Picture of Twisted Dreams Socks

I used Kraemer Sterling Silk & Silver I bought from Karen's store.

The gorgeous painting is by Frank. My son.

It's not normally in the sun....just for the photo shoot. :)

I hope you'll give Melly's pattern a try. You can purchase your copy on her blog.

Twisted Dreams Socks

I was picked by Melly to knit a sock pattern that she designed. I started knitting and couldn't put it down. It's been a long time since THAT had happened!
It is a pattern you won't be bored with and I just had to tell you about it so you wouldn't miss out.

You can find it here in English AND German!!: MellysLacePlace

[I had to fix a word. I typed my instead of by - I do that a LOT!]

I'm in love........

.......with my roving!!! I got these back from Dawn's a little while back.

The deep chocolate brown is Black Border Leicester; the gray is Black/Gray Icelandic Ram; and the cream is Baby Doll.

Looks like I have some spinning to do. Gosh, aren't they beautiful?

Oval Doily

Alright now! Here she is after Round 14.

I pinned it out to show you the lovely details! It is definitely knit from the OUTSIDE in.

The pattern is easy to memorize. There is Section A and Section B. Those are repeated 3 times between each pink marker.

Are you knitting Lace? I would love to see!

Christine Duchrow's Oval Doily

With broken German and my trusty German/English Dictionary, I am attempting to knit her.

I'm knitting on US sz 1 needle and DMC Cebelia sz 30 crochet cotton. [I mention US because when I read sz 2.5 or sz 4.5, I never know if they are talking mm or US]

This is round 7.....I'm not sure why the picture is blurry in places but I hope you can still see my attempt at a beautiful design from her 1st, of 3, books.

I forgot to say I used the long-tail method to cast on 496 stitches. There are 3 repeats for every 124 stitches and that's why the 4 little pink slip knots. The green marker was to keep the stitches from twisting.

A few good sayings.......

God grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked anyway, the good fortune to run into the ones I do, and the eyesight to tell the difference.

If you wouldn't write it and sign it; don't say it!

Resentment is like taking poison, and hoping the other person will die.

There are two kinds of people who don't say much, those who are quiet, and those who talk a lot.

STRESSED? It is just desserts spelled backwards.

Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a stroke of luck.

We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are.

"Do or do not. There is no try."

There is only one thing more painful than learning from experience, that is not learning from experience.

You don't seem to realize that a poor person who is unhappy is in a better position than a rich person who is unhappy. Because the poor person has hope. He thinks money will help.

Here is the test to find whether your mission on Earth is finished: if you're alive, it isn't.

Confidence comes not from always being right, but from not fearing to be wrong.

Almost anything is easier to get into than out of.

Friends are like angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly...

"The Pessimist curses the wind, the Optimist expects it to change, the Realist adjusts his sails!"

"That which does not kill us had better run away damn fast..."

You are what you do….not what you say.

Last but Oh, not least:
Never Explain.
Your friends don't need it and your enemies aren't going to believe you anyway.

July 4th remedy for your scared dog

Rescue Remedy is what you need for your dogs. No this isn't a commercial.
I remember dreading every 4th of July because of the fireworks, mainly illegal ones, going off and our dogs being so scared.
My friend, Penney, gives this to her dog every year and it calms her down quickly.

Here's a little bit about it from the website:

Rescue Remedy is the #1 natural reliever of everyday stress. It is a blend of five of the 38 Bach Original Flower Essences and is proven to be as helpful with animals as it is with people. Rescue Remedy can be used for an immediate calming effect in any stressful situation, or when your pet needs help overcoming a variety of emotional or behavioural problems such as:

~ Visits to the vet
~ Fear of loud noises
~ Excessive barking or hissing
~ Adapting to loss of owner or companion
~ Stress due to being left alone
~ Shock, trauma or mistreatment
~ Anxiety when adapting to new surroundings (new home, kennel, stable, etc.)

Your Pet's Inner Calm, On Call

Nature provides the air we breathe, the food we eat and the very essence of life itself. Nearly all forms of medicine are derived from plant life and Dr. Bach was a medical pioneer in realizing the potential of flowers in the natural healing process. As he discovered the 38 Bach Flower Essences, he noted that five of them in particular have special energy properties to calm agitated emotions. They are Rock Rose, Star of Bethlehem, Impatiens, Cherry Plum and Clematis. He blended dilutions of them together and found the combination to be an effective remedy for everyday stress. He called it Rescue Remedy, and it remains an example of the simplicity, and power, of natural healing.

Another 3 pairs of socks

Some leisure socks for soldiers.

The top and bottom ones are hand dyed Opal sock yarn while the middle pair are patterned Opal from the manufacturer.

Like Kim, President of SFS says, I blessed 3 soldiers. :)

Join and knit just one pair.

Something wicked........

This is something I've had with me since I was 10 or 11 years old! So for 40 years, I've taken it with me, with each move.
My youngest sister, Debbie, gave it to me.

I wonder if any of my wonderful readers know what it is. Hmmm?

The 3 bears.......felted

Well, here they are felted. The bears got a little smaller.

Just need to embroider the eyes and mouth.

Here they are - before.

Got BIRDS?

Birds visiting my mother’s farm (in her own words):

Killdeer – stays the summer in the pasture
Bobwhite – year round
Scaled Quail – year round
Great Horned Owl – year round, catches all the mice
Long Eared Owl – year round, catches all the mice
Snowy Owl – passes thru
Red Tailed Hawk – year round, catches rabbits & ground squirrels & mice
American Kestrel – year round
Mourning Dove – year round
Ringed Turtle Dove – year round
Barn Swallow – stay thru summer, catches all insects
Common Red Shafted Flicker – passes thru, eats ants
Common Yellow Shafted Flicker – passes thru, eats ants
Red Naped Sapsucker – passes thru
Calliope Hummingbird – stays the summer
American Gold Finch – passes thru
Yellow-Rumped Warbler – passes thru
Hermit Warbler – passes thru
Kingbird – stays the summer
Meadow Lark – stays the summer
Fly Catcher – stays all summer
Scots Oriole – passing thru
Rufus-Sided Towhee – spending the summer
Black-headed Grosbeak – passing thru
Robin – all year, takes all the worms out of my garden
Hooded Oriole – passing thru
Northern Bullock’s Oriole – passing thru
Western Tanager – passing thru
House Finch – all year
Purple Finch – all year
Some Wrens – passing thru
Mocking Bird – all summer
Red-winged Blackbird – passing thru
All kinds of Sparrows – year round, a pest
Starlings – year round, eat my chicken feed
Common Grackle – all summer, eat all baby song birds
Brewers Blackbird – all summer, eat the baby birds

Besides birds, I also have:
Skunks, Badgers, Coyotes, Pronghorns, Swift Foxes, Cotton Tails and Jackrabbits – mainly in the pasture
And Bull Snakes

Today, I could water my vegetable garden without the wind blowing 40 mph. I sat down with my beloved Saint Bernard dog beside me and watched all the birds. As soon as the water flows, the swallows are there. They pick up the wet soil with some straw and fly into my barn to build their nests. I have, at least, 15 pairs here. These fragile little birds have to be the most acrobatic flyers on the wing. It is also amazing to me, to understand how they can catch their meal in flight.
Then there is the Robin, trying to pull all the worms out of my garden. I know they have to eat, but why the worms that I need for my garden soil? Oh, well!!
…and then there is this pair of Mocking Birds. The male starts to sing by my bedroom window hours before the sun comes up and he does sing pretty. It is also fascinating to watch these Mocking Birds catch their meal on the ground. They open and close their wings while their tail whips up and down.
I love to hear the cooing of the Mourning and Turtle Doves. All night long, I hear the Great Horned Owl hooting. The little Finches also sing pretty all day.
It is amazing to watch all these little critters in my place, considering that I live in the prairie.
Some folks call us Flatlanders, but I did plant hundreds of Rocky Mt. Junipers, some Pinon Pines, Aspen, Lilacs, Roses, lots of different types of shrubs, berry bushes, etc. No wonder everyone feels here at home.

Question: Have you noticed how many birds you have around your place?

Cross stitch today

Here is where I'm at today, May 31st.

It's slow going as I haven't had a chance to work on it every day.

This is the bottom left corner block of the pattern. There will be 2 more blocks to the right of it and then picture 2 more blocks of sections on top of them. Sigh ----

Me and the 3 Bears......

I saw a picture of a papa bear knit with a spool knitter and figured how to make it with 2 dpn's. Then I made some math calculations and knit a mama bear and thought, hmmm, I wonder......and then, using US sz 0 and more math homework, made the baby bear.

The picture is BEFORE felting.

Counted Cross Stitch

I love knitting first but I also love to do counted cross stitch. This project is something very dear to Ed, my hubby.

Oops, I almost told you what I was making!! I want to keep you in suspense.........I hope.

I have a cross stitch program from STOIK called 'PM Stitch Creator v.3'. It's awesome.

I'm working this at 18 stitches to the inch and there are 149 colors in it. When finished, it should be 11" wide by 12.6" tall. In order to "see" the chart, I printed it out in 9 pages (3x3)..........and this is the result of 3 nights work ~

My goal is to be finished by the last day of July. Hmmm, I wonder...........

"The Wall"

Have you every seen "The Wall"? It's in Washington, D.C.

My deputy husband was killed May 1983; I joined C.O.P.S. (Concerns Of Police Survivors) in January 1986; went to D.C. to a C.O.P.S. get-together with a bunch of other law enforcement widows, for a week, in May 1986 {the get-together had classes on how to cope with our loss}; on one of those days, we ladies took a little walk to see "The Wall"; and.....I couldn't.

I froze when I saw the dark wall.

I could not read any of the names but I could see lighter areas on "The Wall" that represented letters of the alphabet. I'm sure there were numbers on it, too.

All I did was cry. Not only did I cry......I was sobbing. And deeply. I couldn't stop.

I went back to my motel room and stayed there until we left for home. I didn't even get to attend any of the seminars that they said would teach me how to cope. It didn't even seem so important after I saw "The Wall".

What made me think of this today?
Socks for Soldiers, is what. Kim, our fearless Sarge, was telling us about her teen daughter coming back from D.C. and mentioned seeing "The Wall".
I have been a member of that special yahoo group now for 1 year this month.
I've made 38 pairs of socks and 132 pairs of 12" 1x1 ribbed legs for other knitters to knit the feet on.

It's also "National Peace Officer's Memorial Week". I knit socks for soldiers and fly a blue ribbon for C.O.P.S. My heart is sad and full - - all at once.

The Most Effective Form of Birth Control....

.....the Bed Snake Bat!!

Quote by B.S. Laboratories: After years of careful research, the scientists at B.S. Laboratories have discovered that pregnancy is caused by the venom of a small snake called "THE BED SNAKE." And now, after many long hours of painstaking research, we have produced what we feel is the most effective means of combating this little creature.......the amazing tool is called a BED SNAKE BAT!

EVERY woman MUST have this!

Information about the Snake:
The Bed Snake is found in all parts of the world ~~ not only in beds, but it can pop up at anytime, and anyplace, including back seats of cars, bathrooms, back alleys and dark grassy fields.

Directions for when you have spotted the Snake:
~Many women fear snakes, but you must remain calm and not alert the snake.
~Firmly grasp bat, then conceal it behind your back.
~Slowly approach the snake. When it is within striking distance, swing bat furiously, hitting the snake several times, then twice more for good measure.
~Cautiously search for eggs near the snake (usually come in pairs). If found, bash them both three times. By this time the snake should be unconscious. Take careful aim, bash it once more and run as far away as you can.

Letter from one satisfied customer:
The other day I really gave my Bed Snake Bat a good work-out. I happened to take a wrong turn into a men's locker room and I have never seen such a convention of Bed Snakes. I'm sure the snakes must have thought they were well hidden but by the time I got through, there were Bed Snakes lying unconscious, dead or dying all over the place.
The girls and I have decided to plan regular surprise attacks on these new found snake dens!

Addison's sweater..with a little surprise

The design, on the fronts, is called the 'Twisted Tree' - from the 365 Knitting Stitches a Year Calendar. I made sure the pattern worked all the way to the shoulders. It actually blended very well with the ribbing in twisted rib. {Lace scarf knit by me over 15 years ago from an old Workbasket pattern}

Well, I survived the sewing and cutting of the steeks. They were 5 stitches wide and I sewed along both sides of the middle one. If I had a room where I could lie down after I cut them, I would have.

In order to sew in the sleeves, I first had to sew the shoulders together. I remember the 'Cardigan Details 'DVD of Meg Swansen doing a 3-needle bind off and being fussy about having the wrong sides together and making sure the purl bumps showed on the front side.......I, too, am fussy and did the same thing to this precious little cardigan.

I then revisited two great books, in my library, that I refer to often - 'Knitting Workshop' and 'Knitting Around' by Elizabeth Zimmermann - to pick up stitches around the fronts and neck to knit the band in garter. In continuing with my fussiness - where the front bands turn to go around the neck, I maintained the stitch (with increases on either side) in stocking stitch on the right side. After 3 ridges, I strategically placed buttonholes with a YO, K2tog. At the same time, I decreased 4 stitches at the back of the neck between the shoulders so it would lay against the neck and not stick out - as Meg and EZ would do. I knit another 2 ridges and did a lovely 2-stitch I-cord cast off.

Lastly, I neatened the cut edges using red woolly nylon.

Going to my LYS (Yarn 'N Things, Chehalis, WA), I found the perfect Lady Bug buttons with an extra one for the surprise hat I made by casting on my gauge times Addison's head circumference. I topped it off with a little I-cord and knit it long enough to tie it into a knot.

Well, here is our sweet, sweet granddaughter.
Her mother appreciates hand made items and is such a good mom. She sent this picture, today, of Addison dressed in the sweater.

....hmmmm, I think she likes it. :)

PS~ I designed this cardigan especially for Addison and with some help with Sweater Wizard, too.

Addison's little Red Cardigan Sweater...

....to match her socks.

Once again, I used Cascade 220 Super Wash and US sz 5 for the ribbing/US sz 6 for the body.

Here are the parts:
2 sleeves knit in the round, cuff down
1 body knit in the round, with steeks

Rather than casting the shoulders off, I put them on waste yarn to do a three needle bind off.....after I sew and cut the four steeks (2 sleeve steeks, front steek and Kangaroo pouch for the neck)...>gulp<

I'll tell you how I did it all in another post. :)

Now I'm at this point

I'm just about finished. Here, I am sewing under (or neatening) the cut steeks. The sweater is inside out to show you.

I'll finish this little creation up so I can wash and block it!!

{Yes, that's a doily I crocheted years and years ago} :)

I remember Wilbur

I was 9 years old when our mom brought home a baby Red Duroc pig. My two younger sisters and I gathered around to watch the little pig learn its way around the huge pen. We named him Wilbur - from our favorite book, "Charlotte's Web".

Every day, after school, we would run into the house to change our clothes, do our chores and play with Wilbur. We scratched his belly after he finished drinking water from the hose. We washed his feeding trough and made sure his bedding was fluffed up in his shelter. He quickly grew big and strong and would even let us ride him. This went on for 6 months........it was inevitable that we fell in love with Wilbur.

One day, after school, we could not find Wilbur! He was gone!! I don't remember exactly what mom told us.....

Days later, mom had prepared a ham dinner. [Mind you, my mother was a German gourmet cook] Us 3 girls were all seated around the table when mom brought our plates of food. We sat there silent, with our eyes wide open - staring at the ham. The silence was broken when mom said, Come on! Let's eat!

It was either my sister, Doris, or me that asked with a shaky voice and bottom lip sticking out - Is that Wilbur?

Mom said, Yes it is. I told you girls, over and over, to not play with him because he was going to be butchered. Now let's eat!

Oh, you should have heard the wailing!

Well, us girls didn't eat any meat that night but mom tells me, we eventually did - days later.