Little House that is Scary

Sometimes I like to think "If my life was a show, what type of show would it be?"  I would like it to be fun and happy all the time, like a well-written sit-com.  When I am in self-pity and depression, it's like a Greek tragedy.  On the weekends my teen-agers are around more and my life resembles a daytime soap-opera.  Most afternoons I could host a cooking show and most evenings a knitting show.  My life could never be one of those programs like Little House or the Walton's where a problem arises, conflict ensues and all is resolved in the span of an hour (minus commercials).  But I wish it could!  I'd have the husband who is respected by the whole town and to whom everyone turns for wisdom.  I would always say supportive and kind things to my teen-agers and they would listen and apply my advice to their lives.  They would be tempted to do crazy things with the bad kids, but in the end would make good choices!
Okay, fantasy over.  Really my life is like the reality show that makes you throw things at the TV, yell at the people and call your friends to see if they are watching.
The weather here has been Hot Water Bottle Weather.  I am using mine almost constantly.  I keep the kettle on very low and refill often.  Christina recommended putting a few drops of essential oils on the cover to diffuse the fragrance and it is wonderful!  
Here's a picture of the hot water bottle cover that I knit for Christina.  Hi, Tina!

One Day at a Time

Hello, my friends!  I hope that you are all doing well today.  I have been fighting against some depression lately (or maybe I always am; it's just that sometimes I have the upper-hand and sometimes the depression does).  Anyway, I was reflecting that many, many of my friends and acquaintances seem to have issues with depression as well.  Yesterday, I read a little book by Dr. Henry Cloud called What to do when you Don't Know What to do.  I was irritated because so much of what he recommends that I do is exactly what I am unwilling to do when I am depressed. (Duh, that's why I am depressed).  Similar to losing weight.  The very things I need to change are the hardest things for me to change or I wouldn't be in this situation in the first place.

However, Justice demands that I concede that Dr. Cloud is right. So, one day at a time I will be applying his suggestions.  I am considering forming a group that could meet to support each other in this area.  Maybe through my church. 
Okay, so that is me "getting Real with you" about one aspect of my life.  Back to the knitting.  Last night was knitting group and I enjoyed it very much.  Thanks, ladies!  I worked on the Hermione.  Here is what I didn't work on, but if I can tear myself away from the Hermione scarf, I will finish it:

It's called "Inga Hat" and it's too tall.  Rebekah likes it though, so it is staying As Is and I just need to finish it up.  Thanks for checking in!

Christmas Stockings?

Okay, remember in the fall, when I was going to knit each of my children Christmas stockings?  Well, this is as far as I got:

Good news?  Now I have a whole 'nother year to plan to do something that I probably won't do.  I could even make out a schedule dividing the year into 5 equal parts (Theresa already has a stocking).  I could make short-term goals.  Maybe even calculate how many rows on average need to be completed each day?  Or...

Crazy Striped Socks

Today I am knitting on my most recent pair of socks because the Hermione Scarf and I decided we need a little time apart.  We had been spending so much time together, I was experiencing deminishing returns. 

Here are the socks that I knit for Tim in a yarn that only he, of all my children, would wear.  He prefers hand-knit socks so much that he either needs to learn to knit them himself or date only knitters.

I saw my neice, Jessica in Krogers last night and she mentioned that she'd like another pair of socks.  She requested that they be colorful like her first pair.  Well, I have just the yarn...about as colorful as can be.

I am going to knit her the Jaywalkers.  Tune in again soon and see!  (But first I will finish Ginny's birthday socks-agh!)

Playing with Wool on a Cold Winter's Day.

Zero Degrees this Morning!  Ugh!

I knit industriously on my Hermione's Scarf this week.  I added charted rows of my own choosing which complicated things a bit.  Even though I didn't like the first blue section, I knit for miles more before committing to taking it out.  Solution?  Cut the scarf in half, knit a better section and graft it back together.  You think I'm joking?  Alas, no joke.

Here I have isolated the offending section.

Here is my beautiful little scarf in two pieces.

Next:

1. I ripped back and put the stitches on a set of needles.
2. I selected a better chart and knit that section again.  This actually was the worst part.  I couldn't find a chart that went well with the rest of the scarf.  I was getting tired and cranky as a result of choosing knitting over sleep for several consecutive evenings.  After pouring over books, knitting and ripping out for hours, I finally found a pattern that I liked a lot in Andean Folk Knits.
3. I went to bed.
4. I finished knitting that section this morning and have begun the grafting process.
5. I ate a big salad while blogging because I can't eat and knit at the same time.

Here I have grafted it half way.  Very fiddly.

If you say you liked it better before, I will simply deny that you have good taste.  Some of the stitches are lumpy and bumpy from all the fuss, but I am confident that it will all come out in the wash.  (Blocking).

Thanks for checking in!  Please don't use this post as evidence at my insanity hearing.  ;)

The Feet that March for Life

Theresa and Spencer are heading down to D.C. this weekend for the March for Life and Theresa needed wool socks, so I knit these last week.  I really like this pattern.  It's fast and simple, but the cable down the sides makes it a bit fancy.
Last night, I had a blast messing around with the audio ebooks in our library system.  Even though doing anything on my computer is slow and glitchy and even though I am tech-challanged, I managed to get these audio book files to download and transfer to my ipod.  Yeah!  I have loads to listen to while I knit and I didn't even have to leave my house!  Love the library!!! 

Alive and Well

Hello, friends!  I am back after many weeks!  Thank you Sam (Heather) and Christina for asking me to blog!

Carol, Theresa and I have been teaching knitting at the library once a week.  It's going pretty well.  I have been getting back to my green smoothies and salads, which is helping me to feel better.  I am reading some books by Dr. Henry Cloud (about healthy boundaries and taking responsibility for my life).  Good stuff!

In my knitting life (which is what you have all grown accustomed to seeing here) I have been a sock-knitting whirlwind.  I made a pair for Tim, a pair for Theresa to wear at the March for Life, a pair for me, and I started another pair possibly for Eileen.  Eileen has thanked me repeatedly for the pair she got last fall and she is now my new favorite person!

Some time ago I bought a Rowan sweater kit on Ebay for cheap (the person didn't really know how to list it so that Rowan-collectors would see it).  I found the listing and bought it for the Magpie (a worsted weight that had been discontinued).  It included loads of a DK weight yarn as well, which I put aside in the stash without much thought.  WELL, last night I started knitting the Hermione Scarf (see Ravelry) with said DK weight yarn and I Can't Stop.  Well, I stopped long enough to tell you lot about it and to pin it to a board to show you:

I am not fussy about it matching the one worn by Hermione in Half-Blood Prince, but I am loving mixing around different color scemes and charts. Color knitting and cables have an appeal to them that I just cannot explain to a non-knitter.  Try it!  You will love it!

Moussaka Monday

Hello all!  Today I made a vegetarian moussaka.  No, it's not raw.  But moussaka is my weakness at the Greek festival and I thought I would try this meatless version from allrecipes.com.  I made extra bachemel sauce and it overflowed in the oven!

It looked better when the top browned a bit.

Also, I wanted to show Christina my linzortorte because I was telling her on Facebook that it looks like my kids made it, but I alone am responsible for the wonky weirdness.

Sarah says it looks sensational.  Mmmm!  It's dark because there's 1 Tbsp of cocoa in the dough, along with cinnamon and stuff.  It's supposed to be made well in advance and kept in the fridge, so we'll see how it tastes on Thanksgiving. 
Again-not raw.  I am starting to think I should have named this blog "The Catholic Cooking Knitter."
Speaking of knitting, tonight was our new knit-night.  (used to be Thursday, now it's Monday).  I didn't go.  I watched "The Lord of the Rings" with Spencer.  Sometimes, this is the priority.
For those who asked, the hot water bottle cover from yesterday was made out of left-over Rowan Kid Classic.  70 stitches on US #7.  Thanks for checking in!  God bless you all! 

I'm back!

Hello my friends!  I am back to the world of blogging after many weeks of silence.  I have been struggling hard against seasonal depression, the flu, teenage drama, and other single-mom-related stresses.  Thanks to anyone who was checking my blog in my absence!
I have been enjoying my work as kitchen staff. I meal-plan with the help of all-recipes.com and my recipe box.  As a result, I run to the store less frequently and my kids eat less convenience foods.  Also, we are starting our holiday baking and cooking.  I did a trial-run Thanksgiving meal (mostly because I never host Thanksgiving, so I like to do one at our house).  We watched a Thanksgiving DVD of Good Eats and brined the turkey as suggested.  The meat was good, but the gravy was uber-salty.  (Alton Brown doesn't make gravy, so he didn't mention that).
Spencer came back from the Apostolic school and is going to the local Catholic school now.  Also Theresa is doing online classes thru the local high school.  So the past few weeks the order and routine of my life has been obliviated, if obliviated is the word I mean.  I don't do well with change.  It's starting to settle in now, though.  Phew.
My hands have not been idle.  Here is one of the projects I have completed for Christmas, but which will probably be given to the recipient this week because I cannot wait to give people their gifts:

One of my sisters is using her vacation time to go to Disney this week by herself.  One of my other sisters just got back from a pilgrimage to Italy where she saw Padre Pio's town and had mass in St. Peter's and went to Benedict's monastery...  I am not jealous, though, because I am happy for both of them and I know that God has wonderful plans for me, too.  On Black Friday, my sisters and mother and I are going to see Harry Potter.  And the same group is going to see the musical Christmas Carol in Pittsburgh during Christmas week.  Yeah!  AND Wicked is coming to Pittsburgh in September.  I am very excited as I have been wanting to take my girls to see it for a couple of years, now.  Hopefully, we can have enough lemonade sales to buy tickets for all of us!

A Pretty Thing

Happy All Saints Day!  Did you go to mass yet?  It's not obligatory in my diocese, but I'm not sure why.  I mean, do they think that it's too harsh to make folks go to mass on a Holy day if it falls on either side of a Sunday?  I think we'll survive!  Christmas falls on a Saturday this year.  Hmmm.

Well, I am not done with the first one yet, but I thought I'd show you Ginny's birthday sock(s).  I am also using this opportunity to show off the socks that I finished today that are for me (the ones on my feet in the picture).  Don't tell Ginny I was knitting for me when I was supposed to be knitting for her!  Actually, I needed mindless knitting today and that meant not knitting her crazy-cables-and-twists-socks.

I am pretty happy with the way Ginny's are coming out, but for some reason I am over the moon about my own!  Not sure if you can see their true beauty, the right one's not that dark in real life.  This is the first pair that I have knit for me.  I have 2 pair that were kind-of "factory rejects."  Now I have my very own!

I am still cleansing.  My kids are pretty happy because apparently I cook like a fiend for them whenever I am on the Cleanse.  You know that scene in the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie when Barbossa is watching Elisabeth eat and he says, "And the apples?  One of those?"  I go around feeding everyone and saying "And the apples?  One of those?"  Today I made my Grandmother's Bread Pudding, but don't worry, I won't show you.  My kitchen counters are too messy.  :)