sherriknits

I have the best sp12!  I know she is leaving on a trip, but she still took time to spoil me

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Chocolate once again…yum.  She got me the most beautiful, soft yarn, I love it!  She also got me this fun bag, I turned the edges down so you can see the inside of it.  The yarn looks great with it!  I also love the cherry blossom note cards.  One thing I do know about her, she loves pink.  I like it, too…so it’s fun.  I think it’s going to be fun finding out about her after we reveal who we are.

Isn’t the bag pretty?  I love pink and red together and it has this bright green cord to close it with … I love it!

Yesterday felt grueling to me.  It was really hot outside, it was hotter inside and I felt like I just got wiped out.  Right after I got to work, I heard sirens and more sirens but I was busy with someone then.  Afterwards, I found out that there was a rollover accident a block from us on the main street!  Evidently a car was trying to change lanes, clipped the back of a little pickup and flipped over onto the top and came to rest with the hood on the ground and the back end up in the air.  The driver was still inside, upside down.  I did have to watch them take her out, I don’t think she was hurt badly.  Bizarre.  All day we kept hearing squealing brakes.  I was happy to come home.

I was so overheated, I took my knitting and Ravelry and sat on our deck until the wind came up and I was cold.

Today was hotter but for some reason, it didn’t get as warm inside.  I had 2 fans going and that must have helped.

The sp12 question of the week is:

What Olympic event would best describe you knitting/knitting style? 

I am at a bit of a loss.  I finally looked up the Triathalon  and this is exactly what I’d been thinking about:

The very first triathlon was in California in 1974. The Olympic committee announced that the triathlon would become an Olympic event in 2000. Triathlons have three parts swimming, cycling, and running, and they happen one right after the other.  

To be in the triathlon you need a swimming suit, a pair of swimming goggles, a bicycle helmet, a bicycle and a pair of running shoes and a running vest. Some athletes also wear a wetsuit and cycling shoes. 

 

The Olympics triathlon is a distance triathlon. The athletes swim for about one mile, cycle for about 25 miles, and then run for about six miles.  

That’s all you need so … Swim your best! Don’t give up on Swimming!  You also have to run up the mountains. Run your best! Don’t give up on Running! Cycle your best! Don’t give up on Cycling! 

This is what kind of knitter I try to be.  I try to do my best, I try not to give up.  Sometimes I fall down, sometimes I get stuck….but I’m always up for the challenge and I like to push myself in a variety of “events” … but all I have to do is do my best and don’t give up!
 

Yes, I have done it!  It was totally painless.  Of course, it was a sock and not a fair isle sweater….but how fun to have tried it and had it work!  I started Cat Bordhi’s Houdini sock at Stitch n Pitch and hadn’t worked on it since the game.  Tonight I finished the “footprint” and inserted the needles for the steeking.

Then I snipped and unravelled.

The sock fits!  I knit the inch before starting the pattern on the cuff of the sock which was to use another method (the name escapes me right now).  It took me so long to do 3 stitches even though I knit the previous row very loosely as she suggested but for all that work, I wasn’t horrible fond of the look so I’m going to find another cuff pattern.  I’m thrilled, though!

I got my Olympic knitting done….my share of the Relay blanket.  I think we decided to call ourselves the Friendship Knitters.  We are so far ahead of schedule.  I was 3rd on the list and the knitting started at 5 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 8.  I got my call to start my block at 12:35!!!!!!   I was no where near ready to start.  I had gone to get my hair cut and foiled and had barely gotten to work when I got the call.  #4 on the list was knitting there already so I traded places with her.  She, too, is a fast knitter so she passed the needles to me again in the early afternoon.  By then I was ready and got mine done that night.  I think we are on number 8 now.  Such fun!  I think we’ll do it again but maybe in a different format.

I love the color of these blocks.  We had 6 colors I think.  We each got to pick a page of patterns.  The garter stitch was my warm-up event.  The first square (triangles) was my relay block, and the checkerboard is my final event.  These aren’t blocked yet, but I’m happy with them, they are the same size and so far every one I have laid it up against it has been the same size!

Tonight I got to deliver a baby gift for Sweet Pea. 

I absolutely LOVE this.  The pattern is “Moonbeam” and it’s an adorable little cape with a hood. 

I love the little wall plaque.  This baby is fortunate to have 2 very wise parents….but I am so happy that this new father is going to make us very proud.

Isn’t the card cute?

And I love the little label inside. The designer is Kim Hargreaves.  I want to knit this myself.

Another friend gave her a copy of this drawing from the 40s.

I also wanted to show the little bear that daddy’s grandma made him when he was a little boy.  She just passed away so it is even more special.  His mom put a very sweet card on his neck.  I could just cry it’s so sweet.

#1 son and his fiance leave in the early morning for their mission trip to just south of Tijuana, Mexico.  They have been to the same village several times.  In fact, mama-to-be went down there and stayed for 6 weeks all by herself because she wanted to experience life in a village without having the comfort of her friends and team.  She stayed with a missionary family that our church as come to know quite well.  The kids are going to build a home for a family.  The only hard thing is they are sad to possibly miss the arrival of the baby that will make him an uncle for the first time.  God knows the day and the hour and He knows they were going to be on this trip so it’s all in His hands.

It’s been so crazy busy here.  Here’s a long, picture-heavy update.

Last Saturday, the mama-to-be had a shower on the daddy’s side of the family.  I couldn’t go because I have been missing so much work and will miss more when baby comes.  Here she is with a gift from a knitting friend of mine that I gave her before the shower.

These are little leggings from Elizabeth Zimmermann’s Knitters Almanac.  How cute are they!  They’re made from sock yarn.  What a treasure.

I’ve been trying to get myself prepared for that big trip to the hospital.  We got some snacks to leave in the car.  Now it looks like there will be more of us headed to the hospital than I thought.  #1 son is going on a mission trip next week and is really hoping baby makes it’s appearance before that.  He and his girlfriend want to be there even if it’s in the middle of the night.  I’m thinking we may fill the waiting room!

Things are definitely progressing…she went to the doctor today and she’s beginning to dilate and all those good things.  She continues to swell terribly but so far no sign of danger there.

She was horribly disappointed that she didn’t get to go to Stitch n Pitch this year but when the time actually came, she was happy her hubby said no….she can barely walk because of the swelling.

But….we all took off for a day of adventure. 

He’s ready.

We stopped to fill up….we actually got 30 cents off with our Safeway card.  Who’d ever think it would be exciting to pay only $3.89 for gas!

We got there early and got a great parking place a block from Safeco Field.

I always get excited walking up to the ballpark.

It was especially fun to see Shanda and Julie standing there in front.  Right after I snapped the picture, Shanda tried to call me not realizing we were waiting to cross the street.  Shanda managed to disappoint a little lady who was excitedly running around the stadium looking for the ballplayers who were signing autographs.  She told her they were Devil Rays, not Mariners.  lol  She wondered why the poor lady had walked right by the ballplayers a few minutes before and wasn’t interested then.  Methinks the Mariners wouldn’t be hanging around outside the stadium before the game.

We always end up waiting outside, the first ones to get through the doors.  It’s all because we don’t want to pay for parking.

On the first leg of the trip to the 3rd level…we found all the escalators, including the one that almost did me in.  It was 2 stories high and me with my fear of heights was getting pretty shaky by the end of it.

The family.

The first pitch was thrown by Larissa Brown, author of Knitalong.  She said she practiced a lot but was really nervous when she got out there.

I started the Houdini socks by Cat Bordhi…a great mindless project for the game.  I’m almost ready to close the heel.

Ichiro in his famous stance.

and Raul Ibanez, my favorite Mariner (who happened to win the game for us once again!)

We walked down and got our books signed by Larissa Brown.  Isn’t her pinwheel blanket beautiful?  She’s so sweet.

It was such a beautiful day and evening.

Here’s the little bride with her knitting….she’s making leg warmers.

I always love the people who come out and rake the dirt.  They didn’t dance for us this time, though.

It was pretty exciting when JJ Putz came out to pitch.

And then the best part of all….and unfortunately, my memory card filled up….but this is when Raul hit the homerun that won the game.

 I bought a new memory card tonight…this is so ridiculous how often my silly card is full.  I need to figure out how to auto-delete on this camera, I’ve only had it a year!  I had meant to buy a new card on the way to the game, though…and forgot every time we went into a store that would have them.

Today as the Olympics started, a group of us started our Olympic event.  We’re doing a relay, knitting squares for a blanket to be donated to a women’s shelter here in our community.  Each person gets a “training” square that could be started during the opening ceremonies.  (5 a.m. our time).  I know of at least one person who actually got up at 5 to start knitting.  Then they can start their “relay” block when they get the call from the person before them.  We had 2 very fast knitters in the front of the line.  I suspected I’d be getting the call sometime today because I was 3rd in line, but imagine my surprise when that call came at 12:30 this afternoon! 

I had such a crazy morning.  I went for to get my hair cut and foiled at 9 a.m. and got out of there at almost noon.  I wasn’t ready for work or anything so I was late getting there.  One friend was there working on her training block and when I got my call, I switched places with her.  In no time at all, she finished hers and I was back in the starting gate.  I’m afraid I have slowed up the progress…lol.  I feel for the person following me because I’ll call her in the morning and I’m sure she expected she’d be doing hers next week sometime!  I’m sure things will slow down at some point, but it’s so exciting to see the enthusiasm.  I was reading my Knitalong book while knitting this evening and I get to frog back a few rows as a result..but I’m really pondering her insight on knitting together.  Lovin’ it!

When we finish our relay block, we have our final event….our last block.  When we’re all done, we’ll get together at knit night and assemble the whole thing. 

And now, I must get this block done and get to bed so I don’t end up being a very tired Grandma when I get to meet my little sweet pea!