Noah's Ark

Many nurseries today are decorated with pictures of animals walking two by two into an ark. They seem to be oblivious to the fate that's about to overtake their friends.

A couple of years ago, I took a trip that began with a flight where the pilot announced we were going to try to take off pretty quickly in order to miss some serious storm systems moving into the area.   I had no idea how bad those storms were going to be, and frankly I'm glad I didn't know.  And I don't think Noah or the animals getting on the ark were aware of what was about to happen to them either, or how long it would take for things to get back to normal. 

When we carry on with our daily lives oblivious to the indicators that storms may be coming, we could be caught unawares.  But if we are diligent at keeping an eye on things, we can avoid damaging winds that could be costly.  Its so easy to keep looking  at the same things all the time and never see how far we've gotten course.

What's wrong with this picture?

three different thicknesses of yarn!

After spinning the entirety of the military blue (midnight blue?) wool, I realized that the last skein of yarn was way thinner than the first and the second skein. Little by little, I was spinning finer and finer.  Dangit!

In order to be more consistent I now have a little string of bright purple yarn that I look at whenever I'm spinning.  Its keeping me where I need to be.  I want to spin this fuller and fatter for a bulky yarn; keeping the ply as thick as the purple example is my goal.

purple standard

future bulky yarn (can you see the face?)

Sitting down to knit at night is such a treat for me.  I really look forward to the whole creative process.  I've made it past the afterthought heel thread and I'm finishing the foot.  Soon I'll close the toe and  begin the heel, then on to the second slouchy sock!

Betsy's slouchy sock #1

Pinterest, Twitter and oh yeah, Facebook

We all have favorite TV channels, places to eat, and websites we go to when we open our computer.  I like the news I suppose, since my home page on the computer is a news site.  But its never long before I check the weather (my cell phone homepage) and then some social networking sites.  Recently I've pretty much left Facebook and stayed mostly with Twitter and Pinterest.  Pinterest is mostly for girls, judging by the photos posted of guys.  But I really like the feeling I get after looking at photos of beautifully prepared food and neat, orderly living rooms and back gardens.  Seeing things that make you feel good should be a medical prescription.  I heard once that listening to music you like  is good for your brain and body, and that's been proven.  I've heard that newborns need affection and touch early on to set them on the right path as well. (I think I've even heard that babies need eye contact.)

We just got back last night from a trip to the mountains for a retreat.  I'd like to know the root of that word, because it really was a "treat" to get away for a few days.  Mostly our getaways are for seeing family or taking care of business, but I really enjoyed looking at the fall leaves while we were in Pigeon Forge. The mountains and valleys looked like calico. Even though the trees are starting to become bare, they have a Sleepy Hollow appeal and the ground covered with leaves makes everything look cool.

The teaching at the retreat, provided via Family Life, was top notch and the best I've ever seen or heard in over 25 years of marriage.  There was restoration of marriage on the brink of divorce and renewal of commitment by almost everyone there.  Fantastic in every way.  So truly, coming home I feel rested and renewed and the pictures in my mind of the leaves and my new friends are things that make me happy today.  I wish I could pin them on Pinterest!

There was no knitting done all weekend, but I'm ready to jump back in.  The closer we get to the really cold weather, the faster I'm knitting in my mind.  Lets hope my hands can keep up!

Take two

If you're reading this, you must be at least computer-savvy enough to know what its like to have your computer crash.  You probably also spend a little more on internet service that makes everything happen faster, cause you're probably like me.  You hate waiting forEVER for pages and programs to open.

My computer has been so slow lately that I am losing interest in even being on the internet.  My husband is a Mac guy and assures me he never has this kind of problem, but I have had both Macs and PCs and I guess I'll stick with my HP.

Now, back to the issue at hand.  I'm trying to move everything valuable off of the hard drive to start over.  Hopefully this will make everything go faster, so says my hubby. So I know my first step is to copy  everything to an external hard drive.  For some reason I thought, What the hay, I'll do my laptop, too, while we're at it!"
You can stop laughing.  I realized today after I'd finished just the big tower computer, 6 hours and 15 GB later, that doing my laptop as well was gonna take a while.  It did.

 I had to go outside and pretend to smoke a cigarette until I got my composure back when I was through.  (Okay, a cup of coffee and two cookies from the cookie jar made a good substitute.)
When I was all finished I still had to find all the installation stuff that came with the computers, which took a while as well. But I found them.  Yay!

So tonight, after a delicious homecooked meal from Taco Bell, I spent some time unwinding in front of the TV, knitting on this.

Take two - slouchy gray sock!

Voila!  I'm as far along, lengthwise with this second version of the slouchy gray sock, as I was on the other one when I stopped knitting it.  This one's going a heck of a lot faster because I eliminated the confusing honeycomb part.  Now it's just straight cables (8 stitch), with knitting and purling.

Sadly, I had to cancel our spinning meeting this coming Thursday, since everyone had a schedule conflict. I have a prayer meeting that night and  I'm going out of town the next day so it worked out well for me.   My husband and I are going on a marriage retreat!  I'm hoping to take my knitting along and get in some serious progress while I'm there.  (Hope they'll let me knit during the sessions!)

I wish

I wish I could share with you how beautiful this day is.  It is pretty much perfect in every sense.  Number one, it's Saturday, so most people have at least a small shot at enjoying it if they choose to.  Number two, the temperature shouldn't get much above 70 degrees which I think is ideal for fall.  Number three, the sun is shining. Number four, we get an extra hour of sleep tonight.  I don't know what else it would take to make you happy.  That has to be enough; but someone out there is inevitably complaining about something.  I, however, am saying woo hoo for today!!!


The lovely gray sock I've been knitting for my daughter has come to an abrupt end.  I realized that the cables were taking up all the circumference of the sock, and diminished it by about a third.  So I laid aside the needles, found a bigger pair, and cast on again, this time adding a third more stitches.  Take that!  This one should be much better, and will hopefully fit someone who's over 12 years of age.  The previous work of art should be perfect for a skinny little stocking, that I will press and make a loop for hanging over the mantle come the first part of December.

My son and daughter in law spent the night last night and we all went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast/brunch.  The fire had not been lit, but the sounds of the holidays were all around.  No dancing Santas but musical elf hats, clocks that chime carols, and of course the vast array of ornaments, one or two I will definitely try to make.

One is a little miniature stocking ornament, and the other was a miniature sweater ornament with sequins.  How can I not knit something so small and so easy?

Future Kitchen Garden 2012

But I can't get my mind off of the yard.  I cleared a flower bed a couple of days ago, that I am planning to use as an herb garden.  It's in a back corner near the fence and has enough space for me to experiment without anyone complaining about how it looks if it gets raggedy.

Perfect posture!

The latest news from my spinning wheel is that I have pretty much mastered the art of tension.  This is what I spun, which seems benign to the naked eye, but to a seasoned spinner, it's truly a work of art.  There is not twist when hung.  Absolutely none.

Straight as a board

  I amaze myself.  The credit however must go back to the Youtube video I posted previously.  Advice when taken, is such a wonderful thing!

Oh, and one last thing.  In October of 2004, seven years ago, I started this blog.

Here is the camera I used back then, which required that I use a card reader when uploading photos, and do all the "blogging" old school with codes and such.  Thank you Blogger for improving my blog experience.  And thank you to the slim few of you who have been reading this blog all these years!  Happy Blogiversary!

Today was a good day

After

Today was one of those beautiful days that just sent me straight outside to the garden.  I have overgrown flowers, shrubs and grasses that desperately needed pruning.  If they could cry out loud, they would have been wailing by now, screaming for a haircut. So I gave it to 'em.  Boy did I ever.  Sorry guys, you may need a ball cap for a couple of days!

Before!

After pruning, raking and cutting all those tiny limbs and branches into pieces small enough to fit into the designated "yard waste trash can", I stood back and started dreaming of what I could plant in all those bare places.  I dug up old day lillies and swore off letting them come back ever again.  I dug up some old mums that no one sees, around the back side of the house.  Anyway, it looks better.  And I felt pretty good about myself until I walked back to the patio to go in the back door.  There was the small flower bed bordering the patio that just looked at me with mockery.  I looked back and waved my clippers at it.  "You're next," I said.  "You just wait."

The slouchy gray cable sock(s) requested by my dear daughter is coming along a little slowly, but it's fun enough to keep me interested, even though it's a little challenging.

I keep looking at the pattern book like a man in a bar, checking out the goods.  So many cable patterns to choose from, and I am gonna be a while with these socks.  What I can do, is play with some sample swatches, and try out some of the yarns in my stash.

I like this pattern, called the folded cable.  I want to get out those Knit Picks needles I ordered a while back.
Their new catalog just came out and I love, love, love the color palettes.  Every yarn comes in colors so outstanding, I can hardly wait to try my hand at dyeing some more wool.  Or maybe blending some of what I've got.  Lots of color!
Kind of reminds me of the kids who came to my door on Halloween night.  They took one look at my huge bowl of assorted candy and made wide-eyed comments about the pixie sticks.  I'm so glad I bought them.  Mostly for nostalgic reasons, but they were a hit, anyway.  And God bless those little ninjas, princesses and teddy bears!  You all looked great!

The Luxury of Fall

If every time you saw a leaf, you thought of how much Jesus  loved you, you would feel mighty rich this time of year.  Leaves are falling all around and you can hardly walk outside without stepping on some.  They are everywhere and they are beautiful!

Today we went to the local Pumpkin Festival, where all the streets of the quaint downtown district are blocked off and filled with vendors and people.  People who are walking dogs dressed like pumpkins and kids dressed like characters from Star Wars.  Literally, there was a little boy just like the one in the commercial from the Super Bowl, only when I saw him for the last time, he was crying like he'd just found out that Darth Vader was his daddy.  There was BBQ, hot dogs, fried pies and funnel cakes.  What a perfect day!

Franklin, TN

Earlier this week, I really needed a break.  Its not often that I do, and usually knitting or spinning will help, but on that  particular day, it was urgent that I get away for the day.  So I went to a local botanical garden that I'd never visited before.  It was wonderful.  My husband joined me and we meandered around plants I'd never heard of.  Plants with names like Bear's Breeches and Curry.

Bear's Breeches

I thought curry was a spice that came from a mixture of other spices.  I had no idea there was a real live curry plant.  But if you stop and rub the leaves gently between your fingers and smell them, you will absolutely smell the curry.

Thyme

I stopped and smelled the oregano, basil, rosemary and mint.  Such a treat, and exactly what I needed to feel better.  Life can be challenging, and sometimes its more than you can handle.  Those are the times to stop the clock, take a time out, and pull yourself together. For me it meant going outdoors for a few hours and smelling the roses herbs!

My dear, lovely daughter told me last week that she found a picture of some socks that she really wanted me to make for her.  Here is that picture.

Inspirational cable socks

Not being one to shy away from a challenge, I went-a-diggin through all my stitch pattern books and found a couple that would work with the yarn she had chosen.

The yarn dictates the needle.  That gives you a figure called, "stitches per inch".  If the yarn and appropriate needle give you 4 SPI or 8 SPI, then you have to multiply that number times the number of inches around the ankle or calf.  If you calf is 10 inches around and the yarn gives you 4 stitches per inch, you'll need to start with 10 times 4 or 40 stitches.

Cable challenge socks

I started the sock with a 1x1 rib and am using an 8 stitch cable and a honeycomb cable pattern. These may take a while, since I'm not one to shy away from a challenge!

When preparations matter

The other day when I crawled out of bed, I could hear a low rumble in the neighboring subdivision.  It was the sound of a lawn service cutting somebody's grass, probably while the lucky homeowner was drinking coffee in the kitchen.  It sounded so familiar, but not in the way that you'd think.  It sounded like the dredges in Mobile Bay clearing out the ship channel; a sound I grew up with.

The house where I grew up was so close to the waterfront that you could throw a rock from our front door to the beach.  (And if I was a boy, I could have made it all the way to the water.)   We would watch ships come in and out of the Gulf of Mexico, right in front of our house, on their way to load and unload cargo.  Mobile is a port city.  There were always sounds of tugboats pushing barges full of sand and silt, removing sandbars from the middle of the bay.  They had to make way for the ships to come through.  Preparation and planning was essential for things to go smoothly later on.

While I was spinning yesterday, I had a great revelation about this.  About the necessity for preparations.  I  was ready to embark on some military gray wool that I had blended with enough dark blue to give it a 'manly' look.

Military gray Shetland wool blend

I decided to make several adjustments to my wheel for spinning a finer strand of yarn.  While the details are exciting to me, I'll just provide a link, in case you're interested.

lace weight flyer bobbin

Anyway, the revelation hit me after I'd made all the adjustments and started spinning.  It was so much more enjoyable than any time I'd ever spun before.  It hit me that taking the time to make these preparations, specific to the task, were extremely valuable.  I couldn't blame a poor outcome on peripheral things like yukky wool or a cruddy wheel.  Number one, it was my job to make those preparations - to follow the manufacturer's directions.  Number two, it was a no-brainer to get my spinning area ready  if I wanted an enjoyable experience.  Bright light, sufficient leg room, chair height correct, etc.  I even put on some calm classical music and got my coffee close by so that I would be totally "in the moment".

Just like the way the barges clear the channel for ships to come through, my careful preparations make the process of spinning easier.  It takes time, but it's so worth it in the end!!

Hats Off!

Last night we had our very first night time spinning group meeting and all I can say is, Hats Off!  Literally!

Hat #1 with companion brownie

Hats 2 and 3, no brownie included

Hat #4  keeping it real

I am always so encouraged and inspired from these meetings, and I spent most of today in la-la land, dreaming of making hats and trying to decide what kind of yarn looks best with what kind of hat.  So many choices and so few hours in the day to knit.  I could actually sleep less to get more knitting time in, right?

Tonight I'm heading to a bon-fire and chili supper at my friends' house.  She actually came to my house last night, even though I know she had a million things to do today to get ready for her  get-together tonight.  What a gal!!   She's the one who brought all these hats and inspiration to our meeting last night.  She makes hats for all the kids and grandkids every year!  What a goal!  I'm working on Christmas stocking right now for my family, and while  I don't actually have any grandchildren of my own yet, someday soon I'm sure I'll be knitting  some fuzzy hats for little critters too!

I'm super tired today and it took all I had to get on the treadmill.  There just doesn't seem to be enough coffee to wake me up today.  I remember having a day like this a few years ago. Just could not pull it together.

  Its so hard for me to give in to being tired.  Its probably just my body fighting off some kind of bug, and I should take it easy. That would be better for me. And I did sort of  take it easy today, but not by anybody else' standards.  Anyway, I woke up both yesterday and today and went straight to the computer to read on the computer version of my Kindle.  Even though I have a night light to use with my real Kindle, I hate to use it to read in bed. I always feel guilty, like I'm keeping everybody up. (Just who are all these people?  I don't really know...) Anyway I've already had a little 10 minute cat nap today and I'm ready for another one now.   Hope I make it through the party tonight without yawning too much.  I am really getting old, dangit. Just don't call me Grandma.  Not yet.

Don't bring me down!

Mums from some plants I bought years ago

This world is full of people who know what they're doing. I am not one of them.  Frankly I think I could read, listen, study, observe and never feel like I know very much about any given subject.  Well, except for one, maybe.  And its not about anything I do, but something I know. I know God loves me.  I am absolutely sure of that.  Sometimes I have moods and opinions about lots of negative things, and just as often I have moods and opinions about very positive things.  The most important one is God's love.  It truly keeps me going, day in and day out.

Baby radishes from the patio

I read a tweet that I re-posted:
 The orphan mentality causes you to approach life victimized by what you haven't received instead of grateful for what you have received.

Today for instance has been a beautiful day.  Absolutely lovely; warm temps and a slight breeze.  I know the rain is coming, but for the great weather, I am thankful.  You might live in the desert - give thanks you've avoided the monsoons.  You might live in the coldest climate of all - give thanks you avoided the desert.  Glass half full/half empty, you know.

Give me another hand!

I have some golden yarn that's a bit sticky and I'm making these dee-lightful gloves out if it.  I could complain that they're sticky, but rather, I choose to say that they'll repel water when it snows!  See? What good fortune I have!

We ran out of cookies in the cookie jar by the sink.  Instead of complaining, I just got out the cookbook and made some peanut butter cookies.  Who can complain about fresh baked cookies?  I had to do some housekeeping today and I chose to give thanks that I have a house to clean.  Shelter is a blessing, and electricity to run the vacuum with is another blessing!  I could be sweeping a dirt floor.  I've been in houses with dirt floors, and believe me, I am BLESSED to have carpets to vacuum.

Another blessing is a messy garage full of wool that needs to be spun.  I have no problem being thankful for that!  I've been spinning this gray wool and will probably ply it soon.  I've already got a hank of 2 ply and 3 ply.

Shades of Gray

The wool roving came in a large ball and it could use a little attention, since its sticking to itself.  Maybe a few minutes unwinding the ball and making it into a fluffy pile of roving!

Spun bobbins full of gray wool

Drive

The other day I brought my spinning wheel downstairs to spin when I realized the drive band on my wheel had broken.

Sad spinning wheel

The drive bands nowadays are often made of plastic.  In order to make a plastic drive band fit your wheel and to be able to get it onto the wheel is way more tricky than you would be interested in hearing about.  I will say, though, that the last time I did it, I burnt my fingers melting hot plastic.  Hot melted plastic on human skin is less fun than you can imagine.  Oh em gee.

leftover drive bands

The winner!

Now I'm using an old fashioned string tied in a knot.  That's all.

Replacement!

Most people mistake the drive band for the yarn and the yarn for the drive band.  I  know I did.  There are lots of strings and things on a spinning wheel, with lots of funny names.

Happy Day spinning wheel!

In my old blog, I did a post about the parts of a drum carder that have downright dirty names.  The new Spin Off magazine has an article that definitely made my husband raise his eyebrows!  Ah, the good old days.  They named the parts  of these contraptions when nothing had a double meaning.  Now everything has a double meaning.

Like the (B)drive band.  Today drive means to move your car and band means a group of guitar players and singers.  (F)Mother of all  sounds like you're cussing in traffic.  (A)Fly wheel sounds like a cool car.  And of course who can forget (J)footman, (K)orifice, orifice hook, (E) maiden and (G)tension knob?  Holy Cow!

A-One and A-Two

Golden Gloves

Knitting these little golden gloves has been a breeze, and I'm learning a new way to knit gloves.  Without a long explanation, I'll let the pictures speak for me.  The fingers will be sewn up later.

Thumb is on the side so its reversible!

After recognizing that I was in over my head with any cable work that required a new skill, I succumbed to just knitting plain gloves.

Third finger

I think I will try a few flat swatches to learn the Celtic knot technique with straight needles, and then try to master it knitting in the round.  (Just so you know, flat knitting and round knitting are very different and would require lots of adjustments to the pattern.  Not going there anytime soon!!)

River birch outside the back door

I had a great time last weekend with my family.  My daughter's husband had passed the bar on Friday and we were ready to celebrate! We had a blast playing games (Clue and Catchphrase), shopping (my daughter nearly bought a dog!), eating lots and lots and even went to church together on Sunday morning. We watched some home movies and laughed till our sides hurt. I do not complain about dirty dishes and loads of laundry.  They are signs of life and for that I am very thankful!

Ripped Off

I looked at the weather report for today and noticed an alert for my parents' city, which I have bookmarked on my weather page.  The alert was for rip currents.  You see, they live on the coast.
I am landlocked in beautiful, hilly Tennessee.  No danger here, as the breeze is minimal and the sun is shining with a high around 80 degrees.  Funny how things like rip tides are front and center for some folks but not for others. 

Last night I had my own rip tide.  I ripped out for the second time the Butterscotch glove. Wiggly yarn piled on the floor where I pulled out all the stitches and then had to rewind the ball of yarn.  I'm a learnin'!
The Celtic knot was not going to happen for the Knotty Glove pattern no matter how hard I tried, so I gave up on it and ripped it out.

Celtic twist - RIP

Then I tried a vintage glove pattern yesterday but found that it would probably fit Tina Fey's hands on the cover of Bossypants.  Way too big!
So I ripped it out, again.  Again.  Then I started a 1x1 rib with a lot less stitches and got a much more delicate looking glove.  At least it looks that way so far. 

Vintage glove pattern

Sometimes you have to do things several times before you get it right.  Lots of books are out there on failure and its necessity before finding success.  That's okay.  I'm a learnin'!  I'll get it right eventually.

First glove with thumb stitches marked off

This weekend  was primarily a family time for me.  My son and his wife took us on a little sightseeing trip Friday and we happened upon a strange little shop of horrors after our meat & three lunch.  It was an antique shop that seemed to focus on the macabre and morbid.  Strange items that gave us all the creeps.  So we moved on to the ice cream shop down the way.  Apparently its owned by the parents of the guy who runs the Bates Motel Antique-O-Rama.  The older man and his wife who served up the hot fudge sundaes had a strange demeanor, that I could not quite put my finger on.  After we all got in the car, we got out our cell phones and started Googling the places we'd visited and the little town.  Bingo.  Confirmation that the willies we felt were probably justified.  I'll just say that the ghost tours in this little town on Halloween weekend will probably deserve a  segment on Ghost Hunters!

Antique spinning wheel and swift