A Bit of News

So much has happened since I last posted.  After all, I did say that I was cutting back on my posts.  

Now that the guilt over not posting so frequently is over, I find myself being called back.  As long as I can return here when I think I have something to say, I may be able to pop in every so often.  A month's break was quite refreshing.  I hope I don't make this a seemingly never ending post.

One of my most recent bits of news is our new family member.  Harbor Humane Society called him Figg.  Here he goes by Figgy Puddin'.

 

It took until last night for him to come out of hiding.  For the first couple days we could usually locate Figgy by thes hisses and by Leo staring (or glaring) in his direction.  But he has come out and now sleeps a lot in out of the way areas.

The highlight of the last month was my confirmation.  It was after much study and prayer that I was confirmed at the Easter Vigil service.  

 

Midge patiently shepherded me through the process. Mary was my sponsor and Fr. Stanley celebrated the sacrament that brought me into full communion with the Catholic Church.    Much of my Lenten reading, especially a book called "When the Church Was Young" strengthened the decision I had already made.  I am very happy with my choice.  It is good to know your church actually takes a stand.  And that it has a tradition going back to Christ and Peter.

And I have been knitting.  (Not crocheting Doug!)

 

I am making a Shape It Shawl for Mary to use at the silent auction for the new hospice house she is a part of.  It will be a long triangle with tapering ends.  Perfect to wrap around and tie or let hang.

 

I am using the left overs from my handspun yarn.  I originally used it for the yoke of a sweater I made about seven years or so ago.  I also had stripes of it around the bottom ribbing and the cuffs.

Well, there you have it.  I won't promise I won't be gone so long because I just may.  But I will pop back from time to time.

Almost Ready

The finishing touches are done and both Red Teddy, for my Little Peanut, and Little Farmer's Wallaby hoodie sweater are ready for wrapping.  

 

Yes, I know the eyes aren't even,  and the mouth is lopsided, but that proves it's handmade, right?

After finishing the bulk of the wrapping today, I finished Teddy's face and grafted the underarms on the sweater.  I hope it fits ok.

So all that is left to wrap is the knitting and "to be knitted" items.  Now I need to figure out how to wrap and gift the two knit gifts that are barely started. 

Cruising in on Christmas

As Christmas looms ever closer, my knitting is nearing completion.

 

This was the status as of yesterday of Little Farmer's hoodie sweater.  I am starting the hood now and anticipate binding off very soon.

The gray or turquoise yarn shown previously will soon be warming my fingers and filling my needles. But, it will not be finished in time for Christmas.  The yarn and pending labor will be the present for now.  I wonder how I can wrap labor?

Yikes. Just a week away!  I better designate Wednesday my dedicated wrapping day.  Not that there is much, but what there is will need wrapped.

Another One Done

My thirteenth project of the year is finished. While this one was crochets and not knit it still counts.

The scarf that was the original part of this crochet adventure has been done for some time. But yesterday, I managed to finish and stitch them both up.

I am planning on making these the first gifts destined for the Christmas present pile. They will need a bath and blocking but there is plenty of time before they need to be ready.

Now to finish some of my Works in Progress. The WIP pile is way too large to start anything new, so I will ignore the fact that November is NaKniSweMo. National Knit a Sweater Month. While I do have a couple I could finish, I think I will work on the socks I have going and the couple blankets in progress. I need to finish the Baby Hap for the Purple Princess, even if she is no longer a baby.

Let's see how long I can avoid casting on something new.

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On to New Knitting

The knitting is finished, at least for Christmas. Everything is wrapped but posting pictures will need to wait until after the gifting is over. Old projects have been picked back up and worked on.

But...I did swatch for a vest out of the navy blue tweed yarn I found in the wool room.

Since the yarn is machine washable, I vigorously hand washed and then dried in the dryer. I measured the swatch before and after washing and drying. Then I went into the Custom Fit website and generated a pattern to match my swatch. It is going to be a cardigan style vee-neck vest. I think I will forego buttonholes. I have a neat button that I think I will use with a loop style button fastener. If I have enough yarn for that.

Since I also weighed the dried swatch on my digital postal scales, after giving the total dimensions, the finished pattern also gave me an estimated yardage needed. I am hoping that the strings contributed enough weight to make the website estimate more yarn than actually needed.

The estimated required yardage is 1217. I have 1200, minus the yarn used for the swatch. I may be playing yarn chicken on this project. See what I mean about having enough yarn for a loop closure?

I wonder how a contrasting button band and neck band would look? For that matter, I don't t think a different dye lot would be too noticeable on the front bands and the sleeve edgings.

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Done!

Christmas knitting is done. Just a bit of sewing to be finished this evening. Then wrapping tomorrow and maybe Monday.

Since I dare not share any of the pictures is the gifts here, here is a stunningly cute toddler to tide you over.

I do have a handsome Little Farmer.

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Already? Yikes!

Is Christmas really next week? I have some fancy knitting to get done. I have made the decision that my current project will have to be my last bit of Christmas knitting. I still have some finishing work to do on the last gift as well.

Of course the Scoreboard Cowl took a big bite of Sunday and Monday knitting time. I have decided, reluctantly, that this weekend's scoring will need to wait until all holiday knitting is complete. Plus I need to schedule my wrapping day soon. A chunk of Friday is missing because I have to sit on the township Board of Review as well. Tomorrow is my Grammy day with Little Farmer, and Thursday is Bible Study. I need to hurry! Where did all the time go?

The Scoreboard Cowl has been growing. This photo shows the last couple weeks Lions games immortalized in yarn. I haven't looked at the whole thing since packaging it up in the bag for easier knitting.

During the time between knitting and the next game, it sits tightly wrapped up.

I am almost afraid to see just how long it is. And if I read the schedule correctly, there are still three more games left. It will definitely be long enough to wrap around neck and head.

If this stupid weather ever gets cold enough to wear it.

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Just a Peek

I don't suppose I can keep all gift knitting off my blog. Not that this picture will be of much help.

Or this one.

And no matter what it looks like, it isn't a top down hat.

Bulky yarn isn't my favorite but at least it is going quickly. This item probably won't appear here again until after gift giving is done.

 

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Blazing Needles

You can tell I must be busy when I do not show up here very often. The reason right now is Christmas knitting.

One boot topper is cast off and the second is in progress. With only two rows with the cabling, it can go quickly. Especially now that I am doing them with magic loop.

With the second one going quickly, I can try to decide which project is next in queue. I am leaning toward a pair of slippers called Leethal Mary Janes. I have black and silver Encore Mega, I think, and another skein of the silver I am using on the Scoreboard Cowl. It will be knit with a strand of both. There will be silver left over, in case I need it for the cowl. The pattern is the top one on the pile I shared last time.

And speaking of the cowl, the Lions played last night. So tonight's knitting will focus on finishing the knitting scoring from last night. A loss, I might add. Then back to boot topper number two.

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Marching Forward

Time is quickly getting away from me. The birthday knitting is done, but now comes Christmas knitting. And I have a bit of knitting ahead of me. That's four items on my Christmas knitting list. Yikes!

I have started on one item, a pair of boot toppers, using yarn in my stash.

They were just started tonight, but seem to be going well so far.

Now, if I can do as well on the others.

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Happy 4th!

Happy birthday, America!

God Bless the USA!

Some Gave All

In thankful memory of those who fought and gave their lives.

Advantages

One of the advantages of being a mother-in-law, is having a daughter-in-law. Once the sister of my sons' best friends moved away, and wasn't able to nag them to remember to buy a Mother's Day card or flowers, my celebration was rather sparse.
However, with Older Son's marriage, came Cow Girl and my wonderful grandkids. And gifts on Mother's Day!

Thanks Farm Gal and Little Farmer! And thanks to my wonderful DIL too.
Oh yes, my boys too.

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Christmas Media Snob

I admit it. When it comes to my Christmas music I want the oldies but goodies. Give me Bing, Frank, and Nat singing anything. A bit of Elvis with "Blue Christmas" and Brenda Lee "Rocking Around the Christmas Tree." Nobody but Eartha Kitt can sing "Santa Baby" the "right" way. And while I do enjoy Mannheim Steamroller and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, I really prefer the old tunes. Especially "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" and "I Want a Hippopotamus For Christmas". But it seems that our local Christmas radio station only plays the new ones. Darn.

When it comes to movies I am almost as bad. I want to see "White Christmas", "Holiday Inn", "Christmas Carol", "Christmas in Connecticut", "Miracle on 34th Street" and "It's a Wonderful Life". A new classic for me is "The Polar Express". And so far I've seen them all. But I don't mind alternate versions of some. Why, I've seen several versions of A Christmas Carol: Reginald Owens version, one with Allistair Sims, a musical with Michael Caine, another with the Muppets. There is even one from the old Twilight Zone. And while I did watch The Santa Clause III, I did not see many of the newer movies. And I haven't once fallen into the black hole of the made-for-tv Hallmark Channel movies.

Give me the old and the classic ones. Movies and tunes. And more of the carols too.

I will admit it. I'm in a rut. And I don't want out.

I just had to share this picture from 2008 of Older Son and his tree lit up in the back of Old Black. (He also gave Old Black those exhaust stacks.)

 

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Nearly There!

With Lil' Farm Gal's thrummed mittens finished, I have been speeding along on the Green Flowy Cardigan.

This picture was from a couple days ago when was it just a few rows from beginning the arm hole shaping. In the mean time I have finished the shaping and have about 40 more rows to shoulder shaping. Whoo hooo!

This afternoon I wasn't able to get any knitting done. Wrapping was the order of the day.

Leo thought he was helping me.

 

Well...... Not so much. Since this is my folding cutting board that I use as a flat firm surface for cutting and wrapping, I beg to differ. A cat under the cutting board makes it neither firm nor flat.

But in spite of his help, and a couple interruptions to help Hubby outside, I managed to get pretty much everything wrapped. I have an odd shaped gift for Hubby that may just be handed to him unwrapped. I haven't decided yet.

But in the meantime, I have a sweater back calling my name. I better go knit.

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Decorating and Delivery

Granny seemed to approve of the Green and White Jacket that I remembered to deliver this morning.  I had it tucked into my new green basket that I purchased last week.  She had wanted to see the basket so that helped me remember.
The baskets that I featured on a recent blog post seem to be quite popular.  It sounds like we will be having a Ladies Night Out and have Teresa show her baskets and tell us about her experiences and work in South Sudan.  I am quite excited about it.
After the service at church today, we got around to decorating the church.  Actually this is a week early for the Episcopal church.  We usually wait until the last Sunday of Advent, and then after the service, before the Christmas Eve Service we green the church.

I really perfer it that way, as Altar Guild still has to change the candles, frontals, and all from Advent purple to Christmas white.  So we will be busy after church next week too.
It is getting closer and closer.
I will need to start wrapping presents soon.

Under Control, Sort Of

Blessed Easter season to my readers.

This year, the holiday also coincided with my birthday, for only the second time in my life.  I had a semi-relaxing day, knitting and watching many movies.  My favorite channel, TCM , was heavily in Easter mode as well yesterday.  I saw the tail end of The Big Fisherman, about the life of St. Peter.  It was followed by King of Kings, and The Greatest Story Ever Told before turning to Irving Berlin musicals, starting with Easter Parade.  All told, in one afternoon I saw three different crucifixion scenes.  Each with a different flavor.  I still prefer the 1959 Ben Hur version I caught the end of on Saturday morning.  The storms, and style are so 50's.  Although I love John Wayne as the centurion in Greatest Story Ever Told.  One line, and even if you can't see his face, the voice is unmistakable his.
And today, in day after mode, I have been doing some knitting and bill paying.  I caught a few movies.  The daytime theme today was Frankie and Annette.  What fun!  And tonight starts John Wayne week.  He will be on all evening and some if not all daytime movies from tonight through Friday evening.
And on the knitting front...no new projects started!  Now that Lent is over I can go back to knitting for myself, but I need to finish the latest baby blanket and Lil Farm Gal's sweater before anything new can be started.  But I can plan.
Just to prove that maybe spring is here, I spotted these today.  A month ago they were buried under feet of plowed snow piles.

Don't Mess With the Words.

I've been pondering, since Christmas Eve.   At our church we have a service of carols before the regular Christmas service.  A half hour of caroling.  I loved it.  Even if I did almost lose my voice before the regular service. 

But I have to say.....I really hate it when the hymnal tries to muck around with the verses and make them politically correct. 
It is not "Good Christian Folk rejoice", it is "Good Christian Men rejoice".  And God rest ye, merry Gentlemen. 
From my time playing guitar and singing I memorized all the real words.  And I get off track when the words are all messed up and made politically correct. 
The Book of Common Prayer does the same thing with the Lord's Prayer.  There is the "real" version and the modern one and we are supposed to alternate each week or so. 
I have to confess, on the week for the modern one, I mumble the real one.  Same with the songs.  I sing the real traditional words, at half volumne.
Don't mess around with traditional lyrics and prayers.
There, I've had my say.

Conumdrum

I am in a bit of a puzzle.  A conundrum if you will.
I am not doing a big deal for our Thanksgiving meal.  Knowing my Older Son, no one alive would be able to get him off either a tractor or combine, so I don't expect his smiling (?) face. 
I am just having a humble menu of turkey breast cooked in a big crock pot, ditto for the home-made from scratch stuffing. Some baked sweet potatoes and some baked beans popped in the oven late. Cranberries--either jell or sauce; I got both.
And aside from pie, not much else.  But I want to make the pie tonight--pumpkin of course.  The hard part there is keeping it till tomorrow.  Hubby regards baked goods as a challenge to eat before bed time.  I suppose I could make two, or a large for tomorrow and a small for tonight.  I have to mix pumpkin for almost two pies to have enough for one full pie, so that wouldn't be so bad.
But, after the baking, I will still need to keep him out of one.  Would it be easier to bake pie tomorrow instead? 
Maybe I will go for two tonight.  And perhaps bake the Razzleberry one tomorrow that has been hiding in the freezer.  Just for insurance you know.
And if Razzelberry won't get Older Son out of the corn field, nothing will.

An Easter Baptism

The altar says it all. Alleluia.

Barb and I prepared the altar for Easter yesterday. The organist, who was there practicing, liked the netting we wrapped around the flowers to hide the ugly pots. She said it looked like mist rising from the garden, on the first Easter.

And during the service, little JJ got baptized. He was rather busy during the beginning of the baptism part of the service, as only a three year old can be.
However when Torri poured the pitcher into the baptismal font, he stopped and peered over the top of the font.

In a little voice of awe, he said, "That's my water!"

Living Water for us all. Out of the mouths of babes.

HAPPY EASTER!! Alleluia!