Almost Ready

I have a confession. I am one of those people that likes to make plans. Actually, I like to plan for things way in advance. Sometimes, up to months. My younger brother, Andrew will be graduating in June from University and aside from apocalyptic events nothing is going to get in the way of my being there to cheer him on as he receives his degrees.

I have the suit case packed with toiletries and a list made of just how many articles of clothing Alex and I will be needing. These are not yet packed but will go in the week before we actually leave. Most importantly, the knitting for the trip has been decided upon. It was a very difficult decision, but I finally chose Suki worked up in my favorite yarn from knitpicks.

There will be back up knitting, of course, just in case there should be an upset with the above knitting. Seattle is a long drive and I'm going to need something to pass my time. There are definitely advantages to having someone else drive...

I will keep you all posted. Until next time, happy knitting!

The Gift of Sight

The ability to see is truly a gift. Most of us think of sight as being experienced through ones eyes. For those that cannot physically see, however, sight is found via other means; touching and the movement of hands, sense of smell, or hearing. I know a woman that is legally blind that plays the piano beautifully. Her hands glide over the ivories with little effort and the result is marvelous.

Alex and I have something of a pact. If something were to ever happen that I would lose my sight and no longer be able to knit, he would learn and do it for me. On one condition; I had to learn how to play his video games if he ever lost his sight.

I say all of this because I have recently made an appointment to have my eyes checked. I do wear light reading glasses on occasion but those have been misplaced and things are looking a bit fuzzy. By "a bit fuzzy" I mean that even the numbers on the microwave and the letters that I am currently typing are difficult to read without a bit of squinting.

I do feel confident that I will not lose my eyesight, but there is a possibility that I will walk out with a new prescription for glasses. This is all causing me to wonder though, if I lost the ability to see what I'm knitting would I still be able to enjoy it? I could still feel the fibers move through my fingers and the warmth of the needles in my hands, but I wouldn't be able to see the colors, and in knitting, that's a big part of it.

We shall see what happens. The appointment is on Tuesday.

Color

One of the things I love about knitting is the incredible variety of colors available to work with. There are the natural hues that come from animals such as sheep and rabbits, the bright. bold colors made up from synthetic dyes, and every shade in between. Each color can be paired to another just perfectly to create something beautiful, edgy, or peaceful. I love it all.

In this photo, by National Geographic photographer, Joseph Baylor Roberts, I find the soft colors rather charming. It is an image that was published in a 1941 edition of NGM and depicts a young woman that was crowned the Queen of the Cotton Festival in Gastonia, North Carolina.

My eyes are drawn to the large draping of white behind her (which looks handknit), and the spools of cotton that surround her; each one colored like an Easter egg. I find myself wondering about this. It's my guess that in the early nineteen-forties, the colors available were somewhat limited. Today, dyers have created some beautiful combinations that are self-striping and patterning. This is quite a leap from the simple solid shades knitters used back in the day.

Something New

Hello my friends! I know it has been some time before anything new has gone up on this blog, so here we go. Today, I finally did it. I got my hair cut. It's really quite cute and I will post pictures later, but it was really time. The long strands were clogging up the bathtub and getting everywhere. Alex gave strict orders that I was not to get a "boy hair cut". The end result is something of a layered, bobbish do, and absolutely perfect.

I'm also on a bread baking kick. This morning, I made Rosemary Olive Oil to go with the vegetable barley soup I made last night. Right now, I have a loaf of Cranberry Orange rising on the oven as the tea kettle is heating some water for a cup of my favorite Orange Spice tea.

I love days like this. The rain comes to water the earth, the house chores are getting caught up on and best of all, today Alex and I have a day off together! It doesn't happen often and when it does, we are usually in separate locations. But today, we are here, together and cozy in our little home. It isn't anything new, but it gives me comfort in knowing that I can curl up next to my husband while we each do something we enjoy; he plays his video games, and I knit.

We do these things separately, but together, and I love it.

Birthday!

Today is my 24th birthday. There is nothing very significant about this day; I'm one year older, and I still can't make a decent tuna casserole. But, the Birthday Sweater is finished, and this morning, I finally met someone else that shares my birthday. This is what I call a "birthday buddy". His name is Rilee, and he is one of my mother's kindergarten students.

Rilee is downright adorable and all he wants for his birthday is a younger brother. I talked to his mother today while we all shared cupcakes, and it doesn't sound like his wish will be granted anytime soon. I won't post his photo here, but I have been invited to have cupcakes again next year and to come visit anytime.

The day is not yet over, but my mother gave me a beautiful bouquet of daffodils (my very favorite flower), and I wore a special birthday crown to commemorate the occasion.

 

This is the wee sweater I have been creating out of the leftovers from the Birthday Sweater. What do you think? I'm really on a sweater kick right now and am seriously considering knitting one a month...

Two For Two

As I am writing this, I am staring at the screen of a new computer, fresh out of the box this afternoon. There is nothing wrong with the laptop I have now, but what that lacks in keeping a long battery charge, this new one makes up for in touch-screen technology. Yes. Touch-Screen. I feel as high tech as the team on NCIS: Los Angeles. If you watch that show, you will understand the reference to their really cool gadgets.

This computer was a birthday gift from Alex*, my adoring husband who is extremely patient with me. I mention that he is patient because just a few days ago I discovered a very big number on a receipt that he brought home when I was checking the dollar amount for a different item that needed to be returned. I didn't take the time to look at what item could possibly be so much money, and instead told him to please discuss that sort of spending with me next time.

He just looked at me and (with great patience) explained that it was a birthday present. I felt like quite a jerk. But, although my mouth is physically small, I discovered that it can accommodate for exactly the amount of room for my foot to enter and stay there because I made similar mistake last night when I said something and ruined another surprise.

This time, it involved my mother. I should note (just in case she is reading this very post) that she really is a very generous woman and gives from her heart whenever the occasion arises. She has a coworker that has access to her own angora and merino that was kind enough to supply some to her.

Anyway, my mother came home before out knitting group and showed me this beautiful fiber that she had just gotten that day and asked what I thought of it. I told her to ask what this woman would charge for it, because I wanted to buy some for myself. Then my mother (kind as she is), suddenly had this really disappointed look on her face and said something along the lines of "well, I was really wanting to wait until your birthday, but I really love you, and I just know that you have always wanted to knit with such pure and beautiful fibers, these are for you. Happy Knitting."

Of course, I am paraphrasing so the actual conversation may have been a little different. I was so excited!

I thanked her repeatedly and apologized for ruining (another) surprise.

In all seriousness, I do thank you Alex and mom for really doing something special like this for my birthday. It was a very pleasant (although unexpected) surprise.

*The computer came with strings attatched; I have to share with Alex since it is meant to be the family computer. The yarn however, did not.

Sunshine

It has started to rain again here and I am really, not disappointed. I love living in the Pacific Northwest. This morning, however, before the rain begins again, we have a bit of sunshine. It was not too cold, I have the nest three days off, and a new knitting project. This made for a delightful combination. I took my cup of Orange Spice tea (one of my favorites), my camping chair, and my knitting and sat on our stoop. It's the first Stoop-Sitting of the season and you can be certain that I really enjoyed it.

Tonight I will be at Knot Club working on a small pink sweater (sized 12-24 months) and enjoying the good company, treats and tea of friends who share the same love of knitting. The sweater is using up the leftovers of my Birthday Sweater. I'm a bit uncertain of the recipient, but I may just hold on to it for myself to start up a collection of handknits for any little Daniecki's that may be coming along in the future. Perhaps I could get a special little trunk to place them in. A trunk may be a bit to big, but that just means I have the pleasure of knitting more, right? Babies grow up quickly and there will need to be assorted sizes and colors...

Have a lovely day and if you are in the NW, please, enjoy this beautiful day while it lasts. Cheers!