My Awesome New Bag Makes An Appearance!

   Last month, my friend Kim told me about a bag she was buying for her mom for Festivus. Festivus is a holiday for the rest of us. I don't have a problem with Christmas, if only people would accept that a certain "walked on water" guy was most definitely *not* born on the 25th of December. AND that the early Christian Church hijacked the Pagan's Winter Solstice festivities, and have passed them off as their own for many hundreds of years. (No, I'm not a Christian, but I do celebrate Christmas as a time of love, giving, and family)

   ANYWAY, This bag is really cool! It's tie dyed, and big, and totally awesome. She gave me the name of the etsy shop where she found it, and when I got home, I looked at all that he had. The shop name is BenThaiProducts.etsy.com. I looked at all the really cool bags he has, and not all of them are tie dyed.  I found the perfect bag for me, and fell in love! Here is a photo of it:

    I ordered my awesome bag, and it was shipped to me the next day. Now, we have been having a problem with our local post office here in town. I know it's my own fault. I do not like to go to the Post Office. So very often, it is at least a week that we haven't gotten the mail. Now, when there's too much mail in your box, they take it out and treat it as a package, and put a slip in your box.

   The problem comes when I give them back the slip in exchange for my bundle of mail. More than once, they have lost our bundle. And they have been known to put the slip in the wrong box. Even for real packages, not just too much mail. One time, my car insurance got canceled because I never got a bill, because there was a bundle, and they didn't even put a slip in our box. I got my insurance back, thank the Goddess. But ever since then, I am careful. When I'm expecting a package, I will go every day to the Post Office. And when it's overdue, I have no compunction about going up to the window and asking about it.

   Of course, I do have to be a bit diplomatic.  I don't wish to make enemies of the folks who handle my mail. Even when I suspect they drink on the job. Back to my story! By now you must surmise that my package was a bit late. I estimated it should have been here Monday. It wasn't. So I checked again on Tuesday. There was still no package slip in our box. So I went back later in the day, thinking perhaps packages arrived after the regular mail. This has worked for me in the past.

   There was still no slip in our box, so I went to the window, and told the clerk that the package I was expecting hadn't arrived yet, and knowing how sometimes the slips get put into the wrong boxes, could she check and see if I had a package back there. She just looked at me, walked to the shelf in the back, and picked up my package. She handed it to me, and said that she had meant to put a slip in my box, but she forgot.

   So I got my bag! I took it right to Karate to show my friend, I didn't even open it. I let her do it. It is so very cool. I can't wait for it to stop raining, so I can go out and show it off. It works great as a cross body bag. But I have tied a knot in the handle at the back of the bag, so the handle is shorter. Now I am all moved in to my new bag.

   That's what I call it when you get a new purse, or bag, and you transfer all your stuff from the old bag to the new one. It's a bit like moving into a new house! I absolutely love the colors of the tie dye, and the pattern is so different! It's big enough to carry bigger knitting or crocheting projects in, also! And I plan on untying the knot next fall, and using this bag at next years Sheep and Wool Festival! It's big enough to carry almost anything I might buy.

In Which I Make Explanations

    I have been waiting for Hubs to go hunting, so I can finally get down some of the things that have been bouncing around in my head today. Explanation #1. In some of my posts, my beloved Hubs may sound a bit harsh and judgemental. That is far from the truth. He is the most loving, patient man I have ever met. If he wasn't, he would not still be here after 23 years! (11 days until our anniversary)

    When I told you about how frustrated he was with my time spent on the computer, it really is justified. I am always either crocheting, knitting, reading, or on the computer. I am not the worlds best housekeeper. It makes it worse when he is sleeping during the day, because he works nights, and every time he gets up to use the facilities, or have a smoke, I am on the computer. I really try to use it when he's sleeping, and he catches me every time. So he thinks I am *always* on the thing, when I am not.

   In a recent post, I said I might be gone for a while, I intended to not be on the computer when he was home on his days off from work. I didn't plant anything on my farmville farms, or anything. But I have found the time to come back and post. And I have cut back on my facebook activities.

   My plan kind of backfired, since he asked me why I haven't been on the computer. I told him I would rather spend time with him. Which is true, but when he's hunting, I can be on my laptop.

   Explanation #2. This is not really an explanation, more of an observation. I have decided I really love having another woman in the house, even if it's part time. My son's girlfriend spends a few nights a week here, Monday being one of those nights. She has an evening class at the college, and it's a long way home, so she comes here. Then in the morning, she has another class. So it works out.

   Now, last night is when I really felt the love. For many years, I have been the only woman in this house. On Mondays, when the football game is on, it has traditionally been on both of our TVs. Son watches in the living room, and Hubs in the bedroom, where he is more comfortable. This left me with nowhere to watch my shows. Once in a great while, I can convince Hubs to watch the game on the BIG TV in the living room, thus giving me access to the TV in the bedroom.

   Last night, however, was different! I went into the bedroom to watch with Hubs. I asked him if we could watch my show, a mini series that had started the night before. He said yes. Now, in the living room, Julie wanted to watch her very favorite Christmas movie, The Polar Express. And of course, Son said yes. He's never seen it, so was interested in watching it with her. This totally made me giggle, the fact that on both TVs in my house, neither one was tuned in to the football game!! This is a first in my house. I LOVE IT!

   It is indeed an honor to share my house with another woman. Especially a woman who has the power to get my son to not watch football!

   Explanation #3.  Yes, I made the chocolate truffle tart. It is delicious. I am saving the last piece for my friend, Kim. I will take it to her later when I meet her at Karate class.  I also made my own whipped cream. I was a bit disappointed when it collapsed after two days, into a creamy soup. I asked my baking expert Shannon about it, and she assured me it could be whipped back up. I took my whisk to it, and it was back to whipped cream in no time! It is still delicious. It makes me very glad that I have the fixin's to make another tart. In fact, my daughter, Mrs. Gilroy, asked me to bring one to the family Christmas Dinner.  She can't wait to try it.

   I think that's all for today. There may still be thoughts rambling around in my head, and if I can get them down on paper, I will have something to write about tomorrow!

How I Spent My Whole Day

   Last night, Hubs told me he needed to work on the house in Fishkill today, and would need my help. Of course I would help him! That's what good wives do, right? So this morning, after our coffee, we got dressed. We had both packed up our necessary stuff last night. We carried all our stuffs out to the truck, and headed out.

   We went right to the house, as Hubs wanted to get the old screen door out, and get the opening ready for the new door, so he would know what size door to buy. You see, there is a breezeway between the house and the garage, with an entrance into the kitchen of the house. Betty had always used that as the main door, and never used the actual front door. This breezeway had screen doors on both ends, off the back door is the back deck.
 
   In the winter, this space was really useful, as it wasn't heated. It could be used as a kind of cold cellar, she would keep lots of cases of soda in cans out there and they would always be cold. Last year for Thanksgiving, I kept our spiral sliced ham out there for days, it was as good as keeping it in the fridge.

   But my beloved Hubs, bless his heart, wanted that room to have heat, and be a mud room for the tenants who will rent the place after we finish fixing it up. I really tried, but I could not talk him out of it. He said the mud room would be a selling point for the renters. I said the cold storage would be a selling point for the renters. As usual, he won. His friend, who put in the new propane heating system, made sure to put a baseboard unit out there.  So that's why we had to close it in.

   And that's what we did today. He originally wanted to do both doors, and get home early enough to go hunting this afternoon. I got to help pick out the door. I wanted one with small windows at the top, so some light could get in. They didn't have any of that style in the size we needed. Of course not. So we ended up with a solid door, so no windows.

   It took much longer than anticipated, as usual, to install this door. The good news is that somehow, SOMEHOW, the door is actually plumb. He wasn't even trying for plumb.
The bad news? We only had time to do one door. And since the door we bought was actually bigger than he wanted, he had a lot of extra work, making the opening bigger. When we do the other door, he says, we will buy the smaller size door.

   So instead of replacing the back door on the breezeway, he had me find the glass for it in the garage. Before we left, he took the screen out of the door and put the glass in, so at least the heat will be contained now. The new heating system has only been in for a couple of days. Before that there was no heat in the house for quite a while. The old oil burner had been removed, and all the old radiators replaced with baseboards.

   Believe it or not, we actually got out of there and home in time for Hubs to go on his afternoon hunt. After we hung the door, we put in the door knob, and the deadbolt he had bought. Then we put the glass in the other screen door, packed up, and got out of Dodge. Even in just that little while, I could feel the difference in the new mud room. It was warming up.

   So another day passes in which I get not a single lick of crafting done. I need to finish crocheting Chloe's sweater and assemble it. Then I want to knit her little brother a hat and scarf for Christmas. That shouldn't take long, as he's 14 months old, and I have the yarn in my stash.

   Hopefully, whatever Hubs has in mind for tomorrow, he can do by himself. I gots my own work to do!

In Which I Make The Chocolate Truffle Tart

   Last night, once I got a glass of wine with ginger ale in me, I screwed up my courage and headed into the kitchen with the intention on making the truffle tart.

   I started with the crust, laying it into my Corningware pie plate. It has straight sides, so I thought it would make a good tart pan. I followed the directions, laid it in there, and poked it with a fork, then baked it at 450 degrees for 10 minutes. It looked pretty good when I took it out.

   Then I started heating up the cream on the stove in a little sauce pan. I emptied the chips into a bowl, and added about a half tablespoon of vanilla. In retrospect, I think it should have been more. Note to self for next time! When the cream was hot, I put it into the bowl, and let it sit for a little while to start melting the chocolate.

   I got my whisk, and set to work. It still had some chocolate chip chunks in it, so I stuck it in the microwave for 20 seconds. That seemed to take care of it, and it was nice and smooth after a little more whisking. I had also put into the bowl 1 cup of smooth peanut butter. I found a recipe that called for it, and Hubs and I both thought it sounded good, so in it went.

   Now I just had to wait for both crust and ganache to cool. Once they finally did, I poured the ganache into the tart shell. I was concerned, because it was still very liquid, even though it had cooled to room temperature. But I trusted that it would solidify in the fridge, so I covered it with plastic wrap, and popped it in.

  
   This morning, as we had our coffee, Hubs and I tried a small slice of the tart. It was hard to slice, being cold and right out of the fridge, but it was delicious! We decided to leave it out, and try another slice later. We still haven't had more, we just haven't gotten to it yet.

   I bought enough cream to make whipped cream, but I haven't attempted it yet. I am not sure how much sugar to put in it. But I'm sure I will overcome this hesitation, as I love whipped cream. I went back to the supermarket today, and bought even more cream, and a Wilton Cupcake Decorating Kit. It has 4 tips in it, and 10 or 12 bags, so I have some practicing to do!

  Hopefully I won't make a complete mess out of it. But I will take some photos so I can share with the class. I even thought about adding some cocoa powder to the whipped cream, to make it chocolatey, but Hubs said he'd rather have it plain. So plain it is, at least for now. If this venture is successful, there will be no stopping me!! WOOT!

Tattoo Ideas and Chocolate Truffle Pie

   It seems I am still obsessed with getting another tattoo. This one, I want Cookie to do, so I won't be the only family member who doesn't have one of his tattoos. I had in my mind the designs I wanted. It's either a Pooh bear with his face in a honey jar, or a triquetra. I'm heavily leaning towards the latter. Last night, I went exploring on the internet to find appropriate pictures of both ideas.

   The celtic knot triquetra (and I'm not entirely sure I'm spelling it right)  is an awesome design. It is mostly known from the TV show Charmed, about the three sisters who are witches. For me, it represents my three children, as well as the witchiness of my personal beliefs.

   Pooh bear, I have always loved! But I have to decide which Pooh I prefer, the original one:

   Or the Disney-fied version, which is cute as well!

   I know that in a previous post, I said I prefered the original version, but the Disney one is growing on me now.

   Whichever Pooh I decide on, the Celtic knot design will be the first one to actually get done. This is already decided, and I've wanted it longer than I've wanted Pooh. Now I just have to hope I get a gift certificate to Pop's Tattoo Emporium for Christmas!

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  I went grocery shopping today, and bought the ingredients for my chocolate truffle  pie or tart. I haven't decided yet which it will be. I'm leaning more towards the tart, as the filling is not as deep as in a traditional pie, and I'm concerned about how rich it would be in pie form.

   I brought home heavy cream, Ghiradelli semi-sweet chocolate chips, and pie crusts. I will have to blind bake the pie crust, then add the filling to it, as the filling itself will not be baked. I have one recipe from Paula Deen, I think, that adds one cup of peanut butter to the chocolate and hot cream to make the ganache. That sounds lovely, doesn't it? But I am a bit nervous about the whole thing. I may wait until Hubs gets home, just for the added encouragement.

   If I ever work up the nerve to actually make this, I will be sure to take some photos so you can all see how it turns out!

Today's Stitch n Bitch Report!

   This morning, I was the first one to get to Cranberry's. That's not unusual, as I live really close to it. Jan, Bella, and our fearless leader, Kim, also came! We had our breakfast, and got to work on our projects.

   Jan is knitting a beautiful intricate shawl made with yarn that OFL (Our Fearless Leader) custom dyed for her. It also has beads in it, which she is doing in a really interesting way. She was worried about threading over 1,000 beads onto the working yarn; they would probably wear through the delicate yarn. So she knits until she needs a bead, the uses a tiny little steel crochet hook and slides the bead onto it, then uses the hook to remove the stitch from the needle, and slide the bead over the stitch. Then the stitch goes back on the needle. It's working well for her so far!

   Kim is knitting a rug with a big giant circular needle and 4 strands of cotton. It's for our friend Deborah, who is getting married soon, and moving into a new house. The rug is for her kitchen, I'm assuming in front of the sink. It's really thick and soft, and will be a pleasure to stand on while doing >shudder< dishes.  It is a measure of how much love there is for Deb, when Kim knits garter stitch, which she hates ("it's boring!"), and knits with cotton, which she also hates!

  As for me, I'm still working on my granddaughters crocheted sweater. I'm nearly done, working on the second sleeve. After consulting with my expert friends, I will be making the back and two fronts a big longer at the neckline.  I just hope I can get the sleeves to stretch to fit.

   It was very good to see Bella today, she hasn't been able to make it for a while now. She actually wasn't working on a project today, but had brought some yarn to ask for OFL's opinion on it.

   All in all, we had a great get-together, with great food, great friends, and lively conversation! I can't wait for our next meeting. Hopefully by then I will be assembling the little sweater.

   Now for some photos. I have the promised ones of the adjusted sweater pieces, even though they need to be adjusted further. Also, I took one of a different wooden tray table from the set my mom painted. Here goes!

  
  In a later post, I will share photos of the other tables. My mom is a really talented folk art painter. I should devote a whole post to all her various pieces that I have! That's a great idea! I better get to work!

On This Day In 1976

   Today is my daughter's birthday. It got me to thinking about her. How sweet she was when she was little, how perfect she was when she was born. She was always a delight. She had her grandfather wrapped around that tiny little pinkie from the day we brought her home.

   I have a few pictures in my computer of her at different times in her life. I thought I'd share them with you.

1. Here she is with her grandpa in the back yard:

Riding her horse, named Sandy:

Her she is with her little brother at her college graduation. I think he was about 6.

Notice she us up until this point, a natural blond. Here she is with Jesse again, this time at his high school graduation. See how their heights have reversed?

Now some more recent photos. This is Sara with the man she has chosen to share her life with! This is also my favorite photo of her, and of them together.

This one is from their wedding day, last year.  She made a beautiful bride.

Now, the most recent photo. Somehow that husband of hers talked her into getting a tattoo! Now we all have some, even Jesse.

In this photo, her tattoo was unfinished. It's beautiful now that it's all done. And on this day, the anniversary of her birth, I just want to say - I love you Sara! Happy Birthday!

Christmas Yarnbomb and Dental Report

   Last year at this time, my friend the nut* made a yarnbomb for our town nativity. A blanket for the baby Jesus, and scarves for the wise men. It was very cute! At the end of the season, when the town put away the nativity scene, we wondered what would become of the yarn bomb. Would they toss the blankie and scarves? Or would they pack them away for this year?

   Well, today we have our answer. She went by the town hall this morning, and yes, Virginia, the yarnbomb is back! Well, at least, most of it is back. The wise men have their scarves, but it seems the baby Jesus' blankie is missing. She was thrilled, and is planning on making Jesus a new blankie. Hopefully soon, he will be all warm and sung in his manger.

   I haven't yet driven by the town hall to see it for myself, but I can imagine I will soon. I regularly drive by on my way to almost everywhere. Perhaps when I go visit the nativity, I will happen to have my camera, and can snap a photo or two.

   "And now for something completely different", as Monty Python was fond of saying. I had my next dentist appointment this morning. They removed the temporary crowns and put in the permanent ones. They feel really weird.  But it wasn't a torture session this time. Yay for me! In fact, I was in and out and home in thirty minutes from the time of my appointment.  I know! How often does that happen? Especially at this office.

   Before I was a patient there, My friend Bonny asked me to accompany her to her appointment, she promised it shouldn't take long at all. I took my current crochet project, and went with her. It turned out that I didn't bring enough yarn. She was in there more than 3 hours! It was the toughest 3 hours of my life! I was so bored, once I couldn't crochet any more. I untangled my yarn, I read every magazine I could find. I counted ceiling tiles. I counted how many people came in and out in a certain length of time. I nearly lost my mind.

   When I started going there as a patient, based on my visit with Bonny, I had my Hubs set his alarm to wake him up in case I wasn't home in time. This was when my appointments were in the early afternoon. He has to be up for work by 4 pm. I have relaxed since then, my visits have never taken that long. But you can understand my concern! After the first few appointments, I started making them for the mornings.  Easy peasy.

   I do enjoy people watching in the waiting room. There are three offices that share one waiting room, and it's pretty big.  It seems that people from the lower portion of the economic ladder frequent these offices. Not all, mind you, but enough to make people watching interesting.

   Today, the highlight of my visit came from a receptionist in the neighboring doctors office. She was on the phone, talking to a patient in a loud voice. "You can't wait that long! You need to come in soon! How big is the boil? Is it red?" I kid you not! Everyone in the waiting room could hear this conversation. Apparently, the patient will be coming in tomorrow to have it looked at. I just shake my head.

* I have not used her name, in case she wishes to remain anonymous

  

Random Ramblings

   Last night, I was craving something, and I couldn't figure out what it was. I hate when that happens! I talked to Hubs, one thing led to another, and in the end, I decided to try and invent my own recipe for a sort of chocolate truffle tart or even pie. I looked up on the food network website how to make ganache and chocolate truffles. They are basically made the same way.

   While looking for those recipes, I found a recipe from Paula Deen for a chocolate truffle pie. Sounds like just what I want! So I will try it soon. The whole thing started because I bought a chocolate cream pie for Hubs for Thanksgiving dinner. I love the whipped cream topping, but am not fond of the pudding part. I want something denser, and that's where the truffle part came in.

   I don't remember what my original idea for my post was! I know I had one when I woke up this morning, but for the life of me I can't remember what it was.

   Last night, Hub mentioned that I seemed a bit restless. He said he thought it was from Farmville withdrawal. I disagree! Facebook withdrawal, maybe, but not farmville withdrawal! It's probably internet or laptop withdrawal. He said I didn't need to stop completely, he was just concerned that I wasn't doing anything else.

   Hopefully today, I can get a shot of Hubs' newly finished tattoo. I may have mentioned it before, but I am jealous! I am the only member of the family who doesn't have Cookie's artwork on my skin!  I'm hoping that I get a gift certificate for Christmas.

   I have two ideas on what I want for my next tattoo. The first is an old drawing of Winnie the Pooh, sitting sideways with his face in a "HUNNY" jar. I have always loved that picture. I like the old, original drawings of Pooh and friends, not the newer "Disney-fied" ones. The second is the symbol from the TV show "Charmed". I know what it is, but can't spell it or say it. Triskele, or something like that.  And I want it in colors, not just black. Like purple on the outside, fading to reddish in the middle.

   And I don't want a tattoo that's big, either. Just a few inches across will do. Pooh, I'd like on my upper arm, or lower leg. The Triskele thing, at the base of my neck, upper back. That's where my daughter has her tree. She and her hubs have similar tree tattoos, his is small, and intricate, on his arm, with the roots crossing the bend in his elbow. His tree is really pretty, and has Sara's initials in the roots. Her tree is bigger, with green leaves. It also has his initials in the roots! That is such a neat concept!

   My Hubs has said he would want an old, dead stump instead of a tree, with my initials in the roots. Haha, but it's a cute idea.  He has his initials, and our sons initials, worked into a tribal band that encircles his right arm. He says he won't have my name ina tattoo, because it's serious bad luck. Everyone he's ever known who has their significant other's name in a tattoo have broken up. Tattoos are permanent. But I think initials are ok, especially if they are hidden, and not easily seen.

   OK, I think that's enough rambling for today. It seems like I have a lot on my mind today, but I have things to do, so I'd better get my ass in gear.

The Great Tattoo Adventure, Part 2

   This morning, I got up and made the coffee. Shortly after it was ready, Hubs got up as well. Today we travel to Kingston to get his tattoo finished. He wants to leave early, as he wants to go to Walmart first. We need a new DVD player for the living room.

   We start out. We get to the corner, where he remembers he needs to bring cash to pay for his tattoo. So, we turn around and he goes back in the house and gets some cash. We start out again. This time we get about half way to Kingston before I remember that I forgot the camera! That's right, a blog post about the tattoo, and no photos! Not really a problem, I can take a photo of is completed tattoo when we get home.

   This time, it took 3 1/2 hours to finish his tattoo. I knitted through most of it, since I forgot the camera. It was all the same as last time, Cookie inking, Hubs grimacing, loud really eclectic music blaring. Seriously, the music they play at Pop's Tattoo Emporium is definitely a strange mix. You got some really heavy rock, some rap, some 50's rockabilly, and some other genre's in there that I can't even identify. It makes for interesting listening.

   When we finally get home, i get out my laptop, and fire it up. I remember I want to take a photo of his tattoo, so I grab the camera from near the front door, where I put it so I wouldn't forget it, and head into the bedroom. He won't let me take a photo!
"You can get it later!" he says. I point out that I will be writing my blog now, not later. Oh well, so all my readers won't to see the finished tattoo until next time. Sorry!

In Which I Might Be Away For A While...

   Yesterday, before he went to work, Hubs and I had one of our rare arguments. I don't want to call it a fight, but it was more than a mere argument. He thinks I spend entirely too much time on the laptop he bought me for Mothers Day. In fact, he even said he wishes he never bought the thing.

   So after he left for work,  I closed up the laptop, and put it away. I put away the tray table that has been sitting next to the couch for 7 months. I put away some of my knitting stuff too. I put away my body butters and hand lotions. In my defense, I use them every day, why should I have to get up, go get them, bring them to the couch, use them, then go put them back? That just seems like a big waste of energy. So I kept them near me, like my medicine and the box of tissues.

   Today, we had our Thanksgiving dinner, just the two of us. He wasn't angry at me any more. He went hunting this morning, and didn't see anything.  I made a nice turkey breast, and all the fixin's. Now, after dinner, he's getting really sleepy. He's been up for more than 24 hours, since he worked all night last night, and stayed up all day today. I figured it was safe enough for me to get out my laptop and at least post on my blog, to let you all know what's going on.

   For a while, my internet life may be impacted. I may not be able to blog as often as I have been. My twitter and facebook friends may miss me. My Farmville friends surely will! Hopefully things can get back to normal at some point.

   So if I don't hear from you, or you don't hear from me, have a Merry Christmas!

  

"I Told You So!" Sweater Update

   See, I told you!  I said right here in this blog that the sweater I was going to make for my granddaughter was going to kick my ass. And it is!  It started right at the beginning.
  
   This pattern is different, I may have mentioned, than any other I've used. It took me quite a while to get the measurement of the back piece right. Which means doing a few rows, and if it's not right, frogging it and starting over. So I finally got it right. I finished the back piece, no problem.

   Then it took me, literally, over an hour to get the right number of chain stitches for the first front piece. I did finally get it, and finished that piece too. The second front was easier, since I knew how many stitches it would take. I just had to figure out if the chain was loose or tight. Turns out it was tight. So the two fronts are exactly the same. I'm getting there!
    When I start the sleeve, I notice that it's only an 8 inch circumference. The arm holes in the other pieces added up to over 12 inches. So what did I do wrong? I text messaged my friend, and she suggested I email the designer, so I did. It just seemed improbable that the sleeve would stretch that much. I know, I tried to stretch it, it wouldn't go that big.
   Laying in bed this morning, I started thinking about it. I couldn't get back to sleep because I was thinking. I decided that the three pieces I had finished were too long, from the armpit up to the shoulder. If I take off about 2 inches from the top of each shoulder, the sleeves will fit. So when I got up, that's what I did.

   Then I read the response from the designer. She said that the sleeves will stretch to fit the armhole. Maybe they would if I had used the recommended yarn for the project. But the yarn I am using is a worsted weight cotton, not a sock yarn. So I think I'm going to stick with my original decision, since my granddaughter is on the tiny side, and I thought the sweater looked too long from the shoulder anyway.

   Here are the photos I took yesterday, before I frogged the 2 inches. Don't you agree it looks too long in the shoulder/neckline area?

   So now I think I'm on the right track, and I'm back to work on the first sleeve. In my next update, I will include new photos taken after the "adjustments". 

   All in all, I do recommend this sweater pattern. It's the Autumn Cardigan by Lisa van Klaveren, of www.hollanddesigns.etsy.com.  It does crochet up quickly. I can't wait to see it all finished, with the cute buttons and everything.

Ghosts of Thanksgivings Past

   As I sit here this morning, drinking my coffee, my thoughts turn to past Thanksgivings that maybe didn't turn out the way it was planned. I could only think of two instances, but thought that maybe they were worth sharing.

   When I was a kid, I don't remember how old I was, my parents, my brother, and myself set out to my aunt and uncle's house for Thanksgiving dinner. They had a big house, and with five kids, it was always loud and busy and fun. Their house wasn't too far away, maybe just over an hour in the car.

    We finally arrive at their house. When you're a kid, all car trips seem to take forever! The house seems very quiet. We walk up to the front door, and knock. No one comes to the door. But it's unlocked, so in we go. There is no one home!  There's no turkey in the oven, no side dishes cooking on the stove, no kids playing, nothing.

   So there are my parents, realizing that auntie and uncle have forgotten they were coming, and they've gone off to someone else's house for dinner. Since mom was planning on dinner here, there's no dinner fixin's at home. So mom and dad decide to see what's in the cupboards to feed their hungry children. I believe they found some hot dogs and beans. So that's what we had for our Thanksgiving dinner that year. It was most memorable!

   The other story, oddly enough, finds my parents, myself and my young daughter heading to the same aunt and uncle's house for yet another Thanksgiving dinner! By this time, Sara and I were living in Hyde Park, and mom and dad stopped to pick us up on the way. That day, it was raining, and it was cold. We left my apartment, and the roads were just starting to get icy. The further north we drove, the worse the road conditions got. After a little while, dad decided to turn around, not wanting to risk our lives.

   So, we headed back to my apartment, disappointed once again. But at least it was the weather that ruined Thanksgiving this time. They stopped at a convenience store and got me some frozen fried chicken to have for dinner. It was the closest thing to turkey that they had in the store.



    I know that I am not the only one with these kinds of stories. Feel free to share some of your own with me!

How I Spent My Thanksgiving Holiday

   I had wanted to spend the day all by myself. It didn't end up that way. My good friend Bonny usually travels to Indiana with her whole family, to spend the holiday with other members of her Hubs' very large family. They go every year, and I believe they are gone 4 or 5 days. Well, this year, Bonny and her daughter Samantha didn't get to go, they both have to work on Black Friday.

   Poor Bonny is not used to being alone! After I tucked my Hubs in for the day, and after I drank my coffee, I packed up my crocheting project and headed over to Bonny's house. We sat, and crocheted, and watched the Thanksgiving Day Parade, then the Dog Show. It was a good time, and kept me from brooding.

   When I got home from Bonny's, my Hubs was already awake! So I made him coffee, and we hung out until he went to work.  As he was leaving, I mentioned that I was expected at my other good friend, Kim's house! He urged me to go, so I did. We got to hang out and watch some kids shows. Then she cooked for the three of us! She makes a mean frozen pizza, let me tell you!  She and her mom, and her daughter the Cherub will be having their big turkey dinner tomorrow.

   So I didn't get to have my turkey pot pie tonight. I will probably have it for lunch tomorrow. I also have to remember to take our turkey out of the freezer tomorrow, so it will be thawed to cook on Sunday.  It was good to spend the day with people I care about.

   The fact that I got so much work done on my granddaughter's sweater was a bonus! I finished the back, but had trouble getting the right number of stitches for the first front. After about an hour, It finally worked out. So I can work hard at that now. Hopefully, I won't have that much trouble starting the second front! I also have to go through my stash more thoroughly, I don't think I have enough of the yarn out. I need to find more. The back took nearly a whole skein, and I only have two more skeins out.

   All in all, it was a good day, Tater.

Tomorrow Is Thanksgiving!

   Well, here we are. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. This year I have lots to be thankful for, just like every other year. But this year is different. This year I am not attending a big, multi-generational Thanksgiving dinner. My immediate family will all be in different places, and I am OK with that.

  My beloved daughter will be with her Hubby's family, and hopefully she will take her Grandmother too. My oldest son will be snug in his home with his lovely wife and their two little ones. My youngest son is spending this holiday with his girlfriend at her family's giant multi-generational dinner. As for Hubs and myself, he has to work, so during the day he will be sleeping, and after he goes to work, I shall go visit a girlfriend for a while.

   We have decided to have our Thanksgiving dinner on Sunday, after his work week is over. That's when we will cook our turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, etc. The pressure of the big family dinner will be off, it'll be just Hubs and myself. However, for dinner tomorrow night, I did purchase a nice turkey pot pie to eat, with a single serving peach pie for dessert.

   I can't help thinking of my mother-in-law. Last year at this time, we had our last Thanksgiving dinner together. I made a nice ham with all the fixin's. And those who didn't come to dinner, came afterwards for dessert. We didn't want to overwhelm her with company. Eight days later, she passed. I am still sad, I miss her a lot.

   So this year, I need to take the day off, and withdraw from people. Maybe next year, I can get back into the swing of things. I think it's going to be a rough holiday season, maybe rougher than last years.

Oopsie, I Forgot Some Details

   Just after I posted the last post, I realized that I hadn't told you about my decision to change the yarn I used for the sweater!  I started the swatch, as I described earlier, and after doing just two rows, I realized I could not possibly do an entire sweater in this thin thin yarn with the super tiny tiny hook. So I rethought it.

   I really didn't want to spend more money (read - my Hubs' money) on yarn. I decided to look through my acrylic stash and if there was enough of any one yarn, I would use that. Hopefully it would be in a color that was acceptable, which was purple, pink or blue. Lucky me, I found that I had more than enough of Lion Brand Cotton Ease, in purple! I remember I had bought it to make a top for myself, and it's still a UFO. (Un Finished Object) This yarn is plenty soft enough for a child's sweater, and it's machine washable and dryable. Huzzah, I think we have a winner!

   I also reckoned I would have to use a larger hook, since the F hook was way too tiny for me. I upgraded to the G size hook. It shouldn't matter that much to the pattern since it doesn't say "make a chain of X number of stitches",  but rather, "make a chain of X number of inches", so no matter what size hook I use, or yarn weight I use, it should work, right? Just say "Yes, Kim, it should work."  Because I won't listen if you say no anyway. I can and will make this work.

   So now, I think you are all up to date. I don't think I've left anything else out. If I find that I have, I will just have to post again!

Sweater Progress, Collection Update

   As soon as I posted on Twitter that the sweater was going well, I knew there would be repercussions. And I was right. There I was, happily crocheting along, when I decided to measure the width of the sweater back I was working on. It is supposed to be 12 inches wide. I was pretty sure I was close. As it turns out, it was over 13 inches wide!

   I cursed a little, then thought about taking the extra width into account when I seamed the pieces together. Nope, that would make the seams way too thick. That leaves frogging. I frogged the entire 6 inches I had crocheted so far, all the way back to the starting chain. Then I had trouble counting that, so I ended up pulling that out too.

   I re-did the starting chain, making it four chains shorter, to account for that extra inch. I did the first row, and measured it. Now the fracking thing was only 10 inches!!  Again, I frogged, and went back to the original stitch count. Again, I did the first row, and measured. Now it was 11 inches! The same number of stitches was a whole inch shorter. I hoped it would stretch out a little as I progressed.

   Two rows later, I measured again. Now it was almost exactly 12 inches. How does that make any kind of sense? The first time, I measured the starting chain, and it was 12 inches. I didn't take into account the improbable fact that when you crochet into the starting chain it seems to stretch it a bit. Either way, it seems to be OK now.

   I took a couple of photos before I measured the first time. Here is how the sweater back looked then:

   And I took a close up of the stitch pattern, it's really textural and different.

   It's one sc, then one dc, repeated across the row, and the next row, you sc in the dc's and dc in the sc's.  It makes for a very interesting fabric with no right side or wrong side. I can't wait to get more pieces done!

   As I told you in the Collections post, I went into the den and looked around. It turns out I had forgotten a collection. It's not my fault, it's not really my collection. When my mom sold her house and moved into an apartment, she tried to downsize her belongings. I, therefore, inheirited her antique salt dish collection. In the old days, everyone at the dinner table had their own little dish of salt. People now collect these little dishes. They come in all colors, and they are pretty. One of these days, I will photograph them individually, so I can post them and you can see them.

   And for those of you wondering, I have a set of wooden tray tables that my mom painted on. I am currently using the checkerboard one for my laptop, and I use it for the background when I photograph some of my work. I think I will switch out the tray table, the other ones are really lovely.

   That's all for now. Wish me luck, and let's all hope I don't piss off the Yarn Goddess again by bragging. I really should know better.

Sock Yarn for Sweater, and Dentist Adventure

  Friday evening, as I was eating my dinner, my temporary crown came out. No biggie, I cleaned it off and put it back in, per the dentists instructions. He had also told me to call right away, so it can be cemented back in place. Being Friday night, I had to wait until today.

  So first thing this morning, I called the dentists office, and they told me to come in at 1:30. I had time to spend with Bonny, and go yarn shopping, yay! Off we go to Michaels craft store, where I'm pretty sure I will find just the acrylic sock yarn I need for Granddaughters adorable sweater.

   I did finally settle on some Lion Brand Sock Ease, in purple. I already have some in my stash, so I didn't need to buy 3, just 2. Afterwards, I go back to Bonny's with her and we set to making a necklace with the stuff she bought. She wanted a Christmasy necklace to wear to work on Black Friday.

   When I left her house, I still had an hour until I was to go to the dentist. I got home in time to spend a little time with Hubs before he went off hunting, and I helped him pull out parts the parts of the pool cover that had fallen into the pool. Happens every year. After he left, I was hungry, so I made myself a sandwich. Just when I finished eating it, I looked at the clock and it was just past 2 pm. Schreech! I jumped up, put my boots back on, and ran out to the Jeep. Thank goodness the dentists office is pretty close to my house.

   They were still able to fit me in. I told them I lost track of the time (true), was having lunch(also true) with friends(not true) when I remembered about my appointment. So I only had to wait a few minutes, got my temporary crown cemented back in place, and headed home. I got back here at 2:35. It's gotta be one of the fastest dentist visits on record.

   Since I wasn't too happy about the not-softness of the yarn for Chloe's sweater, I decided to crochet up a swatch and throw it in the washer and dryer to see how it softens up. There I was crocheting this thin thin yarn with a tiny tiny hook. I was not happy. I have decided to rethink the yarn and hook used for the sweater. I could make it in heavier yarn with a bigger hook, and I would be much happier. I am going to look through my current stash to see if I have enough of any one yarn. And this is my day, so far. Yippee skippee!

   I had made beef barley soup for diner last night. A whole big pot. I was planning on eating the rest for dinner tonight. Hubs informed me that there wasn't enough for dinner for the three of us. So I will make Venison chili. I have all the fixin's in the pantry. That's always good, and The Son will eat it too. I just hope The Girlfriend will eat it. Some people freak when they hear "Venison", and won't eat it.

    I guess we will just have to see.....

In Which I Try Something New!

   The other day, I was looking at knitting patterns on one of those free pattern sites. I was specifically looking at felted items. I have made a few felted bags in my time, so I was looking to see if there was anything new.

   I saw some bag patterns I liked, but I am not a fan of double pointed needles, especially to start a project with. Nothing but disaster for me. So I thought about it, and thought about it some more. I think I have some up with an idea.

   I decided to crochet a circle for the bottom of the bag, then pick up and knit around the circle for the rest of it!  I have some black and grey Patons wool that I bought last winter to make slippers, but never did. I started with the black, and made a crocheted circle. I didn't measure it, but it's at least 13 or 14 inches across. I used a K size (6.5 mm) hook, and plan to use a size 10 1/2(6.5 mm) circular needle, 32 inches long.

  When it was big enough for me, I slipped the last loop on the hook onto the needle, and then went around the circle picking up stitches. When I got them all, I started knitting! I am doing this all off the cuff, so who knows how it will turn out? I plan on knitting the bag at least 18 inches long. I will probably put a big fat grey stripe in it at some point.

   I am not sure yet how I will handle the handle (pun intended). Maybe I will bind off all but 8 stitches or so, then do an I-cord to attach at the other side? I can't wait to see it once it's all felted.

  This is the first time I've used my own idea. I like that it's combined crochet and knitting. The crochet bottom will be sturdier than the knit body, since crochet makes a heavier fabric. We will have to see how it comes out. I will take pictures, before felting and after, and post them in the future.

Stitch N Bitch Report

  Yesterday morning, our little Stitch n Bitch group met for breakfast, knitting and crocheting.  After all had our food had been eaten, we got down to business. I was working on a rectangle shawl, as the striped one is getting too big for KIP. Jan, very bravely I think, brought the very beginning of a new lace shawl she had just started. I think she only had the cast on done. I saw the pattern for this, and it looks REALLY intense and very lacy.

   I would never bring a brand new complicated project to group, especially if it has, like, over 300 stitches to start with! But she is an expert knitter, and nothing phases her. Our resident full time crocheter, Bonny, was working on an amigurumi style triceratops dinosaur for her grandson for Christmas. It was very cute!

   Our fearless leader, the other Kim, stopped by to re-stock her yarn in the cafe. She is AtKnitsEndYarns, she has an Etsy shop, and also sells her yarn at Cranberry's. She had texted me early in the morning to let me know she wouldn't be able to make the get-together, since her daughter was sick.  She stayed until her take out order was ready. All in all, we had some lively conversation, good food, and fun crafting!

   Hopefully, next time more of our members can make it. A few, we haven't seen in months. One member at least let me know she couldn't make it, she was going to New York City with her grandson. We hope they had a great time! As for me, I stay away from the City. But that's my personal preference.

   Until next time, Happy Crafting!!  

About My Collections

   I admit it, I am a collector. Thank goodness my Hubs doesn't mind too much. Aside from the yarn stashes in two houses, I collect books. I have always been an avid reader since I was a child. My parents encouraged us to read, since they were both teachers and knew how important it was. 

   I have a room in my house that is full of book cases (it's a small room).  And all the book cases are full, if not over full. Mostly with books, but also with some of my other collections.  On one shelf, I have my gavels. I got them on EBay. I have no idea what attracted me to them, but I have more than a few. I have two favorite ones, one is made of lucite, so it's clear, and the other is made from ebony. It's a beautiful black wood. I have one that is hand painted with flowers and was used by a woman judge.

   On another shelf are my hedgehogs. I love hedgehogs! I have stuffed ones, a puppet, and more than a few little statuettes. They are so cute, I actually wanted one as a pet for a long time. But they require much work, and I am more of a laid back pet owner. Too much work for me, so no pet hedgehog.

   Then there are my beanie babies. I have a huge number of them, but only the bears are displayed. I love all the beanie baby bears! I also have a small collection of realistic looking stuffed rabbits. I love them, they are so soft. They are so realistic, my Hubs once took one and used it for bait when he and his friends were hunting coyotes! My rabbit was returned unharmed. He only told me about it afterwards.

   But I have to say that my favorite and biggest collection is my sand collection. Yes, SAND. When my friends travel, I ask them to bring me back some sand from wherever they are vacationing. I have sand from all over the world! I keep it in small clear jars, each one labeled as to where it's from.

   I have a pretty good sized collection of tarot cards, as well. But they aren't displayed on a shelf, they are in a dresser drawer. Don't ask me why, that's just where they ended up. There are all kinds of designs of tarot cards, different artists conceptions of them, etc. They are so beautiful, I'd love the lay each deck out and hang them in frames. A long time ago, I used to read the cards for my friends, but always did it with the book of meanings in my hand, because I couldn't possibly memorize all of the meanings of all of the cards!

   I think that's all of my collections. If I go in the den and look and see a collection I missed, I will have to do another post about it. I do feel it's necessary to state that all the displayed collections are in front of at least one row of books. In the case of paperbacks, they are stacked two books high, and sometimes two books deep. Most of my books on the shelves are two books deep. I think it's time for more shelving units, but Hubs isn't buying it. He votes for getting rid of some books. GASP!! Not gonna happen.

   Anyway, until next time!  Happy crafting!

One Down, Many To Go!

   Last night, I started making a hat for my son. Now, I know I said that I would need to finish a few things before I start something new, but I felt it calling to me. You know that feeling, right? Well, today, I finished it. I'm getting pretty good at this really simple hat pattern from Elizabeth Zimmermann. This is the 5th one I've made? Let's see, 2 pink ones, for practice, the cranberry colored one to match my sweater, the brown one to match my other sweater, the black one I just made for Hubs, and now this grey one.

   The other evening, I decided to break down and order the pattern download from Annie's Attic, for the adorable little sweater for my granddaughter. I don't have the yarn in my stash for it, so this means a trip to the yarn store. I haven't gone yet, surprise, suprise. This little sweater is going to kick my ass, I just know it. It's crocheted, and made with sock yarn. It also uses a size F crochet hook. I hate using anything smaller than a J. In fact, my favorite hook is the N.

   It's been a while since I crocheted, but the last time I did, I made 4 afghans in about 3 weeks. I haven't mailed them to Texas yet, either! As soon as I find enough loose change to pay for the postage, I will mail it. Those suckers are heavy! I still plan to put them in the Space Bag Cube, and suck the air out to make the package small enough to fit into a box.

   I am currently working on the striped shawl, getting down to the end very soon. I'm thinking maybe a few rows of garter stitch to finish it off. In fact, after my confession of all the WIP I have, I forgot one! I still haven't finished the cranberry sweater! And every time I look in one of my various bags that are scattered around the house, I find at least one more unfinished project.

   One of the yarns I have some across recently is the Sugar n Creme, the nice cotton that I used to make shopping bags with. It turns out I don't like those shopping bags, and rarely use them. I prefer the cloth ones. So I have all this yarn, and I'm thinking I need to borrow a friends pattern book of wash cloths and dish cloths, and make up a bunch for holiday gifts. Like I need more pressure! At least the current WIP can be put aside and finished after the holidays, since none of them are for gifting.

   I just realized yesterday that Thanksgiving is next week!! Where did all the time go? I don't even know what I'm doing for Turkey Day, since Hubs has to work. I told my son to go to his girlfriends house with her family, and told my mom to go with my daughter to her husbands family. That leaves me all alone, and I don't mind. I could always make a Swanson Turkey TV dinner or something. Just kidding, I'm going to buy a smaller turkey and cook it, and Hubs and I will eat it over the weekend after his work week is finished.

   I will let you know next week what I end up doing. I'm sure it'll be a fun time, no matter what I do.

Childhood Memories of Lake Peekskill

   In 1969, the summer I turned 13, my parents bought their first house. Up until that time, we had lived in rented houses. I never knew the difference. We had been living on a small lake, and I loved it. I learned to swim when I was little, and my brother loved to catch fish there. In the Winter, we had the whole lake to ice skate on.

   We lived in a community that surrounded the lake, and I never thought it strange that many of the houses were only occupied in the Summer. People from the metro New York City area bought these summer homes on our little lake.  It was within easy commuting distance, I guess.

   We had direct lake access, as well as private beach access. There were three beaches on the lake, and the one we used was for residents only. You got a pass every year.  Many of our neighbors had row boats, or canoes. I can remember borrowing our next door neighbors canoe and paddling all over the lake.

   I can remember going to swimming lessons at the beach, in the Summer,  very early in the morning. One morning, because it was cold, mom made us corn on the cob to eat as we walked to the beach, to keep us warm.

   The house we lived in had a huge yard, that sloped down a gentle hill right to the lake. There was a cement dock there, great for diving, jumping, and fishing off of. My parents actually rented the bottom floor of this house, the owners lived upstairs at street level. We walked down a flight of stairs to get to our apartment. But we were on the same level as the yard!

   It was a great little community to grow up in. There were always neighbors who watched out for you, and you knew you had to go home before it got dark. If your mom had to call your friends house to have you sent home, you were in trouble.

   All these memories, and many more, came flooding back to me today. As I was putting some stuff away in the hall closet, I found my rock. Remember the first sentence? Well, in 1969, when we moved to Wappingers Falls, that first day I rode my bike around the development. I found that rock on that trip around the circle that was Robert Lane.  I brought it home, and I've had it ever since. All these years, the rock has sat by every front door, in every place I've lived.  It's a good size rock, and all smooth and pretty. At some point, my mom painted flowers on it. 

   Today, after I found it, I took a few photos of the rock. When I started writing this post today, I intended to write about living in Wappingers, and going forward from there. Somehow I started with the move, and went backwards! But it's all good.

    Every Summer, when we take the top down on my Jeep, I think about taking a little road trip back to Lake Peekskill. I wanted my kids to see where I grew up. And I wanted to see it again too. Summer would be the ideal time to go, and with the top down on the Jeep, it would be perfect.

   I am going to think some more about Lake Peekskill, and write down some key words to jog my memory, so another time I can post more. If you like my memories,a nd want to hear more, please feel free to comment!

    Thanks for listening!

My Craft Report and WIP Update

   Today I actually feel better, so I am able to knit. Here are photos of what I am currently working on! This first one is the hat I made for Hubs, I finished it the other night! The styrofoam head is much smaller than Hubs' head.

 
   Next is the ribbed scarf:

 
Then the first of four (yes, 4!) shawls I currently have on the needles:

   
   And the second shawl:

     And the third shawl:

  And finally, the fourth shawl. This is the one I have stopped working on, I may continue later, after frogging out the new section. I'm considering continuing the original section for the whole thing, and changing colors as I go. We'll see.

   And that wraps up my WIP projects. I have plans for a few more projects rolling around in my head, but I know I have to finish some of these current projects first. What are the ideas, you ask? I want to make a scarf for Julie, possibly a hat for Jesse, and gifts for my grandbabies. A sweater for Chloe, and something for Mason, I just haven't decided exactly what yet.

A Love Story

    It was early Summer of 1988, and I had a roommate. The one I wrote about in an earlier post. I was so broke, I needed her to help pay the rent. Anyway, I was friends with a girl named Sheila. She invited me to a party at her house; it was a kind of birthday party for her husband Paul, and everyone else who was born in the summer.

    It sounded like fun, so I went, and took my 11 year old daughter with me. We did almost everything together. We had a really good time at this party! There was a band, and everything. Lots of great food, and they had a pool, and a hot tub. There were lots of people there. Sara didn't even mind that there weren't many kids there.

   During the course of the afternoon, I had been noticing this really good looking young man. He seemed to be wherever I was. When I went in the hot tub, in my very revealing bathing suit, it wasn't long until I saw that he was nearby. When Sara and I went inside to get some food, there he was, shortly after us. When we sat to listen to the band, darned if I didn't spot him nearby.

   As it got dark, I needed to get my daughter home, so we left the party. A few days later, I got a call from Sheila. She told me that a guy at the party, named Mike, wanted to meet me, so we set up a double date. We were going to go out to a comedy show and dinner with Paul and Sheila, and see how it went.

   That week dragged! Finally, it was Saturday. Mike came to my apartment to pick me up. He was really cute! He had dark curly hair, and big blue eyes. And he wasn't skinny! He had been a football player in high school, and still had the build. Yum.

   We went to the comedy club, and went to dinner. I don't even remember what we ate that night. But in a parking lot just down from the restaurant,  was one of those traveling carnivals. After dinner, we said goodnight to Paul and Sheila, and Mike and I went to the carnival. We walked through the whole thing once, then went back to the car. He was so thoughtful, he actually had a bottle of Champagne chilling in the trunk of the car! He brought it out and opened it. Unfortunately, he had forgotten glasses. So we drank it out of the bottle.

   We spent hours there, sitting on the hood of the car, in that parking lot, just talking. It was the most amazing first date I had ever had. At one point we realized that the carnival had shut down for the night. We hadn't even noticed. I knew that this man was someone very special. I think I finally got home around 3 or 4 a.m.

   The next day, he came to my door, with a dozen roses. We spent the next 4 months together every day. He even slept at my apartment most of the time, much to my roommates chagrin. Then my brothers wedding rolled around. He agreed to take me, though it made him nervous. He got to meet my tiny Italian Grandmother, and all the rest of my family. We danced, and had a good time. That was September.

   By that time, we had developed a routine. We would go to his house, where he lived with his mom and step dad, every Sunday, and he would cook me dinner. Then I would lay down and take a nap, since I had to work that night. It worked for us. All that changed once October rolled around.

   As you may have guessed by now, in October he asked me to marry him. Of course, I said yes. I couldn't imagine my life without him. Even my daughter, at 11, knew he was making me very happy. So we pulled out all the stops and got married two months later, one week before Christmas eve. It was a very simple wedding, as weddings go. All that mattered was that I was marrying a man that I loved and respected. And he loved me too. I never thought I would have this kind of love.

   With one failed marriage behind me, I wasn't looking for another relationship. It totally caught me by surprise. I know it did him too. He had been in a long term relationship that had ended badly.  We both fought this tooth and nail. But in the end, love won, and we became Husband and Wife.

   To this day I go around asking people how long they knew each other before they got married. For us, it was 6 months. And what a great 6 months it was!  We are still happy together, and will celebrate our 23rd wedding anniversary this December.

   Sometimes you need to wait for the right person. I truly believe that there is a soul mate for every person. I found mine.

Better Luck Tomorrow!

   Here it is, the time of day when I usually post. Today I have nothing. Yesterday, I woke up and knew that I would tell you all the story of my two stashes. Most days, I know pretty early what I will write about. Not today.

   Nothing exciting, or out of the ordinary, happened to me today, in fact it's been a pretty boring day. I knitted a little, a few rows, on my simple shawl. I haven't been feeling too good these last few days, but still managed to come up with something to write about. Some days, I have so much to tell you that I post twice!

   Does this mean I'm running out of stories? Nope, I'm not. There just isn't a story that's ready and waiting to be told. My mind is all over the place today. I have thought about sharing a story about my hairdresser. It's pretty funny, but I'm not feeling it. There are more stories about my former friend and ex-roommate, but I'm not feeling them either.

   So I will just sit here and watch The Muppet Christmas Carol. I've got dinner in the oven, and will finish off Hubs' pot of work coffee. Let's all hope that something will come to me tomorrow.

The Tale of Two Stashes

   Once upon a time, there was a crafty woman who had a large yarn stash. It was totally unorganized, and spread over several rooms in her little house. She was quite happy with this arrangement, and her beloved husband didn't complain, much.

   One day, the couple decided to refinance their mortgage. Who knew what a can of worms this would bring to their happy home? They had refinanced once before, and the bank only wanted to view their house from the outside. This time, however, the evil Queen was running the show at the bank. And so it came to pass that the bank wanted to see inside their happy home. Panic ensued, and the husband told the crafty wife that her stash must go!

   He told her to take it to her friends house, temporarily. So she put all her beloved yarns into big heavy bags, and packed up her Jeep with her stash. She made the long trek across the main road of their little town, to her friends house. This friend, Bonny, had generously agreed to house the stash in her craft room. Imagine! Bonny has a whole room in her house dedicated to crafts!

   So Bonny made room in the craft room for her friends beloved stash. The inspection came and went, and the stash stayed there. To this day, the stash is still there! When the crafty woman re-organized the part of her stash that was still at home, she put all the current yarn into Ziploc Flexible Totes. She even bought extra ones for the part of the stash remaining at Bonny's house. She and Bonny not only put the stash into the totes, they organized it by color! Darks in one tote, and lights in the other tote.

   So the stash is still at Bonny's house. The stash that remains at home has grown. There are now three of those totes, full of yarn, as well as more bags and boxes that never got sorted or organized. Someone needs to explain to the crafty woman how yarn can multiply all on its own.

   When the happy couple moved to Fishkill for the winter, last year, of course some of the home stash went too. And in Fishkill it multiplied too! Of course, there was a LYS (local yarn store) nearby. However, the stash managed to make it all the way home, intact.

   So, sometimes the crafty woman goes to visit her friend, and her yarn stash. So far, Bonny's husband hasn't complained about the extra yarn.


                                                            THE END

In Which I Go Back To Knitting Something Simple

   Due to the absolute insanity the lace shawl was giving me, I have brought out my simple shawl to work on to soothe my shattered ego. Remember, this one?

   This is an old picture, progress has been made since this was taken. I really needed a break from lace. That stupid lace pattern really messed with me. My friend tells me to watch out for pattern errata, and I have checked for corrections on the Knit Picks web site. There are none listed. She says she will fix it for me, but I am about ready to give up on it. Maybe ask someone to do it for me?

   In the meantime, I will soothe myself with the simple stockinette stitch, increases every right side row. Aaahhh, that feels better already. The stress is leaving my body.
Perhaps I am not really ready for something more complex, as my knitter friends keep telling me.  Anyway, time to catch up on my knitting. Catch you on the flip side!

Temptation Rears It's Ugly, Ugly Head

   Let me start by saying that I have been up since 4:15 this morning. The mighty hunter's alarm went off, and he hit the snooze button. When the alarm went off a second time, he rolled over and told me he was going to sleep in this morning. That's all well and good, but I was unable to go back to sleep.

   I gave up trying at 5:30. I got up, came out to the living room, and turned on the TV, and the coffee maker. I had set it up last night for the mighty hunter. The time passed slowly until it was time to go to breakfast with my friend Kim. We had a great time together, as always, and she asked me to go with her to a LYS (local yarn store). This is where the temptation part comes in.

   This place had lots and lots of yummylicious yarn. It was very depressing for me, as I have no income, and can't spend any money on yarny goodness. However, I was able to watch Kim as she picked out all kinds of luscious yarns. She will be using them for holiday gift knitting. At least I got to fondle and sniff the yarns.

   I have always said, I can resist anything but temptation. And chocolate. And now that it's late in the afternoon, I am really tired. I recently shoved the mighty hunter out the door for an afternoon hunt. So maybe I can take a nap. What do you think? 

The Great Tattoo Adventure

   Yesterday, I went with Hubs to his tattoo appointment.  He had been given a gift certificate for his birthday, by our daughter and her husband. He had been looking for months for just the right image. He knew he wanted a grim reaper, holding a bow, and sitting on a throne of skulls. My Hubs is an avid bow hunter.

   When we got there, to Pop's Tattoo in Kingston, Cookie had drawn up an awesome picture. Cookie is a friend and band-mate of our son in law. He is also a fantastic tattoo artist! He got right to work, and had done the outline in just a couple of hours. I should mention that this tattoo is kind of big, takes up the whole upper arm on Hubs. Then Cookie started the filling in. That is where the artistry really shows!

  
    While there, I took some photos. Here's one of the shop.

Here's one of Cookie, at work on Hubs' arm.

Here is a photo of the outline:

                       And here's the progress so far. Hubs had to make another appointment to have it finished.

Isn't it amazing, how the robe is all drapey? I love it! As I sat there, watching, I realized I am really jealous, as I am now the only person in my family that doesn't have Cookies ink in my skin! My son in law came with the ink, my son has two of Cookies tattoos, even my daughter has a tattoo now! And now Hubs. I need another tattoo, done by Cookie! Until then I will not be happy. Maybe for Christmas? I hope so!

WIP Update, Look What I found!

   Yesterday, as I was searching for the missing gift certificate, I came across some WIPs that I had forgotten about! The scarf, I talked about yesterday. Here's a photo of that one! It's so soft!

   And today, I was getting out my swift to wind another ball of the Coco Malibrigo, and behind it was another bag. Being always curious, and ready to discover more treasures, I pulled out the bag and opened it. Inside was another WIP, a shawl I had started last winter, while we were in Fishkill. It's pretty big, so I have added it to my to-do list.  Here is a photo of the shawl, so far!

   It's made with Patons Lace yarn, And it's so light and lovely! And finally, I have a photo here of the progress on my bornday shawl. I have encountered a problem, so I have to wait until tomorrow evening, when I see my knitting expert, to sort it out.

    The problem lies between the two stitch markers on the furthest right of the photo. Between all the other markers, there are 17 stitches, between those two, there are 18. I have looked it over carefully, and think I can see where the problem is, but I can't figure out exactly WHAT the problem is! I can't really explain it, but after doing the wrong side purl row, and looking at the right side, there are no two stitches alike that are next to each other,  which would indicate a missed stitch somewhere. And since this is the set up row for a new stitch pattern, I can't look at it and see what doesn't line up. Does that make any sense?

   Anyway, I have to go make coffee for hubs now. We are going to Kingston today, for the outline of his new tattoo. I will be taking the found shawl with me to work on. Until tomorrow!