Ewe & Eye

Tagged

2012-01-27T08:13:00.002-06:00

If you've seen the comments to my last post, then you will have noticed that my friend Val over at Sew Not My Day tagged me! (I'm trying not to dwell on the fact that I spent the entire 2nd Grade lunch doing my duty with fingers crossed on both hands to avoid any "cheese touches" or cooties (either the boy or girl variety: both seemed to be going around today!) and the vague sense that this fact should exempt me from having been tagged.....but I'm a good sport, so I will play nicely!)

Rules:Post these rules. (check.)

You must post 11 random things about yourself. (check.)
Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post. (check.)
Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer.
Go to their blog and tell them that you've tagged them.
No stuff in the tagging section about "you are tagged if you are reading this." Legitimately tag 11 people!!

Eleven Random Facts About Yours Truly

1. I prefer to have the t.p. in my biffy come out over the TOP of the roll.
2. I listen to NPR in my car.
3. My favorite color growing up was yellow.
4. I have been known to sneak chocolate chips out of the cupboard.
5. My children call our guest room "The Yarn Room." This may mean I have a hoarding problem when it comes to fiber.
6. Fourth grade was one of my favorite years during school.
7. I recently went to a giant used book sale with the express purpose of finding a favorite childhood series, All-of-a-Kind Family.
8. I watch Ice Road Truckers (And my favorite driver is Alex K.).
9. I also watch Ghost Hunters.
10. I like rainy days.
11. My OCD wants to know why this is a list of 11 things instead of the more standard list of 10?

Questions Val Asked Which I Am To Answer

1) What was the name of your favorite pet growing up?
Pepper
2) Have you ever been arrested and why?
No, but I have had some tickets for speeding!
3) What was the name of your kindergarten teacher?
Mrs. Kholoff
4) If you only had an avocado, cream cheese and chocolate bar, what would you do with them?
Eat the avacado and plant the pit in hopes of growing more avacadoes. Put the cream cheese on the chocolate and enjoy!
5) How many cars have you owned in your lifetime?
7, I think!
6) Are you on a diet?
Ummmm.....going to plead the 5th on this one.
7) Do you drink pop and if so, what kind is your favorite?
Diet Dr. Pepper....seriously!!
8) What kind of cell phone do you own? if any?
OLD Verizon. Very basic. Unsmart. But purple!
9) What size shoe do you wear?
Oddly enough, the same size as the number of this question!
10) Do you decorate for Valentine's Day?
I did when the kids were small. Now I only do in my classroom at school.
11) Do you have your summer vacation planned already?
Sadly, yes. We are planning not to do one this year, other than a couple long weekends or a day trip here and there.

This is the part where I am supposed to write up questions for the people I am tagging to answer. I've kind of lost track of most of the people/blogs I used to follow, so I don't think I have 11 people I could tag. Instead, I am going to break the rules and not post new questions or tag people. (Sorry Val!)

Have a great day and weekend everyone!

Snow Days

2012-01-23T08:36:00.002-06:00

I've been experiencing my first snow days from the staff perspective of the school system. Dare I say, I still kind of like them??!! (We'll see if I still feel that way when I'm off to school in June!)

At the risk of totally jinxing my chances of winning (which, who am I kidding....were slim to none in the first place!) I'd like to show you all my next home.

Yes, it's gorgeous, isn't it? It's located near Park City, UT. I should find out in roughly 3 weeks exactly when we get to take possession of the 2012 Dreamhouse. I can't wait!

In knitting news, I am currently working on both a pair of socks (cute pink/brown/cream colorway from Lorna's Laces) and some leg warmers (KnitPicks Bare hand-dyed by my friend Kathleen in CA) for DD.

In photography news, DD is getting into wedding photography! She's working with a friend from church and former fellow Target employee who now owns a wedding planning business. DD has 2 weddings already booked. Yesterday we were working on making up the contract she will use with couples, interview checklists, etc. She meets with her first clients this week! It's very exciting and I know she is going to do such a GREAT job!! Her photography and editing skills continually amaze me. She's really good, and I'm not just saying that because I'm her mother!

Well, I suppose I'd better go do the dishes. After all, I guess I'm going to have to put this house on the market once I win the new one!!

Have a great day, and Happy Knitting/Shooting!

Holiday Greetings

2011-12-17T21:07:00.002-06:00

I haven't been able to convince myself to send out holiday greeting cards this year. So I thought I'd take this chance to wish everyone a wonderful season of celebration this year.

Our year progressed in the typical manner with mostly small, nearly imperceptible moments of change and a few noteworthy milestones to give all the rest context.

The children (can you still use that term even when they are 18 and 20?)continue down their respective paths. The eldest is enjoying her new employment with the local bookstore. It is a natural fit for a bibliophile!

The younger is halfway through (nearly) his senior year and in the process of thinking about where to go from here. I believe, at some point, cardinal and gold are in our future as ISU has some of the best engineering options in the region.

Most of you know that I changed jobs (again). I'm now working as a Literacy Para at the largest elementary school in town. That means I get to work with small groups of students on reading and writing. I have all ages from kindergarten through fourth grade. I LOVE my job (even lunchroom duty with 2nd grade)!!

Doug continues with the Dept. of Correctional Services. Hard to fathom he's been there 18 years now! Hopefully the legislature will continue to fund his position. I happen to believe he's a genius and without him....they'd be sunk!

2011 did bring with it the passing of my grandmother and Doug's father. While it's never easy to say goodbye, I personally take solace in the fact that they will be having some truly awesome festivities with all the people they'd had to say goodbye to in the past. One day, we'll be right there too.

If you fancy some other highlights from the year, simply scroll down and read through some old posts. (There are some great photos of Niagra Falls and London, Ontario!)

Happy Holidays!

Perception

2011-12-08T15:49:00.001-06:00

Something To Think About . . .

THE SITUATION

In Washington , DC , at a Metro Station, on a cold January morning in 2007, this man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, approximately 2,000 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After about 3 minutes, a middle-aged man noticed that there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds, and then he hurried on to meet his schedule.

About 4 minutes later:
The violinist received his first dollar. A woman threw money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.

At 6 minutes:
A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

At 10 minutes:
A 3-year old boy stopped, but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head the whole time. This action was repeated by several other children, but every parent - without exception - forced their children to move on quickly.

At 45 minutes:
The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.

After 1 hour:
He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed and no one applauded. There was no recognition at all.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before, Joshua Bell sold-out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100 each to sit and listen to him play the same music.

This is a true story. Joshua Bell, playing incognito in the D.C. Metro Station, was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people's priorities.

This experiment raised several questions:

*In a common-place environment, at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty?

*If so, do we stop to appreciate it?

*Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?

One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this:
If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made . . .

How many other things are we missing as we rush through life?

Wishing you all moments of beauty and joy this holiday season!

Gratitude

2011-11-23T12:10:00.001-06:00

Yesterday was the last day of school before Thanksgiving break. As the kids in various reading groups were discussing things that they were thankful for (and many of them spoke of people and relationships, not just their Wii or bicycle), I thought it wise to take a moment to think of the things for which I am grateful. (Let's face it, a lot of people find it easier to dwell on the things that are missing and thus the negatives and forget to take the time to be thankful.)

First and foremost I am thankful for family and friends. My husband and two children are my life! While most members of my biological family are not a part of my life, the few with whom I still have a relationship are all the more dear to me. And I am ever thankful for the family I married into who have embraced me as one of their own for the past 24 years. Helmicks rock (including those with the last name Smith)!! Many of my friends are like family to me, and for that I am truly grateful as well.

I am grateful for my job. It is really nice to actually look forward to going to work and what the day will bring rather than dreading going and harboring dark thoughts on ways to NOT have to go. Thank you FDCSD!

I am thankful for good health as well as good insurance, for a house to call home, plenty of food to eat and clothing.

I'm grateful to live in Iowa and the U.S. (even though I have my complaints...I'm thankful I live in a place where it is safe to voice those complaints without fear of retribution, being disappeared or killed.)

I'm grateful for the traveling I have been fortunate to do.

There are, of course, many, MANY more things for which I am thankful. And none of these should be a surprise to anyone. (In fact, I'm guessing many people have a very similar list!)

Still, it is a good thing to stop every now and then and take account of your life and spend a moment in thanksgiving for all the goodness of life's many gifts.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Reasons To Love Iowa

2011-11-16T09:06:00.001-06:00

It is a place for diversity and tolerance to take root and grow.

Sprouting up in the middle of nowhere, a Hindu Temple and Cultural Center in the middle of prairie and fields.

Priceless.

Friday Finale - November 11

2011-11-11T16:33:00.001-06:00

[your quote here]

In Absentia

2011-11-10T20:06:00.001-06:00

Life sometimes gets in the way of things like blogging. I've had a lot of family stuff going on. By "family" I mean my immediate family as well as family of origin and extended family. Yeah....that's a lot of family.

It was a cr@p ton of stuff. By "stuff" I mean trips to ER's, dysfunctional craziness, overscheduled needs, follow-up to ER trips, emotional support to both give and receive, etc.

Suffice it to say that the sum of it all left me either too upset, too tired, or too emotionally drained to sit down and write anything here that wouldn't need to be immediately edited by dumping it into the trash.

I think I'm in a better place now.

In knitting news: I am working on some child sized mittens with leftover yarns to contribute to the school where I work. Lots of the children there don't have mittens, gloves or hats. Some don't have winter coats. So, I figured a good stash busting exercise would be to knit up some warm woolens they could use for recess to help keep those little fingers warm.

Also, I'm working on a scarf for my son. I hope to take some photos soon and post them.

Speaking of photos, here's one I shot of a country church about 45 minutes from here. I took it a couple weeks ago on a photo outing with my daughter. We had another destination in mind, but that didn't work out. (We'll have another chance to shoot that location next week. It's a potential State Fair entry.)

I've also enjoyed several postal letterboxes and LTC packages arriving at my door recently. That was fun!

Have a great weekend!

Friday Finale - Oct. 28

2011-10-28T10:18:00.002-05:00

Friday Finale - October 21

2011-10-21T17:02:00.002-05:00

Time Warp

2011-10-18T15:47:00.002-05:00

While we were driving through the Loess Hills on Saturday en route to visit my grandmother's grave, we passed through a small town that I had been to a few times as a child. We went because there was a geocache there to discover.

It was like stepping back in time!

None of the streets in Castana, Iowa are paved.

The old school appeared to be closed.

The central park had a cool memorial to local veterans, which included the corner pillars and entrance to the former bank which is no longer standing on the site. There was also a time capsule buried there, scheduled to be opened in 2036.

At the community center we discovered Castana's volunteer fire truck, ready to be dispatched in case of emergency!

What do you think? 1940's? 1950's?

Pilgrimage

2011-10-16T20:35:00.000-05:00

"Whan that aprill with his shoures soote The droghte of march hath perced to the roote, And bathed every veyne in swich licour Of which vertu engendred is the flour; Whan zephirus eek with his sweete breeth Inspired hath in every holt and heeth Tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne Hath in the ram his halve cours yronne, And smale foweles maken melodye, That slepen al the nyght with open ye (so priketh hem nature in hir corages); Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages, And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes, To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes;" Geoffrey Chaucer

Or, if you don't happen to do too well with Middle English, a modern translation of Chaucer's opening lines in the General Prologue to The Canterbury Tales:

Here begins the Book of the Tales of CanterburyWhen April with his showers sweet with fruitThe drought of March has pierced unto the rootAnd bathed each vein with liquor that has powerTo generate therein and sire the flower;When Zephyr also has, with his sweet breath,Quickened again, in every holt and heath,The tender shoots and buds, and the young sunInto the Ram one half his course has run,And many little birds make melodyThat sleep through all the night with open eye(So Nature pricks them on to ramp and rage)-Then do folk long to go on pilgrimage,And palmers to go seeking out strange strands,To distant shrines well known in sundry lands.

DH and I went on a pilgrimage I have been longing to make for a few months now. My grandmother was one who, when she was physically able, kept the tradition of visiting family burial sites alive and well. She felt drawn to go, to spend some moments with kin and letting precious memories wash over her, carrying her beyond the here and now to be gathered in with those she'd loved and lost along the journey.

Although Chaucer's pilgrims set out in April, and my grandmother usually set out beginning on Memorial Day and continued on through the summer months, Saturday seemed like the day for me to make the trek to visit grandma's final resting place.

It's a peaceful spot, atop a hill outside of Turin, Iowa. The hills are lovely in any season, but were especially so on the first crisp and sunny Saturday of autumnal weather this year.

We wandered the cemetery after visiting her grave, listened to the wind and bird song afloat on the day's breezes and enjoyed being out. We found some geocaches along the way and made a few other discoveries too! (I'll save them for another day.)

I miss my grandmother. And I'm thankful to have made the pilgrimage to her final resting place.

Friday Finale - October 14

2011-10-13T22:03:00.002-05:00

I Suspected

2011-10-12T15:57:00.003-05:00

I've been hearing lots of chatter lately about Facebook and some of its alleged practices. I've long wondered about the actualy benefits of the site and other social networking sites. I have my doubts as to whether FB or any of them really ever connected people in anything other than a superficial (dare I add, ARTIFICIAL) way. [Yes, yes, I know....I AM over 45 years old. I am still entitled to my thoughts and opinions!]

When I got home from school this afternoon to check Facebook in order to see if there were any updates on family who've been have a rough time of it healthwise and are hospitalized, I got the following response from my computer security/anti-virus software:

(actual screen shot of my computer upon my third attempt to access FB.)

TED

2011-10-08T09:22:00.002-05:00

If you have never watched any of the TED talks before, I would invite you to check them out! You'll find thought provoking, meaningful and inspirational speeches and ideas from some terrific people! Check it out!!

Here is one I recently watched and enjoyed:

Friday Finale - October 7

2011-10-07T14:46:00.002-05:00

Tuesdays With . . .

2011-10-04T16:11:00.002-05:00

well, my name's not Morrie....so perhaps I should have found a better title!

Not sure how it got to be October already. Tomorrow is school picture day at the elementary building where I work. Bleh.....that means being in front of the camera rather than behind where I am most comfortable. I HATE getting my picture taken.

(My husband is always kidding me that the kids will look back on all our family photos and assume they were raised in a single parent household because I am not in 98% of the photos!)

If you look closely, however, you'll often spot me in photos, like this one from Ryan and Tiffany's wedding:

Yes, that's me--in shadow form--across the front of the couple. (I hope that doesn't ruin the photo for my friend Val as it has for me!!)

In knitting news, I have completed both the baby afghan and the cabled sweater and hat combo I was working on for my nephew's baby coming in February. I had enough yarn left over from the afghan that I am now making a hat and bootie set from that yarn. Photos to come in a future post!

For now, I'll "leaf" you with another shot I took at the park last Saturday!

Saturday In the Park

2011-10-01T21:48:00.002-05:00

Went to the local state park today, just for a drive and a photo adventure. Here are a couple things I spotted!

The last is my new desktop background! Cheers!

Forgetful Me

2011-09-25T16:42:00.000-05:00

So, I received my new Knit Picks catalog on Friday. To my delight, there was a photo of a kit for making some beautiful mittens. Aren't they lovely?

When I saw the picture, I suddenly remembered that I already ordered this kit! I'd better pull it out and get knitting on those if I have any hope of making some for holiday gifts!

Also, we attended my best friend from college's son's wedding yesterday. I got to be the photographer and I took one of the funnest shots I've gotten at a wedding yet of the gals in the bridal party.

My friend (& mother of the groom) sewed not only the bridal gown, but the two ruby bridesmaids dresses and her own gown for the occassion!

I think she's amazing!!

Clarity

2011-09-20T22:00:00.001-05:00

Never doubt that the universe is capable of sending out moments of sheer clarity and a sense of peace even in the midst of chaos, confusion, pain or dysfunction.

In fact, I have discovered that's often the most likely moment you will receive what you need, if only you're open to it.

Friday Finale

2011-09-16T09:03:00.003-05:00

Boundless Talent

2011-09-14T16:50:00.002-05:00

This post is entirely me bragging about my DS who is nearly 18 and a senior in high school. I won't be offended if you decide to visit another of your favorited bookmarks and skip this post altogether.

We've known for many years that he's a super bright kid. His GPA puts him in the top 1% of his class. The first digit of his ACT score was a 3. He will graduate with over a semester's worth of college credit. Math and science are, to my way of thinking, shockingly easy/natural for him. He has already written code for several computer games and programmed his calculator to do shortcuts for him. And he also has a great sense of wit and the driest sense of humor you're likely to find.

And although he does "doodle" while he's watching tv sometimes, I was still caught off guard when his art teacher sent us an email to let us know that she is amazed by his artistic talents too. She is taking some of his work to an art show this spring, so photographed his self-portrait done in charcoal.

I agree with her, it's simply wonderful!!

Love ya' Bud! Couldn't be more proud of you!

It's A GiveAway!

2011-09-13T17:15:00.002-05:00

My blog-o-sphere friend at Caffeine Girl Knits is having a give-away on her blog to celebrate the "Back-to-School" season. I won this give away a couple years ago, and I can tell you, it's pretty darned amazing!

(Never underestimate a state that specializes in cheese products to also know how to make some truly delicious milk-chocolate goodness in those cow pies! YUMMO!!!!!)

So head on over to Caffeine Girl Knits and leave a comment on her post. You'll be registered for some wonderful goodies! While you're there take a little time to look around. She's not only a talented knitter, but an awesome bead and jewelry designer and dedicated special ed teacher. You're sure to find some inspirational stuff!

A Rockin' Good Time!

2011-09-11T13:24:00.000-05:00

We went over to the Clay County Fair in Spencer, Iowa last night to attend the opening night concert in the grandstand. What an awesome evening!

We saw Huey Lewis and The News! The performed several from their hits list (Heart of Rock-n-Roll, Power of Love, A New Drug, Working For A Living, etc.) They also performed some acapella, including "60 Minute Man" which was fun! And they performed two or three from their new soul/R&B album. Wowza! Fantastic!!
It was really nice to have a mini-"get-away" evening for just DH & myself. It was nice to see a concert again after nearly 18 years! And it was super sweet to be among the "younger" folks in the crowd!! (Who new folks in their 60's and 70's would turn out in droves to see Huey Lewis??!!)

For those in the area, Huey will be performing in Omaha in October!! If you have the chance, go see them!!

Friday Finale - Sept. 9

2011-09-09T19:44:00.001-05:00

Apologies

2011-09-09T19:21:00.002-05:00

I think I may need to send out one of those apologies to the Universe for every bad thought I've ever had about any kid's parent(s) based on the way the kid was behaving or what the kid was saying at the time I encountered the kid. Because I'm pretty sure I did not raise my own kids to do or say some of the things they do and say to and around me. (Or their general attitude at certain times.) I am sorry, Universe. Truly. Deeply. (and if the Universe would like to see fit to somehow let me know in the next few days that I am, in fact, NOT the worst, most dispicable parent ever, that would be just super.)

Fall's Promise

2011-09-06T21:51:00.001-05:00

I have always said that autumn is my favorite season. It is still true. I enoy fall. In fact, I relish it! We had a bit of a cool down over the Labor Day weekend. (Which is great because we got out of school early due to heat indices over 100*F just before the weekend. And I don't do heat very well!) It was lovely enough that on Saturday DH and I went to a road near the local airport to watch the annual skydiving event. The breeze was cool, the sun was bright and our spirits were soaring nearly as high as the planes and parachutes! Fall always puts me in the mood to get active. After having been relegated to the realm of air conditioning, it is my chance to get outdoors once more. I'm eager to go caching and letterboxing again! I'm looking forward to visits to the orchard and walks around the neighborhood. And fall always puts me in the mood to visit a great Rennaissance Festival!

Of course the cooler weather also inspires me to get going on all that knitting too! (Now I have a definited date for a baby shower, so we'll see if the baby blanket gets completed in time, or becomes a birth day present.) (There's also the ability to fire up the oven just around the corner too! Oh what goodness comes from there! Homemade cookies and bread! Casseroles for supper! Baked squash and roasted vegetables! Yum!) What special joys does the change in seasons bring to you?

We Are Family

2011-09-03T19:56:00.002-05:00

My father-in-law passed away early in the week. His funeral was held yesterday, September 2. While it's a loss which brings us together, I am still grateful for the chance to spend some time with family we don't get to see very often. It's fun to watch my children in the presence of cousins, most of whom they were meeting for the very first time. It was really nice to see my DH enjoying his siblings, nieces, nephews, cousins and friends he hadn't seen for years. The music at the funeral was just what my FIL would have liked. Mostly, it leaves me wishing we all lived just a bit closer so that we could be together like this more often....and for no special reason. I love them all!

My DH (far right) and his sibs.

Of Heating Pads and Ibuprofen

2011-08-29T08:10:00.004-05:00

There has not been much knitting, photography or carving/letterboxing going on at my house of late. Mostly there's been time spent with the heating pad and waiting for the clock to catch up for my next dose of pain killer.

Turns out I have either sprained my lower back or have a herniated disc. (Won't know for sure for another week or two. Have to jump through the right hoops for a while before the insurance company will pay for the MRI to make the diagnosis.)

I went to physical therapy last Friday and had a wonderful time soaking in the heat and electrical stimulus. That led to a pretty decent weekend. (I went grocery shopping!) But I am uber sore again this morning.

My first three days with the school district were spent in training. Today will be my first day in the building. I am looking forward to meeting some students!

Friday Finale

2011-08-26T18:35:00.003-05:00

Back to School!

2011-08-24T08:22:00.002-05:00

Today is our first day back to school! Can hardly believe my youngest is starting his senior year today!

I am off to training for literacy coaches. Fortunately it's at the public library, so I think there will be good air conditioning! (Why is it always so HOT for the first day of school??)

I'll miss my Wendesday sit-n-knit group! (I'm still plugging away on the baby blanket.)

Have a great day!

The Basics

2011-08-22T15:55:00.002-05:00

Here is a bit more serious follow-up to yesterday's list.

Survival Tips

2011-08-21T18:55:00.004-05:00

Sometimes things happen and you wonder what sort of job you've actually done in conveying lessons to your offspring or the next generation. So I'm putting together some thoughts which I hope I am managing to pass along. Enjoy the first installment!

Friday Finale

2011-08-19T10:11:00.003-05:00

Back To School

2011-08-18T19:51:00.002-05:00

Hi Friends! Today I had my first meetings to attend in the school district. Next week I meet at the elementary where I will be a Literacy Associate with the other reading teachers/helpers. I am REALLY excited about this!

Sorry I haven't had time to blog this week! As an apology I am simply putting this advice column out there which a friend shared with me.

Why Men Should NOT Write Advice Columns!

Enjoy!

What We Did

2011-08-15T12:27:00.004-05:00

This is the Splash Pad at Oleson Park here in town. It's free and open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, weather permitting. It's a great place to take visiting 7 yo nieces!

I'm very tired today. I've been dealing with low back pain for about 10 days now and if you've ever had that, you know how tiring it can be. (It's bad enough that several nights I haven't slept much. It's too difficult to get comfortable enough to fall asleep or stay asleep for more than 10 or 15 minutes at a time.)

So, since I'm a little scatterbrained, I thought I'd just list all the fun things we did with "csnacks" while she was here!

Geocaching, picnic/grill-out at local park (which included stream to walk/fall in!), watched Charlie and the Chocolate Factory AND Willy Wonka, wrote postcards, went to the library and checked out books, went on a photo shoot to get the cowgirl photo (and met a horse!), went to breakfast at McDonald's with my DS, went to the splash pad, got ice cream, went to the little park near our house, went back to the splash pad, went grocery shopping, made spaghetti with meatballs, went to office where DD is temping and took her to lunch where I work at Bloomers, did a little homework, played a hidden objects game on the computer together, went to the splashpad again, visited the orchard where we got peaches, fudge and played in the kids zone, made a blanket fort which transformed the entire dining room into a tent, made candy sushi with rice krispie treats & gummy worms & fruit roll-ups, slept with cousins in said tent over night, went to the Market on Central (where we got another coffee beverage at Bloomers and met some firemen who handed out fire hats and coloring books), went to play at the school playground, went out for lunch at Chen Garden, played in the tent, went to the splash pad with everyone, and then it was time to leave for home.

(In between there I also managed to squeeze in some work, dishes, laundry, etc.)

No wonder I'm tired!

Have a great week!

Friday Finale

2011-08-12T08:28:00.003-05:00

I'm Getting Old

2011-08-11T20:18:00.006-05:00

Having a blast with my 7 year old niece visiting for a few days. But I'm discovering I don't have the same amount of energy as when my own kids were that age. (What's up with that??!!??) I'm working on the magazine while she watches Willie Wonka with her cousins, so I'll just post this pic of her and her brother outside their dad's office yesterday when I picked her up. (And I might add that my little bro's office complex is quite swanky indeed!!)

Free Pattern

2011-08-10T08:46:00.004-05:00

My knitting pals were interested in me writing up the pattern I am using for the baby blanket I have in progress. Here it is!

Sailor’s Rib Baby Blanket

Worsted weight yarn and U.S. # 7 needles. (Gauge is not crucial in this project.)
(I am using 5 skeins of Caron’s Simply Soft in baby colors.)

CO 153 stitches using crochet cast-on.
(Pattern is multiple of 10 plus 1 - extra stitches added for garter stitch border)

Begin with 12 rows of garter stitch to form bottom border.

Every row in the pattern will begin and end with K6. This will form a garter stitch border along each side. You may want to place markers to separate these six stitches on each side so that you remember to always knit them.

Pattern:

Row 1 (right side): K6, place marker; K1tbl, *p1, k2, p1, K1tbl* repeat pattern between ** until six stitches remain; place marker, K6

Row 2: K6; p1, *k1, p2, k1, p1*, repeat pattern between ** to marker, K6

Row 3: K6; K1tbl, *p4, K1tbl*, repeat pattern between ** to marker, K6

Row 4: K6; p1, *k4, p1*, repeat pattern between ** to marker, K6

When blanket reaches desired length or yarn is running low, end with 12 rows of garter stitch to match bottom border. BO

K1tbl = knit one through the back of the loop (this causes the vertical row of knit stitches to stand out in a more pronounced way.)

7 AM Wake-Up Call

2011-08-09T09:51:00.002-05:00

What was I doing first thing this morning?

Taking photos of a fireman!

The local fire department was more than happy to participate in the story I'm doing about people in jobs that young kids dream of becoming when they grow up. They invited me to come to the fire house bright and early this morning.

I arrived shortly before 7 a.m. and met up with Nathan C., the subject of this part of the story. The guys at the station were super friendly and willing to do whatever it took for me to get the shot.

Later in the week I'm going to do the part of the story that focuses on a cowgirl! (The rodeo coach at our local community college!)

I will miss getting to go out and do these kinds of stories and meet such wonderful folks!

A New Path

2011-08-08T08:54:00.004-05:00

At least once a month for the past 5 1/2 years since I left the ministry someone asks me if I miss it.

The simple answer is no, I do not.

The longer answer is that I will likely never miss "the church" as an institution. But I do still connect with one of the prime motivating factors that lead me into the ministry in the first place: a desire to help others.

That desire to help is now leading me in yet another direction, down a new path!

I gave my two weeks notice to the newspaper on Friday. The September issue of the magazine will be my last. I have accepted a position as a Literacy Associate with the local public school system! I will be working with children in grades Kingergarten through 4th on reading and writing skills in conjunction with their classroom teachers.

I have always believed in the value and power of education, the foundation of which is literacy. I will be working with kids on the whole spectrum--those who have fallen or are on the verge of falling behind to those who are already achieving beyond grade level expectations.

I'm really excited about this change and opportunity! And it will be nice (if not tiring, and at times frustrating!) to feel I am making a difference in the lives of others.

Friday Finale

2011-08-05T10:08:00.004-05:00

(This post has everything to do with one of the forks in the road of my journey and where the changes/growth of the future is leading me. More about that on Monday!)

Love & Marriage . . .

2011-08-03T13:28:00.006-05:00

. . . often lead to the baby carriage!

You may recall that I photographed my nephew's wedding last November.

So it seems that now they are expecting early next year. So, I did what any knitting great-aunt-to-be would do; I cast on for a baby blanket!

It's Caron Simply Soft yarn, and it lives up to its name! It's also 100% machine washable which is super important in baby stuff. Not having any idea if it's a boy or girl, I went with the "all inclusive" colorway.

The pattern was found in Barbara Walker's Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns. It is about 34" across and will be however long 5 skeins takes me!

I'm not sure when my nephew will be back from Afghanistan, but it should be before the baby's arrival. Hopefully the blanket will be done by then as well!

Inspirational Mentors

2011-08-02T15:19:00.005-05:00

One of the people who influenced my creativity, both with writing and with photography, was my 7th grade English teacher, Mr. Pithan. He started me on a practice which I've continued from time to time throughout the years, especially when I feel "stuck" and need some prompting to get the creative juices flowing.

Mr. Pithan kept several large files stuffed full of creative images he had pulled from magazines and advertising. The images could be anything: people, just faces, landscapes, a close-up of an item, architecture, street scenes, anything. What was common to all the photos and artworks was the fact that there were no words or lettering present with any of the images. The first time he pulled out the file folders, I had no idea what to expect. But once I knew what they meant, I looked forward to the days we would see the files laying out on his desk when we came in to class.

He divided us up in to groups of three or four and had us face our desks together. Each cluster of students was then presented with a stack of folders, the same number as students in the group.

He then explained that we were going to do a writing exercise. (At this point, some grumbling from several students always happened.) Each folder contained a single image from his file along with several blank sheets of writing paper. When he flicked the lights off and on, we were to each take one of the folders. We then had 10 minutes to look at the image in our folder and write a one page (or longer) story.
He challenged us to ask as many questions about the image as we could think of in the process of developing our stories. Who? What? Where? When? Why? What if? Why not?

When the time was up, we were to put our image and story in the folder and pass the folder to the person beside us. Another 10 minutes were put on the clock in which to accomplish the same task, but with a new image.

We kept this up until everyone had had the chance to write something for each of the images which had been given to our group. The folders were collected and kept until the following class period. Then we were asked to take a folder and read the stories while keeping the image before us.

I found it a fascinating exercise. I was always amused, and sometimes challenged, by the fact that each of the people in the group had seen and written such different things despite the fact we had all looked at the same image.

So let me challenge you. Here's a photo I took a couple years ago. Without looking at what others before you have written in the comments, write a five to seven sentence "story" with this image as your illustration and leave it as your comment.

I can't wait to see what you come up with!

If Life Hands You Tomatoes

2011-08-01T08:22:00.011-05:00

....grab some chicken salad!

My first vine-ripened tomato became my lunch last Friday. It was truly delicious!

Last night I was lying in bed trying to think of ways to make a variation on the the theme of "work" for the September issue of the magazine.

[Side note: my employer is very anti- union, so talking about the real origins of Labor Day or mentioning anything to do with labor unions is not allowed/won't be published. Having grown up in a union home and lived through several strikes and being a staunch supporter of labor unions...because let's face it, if your job has any/good benefits you can thank unions!....this is a tough pill for me to swallow.]

Last year I did "Where We Work" and featured workers from two of the city's largest employers, the school system and the hospital.

Suddenly, four variations on the theme came together for me! One way to go harkens back to my days of watching Sesame Street and is a sort of "they're the people that you meet when you're walking down the street each day," idea: highlight folks in jobs you interact with regularly: the check-out person at the grocery store and the postal carrier.

Then the idea of highlighting "helping" professions came to me. Perhaps a nursing home aide and one of the EMT's on the ambulance.

Why not feature some of the many, many people who keep the city's economy running: people working in small businesses? Someone working at a hair salon or pet groomer. The couple who own the lawn mower repair store. The local coffee shop barista.

And finally, (this may be the idea I like the best!) perhaps an article on "Dream Jobs." I'd like to get several people, perhaps even recognizable city leaders, and ask them what, as children, they wanted to be when they grew up. I'm hoping some of them will give me answers that all kids want to be at some point: fireman, astronaut, cowboy, ballerina, teacher, etc. I'd put their head shots, along with their "dream job" from childhood as a border on the story, then feature a couple of those "dream jobs" like one of our city's firemen, a doctor, etc.

The best part about last night's insomnia-induced brainstorming session for one is that even as I type up the results this morning, I'm still ok with any of these ideas coming to fruition in the magazine. (Trust me, that doesn't always happen! More often than not I look at the scribbles I've made in the middle of the night and think, "what the . . .??")

And now I have something to present at the meeting tomorrow!

What motivates inspiration for you?

Friday Finale

2011-07-29T08:10:00.003-05:00

Completed LTC

2011-07-28T08:48:00.003-05:00

This is the final outcome of the LTC I've been working on.

Trying to photograph the glitter effect in the angel's wings didn't really work too well, and resulted in a slightly blurry image--sorry about that!

This card will be given to folks who are giving $$ to help out another letterboxing family in need of assistance. People are sending $$ for raffle tickets to win an album full of LTCs made by some very talented carvers. Everyone who contributes, but doesn't win the big prize will get one of my LTCs (or that of two other volunteers) as a consolation prize.

I enjoyed this carve! It is, I believe, my most detailed to date. I hope those who receive them will like them too!

Creative Spark

2011-07-27T15:37:00.009-05:00

a.k.a. the "Bag-O-Goodies!"

Never let me near the local artsy/craftsy place when I have half-baked projects lying around the house and I'm seeking inspiration.

That is precisely what happened to me this morning. I went to my weekly sit-n-knit with friends at the local coffee shop where I am also a barista some days. Although I did manage to have a muffin (Berry-berry, with whole wheat flour, three kinds of berries and a delicious oat streusel on top) and an iced coffee, I got pulled away from there before any knitting could be accomplished. (Awww, man!)

I did manage to get my DS some food and drink in him before delivering him to his very first day of work at his very first job (and hopefully calmed a few nerves as well!) On the way home I thought I would make a "quick" stop at the above mentioned craftsy place for a source of glue with which to adhere some fine glitter onto some Letterboxer Trading Cards (LTCs) I am donating to a good cause.

[At this point ask yourself this: does the bag in the photo above appear to only be holding glue?]

Now am I the only person who feels it is almost a moral imperative to visit the clearance areas of stores? Because if there's one thing I am, it's thrifty! And I often find, upon perusing said sale racks, that I have indeed forgetten one or twenty things I surely need--if not now, then in the next couple of months. (Again, am I alone in this?)

Well, after putting several things in my basket which were at least 50% of their original price (and usually much less!), I did make my way to the glue and paper products.

These are the purchases from the "Bag-O-Goodies" above which I'd like to reveal today:

I did find a precision glue pen which should work just right for applying the fine glitter I purchased at the dollar store right where I need it on the area of the carved image. (Product on the left.)

Just in case, I picked up two items for "back up." The first is at the top of the photo. It's glitter glue. Initial tests show that this give a nice effect, but it may blur the ink I used to stamp the image.

Plan "C" comes in the form of metallic gel pens. It won't have the same glittery effect, but I remembered another upcoming card I have in the works which is going to need a shiny spot of silver...so I felt I could justify this purchase because I already have at least two uses for the pens.

By the time I made it to the check-out counter, my quick stop for glue had lasted nearly thirty minutes. (In my defense, I avoided the area where they keep the publications! or I'm guessing I'd have been there longer.....)

I will fill you in on more items from the Bag-O-Goodies as I take them out to use them.

Right now, I'm off to work on my LTC project. I will post a completed image when I get one done!

What was your last inspired purchase? What items help you acheive your creative passions?

It's A Jungle Out There!

2011-07-26T16:52:00.010-05:00

The sun finally got far enough west that the tall, old silver maple in our backyard had cast its cooling shadow over our yard long enough that I thought I could bear the heat long enough to go out and shoot a photo of my tomatoes to share with you today.

I liked the fact that this little grouping of four was at a point where each tomato was in a different phase of ripening. I like the ways the colors vary and I'm not sure how much longer that lovely one on the left will be on the vine.

I was so encouraged while shooting tomato photos that I decided to wander over to the other side of the house and see the day lilies blooming under the bedroom window.

Lovely, right?

Well, here's where the squeemish of heart as far as creepy-crawlies might like to stop reading for today.

Because upon closer inspection of the flowers ... (or rather when I was trying to zoom in and get a great close-up of some of the other blossoms) ... this is what I discovered:

and . . .

Yeah, that last one made me shiver with the heebie-jeebies! (Bear in mind, it's MY bedroom window this wonderfully creative weaver is skillfully catching and killing its prey beneath. If it attempts to move inside in a couple of months, I will likely die of heart failure if I encounter it indoors!)

Needless to say, I backed away (after capturing the image!) and headed right back inside to the air-conditioning.

It's a jungle out there!

Monday, Monday

2011-07-25T21:37:00.008-05:00

Today was a typical Monday.

I didn't sleep well last night because my mind was racing with all the things on my "to-do" list for work. You know the list. It's the one made up of things you either didn't get done at the end of last week or the things you put off doing last week until the moment when you realize you've hit the wall on procrastination. Because I was worrying about my lack of ability to complete one project, I found myself mindlessly staring at this computer screen until after 1 a.m. this morning.

(And no, I was not going to jump in and actually do the work stuff at that time of day. What I might have written in that indigo haze would most likely have had to have been scrapped and started over anyway. I played Solitaire and Mahjong.)

I roused myself from slumber *promptly* at 8:15 and sat to write. Amazingly, the words came and two hours later I took a break for coffee after completing two thirds of my task.

I do not know how this next part is actually possible, now that I am writing it out, but after the coffee break progress on work items actually slowed. (Isn't coffee supposed to rev you up? get you going? energize you?) That's how it seems in retrospect anyway.

By 1:30 p.m. I had actually completed and emailed all first drafts to the proper destinations. I had arranged for a 3 p.m. photo shoot. By 2 p.m. I had collected and processed the mail, including a postal letterbox, an LTC tracker envelope with 15 cards, two postcards and a hitchhiker. I had packaged and collected all outgoing mail to take to the post as well.

It was a genuine roll, and I was on it!

Left home shortly after 2 p.m. for an errand to the pharmacy and post office and made my photo shoot right on time.

Emailed work colleagues regarding the progress of my assignments for the day and awaited word from folks on those first drafts I had sent out.

For some reason, and I'm blaming the short night's sleep, I just haven't been able to get the creative mojo going. I don't know if it's because I used up that energy writing copy for advertorials. But as I looked at my carving supplies, my knitting basket, my journal and my camera....I just couldn't get fired up to take up any of them this evening.

I did watch a new episode of Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations. The sights, sounds, and imagined smells and tastes of Naples, Italy inspired me to get in here and blog.

So I edited a photo.

And I penned these words.

How was your day? What did you do? What did you create today?

Friday Finale

2011-07-22T14:44:00.004-05:00

I am starting a new Friday tradition for my blog: one of my photos paired with a quote. Welcome to the premiere of "Friday Finale."

Metamorphosis

2011-07-21T21:50:00.004-05:00

Summer is the season of growing. You should see the one tomato plant in the barrel just outside my back door! The lovely fruits are going to make the best BLT sandwiches, I just know it!

The gardens, fields, and grasses aren't the only things in the process of growing and changing . . .

. . . stay tuned!

(& feel free to leave a comment on growth/changes taking place in your own corner of the planet!)

Blatantly Trying to Drum Up Business

2011-07-15T14:23:00.003-05:00

So my letterboxes which are exclusively letterboxes (and NOT geocaches) have not been found by anyone yet.

I thought I'd post the clues on here....just in case!

Like the gold rush, many people rush for caffeine in the morning. We have put out three boxes based on the need for a morning (or any time of day!) wake up call.

Box #1: Caffeine Rush: Mocha Latte
Start on the side of town where the sun rises. You are looking for the spot where drive-thru convenience makes getting to work or school quick and easy. No need to go inside, but you may want to sit a spell.

Box #2: Caffeine Rush: Cuppa Joe
For this box, head to the newest place in town to get a good cuppa joe. (If you need time to think about where that might be, you could go to a MOVIE while you figure it out.) Look for the java lava, have a seat, and SAMUEL CLEMENS will have what you seek!

Note: Open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Closed on Sundays.

Box #3: Caffeine Rush: Java Jive
This is the eldest coffee house in town and located right downtown. Is it named for flowers or britches? Once inside, you'll notice a decor theme. One of these pots on the chest behind the sofa is not like the others and is the box you are after.

Hours are 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays, excepting August 20 through Sept. 17 when she takes a summer break!

Bring some markers or an inkpad, a notebook or journal to collect images in and a stamp of your own to leave a picture in the boxs' journals!

Spoilers Darling!

2011-07-11T16:03:00.021-05:00

With respect to River Song (of Dr. Who), I want to warn any readers who may do letterboxing and who may potentially be getting any LTC's (Letterboxer Trading Cards) from me that images of some of my LTC's are posted below. (Although not all of them....some of them are so new I haven't gotten them mailed out, or even quite finished!)

Since my very first card is actually retired, all the copies that are going to be out there are already out there....so I'll start with it.

The card is titled "For Nellie" and is an owl carved in memory of the owl that visited me on the day my grandmother passed away. For the background paper, I used a photo I had taken of bare trees a few winters ago.

Here are the others in no particular order:

American Pickers (this stamp now resides in the American Pickers box in Le Claire, IA. It was carved entirely by use of Exacto knife alone.)

Carved for a "newbie" swap...and sadly may be lost forever (the cards, not the stamp).

I carved these two Frank Lloyd Wright images just for fun. I also carved a chair he designed, but haven't done anything with that stamp yet.

A carve I did for a donation to someone's "rootbeer" series.

Here's one of the three stamps in my coffee houses series planted here in town. I made some LTC's with one stamp before putting it out in the wild!

A 'double wide' card done for an exchange involving favorite vacation memories. This one hasn't been distributed yet....so hopefully no spoilers!

Carved for an exchange that is still in progress. The stamp was sent to New Zealand and I will be interested to see what other images it leads to! (It is a carving of Pele, Hawaiian goddess of fire and dance who reigns over the Big Island where Kona coffee is grown!)

Drinks of Summer exchange. I received some really AWESOME cards back from others on this....many of which included recipes!

Finally, here's Max from Dr. Seuss' The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. Carved for an exchange of Dr. Seuss characters. I can't wait to see what I get in return!!

As I said, I have several other LTC's done and some more in the works. I will post more another time....but I suspect that's enough for now!

Happy boxing!

In Knitting News - Primrose Socks

2011-07-06T13:54:00.007-05:00

What I have been working on is Sarah Miller's pattern, Primrose from the Spring+Summer 2011 issue of Knitty.com.

I'm using Knit Picks' Stroll Tonal yarn, which is a dream to work with. I'm doing the socks on Kollage Square needles, size U.S. #1.

The pattern was very tricky in the beginning. I found I had dropped a stitch and had to pull back the foot to where the toe shaping (stockinette stitch) ended and the pattern started four times. Finally, on the fifth try it clicked.

Then, I goofed up the heel shaping and simply had to improvise a combination heel of my choosing.

I think I discovered an error in the pattern on the round which sets up the leg pattern. I have emailed the designer to see, but forged ahead with what I believe is the correction.

One thing I have definitely learned. This is not a pattern I am readily able to work on at the coffee shop during sit-n-knit!

(Despite that, I love the sock and I'm glad for the challenge of something fun to knit!)

O Canada!

2011-07-01T09:38:00.007-05:00

Happy Canada Day to our neighbors/friends to the north!

Scenes from Niagra-On-the Lake, Ontario.

(technically, this one is showing the U.S.--that's Fort Niagra in New York across the way!)

Waterworks Park

2011-06-29T23:48:00.008-05:00

Just across the river from where we were staying in St. Thomas was a local park--Waterworks Park. It was lovely!

There were picnic spots and what appeared to be a splash pad area in this park as well. School was not out for the summer yet in the area, so the splash pad was not running. A very lovely park to spend some time nonetheless!

I Spy

2011-06-28T14:57:00.019-05:00

Things we spotted along the roadways of our trip.

Two of my favorites in one spot!

Clarkes Restaurant in Almyre proudly displays the fact that they have air conditioning! (Note: the town is in the midst of Amish and Mennonite settlers...so perhaps this explains things a bit.)

London Calling!

A plethora of great British pubs!

(Best fish & chips I've EVER eaten!!) Photos by DD

(First time I've had bangers & mash....but not the last!) Photo by DD

(Also serving the local brew from Railway City Brewery! I had the Iron Spike Copper Ale, while DH had the Seasonal Roundhaus Pilsner.)

St. Thomas Visitor's Center & Travel Information (photo by DD)

Also the site of the life-sized statue of Jumbo the Elephant.

1824

2011-06-27T10:17:00.013-05:00

The old St. Thomas Church was built between 1822 and 1824.

It bears the crest of Queen Victoria at the back of the sanctuary and still flies the English flag. The church served the congregation until Trinity Anglican was completed in 1877. This church still has box pews which would have been rented by families. Also, Paul (the historical rennovation painter) pointed out the Prisoners' Box at the front of the church where each week those imprisoned at the local courthouse a few blocks away would be brought to church in shackles, climb the ladder to the prisoners' box, the ladder removed and they were...in essence...captive to the worship service each week.(I have to wonder how many lives were reformed in this manner?)

The church's cemetery has several storied graves, including the wife of a rector thought to have been a witch. (Her stone turned black, and continues to turn black after being cleaned to this day. When we were there, it was black!)

City of Murals

2011-06-24T09:31:00.011-05:00

Along Talbot St. in downtown St. Thomas, Ontario.

These are just the murals along the main street through St. Thomas. The city has done a wonderful job of maintaining its historic buildings for a thriving downtown/"main street" business district! Interspersed along the way are greenspaces (called "parkettes") where people were actually congregating and enjoying time outdoors. I have a difficult time understanding why everyone thought it so odd that we would choose St. Thomas as a vacation destination!

Ports of Call, Part Two

2011-06-23T09:22:00.011-05:00

I only shot a few photos when we stopped at Port Bruce. (Mostly because we ended up having lunch at a lakeside sandwhich shoppe and everyone was busy enjoying the food!)

Across the street from the lighthouse in Port Burwell (photo of said lighthouse in previous post!) there is a maritime museum. Only a block away (off the main street) is Port Burwell's public library which is housed in a historic little building. Here are a few scenes from Port Burwell.

Ports of Call

2011-06-22T15:53:00.015-05:00

While in Ontario, we enjoyed some day trips to three port villages on the northern shore of Lake Erie. Today I am introducing Port Stanley. We visited Port Stanley twice. The beach was awesome! Also enjoyed a wonderful ice cream parlour and snapping shots of some of the historic buildings in town. The church here is a sister to the Old St. Thomas Church--and also built in the early 1800s. Enjoy!

(See photo below for explanation of this building!)

Northern Lights

2011-06-21T08:48:00.006-05:00

Ok, not the aurora borealis, but a couple of lighthouses along the Great Lakes.

This is the lighthouse at Port Huron, on--oddly enough--Lake Huron.

And this is the Port Burwell Lighthouse on Lake Erie.

DD and I met the gentleman who painted this lighthouse. He does historical restoration painting on old buildings/historic structures and has worked in several countries. We met him at the Old St. Thomas Church where he was refurbishing the doors. We had a terrific visit with him and discovered we had seen a bunch of his work around the area. (More on that in another post.)

Here's a bit of historical info on the lighthouse at Port Burwell:

For the Daring

2011-06-20T11:27:00.004-05:00

Want to view the Niagra River whirlpool rapids from above? If you are daring, be their guest! (The Aero Car is on the Canadian side of the river.)

(Click to enlarge the photo....and spot the car tire swirling around near the lower edge of the river. How all that debris got in there makes me shiver!)

Great Lakes

2011-06-19T11:13:00.010-05:00

Four of the five Great Lakes comprising a portion of the border between the United States and Canada.

At Lake Michigan we saw the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. (It was 100*F that day.)

Then, it turned cold when we hit the shores of Lake Huron. Also, VERY windy, especially on the Canadian side which was getting the brunt of it.

(Spot the ship?)

This was our second visit to Lake Erie. (The first was ten years ago, 2001.)

The beach at Port Stanley, Ontario is wonderful! You won't even care that you got sun burned!

And finally, Lake Ontario--the most elusive of the Great Lakes for those of us living west of the Mississippi River!

Back From the Brink

2011-06-18T20:51:00.003-05:00

We took our vacation early this year.

I am happy to report that none of us went over Niagra Falls.
(These are the Canadian Falls, also known as the Horseshoe Falls.)

We enjoyed our week in Ontario. Our neighbors to the north are wonderful people who provide terrific hospitality! (Despite every Canadian's reaction to hearing we had chosen St. Thomas as our destination being, "Why'd ya' pick St. Thomas?" accompanied by quizzical looks.)

We visited 4 of the 5 Great Lakes on this trip. (Now I can say I've seen...and had my feet in...all of the Great Lakes!)

I did some letterboxing and geocaching. (You should see my caching Souvenirs page!)

Enjoyed the best fish & chips of my entire life at Chaucer's Pub in London.
Had bangers & mash at The Waltzing Weasel Pub (also in London).
Visited an the Old St. Thomas Anglican Church built between 1882 and 1824 which bears the seal of Queen Victoria.

More pictures to come in the days ahead.

Free, Free, Set Them Free

2011-06-06T17:32:00.003-05:00

Books just wanna be FREE! See what I mean at:
http://bookcrossing.com

See the books I've set free at:
http://bookcrossing.com/referral/bzmomof2

Yes, just one more thing I've gotten into of late!! But it seems like a great opportunity to get books out there in the hands of people!

PAL

2011-05-24T12:54:00.004-05:00

Today is PAL, or "Plant A Letterbox" Day. It seemed like the perfect time to put out my coffee house series which I affectionately named "Caffeine Rush" (after the gold rush) when I realized how everyone in my house, sometimes including the 17 yo DS, goes for the "wake me up" beverage first thing upon rising.

There aren't very many letterboxers in my area. I'm hoping by putting out some fun boxes with cool, hand-carved stamps I might entice some others into joining the addiction. (I have to say, the college kids at the one coffee joint seemed pretty interested in the whole concept.) DD helped me with the containers for these and I think folks are going to find them fun to log. (I'd post pictures, but don't want to give anything away!) If you want to see the clues, go to Atlas Quest and once you've found one set of clues you can follow the "Nearby Boxes" link to the others.

Happy Boxing!

Between Showers

2011-05-20T13:50:00.006-05:00

Dodging rain drops here and running outside between showers to try a few shots of the iris. Still trying to learn to ropes on the new camera!

[Note: all drops on flowers are entirely real. And I think there are more headed our way!]

Mother's Day

2011-05-10T15:41:00.007-05:00

I hope everyone had a nice Mother's Day weekend. I had a quiet one with some significant moments of fun.

First of all, I got a new camera from my DH and kids . . . a DSLR! Here's a sample of one of the first few photos out of the shoot:

Also, I enjoyed going over to Cedar Falls in order to pick up the camera from their Target (ours didn't have any) and having the chance to see my FIL. He's a sweetie and hasn't been feeling well of late...so I'm glad we got to visit.

While in CF we grabbed a couple caches too.

Then, en route home we made a detour through Eldora, IA. What a cool town!! We want to go back and explore the Pine Lake State Park area as there appeared to be quite a lot of cool things to do there. We went to Deer Park across the street from the Hardin County Fairgrounds and found a cache and our third letterbox!! Yeah!! I love letterboxing, possibly even more than caching. I love the element that the pay off is a little piece of unique art in the form of the hand-carved stamp. This one was called "Peter Rabbit."

There was also an old car show and live music going as we passed through town.

On the actual day DH grilled delicious steaks and twice baked potatoes, which DD supplemented with healthy cupcakes.

[Check it out: one box of chocolate cakemix and one can of pumpkin--plain pumpkin, not the pie filling kind with spices. That's ALL you use. They are moist, high in fiber and fat-free. And you don't taste the pumpkin at all!! Amazing and oh so good!!]

The kids and I went out and found three more caches which brings our grand total to 100! A great milestone to hit together on Mother's Day.

I am blessed. (And really for so many more reasons than what I wrote about.....)

Happy shooting/knitting/caching/boxing!

Prom 2011

2011-05-02T09:27:00.005-05:00

At the last minute my DS was invited to prom by a couple of girls in his Honors English 3 class. So, he went! No official date, just a group of friends having a good time.

I may be biased, but I think he's a pretty good looking young man!

Stamp Carving

2011-04-29T11:28:00.005-05:00

One of my blogging friends inquired about the tools I used to carve the stamps I've been creating. I started with just an exacto knife. Since those first few stamps, I also added this set of carving tools from Staedtler:

I found them at my local "big box" hobby and craft store and used my 40% off coupon which made the whole set very reasonable. As it turns out, with practice, I'm discovering that I really only use 2 of the 3 tools in conjuntion with my handy little knife.

The other tool, which has enabled me to carve more intricate designs was a tip I got from one of the several web tutorials I used: the highest powered reading glasses I could find at the dollar store. (I think mine are +3.50.) My normal readers are +1.75, but for seeing minute details in the pattern, the mega-magnifiers do the trick.

One of the best websites I used for tutorials (which also led me to other on-line information) was on Atlas Quest, one of the two main letterboxing sites.

Hope this helps for anyone else who wants to join the addic...I mean fun!

One Thing Led to Another

2011-04-28T10:19:00.005-05:00

So, if you've been following this blog, you will know that we discovered geocaching when I received a GPS receiver designed for the sport for Christmas. Our love of getting out to discover new caches and new outdoor spots led me to discover letterboxing as well.

And if you know me, you know that when I discover something cool, I tend to jump in with both feet.

This, then, is my true confession...

I have been obsessively carving stamps for letterboxing (and for fun!) for the past few weeks!

It started with dollar packs of two pink erasers from Target and 12-pack white erasers for $1 at the Dollar Tree and an exacto knife. The photo you see is missing four stamps I carved. Two of them are already gracing letterboxes which have been placed at local cemeteries along with 2 other stamps which were the "First to Find" prizes in those caches. (I'm trying to get some other people in the area interested in letterboxing or letterbox hybrid caches in geocaching. I LOVE the artistic aspect of carving your own stamps!!)

I have used some of the stamps to make some Letterboxer Trading Cards (LTCs) which are akin to Artist Trading Cards. I've even done some trading with other letterboxers for cards.

I have several "signature" stamps with our trail name (helms2049) on them for stamping into logbooks. I've also done some for the series of gravestone symbols I'm doing in area cemeteries. I've done a couple of owls to memorialize my grandmother. Three on a Frank Lloyd Wright series and 4 for a planned letterbox series at local coffee shops.

So, that's what I've been up to! (It's SOOO addictive!!)

We've Been Outed!

2011-04-27T08:34:00.004-05:00

Knitters....beware! We have been outed by a guy at the University of Iowa!!

You can find every scandalous word right here!

(Do you think my DH may have been supplying this guy info??)

Ode to Joy

2011-04-26T14:38:00.002-05:00

Letterboxing and geocaching aren't the only things going on in the woods!

Enjoy!

Lost: Mojo

2011-04-11T09:40:00.003-05:00

Yes, something seems to be missing. Alas, it's my mojo.

I have been getting some knitting done. (I've nearly completed the shawlette in the Knit Picks Chroma which I showed you a while back. Also completed 2 pairs of socks and working on another.)

I finished the books for my book clubs (even led the discussion on Stephanie Kallos' "Sing Them Home.")

Made a new recipe, Almond Bars, to serve @ book club. (Think the delicious filling in Dutch letters. Super yummy all on their own, but really sinfully delectable with almond tea!!) [Thanks to DD's infusion nurse, Laurie, for that recipe!]

Have been geocaching. Went to our first event over the weekend (despite foggy weather that looked slightly threatening.)

Have been carving stamps for letterbox caches and/or letterboxing. (Related to geocaching, but different.)

Went to DS's induction into National Honor Society. [kudos Christopher!!]

I don't know what it is about this blog though.....for some reason I just couldn't motivate myself to get in here, sit down, and write anything about something.

So, if any of you happen to spot or come across my blogging mojo, I'd be glad to get it back. Drop me a line if you find it!

Thanks!

Anticipation - Avian Style

2011-03-11T12:53:00.002-06:00

We've been keeping an eye out on the bald eagle couple in NE Iowa which has 3 eggs in its nest now. (First is expected to hatch around April 1.) Here's the live video stream if you're interested too!

Free video streaming by Ustream

Anticipation

2011-03-10T10:48:00.004-06:00

I feel giddy!

I have placed my first cache out in the wild, filled out the forms and sent them to the reviewer.

Now I must wait for him to review and ok publication....then, the fun begins!!

The cache contains a FTF (first to find) Pathtag (collectible coin) for the first one to discover it.

It's also large enough to hold a few very small trade items such as coins. I have been knitting miniature socks to put out in caches, so I put one in this along with a Chinese "good luck" coin. (Nickel in photo is for sizing purposes only.)

I can't wait for it to get published and to have some people visit the cache! I hope they have as much fun discovering it as I did planning it and putting it out there!

Oh My Darlin'

2011-03-07T09:06:00.004-06:00

I've decided the color of these socks reminds me of clementines....which reminded me of the song from elementary school days....

This may be my new "vanilla" sock pattern. Just a quick knit sock when you need a pair asap.

My friend dyed the yarn, which was acutally a sock blank. I knit them toe-up using Judy's Magic Cast-On, a combination heel and Jeni's Surprisingly Stretchy Bind-Off.

No frills, but nice warm socks in the end!

How was your weekend??

Early Spring On Prairie Creek

2011-03-04T16:52:00.003-06:00

My DD needed to shoot some photos for an assignment in her photography class, so we zipped down to the nearby state park. This is what I found while she was shooting.
What you miss out on is the sound of the water running/rushing over the rocky areas. Definitely a sign of spring!

The ice has gone out of the Des Moines river, which Prairie Creek joins just a few hundred feet downstream from this spot.

I startled a bald eagle (or more accurately, a bald eagle startled me) from it's spot on a bare branch out over the river. As it flew away downstream DD was able to capture some shots of it in flight.

Good times!

Old Dogs & New Tricks

2011-02-28T10:32:00.004-06:00

Well, I have to say I have challenged the popular notion that "you can't teach an old dog new tricks" and have decided that phrase is not true.

Here is the evidence:

I have completed the pair of socks I was test knitting for a German designer and I learned several new things in the making of hand knitted socks that I had not learned prior to this experience.

1. Judy's Magic Cast-On. Fabulous! How I ever knit toe-up socks without this nifty trick before is beyond me. It's absolutely brilliant. If you don't know it, you must (yes, I said MUST) learn it. Today!

2. New ways to increase. I learned the L-linc and R-linc ways of increasing. (Also known as the "La-link" and "Are-link" increases ala Cat Bordhi.) Again, genius! So glad I struggled through the learning curve and resisted the temptation to go ahead and do the increases the way I already knew how to. It's always a good thing to add more techniques/tricks to your arsenal of knowledge!

3. New combination heel method. I have always liked the look of the short row heel, but it has never quite fit me as well as the heel flap/gusset method. With this sock I learned a new method of forming a heel which involved both a short row and a gusset! This gives just enough added space so that the stitches on the instep of the short row heel don't stretch and pull taught at the row or two where the short row heel is joined back to begin knitting in the round once more. Brilliant!

I will let you know when the pattern is put into final form and released. I think it's a pattern that you'll love because the way it is written offers the knitter some choices in how they want the final socks to look. There is the version I knit as well as a more feminine, lacey version. The charted design can be placed on either foot, making for a variety of possible outcomes.

Oh, and did I mention the anatomical toes? Yes, for those who really like a definitive right and left sock....this is exactly what you've been looking for!!

Migratory Invasion

2011-02-19T16:10:00.007-06:00

Each year there is a day or two when our ornamental crab apple tree is beseiged by visitors heading north.

Today is the day.

The Cedar Waxwings are on the move . . . and hungry!

I always enjoy their visit however! (Sometimes they come when the tree is in bloom and eat off all the blossom petals!)

An Owl Arrived

2011-02-15T17:28:00.010-06:00

In order to help you better understand why this little owl's arrival on the wires outside my back door is so significant to me, I must first tell you about hawks.

I have long harbored the private, personal belief that hawks are a type of spirit guide to me. Whenever I see a hawk when we travel, whether in flight or perched on a roadsign, wire, fencepost or tree, a sense of peace, calm and joy comes over me and I feel that our travels are "blessed" in a way.

When we leave on intentional journeys like a family vacation or even a day trip to have fun or visit friends or family I often intentionally seek out a hawk sighting. I scan the tree line, watch the wires and notice every bird in flight. I usually spot what I'm looking for within the first 15 minutes of our trip.

Other times I have left home to hop in the car in a harried frenzie. I may be worried, anxious, tired, running late or a multitude of other reasons that threaten to get the journey off on the wrong foot. Invariably those are the times the hawk along the way makes itself known to me as if to say, "Relax! I've got you covered!"

O.k., change of thought.

As a photographer who loves photographing nature one of the things I have long admired in the portfolios of others are shots of owls. I have heard stories of family (in the middle of the Twin Cities no less!!) returning home late at night to owl song in their neighborhood. I have harbored jealousies...always hoping that one day I might be lucky enough to witness these elusive and shy creatures myself (preferrably with camera in hand!)

Today when my DH came home from work he "whisper" shouted my name from the back door. "Bring your camera!!"

Here's what (or should I say who) is sitting on the wires just outside my back door:

I have yet to google this bird to see which exact species of owl I have outside my door, but whatever kind it is, I believe it is a special message sent just for me.

You see, my grandmother died yesterday.

She was 93 and the only grandparent I had. She was a wonderful grandma to me and I loved her dearly.

Somehow this wonderful creature has appeared just when I needed reassurance and hope. It has blessed me the way that grandma did so many times throughout my life.

The last few times my grandma and I talked she spoke of her eagerness to be reunited with her long-dead family members, her parents, siblings, nieces and nephews who had gone before. I think she had a wonderful Valentine's day reunion with everyone she had been missing these past few years.

This little owl assures me all is well, both for grandma and for me.

Stuck (and Then Not)

2011-02-07T13:35:00.008-06:00

I got stuck this weekend.

The first instance was in confusion I had over a new "combination" type heel in that sock pattern I am test knitting. Even though I have learned a few different types of methods for creating a heel on a sock, I have never done a combination type. So, a bit of a learning curve there. (But one which will be very satisfying to figure out and will most likely prove very helpful in solving my previous issues with wrap & turn short rows and their fit!)

That led to me getting literally stuck. In the snow. With my van.

In order to clear my head, get some fresh air and a bit of exercise, we decided to see if we could hunt up a few local caches on Saturday since it was such a nice day. We hopped in the van and my DH said, "Ok, the one thing I DON'T want to do is find our down any snow covered roads we shouldn't be on."

"No problem," said I, "I don't want to do that either."

We tried to find a couple caches near downtown and came up short.

We drove a few miles north of town and stopped at the county park where several caches are located. Nada.

Went to the other side of the park for one which was marked "easy" only to discover that entrance was closed and not plowed.

Frustrated, I said "let's go find the one my friends put out near the welcome to town sign. I know we'll have some luck there."

We drove the distance, got out, hunted around the sign and through the trees and voila! There it was! We got excited thinking that our luck was changing. We decided to go to the park/golf course along the river and hunt down the 3 or 4 caches there.

No luck. No luck. No luck. We drove to the final coordinates and started down the snowy road. About 50 yards down the way I said, "Does this road seem plowed?" DH responds, "I'm not sure....maybe...not..." FLUMP!!

The front wheels twisted funny and we were stuck. I mean good and stuck. Stuck like I can't remember ever being stuck in snow. And by this time we were a good 100 to 125 yards down the snowy trail from the paved (and plowed!) street.

After trying to rock it on our own and moving, at best 10 feet, we called our kids to come help us, "Bring two shovels and the bag of sand out of the garage. And whatever you do, don't pull down the lane behind us! Park up on the plowed street and put on your flashers."

Another half and hour later, they arrived. As we worked and worked at moving the vehicle a few feet at a time (while feeling fairly desperate about how far there was left to go), two men in a 4-wheel drive came to the rescue. The had a tow chain and pulled us out in fairly short order.

I thanked them profusely for rescuing a dumb blonde. To which the owner of the 4-wheel drive simply replied, "Lady, you gotta stay outta sh** like that!"

Needless to say, we were done caching for the weekend.

I decided that I really needed a project which would give me back my confidence/mojo. So I did a test knit of some mittens for a gal during the Big Game.

What do you think?

Close-up view:

The surprise is that these mittens make it easy to use your electronics such as texting or i-Pod!

They were quick to knit and I like the slits for access which make them uber-user friendly. DD took them to wear today. (Good thing I grabbed photos first!)

So, I think now that I'm no longer stuck. In fact, I think I got my mojo back.

Happy Knitting!

Knitting Related Caching

2011-02-01T15:27:00.005-06:00

We enjoyed a quick trip to Omaha last weekend to spend time with extended family. While on the road we had a chance to do some geocaching and found six caches on Saturday. The little ones were thrilled that we found several with some genuinely wonderful swag for kids: toys and real change!

Not to be left out, I was genuinely thrilled with the trackables I discovered as well!

I has hoping to get to one cache in particular because I saw in its inventory an item called "Knit Wit's Travelbug." I did arrive in time and traded in a geocoin for this little bug:

I hope to show it to some knitting friends and perhaps take it to get its photo taken at a LYS before sending it on its way.

I also ran across several really cool coins. Being a former stamp collector, I couldn't resist this one:

(I think I may have this actual stamp in my collection!)

I dropped off the Iditadog travelbug (trying to make its way to Alaska) in exchange for this Denali Park stamp coin. It's goal is to see Mt. McKinley. I hope to show it at least one "McKinley" near me before sending it on closer to its hoped for destination as well.

In other news, I took the time to learn Judy's Magic Cast On for the super secret sock project I'm working on. Magic is right!! How did I ever live (& do toe up socks!!) without this ingenious knitting device??!! (I'll never go back to crochet cast-on for toe up socks!!)

I am in the throws of learning some new increases for these socks as well. Not having so much success with that as the dark yarn I'm using requires good daylight to see where the bits are that need picking up in order to form the increase. That means no knitting on that project after nightfall for me.

We're in the midst of a blizzard right now. School was released early and I have my doubts as to whether we will have school tomorrow either.

Does that mean I won't be able to make it to my weekly sit-n-knit? Dear lord, I hope not!!

Happy knitting (and cache hunting!)

Mum's the Word

2011-01-28T11:26:00.007-06:00

I'm beginning a stealthy project doing a test knit for a designer in Germany. I can't post much information, but I think it's ok to let you know I'm using my Knit Picks Stroll - Kettle Dyed yarn in the colorway "Jay." (Think deep, lovely blue!)

Once the designer has the pattern perfected and up for sale, I'll point you all to it!

Here's something I can show and tell:

This is the pattern Pimpelliese available on Ravelry for free. I'm using my Chroma yarn in the Sunrise colorway. I like it a lot and the pattern is fun to knit. In theory it will only take this one skein of fingering weight yarn. It is a shawlette/scarf.

In caching news, we received our first souvenir for finding enough caches right here in our home state.

That's pretty fun! I'm hoping to add another souvenir in the near future.

Looking forward to the weekend; how about you?

Happy Knitting!

AWOL

2011-01-24T08:39:00.003-06:00

Well, I've been missing in action lately. Went AWOL without realizing it I guess.

I got sacked by the January "blahs."

I was doing some knitting, but nothing exciting, nothing I really cared about. It was knitting that was simply going through the motions. I did finish a red hat that I made up on the fly...but didn't bother to photograph. The second sock and scarf I was working on are both languising in the piles of stuff in the living room.

I hate it when the "so what"s and "who cares"s set in.

How do you shake the apathy when it comes to visit??

Stymied

2011-01-04T14:09:00.006-06:00

A couple of firsts to start the new year! I made my first ever Ebay purchase.
(Yes, that's right...I'm way behind the power curve on that one!)

For $20 plus S&H I received 11 pairs of knitting needles and two balls of cashmere blend yarn.

Which leads to the second first: my first package to ever arrive from China!
(Gotta love those cool customs stickers all over the outside!)

The needles I purchased came with an unexpected bonus:

Each package contained a yarn needle and needle sizer in addition to the 16" circulars!

I decided I needed some 16" needles in a variety of sizes for all the hats I've become interested in doing. Since there is not a 16" size option for my KnitPicks Options set, this seemed a reasonable thing to try. (After all, just the needles were only $12 for 11 sets! Hard to beat!)

The good news is that the needles are light weight, the joins are very smooth and the cord does not twist. I really like them!! They are sized according to the British method so that the package marked Size 16 is really a U.S. 000. That would be great for working colorwork hats in fine yarn!

I also purchased this yarn, (which lead to the title of this post)

The color of the photo is a tad deceiving. It's a very lovely, and vibrant cherry red.

The problem is that it turns out to be more like a fingering weight than a DK or sport weight. I have started no less than four seperate projects with this yarn (it feels wonderful!) and have frogged them all.

I'm afraid I'm at a loss as to what to use this yarn for.

Any suggestions?

Happy Knitting!

ps...I added a button on the side so you can keep track of our progress in geocaching. It should update each time we find another cache.

New Adventures

2010-12-31T13:35:00.006-06:00

I'm not going to do one of those year end wrap up type entries. If I want to take stock of what happened in 2010 I will go back and look at archived entries.

Did I mention that my DH got me a GPS unit for the holidays? Specifically, this one:

I did a story for Fort Dodge Today a couple of years ago on a family who were geocachers (pronounced: jee-oh-cashers). I was intrigued by the idea of this high-tech treasure hunting, but the gps unit remained elusive in the budget. Thanks to a Cabella's charge-card and the price of gas the past few years, he had earned enough credits to get one!

We've been out on a few geocaching adventures already with seven successful finds and two we couldn't find. (I'm blaming the snow cover!)

If you don't know what it is you can check it all out at this website.

We visited my brother's family yesterday and took them out "treasure hunting" with us. The little ones had great fun and we found a cache with some trinkets in it for them to take home. (I had some other trinkets with me to leave behind per protocol.)

Another fun element to geocaching is Travel Bugs. These are metal dog tags with serial numbers and trinkets attached which cachers pick up in one place and take to a new place per the wishes of the owner or the goals listed for the bug. We were able to deliver one to the western border yesterday. We also picked one up!

This one is called "Iditadog" and was started in Anchorage, AK by some school kids in 2007. It's original goal was to travel around and get back in time to go on the Iditarod race in 2008, but it is still traveling. We may keep ahold of this one until vacation this summer when I hope we will be able to deliver it much farther west (and north). We'll see!

Today we're having sleet/ice/snow. I'm going to have to take a nap if staying up until midnight is in the cards. We shall see.

Happy New Year one and all! See you in 2011!

Heroes For The Holidays

2010-12-28T20:25:00.006-06:00

I am pleased to report that I received the company of two of my knitting heroes for the holidays: the commemorative edition of Elizabeth Zimmerman's Knitter's Almanac (complete with an Introduction by Stephanie Pearl McFee, a third knitting hero of mine!) along with Barbara Walker's Treasury of Knitting Patterns.

I have already delved into both volumes, and am happy to report that I am already busy incorporating one of the patterns from Walker's tome onto the sock currently in progress on my needles.

I always enjoy reading EZ as well....she is so liberating!! One cannot help but become more self-confident as a knitter after reading her encouraging words. (I think that confidence spills over into other areas as well.)

In non-knitting (and non-photography) news....DS and I went in search of our first geocaches today. I also received a Garmin GPS unit for the holidays with which we can now take part in the fun that is geocaching. We did an earnest search for three caches today, finding two. (I am convinced the third one was not meant to be found in the winter with snow on the ground. We will have to try again in the spring.)

If you don't know about the sport/game/fun, check it out at Geocaching.com!

Here's another photo from my forray into the woods a few days ago. (No caching involved...we were only out to take photos!)

Happy knitting and shooting and caching!

Winter's Fruit

2010-12-27T10:52:00.004-06:00

We have been having a winter wonderland of frozen fog/hoarfrost the past few days.

Yesterday, in order to get out of the house, DD and I went out into the woods and took a walk with our cameras. She got a lot more pictures than I did due to the fact I had dimentia and forgot to charge my camera's batteries.

But I did manage to shoot a few before the camera gave up the ghost. This is my favorite.

I know it doesn't really show the beautiful frost covered trees, but sometimes the details are just too pretty to pass up.

Happy Shooting!

Happy Holidays!

2010-12-21T16:07:00.002-06:00

May yours be merry & bright!

(Local lighting display with 30+ scenes done by a variety of groups. They set it up in our county park's campground and Santa comes and gives candy canes to everyone. Always fun and supports the work of the local Sertoma group.)

Disappointment Thy Name Is...

2010-12-20T13:18:00.010-06:00

Knit Picks Andean Chullo kit.

After doing a lot of Latvian mittens last year for the holidays, I kind of fell in love with doing stranded color work in knitting. When Knit Picks advertised their Andean Chullo hat kit last fall, I ordered one as soon as I could, knowing it would be fun to try.

Here's the photo of the completed hat which comes with the pattern:

Now if I had been savy and listening to a recent book of knitting advice I was reading, I should have known something was amiss at this point in the project.

Can you see what my clue should have been?

Yes, at no point does this hat actually appear on a real/actual HUMAN head. The only shots of it are on this clear dummy head. Right there I should have been asking myself "what's wrong with this hat that they don't have a live model in it?"

(My recent knitting advice said to always eye suspiciously the way any photos which accompany patterns are presented. Is the person standing or sitting funny? Are they showing the item from only one angle? What does the way they photographed it on the model say about potential pit falls/problems with the pattern?)

Ignoring that advice and plunging straight ahead like the mighty knitting fool I am, here's what I ended up with:

Yes, it was lovely to knit. I had fun doing the color work. I liked the patterns, especially the llamas.

But dudes.....

....seriously?

It is way, WAY too tall to fit a normal human head without looking completely silly!! (Can you see there are a good 4" to 6" of hat above the top of the head that just sticks up or flops over?!)

If you are related to Herman Munster or happen to know any members of the Conehead family, this hat would be perfect.

But don't expect your 17 year old DS to wear it, no matter how kind hearted he is to his dear, batty, old, yarn-crazed mom.

It just doesn't fit.

Oh, and I could have done without the serious, raging sinus cold/respiratory flu right before Christmas.

Happy Knitting!
(I'm going to get some more tea.....)

Holiday Knitting

2010-12-13T15:14:00.011-06:00

Holiday knitting beginning to take up every waking moment? Is it all you think about? Is it all you do in your "free" time? Anxious you may not get it all done?

Are you obsessed? Compare yourself to this knitter and let me know!

Happy Knitting!

On Top Of It

2010-12-06T10:18:00.009-06:00

I've switched from my slipper knitting frenzy (because I THINK I have them all completed!!) to doing a few last minute hats, etc. My DD saw a beret she liked at Target a few weeks ago and I took a picture of it with my cell phone. I went on line and found a very similar pattern, took her yarn shopping and commenced knitting. I found the "Druidess Beret" pattern on Ravelry and here's how it turned out.

I really enjoyed this pattern as there was somthing going on all the time. It's also the first chart-only pattern that I've actually completed! I knit it with Cascade 210 (it calls for DK weight yarn) in the colorway "Turtle."

Also it occurred to me that I did not show you the pair of slippers I did with Granny Square flaps or the way I put a decorative edge on one of the pairs of plain colored slippers. Without further ado, this is what they look like:

Granny square slippers for niece in Texas.

Blanket stitch edging on slippers for niece in Sioux City. (The hardest part about this was choosing which contrasting color to use!!)

I have a few other quick things to finish off for the holidays, but the bulk of it is finished. What isn't done yet are all little "extras"--so if they don't get finished it's no big deal. I can give them to the receipients at any time.

Hope you are all in full swing either enjoying the holidays or preparing for the ones yet to come!

Happy Knitting!

Because They Said So

2010-11-22T11:42:00.007-06:00

I went to my weekly knitting group last week and they all "ahhh-ed" and "oooh-ed"
over the wee pair of Christmas slippers I made from stash for one of the smallest pairs of feet in the family. Since they were a hit, I'm sharing them with you too!

You can wear them with the "flaps" up to keep your ankles warm like this:

Or, if you prefer, fold down the flaps for what my DS calls the "elf" look:

Either way, I think they are going to look cute and keep toes warm!

I will post some pics after I figure out how I'm going to embellish the single color slippers for people with larger feet.

Happy Knitting!

Wedding Bells

2010-11-08T12:46:00.009-06:00

Had the pleasure of shooting some photos for my nephew's wedding this past weekend. It was a perfect day with sunshine and temps around 70*--high for Iowa this time of year!

On The Shelves

2010-11-03T08:55:00.004-05:00

Barbara Bretton's new book, Spun by Sorcery, was released yesterday!

This is the third book in the series and I am excited to read it. I'm also excited because I believe my Basic Sock pattern (which I use when teaching sock knitting 101) is included in the appendix at the back of the book!!

It's too bad our book store closed a few months ago. I have to wait until I can get to "the big city" to find a book seller and pick up a copy.

Comments

2010-11-01T14:41:00.003-05:00

If you are one of the folks who likes to read comments on Blogs, then you might notice a comment on my last post r.e. the use of RIT dye.

It stems from a question I posed over at Marie's blog, Permission to Unwind, about her beautiful newly finished sweater.

(Go peek, I'll wait.)

Isn't that a beautiful sweater she made?

She mentioned having used RIT dye to make it the creamy, hot cocoa color you see in the photos and that got me curious about that particular dyeing process.

I remember my mom using RIT dye to color sheets when we were kids. I believe she simply used our washing machine for the whole process. I've never really looked at the dye too closely. So I was curious as to how Marie was able to dye a wool sweater. She had some great tips, especially to keep the object from felting. I may have to give it a try some time!

Anyone else out there ever used RIT? Do you have any tips to pass along?

The Problem With Reading

2010-10-26T15:53:00.006-05:00

I visit several blogs each day. It's a habit I enjoy and I feel I have a connection to others across the blog-o-sphere who share some of the same passions I have.....fiber, food, books, travel, etc.

The problem with such a reading habit, however, is that one is likely to stumble upon a variety of buttons and counters on other blogs.

Yesterday I ran across a blog which included a "Countdown To Chrismas" clock on the sidebar.

Yikes!

That was a wake up call!

Less than 2 months left until the gift giving festivities! (Even less if you're celebrating Hanukkah!!)

I finished off the handknit gifts for guys a while back. This was not really too difficult as the hand knit portion of the guy gifts is small this year. (Especially compared to the aspirations I harbor for the ladies' gifts.)

I'm not saying who is getting what, but here is what I have thus far for the women:

Thank goodness it's a felting project! That means (generally speaking) using larger needles than I do when knitting socks. This results in quicker knitting times.

Wish me luck!! (and do you think people in warm climates need something like what's pictured above?)