Braggin’ Time…

February 15, 2016

Two posts in less than a week…I may be getting back my groove.  (If I ever had one!)  I’ve been anxious to let everyone know that one of my knitting designs has finally been published.  I am so excited about this I could…well…brag!

One night last year, I saw a posting on a yarn company’s (called Knit Picks) website asking for pattern design submissions for knitted items that use small amounts of yarn.  Hmmmmm…I thought…I should be able to come up with something for that.  Unable to sleep that night, my mind whirled with possibilities of small items to knit.  Had to be something that was a bit different than a hat or scarf because I wanted it to be noticed by the selection committee. 

Then an idea flew into my head.  Why not some kind of jewelry?  Small, wouldn’t take much yarn, should be quick to knit.  Ok then.  A necklace.  My mind whirled some more.  I came up with what I thought might be a good design and then went to sleep, hoping I’d remember my design when the morning came.  When I awoke, I skipped breakfast, skipped making the bed and skipped down to my craft room to find the yarn that would be suitable to make the necklace.  Ahhhhhhhh…found it!  (It should be noted that I have tons of yarn in my craft room, so if I can imagine a design then I most likely have some sort of suitable yarn to make it…I guess it does pay to be a pack rat!)

Anyhow, I knitted the necklace in just a few hours.  Then I took pictures of it and, before I my resolve and excitement could waiver at the thought of possible rejection, I uploaded that pattern to the submissions page on the company’s website.  There…done!  All I had to do at that point was to wait for the e-mail.  Several days (and prayers) later, I got the e-mail. 

Woohoo!  They had accepted my design…and they were willing to pay me to use the design!  God is, indeed, good to me. 

After several months of knitting the necklace over and over and revising the pattern over and over to make sure every stitch knitted up perfectly (I lean just a teensy weensy bit towards the obsessive/compulsive side), the pattern has been published in a collection called “Petite Presents” which is sold on the Knit Picks website.  Working with the people at Knit Picks was a wonderful experience and one I hope to repeat at some point in the future.  Click on the link below (in green) to check out the pattern and see what you think!  (Note: Click on the picture of the pretty model to bring up a bigger picture, then click on the arrow that points to the right to see more views of the necklace.)

http://www.knitpicks.com/patterns/Piney_Ridge_Necklace__D52002220.html

Long Time, No Write…

February 10, 2016

I’m embarrassed that I haven’t posted anything for months.  This is mostly due to a bout of extreme laziness on my part, but not entirely.  I can’t remember whether or not I previously mentioned (and I’m too lazy to go back and read my previous posts) that Charming ran for a seat in our local Board of Supervisors’ race.  I have to say that I was never fond of the idea of him serving in such a public capacity.  He (and I) had attended most of the Board of Supervisors’ meetings for the past several years.  He spoke at many of these meetings, voicing his opposition to proposed tax increases and anything that he felt might negatively impact the citizens of our county.  The election took place back in November and, although he did have a lot of community support, he did not win the election. 

Prior to the election, Charming and I had many discussions regarding whether or not he should “throw his hat into the ring” for the election.  We decided that he would run and if God wanted him to serve in that capacity then it would happen; if not, then He had something else in store for us.  At that time, we also discussed our options after the election.  After attending so many Board meetings, we both realized that Charming was essentially fighting a losing battle in trying to single-handedly convince the Board to not raise taxes.  Knowing where the newly elected Board members stand on raising taxes, we realize that it’s time to abandon the fight and move on.

We hope we will be able to live an average lifespan of about 85 years.  Since we are both in our early 50’s, we know that we need to act now to achieve any life goals that we are holding onto.  As you know by now, we like to grow as much of our own food as possible.  However, with the small town lot that we currently have, we can’t be as self-sufficient as we would like.  I love to knit, spin yarn, can food, make soap, grow vegetables and herbs, and anything else that relates to a farm-type life.  Charming likes to “fix” things and cut wood…and he’s great at that.  Our skills seem to point us in the direction of living a farm life. 

So…….we recently purchased about 12 acres in the western mountains of Virginia.  The property has a pre-fab house that is not in great shape, but Charming assures me that he will make it nice before we move into it.  He does wonderful work, so I know this will happen.  The place has enough land to allow us to grow as many crops as we want (a dedicated asparagus bed; pumpkin and winter squash patch; rows of corn for eating, popping, and making corn meal; tomatoes, carrots, beans, onions, sweet potatoes, and all the regular crops; chickens; and maybe even a sheep or two for knitting purposes. 

The land has a small river that runs through it and about 1/3 of the property is wooded.  (This will support Charming’s obsession with wood and heat our home as well.)  The property also has a small cottage that we eventually hope to renovate as well, but that may be several years down the road.  The road that leads to the property is a gravel road and fairly secluded.  The location of the property reminds me very much of the place where I grew up.  We’ve spent some time there since we purchased it and it is, indeed, extremely peaceful and quiet at our new “mini-farm”…just the way Charming and I like it.  

The "new" house...an older pre-fab, but Charming will turn it into
a castle for us so that we can live happily ever after in it.

Within the four posts in this picture is where the previous
owners had their garden.  We hope to have a garden that is
at least four times as big.

Our driveway runs alongside the board fence (in about the middle
of this picture).  The state road, which is gravel, runs along the
other side of the fence.

Here's the river that runs through the property.  It's situated
just about in the middle of the property.  Our own forest is
on the other side of the river.  We hope to be able to fill our
freezer with deer meat harvested from our own land.

Another view of the river.  There is a space along the river
where we will use as a picnic area.

I was standing by the river when I took this picture.  The
house looks so much nicer from this distance.

This shed is where we keep Charming's newly purchased
used tractor.  The left part of the shed is set up as a chicken
house...YAY!  (More pictures in next post of the "cottage"
that we plan to renovate...so Sis don't worry, we won't
make you sleep in the tractor shed when you come to visit.)

This is the inside of the tractor shed where Charming will do
tractor-related stuff.