tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-276932772012-02-16T22:42:01.585-05:00Sometimes knitting is a journey, and sometimes you find you've knit a life.Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.comBlogger3631100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-47526537790341425982012-02-11T13:40:00.000-05:002012-02-11T13:40:57.698-05:00

I am pretty good at gratitude ~ generalized gratefulness for life in general~ however, I’m not good at receiving. Lately I’ve been given opportunities to learn. Some I have done well with. Some demonstrate how far I have to go. And some teach me about other people. Some people give because they are givers. Some give in order receive attention back. I’ve done this; given for the pleased “

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-38311582941691485302011-12-25T10:29:00.000-05:002011-12-25T10:29:58.727-05:00

I am generally a go-into-my-cave-and-lick-my-wounds-privately kind of gal. A pass-the-ammo type of woman. So this post almost didn’t happen. It’s not a happy post, it’s not about knitting, it’s not clever, or funny. In a strange dark way it is about hope. Hope that –if I’m honest – my words will help someone else in their struggles. At the same time, it’s selfish and about loss, about pain

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-56866371506187070762011-11-24T14:45:00.000-05:002011-11-24T14:45:01.237-05:00

~For The Adored One – I don’t say it often enough, or well enough, but he changed my life and I couldn’t have gotten through the past year without him. ~The fact that my life is rich and full enough that I have to prioritize my WIPs in order to get them done. I'm having a little end of year WIP clean up, before casting on something really big for New Years Day. This is the Circles Yoke pattern/

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-42238065187120322832011-11-13T09:09:00.000-05:002011-11-13T09:09:33.637-05:00

Play with Monsters! Alot terrorizes the railway. Isn't that what all rational Adults do?

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-45487707199903955312011-10-30T08:17:00.000-04:002011-10-30T08:17:58.518-04:00

And they say they have to pee. I gave the little monster to his new Mom, who named him “Alot” in tribute to the post from Hyperbole and A Half. And despite my not saying anything, she knew this week’s doctor appt did not go well, so she set me the task of babysitting him for the weekend. We had a strange little snowfall Saturday so I gave him a grapefruit spoon and sent him out to shovel the

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-51868104587500242242011-10-23T15:55:00.000-04:002011-10-23T15:55:45.579-04:00

There is a line in Crime & Punishment which states “We will talk ourselves to truth one day.” I don’t know that I always believe that. I believe the concept is possible, I don’t know that the timeline will always span one relationship. I prefer to paraphrase the statement as “We will knit ourselves to silence one day.” I’ve been depressed and overwhelmed lately. Between health, work, and

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-81424500619236912642011-09-28T03:15:00.003-04:002011-09-28T03:15:00.749-04:00

May we all be written. Sometimes in looking forward, we see only the distance to go. We fail to look back and see how far we’ve come. So often we resolve to live only in the present, this moment, only this moment. Then we come to situations that ask us to plan for the future, to forgive the past, to change. Which is difficult when we’re living the frustration of the situation right this

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-54469603465357426582011-09-18T10:26:00.000-04:002011-09-18T10:26:43.530-04:00

Ostensibly this is billed as a knitting blog. And there is some truth that Rav has killed the knitting blog. I had been thinking lately of killing the blog, but decided that even though it hasn’t been much about knitting this past 6 months, I enjoy the private party feel of it. I have to organize my thoughts for public consumption, though it’s a small public, some of whom I’ve known for years.

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-37145639774640635002011-08-21T14:10:00.000-04:002011-08-21T14:10:14.722-04:00

As a child you have imaginary friends. As an adult--well, perhaps you shouldn't. Or, more likely, you have imaginary friends that are real people. Not the people as they are, but the people as your mind makes them, interacts with them. Sometimes this can happen in knitting too. If the project is off, you can keep knitting and blame reality at the end. Or you can accept the truth and try to

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-18001455273469501212011-08-13T15:44:00.000-04:002011-08-13T15:44:28.080-04:00

It's been quiet on the blog front lately. On the knitting front I cast on an "epic" shawl in cobweb weight merino. Merino that fought me every inch, snarling back on itself, strands grasping the center of the ball desperately. Still I knit on, really enjoying the focus required. Enjoying the fabric rippling off my needles. Still a little voice would nudge me occasionally, trying to tell me

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-54798295942552791282011-07-10T11:07:00.000-04:002011-07-10T11:07:11.501-04:00

Not really a coherent post this week. Life and knitting have been a hodgepodge the last couple of weeks. I did get two more things off the needles, without casting on anything new: And one thing off my mind: "Sorrow has been my roommate lately. Grabbing me with a tightness in the throat Tears that course, silently. Without clear reason, without fear. It isn’t loss, or longing. Nor

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-49679534859509172512011-07-04T16:29:00.000-04:002011-07-04T16:29:16.897-04:00

Despite the fact that both skeins of Malabrigo Silky Merino claimed to be the same colour/lot they were about as alike as homemade marshmallow candies are to the marshmallow root - which is to say - Not at All. Even TAO looked at the shawl & questioned the juxtaposition of abrupt colour change. The first skein really emphasized purple hues and the 2nd was very much orange. I carefully weighed

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-10769952106733460152011-06-26T21:52:00.002-04:002011-06-26T21:56:27.381-04:00

I always wanted to grow up to be an anthropologist. Specifically a cultural anthropologist. But I couldn’t figure out how I would pay the bills, so I grew up to be other things. I still love to hear people’s stories though. How they ended up where they are. What happened along the way. What guided them. Finding the back story to the moment of their life that is today. PreBlocking Which

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-20263887554444933982011-06-18T13:40:00.000-04:002011-06-18T13:40:45.426-04:00

Most of you would not be the least bit surprised to hear that “there may have been knitting last week.” After all, I think of knitting as the ultimate panacea. Want to think? There’s knitting for that. Want to NOT think? There’s knitting for that. Joyous? Knit. Sad? Knit. Apathetic? Browse patterns. Anxious? Wind yarn. Of course, this doesn’t work for monogamous knitters; they must surely

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-4973884894876997592011-06-12T15:53:00.000-04:002011-06-12T15:53:59.356-04:00

"There you go - all my own work. Contains almost everything except tea." M. Allingham The nice thing about knitting slumps? They're not important. If you are driven crazy by a co-worker, they are harder to sidestep. If your loved ones are demonstrating the traits that you love them "despite" - short of running away from home - you still have to deal with them. If your own mind is fixated on a

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-29398590690071495902011-06-08T17:54:00.000-04:002011-06-08T17:54:55.505-04:00

The term "stress" - as it is currently used - was coined by Hans Selye in 1936, who defined it as "the non-specific response of the body to any demand for change". We all have stress. We’ve all heard ad nauseum about Fight-or-Flight, any reasonably up to date woman can give you an intelligent discourse on the basic brain chemicals that we’re hopped up on in response to all those “tigers” out

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-47239143728263787022011-06-05T20:00:00.001-04:002011-06-05T20:01:56.172-04:00

I had a week that was roughly equivalent to ripping out 1200 yards of mohair lace knitting in a cobweb gauge. But we're not going to focus on that. Instead, I'm looking at the future. A future that will hopefully include a lovely light worsted weight 3 ply marled yarn for mittens. I'm actually going to chain ply a smidgeon for solid coloured striped cuffs and then marled mitten hands. Should

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-87263828199310434882011-05-30T06:51:00.000-04:002011-05-30T06:51:01.851-04:00

Decoration Day (previous post) is upon us again, and I don't think I can say it better than I've already said it.

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-42188580178302628712011-05-29T09:57:00.000-04:002011-05-29T09:57:13.509-04:00

“She would fritter it away of course, in small unimportance’s, so that, in the end, she would not know what she had done with it. But perhaps a series of small satisfactions; scattered like sequins over the texture of everyday life was of greater worth than the academic satisfaction of owning a collection of fine objects at the back of a drawer.” Josephine Tey Since the universe is still

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-79878657974263459992011-05-14T18:33:00.000-04:002011-05-14T18:33:13.009-04:00

Several years ago Chelle and I had an interesting conversation about why it is when you are being kicked around by the big things, you become obsessed with the small things. We decided that it's a control issue. When you can't control the huge life changing events, you chose to lose all perspective about the little things: focusing on finding the "perfect" handbag, shoes, yarn, knitting pattern

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-55634319555491398032011-05-08T15:32:00.000-04:002011-05-08T15:32:41.105-04:00

This is why you go to Festivals with people: I would never buy this on my own; but divvied betwixt us, it was worth the money. I did not share the Scotch; which was also worth the money because 300ml left a middlish sized woman with no ill effects the next morning. It wasn't all food and games. My modest haul included the Lucy Neatby angelic chorus newly revised Finishing book, a cute button

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-39845020865316441372011-05-06T17:14:00.000-04:002011-05-06T17:14:20.387-04:00

A little bit ago I realized that it was getting to be time to think about my annual Mother’s Day post. Or as I mentally label it…my Mother’s Day Wallow. Except it’s not really a wallow.  To me wallowing is all noise and splashing around creating a messy scene while you sit on a stable foundation.  It’s the kiddy pool. This place…this place of solace and peace? It’s different. Harder to explain.

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-4370245954508278782011-05-01T17:32:00.000-04:002011-05-01T17:32:51.470-04:00

Whoops, wrong Wimsey. I meant WHIMSY. I've been drug through GrownUp Land for the last few months and finally in mental exhaustion I rebelled. I started this about 10 days/2 weeks ago. It's not strictly anatomical. There's no vena cavae, and the aorta loops around to form the illusionary cutaway of the pulmonic and aortic valves, but it's all for fun anyway. And not content to stop there

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-7793799752360919142011-04-24T20:58:00.001-04:002011-04-24T21:11:29.581-04:00

Ginkgo Shoulderette Shawl Off the needles: the Ginkgo in Birthday yarn! Shepherd Sock in the Intrigue colourway, from The Loopy Ewe. I used about 400 of the 435 available, making the large size and plan to throw away the pattern and never knit it again! The last 33 rows made me seriously think about just ripping the entire thing out and knitting something else. It was just not my flavour

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-68505027659440749412011-04-16T12:33:00.000-04:002011-04-16T12:33:02.276-04:00

When you've got mental worries and you're high, you may not be worried but you're not solving anything either. When you've got worries and you knit, you bang out a sock in a week. Pointelle on 1.75 mm Blackthorn DPNs with Fiesta Baby Boom. 3 ounces of a 4 ounce skein Drunks usually give you their opinion whether you want it or not. Knitters usually just become fascinated with their yo,K3tog

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-64589318469773688112011-04-15T14:09:00.001-04:002011-04-15T18:21:35.314-04:00

If hope is the soft belief that something good is on its way, despair is a cutting blade that shears off the future and poisons every sip of the present. I lost a friend this week. Actually, I lost two. Both were by choice. One by my choice, a realization that energy invested would never equal energy returned. The other, by his choice. As a young man with a painful and terminal disease he

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-5012930192224842032011-04-10T17:56:00.000-04:002011-04-10T17:56:13.958-04:00

"The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. What is called resignation is confirmed desperation." HD Thoreau In my case, not desperation, just quiet habit. I just keep chugging away. Better suited to Thoreau's "...and makes life seem inexpressibly serene and grand." I cast off Wisp-Act II. Led on only by my remembered love of the first Wisp. It was no less a tedious bore to knit the

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-64687597063504354692011-04-07T20:56:00.000-04:002011-04-07T20:56:29.651-04:00

We’ve all had them: those projects that we really like, that we dream of, visualize, fancy. Yet…they are filled with pitfalls. First you swatch. The gauge, not quite right. Swatch again, again, the math just a smidge off. In the end, you decide…I want this project, I will knit really tightly, really loosely, on mismatched needles…I will mold myself to make this work. Rarely DOES this work.

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-17911981075308517912011-04-03T19:10:00.000-04:002011-04-03T19:10:01.753-04:00

Knitting doesn't always work the way we want it to. Sometimes we do everything right...it disappoints. Sometimes we do nothing right...and it shines. I finished my Elysium. And it was a beautiful spring day so I rushed right out to take photos- ignore the feet of snow in the background, it really was a shortsleeve kind of day. I finished the knitting gamble 3 repeats short. In fact, I had

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-23098327508101974692011-03-27T08:08:00.000-04:002011-03-27T08:08:54.076-04:00

I'm currently engaged in the yardage gamble. I spun my Polwarth into a 3 ply worsted/aran weight and have been knitting away on Elysium. Of course this means that this is a One of a Kind yarn, and when it's gone, it's gone. So many knitters know where this is going: I may have misjudged the amount needed. Elysium is knit in one piece sideways from the left front around to the right edge. I

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-8379748091145570422011-03-12T10:06:00.001-05:002011-03-12T11:40:08.312-05:00

There are countless things that exhort us to remember that “it’s not the destination, it’s the journey.” All manner of trite crap that has to be dusted is stocked in countless gift shops. I was up in the wee hours this morning talking to a friend who-having previously been gut punched emotionally-was riding the gyrostat. I found myself using that cliché. And having it brushed off because it IS

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-21371250085880607022011-02-20T17:34:00.001-05:002011-02-20T18:10:49.898-05:00

Perhaps it’s going to be Spring soon. Not outside my window, but in my own heart. It’s definitely been Winter inside my head the past few months. Blizzard conditions. Caught up in a vortex that is flashes of sky as you are engulfed in a white world of snow. When you’re in it, you don’t see that safety is Right There, or indeed, that you are standing on your front porch. I stopped doing

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-63624876685596568982011-02-14T18:17:00.001-05:002011-02-14T18:38:52.302-05:00

For the patterning people out there, if you think this looks like Wisp, you would be correct. If you think I knit it that quickly you would be WRONG. I did cast on another one for me, but I really hate the pattern and it's been a slow slog. So it will now be ripped out and turned into something else. This tasty little morsel came in the mail today from a sweet friend (sister from another

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-737512431877269192011-02-11T06:32:00.000-05:002011-02-11T06:32:17.948-05:00

Last week I posted about wishing the problems of my friends were solved-for selfish reasons. And I hurt one of the people reading it, who didn’t understand that I wasn’t bemoaning the trust people put in me by telling me their stories. I was just frustrated by the magnitude of the situation In case anyone else read it and was hurt (but didn’t tell me), please understand, I’m grateful that we

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-76916018146598721542011-02-07T19:13:00.000-05:002011-02-07T19:13:52.464-05:00

Or what was I thinking? Let me start by saying...Wendy Bernard of Custom Knits is a Genius. I on the other hand...well, I've doubled the amount of pink in my wardrobe. Pink- and I don't mean the songtress. It's the Updated Old Classic. And while I understand my thought process in making it the hues I did (branch out from comfort zone, try something different, saw one on rav that didn't gag me).

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-15154820484256455262011-02-05T08:32:00.003-05:002011-02-05T16:27:57.674-05:00

A previous post seems to have led some of you astray, leading you to think that I am generous and unselfish... You would be sadly mistaken. While it is true that I sent off Wisp, I in turn picked up: Socks for me! They are Cookie A's ubiquitous Monkeys in Lorna's Laces Amy's Vintage Office. They were a good pattern match for the stress in my life right now. Just complicated enough to keep my

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-29606991409977806242011-01-30T10:54:00.000-05:002011-01-30T10:54:01.802-05:00

Back in November of 2006 I knit this: In Esperanza (discontinued) by Schaefer Yarns. A Bulky 70% Lambswool, 30% Alpaca, that I picked up while in the FingerLakes Region of NY, straight from the Schaefer Yarn Studio. It was a fast knit, in a pattern that I just made up. And while I liked it, it didn't keep my clavicles warm - which is the whole point. So it languished. I tossed it into

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-965002115963131072011-01-20T19:19:00.002-05:002011-01-22T17:53:03.552-05:00

I recently finished Wisp in a lovely Mongolian Cashmere from Sarah's Yarns. It was my least favourite type of knitting: you had to look at Every Stitch, but there was no charting or colourwork to focus on. Bleegh. Still, the yarn was a tactile delight, and the apparent airiness of this confection is belied by it's delicate warmth. Off the needles it quickly became my throw on luxury. I

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-45586621175579346482011-01-01T10:53:00.000-05:002011-01-01T10:53:38.091-05:00

There is a classic New Years superstition that what you do the first day sets the tone for the rest of the year. So I planned carefully and finished/bound off this pair of Fetching for a tiny coworker (no fat = ALWAYS cold). The yarn is Caron Simply Soft, and perfect for this dynamo's lifestyle, but as a knitter - YUCK! It's a squeaky yarn, so each cable row literally set my teeth on edge

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-59867312338394423192010-12-30T05:26:00.000-05:002010-12-30T05:26:59.038-05:00

Several of us were having a little round table discussion about “If you knew you only had a short period left to live, what would you do?” It was a lively discussion made sweetly poignant by the fact, that indeed, some of these people, ARE living the short life. What I took away from it was that when we have “all” the time in the world, we often don’t do things we’d like to because we don’t

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-34337802082299980592010-12-25T10:54:00.000-05:002010-12-25T10:54:41.873-05:00

From the redoubtable Chelle - a mysterious box from the LoopyEwe. She knows how much of my net income is spent there...a secret even TAO doesn't know. Little Loopy decided that the "travel mug" is actually for Oatmeal Stout. Since I was on call, he might have had "the breakfast of champions" by himself. Hence, why the photo is taken lying down. Those frolicsome lambs. And couldn't you just

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-9799042547668234832010-12-23T05:58:00.002-05:002010-12-23T06:04:32.191-05:00

Another Birthday is rolling up to the gate. For those of you keeping track…it’s one more than last year. I woke up early today and found myself, not using the time to workout (curses!) but thinking about ALL THE THINGS. Which started me down a litany of prayers. I know so many people getting their arse kicked by the universe right now. Starting the list…uterine CA, Prostate CA, Ovarian CA,

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-48223216724806217832010-12-03T19:13:00.003-05:002010-12-03T19:18:57.867-05:00

There is a line from a song that asks “What would you ask (G-d) if you had just one question?”On a casual listen, several things might pop into your mind. All the classic struggles about good/evil, war, famine, poverty, death, unfairness, etc. But I caught myself giving this serious consideration. What?!? WOULD you ask if you could only ask one question. This is where the vanity comes in.

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-66301038344952313592010-12-02T05:32:00.001-05:002010-12-02T05:34:30.486-05:00

Happy Holiday! May you have a season filled with small miracles, and may you have the wisdom to recognize them for what they are.

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-14695212607294616352010-11-25T14:45:00.002-05:002010-11-25T14:58:07.584-05:00

So, it’s Thanksgiving in the US, and the “too long didn’t read” version is:My list of things I’m grateful for is so long it would crash the internet – which is a very good feeling. I hope many of you feel the same way. Those of you that have been watching the train wreck of 2010 closely may wonder at this. But truly, this year more than any other, things have worked out. To recap: ~Some of you

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-49250421738879747892010-11-08T01:00:00.000-05:002010-11-08T04:35:51.689-05:00

Today is my wedding anniversary, and I’m going to do something uncharacteristic. I generally hoard TAO all to myself, but for today, I’m going to talk instead of the power of one person.When I was young I used dream of a better future. Oddly...in those dreams there never was someone with me. I didn’t have dreams of fairytale weddings and happily-ever-afters. I used to be disappointed in books

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-60831241782756969672010-10-31T10:27:00.004-04:002010-10-31T11:20:51.326-04:00

Admittedly my last few posts have been off the knitting road. And rather depressing. I think they can be summed up with a line from one of my favourite songs: "They send these things to try us, and try us they do." On that note, I now return to knitting content.I recently engaged in what I have been assured is appropriate female response to stress: I went shopping. Chris over at My Favorite

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-62665113240110007532010-10-24T12:13:00.004-04:002010-10-24T12:21:44.277-04:00

I do not recommend that a highly stressed person (namely me) be locked in a car for 20 some odd hours by herself. Since I felt odd having conversations with my imaginary friend, I opted for “imaginary” conversations with real friends; so if any of you found yourself psychically drained…apologies.In youth we seek excitement. The big dreams, the ambitions. I wanted to be an anthropologist but

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-16025628634722235722010-10-15T20:16:00.002-04:002010-10-15T20:17:51.239-04:00

Loopy attempts to climb CoffeePot Rock.

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-21680699120283298642010-09-30T07:15:00.002-04:002010-09-30T07:31:43.958-04:00

WI update: there is damage but I'm not homeless. TAO and the furbabies are safe. And at the end of the day...that's all that matters. One of the things I like about knitting is it's flexibility. If I need something soothing to keep my hands busy while my mind parses info-endless stockingette in the round fills the bill. If I need a puzzle, fair isle is like building an image one pixel at a

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-56400751034582862592010-09-26T12:40:00.003-04:002010-09-26T12:48:16.559-04:00

TAO and I are recreational birdwatchers. It's something we can do quietly together, and it can be done cheaply when I'm on the road. One of the things that is special to me about my house is the backyard, we get a wide variety of birdlife. We even had the specialist at our local WildBird Unlimited waves cheerfully at Lori come work out a plan to improve the draw. Let me preface the next part of

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-52554719256539305262010-09-24T17:05:00.003-04:002010-10-31T16:01:33.010-04:00

If you ask people to describe me, strong and it's variations will be heard alot. (some of those variations include the less attractive side of strength, like goatheaded.) And there is alot of truth to that. I've gotten through much of life by just continuing to get up everyday. I'm still working on rounding myself out with some kindness and compassion. I would have liked to have a nice breakdown

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-59244759268152304292010-09-21T18:23:00.002-04:002010-09-21T18:55:43.390-04:00

Apparently side effects of the drugs for my ear/sinus infection with a side of bronchitis, include among them conversations with imaginary friends. Deciding that a defense is the strong offensive, I've decided to enlist y'all...my not so imaginary friends, because then I'm not having this conversation by myself. I've been reading the updated edition of The Sunflower. And it got me thinking about

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-21629890978835408452010-09-19T09:08:00.002-04:002010-09-19T09:19:43.783-04:00

So the Horn has sounded and the Book is closed. And I was thinking about whether or not I really cared if my name was in it. Which led to an inventory of the past decades, and to thinking about timelines. Which led to the visual image of my daughter, just the right height to lay her head in my lap when I sat at the kitchen table. The same kitchen table and chairs that are in my house right now.

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-86915805146455843752010-09-12T09:22:00.004-04:002010-09-12T09:47:54.869-04:00

Some of you may remember last year when I had to have surgery and TAO, being the fabulous husband, bought me a selection of SweetGeorgia Yarns instead of an arrangement of flowers. You may even remember the trouble with gauge I had on the diagonal rib socks (stoned=tighter gauge). Then I channeled my Grandmother and put the rest of the yarn away "for the perfect project". Yeah...last year.Fast

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-89988686148366680932010-09-08T18:04:00.002-04:002010-09-08T18:27:13.638-04:00

Seriously? Again? Here we are? Where was I the last year? Oh, that's right, run over, swept down, sucked under by Change. At least through it all there was TAO, the puppies, and string. As well, there were friends. I made some awesome new friends last year, met really good people. The friends changed the balance. There were more good experiences with people than with ninnies and

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-6711054477118761042010-09-04T15:16:00.003-04:002010-09-04T16:40:02.256-04:00

And being a knitter- promptly show you the inside.What? You want to see the public side?Bet you didn't guess whales from the inside. It's the Whale Watching beret from New England Knits. And I would highly recommend this as a beginners stranded project.It’s roughly 65 rows total + rib, and the whales are a shape that you can “read” easily as you work. “Sky-forehead-sky-tail, sky-foreh.ea.d, crap,

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-56872586168056296002010-09-02T07:18:00.001-04:002010-09-02T07:18:56.348-04:00

Evidence that TAO is the Awesome one as well as The Adored One- Last nights text thread: Me- Make the yarn leave my mind alone (I keep dreaming of making Wendy’s Shetland Pi in Dandelion from KP) TAO-I cannot Me- Hot & Crabby- 97 in the apt & the computer is on the fritz f’ing Microsoft upgrades TAO-That’s why you should buy yarn Me- I have like a years worth on the needles now though TAO- With

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-20658931819544991772010-08-21T18:35:00.003-04:002010-08-21T18:50:21.804-04:00

I was originally going to call these my "Going to Sedona" Socks, but I may have to call them "Going to the Birds" instead.About the Birds: As you can see I am drying this sock by hanging it from a hook in the soffet. The sock in the photo is the 1st sock. The day I hung it out to dry, a juvenile cardinal became enamored of it, and spent almost 2 hours trying to fly up and land on it.

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-78822189359547329872010-08-01T16:21:00.007-04:002010-08-01T17:27:21.221-04:00

Those of you who know me, know that I am a planner and cheap. (parsimonious, penny pinching, tight). After all I furnished a one bedroom apt for less than $400 including a new full-size mattress = cheap. The 3 areas I spend money? TAO/house, electronic gadgets (but only after driving TAO crazy talking about it) and yarn.Several of you also know that this year has been filled with changes, most

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-88452521551774112582010-06-27T11:07:00.003-04:002010-06-27T11:24:19.183-04:00

You know that first giddy part of being in love? When everything they do is wonderful, exciting,funny, etc etc? Well, after this many years I know Really Know TAOs feet. (weird). The quest for a great fitting sock has been more odd than all those foot rubs and pedicures ever were. And I may have finally tweaked the base pattern to "Just Right".I started with Wendy D. Johnson's Gusset Heel sock

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-2047108977996121252010-06-13T08:18:00.003-04:002010-06-13T08:27:01.479-04:00

Previously Prosecution has maligned my client. Sneering at it's alleged perfidy and attempting to prove malicious intent. I refer you to Exhibit .25mm Defense would like to state that my client is innocent of all charges. As a second sock knit in the same fashion from a second skein resulted in almost identical results, thereby proving the genius of the dyer. Defense restsSorry for the oddly

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-50973386034662699442010-05-26T17:40:00.004-04:002010-05-26T17:48:31.481-04:00

In these “hard economic times” we all have to be frugal, so frogging a sock leg and reknitting is a money saver. Plus Le Picky Picky struck.For the technically inclined…the foot is knit on 2.25 mm at 48 st rounds. (I am a loose knitter, your mileage may vary.) You can see the swirls as the gusset stitches are incorporated, then I returned to 48 for the first few inches of the leg. I wanted

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-60611649516710609402010-05-18T06:00:00.007-04:002010-05-19T06:17:11.130-04:00

Good thing TAO is not a jealous man, I am in love! The lines, the curves, the silent operation, the clever hiney. Meet QuanYin - my new HansenCraft Mini Spinner with the Woolee Winder attachment. She/He's a lot of wheel for a relative beginner like me. And unless things change amazingly I shalln't outgrow her. After all Amelia loves hers and I won't ever be as good as her. The customer service

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-4945511379473060232010-05-14T05:23:00.002-04:002010-05-14T11:02:07.352-04:00

I cast on these toe up socks, knowing that there would be pooling, swirling, whatever, but I told myself “let the colours fall where they may; it doesn’t matter. Just enjoy the yarn.” Knit basic socks and save the semi-solids for the really complicated stuff.And it was true for a while, then my eye noticed the little swirl stripes. Arrgh. Stripes. But I spoke sternly to myself…”Let it go.

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-34794589925943362692010-05-10T20:36:00.003-04:002010-05-11T04:55:54.262-04:00

A funny thing happened on the way to this post. Traditionally I do something about Mother's Day and hope and the future. This year that wasn't going to happen. This year was going to be about although TAO and I work so hard to get from Here to There, each year we end up Here. right Here where I am a tired middle aged woman with such a sharp riff in the middle of her life that I wonder if that

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-89719465254462490312010-05-03T19:01:00.003-04:002010-05-06T11:41:55.536-04:00

I survived the experience labelled "Maryland Sheep & Wool 2010". It pretty much lived up/down to my expectations.I mostly kept my spending under control. I did buy fair food - which I had packed a lunch to avoid, but gave in. And really....$9.00 for a sandwich? Ridiculous. And a pattern (Milkweed) that was in my Rav Fav's but the sample made it a "must have." The other unplanned spending?

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-48212979602947921412010-04-27T13:52:00.003-04:002010-04-28T12:42:42.131-04:00

Remember my question for 2010? “Who would I be, if I weren’t who I am?”I’m about to test that concept. Rather than going to MDSW in search of fiber, tools, or that perfect skein, I am attending MDSW with an emphasis on socializing. This will be a reach for me as I am actually quite shy. Once I know/warm up to you, my caustic viewpoint and dry humor show through…before that…”reserved” or “aloof

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-79461979528549091812010-04-25T07:45:00.004-04:002010-04-25T08:01:29.864-04:00

Last weeks shawl in Mini Mochi at a gauge of 7 st to the inch took roughly 215 yards, and gave me a light airy shawl perfect for a delicately scaled young lady. I decided not to let the RAM that had memorised the pattern go to waste, and pulled out some ill fated Jo Sharp DK Wool Tweed to cast on. I label the wool ill fated because I bought it in 2006 and it has since been swatched or knit into

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-80366324684115939202010-04-22T17:03:00.003-04:002010-04-22T17:12:51.388-04:00

As my first "serious" boyfriend could have told you-I'm fast and loose. Pardon the dark picture but it was only 530 am and the people who "furnish" corporate apartments seem to think that all people do is watch TV & eat TV dinners.However I wanted to flash a project shot of my shawl. I cast it on Monday and you can see...row 51 of 80.More details when it's done.And for the record, my high school

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-64103986900126611972010-04-18T09:33:00.002-04:002010-04-18T09:49:51.390-04:00

Hah! in that tone that implies I have one upped someone. Afterall, it's still only April and I have the first holiday gift off the needles.Hah! in that tone that states "you thought you could defeat me, but I've shown you!" Directed to the yarn. Mini Mochi in Lake Trail. While the colours are lovely, the yarn is a softly spun single which may be great for stockingette, but does not like to be

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-36677376288070654792010-04-13T06:27:00.002-04:002010-04-13T06:39:18.541-04:00

There may have been squeeing in the pitch used by dolphins when I saw this little black sheep bag. And the Chameleon Colorworks BFL in peacock may be tucked in my work bag as a stress ball. This is my birthday/new year/life changes/here I'll loan you a book box from a Knitterly Friend (didn't ask permission to use her name).Included were a book that I want to read, but don't think I'll like &

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-11752484810098641692010-04-06T05:41:00.007-04:002010-04-06T06:16:12.934-04:00

Yesterday I got to do my "new yarn" dance. My beautiful custom order from Lisa Souza came, still wet from the dyer. (literally, still wet, the alpaca was softly damp). Deciding that this was not a time to exercise decorum or self control, I wound all 465 yards of my BFL sock in Sedona by hand. I don't care if I tell myself..it's only a few week contract...from now on I'm packing the swift. And

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-50982084455643042682010-04-01T06:55:00.002-04:002010-04-01T07:08:31.681-04:00

I don't usually review a fiction book here, but after foolishly staying up late to finish it I decided to give it a go. (Blame it on sleep deprivation)Divas Don't Knit isn't my usual flavour of novel. No dead bodies, no puzzles, no scenes of hiding from the killer. But as it was a library book and therefore infinitely affordable I decided to give it a go.I hereby declare it enchanting, and the

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-44750241244740642602010-03-31T06:40:00.002-04:002010-03-31T06:40:56.867-04:00

Joyous Festival to everyone who is entering their Springtime celebrations.

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-4847993531385538792010-03-29T06:34:00.002-04:002010-03-29T07:06:00.875-04:00

As some of you may know TAO and I have had a rocky history when it comes to vacations.For about 12 years we've been saying "someday we're going to Sedona" but never gone because every year something comes up. So last July I got well, frankly, pissed, called TAO, told to put in for the time off, as we were going in March 2010. Booked the tickets, car, lodging, train, savings fund, etc etc. And

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-52928945301725034982010-03-27T16:10:00.003-04:002010-03-27T16:16:10.924-04:00

My prediction of not finishing my Sugared Serpents (Wendy Johnson's Serpentine pattern in Boomerang Sugar Cane) did not take into account the easy chart and portability of project that I've blown the chart up to huge then marked with highlighter tape. It wasn't mindless walking around knitting, but it was a great lunchtime knit.And it's even still cold enough to wear them. (sadly)

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-22428412841231659492010-03-18T06:11:00.004-04:002010-03-21T19:27:14.298-04:00

In the distant past some of you may remember by struggles with Roadside Gerry and it's flashing, pooling, puddling that drove me bonkers and ruined the lovely colours for me. I even considered putting it on the Trade Page in Ravelry. Eventually I realized that Roadside was lonely and bought it a nice friend called Arauchania Ranco in Coffee. My eye can still see a swirl that breaks the orange

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-4959253300671168652010-03-16T05:52:00.003-04:002010-03-17T20:21:37.605-04:00

I realized today that I haven't posted in a while. Not so much because life has been overwhelming and difficult, but more because it has been pleasantly full. Which in turn means it's been "really hardly worth writing about". I did finish the first Sugared Serpentine sock, and promptly cast on the toe for the second to avoid Second Sock Syndrome. I don't think that sock will buzz along though

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-19703642642358083492010-02-21T08:07:00.003-05:002010-02-21T08:09:30.402-05:00

Spring will come.

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-81196229259705132812010-02-11T09:03:00.004-05:002010-02-11T09:27:26.089-05:00

On the tiny side: Little baby socks, pattern sized down from WendyKnits gusset sock pattern.On the giant side: Elizabeth Zimmermann's Harf/Scat in Knitpicks Shimmer in Eucalyptus. You make a headsized sock toe, knit a scarf, make another sock toe. Then you have a scarf that is a hat, or a hat that is a scarf. Mine is a short scarf. I reached a point where I realized that I would need

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-92154729981560157332010-02-04T15:10:00.002-05:002010-02-04T15:41:17.511-05:00

Enough Already. Back in Oct 2006, I cast on the Feather and Fan Shawl from the Gathering of Lace. It takes about 2200 yards of spider fart yarn. I picked up a beautiful skein from Black Bunny Fibers. (And let me interrupt myself to say that woman's colour sense is amazing. She used to have one called 70s carpet. I love her colours.) Okay...back to the Summer Garden Laceweight. It wound up

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-85452404405012212010-01-30T17:04:00.003-05:002010-01-30T17:08:31.582-05:00

Don't adjust your monitor. I wore the other sweater a couple of days; mmmn...snuggly warm; and decided that it needed to be bigger (read...less form fitting). So I ripped it and reknit the front and back with more ease and added some short rows to the back.

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-5902226323841267672010-01-24T19:50:00.002-05:002010-01-24T19:55:47.802-05:00

I cast on another pair of socks, and in a moment of whimsy I decided to get out Little Loopy and take a picture of the toe, since I got the yarn from The Loopy Ewe. However, Little Loopy seems to think it would be a better winter hat than a sock toe.

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-27325053286994259852010-01-22T15:53:00.003-05:002010-01-22T16:16:19.867-05:00

Yes,I went there - it was a good day for a bad pun. There has been a recent thread on Ravelry about Frog it or Finish it. I didn't join into the fray, but it did make me think about UFOs that are languishing. Among them was a 1/3 done shrug in The Knittery's Merino Cashmere Sock. Great shrug pattern, some nice examples finished on Rav, but really...would I wear it? When it's 8F outside, 64F

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-41260306577420949652010-01-20T19:47:00.006-05:002010-01-20T20:10:28.235-05:00

Remember my Alamo Souvenir? I had a hard time reconciling myself to gasp walking on cashmere, but didn't want a shawl/scarf either. So I knit these. Close fitting legwarmers/footless socks that I am calling YogaWarmers. They have too much negative ease to ever do that weird bunchy thing that legwarmers did in the 80s; which I confess I never mastered, instead feeling like I just had really fat

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-51479393089718842932010-01-09T10:25:00.003-05:002010-01-09T10:59:22.376-05:00

This week I picked up a tiny deep water frog for our dining room tank. Now when you research this breed there are oodles of things you're supposed to do to ensure their health and safety. So I came home and promptly set about performing all of them; nevermind the logic that points out that frogs live without this stuff in the wild and also that when the government intervenes in health and

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-1490633458333704262010-01-01T18:57:00.004-05:002010-01-01T19:08:02.325-05:00

Holding with secular tradition...I chose not to do laundry today...and I worked on finishing things. One thing I finished.... Damson by Ysolda Teague in Butter Peeps colourway of Dream in colour Smooshy.Now I'm off to finish last nights bottle of Belgian Lambic. But before I go...does that look like the Millenium Falcon to anyone else?

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-17010105664077559432009-12-25T10:02:00.002-05:002009-12-25T10:14:21.791-05:00

Another decade has crawled/flown/limped/dragged/danced by. I got on the scale, took a good look in the post-shower mirror, and decided that; while I am in good shape, I either want to be in top form or dead by the time the AARP card arrives. Sound harsh? Not really. Mediocrity is as close to the bottom as it is to the top, and to me...that looks like a lousy way to live. There are times where

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-12917774343619741592009-12-23T12:42:00.003-05:002009-12-23T12:48:58.242-05:00

A quick satisfying knit: Ripley by Ysolda Teague. I used a DK angora,nylon,merino blend (from the stash) held double for gauge. Easy easy easy. The photo styling of the pattern shows it worn either with the pleats toward the side front, or at the nape of the neck. Due to user error I got the little seam at the pleat, phooey. The little pleats at the nape instead, make this hat a delight to

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-3769981396326618262009-12-17T08:25:00.003-05:002009-12-17T08:27:29.147-05:00

A little perspective: I've gone out to fill that bird feeder, which hangs from my laundry line, which in summer I have to stand on tip toe to unhook and fill up.

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-43135665406787430582009-12-14T16:44:00.005-05:002010-12-02T05:32:49.234-05:00

From our stash to yours.

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-78018422652283412642009-12-06T11:26:00.004-05:002009-12-06T11:41:59.124-05:00

Blatantly bragging about my seaming. And shot of the decrease row markers in action. I took the number that I needed (13) and hung them from a stitch marker on the work, then as I completed each repeat I hung the #'d marker appropriately. It makes putting the project down and coming back days later very easy. Which is apparently an integral part of my knitting style. In knitting I am

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-30631882297084433082009-11-17T15:01:00.002-05:002009-11-17T15:17:01.680-05:00

It's that time of year again; actually depending on your calendar I could be considered late. I've been puzzling over the guiding "word" for this next year. The truth of the Word, is in it's function as a tool. Compass, measuring stick, hammer.I finally realised this year, I want a question:"Who would I be, if I weren't who I am?"I'm not talking about delving as deep as Byron Katie. But We've

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-46799471935576270512009-11-15T13:03:00.002-05:002009-11-15T13:07:19.880-05:00

It didn't take 4-6 weeks after all. I PASSED! Looking at the score breakdown; I missed the 5 questions I thought I would, and for the practical...remember the story of ABD? Well, because of the following the statutes, not the testing (doing ABD) I totally skunked the points for that part of the protocol, but did everything else for a perfect score - making the total high enough to pass. End

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-44578636522757774452009-11-11T19:04:00.003-05:002009-11-11T19:37:36.399-05:00

Since discussion of the test is verboten, how about some goodness?But first: thank you veterans and all who are currently serving. I cast on the hot viral knit Damson in Dream in Color Smooshy in ButterPeeps, and now I don't want to work on anything else. I love the yarn, I love the texture, I love the color, and I even love the "boring" garter stitch part of this project. I made myself a

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-68754883988409145932009-11-10T07:19:00.002-05:002009-11-10T07:35:23.341-05:00

The test, that is. I either passed it splendidly, or failed it splendidly. Usually I leave a test with a sense of whether or not I passed. For instance, I have no qualms about the written exam. I can think of 5 questions I may have gotten wrong, and I can miss 35 to pass.It's the practical that has my adrenals doing the dance. On the bright side...the person I needed showed up. (Yay!) On the dark

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-40694915129105265772009-10-25T14:38:00.003-04:002009-10-25T14:57:46.146-04:00

Next Monday I sit for a very important State Board. Well, the Universe will not collapse into a black hole sucking all life in with it if I fail. However, it's been a heck of a journey to this moment in time. It has involved literally Years of testing and effort. It has involved thousands of dollars. It has involved dealing with bureaucracy until you want to rip out your own ear drums. All for

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-59507604773740326162009-10-03T19:04:00.006-04:002009-10-16T08:05:34.485-04:00

A finished object! These are Wendy D. Johnson's Peace Socks worked in a worsted weight yarn but at a sock gauge. They were part of the Socks from the Toe Up KAL, and included some pattern modifications purely as a matter of taste. Highly recommend as a fast, easy knit if you are determined to make socks as a last minute gift. This little jewel is the southern point of my compass. Alisha's

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27693277.post-12439595416735783702009-10-02T21:31:00.003-04:002009-10-02T21:47:14.880-04:00

Well, I finally finished something - my February Lady Sweater!(so not linking to that pattern, because y'all are serious knitters and know to what I refer) 6993 projects on Ravelry with 3846 posted as finished.I wish I had a human to photograph me in it though, the only pictures I could take were...well...you'll see : ) I used 14 balls of Valley Yarns Sugarloaf, an easy to care for yarn, which

Elysbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428524658330118134noreply@blogger.com2