Randomness

A pair of Maine Morning Mitts (pdf) knit from Wool-Ease for my sis-in-law for Christmas. Yes, I know, the picture is lousy. I simply cannot get decent shots inside my dark house. The weather stayed overcast for days forcing me to take some pictures indoors, or not be able to take them before giving the knits away.

I love the Maine Morning Mitts pattern. I have knit a lot of fingerless mitten patterns, but this one is my favorite to knit, hands down (hah, pun not intentional!). On this pair, I picked up a few extra stitches on the thumb. It was that, or end up with a lot of holes to fill in later. As it turned out, I decided to leave them rather than decrease back to the amount called for in the pattern. My sis-in-law's hands are bigger than mine, and these (thumbs) felt slightly snug on me. I didn't knit a gauge swatch, as I rarely do on small items. Small items being about all I knit, now you know the awful truth about me and gauge swatches.

These pictures are so bad, they're hurting my eyes. This was also a gift I knit for my sis-in-law, for her birthday last month. It's a pidge, neckwarmer, or whatever you want to call it.

Neckwarmer pattern

Yarn: GGH Savanna (heavy worsted)

Needles: 10 1/2 US

Size: Approximately 5" x 27"

CO 32

K2, P2 every row (2x2 ribbing)

Buttonhole worked on desired row by BO 2 sts at desired placement; determined by holding scarf around your neck and deciding where you want your button to be.

Next row, CO 2 st (at same place you bound them off i n the previous row) with backward loop CO.

Knit in pattern to desired length (27")

BO

Sew on buttons to match buttonholes

I think the next time I make one of these, I'm going to make only one buttonhole in the center of the row, as no wider than the scarf is, one button, strategically placed, would be sufficient.

You can take the girl out of the country, but you can't take the redneck out of the girl.

This is my prissy (not!) little daughter, Nikki, having some fun last summer. She and her Bubba (brother) spent the afternoon 'shooting up stuff' at his boss' place in the country.

You who don't believe in owning guns, look away, please. This is Texas, and it's what we do....well, I don't, but a lot of Texans do.

Click to enlarge to see the delicate beading in the yarn

This is a lovely pair of fingerless gloves which I won in a blog contest a couple of years ago. I was blogless at the time, but have always intended on showing them when I got a blog. I'm finally getting around to it.

These were knit by the extremely talented designer/knitter, Nancy, at Getting Purly With It. Nancy has only been knitting a few years, and has designed some incredible knitwear in that time. You should see some of her sweaters. Aside from her talent, she's also one of the sweetest and nicest women I've met on the web. Seriously.

I guess that's all the random things I have to share today. I have to go now. Either there's a prowler in the house, or the cat has gotten stuck in the abyss which is known as my closet. I'm guessing it's the latter, so I better go get her before she determines it's a giant litterbox.

Be blessed y'all!

For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

~Romans 8:14 Amplified Bible

Happy Birthday to Me!

Not today, but yesterday was my birthday. I learned this weekend from my mother that she requested the doctor induce birth two weeks early so that I would be born on my bio dad's Valentine birthday. I was 8 1/2 hours late. Of course, she'd never have done that today, but 53 years ago, a little less was known about the advantages of letting a kid cook to full term.

Mr.Studley and I spent my birthday with my mom and her husband in Fort Worth. They took us out one night for Mexican food, and the next night for a fabulous steak dinner. We had birthday cake back at their house, and my mom gave me a fat check to buy a new outfit of clothes. Life is good.

I was still carrying around the money Mother had given me for Christmas, saving it until I got a chance to shop in Dallas. I bought several skeins of yarn in JoAnn's Fabrics, and a Lucy Neatby sock knitting book, along with three new sets of bamboo dpn's at the Woolie Ewe in Plano. There were scads of yarn there that I wanted to buy, but it wasn't in my budget.

On our way home, we stopped at Whole Foods Market in Plano. Mr.Studley and I were like a couple of kids in a candy store. All that luscious looking organic produce had our mouths watering. There were samples being given throughout the store of various goodies. I told Mr. Studley, if we lived there, I could do a lot less cooking. I'd just drag him down there every day at dinner time, and we could cruise the store for sample freebies. Not having to buy groceries is likely the only way we could afford to live over there. Practically every other parking space was occupied by a Lexus.

Fortunately for us, the weather had turned a bit colder the night before, so we were able to pick up some perishables there (purchases, not freebie stuff). We sat them in the back of the pick-up so they'd stay cold on the trip home.

One of the things we bought at Whole Foods was goat cheese, something Mr.S. and I had never tried before. It is now our new favorite snack! Another stop we made on the way home was at the World Market in McKinney, where I bought some flatbread crackers. They have toasted carraway, poppy, and sesame seeds in them. We've been spreading the goat cheese on them, then drizzling honey on top. It sounds weird, but it's truly delicious.

In other, and more exciting news, I won a blog contest last week! Natalie, at Tins and Treasures, gave away a big bag of pink, girlie-girl, Valentine goodies, and I won! I had a blast going through the bag, pulling out one pink treat after another. What a shame the only one at home to hear my squeals of delight was my dog, Leyna. ;-Þ

I first met Natalie through her blog about six months ago. We became quick friends. I'm so thankful that our paths have crossed. She's such a warm and caring person. I love reading about the high school classes she teaches. It shows that she puts 100+ percent into those classes, and her students. They are blessed to have her as their teacher! She shares many of the recipes she teaches her students with her blog readers, too. Her crafts are amazing. She has such talent! Everytime I walk in my front door, I now see the red heart she made. I think of her, and am blessed all over again.

Whoa. Would you look at the size of that big, honking box?

What a pretty gift bag. It was stuffed to the gills, too!

It looks like I hit the motherlode! Click on the photo to enlarge, and you can see all my goodies.

This is now hanging on my front door. I love it. I love everything. Thank you, Natalie! You have truly blessed me.

For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.

~1 John 3:11 New King James

Monday's...er...Tuesday's Daybook

For today...

Outside my Window... After an overcast morning, the skies just opened up and the rain is pouring.

I am thinking... I need to work on ways of becoming more organized. It's a weak area for me, and it even invades my knitting. I had all my yarns and books/patterns neatly organized at one point, but my stash grew, and now things are out of hand. It's frustrating to have to go on a wild goose chase everytime I decide to knit something new. I need to keep better notes on what I want to knit next, too. I find that the older I get, the more notes help me!

I am thankful for.... the rain, I'm sure we need it. I am also thankful for the relationship I have with God. It is so comforting when I'm needing direction to know that I can present my need to Him, in faith, and expect an answer. Mr. Studley and I have some difficult decisions facing us, a couple of areas where we really need God to direct our path. Sometimes it takes longer than I wish to get answers, but oddly enough (or not), I seem to learn much (grow) in the wait.

From the kitchen... I just took a cast iron skillet of cornbread out of the oven. It smells nice. I'll probably have a piece of it crumbled in a glass of buttermilk later.

I am wearing... capris, a short-sleeved tee, my Obakashi sandles, and socks. Don't look for me on the cover of a fashion mag anytime soon.

I am creating... I'm halfway through a pair of Toasts for my daughter, Nikki. I do realize winter's practically over, but I got an itch to knit them. I think her winter lasts longer than ours, anyway. It's an easy, mindless pattern, and I needed something mindless. I'm knitting them in Classic Silk, from Classic Elite. It's a DK weight, so I'm using a smaller needle size and different cast on than called for in the pattern.

I am going... Mr. Studley and I are going for a visit to my mom's for my birthday later this week. My birthday is the day after Valentine's, but the timing for us all is better that we go this week. I plan to stop in at JoAnn's Fabrics while there, as there is a fairly new one near my mom. Yea! Plus, we are stopping at the Woolie Ewe in Plano on our way back home. A bigger YEA!!! I rarely get to go to a real live yarn shop, so this is a big deal for me.

I am reading... Eh...I started reading the Shack the other day. I forced myself through the first three chapters. When the book first came out, I was very intrigued and wanted to read it. Someone gave us a copy the other day, and strangely enough, I no longer had that desire. I realize now the Holy Spirit was trying to tell me to leave it alone. NOT that it's a bad book, but rather that it's not for me. I simply don't handle reading about tragedies well, even if they are fiction. It's too horrific for my mind to bear, the thought of a child suffering and it's parents not being able to protect it.

After reading those chapters the other day, I found myself lying in bed that night, unable to fall asleep due to the disturbing images the story created in my mind. I realized it had robbed my peace, and so for me, the book is not a good read. I would like to stress that I'm not criticizing the book, and I'm certainly not criticizing anyone for reading it. It's just not the kind of story I can handle, no matter how redeeming it may prove to be in the end.

I am hoping... for some nice weather next week to work in the soil. I need to move the soil from my compost bin that's been sitting all winter into my herb garden area. I'm then going to start a new compost pile. Lately, I've been saving my produce scraps in plastic bags in the freezer so I'll have a good base when I get started, but I'm running out of freezer space.

I am hearing... the hum of the fridge in the next room, and the occasional bark of a dog across the alley. Other than that, blissful quiet.

Around the house... I'm slowly but surely conquering some of the clutter. It's an ongoing battle for me.

One of my favorite things... is when my daughter calls me from England. Her schedule with work and college classes at night has been so hectic that her calls have been less frequent lately. When we last spoke, she had strep throat, and was feeling pretty miserable. This is about the 4th time she's had to be on antibiotics since moving to England last fall. I don't think the damp climate is setting well with her.

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week... I pretty much covered that in my "where I'm going" post.

A quote I am sharing with you...I added this in the sidebar of my blog after hearing it on tv yesterday. It really spoke to me.



Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant.
~Robert Louis Stevenson

Please feel free to join in on this meme through the Simple Woman's Daybook each Monday (I know, I'm a day late, and a dollar short). If you do, don't forget to go to Peggy's Simple Woman blog and sign the Mr.Linky, so other participants can visit you and read your Daybook entry.





Nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
~Romans 8:39 Amplified Bible

Ten Things I Do Everyday

Ten Things I Do Everyday

1) I pray. I usually try and pray before I get out of bed in the mornings. I heard Joyce Meyer suggest you should do this before your feet hit the floor in the morning, and it will have a big bearing on how your day goes. She's right of course. The Lord says to seek Him early. Even if I don't end up praying before I rise, I do pray throughout the day, little conversations with God.

2) I take Leyna (our Min Pin) out to do her bid'ness (southern speak for business). I actually do this a number of times each day. She is a little escape artist who cannot be let out in the (fenced in) backyard, so I always have to take her outside on a leash. Nothing says love like watching your dog take her daily constitution first thing in the morning, before you've even had your coffee.

3) I get on the computer. Usually it comes after my trip to the toilet (and Leyna's), and before my first cup of coffee. I just have to see what new thing has transpired since the day before. This is especially fun for me if I wrote a blog post the evening before, as it usually means I have mail (blog post e-mail notifications) and I LOVE getting mail. It makes me feel special, like I am somebody.

4) I drink a cup of coffee. Most mornings, I drink only one, but occasionally, I get a little wild and pour a second. I rarely drink more than half of that second cup, though. I'm just not that wild.

5) I read blogs.

6) I take a handful of pills; all over-the-counter vitamins, and herbal supplements. Some are huge. Horse pills, I call them. I used to take them all at one time-not all in one swallow, but one right after another in the space of a couple of minutes. It was hard getting them all down, and sometimes they'd come back up. Now I put them all out in a cup each morning, and each time I walk in the kitchen and think of it, I take one. By bedtime, the deed is done, except for the tiny little melatonin pill, which I take 30 minutes before bed each night. I love my little melatonin pill.

7) I knit. In all honesty, I do not knit every single day, but I do almost every day, so I'm counting it, nyeah!

8) I feed the cat about a kajillion times a day. We have to keep her gravity feeder (filled with dry food, she won't touch the wet stuff) up on the counter, or else Leyna would get in it and eat until the container was empty, or she exploded, whichever came first. The cat wants to eat all day long.

9) I walk the dog. Mr. Studley and I take turns walking a neighbor's dog, too, but he's mostly been doing it during cold weather. He's such a sweetheart.

10) I tell Mr. Studley I love him. Can I hear a collective "ahhhh"?

I found this meme at Karen's blog, Over the Backyard Fence. She invited her readers to do it, too. I hesitated, not sure I wanted to reveal just how mundane my life really is, but figured I've made known far more about myself, and some of you are still here.

Won't you play along? I know we all do more than ten things regularly per day, but play by the rules, and only list ten!

You who love the LORD, hate evil! He preserves the souls of His saints; He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked.

~Psalm 97:10

TypePad Glitch Fixed!

Whatever the glitch was that prevented non-TypePad users from being able to leave comments on some of the TypePad blogs appears to have been fixed. I bow to you, TypePad Problems Solvers. I'd curtsy to you, but I'd fall on my fanny.

You know, I'd write more, but I've got nothing. Seriously, I've sat here for several minutes and my mind is a blank. A big, black cavern of nothingness. It could have something to do wtih the fact that it's 2:00 A.M. Putty Tat just crawled up onto the copier beside me, giving me that look, the one that says "turn off the light, woman, I'm trying to get some sleep!"

People just think cats don't talk. Cats talk. They just don't use an audible voice. Their 'looks' say plenty. Our cat has a wide vocabulary of looks. There's the look she gives when she's sitting in front of the waterbowl when it has speck of dirt floating in it, the one that says "you surely don't think I'm going to drink that sewage, do you?" And there's the look she has when she's waiting impatiently for Mr. Studley to sit in the recliner so she can pile up in his lap, the look that says "hurry it up, Buster, I'm not getting any younger here!" Oh, and the most 'colorful' look she has is the one she gives whenever Mr.Studley gives her a bath. That one says "..... on second thought, I better not tell you what that one says. This is a Profanity Free blog. ;-)

I better toddle off to bed before Putty gives me that bathtime look. I'd hate to have to wash her mouth out with soap. One of us might get hurt. What is your cat saying to you?

Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God.

~Psalm 50:23

TypePad Blogs, I Miss You!

Just a quick shout out to the TypePad blogs I regularly read. I don't know what the problem is, but I can no longer leave comments on your blogs. I have spoken with others who are having this same problem. I am in communication with someone at TypePad (Six Apart Contact), who is trying to figure out why this is happening.

This morning, I discovered that I could comment at Randi's i have to say... TypePad blog. I got very excited, thinking the problem had been corrected, but when I ran (so to speak) over to Jennifer's Major Knitter TypePad blog, sadly, she's still off limits to me, as is Melony, at Melony's Whimsy Daisy, along with many others on my list of regular reads. I don't understand why this problem is not occurring at all TypePad blogs.

I don't always post a comment on every blog post I read. I used to do that, but now that my list of blogs to read is longer than my list of excuses for avoiding the dentist, I simply don't have the hours in a day to do that anymore. I'd need a full time job of blog reading/commenting with a nice healthy paycheck for it, but we all know that job is only available in fantasy land. I do, however like to comment at least some of the time. I hope this situation reverses itself soon!

For the Lord gives skillful and godly Wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.

~Proverbs 2:6 Amplified Bible

Tag, You're It!

It would seem I've been in hiding. I never planned on being gone so long. I needed time to get through the holidays, and all that entailed. The holidays came and went. I sort of enjoyed the break, not thinking about what to blog about, what pictures to post, whether I was boring my readers to tears, blah blah blah. I kept telling myself, "next week, I'll get back to blogging". The more time that went by, the less I wanted to return. I wasn't depressed or ill, and I apologize to anyone who may have been concerned about me, thinking that was the case. I was fine. I was lazy. I am lazy. It's number 99 in my 100 Things... list. I do seriously want to thank those of you who wrote notes of concern, though. They were greatly appreciated.

I can't believe I let my one year blogiversary come and go without a post or fanfare, but I did, and that's spilled milk. I'm ready to get back in the swing of things. I've been doing a lot of quick-project knitting lately; neckwarmers, fingerless mitts, hats and such. When we get a sunny day, I'll be able to take some pictures outdoors of the things I've not already given away.

We've not had a single snow storm here in our little corner of Texas this winter, and I'm not one bit happy about it. Every blog out there has pictures of umpteen feet of snow on their lawn, and it's just not fair, I tell you. We've had one measly peasly little ice storm that came late one night and was melted by morning...not that I want ice covered roads, I don't. I want snow! I know, I know, some of you are probably thinking "take mine, please!". Just one really good snow storm, Lord, that's all I ask....well, that's all I ask that's weather related. ;-)

I'll let my re-entry be brief, as I've already commenced whining. Remind me sometime to tell you about the winter we stored a dead cat in the freezer. Ciao, for now!

But I will sing of Your mighty strength and power; yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy and loving-kindness in the morning; for You have been to me a defense (a fortress and a high tower) and a refuge in the day of my distress.

~Psalm 59:16 Amplified Bible