Wait, young people knit too?

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/02/24/young_and_in_stitches/?page=2

Now come on, I'm 27 and I knit, and I taught my fiance (He's 26 AND of the male gender). Where is our story? This fluff is ridiculous. My Grandma doesn't knit because "she just never really wanted to." I knit and I'm proud! Say it loud knitters!

Sick/Snow Day..

Today was a sick/snow day full of couch. I tried to go to work but felt so bad and saw the result of multiple cars going off the road and cars stopped resulting in much fishtailing and one car swerving across three lanes of traffic right in front of me totally out of control. I haven't been feeling well for the last few days and that was the clincher.

This
was going on this morning and continued all day. It turned the road into a frozen mess and there were accidents everywhere in the two miles I lasted on the road. There were some scary looking crushed cars and lots of firefighters everywhere.

I did some work on the PeaPod Sweater from the Peapod Baby Set. This is the first two of six ten row repeats of the Leaf Lace Pattern. It moves along very quickly, but the pattern itself is very confusing, as written. The charts for the lace and the instructions for the body of the sweater are on different pages and not that easy to follow. I will be rewriting the pattern for my later efforts at this pattern. It's not like there are errors, it's just confusing. It's really cute however and I am liking the yarn as well.
This is a close-up of the leaf.

This is our couch kitty, that is his favorite spot.
Happy Knitting!

Life Goes On...

Life does go on. Thank you to everyone who posted here with kind words.

Life for me right now is work, wedding planning and house hunting. We are in the market for a house and the people at work and at the knitting group I attend Wednesday nights are giving me (and the fiance) invaluable advice. So thank you everyone!

We went to look at houses today and we were astonished to find some really bad houses for way above the price point they should be at. I mean, run down, pack rat filled houses that have not been updated since the 70s or 60s that are listed for more than really nice ones?

We did find one really cute one, but it's small. It's historic, but the bathroom is on one floor and the bedrooms on another. Not a good situation.

I have been knitting, just mostly on the Chuppah and a few rows here and there doesn't add up that quickly. Now I have the Bottom Border done and ready to show to you! It is still 318 stitches across, and now has 2 lifelines!

Look, it's a lace scarf! It's the bottom panel of the Chuppah really, but this could be a gorgeous lace scarf pattern. I might right it up and work it up in some yummy yarn I have and see if I can get a pattern published, even if it would only be online.

The detail shot.

This is the vertical border that will go all up the sides, and next for the horizontal pattern are Flowerets.

My Hemlock Ring progress. That grew quickly to this point, where I am starting the Feather and Fan section . It's only going to get bigger, as in more stitches around, but it will be worth it to have such a gorgeous lap blanket when done. One of the women in my knitting group finished hers and it is so beautiful!

Happy Knitting everyone and wish us luck finding a great house!

Memorial services and family=little knitting time...

Well, I went to my Grandpa's memorial service in Pittsburgh over the weekend and I have been home on "bereavement leave" ever since I got back yesterday. Tomorrow it's back to work. I really can't stress enough how supportive everyone at my work has been. They covered my cases and were emotionally supportive when I showed up at work the day after he died.

I haven't been knitting much, but I did do a fair amount of work on my chuppah. I am halfway through the bottom border and that's pretty good. That's 25 or so rows of 318 stitches a piece.


That's what half of the flower pattern looks like.

I also just started a Hemlock Ring with some Cascade Eco Wool I special ordered from a LYS. Its only the first 13 rows but doing things I had planned makes me feel like good.

It went from in the ball (2 skeins) to on the ball winder and then onto my needles! Some other people from my knitting group are working on this as well.
I also got my New Year's Swap Package (knittinghelp.com forums swap run my NoBones aka Ellie, my first swap partner) from Jeremy, one of the mods on the site. It cheered me up and contained a yarn I really want to try. Malabrigo Lace. It's soooo soft. It also contained a pair of Addi Lace needles. I heart them and I am slowly building up a complete set of Addi Lace and Turbos (all metal). They are just so nice. I like them better than the interchangeable set of Options. Fixed needles are just better , IMHO, because of the truth that they won't come undone unless they actually break completely.
I VOTED TODAY TOO! YAY DEMOCRACY!

Happy Knitting. Tell people you love that you do. You never know when it could be your last time.

Well, my Grandpa died...

My father's father was a strong man. He wasn't someone who could lift a lot or leap tall buildings, but he came over from Poland in between world wars and his family made a life for themselves here. He worked hard and got an education and became an engineer and started his own company and when he wanted to retire did a responsible thing and sold that company to the employees so that they could have a little bit of the American Dream themselves. His son, my father, benefited from that success and so have I. What matters all the more is the person he was. The time he took to spend with this children and grandchildren. I still remember the visits to his Pittsburgh home, especially the one when my grandmother had died and we had to go through her things and received mementos. Grandpa was strong and probably was taking his mind off of things by teaching me how to play a little game called Casino. It was time spent together I will always remember and that is how I choose to remember him, not the Grandpa in the decline over the last ten or so years, the Grandpa confined to a wheelchair, to life without much sight, sound, or actual experience. My grandpa was a man who relished life and his experiences, even the simple ones of a good kosher hotdog. I miss him.

I'm off the funeral in Pittsburgh for a bit and will be flying back Sunday night.

I know, how could a New England gal like me miss the Superbowl?

Some things are just more important.

Happy Knitting.