Day 4--Books

My grandma was a teacher...is still a teacher in many ways! She taught early elementary for many years. She is still a kid magnet, too. The other day we were in Wendy's and I could hear her giggling as various children went up to her...just drawn in by her warmth and genuine love.

My grandma always read to her grandkids. My parents read to us quite a bit as well, I believe inspired by how much my grandma read to children. I absolutely love to read and I tribute my grandma for creating a family of readers.

My nieces love to read and they love to read to their Nana. A actually learned to read as Nana read to her and sounded out the words one by one.

Reading opens up so many doors. There are so many adventures to be found behind the pages of a book.

Of course, my grandma not only gave her family a love for reading but a love for crafting, knitting in particular. My mom and I took my grandma to the local knitting store YfY and in no time at all, she'd befriended several knitters, including one newbie, and was sharing patterns and ideas with them. I love my grandma and her infectious spirit...when I "grow up" I want to be just like her! ;0)

Days of Gratitude and Thankfulness--Day 1--My Family

A neat trend on Facebook during the month of November is to spend each day saying what you are thankful for...I've decided to actively participate this year and will tailor my general thankfulness with a crafty edge as much as possible on this blog.

I am one day behind...I didn't think to blog my thankfulness until today ;0)

Day 1--I am thankful for my family and the time we will get to spend together soon.

Last summer, my middle sister moved her family to Arizona when her husband got a job teaching on an Apache Reservation. Two weeks after her third child was born! We miss them so much and it's hard missing out on the baby growing up. She keeps a weekly photo blog which is AWESOME but nothing beats seeing someone in person. The new tradition is that she hosts Thanksgiving and we all drive out to Arizona to be a family united and to eat LOTS of food!

The only bummer is that it's too much of a drive for my grandma to come. We'd be more than happy to make a route with lots of stops for her but at 88, if she decides it's too much, well, I think we should respect her decision. We will miss her, though I know my cousin and his family will make sure she's taken care of.

I have been meaning to post this pictures of my nieces, the fourth generation of knitters, learning how to knit from my grandma a few years ago. Then I have one of two of them knitting that I just took recently. I'm thankful for my family and for the creativeness and craftiness that flows through it. A family that knits to together knits themselves together as a closer knit family ;0)

E learned to knit when she was 7! Grandma taught her even before mom and I picked it up.

 G learning on big needles. She's now progressed to make a scarf for her older half-sister!

A learning from her Nana, the master knitter of the family (over 70 years!)

I love to watch my grandma's hands knit and hear the clacking of her needles.

  Hand knit hats were a big hit for Christmas last year! Here's mom, dad and I being pirates, just a goofy thing that we like to do in our family!

  E working on a sock last Christmas.

E & G knitting 2009

E and G knitting 2011...wow, how time FLIES!

I can't believe how grownup my nieces are here. I'm so glad that they are carrying on a family tradition. Now to just get my sisters into knitting...

Sewing...ish

Knitting is my current obsession but I've been wanting to gain some sewing machine skills. My friend, Mylinh, has an amazing talent. She marvels us through her blog with all sorts of clever creations. It helps that she has an adorable daughter to dress but she makes non-clothes items as well. M offered to teach me to sew when I commented on her blog how much I'd like to give it a hand. Maybe she doesn't know what she is getting into...I have major bobbin issues left over from 7th grade Home-Ec. She posted a picture of a darling bag she sewed for a co-worker and I picked that to be my first attempt. Well, first four attempts. I'm going to make one for each of my nieces. Our other friend, Laura, wants to join in the fun, too. I already went and bought the fabrics...on sale at Joann's, of course. (Hobby Lobby has two weeks until their projected opening up in Temecula and I'm SO THERE!)

I really tried to find fabrics that complement my niece's personalities. A's was the hardest, for some reason. I found some cute patterns but they were in curderoy and I wasn't sure if that would be harder to sew so I kept looking. I actually go stressed out over it...I had to remind myself, it's a process. It's enjoyable. And as soon as I changed my mindset, I spotted the fabric I bought for her. All of the girls get floral patterns, except for baby I. She gets a kitty print in honor of her first word "eow". I bought contrasting fabric for the bottom of the bags and straps. Now, it's time to set a date to sew. Better start making sure all of the excess machine parts are together in one place. Would hate to get to her house with the machine minus the power cable! (LOL)

The fabrics go by age left to right...E, G, A and I :0)

Peace, Love and Yarn...a Story of The First

Every child in the Warn family has been introduced to "spool knitting." It's a simple art that can be made from a wooden spool, four nails and a darning needle (or a more elaborate set up--see below). It's also a quick way to make something called an "I cord" in the knitting world. It was my first introduction to knitting.



I did eventually try knitting needles but couldn't get the knack of it. And then it came to pass about a year or two ago that my mom, a lefty, decided to start knitting (and taught herself "backwards" as a righty). She soon became convinced that it would be a perfect mother-daughter bonding experience. Something akin to guilt was the only thing that made me pick up (rather begrudgingly) the pair of size six needles with striped pink cotton yarn to give it a try.

I knitted only in her presence. My excuse was that the cats would get into the yarn if I took the 'scarf to be' home. But really I was rather frightened of all of the mistakes I could possibly make. That and I just wasn't "into it."

While visiting Whidbey Island after my uncle's death, my cousins and I ate ice cream and drank coffee (well, did one or the other) while our moms visited a local yarn shop. Eventually, we got bored and went inside. The colors were pretty and in all honesty, it was the textures of the fancier yarns that drew me in. Then, he saw it. My cousin picked out a sample of a simply GORGEOUS scarf done in all sorts of colors, textures and triangular patterns. He was so taken by it, he tried to buy it for his wife. The proprietress was aghast! SELL one of her creations?! Never! Didn't we realize that they were for DISPLAY ONLY? Slightly taken back, we hung our heads while our moms kept shopping. I'd decided if the cousin didn't buy it, I'd buy it for myself so I was quite put out. I just kept going back and looking at it. Fingering it (I MUST touch yarn...I practically PET IT). Coveting it.

Then the epiphany struck me. I could learn to make something JUST LIKE IT. Suddenly, I was inspired. I knew I had a ways to go before getting to that skill level but in fact, that night, I knit up a storm. (My mom had INSISTED I pack my knitting...I think I made her put it into her suitcase, lol.) It took a little time to finish up my small ball of cotton yarn and it wasn't enough for a scarf. I wasn't sure what store it had come from or how to find more of it...what is a novice knitter to do? Be creative! My mom took the almost finished piece to my 11 year old niece, E, and she finished up a pointed end to it. My mom blocked it and sewed it together. Then...viola! A small coin purse was made.


I knitted an I cord with the spool knitter and one of these days, I'll get my mom to help me attach it as a strap. I wand a little coin PURSE not wallet, lol.

Now my days and nights are filled with knitting and my closet full of my yarn stash. Of course, my fears about my feline helpers wasn't completely unjustified. Phat Cat is rather clingy for a cat and just LOVES to curl up next to me (and on my creations) and though four years of age, it isn't beneath the Princess to find the end of the cast on string to is dangling JUST to torment her. Sigh. Phat cat has gotten into more of his fair share of yarn, I must mention. He shreds yarn labels more finely than toilet paper, it seems.


There are all sorts of clues and hints in this picture of my progression from novice knitter to an intermediate chick with sticks but I'll save it for another post. As we speak, Phat cat is curled up against my right arm and plus, you wanted a blog post, not a novel. Until next time...peace, love and yarn!