Fall Back to Work

I have no idea where the summer went or why it is the middle of November. I returned to work at school and just have not thought about updating this blog. Now I am and find I have lots to write about.

School I don't have as many students as I would like, but the economy has a lot to do with it. I do have great kids and love to go to work. Most of my students are international students; I have been called the Asian Academy equivalent.

Sheep Rose, Violet and Cowboy are doing well. Violet came back from the mill with a little goat mixed in and she is lovely. I have spun around 12oz of her, 2 ply Aran weight, for a Liesl sweater. It is a bit stiffer than I would like, but I think it will work for this pattern. I was hoping for the NG Anhinga, but I don't think there is enough drape. Cowboy and Rose fleece will be going to the mill soon. I have decided to mix Cowboy with a pound of soysilk. OK, I like soysilk and I can spin it. I know this because a bunch of people gave me theirs because they hate it.

Knitting I finished a Baby Suprise Jacket, handspun Dove socks, a felted bowl (Cat Bordhi) and a Snapping Turtle Skirt (NG). One blue, one red and two white ribbons. I was a bit dissapointed, but the judges chose some odd pieces for the winners. Acrylic, unblocked socks; a sweater with rippled ribbing for best in show. Oh well, it was an interesting experience.

Next time I'll tell you about the story of what is in the jar.

The Livin' is Easy

Summer has arrived with a completely different schedule - namely none. I have trouble adjusting after the screaming stress of preparing 17 kids for finals. Now I have the problem of scheduling what needs to be done and what HAS to be done each day.

Gym is a must.

Water aerobics, strength training, yoga, and Zumba. They keep me sane and keep the endorphins going. Just had another birthday, not the big one until next year, so I treated myself to the adorable above Schacht Ladybug spinning. wheel. Hurray!

On my birthday, I visited with Kim and Jane Caulfield of Far Out Farm (it really is). I spent the good part of the day visiting with them and their flock. I'm hoping to get a couple of Cotswold lambs later this year to start crossing with the Suffolk (I'll call them Coughs). I learned a boatload of information on sheep, fleece, and spinning. It was a wonderful day and I thank them most gratefully for it.

My spinning attempts have been off and on. I took a lesson at Haus of Yarn in Nashville last Thursday and did quite well. I brought the wheel home and stunk. Then I visited a friend who spins and got a tip. Came home and have done some respectable spinning. The picture is my first so-callled skein of -so-called yarn. I may have to felt it to allow it to be shown in public, but I can only get better. Violet's fleece is off to the mill for processing, and this week I'm going to see about scouring and carding some of Cowboy for myself - the sheep to shawl thing.

The garden is looking good, and I hope we do have some rain today so that I don't have to water. It has been quite warm, but nothing is drooping. Weeding is always there - that's why it is not often on my list for each day.

I finshed an alpaca shawl for Lois for her 80th birthday. It will be blessed at church. I'm also making her a lemon cake, her favorite. I finished the Brea Bag by Norah Gaughan. Check my Ravelry pages for pictures of the bag. Now on to two scarves for presents in July, another NG skirt or two, Flower Child sweater, and socks for everyone for Christmas.

Maybe even Cowboy socks.

Spring Deluges

It is raining and raining. I empty the little yellow rain gauge every other day and it measures five inches. The roads and low fields look like lakes. There was a bit of sun yesterday, but today I spent some knitting time sitting in the hall at school because we were in a tornado watch. The whole school sits in the middle hallway and chats while teachers wait for the all clear on the cell phones. I am working on Kat Coyle's Indigo Ripples skirt, a good pick for aging hippies. I finished my hemp skirt and because it wouldn't dry, I put it in the Southern dehydrator - the van. It dried nicely. I will wear it tomorrow to school and be very, very cool. Pictures will be up on Ravelry soon.

I am also working on the Flower Child sweater by Norah Gaughan. I'm using Ella Rae bamboo yarn in a beautiful robin's egg blue. You learn one thing through many of her designs - how to make a beautiful and even seam. You get lots of practice.

I've also started on the Lily of the Valley scarf - not mine anymore but a gift for friends that I'm visiting in July and I need to make her husband, the priest, a scarf in black or variegated greys for him. I'm not too worried as I still have lots of time. Sure, lots of time.

The new fence is beautiful and the sheep are gradually going out into the new pasture and grazing. This morning with the rain they were lying down in the barn and looking wistfully out at the pasture, but they do not like to get wet. The stray barn cat, always the opportunist, was right in the middle of them and staying very warm. They seem to really like the cat. He twirls around their legs and they gently nibble at him.

Sheep Sermon 2005

We have little or no experience to truly understand the agrarian metaphors that abound in the Bible. Our lives are disconnected from the land, from nature, from the natural rhythm of the seasons. The gospel reading for today speaks about sheep and details some sheep behavior. Most of us don’t know much about sheep, other than the lovely pastoral pictures we see of sheep grazing in a field, or perhaps the religious pictures of Jesus with a lamb in his arms. Our bishops carry shepherd’s crooks – of course not the kind that are useful like this one. Metaphors and symbols of sheep and lambs and shepherds abound in Christianity and in the Bible. Psalm 23 that we said earlier is the most well-known psalm in the Bible. Why? What is it about sheep? Sheep can exist on poor pasture, and eat what larger animals will not. Sheep were probably a common site in the dry scrubby hills. But the image you have in your mind of a peaceful flock grazing on green pastures is far from reality.
But what do you really know about sheep? I have listened to many sermons on this Sunday and many of them are about sheep. But I am a shepherd. A part-time shepherd, but a shepherd. I know about sheep, and I would like to set the record straight on a few things.
Sheep are dumb. They die from panic and run into fenceposts and break their necks. Stray dogs or coyotes don’t have to touch them to kill them. If the herd panics, they run in any direction, even over a cliff. Rams will breed until they are exhausted and die – really. Sheep will find any way to get through a fence and get something they think is better on the other side. They have special dietary needs, and can die if they aren’t taken care of properly. Sheep have been bred for thousands of years for their meat, milk and wool. Not for brains or self-preservation. When the gospel reading speaks about being called through a gate, I cringe. Sheep will maim themselves trying to go through a small opening for something they want. Lambs get trampled that way. Sides get ripped up on wood, and legs get broken. This is true even of a small flock.
Sheep are directionless. Even if there is a lead ewe or bellweather, they may wander away from the flock and then not find their way back. Even older ewes do this, and lambs are the most vulnerable. One of the most startling parables for me is that of the lost sheep from the gospel of Luke. No earthly shepherd would leave the flock and search for the lost one. Although Jesus was speaking to tax collectors and Pharisees, they would still be startled at this story. Losses are a part of nature. It makes no human sense to leave those that can be kept safe to search for another that may be already gone.
Sheep are defenseless. As I said, natural selection doesn’t play a part in domesticated species, so any inclination to protect themselves or their young is largely lost. Sheep will challenge dogs that they feel can’t enforce the rules – but this is sheer stupidity. Dogs have the teeth to back up their orders, yet sheep (remember I said stupid) do so occasionally to see if the dog is paying attention.
Sheep do come when called – especially for dinner. In Biblical times several flocks would be put up in a corral for the night and called to separate them in the morning. My sheep know my voice, or actually my van as I drive through the field. They walk alongside the van up to the barn and wait sort of patiently as I prepare a meal for them. I use a dog to keep order and make sure that they don’t hurt themselves as they walk through the gate to get their meal.
Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Why? The rod is more of a club with spikes in it to protect against wolves. It has evolved into the scepter of kings. The staff is the crook, which is used to move and catch sheep and direct them where they need to go. Sometimes you have to get physical with sheep to get them where they need to be, and the crook comes in handy.
Many countries have legends about kings whose early careers were as shepherds. The youngest son was generally sent out to tend the flocks, as he was too young to help with heavier work. It is a lonely job, and gives you plenty of time to think. You suffer along with the sheep in all weather, you stay up all night listening for predators, you lead the sheep to different pastures according to the seasons. In the spring when you return home, you hope you will have many more sheep than you left with. The Bible has several stories of shepherds. My favorite one is Jacob, who had a great knowledge of genetics. He knew how to breed spotted sheep to enlarge his herd. David was a shepherd before he became king. God told the shepherds in the hills about the birth of Jesus. Isn’t it interesting that they were one of only two groups who were told of the birth? Perhaps because the Shepherd of Humanity had just been born.
All of this sheep discussion brings us to the realization that we are just like sheep. We often rush around with no direction, stick our sheep noses where they have no reason to be. We wander off the path, and lose our way. We have so much pride that we think we can handle anything, yet so many times we find our selves defenseless. We follow leaders blindly, not knowing where they are leading us – we just feel better following someone who seems to know where they are going. We need a Shepherd. We need to recognize his voice, and follow Him. We need his rod to protect us from predators, and his staff to keep us on the right path. Sheep do know their shepherd and follow him, just as we do.

Spring has come to the farm, and life is returning to everything. I go out with the dogs to see the gardens, and something old or something new is emerging from the soil. We have had a cool and rainy spring, good for ticks (ugh) and lots of lettuce to share with the new bunnies. I love to go to the barn without a flashlight to feed in the mornings. What a treat.

Easter was a bit exciting with the tornadoes. I had to rehearse the men's choir without the organ because there was no power. Flashlights again for the musicians. When I got to church Easter morning, all the presets on the organ were gone - bad news. But the service went off fairly smoothly and everyone was joyous.

I finished the Vogue shrug (Ravelry picture) and a market bag for Linda, our priest. Ellis, the vest by Nora Gaughan, is well on its way. The hemp skirt is not as far along as I would like because I only work on it at school. I also started as practice the Lily of the Valley scarf from the Estonian Lace book by Nancy Bush. Lilies of the Valley are my favorite flower, and the ones I transported to the farm from my home made it through the dry, dusty summer and cold winter and are almost ready to bloom with the ones I just planted.

Work as a tutor always picks up during the last term. I now am teaching Geometry to a student so that he can pass a final exam. That's an extra 4 -6 hours a week.

The sheep fence should be started soon. Then I can decide how many and what kind of sheep I will get to augment the flock for working dogs. Mine will be sheared at the end of May with another flock close by, since I have only three - Cowboy, Violet, and Rose. Soon they and some new friends will have almost 5 acres of pasture and I will have good options in spaces to train again. I so miss it.

Enjoy the wonderful spring and make the most of your time on earth.

Bell Curve Skirt

I finished the Bell Curve skirt. It is gorgeous. I'm also almost (one sleeve short) of finishing the Vogue shrug. Life is good.

We had great thunderstorms this morning, and I had strange vivid dreams. No, the content will not be discussed. The dogs are muddy and track everything into the house. I will hear about it tonight, I'm sure, but we all had fun stomping in mud puddles before I left for the gym.

I started Ellis by Norah Gaughan yesterday, and the Berrocco Suede is an interesting ribbon type yarn. I got some on sale in a terra-cotta coral color. I think I like it. More Zoe is coming in purple for another Bell Curve skirt, and I think I'm set for the summer for projects.

BH is reneging on the sheep fence - too expensive and he doesn't want to take the time. He did promise, and it was the one big item I insisted on before marrying him. He has no idea what he is in for. I need sheep to work, and to have students, and to work my own dogs. That is the reason I agreed to the family farm purchase. Everything else about the quality of my life has degenerated for the sheep.

The sun has come out now, and it is a warm lovely spring day. I enjoy seeing my kids after spring break, and they are now preparing for the end - graduation. I will miss them, but there is always another batch coming along that needs tutoring and mothering. But this group was special. They were at the wedding.

Spring Break and New Beginnings

I have been having a blast on break. Most of the usual chores are done, and it is spring (well, it is supposed to snow again) and I'm on the way to more sheep! The UT extension guy, Brian, is coming on Friday to help me out with shearing and such and discuss his new sheep project in Coffee County. Tomorrow I'm going to teach two women what I know about dyeing (not terribly much, but I've done it and they haven't). Theater tickets, a haircut, and a trip to the big nursery are also all in the cards very soon.

I attended the SnB in town last night and had fun. I normally can't go as it is 45 minutes from me, but breaks and summer I plan on going. I even got some work done. My Bell Curve skirt is almost finished, I started Kat Coyle's Linen Trumpet Skirt in hemp, and I just need the sleeves on the Vogue Shrug. I do feel I'm making progress.

I went to the Alpaca show in Shelbyville on Sunday. What interesting animals. I had not seen one up close. Of course I bought some great yarn - laceweight for the Estonian lily of the valley scarf and some heavier for whatever. You know, whatever because it is alpaca.

The sheep are craving pasture. My husband has had a year to put it up and it may happen soon. He becomes pissed if I ask him about it, so I have to keep quiet. I do see numbers on a piece of paper and I saw him measuring, so it may happen soon. I just hope it's about five acres or so for a dozen sheep to have fun in.

Happy spring.

PS The puppy needs a home. She showed up about a month ago in full heat. She is now spayed, shot, loves cats, small children, and needs to be an inside dog. Runs with my pack like a veteran. She's probably 9 months old and a beagle/lab mix. No name so I don't keep her.

Diary of a Switch Knitter

The wonderful time of spring break is here. I'm waiting for my last student before I am free and clear to go play in the mud.

I am working on learning new techniques again. I am practicing continental knitting, and ravelry friends have suggested learning to knit backwards and avoid purling. I am getting the hang of continental, but am as awkward as can be in purling. So may different ways to get the same result, so little time.....

My stray girl was spayed, shot, wormed and tested this week. She is all clear for a new home soon. My camera has died ( well, I bought it for 50 dollars at the unclaimed baggage store seven years ago, I guess I've gotten good use out of it) so I need to find my husband's camera and hope it has a computer cable ....

Saturday is supposed to be 70 degrees and sunny. I would like to go to a sheep and yarn show in Shelbyville at the Calsonic arena and see it. Maybe I can find a nice sheep kid or two to help with vaccinating and shearing my woolies since Ken has refused to help. Maybe even find some nice handspun. . . Yes I know it's Lent and I shouldn't buy more yarn, but this is special. I have been saying MP every day and doing spiritual reading (while I knit) and I do enjoy the discipline, but heck, it's handspun.

Today (Friday) I had to lead my yoga class again. I didn't know the instructor was going to be gone, but there we were with no one in front of the class. It is actually good practice for when I get my certification, but I'd really like to know beforehand. And as I have found out, I don't get to do much yoga if I'm leading it. Sun salutes this afternoon out on the lawn for me ...

It also looks as though I'm going to be trying to fence another pasture for sheep by myself. I am going to start and see if DH throws a fit and gets it done. I've been waiting a year. A friend also suggested cutting a hole in the old carpet to see if I can get the new bamboo floor sooner. I thought of cutting a hole and putting in the sample and just saying I wanted to see how nice it would look. I don't know if I'm brave enough for that. We'll see. Knit on.......

And It Begins Again

For 15 years I have spent my February holding hands with seniors who are writing their first major research paper. It is always on Hamlet. I then spend days, nights, and weekends helping them get through the meticulous and time-consuming process without failing any other courses. It is the curse of the shortest winter month, the time when it seems that spring will never arrive.

But it has. My crocus and snowdrops are coming up around the forsythia. There are other signs that spring will be here in the woods. Racoons have had cute litters in the barn that keep trying to break into the sheep feed.

We have a stray little puppy girl She showed up at the house last week in full heat. Hobo had been having a good time. I brought her into the laundry room because it was cold. She then left through the dog door in the morning, and puts herself up at night on her mat. A very smart girl. I'm taking her to the vet next week, and I hope someone will want her. She is a sweetheart.

I think that the Koigu project may go into hibernation for awhile. I want to finish the shrug, and against doctor's orders (!) I cast on for the Star skirt. It is fun and the best project to work on in school. Not to much patterwork or counting so I can talk to friends and keep my hands busy.

Linda, Debbie and I went on a wool hunting trip this weekend. In just two stores we had enough to fill a trunk. I bought some beautiful colors and textures, and two garments of white wool (!). Debbie was reluctant to buy a pleated Pendleton suit even though it was about the right color. I told her to get it and I would wear it to church on Sunday. Well. It is a perfect fit and just gorgeous. Now I have to call Debbie and tell her that I will give her her two dollars back.

Today is warmer. Not warm, but warmer. The sun is shining and I'm happy. The gym was closed today, so I had some time in the morning to take all four dogs on a long walk and turn the heel on my second sock. The grandkids are coming this afternoon, so I'll stop at the grocery and get home in time to kid-proof the house.

A female puppy in heat showed up at the house a couple of days ago. My first thought is take her to the pound, but she is loving, sweet, and I just can't do it. So in a couple of weeks I'll take her in for spaying, shots, etc. Linda (friend) said she might have a home for her. When it became bitter cold I told DFH I was bringing her in to the laundry room. He said what if she howls. I said I would sleep with her. I brought her in and put her on a couple of sheepskin mats. As I spoke to her and petted her, she stretched and yawned and fell asleep. She didn't explore. The next morning I put her out. The next evening I looked for her outside and she wasn't around. I thought she might be with Hobo in the barn. I went to the laundry room and there she was! Curled up and asleep. I didn't show her how to use the dog door; she figured it out from my two. And she doesn't try to get into the house through the second door. She knows her place. She is probably a beagle-lab mix, smallish and yellow. I hope to find a home for her, but if not, she can stay. She even loves cats.

I haven't had much time to knit this week, and I don't have much time to finish the scarf for DFH for Valentine's day. I have to work on it at school or when he is not home. I'm hopeful I will get it done - then the socks, shrug, and toreador jacket need to get done. Yes, I have yarn and have purchased yarn for several more projects for DFH, me, and the grandkids. Socks for them, skirts for me. I am also starting a hooked rug to support the efforts of Linda in finishing her hooked rug. I haven't hooked in years, but I'm sure it's like riding a bike. Wait, I can't ride a bike. I nearly killed myself last year trying to ride a paved straight path with DFH. Oh well.

It's a Yoga Kind of Day

This morning I went to my yoga class at the rec center. I go twice a week for this class, and I do like the instructor. However, this morning she was in California and had not arranged for anyone else to take the class. People started to look at me - I have the cool yoga clothes, so I said I would lead the class. The director came in and put on the music and put me in the mike thing, and we started off. I have led only one other class, but I teach so I was fairly comfortable with doing this. I got applause at the end, probably because one of the other instructors would have done core work for an hour that is thinly disguised as yoga. I concentrated on neck and shoulder work and a really good relaxation at the end. The wellness director said that they would pay for my certification the next time it was offered. I think I will do it.

I am stuck a bit on the Coriolis socks. Markers B and E will collide into each other the first time I decrease for the spiral bit up the leg. When I get home I will finish turning the heel (second sock) and then see what I have missed in the directions. I'm not sure what B is doing there anyway. E tells me when to increase and decrease. Oh well, I'm sure I'll get it tonight. The Vogue shrug is almost across my back, and I am dreading the twisting yarn I will have to untangle as I circle through the front. I love the colors (Lorna's Laces Watercolor worsted) and the pattern, but it is a pain. I'm going to bag the balls and do some judicious untwisting as I work to keep everything in order. The Dr. Who scarf is coming along nicely for DFH for Valentines. and the Koigu toreador jacket is always a joy to work on. Do I have enough projects? No, of course not. I have some bamboo-cotton yarn on the way for a skirt and vest, some lace weight for a shawl, and I'm going to my LYS tomorrow where they just got in some hemp. Perfect for the aging hippie woman. I plan on making the Trumpet Skirt from an Interweave magazine. I don't have it, but people at the shop do. But I must make a solemn vow to myself that I will not cast on anything else until I get something finished - really finished, not just cast off. THOU SHALT NOT CAST ON.

Grape pruning time

I've been having trouble with my left shoulder and I thought it was because I have ramped up my strength training. It's been bothering me for about 10 days now, and I have tried to be careful with it. The wellness director said that if I had lost range of motion with the soreness, I should take it easy. Since I had trouble buckling my seatbelt, I thought that that counted as a problem with range of motion. But as I have been thinking back on the problem, I don't think it is my exercise routine - it was jamming one end of the pruners in my left armpit to cut branches. That is exactly where it still hurts.

It hasn't stopped me from knitting though. I have four projects on the needles: the second coriolis sock out of Ella Mae, the Vogue shrug out of Lorna's Laces worsted, and the Koigu toreador jacket out of Lorna's also. O wait, my husband's Valentine gift - a season 18 Dr. Who scarf - scaled down to be wearable. We just got satellite TV, and I found Dr. Who on the BBCA channel DNFH was thrilled, so I decided to knit him a scarf for the occasion.

My obsession is becoming infectious. I now have three students learning to knit scarves. They pile into my office to use my fast computer to look at yarns and drool just as I do. What fun. One student brought her sister and encouraged her to make a scarf also. The older sister received her yarn two weeks ago and (on large needles) already has a six-foot scarf. She is also on the High Honor roll, so I know her homework didn't suffer. She is a powerhouse knitter.

Oh, yes, grape pruning. Friends came over Saturday and we spent three hours digging old grapevines out of the brush and honeysuckle and pounding in supports and pruning them. It was wonderful to have expert help on this. These vines are at least 50 years old and precious to my husband, but I guess not precious enough to take care of. ") Now they show off their old bark and beautiful twisted vines, and have light and air to produce lots of pitty Concord grapes this fall. I made the trimmings into a wreath for the house. I may get more artsy with it, but right now it is simple and lovely.

My yarn from Artfibers has already shipped! I was hoping to have a couple more weeks to finish SOMETHING, but it is not to be. I know it will be on the needles as soon as it arrives. It will be the star skirt from Ravelry -it was the yarn it called for. My student picked out the color for me, as he knows my wardrobe colors and preferences better than I do. We've been working together for three years.

My next victim (er, student) is due to arrive. I'll try to remember to get some pictures up of the grapevines later. Namaste.

Pruning apple trees

My husband decided that he would help me trim the old apple trees on the farm. I have read up on the subject and had some idea what it would entail. Just some dead branches, those that crossed, not too much time involved. I got out my clippers and he went for the chain saw. For the next hour I trimmed and pruned while he tried to get one of his two chainsaws running. He finally gave up as I was finishing the last tree. There are still several limbs that need his chainsaw, but we'll see when they are running again.

He did cook some great soup for dinner - and called me to pick up coriander and diced tomatoes for it. It is great soup and I brought some to school for my lunch and for other teachers to try. Tonight we are having a fancy dinner at a fancy restaurant for our anniversary. We have a gift certificate from our wedding, and we are going to use all of it.

I just ordered a couple of cones of Artfibers Zoe for a skirt. I've never made a skirt, but how hard can it be? I got a free pattern on Ravelry, and the yarn is 20% off because the store is closing. One of my students picked out the color. He said olive, turquoise, gold, could it be more you? I had to agree. I still have the Koigu toreador jacket, the Vogue jacket and a pair of socks to finish, and I absolutely will finish something before I begin this project. I don't know which, but my personal queue is getting a little deep. Happy anniversary - first year- I hope many more to come.

Happy Anniversary

Ken came home last night with a dozen roses and a card. I cooked, a spectacular feat for me, especially since he actually liked and ate it -turkey breast and potatoes. Then he even came to church with me (I'm the organist). We came up to receive a blessing, and some friends were also celebrating their anniversary of 41 years. Ours was our first. What a difference. We'll probably never make it to 41, but not for the usual reasons.

I wore my new smoke ring out of Tilli Thomas Rockstar beaded yarn and the corresponding plain yarn. It was the warmest and coziest item this cold and wet day. I decided it would not be saved for "church" days. I am going to wear it as much as possible, and start another similar one soon- just as soon as I get to my LYS for some fine pretty yarn... By the way, that is a bust of Bach that sits on my piano. A perfect foil for knitted hats and smoke rings.

The man is tired and napping, and the dogs just had an hour with me walking the fields. The house is quiet and peaceful, just as a Sunday should be. I'll get myself ready for work tomorrow and then knit, knit, knit.....

Today is sunny and cool, and I'm wondering if I could knit the feeling of watching crows mob a red-tailed hawk out in the fields this morning. My dogs didn't see it - they were looking for the cows to bring in for the early morning feeding. I went to dance class this morning for the first time in two weeks and it felt wonderful. I am sort of glad to get back in the swing of things at school again.

I worked on my coriolis socks last night and I love the pattern. Cat Bordhi's patterns are beautiful and unusual. I hope to make several pairs and put them away as presents.

We now have a new TV - a flat screen that was up and running when I got home from work yesterday. My husband had gotten lots of projects finished yesterday: a new door to keep out drafts, the TV, book moving, and fabulous panko shrimp. Yes, he does most of the cooking. I'm a whole raw food person and he is a southern fried boy. We don't share meals often, but I can't resist the shrimp. Neither can the dogs who sit quietly but attentively for the tails.

I hope to get another bookcase soon for all my books. When I moved in, there were none and I just had two. My man doesn't have many books, and doesn't quite understand why I have 25 boxes of them, some of them still unpacked from the move this summer. Once we get the furniture in, it will be time to move it all out of the way for a new floor.

Just as long as I have enough time to knit....

LH

New Year, New Life, New Knitting

Here it is, my first blog. In just a few days I'll be celebrating my first wedding anniversary and I am 58 years old. Goodness. It has been quite an adjustment after being independent for around 35 years. I am now on the family farm, 250 acres, with cows and my sheep. My dogs love the place with all the work they have, and I am trying to make the house my own. My husband's family has owned the place for 100 years, so I have to try hard to make some part of it my own. Of course it is my fiber room, even though the computer is in there also.

In keeping with all of the newness, I spent my Christmas break learning some new knitting techniques. I have been a knitter off and on since I was eight. My Polish neighborhood required girls to learn to knit, and so I did. I wasn't until a few years ago that I began to work on projects in earnest and to explore the world of new yarns, patterns and needles. Now my basket overflows with projects, even though it is after Christmas and I finished all the gloves, toys, and sweaters for the newly acquired grandkids.

I work as a tutor in a private Episcopalian school, so I often have time to knit a bit between students. One of my kids is working on a scarf with gauntlets that she saw in a magazine, and I drafted a pattern for her. I am also learning the value of gauntlets and fingerless gloves in my cold office, and made up several styles to wear to school. Now my students want them - I think I'll teach them to knit.

I will wear my silk and beaded smoke ring to dinner with my darling farmer husband this week. Believe it or not, we met on match.com. I've yet to knit him anything, but I think that socks might be a good start.

Ewemaniac