I never though that I would be
So happy to see April flee.
I thank you all who read my drivel
And made comments that went way beyond civil.
So as the calendar turns to May
This one thing I have to say...
It may be really quite some time
Before I post another rhyme!
All around the county, see the rumbling monsters in red and green.
Even occasional beasts of orange or blue can be seen.
At farms, in shops, they tinker and tune,
Anxiously preparing...soon, soon.
Finally, fields are dry "enough"
The time awaited by these men so tough.
It's planting season!
A farmer's time of hopeful reason.
From farms, roads and in the fields,
These farmers work for heavy yields.
So say a prayer for these hard working men
And women, as now the farm year will begin.
A chubby old lady with knitting
Was asked, "Do you think that it's fitting?
To have enough yarn
To cover a barn?"
She replied "There is nothing that I am admitting."
When the earth moves under your feet
It isn't always a thing so neat.
Shaking streets and toppling homes.
Such a sad subject for these poems.
In sadness we ask what can we do?
Pray for the people of Kathmandu.
And those thwarted in their mountain quest
Stranded or dying, still on Everest.
Worldwide aid and comfort mobilize.
As the depth of misery is realized.
In sadness we ask what can we do?
Pray for the people of Kathmandu.
Fields of forty-three
Speeding, crashing,need to win
Checker flag crowns one.
Yes, NASCAR haiku. Some days, you can do anything!
What a wonderful day
To deliver some hay.
Warm and dry and sunny.
With Hubby gone, I'll rest a bit
And have a little knit.
I'm sure no one finds that funny.
As poetry month starts winding down,
I've been thinking of the Bard who wears the crown,
And the words of the gangsters in Cole Porter's "Kiss Me Kate"
In tribute to one whose lines are so great.
"Brush up your Shakespeare" are the words they sang out.
And 451 years later there is no doubt,
Good old Will Shakespeare: a standard to strive for
Whether your poetry is great or or quite poor.
With patience I plodded, though certainly a mere amateur.
After all, I avoided iambic pentameter.
But with haiku, limerick and plain old rhyme
I must admit poetry month has been a fun time.
After today, just one week more,
Then back to plain prose. Oh what a bore!
This daily posting to my blog is good mental exercise
But I will be glad to give it a rest, poetry-wise.
What a difference a couple weeks can make. Little Farmer is more grabby and holds things better.
He loves playing in this. His toes just reach the floor so he can bounce. He slaps and bats and holds items. And chews. A lot.
And for poetry month:
Happy active boy,
Growing, smiling, a pure joy.
Loving Grammyhood.
With the Green Flowy Cardigan done and gone, I turned my attention to the Blue Spiral Blankie for Little Farmer. I find it fairly easy. Except for every eighth section, which requires counting and careful attention. With only two finished projects I am running behind last year, but what I have done make me happy.
But on to the day 21, for the National Poetry Month.
The Blue Spiral Blankie came back from time out.
Time to re-remember what the pattern is about.
Knits and purls and a pattern section,
The design fills me with great affection.
It will remain "at home" knitting, for sure.
Taking it on the road definitely has no allure.
But the go-to project remains my vest.
It will be done before the rest.
It has been a great birthday, although nothing special was done. Laundry, split wood with Hubby, reading, old movies, and of course, playing with yarn. But the part I liked best was when Younger Son decided to take a vacation day because his machine at work has been torn down since Saturday. No need to take him to work since Hubby is at the auction tonight. And best of all, no morning run to pick him up from work at 6am.
Life is good.
Birthday Poem: It's the Small Things
My favorite present has to be
That Younger Son is taking a vacation day.
What a feeling it is to me
Knowing tomorrow morning, in bed I can stay.
No wake up calls at 5 o'clock.
A birthday gift received with delight
As the alarm I can block
And cling a bit longer to sleep tonight.
A two-fer of poems for today. Then I can get back to the vest. This back is finished and folded in the bag, waiting for two fronts to join it. Amazing how fast a project flies on size 10 needles with bulky needles. Especially when my yarn of choice is usually lace or fingering weight.
So, to start off, "The Fitter Knitter."
A speedy old lady knitter
Said I wonder if this makes me fitter?
I knit and I purl,
Like any old girl.
Though no fitter, it won't make me bitter.
And this haiku I call "The Vest." Although the vest is for me, it is also in memory of my friend Flo, who had purchased the wool before falling to cancer.
Fluffy yarn fat loops.
Creamy warm stitches of wool.
Loving hug from Flo.
Now back to my yarn.
It's getting late, and it's hot tonight.
I would open windows, but Hubs would take fright.
But at least I got this rhyme
Out of the way in time.
Today for poetry month, I am all inspired from Bible Study today. So I am sharing something from Psalms in the Message translation. It is a fun but interesting take on the poetry in the Bible. And some people think the Bible is stuffy!
How well God must like you—
you don’t hang out at Sin Saloon,
you don’t slink along Dead-End Road,
you don’t go to Smart-Mouth College.
Instead you thrill to GOD ’s Word,
you chew on Scripture day and night.
You’re a tree replanted in Eden,
bearing fresh fruit every month,
Never dropping a leaf,
always in blossom.
You’re not at all like the wicked,
who are mere windblown dust—
Without defense in court,
unfit company for innocent people.
GOD charts the road you take.
The road they take is Skid Row.
(Psalm 1:1-6 MSG paraphrased by Eugene H. Peterson)
Paperwork, receipts,
Crumpled notes, 1099s
Deadline looming...Done!
While our taxes were finished long ago, and returns received, my thoughts go out to procrastinators everywhere. Happy April 15th.
"Crystal ball, crystal ball what do you see?"
"I see a light turquoise sweater, just for me!
And a lacy silk scarf in luscious blue."
I can hardly wait to start knitting these two.
So I may have gone to the local yarn store and took advantage of my birthday discount. And the yarn shown above may have accidentally fell in my basket and came home with me.
The Green Flowy Cardigan has finally changed hands,
But pictures were taken ere it went to other lands.
A shot of the face was strictly forbidden,
But the lines of the sweater were not to be hidden.
A view of the front. A view of the back.
For being the model, she does have a knack.
And for now I'll be knitting for family, and me.
There's enough in the stash to keep knitting for free.
Farewell, Green Flowy. May you be warm,
And you and your owner come to no harm.
Still Poetry Month, but I've nothing to say.
Over half a month left, it's just the twelfth day.
And still you keep reading, I don't know why.
To say I'm inspired would just be a lie.
Over me hangs a dark cloud of of rhyme,
But for all I'm hearing, it could be just mime.
Thoughts start to tangle, my brain seems to tighten
But there is nothing poetical here to enlighten.
Maybe tomorrow.
The first night race of the racing season.
A great time to knit (as though I need a reason).
My Oatmeal Vest is growing a back,
Not many rows until arm shaping's a fact.
But I have to say, as temperatures rise,
Knitting with bulky wool may not be wise.
I guess as the high temps begin making me pout
It will be time for the sock project to start coming out.
Bad lighting in this picture to show the back of the vest, but at least the back shaping shows well. I have about twelve more rows until the arm hole shaping begins. That always feels like the end is near. Especially with the shorter rows.
The socks will be much cooler to knit for summer.
And, I thought maybe Little Farmer had all the blankets he could use since the other Grandma crochets and quilts. But when I mentioned it to Cow Girl, his momma, she didn't seem to think so. So the Spiral Gray Blankie will be back in the rotation too.
I think it will be mostly worked on from home. The increase segment, which comes after seven regular segments each round isn't charted so I have to really concentrate. And concentration is something hard to do at Knit Nite as a rule.
My book order came today, at last, and I can hardly wait to sit down and start to read. Because after all:
A life with knitting:
Mystery of creation
Gifts, with love stitched in.
While there are some knitting techniques I can pass on (color work and intarsia anyone?), there are other things I really want to learn more about. Double knitting, fitting knits, swatching and so much more.
I can hardly wait to start learning.
There was an old knitter whose yawning
Was caused by rising ere dawning.
The coffee she'd drink--
Still her eyelids she'd blink,
So she'd nap again by mid morning.
Oh yes, the yawning I do, caused by picking up my son from work at 6am. A nap can do a lot of good on the days I get one. I will sure be glad when he gets his license back.
Little bits of yarn
Looking like green spaghetti,
Inside: neat, tidy.
Weaving in the ends is messy work. But it sure makes a difference to the completed sweater.
There's not much knitting getting done today
Although I worked on the sweater I must say.
The needle I held had a hole in It's end.
And it's purpose today was not to mend.
While the set-in sleeves were set,
The long side seams aren't quite done yet.
The end is near,
Just not quite here.
The end.
I found this listed as in the public domain. It is one of my favorite Easter hymns that we unfortunately didn't sing today. And it is lovely poetry. Enjoy these extra verses that usually don't make it into the hymnals.
Christ The Lord Is Risen Today
1. Christ, the Lord, is risen today, Alleluia!
Sons of men and angels say, Alleluia!
Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia!
Sing, ye heavens, and earth, reply, Alleluia!
2. Love's redeeming work is done, Alleluia!
Fought the fight, the battle won, Alleluia!
Lo! the Sun's eclipse is o'er, Alleluia!
Lo! He sets in blood no more, Alleluia!
3. Vain the stone, the watch, the seal, Alleluia!
Christ hath burst the gates of hell, Alleluia!
Death in vain forbids His rise, Alleluia!
Christ hath opened paradise, Alleluia!
4. Lives again our glorious King, Alleluia!
Where, O death, is now thy sting? Alleluia!
Once He died our souls to save, Alleluia!
Where thy victory, O grave? Alleluia!
5. Soar we now where Christ hath led, Alleluia!
Following our exalted Head, Alleluia!
Made like Him, like Him we rise, Alleluia!
Ours the cross, the grave, the skies, Alleluia!
6. Hail, the Lord of earth and Heaven, Alleluia!
Praise to Thee by both be given, Alleluia!
Thee we greet triumphant now, Alleluia!
Hail, the resurrection, thou, Alleluia!
7. King of glory, Soul of bliss, Alleluia!
Everlasting life is this, Alleluia!
Thee to know, Thy power to prove, Alleluia!
Thus to sing and thus to love, Alleluia!
8. Hymns of praise then let us sing, Alleluia!
Unto Christ, our heavenly King, Alleluia!
Who endured the cross and grave, Alleluia!
Sinners to redeem and save. Alleluia!
9. But the pains that He endured, Alleluia!
Our salvation have procured, Alleluia!
Now above the sky He's King, Alleluia!
Where the angels ever sing. Alleluia!
10.Jesus Christ is risen today, Alleluia!
Our triumphant holy day, Alleluia!
Who did once upon the cross, Alleluia!
Suffer to redeem our loss. Alleluia!
Words: Stanzas 1-7, Charles Wesley, 1739. Stanzas 8-10, 14th Century; translated in Lyra Davidica.
Music: 'Llanfair' Robert Williams, 1817.
Setting: John Roberts, 1837.
copyright: public domain.
Good thing I didn't promise a poem every day. I missed yesterday. But I will see what manner of drivel I can come up with today. Here goes.
Geese honking in fields,
Frogs chirping in the pastures.
Spring? Could it be here?
Happy Easter. A day early.
It's the day to drive your tractor to school.
The day when being a farm kid is cool.
There are tractors red and tractors green.
Even orange and blue are there to be seen.
Cheers to the students in ag studies and FFA
For sharing their passion in the farming way.
For eleven straight years they celebrate spring
When to high school or middle school their tractors they bring.
And to parents, teachers, and ag business I say:
Thanks for supporting "Drive Your Tractor to School Day!"
I am happy to announce that the Green Flowy Cardigan is off the needles. The collar came to nice points and since I made it the same depth as the bands and cuffs, it is a deep comfy collar.
Now comes the sewing up. Ugh.
In the meantime I spent some working on my Oatmeal Vest. It will be slow going, I am not good with bulky yarn. So as an alternate project has also seen some time.
Meet the Raspberry Creme shawl. It is an elongated triangle or 3/4 circle wrap. Lace weight with an easy pattern is so relaxing.
Especially when you make it up as you go along.
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