But had to take a break – if only to look longingly at this little bit of yarn calling my name from across the room.

I. must. resist.

Found this list on Grainee’s blog and Bianca’s Tuedelbuedel blog It’s funny, I thought I read a lot of American/English books (well…. sort of a lot) but was happy to find I’ve read a few deutsche Buecher also. The following are consider by (who knows) to be the 100 most beloved books by Germans. The boldface titles I’ve read (some in English and some in German). But after looking at this list, boy am I still ein Dummkopf!

1. Der Herr der Ringe, JRR Tolkien
2. Die Bibel
3. Die Säulen der Erde, Ken Follett not sure what the English title was, but probably not
4. Das Parfum, Patrick Süskind
5. Der kleine Prinz, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (en Anglais et en Francais!)
6. Buddenbrooks, Thomas Mann
7. Der Medicus, Noah Gordon
8. Der Alchimist, Paulo Coelho
9. Harry Potter und der Stein der Weisen, JK Rowling (Sorcerer’s stone, right? – Yeah)
10. Die Päpstin, Donna W. Cross
11. Tintenherz, Cornelia Funke
12. Feuer und Stein, Diana Gabaldon
13. Das Geisterhaus, Isabel Allende
14. Der Vorleser, Bernhard Schlink
15. Faust. Der Tragödie erster Teil, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
16. Der Schatten des Windes, Carlos Ruiz Zafón
17. Stolz und Vorurteil, Jane Austen
18. Der Name der Rose, Umberto Eco
19. Illuminati, Dan Brown (What was the English title?)
20. Effi Briest, Theodor Fontane
21. Harry Potter und der Orden des Phönix, JK Rowling
22. Der Zauberberg, Thomas Mann
23. Vom Winde verweht, Margaret Mitchell (aber auf Englisch)
24. Siddharta, Hermann Hesse
25. Die Entdeckung des Himmels, Harry Mulisch
26. Die unendliche Geschichte, Michael Ende
27. Das verborgene Wort, Ulla Hahn
28. Die Asche meiner Mutter, Frank McCourt
29. Narziss und Goldmund, Hermann Hesse
30. Die Nebel von Avalon, Marion Zimmer Bradley
31. Deutschstunde, Siegfried Lenz
32. Die Glut, Sándor Márai
33. Homo faber, Max Frisch
34. Die Entdeckung der Langsamkeit, Sten Nadolny
35. Die unerträgliche Leichtigkeit des Seins, Milan Kundera
36. Hundert Jahre Einsamkeit, Gabriel Garcia Márquez
37. Owen Meany, John Irving
38. Sofies Welt, Jostein Gaarder
39. Per Anhalter durch die Galaxis, Douglas Adams
40. Die Wand, Marlen Haushofer
41. Gottes Werk und Teufels Beitrag, John Irving
42. Die Liebe in den Zeiten der Cholera, Gabriel Garcia Márquez
43. Der Stechlin, Theodor Fontane
44. Der Steppenwolf, Hermann Hesse
45. Wer die Nachtigall stört, Harper Lee
46. Joseph und seine Brüder, Thomas Mann
47. Der Laden, Erwin Strittmatter
48. Die Blechtrommel, Günter Grass
49. Im Westen nichts Neues, Erich Maria Remarque
50. Der Schwarm, Frank Schätzing
51. Wie ein einziger Tag, Nicholas Sparks
52. Harry Potter und der Gefangene von Askaban, JK Rowling
53. Momo, Michael Ende
54. Jahrestage, Uwe Johnson
55. Traumfänger, Marlo Morgan
56. Der Fänger im Roggen, Jerome David Salinger
57. Sakrileg, Dan Brown
58. Krabat, Otfried Preußler
59. Pippi Langstrumpf, Astrid Lindgren (ein von meinen Lieblinsbuecher)
60. Wüstenblume, Waris Dirie
61. Geh, wohin dein Herz dich trägt, Susanna Tamaro
62. Hannas Töchter, Marianne Fredriksson
63. Mittsommermord, Henning Mankell
64. Die Rückkehr des Tanzlehrers, Henning Mankell
65. Das Hotel New Hampshire, John Irving
66. Krieg und Frieden, Leo N. Tolstoi
67. Das Glasperlenspiel, Hermann Hesse
68. Die Muschelsucher, Rosamunde Pilcher
69. Harry Potter und der Feuerkelch, JK Rowling
70. Tagebuch, Anne Frank
71. Salz auf unserer Haut, Benoite Groult
72. Jauche und Levkojen , Christine Brückner
73. Die Korrekturen, Jonathan Franzen (started it anyway)
74. Die weiße Massai, Corinne Hofmann
75. Was ich liebte, Siri Hustvedt
76. Die dreizehn Leben des Käpt’n Blaubär, Walter Moers
77. Das Lächeln der Fortuna, Rebecca Gablé
78. Monsieur Ibrahim und die Blumen des Koran, Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt
79. Winnetou, Karl May
80. Désirée, Annemarie Selinko
81. Nirgendwo in Afrika, Stefanie Zweig
82. Garp und wie er die Welt sah, John Irving
83. Die Sturmhöhe, Emily Brontë
84. P.S. Ich liebe Dich, Cecilia Ahern
85. 1984, George Orwell
86. Mondscheintarif, Ildiko von Kürthy
87. Paula, Isabel Allende
88. Solange du da bist, Marc Levy
89. Es muss nicht immer Kaviar sein, Johannes Mario Simmel
90. Veronika beschließt zu sterben, Paulo Coelho
91. Der Chronist der Winde, Henning Mankell
92. Der Meister und Margarita, Michail Bulgakow
93. Schachnovelle, Stefan Zweig
94. Tadellöser & Wolff, Walter Kempowski
95. Anna Karenina, Leo N. Tolstoi
96. Schuld und Sühne, Fjodor Dostojewski
97. Der Graf von Monte Christo, Alexandre Dumas
98. Der Puppenspieler, Tanja Kinkel
99. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë
100. Rote Sonne, schwarzes Land, Barbara Wood

Yes, there’s been some knitting on S’s vest based on the Owls sweater and crocheting to finish that baby blankie. I have the WORST time keeping the rows straight with those zig-zaggy crochet patterns!

And, as you can see at right, when you change the yarn from chunky to worsted weight, you have to make some recalculations with the pattern- and keep measuring! Thankfully, the recipient is around from time to time:)
But I do like knitting this yarn – It’s a color I really enjoy, but would never wear myself – one of the many reasons to enjoy knitting for others:)!
Since I last posted, I’ve been busy, but having a lot of fun. Last week, Sally, Nancy and I went to PA to look through the sale music at Menchey’s and had a blast:) It was one funny crack up after another. I am so bad – making fun of the hymn titles! It was a lot of fun later, singing together with them in three-part harmony. Sally picks out some beautiful pieces – what a joy:)!
This past Sunday, we all (except D and C from DC) had dinner at D and D’s house out in Westminster. Got to see the grandgirls and the grandson and best of all did not have to cook.

We have been inundated with cold cold weather lately. Last night it snowed a few inches, but today it warmed up enough to melt quite a bit of it. And now it looks like even more snow this weekend. Can we say “SPRING?”

Well, I had to miss EfM tonight because work was calling, so…back to work – court tomorrow afternoon (colleague is covering the morning, but I have one hell of an afternoon- YIKES!)

God be with you ’till we meet again!
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I don’t know what to make of this.

The cynical side of me wonders why Jesus is painted as a total Caucasian, but actually that doesn’t surprise me. The miracle is in the innocence of this child. Interestingly, her household was supposedly atheist. Who knows? I leave it to you. All comments welcome:)!

And no, folks, I’ve not gone over the deep end, over the edge or over 55 – yet, LOL:)
A lot has gone on since last I wrote. How to begin? Well, let’s see:

The business with that book club was finally straightened out, but it is unlikely I will ever buy a book from them again – I can’t afford it, LOL!

I’ve had some losses – a death in the family, the loss (through suicide) of a client in December, and the death of a brilliant colleague.

I’ve had some amazing blessings – Baby Johnny’s smile and cooing, Ruby’s hilarious expressions and Madison’s growth. A LOT of books on Kindle and in print, mostly on KNITTING:)

And I’ve finished, begun and started to weed out as yet undone projects – well, on ravelry I have finally put zzzzz’s next to those projects that have been unfinished since, ohhhhh 2005 or so! Ya think? Not that they are all things I want to get done. I just need to be realistic. One project, a stranded knitting item I really really want to do soon, I actually frogged because I realized I had not knitted the steek stitches alternatively and I wasn’t going to like the results!

At work, things have been moving along with the usual changes and staying the same all happening at once. The colleague we lost worked for the County, representing the Department of Social Services. She was a fine human being, a terrific attorney and a loving mom. I was not one of her inner circle of friends, but I liked her very much and her loss is a devastating one to her children and the children of others whom she helped to protect. She battled a particularly aggressive form of cancer that would not let her go. It was a short battle, but she fought to the end.

In our family, our son-in-law, D’s father died – actually the same date as my colleague. He had just won the battle against lung cancer, but the chemo and radiation that had saved his life, weakened his immune system so severely, that he succumbed all too easily to pneumonia that no antibiotic could touch. He knew he was dying. The docs gave him pain killers and within days he quietly slipped away into death, his family at his side. He had a rough life, and a few problems, which, when his first wife died, caused his six children to enter foster care. But they were with him at the end – all but the one daughter who had died a year earlier. D was the son from his second marriage – the surprise only child that the two of them would have in their 40s. It was quite a lesson to me, sitting there at his funeral. All of those kids, all of those years living with someone else and yet reconnecting with him later – it’s a bond that is almost impossible to break. Sure, there are horrible people out there who abuse and abandon their kids, but most of the parents I see at work are not horrible people. Believe me, if they were, life would be so much easier in that I’d know exactly what to do. Sadly, most people just don’t know how to be any different. But people can change and they do. So often we don’t keep that in mind. In our society, once someone is labeled, he or she remains that in our collective subconscious, and although it can be true, it’s not always so, nor is it fair.

The client I will not discuss here. But I will say that her loss is perhaps the greatest because we all feel that something, somewhere failed her. The loss of a child always is the greatest for too many reasons to enumerate. Like the lone little sparrow whose fall to earth is marked by the universal and eternal greatness of the Divinity, the hole left by this young person will be marked by many in small and large ways. I pray that she has finally found peace.

Winter has brought a great deal of sadness, but there are also joys – too many to even remember: the first laugh of a little baby, his big smile when he recognizes his “Gram,” those cooing sounds that we can never replicate once we learn to speak, cousins who are learning how to get him to laugh, kids who fill up the kitchen on Sunday afternoons and laugh and talk among themselves, and knitting. And music.

I finished another project for myself. Remember that Aestlight Shawl? It ended up on the shoulders of a friend who had just lost her mother. So, I of course had to make another shawl. So I finally finished the Bitterroot by Rosemary – a/k/a Romi – Hill. A free pattern and it was a delight to knit. I actually beaded the last few rows as written (what a big girl!) and knit it in Briar Rose Fiber’s Sea Pearl Color No. 502. I put a few pics up here. There’s nothing so true as knitting with good yarn makes the project fly! This was my comfort project. I actually wore the shawlette (I made the smaller version) to both funerals. It’s lighweight, yet provides that little bit of warmth one needs at this cold cold time of year!
You’d think I’d go right onto another as-yet unfinished project, and I have, but of course I’ve added more. I really needed a hat that would fit properly and then once that was finished, decided to start on a pair of what I think might be gloves if I feel ambitious enough:) I got the pattern off a free Ravelry pattern in what I think was Finnish for Egyptian mittens.

Those are creating a nice little diversion – interesting enough to keep you going, but not so big you lose interest. Besides, I need gloves:)!
The weeks since Christmas have been an embarrassment of riches on the knitting front. First, The Books (and these do not include the patterns and a few books I have on the Kindle:)):
Sweet, huh? This ought to keep me busy for the next few years, LOL:)! I will try to review each of these in the coming weeks. I was also able to pick up the New Zealand Prayer Book (they have some beautiful evening prayers in there) and the 1940 and 1982 Hymnal. And lest you think I’m leaving knitting behind for the contemplative life, I got this DVD:

The companion piece for this (which I received
from one of my DDs for my birthday last year):

I told you it was an embarrassment of riches!
And if that were not enough, I am beginning a new project for S, because the “Buttony” cardigan I was making her has just turned out awful – mostly a yarn issue, definitely not a pattern issue- it’s a cute sweater! But I did get some yarn from her to make it. The pattern you see is not the one I’m knitting. She wanted me to do the Owls sweater, but only as a vest. Sure! No prob!

It will be fun to knit this color – I almost never knit autumn colors, so this will be a great diversion. Can’t wait to get started. Finally, I found these and don’t they come in a cute pouch/container? Hard to believe that little thing carries some 20+ combinations of circular needles, isn’t it? Great job, Hiya Hiya!

Tonight is going to be fun. Madison has asked to go to choir practice with me and Nancy (and Mads’ Mommy) have given their approval, so we have a fun night planned tonight! Hopefully she won’t get bored! A sweater I knit a few years back for Nancy shrunk after an inadvertent trip through the washer and dryer and now I think it will fit Madison – her “choir sweater!”
That’s all I have for today, dear 2.5 readers. Until next time, God be with you ’till we meet again!
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Happy New Year!

Well, nobody ever said I was organized, LOL:)!

What an interesting couple of weeks it’s been! Where do I begin? Let’s see, there was Christmas Eve and all the attendant loveliness of the night, Christmas day with the family, New Year’s Eve eggrolls at the neighbors’, New Year’s dinner at Denise’s with my knitting buds and a bunch of finished projects! How’s that for the Reader’s Digest version of my life?
Let me start with Christmas Eve. Despite all my worries and because of Nancy’s hard tireless work keeping us all on task, the music was wonderful, the services beautiful and the occasion, as always, meaningful! Thanks to Nancy’s contacts in the musician community, there is this wonderfully talented group of men and women called the Bay Street Brass – who play with us. Together with Nancy, they make us sound almost like professionals! I got to do a whole bunch of fun stuff – singing with the choir, playing tambourine in one part; tympani accompaniment for “For Unto Us a Child is Born” and one of the Christmas Carols for Offertory (now THAT was a blast!); and ringing bells. I think though, that for all that fanfare, and even Leo Nestor’s hauntingly beautiful rendition of “I Wonder as I Wander” in the choral Prelude that we did, my two favorite parts of our Christmas Eve service is the singing of “Silent Night,” after Communion and the Hallelujah Chorus, sung by all as a Postlude. Silent Night starts with the organ (and of course, Nancy does the Zimbelstern thingie) and everyone in the congregation singing in 4-part (or more) harmony. Then the organ drops out, the lights go low and everyone in the church is singing this beautifully simple hymn as one. It’s a very moving moment for me. I can’t help but think of the original lyricist – a pastor of a little village church in Austria and his organist/choirmaster who set the words to an old tune back in 1818. The song reminds me of the hushed silence that must have filled the hearts of humanity when the Savior arrived on earth in the form of a vulnerable baby.
Of course, the Hallelujah Chorus I know by heart and by the time we get to that at the second service, I’m singing it with a somewhat scratchy throat, LOL:), but it cheers the heart and imparts joy to all who hear it. Most everyone who has been in a high school or college choir has sung this piece of music and usually knows their vocal part fairly well. So we have a lot of support from the congregation. That, plus the organ, brass and Tom at the tympani going full blast and they could hear us in Baltimore.
Bishop Eugene Sutton of our Baltimore diocese was there and at the end of the services, tipped his mitre to the choir loft and enthusiastically “conducted” the congregation in singing along with us, smiling all the time.
As I type these words I realize that something has come full circle. Our church is in Maryland (or “Merlin” as I like to call it) and was built in (I think) in the 1800s before the Civil War. Technically, Merlin was a Southern State, although during the Civil War it was occupied by the Union, so there wasn’t much rebel activity – and like parts of other states, it had its Union and Confederate sympathizers – with Baltimore and points west tending more toward the North (in general) and the Eastern Shore being more like the South. At the time the church was built, there used to be one more entrance on the side of the church, to the right of the front doors as you face it. That entrance went to the MacCubbin (spelling – not sure!) Tower and a spiral staircase which led to the “Gallery,” a seating area upstairs where the slaves had to sit when they attended church services, hidden from the white folk. It is that “Gallery” where we sing. The MacCubbin Tower is now an emergency exit from the choir loft in the event of fire, but that separate entrance has been bricked over – a reminder of a shameful part of our history.
I have said in to Nancy that the souls who used to worship there must be at peace because I never get any bad vibes (not that I’m psychic or anything, just saying). Her reaction seemed to indicate that she felt the same.
Why do I bring this up? Our Bishop, happens to be African American (although he is known as the Green Bishop for his interest in environmental activism). I cannot help but feel that there must have been much rejoicing in Heaven that night, as a descendant of brethren of former Gallery occupants marched down the main aisle of that church, wearing the Bishop’s Mitre – and that very same Bishop, tipping his mitre in appreciation for the efforts of the newer Gallery occupants!
John had to work overnight Christmas Eve, so as I was finally on my way home after a long night at about 1 a.m., I called him at the hotel where he was the only one on the front desk and was the first to wish him a Merry Christmas. I got home and was exhausted, but in a good way.
Christmas Day, began when John got home from work and made me wake up and open his gift (because he was dying of curiosity about what I had gotten him). So, we opened our gifts and he went to bed. I slept in a little, then got up and started getting Christmas dinner ready. The kids trickled in a group at a time. We opened gifts and hugged the grandkids and had a big old Christmas dinner. John had to work that night. By 10:30, I was ready for bed! A great day with everyone.
The following week, there was virtually nothing to do for work. I was on call for shelters, but there weren’t any – at least none that were our clients. So I got caught up on a few things and finished a few knitting projects:).
I did not get Nancy’s sweater done by Christmas, but did get it finished by the 27th. But she was away, so I gave it to her this past Sunday. It’s a bit off-center as planned. Hopefully it will fit OK. I crocheted the pieces together and crocheted the button and neck bands with three rows of half double crochet. I decided on a bunch of silly red buttons as a nod to the holiday season. For all the cabling, it’s really just a simple cardigan, easily taken on and off as the fickle heating system in the church building works (or doesn’t!).

Remember

this? Well it’s finally turned into this:

Classy photo, eh? I got John to take a much better picture, but unfortunately it didn’t show the color as well as I would have liked. It’s the Daily Sweater I started working on last year and decided this was the time to finish it. It’s a great pattern, and the sweater is big and comfy – just perfect for these cold winter nights! The color on the left is more accurate, by the way. I am not really happy with the collar and may just stitch up the sides a little bit. I don’t really have shoulders to carry it off, LOL! I think this will be the type of slouchy sweater I will love wearing with my jeans even if/when I lose the weight I want to.
Speaking of weight, I’m still working on it. The holidays destroyed my resolve, but a bout of incredible joint pain last weekend renewed it again and I am back to eating right. When the joints start feeling better, I’ll be walking and/or swimming. It’s been a couple of days and I feel better already. (OK enough of the boring crap).
I also decided to add a few projects, with the goal in mind of making a list of what I want to get done this year and hopefully taking my number of UFO’s down to half.
I have been working on a crocheted baby blanket for a dear friend whose mother died over Christmas – leaving an unfinished “blankie” for a new great grandchild. I will not be showing a picture of it, since I feel it’s a private thing for this family. I did finish a bulky cowl for the penultimate child that ended up being used as a snood by my youngest. I knit a cap for Baby John on Christmas Eve – only took me about 2 hours, LOL!
There are a number of scarves and shawls I’d like to make – a couple by Anne Hanson of Knitspot – Tudor Grace (seen here in its early stages, using Ultra Alpaca Fine);

and the Birnam Wood Wrap (shown here from the the designer’s pictures – I haven’t started it yet! another by Rosemary Hill called Bitterroot (a beautiful shawl/scarf pattern to be found FREE on Knitty.com)
I’m making Bitterroot from a Briar Rose Fibers yarn called Sea Pearl, color no. 502 and this picture does not do it justice. It’s a joy to knit with. I don’t know what I’m going to use for the Birnham Wood wrap yet – possibly a light color laceweight or doubled laceweight in stash.
New Year’s Eve John had to work again, so I went next door to our neighbors, Bill and Pat and rang in the New Year with them and a bunch of their friends. I had a very enjoyable conversation with a lady named Jean who, with her husband, did Revolutionary War enactments and who was quite the historian. She and her husband own a place in Bolton Hill in Baltimore and have renovated the house which predates the Civil War or at least was otherwise untouched the Baltimore Fire of 1904. The conversation was fascinating. She is also a nurse and we heatedly debated health care issues (yes, I behaved myself, I was polite, I was a veritable Marxist!). It was a very pleasant evening, but I was home by 12:16 because I wanted to do some knitting.

Because John again had to work New Year’s Night, I went to a lovely dinner at Denise’s home to celebrate the New Year – and what a terrific time I had! I started the Bitterroot pattern and had a chance to see the beautiful work everyone else was doing. We chatted about everything under the sun and had some amazingly good food. EfM and Saturday babysitting have kept my Sip ‘n Knit attendance to a minimum this year, so this was a wonderful opportunity to catch up with everybody.

Nobody objected to me taking pictures. And I did tell them I was putting them all in my blog, so at least I didn’t get these pics under false pretenses! Knitters are generally good-natured folks. As you can see from the smiles, we really did have a great time! Denise’s home is so beautiful – it’s made for Christmas decoration! Everyone showed what they were working on.

I have to say, though, that one of the funniest times was when Lynn did her “Ravelry Pose,” hiding half her face into her knitting! Mary (above) almost did the same! Thank you Denise, for your kindness and your incredible enthusiasm and incredible spirit! You and Lynn are a great team – and the reason our group is still going so strong. Dorothy (Pheelya on Ravelry) is a co-organizer for our Saturday group. Her knitting is just beautiful. She, like Denise, and the other Lynn – Lyn M – actually completes things, LOL:!) One of her completed projects is shown here.
One more thing before I go: Last night I cast on for this: available through Schoolhouse Press in Wisconsin – Elizabeth Zimmerman’s “Green Sweater” reconfigured by Sunday Holm as mentioned in Jared Flood’s article about the sweater in the Fall (?) 2009 issue of the Twist Collective. Would that the sweater is going to be in this size. I started the provisional cast-on and am still on the hem at the bottom. I’m knitting it in Plymouth’s Encore – a worsted weight yarn 75% acrylic/25% wool – but soft and machine washable. The color is a bluer green than what is pictured here, but I think it will be fine. Who knows? Maybe I’ll have a picture of a finished sweater some time next year, LOL! I’m curious to see how steeking will work for an acrylic/wool blend. Definitely will need to use the sewing machine for this one!
To bring things up to date, Monday started us all back to the regular work week and a day of court and meetings. Tomorrow will be frenetic prep for Thursday’s court day. Today was a day of catching up on paperwork and return calls (and of course bell prx) and Thursday we practice for Evensong at Charlestown to take place Sunday (bells and choir). We are going out to dinner afterwards and John is actually going to come with us! Who knew?
Well, gotta go. I’ll try to get back sooner than last time. Until then, God be with you ’til we meet again.
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OK, so I couldn’t resist!

Well, today has been a verrrry quiet day! It started with getting up late, some serious shoveling, and back to the computer looking at knitting, yarn, ideas for Christmas for hubby (as if I could ever fool him!) and just an overall lazy day.

But last night, I did get quite a bit of knitting done – or at least it felt like quite a bit for three hours’ worth. That little bit ‘o sleeve in the lower left of the picture is what I got done last night, which means I have some hope of finishing this thing before Christmas Eve – although my hope was to finish it by today! It’s the Portland pattern by Lisa Lloyd from the book, A Fine Fleece (Amazon.com link) reviewed here previously. I have made two changes to the pattern: First, I inserted a “St. John’s Cross” pattern between the upper shoulders on the back to personalize the sweater for its recipient; and second, I decided to make it a cardigan rather than a pullover, which will require a button band (or actually an i-cord band with i-cord loops instead of buttonholes, I think). I’m thinking the sweater will be used to keep the recipient warm in a rather cold office with precarious heat. When things warm up, it’s a lot easier to take a cardigan off than a pullover – at least it is for me, LOL:). The good news is, the recipient will never see this, but for those of you out there who know for whom this is, please don’t spill the beans! And that means you, Diane, LOL!:)
A couple of weeks ago, I decided to get a bunch of patterns from the Twist Collective and some scarf/shawl patterns that I’ve had my eye on for a long time by Sunday Holm and Anne Hanson, respectively. I am so determined to do these things, that I put them up as projects on Ravelry, even though I haven’t started them yet. Of course, before I do start them, I have to finish S’s neck warmer/cowl thingie, her Buttony, another sweater on the needles about 1/2 done for D, and a couple of sweaters for myself that are fairly close to finishing! So, it may be February or so before I start them. (NOTE, I said START:))
Not one to be without reading material for the weekend, I have been happily perusing
the Winter 2009 Interweave Knits, the Fall 2009 Verena, and Fall/Winter 2009 Debbie Bliss magazines. Yes, I know, I should be reading other things, too, and I am. But this is what I call fun reading:) Not mindless, but fun! I think the cover pattern – Nora’s Sweater by Pamela Powers intrigues me the most in the Interweave Knits, although there are quite a number of beautiful sweaters in there. Another one I really like is the Connie Chang Chinchio’s Alpaca Pleats Jacket. Alma’s scarf is also a beautiful piece by Mareike Sattler. Although Nora’s Sweater is complex with its pleating in the back and cabling at unusual angles, overall the sweater has very simple flowing lines. Similarly, the Pleats Jacket, a short-sleeved, waist length sweater, uses pleating and eyelet patterns along the front edges of this cardigan in a creative and elegant manner. Again, this sweater is a simple overall design, but the small details give it class – and excellent choice for a warmer weather work jacket. The scarf, too, is a very simple long and wide rectangle with patterning about 1/4 of the way in on each end. The secret to that pattern is the yarn.
As with Interweave, I found myself drawn to a pattern on the cover of the Fall 2009 Verena (I am a sucker for aran sweaters) and a simpler pattern in a t-shirt style. The Aran cardi – called Giselle attributed to the Verena Design Team, has the wide ribbed button bands in front that you see in a lot of patterns this year and very large, yet simple cable patterns in the front and on the sleeves. The short-sleeved Diamond Pullover, also by the Verena Design Team, is simple and I believe would be flattering as part of a casual outfit or worn with work clothes. The large rolled collar and the stitch pattern add some lovely elements to what would otherwise be a very plain Jane t-shirt.
Of course, it doesn’t hurt that this particular “t-shirt” is supposed to be knit up in cashmere! Verena, too, has quite a number of lovely patterns, for men, women and children.

Debbie Bliss never disappoints either! There are a number of lovely patterns in this issue, but I really like this vintage style, but color-modernized 1940s Style Sweater. It is so cute! Just look at that Peter Pan collar!
Well, dear 2.4 readers, I am going to have to go get dinner ready for the two or three who are home this evening and then finish writing those Christmas cards so I can mail them out tomorrow! Be back as soon as I can, and until then, God be with you ’til we meet again!
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Oh the weather outside is frightful

Which means I have no where to go, so let me blog, let me blog, let me blog! Finally, a free moment to slap something down on (virtual) paper! The past few weeks, dear 2.5 and greatly diminishing readers, has been a bit busy. As usual, one has to work for a living and I am grateful to have the job I do, although this week has been a particularly tough one for reasons I do not feel comfortable sharing in a public forum. Let’s just say we lost a battle in one situation and the entire war in another.
It’s also the end of the calendar year, and, like many, I like to catch up on things at work and get myself organized for next year. That, plus a lot of extra practicing Christmas music (my favorite thing to do) and knitting when I’m not nodding off (my next favorite thing to do) has made for a very busy and full schedule.
Since last we met, dear readers, I have had a number of interesting experiences. The first Saturday in December, a group of us in the choir went Christmas caroling at the two local nursing homes we usually visit. Only this time, we had a few very wet inches of snow on the ground. As a result, there were only about 15 of us, give or take, but we were a merry bunch. Susie, a resident of one of the nursing homes, followed us and sang along with us when we went our rounds of the hallways for the independently living folks. Susie was with us last year and I was happy to see her again this time:)! Susie is not much older than I am. She lost her husband about 32 years ago when still a young woman and has been lost without him it seems. I will keep her in my thoughts this Christmas. On my way home, I stopped for groceries and the snow had turned to a freezing cold rain! By the time I got home, I was ready to change into some warm socks and cruddy old comfortable clothes to warm up! John was off that night, so we got to spend some time together.
The days over the last month are blending together in my mind. If I didn’t keep a calendar, some days I wouldn’t know what day of the week it is! I’ve gotten a lot of client visits done, had a number of court hearings and have spent a great deal of time in extra choir rehearsals and bell choir rehearsals. By the time I get home, I’m wiped out and falling asleep. But in a good way! We have practiced between the two Sunday services, Thursday evenings at our usual time and lately on Monday evenings also! Tuesdays we have our regular bell choir practice and this past week, I was able to sneak in an hour or so of rehearsal on the tympani – yes, the tympani! A first for me (but I didn’t have the heart to tell Nancy, LOL!). Yes, I know how to play them pretty well, but never got the chance to in high school. Nancy needs our tympanist – Tom C. – to sing bass for two of our pieces, and our alto section is fairly well stocked, so I got elected to cover for him – and it has been a BLAST!!! Hopefully I won’t screw it up too badly, LOL!
Last weekend, was the second Sunday of the month, so the bells played at both services, in addition to practicing with the choir between the services. I was in Heaven:)! Nancy invited me to have dinner with her at PF Changs – as a Christmas gift! I ran home, prepped the beef stew for the family sunday dinner in the crock pot, with a note on the board since John was still sleeping and everyone else was either working or asleep or home at their own houses. – and then went over to St. John’s and to dinner.
That was so sweet of her! We had a great time, great conversation and great food. I really enjoyed myself – what a pleasant surprise!
By the time I got home, the family were all there, including the little ones – and I got their dinner ready for them! Of course I was stuffed, but I got to hold Johnny and give him his bottle while his folks had their dinner:) M and R were also there and I got to enjoy them as well.
As for Nancy’s Christmas gift, I am about 75 percent finished. Have a sleeve, sewing up and the button band and buttonhole band, and neckline/collar to finish. I may just make it, but it will be a close call! I hope she likes it. I’m not going to post any more pics of this until it’s done – more incentive!
I finally did get the pattern for Elizabeth Zimmerman’s Green Sweater, that Sunday Holm reconfigured (for want of a better term) and about which Jared Flood wrote in the Autumn 2009 issue of the Twist Collective. I don’t have the wherewithal to purchase the original yarn for this pattern, or the other offerings at Schoolhouse Press, as truly lovely as they are, but I did decide to use the above encore worsted weight in a bluish blue green color. I chose the worsted because I think I will need to make it a wee bit larger than the pattern calls for, so if the gauge is larger, it should work out for me. It will be a long time before I start this project – I am determined to finish some things first! And for no other reason than to inspire, I show you this olive green Ultra Alpaca Fine:) What it wants to be, I don’t know yet, but I suspect some sort of scarf, wrap or small shawl. We shall see:)
Well as you no doubt can see from the pictures at the top of this entry, it has been a very snowy time here in Merlin – and most of our part of the U.S. Eastern Seaboard. Two feet of snow has put a lot of things out of commission for a time. Hopefully by tomorrow the roads will be clear and we can get back to work Monday morning (of course I mean that! Sure….)
The main thing is to try to stay as safe as we can!
In the meantime, God be with you ’til we meet again!
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Needing no introduction…. (not a knitting post)

Or look here

 

Thank you to the Other Andrew

Who said knitting blogs weren’t fun?:)

 

Back in the swing….

Last week was very “light” on the work front. The only hearing I had scheduled – a TPR – was canceled when DSS withdrew their petition “without prejudice” (just means they can come back and file again). You would think I got all sorts of things done. Not so’s you’d notice, LOL!:) I did take the opportunity to sleep a little more and to enjoy time with the grand kids and knit just a little bit:)I got another piece done for Nancy’s Christmas gift (left front – the one with the button-band for women), and began working on yet another cowl for the penultimate of my progeny, the divine Ms. S.
Thanksgiving was terrific! Different this year was the fact that our Thanksgiving service took place Thanksgiving morning rather than the Wednesday evening before. I kind of missed that as did a number of parishioners, for the attendance was not so good Thursday morning – but the cool thing was, it got me up, out and ready to go for the morning. I never stuff my turkey, so it doesn’t take so long to cook. Because D had to work night shift for Howard County 911, I made sure to have dinner ready by 5 PM. Everyone came except son D’s GF C and B’s GF J both for different reasons. Baby John was our new wonderful addition:) and we had the “kids’ table” for the second Thanksgiving! That table is growing!:)
Friday after Turkey day court was closed, so that’s an automatic holiday for us:) Slept in, hung around the house, not much went on:) Saturday, we watched the grandgirls for a few hours, and the two clients I wanted to visit were visiting with their family, so that had to wait. I did get work done on the aforementioned knitting projects. In fact, my Friday and Saturday nights looked like this:

John at work, the adult kids out doing their Black Friday/Saturday thing, the latest installments of my favorite podcasts (Cast On, Cogknitive Podcast, KnitPicks, KnitmoreGirls and Electric Sheep) at hand, and knitting:) Sigh…..and don’t forget the ubiquitous glass of Cabernet:) Heaven!

Sunday, I was a Bad Grandma. I ran away from home for the day, with John’s blessing (What, are you kidding? He thought he’d died and gone to Heaven!) I sang with a few choristers at the late service after making a modified Caprese salad (used cherry tomatoes sliced in half with similar sized mozzarella cubes to travel better) to bring to the house of dear friends (John was invited, but he had worked the night before and was slotted to work Sunday night as well). A group of us went to an Advent evensong service of readings and music at the Washington National Cathedral. Ahhhhhhh. It was outstanding! I think Advent is my favorite Church season. I am so grateful to N and R for arranging this at their home!
Before we settled ourselves into our seats for the service, we went up to one of the towers. There was still a lot of afternoon sun left and the views were breathtaking! Normally a real sufferer from vertigo, it didn’t bother me at all! As soon as I got off the elevator, I ran to the window – so NOT like me! And this is the view that greeted me! Isn’t it wonderful? The sight of the National Cathedral, the minute we get within eyeshot of it, never ceases to stop me in my tracks.
You may recall, dear 2.5 readers, that back in November of 2006, I attended the Investiture of Katharine Jefferts-Schori, our Presiding Bishop. I took a lot of pictures of the Cathedral then, too. My friend, Vicki, herself a seminary graduate awaiting ordination in Connecticut, was there with me. Also present was a friend of Vicki’s from seminary who was living in Florida, also awaiting ordination. After the service, we drove around the Cathedral, taking outside pictures. Vicki’s friend (Vick, if you read this, please supply her name – I’m embarrassed not to have remembered it!) said, “Stop. Wait a minute, let’s really take a look at this. This is OUR Cathedral!” I remembered thinking how much I took for granted living so near it, that a mere 45-minute drive and a few bucks’ worth of parking would get me there. It really is an amazing place and I never forget Vicki’s friend’s remarks when I go there.
After the Evensong Service, we went back to N and R’s house for “Wassail,” Coffee, wine and an assortment of home-made desserts, some of the group practiced music for next Sunday, and the rest of us watched, in awe:)
Finally, it was time to go. I got home a short while later, thinking I’d missed the fun with the grandangels, but thankfully, they were still there:) I got to hug and cuddle every one of them:)!  A perfect end to a peaceful and nice holiday:)!
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Well, today was back to work: court in the morning, visits in the afternoon and evening and here I am, ever grateful to be employed!
Well, it’s late and I’d better get going!
God be with you ’til we meet again!
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Forgot to add Robin Williams to the list of things I’m thankful for.

 

Thankfulness, I haz it….

Air America had a humorous list of reasons for progressive Americans to be thankful. Well, humorous if not a bit harsh, and I have my own list, not in any particular order of importance:

I am thankful for halfway decent health for an old fart – despite obesity and a love of red wine;
I am thankful for my family of individuals who still care about each other and for extended family who probably scratch their heads at us but love us anyway;
I am thankful for friends, crazy-assed or otherwise who have remained friends through the years, the kind of friends with whom I can share everything – they make life worth living;
I am thankful for music and having just enough ability to enjoy it and even make some now and then;
I am thankful for my wonderful church community, a community that welcomes questioning and learning in addition to faith and prayer and worship;
I am thankful for the choirs to which I belong; for the music we make, for the friendship we share and for our wonderful SWMBO;
I am thankful to be employed by a wonderful firm of good, decent and hardworking individuals, all dedicated to helping the best clients you could ever have: children:);
I am thankful for my clients from whom I learn more than I ever could have imagined, and for whom I always hope to do better;
I am thankful for seasons; for sunsets; for walks and talks with my best friend; for red wine and good food at the end of the day; for knitting, and spinning, and seeing things grow;
I am thankful for a husband who does far more than his fair share and who has known me for over 43 years and still puts up with me;
For my grandchildren;
For my freedom.
God be with you ’til we meet again:)
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