Puzzeled

There is one Christmas Carol that has always baffled me. What in the world do leaping lords, French hens, swimming swans, and especially the partridge who won't come out of the pear tree have to do with Christmas?

Today, I found out.

From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics. It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church. Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality which the children could remember.

-The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ.
-Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments.
-Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love.
-The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John.
-The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament.
-The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation.
-Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit--Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership, and Mercy.
-The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes.
-Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit--Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control.
-The ten lords a-leaping were the ten commandments.
-The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples.
-The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed.

So there is your history for today. This knowledge was shared with me and I found it interesting and enlightening and now I know how that strange song became a Christmas Carol...so pass it on if you wish."

Merry (Twelve Days of) Christmas Everyone!

Redecorating 101: How not to do it!

Well, we decided to redecorate our house, except that God was ready to start before we were!

On Monday, 12/3/2007 at 5:30am, we were awoken by this super load crashing noise. I jumped out of bed and flipped on the bathroom light. There was a limb from a tree laying at the foot of our bed. We ventured into the living room with a flashlight and a 40 caliber handgun. What did we see, well take a look.......

Yep, hanging through my roof was 30' of a 100' hardwood tree. The top of the tree broke off in the wind and decided it wanted to live in my house. The right end of that tree ended up in Morgan's cage. Thankfully, no one was injured, just tons and tons of damage to the house.

In case you couldn't tell, this is my sectional sofa under all that sheet rock, roof shingles, insulation and limbs.

Yep you guessed it, it's ruined.

We have a great contractor! They are going to replace everything structural that is damaged, including the floor and the ceiling fan.

Then, we get to pick out new furniture, which we have already been looking at. We decided that we are going to go with a sofa and two nice over sized recliners instead of a sectional this time around. We picked out black tables this time, which is so against what we normally do. I think we are even considering putting ceramic flooring down in that room instead of laminate flooring. Never can tell what we may do...lol.

Right now, we are staying in the Best Western Motel with four dogs in one room. It's slightly crowded in here...lol. We may be here for 4 - 8 more weeks depending on when inspectors can be arranged to sign off on the work as it is done. They are having to work on the gas line that ran through the attic and the electric wires that were going through the truss in the attic. Two of the trusses have to be replaced up there. We get to pick out new colors for the walls and ceiling and get the boards on the outside of the house replaced that were rotted. We also get a new chimney too.

So, think about us when you look out in the yard when the wind is blowing and those tall trees start swaying back and forth.....lol!

Sock Blockers

If you are interested in ordering a pair for yourself or as a gift, please follow the PayPal link in the sidebar. They come in three sizes, small fits size 5 - 7, medium fits size 7.5 - 10, and large fits size 10.5 & up for women and all men's sizes. The cost per pair is $25.00 which includes shipping within the US. If you live outside of the US, please email me at gallerybydeborah@gmail.com before you place your order and I will give you the shipping cost per pair. If you are interested in ordering more than one pair, I will give a discount on shipping. There will be a variety of cutout designs available, like a sheep, a sock, a heart, a ball of yarn with needles, and just about anything you could want on a pair. For all of you knitters that are in swaps, these make great gifts for your partners that knit socks.

Contest, Contest, Contest

Here are two contest on other peoples blogs. Go visit and enter, I did!

Dandy's Blog

Jane's Blog

There's always fun on blogs!

New Socks on thier way to the Czech Republic

Here is the very first pair of socks designed by Moi! They are a gift for the daughter-n-law of a very close friend. Jan saw me knitting in Church, yes I knit everywhere I go...lol, and asked if I would knit a pair for her daughter-n-law, Adrianne. Do you think I would turn down an opportunity like that? Nope! The pattern is called Adrianne's Life and is knitted in Louet's Gems yarn in French Blue on size 1 circ needles. They are 100% wool, but machine washable an dryable. Adrianne and Billy Crossan are missionaries in the Czech Republic, where it is extremely cold. They just moved into a new home and have made the choice not to wear shoes inside the house, so these socks will be perfect for her to wear inside or out.

I ran the pattern down the front only, leaving the back in stockinette stitch to blend from cuff through the heel and down. I also ran the pattern down into the toe decreases. I love the look of it.

There is a new pattern in the works for one of the sock groups I belong to. It is for the month of December and will be called "Blue Snow." I already have the chart made and the pattern written. I should get the yarn tomorrow, have my needles in my bag and will be anxious to get them started.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Today at work everyone dressed up except the docs! We had a blast! Both of the docs contributed $25.00 each to the person chosen with the best costume. We brought in an outside judge - Bob from the pharmacy next door - to do the judging. And who did he pick? Yep, you got it right, ME! I won $50.00 extra dollars just dressing up and trying to bite the judge on the neck.....lol. I was dressed as a vampireress. I'm on the right side of the group photo. We are already planning what our costumes will be for next year.....we just had too much fun!

Sock Blockers Are A Hit!

WOW! When I went into the yarn shop on Tuesday, everyone ewwwwed and ahhhhed over the sock blockers. They are a big hit! I am so excited! Now, off to the garage to cut out more for the next order!

On the crafting note!

Still in the middle of sock wars.....waiting for my next set of unfinished socks to arrive to forward on to the next target! Lots of fun. I have knitted so fast in my life!

I just finished one scarf for a coworker and started another one for someone else. While eating in a restaurant on Friday night someone else wanted one just like it, but in bright red. I think I am going to make one just like it for my scarf swap partner. I'll have to go to the yarn shop to get a special color for her. The scarf knits up really fast, so it won't take long to get it done.

I made 6 pairs of wooden sock blockers today, that will be sold in a yarn shop. I will deliver them next Saturday, if not sooner. It is a neat way to make a little extra money to support my knitting habit.......lol. I might even take a day off and go around to all the yarn shops around the Atlanta area to see who else might want to carry them. I am customizing them with the shop's logo. I am also going to sell them here on my blog.

I have also been encouraged to make a pattern calendar to sell. I will design 12 patterns, one for each month, print the photo of the item on the front of the page with the calendar month and then put the pattern on the back of the page. The printer is going to put them on card stock and bind them. The calendar won't be ready until next fall for 2009. It will be an awesome thing to work on. I already have three yarn shops that will carry the calendar. I already have three patterns ready and have started knitting the items to be photographed. This calendar will also be available on my blog as well. I am going to use yarns from several different companies to give some variety and show how the yarns knit up in patterns.

I took Ripley, Dottie and Emmie to Howloweenie on Saturday, we all had a blast and the dogs were so exhausted that they slept all the way home, ate their dinner and slept right on through the night. I entered Ripley in the Hunt in the Hay contest and he came in second. I also had all three doxies IQ tested. Ripley and Dottie scored 19 out of 20 points, but Emmie, being a baby only scored 14 out of 20. She couldn't quite get the idea that she had to turn the empty can over to get the treat out. It was a hoot. The even had doxie races for doxies in wheel chairs! They were so precious. It made me sad seeing these puppies that were paralyzed in their back legs. The owners said that the dogs lived as good a life and any other doxie did and made me wish that I hadn't put Rosie down. I know now that I could have learned to care for her and keep her with me even longer. I'm sitting her crying now, hoping that God will forgive me for not letting her keep on living. She was just the sweetest puppy in the world and had such a bad beginning in life. In the 18 months that we had her, we watched her blossom into a beautiful Rose (my Rosie). I'll always love her!

Changes in Life!

Change is eminent and good, they say! Life in my house is full of changes day by day.

In case you don't know, Cathy has moved out. We told her she needed to move by 11/9/07, but she decided to move out last Monday while I was at work. With the help of God, I made the decision, the week before that she needed to go. Things were way too stressful for Chuck and I, having someone else living in the house.

Chuck was very stressed with everything that was going on, especially with the state of mind he was in since his stroke, and I have to put his health and well being first. He has been my best friend for 30 years now and I'm not going to let anyone on this earth come between us or cause any problems for him if I can help it.

I wish Cathy all the best and hope that she finds someone to settle down with, that will meet her needs.

THE War has begun!

In case you haven't been watching the news, I thought I would update you on the latest war that began on Friday 10/12/2007. Yes, you heard me right a war broke all over the world. There is 167 people involved in this war, but the number of casualties have already begun to add up. The war I'm speaking of is Sockwars, of course! We got our dossier on friday evening. So, 167 of us already armed with weapons (knitting needles) and ammo (yarn) started and went as fast as we could to get a very beautiful pair of socks knitted. On sunday we had our first casualty, but the war kept going.

I knitted as fast as I have every done with my addie turbos - the best weapon for socks - even knitting in restaurants, in church, and in bed to all hours of the night to get my pair finished. I got them done at 11:00pm last night, turned out the lights, slide under the covers and tried to sleep knowing I had to go to work this morning. At 6:00 when the clock went off, I ran to the living room to turn the computer on, to print my express mail label with postage, put the socks and yarn label in an envelope and rushed to get dressed for work. On the way to work I dropped my envelope into the express mail box. My target (Stephane in NH) will be dead (only in the sense of sockwars) no later than 3:00pm on tuesday. Now I have to hide in my fox hole hoping that my assassin has not been as speedy as I. Rumor has it that she out to do me in very soon. Maybe I could just not be around when the mailman delivers the mail.....no I guess that won't work, I'll have to come up with another idea, maybe leave the country in disquise with a false passport.

None the less, the battle continues. I'll keep you posted on my life and death adventure through this war - SOCKWARS - that is!!

Designing my first sock pattern

Well, I sat down last night and typed out a pattern for a pair of socks for a friend that lives in the Czech Republic. It gets pretty cold over there, so Cathy talked me into doing them in Louet - Fine/Sport Weight yarn in French Blue. I started them in church this morning and they look great. The pattern will be called Adrianne's Tree of Life. I'll post a photo as I get more of the pattern done to show what it looks like. Cathy and I even sat at Fuddruckers today for lunch knitting socks. We knit everywhere....lol.

A super great weekend

This has been a great weekend for everyone in the house almost! Yesterday Cathy and I got our nails done, then off to the yarn shop. She needed yarn for a purse for a felted bag swap and I needed yarn for some socks that I am designing. While at the yarn shop a customer was asking questions about sock knitting and got around to discussing doing two on two needles. So, in the end Cathy agreed to teach a class in two weeks and I get to help her. We both will get paid for the class and I hope I can get some yarn to do the purse I want to design for next summer.

Then it was off to meet Chuck, Jason and the two youngest grandsons at Discover Mills Mall. We met them in the food court for lunch. Chuck had gyros, Cathy and I had Popeyes Chicken----very good-----we thought...lol.

Today, we went to Church and then out to lunch at Red Lobster for all you can eat shrimp----now that was very good! Before we could even get out of the resturant, Cathy and I both were in the bathroom and then again after getting home. We came in the house, Cathy went to her room, Chuck sat on the sofa and I layed down on the sofa with a wet wash clothe. Chuck felt fine, but I finally went and layed down in the bed to nurse my wash clothe and did go to sleep. After getting up, I found out that Cathy was feeling the same way I was. We thought about what we had eaten and figured that it had to be the chicken from the day before. We won't be eating at Popeyes any time soon...lol.

Tomorrow, Chuck has his indeepth memory testing, an all day test. If he makes it through the entire test, we will be there from 9 - 5. I get to go back with him for the beginning to answer some questions, then I'll be banned from the testing area. I am taking a project that I am test kniting for a designer and some socks just in case I finish with the first project. I am going to surf the library site tonight to download a really good book, to listen to while knitting.

Keep Chuck in your prayers tomorrow as he is nervous about this testing. He still has it in the back of his head that they might find something terrible and put him away somewhere away from me. I keep telling him that won't happen, but in his state of confusion he still forgets.

Cathy flies tomorrow, so she will be missed greatly. We have become a little family here.

Then, next saturday, Chuck's brother will be coming down from Indy with his youngest daughter Shelly. I have taken the week off---much needed time---and we are going to Stone Mountain, The Coca Cola Museum and The Georgia Aquarium. Cathy leaves on Saturday, but will be home in time to go to the Aquarium with us. She still wants to go to Stone Mountain and the Coke Museum, but we will just have to schedule them for another time when she is home.

I am going to show Shelly how to make Mama Dot's Hot Gravey while she is here. Chuck's mom made this awesome gravey. I am the only one that has the recipe and knows how to make it. So, I am going to teach Shelly how to make it so that the recipe will keep going strong. It is so simple, but it's one of those that you have to smell of it to know that it is ready to eat. So, on sunday we will have roast beef, hot gravey, potato salad, homemade biscuits and some fresh green beans, maybe even some deviled eggs. So, come on over, there will be plenty, as I don't know how to cook for a small group, only for armys of people.

Miracles do happen!

I finally finished my first pair of socks done on circular needles. I knitted one peach and one pink. The peach ones are for me and the pink ones are for Cathy. She also knit one pink and one peach. When she gets home Thursday night, we will swap socks. The main reason for doing two different colors of socks was to make it easier to learn to do 2 socks on 2 circs. Cathy is an excellent teacher and I'm not a bad learner....lol.

I tried another tutorial that KyleAnn wrote. She put it on one of my WhoDuKnit group and I just couldn't get it. I thought it was just me, but then I heard that several people had the same problems I did, so I felt better and decided I would wait until Cathy moved down here, to try to get it again. KyleAnn has her tutorial posted all over the internet on several groups and blogs and am hearing from others that they are having problems learning it too. Cathy made it so easy to learn and finished my first pair within a week and a half.

And I must say they are beautiful! Now, I have lots of sock yarn to make all kinds of designs and colors to wear.

I am going to create some of my own designs, so be on the lookout for them!

Look What I Brought Home Today!!!!

Today Cathy and I struck out this morning to pick up a sweet puppy named Pete, a doxie rescue, to help him get to a different part of the country with hopes if finding a new forever home. It works like this - dogs are rescued through owner relinquish, abandonment, picking up from puppy mills or shelters, or by getting a call from someone saying there are animals in need. They are fostered and vetted until they are ready to be adopted. All animals are spayed and neutered before going to their forever home. Sometimes they need to get from one city to another or from one state to another to be adopted. Some are adopted before being transported, some just go from one foster to another. Either way they need to get from one place to another and there are no funds to put them on a plane to travel, so a lot of us volunteer our time and gas to pick up a sweet puppy and go part of the journey.

Today, a very sweet lady by the name of Sandra, drove from Hayden, AL to Breman, GA with Pete and a couple of other surprises. Cathy and I drove to Breman, GA to pick up Pete and complete the second leg of his transport. We then drove from Breman, Ga to Buford, GA and dropped Pete off with Katie. She then drove the next leg of the transport. And it went on from there. The transport will take two days and Pete will end up in Baltimore, MD to another foster mom to await adoption. It takes a lot of time out of your day and a lot of gas out of your car, but believe me, it is well worth the time and expense to help save a baby. Two of my three doxies are rescues and I probably will never go to a breeder again for a baby, they will all be rescues from now on.

Well the surprise today was that Sandy had two 3 1/2 week old kittens in her suv that were being bottle fed. I was in hog heaven when I saw them. They are both calico's and beautiful. One is the normal looking calico and one has some tiger striping on her.

Cathy and I had originally planned on stopping at walmart to get our nails done after dropping off Pete, but I decided that I would just let Cathy get her nails done and I would just run into walmart to get some kitten milk and some canned food for the baby's and just sit in the air conditioned car with them. By the time Cathy was finished I had the babies fed and pottied, yes you have to help them go potty when they are so young. Now these babies are 3 1/2 weeks old but look like they are only about 2 maybe 2 1/2 weeks because of the hard start they had. Sandy got a call about a week ago and responded knowing that some animals needed help. When she got there, there were 16 dogs and 16 cats that needed to be rescued, along with these little girls. Their mom didn't have milk to feed them, as she wasn't being fed enough to produce milk for her kittens, so Sandy started bottle feeding them. There were three to begin with, but one, the smallest, did not make it. These two did and now I have them. I get to do what I love to do best and that's being mom and caretaker and it helps Sandy, as she is picking up the rest of the cats from the vet this next week and will have a house full, with her other animals and the 32 new additions. She was excited that she would be able to stop at a real restaurant on the way home to eat instead of having to drive thru a fast food place, as the kittens can't be left in the car very long with the heat.

When we got home and picked up Chuck, we went out to eat at Zaxbys. Then back home to feed the kittens again. After they ate and pottied, they were introduced to the dogs. Star and Emmie were ok, Ripley and Dottie wanted to eat them.....lol. After Ripley and Dottie realized that they weren't stuffed toys, they calmed down. They found out that if they wanted to sit with me when I was holding the kittens, they had to be nice and kind....a little hard for Dottie to do, but she managed. Star even barked when the kittens were crying, she has never had puppies, since she is a rescue, but still had the motherly concerns and wanted me to know that they were crying and to do something about it. The doxies decided that the kittens tasted good after eating, since they had kitten milk and cat food all over their faces. They all three wanted to lick them clean.

The kittens will go to work with me everyday until they are old enough to stay alone and eat on their own. Once they are older, I can come home at lunch and feed them, until they are ready to go to two feedings a day. I can't wait for them to get old enough to run around on the floor to play with the doxies.




Cathy finished her half of the friendship socks while riding, now I just have to finish mine.

Now to the really good part - these little girls need names! So post your suggestions in the comments section of this post and Chuck and I will pick the two we like the best. The winner or winners will receive a neat prize!

My Virtual Vacation package arrived from California

My package came from Natalie! She put together an awesome package and from a place that I have never been before. She did a great job describing the area and included some neat goodies from around her along with some post cards and maps. In the box was also some note pads, four bars of chocolate, some California Pistachio Nuts, some Country Herb Almonds, some stitch markers that she made, some Cascade Pastaza yarn - 50% Llama/50% Wool - it's beautiful, now to find something to knit and felt with it, two skeins of Panda Wool sock yarn in Ultramarine----very beautiful----had to keep Cathy away from it. She stole me magenta Panda Wool, although she did replace it with another wonderful color...lol.

But back to my package, there was also an insulated lunch bag with sheep all over it---how perfect! Then there was a book, called Knitting for Peace. It has some history about war knitting times and talks about all the different causes that need help from knitters. There are lots of patterns to go along with the special causes with do's and don't's for each group. It is really neat.

Thank you Natalie for a wonderful tour of your part of California! It was very special!

My Summer Swap package arrived from Ireland

Fiadhnat was my wonderful partner in the WhoDuKnit Summer Swap. My package arrived last week and I am just now getting around to posting.

Fiadhnat sent me some purple and red yarn from Ireland, some note pads, a ceramic thingy that you would put dried flowers in and hang on the wall, some wine charms, five different kinds of chocolate, some doilies, a memory book, and the most precious of all was a morse code necklass. It had beads on it that spelt out three words....Deb and Chuck. That was the neatest thing every and will cherish it forever!

Thank you Fiadhnat very much!

Christmas Around The World Questionnaire

Are you religious? Yes
How long have you been knitting? 30+ years
Would you consider yourself a Beginner, Intermediate or Advanced? Intermediate
Do you have any other hobbies besides knitting? Photography
Favorite color(s)? Purple and Green
Do you collect anything? Yarn and dogs
Are you allergic to any fibers or animals? No
Do you have any pets? 4 dogs, 1 cat, 1 bird, 3 tanks of fish, 4 geckos
Coffee, Tea, or Hot Chocolate? Iced Tea
Cookies or Sweets? Sweets
Do you knit socks? Yes
If not socks then what? (tell us about your favorite knits) Bags
Do you put up a Christmas tree? If not then what do you do? I put out a ceramic tree that I made 30 years ago
Favorite holiday treats? Pie
Favorite holiday smells? Apple Pie
Do you celebrate Christmas in a traditional or unconventional way? Unconventional Please elaborate. We celebrate with the grandkids mostly
What are your favorite holiday traditions? Handmade stockings and a ceramic christmas tree
Finish the sentence: “For me Christmas is all about....” Celebrating the birth of Christ
If you were a Christmas ornament you would be…….? A star
What was your favorite gift you've ever received? Don't KnowOr given?
When do you start your Christmas? After Thanksgiving
Do you send Christmas cards? Yes Do you make them or buy them? Make them
What is your favorite Christmas dish? Ham
Carolers are at your door. What do you do? Open the door and listen to them, then thank them
When do you open presents? Christmas eve or Christmas morning? Christmas morning
Do you celebrate with family or friends or both? Both

I'm so excited!

I just heard from my SP11 partner. She signes her email, Pops and is from the UK! How cool is that. I am so excited to be a part of this swap. I have also been in touch with my downstream partner too.

This is going to be so much fun!

Aunt Pat turned 80!

Saturday, Cathy, Chuck and I went to Chuck's Aunt Pat's 80th birthday party. It was done in an hawaiian theme and was in her senior high rise that she lives in. We got to see family members that we have ont seen in 8 years. It was really neat!
Chuck with his Aunt!

Me with Aunt Pat

Cathy talking with Chuck, he was boring her with all of the details of the dvd that was playing during the party. It was a collection of all the old family films that had been collected over the years.

As you can see, we all dressed the part for the theme!

Helpful Rhymes

A little ditty for teaching kids (or adults) to knit:

In through the front door,

Once around the back,

Peek through the window,

And off jumps Jack.

And another one for the knit stitch:

Under the fence,

Catch the sheep,

Back we come,

Off we leap.

Let's not forget purling:

In front of the fence,

Catch the goat,

back we go,

jump off the boat.

And casting off:

Knit yourself over,

Invite your friend, too,

Leap frog over,

Lie down, Sue.

George, Larry, his brother Daryl and his other brother Daryl

Here's the family of chirstmas stockings and socks. I knit George and Larry, Elaine knit Daryl and his other brother Daryl. George was knit using two handed fair isle. Larry was knit using intarsia. You can see the difference in the width of the two stockings. George is more narrow and Larry is wider. You can use either method, just depends on how you want your stocking to look.







George on the blocking board!















Larry on the blocking board





















Daryl and his other brother Daryl
knitted by Elaine


If you are interested in the patterns they will be available here on October 1, 2007. Come join the fun! You never know what you will fall in love with!

SP 11 Questionnaire

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like? I love to knit with feltable wool. Haven't found one yet that I don't like!
2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in? In the knitpics case they came in. The older ones are in a needle case for circular needles.
3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? I have been knitting for 30+ years and taught myself to knit from a book. Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced? Advanced
4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list? No
5. What's your favorite scent? Lavender
6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Yes Favorite candy? Chocolate
7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Wood crafts, jewelry making, crocheting, drawing, photography. Do you spin? No, but want to learn.
8. What kind of music do you like? Christian Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD) Yes
9. What's your favorite color(s)? Green and purple Any colors you just can't stand? Nope
10. What is your family situation? I have been married for 30 years Do you have any pets? 4 dogs, 1 cat, 3 birds, 4 geckos, 3 tanks of fish
11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos? Yes, love all of them!
12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit? bags and scarves
13. What are you knitting right now? A shawl and a scarf
14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts? Lordy yes!
15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Circular Bamboo, aluminum, plastic? Aluminum
16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift? Yes, both.
17. How old is your oldest UFO? 3 weeks
18. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas
19. Is there anything that you collect? Miniatures and yarn!
20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? Love any books on felting. What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have? Interweave knits, Cast On
21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn? Nope
22. Are you a sock knitter? Yes What are your foot measurements? I wear a size 7 shoe.
23. When is your birthday? 7/29/58
24. Are you on Ravelry? Yes If so, what's your ID? debbrown

Whew, that was alot! Anything else you want to know, just ask.

Giant Sized Sock......lol!

Look at the size of that sock! No, it's not for a giant, but almost! It is actually a christmas stocking that I am test knitting for a friend. It is awesome! I can't show you the entire stocking, but wanted to show the heel and to say how neat it worked out. The pattern and graph are really cool and easy to follow and I turned the heel all my by self...lol. Check back later to see the finished stocking.

SP 11

WOO HOO!!!! I just signed up for SP 11!!! I can't wait for it to start! I have been reading about several of them, but have been missing the sign up dates, but not this time! Hehehehe!

Lordy I love Atlanta!

Atlanta is composed mostly of one-way streets. The only way to get out of downtown Atlanta is to turn around and start over when you reach Greenville , South Carolina. All directions start with, "Go down Peachtree" and include the phrase, "When you see the Waffle House." Except that in Cobb County, where all directions begin with, "Go to the Big Chicken." Peachtree Street has no beginning and no end and is not to be confused with:

Peachtree Circle
Peachtree Place
Peachtree Lane
Peachtree Road
Peachtree Parkway
Peachtree Run
Peachtree Terrace
Peachtree Avenue
Peachtree Commons
Peachtree Battle
Peachtree Corners
New Peachtree
Old Peachtree
West Peachtree
Peachtree-Dunwoody
Peachtree-Chamblee
Peachtree Industrial Boulevard

Atlantans only know their way to work and their way home. If you ask anyone for directions, they will always send you down Peachtree.

Atlanta is the home of Coca-Cola. Coke's all they drink there so don't ask for any other soft drink unless it's made by Coca-Cola. Even if you want something other than a Coca-Cola, it's still called Coke.

The gates at Atlanta 's Hartsfield International Airport are about 32 miles away from the Main Concourse, so wear sneakers and pack a lunch.

The 8 am rush hour is from 6:30 to 10:30 AM.
The 5 pm rush hour is from 3:00 to 7:30 PM.
Friday's rush hour Thursday afternoon and lasts through 2 am Saturday.

Only a native of Atlanta can pronounce Ponce De Leon Avenue, so do not attempt the Spanish pronunciation. People will simply tilt their heads to the right and stare at you. The Atlanta pronunciation is "pawntz duh LEE-awn." And yes, they have a street named simply, "Boulevard."

The falling of one raindrop causes all drivers to immediately forget all traffic rules. If a single snowflake falls, the city is paralyzed for three days and it's on all the channels as a news flash every 15 minutes for a week. Overnight, all grocery stores will be sold out of milk, bread, bottled water, toilet paper, and beer.

I-285, the loop that encircles Atlanta, which has a posted speed limit of 55 mph (but you have to maintain 80 mph just to keep from getting run over), is known to truckers as "The Watermelon 500." Don't believe the directional markers on highways: I-285 is marked "East" and "West" but you may be going North or South. The locals identify the direction by referring to the "Inner Loop " and the "Outer Loop." If you travel on Hwy 92 North, you will actually be going southeast.

Never buy a ladder or mattress in Atlanta . Just go to one of the interstates and you will soon find one in the middle of the road. The last thing you want to do is give another driver the finger, unless your car is armored, your trigger finger is itchy and your AK-47 has a full clip.

Possums sleep in the middle of the road with their feet in the air. There are 5,000 types of snakes and 4,998 live in Georgia . There are 10,000 types of spiders. All 10,000 live in Georgia , If it grows, it sticks. If it crawls, it bites.

If you notice a vine trying to wrap itself around your leg, you have about 20 seconds to escape, before you are completely captured and covered with Kudzu, another ill-advised "import," like the carp, starling, English sparrow, and other ''exotic wonders."

It's not a shopping cart, it's a buggy. "Fixinto" is one word (I'm fixinto go to the store). Sweet Tea is appropriate for all meals and you start drinking it when you're 2 years old.

"Jeet?" is actually a phrase meaning "Did you eat?"
"Momma-nem" means: How's Mother and all of the other children and other members of the family doing.

Lordy, I love ATLANTA !

Looky What I Got!

Cathy Sent me a bottle today and in it was some really cool jammies, a neat syringe ink pen and some earrings that match my jammies. The earrings are blue and pink flip flops, how cool!

You know the jammies and the earrings will be perfect for my virtual vacation. Oh I can't wait to wear them. The colors match and everything!

Cathy, you're the neatest!

My version of a moebius scarf!

This is my version of a moebius scarf! The neatest part is it's made out of hand dyed yarn that I dyed with kool-aid, yes you heard right, kool-aid. It's Vigdis' fault! She got all of us on WhoDuKnit addicted to dyeing our own yarn with kool-aid. It's fun and easy to do, no mess at all! If you want directions, let me know, I know them by heart and have started a journal of which flavors to mix to get some really unique colors!

Knitter's Virtual Vacation Swap Questionnaire

1. If you could visit any state in the US, which would it be and why? Colorado, because my read Dad is buryed there and I would like to visit his grave.
2. If you could visit any country in the world, other than your own, which would it be and why?England, I love the green country side and the villagesl
3. Have you ever driven across several states/providence/countries? Yes, from Georgia to Texas.
4. Have you ever visited someplace you consider exotic? Never Where was it?
5. What was your favorite "travel" vacation? To Germany Why? The snow was taller than I was.
6. Have you ever played tourist in your own home city/state (if international, country)? Yes! Explain. I like to go downtown Atlanta and go walking to see the sites.
7. Are you a museum visitor, beach comer or an amusement seeker? I love to walk the beach, but would go to every amusement park in the world if possible.
8. What's your favorite type of yarn? 100% wool.
9. What's your least favorite type of yarn? Acrylic
10. What items do you like to knit/crochet? Knit scarves, bags, socks, dishclothes
11. What do you pack, knit/crochet wise when you go on vacation? Knitting
12. What other crafts do you do/would like to do other than Knit/Crochet? Photography
13. Are you allergic to anything? (Yarn wise or treat wise) Nothing
14. What is your favorite color? Green Least Favorite? None
15. Sweet or Savory (Treat not personality)? Sweet (personality too...lol)
16. Anything else we are forgetting to ask that you think your partner desperately needs to know? I love to be around people and learn new things. I really need a vacation and look forward to sharing one with a new pal!

See what was dropped on my doorstep on Mother's Day

These three baby's were abandoned by their parents and guess who is feeding them. Larry, Curly and Moe, dirty faces and all! That's what they looked like right after their afternoon feeding. They settled back into one of my old socks made into a nest and went to sleep. Jane, do these fit into your Mother's Day blessing? And they get to go to work with me everyday, since they have to be feed first thing in the morning, several times during the day, and last thing at night.

My finches just had babys and each of them died, I wonder if I put these babys in the finches nest, if they would take care of them...lol. The only thing is they are already bigger than the adult finches. So, since I don't get calls, cards or gifts on Mother's Day, I guess God decided to give me three babys to take care of. Boy has it been years since I bottle fed any kittens, puppies and birds....lol.

Look at my new hobby!!!!!

Wow what fun! When I first heard that Vigdis was dyeing yarn with kool-aid, I thought, yuck, what a mess and why would you want to do that? Then our WhoDuKnit group is reading Died in the Wool this month and someone suggested that we dye our own yarn with kool-aid and then knit something neat with it. Well, I thought, it sounded simple enough, just sounded messy and messy I don't like. But, I'd give it a try. I ordered some wool from Knitpics and bought some kool-aid, grape, orange, lemon-lime, and cherry. Here's a photo of what I started with:

The only thing not shown is the rubber gloves, the small bowls and the plastic wrap. The first hank, I used all four colors in their own places on the yarn.

I think it turned out nice and will make a very nice scarf, at least that is the plan for it.

Then, my plans for the next hank was to sprinkle dye it. Now that was fun, just puting the sprinkles anywhere I wanted to and mixing the colors to get more colors.



And here are both hanks hanging to dry on the back porch:


Now, let me ask you, did you see a lot of mess in the kitchen? The answer would be no. I put a towel over the stove, since the microwave hangs over the stove. The bowls of mixed up kool-aid sat on the counter to the left of the stove with huge syringes in them. On the first hank, as I colored a section, I would lift that section out of the pyrex dish and put it in a small plastic bowl so that my next color would not mix with the first, then kept shifting each section into bowls until all four colors were done. I baked each hank in the microwave, rinsed, rung it out and put it out to dry on the porch. The only mess there was, were a few drops of kool-aid on the towel from the syringes. I used an old towel so it didn't matter anyway. Nothing on the counter, floor, walls or even on the shirt I was wearing.
I think I have found a new fun hobby. I can just imagine what colors I can come up with by mixing kool-aid colors together. I may never have to buy yarn at the store again...lol. Just imagine being able to say "I hand dyed the yarn for that handbag myself, or that shawl, or that scarf. Just think of the options. It is so much cheaper than the yarn at the LYS too....lol. That's bad, don't let Joan see this...lol. But, then I can start selling her some of my hand dyed yarn...lol.

A special evening!

Just thought I would share a few special photos! The first one is of course me and my very special hubby Chuck. We don't get dressed up very much and never have our photo taken, especially together, since I'm always the one taking photos. We went to a coworkers wedding on friday night and had a blast.

The next photo is of most of the office staff I work with. There were three people in the office that weren't invited to the wedding.....now wait, I know that wasn't right, but it wasn't my wedding and not my decision. So, the two guys on either end are the docs, the one in white, of course the bride, Ashlee, that does check-in, the two brides maids Terri the Office Manager and Chera, also work in the front office, then there's Kim that is our xray tech and of course me that works in the back off. The three that are missing are Marie that does referrals, and Becky and Janice, also nurses like myself. Don't ask why they weren't invited, it's a very long story and don't make a whole lot of sense, but it happened.

Then there was the reason for the exciting evening! The weding of Ashlee and Todd! It was a very beautiful wedding at the Bona Allen Mansion in Historic Buford, Georgia. I thought we would never find it. I put the address in the gps unit and thought it would be a piece of cake to find, but then their was an accident on I-85 with a fatality, so they shut down the entire highway and we were only 1 1/2 miles away from the exit that we needed to get off at. Thank goodness they put 7:00pm start time for the wedding but didn't start until 7:30pm. I was able to get there right at 7:00 and get some really good photos.

Sunday 2/25 I think....lol

This has been a long, fast and busy month. I changed jobs at the end of last month, gee, it don't seem like it's been a month. I used to work as a medical assistant for a doc that is associated with DeKalb Medical Center in Decatur. The hospital is in Decatur, the office is in Lilburn. I left there five years ago to go work for DeKalb County Government, then while back in the doc's office with my hubby for an appointment, they ask me to come back to work to take of the children...lol. I had to explain to my hubby later that that didn't mean to baby sit but to run the back office for them, as the other two ma's are very young....lol. I told them to call me if they had an opening and two days later I get a call from the practice manger with a job offer. I said I would think about it because it was a cut in pay.

The next day at work was horrible and I cried all day because I was mad, so that gave me my answer. As soon as the hopsital got their paperwork together I turned in my two week notice and left. Now, my feet, legs and back hurts every day when I come home. How smart was I to give up a sit down job to take one that has me running all day at my age. Being 48, soon to be 49 in July, doesn't seem that old until you are running all day....lol. But, I really do love being in the medical field. I love working with people and helping them to feel better. So, I guess it is worth it. I have lost 15 pounds this month, so I hope the pounds keep falling off with every step I make.

I am knitting all the time I'm not at work, I take my knitting with me everywhere I go. I'm working on an entrelac scarf in blue cashmere blend yarn, a booga bag, and a sleeveless sweater. I just finished a tote for my ITEIII partner, just gotta add the handles and charms and then try to figure out what to buy her for her extra goodies. I know I'm going to go by the bath and body works store. What girl doesn't like a few pampering goodies and then maybe by the christian book store to look for a neat planner, since she is going back to school in March and might need a little help with organization.

I just took a sock class and knitted a baby sock....it is so cute. I will post a photo later. My computer crashed last weekend, so I don't have any photo editing software on the new computer to be able to downsize the photos. I hate having to buy new software, as the software on the old laptop was given to me and I don't have the original copies......ugh. I think I will just buy the photoshop elements this time, it's only about $100.00 and the photoshop cs2 is about $800.00. Big difference!

I have enough sock yarn to knit 10 pairs of adult socks, but need to finish the scarf first before I start a pair of socks. I also promised my mom that I would knit her the Northern Lights sweater in one of the back issues of Interweave Knits magazine. I have all of the yarn, a whole garbage bag full, but haven't started on it yet either. I need about 24 more hours in a day...lol, or not to have to work.

The dogs are driving me crazy, they have decided to start getting up and roaming the house all night long, keeping me awake. Tonight I heard Dottie crunching on something and it was my bluetooth headset for my phone. I screamed at her and threw her in her crate. I told my hubby all four of them were sleeping in their crates at night now, so I could get more sleep. They will probably whine some and I'll have to get up and scold them to make them be quiet again, but I'm not having them roaming the house all night. Star, my big horse dog, got my entrelac scarf bag down last night and tore the bag that it was in. I had it in one of those "It's in the bag" bags. It has a handle on it, with a hole in the top to run your yarn out through. She tore the handle off and a hole in the plastic. She is 12 years old and I swear she is senile. When I got the new computer last weekend, I woke up to her tearing up the cardboard box in the kitchen floor. Why? Don't make any sense to me at all. Except that she is stupid. Dottie has also torn up two pairs of shoes in the last week. It has just not been a good time for me.

Now I have to take my old laptop that crashed, to the Geek Squad and let them retrieve all the files off the hard drive. I have tons of photos and knitting patterns on there that I do not want to loose. Being a hobby photographer, I should have put the photos on cds, but no, I couldn't be that smart. I did get a coupon from Best Buy for 10% off of an external hard drive, so you know what my next hardware purchase will be...lol.

International Tote Exchange III

It's time for International Tote Exchange III. So how does it work? You will make a tote/purse/handbag for your Secret Pal and a different Secret Pal will make a tote for you. The "totes" can be big or small, knit or crochet, felted or not - whatever you want to make. If you are interested please read the sign-up process, rules and schedule (http://internationaltotexchangeiii.blogspot.com/ ) and then, if still interested, send an e-mail as described in the process. SIGN-UPS END JANUARY 24, 2007!!