Visiting the Frog Pond with Julia

Aak! I don't know why but I am someone creating extra stitches in my Paws to Remember scarf. Now I am ripping it back once again. I haven't had this problem before so I hoping to get some help from the people at Fiber Trends before I rip my hair out!



The Saturday Seven was much easier. Youngest Child must be growing again because I found four tee shirts, two pairs of pants and a pair of shorts that are all much too tight. I was a bit concerned because everyone else's wardrobe is well and truly pruned.

Today, we finally put away the Christmas decorations and the sunny weather really put me in mind of spring. It's still cold and snowy but . . . warm weather awaits. One podcast I listened to this week listed the number of weeks until Christmas - this year!

One of our last Christmas presents was a cooking class today at Cooks of Crocus Hill - Mastering French Cooking: Soups and Stews. My book group has read several of Julia Child's books and I bought her videos for DH as a gift some time ago. The chef, Van Keszler, ran us through the process of making five soups/stews and we got to chow down on the results. The best one was Potage Veloute aux Champignons (cream of mushroom soup.) I haven't had anything as good for a long time! I thought you might like to take a look at The Julia in action. (Even if she's goofing around!)

Who do we love?

My husband can tell you (and so will I - but no one ever believes me) but I don't like to talk to people. He claims that I just keep him around so he can do all the talking. Today? He called the lawn care company. BUT it was a draw because I had to call the piano teacher. It's not that I am anti-social but there is only so much time left in my life and I don't want to use it up talking to strangers. Give me a couple of newspapers, knitting magazines, my knitting and an internet connection and I am A-OK. I generally rate things as "worth losing knitting time over" and talking to telemarketers, door to door people, school administrators, sales people and "chatty people who I don't know" do not make the list.

However, family and friends do make the list. And, while I am not "Hail fellow, well met" with Annie Modesitt, I have taken classes from her, read her blog and loved her patterns. Now, some of her friends have created a great We love Annie blog to help with the non-medical monetary needs that have arisen from her husband's recent diagnosis of Multiple Myeloma, a blood cancer that manifests itself in the bone marrow and is quite painful.

Visit this website and consider donating. Visit Annie's pattern website , the Red Carpet Convertible, and consider purchasing one. This is a really nice family facing some serious times and I would have no trouble talking to you about them. And that IS saying something!

As for my own shawl knitting - I am visiting the frog pond. I have only three skeins of Cascade 220 superwash and I am using Eveyln A. Clark's "Edged with Lace" pattern as a baby blanket.



The official photo is much more "shawl" like. My green blankie is going to be very warm!

I was a bit worried that I'll be short yarn for the edging so I am making the shawl a few inches shorter than the pattern called for. But, the knitting was so mindless that I went too far. Time to rip and it's the worst kind of ripping - the counting kind. I need just the right stitch numbers to start the lace edging.

Note to Andy: Don't be silly, honey. I keep you around to get the unblemished fruit from the back of the produce display.