teaching is a wonderful thing

some folks may know that I teach knitting
here and there
every once in a while I get a student that makes it a wonderful experience

( actually I have been getting some great students lately....... more and more great ones)

well I was teaching beginners lace and my student is doing me proud ( she makes me look like a genious teacher too)

I don't know who was more proud when she 'got it'
and finished the first repeat of a lace pattern perfectly.........

now I have another class with new students on saturday........ sort of a introduction to lace
I can't wait as I am hoping that they are also a joy to teach......

while I am teaching bernie is going for apples......
I need a couple of bushels of cooking apples

I need more applesauce, and apple pie filling and spiced apple rings put by

meanwhile I am knitting me a fast pair of mittens before saturday..... as it is supposed to get cold and I want my fingers warm.

hahahahaha

life is indeed very very good



vi
who is to look at SHEEPIES on the 11................

perhaps to take home!

counting blessings

since this week is the holiday to be thankful and to count blessings
I have been thinking of just how blessed bernie and I really are.........

we have each other...... 30 years in feb.
lots of folks are unhappy with their partners.........
and there are times I swear that an alien climbed inside bernie.......but for the most part
we are truly happy together.
we enjoy each others company, we enjoy doing things together and he can always ( if he wants to) make me laugh until I cry.........
( he also makes me weak in the knees........the man STILL has got it!)

our little furry and feathered family.........we love them so........they entertain us.......feed us and make us laugh.

one of them is always there to lend a paw or a beak to us.

Our little house........ it's tiny and cluttered and a bit cramped.......but it has a roof that doesn't leak ( hahahah took us long enough) and it is very very cute.........
everyone loves this little stone cottage and I will miss it when we leave.. ( but it is time to go)

we are so lucky to have wonderful friends
and family that are also friends........
I can't tell you all how much I love you guys.........
from my friends that are always at the other end of the phone..no matter HOW far away you all are............ to my farmer friends here who helped me harvest their surplus for the pantry.........

I bless my woodstove and my wood pile every day

as well as my now sizeable load of filled canning jars..........
bernie and i were sort of taking stock of our pantry and it is a very satisfying and FULL pantry.
it really makes for some security............. LET IT SNOW..........
hahahahahah

I am also grateful for our tiny corner of the world......... even though it does have that jackass neighbor.......it also has 250 year old sugar maples, deer, bear, and is just a tiny bit of my beloved eastern woodlands

I even like our house ghost................... he cracks me up with his occationally 'talking' to folks on the phone or when they are in the house.


and to my friends who are no longer in the physcial............... I don't go a day without missing you all but you know that

and I know you folks are ok...........



well guys.. so what are you thankful for?????


vi

double point blues

I am knitting a hat
a color knit hat
from the zilboorg book
( see the last post)
I got it almost finished
and I need my size 6 dp's
which naturally I can not find
hmmmmmmmmmmmm
so in rummaging through my needles
I realized I am seriously low on my different dps

SO LOW that I am contemplating the purchase of large amounts of bamboo to make needles
( which actually may be a good idea in a way)

I was on ebay
I bid on a couple of sets
I would like to get dp's from size 0 up to a 10........in different lengths
I would like 5 inches long up to 8 inches
and also a few sets of 4 inches in size 0 up to 7

and multiples on the 0 for socks..........
needless to say I am a bit frustrated
meanwhile bernie is arguing the foreclosure activity of the people next door while cooking eggs
I am singing every time he comes in here
cause he kepts telling me that he wants to buy that house and wants them out prior to the foreclosure sale
after I stopped laughing at him...............( a second house that isn't a farm? and another mortgage not to mention a TRASHED foreclosure house.... yup I am going to be listening really closely)

anyway..
today I have knitting needle dilemma

busy busy, hurry hurry

filling orders
filling a LOT of orders
and I am getting confused!
( yeah so like THAT is a NEW thing huh?)
I also discovered that my fingers don't like me much lately
they don't want to knit!
they want to HURT when I knit
naughty fingers
so I am giving them a rest of sorts
but it's got me OUT of sorts

I am teaching tuesday morning
a beginners lace class
I really need to reknit the sample cause I love that scarf and wish I could WEAR the damn thing but it's always at the yarn store!
hahahahaha
it did come out nice however.

I am currently knitting a two handed fair isle hat....... loosely following a chart out of a Zilboorg book
45 Fine and fanciful hats to knit
( see if that works for you)

it is so slow cause I can't knit for long
everyone is telling me to stop knitting for a couple days so I am trying to

meanwhile back at the farm
little violet is getting HUGE
she is the SWEETIEST goat in the world
the other kids in the kid pen push you and try and eat your hands or shirt
not my baby girl
she just sits there and waits for you to pet her
and as long as you pet her
she will stand there

and lean her head gently on your side
what a goat!

unlike THADDEAUS the monster curly cat from hell................
he's been doing BAD BAD things
ok
I have to tell you about them later as I am off to the bank

vi

not bad for a weekend

Today I canned 18 pints of chicken,
Batter dipped and breaded 20 pounds of chicken breasts
Froze 10 pounds of pork chops
And lusted for a mitten kit
and a hat kit in the variegated color
as well as this book here

Not bad for a weekend huh???

We cut the cats claws…..( every other week we do this)
We moved and stacked wood
Took care of a broody couple of chickens
And cooked
Oh and bought 230 pounds of potatoes, yellow, red, white and russet bakers.
Really not bad huh?
I plan on canning a bunch of potatoes so we have fast sides for dinner when we are tired or don’t have electric………. Which is happening a LOT lately
Also freezing mashed and twice baked and some scalloped……
We have some for baking too….

We have some news on the moron neighbor front
He is scheduled for a foreclosure sale on his house on January 27, 2007…………….
Isn’t that special…………?

Meanwhile they’ve still been throwing rocks……….. in my garden, at cars on the road…..at the uphill neighbors

Don’t you love it???

While Bernie was out stacking and moving wood, the kids were screaming at him….. cursing and berating him…..he naturally ignored them
They did finally get tired of their game


Now tomorrow I have to get to the bank
And then I got some huge soap orders to fill

Btw, if anyone has an order in please drop me a line to remind me
With Bernie sick I am not all there or here…..( not that I am ever mind you……)
Ok now on the fiber front I am working out some Latvian mitten knitting bits and pieces from all over
I started with Latvian braid then cartridge ribbing…..
I think after that I will do a bit more braids then do some color knitting
This so far is in two shades of gray…..which will go with my favorite boiled wool jacket….
And I am going to attempt to actually write down the pattern
Hahahaha
At least I hope I will
I have to tell Bernie we need to move my sewing machine as well……… next weekend he is working so it will be after that

Oh and court against moron neighbor is November 22
Yup the day BEFORE thanksgiving
How the hell are the witnesses and I supposed to bake for the holiday?
Did that judge even think of that?

I need another jacket for my dress too…..I have one dress and I wear it for everything official and legal….
I did go looking for another dress but didn’t like anything!
Oye

And btw, I lost thirty pounds now……. I been tying my pants on with string~~~!!!
Just a couple more pounds and I have a retro returning wardrobe……
( that’s code for ‘I will be fitting in my SKINNY clothes again’)

oye
til next time

vi
who now is a SHRINKING violet…….