Thursday, August 27, 2009

Do you know that feeling you get when everything is lousy, but you’re trying really, really hard to keep your chin up? That one where you always kind of have a pit in your stomach and you still put a smile on your face? I’m there right now. Everything is lousy and I’m trying to make the best of it.

My father in law is very sick and it makes me so sad and scared and mad. Everything in the whole world feels less important than it did two months ago. He’s always on my mind and every moment that we spend away from home feels like a waste of time.

The dog is sick – at least, she isn’t eating and she looks really tired and I’ve got to tell you that a sick dog is not what C. and I need right now. We love her desperately and now her every sigh or itch has me snapping to attention. (Updated: we think Sadie is fine, she just going through some food issues).

Work is over the top busy – in a good way and though it keeps my mind off of the things that are always somewhere on my mind, I could use a little down time and a nap.

I think the only thing that I can do to make things better is get some stuff on the needles. I think I need a project, something to do with my freaking ineffectual hands. Why am I not a cancer curing doctor, veterinarian, CEO, millionaire? Let me tell you, it would make things a lot easier.

In preparation for our last trip to NC, C. and I hit Barnes and Noble to pick up some reading material. Neither of us does well without a book shoved into our backpacks. We usually split up as soon as we hit the bookstore and go to our various interest sections and then catch up with each other near the cook books.

I was on my way to the knitting section when my thrifty eye caught sight of the clearance table. Always on the look out for a bargain I swung by. Just as I got to last section of the table, I hit gold. Knitting Books! On clearance! Vogue Knitting: Socks Two On the Go! and Vogue Knitting Stitchionary 3, The Best of Vogue Knitting, Cover Up with Nicky Epstein and Knitting Never Felt Better by Nicky Epstein. I paid $1.80 for each book – a true bargain. I love a good bargain! I’m also looking forward to reading through them and knitting up some of the patterns. They go nicely in my knit book library.



Summer is almost over (thank goodness). I’m looking forward to fall and cool weather and regular season football. Go Steelers (some small pleasures will endure forever).

For now, this is all the news that’s fit to knit.

Friday, August 07, 2009

Safes

Remember the old adage, "when it rains, it pours"? We've been experiencing a lot of rain in the Yarnal Knowledge family. We've run into a bit of sickness and now we're digging in for a fight. Keep us in your thoughts and please keep reading this blog - even if we have strayed from knitting content for a bit.

As far as knitting goes, thanks to my good friends over at Ravelry, I'm back on track with my February Lady sweater...if by back on track you mean starting over... I am going to start over, but plan on making 3/4 length sleeves to solve my missing skein of yarn problem. I love those guys and gals over at Rav so much!

Last week we were in NC visiting my in-laws. What's that old saying about the inlaws and the outlaws? Well, as far as as these folks go, I hit the jackpot when I picked C. out for my husband. They're terrific.

We've been trying to be helpful in cleaning out my Grandmother in law's house (GMIL) (we sadly lost her a little more than a year ago) when we're in town. Many generations of my husband's family have laid their heads to rest in the home and we've been going slowly as we sort through the history and the memories. Saying goodbye to a house can be sad - they become a part of the family. Anyway, my mother in law (MIL) asked if I would stop by GMIL's house with her while we were out doing an errand. We walked up the steps of the creaky porch, in much need of a new coat of paint and into the house that smells a little musty because we leave it closed up so much now. It still has GMIL's style written all over it. The beautiful furniture, the linens, the pictures. You can tell that there was love in the house.

Into the kitchen we went where my MIL asked me if we'd like to take GMIL's pie safe. It's a handmade beauty with the tin punch fronts and all. I said that we would of course be thrilled to have it in our home. C. was delighted when he found it snugged into the back of the wagon later that afternoon. In order to take the pie safe we had to unload it. GMIL had stocked it full of cook books in the time that she had the piece. Unloading the cookbooks was like a walk through her history. We found treasures like the Pillsbury's New 1953 Cook Book. In 1952 Mrs. P. Harlib of Chicago won $25K with her recepie for Turtle Cookies. What would it have been like to win $25K in 1952? That's a lot of money now! It must have been a fortune then.

Also shoved into the pie safe were copies of Heloise's Housekeeping Hints. I've been enjoying reading my way through these treasured books and encountering tips from Heloise that remain pertinant today like: "Never take anyone with you when shopping if you can possibly help it. You don't save anything by sharing a ride to the grocery store with a friend. She'll only remind you to buy all the specials you don't need and to try the wonderful bread she uses! Go shopping alone even if you have to go in a taxi." Good stuff. She also talks about Weevils and Olio.



So the knitting should return tonight - I've got a lot of work to do as C. and I have some upcoming travel ahead of us. For now, this is all the news that's fit to knit.