IT'S WORKING, IT'S WORKING!

 I once had a phone.. a phone that had been good and kind since aught eight.  Then I didn't.  It just died.  Now, I get pictures for my blog on my phone.  I got a new phone.  A bat phone- complete with 1960's batman theme as a ring tone, and it's taken two weeks to get the thing to download photos.  - So you're in for a listing of finished products.  I'm not prolific, the results have been delayed (well maybe a little prolific, it's that time of year)

The Christmas Presents for the nephews, darling things and all the older boys want one too...

This next series should be it's own post, but I couldn't wait to show you anymore.  This sweater was knit for my mom when she was a freshman in High school, or so.  Around 1958 ish, the cuffs had started to fray (not bad for 53 years) and the sleeves were just a tad too short for me anyway.

So I cut off the tip of the sleeve, changed the k2p2 cuff to just knit and added a brown cuff to the end..  See the full Sweater in the next picture that I cannot seem to separate.

Then my hands were cold, mostly because my eldest always steals whatever gloves I own, then promptly destroys them.  So I made fliptop mittens to keep my hands warm, and to play keep away from Sam.   

The last thing is a new owl hat.  I needed a new hat, as my head has shrunk a bit.  Anywho, (get it? who?) I've fallen in love with this pattern and it has spawned a list of people who seem to need this hat as well.

The last picture would have been me in the hat, if the teenager home sick today (the day after his 15th birthday) could take a decent picture... so instead you get a shot of teenagery goodness.

Recovery.

 Really just a short note to catch you up.  If you facebook with me you know I just had gallbladder surgery.  It was stoned man, I needed to get rid of the worthless bum.  I'm trying to pull everything together here and get Christmas gifts made.. I have almost finished the first knitted ball of three that I need to complete for my very young nephews.
It's taken longer than I thought I would.  It always does.
And I need to start on Madie's doll. 

Still, I'm happy with how the ball is turning out...  This one I did in Old fashioned, muted colors, left overs from my wash cloth cotton yarn, and I like how it looks so vintage.  Let me know what you think.  I love that this pattern comes from Knitty. (the online knitting magazine) and that the woman who came up with it is a mother of four boys who lives in Ireland.  Knitting makes the world smaller.. brings us all together right?

Random Thoughts again..

1. When I'm knitting, and starting a new project (baby hat right now) and it requires ribbing, I find myself thinking about each stitch as I go around the cast on.. as long as it takes to get the stitch on the needle... knit... puuuurrrrrrrl... knnnit... puuurrl.. knit...purrrrrrrrrrrrrl.. knnnnnnidangit... purrrrl.  all the way around the beginning.  I do it every time.

2. When I weigh myself in the morning.  I always exhale as much breath as possible before I step on the scale.

3. It never really makes a difference in the weight, I still do it anyway.

4.  I love listening to Ben laugh over something on the Internet he's watching, because, like his father, laughter sneaks up on him and is torn out of his body, almost against his will. It sounds wonderful.

5. I always think about the Christmas gifts I'll make for people starting in August, but I never get around to starting them until December.   I think it's a knitter thing.. or a crafter thing.  I don't want to appear elitist.

6.  My spelling has continued to suck throughout my life, regardless of how many books I read, thank God for spell check. 

7.  I keep thinking, "I could be cutting out Madie's doll right this moment, but I'm typing instead"  I know that I will some time today, but I still feel guilty about typing now. 

8.  I will always have scads of yarn and sheet music strewn about. 

9.   My house may never, ever be clean.

10.  There is no real # 10, it just felt wrong to stop on # 9.

Old Things.

Do you have an old article of clothing you love? One that you've had longer than your children?  I do.  It's a shirt.  I bought it in college I think, the late 80's, just a standard Henley T, long sleeved.  It started out pink.  It's traveled with me, not always fitting me, it's one of those skinny clothes that I just cannot part with, because I'll be in it again.. I will.  Now, of course, I am.  Over the course of these many years, I've had to dye it, black, to cover the amazing amount of stains that can accumulate on a light pink shirt.   When I dyed it black, like 10 years ago, I changed the buttons.   One of the two buttons that was still on it fell off in the wash today, and I thought
"I have to go to Joann's and get buttons."  Then I thought,
"Crap, I can't really buy buttons right now, John's just been laid off." 
Yeah, it's true, actually his last day will be Dec 2nd.  He has been working at THE newspaper in Oregon for 28 years now.  He is working really hard to figure out how to reinvent himself at 50.  This is not really what this post is about.. just background.. bad couple of weeks for sure, anyway.
Then I thought.
"Mum's buttons!"

You know, the buttons that I have, in old glass jars, I grabbed them out and started looking for the right ones.   I found them, actually Ben helped me finish the last choosing, the "Do we go with the black or the grey?"  We went with black. 

But this is the thing, this is the connection, once again.  The reason that we cut the buttons away from the clothes that are too worn to wear.  They can be used again.  They can come in handy and dress an old piece of clothing up. The saving done 50 years ago, can give a granddaughter a new lease on an old, beloved shirt.  I know that it sounds strange to so many people out there, but I believe we are all coming to this more and more with our economy, I see this at work all the time, (I work for a credit card company) people's habits are changing, a lot of people, and I am glad of it.  I'm thinking more of the things that I can make this year for Christmas, and I'm looking at the pantry for dinner fixings more that a quick trip to the store.  Old story, new generation.  Old buttons, new shirt.

Writing Poems with Sam

Once upon a time, I was a poet.  You know, really a writer and stuff... not a blogger and a mom.  Sam had an assignment to write a poem for Freshman English.  His teacher, being wise, and listening to me when I told her to give him a choice of two topics not any choice he wanted gave him the choice of a poem about his mom, or game design.   He chose the latter, and of course needed help with it the day after it was due.  This is my world.   However tonight Sam and I spent several hours on this.  I hope you like it as well as we do.

Game design

The scent of Sour cream and cheese wafts up the nostrils of Creator, the smell sickens his stomach, but he is addicted to the taste, the crunch.  The sweetness of sarsaparilla deluges down his throat making his tower smell of a children’s brewery.

The screen of the computer bursts with the genius and failures of Creator.

Reams of parchment and piles of incandescent chroma quills are scattered manically with renderings of Creators madness.

Gentle depressions driving alphabetic wonder willing Creator’s thoughts into being. Drum, Drum, Drum rhythmically tapping imagination into reason

Creator grasps a parchment, who pops with joy, as it was chosen by creator to preserve his thought.  A quill is frantic with elation as it is cradled with love, knowing it will preach Creators decree to all corners of the world

Tortured by a full bladder, Creator knows that if he leaves for even a moment a stroke of brilliance could be forever lost.

Creator scrutinizes his cosmos; does it need a behemoth serpent ruling like an emperor over his tundra?   Should trees murmur mournfully as the sun sets in the south?  

There should be rain… there should be glowing hearths in the homes of the good hearted… there should be little brothers to plague the hero, and to lead him into sacrifice.

Creator gazes upon what he has brought forth.

Bushes baring fruit, sweet as that of a first cherry, tear wrenching sunrises to burst the heart with beginnings.

Gliding, glimmering sand slips from the dunes. Dunes collapse into an ocean, cascading with the fury of the overlord within.

Creator stretches, his back cracking with a familiar chorus of sedentary aches, his mind reeling with unparalleled conceits. The seventh day approaches. 

Time to journey to the World Of Warcraft.

Halloween costume

I just have to say... the scarf is for my niece, but we put it around Sam and there you go... Hogwarts in Hillsboro.. 

Now I have two more Griffindor, and one Hufflepuff scarfs to make.. before Halloween.  yeah, okay, chunky yarn.. so I can do this right?

Did I sign up for this..

You know.. I'm trying so hard to get back into shape.   And in the last 4 months or so, I've lost 30 pounds.  This is a huge amount of weight when you are 5' 1".  I still have another 15-20 or so to go, and I've stepped it up a notch by putting running back into my life.  I used to run long distance in school.. High school, and College.  Not on any team, just going out for 3-5 mile runs a day.. whenever I felt like it, because in that day and age my lungs did not feel the need to explode at this type of exercise.  I've just started a 1st day to 5K podcast trainer on my Ipod.  First day today, went really well, and as I cool down, and listen to my children haggle with each other about whatever it is that they feel is worthy of argument at this moment, I wonder if I understood that parenthood would include this kind of constant refereeing. 

Another random thought for you.. I started playing the violin July 2010.. still working on this daily.. loving it, and with the running and the losing weight, my very sweet (and young) neighbor commented the other day that she is sure I'm going through my midlife crisis.  

Apparently I'm old enough now that learning new things, and getting in shape is not to be taken at face value. 
This must be a milestone in some way... right?