Prayer Shawl Donations

My Mom, my Grandmother and I have all been inspired to make prayer shawls lately. Here are three that Grandma has made and contributed to the charity cause. Grandma is by FAR the most productive knitter of the three of us.

The almond colored one is a Deborah Bliss yarn in her Serenity yarn line. The purple ones uses yarn stash and scraps. The red multi-colored one is from a yarn line called Rainbow Classic - it's acrylic yarn that comes in a big huge skein for $9.99 at Joanne's.



My Mom made this lovely Easy Triangular shawl that is a free pattern from the Lion Brand website. Hers is made in Deborah Norville's Serenity line of yarn in the Forest Green colorway.


The one I finished last week is the Old Shale shawl made from JT Brett's Marble line in a bright spring colorway called "Wildflowers" that I mentioned previously. I LOVE this yarn because it comes in huge varigated balls of yarn - nearly 400 yards for $12 - you can't beat that. The colorways are gorgeous. This wrap uses a very simple pattern that I was given by WineDivaDesigns. Here is the stitch pattern for anyone interested.

For mine (I used a bulky yarn and size 11 or 13 needles):
Cast on 72
Purl two rows
Row 1: knit
Row 2: purl
Row 3: K2tog (3 times), YO, K1 (6 times), K2tog (6 times), YO, K1 (6 times), K2tog (6 times), YO, K1 (6 times), K2tog (6 times), YO, K1 (6 times), K2tog (3 times)
Row 4: knit
Continue until you are almost out of yarn, ending with a Row 2. Purl two more rows and cast off loosely. Weave in ends.

This makes a very easy shawl to knit up in a hurry and is fairly mindless. The pattern it produces makes a scallop design. We like to use acrylic yarn so that they are inexpensive to make, yet washable.

By the way, if you are interested in making Prayer Shawls at all, there is a very active and friendly Prayer Shawl group over on Ravelry. We all kind of keep each other inspired by stories of what we are making, sharing patterns and tips, as well as a few really moving stories about those who have received the shawls. You don't often get to actually meet the recipients of the shawls, but knowing they are going to people in crisis makes my normal life seem easier somehow.

One last thing, here is an article called "Blanketing People With God's Healing Love" that describes how prayer shawls have been used by the American Red Cross to bring comfort to those in crisis.

Inner Confusipation

Have you ever had it - a strange feeling of anticipation mixed with unease, confusion - a fussy feeling of not being able to rest and wanting to buzz around and get things ready in anticipation of a big change? But you're not quite sure what it is? And you're excited, nervous, confused and enthused all at the same time? I guess I'll call it . . . Confusipation?

That's what I'm feeling right now. It's very strange. And very exhilerating all at the same time. I'm feeling drawn to be busy on the outside, but still and waiting on the inside. I'm being drawn to prayer and meditate more - to read books like Breakfast with Buddha by Roland Merullo.

Even in my knitting life, I feel bouncy and restless. Wanting to start a bunch of new projects, but also feeling a need to finish some stuff that have been in the works for a while. The last two days, I've felt an INTENSE need to finish this Feather and Fan prayer shawl I started nearly two months ago. It's growing (now 37" long - and the simplicity of the stitch pattern is creating a soothing rhythm that I hope will create serenity and healing for the woman whom I making it for.

And I'm making this shawl for a specific person whose husband was in a bad accident and needs many thoughts and prayers, for the whole family's physical, financial and emotional healing.

Engaging my thoughts in wishing the best for another person's healing is helping me wait with quiet confusapation for whatever is about to happen in my own life.

Thanksgiving Again?

Is it really Spring, as the calendar insists, or have we reverted back to Thanksgiving? Here in our part of the Midwest, we had a very funky weather day. It started out raining a really cold, nasty rain, then it turned to ice pellets that covered the roads and trees, then some huge feather size snowflakes that stuck, then it literally snowed slush. We stayed right at freezing temps all day long so some stuff stuck. I think we ended up with 3 inches and it's been a cold mess.

By the time my dog, Domino, went out, his little body was half covered in snow and he wasn't very happy.

We hung out at home most of the day in front of the fireplace and I had a craving for turkey. We bought a big Butterball turkey and cooked it for hours late in the afternoon and into the evening. It made the whole house smell scrumptious. I think we're going to stay home tomorrow too and have a lazy pajama day. Our lunch will be a Thanksgiving menu - turkey, stuffing, gravy, cranberries and green beans. Don't worry, mine will be the low cal version - turkey with salad and just a taste of cranberries.

At any rate, it's been a fun "snug as a bug in a rug" kind of weekend, knitting, reading, cooking and nesting at home with my family. Hopefully spring is just around the corner, because we're all getting REALLY anxious for some bright cheery spring weather. Before this storm hit, the grass was green, trees budding and you could almost smell fresh cut grass in the air. Ah well, patience, Spring WILL come.

Shawl We Make One?

It's spring. Time for Shawls. And it dawned on me that of all the shawls I've made these past couple of years, I've only kept one for myself. Figured it was time for me to make a few shawls for my lacklucker spring wardrobe.

On one of my blessedly wonderful vacation days last week (did I mention the weather was sunny and PERFECT?), I wandered into Yarn Shop and More and saw a very cute casual shawlette on display designed by one of the talented employees named Carol Eddington. It was love at first sight.

I immediately bought the pattern. Bought the yarn, it's the Feza Alp Lite, in a beautiful colorway of purples, greens and navy called Forest Adventure. The yarn is a DK weight Novelty yarn, similar to the Magic Yarn balls we used to make several years ago, when novelty yarns were really hot. It got me in the mood, in fact, to make my own magic ball yarn again. There's a wonderful short article on making Magic Ball Yarn by Clara Parks over on Knitter's Review. "Tips and Tricks: Magic Ball Knitting." I may be doing that soon, who knows? It's sure a good way to use scrap yarn and would be fantastic for making prayer shawls.

I don't care what anyone else says, call me gawdy, whatever, but I still LOVE novelty yarns. Not fun fur. Yuck. But I like glitzy showy type yarn - bring on the sparkles, the glimmery and the textured yarns in amazing colors. This shawl displays those types of yarns in a darling little shawlette that is only 53 rows total from start to finish. You can get the pattern from the Yarn Shop and More store or website, or contact the designer at design55@everestkc.net.

If you've been afraid to tackle lace, this is an ideal beginner's shawl or a mindless knit for those who just want to stave off spring breezes or summer air conditioning chills.

Giving Up the Big Pants

Okay, here's a mid-week spring break report of what I've done so far.

My taxes. Check. Thank goodness those are finally out of the way.

We're working on the bathroom - making big progress there, but I'd say that accomplishment goes on Bob's list, not mine, since all I've done is standby and admire his handiwork.

Cleaning out and organizing my clothes closets (yes 2 of them). Big accomplishment. Even bigger (pun intended) is the fact that I finally had the courage to round up all of my "fat clothes" and donate them to a charitable organization.

Why is this such a BIG deal? Always in the past, I've kept a full range of clothes from size 6-14. Haven't kept many of the 6's because I long ago gave up on the idea of ever wearing those. But the larger range - especially from 12-14, I've hung onto like paste on old wallpaper. Not giving them up HUH UH!!! Why? Because no matter what diet or exercise plan I have been on, I've always feared that I getting fat again is just inevitable. So I finally had the courage to give them away. I am going to trust enough in myself that I won't regret giving up those old favorite and comfy clothes, no matter what. I'm finding replacements that fit the new size and self-image that I'm slowly building.

Changing from a "fat old frump" mentality into a "fit and attractive" mentality is a HUGE step, and one I'm still working on day by day. But this is the year where I'm changing that mindset by putting my priorities on doing whatever it takes to exercise daily, eat healthy and keep my mindset on inching toward my fitness goals.


Okay - yesterday I also took in an afternoon matinee with my husband. Gran Torino with Clint Eastwood. I'm not usually a Clint E fan, and I went to see this movie mainly to please Bob, but let me tell you, it is one of the best movies I've seen in a long time, and I watch lots of movies. It is MUCH better than most of the movies that won Academy Award prizes. I absolutely loved this touching story of an old gruff Korean war vet who befriends his young Hmong neighbor after the kid tries to steal his beloved 1972 Gran Torino. Wow, what a movie. It will probably make the list of my personal top 10 all-time favorites. Seriously.

So if you haven't seen Gran Torino yet, please run not walk to the theater and take in this wonderful picture this weekend.

Yay for Spring Break!

The whole family has been working really hard lately and we've been extremely stressed. So we decided to take off Spring Break together and spend some family time at home. We aren't planning on going anywhere, just staying home and maybe doing some bathroom renovation.

It doesn't sound very restful, but my husband is the handyman and will probably do most of the work. Emily and I will maybe help paint a bit, pick out some fixtures, and stuff like that, but mainly act as cheerleaders because he's very exacting in his handyman work and we tend to get in the way more than help when we step into that small room.

We also want to get other stuff done - if the weather is nice, we may get outside and do some yardwork - cleaning away weeds and old leaves. If the weather is rainy, then hopefully we'll move inside and do some straightening and organization. Maybe not full-blown spring cleaning, but at least spring straightening and clearing out? (I hope).

See, my plans are all grandeous!!! But we also want to relax. I swear. I want to knit. To read. To veg. To sit outside on the porch. To visit the art museum.

And I'm making plans to cast on a Spring shawl for ME. I've been doing mainly prayer shawls lately for others, and it's time I have a new shawl entirely for ME.

I want Spring to arrive so darn bad I can taste it. Wonder if it's almost time to get in the storage shed and break out the hammock for the backyard? Too early to grill burgers? Not sure. Let's wish for Spring. Yay!

Taffy Pull-On (Shrug)

When I went to The Studio Retreat last month, I met a really fun, creative knitter there named Emily. I've seen her around The Studio before and she's one of those people who just LOOKS interesting, even from a distance. But I never talked to her before at length until the retreat.

Well, Emily, also known as Taffyyarn over on Ravelry, got me enthralled with her Taffy Yarn. She also has written some patterns using her t-shirt yarn - which she makes herself - she cuts, dyes and hand-ties the material to make lovely and UNIQUE garments. She has a pattern for the shrug, as well as a Taffy Wrap and some other designs as well. It's well worth going to her site and checking out her taffy.

I made this cute little shrug in less than a week, and that was with very little knitting time devoted to it. I am a slow knitter, but even I, using Size 17 needles, can whip out a finished garment pretty fast. You could probably do it even faster if you're so inclined. This would be a perfect shrug to keep the spring breezes from chilling your arms, or later in summer, to keep the air conditioning gremlins at bay.

Overcoming the Plateau

Okay, I've been on the Jenny Craig program since November 18th, that's 14 weeks. In that time, I've lost 21 pounds, and I feel much better and healthier. Yay!!!! I've made what feels like a major lifestyle change.

I would still like to lose another 10 or 15 pounds if possible. I don't want to be skinny by any means, but for my small stature (5'3") and small bones, I don't feel I'm quite finished yet.

But for the past 3-4 weeks, I've been on a "plateau" meaning that I'm just kind of stuck at one place. I'm not losing or gaining - just hanging out in the same spot. I must admit, it's a bit annoying.

I'm not cheating on the diet, I've really stuck with it rather well. I've kept a food journal, etc. So I reevaluated the three prongs of this lifestyle, 1) Food; 2) Exercise and 3) Mindset. I think it's obvious with me what is needing more attention - EXERCISE.

Since winter and long work hours have set in, I have cut back on the only form of exercise I've been doing, which is the Treadmill. I used to do it 3 times a week, but in recent weeks, I've been lucky if I get in 1 day a week and I've kind of slacked off of wearing my pedometer. I am supposed to get in 10,000 steps per day. That has fallen to around 5,300 on an average day, and that's just not enough.

So I'm kicking my own ass, strapping on the pedometer and so far this week, I've worked out every day - Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. I'm also going to try some resistence work on a balance ball a couple of times a week and Emily and I are signed up for a once per week yoga class at the fitness center. I start that Thursday night.

Remember my word for the year? Priorities!!! Well, I'm determined that Exercise will be my new highest daily priority. We'll see if I can push myself over this plateau. I've worked long and hard, every day for 14 weeks to look and feel better. I'm thinner, but I also want to be TONED.

Instead of getting discouraged, I'm getting more determined. It's a good feeling. And by the way, the exercise really DOES help reduce stress. In the past 3 days of doing the exercise, I feel more energetic all day long.

Bring Out the Big Sticks

Big. Chunky. Easy. Fast. Instant Grat. That's what I'm craving right now. So for the time being, I've banished all those socks - all those small yarns and size 0 needles. Bring on the Size 13. Size 17. Size 19. How's that for the big sticks?

At the stress level I'm at right now, just PLEASE give me easy and mindless.

Now let's discuss books to inspire in this Big Knitting. Starting with Big City Knits. I know this book was out in 2007, but I didn't discover it until recently, after talking about it with a couple of people at The Studio Retreat. This is a book of 31 Chunky Yarn Weight designs by the designer Wenlan Chia, maker of Twinkle Yarns. I notice that Knitpicks has the book on sale right for now 34% off and I'm debating whether I should buy it now or wait until they have another 40% off sale. The copy I've been reviewing this week is one from the library, but I definitely think I'll try to make a couple of things from this book, as well as Loop d Loop, another great source of big chunky projects that I'm craving right now.


One thing to be forewarned about if you consider getting this book (Big City Knits) is that the bust sizes range from 22" - 35." There has been a well-discussed "sizing issue" with folks wondering why the size range doesn't expand to larger women. From what I understand, though, the patterns are made out of huge stretchy yarn, so perhaps if I make the size Large, the 35", that it might fit my 38" actual size. We'll see how that goes.

Also, the designer, Wenlan Chia, had a live discussion chat over on the Vogue website this week. You can read the transcript here.


And finally, before Vogue's Winter issue leaves the book stands, if you are drawn to these bigger knits, go out and grab a copy of the Winter issue of Vogue, which features "Bold and Beautiful" designs, including Michael Kors, Wenlan Cia and Tom Scott. The good thing about the designs featured in the mag this month is that they DO include larger sizes, not just designs for the skinny minnnies, so it's definitely worth checking out. I like these designs very much and am thinking of making one . . . or two . . . or maybe all of them. How big is my Ravelry queue getting these days?

Have a great weekend everyone. For me, it's Big Knits time. And I'm still trying to track down the jumbo needles.

A Blessed Day AT HOME

"Sometimes I wonder if I'm ever gonna make it home again,

It's so far and out of sight.

Snow is cold

Rain is wet

Chills my bone right to the marrow." Carole King


One of my favorite albums of all time - Carole King's Tapestry album and in particular, her song "Home Again" rings through my mind today. I've been listening to it a lot lately for comfort, or maybe trying to draw a part of my long ago (teenage) self back into existence so that I can better understand my own teenage daughter, who knows! But that sense of quiet desolation and chill is filling me right now, and I'm knitting like mad to try to warm myself, inside and out.

We haven't had a SEVERE winter (nothing at all compared to LynnH and Kim's Michigan winter this year!!!) but it seems to be dragging on forever. We haven't had extreme snow or ice here this year, but we've had just an enduring cold/damp chill in the air, and biting winds. So even on a sunny day, like today is supposed to be, the air is just COLD and it feels too cold to do anything at all outside.

In fact, for the past two weeks, I have felt "chilled to the bone." Today I'm staying home from work for an extra day off (Yay!!!) and guess what? I'm not going anywhere. It's HOME day.

I can't remember the last time I just had a day to stay home, get warm, mess around and not do anything. Well, maybe the dishes and laundry, but that's it. I swear. I'm hunkering down and being a total homebody today. It sounds just like what my soul needs to revive. I'm knitting, reading, taking a long relaxing bath with a face mask. I'm treating myself to a total hedonistic day of relaxation in my favorite place, HOME.

Today I'm knocking on my own door, and that seems like the best place to be and the best person to see.

I'm Not Religious, But I Believe in Prayer

I've always been a little bit DIFFERENT spiritually speaking, a bit eclectic you might say. Born and raised as a member of the RLDS church, then embracing metaphysics, meditation, agnosticism, later Unity, and sojourns Zen Buddhism and eventually converting to Judaism, but then not really adhering to ANY of those schools of thought. In short, I'm a spiritual hodge-podge and tend to make things up as I go along, believing what I believe.

But at any rate, I do pray (in my own way), meditate, think good thoughts for people, the leaders, and the world in general.


And when they discussed the power of Prayer Shawls at The Studio retreat a few weeks ago, I became inspired because I've been wanting to do some charity knitting and this seemed to interest me more than any other project I've heard about in a long time.

It's good that I can give to an organization such as House of Menuha which is where The Studio prayer group's shawls are being donated. Women who receive these are usually at some crossroads in their life and can use a bit of spiritual shoring up.

After a Prayer Shawl Meeting with Deb, who coordinates The Studio's Prayer Shawl Group, I decided to set to work on one. Following the general guidelines: fast, easy, acryllic or washable yarn, size 13 needles.

I used the Easy Triangle shawl, a free pattern on the Lion Brand website. It's so easy and fast, it's amazing. I knit this whole thing up in just over a week and hardly spent much knitting time on it at all. It uses size 13 needles, and I used Deborah Norville's new Chunky line of soft acryllic yarn approprately called the "Serenity" line. Colorway: Chocolate and it took only 4 skeins, costing me $2.99 X 4 - about $12 for the whole thing. The finished shawl is a roomy 65" X 31". This yarn is amazingly soft and best of all, it's beautiful and washable. She has several gorgeous colorways to choose from.

Not being a particularly GOOD prayer, and being kind of fast and scattered by nature, I tried to get in a peaceful frame of mind when I worked on this project. It actually made me feel good myself. So making things for others has an added benefit in making me feel better, not only by giving but just the process itself. Very gratifying!

Another kind of neat thing I did was have several people who ARE good prayers and who I consider to be really good spiritual people to touch the shawl in progress and to say some prayers over it for the recipient.

So I already have started doing some charity knitting, and I'd like to do a lot more of it this year.

Sweet Valentine

Well I had a rather busy but wonderful Valentine's Day weekend. I didn't realize how much more FUN Valentine's Day can be when you have a whole weekend to celebrate it, instead of it being crammed into a busy work week as it normally happens.

Anyway, I came home from work Friday night to find this lovely bouquet on the table and a sweet note from my husband. Then we went out to a crowded but delicious dinner at Outback. Saturday we spent the morning looking for vanities for a bathroom remodel we hope to eventually do - my husband will do the work himself. He's handy that way.

I spent Saturday afternoon with the knitting group, something I haven't been able to do in recent weeks. A day of "no overtime" is a blessed one in my book!


Saturday evening we went to Paradise Playhouse - a fun little dinner theatre that is in Excelsior Springs. We've gone there for years, since 2000 when they first opened. The cost of going to this out-of-the-way theatre is only about half of what it costs to go to an upscale one here in town. Since I rarely dress up anymore, there is something so romantic about dressing up and going out together.

Also, something funny happened at the beginning of the play. The curtains opened, we were watching the first scene where an actress placed a picture of her beloved film star up on the mantle of the fireplace. She was speaking about how she loved and admired this starlet and was so proud to have the picture there in a prominent place of her home. Another relative came by moments later and snatched the photo down, burying it in the closet and saying it was tacky and she wouldn't have it there.

Suddenly from the first row of the audience, a very conservative, mousy looking man shouts out, "There you go, honey, now you know how I felt when you took down my gun!" At first I thought it was part of the show, but no, it was just a fellow audience member upset over his wife's removal of his beloved rifle from over the mantle. Somehow, Bob and I started picturing that we we couldn't stop laughing. It hit other audience members in a similar way, and there was a wave of laughter temporarily disrupting the regularly scheduled play. It was a really cute moment.

I've been married a LONG time, and it is weird, funky moments like these that we will look back on and continue to laugh at years later. Those moments of "private jokes" are a treasure.

One last note about relationships, and particularly romantic ones. A man called into my favorite radio talk show the other day. The topic was relationships and how you stay happily married etc. An older man who'd been married forever said, "Just remember, there's no joy in being right."

I thought it very sage advice. So I leave you with, "There's no joy in being right."

Invincible Summer

One of my favorite quotes of all time:

"In the depth of winter I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer."
Albert Camus

When I was in Junior High School, I cut that quote out of a magazine, posted it on a piece of dark blue construction paper, along with a photo of a bright summer day. Every day, I struggle to find that invincible summer and try to grab on to at least a few strands of inner sunshine.

How about you? What makes you feel sunny inside?

Getting My Knit On

Whew! I'm back. Did ya miss me?

I had one of the most physically relaxing and creatively stimulating weekends that I've had in a long time. I decided not to take any classes, but just meet knitters, sit, knit, relax and talk to people. Get inspired. Boy, did I!

The setting (Elms Resort) became the perfect setting for a bunch of fiber obsessed women (and one brave knitter man). The market was great, the people were wonderful, and the projects - amazing.

The market featured da da da DAHHHH - Kay's Dome Hill Sock Yarn:








I mingled with old friends . . .



















Met some fascinating and fun new friends . . .






Became empassioned to buy a "Trashy Bag purse" - besides being environmentally friendly, it's very cute . . . . now have a hankering for "taffy" yarn . . . and prayer shawl knitting is in my future, inspired by some very special people who have benefited from them, and whose lives have grown richer by making them for others.

Definitely a weekend to treasure.

Knitting Priorities

As my sprinkling of readers may or may not know, I've been putting in a lot of hours at work lately. We're in a real crunch there on several incoming clients and projects. It's meant a lot of overtime. I'm not a person who does well with a lot of hours. This blog isn't calling "Hanging By a Thin Thread" for nothing, don't you know?

I have some stress coping mechanisms, but most of those involve having time off to meditate, read, knit, walk, do some yoga, reflect. With the time crunch, I've lost a bit of perspective.

But this coming weekend, I will have time to do ALL those things. Because . . . . The Studio Retreat at The Elms is finally coming right up. I'm counting down now. Five days to go. Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday . . . then da da da DA - Friday I'm at The Elms. Three whole days to intermingle with my knitting peeps. A hot spa tropical bath treatment. A yoga session or two, lead by a yoga instructor. Sitting in the lobby, pictured here, of a 150 year old hotel in a peaceful setting. Nothing but TIME, TIME, precious TIME to share with my knitting friends. I can't begin to tell you how much I'm looking forward to it.

I was considering taking some classes there, but decided that the time to just relax and knit is more important than anything else right now. Learning a new technique would be nice . . . but not as nice as just vegging out. Remembering my priorities - yeah, no classes for me.

My knitting life, much like the rest of my life, has felt fragmented, confused, sporadic and unfocused. Though I don't want to put myself on any kind of productivity regimine, because knitting should be fun and not work, I nevertheless haven't felt relaxed even in my knitting lately, because I feel off kilter and unsuccessful at nearly every project I laid hands on in 2008.

Don't know why, but I produced a lot of duds last year, and 2009 started off with a frustrating experience trying to knit a Jane Thornley Organic Wrap that I ended up frogging. I had hoped to wear it to the Retreat, but no, forget that.

While I'm at the retreat, I'm going to reflect on what are my knitting priorities this year? What do I want to make, learn, do? What excites my knitter's passion in 2009?

A Day of Pride

In November, we did it, we elected Barack Obama as our 44th President. That election day filled me with euphoria. But today, on his inauguration day, I am filled with something else, something deeper and more profound . . . not just hopeful idealism, but true pride in our country and the realization of how far we've come in my own lifetime.

My childhood occurred during the years of the Vietnam War and during the struggle for racial equality. I was raised believing that while women and blacks SHOULD have equal rights, they really didn't and were desperately fighting for it.

Today I had to work, so I tried to catch glimpses of the big event on my coworker's monitors as we watched it through website feeds. But when the swearing in came, we all stood transfixed as we saw the dream come true. It was very emotional and moving.

Now we've come full circle. We have a leader who represents all the best qualities we so desperately need in a leader at this point in our history. It feels as if we are on the brink of something.

This President isn't promising to do it all for us, but to lead us in a new direction and into an America that we all participate in and create together.

Knitting Caddies

I am a natural bag lady - one of my favorite things to knit is purses and bags, and those have also been some of my most successful projects.

However, yesterday when Bob and I were shopping at an Antique Mall, we happened upon this:

Finding that knitty caddy reminded me that my favorite knitting bags aren't knitting bags at all, they are knitting CADDIES and that's why I have these other two as well:






My Grandmother used similar caddies during the 1960's and 70's and I forgot how much I love them!! I am going to be on the lookout for a vintage version - I am very sentimental about the wild, garish prints of the '70s and those are my favorites.

Now the reason I love these caddies so much is because they sit on the ground, open while you are knitting and when you are ready to go, you just flip it closed, grab the handle and go. Your knitting stuff never falls out - it's compact, easy and really works well.

Fun Saturday in Parkville

Knowing this was my last "workfree" Saturday for the next few weeks, I took a small roadtrip to Parkville, Missouri with my Mom and Kay - and we drove to the Florilegium shop. It's a charming yarn shop that is that and so much more. It's a unique gathering place for crafters.

This week, they featured a visitor, Dave from Ozark Handspun fibers. Dave was there to demonstrate his talent of spinning hand dyed locks in big creative skeins of yarn that knit up quickly and produce works of art.

Best of all, Dave brought along a trunk full of freeform garments to try on, many of which were designed by my Ravelry friend, Janice Rosema. I first "met" Janice over on Knitter's Review Forum several years ago where we shared a mutual love of Freeform, but whereas I'm a dabbler in the art, she's a true master - she designs pieces that are amazing. This weekend I was finally able to see these projects first hand.

You should have SEEN the shop full of excited knitters, gathered around ohhhinngg and aweing the fabulous yarn. There was a gathering especially around the huge trunk with the freeform garments. They looked like a happy group of little girls at at a costume party. They were trying on wild crazy hats, vests, sweaters and purses, all the while asking the other women, "How does this look on ME?" Great fun.


If you would like to see some of Janice's work, she has an article with photos of her freeform shawls in the Jan/Feb issue of Belle Armoire. She also has a pattern in the Winter issue of Knit N Style - it's a freeform cape design with matching fingerless gloves.

Huckleberry Ascot Completed

In spite of the craziness and required overtime at work, I've been able to squeak in a LITTLE knitting. This is my latest project - the Huckleberry Ascot from the Winter 2007 Holiday issue of Interweave Knits. I am showing a shot here with the left side bobble-free and the right side with the bobbles so you can see how it looks both ways in case you don't like bobbles.

My friend Laura kindly gave me a gift certificate to The Studio, so I bought the most luxurious yarn called Shi Bui which is DK weight Baby Alpaca. That is what I made the Huckleberry scarf with - the colorway is 229 which is a rich purple-burgandy.

Though the time for gift giving is now officially over, it's good to keep this project in mind if you ever need a quick gift. I knit it up in one week - a very hectic frantic week at that. Many faster knitters could probably whip it up in a couple of days. The ascot uses short rows and you pick up the wraps. That taught me a new technique because I'd never picked up wraps before. Carol showed me how to do it. Also, the optional bobbles on the ends of the scarf were fun.


Just to note though, instead of doing 8 repeats of the shortrow to create the flaired ends, I did only 6 and also instead of picking up 120 stitches on each end I picked up only 48. This made the scarf less bulky at my neck, and also saved yarn. If you knit it "as written" it uses a bit MORE than the 225 yards, causing you to have to buy a second skein to finish. But if you do the abbreviated version I did, you use slightly less than one whole skein.

I'm Reducing

2 decades ago, when I was a young sales clerk in a Ladies' Wear Department, I worked with a fascinating and attractive older woman named Betty. In her early 50's at the time, she was the epitome of grace, style and class. She kept a beautiful figure and ate and exercised carefully. Whenever her clothes became a bit snug, she would come to work that day, hold her manicured fingertip in the air and announce, "Okay, ladies, the skirt is pinching a bit, therefore I am re-DUC-ing." Reducing seemed such a classy way of saying, "I'm going on a diet." Betty didn't diet, she REDUCED and somehow it made her wellness routine an elegant process. (the photo is of actress Tippi Hedren, who played Melanie in The Birds, but that is how I always pictured Betty must have looked during her beauty peak).

That "reducing" phrase has always stuck in my mind - and since "dieting" has such a negative connotation with me and all my various attemps at weight loss, I'm going to change my phrasing to REDUCING as well.

Taking action: I've been on the Jenny Craig eating/exercise and mental tune up routine since November 18th - and am now on my 7th week of "reducing." I've lost 12.6 pounds and some inches as well, but I need to take my measurements again before I can report on the inches yet. Suffice it to say, my bursting-at-the-seams size 12s are now LOOSE, so I'm a happy reducer.

So far, I am quite pleased with the Jenny program, because with the prepared meals, it has alleviated the stress of planning, shopping and cooking a 1200 calorie healthy and tasty food plan each day. The Jenny foods provide the variety in my food plan that I didn't find with other plans. I am exercising so far by just walking on my treadmill regularly and wearing a pedometer. My goal is 10,000 steps a day, and I'm walking at least 7000-8000 steps - still aiming for more, but it's a good start.

I also like the way that with JC they focus each consultation session on food/exercise/mind - all 3 components working together is working well for me. Eventually, they will start weaning me off the frozen foods and onto cooking a couple of days per week for myself. But I'm enjoying the well-balanced meals. I eat 3 meals and 2 snacks per day. I drink at least 64 oz of water and I exercise. On my drive to work and back, I listen to self-help CDs to retrain my thinking.

While I'll never look a thing like Betty, or Tippi Hedren, I'll look and feel like a healthier ME. Here's to healthier in 2009.