I Was Knit Together In My Mother's Womb

Clothing Optional????

It is so exciting to share the Picnic gift that came in the mail yesterday. Deb, a long time swapper in my swaps, gave such care and used such creativity in putting together this picnic basket.  Her card included a recipe for a frittata. She included the "cracked eggs" to make it (see the little tape measure?) and the setting?  Rooster Rock, an Oregon park (clothing optional, by the way), which she depicted in Blue Moon Fiber Arts merino and kid mohair...the colorway...Rooster Rock!

The menu would include the fritatta, some Fruit Salad  Scout's Swag,

a Lettuce candle  and a wild orange project bag.

Deb included some wonderful little  dishes   

and two dessert/drink glasses, with suggestions for how to fill all of them. This was a great swap gift, Deb. I love it!   

I found the package on the kitchen work table when I got home yesterday. JR has orders to open anything that comes for me, in case it's the DishRag Tag box. Of course, he immediately found the chocolate bars. (can I tell you a secret? JR always looks for the chocolate bars in a swap package!)

Deb had included a few... 

By the way, I have been tagged for DishRag Tag... The box should arrive tomorrow, and the timing couldn't be more perfect! Unfortunately, we're dealing with a long weekend, so that will delay things, but it's good for me, right?  But, by some Post Office Miracle it does come today, I have my needles with me, the pattern I'm using, the goodies that go in the box. My husband/coach will deliver it ASAP, so I can do some under-the-desk knitting and get it back in the mail by tomorrow morning.

In decorating news, we are working on the TV room.  JR was given color choice on this one, so I planned the whole house scheme based on this one room... It was very vanilla white, tan berber, blah, blah, blah... And now.....

    Today he's working on the window valance, and ceiling trim, but already I love it. We found a great area rug at Home Depot for $20, and all of the vintage framed pictures in the room depict waterscapes or a sailing theme.  Teyani...do you recognize the two Keuka Lake watercolors?

It's his room...not a floral print anywhere. And I am happy to indulge him....clothing optional.

   

Can we all say, "Awwwwwww..."

Don't you love a picnic? The Special Swap theme this go round was Picnic. A new Swapper, Meg, and I did a personal picnic swap... and she sent a lovely Fall picnic getaway package.

  Filled with picnic snacks and other necessities, it also included the Fall Issue of Hallmark magazine, which I of course, devoured cover to cover. Especially lovely was the Briar Rose yarn and fingerless glove pattern.

Thank you Meg!  It has been a joy to correspond with you, and hear all about the adoption of your brand new baby boy! He just arrived last week, so Meg has been a busy girl, no doubt! 

That said, there will be picnic packages arriving all this week, so watch for a Special Swap Picnic update in the days ahead!  It's been a great and challenging theme. I can't wait to see all of those Picinic Baskets, Boo-boo! 

To go along with that sweet little MDK kimono, I fashioned a wee little hat, and added a bunch of ribbons a-la Itty BItty Hats...

  Then wrapped it up with the kimono and put it in a Chinese take-out container!

 

Little Amelia Rose will get her sweater and hat tomorrow!

With the two gifts completed this week, I am in  New Project Mode....a lot on my mind, and some projects that I MUST do....stay tuned, knitters!

Interesting fact about dress sizes...

Okay, this is interesting. You know how we always hear that Marilyn Monroe was a size 14, and how that is somehow supposed to make us curvier, more huggable women feel better about our sizes? Let me tell you....those June Cleaver dresses? Size 18. Size 16. And no kidding, I couldn't even begin to fit into one of them! Now, I know I'm a sturdy girl, but seriously....A size 18 and it was like I was making my own sausage (which I'm sure June Cleaver would have done), squeezing the very goodness of me into that casing of a dress! 

But isn't it amazing how, in this appearance conscious, weight conscious world we live in that we have felt a little better about our sizes when we are given the Marilyn comparison?  Size, shmize. She was a regular old Hollywood Starlet size 6 and I'd bet my life on it. They just named the dress sizes differently back then.

And, I can assure you, I"ll probably never get into that size 18 when I have this huge bag of Cheeto's Puffs hidden under my desk...just for me.

Okay, my gripe is over.

My weekend? I did what a real woman would do...went to the dirt track car races at Ransomville. JR and I took Jon J and Augie for a night of crashes, dirt flying, wipe-outs and loud late model cars. I took my knitting, but then I felt a little weird about knitting a baby hat in that environment.

 

  It was so much fun, that JR and I are going again on Friday night. Yes we are.

After a late night like that, those little boys were worn out.

       

I did finish the  Rutabaga tote bag.... good old Sugar and Cream in my favorite Lime Green color.

   

It holds soooooo much stuff! Great bag...from Spring 2007 Knitscene. This one is a gift, but I would so make another one.

Hey, it's Monday! TGIM!

June Cleaver

There is a 93 year old woman who lives across the street. She recently had to go to a nursing facility, and her son has been cleaning out the house. Look what I got....

Straight out of the fifties, incredible cotton day dresses...and one awesome polka dot swing skirt evening dress that I still need to clean. They are in perfect condition, unpacked from an old suitcase like they have never been worn.

Aren't they amazing? They are everything June Cleaver, Donna Stone and  Harriet Nelson...

I want to wear them. With heels and pearls even, and greet my husband at the door with a slice of chocolate cake and a big glass of milk. Hmmmm....this could get interesting.

Deep down inside, there is a little June Cleaver in all of us. Something appealing about a woman who will dress up to dust.

Cravings

Baby Kimono from Mason Dixon Knits

This is a gift for a new baby girl. It was knit with Paton's Grace, and I cast on 52 stitches instead of 40, since the gauge was so much smaller. Knit on #6 needles, it created a more delicate, softer fabric than the Peaches and Cream Cotton.

  Isn't it the sweetest thing? I'm going to knit a wee cap from Itty Bitty Hats, and do a topknot of various purple and green ribbons.

I'm not sure if these cravings are because I may be hormonally imbalanced this week, or because I've been knitting baby things, but oh, how I have craved my favorite snack of all times...Cheetos and a Diet Pepsi. So, while we were riding around on Sunday, I mentioned it, and JR, being the ever gracious and caring husband that he is,  pulled into a convenience store, and proudly delivered into my lap....

   

"Thank you so much honey, but, they aren't regular Cheetos. These are twisted."

"Honey. They're the same thing. They're just twisted."

"HONEY. They do not taste the same. They are not puffs. These are different. They don't even feel right in my mouth."

Next stop, a drug store chain.

 

"JR, I need puffs, these are baked. And don't bring faux Cheetos, like Cheese Doodles or something. They have to be the baked puffs...the real Cheetos baked Puffs."

Another convenience store...I thought we finally hit the jackpot until I opened the bag. What has happened to Cheetos Puffs?????

They were the puniest puffs I have ever seen! Not the thumb-sized  thumb-sticking-cheddar-covered puff I ate the last time I had a craving!

By this time, JR was not willing to go to a grocery store. He had been gracious and caring enough for one day. So, I didn't dare tell him that the Diet Pepsi he bought was not the regular old Red and Blue label Diet Pepsi that I love...it was something called "Diet Pepsi Max!"

When did that happen?

The Older We Get

The more we are realizing the value of de-stress time. Enjoying at least one day of the weekend with nothing to do but enjoy each other's company and the world around us. 

   

Sunday afternoon, to the Honeymoon Capital of the World...one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World...good old Niagara Falls!

    Since we have grown up around here, we have always had access to the amazing hugeness of the Falls.

But when we go these days, we like to enjoy the amazing little things about the Falls...to look at it from different perspectives. To see the secret places that many people don't notice...

We enjoy the colors and the way the water changes.... how the crazy people try to get as close to the Falls as possible. This was the first time Moses went to Niagara Falls. For an old guy, he traveled pretty well. He was so drawn to the Niagara River, just a few hundred yards from the Bridal Veil Falls, where he slipped and fell, trying to go in for a swim. He was one of the crazy people.

   

It was a lot of walking, and I swear, we weren't even out of the parking lot when Moses looked like this

The older we get, the more tiring are these kinds of days. In a good way. JR and I slept well after a day outdoors, and miles of walking. Moses is still sleeping....he'll stay that way most of today!

Our weekend was otherwise pretty great. The kids were all at our house and we celebrated birthdays. Jon J and Augie came to visit, my mom and dad were there, and we had a house full of overnight guests from Freedom Village.

The Chiavetta's chicken barbecue was perfect, and the potato salad even better. The Dinosaur Barbecue beans were most delicious, and I think it all tasted better because we were eating together.

Knitter's Tea Swap

Knitter's Tea Swap Questions...I am sucked into the wonderfulness of another swap!!!!!

1. Do you like loose tea or bags, or both – something you want to try?  I use tea bags, and have never really tried loose.

2. What is your favorite kind of tea (Brand, flavor, variety, etc)?  I'm not really fussy, but I don't like a strong or bitter tea.

3. Favorite color in regards to tea or one you would like to try? (black, green, red, and white) (keeping in mind that this is how this swap is set up). Let's see...white tea or red tea.

4. Would you say you were a tea pot kind of person or just a hot water heater kind? I do love a teapot...a pretty little teapot.

5. What tea accessories would you like but have never purchases for yourself? A tea strainer.

6. How do you prefer to be pampered? (examples: mani/pedi, bubble bath, yummy treat, etc). Yes, yes and yes.

7. If you were a kind of yarn what would you be and why? As much as I don't like to admit it, I'd probably be one of those crazy skeins of yarn made from many other kinds of yarn. Although I wouldn't necessarily knit with it, it probably sums up my personality.

8. If you had to knit/crochet baby booties, a fun fur scarf, or a fair isle sweater, which would you choose and why? Fair Isle...love the challenge, and the color work.

9. What other event would make you skip a tea party? (A garden party? A book club meeting? A yoga class? Opening night for a new action thriller? etc?) Probably a garden party...and a trip to the beach.

10. What treat would you consider essential at your tea party? (Sweet? Salty? Scones? Those petite pastry trays with a couple of all sorts of things? Little crust less sandwiches?) Scones, definitely, and wonderful big fat muffins with jams and butter.

11. When buying yarn for a project how do you choose - do you buy the one called for or do you substitute? Depends...I think of price, and what's available to me....but never something that would compromise the design.

12. What do you carry your knitting/crocheting in when on the go? Bags, or my purse.

13. Favorite movie to watch while knitting/crocheting? Hmmm...something like Terms of Endearment or Steel Magnolias. Or HGTV. Or The Office or Desperate Housewives.

14. Are you a traditional tea cup kind of person or a mug type of person? Do you care if they match?  Either is fine, and no matching required! I love a mismatched vintage look.

15. Favorite childhood birthday party? My fifth. complete with musical  chairs, pin the tail on the donkey, balloons and streamers. I Felt very special that day.

16. Favorite type of scone and jam? Chocolate chip...raspberry jam.

17. If you use candles, what is your favorite scent?  Homey, spicy.

18. If you could choose 3 people to have 'tea' with, who would they be and why? (famous or not, living or dead). Rahab,  Lisa, and Beth Moore. I think it would be a blast,  we'd have the best conversations, and laugh ourselves silly.

19. You've been invited to a tea party, what 'props' will you wear (formal or casual)?  I'd prefer not to wear props, of course, but if I had to,  and old apron.
    Any allergies/preferences you have or are willing to admit to? Nope. I'm pretty easy to please!

Communitas

Thinking a lot about community this past week. Of course,I live in a new community and so far, we have felt welcomed, and cared for. Offers of help, participation in a neighborhood yard sale, invitations for dinner and to a birthday party. Late night visits on the front porch to catch up on all of the neighborhood news. My daughter calls this place "Pleasantville."  You can't live within such close proximity  and not get to know one another...for good and for bad.

   

Ben and Meghan are visiting this weekend. We have their birthdays to celebrate. Family will be here, and Ben is bringing along a dozen friends from Freedom Village....they are traveling in the area  to let people know about their program and then the guys will be staying here at our house.  Family. Village. Neighborhood. Community.

I shared my blog with a co-worker yesterday. I found it interesting trying to explain to her how we were all connected...from all parts of the world, most of us having never met.

How, in some interesting way, there are people that really do care about what my next knitting project will be, and what yarn I will use.

How, it's more than just knitting that connects us.

Neighborhood, community, village, family, ministry, knitting, blogging.  Our pastor just taught about "communitas" in a message last Sunday. I was able to sort of describe our knitting and blogging connection related to what we had learned.

Communitas.  People standing together "outside" the structured community, with a strong bond of togetherness and belonging to a common purpose...which in turn, some believe, strengthens the structured social community. Like faith communities... communitas.  Like the knitting/blogging community...communitas. Think of the ways that we are all different, yet bonded by a common sense of belonging, because of our craft and how we communicate about it.  Think of the ways that we benefit the structured, social community, by way of knitting for charity. Think of how, because of our love for what we do, we are passionate, nice people...and how that benefits our neighborhood, community, village, family.

I was running some errands yesterday at lunchtime, and buy my slight misjudgment, I was creeping forward at a three way stop in a parking lot, and there was a young mom (with a wagon full of kids, and a few more two-stepping behind, trying to keep up), who came swiftly approaching that intersection. I didn't see her coming alongside the parking lot road, and she was very upset with me that I had crept forward. I made eye contact, and voiced my apology to her...a few times, as she continued to rant about the fact that there are people in this world that don't care about anybody else, and  are rude, and on and on, with few expletives, in front of her children. As I turned the corner, I once again told her how very sorry I was,  through my open window, while she was continuing her rage at me.

All day long, I thought about that woman. And how sad it was that she didn't belong to a "communitas." I was sad to think that there was not someone or something beyond her own life and circumstances that could give her a sense of joy, of belonging.... I wished that I could spend time with her, teaching  her to knit...and making her feel important.    

How to spend a Saturday.

Cleaning the house, running errands,

Giving the dog his ear treatment,

  (Wait, it gets better...) Eating hot dogs (okay, Western New Yorkers...Sahlen's or Zweigle's?),

  And then, a ride to the lake.  It was a surprising thing to us to go to Olcott Beach from our home and have it be less than a fifteen minute drive! My parents used to take us there to ride the carousel and to roller skate or swim. It always seemed to take forever to get there from our old house.  The bonus for us now, is that we get to stop along the way to get some Bye's Popcorn. 

Western New York is an agricultural area, and there are a few farms with grow corn for popping. Here and there, you will find a roadside stand that pops fresh corn. Bye's is our favorite. Especially the caramel cashew ( think Fiddle-Faddle, only better, with cashews, instead of peanuts)

  It's usually still just a bit warm. JR got the big daddy plain popcorn.

  Which he ate, and ate...

  And ate, until the sun went down on our happy day....

And, I knit and knit

until  I was relaxed and sleepy-eyed...

   

without any more of the day left in me.

Presenting....

The Rebecca Red Jacket!

( I was talking to my daughter when JR did the photo shoot this morning)

It's a great little cropped sweater, 

Very interesting construction, which is why I wanted to do this sweater.

  I made some adjustments to the pattern, to accomodate for my bustline, by adding some rows. Because of the construction, it was very easy, and would be very easy to adapt the pattern to make the sweater just about any size or length. I do think I may tighten up the single crochet around the neckline, so that it lays a bit smoother.

Red Jacket, from Rebecca magazine #33

Knit with Classic Elite Classic Silk, Rhubarb.