I am a knitter. I have always been a knitter.  Never a crocheter. (See, it doesn’t even look right when used as an adjective….) But ever since I joined the fun ladies at St. Catharine’s Shawl Ministry, I have not only to begun to learn the craft, I kind of dig it. When I joined the ministry over a year ago, I brought with me a talent for knitting and a desire to give back.  The ministry provides those who have had a life changing experience (not always a bad one!) a prayer shawl or lap blanket as a way to say that we are thinking and praying for you – think of this shawl as a hug from someone who cares.

What I didn’t bring with me was a knack for speed. Knitting is slow work! These girls were banging out the shawls like nobody’s business. And they are absolutely GORGEOUS!!!! It is so rewarding to create something, bring it in to the monthly gathering and have it blessed for a recipient in need. And there are a lot of people who need comfort such as this. I had to take action. I had to switch teams and learn how to crochet.

Pat was the first to get me started with a single crochet to join together pieces for a blanket. Awkward is not the word. In knitting, I am a thrower – I hold the yarn in my right hand and wrap it around the needle to create the stitch. With crochet – you need to hold the yarn in your left had (say what?!). Plus there’s no 2 needles, just 1 hook…ugh. But I persevered and finished putting the blanket together. Then I got it in me to learn how to Granny Square. Pat was like, “Baby steps, Erin…baby steps.” 

I took her advice to heart and learned more basics of crocheting (again, it’s looks wierd in print) and created some novice looking shawls that I proudly handed in at the monthly gathering. And just when no one was looking, I went on my laptop and logged on to You Tube. About a frustrating 2 hours later, I had it mastered – The Granny Square. I was PUMPED!! My daughter had a friend over that afternoon and they kept looking at me like a was nuts. (I, on the otherhand, had no idea they were even in the room.) Since then I have become somewhat of a Granny Square Addict.

I made this pillow for my mom for her birthday. I got my inspration from Lucy at Attic 24. Man – her stuff is so happy I can’t get enough.

She just goes with it with all fun colors. I grabbed yarn from my stash and channeled my inner-Lucy.

I like it a lot

This has been happening a lot lately.

All I wanted for Christmas was a yarn ball winder. (No one knew what that was!!) But ever since I’ve been winding, I’ve ended up with tangled messes like this one.

And this…

And this. Why does it get all wound up inside and tangled like this? Beate – help!!!!

These group of girls stopped me in my tracks at school the other day. I let out an uncontrolable squeal. There they were, a group of the 4th and 5th graders at recess; not texting, not Tweeting, not playing with their DS, not gossiping. They were KNITTING! My hand shot up to my heart – squeal!!!!!!!! My kids had to pull me away from the table, I just wanted to sit and stitch with them. My lovely 9 year old daughter can knit, (she’s very good, too!) but the bug hadn’t grabbed her yet (utter frustration for me!)… until now. Now she totes her knitting bag and joins the other girls for knitting al fresco at recess. The lunch ladies are feeling a bit jumpy with the presence of the needles. Come to think of it – I think they are a bit jumpy about a lot of things. We’ll  have to keep our eye on them.

And now their group is growing. I love this! Yesterday morning HJ came to the door at a little before 9am. “Mrs. Mac – I’m sorry to be here so early, but I think I made a mistake, could you please help me?”

She had a bit of a rough start, but is doing very well now. I forgot she was a lefty!!

 Then last night, the phone rang around the cocktail hour and it was a friend, asking if I could teach her daughter how to knit. Absolutely.  TR  is here learning right now and is doing a lovely job.

 As I went into the kitchen to get my laptop, I heard them singing at the top of their lungs (like when you yell “Charge!”) knit, knit, knit, knit, knit, knit….KNIT! Gotta love this. A theme song

Nothing is more pleasing to me than to see all these girls doing something with their hands – creating. They all seem so proud of themselves and they should be!

CM totally in her groove.

Look! I found this one knitting on top of the monkey bars!

Just bask in the yumminess of this cowl.

  The Unitarian Church in Ridgewood, NJ held it’s first ever Fiber Arts Festival on October 2nd & 3rd.  Me, Mom and Judy (our friendly crochet buddy) went to check it out. Lots of wonderful displays of yarn and spinners there. They promised some crocheters, but to Judy’s disappointment , there were none. My LYS had it’s proud new display of Noro for all to see and touch and buy. So beautiful – Beate would be in heaven!

My eye, however, was drawn to the “Too Cool Cowl” that Modern Yarn in Montclair, NJ had on display. You see, back at the pool this summer, my friend Paula showed me a picture of a similar cowl that she found in In Style Magazine….for $795!!!! (It was made with like silk, pure gold and crushed diamonds or something-like-that….) But it’s what all the top fashion designers are showing on the runways. Believe me, I know (tee hee). Anyway, this version by Kristen is even more beautiful than the one in the magazine. It’s knitted with Rowan Cocoon and she has us picking up stitches around the piece when it’s done and doing a k2, p2 rib for a little over an inch for a really nice border that lets the cables really stand out.

 I think I am in love. I admit – I was glad it was cold at Rhinebeck!  I was very pumped to be wearing it amongst all the mad knitters out there. (Yes, I got compliments from some of them, that was the end all for me!) More on Rhinebeck later…

In the meantime, just drink it in……

It was mom’s turn to make the little baby sweater Liz and I made this summer. Confession; I like Mom’s the best! She did such a nice job. The color is a happy apple green and instead of the standard old buttons (guilty!) she chose these felted flowers that she found at the yarn store. They make the sweater.

This one is for Kate Carroll. She will be the talk of the town in it.

Good job Ma.

You’ve heard me mention the Big Button Shawl in older posts. It’s just a little something Mom and I have been working on that has become The Big Pain-in-the-Button Shawl! Not only are Mom and I so sick of it (very boring back and forth knitting) but I had a little “check the dye lot problem” again….. It all began last April when we were in Florida and Mom wanted to stop into a store for a plain white tee. I wasn’t in the plain white tee mood so I was being all bored waiting by the register.  As my eyes started glazing over I was brought back to clarity by a thing. This thing was knitted. It was cotton. It was big and yummy. It had 3 Big Buttons.  I had to investigate The Thing. What unraveled before me was nothing but  ”wrap-around-your-shoulders-and-smile” goodness. I turned it this way and that and decided that there was no way I was going to buy this thing. I was to make it. And Mom was to make it too. But first I had to measure….always prepared with the tape measure  (I know, right?!) I descreetly measured how long it was (60″),  the weight of the yarn (sport),  was it carried double? (yes), number of stitches per inch (4). Done – we were off the the knitting store. Now, just where the heck is a knitting store near Juno Beach Florida? It didn’t take us long to find Knit Or Knot Yarns on Cypress Dr. in Jupiter (no website…ugh…come on girls!)  So here’s how it goes; Mom and I walk in and begin taking in all the deliciousness but soon get down to business of finding the right yarn to make this dream a reality. We turn this way and that, look up and down and cannot zero in on what we need. The confusion is becoming noticeable when the owner comes over and asks, “What is it you are looking for?”

Erin, “Well, I saw this thing in a store and I tought it was so great – we have to make it”!

Mom, “Oh, it was so nice….a cotton throw-around-your-shoulders type of thing that was so…nice…it was long…and had these 3 great big buttons….”

Owner; “You mean “The Big Button Shawl?”

Duh.

Owner produced the pattern for just the thing we were jonesing for and the yarn to boot. And it IS a lovely thing. And it will be great when it’s finally done. It’s just boring and has – again - become the Big Pain-In-The-Button Shawl. It’s the thing I leave in my knitting bag for when I’m on the plane home from Florida. (I know – it was April and I haven’t finished the dang thing yet, just deal.) It’s the thing I have in the car when I’m waiting for the kids to come out of school. It’s also just the thing that never ends…until one runs out of yarn…..THAT SHE BOUGHT IN FLORIDA!

I have a probem with trust.

I read a pattern and I trust that it will come out looking just like the picture. I buy yarn and trust that I have purchased the right amount for the right project on the right needles.  I jump in head first and don’t look back when I’m excited about a project (which is all the time!) And I did it again. I rolled all my balls of yarn trusting that I bought exactly what I need, threw out the lables of the pale blue Berocco something-or-other I was using and began. All was good until I ran out of yarn. Back in New Jersey I hit my LYS only to find that they are closed for inventory. I begged and pleaded that they give me just one skein so I can FINALLy finish this thing. “What color, you say?” Why, the palest blue Berocco cotton, of course…” When she handed me the skein I was so grateful that they would open their store for me that I was convinced the dye-lot Gods were on my side and went home to knit.  Yep – I did it again. The dye lot is wrong and quite frankly I don’t give a hoot. The Big-Pain-In-The-Button-Shawl is done. It’s so me, mismatched dye-lot and all. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Can you tell with my old camera – it’s right there – the line between the old and the new. Aaargh. Again, it’s still a whole lotta yummy going on…

These really are some big buttons!

Allison grew up in Glen Rock but hasn’t lived here in many years. She moved back this summer and has joined us ladies at the pool.  So one day as Liz and I are busy clicking away on our latest projects, (me – Big Button Shawl, Liz – funky, adorable leg warmers for her girls)  Allison casually mentions that she is a knitter, too. We just about bombarded her with our excitement; What are you working on? Where do you shop? How long have you been knitting…?!

Our ranks are growing. We have now firmly established ourselves on the South Lawn of our summer retreat.

(By the way – Liz is sporting a snazzy new haircut!)

Allison is working on Pebbles Wide Ribbed Hoodie using Classic Elite yarn.

The basic repeat pattern is *K1, yo, p2tog, K1* It goes under the name Faggot stitch. Hmmm….I don’t like it. The actual meaning of this term in stitchery is “The stitch that ties a group of parallel threads together in fagoting.”  Still, I think it should be re-named. Although….based on the meaning, this is kind of  how things are here at the pool this summer. “A place that ties a group of moms and kids together in friendship.”  Okay. Done. I like it how it is.

Remember the gooey concoction my son came up with to mark his 6th birthday?

The Ice Cream

My lovely daughter just marked her 9th birthday with a little more refined touch

Viva la difference!!

“The Time is Now for Preventing Dementia”

Came across this article this morning while sipping my yummy home-brewed Dunkin’ Donuts coffee and contemplating which project I was going to work on at the pool today. Definitely something in cotton like my Big Button Shawl (pics and details to come) for it is waaaay too sticky to knit with wool in this heat (Liz!!), and I was loving what I was reading!

So keep knitting my friends and we won’t go loco! (I may pick up a crossword puzzle here and there, too…)

My little guy turned 6 last Saturday and after a day at the Glen Rock Pool with his buddies, some watermelon and ice cream cake…

The Gang

We decided to hit the Glen Rock Inn for a celebratory dinner. Those guys over there are such good eggs. When the little ones ask for a dish of ice cream, it comes out with little cups full of all toppings to decorate; chips, chocolate syrup, sprinkles…. his creation was sheer perfection!

The Ice Cream