WNIC, I boycott you!

It's wrong. It's plain, downright WRONG!

I was sitting at the corner with Jake this morning waiting for the bus. He decided to flip channels on the radio and what did we hear? CHRISTMAS MUSIC!

Excuse me...WNIC...it is ONE DAY AFTER HALLOWEEN. It is WEEKS UNTIL THANKSGIVING... I realize that Target probably has Easter decorations in the aisles right now (pretty soon the seasons are going to lap themselves and we'll be back on track) BUT IT'S NOT TIME FOR CHRISTMAS MUSIC YET!

I yelled NO! And pushed another button on the radio. Jake thought it was funny and kept turning on "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" (NO it's NOT!...the leaves are just falling...after all, it's FALL!!) So I kept turning it off and saying "NO! It's not time for this!"

Why do we have to push it? Remember the days when the Christmas decorations didn't show up in the stores until the day after Thanksgiving? These days the school supplies are barely out of the stores and the Christmas trees go up. Please...time goes by fast enough without hurrying it along like this.

I love Christmas as much as the next person, don't get me wrong. I'm the first one up on Christmas morning, long before the kids...I turn on the tree lights, put on some Christmas music (yes, THIS is an appropriate time to listen to it) and wait for the fun to begin.

But 2 whole months of Christmas music? I'd be gagging on it by the time the first flakes fly. It's just not right...

So WNIC....HO-HO-HOLD OFF! (and just so you know, I won't be listening to your station until December!)

Now, back to our regularly scheduled AUTUMN activities.....

(....like holiday knitting....maybe I'm so upset by this because I am woefully behind in this department????)

Spinning

I've been spinning and spinning, and plying and skeining and setting the twist and then waiting impatiently for the skein to dry. I wish I could get a picture that shows the true color, but I wasn't able.The real colors are more saturated than the first 2 pix, and more olive-tones than the last 2. It's more Targhee. (I love Targhee!) I think it may become a Clapotis. One way or another I am just itching to finally knit myself something out of yarn I spun myself. So far the only thing I've knit with my own handspun is the moebius I knit for my mom for her birthday. But this beauty is mine, all mine!



(speaking of mine, all mine, I made the last payment on my Joy spinning wheel today. My sister, who so generously loaned me the balance a few months back, is no longer the co-owner of my wheel. We are both happy the transaction has been completed!)

Fun Birthday/Weekend

My birthday itself was rather a busy, errand-running day, but I did get to have some fun in the evening. I met up with my knitting buddies at Borders, and Tam brought some homemade cannolis that were to die for. Thanks Tam....they were sure delish!

I bought myself a birthday present while I was there: More Sensational Knitted Socks by Charlotte Schurch.

My weekend started bright dark and early Saturday morning. I left the house about 7:15 for my 2 hour drive to Lansing. I was spending the day at Threadbear for their 3rd Annual Fall Festival. The shop was hopping the entire day....it's so fun to be in the midst of all that excitement! I brought socks to knit, and also brought my portable wheel. I was able to get both knitting and spinning done while I was there for over 8 hours. I also sold some goodies. I did a little better than last year, selling some bookmarks, orifice hooks, patterns, stitch markers, pens, etc. But no matter what, it's always great to be there.

One of the other vendors there was selling some gorgeous yarns and rovings she had dyed. I ended up getting a bag of superwash merino roving that I am going to try to spin for a pair of socks. It's from To Knit Perchance To Dream and it's appropriately called Last Leaves of Fall. Pretty, no?



I finally got a chance to meet Kristi....what a sweetie she is! And Kellie was working that day...I had originally met her in line at a Yarn Harlot book signing. It was nice chatting with her again too!

My friend Kim was there for a while, hanging out with me and one of the other vendors, Rebecca, who she's known and been friends with for a lot longer than me. Kind of fun that we were in the same place at the same time again this year. I originally met Rebecca at a similar event at Heritage Spinning and Weaving a few years back, and we both also did the Threadbear event last year.

After a fun day hanging out surrounded by tons of fibers, I drove home (in the dark, having missed out on a perfectly lovely, above average temperature, sunny fall day....but it was worth it). I was pretty exhausted when I got home just before 9pm, and was dozing at times while I did some laundry. I would have loved to just drop into my bed, but I had to get Kaitlyn and her friend from work at 11:30. They are ticket-takers at the haunted house/haunted hayride at one of the many orchards in town. What a fun job, huh? Not fun for those of us who have to pick them up at that late hour though. Oh well, it's just for this month, and she's loving it.

Sunday was my birthday celebration with my mom and dad, and Kim and Drew. Mike made dinner for all of us. Oh my, was it good. We had Beef Burgundy with homemade noodles, a loaf of bread fresh from the breadmaker, roast butternut squash, veggies and dip and mom's banana cake for dessert. Mike did all the shopping and cooking (except for the squash, which I made,and the cake, which mom made), did all the dishes during prep and after dinner, etc. It was just so nice to sit back and relax. Thanks Mike!

I got some great gifts for my birthday. Earlier in the week, my friend Jane sent me a package of goodies. I could feel there was fibery goodness in the package and I couldn't wait a few more days til my birthday to open it, so I tore in and found these goodies. A green Chibi, cute bumblebee tape measure, some great sock yarn from Lotus, and these two beautiful Zitron rovings. I can't wait to spin those rainbows! Thanks Jane!



Then on my birthday I got a Knitpicks gift certificate for my mom and dad. My plan is to put it towards a set of Options needles. I've wanted them for a long time, but was in no big hurry because I have 2 sets of Denise needles (one of which I am planning on selling, so if anyone is interested, send me an email soon, before I put them up on ebay). Thanks Mom and Dad!

Kim and Drew gave me a gift card to renew my XM subscription, which was just about to expire. And the cutest cell phone holder EVER. It cracks me up every time I look at it. I tried really hard to buy myself a pair of lime green Crocs (or knockoffs) all summer but every time I found them in lime, they didn't have my size. Maybe next year. Thanks Kim and Drew!



Diane sent my gifts home with my mom and dad when they were visiting her recently. She sent a great skein of Rio de la Plata sock yarn in a bright yellowy-green. It's got a funny story behind it. Several months ago, Rob from Threadbear had called me (knowing my fondness for all things green, and sock yarn, esp. RDLP sock yarn) telling me about this skein, and wanting to know if he should save it for me. At the time, funds were very tight, and I couldn't justify buying another skein of sock yarn. I was IM-ing with Diane, and told her about the phone call from Rob. She immediately emailed him and told him she would buy it for me for my birthday. I had completely forgotten all about the phone call until I saw the note on the yarn. Isn't she sweet? Diane also sent me a great green vase from a store called Blooms. She's always finding me something that's got "Bloom" on it, and I love that. The bag was tied with ribbon that said Blooms, and there was also a pen with their Blooms logo. So cute! Thanks Diane!





My friend Maria in California sent me a Starbucks gift card. I look forward to sipping a nice hot cup of Chai Latte while thinking of her. Thanks Maria!

Here is a picture of the felted pumpkin basket I gave to my friend/neighbor Donna on her birthday Friday. I kind of screwed up the increases but I think it still turned out ok. She loved it! I'm not sure if it was the pumpkin, or all the chocolate I packed into it. =)



All in all, it was a great few days!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Well, it's my last birthday that starts with a "4". EEK! I'm so old I was born in black & white!

I wish I could just hang out today, to sit 'n spin, or sit 'n knit. Unfortunately I have a lot on my plate over the next few days and need to get busy. I did get to spin 3 times in the past week though, which feels good after several months of the wheel(s) collecting dust.

Today I need to do some banking, run to the Secretary of State to get tabs for the plates on Mike's car (which is in the shop getting a new ball joint in preparation for being sold....we're wishing we had done this before the tabs needed to be bought, but oh well...I digress....)

I also have some more to do to get ready for Saturday at Threadbear's Fall Festival. I'll be bringing a bunch of my beaded stuff to (hopefully) sell. Even if it's not a huge money-maker, it's always a lot of fun to be there.

However, this visit to Threadbear will be somewhat somber. Connor passed away this week. Connor was one of canine members of the Threadbear family. She and Tate could always be found wandering around the shop, or settled in for a nap on the ottoman or elsewhere. She will be missed by many, but especially by Rob and Matt. If you will be stopping by Threadbear, be sure to give the guys some lovin', and give Tate an extra petting too. He's got to be missing his buddy as well. Sniff.

After creating more goodies for Saturday, I will be at Jake's school this afternoon for my weekly library duty. From there we'll finish up any errands I didn't complete earlier in the day, and we'll meet Mike at New Moon restaurant for my birthday dinner. We have somewhat of a tradition in our family of going out for Chinese for our birthdays. Usually we end up at Leong's in Chesterfield, but that is in the opposite direction from where I need to go after dinner....it's Thursday, so it's knit night with my buddies. I definitely don't want to miss THAT on my birthday!

Speaking of my knitting buddies...we have another sweet baby girl born to our group this week. Just about a month later than Deb's baby girl was born. I can't wait to sniff me some more baby head. Congratulations, Miri and Michael, on the birth of your beautiful baby girl! (who was born in color, I might add)

Spirit Week/Homecoming

It's been a really strange week around here. Spirit Week started with the Powder Puff football game on Monday evening. That was a lot of fun. The Junior girls won the game, and of course the Senior girls all claim it was 'fixed'. There were so many girls on the team that Kaitlyn only got to play for a short time, but they all had a blast, even if it was mostly cheering from the sidelines.

Mid-week there was a bomb-threat found written on a bathroom stall so they evacuated to the football field, had the building searched, and then had heightened security the rest of the week because the threat actually pinpointed Friday as the day something would happen. Lots of security at school, the football game, etc. Kind of put a damper on things. We didn't go to the football game because Kaitlyn had to work that night. Luckily nothing came of the threat, but these days you just never know. Used to be kids would pull the fire alarm at school to get a few minutes out of class. Now they've resorted to terrorism. Most threats I'm sure are just pranks, but each one has to be taken seriously. When it is a prank, it just just a huge waste of time, resources, manpower and money. I really hope they find out who made the threat and put a black cloud over what is supposed to be a really fun week at school.

Yesterday was the Homecoming Dance. Here is a picture of Kaitlyn and her date, Bruce.



In knitting news, I'm working on another pair of socks right now. I've got 2 pairs on the needles...must be because I'm teaching sock classes these days. This pair is in OnLine Supersocke Tropic color 928. It's a strange mix of colors, but they will be cute. I'll post pix when both pairs are done.

Ch-ch-ch-changes!

Lots of things have been changing around here in recent months. Luckily most of the changes have been positive, if not downright wonderful!

Labor of Love Yarn and Fiber Arts opened August 1. As many of you already know, I've been working there, and teaching. I love teaching knitting classes!I'm in my second group of classes now. Monday morning and last night were the first classes of the "Toe up 2 at a time Magic Loop socks". Getting the magic cast on and the increases going, after reviewing or teaching the Magic Loop method was a little touch-and-go at times, but at the end of the class(es) I think everyone had a pretty good idea of how to head on up the foot and could execute that knowledge. I hope everyone gets their homework done. They have 2 weeks to knit 2 socks to the point of turning the heel.

Working and teaching again, surrounded by fibery things, makes me very happy :-)



One big change this week has been the weather! HOLY COW....we've had a very warm fall. Warm? Did I say warm? Let me rephrase that....it's been a freakin' blast furnace around here! On Monday it was hotter in Michigan (record breaking 90 degrees) than in was in Key West and many other parts of the south you would consider tropical paradises. But in October, in Michigan, I doubt many people want to have 90 degree weather. We've all long ago closed our swimming pools for the season. My parents had already put the cover on their a/c unit so they suffered through the heatwave. We had our air on for 3 or 4 days when it was hovering around 90 before actually getting there.

Yesterday? A most beautiful sunny and 72. (WHY can't we have a string of THIS weather, I ask?) Because now....after one short day of bliss, we are headed to the dumper. The rest of the week will be wet and/or low to mid-50s. WTH?

While I'm happy for the change from the heatwave to more seasonable weather, I'd like to see a more gradual reduction in temps...not a 35 degree drop in 2 days! Sheesh!


A HUGE and wonderful change is that hubby has been offered a new job. He's nervous about it, as is to be expected. Anytime you leave what is familiar and comfortable it's hard. I'm so proud of him for taking the steps necessary to make this happen, because it was a change that was very long overdue. This is going to make a huge difference in our lives right now, and our future, as well as our kids' futures. For several years we have been struggling in quicksand. And while this job will not put us in a castle on top of the world, we can get outselves out of the quagmire and stay afloat, and that is good enough for me. Yay Mike!



A change that has just begun is a change in my body. I know I am overweight. I have no misconceptions about that. I know I need to do something about it. Knowing it and doing it are 2 completely different things. You have to have get to that right frame of mind before you can do anything about it. I've been trying to get there for so long. I've actually gained weight over the last year, probably because of my knee injury. I've spent a lot of time just sitting around because it was too painful to do much of anything else. Now that I've had physical therapy and can get around without hobbling, I can move around more. I still think I have a tear in my meniscus, and will eventually get an MRI to confirm that and will probably need surgery. Meanwhile I am dealing with the discomfort (reduced, but still there) and will work around it to do what I can in the way of exercise. Even with some limitations on that front, what I CAN do is change the way I've been eating. A few weeks ago something finally clicked in my brain and I knew I was ready to start making the changes. Once you've gotten it right in your mind, it makes it so much easier to do. You're not fighting yourself anymore. You just do what you need to do.

I've made huge changes in my diet, and it is paying off even after a short amount of time. I have lots of weight to lose, and I hope my will stays strong. I have a great support system, and I know that will help. I will turn 49 next week, and my goal is to be a completely "new and improved" me, inside and out, by the time I hit 50 next year.

I realize it will not be easy. I have to take it one day at a time, one meal at a time, one pound at a time. I hope this time I can stick with it. I've done it before (about 12 years ago, before I was pregnant with Jake, I lost over 50 lbs). Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to see how long I would keep it off because I got pregnant soon after working so hard to lose that weight. And well, you know how the story goes from there....

So think good thoughts for me...and if you have any great tips to help me, including delicious-but-healthy recipes you might want to share, please email me and help me along this journey to a better me by the half-century mark. THANKS!


Kaitlyn is 16...and so are most of her friends. That means they are off on their own, no longer needing me to chauffeur. Kaitlyn doesn't have her license yet, claiming she doesn't really like driving and doesn't care if she gets it or not. This is just like Kim...she didn't get her license til she was 18. Anyway, it's a time of newfound freedom for Kaitlyn. And a renewed sense of worry for me. She's got great friends and I know you have to let go and let them find their way, but it's still nerve wracking. It seems like she's never home any more...and many times this involves being in the car of another 16 year old. Scary stuff.

She recently has ended a relationship of about 1 year and a half, which was hard for her to let go of, no matter how little fun was being had by either one of them in the end. Why is it so hard to let go even when things have gone bad? Just because it's more comfortable to stay? Kind of sounds like Mike and his job situation all over again. Young love....

I kind of miss her old BF at times....he spent a lot of time with our family...but things change. At their age things are in a constant state of flux. I'm happy to see that she's spending more time with some of her old friends that were being somewhat ignored, and making new friends. She has been asked to the Homecoming dance which is this weekend, by a very nice, polite, considerate young man, and I hope they have a great time.

So it's a time of changes for Kaitlyn, and of course whatever mood she's in will often affect the mood of the household.....things can get rather intense around here. Anyone who has a teenaged daughter (or remembers BEING one) knows exactly what I'm talking about!


So, lots of transitions going on in our lives right now. Jake seems to be the only one in the household who seems to be immuned from changes in his life. He's blissfully unaware of the ebb and flow of a lot of this. As it should be when you're 10 years old.

WHY didn't I have my camera???

I worked yesterday....a very busy day at the shop, but I loved every minute of it. I unpacked about 80 lbs. of yarn, entered it all into the computer, printed labels, got it all priced and shelved in a beautiful rainbow of colors. Sales were pretty good too, so I was exhausted when I got home. I am loving playing with the yarn again. I don't think I realized until yesterday how much I missed working in a LYS. Getting on the phone with Brown Sheep and Berroco, it's just FUN! Tina and Rebecca had rearranged the entire store on Thursday so I had to take the tour of all the changes when I came in the morning. Things flow much better now.

Mike didn't work yesterday so he had dinner waiting when I walked in, then I changed my clothes and we were off to a 50th Birthday Bash for the city of Warren, which is where my BIL/SIL live. There was a midway, art show, etc but we mostly were going for the free concerts (Blue Oyster Cult and Foghat) and the fireworks afterwards. It was a gorgeous night to be sitting and listening to (too loud) music and enjoying the fireworks.

All night I was wishing I had thought to bring my camera. OH MY did I see some interesting people last night. Old "rockers" who never left the 70s...too funny. And of course the carnival always draws quite a crowd of characters. The beer was flowing too, so that just adds to the people-watching enjoyment.

There was a guy there in a BRIGHT yellow suit jacket with the words "Spaghetti Man" graphically printed on the back. He also was wearing black pants cut off below the knees, and black shoes. Just in that getup he would have stood out. The entire night he did a crazy dance all through the crowd. He was quite a sight. I said to Mike at the end of the evening "is it any wonder that he's so skinny?" He must burn a ton of calories dancing like that for hours on end. Maybe THAT'S why he's Spaghetti Man. I just don't know. Oh, to be so carefree and not give a thought to what hundreds and hundreds of people are thinking of you as you just give in to your emotions and whims.

Update...I googled Spaghetti Man and found this article about him. I also found there are several videos of him on youtube.com at different music venues around the Detroit area. Who knew? He seems to be somewhat of a local celebrity!

Mike's nephew knows the guy who was running the midway, so he was able to get free wristbands for all the kids to ride as long as they wanted. All we had to do was buy an elephant ear in appreciation (why do those things cost $5 now? Dang!) So the kids had a blast....Mike (and my BILS)stayed at the BOC concert while I was at the midway with the kids and my SILs. After a couple hours I was ready to fall over, my knee was killing me, and I was ready to sit down and relax. When we got back to the concert, Foghat was playing, and that lasted about 90 minutes.

The fireworks were great! I saw some that I have never seen before and it was really enjoyable. That lasted over 1/2 hour. They played some great oldies during the fireworks, bringing back a lot of memories, especially of early in Mike's and my relationship. I love how a song can just bring you back in time. Sometimes the memories take you right to a frozen moment when you heard that song together. Anyway, the weather was perfect, the sky was clear, there was a gentle breeze, we were all singing along with the music.

Then it was the very long trek back to the car, (about a 15 minute walk) but like I said, the night was just gorgeous and besides being exhausted and my knee hurting me, it couldn't have been a better evening.

Today I am going to try to finish up the commissioned B4 Bag, and hopefully felt it this weekend. The lady wants longer handles though, so I have to gear myself up for yards and yards of I-cord. Not my favorite....Maybe if Mike goes to send off his brother to FL after his visit this week, I'll put on a movie and knit I-cord for a couple hours.

I have a couple of birthday gifts to get in the mail, so hopefully I can get those packaged up today or tomorrow and finally get them in the mail on Monday morning.

One of the recipients is Jane. Oh my, did she have a special birthday this week! The Yarn Harlot was visiting Atlanta, ON JANE'S BIRTHDAY! What a way to spend your special day! Not only that, but Stephanie had spun some great yarn a while back, and then donated it to a charity auction. (You can see that beautiful yarn by going to Steph's May 16th entry) Guess who won it! Yep, Jane! So she knit a scarf from yarn that was spun by Harlot, and wore it when she got in line to get her book signed. She ended up on Steph's blog, of course. It was 12 hours of knitterly-Harlotty birthday fun for Jane! Since she got several early birthday presents, and then such a GREAT birthday on Wednesday, I've decided to extend her birthday a little longer by sending a belated gift. Never mind that it's merely my procratination that is getting it to her late. I'll just say that it was my intent to get presents to her on the late end of the celebration to balance out the early presents she got. Yeah, that's what it was.

My mom and dad are on their way to South Dakota to visit my sister. Sure wish I was going too!

Baby Kasie

My good friend Debbie, fellow knitter, and member of our BeeGees Thursday night knitting group, had a beautiful baby girl recently. She's the one I knit the Trellis sweater for.

Kasie joined us last Thursday for her first knitting lesson. She was not even a week old. The few of us who happened to be in attendance that night were lucky enough to meet her, hold her, sniff her head (sorry, I have a baby head sniffing addiction...I can't help it. I'm fully aware of my problem, and I readily admit it. But I'm not hurting anyone, so just let it alone, people!) and try to get her to open her eyes for us. When she did, it was mostly just her left eye, which cracked us up every time.

I'm not sure if Debbie wants me posting her photo here or not. I'll have to ask her. Meanwhile, just know she is a beautiful little sweetie pie, and I am so happy for Deb and John. Let the fun begin!

Catching up

Stitch 'n Pitch was fun. Unfortunately we were not made aware of some of the festivities going on before the game, so we were under the impression that it was rather a non-event. How frustrating to find out afterwards that there were booths set up with demonstrations etc. on a level below us. I wish when we had bought the tickets, or picked them up, there had been a handout or some sort of informational sheet about what would be happening. We certainly could have planned to be there earlier. Drats. Maybe next year. Looking at the Stitch 'n Pitch website, I can see that some towns that host it really make a big deal of it. I don't know if it depends on the folks at the stadium, or the event planners, but we were all left wishing there had been a little more to it.

Here's our view of the game (which the Tigers lost, by a lot...oh well) from the nosebleed section:



And here are the knitting hands of Sharon, Kim and another lady Kim knew from Heritage. Tam was on the other side of me, and unfortunately I didn't get a shot of her knitting.



Miri's shower was Saturday and we all had a blast. The food was wonderful, Sharon and I won the 2 games and came home with nice prizes, and I know Miri was thrilled with the whole day. She got some wonderful gifts, including hand-knit items from some of us. Here are the pix of the knit items she received:

The oh-so-soft blankie made by me. Yarn: K1C2 Fleece.



Cutest little bebe sweater made by Sharon (hiding behind it...can you see her lovely entrelac vest done in Silk Garden?)



A beautiful Aran made by Clare. Hers is done in Debbie Bliss Rialto. OH MY! So soft and cooshy. I'll definitely be scooping up some of this yarn from Labor of Love very soon. I wish I had gotten close up shots of Clare's and Kim's sweaters. Darn!



Another cute sweater with hood, knit (and designed!) by Kim. Done in Araucania Nature Cotton. I love the nubby texture of that yarn. The design is darned cute too!



In other knitting news...I have been commissioned to knit a B4 Bag for a semi-local lady. She had seen the SWTC ad and wanted one, but she doesn't knit. She wanted me to double the Karoake to make the bag larger and sturdier. I've done 4 bags in Karaoke, but they have all been single strand, so it will be interesting to see how this one turns out. I'm progressing, but am waiting for 5 lbs. of beads to show up today so I can carry on.

I've finished another snake scarf, this one in Paton's SWS. I love how it turned out. I guess I need to get a picture of that!

Still working on the market bag made from Butterfly cotton. I am almost done, and need to go to Joann's to find something for the handles.

And finally, here's a better picture of the B4 bag I made for Labor of Love. I still think it's my favorite one yet!



On the design front....I have 2 new bag designs in my brain. I have already started playing around with creating the first one, and can see that I need to make some adjustments. I'm not sure if they will both end up being felted bags...I may do one in cotton or hemp. We'll see. Stay tuned for more info!

Teaching again.... Yesterday I taught the 2nd in a 3-part Magic Loop class (we are doing FT's felted mittens). It feels really good to be teaching again. I'm so thankful that I've been given the opportunity to work and teach in a great new yarn store. As time goes by I'm sure I'll be spending more and more time at Labor of Love Yarn and Fiber Arts. And that's a good thing!

Stitch 'n Pitch Today!

I've got my shirt, I've had my ticket for months...and this day seemed so far away, but it's finally here! I'm so excited to finally be participating in the Stitch 'n Pitch fun that has been sweeping across the baseball world for the past couple seasons. The Detroit Tigers have been in a bit of a slump lately, but have come back and we're riding a 4-game winning streak that I hope improves to 5-games today!

It rained all night but it looks like the system has moved out and we should be completely dry by game time. I'm hoping to take lots of pictures, and see lots of my knitting buddies from across Michigan. I know folks are coming from as far as Lansing, so I look forward to seeing lots of my buds and knitting acquaintances all in one spot. Oh, what fun we're going to have!

GO TIGERS!

Off to pack my knitting for the game!

Back to School

Jake started 5th Grade yesterday, and Kaitlyn is now a Junior in High School. They are sure getting all grown up. Next year is going to be a big year. Having already gone through the Senior Year stuff with Kim, I know there will be lots of events, lots of expenses all year long, and then the big event at the end of the year. Jake will experience his first year in Middle School next year. Ack! I'm not sure I'm ready for all of this! Ok, let's get through this year before we start stressing about next year.

Here's a picture of my big boy on his first day of 5th grade.It was a hot day, but he insisted on wearing long sleeves. I think he wanted to show off the cool shirt he got at Silver Lake this summer. Good thing his school is air conditioned. Jake loves his teacher, and I think he's going to have another great year. He has been so fortunate to have such awesome teachers every single year. It makes such a difference! Hats off to teachers!



I've got a few other pictures to show you. This one is my version of the Everlasting Bagstopper on Knitty.com. I decided I wanted a round bottom, and a slightly bigger bag overall, so used the Pinwheel baby blanket pattern to get started. I stopped when I had 14 stitches in each section, so 140 stitches all together. Then I did several more rounds in stockinette without any more increases. Switched to size 11 needles and started the pattern stitch. It took me a while to realize that I probably have too many stitches...it's going to be quite a large bag. I think 120 or 130 would have been a better stopping point. I'm using some Butterfly Cotton from my stash...I think I'm going to add the orange in as a wide stripe, and then finish off again with the turquoise at the top (since it doesn't look like the turquoise I have is going to be enough)



Here is a photo of another Garden Gate Scarf I just finished. This one I knit for SWTC with their yarns. I used Bamboo for the scarf, and Karaoke for the stems and flowers. Some of the flowers are felted, and some are not. Jonelle at SWTC wanted me to make it that way. I think she said she may add it to the Karaoke trunk shows that are going around right now, showing how Karaoke felts. I wanted to get a better photo of it, but it was about 90 degrees today, and Kaitlyn refused to pose for another scarf picture in the heat. The photo of the Garden Gate Scarf on my website was taken with Kaitlyn on another 90 degree day in the spring. She put up a fuss that day too. Poor baby....it's not like I don't ever do a THING for her. Looking at this picture, and the other one that is on the patterns, (look up there at the sidebar) I think I like the criss-crossing of the stems better than having them run straight up. What do you think?

Misc.

Time to catch up with a little bit of this and that. Some knitting content, and just some other "stuff".

Last week I was pretty sick. Monday started out fine, but by the time I left a physical therapy appointment around noon, I could feel that little scratchy feeling in my throat that I always get right before I get sick. By mid-afternoon I was feeling pretty bad. Tuesday I spent all day on the couch. I was able to knit, but that's about all I did. This scarf is what came of that day on the couch. I just love the pattern. I used Karaoke...just about 2 skeins.



Wednesday I couldn't even get out of bed. I laid there, unable to do anything but doze and watch a little tv. I finally dragged my butt out of bed at 5 pm because Mike had come home from work and cooked some dinner and it really smelled good. I took a shower, ate, went to the couch for the rest of the evening.

Thursday I was able to come out of the bedroom, but once again, only made it to the couch for the day. I intended to go to the clinic for some meds, but couldn't even find the energy to get dressed and drive there, so I just laid on the couch in my jammies. No energy for knitting. UGH

Friday I felt slightly better (I was supposed to work, but when I called Tina on Thursday, the first thing she said when she heard my voice was STAY HOME!). I did a quick grocery run, and quickly realized that was overdoing it and had a bit of a relapse. I started feeling better on Sunday. Every day this week I felt a little better. I'm feeling fine now, though I am still coughing a bit and probably will for a while. I sure hope I don't catch THAT bug again anytime soon!

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This past Thursday I went to (hopefully) my last physical therapy session for my knee. I've been dealing with pain, loss of mobility and strength and a few other symptoms, since February. At the end of June I finally decided it was not going to get better on its own and saw a doctor, who prescribed physical therapy. I was a little skeptical about the PT at first, but I have to say I have come a long way in the 9 weeks of therapy. My strength and mobility have come back. Unfortunately I still have some pain, and it's time to accept the fact that I may need surgery to correct what my therapists think is a small tear in the meniscus. I am going to see how I do in the next few weeks with no more therapy, and see if I can live with things the way they are, or bite the bullet and get an MRI, and see the orthopedist for a diagnosis and course of action. For now I am just glad to not have to schedule my days around 3 sessions every week. And I am so glad to be able to walk without limping, go up and down the stairs normally again, etc. Thanks to all the folks at Health Quest who helped me get my knee back in shape. It's not 100%, but they have done all they can for me for now. I will continue to do some exercises at home to keep up the strength and see how it goes.

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Thursday was also the ribbon cutting ceremony/grand opening celebration at Labor of Love. This picture is of Tina and mostly Chamber of Commerce members that came to the opening to show support for the new business venture in town.Several members of my knitting group later joined in on the fun. We had some refreshments and chatted for a while. Debbie was there and I'm not sure when she'll be joining us again because she is due to have her baby this week! I'm so excited!



Friday morning Mike and Jake left to go camping. Kaitlyn and I stayed home. I worked on Friday and was supposed to work again today but Tina told me she didn't think she'd need me after all. So I spent most of the day knitting. I really need to finish up the Garden Gate scarf that I am making for SWTC out of Bamboo and Karaoke. It's been in the works for quite a while, and I really want to finish it up and get it to them. I've had to put it aside for several other projects (mainly baby items, but also the B4 bag I made for the shop) and it's time to get it done and in the mail!!

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This weekend is the Peach Festival in our little town. I try to stay away from the madness that takes over the downtown area, but decided I needed to go to the used book sale this afternoon. I scored these 2 knitting books for a mere 50 cents each! I love Nancie Wiseman's designs, and I couldn't pass up the Jo Sharp book for that price. I'm not sure I'll do anything out of that book, so it may be offered up as part of a contest prize at some point.

This week I really REALLY want to start a pair of socks from Cat Bordhi's new book. I think the Coriolis socks are going to be the first ones I do. I just have to decide what yarn I want to use. I seriously want to knit every pair of socks in that book. It is so incredible. I find it so interesting the way her brain works.

I have more than a dozen sets of letter markers made up, and hopefully will have them on my website within the next few days. Maybe even tomorrow I"ll be able to post them. Let me know if you need some! I've already sold a couple sets.

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I can't believe that school starts the day after tomorrow. Is summer really over? WAH! I don't want it to be over! On the other hand, I am kind of looking forward to some quiet time at home on the days when I won't be working or teaching. I have a few new designs floating around in my head that I need to start playing around with. I need add to and update my website. I have work to do, and I hope to find some time to do some pleasure knitting too. The holidays are coming, and I want to knit some gifts, but I really want to find/make time to knit something for ME for a change!