A little distraction from real life…

Nice huh?  She knit this beauty of a sweater and wore it to the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival.  I do love seeing everyone’s knit and crochet work being worn and admired.  

Is that from Pom-Pom?
Is that Dk or Worsted? etc etc etc.  Everyone all yarn talk and pattern praise.  Just the thing I needed once we heard Zach was safe from the Earthquake’s jaws.  We had plans to go and so we did.  

(Uh oh that nippy border collie is headed our way again ladies) .  These sheep were clearly communicating and quite good at confusing the novice dogs. ” LIE DOWN.”   If we heard the human say it once, they said it at least a hundred times during the hour we watched.   LIE DOWN LIE DOWN LIE DOWN!  

You gotta love a border collie.  They are just so dang programmed and excited to herd that the handler must sound like a little gnat in their doggie ears.   I love to watch them  working.  

And the peanut gallery?  Well, they had no trouble laughing out loud when a handler and dog failed and the sheep ran amuck.  I have never been to a competition where the audience actually  laughed at the contestant. IT made me uncomfortable.  They seem to all know one another though.  They seemed to be having a good old time.  

You all encouraged me you know. You said to go ahead and purchase at the Festival.  I did.  I didn’t want to disappoint.  You all are going to be getting your fill of needle felting stories from me.  I decided I had to make those little animals that come out of a pin and some roving.  

I needed something entirely new and wooly in my life.  And Fireman said no sheep.  He also said, no bunnies.  and certainly no border collie pup.  So…..get ready.   Hope it is as easy as it looks.   If it all runs amuck you can laugh out loud.  We all know each other right? 

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Zach is Safe after Earthquake

Oh Thank God I didnt’know the earthquake last night was coming to Zach’s town.  For some reason, I could not sleep last night.  Awoke to Zach’s email telling us he was ok.  Then friends texting us this morning that they had already seen on FB that zach checked in as safe.  

Shame on me for complaining about the internet.  8.1 Earthquake . His toilet sort of broke during the event.  Lordy, lordy he had listened to his father (wah wah wah wah wah ) at some point in his life and knew to shut the water supply off.

He let everyone know in SPANISH and ENGLISH that he was available to help .  His last sentence, : If anyone needs help with anything , I’m here to help.

Dear adult children of mine, Wisconsin is really boring.  And we like it that way.  What’s a blizzard or snowstorm?  An occasional water spout?

My mom would always pray that the Blessed Mother would wrap her arms around us and keep all her family safe.  She prayed to Father Son and Holy Spirit too, of course.  But she related to Mary as a MOTHER.

Prayers of Thanksgiving today.  Many many prayers.

Mitts Mailing

 

Dee, does this count for the Fall KAL?  I decided to make the final Twiddle Mitt for Glen St. Andrews Nursing Home in fall colors. ( I’m still doing my beaded project as well.)    I’m mailing them off today.  I don’t know why I didn’t figure out earlier that I could make the sides fiddly twiddly by crocheting an edge.  

I have to say the making of these mitts is quick, but the size of the yarn and the process is hard on my wrists and hands.  Thanks again to all of you who sent mitts and honored my mom.  This was one of my 2017 Knit Goals, so I can report that to the Ravelry group. 

On with the other Fall KAL project.  I strung beads last night.  I love to string beads.  

As a follow-up to yesterday’s post: The company I contacted for buttons will not accept a check as payment.  There goes that hundred year old method of payment.  I was the first to ask them, they said.  So, no buttons.  No biggie. 

I’m particularly fearful for Dee and Meredith and all in the Floridian path of the awful Hurricane.  Bless you all.  Stay safe.   Do you know anyone who has fled?  (our neighbors son and family in Miami got out yesterdaY) Oh and Teresa and Kim and everyone out in the fires I’m worried for you too and praying!  Teresa I surely hope you do not have to leave your beautiful home!

 

Trying to Make you Smile

I have to start by saying hugs to all of you and yours in the path of anything.  I’m hoping if you are in harm’s way a post could make you laugh a bit.  That’s the goal.  I’m sitting here on a spectacularly sunny cool Wisconsin morning, thanking God for the simplicity of snowstorms.  Honestly, I am just trying to keep Fireman from starting up about WINTER.  Yesterday’s, hints included, 

“wow we had to start our ride earlier tonight, because the sun is going down so soon now.”  He then tortured me by telling me he saw the most spectacular sunset of the Lake Geneva year here…….”There was this valley and a hill, and the sun was setting …..and there were three horses high on the hill.  Shadows of dignity, standing there. ”

He didn’t really say shadows of dignity.  I made that up.  So, I ask ya, wheres the picture?  You had your cellphone with you.  Apparently pride and falling back in the pack of cyclists takes priority.  There was no picture for me.  

Onto knitting.  So much knitting. 

#1.  I’m knitting the last of the 30 Twiddle Mitts. I wanted the last one to be part of the fall KAL.  It is orange and yellow.  I wanted it thick so I knit so tightly I developed a finger blister last night.  One of my Year goals was to finish the mitts and get all 30 requested to the nursing home.  So, I’m close.  Very close. I give you number 29.  And

I thank you LOVEKNITTING for all the free yarn.  Used it all for charity.   

#2.  Beaded bag talk.  Judy asked about the pattern.  It is Doreen Marquart’s Beaded Evening Bag.  You string the beads first.  Thats one of the zen parts of this pattern for me.  I’m pretty sure all of her patterns are on Ravelry.  

This is my trio.  Let me talk about beads Ok?  The blues and browns with white beads was the first bag.  The beads were from Doreen’s yarn shop.  I liked these beads.  There was an occasional clear bead in there but they really fit the bag well and sat straight.

The second bag was made with Val’s Wandering Cat yarn.  It is dreamy yarn. She’s having a huge yarn sale BTW.  These beads were from JoAnn fabrics. I did not like them very much.  They were not all rounded, more tubular.  I have to say I fell in love with the copper beads in that mix.  I could see them really jazzing something up if they were all copper colored.

The third bag = Koigu and more beads from JoAnn’s. They behaved but I wish I had only used blue and green beads.   Look at me getting all snarky and high on my beaded high horse.

#3 Finally,  I saw some horse buttons in an ad.  I want them.  I decided to pull a fast one for snicks.  The company says email us with questions.  I told them I want to place my order and pay by check.  WHAT?  I sincerely hope the 19 year old who is processing my email knows what a check is.  I’ll let you know.  I thought it would be interesting.  The sight is all paypal and instant a pay themed.  Stay tuned.

Do you pay by check?

#4 I’m really trying hard to get my list of yarn needs ready for the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool festival this week.  I’m not spending willy nilly on that seductive yarn that feels amazing to my hands and cannot really be knit into much.  I should stick to sock yarns.  Or shawl yarns in sock weight? Right?

Go forth .  Be safe.  Knit on

No Theme to this Post…..

* This is Al’s current shawl knit.  There’s some cashmere in that yarn.  Just a touch.  It is a pattern from Kniterarrium.  Grainne Shawl.  

*

*This was my savory breakfast creation for Fireman, yesterday.  I baked the green pepper first at 400 for about 20 minutes.  Then I drained the water out of the pepper.  Then I added two big kitchen spoonfuls of Jiffy Corn muffin mix (mixed with egg and milk as directed on box) .  I baked that for 20 minutes.
When it was almost done, I made a little well on top and cracked an egg on it. I baked it another 20 minutes.  Served it with a side of salsa.  

I think the corn muffin inside made it sweet and the salsa and pepper made it savory. He loved it.
Clearly, watching  the Great British Bake off has influenced me.  

I was checking it, and poking it and changing my plan.  I used to live by the old rule of never opening the oven during a bake.  What?  Those folks on GBB are constantly poking , prodding and prying open the oven as they bake.  

It is chilly here today! High to be only in 60s.  So tonight is a soup night and I may make bread with my new Sunbeam mixer.   Are you a soup lover in fall?

*Our skies in Wisconsin have been smokey with the Canadian fire smoke.  The sun was pinkish yesterday and we had haze.  But, this is the moonrise from Saturday night.  It was a beautiful porch night that night.  

The stonecrop is in bloom and the bees are all over them.  We probably have around 20 stonecrop lining the back deck.  The bees are so busy and happy. 

*I trash picked this wicker chair the other day.  It is for short folk like me.  Clearly, I need to find some cushions meant for this odd shape, but for now I just make do.  It is unbelievably comfortable to me.  

*As for me and my needles, I finished my third beaded bag yesterday. Tomorrow, I plan to show you all 3 and talk about beads.   I’m turning into a bead snob.  

I hope despite flooding, nuclear talk , my Florida friends now in a possible path of a new hurricane and wildfires, along with  the ordinary stressors in your life, you find time to knit or the like, and embrace a moment. 

(I’ll be reading your blogs later, so comments coming, just not early today!)

Labor Day Q and A!

First photo:  My Blue Koigu beaded bag is my Labor Day Knitting.  If, and that’s an If, I finish it On Labor Day, I’ll work on a Twiddle Mitt.  Where’s my Fall yarn when I need it?   Oh, that’s right -it is an hour away and not DUE for delivery for 3 more days.

So let’s get on with our WORK themed Labor Day (USA) Q and A, shall we?

*Name a favorite current or past co-worker.

*What is your dream yarn themed job?

*Do you go to a yarn shop where the Employees seem like your friends?

*What was your first paid job?  How much did you earn hourly?

*Did computer technology make your job easier or harder?

*Did you mother work outside the home?

*If you could knit for pay what would you choose to knit?  (lets assume you get paid an outrageous amount!)

*IF ____________( yarn related company)  went out of business, I’d be sad.

My answers:

One of my favorite co-workers was Fireman.  Ha!  We worked at McDonald’s together.  We had so much fun with all of the team there in 1977 and 1978.

My dream yarn job would be to Raise angora bunnies and have someone else take their fur and make it yarn for me.

Yes!  Yarn shop people can be amazing.  I was lucky to go from one very sweet yarn shop in Northbrook to a wonderful one in Delevan.

My first paid job was baby sitting.  I think I made a dollar an hour.

Computer technology made my job as a nurse much harder. My friend Helen used to try to talk to administration explaining how the computer programs were MORE work for us, and they were having none of it.   Waiting for data to load,  plugging computers in and out of the wall, logging in, logging out, …it all took time away from the true task of watching, reading and caring for the patient.  Give me paper charting any day.

My mom did not work outside the home once she had children.  She always wanted to be a nurse.

If I could knit for pay I would knit shawls, I think.   Minimal shaping.  Interesting variety of patterns and yarn choices.  Yup, shawls

If RAVELRY went out of business I’d be very sad.  It is a wonderful tool for our yarn community!

 

                 My dear sister Michelle went to the Minnesota State Fair and thought of me.  I wonder how many skeins of yarn that used.  My favorite Elvis memory is of Great Gran’s funeral.  At the chapel she had them play Amazing Grace, with Elvis singing it.  There she lie , with her little pearl necklace on , a good southern lady,  with Elvis singing her into heaven. She was also a huge Doogie  Howser fan.  All Y’all would have loved Great Gran.  

There were scarecrows who won prizes at our county fair.  I think I want one in our woods for fun. 

I do love a good scarecrow.  I believe they are 6.99 at JoAnn fabrics.  

As long as we are talking good deals and yarn, Crochetpatternsgalore has an amazing pattern for the SOUL SCRAPPY SCARF.  It is all boho and fun.  I’m sorry not to show the photo.  If you crochet and want something unique this may be your fall project. 

I’m all wigged out about copyright laws.  So sorry, blog buddies, you have to google things to see them for the rest of this post. 

Nobleknits has ROAM yarn on sale today.  It is a variegated yarn with a tweed twist going on.  I think it would be good for crazy fingerless gloves or mitts.  Or crazy pants slippers.  

This is what I’m reading .  I love Jen’s books.  She makes me laugh.  She’s a prayerful Erma Bombeck, that’s how I’d describe her.   I dumpster dove a new porch chair and I’ll be out there reading this later.  

That’s it for today.  There will be Monday Q and A even though it is Labor Day here in the States.  If you want to ask me a question , please do!  Maybe we could turn this one Monday around a bit. ….