All About Me

My blog seems really uninteresting to me. And then I realize, if you're reading this, you probably know absolutely nothing about me, so what do you care what I'm knitting? So, I thought I'd properly introduce myself.

My name is Dorothy, and no, I don't have a dog named Toto. I'm a wife and a mom to a 7 year old boy (big boy - not mine biologically, but all mine in my heart), a 2 year old girl (little girl), and a 1 year old boy (little boy). (There's really nothing little about him - my parents have nicknamed him "Moose"; it fits.) Prior to being a mom, I taught students with emotional and behavioral disorders. Now, I do some consulting work with families, schools, and other agencies around behavior. Someday, I hope to be doing this as a "real job", instead of just a side thing. The little ones keep me far too busy to worry about any other job than raising them. Like all parents, I think my children are amazing, but I try to keep the bragging to a minimum.

I'm a Christian. That means I believe in the Bible, and I believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that He died on a cross for my sins, and through His sacrifice, I am saved and am a child of God. This is an integral part of who I am, and I would love to tell you more about it - email me if you're interested.

I've been knitting since October 2006. I learned from Linda at Have Ewe Any Wool in Snyder, NY while visiting my hometown. Linda is great! She had me knitting in 10 minutes. I left the store to brush 4" of snow of my car - the Buffalo area was hit with an awful storm that left thousands of people without power for a week. It was very discouraging to not be able to knit after dark.

I have a list of things to knit, with the goal of learning something new with every project. But, of course, every project gets interrupted by other projects. My DH jokes that he eats yarn for dinner.

Besides knitting, I like to cross-stitch, but find it difficult to focus on with the kids around. I like to read. Some of my favorite authors are Jennifer Weiner, Jodi Picoult, and Laurie Notaro. I love playing softball, and am finally back into it this summer. I'm also very fortunate to have a decent size group of mom-friends with whom to have play dates and chats. I also have a great group of friends through our church, Park Street Church in Boston.

I guess that's all I can say about me right now. Hopefully, you feel like you know something about me now besides I knit with a lot of pink.

Happy knitting!

Another Contest

I just found another contest on the web. This one is Mandy's Candy Bag. The bag is too cute, and if you knit it and post a picture, you can win some stuff. I think it's the perfect size to give to little girl - she can have a few treats and then a new purse!

I'm currently knitting the I-cords for the top of Ela's hat. Hopefully, I'll finish tonight. Tomorrow night is knit/chat/craft and snack night at my house (it's actually the first one ever) and I'm hoping to be starting a hat for Big Boy for Christmas. Unfortunately, I can't find a pattern I really love, so I'll be winging it.

Did I mention I love hats? They provide such a sense of accomplishment in so little time!

Happy Knitting!

Swaps!

As previously stated, I started this blog because I want to participate in Swaps! It all started when I went to the Mason Dixon knitting site and discovered it was actually a blog. And then, I read about dish rag tag, but I was too late to sign up! I may never recover from the disappointment.

HOWEVER, I just found this fun swap - Fall Felted Bags

Check it out - I've made a few small bags, and I think it might be fun to do something in the medium size range. As an added bonus, there's a pre-registration contest. Plus, the buttons are too cute for words!

I'm almost done with Ela's Favorite hat - I love hats! They knit up so quickly!

Happy Knitting!

Project Completion!

I finished the baby blanket! Hooray! I also finished the gnome hat. Since I still have quite a bit of the colorspun yarn left, I've started another hat. This one is Ela's favorite hat from One Skein Wonders. The gnome hat will be going to Brooklyn at Christmastime, and ela's hat will be staying here, so I'm not concerned about eeking two gifts out of one skein of yarn. In fact, I'm pretty proud of my thriftiness!

Happy knitting!

Project Progress!

I finished this hat for my nephew Joey. He's 16, it's his school colors, and maybe he'll wear it during spring lacrosse practice. It's not perfect - I've never done stripes before, and there were some issues dealing with all the loose ends. Plus, I wasn't able to hide to jogs as well as I would have liked. So many things to learn.... I'm definitely going to knit another one to correct those problems. Perhaps nephew Michael needs a hat too!

I found the pattern at The Brown Sheep's blog, but when I went back to put it here, the URL couldn't be found. She called it her two movie hat.

On other projects - the gnome hat has I-cord ties and a tassle. EVEN BETTER! The never-ending baby blanket is off the needles. I just have to figure out how to do the crochet edging. Actually, I need that skill for both projects.

In other news - baby Joshua is wearing his hat! Keep praying for him!

You don't knit for crack 'hos...

Quite possibly the best quote from Yarn Harlot last night at Borders. Stephanie Pearl-McPhee is FUNNY - if you know enough about knitting to get her jokes. I've read a couple of her books, and not only do they make me laugh, I learn a lot at the same time! I wish my school textbooks were as entertaining.

But, I have to say, I've been contemplating her drug-addicted, naked in gold shoes neighbor. Why don't we knit for crack 'hos? We willingly bring hats to donate to charity - many of which go to homeless individuals. It's reasonable to assume these people have drug issues. Maybe we ignore it because there's no real face to them - we're just knitting for a multitude of homeless, no back story required.

I think the naked, gold shoed neighbor needs a handknit. (At least she wouldn't be naked anymore!) Maybe she needs to know someone thinks about her, and cares, just a little bit. In my Bible study we're studying Luke. Jesus says: "But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you."

Who do you know who would probably take your coat - can you knit them a tunic?

Pictures - Gnome hat/Baby Blanket

Okay, here are the pictures - the Gnome hat and the Primrose Never-ending baby blanket. Although the blanket never ends, I LOVE the pattern! It's easy and absolutely beautiful!

The yarn for the gnome hat is Encore Colorspun. I'm tickled with the way the strips turned out!

Enjoy the sunshine!