Baby Pullover

Hug Me Pullover
(a pattern from Bernat.com)

SIZES
To fit chest measurement12 mos 18 ins [45.5 cm]
18 mos 19 ins [48 cm]
2 yrs 21 ins [53.5 cm]
4 yrs 23 ins [58.5 cm]

Finished chest12 mos 21½ ins [54.5 cm]
18 mos 22 ins [56 cm]
2 yrs 24 ins [61 cm]
4 yrs 25½ ins [65 cm]


GAUGE19 sts and 25 rows = 4 ins [10 cm] in stocking st.

MATERIALSBernat® Handicrafter Cotton(50 g / 1.75 oz/73 m/80 yds) or
Bernat® Satin (100 g / 3.5 oz/149 m/163 yds)
Size 12 mos (18 mos-2 yrs-4 yrs)
Main Color (MC) (Mint)210 (230-240-350) m
OR 230 (250-265-380) yds Contrast A (White)210 (230-244-350) m
OR230 (250-265-380) yds

Size 4.5 mm (U.S. 7) knitting needles or size needed to obtain gauge.
2 st holders.
4 buttons.

ABBREVIATIONS
Alt = Alternate.
Approx = Approximately.
Beg = Beginning.
Cont = Continue(ity).
Inc = Increase 1 stitch by knitting into front and back of next stitch.
K = Knit.
K2tog = Knit next 2 stitches together.
P2tog = Purl next 2 stitches together.
P2togtbl = Purl next 2 stitches through back loops.
Pat = Pattern.
Psso = Pass slipped stitch over.
RS = Right side.
Rem = Remaining.
Rep = Repeat.
Sl1 = Slip next stitch knitwise.
Sl1P = Slip next stitch purlwise.
St(s) = Stitch(es).
Tog = Together.
WS = Wrong side.
Yfwd = Yarn forward.

INSTRUCTIONS The instructions are written for smallest size. If changes are necessary for larger sizes the instructions will be written in parentheses. ( ).

BACK **With MC, cast on 45 (47-51-55) sts.
Knit 5 rows, noting that 1st row is WS and inc 6 sts evenly across last row. 51 (53-57-61) sts.
With A, work 2 rows in stocking st. With MC, work 2 rows in stocking st. **Rep last 4 rows of Stripe Pat until work from beg measures 12 (13-14- 15) ins [30.5 (33-35.5-38) cm], ending
with 2 rows of A.
Break A.

Shoulders: With MC, K15 (16-17- 17). Turn. Leave rem sts on spare needle.
Knit 5 rows.
Cast off knitwise.
With RS of work facing, slip next 21 (21-23-27) sts onto a st holder.
Join MC to rem sts and knit to end of row.
Knit 4 rows.
Cast off knitwise.

FRONT Work from ** to ** as given for Back.
Rep last 4 rows of Stripe Pat until work from beg measures 10 (11-11½- 12½) ins [25.5 (28-29-32) cm], ending with a purl row.

Neck shaping: Next row: (RS). With appropriate color, K17 (18-19-19).
Turn. Leave rem sts on spare needle.
Next row: P2tog. Purl to end of row. 16 (17-18-18) sts.
Next row: Knit to last 2 sts. K2tog. 15 (16-17-17) sts.
Cont even in Stripe Pat until work from beg measures 12 (13-14-15) ins [30.5 (33-35.5-38) cm], ending with 2 rows of A. Break A.
Place marker at end of last row.
With MC, knit 3 rows.
Next row: (WS). (buttonhole row). K3. yfwd. K2tog. K4 (4-5-5). yfwd. K2tog. K4 (5-5-5).
Knit 1 row.
Cast off knitwise.
With RS facing, slip next 17 (17-19-23) sts onto a st holder. Join appropriate color to rem sts and knit to end of row.
Next row: Purl to last 2 sts. P2togtbl. 16 (17-18-18) sts.
Next row: Sl1. K1. psso. Knit to end of row. 15 (16-17-17) sts.
Cont even in Stripe Pat until work from beg measures 12 (13-14-15) ins [30.5 (33-35.5-38) cm], ending with 2 rows of A.
Break A.
Place marker at end of last row.With MC, knit 3 rows.
Next row: (WS). (buttonhole row). K4 (5-5-5). K2tog. yfwd. K4 (4-5-5). K2tog. yfwd. K3.
Knit 1 row.
Cast off knitwise.

SLEEVES With MC, cast on 23 (25-27-30) sts.
Knit 5 rows, noting that 1st row is WS and inc 3 (3-3-4) sts evenly across last row. 26 (28-30-34) sts.
Work in Stripe Pat as given for Back, inc 1 st each end of needle on next and every following alt row to 38 (40-56- 56) sts, then every following 4th row to 48 (52-62-66) sts.
Cont even until work from beg measures 7 (7½-8-8½) ins [18 (19- 20.5-21.5) cm], ending with a purl row. Cast off knitwise.

FINISHING Pin garment pieces to measurements.
Cover with a damp cloth, leaving cloth to dry.
Back Neckband: With RS of work facing and MC, pick up and knit 3 sts down right back neck edge. K21 (21-23-27) from back st holder. Pick up and knit 3 sts up left back neck edge. Knit 1 row. Cast off knitwise.
Front Neckband: With RS of work facing and MC, pick up and knit 11 sts down left front neck edge. K17 (17-19-23) from front st holder. Pick up and knit 11 sts up right front neck edge. Knit 1 row.
Cast off knitwise.
Pin shoulders tog, overlapping Front over Back. Place marker along side edge of Front and Back 7 (7½-7½-8) ins [18 (19-19-20.5) cm] up from cast on edge.
Sew Sleeves between markers.
Sew side and sleeve seams.
Sew buttons at shoulders to correspond to buttonholes.

Fantasia . . and NOT on a theme by Thomas Tallis

"One of the peculiar sins of the twentieth century which we`ve developed to a very high level is the sin of credulity. It has been said that when human beings stop believing in God they believe in nothing. The truth is much worse: they believe in anything. "

Malcolm Muggeridge could have added the first decade of the 21st century to his quote, had he lived so long.

In between my knee throbbing from a fall on the icy downhill on Springbrook Ct. this morning while walking Piper, I have a few things to say:

I don't know what it's going to take to wake this country up; maybe 30% unemployment and decent people living in tents or the streets, but, something better click in the minds of the mindless, and quickly!

There is an atheist in the White House. I won't say he's President, because he is not my president; you have to earn my respect for what it is you do, and he is a disgrace and a liar! Surrounded by rogues, just like the Chicago-based thugs he grew up with, he is trying to destroy the United States of America! Not "fundamentally change" it, not tweak it, not fix it. Destroy it! And everything that it stands for, because he hates this country, because atheists, who have no God but themselves, want only power and more power. He wishes to see this country become a land of rich and poor and nothing in between, because that takes away from the 'vision' he has for America. You know the vision; him as king of the world.

Meanwhile, we play with our tech gadgets, kinda like Nero fiddled while Rome burned. We leer shamelessly at celebrities and "actors" as if we need them in order to get enough oxygen for our day! Them and their idiotic ranting; their ignorant ways, their filthy lives!

I just needed to get that down "on paper", if you will, so when all is said and done, you know where I stand. Because I do stand for something. For no abortions, because killing babies is NOT healthcare; for no gay marriage, because two women or two men CANNOT marry one another, it is against natural law; for the idea that free speech means being courageous not politically correct. I won't fall for anything, because it's sugar-coated, soaked in rhetoric-swizzled dribble, and made to look so confusing that I turn my eyes away. Not me! Not ever.

And everything that white house does with its right hand, I'll be watching the left. Because that's where the real action will be. Mark my works, this day, Friday, January 15, 2010.

A Beatific New Year!

"So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom." Ps 90:12

I have been running across that phrase for the last week or so and wondering why. It's most appropriate for the New Year, as we look to a brand new year, unblemished, untried, uncertain. Yet, with God's hand we can walk safely in. It's all about trust, and only trust.

God must be quite incredible to put up with all of us! All our silly ways, our wiles and deceit; the things we do, and the things we fail to do. Our pseudo-control we "have"; over our children or our spouse, or our job or our friends or our family; we have no control! We only think we do.

And so each day goes by. It then becomes yesterday, and another day we have lived and can never get back or relive again. What did we do with it? The same things we did the day before yesterday, and the days before that? If so, then I hope those "things" are good things. Even if we can't see the good things. Because usually we don't see those things. We only see another day dawn, and the same-old, same-old in front of us.

But, our Lord sees differently. Precisely because He is God and does not see with our eyes, thanks be to God! (lol) We see nothing new, only the same old disturbances, the same old challenges, trials which never end, difficulties which go on and on.

What do we say? "Why is God doing this to me?" "Why, at my age, am I going through all of this, when life should be easier, more secure, more full of money?"
Says who? Who ever promised any of us a fools gold by the time we get to 60 years old? Where is it written that life gets easier, less stressful, that our days be less filled with tribulation and sorrow? That may be true, that may not be true. I am sure whoever we are, that we all have problems, some very close to home, some in our workplace, our churches, our businesses, our towns, wherever we find ourselves every day.

So, what to do? Pray. With all your heart. Endlessly, all day long. Here and there. Offer up. Always.
Because God hears. And because in a hundred years from now, He will still be listening to those invoking his kindness. But, we will be long gone. Dead for quite some time.
Dead to this life, yet, alive in the next.

"Thou turnest man back to the dust, and sayest, 'Turn back, O children of men!'
For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch
in the night. . . . . .
our years come to an end like a sigh.
The years of our life are threescore and ten,
or even by reason of strength fourscore;
yet their span is but toil and trouble;
they are soon gone and we fly away." Ps 90

Do not turn your back on God. Walk fully towards Him, and keep walking there all the days of your life. Only then will all of "this" make any sense at all!

Once in a Blue Moon . . . .

I am sitting here at my computer, while the wind blows. And huffs and puffs. And howls. And starts behind my house, behind the hill, off to the left, and slowly and stealthily, and horrendously, rip-roars down through the trees, slamming into the house, running over the roof, then continuing on to all the trees beyond. All day it's done this. Frigid. Frightful. Late December.

Come Thursday there will be a blue moon. In case you've forgotten, that's when we get two full moons in one month. And Thursday, December 31 is still December, and just makes it. I'm hoping the moon looks blue like this one does. Maybe by then, the wind will cease.

Blue is my favorite color. It's always been my favorite color; whichever shade or hue of blue you choose. It's just me. Just like my Victorian scarf or neck-warmer here. It's one of my very favorite things to knit. Put it in a dazzling box with some silver tissue paper and a beautiful ribbon and you have the best gift!

Size 4 needles.
CO 30 sts.
Knit 1 row.
Row 1 (RS): K2, P3, K2, P3, K2, P3, K2, K11, yo twice, K2.
Row 2: K2, (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1) into "yo twice", P7, K4, P2, *K1, P1, K1, P2, repeat from * to end. Row 3: K2, P3, K2, P3, K2, P3, K2, K3, SSK, K13.
Row 4: K2, P11, K4, P2, *K1, P1, K1, P2, repeat from * to end.
Row 5: K2, P3, K2, P3, K2, P3, K2, K3, SSK, K5, (YO, K1) 5 times, YO, K2.
Row 6: K2, P16, K4, P2, *K1, P1, K1, P2, repeat from * to end.
Row 7: K2, P3, K2, P3, K2, P3, K2, K3, SSK, K17.
Row 8: K2, P15, K4, P2, *K1, P1, K1, P2, repeat from * to end.
Row 9: K2, P3, K2, P3, K2, P3, K2, K3, SSK, K3, (YO, K2tog) 6 times, K1.
Row 10: K2, P14, K4, P2, *K1, P1, K1, P2, repeat from * to end.
Row 11: K2, P3, K2, P3, K2, P3, K2 K3, SSK, K15.
Row 12: K2, P13, K4, P2, *K1, P1, K1, P2, repeat from * to end.
Row 13: K2, P3, K2, P3, K2, P3, K2 K3, SSK, (YO, K2 tog) 6 times, yo, K2.
Row 14: K 19, P2, *K1, P1, K1, P2, repeat from * to end
Row 15: K2, P3, K2, P3, K2, P3, K2, Knit to end.
Row 16: BO 6 sts., K12, P2, *K1, P1, K1, P2, repeat from * to end.
Knit rows 1 - 16 for 16 "points" or desired lengths.
Bind off.
Weave in the ends.

Let me know what you think!

In the meantime, I will be looking at the blue moon and thinking of all I have to be thankful for in the New Year.

Waiting in the Sparkle

Tis the Season to be Merry! Tis a mere three days til Christmas. Have you been paying attention to the quiet weeks of Advent? Praying a little more, reading Sripture a little more, knitting a little more?
Ah, Advent! My favorite Season of the year! Quiet, unassuming, almost left behind and left out by our seedy culture. For it is a seedy culture. Everything crass, everything big, everything an innuendo of something else. Like I said, seedy.
I had a wonderful time at a Christmas craft fair in Lafayette NJ a few weekends ago. Lots of people abounding, and most of all, lots of beautiful crafts by people who put a lot of time and energy into their passions. Funny thing though, most everyone else doesn't seem to appreciate it judging by all the look-sees who buy nothing. Why are they there, I ask myself, to waste a few hours on a Saturday afternoon or to use up more precious time which they'll never get back. When you go to a craft fair, buy, already! You can't go wrong, and you certainly won't see what you buy on someone else; it's all so unique and beautifully handcrafted.
Oh, I had some sales, but it was disappointing in that respect, as it was for everyone else. So much beauty, so much creativity, so much of each one of the crafters, in their designs.
But, we are crafting for an Ebay mentality, for those whose idea of baking Christmas cookies is to buy the already-made dough, open the package and separate at the perforated line, and place on the cookie sheet. That's baking!? That's lazy. Where is the fun, the flour, the rolling pins, the aprons, the icing, the sprinkles, the mess, the laughter???The memories?! You don't make memories with lazy.
That is why, I suspect, I love Advent. It requires just a little bit more from me than my usual self. I make it a point, every day to go to my Advent place. As Christmas draws nearer, I am led through the desert and John the Baptist, past Elizabeth and Zechariah, through the streets of Bethlehem, where in the cold and the night, something happened which never happened before, and has never happened since.
Right now, I'm following Joseph and Mary in those streets, and I'm watching and wondering and waiting. In my working, in my decorating, in my driving, in my cleaning bathrooms, in my watching TV, in my sleeping, in my thoughts, and in my words, in what I have done and in what I have failed to do.
And so, very soon now, my quiet will be broken by the noise of Christmas Day. A happy noise, a joyful noise, a welcome noise.
No matter our circumstance, no matter our trial or sorrow or joy, we should, just for one day 'keep Christmas merry' with laughter and memories. And, each syllable that pours forth from our mouths, fall like the glistening snow I see every night.
Then we shall look back in future days and reflect on how our Advent sparkled. Because once Advent ends, just look what we have!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Here is one of my favorite scarf patterns so we too can sparkle!

Winter Sparkle Scarf

Worsted Weight yarn - main color

Fun Fur yarnSize 8 needles

Multiple of 11 stitches plus 7.

(I cast on 29 stitches)

Row 1 and all WS rows: Purl.

Row 2: K1, *yo, sl1, k1, psso, k1, k2tog, yo, k6; rep from * to last 6 sts, end yo, sl1, k1, psso, k1, k2tog, yo, k1.

Row 4: K2, *yo, sl1, k2tog psso, yo, k1, sl next 3 sts to cable ndl, hold in back, k3, then k3 from cable ndl, k1; rep from * to last 5 sts, end yo, sl1 k2tog, psso, yo, k2.

Row 6: Same as Row 2.

Row 8: K2, *yo, sl1, k2tog, psso, yo, k8; rep from * to last 5 sts, end yo, sl1, k2tog, psso, yo, k2.

Repeat Rows 1 to 8, for 6 repeats.

Change to Fun Fur yarn on WS row.

Knit 8 rows.

Change to main color and repeat Rows 1 to 8, then Fun Fur, etc. to desired length.

Add beaded fringe.

Sparkle!

Brown November

It's November again. How fast the year melts away! The title of this post is one of my chapter titles in my new book, Candle Reflections . . . An Illuminated Life, which is now available on Amazon. Please check it out!

I have been busy every chance I get knitting for a Christmas craft fair I'm attending on December 12 in Lafayette, NJ. Here is just a scintilla of what I will have available!

Dishcloths, scarfs, snowmen (not pictured here), placemats, oven hangings, all knitted by me and sorted by season or reason! Some of the patterns are my originals, such as 'the wedding cake' collection, (a collection of beautiful washcloths) and some are by other knitters who have given me their permission to knit their creations!

There is so much to do and only about 5 weeks left to do it, but I'm up for the task. In between I've been watching autumn go from very red and yellow to muted yellow and brown. Shutting down. Going within. Becoming quiet, except for those windblown days when the roof sounds like it's going to blow away.

Now, with the days growing shorter each day, evening comes that much sooner. Shadows fall at odd angles, and illuminate walls and rooms in ways we never see in summer. Yet, it gives us the opportunity to lighten our spaces with candles, real or electric, and stoke up the fireplace or woodstove. Add a bit of incense or potpourri and the mood is transformative.

A lot like knitting.

"Going Nowhere . . . ."

“ Last Wednesday I drove to the college to leave off some papers, and to pick up a brochure. I parked outside of Kingscote and went inside. On coming down from the second floor, that long, broad sweep of stairs parts as one stream diverges into two; or fuses, as two people, metamorphosing into one again, as in marriage.
Down the elegant walkway I glided, (for you can do nothing but glide on stairs such as these) and across the large front room where small offices spill over to right and left, and out the heavy glass doors to the columnaded porch.
Away I took myself through the foliage and the trees, down to the quiet drive to the open gate. Along the sidewalk, which runs along the outside of the wall which encloses Kingscote in its garden. Across the street to the Seventh Street gate which stood entirely open, due to the fact that once inside the gate the roads were being dug up and the myriad tangle of one-way streets were dirt impasses with only one left intact for driving.
The trees melded together to give the appearance of a green canopy overhead. Straight through the gate the grounds resembled an explosion of foliage; dense patches of shrubbery amidst gravel paths and marble benches. Situated wherever it seems the eye would fall on a bare spot, were large, ornate planters on pedestals, filled with impatiens, dripping with ivy down to the ground.
As I walked along the drive the serenity was broken only by distant rumblings of thunder; the sun, spilling a lukewarm milkiness unto everything, took itself away. Of birds I saw none. Only cicadas answered the dull afternoon heat. A few cars dotted the landscape, but it seemed as if I had entered a place of no people. There was no sign of human life anywhere. If God had appeared, I would have thought I was in paradise. “

I wrote these words in 1992. Such a very long time ago, now. Most of that scenario remains the same, only different people go in and out of those gates. I have not been there in a very long time, ('there' being Georgian Court University) or as I knew it and loved it, Georgian Court College, and that is as it should be; all things in their time.
We step through life, one small step at a time. They are called days. Each day comes completely unsullen; a gift to us, bright and beautiful, almost like a smooth pond frozen over in glassy ice; and we venture out slowly, carefully at first, then as we get our footing, more boldly, perhaps arrogantly.
Too often amidst our stamping and raving the ice cracks, and occasionly, breaks completely.
When trials abound, when uncertainty stands fully on our doorstep, it's easy to be afraid.
Do not be afraid.
If my Catholic faith has taught me anything at all, it is to not be afraid. God is with us. Always. In pretty days and joyful times, in stress-filled times and dark nights of the soul. He never leaves us. He never will. Nor will his mother. And best of all, we go to Mary, always go to Mary; laying down our cares and our hearts to her, asking her intercession, pleading her mercy, giving her our love.
She, in turn, gives it all to her precious Son.
Whatever we face this day, we are not alone. As St. Padre Pio reminds us, “pray, hope, and don't worry”.
So, I am happy to being going nowhere. And loving it. Oh, not in life, mind you; we all have places “to go”, and things to do, and goals to tend to.
In my faith. I am going nowhere. As the Beatles once sang, “I am happy just to be with You.”

Quiet time and Candles yet to be lit . . . .

Most mornings walking Piper down the road I hear nothing.


Just the rustle of the leaves on the trees, and the soothing breeze when there is one. Summer has fully engrossed us finally; so often you hear about its coming demise. Don't be fooled -- we have more than a month full of summer, yet. And it's warmth inevitably spills over into October and November.

Wildflowers abound all along the sides of the roads. Pretty daisies, purple cornflower, goldenrod, and the ubiqitous Queen Anne's lace. They especially look somewhat like this:

Variations on a theme, yes? The crickets have yet to start their nightly concerto's, it has just been too cool. But, every time I walk outdoors, I am reminded that it is sans a sweater or a coat or gloves or boots to keep from falling on the ice! So, this Winter, none of that!

Today I submitted my book, Candle Reflections, for review! I'm hoping to order a proof in a matter of days, and then it will be available for all to read. I hope you will.

Life is a journey, don't you know, it is not a state of perfection.

Eternity into man's mind

"He has made everything beautiful in its time; also he has put eternity into man's mind . . . . that which is, already has been; that which is to be, already has been; and God seeks what has been driven away." That from Ecclesiastes 3: 11-15. Just how smart do we think we are?

It's been an unusual summer; hardly any heat at all. I'm thinking this is what they get in northern New England or Minnesota, but never here in Pennsylvania. We've had so much rain the mushrooms are purple; psychedelic 40 years after the fact! All summer here it's usually always hot and humid. We are still waiting . . . .

That much easier to knit, I say! I should have quite a stash by the Fall to sell. Dischloths galore, and a few afghans and knitted jewelry, besides. This pattern I call "Royal Icing." Once the hard surface of the icing is in place, then you can decorate with swirls and beading, lace or basketweaves. I like it!

I always use cotton yarn for these. Either Sugar 'n Cream or Peaches 'n Cream. Also, use a smaller needle; I use a size 3. This way your stitches "pop" better. One small skein will work just fine for one dishcloth.

Cast on 39 stitches.

Row 1: (RS) K1, p1, k2, * p3, k5; rep from * end k1, p1, k1.
Row 2: K1, p1, p1, * p5, k3; rep from * end p2, p1, k1.
Row 3: K1, p1, k2, * p1, yo, p2tog, k5; rep from * end k1, p1, k1.
Row 4: K1, p1, p1, * p5, k3; rep from * end p2, p1, k1.
Row 5: K1, p1, k2, * p3, k5; rep from * end k1, p1, k1.
Row 6: K1, p1, purl 35 sts, p1, k1.
Row 7: K1, p1, k1, * k5, p3; rep from * end k2, p1, k1.
Row 8: K1, p1, p2, * k3, p5; rep from * end p1, p1, k1.
Row 9: K1, p1, k1, * K5, p1, yo, p2tog; rep from * end k2, p1, k1.
Row 10: K1, p1, P2, * k3, p5; rep from * end p1, p1, k1.
Row 11: K1, p1, k1, * k5, p3; rep from * end k2, p1, k1.
Row 12: K1, p1, purl 35 sts, p1, k1.
Repeat Rows 1 - 12 once.
Row 25: (RS) K1, p1, k5, * p1, k5; rep from * p1, k1.
Row 26: K1, p1, k1, * p3, k3; rep from * end k1, p1, k1.
Row 27: K1, p1, p2, * k1, p2; rep from * p1, k1.
Row 28: K1, p1, p1, * k3, p3; rep from * end p1, p1, k1.
Row 29: K1, p1, k2, * p1, k5; rep from * end k2, p1, k1.
Row 30: K1, p1, purl 35 sts, p1, k1.
Repeat Rows 25 - 30 twice.
Row 43: K1, p1, k4, * yo, sk2p, yo, k3; rep from * end k1, p1, k1.
Row 44: K1, p1, purl 35 sts, p1, k1.
Row 45: K1, p1, k1, * yo, sk2p, yo, k3; rep from * end yo, sk2p, yo, k1, p1, k1.
Row 46: K1, p1, purl 35 sts, p1, k1.
Repeat Rows 43 - 46 4 times.

Bind off all stitches and weave in ends.
Enjoy!

Nothing could be easier than knitting these cloths up, and they will make great shower gifts or Christmas gifts or "new home" gifts or will perk up a tired bathroom of your own. Simple is best.

Cor ad cor loquitor - "May days"

Mom was with me all Friday after midnight and all morning in the house. I drove into Milford for the noon Mass at St. Patrick's and that's where I left her. The mass had been hers, anyway. I think she was happy to be there; and once I finished my rosary, lit a candle under Our Lady and walked out into the sunshine, she was no longer with me.

Friday, May 29th. 4 years she's been gone. I gave her a mass, simple and quiet, and all things Catholic. Maybe that's why she made our flowers topple over in the funeral home the first time we walked in; she was not happy with the "arrangements" made by my father and his pastor. Nothing I could do then; everything I can do now. Her prescence was so strong on Friday. Nothing I have ever felt before; I almost expected to see her standing in the bedroom had I turned on a light. She was there. And, I took her to church, and she went another way. It was all I could hope for. It set my mind at rest. After four years.

************************************

May. Memorare. The month of Mary. Our Mother. This month, special to me of all months in the year.

Thinking about it, it begins on the 6th with my grandmother, Stella. My mother's mother. My Polish grandmother, who loved to crochet, and could make a mean cole slaw and the best golomki in the world! She taught me unconditional love.

Then, on the 13th, (Our lady of Fatima), there is Miss Anne. My dancing teacher. I knew her most of my life for the first twenty years or so, and my memories of lessons, and costumes, and recitals could fill a book! Maybe down the road.

On the 22nd, there is Fr. Norman. A Passionist priest from Georgian Court U. in Lakewood. Always there, always with a smile and a "hiya", and his sermons were second to none.

And, of course, on the 29th comes my mother.

Four weeks, a different death in each week; someone near and dear to me, someone who made such an impact, such an impression. No one will ever take their place. Just think on all the children aborted, who will impact no one, whose impression is stamped in the air. With the angels.

"No one lights a lamp and hides it in a jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, he puts it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light." Lk 11:33.

There are some who never see the light.

Is it hot in here, or is it just me?

Wow, one day it's 45 degrees then today it's 95 degrees! At least that is what the car thermometer read as I pulled away from the restaurant in Port Jervis. Broiling hot!

By the time I drove down our block, the heat had cooled to 88 degrees, which is warm, but not horrible. All Spring it has felt like late Winter; and now this! But, it won't stick around for long. Anyway, it's Spring!

Here is what I call my Tri-Color Wrap. Just knitting it last month made Spring seem that much closer; the colors are bright and cheery.

I used a worsted-weight acrylic yarn. Puchase at least 800 yards for the main color, 1 skein ea. for your contrasting colors.

I have lime green, pumpkin, and yellow. But, you can use any color combination you like, in fact, it just came to me that varying shades of one color, (blue, for example) would look fabulous!

Size 7 or 8 needle and the finished size should be approx 60 inches or longer.

Using white, cast on a multiple of 11 stitches, plus 2. I used 90 sts.

Knit 6 rows.

Row 1: (RS): K1, *k2tog, k2, (k into the front & back of the next st., ) twice, k3, ssk, repeat from * to last st, k1.

Row 2 and all even rows: K1, purl to last st, k1.

Rows 3-12: repeat Rows 1 and 2.

Row 13-16: change to first contrasting color and knit 4 rows.

Row 17 - 28: change to white, repeat Rows 1 and 2.

Rows 29 - 32: change to 2nd contrasting color and knit 4 rows.

Rows 33 - 44: change to white, repeat Rows 1 and 2.

Rows 45 - 48: change to 3rd contrasting color and knit 4 rows.

Repeat this sequence until desired length, ending with 12 rows of white.

Knit 6 rows, BO.

Something summery for those cool restaurants, or evenings out, or even to church on Sunday.

It knits up easily and you can take this anywhere to work on as there is just one row to memorize.

It may be warm, but I just put the kettle on; nothing like a cup of tea!

How ya doin?

Being someone who grew up close to NYC I can get away with that title; and if you don't think so, 'get lost'! Just some New Yawk stuff; I love the city anyway and the whole tri-state confusion and traffic and news and radio and TV. It's in my DNA.

It's nice to write about nothing. My life is just like yours, filled with this and that, and only a variation on the theme of life. I am waiting for Spring to appear; snow is long gone, but very little has bloomed or even made an attempt at budding, but the waiting is good. Patience is all around us in Nature; we only forget to see it. Little daffodils and crocuses are out and the forsythia's just blooming yellow; little grasses are sprouting here and there, only not enough to drag the lawn-mower out for.

Yesterday was 73 degrees and the ants were parading around the kitchen sink. Not for long. The garage needs a good cleaning, again (!), before the bugs find the nooks and crannies for the summer. A good sweeping and a good spraying should do the trick. And a good throwing-out, too.

In between working at the restuarant, I'm working on dozens of dishcloth patterns, seasonal, by color, placemats, jewelry, and shawls. I should have a goodly amount of wares to sell in the Fall at the Christmas craft fairs. In between knitting my fingers off, I love to read. Right now I am in the middle of "The Death of Satan" by Andrew Delbanco and have just started Sharon Kay Penman's "When Christ and His Saints Slept", just for fun. I read all kinds of SEO stuff online, and read and print various encyclicals and letters off of EWTN. I'm still finishing "The Letters of Abelard & Heloise" a Penguin Classic, and also do about a chapter a week in a self-study book called "A Catholic Guide to the Bible" which is VERY interesting and should be mandatory for everyone who calls themselves Catholic. Actually, I have a long list of books for Catholics, but not today.

Then there is my Knit Stitch overhaul. I don't know what to do with that yet; so I will do nothing. In addition, I'm pondering over a short online course on tech writing I think I will take. It promises to SHOW us the jobs and that's my main concern. Us over-fifty types have been deemed obsolete (can you imagine), in this screwy world we live in; so rather than run myself all around to people who do nothing but make faces when they see me, I'll sit in front of my computer and give you instruction manuals, operations booklets, and the like for a fee! I'm the best damned writer I know.

One last thing, . . . Candle Reflections. My book on memoirs. I am saying today, April 19, 2009, ten years and one day shy, of that terrible day at Columbine high school in Colorado when 2 students decided to go target shooting. Life can go away in an instant. And there are things I have to say; things I want the world to know came from me. So.

By July 1, 2009, a little over 2 months from now, I will be publishing my book. On Amazon. It's thoughts, impressions, events that have occurred in my life in the past 50 years or so, and grounded in my Catholic faith they have made me look at the world the way I do.

And we shall see.

Victorian Ornament

Winter is a tiresome guest. Go, already!

I love trying lace patterns for simple adornments, such as a scarf or shawl.

So many pretty, feminine charms have been left off, because women have to be so liberated! From what, I ask, looking pretty? What ever happened to white gloves and dainty hankerchiefs, lacy shawls or open-weave over-the-shoulder warmers? Why do so many want to look like a junior boxer?

I've begun knitting this little ditty, with cotten crochet yarn and when it's finished, it will be a very sublime wrap, perfect for warm summer evenings when beauty still sets the tone.

When it's done, I'll post it here. In the meantime, I am patiently waiting for the snow to dissolve into the ground never to be seen or heard from again. And, it can take the ice on my front steps with it!

I Want . . . . . and I Want . . .

What do I want?

They say "love" is the most favored word in our lives; I disagree. I say it is "want". For it seems to me, that our very existences are all about want. Getting. Having. Owning. Wishing. Desiring. Buying. Receiving. I Want. It is the mantra of our lives, it is the food of our souls.

Even here, online, there are a thousand different ways to get things. Buy things, pretty things, things we think we need, things we have been wanting for oh! so long. Things which we deserve, after all. Things which we have done without forever, it seems.

What do I want?
Another pair of shoes? I already have that.
A pocketbook? I already have that.
A book? I already have many.
A sweater? I have too many.
A new car? I have a car already.
A house? I have a house now.
How about curtains for the kitchen? There are curtains there now.
Well then, a new watch? I have numerous watches which I never wear anymore.
Rings? Please, I have enough rings for the neighborhood.
A pretty comforter? I have that already and can knit one, if I so desire.
An iPod? Now, there's something I don't have, and don't care to have.
How about an iPhone? I don't have one of these either; and can live without it.
A computer? I'm typing on my computer, as I speak.
A TV? Hi-def. That can wait, it's all the same anyway.
A bookcase? I have six, already.
A refrigerator? I have one already.
A jacket? I have many already.
A picture for the wall? I have many pictures in my house.
Flowers for a garden? I'll wait to see what springs up naturally.
Cosmetics? I have lots and lots of those, stuffed into drawers and cabinets now. Will it make me any younger? Will it still look good 100 years from now?

Just how shallow do I go? How insipid, how trivial am I?
What more could I possibly stuff into my life that I don't already have now?

I don't know about you, but today I didn't rummage through the garbage dump looking for lunch. When my children were babies they didn't look like death warmed over.

A great argument for abortion, you think? Too many babies in the world and not enough food?

Stupid you.

It's too much food in the world and not enough people who really give a damn. After all, who can think of such things as dying babies, when you have to run to the mall again, for the fourth time this week?

But, I think, sooner rather than later, that we will all find out just what we are made of.

It's coming. So go through all your stuff, and see what you will take with you.

ICY!

I am SICK of this Winter already! Just ice and snow, and when it's not doing that, it's snow and ice! Another day of hoping you don't fall and break a leg or a head, and I am so tired of shoveling. A little bit here, a little bit there, -- do the weathermen ever get it right? One minute it's a small "clipper system" that's coming through with only an inch or two, the next minute, they've changed their minds, and it's a full-blown ice-storm!

What the heck! Don't they have a window!?

Oh well, have a cup of tea I say...thank you, I think I will!




Free Comments

So this was Christmas .. .

There it goes. . . .say goodbye until next November. All I have now are the boxes in the garage which I finally managed to pack away with the last two trees and all their decorations, over the weekend. This year I put up Christmas decorations the week before Thanksgiving, since last year I had none of my stuff where we were living, but that horror is over and life goes on.

Gifts all under the tree and we really had a wonderful day! Rob & Lisa, Steph & Mike, and we went to Milford later on for dinner. All of December was special; each day coming closer, taking notice of the weeks of Advent as they slipped away, so quickly, amidst all the busy-ness that surrounds us.

Wednesday last we had an ice storm. It made the outdoors look just a jewel-box and best of all, the power stayed ON! You have no idea what a big deal that is here in Pike County PA. Once the electric goes out, you can't use the toilet because it's connected to the well, and there is no water either as that is well water driven. Our heat is electric, so we are truly up the creek with seemingly no boat, never mind the paddle.

Trying to walk Piper has been a challenge not to fall on an arm or a leg or a face! Slowly I dug out the entire driveway and then on Saturday we got another 5 inches of snow, and the ice is still shining through. But, it is Winter, and in its own way it is very pretty. Funny how only the winds howl, but the rest of nature is silent.

These are white birch trees down at the end of the road across from the mailboxes. Just bent over, and still that way today, yet, not broken, only resting quietly and waiting for a more gentle day.

Just a little reminder . . .

"I'm fixing a hole where the rain gets in . . and stops my mind from wandering . . . ."
Remember that? Just came to me; I love little reveries like that.
But this is an official reminder to myself, that in the next few days I am posting all Christmas pictures and memories from a Season which is fast disappearing! It's still the Christmas season by the Church calendar; and I'll go by that, because it is, and because I hate to see it all go away.
For now, I'm knitting the day away.

Christmas at Our House

Dec. 23 -- I had to run out for one last gift. It's a 6 mile ride out on Route 6 to get home and as I drove up the last big hill the music was stunning. Playing on the radio was “Hark, the herald angels sing!” with the full orchestra of the Royal Philharmonic & the full choir filling my vehicle completely. As the music came to a crescendo, I got to the top of the hill and was able to look out on miles and miles of scenery; wintery blue, the tops of the trees all white, and all very still. It was inspiring, to say the least. And, not coincidental.

As I drove along Springbrook Rd. the curves and dips in the road seemed particularly apropos to our lives. Up and down, and straight-forward, only to go back again, seemingly repeating what we got through yesterday. So, as I drove down my own snow-covered road, little wider than a driveway, it hit me.

Come, come with me. Into my house, and I will show you Christmas at our house! We will walk arm in arm through the rooms, and feel the warmth and the significance.

But, first, it's out of the car and up six steps to step up into the foyer. Through the front door be-wreathed on both sides. The first thing you notice is the warmth. So cold outside, so warm in here! The kitchen is straight ahead and to the right is the living room. To get there we go up six more steps to the upper floor.

My main Christmas tree sits in this room. Green, tall,bejeweled with all my precious ornaments from years past; some my kids made when in nursery school! Others we picked up on our sojourns to Peddlers Village in Lahaska. The lights are all white and the tinsel glistens so beautifully, especially when day melts into evening and reflections are seen in the wide front windows. Tables hold my Christmas village, the one I've painted and adorned over the years; little primitive snowmen, colored lights, regal glass candles and a glass vase filled with red ornaments trailing red garland which wends its way all around the table are here. Another table is where little ornaments stand; Santa &Mrs Santa waiting to string their popcorn garland, Snoopy decked out in hat & scarf, a Gooseberry Patch marshmallow man holding his hat as he sleds down the tablecloth, and dalmatian snowglobes placed in-between a little double-decker bus and a tiny red book all about Christmas! Across from this is my gold nativity; truly sublime when lit at night and it holds a place of prominence here, for this is the very reason for the Season.

Next to the hutch in the kitchen sits a round table with another Victorian lighted house upon it; in the center of the hutch is my Advent calendar. It's very old, for I can remember opening the windows on it when I was small. It used to have a long poem, each stanza a clue to where the window to be opened on that day was, but it is long gone. Still, the calendar, made in Western Germany is a treasure. I still open its windows faithfully every December.

In the front living room windows, the kitchen windows, and even in the bathroom window, I have pseudo-stained-glass fixtures for Christmas; pretty and colorful when the sun hits them. We walk down the hall from the kitchen to the front corner bedroom, which is my little sitting room. Here I have my Victorian tree; about 5 ft. tall on its own little table, and covered in pretty handmade ornaments and topped with a soft pink sequined ribbon. Snowmen, fluted fans, Old World-type bulbs, stockings, even dalmatians decorate this tree. The lights are soft, and there is a string of bubble lights which “bubble” quietly once the lights have been on for awhile. Under the tree are 3 gifts, pretty boxes all wrapped up as part of the decoration. In this room there is a candle in the front window also; and to sit here of a evening, for a spell, is pure delight. Heading back down the hall and down the stairs, covered in green holly & ivy and we descend to the family room down below. On one bookcase I have all the “Rudolph” decorations; those I received years ago, month after month, and based on the cute TV show. Other craft fair treasures adorn the large bookcase, and a feather tree all in white, complete with angel ornaments, and silver bead garland, sits on the other green bookcase.

Next to the TV is the large coffee table, and here is my new white tree, aglow with soft white lights, and sparkly blue ornaments. All blue. So striking against the pure white of the soft branches. It, too, stands about 4 ft. high and beneath I have a blue angel, a blue poinsettia plant, and blue garland all around the soft white tree blanket. My skating pond reposes here, too and on the shelf behind is my mirrored window frame with the red candle shining through it. Alongside the window frame are my kissing bears, who have been kissing since before Thanksgiving. On the other side is one of my hand-made snowmen sitting next to a seated reindeer. The window frame was a craft item from Toms River from many years ago. As are the sparkly pine cones, and so many other little ornaments and Christmas one-of-a-kinds all through my house. And nearer to one window sits my tealighted “leg lamp”; you know the one from the movie, AChristmas Story. And, in one corner of the room sits my 4-ft snowman, not wanting to miss out on any of what's going on down here.

I'm hoping in the coming years that Christmas will begin to mean Christmas to all of us again. No more rushing to the malls, no more last-minute nonsense gift-buying. Make your own gifts and give them as presents from you. The time that you spend creating them will only open up to you more ideas, so many more that you'll find you won't have time to do them all!

And remember that when you keep Christ in Christmas,you will always do the right things. As we go through theyears, we should be gaining wisdom; enough to understand that Christmas is when Jesus was born, and during the quiet, still nights of Advent, we get the opportunity to prepare our own hearts for Jesus, for his Holy Spirit, to enter there, and remain there, all year long.

So, thank you for coming home with me, and nothing suffices quite like a hot cup of tea and some homemade chocolate-covered cherry cookies, or iced butter cookies. I'll put the kettle on. As we sit down at my kitchen table, replete with red placemats, some knitted by me, and look around at all the abundance, we should keep one thing in mind.

God's gift of Himself to us is a present we will always be unwrapping.

Merry Christmas!

Brown November

Already! Here in eastern PA, all the leaves are brown (ala the Mama's & Papa's, for those of you who remember . . . ) and completely cover the ground, so it makes for great fun when walking Piper around the yard to stay out of rock holes that you can't see now. Summer has come down, literally.

Been doing a LOT of knitting; it keeps my mind off of all the rest. (For all the rest, see my MySpace blogs). I have tons of stuff to give for Christmas, and it is CHRISTMAS after all, not the "holiday"; let's get it right for crying out loud! No one gives gifts and puts up all the decorations and tree, for any other "holiday". Stand UP for what you believe and don't be afraid to say so!

I just started a little sweater for Bella, my 8-month-old niece. Then, there is a little afghan for my daughter's friends daughter, Jordan. It still needs lots of finishing touches, but it's done.

Here are two little bags for my older nieces Melanie and Samantha. Any fun fur or metallic yarn looks terrific with plain-ol' yarn, and everyone just loves the look. Unless you have a bottomless pocketbook, (and these days, who does) specialty yarns can be SO expensive! $27 a skein is not what I normally buy; especially if the pattern calls for 5 or 6 skeins, oh my!

While I play on my computer, here's Piper hanging around!

Silly dog, she is just so funny, every day! She's a smooth fox terrier and we never had a terrier before. What a cute face she has, and I get such a kick out of how she sidles down the hall sideways when she's playing with one of her 20+ toys. She literally flies up on the couch with ease; absolute magic. If you are looking for a dog or cat, look no further than your local shelters; she was there, waiting for us!

So, I think I'll do like Piper, and r-e-l-a-x! So much has been going on, and my brain needs a rest! And I keep reminding myself, that nothing is impossible with God; He has everything under control.

Bright & Early

8/20/08 - I remember "Bright & Early" with Gregg Whiteside. How I miss him still. He was the early morning voice on WQXR, for years and years in NYC, on the classical radio station there. Then, suddenly, one day in August, 5 years ago, they dumped him. Like so much garbage along the roadside. Mr. Whiteside. Done. He was too conservative for a radio station owned by the NY Times after all. He said things, spoke his mind, and wasn't afraid to do so. Truth cuts deep.

So, I've found out.

Beyond those negativities, this Wednesday is beyond beautiful. So clear, the sky so deep blue, the trees so green against their indigo backdrop, the air so cool and dry, which makes for a bright, shiny day indeed! Overnight it was so quiet outside, especially when the katydids and the crickets cease their night conversations, I swear, you could hear a pin drop.

When cars drive up and down the road, the only way you know that it happens, is when you see the dust in the air; kicked up by tires long gone. Ferns are still long and green, and there is one out next to the shed, which waves to me all day long. It really does wave, the little, top-heavy precipiece of it, waves like a hand, when the entire fern sways to and fro. Piper and I head out to the mailbox every afternoon and usually meet no one. No car, no person, no bear. Oh, he's been in these parts, lately, rubbing his big, black back on the telephone pole near our house, and skulking up the driveway, only to look back at my barking puppy with a face full of boredom.

Speed limit 15 mph. So it says, at the entrance to my road. Little more than a gravel driveway, really. Surrounded by forsythia / honeysuckle / brambles / trees right down to the end.

This has been my summer of solitude. Alone during the week, without a car, feeling each day like a little more of my luck has run out. But, I have to turn those negative thoughts around! They do me no good, and I've never been the sort to be so down and out. But, God almighty, this has been the worst year of my life! And it ain't over yet.

9/3/08
A bright and beautiful Wedndesday, warm! I'll take these end of summer idylls; they will go fast and leave cold and dark in their wake. Even now, the sun slanting at angles in the sky, leaves us too soon; by 8:00 it is dark. Then the soft lamps lit all around the house will have to do. Lit, so we don't have to turn around and wonder who is there. No one.

For those who don't know, for those who can remember, there were amusement parks years and years ago, so many of which no longer exist. Olympic Park in Irvington NJ was one I remember well. Rides such as Tilt-a-Whirl, the Bug, Roller Coaster, a funhouse ride, and a funhouse walk-through. The Scrambler, the Whip, and the Glass House. A house of mirrors. I never ventured in for fear, in my youth, of never venturing out. Silly, I know, yet, not so irrational. But, I remember all the rest who were wandering within; looking for the open side, some journeys just begun, some journeys judging by where they were standing looked to be almost finished, or still with much wandering to do.

So much like life. We are here, and tomorrow we will have stepped into another mirrored space. Mirrors representing memory. In fact, where we are today, is because we stepped into this particular space from another, yesterday. Each cubicle looking the same, yet taking us on our journey; either throwing us forward or making us go back and repeat something we've already done. As we go, we look for the exit, for the open door, for the way out. Stuck in the chaos of life, the way out often is gone, or we don't recognize it; it looks to us just like another glass panel. We think that's the way, yet walk into a "wall" and can go no further. So, we turn and search in another place. Moving ever so slowly, hoping we are going in the right direction! Feeling panicky as our journey takes us away from what we perceive to be the end, the completion we had in
mind, and wanting with staunch determinism to find our way out!

As we pass through each little glass space, it's like passing through the places in our lives. First here, then there, then somewhere else. Most of us have traveled a long way from whence we began. Most of us have multiple spaces which we can look back on, some even, staring us right in the face; yet, we pass beyond - step further away because that is the way to go.

Or so we think. I don't know if it's safer to stay put or to move. Some days will do that to you. But, at least, in my house of mirrors, I can always look in the glass and see what has been, and see who I was, and see who I am today. And know, without a regret in the world, that here, in the midst of light and reflection, that it is the right place to be.

Even as the ferns are dying.

Watch for some new projects I will post in the days to come. The days which melt into a dusky

shadow by 7 o'clock or so; where twilight enters and beckons us to light our lamps and go

within. It's the best place to be.