Yes, It's A Knitting Post!

I want to thank everyone for their good wishes and thoughts about our difficult month and the break-in/burglary. My Sweetheart and I are looking forward to August getting started, and praying it will be a far better month than this last one has been! Fingers crossed!!

And I have yarn!

Yes, that's a Knit Red project from Harrisville Designs and the kit uses their lovely (scrumptious) Shetland fingering. While I was visiting the website to check out this kit, I decided to order a color card. OY! They sent 4 pages of the most amazingly colored Shetland wool! I've held this skein for some time today with not a hint of itching appearing. I'm hoping this means that true Shetland knitting will be entering my repertoire...I cannot wait to get these mitts on the needles, but I have to finish my sis-in-law's socks, first.

It's been a very long time since I knit something red, but I recently picked up another skein of Trekking XL in colorway 36 (from the stash of someone on Ravelry). I made my second pair of handknit socks (ever!) in this colorway long ago in the summer of 2006 (was that the Summer of Socks?), and well...they didn't quite fit properly. But I adore this colorway, so when I saw this skein waiting in the "for trade" section on Ravelry, I jumped! I'm planning to knit another pair for myself (with a few years of experience under my belt) and ensure that these fit.

I also pulled out 4 skeins of a red fingering yarn I purchased ages ago to make a shawl...and I was just looking at the 5 skeins of Fleece Artist in red that I've had with a plan to make a sweater. Hmm...

I guess I'm seeing red for a reason! *wink*

Things Come In Three's, So My Momma Told Me...

Hmm...that sounds like a country song, doesn't it? Unfortunately, it's also seemingly true. But I used to think the 3s they came in, ended after the third one. Apparently, instead, it just sets us up for another set of 3!

I think our stressful times began the end of last month with the derecho storm while MS and I were in Maryland. The power was off for 6 days in my home (and I had it pretty good at that count, others were without power even longer). I'm relatively sure that the loss of power and the house being heated to as much as 100 degrees inside, during the prolonged heat wave that occurred at the same time . This created other problems. At least I seemed to see lots of problems along those lines (a heat pump that had to be reworked and re-loaded with freon, an outbreak of ants in the kitchen, a failing refrigerator). Leading up to that was a problem of getting someone to come out and replace a faucet and do a bit of other plumbing repairs. Concurrent with the loss of power, of course, was the tossing of several hundred dollars of food in the fridge and freezer. In addition, MS was facing some challenges in his own world, issues that are not mine to share, but there were at least 3 of his own. Then yesterday, I was delivered another blow.

My landlady phoned me at work to tell me my home had been broken into. I scurried across town to find my front window shattered, police all around. I was escorted into the townhouse and was stunned to see the damage. They were intent upon finding jewelry, and they found it. All of my costume jewelry, my fun and funky knitters and cat jewelry, souvenirs from Sock Summit and TKGA Greensboro, gifts from blog pals. They didn't get the good stuff (by and large, anyway, tho' there were a couple of nice pieces lost), because I keep that elsewhere. But still, it was all stuff I LOVED. Gifts from family and local friends, pieces I'd picked up on etsy, and from friends who craft. My mom's costume jewelry was also taken (one vintage piece, in particular, brought me to tears when I realized it was gone). That was hard, as I enjoyed wearing her things...as much as she did. And everytime I wore that one pin, I felt as if she were nearby. Just a funky silly way to keep her with me, you know?

The good news is the kitties are fine. With the window open and no one around, I'm amazed The Tonk didn't try to leave, but he stayed in the house. The Meezer I didn't worry about, knowing she would be under whatever she felt provided her the most safety and she didn't disappoint, but stay hidden till mid-afternoon. The police seemed to think The Tonk was quite friendly (heh - wonder if the thief thought so, too?). And the other things usually taken in a burglary, the technology things? Everything was left as it was...even the Bernina!

Still and all? Well, okay: I'm crying "UNCLE" right now! I'm well past 3, even possibly past 6. I'd really rather not move on to 9...I'm done, please? PLEASE?

The truly amazing thing? The thief left the fabric, yarn, and needles. And they thought they were getting something of value? Heh.

Fools.

Btw...if you know you remember that you sold me a piece of jewelry and you might even remember what it was? If you have a photo, could you get in touch with me? I'm putting together a list of things for insurance company and the police. The blog has been amazing, because I could go back thru and pull photos from it. But I've barely made a dent what I had. :(

Destashing, Etc...

I have finally gotten to pulling a some yarns together to start a Destash Sale over on Ravelry (just click that link and you'll get there). I'm sure there's more, and I'll be pulling things together over the next couple of weeks to add to it. In some cases, the yarn I purchased was for an item I've decided I don't want to knit, and in many of those cases, the yarn hasn't told me it wants to be anything I am interested in having it be. I suspect you'll have better luck...But in other cases? It's yarn I bought because I was somewhere that I wanted a souvenir, or just because at the time it spoke to me (sock yarn anyone?) - and it no longer is talking to me overtly or otherwise! *wink*

On another note, I'm also beginning a super-stealth knitting project using sock yarn in the 75% wool, 25% polyamid/nylon/acrylic type: Trekking XXL, Opal, Regia and so forth. It's imperative that it be in this type of yarn, because it will need to be easily washed by someone who isn't prone to being careful with woolens...I also need a color range that's entirely different from what I normally own...that said, because the person for whom this gift is intended tends to read my blog, if you have some of these types of yarns and are interested in possibly trading for something in my destash sale, please email me at the gmail address in the sidebar here, or PM me over on Ravelry. I'll let you know privately the color range I'm looking for. Swaps are good...Do please keep in mind that I have two cats, but the yarn is kept in plastic tubs, much of it in ziplock bags as well. Still that disclaimer needs to be there. If you're allergic, please be aware of it. Thanks!

If you're one of my good knit pals, who has leftovers in your sock yarn stash that you'd like to find a happy, appreciative home for, get in touch with me and I'll try to help you while you help me!

This weekend has been one of cleaning and organizing. There is much to accomplish. But while Nana Sadie Rose takes an apparent extended - and well-deserved - hiatus (the etsy shop IS still open, tho'), I'm trying to make up for 8 years of putting household things mostly on hold while I built a business...Wow, there's a lot of organizing and tossing to be done...

I think The Tonk realizes this means he's going to have a boring run around here for awhile...

Hope your weekend is a good one!

Ten On Tuesday!

While I rarely participate in this weekly tradition in blogdom, this week's topic is Ten Everyday Things That Make You Happy, and lately, I've been extraordinarily happy, so I think I can come up with a minimum of ten...

1. My Sweetheart (I realize I could do this and just copy and paste down the list, but I won't!), the man who came into my life at exactly the right time and makes every day a joy just by being in it, by sending a funny little text, a quick call just to hear my voice, an email when we're apart, and a hug when we're together (just "because"). We're separated by 60 miles during the week, but I've never been made to feel as special as MS makes me feel, whether we're in the same place or not. He makes sure I hear his voice first thing in the morning and last thing at night, creates silly little notes that I find in the oddest places when I least expect it. I do think he's one in a million, and I might just be the luckiest girl in the world.

2. The Tonk - this happy-go-lucky little boy kitteh will never grow up, and is the silliest thing to watch. Toss him a ball of crinkly aluminum and he's in heaven, and the laughter his antics inspire is pure and spontaneous. He also thinks his Momma (me!) is the best person there is, tho' he's also pretty sure he's never met a stranger (and MS is his own personal play-toy).

3. The Meezer - my soon-to-be-elderly Siamese lady is the softest of fur and sweetest of dispositions. I've learned that she's really not a standoff-ish old curmudgeon-in-training, she just takes awhile to warm up to folks and trust them. But once she does, it's a joy to watch (MS is the very first person she's ever considered worthy of her warming up to)!

4. The grandkids. Don't see them enough, but they make me very happy when I do. Each one could have earned a number all his or her own, but I'll leave it concisely as one item. They're all the apple of my eye. And MS is delighted by them, too, which is cool!

5. I'm not sure what to call this, but I guess it's my "new-found body" - this is not the one I left behind in my teenage years, but it's certainly far better than the one that got me here some 35 years later, and I'm delighted to find that things work better than I expected, and certainly LOOK better than I'd ever considered possible at this age. There's something very happy about finding that you can bring health and fitness back to your life and benefit from it, it just takes a bit of work (and when MS joins me in the work, that's just a ton of fun!).

6. My job. First, I have one (which today is something really happy!), and it's one that I do well, and where I know I make a difference. It really makes me happy that this is true, and it was a long time coming. I'm happy that I've been in my position long enough to have earned leave time to take and spend with MS (tho' not as long as he's been at HIS job!)

7. Technology: My iPhone (I'm addicted) and I can't imagine a relationship these days without a smartphone!; my Nook (hmm...yup, addicted to it, too); My Bernina - sewing was never this much fun on my old zig-zag (which I still have and use occasionally)

8. My sewing and knitting stash and supplies: while I don't get to use them nearly enough, I'm so grateful and delighted every time I open a bin and see the colors and softness of the yarn and fabric, the wonderful needles, beautiful stitch markers, zippers, and threads, and such. I have to admit, MS just shakes his head when he sees the various stashes...Now I know what you girls have been up against all these years! (at least I didn't have to explain yarn in the kitchen cabinets, as I never did that *wink*)

9. It's going to sound odd, but I'm also quite happy that a certain large cat show I normally would be preparing for at this point in the year was cancelled. I wouldn't have had the time to devote to this new romance with My Sweetheart, had I been caught up in the preparations for that event.

10. Facebook. (I know, isn't that a hoot?) I am having a blast reconnecting with folks from high school, and of course, that's how My Sweetheart and I came about, but with all it's problems and distractions, I'm really happy to have Facebook right now (who would have guessed?).

Ooops. I guess MS did figure in every one of those items, now didn't he? heheh.

Birthday Week...

As if finding a great knit wasn't enough, I was treated to a lovely dinner out for my birthday by My Sweetheart. He brought thess along. Aren't they gorgeous?

Lilith in Violet

I'm really enjoying this latest knit. It's not that challenging, of course. That seems to be the criteria these days. The yarn, on the other hand, is a teeny bit challenging. It's hairy, you see: mohair and linen. I remember some years ago, when a craft book publishing house put up a contest for a button displaying what type of yarn you were, upon answering a number of questions. I turned out to be mohair. Hmm..Hairy? Sticky? ME? (but oh, do I love this yarn, even if it's a bit of a challenge to TINK)

Ok. I'm mohair. As long as I'm this knit and this color and this addictive, I'll be happy to be mohair. That will also suit The Meezer, as she adores mohair!

A Girl's Gotta Get Herself Something!

I promise I only went for the Jane Austen Knits. The I saw the other one...

And it came home with me, too...

It's my birthday week, and I decided this would be my present to me. (and there are so many wonderful patterns in each of them, that it's well worth the price for the magazine over the prices of the individual patterns, should they have even been available outside of the magazine...)

Joce I can rationalize anything, right?

I am finally in a position to share a bit more information with you about my MS (My Sweetheart). We knew each other in high school (but only barely), and we have a fairly similar history - lots of circumstances that are amazingly similar, but I won't go into that now. We are astonishingly aligned with respect to our beliefs and political thinking (which is a really good thing in my mind), and have found precious little that we differ on...mostly foods, but even then, a lot of things are so very similar, it's enough to kinda stop us in our tracks).

We started seeing each other, and I have to say with every meeting, we couldn't believe how the hours we were together just melted away, without our realizing it. And finally we decided that we probably were, really, a "couple." MS invited me to attend the wedding of a family friend, and once I accepted, he shared that he really wanted to learn ballroom dancing to surprise his son who was a groomsman. So we started taking lessons at Arthur Murray. We've had so much fun with that, we've decided that my birthday present will be more lessons!

And this past weekend, we drove off to the wedding (in a neighboring state - which was good, as it turned out). We surprised his son, which delighted MS, and we enjoyed a beautiful wedding with a wonderful couple. I was introduced to a large number of people who are important to MS. And there were many photos taken. I've been granted permission to share this one here:

My Sweetheart and I at the wedding reception at the country club, in our special dancing shoes, ready to take the floor. He even consented to my "coordinating" our attire, a gray and purple combo that suits us both. (And probably doesn't surprise my loyal readers one little bit!)

Now to why it was a good thing we left this state: as you probably have heard, a pretty nasty weather system roared thru the mid-Atlantic (and other places) on Friday night. My area has been without power since then. I have a pretty tight townhouse these days, so it's a complete oven. The kitties, I assure you, are fine, they don't want to leave the nest, and I'm keeping them hydrated and fed. The refrigerator and freezer are completely empty, my trash cans completely full. And we're hanging in, but well aware it may be Saturday before power is fully restored.

I've been lucky, in that I've only had to stay at my place one night so far (and it was miserable). MANY folks have been stuck with this for 4 days. I was able to take yesterday off work and head to MS's (where there was air, blessed air). Depending on the situation at home tonight, I'm going back for the holiday. I cannot say a deep enough thank you to those who are working in the most oppressive heat I can remember to restore service to so many thousands without power. Bless them all.