I finally did finish that dingblasted sweater, but as is usual for me, I won't wear it. The armholes are a disaster, and the sleeves just didn't go in right, after no less than 10 frogs. So I stitched it all up again, blocked it, sewed on the buttons, and put it in my mom's cedar hope chest. Maybe I'll redo the arm scythes one of these days, which will involve more frogging. "Rip-it" is going to be my mantra... It's really a very nice fabric - firm yet soft enough that it feels like a cozy fitted blanket. If I'm going to fix it it will have to be within the next few weeks in order to get some wear time in for the fall. Hoping I can get some help from the Ravelry or Knit Picks community on how to fix it.

Have several other WIPs going: a Tanta shawl (from Knitpicks) for me and a hand warmer muff for my brother, who is undergoing chemo (my own design). His hands get very cold and I thought a soft thick black muff (manly looking, of course) might help in the months to come on days he's not quite up to snuff. Both projects are in black yarns.

Also working on the Shift Tote (also Knitpicks) which is my first foray into intarsia. All those balls of yarn!!

I'm itching to start something new: got a few patterns in the hopper, and I'm looking for the right yarn. I've got tons of wools in my stash, but of course those are never quite right, are they?

Maybe this one

I have a dozen (at least) WIPs going on, but I rarely let myself think about that. Maybe this project I'll finish while the weather is still cold in the '09-'10 winter season.  I'm working on the Metropole knitted coat pattern from Mason-Dixon's Knitting Outside the Lines pattern book, and maybe, just maybe, by going public with it, I'll actually be incented to work on it regularly and often enough to finish it within a few months.  I'm a slow knitter, and it doesn't help that I have two other active projects going on. One is a log-cabin blanket for my neice's baby girl, and the other is a sweater I designed that I've been working on for no less than three years. I love the yarn I picked - Cadena from Knit Picks. It's soft, drapes beautifully, and feels really nice against the skin.  This is my first major project using wool - yep, in 40 on and off years of knitting, I've only used wool or a wool-blend maybe 4 times.  Always thought wool was too itchy, and I do break out in rashes with some types of wool, which is why I've kept away from making anything with it. Plus, as a preteen way back when I first learned to knit, acrylic yarns were all I could afford from the local Woolworth on my $2 per week salary earned from walking younger kids to school. Then in high school, I taught myself to crochet, and made scads of groovy vests from the selections out of the discounted yarn bins.  No wool there! I swear some of the yarns I bought were so synthetic they squeaked when squeezed.
So here I am, in my mid 50's and I finally transitioned to wool; all those years wasted! To any of you knitters/crocheters out there who haven't tried the real deal, go to http://www.knitpicks.com/ and look at the beautiful, affordable selection of yarns they sell. You will be impressed, trust me.
So if anyone comes across this post, give me a nudge. Help get me to finish this coat!

Bear Check-In

North Eastern Poconos:

The Big Bear! He loves to walk across the lawn, back into the woods behind the house. He also loves to leave "gifts" on the lawn... of the fertilizer variety. There's also a Mama, 3 adolescents, and a cub. They walk around - back by the pool, on the hillside, behind the house - like they own the place, which is fine, except that I hope they don't decide to stop in for breakfast some morning. Love the bears! They're so beautiful to watch.

Life goes on, but not for some

Have you ever wondered why some people just can't let go? I'm referring to letting go of past relationships, people, things; in other words, moving on with life. I have a few theories, but some recent events caused me to start thinking again about why it is so important for some people to live in the past, and in fact to try to rewrite history to suit their neuroses.



One theory: Validation. Let's say a person is miserable in his current circumstances. Let's say the only thing that brings him pleasure is to try to denigrate and tear down other people, possibly because it makes him feel bigger than he is. It gives him a smug sense of superiority. He colors his surroundings with ugliness so that he appears pure and just.

Another theory: Envy. This person can't tolerate anyone having more than he has. He can't stand the idea that someone, let's say a former peer, friend, sibling - can move up and away from him, and do all the things he 's too afraid to do, like buying a new car, or a new refrigerator, or even a new cell phone. He's so afraid of change, that he cannot tolerate anyone who was once in his sphere of influence going ahead and living life. It infuriates him, especially when the person no longer has need of him.

Theory #3: Narcissism. The person cannot fathom a world that doesn't revolve around him, so he looks for ways to draw others into his rings of hell.

Theory #4: Justification of past deeds. He needs to find a reason to hate others, in particular those who might have been in his circle at some point, because he consistently fails in his relationships. It can't be his fault - it has to be everyone else's fault.

I'd like to feel sorry for such people, but they make it so hard. I guess I'll just have to continue to live my life exactly the way I want, and enjoy my relationships with friends and family, and thrive in the knowledge that I can move on, and leave the past behind.

Time doesn't fly, it JETS!

I cannot believe how long it's been since my last post. Been busy, for sure. Been doing lots of things - bought a house (with a friend) in Pennsylvania, remodeled my kitchen, the usual nonsense. My job has been hectic, but rewarding in it's own way. Had to take some time off to recover from minor surgeries...
If you're a woman having bladder control issues, think about the TVT procedure. Not pleasant for the first week, but I'm a reasonable happy camper now that I can last a good 4-5 hours without having to run to the potty, and not peeing my pants at least once a week. The worst pain was the 2-3 days post surgery. If you're a very flexible person, no problem, but if you're not accustomed to wrapping your ankles behind your neck, you might have a bit of a problem. At least that's what it felt like had happened... Couldn't walk normally for about 4 days following the procedure.

Mental rummaging

Wow this year is going fast! A couple of pairs of socks completed, a really nice scarf and hat combo, and of course now it's too warm to wear them, and picked up my self-designed sweater project again. Knitting is my therapy!
More rummaging:
Only 298 more days of W left to go, God help us. Looks like no matter who gets the nominations for Democratic and Republican, we are, as always, SCREWED! I love this country, and the fact that we thrive (more or less) despite the executive branch, rather than because of it.
John Adams (on HBO): love it, totally hooked.
Life goes on and on and on.....

8th anniversary in heaven

This is for my Mom. After eight years, I still miss her. For some reason this year is harder, and I'm not sure why. I still get the urge to pick up the phone and call her over this or that minor thing, just to chat. We grew close in the two years following her diagnosis of lung cancer, and I remember so vividly the day we sat in the kitchen, just talking about the family. She said she was happy we all were doing well - my two older brothers and I - and I expanded on that by saying how we had all achieved success in life - personally, in business, in our relationships - and that it was no accident. She looked puzzled. "Mom, it's because of you we turned out the way we did. It was your influence. Daddy had only a little to do with it." Judging by the look on her face, that thought had never occurred to her. It made her happy, it seemed to fill her up. She never considered or understood the impact she had on our lives. She only thought of herself as ancillary to her husband, as though her input never mattered. She seemed to see herself as only a shadow, not anything of substance. It broke my heart.

Oh but was she was a force to be reckoned with! And she was my MOM. And thanks to her, I am who I am today, and I am so happy that I made her proud. And I was so very proud of her, that 4'9" fireball of a woman, who should have lived longer but for the neglect and ineptitude of her doctors. A breast cancer survivor of more than 25 years, she was taken by lung cancer - she never smoked, not ever - which should have been found years before it took her life.
I rage at the doctor responsible for her death, at the system which looks at elderly women and gives them short shrift, at the incredibly senseless stupidity of it all. She was my mother, she was a person, she was a vital force who touched so many lives and made them better. The loss of her life made the world a lesser place.

I miss you, Mommy. I know you're in a place where time takes no toll, and you're not alone. The angels welcomed you, and waiting for you were your parents, and brother, and all of our beloved dogs, and all the cats and dogs you nursed to health in our backyard - in Connie's "Animal Hospital" -- every living creature sensed your love and kindness and healing nature. I only wished you could have healed yourself. Dad couldn't live without you, and you welcomed him home less than two years later.

Thank you for being who you were - Concetta Pecchio, the most beautiful woman of her day, and the most loving and wonderful mom there could be.