more mitts

I finished the second pair, which looks a lot like the pair I gave my dad, and sent them to Lynne. and then discovered in the pile of UFOs one that i'd done, ummmm can't remember how long ago. There's lots of angora in it, and it's really fluffy and sweet. and now the kicker!!.. in my extensive stash, i actually found the main yarn i'd used, plus some that will work well with it. so, this time it paid off to be a packrat. i think i'd kept it because it has lots of angora in it and i don't spin yarn like that very often, making it more of a "treasure". I had used a pattern, but have no idea where it is or where i got it, so am improvising on the second one. it has a thumb in it and i think i can figure it out!! well, it's actually half a thumb and covers the joint at the beginning of the thumb (clear??)


the color in these photos is crappy. the main yarn is soft turquoise/offwhite-ish. maybe in the daylight i can do better. but for now.... here it is.

in Morristown, TN

here's a photo taken of us after the play... from L to R:
Tim (nephew), Amy (niece), my dad, Robin and me

where am i now?

well, last thursday my dad and i flew to Knoxville, TN. my sister, Robin, had a part in To Kill a Mockingbird at a local community theater, and Pop wanted to see her (and my niece's) performance and needed someone to accompany him... so.. here we are! We went to the play Friday and Sat. nights, then rented a car Sunday a.m. and drove to his ole stompin' grounds in NC, around Hickory, Statesville, Rutherford College, visited my (step)mom's gravesite, visited some of her relatives and drove back this afternoon to Knoxville. oh, yeah, we stayed overnight in Hickory! and tomorrow we fly back to Portland. so, Pop got to have his stroll down memory lane, we got to see a play which was very well done and enjoyable, we got to hang out with Robin and her kids, and it's been a nice few days! For anyone who doesn't know, my dad is nearly 91 years old, almost blind from macular degeneration, practically deaf even with hearing aids, is otherwise in pretty good health, but tires easily so need some help in getting around. I'm just happy he still wants to go places and do things, so when he needs a travelling companion I go with him when I can!!

And those fingerless mitts in the last entry? well, Pop's hands were cold when we were on the plane, so i offered to let him wear the mitts... after a while he told me they felt really good... then asked if this had constituted a "formal presentation". And now... my current WIP is a pair of fingerless mitts!! I'm hoping my hands won't be cold enough to use them before next winter!

socks????

well, they started life as socks and morphed into fingerless mitts. having decided to do a ruffled cuff on socks, i cast on 88 stitches, then decreased down to 44 on the first round. after about 3 inches, it was obvious that the cuff was just too loose and floppy for socks, and wouldn't be so bad on a mitt because the cuff could come up over a shirt or sweater sleeve. so, i kept on knitting til it was about 5 inches, then bound off 10 stitches and cast 'em back on in the next round. 'twas a perfect thumb hole... so i kept on knitting for another couple of inches. kept trying it on til it covered my knuckles... and now i have mitts. they feel really warm and comfy and keep my gnarly ole knuckles toasty. the photos aren't the best... it's hard to get one hand/arm far enough away from the camera and still be able to push that button with the other hand. hmmm, guess i could have set the timer...

photos

since i haven't put up photos of the grandkids in a long time... here's a couple of cute ones that Kate took (and i took from her blog)

Zylie is a budding ballerina and loves her dance class:


and Alex knows there's more than one way to enjoy water!


cute, huh? ok... i'm done for now......