CLASSES

A couple saturday's ago, I mentioned we had a spinning class and a knitting class at the shop. A mother came in this week and asked if we had children's classes. I explained that I don't schedule them but I will provide a teacher if they have 4-6 children that would like a class. She asked if her daughter could take the class with her (in the adult class). I said, "No, I'm sorry, but most women come to class to visit with other adults and children change the dynamics of the class. " "If it is advertised as an adult class then I have to keep it that way."

If you only knew the conversations that go on back there when there are a bunch of woman together. Well, let's just say the air is a little blue. Not just swearing, necessarily, but the context of their conversations range from politics to sex to medical conditions to children to husbands, etc. You get my point. Now, if these same women cannot express themselves freely it could become dangerous. I will not be held responsible.

My Animals

Cally on the look out on the front porch!

I have never shown a photo of my animals before. I have a pug, named Maddie. She is a fiesty female. Always has been. I even tried being the "Boss" when she was little. I would lay her on her back and let her know I was "The One", not her. I got her from a farm down near Gaylord. She was the runt and very tiny and cute when she was a baby. They described Pugs in all the books I read as "golden retriever personalities, clown like, loves people, etc. I thought this sounded pretty good. She's "clown like" all right but that's about it.

Cally is a black lab/golden retriever. I was watching TV one Christmas Eve shortly after I was divorced and the kids were gone and I saw this TV spot on the news about 6 puppies abandoned in a box in Minneapolis on a street corner and if anyone would like one to call this number. So I thought for a minute and decided "what the heck". So, I called and left a message and they called me back and they said I sounded so nice they would give me one of the puppies and I could pick it up Christmas morning. So my daughter, Nicole , and her husband Peter went over to pick out the puppy and they did a great job. She's been a wonderful animal.

Needless to say, Maddi never potty trained totally. I blame that on the huge house we were living in. She couldn't figure out where the door was and so she started going anywhere she could find. Including her kennel. She just doesn't care! She is in charge and that is it!

Maddie can escape from anywhere. You cannot confine this animal. I now finally have a kennel she cannot get out of but it took some time to find the perfect one. She would use her paws to push the levers down and unlock the cage. She walks on a leash really well but if she wants to go after another dog (which she would do frequently) she can wiggle out of a regular collar no matter how tight, so I had to buy a harness to walk her outside. Finally, I gave up --it just wasn't worth the walk because she would attachk all other dogs.

We call her the "pugster"! I'm sure she was a criminal in a former life.

Our neighbors (in the first neighborhood that she lived in) had two german shepherds when Maddie was still in her youth. One of the children were walking these two well behaved animals and maddie was tied up outside and she kept barking at them until finally one of them couldn't stand it any longer and he took her by the neck and forced her to the ground. Didn't hurt her but let her know who was boss. She got right back up and started barking until I went out and got her. Part of the reason she is an escape artist is that she has alot of extra skin so she can wiggle out of your hands by twisting her body. If she doesn't want to do something she will wiggle and bite and growl till you give up. I usually wear gloves if I know I'm in for a real fight like trying to get her in her kennel or trying to get some food item away from her.

Cally, this fall - watching me trim bushes and hunting for a rabbit! She loves to chase them. One spring I found a couple baby bunnies in the lawn and looked like they had been there awhile. That evening Cally came to the back porch with a limp baby bunny in her mouth. I looked at her and said "No, you are not bringing that in here, drop it". She did and I let her in the house and went to check on the bunny and it was gone. Just playing dead so it could get away. I know no one believes me but she does know what I'm saying. She's very smart.

I do not knit sweaters or scarves or anything for these two. They won't wear them.

I bought an invisible fence when I moved to this house. I had the lab/golden mix by then and felt she would get more exercise running the yard than being on a leash outside. Well, the fence worked great for the lab (she's definitely more timid) but ole maddie girl broke right through several times with a little "yip" and she was gone. The neighbors complained and so I had to up the voltage (really it's a vibration) so she would stay in our yard. These two are not really pals but Cally tolerates her and tries to get her to behave. Maddie does pay attention to Cally so they have an understanding. Works that way in the animal kingdom.

Shopping after Thanksgiving

I'm very grateful to all the people that shopped in my shop today but I must tell you I have never gone shopping the day after Thanksgiving. I just cannot make myself do it. Nothing is that important.

I do not like to go to Malls unless it is early in the morning during the week. I do not shop on weekends. I love getting a deal on clothes or household items but only if it is not crowded. I hate navigating through traffic, being bumped with strollers, playing bumper cars in the parking lot. I try to plan my week so I can get these things accomplished without shopping on the weekends, now, this is tough during the holidays, and I do not like shopping on line.

Therefore, this year I'm making alot of gifts or I've already picked them up during the year. I love a handmade gift myself.

Get knitting and crafting out there. Be sure to pass your craft on to your children or grandchildren. I'm fearful that some of these crafts will be lost. Hundred's of years ago, children had to knit and weave and spin to help the family out. I know, there are not alot of classes to help you mom's out but you can learn and pass it on. It really is important.

Thanksgiving

Well, it was great - this was also the celebration for my 32 year old daughter's birthday. It's the 27th but we always celebrate it on Thanksgiving. Yes, she gets a little shorted but makes up for it by celebrating the whole month.

She was born in 1974 and it happened to be the day before thanksgiving and I was in the hospital. Later on I had a picture frame engraved with her birth date, weight, height, name, etc. Really cute except that I engraved the incorrect date. I put the 26th instead of the 27th. I blame this mistake on Thanksgiving because it changes the date every year (not the day, Thursday, but the date) Confused?? So am I. It's my only excuse and I'm sticken' to it.

We had a great dinner,pie, birthday cake and presents. I made her a half pair of mittens out of cashmere/merino blend-Karabella. I added a picot edge and the one turned out pretty cute. I made her a pair last year and she lost one at MOA. I'm putting a string on this pair when I get the other one done.

I made a story box for the grandchildren this week. The advent story. Beginning with
week one and following thru to the last week. It will help them learn the story by heart. I also made a cradle and put some straw around it and every time they do a good deed or are nice to each other they get to put another piece of straw in the cradle and on Christmas there should be enough straw for Baby Jesus to sleep on.

UPDATE ON WIP:
I'm making progress on Dan's sweater and Lucy's Christmas sock, which I have been working on for two years. I'll get photos up here soon. I forgot to get them today. I love working from the top down on this sweater. It's difficult to know sometimes if the size is accurate in the pattern and this way I could let him try it on. I took the needles out and put the sleeve stitches on a string holder and he could pull it over his head. Because Karabella Aurora 8 is such a great yarn, very few stitches came out and I was easily able to get them all back on. It fits great, so far. This is from "Pure & Simple" top down sweater (for me or women).

my creative state of mind!

SALE

Had a great sale at the shop on Saturday. The most fun is seeing all my customers! We had such a fun day with a spinning class and a felting class going on in the back room. Such great conversations going on back there. I think I have a source for some Shetland fiber from one of the spinners. I also found a source for Yak which is like cashmere and it's a good price.

Sunday I helped with the grandchildren for the morning. Ellie was sick so she and mom went to the doctor and Josh and I played "Tents", snack, puzzles, snack, building blocks, snack, play dough, snack---you get the sequence.

FELTING/DYEING

I felted some adult sweaters last week and I was going to make purses out of them but they turned out so cute I might make jackets for toddlers. I'll keep you posted as I create these cute little garments.

I sold so much dyed fiber this weekend that I need to do some dye work this week. Oh such a burden! People seem to like my colors whether they are spinners or felters. I have some posted on the website under spinning if you'd like a peek.

I'm in my creative state of mind right now - so many ideas for Christmas and so little time. I do this every year and you'd think by now (60) I'd have figured this out and not make my life crazy. I'm knitting, sewing, creating story boxes, dyeing, felting, and some card making and scrapbooking. It's exhausting!

BLOGS I ENJOY:
If you want some chuckles during your day I recommend reading "Crazy Aunt Purl". She has a blog that I truly enjoy.

fluffa
Charleen's fiberblog
Curlypurl
I hate waiting
Knitin chick
Lolly Knitting Around
Modeknit-knitting heretic
Purls and Pugs
Yarn Harlot
Woven Thoughts
bitter purl
spin knit
spindeknit
Just to name a few! Enjoy

Monday night knitters was great - we keep adding people. It is so much fun. We're all getting knitting done and some great conversations. Even me.
Happy Knitting

Names

It's amazing - we have two new babies in my extended family. One arrived on October 28th and one on November 4th. One girl and one boy. So much fun!

I love to hold them when they are a few hours old because they are so new from God.

Baby names are changing again. The new names I've heard lately are, Georgia, Savanah, Ryder, Joshua, Elizabeth - there are not a bunch of Mary, Jane, Nancy, John, Tom, Tim or Dan. I just think it is interesting how names go in fads. We have several Dan's in our family and also in my daughter's in- laws and then my second daughter started dating a Dan and I said, "Okay, I think we'll have to start numbering them or someone will have to change their name."

My Grandparents had one son, whose name was Ralph. As the daughters got married and started families there became a disagreement among the woman (this is the story I was told).
One was Ralph's sister and one was Ralph's Wife. They were both pregnant and due at the same time. They both wanted to name their baby "Ralph" if it was a boy. I guess it got quite nasty and luckily for Ralph's sister, she had the boy and he became "Ralph", after his uncle.

Ralph was my favorite cousin, we were a year apart. Of course, so was Ronald, a year apart from me because Aunt M had 8 children and they were bing, bing, bing! So it stands to reason I would have two cousins a year apart from me, get it?

My mother gave me an unusual name, for some reason, I wish I could ask her now, what she was thinking? She named me Bonny (with a y) and only gave me the letter "K" for a middle name. That middle initial has been a problem.

She, however, was a twin and my grandmother named them, Violet & Viola. How lovely!
My mother was called "VI" until she died and her twin was "Viola" (which she did not like but they had to be distinguised somehow) so awhile after my mother died her twin took the name "Vi". I don't blame her, being named after flowers, afterall!

At any rate, think about what you name those babies!

NEW BOOKS

It was recommended to me by my massage therapist to read "Knitting under the Influence." I just started it and it seems pretty funny. I'll keep you posted. I've ordered 3 for the shop.

I had dinner with a friend Friday night and, of course, we had to stop at B & N afterwards. We both love to read and are in the same bookclub. I picked up "Knitting Under the Influence" out of curiosity and we found a few others. Louise Erdrich is a favorite writer of mine. She has her own book store in Minneapolis and so does Garrison Keillor. I love independent book stores. My bookclub is currently reading "The Historian" by Berg. It's good but I won't get it done by next week. We bought "Runaway" by Alice Munro, best seller on NY Times list and "The Bingo Palace" by Louise Erdrich. Can hardly wait to get started. I think I enjoy reading a good book as much as knitting a new pattern.

I just received the Vintage Lace book in the shop and was reading it last night. It is fascinating beside beautiful and inspirational. That's quite a review. This is a must for your lace knitting library.

I would like to figure out a cheap way to download books so I can listen and knit. Any suggestions out there?

Happy Knitting

A CULTURAL MECCA

November 1 - It's a cool windy Fall day today. Partly sunny but brisk. Have had an interesting week. Alot of business around the shop. We're working up quick gift ideas for people to knit for family and complete by the Holidays.

On Saturday we had a class and I overheard two women discussing Minneapolis and how we have become the cultural capitol of the midwest. "We have more culture here than Chicago", she said. The nice thing about Minneapolis is that it is affordable and available. For instance I went with a friend to a free concert of the "Isles Ensemble" on Sunday evening at Lake of the Isles Lutheran Church. It was incredible, Joshua Koestenbaum of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, plays the Cello; Leslie Shank, assistant concertmaster of the St. Paul Chamber and is a violinist. Helen Chang, violinist also of the Minnesota Orchestra, has played all over the world and Aaron Janse also violinist and has performed and toured all over the world. Judith Kogan, harpist, studied at Julliard and Royal Academy of Music and has written a book entitled, "Nothing but the Best, The Struggle for Perfection at the Julliard School." We are very lucky to have this talent in Minnesota. THIS WAS A FREE CONCERT.

We also have great theater - just go to "The Rake" website and it lists all the theaters and current productions.

The plus for me is there is very little traffic to contend with at these concerts and parking is available. There is usually not a bad seat in the house at some of the smaller Theaters also.
Someone asked me a few weeks ago if I ever attend the High School theater productions and I haven't for several years. This couple does quite often and recommends them highly. You don't have to have a child in school to go - they love an audience. I went to EP high School Jazz band concert a few years ago because my neice was playing. It was incredible, knocked my socks off. I was amazed at the talent and the music was nostalgic. I must make a note to go again. You can also take your knitting, how lovely.