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! 

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!

Storms of Life

Hi there, Blog Friends! I am borrowing from something I wrote a little earlier in the week, and I hope you don't mind. We had a pretty big storm around here last Tuesday, and some of my local friends are still waiting for their power to be restored and storm damages to be cleaned up. 

Everyone is ok, and the Pretties have power, but this is still super relevant:

Psalm 34:4 was the first piece of scripture I memorized as an adult. I still carry it with me everywhere, because I tend toward anxiety. Right or wrong, fear seems to be my default. 

The first time I really understood how calming scripture can be was more than several summers ago. My husband and I had 2 small children, and we had just spent a rainy day at Cedar Point. On our way out of the park, in the dark, another storm was rolling in as we drove along the causeway. I felt very small in that minivan, buffeted by rain and wind and unable to see much in the dark. 

Except when the lightning flashed. Each time the sky blazed with light, I could look to the left and to the right at the churning lake, and at the trees bending over their houses along the road in between the waters. Was there a tornado brewing? Would the wind blow us off the road? How were the kids already falling asleep in the back?

Realizing that there was nothing for me to do as my husband drove us calmly through the storm, I started to pray. Then I started to repeat Psalm 34:4: “I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.” And do you know what? He, the God of the storm, delivered me from my fears. 

The storm subsided in time, or we drove out of it, I really don’t remember which. What I do remember is that God delivered me from my FEAR. The storm was secondary. Praise God!

As our community recovers from Tuesday’s storm, I'm finding so much to be thankful for. I spent 20 minutes in my daughter's basement with toddlers, and we were not harmed. That same daughter was driving with one of those boys, just before the storm hit,  and they were not harmed. I know of folks who lost homes in the storm (there were at least 2 tornado touchdowns confirmed in our area), and they were not harmed. So much to be thankful for.

I am most thankful that the boys did not seem anxious during our time in the basement. I desperately don't want to pass my anxiety default onto them. Thank you, Lord, for keeping us calm in the storm!

What kinds of storms have been happening around you this week? Dysfunctional families, financial  hardship, stress at work and much more can make us all fearful and anxious. If you don't yet know the God of the storm, who is able to deliver you from all your fears, I hope you'll take a moment to introduce yourself. Reading the Psalms in the Bible is one good place to start. Talking with me is another! 

(Psst! If you start with a reading plan on the YouVersion Bible app, it'll even read to you! I like to knit and listen sometimes. 🙂)

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health! 

A nice, calm image for your mind. 🙂

Snowy Spring Saturday

Happy Spring, Northeast Ohio! Isn't it lovely that we woke up to a delicate blanket of SNOW this morning? Lol...

It is actually quite beautiful, with the only real hitch being the annual Easter Egg Hunt at church! Despite the white, the egg hunt went on as planned (mostly) with kiddos clamoring for their eggs indoors, rather than in the grass...and everyone had fun. Super yay!

And knitters everywhere in Northeast Ohio are taking up their needles for some cozy stitching to pass the time without getting muddy and cold. Add in a lovely cup of tea, and this weekend will not turn out half bad!

For me, there is also an upcoming birthday, with some grand toy-knitting planned, which makes for a cozy, knitting weekend indeed! Can you guess what I've got up my knitting sleeve? 

Also, it's just one week until we celebrate Easter, so this week will be busy at work. therefore, I'm going to take whatever down-time I can get this weekend...still relishing in a recently-finished project that will make Taylor Swift fans everywhere smile.

This tiny, cabled, baby cardigan is based on my favorite sweater pattern (available as a pattern generator at knittingfool.com), with the cable and twist elements added in. It took about 4 days to knit in fingering-weight cotton, and it's taking about 2 days to dry after its spa treatment (soak and block). Oh, cotton. You love water so...

So, there are socks on the needles, and surprises for the soon-to-be Birthday Boy (our youngest grandson turns TWO next month), and the weekend has provided the perfect weather for knitting. Are the planets aligned, or what?!? 

Tell me something that is going RIGHT for you today! I hope there's more than one thing, but even if things don't seem to be going your way, I hope you can find one good thing to celebrate on this cozy Saturday.

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

January Goals

Yes, goals. Not resolutions. More specifically, this post is about my January knitting goals, which will be met, yay! My goals were to knit a pair of Christmas socks, which are finished, yay... 

...and a January sweater, which will be done by month-end! Again, YAY!

I'm also planning to cast on another sweater, mittens and a pair of socks for me. I'm not sure I'll get those done as quickly, but I am excited to be doing a little selfish knitting before I get back to the roots and kid-knits. After all, the Rainbow Yoshi pattern needs some revision, in my opinion...

...it seems to have an odd shape and the parts seem disproportionate to me, so the plan is a little modification. Or maybe a LOT of modification! In any case, not until after the current projects are done. 

Sometimes the planning is as much fun as the knitting, you know. I mean, Easter is coming, so there should be bunnies of some sort... And there's a crochet pattern out there for marshmallows with dino costumes...ummm, super cute! And it is snowy and cold outside, which is proper winter/knitting-inside weather. So. Many. Plans! 

What are your plans for the weekend? For winter (summer, if you're Down Under)? Whatever you're plans are, I hope you can sprinkle in some joy! 

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health! 

Oh! And we did a puzzle! 

Is It Really Over?

It's the last day of the year, and I'm not sure how to feel. The excitement of Christmas is almost over (we have one final celebration this afternoon), and the tree is put away, so things are right where they should be on the holiday timeline... but I'm feeling a little "blah."

Last weekend brought the excitement of Santa and presents, 

Holiday food and family, 

and we'll have some of that today, too. But the weather warmed up a bit, the sky is crying, and it just feels a little weird to have rain in place of snow for December 31st in Ohio. 

There's still plenty of Christmas decor in the house, which I'll probably tuck away tomorrow, 

and it'll be nice to have the house back to normal...but I think these guys are hoping we'll get at least a bit more snow this winter. To be honest, I'm hoping that too.

When I wake up tomorrow, what will be different? What will 2023 bring? What do I want it to bring? 

I'm still figuring that out, and if you're doing the same, maybe we can figure it out together. My main goals for the next 24 hours are to find some joy, eat something yummy and maybe cast on a selfish knitting project. 

I think I can, 

I think I can, 

I think I can... 

Now, because I probably won't be up until midnight, I'll end the blog here with a Happy New Year to all, and a Knit in Good Health!

Snow A-Plenty

Well, they said it would happen. We know that living in Northeast Ohio pretty much guarantees that we will see snow in winter, so we were prepared, pretty much planning to just stay home on Thursday. Still, when Wednesday wandered in, I wondered if the predicted snow had been blown out of proportion, as it sometimes is.

But I had a significant project to work on, and that kept my mind off the snow. Access to almost endless hot cocoa, paired with mindless garter stitches, kept me calm and carefree as the snow approached.

And even though it was calm and cozy inside from sunrise (top) to sunset (bottom),

the predicted snow came. It came, and it kept coming,

and coming, 

and coming, 

and coming!

We even got a little fresh powder overnight last night! It sure is pretty out there!

So pretty, and so cold! Good thing I have a fresh shipment of yarn, in all the colors, to keep me busy indoors! 

How are you staying warm today? If you are Pat and Don, you are just living your life...in Florida! (Hi Pat and Don!) But for those of you who live a little more north, like me, I hope you have yarn and warm treats to keep you toasty and occupied!

Before I go, may I share a bit of wisdom from a friend? Franklin posted this as part of a longer post, and I see so much wisdom in it that I wanted to pass it along (with his permission, of course): 

"Let people enjoy their moments of happiness, y'all. Let them have their little victories.

If they don't ask for notes, don't give them any. Don't suggest how they can do it better next time. Just let them have the moment." 

I share this, having been on both the advice giving and receiving end of those notes. I tend to always think that my advice is helpful...but when I get unsolicited, "helpful and corrective" advice after achieving a small victory, that's just annoying. I'm going to try hard to be better at not giving advice like that, and I am NOT going to tell you the best way to shovel your driveway, or knit your sweater, or cook your dinner today. I'm just going to be glad that you've cleared the drive for my visit, so we can knit and break bread together, and I hope that you will do the same. 

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

PS - Franklin and I are social media friends only. He lives faraway, I've never known him in a face-to-face way, and I am sure our opinions differ on many things. Still, I like him a bunch, and I think he is one cool cat! As with many of my online friends, I am glad that we are friends, even though I can't call him to borrow a cup of sugar. Shipping that sugar would surely be cost prohibitive anyway!