We have a new president

I cannot believe that we have a Democrat for President Elect. I am so thrilled that I just had to blog about it. I am a military brat who will always be proud of the father, uncles, and brothers that served in different branches of the military. That said, I am also a liberal democrat with strong feminist leanings. My father, as much if not more than my mother, is largely responsible for my liberal and my feminist beliefs.

He served in the military and did his time in Vietnam. That history, that experience only strenthened his belief that all Americans - male, female, black, white, gay, straight - should have equal access to opportunity. He encouraged my mother to grow and be her own person - not that she needed much help. He encouraged my sister and I to go our own way and not depend on a spouse for our sustenance - mental, emotional, or financial. I cannot imagine a better father than the one I have.

Anyway, this is just my rambling explanation of why I am so DAMN happy to have not only a Democrat, but a liberal Democrat, as my president-elect. I am convinced that if anyone can help us navigate our way in these difficult times, it is President-elect Obama.

I appreciate his candor. He has told us upfront that we need to tighten our belts and suck it up. Of course, he put it a bit more delicately. But at least he is appealing to that which is noble and good in all of us instead of appealing to our baser instincts.

Americans are tough. We can take it. More importantly, Americans are generous, proud, and giving. I am convinced that if we work together we can conquer any obstacle. President-elect Obama is just the man we need to remind us of all that we are capable of accomplishing.

So, I for one believe that, "YES, we can!!"

Knit Picks Lovin'

Knit Picks, how do I love thee? Let me count the many, many ways. Oh my gosh, I am constantly amazed at the huge amount of stuff I can buy from Knit Picks because of their oh so reasonable prices. Let me share what a little over $200 can buy the knitter in you:



First there are the books:



1. Things I Learned from Knitting . . . whether I wanted to or not - Stephanie Pearl - McPhee

2. Son of Stitch 'N Bitch - Debbie Stoller

3. Closely Knit Handmade Gifts for the Ones You Love - Hannah Fettig

4. Knit So Fine Designs for Skinny Yarn - Lisa R Myers, Laura Grutzeck, and Carol Sulcoski

5. Sensual Knits Luxurious Yarns Alluring Designs - Yahaira Ferreira

6. More Big Girl Knits - Julian Moreno and Amy R Singer

7. Indigo Knits The Quintessential Guide to Denim Yarn from the Founders of Artwork - Jane Gottelier

8. Suss Design Essentials the Ultimate Collection for a Classic Handknit Wardrobe - Suss Cousins



Hello, I have 8 brand-new, hardback books and I'm not even close to being done cataloging my purchases. So, moving on, here is the yarn I got:



1. CotLin Nightfall, 10 skeins - cotton linen blend, super soft, absolutely yummy.

2. Shine Worsted, 10 skeins - cotton modal blend in these colorways: Ebony (4), Sailor (2), Reef (2), Wisteria (2), Bachelor Button (2). I plan to make this into baby blanket for my niece's baby to be.



So, now I have 8 books and 20 skeins of yarn AND I'm still not done. Moving on to the needles:



Classic Circular Wooden Circs 16" in the following sizes: 2.00, 2.25, 2.50, 2.75, 3.0, 3.25



Seriously, are you kidding me. BTW, I also got the Yarn Harlot's Never Not Knitting 2009 Daily Calender.



Oh my GAWD, I am so happy right this moment I can barely stand it. Isn't this one of the best times ever. That time when you get new stuff and you get to think about all the various possibilities each one encompasses. Man, I love knitting!!

Status report

1. Youngest daughter is with her dad for a month. I don't get her back until 7/6/08. I find that I miss her quite a bit.

2. Eldest daughter's pregnancy is progressing nicely. She looks amazing and is feeling pretty good.

3. Still going out with the same fella. I really like him. We will see how it goes.

4. Have hooked up with a cool knitting crew. They are on Ralvelry. Their group name is Chains and Purls. Really, really way cool group of people. There are knitters and crocheters. There are people younger, older, and around my age. Woohoo!!!

5. Knitting - Sophia's Pink/Black log cabin blanket is 90% done. The shades of purple Basque beret from Knitting Classic Style is half-way done. The pink kimono for grandbaby to be Alexandria is more than half done.

I know I have been remiss on the whole blogging thing. But hey, I do what I can. BTW, the blogging will remain sporatic. Mostly because I left my camera in Austin and I hate to post without some pics. What can I say, it is what it is. But get ready - there will be mad blogging in the near future once I get my camera back. After all, I have a grandbaby on the way and at least 3 (currently) knitting projects to blog about.

A great first date

Who are the lovely flowers from you ask? Well, they came the day after my most fabulous ever first date. Looks promising to me - let's just see what happens. Between his schedule and mine, I don't get to explore this any further until 5/9. Sadly, we aren't even PG13 yet. Oh well. . .

How do you like those white flowers? More cool things growing in my back yard. Man, I am so glad the previous owner had a clue about that kind of stuff. I am absolutely without one single clue when it comes to growing things. I'm just hoping I can keep her handiwork alive. Wish me luck.

There's another picture of Olivia just 'cause I think she looks darn cute hanging out on the backyard patio. What do you think?

This last picture is of me and my loverly daughters having lunch at The Cheesecake Factory, Austin, TX. What makes this picture kind of cool is that we were having lunch with my ex and his wife and daughter. We do this divorce thing pretty darn good now.

OK, I promise, there will be yarn in the next post. See ya, Renee

More knitting projects & misc stuff

Yay, I finished Alexandria Michelle's baby blanket in plenty of time since she is not due into this world until July 2008. Of course, my oldest daughter is going to be quite upset that I am showing a picture of her and her baby bump. I just couldn't resist. I think she looks quite lovely.

In other knitting news, I am moving right along on youngest daughter's mod pink and black blanket. It looks even cooler then I thought it would.

I am really getting fixated on Ralvelry. Here it is my lunch hour and I am busy taking pictures of my yarn to add to my Stash section. While I was doing that I unearthed a lace scarf I was working on. It is some wonderfully beautiful handspun done by no other than RobinCat. Isn't it beautiful. I am delighted because I now have something to work on when I just can't take the pink or the garter from youngest daughter's blanket anymore!!

Ok, I now have to admit to a guilty pleasure. A clean car. There is just something about having my car clean that makes me happy. . . especially if someone else did the cleaning. So, my little KIA is now all spanking clean and she looks grand.

On the flip side of that, it made me feel like I had to now clean my house. See, my parents instilled that super duper Protestent work ethic in me a little too well. While it's all good and well to have this problem when it comes to remaining gainfully employed, it can wreak havoc on my knitting time.

As a direct result of this, I spent some good knitting hours NOT KNITTING. Instead, I was doing fun stuff like toilet bowl scrubbing, running the vacuum in ALL of the rooms, cleaning the dishes, the cabinets, sweeping, and mopping, and so on. Geez, what is it about this time of year that practically forces me to CLEAN UP. Happily, this is a rare occurence. Usually, I am quite capable of talking myself into letting the cleaning go so I can have a go at a few more rows. . .

My First Real Blog

Let me begin with some pictures - my new house, the modified wall of yarn, the beginning of my yarn parlor, along my fence (look closely for hidden, froggy objects).

This is my very first ever attempt at blogging. I hope to make this a weekly thing though I don't really know that I will have all that much to say week after week. Ok, those of you who know me can quit laughing now. I am well aware that I (perhaps) have a tendency to shall we say talk a bit much at times.

I also acknowledge that perhaps I am a wee bit too fond of the written word. However, I have learned a thing or three from some of my favorite bloggers (MaryMary, Entrelac, Robincat, Yarn Harlot, Mason-Dixon Knitting) and here they are in no particular order.

Pictures are good. Lots of pictures are very, very good. Pictures with funny labels are even better. To that end, I put a lot of pictures into this post. I am still trying to figure out the funny label part but I'm betting that Entrelac, MaryMary, or someone will assist me there.

Brevity is also good. Obviously, this might be something I will struggle with. Ah well, all I can do is try. I will listen to any and all comments on this issue but I do not promise to act upon any of them.

Grammer and spelling are good things. That said, I have to admit that I am sometimes quite loosie goosie with the particulars.

In the immediate future my posts will probably be focused on what particular knitting project I happen to be working on at the time, what I already want to change in my new home, the prospect of being a grandmother, the challenges of being a working mom, etc. In other words, pretty much all of the usual suspects.

I promise to do my level best to provide the occasional giggle. . . and oh yeah, not to get too obnoxious as I learn the blogging do's and don'ts. See ya around, Renee