BETTER LATE THAN NEVER HOLIDAY POEM

Here's a little something I composed before the holidays and am just getting onto the blog. Enjoy!


Holiday Knitting

Mittens, scarves, and fingerless gloves
I’m knitting warm woolies for all of my loves:

Fetching for Frieda
Dashing for Dan
Wicked for Wanda
Jaywalkers for Jan

A Lizard Ridge for Laurie
Swallowtail for Sue
Monkeys for Mary
A Dangly for Drew

Dishrags for my Aunties
Kitty-Pi for the Cat
BSJ for the baby
A Meathead for Matt

No more time for poems
And there’s no time to rhyme
I’ve got to get knitting
Or I’ll run out of time!

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to all!

FLOWERS

Someone Gave You Flowers

• Someone gave you flowers because they enjoyed imagining your beautiful smile, your surprise, your love gushing back, in return, to the giver.
• Someone gave you flowers because they knew you were going through a very difficult and trying time and they hoped the beauty of the flowers would distract you long enough to remind you that the world is a beautiful place, and people love you, and this too shall pass.
• Someone gave you flowers to alleviate their guilt because they behaved like an asshole and they have the warped belief that flowers could make everything well again. Asshole!
• Someone gave you flowers because they remembered how much you love them and how flowers seem to transport you to a different place where you, too, could bloom.
• Someone gave you flowers because you lost someone who held a special place in your heart. They gave you flowers because that is just what you’re supposed to do. And nobody knows exactly what to say to you to relieve your pain. But they want to know what to say. They just don’t. So someone gave you flowers instead.
• Someone gave you flowers because their love for you is pure and devoted. They gave them as a gift and an offering because only a beautiful flower, a manifestation of God’s love and beauty, could even come close to expressing the love in their heart for you.
• Someone gave you flowers because they were out walking for fresh air on their lunch hour, at the farmer’s market, and when they spied the cutest, most colorful button chrysanthemums it made them feel whimsical for some strange reason and that, of course, could not help but make them think of you.
• Someone gave you flowers to adorn your hair because you are a flower child and love the sun and running barefoot in cool deep mossy grass and they know someone like that should have flowers in their hair.
• Someone gave you flowers painted with big carefree splashes of tempera paints, thick and rich with alligator cracks; irregular and glorious and created from the innocence of childhood and from someone who can only totally gush with love for their mother at that age.
• Someone gave you flowers and they came by messenger, without a card or a clue. And it nearly drove you straight to insanity not knowing and frustration and embarrassment when inquiring of this fellow, or that lover, or a co-worker, all who denied the act, leaving you red and shamefaced because of your assumptions. Secret admirer? Stalker? Asshole?

(By: P. Ballantyne, 02/2008)

A Little More Knitting Poetry

IT'S EVERYWHERE!

Yarn piled by my knitting spots
Both downstairs and up
Some displayed cleverly
In an old china cup

Overflowing from baskets
In bags and in bins
In drawers and in cupboards
And old Christmas tins

Yarn under the end table
And alongside the books
Tucked into crannies
Shoved into nooks

Yarn in the attic
Stashed in the shed
Some in the crawl space
Some under my bed

Yarn stored in boxes
And de-signer totes
And more on my desk
With all my yarn notes

Yarn in the closets
And some on the shelf
MUST find more storage
Make note to self!

(by P. Ballantyne 09/2008)

Knitting Poetry

I have a little knit
that's put me in a snit
increase....decrease....
it doesn't want to fit!

Knit one...purl two...
start with gray
switch to blue

Round and round
down you go
work the heel
and soon the toe

Kitchener off
admire with love
slip on your prize
fits like a glove!

Wiggle your toes
just can't wait
cast on another
it needs a mate!

by PeechPurls 10/2008

Such a Total Delinquent!

Hello! to anyone still checking in once in a while.

Geez......... Haven't posted since March!

Hope to get back soon. I suppose when the weather starts to change I'll be more likely to sit down to the computer.

Are you on Ravelry yet? Find me there as PeechPurls. I'm only slightly more current there! I've finished a few things, started and finished a few things, and made a little progress on a few things that had already been started. Just gotta find my camera, a little sunshine, and some creativity.

GARDEN

GARDEN

Inside my head
There is a garden
It's a beautiful garden
But it's not been contained
Or properly fertilized
It has become wild
And tangled
With outrageous bursts of color
Everywhere
It begs to be cut back
Tamed
Shared
Parts put in vases
And delivered to loved ones
Parts for the compost
Parts left alone
Inside my head
There is a garden
(by P. Ballantyne - 01/2008)

Don't forget to check out my contest on the previous post!

(huge) Clue #1: this is in Chicago

HELLO KITTY & CONTEST

Is this little guy cute, or what?! I was cruising around Ravelry earlier this week and looking through the various "swaps" and found this. I had to make him, although I probably won't join the swap. I can't knit under pressure or deadlines. That's just not what knitting is all about for me. I can bring myself to set a goal of knitting for a charity, or as a gift for family, friend, loved one, but a swap, while it sounds intriguing, would probably just stress me out.


And to get an idea of size, here he is next to my cork guy (Korkinasse?)

So much fun to knit. I'm going to make another using some self-striping sock yarn. This kitty was made using sport-aran weight wool and Size 1 needles. I think when I use sock yarn I'll drop down to Size 0.

The yarn for kitty is Numero Uno Tweed that I bought from Little Knits. They were having a bag sale and I purchased 20 balls. I'll be using it to make a cardigan (see below). The color looks pretty orangey, but it's a bit more rust than orange.

And another knitted toy -- Elijah II. I love miniatures so I had to try him again in a baby weight yarn. Isn't he cute?!

I don't know if I've ever 'fessed up to it in the past, but over the 12 years I've been knitting, I've made 6 or 7 sweaters, none of which was ever successfully completed or, if they were completed, they were never worn. Those that were not completed were knitted to the point of seaming, and then I just couldn't bring myself to finish. I don't know what that's all about, but I suspect that I had a terrible fear of completing the work and finding out that it looked like crap on me. I know. That's pretty pathetic. And, a self-fulfilling prophecy -- those that I did take the time to finish, DID look like crap on me. Ill-fitting, bad color, wrong size and shape for my girly figure, etc.

So over the years I've knitted the most beautiful blankets, socks, gloves, hats, childrens clothing, toys, lace shawls, ponchos, and on and on. Just no more adult sweaters. This is so ridiculous that I've been knitting this long and can't do a sweater. So, a week or so ago, I bought the Numero Uno Tweed at a very reasonable price, and decided to KNIT MYSELF A SWEATER AND WEAR IT, DAMMIT!

I swatched for Tweedy Aran Caridgan from Interweave Knits:

...and my swatches were spot-on for gauge! The resulting fabric is thinner than I would like, but being that I'm having internal thermostat issues, a thin wool sweater will be just perfect.

And my progress thus far:

I'm really pleased. My gauge continues to be good and the waist shaping measurements, as far as I can tell with my measuring tape and mirror, are going to work with my curves. Other than the 2 panels of a 20-row repeat, the other panels are easily memorized and so it is going along quickly.

My contract with myself is to not start any other new projects bigger than a toy, scarf or sock, until this is completed -- lovingly washed, blocked, seamed, adjusted if necessary, modeled and photographed for the blog and Ravelry sites. Feedback will be anxiously welcomed.

CONTEST!!!

Where in the world was PeechPurls Thursday night?

This may be too easy for some of you, but -- take a look at the pictures below. The first person who leaves me a comment identifying the correct location of this beautiful place -- must include both Name of City AND Name of Building -- will win a "Rock"in' prize. (scroll down)

PRIZE:

1 Skein -- Blue Moon Fiber Arts

SOCKS THAT ROCK

Lightweight

Color -- Lemongrass

Approx. 360 yds / 4-5 oz.

Gauge: 8-10 st. per inch on size 1 needles

(Sorry I don't have a picture here. There may be one in my stash

at Ravelry, or you can view at Blue Moon's website)