Life and Loves

etting prepared for the kids to leave is so bittersweet. On one hand I do not look forward to seeing them go next Wednesday, but on the other hand we leave for North Carolina the following morning. We have lots planned for this trip including some hiking, white water rafting, and hopefully some knit-tastic education.

I contacted the owners of Silver Threads and Golden Needles in Franklin and I am on the list for the Lace class. She was also very encouraging about being able to answer any questions I have about the looms. I wish I had time to take a class for that too, but I’m trying to resist cramming too much into our short stay. We are debating on taking a trip to Asheville, NC, the nearest big city to Franklin. They have a store that offers inexpensive spinning classes. I want to be introduced to this aspect of knitting; what seems like advanced knowledge, but this also may be something that I’ll have to plan for another trip.

I have lost my second skein of yarn for Jason’s hat, so it looks like Noah will be the coolest kid on the block (or ridiculed) with a hat his mama made him. I’m using some of my Japanese Noro yarn, which is a bit different than anything I have worked with so far. It doesn’t have much give, but the color is sensational. It looks pretty wound, and even prettier knit. I added a strip to the gray hat, but have run out of gray, so the top of the hat is destined to be orange. I learned a new stitch for this pattern, ssk (slip, slip, knit), it has a different effect than the knitting two together (K2tog). Neat huh? lol

nitting may not be one of your favorite pastimes, but it is quickly becoming one of mine. :o) It has grown from a neglected hobby to an art that I must learn everything about. That proves very difficult when there is only 2 knitting stores here and the nearest knitting store is 30 miles away and only open 9a-2p. The other is a bit farther, but open normal hours and it is the one I frequent when in need of what I’ll call “premium” products. Otherwise I will stop into Joann’s if I am desperate for a more popular item.

I started on a hat for Jason that I am realllly excited about. He’s not so sure, but I think he will like it once it is done. It is knitted on size 6 needles for almost 19 inches and then decreased! I had bought some wonderful gray (more for me to learn here) yarn at least a year ago and finally found the project for it. In my opinion, you have to LOVE the yarn to stick to the project. I am also learning that loving the needles is important too. I ran out to Joann’s to get a size 6 circular needle 16 inches (long? around? circumference?) , but they only had double-pointed needles (dpn’s) in that size. I want to learn to knit well on dpn’s anyway, so I went ahead, got the needles, and started the hat. After three tries (I so think that is the magic number for a new project) I finally got it going and was doing well with the pattern and the dpn’s. The quality of the needles made it a little frustrating though, and a bit of work to bust out the project with only a short time to work on it, so it began to sit in my project bag for long periods. At that point I knew that I needed to splurge on circulars, so Noah and I headed out to Tampa one afternoon this week to pick some up.

I prefer metal needles. I knit very tightly and am mean to the wooden or bamboo needles. They get scraped up and I have to help the yarn along which irritates me. That is for circular knitting. For straight knitting, I really like the wooden needles. Once I was at the shop, I asked the owner about needles as I was paying for them. I would not consider this shop to be very friendly, but she was much obliged to share her knowledge with me. She may have been the owner.

I simply asked her what the difference was between all of the mediums for needles? What makes one person choose one or the other? Is it preference?? Yes. Yes it is. I have fallen in love with stainless steel, but there is also bamboo, rosewood, ebony, and blends of different types of woods. There are decorative and expensive needles that are very beautiful and (I imagine) a dream to knit with. Needles are an investment, especially here in Florida, where they are not chucked to the nearest thrift store for the novice knitter to find; maybe the aluminum ones, which is what my dpn’s were. As I transferred from the dpn’s to the circular there was an audible sigh of relief. It was so smooth and the yarn began to fly on the needles! I will once again (possibly) pick up the dpn’s to decrease, but that won’t be for a while yet and I happily have become quite comfortable with dpn’s.

This particular store seemed to favor a brand called Lantern Moon. They had a lot of Rosewood and ebony needles for about 3x as much as I spent on the stainless steel.

This has given me a lot to chew on as I finish Jason’s hat. I am looking forward to the knowledge I will gain in NC at their one knitting store in Franklin. I hope they will be as forthcoming as the Tampa store was especially about the Looms they house. :o) Oh and we may go White Water Rafting again, so we’ve got that to look forward to along with spending time with Jason’s family. Can’t wait.

his morning I met with a Ravelry knitting group at a downtown coffee shop. It was so nice to get out by myself and meet so new ladies. I feel bad leaving Jason and the kids home on a Saturday morning, but it sure does my soul good. I find it hard to sit at home and knit when there is so much else to do!

I also got to talk with them about a newish knitting store that opened in Winter Haven. I haven’t made it out yet, but it seems okay from the pictures online. A bit of the “same-old” knitting store feel to it, though. We also talked about spinning and weaving and different stores in different states. We all agreed that it is nice to have yarn stores here, but they aren’t anything like what NC or Portland has to offer.

I hope to take some knitting classes while the kids are gone this summer. I have yet to take an actual class and look forward to a structured learning environment. It looks like the kids will be leaving June 9. The tickets have officially been bought (or so I am told).

It always makes me a little crazy towards the end of a semester, so I’m trying to keep that in mind as we gear up for summer. Hopefully there is a pool in my future!

ere is the finally finished knit project, that I unraveled and redid.

I loved working with this yarn and I am happy to be done! It is very warm and can be used as a scarf also, but Floridians may look at me funny… I am a little bit unsure of it as a shoulder wrap and wore it a little further up on my neck with my black jacket because it is so cold out today! I feel like Florida has had an actual winter this year. I like it; lets keep it! I also heard that it’s been snowing in New York, an obscene amount of snowfall, and I am hoping we aren’t going to freeze on our honeymoon! You can’t pack light for winter.

Remember that beautiful red wrap I was knitting? Unraveled. I knitted it too big for my narrow shoulders. :o( The more I knit the more I learn that I’ve just gotten started in this hobby. I am a big fan of mastering one skill before moving on to another, so the knit stitch, purl stitch, increasing and decreasing I have got down. I am learning to knit on circulars and DPN’s too. I rarely make a mistake and even if I do I can fix it seamlessly. I have been perusing Ravelry.com and a lot of the patterns I like have interesting stitches that I have yet to try. It is a little difficult being the only knitter I know because it isn’t like I can glean from anyone else! Oh well, I still enjoy it and will be trying again soon.

I am learning to love the new year. It is an exciting turn this year because the wedding is that much closer. I will be working way less and going to school more this semester, so we as a family will be depending on Jason to bring home the bacon. This is very new to me. It is also kinda scary. I won’t really have spending money and I really like spending. :o) I love finding an oh-so-perfect item for one of us or the house and bringing it home. Also, I see more items I would love to have when I’m broke than when I can actually buy it! What is up with that?!

It is nice to be able to depend on someone, especially when that someone is as loving and generous as Jason, but it also puts me in a vulnerable position and allows me to continue to learn a lesson I have been learning for the last 2 years which is delayed gratification. I like to go and do and without my paycheck there will be less going and doing.

Jason and I have been talking and making plans for the year and it seems as if I will continue to be home more with Nora starting PreK in the Fall. She may be going to R.B. Wagner with Noah, which will be great since it is right down the road! Being at home more gives me a fever…a fever to organize! I have plans for our closet and my closet which is actually a nook used for my desk and stuff. I want to move things around to give us more space. I want to repaint the kids rooms. It feels like I am turning into Suzie Homemaker. I still have 9 credits left after this semester for my degree which makes me feel like I have a split personality. College Student/Homemaker. I like my role of beautifying the home and taking care of the kids. As Jason has taken on more of the role of provider I have been able to become more of a nurturer. We make a good team. We are getting married you know… ;o)

I have been busy making plans for that too. If you want more details visit my wedding blog. Most of the big stuff is done and I am enjoying getting lists of the details together ready to check them off one by one. For some crafty inspiration you can check out what is fast becoming one of my favorite sites, The Purl Bee. I am loving this garland that was recently posted. It makes me want to make some room and get out my sewing machine! I don’t think I will need to worry about getting bored at home with all of these hobbies piling up. :o)

Due to financial issues we left a little later than we intended for our destinations over the holiday break. We set out Monday evening for NC and spent two days hanging with some of the Grebs. Sheena, Jason and I went to the lovely Franklin Sonic and had a corndog and some tots, Chili onion rings, and a chocolate shake. lol

Thursday we ventured North to Pennsylvania to visit my Great Aunt and Uncle whom I haven’t seen in almost three years. It was so good to see them! Jason got to see my “old stomping grounds” and meet some of my extended-extended family. It was also very neat to experience serious snow with him for the first time. We only stayed a day, but it was a great day! Here are some random pics from our trip.

Jason decided not to shave the entire trip and his beard was the longest I have ever seen! When we kissed it tickled my nose! I was glad to see him shave it off this morning, although he threatens that when he is in his 70’s he’s gonna let it grow long and not care. :o) I doubt I will either. Care that is…
I also was knitting every chance I got and finished up a hat for Sheena and started on a wrap for me.


I thoroughly enjoyed our trip and was happy-ish to get up at 330am Saturday morning to drive two hours to pick up the kids. We stopped in NC that evening for some much needed rest and continued home on Sunday. Our poor car was covered in dirt and salt and took a beating (literally) on the highway. We had to stop short at one point in GA and the cute little Kia behind us did not. We were not hurt and neither was the Jeep. Praise the Lord! Barely a scratch!




So our Christmas and New Year’s was not spent in typical style, but it was fun. We didn’t care as long as we were together. Next year the kids will be with us for Christmas, so it should go much smoother. Hope yours was happy.

I finally finished Nora’s scarf. Knit in Stockinette stitch, which gave me lots of knit/purl practice with ruffled ends, which I love! I finished it just in time for her to take with to Pennsylvania. Although she likes it much better as a rope to pull things with. :/ She’ll understand why it’s a must when she’s in PA where it is 20 degrees! It went perfect with her pretty spring dress this past Sunday.

Right now, I am….

Making: plans for more knitting
Drinking: Water
Reading: Lots of fabulous blogs
Wanting: To build our house
Looking: for ways to do homework and spend time with my family
Playing: at working
Wasting: away from not eating properly
Sewing: I wish, although I do have some ornamental ideas brewing for Christmas
Wishing: For more time in a day
Enjoying: The planning of the wedding
Waiting: For Jason to make up his mind
Liking: That Fall is almost here
Wondering: If I’ll be able to get a newer car soon
Loving: My family
Hoping: I’ll be able to get a newer car soon ;o)
Marvelling: At how amazing Jason is and how well he takes care of me
Needing: more sleep!
Smelling: The “fresh” scent of Lysol
Wearing: My rock out… shirt
Following: My to-do list
Noticing: The changes in our lives
Knowing: That God works everything to the good…even the bad…
Thinking: About visiting friends and soon to be family
Bookmarking: This shoulder knit thingy
Opening: My brain and pouring in knowledge
Giggling: over stories about hiking trips
Feeling: Ready, for what I don’t know…

I stole this from a lovely blog I stalk. :o)

I finished Noah’s scarf! Yay! While I was visiting my good friend Syndi in Indiana I came across this very neat yarn that was very soft and oh-so-colorful. :o) I immediately thought of Noah and since it was very inexpensive snatched it up.

I did a very simple stocking stitch slipping the first stitch as I went along. When did I find the time? During church! lol Our Pastor is very easy going and while he teaches us, I knit. He is not very long winded, but I could get a good 4-5 inches done. I don’t think Jason likes me knitting in church, but I am still listening to the message! I am a very good multi-tasker… Here are a couple of pics!





Noah has watched me make it surveying my progress each week and I hope it will keep him warm this winter and show him tangibly how much he is loved. :o)

For those of you who don’t knit you may not get this entirely, but I think it can be related to anything worth time and effort.

I really like knitting. I don’t get to do it that often, which is difficult because I think they would be much prettier items if I was never interrupted. I am not that great at it. I can admit that. Although I am so proud of myself once the item is done, I am a total perfectionist and go straight to the obvious-to-me “boo-boo’s”.

What I love about knitting is the texture of the yarn and the patterns of bumps and v’s. The rhythmic motion of the stitching itself. I love that little by little my progress is shown.

I have started a scarf for Christmas. It is my third scarf (I really like scarves) and it is a bit more difficult than the other scarves I have made. I have already had to start over once and the pattern begins by casting on 60 stitches! I then decrease for two rows and start a pattern of alternating rows. It is very precise. If you mess up it almost screams at you! Look here! What happened the first time around was I got mixed up and did the same row twice which flipped the pattern. Grr. I back-tracked about four rows, but couldn’t fix it and had to start over.

Yesterday, low and behold I did it again. four rows of the opposite pattern. I was deeply grieved. I cannot even explain my sadness-silly as it sounds. I had gotten so far, yet realized I was doing it wrong. I would now have to back-track AGAIN or possibly even start over. It takes such concentration and mental energy to fix the boo-boos. This was the wavering point. Give up? I live in Florida for God’s sakes, who really NEEDS a scarf? I did not give up. I fixed the boo-boos and then commenced knitting the rows over again, weary, but determined. At dinnertime I looked at my scarf (which by the way is probably only 6 inches long at this point but with a very cute ruffle at the end) and saw my progress, but now with humility.

Knitting is a one person show. You don’t have teammates or anyone to blame but yourself. It is a bit silly how this one hobby brings up such red flags in my personality. The funny thing is that this is how you learn to knit. You practice. You make mistakes and then fix them. You forgive yourself and learn to appreciate the effort rather than just the completed project. I could give up. WHO needs this kind of frustration?? With the frustration comes contentment and peace. I will continue to plug away at this craft for the enjoyment and insight in hopes that I will have Christmas presents for a few friends and family. Despite the boo-boos.

* I would share a pic, but it is a CHRISTMAS present (shh!)