Family fun ....

The cookout we gave on Sunday with family went great! I have lots of pictures ... but I have no time to write at the moment. Will be back later ...


Life is good!!

Memorial Day weekend flurry ...

No, not snow flurry ... a flurry of activity ... knitting for one thing. Yup, here's a FO posing for your approval. Rowan Kid Silk scarf. So soft. So luscious. So nice around the neck, never mind the fact that I love smelling it! I think it's the smell of the silk that makes it so irresistible.
My favorite color ... orange. It's done, done, done. Started in January, finished May 25, 2007.

Now I'll be back to one of my WIPs, the reversible cable scarf. I love this scarf also and it's going pretty fast since I only started it this last Saturday. Lily Chin would be proud!
So pretty with orange and purple.

As of this morning ... Saturday, I finished planting my Veggie garden. Just need to put down some straw or something for mulch. But the last of the seeds are in. Well until the early crop comes in. It is a small space, but I'll have a lot going on there soon.
I love my garden. I love eating from my garden too. Yum, yum, can't wait!

And because we're preparing for a big cookout here in our own backyard tomorrow, the DH and I have both worked for two days straight to prepare. The lawn, flower beds and backyard are all ready. And the house is clean enough so we are not be too embarrassed when someone goes inside.



Have you noticed that I love orange? I also love orange and pink together. And purple, red, yellow. I don't think there's a color in nature that I don't like.
I love 'em all!


Everything is ready, so I suppose I can sit down and take a break now. See that little pink knitted piece on the table below? Well it's a swatch. Yah, I know, I know, when does the Stitchingnut ever take the intelligent step of swatching before she begins something? But that's what I'm doing. Since I'm not using the yarn that the pattern calls for, I thought it best to make the wise, intelligent choice of getting gauge. I'll show it to you if I get the results I'm looking for.

Okay, okay ... you guys are tough. I'll show it to you either way. But when I'm done. Okay?

The good the bad and the ugly.
Back to my knitting ...

My brain is loopsided!

Thanks to Sara at Boston Worker Bee, she found this test that is also interesting and I'm a sucker for a test. But there's that "sport" thing again! What's up with that? Maybe knitting could be considered a Sport as well as Art?

You Are 40% Left Brained, 60% Right Brained

The left side of your brain controls verbal ability, attention to detail, and reasoning. Left brained people are good at communication and persuading others. If you're left brained, you are likely good at math and logic. Your left brain prefers dogs, reading, and quiet. The right side of your brain is all about creativity and flexibility. Daring and intuitive, right brained people see the world in their unique way. If you're right brained, you likely have a talent for creative writing and art. Your right brain prefers day dreaming, philosophy, and sports.

Are You Right or Left Brained?

[it's a little known fact, but I was into sports when I was a kid ... soft ball, basketball, and track. Watched High School Football games every week and keep score for the Basketball team. I simply outgrew the interest of sports once I graduated from HS.]

But the statement, "See the world in their unique way." ... now that might have some merit.

This is my Aura ? What color is yours ?

My Aura is Yellow

You're a deeply happy and content person, and you enjoy sharing your cheer with others. While you may seem like a simple optimist, there is a lot of thinking going on inside you. The purpose of your life: bringing joy and a better life to others Famous yellows include: Conan O'Brien, Jenny Mccarthy, Jim Carrey Careers for you to try: Athlete, Actor, Yoga Instructor

What Color Is Your Aura?

The Careers are so not me though ...
Instructor maybe, but not in anything ATHLETIC. Actor? No way! I've never done Yoga but would like to ... if only I had the time. Will it help me with my knitting?

LOL, those of you who know me best must be chuckling over this!

I almost missed this one ...

"Freedom from Self-Improvement Day" was yesterday, May 15! And all week according to others. I also read about it on here. And also here and here and here ... frankly, I think it's a great idea!

BTW, this was brought to my attention by Jennifer. And it was quite the coincidence because I had just come across the piece of paper that I've been carrying with me for years now and had intended to share it with you today too.

And what better timing for this little film clip here: http://www.monday9am.tv/archive/play/48

Go ahead and take a look and come on back. Wasn't that nice?

I suppose you've notice a few of my favorite sayings and one of them being ... "Being happy doesn't mean that everything is perfect. It means that you've decided to look beyond the imperfections."

I use to strive for perfection ... but not anymore!

I also copied a paragraph from a book that really hit home for me. I really love what it has to say. I carry it in my wallet. I take it out every once in awhile to read and today it's very appropriate I think. Trouble is, I don't remember which book I got it from ... it's been 12 years. [if you know, let me know so I can give credit to the author] I might even still have the book around somewhere in one of my bookcases so I'll have to look. I love what it has to say so ... I'm going to share it with you on this day, the

First Annual "Freedom from Self-Improvement Day/Week"

"We tend to hold on to things, including ideas. We are reluctant to give up ideas like who I am. Yet giving up some old ideas is essential to growing. I must learn how to let go of the static image of who I think I am. If I am to grow, I must get unhooked from my past. I must come to realize that I am the one and only me, a person in process -- always and forever learning, changing, growing. The only important reality is who I am right now. I am not who I used to be. I am not yet who I will be. And above all I must know this: I am who I am supposed to be, and I am fully equipped to do whatever it is I am supposed to be doing with my life."

So I say, "Happy Freedom from Self-Improvement" ... you are who you are meant to be!

Even a Stitchingnut.

I've been Tagged TWICE!

Both Kim at Knits with a silent K and Darlene at Yarn Collectors Anonymous have Tagged me for the same thing ... Seven Random Things MeMe

Here is the meme:

Each person tagged gives 7 random facts about themselves. Those tagged need to write in their blogs 7 facts, as well as the rules of the game. You need to tag seven others and list their names on your blog. You have to leave those you plan on tagging a note in their comments so they know that they have been tagged and need to read your blog.

The 7 Facts:

1. I am the oldest of 8 children. Eight is enough is right! Six girls and two boys. The two boys came last and the youngest is 21 years younger than me. But listen to this ... my Mom is one of 7 children and the LAST 2 were boys. So that's 5 girls and 2 boys. See the pattern here, LOL? Thank goodness it skipped me!

2. My daughter tried to give the family tradition a try and had 4 girls before having her one boy. Now she also has 2 step-daughters and is adopting her grand daughter. This makes her family up of ... 7 girls and 1 boy. I guess I'm just a lucky "Grammy" because I adore them all!

3. I'm teaching as many of the grand kids as I can, how to knit.. Including any boy who wants to learn and my daughter. I believe that the more knitters we have the more likely we'll have World Peace some day.

4. I was a crocheter for 40 years and did everything including doilies. I did cross stitch for 30 years and the "quilter" in me kept trying to get out also. I even dabbled in embroidery & crewel. But I have been a knitter for only 2 1/2 years and started out with socks. They're like potato chips ... can't have just one.

5. I've been needle felting for only 5 months now, and have fallen in love with that also. I look forward to retiring, but have a new career all lined up already. It'll have something to do with knitting and needle felting. It'll include teaching too and I still won't have enough time to do everything I want to do.

6. In case you haven't noticed, I also love to garden. Flower power with veggies! Also love photography ... which has been in my life since I was 10 years old when I got a camera for Christmas that year. All the pictures my parents have after that for years & years were taken by me until one of my baby brothers took over when he got his first camera. I was 16 when the 1st brother was born and 21 when the last one was born. [I refused to take the 1st one out for walks 'coz he looked just like me. Remember I was only 16 but people commented how much my little boy looked like me. Good Gosh, I couldn't picture being married never mind having a baby back then.]

and last but not least ...

7. I think I have ASD ... Addictive Stitching Disorder

I won't be tagging anyone by name ... but if you've stopped by and haven't done this Meme yet, consider yourself tagged. tehe

My Goals for this Summer ...

Entering a Contest!

More than one blogger has this posted, so I'm going to have to find out from whom I heard about this first. Does that make any sense? Maybe not ... but check out the contest at Skeins her way ... and mention that I sent you if you decided to enter also.


The List ...

It's about my knitting goals for this Summer. Ali has some pretty detailed and ambitious goals and she makes me feel like one super slacker. But I'm probably a lot older and therefore running out of steam, right? I think my list is all that I'll be able to manage. If I can. And I'm not even sure about that. But remember, most of my knitting is done while I commute by train or the early morning hours [or during Community Knitting on Thursday or with the M.I.T. SnB girls during Thursday's lunch if I can listen while I knit and keep from talking too much.] Weekends are good for a few hours of knitting but I do have to do laundry, cook, clean and shop. Or at least when I finally can't put it off any longer. Okay, those are my excuses, so here's my list ....

1. Knit at least 5 pairs of socks. Starting "Grasshopper" with the present STR Silkies. One sock done so far and I don't want to fall into the SSS pattern. Casting on for the 2nd one tonight.

2. Knit Mango Noho #NH002 cotton summer top that I purchase from Lily Chin's collection as soon as I receive her pattern. Have the yarn but not the pattern yet.

3. A reversible cable scarf in lime green , also purchased from Lily Chin's collection. [I'll get back with the name of the yarn ... I've forgotten it already.] Started it a few days ago. [Update: the yarn is Lily Chin's Greenwich Village in her Signature Collection]

4. Knit the #B004-CP — in the book Expression cardigan sweater. I purchased the Broadway yarn from the Lily Chin collection for this and would like to start it this weekend.

5. Complete the orange Kid Silk scarf I started in January so I can wear it by this Oct/Nov.

6. Work on my sweater kit I purchased from the "Poetry in Stitches" collection. If you took a look at the sweater, then you'll know why I've got to get started on this soon if I want it to be done during the Winter months. I really don't expect to finish it this Summer.

7. Knit a felted purse and needle felt a picture on it. This is something I'll be creating from scratch. My own design on the purse that is.

8. Put together a syllabus for the needle felting class I'm giving in September at Seed Stitch Fine Yarn. Make a few samples besides the felted purse as well.

So have I bitten off more than I can chew and knit up?

From Grasshopper to Butterfly ...

High tea at the Four Seasons Hotel Boston was an experience to have at least once in my lifetime. My knitting friend, Dotty came along to keep me company and out of trouble. Not thinking that I could get her into trouble right? Well don't worry we got on the right train and even made it through the MBTA Subway system with only minor confusion. Minor. Really. Honestly. But we got there with no problem. Coming back was a little more confusing; did we get a Charlie Card or Charlie Ticket? And what's the difference? The difference is whether you can get thru the gate or not and get on a train, LOL.

It was a cool and raining day but we managed to stay somewhat dry. First we met at the Salem Train Station and knit on the ride into Boston. From there we took the Green Line to Boylston Street and had about a block and a half walk to the Four Seasons. Hard to recognize it as an entrance huh, with all of the luxury cars lined up at the door, but this is where we went in and then thru the lobby to the Bristol Lounge.


Once we were shown to our table we could relax and enjoy the atmosphere and good conversation while tea, mini sandwiches, scones and pastries were brought to us. It was a nice leisurely event. I had a wonderful time. And the fact that we didn't have to pay anything, including the tax or gratuity, well how could it be any better than that. Thanks, Victoria! It was misty out when we left but we casually walked back to the subway and got to North Station in plenty of time to catch our train back to Salem. Well, after we got help in getting the right amount of money put on Dotty's Charlie Ticket that is. We did have to bother the MBTA attendant to help us. A smile could have cracked his face, so he didn't. [smile that is] But Dotty and I laughed about that. We're still clueless about how to tell if you should get a Ticket or a Card.

Bet Charlie couldn't figure it out either.

Then the train left us off at Government Center since it was the end of the line for it to run. So we had to wait for another one to take us to North Station. Oops, we almost go on one that wasn't going to North Station either. We laughed. And a fleeting thought entered my head that we could be caught below the streets of Boston, just like Charlie ... "the knitters who never returned." Whoa, but we still had 30 minutes ... 30 minutes to knit while we waited for the Salem train from North Station. Of course there was even more knitting and conversation on the train while we headed home.

Thanks for coming with me, Dotty. I had a wonderful time!

Now about that $500 story ...

Just a short story really.

When my DH and I brought the tea cozy in to Abbot Hall to be entered into the Marblehead Festival of Arts, one of the ladies noticed that I didn't have a sales dollar amount listed on my entry. She asked, "You don't want to sell the cozy?" "Well, I didn't intend to sell it." I said, "But I suppose I wouldn't turn down $500.00 if it was offered to me." "Oh well then," she said "We'll put down $500.00 then." And at that point I wasn't going to say "No." Of course as DH pointed out, I could buy lots of yarn with that.

Do you think he knows what I've already got invested in my stash?

Naaaaaah ...

What happened to the comment link?

Is it Blogger or Haloscan?

Don't know yet, but I do know that Blogger now automatically saves our drafts, but the "comments" ability has disappeared. I thought this morning it was because I have an outdated browzer on my home computer and I can't update until I get a newer computer installed. But I don't know if that's true or not. Anyone else having this problem? I have my comments set to "on" ... I even checked to be sure.

Well I have an answer for Mafia about the STR colors ...

Left to right: Sun Stone, Ruby Slippers, Sherbet and Rhodonite. I believe you're intersted in the Ruby Slippers, Mafia. It is pretty! There's a sock out there that calls to be knit with it but I have to let you know later what it is.

This post is to see if my comment link is back. If it is, let me know here or if it isn't just contact me by email at ... rhondarc AT gmail DOT com. Either way ... drop me a line anytime.

I'll be back tomorrow ! About that $500.00 ....

A notorious knitter lives here ...

Here I've got a whole basket of sock yarn waiting to be knit up. Not to mention the stash under the bed, but yes I went and ordered more yarn from the Notorious Sock Knitters themselves, the Blue Moon Ladies. So here's the recent order of Socks That Rock yarn that I got this week ...

Did I need them? Nope. But they're so pretty, I couldn't resist them. Someday they will be socks!


And the yarn I ordered [or bought on sight] from Lily Chin came in at the Seed Stitch Fine Yarn store. Don't worry, I'm not going to hide it from you ... here it is all in it's glory. So take a good look 'cuz I AM going to hide it from the DH.

Oops, forget that ... I think he just saw it when he walked in as I took these pictures. He didn't say a word. Can you believe that? Has he finally succumbed to my knitting "dark side"?

Goodness ... that must be it. I should of known that when he over heard that I might get $500.00 for my "Little Felt-Tea Farm" tea cozy ... he whispered to me, "Rhonda, that could buy you an awful lot of yarn!" Whoa, it sure could! Well at least 2 sweaters worth and another tea cozy. And he didn't seem to mind. Doesn't that beat all?

Well here's the recent treasured purchase ...















And I do have an FO to show you ...

my Summer vest.






As for all the cleaning I was going to do over vacation ... well I did do some but not nearly as much as I need to still do. So little time and so much to do. Story of my life lately. Well, I did find this little treasure here. In a box that I received from a purchase of Maple Syrup I got from Chicken Betty. She put in the box as a little thank you and I never saw them. I'm so glad I save "bubble wrap" and hadn't thrown out the box yet ... 'coz here they are and now I can show you [I'll link to Betty's blog when I'm able to.] I know she made these because ... she's always making unique items like this.

I also got the living room cleaned up and organized somewhat once the new living room furniture was delivered. I've been waiting a long time to get a style that I really love ... and here it is still with a knitting corner ...
May the Knitting Angel alway bless my home with more knitting...

How does my garden grow ...

From front to back to ...

the side where the vegtable garden will go to ...

and in backyard under the Cherry tree we planted.

As the leaves filled in to give us a roof of green, we worked. And still we have more to do. But I'm loving it. It's good work.

BTW ...
My sister, Lori mentioned that I only gave a tease and just a peek at the Bleeding Heart. And why not give you all the beauty of the whole gorgeous plant? Why not. It's one of my favorites and the first plant I put in when we bought our house 3 years ago. So here it is up close ...

Isn't this a beauty?


And here it is in all it's glory.

Then there's the Bungle Weed in it's beautiful blues ...

The Columbine hats brings a smile to my face too ...

And I can't wait for each bloom that'll arrive thru out the Summer ...


Would you believe this is a light pink Tulip in the next picture? They look like roses to me.


How does my garden grow?

With loving care and plenty of beer and wine for the DH and ME !