Things to remember

Spent some time in my old homestead yesterday. Last weekend while we were there, we heard machine running and running and couldn't quite figure out what that was all about.

Then, we remembered, my old elementary school had a fire the year or two before and had not been in use. The sounds and noises we heard were of our school being torn down.

I didn't have the heart to go then to say good bye, but this weekend, I thought I should.


Basically, there was nothing left but rubble and some machines loading more of the school into the trucks that were waiting.

This school was built in the 50's, after my parents built their house. They live about two blocks away, and at that time, there were no homes around the school. My parents could watch my brothers walk all the way to school and home from the kitchen window. By the time I came along, and was ready to attend 1st grade, many homes had been built and my mother walked me to and from school, every day.

I met and made some of my best, and life long friends at this school. Lisa Fernandez, whom I have lost touch with. Moody Malone, which we still have contact, Alissa Sherman, Stacey Beckner and lastly, Lori Stafford. We've all gone in our own directions in life, and gone in and out of each others' lives. But the friendships we had then, I think, are what shaped us to be who we are today.

There was a plaque on the wall inside the school, it was called Memorial school, because it was built as a memorial to all the "boys" from East Brunswick who died in the war. One of them was my Uncle Henry. His name was on that plaque and I can remember how proud I was as a kid that my family name was on a plaque in the school. Not really knowing what it was all about then, just glad that our name was up there.

I don't know what happened to the plaque, I can only hope that someone removed it and put it away somewhere safe. There were lots of "boys" names on that plaque.



I love trees. You don't see many REALLY, REALLY tall trees around anymore. Many have lost the great battle, either from mother nature, or from man. I decided it was time to record some of the trees that have been in my life forever.

These are just two of many in the cemetary where our family is. I don't know how tall they are, but they have been there forever, more than my 47 years. They are just magnificant to look at.

This is another picture I want to remember. This is my dad. He and I went to the cemetary to see my mother. I have been here hundreds of times, not just to see my mother, but many family members who have gone on. Dad has cared for all of them, in life, and now in death. Dad is going to be giving that job over to my brother and my cousin, so he doesn't go as often as he used to. It's something I was always remember about my father, his dedication to his family.

Here, to make this a knitting post, is my latest project (one of many), It's called the THINKING CAP. A very cute and well written pattern by one of the gals over on the Hats! Hats! Hats! list that I belong to.

I have some awesome friends!!

I just have to say I have some awesome friends. Last night at knitting, look what my friend Annie brought to me!!! Sock yarn for my blankie!!! And while we didn't actually talk about the yarn, I know atleast two of them are from her hand dyed yarns that she did.


The first shot is a better representation of the colors. I'm trying to learn how to use the different settings on my camera, so the below picture didn't come out as nicely, but I just love that she brought them to me! I can't wait to make the mini's out of them! And the SQUARES!!

Here are the 16 squares that I have done so far, hexagons rather. They have all of the first four colors used in different order. Last night at knitting I worked on the last few and then tucked in the ends that were sticking out.

Considering I only started them on Saturday, I'm not making bad progress with them.

So perhaps I will be done with making all the Hexagon's before November! That would be good.

These colors seem a bit dark, however, some of the next ones have a bit of lighter color in them and I am hoping it will help to lighten it up a bit.

The next issue will be HOW to place them in to a blanket shape...... hmmmmmmmmmm......

I MUST be CRAZY

I asked Rachel and Matthew if they would like me to make them something, not telling them what, with stripes or circles. Rachel picked circles. Then I asked the colors and they both said like a duck. Well, that wasn't much help, so we narrowed it down to a mallard duck.

These are the first four color combos. I have a total of 8 now, need to get the other four cards pictures to post.

Then, I spent time figuring out the four color combination possiblities. For the 8 cards of color.

The most dominent colors are green, brown and a varigated, but I needed to add a bit of color to make the HEXAGONS pop. So I did add in a Truffle and a Natural, as well as a lighter green.

Here are just a couple of the first Hexagons that I made so that you could see some of the colors together.

With the pattern, you can crochet them together as you go, here's the crazy part, but I have decided, like a few others, not to. WHY? Well, I tried and it is fiddly. Also, I wasn't sure of how my colors were going to go, and I wanted enough of a variety of hexagons that I didn't know how, exactly, I was going to do them when I started, so I am going to put them together LATER!!!

I am taking the advice of others and I am crocheting in most of the ends as I go, which will help alot!! in the long run. Each Hexagon is 4 inches in size, and my son is 6 feet 2 inches, so I am in for making ALOT of these things, to make a decent size afghan to cover him and have room for Rachel as well. I figure if I do atleast four, or one card a week, I should have them done by November?

sigh..... why do I do this to myself?

Doesn't Matt look happy? We just spent the last 9 hours doing yard work at dad's and now we're going to a SWEET 16 party!!!

We both did have a nice time though, I don't think he was thrilled to be going.

Until next time....

I'm Back!

My knitting companion abandoned me today. It feels like the temperature is going up again, as well as the humidity, so he wanted to be as close to the outdoors as he could. I can't blame him, I'd rather be outside too!

The girls at Wednesday night knitting decided to do a shawl knit a long called Fizzi, using Zauberball yarn. This is the first time I'm working with it. I like it well enough, I only have a few balls of it.....

The pattern is in german, loosely translated into english, and we were having a hard time of it, but Carolyn helped us with the numbers and all is well and back on track again.

These are my July socks, it's the first time I'm using the Red Heart Heart and Sole sock yarn. They knit up nice enough, however, the color and striping do not match, even though it's the same dye lot. I don't mind fraternal twins, it's never bothered me, but not having the colors be the same is not good. But, I'll wear them!

Here is my latest gift!!! I asked my friend Katie, if she had any sock yarn scraps she would ike to contribute to my sock yarn blankie, and here they are!! A GENEROUS gift. I asked her if she just wanted me to take bits off of them and she told me no, I could have them all! That she'd never get to using them, so she was happy someone would.

Thank you Katie, you made my day!

I am so fortunate to have such great knitting friends. They've really become special people in my life.

Life without the internet

Just a short one today, since I haven't been on in a few days, and I was doing so well..

I came home last Thursday to find that we had no phone service. Our development was built 30 years ago, and apparently, the builder was not that great and didn't feel he needed to follow the guidelines. So while my neighbor was having their driveway replaced, the contractor pulled up/out the phone lines.

I am not happy with verizon at the moment. They told me Thursday, "well put you on the same ticket that is open for several of your neighbors and you'll be back up on Monday."

Being the gullible person I can be at times, I believed them! THEY LIED!!

So, now, hopefully, if this supervisor EILEEN, was telling me the truth, someone will be here today to make sure that I have a dial tone. I'm not holding my breath this time though.

The one thing I can say, is not having the internet adds SO MUCH more time to your life. Though I love the internet and all that I get from it, I am rethinking how important it is.

Look what I got!

This may just look like a bunch of yarn balls, but it's not! It's a gift I got from my friend Katie. She's a sock knitter too. She's a fast knitter. She knits in the movies!



I know I mentioned that I will be starting a sock yarn blankie. I'm planning to cast on August 1st. So I mentioned to Katie this, and asked her if she had any scraps she might like to contribute to my blankie, as she has used much different yarns than I have. She said, she'd be happy too!!

When she showed me the bag she brought, I told her I wished I had brought my scale and she asked why and I told her so I could weigh out five grams and she said oh no Catherine, these are all for you, I don't want them back.

I was floored and forever grateful. Thank you again Katie. I can't wait to see how these scraps will look in my blankie.

Now, keep in mind, when you knit, you usually have a pattern. This is my Mystery Hat. I do have a pattern, which I am following. My problem is, I am using the WRONG size needle!!! I am supposed to be using a 7 and I cast on and got most of the way through the hat when I realized I was using a size 5 needle. UGH!!

No, I have not and will not rip it out, it will just be smaller and warmer for some child's head.

Remember the picture from my purse the other day? Here is the completed sock as well as the beginning of the second one. Finished it up last night and began the second one. I love "plain vanilla" socks. Where Katie loves "cookie A" socks. You can find any comfort zone with knitting, it's great.

And lastly, this is FIZZI, it is our new Wednesday night knit a long. I'm using a Zauberball as the other girls are. I can't wait to see how it finishes. I have not knit anything with one yet, though I have ..... a few... And this pattern has an extensive chart, so it will be a challenge and I certainly won't be knitting that part at knit nights on Wednesdays.

Knitting Obsession

Today I wanted to start out with a picture of the "birthday boy", my nephew Paul, from his party, and his favorite gift! It's the one we gave him. The darn thing, and kid are just too cute together. Boys and their toys!


Next we have our Mystery knit along Hat. I am making it out of some Cascade 220, one of my favorites, and some yarn that I dyed with Kool Aid a while back. I am not sure how much of that I have, the pattern said that I needed a total of 100 grams of yarn, so there were 25 grams of it, hopefully it will be enough.

I love the way this is knitting up and it will be a hard one to give away.



Here is my garter stitch charity square that I talked about yesterday. It is a simple 34 stitches and just knit. I checked my gauge and it's 8 x 8 square, which is what they asked for in blue. I will send it off in tomorrow's mail.

Now here is a smile on my face. I was searching Ravelry to look at patterns for the sock yarn blankie that TONS of people have done, and I found several that I commented on, some I even asked for their suggestions about doing it. "Lyn" over in Oxfordshire, England wrote me back her thoughts and said she'd send along some of her extras to help me with mine. IMAGINE my surprise and JOY yesterday when I got a package and these were enclosed?!!! Knitters are great people (crocheters too)

These will really help me along my way and I have will a special memory when I put them in.

And lastly, this is what I carry at all times, in my purse, a sock to knit. I am never without one. I feel as if there will never be enough time to knit everything that I hope to. I should have started 30 years ago.



Until next time,

Busy Weekend

I don't know if I have ever posted a pic of hubby and I but, here goes. We don't usually get many pictures together, as I am the one taking them. So now whenever there are others around, I always try to get a picture of us.



We went to my nephew's first birthday party this weekend. It was hot, but the pavillion it was at was just lovely and a breeze came through the whole time. The food was good, seeing family for a happy ocassion was great AND I think the birthday boy liked our gift best! It was a real boy toy. (pictures tomorrow)


Knitting this weekend was truly productive, sitting in a car for many hours there and back I was able to get another pair of socks completed! For which I am happy and grateful.

Then, yesterday I worked on a "grow with me baby" hat for Karen's infants that she collects for. It is really a simple and great hat, can be sized up or down just by changing needle size and yarn weight.

I also did a square for the "over 40" group at Ravelry, they are collecting them for blankets for headstart kids.

AND I started, though a little late, the Summer 2010 Mystery Hat and Mitten along over on the "wool aid" group list over at Ravelry. I spend too much time one there.

Life is good. Be nice to those around you.

Here they are!

Here they are! Aren't they just adorable? The pattern said they would be for a 4 year old. I am not sure about that, or perhaps it means size 4 shoe size. They're small. Made of Worsted Weight yarn that was donated to me by a RAK list knitter over on Ravelry.

Here are some of the hats I'm doing for Karen's charity group that needs infant hats for the babies. They are crochet and it is a very quick and easy pattern.

No companion picture today, he spent some time in the "man cave" with his dad this morning instead of being stuck with his mom.

On the needles this morning are another pair of those socks! They are just too cute.

Also to note, I have used up 4 skeins of the yarn that was donated to me! Yeah for stash busting.

Progress and promises

My sleeping companion. Yes, he's back near my feet in a different position this morning. He went to the vet yesterday, had his booster and was told he's 5 lbs overweight! So, that means an extra heartworm pill a month. We're going to work on that.

I've made nice progress on my child's sock. I finished the first one last night and that is how far I was this morning with the second one. It's alot of ribbing, which makes for alot of boredom, but it makes a cute sock.

Does it even look like any of the stash yarn is gone? No, it doesn't does it? Small children's socks do not use up much very quickly, but it is going to make a child's little toes warm and that's more important than emptying my stash box. (one of them anyway)

Promises. We all make them. Do we keep them? I'm trying, really, REALLY hard to not buy anymore yarn until Christmas in July on the 25th, only then may I buy some sock yarn. Then the next time to buy, will be the Fiberfestival in Sept and then at Rhinebeck. I have enough yarn to keep me going in sweaters, socks, and other projects that I don't NEED any yarn, I really, truly don't. But it's like an addiction sometimes and I can't help myself.

So, my promise is also to knit from what I have and share the projects and progress with you all.

These are the first few balls of what will some day be my own sock blankie. I asked a friend if she had any scraps to spare, so that I could have a memory of her in my blankie. If anyone ever reads this, and would like to contribute to my blankie, I'd be proud to knit a square with about 5 grams or 30 yards of your fingering weight. Just leave me a comment and I'll send my address along.

My husband thinks I'm crazy for this one. I explained it to him last night, when he saw me with the kitchen scale..... Yes, I went and bought a kitchen scale so that I could measure out 5 grams and make little skeins of sock yarn. This way, I have for my future blankie, to share and for monstersocken socks. He shook his head, but he understood the concept, "it's like a quilt made out of little squares. Why would you want that?"

People who don't knit, just don't understand, but he supports me and my quest to knit and be happy.

Life is good.

Almost a year

It is one day short of a year since my last post. I wish to change that. I hope to be able to find the time to update this blog and that someone, anyone, will read it and leave me a message. Ravelry has taken over my life and so I spend too much time there, too much time dreaming of all the things I have yet to knit.

My morning knitting is a pair of children's socks. Believe it or not, my first pair of children's socks and yes, they are on double pointeds because that was what I could find, plus they are zephr super smooth anodized aluminum, still in the package, from my mother, and they are MADE IN U.S.A. and when they were purchased, they cost .60.

These socks will be donated to WOOL AID, for their many charity knitting donations.

Here is my trusty knitting companion, he sleeps all night and most of the day and I can usually find him right under my feet!

Here is what I am currently knitting from, a container of donated to me yarns. I need to get some of my stash out of here, so I found the donations from a RAK list friend and have been making hats and now socks for a WOOL AID campaign. I want to empty the full container, which I have already used up two full skeins and most of two more, but here is still yarn in there, sigh.

Until next time,

keep on knitting!!