The Knitwit: Tales of Knitting, Traveling, and Family

I Have Not Forgotten!

2008-07-30T20:56:00.003-04:00

I know it has been a long time since I've shown my face around these parts, but I haven't forgotten. Let's just say life has got in the way. My best friend got married since I last wrote... but that is a post for another day.

Today, I just wanted to vent. Why can't we all speak the same language all over the world? I recently purchased the Sea View Lace Sampler from Knitpicks. The colors are everything that I am wrapped up into yarn and I couldn't resist it! I found the perfect pattern for all of this yarn. It looks similar to the Hemlock Ring Blanket that I made a few months ago. Isn't it gorgeous?

I've decided that the colors of the lace sampler combined with this jacket would be absolutely gorgeous! There is just one problem. This pattern is published in a book that is written in Danish. I don't speak or read danish. Not to mention that it would cost more than the price of the book to ship it to the United States. Sometimes, Ravelry has its cons. It is on Ravelry that I found this pattern. I fell in love immediately, but I won't be able to knit it because of the language barrier. Without Ravelry, I wouldn't know what I was missing. (Of course I wouldn't trade Ravelry for the world.)

If anyone knows of any similar patterns, PLEASE let me know!

So, I Almost Forgot

2008-05-13T18:43:00.003-04:00

Almost three weeks ago, the family and I traveled down to Maryland to see Ross and Natalie get married. It was a beautiful wedding and I'm soo glad that she is now a Nosal. On the way home, we stopped at flea markets and antique shops, soaking in the beauty of Maryland and Pennsylvania. There were SO many spinning wheels for sale in PA. If you are reading this, live in PA, and are looking for a spinning wheel, Lancaster and the area around it is fantastic for well-working, beautiful spinning wheels. I had no intention of buying as I had already bought a brand new spinning wheel a few months ago.

BUT....
When I saw this one, and read the price tag (I originally thought the decimal was misplaced), it was hard to walk away. After Dad measured the back of the explorer to make sure it would fit, I came home with this gorgeous Great wheel. What do you think? I bought her for $70.00 and she has all but one small part. She is nearly perfect condition! I haven't spun on her yet, but I plan to.

Our First Date

2008-03-30T22:25:00.005-04:00

My spinning wheel and I had our first date today. I packed her up in a Hefty XXL Ziploc Bag and we were on our way. (BTW, these bags are fantastic! They have handles and everything.) And if I must say so, I do believe it was a quite successful date! Briar Rose and I learned quite a bit. We are working together much more easily than before. We made these two mini skeins of yarn: The brown and white skein is corriedale wool. The solid brown skein is llama, from Mocha - the llama the shop is named after! I have decided I LOVE llama. (On a side note, one acre of land can support 3-4 llamas. That means we could have up to 12 llamas grazing our backyard! I'm working on convincing Mom and Dad, but have yet to be successful. Any suggestions!?)

Saturday night we had a little bit of an argument. I was attempting to finish spinning some roving that I already had started so that my bobbins would be free for class today. But Briar Rose was tired and would not cooperating. The yarn kept splitting and nothing seemed to be working. But with a little help of Mocha's Fiber Connection we are getting along much better. So much so that we went back to the roving that we were working on last night and re-plyed it. It came out wonderfully...... in my opinion.

She has gone to bed now... it was a long day for her. We can't wait to start spinning the roving I bought for the April Spin-Along on Ravelry. The theme is rain!

Happy Anniversary!

2008-03-18T21:52:00.003-04:00

My new spinning wheel (her name has been decided to be Briar Rose) and I have been together one month today. To celebrate, Dad and I made her a niddy noddy. We made it out of an old chair rung (the center piece) with some antique oil finish to bring out the wonderful detail. The end pieces Dad made for me based off of other niddy noddy's that we've seen. Briar Rose and I are getting along great. I've spun and plied one skein (seen on the niddy noddy before it was painted). I've started another soon-to-be skein for the March Spin-Along on Ravelry. I'll post pictures when I finish.

And the weekend after Easter, Briar Rose and I are taking a trip across the state for an all day spinning workshop. We are very excited!

It's Mine!

2008-02-19T18:57:00.006-05:00

Monday morning - bright and early - the family and I trekked up to WEBS to make my big purchase. I went there expecting to come home with an Ashford Traveler. I came home with something completely different. I purchased a Lendrum Original Double Treadle Folding Wheel.As soon as we were home I had the box unpacked and the wheel set up in five minutes. It's was so easy to put together. I have spun nearly a whole bobbins worth. My yarn is getting more consistent as I go along! Practice really does make perfect (although, I'm not quite at perfect yet). Even though it's not what I had imagined I'd be spinning on, I LOVE it! I really couldn't be happier.

We even made a friend while we were there.... or Dad made a friend. This is Freddy... the friendly neighborhood cat who happens to hang out at WEBS occasionally. Look at those eyes! Freddy spotted Dad sitting down and jumped right up into his lap, making himself at home with no problem. This cat was not shy! (The dogs were waiting for us in the car. Needless to say they were oblivious that Dad was two-timing them!)

P.S. Any suggestions for a name for Mr. Lendrum is greatly appreciated.... Should she be a boy or a girl? I can't seem to decide.

My Baby

2008-02-17T00:18:00.002-05:00

I can't quite pinpoint when it became my second obsession, but I decided I wanted to learn to spin. This way I can spin my own yarn and have yet another way to feed my addiction! In August I received a drop spindle and some roving in a secret pal swap. In September I took a lesson to learn how exactly drop spindling worked. Since then I've been saving up for a spinning wheel. In October at the NY Sheep and Wool festival I was able to try two spinning wheels: an Ashford Traditional... ...and an Ashford Traveler. I fell in love with the Traveler. I have finally saved enough money to purchase my own wheel. On Monday, the family and I are trekking up to Northampton to purchase my wheel at Webs - America's Yarn Store as they refer to themselves.

I am SO excited! Not only am I getting a spinning wheel, but I am going to WEBS, the supposedly best yarn shop ever. It's so big they have a warehouse attached to the store. Oh boy!

Now to dream of spinning wheels and sugar plum fairies.

It is Finished!

2008-02-06T22:21:00.001-05:00

Back in August I spotted the pattern for this gorgeous blanket. Right then I decided I would make it and it took everything in me to not go out and buy yarn for this project and cast-on immediately. I was able to convince myself to wait at least until Rhinebeck where I could purchase some unique yarn for the blanket. There I found 600 yards of a pretty vintage rose color. Then I convinced myself that I had too many projects going at once and to wait until you could get the Knitpicks.com Interchangeable needle set. I got the set for Christmas (much to my relief since I wasn't sure how much longer I could last without casting on).

December 26th I casted on. It took me just over one month to finish. The bind-off row took one full week. I blocked it tonight and I have to say, I LOVE it! It is just over 4 feet around - the perfect size for a lap blanket. I have already bought yarn for a second blanket in a chocolate brown. I would recommend this pattern to anyone -- especially to anyone who wants to learn how to knit lace (this was my first lace project) or who wants to knit a blanket, but isn't sure they can make it through a whole afghan (I have one too many blankets that were started and quickly abandoned for something quicker).

*More pictures on Ravelry.

An Update

2008-01-13T23:25:00.000-05:00

My updates have been rather sparse over the last few months. I don't have much of an excuse except to say that I have been especially addicted to knitting and once current project is finished I am already casting on for the next within an hour of casting off (if I am able to wait that long). And Ravelry has really helped with keeping me organized, reminding me which projects I've abandoned and what is currently on the needles and what of that long queue do I want to knit next.

My Christmas knitting, which was kept to a limit this year, was finished in time. (With the exception of the dinosaur that I attempted to knit Gavin - my 1 year old cousin - that went completely wrong!) The felted slippers were a hit with the girls and I made a calorimetry for my sister. The day after Christmas, after having received the Knitpicks Harmony needle set, I casted on for the Hemlock Ring Blanket which is coming along quickly and will hopefully be done soon! My blocking wires are being shipped to me this week. I have already purchased yarn for a second blanket.

To take short breaks from the blanket I had casted on for two short projects both of which are done. I made Leigh Radford's The Clutch You'll Never Give Up for Laurel to make up for the purse that I told her I would make her for her birthday and never did. This was about 2 years ago! I plan to embellish this clutch with some felted flowers.

Yesterday I casted on for an anthropologie-inspired shrug and finished it this evening. I love it, although I could have made it a smidge bigger. It was a very quick and easy knit!

On another note, I added a new link to my side bar. Poverty Hollow Primitives is the name of my parents business. They have been selling at craft shows over the years and have recently put together a website to sell their things online. Please check it out! They have some really great quality items.

Santa Must Love Knitters...

2008-01-06T00:23:00.000-05:00

Or perhaps Santa is a knitter himself? Either way, it can definitely be agreed on that Santa was good to the knitter inside me!

Thanks to Santa and his connection with Knitpicks I received the Harmony Interchangeable Circular Knitting Set. I had my eye on sets like this in previous years but they were all made using metal needles and I much prefer the wooden or bamboo needles. I was very much delighted when I heard knitpicks was coming out with this set, and even more excited when I got the set for Christmas! They have already been put to use (as you can see in the picture!

Santa must also have a weakness for spinners. In my stocking was not one, but two spindles made by the creative ButterflyGirl. I LOVE it! It is made using unakite stone as the whorl and oak for the shaft. They are wonderfully made and I totally recommend any of her spindles!

Laurel (no, she's not Santa) surprised me with an awesome set of felted stitch markers from Miss Jelby's shop on etsy. Aren't they fun?

BTW, if you haven't discovered the wonder that is Etsy.com you must go there immediately! Etsy is an online marketplace for buying & selling all things handmade. It's where I got a lot of Christmas presents - perhaps yours. It's where I got my Christmas cards. It's where my sister and my mom (I mean Santa) got Christmas presents for me. There is EVERYTHING on etsy! But be careful... it's addicting!

Merry Christmas

2007-12-25T13:26:00.000-05:00

Twelve Days of Christmas: The Knitting Version

Written by Laurel (who is not a knitter)
(For the sake of sanity I will only include the last verse)On the twelfth day of Christmas my sister gave to me:
12 Clover Stitch Counters
11 Skeins of Yarn
10 Needle Size ID Tags
9 Yarn Ball Winders
8 Point Protectors
7 Needle Cases
6 Sheep a Grazing
5 BAGS OF WOOL!
4 Knitting Books
3 Stitch Markers
2 Knitting Needles
And An Ashford Spinning Wheel!

Merry Christmas! May all your dreams come true!

Believe It Or Not

2007-12-11T23:07:00.000-05:00

It's the holiday season.

I feel like the Christmas season this year came out of nowhere. Last I knew it was a gorgeous 70 degree fall day in October. But they say time flies when you are having fun - so I must have been having fun somewhere in there.

I did manage to get nearly all of my Christmas shopping done and I sent out Christmas cards this weekend. (I bought someone else's homemade cards. She did a really nice job!

And tonight, the family and I built our first (I think) gingerbread house.* Even the puppies were enjoying the fun -- -- Or at least looking for some of the leftover candy that may have fallen on the floor.

Now, to wrap presents - this may take awhile...

*The glasses leaning against the roof are actually holding the roof up. It was still drying.

A Finished Object

2007-11-18T22:49:00.000-05:00

This weekend I began and finished a pair of fingerless mittens. They were really easy to make and really quick. I may even have enough yarn left for another pair!

Now, back to Christmas knitting for the little ones...

It's Official!

2007-11-16T22:30:00.000-05:00

Today I received this in the mail: I have officially been appointed by the Secretary of the State as a Notary Public! Now I just need to order my official seal and stamp.

In other news, I have been busy knitting, as usual, and have actually completed a few projects. I've done two of the three pairs of felted ballerina slippers which are being made for the three little girl cousins who are old enough to wear them (Madison, Bella, and Gabby). Sammy is still a little small, but she is going to get a cute little knit hat. I still have to figure out what I'm going to make for Gavin (who is just over 1 year old). Boys are definitely harder to shop/knit for - even when they are little.

I've also finished a scarf for Laurel. Currently, I'm still struggling through the sleeves of the eyelet cardigan. I've casted on for a pair of fingerless mittens (which due to this sudden cold weather, I'm hoping to get done fairly soon!), and I have a few planned projects in my mind that I am trying hard to not cast on - Hemlock Ring Blanket; Scarf for my new kelly green winter jacket - for until I get some more WIP (work in progress) to be FOs (finished object).

Trick or Treat!

2007-10-31T21:36:00.001-04:00

Happy Halloween

From Piglet (Isn't Sammy getting so big?!)....And Waldo (I won 5th place at work in the costume contest! There were only 10 people dressed up.)....

Rhinebeck Report - Picture Heavy Post

2007-10-24T22:24:00.000-04:00

After months of anticipation, the New York Sheep and Wool Festival finally arrived (358 days 'til next year - I think). This was my first year attending the festival and I was accompanied by two wonderful people - Mom and Joyce.

It was wonderful. As warned, it was a little overwhelming for me as a first timer. We got there at 9:00 on the dot and scored a pretty close parking spot at the 4H gate. We hit the bathroom first thing, but then went straight for the yarn.

I must admit though, I think the highlight of the trip, for me, was being able to try two spinning wheels: the Ashford Traditional and the Ashford Traveller. Here I am testing the traveler: Mom snapped this one without my even knowing it.

This was my first purchase - - a skein of "Out of the Dyepot" by a company called Reflections on Roclans.* The colorway caught my eye immediately, which is no surprise considering that greens and blues are what always seem to jump out at me. What was surprising was that everything else that caught my eye throughout the day wasn't in the blue-green family.

After my first purchase we went through the vendor barns with the look of a deer facing headlights. Everything was gorgeous. It was hard to pick out what was "extra-gorgeous"... if there is such a thing. For non-knitting items, I bought a two beautiful glass buttons which will, inevidently be used for felted clutch bags or purses of some sort. And a gorgeous hand-woven basket - to store my gorgeous yarns in.

For yarn purchases, I tried to look for things that I probably wouldn't find at my LYS. I think I was successful. I bought 500 yards of rayon silk in a gorgeous autumn colorway... 600 yards of a 100% wool hand-dyed yarn which I plan to make the Hemlock Ring Blanket with.

And being an aspiring spinner, I bought myself some beautiful fiber, which I will probably hold on to until I become better with my technique (and buy a spinning wheel. This is a lot of fiber to spin on a drop spindle!). First, a half pound of a gorgeous colorway:
It is the size of a nice travel pillow. The navy in it really caught my attention, although this picture doesn't show it off terribly well. And my last purchase: 4 oz. of a similar colorway called Melted Crayons: I can't wait to be an expert spinner!

Now, my trip to Rhinebeck would not have been complete without a little bit of Ravelry wiggled in there. I was able to retrieve my t-shirt that I had ordered from them a month or so ago. I was also given this awesome pin to sport wherever I go. If you are on Ravelry, come friend me!

*The pictures do not do the colors of these yarns justice!

Plan B

2007-10-17T22:30:00.000-04:00

I've been working hard to finish the eyelet cardigan in time for this weekend. But I keep hitting dead ends. I finished the fronts and the back of the cardigan, so I'm so close to the finish line, but the sleeves have been giving me a lot of trouble. I'm not really sure why.

So, unfortunately, I've decided to take the pressure off for this weekend and am setting the cardigan aside until after Rhinebeck. Instead, I will try to work on and finish the market bag so that I'll have something neat to carry all of my fun purchases in. At least with this project I will have the hour and a half car ride to work on it as well if I don't finish it by Friday night.

Obsessions

2007-10-15T22:48:00.000-04:00

I have quickly realized that my 32 hour work week is getting in the way of my knitting. Is there a way to be paid for one's obsessions?

The process of finishing the eyelet cardigan for this weekend is still in motion. I finished knitting the back of the sweater and casted on/knitted 2.5" on one of the sleeves. It is gonna be close, especially since I keep getting sidetracked with the idea of knitting one of these to carry all my treasures from the wool festival this weekend (mine would be in a pretty blueish-gray).

Speaking of getting sidetracked.... I have discovered a new addiction - spinning. Back in August I received a drop spindle from my wonderful Secret Pal. I took a spindle lesson and am getting the hang of it (and once I finish this sweater, I'll have more time to dedicate to it). Except now I have to feed that obsession, and that obsession is calling for a spinning wheel. I knew I wanted a spinning wheel even before I wanted a spindle, but for reasons like finances and availability, etc. the spindle arrived into my hands first.

I have been told that in order to find the perfect spinning wheel you need to try different ones out - which is ONE of the reasons why the NY sheep and wool festival will be so wonderful this weekend. However, I must admit that I have my eye on one of these:It is an Ashford Traditional Spinning Wheel. I think she is beautiful, and while I haven't spun on one like her yet, I am sure that we will have an instant bonding.

Wish me luck as we will probably have our first meeting this weekend, and first impressions are so important!

I really am alive

2007-10-09T22:48:00.001-04:00

I know, I know... it has been way too long since I last posted... but here is a quick little post to let you know I have not forgotten about blogging.

Rhinebeck, aka The New York Sheep and Wool Festival, is in less than two weeks (or 10 days!)... I have hopes of wearing the Eyelet Cardigan by Alison Williams that I have been working on for the festival. I have ten days left and I have the back of the cardigan to finish, a sleeve cap to finish, a sleeve to start and finish, and then I need to sew the pieces together and block it. (I have the two front sides of the cardigan complete.)

So, needless to say I will be knitting in my spare time... if I can pull myself away from my latest discovery/soon-to-be obsession - spinning. I have taken one 1-hour lesson to learn spin on a drop spindle. I have been practicing and feel like I am improving (I am window shopping for a spinning wheel at Rhinebeck. The obsession begins.) I've been turning this: into this: So needless to say, it has been hard to pull myself away from my obsessions to blog. I also have legitimate excuses, like not have a working computer for nearly two weeks.

Hopefully my next post will be sooner than later.

Secrets Are Wonderful!

2007-08-25T22:46:00.001-04:00

This summer I joined two yarn swaps. The first - Yarn in a Tea Cup - was a rather small swap, but rewarding nonetheless. The second swap I am participating in is through the website Ravelry.com and had a summer camp theme. Yesterday, I received my package from my secret pal. She is from California and sent me the greatest package ever! She must have done her research because the things she included in her package fit me to the "t"! I nominate her for "Best Swap Pal Ever!"

This picture includes everything she included in the package!And a few closeups: Everything in this picture is Non-Yarn Related: a few fruit drinks, so as to not suffer with Bug Juice, Trail Mix, Home-made soap, a moth-repellent sachet, and a note card from home. This picture is everything knitting related: two pairs of circular needles to make socks, sock yarn, and Sensational Knitted Socks by Charlene Schurch. And lastly, a spinning related picture. No, I don't know how to spin, but I've been wanting to learn and my pal included everything I will need to learn. A handspindle, some gorgeous roving, and Teach Yourself Visually: Handspinning.

I am so excited to dig my paws into everything that she gave me! Thank you so much!

The Family Reunion

2007-08-24T21:56:00.001-04:00

As usual, the family reunion was wonderful, despite the fact that it is in the Middle-of-nowhere, PA. It is the one time of year that the majority of us are together. There are quite a lot of us.

My dad is the youngest of six. Each of his siblings have 2-3 kids, and now some of them are having children. There are 42 of us (I think) plus Grandma and Grandpa - including husbands and wives. We are quite a group when all of us are together. This year there were about 25 of us -- -- still quite a crowd!

Bella, Gabby, Laurel, and I had a great time together. We played play dough together and Bella made me a beautiful necklace (which is the small green spot by my hand).

And this post wouldn't be complete without a new picture of the Samantha - the latest addition to our family. This picture was taken three weeks ago roughly, and even in that time she has gotten so much bigger!

Angels and Demons

2007-08-01T22:19:00.000-04:00

Demons (since the bad news should always come first)

Today I put my first copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows into the trash can. This wasn't because I hated the last book. I still have a copy of the seventh Harry Potter book, but my first copy - the copy that I stood hours in line waiting for the eve of its release - has been destroyed. The culprit? Miss Shelby Lynn.Mom and I were out to dinner - just the two of us, a rather rare occasion - when it was interrupted by a phone call from Dad. "Where are you? Well... you might want to pick up another copy of your Harry Potter book before you come home." So I bought another copy without knowing how bad the damage to the book was. The only thing I knew was that Dad is not one for spending money necessarily and so the fact that he was telling me I should get another copy was not a good sign. I came home to this: and this: The last 40 pages or so were torn to pieces and little chunks were missing from pages throughout the whole book. Needless to say, I kept my new copy by my side at all times until I finished it. It is now on my bookshelf - safe and sound.

Angels (so much cuter than demons)

Like I mentioned in my previous post, Samantha Grace got christened this past Sunday. She slept through the whole ceremony and most of her celebration picnic afterwards. But she was still as cute as ever!This coming weekend is the family reunion which means I get to spend 4 whole days with her and all the other cute little second cousins I have (and all the other favorite cousins, and aunts, and uncles, etc.). More pictures to come, of course!

Tea and Yarn

2007-07-28T23:01:00.000-04:00

Last week I received a package in the mail from my "Yarn in a Tea Cup" swap partner, Megan. It was a nice surprise. I tend to get so involved with the giving part of the swap that I often forget that I will also receive a gift. I loved the tea cup and the ball of yarn. I really have to get good at my sock knitting so I can put this sock yarn to good use! Thank you so much Megan!

Tomorrow, Miss Samantha is getting christened - so excited. Pictures will be posted, I promise. In the mean time, I am still working away on the blanket. Maybe it will be done in time for Christmas?

Next swap, Summer Camp Yarn Swap!

More Knitting Knews

2007-07-18T21:28:00.000-04:00

My knitting time has become more consistent in the past month or so. Although I've been back home for over six months now, I finally have (at least somewhat) figured out how to manage my time. Working 9-4:30 and then having the entire evening to myself is something college students do not understand and has definitely taken some getting used to on my end.

As a result finished objects are again becoming more frequent. Two weeks ago I finished the envelope clutch. Last week, I finished the first half of my pair of socks. This week I am finally back to working on the Hoover Blanket - although I am embarrassed at how little has been done on it.

And because I've been de-stashing my yarn collection by finishing projects, I have been awarding myself with purchasing yarn - thus continuing the never-ending cycle of a knitter's life. After my last sock class, I bought myself two skeins of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock yarn at a one-time only 25% off discount*. I have heard it called the Cadillac of sock yarns.

On Saturday, after a lovely day of blueberry picking, I bought three skeins of worsted weight 100% wool from the farm where we got the blueberries.I plan on using at least one of the skeins in the secret swap I have signed up for in the month of August. The shear the sheep there, and then send the wool away to be cleaned and dyed, where it is then returned to the farm so people like me can enjoy and purchase their yarn. I have some that I bought there last year which is currently a work in progress. When finished they will be felted bowls.

Lots of knitting ahead of me - as always.

Knitting Knews

2007-07-08T22:51:00.001-04:00

It seems like quite a while since I had a finished object... so here it is. It is called the Envelope Clutch (no, it isn't the pair of socks I had been working on). I started it on the plane ride to Seattle back in April and only got a few rows on it done. On the plane ride down to Orlando, after quickly getting frustrated with having to concentrate so hard on the Monkey socks (I am so not used to size 2 needles), I picked up the Envelope Clutch and finished it shortly after we got home on Friday. I felted it yesterday. Today I put the finishing touch on it by sewing on the button. I am in love with it already. I used one of the two skeins that my secret pal from the One Skein swap gave me last July. The button was given to me by my aunt to be used on a felted purse. I think it fits this one perfectly. (I have another button that the wonderful Holly gave me - and I have finally decided what felted purse I will make to fit that button!)

My knitting class was rescheduled for this Thursday! Yay, I will have a finished sock. Then I'll need to start (and finish) the second sock. I also need to get back to work on the Hoover Blanket. Samantha's baptism is in less than a month. I have about 6 inches completed so far. Think I can finish it for then?

Growing Pains

2007-07-08T00:47:00.000-04:00

I am back in good ol' Connecticut after a wonderful time in Disney World with the family. We had a lot of fun (even Dad!) and have been trying to rest in the last day and a half since we have been home. Disney World is not the type of vacation you take to revive yourself. Instead, you are most likely going to need a vacation after your vacation to the "Land of Happy Mice". I am so grateful that I have this weekend to recover before heading back to work on Monday.

Speaking of work.... although I have been working for this town full time (it was technically considered on-call part time) since January, as of July 1st I am finally considered a full time employee. And with full time employee status comes... my own insurance policy!!!!! It sounds silly, but this is one of the bigger steps towards "becoming an adult" and "being on my own".

Along with health insurance, I will also begin paying off my student loans this month - something I am not as excited about. But, like I said, it's all apart of growing up. Right?

P.S. Knitting news to come tomorrow. I have a FO and I got my assignment for my Yarn in a Tea Cup Swap. Plus, I think I just signed up for another yarn swap.

Good News Bad News

2007-06-28T23:54:00.000-04:00

First, the bad news. My last knitting class - the one that would have finished the toe - has been postponed. Currently, I have a one toe-less sock.

The good news is I still made it to the yarn shop today and bought myself some sock yarn!

The family is taking there first and probably last huge family vacation. We are going to Disney World! And I HAD to have something to knit on the plane, so I HAD to make a trip to the yarn shop to fill this need.

I started a swatch tonight in the Tofutsie yarn for the Monkey pattern. I am very excited, but for now I need to go to bed. Too many late nights admiring yarn on Ravelry.

Yarn in a Tea Cup

2007-06-24T22:16:00.000-04:00

I picked up two wonderful habits in the four years that I was away at school.

First, I learned how to knit (and now I am so addicted I can hardly put it down to sleep or eat or work, etc.)

Second, I learned of my love for tea. Granted the girls I lived with may have been a little bit more into the tea drinking than I was, I have learned what makes great tea. I've learned how great it is to sit down with someone over a cup of tea. I've learned that cinnamon graham crackers are the best side snack with my tea!

I have just found the best way to combine these two habits: a Yarn in a Tea Cup swap, hosted by Zoe. I learned about the swap through the greatest website ever: Ravelry (which is not currently open to the public although invitations are being sent out for beta testers. I STRONGLY recommend signing up for an invitation if you are longing for a way to organize your yarn and projects as well as find out what other people are making).

In this swap I have to send a tea cup and a ball of yarn to someone who I will soon be assigned. Someone else will be assigned to me and they will send me a ball of yarn and a tea cup. I did a yarn swap last year and loved it so I am very excited to be doing another one.

(Yarn in tea cup picture above is not the one I will be sending to my partner.)

Sock News: My first sock is almost done. I have my last knitting class on Thursday where we will learn how to finish the toe and then sock #1 will be done! Wahoo! I have done more knitting on it since the last picture posted, but it isn't enough to post a picture. Will post one when there is more to see.

It's True

2007-06-21T22:40:00.000-04:00

I've heard it said over and over again that once you learn to make socks you will never go back to buying socks from Target or Walmart or any other generic sock place. Although I haven't quite finished my first ever pair of hand-knit socks, I do believe I may be on this pathway to "homemade-only socks allowed".

Tonight I went to my first knitting class. My first home-made sock now looks like this:or for those who can't quite picture it yet... a picture of the sock on my foot.

I am very excited. I have about 1.5 - 2 inches left of homework to do before my next/last class. I think I will be casting on for the second sock of the pair before next Thursday. Granted, they are a little big (I think they will make great indoor winter I-want-to-mope-around-the-house socks)... but these were class socks, meant to learn the technique of Magic Loop which I hope I have conquered and will never have to touch DPNs again! Oh, the excitement.

AND... I've already picked out the pattern for my next pair of socks which will most likely accompany me on my plane ride to Disney World in nine days.

Roving to Yarn

2007-06-17T20:06:00.001-04:00

Happy Father's Day! To celebrate Father's Day, we, as a family, decided to do what Dad wanted to do. We went to the flea market. I think it may have been a more successful trip for me than for anyone else in the family.

I came across this wonderful treasure:A Remco Little Red Spinning WheelIt was a toy made in 1961 for girls (as the box suggests it would be great for). It was there in the original box (a rarity) with all the parts (another rarity).

It was one of the first things I saw at the flea market and about halfway through the huge market, I realized I had to have it.

In the meantime I've been working away at my sock. So far I have three inches and I need to knit another three and a half more inches before class again on Thursday. So far I'm loving it and cant wait to finish these socks so I can start another pair!

The Beethoven

2007-06-13T20:31:00.000-04:00

When we redid the attic so that it could become my bedroom, we had to take everything that was in this attic and put it in the storage area over the garage. This included many of my books from my when I was a kid, all the way up to anything current in my room that I wasn't going to need in the next few months.

With the discovery of librarything.com and the promise to make my room sparkling clean, I convinced Dad to bring down one of the boxes of my books so I could go through them and bring some of my favorites into my room on the new bookshelves. While going through these books I found another one of my books from when I was an author in elementary school. I am here to share it with you.

The Beethoven
by Aileen Nosal

About one year ago, I, Karen, a brown haired girl, was practicing my worst instrument. I did not like to waste my time on things I did not want to do. i had hazel eyes and was four and a half feet tall. At that time I was ten and in fourth grade.

Then my mom walked in, and she heard just enough to know what was going on with me.
I was at my house sitting on my brown piano stool letting the awful noise just ring into my ears. As I hit the pedal, the noise got louder and worse. I was terrible. All I really did was press the pedal and the keys. My hands were slipping off the keys because they were sweaty. It was if I were the worst player. Never would I become like Beethoven... never!

When my mom walked into the living room she said, "That's not true. I know that you just have to practice." I thought that I was the worst pianist in the world.My mom knows everything. She is very pretty. She is young. Her brown hair waves in the wind when she drives her beautiful red convertible. Her green eyes shine so beautifully. Not only is she pretty, but she is very nice. She takes my friends and me to the pool in the summer. She also trusts me enough to go to the mall with twenty dollars. Maybe she thinks I'll buy her something.At my recital, Patsy, my piano teacher, an English lady, thought that the recital was going to be the worst ever. Luckily, I practiced piano so much I was the best player in the recital

Even though I never practiced automatically, my mom made me. It took many hours to get me to practice. It could be a fight or a bribe. Many fights were yelling or screaming. The bribes had lots of candy or a toy bribe.After my recital my mom bought me a large banana sundae. When my family and I got home, we got a phone call from the mayor asking me to play for the town. After I was asked to play for the town, I got asked by the governor of the state to play. Then I was asked by the president of the United States to play and the entire world.

I became famous before I was even 12. I was happy with everything I had.

The End

*I wonder what people would say if my writing from when I was a kid was ever analyzed. No volunteers please!*

Abracadabra!

2007-06-12T21:04:00.000-04:00

Laaaadies and Gentlemeeeen.... I am here to present to you the Magic Loop! Never before have I tackled the task of knitting socks and I am here to blog the entire journey for you! *

My first knitting class ever, which will teach me how to teach my first pair of socks ever, begins on Thursday evening. Tonight I wound the balls of yarn... ... and practiced a little bit from the directions we've been given.

I signed up for the class for a few reasons:

1. I have taught myself most of what I know about knitting (with the assistance of some very special people who know who they are!) and now its time to learn in a group setting.

2. I want to meet some new knitters. While I was up at school it came to the point where all my girls were also knitting... and I miss that. It isn't as much fun (although the fun is still there) to knit by yourself.

I must admit I am a little nervous though. I am not used to going events not knowing someone there already. I am also guessing I will be one of (if not the) youngest person in the class and I hate feeling out of place.

But I am excited nonetheless.

*The rather unusual beginning to this blog is a result of what I've been currently reading, Water for Elephants. I am just over half-way through and I definitely recommend it.

The Doctor's Say I'm Normal

2007-06-11T21:58:00.000-04:00

After further investigation I'm sure that the doctors would find that I'm not as normal as my blood tests may say I am, however in regards to my back pain my body tells the doctors that I am just fine.

A week and a half after I was in the ER and just over two weeks since the pain started I am pain free. The doctors never figured out what exactly was wrong except to say that it was only a virus. (I don't understand how something that painful could have been just a virus.) In the end I had two different blood tests, the cat scan at the ER, and an x-ray of my chest. Everything came back normal, which is good. And yet, at the same time, we never quite figured out what was wrong.

I wanted to let you all know that I was doing okay. It has been awhile since I left you with the post of the ER and that was the last you knew. Those two weeks had me worn out at the end of each day and even still I feel as though I am catching up on my rest. And honestly, the last thing on my mind was a blog entry.

Thank you for all of your thoughts. It means a lot.

There is lots to catch up on, but that will be saved for another post. A report on Relay for Life, knitting, and life in general to come...

How I Spent My Wednesday PM and Thursday AM

2007-05-31T11:03:00.000-04:00

These past few days have been a blur. On Sunday morning I woke up for church with an awful, horrible, unbearable headache. When I stood up the pain went down my spine to my lower back with sharp pains extending out across my back. I spent most of the day laying down and taking ibuprofen, hoping the pain would go away.

It didn't and on Monday - Memorial Day - the pain was still there. We called the doctor and he instructed that I continue what I was doing and on Tuesday go get blood work done.

Tuesday, I called out of work, and continued laying in bed only to get up and go to get blood taken. This was just to see if I had Lyme. (I did sneak off to the yarn shop because I was feeling a little better and of course yarn always makes one feel better. By the time I got back I had worn myself out).

Wednesday I went to work. I was sick of laying in bed all day and since I would only be sitting at a desk all day I figured I would be okay, although the pain was still there. I was okay until about 3:00 or so when I finally got the nerve to ask if it would be okay if I left early. I came home in tears over the pain I was in and was frustrated that the doctors weren't being more active about returning my phone calls and tending to my pain. By 8:00 last night the doctor had called me back and when I told him about the awful headaches he told me to come into the office immediately. Mom and I went, only to find that our night was not nearly over. Since I had described to the doctor how horrible my headaches were (and since I don't get headaches terribly often), he wanted me to get a brain scan to rule out the possibility that I might have an aneurysm and the only place that I could get one right then was the emergency room. We checked into the ER at around 9:30 and I was finally brought out of the waiting room and into a room where the doctor could see me at 11:00. It doesn't sound too bad, but that hour and a half took forever! (Let me be the one to tell you, the people who walk through the doors of the emergency room between 9:00-11:00 are quite an interesting crowd.) By 1:00 AM I was finally being taken into the Cat scan room. It looked like this: I had had an MRI done before so I wasn't too concerned about this, and it wasn't all that bad. The next thing that the doctor at the hospital said we would need to do pending the results of the Cat scan would be a lumbar puncture - where they would have to take spinal fluid from me so as to do a more precise examination to rule out the aneurysm. Fortunately, the results from the cat scan came back perfectly normal and the doctor found no need to do the lumbar puncture. I was discharged from the hospital a short while late and after a quick stop at McDonald's (Thank God they are open 24 hours) we finally got home at 2:30 in the morning. I went straight to bed. Last night feels so surreal, like I was on the cast of Grey's Anatomy, like it didn't really happen.

I do, however, have the bracelet with my name on it to prove it.

(I still don't know why I have the pain in my back and head, but at least we know its not an aneurysm.)

One Giant Step for ME

2007-05-29T19:45:00.000-04:00

Since I started knitting I have wanted to sign up for a knitting class. I wanted to be around other knitters and I wanted to be able to learn something that I was having trouble teaching myself. I've had obstacle after obstacle keeping me from signing up. Whether it be financial issues, inconvenient dates, or lack of transportation I have been kept from signing up for a class.

Today I finally signed up. I will be learning how to knit socks on one circular needle. It's a technique called the Magic Loop. I will also be learning, well, how to knit a sock as I have yet to conquer that task. I will learn to turn a heal and how to sew up the tip of the toe. I will tell you more as I learn more. The first class is June 14th.

And if all goes well, everyone can expect socks for Christmas!

Relay For Life

2007-05-21T21:26:00.000-04:00

When I was two years old I lost my grandfather to colon cancer. I do not remember this time very well - after all I was only two. But over the last twenty years since his death I have been told so many stories that I feel like I really know who he was.

He flew for Eastern Airlines after serving in WWII. Grandma always tells me how he was the greatest pilot ever, being able to land a plane so smoothly that even the co-pilot wasn't sure when exactly the plane hit the ground. Each time I fly I find myself comparing the pilot flying the plane I am on to how I think my grandfather would have flown the plane.

When I think of my grandfather I also picture him like I see him in this picture - totally and completely content: On June 9-10 my family and I are going to be walking to find a cure for cancer at our local Relay for Life."Relay is a time to celebrate those who have battled cancer, remember those lost and get inspired to fight back."

If you are able and would like to, any donations to help me raise money to fight cancer is appreciated. You can make any donations at this link. Cancer is something that has made its way into each of our lives whether directly or indirectly. We have seen many fight it and many who have lost the battle. It has become a horrible epidemic that needs to be cured and we should do the best we can to get rid of this awful disease.

There is Never a Dull Moment

2007-05-20T21:32:00.000-04:00

Wednesday night Connecticut a level one tornado decided to make its way through my part of Connecticut. We lost power for 27 hours. We were actually pretty lucky compared to some people in the area. However, it did make for a slightly more complicated Commencement Weekend. This past weekend I officially graduated from college. And it was definitely not uneventful! We lost power Wednesday evening and we scheduled to leave for Gordon Thursday afternoon. We didn't get power back until 7:00 Thursday night so this meant that packing was done in the dark Wednesday night and Dad had to go to Grandma's house Thursday morning to do the last minute laundry that didn't get done because of the power outage. We left the house close to schedule and headed up to Gordon only to turn around five minutes later because Mom forgot the tickets. "Good thing it wasn't anything more important that we almost forgot." We arrived at the hotel and began unpacking the car. "Um, Dad, Where is my dress bag?" (The dress bag that I had packed my Baccalaureate dress, my Commencement dress, and my gown in). "I only packed the one bag." "Haha, very funny." He unfortunately wasn't joking. I had left my dress bag hanging behind my bedroom door. After thinking that we may have to drive 3 hours back home, the wonderful roommate Meg was able to find me a spare gown. (Target and Kohls provided new dresses for me for the two services.)

After the craziness of forgetting my graduation apparel calmed down the graduation weekend began. I won't bore you with the details, but it consisted of all the normal graduation events.
Friday: Senior Breakfast
Class Photo
Rehearsal
Baccalaureate Service
Saturday: Commencement (with the wonderful speaker Lauren Winner)Lunch with the Family
It was cold and rainy, but it feels wonderful to be officially finished.

Good Things Come in Small Packages!

2007-05-10T22:44:00.000-04:00

And by small packages I mean 21 inches long, 6 lbs. 1 oz!Samantha Grace arrived yesterday, May 9th, at 7:29 pm. We went to the hospital this evening to get a glimpse of the sweet little thing, and let me tell ya... she is ADORABLE! Alex (the Mommy) is doing wonderful. This is her first little baby and she is already a natural. Daddy Chris is doing well too.

Cutest little infant in the whole wide world! She will definitely look good in purple.

The Beginning of the End

2007-05-08T21:16:00.000-04:00

Although I've been living back at home for nearly five months now, senior year is beginning to come to an end. Commencement is eleven days away - oh my!

This past weekend I went up to school to celebrate with my graduating class at our Senior Formal. It was a last minute decision, but a wonderful decision nonetheless. It was a weekend of reuniting and of Meglet. I wore my sister's prom dress and we were both the hottest girls there (no offense to anyone reading this who was there)!The food was wonderful - especially the dessert! And we danced ALL night! My feet were so sore Meg had to carry me back to the dorm (not really true, but it sure woulda been a sight to see!) Wahoo Class of 2007!

P.S. The baby that I knit this sweater for is due on Friday which means I will soon have adorable baby pictures to show you. Plus, Bella and Gabby are visiting. It will be a whole cute baby post!

Home of the 1962 World's Fair

2007-05-07T22:19:00.000-04:00

Things have been completely nuts around here lately which is why it has taken me nearly two weeks to report back on my journey to Seattle, WA.

First, let me start by saying it was absolutely AMAZING! and if you ever get the chance to go there yourself - definitely go. (This is what I say about most places I've been to. Travelling is a good thing!)

My first full day there, Saturday, was dedicated to shopping. We went to the University District where I bought an amazing pair of shoes and where Holly bought a sweatshirt cardigan in an amazing magenta color. We had lunch at Thai Tom (apparently the best thai food around). Then we ventured down to Pike's Place Market - where I bought lots of crafty stuff.

Saturday evening was spent getting to know her house mates. The boys made us a delicious dinner. I've decided that they are all wonderful people.

Sunday was the RUFUS CONCERT - and just like the last time, he was absolutely wonderful. WONDERFUL! Never ever turn down an opportunity to see him in concert.

Monday was our Sight-seeing day. We went to the Space Needle - awesome. And we had a wonderfully clear day with fantastic blue skies.

We went to the Public Library - AMAZING! There were lots of bright colors. The escalators were neon yellow. And of course... lots and lots of books. Big books, little books. Books for people who knew everything and books for learning people. It is 11 floors of library. How wonderful?!

Holly and I had a grand ol' time together. We went to Seattle's Best Coffee. We had some really good food. And lots of quality time together. We were happy. There were flowers. TONS OF FLOWERS! It wasn't the east coast, (Holly and I discussed the differences) but I fell in love. I miss it (and you Holly!)

The New Addition

2007-04-27T21:49:00.000-04:00

Dumb Dell passed away two and a half weeks ago when she suddenly decided that after her short term of employment (3 years 10 months), she no longer wanted to work for me and made it so her screen went black five minutes after being turned on. Purl and I took her to the "hospital" where I was then told that Dumb Dell was not even worth repairing.

So there is a new addition to the Nosal family - one that was quickly welcomed and adopted. Purl and I are happy to welcome Mr. Mac* into our lives. We are still getting used to him. We haven't quite become used to the fact that I have to drag things (my ipod, my camera, etc.) into the trash can in order to properly eject them from my computer. But we are happy that Mr. Mac has rescued us from the unethical world of Dell.

*The name Mr. Mac is not permanent (as of yet)... other suggestions welcome.
**More on the AMAZING trip to SEATTLE to come...

Passover

2007-04-05T22:36:00.000-04:00

Tonight is the fourth night of passover. Tonight I had a wonderful refresher of my trip to Israel. Tonight my church held a Seder. A Seder can best be described as a Jewish ritual to remember the enslavement and exodus of the Israelites from Egypt. When I went to church a few weeks ago I noticed in the bulletin that the church was going to be having a Seder but all tickets had been sold and the waiting list was also full. I hadn't realized that there was going to be a Seder, otherwise I would have been the first in line to get my tickets. So I figured I would ask my mom to ask around to her church friends and see if they knew of anyone who had an extra ticket or two. No more than two days later I had three tickets. I was so excited that I was going to be able to attend.

Sister, Grandma, and I attended. It was the neatest way to spend Holy Thursday. If you ever get the chance to attend a Seder don't hesitate to go!

Good things come in small packages

2007-03-23T22:36:00.000-04:00

After mentioning that the completion of the baby sweater was nearly done, I realized I never had written about my new project. When I had gone into the yarn shop last week to buy the extra skein of yarn for the blanket I couldn't leave without buying a skein for a beautiful baby sweater that they had on display. It turns out after talking to my new yarn shop friend that I already admired the pattern in the One Skein book that I had at home - the Baby Bolero. I bought the skein for the sweater feeling that I needed something to work on in between the long rows of the blanket. Turns out I got really addicted to the sweater and only knit a few more rows on the blanket.

One week after purchasing the yarn for the baby sweater I have finished it. It came out really cute and I will definitely knit it again - maybe for myself if I can figure out how exactly to increase the size. It felt good to see a completed project.

Now I just need to focus on the blanket. If I knit an inch a day I could finish it by the day of the shower. Think I can do it?

Leaving on a Jet Plane

2007-03-21T22:18:00.000-04:00

Let me be the first to announce to you that in less than a month I will:

1) Be traveling on a plane by myself.

2) Going the furthest across country that I have ever been. I was born in Illinois and once flew to Texas.
3) Seeing Rufus Wainwright in concert (who also happens to be releasing his latest CD in MAY!)

4) In the same city where the oh-so-wonderful Grey's Anatomy takes place

5) Visiting Miss Holly and the rest of the Mennonite Gang:

6) IN SEATTLE!!!!

I bought my ticket this evening.

P.S. For those who are curious, I am nearly done with the baby sweater and still slugging away at the blanket. The baby shower is April 15th. The sweater will be done. I'm not so sure about the blanket.. but I have til May til the baby is due (just don't be early!).

2007-03-19T19:17:00.000-04:00

A few days ago I went to my local yarn shop to pick up an extra skein for the baby blanket I am making for my soon-to-arrive second cousin - another baby girl. (The yarn shop has become what the library has always been to me - a relaxing soothing place of refuge from anything I want to escape.) This yarn shop has been at this location since just shortly after I became a knitter myself and I have made it the primary place that I shop for yarn. I know where they keep their sock yarn and the wool yarn. I know where the baby yarns are and any little gadgets that you might want for knitting. This places - as silly as it sounds - is like a second home. I love this place.

Which is exactly why I avoid it as much as I can. I could spend HOURS in this place. I could spend millions of dollars if I had it (see previous post) just on yarn and needles and stitch markers. But I had to go to get this one skein of yarn so that the baby blanket would be finished the way its supposed to*.

When I walked into the store I was greeted just like always and when I saw that it was the one employee who always seems so interested in helping me I stopped to chat a little with her - just small talk. It caught me off guard when she told me that she had recently been thinking about me and asked how the baby blanket was coming along. She had helped my mom and I pick out the colors for the blanket and commented on how adventurous she thought I was for doing this blanket.

I had a friend at the yarn shop and I didn't even know it.

*It is no where near being done at this moment. I have knit five inches of a blanket that should be 33" when it is finished! Wish me luck. (The baby isn't due until May)

Ten Things I've Learned Since Graduation

2007-03-12T21:30:00.000-04:00

10. I would much rather be a full time student than a full time employee (although learning to tile a floor and plow snow is exciting).

9. For some reason I need more sleep than I did when I was a full time student (but I also don’t have time for naps now).

8. It is okay to stay home and knit while listening to Rufus Wainwright.

7. You can't read and knit at the same time. (And if you devote some time to one, you forget about the other).

6. Money is the devil.

5. Thirty dollars doesn’t go as far as it used to.

4. Pursuing your goals is not as easy as they make it out to be.

3. Making new friends is not easy.

2. Keeping in touch with old friends is essential to survival.

1. After living on "your own" for 3 1/2 years, going back to your parents' home is not as easy as you thought it was going to be.

I'm ashamed

2007-02-24T23:07:00.000-05:00

I need to update.

On a daily basis I think about how I need to update. I think of ideas for what I could tell all of you loyal readers about (at least I think I have loyal readers - maybe not). I think of brilliant ideas. And then...

I come and sit at my computer at night when I actually have the time to update and my mind is blank and I have a terrible time trying to recall what I had brainstormed earlier. I think I'm getting old.

I need to carry around a little notebook with me at all times so I can write down those brilliant ideas.

I'll have a grand ol' post soon filled with pictures and links and all sorts of good stuff soon enough (if I can think of something)- until then...

Going to the Chapel

2007-02-11T18:52:00.000-05:00

I've had a few requests to see photos of Kelly and Rafe's wedding... so here they are!

Let me start by saying it was probably one of the best weddings I've been to so far and I have never been so happy to see a couple get married. They were both ear-to-ear grins the entire night and couldn't be happier to have all their friends and family gathered in one place. The decorations were beautiful. The food was delicious. The music was hoppin'.

Kelly was stunning (as was Rafe)!

Sarah and I were so glad to be there.

There was lots of kissing. We made sure of that. And of course... lots of dancing by everyone - although I must say the guy to girl ratio was slightly off.

One Time, at band camp...

2007-02-02T23:44:00.000-05:00

I have a confession to make... actually, a couple of confessions.

1. I was (am) a band geek. I started playing the flute in the fifth grade. When I entered high school I joined the marching band in addition to regular ol' concert band. My junior year of high school I became the queen of band geeks as one of the drum majors* of the band where I reigned for 2 years.

It was a little disappointing when I decided to go to Gordon for college because they didn't have a marching band, but I was definitely going to be involved in the concert band there. I continued to enjoy playing my flute, but I really missed marching band (shh...I already warned you I was a geek). I missed it so much that when I was walking down into Quincy Market one night while in Boston, I heard a marching band and started running towards the music leaving the people I was with in the dust. (Even now my heart palpitates a little bit whenever I hear those horns and drums blaring -- on my CD player.)

2. I haven't played my flute in nearly two years. My junior year of college I needed to take a course that was during the scheduled time for band rehearsal. I didn't pick up band (or my flute) again after that. I didn't mean to stop playing, it just sort of happened.

Today at work we were listening to classical music and there was a piece playing that featured the flute. And suddenly I realized how much I really missed playing my flute (even in Kindergarten I had dreams of one day playing the flute).

My flute is currently sitting in my closet, but I think I'm gonna dust it off and get it all tuned up. Maybe I could start taking lessons again. Or perhaps I could join the local community orchestra. When I was in high school I had always told people I didn't want to stop playing, that somehow I would keep it up. All I know is I need to start playing again!

* Contrary to popular belief, being a drum major does not mean I was majoring in drum.

Happy Blogiversary!

2007-01-26T21:46:00.000-05:00

As of today I have been blogging for one year! I'm no yarn harlot... but I love updating - for myself and for you. This has become a record of my knitting projects and the going-ons of my life. It has become a way of staying in touch with friends who are no longer near by to catch up with.

You have seen me stress through the Yarn Harlot's crazy idea of the Knitting Olympics. You have seen me anticipate my trip to Israel and then my excitement as I shared a few stories of my experiences there. From get together with friends and family to weddings, I feel as if I have shared it all. You have even seen my knitting projects (hopefully I didn't bore you too much!).

Here's to another year - with hopefully a little more excitement.

It's been too long!

2007-01-22T19:27:00.000-05:00

It has been almost a full month since I last updated and in the last month or so I've gone through a few big changes.

1) I've finished my undergrad school work.
2) I've moved back home.
3) I've started back up working a full time job.

And while these three things are done nearly everyday by everyone, it makes for quite an adjustment. I am out of college and for the first time I feel like I'm being thrown into the "real world."

I've been knitting and reading and working on getting involved in the community. We got our first snowfall of the season a few days ago. It is a miracle we made it this long without snow. (Meanwhile, my favorite Carolyn is buried in Colorado!)

Pictures of the felted mittens to come...

New Beginnings

2006-12-28T01:06:00.000-05:00

This New Year's Eve will be one different from all of the others that I have celebrated. This year, New Year's Eve will be a dual holiday. Not only will I be celebrating the start of a new year, but I will also be celebrating the start of a new marriage - Kelly and Rafe's!Kelly transfered to Gordon and was lucky enough (I think) to be put into the open spot in my apartment. We fell in love with her immediately (it helped that she liked to knit - wink). I like to think she fell in love with us too. She took us with her to look for her bridal dress. She let us help her put together her invitations (she designed them and made them herself!). And she was kind enough to invite us to her wedding. Sarah and I are going. We seem to be wedding buddies. And this time... we get to stay in a hotel!

We are so excited - for the wedding part. I am so excited that I got out of bed to write this post because it was all that was on my mind. They are perfect for each other. Best wishes to both of you!

Those were the days...

2006-12-23T23:27:00.000-05:00

Did I ever tell you that I was/am an author? Well... not a NY Times best seller author, but once in the 3rd grade I wrote a book and illustrated the book myself. Here it is for your enjoyment! (I knew my creative juices were somewhere -- apparently I left them in the third grade!)

Dinosaurs in Disneyland

by Aileen Nosal

Chapter 1: The Family

Once there was a girl named Laurie and her family. Laurie loved history. One day h er father was reading the newspaper. He told his family that there was an article that told about dinosaurs in Disneyland. So, Laurie's mom and dad made reservations at the Florida Hotel. They decided to go the following summer.

Chapter 2: The Trip

It seemed like forever, but the time came and they were ready to pack. They got in their car and started for the airport. In a half an hour they were at the airport. They bought some candy and loaded on the airplane.

Laurie wondered and wondered what would be in Disneyland, for she had never been there. Soon they were at the airport in Florida. It was nice and hot there. They rented a convertible and drove it to their hotel.

Chapter 3: The Drive

When they checked into their room, they unpacked and went for a swim. After their swim they changed and went for a drive around to see the sights. It had been a long day, so they drove back to the hotel and got into their pajamas and went to bed so they could be rested for the next day.

Chapter 4: Grrrrrrrrr!

The next day they got up at 8:00. They got dressed, ate breakfast and drove to Disneyland. Laurie was very excited and could not wait until they g ot there to see the dinosaurs. When they got there, they heard a loud noise. It went Grrrrrrrrrr! Laurie ran ahead of her parents because she could not wait to see the dinosaurs. She thought the dinosaurs were calling for her.

Chapter 5: The Dinosaurs

When she got to the dinosaur area, she made friends with a Triceratops. The Triceratops looked very sad at Laurie, for he wanted to be free. Laurie understood and said to the Triceratops that she would let him free before the end of the day.

Chapter 6: The Rescue

The end of the day came and Laurie and her parents worked in the night to free the Triceratops. Whey they freed him, all the other dinosaurs followed so they too could be free.

Chapter 7: Going Home

A newspaper reporter took a picture of Laurie and her family because she freed the dinosaurs. Laurie and her family went home on the airplane feeling good about what they had done.

The End!

Blessings and Sheep...

2006-12-13T01:08:00.000-05:00

I think with my last set of exams quicly approaching, I have finally reached insanity. I rewrote the words of Bing Crosby's Count Your Blessings (sung in the wonderful Christmas movie White Christmas) to appeal to the knitting audience. I told you I had gone crazy. So, here they are for your reading pleasure:

When its Christmas and I can’t sleep
I count my Knitting instead of UFOs*
And I fall asleep counting my knitting
When my yarn stash is getting small
I think of when I had none at all
And I fall asleep counting my knitting

I think about a yarn shop and I picture wool and silk.
And one by one I count them, as the cashier rings me up
If you’re worried and you can’t sleep
Just count your knitting instead of UFOs
And you’ll fall asleep counting your knitting

I think about a yarn shop and I picture wool and silk.
And one by one I count them, as the cashier rings me up
If you’re worried and you can’t sleep
Just count your knitting instead of UFOs
And you’ll fall asleep counting your knitting!

*For any non-knitters reading this blog, UFO stands for UnFinished Object.

Thanks goes to Linda for her inspiration in rewriting this song! Now, I am off to bed!

Fourteen Days of Christmas - Or Something!

2006-12-11T20:10:00.000-05:00

So, I have THREE more days of classes, THREE days of finals, and then I'll be back home in Connecticut. I am going to live at home and work a full time job and knit and read for fun a lot! I am going to relax and enjoy the fact that I don't have any school work today. I am going to apply to grad schools with no real urgency. I am going to just enjoy having very little of importance to do.

There are FOURTEEN days until Christmas. Yesterday my apartment made Christmas cookies.

We made THREE different kinds of cookies - Gingerbread cookies, Sugar cookies, and Peanut Blossoms (my favorite!). Juan and I slaved away at making our Peanut Blossoms... and we watched the Gingerbread people cook. They were yummy!

P.S. I just finished the last bit of things I had to do for my calc class and am a little bit relieved to be free of numbers!

A Short One

2006-12-04T23:35:00.000-05:00

This entry will be a short one, but since I know that a lot of you are sitting on your seats in suspense wondering how the mittens are going, I will update you.

Mitten #1 is complete - well, except for the felting part.

Now I just have to start the next one. It shouldn't be hard, just have to actually do it! And then... I'll have a whole mitten, hat, scarf set all made by me!

In other great news, I got an unexpected phone call from the wonderful Carolyn. It made my night! I miss her dearly and crave the day that I will see her next. I also miss Meg. She is in Scotland. She will be taking my room next semester when I graduate. Aren't they the two most adorable faces in the whole entire world?! You would miss them too!

The End - told you this was a short one!*

*The semester is finishing up, I just picked up a new job and I need to move out of this place in 17 days. Things are crazy!

The End is Near

2006-11-29T22:10:00.000-05:00

I ate turkey and apple pie. I saw family. Thanksgiving break is over. I am now back at school (and have been since Sunday night) for three more weeks and then I am done with my undergrad education.

Still left to do?
* 3 exams
* A group project (I hate group projects)
* 1 paper (but a long one on a not so interesting topic)
* Go to Student Financial Services and go through an "official withdrawal process"
* Make my library fines go away
* Finish felted mittens that I have been fairly successful with thus far (I started them on Monday)Already finished?
*Way too many exams to count
*Way to many papers to count (and I don't really care to remember them all)
* Commencement Information Form in which I supplied the Registrar's office with my height so that they can order me a gown for commencement and with my new permanent address so they can send me my diploma!

* My hat! - and I love it* The cool scarf... isn't it cool?* * * *

And just so I don't bore you with too many pictures of my knitting (is that possible?)...here are some pictures of my adorable 2nd cousins. The littlest one is Gavin. He is about a month old and very VERY adorable. The other two cute ones are Madison (Gavin's older sister) and Bella (Madison's cousin - that you've already heard a lot about). They love taking pictures. And they definately knew how a digital camera worked - asking me to see the picture each time I took one.

Wait til they hear onfce upon a time, a long LONG time ago... you had to wait til you took 24 pictures before you could see the pictures you took - and even worse, you had to pay money to see them!

A Yarn and Needle Day

2006-11-24T22:37:00.000-05:00

The Yarn Part

Today was a yarn day. This means that my local yarn store was having their holiday sale - 25% off all yarns and 35% off certain bagged yarns. I was rather excited and dragged my entire family there. I made some good purchases for some fun projects despite having more than enough on my plate for knitting. I bought this fun yarn to make this fun scarf that I couldn't resist starting already. It won't keep me warm, but its fun! I also bought these two skeins of yarn to make myself some felted mittens. The orange will be the cuff of the mitten and the brown will be the body of the mitten. These will be warm! I also finished the scarf for Jess... ...but depending on when I see her next will depend on when she gets it - in the mean time I might wear it!

I was also given a pretty neat gift from a friend of my grandmother's. She used to knit, but then became busy with being a mother and other things and life and by the time she got back around to being able to do some knitting she had athritis in her hands and knitting was too painful. So I was given one of her UFOs to finish. It has probably been close to thirty years since this UFO has last been worked on - perhaps even more. I feel special to have been given this special gift. I am afraid to touch it for fear that it will fall apart. The work on the sweater is amazing. It is a cardigan for a young child. The bottom has a border of carrots. And it looks as if where she left on is the start of another row of carrots. According to the pattern, I think there are supposed to be two bunny rabbits on the top front of the sweater when the cardigan is finished. Perhaps after exams I can take a look at this project. I think the neatest part of this whole gift are the old wooden needles (size 5) and the two small stitch holders.

The Needle Part (aka Pine Needles)

After my family and I finished at the yarn store (I wasn't the only one who bought something. Mom bought some yarn so that I could make her a hat), we started on the long (and what seems like the never-ending) journey of finding a Christmas tree.

Every year it starts out the same. Every year we try to be a sweet, loving, traditional family and so we head out to a local tree farm to cut down our own Christmas tree. We trample through the woods, tripping over rocks and sticks, wandering off the path, and leaving frustrated at the "too fat" or "too sparse" or "too crooked" trees.

We drive around a little bit longer wandering to local nurseries in hopes of finding a already cut tree - a tree that has already been selected by a "professional" to make some family happy. You aren't having to go through the stress of having to cut the tree, but you are still getting a little bit of the nature feeling to buying your Christmas tree. We go to a couple places like this. Some years we find our tree here, most years we don't.

Eventually we end up at Home Depot, or Stew Leonards, or Lowes. This year it was Lowes. It was 5:00 at night and we had been searching for a tree nearly all day. Our patience was being tested (on each other) and we were ready to be done with this search. During this part of the process Mom really starts pressing how wonderful it would be to get an artificial tree. This cues Laurel who then goes into this whole rant on how having a fake Christmas tree isn't very Christmasy and that maybe after she moves out they can get an artificial tree (the catch here is that she doesn't plan on moving out or at least not anytime soon!). Eventually Laurel wins out and we get a real Christmas tree. This year, it happened to be the first one we saw after arriving at Lowes. I told you are patience was running low! The task of getting the Christmas tree has been accomplished - and everyone is still in one piece.

Sweet Home Connecticut!

2006-11-21T17:33:00.000-05:00

"Sweet home Connecticut
Where the skies are so blue
Sweet Home Connecticut
Lord, I'm coming home to you"

Okay... now that that is out of my system, I am happy to announce to all who want to hear: "I am home for Thanksgiving break and couldn't be happier!"

There is nothing like your own room. Granted, I have a single at school in an apartment of 5 other girls, but there is something about your own room in your own home that makes it so special. And isn't my room so fun?! Well, I thought so.

Oh, and I never told you, but Luke and I managed to fix my favorite mug. And while there are still some cracks... ...and I won't be able to drink out of it, it is all back in one piece...... and that is all that matters.

My world is back as it should be...at least for the time being. As for now, I will enjoy a weekend of leisurely homework, reading for fun, and lots of knitting!

A Knitting Post

2006-11-18T01:26:00.000-05:00

So, I realized it has been a really really REALLY long time since I showed any completed knitting projects or any un-finished projects for that matter. This post shall be dedicated to the yarn and and the needles that make my knitting possible. First, a completed project for myself - a beautiful and really warm scarf. I bought this yarn from a lady at the Big E who had hand-spun and hand-dyed this yarn. It came out really nice and it reminds me of Holly! I wear it whenever I can and it has almost become part of my being.

Now for unfinished projects:

This little circle is eventually going to be a little hat for my little head. After starting this hat 3 or 4 times already this year and every time forgetting where in the pattern I had left off, I finally cast on for the last (hopefully) time and got past the part of the pattern where I will have to remember where I am. Now I just have to knit in the round until its long enough to fit over my little head. Its easy-going from here on out.

This scarf I am making for Jess. She bought the hank when she was up here visiting me. I am making it to match a pair of gloves she had bought at a county fair this summer. I am making it with the same size needles and the same pattern as my scarf. I am hoping to have both the hat and this scarf finished by Thanksgiving.

My last unfinished project I started today...finally. It is the first 8 rows of my soon-to-be first sweater ever! I am excited about knitting this, and hopefully since I am nearly done with school I will be able to put more time into it. And maybe... I'll even be able to wear it before the cold season is over...maybe.

Hopefully I will keep you more updated on my knitting projects. I am loving all the projects I am working on. I just wish I didn't have so much homework to do to keep me away from knitting as much as I'd like to. Ah, such is life.

When it Rains...

2006-11-08T21:01:00.001-05:00

...it pours, much like it did two Saturdays ago when Jess was up to visit and we decided to venture into Boston despite all the rain. We left Boston with a mission to find ourselves some rubber rain boots. We ended up purchasing them from target.com. My pair finally arrived in the mail today and I can't help but wonder if it was a fate that they showed up in my mailbox on the next rainy day in Massachusetts.

I tried them on and they were too big, much to my disappointment. It took twelve days for them to get here and the excitement of having rainboots has worn off (atleast for the moment). I can return them to the target store and then reorder them online or I can just return them and live without rainboots. I am not sure what I'm going to do yet (I have other more important things, like my Calc test on Friday, to worry about), but the opened box smells like moth balls and at this point that's enough for me to want to return them.

Home and New York City in 2 days!

A Pleasant Surprise

2006-11-06T21:29:00.000-05:00

I was on my way to my last class before the weekend began (I thought it was never going to come!). I had my new and working phone* in my pocket having placed it there shortly after getting off the phone with Dad. It rang. I answered it. It was Aunt Melanie and Grandma who were on their way to Boston (for a business meeting) before heading up to Maine.

"How hard would it be to get to Gordon now that we are already on the road?"

"Not hard."

"Because Grandma thought it'd be a great idea if we stopped off at Gordon and brought you into Boston with us tonight."

So, I ventured into Boston with Grandma and Aunt Melanie (and Luke) for the evening. After missing the slightest turn we ended up taking a detour around (what felt like ) half of Boston. We soon ended up at the hotel that they would be staying the night at and went to get dinner.

I took them to Fire and Ice - a place I was introduced to during my freshmen year of college and fell in love with immediately! I raved about this place to my family since the first time I had been there and so it was a nice treat to finally get two more members of my family to this resturant.

Needless to say that Grandma was quite exhausted after being dragged around Boston. Next weekend will be spent in Connecticut and New York City!

*Long story. If you really care, I can tell you, but trust me it isn't that exciting.

Some Days...

2006-10-30T23:26:00.000-05:00

Some days I feel like I could stay in school forever. Other days I cannot wait to be free of the academic world. Today was one of those days.

I have six and a half weeks left before I am done with my undergrad education. This is a pretty scary thought. It means that I will be entering the real world - a world I know very little about and am not really sure how to approach. But today, the academic world has driven me away and I am more ready today than usual to enter the "real world".

I have come down with senioritis. I would rather be doing things other than homework - like updating this blog more often and knitting all the projects in the world and reading all those books I said I always wanted to read - and I find that I can never seem to catch up, despite the fact that it seems like I am always doing work. I am ready to be done with all the homework (atleast temporarily until I start grad school). I am ready to be done with pretending that I am smarter than I actually am. I am ready to go back home and I am ready to relax for a while. I am ready to go back to my own room, that is bigger than my single here. The events of today made me especially aware of this feeling. It climaxed with my favorite mug breaking (hopefully I can superglue it together). I sat down on my floor and cried. I miss home. I am ready to be done. In happier news, Jess came up to visit me this past weekend. We needed some serious best friend catch-up time. We talked... a lot. We had fun, even if it did rain!

Vacationland

2006-10-24T23:53:00.000-04:00

Strangely enough, the "Vacationland" state is not Florida or California or some other warm spot thought of for traveling to for vacations. Instead, the "Vacationland" state is Maine*. I noticed this on the license plates as I drove up there this weekend to visit my aunt and uncle

It was a nice vacation/escape from college life (which is interesting since today I nearly had a nervous break down at the realization that I have seven weeks till I am done with my undergrad education). We went shopping. We went to "Fright at the Fort" which was Fort Knox all decorated and spooked for Halloween. There were lots of kitties. They have seven total.
This is Marlin.
This is Sly.
This is Pearl.They warmed up to me fairly quickly on this visit and as I sat on the porch on Sunday afternoon soaking in the warm Maine sun, all but two of the kitties came to say goodbye to their cousin. As I was driving back down to Gordon, I passed this sign. (It says: "Fabrics and Yarns/ Quilts/ 1500 Bults/ Open Year Round)

I drove a little bit longer (a few seconds really) before I decided to turn around and check it out. I mean, you never know when you are going to come upon a great stash of yarn. It was rather disappointing as there was only Lion Brand yarn there. But of course, once in the presence of yarn I can not resist the urge to take some home with me. I bought a ball of Magic Stripe yarn to eventually make a pair of socks.

*which I suppose is much better than Connecticut: The Constitution State

Piercings and the Future

2006-10-19T21:39:00.000-04:00

So, last week I did something I have been wanting to do for a really long time now but had been putting it off. I would have told you sooner, except that I thought it would be better to inform my mom of this adventure over the phone than through my blog. Don't worry! I'm not married or pregnant or anything really major like that!

I got my belly button pierced! And the best part of all.... it didn't even hurt!

See Mom, that's what it looks like. It doesn't hurt although it is a little red around the two holes, but that is to be expected. I've been taking good care of it and we like each other.

In other news, I have reached the halfway mark of my last semester of my undergrad education. And let me tell ya, it's a scary thought! I'm going to be leaving my friends and moving back in with my parents (which is very nice of them) and I am going to be working. In the fall, I will begin grad school.

I NEVER thought I would go to grad school. I really only went to college because it was the next step. You can't really get anywhere without a college education in today's American society. But grad school was something I had never even considered. It's strange entering the "adult" world. Am I ready for it?

Guess I'll have to wait and find out...

My Girls, My Life!

2006-10-14T23:32:00.000-04:00

So tonight, after preparing myself for bed I decided to look through all the pictures that I have taken in the last year. And slowly all the wonderful memories from last year began to be recalled. So, as corny as this may be... here is a blog entry dedicated to the good times with my girls*. We began the year off looking extraordinary... and we continued to keep up this appearance. For Thanksgiving Erin and Holly both came home with me. We spent one day in NYC and went to the and saw the Radio City Christmas Spectacular! Most weekends were spent on campus with sleepovers, staying up really late and pulling out the camera when we were all in desperate need of our beauty sleep! Occasionally we would go out into public to have fun. And we did it well!In April, we had the best party of the year. We got cute (of course)! We ate. We tickled. We were silly. We took pictures. And most importantly, we had tons of fun! My girls are my life. They keep things exciting. They are familiar. They are the best thing for me! And I miss them! Tomorrow we are going bridal dress shopping with the newest edition to our girls. More memories to be made!

*Dedicated really means picture CRAZY!

Family!

2006-10-09T21:06:00.000-04:00

Laurel and Mom came to visit me this weekend at school. It was technically Parent's Weekend/Homcoming, but since freshmen year my family has not participated in any of these events despite consistently coming up that same weekend every year. This year was no different - except that this year, Dad didn't come. It was a girls weekend. And we had a good time!

They arrived at 8:00 Friday night after a 5 hour (usually 3 hour) drive up to Gordon. They ate two wonderful dishes at Not Your Average Joe's and I watched, having eaten Chinese food with a fantastic group of people earlier that night. We were all tired.

The next morning we woke up bright and early (for a college student) and began our LONG day of shopping. We started - of course - at the college bookstore. It waws a successful trip as was the rest of the day. We ate lunch at the Rainforest Cafe. The service was alright, but the atmosphere was entertaining.
The weekend ended and I had gained 3 pairs of shoes and a few cute outfits. Mom and Laurel went home Sunday afternoon after a fantastic lunch at Nick's Famous Roast Beef and left me to study Calc.

We had fun....perhaps too much fun!

A Yarn Post

2006-10-04T23:12:00.000-04:00

So I realized I haven't posted a whole lot about what I've been doing knitting-wise. And then it dawned on me that I haven't done much knitting lately. Up until yesterday, I hadn't knit since I saw the Yarn Harlot - nearly two and a half weeks ago! Don't get me wrong. I was still thinking about knitting, and wishing my work load was less so I could find the time to knit at least ONE row. I was still glancing up at my yarn stash which sits beautifully in a basket on top of my desk (greatly minimized). Finally yesterday, I pushed homework aside for a little bit and started knitting. I started a scarf from the yarn I told you I bought at the Big E. I choose to do the drop stitch pattern. It looked hot! But it was a little on the wide side and I wanted it to be a somewhat long scarf, so I ripped it out today. And for now it looks like this on my bed:I am going to be very stylish this winter with all my knitted attire. My yarn that I had bought a while back for my first sweater finally arrived. I am really excited, but told myself I need to limit my number of UFOs so I'm going to try and finish this scarf and also the hat I started a few weeks back before I start anything else.

But of course it won't be easy since for my birthday last month Laurel bought me this yarn to make with a black skein of yarn into a hot little bag. The picture isn't really clear, but its a ball of thin yarn with little sequence on it. I also got a $25 gift card to my LYS which I have yet to spend - amazingly

And then there is all this school work to keep me from focusing on my knitting! So many distractions, how will I ever get it all done!?

Carpe Diem

2006-10-01T02:33:00.000-04:00

Today - or I guess yesterday since the clock on my computer screen says 2:28 am - I had the urge to do something by myself that I normally wouldn't. So I drove to Rockport and had lunch and did some homework, and of course a little bit of shopping.

I had been craving lobster for quite some time, and while my family and I tried to satisfy this craving before I went to school it ended up being a failed attempt as the lobster did not taste terrific. My craving for lobster only increased. So I went to a little "restaurant" located in a little shack and ordered myself a lobster and a cup of New England Clam Chowder. I sat at the edge of the inner-harbor where all the boats stay where they aren't being used. And I enjoyed this beautiful view while munching - alone, and yet still quite content - on my lobster: After I had licked my lobster shell clean and found some wipes at an attempt to hide my fishy smell, I walked up the harbor stopping in a few of the little shops alone the way - only to look. I stopped at a little shop that sells strudel. There I got a slice of cheese strudel - I usually choose apple - and a wonderful cup of hot chocolate. I walked up to the end of the harbor, and found myself a seat on a nice flat rock. I enjoyed the wind blowing through my hair, my rich hot chocolate and strudel and even a little bit of homework. I also soaked in this view while trying to get homework done: I also made a friend. He flew down and stood on the rock next to me and just stared at me. I tried ignoring him figuring that seagulls don't have a big attention span, but he stayed and watched me enjoy my strudel. I didn't think he was going to leave, so I took his picture. Shortly after that he left.

The water was so beautiful! I was content. I was satisfied with life. After I completed the chapter I was reading, I got up and left. I walked back to my car with a smile on my face the entire way. Carpe Diem - Seize the Day!

Birthday Excitement

2006-09-27T20:20:00.000-04:00

Today has been a VERY exciting day and I am having a hard time concentrating on homework. So, I'm going to update in hopes of getting my thoughts together so that homework can then become my primary thought.

Today, Juan turned 20! HAPPY BIRTHDAY JUAN!
She organized a group of her friends to all go to the Wenham Tea House, which was absolutely lovely. I had raspberry spice tea and two tin scones. They were delicious - and filling!

Big E
Saturday I headed across Massachusetts to Springfield where I met up with my family for a day at the Big E. And what a day it was! We ate the whole time - practically non-stop! When we got there - around 10:30 AM - we got in Line at the Maine building for the famous Maine Baked Potatoes. Actually, I had never heard of Maine being famous for the baked potatoes until I had been to the Big E, but let me tell you, I LIVE for those potatoes!

We had potatoes, hot dogs, some really delicious milk (from VT) in a glass bottle (the glass really does make it taste better!), Corn on the Cob - but not the way you think it was. They cooked it in its husk, peeled the husk leaving it still attached to the corn, wrapped tin foil around the bottom and dipped it in butter. It was DELICIOUS! Among other foods that I can't currently recall, I also experienced the famous Big E Cream Puff.Other attractions at the Big E worth noting include:

Observe for yourself: A man in a glass cage building Fenway Park out of playing cards - LOTS of playing cards.

There were also lots of fiber - I mean cute animals which conveniently also make fiber for my yarn. Baby and Mommy Alpaca. And of course a Llama. She posed so beautifully for me! And lastly, the Connecticut Building: Here I purchased some beautiful hand-spun and dyed yarn. Unfortuantely I don't yet have a picture of it to show you because I sent the yarn home with my mom to wind into a ball using my new swift. I'll be getting my yarn the begining of next week. Picture to appear then.

I leave you now with a link to one of the greatest videos on youtube.com: The Last Knit. Let me know what you think! Hope it gives you a good laugh. Now for some homework...

Age Doesn't Matter

2006-09-23T20:14:00.000-04:00

Last night, at 12:50 I went to bed and told myself I wasn't going to set my alarm. I was going to let my body get as many hours of rest that it needed. And since it was Saturday I didn't have classes or meetings to get in the way of keeping my body healthy. I woke up at 12:41. I felt rested...and ready to begin a productive day of homework. It has been a successful day. I got caught up on my reading for my class on Christian Doctrine. I wrote two journal entries reporting on my visits to the two synagogues I've been to for my Modern Jewish Culture class. And I got the worst of the homework out of the way - Calculus. I am a History and Biblical studies major for a few reasons. One of the main reasons is: I'm HORRIBLE at math. So I made clac homework slightly more tolerable by having Sex in the City playing in the background (although, maybe the calc homework was more in the background) and I finished it. I decided to reward myself for being so productive by writing an entry. So, here I am.

The reason why being productive today was so important is because tomorrow at 8:00 in the morning I will be getting in my car and driving to the Big E - which is basically a county fair, except for all of New England. There will be food, and tractor pulling contests, and exhibitions, and food, and lots and lots of fun! I am meeting my family there. Now, when I say family I don't mean just Mom, Dad, and Laurel. I mean my family which includes: two of my dad's three sisters, three of their four kids and two little kids (ages 2 and 4). We are going to have a blast.

Bella just turned four. When she was a baby, she was the first little one that I held without them bursting into tears the minute they were in my arms. Laurel said the other night when they were at my aunt's house for her birthday party that she was asking where I was. We are pretty much best friends!

I am really excited to see her tomorrow - perhaps a little too excited. I mean, I'm 22 years old and she's four. How much do we really have in common? But, we enjoy each other's company so I suppose that's all that really matters.

And of course I can't go to the Big E without finding yarn... and I've already found it without having been there yet. Creative Fibers will be there and I'm rather excited to check out there booth - especially after reading the Big E's description of their fibers on the website. "The list of fine fibers available to the consumer from this vendor will amaze you. Exotic blends, luxurious name brands and hard to find imports are all carried at Creative Fibers."

I am set for a day of fun!

Procrastination at Its Best

2006-09-20T22:44:00.000-04:00

Considering I have my first exam of the semester in the morning, I probably should be studying. However, since I have been preparing for the exam the majority of today I feel I need to take a break... and write to you.

The Harlot in Brooklyn

Like I said in my last post, this past weekend I went home. On Saturday evening, after a long day of car shopping (for Dad), Daddy and I ventured into Brooklyn to find the Barnes and Noble where supposedly the famous (at least among Knitters EVERYWHERE) Yarn Harlot, a.k.a. Stephanie Pearl-McPhee.

For those of you who have never been or have only been once or twice: There is no other place in the world quite like New York. There is something unique about it and to me it has that feeling of coming home whenever I go into the city.

We made it to the Barnes and Nobles two minutes before the event was supposed to begin. Fortunately for me, Stephanie was later than I have been stuck in an hour and a half commute from Manhattan to Brooklyn (it shouldn't take this long)! She gave a hilarious talk that even my muggle father (who wouldn't admit it if you asked him) enjoyed.

And then the best part.... I got to meet her and get my picture taken with THE SOCK! She also took my picture. If you read her blog, you know that other people had been knitting her the states that they were from, so I decided to knit Stephanie Connecticut. And since I came up with this idea the night before meeting her I figured I could accomplish this task since Connecticut is basically a square with a small little rectangle attached at an angle to the lower left-hand corner. I finished it in time, weaving in the ends on the car ride there. She hadn't received Connecticut from anyone else yet. It was a happy moment. She signed three of my books. And she happened to notice that in her book At Knit's End: Meditations for Women who Knit Too Much I had marked a page. I don't remember marking a page for any specific reason so I was just as curious as she was to find out was on that page. It said the following:
"I hear tell of knitters who do not have a stash of yarn. They purchase yarn for a project, knit that project to completion, and then purchase the yarn for the next project. They do not have closets, bins, bags, shelves, and freezers dedicated to the storage of wool, and they have never left a yarn store with anything that they hadn't decided to buy ahead of time," (236).

Perhaps the reason I had marked this passage was because in the beginning of my Knitting career I used to be that knitter. I would knit a project and finish it before I began a second one. Now I have 2-3 projects on my needle with 4-5 waiting to be started. Thus is the life of an obsessive knitter.

Home is where... The Yarn Is

2006-09-17T22:14:00.000-04:00

I went home this weekend and the weekend was full of nothing but good news. Friday morning I went to the orthopedic to see the doctor about my foot. My hope was that he would tell me I would no longer have to use the darn crutches and that big bulky "ski boot" to protect my ankle.

And when the VERY handsome doctor came into my room, he got down on one knee and told me..."We need to get this boot off now." I would have accepted if he had proposed marriage right there (yes, despite never having seen him outside the doctor's office). I left the doctor's office single, but carrying my crutches and ski boot instead of wearing it.

That evening my extended family came over to celebrate my birthday. We had a wonderful baked zitti with sausage and a delicious salad with apples made by my wonderful mother... and best of all, Resses Peanut Butter cup ice cream cake with a rice krispie crust. YUM!

While it isn't all about the presents (it's about seeing the family - as Uncle Jeff so kindly reminded us) I did get a very very VERY nice swift to wind my yarn from hanks to skeins. It really is beautiful. Thanks Mom and Dad! I also acquired two wonderful knitting books: Mason-Dixon Knitting by Kay Gardiner and Ann Shayne and The Knitter's Companion: Expanded and Updated by Vicki Square. They are both GREAT books and I would recommend them to any knitter.

Saturday evening Dad and I ventured into Brooklyn, NY to see Stephanie Pearl-McPhee at the Barnes and Noble. But since my camera battery died and I had to borrow Mom's camera I do not have them yet on my computer, so I'm not going to tell you quite yet about this meeting.

Instead, I'm going to leave you on the edge of your seats, until hopefully tomorrow when I get my little hands on the evidence!

Twenty-Two is OLD!

2006-09-10T23:59:00.000-04:00

I woke up this morning being greeted by a smiling face telling me that there was something that was waiting for me out in the living room and although it wasn't a boy, it would taste good. So I got out of bed and saw this on the kitchen table: The occasion was my 22nd Birthday and while Pancakes (both Chocolate Chip AND Blueberry) began the celebration of my actual birthday, the festivities started the evening before. The ladies and I began our evening at an Irish Pub where I experienced the worst hard cider EVER! So horrible we decided it tasted like a dirty diaper would smell. Whatever you do stay away from Magner's Irish Cider! And while the atmosphere was nice, the quesadillas were tasty, and the music was fantastic, we decided to move our festivities to a place that served chocolate...Wildhorse, the Gordon College Weekend Hangout. We ordered two desserts to split among us girls The Grilled Banana Concoction.... and the Five Layer Cholate Cake (which is always delicious) And they were both fantastic - and I would especially recommended the Grilled Banana one. YUM!

So I woke up this morning and had pancakes for breakfast and then Sarah and I went to pick up Matt from the train station. Matt is an old friend from high school who just transfered up to the Boston Conservatory for school! We went to Not Your Average Joe's for dinner where I received a complimentary Entree and Dessert of my Choice for my birthday. We (cause I couldn't eat it by myself) choose the Peanut Butter Thing: another FANTASTIC dessert!

And while we never made the cupcakes... I think this was one of the best, dessert-filled and friend-filled birthdays ever! I love you girls!

Shabbat Shalom

2006-09-08T23:53:00.000-04:00

Reform NOT Reformed

This semester I am taking a course called Modern Jewish Culture. It has multiple objectives, but the main one is to study the emergence of contemporary Judaism in comparison to Biblical Judaism. As a part of the course we are required to go to at least five off-campus field trips. Tonight was the first one. We went to Temple Emanu-El, a Reform Synagogue, and it was one of the best services - Jewish or Christian - that I have been to in a very long time. One of the neatest things was that after the Rabbi's "sermon" he opened it up to the congregation to get feedback. This idea was just mind-blowing to me. This never happens in a Christian church - not to say that the Christian church is not open to feedback, there just isn't always a venue for the feedback to be given.

On September 22nd, we are going to an Erev Rosh HaShanah (or New Year's service) at Shirat Hayam, a Conservative Synagogue. I am very excited for this service as we will be celebrating their New Year.

Knitting Knews

I finished the Pumpkin baby hat yesterday. It's a little big for an infant, but I'm sure the baby will grow into it eventually. I also started the Baby Hat from One Skein in a size that will fit me! It is in a nice autumn colored green. I have only knit a few rows but it seems to be coming along nicely. I wonder if I'll finish it in time to show the Yarn Harlot... or perhaps I'll teach myself to knit socks. She seems to be a fan of people who knit socks. I want her to be a fan of me. I want to make it into her blog. After all, I did choose to meet her over Matt Damon and Leonardo discovery... more on that later!

I Love Lamp!

2006-09-05T23:03:00.000-04:00

I have had four days of classes and I am slowly beginning to feel back into the grove of things. I have been to all my classes and know my work schedule. My room feels lived in (although it is kind of lonely having a single) and I love the girls in my apartment (but it won't be the same as last year). We all work really well together and none of the problems that were evident last year at this time are visible - or at least not yet.

My lamp that I bought Sophomore year got sick over the summer. Dad and I thought we could fix it with some heavy duty stuff (ah, can't remember what it's called), but when we brought it back up to school the sickness got worse. And although we tried to repair it with duct tape (figuring since it could save NASA it could save my lamp), it was not sucessful and Lamp died last Thursday.I was able to find a lamp similar to her at Target yesterday and was able to keep her lampshades, so part of Lamp still lives. Ha! She couldn't have lasted me another semester - oh well. Atleast now the fire hazard is gone from my room.

Knitting

I realized it has been quite a while since I posted any pictures of my knitting. I have a good reason for this. I haven't had any completed projects since the last time I posted. I have been working on a Pumpkin Baby Hat for a friend that is pregnant and due on October 31st. I have had to restart it four or five times and have finally gotten past all the points that I had to rip back. I am working on the leaves and if I wanted to, could finish it tonight, but I was getting bored with it, so I'll try to finish it tomorrow - a rewarding break from homework. So in the meantime, a picture of my progress thus far: I have a variety of projects to choose from to start next. I don't have any UFOs (UnFinished Objects) that I should finish up... oh wait that's not true. I'm still working on this, but I prefer not to talk about it. So anyway, I have yet to decide what is next on my agenda. So many projects that I'd like to do and yet, so little time! The never-ending frustration of a knitter!

One Day...

2006-09-04T16:04:00.000-04:00

One Day Knitters will take over the world, and in TIME magazine it has become evident that this is slowly becoming true. In a list of 19 (yes, 19 and not 20 which would make more sense) Time listed what can and cannot be carried on planes as we make our way around the world:

Corskscrew - yup
Laptop - yup
Formula/Breast Milk - yup
Shampoo - nope
Gel Shoe Inserts - nope
Safety Razor -yup
Toy Weapons - yup (sorta scary)
IPod - yup
Mouthwash - nope
Solid Deodorant - yup
Sunscreen - nope
Cell phone - yup
Perfume - nope
Solid Lipstick - yup
Lip gloss - nope
Knitting Needles (ie. pointy sticks) - YUP!
Prescription Medicine - yup
Mascara- nope
Toothpaste - nope

We are making our dent in the world. The airlines know there are lots of knitters in the world and they are accomadating us. Yay for knitting!

The Start of Things to Come

2006-08-29T23:22:00.000-04:00

Classes start tomorrow. I have my first class at 9:10 tomorrow morning - Christian Doctrine, which I'm really excited about!

I moved in on Sunday - technically a day before I was supposed to but I just couldn't wait to get back! I have already made a few runs to Target and Stop and Shop but I am all moved in and settled. I am ready to begin the school year - well, sorta.

These crutches are more of a pain than I orignially expected them to be. Tomorrow I am leaving for class 20 minutes earlier than I usually do to make sure I have enough time to get there and not attract attention to myself. I've already had a random girl come up to me and ask me what happened. I am not a very sociable person and while I was friendly, I only wanted this weirdo girl to leave me alone!

And to start the school year off on the right foot (ha ha) I bought myself a treat - a hair highlighting kit. And since Sarah and I had nothing better to do today - we dyed my hair. I was a little nervous... ...considering I have never had anyone but a professional hair dresser work on my hair. I've gone to the same hair salon since I was five or six. I know them and they know me and my hair very well. Sarah - on the other hand - called herself the Mad Scientist right before she started work on my hair.Do you blame me for being nervous?

Watch Out Gordon!

2006-08-26T22:50:00.000-04:00

The countdown is about to end. ATTENTION EVERYONE: I will be coming back to Gordon College TOMORROW!!!!I will be bringing with me a set of crutches and lugging my cast - which will probably mean leaving for class 10 minutes earlier than normal. I will be bringing with me clothes (cute ones!), Jewelry (because, let's face it - accessories make the outfit), and although there are other things I'm bringing the most important is of course... yarn (because I have a lot of unfinished projects and somehow I keep creating new projects for myself despite already having a huge "to-do" list of knitting). For example, I ordered yarn today from my LYS (Local Yarn Store) 8 balls of yarn for my first sweater I want to knit.

I've been good though, I narrowed down the yarn I am bringing to school to only include current projects that are not finished yet. Hopefully I'll get some finished shortly. I would show you the pile of yarn and the piles of suitcases and boxes, but I cannot find my battery charger for my camera and therefore cannot take pictures to show you. I'll find it somewhere I hope. I'm pretty sure I didn't pack it - but I suppose there is no real way of knowing until I start unpacking.

I'm exhausted. Packing and making sure you have everything that you are going to need is a difficult task. But in the end it's all worth it because I get to be with my girls again - and let me tell you that is something I've been looking forward to since the day I moved out for summer break.

Next post will be from Gordon College - wahoo!

No More Surprises

2006-08-20T11:14:00.000-04:00

The month of August in the One Skein Secret Pal Exchange that I have been participating in is the month that I will get a knitted or crocheted gift from my secret pal. The other day I received a package in the mail. It was from my secret pal. Her name is Kristin and she is from Oregon. I recieved the prettiest gift. I absolutely love it. And it will go perfectly in my bedroom. I plan to knit two smaller bowls to go on either side of it so I can put all my knicknacks in them. Itwill go on my bookshelves - once Daddy builds them.

In October of last year we started finishing the attic so I could have my own bedroom for the first time since I was five. It has been painted with a bed since Christmas time. It has had a desk since about May. Little by little we are working on getting the room put together with the smaller details. We went to the fabric store yesterday.

We bought fabric to cover the old desk chair and make it fit the theme of my room. We bought fabric so that I can have a huge memo board here:
We bought fabric so my aunt can make me a curtain to go over this window:We finished the desk yesterday. We are working on the memo board today. Mom and I are also going out to finish getting me ready to go back up to school!

Only one week til I see my girls!

I Should Have Gone to Work

2006-08-16T22:22:00.000-04:00

This story begins way back in February. I was exercising at school like the doctor always says to do - mistake number 1. I was getting good, going every day to the gym and working my way up to running a mile and walking a mile - two miles total. I was out of shape, I had to start slow. And then my ankle started to hurt. And it became a little harder to walk and I found myself limping. I went to the doctor and he told me I had tendinitis. I was told to get physical therapy. I did. The pain got better but never went away.

Last week, I had an MRI done on it. I had to lay down and my leg was put into this machine. I had to lay still for a half hour while loud noises were being made (they gave me some music to listen to so it wasn't too bad).

On Monday I called out of work because the pain was so intense in my ankle that I wouldn't be able to stand on my ankle for 8 hours. I went to the doctor instead - mistake number 2. He said that the MRI showed that I had a stress fracture in my ankle. And now I have this:It has to be on for a month when I will then have to wear a removable cast for who knows how long. My new name is Gimpy.

In better news I had a phonedate tonight with the ever so wonderful Holly. I miss her so much and talking to her only made me realize this more. She graduated in May and now will be in Seattle doing the Mennonite version of the Peace Corps. So instead of being with me this semester she is going to be on the other side of the country making other people happy. She's good at that!

TEN more days til I go back to school!

I never thought I'd say this...

2006-08-13T00:13:00.000-04:00

BUT... I am dying to go back to school. I miss it so much. I have never been so ready to go back. It isn't that things at home have been crazy (I've been working too much to be bothered by family). I just miss all my girls.

I went out this morning and ran a few errands with Mom and Dad. We stopped at the Farmer's Market. As we were pulling into the parking lot I said to my parents, "You know, sometimes that have yarn at Farmer's Markets." They think I am obsessed with yarn (maybe they are right). And sure enough, I found yarn at one of the stands there. And only with the help of a miracle did I avoid buying any. I wasn't sure what I would want to make with it and since I already have a lot of projects on my plate I decided to hold off - atleast until next week.

We went to Staples. Mom had just a few things to pick up, but when I walked in and saw the thousands of school supplies before my eyes I couldn't resist the urge to shop. I got folders for my four classes, notebook paper, index cards with pretty blue stripes, pretty heart sticky notes, nice gell pens and sticky page markers. I think I'm pretty much set for the school supplies. Now I just have to pack and get my books. Fifteen days to do it all!

I started my Back to School journey by getting rid of last semester - selling my books online. I posted all 16 of them that I wasn't keeping (I think I kept two) on Amazon.com. Now they will sit on my floor by my desk until they are all sold. Hopefully that will be sooner than later.

Finally... an Update!

2006-08-10T21:32:00.000-04:00

When I got back from Israel I could not find a job anywhere. I felt like I had applied everywhere when finally two jobs were offered to me. I took both and as a result have been working over 50 hours a week. This is why my updates have become far and few between. In addition, I was away on vacation for five days and just got back on Monday. So here is a little bit of what I've been up to.

Stop #1: Lancaster, PA
We arrived around 12 noon in Lancaster after Dad had made us get on the road by 4:30 (Insane, I know, but if you know my dad...). We decided that our first stop would be for me. Because if they didn't say when we were going they knew they wouldn't here the end of it for me. We went... not to a yarn shop (as some of you may be guessing).. to President James Buchanan's home just outside of Lancaster. He called it Wheatland.
Stop #2: Gettysburg, PA
Stop #2 included our annual visit to Gettysburg because 1) Dad loves the ice cream, 2) there are outlets for Mom and Laurel, 3) and there is plenty of historical things there for my entertainment. This visit was just a little different because I got to visit a place in Gettysburg that I had never been to before... President Dwight Eisenhower's home. This was one of the best Presidential Home tours that I have taken so far. Stop #3: Fort Loudon, PA
Last but not least, Daddy was kind enough to drive a half hour or so out of his way so that I could see a monument that was put up in the place where Buchanan was born - his parents home. The house has since been moved to a different location. The state of Pennsylvannia is now complete (or atleast until someone from PA is elected to be our president). Stop #4: Shanksville, PA
This is the location that the Flight 93 plan crashed on September 11, 2001. Since it is just a short drive from where we stay for our Family reunion we took a ride out to see the temporary memorial that is at the site. They have a United States flag marking the place that the plane went down. There are many small monuments donated to the site for use in the permanent memorial. The site is now owned by the National Parks Services to protect this site as a historical one. For being temporary, it is a pretty nice memorial. They even have made the manuscript of what was said on the plane before it crashed available for public reading. My Dad donated one of his old police badges to one of the boards on the site. They take these boards down as they fill up and plan to incorporate them all into the final memorial. It really is an eye opening experience to visit this site. If you are ever in the area I suggest a visit.

Throughout the trip there were other miscellaneous visits and shopping that was done. A lot of Antique shops were visited. I made a purchase at one of them. This is an antique string holder... and let me tell you it works perfectly for those little one ball knitting projects that need to be carried around. It has some really nice paint work along the outside of the container. It has treated me well so far.

Also being on vacation freed up my time just a little to finish the project I was making for my secret pal. This month I will reveal my identity to her and present her with a knitted project made by me. She is pregnant and due with a baby girl in September so I decided to make her the Baby Hat pattern in the One Skein book. I absolutely loved the pattern and am going to make one for myself once I figure out how much more I need to increase it. In the picture above the hat is being shown on one of my precious Starlight Foundation bears.

I hope she enjoys the hat as much as I did making it. I really enjoyed the One Skein Secret Pal Exchange and I'm kind of sad to see it end. It is fun to have a free skein of yarn to look for in your mailbox during that month. It is fun to pick out yarn for someone you have never met and have only briefly talked to. I'll definately do another Secret Pal exchange. You should try it if you never have before. They are great!

The Year of the Weddings

2006-07-24T22:44:00.000-04:00

No I haven't said the words "I do." But it seems to be a favorite phrase this year for people I know. I already dedicated a post to Laura and Michael and their wedding at the beginnig of this month. I have talked to her only once since the wedding (she's been busy being a wife) and they are extremely happy!

This Saturday my cousin is getting married. My Aunt has taken on the project of making the bride's dress, the two bridesmaid dresses, and her ow dress. I think she is insae but its what she loves doing so more power to her! Sarah and I have never really gotten alog extremely well, but we are older know so... Congrats Sarah!

Most important of all - I got a phone call from my best friend the other day. Jess and I grew up together. We've been best friends since the first grade when she first moved here.

We have bee inseperable ever since. At the start of my freshmen year of college we both got into our first real relationship. While I have since broken up with my first love she has hit a hole in one and is ENGAGED to her first true love. His name is Ryan. And I approve. Her dad took pictures of them today for their engagement announcments. Are they not the cutest couple? And she looks so happy - and that's what really matters. I was the first to know after her parets (of course). I haven't seen her in person since she told me, but I want to see her ASAP.

I've been thinking about her a lot. I've been thinking about how we used to be little and how that seemed like yesterday. How for my 16th birthday she took me to see NSYNC at Madison Square Garden or how we went together on a church trip to Austria and had one of the best times of our lives. But we have obviously grown up and we are growing into beautiful women (or atleast I like to think so!).

Jess I love you so much! CONGRATS!! (Oh, I think I'm gonna cry)

A Few of My Favorite Things

2006-07-22T22:42:00.000-04:00

I finished the Felted tote by the deadline that I had set for myself - well, minus a bead for a finishing touch. We are having a little trouble finding just the right sort of bead. But here is a picture as I promised (except for the bead) of Mom's final felted tote birthday present. Now I can focus my full attention to knitting those friendship bracelets and get started on a few infant hats. Those may just have to be my vacation projects. For now a break from felting.

Did I ever tell you that before I was a knitter I was a scrapbooker? In fact I still am a scrapbooker. However, because it is much more difficult to carry around with me and it isn't as easy to pick up and take along on the car ride along I don't get as much of it done nor as quickly as I get my knitting projects fiished. This eveing I had finally had a good chunk of time to set up my scrapbooking things and work on my newest album for awhile. - my United States of America Presidents album. See I've made it my life goal to visit all the Presidential homes and libraries/museums. I own a book telling me of all the the prsidents and their historic homes and libraries if they have one. So far, I have visited three of four sites for Franklin D. Rooselvelt. The fourth site is in Georgia - which would mean a 16 hour drive for me. So that one will have to wait for now.

In less than two weeks we leave for vacation and while we are gone I will get to visit James Buchanan's home called Wheatland in Lancaster, PA as well as the National Historic Site for Dwight D. Eisenhower in Gettysburg, PA - the only place that the Eisenhower's ever really called home. How exciting!

Just a Quickie...

2006-07-14T23:42:00.001-04:00

This is going to be a very short post simply to let you know I'm still alive - well, barely. I got what I had been asking for all summer since being home from Israel - a job. In fact, I got two of them and after tomorrow I will have worked about 45 hours. And let me tell you, I am exhausted! The good news is Dad is off my back about finding a job and now I can give Purl what she deserves - gas. The bad news is my time to post here is limited. It's only temporary - and I will do my best to keep updating as frequently as possible.

I reached the deadline that I had made for myself for Mom's felted tote bag. I finished it! Pictures will be posted tomorrow or Sunday. Since the tote is finished I have begun work on a few minor things - having not gotten farther than a row or two on each of the projects. By the time I get home from work I am lucky my eyes are still awake to knit, let alone actually being sucessful at it. Therefore, for example, the hat pattern with the yarn overs and the switching from knitting to purling is more of a challenge than I would have hoped for.

Since I have tomorrow off from work until 6:30 I think the family has made plans to go to the beach. I am looking forward to it a lot! I'm gonna grab a nice book and do nothing - something I haven't been able to do all week!
While it won't be as nice as the Mediteranean...or the Sea of Galilee...
- I suppose the Atlantic will do just fine!

I LOVE Surprises!

2006-07-10T23:21:00.000-04:00

My secret pal left an anonymously comment on my blog the other day warning me that my July skein of yarn would be arriving in the mail no later than Wednesday or Thursday. I was pleasantly surprised when I got a package in the mail today with the return address coming from OR! I got a cute little note saying that she chose this yarn for the name of the color: Oregon Lakes. It came wrapped so beautifully!

Do you "knot" agree that it was so pretty the way it was wrapped? I almost - almost - didn't want to open it up. But boy was I glad when I did open it up! Inside was this: Is it not beautiful? I am in complete love. The colorway is beautiful! It is Oregon wool and Mohair that is handpainted by Susan Schrandt. The picture does not do the yarn justice. Thank you soooo so much Secret Pal! You have been fantastic!

I began felting my mom's purse today! It needs to go through the washing maching one or two more times and then I will post pictures. In the mean time, this is what it looked like before it was felted: I personally like it better felted. I am going to have it done by the 15th! I bought the brads (purse bottoms) for it yesterday and can put those on when it is finished felting! Then I begin work on the list of things that I have left to be knitted - there is always something to be knit!

Think Pink!

2006-07-09T21:48:00.000-04:00

The Think Pink Challenge!

I was listening to Rhonda Bell's podcast Knitting News Cast the other day (episode 13). She was telling her listeners about the Think Pink Challenge. After checking out there website, I decided I should pass the word along to the rest of you - especially if you knit or crochet. She is hoping to get people to knit, crochet, or with any other sort of creative skill (sewing, etc.) 1,000 pink scarves for women facing breast cancer. By taking the time to knit these scarves, and praying for the health and healing of their recipients in the process, we can make a tremendous difference in the lives of these women. Check out her blog for more information on where to send them and by when. I am going to try to knit atleast one scarf for this wonderful charity. I hope you are able to participate. Pass the word on to everyone you know!

Other Knitting News

In other knitting related news I am nearly done with Mom's felted purse. I am hoping to felt it tomorrow and put the finishing touches on it shortly after that. In the mean time I have a waiting list of projects to get done. My local yarn store just had their 4th of July Sale to clear out the summer yarns to make room for the fall yarns. I bought yarn for Ann Norlin's Kids Fruit Cap pattern. I have 2 friends who are pregnant and due in October so I am going to make their new additons pumpkin caps! I think they will look adorable. I also have a baby's hat pattern that I want to knit out of the One Skein pattern book for my secret pal. And that only begins to list the projects I want to get done!

Knit Like the Wind!

2006-07-05T22:57:00.000-04:00

As Brenda Dayne has so kindly instructed us to do in the introduction to her podcast, I have "knit like the wind" this past week. My mom's birthday was June 15th. I knew in March what I wanted to knit her (the Chic Shopping Bag in Pursenalities). By Easter time I had all the yarn needed for the purse and it was wound from hank to ball with the secret help of Joyce. And despite all that I still didn't get it finished in time for her birthday. I had too many projects planned and not enough time (I'm sure you remember my crazy-stress-filled entries in April/Early May). And so I've decided that if I can't get a finished project to my mom for her birthday despite being planned 3 months in advance, I will not (I repeat NOT) deliever this purse a month late to her. The purse must be felted with button sewed on and everything no later than July 15th. I think I can do it. Today I cast-off the body of the bag!

It is huge! It is the biggest felted project I've ever made. I need to sew the bottom to the rest of the purse (that's why there is that extra flap at the bottom), finish knitting the handles,attach the handles to the purse, shape the purse, felt the bag, sew on the button, and attach purse bottoms to add a professional touch! Think I can do it all in 10 days?

To make my task harder (cause I like to do crazy stuff to myself) I decided today that it would be fun to start the swatch for the Baby Hat in One Skein - possibly the final gift for my secret pal, possibly for one of the other 3 pregnant women I know. Also, did I tell you that I got a fantastic little present in the mail the other day from the ever-so-wonderful Holly?! Well, I did! She sent me the prettiest button. And ya know what? It goes perfectly with the skein of yarn my secret pal sent me in June! See for yourself:

Then the so wonderful online knitting magazine Knitty recently released the summer issue. And in addtion to their great articles I have fallen in love with nearly all the patterns in this issue (especially this one).

My local yarn shop is having a sale to clear out the summer stuff to bring in the autumn yarns. Perhaps I can find some good finds for all the projects I want to knit... and there are so many of them!

Til Death Do Us Part

2006-07-03T22:50:00.000-04:00

I'm back home and with one less single friend. Congrats Laura!

Sarah and I got down to Maryland on Friday afternoon in really good time which was a surprise to us since we thought there would be heavy traffic considering it's July 4th Weekend. With no real plans to attend to on Friday we found ourselves in a rather cute little town: Ellicott City. We had a wonderful lunch at Tea on the Tiber where we enjoyed afternoon tea (I had a pot of Green Tea Tropical that was absolutely amazing), a plate fun of fresh fruit and cheese, and scones (I had a chocolate chip one). We were lucky to be seated because they normally are so busy that reservations are needed. I'm glad we were able to experience this cute little place.

After lunch we wandered across the street to The Celtic Knot Yarn Shop. Sarah and I wasted atleast an hour there despite the place lacking temporarily air conditioning. I bought my Secret Pal her skein of yarn for the month a July. It is a hank of Cascade 220 Quatro (color # 9435). I am addicted to felting and I especially love felting with cascade so I thought I'd pass the love on to my SP. I hope she enjoys it.

The wedding was Saturday. At the request of the bride we arrived at the church at 2:00 (even though the wedding began at 5:00) and helped her get into her dress and be with her one last time as Miss Laura. She looked absolutely amazing. Don't you agree?! The ceremony was beautiful with both the mothers starting the ceremony by lighting the two candles for the unity candle lighting that Laura and Michael would do later in the ceremony.

She isn't coming back to Gordon in the fall. She and Michael will be living in Maryland while he finishes up school at the University of Maryland. I think she'll be taking classes at a community college nearby. She's all grown up. She is Mrs. Vargo. She is a wife!

I still can't believe it. My friends are growing up. I didn't think it would happen so soon. I'm so happy for her though. I love you Laura!

P.S. I forgive you, Laura, for letting your Dad give away that wool. Atleast this time.

Two Peas in a Pod

2006-06-27T23:17:00.000-04:00

I'm sorry for the gap in between this entry and the previous one. However, since the last entry - where I complained about my life and the lack of a job - things have been a little bit crazy or let's just say I don't have time to just sit at my computer for hours "surfing" the internet.

The Pod
Thursday I applied for a position at the Town Hall Tax office. Friday I applied to a position at a local town's community service doing manual labor (I told you I was desperate!). Friday I heard back from the Tax office that I got the job (wahoo!) and then it was taken away from me before I knew it when I informed the lady that I would need to come in a few hours late on the first day or so (back to square 1). Saturday I had an interview with Stop and Shop Peapod (they deliver your grocheries right to your kitchen counter). Sunday I was hired by Stop and Shop Peapod - and this time they didn't take the job away from me. Monday and tonight I worked. Oh how it feels good to be a working lady once again! It's a pretty laid back job and I think I'm going to enjoy it - although, if I didn't enjoy it I'd be telling myself "Self, Tough Luck! This is all your gonna get!" So screw Target and their two month training - I got a job and I am good at it!

The Two Peas

Sarah and I leave for Laura's (and Michael's) wedding on Thursday after I am finished with classes. We bought the wedding gift and we got a gift bag for it (I think she'll love it!). I bought my tummy tucker for my dress - and let me tell you that was quite an interesting shopping experience! Tomorrow Mom and I are going to get manicures and then I have to buy some grocheries for the ride down, pack: my clothes, the camera, a book, and of course my knitting project (Mom's already late birthday present). We will be back Sunday where I will then attend my "little cousin's" graduation party. I can't believe he's out of high school already! I can remember when I held him in my lap.

*I realized I don't have pictures of the happily married-to be couple or of my graduating cousin or even of my new work place. I apologize for a Picture-less entry.*

I'm a Toys R US Kid!

2006-06-22T23:55:00.000-04:00

Let's take a break from Jerusalem, from Israel. A break for just one post - because I'm not in Israel right now (unfortunately) and there is stuff going on here at home that I need to write down.

I've been searching for a summer job. I've had no luck because it is nearly the end of June (although it was the start of June when I began this darn search) and no one wants to hire me because I'm going back to school in 2 months (YAY, can't wait!). This is a problem since I have to pay for Purl and for her food. I also need a job for my own sanity. No offense Mom, but I need to get out of the house every once in a while. I love you guys, but I need a change of scenery - a change of enviornment.

I've applied everywhere (even though Mom says otherwise) - even Target. They turned me down. But I'm glad they turned me down because if they really need TWO months to train me how to use the cash register, then I don't want to know - really. I got a card in the mail today from them. It was red on the outside (big surprise?) with their target symbol in the bottom right hand corner. Inside it said this:

Aileen,
Hello, thanks for taking the time to apply with us.
While we're unable to offer you a position at this
time, we do appreciate your interest in Target.
Thank You,
Human Resources

WHAT?! I have no idea what to think of this gesture. You didn't give me the job - fine I'll deal. But sending a note in the mail just seems like they are rubbing in the fact that they didn't hire me. Not to mention that it's corny. So if any of you Target administrators are reading this - which I highly doubt - you might want to tell Mr. Human Resources that I don't want his little card and he can keep all his 30 cash registers empty because they won't hire poor college students.

No, I'm not bitter. Really, I'm not. Instead I'm focusing on my future - my future as a librarian. I requested a catalog and application from the University that I plan to get my masters at tonight. I discovered that yes, I will have to take the GREs in order to be considered for admissions. I realized that I am growing up, and to be quite honest, that's scary.

I am not ready to hold my own job, have my own income and my own massive bills to pay. I have a minor credit card bill that I'm paying off now, but grown-ups have more than one bill to pay. They have the car to pay off, and the cell phone bill to pay, and insurance, and electricity, and food to buy, etc., etc. No Thank You! I will happily live off of my parents - feeding the dog and doing the dishes without complaint. I will keep my newly finished room clean. I will make my bed every day just as long as I don't have to grow up.

My friend Laura is getting married in eight days. She just turned 20. And while she is 100% sure that this is the man for her I am wondering how in the world she is able to do this. The idea of marriage scares me. I can barely take care of myself let alone another person. My mom married when she was 20. I'm almost 22 and marriage is no where in sight. I think that's a good thing.

*Now I've gone and done what I just told my cousin I don't do in my blog - complain and rant about my life. Oh well, guess it has to happen every once in a while.*

How Will You Remember?

2006-06-20T22:01:00.000-04:00

So where did I leave off? Oh right... Jerusalem!

May 17, 2006

7:00 PM

Today was so full of things to see that I feel exhausted and overwhelmed. The morning started on Mt. Scopias - the north end of the Mount of Olives - which gave us a beautiful view of Jerusalem. Then we went to Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum (if you've ever been to the Holocaust museum in Washington D.C. you haven't seen anything until you've been to Yad Vashem). As a history major who favors the moder time period i thrived on this.

Inside of Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum

The museum in Washington D.C. does not come anywhere close. There was so much information a whole day wouldn't have been nearly enough time let alone a mere two and a half hours. A small group of us latched ourselves onto a tour guide who was speaking English. She was absolutely amazing at giving us information we never would have got on our own. For example, the average Jew in the concentration camps was getting about 180 calories a day. We need approximately 1500 in our daily diet. And despite the small amount of food they were getting they were still expected to work a 12 hour day! This boggles my mind! The few hours at the museum was numbing and exhausting. It was beautiful to hear the personal stories of so many who survived and yet so horrible to know all that they experienced. I cannot imagine having to recound the stories continuously for others. I have so much to say and yet no word come to mind. Later that day we went to the Israel museum where we saw the Dead Sea Scrolls.The Shrine of the Book - the monument where they are displayed - was beautiful.

Inside the Shrine of the Book Memorial

Seeing such an amazing discovery laid before my eyes was unreal. Someday, wanting to go into archival work and preserving historical documents made this experience especially exciting and important knowing the work that went into saving these documents. Before the end of this trip we will visit Qumran which is where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found accidently by a shepherd boy (you'll hear more about that in a few entries).

Two Loves

2006-06-18T21:54:00.000-04:00

Knitting News

I finished the Petal Bib that I mentioned starting yesterday. It was a great project to knit especially since it gave me some instant satisfaction in my knitting - which was much needed. The project that I have next in line is a purse that was supposed to be done for my mom for her birthday (which was 3 days ago) and with the end of school and my trip to Israel it just didn't happen. So, I really needed an instant gratification project before diving into the long winded purse. It will be fun though.

Puppies

About two weeks before I got out of school I got a phone call early in the morning - about 8:30 - from my mom. It was unusal for my mom to call this early and so I was concerned as to what was happening. She was in tears. She told me that they were at the Vet and they needed to put Chester down.

Chester was our 10 year old Spring Spaniel. He was the best dog anyone could ever ask for and was quite perfect for our family. He slept ALL the time and was pretty fat. We had to hand feed him because he wouldn't eat otherwise and we had to lift him up onto the couch or the bed. He used to be able to jump up on the couch, but in his old age, any attempt to try himself usually ended with him being half on the couch and half off looking around at anyone who would please help him up the rest of the way. He always had a dumb sheepish look on his face when this happened. Especially unique to Chester was that when he was six years old he was diagnosed with diabetes. Yes, my dog had diabetes. Every morning and every evening we gave him his shot of insulin and every afternoon he had to have a slice of cheese or two to boost his sugar level.Unfortunately, his diabetes caused him to age a little quicker than we would have liked. He became senial this past year and got athritis. Getting up on the couch became a much bigger struggle than it had been and he was much more dependent on us.

It was really hard saying goodbye to Chester. The house got much quiter without him (even though when he was here he was sleeping). The house was much more empty without him and it was obvious. I found myself still going into Mom's room to check on him before I went out for the day. I found myself wanting to call for him. I thought about him a lot. All my life growing up we had a dog. Camie came before Chester. She came before me. My parents bought her in 1983. I was born in 1984. We bought Chester in 1995 when we thought Camie wasn't going to be around much longer. But she wasn't gonna be booted outta the house by a new dog and she stuck around for another 4 years. When we put Camie down we still had another dog to come home to, but when Chester was put down all we had to come home to was an empty home.

We started looking for another dog. The lady that Chester went to for grooming and for a place to stay when we went on vacation gets rescue dogs and finds homes for them. So when we told her that we had to put Chester down, she offered us Cedric - who actually is one of her dogs. She also shows dogs, but Cedric was too tiny and already having 7 dogs or so she couldn't keep him anymore. We went to look at him last Sunday. He was adorable. We fell in love with him, and I think he fell in love with him. We said we'd take him.
We went to pick him up yesterday. He has made himself at home pretty quickly in the past 27 hours or so. He is two years old and full of energy. He eats when his food is put in front of him. He likes to be carried much like a 2 year old human would like to be carried. He is a doll. We love him - but he hasn't taken the spot of Chester. I don't know if that spot can be filled.

Drum Roll Please...

2006-06-17T22:19:00.000-04:00

And the Winner Is

There were some great entries for names for the Name My Car contest. We had Silver Bullit, Purl, Stanley, and Subtle Rufus Nosal. And the winner is PURL. Thanks Joyce for your creative suggestion. I loved it (as did the rest of the family). I will send you an email with more details on your prize.

Moving Ahead 7 Hours

So you probably want to hear more about my trip to Israel... or atleast I hope you do - cause I'm going to tell you more whether you like it or not!

May 16, 2006

8:52 PM

Today we began the learning part of the trip - the whole reason I am here. We woke up at 6:00 in order to get breakfast at 7:00 and begin our intro walk of the Old City at 7:30. When I am at school I normally don't get up til 7:30 let alone already have been up for an hour and a half. We toured the Old City of Jerusalem the first half of the day. We went to the place where the tomb of King David is commemorated. Men and Women had to go into separate sides of the room. The men had to wear head coverings. I am not sure why the men had to and the women did not. We also went to the Western Wall and again the men and women had t go on separate sides of the wall. This wall is also known as the Wailing Wall - but Jews do not appreciate this term. This experience was like nothing I've ever experienced before and I am not entirely sure it can be put into words. I was awestruck and I stood there in amazement. This is something that I think the American protestant church has lost - the importance of a holy place and the importance of prayer. The cracks of the Wall are filled with paper that have people's prayers on them. When the cracks are fill up with these prayers they are removed and burned. I think this is beautiful. We also went to St. Anne's which is located in the Muslim quarter of the Old City. The acoustics in the church were absolutely amazing. We sang. We sang both the "Doxology" and "Haleluljah". I have never heard anything so beautiful. Also at this site is supposedly where Jesus healed the lame man in John 5. My mind cannot fully grasp the idea of being somewhere that Jesus performed a miracle at. It just seems so unreal. It's something that I have read about all my life - like in a storybook that one knows will never come true. But it is true and I can't get my mind around it! We grow up being told that they were true, but these events happened in a far away land that most of us will never visit and yet, here I am. They are true and we know where they happened. It is really unbelievable.

Knitting

While I did bring a knitting project with me to Israel there wasn't a whole lot of time to actually sit down and knit. So, as a result, it's been quite a while since I've knit anything. Last night, I finally picked up a project that I'd been working on - the bib. I am nearly done, working on the I-cord tie right now. I will post a picture as soon as I finish it!

In the Beginning...

2006-06-15T20:27:00.000-04:00

So, I went to Israel and have been home now for 11 days and I've only written one entry about my trip. You probably want to hear more about it - or at least I'm hoping you want to hear more about it 'cause I want to tell you everything. But there is so much to tell and it's overwhelming trying to decide what you would want to hear about and what you wouldn't. I've decided the best way to tell is to share with you pieces of the journal that I kept while I was over there. So here we go:

May 15, 2006

9:00 AM Israel time (2:00 AM Eastern time)

We left yesterday for 3 weeks in Israel - the trip I've been waiting for sicne October. It is strange knowing it is finally here and that it's no longer just an "idea". When we got to Newark (we flew from Logan airport to Newark to Tel Aviv) we went to the waiting room that had been reserved for our group - one of those rooms that you can't see into from the outside, the kind one always wishes they could go into (or at least I always had). It had nice leather chairs and all kinds of snacks and soft drinks for us. We spent the next 5 hours hanging out and getting to know each other. We played a word association game and then a stupid pattern game - stupid because I couldn't figure out the pattern! I called my family and talked to them one last time before the flight.

I love flying. I love looking out the window when I fly - reminds me of Grandpa Lebo. I am told that when he was a pilot he had the smoothest landings. I find myself comparing the pilot to him. I slept most of the flight - taking a menatolin to help me sleep and hopefully minimize the jet lag. Dinner was served at 5:30 or so. I had what I think was Chicken Parmesan and rice with a salad that had a raw piece of salmon on top - ew. (Little did I know that raw fish for meals would be a common food that I would see while in Israel.) I slept straight through til breakfast - Special K cereal, fruit salad, banana, crescent roll, and a banana muffin. Both meals were pretty good, especially for plane food. When we land I will get my pass stamped - although the option is available not to because other Middle Eastern countries won't let you go in if you have a stamp from Israel. Then we are going to take three 10 passenger Taxi's (sheaurets - you'll hear more about these later) to Jerusalem. JUC (Jerusalem University College) - where we are staying - doesn't start serving us meals until dinner so Elaine and Perry are taking us into the Old City to get falaffels. (In this picture we are waiting for the falaffels to be ready.) We have a full day ahead of us, hopefully we can keep up (we managed to keep up then, but it got harder as the trip went on). I have so much ahead of me to experience!

* The Car Naming "Contest" will be closed to entries on June 17th, so get your suggestions in before its too late! So far the choices are: Silver Bullit, Purl, or Stanley. Think your name is better? Let me know! *

The Wheels on the Bus Go Round

2006-06-12T16:01:00.000-04:00

Or rather, the wheels on my new car go round and round!

I don't know if you can remember this far back, but in a post back in April I went home for Easter with a speech all ready to tell my parents why I should have a car for the approaching fall semester. I came home (this speech and I) to be pleasantly surprised that I had no need for this pre-made speech, that instead my mom thought I should have a car for the fall semester too. We looked at a few cars at that time, but with no real intention to buy right then - and we didn't. The plan, instead, was to casually look over the summer and hopefully we would have found one by the time school rolled around. This was fine with me - as long as we were proactive about looking for a new ride for me.

I got home from Israel a week ago to find out that they had a deposit on a car. They wanted me to take a look at it and then maybe we'd buy it. This was much sooner than I had excpected to be having a car. We went and looked and while it was a car with four wheels and a working enginee it just didn't seem like it was the right car for me. Instead we found a better fit - a better car for a better deal. Drum roll please....

A 2002 Metallic Mercury Sable:

I think she (or he) is beautiful. I bought a air freshner for the car the other day and I am slowly making it my own.

There is only one problem! The car needs a NAME.

I haven't decided yet if its a male or a female. I'd really love for you all to decide the name for me. I will make a felted change purse for the person with the best suggestion that is left in my comments. I am open to all suggestions - male or female, unique or normal - and the one I like best will get a change purse. I will look at what feltable yarn I have in my stash and give you a choice of colors.

On your mark...Get set... GO!

Chocolate and Clean Teeth

2006-06-09T15:47:00.000-04:00

I went to the dentist today. I was sitting in the chair watching a little television while they stuck those strange objects into my mouth to inspect my teeth. It was just an normal checkup, nothing out of the ordinary. Nothing out of the ordinary until I realized what was on the television.

The T.V. was on the Food Network and it was all about chocolate. It isn't unusual for the Food Network to be having a special on chocolate, because they probably do this at least once a week. What was odd that the dentist office had this playing on their television. Aren't they supposed to discouraging one from eating sweet food like chocolate for fear that one day your teeth will rot away? Shouldn't they have had the gardening channel on? 101 Fruits and Vegetables to Grow in Your Backyard would probably have been more appropriate. I left the dentist's office only craving a Hershey's chocolate bar.

A while back I mentioned that I had signed up for the One Skein Secret Pal Exchange. It begins this month and I will need to send my pal a skein of yarn and a little note before the month is over. I have just begun to think about it. In the mean time, my secret pal is right on top of things. I received my first package today! It was wrapped all cute. See? And inside was this: I think it's absolutely beautiful. It is really soft malabrigo kettle dyed pure merino wool. The color is gorgeous. I'm going to have to really think about what I want to make out of it because its going to be very special. I do know that it will look great in my room: Thank you soo much SP! You are terrific. Hope your secret pal is as good to you as you are to me!

O Jerusalem

2006-06-08T22:41:00.001-04:00

It's 10:45 and I am exhausted, but I cannot sleep. I am wishing so hard that I was back in Israel asleep on the hard and noisy bunkbed with seven of the best girls in the whole world (I am not forgetting about the 5 in the next room or my girls from T201).

I am back in the United States and let me tell you it is nothing like Israel. Israel is beautiful (that's not to say that the US isn't beautiful - it's just different). The special thing about Israel is the topography of the land. It is almost as if God used Israel to be the guinea pig (or the testing ground) for trying out all sorts of ideas on the land to see how it would work in the rest of the world. Israel is about the size of New Jersey. It isn't huge. And yet, there is green grass and the wilderness; hills and flat ground. The lowest place on earth is in Israel and yet there are some very big mountains as well. They have snow, and rain, and lots of heat. It is humid there and it is dry. And one only needs to travel a few miles to see a huge variety of these changes.

There is so much I want to tell you about the trip - and eventually I will get there, but let me start with the knitting news. First the bad news: I did not buy any yarn while I was over there. I did not see any yarn for sale. I asked the campus director if she knew of a place to buy yarn and she replied by asking "Just regular yarn?" And I replied yes, because as a non-knitter, she didn't know any better. She knew of a place, but I never got over to the store. But I did see lots of goats and sheep and other fiber-filled animals.

These ones were at Gezer, an ancient site near the coast of Israel. They were just wandering through the excavated site.
Those tiny little dots you see are sheep. The shepherd is leading them across the wilderness.

I have more yarn-related pictures, but we will save those for another day. For now I think I might just go to sleep and dream sweet dreams of Jersualem.

"If I forget thee O Jerusalem..." (Ps. 137:5)

And on the Third Day...

2006-05-21T11:07:00.000-04:00

He rose again.

We went to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre today which is in the Christian quarter of the Old City in Jerusalem. I was not expecting any experience like the one I had. I knew that the church was one of two possible places of Jesus' crucifixion and burial, but the experience of visiting this place caught me completely off guard. I was in complete awe from the moment we walked into the church. Seeing the bedrock (a type of hard limestone) where Jesus was crucified was unbeliveable. I grew up hearing these stories, and so until this trip these were all just that - stories.

The most amazing experience on this trip thus far - for me - was going to the supposed tomb that Jesus was buried.
This picture is of the tomb from the front. As I waited in line to enter, I was getting very anxious, knowing that I was approaching a very HOLY place. When I entered the first part of the tomb, I was awestruck and slightly weak in my knees.

When I entered the place of the tomb where the body of Jesus was laid (right through that door in the picture above) and go to my knees, I think I truly began to understand what it was really what that Jesus had done for me and for all of us by dying on the cross. I understood why it was so important to dedicate all of my life to Him and while I knew this before I do not think I truly understood how big of an idea this was. Tears came to my eyes as I knelt before the bench. I am not one who usually cries, and yet I was filled with an emotion that I could not really control.

This is an experience I don't think I will ever forget. I will pass this story on to my children and on to my grandchildren.

*These pictures were found off the internet as I have not been able to upload mine to a computer yet*

The Promised Land

2006-05-15T09:13:00.000-04:00

I'm here! It's 4:08 pm here... so that means its 9:08 am Eastern time. We had some down time before dinner, so after emailing my mom I thought I'd come post and let you all know I arrived saftely. Please continue to keep me in your prayers and thoughts. I will hopefully be able to update more, so maybe it wasn't a complete "temporary" goodbye afterall. The computer room is a short walk away from my bedroom... I just don't know how much time I'll have on my hands.

In the mean time, I'm going to take a really quick nap before dinner at 5:30.