Its Christmas Already!

Wow did time fly by this month! I still cannot believe it's Christmas Eve!! Wow!

As I sit here writing probably my last blog post of 2014 I still have a lot to do! But because it's Christmas Eve I am happy and honored that I have a family that loves me and is patient with me and willing to let me be a little behind.

Our new washer arrived this morning so in goes the backed up piles ready to try the new spin cycle. My baking supplies are ready to be baked up, and the mess that the delivery men made bringing down the new machine and bringing out the old is waiting to be cleaned up :) But I am very blessed that I didn't have to worry about how to hook up a new machine and how to get rid of the old one.

Christmas time can be a hard time of year for many people. For me it brings back memories of bad times, but way too many good times to even stop and be blue about the bad times. My prayer for everyone this Christmas is that they can find joy in the little things, the memories that can be made now that can help through those sad feelings many have this time of year. God would want you to make the most of the time he has given you :)

So enjoy the next few days :) The shopping is done, the Turkey will be yummy, and the company you have will make it one of the best years yet!

Its Almost Christmas!!

I cannot believe it is almost Christmas!! It is December 16th, it is the last week before school is out for the holidays, its the last 8 days of Christmas shopping and my Christmas knitting orders are all finished!!

This was my first Christmas taking knitting orders for friends and family that wanted knitted items to give to there loved ones. I started back in October and finished my last order last night :) I am proud of myself to say the least! Though next year I am starting in September! I want to make sure I leave myself enough time to knit for my Christmas gifts. This year most of my friends and family will get a knitted item from me, but there are quite a few things I have left out due to filling the orders for others.

This year has been a tough year for me. Having to leave another job due to health issues and not being able to do the activities I love (running, kickboxing) has taken its toll on me, but my little business has taken off and knitting and crocheting items for others has really helped me get through it all :)

The New Year will be here soon, and I am praying 2015 will be the best year yet! My health is still the same and the doctors are just starting to figure out what is going on and that has given me hope for the New Year to be great! And I am so thankful that I still have my knitting to look forward too even if I still can't get back to the other activities that I love doing :) 

2014 has been a great year in lots of different aspects even if my health hasn't been. I have become closer with friends and family and they have really helped me through the tough times. I have learned that I could become the knitter and crocheter I wanted to be, I have taught others how to knit, crochet and that has given me great joy! I have been able to help others achieve goals even if my goals haven't been met yet, and that has given me the confidence to keep moving forward!

And also I give all the credit to my God. He is the one who has definitely kept me going even when I felt like staying in bed in the mornings. He has worked through others to show me I am still loved and that I can continue to love others in ways I have never thought I could. And during this Christmas season I give Glory and Honor to him, who sent his son to save us from our sins, and has shown great Love for us in doing so. That is the true meaning of Christmas, and still gives me hope today!

It's the perfect day to crochet!

It's been one of those weeks! One thing after the other has happened this week. Downstairs toilet broke, my favorite vacuum cleaner broke, and our 16 year old kitty Buddy died this morning.

Stress is definitely a part of life in this household this week. Lots of ups and downs of emotions and just a lot of tiredness too. We are all going through something. But it's how you handle stress that gets you through it.

Today I don't feel like doing anything. But I need to do something. Life goes on even when things happen. So I think I will crochet!

Crocheting is something I like to do as a change from knitting once and a while. When I want to do something different I put the knitting needles down and pick up a crochet hook. I love the rhythm of linking chains and going a different direction than knitting. I love how fast it is too! I can crochet a dishcloth in half the time as knitting one. But I still love my knitting and the difference between the two arts.

I am crocheting Olaf this week, he is one popular dude! The one thing I love about crochet is it is thicker than knitting and when I want to make a toy I tend to go more for crochet than knitting as it is more durable and bulky and makes wonderful toys! You also don't have to stuff it as much and it stays in place when you shape it.

So today is the perfect day to crochet! To take my mind of of the sadness of losing a kitty, and to help me through it also.

This is a crochet Olaf I have made

Knitting with friends

Tonight I had a few girls over for a knit night. We ate too many sweets, drank to much coffee and tea, and of course, talked and laughed about anything and everything. The most important part was that we were knitting together. It was an awesome evening!

The bonding of the evening was great! We shared stories and told jokes. We laughed and we were serious, I think girls of all ages need to bond like we did tonight.

We all got a lot of knitting and crocheting done. One was finishing up a blanket, one a cowl, one a scarf, one a hat, one was starting a shawl, and one was crocheting a blanket. We oohed and awed about the different yarns we were using and showed our different techniques of how we knit and crochet also. We helped each other out when some needed help too.

It lasted 4 hours! I could go all night :) But we all had families to get home to :) Well I was at home and I guess that's why I didn't want it to end :) The girls were so funny! If anyone thinks knitting is boring they will have to come to one of my knit nights and I will prove them wrong! Knitting with friends is one of the best girls time I have ever had. And its a great excuse to eat more than you should :) 

I was ready for the night. I baked a butterscotch pie and had some cookies, One girl brought Blueberry Cheesecake!! Oh so yum! It was hard to get everyone to put there needles down to eat :) But they eventually did, and enjoyed the snacks with the conversation. 

You don't even have to knit a lot when you are with the girls. Knitting can be a great excuse to get together. Tonight was just one of those nights that we all got a lot done. It was great! I know I keep repeating myself when I say it was great, but it was! And I hope all those knitters out there can get together with there friends and have as much of a great time as we all did tonight!

Rainy Sunday's and Knitting :)

What a rainy week this has been! Fall is my favorite time of year and I've been stuck inside!! And rain on a Sunday makes it even drearier, I would love to be sitting out on the deck in my knitted sweater with some knitting and a cup of hot coffee :) But the rain is pouring down today so I will have to frown looking outside the window instead.

Sunday's are definitely a day of rest in my home. We love to just relax and not worry about the daily chores and all of life's work. And Sunday's are definitely a time where I can knit what I want instead of knit what I have to. Knitting for a living can sometimes take the fun out of knitting, sometimes, if you have to knit a lot of the same thing. I don't like change in general but I love change in knitting :). Though on a rainy Sunday like today I would rather knit something I am comfortable knitting and not have to work on a pattern that requires the use of my brain.

When Sunday finally gets here my brain needs a break too. My body and spirit are tired from the past week and knitting really helps me relax and helps me return to a good state of mind. I make sure that I have fun while knitting on Sunday, and if I am not enjoying it at the time I just don't knit. A lot of people love what they do for a living, and I absolutely love what I do, but taking a break is also necessary when you feel overloaded, Even if the job you do helps you relax and gives you peace.

So this rainy Sunday will be for naps and knitting :) I think I will enjoy this day!

Knitting and kids

Today was my first day back to a knitting group with 4 children at a local school for the 2014 school season. It's at a different school this year and 4 different children are in my group learning how to knit. Well, trying to learn. Even though I have taught kids to learn previously, a new setting can always be a challenge, and new kids who you have never met before can be a challenge too.

They are all girls this year. Sweet grade 3 and 4ers with high expectations and who want results right away. As I have learned previously from teaching kids to knit is the first thing to say to them is "You will not walk out of your first class knowing how to knit, and probably not in your second class either". Telling them the realistic's of what is going to happen over the next couple of weeks can be the make or break it for the kids in your group. Going slow and doing it the right way is the best way to do it.

Children can be so funny, especially little girls. This group of girls are so sweet. They are polite and caring of each other. One girl in particular needs a little boost of self esteem when it comes to not being able to do it right away, but its fun lifting there spirits too :) Its funny to listen to them talk about little girl things and to watch there tongues stick out of the side of there mouths as they concentrate on the next stitch. 

Talking about what we are going to knit or what we would like to learn how to knit is also a fun part of the class. One girl wants to knit a dishcloth for her mother for Christmas, another girl wants to knit bracelets, One girl said she would just love to know how to cast on without help!

I gave them a little homework this week, not an actual assignment but a fun thing they can do at home. I told them to look for knitted items in there homes this week, It can be fun to examine something that has been knit, looking at the stitches and colors of the yarns, different size yarns and textures. It will also give them an idea of what they can knit. I bet they will find things that they didn't know were hand knitted and didn't know you could hand knit! ;)

Knitting in the Fall

Fall is my absolute favorite time of year! I love the colors, smells and the coolness of the air. And one of my favorite things about Fall is that you can start wearing your knitwear again!! 

I have started my Christmas knitting a while back but nothing makes you more enthusiastic about knitting than cooler weather. As soon as bathing suit weather ends I find I am picking up my needles more and more and my projects seem to go a lot faster. Fall is all about getting prepared for colder weather and us knitters can get so excited about it!

The first piece of knitwear I have pulled out to wear are my knitted socks. Sandal weather is finally over and I can actually wear socks again, and my neon pink hot knee socks are the first thing to come out of the closet :)

Not only do I think about Christmas knitting and getting to wear my knitwear again, I am super excited to start teaching how to knit again this fall! I love teaching adults how to knit and to encourage them that they can knit just about anything they put there mind too. I also love my volunteer knitting club at a local school where I teach grade 3 - 5ers how to knit. They absolutely love coming and it really helps them to learn how to concentrate and relax. A lot of these kids need something of there own to do and knitting has helped them a lot. I love watching these kids and how they hold there needles in the beginning and see them develop there own techniques. I love how they encourage each other to continue and to not get discouraged if they make a mistake, that this is all apart of learning something new. 

I have taught a few friends how to knit over the last few years, and I love seeing what they can do now. It's really encouraging to know that I do have something to offer people, not just knitted items. I can teach them how to knit and make things on there own. Getting together with fellow knitters is an enjoyable part of the colder weather seasons too. It can be so special to get together and knit together over coffee and tea and to help each other out with our knitting or to just chat about anything in general.

I tend to get on a kick of knitting one thing every Fall. This Fall I have started knitting hooded cowls. I have made a few of them and am thinking about what colors my family members would like in one :) I am enjoying this Fall knitting season and cannot wait to share my knitting items and talents with others :)

This is one of my hooded cowls I have made this fall :)

 

Choosing yarn and needles for a project

When it comes to knitting a project yarn is the most important choice in how that project works out. When I first started knitting I didn't know much about yarn weights or needle sizes and made a hat small enough only for a doll. I thought that if you followed the pattern it would turn out right no matter what yarn I used. Boy I was wrong!

When I picked knitting back up in my 20's I was also being taught how to knit mittens by my mother in law. She had a set of needles and a pattern for mittens that she used for every size mitten, but didn't know what size needles she was using and she used every different kind of yarn too. So I did the same thing for a while. I bought myself a pair of needles I thought were the same size as her mitten needles and copied her pattern and used them. I still use them for mittens now a days. But that wasn't going to help me knit sweaters and hats.

I was given a suitcase of patterns one year after a loved one passed away and most of the pattern books are very old. Old enough that the yarn isn't being made anymore and the needle sizes are not in metric (mm). So I would guess by looking at the picture. Sometimes it worked out and sometimes it didn't. Then I was introduced to free patterns online! That was a great day!! I noticed that the patterns had yarn weight and needle sizes in mm. So if I wanted to knit a certain project I could buy the needles if I didn't have them and just look for a number on the ball of yarn to see if it was the right weight. From that day on I now know where to look for what type of yarn and needles I need for a certain project.

I use Metric (mm) sizes in knitting needles. Some use US/Can size needles and in England they use UK or British sizes in there needles. 

A lot of patterns don't use mm for there needle sizes, they use US sizes or UK sizes. That was confusing. And some patterns didn't have that little ball of yarn with a number in it telling what number to look for on a ball of yarn to see if it was the right weight. They used words like sport weight or DK or lace and I was totally confused! So that's when the internet came in handy again. I found a chart years ago that showed Metric, US and UK needle sizes and matched them up together so if I needed a 3 US size needle I would just look it up and it would tell me that it was a 3.25mm needle in metric. It was great! Then I found another chart that showed yarn weights in names and numbers! That was even better so if I was shopping for a number 3 in yarn weight I could look and see that I was looking for either a 3 on the yarn or DK weight!

As confusing as this all sounds it does work out :) This sight called tinsel mint has great charts to help you find the right needles and yarn for your projects :) Check it out! http://www.tinselmint.com/2013/04/size-matters-yarn-and-knitting-needles.html 

How Big Is Your Stash?

Of course by now all of you who read my blog know how much I love knitting. Knitting is a big part of my life and I basically bore people to death with talking about it so much! Not only do talk about it to everyone I meet, my Facebook timeline is full of knitting posts and pictures of just about every knitting project I have made and patterns I love and of course advertisement to my knitting classes. 

So if you think my knitting life stops there you must be crazy ;) Just about every room in my house has knitting accessories, magazines, patterns and of course yarn. I have just about driven my husband crazy with the amount of knitting baskets in our bedroom.

What drives most of the members of my household nuts is the little pieces of yarn I leave laying around after I have finished a project. My favorite place to knit is in our TV room on the couch and I tend to finish most of my projects in there. I end up leaving the tiny ends of yarn that I cut after weaving in on the arm of the couch or on the computer desk by the couch. Sometimes it gets into the cushions of the couch and I find them when I decided to give the couch a good vacuum.

My husband doesn't like clutter. He likes to be able to go sit on the couch with space to stretch out his legs. So I have tucked away all my bins of yarn in hiding spaces around my house. The place that most of my bins are hidden are behind and beside the couch and under the computer desk. You can really hid a lot of yarn behind there!

The trouble with hiding my yarn stash is that I don't see it all the time. I forget what I have and how much I have. So when I want to start a new project it is so much easier to just buy new yarn instead of having to pull out all the bins and look for it. Then when I am done the new project I have to find a place for the rest of that yarn that I haven't used! 

So my yarn stash is a pretty big one. I have all different colors of yarn and just about every size of yarn that is out there. I have bins and bins of yarn! It's a knitters dream to have a huge stash! I just need to get into it more often :) Some would say I have a hording problem!

Wearing What You Knit

Today I am wearing a shrug that I knit this past spring. I knit it out of Americo Original Cotton Flamme in black. I love it! I actually had knit it originally for over my sundresses, but then how often do you wear black in the summer? So I saved it for the fall, and am wearing it today :)

I am the type of knitter that likes to give my knitting away as presents, so wearing what I knit sometimes feels like i'm being greedy. The year I started knitting mittens I knit myself a pair and ended up giving them to my daughter. But how will I appreciate my own talent if I don't wear what I knit? So I started the last couple of years. 

The first big project for me was a sweater, I decided to knit it for myself since it was my first one. So I knit it in a pink and purple verigated yarn, my favorite colors, and wear it every winter since. Last winter I knit myself a pair of pink socks, they are absolutely my favorite socks to wear! I cannot wait till the weather is colder so I can start wearing them again. I've knit myself a couple shrugs and a shawl this past year, and I can see why people love receiving home made gifts. There is a warmth of feeling when someone gives you a home made gift.

Knitting for others has made me happy. I love hearing how much the person loves it and how soft and warm the item is. Makes me smile :) I also love donating items too. At my church they have a knitting tree at Christmas and I love to donate a pair or two of mittens. One year I donated a hat and scarf and noticed they were gone the next week :) I was happy to know someone would be warm outside that winter. But I need to be warm too. And why buy myself mittens when I can knit them? 

So I am gonna stop feeling greedy every time I knit myself something, or decide to keep what I have knit. I should wear my knitting with pride! I do a good job at it ;)

Knitting Accessories

When I started knitting I used any knitting needles that were available. I used ones my friend had given me. The were metal size 4.5 mm straight needles and I knit hats and scarves with them. They served me well. Then I added to my collection. I started buying needles from the dollar store. They were all metal straight or double pointed needles. I never used anything else.

I went for years using these needles. They are great needles! They help me knit mittens, socks, hats and scarves! I still have most of my needles that I started with and still use them, why give up a good thing? 

One day I was walking through an uptown mall and found a yarn store that is one of a kind here in the city. They sell yarn you can't buy at Walmart and a whole selection of knitting accessories. So I took a gander through the store and decided to ask what were the best needles to use for socks. The woman working in the store showed me a set of 2.5 mm double pointed needles made from Bamboo! To think not all knitting needles were made out of metal! I decided to try them out. 

The bamboo needles were light and at first I thought I would break them because I discovered I was a tight knitter. But after I got through a few rounds I absolutely loved them! The are much easier on the hands to work with, especially my knuckles. Must be because I am not squeezing them too tight. I don't use bamboo on every pair of socks of course as all yarn and textures are different but I was very glad to add them to my collection.

Since then I have picked up different kinds of knitting needles, Some wood, others metal and some even carbon fiber. Sometimes I even pick a project just to use a certain needle! I know I'm wild. I also have bought different knitting accessories that are much better than others. Like metal yarn needles. I went through so many plastic ones grafting toe's on socks that I decided that it would be much cheaper to buy the metal ones in the long run. I also have researched stitch markers, yarn elastics and stitch holders, I have added a lot of good quality pieces to my knitting bag that have helped a lot in the long run. 

You don't have to spend a lot on good quality knitting accessories, if you buy the right ones, you will use them forever. But adding to your stash of accessories will make your knitting experiences much more fun and enjoyable. Nothing is more enjoyable than not having to frog a project because your lace yarn keeps slipping off your metal needles. I've been knitting for years and I know I still don't have all the accessories that I would love to have!

Knitting on the weekends

Today was a foggy wet day. I actually had the day off of work and I took the time to work on a pair of wool socks that I started knitting yesterday. What better day to do it than a wet foggy Saturday?

My anxiety has been very bad this week. It's been hard to function normally when you feel like the whole world is caving in on ya. So I picked up my needles and forgot about the world today :) Just needed a break.

In my opinion there is nothing better than knitting on the weekends. It's a great time to start and finish those Christmas projects at a relaxed pace. My health hasn't been the best and I've had to give up a few activities over the past year and a half but knitting is one that I can do sitting down so I've stuck to it! I tried the scrap booking and card making but it turned out to be way too expensive for my budget. Knitting can too be a lot of money but if you pace yourself and chose the right projects you don't have to spend that much money.

My yarn stash is getting out of control though. I have bin after bin and basket after basket with yarn in them all over my house and I still tend to buy yarn when I see it in stores. But you never know when you could need that color or size yarn for a really cool project! I have also been given a lot of yarn that people have found in there closets that they don't intend to use. So its a win win for me!

I think I am very comfortable where I am at in my stage of knitting. I tend to go back to the same projects to knit for everyone. I did knit a Hippo over the summer, and do want to knit more things I haven't knit before but right now I want to stick to the basics, like socks and mittens and hats! The cooler weather and school starting has motivated me to start knitting for Christmas!

I am thankful that I have learned how to knit in times like these. It really helps me get through things. and I love that I can try new things also. I hope that you all have a skill that you love doing and a favorite time and place to do that skill too!

Hair Dye

My 13 year old daughter wanted me to dye her hair black for the first day of school this year. I couldn't do it. Black is just so dark and dingy and I couldn't stand thinking of her with black hair and a pale face. She is just to pretty, I couldn't do it.

We argued for a long time. Most of the summer actually. She tried to fool me by asking if she could dye her hair a very dark brown knowing it would look black or even be black if we let it dye long enough. I wasn't fooled as I had done that once to my hair. She wanted me to dye the roots to half way down her long brown hair and then bleach and dye the rest of her hair red. I still couldn't do it. I didn't want to see black hair against her pretty face.

We have bleached her hair tips and dyed them blue and pink before so I am not against color. I am just against black. For reasons I am unsure of I guess, just think it's too dark and depressing. So today we compromised. I dyed the under half of her hair black (semi-permanent) and the top bleached streaks and red. The Black actually doesn't look that bad on her. But the red must be masking the darkness. She looks beautiful! And I am so glad she compromised! But am I being too strict of a mom? Am I not letting her be herself? I guess I still have a couple years to make decisions for her!

Back to school

It is that time of year again! It's back to school season and the air is changing. You can tell fall is upon us because of the cooler mornings and the cooler wind during the day. But we still have lots of warm sunny days ahead of us for sure!

As a child every new school year brought hope, excitement and dread all at the same time. You got new clothes, new school supplies and you couldn't wait to wear your new gear! Then the first day of school jitters come and you get on the bus and get to school and start seeing friends you haven't seen all summer and then you get anxious about who's in your class, who your teachers are, and if you're gonna have time to do the things you like doing the most.

My 13 year old daughter is preparing to go into the 8th grade. Her senior year of middle school and her first year of middle school in the English program. She decided not to go into French immersion again this year as she was not enjoying it. I really wish she would have stuck to French but I am not going to push her into something she isn't enjoying. I know she can learn how to speak French other than being in French immersion but my hopes were a little dashed when she came to me and asked me to put her into English.

I want to be there for my daughter. I want her to be able to come to me with anything. But being a teenage girl once also made me realize that she isn't going to come to me with everything. So I tell her she can still come to me with anything. And I know that she believes me when I tell her. I also want her to achieve more than I ever did in school and in life. And I tell her that. Being honest with her and encouraging her is the best thing I know I can do for her. And pray for her too :)

As this school year begins my prayer for my daughter is that she will learn lots, build dreams and goals for life, and remember her Mama loves her and always will. I want her to know that I am proud of her achievements and know she can achieve anything she puts her mind to. And I think that all Mama's can agree with me when I say I pray that she doesn't make the same mistakes I made at her age, that I can teach her from my experiences and that she will trust me when she needs help. Mama's girl isn't so little anymore but she will always be my baby girl!

My anxiety and my knitting

Life at times can be very hard. Especially in someone with extreme anxiety. I've always been a worrier but sometimes things can really get me down. There are just things in life that I cannot change and my mind doesn't think I should leave things be when really I need to let things be.

Today is one of those hard days. Its one of those days were I don't even want to get out of bed. I've tried twice already to get up and moving but I have ended right back under the covers. My mind won't slow down and let me relax. My body is aching and tired. And I crave sleep when it won't come.

Prayer has been one of the best answers to my predicaments, but my mind wanders after a while. And when you don't see God answering your prayers right away or even days after you start praying for a miracle you can easily start slipping into depression. God is good, he will always be there for me but he hasn't promised I would have sun shiny days everyday. So he handed me knitting needles.

When times get tough I can always keep my hands busy even if my mind won't cooperate. I can knit a dishcloth and not even have to think about what I am doing. As my body has a lot of aches and pains due to depression and anxiety I can even knit in bed. I had put my needles away last year for a few months due to neck strain and pain but found that it made my depression worse. So with my doctors permission in the new year I picked up my needles again and it has helped me through a lot of things I've been going through in life. 

The one thing I heard so much last year when I was going through a lot and had to put my needles down was "You may never knit again, you may have to give it up for good." Well I don't think hearing those words helped at all. Its like asking a writer never to write again. Or a baker never to bake again. Or even a singer to never sing again! If it was life threatening and I would die from knitting I would totally understand, but when you only have so many artistic outlets that help you cope it's like taking your oxygen away. Taking the one thing you love doing the most and saying you have to give it up to make others happy. 

So I continue to knit. Because I love it, and because it helps me. Sometimes its just better to follow your gut and not listen to the ones that think you need to be there for them before helping yourself. Cause if you can't help yourself how can you help others? Don't get me wrong, I love helping others. Its a great honor to help others when they need you, but sometimes you're the one that needs the help.  So don't give up. I don't plan on it ;).

Knitting Socks

I LOVE to knit different things. I love the challenge that comes with trying a new pattern, yarn and needles. But my most favorite thing to knit has to be socks. Socks are the one thing that everyone wears, everyone needs, and probably the most liked knitted item to receive as a gift, as I have observed anyway. 

In my observation, socks have been the one item that scares the beginner knitter. I have heard time and time again that the "Turn of the Heal" is something that they probably could never do. I had heard that so much when I was a beginner knitter that I went years before I decided that I would try to knit socks. I would look at a knitted pair of socks and cringe trying to think of how the knitter actually turned the heal. 

Then I decided just to look at a pattern for a basic sock. I mean, I had already been knitting mittens for years and could add a thumb how hard could it be to turn a heal right? THEN I realized something. I could read knitting patterns!! Smart I know!! If I could read a knitting pattern for mittens I could probably read a knitting pattern for basic socks :) So I did! I did it step by step. I went round to round, row by row until I actually finished a sock! Mind you my first socks toe is grafted sideways but my husband still wears them with pride :) 

It gave me a lot of confidence to knit socks. And also I had something I could knit for the "Boys" in my family for Christmas, the ones who wouldn't wear my hats and scarfs. But the one thing that was the most important for me about accomplishing socks is that I could turn the heal!! 

I taught a group of 3 girls back in May of this year how to knit in one of my knitting classes at the shop I teach at. They caught on fast and had done a dishcloth, and had a scarf and a hat started before the 3 classes were done. During the middle class the girls wanted to continue with another class after the beginner class was finished and they decided that they wanted to learn how to knit socks. I jumped at the chance to teach them socks as I didn't want these beginner knitters to be scared of knitting socks. So for the month of June in 4 Friday morning classes I taught these 3 girls how to knit a sock. We started at the cuff and worked our way down to the toe. We finished 1 sock by the end of the class!

The confidence in these girls after accomplishing a sock had just put a permanent smile on my face that day. They actually had made a sock! I keep in touch with the girls and they finished there second sock AND started more :) I am so proud of them! And I am so glad that they jumped right into socks and never looked back! I hope that all beginner knitters can look at socks as a great project to learn and that it doesn't have to be scary :) Cause they really are not that scary to knit!

Hobbies and Daughters

My daughter is my world. To me she is the sun that shines everyday even when it rains. To me, and I may be partial, She is the most beautiful 13 year old I have ever laid eyes on. She stole my heart 13 years ago when I first laid eyes on her and never gave it back :) She is smart, funny, and has a whole personality of her own. Sometimes I just don't believe that she actually came from me!

From the beginning she always was a happy girl. She is an only child and has always gotten all of our attention from the beginning. As an only child I guess I have always thought she would follow my footsteps in life, So I encouraged her to like things on her own and not because I liked them. And I found that I didn't have to push very hard for her to like things different than me :)

My daughter's hobbies include drawing, molding with clay, and a lot of iPod play time. She absolutely loves to draw and can draw better than anyone I have ever known. She's been drawing since she was little and it is one thing she continues to do while she has given so many other hobbies up. I can't draw, so watching her draw is so fascinating to me. 

While her hobbies differ from mine, I always have tried to get her to learn to knit. She asked me a few years back to teach her, so I did, but she just didn't stick with it. I would find a half used ball of yarn knotted with a few uneven rows of knitting on needles on the floor of her room. Of course as a Mom I would remove them from her room more for safety precaution than seeing the sad state of a great ball of yarn. 

In a way I wish she would have stuck with knitting. As a Mom I guess I just would love to have a hobby that I could do with my daughter. But then again maybe she wants me to learn how to play mind craft on her iPod so that I could play that with her. So for now I will not push her to do any hobby of mine that she doesn't want to do :) We may not have a lot in common but she still is the love of my life and her happiness means the most to me.

Maybe some day she will pick up knitting again :) Maybe she will pick it up after I'm gone just like how I started knitting again after my Grandmother taught me. Or maybe she will never pick up knitting needles again and always think of knitting as an "old person's" Hobby as she tells me :) Either way knitting will be in her life and she will always have warm socks and mittens to wear!

Knitting For Christmas

For the first time in years my dreams have started to come true. I'm knitting for a living. Actually I'm trying to knit for a living. I have started to work on that dream. I teach some knitting classes and have made a few new knitters in the past year. I absolutely LOVE the looks on my students faces when they have started a project and it starts to look like something. To make others goals come true has been very rewarding.

My grandmother taught me how to knit when I was a little girl. I cannot remember how old I was but I remember wanting to learn the popcorn stitch because she was making a baby sweater for one of my cousins babies and it was so beautiful. Though I was a kid I remember how hard it was to achieve that stitch and had made some barbie blankets because they were small and easy to make.

As most kids do, they give up on things early and so did I. But I did remember how to cast on and cast off and knit and purl when I picked up my needles again as an adult. Some things I guess take time to grow. I was afraid I couldn't make the things that my grandmother had made so I gave up young, but now I can make the things I watched my grandmother make when I was a child and I am so glad that her teaching me how to knit is one of my favorite memories ever. Its one of those memories I will always cherish because they were with her.

So along with teaching some knitting classes I have been knitting projects for friends who like what I have made. I made at least 3 Olaf's from the Disney movie Frozen and I have made things from hippo's to dishcloths and other things. I have turned down orders for things also because I don't have a lot of time these days. I really, really, really want to make all the things I have been asked to make, but because I still have to work for an hourly wage it doesn't give me a lot of time, and I really need to get a start on my Christmas knitting.

Knitting for Christmas is my most favorite knitting projects to make. For years that's all I made, Christmas presents. I made them to save money of course but also because I knew that they would not receive a present like the present I was giving them. Home made has always been my favorite gifts. My grandmothers neighbor had always knitted us children mittens for Christmas every year and she still continues in her 80's to make our children mittens every year. It was a tradition that I wanted to start also and have made my daughter something knitted every year since I started knitting again. I cannot wait to knit my grandchildren mittens every year!

I absolutely want to continue with my knitting for a living and hope that it will grow into my own little business some day, but I will always need to have the time to knit for Christmas. I would love to hear about your goals as a crafter and what traditions you have started or would like to start :) Like knitting for Christmas!

Dreams

Friday night I had a dream that I was at a party and I was arguing with my husband that I had to go to sleep cause I had to work at 11 am on Saturday. When I woke up I actually said "Phew, I did get some sleep".

Its funny how dreams can affect us sometimes. I felt tired all day Saturday because I felt like I actually partied all night Friday night and went to work on no sleep. Though I got 9 hours of sleep Friday night. I wonder if my brain actually slept, or actually partied all night?

Sometimes I hate waking up because I have visited my Grandmother who has been gone for 11 years now, and its like she never left. Sometimes I am so glad I woke up because in my dreams I started smoking again even though I haven't smoked in over 13 years. Sometimes you achieve goals that you are working on in life and sometimes you fail in your dreams. But in the morning its always just a dream and reality comes knocking and you need to forget or move past the dream you had.

I often find that dreams can make for some great comedy relief too. One time I woke up to my alarm and turned it off and rolled over and faced my husband who hadn't woken up from it. I looked at his face and all the sudden he said "Roar". I asked him "what are you doing?" and he answered, "I'm roaring" and started laughing as he started to wake up and realized what he was saying. He was growling at a coyote that had come into the back yard of our home. I smile every time I think about it :)

My friends have told me how they have woke themselves up laughing at there dreams but when they wake up they can't remember what was so funny. Sometimes we laugh in our dreams and when we are awake we don't find what was so funny in our dreams funny anymore. Which sometimes makes us laugh anyways.

My favorite dreams are of when I am in the house I grew up in as a child, or with family and friends I haven't been with in a long time. Those dreams take you down memory lane and help you not forget where you have come from and how far you have come also. Nightmares rarely are remembered in the future, in mine anyways, and even though they are scary at the time, they fade in memory and are always gone once you wake up. I have never held on to memories of my scary dreams and don't dwell on them. Id rather remember the good ones anyway :)

Some of the best dreams I have ever had where when I was wide awake. These are the dreams you can control. The dreams you actually make yourself and can change them if you want to. I find they make life better. Even if you don't fulfill some of your dreams you have made them and that's what makes you. Your dreams. They can give you hope. They can give you a reason to move on when you don't think you can. And sometimes they are an escape from the hard times. No matter what happens in life you will always have your dreams. Ones you make and ones you can't control, but either way, they can always make you smile :)

Glitter Nail Polish

Things in life can be so frustrating, like taking off glitter nail polish. You try and try and try, but the end results are that you end up scraping it off with a nail file or letting it wear off by itself. As pretty as it is in the beginning it still ends up blotched all over your nails and fingertips, a glittery colorful mess. And the sad thing about it, is that any girl who has used glitter nail polish has used it more than once because of the beginning results. Its pretty, its sparkles, it shows a little about our personalities and we never think of the end when its beautiful in the beginning.

So I try to think of some situations in life like glitter nail polish, its beautiful, sparkles, and makes you smile :). Even though sometimes the end result is ugly. And sometimes you think that maybe, just maybe this time it will be different and it will all come off easily. So you try again. Nothing wrong with trying again. Cause every situation is different, er....every nail polish is different. But taking off glitter nail polish is always going to be hard. Sometimes its worth the hard work in the end just to have that beautiful beginning.

Then again sometimes its just fun experimenting with different colors and sparkles. Sometimes you just jump in and get your nails wet knowing the end could be messy, but who cares, it was fun and no one got hurt. But sometimes it does hurt. Your fingertips are sore from all the scrubbing and dyed purple or green and don't match anything you want to wear. Then it's another lesson learned and you can think about changing the brand or color. Oh and remember not to do that again.

And sometimes you feel like you're going to have to call in the army to get it off. Though in reality you can't really call the army to get your nail polish taken off, in a lot of situations you can call your friends and family for help in life. And that's the best part! Cause you do have help! My family and friends are like calling in the army, they have always been there for me. They pray for me, talk with me, and in some situations get there nails wet too. And they also tell me what colors and brands not to use if they have went down that road before I did. And I can tell them to stay away from some too. Cause in the end that's what helps us through life and makes us smile :) even in the hard, messy endings.

I really like glitter nail polish. I think I will continue using it once and a while to give a little sparkle now and then :)

In the beginning I started knitting to make sure everyone had a Christmas present that year since the year before I didn't buy for anyone but my daughter as money was tight. I  made everyone a hat and scarf set all in different colors of course, and everyone loved them. Not sure if they loved them because they were home made or because they got something that year.

I wasn't working and it became a way to pass time also. Where I lived didn't allow me a lot of options on baby sitting or work, so I stayed home with my daughter till I could move back into the city. I took my knitting with me, though I set it aside for a while as I started working again.

I really missed it when I started working. I brought it to work with me a couple times but was embarrassed to knit in public at the time so I stopped as I wasn't working on it anyway. I worked on it when I watched my favorite TV show "House" once a week at that point but started to get bored of scarfs and hats.

My mother in law taught me how to knit mittens then, and the small project helped immensely as it didn't take as long to knit a pair of mittens as it took to knit a scarf. Though I remember forgetting to add thumbs a few times when watching "House" on TV and having to rip them apart.

Then a couple years after starting to knit I decided that I was brave enough to make my own sweater. Since I never knit anything for myself at the time and was afraid it would be a disaster I chose to make it for myself. I went to Zellers and bought $40 worth of variegated pink and purpleish yarn and started my journey. Knitting for myself and knitting a big project actually helped me to be brave and start knitting in public. Everyone who seen me knitting it loved it and would compliment me on what a good job I was doing. I actually felt I had a skill all of my own. I could do something all by myself.

Not sure why I felt I couldn't do things on my own before then, maybe I was just looking for something that was all my own.  Not that I couldn't do things on my own, I guess I wasn't following the crowd at the time. Chose a hobby that I could do alone, on my own, and feel good about it.

9 years later I am still in love with the art, and YES it is an art. One that has helped me in ways no one could imagine. Has helped me with my self esteem. Helped me cope with stress and anxiety, helped me get through the hard times when I couldn't concentrate on reading or focusing on the TV for an escape, it has even helped me think through some of the toughest decisions of my life. My prayer for all of you who reads this is that you find an art that helps you create, be yourself, and help you in ways you could never imagined. Sometimes I think knitting has saved my life, silly as it sounds, I don't know what I would do without it!