Christmas is coming!

Happy Advent!

I have not abandoned the blog. That being said I have been running full tilt since October, right up until I got a virus that put me in bed for two weeks. I have also hosted a birthday party for my five year old Bumper (Where did the time go?)

Currently we are getting ready for Christmas. Two weeks ago I put in 15 volunteer hours at the Bumper's school. The Cafeteria lady and I baked, wrapped, and put angel stickers on  500 sugar cookies to be given out at the Christmas play. It was intense and did not leave much time for anything else.We have three candles on the Advent Wreath.

The infamous sugar cookie

This weekend we pulled down the decorations and managed to put up the outside lights, and the mantle garland, but the tree is still bare and the Nativity still in the box. I have 2 hat and scarf sets to knits, mittens and a blanket to crochet (which the Bumper informed me must be finished by Christmas). We also have yet to send out our Christmas cards, or do the baking. We still need to make Chocolate Chip Cookies, Oatmeal Cookies, Butter Tarts, and a birthday cake for baby Jesus(the Bumper's idea).

In the middle of all this business, one thought anchors me : On Christmas Eve we will go to Midnight Mass and let the gratttitide, love, and joy we have be reflectin on over Advent come pouring forth in song, and praise as we proclaim and celebrate the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ! This the core, the most important part. Everything else is gravy.

Peace of Christ this Holiday
Kim

Hats, Socks and Down by the Riverside

Finished just in time!

A long way to go

Even though Summer has yet to start officially, we are in full holiday swing over here. The Bumper has had camp the past couple of weeks, which has allowed me to keep working on the novel and to finish up the baby hat I was making for a friends daughter in law, good thing too because the baby shower is this weekend and I just barely managed to pop it in a bag and send it with with my friend. It seems I have started something with the sock, once my sister saw the finished product; she asked for a pair of her own! I think I'll finish my pair first, but luckily for her I had a while back picked out the yarn I wanted to use if she ever asked me.

Into the woods

Down by the river

Around the bend

A couple of days ago Nana graciously offered to watch the Bumper and I went for a walk. I love walking and I love that I live where I can safely(for the most part) do so. As I went on this particular walk I made sure I stopped and looked at the beauty around me. The way I took some of my picture it looks like I live way out in the country. That is not so. I live in the city, not the city center, but not far from urbanized areas. I followed the trails that led through the woods and down by the river, and I thought about how the city I live in was once a major port, not as big as Baltimore, but having seen its fair share share of river traffic. On the day I took my walk the river stank. It was hot and humid, the river just sort of sat there stagnant and smelly. At one point I peered over the edge of the bridge to see if I could spot any fish. I did not see a single one. All of this made me sad, as pretty as the view was, I wanted it to be more than pretty; I wanted it to be alive.

Over the bridge

Environmentalism, and conservation are not buzz words to me, they are a part of how I live my life. My mother taught me the we should take care of the earth because it is one of God's gifts to us. I want the Bumper to grow up in a world with clean air and drinkable water. I want the woods to have wild animals in them; I want there to be forests period. When I walk I pick up trash that I see and put it in a trash can or recycle bin, I am teaching the Bumper to do the same. It may not make a difference in the grand scheme of things, but maybe it will.

Kim

Spring Walk

Way back in mid-April we had spat of good weather, and I went for a walk around our neighborhood. I was feeling a bit down that day, and I find taking a walk often gets me out of my negative head space. On that day I was in no particular hurry and I did not have anywhere pressing to be. Nana was watching the Bumpers, so I was free to meander as I pleased ( I really enjoy days like that because they are few and far between). As I walked along tree lined streets festooned in an array of blossoms, I couldn't help but feel very thankful.  Usually when I go for a walk I am in it for the exercise and hurry along hardly noticing my surroundings, but on that day I stopped frequently taking lots of pictures.

I took the time to explore, discovering along the way hidden trails in the park, geese nesting, front yards with white picket fences, a fire station with our country's flag flying in the brisk breeze.  There were times I just stopped, stood still and smiled. It took awhile, but I realized I felt happy. Such a small thing, but there it was.  Little by little and day by day I am recovering more of myself.

P.S. Still in a mad dash to finish the hat and booties.

Kim

Busy

School is out, and I am busy. Busy keeping up with the Bumper, busy knitting my second sock, busy making a hat and booties for a friend's daughter's baby, busy writing two short stories and a novel. I have been so busy that blogging has slipped way down on my priority list. I find that I miss it. So here I am back again.
The Bumper is also busy. She is busy painting, dancing in the rain, playing, running in the mud and just being a kid.
Nana is busy putting in the garden, emptying her office of twenty years, and trying to adjust to being retired.
Busy is good. Busy keeps me from being bored or dwelling on unpleasant thoughts, busy also prevents silly arguments and fruitless battles of will, but busy can have its downside. I have been so busy I have neglected my prayer time, the time I spend reading the Bible and being in the Lord's presence. It occurs to me that I shouldn't be quite so busy that I forget Jesus.  Yet once entered into I find busyness takes on a life of its' own. This summer I want to find balance between busy and still. Between construction and contemplation. No small feat when caring for a little person who wakes up busy and doesn't stop until she goes to sleep.  This weekend will be spent in busyness with friends and family, but I a going to try and slip away and be still for just a little while.

Kim

WIP Wenesday

I wanted this to be a wordless Wednesday with nothing but the pictures of my finished craft projects, but as I did not finish any of them that is not going to happen. So what I have instead is a W.I.P. (Works In Progress)Wednesday. A jumble of all the things I current have on the needles/hook or in my notebooks.

First up is a plain knit dishcloth. I started this sometime last year with the idea that I needed to refresh my knitting skill and re-learn the essentials: cast on, cast off, knit and purl. I pick it up when I want to practice a stitch to improve my speed.

Next is a crochet doll blanket that I started when the Bumper was a year old. It was supposed to be a baby blanket for her, but it turns out she grew faster than I could crochet.

Then come the hats; the green is still on the hook, but I have finished two yellow ones.

For a lark I picked up a drop spindle kit at the Ocean City fiber festival, because why not learn how to spin while I am at it?

There is of course the ever present sock.

And because I have a terminal case of start-itis something new. Can you guess what?

Lest anyone think that my start-itis limits itself to the fiber arts rest assured it invades other parts of my life.  I carry around a spiral bound notebook crammed almost to capacity with the beginnings of short stories, poems, and novel ideas.

These are the things I am working on, I hope to finish all of them; in the meantime I am enjoying the creative process.

Kim

Snow and Cold and Ice and a little Knitting

The Bumper has been delighted by the weather of the last few days. It snowed and it was a  decent enough amount to play in, and clean enough to scoop some out and pour maple syrup over. I was even able to introduce the Bumper to the joys of sledding. She loved it, and I am thrilled she did. I used to enjoyed the same thing when I was small, watching her I had a silly proud grin plastered all over my face. We made the afore mentioned syrup snow, and the Bumper declared it was her favorite part of being snowed in. The syrup snow is my attempt at maple syrup candy.  Neither the Bumper nor I are patient enough to boil the syrup before hand. The syrup doesn't get hard but it is still fun to make and eat.

 The birds decided a little snow would not keep them from the feeders and we were treated to an array of blackbirds, wrens, starlings, blue-jays, and cardinals. I am not sure who has had more fun bird watching the Bumper and I or the cat. Although I confess when we have grown tired of watching the birds it is quite funny to watch the cat watch the birds. Her tail twitches and she makes weird bleating meow noises.

The Bumper has an appointment with Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore in March. One of the tests they have requested of us is a 24hour urinalysis. Really? On a 4year old? I had been putting off this task, but I need not have worried. She thought it was great fun to go somewhere besides the potty and she wanted to watch me pour the contents into the collection jug. I think I have a budding scientist on my hands.

All this cold weather has meant we have spent a great deal of time indoors, much to the Bumper's dismay; I have made some more sock progress ,it is starting to resemble an actual sock, and another baby hat is almost off the hook.

We are busy keeping warm and enjoying the time off from school, except for the sledding and a swim lesson we have not ventured out. I am eagerly awaiting spring.

Kim

Forget November, February is the Bleakest Month

Today is not a pretty day. Today is cold and wet and dreary. It is not a sharp clean cold that makes me want to breathe in deeply and leaves me feeling refreshed and invigorated, it is the kind of chill damp that makes me want to huddle up next to the pellet stove, soak in the warmth and dream of Spring. I even found myself browsing through seed catalogs!  This morning the Bumper had her little heart set on going swimming, she even packed up the swimsuits in the knapsack; then she poked her little face outside. Ice still hung on the tree branches and covered the cars. The fine rain falling was cold and not hard enough to make decent jumping puddles. The Bumper decided to curl up with a puzzle instead. We haven't even had a properly decent snow to break up the monotony of this time of year.

I want to say something inspired, but I am not feeling very inspired at the moment. The last couple of weeks have brought with them a series of things, to suck out the joy. First was my uncle's funeral, then a series of dragging colds, first Nana, then the Bumper and finally me. Nothing major just persistent coughs, runny noses, and general sickness. Finally a very close friend's house caught on fire last week. She and her husband were at work when it happened, but the pets were at home and unfortunately they perished. My heart broke for them, not for the possessions, but for the loss of their animal companions. I felt helpless. I did not know what to do for them. They had a clean up crew this past weekend, but, except for pitching in a few supplies, I was not able to be a part of that effort.

I am still working on various knit/crochet projects. The socks( of course ), more baby hats (I think I might be addicted) and Nana's blue hat and scarf from Christmas. I am overdue to start making something just for the fun of it. I have a short story in progress and the novel is ongoing--having a hard time getting my characters from where they are to where I want them to be because I have difficulty writing transitional scenes.

I know spring will come, and the days are getting longer, but waiting is hard. 
Until then stay warm my friends in the Northern Hemisphere

Kim

Hooky Happiness and Knitty Goodness

Well the Christmas crochet frenzy is behind me. I made a hat and scarf for Nana, a scarf for my sister and hat for the Bumper. I gifted Nana with yarn in the colors of the hat and scarf she wants me to make next, because there just was not enough time in the days before Christmas to get it all done. So now I am looking forward to new projects. I am so excited because there are several things I want to to try and make this year.

Hat and Scarf to Go

Think of all the wee little hats!

First up will be Nana's gift. Hopefully it will be done in time for the annual February cold snap. Next will be the baby hats I am working on for a hospital in need of hats for newborns -- a stash buster and I get to give something back -- win win! Here is the address if anyone else is interested:
Attn: Rachel F
 5007 Opal Drive
Cheyenne, WY
82009 USA

Cozy Blanket here I come!

The Bumper is still asking for mittens and I am looking for an easy knit pattern. Then I will create something just for me and I am so excited. I did not get my act together in time to do the Crochet Along with Lucy at Attic 24 http://attic24.typepad.com/weblog/2014/11/cosy-blanket-cal-part1.html  
 but I still want to work up the blanket and am looking forward to it. 

And the sock is still here

Last but not least is the sock that never ends. I have not forgotten about the sock, but I can crochet faster than I can knit. I am still a beginner when it comes to knitting, however; I have a goal I am working towards and it is something I have wanted to knit ever since I was ten years old. Can anybody guess what it might be? It is not socks, but they are a good and challenging starting place.

p.s. It is not a hat, I have a gauge story about hats that put me off knitting for a good many years.

Kim

Randomly on Thursday

1. Feeling a little aggravated and stressed today. I wanted to be all in the Christmas spirit and start cleaning and decorating but it has not worked out that way. Nana decided to be a lady who lunches with her friends, which of course she has every right to, and the Bumper decided to overturn the living room chaise lounge to use as a tumbling platform and then dump all of her toys out onto the floor so she could find her favorite stuffed kangaroo, perfectly understandable, but she refused to pick up afterwards.

2. Started the Bumper's hat yesterday. It is a pretty easy and fun crochet pattern, but the author stated it could be worked up in an hour. The author probably does not have a small child who thinks it is the height of hilarity to unravel balls of yarn. The result being I have to work on such things after the Bumper is asleep.

3. We have company coming tomorrow. A friend I have not seen in fourteen years, it will be fun catching up. She has three kids and the third is not yet sleeping through the night , while I only have the Bumper I still feel her pain.

4. This Saturday the Bumper starts dance practice for the Fiesta. I think I am more excited than she is. I can't help myself the little kids always look so cute in their costumes.

5. I love Christmas carols.

6. I wanted to post yesterday, but I was still too upset about the news of  yet another Taliban school shooting. This time 148 people lost their lives. Most of them were children, just trying to get the kind of basic education we here in the States take for granted. I feel angry and helpless. All I can do is pray. I pray for the victims, their families, and the shooters and their families. Only God can change the hearts of such wicked misguided people. It is especially hard as we heard toward the celebration of the Birth of He who came to reconcile God and Man.

7. I am currently trying to decide if it will be worth it to make butter tarts and if it is possible it make a vegetarian version of French Canadian Meat Pie?

8. Famous last words: Next year I will be more organized.

9. The Bumper has been busy conducting water experiments in the bathroom. It is the least destructive thing she has chosen to do today.

Kim

Randomly on Thursday

1. This past week the trees around here have started to really show their colors, even on grey days the golden yellows and fiery reds cheer me up.

2. I think I am aiding and abetting the secret fruit fly plot for world domination. The little beggars are everywhere!

3. The orders have been placed and for the first time ever I will be hand knitting / crocheting gifts for my family this Christmas. Of course if all else fails gift certificates also work.

4. We are headed out of town for Thanksgiving, and I am glad. I am having a hard enough time keeping myself together without the added stress of cooking for a large number of people. This time of year is bringing back some especially painful memories for me and most days I have a hard time not crying or screaming.

5. The Bumper has decided she wants to build rocket ships, fortunately for me she is content with crayons and large boxes.

6.  I am still working on the sock, but Nana's scarf is done and I will post pictures tomorrow.

7. Both baby hats were well received by the Moms and I am glad. I like making things and it is a double bonus when those things are useful and give pleasure to someone else.

Kim

Randomly on a Friday

1. I tried to give up caffeine, I really did, and for a while I was a lemon water and cayenne pepper devotee. Then the Bumper got sick, and I got sick and Nana got sick, and there were one too many all nighters, and well all I can say is if you tried to take my coffee from me this week  you probably came back with a nub instead of a hand.

2. The weather has been deliciously warm and breezy, perfect for planting the bulbs for next Spring.

3. The scarf for Nana is coming along nicely and I finished a second baby hat.

4. This bouquet of Autumn blooms is gracing my kitchen table thanks to the Bumper who wanted to make it pretty.

5. Yesterday I spent the day introducing the Bumper to the wonder that is watercolor (washable) painting.

Have a good weeeknd,
Kim

Sock It To Me

I don't know what possessed me to think that knitting a pair of socks would be easy. I think I was lured in by the fantastic looking pair on the Crochet with Raymond blog. They were a tranquil aquamarine that is one of my favorite colors. I wanted them, then I read a little further and discovered that the pair I so desired were not bought, but made. I went hunting for the pattern the next thing I knew I had four balls of sock yarn and a collection of DPN's (Double Pointed Needles) I figured I could already crochet why not knit?

I was so wrong.

 Crocheting granny squares is a walk in the park compared to knitting on DPN's and it took me two years to learn how to make a granny square! Yet I remained undaunted. I started with the basic chain to re-learn crochet, so I started with a basic cast on and garter stitch to learn knitting. After making a dishcloth, I decided to try the object of my desire and cast on for my very first pair of socks. For months I have worked on this project, only able to knit in about five to ten minutes stretches before the Bumper has needed my attention or gotten into mischief. I successfully made the cuff, but thereafter the sock kept getting bigger. Undeterred, I knit on and on until I had turned the heel, done the gusset and started on the foot proper; then something happened that halted all progress. I dropped several stitches without realizing it. I was knitting merrily along and all of a sudden there was a huge, honking HOLE in my sock. I froze in mute horror, as I came to grips with the knowledge that I was going to have to rip back all of those months of work and start over. I was not amused, I was downright demoralized. Then I remembered the  P's - Patience, Persistence and Perseverance.
I took a deep breath and cast on another sock.
 So I give you- My First Sock Part 2:

Now I think I'll go crochet another baby hat to make myself feel better.

Peace,
Kim