Slippery Slope

I've discovered knitting slippers is dangerously addictive. The darn things knit up so quickly. (Epecially compared to socks which I use US #0 needles for!) It's fun to watch the colors develop. (Just like socks!) I know they will keep my nephews' feet warm. (Also like socks!) Did I mention how quick they are to knit??? Very, very tempting to just keep going....such a sense of accomplishment!

The largest pair along the bottom are for my soon to be 17 yr old nephew who plans on joining the army post-high school. The camo pattern with blue is for his brother Josh, who has blue eyes. The smallest pair is for the youngest nephew in that family (because I learned that when I knit things I think only the older boys will like, like fingerless gloves for instance, Zack really likes them as well and wishes to have his own. So he will not be left out on the slippers campaign! I picked his yarn out FIRST.)

Anyway, that's what I did last week. Four pairs of slippers. (I actually gave away the smallest pair which were knit for my niece in burgundy already, so no picture.)
Oh, and a hat that I don't blame my brother if he never puts on my baby nephew's head after Uncle Doug said it made him look like Lunette the clown on The Big Comfy Couch on public tv. (Lunette is a girl clown. Logan is definitely a BOY nephew. Thus the major problem with the hat.)

Back to work for me.

Happy Knitting & Shooting!

Knitting Lives

One of the sad things about modern living is how scattered families have often become in this mobile society. It is rare to find two or three generations of family living within a few miles of one another or even in the same city or state. My sister lives in the same small town as my mother, grandmother and uncle. But the sad truth is that even they don't see one another that often. Lives get busy. The small choices we make on a daily basis tend to become habit. People and circumstances change. Occasionally conflict occurs and relationships grow distant no matter the physical proximity.

These things happen to family who have actually moved to places far removed from one another too. Where you are in the stages of life often dictates that your own lifestyle may not be the same as those of your parents or children. I have seen this not only in my own life, but also in the lives of those with whom I have worked.

It takes work and intentional effort to maintain familial bonds.

You wouldn' t think this was the case. Most of us assume that being family comes naturally and easily. Not so. We choose to make our relationships what they are, even (and perhaps especially) those which are nearest and dearest to us.

So that's why I gave up knitting time on Sunday. I chose to spend some time making sure I was knitting lives together instead. We visited my brother and his family.

He cooked THE most delicious meal I've had in quite some time. (Everyone should get a copy of the Famous Dave's cookbook!) I enjoyed kicking back, visiting and watching our children build their collective life together while watching movies, building snow forts and generally having a good time together.



I hope and pray that they will always consider themselves "close" in a way I don't with my cousins. I hope and pray that I can maintain close, healthy relationships with my siblings (just as I hope my two will remain close in their adult years as well).

And mostly I hope that my niece and nephew (like my two children) will know how very, very much Aunt Kim loves them!

Sunshine

We're aiming for uplifting today.

The sun is out. The sky is blue. The temp is 4* Farenheit and falling.
The wind is blowing straight out of the north, northwest like you wouldn't believe.
We are heading to -30*F windchills tonight.

So, enjoy the sunshine.

Blue Day

We had a lovely day of bright sunshine, blue skies and temps in the mid to upper 30s yesterday. Something kept telling me, "Get out and enjoy it while you can." So I did get out a few times yesterday.

Today we woke up to a blizzard warning.

I was supposed to drive a couple hours west to visit my brother's family and I whimped out due to the weather. (Turns out it was mostly over by 2 pm and we would have made it home just fine and I feel like a total fool and have the winter blues SOOOOOOO bad today that making that bonehead decision to call off the trip makes me even more depressed.)

At least me kids bounced back ok. This is what they did.




I'm sure any subtle resemblance to any person, living or dead, named "Adolf" in no way reflects on their unconscious feelings about their mother on the day she deeply disappointed them by depriving them of cousins, aunt/uncle, and delicious Kahlua Fudge Brownies............ (It does look like it's smiling at any rate....doesn't it?)

Yarn Love

When life hands you people who are busy (and therefore can't spend time simply chatting on the telephone, which is totally understandable. Some people work for a living for crying out loud!) turn to your stash and think "extra knitting time." (Because, let's face it: no one wants to clean their house for a Valentine's treat, now do they?)

I'll be the first to confess that walking into my guest room is almost as good as walking into a yarn shop. I've got stash. Big stash. Overflowing stash. It's amazing.
(And my DH still bought me the sock yarn kit from Knit Picks for Christmas! That's real love, that is!)

I love my stash. Here are some photos I shot for the magazine. (I've written a Knitting 101 article for March.)









Enjoy the yarn love.....I'm going to go knit!

A Little "Pick Me Up"

Today was a crazy day with a few stress-filled moments of sheer frenzy.
It follows a few too many days of grey, foggy, overcast, cold, icy, slushiness.

So I got out some of my stash to fondle and photograph for illustrations for one of the magazine articles I've been working on: Knitting 101. Yes, I needed a little pick me up. Maybe you do too.

Enjoy!

Good Book

I was supposed to be writing. But I've long subscribed to the idea that a writer must do a lot of reading for his or her writing to be any good. So I spent the weekend reading.

I would've been reading The Friday Night Knitting Club which a dear friend gave me for my birthday (thanks Joanne!) but the library called me last Friday to let me know that their copy of Ann Hood's The Knitting Circle was in and they would hold it for me for a couple days.

I went down and picked it up Saturday morning and read it over the weekend. All I can say is wow! The characters pulled me in and the story was so engrossing I had a hard time pulling myself off the sofa to fix meals! Parts of it were gritty. Some of it heart wrenching. No easy fixes at the end, yet you come away feeling "settled" about everything.

Good stuff.

And I swear I'm going to finish my writing.
Soon.
Maybe tomorrow.

Knotty-Cable Rimmed Beanie

Knotty-Cable Rimmed Beanie
by Kim Helmick



Materials
Worsted weight yarn (~100 yds?)
U.S. #7 - 16" circular needle (or size needed to get gauge)
U.S. #7 double pointed needles (or size needed to get gauge)
cable needle
stitch marker
darning/yarn needle

Gauge = 4 ½ stitches per inch
Hat is knit with the cable band rim first, then stitches picked up along one edge to make crown.

C4F is worked over a total of 4 stitches. Place first two stitches from left needle onto cable needle; hold to front of work. Knit the next two stitches from left needle. Then knit the two stitches off the cable needle.
C4B = worked over 4 stitches. Place first two stitches from left needle onto cable needle; hold to back of work. Knit the next two stitches from left needle. Then knit the two stitches off the cable needle.

Pattern
Using long-tail method, CO 16 stitches.
Purl one row (WS).

Row 1: Slip first stitch, K4, C4F, C4F, K3
Row 2: Slip first stitch, K2, P10, K3
Row 3: Slip first stitch, K2, C4B, C4B, K5
Row 4: Slip first stitch, K2, P10, K3

Repeat rows 1-4 until strip measures 22" (or length needed to fit around your head.)

Bind off. Stitch together beginning and end of band to form bottom brim of hat.

Beginning at seam (which will be the back of the hat), pick up 80 stitches around edge using circular needle. Place stitch marker at beginning of round.

Knit 30-32 rows or until hat measures 8" from bottom of cable band.
Begin decreasing by:
*K1, K2tog* repeat for one round
Knit around, twice
*K2tog* repeat for one round (May need to change to dpn’s at this point.)
Knit 1 round
*K2 tog*
Repeat last two rows until you have 7 stitches on needles. Cut yarn with 6"-8" tail. Using darning needle run tail through the remaining stitches on needles twice. Pull tight. Run yarn through center top to inside and weave in ends. Weave in loose ends from the cable band.

Pattern created January, 2008 - copyright by the designer Kim Helmick. Pattern may be used for personal use as long as this line appears. Not for sale.

New Spindle (& FO!)

I participated in a fun "Homemade/handmade spindle exchange" via a group on Ravelry. The rules were to make a spindle for less than $10, preferrably from things you could recycle from your home. Since I've never made a spindle, it seemed like a good chance for me to learn. Besides, any knowledge acquired along the way might go a long way toward helping me expand from the one store boughten spindle that I own.

The one made for me by a lovely person in NY state arrived on Friday, which also just happened to be my birthday! (BONUS!!!) Here it is:



I'm not sure if the whorl is wooden or not. Part of me believes it may have been fashioned from Fimo (or similar brand) clay and baked. At any rate, I thought it terribly clever to actually paint the dowel as well! (My poor recipient got a plane jane model all around!)

Since this spindle is lighter weight than the one I bought in my "Learn to Spin" kit, I thought I'd give a lighter weight yarn a spin. I think it's going to work splendidly!

After playing around with the spindle on Saturday while watching the forecast, I decided a little knitting was in order owing to the fact I couldn't find a hat to wear in the bitter cold weather that has enveloped our state. Here's the result.



I got inspired by a pattern I saw on KnitPicks.com. However I decided to go with a different cable pattern from a stitch dictionary. Even though it's crappy acrylic yarn which has been in my stash for over 9 years, I think it will do the job of keeping my head warm. If anyone is interested I can type up the pattern and post it. Just say the word!

Happy Spinning & Knitting!
Stay warm!

Who Knew?

Every year for several years I made calendars for family (and sometimes friends) with my photos. These were used as Christmas gifts. As time passed I noted who used them and who didn't. I pared down the list.

This past Christmas I didn't make calendars.

I thought people might be tired of them.

I didn't want to "force" people to look at my photos all year....or even feel compelled to have to hang it up out of politeness.



My SIL was the first to mention how much she was going to miss it. "What type of calendar can I start collecting now when I already have so many lovely ones from you?" she asked.

Simple solution there. My DB's birthday is in January. So I made a calendar. Sent it early with a note: "Open ASAP....you'll see why."

They were thrilled!



Then the phone rang. It was my DS. "Did you not make calendars for us this year?"

"No, I didn't. Well, except that I got one complaint and made them one for JJ's birthday." (Confession comes quickly to me. I'm always ratting myself out. Besides, my brother displays his calendar in a very public place where I'm sure my DS would see it.)

"Oh."

[You know that awkward silence that occurs when you know there's more to be said....insert it here.]

She continued. "Well then I'm registering my complaint. I'm looking at mine from last year with all my stickies and post-its stuck to December, waiting to be added to the new one for 2008."

Ok! I get it. Some people really, truly do like my photos! They actually use the calendar and like getting one. (My siblings are the best!)

So I made another one for her office and ordered it last night.


Just opened my email. A note from my dad begins "I'm sitting here looking at that calendar you sent a couple years ago....I really liked those.........."

It Works!

Bird seed apparently DOES grow birds!



My sister's family were kind enough to make this milk carton bird feeder for an article I wrote for the February issue of Fort Dodge Today (thanks to my sis, Karen for taking step-by-step "how to" photos to illustrate!!)

We brought it home and hung it in our tree and after 4 or 5 days the house finches have discovered its presence.

Yeah!

Girl's Best Friend Anklet

I was fortunate to have quite a bit of knitting time over the weekend. (Playoff games for the NFL......) I started the Girl's Best Friend Anklet pattern available from Knit Picks for a VERY reasonable price. (I think the pattern was $2.) I must say, I am enjoying it immensely. Here it is thus far:



I am using Knit Picks yarn: Pallette in the Rainforest Heather colorway. The pattern calls for US #1 needles to get 8spi and I found that's what I needed to use to get gauge. Hence the Harmony dpns (also from Knit Picks) which you see in the photo.

Here is a close up of the diamond band on the cuff.



It's interesting because once you complete the pattern on the cuff, you turn the sock inside out to knit the rest of the leg, heel, gusset, foot and toe. Thus your cuff is automatically ready to be turned over so that the right side pattern is showing.

As you can see, they are knitting up rather quickly. I finished the cuff and part of the leg on Saturday and got the rest done on Sunday. I'm sure I will have one sock done and be onto the second by the time I go to knitting with my friends on Wednesday.

I will use this pattern again for certain. This color is too close to the one I gave my sister for her birthday last year, so I will knit this pattern in another color for her for her birthday in April. I think she will love them!

Happy Knitting!

TGIF

Less is more......

I was working on two projects for the paper today. One involved re-conceptualizing and then reshooting the cover for February. I decided to try the "less is more" mentality. This image was the final result.

What do you think? Good cover for February consider the cover story is "Ways to Say I Love You" ????????

Have a good weekend!

Caucus Night

The Iowa Caucus is finished. I found it really kind of fun, certainly interesting, and even exciting for a couple moments.

I started in the Richardson group. We had 21 people to begin with. We needed 31 to be viable. We ended up having to disband and join our 2nd choice candidate. So I ended up with Edwards (who was my #1 choice in 2004).

Our precint had a record turnout of 201 people at the Democratic caucus.

I took knitting because I'd heard there would be long periods of nothing much happening. It didn't turn out to be true at all. I found a lot of neighbors and friends to chat with. We talked about how the issues were affecting us personally. (Mostly health care system related.)

When I got home (about 8:15 pm) I started in on the Girl's Best Friend sock from Knit Picks in their Pallette yarn. I got quite a ways through it only to discover I'd made a huge error in the pattern. It was ok though, because the gauge was off and I need to change needles anyway.

Off to bed now. Proud to have done my civic duty.

I will caucus again.

My Day

I realized on this first day back to the "normal" schedule (read: "school year schedule") that I spend a lot of time in the van. Driving kids to school. Running errands. Going to do interviews, photo shoots or places to do research (mostly the library, but sometimes other places too). Going to meetings. Going to the coffee shop (sometimes to work as barista, other times to enjoy the libations, once a week for my knitting circle). Driving to appointments (doctors, dentists, orthodontists, etc.) Picking kids up from school. Running the kids to activities. Running the kids' errands. Occasionally doing something in the evening with my husband.

The view above is what I see between 2:45 p.m. and 3:15. I am parked by the junior high school waiting for my DS. I usually use this time to journal. Sometimes I read. Sometimes I knit. Occasionally I get a call on my cell phone that I answer.

A Toast!

To the New Year!



(before you call to report underaged drinking.....please note that they are consuming sparkling grape juice!)

I know that traditionally speaking this is the day for taking account of the year gone by and making a plan for the year ahead. I've given up doing so in the traditional sense of annually saying things like "I'm going to lose weight and get in shape this year." Everybody says stuff like that. Most of us don't make it past a few weeks at best. (Some years, it was more like a few days!)

What I do hope for 2008 is this: to live intentionally.

I want to make every effort to live an examined life. By that I mean to take time to reflect on words and actions....to consider the bigger picture....to try to see the world from a perspective that is not just my own.

Some things I think will help me do this: my journal and my camera. I want to write daily. And take at least one photo per day. I think the two will, at times, go hand in hand.

I want to stay connected to the people who are close to me. And reconnect with ones who aren't. (knowing full-well the messiness of that proposition given the fact that some aren't close due to issues which effect mental and emotional health, but that's a whole other entry!)

I want to knit. Read. Laugh. Cry. Play with children and babies. Listen to and encourage teens. Help others. Pray again. Enjoy nature. Travel. Listen to music. Create.

I know that resolution and goal "gurus" would HATE my list. It's non-specific and sloppy. They're not really resolutions or goals.

I don't care.

Have a wonderful 2008!

Holiday Get-Togethers

Everyone should be so lucky as to spend time together with aunts, uncles, cousins....the whole gang!....over the holidays. You learn things about who you are, what it means to be a part of a family and something bigger than yourself, and the world in general.

Happy Holidays and may 2008 turn out to be great!

Goodies

I'm woefully behind in my holiday prep. I've not actually baked one thing although I do have this to share with you today.



I got these a month ago (or better) from a local cookie baker who makes fabulous treats. I had to shoot a photo to go along with the baking article in the December issue of Fort Dodge Today. They're long gone.

The good news is: two of us are eating once more. Amanda was released from her 30-day liquid diet. It seems to have done the trick with getting her Crohn's into remission. So there will be Christmas feasting at our house. *yeah!*

If only I had some things prepared.

Ah well, there's still a week!

Happy Knitting & Shooting!

2 FO's

I'm plugging away at my usual stack of December projects. The "big giveaway" items for all ladies in the family are done. (Not posting photos as some of the ladies look at this blog. Sorry sis!!)

I have finished a sweater I plan to give for Christmas to someone in the family who wears a size 12 months. I am making a "matching" one in the same yarn, only purple, for the big sister who shall be nameless at this point. Here's the small, boy version:



I knit this using TLC's "Wiggles" yarn which was on sale at Hobby Lobby. Yes, I used acrylic. It's for a baby. It needs to be easy to wash for a mommy who is busy raising two kids and going to college at the same time. Shoot me. The pattern is from Knitting Pure and Simple.

In the meantime I also have two seperate socks started: the third for my "Neopolitan" trio (I started this one last week when I was teaching friends at knitting how to do short rows for toe-up socks.......more on that another time) and one from KnitPicks Memories on size 00 or 000 needles. They are feeling scrumptious!

In the meantime, I knit these:



My friend Joanne was eager to do a pair, so we cast on this week and took off despite other pending Christmas knitting. They were fun to do and I like the thumb gusset staying in ribbing while the rest of the mitten switched to stockinette stich. Very clever. Very simple. Will make more of these for sure!! I used Lambs Pride washable from Nebraska. Good stuff. A little light for the pattern which called for worsted. This was more like a DK weight. But they are nice. I can tell they will be warm, even when wet....which is a HUGE benefit to wool where I live! (It's currently snowing. We are supposed to get 4-6 inches by morning. Did I mention it's not even actually winter yet according to the calendar?????????)

Happy Knitting....and stay warm!

Neopolitan Socks

Well, I've completed my first pair of totally made-up-on-the-fly socks. I learned to knit toe-up socks specifically so that I might one day make a pair with the toes and heel in a color different from the rest of the sock. I took it one step further and added stripes, etc. And I intentionally made them to not be twins. Here they are:




I call them "Neopolitan Socks" because the color combination reminds me of Neopolitan ice cream. I love the combination of pink and brown! I used Pallette from Knit Picks and size US#0 needles. What I did learn from this first attempt is that where I made the color joins to switch stripes the socks have a little less "give" in the ribbing due to my attempt to make sure no holes developed. Live and learn. I have enough yarn that I think I may make a third sock so that a person can grab any 2 of the 3 to wear. I think they're fun!

One a non-knitting note: I had the pleasure of seeing my nephews from Ohio over the Thanksgiving weekend. This is them:



They are really growing up quickly! We were all really happy to see them and I had a lot of fun visiting with them. (Ok, well one of them was involved more with wrestling cousins than talking, but that's ok too!!) I have to say I've loved every stage of parenting, but I'm finding this stage where the kids turn into teens really cool. I love to hear their opinions and views. I find them immensely interesting. I really love seeing their humor develop and watching them blossom. It's a whole different sort of relationship with teens. Very cool. (Although I do wish I could save them the growing pains and inevitable heartaches that have helped each of us get to where/who we are today.....I guess that's just part of life and they have to go through it too. It's interesting to me how they process that kind of thing and what remarkable courage and strength of character they have!)

Anyway....

I'm teaching a small group of gals to do socks at knitting tomorrow. Wish me luck!
Happy Knitting!