Untangling the Skein...Sort Of

Last night I was finishing up the baby blanket that I was making for my granddaughter, Amelia, and I was having all kinds of trouble.  I needed to use a new skein of pink yarn to finish the edges.  I pulled the string that is supposed to unravel the yarn from the inside.  This usually works, but instead of one end coming out, two were there.  So when I pulled on the string, some yarn came out, but then it got tangled.  For the entire border, I had to pull a wad of yarn out, spend up to 15 minutes untangling it and then crocheting on.  The process was bordering on oppressive.  I prayed and that immediately helped me to get my good nature back. And I got an idea to cut a long piece off the top of the skein and tie it on and use that.  After taking many more hours than it should have taken, the pink edge was done.

Now I had a new problem.  I had about 1/2 of a skein of blue and I was hoping to add this to the pink edge in the shell stitch.  If if didn't reach, I would have to pull it out and either do a regular single crochet stitch or single crochet with a picot (a little knot) every so often.  I didn't think it would be enough, but I hoped and prayed.  When done, I had a small ball left over.  Praise God.  All ended well at last.

Now let me tell you that I have never seen such a knotty mess as that yarn (which is going in the trash.)  It was almost insurmountable.  If there is a knotty problem in your life, God can help you.  I know He will.

This majestic love and all good gifts are why I am so excited about Thanksgiving.  Have a great day!
 

Three Good Things

The first good thing I want to talk about today is that we finally got our first snow here in Michigan.  But Praise God, it was just flurries.  My dear husband had my car brushed off before I even got up.  I know snow is coming, the kind that clogs the roads and makes them slippery.  But for today, I am very happy to see a light dusting that actually stirs up the little girl in me who used to love the stuff.

The second good thing happened at the optometrist's office.  My eyes haven't been quite 100% since I got new lenses after cataract surgery.  My doctor worked up a prescription recently in Oct. and he did some tests.  My eyes are just doing their own thing, but today I was able to order a pair of glasses that will work for a time since my license says I need to wear them for driving.  It was nearly all paid for this time by my insurance.  And I got some cute new frames thrown in for good measure.

The third good thing is all of the smells here and there at this time of year.  I raked up leaves recently and I enjoy that pungent aroma. My son and his wife made a lovely roast and the scent was heavenly with rosemary.  Everywhere I go in the stores I smell my daughter's favorite, pumpkin spice. I put on one of those perfume strips from a fashion magazine and hit the jackpot.  I don't know what it was, but if was so fresh and feminine and wonderful and not too overpowering.  (I should have written it down on the paper.)  Near the end of summer, I smelled real licorice.  Oh, that took me way back to my childhood and the big case of penny candy at the little mom and pop store.

Here's hoping that you get some good things coming your way. One other thing.  These few weeks between the election and the big Christmas rush are so sweet to me.  I'm busy, but there is a serenity that just comes from this time of Harvest Home.  Enjoy your week.

Wonderful Words

Words are fabulous.  They are currency for writers.  We all try to spend them well.  Along the way, I have come across a few gems that I'd like to share.

Tenacity - In the book of James, he says "count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience." James 1:2.3 NKJ.  Webster says that's tenacity, firmness of hold. 
I just love the idea of holding onto something so tightly that it hurts and never letting go.  I love trying and going on trying.  I may not apply tenacity to all areas of my life, but I like it as an overall goal.

Epiphany - My friend said this word is used incorrectly.  She may be right.  She says that it only refers to the appearance of Jesus in the incarnation.  Certainly it does apply to that and the appearance of the Holy Child to the wisemen.  It refers to the church celebration of this event.  Besides this, I always thought that it meant some bit of wisdom which came upon someone in a certain circumstance.  The closest thing Webster has to this is "to show forth" or "an appearance."  I still love the idea of some great thing hitting me by thought or emotion.  And I love the very sound of the word.

Eclectic - Webster says "composed of material gathered from various sources, systems, etc"  The first time I heard this word was in the first Bob Newhart Show with Suzanne Pleshette.  Suzanne (Emily) wanted to get rid of Bob's old ratty chair and she redecorated the apartment in a hodgepodge which she called eclectic.  I always loved Emily and her attitude and I loved that new word.  Now I decorate my house in what may be loosely called British Colonialism.  I have netting and a safari hat and beads and lace along with animal prints.  The style just lends itself to the eclectic air.

Well there you are.  Do you have favorite words? I'm sure I can come with a few more again some time. 

Counting Blessings

Lately I have been getting dissatisfied with some of my daily routines.  There sometimes seemed a dullness that I couldn't account for.  And things pile up in circumstances that make me feel under the load instead of sitting in the heavenly places (Eph. 2:6) where I am supposed to be.  I wondered what I could do to get above these things.  Then I remembered that praise and being thankful works wonders for the kind of thoughts I had been having.

Now there were several different years where I counted my miracles each day.  I put the date and each time I listed something that was unusual and exciting.  Not all of the days had what most people would consider a miracle, yet I had my share.  This time I just want to list blessings.  If all I can find is a sunny day, I want to be thankful for it.  In some ways, it is a miracle that the sun warms us and doesn't burn us up.  Much of the universe is so constructed that a tiny movement either way could even cause life to cease on this planet.  So who is to say what is a miracle anyway?

I started a few days ago because I had such a wonderful day that I just had to write it down and give it some worth.  Yes, I do praise God for each day and thank Him regularly, but just writing something down gives it an extra bit of honor  and permanency that just speaking it may lack.  It also is a key to remembering important things.  So far, I have gotten a very good series of results from a blood test and discovered that I do not have diabetes.  My granddaughter had a good report on something that could have been bad, but it turned out to be normal and will go away.  And one day I almost lost a just completed blog by pushing a button wrong or something.  The Lord saved it for me.  That was weird.  Also, I have been trying to keep my computer files clean and I lost my cookies and the computer actually told me how to get them back.

The most important part of this exercise is not the having the list, but the doing.  When a year is done, I can read it over and oooh and aaah over my blessings.  But the best benefit is in the now.  I look forward to what could be, might be happening to add sparkle to my list.  I expect something special to write down.

I guess I'm just getting started early on Thanksgiving.  I love Nov. and thinking thankful things during the month.  As I said, this is in addition to my regular praise and thanks.  I expect to see some major things on my list and if I can encourage you or bless you in any way by this blog, that would be another big blessing for me.

Former Foolishness

For as long as I can remember, I have had a phobia/superstition about the number 13.  I think it went back to the childhood silliness of "step on a crack and break your mother's back, don't walk under a ladder, watch out if you break a mirror, don't open an umbrella indoors.  These sound pretty lame.  I got over them a long time ago, but for some reason the "13" thing stuck in my mind.  If I counted how many sweaters I had to be sure I was covered for the winter, or how many slacks/jeans, if I got to 13, I had to add one or discount one for some reason.  Friday the 13th didn't bother me too much, because the number 13 was sort of a personal thing. I just avoided it if I could.

Another illogical superstition (I think I created this one because of my dislike of snow) was snowflake phobia.  I have a pair of snowflake earrings and I would never wear them until after the first snow, just because.  I also have a plain black long sleeve T-shirt with a single large snowflake on the front.  This too, I wouldn't wear until after a snowfall.

One day I read or heard that superstitions showed that I wasn't trusting God as much as I should.  I was really trusting in some things man had made  up instead of Him.

After this, I learned that the number 13 has several good things going for it.  It's a baker's  dozen, an extra, something unexpected.

As for the snowflake thing, I can now wear my earrings and black T anytime I want. If you think I'm foolish for doing these things, at least I had the desire to change.  Now that's freedom.     

Putting an Old Talent to Good Use

While I was waiting for my granddaughter to be born, I thought it might be fun to do a little crocheting.  I hadn't made any wee clothes in a very long time and some moms may not like the little old-fashioned sweater, hat, and booty look.  So I decided to do a blanket.  When we were at the hospital with my daughter, Dawn, I got a good start on it.  The center is going to be turquoise blue and it will be bordered by pink and blue granny squares.  I once made a whole king sized bedspread of those squares (see the bed picture.)  That was our first year of marriage.

Years went by and I did a few crocheted Christmas stockings.  Then one year when I was able to be home with the two boys I went nuts and crocheted up a storm.  I bought a table at our church bazaar and by the time the event came, I had such cute ornaments, some crocheted around plastic bracelets with bells or holly attached.  I made snowmen, stockings, candy canes, snowflakes of various sizes, and my own creation, a skier out of a long tube bead with a crochet hat and toothpicks for the ski poles.  These I put on a little mirror.

I had a wonderful time at the bazaar.  My two boys came with my husband and oohed and aahed at my table of wonders.  Unfortunately, most people were interested in ceramics and fabric stuffed letters and such that year.  Nearly everyone stopped and complimented my creations even though most didn't buy.  I did manage to sell a few things.  Through that experience and another craft show or two, I learned that you just don't know what the public wants. It all ended well because my mother-in-law bought all my leftovers for a  huge tree she was decorating at the country club and I even got to see my works on display.

Once, several years ago, I got coral baby yarn and tried to make one of those long filmy scarves that were all the rage.  I did mine with granny squares.  They were all coral, but the lines between the squares showed and I never wore it.. So that was my last project until this wonderful baby blanket. I figure, it will be warm, washable, and soft.  I'm sure baby Amelia will like it.  I'm expecting it to be done by Christmas.

I know that at least one of my readers knits.  Do any of you crochet?  Have you had any successes or flops lately?     

A Little Fall Dancing

In my last blog I mentioned going to football games.  Going to the first High School home game was always such a thrilling time.  I remember one year, we were so excited because we had just purchased a clothing item called legotards.  They were opaque, thick, colored stockings that were like panty hose (except panty hose weren't invented yet.)  If you guessed they were tights, you are right.  That name wasn't invented yet, either.  So we put our new leg warmers on and our wool slacks.  We wore wool sweaters which often made me itch.  And then, we wore jackets.  At the game, some bold girls had blue legotards on with plaid wool Bermuda shorts.  What a fashion statement!

I love the chill that was in the air.  Some of us had homemade confetti cut from newspapers.  We bought a bag of the colored, expensive stuff and mixed it with the newspapers to have quality and quantity. Whenever there was a touchdown or a great play, we threw our confetti.

The High School band always got me going.  If I grew cold, I could dance up and down to the beat and warm up.  I didn't really understand football then.  I don't get it now either.  But that didn't stop me from having fun.  I knew our cheerleaders and I always cheered along with them.

I had just seen the movie West Side Story.  It was this year, I believe, that I walked home from the stadium with music in my heart.  I ran a few steps, twirled around,  and then threw up my arms into the air like the dancers in that movie.  From one corner to another, I danced my way with glee.  There wasn't much traffic along the way, and I wasn't in the popular set anyway, so I had no fears of looking like a fool.  I wasn't hurting anyone and I remember it as one of the few truly free times in my life.  That's what the autumn air did to me, back in my youth.


On another note about fall, I was driving down a country road recently and the yellow trees ahead of me started to drop leaves in a shower of glory.  They were small, yellow bits that shifted on the breeze as they fell.  It was like soft early snowflakes, only yellow.  As I approached, the leaves just kept falling and flowing in an enchanting style.  Then I passed them and the trees were lovely, but normal.  How I wanted to just drive into that new place of extraordinary beauty where the leaves seemed to be dancing to their own tune.