Yarn Along

Yarnin' Along with Ginny

This is a Christmas Stocking that I am designing for a customer, and I am really enjoying the planning and plotting.

Usually with a stocking I will copy one or use a pattern, but occasionally I get to design one from scratch and those are always great for the brain.

My book is one I have read many times, I found it originally at an antique store.

The title is The Turning Point by Louis Tracy, and after I read the cover off of my original copy I hunted this down somewhere on the internet.

The story is about Richard Aylmer who was a pilot in World War I for Britain and after a crash and major head trauma is trying to put the war behind him and start a new life as a painter.

His head injury causes him to have flashback/memories of living in a past life as a knight in 14th century Yorkshire.

The Turning Point was written in 1919 and I love the glimpses that you get of early 20th century small-town English life.

There is a fascinating secondary character who is a violinist who loses his left hand and must learn to play the violin right-handed while holding his bow in a mechanical hand of his own devising.

I have probably read it 4 or 5 times and it never fails to entertain me.

What are you reading and knitting today?

180

Well this week certainly took a 180 degree turn from its wretched beginning.

The Younger's arm is healing nicely from his brush with hot soup, everyone's recovering from their personal walking pneumonias and we had a lovely Thanksgiving day beginning with breakfast with most of my family and dinner with most of the In-Laws.

To top that off we had a very nice time at our 20-week ultrasound where we learned that everything is growing the way it should, good looking heart and brain and all of the limbs are where they are expected to be.

Also we learned that I am carrying a girl-baby.

That led to a massive clean-out of boy baby clothes which we'll not need and so our house is a little neater too.

Another little excitement is that I figured out what to send to my Christmas Ornament swap partners, and got a really good start on those today.

Some of the Santa faces have kind of odd expressions, but I hope my partners like them anyway.

Enjoy the last moments of your holiday weekends, and I'll see you soon

Shift of Perspective

This morning as I was innocently driving the Elder and Younger to school I heard this song on the radio.
"Mother Mother" came out in 1996 when I was in college and I loved singing along with the radio and screaming along with Tracy Bonham.
This morning as I was singing along I got a little choked up.

Now I am a mother and I am going to have to send my little chicks out into the world someday.
I do realize that since my kids are in kindergarten and 2nd grade and fetal that I won't have to send them into the cold quite yet, but it's out there!

Sometimes I get these reminders that time is moving forward and it's a little jarring.

Yarn Along

Yarn Along time again!

I have been knitting for customers lately, but I have this glimmer of a project for myself for after the holidays. I wound the first ball, which is huge, so only half of it fit on the ball-winder, and if I have a moment this week I may just start in on a swatch.

The book is a new edition of The Phantom Tollbooth; my very favorite book from my youth, which has just been re-released in a 50th Anniversary edition.

I'm reading this aloud with both of my kids, and I hope they catch the bug and want to read it to themselves over and over again. I read the cover off of my first copy, and the last page too if I recall.

What are you reading and knitting these days?

The Boogie-Woogie Flu

The Turkey-Day plans have been up in the air this year, until yesterday when it was finalized that we'll be dining at my husbands parents' house and we'll bring a veg and a dessert.

So, today I will make a trip to the grocery store (though not for Brussels sprouts which I was assured by my M-I-L "no one would eat")

While I am quite thankful for the many wonderful things in my life, not the least of which is my amazing family and extended family, I am not really looking forward to spending the next 2 days baking and cooking.

I should have prefaced that last thought, which I am sure had long-time readers gasping in horror, by saying that everyone is ailing at our house.

The suspicion of my doctor is that I have Whooping Cough, though when I took the Elder in to have her checked out for an identical cough her doc thought Walking Pneumonia was more plausible.

After the 2 trips to the clinic yesterday and 3 trips to the pharmacy for antibiotics for the Elder and myself, the Younger burned his arm pretty badly on hot soup from our take-out dinner. So a 4th trip to the pharmacy to get gauze pads and tape, and now he's on the mend as well.

Add to that a couple of disappointing days professionally this hasn't been the best week.

On the upside, we get to spend a couple of extra days together, since the kids were sent home from school yesterday just in case we do have whooping cough in the house, and I have had to cancel much of my work yesterday and today.

So now we have lots of extra time for some menu planning, some tea and knitting knitting knitting. Not to mention that I have some swap ornaments to whip up as well.

Another upside to this rather disappointing week is that I ended up with yarn for a new sweater for myself and it's the carrot on my work stick for after the Holiday fracas is finished.

Something tells me that this sweater

will be the perfect thing for long springtime walks with whomever comes to meet us in early April.

I wish the most wonderful Thanksgiving to you all, and I hope no-one out there has Walking Pneumonia, though I wouldn't mind the Booie-Woogie Flu ;)

Book Club tonight

Tonight is the meeting of my book club.

I am a little ashamed to say that I haven't finished our book for this time, but I did make some cookies to bring so I can still feel like I am contributing to the group.

A Facebook friend of mine made these the other day and they looked so delicious I couldn't resist making some today.

These are a home made version of Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pies. They're pretty yum-tastic, though I kind of wish I had made pumpkin whoopie pies instead.

Have a great weekend all, what's on your itinerary?

Give to the Max Day!

Today is Give to the Max day in Minnesota.

Over 1400 different local non-profit organizations are asking that you make a donation today through a website called Give MN.org.

I'll add my voice to the request for my favorite two non-profit groups.

Currently I sing with two wonderful choral groups; Caritas and The Singers.

Your donation could make a big difference for both of these groups. Please consider giving today as each group has a matching grant-Caritas for the first $1000 in donations and The Singers for the first $2500 in donations.

You'll even get a little free surprise if you donate to The Singers!

I hope all is well out there in blogland, see you all soon!

Christmas Music

Hi All,

I am in the mood for some Christmas Music! The weather is getting colder and the kids have started their lists for Santa and the Grandparents.

Time for some Harry Connick Jr., Ella and Dean Martin. This year I added She & Him (thanks for the recommendation Kerry!) and Carole King.

What's on your Christmas Playlist?

Belated Blog Birthday

I missed my Blog Birthday.

In October of 2007 I started coming here to share my thoughts, my makings, my photos, my life, and you all have been there with me.

Thanks for your comments, and your support through my ups and downs.

I love having this place to come and spend time with you all.

This photo was from the date of my blog birthday, and I actually posted it before, but I'll share it again, since I love the woods and I love you all

See you all soon.

Yarn Along

Lots of knitting but no reading this week.

I have to finish Team of Rivals by mid-November, so I gotta get going on that one.

This stuff is all for clients. The tiny sweater is for a bear, and the other two projects are Christmas stockings.

My husband asked me this week why the giant pile of knitting stuff behind my chair keeps growing, and why I couldn't just work on one thing at a time and finish it up, thus keeping the other things put away while they waited for my attention.

I told him I just can't work that way.

Different situations call for different levels of knitting intensity.

Are you all the same way? or are you monogamous knitters?

Join Ginny for more Yarning Along!