I Was Knit Together In My Mother's Womb

The last few days, we have been doing and going...trying to catch up on errands and tie up loose ends.

I got my new glasses and contacs.   We took Moses for his nail clipping (which is an adventure in itself, but bless his heart, our good old country vet does the job in minutes and only charges us $5!).

    We've made a few visits to friends and JR has been busy cleaning up our yard, and doing man chores.    We are delighted to see that we have birds at the feeders and some chickadees and morning doves that are nesting at our new house!

    

Spring brings with it such a fresh sense of renewal, doesn't it?

Our rehearsals for Rise Up are now twice a week, and I want to tell you, they are exhausting! Preparing a 350 person choir for a recording event takes much work and commitment, but I count it a privilege to participate.  I do need a black dress for the event, so we've been shopping around for the perfect dress. Finding a black dress? Not as easy as you would think, right? I finally settled on a skirt and short sweater...sort of a vintagey, fifties look. And, I'll probably change my mind about ten times in the next two weeks. That's just the way it goes.

Yesterday, you may have noticed that I shared some information about my husband and a current situation that we are dealing with. What happened was a flukey thing. I very often keep several drafts in Typepad to edit and post as I feel the need, and yesterday's post was no exception. As I was working on it, I began to have a few computer issues and to make a long story short, my draft was saved as a published post. Then we lost our internet connection. Please know how much I appreciate your concern.  I hate the gossip thing, and it's so good to know that you have been willing to email me  directly or to leave a comment sharing your support and encouragement. I know that many people read this blog, and JR and I are always thankful that God gives us an opportunity to share some of our story, not as an avenue to have people peer into our lives, but to let you know how thankful we are for the blessings and challanges that we face in our lives. As we are able, and as much as it will give glory to God, we will share and update our current situation.

May Day!!!! May Day!!!!

   Sock one is complete! This is Monkey Sock, knit with

Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Sandridge. 

   For whatever reason (maybe I'm busy knitting sweaters?), I don't knit socks for myself very often, and instead wait for a swap to knit socks. And, I do enjoy a good sock knit from time to time. They are such perfect little projects, aren't they?    So, as I knit Sock Two for the May Day Sock Swap, I am so excited to think of someone wearing these socks, and of course, adding to my collection of "socks knit by others!" 

F is for Finishing!

Sunday afternoon finishing party. Denise finished her Drops Asymmetric Jacket

And I finished my Debbie Bliss Diagonal Front Jacket!

  Fun garment to knit, with a simple ribbed pattern that was easy to follow.  Knit in one piece (other than the sleeves), all of the shaping is done with increases and decreases, creating the prettiest side seams and sleeve details.

I used Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece, and knit the Large size. Even though it's an over-sized, slouchy sweater, I wish I had knit the smaller size instead. But, it will be a great porch-sitting sweater, taking the dog for a walk sweater and watching the sunset at the lake sweater. Perhaps even a watching the news and drinking coffee on a summer morning sweater.

So, F is for Finishing. 

Finishing a sweater in Five weeks!

 

Blog blahs. And I'm not sure how it happened, other than the fact that I am inside four walls for most of my days and nights the past several weeks. I'm feeling like there is not much exciting to share. Woe is me, pity party and oh, well.

Really, though, some good things have been happening. My cast came off, finally, on Monday, and that was a good day. I am crazy about exfoliating, so, it was an Exfoliation Extravaganza in my bathtub that day. Have you ever seen a leg and foot that have been in a cast for a month? Oh. My. The not so good about the good day is the fact that I still can't go back to work or drive. I have to wait until I get the final x-ray in two weeks, before any decision is made.

 

I know that is the wise and cautious thing to do, so I'm grateful that my foot is healing the way it is.

I have my new bra!!!!! Last night I wasn't sure.I thought it gave me a sort of Jane Mansfield/Marilyn Monroe look, which JR didn't think was such a bad thing.  Today, I LOVE it!  I love this Le Mystere bra, which is the most comfortable bra I've ever worn.

I have a new sweater design in my head, based on another Anthropologie sweater, that you can see HERE. It's a great basic  but fun sweater for summer. I just love the bold graphic design.

   

So, the sketching has begun, and then I'll do some calculations and graph the motifs. By that time, the Debbie Bliss Cathay will be here and I can start knitting it.

Just now, JR called me out to the front porch for a little surprise....

  There are snowdrops at our new house!!!! Happy Day.

I caved. A new sweater is on the needles, and the back is almost complete.

I have modified Sweaterbabe's pattern just a bit, by removing the reverse stockinette border around the lace panel. Now I just have a nice smooth stockinette transition into that pretty diamond lace. I like it. And the peplum is such a nice detail.

As I am knitting away, I'm nearing completion of the Debbie Bliss Diagonal Front Jacket. The sleeves are in progress.

Hopefully in  a few days, I can wear it!

My brother asked me on Easter if I actually wear the sweaters I make. I do. I wear most of them, and this winter I think I've worn them more than ever before. I'm proud to wear my sweaters. I have made a few duds, but we won't talk about that again. The thing is, we have to knit what we know we would wear. I know it gets tricky with fit and all of that, but if we carefully choose our yarn and garment style, opting for classic style, the fit can be pretty easily modified.  I know we've talked about this before, but it bears some further discussion. If you are concerned with adding bulk to your body, by all means, don't knit a sweater with bulky yarn...unless it's a jacket. If you are proportionately heavier on the top half of your body, the best choice might not be a boxy sweater...something with a bit more shaping would be in order. Yarn choice is so important. I always like to make sure my yarn has good memory, so that I don't end up with a garment that falls out of shape. I will not knit a garment with 100% cotton. It has to have a bit of wool  or man made in it. Same with alpaca. On it's own? I'd never use it for a sweater. 

Looking for a sleeker, classic look that would work on just about any body type. How about a nice wrap style knit with a finer gauge yarn, like a dk or sport? A wrap style would give some nice shaping to the waist and bust-line.

A short sleeve cardi would work for many seasons, if you knit it in the right yarn. Then you could wear it in Fall or Winter with a long sleeved tank or shirt under it  and with just a cami in the Spring and Summer.

Same with a tank/vest. It's so versatile. I tend not to wear sleeveless because I have issues with my arms, but how cute is a tank with a little t-shirt or short sleeved blouse under it for warm weather and long sleeved shirt under it for a crisp, more classic look on cooler days?

I can't imagine investing my resources (of time and money) in a sweater and NOT wearing it. Which is why, I'm not afraid to rip something out and re-knit it. It gives me the opportunity to do it better the next time around. In life, we don't often get do-overs, so I love the chance to get it right with my knitting.

Well, this post went in a totally different direction than I expected. Who knew?

The Girls. When did we start calling them "the Girls?"  This week, we had a bra intervention right in my own dining room and TV room, when Melissa, a fit specialist, taught us how to get "the Girls" to look their best.

Melissa taught us things about bras that we were never taught by our mothers OR by the bra lady at Macy's .... about how most of us are not wearing the right size bras ( which is probably true if you wear hand-me down bras, or run, or walk, depending on the condition of your girls, into Target to just grab "your size" and then dash to the checkout because you're late for church and you need to get the bra on before you get there.) She told us about how our clothes will look better, how we will look thinner ( Okay, now I'm interested) and that  with the right bra, we will stand taller, by golly, and let's not forget that those nasty back bulges will disappear! There will be no tugging and adjusting at the most inappropriate moments during your workday.

It involved proper measurement, of course.

And then some tucking, bending and unashamed flaunting. And binder clips on our shirts for the before and after ( I am not kidding. Nipple clipping) Measuring in the right places, and of course, Oprah's favorite bra, "Le Mystere."  And you know what? Right before our eyes, we were transformed! It was a miracle! No matter what our sizes ( and some of us could be 38 Longs) and shapes, we all looked incredible in our new bras! We DID look more balanced, centered, supported and thinner!!!!!

Due to the sensitive nature of this post, I chose not to add any photos of the girls and their girls. Just have to trust me on this...it was one of the best nights of our lives, and Melissa is our hero!!!!!!

Did you all have a great first week of Spring? I am SO ready now for some porch knitting and bike riding, and shorts. Well, maybe I'm not quite ready for shorts. Or short sleeves, for that matter.

Is it legal in the knitting world to start another sweater when you already have three on the needles? I always wonder where to draw the line...it's that "one more project" that can send you over the cliff into the River Anxiety, you know?  But, oh, my gosh, I found the Cutest Pattern From Sweater Babe!      

How can I resist? What could stop me?  I have the perfect yarn,    the desire, the time.

But I do  have three sweaters on the needles (that I know of)

Paton Street Smart Hoodie.

Katharine Hepburn from Lace Style.

Debbie Bliss Diagonal Front Jacket ( Starting the sleeves today!)

My sister-in-law was visiting last night, and showing me her sweater project, "Jade Empire" from Knitter's Universe Fall 2007, which looks very much like the Sweaterbabe design, and got me absolutely excited to knit it.

  Jade Empire?    Lush and Lacy?

Could you possibly resist?????

It's Easter!!!!

  Happy, Happy Easter to all my peeps and chicks!

While you celebrate the day with your family, remember that it is a glorious, blessed, amazing and most perfect day that we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus!

And the candy ain't all that bad, either.

Happy Easter!!!!!!

Stash Sale!

Decisions, decisions.

Every day, I wake up to think about what I am going to do with the hours ahead. Of course, there is bathtime, which is quite a procedure, and takes at least 90 minutes by the time my hair is dried. Then I think about what I'm going to watch on television.  I read for awhile, and knitting takes up much of my day.  Thinking about lunch and dinner is exciting as well. This morning, I decided to sort through my yarn. I realized that I have yarn that I will never knit, for projects that will never come alive. So, I sorted, and made a few decisions, and I am selling a bit of my stash.

Peace Fleece worsted weight wool/mohiar. 200 yards per skein, 7 skiens.... that's 1400 yards in a beautiful pink, with orangey and bright pinkish-purple flecks. It was originally for the Everyday Cardigan.

$54 includes Shipping.   

Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool   DK weight wool/silk. 175 meters per skein, 4 skeins....that's about 760 yard of color number 24...Claret. I was going to make knee socks. Yeah, right.

$24 includes Shipping. 

Noro Kureyon 100% Wool. 110 yards per skein, 3 skeins.  I was going to make a cabled scarf with this. It'a a gorgeous black, gray, and pink/purple colorway. Color #24. Pretty, pretty colors.

$17 includes shipping. 

Lana Grossa Meilenweit colortweed Sock yarn. !00 grams, 420 meters. Enough for a pair of socks.

Colorway #1005.  Pinky, purpley, tweedy stripey yarn.

$11 includes shipping.

Another lovely sock yarn by Perchance to Knit. 310 yards. It is gorgeous berry colored purples .

$12 includes shipping. 

Classic Elite Classic Silk. DK weight, 50% cotton, 30% silk, 20% nylon. These are two skeins (270 yards total) left from a sweater project. One of my favorite yarns I've worked with. The color is #6593 Rhubarb. 

$9 includes shipping. 

Rowan Pure Wool DK  in a lovely chocolate brown merino. Four skeins at 136 yards each. Mittens? A scarrf? A baby coat?

$16 includes Shipping   

Plymouth Royal Bamboo   Worsted weight, 93 yards per skein, six skeins. A tank top's worth! The color is a classic ivory.

$28 includes shipping   

So, that is what I have to offer. Email me with your interest. I accept PayPal. And, stay tuned....

I just may be adding more yarn as the day goes on! 

D is for Dinner

One of the advantages of being home laid up is that I get to watch FoodTV. I recently Discovered a new program, "Down Home With the Neely's." which I love.

Last night's Dinner was from the Neely's, and included

Barbecued Turkey Meatloaf, Macaroni and Cheese and Green Beans.

It was Delicious.