little pink socks

Girlchild has asked me and asked me to make her some socks. She wanted pink (actually she'd like the pink and green Lorna's Laces, but she got pink and purple KnitPicks). The pattern is a combination. I loved the pink lace socks from Jeanie Townsend's yahoo group, but it was written for a grown up foot, so I took the ruffled edge and scaled it down to girlchild's size, I then plugged the lace stitch from the grown up version into my standard sock pattern and instead of just having a lacy ankle I decided to run the lace down to the toe. After a couple of starts and having to rip back, here is the result. And the nice thing is I have enough yarn left over to make her a pair of purple socks with a pink ruffle and pink heel and toe accents!

Another birthday

It's another birthday. A birthday which was spent at the dentist's office this morning (for me) and again this afternoon (for my youngest son). Luckily I enjoy my dentist and all of his office staff (the hygenist will be my neighbor in about 3 weeks) and I could think of worse ways to spend my birthday.

I keep another blog for personal stuff, this one is mostly knitting stuff (my other blog can be found at www.xanga.com/cherim but because it's my birthday I will share what I posted over there:

Because today is both my birthday and the anniversary of my dad's death I am going to share a childhood story. When I was small, about 7 years old, we went to an auction. There was all kinds of livestock there and I don't remember the reason that we were there in the first place, but we ended up with an "Americana pony" named Topper (his registered name was "Rick-lan-repetition") He was a beautiful bay colored pony (smaller than a horse, but bigger trhan a welsh or shetland pony, he looked like a small beautiful horse). He was green broke and needed a lot of work before any of us children would be able to ride him. My mom was too pregnant (with my sister) to ride him and my dad, while not a big man, was too big to ride him, so he mostly just ate grass. My dad decided that he was too much horse for my brother and I and that we'd sell him and get something a little tamer (perhaps a shetland pony?) so some people came to look at Topper. Dad patted his neck and told them that he was as gentle as a lamb and that he'd show them. So dad (who was not a horseman in any way, he just wore the clothes) climbed aboard Topper who went straight up in the air and bucked just like you see in the rodeos. Dad stayed on for two bounces before coming off. Being supportive children and worrying about dad's welfare after he landed on the ground knocking the wind out of himself, we clapped and yelled "do it again daddy do it again!!" The people did not buy the horse, he eventually went to live with our neighbors. Several years later dad rode my horse (Paisana, an Arabian/Quarter horse mix) in a show.(It was 4-H and parents got to ride their childrens horses in a "parents show") . He won the booby prize. He never got the horse going in the direction or on the same gait as the other horses. That pretty much ended his horse career.

I have so many silly stories and my sister and I shared some of them tonight, some I'll share as I feel the need for a good hearty laugh. I miss him every day, but know that the last gift he could give to me was to be out of the terrible pain that cancer is. But I refuse to be sad on this day. The good points were today.....there was a key in my post office box signalling a package. And there it was some yarn and needles that I ordered (like I need more yarn or needles!). It snowed about 6 inches which is always beautiful. My favorite uncle called me (actually he's my great uncle and almost the only uncle I have left, but he's always been my favorite and he always calls me and sings me happy birthday). I've had several online friends and friends I see daily wish me happy birthday.

It's been a good day.

I am still knitting....

And perhaps when it's not so late, and I'm not so lazy, and the camera boots up to the computer faster I'll post a picture or ten. Lately it's been washcloths. My sister in law mentioned that she'd love hand knitted washcloths and I thought "What a great Christmas present!! A bunch of washcloths and some bath salts, maybe a candle". Then the psychotic sister in law calls and screams at my husband (her brother) so loudly that I could hear her from across the room before he hung up on her. (long drawn out family stuff, let's just say that this isn't unusual behavior for her). Now she's not speaking to us (or at least to him, I'm not sure where I stand in all of this....I try to avoid conflict as much as I can). I'm not sure now....do I gift the washcloths to myself....or hang on to them and still give them to her as planned. I'm leaning toward the give them to her as planned idea, just because.

I think I'll knit myself a sweater.....