Emptyknitster

"I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties  and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream."   -Martin Luther King Jr.

The first of many socks for 2017 are finished. I used some of my coveted West Yorkshire Spinners yarn from England sent via Oregon. - Thanks Misako! When the entire family was home at Christmas I needed a pair of vanilla socks to knit throughout their visit. A row here, a row there makes a fast pair of socks! This striped  yarn is perfect on its own but add a slip stitch at the striping line and they become stunning . Pattern: Slip Stitch Socks with Fish Lips Kiss Heels Yarn: West Yorkshire Spinners Signature 4-ply Colorway: Passion Fruit Cooler Amount: 1 skein Needle Size: US Size 1

Hubby came home New Year's morning after working his last shift at the fire station. The retirement party was between Christmas and New Year's. It was wonderful to have all the family able to attend and honor Hubby's hardwork at the station and in the community over the years.  Already just a few days into retirement I see Hubby isn't going to sit in his recliner and allow himself to get out of shape. Every morning down to the workout room we go to complete our morning routine. He even has me lifting weights! We are both excited to see what the year has in store for us. We have a trip or two planned but mostly we plan on relaxing and resting "on our laurels" - in our home which we dearly love.

As the fall settled into winter,  I began thinking it was time to let this blog fade into the dark and distant past. My dear sister-in-law mentioned a couple of times throughout the fall that she missed catching up with our world in Montana. During Thanksgiving the girls commented on the lack of posts. At Christmas I told the family my plans to stop blogging and the room filled with moans. But it wasn't until I walked down the hall and caught a glimpse of the granddaughters sprawled on the floor enjoying the journals that there was a rekindling of the blog. Sadie Lou told me how much fun they were having going through the books and she was so glad I did them every year.  WHAT?? WAIT A MINUTE!!! This is exactly why I started the blog/journaling journey. I don't want the kiddos to ever forget their Gramma and the good times we've had together. The crux of the problem is, I have enjoyed just being home and following my bliss. Anything can now be done "later" and ...

This year Stash Dash was extended to the end of the Olympics, and although the closing ceremony will be this evening it is time to declare myself. I'd thought with the "Never Ending Blanket of Doom" I was a sure winner of the 10k. However, that pain in the neck only netted me 6,800 meters. With other items completed this summer I was able to cross the finishline this afternoon with a 9,354 meter or 9.35K and am now a self declared winner of the 7K! When I finished the Down The Rabbit Hole Blanket I knew it would be a LONG TIME before I made another… but I still had bits and pieces of beautiful yarn on hand. I loved doing Pure Joy and needed a little joy after the never ending nightmare…..So out came the leftover hand dyed yarn the family have been dying every time they visit and I started this scarf/shawl. LOVE the results! Pattern: Pure Joy Yarn: Leftovers, Knit Picks Bare Fingering Colorway: Indie Dyed Greens and Blues, Off white Amount: 2 skeins Needles:...

As the grandkiddos grow up it seems my visits are beginning to shrink! They have had a very busy summer.  Unbelievably Chloe went to visit her Grannie and Grandfather across the pond - ALL BY HERSELF! She did fine but it's hard for this Grandma to realize she is old enough to travel so far alone. Both grandkiddos also spent time back East with the English side of the family and then it was on to Northern California for just their immediate family to enjoy sometime together! I convinced myself that when they came for their visit with me they needed a bit of a rest! So off we went to the Public Library and checked out books, had The Chick come with her new kitten Zoey, and mostly just hung around the house. .Zoey loved her deck experience and The Chick added a deck to her "must have" list for a future home. We went paddle boarding a couple of days at "Lake" Elmo.  I was pleasantly surprised to find out it really wasn't a bad place to paddle.  Gra...

Recently I took a quick trip to the Stillwater. We were intending to play a little Bunco and just hang and relax with the gals. In the end hanging out and relaxing won - no Bunco was played! Artis, yours truly and Jinx   The Bunco Gals with Murphy - the three legged dog.   Switch-er-roo...Artis, Courtney and Jinx  We had a wonderful time at one of my favorite places in Montana.