Emptyknitster

In the Peanuts comic strip by Charles Schulz, Snoopy often began his stories with "It was a dark and stormy night..." People think that a good Halloween story must include that setting. Mine, however, is just the opposite... When we built our house fifteen years ago, we chose the location because it is out in the country and surrounded by nature. Beautiful sunrises and sunsets, a view that allows you to see forty miles to the north, and animals everywhere. A few miles to the east is the Crow Indian Reservation and forty miles further is Little Bighorn Battlefield. The moment I set foot on the property I felt a presence. I envisioned a young Indian brave sitting on the edge of the ridge keeping watch over the valley, perhaps patiently waiting for another tribe, a group of warriors or a wagon train to come into view and move slowly westward along the Yellowstone River.  Although the house has central air conditioning I enjoy the clean fresh air. I quickly discovered that ...

Halloween was a major event when I was little. Absolutely NO store bought costumes for us! 1960 Halloween, Judy, Steve and Mike             I ran across this photo recently and even though it is in black and white I remember the clown costume my brother Mike had on was in orange and black and the flowers in my Hawaiian outfit were rose colored. The muu-muu at one time had been curtains, Mom had the ability to take a few snips in the fabric and sew a few stitches, making even a set of curtains into something else. When we lived in Seattle we would Trick or Treat the houses on our block and the one block below us. Often the treats were full size candy bars. But when we moved to Butte we were astonished to find out  teenagers were allowed to knock on doors, the use of pillowcases was standard, and entire sections of town was acceptable territory for Trick or Treating.  The first year we lived in Butte I remember Dad going to the grocery sto...

Over the last few weeks the kiddos at school have come up with some interesting comments. This year I have the last of four little Holidays. Five years ago I had the oldest in the family, the next year the second sibling. We skipped a year then last year the third arrived at my door, and finally the last Holiday arrived this fall. Recently the youngest Holiday came to school with bright red marker all over her face, hands, arms and even in her hair. I asked what her parents had said. She looked up at me with her big blue eyes and replied, "They said that Mrs. G. sure wasn't going to be happy when she saw me." Evidently, I must be the force to be reckoned with in that family! I had a Professional Development meeting one morning and so I was out in the hall when a fifth grader I had taught a couple of years ago was walking slowly down the hall. When I saw this young man moving so slowly I put my arm around him and said, "Let's hurry to your classroom so you wo...

A ten hour drive to watch a Griz game yesterday did a lot for my knitting! I finished a Christmas sweater that has been hanging around my neck like a noose for a month. I don't usually put anything on the needles without finishing within a couple of weeks. The gals at the yarn shop had asked about my progress several times. I finally fessed up, this is not my finest project! How embarrassing to realize halfway through the sweater that you forgot the first three rows in the center cable pattern! (It was at the bottom of the first column of the page and I overlooked it - oh man!) I thought that it was a misprint and so reworked the beginning of the cable - having to rethink it every time I got to that point. When I realized what I had done the front was completed and I was on the back of the sweater and didn’t want to retrace my steps. But I like things perfect, down to every last stitch! I decided that the sweater was a lesson in acceptance, I assured myself that no one woul...

For the last week and a half I've been playing with this bootie pattern. I think that a little babe would have difficulty kicking them off their feet and they just look so warm! The booties would be a great little baby shower gift or charity knit, not to mention an outstanding stash buster. Oh, Baby! Baby Booties Oh, Baby! Baby Booties Sizes: Newborn, 3 months, 6 months Materials: size 5 US needles (31/2 mm) DK weight yarn, or 4 ply worsted for bigger booties

These socks were started almost a year ago. I put them on the back burner for several months but the weather is getting cooler and I'll be needing a few new pair of socks soon. I did some off road knitting on the first sock - not following the directions for the heel but improvising a short row heel. It was tough to get back on track after so many months. I love this yarn and I'm glad to have these socks done. I'm turning out the lights and putting this project to bed! Pattern: Jaywalker Yarn: Knit One Crochet Too, Ty-Dy Socks Colorway: Grape Needle size: US 3

When I arrived home this afternoon, Momma and the triplets had stopped by for a photo op. They must think we're a pretty great place to visit because the next time I looked out the window, the whole "fam-damnly" were visiting and a few of their feathered friends as well. Can you find the seven deer and three turkeys in the picture?

This week I was visiting on the phone with my youngest brother. My poor nephew, Sammy, had just come home from the hospital with four stitches on his elbow. There had been a very tough game of kickball on the playground! I asked how he was otherwise, how the school year was going. My brother, Scott, told me that it had been a rough start to first grade but things were going well now. After we said our goodbyes, I began thinking about my trip out to see the family a couple of years ago. I had been surprised that many interactions with Sammy had caused flashbacks to when Scott was little. I'm thirteen years older that my youngest brother and I was very active his upbringing. As a little guy, my brother often had temper tantrum when things didn't go his way and during my visit, I saw this happening with our little Sammy. At one point I said, "Sammy, you just need to tell us what you want, we will do anything to make you happy." It was like a kick in the seat of the pan...

Next weekend I will be attending a double baby shower for two sisters. When Julie and Trish were little they lived next door, and I'm also Trish's Godmother. Trish and her hubby know that the baby will be a boy so I've made this little top down sweater and brown bunny. I added a hat to the bunny because he will be living in Colorado and needs to be warm! Pattern: Norse Pullover by McCall Pattern Company Size: 3 Yarn: Cascade 220 Wool Colorway:Turquoise, Beige, Navy Needle size: US 9 Pattern: One Skein Bunny by Deb Richey Yarn: Red Heart Plush Colorway: Chocolate Needle Size: G If I were to make this little bunny again, I would double this yarn. I can see the stuffing in some places but I do like the soft, nubby texture. I love making little baby things and now that I've started it seems I'm having difficulty stopping. I found this pattern for booties and had to try them. There are several variations of this pattern and I like a combination of them all. ...