And I was like whoaa!!!

GrandDolly loves “Finding Nemo” or as she says “Melmo” (or something spelled similar to that). Needless to say, we have watched this movie ALOT! My favorite character is Crush, a 150 year old turtle with a surfer dude/Zen master personality. I “borrowed” this from icanhascheezeburger.com –

moar funny pictures

A Weekend Blogger…….

……is what I seem to have become. We have the GrandDolly at our house from 2:30 until 8:00 on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. By the time she leaves, I have just enough time to make my lunch for the next day, iron whatever clothing I will need for work, take a shower and do a little knitting before I fall into bed. You would think that I would sleep like a log on the days that we have her, but you would be wrong. I’m beginning to believe that I will never sleep properly again, at least without any kind of medication. (OTC, of course.) I feel like I am walking around in a fog most of the time — which makes for a very interesting commute to and from work, I’ll tell you that!! You know how you start daydreaming and then suddenly find yourself 3 miles farther down the road than you remember? Scary stuff.

I do most of my blog reading on the weekend anyway, so I will be a confirmed weekend blogger — at least for the near future. There are worse things in life than not posting several times a week.

Another Good Piece of Advice for Novice Knitters

I learned this the hard way — monetarily speaking, of course. Buy the absolutely most expensive circular needles that you can afford — even if it’s only one pair at a time. I have been buying mine sometimes using the inexpensive needles and other times buying the most expensive needles. Pay attention here…..

THE LESS EXPENSIVE NEEDLES WILL NOT HOLD UP!!!

I just finished a pair of socks with less expensive needles, and the tips are all pitted and do not slide smoothly. Needless to say, I have already bitten the bullet and bought another pair that are the most expensive. Don’t waste your money on cheaper ones. You can buy Addi Turbos on ebay at a decent price. You really do get what you pay for.

My Pretty Knitting Markers

As handy as most knitting markers are, most of them are plain and boring. I saw a few of these on Etsy and said “hmmmmmm I could do this.” So I did. And this is it. I seem to have a thing for blue…..

Just a thought……

I had this thought the other day. Sissy and I have these long conversations about life and memories and woulda coulda shoulda. Being first time Grammies, we also have a lot to say to each other about the wonder and joy of a grandchild. My daughter tells me often what a fabulous thing it is to see me and Sweet Baboo playing with and caring for GrandDolly. I tell her often what a great mother she is. I know it is the same with my sister and her daughter. Sissy and I both are over the moon with the way that our “girls” have become such great mothers, particularly because we weren’t sure what we were doing when we raised them. We didn’t have a particularly good role model for mothering and nurturing. However, we had a fantastic Nanny who showed us how unconditional love works and how special the bond between Grandmother and Grandchild can be. Our girls turned out to be much better than we were at mothering, in spite of how we surely screwed them up. Lucky for us, Nanny’s lessons of love are still with us and showing us the best way to be a Grandmother.

Piano Music to Soothe Your Soul

I adore country music — it’s no big secret that I love Kenny Chesney and Brad Paisley. However, when I am writing, knitting, or reading, there is nothing I enjoy more than piano music. No words to listen to or figure out — just flowing, beautiful music. Keeps the mind clutter free. And I found this great site for just piano music on i-Tunes radio under Classical (Whisperings: Solo Piano Radio.) You can also visit the website for a free stream using Windows Media Player. Check it out here.

Darling Daughter’s Putt Putts

I’m not sure of the origination of the name putt putts, but that’s what they are called in this corner of Connecticut. I’m not even sure if I spelled it correctly. The carpeting in our house is a Berber off white with flecks of colors (oy, what were we thinking? ) so I decided that I could probably make these for my daughter and son in law when they come over to visit. One pair down, one to go. I used Red Heart yarn — it’s a little less pricey and will still stand up to alot of wear.

This is the pattern that I got from my friend Kimmie, who got it from her Memere. I haven’t been able to find one on line or in Ravelry, (I’m probably not looking in the right place) so I thought I would write it down in case someone else is looking for it.

Kimmie’s Memere’s Knitted Putt Putts (Slippers)

#10 needles

Worsted weight yarn, using 2 strands at a time or bulky yarn, single strand. I used just about one skein of Red Heart Super Saver yarn (5 oz skein)

Cast on 41 stitches

Row one - K5, P1, K29, P1, K5

Row two - K15, P1, K9, P1, K15

Repeat these two rows until you have 13 ridges for an adult and 9 ridges for a child

For the next two rows, bind off 6 sts at the beginning of each row, then continue across in pattern.

You will have 29 stitches on your needle.

Row one - K1, P1 across, ending K1.

Row two - P1, K1 across, ending P1

Repeat these two rows until you are 1/2″ from what you would like the finished length to be.

For the next two rows, K2 together across row. There will be 7 stitches (+ or -, don’t sweat it). Cut a 12″ strand of yarn and thread it through a needle. Run your yarn through the stitches of the toe and pull tight. Run it through again for good measure. Continue sewing up the instep of the slipper.

Sew up the back.

Voila! A slipper! Now cast on for the other one!!