Winter Wonderland

I have a confession. I love winter storms.

I love driving slowly down ice or snow covered roads and watching the world slip by in a frozen dream. When everything is covered in ice and snow, it is still and perfect. The trees seem frosted over. The ground even and rippling loses all the ugly cuts and bruises underneath its white winter blanket. Even parking lots of big retailers are peaceful when under ice. The cart corals stand tall against the empty plain of frozen tundra.

I love waking up in the morning and looking for those first tracks of the animals who ventured out for food. The paths of criss-crossing rabbit, deer, and coyote tracks tell a story you never get to hear when the ground is bare. Their curious and hesitant tracks up to our front porch and near our windows are endearing. The way they seem to be playing in the midst of the search is almost human. It is so similar to the way we bundle up and brave the elements for an hour of sledding before venturing out to see what is left on the grocer's shelves.

I love driving past parks and seeing the children, exuberant with their day off from school, racing up and down sledding paths. I find myself angry at people who won't just let the children play. The danger of slipping off course into a tree is half the fun of the sport.

I love seeing people out walking their dogs. Most are huddled down inside their hats and scarves, but the rest are in a sort of reverie. They gaze up at the sky and trees. They seem lost in their own thoughts as they look around at the results of the storm. Their pets run in circles and strain to break the leash to chase the scent left on a rabbit or squirrel track.

The days of sleighs and fur coats may well be past. Courier and Ives have long ago become nostalgia. I, however, have found the spirit they tried to capture. It is in the humanity of the people around me as they struggle to deal with a Winter Wonderland.

Starting Over Again

I have had such a hard time with my current project. I am not sure why, but I have started over three times. First, I added some stitches. Then, I changed to larger needles. Then I had to start again because the pattern was so far off, I couldn't in good conscience call it a pattern.

Anyway, I am on my way now, I think.

Take Time to Check Your Gauge

Every pattern includes the phrase "Take Time to Check Your Gauge." I never do. Most of the time it won't matter if what I am working on is an inch or two smaller than the projected final measurement. But last night it did matter.

There I was knitting away at what will one day be a beautiful wrap for my grandmother when I noticed there was NO WAY it would fit her. I was working on the front side of the wrap. It was supposed to be about a foot across. Instead, it was only about 8 inches. I had worked a good 6 inches down when I noticed it. I thought, "Well, I'm not too far into it. I guess I'll double check that I am doing it right. Just in case." Sure enough. I was supposed to get 4 inches out of 8 stitches instead I was getting 3. So I unravelled everything I had done, added another 8 stitches to the cast on amount, and kept going.

The pattern adjustment seems to be working, but I think I will need another skein to finish it. Oh well, at least it will be usable when it is done.

Winter Mornings

This morning when I woke up it was down right cold in my bedroom. I had pulled the extra blanket over myself in the middle of the night; so I was toasty warm everywhere except my nose. It reminded me of when I was a little girl.

We lived in a house that was built in the 20s and hadn't had much updating done in the area of temperature control. A gas heater in the middle of the house was pretty much all we had other than the strategically placed electric heater in the bathroom.

When the temperature dropped below 40 at night, the mornings were especially difficult for my mother. Mainly because my siblings and I couldn't be coaxed out of bed easily.

To get us up and out in time for school, my mother would get all of our clothes for the day and put them in the dryer for a few minutes. Then she would bring them to us and we would all get dressed under the covers.

I'm sure my poor mother would have liked to have someone put her clothes in the dryer before she had to get out of bed. I know I certainly was wishing for it this morning. I guess fall is finally here and it is time to switch on the heater.

Supporting My Purse Habit

I have an addiction to purses, bags and totes. I freely admit this. My husband thinks it is hilarious and makes it a point to mock me every time I bring home a new one. Well, I have news for him. Knitting has changed all that. Now, if I want a new purse I can just pick up some yarn and make one.

The one I am working on now is a Christmas gift. I like practicing on gifts before I make one for myself. I try telling myself it is because I am being unselfish, but I know it is really because I want to see what it looks like before I commit to owning one.

I made a diaper bag for my sister using the Lion Brand free pattern for the 7 pocket tote. She is barely pregnant, but is excited to start doing "Mommy" things.

Long story short, thanks to knitting/crocheting, I can indulge both my appetite for purses and my passion for the craft at the same time. Hooray!!

What a difference a day makes

I am almost done with all of my Christmas projects. Unfortunately, I have saved two of the most time consuming for last. On the flip side, I have also saved to of the quickest. Today I will go to pick up yarn to complete a handbag for my cousin. I expect it will be finished by Sunday. Then I have slippers for my father, a large shawl for my grandmother and a spa set for my aunt. I think the shawl will likely take most of November to finish. The slippers seem simple enough and the spa set looks to be time consuming but simple. I definitely think I will accomplish my goal of hand-making 50% of the Christmas gifts this year.

The problem I am running into is creative gifts for the guys. I can make any number of amazing handbags or shawls for the girls. It is finding something other than slippers or a hat/scarf combo for the guys that keeps throwing me for a loop. Maybe I should stop worrying about it and just do scarves and hats for all of them in different colors and patterns. If I found a large enough gauge, I could probably work those in and do something hand-made for everyone in the family.

I will keep you updated on the progress.

On a sad note, I am afraid I haven't lost any weight and don't see that changing anytime soon. I just can't seem to make it a priority in my life. Ah well, when it becomes important, it will change.

50 Days of Patience

So we found a house. The inspection is done. The seller has agreed to reimburse us to fix a couple of windows, and voila, we are in that horrible waiting period. Assuming nothing will go wrong with the appraisal, we will close on November 15th. That's 50 days from today for those of you who are counting. I think I may well go crazy between now and then.

So, true to form, I have started a list of everything I need to have done before moving day. I find lists very comforting, much like knitting. They make me feel calm and organized, like I have a plan or something. I guess I will start working on those tasks and try to focus on getting ready to move. The day will be here before I know it.

On another topic, I have been so caught up in the house buying, I haven't weighed in two weeks. So, in a gesture of ultimate optimism, I'll say I've lost two pounds since I last mentioned it.

Hooray for Simplicity

When buying yarn, a vast selection of colors and textures is a plus. The knitter/crocheter needs to be able to express their sense of style in their choice of medium. That is not the case with every shopping experience.

Yesterday I saw a commercial advertising two new types of toilet paper, soft OR strong. Last time I checked toilet paper had only one desireable function, to be soft enough to not chaffe when, um, cleaning up. Now the toilet paper aisle is an aisle all its own and there are so many styles and types to choose from.

Another good example is dishwashing liquid. I want the original Dawn. Blue, normal strength, in a normal bottle. You can't buy dishwashing liquid that is not ultra strength, aroma therapy friendly and "good for your skin."

What about toothbrushes? Should it really take me ten minutes to sort through all the different types of manual toothbrushes.

I have found a company with the good sense to buck this trend, Fisher Paykel. The appliance company has narrowed down the choices in their appliances to the basics. Would you like your dryer gas or electric, top or front load? Would you like your fridge to open from the left or right? All the kitchen appliances are stainless steele and the washers and dryers come only in white. Furthermore, every product has top of the line features and construction. They just cut back on the options that are not necessary.

This is the sort of common sense shopping experience that relaxes rather than stresses me. I want options in some products, but, when it comes to the basic necessities of modern American life, I just need the basics.

Long Days and Short Nights

I titled this blog (and eventually website) "Knits in Fits" because I will knit/crochet like a mad woman for a month or so then not touch a bit of yarn for several weeks. I am in one of my crochet spurts at the moment. That would be fine if not for the fact that I am also in the middle of buying a new house. So here is how my schedule has looked for the last several weeks.

• Wake up and try to look presentable for work.


• Work from 9 - Noon (mostly on the phone trying to negotiate a problem that in theory is less difficult than world peace)


• Try to eat lunch with husband to discuss housing developments


• Work from Noon - 6 while simultaneously also making calls about the house buying and looking at the 5 million houses my husband found on the Internet in the 5 minutes since I last saw him.


• 6 - Dark Actually go see houses


• Dark - Sleep Talk about houses while husband frantically searches for more on the Internet and I *crochet, then undo the work I just did because I lost count repeat from * until go crazy and give up

As you can see in my current project picture, not much is getting done.

Oh well, at least I'll have a house soon.

9/12/2007 - 156 lbs.

The Knitter's Diet

When I began knitting about a year ago, I thought I had found a brilliant plan for curbing the habit of eating while I watched TV. Unfortunately, I found a way to eat and knit at the same time (or occasionally skip the knitting for the eating). Today I decided to get back on track with my plan.

So here is my strategy:
1. Pick a project that will stay in my closet. I am hoping the motivation of having a new pretty will make me want to focus on the project in stead of the Twizzlers in my pantry.
2. Choose light colors that would not hide stains well. Again, perhaps this will motivate me to put down the sugary red treats.
3. Find a pattern that requires me to count and pay attention. I find I do most of my eating when I am not focused on anything. Mindless munching is fun, boys and girls.

We will see if it works this time. I really want to lose 10 pounds before Christmas.

The knitting diet is not my only plan of attack. I have also taken up a belly dancing class and am walking my neighborhood for half an hour each night. Plus, and please don't laugh, my allergist thinks I may be allergic to the proteins in cow milk. So, no more cheese or ice cream or creamer with a dash of coffee for me.

I will keep everyone updated on my progress.

9/5/2007 - 158 lbs

Christmas is Just Needle Away

This year I promised myself I would knit/crochet at least half of my families gifts. This crazy idea began when for the hundreth time I realized how ridiculous our family tradition is. I'm not talking about the tree, not the reading of the Christmas story or any other of the family togetherness activities. I'm talking about the fact that every single one of us gives a gift (or two or twenty) to every single other person and we still have stockings which almost everyone contributes to.

This list is quite long, 16 to 20 depending on if we have relatives in from out of town or extra girl/boyfriends. No one is under the age of 16, and none of us are in dire need of anything we couldn't purchase for ourselves.

My suggestions are several:

• Set a limit of $20 per person;
• Draw names;
• Do stockings only;
• Don't do gifts at all, instead give to a family in the church who is in need.

My grandmother acts as if I have suggested we all run around naked with body paint on every time I argue against the gift bonanza.

Now, in case you think I am exaggerating, let me tell you about the first Christmas my husband spent with the family. We drove down from Columbia to Springfield to spend the day with them. I packed everyone's gifts in a huge laundry basket that was much too big for the cargo. He looked at me like I was crazy and suggested we just carry them by hand since they weren't that bulky or heavy. "Trust me," I said, "You will thank me when it is time to go home." Sure enough, we not only filled the laundry basket with our gifts, but we also filled the rest of the trunk and back seat of the car. We were grateful for the generosity, but at the same time, I felt guilty (and still do) that so much money was spent on things we don't really need.

I don't go home for Christmas to see what kind of booty I can bring back. I go home to see my family and spend some time in their company. I don't need a single wrapped package to make it worth the trip.

So, this year I am fighting back by trying to start my own tradition -- Handmade Gifts. If everyone only gave things they made by hand (or at least by half), we would have meaningful keepsakes in the place of the 110th rooster kitchen towel set or commemerative Coca-Cola glass.