Drifting Along. . .

Adrift still, and really kind of enjoying it. I love this tormented teal colorway that I snatched from my dear friend at Woolapalooza last year, and I am not feeling at all guilty about it...well, maybe just a little? Still, it's mine! All mine! And I love the way the sweater is coming out!

I have finished the back, and despite a few slowdowns and interruptions along the way, I am now about halfway into the front pieces. I really prefer to knit sweaters in pieces. . .I know it's a little bizarre, but there is nothing more satisfying than a perfectly set in sleeve, and I love to set in sleeves and seam sweaters. So, while I could've knit this sweater in the round (and I have knit sweaters in the round, and I will probably knit my next sweater in the round), this one is knit in pieces. I like the way a seamed sweater maintains it's structure, even if the knitted fabric tends to stretch, the sweater does not (so much as it might if it were knit in the round).

Now, I don't think the pattern on Drift would be prone to much stretching, but you never know. . .I have never knit or worn a sweater of Lambs Pride before, so I am a newbie on that. . .we will see how it goes, and we will do our best to never even let this stuff be in the vicinity of the washing machine. Soak, Soak, Soak, all the way, or we will have a nice piece of felt with sleeves, or so I am told. . .and this knitting is way to pretty to felt!So, no felting for me in the near future. Check! It does leave one question, tho. . .what is in my near future? Well, probably another Hat for the Hubs! (BTW, I really did finish the gray/blue one...really, I did! There are no pictures because Sweetie is a little camera shy. Look back, when you see him here in the blog, it's either his back, OR he is just an accessory for Peanut! I'm still trying to get that shot, tho! Wish me luck!)

So that's where I am. . .adrift in a sea of yarn. . .in all weights and fibers. . .waiting to be made into all manner of garments and accessories. Watch this space for upcoming Christmas stockings, and lots of cold-weather gear! Winter is just waiting on the heels of lovely Autumn, so my needles are a'clickin' every day! I hope that you are planning warm and cozy things wherever you call home as well.

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Hot to trot!

Hmmm, maybe I should rethink that post title. . .but how can I?!? Check out my new socks, a friend's beautiful pattern (Lace Medallion Socks) in Destination Yarn, colorway Bonfire. . .they are HOT, HOT, HOT!!!, (and on my feet, they will trot, trot, trot!).But wait!, there's more! In the rush of finishing these socks, and crocheting an afghan for a friend's wedding last week, I also had a tiny breakdown in the yarn purchasing department of my brain. . .you know, the part of my brain that reminds me regularly how much yarn I currently have stashed about my tiny house. . .the same part of my brain that reminds me that yarn is not a good toy for a baby, and that yarn in-and-of-itself is not a "fine gift" for every single person I know. . . Yeah, that part was apparently broken, because I bought this: That's right, behold the giant box o'bulky, acrylic yarn!!! I needed an entire box of bulky acrylic yarn (really, no really, I DID!) because Dollface, Wifey-Poo and Peanut need warm hats and scarves for the cold that is surely coming to our corner of the world. Dollface was up first. . .she wanted a hat that was roomy enough to fit not only her ample idea-factory, but also that full bun she piles on her brain to keep the hair outta her face every day. . .but after I finished the hat (the first time), and she put it on, we all decided that it was too small. . . Sooo, we tried the hat on another noggin, just for kicks. . ."Take it off, Gramma! This hat is too big for Peanut!," said the smartest baby on the planet, my granddaughter.In true knitterly fashion, I took the hat from the baby, and I ripped back the crown (even the cutie-patootie, little bobble at the top), and I added more rows to contain the whole of her head and hair to make it a just right fit (I hope!). I haven't had the chance yet to try it on Dollface, but I did find a willing model for both the hat and the scarf this morning. . .what d'ya think?For the most part, I am pleased with this set, and I think my Dolly Draft Dodger is as well. (She says she needs a scarf and hat because dodging winter drafts is cold work!) Here are a couple of closer shots of the hat and the scarf to help you see the wonderful texture of the yarn (Northland Snowfall). It's a three ply, with one white chenille-y strand and two hairy brown strands. There is a slight halo, and both pieces are quite fluffy! If you look at the picture closely, you can see that I used different size needles for each piece. . .10.5US (6.5mm) for the hat, and 13US (9mm) for the scarf. I wanted the hat to be a tighter knit, to help keep some of the wind out, but to also still be pretty fluffy. . .the scarf is really fluffy! Overall, I am pleased with how both pieces turned out, and I even have a little yarn leftover! I think Dolly Draft Dodger likes them, too!
I wonder how I will pry them off to give them to Dollface. . .oh well, I guess that's a worry for another day. Also, for another day, I hope to write up the pattern for this hat and reversible cable scarf. . .but not today. This day is for knitting, and I hope that you get some knitting time today as well. :o)

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Finished, almost finished, and not even close...

This has been a busy week. It's been a busy month. Heck, since I became a Gramma and a new mother-in-law in the past 6 months, it's been a busy year! Still, there is always a project begging for my attention! Like these socks, almost finished, and clearly destined to be one of my favorite pairs. . . . . .and this afghan, on which I worked diligently, determined to create a masterpiece in under a week. . .it's now finished!But my best, and favoritest project so far has to be this one. . .it's a knitter in the making! I mean really, just look at the way she is reaching out for that raw, natural fiber. . .hmmm, maybe she'll spin, too! And, since I just purchased this book:Well, I am sure that she will be knitting as soon as she can hold those pointy sticks (without fear of impaling something or someone. . .fine motor skills are of the utmost importance here)! This is the project I'm not even close to finishing, but I'm ok with that. She has time to learn, and I am pretty sure that our future will see us shopping for yarn and fiber together. . .I love the optimism born of time spent with a new baby. . .anything is possible!!!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

We now return you to the regularly scheduled knitting...kinda

Back to the knitting today. . .err, I mean crochet!
My latest project is a crochet afghan. So far, here's where I am: This pile of 20 white squares, about 8 1/2 inches each, is just waiting for it's borders and the join. I have decided that I am only willing to do 20 squares for a 4x5 afghan, but I need the afghan to be a bit bigger when it's all said and done. I started in white, but then decided to work a lacy border around each square, and join with a crochet chain. I know I have seen this technique elsewhere, not sure just where. . .but crochet is in my blood, so I am sure I can figure it out. I worked on these squares last week at the farm, and Peanut came to visit Joey the llama. . .I know you want to see a picture of that!!!My biggest dilemma so far has been whether to work this all in white or to add color(s). I opted for the latter, in a subtle way. . .you can see that 12 of the squares have already received their first round of color (an off-white), and this will be followed by a tan round. After that, there is a chocolate brown in my stash that will edge them all once more before the joining round. I think it's going to be pretty fantastic, so I can't wiat until it all comes to pass and I can show off the finished product! That's the crochet update, and now. . .

We return you to the regularly scheduled knitting!. . .which has kind of taken a hiatus. . .there are a pair of socks, a hat, a scarf and a sweater on my needles, but there has not been (and will not be) much progress on these until the afghan is complete (hopefully this weekend?). Come to think of it, the girls (Dollface, Wifey-Poo and Peanut) have started to make their winter-wear knitting requests, so I'm not sure when those four projects willb ecompleted. . .but there should be knitting content in the blog every week, nonetheless! Love the knitting (and crochet)!!!

That's it for now. There's still a SALE IN THE SHOP, and this code is good for 10% off until the end of September: 10SEP11TEN. That's 10% off anything you order, even sale items (some as low as $5!).

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Thursday

These "religious" posts are few and far between, but today I just need to tell you about something that happened at work this week. Mine is a pretty tame job, without much excitement on most days. But on some days. . .well, some days I just want to shout from the rooftops. . .read on!

(By the way, I do not mean to "thump" anything at anybody with this post. However, I am a church secretary and a Christian, I do share the opinions expressed in this blog, and I do believe that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. I also believe that God wants nothing more than to have a life-saving relationship with all of his children, no matter who they are or what they have done in this lifetime.)

A young man came into the church about 10:30am this past Thursday, and he asked if he could just pray. Knowing that the equipment on stage is not cheap stuff, after I let him into the worship center, I let our worship guy know he was in there, and I left all the doors open so I could hear any "funny business" that might happen. After a few minutes, Music Man walked by my office and went in to meet the young man (I’ll call him José for the blog).

For the next hour (at least), Music Man and José battled for the young man's soul. . .talking, praying, reading and discussing scripture. . .and I saw José leave through the front doors. Music Man came back and sat down in my office, and through his tears he told me some of José's story. . .

José had just been fired from his job. His involvement with spiritists, fortune tellers and other "spiritual" activities had left him unable to sleep for at least the last several days, and the reason he had lost his job was his inability to function on what little sleep he had gotten. He knew that he needed God, but wasn't sure what to do about it. As he drove past this church on this morning, he said God told him to pull in. (This is usually where the average con would make a request for money, or work boots or something, but Music Man never mentioned any such request. This was very genuine.)

Music Man said that, after I had told him about Jose's arrival, he heard God tell him to "go talk to that kid." Now, our Music Man has a full plate, and lots to do on Thursdays to prepare for a young-adult worship service he participates in each week on Thursday evenings. . .but he just went to talk to that kid anyway. While he was telling me the story, Music Man said that it was like a fist-fight with Satan. . .he was totally drained afterwards. . .and yet, he was also energized.

While they were talking and praying, José received a text message from a phone number he did not recognize. . .it said, "Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God," which is directly from the Old Testament in Leviticus 19:31. God had texted him (or He had someone text him) right when this young man needed a word from God most. He broke down. Music Man broke down. They prayed and eventually that young man accepted Christ, proclaiming that he was now, and finally, "safe" because of all that God had done for him.

Music Man said that it was in that moment of acceptance that he felt a presence in the room with them, and he watched this young man's face transformed from darkness to light. Weight was lifted from his shoulders, and when José left, he was a new man.

Well, a few minutes later, José returned. He was a new man, not the same José that had walked in earlier, face downcast, asking if he could just come in and pray. His face and his whole being were smiling brightly and proclaiming God's promise of new life! All he wanted now was to tell everyone he knew, but first he came back to thank Music Man. He and one of our ministers who was also in the office prayed with José and let him know how blessed they were that he had come in today.

This is soooo not my story to tell. . .still I must. I have Music Man's permission, and I have changed the names, but WOW!!! That's powerful stuff, and I just needed to share it. It's not something I see every day, or every week, month or year. What I normally see at my job is the average con, looking for a handout. . .churches are apparently pretty good marks. Thursday's interaction with José, even though I barely participated in it, sure does a lot to remind me what's at stake and why I am who I am. . .it's all about Him. Praise God!

Today, I will be knitting at the farm. I will be in the middle of God's amazing creation, and I will be praising Him and thanking Him for all that he has provided for his children, and I will be in constant prayer for those who don't know Him yet.

Oh, and I hope to finish another Hello Kitty Hat, too!
Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!