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When Monday rolls around, we all sigh and head back to work, which is even harder after a holiday weekend. But today I had a few extra things on my plate (so to speak) and I knew my hours would be fewer due to an office training session in the first part of the day. The session went well and was fruitful; I work at a law firm and it's important to keep track of documents, calls, etc. in case you're asked about them. After the session, I headed back to my desk, trying to get back into the swing of things, sorting out what needed to be done first. Then the UPS guy brought a stack of boxes: 6 brand new monitors and one of them was for ME! No way was I going to get anything done until I had hooked up my new monitor. What a nice surprise! Gweyn in the office next to mine had a little trouble, and I gave her a hand. She and I both had to shed our high heels to hook up the wires, but it was worth it!
(That's it up there - 21.5 inches wide.)
I really had to double up my efforts at getting work done, mentally negotiating how long each task would take.

This weekend I finished the blue hat, and tossed it in the dryer this morning to get a little fluffy going on.

What a pretty little thing, and my daughter assured me that navy is "so in" right now. Praise be!
We had a wonderful Thanksgiving and when we tried to take our annual Thanksgiving portrait, the camera seemed to have a mind of it's own, giving off tremendous flash every time and somehow the shutter speed was all messed up. But my husband finally said, "Enough, the food's getting cold!"






















I did some spinning over the weekend but have reached the end of what's carded. I may spin a little of the gray I bought from Marty at the last meeting.
Tonight I must begin my Christmas decorating. I am having a little party Friday night for some of my helpers at church. They are priceless and deserve a huge reward for their tireless contribution. At work they remind me that the dollar amount would be very high to pay all these workers for their time. I couldn't agree more!

Hold the pickles, hold the lettuce

Thanksgiving is just days away and I am grudgingly putting aside all my inclinations to cook a healthy meal. Orders are to fix anything and everything that is starchy and sugary or has added butter or bacon grease. I can't tell you how hard that is for me. Lord help me remember the reason for the holiday!
This evening I got in a few more rows on the little blue hat. I've inserted this lace row to add interest, but there are no competing colors - just navy blue.
(the color is hideous, but you get the idea)

I had a lengthy conversation with my sister tonight. I haven't seen her in years but my plan is to go see my parents the weekend before Christmas for their 50th anniversary and get in some good 'visit' time with the rest of the family.
For the drive down, I just may be absorbed in this - my Christmas present that came early.
I'm so excited that I'll get to take it on my trip. We had some plans this year to do some improvements to our house, but my daughter met the man of her dreams and got married this past July, so many things were put on hold. Now we're starting to get some breathing room again this was my Christmas wish! I've been lusting after a Kindle for about a year now. I can't believe I've finally got it. Some things are just sooooo worth the wait!!!

Please be seated

Today is my day off and I woke up with the blessing of a new project to knit. I have relegated the sweater to the UFO pile for now. I started a slouchy hat (tam, beret) out of some acrylic I had in the stash. Washable, smooth, even and a great color. Navy blue. I thought of doing a fair isle pattern, which is in the instructions, but opted to just make a plain blue hat that would hopefully be more classic and timeless.

The good thing about his hat is the perfect size 7 needles. They really are the perfect size to me. Big enough to hold and not too big to manipulate. You don't get the tired eyes and cramped fingers like you get from 2's. And you don't knock over your coffee cup like you would with 13's. And the great thing about a hat is that unlike socks, when you're done, you're done. No second-sock-syndrome.

This afternoon we're goint to see the new Jim Carey Christmas Carol movie. It's time to get into the Christmas spirit and I'm really looking forward to Thanksgiving dinner. My son, daughter and son in law will be here to share the holiday and we are not holding back. I hope to get my grocery list finalized today and get the majority of the stuff this weekend, with those last minute items left for Wednesday. I do hope we can go home early from work that day.

I get to work in a very nice place with very nice people, but I do dislike being seated for 10 hours straight. I leave for work at 7:15 (seated in the car in rush hour traffic), get to work, turn on computer, etc. and work till 5:00, get in my car for another half hour of bumper to bumper, arriving home at 5:35. Ten hours of sitting leaves me ready to stand up for a little while.

Would you like fries with that? (rant ahead)
Last week the camera that I use for blog pictures died the gnarly death. I have since begun to use my husband's camera, which has different knobs and such. Learning curves.
So today I'm trying to upload these few photos when my husband comes into my office and starts plugging things into my computer. He's trying to complete the overhaul that's taken him the better part of a week to finish. You see his studio computer had to be completely re-done, as in start all over. The process meant that my iPod stuff was not accessible until he was done, and I really wanted to get part 2 of the audible book I'm listening to.
I can sympathize because I had a similar thing happen to me at work yesterday. Without the details, I will just say that a mail merge needs a data source that it recognizes and somehow I had changed the data source for all my accounts (almost 200) and didn't know how or what I'd done. I finally figured it all out, but only after I had had one great big panic attack that lasted about 45 minutes. Thank goodness it was my "Friday" and I left looking forward to this weekend and time away from work.

What a lovely day!

Today was our spinning group meeting (formally its the Harpeth Spinsters, I think) and we met at Susie's house, and she served a great little pumpkin coffee cake desert, and the weather was beautiful, and Peggy came (she's been out of commission for a while) and we spun a lot and knitted a lot and talked a whole bunch andtook pictures and. I know there's more but I had such a good time. Why stop for punctuation and grammar?


Truly the weather is just about perfect today. I came from the meeting with some great roving from a sheep named Alice (I can hear my boss cracking a joke about the movie with Bob & Carol,Ted & Alice). I got my money for the yarn I sold when Carolyn took it to the folk festival.

I brought my sweater pattern to get some help. It's come to a halt by the way, due to technical difficulties. Sally gave me some good advice about knitting the V-neck of a sweater. Everyone else concurred and I'll be doing some frogging this weekend (rip it, rip it).










And just because I had to take a picture of something outside, this is my hydrangea bush after the cold weather has gotten to it. Isn't it still beautiful?
Now I have to mention something that encouraged me recently. I heard that Carly Fiorina will be running for senate. I am a believer in women doing what they can to better the world, be it in a 'man's' environment or not. She was in the corporate world for a while and now she's dipping her toe into politics. Smart lady, and her book is worth the read.

Finding a balance

I recently had a change of heart about something. The concept is very simple to explain, but extrrreeeeeemely hard to put into practical terms. I am now acutely aware that my attitude has been bad lately. I think I’m not alone in this. Having a bad attitude is so acceptable today that it is now the norm, and those with a positive outlook are mocked or viewed as simple and naïve. “Well, if they only had to do what I have to do…” or, “Just wait till they …..” The problem is, that we spend so much time complaining, and have convinced ourselves that these things outweigh the good things in our lives.
So, I decided last week that every time I think of complaining about my job, I will stop. It’s mostly mental, those thought patterns, you know. So if I stop it in my brain, I will be less likely to say it.
I confess, I had a little session of complaining this morning to a co-worker, and realized shortly after, what I had done. I’m sorry, Lord. Please forgive me.
I am blessed with a very good job, a sympathetic boss, and kind, honest co-workers.

Our law office recently moved to a larger space and has sub-let part to a group of three heart surgeons who do consulting work. There are no patients coming in and out, just admin support of about 10 girls and the 3 docs. One of the girls is always reading in our shared break room and today she had a novel that I’ve got on my iPod. We’ve both just started the book and she and I were equally excited to have someone to discuss it with. See, there’s a blessing right there!

I went to lunch and came back with a free sample from Starbucks. Another blessing!

I was going through my client files today and was about to cancel an account for non-payment when the mailman brought me a check from that very person. Yet another blessing!

I could go on, but you get the point. How much better to focus on the positive – it makes the negative pale in comparison!

Oh, and one more blessing - my spinning group meets this Friday at lunch! Woooo Hooo!

Take Good Care

Before we moved to Nashville, I had pretty much two things I looked forward to doing when we got here. One was playing tennis at a big tennis center in town; the other was visiting the Mary Engelbreit store at the Opry Mills Mall. I have yet to play tennis at the center, and the M.E. store closed shortly after we arrived, but at least the new M.E. calendar for 2010 is out and I love it. The title is Take Good Care. Colorful and bright with adorable children on each page.

This morning I've spent some more time taking care of my new flower bed/garden. It has been quite rainy and on the pretty days, we've had plans so this morning I made a bee-line for the back yard before anything got in the way.

The grass I dug up has died and it was much easier to break up the clumps and pull out the roots, etc. I realize that I will not be able to dig up under the little tree in the corner, because the roots of the tree extend to what I call the drip line. I don't want to kill the tree so I'll probably put down some kind of tarp to kill the grass and then I'll lay some stones to 'pave' underneath. I'd like to put a small bench or chair there - the view is really nice and I'd like a focal point.

"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world." Anne Frank

I reached a knitterly challenge this week with the sapphire sweater. After knitting in the round for 12 inches, you find the center front, turn around and start knitting in the other direction. This is where the V-neck comes into play.
You can see I have two different circular needles going now. (Boye and Inox)
Soon I'll have to stop a the armholes and then the sweater will have three sections. (Back between armholes and two front shoulder sections. ) This may be a difficult thing to picture unless you've sewn or made garments before. Well, let me tell you as an experienced seamstress (I used to make all my own clothes) and a semi-experienced knitter, the decreases for the neckline, continued increases for the bust and stop-start stuff for the arms is a bit like the guy on the talent show spinning lots of plates at the same time! I thought my job took concentration, but this takes the cake.

And speaking of cake. I went to a friend's birthday party last night. She turned 50 and a few of her friends gathered around to wish her well. The time was short, but we love our friend and would not have missed this for anything. Happy Birthday Janet!!

Getting things off my chest

When you start a blog, you get an automatic voice - a chance to vent about whatever is bothering you, until that is, you find out that the person you may want to vent about could read your blog. Or tweet, or facebook post. I hear in the news about people who get in trouble for making public something that is supposed to remain private. But wasn't that the reason for all these venues? To say what's on your mind? But news travels fast.
I have something on my mind tonight that I'm just dying to say. And I can't. Something that is a major source of irritation to me on a regular basis. And yet, propriety keeps me from putting it out there. And I know what you're going to say. "Go to the person and tell them what's bothering you." Well, that is so out of the question, it's not funny. So, instead of getting this thing off my chest, I'm going to make the segue-way to the bust increases in my sweater. Ha ha!
Knitting helps me hold my tongue. I put my energy into this beautiful sweater and its bust shaping. Increase one stitch now on each side every 5th round, three times. I keep track by making three columns of 5 marks each. When I commence a round, I check mark the row, and know that it's the row I'm working ON. Not the one I'm finished with or the one I'm about to do. That is very important in knitting, believe it or not. You have to know exactly where you are at all times.

Incidentally, I weigh myself every day. I keep track of where I am constantly so that if I put on a pound over the weekend, I can get it under control right away. That works best for me.
At work, when I get overwhelmed with my 'to do list', I sort of do this little self talk. Where was I? What was I about to do? What do I HAVE to do next? Just like knitting and weight control, it's very important to know where I am right now. :-)

Great Beginnings

About ten or so years ago, I took it upon myself to learn to knit something round. I had knit for years on two needles and had crocheted as a young girl with a hook. I knew I could do it. I found an old magazine from the seventies that had knitted Christmas ornaments and doll clothes patterns. I found a little mitten and a little doll sweater to practice on. I had accomplished a small tube in the round and it went well. I can't express to you the feeling of accomplishment I had when I made that little tube. But then to make these two little items out of scraps of yarn; it was beyond words. I had made a sweater! I had a made a mitten!

And now, it doesn't intimidate me a bit, to pick up a sweater pattern and read over it quickly to see what's involved. I immediately start looking at things like gauge, needle size and the number of cast on stitches. Wow, what a difference.
Here are the decreases on the left side of the sapphire sweater. I'm done with them and now am knitting straight until the piece measures 9 inches.

I have reached a real confidence in straight knitting, so that I can knit by touch and don't have to look - I can even read while knitting if it's stockinette stitch.
This morning, I spent about an hour knitting and reading in the kitchen. What a wonderful time spent doing two things I love. At once!
My husband installed some 'under the cabinet' lights for me yesterday. I have wanted them since we moved into this house in 2001. It didn't take that long, but running the electric cords, drilling holes, etc. took some ingenuity. Thank the Lord for a husband who's handy with that kind of thing. When we were done, it was obvious that my counters and back splash were filthy. Amazing what a bright light will do. I had no idea how dirty things had gotten.
Now I'm quicker to wipe up a mess, cause I can see it now! (Again, such a spiritual lesson.) And what's even more interesting, I didn't realize until I took this picture of the little mitten & sweater that the sweater was made of two different orange yarns. My 'high' view of the thing was humbled yet again. *sigh*
I am so prone to think I'm really doing great, fussing here, complaining there, and when the bright light of reality shines on me and my goings on, it's obvious I've got a long way to go.
A good friend and her husband split up this week. My husband and I had two very different points of view about what went wrong in their relationship. Later I realized that neither of us was right or wrong, but I could sure have toned down my know-it-all attitude. Things are never what they seem, and in a different light, you may discover some things you never knew before.
May I be not so quick to pass judgment on situations, when I don't have all the facts. I pray that I'll look to shed a little more light on the subject, before coming to a conclusion.

Tearing Down and Building Up

I've got this great wool in the garage, like bags of money - just waiting for me to come and get it. So I do! I card a batch, spin it and knit it. What a commodity!

I learned something from my friend selling my yarn at the fair. People don't want a lot of a certain thing, just enough to satisfy their craving (or impulse). So I decided to just make a single skein of very exotic yarn. Wool, silk and angora.

Three strands spun together with just enough sheen to make a strong but lovely extravagant yarn.

The wool of course is shorn from the sheep, angora trimmed from the rabbit and the silk harvested from cocoons. Cutting away something from it's natural environment then used in a totally different way. I have a friend on the show Biggest Loser (she threw a housewarming for my mother after rebuilding from Katrina). She, Liz, is losing weight to make herself better.
I left work today, losing my mind, finding it later while eating fish tacos and watching my TiVo'd episode of Castle.

I hope to make something useful and even exotic when I spin. Maybe the Lord looks at us the same way. Turning life's brutal cuts into something beautiful.
I'm looking forward to a little building up this Friday night - my friend is throwing a weenie roast at her house and she's one of those folks that always leaves you better than when you came!

Alternate Route

North Carolina is one of the prettiest places in America, and fall is definitely the time to visit. The mountains, hills and leaves all make a beautiful display of God's creation. I am blessed to have lived in the state for even a short time.
We moved to NC in 1997, twelve years ago and much has changed in the years since we moved away. But some things haven't changed. Everyone knows each other, there are lots of independently owned businesses and still plenty of undeveloped real estate. The pace is slower than where I live now so it makes for an ideal getaway location. We visited this weekend, to check on my father in law, who lives alone (82 yo) and I was able to meet with a dear friend for coffee - we've known each other over 20 years. In fact, she's known my husband's family since before I met him.

I also visited a great local bookshop that I just love to frequent. The building is shaped like a Swiss chalet and there's a fireplace with two wooden staircases leading to loft book areas. I noticed plenty of autographed copies lying around, and there seemed to be lots of book signings scheduled. This in a town of 5,000. I scratched my head until my girlfriend told the me the shop was bought by a famous author who lives nearby. Wow. No wonder it felt so cozy and inviting. I did buy a book by Peter Mayle and a candle (both 1/2 price).

I am back home now, and catching up on things, unpacking and looking at the grocery list for next week.

Driving in the mountains, I noticed something. Steep inclines are made more bearable by tacking back and forth. Sometimes you don't realize how steep it was until you look in your rear-view mirror. (Life lesson, there, for this girl.)


I took my knitting along and made a teensy bit of progress. Maybe later tonight I will get in a few more rows.

(Before & After)

Music and Molasses

My friend took my yarn to the festival, which was in fact right here in Tennessee! (why did I think it was in Ohio or Indiana?) Anyway, she sold about 3/4 of the yarn and even came back with a couple of sweet stories. One little girl had apparently not been able to buy anything during the event and cried when she got to her car, telling her mom she wanted to buy "some of that lady's yarn". They came back and Carolyn helped them out! Another lady bought pretty much all of the blue - she makes chemo caps for those in treatment. Wow, I am humbled.
Now, for the long arm of the law. The second arm of the sweater is finished and I'll be starting the body next. I think the measurements are pretty close so I hope the rest goes well.
I often wish I had the opportunity to ask some wise man my tough questions, whenever I want. (Remember the owl in the tootsie pop commercial?)

1. How do you know the difference between something that you really need to let go of, and something you need to keep hoping for? Especially when the pursuit is neither bad nor good. I realize that if a thing keeps you from functioning and being normal, it should probably go. But then again, some of the most famous inventions came because someone was willing to be tenacious about something, even if it seemed ridiculous.

2. Is a blind copy (bcc) the same as a lie? (I’m serious.) I know the technical reason, but is it completely ethical? Just askin'.

I may ask my father in law. We're making a concord-like trip to see him this Thursday night. We'll only stay for a day and come back on Saturday. He's one of those kind, thoughtful people who tells it like it is, but makes you laugh while he's saying it.

Traveler's Rest

Today I dropped off a a rubbermaid tub of my yarn to my friend Carolyn. She's been doing demonstrations at Travelers Rest, an historic home in Nashville that hosts Trade Days in October. The folks are in costume and the event resembles a Williamsburg experience. (I wish I had some Brunswick Stew!)
She will be taking my yarn to be sold in Indiana, if there are any takers. She has mentioned to me before that there are folks at this particular craft show who would probably be very interested in buying some of my yarn. Admittedly pessimistic, I have smiled and thanked her for the compliment. But this time, she's called twice to ask for the yarn, so here goes. A sampling of my homespun taking it's first road trip! I named the yarns Begonia, Navel Orange, Sand, SkyBlue, Vintage Pink and Rosie to be more memorable.

After dropping the yarn off we got a bite to eat and visited a book store where we picked up these goodies.
Leather Book Weight

Book Stand
When spinning or knitting or even on the treadmill, it can be helpful to have these kinds of gadgets. I like the bookstand in particular, for reading while plying. Excellent deals and very practical tools!

My appetite for reading actually started early in life. I was a very studious child and the school I attended gave out lots of homework. It was not unusual for my mom to pass by my room and tell me to close my mouth. It was one of those unconscious habits I had, to let my jaw drop slightly when I was reading or studying hard. I think it’s still true today. I get engrossed in reading something and completely forget about what's going on around me. I love getting lost in a good book, don't you? The kind of book that takes you to a faraway place, where you experience sights and sounds and smells; all virtual, but they feel so real. (Am I the only one who feels this way?) (blushing)