I can't believe it has been so long since my last post - busy girl! It took a long while to get over the crud - many sleepless nights. Have been working a ton - which is very very good - new job in the works and I am tickled pink (or green)!

Took a quick trip to Portland to visit with my family and to get M3 a prom dress - Red satin, backless for the 007 Prom!! It's amazing how little choice there is. We shopped maybe a dozen places in a big city - I bet if I tried I could come up with half the cost and twice the selection on eBay....oh well this is the last one I have to buy - sad but yea!!!

Had a wonderful dinner with the family - my brother had just returned the night before from a three week adventure to New Orleans - he lived there 25 years ago - went to visit some old friends and meet up with his Oregon fishing buddies who towed their boat down. They fished a place called "The Dome"? he got a 125 pound yellow fin Tuna - he was in fish heaven! He brought home some smaller Black Fin Tuna which we ate for dinner along with 15 pounds of fresh Louisiana Jumbo Shrimp - glad I don't clean shrimp for a living - it was wonderful!! 15 people for dinner including 6 teenage girls and one boyfriend - he had a great time! As did we all.

This has been a busy week as well - lots of interesting work again - more set up process for new client. M2 daughter and a friend were here for a few nights this week - gosh it is nice to have the house full of young people. We watched Babel - interesting movie - a little raw for me - not really entertaining - but definitely thought provoking.

Spent all day Friday working in my yard - I could hardly move by mid day - but got a lot done - spring is coming and I might be ready for a change. I'd better be because everyone will be here in June for the Graduation!

Have really not done a lot of knitting - funny thing - I keep falling asleep in my chair. But am working on some socks and finally started a shawl in the Interlacements I bought last summer. Haven't made enough photo progress yet.

Those of you that are working on the Beanies for Preemies - please get them to me by April 15th. I've had a lot of fun with this project. Hope you all have too.

KO'd

I think I have finally rejoined the living - M3 daughter was sick last weekend - still is but she too is much better - and I came down with it Monday afternoon - oh my gosh I don't think I have ever been this sick - really! In a matter of hours I hurt everywhere, my head was pounding, disoriented - the works. Spent the next 24 hours flat. It isn't the same flu I got my shot for that's for sure. You know I was sick if I didn't pick up the needles for two days. But by this afternoon I am feeling much better. Went to work for a few hours yesterday and most of today. I must be recovering because look at these....

I am really having fun with these. The blue and white snowflake hat was really fun - did a braided edging from Folk Socks - hard to manipulate but great results. This is the best way to learn new things and use up all those left over sock yarn.

Today it was 74 degrees out!!! We get a nice weekend and I've got work to make up tomorrow - but on Sunday it's time to hit the garden again. While I was trying desperately to sleep the other day I could hear my neighbors tiller working...a little early for me as it still is freezing at night, but definitely something to get ready for. I've unfortunately got a huge pile of rubbish to burn that's sitting in the middle of the vegetable garden. Maybe the weather will hold and let me do that on Sunday. I plan on enjoying the sun while it lasts! I doubt winter is over yet.

I'd like to take a moment to be thankful. Yesterday I was watching Oprah - which was about Mothers around the World. I complain because I can't afford to cover all my kids college education, I can't buy the prom dress they want or a thousand other minor things. I live in a modest but wonderful home, I have a job that allows me to more than adequately provide for my childrens health and safety, they have incredible education opportunities, they are never hungry, they sleep in warm and safe beds - the list goes on. I don't mean I'm not appreciative - I just think we don't stop and think enough about mothers in other places that don't have any of the opportunities that make our lives content. Every moment is a struggle for so many. I will stop and think more often. Imagine how much we spend on yarn a year - "Congolese mother M'Sevumba, was widowed twice and left with 10 children to raise—ranging from 2 to 17 years old. In Congo, the deceased husband's brother is supposed to help the family after his death, but M'Sevumba was left on her own. To support her children, M'Sevumba works as a porter, hired to carry items such as mattresses up and down hills and long distances. In order to carry the weighty loads, M'Sevumba relies on balance, strength and endurance. For all her effort, a morning's work earns her just 25 cents."

I will stop and think more often.

Dream Knit Peace

Hats Hats Hats

Oh my gosh are these cute or what...I'm glad I don't have babies to knit for - it would be too hard to decide what to do! The socks and hat on the left are for a gift and the other three hats are for Beanies for Preemies. I used two balls of Cascade Fixation for the yellow and tourquoise - four hats (the other is in last weeks post) and a pair of socks. The pink hat is left over STR from M3's socks and there is at least enough for another hat. I think I forgot how tiny babies are! What fun they were. I'll be continuing my stash search for enough left over combos for more Beanies for Preemies.
We had incredible weather yesterday and today seems the same - it was 74!! Unreal for March. So I pulled weeds and cleaned up flower beds - still have a long ways to go. I think I'm just going to hire a couple of teenagers with a pickup to spend a day with me to get all the stuff hauled off, there is just too much to burn. I realized I had to have the yard and flowers all ship shape earlier this year as my family will all be here for M3's high school graduation. I'm having a difficult time wrapping around the fact that this is the last one - what on earth am I going to do with myself. There has been a child in my house for the last 24 years!
This weekend was the sick child routine. M3 has a fever, extreme sore throat, achy etc....she was really miserable. I even broke down and took her to the doctor - all the blood tests were fine, I always worry about mono or anemia with her (she is skin and bones). She went to school this morning - it's finals week - just to take a test and will be back soon. She also had to finish a few scholarship applications that are due this week. Not a fun time for her.
On Friday I made the big search for new shoes - I hate buying shoes. I love them in the store - they fit great and then after a few hours of wearing them they hurt my feet. I went into our local running shoe store where they take time to watch you walk and really fit you. Little did I know that it was the annual 'big sale'! Lucky for me they still had a few pairs left and I spent time trying on and walking. I've worn them for two days and my feet feel great - a huge accomplishment - at 20% off even!
I also had a wonderful lunch with M1 - what a nice young man he has become - actually he always was a nice kid! (I know you're reading this! - What kid subscribes to his mom's knitting blog?)
So all in all I've had a great weekend! Will be doing more hats this week and will post pictures of my progress. I've still got other WIP - remember the Celtic Cardigan - I've got to finish that!!
Enjoy your week. Knit Peace

Quick question of the day....

Can I knit a infant size sweater with 350 yards of STR Heavyweight - 6 stitches to an inch?
Want to do a little stash enhancement as I order yarn for the Beanie for Preemie project.....I'll post pictures of my work tomorrow - they are soooo cute.
Gardening weather today - so I'm out there!!
ttfn

Not the greatest button - but a button! So far I've only got two participants - come on knitters - this only takes an evening of left over yarn.

I'm working on a great little hat - am thinking this is more the right size....will have pictures soon - but it's less than 10" around.

Here is a start for patterns - there are others out there I'm sure.

Remember - this is what you might get - plus the statisfaction of helping all those tiny babies!

Knit Peace!

Beanies for Preemies

The Redmond High School students nominate 10 senior boys to compete in the Mr. RHS pageant. The boy's mission is to raise money for the St. Charles Hospital NICU (Last year they raised $10,000!). They put on this great evening event in May - like a beauty pageant - the boys do "Talent", modeling, answer questions, walk with thier mom's - the works and it is so fun to see these guys strutting thier stuff!

While I was knitting these socks I said the yarn would be so cute for a baby - one thing led to another and I'm knitting Beanies for Preemies for the Mr. RHS project. (Just finished the socks so don't have a hat in this yarn to show).

Some of the girls in the leadership class that also works on this project, are crocheters and a few knitters ....and M3 daughter volunteered that I knit too - so here I am. The girls are going to create hats for the babies and I am also. M3 daughter also mentioned that I have blogging friends - so this is where you come in.

I will send a STR in the colorway Fairgrounds to the name I draw for every preemie hat sent to me by April 15th. I would really like to send a lot of hats - The above I knit in an evening. The NICU is such an important service that our local hospital provides. My oldest spent a week there - he was 7 weeks early - a healthy young man now. I was so appreciative of the facility - and this is a little way I can say thanks.

This is a good way to use small bits of left over washable yarn - sock yarn works - hat should be about 12-13" around or so. I cast on 90 stitches of Cascade Fixation - 1/2" of ribbing for a total of 4 1/2" before the decreases. Simple and quick and I know it will be appreciated. I used way less than a full ball - I have another so I'm thinking two balls of this will make at least three hats. I'm also doing one with the leftover STR from the above socks - aren't they cute! Will post picture soon (Although there is trial and error going on with this one - you'll see the results soon). I'll post some links for patterns also.

Thanks to all the potential Beanies for Preemies participants. This is a good cause for our littlest wonders!

Cycling Web Ring

I joined a new Web Ring today - Cycling Knitter- I know but....
I bought a Touring bike 2 years ago with the intention of getting on the road so to speak. I used to ride frequently - but with kids and knitting etc - it just fell by the way side. So I took my tax return and bought a Trek Touring bike. That spring and summer I took a few rides in the neighborhood and surrounding area - just to get my bearings and to see how it felt. Well I loved it, but found it lonely - I needed a partner. I really needed more practice to feel safe too. Summer wound down and it got too cold to ride. I told myself that once spring came I would start riding to work everyday. I actually hated the thought of that because I'd have to ride in auto traffic and cross the highway at one point - I had big dreams. If you recall - I changed jobs last spring. There is no way I'm going to ride 45 miles to work everyday - and back!
So I've joined this ring to get myself motivated. I really want to ride. I want to get comfortable enough to ride with the local group during the summer. I want to be healthy. I want to do a real bike tour. I need a lot of practice before I get there. Am hoping this will help. The weather is not cooperating now (it's a whiteout outside) - but will soon I hope.
Wish me well!