"Let's Do the Twist", as the song goes!

The Tangerine Twist, that is....More below... But for now, here's a bee (lower left on the catmint) pollinating. Go Honeybee!

I have an actual knitting update...on my ahem, knitting blog, which lately, has had more pet and garden pictures than anything else. A return to knitting for today.

On my needles, I sound like a broken record...Central Air socks (sock #2) with Bella colorway Blue Moon Fiber Arts mediumweight yarn. I've broken 5 rosewood size 0 dpn's with the first sock...I THINK because with this arthritis,I find that my hand grip on the tiny sized dpns has changed, and I'm not aware of the tight grip, as I'm generally a very, very loose knitter. So...I switched to some unused needles in my stash...6"Prym Inox metal needles, and things are progressing smooth as butter. Wild, huh? I have second sock syndrome, which leads me to...

Continuing my Tangerine Twist sweater by Susan Todhunter, found in the Knitty Summer 2007 issue. I'm knitting this in Classic Elite Provence, a 100% mercerized Egyptian cotton, knit with Knit Picks Options. Tangerine Twist is worked in one piece to the underarm, then divided and the upper back and fronts are worked separately. The button band is ALREADY worked into the garment, and the cables resemble tiny vines. This great little sweater was in hibernation for a few weeks over the past month due to health reasons (couldn't knit)...and now it's being picked up daily to get a few rows in.

Here is MY problem, though. It's not the pattern, it's me. I'm just about to decrease at the armholes, and notice that...my pattern is off. As I've memorized most of the 12 rows of this pattern, I didn't mind frogging a few rows. However, I've frogged 12 rows (a repeat) 2 times...which is 238 stitches times 24...you do the math. :)

My problem...I'm usually able to multitask while knitting, but when I place my knitting down, I need to be acutely aware of where I left off, and READ my PATTERN correctly, even if it's "memorized!". I've "found" the deviant row, and I'm back on track. I'd really like to wear this sweater THIS summer. :)

I'm a knitter that looks forward to the next projects to be cast on when half way through the first project. Next...one of the following, perhaps:

The Voyager Lace Stole (will definitely be cast on very, very soon)

Celtic Knot Stole (most likely saved till July/August)

Chinese Lace Pullover (umm...the ordered yarn is on it's way...I couldn't help it...really)

Now, in the garden...

My dear hubby constructed 4 4x4 feet raised beds for my square foot gardening veggie beds. Our NH soil is great in some areas, but we live...on granite, and my own soil is unworkable. I do have a nice little perennial bed along a stonewall, but the soil needed so much amending, that I find it impossible to work the soil for vegetables. On the left, is my arch nemesis...the wild raspberry. Actually, we have acres of them. A blessing and a curse. Nice wild small raspberries, but roots and thorns and shoots are everywhere, poking up their heads wherever they please. I'm always on the hunt in the garden bed for new shoots. Nasty plants with tasty fruits.

After working together a few bales of peat moss, vermiculite and perlite, various composts, and a few bags of leftover Miracle Gro garden soil, I found that I ended up with a great, lightweight soil for these beds. Eureka!

In one bed, I have some of my 9 year old's favorite annual flowers, yellow peppers, and a few green pepper plants. In another bed, it's thyme, two types of basil, and curly parsley, along with some bush and vine zucchini and cukes. Trellises for the vine climbers are to follow shortly, but hubby doesn't know he needs to get them up for me, yet.

The third bed has mostly tomatoes...grape, Sweet 100, patio, and a Big Boy variety, along with some Dahlias in the corners.

Lastly, another bed has some cauliflower, more peppers, and I planted some beets, carrots, bush beans, and scarlet runner beans (also requiring a trellis to be constructed)

The haphazardly placed beds are placed on purpose where they are. Flat ground (sort of) and the best sunlight.

Make sure to look into your local WWKIP event. It's World Wide Knit In Public Day on June 14th. I'll be at our Derryfield Park in Manchester, NH. Come join the fun!

Secret Pal 12 Is Beginning!

Below is my Secret Pal 12 questionnaire answers. I'm looking forward to the start of this secret swap!

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like? I love laceweight, fingering weight, and worsted weight yarns...in natural fibers, superwash, or tencel blends. My favorites are Dream In Color, Shibui, Blue Moon Fiber Arts but I enjoy alpaca, merino, cashmere blends, sea silk, cotton... pretty much anything except acrylic.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in? I store my single points in a clear vase, my dpns by size in dpn holder tubes, my Knit Picks Option sets in their case, and the rest of my circs are in their packages, in a Longaberger bread basket, organized by size. It's a weird system, but it works for me.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced? I learned to knit as a child with my grandmother, but recently picked knitting up again a few years ago, and more obessesively about 3 years ago or so. I consider myself a intermediate/advanced knitter, except for finishing! I'm afraid of it. Lace never scares me. Neither do cables. Just finishing. :) Maybe it's not scary, but just boring to me.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list? Not really.

5. What's your favorite scent? Lilac, Lily of the Valley, anything chocolate, Cucumber, citrus scents.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy? I love milk chocolate, chocolate covered raisins, Swedish Fish candy, Snickers, and ...did I mention, anything milk chocolate? :)

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin? I don't spin. I garden, read, bake and quilt (although quilting is by the wayside right now).

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD) I like Contemporary Christian, Hymns, Gaither Vocal Band, Buddy Greene, Fernando Ortega, Celtic, Alison Krauss. Yes, I can play CDs and MP3s.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand? Favorite colors...semisolids, solids, or varigated ...dark reds, blues, fall colors, chocolate colors, and anything except pastels or garish neons.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets? I have my dear Hubby, 3 sons (19, 16, and 9), 2 dogs, 3 cats, geriatric hen, etc...

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos? Yes to all. I haven't worn a poncho since I was 8, though. :)

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit? Patterned or cabled sweaters, socks, lace shawls/stoles, felted bags...

13. What are you knitting right now? The Tramline Pullover, Central Air socks, and Tangerine Twist Sweater, Barn-Raising Blanket (all in Ravelry pattern library). Upcoming... Voyager Lace Stole, Celtic Knot Lace Stole, Chinese Lace Pullover, among others.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts? Yes, they're always appreciated.

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic? I prefer circs (Knit Picks and Addis) for most knitting except socks...I still like wooden or aluminum dpns (sheepish grin)...I break a lot of size O rosewoods, so I'm back to bamboo and metal dpns for size O's.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift? Yes to both...I love them.

7. How old is your oldest UFO? An unfinished garter shawl from years ago...

18. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas! Then Thanksgiving.

19. Is there anything that you collect? Besides yarn...Yankee Candles, heirloom veggie/garden seeds, whimsical garden items to put among the flowers/veggies. Buttons for cardigans.

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have? I have all the magazine subscriptions I read, and I love Knitting Pure and Simple Patterns. I own the Wrap Cardigan pattern, but haven't knit it yet.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn? Finishing Techniques. I have books, but I don't enjoy it. I'm definitely a process knitter. I'd like to get better at continental knitting.

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements? Yes, I am! Length 10.5 inches, 10 inches diameter.

23. When is your birthday? July 31st

24. Are you on Ravelry? If so, what's your ID? KnittyKris on Ravelry.

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.