Knitting Passion

So I have been gifted with some gorgeous sock yarns . . . and have some in my stash as well. I enjoy (sorta) knitting socks using the multi needle method. I mostly enjoy gifting other folks with my socks - and wearing them myself, of course. (especially right now when the temps are waaaaaaayyy below zero -33 this morning! Ouch!)

I’ve been a bit inactive in my email, too . . . not just here . . . so I decided I’d best check some of the older ones this morning and I’m glad I did. Here’s a clever, toe tapping (pun intended) video promoting a sock knitting book. THAT aside . . . it will likely have you spitting up your drink onto your keyboard . . . so, step away from the keyboard, but take a gander at this from knitting daily.

I’ll bet you have a big smile on your face right now, don’t you? How clever some people are.

Next on the list for Christmas gifting pleasure is youngest grandson modeling his new Ogre My Ogre hat.

I admit I have not seen the movies - or at least not all the way through them, so I was a bit surprised when the young un immediately began poking his little finger into the “horn” or ear of the hat. He was so tickled - “look, Nana! I pulled the wax out!” Ewwwwwwwww was my reaction - then daughters told me that is how Shrek makes his candles. Ohhhhhhh-kayyyyy.

But still? Ewwwww!

It’s a ravelry.com pattern, so you have to be a member to download it . . . but becoming a member is easy-peasy . . . just head on over and ask for an invite. I’m Purplemoose there - come check it out.

Yeah, I know, the temptation to faint is there, right? TWO DAYS IN A ROW!? (eta - I WAS on a roll . . . then the site went down for a couple of days . . . but, I’m baaaaaaaaaack) Holy cow! Something must be wrong with her! (eta - the site went down just as I was ready to post this - so it is actually a bit later than I had planned. Sorry ’bout that)

Actually, nope. Just was reading over on ravelry.com and another raveler asked for help on finishing a hat. Since I was there, and feeling all helpful and all, I answered. A short time later I saw two more answers and read them. (both said basically the same thing - whoot, us!)

Anyway . . . I don’t know why, but I still take a second look when I see that there is a man who knits. Yup, I know that whole thing about it was MEN who started knitting long before women and such . . . but you gotta love a MAN who “knits with balls.” I mean it takes one with some to shout it out, right? Right.

Not only does he knit . . . but check out some of the things he has in the works - he knits things I haven’t even had the courage to try . . . I mean, ARGYLES!!!! That’s my kinda knitter! And, it looks to me like he is prolific in his knitting . . . meaning that he does a LOT of knitting.

Now, I’m the kinda person who has to have a pattern in front of her - even when I drew up the moosie dishcloth, I drew up a graph, then the pattern, THEN knitted it. And, here Jason is . . . working out patterns in his head and going forth with them. Bravo!

That’s not to say that I don’t knit . . . here’s another picture of the grandkiddo’s Christmas knitting. This time I’ll share a picture of The Girl (14 year old - oldest granddaughter) sporting her opera length knitted gloves. Hers are pink (of course!) and her bff’s were made in blue. And, because I know you want ‘em . . . http://ysolda.com/wordpress/lace-up-opera-gloves/.

Let’s try to start this new year out with a bang, shall we? You might be scratching your heads and wondering where in the world the Knitting Passion has gone . . . has she lost her mojo? Where in the world is k2p2?

ahhhhh, my friends . . . December went by in a whirl . . . I was extremely busy at work and when at home during my “down time” I was extremely busy knitting those grandbabies their Christmas finery. I’ll not show all of them at once . . . gotta stretch out the knitting mojo a bit if I can.

The first gifts I completed were two condom amulets for Lessa’s adopted daughters.

She, of course, had to go one better and give all of the teenagers STDs . . . not the real kind, of course, but stuffed, furry types, which totally got them to giggling. They also, along with the amulets, hopefully will get them to thinking.

Of course, the amulets COULD be used for anything - they are a perfect size for business cards, or trinkets you need to carry with you. They are just plain cute to hang from your jeans belt loop. And, so easy to make and to have fun with as well.

In other news I am totally lusting after (and, no need for a condom for THIS lust) this cute Bruce the Moose from an ebay auction. Someone over at ravelry.com has one and her avatar shows Bruce in a sweater holding sticks and string, knitting up a storm. She says he sits on her couch and holds the remote control so they always know where it might be.

Random info . . . this is a hallmark moose - years ago at a hallmark store hubby and I bought our girls a book “Bruce the Moose’s Loose Tooth.” Yup - same moose.

Okay - I’m off to put the new year’s pork and sauerkraut into the oven. Hope none of you have headaches this day - ’cause I need to shout one more time . . .

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

So a bit ago I wrote about the 6 degrees of separation thing going on with me and a fellow knitter from ravelry. I mentioned that when she told me why she was coming to Alaska that I had asked her if she knew someone I knew from that church. And, she did.

Well, a followup to that message was another a day or so later. I had been telling the receptionist at work about all this and she said “is her name _________?” I told her that yes, it was. And she said, “Oh, I know her! Tell her I said hi.” I did, and passed another message from the first person back to the receptionist and we all just started laughing. THAT is how the world seems to run with knitters - okay, probably any craft has the same sort of connection.

At any rate, these two will likely meet up next week - renewing a friendship. How very cool is that?

And, as you read this I will be traveling up to Anchorage to board my flight to Indiana, where on Friday I will meet up with the raveler I mentioned. Tomorrow as I pack I will be making up a little goodie bag for her - with love from Alaska.

And, I’ll be missing from these pages until the 24th. I know, what else is new, huh? I really do intend to come in here and write and write and write . . . but something always gets in the way (LIFE! mostly) Hopefully I’ll have a picture of two of the ravelry meet-up to share with you.

First, I’d like to ask you all to go and read this article at Parenting Teens Blog by Lessa. Really, go on over there now . . . I’ll wait for you to read it, snort cola out of your nose, and then come back to finish reading my rather tame (by comparison) drivel . . .

waiting . . .

are you back?

did I not say you would snort cola out of your nose? I was RIGHT, huh?

Now, what is any sensible turn of the century nana going to do with such goings on just down the street? Well, after I get my head unburied from the sand where I like it ever so much . . . I am going to LAUGH so hard that I will snort cola out of my nose - well, I would, if I drank cola . . . the tears ran down my face at least.

These are not necessarily the things I would want my grandchildren to be talking about - because I think they are too young to have lost that innocence. But the girls in question ARE 18 so I guess that means they are young adults - and old enough to talk about such things.

Way back in the olden days when I was 18 I would have died before talking about such things with my mom or the moms of any of my boy or girl friends. Different days, different times, different problems and different solutions.

So . . . I’m going to be giving each of thses young ladies one of my condom amulets for Christmas - Lessa is providing the condoms (thank God! I really canNOT seem me going into the store and asking for such!), I just need to provide the amulets.

Okay - I’m kidding - kinda - I am a modern enough woman that I could go into a store and purchase condoms or other things - just as long as it wasn’t in one of the big box stores where everyone and his brother would see me buying them - yeah, it’s a small town!

But, I’ve got the amulets!!!!

of separation . . .

I always find it interesting that when I tell people I live in Alaska one of the questions I’m asked most often starts out with “I have a friend who lives there (Alaska) . . . do you know him/her?” But more amazing is when I can answer that I DO know that person, or know someone who knows that person.

For such a big state as Alaska is . . . it is an amazingly small community of people.

Recently on ravelry another person and I were making small talk and I discovered she was coming to Alaska to work on a church fundraiser event. I know the church group and know several of the women involved in the event, so I popped off with the first person I could think of. And, sure enough . . . the raveler knows the person I know. They work together on this event every year!

Go figure.

Go smile. Go shopping, barbara . . . yup, that’s what I’ll do. I will go to that event and hopefully meet my new online ravelry friend. I imagine we’ll recognize each other by our knitted accessories.

Hey if you want a giggle, go and check out the November 10th Herman cartoon. It is making the rounds through the ravelry boards today . . . and made me laugh when I saw it.

Let me close tonight with a tribute to Veteran’s Day.

This was taken at our small July 4th parade two years ago. The men carrying the flags served in WWII, Korea, and VietNam. They march in the memory of those who served with them and those who have served since them. I salute the flag with my hand over my heart. I honor their service and the service of my father and each of his brothers. I honor the service of the men and women whom you love who are serving today to protect my freedom - the freedom that allows me to write here.

THANK YOU! God bless you each one!

. . . to this columnist . . . a week from Tuesday I will be boarding a flight in Anchorage - heading “Outside” to Indiana for a work-related conference. I will most likely be packing some yarn and needles . . . and I may just have some in my carry on to occupy my time while stuffed into that teensy square the airlines sell as a seat.

Along with many knitters over on ravelry, I take offense at your snarkiness - oh, not about the needles - although, hey! If you haven’t tried knitting, come on over from the dark side of your world and let me (or someone else) teach you. Actually I take offense at how you described your seat mate, the knitter.

I am a woman of size - I knit - I do NOT (nor, I will bet did your seatmate) smell badly. Well, sometimes my smeller is off and I cannot smell, so THEN I smell badly - hahaha. But, my person does not smell.

As one raveler put it, when YOU get to be a person over 40 with a slowed down metabolism, let’s see how YOU deal with that weight that just will NOT go away, no matter what you do.

You’re a self described “travel columnist” and yet you “hadn’t flown anywhere in a while.” Again, quoting a fellow raveler . . . what? Do you just travel on your high horse?

Seriously now . . . snarkiness set aside . . . I think you were just tired - didn’t really want to be on a crowded plane (buy 1st class next time, maybe - just sayin’) and you were hoping, just like all of we persons of size, to have that empty seat next to you remain empty. I hear that.

So, try not to be on any planes going between Alaska and Indiana on the 18th because I will be - size and needles and all. And, yes, I would likely try to engage you in polite conversation as well. So, if we are seatmates, remind me of who you are and what you write and I will turn off MY light, close MY eyes, and pretend YOU are not even there.

Fair enough? Fair enough.

The gloves are coming along. I have one off the needles and another half way done. Today I bought black ribbon for both pairs. Hopefully I will have the first pair finished tomorrow - will post a pic when they are done - and then the second pair shortly after that.

If I have enough time after the gloves are finished I may do a “hat” for each in the left over yarn. Yeah, it’s not really a hat, although I found it listed in the hat section over on ravelry. It’s more like a headband - and, knowing the two girls, they would probably wear a headband quicker than a hat, no matter how cold it was in Alaska that day.

and then . . . while I was picking through the hat patterns listed I came across the

brain monster
I totally LOVE this for the youngest grandboy . . . maybe I should make one for each person in the family - hahahaha. Yeah, like they’d all wear them . . . but the youngest - yeah, I think he would.

Maybe the rest of the crew would wear the Thorpe by Kirsten Kapur. This style hat seems to be the rage - the kids like to wear the hats with the strings hanging down. The solid colored hats would take the least time to work up - some color variations would be cool.

Yes, I have my thinking cap on. My time is getting away from me - work is going to be killer over the next few weeks, including a trip to Indianapolis for a three day training. Of course, just because the training only last three days, that doesn’t mean I’ll only be gone three days.

I have to drive to Anchorage one day and decide where I’m going to leave my car - get to the airport and fly out early the next day. Three days in training - with a meetup planned between myself and another raveler - then fly back to Alaska on Saturday, arriving too late at night to make the drive back to Kenai - so, will likely overnight at a friend’s then drive back Sunday - where I need to go see my granddaughter in her first high school drama.

Then I get one day off to make up for some of the overtime while traveling - and back to work for one day - back to Anchorage the next for a doctor’s appointment for hubby and we’ll pick up the Big Sock- then it’s Thanksgiving!!!!

Whew! I need a vacation. I think I’ll take yarn and sticks with me.

And, it’s PURPLE, too! Lest you think I have been totally wasting my time when I wasn’t posting . . . this is a cute kimono style sweater and hat I’ve finished for a dear young woman who is having her first baby - a girl - close to my birthday in January. My youngest daughter declared the hat looks like an eggplant! Maybe so, maybe so. I know it was fun to work up.

A fellow raveler gifted me with the purple yarn - Cascade Sierra - and I purchased the green from another raveler’s stash. I was soooooo excited when Ms. W came by my office and told everyone that “everything” was being done in purple . . . and I had this lovliness sitting in my stash just waiting for a project.

In my previous post I talked about the Christmas surprise one of the grandgirls and her bff would be receiving . . . the PINK has now been cast on, frogged, and cast on again. It looks like it’ll be a quick knit - I just need to sit down and work on it. Of course, I’m back here tonight because I do NOT want to be in front of the tv watching all the election hoo-hah.

Yeah, whatever . . . he won the election . . . blah, blah, blah . . . talk to me in a coupla years and we’ll see how y’all still like him, okay? And, THAT is as political as this entry is gonna get.

Hey, wanna meet the “bravest girl ever!”??? That Lessa . . . she makes me laugh! Out loud, even . . . and I don’t mean just in an lol way, either.

. . . I’d best get working on Christmas gifts, huh? What in the world happened to October?! And, September, and August . . . and the rest of 2008!?! I cannot believe how quickly time is flying by now that I am older.

What? Me older? Nahhhhhh - not really. I think I am just stuck in a time loop where I have to get up every morning and go to work and work all day and come home at night and sleep all night and get up every morning . . . you see what I mean? Yeah, stuck in a loop!

Well, somewhere in that loop I am going to have to try to get my Christmas knitting done! I have items picked out for a couple of the grands (and friends), but not all yet. I see things I would love to knit and I have all the greatest plans in the world to do so . . . but somehow the time just gets away from me.

This is what I’d like to make oldest granddaughter and her bff - just because they will get such a kick out of them and be the ONLY ones in school wearing them - that, and that alone, would make it all worthwhile!

The girl’s will be pink with black ribbon and her bff’s will be blue with black ribbon - their fave colors. I’m a good gramma, I am.

Of course, there are six other grands to knit for as well . . . and I have nary a clue as to what any of them will be getting. Okay, I have some ideas, but not anywhere near getting started. I’ll be taking a trip for work to IN in a couple of weeks - I’m thinking I’d like to take along some yarn and needles and see what comes out of them.

Hey! Tomorrow/today is IT! After nearly TWO years of ad campaigns and campaign slogans - Tuesday is the BIG day. Don’t forget to get out and vote, okay?

So, the only thing I can say is I will try to do (much) better this month. It’s really sad when life just keeps getting in the way, huh?

So, one of the things I’ve been working on is the Big Sock project. It came to me back in mid-October and has since made two knitting forays in my hometown area. The second time, at the Funky Monkey, I introduced about 20 people to knitting. There are several first time stitches in that sock.

Then on the 24th my friend and I had to go to Anchorage for our annual bosom buddy trip (to get our mammograms) so we gathered up the sock and took it with us. We stopped by the Knitting Grounds to leave it in Zaynab’s hands and to allow many more Alaskans to have a hand in the project. I understand they are having a great time - in their Friday Night Knitting Club as well as just about any time someone wants to get it out of the box to work on for awhile. If you’re in Anchorage and haven’t had a chance to work on the sock, it’ll be there until the 14th.

After that, a fellow Raveler is going to take it to Fairbanks to Innua Wool Shoppe so the Fairbanks area knitters can have at it for a bit. So, if you’re reading this and you live in Fairbanks, North Pole or surrounding areas, contact Innua and see when the sock will be available for knitting.

About 10 days later, another fellow raveler will bring the sock back to Anchorage when she comes down to visit her daughter for Thanksgiving. Hubby and I will be in the big city the following day for his doctor’s appointments so we can pick up the sock and bring it back to Kenai.

I LOVE how it all comes together!

Watch for announcements for its next Kenai area stopover. We’ll play with it for a couple of weeks and then send it on to Columbus, Ohio. After that . . . Tennessee. After that????

The Big Sock visited the Funky Monkey coffee house today - we planned to be there from 9 to noon, but ended up staying for an extra half hour or more so that a couple of folks could take their turns.

I had planned to “live” blog the event and even had the laptop with me and booted up at one point . . . but that plan did not work out. We had 22 or 23 folks drop by to put some stitches on the sock - and most of them did not know how to knit. So most of my time was spent teaching them the basic technique. A couple of the folks were naturals at knitting - and one of my daughters surprised me by remembering what I had taught her when she was a high schooler.

Among the novice knitters were my other daughter, five of my grandchildren, and several customers who had only come for coffee.

I had made arrangements to be interviewed by the Redoubt Reporter, but before she could even get there, a reporter from the Peninsula Clarion was there eating breakfast, saw what we were doing, said “this is too good to pass up” and began snapping photos and interviewing me. So, it looks like the Sock will make TWO papers on the Kenai! Yay!

I took lots of pictures and my daughters took even more, but they are not uploaded to my flickr account - or the Big Sock’s flickr account yet. That should happen sometime tomorrow - I’ll post a link when I get them up for you.

In the meantime, however, here is my absolute favorite-est picture of the day:
These are my two daughters and five of the seven grands. They decided to step into the sock (there was plenty of room left to fit the rest of the family, too) and hold it up for you all to see how big it is getting. Pretty cool picture - very cool family. (yes, I’m prejudiced.)

Links to the rest of the pics to follow.

Really, I am. But, man, oh man . . . this cold or whatever has kicked my sizable tail, let me tell you. I still have a sore throat - comes and goes as I cough or sleep or talk or whatever. There doesn’t seem to be a rhyme or reason for it. I’ll be glad when that is over.

And, the coughing . . . don’t even get me started on the coughing. Really, please don’t - because once I get started coughing, it’s hard to stop. And, the after effects . . . well, let’s not go there. Like I said - I’ll be glad when it is all over. I’ve missed several hours at work this week. It was a holiday today (Alaska Day) so the office was closed and I slept in. How nice is that!

I promised I would tell you about the Big Sock in my next post, so here you go.

Alaska has the Big Sock! Yup, we sure do. Last Saturday I met some of the local knitters from ravelry and we added some rows to the sock - then we measured it against our height - if this thing is going to be 9 feet or better before the heel is turned, it still has a way to go, but it is getting there.

And, tomorrow? I have a surprise planned for you all . . . the Sock is going to the Funky Monkey coffee shop for a few hours . . . and I am going to take the computer again . . . didn’t have a wireless hookup last weekend, but should tomorrow. I hope to do a bit of live blogging! So, check back and if you have questions or what not, comment on the entry and we will try to accommodate with answers.

See, I aim to please

In more ways than one . . . first of all, to some people, it is COLD outside. To me, when it is still in the high 40s and low 50s it is officially still summer! Especially this past summer where temps hardly ever got into the 70s.

But, no, I am not talking about the temps . . . I have been laid low with my first realy cold in a couple of winters. Even last year with the two hospital stays where you might think my immune system would have taken a hit? Nope, no cold.

Until now . . . I think a grandbaby shared it with me - or even my boss as she was sick a couple of weeks ago. At any rate, I did something unthinkable today - unthinkable for me, that is - I called in sick. Our poor receptionist - I can only imagine her bent over the answering machine trying to decipher my gutteral vowels and scratchy consonants. I’ll have to take her chocolate tomorrow - if I make it back to work.

So, what else have I been up to . . . when I haven’t been blowing my lungs all over the place?

Need you ask? This is a knitting blog, isn’t it?

Here’s a swimsuit dish cloth I finished - after having to purchase another ball of cotton yarn. Dagnabbit - ran out when I only had TWO more rows to complete! That’s what I get for trying to get three larger cloths out of one of the big balls of yarn.

I’ve also got a baby sweater nearly finished. I’m waiting for another skein of yarn that a swap partner mailed out last week. She forgot to put my zip code on it so it came back to her and is supposed to be on its way again.

I’m also waiting for two ebay auctions of yarn I won. The sellers have both told me that the shipments have been made, but I have not received either yet. And, today is a holiday, so no mail, I’m guessing. Drat!

Stay tuned for the life and times of the moose with the knitting passion - and, next time? I’ll tell you all about the Big Sock’s arrival to Alaska.

I got down to the last TWO rows - one row of seed stitch and the cast off row - and look what happened . . .

yup - ran totally out of the yarn. I wasn’t paying attention - the yarn was in a bag at my feet while I was knitting the cloth . . . I’d knitted two other cloths from the same skein . . . well, it was bound to happen. But, TWO rows? Yeah, that kinda bites.

So, I set it aside and started on another project until we could back to the store tonight to pick up another ball of the same color.

Hubby, punny fellow that he is, asked me what I would be doing with the rest of the ball of cotton. Ha ha ha ha . . . punny, punny, punny. It’ll be made up into other cloths, right? Right!

So, I hope to do several more of the swimsuit pattern - different colors for each, though. I’d like to give them to the ladies I swim with at the pool each morning. They can use them for their after swim showers - or they can use them for dishes - or whatever.

Speaking of doing whatever you want with them . . . remember the Funky Monkey cloth? Hubby and I stopped by for lunch today and I asked the owner if his wife had liked it. He said yup. Then she came out a bit later and hubby told her that she could use it, you know . . she said “thanks . . . I probably won’t, but thanks.”

ha ha ha ha

That seems to be a big question on ravelry - do any of us USE the cloths we make or receive . . . or do we put them in a drawer somewhere and admire them from afar? I do a bit of both. I use some and admire others.

Mostly I share them with folks I care about.

Like the swimmers.

Yup!