March on!

Hard to believe that it's already March......how is it possible?  If I imagine today as a "You are here" spot on a map and I turn backwards to see where I've been then I would have to say I feel great satisfaction with the number of things that I've accomplished.
1.  I've gone through and repurposed or thrown out several shelves of stuff in the basement.  When you combine two houses worth of belongings there are going to be duplicates.  I have also discovered that I am ready to simplify my baggage.
2.  I've begun my hobby of winemaking and have so far been successful.  I am pleased with the space that Scott and I repurposed for winemaking and with my organization of all of the equipment.
3.  I haven't ticked anyone off so far or if I have, they haven't told me yet.  :-)
4.  I have successfully completed several knitting projects.

If I turn and look forward to the future I feel excited about what I see.
1.  Continued work and maybe even the completion of my hobbit house.
2.  Helping Scott build our greenhouse so that we can have a year round garden, berries and fruit trees.
3.  A new grandchild....a little girl this time.  I LOVE GRANDCHILDREN!!!!
4.  AND I can hardly wait to get going on new knitting projects.  In fact, the only problem I have is where to start!

Here's what I finished in February.

Pearls of Progress

If the rest of 2014 is anything like these past months and the month of March ahead of me, it is going to be a challenge to keep my head above water.......but a challenge I welcome because it's all good stuff.  It seems that we're never in one place very long and my list of knitting projects keeps increasing.....and I LOVE IT ALL!!
This week finds us back in Denver for 5 days and then a quick trip to San Antonio, TX to check in on my mother-in-law in her new home.  There are two golf games on the schedule with Scott's sister and her hubby and probably a joint birthday celebration of some sort.  Then it's back up the mountain for a 5 day "visit" and back down to Denver for our regular time with our grandson......like I said......LOVE IT!!  Be assured, I do not travel without a knitting project or two.  AND>>>>>..........(that was supposed to build anticipation)......
I've started a new hobby!
I've got my first two batches of wine fermenting in my "wine room"!!  This was what I requested from my family for Christmas and birthday.  For Christmas I received the wine-making supplies complete with fermentation buckets, bungs, air-locks, siphons and tubes, hydrometers and carboys.  Sounds like I know what I'm doing doesn't it?  For my birthday I received the wine kits, one Australian Cabernet Sauvignon and one Chardonnay.  I have a friend who has made his own wine for several years and believe me when I tell you that I called him a couple of times for help.  It was so much fun and so far is looking good......well, it smells good anyway.  It will be several months before I can tell you how it really turns out.

My friend and wine-making mentor, Russ Rainey.

As far a knitting projects go, I've finished a couple more baby sweaters and a mom/baby ear flap hat set with huge pom-poms on them.

That's all for now.....the other sweater isn't blocked yet but a picture will follow soon.

Priceless Gift

I had a unique opportunity today.  It made me cry because it was so precious to my soul. 

I got to unclasp the string of pearls that I cherish and add a pearl of such rare value as to make it priceless.  Few people ever get to add a pearl of this kind to their memories and to be given the privilege of recognizing this moment in my journey of life, to be honored enough by life and my creator that I got to glimpse it's value, truly makes it glow.  To me this is the essence of the adjective "luster" often used to describe the glow of something rare and precious.

What was this beautiful "pearl" of awareness you ask?

It was a compliment given to me by someone from my past, from my "hometown",  in Lresponse to a "Throw Back Thursday" picture on Facebook.  

I was feeling pushed down by life and  hadn't slept well.  My eyes were burning with the need to sleep more and my soul wasn't ready yet to face the continued unfolding of whatever the day had to present to me.  I was struggling with regrets about the choices I'd made on how to spend my time the day before.  (These were useless regrets because that day was already gone.  It had ceased to be the minute the sun had set.  At this point the only choice I had was to not make the same choice for the current 24 hours ahead.).  I was having a hard time holding the head of this struggle under water,  until it gave up and let me go.        

When I saw the old picture of myself I snickered  and that was the first hand up out of the dark hole I was beginning to stare into.  As I read the comments, I began to feel my spirits lift and then I came across this one. 

 "I remember the face by can't think of her name.   I  remember her as very friendly though.".  

I swiped at the tears on my cheeks and lifted myself completely off the edge of that yucky place I'd been sitting near.  I said a thank you to God for the encouragement and reminder about what is really important.  I wrote a note to the person who had given me such a gift of value.  

I gently added the beautiful pearl to my necklace of memories and placed it back over my head patting it gently into place over my hearts.  And after a deep breath I got up to face the day, this time in a much better spirit.  It was a great day!

Project pics (per Dalton's request)

2013 Review in Pearls

It's almost over...2013 that is...in many ways it's been a very good year!  The easiest way to review this year for me is by marking milestones based on what I was knitting and why.

In January, having just finished my then 7 month old grandson's Christmas stocking, I started a beautiful grey vest.  The back and edging was done in crochet with the body knitted in a fan shape.  To finish it you took the outer most corners and attached them to the crochet which created the armholes......it was about the most fun project I have ever done.  The yarn had sequins woven in so it has a bit of sparkle without being overdone.  For me it became a statement of how I want to live my life...unusual as I follow a path that I can't necessarily see the end of .....but with enough sparkle that it is interesting. I also knitted a little sweater for a dear friend's wee little "JJ" and clothes for a teddy bear for big sister.

In February Scott built me a knitting "stash organization" and creating center for my birthday.  I love sitting there in his great-grandmothers rocker looking out the window at the mountainside that rises up behind our cabin.  I knitted a cool shawl/shrug using the Llama yarn I got as a gift for Chrustmas from my son and his wife.  He bought it from a co-worker whose family raise Llamas in Colorado.  It was lovely to work with!

In March I began to knit up more little sweaters for more little blessings that arrived in May.  Both of these little ones have similar names, "SJ" and  "JJ".   I also knit a sweater vest for myself out of some beautiful wool that I had purchased from my then favorite yarn store.

In April Scott and I took a road trip to visit his sister in Texas, his mother in Florida, our daughter in Tennessee, and then a week in Branson, MO.  Along the way I knitted a baby blanket and hat for my
not yet arrived grandson.  It was a pattern from First Lady Mrs. Hoover that was two sided.  You
knitted both sides at the same time.  It was a blast to knit and I thoroughly enjoyed it too.  I also 
began working on more Christmas stockings.

In May I finished up the baby gifts and began looking for summer projects.  The yarn store I loved
changed their focus to yoga and meditation so I had to find other sources for inspiration.  In doing so I discovered a wealth of options out there!  My world, yarn wise, opened up wide!!  What fun change is!

June, July, August and September.....well hmmm......I know I carried yarn project bags everywhere Scott and I went.  I know I knitted Sock Monkey Pants for my two youngest grandsons, a little sweater and hat for a cute little bunny owned by a sweet little girl from England that I met in Italy, a candy corn cocoon and hat for my newest grandson, a sweater and hat as well, a cute little sweater complete with a ruffle at the bottom for my sister-in-law's newest grandchild, cute little mitten ornaments for my friends and.......???   Oh Yes!  How could I forget?  FIVE really neat Christmas stockings for my children and grands.  And I'm just now halfway through a baby sweater for a new little November blessing.

You'd think I did nothing but knit this past year.   However, you'd be wrong.  It was a great year and these are just some of the pearls that I gave away.  The memory pearls with the family and my friends and neighbors I've added to my necklace of memories for my own enjoyment.

I hope you all have a very good year!!  I'm certainly going to do my best!!
Xoxoxo

Project pictures.....

Here goes.....another try at uploading project pictures.

Mason's Stocking

Nate's Stocking

Wesley's Sweater

Mason's Candy Corn

Sock Monkey Pants

It's been awhile.....but hello again!

You know how it is......sometimes you just have to take a break between projects.  In this case it wasn't a break in knitting for me.  It was more of a break in life.  I just needed to pull in and reserve my energy for those I'm closest to.  As I've reminisced over this break I am pleased with the result.  I know myself better, I feel more centered and confident.  I've released some of the pressures  I'd been carrying .......it was sort of like I "cleaned out and organized my purse" so it is lighter to carry and in the process I was able to "throw away" some of the trash.

These are some of the projects that I worked on during my break.  I do a lot of thinking while I knit  and as a bonus I end up with something to show for it.  (To see the project photos go to my next blog.)