Rangers lead the way!

Here are Billy and Aimee at Billy's Ranger graduation.  Notice the new Ranger tab on his left shoulder.  He just finished a grueling 62 day training, and graduated without having to be recycled on any of the training phases (there are 3).  Less than 20% of those who graduate do so without be recycled (aka failing one of the 3 phases).  There were about 170 graduates, including 1 from the Chinese Army, two from Canada, and one from 

Poland.

To say that the training is rigorous is an understatement.  There are intense physical and psychological hurdles as well as just plain dangerous stuff.  They learn how to walk up and down vertical cliffs (like Spiderman) with ropes, how to blow things up, how to parachute (Billy got a concussion when they "jumped" into the 3rd phase in the swamps of Florida), and how to do this:

These little dots dangling from the helicopter are actually Ranger instructors demonstrating how to get extracted from a "situation".  A bad situation.  They got there by sliding down a rope from the helicopter.  They later hooked themselves onto this rope and the helo flew away with them.

They also learned a lot of hand to hand combat skills, all based on ju-jitsu throws.  Completely awesome, they throw each other around like rag dolls.

He now moves from Ft. Benning in Columbus, Georgia (BTW, they had not even ONE yarn store) to Ft. Campbell, Kentucky (unknown yarn store status).  He will be assigned a platoon of about 40 soldiers (knuckleheads) who have just graduated from boot camp.  His unit (101st Airborne) is on deployment in Afghanistan and will be returning in March sometime.  It was an incredible thing to witness, this graduation---definitely one of the highpoints of life, right up there with college graduation or weddings ( even if Columbus is devoid of yarn to quench my habit).  Later!!!

Celebrating our Knit Sibs

Fran and Shirley showing off Fran's mom's new wrap---really really cute

And here we all are gathered with our Knit Friends in celebration of our friend Dee Dee, wishing her not only good Knitting Mojo, but a wonderful experience in Iraq.  She said that on the first day she gets there she is going to find a new best friend and immerse herself in language and culture.  She will undoubtedly find someone, and their life will be all the richer for knowing her.  Good luck DeeDee, we will miss you but we look forward to hearing all about your experience on your blog!  On the upper right corner of this blog is the link to her web page.  The password is deedee.  You can bookmark it on your computer too, or if you don't know how, you can enter through this link.  

This is a short entry--gotta go knit.  Hope to see you all on Sunday!

Have You Seen DeeDee?

OK, you simply MUST COME TO KNITTING ON SUNDAY!!!  It is a mandatory meeting.  If you don't come we will send the knitting police out to find you and drag you and your knitting to Papa San!  I am so serious that I am even going to call Papa San and RESERVE THE ROOM to make sure no nursing students steal it out from under us.

In case you didn't know, DeeDee is going to Northern Iraq to teach English to Kurdish women who are getting ready to go to the University.  Women have not been allowed to go to school until recently, and there are many of them who are now ready for the University, but must learn English first.  Because of her travel experiences, Dee Dee was asked to go for 7 months.  She will be leaving within 2 weeks.  Please come to knitting to see her off as only Knitters can do!  

***Roll your cursor over the title, and you will be taken to a link that you can watch to see photos that she will post during her trip.  The password for this web page is deedee (of course!).  Some of you who went to Europe and couple of years ago will remember the cover photo.  You can go to this map to see where she will be.  The star shows the town where the University is located and she will be in a village near this town.   PLUS___________If you look at the right side of my page here, you will see a section titled under my hit counter called "My favorite links".  You can click on  "Have You Seen DeeDee" and it will take you to her web page, magically!  Want to learn more about Iraq and it's culture?  DeeDee sent me this---  go to

merlin.yumaed.org, then to online databases, and then to culturegrams.  You can look up any country--it is very interesting.

Hope to see you at Papa San on Sunday!!!

Happy New Year!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!  Holy cow, 2009!  Can you believe it?  Sounds like the future.  I thought that by this time we would have cars that would drive you, instead of you driving them.  You know, hop in and tell it to take you to Nordstrom's at Fashion Square, and you could sleep while it drove.  Or, cars that hovered above the ground.  And remember the way that the Jetson family cooked dinner?  They had a contraption that they would talk to and Shazam! the food would materialize.  And the robot maid?  What happened to all of that?  Where is that technology?  Hmmmm...

My mom's shawl needs one to two more repeats, so it is in progress.  I did finish her Knitters Without Borders socks yesterday.  Her Spring Forwards were actually don BEFORE Christmas, imagine that!  I am now working on her Fixation Riverbeds.  Maybe they will be done tomorrow?  Perhaps?

This is how I spent my New Year's Eve afternoon.  This is my mom's Knitters Without Borders Sock, my toe covered by a green blanket, and the gi-normous fireplace in the lobby of the Hon-Dah Hotel lobby outside of Pinetop.  My mom and one of our friends were in the casino, so it was great knitting time for me.  I made my nest on  a big leather couch in front of the fire, and the blanket was something that t

he casino gave my mom for her "frequent flyer" coupon.  

Here are Carson and I before he left for Las Vegas on December 30.  His Bacon 

Scarf is thinner and folds well.   We think that mine has decided to be a Bacon Wrap  rather than a scarf because it is thicker and wider.  These are definitely curious scarves/wraps.  You can see more about the making of these on my Flickr page.

I will have mine at knitting next Sunday.

Hope to see you next Sunday at Papa San's !  Until then, happy knitting!!!

Merry Christmas! Happy Bacon scarfing!

Hi!  I have been bacon scarfing!!

Hope you all had a great holiday and are enjoying your family and friends. 

 I am in Show Low and this evening Carson and I made a bacon scarf.  The photo to the right shows it up close along with a felting needle.  the photo on the right shows the finished product.  First you lay out the paper--it is made by Artfelt and is the base of the project.  You lay the roving on it and tack it with the felting needle at the color joins and the edges, it keeps it from  falling off of the paper.  Then you squirt it with water until the fabric and roving are soaked.  You lay a piece of plastic over it comes with the fabric) and roll it up.  You stick into a knee hi nylon, tie a knot in the end, and throw it in the dryer.  

It took 2 15 minute hot cycles in the dryer, then one more 10 minute cycle.  Then you put it in the sink and pour boiling water over it, which makes the paper dissolve.  

Amazing!  A wearable meat facsimile!  

It's Christmas time!!!

BBBBBBBBRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!! It is cold in the desert southwest triangle!  Cold in the desert is somewhere between the 40's and high 60's.  Mind you, that's the high.  We get colder at night.  Most people think that you can't get hypothermia here, but surprise!  You can!  

Speaking of getting cold, I know 4 ladies at San Luis High School that won't be getting cold because of a knitter who loves them!   Here she is:

 

This is Fran.  Fran has been a VERY BUSY KNITTER the last week.  See the abundance of capelets and scarves she is wearing AND knitting?  These are the products of ONLY ONE WEEK OF KNITtiNg!

Feel like a slacker?  I do.  SHe is wearing a capelet, three scarves, and is about to finish the capelet that she is knitting.  Here is a closeup:

Remember the picture of Maya knitting from her backpack two posts ago?  This is her mom.  Hmmmmmmm.............hey Maya, did you knit some of these for your mom and she is taking the credit?  Just wondering.   Maya was getting to be a seriously fast knitter last time I looked.  I bet that the lucky recipients of these knitterly gifts will be absolutely thrilled.   If you have ever worked in a school, you know how important the Secretaries are to the organization.  The Administrators can leave for conferences, etc., but when the Secretaries are gone, the whole thing falls apart.  Fran must get to work with some really great people, I am sure they all deserve these cool things.  

     

I wasn't going to knit anything for my TA's (kids who work in my office) this year.  So, I lined up all of my Christmas knitting and kind of mapped out my knitting schedule.  Then I decided to knit for my TAs.  As a knitter, it is hard to say no, even to yourself at this time of year.  So I started in with 2 hats and 4 pairs of fingerless gloves or wristwarmers.  Here are two of my TAs:

They went really fast.  I used a chunky weight yarn, size 9 needles, cast on 24 stitches and knit in a 2 X 2 rib until they were as long as I wanted, measuring from mid middle finger to a few inches past my wrist.  I picked up 14 sts on either side as if to knit, and did a 3 needle bindoff.  From the other end, I picked up 9 sts and did a 3 needle bind off, which left a thumb hole.  Just enough to keep your wrists warm, and you don't have to take them off to write, eat, or pass out tylenol!  

Better run---by the way, my blog topped 1000 hits this week.  I did have a comment from a reader from Sweden, but as I was trying to publish their comment I hit a wrong button and I lost it:(  .  If you read this, please write back, yours is only the second comment I have ever received on my blog!  I appreciate any feedback. Heck, I might even have a contest with a prize like some of my sock camp buddies.  

By the way---Sock Camp this year is during Spring Break, so I will feel even less guilty that last year.  I am excited--last year was Camp Crow's Feet, this year, it is 

Camp KnittyHaHa!  I wonder what the Blue Moon Crew has dreamed up, last year will be hard to beat!

I will post in a day or two---I actually finished my mom's Stahman shawl, I am knitting the border and will block it tomorrow:)  Happy Knitting1

Hi....my name is Blarg....

(use your best robot voice)

Hi.  My name is Blarg. I am looking for a boy named Blake.  I am Blarg the Monkey.  Blake is a boy who is loved by a knitter, which is a very good thing.

                                 

I have 9 green hairs and big green ears because I have supersonic hearing.  I have pink lips.  I have  a brown tattoo on my left shoulder.

If you kiss my tattoo good things 

will happen to you.

However, you cannot kiss my pink place under my tail because this is where I keep my Secret Monkey Powers.  

This is my friend Amy who is not a Monkey.  She also has a friend who is a knitter.This is a good thing.  When she wears her hat she has Special Powers, but not Special Monkey Powers. 

Good bye.  Must go find my friend Blake and get into some Monkey Business.... 

So much to knit, so little time!

Are you done with your holiday knitting yet?  Do you keep adding more projects to your list of gifts?  Mine keeps getting ridiculously long.  To the point that I am considering getting up at 4:30 or 5 every morning just to get some extra time in. I wasn't going to gift knitting to the TAs in my office,  but of course I changed my mind.  They are all getting wristwarmers or hats.  

 I haven't blogged in a long time because it takes up precious knitting time.  I am so excited tonight though that I can hardly go to sleep.  Why you ask?

Many reasons, and this photo shows one---This is Maya.  See what she is doing?  Knitting!  Maya is Fran's daughter, and she is knitting away on her first scarf. Check out the length of the scarf--she did this in about an hour, after she finished her homework, of course!  She even has her ball of yarn tucked into her backpack.  Very cool Maya!  Way to go!  

The next thing I am excited about is Sock Camp 09.  The first year it was called Camp Cockamamie, and I didn't find out about it early enough to go.  Last year, It was called Camp Crow's Feet, I went, and the rest of history.  This year, it is called Camp Knittyhaha.   Seriously, and even better, it is going to be held DURING SPRING BREAK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  So I am REALLY stoked!  It is going to be on Whidbey Island, I think.  More info will be sent out later, I can't wait!!! 

That's all for today.  I really need to blog a couple of times a week.  But dang it, it takes away from precious knitting time.  I promise to be a better blogger.  Seriously. It's "not that hard".  I have more photos from our knitting and the Garden, so I promise to post them next time, which will be soon.  Seriously.

Later!

Baby Surprise X 3

From top to bottom,  Baby Surprise Jackets by 3 different knitters with 3 different needle sizes and 3 different outcomes--

Top--Kelsie's Baby Surprise, knitted by me on size 4 needles with 1 skein STR lightweight.

Middle-Crew's Baby Surprise knitted by Shirley  on size 5 needles with 4 balls of Louisa Harding's DK.

Bottom-Gage's Baby Surprise knitted by Helen on size 6 needles with 6 balls of Knitpicks Palette.  

Next time, we will do the buttonholes differently--maybe bind off two instead of one stitch, and rather than yarn over to replace the decreases, wait until the next trip by and do a couple of  knitted cast-on stitches.  It would make for a much neater buttonhole, we think.

Gage's Baby Surprise!  Knitted by his Nana' and ready to keep him warm over Thanksgiving.  Helen used Knitpicks Palette yarn, held double (6 balls), with a size 6 needle.  

This BSJ will be gifted to Kelsie today. I used one skein of Blue Moon STR lightweight in Goody Goody, the RSC yarn for July.  It looks great.  There was enough left over to crochet some bouillions ala Prudence Mapstone for decoration.  A lot of her publications can e purchased on line and downloaded to you computer.  

I have a bunch of these bouillions as well as other small crocheted and knitted objects for a purse but haven't

 as yet put them all together on the purse form.  Darned day job keeps getting in the way of my knitting!

That's it for today, my knitting friends.  If you haven't checked out Ravelry yet, go to 

www.ravelry.com  and sign up to join.  It is like my space for knitters and crocheters.  It is a great resource, and it's FREE.  It might take a week or so for you to get the invite to join after you sign up online.  It is worth the wait though.  

I have to jump back into my holiday knitting.  

The pile of projects keeps getting bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger.

Christmastime's a 'comin!

It won't be too long, time to get your needles warmed up!  Here are some things that have been knitted in our neck of the woods recently--

This scarf is for Carson.  No, he hasn't gone all Goth or anything,  the scarf was designed because he really liked the buttons, so I invented a place to put them.  No, I am not adding any more.  It's an asymmetrical thing.  Really big this year, the whole asymmetrical thing.  There are coordinating wrist warmers too, but I don't have a photo of them.  This pattern was dreamed up while I visited him in LA a couple of weeks ago.  It is a simple 2X2 rib.  K2P2 across, flip around, knit the knits, purl the purls.  Next row the pattern jumps one to the right.  That row starts off P1, then K2P2 and ends with P1.  Return trip--k the k, p the p.  Next row starts P2, K2, etc, ends K2.  return is k the k, p the p.  Next row is k1 p2 then k2 p2.  Get it?  It makes a diagonal.  Just enough detail to keep you awake.  

Remember this scarf from last post?  It brought 

in $250.00 for the Hospice Silent Auction!

  Which confirms my theory that at an event such as this, people will pay a lot of money for 

something for their kids or grandkids

if they like it.  It's a two-fer.  It's a christmas present on one hand, and a donation to Hospice on the other.  And it makes me happy to have created  $250 from $6 worth of yarn!

Speaking of Rats, check out DeeDee's multi-ethnic Rats.  I mean these are some BIG Rats!  Check out the tail on the last one--it is pointy just like the real thing!  Fran says EEEEEEKK!!!

Next post---Baby Surprises X 3---------

Jackson's Jive-Turkey Hat!

If you Google Jive Turkey Hat, this is the pattern you will find!  Every baby wants/needs/can't live without a Jive Turkey Hat!  I will bring it on Sunday---google for the pattern---

Can't wait to try it on him.  I love the pattern for the last 2 sentences, which actually reads as follows: 

Put hat on baby and take picture.

Put print away to show future prom date.

It's cooling down!

Finally we saw a bit of a weather break--102 one day, the 80 the next.  It is supposed to be back to 100 on Saturday, then into the 80's the next day.  You need the AC by day but can open all the doors and windows the nex t day.  Crazy weather!

These two scarves are donations to a silent auction that benefits our local Hospice.  The Rat Race was a fast fun knit and they have black Swarovski crystals for eye.  The Gator has felted balls of red roving for his eyes.  Both patterns are from Morehouse Farms 

Of course, this is the time of the year when you really want to get started with new projects.  When we start to cool off ( that means in the 80s in lower Sonoran Desert speak) we want to start making sweaters, wrist warmers, etc.  I know, sounds kind off kooky to those who live with seriously cold weather, but I want to light the fire when it dips below 80!  

Here is my first hat of the season to the #1 little guy in our lives---Jackson is now 3 months and coos when cooed to.   He gets cuter by the minute!  Scroll down to the last entry, July 8.  This shows him at about 24 hours, he came after the 35th week, so he was a little one indeed.  He is catching up really fast though.  He will alwThe green is Swish from Knitpicks and the orange is Lion Brand's Vanna White line.  He will be getting more holiday themed hats--a turkey hat from November, and of course the traditional Santa hat and maybe a Christmas Tree hat.  It is so fun to knit or little ones---the projects are so small that they go really fast.  

Gotta go--gotta knit!

Rocktoberfest and a bunch of KawKaw

To the left, you will see Treehugger, Bella Coola, Flower Power, and Tide Pooling.  THIS IS NOT A BUNCH OF KAWKAW!

And this is Tide Pooling, RSC September yarn! No KAWKAW here!

   To the left, A BIG BUNCH OF KAWKAW!  Or, Christmas KAWKAW!

And then..... ahhhhhh............Rocktober!  Carefully aged for over a year, ready to be wound into a yarn cake, stroked, loved, and knitted up into a slip stitch scarf and socks................I have literally waited from last November until now.  It was almost more than I could stand.  And that ain't no KAWKAW.   

Tomorrow I have a date with Jackson.  He might covertly try on his Christmas-present-in-the-making.  And you might just see it here!  Knit on..................

True Confessions, Chapter 2

This I think, is the last UFO that is living in my living room.  It is knit in a Debbie Bliss yarn called Cathay that is 50% cotton, 35% microfiber, and 15% silk.   A yummy yarn.  I bought it at a store in the Thousand Palms, CA area, when we were over there for Billy's graduation.  That would have been in May 2005.  At that time, I had done a couple of Charlottes, so I wasn't new to lace, but I remember it being a weird pattern.  It was out of Knitter's.  I think I will probably rip it out and start over.  I still like the lines of the garment.  It has a lot of drape, I love the color, and the yarn.  

When I finally venture in to my Yarn Sanctuary I will add Chapter 3 to my True Confessions.  Till then, knit on!

Guess who I got to watch today?

True Confessions

How many WIPs do you have? Really now, dig down in all of your hidden totes, stashes, behind your couch, in your deep freeze (yes, deep freeze) etc., drag them out, and count them.   I did this, and even TOOK PHOTOS. Here is what I will admit to, from the newest to the oldest projects. 

First, though, a couple of projects who were frogged for recycling.  I  don't think that that makes them actually COUNT as WIPs.  Or of course, UFOs.  To clear up another issue before delving any deeper here, this only takes into account those projects which currently live in my living room.  The yarn sanctuary doesn't count, it is like Switzerland for projects or yarn.  Nor does souvenir yarn count.  For instance, the yarn I 

bought in a frenzy power shop when I was in Providence for Carson's graduation while my husband was waiting in the car while I ran in for  "hand cream".  That is souvenir yarn.   Also the yarn (ahhhhhhh cashmere!)I bought in Italy.  Souvenir yarn again.  It is also could be considered in the category of "decorations" for the living room.  If it never gets knitted, that is OK.  

The orangish pink yarn is Firebird STR, from last year's Sock club. It was actually 

knitted into socks, I didn't like them, and I frogged them. The green yarn is from this year's Sock club's March shipment. I had trouble with it turning 

into the "Lucky" pattern so it also was frogged. The are queued up now for socks, in the on-deck basket.
This scarf was started Summer 07 in two colors of Jitterbug.  It will take forever t finish.

Next comes this sock, cast on July 19, soon to be "Spring Forward" socks to be gifted to a friend in Show Low. This pattern was on Knitty.com,

 designed by a fellow Camp Crow's Feet sock camper, Linda Welch. I will show more photos of them as they progress. They will be a fast knit.  Uh, er, it is now in the time out corner.  It is Wildfoote yarn by Brown Sheep.  I am spoiled and hooked on Sock That Rock.  This just doesn't measure up.

This is a nursing shawl that I just finished for Aimee. It is a 50-50 wool-cotton blend. Not too wide, not too narrow. Even though each row was charted, it was an easy-ish knit.

Amazing how these all look better here than in my bag at the foot of my chair. 

These socks are in Cascade Fixation and for my mom. They are Cat Bordhi's Sky sockitecture, and they are almost done!!!Wooo-hooo!!!

Ahhh, and behold the Monkey KawKaw sock in progress.

This colorway was designed by Tina of Blue Moon fame especially for Club Crow's Feet last April. We all received a skein at camp. One clever fellow camper thought tha

t it would look good in the Monkey sock pattern (by CookieA) that you can fi

nd here. Hence, they have become "the Monkey KawKaw" socks. They are now done!   Woo Hoo!

Now we are jumping back to summer of 07. This scarf is actually a completed object in my basket o' unfinished objects AKA, the "time 

out" area. It is ready for gifting. None of its neighbors are ready though...

This scarf is lime green and eggplant alpaca from 

Alpaca With a Twist.  It is a modular design, you never cut the yarn.  Only problem now is that it was so long ago that I was knitting on it, I will probably have a hard time figuring out how to start up again.

This is an alpaca shawl that I started summer of 07.  It is from Blue Sky Alpacas.  All it needs to be finished is a picot edging that is picked up and knitted all around.  I don't know why I haven't actually finished it.  I'm just not that into it.  It was abandoned. :(  Poor little alpaca shawl (sniff, sniff).

Another view of the Colinette Jitterbug scarf.  Oh,  it is soo short.  Why doesn't the knitting fairy finish it at night for me???????

This is a front of a modular sweater that I started so long ago.  I'm not even sure HOW long ago.  Maybe 3 years?  I actually have the fronts and back done, had it all together and knitted some sleeves, but they just didn't work.  So I ripped it apart.  I have some pewter buttons I found for it somewhere in my travels.  I know that one morning I will just wakeup and pick it up and finished within a couple of days.  There are just so many other yarns calling my name, though.

This unfortunately isn't the end of the list.  However, this is about all that this computer program will allow me to post though.  Yes, there are still a couple that are older than this (grin).  I will put them in another post.  

Christmas in July!

I always read about people who concentrate their July knitting on Christmas gifts. I can never get into this because it is 115 degrees outside in July, which quashes my desire to knit. For some reason, I always want to start new things in July, which is definitely not something that I need to be doing. However, it is always refreshing to see that someone has actually completed something for Christmas in July.




Here is our mystery knitter with a "jabot" type scarf---the hole in the scarf makes it stay nicely around the neck---but she finished more than this one today---




Here she is again, this Mysterious Knitter wearing a scarf with Large Balls, henceforth known as The Scarf With Large Balls. Guess who the Mystery Knitter is and you win a potato taco!!!


Stay tuned for my true confessions about exactly how many WIP's (works in progress) I have going. I am actually embarrassed to see how many there are. All will be shown in my next post!

Happy Knitting!

A Big Monkey for the Little Guy

Here is the Little Guy today after his 2PM feeding. Ready to get the UV light turned back on. His bilirubin is still high, so he still has to be under the UV light. They gave him a different light today, it provides a much greater surface area and will hopefully help him to return to normal levels faster than the other light. His color is actually much better than when I first met him on Tuesday. He up to 2 ounces of formula today. He was visited by the speech pathologist and passed all of his tests with flying colors. These tests are done to assess any developmental problems and are all centered around the sucking reflex. It also is used to determine if he can move on to the bottle and/or breast. Tomorrow he will be visited by the physical therapist. We are all taking an infant CPR class tomorrow. Tune in tomorrow for an update!





Here is Jackson's Big Monkey and his matching blanket. He needs a name (the monkey, not the Little Guy). Hmmmm....George is too obvious. Is Queck a possibility? (inside joke) He looks serious in this photo. He is visiting my office. Let's have a naming contest. Leave me a comment with your ideas. The winner will get a hat or scarf custom knitted for you in whatever color you desire. Unless of course, you ARE a knitter, in which case I will do a stash dive in my "Yarn Sanctuary" (aka extra bedroom) for you.





He is praying that someone will come up with the perfect name, because he's pretty sure he doesn't want to be named Queck.

The future's so bright I gotta wear shades

Every day he is a little better. He is tolerating his feedings a bit better, no throwing up this evening. He is cooking under the light to help his bilirubin, hence the eye mask. The neonatologist likes to draw eyes and glasses on them. Pretty cute little guy!