Ten Days ...

Since I last posted I've been to Madrona and back, did jury duty, got snowed in, ran errands, paid bills, wrote letters, and got Louie through his knee surgery. 

Madrona as always was wonderful.  It's so nice to take four days of my year and spend it doing what I love ... knitting.  I took three classes, spent a lot of time in the lobby bar drinking appropriate beverages (coffee in the a.m, sodas in the afternoon, wine in the evenings, etc.), catching up with old friends, and making new friends.  One of the fun things about Madrona is the plethora of Susans.  There are a lot of Susans.  In the first class I took, Emergency Measures with Sally Melville, there were 5 Susans in that class.  In our knitting guild, the Eastside Knitting Guild, there are 7 Susans.  I love Susans.  I understand Susans.  One of the things I love about Susans is their willingness to help, and while helping, their willingness to laugh about it.  Case in point ... how many Susans does it take to roll up a skein of yarn?

In this case, three.  The skein of yarn was tangled so Susan M held the skein, Susan B untangled, and Susan R (me) rolled the yarn on the ball.  By the way, please note the vest Susan B is wearing.

Susan knit her houndstooth vest with yarn from Toots LeBlanc & Co., a regular vendor at Madrona. 

The other Susan, Susan M, is our fearless leader for the Eastside Knitting Guild and when she came to Madrona, she was ready for anything and everything. 

Which was primarly knitting for Operation Holiday Stockings.  You will recall this Susan is the Susan that knit stockings for each day of 2010.  Here's what she's done so far for 2011.  Susan is awesome.

After four wonderful days at Madrona, I rested up on the holiday (President's Day), and then went to sign in for jury duty at the District Court in Bellevue.  For the first day, we sat around for about three hours to be sent home, and to report back in on Wednesday.  Checked in on Wednesday, to be excused due to snow.  The trial we were going to be polled for was continued due to an impending snow storm.  Thursday, I worked from home because we had that snow storm and getting off of my hill that day wasn't an option.  We ended up getting 7 inches of snow in about 5 hours. 

Now it's true the snow can stop us from driving anywhere, but it won't stop the two Grill Masters, David and John, from grilling steaks. 

You just position the grill in the right place on the deck ...

bundle up to light it ...

Then pour a stiff drink so you can stand outside in the frigid temperatures to watch the charcoal burn.  It was worth it, however, the steaks were marvelous.

Yesterday, I picked up Louie.  He had to have knee surgery this week because he sustained the same injury that Edgar had.  The vet told me no more basketball for my dogs. 

The surgery went well, and Louie is resting comfortably.  He also likes having special food and special treatment.  He deserves to be spoiled a bit. 

Well, it has been a challenge trying to get this posting done since the internet connection is on and off.  I love Comcast, and the way Comcast makes me feel so angry.  GRRRRRR. 

Take care everyone.

TTFN

Sue

What Dogs Do in Winter

In Winter dogs don't do much.  Actually, what they do best during winter is sleep.  If there's a couch, the dog will get comfortable and sleep.  If there is a lap, the dog will get comfy and sleep.  In fact, they are so in tuned to sleeping that it's a given that winter life revolves around sleep. 

Last weekend I was working on cleaning out, and organizing my yarn stash (still), and had a pile of leftover yarn. 

I wasn't sure what to do with it so I asked for ideas.  Since the dogs were the only living beings around at the time, the responses were something like this.

"What?  I'm sleeping here.  You want to discuss what?  Yarn?  Check with me in the Spring."

"What did you say?  Yarn?  Let me think."

"I'm thinking here."

"Thinking ..... thinking ..... thinking ....."

"ZZZZZZZ."

However, Louie was listening ...

"Duh ... I think it's quite evident what to do with the pile of yarn.  KNIT A DOGGIE BLANKET."  (Louie is so wise.)

That's what I did.  I used double strands of the worsted weight yarn and knit with size 13 needles.  This is the basic blanket that I found on the Lion Brand website many years ago. 

As you can see ...

it's been doggie tested ...

and doggie approved. 

In the meantime, Edgar is still sleeping through winter.

Off to Madrona and good times.

TTFN

Sue

It's Official.

It's been seven years in the making and in waiting, seven years to prepare for the move.  Our move to Edgar's Acres is now officially taking place.  It will be over several months' time, but it's has officially started.  The Stash has now been moved to it's new address in Sequim.

This past week I packed up my yarn stash.  For seven years I've had yarn in Bellevue, and yarn in Sequim.  For seven years I've had needles scattered between the two locations.  Moving the entire stash and accompanying tools and accessories to Edgar's Acres is a big step.  It denote the final decision to FINALLY make the move.  Knitters will agree that when a knitter moves their stash, then the knitter is serious about moving.

The "shelving" is temporary until we get the white shelving we want in this room.  The dogs are fine with sharing their room with my stash.  Yarn is a good insulator both for warmth and for noise.  My yarn is happy to be freed of all of the stuffy plastic bags.

My first thought when I got all of my stash put in place was I don't need anymore yarn.  David's response to that ... "Yeah, right!"  At least now I know what I have.  I also went through and pulled the yarn I'll never knit up and it will go to the charity knitting group in Bellevue. 

I also found the camo yarn for OHS.  Several weeks ago Susan presented me with an official Operation Holiday Stockings knitting bag. 

Pretty nice isn't it?  I think it is awesome, and what a nice thing to do.  This bag holds a lot of yarn so I can also carry along other knitting projects besides stockings (one does need a bit of variety you know).

Meanwhile, my cousin Laura,  and first contributor in 2005 Diana have been busy.

Laurie's stockings were the first batch for 2011.  The yarn is sparkly but doesn't really show up in this picture.  They are so pretty.

Then Diana sent in her first bunch of stockings.  Our total now for 2011 is 56.  I've been knitting as well but not sure how many.  The nice thing about these stockings is they are so portable and a quick knit. 

Well, now that I have unearthed all of my yarn, I need to get to knitting. 

TTFN

Sue

Food for Thought

When dieting, this is as close as you can get to bacon and eggs in the morning.  This pattern was designed by Sarah Parr, and the pattern can be found at her website. 

Enjoy!

TTFN

Sue

Cold Ears Anyone?

Again, I am amazed by something a knitter has created.  If you read the pattern for the Katamari Damacy Queen of All Cosmos earmuffs you will see this has been cleverly planned and designed.  For all of you for whom I knit, don't worry, I'm not inclined to knit this. 

TTFN

Sue

PDX or GO HAWKS!!!!

We've been in Portland this weekend checking out rehearsal dinner venues, and it's been a blast.  This is an interesting and exciting stage of our lives that David and I are entering.  Once a parent, always a parent, and we have discovered that with each stage of parenting we enter into with our sons, it just gets better.  Parenting is a thrilling and fascinating adventure.  Having adult children is wonderful, and now with Frank's upcoming wedding we are gaining a lovely daughter, and with her, her family. 

In the past two days we have checked out five restaurants, eaten at three, viewed facilities at three, and narrowed down the choice for the rehearsal dinner.  I never realized the various things to consider when planning the rehearsal dinner, but the most important for us was location from the church, and ease of getting to the location.  As the mother of the groom, this is going to be fun to plan.

The winner?  Kell's in downtown Portland.  We've always like Kell's and they have nice facilities, and a wonderful staff.  Besides that, we do have a lot of Irish in the family. 

Last night we had dinner at Amalfi's in NE Portland and met up with Rachel and her sisters Sarah and Rebecca.  What a fun evening and it was a delight to meet Sarah and Rebecca. 

It's very easy to tell they are sisters, all beautiful and very dear.

We are heading back to Seattle early today because of the weather.  I realize we should be glued to a television watching the Seahawks play, but there is always the radio.  The one thing about these trips to Portland, I will be getting in some major knitting time.  On this trip I'm working on a scarf where you start out with 80 stitches, and after the last increase, you end up with 1280 stitches.  I currently have 640 stitches on my needles.  By time I'm done with this row I'll have the 1280.  The cable is 40 inches and the yarn is fingerling weight.  It's going to be a tight squeeze but I'm sure they will all get on there.  The nice thing about this scarf is there are only 29 rows, albeit, 29 LONG rows.

The yarn is Hand Maiden's Swiss Mountain Cashmere and Silk.  Yum.  The yarn is so soft and dreamy, and a luxury to knit.  It feels so heavenly on the hands, even at 1280 stitches. 

Well, time to sign off and hit the rainy, windy and messy I-5 for Bellevue.  Enjoy the football everyone.

TTFN

Sue

Our Mission Continues

Please notice the little Christmas tree in the corner of the room.

Hello my dear friends.  I'm back after my annual post OHS break.  I spend a lot, and I mean a lot, of time on the computer from September until we have sent out the last box of stockings, so I take a breather to catch my breath.  There is a lot of time, energy, work, and of course love, that goes into Operation Holiday Stockings, but it is worth it.  The final tally this year was 1700 stockings to 19 units.  Thank you!

Throughout the year, we work with those who are making stockings for us, collect items for the stockings, and quite frankly, ask for donations to pay for postage, and some corporate expenses. 

The monetary donations are needed year long so we can cover the expenses for OHS, which are payments we need to make to the government, like the annual corporate registration with the State of Washington, and here's the best one, the whopping $800 filing fee with the IRS for the 501c3 non-profit status.  There's an irony in this one, we need to raise donations to file for the federal non-profit, but generally we need to be a 501c3 before someone will make a donation to us.  I personally have a hard time asking for money for anything, but fortunately, we have members of OHS who don't.  Our little non-profit is basically run on a wing and a prayer, so I know the funds will come in so we can get the 501c3 before too long. 

It dawned on me that many of you don't know what all we send to our soldiers.  We send the stockings stuffed, cards in each box, and a letter telling them how much we appreciate and support them, and how the stockings are being sent as a small token to tell them so.  A list of contributors is included and the story about OHS, and how we got started. 

It is worth the work?  You bet it is.  Below are excerpts from some more thank yous we have received.

"I would like to take a little time to thank all of you from Operation Holiday Stocking for all you are doing for those of us deployed or serving abroad this holiday season. It is truly heartwarming for military personnel to know that people back home, … are thinking of them when they are gone. I’m sure most, if not all of you, know how hard it is to be separated from the ones you love for any given amount of time, … it’s not any fun and can be painful. The holiday seasons for many people … whether younger or older, their first deployment or tenth, it can be an especially lonely time for many.  It is people like you and the organizations you volunteer to support or start yourself that help to bring a little bit of back home and some holiday spirit to all of us. I would like to thank you for this patriotic compassion, this gift from you cannot be measured and it is so greatly appreciated by myself and the soldiers in my Company. Thank You!!"

"Hello! I wanted to personally thank you for the beautiful stockings you sent my husband and 90 of his fellow soldiers in Iraq. For some of our brave men and women in uniform the Christmas Stockings you sent were their first "care package." It lit the eyes of every soldier, since they received them on 23 DEC! Your Christmas Stockings spread Christmas Cheer throughout the DFAC (Dining Facility) and MWR (Morale, Welfare, and Recreation) room! They were all so grateful our American citizens are thinking about them during this time. You touched 90 lives this Christmas, and I'm sure many more! Your organization is fantastic, and I applaud you! It thrills me they were able to have somewhat of a Christmas because of YOU!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH! I cannot thank you and your elves enough!  What each of you do regarding this organization is truly amazing-and it's keeping a smile on our troops' face!"

"Thank you very much for each and every one of your donations to us here in Afghanistan. Attached are just a few pictures. You can see for yourselves the smiles you all are responsible for. "



Our mission continues throughout the whole year.  To all of you who participate in this project, a personal THANK YOU from me.  I have come to make many friends through this project in the last 6 years and we all have the same goal.  The goal is to make sure our troops know we care.  Thanks for the stockings, the stuffers, your time, money and love. 

Well, off to go knit another stocking.  Take care my dear friends, and may 2011 bring us peace somewhere so some of our troops can come home.

TTFN

Sue