I guess I knew it would happen.

Someone thought Bill was Becca's Grandfather today...
She had been told that fact by other's who know us, fairly well.
Or so I thought.
Perhaps people just assume even when presented with facts like
"This is my husband, Becca's step-Father."
The person in error appologised profusly.
I said it was ok, and that confusion can happen
when two people so vastly different in age marry.
And that indeed, Bill is significantly older than I.


Anyways..

he is actually a year older than Becca's Grandfather on my side
would have been. :)

Someone once said I was mentally ill for marrying
someone so much older.
If having and loving a man like Bill makes me mentally ill.
Then yay for being out of my mind.
Believe me..women dream about having a husband that
would treat them like Bill treats me.
I'm not bragging.
I am stating fact.
I pay for it with the knowledge that he will probably
die long before I do.
But one has to live now...
not for before, and not for after.

Does this have anything to do with knitting?

Not really..unless you count the fact that Bill does...
Knit.
Among other things.



 

One stop creation

http://www.tinkertinker.com/

I have mentioned my Rebecca many a time.

She is a special girl...and I'm 
not just saying that because 
I am her Mom.
She has a very high IQ, and a very 
creative and dynamic personality.
She is a force of nature.
She's big, smart, able and 
ready.
But Lord help you if she
 isn't willing.
Or if she wants YOU to be 
willing when you are not.
She is passionate...and she
 is stubborn.
She has the soul of an artist, 
the mind of a brain surgeon,
and the heart of a poet.
She is both an idea girl..and 
she can plan AND she 
can follow through.
Most people really only 
excell at one of those areas. 

I don't brag on her like this very often.
But it's a bit relevant.
I secretly had this idea
for a place like I linked to
at the start of this post.
And she also had the same idea.
We just sort of blurted it
all out the other day
while we were working in
my studio.
Becca often chooses to
make sketches
of her paintings and ideas
before she does the final product..so
she is in there with me alot.
The room is set up for art and exploration.

We both decided we wanted
to make a place
where others can come
and create too.
Her idea is to call
it "The Make Place"


I NEED this..and so does she.
While she can always find
a way to occupy that
1000 mile an hour brain of hers,
she needs a focus.
Fortunately she has
sticktoitness...always has.
So oddly I don't worry much
about embarking on a business venture
with my 6 year old daughter.

This town also needs this place.

What is offered to older children
and young/mid aged
adults in the way of artistic exploration
in Westerville is pathetic.
Also what is offered as a means for artists
to display their work just isn't enough.
We have a sweet little gallery uptown....
but it isn't large enough...
and I feel the pricing is a bit
prohibitive for those
who have never shown their work before.
In addition to that all space is rented.
Artists are never featured based upon
artistic innovation or skill.
I think a "people's" gallery, as well
as a featured
artists gallery would be the berries.

I'll ask Becca what she thinks.

Or maybe not..she is still under the
impression that I am
mentor material.
But while I have a pretty good brain of my own,
I fully expect her to surpass me..

Heck, she'll be taller than me by
the time she's 8!
4'5" already!( maybe more since
I noticed her pants
looking like floods this morning)

And please...do not for one moment
think that this post undervalues Donna.

Donna is a whole different story...
whew..is she ever.
All of the above characteristics is slanted
quite differently when the child is
extremely introverted....
and when she is made of pure wonder.
My daughters are like a coin whose
one side is science, and
the physical. And whose other side is
magic and the ethereal.

Less than a mile..

My sister lives less than a mile from me.
I forgot my camera battery charger when I was there last.
When I was there last, was Christmas.

We have been too busy to find
a time for me to get it when she is there.
Or for her to drop it by to me.

I see her husband more than I see her....but
he is our realtor, and we are desperate to find land.

So...I see my realtor brother in law ( yeah..I write it ALL out, and my kid isn't my DD either.)a lot more than I do his lovely wife...
My beautiful muralist sister is extremely busy.

So...

this is why I dont have pics to show lately!

And why I cant show you what I found yesterday.
I went to a local store here where they sell everything
from pharmaceuticals to goat milk cheese to clothes...and cheap.

I saw that they had sweaters and other knits, so
I looked at the seams of some.
Most were natural fibers...wool, cotton..and
some silk/angora/wool blend knit skirts.
And they had good seams for unraveling
( hand finished with mattress stitch as opposed to serged)..

and there was a sign saying "ALL clothing 99 cents"!

I got a GIANT sapphire blue wool sweater...
seriously..it was big on me, and I wear an 18.
It was marked size small...but it was enormous, and
it is cable knit..so a ton of yarn in that thing...and
it has a large cowl neck!
I estimate that it is maybe ...hmmm...4000 yards
of fingering weight wool...
At 4.5 per 220 a yard ball...it would have cost more
than 80 dollars.

I then also bought the silk/angora/wool blend
skirts...4 of them.
lets say also about 4000 yards? At say 7 dollars
a ball that is 220 yards? 127 dollars.

But I paid 5 dollars..for all of it!

The down side?
The skirts while coming apart fairly easily,
are made of two strands of very fine yarn, held together.
Makes it kind of fussy.
Also, while the skirts are unworn..I am
guessing the skirts have been alive for awhile. The yarn inside of the waistband is much brighter....if you can call any of it bright.
The two strands are a shell pink and a grey held together.
The overall effect is...kind of beige.
It has to be dyed. I don't do beige.

eh...who the fuck cares.

I was on the phone while writing this
trying to reschedule an appointment for
Donna, to have her hearing checked.
We all have the flu...and all of us have earaches.
I thought rescheduling was the right thing.
Only to find out that they can't get her in until APRIL.
I tried to go ahead and keep today's
appointment because SHE CANT HEAR!
But the lady said she had canceled it
already...and it couldn't be undone.
I just started crying...and I can't seem to stop.
I have failed my child.
I just dont really deserve children.

Well..mittens ofcourse.

So..What do you do when you make a hat and
 a scarf that match?
Yes..you make mittens.
Since this daughter will stick her
 hand in damn near anything, 
especially if it's cold and wet....
I decided felting was in order.


Conversation with daughter numbers
 one and two just now.
It begins with yelling and crying.

Becca: I'm sorry! blughber, hoody, 
booboo...ACCIDENT!
Me: Huh
Becca: Accident, garbledty, mishy-mash,
 foozle..I said ACCIDENT!
Me: Please state the nature of the 
medical emergency 
Becca: I don't know!
Crying has long since stopped...that
was Donna
doing the crying by the way.
Me: Donna...are you still alive?
Donna: No
Me: ok, then.

Children are indeed like tiny drunks.

Interesting how my Mom always
is saying things like

"If you want to buy me a gift..." And then
points out some expensive item.

Or.."I see something I like"

Thing is..I don't know why she
is always assuming
that I'm trying to find her a gift.
Or that I'm scouring the universe
for something she likes.

My feline is being an ass..
plus I have a cold and
a nasty kidney infection/stone

so..I'm going now.

I actually have alot more pics.

Comfort shawl...

 for Amber..Robin's daughter.



Garter stitch on needles too large for the yarn
to make a soft, floppy, warm...and quick fabric.
Crocheted shell stitch for an edging...which
looks pretty interesting in a boucle yarn...and fringe.
The fringe is a joke that Robin and I had...well...
part joke..part understanding.

Knitting through

My cousin left behind a husband, 4 brothers, 
many cousins,
 a Mother...and three children. The boys are
18 and 20...her daughter is 14.
She is very lost right now...never again will
she feel her Mother's embrace.
The shawl I am knitting for her is a poor substitute..
but it's all I have.
Some of the shock has worn off..
there is still disbelief over the event...
but I do indeed accept it as real.
Very real, and very tragic.
I can't seem to stop the outbursts of tears,
just out of the blue, they begin.
Beautiful Robin Gail is...gone...gone by her own hand.

 

What's with me lately..

I am not the best knitter in the world...but
 lately my work has been really loose and sloppy.
That ribbing is a disgrace...and ...bleh...the whole thing
looks like crap.
I think I will frog it and go down a size or two in needles.
The wool is sooo pretty.
Look at that color!
It is kind of  overly crisp in hand and not very soft...
and the store had one ball.
So I thought it would be great for mittens for Donna.
It doesn't look it, but that's a really tiny mitten.
She almost never can wear store bought ones,
since her hands so so small.
I knit for about a size 3 year old...tried it on her
while she was napping.
One thing I can say....the mitten fits perfectly.





Um..I painted some...



 

Well..it's Saturday....but I posted on Sunday.

I dont have much to do, yanno?
So, I thought I would write another 
facinating blog entry.
I found some 3mm DPN's.
What's with calling both 3mm and
 3.25 mm needles size three?
Frugal knitter call em size 2 1/2.
That just makes alot more sense to me.
Anyways, they are only $ 6.50! 
AND they are 10 inches!
I really was wanting some longer
DPN's.
Since I use size 3 the most...well..
I have wanted to use size 2 1/2...
but all I can find is size 3.25 mm...
anyways..I am going to get those
2 1/2 needles and now use those for most of my socks.

I have the flu...am I making ANY sense at all?

I think I'll save this as a draft
go do the SuperGirl chart for my
oldest girl's pink and white sweater.

SUNDAY

DAMN IT! I did all this work on finishing this post
..and Blogger couldn't complete my request...
and it's gone!


ok...
I have something to add anyways.
I could pretend I had added it..
you wouldn't know the difference.
But I'm honest.

I found some size 2.5 DPN's at Joann's!
They are plastic....my least fav material ...
(inspite of my beloved Denise set.)
And they are only 8 inches...but that's still a bit longer
...and I think it'll help when I'm doing hats.
I got a pair in size 13 also.
I am aquiring quite the needle collection..
as in I have the Denise set
AND I have a two needlecases full.
That makes me sooooo happy.


( Actually...pitured here..it doesn't look all
that impressive! Oh well..I have a few circs too? )

I wish I had a set of bamboo interchangables.
That would be...well...
The thought is making me all hot and bothered.
I wonder if I could call up my hubby and have him
talk some knitting with me...

( He has been sick all week...I haven't had any action.
So forgive me, ok? And anyways...isn't he cute?
He says I made him better looking than he really is...not true.)


Now onto Supergirl.
I use www.microrevolt.org/knitPro/
to make my charts.
I do ALOT ( often HOURS worth of 
work prior to the
 initial chart being made) to them
after, because they have
so many color variences.
But I still give credit.
I am NOT going to use 58 colors in achart...thanks.
Sorry..can't share the chart for this one...copyright issues.
But here is what I will knit for my daughter's sweater.
The yarn is more baby/bubblegum
pink than here...but Photoshop wasn't cooperating.



Wow..it posted this time..in spite of
getting the same error message.
Lets hope the link I made works too.

kind of done

Donna's sweater.
I still need to put all the buttons, and weave in some ends.
But..it's kind of done.

Model( Donna)is home sick from school today.

Sweater is not intended to wear with PJ's.

My Mom is too much.
Seriously..I love my Mom, but...
Well..I could see myself doing the Mother Daughter version of that old blog "Why I hate my flat mate."
Or whatever it was called.

Food messes and filth are ok...but knitting being left around is shameful and slovenly.
She hopes for the day that I will stop painting, because she thinks it's too messy.
And has tried to get me to move my studio to the garage.
I reminded her that HER car is parked there.

I might also say that I own this house.
I support my Mother.
I buy the bananas and oranges whose peels she leaves around.
I buy the socks( and make!) that she uses to stop a bloody nose and then leaves laying here, there, and everywhere.
I buy the insulin syringes that she insists on never thowing out...much less never thowing out properly.
But this time took the cake.

I said something about needing to get back to work on Donna's sweater because sweaters dont knit themselves.
She says something about how she would have a whole bunch of sweaters if they did.
So I ask...
"Mom..would you like me to make you a sweater?"
She looks at Donna's bulky knit sweater with distaste and says.
"Oh..no...that's ok...I like my sweaters to be a little more refined."
WTF?

I reminded her that sweaters can be made in all sorts of ways and that this one is this way intentionally...but still..WTF?

Somehow though...just as boxed Mac and Cheese will always be superior in her mind over homemade, and canned soup so much better than my soup....
A machine made sweater from Wal-mart says love far better than one of my unrefined homemade ones.

And she sews....

Oh yes..her view on sewing verses knitting.
And my releuctance with sewing( ok...fear)

"Well..some people aren't meant to sew. It takes alot of presicion. Some people are just meant to knit..and you do that very well."

I will not call my Mom a bad name. I will not call my Mom a bad name.I will not call my Mom a bad name.I will not call my Mom a bad name.I will not call my Mom a bad name.I will not call my Mom a bad name.I will not call my Mom a bad name.I will not call my Mom a bad name.I will not call my Mom a bad name.I will not call my Mom a bad name.I will not call my Mom a bad name.I will not call my Mom a bad name.I will not call my Mom a bad name.I will not call my Mom a bad name.I will not call my Mom a bad name.I will not call my Mom a bad name.I will not call my Mom a bad name.I will not call my Mom a bad name.I will not call my Mom a bad name.I will not call my Mom a bad name.I will not call my Mom a bad name.I will not call my Mom a bad name.I will not call my Mom a bad name.

ok...done.

As for the sweater..I am especially pleased with the short row shaping done on the collar/back neck...I dont know what it would be called...it just seemed natural to do that. Gave it the baseball jacket look.
Also am pleased with the sleeves..knitted in the round, directly onto the sweater. And the heart...nice for no chart what so ever.
Entire sweater was a wing it project...no written pattern exists.




 

childhood fantasies

"You wanna a peice of meat!?"

That has been a sorce of giggles for a few years now.
Ever since Becca thought that the phrase being parodied 
by a cartoon character was that instead of "You want a peice of me?!"

She would shout that at me when i would tell her to pick up
her toys or any other undesirable maternal command.

I have never been very tolerant of her challenges to my
authority...but that one was just plain funny...
especially since she was dead serious... black eyes flashing..

"You wanna a piece of meat!?"

She'd get so mad when I would start laughing and request a steak.

Anyways...that's the tough girl phrase in our house, as far as the girl's are concerned...
They still aren't quite sure why it makes me laugh.

I bought Becca something today that she has been begging for.
Wings..

They flutter and play a tune while strapped onto the child's back.
She has been so ill, I thought a bit of cheering up was in order.

So...if you buy it for one child...you buy it both.

Donna has had a blast with hers.
She put them on and went fluttering and tearing through the house.
She came around the circle formed by hallway, livingroom, and dining room...stopped, said "GRRRRR!"
Then with wings doing their angelic dance, and heavenly tunes along side of the wing action, she says...
"You wanna piece of meat!?"

Becca was pleased...played with hers some...but feels too crappy to indulge in any wild childhood fantasies.
She took them off after a few moments, and asked when she would be 4'9"
Maybe she wants to grow bigger than the cold that is living in her nose and chest.

At least she didn't ask me this time what would happen if someone put a flower down the toilet.

In other news.


I have added to my stash...I have added ribbon yarn.
pretty ribbon yarn that makes me feel all tingly.

And no..I am not a yarn snob...Lion Brand is good enough for me.
I dont mind any yarn...so long as it isn't crispy.
That super sparkly stuff ( greens and purples) IS crispy...and wasn't cheap even marked half off of list. Bill had a great idea.
I was going to use it as a bag...he offered the suggestion of making a long "sash" that could be a scarf or a belt...or a whatever.
He probably wants to tie me up with it.
One can only hope. ;)

Oopsy...I should leave out any and all BDSM references, shouldn't I?
Nah....if you can't handle it, go to another blog.
I am the submissive knitter. And I bet I'm not the only one.

And yeah..I'm not all that submissive in everyday life.
Go figure.

If it's me then fine...

It's one thing if I'm the one that's sick.
But I freak out ...quietly, when my family is sick.
I have this masochistic desire to take it all away
 from them.
 To bear the pain, and sniffles.
Yeah...whatever.
I'm also sick...but trying to hold it together for 
everyone else.
I really worry when Bill is sick. He is 67.
I dont think about him being older when I look at him.
But sometimes that fact is hard to ignore.
Or I should say the fears related to that fact
 are hard to ignore.
Will he just suddenly leave me one day?
Yea...he'll leave me one day.
You accept that when your mate is 30 year older 
than yourself.
But will I get to prepare?
Will he just get pneumonia and be suddenly gone?
Or will it not have anything at all to do with age, and
 be my biggest fear....

that his shitty, reckless driving is one day going to be
 the end of him 
and about 12 other motorists. 
The one thing he has to reckless about in life
( other than marrying me...what was he
thinking then?...geesh...)..and he has to make
it an activity done in speeding traffic.

I will not mourne my husband before he is gone.
.I made the mistake of doing that with my Dad.
I will not think about how I will miss that smile
one day, and
the smell that has said "man" to me for the last
20 years.
I will cherish that smile, and that smell now...

just as soon as my nose clears up.

EDIT:

How could I forget my good news!
The cops are pregnant!
Well..the female part of the cops is pregnant!( my neighbors...both Westerville's finest).
Since I saw here last September at the Westerville event "Cops and Kids" being repeatedly dunked in the ...that dunking game thingy...

all in the name of teching children about safty and the police in general...

I gained a huge respect for her.
I wasn't very nice when she came to my door two days after I had moved in, with what I thought was an agenda. Sign me up for the neighborhood political scene.
I refused to allow her to list my name , address, and phone number...
in spite of the amazing cookies that she had baked.
I did design art just for her in the form of a "thank you" card.
But still..I later regreted my attitude. Anyone who will go through that kind of wetting, has some substance.
She will make a fabulous Mom.
Anyways...what this all really means?
I have a baby to knit for!
Oh YES!
YES!

And it's a girl.
Oh double YES, YES!

erm..here is the card graphic that I made for her( as well as for my family room)....she has probably thrown it away...



Can you believe that I used to feel bad for making a pic that had no meaning behind it? What the hell is wrong with liking color, form, line...and all the trimmings...for the sake of those things alone.
Like I said..I dont appologise anymore.
And if I dont want to make a statment...then I wont.

Baby girls knits...sigh...

I'm excited!

boo!

( ghost face painted by me)

Damn I'm tired. Sick kids, halloween, cupcakes made for my daughter's classroom party...that she was too ill to attend.
We pumped her up with meds so she could do a bit of trick or treating.
Maybe it was a poor parental decision, but it broke my heart to think that after marking each day off on the calender all month, talking non stop about how fun it would all be, how much she loves seeing and talking to all the neighbors( beggers night around here has a block party feel to it...it's fantastic.)I just couldn't stand to break HER heart.
She came up with the spooky princess idea all on her own...she elected not to bother with make up...a sensible choice.
Isn't she beautiful? When I look at that face, I see the whole world.


And her sister...the child so pretty that it makes me worry, wearing her poodle hat. I also knitted wrist bands and ankle bands so she would have a "poodle cut"


This is a better view of the hat.( edit...not so better..the pic was cut off, but you should be able to see it by scrolling down to an entry made last week, or just clicking the pic. I ofcourse would prefer you scroll down. ;) )


Anyways...in addition to that stuff, lots of work. Painting and knitting

I made something for myself! A pony tail hat!



I have never in 20 plus years made something for myself.
Then I fell in love with this yarn made by ...Red Heart.
It's called "Rag Doll". Described by them as roving wrapped in a fringed thread.
It is beautiful yarn but was oily and I had to wash it before I knit it so I didn't get hives.
After all that handling, I had to make something for myself. I caved over pretty colors.
Why is it a ponytail hat?
Because I made a hole in the back for my ponytail.
I was extremely pleased by that.

Other details...hmmm

my own pattern, colorway is "Wow", and I used 10 1/2 circular and DPN's.

And last but not least...a couple of painted pumkins!


Whew...alot of pics. Sorry if you are dial up.
Have a great day, night, stardate, whatever.

I need a new face

to this blog, that is.
First...I maintain the position that knitting and other textile and needle ...crafts are simply art in a different form.
They are as valid to me as painting.
So...
All the art is going to live together.
I want this to be a compilation of all my thoughts, writing, and whatever else I spit at you.

I have seperated myself from myself for too long.
Maybe I thought that if I put each part in a box, it would get easier to figure out...but it isn't.
I do know one thing..I have let others influence my art too strongly. I have let others tell me what is or isn't art.
I may argue, but I complied in the end.
It's funny. I was praised for color usage. Then I was told that I should be insulted by that.
I was praised for imagination...but when I did realism people seemed skeptical.
So I went on to try and prove my abilities there.
When noone responded, I just didnt know what to do.
I listened to my Mom when she more or less told me I wasn't all that good.
I got upset that I paint in the style that this person or that person paints.
I let other's tastes, skill, and opinions dictate how and what I paint....and knit....and every other creative pursuit.
I have to stop.
No one is going to tell me what, how where, or why anymore.
I dont care if DiVinci himself comes to haunt me and tell me it's wrong.
In fact...the more I think about it..I dont need a new face..
I need MY face.
Anyone that doesn't like it can look elsewhere.

Hmmm..I had a new name for this blog figured out...then I forgot it.
Sigh..I hope it comes back to me because it was really good.

OK...the girls want to go out...I would rather cut my tongue out than go out right now ( or any other time generally speaking).
But you do things for your kids that you dont want to.
You just do.

It's about time!

I dont know what was so hard about a simple heart...even without a chart...why did I have so many problems!?
Well...true...the first time issues weren't about the heart at all..more about my inability to count.
By the way...this is a cardigan for my youngest. Ms Tiny Butt Donna Rae Lopez.
Nah..I dont worry that you'll look her up now that you have her full name. Not unless you want shot.

Acceptance

I screwed up the guage with a cardigan sweater I am knitting for my youngest daughter. I had to rip out 3/4 of the finished back and both front sides.
My husband died with each pull of the yarn, even as he himself helped me to rip it out.
But I knew there was no point in proceeding...it wouldn't have fit her until she was 40 at the size it was turning out.
I easily accepted it as a part of knitting.

Bill is knitting a bit better. But he isn't yet a knitter.
He will be.

Hey..it was free..

Mom gave me the ball of yarn from Joann's called "shaggy". I wasn't too crazy about it..still am not, but it was free yarn!
I made my daughter a scarf in 2 hours too!( first time I ever actually used those size 17 needles...it was weird.)The scarf is the last pic because I'm stupid...so there.
Also pictured is part of my other daughters costume...she's going to be a poodle.
Also a pic of another cat sweater...I won that yarn.10 balls of Phoenix by...ummm...I dont recall but at list price it was about 100.00 worth of yarn that I won! I combined it with knitpics palette to give more body to the fabric..

So..that completes our novelty yarn fashions for the family show.

In other news...I taught my husband to knit the other day.
In even more other news. I will be at Michaels tomorrow teaching people to knit for Warm Up America!