SEASON'S GREETINGS

The year of 2010 is coming to a close. The harvest is done...Corn, Carrots, Tomatoes, Peppers, Potatoes, Peaches, Pears, and Apples have all gone into bottles, to be savored this winter. The squash is in the cold pantry waiting to be used, either in pies or just yummy baked goodness.

Thanksgiving holiday is over, the end of the year festivities are upon us.

May peace and contentment reign supreme. Happy Holidays!!!

We are in for some strange weather this season...there has been a lot of volcanoes, and earthquakes...all tossing debris into the air...ever so slightly, and sometimes drastically interfering with with sun's rays and the winds aloft.

Extreme weather seems to happens every time we have had a large amount of seismic activity, anywhere in the world. It just lets you know how really connected we are with the rest of the world.

Squirrel, Knitting, SAM, and It's about time

Squirrel...we have a squirrel that visits our yard. Now if we were in the country, that would be expected, along with a multitude of other wild life. But this fellow or gal (I hope it isn't female) lives in the back yards of four properties. We live in a suburb, houses on every side, traffic everywhere.

Our neighbor has a Russian olive tree, the squirrel loves to eat the olives, we have a peach tree, and he loves the green peaches, we also feed the birds, so we offer a second helping of goodies. The other two yards provide habitat for this critter.

I hope he doesn't eat the peach pit...

On the Knitting front...I have again joined the SAM (sock A month group) this round is the 8th round. We have to complete a pair of socks each month for 6 months. Post it to the SAM website. We receive kudos and pride in accomplishment of a finished pair of socks. Six of us will get a gift from one of the sponsors. However, it isn't about the gifting...it is about the achieving our goals. We are received as sock knitters, and we love to see the socks that everyone is knitting. We love fiber. We offer love and encouragement to all.

My esty store is open, I have hand dyed roving, (for those that like to spin or felt,) stitch markers, and hand dyed sock yarn.
http://www.dandycreations.etsy.com

Other matters and concerns...do I still have freedom of speech?

I have been away from blogging for a very long time. It has been a year fraught with problems and concerns. It takes time to realize that Life is just Life and it is what we make of it that makes it's quality of "life". If we wait for someone to make us happy, or satisfy our needs, then shame on us...We are the masters of our own destiny. "Sort of"

The worries of all the government spending money that we (as a country) do not have and need to borrow from other countries is a problem. The money that has already been taken away from us (we live on a small pension and social security) We have lost $1500.00 a year so far from the government gifts that need to be repaid. It is all so confusing...so thanks for the extra debt. We paid into social security for over 50 years...and now at our age we expected to have that wonderful security. What a laugh...I feel that our new president, and congress, wants to rid the world of anyone over 60. What we do need is no more career politicians. Politics should be a service, and not a career. Attorneys should stay out of the white house. They should not be in the senate or congress. Their views on what is right or wrong has pushed this country into socialism. We have lost our democracy.

A stimulus package was delivered to big businesses...they have hoarded it, spending it on themselves...making promises that they never intended to keep. A better plan would have been to gift the stimulus package to every tax paying citizen. A gift of $25,000. That money then would have gone to pay off debts, freeing up the spending of the citizens, that money would have gone right back into the economy. The deluge of Jobs would not have been lost. We still would have had a heck of a loan to pay back to China or whatever country the USA had to borrow from...but our country would be in a state of recovery...and not still heading to the depths of hell. I have lost faith in our president, I think he is in over his head. He is making things worse and not better.

Still, Life is Life, and we need to make our own way through it.

Ok...that is all the complaining that I will do for now. Go forth and be happy...smile at the world around you and hope for better days.

Seasons Love and Best Wishes

May you all find contentment throughout the coming year.

Mid May

It sure has been a March month instead of a May month. We were greeted with snow on May day...and for the next 5 days after that...was not the best of weather. The very slow snail pace of home remodeling is creeping along. We bought paint. It's not on the walls, it's still in the can. Now that the weather is starting to warm, it probably won't see the walls until fall. The taller half of our duo is outside pulling weeds, planting garden...fussing with flowers, mowing lawns, anything but inside chores. It makes him happy, so if I have to wait until fall before we paint the inside of the house, then so be it. He does love his garden.

I finally made a pair of socks for me. This was a fun knit. It was April's "mystery sock" from Goddess Knits. The April pair was given as a gift to a friend. The pair above are mine. The name of the pattern is Danu. It is a very easy knit. One of those patterns that you can memorize and not have to keep checking the charts. Similar to the knitting ease of Cookie A's Monkey socks. The pattern sticks to you until you are done. I made them shorter and changed out the heel on my pair for a short row heel. I find that there isn't the firm tightness at the ankle with the short row heel that there is with a heel flap.

Blue mitts for a granddaughter. These were made in cascade fixation very elastic and work wonders for tired wrists.

Yummy dying...GREEN...BRIGHT...SHINEY...

This yarn to make a pair of socks from Yarnarian's leafy green socks pattern. The pattern can be found on Ravelry. There was still some dye left in the pot...so I exhausted it with 2 oz's of merino. Don't know what that will be used for...yet.

I have been dying with the flowers and plants from my back yard. It is interesting to watch what you think you are going to get change right before your eyes into something completely different, depending on the mordant used.

I have a beautiful shawl on the needles right now...need to spread it out and get a pic of it...it also is proving an easy knit. Some things just are designed with a rhythm that lets the fiber flow from your needles into beautiful fabric. This is also a mystery knit pattern from Goddess Knits http://www.bopeepswoolshop.com/zencart/

Happy fiberlicious times everyone.

A Clear and Beautiful Spring Day

Fiber stuff at the bottom of post!

In Memorandum:

So far, this year has not been an easy one. It has been filled with struggles, and sadness. My Father-in-Law passed from this world on the last day of February.
He was 90 years old. He had a small stroke the last week of January, which took his strength and his will. The family all took turns caring for him. He didn’t want to go to a hospital, and he didn’t want any life support. He couldn’t be left alone. My Mother-in-Law was not able to care for him on her own.
As the month of February headed towards March, Dad got weaker. Still a stubborn man, he would use the aid of a walker to shuffle down the hall from his bedroom to his favorite chair, in the family room. As the days moved forward, his health moved backwards. It took longer and longer to get to his chair, eventually having to resort to a wheelchair, which he didn’t want to use. Did I mention he was a stubborn man?
On February 28th, he had another stroke, this one taking the mobility of his left leg. He was disorientated had a hard time speaking. The doctor was called as was the hospice nurse. We were told to make him comfortable and that death was eminent. The Doctor and Nurse were easing us into the actual acceptance of death that was to come, telling us we had possibly 24 to 48 hrs. Dad laid there struggling for breath, his eyes open, he looked through us not at us. He stayed with us until we all had time to say our goodbye’s, give him our love, and reassure him or ourselves that all would be fine. He left us at 2:30am on February 29th 2008. He had told me earlier in the week that this was all of this was part of life. I am grateful to have had this experience. I am happy to have been of service for his care. He will be missed.


Knitting has been going strong. I finished what felt like a multitude of socks. It was a way to distress…it was easier to get tangled in cables, and twisted into to lace, than to really think about was happening in our lives. 16 pair of socks finished and wrapped for next Christmas.


Gauntlets for one Granddaughter’s birthday, and socks for another. Birthday’s falling on the 5th and the 10th of this April showery/snowy month. .

Cascade Fixation, completed the gauntlets, my own pattern and design...and soft cashmere made the pink socks.

I hope spring is here! This is the first weekend in quite a while that has not had snow or rain.