The Times They Are A-Changin’!

— Bob Dylan

This is NOT Grandma’s Knitting Anymore!!!

Knitting is my passion.  It is embedded into my heart, my body, my mind, my soul.  I eat, sleep, and dream knitting.

As a child, I would go to the dime store with my Grandmother and instead of making a bee line for the dolly section, like most little girls do, I always went to the yarn section.  I was captivated by the array of colors that danced before my eyes and I loved to touch and feel the soft fibers.  When my Grandmother asked me what I would do if I had a ball of yarn, my reply was “I don’t know” but I would like to have one…..or two……  All of this was going on way before I even knew how to knit.

I didn’t get my passion for knitting from my Grandmother or my Mother.  As I was growing older I was aware that my German nanny was playing with colorful pointy needles, 4 at the same time and on these colorful pointy needles was my beloved yarn!  “Teach me how to do that,” I begged!  “I want to do that, too!”  “Not until you are 9 years old,” was her reply to me.  I remember how crushed I was because 9 years old seemed an eternity and forever away!!!  So I would just have to be content, for now, to go to the dime store with my Grandmother.

The night before my 9th birthday, I couldn’t sleep!!  I had been checking off the days on the kitchen calendar and reminding my nanny that MY DAY was approaching.  I wanted to give her plenty of warning……..

At my 9th Birthday party, in my pretty lacey  birthday dress and patent leather shiny black shoes, my nanny slipped me a small package and told me to open it after my party.  Her eyes were bright and held a mischievous mystery.  I could hardly stand it!!!

Well, you can probably guess what was in her little package to me.  After the party, I opened the package to find my very own set of pointy, shiny needles in red!!!  4 of them!!!  And underneath my very own needles was my very own yarn!!  It was cream in color!  WOW!!!!!  I remember this scenario like it was yesterday!

For you see,  my nanny was very smart indeed!  She was baiting me and instilling in me a burning fire.  She was testing me to see if I really wanted to learn to knit, that it wasn’t just one of those childish whims but a real burning  desire to learn and to create!  And create, I did!!!!

My very first project, believe it or not, and this is going to make some of my associate knitting instructors and shop owners squirm a bit, was a pair of cream colored mittens with a cable down the front on my own set of needles!  Yes, I learned how to knit in the round on 4 double points!  I remember, too, that my nanny gave me a safety pin to help me create this cable!  I worked very hard and by that Christmas, my Grandmother opened her present to find those lovely cabled mittens I had created for her.  I remembered she cried……..

After those mittens there was no stopping me!!  I knitted slippers with cute pom poms.  I knitted hats, mittens, and scarves!  These items are essential when you live and grow up in the Minnesota winters!!  I also was taking skating lessons and MY skates HAD to have beautiful, vibrant colored poms!!!  No store bought poms for me!!  While all my girlfriends were sewing, I was knitting!!

I told you this story to help ease into this next bomb I am going to drop……….

I DON’T understand it when the seasons change, from fall/winter to spring/summer, and I hear knitters say,”I don’t knit during the spring/summer  months!”  WHAT!!!!!  HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT!!!  This drives me absolutely crazy!!!!

Their excuses are, ….”but my kids are home for the summer,”….” but  I taxi my kids to sports,” ….”but  I’m out in the yard gardening,” etc., etc., blah, blah, blah!!!!!  My answer to them and this: “Well, what do you do at night to unwind?   What do you do, while on the sidelines at your kids sport event?  What do you do while relaxing poolside?  What do you do while you are waiting in the dentist office during your kids dental visits?  Or catch yourself waiting in the car?”  I could go on and on…….

With all this said, it suddenly dawned on me one day, that knitters and people who would love to learn how to knit, have a misconception of time!  All these people believe that you MUST HAVE large blocks of time to knit!  Oh, contraire……..NOT SO!!!!!!

You will be amazed at what you can accomplish stealing  10 minutes here, 15 minutes there.  Before you know it you have created a hand knit item.

Keep a small project bag in your car or in your purse.  Then you will never be caught idly waiting.   Keep those hands busy and your mind working.

As for your husband, boyfriend, friends, family members, who are in your life and who question your obsession, simply tell them this……..”KNITTING HELPS TO CALM THE 10,000 VOICES IN MY HEAD THAT TELL ME TO KILL YOU!”

Happy Knitting!!!!

What’s On My Needles?

Let the Holiday knitting begin!  Socks on 2 circs, made out of Zauberball Crazy and Stitch Red by Schoppel.  No “second sock syndrome” for me!

What’s in My Kitchen?

 

Roasted Curried Butternut Squash Soup!  (by  D. Harker)

2 Butternut Squash

1 Acorn Squash

1 ea. Variety of fall squash, except spaghetti squash

1 large chopped onion

Kosher salt to taste

Cooking Sherry to taste

Fresh ground pepper to taste

Curry powder to taste

Fresh nutmeg ground

Butter

Half and Half

2 cups Chicken stock or desired consistency

1 lb. Sweet Italian ground sausage

Slice squash lengthwise, scoop out squash remains and seeds.  Place face down on a foil lined cookie sheet or baking sheet with sides.  Fill with an 1/2 – 1 inch of water and place in a 450 degree pre-heated oven for 50 – 60 minutes or until fork tender.

Squash in the oven

In a skillet sweat the chopped onions in butter.  Set aside.  Brown sausage and add to the onions and butter mixture in a stock pot.

When squash is finished roasting and has cooled for easy handling, scoop squash out and add to stock pot.  Add the remaining ingredients to taste.  Use a hand mixer or food processor to blend together.

Pour into bowl, top with shaved Parmesan cheese.

Great as an entree with a salad and hot bread, or in a cup as an appetizer.

Come Away With Me, My Love…….

Grow Old With Me…….

The BEST is yet to be……..

25 Years and counting………

Where does one begin to capture 25 magnificent years??

I have been trying to rack my brain to come up with an original idea, and it had to be “special” in honor of our 25th Wedding Anniversary.  Our “love affair” started with “love letters.”  Love Letters today are rare in our new era of technology.  So here is a rare piece, from our past……

We have shared 28 Valentine Days together and 25 years of “married’ life.  I never thought that married life could be so beautiful or that a beautiful man ever existed for me……..until you…..

We have already lived a lifetime together.  When you think back, we have done a lot of many different things.  Seen a lot of different places.  Met a lot of different people, which touched our lives.  We grew up together with our little boys, who are now all “young men.”   You have done a wonderful job of being a great Provider for us, an awesome Father for them, and a fabulous Husband, Lover, and Best Friend for me.  When I look back, there isn’t a single thing I would change.

Many of my friends tell me that a Husband, a Father, a Provider like you, does not exist.  That surely  I am lying.  I feel sorry for those individuals who have yet to find what I and our boys have found.   Our “philosophy” of incorporating into our daily lives and into the lives of our young boys, at that time, that “Mommy and Daddy don’t fight, so there will be NO fighting in our house,”  as you have found, this philosophy has served our children well.  We, as their parents, set the bar very high.  As time marches on, our boys will look back and remember how much we loved each other and how much we laughed!  What a wonderful legacy we will leave to them!

I look at your picture that I have on the refrigerator of when we first started dating.  Remember what that bow stood for, that is on your shoulder?  That was our first Christmas together and that bow on your shoulder represented that YOU indeed was MY Christmas present this year!  You not only looked so handsome in the sweater I picked out and gifted you, but that “bow” was my way of telling you that I had the BEST Christmas present ever!  Like Paul McCartney of The Beatles being the “cute” one, YOU ARE  AND ALWAYS WILL BE MY PAUL……the CUTE one!!!

If I could make a call on what “heaven” is like on this Earth, than I have already found it.  I can’t imagine living my life without you, here and in our eternal lives.  I am looking forward to exploring all the galaxies together.

For now, I am looking forward to our years together and watching our boys lives shape and fall into place.  It’s amazing to me, to see first hand, what you and I have made and molded together!  I wished “we” had parents like “us!”

You have told me many times that whenever you hear the song, “She Moves In Mysterious Ways,” that this is me.  It would serve you well to be fearful of this!     🙂

You are My Love, an Amazing Man and I Love You Very Much!   I love you MORE today than I did YESTERDAY and just when I feel I couldn’t love you MORE, here comes another wave of this love.

“PurlGirl” a.k.a. the Holiday Knitting “Purl Grinch”

You didn’t know that I have this dark side, did you?

I go through this EVERY year! One would think that I would have learned throughout the years. But, NOOOOOOOO! Sometimes I think my “born with” Blonde comes correct! Geesch!!

Since we are embarking on a brand New Year, again, I will attempt to re-evaluate and put into practice what I have learned and move forward: “Lessons I Learned From My Holiday Knitting”! Here are my tried and true feelings on this subject:

Somewhere camped on the I-80 “parking lot” (I travel for my business and I seem to always hit I-80, somewhere between the Chicago area and Michigan, during it’s most jammed hours, no matter what time of the day or evening!) and having my eyebrows waxed!

I cannot blame anyone but myself. Knitters and designers show their love by giving their knitting. This is supposed to send a message to the recipient or family member(s) that “YOU” are loved and that “YOU” are very special to me. You cannot buy this specialness at the mall, or online shopping, or in specialty shops, or anywhere for that matter. Many years, I have stayed up all night, knitting my fingers down to the bone, right up to the “morning of,” still up to have cookies and milk with Santa! I GO THROUGH ALL OF THIS ONLY TO HEAR:

…… Homemade???? Ahhhhhh….. REALLY?

……I love it but it’s really not my style or color. It doesn’t suit me.

……I like hers/his better. (Even though you paid three times as much as their yarn and their special project took four times as long.)

……I don’t like the fit….. (Even though you know it was made to “their” specific measurements and size.)

…..You could have saved yourself all this time. A pair of socks from Walmart would have been great! (Are you kidding me? They just don’t get it!)

I tell myself, when I hear this, “never again!” However, I have learned NEVER to say NEVER! After all, this is who I am and this is what I do. I find that as the holidays approach, there is something “Grinch-ish” about NOT making hand-knitted gifts. These projects cost a small fortune in special yarns and fibers. They take time. All of this knowing that your “special” acts of love may not be loved so much. So this is what I have learned:

You don’t have to knit for every member of your family or your circle of special friends. YOU have to accept this. I know it is hard to even imagine but learn to “let it be!” Make a list of family members and special friends that (a) have referred to your knitting as “Grandma’s rocking chair craft,” (b) already possess dozens of scarves, hats, mittens, 50 dishcloths and a baby afghan for every one of their children, OR (c) really don’t care what you have gone through to make their special holiday special. Now look at your list. No hand knits for them! Hello Best Buy and Barnes and Noble! This is why we have Gift Certificates! CHECK!

Re-evaluate your time and limitations. As knitters, we look at a project and say, “I can do that! That would be so perfect for Uncle Bob or Aunt Ruthie. That would take no time at all to whip it up!” WRONG! If it takes you 2 months to knit up an afghan, and you take this on in, let’s say in August, and you want to make one for ALL your aunts and uncles, do you really think you will be finished with them all at Christmas? Do you want to kill yourself taking on this deadline? Consider smaller gifts. Starting the tradition of a hand knit ornament, for example, would be very special. There are so many different yarns and fibers with glitz and sparkles and textures. Where can you possibly buy an ornament such as this? You will find that they will look forward to their special ornament every Christmas.

Don’t show favoritism. Even though it is not polite to look at what everyone else received from you and compare that to their own, they do. Yet you don’t want to be forced to go to that place of “knitting hell” by making 50 of the same. If you actually hear “only a scarf” then make note and take them off your list of special hand knitted gifts. Add them to your “gift certificate” list.

Knit ahead. Yeah, right…….I tell myself this every year. My problem is like most knitters. Knitters are “mood” oriented. We knit what we want and feel like, “in the moment.” So for me, this is very hard to put into practice. I used to always have 3 projects going. One for myself, one for charity, and one for a gift. I still pretty much follow this rule, but over the years it has grown. I seem to knit more and more for gifts. If you are a perfect planner, plan a hand knitted item, one a month. Label it and put it in a place where you will remember. By the time October hits, you will feel a sense of accomplishment and gratification and oh, soooo smart! Sometimes, I include a purchased trinket to match their special yarn.

Then the BIG day arrives! It’s finally here! There is nothing wrong if you have to wrap up a few gifts that aren’t finished, already on the knitting needles or waste yarn. When opened, a personal note by you should include a “promised by” date. This will generate a sense of “you are specialness!” I have even been known to wrap up the skeins of yarn and a picture of their special gift. Be creative. There are no rules here.
I hope my holiday “life’s lessons and knitting experience” will help you to rethink, reposition, reevaluate and help you enjoy all that the holidays have to offer, going forward into 2012! Eat lots of great healthy foods. Include a “special dessert” but don’t over-do. Drink some good wine.

Recipe: Atkins Portobello Mushroom Pizza

1 portobello mushroom (about 3 ounces), stem removed,
wiped clean with a damp paper towel
Garlic oil spray
1 tablespoon low-carb tomato sauce (such as Raos)
2 tablespoons shredded mozzarella cheese
1. Heat oven to 425 F. Spray both sides with garlic oil and
place on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet. Bake 30
minutes, or until fork tender, turning once halfway
through cooking time. Increase heat to broil.
2. Top concave side of mushroom with tomato sauce and
cheese [I added Mozzarella and Sharp Cheddar!]. Place under broiler for 1 minute or until cheese
melts and bubbles.

(Recipe Copyright 2005 Atkins Nutritionals, Inc.)

Taking a New Direction…

I have made a “strategic blogging decision” 🙂 not to devote my blog to the Ella project. (Uh oh, am I ALREADY breaking one of my brand new New Year’s Resolutions? Could be!) Noni is conducting Ella chat sessions on Ravelry, and there are several other blogs that are blogging the Ella project. So: why merely duplicate those efforts? Instead, I’ll focus on OTHER projects. Oh yes, I AM following the Ella KAL and making myself an Ella Coat, but here, in the blog, I’ll feature other projects for all of us that are (also) working on non-Ella projects!

For starters, I’m off to TNNA in Phoenix! I’ll be tweeting and posting about all the excitement from the show in Phoenix!

Stay tuned……

Ella and Me, Re-Imagined, Re-Invented, Re-Tweaked KAL – Part I

What a WONDERFUL way to kickoff the New Year! Ella and You! You’ve worked very hard over the Holidays making sure everything was perfect and that your family and loved ones had a great time. But now, it’s time to take care of you! Ella and You! Perfect! You deserve it! A new project! Time for YOU to be knittingselfish! (New word!)

Before I start any new project, there is always prep work. You have to “pay your dues” so that you can achieve maximum results. I know, I know,……. I am a perfectionist, I am obsessed and probably a little crazed, but trust me, in the end it will be well worth it.

First, you will need your very own copy of The Ella Coat by Noni Designs. Due to Noni’s popularity and demand, this pattern can be found at most LYS. If you cannot find this pattern or obtain it, contact me and I will put you in touch with a yarn shop that does.

I like to make a copy of my pattern, for my personal “note taking.” I make notations in the margins, highlight, tweek, and make my own changes, and I like to keep my original pattern crisp and clean. I always have knitter’s graph paper and colored pencils on hand, just in case I need to play with colors and change things up!

Second, read over the pattern. Decide which size suits you and highlight that size. Highlight all areas of the pattern that pertain to your particular size. This will help keep you from making a mistake, and keep you on track to the correct sizing. Scan over the rest of the pattern to familiarize yourself with the language, but don’t try to fully understand every step now. As you begin the pattern and perform each step as written, it will all make perfect sense and fall into place. Remember, also that you will be following along with the KAL and Nora has some wonderful new “tweeks” that you will not want to miss.

Third, the “picking” and “gathering” of the right yarns. This process is so much fun and it is one of the many highlights of the project. I have chosen Stonehedge Shepard’s Wool, for many reasons. It is USA made in Michigan. Since Michigan is one of the states that I service, it is very important to me that I support the State of Michigan and I strongly urge all the yarn shops in Michigan to do so, too. Shepard’s Wool is soft and has a rich color hue base. It is 250 yards per skein and it retails for $12.95. Silk blends would be lovely, too. Nora has some silk blend options for you on her blog, http://blog.nonipatterns.com/.

I love to embellish my work, and anything “bling” is right up my alley. So I’ve thrown in a few skeins of Tilli Thomas Flurries and Disco Lights. You can decide on seed beads or paillettes. I will be adding Bling Flowers to the bodice and sleeves. If you want to add Bling Flowers, you will need these patterns and Noni’s Sparkle Rivets, for the center of your flowers.

Once you have decided on the yarn brand you want, you will then start the planning process of colors you like, if you wish to make the striped Ella. I have given you some help with these Interactive Color Wheels to make this process easier for you. This should get your creative juices flowing!

http://thevirtualinstructor.com/interactivecolorwheel.html

http://r0k.us/graphics/SIHwheel.html

Here is what I have decided on…….

The beauty of making the striped Ella is that it affords you the freedom to purchase your yarns, a skein at a time, if you are on a budget. You don’t need to worry so much on dye lots, as this will provide some beautiful shading and dimension. If you chose to make the solid Ella, then you only need to decide on your main color and a beautiful contrasting color for your ruffle. OR……you can be crazed like me and make both! A striped AND a solid Ella! After all, a girl can’t have too many Ella’s!

Fourth, you will need the correct needles. I highly recommend (and I use) Addi Lace 40″ circular needles in Sizes 9 and 10. If you have the Addi Lace Clicks, even better!!! Then you have all the different cord options at your finger tips. These cord lengths will be important to you when you start the ruffle. The Addi Turbo Clicks are wonderful, too. If you don’t have the interchangable sets, then be sure to have on hand the circular needles with long cords.

The usual basics are a must as well. Stitch markers, darning needles and tapestry needles with a large eye, sewing needles, crochet hooks (Sizes F and J), needle gauge, and waste yarn for your provisional cast on. All these play an important role in ensuring a professional finish. How you finish your Ella can make or break your project! Here is my little vintage bag, that I keep mine in. This bag is used everyday and goes with me, wherever I go. This bag travels from one knitting bag to another.

Finally…….here it comes…….the dreaded “S” Word………SWATCHING! WHAT??!! Yes, WE SWATCH! I cannot stress this LOUDLY enough! YOU MUST BE ON GAUGE IF YOU WANT YOUR ELLA COAT TO FIT! There is no room for error here! NO EXCUSES…….NO MERCY!! We are aiming for 4.5 sts. to the inch. The needle sizes in the pattern are ONLY recommended needle sizes and serve as your guide, to get you started. It gives you a base to start with. Don’t be afraid to adjust your needle sizes up or down. And take your time swatching. This is not a race or a challenge that you have to be in a hurry for. Remember, nothing is written in stone! YOU are the master of your needles and yarns, it is not the master of you! You will want to make sure your beautiful Ella yarns are in a project bag all their own, as I assure you, once you get started, Ella will be traveling with you because she is very hard to put down. Warning…….she is very ADDICTIVE!

Are you ready?? Are you excited?? Hang on to your knitting needles because we are in for a wonderful journey of some exciting days and what a great way to kick off this New Year…….ELLA and YOU! Ella KAL starts on January 16th!

Come back, as I will be taking you through my own “personal” Ella Journey!

New Year’s Resolutions 2012, Part II

Last time I talked about my 2012 New Year’s resolutions #1 and #2. Here are the rest……

I am and probably will forever be doing my research on “food science” and how all this works in my own body. I’ve been dealt a hand of “bad” genes and a family tree that took my family members’ lives prematurely, so one of my “life” mission is to break this mold, in hopes of living longer so I can be around for my beautiful boys! So saying, it is my obsession to make better and healthier choices all the way around! That means READ labels and know what exactly you are putting in YOUR body! I am sticking to WHOLE foods, organic, no artificial additives! Watching those sugar grams! Moving MORE! Not every meal has to have meat! Low or no meat and eat MORE fish for those wonderful Omega-3’s! Limit or eliminate anything “white” except cauliflower. Remember when you were in kindergarten and you use to make “glue” out of water and flour? Well, this is what you are putting into your body. Not good! Not for me!

Besides, I can’t leave this planet until all my yarn stash is used up! Let’s see… I think that will make me somewhere in the neighborhood of 900 years old! I’ll be a female Methuselah!

So here is Resolution #3: Make healthy life-style choices.

Low Carb Tuna Salad Recipe

2 – 5 oz. cans – Solid White Albacore Tuna (packed in water)
4 – Hard Boiled Eggs (chopped)
2 stalks – Celery (diced) (more, if you like a lot of “crunch!”)
2 T – Pickle Relish
1/2 c – Red Onion (diced) (more, if you like a lot of onion) You may use green, white or yellow onion, too.
Freshly Ground Pepper
Celery Seed (to taste)
2 T – Mayonnaise or Miracle Whip (heaping)

Drain water from tuna. Mix together, all the above ingredients. Chill. Serve on a bed of lettuce and mixed baby spring greens. YUM!!! Serves 4.

Red wine is a healthy choice! Did you hear me?? That’s right! Yay! Here is an excellent red wine that I just “happened” across by accident over the Christmas holidays…… “Francis Coppola.”

Now, back to the resolutions.

I had an “ah-ha” moment when I visited a new yarn shop. I visited the shop owner in her home (because her yarn shop was still under renovation), and we enjoyed a beautiful lunch and spent the afternoon planning her inventory in yarns. Later I contacted her again and arranged for an appointment, so I could see the new shop, all finished by now, and to sit down for some one-on-one. I really enjoyed this shop owner, she is elegant and classy and I stand to learn much from her.

However, during our visit, I could sense some uneasiness, and after our appointment she again contacted my yarn company and told them she never wanted to see me back again. Was this a shock?? YES! Definitely! You could have knocked me over with a feather! I pride myself on having such good relationships with the shop owners!

But, then I heard my mother’s voice ringing loud in my head and in my heart: “not everyone is going to love you, you will happen upon some people in your lifetime, whom you will never please.” While my mother’s words offer some comfort and profound wisdom, no one likes to be rejected. So…..becoming a BETTER listener, having MORE empathy! I am, after all, fearlessly and wonderfully made! However, this is still a painful lesson to learn.

Resolution #4, then, is this: Be a better listener and have more empathy. Be a better person!

I want to become a better blogger! As I master my own digital camera, as I take on the challenges of learning all the bells and whistles of my new iPhone (yes, I am giving up the Crackberry!) it is my hope, ambition, and goal to become a better blogger! I resolve to bring you MORE posts filled with new projects, techniques, and great food! Sounds good, doesn’t it??? So stay tuned, readers, because you and I are in for some great “FIBERly,KNITtery” fun!

So, Resolution #5 is: Be a better blogger in 2012.

I am starting off the New Year with The Ella Coat Re-Imagined by Noni Designs. I have been a Noni representative for 5 years now and her Ella Coat has been on my personal list of projects to make. She is starting a KAL (Knit-along) on January 16th! What a GREAT excuse to kick in gear myself and get it on! I am a sucker for KAL’s anyway, and since many shops in my 6 Midwestern states will be participating, I feel a responsibility to get started! After all, I have to KNOW what you may ask me, right??

So, Finally, resolution #6 is: Knit the Ella Coat!

Here is a “sneak” peek at my Ella Coat project! Shhhhhhhh!!! Don’t tell Nora!

New Year’s Resolutions 2012 Part I

Happy Knitterly New Year! Happy 2012!

Ahhhhh, a brand New Year! A chance to wipe the slate clean and start over. Time for reflection, soul searching, improving! Making “old things” new! Where does one begin?

I think before making resolutions it’s best to “take stock” of the year gone by. So here’s a look in the rear-view mirror. 2011 was a year of re-evaluating and re-building.

I have one of the BEST jobs in the world, as a “Fiber Artist” and a “Yarn Consultant.” I work with yarn every day (“knit every day,” as I like to say). I am in and out of something like 300 specialty yarn shops, coming into each shop and helping each shop owner spend their money wisely, helping them choose smartly… being surrounded in every shop by beautiful fibers! This job is full of “eye candy” to a fiber lover and designer like me!

Interacting with all the shop owners is a treat. Everyone has a unique perspective, their own way of serving their customers, and are all in love with fibers and knitting and creating!

2011 was a year for re-evaluating and re-building because the troubled economy has affected knitters, shop owners and yarn companies, and this has had an effect on my livelihood. But what does one do when the world hands you lemons???? That’s right… you make lemonade, and lots of it! I am my own person and am my own business woman, separate from my successful and brilliant husband. I am always looking for ways to improve and grow, and I have never hidden the fact that I am highly ambitious and that money motivates me.

So: time to re-evaluate and re-build. As a rep, my travel costs keep going up, so this downturn had to be addressed. Time to bring in some new lines. Enter Feza Yarns, MaggiKnits, Appalacian Baby Designs, Shaune Bauzner Shawl Pins! And, maybe more as time goes by! I am excited that these new lines (new to me!) mean that I have more to offer the shops that I service! A “win-win!”

So here is Resolution #1: Keep “eyes wide open” for good opportunities in the industry!

What about some more resolutions? ‘Tis the season for that! Time for reflecting, soul reaching, and improving! Again! ALWAYS! The resolutions I make have to be realistic. Everything that I do and set my mind to doing, I give it my ALL… 500%!

I spent the better part of 2011 designing and working on my 3rd little booklet of children’s patterns for Skacel. (Reminder: “Carnival Party” came out in 2010, and “Circus Minimus” in 2011.) It takes a good year or so, at least it does for me. I am almost at the end of this tunnel, seeing the light. A few more designs, (I have so many of them “in my head!”) and then I can submit the whole collection to Skacel. It is in my goal to literally “knock their socks off” with this new collection! We shall see… maybe I’ll post some “sneak peeks” here later!

So here is Resolution #2: Finish the next book! And here is a “sneak preview!”

Girl's Disco Swing Jacket

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That’s all for this post – “tune in” in a few days and I’ll post the rest!

Unisono Ruffle Scarf

Here is a cute little ruffled scarf I designed and knitted up using Zitron’s Unisono, available from Skacel.

Circus Minimus is Available!

My latest collection of designs is now available! Called “Circus Minimus,” it is a whimsical collection of five designs for boys, around a circus theme. All feature Zitron’s Polo yarn. Knitters: ask for it at your local yarn shop. Shop owners: contact your Skacel rep to order the book and the Polo yarn!

PURLGRL

Some new “bling” for my yarnmobile!