Merry Christmas to All

And to all a good night. If only I wasn't spending my night at work. Oh, well. at least I get good holiday pay. I was able to spend a little time at my grandmother's house and see some of my family. I gave gifts to the ones that were there, and here are the pics:

My knitted gifts were a big hit. I gave several to various members of my family. It took me forever to decide which dishcloth went to whom, but that is also sorted.

The first item I knitted for Christmas was a scarf for my cousin, Kara. She asked for one in WVU colors after she saw the scarf I made for Mamaw Mary last year. I think she was a little surprised I remembered.

The dishcloths were a big hit with my grandmother and aunts. My mamaw has trouble with ladybugs invading her house every winter, so I gave her the ladybug dishcloth as a joke. She thought it was a pineapple until I told her what it was! And my aunts, Jackie and Sandi liked the crocheted dishcloths.

I do have a bit of a problem. Ever since I started Jon's scarf, I wondered if I would have enough yarn. And the answer is: no! I only need about 10 more inches, so I am going to add 5 inches to each end, so it doesn't look like I ran out.

So, that is what I will be doing most of the night. Tomorrow will be visiting both my family and Jon's all day, then back to work at 8:00 pm. So, a 12 hour shift on no sleep. If my post tomorrow is coherent, you can color me stunned (and comatose). So stay safe and Merry Christmas.

More Finished Christmas Gifts

I was looking at the blog and realized that I am a bit behind in posting pics of my finished knitted Christmas gifts. Also I plan to make a list on here and actually keep track of what I have both made and bought. So here goes:

1. Mommy-two dishcloths: Frog and Hummingbirds; two pairs of jeans=done
2. Daddy- two pairs of jeans=done
3. Bruce (DB)-shirt=done
4. Kristen (SIL)-one knitted dishcloth, one crocheted dishcloth=done
5. Kira (DN)-teddy bear=done
6. Hunter (DN)-game=needs wrapped
7. Mamaw Mary-Ladybug dishcloth=done
8. Charlene (DA)-scarf=done
9. Kara-scarf=done
10. Mamaw and Papaw Rose-Solid Bee Skep dishcloth and chipped in on gift certificate to Golden Corral=done
11. Jon (DBF)-scarf=60%; shirts-need to buy
12. Jen (D nephew's mom)-need to buy shirt
13. Kim (Jon's mom)-Lighthouse dishcloth; lighthouse calender

So that is my list. And here are the missing pictures of some of this stuff:

This is the Hummingbird and Vine dishcloth for my mom.

And this is the Frog dishcloth, also for my mom.

The Bee Skep (who named this thing) is for my Mamaw Rose.

This last one is Jon's scarf. I just need about 25 more inches and it should be done.

Christmas Troubles and Towns

Last Sunday I was informed by my mom that the plant where my dad has worked for the last 18-20 years has been shut down. Apparently, the company, American National Rubber, filed bankruptcy and was bought out by another company. This company then proceeded to place ads in the paper to hire new employees before informing the former employees that they were fired.

Now, the old company was unionized and my dad had been the local union president for about 5 years now. Since the new company waited until foreclosure of ANR, they don't have to recognize the union and since my dad was president, there is almost no chance that he, or any other member of the union’s executive board will be rehired.

They could not have picked a worse time. In addition to the usually bills, they will have to deal with the Christmas spending on a reduced budget. My dad draws unemployment but it is not as much as he was getting. Plus, with the economy troubles, it will be very hard for him to find another job.

So I might be moving back home to help with utilities and other bills. I spoke to my landlord and he said that this being unforeseen circumstances, granted he could re-rent the apt, he didn't mind.

On a better note, every Christmas my mom puts up a large Christmas town set. She has been building on to it for about 10 years and has grown out of three former locations in the house. It started on the mantel, moved to the sideboard in the dining room, then to the dining room table.

It not only outgrew the table, it also got in the way. Three hundred sixty three days of the year, that table serves as my parent’s desk. It is only used on Thanksgiving and Christmas.
It now lives from about mid-November to January on an 8x4 piece of plywood in the living room. My family uses the den for all activities, so it is not in the way there. When I was taking the pictures my dad told me that if she used all the houses, building and accents she had, it would cover a board twice as big. She must have 50 houses and well over 100 accent pieces.

So here it is: That's my dad, turning on the town set's lights.

This one is my favorite. This one nicely shows off the detail of the set.

Sorry this one is so blurry.

From Me to You

Or possibly from me to myself. Sometimes I wonder why I am writing this blog. I don't think it is very interesting, and the only people who read it are members of my local guild and SnB. I was trying to figure it out today, when I realized. I have kept a journal most of my life, but I could never make it worth reading, even to myself. Until 2001.

Several things happened that year. September 11th is the most obvious, but for me it was only one of a series. A little under two months after 9/11 my grandfather died of the cancer he had been fighting for almost a year. When I was called out of school, I knew it had to be him. He died at midnight that night. I am getting choked up just remembering that awful day of tension and dread.

That was also the beginning of my senior year of high school. Everyone always said they would love to relive their high school years. Personally, with very few exceptions, I hated high school. I was never the same as the others and they let me know that. I did not listen to the same music, wear the same cloths, did not wear makeup at all. I always had a book in my hand, which could be anything from Harry Potter to Stephen King, to Les Miserable. Until my senior year I was always an outcast. That year I actually made a few friends. One of them would, six years later, become my beloved Jon.

That year I started a new journal, and it was interesting. From my feeling of fear and dread after 9/11 to my grief at my papaw's passing. I could not believe he was actually gone until I wrote it down. I then preceded to fall apart on my dad's shoulder.

So that is why I am writing, to see my own fears, doubts and joys laid out before me.

And one of those doubts is why I am writing today. I am sometimes afraid of my own personality. I don't mean I think I am a serial killer or something, but I do have a very obsessive personality. My last boyfriend thought I was a bit of a prude because I never drank much alcohol (which is on of the reason he is now my EX-boyfriend). I never told him it was because I had seen the affects of drinking in my family. My mom's brother lives next door to up, and he is an alcoholic and he is not the only one in my family. And I know I have the possibility in my makeup to become one as well, because I become obsessed with things very easily.

I usually manage to keep it somewhat under control, but my range of interests can change in the blink of an eye. Last week, it was the Harry Potter books and fan fiction. Now it has become the Beatles and their music. My interests pogos around like a yo-yo.

The Beatles are actually the worst one. I have always enjoyed their music, so much so that my parents bought me a compilation tape of their songs from 1962-1966. I played it so much it finally literally fell apart. Then, when I was in middle school, the Beatles Anthology can out and I when from a fan to a true Beatlemaniac. However, at the time, my income was limited to what I could talk my parents out of. So I made do with the Anthology on VHS, that old cassette tape, and three CDs. At that time CDs were still about $20.00. I had 'Please Please Me' and the soundtracks to 'A Hard Day's Night' and 'Help'. After a lucky break, I then had the movies themselves when my dad recorded them from TV. Eventually, my interest when to other thing and the movies and CDs gathered dust.

Then, when I was just starting college, I decided to make a cross-stitch baby blanket for a expected nephew. I didn't realize how big it was when I first bought it. While working on that blanket, I often watched TV. Then I can across the old Beatles Anthology VHS. I decided to watch it while cross-stitching and my second Beatles obsession was born. With one slight different this time: I had a job. It was fast-food and very unglamorous, but it supplied me with something lacking before, the money to buy items as I saw fit. I was living with my parents and the only bill I had was my car insurance.

I think that is what kick-started the whole thing off. Before, I had been satisfied with the little I had because I had no choice but to be, but now I could get what I wanted when I wanted. Within a month I had almost every Beatles CD except 'Magic Mystery Tour' and 'Abbey Road'. I had books, DVDs (including an expanded version of the Anthology), and even T-shirts and posters.

Still, my extreme interest in the Beatles waned, and my eye passed to other things. But now it is back. I was fooling around on YouTube and came across the old Beatles cartoon show, made back in the late '60s and it has started a new Beatles obsession. Yesterday, I burned all my Beatles CDs onto my computer, and today, synced them onto my MP3 player.

Still, the Beatles are better than alcohol; the CDs last longer and don't leave you hung over. I could be obsessed with worse things. Plus, I am somewhat happered by the fact that once again I have no money, this time because it is all going to bills. Ah, the joys of living on your own! With Christmas and my birthday coming up soon, I just might finish my collection.

Is anybody there?

I was starting to wonder if anyone was reading this, since there have been no comments left. Now I know at least Nadine has been, since she told me on Thursday. She told me I needed to update more, so here you go!

I am still working on the dishcloths. I recently finished one intended for my boyfriends mother. She loves lighthouses, so I searched Ravelry for a lighthouse dishcloth pattern, and lo and behold, I found one. God, I love Ravelry! The pattern was designed by Rhonda White. It and tons of other free dishcloth patterns can be found at Knitting Knonsense.

It was a bit tricky, because it uses yarn overs to make the holes for the beams, then you immediately k2tog to keep the stitch count the same. On the other side, you psso then yo. It made for a few headaches, especially when I made the mistake of trying to knit it at the Stitch and Bitch. After frogging twice, I finally decided home would be a better place to work on it and got another project.

That other project is a scarf for my boyfriend, Jon. I was talking about his mom's dishcloth and he said he would like a scarf. I had some yarn I got from a fellow member of the River Cities Fiber Guild in blue/purple variegated. It is plain garter stitch, because after that 2x2 rib scarf for Char, I think anymore ribbing would drive me a bit nuts (more than I already am that is).

I know it is wool and I know it is worsted weight and I am knitting it in US 10 needles. Beyond that, your guess is as good as mine. And, while I am on the subject of scarves and because I haven't posted pic of them yet, here is Char's scarf:

It is the 2x2 rib, knit out of Red Heart Super Saver on US 13 needles.

Also, here is Kara's scarf:

Kara's was knit from Cascade 220. I would tell you the color names, but to be honest, I don't know what they are! I could never find them on the ball band. It was knit on US 10 needles. The pattern is a cool on called 'Wavy Rib'. It was good for the color changes, because it repeats every 24 rows. So, when the repeat came, I changed colors, easy as pie.

Ooh, I just remembered. The local Lions Club is holding a Arts and Crafts fair this weekend at the Big Sandy Superstore Arena. I went at about 10:00 this morning. I didn't have long to look, because, I had to be at work at 12:00. While wandering around I encountered one of the members of the fiber guild selling yarn and roving. Her name is Cindy Bolt, and she dyes the most gorgeous yarns. I have been coveting a cotton/rayon mix for a tank-top for months. It is called 'Grass and Violets.

And today when I told Cindy this, she said she could put it on layaway. So, four payments in four months and I will get my yarn just in time to make a summer tank-top. If not for the fact I was in public, I would have been doing the happy knitter dance ;-).

Well, that is a good long post, so as a parting gift, I will post one more picture. It was a happy accident from fiddling with my digital camera.

Not bad, huh? I was fooling with the various setting. There are options for background and nighttime pictures. I took three, but they were all blurry or to dark. I set my camera on top of my truck, which is a light blue in color and got the reflection as pure coincidence. Looks like water, doesn't it? I now have this as the background on my computer.

Another one done

Why the heck didn't I think about knitting dishcloths for Christmas presents before. I mean, usually I am running around like a chicken with it's head cut off trying to get everything in time. Now, I have finished three presents in about 5 days. I just bound off the Ladybug dishcloth and here it is:

After I finished the Michigan Cherries dishcloth, I realized I still had a ton of yarn left on the ball, so I cast on the Ladybug dishcloth from the same ball. I just figured if it was enough, all well and good and if not, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Well, it did work and I still have a few yards left. See:

I put my tape measure beside it for perspective. I was going to cast on the next dishcloth, but decided to work in my aunt's scarf instead. It is a 2x2 rib in Red Heart Super Saver. It feels a bit weird because I was knitting the dishcloths on US 8s and am knitting the scarf on US 13s, so its odd jumping to the much larger needle size. The scarf looks good. It is about half done and I figure to get more done at school next week. Thank God it is almost time for finals!

I already finished one scarf for my cousin, Kara. Last year, I made my grandmother a 3x3 rib scarf in Lion's Brand Fisherman's Wool. When Kara saw it, she asked for a scarf, only in WVU colors, because she was an undergrad there. So, I knitted it , finished last month, and just need to take a picture of it.

spindling

I forgot to add to yesterday's post that I also drop spindle with a spindle I bought at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. I don't much care for it, I don't think the balance is very good. I currently have my eye on a Golding beginner spindling kit that includes a 1.9 oz spindle, coopworth roving and a book called "Spin It". It is $66.00 and I want it so bad. But, I can't afford it at the moment. Maybe in a few months.

In other news, I am halfway through the next dishcloth. I am knitting the patterns from a book I bought at Jo-anns called "Garden Dishcloths to Knit" by Melissa Bergland Burnham. It has several adorable and easy patterns, using only knit and purl. The patterns include a frog, various flowers, a butterfly and things like that. If you are a member of Ravelry, some on her designs are free for downloading.

About me

I figured, since I doubt too many people will go back to check out my old blog, I would tell a little about myself. I am a 25 year old History Major at Marshall University in West Virginia. My main area of focus will be the history of the Appalachias. I am proud to be from WV, and want to gain better understanding of the past, to better understand why this state is as it is today. Trust me, get me started and I will talk about it for hours.

I am also a knitter. I started knitting about three years ago, when I bought one of those Boyes 'Teach Yourself to Knit' kits at Walmart. The kit included an instruction book, a set of US 6 and US 8 needles, stitch markers, a stitch holder, a cable needle, two point protector, two darning needles and a row counter. I decided I didn't learn form the book very well, and went out and bought a 'I Can't Believe I Am Knitting' DVD. I have never looked back.

Knitting has brought me a great deal. I am somewhat shy and don't make friends easily, but knitting opened up a whole new world for me. While at my favorite LYS, Yarn and More in Ashland, Kentucky, the owner, Linda told me about the local guild that meets every month in South Point, the River Cities Fiber Guild. I went to my first meeting in March of 2008 and immediately loved it. Everyone was so friendly. Two meetings later, I learned to spin on a drop spindle. I was watching a woman, who's name I can't remember, and she held it out to me and asked if I wanted to try. That is the way it always is, if someone wants to try something new, all they need to do is ask.

I also began attending a local Stitch and Bitch. A few people in the SnB were also in the guild, which is how I found out about it. Every Thursday, we meet in a local coffee bar, and sit, talk, eat and knit. I love the friends I have made there.

At the moment I am just happy I finished two of the dishcloths. I am sure I can finish enough for most of my family for Christmas. Also, Jon told me he needed a scarf. Which answers the question of whether he would wear one if I made it.

Here are the pictures of the two finished dishcloths.
















The red one is called Michigan Cherries and the variegated is called Bee Skep. I think the cherries will be going to my Aunt Sandi and the bees to my Mamaw Rose.

I am also a quilter and am in the process of hand-quilting a crib quilt for my niece, Kira. She is three months old and is cute as a button. The quilt is in 30s repro, from a charm pack I bought at a LQS. I will post a picture when I finish it. I have been quilting for about 5 years.

Let's see, what else. I also cross-stitch. In fact, I learned to cross-stitch long before I learn to quilt or knit. It started with a high school home-ec class for extra credit. But I fell in love and now have a ton of patterns and thread at home.

Well, I think that is enough for now. TTFN.

Changing thing around, things to be thankful for.

I decided I didn't care for my old blog provider and changed to this one. If anyone cares to check out the old blog, the address is http://jenram.blog.com/. I will have to load my projects and my boyfriend's artwork onto this blog, but I am currently at work, so I will do that later.

I had planned to write this for a few days, but held off because it never comes out on the screen like it is in my head. So, here goes.

I am thankful for my boyfriend, Jon. He is just right for me, because as I am addicted to knitting, he is addicted to artwork. He draws what is known as Furry art. It is very unusual. I have been going through some financial troubles lately, and he has helped all he can, despite not being much better off than I am. I know I can be myself with Jon. He is unpretentious and very accepting of people. We have some different tastes, especially in music, but I know that no matter what I do, he will be there.

I am thankful for a family I can turn to when needed. My dad's parents paid 2,000 dollars out of pocket for my tuition last year. I am also having trouble keeping my apt. due to a lose of hours at work, and both my parents and my maternal grandmother have said I am welcome to come back home for as long as I need to. They are also good for a laugh. Early this afternoon, Jon and I went to their house for Thanksgiving dinner. Jon fit right in with my very odd, crazy family.

It was interesting. My mom overcooked the turkey in the roaster oven. It was the first time she used it, and she thought the turkey was not brown enough. When my dad finally convinced her it was fine, the turkey literally fell apart when they lifted it out. It was the first time I ever ate a drumstick without the bone; it came out when I picked it up.

I am thankful that my 99 year old great-grandmother, Mamaw Crow, was able to come home. She fell and broke her hip about a month ago. It was surgically repaired and she was in a nursing home for therapy until last night. She is nearly blind, almost stone deaf, and ever since she fell, her mental state has deteriorated. Therefore, I was very thankful when I went up to her and she recognized me. Two of her primary care givers, my grandmother and great aunt were surprised. Mamaw Rose told me that at times, she didn't even recognize them.

I am thankful I finally figured out what for get the majority of my family for Christmas. I am a knitter and was trying to come with a way to give presents out of the stash when a much better idea was presented to me. I am a member of the River Cities Fiber Guild, and we had our monthly meeting this past Monday. While there, I got into a discussion about knitting gifts. One of the other guild members mentioned dishcloths.

Eureka! I already had a book of dishcloth patterns and a cone of Peaches and Creme variegated cotton yarn. I cast on and finished the dishcloth the next day. The only problem was the variegated yarn does not show the pattern well. So, I went and bought some 122yd balls at Walmart. They are only $1.50 apiece, so I bought4 balls: 2 light blue, one ecru and one red. I started on the first one on 11/25/08 and should have it finished tonight. Also my cousin Kara is getting a scarf, my great-aunt Char is also, and my neice, Kira is getting a crib quilt if I ever finish it.

So, that went better than I thought it would. Oh, just a side note, I am a member of Ravelry and my member name is WVrambler.