The Gift of Girlfriends

I have always been a big believer in the power of friendship.  I know that my friends have been there for me in difficult times.  As a child I watched my mother interact with her girlfriends and was amazed when i would hear them giggle and laugh like teenagers.  My mom didn't try to be my friend when i was a child, she took her role of mothering very seriously, and was a fairly strict parent.  She is still in touch with some of those early girlfriends and has a new group of girls in Florida.  

I enjoy being in the yarn shop and sitting at the table with friends.  Conversation shifts wildly often several conversations are going at the same time.  Sometimes it is quiet as we all count or concentrate on stitch patterns but mostly it is loud and lively.  I love to have "new friends" join us and hear different perspectives on anything.  

Yesterday we had a customer in for a class and it was someone who graduated from Dover High with me. (That was a few years ago!).  It was great to see her and catch up on her life and family.  She thought she would try to come in again to sit and knit.  Old friends or new --it always good to see them !

My Two New Hats

Since I have finished more than 10 items from my UFO collection I took a break last week and made 2 hats --possibly for holiday gifting.  The striped hat on the left is knit using Jared Flood's Turn a Square pattern (free on Ravelry.com)  I used a Malabrigo worsted solid in brown and striped it with Zitron's Nimbus, a self striping organic merino.  It was a quick knit and the alternating stripes kept it interesting.  

The hat on the right is knit from one of my hand spun yarns using a chemo cap pattern from Ravely.race for Life 2009 chemo cap by erica downs.  It has a little bit of lace detail in the first couple of rows.  This was another quick knit --finished in one day!

Sock Love

i really like knitting socks and have several on needles right now.  I did finish a "second sock" this week so I gave myself permission to start a new pair.  This is knitted with Fortissima Socka Mexico Color by Schoeller & Stahl.  We have it in several colors and i want to knit them all.  I love the fair-isle type striping.  It seems to hold my interest to kit something with color changes. 
I am teaching a sock class tonight, part 2 of a 3 part class.  My students had home work --they were to complete the leg portion of the sock and be ready to learn how to knit the heel flap and turn the heel tonight. 

Three of the four students are moms with young children (one has 3 boys, another 4 girls and the other 2 girls and 2 boys--all under the age of 8!)  I thought I should also do some home work so I have done my sock thru the heel flap to show them what theirs will soon look like.  They all worked very hard last week and actually they were concentrating so hard that it was a very quiet group.  I look for ward to seeing them tonight!!

Weddings

My daughter Abby was home over the weekend to attend the wedding of one of her oldest friends.  She and Liz attended preschool together at the age of 3 and went to the same Catholic Schools.  They don't see each other much right now since Abby works in New York City and attended college in Boston.  Abby was very excited to attend the wedding and convinced her boyfriend Peter to join her in York for the wedding.  

The weekend started with a bit of drama when Abby missed her train stop in Lancaster and called me in a panic.  I told her to get off at the next stop which was Mount Joy and only a few miles up the road.  I then called John who was waiting in the parking lot at the Lancaster train station.  When I called Abby back to tell her he was on his way she said she was turning her phone off since she forgot to charge it.  So I had a nervous 45 minutes waiting to hear from someone that my baby was safe.  They for got to call me until they nere back in York!  Apparently there is no "station" in Mount Joy just a platform and a parking lot --both very dark and creepy at 10 pm!!  John did find her and all is well that ends well.   Why did she miss her stop?  She was so engrossed in her book that she totally missed the stop!  Sound familiar Mom????  My mother used to say the house could burn down around me and I wouldn't even know it!!

Thinking cool thoughts

It is another steamy day here in central PA.  We are expecting record breaking temps again --98 expected high today.  I am grateful to have an inside job.  The air conditioning is on here at the shop it is a cool place to hang out in the heat.  I am not fond of extreme heat, but prefer summer to winter most of the time.  Remembering our cold and snow from recent winters I am happy to have the warmer temps right now.

I am teaching a sock class tonight and excited to share my enthusiasm for sock knitting.  Several years ago I spent most of my knitting time working on socks.  I made lots of socks for myself plus many pairs as gifts for friends and family.  My husband has 7 pair and enjoys showing them off all winter. 
Right now I am into self striping sock yarns.  The knitting seems to pass quickly as I watch the colors and patterns appear.  Socks are a great small project to carry in your purse and great for hot weather knitting. 

Works in Progress

I have successfully finished 10 items in May, a huge accomplishment with my busy schedule, but I still have too many knitting projects.  When does a WIP (work in progress) become an UFO (unfinished object.)  Two of my finished items are the socks I have photographed here.  They are finished items, but as "first socks" they are still part of a WIP.  I have been asking customers and employees how many projects they have on needles and surprisingly i am not alone in having too many projects going at once.  A couple of people admitted they don't know how many projects they have.  We also had some discussion around our knitting table about unraveling lingering projects and saving the yarn for a different project.  I did that with 2 things but the rest are things I still like and want to finish. 
I did cast on one new project this week.  It is a sleeveless top with some lace details. I am using a red cotton called Banyon from Colinette.  I should finish another 10 before I start another new project, but I don't always do as I should.  I am hoping to start a cardigan for my mom later this month.  She will be in York in July and will be available to try it on as I work on it.  She picked out some beautiful turquoise cotton when she was here in April and wants a February Ladies Cardigan. 

Cool Pirate Baby

My sweet little Riley is now wearing an eye patch a couple of hours each day to strengthen his "lazy eye".  I had him at the grocery store last week and notice many people staring at him.  One small boy actually said to his mom "I don't like that baby."  The poor mother was mortified.  I tool a minute to explain that he had an eye that wasn't working like it should and the patch was helping him to use his weak eye.  I explained that we told Riley it made him look like a baby pirate.  The little boy listened intently and then said, " I like that baby pirate, Mom."  
Having spent many years as a preschool and kindergarten teacher I know that children (and some adults) often "dislike" or criticize something they don't understand.  Hopefully this little boy will look differently at people with disabilities or differences now.  Riley is young enough that he doesn't realize people look at him differently when he wears his patch.  His parents are doing a super job of keeping an upbeat attitude about it.  They don't make a big deal about it or act like it is some sad or embarrassing.  Personally I think he is adorable with it on or off!