lifelong knitter

Sing a ROUND

One of my favorite ways to sing is in a ROUND...
which I first learned about at Girl Scout Camp.

Here's an old favorite....

Make new Friends
but keep the old,

One is Silver

and the other
Gold

Okay, your turn to sing along!

Make new Friends...

teehee.
I'm so excited about the new addition to my driveway!
The Mommymobile will get a well deserved REST
and will still be used on Boybird outings
and moving the Daughter bird back and forth
to college...
but I got an excellent deal on a gently used MINI
with all of the important features
(sunroof, ipod hookup, the better speakers and
HEATED seats.)
The poodles are Totally Thrilled because they can see
out of the windows when they sit in the back,
and most importantly,
now I can join the Exclusive CLUB.
Motor ON!

Friday Funnies...

Obviously, out of respect for my *clients*,
I can't tell funny stories about my work days, but
the culture of autism is quite amusing.
Never a dull moment, that's for sure.
After I finished work yesterday, I scooted home to walk the poodles
and pick up the Daughter bird so we could go get her brother for the
big outing to Golden Corral and Super Target.
She greeted me at the door and said
"I really like being independent! This is GREAT!"
so I asked her a couple of questions and found out
that she walked to the pool after making her own lunch and had a lovely swim and
used the hot tub and worked on her puzzle books and listened
to her Nano....
I was floored. We hadn't really practiced any of that or done a script
or a social story or set up a schedule or ANYTHING.
wow.
So just as we are getting into the Mommymobile she says
"Do normal nuerotypical people like to be independent?"
I said, yeah, I was pretty sure we liked being independent...
and was all prepared to TALK about the *issue*
but she started giggling and said "Oh that's right, you even have a
HOLIDAY for it and everything!"
She just giggled and giggled and giggled.
I have no earthly idea what is so funny about that, but when her brother
got into the truck she said something to HIM about it and they just
LAUGHED and laughed all the way to the first stop light.

In weird gardening news...here's the latest on Verbascum thapsis:


Now, THAT's funny!

Strong Storms!

Hopefully we're through with Alberto...
we had a HUGE mess with Flash Flooding
and torrential rain even though we were
Hundreds of Miles from the system.
I hope the storm season isn't going to be
like last year! HOWEVER,
today is supposed to be Lovely
for the trip with the Boybird.
I've ordered the Galludet College
sign language DVD....
we used their video tapes when the kids were small
and they were FANTASTIC!
I survived my first staff meeting
without knitting, but I'm sure gonna sneak it into the next one!

Song sung blue...

Song sung blue
Everybody knows one
Song sung blue
Every garden grows one

Me and you are subject to the blues now and then
But when you take the blues and make a song
You sing them out again
Sing them out again

Song sung blue
Weeping like a willow
Song sung blue
Sleeping on my pillow

Funny thing, but you can sing it with a cry in your voice
And before you know it, start to feeling good
You simply got no choice

Song sung blue
Everybody knows one
Song sung blue
Every garden grows one....

for some reason, this song has been
dancing through my brain.
Perhaps influenced by the Noro colorway
I am knitting with....

I took advantage of the few bits of natural light
in between storms to snap these pictures
of the very retro, very prep cardigan...


It is LOVELY to work on,
very soothing!
I especially like the seed stitch bands,
no picking up stitches later ;)

the new Job

is a good fit,
I think.
I'm scheduled for all kinds of TRAINING
in the next month or so....
CPR, sign language, how to fill out a timesheet....
and y'all know how I love to LEARN
new stuff....
The prayers helped a LOT,
keep 'em coming, please!

In knitting news, I finished the first half of the heel
as directed in the Falling leaves pattern,
and it is looking wonderful.
I may never do another heel flap again!

cars,cars,CARS!

Oh we saw the CARS movie yesterday afternoon
and it was WONDERFUL. I'm still humming from the
Soundtrack! heh. Especially the Sounds of the TRACK.
Those folks at Pixar are Amazing!
Today is the first day of the New Job,
and naturally the forecast is for thunderstorms
and torrential rain.
sigh.
I'm excited and nervous
and hoping I can do a really
GOOD job at this....
say an extra prayer
if you are so inclined....

Growth

Remember the Verbascum thapsis
from the GREEN part of Project Spectrum?
Well, just lookee how it has GROWN!

It's almost 6 feet tall now and in another week
or so will have beautiful yellow flowers....
Which I think is MUCH more interesting than a photo
of six more INCHES of stockinette stitch,
but the cardigan is looking LOVELY, IMHO.
I'm so glad I ripped and recycled.
Today I am going to formally accept my new job
and sign all of the paperwork
so I can report FIRST THING Monday morning,
bright eyed and bushytailed.
(where does that saying come from, anyway?)
Hope your weekend is filled with good news.
mwah!

Knitting the Blues...

A mismatched pair of samples in MaryAnn's LUSCIOUS
sock yarn. Superwash, to boot. heh.
First up, the Falling Leaves sock from Knitty

to be followed shortly by a Jaywalker....

I'm just LOVING this colorway....
particularly appropriate to knit
while listening to Jerry Douglas.
sigh.

Last Knitting Class

Today will be my last knitting class for the season at Yarns Etc.
I've got all of my paperwork in order to start the new job on Monday
and I'm excited and nervous all at the same time.
It has been such a JOY to teach knitting classes.
In addition to meeting some fabulous new friends,
I've been re-inspired to think about knitting in a whole new way.
Thanks to all of my students,
and especially to MARY for all of the
support and encouragement a knitter could ever want.
Blessings to all y'all
as ALWAYS!

Hopefully we'll have some classes in the Fall
once I get my schedule all straightened out and the Daughter
bird back to college....
but until then,
KNIT ON!

One more thing...

I AM knitting something BLUE (actually a PAIR of something!)
but haven't had just the right light for photographic evidence as of yet.
I DO have one more picture from the weekend that I just adore:

Wouldn't that be a Wonderful Quilting pattern?
or a painting?
hmmmmmmm.

In the current Obsession with all things Musical and Stringed,
I played one of THESE yesterday afternoon.
Will wonders never cease...you can plug in and play directly into the MAC!
(and/or headphones so only YOU can hear the squeaky learning curve)
Be still my geeky heart!