Still knitting

I finished a blanket for a friend's grandson. She had made a little sketch of what she wanted in the center panel of the blanket months ago. I got that part done, but had to wait until the baby was born to finish the borders. They contain the baby's name in shadow/illusion knitting, and the parents didn't want to know the baby's sex until it was born. It's a boy.

I've also done several hats.

Actually, I did two of the purple ones. I think I'll make more of the ones with the flap to keep the neck warm. All except the purple one are in yarn heavier than I usually use. For some reason (mostly good sales) I've bought quite a few skeins of bulky yarn recently. I guess I'll use it all hats for charity.

And there have been some shawls, too.

I had to start replenishing my supply of them, after taking the five I had on hand to church to be used as prayer shawls. My great-grandchildren will expect me to have some for them to give to teachers in May, and the church may need more. My sister has asked for the blue one. I made it with yarn left over from two infinity scarves I made for my daughter and one of my granddaughters for Christmas, and from the shawl in the top picture. (The actual color of the yarn is somewhere between the top shawl and the outer border of the middle one.) When I took the shawl in the bottom photo to the Lake Area Fiber Artists meeting on Monday, I got one of the others to model it for me. I showed it to other friends yesterday; one of them said it reminded her of a peacock.

And there is one scarf finished so far.

And two baby/toddler sweaters.

Well, I guess I haven't photographed the second one since I finished it. It is a Baby Surprise Jacket, designed by Elizabeth Zimmerman. It is done in one piece and looks rather strange until it is folded correctly and two shoulder/sleeve seams are sewn. That bright yarn is some that jumped off the shelf into my basket a month or so ago.

What I knit in 2015

40 hats of various sizes
13 headbands (these were done so early in the year that I had forgotten about them until I checked my log)
18 scarves and cowls (14 of these were for family members for Christmas)
9 pairs of mittens (most of these matched hats, and all were donated)
9 shawls (these were all for the church for prayer shawls or for great-grandkids to give to teachers)
7 sweaters of various sizes (one was even for me)
2 large baby blankets (for my new great-granddaughter and for a friend's grandson)
1 Christmas stocking (for my new great-granddaughter)
6 can cozies/soda sweaters
2 pairs of slippers (for my two youngest great-granddaughters, ages 3 and new-born)

Happy New Year! 2016

It can't really be two months since I posted here, can it?

I knit scarves for family members to wrap their Hallmark ornaments in. 14 scarves or cowls and one Chriatmas stocking (I thought the 6-month-old was too young for a scarf), and I forgot to take pictures of any of them.

My friend's grandson was born in the middle of November, so I've also been trying to finish the blanket she requested for him. I did the center of it (except for the sun's rays, which I still need to do), but couldn't do his name around the outside in illusion knitting, because her daughter didn't want to know the baby's sex until it was born. Here is a picture I took of it a couple of days ago; I have since finished that border with his last name.

Now I need to do some rays in embroidered chain stitch.

A few weeks ago, the parish nurse at church told me she had recently given out nine prayer shawls, leaving four or five still in the closet. So I took in the five finished ones that I had here. I have since finished one of the three (?) I had in progress, and have started two more. I'm really glad to get back to them. While I've been working on the scarves and baby blanket, I've been itching to work with some of the yarn I've bought in the last three months or so. I didn't need more yarn, of course, but sometimes it's hard to resist. I may already have SABLE - Stash Acquisition Beyond Life Expectancy.

During the first week of December, I again wove rugs at the Walk Through Bethlehem in Mayfield. My daughter ran the rug stall, where I was weaving. She had some of the kids from the congregation helping her on Thursday and Friday nights, and her granddaughters on Saturday and Sunday nights (one each night). I love this picture she took of Rose.

I think both of the girls enjoyed helping Grammy, and I know Grammy enjoyed it and was very impressed with the "village."

In December there were also the band and chorus concert at Lexi and Devins' school and a Christmas program at Rose's.

Another month gone

Two more to go this year. They'll be busy ones, with holidays and such.

I started off the month by hitting my little toe on a chair leg when I went to the bathroom in the middle of the night. That hurt! It still hurts when I walk on it. However, it didn't really bother me when driving, even though it is on my right foot. I'd have stayed home, except that I had promised out assistant rector that I'd talk to the 5- and 6-year-olds about prayer shawls. I sure am glad that there is an elevator to take me up to the classroom. I don't do stairs well anyway; I'm sure it would have been worse today. I felt a bit weird wearing sandals in November, but I think they looked better than sneakers, and other shoes just wouldn't do.

I can rest (read: sit with my foot up and knit) tomorrow, but on Tuesday and Wednesday I'll spend a few hours playing with my great-grandson, Brady. He's a sweetheart, but he IS a 3-year old boy. About a week and a half ago, when I was there with him, he brought a game of Sorry! out of his big brother's room. He was really cute 'reading' the cards and moving his piece every which way. He'll learn eventually, but I think it's his parents and older siblings (ages 14 and 12) who need to teach him.

I am still here!

Since I've been on FaceBook, I haven't been posting here very much. I don't post there much either, though.

I continue to knit a lot. Let's see if I have a few pictures from the last two months.

Well, only two of my knitting, it seems. I know I've done more than that, just haven't taken pictures.

The hat is just a fun project in some bright yarn that jumped into my cart in Hobby Lobby one day.
The sweater is one I started for great-granddaughter Rose six months ago. I finally gave it to her at her birthday party last Saturday. It is knit in fingering-weight yarn on size 2 needles. The fronts are in a stitch pattern that drove me nuts. That's the reason I kept setting it aside and doing other things. I did the back in reverse stockinette with a row of cable 'bows' down the middle - much easier.

Although I gave her the sweater at her birthday party, it wasn't really her gift. I had already given her a book we had talked about months before. The book is called "Grounded; Adventures of Rapunzel" by Megan Morrison. A friend of mine drew the map that is in the back of the book, so I had heard about it long before it came out. I told Rose about it one day, and she was interested in reading it. I bought it in June (shortly after it was released), read it and put it away to wait for her birthday. About a month before her birthday, they were visiting me and she asked if the book was out yet. I asked if she'd like her birthday present early. Dumb question; of course she would, so I told her where to find it. She had it read loooong before her birthday.

My daughter, Carmen, has been in the process of moving in with me since July; she's back in NJ right now for a couple of weeks. This month, she made two fancy cakes for her two grandchildren born in October. I do have pictures of them.

Brady turned 3 on the 8th. His cake has a Halloween theme. He and a little friend had their shirts off while they ate so they wouldn't get them dirty.

Rose turned 10 (double digits) on the 26th, but we celebrated on the 24th. The thing she wanted most was to go roller skating. That's the reason for the roller skate on the top of the cake. I don't know why she has such a funny smile in this picture. She did get to go roller skating - twice, I think.

Another happening during October was the annual Fall festival at the dance school. 3-year-old Lily is taking dance this year, as well as Rose. Rose started about that age, too. The Fall festival is always the first year kids first time dancing in front of an audience. It is in a little courtyard beside the dance school, so nothing too scary. Lily's group danced to "Ding, dong, the witch is dead" from The Wizard of Oz. Lily got to be Dorothy this time, because they had the costume from her other older sister, Kyra.

I'm not sure what the song Rose's group danced to is called, or exactly what she is; I guess just a ghoulie or 'shade' of some kind.

Their Grammy, Carmen, said she thought Lily made up her own dance. I think all of the little ones always do. The teacher is always on the sidelines doing what they are supposed to, but they forget to watch her.

Some things that have been keeping me busy

They'll all be donated somewhere, except the hooded cape for an American Girl doll. I found that half done, probably by my granddaughter, and finished it as I assumed it should be. I'll need to find out which great-granddaughter it should go to.

Family Reunion

I could have sworn that I posted once in July, but I guess I was preparing for the family reunion.

Some of my cousins did a fantastic job planning this event.

There was tubing on the Crow Wing River:

I didn't go on this one.

A golf scramble:

I don't golf.

Watching and participating in farm chores:

Orren is the farmer.

Mattie helped milk.

The kids all enjoyed feeding the calves.

And riding in the big tractor.


They also enjoyed the rope swing in the hay mow.

As well as just sitting up high.

There was square dancing one evening.

A few people even had the right clothes.

After the dancing, there was fireworks.

One afternoon, there was a large slip 'n' slide.

The family farm has been recognized as a 'MN Century Farm.' My grandparents bought it in 1913, and it has been owned and worked by family members since then.

The center part of the barn is 100 years old. It now has this sign on it.

Of course, as with any family reunion, there was food (several times)

and plenty of just sitting around, talking.

Then there were the 'official' pictures, done by a professional photographer.

This is the 'Ethel' branch. We have lavender shirts, because that was Mother's favorite color.
Front row: my niece Autumn's sons, Aidan and Liam, and my great-granddaughter Alexis.
Middle row: Autumn, my sisters, Renee (Autumn's mother) and Pauline, and me.
Back row: Autumn's husband Matt, Renee's husband Michael, Pauline's daughter Debra, and my daughter Carmen.

And here is the whole group. I think the photographer's idea of having us on the large piece of playground equipment was a good one.