59 and counting!

That would be me, although it could just as easily refer to my WIPs. What's not to like??? I love each and every project. Sure, I love the challenge of knitting something that looks way out of my reach, but there's also the fun of meeting new people while doing Ravelry research on my current project, the Meret. I've never knit a hat that liked me for myself, but this one may be the one. I started it in large, since my head measures 21.5 inches around. 2010 will be the year to finish the SWT, my Rosie sweater, AND this lovely, lacy, Meret. Here's to Ravelry and all the fun patterns and interesting knitters it brings into my life. Happy New Year everyone......or should I say Happy New Yarn!!!! (I am incorrigible.)

You ain't nothin' but a hound-dog....

Hi everyone.

I'm taking control of my person's blog for today to sing her a nice birthday song. Watch out Elvis........I'm wearing my new sweater.

Love,

Gracie

Lily Chin and the M&M Connection

Christmas brought me Lily Chin's "Knitting Tips & Tricks". On page 134, she mentions her friend Claire Gregorcyk of Atlanta who has a very interesting row counting technique. And I quote, " She lays out as many little chocolate candies (she likes to use M&M's) as there are rows until the next instruction. Once the candy is finished, she works the increase or decrease or color change and lays out another four or six candies or whatever number is needed. "

I don't know about all of you, but I can't knit fast enough to keep up with my love of M&M's.....

Return of the trilobite

I think I goofed the other day when giving credit for the very cool trilobite toy/catnip container. The pattern is actually one of Grumbleknits. She is a 13 year old knitter. Thirteen!!!!

Holy cow........at 13 years of age, I was still wondering when, if ever, I'd get "a figure".

And then, we have the cookies. Trilobite cookies. Yummmmmmm. The only improvement for these little morsels would be mini M&M eyes. The man who devised the recipe is also the person behind the Central Park sculpture event. (Someday I will figure out the fine art of placing my pictures where I want them to be. )

And so, I present the fact for today: All of life can be connected to food and NYC. It's only a matter of time. :)

It's beginning to look a lot like....trilobites???

Knitting is so much fun...check out the trilobite pattern I discovered on Blue Peninsula's blog.

My biology teacher husband has had one of these gross looking fossils sitting out for all the world to appreciate on a windowsill in the family room. I try to relocate it to the basement with all of the fish tanks, reptiles, etc. but it keeps turning up in the strangest places.

Now I can knit one for him. Ever so much cuter.

Once upon a tree.......

It's a Christmas miracle. Old Faithful has ascended from the basement and attained its customary spot in the living room.

The Nativity, complete with the Three Wise Men, sits on the table next to the tree. Each year, as I lovingly place the tinfoil balls from my childhood on the branches, I appreciate the fact that they share with me the same birth year. We're both still shiny, and bright, albeit a bit more crumbled in spots. Bring on 2010. Merry Christmas to all :)

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

This is one of the coolest pictures of our snowstorm. It's what was left after we moved the car from the driveway. The bumper was covered with tiny icicles. What you see is a tiny survivor of the move, along with an artistic tire track.

I don't know.....call it storm art, with the help of a two ton Subaru. I like it.

LYS Christmas Knit Night

Wonderful night shared with my knitting friends at LYS.

I couldn't talk them into a sleepover this year......it seemed like a good idea. We had good food, happy friends and all the yarn that's fit to knit. Oh, wonderful.

A terrific yarn.......

In the olden days, a yarn referred to an interesting tale/story. Well, I have a dear friend named Kathy. Years ago, Kathy invested in tons of yarn and a knitting machine. Then she became involved in community activities, and I'm proud to say she ran for and got elected Lancaster Township supervisor and, just last week, she took on the role of Lancaster County Planning Commission member. She is amazing. Along the way, the knitting took a back seat. Last week, I talked to Kathy about spinning fiber, told her I was going to a fiber retreat with the hopes of getting serious about getting the hang of it. She decided to gift me with 10 skeins of alpaca roving since she wasn't going to use it. Squeals of joy. Chapter 2: I tell Rachel-Marie from LYS about this awesome gift. She suggests I combine the tan alpaca with some of her hand-spun teal yarn which she is gifting me at the LYS party tonight.

I'm not sure what these gifts of yarn will become, but the warmth of those two friends will make me smile each time I see the yarn. What a tale. A terrific yarn.

Tonight is our very first Christmas party at LYS. Did I mention lately how much I love knitting? It strengthens my soul in trying times. It has opened new doors to places and friends I never would have known about. Marry Christmas to all you cool friends out there. Thanks for the spirit-lifting posts and comments. It is all just amazing. :)

FIngernails are great.

Ten days till Christmas. No tree, no wrapped presents, many started projects.

Keep a bunch o' good thoughts for people out there, like my son, who have no job and are "forced" to live with mom and dad. He should count his blessings, right? You can cut the depression with a knife.

Darn it all....I will put up the old Christmas tree, go to midnight mass and cook Christmas dinner. Life goes on.

Merry Christmas to all out there and forgive my grumpy rant.

Fingernails are great cause they let you hang on :0

One less WIP

One less WIP...Lord-ee, my brain just started singing "One less bell to answer" by the Fifth Dimension...now THEY were singers. Oh, well....

I have one less WIP (work in progress), since I completed my "Simple Yet Effective Shawl" by Cosmicpluto Knits! I started the shawl with my very first handspun (Whorled Peace), and included remnants of yarn from my Feb. Ladies Sweater, an Encore vest, some lovely yarn brought back from Maine by daughter Jen who was there on her honeymoon (5 years ago!!)

I love this shawl, and have decided I should make many more since it is so much fun and so quick.

Oops....I think I hear my Swallowtail Shawl WIP calling me. Am I ready for Christmas? Nope.

Enuf said.

A good day for a quilt

While taking a picture of our iris plucked from the front garden last night before today's SNOW, I found some pictures on my camera I had forgotten about.

A few weeks ago, I was invited to stop in at the Material Resource Center of the Mennonite Central Committee to wallow in buttons, quilt tops, vintage quilts, fabrics, you name it. MCC holds a benefit quilt auction each spring. The postage stamp quilt pictured here has about 11,000 tiny little pieces. I'm sticking to my knitting.

Memories of Pizza

Today's food craving is pizza. John's Pizzeria on Bleeker Street, NYC is the best. There are several locations, besides the Greenwich Village original.

The Times Square location started life as a church, hence the gorgeous ceiling pictured in this post. I have decided to have pizza at every location in 2010, preferably not on the same trip to NYC.......although that idea is sounding pretty tasty right now. That, in a pizza shell, is my post for today.