New Project for Take-Alongs and other ramblings...

New 8 week old kittens Abby and Shiloh

One completed Central Air sock

This is our newest visitor (actually, we have a pair) to our new bird feeding station.

The male patiently carried seed to his mate over and over, as she sat on a nearby boulder! (not his actual photo, sorry)






Gosh, what a gorgeous morning here in NH! I couldn't sleep, as I had nausea following an IV med treatment yesterday, so I've been up since 4 am, and I've already deadheaded the flowers in my garden, pulled weeds, had a great cup of coffee from my Keurig coffee maker, and caught up on email. I plan to wipe most of my scheduled events, outings, kid chauffeuring, and take it easy today, as I was told to. Yes, I'm going to knit ...all...day, or at least till I can't see straight or my hands gnarl up. It's 7:30 am, and I hope that I can stay away and not "waste" this downtime day. Annie the Schnoodle loves to curl up on my lap, and I think I'll enjoy the time with her. On the other hand, Toby (picture) is 13, obnoxious, odiferous, and ...is just like a cantankerous old man. He's 130 pounds of sweet, beligerent geriatric puppyhood.

After my treatment yesterday, I took advantage of the nice early evening hours and planted my salvia, delphinium, cosmos, pink painted daisy, asylum (picture of species below), and a white osteospermum.

Block #1 of the Barn Raising Quilt (above)

Thanks to Meghan on Stitch-It, I'm starting another knitting project. But wait! Let me explain...it's using up stash yarn, leftover sock yarns,etc...with no cost, as I have all the yarn. I figure that I can use it as my portable project as a change from lugging around my Tangerine Twist sweater, or a pair of socks. I was going to start work on the Celtic Knot stole, but I don't think I can put my mind to it right now. A friend, Dorothy, has her progress posted on her blog.


The new project? It's the Barn Raising Quilt in the great new book, Knitalong by Larissa Brown and Martin John Brown.

In more non knitting news...A childhood friend and her family is taking a once in a lifetime RV trip with 7 of their 8 children to see "The West", and their blog is awesome. Check it out! Currently, they're in Death Valley!

Quiet time is here for a few hours, time to go knit and rest.

God's Blessings in My Life

Do you not know?

Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.

He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.

Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;

but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.

Isaiah 40:28-31

Spring Has Sprung

I just love Spring...the green...the blossoms...the warmth...playing in the dirt (garden), etc. These pansies were my first outdoor purchase for this season and they're sitting "right pretty" by the front door. :)

Next, I hung my Central Air sock in my yet to bloom white azalea bush. Actually, I'm just about to start the toe now. This single sock has taken me 2 months, rather than the usual 2 weeks for a complete pair, as my hands still are often uncooperative with the arthritis. I'm learning patience, by the grace of God.

A few photos to share: my irises, front walkway plantings for early Spring here in NH...

And our geriatric chicken, Sonja, staring endlessly at her reflection in the tailpipe of hubby's cycle....

This Duncraft birdfeeder was my Mother's Day present. I love it! (I picked it out and bought it with hubby's blessings). It was originally in my front yard, but a racoon (we think) knocked it over. In the small perennial garden in the back, it now stands, and I love watching all of the bluejays, titmouses, chickadees, goldfinches, etc. I've yet to get a cardinal at this new feeder set up. Hummingbird feeder is also waiting for the hummers to return this season.

Yesterday, our beloved 17 yr old cat Grady, passed away in his sleep. He was a GREAT cat, and lived with us since we lived in Gloucester, VA. Rest in peace, Grady.
So...what did we do today? Um...took the kids out, and adopted 2 8 week old female kittens. Shoot me, I know. Yes, we did. I think the kids named them Miley and Rosie. Pictures to follow, of course. Not today, though.

NH Sheep & Wool Festival 2008 and Randomness :)

Blue Moon Fiber Arts Mediumweight Sock Yarn


Pattern: Central Air by Tanya Bachman





Above, you are looking at my current favorites...my WIP which is Blue Moon Fiber Arts sock yarn and a pattern sent along with it for the Rockin Sock Club 2007. I love the pattern, and pictures are to follow, hopefully. I'm knitting these on size 0 dpns, even after breaking 4 of my size 0 rosewoods. I have 2 Socks at a Time cast on and half finished, but that particular WIP is "resting" while I work on the above....with the above beverage...my favorite...

Dunkin Donuts! (Make it a hot large coffee, extra cream and 4 Splenda). Oh my...it's my favorite. Below, a cute sheep...



Which brings me to...
The New Hampshire Sheep and Wool Festival, held here in my neck of the woods, at the Hopkinton Fairgrounds this past weekend. Tons of yarn, fleece, all sorts of "knitterly goodness", wheels, sheep, alpacas, etc...etc...and wonderful knitters. I was a newbie this year, and arrived at 10 am, leaving at 1 pm with only a T-shirt (see below). Although I COULD have purchased anything I wanted (being Mother's Day weekend), having a full stash, stiff fingers from the RA, and a wonderful time just browsing and chatting, I came home ONLY with a shirt. Yes, it's true.

Fleece on Earth T-shirt from Overeast Farm . I wore this shirt today while gardening.

Extra special blessings of the day, included meeting Dorothy !, a sister in the Lord and online knitting friend from Mass. It was wonderful meeting her and spending a few but precious minutes with her. :) I also saw Mrs. Tawney, my eldest son's first grade teacher (whom he adored)...the only teacher he had before we homeschooled him 2nd-12th grade. She is a wonderful woman with a gentle spirit, and I'll be sure to have my son contact her. It's amazing who God will place in your path at various times in your life, isn't it? It's never a coincidence, that's for sure! I was able to also see old friends from church, who were at the event with their great wheel and needle felting demonstrations.

NH Sheep and Wool Festival

Favorite Vendors at the event that I enjoyed:

Green Mountain Spinnery patterns (love their patterns)

Melissa Jean Handknit Designs (darling baby clothes)

My knitting is going very slow but steady, with just bits here and there while I adjust from knitting quite a bit daily to every once in awhile due to the hand pain. God has allowed me to use this time to get more close to Him, and to enjoy the many facets of parenting teens, encouraging my husband while he's again unemployed, and to get ready for our summer VBS program and family activites at the lake!

May Flowers and Knitting

Hello, and Happy Spring! I haven't blogged for about 2 months, due to the difficulty of typing (the rheumatoid arthritis) and my computer trying to fry itself. However, we're now the proud and delighted owners of a new PC system (so fast and nice!), new digital camera (for blog photos and stash purchases, of course). In the RA (aka rheumatoid arthritis) department, I've begun seeing a great rheumatologist, and now a plan's in effect for this sero-negative RA/reactive arthritis and found some meds to alleviate the pain most of the time...about 75% of the discomfort is gone at the present. So...not to bore friends...but I'm back!

Spring took it's sweet time arriving in New Hampshire, and I'm glad it's here, although this past week has been rainy and cool. I've weeded my flower/perennial beds, put down the mulch, and I'm ready for some color! (flower wise, that is). One of my favorite new podcasts is Belle of the Ball podcast, where she podcasts from her garden shed, and mixes knitting with gardening. While on blogging hiatus, I've come to fancy She-Knits, Knittingatnight, Craftlit, Stitch It!, and Barknknit for favorite blogs as well. My old 2GB nano is on the fritz as well, so I invested in the 3rd generation 4GB iPod nano, and I love it! I have some audiobooks, all my podcasts, and music! :) Happy mama I am. I like to listen to it early in the morning, while kids are still asleep (sometime between 5-8 am, and after my quiet time with the Lord and Bible study).

Knitting wise, I haven't much to say. My 2-3 hrs. of daily knitting has morphed into 30-60 minutes a week, due to the hand discomfort with the RA. However, I'm able to knit almost every other day, and I've got a pair of Central Air socks on the needles for a take along project, and my Tangerine Twist sweater is on hiatus, as I left it in Florida while vacationing at my mother's in early April, and I'll be retrieving it from her in a week or two. I'd really like to finish that THIS summer to wear.

So, it seems that it's been a very busy, but very mellow few months for me. My eldest will be in Basic Training (Army) beginning next week when college finals end, and middle son (16) is giving me grey hair, while the 9 year old is like a spring colt outside and enjoying the no-snow season before bug season begins. Hubby is busy tinkering with his Ham Radio.

A good friend, Christine, introduced me to Make and Take Gourmet... a wonderful find for me! At first, I thought she was crazy (sorry, Christine) for the amount of money and time this endevour would take. Oops, my mistake... I LOVE this place! Last Monday, I went there, and in 2 hours (exactly), I created 12 various entrees for 6 people, as MY family likes them, and ready to freeze. Wow, what a great time saver, and when I go again in a few weeks, I'll go ahead and make some of the entrees in smaller containers (which they provide) to stretch the budget even further. Call me silly or lazy, but when the RA acts up in the late afternoon, I know confidently that I already have great and nutritious meals (without all the junk and preservatives) ready for the family dinner. The best part is...they do ALL the clean up. Sigh...a wee bit of heaven on earth. This was a wonderful adventure for me! On their website, it says:

"SAVE TIME!Spend more time with your family and less time in the kitchen. Save almost 30 hours a month. You won't have to worry about making a grocery list and then doing the shopping. No more chopping and slicing and the dreaded clean up of your kitchen.
SAVE MONEY!This is affordable and it just makes sense! You'll have fewer expensive stops for fast food and take-out. At under $3.00 a serving it costs less than a child’s meal at a fast food restaurant. Plus you’ll spend less money at the grocery store every month.
CONVENIENCE!Make most of your meals for the month in less than two hours. It doesn’t get much easier than that!
HAVE FUN!Come in and enjoy. It's a social event. Spend time with friends you bring or friends you meet while preparing your meals together. Bring a bottle of wine or drink of choice. Think of it as a guilt-free night out!
EAT WELL!Make delicious, nutritious family-friendly meals. Forget the processed fast food, frozen or take-out options. We only use the freshest, quality ingredients.
CUSTOM HOMEMADEIt’s easy to customize your meals to your families likes and dislikes. Make it the way you like to eat it."

Well, I had a fun time while cooking. Enough said. :) And, I didn't have to do the dishes!

In other areas...

God has a way of getting my attention when I don't spend enough time with Him. My lack of knitting ability over the past few months, the newly diagnosed RA and accompanying fatigue, and having a very trying teen who's having a difficult time at the present, led me to the following book, which I'm using with my Bible study time and we're also covering at a local women's fellowship group at our church. I find the scripture verses pertinent, right on target, and I'm learning to "Count it all joy"....step by step. Book is below, for those of you struggling through various trials and hardships.

Finding God's Path Through Your Trials by Elizabeth George. As stated about this book online:

"Are you facing a difficult decision? A painful situation? Drawing on God’s Word, her own struggles, and the experiences of others, Elizabeth George reaches out with help. Knowing the Bible says to “count trials as joy,” she shares the vital truths that make that positive approach possible, including:

* Trials are not punishments.

* God loves you and allows trials to help you grow spiritually.

* His grace is sufficient to get you through every situation.

* When trials become too hard, God provides a way of escape.

* Benefits come from trials, such as patience, endurance, empathy.

Finding God’s Path Through Your Trials acknowledges the hard times you face and presents practical steps for experiencing hope, joy, and meaning in your journey."

I am finding that after I go through various trials, that I'm able to help others going through the same or similar circumstances, or at least able to keep them in prayer while they're on their journey! :)

That's about it for now.

So they say...

Thanks to Dorothy, I "had" to go take this quiz and see what kind of knitter I'm categorized as. :)

What Kind of Knitter Are You?

You appear to be a Knitting Purist. You are an accomplished knitter producing beautiful pieces with a classic feel. You sometimes lament losing half of your local yarn shop to garish novelty yarns. Perhaps you consider fun fur scarves the bane of knitting society and prefer to steer new knitters towards the wool and cotton blends. Some might call you a bit of an elitist but you know that you've been doing this craft long enough to respect the history behind it and honor it with beautiful piece that can last a lifetime. http://marniemaclean.com
Take this quiz!








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Still Alive Here in New England :)

Although it's been a month since last blogging, we are alive and well here in New Hampshire. We've had a lot of snow, ice...and more snow and ice...and we're PATIENTLY awaiting Spring and sunshine here.
Knitting News and Updates: My Tramline Cable Pullover back is completed, and I'm 1/3 finished with the front. A fun knit. The 2 at a time socks (Coquette) are a hoot to knit, and I'm on the foot section of this pair. Newly cast on: Tangerine Twist summer sweater in Classic Elite Provence cotton yarn.

Why no updates? Mostly due to the fact that I find it physically difficult to use the keyboard on the computer, as I've recently been diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis, and my hands seem to be affected the most, along with fatigue and occassional fever with flare-ups. While all is fine, I feel like I've fallen off the face of the blogging world, but I'll be back here with photos and general knitting banter when I'm feeling up to it. :) Oh, and I'll be on Ravelry when able (aka KnitterKris).

I'm enjoying knitting podcasts, while I'm not able to keep up with knitting while my hands give me trouble, and I'm especially enjoying the new Belle of the Ball podcast, as well as my favorites...She-Knits, Yarn Thing, KnittingatNight, Cast On, Stash and Burn, and many more. Check them out if you haven't yet!