Good news! I am knitting again...and it feels good. I am challenging myself with new patterns and techniques that I have never done before. Plus I joined a washcloth club at my local yarn shop, which I thought would be easy...but bobbles are hard to figure out. Last night, I went to my knitting guild meeting and with some help from my guild pal Belinda, I think I have conquered the bobble. I did five bobbles last night and they look like bobbles. Hopefully I will remember tonight on how to do them.

It's been a long time since my last blog, because my life has been turned upside down. I tragically lost my brother on October 14-
(ironically our fathers birthday). He is the one I mentioned that I wanted to do an art piece on, with his bald head and tattoos. He was just 39 years old, my younger brother. I actually feel the piece missing in my heart for him. So, knitting and all other crafts have been put aside. I was actually making a scarf of Cleckheaton Country Silk yarn for a friend moving to Tahoe when Jack died. I am so finding it so hard to return to the scarf. I cry so much for him, and actually in my heart I feel that I do not want to give the scarf away. I think its cause the scarf is like a time line for when jack was alive and when he was gone. That if I keep the scarf for myself it will hold the time of Jack being alive and Jack being gone. I am not sure on what to do.

I have many projects that I want to start, and Lord knows, I have many that I need to finish. So, this New Year my wish is to start knitting again, and to finish all my UFO's.

I long for a happier year, for Joy to return to my family, and to help heal my missing spot in my heart.

Jack's death was actually the 7th death in our immediate family this year. We have had tragic deaths and illnesses to last me a life time of pain. Please hold me in your prayers, for strength and healing to come to my family this year.

Peace to all and Happy New Year!!! Hug and hold the ones you love with all your heart.

Morning note: Play-doh Art!!! many great creations have been in the works in my dining room this morning!! Brent and my niece Jaclyn have been working on their masterpieces! Please look at the wonderful works of art.

Wow! times sure gets by ya fast. I have been very busy in the past months with painting my craft room and getting it organized with all my stash and patterns. I also want to make it a cozy place to get away to knit or crochet. I have also been working on making some jewelry, basically for friends at work but I do need to start making some to see if I could sell it for charity causes. I like making earrings and book markers everything else seems a little time consuming to me.
I am still working on many projects...started to put the square blanket all together when I realized that I had been stitching up the sides wrong! So now I have to take nine squares apart...needless to say that is sitting in the corner out of frustration. The green striped blanket I am stuck cause I just do not understand the pattern...so I need to consult with a crocheter to help me.

Right now I have a scarf on the needles for a coworker who is leaving to move to Tahoe. I am using a Cleckheaton Country Silk yarn which is really nice to work with I just love the feel of it. The scarf is coming out really nice, I think he will like it. But I have to say it was hard finding a nice pattern for a man's scarf. I just used a stole pattern and just changed the width for a scarf. His last day is Oct 18th, so I better finished this!!

Well call me stupid for starting another project without finishing all the others I have to work on. I found this wonderful crochet pattern at A.C. Moore and thought of my Aunt Gail who just had her room paint this really nice green. So I bought the yarn with my gift certificate and looked all over creation for the pattern book, finally had to order it from Amazon. I started this pattern thinking it would be easy…not! I am getting the hang of it but it’s terminology is different than I am use too or just something I have never come across yet. Anyhow I have another project to work on and Jonathan’s blanket to finish. Today was Jonathan’s very last day of high school! Can’t believe it!

Well my oldest is graduating high school in 27 days!!! Which means that I have to finish a blanket I started for Jonathan when he was 9 years old!!! The joke has been that I will finish the blanket by the time he is in college. Well I have to say that I never really thought I would take this long to get it done, but it has!! Where has the time gone from not finishing the blanket to where my now 6’2 son has grown up and up! So I have pulled this out to finish for him. The colors are from the Dallas Cowboys and the pattern is a shell crochet. Jonathan laughed yesterday when he saw me working on this just knowing I have a deadline to meet! Damn!! My little boy is graduating!!

My birthday has come and gone …. I was totally spoiled by my family and friends! Just look at what wonderful gifts I received from my kids, my mother and all my coworkers!! Everyone gave me so many wonderful gifts at work! I got a rose bush & cutting board from Anette, a A.C. Moore card from Iona. Lisa gave me the new Paula Deen book and Linda gave me a EBay business book and MILKY WAYS! I could have killed her! Ed totally surprised me with my favorite DVD and movie book and a DVD collection of the Three Stooges!!! I totally loved it! LOL, See about a month ago I had to take Jonathan to the medical emergency for a bad strep. So while we were waiting they had the three stooges on the TV. which I know are just totally silly! Anyhow it was the one where the lion in running loose on the train and is licking Moe's foot and then Moe slaps Shemp who it sleeping at the other end of the bunk....Well I was belly laughing in the office like an idiot and Jonathan was totally embarrassed. This man sitting across from me was trying not to laugh until I let it out we where all laughing! I just love the stooges! But come to find out Lisa…the little tricky one was the one who actually was the shopper for the gift from ED! LOL I should have know since I do his shopping for the others in the office…I am dince! My boys gave me jewelry and my mother gave me the pizzelle iron for those wonderful cookies. My hubby had beautiful yellow roses sent to me at work plus also that wonderful doll with her tongue sticking out. This makes turning 41 a little easier! Then the next day coming in to work Stacey gave me a neat set of beads and jewerly making stuff along with a how to booklet! And daffodils flowers from Linda.

Well, I have started two more scarves, just to use up some yarn and to just have something around to work on....like I don't have enough to do. Anyhow even though I have a yarn stash out of this world I have this desire to go to AC Moore to get that silly striped yarn from Red Heart....for another scarf.

I see that June 9th is Knit-Out day and that some woman from the Newark knitters group are meeting up at Stitches with Style and then going to McGlynn's Pub. I am not sure on what I will be doing, but I thought I would just pass this info on.

Finally working on crocheting this blanket which sadly I started many years ago. A dear old childhood neighbor, who past away last year, taught me this shell stitch. I will hopefully finish this by the time my coworker has her baby shower, which is not for some time, since she has not yet told anyone of the baby!