Merry Christmas! And Happy Old Year!

When I lived in Italy, I worked with British Naval Officers at a NATO command. On New Year's Eve, they always said "Happy Old Year."

It's been a very full "old" year-- filled with joy, hope, progress, sadness, healing.

We have been blessed with good health, fulfillment in our endeavors, and the joy of being together-- my husband and children, my parents, siblings and their children, and friends.

I went to Hawaii with The Parents last January. It was such a precious time for me-- to have them all to myself in such a lovely place. I love cruising, and the combination of being with them, seeing such beauty (and hey-- those whales!) --the entire experience was simply beyond description.

The Offspring and I spent a week this summer with The Parents, The Sibs and The Cousins on a lake in northern Wisconsin. There's nothing like being together, and I just love the way The Cousins melt into their relationships after not having seen each other for months.

We got together for our annual Cookie Bake in December-- more family bonding, fun and love.

The Husband and I had a great week in Hilton Head. Such great relaxing time!

We experienced the events of last spring, and have begun to heal, although we will never forget.

We had many football weekends in Blacksburg-- met new friends and thoroughly enjoyed every minute. (Even that heartbreaking loss to Boston College in the deluge.)

VT won the ACC championship (against Boston College-- go figure). We had a great time in Jacksonville at the game, and The Son was even able to come. The Hokies are headed to the Orange Bowl in Miami on Thursday.

The Daughter got laser eye correction surgery on Friday, and is happy and healing well, and looking forward to a lifetime of being able to see without glasses or contacts. (They were running late, they bought us pizza, we ended up getting locked in the garage, but that's another story.)

Quite a year, indeed.

Christmas Finally Arrived

Anyone who is married to- or parented by- a nurse will tell you that holidays take on a new and exciting twist. As in-- When will Christmas be this year? Or, Are we celebrating Thanksgiving on Tuesday or Saturday?

I worked the 24th, 25th and 26th this year. The question of when to celebrate became more complicated because of The Son's schedule at the movie theater. He is moving up the ladder, and is taking advantage of all opportunities.

We were finally all together last evening, after I got home from work at 9 p.m. Since we won't all be together on tonight or tomorrow, The Husband prepared our special pork and sauerkraut New Year's Day dinner. (It's a German thing.) And then we had presents. We got nice, warm things from The Parents. It makes me happy throughout the year to put on jammies or a robe or slippers from them-- it's like getting a hug.

The Daughter got a very strange gift from us-- a kitchen knife that she loves. Every time we're cooking together, she comments on one of my knives, and tells me how much she wants it. It's a bit of an investment knife-- so that's what she got, and she's thrilled.

The Son wanted a very specific backpack for his laptop. I ordered it on the 22nd and believe it or not, it arrived on the 24th. I was totally blown away! (and thrilled that whenever Christmas was going to arrive, he'd have his present.)

The Husband got a thing that takes your slides and negatives, and digitizes them. In my unending endeavors to declutter (hey-- it could happen!!!) it occurred to me that the minor mountain of unviewed, untouched during the past 10 years slides might find a new venue.

The Daughter and I had a great time at the bookstore getting just the right things for The Husband and The Son (who helped matters greatly by having a pretty extensive "want to read" list on his facebook.) And we found some books for ourselves as well.

And what do you think I found in my stocking? A VERY generous gift certificate to my favorite place, Knit Happens. The Husband and The Daughter could hardly contain themselves as they told of Rosanna's excitement to see them and to prepare my certificate. She did a LOVELY job-- with pink and green pen. (I'm not in photo mode right now, but tomorrow will bring pictures.)

And to all, a good night.

In Other News

My blocking wires arrived, (HURRAH!) and I'm looking forward to blocking Mom's Rosebud Shawl-- hopefully this afternoon. Pics tomorrow.

I'm making rapid progress on a scarf for my Dad. It's knit with Rowan Cocoon that I got at The Shop-color= slate which is a heathery charcoal grey. It's a design of my own, based on a mock-cable pattern from an Aran stitch book--- (can't remember which book at the moment, but I'll look it up and let you know.) I was thinking of doing some cables in the scarf, but Dad's not too much on "fancy" (dark green is a bit too flashy for him). I needed to keep some texture and interest in the scarf so I wouldn't go bonkers knitting it. So this seemed to be a good compromise. More pics tomorrow!

Catch you next year.

Cookie Baking Time

I'm in the Chicago suburbs right now, with The Daughter. We flew in yesterday to spend some time with my sibs for our annual Cookie Bake.

It's a great time of the year, and a wonderful opportunity to be together.

I wrote last year about the tradition, but I don't think I mentioned our little Cookie Book.

Sister #1 was able to spend time with my grandmother in her later years, and collected her recipes. Of course there were some ambiguities, but over the past few seasons we've been able to iron out the bugs.

We made little laminated books with the recipes, and included a few anecdotes about our memories of Gramma's cookies.

Tomorrow's the day. We'll start at about 10:00. We're meeting at Sister #2's, and to quote my Austrian Gramma "All day ve bake."

We'll wrap up late in the evening, sorting the cookies into 10 family divisions and carefully packing them up for mailing or transport.

There's nothing like it.

Making Progress

On the Rosebud Shawl, that is. It's actually quite a bit longer now--almost done with the second skein. I had some good knitting time while The Husband and I drove to Charlottesville (the home of another state university) for a meeting.

I like what the stitches are doing. See the little rosebuds? It's not as wobbly as the picture looks, and it will straighten out significantly when blocked.


Late Night was a Great Night at Knit Happens. Here are only a few of the many highlights.


Steph models her gloves which have become an inspiration to many Irregulars. (Not me, yet-- too much stash to work through. But I'm intrigued, and may attempt them. Soon.)
Kel working on a wee cap.

And Holly, being generally amused at all the picture-taking goings-on.

Wow! What A Game

Virginia Tech Beats Boston College 30-16

VT is the new ACC Championship Team.

It was a well-played game,although I prefer it with just a bit less adrenaline. Beamerball was a major factor. Special teams were amazing.

I'm really tired-- need to watch more football, then go to bed.

Flying back to Washington at 7 am.

More details/pictures to follow.

On The Road/In The Air Again

Kickoff at 1 pm Saturday Dec 1. Game is carried on ABC.

I'll be wearing orange (probably with maroon sleeves).

There was a countdown clock-- couldn't get it to work here.

Hey, I'm a Knitter, Right?

And my blog doesn't always reflect it too well, but today is mostly knitting.

Cast Off

The Tilted Duster skirt, as mentioned the other day, is cast off. If you look closely, you'll see that the skirt was picked up around the stockinette top fronts and back. I need to finish the sleeves, which are about 2/3 done. I'm becoming a bit more careful in my knitting, and I will make sure that the sleeves fit it properly where they belong. Then I need to pick up the collar and knit rows and rows of 2X2 ribbing.

Cast On
I've been doing a lot of work in the house, and while decluttering, and assembling furniture, and cleaning, I've been listening to the Brenda Dayne's Cast Onpodcasts. I downloaded them, and have been listening to Brenda while working. To give you an idea of my progress, I'm on podcast number 47 right now. There were about 6 that didn't download, but since each podcast is about 1 hour long, you get a clue of how much domestic work I've been up to.

(Interestingly - in episode 37, I think- Stephanie Pearl McPhee- The Yarn Harlot pops in, and says that she had been listening to the podcasts in series while working on her home. I'm in such good company.)

Since she's been keeping me company with knitting tips, history, culture, music deep thoughts and so forth, I decided to visit the sponsor links. One of these is Briar Rose Fibers. I went to the website, and saw the bee-yoo-tiful yarns. They're pretty lovely. I'm a sucker for a free pattern, and their Rosebud Shawl called out to me.

It's a very easy 4-row repeat that makes lovely little rosebud-looking things-- hence the name. You can see them better if you click on the picture below to enlarge it. Unfortunately, I'm not clever enough to figure out how to include the picture you see on the pattern. I don't want to link directly to it, because that's not nice. I was able to copy the picture, but I can't save it as a bitmap or jpeg. It must be formatted differently from the pics I'm used to copying and sharing. If you don't have enough to do, and have time to figure it out, please let me know.

I've had 3 skeins of Lorna's Lace Lion and Lamb, won in an online contest, burning a hole in my stash basket. (Well, truth be told, it was in one of my numerous stash baskets, boxes and bins-- which is why I didn't buy any of the bee-yoo-tiful yarns. But I plan to, as soon as I knit up some more of what I have, and can therefore justify it.)

So I decided to cast on.

What?

I've just told you that I'm within spitting distance of completing the Tilted Duster, and I'm casting on a new project?

Before you lament my ADD, there is actually method in my madness. Since we're going to Jacksonville for the weekend, I need something to knit while travelling. (ACC Championship-- remember? I can't totally ignore football in this blog entry, after all...) The Tilted Duster is just getting too big to schlep.

So I started on the Rosebud Shawl. The yarn is doing some interesting things. It's turning out to be a bit brighter knit up than it appeared in the skein. I think it'll work, though.

Let's Go Hokies!!!

WeeMee

PeekABoo!!

xxxxxxx

Drive-By Blog

Just got home from Charlottesville:


We're headed to Jacksonville next week for the ACC Championship game against Boston College.

Cast off the skirt from The Tilted Duster on the trip home. Pics to follow.

Gotta catch a quick nap-- working tonight.

That is all.

There Has Been Knitting

During our week away I did quite a bit on the Tilted Duster, and have continued, although the reorganizing efforts have dominated the energy output.

But here we are... about 15 more rows or so on the skirt, then finish the sleeves, and pick up the collar. It would probably be helpful for me to set a deadline, but there are other things going on.

I just love the way the colors are coming out. It's a bit strange, with the sleeve stripes being much wider, but I think it'll work. I've had to do a bit of futzing with the colorway-- inserting bits of yarn at strange places-- to have the stripes on the skirt sort of approximate each other. The colors are much prettier in real life, and after it's done, I'll try to get an outdoors picture that might better represent the actual tones.


The Peekaboo Mittens were finished a few weeks ago, and The Daughter wore them at the game against FSU. She's happy with them, but would like an overlap on the palm, so they're not open when the fingers are all inside. I think it's possible to do, and I may try to make another pair this winter, elongating the lower edge of the finger hole. We'll let you know!

(I've been trying to load the mitten pictures, but The Blogger must have hit the eggnog a bit early. I'll try later.)

And so now, The Daughter and I will do a bit of baking to get ready for tomorrow.

Happy Thanksgiving, all.

Busy Busy Busy

And having a ball.

We got back from B-Burg yesterday in time for me to do another wonderful night shift. I can say that because the Godesses smiled and I was able to be off tonight.

The weekend was great. The Daughter had friends visit, so we had a house-full again. But we were all so busy that there was little tripping over one another. We went to dinner at B-Dubs, then back to catch up on the DVR list.


Everyone was up early to participate in Hokies Thank The World. It was fun-- a beautiful day, some 9,000 people, I think, and lots of good spirit. It was a chance to thank everyone for the outpouring of support during the last 6 months. (I'm up at the top of the T, just to the right of the speaker stand. I'm wearing maroon. Do you see me? Ha Ha). By the way, if you have hours and hours to get lost in, give yourself a great treat, and download GoogleEarth. It's free, and you can locate your house, stars in the galaxy, and a satellite image of the picture above. I had a great time last night. (Gotta be careful, though. It's almost as addictive as Cubis2).

Then a great game against Miami. The scoreboard was so thrilled it went Kablooey right after the game was over:

Here's a better idea of what happened:
Hokies defeat Miami 44-14

Autumn-- It Doesn't Get Any Better

With all the drought and heat that went well into November, we thought there wouldn't be much in the way of great foliage this year. Well, there has been, and it's been spectacular. It started with mostly the deep, tapestry tones, but has expanded into vibrant displays.


Our commutes to Blacksburg (and even just to work, for that matter) have been breathtaking.

I've been trying to figure out how to put captions under the pictures, but really don't have the time to fiddle with it now. The top picture was taken during the Hokies Thank the World photoshoot in Blacksburg. The one on the right is the tree in my front yard. The bottom picture is across the little bay on the Potomac, looking toward Mount Vernon.




Lots more tomorrow. Including some actual Knitting Knews.

A Busy Week Off Work

Decluttering.

Cleaning.

Doing Laundry-- lots and lots of laundry.

Building furniture.

Polishing silver.

Washing floors.

Wishing I had more time off.

Veteran's Day

It's Veteran's Day. To a lot of people it means another sale at Macy's, or a day off work.

To others, it means the memory of a loved one who gave the ultimate sacrifice for them and for all we hold dear.

To me, it means unending respect for My Father, who served Marines on the front lines in Korea, tending to their injuries of body and spirit in conditions I can't imagine. It is memories of those I served with, some of whom are no longer with us, and of the sacrifices they made, whether in family separation, numerous hardships, or with their lives; appreciation for the amazing work and sacrifice of those who went before me and the freedom I enjoy because of them, awe of the accomplishments of those who are in service following me, and pride in all that is good about our nation.

Their work is symbolized by our Flag and the symbols of our nation. And that's why I may glare at those who chat on cellphones during the National Anthem, and find it too difficult to take off their hats during The Pledge, and don't think it's important to stand when The Flag is presented. I realize they just don't understand, and it makes me sad.

It doesn't seem too much to expect.

Hey-- Go Hug a Vet!


In Other News...

How Unbelievably Sweet It Is!


The first Hokie victory against FSU.
Read All About It!

Catching Up

The Husband and I drove to Blacksburg last night for the Hokies' football game against FSU this afternoon. Here's hoping.... we don't have a good any record of winning against the 'Noles.

Today is Hokies for the Hungry- a food drive by the Marching Virginians. Moe's participated in the project by donating $$ and canned goods for each burrito purchased yesterday. The Husband and I were on our way to pick up said burritos, and decided to see if we could go to the basketball game last night. It was great fun-- and the first live hoops I'd seen since I saw Michael Jordan playing against the Wizards. That gives you an idea... We went to Moe's after the game. Good burritos.

Hilton Head
What a wonderful week. I have great pictures, and will share them soon. (Wouldn't you know-- I finally have time to blog and internet access, and the camera's not here....)

I spent the week sleeping, eating fresh seafood, walking on the beach, reading, knitting, and generally relaxing to the max. Oh, and watching football.

I finished reading Divorced, Drunk and Covered in Cat Hair by Crazy Aunt Purl-- highly recommended. In honor of being at Hilton Head, I started The Water is Wide by Pat Conroy. For some reason, I'd never read any of his work, although I've seen the movies-- The Great Sanitini, Conrack (film version of The Water is Wide), Lords of Discipline and Prince of Tides. I think I've got a new list of books to read.....

I also picked up HTML for Dummies-- we'll see if I learn anything. Actually, you'll be able to see if I learn anything. But it may take awhile.

I made great progress on The Tilted Duster. Once the skirt stitches are picked up and carefully counted, counted, and counted again, it's a pretty mindless knit. My method of keeping track of rows and increase rows is to make a little grid that I check off. I don't have great luck with row counters, especially when there is more involved than simply counting rows (eg. increase on rows 1,3 7 repeat from * 8 times). The front and back are completed, I'm about halfway through the skirt, and about 2/3 through each of the sleeves. I decided to start on the sleeves, because, well, you know-- sleeves... But I wanted to finish the front and back first so that I can make sure the sleeve caps will fit properly. The collar will be picked up and knit-- more mindless 2X2 rib.

We went to Casey's on Hilton Head to watch VT against Georgia Tech, and met new friends from Blacksburg who were also there to watch the game. We're joining them today for tailgate before the game. I baked some brownies-- boy, do they smell good!

So now to wrap this up, I say
LET'S GO HOKIES!

Breaking Away

But not before seeing Karida's marvelmous new yarn at Knit Happens this evening. It was a lovely time, although I needed to bug out fairly early.

Because

We're on our way to Blacksburg in the morning.

In the rain.

For Thursday night football.

In the rain.

But hey-- there's been a drought, so it's a good thing. And maybe it can stop for a couple of hours tomorrow night.

It would be nice.

And then...

A whole week

Here's an interesting segment I found at the hiltonhead.com website:

First Aid Tips
We hope you don't have any problems while visiting Hilton Head Island, or if you live on Hilton Head Island. But, if you do have any of the following problems, we offer some helpful hints for you:

Sunburn - Soak in cool water unless skin is broken or blistered. Ibuprofen may help.

Bee Stings - Apply a baking soda paste and ice. If allergic, seek medical help.

Jelly Fish Stings - Apply vinegar, sugar, salt or dry sand. After 20 min., rinse with salt water.

Crab Bites - rinse well, disinfect, and apply antibiotic ointment. May need stitches.

Tick Bites - DO NOT attempt to remove the tick. Cover with vaseline or a film of oil. When insect is free, remove with tweezers. Look for flu-like symptoms for up to two weeks. If this occurs, seek immediate medical attention.

Snake Bites - CALL 911. Use a compression dressing just above site, NOT a tourniquet.

Oyster Shells - cuts and abrasions can result in serious infections. Medical treatment advised.

Alligators - Do NOT go near alligators. They run very fast. Do NOT feed or tease !

Sting Ray - rinse with water and apply heat to neutralize sting. Seek medical attention.


Hmmmm.... May need STITCHES???
SERIOUS INFECTIONS???
ALLIGATORS????

Way to promote the tourism.

I think I'll survive.

And if it rains, I'll read books and knit. I can think of worse ways to spend a week.

A WHOLE WEEK!!!

(catch you later)

What REALLY Went On At Hogwarts?

Hmmmm..... Very Interesting!

Actual Knitting Content...

And a few assorted other things.

First for the knitting:























This lovely Tilted Duster from Interweave being done in Noro Silk Garden. I'm starting with the sleeves-- knitting them up to the sleeve cap separately, and then I'll do them both at the same time. Then no sleeve island for me.


















I think it'll be an interesting sweater, what with the angles and stripes and all. The problem that's driving me a bit nuts is that Noro screwed me over. I started the first sleeve last week at Late Night at Knit Happens following a night shift at work, so I was a bit fuzzy (although I'm told I was quite amusing. Glad to oblige.)

I ran into a knot, so did the ol' spit-splice thing and knit merrily on my way. I dutifully went through a new skein when I started the second sleeve, to make sure I started in the same place so the stripes would sort of match. Even though I realize it's handspun/dyed yarn, I like them to bear some resemblance to each other stripe-and-color wise.

Do you see any pink in the middle of the left sleeve? Neither do I. I do believe the folks who put in that knot weren't too concerned about continuing the colorway in order.

After much discussion this week at Late Night (also somewhat foggy and with only 2 hours of sleep after yet another night shift) I was reassured that the nature of Noro allows for some variation, and unless I was going to make myself crazy with the whole thing, and unroll each skein side-by-side to ensure matching-ness, I should charge forward. So charge forward I will. Holly was kind enough to put me in for 5 more balls of the Silk Garden, which luckily she already has on order.















This is a short sock, using the Stephanie Pearl McPhee's Sock Recipe. It's in a bamboo blend yarn that I picked up at Mosaic in Blacksburg. (I took out the link here, because some bug sent me to a bible college site.)








These guys are Peekaboo Mittens for The Daughter who is a member of







Their little hands get cold in the stands during the football games (or they will, if it ever gets below 80), so she can wear these.









And when it's time to play..... Peekaboo!!!!







Needless to say, the thumbs aren't done yet, and I'm working on that grafting thing.

By the way, if you're looking for some interesting info about Virginia Tech's Marching Virginians, read this
article about the Marching Virginians in ESPN magazine.



Hey-- They Said It Was Going To Rain

And when I left work this morning, I did feel about 5 raindrops. But Hey-- they promised Thunderstorms. Lightening. Something to make us feel that our 34 days of rain-less-ness was coming to an end.

It seemed like the birds were expecting some weather.There were literally thousands of them in the trees outside the hospital, making all sorts of noise.As I looked closer at another tree, I realized these weren't leaves. They were MORE BIRDS!

Tippi Hedron-- Watch Out!!!!

Happy Halloween

Compliments of Lowes

And What To My Wondering Eyes Should Appear...

And I wish I'd had my camera. (but if I get time later today, I'll take some pics to share.)

Met The Husband at Lowe's last night after a great time at Late Night. We were going to get a couple of final touches for the most recent bathroom.

On my way in I saw-- Christmas trees. Lights. Tinsel. Great Big Blinking Snowflakes.

When I entered the store I saw-- Big inflatable snowman things with plastic snow flying around.

I Couldn't Bleepin' Believe It!!!!

It's September.

And 93 degrees outside.

Pictures!!!

In further news-- The kitchen faucet is still broken, and I'm awaiting the part from Moen.

And finally: