Of school and birthdays and life......

Well, homeschool co-op has officially begun! Marmee and Sissy are teaching knitting class (guess who forgot the camera? but remembered yarn...lol) and the kiddos are taking music theory and pre-chemistry. Here is a tell-tale sign that we are learning....3 of us are knitting and two of us are reading our new music theory books. I love it when learning is a natural outcome and not something you have to force on a child....said the smug mother...lol.
Now, I debated whether or not to let you all in on my birthday booty, but I just can NOT keep it to myself! It was the most wonderful birthday ever.
I will let you see how my family blessed me with...no, wait, showered me with gifts.
First, I got a woolee winder for my Reeves wheel, and the circumference on my Reeves wheel is so totally awesome at 93-94" versus my double treadle Lendrum, which comes in at 60". So, mass production here I come...LOL...probably not, it seems you also need something called time. Well, I will see. In the meantime, here is a picture of my new bobbin filling with my birthday fiber that I got at Coppermoose, it is called mountain magic and it is positively magical to spin!! I wish I had better lighting, this picture doesn't do the fiber justice, for sure. I already have this earmarked for the Noro sweater I want to make, it is called "Fletcher" and I am so excited to do this!! So, stay tuned for more on this two step project...first I have to finish spinning the fiber and all I have so far is what you see, lol. You might have to remember this for a while.......sorry.





The next thing I opened was this absolutely enchanting pendant. It is the most exquisite little fairy with a background of stars and a half moon.


The last thing I opened was a three-fold gift. It was 3 pieces of handmade pottery from the Renaissance Fair in Tennessee back in May.
Long time to hold on to a gift, huh? They deserve special recognition for that I think. I am terrible about getting a gift early, I immediately want to give it......sigh. So, I totally admire anyone that can do that. Although, to be fair to myself, I am starting early on Christmas gifts, and I do have a few made so far and have not given them away, so I guess I have gotten better. Anyway, here is this gorgeous bread platter and the two pitchers. So, I had a very wonderful birthday. One of the really cool parts of my birthday was the cards I got from my friends. I am so happy that I have acquired such a valuable resource-people that I treasure. Moving really makes you realize the people that you keep with you in your heart. It also helps you to realize how wonderful it is to find new people that welcome you and make you feel like you are a part of something again. The knitting group that Ashley and I joined in the spring, has been a lifeline for me. I am sure that they didn't realize what they were doing, but they were like a glass of cool water to a very thirsty person. I appreciate every one of them. They have all reached out to me and to Ashley and we are beginning to feel like we really are home again. Thank you all.

So, life goes on in the Thornton household. We are happy and we are together. That is really all that matters.

Since I have the camera out.....

Thought I would give you a peek at my WIP (works in progress for all you non-knitters).
Here is the pinwheel with arms now...just waiting patiently for me to stop painting and weave in the tails and add a button. It was done in Di.ve butterfly, and with much bulkier yarn than I am used to using....I must admit here, that bulkier is wonderful when you have a small time crunch, she said with a really big smile! And that, by the way, is a horrible picture. I will have to get Mallory dear to model it for me.

And this is the beginnings of the tomten for little Kelsey Belle. Her favorite color is red, can you tell? This is interesting yarn too, same bulkiness (is that a word??)about 4.5 stitches to the inch.
It is self striping like you see, which I like. The yarn is Madil fusion. This should be another quick project...gosh, Christmas is coming, ya know!

Oh yes, I can not forget the new sock yarn I got in the mail last week! It is Garnstudio Fabel, a self-striping yarn that my knitting friend Peggy, turned me on to. She is knitting the most gorgeous pair of jaywalkers with hers!!
Here it is, for your delictation and delight: These should make delectably wonderful socks and I cant wait. Of course, I need to watch out for sheetrock dust and paint, but shouldn't be too much of a problem..lol.
Well, thanks for listening to my ramblings. I am in love with life today and everything is perfect in my little universe.
Knit on!

Okay, is it remodeling or rethinking??

So, here I sit, amidst the chaos of all my stuff being in another place other than where it USED to belong. I am wondering, what was wrong with me that I thought where I put it all was just fine???
How could I have been so stupid and disorganized to think that where I had it was the height of organization? LOL
Now I see that the washer and dryer should have been 6 feet to the left, of course, but what was wrong with me that I didn't see that before? Gosh, this gets me to thinking about what else is going on in my life that I am just not seeing.....
Okay, I am remodeling a garage and making a bedroom with a bathroom and a laundry room set off that with additional shelving, the hallway just lost a coat closet to the big refrigerator, which looks so awesome, just like it is supposed to be there and is much closer to the kitchen, and the kitchen is getting a face lift and some shelving. I am putting a loft of sorts into the girls room for my darling Ashley, which should be so cool for her.
This means that I will have some painting and touch up to do. Did I mention that my little brother is doing the hard work for me? So this is really kind of a homespun job, I am getting involved a bit...lol....much to my brother's chagrin...and I must admit, to mine too, at times!!
So, I am rethinking my life, not just my floor plan. What goes next, or what should I reposition or add on to or repaint. Getting older is rough, isn't it?
As I was telling June last night, I now have (take a deep breath) 3 projects on the needles. Yes, you read right, 3! I have the Lotus blossom tank almost finished, the pinwheel is waiting for more yarn to do the sleeves (that thing went so fast!) and now I am starting a tomten jacket for Kelsey. Wow, can you say progress? I am a bit impressed with myself, but reserving judgement until they are all finished objects waiting for Christmas paper. Oh my gosh, I hope I can find them at Christmas! I better go figure out where I will hide all my knitting booty.

Why, oh why?

Okay, today I have a few questions.....The first one is why is it that weeds grow faster than flowers in my garden? I am looking out on a garden that could possibly be mistaken for a weed patch by the unsuspecting passerby and wondering this small question.....
Second, why do you have to make a bigger mess to clean up or organize an already overwhelming mess? This principle reigns supreme in my household...it is really funny to see my little girls, 12,9,8, when I decide to go upstairs. They all get this look of horror on their faces, and say, "our room might be a little messy, Marmee" and yes, they do call me Marmee ( how cute is that?) Of course, they are not cleaning or organizing their room (they are in a state of denial) but I am talking about my cleaning style...lol...if that is what you call it!
Third, why is it that when you find the knitting pattern you love, and get to the yarn store, it is a chore to find the yarn that you want in the price range you can live with...i.e. possibly justify to your husband...lol...and when you find the yarn you love, it is a chore to find just the right pattern for it? Inevitably, you think to yourself, "I should have gotten the pattern first...or I should have gotten the yarn first!! Does this happen to anyone else, or is it just me?
And, last but not least, how come the ratio of how much food a child spills right down the front of their shirt is directly proportionate to the public exposure said child will receive when there is no way they can change that shirt...or blouse?
Well, hope you enjoyed those little musings. Today is the first day of 2 weeks of remodeling, a bittersweet thing in my experience. It, too, is another thing that gets messier before it gets better. So, we will be eating sheetrock dust on our cereal, for one more time in our lives and I will be saying...just close your eyes and pretend it is sugar kids....lol. Happy Wednesday!

A breakthrough for Marmee!

Well, I did it!! Thank you for the encouragement Peggy and June! And thanks for the jumpstart, little Ashley.
It is official, I now have 2 projects in my knitting basket at the same time, and wool on my wheel. Can life get any better? LOL
I found the cutest little pinwheel sweater idea that I am going to use for Mallory's Christmas present. I am making the little girls all sweaters and matching skirts, btw.I plan on making this with some bright multicolored wool, the kind that knits up "splotchy" with no patterning to the yarn.
The down side of choosing another project while you have one on your needles, is that you are focused on one thing...i.e.knitting, and when you look up to discover the perfect pattern, oh darn, not enough of the color yarn you want. So, .....................road trip!! And the drawback to that, is that my LYS is 40 minutes away.
So, there you have it, the ups and downs as I see it.

What is the deal??????

Ok, I just have to know....what could possibly motivate an otherwise reasonably sane woman who has pounds of unspun roving at her side and a knitting project sitting next to her chair, to wander the internet looking at knitting patterns? What causes me to do this? It isn't like I am bored and need something to do, for goodness sake! I am sitting here looking at my basket of fluffy roving next to my sweet little Lendrum, just waiting for me to sit down and spend some time with them. I am spinning every day now ( and loving it, fyi) and have such a sense of purpose for the fluff, I mean wool...grin. Oh, and it is not like I am looking for a pattern to knit for my proposed Christmas presents, whose yarn is already decided and sitting so beautifully in a basket in my living room, calling my name. Oh, no, that would be way too reasonable and practical.....lol
The pattern that has caught my eye is a sweater for me!!! Now, when in the daylights am I going to fit this in???
Oh, what the heck, I am throwing caution and practicality to the wind, bring on the internet, bring on the pattern!!! I am woman enough for this......(I think)
Here is my temptation.....Simply Noro pattern, isn't it to die for?? I mean really, don't you want to add it to your project queue??Oh, yes,one more thing, of course, I want to spin for it!! ROFL So, what is the deal anyway?

Knitting and plying in progress

I am so close to being done with this adorable little top. It is getting down to the wire now....I am on the downhill run.....The lace has turned out so gorgeous.
Today, I start on the tour de fleece. I am spinning for a Christmas project....wish I could say more, but the recipient might read this, so my lips are sealed. But, I will say that I am plying 2 bobbins full of lovely merino as we speak. I just love to spin....it gives me that same wonderful feeling of peace that hanging out clothes does.....it makes me go outside of myself and reach the flow of grace where everything is calm and peaceful and beautiful. Ahhhhh, I am missing my wheel already, lol.
I am only spinning for one gift this year, and I have the yarn for 5 sweaters that each of the littles has requested, pouring over my knitting books for hours.....(Levi wanted one with a crusaders cross for a really long time, but has instead decided on an aran....lol) I can't say anymore, oh, except that Aubrey picked out her gift too. This year, she wants a cute little tank with lace, as she is leaving me right after Christmas to go to Australia for 3 months, where it is summer then. Everyone else's gifts are surprises...at least, I think....wink, wink.
I have the most darling and intriguing friend, Peggy, who has the absolutely astounding ability to have more than one knitting project going at a time. She is amazing, check out her blog. But, anyway, she has inspired me to start a project to take out and one to work on here at home. I have avoided this in the past because I never wanted to neglect a project, I wanted to finish one before starting another....but I have so much to do knit-wise, that I see her wisdom. Thank you Peggy!
So, now I am off to my wheel and figuring out what new project to start......don't you just love it??

Work in Progress

This is the lovely little top I am making. It is called the Lotus Blossom Tank. I got the pattern for free when I subscribed to Knitting Daily at http://www.knittingdaily.com/.

I just love it and I am knitting it up in a gorgeous coral cotton. I have been working on it when the kids and I watch educational TV at lunch and when we listen at night to our book on CD. Right now, we are all listening to A Series of Unfortunate Events, and it is a bit hard to concentrate on both, so my knitting could probably go faster and I will have a chance to find out soon. We are on book 11th of a series of 13 books. They are awesome and the kids love them.


I took a picture of Bisou, my 4 month old long haired Chihuahua modeling what I have knitted so far. Isn't he just darling? The top isn't bad either! He is a great knitting companion, he and Lacy, my short haired Chi,( she is 3 years old)usually help me model almost everything I make.

Too Many Loves

Today is one of those days where you sit and wonder, what should I do today? Now, normally, that would not be a problem, except that I have too many loves!
What I mean is, I love to do too many things. For instance, I think to myself, I think I will spin, but the second I do that, the thought pops into my mind that I need to finish the lovely little top I have on my needles at the present moment. Then, of course, I have all those tempting books I checked out of the library last week, and I could listen to a book on cd, while I knit on my top....but when I had one of the littles find the cd player, the headphones were no where to be found, so that shelved that idea. And I need to make more bread, we are down to one loaf, but that would mean firing up the oven in the middle of the day, bad idea....oh, wait, I know! I have that pattern that Ashley got me for Christmas for that cute swing top I want to make to go with my jeans, but I never did pick out any fabric for that, did I?
So, here I sit, typing my first blog entry, thinking I really need a schedule, and why in the world do I put myself through all the "enjoyment" of hobbies!! LOL