Sad day

Today I went to Dorit's funeral. It was very sad. I thought I'd be ok when everyone was talking about breast cancer (because while that was an important topic to Dorit, it wasn't *all* Dorit was.) Then her brother stood up and told stories about her, and that was it. I was done.

I feel the saddest about all of this because Dorit and I had been drifting apart in the last year. She just didn't have the energy for our friendship, and I feel like I didn't do enough to make up for it. My heart is broken that I can not do anything more for her. I'm only glad that I told her I loved her every time I talked to her.

Make sure that you give to the people you love, and not just your heart.

Goodbye, dear friend

Sunday, Dorit Shapiro, president of the Gal to Gal Foundation, mother, wife, and friend, died after a 3 year struggle with stage IV breast cancer.

Please consider participating in the Gal to Gal Virtual Walk at

http://www.GalToGalWalk.org

to help her reach the goal of $250,000 to help meet the needs of families of people living with stage IV breast cancer.

Here is a beautiful tribute to Dorit.

sorry I've been hiding

I've been very neglectful of my blog. To be honest, I've had absolutely nothing of interest to report! I've been very neglectful of my knitting too. Sometimes life gets in the way.

I promise to write something interesting soon!

update!

Wow, I didn't realize it had been so long since I last posted. Things have been very busy, but I've still been knitting.

First off, I took a wonderful knitting class that was a part of our county night school program. This was the intermediate class, and was taught by a master knitter. She is amazing! We talked about swatching, reading and deciphering patterns, shaping, seaming and grafting. The class was great! We made mittens for the class, and these are mine.

Next, I started the Lion Brand KAL. I'm hoping this will help me get over the afghan trauma of Christmas 07! I'll post pictures of it soon.

Mousenapped

I got my secret pal's package, but I didn't get a photo when it came, stupidly, and now my mouse has been mousenapped by my 3 year old. lol

My pal has a photo of the mouse on her page, so you can check it out here. Cute, isn't he? Unoriginally, in our house, he goes by mousie. My kids fight over him, so he has been a reward for good behavior.

My secret pal, Lora, also gave me some bamboo yarn (which I've always wanted to try), some godiva hot chocolate, some bellagio hot chocolate, and some beautiful stitch markers that she made (these are similar). It was a really nice package, and I really have enjoyed the contents! Look for future posts to see what I made from the yarn!

Thank you, Lora, you rock!

whoops, I forgot

To post the contents of my package. I hope I remember everything.

First, the point protectors... I think I sent pink and green.

(you saw the stuffy posted below)

more of the same yarn,

some stitch markers by Weeones on etsy (I highly recommend this seller),

of course, hot chocolate,

some homemade marshmallow mix,

and the ever essential emergency chocolate.

My downstream person has turned out to be a lovely woman, and I hope we will stay in touch!

cocoa swap kitty

I made a kitty for my downstream in the cocoa swap. It's very soft. I changed the final design just a little, but I think it came out really cute. It's a little more "denim" blue than the photo shows, and the paws are blush pink.

My daughter asked me to make one for her. It really wasn't hard, it just takes time to make all of the little pieces. Next time I'll try doing it in the round. I got the pattern from etsy, if you want to check it out.

Thank you, Special Angel!

I participated in ISE5, and my secret pal had a series of problems which prevented her from finishing my scarf. The coordinator assigned an angel to me, and she must be a speed knitter, because she put together a gorgeous scarf! She also included a lovely book, several skeins of super plushy yarn, a tin of tea, and a lovely tin of candies (with NO artificial coloring, so my daughter and I could enjoy...and we have been!)

I wore the scarf today (it was chilly) and it is warm and very soft. Not at all itchy.

Thank you very much, Secret Pal!

Random Childhood Memory

This isn't my earliest memory, but I do remember when Nixon resigned. I asked my mother why that man was crying on tv, and she said, "That's the president, and he told a lie."

Boy, that made an impression on me! I was convinced that if you told a lie, they put you on national television to apologize!

I think all small children should be made to watch old tapes of Nixon's resignation. They'll never lie again.

Oh, Pink, how could you

I just learned that the musical artist, Pink, is a PeTA member. She wears tons of leather and is a member of PeTA, which makes NO sense to me.

Why do I care? Because PeTA is NOT about animal welfare. They are about animal rights. That means that animals should have the same rights as human beings. However, they also euthanize adoptable pets (they admit this) and do not feel that people should own animals as pets.

Check out some of their quotes here.

PeTA does NOT want you to have a pet! (I wonder if some of these celebs that support them know this?? Especially when they are toting around a dog in a bag.)

If you are giving your money to HSUS (Humane Society of United States), don't assume that's better. They are a political organization for animal rights, NOT for animal welfare. They are not connected to your local humane society in any way, and do not give them money.

I get the Pink's current thing is the carriage horses in NYC. Truth be told, I'm not too keen on them either. Many of them are mistreated, and it can't be good for them trudging around behind all of that exhaust. But we have laws ON THE BOOKS against abuse. If you see it, report it. Take pictures. Give money to animal welfare organizations who fight abuse.

And if you want to make the difference in the life of one animal, stay out of pet stores, and get your pet from a rescue organization or a reputable breeder (who will be responsible for that animal for its whole life!) And before getting *any* animal as a pet, please be sure this is the right pet for you.

Thanks for listening. We'll now return you to your regularly scheduled programming.

Thick of Winter

My cocoa swap hostesses want to know if my knitting has changed now that it's winter. Not really. I tend to be purpose driven, so I knit for an event or for a swap! Right now I'm really focused on finishing my knit project for my swap because it's already mid January, and it's got to be in the mail at the end of the month! Yikes! Fortunately, I'm just shy of half finished, so I should be ok. I hope my downstream pal likes it. I'll post a picture here when it is complete.

This was topic of the week #2, and somehow I missed #1. I apologize to my upstream person!

cocoa swap questionaire

I have a questionaire to fill out for the cocoa swap. Secret pal, I hope this helps!

Cocoa:

1. What is your favorite way to drink cocoa? Prepared with milk? Water? from home made recipe or store bought?, In a tea cup, or big mug?

I tend to like mint cocoa (yes really). Lately I've been drinking chocolate-peppermint (LOVE the peppermint) organic soy milk because I do like to *try* to be healthy. I'm sure you purists are cringing, but to me it tastes good. I also like mocha a lot. ;-)

I *only* use mugs.

2. Marshmallows or whipped cream?

either/or, but usually none. Too much sugar.

Yarn/Knitting/Crochet

1. What is your favorite type of yarn? In what colors?

I like anything soft, not scratchy. I am not a fiber snob -- right now I'm knitting something with Eros, which is a ladder yarn, and is NYLON! Mwahahahahah

I like pretty much any colors, but I have conservative tastes. I love the scarf that I made for my secret pal for ISE5. You can see pictures below.

2. Do you knit or crochet (or both)?

Knit only.

3. What are your favorite type of needles, would you like to try something new?

I am a loose knitter, so I like wood/bamboo.

4. Do you have a healthy supply of notions?

NO! I don't. I have a tape measure and a needle gauge, and that's it!

5. What one thing do you keep thinking you need to buy for your knitting habit (outside of yarn)?

a row counter!

6. What is your favorite 'quick knit/crochet' pattern (quick gratification)

A garterlac washcloth. ;-)

Miscellaneous
1. What is your favorite thing to do in the Winter?

Have a fire in the fireplace. And knit. ;-)

2. What is your favorite animal?

A dog, although a bird runs a close second. I would really like a bird as a pet, but my husband is animaled out.

3. Do you get the 'winter blahs'?

Actually, no. I like the cold.

4. What is your favorite way to beat the blahs?

See #1. ;-)

5. What is the thing you are most looking forward to this spring?

Flowers, although I have a witch hazel plant that blooms in february.

6. What are your favorite treat?

POPCORN! (I'm love salty/savory treats.)

7. What is your favorite board game?

Hmmm. Not sure. Maybe one of the cranium games?

8. Do you have any children (furry or human)?

I have two small dogs and a cat, and twin three year olds.

9. Do you have any allergies or special considerations you partner should know about?

I'm allergic to artificial coloring in food. I won't die, but it will make my face break out, which is most unattractive.

So, secret pal, I hope this helps! And please, don't forget me. My last swap, my secret pal had a personal problem, and I'm still waiting for my swap. I guess I'm an optimist, because I still feel like she's gonna send it, but it's pretty late. If I get forgotten this time, I think I'll be done with swaps. So don't forget me!

Happy New Year!

I cast on a new project, as per my pals in my local Stitch N' Bitch. I wanted something easy that gave me fast results, so I went for a simple scarf with Eros by Plymouth Yarns. I'm doing it in a size 9 needle. I found a few projects done with this yarn in a smaller needle (most people seem to recommend a 12 or larger) and I really like it. I'm a loose knitter, so if you want to try this, you might need to try a larger needle, particularly if you are a tight knitter.

So to all, knitters or not, I wish you a Happy New Year!