Oh Happy Day!

This is indeed a very exciting day in my little world- today, we got connected to the Internet. This means no more having to try to hack into borrow the neighbor's Wi-Fi. They just left a few minutes ago. The Comcast guy was quite nice, and he shares the same name as my grandfather, so surely he's an honest guy, right? At any rate, thank you William. Now I can blog more regularly and look up new patterns and recipes and oh! The possibilities are endless. I should knit him a pair socks....

Speaking of knittting (what else?)- I have started the bottom ribbing of Alex's sweater and the sleeves are next. There are 17 days left. His birthday is actually on the 19th of October but I am allowing a couple of extra days to make sure there is time to properly wash, block, and adore the gift before wrapping it....

A Good Thing

Yesterday I had the opportunity to walk with thousands of people to support continuing research for Alzheimers. I am a caregiver for The Springs at Clackamas Woods and was proud to walk with our team of staff and residents. It was amazing. The Alzheimers Foundation of America provides this definition of the disease: "a progressive, degenerative disorder that attacks the brain's nerve cells, or neurons, resulting in loss of memory, thinking and language skills, and behavioral changes."

It is heartbreaking to watch a loved one lose their life to Alzheimers. It is not something that is currently curable, but can be managed with patience, love and dignity. I work in the memory care section of our facility and it is one of the most rewarding things I have had the pleasure to be a part of.

Here are some pictures :)

There were people walking for loved ones, or favorite residents they care for

I lost both my grandparents to the disease- I walked for them

This was our team name

Many a sign was carried to show support

The residents that have been affected by Alzheimers and cannot walk were along the side of the track cheering us on

Gabby is our photographer :)

The finishing line was amazing- I had goosebumps the whole walk from the love and support

Of course I knitted on the bus to and from...

This is only part of our team...

I so want to do this again!

Stripes!

Good morning my friends! Yesterday was another fun adventure with Barbara. We had lunch at a cute little Mexican resteruant and of course, I had the sweater with me.  

I knit in the car. The idea was to start and finish the collar so it wouldn't need to be done when the entire sweater was done.

I knit at the resteruant while we waited for our food.  After finishing the collar, I realized that there was no way it was going to fit over a grown man's noggin and ripped it out. The chips and salsa calmed me some as I had this revelation...

And now, we have stripes!

It's a bit difficult to see in the pictures, but the first part of the stripe patterns is a slightly darker shade of green than the main color of the body. I'm very happy with how it's turning out so far. The projects I'm neglecting to work on this one are not too thrilled, but nobody asked them...

Coming Along...

The sweater is coming along nicely. I started the stripes today :) These pictures are from last night but I will have more to come...

Right now it sort of resembles a baby manta ray, but it will eventually grow into a beautiful sweater that will be loved and cherished forever...

I should note that he looks very annoyed because I had him try this thing on right after he got home from a long day at work and he wasn't feeling well.

This photo has nothing to do with the sweater. I was hungry so I cut up a pear to munch on- this was the result. Totally accidental but so pretty...

It's Here!

I, like many other knitters out there, receive a regular catalog from Knit-Picks :)

Today, it arrived! Since our latest car fiasco (it is slowly falling apart), the knitting budget has been frozen for an undetermined amount of time...The first few pages showed the newest fall pattern kits, the most delicious yarns, and rather affordable prices. I am trying to convince my delightful husband that rather than making a big yarn order once a year, i could make smaller purchases each month when I'm ready to start a new project.

My thinking is that this will rein in the amount of yarn in the stash, and stress in my life from feeling that I have too many projects going on at once. So far, it's not working. Now, if you will excuse me, I'm going to do a little window shopping...

That Was Close

Yesterday morning, I logged onto my blog only to discover that it had been temporarily removed. I was concerned that this may have something to do with my piggy-backing off of the neighbor's Wi-Fi, but it turns out that the blogging service does random spam checks on blogs. It seems that mine was a mistake and was allowed to be left online. Hooray!

Meanwhile, the sweater is coming along. It's a perfect yarn and perfect colors and I can't wait to see the finished result!

A Good Day

As I'm writing this, the thought that somebody from the government is going to swoop in at any moment and snatch away my laptop is sort of at the front of my mind. You see, where I am currently living, there is no internet connection. At least, not in our space...I think I might be somehow connected to one of the neighboring Wi-Fi sources and I'm not really sure just what the rules on that are...Either way, I'm way excited that we have a connection!

Like most mornings, I was sitting on our little stoop, knitting away when a thought came to me. This is nearly the end of summer. According to the calendar, there are only 9 days left until the official end. I love autumn here in the Northwest (although to be fair, I have never experienced the season anywhere else...). I love the transition from warm, long summer nights into crisp, cool mornings where the morning dew transforms into tiny bits of frost on spiderwebs and leaves.

I especially love that this is delightful time to start making soup and knitting warm things :)

So, today I got a good head start. After waking up early, I peeled the apples to make homemade applesauce. After the mix went into the crockpot, it was time to prepare for the dinner meal. Ground turkey was browned up and added to fresh vegetables and herbs to top the spaghetti. I just made a pot of bean soup and now there is gingerbread in the oven.

The best part of today? My brother is coming over for one last meal before returning to Seattle to finish his schooling. And the knitting progress. The sweater is coming along quite nicely too...

At The Mall I knit

Yesterday was a very specal day for me. I was able to spend the morning with my sister, Naomi. We always meet up at the mall and have breakfast at the Cinnabon. I was a little early and Naomi is on a fast right now and avoiding all things of animal origin and refined sugar. There's more to it, but I don't remember what it is. So, in support of her sufferage, I paid ten cents for a wee cup of water and sat down to wait. Of course, I had my knitting with me...

When Naomi arrived we walked the mall and did a good bit of window shopping. I noted the number of vacant spaces in the mall and commented to my non-knitting (for now) sister that these would be prime locations for yarn shops. Unlike many a non-knitter, she agreed. She is really quite supportive of my knitterly ways...

 

Alas, the time came when we had to part, but I can hardly wait until we see each other again. Love ya Sis!

Thank You

To each of the veterans who have served, are currently serving and have died serving to defend the freedoms that our nation has been truly blessed with. Thank you to the families of the veterans for giving so much of your time, love and suport. In memory of those lost on this day eleven years ago, thank you.

I Will Conquer

Yesterday was Knot Club. The first Thursday of every month a delightful group of ladies from our church gather for tea, treats and of course, knitting. As I mentioned in my last posting, a box of yarn for a new sweater arrived on our stoop. With pattern, yarn, and appropriate tools I headed off to Knot Club. I should preface that before I left that evening, there were several attempts to start the sweater. They did not go well.

Once I arrived at my destination, there was a flock of knitters available to seek help from. Camilla, an experienced knitter, seemed to be a good choice. After several minutes of ripping, tinking, and frustration, Camilla and I decided that the pattern is poorly written which is what caused the initial delay on starting the sweater.

But! I have made good progress. I have finished the collar and I will conquer! Thank you to all the knitters last night for your patience and encouragement. The sweater is on a deadline. By October 19th (my husband's 24th birthday) the wool will be stitched with love into something that will be cherished for years to come. 

Sweaters

The wee sweater I shared about previously is all done :)
Below is a picture of a yarn tangle while working on the sweater. The critter atop my head is a stuffed orange cat. Eventually, we will get a real one, but for now, this one will do...

 It's so soft and snuggly and I'm sure that the recipient will be quite happy. The sweater is blue and knit in a pretty gender neutral pattern.

This yarn is from http://www.knitpicks.com/yarns/Swish_DK_Yarn__D5420168.html

 Along the topic of sweaters, I just got yarn in for another- this one will be for my husband :)

Stuck

People often give me funny looks when I tell them I don't leave the house without my knitting. They don't understand that knitting is what keeps me from bothering people when I have to wait in line, go on long drives, or keep me quiet when political discussions get heated. It also gives me something to do when I get stuck someplce. Such was the case this afternon when my dear friend and I found ourselves stuck on the road home from a delightful afternoon together.

My friend, Barbara, and I were driving down the road today and found ourselves stuck for at least ten minutes. The reason? The road is being re-paved all month. It's sort of a main road and to go through  adetour is something of a nuisance. So we waited. It was stifling this afternoon- if I had to guess, probably at least 90-degrees. That wouldn't have been quite so annoying had there been a breeze flowing through the windows. Or air-contioning in the car. Neither of which we had.

So, I knit a bit on the wee baby sweater I am currently working on. Pictures will follow soon...

I was lucky today. There have been a few times that I have not had my knitting with me. Just a few weeks ago, through a series of forgetfulness and poor planning I found myself locked out of the house. With no knitting and no spare key. Looking back, having no knitting was worse; if I had it, I would have been able to wait much more patiently for help to arrive.

After a few moments, I turned to my dear mother (we were locked out together) and confided that I was very close to foraging for a couple of sticks and some long grass just to take the edge off...

Help arrived and very soon I was reunited with my knitting. *This will never happen again.

* I should mention that this probably will happen again, but most likely it will be even worse- like having the drive halfway across the country for a family reunion and leaving the knitting bag at a rest stop 40 miles ago and it's gettting dark and I'm hungry and cranky and there is not a single LYS anywhere in sight....

Welcome

Hello, and welcome to my blog. Knits For Life is intended to act as an online journal of sorts to share my thoughts on life and knitting. There will be patterns I like, pictures of projects in progress, stories and maybe a few recipes in there (I love to cook and bake). I won't be able to post everyday, but I'll do my best to post something a few times a week so as to keep things interesting. I hope that you enjoy reading and maybe sharing this blog with others as much as I enjoy knitting and life.

Cheers!

Elizabeth