Broken Fingers....

Well, shortly after my last blog, I decided to go and make some fresh whole-veg juice in the Vitamix. Yum!!!! Good for me and helps me keep the veg bin cleaned out as well. Then when I went to clean-up, I dropped the 5lbs Vitamix base on my hand and fingers. Tears, blue air, stars, dead relatives - I saw them all!!! After about a 15 minute rest to compose myself, I gave my hand a good look over and there was no denying that the middle finger on the right hand was either broken or dislodged. Bending and moving were not an option and actually neither was touching - the barest of touches and my pain reflexes went back into overdrive. So, I did the ice thing as best I could, took Tylenol to the maximum dosage and had DH pick-up a finger splint on his way home from work. It was a ghastly day and much to the muse's chagrin, there was no knitting.

The next day it became clear that the finger was displaced. Holy cow this was going to hurt so much when it got forced back into place. Everything just went blank and it felt like I was down for the count. However, finger is now back in place and on the mend. So, since I couldn't knit, I read about knitting. Six books in all. Some novels, some instructional and oh my did that get my juices flowing!!! It just made me want to knit more. It did not help that the muse was dancing around singing her little "whistle while I knit song." I mean talk about rubbing salt in the wound.

This week I have been slowing allowing the finger to come out of the splint - I can knit for about 15-30 minutes and then I can tell that it's back in the brace or back out of the joint, take my pick. So, not getting a huge amount done, but I'm starting that little bear I talked about last week.

Hope you all have a great week.

Peace nad joy to you all.....
The Green Girl.

Give a Dog a Bone....

Poor Muse is so anxiety ridden these days. No, Muse you're not a dog, the title is just an expression. Muse wants me to knit toys - bears and bunnies and dolls. She wants me to knit little clothes for them and accessories. Everyday for weeks now she has made sure that there is a book, magazine or pamphlet with a toy design in my viewing range. She's tired of all the time I've been spending knitting neck warmers to sell at the summer fairs.

It is difficult to knit the same item time after time after time, but it must be done. I've been doing a wool/acrylic blend for most of the neck warmers, but I have come across an acrylic/nylon blend that feels heavenly and is working up in the pattern beautifully. Berroco's Comfort yarn is the brand in question. It feels like a cotton/silk blend and the colors are really vibrant and saturated in their depth. I think this just may be the my new yarn od choice for my non-wool clientele.

But, back to poor Muse. I really think I must do the old girl a good turn and make one little toy in order to calm her down. If I don't, I'm afraid we'll have a full on melt down and she'll hit the pub for an overextended stay and then huff around the studio. That can be extremely frustrating. Having a tiff with one's muse is just not a good thing. In an effort to stave off the big pout from Muse, I pulled a book by Val Pierce, 20 Knitted Bears. These little bears are all basically the same and then the outfits are made to dress them as you wish. You could actually make one little bear and several dresses, kind of like an infants version of Barbie dress-up. They are truly sweet little creatures and quick to work up. So, I have decided that after I make one more neck warmer (it's already on the needles - I have to finish - right???) I will make one little bear and couple of dressing up pieces and take them to my little, Kate. The size and shape will be perfect for her little two and half year old hands.

There, there dear muse - I have not forgotten you or the valuable service that you play in my knitting, but for heaven's sake after this little detour please let me get on with finishing my supply of neck warmers or we'll be living in the shed come summer when I have nothing to sell.

What has your muse inspired you to do lately???

Peace and joy to you all.....
The Green Girl

Lazy Days and a Knitting Haze....

The weather has been cool and windy these last few days, but we refuse to close the windows again and turn the furnace back on. It's kind like the Yarn Harlots furnace wars - we've started now and we don't intend to lose the fight. So, the mornings have been cool inside the house in a way that makes you want to slide down under a huge pile of blankets and just let your face stick out into the cool air. It is the kind of feeling that lulls you back to that sleepy, dreamy place and then POW the telephone rings and rips you back into the present with a force like a hurricane.

Then there was this morning - I learned my lesson and turned the phone off just a for bit. I was awake by 7:00am and having my cheerios and then I settled back under the covers with a cuppa tea and good Brit-Lit book about a woman that owns a knitting shop by the sea in Britain. Totally - 100% - absolute laziness on my part, but I don't care. Nope, I don't care even one little knit or purl that I didn't get in the shower until 9:15am. Now you know I don't care because I actually told you the time. So, think me lazy, slothful or sluttish - I don't care. I had once fantastic morning and I deserve it, as I'm guessing most of you do as well.

This change in my morning routine was actually a requirement in my mind. I've been getting up when DH leaves at 6:30ish and starting my knitting for the summer fairs and not putting my needles down until midnight for weeks now. Unfortunately, I'm not quite where I want to be, but I'm not far off either. I have had to continue with the cleaning, cooking and laundry after all and I needed to start my April square for my Baker's Dozen group on Ravelry. However, I noticed that I was running out of steam on my projects a little, so some light reading (about knitting of course) has re-charged my batteries. Now you can call it laziness if you like, but in reality it's a bit more like therapy for someone in a knitting haze.

The square for April has been frogged twice, but it's now moving right along. The MOM for April is our only gentleman member of the group and his choice of color is orange. Baby is he getting orange. The label calls the color pumpkin, but it's nowhere near, it's plain old fashioned, peel me one of Florida's best - ORANGE!!! This is one of the blankets that I am most looking forward to seeing completed, as I seem to have developed a passion for the color orange over the past year. I am sure this is because the muse has bewitched me somehow, but that's okay. It's a fun color in the end.

All in all, I call this a good day and it's not even noon. Yahoo!!!!

Peace and joy to you all.....
The Green Girl.

The Hybrid....

Today was a fantastic day!! Oops, I should say yesterday was  a fantastic day as it is now just shy of 3:00am. I know, what in the world am I doing awake and blogging at this time of day?? Well, let's just say that Zumba is the culprit. You know Zumba, the Latin fitness dance craze - well I did a little too much Zumba on Thursday and hyper-extended my right knee to the side. After getting to sleep tonight the pain woke me two hours later and I am now sitting with a bag of frozen peas on my knee and waiting for the pain killers to kick in - so why waste time - blog!

lft to rt: Dad, Cathy, Mom. In back, Steve. In front my DH, Dave

.

Anyway, on Friday (that would be the yesterday,) DH and I went to visit his parents, which also gave me the opportunity to meet his cousin and her DH (see picture, and lest we forget, DH and I have been married 29 years.) I know it's disgraceful that it has been that long, but I can honestly say that it seems like I've known Cathy and Steve my entire life. They are two of the loveliest people I've ever met. At dinner, I learned that Cathy and I both love quilts and this got the muse every excited. You see, the muse remembered that my gran taught me to quilt when I was young and if I do say so, my gran was a quilter extraordinaire. Stacks and stacks of quilts of her own design, awards from local, regional and state competitions. I mean these quilts will make you cry they are so beautiful. Then when my gran passed several years back, I received my favorite quilt from my childhood, "Grandma's Flower Garden." It was not the most elaborate, it was not of her own design, but it spoke to me and held sway over me my entire life. I was allowed to sleep under that quilt every time we visited Gran. It didn't matter if I had been naughty or nice, that quilt was always waiting to enfold me in its layers and keep me warm and safe. I would lay awake and count all the pretty colors in each flower until I finally fell into a peaceful slumber and although I wanted that quilt so badly, Gran always said that one day it would mine, but not that day. She meant of course after she passed, the quilt would pass to me. It was a long wait, 42 years in fact, but that meant that I had my gran that entire time and I would have gladly waited even longer to keep her with us just a few more years. Ah the sweet, sweet memories.

Grandma's Flower Garden

The muse made me realize that knitting brings up the same kind of emotions for many people. A sweater that we love as a child will remain our favorite even when we've outgrown it. The memories that are imprinted by an especially loved hand knitted item are strong and powerful just like the memories of my gran's hand-sewn quilt. So, why not combine these two lovely art forms and create a hybrid blanket - one square quilted, one square knitted - can you imagine the power that blanket would hold - the joy it would give to the receiver - I believe it could be truly magical!!!

Cathy and I talked about quilts that had been given as wedding gifts over the years and how special those items are to the couple. As I have mentioned before, my oldest niece is marrying her beloved this summer. I thought I knew exactly what gift we would give the happy couple, and then all that changed after talking to Cathy. I am going to make a hybrid wedding quilt - it will contain shades of white, ivory and cream. My knitted blocks will consist of the the "Tree of Life" pattern to represent the family tree and the quilted blocks will consist of differing designs that I still need to research. Each stitch whether sewn or knitted will be made with love and blessings for a long an happy marriage for Beth and Nick. In the end I hope that it will hold all of the magic that their love brings to life. I'll share pictures and the journey in future blogs as the project unfolds. Wish me much luck as I have had this epiphany only two and half months before their wedding day. For this I blame the muse, she is always coming at me with these ideas when the time-line needs to be fast-tracked in order to be completed on time. This time I'll give the muse a break as I believe myself to be as excited as she!

Thanks ever so much Cathy. Meeting you has brought joy to my life and I pray that this hybrid quilt will bring the same joy to Beth and Nick.

Peace and joy to you all....
The Green Girl   

Tick, Tock....

It seems the the time is playing tricks on me once again - I looked yesterday at a calender and found that it was already April. When did that happen? We are one-quarter of the through the year. And the birthdays hit this month - April is a very popular month for babies old and new in this family, including my own. There must have been some very hot July nights in the past, I'm just sayin.

I've been so busy working on the website, the products for the summer fairs, and making the transition to spring that I've accomplished nothing else in my knitty domain. I have finally got the "Big Wash" underway - that's washing and drying all the blankets and comforters from the winter bedding. It can be an all day experience and as happens most times it has become a two day military maneuver. One day this week will be the transitioning of the clothes - out with my beloved winter woolly knits and in with the spring cotton and bamboo.

This lack of time for any personal knitting has left the studio in chaos once again and that has to be sorted this week - I can't live like this another day. Plus, I now have a stack of personal projects. I was married in the same year as Charles and Diana, my oldest niece was a baby at our wedding and she is marrying in the same summer as William and Kate and then I also have my littlest niece Kate. Although Kate the elder is quite lovely, my two girls are the prettiest - yes of course I'm prejudice, I'm the auntie for goodness sake! It is my job to think my girls are the fairest in the land. Anyway, the royal wedding dolls will be knit as a keepsake for my girls. You'll be able to read about my knitting of the forthcoming Royal Wedding on the Knitty Scribe blog later today.

OK - the clock continues to tick and I feel even farther behind now that I seem to have misplaced the month of March. Happy Spring everyone......may the flowers bloom and the birds sing and inspire you all to great knitty heights!!!

Peace and joy to you all....
The Green Girl