Six words

Just read this great blogpost and had to share a link. Go. Read it. It's that good!

Empowered: A Post about Women & Knitting and (a giveaway)

I was recently contacted by Laura at Open Road Media about participating in a Blogfest for International Women's History Day. The goal of the Blogfest is to build on the 2012 National Women's History Month Theme of "Women's Education - Women's Empowerment" by talking about how women are empowered by knitting. Each blog post starts with the above video made by several Open Road Media authors (Joelle Hoverson, Andrea Berman Price and Melanie Falick).

I was instantly intrigued and agreed to participate. I was so honored to be asked. So here are my thoughts on Knitting and Empowerment. I found I had a lot to say.

When I first thought about the history of knitting and women, I thought about how women began knitting as a necessity. They needed a way to make warm clothes and thus they knit them. And I too see the power in knitting something that meets such a basic need. Clothing. It's right up there with food and shelter. And there is something very empowering about creating such an essential item, especially when I am knitting for my children. I feel a little bit like Supermom every time I see one of my boys in a sweater I've knit him. I love that I created something that both keeps him warm and brings a smile to his face.

Knitting gives us women not only the power to create a functional piece of clothing, but it also gives us the power to create exactly the piece of clothing that we want. It starts small--the power to choose the color yarn that you want to use. Next you might chose a specific yarn fiber to meet your specific needs of climate or wear. After that you get to make choices about sizing--making parts larger or smaller to fit just right. Next you get to choose to follow a pattern or even create your own. Finally, and in the mind of my boys, most importantly, you get to choose the finishing touches, the trim, the buttons or other embellishments. I don't know about you, but I've never seen a rainbow cardigan with red elephant buttons in the store, but that is exactly what my son needed. I have to power to make that for him and it is wonderful. Knitting has the power to create not just knitted items, but the power to create smiles.

Knitting to me is truly a labor of love. Knitting something for myself or my child or a friend, is the process of putting that love into an object one stitch at a time. That finished object, whether a sweater, a shawl, a hat, a blanket or a pair of mittens, can be worn, held, treasured. It is a tangible, lasting symbol of my love. I have the power to create that each time I knit and it is amazing.

The power of knitting is not just in the finished objects, but in the process itself. There is a special kind of magic in the way two sticks and some yarn can turn into beautiful fabric. I am always amazed when I look at the simple beauty of stockinette stitch. The fact that by combining a few simple stitches I can create cables, textured patterns, and lace--LACE!--it is magical.

Knitting is a kind of therapy. The repetition of stitches, the process of producing something gives the knitter a sense of peace and purpose each time she sits down with needles and yarn. I often call knitting my happy place. It is the one thing guaranteed to make me feel at peace. It is both soothing and rewarding. Knitting can turn mindless TV watching into something productive. I no longer feel guilty about the hours spent watching drama evolve in fictional characters' lives. I'm not just sitting--I am knitting. I am creating. I am being productive.

After a knit item is complete, the joy continues. Now knitters are empowered further by the kind words and complements we receive each time those items are worn. It is always fun when a non-knitter is amazed by something I've knit, but it is even more empowering when I share those items with a fellow knitter, for other knitters know the labor of love that went into that knit item. And knitters are an amazing bunch. They love to share their knitting knowledge and to encourage their fellow knitters. Knitters have built themselves such a community of support using the internet to spread the love and information. Locally at knit shops and internationally through Flickr, blogs and Ravelry, I have been adopted into that community of knitters. And each time I get a comment from a fellow knitter, I feel further empowered--empowered not only by the accomplishment of another skill learned and another project completed, but also empowered by my membership in this community of women who all embrace the art of knitting and all it stands for.

Knitting gives so much. The power of productivity. The power of creativity. The power of purpose. The power of pride in a job well done. The power to show my love, my knowledge, my creativity one stitch at a time. Knitting is not just a craft or a hobby or a skill or a job, it's a superpower that this community of women have shared and will continue to share for generations.

So what do you think? How does knitting empower you? If you're not a knitter, what craft "superpower" do you have?

Don't hold back. Comment away. Next week, Laura from Open Road Media will give me and one random commenter from this post a complimentary review copy of the ebook edition of Michelle Edwards' incredible A Knitter's Home Companion via NetGalley. This looks like a wonderful book about knitting and I can't wait to read it!

To check out the rest of the Blogfest and read some great posts, go to the Open Road Media Blog here.

A new Christmas Eve tradition

On Christmas Eve, we hung out with two families of close friends in our neighborhood. It was a really fun night. One of the highlights was helping the children make gingerbread houses.


N had been eyeing the gingerbread house kits at JoAnn's and Michael's this year, but I had never slowed down long enough to buy one. Then I saw this great post on Pinterest about making gingerbread houses out of graham crackers and decided we had to make some. I bought and cut the graham crackers, bought chocolate bark, white icing and lots of candy. It is really easy to cut the graham crackers (see the link above to get the details). The other important tip I learned was to use melted chocolate bark to hold the houses together. It sets up in less than 10 minutes versus the 24 hours that some icings take.

As you can see, everyone had a lot of fun making their house unique.




J made his a "bird house"--thus all the toothpicks sticking out. Those are for the birds to sit on.

Anyway, if you are looking for a fun and easy way to make gingerbread houses, I highly recommend this tutorial.

I hope we will continue this new gingerbread house-making tradition for many Christmas Eve's to come.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Was going to upload a picture of our Christmas card, but I am out of free photo storage on Blogger/Google--so I just purchased some. However it takes 24 hours to activate so I will try to remember to fix this tomorrow. At least my free storage was enough for my first 660+ posts :). Hope you all had a lovely Christmas!

Handmade Ryan Gosling

Hilarious website for all crafty women. Check it out if you need a laugh:

Handmade Ryan Gosling

If you are a knitter...

You must read this post by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee and share it with those who love you (and Christmas shop for you). Enjoy!

Yarn Harlot: For the Others

Thankful...

N had his Thanksgiving feast today at preschool. I am so thankful for the wonderful preschool that he attends. I am thankful for the loving and creative teachers. I am thankful for the community of parents and grandparents who came together for the feast today. I am thankful that B was able to take off work to be there with N and I. I am thankful for the fact that I was able to bring my grandmother's Pineapple Hotdish, a favorite family recipe that always reminds me of countless wonderful holidays spent with my grandmother and other extended family members. I am thankful that I am able to attend all of N and J's school events as I am blessed to be a stay-at-home mom.


I am thankful for these two funny, beautiful, loving little boys. I am thankful that most of the time they seem to really like and enjoy each other. I have hope that they will be lifelong friends. I am thankful that they are healthy and generally happy. I am thankful that we are able to provide them with a secure home, a loving family and three meals each day.


I am thankful for B and the man that he is. I am thankful that he takes the time to be with his sons and works to help them be the men we want them to be. I am thankful that he loves me even with my lackluster housekeeping skills and haphazard cooking skills. I am thankful that he puts up with, and sometimes even encourages, my knitting and other crafty ventures. I am thankful that he's been in my life for the last 16 years and can't wait to have him for many more.



I am thankful for these sweet baby girls. I am thankful that they were in need of rescuing when we were ready to bring them into our homes. I am thankful that they are already such close friends. I am thankful for their sloppy kisses, their wagging tails and their unconditional love.

I am thankful for good friends. I have such great ones in my life. I am thankful for old friends who will always be there even when we go years without seeing each other. I am thankful for all my "mom" friends who are there with me as I travel along the challenging path of motherhood. I am thankful for my good Texas friends who are already like family.

I am thankful for my family. I am thankful for my sister who will always be my very best friend. I am thankful for my parents, my brother and all my wonderful nieces and nephews. I am thankful for the family I married into as well as the one I was born into. I am thankful to grow up with grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. FAMILY is such a huge part of my life.

This post could keep going and going. I am thankful for all the wonderful blessings in my life. Thank you for sharing this adventure with me. I am thankful for you too. Thank you for giving me a place to voice my thoughts and opinions and stories. I really am thankful for the audience you are and the support and feedback you give.

Yarn Love

Just read this essay and had to share. Click here and enjoy.

My Bucket List

I decided to enter this contest and thus I am posting about things I want to do before I kick the bucket. These are not in order of importance, but in the order I thought of them today.

1. Go skydiving--hopefully with one of my boys when they are old enough.
2. Go to Germany with B and drink beer and eat chocolate.
3. Go para-sailing with my sister.
4. Get a knitting pattern published in a magazine (or e-magazine).
5. Have a girls weekend away with my sister and best friend.
6. Go on a family trip to Alaska, Australia or Africa. J would be SO thrilled.
7. Design a knitting pattern that other people actually knit (one more complex than the Purse Scarf and the One Skein Chunky Cowl.)
8. Help make the world a better place.
9. Raise my boys to be confident, caring individuals.
10. Celebrate my 60th (at least) wedding anniversary.
11. Use all the yarn in my stash :).
12. Learn how to do something athletic--play tennis, score a soccer goal, hit a baseball, throw and catch a football, throw a basketball into the basket, go snowboarding or surfing--something that teaches me new skills and that I can play with my boys.
13. Take dance lessons with B.
14. Meet my grandchildren.
15. Go whale watching.
16. Knit B a sweater that he LOVES.

This was fun. I'm sure I will think of more things. How many of these do you think I will actually do? I hope all of them.

This is my entry in the Just Ask Bucket List Getaway Giveaway. Just Ask offers a breast and ovarian cancer screening and is encouraging people to share 15 things that I want to enjoy in my lifetime as a reminder to be aware of my health. Want to enter? Head over to TodaysMama.com to get the details.

So what's on your bucket list?

Ysolda Teague

This week Ysolda Teague came to Texas and taught four classes through my local yarn shop, the Woolie Ewe. This morning I was lucky enough to take a 3 hour "Perfect Sweater" class taught by Ysolda. It was my first ever knit class and it was awesome! I learned a lot. The info was all from her latest book Little Red in the City. It's a great book and I highly recommend it.

I wore my Summer tank that I designed and knit this summer to the class. It was chilly this morning so I wore it as a vest over a button up.


Anyway, I got to talk to Ysolda briefly about my sweater before she signed my copy of Little Red in the City. This is a close up of what she wrote:
Pretty awesome, huh?

Yes, today was a good day.

Digital Photo Painting

My blogger friend Becky recently blogged about a digital painting that another blogger, Jane, did of her dog Liza Jane. It was a beautiful painting and I immediately wanted to send Jane pictures of my dogs. I didn't have a good picture of Pepper handy, but I found this one of my first girls Zoe and Pepper:



So I sent it on to Jane. And she created this:


Isn't it beautiful? I think she so perfectly captured my sweet girls. I immediately e-mailed Jane and asked her how she does it. Here is her reply:

I would call myself a digital photo painter, my focus being portraits--people and pets--and some landscapes. The photo is considered my sketch which I bring into digital editing program called Adobe Photoshop and then into Corel Painter which with a graphics tablet and stylus I paint stroke by stroke just as I would paint with real paint, a canvas and a paintbrush. I've been doing this for about a year and a half and I'm now starting to do commission work. The Pet Project started as a way to get my art out there, while also being able to earn a little money and be able to donate a little as well. My husband and I have now adopted two rescue pups, so I'm very fond of animal welfare organizations.

Anyway, if you want to see more of Jane's work, please check out her blog here. On her blog are links to the website where she sells her work. A portion of proceeds from the pet paintings (available as notecards too) will be donated to animal welfare organizations.

And, if you have some cute photos of your pets and would like to see them painted, please send them to Jane at janewoodenhorse@msn.com.

One Word

I recently read a blog post (One Word/ December 30, 2010) by a friend from middle school and high school that inspired me. It was about picking one word that will represent your upcoming year. A word to inspire you. A word to focus on. A word to guide you through your year.

I think this is such an amazing idea and I've decided to try it. I imagine you will be hearing about my word throughout the year on this blog.

Now the hard part, choosing my word. So hard. One word for an entire year. My friend chose "joy." What a lovely word. Who doesn't want a year focused on joy?

I'm still pondering my word. At this very moment, B's new job and our pending move our prominent in my mind. I'm thinking of heading to a new place and making new friends and finding a new place to call home. So many words come to mind: change, adventure, beginnings, home, blessings.

Hmmm.... I will need to ponder this one longer. Will keep you posted on my word.

Will you have a word this year? Think on it and let me know if you decide to choose one. What a year this will be!

Happy New Year, everyone!

Accepting the Invitation

My friend Audra recently started a blog. Her reason for blogging is to share her pledge to make gifts for her children (instead of buying them) until Christmas 2011. Recently she extended the invitation for others to join her in her goal to give children (and others) quality homemade gifts. I've decided to accept her invitation and make Christmas gifts for my eight nieces and nephews this year. I'm still deciding the details, but my current idea is to make dolls for my four nieces--probably variations of this one. I'm thinking I'd like to knit little cardigans for each doll. The boys might also get some sort of doll, but I'm not sure on that. Maybe pirate dolls. I also found some patterns for knitted tools that might be an option or maybe a knitted robot. Still deciding. Anyway, just thought I'd share my thoughts here and pass on the invitation. Check out Audra's blog. It's a good one.

Help a Friend and a Great Cause

I have a good friend, Taylor, who is a nursing student. She is going with some fellow students to Kenya to help educate girls and hand out underpants and sanitary pads so the girls don't have to miss school when they have their periods. To read more about Taylor and their trip, go to her blog: Taylor's Off to Kenya.

To help by making a donation, click below.

A wonderful designer and owner of a precious dog

If you haven't guessed, I'm talking about Pamela Wynne.

In knitting world, she's famous for The February Lady Sweater, her adaption of Elizabeth Zimmermann's famous baby knit.

Unknown to some, Pamela's also has quite a few other original designs available as either free downloads or as paid downloads on Ravelry. My favorite is Pickadilly.

Anyway, Pam's sweet baby girl Crush recently broke her leg. Badly. She had to have major surgery. Surgery that is very expensive.

To help raise money for Crush's surgery, Pam created this adorable sweater. You have to click on that link and check it out. It is ADORABLE. Almost as adorable as Crush.

Pam is always looking out for others. She gave us The February Lady Sweater for FREE. That's a huge gift. But Pam does more. Profits from her dog sweater Wurstwärmer go to the Michigan Animal Rescue League. She gave portions of her profit from Pickadilly and Elinor's Mittens to Partners in Health and Doctors Without Borders.

Now it's time to help Pam (and get awesome knit patterns too). Go to Pam's website or to Ravelry and check out her awesome patterns. Buy one. It's that simple. Enjoy!

Top Ten Tuesday: Celebration Edition

I got really good news today and so today's Top Ten Tuesday Topic is...

Top Ten Reasons Today is a Really Good Day
(nine little reasons and one very big one)

10. Both boys slept in this morning and woke up in a good mood.

9. We had a lovely thunderstorm this morning and Pepper only freaked out a little bit.

8. Now the sun is shining.

7. B is in town this week.

6. One of my boys is napping right now. (It should be two, but let's not focus on the negatives.)

5. Sophanne made me smile with her blog (as always).

4. My sister is making a really cool gift for my nephew's birthday and she's letting me be a part of it.

3. I found out that my good friend Nicole and her son are planning to come back to visit sometime soonish.

2. I had a wonderful lunch with a really good friend.

1. My cousin Christie found out today that she is officially in remission! Woohoo!

300th post!

I still can't believe it. This is my 300th post on my blog. Crazy!

79 posts in 2007 + 118 posts in 2008 + 99 posts in 2009 = 296? I must have started a few that I never posted. Oh well. I'm still counting this one as my 300th. Woo hoo!

So what have I been blogging about for now 300 posts? Let's see the Label stats:
life = 23 posts
me = 47 posts

little man (J) = 104 posts
little man 2 (N) = 61 posts
motherhood = 26 posts

dogs = 35 posts
husband = 10 posts

family = 37 posts
friends = 12 posts

knitting = 88 posts
WIP = 26 posts
finished = 43 posts

Top Ten Tuesday = 31 posts
Movie Monday = 17 posts
Free Pattern Friday = 5 posts

And here are a few things I'd like to blog about in the future (in no particular order):
funny things my children say (like "gotfor" instead of "forgot")
funny things my children do
funny things my dogs do
funny things my nephews and nieces do
sweet things my husband does (hint, hint)
sweet things my children do
knitting
the sweater I am one day going to knit Brian
the lovely cabled sweater I am one day going to knit myself
more of my own knit designs
more knit toys
more knits for my boys
more knitting
lots and lots of knitting
and a little sewing (I see more loveys in my future)
and maybe a little crocheting (those potholders are calling my name)
great friends
great times
motherhood
firsts
lots of firsts for my boys
like kindergarten and soccer games and school dances and dates and love--oh my!
life
the good, the bad and the ugly (because I know there can't just be good)
my lovely sparkling clean house (one can always dream)
the yummy meals that I cooked (more dreams)
my 10th wedding anniversary
my 25th wedding anniversary
my 50th wedding anniversary
my cousin Christie's 25th wedding anniversary (and hopefully her 50th)
the weddings of my boys, my nephews and nieces
the birth of my grandchildren
the funny tales of puppies present and future
the first knitting done by one (or both) of my boys
the accomplishments of my boys (the little and the big)
my accomplishments (little and big)
my new job that I love (someday I imagine I'll have one again--what will it be?)
ways I am making the world a better place
ways my friends (in "real life" and on blogs) are making the world a better place
family
moving closer to our family
always being close to my boys no matter where we end up in life
the ways I love my husband more and more every day
the ways I feel so blessed every day
love and laughter
pain and sorrow
friendship
reality
dreams
me

Unfortunately, Haley...

1. Unfortunately Haley and I get separated, and I have to watch her death at the hands of monsters.

2. Unfortunately Haley was voted off of American Idol but please continue to support her and any ...

3. Unfortunately, Haley's story is not unique.

4. Unfortunately, Haley is not able to be a part of our breeding program.

5. Unfortunately, Haley threw an absolute fit when she saw him and could not stop shaking or crying in my arms.

6. Unfortunately, Haley doesn't have Parcells track record.

7. Unfortunately, Haley is not around to share the applause.

8. Unfortunately, Haley is severely affected, having the above-mentioned symptoms accompanied with mental retardation and developmental delays.

9. There are rather expensive swinging gate child gates that are for the top of stairs and such, but they aren't well made and unfortunately Haley being rather...

10. Unfortunately, Haley obviously fictionalizes the African life.

Becky (otherwise known as Sophanne) did this and I couldn't resist trying it myself. You google "Unfortunately, " and your name. Those were my first ten results. Here are three more that I thought were pretty funny.

Unfortunately, Haley does not ship one with Authority!

Unfortunately Haley wasn't the image of a rock star.

Unfortunately, Haley committed a serious crime and took photos while we were eating.

For Baby Ike

There's an online auction going to raise money to help Baby Ike and his family. Click here to check it out.

Donate Life

If you are on Facebook or even if you are not, read this post by Erin and donate life.