole bunch...but I did get a shot of the beautiful snow that fell! 

I was not expecting more than a dusting, but we got enough for the boys to make snow angels 

and snowballs yesterday, 

and even their first (Pop Pop powered) sledding of the season! (FYI, Pop Pop is also a little tired today...) So much joy is often followed by so much Ibuprofen...

All in all, it was a lovely week, and now I knit...because knitted pigs do not knit their own sweaters! 

Awww, the little house pig was sooo excited! But the boys have gone and hidden my pig once again. At least I know she's warm, wherever she is! I hope you're keeping warm as well, in body and spirit this holiday season! 

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!