Fog Lifter Shawl is beautiful in the “I Love What You’re Wearing” colorway from Blue Moon Fiber Arts.  Sometimes I tire of a colorway as I knit but not this one.  I still love it as much as I did when I ordered it.  I guess the colors just suit my clothes so I also guess I will be keeping it.  This is a pattern that I will be knitting again–easy but looks intricate when finished.

Hearts and Vines Pi is also moving along.  It is another easy design that flows along the needles.  I called it Shetland Skies Pi in my last post (finished that one) but it is really Hearts and Vines.  Anyway, it grows larger with a series of hearts and vines.  I can’t wait to see it blocked.  I usually get bored with circular shawls because they seem to take so long.  It could happen with this one but I am trying hard not to give in to boredom because I really like the shawl and want to see it finished.

DH and I are recovering from the trip and I have to tell you that it was an experience with two dogs.  They were actually very good little fur-people.  There was no great amount of barking in hotel rooms and no tiffs over toys in the car.  They both slept together and established a routine of playtime every evening when we arrived at the hotel.  We tend to stay exclusively at Drury Inns because they are so pet friendly.  They also serve a hot breakfast and dinner so we don’t have to go back out after settling in for the night.  Love it!!

Max sleeping upside down

With feet in the air

Macy in my lap

Max is an upside-down sleeper (see photo) and found plenty of places in the car to indulge in his feet up, head down routine.  Macy likes to ride in my lap even though I explain to her that it isn’t safe and she should stay in the back.  You can see who usually wins…. 

All in all it was a pleasant trip both going and coming.  Life is good!

It amazes me that we can have so much fun, laugh and hug and kiss so many loved ones, eat so much food, see so many sights, enjoy one incredibly beautiful wedding, and when it’s over be happy to be in our own bed.  It is so!

Knitting was limited to short TV watching stints in the evening after wedding festivities  wound down–not much in other words.  I worked exclusively on Shetland Skies Pi and made some progress but now I am ready to get back to it, both knitting and blogging.  Fog Lifter is still waiting for me and I plan to spend the afternoon and tomorrow finishing it.

Here are  some photos of the lovely bride and handsome groom.  The wedding was so beautiful that it brought tears to this Grandmother’s eyes during the rehearsal and they didn’t stop even when the Cinderella carriage drove them away.  I had a bet with DD2 that she would cry before me but she said she did that with each check she wrote during wedding planning, and sure enough, she was dry-eyed during the ceremony.  Actually, I think I saw her do a little happy dance during the procession.

I’ve mentioned in past posts that our beautiful granddaughter is a world-class Irish Dancer.  Want to guess how proud it made us to see her dance a jig in her wedding dress?  Button-bursting proud!  Everyone attending the reception enjoyed seeing her being coaxed onto the dance floor by a lovely circle of dancers who then pushed her out to do a solo performance. 

Before I close I must pay tribute to Beth Bloomfield, our dear DIL’s sister who passed away after a long and valiant battle with cancer.  Her passing could have cast a dark cloud over the festivities, but with our sweet DIL’s customary strength and loving manner she did not let it touch the bride and groom.  They were awed by her presence at the wedding and reception, but she went on following the example of her beloved sister who believed that life goes on.  Beth, you will be missed!

The Crisscross Eyelets Socks are finished and I am very close to finished with Fog Lifter shawl but may not get that one done because I am in my packing mode for the trip to Chicago.  I’m one of those people who packs, unpacks, packs again and at least partially unpacks yet again.  It’s a wonder it ever gets done but I’ve been doing it that way for many, many years and it has taken me around the world with (mostly) the right clothes in my suitcase. 

DH, on the other hand, is a last minute, toss-it-in-the-suitcase-and-hope-he-has-what-he-needs type.  I try to give him some direction and even slip things into his suitcase when he is not looking.  It is truly a battle for me but he deals well with my compulsive ways.  He saw a tee-shirt recently that he says he is going to buy for me because it says, “I have CDO.  It’s similar to OCD but I have put the letters in the proper order.”  I admit it–that’s me!

Anyway, the travel projects are packed.  I will be working on a new sock in yellow and cream stripes, and Hearts and Vines a circular shawl by Mwaa Knits.  Fog Lifter will also go along if I don’t finish it by Tuesday–and I won’t!

I received a photo of the bride in her dress at the final fitting today and would love to post it but it might be seen by the wrong person/people.  So, I will wait until I come back to show you how beautiful she is.  How amazing it is that my tiny, baby granddaughter is wearing a dazzling wedding dress when she was slobbering over a cookie while I read Winnie the Poo to her only a few months ago.  It makes me teary to think of it and to think that we will be doing this again next year with a grandson.  Life is good!

Some doggy fun before I go…

It’s no wonder DH’s desk is always such a mess.

How does he get any work done?

Then came Monday and the box that sweet Grace of Lovin’ Comfort Knits sent.  Oh the abundant goodies!  One of Grace’s cutest Gnomes, Mister Joe Sangria yarn and the lovely Autumnal Neck Cozy that I have been coveting wanting.  Thank you Grace and thanks for featuring me on your blog.  It’s odd to check in to one of my favorite blogs and find my own face staring back at me!

Next week we will be heading out to Chicago and the preparations are hot and heavy.  There has been non-stop knitting on the second Crisscross Eyelets sock and Fog Lifter shawl.  I turned the heel on the sock and reached the mid-way point in the shawl and saw hope of finishing them before we leave.  I would like to take “fresh” knitting projects with me but must also have time to get them started.  Cast on and set up are not things I want to be doing in the car, especially with a dog in my lap (or two). 

This will be the first time we have traveled with TWO dogs and we have been taking practice expeditions out to various places.  We have all the equipment–two gentle leaders, two leashes, one splitter for a single leash (to control two at a time) and two strong harnesses.  Add to this two break-down crates, one large playpen, and enough blankets and pillows for sextuplets.  We have, quite literally, gone to the dogs! 

So this is me knitting fast to finish and hoping I can post a “Yippee I finished” blog post before I leave.  Time will tell….

The Shetland Skies Shawl by Kate Atherley of Wise Hilda blog is a real winner.  (She also designed Coffee Morning Shawl which I love with a passion).  I’m not usually fond of circular shawl knitting because they seem to go on and on with no end in sight.  This one, however, was fun.  There was enough going on to keep me interested, yet easy enough to memorize the 36 stitch pattern repeats.  Plus, it was getting compliments as it was blocking…

and is even prettier over the shoulders of a shirt or jacket.  Hurrah for a winner!!

There have been other winning moments this week.  I have been a Blackberry user (and lover) for years but my now obsolete Blackberry succumbed to hours of texting (don’t tweet but I’m the texting queen).  A key broke–the W and I haven’t noticed that I use the W more than any other key but there it is, broken!  The Blackberry was a winner for a long time.  I have actually made the statement that I would never use any other phone.  Then, all the family started getting iPhones.  They are cute and there are all those neat little apps for everything including knitting.  So I am the owner of a new iPhone 3GS and after a week of using it I must say, “Blackberry?”

There is one thing that bothers me though.  Like everyone else I’ve been hearing all the hullabaloo about antennae and lost calls and my first question was, “Do people really use an iPhone 4 or 3, or any phone for that matter without having a case on it?”  Actually, I had the heavy-duty Otter Box case and Zagg screen cover before I received the phone.  I had to order them right away because the Blackberry is evidence that I am tough on a phone.  Anyway, no lost calls here and I love the phone.  Apple does it again.  Sometimes we are winners regardless of the press reports! 

Life is good.

Cooler days in Texas

Texas summer can bring about all sorts of ills–mental, physical and spiritual.  Right now my mind, body and spirit are…HOT!  It’s blistering hot.  Mind-bending hot.  I just want to sit and stare into space–sit under a fan with the air-conditioning turned down to 65 degrees and stare into space.  I occasionally pick up my knitting and knit a few stitches.  If one of the dogs jumps into my lap I push her/him down and growl, “It’s HOT”!!  I’m a mess!

It’s 85 degrees in Chicago at this moment (so says the Weather Bug) and I can’t wait to get there in August.  In case we do encounter some cooler weather I have been searching out new patterns and looking forward to finishing the two shawls now on the needles (Shetland Skies and Fog Lifter).  Armed with my patterns and yarn, I plan to knit through every family gathering except the wedding and reception.  I know GD#2 will be happy to hear that!

I may be looking at shawl patterns but I am thinking of small projects that will transport easily and be small enough to not add heat in my lap or to my hands.  I knit mostly with wool but will consider a couple cotton projects.  There is a lot of organic cotton in my stash–some very nice Blue Skies Skinny Cotton and other organic cotton yarns in pretty colors. 

When the day winds down and the cooler (by 5 degrees) air moves in I usually realize how fortunate we are to be able to travel, vacation, visit with loved ones and generally enjoy life.  We are really looking forward to it! 

Life is good!

Everyone likes to hear the words, “I love what you’re wearing,” especially from a DH or DS.  That’s why I fell in love with this skein of Blue Moon Fiber Arts yarn–not just the colors but the name too.  I have wanted, for some time, to make Fog Lifter by Susan Pierce Lawrence of knittingasfastasican.com (I found it on Ravelry).  It is similar in some ways to Faux Spanish Lace which I love and loved knitting.  Fog Lifter is a bit more structured than FSL and has an interesting edging.  It’s like making FSL better and enjoying it more!

THE bag–the infamous wedding reticule is shown with a tissue paper lining at this time instead of the silk I plan to use and tied with pink ribbon instead of the planned silver.  So that is one bag down and none to go.  Yup, none, zip, nada!!  Not making any more beaded bags.  The bag is pretty but the beading is not fun.  It might slow things down less if I put the beads on the yarn and pull them up as I need them.  Instead, I pulled a stitch through the bead with a crochet hook.  Everything stopped every time I had to slide my stitches to a safe place, pick up the hook, pick up a bead, pull the stitch through the bead–oops that bead is not big enough–get another bead, put down the crochet hook and pick up the needles and yarn and KNIT one stitch.  Really?  Nope, not going to do that again!

Thank you all for your words of comfort and your prayers for my friend after her terrible auto accident.  Her body could no longer fight  the pneumonia that set in and so they quietly removed her from the ventilator last night and she left us soon after.  I shared your prayers and kind words with her family and they were moved and grateful.  You have helped get me through an overwhelming time in my life and I will be forever grateful for each of you. Bless you!

First, the bright spot in my week–a lovely assortment of teas and a beautiful tea cozy from Grace of Lovin Comfort Knits as my contest winnings.  I have made good use of the teas already and love the cozy although it does not fit well on the tea pot I chose that day. It now has an assigned pot it fits perfectly.  You can also see that I have already made good use of the cute little utility bag that was included.  Thanks Grace!! You are so sweet!

This whole week has taken on an unreal aura and knitting has fallen low on my list of priorities.  A dear friend was in a horrible auto accident and her life still hinges on her survival for another 24 hours.  She has had two surgeries and had to be resuscitated when her heart stopped.  Her injuries are too numerous to state and she is my age, which isn’t young by any means.  Puts things in the proper perspective doesn’t it!  Our daughters are close friends and are clinging together as they did when I was in the hospital and my fate was also unknown.

How do you knit when something like this happens?  I’ve heard knitters say that they survived on their knitting during long hospital vigils.  I, on the other hand, couldn’t bring myself to knit when Mother had that final stroke.  It seemed so frivolous!  I just sat, alternately staring into space and praying.  Knitting was the last thing on my mind for weeks after she passed.  When I was finally able to pick up my knitting again I am certain I felt her hand on my shoulder and knew her approval but until that moment it was low, low in my priorities.

Maybe it is because I am one step removed from this tragedy that I am able to knit, but my need to finish things already started instead of starting new projects says something about the effect of my dear friend’s condition on my awareness of life’s vulnerability.  We have to start new things or life would stand still but how do you bring yourself to start new things when life is already standing still and may not move again for…well, at least 24 hours.  We will go on day to day after that and pray for another minute and another, and another.

Please pray for my dear friend and all of us who love her and need her.

Am I dating myself by mentioning the movie Looking For Mr. Goodbar?  Well, I’m looking for the ideal knits to travel on vacation and I’m beginning to act like the main character of the movie!  She was a mild mannered teacher during the day and hung out in bars at night looking for the perfect man.  I am an easygoing accounting type during the day and have taken to hanging out in yarn shops, on-line yarn stores and the stash room at night looking for the perfect project/yarn for easy carry-along knitting.  You know what?  There are a lot of gigolo yarns out there.  A girl has to be careful!

I ordered 2 skeins of Tremolo from Elann and am regretting it.  It splits easily and is rough to the touch when knitted even though it was silky feeling in the skein.   My idea is that I will knit leftover sock yarn mitts only I don’t have much in the way of leftover sock yarn in stash so I have to buy leftovers.  All of this is made more difficult by the fact that I’m not sure sock yarn mitts are what I want to knit.

I did start a new shawl, Daybreak Golds, as soon as I finished Faux Spanish Lace.  I hope to finish Daybreak before we leave.  BTW Spanish Lace is one of those shawls you fall in love with instantly.  As soon as it was pinned out on the blocking board I said, “I’m keeping this one!”  That is, I’m keeping it right up to the moment that DD sees it.

Anyhow, it is probably folly to be looking for projects to take on vacation because we are also taking TWO dogs with us.  This will be the first time both Macy and Max will travel with us.  Max belongs to DD and since she is flying to Chicago for the wedding and we are driving guess who gets the honor of handling Max on his first road trip. 

In this picture he doesn’t look like he would be too much trouble.  Guess again!! 

There is a lot to love about knitting starting with the peace and calm we achieve by using needles to draw yarn through loops and create lovely fabric.  That would be enough but knitting pleasures never seem to stop!  If you want to feel all warm and fuzzy I have one word for you–Malabrigo!  Also, close your eyes and tell me you don’t imagine a multitude of colors and hues when you hear the words “Blue Moon Fiber Arts.”  It doesn’t stop with yarn either, we each have our own knitting ecstasy and here are a few of mine:

1.  I love shawl patterns that tell me how many stitches I will have on the needle when the shawl is approximately the blocked size of the sample shawl.

2.  I love pointy needles that slide through yarn like a hot knife through butter–Comfort Zone, Addi-Turbo, Signature stiletto points.

3.  I love the idea of cashmere yarn because the knitted fabric is so beautiful but for a truly great knitting experience give me Malabrigo every time.  I like Malabrigo lace, worsted, sock (like the yarn I’m using for Faux Spanish Lace), I just like Malabrigo!

4.  I love my Namaste knitting bags and carry one every day.  I switch back and forth between the big carpet bag and the modern satchel.  I tell myself I don’t really need another one, but I do.  I do!

5.  I love knitting friends like Kathyb at Irisheyes Knitting, Grace at Lovin Comfort Knits, Carol at Knitting Knot and many, many others.  I read their blogs almost every day and they add a lot of laughter, information and knitting camaraderie.

6.  Finally, I love all the crazy, exciting things about knitting that bring WOW moments like being able to execute a nupp for the first time or discovering I can download a lace knitting book to my Kindle (Lace Knitting To Go by Andrea Tung).

These are only a few of the things I love about knitting.  I hope you will share some of the things that keep you knitting and loving it!

Life is good!