knitting for avoidance

Well, I actually finished 3 knitting projects this week. A summer shawl knit with Peaches & Creme cotton in the potpourri color, an Edgar scarf done with Noro in blues/ purple / teal colors, and a very simple basic washcloth done using a cotton/linen blend.

All of this would have been much more impressive if it hadn't been done to avoid cleaning out the house. I started out well last week. Cleaned the bathrooms and even got rid of stuff in the drawers. I felt so proud of myself. Felt as if I was on a roll at long last to get rid of "stuff". HA! That feeling lasted less than 24 hours, hence the knitting / avoidance frenzy.

So far this year, I have gone through 2 shelves in the fiber stash, and 5 bathroom drawers. Considering that we are now halfway through May, this is not an impressive record and drastic measures may have to be taken to get some results that people can actually see.

Oh, yes, I went through the clothes in my closet....but again, guests will never see my hard labor unless I take them on a tour and that just might be a bit freaky. Unless they have the same "stuff" problem that I do and then they would understand. The downside of that is that I would be expected to view their clean closets at some future time and knowing that mine won't stay this neat, it could lead to a vicious cycle ....and another knitting frenzy.

Conner is going to start obedience classes -again! for the third time, next week. I have been the reason we dropped out of previous classes. The first time I tried a class in the local obedience club but when we stood with out dogs for an hour and 15 minutes and did absolutely no training on the first night I knew it was a waste of time. I went for 2 more classes and then quit.

Our second attempt was under our regular instructor (who I should have gone to at first), Dick Russell. Dick knows dogs and is excellent. My schedule got in the way of finishing that one. So, we will try again and we WILL finish this time. I wonder if "Stop eating baby birds " can be covered. Conner brought me 2 of them within 24 hours yesterday. Big yuck! Of course, this is a dog who sometimes eats Allie's poop so it's not like he has discriminating taste.

I am considering cleaning off the coffee table and dining room table today but on the other hand I have started the Scribbling shawl which is in the Mason Dixon Knitting book. No, no, must focus on cleaning. Have a party I'm giving in a couple of weeks and I can't ask the guests to clean....or can I? Maybe if I give knitted prizes for the one who does the best job?

Organization?

I just read the funniest thing in the world! I was surfing and looked up "organizing your stuff" for the fun of it. It has been on my mind quite a bit lately as the "stuff" runnith over.

Well, in this article it talked about getting rid of things and that having empty shelves meant you could live in a smaller place, etc. Ok so far. And then the biggie "Put your knitting yarn in a plastic bag." Dear organizer person, if I could put my knitting yarn in a plastic bag there would be no need to read your ideas!

Now if you are any kind of a knitter or fiber person at all, you know that no decent stash is going to fit in A plastic bag. 10 plastic bags, maybe, but one-no way. Anyway that was my giggle for tonight.

I am halfway finished with a multi-directional scarf I am knitting on # 3 circulars using sock yarn. Seemed like a good idea at the start-just didn't expect this to take as long as it is. I wanted a flat scarf that isn't very long. I love the pattern and so have started a second one which will be a gift. For it I am using a larger size sock yarn and # 7 circulars.

Treated myself to an iPod this week. What fun! I have been listening to knitting podcasts while I knit and have found several I really enjoy. I suppose my next purchase will be a docking station but I am currently using the earphones and they are fine. I did get the adaptor for the car but haven't used it yet. Geez, do I feel hi-tech or what?

Flying Monkeys, pillowcases, and Christmas

Didn't realize how busy I had been until I noticed how long it had been since I posted anything.
The project PillowCares for the Methodist Children's Home was a huge success. I'll post some pictures of the pillowcases. It will be an ongoing project so that each child that comes into the home will have something handmade that is theirs to keep. Evenutally we hope to expand to include the other Methodist homes in the state. Plans are already underway to make the pillowcases for the children who attend Grace Camp this summer. (Grace Camp is for those children whose parent is in prison.) We'll need about 40 for that project. I'll be contacting churches thoughout the state to encourage participation in the PillowCares project.
The holidays were awesome! JJ and I had a great time with special friends who are indeed closer than family. We have seen each other through a lot of life's events and the relationship is special and a special blessing.
Now about the flying monkeys--the guys' stockings contained flying screaming monkeys which were an absolute riot. The ante for craziest stocking stuffer has certainly been upped. We had a ball firing these things around the room at each other. Opening presents was delayed by about 10 minutes while targets were aimed at, but not always hit. You really had to keep a heads up attitude since some of us had trouble with directing the speeding monkey in a straight line.
It was wonderful being back in the Shalimar church for worship. As always the music was superb and the message was very meaningful. It's like wrapping a warm fuzzy blanket around yourself. After the service we got to visit with more friends and catch each other up on what's happening in our lives.
Conner and Allie were delighted when I got home. They probably won't be so delighted when I bath them next week but it's a necessity at this point.

Fabric, Family and Friends

Happy Thanksgiving! Well, happy day after Turkey Day Thanksgiving. This week has been one that really pointed out to me how very much I am blessed with a wonderful son, awesome sister in law and her family, and friends that are beyond fantastic. They keep me balanced, add great joy to my life and I adore each of them. They are always there when I need them even before I ask. God is good!
I have actually gone 8 days now without knitting. What? How can this be?
I am working on a project of the heart and loving every minute of it. Several of us are making pillowcases for all of the 100 plus children at the Methodist Children's home. Eventually I hope this will become a statewide project and we can support all the Methodist Children's homes in the state. Right now there are people from 4 churches involved and the pillowcases are turning out to be fabulous! Since a sewing machine isn't my favorite toy, I have been buying fabric, cutting it, and putting together kits for those that actually love to sew. I've been like a kid in a candy store matching colors and patterns and having great fun especially since I don't actually HAVE to do the sewing. I'll probably complete at least one for the experience but I think I'll make sure some of my more talented friends oversee the project.
The challenge has been to find material suitable for boys that is also 100% cotton. There is an abundance of lavendars, pinks, and "flowery " patterns but not much "macho" stuff. The other challenge has been to find fabric on sale. The most I've had to pay was $6.00 a yard but it was really great fabric and I only needed 1 1/4 yards. Did I rationalize that well?
I hope to post some pictures later this week--or maybe early next week????

SAFF

SAFF (Southeast Animal Fiber Forum) held at the Western North Carolina Ag Center was great fun! The weather was fabulous with clear, cool days and the trees were beginning to show color. I met some of the Peachtree group from Atlanta there along with some of the Choctawhatchee guild from FL . Nice to be around creative people! My son came over for the weekend and I was surrounded by tons of vendors with FIBER!
I really did resist--never actually look at your stash before going to something like that. The image keeps invading your thoughts as you shop--a real deterrent--most of the time. I limited myself to 2 cookie cutters for needle felting, a few ounces of dyed wool for the felting, and some gorgeous bamboo fiber in shades of turquoise and blue.
Needle felting seemed to be the big thing with lots of booths supporting the craft. I also managed to get some soap from The Soap Shed which is one of my favorite places. Not only are the soaps great smelling, the names are fabulous. Studly Bubbles???? Love it.

Is it Fall yet?

I can't believe it's been 6 weeks since I posted anything. I blame the life writing class I am taking. I have been writing at least 3 pages a week for that so have forgotten about the blog.
Got together with some friends and we played with the paintsticks on silk scarves. Loads of fun. Thanks goodness for texture plates as I have no drawing ability. It was a lesson in branching out in color which I am going to try next time. A couple of people did some awesome scarves with a lot of color and they were perfect for the time of year particularly.
I didn't get to make the trip to MD that I was looking forward to but several things have occurred that made me realize that I needed to be home for a bit to help some people . Funny how things work out like that.
Anyway, the topics for the writing class have been 1) a room in a house where we grew up, 2) a momentous day in our life, 3) a story about a relative or stories that a relative told, and the current one is writing about our faith or how an event helped focus our faith.
It has helped to have actual topics upon which to focus rather than just rambling.
I am knitting a baby kimono and some baby bibs since there seem to be little ones joining this world. I am finishing up prayer shawl # 8. This one is different in that it is a triangular shape but the color is various shades of purple and I love that. #7 has the colors of the rainbow in it which was what was requested by a young friend when she asked me to make one for her.
I have found a fun knitting group which is knitting for charity at another church so I am doing that twice a month.
In the meantime, I have a house that desperately needs to be shoveled out, 2 dogs that need grooming, and more yarn projects stacking up for the holidays. On the other hand, there is a great set of paper tiles for tea bag folding which will make wonderful tags for the gifts if I ever get either category finished. Geez, I need a clone!!!!!

Beef puffs and silk

Eureka! Conner had a major breakthrough. Both ends of the couch work well! You can indeed get on and off the couches on either end. So, it is no longer necessary to climb over me when I am occupying the "correct" end of the couch. Finally.
The next obstacle is a beef puff. It is a chew which is made from a cow's ear--I know, I don't like to think about that either. Allie LOVES her beef chew. She understands the concept of chewing it. What she doesn't understand is the concept of taking a breath while devouring it. She is also less than charming to Conner if he gets anywhere in her vicinity while she is exercising her jaws with one of these. Conner, on the other hand, likes to stand and watch Allie chew the beef puff. I suppose he is trying to learn how to do it as his sits on the floor untouched.
The interesting part is that if you swap the beef puffs, Allie is thrilled to have a fresh one and Conner will actually chew the one that Allie used to have. Go figure. Apparently it has to have the Allie seal of spit on it to be acceptable, or in this case, chewable.
On a fiber note: Had a wonderful time making a birthday present for a friend this week. I used paintsticks on a silk scarf and was fairly pleased with the results. I rubbed several different colors over texture plates and then also rubbed over a stamp of a leaf to get a more solid design.. I used 3 different blues, a metallic gold, and a rust made from brown and orange for the scarf. The paints didn't really go through to the other side of the scarf so I did different textures on the back side of the scarf with some of the same colors used on the front.
I also ended up scrubbing the floor where small particles of the paintsticks had dropped. Fortunately it came off easily since I did manage to see it before it had "cured". The paintsticks leave the scarf with a nice "hand" and a really fun to use. I will probably order some more scarves and get some friends over to play.
Speaking of friends--had a great lunch with Suellen and Shirley on Wednesday. We each brought our favorite quotes and shared them with each other. Not surprisingly we had all collected quotes since we were much younger--connections, connections. Linda decided to get the flu so will join us, germ free, next time.