Boundaries

Not much knitting going on right now due to a marathon of "Murder She Wrote."  Someone save me from myself!
I did do a bit of knitting during our all-night thunderstorm last night.  I listened to a Rex Stout audiobook and worked on a sock.  Nothing to show you yet, so I have a picture of some pretty cool socks that I knit for Spencer last year.

Maze Socks

This weekend I've been listening to Boundaries on tape in the car.   I like it, but I have to tell you that I don't have very good boundaries.  Like the pattern on these socks, my boundaries tend to twist and turn in order to avoid unpleasantness, others' anger or disappointment, my own fears...  It's good to have these things brought to my attention through these tapes and cds, but I'm tempted to get discouraged and overwhelmed.  The voices in my head are also kind of mean.

One day at a time!

Patron Saint of Woolworkers

Hello, my friends!

As I mentioned before, we are in the midst of our free month of Netflix and therefore watching excessive amounts of movies and TV shows.  I did take time this morning for prayer and I learned something new.  The Magnificat has an article each month on a piece of sacred art.  This month it is the depiction of Saint Blaise in the Sistine chapel. 

You probably knew this, but I didn't:  St. Blaise is the Patron Saint of woolworkers because of the instruments used for his torture.  Those scary-looking spiky combs are used to comb out wool in preparation for its being spun into yarn.  Not something I would want to be tortured with.  Now I have a new Patron Saint!

Have a great weekend!

P.S. St. Catherine looks like a swimmer on the 1976 East German Olympic team.

Snowstorm Sloth

Hello, all!  Well, a late season snowstorm after a 3-day weekend...

I broke down and signed up for the free trial month of Netflix.  We don't have television, so even though nine-tenths of the good movies are only available on disc, we have found enough "watch now" movies to keep us pretty occupied.  We can watch them through the wii or the xbox or the PC and we are getting our money's worth (or lack of money's worth).  I am definitely not going to pay for it after our free trial period is over and that is contributing to our "must watch as much TV as possible" attitude.

Needless to say, no new knitting pictures today!  I can feel my brain draining and my knitting muscles atrophying!

Pretty Mitten

Hello, my faithful readers!  I hope that you are having a blessed Presidents' Day!

Today has been a nice, relaxing day.  I have been messing around on the computer, listing an old dog crate in the classifieds, listening to The Hobbit on CD... I finished up the thumb of the first Hermione Mitten so that you could see it:

Hermione's Mittens

One drawback to stranded knitting like this is weaving in all the loose ends.  It's a good mindless task to do when my kids want me to watch a movie with them.

See you soon!

Great Reflection for Christian Knitters

Hello, my friends!  I want to share the reflection from February 18th in God Calling because it's so great for knitters (and non-knitters):

"So trust and be no more afraid than a child would be, who places its tangled skein of wool in the hands of a loving mother, and runs out to play, pleasing the mother more by its unquestioning confidence than if it went down on its knees and implored her help, which would pain her the rather, as it would imply she was not eager to help when help was needed."

I love this reflection and I want to have such confidence in God's goodness!  Also, I really hate tangled wool!  It's a waste of precious knitting time and a big-time frustration (just like life's problems!).

This weekend, I am knitting a HWBC for my sister who uses a HWB but doesn't have one of my covers.  Her birthday is in May, so I will probably give it to her while it is still cold:

Hot Water Bottle Cover for Susie

Next are Ginny's socks... Agh!

Newest HWBC

Hello!  The weather is so cheery and warm!  Yesterday, I walked on the track and today Rebekah, Sarah and I walked in the cemetery (It's historic).  It is supposed to get cold again, but for now it's wonderful!

I finished the latest hot water bottle cover and am very pleased. 

HWBC made with Manos Del Uruguay Silk Blend

It was a nice break from the family of Hermione projects.  I am working on the mittens and then I will be done!  I am sort of ready to be done.

Still listening to my "self-improvement" cds.  The only way I can listen to them and not get over-whelmed by the enormous quantity of things that need changing is to give it all to God and say, "Show me what is important to You today.  Baby-steps to better choices!"

God bless you all and thanks for checking in!

Hello on Wednesday!

Hello!  I am enjoying a book-on-CD in the car called 9 Things You Simply Must Do to succeed in Love and Life by Dr. Henry Cloud (continuing my perusal of his collected works).  I decided that I would listen to improving books in the car and entertaining books while knitting.  I think it's great that the kids hear bits as I drive them hither and thither.  Especially since they see precious few of these positive life strategies lived-out in the lives of their parents! 

Here's a sock that will probably be for Eileen when its mate is finished:

Lovely Cable-Rib Sock

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day!  I hope you had a good weekend!

My sister brought me a bouquet from Jesus to me!  Thanks, Jesus!

Here it is with the Hot Water Bottle Cover that I started this weekend.  God Bless you all!

Macro-Cleaning and Micro-Cleaning

Hello, all!  Sadly, I haven't been knitting for a couple of days.  I have been (insert a shudder) cleaning.  I am not an expert cleaner, cleaning being something I like to keep low on my To-Do list.  I have an idea, however that the procedure should begin with what might be called the Macro-Cleaning.  Straightening the possessions, throwing out the junk, vacuuming... and then comes the Micro-Cleaning.  The little detail work.  Whenever I set out to clean, I immediately get caught-up in the minutia and loose sight of the bigger picture.  For example, "Look at this stack of paperwork, the bottom of which has dates which coincide with my high school graduation."  Or, "Look at how filthy the knobs are on this cabinet."  And off I go.  Three hours later, the house is still a mess, but the garbage is full of shredded paper and I have darn clean knobs.

Today I set out to clean two rooms, having formed a plan that will supposedly have my house clean and my Christmas decorations put away within... well,  a reasonable amount of time.  I cleaned out the breakfront instead:

I am going to use it to store candles for my Salt City Candle business.  As you can see, my inventory currently consists of about 6 candles.  Unfortunately, I have an attachment for each of them which will prevent me from parting with them.  Not only am I cleaning-challenged, I am selling-challenged, too!

One of Those Days

Hello, my friends!  When I woke up this morning, I knew I had a busy morning to look forward to.  Knitting class, dentist appointments, driving children around.

What better day to have a flat tire!  My sincerest thanks to Ginny for suggesting that I get some "fix-a-flat" and to the various men who assisted me during my ordeal!  My two sons who were stranded at the dentist until I got back to pick them up deserve a shout-out as well.  They were about as patient and cheerful about their share in the morning's trials as you might expect.  I was very grateful to be home, snuggled up with my hot water bottle and my new copy of "God Calling."

By the way, the smell of "fix-a-flat" is unpleasant and surprisingly long-lasting.

Here is the Hermione Scarf with the recently-completed matching hat:

And here's a close-up of the hat on Theresa's head:

Thanks for checking in!

Green Smoothies

Hello!  Today I decided to take a picture of my new favorite products.  I use almond milk or coconut milk in my green smoothies, but am happy to have found a short-cut to making my own.  It's good, it's quick, it's not too pricey when it's on sale...  I know it's not Raw, but it's good enough for me!

My Cinnamon Banana Green Smoothie and Silk Products

I just saw an advertisement for a Raw Food and Anti-Cancer Seminar in my town beginning on the 13th of this month.  I might look into it.

I hope that you are all healthy and happy!  God Bless!

Picture of Domesticity

Hello, all!  Today I am posting a photo of knitting and cooking because Christina tells me that she enjoys the pictures of domesticity:

The hat to match the Hermione scarf and the tortillas that I made for dinner.

I am going to try to finish the hat tonight.  Knitting night was cancelled due to the weather, so I will listen to a "Jeeves and Wooster" audio book and try to tune-out the crazy wildness that surrounds me.

Oh, speaking of audio books, I've been meaning to tell you about Life Without Limits.  We watched Nick Vujicic's videos on YouTube (No arms no legs no worries) and that led us to borrow his book and audio book from the library.  I encourage you to experience any and all of the above.  My kids and I are very blessed by this man's testimony and I think you will be, too.  He inspires me to keep my thoughts and attitudes in check, to guard against negativity and to make sure that what I am believing is the Truth.  Good Stuff!!!

The Two Sides of Me

In the interest of "keeping it real" I was sort of tempted to take a picture of my kitchen counter this morning.  Lest anyone should be overly impressed by the clever knitter in me, I felt that he or she should also see the slacker side as well.  Yin and yang don't you know?  Cooler heads prevailed, and the temptation went away.  Actually, the dishes went away, too.  After the laying on of some healthy guilt, my sweet Rebekah washed them.  Thanks Reba!

Along the same lines (my having two sides), I have noticed a battle waging within me between the Creative Me and the Accountant Me.  I love having a stash of yarn from which to choose projects for knitting.  I enjoy collecting different colors and fibers, similar to an artist having a palette.  However...I definitely have an accountant inside me.  When planning a project and envisioning the beautiful colors and textures, the accountant wants to know if we are using the yarn efficiently.  Will there be enough yarn?  If there's extra yarn, will it be enough for another project?  Will this be the wisest use of this yarn?  Creative Me wants to drive Accountant Me out into the country and leave her on the side of the road.  For those of you who write, you may notice a similar conflict between Creative Writer and Editor.  While these parent-like sides are necessary, the child-like sides are more fun.  The following photo makes Creative Me very happy.  It makes Accountant Me nervous.

Rowan Designer DK Collected for projects similar to the Hermione Scarf, 'cause that was way fun!

Hermione and Hearing the Lord

Hello, everyone!  Well, the Hermione Scarf is on the blocking board.  Half of it, anyway.  I will model it when the whole thing is blocked and dry.  It is about 6 feet long.  The red and white gingham board doesn't provide a very suitable background, so I have pillowcases covering the board.

Pretty cool, eh?

It looked straight when I was pinning it, but now it looks wonky.

Often when I am visiting with a friend or family member I like to ask, "What is the Lord doing in your life?"  I usually receive a deeper response than if I ask, "How are you doing?"  Well, I have to tell you a funny thing that the Lord is doing in my life.  I told you that I have had the blues this winter.  I also told you that my sister gave me a book this week called, "Jesus Calling" and that it's good stuff.  Well, yesterday I was calling ladies to see if anyone wants to have a candle party (I sell Salt City Candles).  While talking with one woman, she started telling me of a book that she keeps with her Bible and reads frequently.  She buys them in bulk and asks God to let her know who might be blessed by having a copy.  She felt because of what I had been sharing with her (clearly we had moved off the topic of candles) that God wanted her to give me one.  Do you want to know what it is called?  "God Calling."  She dropped it off and it is really great!  I think that God is saying that contrary to my belief, He has not forgotten or abandoned me.  Clearly, He is calling!  Both books are a daily reflection format and have "zingers" that both convict and encourage me.  Wow!

Sunshine, Hurray!

We are having a blue-sky day today!  Those of you living in an area with complete cloud-cover all winter will understand the significance of this!  Spirits are lifted, hearts lightened...  We wonder why we have been melancholy and morose when clearly life is fabulous and the world is a glorious place!  Just look at the sunlight shining on my daughter as she knits on her second colorway hat:

Notice how comfy she looks in MY knitting corner.  Hmph.

I didn't get around to blocking Hermione.  Sorry, I know you are sitting at your monitors, waiting to see it.  One more day, I swear!

Theresa's First Colorwork Project

Hi, all!  Yesterday, my 14-year-old daughter Theresa started her first colorwork project and today, she completed it!

Isn't it fantastic?  I am very proud!

She had to alter a pattern and everything!  If you want to tell her that you like it, her Ravelry handle is "yes1knit."  If you think that colorwork is too advanced for you, think again!  You, too can knit with two colors!  Watch youtube videos! 

I am finished knitting the Hermione Scarf and finished weaving in the ends, but I have to wash it and block it before you get to see it.  So tune in tomorrow!

Knitting Class and Jesus Calling

Hello all!
I have been teaching a knitting class at the public library on Wednesday mornings and it is going really well.  Each Wednesday brings a few new ladies and a few of the ladies from the previous weeks.  Slowly and steadily I am doing my part to increase the number of knitters in the world.  Soon, the take-over will be complete!  Next week, I will try to remember to take a picture of our little group to post for you.
My sister, Susie is working on a take-over of a different nature.  She is purchasing and passing out copies of a book called "Jesus Calling" by Sarah Young.  She gave me one and it is powerful stuff!  Yesterday's page is a zinger that hits me right where I am:  "Follow Me one step at a time.  That is all I require of you..." (Gets even better, about not fearing the mountains ahead, etc.).
I am listening to audio books during my knitting hours and loving it.  I just finished Around the World in 80 Days and enjoyed it very much.  It was so interesting to listen to a 19th century frenchman's perspective on the world.  (Especially the bits about the USA).  So Good!  Read it!  I know you will like it!