Happy New Year!

Welcome to 2017
Signed, Neko

So it is finally 2017. I have to tell you that I was not a fan of 2016. In fact, it really, really sucked. I won't go into all the celebrities who passed away this year, or how politics did not go my way this year. It was also a time to break away from long time acquaintances and institutions. We left the church we spent the last 25 years and it is strange that we don't even miss it.

Dane and Christina

But there are some great things to look forward in the new year. Our son Dane is getting married this year. He and Christina are planning on tying the knot on September 16th. We are already deep in plans for the ceremony and reception which will be just down at the community center here in Roxborough. I can't wait to welcome this wonderful young woman with a heart of gold to join our family. These two young people will make a difference in the world.  They spend part of their summer in Guatemala working in a school/orphanage and have decided that is what they want to do with their lives in the future. Dane is working on his master's degree in non-profit accounting and after that, Christina is looking to getting her college degree too. I am so proud of them.

Lorne

Our older son Lorne is still in LA working as a film editor. He finally landed a full time editing job (with benefits!) after freelancing for a couple of years. The company has some high profile clients such as Disney doing 360-visual effects. Also he is connecting with lots of good people and establishing a great group of friends. Although he still calls himself a Colorado guy, he is becoming more and more California all the time. He was able to come home for both Thanksgiving and Christmas this year so we were able to re-connect more than just on the phone.

And then there is Ken and me. I retired this year and for the first month, I didn't even talk to anyone except Ken. I loved the solitude and lack of responsibility. I actually started working at the age of 5 on the farm, so it was so unique to not have to be somewhere, meet with someone or have to do something. I am slowly pulling out of that solitude but reluctantly. That is unusual for an extrovert like me. Ken is semi-retired, only picking up remodel jobs that he really wants to be. We plan to do some major traveling this next year. We are thinking of doing the Pacific Highway this spring. We really love road trips and Ken is the most fun to travel with. We listen and discuss books on tape while stopping at the multiple roadside attractions along the way, taking pictures, hiking, listening to locals and learning about the area (all the time while I knit).

So that's how 2017 is looking for us. I don't address politics in my blog so I will spare you with that. My next blog will be about the knitting I have been doing for the past month

Guatemala trip

Bella with Dane

Yearly Donation to the Cat Care Society

Every December, we donate some money to the Cat Care Society here in Colorado. It was 13 years that we stopped by the shelter and was introduced to a sweet little black kitten. When I entered the Kitten Room, he ran over to me begging to be picked up. As I held him, he licked my chin and purred. I fell in love with this 14-week ball of fur and within minutes, he was on his way home with us.

Little did we know that this was his plan all along. After a day or two of recovering, the real Neko appeared, but by that time we were hooked.

Now in December of every year as I make out my check, I think of the policy at the Cat Care Society. It is no-kill shelter which I am totally in favor of.  However, I think I misunderstood exactly what a "no-kill" shelter is.  It is instructions to the cats, not the humans. As long as I donate, Neko will refrain from killing us. So far, so good, but you can look in his eyes and know that he is just holding himself back.

Fingers Furiously Flying for Fingerless

I put this pair up on Etsy.  You can see it at www.etsy.com/shop/KniceKnittiesShop

The color is periwinkle and has a lattice design.
This one has sold.

I have been designing and knitting fingerless gloves for years, but none more than the last few months. Fingerless gloves are popular today, but they are actually from the Victorian era. At those times, a young lady was expected to learn to play music and sing, as well as do needlecrafts such as knitting, embroidery, and sewing. To keep her hands warm but still free to play the piano, fingerless gloves were not only fashionable, but functional. 

This is a pine tree design on
the back of the hand. I plan to do some
more of these next year. This one
has also been sold.

Now these gloves are in fashion as computer gloves.  In order to stave off the chills of low thermostats in the winter or air conditioning in the summer, these gloves made working on computer keyboards a must.  They are also called texting gloves, allowing thumbs to racing across cell phones keypads while keeping hands warm.  No matter what you use them for, they are a delightful accessory. Here are some of my gloves. 

I am in the process of designing a black pair with a rose motif. I will also be selling this pattern, so stay tuned.

Blues to Rainbows

A few more hats that I finished in the last month. I am also finishing up a purple hat that I should have finished in the next day or two.  I tend to like purples and blues so my stash of yarn has a definite hue to it. 

Today the shawls --

I love shawls and I love to knit shawls. So I thought I would post some of my completed shawls today:

I opened an Etsy shop with the hopes that I can sell some of this hats.  Check it out.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/KniceKnittiesShop

I will be putting more and more hats and see if I can move them along.  Meanwhile, here are some more of my hats:

Hats! Hats!

I have been a hat knitting frenzy for the past two months even though I have only one head. Yes, I can give lots of them away, but my family has decided this year to not give gifts; just hang out together. I may give them hats anyway. So here are some of the hats that I have finished. I will post a few more every day, so stay tuned.

Hooded Cowl for Christina and Simone

Other big news from the past year is that Dane and Christina got engaged. Dane is our son and soon (as in September 2017) Christina will officially join our family. She's already a part now so I am looking forward to having a daughter. Dane and Christina have been together for four years and have been joined my grand-dogs Bella and Simone. Bella is a husky and German shepherd mix and Simone is a chihuahua and dachshund mix (a chi-weany) and they are the sweetest dogs ever. Unfortunately, Neko is not a big fan. He is not crazy about people so you can imagine how he feels about dogs.

Anyway, Christina wanted a hooded cowl instead a hat and so I designed this one for her last Christmas.


I wish I would have written down the pattern but I just kind of knitted it freehand.  I first made a cowl out of bulky yarn and large circular needles, probably size 13. I made sure it was big enough to wrap around her shoulders. Then I picked up stitches along the edge and knitted the hood, joining the hood at the top with a three needle cast off.

Not only does it keep her warm but also the sweet and delicate Simone. It does get cold in Colorado and this cute little number keeps Christina and Simone wrapped up. The more I look at this hooded cowl, I think I will have to design it again and offer the pattern. I'll have to work on that.

Retired!

Okay, I'm back writing in my blog. Now I should have time again because I retired! There is nothing more delightful than going to bed and realizing that I don't have to get up in the morning and get ready for work.

But I have been knitting. I actually retired on August 1, and I spent all of August and September just knitting, making hat after hat, couple of pair of socks, and working and frogging a sweater that is just not talking to me. It was like I needed to barricade myself in my house for a while to celebrate solitude. I kept waiting for a SWAT team to appear on my front yard with a bullhorn telling me to coming out. No one showed up, so my knitting continued.

And yes, I have been enjoying my little black kitty in my lap while I knit. He will sit in my lap only when Ken is not home. I hope to get my own cat one of these days. {sigh}

Anyway, here is one of the hats that I designed. The tree design is not mine, but a down-sized it for this hat. I will put more of my hats up over the next several days. So --- I'm back! Stay tuned.

Rugs are the best place to ...

We have rigged our deck so Neko can go outside and still be safe. When he was out there this morning, he started to howl miserably. I ran to the door to let him in. He streaked by me into the living room to our pretty throw rug and up-chucked his entire breakfast.

He really is an ass.