Socks, socks and more socks

I have been knitting socks for most of the last 2 months. I finished 2 Christmas stockings in October, then proceeded to move on to traditional socks.

I made my son a pair of shorties, my daughter a pair of shorties and am now working on another pair of socks. They aren't shorties, but they also are not regular length either, they fall somewhere in between. (midi's???)

I am not even on the page of gifts for this holiday season. Maybe I will make up some soaps/scrubs and use that for gifts. I don't have the money to do much else, nor am I in much of a giving spirit. I just want to sit by a nice warm fire, with Enya playing in the background, and knit.

Needless to say ... that ain't gonna happen any time soon (if ever).

My son wants me to knit him a sweater. We have the pattern, now I need to get the yarn. Acrylic for him, as everything he wears ends up in the washer and dryer. He's picked out the color, now I just have to find the yarn at a good price. I think I can make it for around $40 in yarn, not including my time. Not too bad.

I'm Still Standing...

We received notice of those being laid off today. I am not one of them.

I thank the stars, and whatever else I can thank, that I have not lost my job, as of yet.

More cuts are possible in the future, but not right now.

I feel like I can start to resume my life, to some extent.

I am now going to go and finish my day at work, go home and heave a heavy sigh of relief. I may even get a bottle of Boone's Farm, drink to those who were cut, and be thankful for what I have.

I am a Jinx!

I am participating in the Dish Rag Tag again this year. I am the team captain of team K2Win.

Our box has gone missing!

This happened to my team last year. I am thinking that I should not participate in these kind of things anymore.

I know it's not really me (or is it?), but it sure seems like this happens to me a lot.

The kitties are doing well. They are beginning to get along better. And the kids are still cleaning the cat box and other bodily functions up without batting an eyelash (for the most part). Pye has a touchy stomach some days, and has led to a new realm of clean-up.

The knitting is going very well. I have 5 holiday gifts done, 3 more almost done and only a few more to start. I even have a pair of mittens for my daughter almost done for her 10th (how the heck did that happen?) birthday in 2 weeks.

I am still unable to go to my knitting group on Wed. nights. I can hardly stand it any more. I need to be around other adults that are not work or family related. Some days I just want to pull my hair out. I need that release of hearing other people's troubles, triumphs and enthusiasm. I will not do this again anytime soon.

This month is our Knitting Guild's Trick or Treat swap. I can't wait for this one. I always bring a few things. Some are going to be tricks this year, as well as a treat or two.

A Tail of 2 Kitties

We did get a second cat from the humane society. Her name is Annabelle. That was her name before we got her. We decided to not confuse her even more, by giving her yet another name.

Her previous owner boarded her at the humane society and never returned for her. She is very sweet and totally lovable.



This isn't her, but it looks almost identical.

The kids love her so much, she follows them around, gets in their way, gets in their face, and they totally LOVE it.

The two cats still don't get along yet, but they are slowly realizing that they are stuck with each other, and that neither of them are going away.

Knitting is slowing down, but still making progress. I am going to make some more beach bags I think. They are pretty quick and super easy. I want to do scarves, but I don't want to buy new yarn either. I will have to think on this some more.

School is in full swing, and J has brought home the bassoon again. He really likes playing it. In another week, he may be playing it in band.

I miss going to knitting on Wed. nights. I will be glad when this fitness class is over. I miss the back to school stories, the general welcome feeling from the group. It's almost like I am going to come back and have to start all over again, like it's a new group.

A Little Bit of This ...

Son of Dish Rag Tag is going smoothly. Teams have been chosen, all my team members have checked in, and the boxes should mail out late next week!

I can't wait! I love this type of stuff! It's so much fun, waiting to see if there is a new box when I get home, then seeing the items in the box, then seeing how much I can pack in the box to send on to the next person! It just makes me feel all bubbly inside.

And what else could make a person feel even better? How about a new kitty. Yup! We now have a new kitty at our house. Her name is Pye.



The back story: After we lost our last animals to old age and health problems, it was dictated that there would never be any more animals in the house while my grandma was alive. This was a few years ago. She held out much longer than I expected. But, I've noticed the signs that she was caving in on that old dictate.

My mom brought home this small black and white cat yesterday. Once the cat was in the house, my gran says "Now we need another one, so she isn't lonely".

So, back to the Capital Humane Society we went, to try to get another cat. Unfortunately, they were all out of adult cats. We will try back today or tomorrow. Heaven forbid the cat not have a companion of her own species.

Knitting is going well. I am getting a lot of holiday knitting done, and am really excited to knit again. Now, I must find kitty toy and bed patterns. Pye can't be left out of the knitting/crocheting gifts.

The kids are back to school and everything is good on that front too. (So far) J. has already talked his band teacher into letting him try the bassoon again this year. I think he is bringing it home today. Joy!

Well, I'm off to have a great afternoon, with possibly another kitty coming home!

Son of Dish Rag Tag

I am participating in this year's Son of Dish Rag Tag.

Emily is running this great race for a third year. Thanks so much Emily!

Last year my team had some stumbling blocks, but we still had a lot of fun. And who can beat the anticipation of a small box being delivered with yarn and goodies inside?

I can't wait to get started! Our team will be going coast-to-coast. California to Connecticut, and several stops in between.

Get your needles ready!

On the home front, things have been pretty good. J now has an official diagnosis. While this doesn't make things better, it does make things better, if you know what I mean.

We have just one major test left and that is on Saturday. IQ testing. J has never had this done before, but it will be interesting to see in what range he is at. They did some testing on his vocabulary and understanding, and he tested at/above a college level. (He is entering 7th grade this year)

It's hard to know how to handle a kid that takes everything you say literally, all the time, whose vocab. understanding/use is at a college level, but who doesn't understand non-verbal communication, teasing, or emotions (his or others).

I love him dearly, but some days I can't stand to be around him. I am positive he feels the same way about me. Probably more so.

Knitting is going great! I am knitting up Holiday gifts right now, and they are flying off the needles.

In fact, I received my new Zephyr acrylic needles from KnitPicks.com and have already worn one out. It snapped in half while knitting last Tuesday. (A new set is on it's way - free of charge!)

I am still trying to figure out what to do for gifts this year. Money is way too tight, and the things kids want are WAY too expensive. They are just going to have to be happy with less. (Are there any kids like that out there?)

Performing my Civic Duty

I spent 4 days this week serving on a jury.

It was an interesting experience, to say the least. I knit in all of our breaks, and ended up with 6 dish/washcloths by the end. I figured at least the downtime, when we can't talk about the case, wouldn't be wasted, and I still could participate in other conversations.

You learn some of the strangest things about the other jury members when you are confined to a small room day after day. (What venues have cheap food, movies about juries, etc.)

I am glad that it was a short trial though. And that we were not sequestered.

I didn't do much of anything else this week, except for go to court, go home, and knit during the day.

I am digging out of the piles of e-mail that accumulated over 6 days. Better get back to it.