Remembering

I photographed this sign the other day when my Dad and I traveled to Urbana to visit my 92 year old Aunt in assisted living. These words have been haunting me a bit since I first read the sign. Yes, at that age she doesn't remember things like she used to; but actually her memory isn't much of an issue. I photographed the sign because it makes me think of a dear friend with severe Alzheimer's.

We all know the disease affects many elderly, but sadly it affects many younger people too. My friend was diagnosed several years back, so obviously had it awhile before being diagnosed. I've read quite a bit on line about the 7 stages and she's most definitely in the late stages (final stages, stage 7). She was in her 50's when diagnosed.

She's not been able to carry on a conversation now for a couple of years, and has not been able to be left alone while her husbands at work. She requires 24 x 7 care.
The following is a cut and paste from The National Alzheimer's Association.

Alzheimer's disease has no survivors. It destroys brain cells and causes memory changes, erratic behaviors and loss of body functions. It slowly and painfully takes away a person's identity, ability to connect with others, think, eat, talk, walk and find his or her way home.

We've spent many a vacation at the beach through the years; even when our girls were all young. We have many memories. Recently, hubby and I spent a week at the beach again with these very good friends; in hopes of bringing back some of those old memories we so cherish.

Share a memory with someone you love, maybe someone from your past. Keep memories alive, tell family stories, reminisce with friends. Take time to let people you know you care about them, while you can. It's more important then you know.

Third Times The Charm, I think?

Work In Progress Wednesday

Plan A was to be to 2 colors, the light and middle color above, was to be separate squares using dishcloth patterns. I blogged about it HERE, you might remember. That was designs using the light color, garter stitch squares using the middle color. The idea being it would provide both color contrast and texture contrast. Onto plan B, because the light colored squares designs weren't showing up very well. That was designs on medium color, using light for garter; and or designs on both...oh wait. Plan B 2 was hatched. I wasn't going to have enough yarn, enter the 3rd color, the above dark brown. After making 4 squares you see HERE, 2 of the light and medium color....plan C was hatched.
Spoke with DD and we decided to nix the dishcloth pattern idea completely, just weren't seeing the designs, and if you did, without knowing what they were suppose to be...you really didn't know. Using my stitch books and book of 200 squares comes plan C. Three colors, three squares each a different pattern/texture. Then I thought to help make up lost time, rather then making separate squares I would make strips to eliminate lots of casting on, binding off, and minimize the stitching together.
Using 200 Knitted Blocks by Jan Eaton I soon learned in order to do a strip, you need the same number of stitches in the cast on. Searched the book for 3 squares I thought complimented each other, 3 that had the same number of cast on stitches and have my fingers crossed this works. I truly need want real opinions here folks. Using Plymouth Encore Chunky (25% wool 75% acryclic), and size 10 Addie Turbo's, will make it soft, warm-heavy, but washable.

The 3 squares very in that the lightest color is an eyelet pattern (lightest in stitch appearance), the medium tan is called Little Blocks (I think medium in pattern appearance), while the dark brown is called Arrowheads, and is, I believe the heaviest in pattern appearance. The Arrowhead section has purls on the edge and so curls in a bit; but I believe when stitched to the next strip will smooth out nicely and be even.

This is a wedding gift for my DD best friend. She's the maid of honor. I wanted the ghan to be appropriate for her hubby to use as well. Earth colors should blend with any decor...right?

**note to my fellow bloggers, and wipw members, please please KILL the word verification, try it for a week, you'll be amazed and pleased with how well the filter on blogger works. You really really don't need the captcha thing, it's sooooooooo annoying, and time consuming. Try it at least, change your settings. Most of us can't see those idiot letters and they really aren't needed, the filter is what get's rid of the spam** Please and thanks

Me Time

What do you like to do with "Me Time?" I like to get up when I want, not with an alarm, sit in jammies drink coffee, check in here on the computer. While on the computer I like to check my mail, see what's going on with my blogs, check my dashboard to see if it's time to write another blog or if I have one in que to be published. Then do some knitting and or crocheting, then more computer stuff like checking in on facebook, ravelry and the like. I like quiet, so I do not turn on the TV, or radio, nor do I have the sound on my computer. I like peace. I enjoy alone time. I can spend hours like that.

Sit in the living room a bit with the yarn, then move to the computer and back and forth. It breaks things up. Sometimes you have to throw in things like doing laundry, running the vaccum, making the bed naturally. But, even then...if you're alone you can do a little of this, and a little of that. Like maybe knit 5 rows, throw a load in, visit blogs for half an hour, by then it's time to put the wash in the dryer...see what I mean. A bit of this and that.

Monday, though...that rarely works. Monday means you have to start your week, check your to do list, see what the priorities are. On top of that for me I have to verify my ever changing work schedule, make sure I've written it on the calendar. No 2 days are the same for me. So, Monday Already!

Care to join this linky for Monday? Love to have you.
1. Leave a comment
2. Write your Monday Already Post with a Link to this post
3. Add yourself to the linky
4. Visit others on the list. If you're an early bird to add your name, do hop back over later in the day to see whom else has joined the fun.

Anxious to see What Monday Already means for you all.

A Good Yarn by Debbie Macomber

This is my 3rd book about a knitting shop and it's owner; though my first of Debbie Macombers. It's interesting to me how similar they are. Lost souls come together knit and the world is all wonderful again. Ok, that might be an over simplification; as there are other details involved...but it does seem that's the type of book they all have been.

Now they all have different problems and solve them differently and together they seem to bring out the best in each other. That's interesting to me given the ladies involved are different ages, come from different backgrounds, and initially really have nothing in common. One book was The Knitting Circle by Ann Hood, and one was Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs.

When I think of clusters of people who only associate with one group, say their church group; their neighbors, only their family, or perhaps only their work group or only the people at their childrens school, it makes me think how much they're missing out by not being with people different than them. This book was perhaps the sappiest of the 3, and the furthiest from reality it seemed to me. Though I did enjoy it. I think maybe I'm getting into the rhythm of these books. I read this sitting poolside and on the beach on a recent trip to Myrtle Beach. One needs a fluffy book I think for that setting.

There were emotional ups and downs and even when I thought them a bit unbelievable, I found myself wanting to pick up the book and see what happened to the silly teenager, or the UPS deliveryman. This is a series I think. Believe the others might be too. Will have to double check that and see what books are next so I can have them on hand for the next poolside or beach side adventure.

Have you read this one? Did you like it? Do you plan to read others by this author?

I had yarn of course with me and worked on the wedding ghan, but one really can't knit or crochet at the poolside or at the beach...so reading about it seems to be the way to go.

Squares, counts as Done?

Ok, so this might be a bit of cheating for FOF (finished object Friday). Or is it.... showing 4 finished objects? lol You see before you 4 finished squares.

Plan A was doing the designs on the light color and doing good old garter stitch squares with the darker color, to provide contrast both with color and with texture. After completing the first square (lower left which is a frog in case you can't tell), I wasn't sure this was going to work. So, wondered if the design would show up better with the darker shade. Figured I'd do one square in the darker shade and see, and then flip my 2 colors. Well...I did the one in the lower right (sunflower), and I still was unsure; so I did 2 more, one in each color. Cardinal is the 2nd light color and a bea skep is the 2nd darker color. Then, I re-calculated and decided I wasn't going to have enough yarn anyway. Ok, I could get a 3rd color to blend and do garter stitch squares with that. Still....if I didn't tell you what the designs were, could you tell? DD and I discussed it after sending her email pics and well..........I don't think so. Oddly enough I think they show up better here in the pictures then when you actually see them in person. Well, that's really not good.

Bought 3rd color, but you'll have to wait til I get a photo of it. Discussed the problem with the lady at the yarn shop. She thought maybe using a smaller needle would make the design pop more. If I'm going to frog these 4 finished squares....do I want to do that...or come up with what will now be plan C?

I can tell you the 3rd color is a darker brown, DD and I thought sticking with earthy colors was best. She suggested a chocolate brown and or forest green. Green didn't exist, so I got brown, though not sure I would call it chocolate.

Thoughts? Opinions?

Here it was laid out as a WIPW

Follow up on my question regarding the graphs from Rav. I've messed with it a bit and have determined it only lists projects you have listed as work in progress projects from your Rav. page, so my question about more recent projects not showing up is because they are listed as complete. I tend to only list them at that stage, or at least lately that's what I've done. So, conclusion is if one wants to follow and have projects staring at them as a reminder of what you've got going is to list your projects in the beginning and as you work on them change the percentage, they will show up on your graph until you mark them as completed. Even if you show it as 100% done on your project page on Rav it will still show up on the graph on your blog until you change the drop down box that has the option of completed/done. For those who responded via comments and said they didn't know how to add the graphs, here's the LINK on Rav.

**Pop back in on Monday folks, thought I'd try my hand again at a linky to help us all out with visits and spread some linky love. **

Wedding Ghan

Got the idea from this from doing the butterfly dishcloth you may have seen HERE. My DD's best friend is getting married in a few months and I wanted to make her a ghan. I've been after my daughter now for several months to find out her colors, and she's failed to do so. She tells me she's not a bright colors person; but beyond that....argh. So, I decided something subtle was the way to go. The plan is to use the lighter solid tan for the design squares and alternate that with the sorta tweedy darker tan for a subtle color contrast. The darker squares will basic garter stitch so that should also provide a texture contrast square to square. My hope is that will also help the designs pop out a bit more.

Using nice washable wool, Plymouth Encore Chunky, size 10 needles. The yarn is 75% acrylic and 25% wool. That should give it nice body, a good soft feel, be warm, and several steps above A Red Heart type yarn. The skeins have 143 yards; which surprised me when I got home ...as I thought it was 200 yards. I know some fleck Plymouth I was looking at was 200 yards, hope I have enough yarn, as I got all they had of the darker tweed.

**Question, notice the graph I've recently added from Rav? It's not showing as many projects as it did when I first added it yesterday. Why is that? AND, how do you get it to show more recent projects? Those listed above are super old projects.**