Happy Valentine's Day...

to all who love

to all who are loved

Well, let's see if this works...

It's been another long, dry spell for blogging. The dialup Internet has not allowed me in to the blog for weeks and weeks.  During that time much has happened and at the same time nothing much has changed, but that's life, isn't it.  This will be a long post, as I have much to share and who knows when I'll be able to log in again?

Ignore the weight-loss tickers to the right of the page. They are the result of a bet with three of my motorcycling friends and I'm struggling with the formatting.  I am hopeful that the actual weight loss will be easier than setting up the tickers, but so far my own weight has not changed much.  The guys are doing well, though!

So I think it was well before Christmas the last time I posted.  Since then, there has been much knitting, the death of another old friend, a visit from my brother, an evening with the Harlem Globetrotters, a whole lot more knitting, the re-addition of six more people to my home, an adoption of the feline sort, and probably a bunch of other stuff that I can't remember at this moment.  

At this moment the house smells quite wonderfully of fresh baking raisin bread.  My oldest grandson had a bad dream and came into my room to wake me for comfort. We couldn't get back to sleep so at 4:45 a.m. we were up and in the kitchen, starting the bread machine.  The bread should be ready around 8:00 if you're in the neighborhood.

So. Back in mid-December I posted a contest for a free e-book of knitting patterns.  The winner was  barazile, from Ireland!  There is a link to her blog in the comments on the December 19th post. 

Here is a little story:

A little story

Once upon a time, a little doll lived in a little shop. She was quite homely, with staring eyes and a cheaply-made cotton dress, but she was very friendly and dear. A hard-working young woman named LaVerda loved her so much, and wanted to take her home, but alas, a dreadful accident happened: the little doll took a terrible tumble from a high shelf and broke her little head quite badly!

The good shopkeeper (that’s me, silly!) mended the little doll as best she could, but there remained a bit of her scalp that had fallen down inside of the little molded face, and a little hole remained that could not be repaired.

The poor dolly sat for months and months, over most of a year, with the sad hole in the top of her head. She feared that she would sit on the lonely shop counter forever, and would never have a warm and loving home to call her own. Whenever Miss LaVerda came to the little shop to work, she would take her up and talk to her and tell her how much she was loved, but still the little doll sat, sad and lonely, as the days passed.

One day, the good shopkeeper found a bit of warm woolen yarn and began to knit a little cap for the dolly. She knit a feather-and-fan crown for the cap, with reverse stockinet stitch for the back, and adapted the ruffled skirt from the Knubbelchen pattern to make a little tail at the bottom to keep the dear dolly’s neck warm. She sewed two bits of red satin ribbon to the cap for ties.

Then the shopkeeper took up her wool and needles once more, and knit a simple garter-stitch shawl for the little doll. She cast on two stitches, then worked an easy dishcloth-style pattern, slipping the first stitch of every row, then wrapping the yarn over the needle once and working the rest of the row in Knit stitches. When the piece seemed big enough, the shopkeeper worked one row thusly: Sl 1, (yo, k2tog), repeating (this part) across the top of the shawl. She then knit back one more row across the edge and then bound off as loosely as she could, although she SHOULD have used a larger needle to do that because it’s too tight, dangit, and won’t stretch as far as I want it to and...oops, I have gotten off track, haven’t I?

The shopkeeper took the little shawl and bonnet to the little shop and dressed the little doll in them. She tied the cap’s red satin ribbons under the doll’s chin, and slipped the button from the doll’s bib through the lacy edges of the shawl to hold it closed over her chest. The sweet dolly was so warm and cozy, and there was no longer any sign of her frightening adventure and dreadful fall, except for a tiny mended crack down the center of her face!

The shopkeeper wrapped the dolly in a bright and cheery red-and-white dishtowel, because she knew that Miss LaVerda liked the pattern, and tied the package up with a blue bow. She placed the little gift in a spot where she knew it would be found when Miss LaVerda came to work the next day, and left it with a little pat, and a wish that the dear little doll would always be loved.

Merry Christmas, LaVerda! :o)

Some Miscellaneous Knitting That Could Not Be Shown Before Christmas:

 

Incognito Cowls for the grandchildren.  These can be worn instead of scarves to keep their little necks warm, or can be pulled up to cover the lower parts of their faces, giving each of them a funny mustache!

 Knubblechen: little dolls knit from some of the Big Bag O'Sock Yarn that I got at Tutto last February. They are quite soft and cuddly, and I love them very much!  These four were knit in worsted-weight yarn for the grandkids, but I've knit three more in leftover sock yarn and have two more on the needles for baby gifts.

If you know me, you know that I do not care for the color purple (although the book and movie of the same name are among my favorites), due to a bad relationship with a purple-loving former boss.  I had a great many bits and pieces of purple sock yarn and I thought if I used them to knit a pair of socks it might help me get over my aversion for the color.

Here are the socks.

It didn't work.  I'll wear them, but I still don't like purple.

These, however, I love.  The yellow striped yarn is my treasured Opal Bee yarn, held in my stash for several years now.  I had only some leftovers from socks that I had knit, along with some of the same yarn that was leftover from a friend's socks, and I didn't think there would be enough for a full pair, so I added some black and some wonderful honey-gold yarn to make enough, using those colors to stripe the cuffs, heels and toes. 

Did I mention that I LOVE these socks?

I also love these...yellow, my favorite color, was the theme for one of my online sock-knitting groups, and knitting a pattern from a new-to-you designer was the theme for another.  This is the quite splendid Lang Jawoll yarn in a quite splendid yellow, and the pattern is Cabled Spakenburg by Erry Pieters-Korteweg, a designer from the Netherlands.  She has adapted stitch patterns from traditional Dutch fishermen's sweaters to knit socks for her family, and this design is one of hers. 

Erry's notes about the source of her pattern:

" Designing for my son with shoe size 14,5/49,5 a pair of socks based on the gansey of the fishermen from Bunschoten/Spakenburg, a fisherman’s town in the Netherlands. Fishermen from this fishing village had two ganseys; one for during the week and one for Sundays. The one for during the week was knitted huge, like twice the size wanted. Then the gansey  was put into hot water, and rubbed and pounded until it shrank to half. This procedure resulted in a very  heavy, and wind-­ and water-proof sweater. For Sundays the gansey was knitted with a thinner kind of blue
yarn, called ‘sajet’. The dominant motive were cables with bands in stockinette stitches in between. More about these sweaters in the book Nederlandse Visserstruien by Henriette van der Klift-­Tellegen (Bilt 1983)
The book has also been translated in English."

I was able to locate a copy of the book in English through Michigan's Inter-Library Loan program, and it was a very interesting read!  I'm planning to use another of Erry's designs for my February Knit-Along socks.  Her patterns are beautifully written and result in some lovely socks.

These are socks knit for one of our motorcycling friends in trade for a pair of heated riding gloves that were too heavy for Frank to wear while operating his motorcycle.  Frank's bike is orange, as were the bikes that belonged to our friends Ross and Steve, and this yarn is left over from socks that I knit for them.  I bought the yarn several years ago from Astrid's Dutch Obsessions in Zwolle, Netherlands, to continue in the Dutch theme. I didn't have a lot of the orange yarn left, so used brown for the heel flaps and heels.  When I finished, I had just a few yards left of the orange yarn.

This is Pearl.  She adopted us last fall. She is a very loving kitty, and makes me realize how much I've missed having a pet.

Friday evening, we were treated to a Harlem Globetrotters game at Notre Dame.  I have seen them many times on television over the years, but this was my first time to see them in person.  They are impressive basketball players, and fun (and very funny) to watch,  but what most stuck in my thoughts as I watched them was the history behind their team. Thank you, Michelle, for a wonderful evening and a MOST thoughtful gift.


And last, but most assuredly not least, there has been another passing.  Don (Donnie) A. Moore, a friend of my husband's since first grade and of mine for around forty years, died two weeks ago today.  He was a military veteran, Legionnaire, pillar of his community, father, husband, friend.  He was tireless in his efforts to make his town strong. He was loud, rude, obnoxious, insulting, profane, and terribly, terribly funny!  He was the owner/operator of their local radio station, an ever-present volunteer and fund-raiser, and the sort of man who makes me realize what a complete slacker I am. His shoes will be impossible to fill.

A Contest! A Giveaway! Free Stuff!
A gifted designer from Ravelry has given me a copy of her new ebook to review and one to pass along to some lucky person...if you'd like a copy of your own, leave a comment here at my blog, and tell me who your favorite Hobbit character is.  I'll leave the contest open until midnight, December 31, 2012, and then will draw a name at random to receive a link for the download.

Josie Mercier has designed five patterns for knitwear inspired by the book The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien.  You can see pictures at Josie's blog, and read about her long love of all things contained therein. 
Each brings to mind a moment in Bilbo's adventures through Middle Earth.  I am most drawn to the Elvish Singing Shawlette and the "Pocketses" vest, but I think the Mirkwood Satchel is intriguing as well. My only wish is that Josie had knit some of her projects in lighter colors, or done something different with the backgrounds to show off her lovely knits a bit better.  The charts are clear and look like they'll be easy to follow, and the patterns seem to be well-written.  I'm looking forward to casting on my first Hobbit-y project, and hope that you all will be tempted, as well!

Don't forget to leave your comment below so that you can be entered in the drawing. One entry per person, please.  This is my first real giveaway, and I am easily confused! :D 

Ghosts of Christmas Past

And so, I have put up a tree this year.  It's a job that's always filled with emotion, with memories, with so much of my life.  Christmas was a very special time when I was a child, and for as long as my mother was alive, but it has become more difficult since her passing some years back.

Last year, it was too much to bear, and I could not bring myself to open those boxes and let the ghosts out.

This year, I decided I had to do it. It was poignant. There were a few tears. I am, however, glad that it is done.

My tree is not 'themed', it is not coordinated, it doesn't play music or look especially stylish.  My ornaments are bits and pieces of my life, and each one has meaning.

Here are a few of them:

 

This one is from my first birthday party, in late November of 1957.  My mother bought these Santa ornaments at our local variety store, and each of the children at the party had a little hat with one of these perched atop it.  I have two of the Santas left now.  They are showing their age, but my tree wouldn't be the same without them!

 I bought this little bride on the day that I bought my wedding gown, in 1973.  There is also a silk rose corsage that was given to me by my mother, and a silver swan that came from a shop in the town where my husband grew up.

 There are many miniature books on my tree, including tiny reproductions of the Little Golden Books that filled my childhood bookshelves, a wee edition of A Child's Christmas in Wales, a red-and-gold-bound copy of The Night Before Christmas.  Books are such an important part of my life, I couldn't possibly leave them off my Christmas tree!

This little porcelain doll is one of several that my mother used to decorate her trees.  The snowflake was crocheted by a former co-worker of mine.  We made a deal: she hated to block her work, and I do not enjoy crocheting.  She made the snowflakes, I starched and blocked them, and we divided them between us. 

This was one of the first collectible Hallmark ornaments I purchased.  When you press a button on the back, it plays a recording of Neil Armstrong's famous lunar landing speech.

There are ornaments made by my mom, by my brother-in-law, by my son, by my Cub Scouts, many years ago, by friends, and by me. 

There are whimsical additions, and beautiful ones.

 

And yes, there is even a collection of Star Trek ornaments!

This one plays a special Christmas message from Mr. Spock.

And here are two special friends that I had not seen for several years, since we packed them up after our last Christmas at the other house.  It was such a joy to find them once again!

Many years ago, when I was much younger, I made dolls.  I made them every year for quite a long time, one for each of my nieces.  They were not original designs, in fact for each one I used a purchased pattern, but each one had its own individuality.

These were two of the last that I made, after the girls were 'too old' for Aunt Becky's handmade dolls.

Before these, I never made one for myself, and I have no pictures of any of them!

I hope if one of my nieces still has hers and should happen to read this, that they will email me some pictures of their Christmas dolls.

Each one was made with great love and care.

And so, Christmas is coming.

Be well. Be happy.

Next post, coming soon, a giveaway! I have been gifted by a fellow member of Ravelry with a copy of an ebook of knitting patterns inspired by The Hobbit.

Check back soon, and enter to win it for yourself.

 Take5, take 2

I finished another pair of socks using the Take5 method for sock yarn remnants.  There are twenty-four differently-colored stripes of all sorts of sock yarns, with Kroy Sock in Glen Check for the ribbing, heels, and toes. 
Because all of the yarn for this pair was left over from other socks, my yardage was limited.  I was afraid that I was going to run out of the Kroy Sock before I could finish the toes, so I engaged in the time-honored knitter's trick of knitting as fast as I could; I suppose in the hope that it would help me to finish before I ran out of yarn.  : D  It worked...I finished the toes with just a few yards to spare!
Knit 8, purl 1 rib for the body of the socks, EOP heel flap, Dutch heel...I love these socks!

This is another pair from the Big Bag O' Sock Yarn, and yet one more where I had long, unbroken lengths of yarn and could make two socks without having to join any ends together.  The pattern runs top to bottom in one sock, and bottom to top in the other.  This color was one of the biggest lots in the bag, and I have plenty left to knit at least two or three more pair of socks.


It was cold and blustery here today, perhaps a foreshadowing of the weather that Hurricane Sandy has sent our way.  There is snow tonight in the mountains of North Carolina, where a group of my motorcycling friends have gathered to spend a week riding together.  I hope that the weather wll improve for the rest of the week.

An Ode to Fall

My connection is freakishly quick tonight (for dialup), and so I am able to post.  It has been a spectacular fall here. I cannot remember a year when the colors were more brilliant or lasted so long as they have in this autumn of 2012. I hardly knew where to look or what to photograph!  My photos can't do justice to the beauty I've experienced this year, and my words are inadequate.

Autumn is a feast for all of the senses. 

We see the colors, feel the cooling temperatures, taste sweet, freshly-pressed apple cider, hear the crunch of leaves underfoot and smell them as they burn. 

We mow the grass for the last time until spring.  We coil the garden hoses and winterize the spigots.  Shorts and sandals are packed away and sweaters and woolen socks are unpacked and shaken out. 

 An extra quilt is placed on the bed, and I spend a few extra minutes before sliding out of the warm covers in the morning. 

It is a glorious time to be outdoors!  Roadside markets are ablaze with great heaps of orange pumpkins and squash, and pots of many-colored chrysanthemums to be carried home and planted. 

Apples have ripened and fruits in all colors appear at the grocery store...my favorite is the Jonagold: juicy, crisp, and just sweet enough.

The rain and wind have taken down most of the leaves now, and most of the trees are bare. 

 The first flakes of snow will soon appear. 

I've been knitting, of course.  These socks were knit from bits and pieces of yarn that came from my sister's stash.  The pattern concept is called "Take 5" and requires that you change yarn colors every five rounds.  I knit them for a German group on Ravelry called RestEnd.  :- ) I don't speak German and cannot read group posts without running them through an online translater (always a source of amusement!), but they are a friendly and welcoming group, and have made me feel welcome.  I have a second pair of Take 5 socks nearly finished, just the toes to knit.

This is another pair of socks from the Big Bag O' Sock Yarn.  I think the yarn is from the Schafpate collection.  All of the yarn from this collection is completely produced in Germany: German sheep and shepherds, German spinners and dyers.  It is lovely yarn, with a wonderful hand and perfect bloom!  Each of these socks was knit from one long, unbroken length untangled from the great mass.  I've knit two pair so far, and have enough left for another pair or two in this color!

There is a little project currently being knit in the RestEnd group, called "Knubblechen".  I can hardly wait to finish a project or two so that I can start knitting along with the ladies!  I'll show them here when I've done one or two.

Bundle up...it's cold outside!

Some Knitting

There has been constant knitting...in order to protect my sanity!

At the Tennessee Lunch Run this past April, I gave away three door prizes of hand-knit items, and was happy when all three were won by people that I know, and one of them even chose to receive a pair of my socks over another prize of a motorcycle part!

These went to Bob VanNess in North Carolina

These went to Crabbywinger Bob in Michigan

Both have received their socks and seem happy with them.  The third 'winner' elected to have me knit him a hat, and I'm still waiting to hear what color he wants.

 This yarn:

 is from the Big Bag O'Sock Yarn that I acquired on my visit to Tutto in Hechingen, Germany.  I untangled it to get this:

From which I knit these socks for Rich:

I have enough left for at least two more pair of socks, and have started a pair for myself.  Rich's were made from the little balls of yarn, but mine will be knit from the two long, unbroken balls of yarn so the stripes will match, just because I want to see how the stripes are supposed to come out.

Likewise, these balls of yarn: 

came from this tangle, also from the Big Bag O'Sock Yarn

 and were turned into these socks, which I've already shown you, but they're pretty enough to show again, I think. : )

I gave enough of this Flamingo-ish yarn to one of my regular customers who is a sock-knitter, and still have plenty left for at least another pair.

On the needles are another pair from a HUGE tangle in the bag.  Pics to come later.

Leftover Summer Silliness...

When we went to visit our friends in Eastern Ohio in July, as we have for the past ten years or so, there was a mystery of sorts...I was standing in Peggy's kitchen when her little granddaughter, who we all call 'Bean' looked with some alarm at my feet.

"You only have four toes!" she said.

I looked down to see this:

Four toes

"No, Bean," I explained, "that's just the way it looks because of my sandals, see?" and I stepped out of the shoes to show her this:

Five toes

And I slipped my sandals back on.

Still four toes

She wasn't convinced.  "Do it again!", she said, and I did:

Still five toes

This action was repeated several times until she grew bored and walked away, shaking her little head.

Apparently, it bothers her quite a bit because I was required to do the same exercise LAST year when we were there.

I do, indeed, have five toes on each foot, as evidenced by my dusty footprints made during the installation of the new hardwood floors in July and August:

Really...five toes on each foot!

In addition, I now have beautiful floors in the entire downstairs of the house:

New floor

and they are finished, except for one little corner beneath the stairs, where the Tool Fridge sits.