Holidays, Holy Days, and Then Some

My best of holiday wishes go out to all of my family, close friends, and acquaintances this holiday season. Some of my friends and acquaintances are Jewish, so I wish them the best Hanukkah ever. Most of the rest are Christian, following a Western tradition, so we are about to celebrate the Lord's birth. I have not been much of a Christmas fan for the past few years, but I am getting back to it now.

I wish for all of us to have a good year in 2010! May we have all the love, support, yarn, food, companionship, good health, good times, safety, and yarn we need in the coming year, and more.

When the new year comes, I am going to say a prayer that it will be better than 2009. Being a reflective person, I spent some time recently considering my life this year. Alas, I found that I spent way too much time being miserable somehow, either unhealthy, exceedingly lonely, marginalized to a degree, unwelcome, absent-minded, having lots of trouble at work (see previous adjective) that I will not allow again, and also some grief. This did not make for a comfortable year 2009, so I am very much hoping that the coming year is going to present a great many greater blessings and opportunities for good.

People Changes

My grandmother's funeral was last Saturday and it was very beautiful, a Mass of Christian Burial at a Catholic church in Sunnyside, Washington. She was laid to rest next to my grandfather, who died in 1962, at the cemetery in Sunnyside. I miss her, but she is on to something better now.

My aunt, with whom Grandma lived for the past couple of years, told me that Grandma did get to use that purple and white blanket a couple of times, so I feel better about it, knowing that I made something for her that liked and actually made use of.

I don't think that I will ever be able to use that same pattern again, no matter who may ask for it.

Fortunately, there are lots and lots of other patterns to use and make beautiful things with, so I will be crocheting and knitting for quite some time to come, I imagine.

A Passing and Reverie

My grandmother died last week, somewhat suddenly, leaving me with a gap in my life and a question, "Did she get the chance to use that purple and white blanket that I made for her?".

It looks like the blanket in question will be handed off to my mother, who has said that she wants it because I made it in the first place. It is nice of her to say so, and it is certainly a nice blanket made with a good pattern.

Wish me well, the funeral is on Saturday.

Memories Also

It was about two weeks ago that I was able to go and visit with my cute little grandmother and bring her the purple and white blanket that I made for her. She loved it, of that I was really sure!

Alas, it seems that she may not have had much time to use it. My grandmother died this morning in Walla Walla, after having a heart attack yesterday. She was 96 years old and she still recognized her grandchildren, grown up as we all have become.

My mother has said that she wants that purple and white blanket, so I imagine that I will be seeing it again.

News, Reviews, and Food

The colder, wetter weather has settled in, and there was even a thunderstorm passing by last night, though occasionally, we actually get sunbreaks. The trees look fantastic, so lovely in their colors.

Still haven't gotten to Walla Walla (yes, the place so nice, they named it twice), to give that purple and white blanket to my grandmother. My mother insisted that I should bring it to her personally instead of just mailing it, but now the weather is looking more like winter, so I don't know what will happen with that.

I have a gallstone, pure and simple. After some strange symptoms, some pain, a ridiculously expensive trip the the ER, and a cold ultrasound, my handsome doctor has informed me that I have a large floating gallstone and it will eventually need some kind of treatment to get rid of it. I would like to knit a net to send into my gallbladder and hook that thing out!

Barbara is soon to have gastric bypass surgery, which she has been preparing for now, perhaps about a year, and in November she will have the surgery done and will be about a month recovering from it at my place. I expect that I will be too busy taking care of a whiny old woman to be able to sit down and knit or crochet very much (did that sound bitchy?), but I will still hopefully be able to finish some projects in time for Christmas.

Knitting, Crocheting - well, I still do them. I crocheted a hat for Jacob, and I knit a hat for Jonas, though I still need to sew up the seams. I will post pictures when they are done, because I think they are noteworthy.
Still a pair of socks to finish, and my mother's tablecloth, but perhaps another little present here and there, including a baby blanket for my cousin's new baby. Pictures will sometime be forthcoming, I guess.

Blanket Done

I finished it, the purple and white blanket that is a gift for my grandmother! The body, the edging, all the little yarn ends sewn in, and I might even launder it before I give it to her!

Blanket, Oh Blanket, Who is Your King

I have nearly finished the purple and white blanket for my grandmother, despite having broken the double-ended crochet hook.

Just the edging to do, and sewing in the yarn ends, then it will be finished, and I can mail it off to Grandma!

Yay me!

Inconceivable!

Ok, I don't my own strength, I mean, absolute brute force. I was working to finish up my grandmother's afghan, the purple and white one (see photo), and I broke the hook!

This afghan is made with a reversible, double-ended hook technique. Because of the size of the afghan, I was using a circular crochet hook (see Annie's Attic website, or similar), and of all things to happen, the plastic cable part pulled right out of the end of one of the hooks! I couldn't believe it. And I also couldn't get it to go back together, so I had to get on a website and order another one, which still hasn't arrived yet.

I wonder if I will be able to finish that afghan this month or not.

Wish me lots of good luck on this!

Planning to Make Things

I picked up a couple of crochet and knitting magazines yesterday, purely on a whim. One was Piecework, which is a beautiful magazine, always a good issue with that one; the other was Crochet! They both have projects that I would like to try, including a men's crocheted scarf pattern.

We'll see if I can get the time!

Most Assuredly

Well, it looks as though I will not be able to finish that purple and white afghan in time for my grandmother's birthday as planned, which bums me out a bit. But since she is feeling better and is traveling, staying with my aunt in Boise, and is not likely to be at home for her birthday, I probably have some more time to finish her present for her.

I do remember days when I spent every waking moment outside of work with yarn in one hand and some sort of tool in the other, knitting needles or crochet hooks. Where has the time gone and when did I get to be so exhausted?

At Last, Some Pictures

The start design afghan is one that I made years ago and put up for a while. I recently finished it with the white border. The poor thing, I think it moved with me twice.

The purple and white afghan is done with a double-ended crochet hook, producing a similar design on each side, but with a different dominant color. This is a birthday present for my grandmother.

Tickling Time

So, the pictures are in the works, so to speak, and I am busily trying to figure out how to move them from my phone/camera to this site.

I am working on birthday and holiday presents right now, particularly the reversible blanket for my grandmother, which must be done in about a month, and the lace tablecloth for my mother, which is her intended Christmas present.

Trying to be ambitious, I am intending to finish a pair of socks, a crocheted hat, a knit hat, and perhaps even a knit scarf by Christmastime, or shortly thereafter.

Striving Again for Remembrance

I have found it to be quite literally true, I have no real pictures of projects I have done. Disappointing? Yes, I should have been more careful in (b)logging those pieces so that I could show them off to a whole new crowd.

That was then, as they say. I do have projects in the works, all very much worth my time and attention, and I have plans for more. These will be photographed, oh yes indeedy, these will be photographed. Or we'll have a seance and bring Shakespeare back to write sonnets about them, whichever works out more easily.

Taking Pictures

I didn't realize when I started out that I don't have much by way of pictures of my past work, only a few of some larger projects. Too bad, since many of those hats, scarves, blankets, etc. were made for other people and no longer here to be photographed (some went overseas too).

Since I have some wonderful projects in the works, a lace tablecloth, a reversible afghan made with a double-ended hook, socks, other Christmas projects, I will be better able to provide a few pictures here. That is my goal!

Lots of Work for Sure

I see that I will most likely have to present this site with some examples of a man who knits. What could such a man actually make?

Actually, he makes a lots of beautiful things for those who are close to him. You might be surprised!

Introduction

Yes, 'tis I, the Unwashed Knitter! This site is intended to be my knitting blog, crochet blog, music, and possible general gripe center all in one.