At Peace

I don't have a lot of space in me for words right now, so this will need to do. They are my mother's words, the obituary she wrote for herself nearly a year ago:

Priscilla Avery Morgan, 68, of Greenfield died Sunday, November 13, 2011 at Charlene Manor Extended Care Facility after a long illness. Priscilla was the daughter of James and Eleanor Avery. She grew up in Leyden and Greenfield. She attended Greenfield schools. For many years Priscilla worked at Crocker Communications and The Franklin Medical Center as a switchboard operator, both jobs she enjoyed very much and took great pride in.

 She is survived by her daughter, Melissa Morgan-Oakes and her husband Gene Oakes of Bernardston; a grandson, PFC Daniel Adams and his wife Sarah of El Paso, Texas; a granddaughter Megan Oakes; a very beloved great-granddaughter, April Ann Adams of El Paso; two sisters, Patricia Haselton of Swanzey, NH and Prudence Carnahan of Greenfield, and several nieces. A brother, Francis Avery pre-deceased her.

At the request of the deceased there will be no services. Disposition of her remains will be at the discretion of the family. In lieu of flowers, it is asked that donations be made to Hospice of Franklin County; 329 Conway Street; Suite 2; Greenfield, MA 01301 and the activities fund at Charlene Manor; 130 Colrain Road; Greenfield, MA 01301.

The "long illness" was a lifetime battle with depression, suicidal ideation and borderline personality disorder. If you or someone you know struggles with suicidal thought, PLEASE CALL the Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255 or visit http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org

I know, I said I'd be right back

I probably said I'd be positive too. I don't have it in me, sorry. But I do have some honest reflections of a trip I took a day ago.

Yesterday I took my mother to Maine and New Hampshire to visit places she has loved for most of her life. Places that hold memories, places I simultaneously hoped and feared would trigger something in her emotionally. They did not. I am further reminded of what her mental health diagnosis really means. She has what we in the biz call "flat affect" lately. No expression of emotion, positive or negative.

For me there was a lot of protective sarcasm laced through the day. I expected to be sad, and was almost surprised that I was not. But, like a good daughter of "a borderline", I took my emotional cues from the woman who gave birth to me and reared me, and saved the juicy crying and stomping parts for when I got home. I quipped to Gene via text about "the day in food" - excellent for the diabetic body - beginning with a large Strawberry Coolatta (with whip!) in Keene, then oysters, clams and fries, fish chowder, three tubs of tartar sauce, crackers, and a Diet Coke (of course!) from Bob's Clam Hut, and ending with a large Orange Julius bought at The Mall of New Hampshire.

In general the ocean was a place where my mother could be counted on to be mostly relaxed and at peace - rare in that she was for the most part emotionally consistent when we were there. As a result, I have only positive memories of time spent at the beaches of New Hampshire and southern Maine. Other places in my life are more conflicted. I think this makes my feelings about her decision to end her life more complicated as well.

Although I worked in long term care and spent a lot of time caring for people who were dying, and helping their families to come to terms with the terminal changes that were occurring in their loved ones state of being, when it is a close relative the balance shifts. I knew this, and expected it, but knowing and experiencing are two very different things. You find yourself feeling and thinking all of the things you've allowed and encouraged others to express to you in the past. You try to give yourself the same permission you gave resident's family members to be angry, hurt, scared, etc. Some days this is more effective than others.

Because there was technically "nothing wrong with her" when she stopped taking her meds and started refusing treatment this is a slightly more perilous and painful journey for her family and friends than it might otherwise have been. Knowing that it is a choice - and now, with the dramatic changes in her medical status as a result of those refusals it seems a slightly more logical one - makes it difficult to comprehend. Her sisters struggle with it, one admitting that she just cannot deal with the concept, and the other an expert in belligerent denial. My kids struggle too in their own very separate ways - ironically much like their great aunts; one denies, the other grumbles. My father, my mother's nieces and close friends; everyone is confused, hurt, angry, sad - some or all of the above.

Some of us know the whole truth and understand how much of what she has said to us has been manipulative or attention seeking. Others don't, and for them I think it may be easier in a way. You can deflect the anger onto others if you don't understand who and what she is at her core. You can say "How sad that she is all alone and abandoned!" when the truth is so far from that sad little world she has created.
I, most of the time so far anyway, am sad. But there are stages to this process, and I will hit them all in the end. Thank God. It means I am healthy and normal.

The rest of her chosen path is before her. She moves toward an ending, or what she hopes will be an ending. I could analyze the spiritual side of suicide, passive or otherwise, based on her religious beliefs, but that hurts my head too much. I move toward something unknown and undesired - a future in which I live with the knowledge that my mother killed herself.

In a while - months, years, who knows when death will take her - I will retrace the path I followed yesterday. It is not likely to be soon. Her body has proven to be much stronger than anyone could have anticipated. I will, I hope, be accompanied by people I love and who love me. We will stop along the way and I will plunge my hands deep into a box of ashes and spread them as I have been asked to at all of these places she says she loved so much. I expect it will be painful but cathartic. I pray that it heals some wounds of mine and of others around me and around her. I pray that she has peace in the end; a peace she has struggled to find in her life but has never quite been able to achieve. I pray that in her eventual death there is meaning, some kind of meaning, for the people she leaves behind. Mostly I pray that when the time comes, it is quick and without pain. For her. I know it won't be for the rest of us.

Well, that WAS an absence, wasn't it?

Hopefully I can get more regular in the old blog entries. Just don't expect it to be consistent, or knitting related all the time. Beginning today. If you're looking for an upbeat happy little yarn post, forget it. Soon, though, honest!

It is summertime. Gerbil and Girl are engaged to be married, which makes me so very happy. By next September, all four kids will be married. My how life flies by!

Everything around here is alive and growing, and some days I take a moment to look.

The garden is completely overgrown, and the house is an unmitigated disaster. Oddly, the result of this is that we have a huge number of tomatoes about to turn red, and enough dog hair to spin, once I sweep it all into bags.

The ducklings are growing and the turkeys now gobble. We've thinned down the layers, getting rid of some lazy girls and some boys big enough to eat and five ridiculously noisy Guinea Fowl. They are very tasty, moreso if you sit in relative peace and quiet on the deck while eating them!

But mostly, I am a bit low of late, waiting for my mother to die, or really still adapting to the idea that she's chosen to die. It's a harder thing than I expected in some ways. I try not to let myself rationalize it. It isn't rational and that alone could drive me bonkers trying to sort out. I have been very internal, and am just now staring to be more external again.

I went to the beach with an old friend and laid in the sand and ate lobster and steamers. I met up with my first boyfriend and shared old times and pictures and reconnected not in the old way, but in a new way, as friends. I've been turning to the past to help figure out the future and make sense of the present. Old friends, people who've known me since long before I wrote a book, people who knew me when I occasionally had orange cheese and cable television in my house, are the people who remember that my mother has always been "like this", and I find comfort in that.

Trying to decide how to "handle" this situation is difficult and fraught with pitfalls. If I do too much, I am giving in to the insatiable demands of a person whose mental health diagnosis makes her impossible to please, and in some ways makes her demand more.

Doing nothing leaves me feeling as if I should do SOMETHING, I should try harder. So I walk a fine line. I do enough to ensure that I feel like I've done as much as I could, but not so much that I give in to every whim and demand. Some days I say no. Some days I say yes. Some things I run to the store and fetch. Some things I say she doesn't really need right now. It's like parenting. I know we all meet a moment in our lives when the parent becomes the parented, and that's a normal part of life. In my case, I have been parenting this person for most, even all, of my life. I was reared by her to believe I was responsible for her comfort, for her emotions.

It's part of growing up with, living with, and caring for a person who has Borderline Personality Disorder. When you are an adult, you can separate yourself from a person who is manipulative or who is hurting you. When you are a child, and that person is one of your parents, you don't have a choice. You are not old enough to separate. You see yourself as an extension of the parent. As an adult, you can make choices to limit the damage that person does in your life, but there's always that residual feeling of responsibility. It isn't an easy row to hoe, and not one I would wish on anyone.

It is natural for me to feel responsible for others, and regardless of how that came to be, it is the way it is now. Over 40 I can look at it with different eyes, and make the healthiest choices I can possibly make for myself. Imperfect, but the best I can do for now. The good news is that even as a tween and young teen I knew the relationship was wrong. I really believe that helps now. it's not as if I one day woke and said "Gee, this is not good at ALL!" Instead, I always knew in my gut that most of the things she did and said to me were wrong, and unacceptable. I even related that on at least one occasion to "trusted adults" at a school I was attending. I was told that if it was really as bad as I said it was, I wouldn't have said anything, because truly abused kids never tell. I wish I could confront the adult who said that to me. I don't think she has any clue how much damage that statement did or how much shame it caused me. But I digress (into self-pity, just for a moment, for little 12 year old MMO, the poor kid!).

My mother is an astonishing person in one way. Her very existence given the present circumstances amazes me and many of those who care for her. No insulin for months. A diet that makes the standard American one look a little low in the carbs and refined sugars department. Refusal of all medications for all of her varied medical conditions. She's now limiting her fluid intake to sugar-based fluids only, and is trying to limit the quantity; orange juice, Coke Classic, ginger ale. Her blood sugar is through the roof. She has chronic infections of varying kinds. She has difficulty walking and talking. And yet she is still alive, against her will and wishes, she is alive.

Yoshi goes to visit regularly. The residents love him. He is very good around wheelchairs and in the elevator now. he can walk between closely-parked carts of varying size and shape without batting an eye.

Because he is JUST that perfect.

I am working on two projects for two people's books, which means that I will only be able to share swatches and snippets, but I hope to do that soon, now that you're caught up on most of the crappy stuff! ;) More soon!

That Crazy Stalker...

I love Carol. Don't you? She is very awesome. My chips are pretty down, and she has been really a little angel sent from heaven with a sneaky long telephoto lens and a penchant for my sneakers... I am not ashamed to say it: Carol Sulcoski is MY FAVORITE STALKER!

And if having Carol as a stalker is not cool enough? Check this out - Kristin Nicholas reviews my book on her blog, Getting Stitched on the Farm AND is giving away not just a signed of teach Yourself Visually Circular Knitting BUT she's also giving way YARN - three skeins of her Best Foot Forward in color ways you will never find anywhere else!

And yes, what you read on Kristin's blog is true. Sunday. Me. Dung tags. Because I am all over that s&^t (giggle!) - and wait till the gardens 'get a load of' it! (Heh!! I crack me up!!)

Falling down on the job!

Still your blog-minding stalker here, letting you know that today I present a book review of MMO's brand-new Teaching Yourself Visually Circular Knitting -- including a giveaway at Go Knit In Your Hat.

I think the blog tour winds up tomorrow with the lovely Stefanni at Sunset Cat.

Happy Friday, everyone! And don't worry: MMO will be back soon.

Next stop: Laura Nelkin HACKED

Hi there!

Some of you may have seen Melissa and me joking on Facebook and in our blogs about how I am her favorite stalker. So talented a stalker am I, and so mad are my Internet skilz, that I have managed to hack into her Blogger account.*

Simply so that I can show you these:






Why, yes, that is MMO's foot. Is there something odd about the fact that I took a photo of it?

But I digress.

MMO has some pressing personal issues to deal with today and so, like the first-runner up in the Miss America pageant, I am stepping up to the plate to introduce today's blog tour stop: Laura Nelkin, of Nelkin Designs. Her blog entry can be found here.

The blog tour continues:

June 30: Getting Stitched On The Farm, with the brilliant and undeniably gifted Kristin Nicholas
July 1: Go Knit In Your Hat (MMO's favorite stalker ME)
July 2: Sunset Cat, with Stefanni, who is not only a talented technical editor but also has the loveliest Tonkinese cats

On a more serious note, I am sure MMO would appreciate any thoughts or prayers you might have for her today.

--- Your Guest Poster/Blog Minder, Carol Sulcoski



*No, not really. Melissa invited me to pinch-hit for her today since she has some personal issues which will tie her up for the day.

My Dog Answers the Phone

Back on the blog tour road again - yesterday the ladies of The Woolie Ewe posted a really fun to make video interview on their blog, with instructions on how to win a signed copy of Teach Yourself Visually Circular Knitting (I need books with shorter titles, just a thought!). Give it a watch and enter to win!

Today is an interview with Yoshi (and a book review, and giveaway) with ShibaGuyz Shannon and Jason - or should I say with Dallas, Apollo and Atlas, really?

Stay tuned as we head into the home stretch - next up:
June 29 - Nelkin Design with Laura Nelkin who designs the most delightful, lovely knitted things from shawls to jewelry.
June 30 - Getting Stitched on the Farm with the brilliant and undeniably gifted Kristin Nicholas
July 1 - Go Knit in Your Hat with Carol "My Favorite Stalker".
July 2 - Sunset Cat with Stefanni, who is not only a talented technical editor, but also has the loveliest Tonkinese cats!

Today!

Yesterday on the blog tour, We had a great review by Beth Casey of Lorna's Laces. I think I've said here many times that Shepherd Sock (in camouflage) is Gene's favorite sock yarn. I am looking forward to turning him on to Solemate. Anyway, to enter to win a copy of Teach Yourself Visually Circular Knitting, visit the Lorna's Laces blog and leave a comment by 5pm CDT today, Friday June 24.

Today's blog stop has be visiting with Ana of i made it so. She asked me some really fun and a couple of really hard questions and I had a blast interviewing with her. She's also giving away a copy of Teach Yourself Visually Circular Knitting - leave a comment with a valid email address now till Wednesday June 29th at 11:59pm EST to enter.

Stay tuned - next week we round up out blog tour with stops from Monday through Saturday at:

June 27 - The Woolie Ewe with Jenn, my buddy from Texas who knows just where to find the gluten free food.
June 28 - ShibaGuyz with the lovable Shannon and Jason
June 29 - Nelkin Design with Laura Nelkin who designs the most delightful, lovely knitted things from shawls to jewelry.
June 30 - Getting Stitched on the Farm with the brilliant and undeniably gifted Kristin Nicholas
July 1 - Go Knit in Your Hat with Carol "My Favorite Stalker".
July 2 - Sunset Cat with Stefanni, who is not only a talented technical editor, but also has the loveliest Tonkinese cats!

Yesterday!

Yesterday on our blog tour, Ida of Knit-a-While posted an interview and she's going away a free copy of Teach Yourself Visually Circular Knitting as well - just leave a comment on her blog between now and June 29 at 11pm EST and you could win!

Stay tuned, there's much more to come from:

June 23 - Lorna's Laces with the talented Beth Casey who controls all of Gene's favorite sock yarn (Shepherd Socks, color: camouflage).
June 24 - i made it so with cross crafting wiz Ana
June 27 - The Woolie Ewe with Jenn, my buddy from Texas who knows just where to find the gluten free food.
June 28 - ShibaGuyz with the lovable Shannon and Jason
June 29 - Nelkin Design with Laura Nelkin who designs the most delightful, lovely knitted things from shawls to jewelry.
June 30 - Getting Stitched on the Farm with the brilliant and undeniably gifted Kristin Nicholas
July 1 - Go Knit in Your Hat with Carol "My Favorite Stalker".
July 2 - Sunset Cat with Stefanni, who is not only a talented technical editor, but also has the loveliest Tonkinese cats!

Blog Tour - Day 5

We rejoin the blog tour today with Webs Yarn Store. I swear I did not pay them to be nice to me, honest. (Psst! Don't worry. The check is in the mail!). Webs is also giving away a copy of Teach Yourself Visually Circular Knitting!

Tomorrow;s stop was to be Lion Brand Yarn Studio's podcast, but due to circumstances beyond my control I was not able to get into the city for the taping. We will rejoin the tour on Wednesday. You can find the schedule below.

June 22 - Knit-a-While with the charming Ida
June 23 - Lorna's Laces with the talented Beth Casey who controls all of Gene's favorite sock yarn (Shepherd Socks, color: camouflage).
June 24 - i made it so with cross crafting wiz Ana
June 27 - The Woolie Ewe with Jenn, my buddy from Texas who knows just where to find the gluten free food.
June 28 - ShibaGuyz with the lovable Shannon and Jason
June 29 - Nelkin Design with Laura Nelkin who designs the most delightful, lovely knitted things from shawls to jewelry.
June 30 - Getting Stitched on the Farm with the brilliant and undeniably gifted Kristin Nicholas
July 1 - Go Knit in Your Hat with Carol "My Favorite Stalker".
July 2 - Sunset Cat with Stefanni, who is not only a talented technical editor, but also has the loveliest Tonkinese cats!

Blog Tour - Day 4

Today's stop in the tour is with Ruth Garcia-Alcantud of Rock & Purl. She asked me some pretty tough questions. I hope I met the challenge! And how can we not love a blog entry that starts with a picture of the little man in my life, Mr. Yoshi-Pie? And she ends it all with a giveaway!

Join us Monday for some more blog tour fun! The schedule is below.

June 20 - Webs Yarn Store with... you know, I am not sure who is going to be doing this entry. I hope it's someone who loves me. ;)
June 21 - Yarncraft Podcast with the delightful Zontee of Lion Brand Yarn Studio.
June 22 - Knit-a-While with the charming Ida
June 23 - Lorna's Laces with the talented Beth Casey who controls all of Gene's favorite sock yarn (Shepherd Socks, color: camouflage).
June 24 - i made it so with cross crafting wiz Ana
June 27 - The Woolie Ewe with Jenn, my buddy from Texas who knows just where to find the gluten free food.
June 28 - ShibaGuyz with the lovable Shannon and Jason
June 29 - Nelkin Design with Laura Nelkin who designs the most delightful, lovely knitted things from shawls to jewelry.
June 30 - Getting Stitched on the Farm with the brilliant and undeniably gifted Kristin Nicholas
July 1 - Go Knit in Your Hat with Carol "My Favorite Stalker".
July 2 - Sunset Cat with Stefanni, who is not only a talented technical editor, but also has the loveliest Tonkinese cats!

Blog Tour Day 3

Today we stop in with Deb (Chappy's Mom) who's guest blogging at Jessalu Knits. I still love JessaLu bags. In fact, I am about to board a bus with one tucked where I can get at it easily. Also JessaLu is giving away THREE copies of Teach Yourself Visually Circular Knitting! Three!!

And don't forget to stay tuned for the rest of the tour! More interviews, reviews, and giveaways are waiting for you!

June 17 - Rock + Purl with the energetic and ebullient Ruth Garcia-Alcantud.
June 20 - Webs Yarn Store with... you know, I am not sure who is going to be doing this entry. I hope it's someone who loves me. ;)
June 21 - Yarncraft Podcast with the delightful Zontee of Lion Brand Yarn Studio.
June 22 - Knit-a-While with the charming Ida
June 23 - Lorna's Laces with the talented Beth Casey who controls all of Gene's favorite sock yarn (Shepherd Socks, color: camouflage).
June 24 - i made it so with cross crafting wiz Ana
June 27 - The Woolie Ewe with Jenn, my buddy from Texas who knows just where to find the gluten free food.
June 28 - ShibaGuyz with the lovable Shannon and Jason
June 29 - Nelkin Design with Laura Nelkin who designs the most delightful, lovely knitted things from shawls to jewelry.
June 30 - Getting Stitched on the Farm with the brilliant and undeniably gifted Kristin Nicholas
July 1 - Go Knit in Your Hat with Carol "My Favorite Stalker".
July 2 - Sunset Cat with Stefanni, who is not only a talented technical editor, but also has the loveliest Tonkinese cats!

Blog Tour, Day 2

Today's stop on the blog tour for Teach Yourself Visually Circular Knitting:

June 15 - OMG! Heart with Alice, who survived 2-at-a-Time class with me - and STILL wanted to be part of this tour. She posted a great review this morning of the book, and is giving a copy away to boot!

Also, Kristi of Books Yarn Ink posted a review today as a follow up to her interview from yesterday. And Ruth of Rock + Purl has posted a review in anticipation of her blog-stop on June 17th. All three of these folks are hosting giveaways as well - so be sure to check them out!

Here's the rest of the schedule:

June 16 - Jessalu Knits with the talented Jessalu - I love those bags!
June 17 - Rock + Purl with the energetic and ebullient Ruth Garcia-Alcantud.
June 20 - Webs Yarn Store with... you know, I am not sure who is going to be doing this entry. I hope it's someone who loves me. ;)
June 21 - Yarncraft Podcast with the delightful Zontee of Lion Brand Yarn Studio.
June 22 - Knit-a-While with the charming Ida
June 23 - Lorna's Laces with the talented Beth Casey who controls all of Gene's favorite sock yarn (Shepherd Socks, color: camouflage).
June 24 - i made it so with cross crafting wiz Ana
June 27 - The Woolie Ewe with Jenn, my buddy from Texas who knows just where to find the gluten free food.
June 28 - ShibaGuyz with the lovable Shannon and Jason
June 29 - Nelkin Design with Laura Nelkin who designs the most delightful, lovely knitted things from shawls to jewelry.
June 30 - Getting Stitched on the Farm with the brilliant and undeniably gifted Kristin Nicholas
July 1 - Go Knit in Your Hat with Carol "My Favorite Stalker".
July 2 - Sunset Cat with Stefanni, who is not only a talented technical editor, but also has the loveliest Tonkinese cats!

Teach Yourself Visually Circular Knitting Blog Tour Begins!

Today the blog tour kicks off with an interview and giveaway at Kristi Chadwick's aptly named blog, Books, Yarn, Ink and Other Pursuits. Be sure to stop over and enter to win a copy of Teach Yourself Visually Circular Knitting, and maybe learn more about the book or about me along the way!

Today is also my return to real life from TNNA - and a day late at that. This was supposed to be whirlwind in and out sort of a trip. I left here on Saturday morning for the airport with a plan. Fly, land, visit, eat, sign, leave, fly, land. That's not exactly how it went.

I was met at the airport by my friend Mark and his kids. We headed into Columbus. Mark and kids took me to a place called BD's Mongolian Grill. I have never been to a place like this before. You take a bowl and fill it with your favorite things from two bars; meat and vegetable. Then you choose sauces and spices from a third bar. Next you stand grill-side while your food is prepared for you, sort of like a Japanese Steakhouse but with a huge array of selections, and most of it healthy food. It's a fun concept, and a great one for families with picky eaters. After lunch we walked to North Market and had Jeni's - of course. I had Dark Chocolate and Rhubarb & Lime Cardamom. We wandered around the market for a while and then Mark and family dropped me at the Hyatt - yelling "FAMOUS AUTHOR!!" out the window as they did so, which was very funny. You'd think that would have alerted stalker Carol S. of my presence... but no.

I checked in and decided to wander a little. I put on my new espadrilles thinking I would not be doing too much walking - just down to the convention hall, across the street to dinner, and back again. That's not exactly how it went down. Note to self. Do not break in new sandals at TNNA. My left foot looks like it's been through a war zone unprotected. The other foot got off with one or two hot spots. Not sure how that works. Lefty is jealous. Righty gloats.

Once I had my badge I spent a little time on the floor saying hello to people and finding the R&M booth so I knew where to go Sunday. I discovered the Lorna's Laces booth, but it was full of customers, so I decided to wait and not bug anyone. There was time, after all, right? I saw lots of new and impressive yarns and things, and fell madly in love with some buttons made by Bejeweled and Bedazzled. They are clear glass with copper oak leaves embedded within. Love them! I decided I needed to find some water before dinner - somehow I always forget to drink when I travel, right up until my mouth is sandpaper and my head is wooshy. I headed for North Market not realizing that they'd closed at 5 - it was 5:15. A wonderful kid at Jeni's (he should be promoted) gave me a plastic cup of water, thereby saving me from the embarrassment of tumbling to the floor. I went out the back of the market and found myself in the middle of a festival of some kind - the Park Street Festival. "Ah" I thought "surely a vendor here will have water." If they did they were not advertising. Tequila, beer, soda, yes. But no water. I finally found a lady selling unsweetened iced tea. I got one of those to sip while watching the crowd and listening to the music of a band called Union Rose. They weren't bad - did some covers and some original stuff. By this point I had found a spot to sit and realized that my left foot was complaining a little, so I dug around in my bag and found my Good for the Soles zipper pouch with it's stash of moleskin and band-aids. It was really too late by then, but I tried to cover the hot spots anyway. I could have done with more band-aids...

Still no sign of stalker Sulcoski, though. I was beginning to feel neglected. When it was about time for dinner I headed toward our meeting place, a restaurant called DeepWood. There I met up with Jack Bussell from Wiley and his wife Judy, Gail of R&M West Coast Enterprises, and a very talented crew of authors; Kristi Porter of Knitting in the Sun fame (and now More Knitting in the Sun), Alison Stewart-Guinee, author of Fairy Tale Knits (a must have for grandmothers, moms and aunts the world around) and the delightful Carol Feller whose forthcoming Contemporary Irish Knits is not to be missed. Getting to meet and dine with such talented ladies was a treat. Discovering that we share similar passions not just about yarn but about food, the environment and life in general was a bonus. The food here was excellent, and that was only enhanced by the great company!

After dinner we headed back for our respective hotels. Carol F. and I headed for the bar at the Hyatt (I like the Irish if it means we go pub hopping after dinner) and soon discovered we were in the heart of a gathering of knitterati. I saw more names than I could drop in a week, if I had a week to drop them in. Stefanie Japel posed with Carol F. for a photo.

I met Kate Oates. Imagine going through your life being called Kate Oakes, when you are really the grain with an e not the tree with an e? I bet it's nearly as much fun as being called Melissa Morgan-Oates when you are the tree and not the grain. *sigh*. The hardships of a public life. ;)

I hung out a bit and sipped my wine in the reflected glow of the assembled knitterati, and then made my way to bed.

In the morning I met Sandi Rosner for breakfast. I love meeting up with Sandi at events. No scotch on this trip; 9AM seemed early for scotch, and I wasn't there long enough for an evening date. Maybe next time! Next I had a video interview with Pam and Jen of the Woolie Ewe in Plano, which we followed with coffee and a chat. I saw Kathy and Steve, too. But oddly, not a sign of my stalker. By now I was really feeling wounded by her lack of stalkerly attention.

I was just thinking I would wander the floor for a bit when I remembered that I had to check out by noon - it was 11:55. I ran back to my room and got my stuff together in my backpack and headed down to the desk. Once checked out I was free to roam. I wandered off to the market for Pho.

This is Clara's fault. last year she took me to this place and now I cannot get enough. I have had other Pho since, and it's been good, but not quite the same. I also know that out there, somewhere, is better Pho. But until I find it, this is the Pho by which all other Pho shall be judged. And I had my last Jeni's - Queen City Cayenne and Wildberry Lavender. *Sniffle* I shall miss it.

I went back to the convention center and had a great signing - all of the tickets were gone, which means all of the books were spoken for, which means I don't have to feel bad that someone got me out there, set up a table, put out books... and nobody showed up. I always worry about that! Gail showed me a Clover product - an elastic yarn perfect for holding with your working yarn to create added elasticity and durability to a garment. I hadn't seen that before. LOVE it! I may even have a bit of it now, along with a copy of Spud and Chloe at the Farm, which I had been coveting for a long time. I got the LAST ticket for Trisha Malcolm who was signing Noro Knits at 4pm. I needed to be heading for the airport by 5:30, so I knew I'd have time to make it back. So now I have two new books that I could, maybe, if you wanted, review in a week or so when things settle down here. I can already tell you that I love both. Susan Anderson's creatures charm the dickens out of me, and require knitting. From a flock of chickens to THAT SHEEP! Must knit SPUD!! Then Noro Knits is just loaded with projects that make brilliant use of one of my most favorite yarns in the whole wide world. It's the colors that get me. I just cannot get enough Noro or enough Noro patterns!

But wait! What about stalker Carol? At long last she found me on the floor. Turns out she is as old as dirt, so her stalking skills are slipping. Badly. We wandered and saw a lot of people. For a while I was Cat Bordhi. We saw Ron and Theresa Miskin of the Buffalo Wool Company and fondled their Buffalo Gold yarns. I met Nell Bliss and her mom Debbie (maybe you've heard of her?). Debbie was at Webs a while ago and I was too intimidated to say hello. I tried to sneak into the Lorna's Laces booth one last time, but failed miserably. And then it was time to leave.

I headed for the airport full of good thoughts. I stopped just before security for a salad and a pre-flight glass of wine, guaranteed to make even the most nervous flyer crash like a 2 year old. Homeward bound after a successful 36 hours, I was content. I headed through security to my gate, and this was when things began to change.

You want a buzz kill? Try sitting on the floor of an airport surrounded by the miserable wreckage of 3 hours of grounded planes and cancelled flights all up and down the east coast. So much anger in such a small space. Six flights were listed on the board at my gate, and they cycled through them in rotation. Delay. Cancel. Delay. Gate change. And on and on. There was a lot of yelling. My boarding time approached, but my flight still showed on time departure and arrival. Suddenly my phone flight tracker - not the board at the airport - flipped to indicate that my flight was delayed by an hour, which meant I would miss my connection in Philadelphia - already a late one. I jumped into line. US AIrways called me almost immediately, but I missed it. I returned their call and was told that they could get me out, they thought, by Tuesday. Maybe.

Tuesday?? It was Sunday evening. I had an appointment Monday. I have to be in New York Thursday, and I needed to organize home and life between now and then. Yoshi has never been alone for a full day before. The chickens get watered twice a day. With me absent for 2 days of the work week, who would take care of my animals? I held it together, barely. I got out of line, still on the phone with US Airways, and negotiated and was charming and patient, and finally got a flight out 24 hours later; Monday night. I could be home by midnight, and in bed by 1:30AM Tuesday, IF I did not get bumped, and the operator didn't sound all too firm about the bumping situation. I called Gene who quickly found me a hotel room at the airport while I walked away from the angry place. I was running low on cash. I checked in to the Hampton Inn and contemplated. I was stunned by my own calm, really. It felt good to get away from the airport. I was concerned about not getting home until Tuesday, but more grateful to be out of the atmosphere of tension in the terminal. People that angry make me uncomfortable.

I went to the Hilton next door for a well-deserved glass of wine. I quietly read my Nook. I tried to be calm.

When I got back to my room I called Gene and we discussed my options. US Airways had offered me nothing for compensation - no hotel room, no flight voucher, not even a toothbrush. Nada. I assumed they would not refund because I had booked with a third party. I could get a Delta flight Monday morning for $150, direct to Hartford, then spend the day waiting for Gene to get out of work to fetch me. Or I could wait it out with US Air. Waiting was the decision.

And then my phone rang, and Mary Alice was on the line, and 12 hours later I was neatly tucked in the back of her Yaris while she and her son drove me back to Massachusetts from Ohio. They'd come out to visit family. I have never felt so relieved, I think, in my life. No more wondering, no more waiting until 6pm to find your flight's been cancelled or you've been bumped. I called Travelocity and they called US Airways and I was refunded for the remainder of my trip. By 10:30pm Monday I was in my own house, a little tired, a little manky, but HOME. Mary Alice and Jim are saints. I am so grateful for the ride. Especially when you hear what happened to my Monday flights.

Even if I had not been bumped, as the person on the phone found likely, I would not have made it home. My connection in Washington was diverted to Baltimore. It was a very late flight. I would have spent Monday night sleeping on the floor of National and Tuesday - assuming the could get me home early - skulking around Bradley waiting for Gene to get out of work and fetch me! 11 hours in a Yaris beats a bad day of air travel, hands down.

No more air travel for a while, and when I go again it's back to Delta. Stick with what works.

For now I am of to New York early Thursday morning, visiting Lion Brand Yarn Studio on Thursday evening, then scooting home on Friday just in time to select chickens for slaughter on Saturday and Sunday. Busy girl. Busy life. Almost makes me miss winter... Well. Maybe not!

Stay tuned for the rest of the blog tour!

June 15 - OMG! Heart with Alice, who survived 2-at-a-Time class with me - and STILL wanted to be part of this tour.
June 16 - Jessalu Knits with the talented Jessalu - I love those bags!
June 17 - Rock and Purl with the energetic and ebullient Ruth Garcia-Alcantud.
June 20 - Webs Yarn Store with... you know, I am not sure who is going to be doing this entry. I hope it's someone who loves me. ;)
June 21 - Yarncraft Podcast with the delightful Zontee of Lion Brand Yarn Studio.
June 22 - Knit-a-While with the charming Ida
June 23 - Lorna's Laces with the talented Beth Casey who controls all of Gene's favorite sock yarn (Shepherd Socks, color: camouflage).
June 24 - i made it so with cross crafting wiz Ana
June 27 - The Woolie Ewe with Jenn, my buddy from Texas who knows just where to find the gluten free food.
June 28 - ShibaGuyz with the lovable Shannon and Jason
June 29 - Nelkin Design with Laura Nelkin who designs the most delightful, lovely knitted things from shawls to jewelry.
June 30 - Getting Stitched on the Farm with the brilliant and undeniably gifted Kristin Nicholas
July 1 - Go Knit in Your Hat with Carol "My Favorite Stalker".
July 2 - Sunset Cat with Stefanni, who is not only a talented technical editor, but also has the loveliest Tonkinese cats!

Propelled, I Am It!

This week marks the official, from my perspective, launch of Teach Yourself Visually Circular Knitting. Yes, it's been around since May. But for me, it's not really real until there's a small gathering at Webs of fans and friends and family and a sample knitter or two (they usually fall into the friend category as well!). And THIS is that week!

Here's the schedule of where you can find me in person over the next two weeks -

Thursday June 9th, 6:30pm - The official first event, a book signing at Webs in Northampton with samples to see, question and answer time, and me talking about the book.

Sunday June 12, 1pm - Book signing at the R&M Booth at TNNA in Columbus, Ohio. I will be bringing along some samples for this even as well!

Thursday June 16, 6pm - a book signing at the Lion Brand Yarn Studio in New York. If you've never been to this shop and live in the city, you really should get here!

And here's the blog tour schedule -

June 14 - Books, Yarn, Ink and Other Pursuits with librarian Kristi - and who knows books better than a librarian, really?
June 15 - OMG! Heart with Alice, who survived 2-at-a-Time class with me - and STILL wanted to be part of this tour.
June 16 - Jessalu Knits with the talented Jessalu - I love those bags!
June 17 - Rock and Purl with the energetic and ebullient Ruth Garcia-Alcantud.
June 20 - Webs Yarn Store with... you know, I am not sure who is going to be doing this entry. I hope it's someone who loves me. ;)
June 21 - Yarncraft Podcast with the delightful Zontee of Lion Brand Yarn Studio.
June 22 - Knit-a-While with the charming Ida
June 23 - Lorna's Laces with the talented Beth Casey who controls all of Gene's favorite sock yarn (Shepherd Socks, color: camouflage).
June 24 - i made it so with cross crafting wiz Ana
June 27 - The Woolie Ewe with Jenn, my buddy from Texas who knows just where to find the gluten free food.
June 28 - ShibaGuyz with the lovable Shannon and Jason
June 29 - Nelkin Design with Laura Nelkin who designs the most delightful, lovely knitted things from shawls to jewelry.
June 30 - Getting Stitched on the Farm with the brilliant and undeniably gifted Kristin Nicholas
July 1 - Go Knit in Your Hat with Carol "My Favorite Stalker".
July 2 - Sunset Cat with Stefanni, who is not only a talented technical editor, but also has the loveliest Tonkinese cats!

This is summertime. I live on a small farm. I have chickens of varying sizes (and types) coming out of my ears right about now, and a garden just beginning to really require my attention on a regular basis. For the next two weeks my time and attention will be significantly divided between home and work, farm life and yarn life, barn chores and trade shows/book signings, a run-down 4-Runner and airplanes.

To keep my head on a little tighter and make sure everything get done here at home, we are sticking with a blog tour to celebrate Teach Yourself Visually Circular Knitting. There are 15 stops on the blog tour, and each will offer up their own unique perspective on the new book. Some will be doing reviews, some interviews, and some a combination of both. A few are even knitting up projects from the book to give you an idea of the content. Pretty cool! Most blogs or podcasts will be giving away a signed copy of the book as well (YAY! Free stuff!). So stay tuned, jump on board the Teach Yourself Visually Circular Knitting Magic Tour Bus, and learn more about the book and about me!

She Cleans Up Well Enough

Although this seems like not-a-big-deal, I was very excited last week to order and receive a brand new fridge.

Isn't it shiny?! I am pretty low maintenance about appliances, in part because I tend to focus on energy efficiency which usually means fewer bells and whistles. I had said that we would not get a new fridge until we could afford to get a Sun Frost, a $3500 investment. And not likely to happen soon. But when we were confronted with 30+ eggs a day, and no room for the iced tea, let alone the vegetables we chow down in large quantity, something had to give. My plan was to buy a small used fridge for the garage for eggs. Well, plans are subject to change. The old fridge - not very old really, although it was here when we moved in it appeared fairly new - was very loud and had a bad habit involving dripping and the perpetual need for a bowl in the back to catch run-off from the freezer. Anyway, while on my new-used garage fridge quest I called Gene and explained that all the used fridges I could find were old enough to suck about ten times the energy of our current fridge. I told him how much new fridges cost, and we decided to change the plan. Buy new for the house, and move our old one to the garage for eggs. This pleased him well enough - the constant running and noise of the old one bugged him more than it did me. Well, the plan has now changed again! In my excitement to pick our a large shiny new metal thing for my kitchen, I failed to realize that I was procuring a fridge that was 2 cubic feet larger than ours. With just the two of us at home, our fridge use has declined. Upon moving this lovely new baby in we made a wonderful discovery. We can fit about 18 dozen eggs on the lower shelf. This means, for the time being anyway, there is no need to plug in the old one, now living in the garage! This makes my tree-hugging, energy-sipping soul SO happy! AND, after some research, it turns out that this new Energy Star rated fridge, even though it's bigger, will use about 40% LESS ENERGY than the old one did!
Over this holiday weekend we got to visit the farm where our beef comes from.Wheel View Farm hosted an open house and sale - which means we also probably came home with some beef.

This farm is so beautiful, I could sit all day and look out over their pastures, watching my future food on the hoof. We are so lucky to live in this valley.
After we visited Wheel View, we drove home through Leyden to avoid holiday traffic on route 2 (the "Mohawk Trail")and circumvent the Gas Engine Show in Bernardston. This show is an annual event that I used to take my kids to when they were small (and so was the show). It's a combination flea market and antique engine show. Living where we do now it is something we tend to avoid. For those who attend, I hope you have a wonderful time. it is a lot of fun to see the old engines, and prowl the flea market sales. I just prefer to stay clear of the traffic and chaos for those two days. FedEx delivered a package up here on Saturday morning and warned us not to go that way if we wanted to leave home. Seems he could not get off of route 91 for quite some time as traffic was backed up for a few miles leading to the Bernardston exit.
Last night we were carrying in the dishes from our little two person holiday picnic and the most horrible thing happened! I dropped my official wine cup!

Watching it fall was the saddest thing ever. I was carrying a huge pile of dishes, much to high for safety. Everything started to tip and Gene grabbed, and down it all came anyway, in spite of our best efforts. I have begged Malea to make me a new set. There is hope!
On Saturday I will attend the wedding of Meg's closest friend Maria. I decided that maybe a dress was in order. I have some, but none really appropriate for a June wedding. With this in mind I headed off and found two possibilities... this is dress #1:

And this is dress #3:

I don't need to show you #'s 2, 4 and 5, because I decided against them all pretty quickly. It took me a LONG time to choose between these two. I wandered around the store clutching them in my hot little hands, wondering if I could get away with buying 2 dresses when I never wear them after the event I buy them for. That is a thing which drives Gene crazy. I have tried to explain this bad habit to him, but I don't get very far. He has pants. He wears his pants over and over and over until they fall apart. Dress shirts; over and over. Ties, the same. But I digress. We were talking about ME! Although my hair needs to be spiffed up a bit, and a pedicure would not be amiss (thankfully you can't see that in the pictures) I think I clean up well enough. Guess which dress I bought? I'll tell you after the wedding! The important part is that for a few events in the next few months I will not look like a train wreck heading straight for "What Not to Wear"!
Stay tuned - in the second week of June we will begin the great 2011 Teach Yourself Visually Circular Knitting Blog Tour. We have a great line-up of hosts for this online event, and each stop along the way has been given a book to give away to luck readers! Some hosts are doing interviews, some reviews, and some a combination of both. Judging by the interviews I have done so far, this is shaping up to be a lot of fun, and informative as well.
Also, I just recently learned that I will be at TNNA's summer show in Columbus, Ohio signing books on Sunday June 12 at 2pm in the R&M booth. Come and find me and say hello! I will have samples from the book along for the ride as well. I'd love to see you!
AND, if you are in New York on June 16 at 6pm, I will be at Lion Brand Yarn Studio talking about the book. I'll have samples there as well, and will sign books and answer questions! If you'd like to attend, please RSVP to Lion Brand Yarn Studio at the link above.
But before that - the official kick-off signing and Q&A for Teach Yourself Visually Circular Knitting will be at Webs in Northampton, Massachusetts on June 9th at 6:30pm. Please register with Webs with the link above - we wouldn't want to run out of champagne ;) This event at Webs is probably the only one where I will have all of the garments and samples from the book along with me. You'd be amazed at how much space 16 projects, each knit in 2 yarns, plus swatches can take up in your luggage!
More soon - even some knitting!

Well, look who's here!

We had a visitor this week; Kimberly Nicdao Reynolds, the Director of Social Media at XRX. She came just in time to try to save Yoshi from certain death over a skein of Artyarns he destroyed.

You can read more about his BADNESS on his blog. It was fun to sit down and talk with Kimberly. She even got to hold and kiss chickens! Most importantly? She DID save Yoshi!

After we said goodbye to Kimberly, I headed south to record an episode of Ready Set Knit with Kathy and Steve Elkins of Webs. The podcast will air on the radio on Saturday (tomorrow) morning on WHMP and then will be available for download as a podcast. I love doing radio shows with Kathy and Steve. It's a lot of fun. Give a listen!

Random Me

And now - just for fun - my answers to the daily questions:

What is your favorite circular knitting method and why?
Any involving a circular needle. Honestly, any. I often have a hard time choosing favorites of anything and knitting is no exception.

What is your dream car?
OK, up until I started learning more and more and more about energy and the environment I would have said, likely without pausing for breath or thought, a 1967 Ford Mustang convertible, candy apple red. But now I would have to say... the same car, only electric, and only if I have panels powering it up!

What was your best vacation or mini-break destination ever?
Probably our first trip to Disney, when we did the legal thing (we got married) and watched the kids youthen before our eyes. It was amazing and I cherish every minute, from the endless rain to the absent film to the seagull pooping on my mother in Tomorrowland. I would not change a thing.

How many years have you been knitting?
Eleven. I started knitting in 2000 or so as a way to use up the insane amount of yarn my daughter and I were spinning. Now I don't have time to spin!

Dogs or cats? Neither? Both? Something totally unique? What is your favorite pet?
Dogs! I love my chickens, but I don't think of them as pets. Well, maybe there are a couple out there that might make me sad if something bad happened to them, but when it comes to real pets it's always a dog!

Are you craft-monogamous or do you cross-craft? Just knit? Spin? Sew? Paint? Or collect bottle caps to recycle into sweet, hip belts? Share!
HAH! Monogamy? Me? That's like commitment, right? Not really my strong suit. As I tell Mr. W., I can only be committed to one thing. I've chosen him, which means everything else is negotiable. Hobby, lifestyle, job, wardrobe, ALL subject to change! I can, have and occasionally do: sew, crochet, spin, weave, paper mache, macrame, stencil, do crazy things to walls (although not yet in this house), stitch, glue, cut, shape, form, string. You name it, I will do it. I am not nearly as avid as I once was with things beyond knitting, but it is al still in there waiting to pop out!

Do you parallel park or do you drive around the block until a pull-in space opens up?
Parallel, baby, all the way! I got nailed with "parallel park on Main Street in heavy traffic" for my driver's test, and I passed and never looked back. Nothing like a big, high-pressure WIN to boost that confidence level. My favorite thing is to parallel park the truck, bonus if there are men nearby watching and shaking their heads. ;)

What was the first knitted project you created, start to finish?
This may be ironic, but the first thing I ever created from start to finish, cast-on to bind-off, was a sweater for Megan that was knit out of her handspun which was in about 3 different gauges. I weighed all the yarn, calculated yardage, and started knitting. Bulky rib cuffs and bottom band at about 3 sts/inch, then the body at about 5 sts/inch with her most recent (she had a whole pound of Louet roving and spun it all) and then the yoke at about 4 sts/inch. It was a FANTASTIC way to learn. I did it all with a simple pattern in a spinning book we had. I've forgotten which one. But it was a design your yoked pullover thing. Never occurred to me that most people were not out there doing this with three different gauges of handspun; I just did it, no questions.

What is your best yarn memory?
Probably that Louet sweater. Watching Megan spin the yarn herself and watching her learn as she went, watching the yarn become more and more consistent and seeing her joy at her own accomplishment was wonderful.

When you feel a little splurgy or a little down, what do you treat yourself to to perk up?
CHOCOLATE! 71% or better, preferably single-origin organic. (Favorites include Theo, Kallari (the blue one), Taza, and - although it's not organic - Michel Cluizel Grand Noir 85%, in case you ever need to know!). Chocolate beats a good single malt here, but just by a hair!

Name one thing you would never, ever leave home without.
Clothing!

What was your first love?
The first thing I remember feeling love for is my father. My guess is that you get what you give. He gave it, unconditionally, so I gave it right back. (Hi Dad! You can go get a tissue. No one is looking.)

Toilet paper: scrunch or fold?
Wrap and fold neatly, often with a square count of not more than 3. My grandfather said 2, but I think that's skimping a bit.

When the civil defense siren goes off, what's the first thought that goes through your mind?
Is it test time already? Wait. It IS test time, right? I am surprised by how many of you don't ever hear a CD siren. It may be that since I am downwind of a nuke plant we get them more, but they are a part of my life since childhood!

When you clean your fingernails, do you clean from pinky to thumb, or thumb to pinky?
Thumb to pinky on the left hand, pinky to thumb on the right.

Who won?

First, while I have your rapt attention, I would like to say thank you so, so much to all of the folks who participated in this amazing blog giveaway by donating yarn and bags and books. I'll list them in order here from day one to the wrap-up so I don't miss anyone:

Wiley (and really, we have a LOT to thank them for - without them there would be no book!)
Lexie Barnes
Webs
Foxfire FIber and Design
Jessalu
Lion Brand Yarn
Blue Moon Fiber Arts
Buffalo Gold
Spirit Trail Fiberworks
Lorna's Laces
Kangaroo Dyer

If it were not for their generosity and support, things like blog giveaways and projects in books wouldn't happen! Thank you all so very much!

Next, our winners! Winners, please email me (melissaknits@yahoo.com) if you see your comment below with your mailing address. I will do my best to find you, but it will take longer (it's Monday, there's chores to be done) than if you just shoot me an email with your name and address and day of your win. Please read the comment carefully and make sure it's you before responding!

day 1: jillian.vantuyle said...
I never thought I would be a sock knitter. It seemed so tedious with all the needles and having to do it all over again when 1 was done. 2 at a time is amazong. I love making socks now! And today, what a great day to discover your blog.
(I love that a lot of these answers were 2-at-a-Time related. I wanted to give anyone who mentioned 2-at-a-Time a prize!!)

day 2: Lemmesb said...
Black BMW with a candy apple tint. Hard top convertible. All leather seats Bose sound system. It must have a large enough trunk to fit my spinning wheel!

day 3: esae on Ravelry said...
I combined this with a work assignment - Hershey Hotel spa - sipping cocoa & watching the sun set while waiting for a massage
(I'll have what she's having, thanks.)

day 4: Rebecca said...
3 years - I had a much longer, nicer answer, but blogger ate it ;-)
(yeah, that blogger... it ate a LOT of things that week!)

day 5: Megan said...
I am a cat person....I appreciate their independence, especially when I need to be away from home. I did grow up with dogs in the house though, so I suppose some day I may become a cat and dog person. Thanks for the opportunity to win!

day 6: Julie said...
Right now, knitting is my only craft, but spinning may be in my future...

day 7: Steph said...
I parallel park. Really learned when I did an internship at the Bronx Zoo & living nearby.

day 8: ME215 said...
The first project I remember was a baby blanket. Yes......it was so long ago..... ;-)

day 9:Terri D. said...
my favorite yarn memory? dreaming of a skein of wool the color of saturated seaweed, and having an enabler...er...friend provide a source for the yarn of my dreams the very next day.

day 10:Michelle said...
There is a local business called Honest Chocolates that has the most divine handmade goodies. My luxury treat is to stop in and buy myself $5 worth (about five pieces) and eat them all myself! Their Mac Mochas are my favorite....

day 11:Angela said...
My knitting bag. I've been stuck so many times sitting somewhere with nothing to do. I have a small bag with 2 at a time socks all the time that I can work on - even in a long drive thru line!
(May I say here - I have great respect for the random number generator now! It has excellent taste in winners!)

day 12: Ruby said...
I loved traveling the world. I could go anywhere and see everything by reading books. It was so much fun. I spent special time in the mornings with my dad and drank coffee (mine was more milk than coffee), read comics and 'Aunt Annie' (Ann Landers). I had a real Aunt Annie and I was so glad to meet her and tell her I loved reading her column. Was I ever disappointed to find out the two were not the same.

All of this...which really just turned me into an avid reader. But the worlds you could live in and explore and see through books. It was awesome. It opened up so much for me.

During the summers I could hardly wait to get home from the cotton fields where we had been hoeing cotton all day to a book. During school time, it was all about staying up late at night to read. During road trips, I forgot about seeing the real world outside as we passed it by, because I had books to read.

So my first love.....The joy of reading and being a part of so many different worlds involved in so many different lives.

day 13: Katherine said...
Scrunch scrunch scrunch

day 14, winners 1-5:
1: Gina said... In my town, the sirens get tested at 11 a.m. the first Wednesday of the month. And apparently, they went off yesterday for a near-by tornado... but I didn't hear them, and no one from the library came into our guild meeting to warn us!
I think that I would be thinking about what to take to the basement with me to work on, and whether or not our storm kit is stocked...

As for the other, I start with the one that prompted the cleaning, working toward the thumb, then get which ever ones are left, starting with the pinky. Then the other hand, starting with the pinky

2: Kira said...
We don't have a civil defense siren that I know of, so I guess if I heard it my first thought would be, "what the heck was THAT?".

I actually don't clean my nails, I just keep them cut really short. I guess I cut them thumb to pinky.

Thanks for the fun contests!
(You are very welcome, Kira!)

3: Bgstoner said...
Civil Defense Siren- I figure they are just testing them again.
As for my nails thumb to pinky.

4: IndigoMuse said...
Even though I spent my childhood in Hampton Roads (the land of military bases), I've never heard a civil defense siren. And we don't have them in mountains of VA. I now wonder why...

And as far as the nail cleaning, I start with the pinky to thumb on one hand and continue across thumb to pinky on the other.

5: Pamela said...
Civil Defense Siren - "It must be Saturday - noon." Which is when it was checked in a small town I visited often. I never heard it any other time.

Thumb to pinky.

I am really enjoying browsing Circ. Knitting.

This concludes the blog giveaway promoting my new book, Teach Yourself Visually Circular Knitting!

To learn more about the book, or about me, stay tuned! If you didn't win, you can get your own copy by clicking here, or by visiting your local yarn or book store. Next month we are having a blog tour - you can read more about it here very soon when I post a schedule. Lots of things planned - some free books, and a mix of reviews, interviews, and podcasts all to celebrate this great new baby of mine, a book I hope becomes a classic in every knitting home across the land!

Thanks to everyone for playing along, and congratulations to our lucky winners!

A Finale of Grand Proportion - Day 14

My favorite part of the 4th of July or a visit to Disney World is always the end of the fireworks show, when they throw a bunch of stuff up all at once and fill the night with light and noise and chaos. So that's what I am going to do today - throw this all at you, one right after the other, boom, boom, boom. I will choose five - count them - FIVE lucky winners from today's post. Five lucky random people will receive one of the following:

From my personal stash

A skein of delicious Ball and Skein 50% Merino 50% Tencel in the color Arbori, along with a sock pattern of my own design and choosing (I haven't chosen yet. But I will.)

One skein of Sanguine Gryphon 100% superwash merino Little Traveller Tintagel along with a sock pattern of my own design and choosing (still haven't chosen yet. But I will.)

One ball of Trekking Pro Natura 75% new wool 25% bamboo in a color that has no awesome name, but is a lovely indigo with the shine that only bamboo can create along with (is this getting repetitive yet?) a sock pattern of my own design and choosing (which I STILL haven't chosen yet. But I will.)

And for the final explosion in our finale we have some beautiful yarns generously donated by Gail Callahan, the Kangaroo Dyer:

One skein of Kangaroo Dyer 80% BFL 20% nylon, Zinnia, which really does remind me of zinnias!

One skein of Kangaroo Dyer 50% superwash merino 50% silk Golden Flower accompanied by a copy of the talented Kirsten Hipsky's Carcosa Design "A Clockwork Daisy"

To enter to win one of these awesome prizes, just answer today's question in the comments below and I will choose five lucky winners. Today's question? Well, there's TWO of them. You can answer both, or just one. I challenge you to be brave and answer both. Ready?
When the civil defense siren goes off, what's the first thought that goes through your mind?
and
When you clean your fingernails, do you clean from pinky to thumb, or thumb to pinky?

Don't forget to return here tomorrow for the list of winners! Thank you all for playing, and thanks most to our generous contributors:
Wiley Publishing
Lexie Barnes
Webs
Foxfire FIber and Design
Jessalu
Lion Brand Yarn
Blue Moon Fiber Arts
Buffalo Gold
Spirit Trail Fiberworks
Lorna's Laces
Kangaroo Dyer

Who Does Not Love Knitting for Baby? Day 13

One of my favorite projects in this book, and easily the most adorable in my opinion, is an infant set comprised of a sweater, hat and bootie socks. One set is knit in Valley Yarns Superwash DK. The other is knit in Lorna's Laces Honor.

And may I say, it was an honor (had to go there!) to knit with this beautiful yarn, 70% Alpaca and 30% silk. It is so soft, and has a lovely halo that forms on the surface.

It's huggable, squishable, pettable and therefore perfect on a baby! (The baby here is around 40 years old. Her name is Jennifer. She is missing all of her eyelashes, and her skin has odd dirty and manky spots, but she is very quiet and I love her very much.)
Today's prize, thanks to the generosity of the folks at Lorna's Laces, is enough Honor to knit a baby set of your own for a deserving infant along with a copy of Teach Yourself Visually Circular Knitting. This pattern is not entirely worked in the round. The point of this project is to keep high in the knitter's mind the idea that a project, any project, can be worked on circular needles even if the project is knit "back and forth". I love that circular needles mean no lost needles. How can you lose one when they are attached to each other, like a mitten string on a kindergartner? I always loved my mitten string. I was notorious for losing bits and pieces. I still am! Circular needles mean no setting one down in the car and having it roll between the seats into oblivion. Two needles, joined by a cable, means never having to say "goodbye". Unless Mel is around and he eats one.

Random (really, really random!) question for today - Toilet paper: scrunch or fold?

Yes, I Said Cut the Knitting! Day 12

In case you didn't believe me yesterday, I have MORE stuff for you to cut into! Same shawl, same pattern, same page (198), new yarn!

Today's contribution is from the amazing and very generous Jennifer Tepper Heverly of Spirit Trail Fiberworks. There are two skeins of her luxurious Penelope, a blend of 50% bombyx silk and 50% merino. Did I mention luxurious? Yum! Love this yarn and love Jen's way with color - saturated, rich, deep jewel tones that make my eyes say "ahhh!" Love it. And you can win some of your very own, along with a copy of Teach Yourself Visually Circular Knitting, if you answer the question below and are the lucky winner when we draw names!
Today's question - What was your first love? (Think about it!)

Cut Up My Knitting? Is She Crazy? Day 11

Yes, I am. But that's not the point. I am not crazy about this! Yes, cut into it. Get a pair of scissors and show that knitting who's boss!
Steeking has been used by knitters for many, many years as a way to knit something entirely in the round and then open it up to add sleeves, front bands, or collars. But most of us may not feel so safe whacking into, say, a painstakingly constructed Fair Isle cardigan, right? So in Teach Yourself Visually Circular Knitting I start you off easy. First swatch. Then shawl. Then cardigan (not Fair Isle, but a cozy drop shoulder thing with richly deep ribbing, but that's another project!). Today's giveaway is a copy of Teach Yourself Visually Circular Knitting and enough yarn to knit a very generously sized shawl in Valley Yarns Goshen, kindly provided by Webs.

This shawl is found on page 198, and is knit in the round and then cut to make a self-fringe. You know those evenings when it's a bit too warm for a jacket, but a bit too cool for bare shoulders? This is the perfect project!
Now for the "how to win part" - answer this question in the comment section below to be eligible to win. Name the one thing you would never, ever leave home without!

How to Make the Most of Luxury Buys - Day 10

I think we all love the really amazing stuff like qiviut, bison, cashmere... but not all of us can afford sweater quantities of these amazing and luxurious fibers. Maybe we can spring for a skein, or two, or even three depending on the yarn and the budget. But then what to knit with it? Recently there's been a move toward cowls as a perfect accessory, and it's a move I strongly support. Cowls are extremely flexible. They can be as deep or as shallow as you want. Make a super deep cowl, and it can be pulled up over your head, snood-like, to protect you from the cold.

A smaller, more shallow one is a perfect neck warmer and a cute accessory to boot. I work outside a lot and chickens have a way of getting a hold of things like scarves. But a cowl I can pop on and be toasty warm and the knitting is safe! It was an easy choice to add a cowl pattern to this book since they are also one of the many perfect circular projects. I chose to knit three as samples, all can be found on page 124 of Teach Yourself Visually Circular Knitting - the first is very simple, knit in stockinette stitch in Valley Yarns Northfield which is a really nice yarn, a blend of merino, alpaca and silk - YUM! The second is knit in Blue Moon Fiber Arts Geisha, made of kid mohair, silk and a tiny bit of nylon. Geisha is a fantastic yarn for lacy, open things and the cowl I designed is a reflection of that, with a feather and fan pattern knit in a loose gauge. The last cowl is knit in Buffalo Gold Moon. I adore this yarn. Actually there is not much that Ron hands me when I am near his yarn that I don't adore. But I really love Moon, especially for this project. It is luxurious, warm, and shows the cabled stitch pattern to perfection. It has this lovely sheen that conveys amazing richness. Love it.

And you, winner, will as well, when two skeins of Moon and a copy of Teach Yourself Visually Circular Knitting arrive and you're able to knit up a cowl of your very own!
Today's question - What is your little luxury treat? It can be yarn, or not. When you feel a little splurgy, or a little down, what do you treat yourself to to perk up? Answer below to be entered to win this rare treat of a yarn!

Got Kids? - Day 9

Today's prize is another very generous one! A copy of Teach Yourself Visually Circular Knitting and Blue Moon Fiber Arts has given enough of their Socks That Rock Heavyweight to make the child's sweater found on page 176; a simple drop-shoulder pullover perfect for raking leaves, or playing in them.

This book encompasses so many different types of projects. From hats to steeks, we have it all. Each pattern really builds on the previous one in terms of skill level. You could begin at the beginning and knit to the end, and find yourself in possession of just about all the skills you'd ever need as a knitter. You would also have a pretty good sized pile of finished projects! When I design things like this I think about kids I know, what they wear, and what they will wear. A simple sweater with maybe a single stripe knit in favorite colors is often a great bet for a kid. Classic, wearable, comfortable; like a cozy sweatshirt with mom or grandma or auntie's good karma knit in. Perfect!
To win today's prize answer this question in the comment section below - What is your best yarn memory? Now think about that for a minute, and let me hear your memories below!