Miss Marguerite Majacraft

Recently, while browsing Etsy (danger-danger!), I found a listing for a used Majacraft Suzie Pro. This wheel was advertised as a limited edition wheel from about a 10 or so years ago. I did a little research and decided to take the plunge. She arrived today and I hope you will enjoy the photos of the unpacking process.

(The seller said that she hoped I'd find the packing amusing.....you'll see!)

Quite a package!

Curious kittens.

Protective packaging.

Checking it out.

Majacraft mummy.

Finally free.

New Zealand daisies.

Merino, alpaca, silk waiting to be spun

Marguerite and Merry,

Good day!

WWJS? WWJD? Stained Glass Thoughts

On a recent visit to Maryland's beautiful Eastern Shore, I was fortunate to wander into Christ Church in St. Michael's. It's a lovely little Episcopal church with vaulted wooden ceilings and shining stained glass windows.

On one side, they've added an entrance with more contemporary stained glass panels. I'm a sucker for blending old and new!

These panels deserve to be shared, not only for their beauty, but also because the story they represent is so relevant right now. I'm  not much for quoting Bible verses and stories, or literal Bible translations, but here it is. It seems to me that a lot of politicians and "Christians" spend a lot of time cherry-picking Bible verses to suit their agendas. It also seems to me that if we are going to call ourselves Christians, followers of Christ's teachings, then this is one we need to heed.  Let's review, shall we?

The Sheep and the Goats
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.




34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat,

 I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink,

 I was a stranger and you invited me in,

36 I needed clothes and you clothed me,

 I was sick and you looked after me,

I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”


WWJS? (What Would Jesus Say?)


WWJD? (What Would Jesus Do?)


You know.....

Ejyafjallajökull - that's easy for you to say!

It's done! The Ejyafjallajökull shawl is blocked and dry and lovely! And just in time, too, as I leave for Scotland via Iceland and the Ejyafjallajökull volcano/glacier on Monday! Yep, on Tuesday night, I'll be sleeping at the base of the volcano....shawl in hand and camera at the ready. I'll have three nights and four days in Iceland. There's so much to see! We're going to stay on the southern part of the Ring Road, #1, and visit geysers, springs and waterfalls.

So, here's my Ejyafjallajökull shawl by Anna Dalvi. Looks a lot like lava, don't you think?



More from Iceland next week!

Memorial Day 2013

It's been a beautiful weekend here- just right for Memorial Day celebrations. I've been trying to squeeze as much "fun"as possible into the three day weekend. Here's what's been happening around here:

A little sock knitting...I'm almost ready to decrease for the toe. Note to self- knit toe up the next time!

I'll spend a little time working on the flower beds behind our house. They've been neglected too long. The plants are (l to r) hellebores, variegated hostas, Ruby Slipper Oak Leaf hydrangea, Creeping Jenny, and red leafed Coral Bells.

...and I'm sure there will be more cat cuddling- that's in high demand around here....but look at that face....who could resist?

Another Round of MIA Blogger Syndrome

Well, another year has rolled around and I've been a MIA blogger and a MIA knitter. I have no excuse about the blogging. Just laziness.  I have been knitting, but just not finishing anything. We have, however,  had some momentous family occasions since my last post, so let me get you all caught up!

First, in August 2012, our oldest son Nick married his lovely bride, Meagan.  We gained a lovely daughter and had a fabulous time at their lovely wedding.

Then the school year began.

I loved my students, but it was not a good year.
Roller coaster.
Enough said about that as it will be over in a couple of short weeks.

Peter, one of our twins, enlisted in the Air Force and went to BMT in January.  It was difficult not being in communication with him for eight weeks, but we cherished those rare calls.

While Peter was at BMT, his dear Granny,  my sweet mom-in-law, became very ill.  All of the family gathered to say our good-byes in March.  Her service was a wonderful tribute to her life. She is loved, cherished, and greatly missed.

About a week after Mom's funeral, John, Alex, and I traveled to San Antonio to be with Peter at his BMT graduation.  We were so proud of him! He was an expert marksman and an Honor Graduate.
He's just completed the first part of his Technical Training at Keesler AFB in Biloxi, Mississippi. Last Thursday, he moved to Sheppard AFB in Wichita Falls, Texas for the remainder of his training.  He'll finish in mid-August.  Avionics....that's his field.  He hopes to learn the location of his first base assignment in the next few weeks!

Then there's Alex, the other twin brother.  He's doing been busy completing his Junior year at GMU and doing this:

....and this:

...and this:

What can I say?
OMG.
:)

That's a quick family update to fill in the gap of the past 11 months.  There's a big trip scheduled for this summer, so I'll try to find my blogging groove before then!
TTFN!

A Whole Lot of Knittin' Going On

Finally - if you look on the right hand side of this blog, you'll see a "Knitting Meter". It's been at ZERO all this year. This week, I FINALLY was able to update it as I completed the Birthday Aestlight, a birthday gift for my friend Kim. I'm really pleased with how it turned out and she likes it a lot, so I'm counting it as a success!

 There are several other shawls in various stages of progress. First, the Summer Solstice Mystery Shawl by WendyKnits. This is a KAL and we're waiting for the final clue, coming on Tuesday.
 
 Next is the Wollmeise Vortex Shawl KAL with the Wollmeise group on Ravelry. This might turn into an "eternal knit". If I had not decided to put beads on the shawl, it would be a perfect TV knitting project. I only have about 40 stitches per section right now, so there's a lot left to do. :(  I like it, though!
 
 And last, is the Rockefeller KAL with Stephen West. I was going to wait to start this one, but was enticed by all the pretty photos posted in the Ravelry group, so I started mine too.  I'm using Wollmeise 100% in Cassis WD and Gazpacho. I really like the colors together.
 
 Summer is quickly coming to an end. We have begun the countdown to DS#1's wedding, then it's back to school time. This week, we'll catch a baseball game and next week head for the beach. Here's hoping there will be lots of knitting time there, too!

Things You Need to Know-Just in Case!

Here are a few helpful hints, just in case, Heaven forbid, you ever have to have abdominal surgery. First, you are going to be swollen and bloated for awhile. This applied to C-sections too, because I've had two of those and know from experience. To be more comfortable post-surgery, I recommend buying new undies 1 to 2 sizes larger. Also, pick up several pairs of exercise pants, also in a larger than normal size. Comfort-comfort-comfort.....you won't want anything tight around your abdomen for awhile, so you might as well be comfortable.

Now, about body rotation.....you know....the rotation, twisting motion of the waist that must occur in order to take care of certain hygiene-related procedures in the bathroom. In other words, wiping your bottom. :) Is this TMI? Well, trust me, the nurses and doctors at your hospital won't think about it. Here's the scene: It's your first hour back at home and suddenly, it's bathroom time. You go in, do your business, and discover that you are either 1. too sore in the abdominal area to rotate to wipe or 2. too scared that you are too sore in the abdominal area to wipe. What do you do? Call your husband/SO for help and be mortified? Grit your teeth through the pain & do it yourself? Here's how I solved the problem, thanks to my OT friend, Kim. Salad tongs. Yes, salad tongs....just wrap a baby wipe around the end and the salad tongs will provide about a foot of additional reach until you recover your waist rotation. This worked very well and I think Kim is a very clever person!
 

OK - that's enough helpful advice for now. CLAP - on to knitting news. Here's what happened in my knitting room this week:

Clue C of the WendyKnits Summer Solstice Mystery Shawl has been completed!;


I'm also knitting in the Vortex KAL over in the Wollmeise group. Here's mine so far.


Family news: the countdown is on for Nick and Meagan's August 11 wedding. I'll finally have another girl in the family...YIPPEE! Here she is at her shower:



And that's it for now because the power is off again. :( Here we go again!