moonfrog

Flushed Away was a fun movie. It was like claymation, and as a die-hard Wallace and Grommet fan, it suit my fancy. We took advantage of having DH’s grandson over the Thanksgiving break, invited the neighbor children, and made a day of it. I have been known to attend children’s films without the cover of children, but it made it fun to see their reactions, too. I think Grandson was a little disappointed to find that what he thought were singing turds (it was set in a sewer after all) were just slugs, but that was a minor setback. The storyline was classic but the movie as a whole was refreshingly creative. The animation and action were great. Oh…and a little bonus for me. There were French frogs. Very entertaining.

In other entertainment, I finished reading (audiobook) Frankenstein for Knit the Classics. All the warped memories from my childhood images of the story made me hesitant at first. My son assured me that the story was worth reading, so I checked the local used bookstore and found it on two cassettes.

I must say it was much, much different than what I remember. It is more complex than I anticipated. Having the advantage of not seeing someone else’s concept of what the monster looked like added to the horror of it. Although, the horror was more about the idea and the character of Frankenstein than at the beast. It was more of an intellectual horror.

And I started a project for the story. My LYS used to have a class making a scarf from scraps of novelty yarns, like Fun Fur. I decided to try it, even though I don’t have the pattern. I threw in some non-Fun Fur type yarns randomly and entertained myself with thoughts of Frankenstein’s monster knitting a scarf for his bride-to-be as he waited for his creator to finish his mate. They were in the arctic cold and she would need something warm, yet beautiful, to adorn her.

But I couldn’t stand the horror of this scarf. I tried…but it is just too much to take with other deadlines looming. I can’t bring myself to finish it. The photo is even horrific. And isn’t that a proper ending for this project?

Guess what came hopping over to my place just in time for Thanksgiving? Sheri P. made this for the the dishcloth exchange for my Monthly Dishcloth KAL. I love this cloth! Now, I have seen this before. Lori of Starz Above made me one for a secret pal swap. It hangs on a rack in my bathroom. I have been wishing I could use it, but I love how it decorates my bathroom and don’t want to mess it up. Now I can have it both ways! I am thrilled. I will definately take this froggy into the shower with me.

Now this is supposed to be a simple swap — a cloth and a little something-something like a tea bag or such. Well, Sheri went all out and made me feel like Christmas started early. It was a real treat. Where do I begin?! There’s a tree ornament full of confetti, frog stamps and stickers, two lovely, coordinating balls of Bernat cotton with a hat pattern on the ballband, a sweet card, and … a little red, mesh box full of notions: colored safety pins, a needle and tape measure, tiny scissors, and gorgeous stitch markers.

AND there was a pretty little gift bag with earrings that match the stitch markers! Here’s a close-up of these beauties. She did a beautiful job on these jewels. What can I say? I have been truly spoiled rotten. I had fun putting together the swap package I sent out, but I must say the receiving end was a blast this time — not that I expect this kind of bounty — the surprise was just so much fun.

And speaking of surprises, I am working on a special project for DH’s birthday next week. (YIKES! Next week!) It’s not a big project, but finding time to work on it when he is not around is rather difficult. I’m also enjoying my project for the ornament swap, but want to keep that under wraps a little longer, too. My So Called Scarf is almost complete, but has been bumped by deadline knitting. And Shedir is snoozing in a basket. (I only mention her so I won’t forget she’s in there!)

Oh, wait! DH’s socks are stuffed in the bottom of a bag. I hope to finish them for his Christmas present. He’s seen them, but that doesn’t matter. We have decided to give each other a new TV, since ours is making a high-pitched noise that is driving us nuts. I lived without TV for 25 years and would be happy to do that again, but that view is not shared by the rest of the household.

Let me know what’s on your needles these cold winter days!

Long, long ago (40 years to be exact) my mom made a sweater for my brother. It is white acrylic with a big, green, four-leaf clover on the back. It zips up the front with a delicately ribbed collar and bottom ribbing that forms built-in pockets. It was made during the years when we were intensely active in 4-H. Even though my brother died eighteen years ago, in his early thirties, Mom has kept many of his things,including that sweater. She is a very sentimental packrat. But recently she cleaned out a few things and put them in her car to donate them to the goodwill. That old sweater was one of them.

Now I have fought the packrat gene since I moved into my first apartment (also long, long ago.) For years I minimized my possessions, getting rid of things I later wished I had kept — like my old spinning wheel. I’ve slowly started accumulating more things and slipping more toward my packrat heritage. So when I saw my brother’s old handknit sweater headed out of our lives, I took it in. I wasn’t quite ready to see it go.

Surprisingly, it fits me quite nicely. I look forward to many nostalgic evenings wearing my brother’s old 4-H sweater to keep off the winter chill. Maybe it will spend some time in my cedar chest, where I keep what I used to store in a cardboard box labeled “Memories.” Whenever I moved I made sure everyone knew that was the most important box of all.

So I’ve rescued a memory for Thanksgiving. And I hope to add a few new ones to it in the days to come. I wish you all a wonderful and happy Thanksgiving with family and friends and good food… and maybe just a little bit of knitting.

I’ve been feeling like my knitting is going in circles. Another day . . . another dishcloth. Another day . . . another hat. So I’ve been putting off blogging. Boring blogging. But here it is. It’s all that I can show right now. Knitting-wise, at least.

This is a turkey dishcloth. I like it better than the one I did last year. It’s the same pattern, but was the knit-along for a different group, Dishcloth Fun KAL. The Monthly Dishcloth KAL (button on the sidebar) did a different turkey pattern, but I did not complete that one. So here it is — not just another cloth, but another turkey cloth. But I’m happy with it and have some tulle to make a matching scrubby. That never ceases to please me inordinately. Oh, and this one is for me, so that is a bonus, too. I usually only keep the ones that are not worthy of gifting. This one is my Thanksgiving gift to myself.
And here comes another hat, but it is a very special hat. This is a great new pattern designed by one of our Caps for a Cure members, Kat LeFevre. It’s called the Diagonal Rib Hat. I used Caron Simply Soft Shadows, but this colorway, Opal Twist, does not enhance the spiraling ribs. I’ll try this again in another color. Go check out the pretty blue one that Kat made to see how nice the pattern turns out. It’s easy to follow and knits up quick in worsted weight yarn.
And in keeping with this stream of deja vu, here’s a felted bag my mom made. It’s the same pattern as I showed you a few months ago, but different colors. I really like the colors in this new bag.

I have been doing some new things, but those are secret projects, of course. They’ll come out after the recipients see them. So there it is — nothing too new. I’m ready to start something new, but feel the need to finish up the projects I have started, so I hope this will be the month of Shedir, DH’s socks, My So Called Scarf with Hat-To-Match, and a couple secret projects. Of course, I’m not promising myself anything at this point!

I was determined to finish Bill Bryson’s A Walk in the Woods before I posted again, so I could include a review. It took me longer than expected! I was able to keep up with the “reading” of audiobooks fairly well when I walked the treadmill at the gym. Then I started taking exercise classes. I really enjoy the social aspect that adds to my workouts, but it majorly cuts into my reading time! I finally had time to finishing listening to it after my workout today, while DH took a nice nap.

The story covers Bill Bryson’s experiences hiking on the Appalachian Trail. The five cds are narrated by the author himself, and that adds to the experience. I enjoyed the first half of the book a great deal. The middle dragged a bit with statistics and environmental concerns, then it picked up again toward the end.

It’s not that I don’t appreciate the issues facing the Appalachian Trail, but that I really enjoy the actual hiking experiences. I used to hike myself, and even lead large groups on hikes for the Sierra Club. I spent a couple weeks each summer backpacking the mountains nearby with my sons when they were teenagers. Hiking is close to my heart. I share the concerns about our environment’s decline, too, but statistics and environmental politics really don’t make for engaging reading while walking on a treadmill.

One of the reviews at Amazon.com mentions some anti-Southern bias on the author’s part. He does take a couple stereotypical swipes at the inhabitants of the southern end of the trail. I’ve heard much worse from many stand-up comedians. Bryson is at times condescending and rather opinionated toward others. His experiences are told from a very real, personal perspective, and that gives rise to his own views.

Beyond these points, the book is highly entertaining and humorous. Bryson’s hiking partner brings some levity to the tale and the inexperience of both hikers makes it astounding that they survived the portion of the trail they walked. The author is not shy about sharing his true feelings, which draws the reader in as he confides his fears, joys, and misgivings. All in all, this was an enjoyable book that I would recommend to others.

I want to share one of my favorite photos with you. This is a picture of my boys when we were hiking the mountains. We had just started up this trail and I took this picture before they zoomed off into the distance. While I trudged along wearily, they would stop at trail crossings and tease me when I finally arrived about taking so long. Then off they would race up the mountain. At the camping spot designated on their maps, they would drop their packs and walk back to retrieve me, insisting on carrying my heavy pack the last mile or so.

It was the best of worlds, being able to hike the woods in quiet solitude, but always having companionship close by. I was able to share wonderful moments with my sons, but have them happily occupied at the same time. We have great memories of those days — of bears, rattlesnakes, and thunderstorms — of cold, pure water and crunchy rice dinners.

My sons have been grown for a decade now, but these memories will never grow old. I guess this is why I liked Bryson’s book so much. It brought me back to the woods to remember the agony and the awe.

I’ll leave my knitting update for my next post . . . this one is long enough already.

A chilly motorcycle ride took us to a sweet little town twenty miles from us on Trinidad Bay. The rain clouds have retreated to the horizon and given us a beautiful weekend. Tomorrow we will ride in a motorcycle parade for Veteran’s Day. After a simple ceremony at the cemetery, there will be lunch and music. DH and his band are playing at the Veteran’s Hall for all the bikers. DH is also a Vietnam Vet. I am a pacifist. We meet in the middle to appreciate the sacrifices that many have made.

I’ve also joined another reading challenge: From the Stacks Winter Reading Challenge. The goal is to read five books that are already on your bookshelf between November 1st and January 30th. Here are the books I’ve chosen:

1. A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
2. The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd
3. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
4. Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon
5. Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

Kavalier & Clay is the only one of these that is not an audiobook. I’m a little worried about whether I can manage a print book. I usually choose to knit instead, but I’m going to try. Thanks to Amanda for posting this challenge and Michelle for hosting it.  (Click on the button for a direct link to the reading challenge.)

This week I tried some new dishcloth patterns. One includes a crochet granny square. The others use two different methods of mitred squares. The first was done by making two K2Togs next to each other. Here are some basic directions for a mitred square. The second was the way I made the Mitred StripesTote, using K3Tog. I liked the result of the K3Tog. It was smoother and neater. My tension was better with that stitch. You can almost see the difference in the photo. The second cloth is at the top. There’s a pattern for a mitered dishcloth in the Kitchen Kolors pattern book that has the granny square cloth in it. I was surprised that it is crochet, but quite pleased. It’s very easy. I will make that one sometime soon.

Registration opened yesterday for Stitches West in Santa Clara, California. A few of the classes are already sold out! I managed to sign up for all but one of my choices. It looks like I will have a full day finishing techniques class, Intrasia, and a Russian Continental class. I’m hoping to learn some techniques to improve my knitting. My hotel room is booked. I can’t wait until February! I’m sure the shopping will be fun, too. DH’s mom and sister live close to the event, so we will be able to visit while we are there. Now I just have to decide what to knit to wear that weekend. And I think a new tote bag is in order, too. That should keep me busy.

Today, I’m going to cast on a hat or two and maybe knit a couple little mittens. It’s cold here and the fire feels so cozy.

MagKnits has some great patterns in it this month. Uniscarfity has a really nice stitch pattern. There’s a hat I’d like to try, too, Fake Fair Isle. I have some nice black and neutral tones yarn that I’d like to make this one in.

Grumperina has also posted a new scarf pattern called Shifting Sands. It was inspired by a scarf sold at Blue Fly. There are so many scarves I’d like to make, but our climate is too mild to need to bundle up very often.

Right now I am working on some dishcloths for a swap. I’ve cast on several and frogged them,  to finally decide on two that suit me. After those are completed, this is the next thing I will cast on. It is called The Claudia Hat and doesn’t look too difficult. I just need find a nice soft yarn in my stash. That shouldn’t be to hard. : )

This has been quite the up-and-down week for me. Social activities kept me busy for a few days. I carved out time to go back to the gym to a weight-circuit class. Love it! And I’ve been fighting off a cold. Thank goodness of echinacea! Two days and it is gone.

I managed to mail off my hats to Caps for a Cure. Our group made 55 hats for this round’s chemotherapy treatment center. Then I cast on two dishcloths for KALs where I get a few rows each day and don’t know the pattern until the end. Today I will start a dishcloth for an exchange, but I’ll know what that one will be.

I’ve also started a little Christmas project. This might be my only one…I don’t really have any other holiday projects planned. That would sure minimize the stress, wouldn’t it? I made one little mitten last night, and I love this pattern! I had the yarn in my stash — a red boucle and some white Cotton Tots. I like the texture they give it. And when it is done, I just sew up any holes and can even tie knots since no one is going to wear it. I’m planning to use it as a tiny gift bag.

My knitting hasn’t been too exciting lately. One reason is that I’m trying to decide about my hat. I’ve been plugging away on the scarf, making decent progress in my slow way. I’ve frogged so much that I could have made two of these by now, but I still like it. What I don’t really like is the plain-jane hat that I made to go with it. I’m seriously thinking of frogging it to make another one.

I have enough yarn in the skein I’m working to finish the scarf. It doesn’t have to be terribly long. I don’t what’s left of the ball I used for the hat will make another one, but I am willing to sacrifice the one I already made for a new one. I’m thinking about trying to make a herringbone-stitch hat, but don’t know if I want that much of a headache. Got any ideas for a pattern that will go nicely with the scarf? I want to settle the hat issue first so I can use all the rest of the yarn for the scarf. I’d appreciate any ideas I can get — ‘cuz I’m fresh out!

As always, I’ve managed to sign up for a few swaps this season. There’s a sock yarn swap, an ornament swap, and a dishcloth swap. Nothing too time-consuming and I always enjoy them. Sometimes I wonder what leads me into them, though. I think the sense of community — of meeting new people — is the root of it. Oh, and then there’s the guilt-free shopping. I like that part! I’d love to hear your thoughts on this one, too. : ) Knit happy!