Time does fly... and so does my daughter

I can hardly believe that the last post I made on here was in late March and here it is now, mid-May.

This morning, as she was playing with one of our pets (I like to say he's a moose in cat's disguise), the cat started chasing her. She ran into something in her room and slashed her toe (deeply). We wound up spending four hours at the hospital.

My little drama queen is playing this one to the hilt! She not only charmed the entire emergency room, she strolled out on a pair of crutches (in my opinion, not necessary, but I'm not a doctor and don't play one on T.V.) clutching the note in her hand that gets her out of gym and field day this week. Ah, the life. It's amazing what a little glue (no stitches for my princess) and a pair of crutches can do to boost a kid's feelings about themselves.

On the knitting front, after going from the emergency room to X-ray, back to the emergency room, back to X-ray, I took out my mystery shawl #3 and worked like mad on it. A skein and a half left to go and I can start mystery shawl number 4. I can't believe I set this goal for myself and it's actually going to happen. I'll post pictures after they're all completed and blocked, prior to giving them away.

I am so looking forward to giving these to their intended recipients (who are, at this point, TOTALLY clueless). I'm particularly proud of the one I created in my own design (absolutely accidentally), but it has given me the courage to try and write my own pattern for a new shawl after my "crunch time" is over. Come the summer, I'm getting out my colored pens and my graph paper and I'm gonna get it done.

Until next time (and hopefully it wont' be another two months).

Knitters Rock

I stumbled across this blog today, in search of patterns for felted bags. Through her blog, knitandrip.blogspot.com,I met Devon. Her blog is great and she is wonderful.

I posted a question to her and, literally within minutes, had the answer I've been looking for, for months.

Knitters are a great bunch of people. Thanks, Devon!

Someone new is being added...

to my family and I just finished her gift. My niece is due to give birth in the 3rd week of April and I was rushing like mad to finish her gift. Guess what? I did it!

You have to understand, I adore my nephew and his wife and I am simply thrilled that they are giving my grandnephew a sister next month. They are a wonderful, loving, young family and deserve the best life they can have.

In honor of my grandniece's impending birth, I wanted my gift to have more meaning than the simple things I usually make, so I got a little creative and did a striped blanket (hopefully they are not reading this and will be surprised) where each stripe has meaning (at least to me).

The pictures are hard to see, but here goes:

Stripe number one is the "Tree of Life" stripe because I hope they all have many long years together as the loving family that they are;



Stripe number two was just an easy stripe because my hope for them is that she is an easy baby and they gets lots of rest.



Stripe number three is the Love stripe (you have to look hard to see it). It represents the love that this baby will be enveloped in.



Stripe four is the winding cable stripe because that's how life is. It winds around but it just keeps going.



The final stripe is the heart stripe to represent the love that is in their nuclear family and those of us in the extended family, showing how we feel about each other.

I hope this has as much meaning for them as they use this gift, as it did for me when I made it.

How about this for visual DNA?

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

And just in case my hug does not keep me warm...

I have completed my arm warmers!



They are made from the very luscious Henry's Attic Inca Cotton in the Desert Colorway.



I decided that wrist warmers would just not do it for me. So I continued up to my upper arm.



Man, these are warm and toasty. And I think they are gorgeous, if I do say so myself. See for yourself. Here they are, laying on my very beautiful, new, kitchen floor, and modeled on my own arms (makes for awkward picture taking, but that's okay):

I'm wearing my hug...

Somebody loves me, yes they do!

Ever since I lost weight, I'm cold all the time. Even in the summer when people are sweltering, I barely break a sweat. Well, this winter has been terrible for me. I waited and waited for the snows to come (I love to look out my bedroom window at the snow covered trees) and now that they have, I can't get warm.

I had a bridal shower to go to last week, in Manhattan, somewhere I rarely go unless I've got tickets to Broadway. After the shower I decided to stop at my sister's and surprise her, see if she were free, and have supper with her.

I did, she was, and supper at the Polish restaurant we chose was absolutely delicious. The only problem was, through the entire time in the restaurant, I was freezing. I kept my coat on over my shoulders and my hands in my pits and still I could not get warm.

On the way back to drop her at her apartment, she says to me: "Do you remember the gray sweater I knit daddy all those years ago?" I sure did. It was the most magnificent cardigan I had ever seen. It was worn by him, with pride, for years. It was well loved. When daddy passed, it went to mommy who continued to wear it with pride. It was still well loved. When mom died and I cleaned out her things, it was gone.

For years I searched everywhere to find a copy of that pattern. I was on a mission to find it so I could make it for myself. It is now many, many, years later and my searching has proved fruitless. I have never been able to find the pattern and, therefore, never able to duplicate the sweater. But I digress.

She went on to say, "Stay right here. I have another one and I'm going to give it to you." She ran upstairs to her apartment and was back moments later, bag in hand. In this bag was an almost identical version of the sweater she'd made my dad all those years ago, but this one is beige. Her best friend George gave her this wool years ago and she created this sweater from it. It's magnigicent. And it's mine.

I photographed it the night I brought it home. I planned to start wearing it immediately, but then the weather warmed up. It was almost spring-like yesterday. So it sat on my couch all day looking lost. This morning, it was supposed to be warm again, but there is a distinct chill in the air and I heard it's going to be 18 degrees tonight by the time I leave my friend's house. I pulled it off the couch and threw it on. I've been wearing it all day and, let me tell you, I feel like I'm wearing a hug. I know that we love each other very much, but I'm wearing her love on my back and it feels so good.

Back of Sweater

I've decided...

that when I really need to think, I knit. Haven't quite figured out why that is, but I know I do my best thinking and figuring things out while I knit. Some of my best advice, to myself and others, comes through knitting times.

I often wonder why, over the years, I give it up for such long stretches of time. My current fascination with it has already lasted longer in this one stretch than it ever has before. I also know that I'm a much more talented knitter and way more creative now than I have ever been in my history.

Lots of things are on my mind right now... how certain friends and family are doing. Wishing I was geographically nearer to some when I feel they need me the most. I find that I knit a lot for others (way, WAY, more than for myself) and it's my way of giving them a hug when I can't physically be there for them.

So, my loves, (you know who you are), if you are reading this (and I know some of you do), please take this post as being directed at you, know that it's coming straight from my heart and understand that this is the hug and the shoulder that you need right now. I'm here for you in whatever capacity I can be. Stay in touch.

I couldn't help myself

so I started a new project last night. I'm so cold I can't stand it. It was in single digits here today for most of the day. I had to start arm warmers for myself. I found a pattern that is exquisite and the perfect yarn jumped right out of one of my boxes, screaming "use me! use me!" so I did.

I'm using a beautiful beigey (is that a word?) white mixture from Henry's Attic. It's a thick and thin and is so amazingly soft and luscious. I can't wait to finish these and start wearing them. I'm about half-way through with the first one and know that I will finish these quickly. Once I'm done, I'll post the pictures. I think the cable gets somewhat lost in it, but I don't care. I think they will be gorgeous.

Also, I saw this outrageously beautiful sweater on a blog the other day and I want to figure out the pattern. Seems the pattern is only available on a certain yarn retailer's site, and only if you buy the yarn from them, so I'm determined to figure out the pattern and then knit it from my stash. I'll post that picture once I figure out how to write the pattern for it.

Seems like this year will be the year of multiple projects for me. I'm jazzed.

Now that I'm done with two major projects...

and although I have about four projects already going, I'm itching to start something new. I know I will complete the ongoing projects, but I have yarns jumping off my shelves screaming my name in order to get knit.

I have to complete at least four shawls between now and June, as well as assorted projects already on my needles. Do you think I'll make myself crazy if I start a few more things that I can rotate as the boredom strikes? Right now my favorite thing to do is knit while catching up on Boston Legal and Law and Order.

Oh well. Gotta make up my mind. In the meantime, I think I'll go put that package together to get in the mail tomorrow...

To my sockret pal

It's been so much fun shopping and knitting for you. I've just put together your final package and I'm so excited. I hope you really enjoyed this swap as much as I enjoyed preparing each package for you.

This one (I think) is the best one yet. Once you find out who I am, I hope that you'll post your comments about the final package here. I think it's really great.

Here's what your socks look like...

You said you like jewel tones and this was the closest I could get to those colors:


Here's a close-up of the heel.


The toes seem a bit pointy when they are off the foot, but I had my 9 year old try them on (believe it or not, her feet are bigger than yours) and they are perfectly comfortable when on the foot.

I hope you enjoy them.

The rest of your goodies will remain a secret until you get the box. I'm mailing it tomorrow, so you should have it by no later than Thursday. This has been so much fun!

Can anyone help me? (Again)...

I really want to put in the graph or chart type stuff that measures your progress on the projects you do so I can see where I stand with all my unfinished objects (way more of those than I ever had in the past). I've googled every topic I can think of that might offer me the setups, but all to no avail.

If you stumble across my blog and know how I can put up progress on different items, can you please leave me a comment on this post telling me what to do, or, if we know each other well enough that you have my e-mail address, can you write me? I'm becoming obsessed with this.

Thanks, in advance, for any help you can give me.

Ya know, tests can be fun...

I took a test today to see what my full name means. I used my full name (minus the married version that I use sometimes and not others).

It's long, but check out the results I got. I just think this is "so me..." hahahaha.

The results were:

There are 20 letters in your name.
Those 20 letters total to 94
There are 8 vowels and 12 consonants in your name.

What your first name means:Hebrew Female Variant of Deborah: Bee. Deborah was the Biblical prophetess who summoned Barak to battle against an army of invaders. After the battle she wrote a victory song which is part of the Book of Judges.


Your number is: 4

The characteristics of #4 are: A foundation, order, service, struggle against limits, steady growth.

The expression or destiny for #4:
Order, service, and management are the cornerstones of the number 4 Expression. Your destiny is to express wonderful organization skills with your ever practical, down-to-earth approach. You are the kind of person who is always willing to work those long, hard hours to push a project through to completion. A patience with detail allows you to become expert in fields such as building, engineering, and all forms of craftsmanship. Your abilities to write and teach may lean toward the more technical and detailed. In the arts, music will likely be your choice. Artistic talents may also appear in such fields as horiculture and floral arrangement, as well. Many skilled physicians and especially surgeons have the 4 Expression.

The positive attitudes of the 4 Expression yield responsibility; you are one who no doubt, fulfills obligations, and is highly systematic and orderly. You are serious and sincere, honest and faithful. It is your role to help and you are required to do a good job at everything you undertake.

If there is too much 4 energies present in your makeup, you may express some of the negative attitudes of the number 4. The obligations that you face may tend to create frustration and feelings of limitation or restriction. You may sometimes find yourself nursing negative attitudes in this regard and these can keep you in a rather low mood. Avoid becoming too rigid, stubborn, dogmatic, and fixed in your opinions. You may have a tendency to develop and hold very strong likes and dislikes, and some of these may border on the classification of prejudice. The negative side of 4 often produces dominant and bossy individuals who use disciplinarian to an excess. These tendencies must be avoided. Finally, like nearly all with 4 Expression, you must keep your eye on the big picture and not get overly wrapped up in detail and routine.

Your Soul Urge number is: 6

A Soul Urge number of 6 means:
With a number 6 Soul Urge, you would like to be appreciated for your ability to handle responsibility. Your home and family are likely to be a strong focus for you, perhaps the strongest focus of your life. Friendship, love, and affection are high on your list of priorities for a happy life. You have a lot of diplomatic tendencies in your makeup, as you a able to rectify and balance situations with an innate skill. You like working with people rather than by yourself. It is extremely important for you to have harmony in your environment at all times.

The positive side of the 6 Soul Urge produces a huge capacity for responsibility; you are always there and ready to assume more than your share of the load. If you possess positive 6 Soul Urges and express them, you are known for your generosity, understanding and deep sympathetic attitude. Strong 6 energy is very giving of love, affection, and emotional support. You may have the inclination to teach or serve your community in other idealistic ways. You have natural abilities to help people. You are also likely to have artistic and creative leanings.

If you have an over-supply of 6 energy in your makeup, you may express some of the negative traits common to this number. With such a strong sympathetic attitude, it is easy to become too emotional. Sometimes the desires to render help can be over done, and it can become interfering and an attitude that is too protective, rather than helpful. The person with too much 6 energy often finds that people tend to take advantage of this very giving spirit. You may tend to repress your own needs so that you can cater to the demands from others. At times, there may be a tendency in this, for becoming over-loaded with such demands, and as a result become resentful.

Your Inner Dream number is: 7

An Inner Dream number of 7 means:
You dream of having the opportunity to read, study, and shut yourself off from worldly distractions. You can see yourself as a teacher, mystic, or ecclesiastic, spending your life in the pursuit of knowledge and learning.

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So, now you know all about me. What do you think? If you want to see what your full name means, click definition of name to see what your name means. It's fascinating.

Couple of fun tests coming your way...

Your Dominant Intelligence is Linguistic Intelligence

You are excellent with words and language. You explain yourself well. An elegant speaker, you can converse well with anyone on the fly. You are also good at remembering information and convicing someone of your point of view. A master of creative phrasing and unique words, you enjoy expanding your vocabulary. You would make a fantastic poet, journalist, writer, teacher, lawyer, politician, or translator.

What Kind of Intelligence Do You Have?

You Have Fantastic Karma

You are a kind, sensitive, and giving person. And all your good deeds will pay off - if they haven't already. But you're not so concerned with what you get in return anyway. You have an innate caring nature - and nothing can change that!

How's Your Karma?

You Are 80% Psychic

You are so very psychic. But you already predicted that, didn't you? You have "the gift" - and you use it daily to connect with others. You're very tapped into the world around you... Just make sure to use your powers for good!

Are You Psychic?

You Belong in 1967

If you scored... 1950 - 1959: You're fun loving, romantic, and more than a little innocent. See you at the drive in! 1960 - 1969: You are a free spirit with a huge heart. Love, peace, and happiness rule - oh, and drugs too. 1970 - 1979: Bold and brash, you take life by the horns. Whether you're partying or protesting, you give it your all! 1980 - 1989: Wild, over the top, and just a little bit cheesy. You're colorful at night - and successful during the day. 1990 - 1999: With you anything goes! You're grunge one day, ghetto fabulous the next. It's all good!

What Year Do You Belong In?

Your Values Profile

Loyalty: You value loyalty highly. You're loyal to your friends... But if they cross you, you will reconsider your loyalties. Staying true to others is important to you, but you also stay true to yourself. Honesty: You value honesty tremendously. You're honest, but you aren't a stickler for it. If a little white lie will make a situation more comfortable, you may or may not go for it. In the end, you mostly care about "situational integrity." Generosity: You value generosity highly. So much so that you often put your own needs last. There's nothing wrong with having a caring heart... But you may want to rethink your "open wallet" policy. Humility: You value humility highly. You have the self-confidence to be happy with who you are. And you don't need to seek praise to make yourself feel better. You're very modest, and you're keep the drama factor low. Tolerance: You value tolerance highly. Not only do you enjoy the company of those very different from you... You do all that you can to seek it out interesting and unique friends. You think there are many truths in life, and you're open to many of them.

The Five Factor Values Test

You are as old as you feel... and I'm 24! Hahahaha

You Are 24 Years Old

Under 12: You are a kid at heart. You still have an optimistic life view - and you look at the world with awe. 13-19: You are a teenager at heart. You question authority and are still trying to find your place in this world. 20-29: You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences. 30-39: You are a thirtysomething at heart. You've had a taste of success and true love, but you want more! 40+: You are a mature adult. You've been through most of the ups and downs of life already. Now you get to sit back and relax.

What Age Do You Act?

To my spoiler (you know who you are, and I don't!)

I just wanted to let you know that, although I don't know you, I think of you almost daily. As I sit at my computer with the CD that you made for me playing in the drive, I can't help but think of you with gratitude and friendship. Your choices of music absolutely warm my heart and I am totally enjoying all 19 songs. Prior to your sending me this CD, I only knew one of the songs (the 3rd one, Springsteen, I think) but now I know and love them all.

Thanks for your kindness and sharing these songs with me. I treasure this CD on a daily basis.

At long last, I'm back...

Somehow things in cyberspace work magically yeah, right! and my cookies got disabled. I didn't know this for the longest time and could not figure out how to get back into my blog. I finally bit the proverbial bullet and wrote my computer king (also known as my nephew Eric) and he zipped me back the answer, so here I am.

Things are going well. I've missed posting here though.

I have been thinking about ways to improve this with interesting progress charts of how I'm doing with my UFO's and what's on my needles, what I want to do, etc., but can't seem to find those neat little items that people have on their blogs showing the percentage of something completed. I'm really on a mission to find one I like so I can add it.

Best news is, I finished the Fibonacci sweater that I started making Zoe two years ago and put down for a year. If any of you ever see me doing something with this kind of colorwork (where the colors change every few rows or so) please feel free to rip it out of my hands and off my needles and remind me of this post. But, since's it's complete, I may as well show you how freakin' great it came out how it looks.



And the best part of it is that I waited long enough so it fits her perfectly now. It tapers at the waist the way it's expected to, the length is perfect and the sleeves are perfect. The only problem is it's a little snug going over her head (but I'll stretch it). It looks spectacular on her.

Now I've got to finish the denim and dark blue sweater I started for her two years ago that should also fit her perfectly this winter and, perhaps, next winter too.

Now I'm working on finishing a pair of socks for my sock-ret pal and that will complete the swap for me. I've got all her goodies together for her last package, just have to finish the socks.

OTN: for my niece: a new baby blanket for her daughter-to-be (due in April), so I'm working on a few different things at once, and that normally drives me nuts, but so far, I'm okay with all these projects. I carry the smaller ones around with me and do them in my free time. The bigger ones stay beside my bed and I work on them early in the morning or late at night and I'm hopeful that 2007 will be the year of many completed objects that have been hanging over my head around for quite some time.

Just Not Enough Time in the Day...

for me to do all I want to do. Wah! (Okay, I'm done whining now.)

Started writing this post at about 9 this morning. Kept the window minimized all day and finally got back to it at 10:30 p.m. Where did the time go?

Let's see... I desperately had to do some unnecessary shopping that should have taken about 1/2 hour but took 3 hours instead. Then, I had to make a gazillion three or four phone calls to straighten out medical insurance stuff, then I wanted to work on the website and see how far I could get without having to stick needles in my eye but a friend came over to shop in my stash instead and whoops! I found myself ordering some more yarn to throw on the shelf in my closet along with the rest of my stash make a couple of blankets. Then it was time to go and get my daughter and the rest of the day was taken up with her. Not too productive, I'd say, and still, have you seen me mention that I got any knitting done?

Noooooooooo....

I have not gotten any knitting done since Monday. Not even in bed at 4 a.m. when I wake up or 11 p.m. when I watch TV for a couple of hours... not a single, solitary stitch!

Buuuuuutttt...

While my friend was over, she said there was a package for me on the front step, along with my mail and would I like her to bring it inside? Sure... thanks!

So in she marches with a priority mail envelope, looking at me, trying to make me feel guilty for ordering more yarns... except I didn't order anymore yarns... honest, I really didn't... well, I did, but they have not arrived yet...

So I opened the package, and what did I see, but my sock-ret pal's next "installment" on my spoiling... Check out these goodies... I know, I know, the picture sucks.



What you don't see is that the strawberry chocolate wrapper is already empty... the PEZ candies are all down my throat and the snowflake crystals, as well as this incredibly great smelling bar of handmade soap (yum!) will be hitting the tub tomorrow night! The Regia "Crazy Colors" that I got are truly crazy and I love them. Fuschia, purples, greens, blues and orange. And guess what? The colors work beautifully together. These will make a gorgeous pair of socks! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

New year is coming quicker than I care to think about and I am not one to make resolutions, however I will make one. I plan to write more frequently on this blog. I really enjoy it when I do get around to it and I want to do it more often, so I think I will set an outlook reminder for myself every couple of days to come in here and add something. Let's see how long this resolution lasts. It's got to be better than all the failed diet resolutions I made all my life.

I'm going upstairs now to watch some TV. I'm taking my knitting. I can live in hope, can't I?

Just in time, before vacation...

Look what I came home to waiting on my porch...


I bet you think it's two dogs just hanging out in the window waiting for me to get home, but NO... it's the great card my sockret pal picked to send me. I LOVE it!

And this...


In case you can't see it well, I got this really great skein of UrbanGypz sock yarn in Playing With Matches colorway, a can of Bentley's white tea (which will wait for a cold winter morning when I can sit, knitting and drinking some tea, yum!), a personally made CD of almost folksy music (that I love), an origami project, a pad straight out of the 50s for my little notes to myself (i.e. -- note to self, do NOT forget to print out boarding passes for the morning!) and a bag of pernigotti chocloate that I am fighting with myself not to rip right into and throw down my throat open so I can take them on the plane with me.

I'd love to write more, but time is fleeting and I've gotta load of wash to finish so I can start packing (nothing like last minute for me... hahahahaha). More when I get back on the 12th...

Thanks a bunch, sockret pal, you are terrific!

There's some happy dancin' goin' on...

out there in another part of the country.

My sock-ret pal got the package I sent the other day and man, was she happy! I'm just loving shopping for her. Buying stuff for someone you don't know can be difficult, but when you figure out what someone might like and then they actually do like it, it's a ton of fun.

Some days you have an "ah ha" moment...

And then you just have to kick your own butt... like between yesterday and today I spent hours uploading pictures just so I could show my trip to Rhinebeck. They looked lovely on my site, but then when I went to brag about my shots show my friend my blog, all you saw were these tiny boxes where my pictures should have been.

How ANNOYING is that???

So I got really pissed off and shut down the page and didn't give it anymore of my time. Then, as I was sitting here doing something entirely unrelated, it just came to me. Ah ha! That was the problem...

So, I've corrected the stupidty problem on my end and my pictures in my Rhinebeck post should now be visible. Tell me what you think...