CATIE-CATKNITS

bye-bye

2009-06-19T15:51:00.001-04:00

Well, I've gone and done it! I have a new blog over at Wordpress. It is not a knit blog, but includes knitting.

Farewell catie-catknits. I learned much from you. Thank you Robin for your help getting started.

Here's the address. Come visit if you like. Very basic right now:

Beloved's Garden

Hope to see you soon,

catie

My History, So Far.

2009-01-15T09:42:00.001-05:00

My History, So Far., originally uploaded by blessed_wild_flower.

History.
Future?
I am hoping,
Fantom Farms.
Bohus?
Yoke?
That is yet
to be
determined.

A New Era!

2008-12-01T16:29:00.001-05:00

100_1608
Originally uploaded by blessed_wild_flower

Well, it is almost the end of the year. I have not blogged much this year, BUT!!!! It is December the 1st and my 2nd annual homeschool hiatus has begun in earnest! This is the month where we do no math, no formal language arts, and generally mess around as much as possible. This could include cleaning, IF I feel like it. This could include making cookies, IF I feel like it. It most certainly WILL include as much knitting as possible!!!

Check out our new toy. Take a second and play the video, and if you are unable, so sorry, I am NOT able to help *sigh*

Well, it is almost the end of the year. I have not blogged much this year, BUT!!!! It is December the 1st and my 2nd annual homeschool hiatus has begun in earnest! This is the month where we do no math, no formal language arts, and generally mess around as much as possible. This could include cleaning, IF I feel like it. This could include making cookies, IF I feel like it. It most certainly WILL include as much knitting as possible!!!

Check out our new toy. Take a second and play the video, and if you are unable, so sorry, I am NOT able to help *sigh*

The Joys of Homeschooling

2008-10-16T12:01:00.002-04:00

In my ever, continuing battle against clutter, I bring you..... The Bottle Project. The DIY man does work for a little, ole dude out in Salem who built his house in a gully and raised his yard to street level by bringing in some sort of dirt. My kids have been excavating at the bottom of the gully, and I bring you......

Bottles. Who knows where they came from, or were used for what. They are ancient. Before the days of plastic. That blue one there is an old Vicks bottle. Thank God, I understand about compost, dirt, and God's clean up crew, aka: worms, bugs, and various other micro organisms. So, I know they are clean.

Folks. This is the joy of homeschooling (I'm being slightly sarcastic here). I am not *allowed* to throw that crap away. I will have 3 weeping and wailing kids on my hands. I have no earthly idea what they are doing with those bottles, but the kids are doing *something*.

Here are my projects lately:

BABY SURPRISE JACKET #2

FELTED CLUTCH

KNEE HIGH SOCK

YET, ANOTHER DECEMBER LIGHTS TAM

Welcome to the Twilight Zone.........

2008-10-09T20:33:00.001-04:00

What? Me? As if!!!!!!

You're Dune!

by Frank Herbert

You have control over a great wealth of resources, but no one wants to
let you have them. You've decided to try to defend yourself, but it may take eons before
you really get back what you feel you deserve. Meanwhile you have a cult-like following
of minions waiting for your life to progress. This would all be even more exciting if you
could just get the sand out of your eyes.

Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

Knitnana gets to be The Mists of Avalon. I am so jealous...............

Been Busy.

2008-10-03T09:08:00.003-04:00

Been busy. Life has gotten the better of me, and this time, worse than usual. Is this normal? Is this what life is? One 'crisis' to the next? Thank God I can knit and spin. Besides my children, these are the pleasures I have on this earth that I cling to.

This is the lace wing moth section of the Fiore di Melanzana stole. Handspun from David Simpson. Robin helped me decide how many oz. I'd need. I am pretty sure that it is an uneven lace weight up to some sections sport weight yarn. Glad it is for lace and not a fitted garment.
Finished up Wallaby #2 for DD#1. Great pattern, but BORING! That is that huge pack of yarn from Knitters Knook. Forgot what it is called. I affectionately call it the 'Z-Pack', as it is from New Zealand. But wait? A Z-Pack if a type of antibiotic. Oh, well. Great yardage, cheap, and best of all wool to keep my kiddoes warm.

Oh, guess what? We are getting a wood stove next week. We have an oil furnace and radiators. Great heat. One problem. We only bought 1/2 a tank of oil and the price was INSANE! In 2 years, we will have saved enough money heating our house with wood to make up for the cost of the stove. Better for the environment too, just a little added bonus for me! Right now, on Oct. 3 at 9:16 am, my house is 65 deg. F. I REFUSE to turn the heat on with all the wool sweaters I have been knitting for my kids over the last 2 years, they are gonna have to actually wear them.

So, DH, is going to have another reason to support my knitting and spinning habit. The sock there is a knee high (I am so into knee highs right now) made with Noro Silk Garden Sock Yarn. L-O-V-E T-H-A-T Y-A-R-N!

I am so grateful to God for so many things in this season of my life. I think I'll make a list. This is as much for me to remind myself of His goodness TODAY! Here goes:

healthy children
healthy self and husband
distance between my crazy family and me. Oh, about 6 hours or so :)
I have a spinning wheel
I can knit so very, many cool things
I have shelter
there is a wood pile bigger than my mini-van in the driveway
it is sunny today
it is my favorite month today
I am making pasta for dinner
Andy still has a job!
Andy is off next week
Mom is safe, and secure, for now, in a nursing home
I have all the advice I need to make a competent decision for mom's care
dad had foresight to leave enough money to care for his wife after his death
I have many, many friends
I have high speed Internet
I don't have a cell phone!
I love this high pressure in the area now
did I forget to mention my stash?

I could go on forever. I make this list to help resist the temptation of self-pity. This has been a hard month. But, life is good and I am looking for the positives today.

OK. nough of that, gonna go feed my kids breakfy.

My Favorite Knitting Tool!

2008-09-16T09:29:00.002-04:00

Like all knitters, I like my tools. However..... after a few years knitting now, I have rediscovered an oldy but goody. You may think that I am going to say row counter, or Addy Turbos. And yes, I love those things. But I am thinking something older and better. A simple machine based on simple physics. Look at the following pictures:

My finished fair isle vest. Drat. The hem is rolling up AND it was 4 inches too short. What is a girl to do?
A closer look. Houston, I have a problem. Now. In the past, I might have actually *gasp* thrown it away, cuz guess what? Fair isle DON'T PICK OUT WELL. What a waste. What a shame. Well. I live in a new knitting paradigm. The paradigm of the SCISSORS!

Yes, Dear Reader! My favorite knitting tool is the commonplace, household/sewing scissors. So may knitting DISASTERS may be adverted with the judicious application of this simple machine! This is not for the faint of heart, but with a wee little bit of research, and some very careful planning (you MUST be very careful WHAT you cut, after all. Don't go crazy and hack away), you can fix a doomed project!

So...... I took a size 2 needle and picked up the left leg of the correct row for each stitch. Then, got out my tool of choice..... my serrated kitchen shears , and carefully cut off the offending roll. Then proceeded to knit again, in the opposite direction, in pattern for the correct amount of length. SUCCESS! Sorry, I'll have to post a finished picture later.

Then we have Mia's sweater: I took a pair of scissors to her EZ yoke sweater, cuz her Mama made the thing too small. Hmmm. It was cold earlier this summer and when I pulled it over her head, it was too tight. This time NO planning. Got same kitchen shears and helter skelter, cut up the middle, then sewed down the edges. Picked up some stitches, and knit on a button band, got some cool buttons... and the rest is history. She loves it and WEARS it now. Lesson learned. Kids don't like tight.

In non-scissor knitting news. Another tam:
Plums and greens, for me. Knitpicks. Love, love, love Knitpicks Palette. Completed the ensemble with fingerless gloves:
I have been doing many things. This stuff here is old news. Maybe, I'll be able to document what I am doing now, later. *sigh* Life is busy. Be well, Dear Friends. catie

Finished! Wonderful Wallaby # 1

2008-08-03T20:23:00.002-04:00

WONDERFUL WALLABY

This was fun knit. Got the yarn at Knitter's Knook during Becky's sale. Got another 1 on the needles for DD#1.
It's a little bit, but she'll grow. She is eating me out of house and home. You go girl!!!

If it's worth having, it's worth working for........

2008-07-28T16:52:00.003-04:00

After my last discourse on my life, I thought I would count my blessings. I have so many. And you know what? The blessings in and of themselves, are also challenges. Believe it or not, my mother used to say, "If it is worth having it is worth working for." With that, I give you my other, current challenges in the knitting genre.

1st up: Briar Rose sock. Handspun, 3ply size 3 needles. Super wash Merino. Absolutely lovely, and smooshy (to quote dixigirl)! I couldn't find a pattern that I loved and I was sick of being tied to a pattern anyway..... so, I took my newly acquired know how from Cat Bhordi's book, cast on for a toe up , and increased until it would fit my foot. Risky, risky. But greatness is only achieved by risk. We'll see what happens when it comes to the heel. Gusset? Short row? Who knows.
2nd up: The Joe Basic Fair Isle Vest. Size 4 needles. Random colors from Knitpicks Palette. EZ pattern from Spin-off for the basic color changes. I'll tell you a secret. I got thru the corrugated ribbing and into the actual pattern, when I caught my mistake. I was on a size 2 needle. Well, rats. My stitch count was off and it was going to be way too small, even if I have lost some weight. So, instead of ripping it out..... I just changed up to a 4. Not after the ribbign either. Some where in the 1st blue zig zag. We'll see.
Obligatory close up of the actual colors and color changes.
3rd up: Maddy's Wonderful Wallaby. This was an actual challenge that I had set for myself for the beach. To begin and finish a child's sweater in a week. Granted, this is an extremely easy pattern on size 8 needles. But a week no less. I was so up for this challenge. Unfortunately, mom happened. The rest is history. Challenge failed. Oh, well. It's almost done anyway. How bout a child's sweater done in 2 weeks?

Last but not least. My most important challenge of all. Why don't the most important things not get all our attention. I think it is because they might not scream the loudest. My mother also used to say, "The squeaky wheel gets the grease." Well, I guess y'all all know how much she has squeaked lately.

So, I present you:

Maddy's snaggle tooth. I went after it today with dental floss. Trusting soul that she is, believed me that I wasn't really trying to get it out, and willingly let me play with it. Let me tell you, if I thought I could have gotten it, I would have. Same goes for my knitting. So there. ha

Oh yes. I worked off a lot of my angst by cooking up a storm. Homemade bread (no knead variety), rice, bean stew and roasted medley of root vegetables. Food helps so much!

2008-07-26T18:44:00.002-04:00

Warning. This is a vent post. Do NOT read if you have an opinion. Note, I have also disabled comments. No offense intended. Thanks. the management

Dear Friends,

What a week. We are back and the week went well.... for the most part. I don't even know where to begin. I am drained as I haven't been in a while. To put it succinctly, mom had a psychotic break this week. She hasn't had one in 5 or so years.

Here are the pertinent details. She had lived with my brother (who is also bipolar) for about 4 years. Before that, she was in an assisted living facility in Las Vegas. (yeesh, I cringe to even tell y'all that). RGG (bro) thought it would be a good idea.... save her some money. Didn't matter that I knew THIS WAS A BIG, FAT, HAIRY MISTAKE. They didn't care what I thought.

I won't go into the gory details.... let's just say that the shyte hit the ceiling fan and I am up to bat. On vacation no less. What you don't know, is that my mother can time a psychotic event for when I have something else to do. She has done it. Many. Many. Many times. Think wedding day. Think departing the country for a job. Think my father's death. Think every year, when I HAVE to go to the beach with 11 other children and 15 other adults who are not my blood family.

I spent Tuesday thru Friday, all day, on the phone with so very many, many, many people. Trying not to listen to bro and sil vent, couldn't stop most of their venom, but some, at least. Social workers, nursing homes,..... you name it. Then, I am treated to the opinions of all my husbands family. Whom, have NEVER had to deal with anything like this.

So, I have got mom placed in an independent living facility with 4 hours/day of an aide coming in to wait on her hand and foot. This is going to drain her until there is nothing left. I am so frustrated because my dingbat bil, who is a lawyer, and thinks he knows it all, now is trying to advise me on money.....

Short list of stressers:

mom's actual psychotic break
brothers neediness
traveling with 11 other children
dealing with in-laws on an upclose and personal basis
worrying about kids at beach
dealing with dh's opinions on each of these matters
worrying about money, mom's money
making dinner for 5 people upon arrival at home

So, why am I telling the entire internet about this? I don't really know, except I know some of y'all really love me. And I love you right back. Many of you have become family that I have chosen. Thank you for that. I am sorry to unload something so STUPID when others in our little family have much worse problems.... like hurt children, or hurt husbands. What have I got to complain about? Nothing really. This is just my life, and this blog is a small piece that I can control. Just a small piece.

I have so many blessings. I think it is just easier to focus on the problems and neglect the truly beautiful things in life.

On the way home, I got to listen to some teachings on the book of Proverbs. The titles were, "The Healing of Anger", which by the way states that anger is good, just be slow getting to it; and "Healing of the Wounded Spirit". God really addressed me directly today. Not sugar sweetness either, but an antibiotic for my soul. His Presence. His direct address of my angst. That is the biggest blessing of all. I am not alone.

AT THE BEACH!

2008-07-24T12:01:00.001-04:00

Ocean Isle Oct 2007 - 071, originally uploaded by Downtown Guy.

2008-07-17T10:19:00.002-04:00

Pin Oak

1944-2008

All things are born to die. Even trees. This is the last shot of the pin oak my father played under, I played under, and several sets of grandchildren (including my own) have played under.
Cherry picker. Ethan is beside himself watching all the big equipment in his own yard. I am making him stay in the house as it is just not safe when a 70+ foot tree is being taken down. No margin for error, and as we all know, accidents DO happen.
The dozer.

The funny thing is, Andy, aka The DIY Man, is going to keep ALL the wood. The other funny thing is, we are leaving for the beach ..... on Saturday. Today is Thursday. There is no way the DIY Man can get a full trees wood, 70 yo worth, organized and put away.

I am stressed. I want to pack. I really NEED to knit to get settled. So, off I go to do something.

Later, catie

I CAME, I SAW, I .................................!

2008-07-09T14:01:00.002-04:00

The kids got picked up today by grammy and grampy. I was supposed to be working on the school room, preparing for some hand-me-down desks from my aunt. Cleaning, sorting, rearranging etc. Instead, I took a nap and knit for an hour. Before long I had this:

Not much to look at. What you are seeing is a GORGEOUS, prime alpaca sweater (natural colored, of course). But wait. Catie.... there is a "small" problem there.

*gasp*
You are exactly right. I can't even fit my fist through the head opening. What is wrong? Off to my handy dandy sewing machine. Where I promptly broke a needle (I was a tad overzealous), learned how to dig out alpaca from a 20th century machine, change a needle and rethread the whole thing. Mind you, I have never worked that much with this appliance... and swiftly continued sewing.

A few snips. It went so quickly, and there you have it. A beautiful shot of my 30 something decolletage. No silly, my new v-neck sweater. Raglan. Fits nice. It was hot out there on the porch considering it is 85 and the alpaca.

I CAME, I SAW, I STEEKED!

2008-07-04T17:35:00.002-04:00

Happy 4th of July!!!

The above picture is the 9 am view off my front porch from my favorite place to spin outside. Notice the haze. Land o' mercy, it's gonna be hot.
The view of my HUGE boxwood to my right. Hmm, what have we here?

It's on the wheel. Just a baby. My baby, ds who is 4 yo, saw him and gasped in wonder.
The tiniest preying mantis I have ever seen. Wait till September, he'll be monstrously huge, but for now, he's a little greaser. Just so you get an idea of how small the little dude is, that yarn right there is cobweb weight. I will ply it to make a 2ply lace weight for the Bee Stole.
I love the fact that I actually got the camera to focus on something that small!!!!! I marvel at God's workmanship. This little guy is so delicate, tiny..... He could be crushed by the tiniest touch. Yet, he is so full of personality. He kept jumping on my camera lens. His little head would cock from side to side as if he could commune with me. I feel blessed cuz he visited with me and my wheel for a few minutes before he disappeared into the boxwood cavern.

Gotta fly, guests coming! Later, catie

January 26, 2007

2008-06-26T16:31:00.001-04:00

January 26, 2007, originally uploaded by Sabrina Tang.

Dear Gentle Reader,

I have a confession to make. I have been on a diet since Sept. of 2007. I have lost 25ish lbs (still have 8ish to go to get to the 1st goal weight). What's the problem you ask? Well....

Here goes:

I have broken..... badly..... over the last 2 days.

Yesterday, I ate at El Rodeo. I had Chile Verde, which is pork butt in tomatillo sauce. Sides of rice, beans, avocado salad and tortillas. The problem was, portion control.

Later, went to the Fresh Market and acquired 2 boxes of muffins and a cherry pie.

Today, I eschewed the leftover pork butt for lunch and had homemade mac and chee instead. It was whole wheat penne at least. Just now.... I dove into the pie. Not 1, but 2 large pieces. Oh, forgot to mention the cinnamon muffin I had for breakfast. There was NOTHING redeeming there!

I guess that's what you get for being into self-denial for 9 months. Well, I have denied myself NO yarn or fiber tho. I guess that's all that matters, eh?

2008-06-24T16:22:00.001-04:00

NEW RESPECT

What kind of yarn are you?

You are Dishcloth Cotton.You are a very hard worker, most at home when you're at home. You are thrifty and seemingly born to clean. You are considered to be a Plain Jane, but you are too practical to notice.
Take this quiz!

One day, today actually..... I was trolling thru Ravelry when I happened upon this:

Swiffer Mop Cover, originally uploaded by smariek.

Another use for dishcloth cotton. I think I am going to have to rethink my snobbery about yarn and about myself. Maybe dishcloth cotton is fabulous, versatile, and a downright must have for my stash. hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm , this bears some thought.

2008-06-23T13:43:00.002-04:00

Here is the the best buy I got at Sedalia Fiber Festival. Natural 100% alpaca, brown and silver. Probably the prettiest, softest, most luxurious yarn I have ever knit with. It was a great buy as well. $22 for 660 yards. I got 3 skeins. More than enough to make a sweater and maybe some mittens, hat, and socks as well.

I like the way the stitches are. I am going to need a camisole or something underneath it. Very drapey, and just the tiniest bit see through.
I CO another sock. This time Marcelo's Seven-League Boots for DD #1. Leftover sport weight yarn. I have so much of this yarn, I can probably knit another pair of adult socks for a Christmas present.
My latest acquisition from CyberFyber, aka, David Simpson. Aura. It is going to be lace weight for my second attempt at the Bee Fields Shawl. I MADE SURE I had enough material for it this time. Almost 1.5lbs, more or less. These are the 1st 2 skeins of what I think will probably be 8-10 skeins.
This is what I call my 'found' alpaca. The lady from Riveranna Farms gave it to me. I had just made a small purchase and she said to take from her bags of 2nds..... as long as I didn't spin it.
Folks, giving me fiber and telling me not to attempt to spin it is ludicrous. I told her I was going to spin it. She said I could have it as long as I *wink, wink* promised not to spin it. Okey, dokey....*wink, wink* I won't spin it. There you see, I haven't *wink* spun it.

I had all kinds of funny things to tell you about, but, blogger failed me when the creative juices were flowing earlier. The dingbat pictures refused to upload. Lost all the fun stuff. So, the driest, knitting post ever. Hope to do better for you next time, Dear Reader.

Your Friend,

Catie

2008-06-12T20:37:00.007-04:00

Been doing many things these last couple of days.
Setting twist and finishing yarn to knit.
Trying to figure out what to knit with 150 yards of orange, hand spun boucle. Ideas? Anyone? Anyone?
Finishing up sock #1 of An American in China sock. Sport weight yarn. Size 4 needles. Wool by David Simpson in Carnival colorway.
The closest yarn, that I have seen, to resemble this yarn is Alice Starmores from her Virtual Yarns website. The yarn is multi-faceted and complex. You can make it stripe, or better yet, let it spin as it would and it creates it's own heathered color.
The DIY Man socks. Again, David Simpsons fiber, 3ply, light fingering, size 1 needles. I really spun this yarn way too tight and it is quite ropey. BUT! I have learned that sock yarn should be spun tightly to help it wear longer! So, Andy gets rough socks. It might even wear the hair off his legs.

You know it's hot when.................

2008-06-09T20:11:00.003-04:00

You know it's hot when:

Your dog has drank so much water, it doesn't even realize it has to go and pees on your Aubusson rug.
You forgot the dog probably needed to go out because you didn't want to open the sw facing door FOR ANY REASON.

You also don't want to open the sw facing door to let kids play in the kiddy pool, for same aforementioned reason. They think any door is revolving and they must be able to have complete access to anywhere AT anytime, at ALL times. Regardless of Mom crying out that it is hotter than the blazes out there and MAKE UP YOUR MIND!
DH thinks it is cold in the bedroom when it is 84 degrees.
You can't sleep with DH because he is hot, snoring, and restless (he wasn't cold, what IS his problem).
You sleep on the downstairs couch with window open and at 4:30am, the Siamese cat starts to meow at you from the other side, cuz the window is open and she can smell you. You are rather ripe after all.

You know you need lots of H2O in heat like this, but this causes the post, have had 3 baby bladder to feel the need to pee.
You barely get pants down in time, cuz they stick.
You stick on the porcelain.
Can barely pull them up, yet again, sticking. End up doing a 'happy dance' pulling them up, much to the entertainment of 4 yo son who has yet to leave you alone while you do any sort of personal business.

You carry the Aubusson rug out the SW facing door to rinse it well with vinegar and water to kill the pee smell, which, if left unattended, would flow thru the house in a matter of hours.
DH decides to vacuum under where the Aubusson rug was and made the entire downstairs at least 3-4 degrees hotter due to the exhaust.

You are hungry, but, the idea of cooking makes eating a bad idea.
Alas, you ARE hungry. You boil noodles and the steam kills the appetite of the entire family. Noodles you say? That was nuts. Well.... there was truly nothing else to eat and going to the store and walking across that hot pavement didn't bear pondering.

You decide to do something relaxing, like knit. Good idea in theory, but the yarn refuses to slip thru your fingers due to excess hand moisture.
You must give up on all projects but socks, as wool in the lap is intolerable.
You break a sweat while blogging.

Current temp of upstairs: 88 deg F.

Current temp of downstairs: 85 deg F.

Mental status: sane, barely

Plans for tomorrow: made dental appts for kids so we could go somewhere with a/c

What are those pictures: Well, with no knitting to show, I thought I would flash some hand spun stash!

2008-06-06T17:31:00.007-04:00

Guess who is going to knit?

A "Little Bo Peep."

She has actually done quiet well. Amelia Joy,(aka DD#1, aka Bee, aka Mia, aka Mia Bee's, aka Budget) is 8 and is starting to get the dexterity to do this OK. I still have to sit right beside her and chant, "In, around, out, off. In, around, out, off." over and over. But you know what?

She is one of us now.

ps: She is knitting with Nikki's handspun!

tornado!

2008-06-04T16:29:00.002-04:00

tornado!, originally uploaded by Relentless_Photography.

God is GOOD! Here's the story:

Last night the DIY man was on the computer, kids watching a video and I was on the phone with Tanya. My friend and I had been speaking for quite sometime when she said a storm with lightning was at her house and she needed to get off the phone. NBD. Until I looked out the window.....

The sky to the west was completely black. I tell the DIY man to come and see. He leisurely gets up and says, "Yup, it's dark out there." I went upstairs for something, I don't remember what.... I went into the girls room and whammy. It was on us. I lost all visibility out the girls window. There was a HUGE white oak that my grandma planted 70ish years ago and is slated, by the city or Rke., for destruction. I put my hand out, in prayer, to the tree and asked God to keep the tree up.

As fast as the storm came, it was gone. Less than a minute or 2. VERY scary. Hail, wind, no visibility. After it was over, we looked out the garage. A big, but more minor, limb had come down and missed my car by inches. Across the street a very healthy maple had dropped huge limbs in the road. But! our white oak still stands and dropped not a major limb. I couldn't believe it.

Later, we found out that 1/2 mile away, a tornado touched down. There hasn't been a tornado here for almost 40 years. I am sure Sallee has something to say about this, as it came close to her as well.

Letter to a sister of the heart.

2008-06-03T09:37:00.002-04:00

Dearest Jenny,

We are gearing up for our day here for school. Amelia has finished 2nd grade and Madeline 1st. Ethan is 4 and I am starting him on learning his letters. God has been faithful! Amelia is reading exceptionally well, and Madeline is just starting. Math is not great, but I have my marching orders and we will make that our 1st subject of the day for the next year and that should take care of it.

We are living in the same house. Andy has the same job. We are quite boring, but I like it that way. The thing I am most grateful to God about right now, is that my house if finally coming together. After living here 7 years, 11 years of marriage, and 3 children...... I am getting my act together and pulling out garbage bags and throwing the mess all out!!!! I am ruthless. If it doesn't have a place, it's outta here. By and large, besides my mom, this has been one of the most serious struggles in my life.

We are currently going to Grace Covenant here in Rke. It is part of something called the Grace Network. Kind of non-denom/charismatic. Not Andy's cup of tea, but the thing is, there is no where else to go. There are Baptist/Bible churches..... that is our past. There is the Episcopal thing.... past as well. House church thing (let's not go there). I really don't know what God has for us. So, this is a sweet little church and I am quite comfortable there,but DH is not. *sigh*

My days are filled with feeding kids, keeping up with the laundry, educating kids, trying to keep the house relatively clean, and in my spare time (ha ha ha), I knit and spin on my spinning wheel. Believe it or not, that hobby keeps me VERY content here in the home. Andy is so funny. He'll watch me doing that and he will actually say that he likes the fact that I knit and spin. That it is one of the most wholesome activities he can think of. (The wholesome note: What? Me? Wholesome? I'm not sure I would describe myself that way. Earthy? sure. Edgy? occasionally, yeesh Andy, you've taken the wind out of my sails).

Jenny, I really believe that God led me to the knitting and spinning. What else is there for a woman of God to do? I really feel called to be home. As in: be home, in the home, at home, working at home, living at home, tending my 'garden', and any other thing you can think of to describe being a fully present, in the home mom. I love the way 1 friend put it...."The industrial revolution took a lot away from women, and now, what was basic social, productive activities are being rediscovered by women of God."

One of the 1st things God ever spoke directly to me was, "I want you to keep your hands busy and your mouth shut." I think I was either doing dishes or sitting on the toilet when that flashed thru my head like an axe. I am good at keeping my hands busy, but my mouth...... well, that is quite a bit harder.

That is not quite a list of my day, but a generality of my life on a day to day basis. I miss you. You became in a short time, a sister of the heart. All my love, Catie

2008-05-13T10:52:00.002-04:00

Dear Dad. It is May again and I am thinking of you. The wildflowers are out and I am remembering all the good times we had in the woods identifying them. I wish you were here to see the Flame Azalea I found blooming in my neighborhood. I will always think of you when I see it. It is kind of rare and leggy, and spindly, and not very tame looking. Wild and rare, just the way I like them .

I have learned many new things since you have been gone. I have learned to forgive, I have learned to listen, and I have learned that you really might have known it all, sort of , that is.

The way I celebrate your life is by NOT celebrating your 'going home' anniversary. The date has come and gone, and on the day, I didn't even notice. Usually, Andy watches me and reminds me several days later, and I am relieved that yet again, life has gone on without you and my grieving has passed
Dad, I have learned to spin yarn on a spinning wheel. You would have thought that was cool. I entered this yarn in a contest because when I saw the flame azalea yesterday, I realized that I had the *exact* color of the flower in mohair and the *exact* color of new spring wood for the shrub part. The yarn is wild and leggy, just like the flower. It won't knit into something else because of it's uniqueness. Can't it just be yarn for the sake of being yarn? Can't I just be me? Just plain, ole me? Just a I am? Yes, I do believe that I can and am, just that.

Mom is OK. I guess you know that though. She is stable and lives a very, small life with your son. I wish she would have joined us on our walks, but I guess she just couldn't for whatever reason. Oh, yeah.... I have learned what the word GRACE means. I am learning to love mom, just the way she is with no expectations. I am content with that and am grateful that she is still with us. She misses you though, she told me so yesterday.

I think the most important things I have learned since you've been gone are these: I have found peace and I like myself. I no longer try to meet up with expectations that are unreasonable and try to be content in my own skin. I am plenty flawed but maybe that is what make us all different from each other.

I miss you too, but not with the hard grieving that used to be. I miss you now and rejoice knowing that you are with the One who made you and let me be yours for a while. I will think of you every May and probably create something of great meaning to me in your honor. So this is my tribute to you, kind of girly, sorry.

Flame Azalea Boucle. Mohair, spun S twist. BFL spun Z twist. Plied Z twist. Then the 2ply plied with another BFL single S twist. My 1st attempt at boucle. Didn't make much.

I will love you forever and will be with you again.... someday. All my love,
Your Kitty Kat

FO Saturday

2008-05-10T13:36:00.002-04:00

Clapotis, 100% Alpaca Handspun

Barbara Walker's Seafoam Scarf

Sakina's Needles

Cockles
lace weight handspun

Happy FO day!!!! I do have a problem now.....

I have nothing to knit but socks. Oh well..............

Sprouts, flat cookies, blueberry vanilla granola, and lemon cake

2008-05-07T14:37:00.006-04:00

I had started my day with the Today Show. Martha was on. She had the most divine, lemon coffee cake that I knew was the ticket for my own mother. Mom lives in NC with db and sil. This is an iffy relationship at best. Money is tight, and I had already investigated flowers. Too much.

Oh goody! A new recipe, let's see: I get to slice the 5 lemons paper thin, boil them for 10 minutes, then dry them on parchment paper. Make the struesel, refrigerate that. Make the cake batter and begin layering. Batter, lemons, struesel..... 2 times each. Bake in an angel food pan. Good night. This was getting more complicated and expensive by the second. I persevered KNOWING that my hard work would pay off!

The Fresh Market for sure would have Meyer Lemons. Nope, just organic ones for 99 cents each. Well.... how bad could it be? I checked my recipe, downloaded from Martha's website. I needed 10 lemons. I gleefully loaded up on my loot.

Then, our dear Martha also suggested homemade granola for you mom. Got that recipe too from the website. Gleefully, I started picking those things up. Dudes.... I was looking at a butt load worth of money for a mom who probably won't eat my hard work. Organic oats, wheat germ, pumpkin seeds, and your choice of nuts and dried fruit. Mom would probably break her teeth on the stuff. (or more realistically, my wild nephews would probably polish it off for her, oh, and cake too).

Mother's Day. What a complicated and fussy business. All I really want is peace in life and for people (not you dear reader) to leave me alone. All of this brings me to my morning at Bible study:

We have been studying Exodus. Today's topic was the Sabbath. Sabbath for me brings up a huge list of DO's and Don't Do's. Guess what, I have had it all wrong. God wants us to celebrate His rest. He likes rest so much, He wants us to do it once a week. That is a 52 day holiday, each year. Man, I can really dig that. Especially with the MIL business from my last post and then my own mom and all the stress and angst that comes with her.

So.... God must have known what was ahead at Bible study while I was shopping my insanely huge, expensive, organic lemon and weird ingredient shopping list for an incredibly ornery, irritating, involved, complicated recipe for a mom who
1) probably wouldn't eat it
2) nephews would scarf it down in 10 seconds
or
3) not be noticed for the specialness that it most certainly be.

I bought already made granola (right behind me, would you believe it) and dried blueberries. Martha says packaging is *everything* so I got a handy, dandy Mason jar, from my cabinet, and layered it with the granola and blueberries. Throw in an already made bar of Bay Rum soap, run to the PO, overnight that sucker and, there you go......... Mother's day on the cheap, but not thoughtless.

Folks, I love people. I *love* to bake and cook. I love making soap. I love knitting and spinning. I love combining these things into special presents. But you know what? I was getting so stressed out about the money, baking, shipping, and the holiday itself, I was turning my joy into work. I had so much work to do that I couldn't enjoy the fruits of my labor.

Jesus said, "Come unto me all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest." I have thought that was a pile of bs for so many years. Wasn't He the one who was loading me up with the lists of To Do vs. Not Do? Guess what? It wasn't Him. It was all the rules that had been added by man that were wearing me down. I have tried so hard for years to be 'perfect.' I want to shout it from the roof tops now......I AM NOT PERFECT NOR AM I CAPABLE OF BEING PERFECT. EVERYONE.... BACK OFF!
Jesus told the religious leaders of His day that He was the Lord of the Sabbath and that the Sabbath was made for man and NOT man for the Sabbath. Hold on, does this mean I have God's permission to rest, relax, and enjoy family, friends and.... knitting when I could be working? I believe this is a big, fat "YES, YOU ARE BEGINNING TO GET IT NOW GIRL!"

So, here is my flat cookie. I followed the recipe with dd#1 and dd#2. DD#1 was upset because the cookies weren't right. I was so mad that I had tried so hard to please her and I didn't measure up to her expectations. The DIY man had to help me with that. The joy was in the time together and I needed to help her see that. How? Don't have a clue.

Sprouts, my new food. I do believe these are lentils, green peas, and a small red bean. I picked them up while at the Fresh Market. I think I am a sprout. Just beginning to grow. Nutritious and slightly sharp tasting, an *acquired taste*. What food are you?

Later, Catie

ps: don't you just love how everything all boils down to food and knitting? I do!!! ha ha aha ha ha

2008-05-01T12:07:00.002-04:00

I have a lot to say today, so, buckle down for the ride!

Nothing is wrong, not really. I am just struggling today. This is nothing new. If you have read any of this blog before, then you know it is NOT just about knitting and spinning. It is more like a journal that I keep to chronicle my life to whomever wishes to read. I am glad you are here. If you don't agree with me, that's OK. I don't expect you too. Just be patient with me as I am just a girl who is learning how to wife and mother at the ripe, old age of 36.

I am going to start with a list.

MY STRUGGLES as of today, May 1st, 2008:
from least bothersome to most bothersome

husband, this is normal, he is the least of my stresses today, thank GOD!
recently had to frog a lot of knitting, this is OK, normal
my water is turned off, again. Rke City can't keep anything going for any length of time without messing up!
contentment in my own body
current state of my own health, IE, cholesterol, etc
planning for next years 2 & 3rd grade school for dd's 1 and 2 as well as a small preschool something or other
the socialization word has been brought up by the #1 struggle on my list as of today,

my MIL

She is well intentioned. She is smart and educated. She raised 5 children. She is still married to her 1st husband. She attends church and was a missionary in SA for 5 years. She gardens and does many things for people who need assistance. So, "what's your problem, Catie?" you may ask. Well..... having this paragon of 'virtue' as a shining example ...... I just don't measure up.... at least in her eyes.

We had yet another discussion yesterday. This one on her thoughts and concerns about MY children. We home school. So what? The dreaded socialization word was brought up. She sent her 1st 2 sons away to boarding school at a young age. What? I disagree with that decision. I don't get to tell her what I think, that was 30+ years ago. She even used the Bible on me.

Bad move folks, I attended Christian high school, Bible college (a little known factoid I don't advertise about myself), Christian college, and *gasp* a year of seminary! That doesn't make me qualified for anything except that I know my way around the BOOK and I can defend myself adequately from it. The only thing that kept me from whipping it out and retaliate is that doing that is WRONG (there's a great word for it, proof texting, but we don't need to get into that)!!!!!!

I struggle with what she thinks of me. Why? Good question friend. I think it is the leftover codependency from my youth that I still struggle with. I am learning to answer back with questions. The Master used questions to reveal the hearts of those around Him. Sounds like an art I could really use. So, I am gonna practice on y'all. It is like casting on. There are so many ways to do it and each one is good for different purposes.

uh
um
well..
oh, dear

I ain't got a one. That is bad. Don't think quickly on my feet too well.

Oh, the picture at the top are my hand spun, 3ply, fingering weight, sheep to shoe socks in the Undulating Rib pattern by Ann Budd. I have 2 more skeins of it. $30 for the roving and I could conceivably get 3 pairs of socks out of it. Not bad, not bad at all. Later, catie

RIP

2008-04-26T18:12:00.002-04:00

bee2, originally uploaded by blessed_wild_flower.

DOB: 11/2007
DOD: 4/25/2008
Name: Bee Fields Shawl
Yarn: 100% handspun Alpaca, fingering weightish
Yardage: unknown
Color: Watercolors
Place of Birth: Etsy
Place of Death: my dining room table
Cause of Death: ball winder
Reason of Death: ran out of yarn
How far into project: 1/3rd
Primary Suspect: catie -------

Comments: I had begun knitting the Bee Fields Shawl in November of 2007. I had spent a lot of time spinning up 4.8oz of 100% alpaca and I was tired of it. I put it away and knew that I would fall in love with it again someday. That day finally came in early April of 2008. 6 months later. I bough...er.... borrowed the pattern from a friend. She has nothing to do with this, I swear.

I was just finishing up the 'bee hive' section when I noticed the problem. There wasn't going to be enough yarn to finish. Well.... I didn't worry, I had another 3.7oz hank of the same Watercolors colorway. I happily spun it up into 1 smallish skein and 1 large skein. This only took me 2 days to spin 2 singles bobbins and ply them. I reviewed the pattern notes and carefully counted up how many passes on the niddy noddy I had and multiplied by 2. There were ontly 380yards in the new hanks. I then KNEW, I just KNEW.

That night, I persevered thinking that there would be enough. There would be enough. If I just thought I could make it, I would. I studied the pattern and schemed about how I would finish the next 3 patterns in the shawl. I could get past the swarm, but what would I do in the 'Bee in the Field' section. And then came the final edging. I thought about different yarns. I thought about altering the pattern. However, this was too difficult for me. I Knew what I had to do. I knew that I didn't have a choice. I swear, I didn't have a choice!

I got up on Saturday am. 10:30 to be exact. I had my DD#1 hold the shawl, and I did it. I carefully set up my ball winder. I threaded it thru the hook. I laced the beautiful, alpaca yarn thru the slot..... .... and I began to turn. I turned and turned and turned. I carefully held the yarn in my left hand and marveled as it passed thru my fingers. The texture was/is tencel like and tough. It shed a little bit and I had to periodically shake my hand to get rid of the fibers.

After it was over, I reflected that 2mo of work only took 15 minutes to destroy. There. I have told you my story. I am guilty as charged. I have destroyed a work of art. Here is what's left.

That is my testimony.

2008-04-24T10:18:00.004-04:00

I introduce to you "Cockles." My official entry into a lace spinning contest! 57wpi singles and 36 wpi 2-ply. This is a picture of the 2ply.
Approximately 596 yards for 3.7oz. From Sakina's Needles. I love the way the niddy noddy shows me how the colors are going to look knit up!
The spinning project I have in mind is a simple scarf in the Seafoam Pattern from Barbara Walker's 2nd Treasury of Knitting Patterns. I found this pattern in the latest edition of Spin-Off 2008. I chose this pattern because Cockles reminds me of the sea.
I found the color pattern repeats in the roving and divided them in half. The 1st bobbin I spun by stripping a small portion from the roving in long pieces. This created short color pattern repeats. The colors changed very quickly. The 2nd bobbin I spun, I tore off larger color segments for long color repeats. The idea was for the colors to ply thoroughly to create as many different color blends possible. I believe that this will make a FABULOUS seafoam scarf. I will knit this myself to be a gift for a friend who is moving away to her mother's home in VA. Beach.

Bee Fields Shawl

2008-04-20T14:59:00.005-04:00

Watercolor roving. 100% alpaca. 2-ply. 25wpi. Spun up for Bee Fields Shawl.

bee2, originally uploaded by blessed_wild_flower.

It has been a long 5 days. The DIY man (aka, Andy, DH, etc) has been in Costa Rica. This is the organization he has been with. And if you are really interested THIS is the blog. 5 days and nights unbroken by any break from the wunderkinds. It has been good, but I am tired.

I was so grateful that last night it rained and washed some of the oak pollen from the air. I felt a good bit of relief, but I am still struggling with what I think is a mild sinus infection. Anyone I have seen in the past 5 days has been asked to lay hands on me and pray. My friends and even children have been so kind to bless me with the love of their prayers so that I could pick up and keep going. And God has been faithful! I have survived and you know what! It hasn't been that bad.

The house is a mess. I hadn't realized till now, how much the DIY man keeps us all going around here. His hands pick up the things that I just can't manage to get done in a day around here. Garbage, occasional dishes, putting the kids to bed, and just his presence........ I can't put words to the value of.

I have knit and spun a lot since DIY man has been gone. I don't have fresh pictures as DIY man took the camera to Costa Rica. I'll just sum up:

finished spinning lace weight Cockles
intense knitting of Bee Fields Shawl
moderate knitting of the Rooster Rock, Sheep to Shoe sock in undulating rib pattern

Later, catie

Is this really necessary?

2008-04-18T09:15:00.001-04:00

Nasal Cleansing Pot, originally uploaded by keek4jc.

In the interests of complete transparency, I bring you..... *drumroll please*...............

A Neti Pot!

I have been absolutely miserable lately with my sinuses. Claritin? check
NO it did not help

Advil and Tylenol?
check
Sort of. It barely touched the head pain.

Rest?
check
It at least put me out of my misery for a while.

Knitting and spinning?
check
But it just wasn't the same, you know? When you are in a light green h**l

So, I was whining about it to a friend of mine. (She is in her 60's and has kids my age who are far away. Couple her with a gal whose mom is absent, and you have a GREAT combo. She, needing a kid and grandkids, and me.... need a local type mom.) She told me of her secret weapon, the neti pot. She explained the mechanics and I was promptly disgusted. HOWEVER! I am desperate enough to try anything!

Folks. I won't lie to you. Nasty. BUT!!!! What a relief. Temporary yes. But, after I applied the simple physics, my headache was IMMEDIATELY gone.

I felt well enough to jump back into The Bee Fields shawl. It has been 4 months since I last knit that. Handspun alpaca (mine, of course). I got so sick of spinning it that when it came to knitting, I couldn't take it anymore. Hence, it was snoozing. Now, I AM LOVING IT! It is like a fresh new project. (No, pic as camera is in Costa Rica with DH, AND, I have recently had to wipe my harddrive and lost all my pictures)

allergies

2008-04-16T13:32:00.001-04:00

allergies, originally uploaded by blessed_wild_flower.

Husband. Out of town. My head. It is about to roll off my neck. Children. They're around here somewhere. School. What does that mean?

FYI, this is not my picture, but it shows my exact feelings for oak pollen. This is the worst I have EVER had it. Don't worry, Claritin, Tylenol, and Advil to the rescue. A dirtly little secret tho, Claritin doesn't really work!

Funny. Yesterday, I got up. My BIL was here spending the night before Andy left. I came downstairs and was so bleary, I stood in the kitchen and could hardly remember if I had gotten dressed yet or not. This was crucial as DH's brother was here. I couldn't even taste my morning Joe. The saddest part is that I LOVE spring. It is just so pretty and bright. Until................ the oaks bloom.......grrrrr

Flickr

2008-04-16T13:24:00.001-04:00

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Terrarium and Sock

2008-04-12T13:37:00.003-04:00

My family is gone this Saturday, and I have the luxury of having
lots of time to myself. This rarely happens, so instead of doing housework, as I ought, I am dingin' round the house. A little laundry here, a load of dishes there, a few random pictures of what I have been up to, a bit of blogging, and last but not least....... Eating my lunch in peace with NO interruptions! Glory! There is nothing better!

Pix #1: My terrarium. Love, love, love this thing. A little piece of nature in my kitchen.

Pix #2: Note my OPI toenails in , ahem, "Oh.... to be 25 again!" colorway. Let me tell you, 25 wasn't great. More confusing than the teen years for me let me tell you! But, back to about knitting.... I like the way my toenails EXACTLY match the Rooster Rock, Sheep to Shoe, sock! And I am also excited because this is the 1st try on here and BINGO! It fits perfectly. Tight and firm (wish the bod was that way as was when I was 25).

For those of you who actually know me, y'all know that I have
emphatically stated in the past that , "I am NOT a sock knitter! Nor will I EVER be one!" My how the mighty, proud, know it all have fallen. Gauge was the problem, along with the small needles. Now, I like size 1 needles. I like tiny stitches. I can hardly wait to try a 000 size needle for some delicate kilt hose, or whatever!

2008-04-09T15:42:00.003-04:00

Fiddly, fiddly, beads. They warm the cockles of my heart. I can hardly wait for what the finished product will be. 4ish oz, have no idea wpi of 2 ply, lace weight. This is NUTS!

I am entering a contest for lace weight. I got this bobbin full of cobweb singles. Now, I am working on the 2nd bobbin, with beads. I am thinking that this is NOT a good idea. I sprayed beads all over my driveway. Good thing they are cheap!

2008-04-07T12:39:00.000-04:00

2008-01-02T09:14:00.000-05:00

A REVIEW OF MY YEAR
Idea from Dogs,Diapers, and Double Points
that is, Pam

JANUARY, 2007: Went to see mom. For those of you who don't know me, this is a big deal because she lives with my bro and they are both bipolar AND bro and his wife were po'd with me at the time. lovely

FEBRUARY, 2007: DD's 7th birthday. She is so lovely. This dd learned to read this year and I felt like a million bucks. We home school and dd has some diagnosed issues from a neurologist and school psychologist. Things like a low IQ, sensory issues and a little thing in the autism spectrum. She has overcome, IMHO, each of those (tho she still doesn't like her hair brushed, at all).

MARCH: DS turned 3. He potty trained the year before because I just took his pants off and he discovered the joys of a fire hose.

APRIL: Froze my arse off at Holden Beach. A Nor Easter blew thru. The foam was really cool for a newly turned 3 ds to filthify himself in. VT shooting while we were there. Felt so surreal to be so far away and it was happening in our area.

MAY: 10 year anniversary of my father's death. He was my best friend thru mental illness and growing up into womanhood. He died 5 weeks before Andy and I got married. That was hard, but you know what? God has healed that wound now and I am grateful that his life with mom is over. He is in Heaven and he made out like a bandit!!!!

JUNE: We planted a garden this year. Started in April with seeds. We, me and the kids, had so much fun up there. DD #2 made a fort out of the arches from the cherry tomato vines.

JULY: Andy and I have been married a decade this month. I never really thought that I could hold a relationship together for that long. God is good. I love my husband. He bought me a very simple, anniversary band. I cried. A lot!

AUGUST: Yearly trip to Ocean Isle with Andy's family. Let's see. 5 adult children, + spouses, 10 children, 1 set of grandparents..... all in a 5 bedroom house. You do the math. Next year, we at least have a 6 bedroom house, with more children.....

SEPTEMBER: DD #2 turns 6. Awwww. They are growing up. She has been pesting me to learn to read. Now folks. I've been teaching her to read. It don't happen overnight. This kid is brilliant!

OCTOBER: Took my wheel up to Sinkland Farms to do a spinning demonstration. ha ha. Me, at a spinning demo? Miss unorganized? Yup. Had fun with my gal pals!

NOVEMBER: I turned 36. Had a "spin and din" at a dear friends house. I am thinking this should be a new tradition. Invite some gals over, fix food, and hang out! Thanks Dear Friend! oh, yes.... I had to do a last minute T-day.

DECEMBER: School is out!!! We took the month off (we don't take summer off, soooooo). Historically, I get depressed during this time.... but this year, I did great.

I wonder what will be in 2008! Can't wait! Happy New Year! Catie

2007-12-10T10:10:00.001-05:00

The magic of handspun.
You get some fluff, disorganized chaos, that has been partially ordered.
You either spin randomly or with much forethought.
Order from chaos.
The fluff, slowly with the treadling and drafting, forms a line.
A thread.
Thin as you can.
Careful.
Very fragile and will be ripped from your hands if you lose your concentration.
Then, you ply.
And the thread gets stonger.
Much stronger.

Quick.
Get it on the bobbin.
Fast as you can.
There is knitting to be done.
A creation to be made.
Order from chaos.

Oh, I want to see the yarn.
What the future holds.
I never really knew.
I really couldn't see what the yarn from roving was going to be.

Order from chaos.
Isn't this life.
The stress, the strain, the hardship.....
Dare I say the treadling and drafting of ourselves turns us into strong beautiful works of art.
So we knit.
So we spin.
We create order from chaos.
A little bit of supernatural lessons that come from the natural, of our daily lives.

Ah, at last.
Blocked.
Stretched to the limit.
The stitches can now be seen clearly.
The Master's workmanship.
Clearly seen.
Order from chaos.

2007-12-04T10:59:00.001-05:00

Swallowtail Shawl
Interweave Knits Fall 2006

Handspun BFL from Sakina's Needles, Pastel Caesar colorway. I would say sometimes sport weight and sometimes thread weight. I can't seem to spin lace weight with any consistency. Quite hard, actually.

I'll just have you know, that it is cold outside. I have hardly stuck my snoot out in days!!!! If fact, I am thinking that shawls are the way to keep warm in a house that is approximately 65 degrees. I wrap myself up in my Koigu shawl, constantly. I keep it wrapped around my neck like a scarf, only much bigger. On really cold mornings, I might have 2 woolen, shawls wrapped round my neck. I used to think that shawls were just decorative, fruiffy stuff. Not anymore! If I am cold in any kind of dress..... If I am in sweats, I am wearing my shawl. If I am in my pj's, I am in my shawl. I put Miss Koigu here, over my down vest and wear it out. Grocery store, church, on a walk. Don't matter! I wear this shawl, constantly! I am a changed woman! I LOVE shawls.

On another note.... I have sold 2, count 'em, 2 tams. Well... it's not a done deal yet, but my good friend at the library has this one and is going to pay me for it on pay day. If not, then I think I'm just gonna let her have it. I have known her FOREVER and I just want her to have it. The other one (dd#1's, can't believe she would have let me sold it right off her head), is for another acquaintance. Good grief! She will be ready for hers in January. I guess I had better get knitting away. This means I have to make at least, 2 more tams. Thank you Knit Picks Palette!

TAGGED!!!

2007-11-30T09:17:00.001-05:00

Jennychrys, I cannot believe you tagged me. OK, here goes. 8 things people don't know bout little ole me (this is scary as I tell bunches already).

Jennychrys tagged me for this meme.
Here are the Ye-Shall-Not-Break-Me Rules:

*link to the person who tagged you
*post the rules
*name 8 things others don't know about you
*link to 8 other bloggers

1. I hate doing dishes, but do them because what's the point in hating something you have to do everyday.

2. I am a complete baby when it comes to pain.

3. I actually consider getting pregnant again so I can do childbirth again and "get it right." This is due to the perseverance I learned as an athlete in high school and the criticism I received from my MIL on multiple occasions. Yes, I consider delivering a baby an athletic event. Don't ask me "why?" I don't get it myself, who knows what the inner scrapings of a woman's mind are about childbirth. I prefer NOT to excavate that. And NO. We have had minor surgery on DH, so no more kiddies. I know my limitations.

4. I sit on the porch (postage stamp size) for as many months of the year as possible on the porch swing. I spin, knit, read, and monitor children there until it is not possible to sit there because of the cold.

5. I am so intolerant of weakness in myself that I will "stare down" whatever it is that is causing me distress. This is so that the anxiety I feel can be worked out. I hate feeling anxious. If you just tackle it, you can 'slay the beast.' This is weird, I know, but.... whatever.

6. I want to have a flock of chickens.

7. I wish I were an artist. Painter, singer, song writer..... it doesn't matter. I just wish I could express myself in art.

8. I fantasize about running and owning a Bed and Breakfast. Too much work for reality, but hey, this is a FANTASY!

Tag!! You're it:
Gina
Diana
Jodi
Tanya

2007-11-28T20:02:00.001-05:00

I only have 1 son. He is 3.5 yo. I love him dearly. See what my boy has done.
We had dropped the girls off at the local AWANA program, ran to Ukrop's for apples and freshly milled flour for an apple crisp. DH and I were cleaning up the kitchen when......... DS came in with a flyswatter talking about the kerosene heater. Yes, my pyromaniac dh tries to save money by using a kerosene heater. Ethan knows not to touch this heater with his hand. The flyswatter is another matter.

So the house should be smelling like cinnamon, apples and pecans. Instead, it smells like molten plastic. I think I'm gonna go get in the bathtub and read. Then, I am gonna watch TV and knit with a glass of wine and the apple crisp.

I dream of my own LYS

2007-11-24T19:00:00.000-05:00

10 Things I Need in a Little Yarn Shop (LYS):

I like being a regular. Please know me or at least my project! I was at NOTS, and I had a delightful experience today! I was remembered. Of course, I had just been there on Tuesday? Still! Oh yeah, I hit Sereknity yesterday...... I had met the owner 1 time folks. 1 time and she remembered that I dream of having a swift someday. Same happened with Gina at Mosaic. People love being remembered. (I have only met Gina 2 x's).
Carry REAL yarn. Something I can really sink my teeth into. Challenge me!
Folks who can knit better than me. That is NOT hard! If I need help, I love having friends I can run to and aren't doing something else. Isn't that the point of the yarn shop concept. If I need help now and Tanya, Robin or (insert your favorite expert knitter here) are at work then I like nothing better than to zip over to my LYS!
Lots of patterns.
Lots of colors. Blow my mind. That hasn't happened yet. I can hardly wait till I can walk into a LYS and be speechless!
Coffee? Why not! However, this would be a disaster if clutzy me spilled it on say..... the Debbie Bliss Cashmerino.
Lots of gauges. Not a few in each. tons and tons and tons.
Have classes that I would consider taking. I have never taken a class. I would like to take a class.
An atmosphere of warmth, creativity and learning. A place where people reach out to others, even if they don't know them. A third place.
A place I can hang out. Dudes. There is nowhere for a 36yo mother of 3 to hangout with her posse on any given night of the week. We need a PLACE. PM hours. Not late, just not 5.

*sigh* Maybe I will do it after the kids are grown and I win the lottery........ Any takers? Who would like to go into business?

ps: The DIY man successfully fixed the crapper. Mary at NOTS suggested I update you all on the status of my bathroom. Thanks Mary

2007-11-19T21:33:00.001-05:00

9:34 pm. I am hiding downstairs at the computer, blogging. As I write, DH, aka DIY dude is upstairs trying to re-"thread" the toilet. This is a disaster of epic proportions. I love the fact that ANdy isn't afraid to tackle plumbing, but, dude... we need the crapper. He began at 6:12pm. Do the math. This toilet backs up to my bedroom wall and a 3yo man cub is sleeping in my bed. The girls have been warned, strongly, by me, to not bother DIY dude. No. Reason. No. H20. Are. They. To. Speak. To. Him.

The plumbing is iffy up there anyway. The sink DOES NOT work, except for a trickle. The aforesaid toilet, runs every 30 min. due to a slow leak from somewhere in the mysterious depths. Why did he decide to fix it tonight? We have lived here 6 years with that toilet leaking. Why tonight?

Now, he stomped down the stairs, bypassing me totally, and is in the bowels of the basement making crashing noises. oh boy. Just so you know, I am ensconced here in the TV room with an Australian Chardonnay and I'm not leaving.

There are some things that I swore I would NEVER do.

CLAPOTIS

A finished object for MIL's Christmas present. The Huckleberry Ascot from Interweave Knits Holiday Gifts 2007. My model is my 7yo dd.

Going to check the DIY dude. There is only a leak from the bottom of the crapper on 1 side vs. 2, progress. Uh-Oh. Loud tool dropping noise. Nope, not going up there. My technical skills go only so far as to :

run a crockpot
run other kitchen appliances
run laundry appliances
drive a car
make bread
successfully use a simple machine (spinning wheel), though it can be argued that a crapper is a simple machine
change a lightbulb
jury rig doll clothes

The man cub is up and 'helping' the DIY dude. Gotta go save his life. We'll be fine, don't worry. ha ha ha ha ah

2007-11-09T15:55:00.000-05:00

I am going to continue my rant about Starmore, and add some ranting bout digital cameras while I am at it.

So...... I am nearly finished on the Sakina Needles 3ply hand spun sweater. Can I show it to you? No. Because the ******* camera flash is NOT working.

So...... I am nearly finished with the Bella poncho. In 2ply, fingering weight hand spun, wool and silk in Grandma's Garden colorway from CyberFyber. Can I show it to you? no. Because the )(*&*&%^*^%)(*& camera flash is NOT working.

Had some serious discussion with DH bout the merits of the Rockin Sock Club. He was not impressed (and neither was a nameless friend or 2 out there).

Where does all this leave me? Without much to do. Oh, don't get me wrong. There is always things I can do. Piddly things. BORING things to finish,spin, throw out. The problem is.... I am in need of the next challenge. I am looking for my next Everest. I feel like Shackleton encased in ice on Antarctica. The South Pole (IE: Starmore) is just out of my reach.

That's where Starmore Alice comes in. She is the holy grail of knitting for me. She is what I have aspired to. I ran into a gal 2 years ago who spun all her yarns. The sweaters she knit were the swanky fair isles that Starmore is so bloody, genius at producing. Folks.... hand spun, Starmore sweaters. All of those subtle color graduations.... I almost swooned and am still quite breathless. I never thought that I, little ole me, can't make anything fit would ever be able to knit a Starmore. Well guess what, I am ready. Just don't have the cash.

I have other problems as well. Gauge. The 8**** Sakina sweater is a wee bit too small. No matter. Blocking. Yes that will take care of that problem. Unless of course, people actually like seeing me POURED into a v-neck sweater. I do have quite a bit of an upper story. Maybe I should wear it next Tuesday when 'Sugar Shane' shows up with my milk.

Last but not least. Bella. My hand spun, asymmetrical poncho. Don't like her. Blocked her today and she is a bit better. Wondering what curse is upon me. I dream of knitting glory, but my results don't match my dreams. I DO have fun though.

2007-11-06T20:02:00.000-05:00

Just a mild rant.

Alice Starmore! Have you ever seen more beautiful designs? I just wanna cuss. I want to knit Starmore and I am so poor...... forget a bout it

Check out Ravelry for Starmore FO's.

Not fair.

I am gonna go pout.

My Precious

2007-11-04T20:40:00.000-05:00

Weird things happen to me. Coincidences? I don't think so. I truly believe that God cares for us. Even the minutia of everyday life. Here is a simple, commonplace example:
I have this hat I just finished. A fair-isle tam from the Interweave Holiday Gifts 2007 issue. I love this hat. The wool is from Knitpicks, fingering weight, palette. Multi-colored with pink as the primary color. I only paid $35 for 11 skeins. I was delighted when the box showed up and I cast on immediately. The 1st part was difficult. I had to do ribbing in 2 colors. This is my 1st fair isle project, so figuring out where the yarn and fingers went was challenging. Within a couple of hours I had figured it out. I was in love. A new technique that was fun to boot!

I finished the hat and it has been squired around for lots of outings. So many compliments and I even like the way it looks on me. The girls are each begging for one of their very own. I have lots of yardage so this isn't going to be a problem.

Ukrops Friday. Weekly grocery shopping run. Wore Tam to the store and upon entering my car, post shopping and after strapping in the chitin's, took Tam off because I was a little warm. I came home, and that is the last memory I have of Tam.

Skip forward to Saturday. I want to wear Tam. Gone. Lost. Just like Gollum's precious ring. I had lost my precious Tam and I was in a foul mood because of it. I just knew it was my kids fault because they are always distracting me, asking me for x,y, and z. And in general talking my fool ear off and I can't even hear myself think much less finish a task, put something away , or whatever. In general, I was acting like a prime donkey, aka, ass.

I am pouting in the bathtub and think that maybe I should pray about the Tam. After all, God knows where Tam is and I truly believe that God cares.... bout me, not the tam. So, I pray. Then proceed to rip the house apart. Den? nope. Under anything? nope. Bedroom? nope. Kids bedrooms? nope. Basement? nope. Trash? nope. In the clean laundry pile? nope. Dirty laundry pile? nope. Then drive to Ukrops and check lost and found? nope. Go to bed. No Tam.

Sunday. I want to wear Tam to church. I again rip the house apart this time with the lost and found king, Andy. Andy will find it, he finds everything. No Tam. Not under my bed. Not in any laundry basket. Not in any closet. Again, ask God to tell me where Tam is. I am wondering if THIS will be the time that God doesn't answer me. Maybe all my big talk bout how God cares and is infinitely communicative...... well, you know what I thought. So, I start thinking that God has other plans for me and Tam. Like, how not to act like an ass to darling family over a hat for crying out loud. Don't I have what's really important, like the emotional well-being of my children for example, at the forefront of my mind?

I take a shower and start to pray and tell God that I am at least willing to face my attitude towards my precious and face up to the fact that Tam is lost. "I am sorry God. I am blaming my kids for my own carelessness. I am willing to let Tam go if you will help me." And He does.

Sunday night. Tired, in bathtub again. Get out quick because someone is dropping in on us. I streak to bedroom...... There is Tam in the middle of the floor. Right beside the bed. Not even on the far side of the bed. Right there. In plain sight. Not under anything. Nothing. Right there.....plain sight. Folks, it was NOT THERE YESTERDAY, TODAY OR EVEN 5 MINUTES AGO!

So...... pay attention. God is waiting to talk to us. Ask, seek, knock and then wait. Pay attention. You never know how He will speak.

productivity

2007-10-25T11:10:00.001-04:00

Dinner: Pintos and Cornbread
School: Homemade playdough (bout broke my arm cooking it)
Entertainment: Practicing for the cookie cutting to come this December
Art: Back of Sakina Sweater. Arm stitches are live on waste yarn. Working front now at odd bits and moments.
So far, a very productive morning. Later, catie

2007-10-22T15:32:00.001-04:00

We had fun at Sinkland Farms Fall Harvest Festival!!!! That's me! I was freezing! I had on the Cinchy Hat and Rogue!
Pam was hot! It was gusty and it would have been quite pleasant without all the wind and the dust it blew up. We had a great time bonding with each other and teaching as we got the chance. From left to right: me, Christy, Nikki, Pam and Regina (sorry, Babe, you got cut off).
All of the Sakina Needles BFL has been spun up, set, and is presently being knitted into the back. The gauge is 5st/in on a size 5 needle. As you can see, it is going to be multicolored and knit side to side vs. top to bottom. Lots of stockinette without much flash, but the yarn is the star of the show!!!

This is a quickie. No time to add in links. Later, catie

Rogue and a letter.

2007-10-18T09:01:00.001-04:00

Done! I had talked trash about giving Rogue away. Nope, not gonna do it. Gonna be selfish and wear her everyday this autumn/winter. Oh, yeah. Check out my purty, little toes at the bottom of the picture. ha

Oh, and guess what. I got a letter yesterday. Remember the wreck I had. Well, the lady is asking for money. Evidently, they have gotten themselves into financial trouble. *sigh*
Remember, I hit an empty, parked car. I feel terrible, but they have already settled with insurance. I would love to help them, but, we payed a lot of money to get my car fixed, my husbands car is due to die any day (it is only going due to prayer, hard work, and duct tape). So......... any of you out there who pray.... pray for me today. Pray that my anxiety level will go down and that I can say what I need to say, clearly, kindly, and succinctly. Thanks.

Enough bout me. How are y'all? catie

Where, oh where, has little catie cat gone? Where, oh where, can she be?

2007-10-16T16:02:00.001-04:00

School.
Finish spinning the BFL for a sweater.
Trouble shooting stupid computer after DSL connection installed.
Cooking dinner.
Hunting furiously thru house for Dell disks.
Dealing with the MILK MAN.
Lost my keys.
Doing math for side-to-side sweater.
Talking to Panama where the computer tech for Dell is and dropping a cool $50 for his help.
Spend 2, count em, 2 hours on phone with computer geek.
Trying to access Ravelry and afore said stupid, computer lost my sign in name and password.
Waiting for stupid Ravelry to e-mail it to me, and it not coming.
Trying to make my flash work on new digital camera, and NOT succeeding.
Trying to upload picture of Rogue to blogger, and not succeeding.
Dieting and NOT eating today because I am so, stinking busy.
Looking forward to a run when Andy gets home.

Being able to upload pictures faster to Blogger..... priceless? It is costing me a ton of money.

2007-10-03T08:16:00.000-04:00

Blues to Roses, Blue Faced Leicester, 3-ply. Roving from Sakina's Needles. These aren't very large skeins, so I gotta keep going.

I have decided that I am not a very complicated gal. I like color and I like the yarn to speak for itself without much stitch work. Maybe I will run the color thing into the ground and I'll go back to stictch work. Actually, I am not that great a knitter. I am only able, within this past year, to get a sweater fit due to my old nemesis...... gauge.

Off to Bible study this am. Hope all are well. c

What a day

2007-09-28T09:38:00.000-04:00

Cinchy Hat. 3-ply handspun that will also serve as the swatch for the side to side Sakina's Sweater when I finish spinning and plying it up.

Agate. BFL roving from Sakina's Needles. BFL is my favorite wool to spin at this point. I just love the strength and the softness.
Top-down Handspun Yoke sweater. Brown is Cappuccino. Green is leftover Paton's Merino from an Andy project. Red is Inner Journey from David. Whitish/Grey is the famous Brother.
I am really liking this top down thing. Found the 'formula' somewhere on-line. I will document it at a later date.

Busy, busy, busy today. Soap in mold that is still in gel phase. (Friend: it is going to take another 3 days before I can deliver.) Like good wine, soap takes time and it is not done, till it is done. Play date coming over today. A preschooler and a toddler. Vacuumed right quick all the beads, Lego's, and various other small choker items. Gotta pick up van today, sure hope it is finally ready. Take a jog. Fix dinner. Not to mention all the other food I will have to present today to my adoring fans ;) Bread in sponge phase in oven, hanging out. Whew. I'm tired already and to top it off, I have to be perky and ready to go at 7pm for a ladies conference at church. Should be fun, at least it gets me out of the house.

Ecowool Raglan

2007-09-26T14:55:00.000-04:00

Ecowool Raglan Complete! And, the GQ model of the year showing it off!

Been a busy week. Had another 'incident' with bipolar brother and mother. And to make it complete, traffic court. *sigh* Thankfully, all is well. Judge was great. Lowered the charge to a traffic violation of some sort! So, I have been knitting and spinning A LOT in self-defense! That and exercising my hiney off.

Gotta go make dinner. c

A good day

2007-09-20T13:11:00.000-04:00

Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God! King of the universe, Creator of the fruit of the vine. Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God! King of the universe, Who brings forth bread from the earth. traditional Jewish blessings

So, this morning I broke my no sugar fast with strawberries and plain yogurt, as well as, steel cut oatmeal with cinnamon and Splenda. After 2 weeks of no fruit, bread, pasta, or grains... it was divine. Made me really appreciate all of the wonderful 'real' foods that God has given us.

LUNCH

I ate this with lemons, tomatoes, chickpeas, romaine, onions, hard boiled egg, and oil and vinegar. It was a FEAST!
On another type of delight: Yet another spurge from Sakinas Needles. Blood orange, 100% mohair! I have NO idea what I am going to do with it.
Here is the rest of the haul. I am going to spin a 3-ply dk/sportish weight yarn in colors going from the blues to the plums. Then, knit a side to side sweater, v-neck. The ideas are from the book: The Twisted Sisters Knit Sweaters. A knit to fit workshop. I am having to take a short hiatus from knitting because my left shoulder to my elbow hurts. So, I guess I'll get this spun up in no time.

mondays

2007-09-17T11:15:00.000-04:00

Why I like Mondays, ahem:

Rested from weekend for school
Ready to clean house after having done no maintenance for 2 days
No running hither and yon to satisfy husband who wants to 'get things done'
I have loads of energy
I am emotionally recharged from church and being with Jesus from Sunday
The day flies by
Kids clean their room again
Kids help with laundry
Kids help with food chores
ANDY HAS GONE BACK TO WORK

Not bad if I may say so myself.

Saturdays in my family were full of chores. Ick. After a modicum of 'toons, kid power was harnessed and I was put to work. I am all for work, but I am even more for whistling while you work. Not my family of origin, unfortunately. This was hard work. Joyless work. It was all day long and my bipolar mother slept the whole day. There were no picnics, no day trips, no fun. period.

In my never ending quest to NOT BE LIKE MOM~ We play on Saturdays and Sundays. Daddy is home, and we mess around with him. Now Andy, likes to get lots done and is actually quite unhappy if some sort of progress has not been made in his domain. But I can live with that. I just hang around with him, follow him, and knit/spin while I watch him do whatever he is doing. Sure, I could be 'helping' him. But you know what, it is better if I stay out of his way as he is (drum roll please): THE MOST CAPABLE MAN IN AMERICA! He can work circles around me, so, I just keep him company and entertain him with my sparkling personality!

On another note, check out what I carved out of the school room for myself this morning while the kids were doing copy work and easy math!!!!

My very own desk. The kids have the big ones and I have this one. Yes it is tiny, but let me tell you about it!!! It is the antique sewing machine of my grandmother's. It weighs at least a 100lbs or more. Beautiful wood, she kept it in mint condition!!!! I will probably mess it up, or rather kiddoes will creep in on my space and mess it up. I really have no space of my own, though Andy will argue differently. My bed is not mine, the kitchen is not mine.... need I continue. We'll see. Hopefully I can 'mark my territory' and keep the wilderness beat back.

To continue with the desk. The desk is really a sewing machine, the chair was my father's desk chair. It has a broken arm that my father had to routinely glue with wood glue and the thingy's at the bottom broke apart and he had to give them the same treatment. Not a safe chair, but it was his, and I am gonna use it! Then the lamp. The lamp is from when I was prepubescent, went away to Girl Scout Camp at Camp on Craig, and mom redid my room in a Holly Hobby motif. This was my bedside lamp. I reclaimed it from her house while I was cleaning up after the grand manic phase she had where she blew 100,000's of George's.

So, there is my 3square feet of "Catie" space!

Knitting and math go together as any knitter can say.

I, yet again, have finishitupitus. I am close to finishing Bella. It is finally cool enough to tolerate drapey, wool in my lap. Andy's Ecowool Raglan is going to be needed soon, so I gotta finish the collar. I am driving to finish plying the Cappuccino lamb's wool for a yet undesignated sweater. Prayer socks for Suz almost done. 60% completed on the Ramblin Rose afghan.

Whew. I'm hungry, gotta go make lunch. Later, catie

Cappuccino

2007-09-14T10:40:00.000-04:00

The thing about that ticker at the top of the blog, you know, "Birthday Present to Self", is that it has interfered with my caffeine consumption. Or should I say, Half and Half consumption, which interferes with my caffeine intake. Now, anyone who knows me, at sometime or other has heard me remark about how emotional I am. "I have strong feelings about my morning cup of coffee." I usually get weird remarks about that. Anyway, I figured it out, and I was drinking enough half and half in a week to make 8 days worth of calories in a 7 day weeks time. I realized that the cream had to go. So, after 3 weeks, I have successfully switched to skim milk in my coffee. *sigh* I will just have to be satisfied with CAPPUCCINO here:

It is about the color of my coffee now. It is composed of 2 singles. 1 is black coffee and the other is light brown coffee. I am hoping to have enough to knit a sweater. I have just a little of the black coffee left to spin and tons of the light brown coffee. These 7 skeins just got their twist set and an aromatherapy bath. I used lavender as the top note, rosemary as the middle note, and clove as the anchor or bottom note. In theory, the anchor (clove) should help the rosemary and lavender not evaporate off as fast. We'll see. The house is smelling very spicy right now. Oh yeah, they are essential oils not fragrance oils. I am a bit of a 'smell' snob after all!

2007-09-11T15:38:00.000-04:00

Quick knitting update:

finishing collar on Ecowool Raglan for Andy

almost 50% finished with the Ultra Alpaca afghan

no work on Bella, the handspun poncho

spinning like a fiend on lambs wool, hoping to get enough yardage for a raglan cardigan

(notice a theme here, I like knitting in the round and doing raglan sleeves. This is because

2007-09-06T16:31:00.000-04:00

Here is a quick update to let you know what I have been up to while doing school, getting car fixed, etc....

Brownie. Brownie is natural colored lambs wool top. I am spinning her in a single and plying her with Brown Sugar natural lambs wool single. I am thinking it will be a medium worsted weight. I seem to have a penchant for simple sweater designs, so with that in mind..... maybe a 4x4 rib cardigan, funnel neck, zipper and raglan sleeves. Hip length? Simple things for simple girl.

This is my score from Mosaic. A couple of y'all pals out there wished that I had "FLASHED MY STASH" to you. This here is the Ramblin' Rose afghan from Cottage Creations. I am about 25%-30% done at this point. I am LOVIN this thing. Simple garter stitch blocks with mitered large blocks, small blocks and rectangle. 5 colors: chocolate, celadon, umber, heathered forest, and tomato.

Today is Madeline's b-day. She is dd#2 and is 6yo. I would give you a pix, but, dh made me promise not to put any out on the web. Anyway...... I have not been myself. The b-day has been great! Maddy has had more fun with what she got. I am delighted with her. She was even polite to everyone and didn't act like a little prima donna. I am sooooo proud of her!

What galls me, is my mother (oh, no! not again). Yes, dear friends. My mentally ill mother. She has called me everyday for the last 2 weeks and talked about the balloons she wanted to send her. She has sent all my kids balloons for their b-day. Easy, a phone call, debit card and you are done. Well, this year, she managed to get me to 'volunteer' to do it for her. I can hear you all going,"Uh-oh! Not good Catie, not good!" and you would be correct

So, then I had to listen to her nagging me "Have you done it yet? I made a promise, and I always keep my promises!" So, what follows is a rant. A letter to my mother of words that I cannot say to her. Actually, I could but considering that she is bipolar, affective schizophrenic and borderline personality.... I won't. I don't need the added guilt of making her feel suicidal. Been there, done that.

Mom, I am 35 years old. I have a husband and 3 beautiful kids. If you want the honor and recognition from a present, get it yourself. I am the one here who needs help and is so busy I can hardly use the bathroom for bodily functions. Get a grip. And while we are at it, I don't want to talk about your health anymore. I don't want to hear about your 'terrible' life anymore. You made your choices. You could have changed your life. Oh yeah, It's MY daughters b-day. I bore her and birthed her, ergo, this day is about me and her. Not you. I am tired of all the holidays and birthdays being sucked down Mary's need hole.

End of note to mom.

Now..... Forgive me for speaking the truth here. I would not be surprised if someone is offended by what I have written. Believe me, I have had plenty of rebukes from people who don't know what it's like being tied to a mentally ill person. It's not like someone who can get better, they don't. Even on meds.

Mom has also been calling the house and hanging up. She did that 2 days ago and dd#1 answered the phone. She knew someone was there and then they hung up. We don't have caller ID, so I *69'd them. Sure enough. As I suspected. Mom. So, after the *(&^^%$ balloons were delivered today, we called mom. Maddy adequately thanked her and then I got on the horn. As kindly as I could (with mom, anything but perfect agreement and acceptance is conflict and will NEVER be over or forgiven), told her that I KNEW she had called and hung up. She promptly lied. I told her, please, I want my dd to have good experiences on the phone. She promised to never do it again. I wish you could hear her breathy, southern belle accent. gross

You would not believe the judgement on the family members. I even had a lady (when I was 17or 18) come to the door and tell me that if Mary's family just understood her better, Mom could get better. Thankfully, dad was at home and intercepted her and told her to leave, kindly and gently, but firmly.

Please don't comment to this. I have had a shitty week, and a so so shitty day. Things could be much worse though. She could be here in town.

Gotta go save Maddy's fish from death by a 3yo.

egypt, mummies, and fiber

2007-09-05T14:11:00.000-04:00

Yep. I am still around. Just lost in getting my car fixed, dealing with my mother, and a 6yo birthday busyness. Not to mention regular homeschooling work.

So, today we flooded the Nile. We have been studying Egypt. Some of the new terms, such as: flood, delta, silt etc... are best learned this way. This is just some dirt, foil, grass seed and good ole H20. Later, after germination (another good term), we are going to make miniature pyramids. Cool, huh? I just have to say, this curriculum I am using also has a 'recipe' for mummifying a chicken. And YES, I am going to do it.

Knitting and spinning continuing as usual. Just less time for 1 hobby, so the blogging is taking backseat to the actual fiber stuff. I do miss you all though. Hope you are all well. catie

Oh, dear

2007-08-28T18:55:00.000-04:00

Well........ I totaled my car along with someone else's. Yes, the kids were in the car with me. Yes, we were all wearing our seat belts. Yes, we are all fine, not hurt at all. No, there was no one in the other car. What, you say? How can that be. Well, Catie the wunderkind driver HIT A PARKED CAR! Don't ask me how I did it. I have been recounting the tale to multiple cops, multiple insurance people, and multiple neighbors and friends. Let's just say, I was taking my time, sipping my decaf, sugar free, non-fat vanilla latte (venti size, in case you were wondering).... girls talking me ear off, and then WHAMMY! I was at a complete stop with the crunch you see here. Yes, I have a ticket and a court date.

5 cop cars showed up, an ambulance, AND a ladder truck. Yeesh. I was crying like the girl I am. Andy showed up and (I think I am married to the most capable man in America) proceeded to pull off the hanging parts of my car, clean up glass, and generally do what he does best.... getting the job done! He wasn't even mad at me, yet.

The good news is that Andy got kind of whigged out about money, but then, after realizing that he was just gonna have to trust God to provide our needs...... he saw that this could be an opportunity for faith, not fear. He hasn't even been staying up all night worrying. We'll see if this lasts.

The insurance guy tells me that we are $30 shy of a total. Car got towed to Hart, yes JH, my red van is coming for a visit. I know y'all will take good care of her, probably to the junk yard after you autopsy her first.

So, I am home bound with the kids. We are doing school, house work and I am spinning a bunch in the driveway that has nothing in it. So, the kids have a great place to razor and ride their bikes. I am lonely, anyone for a knit date? I'll feed you, I promise!

I am back to knitting like a fiend on Andy's Ecowool, raglan in a 2x2 rib. BORING! I got sleeves attached and am proceeding to finish it.. Oh yeah, it is knit in the round.

So, that is why I have been so quiet. I am alive, well, and doing school. catie

2007-08-20T15:01:00.000-04:00

School has begun. Lots of Language Arts and a little Math. A side order of Play-Doh.

Alas, blogging isn't the only thing that has been neglected. Minstrel has had no attention lately. Notice all the bags and boxes around her! More school.

Math manipulatives. Mia is getting ready for subtraction and double digit adding. Maddy is just beginning addition. MY manipulatives, ie: knitting needles, are neglected as well

I did get to see Gina at Mosaic on Saturday.

Good mindless knitting. Perfect for school. I can sit down, give an assignment, and attempt to do a little garter stitch. This is going to be the Ramblin Rows afghan. The last afghan I knit was in the early 90's and was a mauve/rose color. Gross. I never did finish the thing. It even went to China with me when I taught English there. Acrylic.

Now I can check item # 223 off my list of to-do today. Gotta fly! c

2007-08-13T11:48:00.000-04:00

Doll Salad! Yep, we are back in the saddle of school again! I am not so sure if this is a good thing or not. Now that I have a 2nd and 1st grader, things are getting serious, if you know what I mean. Today we got off on the right foot at least. Mommy is pretty 'filled up' because Daddy was home ALL DAY yesterday. I haven't had that luxury in 3 weeks. He's been doing the bank and then 4-5 hours/night painting and all day Saturdays.

So far we have:

had breakfast
got dressed
cleaned room
made beds
cleaned kitchen
did rigorous language arts workout with dd#1
attempted addition with dd#2
put Chicken Cacciatore in crockpot but substituted beer for white wine as I had DRANK it all, ha ha ha ha
took pix of recent activities in my secret knitting life
posting to blogger, as we speak!

Whew! I am bushed already. Now I just have to feed kiddoes lunch and run to the grocery store, again, as I fed a painting crew on Saturday and they ate me out of house and home. Gotta hit the library too. Pick up books on Egypt as this year we are adding history to our school year.

Here is an almost FO. Elizabeth Zimmerman's Baby Surprise Jacket. I used up bits and pieces of my handspun. Way cool. This is for my sil, Miriam. Her husband has done 2 tours in Iraq and is finally out of the Marines. They are prego with #4 and are so young. Not even 30.

Bella. The 1st part of her is done. Now I am knitting the 2nd border.

2nd border of Bella.

Nothing witty, pithy, or amusing or deep today. Just a quick update on life and knitting. Adios folks, catie

6 reasons I hate about being Me

2007-08-09T11:27:00.000-04:00

1st of all: It's hotter than CRAP in my house. Downstairs with the a/c unit in the dining room, it is ABOVE 80 degrees where the computer is right now. Upstairs, the last time I checked at 10 am, it was 81 degrees. When I went to bed last night, it was 89 degrees upstairs and a frigid 79 when I woke up (due to the exhaust fan that gets deployed at bedtime).

2nd of all: I am a 2nd job widow right now. I have been whiny and cranky due to the heat, kids, lack of a break, and a fast from my best buddy, Andy. My husband. He is a FABULOUS worker. Maybe a little too fabulous as I have hardly seen him in 3 weeks. Sallee, Yes that was not a figment of my imagination, you saw him last night at Ukrops on the ONE night I managed to wheedle him to stay home. Oh..... He paints houses. And right now, we are up to our eyeballs in jobs.

3rdly: My ding bat brother-in-law has been using this AOL account at all hours of the day for hours on end. IE: Catie gets absolutely NO ONLINE TIME!

4thly: After a 3 week school hiatus, we are back in school. A new 2nd grader and a 1st grader, and a dissatisfied 3yo who really wants some attention for himself.... so, we have begun "preschool." That is basically a big letter 'A' on a large piece of construction paper and a draw a few things that start with 'A' and a snack with the letter 'A'.

5thly: My knitting is going terrible. I have words, words that are most undignified that I would use, but won't (due to the delicate constitution of some other knitters ears/eyes that are more kind, gracious, ladylike than myself). I have ripped out Zimmerman's Surprise Baby Jacket more times than I can count. Of course, me being who I am, never do anything the easy way. I HAVE to use handspun. Not because of any reason other than my pride! Oh yeah, I forgot to say this. I actually (hold on folks, this is really a horror moment), by accident, CUT A HOLE IN BELLA WHEN I WAS TRIMMING AN END TO A NEW BALL OF YARN.

6thly: I am shopping deprived. OK. So I have a list of things I desperately want.

1. Light, cordless vacuum. This is for light, daily cleaning of the hard wood floors.
2. Pair of Birkenstock to wear with my hand knit socks, which are few and far between as I have found myself not REALLY a sock knitter.
3. New book. Romantic Hand Knits. This should light up our married life a bit!
4. I Pod. Speaks for itself.

*sigh* I think me and the kids are going to B&N for the book!

So, gentle readers, these are my reasons, er, excuses for not posting lately. No time to post a picture, sorry, nothing to show...

That said, I am now going to go in the back yard and eat worms.

2007-08-02T10:25:00.000-04:00

Life has settled down quite a bit! Kids went to Grandma's house yesterday and I spun the rest of Grandma's Garden ALL DAY LONG!!! Still plying it up, but should be done after I finish this entry. BTW, Grandma's Garden is the EXACT color of this dragon fly. Isn't that cool! It isn't often you see turquoise in nature, at least, here in VA. Only God could make a color that original!

My eldest dd has been capturing these dragon flies. It is kind of fun to look at them up close. Their wings are so delicate it is amazing that they can fly.
As for me, besides spinning, I have been figuring out what to do with the tomatoes that are coming in. I have put up 6 quarts in the freezer so far. I am lazy and so I don't peel the skins off. Just a quick wash and then a quick dice. Sock some salt to them, put them into Mason jars and away to the freezer we go.

Here we have some of the grape tomatoes. They are about half the sides of Roma's or paste tomatoes. I found a quick method for drying them in the oven. I am fantasizing about my Italian Meatloaf recipe that has sun dried tomatoes in them. Next I am going to figure out how to preserve my fresh basil. I am thinking of buzzing it up in the food processor with some olive oil and freezing it in ice cube trays. Imagine one of those being dropped into a stew this winter!

I leave you with this picture that Andy took at the beach a couple of weeks ago. I gotta get back to cleaning house and spinning. Oh yeah, gotta feed my kids some lunch. Y'all have a great day and thanks for stopping by. Catie

2007-07-30T17:52:00.001-04:00

Cancer. No one can prepare you for that word. My mother-in-law just called while I was blithely making dinner. I chatted her ear off about Ethan's mild illness. I just went on and on. Then, she asked me if I had read my e-mail lately. No, I hadn't. She was on her way home from a pelvic scan. The had had a D&C due to some post-menopausal bleeding. All polyps benign, but there were some pre-cancerous cells and some mature, cancerous cells. She was just making jokes about growing polyps like zucchini.

My husband was home, upstairs getting ready to go paint for a little old lady. Another of my great-aunts to be exact, but not Aline, the sick one. I paused on the phone with Rhoda. That is my MIL's name, Rhoda. Was I supposed to tell her son that his mother had cancer? No. No, I won't do that. He will have a 1,000 coldly, logical questions that I won't be able to answer. Rhoda, had better tell him. And she did.

Now..... There are only a few cells that we know of. The pelvic scan will tell us more. Then there is they hysterectomy on August 10th. Then..... Treatment options discussed.

Andy, my strong husband. Quiet. Didn't have a thing to say during dinner. I am surprised we even ate. Rhoda is such a woman of faith. She is not even afraid or even phased, really. Kind of strange, although I know that the reality will set in sooner rather than later. So, now, he is off painting for a little old lady.

I feel kind of strange. So, don't mind me. Just a little shocked. This lady was my high school Spanish teacher. She wrote me letters when I was in China, teaching English. We have loved and fought with each other for 10 years.

Are you in?

2007-07-27T15:04:00.000-04:00

Last night I had a marvelous time knitting with some friends at Barnes and Noble. The topic of Ravelry came up. I, of course, being the most 'non-hip' mom out there, didn't even know what all the fuss was about. This should not surprise you as I can hardly even get a 'button' onto my blog (despite numerous e-mails giving me directions). I did it once, but don't really know what I did and can't remember. I digress......

Ravelry. Are you in? I actually put my name on the list today. I am like in the 20,000 in cue. We shall see. I am kind of an old-fashioned gal, and proud of it!! Not too many years ago, I was on the top of the computer scene! Of course, that was pre-children days. Now I fill most of my time up with laundry, school, cooking, shopping, etc..... I can do e-mail, surf the web, blog, and read blogs. I can even write a little HTML. However, at heart, I am an old-fashioned girl. I like things done the 'hard' way! I guess that is why I not only knit, but was forced to learn how to spin. That is why I make soap. Not with the melt and pour method (oh, no no no no no, no. That is too easy and safe) but from lye and oil (much better, the potential for injury sets me apart from other soapers out there) . That is why I practically insist on cooking from scratch (except in instances where I am out of time and then I am sooooo grateful for frozen entrees)!

Back to Ravelry. Will I have time to Ravel? I hardly get to bathe myself, answer e-mail, knit and sometimes blog. All that uploading. I don't have DSL. I can't talk my even MORE old-fashioned husband into it. What is a girl to do!

I leave you with this.... Of course I will do Ravelry, if I ever get in. The very nature of 'me' demands it. Is it hard? Uncommon? Out of the ordinary? Those are the very things that attract me the most. The only thing that would make it even more attractive to me would be if someone thinks that I couldn't or even worse shouldn't do it.

UFO alert!!!

2007-07-25T16:55:00.000-04:00

Careful. Below is a pix of an infamous UFO. Look on carefully, you may NEVER see him again. He is quite shy and uncomplicated, kind of like the recipient.

Here he is!!! The Ecowool Raglan! The body is taking FOREVER! I knit and knit and knit and there is absolutely, completely, and unspeakably, NO progress. Andy is about 6' and so the torso + arms are sooooooooo long! I have almost 18" of body here. That last 2 inches are gonna kill me. Boring. 2x2 rib for the entire thing.
And then there is Grandma's Garden. I have enough of her to CO Bella. Now, with the original swatch, I didn't think the Garden was gonna work. But, after 3 careful swatches, we are a go on that beautiful poncho.

The top of the body of the poncho is an asymmetrical garter stitch. There are tons of live stitches at the bottom (if you have glasses you can see the waste yarn). Then 2 types of lace. I am really enjoying the miles of garter. I am so impressed with Dave's color work.

And then there is Technicolor Popcorn. I am thinking some mittens for a couple of nieces Grace and Naomi, 3 and 5 respectively. This is the roving I was spinning at the beach. It is a random spin. Meaning, thick and thin and strange. It is extremely springy. I am wondering if this is because it is 100% Merino.

They're back, yuck.

2007-07-23T15:52:00.000-04:00

Look at this thing! This is what I have swarming in my back yard right now. And you know what is the best part? That is where the swingset, garden, and shade tree are. They are called cicada killers. These things are mongo huge. Like 3 inches in length. Last year when they showed up, I went to the library and tried to research it. Ended up at the VIP extension office and they told me how to kill them. 7 dust. Cicada Killers pack a mighty, wallop of a sting too. They definitely don't mix with kids.

I have duly notified the dear husband. He will declare war on them this pm. The only thing is, I have to mow the grass. I ride the riding mower and Andy does the trimming with the push mower. Since we were gone last week, we have grass that has gone to seed. Pray that I don't get carried away by one of these little monsters. They seem to have quite a bit of personality, on the aggressive side. If you don't hear from me, you'll know that I have fled to the far north to escape the little, excuse me, huge infestation!

2007-07-22T08:14:00.000-04:00

My eldest dd is OBSESSED with this question: "Mommy.... Do you like me the best?" How do you explain to a 7yo that it is impossible to like 1 of your children more than the others. That this is actually a hurtful question. That if I liked/loved her more than the others, the others would be mortally wounded. My kids count on me to love/like them all the same. My love for them does not change. I may get grumpy. I may lose my temper. I may act like the fault filled woman that I am...... but, my love does not change. I am so glad that God is an even BETTER lover than me! That He doesn't have the human limitations that I have to His love.

So.... We are back from the beach. I took NO pix while we were there. What is wrong with me? I am usually the pix queen. I am hypothesizing here, but, here goes: With 10 children under 10, and 12 adults....... there wasn't enough room to take pix. We were packed like sardines in a can. When some of y'all get to know me better, you will come to know that I really NEED my space. Physical and emotional space.

As I stated before, "I took no pictures." So, I have nothing to show you. So, I'll be brief and make a list to update you on my knitting/spinning!

1. Rogue is off the needles.
2. Almost finished with the body of Andy's Ecowool Raglan. This is a UFO!
3. Only 3 more pattern repeats to linen face cloth.
4. Took a hiatus from Grandma's Garden.
5. Almost finished spinning Technicolor Popcorn from Sakina's Needles.
6. I have finishitupitus really bad.
7. Planning the Christmas knitting.
8. Would you believe, half way done with Christmas knitting! This is because Rogue is a gift.
9. The Fiber Trends pattern, Bella, will not work for Grandma's Garden. &^$@#!
10. I am in desperate need of some new patterns to knit!

So, we begin school tomorrow after a 2 week vacation! That will be good. It will get me and the kids back on schedule. It will take me a while to catch up with all of y'alls blogs. I still haven't begun returning phone calls yet,not to mention e-mails, etc....

Oh. A quick question. I would like to thank each of you personally for posting to my blog. The only thing is that I don't have all y'alls e-mail addresses. So, thank you for posting. I love reading your responses! It keeps me going! Happy Sunday. catie

sunscreen

2007-07-18T09:40:00.001-04:00

hello from Ocean Isle!!! We are having a wonderful time. 10 children and 10 adults. Andy is upstairs applying the sunscreen to my little people. do you know how much surface area little kids have on their bodies? I am so greasy. Hey, at least no one is sunburnt.

Lots of knitting going on. finishing up a UFO of all things. The Ecowool Raglan for Andy. I taught my 11yo nephew how to spin. He plays SERIOUS football and is exceptionally coordinated. he was spinning in 5 minutes. Granted, it was WAY over spun, but still!!! It was so cool to watch!

Andy is hollering. gotta go. catie

decisions, decisions

2007-07-13T15:31:00.000-04:00

Been super busy!! Vacation Bible School all week long. Packing for the beach. Picking and eating tomatoes. Deciding if I should take wheel to the beach. Haven't decided yet. Laundry. Packing. Cleaning out 'science experiments' out of fridge. yeesh. no time for blogging. Gotta run and pack my knitting and MAYBE what I will spin. Opinions on me taking the wheel? Anyone?

I'm back!

2007-07-09T12:43:00.000-04:00

I am BACK, Gentle Readers! I descended into IBS hell for about a week, and thank God for medicine, friends and family..... I am tentatively on my feet, er, off the ______________ . At least for the time being. The thing about IBS, is that there is ABSOLUTELY no knitting or spinning in that state. Ironically, knitting would have made my visit there, much, much more bearable, but you just can't knit, it is so bad.

Enough of that unspeakableness. I just want y'all to know, I was recognized at the yarn shop today. *gasp* Little ole me? Yes, yes dear readers! Mary at our local LYS has read my blog. Get this, she even went to high school with my dear father (check past posts to read about him). Had a MAVELOUS time there. I got this:

Flax ladies and gentleman. Flax. I am delighted. You see, I have had nada, nunca, nyet on the needles (barring some UFO's that I won't count here) for about a month. I have either been spinning Grandma's Garden, or visiting the throne room. So now, I am gonna be in a fit of casting on for a while! I might even stop spinning (can you believe that) for a while.

This is a pattern for face cloths. Can you imagine the luxury? I see Christmas presents!!! The grey is for dh. Yes, he is a MANLY MAN. But believe it or not, he likes his washcloths. I am gonna have to knit in secret. I think it is quite possible to completely surprise him with 2 grey cloths in flax. The samples at the yarn shop were to die for! Hmmmm, that's got me thinking. Do I need to learn to spin flax? Uh Oh.

This is my plan for Grandma's Garden. Forgive the poor photography. Bella. I have been dying to knit her for quite some time. This is shown in lace weight, but I am thinking that Grandma's Garden is mostly fingering weight with brief forays into sport weight. Nevertheless, I will swatch, swatch, swatch. Bella is quite complicated and I want to be as prepared as possible!

On the home front, I am going to be implementing the master plan for the beach packing ordeal. I hate packing for the beach. Do I hear an "AMEN" out there?

So far, I have organized my knitting and reading materials, the most important stuff. I am going to pack 1 bag a day, starting with the linen bag today! The kids are in VBS all morning this week. That is a God send!

Gotta go pack the bag.

Block Party

2007-07-05T09:20:00.000-04:00

We had a GREAT day yesterday. The 4th of July. The day we celebrate our Independence and became a nation. The tradition in our neighborhood is to have a HUGE block party. My kids love this party we have because it takes place in our yard and the fire department brings a ladder truck and does a demonstration. I find it interesting that I don't see most of my neighbors due to air conditioning and TV. So, this is the day I see most of them all year! Weird, huh?

This was my contribution to the party. Cherry/blueberry cobbler with a sour cream dough. It WOULD have been fabulous, but Catie, the wonder chef, PUT TOO MUCH CORNSTARCH IN THE FRUIT! It was like rubber, but the topping was good!
I love fireman. NOT, because of romantic reasons. But because they, as a whole, genuinely like children. You would not believe how these guys played with all the children in the neighborhood. They let the kids crawl all over the truck, dressed them up in the gear, played catch, and generally just spent time with the kids. This year, they didn't even get called away.
I am the chick in the white tank top and cropped jeans in front of the tent and this is my yard. Because the street was closed, my kids got to ride their bikes and scooters up and back, up and back endlessly on what is otherwise, a very busy street.
We are blessed to have a revolutionary war re-enactor in our neighborhood. Eddie. Robin, you know this guy!!!He didn't come until late but it was sooooooo cool, because he started playing his piccolo (fife) and marched in. He immediately lined up the kids and we had a parade!
Notice his rifle. He did a demonstration of how to load the fire the thing. I learned something. On a humid day, that thing might fire only 50% of the time. Not good when you had the best infantry in the world coming for you and you where just a mountain boy.

I almost, got my wheel out, but I didn't feel like entertaining and educating my neighbors yesterday. Isn't that terrible. Besides, the kids would have wanted a go at it, and as we have already established....... DO NOT TOUCH THE WHEEL!

I did spin most of the day that wasn't taken up by the party. I plied 3 skeins of Grandma's Garden AND got a whole bobbin full of a single. That is a whole heap of spinning!

Gotta get out of cyberville and back to my REAL life now. Teaching, cooking, cleaning, Ukroping, and such. Later. catie

2007-07-02T08:59:00.001-04:00

Andy's Mitts. Inner Journey, roving.

Grandma's Garden. Roving by Cyberfyber.
I have tons of Grandma's Garden. Hoping to do a poncho in sport weight. Pattern later.

1 skein spun of Grandma's Garden. I would say, a light sport weight. A challenge to keep this weight up without spinning finer or more bulky.

I have a hangover!

2007-06-27T16:29:00.000-04:00

I, have had a MARVELOUS day dahling. Dropped the kids off at Grandma's, went to the library, came home and polished off last nights dinner from Carraba's with Tanya. Proceeded to read for 3, count 'em, 3 hours, uninterrupted. I think the phone rang once. I haven't even checked the messages.

Currently, I am feeling a little 'hungover' from my reading and knitting fest. What was I reading? Not that interesting. What was I knitting? Now that is worth a look.

I just CO this from Knit and Tonic. Last night at dinner, Tanya whipped out her current WIP. I gasped. Handspun, merino/tencel, self dyed, beauteous head wrap.

Then, it hit me. I knew what that beaded yarn I had spun up was gonna be used for. I just put the head wrap down on size 5 needles to try to shake off my lethargy from non-speaking, non-cleaning, purely selfish hangover.

I only have maybe 4" out of 48" and I might run out of yarn. Who cares. Glorious. I am gonna just hunker down till DH gets home and digs me out of my hole to go peruse the new Ukrop's. I'll tell you bout that tomorrow.

Re-Creation

2007-06-26T13:15:00.000-04:00

I love the saying, "And on the 7th day, God rested!" Hallelujah! I am taking a break!

You would think that after a weekend of having company, my house would still be in somewhat good shape. The reality is, after all of that frantic decluttering and cleaning, I am exhausted. The toys have arrived in places of the house that they should not be, and my knitting is in strange places.

I have been knitting like a fiend, trying to get my knitting fix all caught up. I have at least 5 days of non-knitting to make up for. Of course, Andy does not understand this explanation of why housework has gone by the wayside, but that's tough!!! I hung out with his family ALL WEEKEND LONG! I have to re-create somehow!

For example: Why is this sock, on rosewood needles no less, in the kitchen in front of the sugar bag? The real question is, why is the sugar bag not put away?

I am finding children in strange places as well! Whose feet are these?

Of course, I forgot! 3yo's like boxes more than toys.

DS is sporting his daddy's newly finished hat in handspun. I am right proud of this hat. Just the right mix of creativity and manliness. They are exclusive concepts you know!

A note from my WIP's

2007-06-25T11:28:00.000-04:00

Hey! Catie, This is your knitting speaking. Where have you gone? We are just listing about without any new rows! Don't forget us. We know you have been busy with family reunions, school, cleaning house for company, and navigating rough waters for Andy's family. But, we are your family too!!!!

If you neglect us, you won't have anything for Christmas presents. You won't have that soothing solace for the mind and emotions. Don't forget what it is like to hear the click of the needles or the rhythmic whrrrrr of Minstrel as she spins up some wool. You love us. Come back soon!
We understand that you have so much to do. Decluttering, teaching, cooking, socializing. Socializing? What? You mean you actually go places without us? Are you ashamed of us? You won't knit in public? That can't be true!

Come back, friend. All those other things can wait. We are the work of your hands. You have bonded with us.

Dear WIP's, This is a short note to let you know that I will be knitting and spinning a BUNCH this week. I am sorry you feel neglected. I have missed you desperately. My hands are itching to feel you slide thru my fingers again. My ears are desperate for the quiet whrrrrr of your motion as yarn is made in my fingers. I need the solace of your presence as I recoup from the weather of life. Wait patiently my friends. We will be together again; after I:

*do the dishes
*vacuum
*fold 3 loads of laundry
*feed kids lunch
*run errands
*check on aunt in hospital
*tie up tomatoes
*swiffer floor
*finish language arts with Mia
*plan and execute dinner
*wash up after dinner
*socialize with husband

Well....... we'll see when we can get together.

2007-06-21T11:43:00.000-04:00

Here is another spinner! Thank God, that is NOT what spinning makes us!
This little, garden spider is setting up shop between my boxwood. Right next to my porch swing where I spend most of my time outside. She is dutifully protecting me from all the nasty, disease carrying mosquitoes that have arrived in Virginia this time of year. I have had to protect her 'property rights' from would be assassins; namely, my children. Little Spinner protects me as I spin and knit as my children play out on the porch. They should be grateful.
These pink, grey, and black socks are supposedly for a dear friend of mine. She has rather large feet. However, my struggles with a fiend called 'gauge' might even cause these socks to not fit her feet. Maybe Andy's feet..... What do you think? Can Andy handle pink, footy socks?

I don't really have much on the needles currently, *sigh*. It is sad really, I have been looking for a cotton cardigan to make and am not having much luck finding a pattern that suits me. I do of course realize that I haven't looked that hard, as of yet.

I would really like to do a lace cardigan to wear in the Spring to church. Something light and airy. Y'all know of any good patterns and don't mind heading me in the right direction? I would appreciate all input.

I have never knit with cotton before. Only with wools, other animal fiber, and acrylics. So, I don't know how is stretches etc.....

This here is some new handspun that I bought from David. It is called Inner Journey. I followed the directions in the newest edition of Spin Off, and made a self-striping yarn. I am quite pleased with the results!!!

I was beating the bushes for a scarf pattern suitable for my manly man husband, and Inner Journey just wasn't cooperating. She, ahem, He wants to be a hat and fingerless gloves. I am such a slave to my fiber. I will do whatever it wants me to do.

I do worry, however, that Andy, my man's man, will find his Inner Journey too...... flashy. This is the man who like varying shades of grey the best. I once found him a lime green polo. What was I thinking!?!?!?!?!

A new method

2007-06-19T15:07:00.000-04:00

So.... We had hard boiled eggs for lunch today. Let me preface my story by telling you how smart dd #2 is. She puts A+B=C together, real easy. This axiom just applies to stuff she wants to know, not home school work. Ahem....

As I was saying, we had hard-boiled eggs for lunch today. As my children were consuming them at record speed, Maddy (dd#2) was telling me all she knew about where chicks come from. She asked if the yoke was the chick, I said "no", and she remembered that the daddy had not given the egg it's seed. You know where this is going. She continues by making the astute observation that the daddy chicken would need a pipe to get his seed to the egg. I paused, kept my face straight and just listened to her. Then, she asked me how her daddy........ I HAD to use all the correct terminology and everything. THEN, she asked me if that was the way mommy got a baby... IE: the pipe method.

Gee Whiz. The kid is 5 and knows more about accurate biology than the average 13 yo. She understands perfectly how it all works. I am horrified.

On the knitting front, I have nothing, repeat, nothing on the needles. Oh yes, except the last vestiges of Rogue. I have to buy 1 more skein of Knitpicks at 1.99 a ball to finish. I jsut can't bring myself to pay more for shipping than the yarn itself.

I miss you, dad

2007-06-16T19:39:00.000-04:00

Dear Dad,
It has been 10 years since you have died, and I have missed you for everyday of those years. I am quite well and mom is fine.
You would be proud of your children. We stepped up to the plate and took care of mom in your absence. It was tough, but it was the right thing to do.
I want to tell you all of the things I remember best about you.

*Remember the peach jelly we made, the last Spring we were together? Andy makes jelly with me now.

*Remember the bees. Andy and I still don't have a hive, but give us a little time. It would be fun watching Andy get chased by bees like you were after you robbed the hive.

*You were my best friend. Losing you about broke me, but God is faithful. I have all the love I need. You got to give me away to Andy before you died. A daughter can ask for no more than that.

I want to tell you some things that you might like to know. I have 3 children now. 2 daughters and a son. Amelia, Madeline, and Ethan. Robert Ethan. Yes, he is named after you. I couldn't think of a better name for my son than the name of my father. We are all healthy and well, and best of all, happy.
It has taken me a long time to get over mom. As you know, she is quite difficult. After we went to court, I didn't speak to her for 2 years. I couldn't. I would have panic attacks just thinking about it. The power of a mother is tremendous. Now, I try to honor her and love her the best way I can..... by being her mother. She lives with Robert and his family in NC. A good 7 hours away, and that is a good thing.

Sometimes I dream of you. It is amazing. You are exactly the same and I cherish every word you speak to me. I wish I would dream of you more often. I wish that I could ask you questions and for advice. But most of all to tell you face to face about my beautiful children. I never knew (you always told me, but I didn't get it) how wonderful children were.

I learned so many things from you. Jelly. Honey. Teaching. Faith. Here are a few of the most important lessons I learned from you.

You gotta scoop poop to have a clean yard.
How to catch a snake
How to 'ring a boys chimes'
What boys really want
How to pick beans
How NOT to rob a hive of honey
How to weed
How to clean a house
When you see someone else working, you don't just stand there..... YOU help
You taught me the substance of faith and believing that God will meet all my needs regardless of circumstances
Jesus

Mostly, I just want to thank you for being my dad. I didn't get to share all of these things when you were present here on this earth. I wish I had said more when I had had the time. But you are well now, and I still love you and will forever.

Your girl, Catie Cat

days of thunder and lightning

2007-06-14T15:34:00.000-04:00

I hate hormones. Yes, yes, I know...... Hormones provide a lot of wonderful things. Babies, etc. But, I feel like I am on a broom today.

I got up at 8:30. Thanx hon, we have had the discussion multiple times about getting me up before you leave the house at 7:15. You know, that it really is best if I get up and have some 'alone' time with my coffee and knitting before the Nascar of my day begins. Yes, Yes, I know....... I look all warm and cute and sleepy looking, there in the bed. But PLEASE, GET ME UP. There is nothing I hate more than having to get straight out of bed and be Miss Mommy America! I just don't talk in the morning, I won't hurt you, I promise!

The house is all cluttered and toyed up. Again. How many times am I gonna have to do this in my lifetime? Please, don't answer that. All of you seasoned moms out there are rolling your eyes at me right now. I can see you. I know that my pumpkins will be teenagers in a nano second. But, I DON'T BELIEVE YOU!

I have a menstrual headache, have already laid down for a few minutes, and it is only 3:41pm. Andy, won't be here for another hour. Of course, why WOULD he want to come home when his wife is in her Days of Thunder and Lightning?

Do you know what would be a GREAT idea? Some sort of remedy that brought your period on!!! I would be on that like fleas on a dog. Anything to get back to my usual, sweet, calm, kind, patient self!

I have ANOTHER great idea! A nanny. I have a 36 year old friend who is having her 1st baby. She wants to work from home (Wachovia is her employment) and keep her baby at home, while she works, via, a nanny! Can I have 1? Any volunteers who would do that for FREE? So, get this, for $11/hour, you can have someone to take care of your baby, do light cleaning, AND light cooking. I think it is worth it. Maybe just once a month, when I can't tolerate myself, much less expect anyone else to put up with me. Oh yeah, her husband gets to stay home with her for 8 weeks. Yeeesh. I barely got a couple of hours before I went solo.

Gotta go. Making a carb heavy dinner tonight in honor of my raging hormones and cool house. I am going to fire the oven up and make PIZZA! I really do make good pizza. I don't scrimp on the olive oil or the mozzarella. That should fix me right up.

2007-06-12T19:31:00.000-04:00

Isn't this purse the most cheerful thing you have seen in the longest time? Thanx, Sallee for making me the bag. Posy sock sack to be exact. I had one made for my mom for mother's day. I carried it around with me for a week, and decided I had to have 1 just like it. Technically, it is a sock knitting bag. It perfectly holds a wound skein of sock yarn, has cool dp holders, place for cell and wallet.
For me, I use the dp holders to hold my lipstick nice and tight! I am loving this thing. It holds great to my shoulder as I grab at the kiddoes!

Grandma's Garden andInner Journey. Finally, I am showing y'all the new roving I got from David Simpson the other night. I already have 1 skein spun of the Inner Journey. I am thinking a zig zag scarf for dh, Andy.

I love spinning the Inner Journey right now. The colors are so appropriate for my life right now. Red for passion. Gold for precious treasures. Black for sorrow.

I just had the 1st conversation with my 51 year old cousin today about letting her mother go. I have walked the 'letting a person' go path several times. Aline, my aunt, my cousins mom; is in the ICU, doesn't know where she is, how she got there, and keeps asking her daughters why she has all these tubes coming out of her. I have asked her, before she got to this stage, if she was ready to go, and she said "yes." Poor girls.

I leave you with the passage of Scripture that my father asked to be read to him on his death bed. I was 24, in shock, and terrified. I will never forget this Scripture and how much it means to me.

Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare of the Lord; He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; He is my God, and I am trusting Him.

For He will rescue you from every trap and protect you from the fatal plague. He will shield you with His wings. He will shelter you with His feathers. His faithful promises are your armor and protection. Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor fear the dangers of the day, nor dread the plague that stalks in darkness, nor the disaster that strikes at midday.

Though a thousand fall at your side, though ten thousand are dying around you, these evils will not touch you.

Lord, that's my prayer for Aline and her children. Amen.

2007-06-11T09:36:00.000-04:00

This is 1 of my cats. Yes, I do have cats, though they are not my favorite house pet. I am a dog person by nature. However, this is a blog called Catie-catknits. Hmmmmm. Ever wondered why a dog person would name her blog with cat in the name. Glad you asked!!!
My father used to call me his KittyKat. A play on my name, Catie. I didn't like Kittykat-knits, so....... there you go. One of these days I will do a post on my dad, who passed on 10 years ago this past May. He was my best friend. I love my memories of him.

Tomatoes!! Finally, I have the time and energy to grow some. Me and the girls started these from seed. 10 different varieties, all heirlooms. It is so interesting. The plants themselves all look so different and have different names. Black Krim. Cherokee Purple. Big Rainbow. Sungold, just to name a few. I have others, but can't remember all their names. Mia, dd#2, wrote all of their names on stakes for me. Quite a task for a finishing 1st grader.

I believe this is the Black Krim tomato (I was unable to keep up with all of those 30+ tiny plants with 3 small children in the mix.

I love the flowers on these. They are almost as big as miniature sunflowers. Yum yum yum.

Just a small snap shot of my small plot.

Andy and I "tour" the yard every evening. It is a cool time where we just spend time together as a family in the outdoors viewing God's creation, and our hard work.

As for knitting, gotten tons done. (pix tomorrow)

Spinning, yes that too.

Housework, not so much. Need to clean the potties today and vacuum and fold all the laundry that Andy did and tossed in a pile on the floor. 4 loads worth.

So, goodbye for now!

As for Aline, things are not looking good. They are unable to get her to move her bowels and is seriously impacted. Her daughters are going to enter her into hospice. Pray for her to pass quickly.

Thank you for your prayers

2007-06-09T14:23:00.000-04:00

Thank you all for your kind words and prayers for my aunt Aline. Quick update:

Last night she was transferred to the ICU. They think she has peritonitis from a perforated colon. Pray she passes quickly and painlessly. There will be 3 adult children travelling to be with her.

I have had a great time praying with her and her daughter. God is good and faithful. If you get a chance read Psalm 19, 91, 139, and Proverbs 31. She is ready, just a matter of time.

Just a quick word about myself. I am doing well with this. I really think I am supposed to be there to support Aline's children during this time. That is how you can pray for me. That I would have 'apt words in apt seasons..'

2007-06-07T10:02:00.000-04:00

Good Golly, Miss Molly....... It is HOT! I went to the grocery store and it was 95. Yeesh. And our house IS NOT, I repeat NOT air conditioned. I got a great 'glow' going on right now. Sweat!

This is going to be a sock made out of 'Rhubarb Pie'. Handspun, sport weight, have no idea what WPI are. But, HEY, the pattern calls for sport weight, and that is what she is! I'll take that!

FYI, this is the finest yarn I have managed to spin to date. Maybe I am just not cut out for lace weight spinning. Now..... anyone who knows me, knows that saying "I can't" isn't in my vocabulary, if only that would rub off on my 3 little pumpkins.

I am known not only for my stubbornness, but for my laziness. I did NOT set the twist. We'll see if I live to regret that! It is going OK coming off the bobbin. Yes, I am impatient too! I wanted to continue playing with my new toy.

I had a fabulous time last night with all my RV/spin/knit sisters and brothers last night. I spent a small fortune in fiber from David. Thanks Dave for coming, bringing your stuff and staying to spin with us. It was fun getting to know you!

This, below, is a chevron scarf. I am knitting it with the Sleepy Hollow roving I got from Wiley. I am so wealthy in roving now, I am hardly able to decide what to spin first. Then, what to do with the yarn I have made. What a problem to have, eh? More like a blessing!

Yes, there are 2 of them. I am going to graft them together so that the chevron's go out from each other. (I have no idea if that makes any sense, but I'll show you a pix when it is done and all will be clear. Any of you praying folks out there, please pray for my great-aunt Aline. She is dying, most likely. She is 82 and her systems are failing. Thankfully, she is in good humor and not afraid. I really hope she passes quickly and not have to suffer the indignity of protracted illnesses. I have been to see her everyday since she was admitted, and it is really sad. BTW, this is one of the ladies who fed my interest in handwork. I will always cherish her for that. If I am a little absent more than usual, this is why. My spare time will be ministering to her.

Ponzu

2007-06-04T16:20:00.000-04:00

Now, for a break from our regularly scheduled blogging for an advertisement from our sponsor. Kikkoman, the soy sauce of homemakers around the world! The following is a testimonial from a housewife, just like you, of how Ponzu has changed her cooking.

Last night we were going to have leftovers, again. All my children and my husband groaned, "Not steak sandwiches again!!!" Now, being the creative master chef/mother/wife/teacher that I am, I applied my creativity to solve the problem, just like all women do. I reached for my soy sauce in the frig, and *gasp* I was out of my Kikkoman. Distressed, I raced off to my local Fresh Market to get this crucial ingredient for fried rice. What did my wondering eyes see, not 1, not 2, but a whole array of soy sauces for our culinary enjoyment. I immediately was attracted to the label and decided that we needed a little citrus in our lives. Off to the checkout and back to my kitchen. I whipped up the most delicious little steak fried rice you have ever eaten. Effortless, all because of my new, fabu-ingredient: Kikkoman Ponzu, Citrus Seasoned Soy Sauce and Dressing. And all for the thrifty low price of $2.35 a bottle.

I will never do without my Ponzu again!

Whew, I hate commercials don't you?

Beads

2007-06-01T15:13:00.000-04:00

Beads, I just love beads!

Yet another roving from Sakina, named 'deciduous.' Got some beads from AC Moore and beaded 2 small bobbins and plied it up!

Love it! What am I gonna do with it? No idea. Suggestions welcomed.

Gotta go back to AC Moore and get more beads. I think I am gonna do the whole 5oz roving with these beads.

100th post

2007-05-31T19:32:00.000-04:00

Here is my 100th post. Got it from Gina over at Mosaic.

catie --

[noun]:

A person who falls into an outhouse and dies

'How will you be defined in the dictionary?' at QuizGalaxy.com

I thought for sure it would be

[noun]:

A person who is always completely sure of herself, happy with the way she looks and how much she weighs, and is loved by everyone without exception!

(fatchance)

Purse

2007-05-30T12:22:00.000-04:00

So, here is the challenge, if you dare!!! Get your digital camera and prepare to shock us all with (drum roll, please)..... THE CONTENTS OF YOUR PURSE! No editing please. Just pure truth. Unvarnished. Post to your blog. Here is my list of people who are TAGGED! Nikki, Tanya, Diana, Sallee, and Robin. I, unfortunately, can't take credit for this idea. Found it on Jody's blog and she got it from Gina.
Please give brief explanations of what your purse contains. Oh, just had a thought...... If you have something personal, use your own discretion. Nothing _______________, please. (you can just imagine)

I am after all, a mother. This is the contents of my purse simply laid out.

My DD#2's ABC flashcards. Homemade.

Cough drops from the flu I had last year. Afrin. Now there is a story. DS had a nose bleed that just wouldn't quit. I quick called my aunt, the wonder MD. She sent me to CVS for Afrin. It constricts blood vessels. Learned something new.

Prescription for tummy pain.

Half of box that is holding some dpt needle stopper uppers.

Gum. Another mommy must have.

Power bars. Lip gloss AND lip liner. Here is a little known fact about me. I love, love, love lip liner. It takes YEARS off you your face. Keeps lip whatever from running and can plump without collagen!

Tonka Truck.

That's all folks. Really looking forward to seeing yours. Remember, honesty is the BEST policy (and makes for good blog humor)!

New roving on the needles

2007-05-29T16:16:00.000-04:00

What a day. It is sooooo hot here! My kids are out in the baby pool, even though they are too big for the thing. We really need to join a pool.

Our house isn't A/C either. We are probably the last people in the Shenandoah Valley NOT to have A/C. In June, Andy will put in a window unit, but only for the downstairs. At night, it really puts a crimp in my love life.

Summer isn't the best time for knitting and spinning but I have this habit to maintain. This here is some of my lovely Blue faced Leicester roving from Sakina's Needles. A very, lovely muted Terra cotta, colonial blue, and lime. I tore apart the colors. Divided each color into equal weights, so I had 2 of each color. Then, pulled those colors into quarters to spin up a double ply yarn that is sport weight? I don't have the WPI thinga majig yet.

At least for the 1st 2 skeins, the colors plied as planned. But # 3 had a mind of it's own. I ran out of the terra cotta color and had too much blue and lime. Oh well. So I decided to make a chevron scarf out of the yarn.

The colors are flowing well even with the 'candy striping' that occurs in places. I have to tell you, I am just enchanted with spinning. Enchanted with wool. I couldn't buy yarn like this! One of these days I am gonna do some dyeing. I get tons of encouragement from my spin/knit gal pals who have gone before me.

That is one of the things I love best about the fiber community. It is just that, a community.

Last, but not least, I have a FO!!! These are the 1st in a bunch of Elizabeth Zimmerman's moccasin socks, made from Brother. The Fair Isle vest is stalled for lack of inspiration, but I'll continue when inspiration comes again!

These were supposed to be Andy's, but they fit my feet. OOOPPPSSS. I still have an issue with my arch enemy, gauge. One of these days, I will thoroughly defeat him and be the victor. So, I'm just gonna have to CO another pair and make them longer. No biggie. I can knit a pair in a day, if I have all day to knit.

An Ode

2007-05-27T20:12:00.000-04:00

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways!

I love thee for letting me cook as much as I want and you never let me down with clean up.

I love thee for having a miniature garbage disposal within you.

I love thee for not minding when I put my boys potty top within you and you clean AND sterilize it!

I love thee because you prove over and over again that you are irreplaceable.

I love thee because even when you are working hard, I can hardly hear you.

I love thee because you have a bottom AND top rack rotating, sprayer.

I love thee that you don't require me to wash before I wash.

I love thee because you save water.

I love thee because without you, I would have dishpan hands.

This is my ode to my Kenmore Energy Saver Ultra Wash dishwasher AFTER I trashed the kitchen, pots and pans, and tons of dishes. I had all the fun, and he did all the clean up!

Hiking with children and other things......

2007-05-26T08:43:00.000-04:00

Gratefully, we are having a long weekend. My wonderful husband has the foresight after 15 years at the bank, to take a regular bank holiday and schedule his days off to make a 3 day weekend 4. He really needs it too. The bank politics about does my straightforward husband in. Enough about that.....

We decided to get away from it all yesterday, packed a picnic and headed for the Appalachian Trail. Specifically, the Tinker Cliff trail. I don't know what the correct name is, but that is what I call it. It was kind of ambitious with the kids, aged 7, 5, and 3. We only hiked the flat portion that is pretty long in and of itself.

It was so good to get away from people. We didn't see another soul for 3 hours. And other than the occasional airplane, there was no noise from the 21st century. I was so glad. Andy really needs to get another job. He needs some silence in his life. He would be a great professional painter, but that would mean he would have to purchase our insurance. Being who he is......... He'll hang in at the bank.

So..... We hiked and then came home. I raced to the front porch to see if IT came. And it did!!!!!

My box from Etsy. Specifically, Sakina's Needles. This lovely lady is from Colorado and is a Fiber Artist!!! She does a lovely job. Great service and a friendly demeanor. I hope she really keeps up the good work.

Most of this is Border Leicester. The whitish one is Merino. They still have a faint 'sheepy' smell. If you are a spinner, this delights you!!!!!

I love the names Wiley Sherer uses too. Very creative. Names like: Technicolor Popcorn, Bad Robot, Mathematical Purple, Deciduous, Rhubarb Pie. She even sent me a hand spun skein of her own.

Y'all should check her out. I am having a ball!
I love the way these are braided. I had a great time figuring out the construction of the braid! It is all one long piece of roving! Brilliant!

So, I spent the rest of the afternoon spinning! This one is named SLEEPY HOLLOW!

I didn't get as much done as I would have liked because our day ended up with a 'hot date'. WITHOUT THE KIDS!

We tried out the new Irish pub in Rke. The food of OK, but the beer was fabulous. I tried a 'Half & Half'. It was comprised of Guinness and Harp. I used to see drinks like that in Hong Kong (I lived in China for 6mo a long time ago), but that was pre-alcohol days, so I never tried one.

This has been one of the best days I have had in years. I really enjoyed ALL the gifts God has given me. Let me recap: nature, husband, children, solitude, color, spinning, food, beer, and rest. Jesus said (I am gonna paraphrase here) : Come unto me all who are weary and I will give you rest. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

Oh, Boy......

2007-05-22T12:27:00.000-04:00

I have found a new way to spend money. I am sure you all know about it already. I am usually the last to know. Thought I would just pass it along. Click here. Look up handpainted roving. You'll be stunned.

One of these days I will sell something on-line that I have made. The absolute genius of people stuns me. I am so glad to be a knitter, spinner in this day and age of computers. Just about anything made out there, in my price range of course, is available to me.

My head is spinning.
I am stunned.
The beauty of color.......
Where is my paypal acct?

Cherries

2007-05-21T14:15:00.000-04:00

This about sums up my day and weekend so far. A tea party. Not because everything was so wonderful.... But because of the sweetness of my children. I have 2 girls and the only Christmas present they got from us this year was a real, china tea set. One for each. Maddy got red cherries and Mia got pink roses. They have played and played and played with these sets. Their daddy will play with them too. Quicker than I will, truth to tell.

I love watching my girls become young women. One of the reasons we are homeschooling is to help them (hopefully) have an extended childhood. I missed a lot of their babyhood to depression and I am LOVING their childhood. God is good. He has delivered me into a land/life of goodness, not easiness, but goodness. I have so much to be grateful for.

Speaking of depression: I didn't even knit when I was depressed. What a crime! It took one of my most beloved, personal passions and left me disinterested. Yeesh. What a creep.

Now, when I am faced with clutter, piles of clean or dirty laundry, dishes, standardized testing, or anything that really stresses me out and overwhelms me..... I don't get down. I pray, invite God into my day/work/mind, I get busy and plow thru it one task at a time. And you know what, it all doesn't matter if it gets done or not. It will be there tomorrow and if things are REALLY bad.... Andy will be home soon. He is a WORKING MACHINE and can work circles around me. The bonus is he doesn't mind. If I did it everyday..... that is another story. I didn't want you to think he was perfect or anything, ha ha ha

Ignore the pink you see. The white is the 1st of the fawn Shetland spun up. I am doing a small test skein, will set twist, and knit up to see if I like it or not. I am still disappointed with the way it is coming out. A bit rougher than commercially processed rovings, but it has a unique charm all it's own. I think MOST of this fleece will be dyed. I am gonna bite the bullet and purchase some dyes from somewhere. Suggestions? Please comment and let me know. I am EAGER to here what you experienced fiber artists suggest!

Wyle E. Coyote, Creative Genius/ Housework Loser

2007-05-17T11:13:00.000-04:00

Brother. Fair Isle. I am impressed with myself! Have I ever told you that I am a CREATIVE GENIUS? I feel like Wyle E. Coyote just saying that. But I kind of feel like that today. It feels good.

So, today I have done tons of stuff, so far. Mostly, not housework, and not family stuff. At least we did tons of school today.

I have spun, I have knit, I have set twist in 11.7oz of cream merino and hung it on boxwood. I have got the girls to at least grab their clean laundry and stuff it in their drawers, unfolded. At least it is up off the floor now!!!

This is, hopefully, going to be sock yarn. We'll see. Last night I helped Diana learn to spin. She did GREAT by the way!!! I got some good tips on how to 'tweak' my wheel (same model). Learned how to adjust tension on a double drive!

I am still not spinning fine enough for a 2ply sock yarn though.

Then, moved on to soap. Made soap on Monday, for Jen, and unmolded it yesterday. Now it just 'hangs out' for a while as it ages. Like wine. Remember the Gallo commercial from the 80's: We will sell no wine before it's time! Soap is the same. It needs to age, but not as long as wine.

Then we come to the bane of my existence. Laundry. I HATE laundry. Do you know how dirty children are? How bout people in general. I was baking a quick bread for a family party tonight and noticed how dirty the drawer under my oven was. How did that happen?

2007-05-16T08:26:00.000-04:00

I have only a few minutes before I have to drive the kids across town to MIL's house. But, I wanted to show you what I CO last weekend. (I have been having trouble loading this pix for some unknown reason, I have tried multiple times).

To the left are some odds and ends of my handspun. I don't have enough 'Brother' to make an entire sweater (nor would I want to, he is the heaviest yarn I have EVER made). So, some bright friend of mine, Nikki I think, suggested a vest. So, I got a book from the library and knit a swatch. But something happened after I cast on the Brother Vest.

Brother started to 'speak to me'. Brother was telling me how much he wanted some ZEST to him. He wanted Fair Isle. Now, I had a little argument with Brother. I told him,
"I don't do Fair Isle. I don't know how." Brother the vest didn't listen. Before I knew it, I had another book from the library. This one contains stitch patterns. All of a sudden, I was doing Fair Isle. Simple gingham blocks were appearing in turquoise and royal blue. Large X patterns in orange and brown. I could hardly believe what was happening. It was effortless.

I have so much more knit of the vest now. You'll just have to come back tomorrow to see how I am doing.

Gratitude

2007-05-14T08:22:00.000-04:00

Here are my boys. They are making waffles, chocolate to be exact. Aren't they cute?

I have so much to be grateful for. Life is good. Thank You for my children, Jesus. Thank you for letting me be a mom.

Blogger?

2007-05-12T18:42:00.000-04:00

Is anyone else out there having difficulty with uploading images to Blogger lately? I have tried to post with pix multiple times and can't get them to upload. Hmmmmmm. Any suggestions? catie

Life and times of MCGL

2007-05-09T16:31:00.000-04:00

Whew! What a day!! I have got my hair on fire I am so busy. I have a love/hate relationship with these days. So, here goes:

* Drive kids to MIL's house. 30 min drive.
* Go to Bible study
* Pray and minister with a hurting woman
* Go to grocery store
* Go to MIL's house to get kids
* Drive 30 min home
It is now 2:30
* Unload groceries
* Duke out numerous fights between kids
* Jostle dd #1 out of a pout
* Spin for 5 min
* Decide I really need to start dinner for company coming tonight
* Sear flank steak and put in oven to braise for Ropa Vieja
* Ice chocolate cake
* Make Neapolitan Tomato salad
* Make sauce for Ropa Vieja
* Re-snack the kids
* Realize that I still have to review AWANA verses with kids for their class tonight
It is now 4:41
* Kick kids out to play
* Listen to dd #2 complain about baby brother beating her with a stick
* Sit down to blog
What is wrong with me? I should be CLEANING MY HOUSE TO GET READY FOR PASTOR AND WIFE TO COME OVER!! I have a headache and I need to drink a bunch of H20 and lie down. oh well.

WHAT I STILL HAVE TO DO BEFORE 6:30
* Vacuum downstairs
* Shred Ropa Vieja (translates 'old clothes', a shredded, spicy beef dish over rice)
* Clean self up
* Check verses for AWANA
* Change the girls clothes, they got filthy at Grandma's house
* Feed kids
* Clean up food from kids
* Greet husband lovingly with a smile and a kiss despite headache
* Whatever else shows itself as something that needs doing

I either need to go pray or I need a Valium. The Valium is out, so I think I'll go sit on the porch, ignore whatever else I "should do", and spend time with Jesus. Thanx. c

I'm Back!!!

2007-05-07T08:58:00.000-04:00

I big "Thank You" to Robin for this wonderful graphic. I am trying to figure out how to turn it into a button.

The story behind it is this: Last Wednesday (post blog that is below), I went to see Robin at the Salem Library to get help with double drive tension for the wheel. She has Scotch tension, but pointed me in the right direction. She and I had a huge guffaw over my son breaking the drive band within 30 minutes of the wheel arriving in my house. Being the extrovert that I am, the story got bigger and funnier as I went along. Basically, UPON PAIN OF RETALIATION....... DON'T TOUCH THE WHEEL. This includes husband and all children. Believe it or not.... it probably includes YOU. I am terrible. This ban will probably pass as soon as I figure it out more comprehensively.

So.... I am back from my conference to Morning Star Ministries. I am refreshed as I haven't been in a long time. I was ministered too physically, emotionally, intellectually, socially, and spiritually. I didn't realize how tired and depleted I was!!! Just to have 3 meals a day placed before me and all I had to do was partake of the food....... Unbelievable!

The office of mother is not for wimps. I have so much to be thankful for but at the same time, I am now recognizing the need for rest and replenishing.

I DID NOT take Minstrel with me, and it was a very good thing. There was just no time to spin. Being the social creature that I am, I talked to everyone who was even remotely available to converse with and I would not have wanted to talk about spinning. Can you believe that? I fell into bed at night exhausted and was able to sleep undisturbed. I awoke only needing to get ready and go eat yet another delicious meal that I had not fixed. Hallelujah!!!!!

So, back to real life today. But I am ready!! Here is my 'to do' list for the day:

*Drill dd#2 in her ABC's and sounds
*Hunt down Get Ready for the Code on the Internet to do with dd#2 this summer
*Read with dd#1
*Clean bathrooms
*Uncover tomatoes from protective covering for the non-existent frost we had last night
*Blog entry
*Grab a trashbag and "fling" clutter from all over the house
*Supervise girls cleaning room
*Unpack self
*Clean own room after being gone 3 days
*Plan and execute dinner
*Turn in overdue library books
*Hunt down and purchase lemon/orange oil for Minstrel

Whew! I am glad that I am refreshed or I would be discouraged already. None of those are big things and I am confident that it will ALL get done. Anyone laughing at me yet?

She's here!

2007-05-02T08:22:00.000-04:00

Wow!! What a day. Yesterday was soooooo eventful. Full of ups and downs. Let me see if I can make this short and sweet.

Minstrel arrived at 9:30 am as me and the kiddoes were awaiting her arrival outside in the driveway. The seller actually delivered her. I had the best experience with this seller, they were wonderful.

Me and the kids unpacked her, while I was on the phone. That was the tenor of my day. I was trying to play with my new toy while the phone RANG OFF THE HOOK! Me and the phone have a love/hate relationship anyway.

The phone rang, and after a stern admonition to my son to "Do not touch the wheel!", I had a long talk with my pastor. Well....... I came back and disaster had struck. Ethan had unstrung my darling, spun the wheel, and the cotton drive band had been completely eaten up. I was so mad, you don't even know.

You would be proud of me though. I didn't lay a finger on him. I told him, calmly, to go to his room, put the gate up, and told him to go to sleep. Of course, this is after lunch so he had eaten and was comfortable. Then, he proceeded to wet the bed.

Me being the resourceful woman that I am, figured cotton of another type would get me thru until I could get a replacement? Noro. I had just finished the "I Do" shrug in Noro cotton/silk (can you see the blue drive band? That is the Noro yarn) blend. Hmmmmmmm. I got some of it on there, but this thing didn't come with a manual. &&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;*(&*(%^$#$%^^&* Have you ever tried to figure out how a machine works without a manual? It really brought me low. There are only so many places that drive band can go.

Well, all of a sudden, it was working. Winding on and everything, I don't even know what I did. Robin, if you have any words of wisdom, I would be ever so grateful! Specifically on how a **** drive band goes on.

Here is some of the Merino that Nel sent me. I love Merino. I love this wheel. It is a dream to spin on. The difference between riding on an ass and a thoroughbred. I had no idea. I never thought I would 'upgrade' from my Ashford Traditional.

I am about ready to make my 1st skein. This is so exciting.

Now, my dh wants to finish the wheel. This is a great idea, except that I don't want to take another spinning hiatus so he can tip toe thru the posies with stain and polyurethane. Maybe linseed oil? Advice welcomed!!!!!

Well, obviously I got the thing working. Then, I had to change bobbins and the madness began again. But, I got it to work. I still don't know what I did.

True confession time. A lot of you know me as a bright, silly gal. Usually smiling and good natured. This is true, most of the time. I love people and usually, they love me. Well...... my family did not love me yesterday. I was unreasonable. "Don't talk to me.!" "Don't touch that!" "Andy.........." "I must be brilliant if I can figure out how a machine works without a manual!" "Andy......." My family was really good to me yesterday. I made NO dinner. Andy did. I loudly griped and ranted a bit. They stayed away until I apologized. Thanks y'all. I love you and appreciate you for putting up with me. I am not proud of myself.

I find that I am probably not much different than my children. I am territorial. I don't like to share. And, I am downright greedy when I want to PLAY with my stuff. I want to be left alone with my new toy.

Well, today I am off to a conference for 3 days. And yes, I am taking the wheel.