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 :)