To My Dad

I miss you everyday.

I wish I could have said GoodBye to you.

You were a gentle, kind, soft spoken, lovely person.

I miss talking to you.

My Dad died in his sleep, on June 13, 2009, Saturday morning. It was the worst phone call I have ever received.

Parkinson’s disease took alot from him, but he fought it as best he could.

He was 90 yrs old – World War II vet. Loved to Golf. Loved my mom. Liked drinking and having fun. Slow and smooth like Jimmy Stewart. They lived on a golf course, and when friends would be putting at the hole outside their window – they would wave – he would reach up and flick the lamp light to let them know he was there – saying Hi back. They had so many wonderful friends and they are all helping my mom now.

     To live in the hearts we leave behind -  is not to die.

     Ev’ry gambler knows that the secret to survivin’
Is knowin’ what to throw away and knowing what to keep.
‘Cause ev’ry hand’s a winner and ev’ry hand’s a loser,
And the best that you can hope for is to die in your sleep.”

Tulips are a bloomin’. . .

The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival is in full bloom. . . extended to May 3.

We went with some friends to check out the Tulips near Mt. Vernon. They are blooming a little late this year because of the cold weather. A few pictures…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We went to a nearby quaint town of LaConnor to have dinner at our favorite fish n chips place. A pint o Guinness and some fish and chips.

Sign in the restaurant above the door.

Outside near the restaurant was this statue of a dog with a sweater on – so cute – I had to take a picture for some fellow knitters that would maybe enjoy it. The little plaque by the base is a picture of a dog that is passed on – get this – his name was “Dirty Biter”

 

the little tag says, “I’m cold – Do Not Remove”

 

 

 

 

Tulips are a big deal around here.

Dirty Biter

   

…And Turkeys wandering around the streets ! !… 

 

 

We Had A Good Time.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day !

This dishcloth is a free pattern from KrisKnits – it is called

St. Patricks Day Cloths    (click on the link to go to her site)

Reversible Rib Scarf

For Spring…love the color and the feel of this new yarn. It is called Prima by Debbie Bliss – 80% Bamboo, 20% Wool. Two skeins of a periwinkle color. Nice drape. The pattern is called “Reversible Garter-Rib Scarf” from the Acorn Street Shop in Seattle. A free handout there at the shop if you buy some yarn. Their shop is full of wonderful yarns and samples – the ladies that work there are very nice and helpful.

Lil’ Shamrock

Irish Knitting Prayer:

May your yarn be plentiful,

your needles be swift,

and may your gauge be correct

on your very first click!

I was cruisin thru Ravelry and came upon this pattern by Vickie Howell. It takes a very small amount of yarn and so quick to make. I used some left over Dream In Color wool yarn and made the small size. I am going to make some coasters later using some dishcloth cotton and bigger needles. Still not feeling well, so that will have to wait.

Hey…Happy St. Patrick’s Day (almost)…

YES / NO G A M E

YES/NO GAME RULES ARE AS FOLLOWS:

You can only say yes or no. You are NOT ALLOWED to explain ANYTHING unless someone comments and asks what the dealio is.

Over 18? Yes
Danced in front of your mirror naked? No
Ever told a lie? Yes
Been arrested? No
Kissed a picture? Yes
Fallen asleep at work/school?NO                                                                                   Held an actual snake? Yes
Have YOU Ever run a red light? Yes
Ever drink and drive? No
Been suspended from school? No
Ever been fired from a job? No
Totaled a car/motorbike in an accident? No
Sang karaoke? No
Done something you told yourself you wouldn’t? Yes
Laughed until something you were drinking came out your nose? Yes
Ever laughed until you wet yourself? No
Caught a snowflake on your tongue? Yes
Kissed in the rain? Yes
Sang in the shower? Yes
Sat on a rooftop? Yes
Thought about your past with regret? Yes
Been pushed in the pool with your clothes on? No
Shaved your head? No
Blacked out from drinking? Yes
Had a gym membership? No
Been in a band? No
Shot a gun? No
Liked someone with nobody else knowing about it? Yes
Played strip poker? Yes
Been to a strip joint? No
Donated Blood? No
Liked someone you shouldn’t? Yes
Have a tattoo? No
Have or had any piercings besides ears? No
Made out with a complete stranger? No                                                              Caught someone cheating on you? No
Skinny dipped? No
Regret any of your ex’s? Yes
Been to a rodeo? Yes
Been to a NASCAR race? No
Been in Love? Yes

 

I saw this little quizzy on KnittyOtter….Go ahead …fill one out – it’s just for fun!

Baby Girl Booties

We just found out we are going to be grandparents (again) to a baby GIRL.

Happy Valentine’s Day

Cassidy Sweater update

These are my Notes for my Cassidy Sweater started WAAAAY back in September…you know I’m slow….oh, well. I’m really not liking the seaming but I’m plugging away a little each night.

Sept. 20 – New to knitting sweaters – I have started a few…determined to get over my fears of knitting a sweater. I think it’s the seaming that I’ve never done before. I’m looking forward to someday actually finishing a sweater!
Sept. 25 – got stuck on the back ribbing where the decreases start. I believe it is the second decrease row – the decrease makes the purl become a knit and it messes up the row of purls for the ribbing. It’s OK..the ribbing stops as you decrease and then starts again as you increase
Oct 18 – I finished the back on Friday…finally! I kept the last BO neck stitches on a stitch holder, so they’ll be ready to go when I get ready to finish the neck edge


Nov 1 – I’m still working on the fronts (back is done). I missed a cable about an inch down, tried to fix it, no luck and had to frog back. What happened there?. I need to pay more attention and maybe try color coding. I do have the orange sticky note on the right front chart and a green sticky note on the left front chart, so I don’t mix up the charts. I work a little on each one.

Nov 19 – mistake on sleeve (arrow picture) is it really noticable? it’s like 6” up from the cuff and the whole sleeve is done. I’m bummed.
The pic with the two sleeves there is a lifeline on the finished sleeve just before the sleeve cap decreases, the instructions looked scarey, so I could rip back if need be. I think that first sleeve is cursed, I ended up with 17 stitches instead of 21.

Dec. fixed the sleeve cap error but not the missed cable at cuff – I will learn to live with it – no one is perfect, it’s very hard to tell unless you know it’s there. (shhhh…)
Jan 09 – I took a class on finishing techniques – learned alot of useful info.
I have it all blocked now, ready to sew seams. Need to take a buttonhole class now…there is so much I don’t know and it’s so fun to learn new things. I’m not in a big rush to get this done, just hope it’s before the cold weather is over, but here in Seattle, some days you need a sweater, even in summer. (a procrastinator statement)

Earthquake today…

What a way to start the day!…I woke up at 5:26 am – it felt like something(one) bumped the side of the bed really hard.

According to the news, it was a 4.5 magnitude. It was centered in Kingston, which is across the Puget Sound and NW of Seattle. My brother lives there, I’ll contact him later and add more to this post about what it was like for him being at the epicenter.

(Added Note:  He slept through it…said the first maps put the epicenter right at his front yard, then later more towards Indianola – southwards)