Emergency Knitting

There are a few things that I try never to leave the house without -- my cell phone, my purse, my ipod, and my knitting. What if, horror of horrors, I was stuck in traffic or had car trouble and had no knitting with me? What would I do to pass the time? What would I do to calm my nerves? I know - I have become obsessed.

Tonight, on my way home, my obsession served me well. My car, apparently a nail magnet given the number of flat tires I've had since buying it, picked up a large chunk of metal in one of the tires. I heard it thumping and pulled over on the interstate but there was no flat tire. I got back in my car and drove a bit further. The thumping got worse and worse until I saw something out of my rearview mirror fly out from under my car. Then I heard it - a sickening pssssssss thud thud thud thud. I pulled over again and, yep, my tire had turned into a pancake.

I called AAA and settled in with my knitting. That comforting click-slide-click of the needles made those 20 minutes of wait time fly by. Before I knew it, the service truck was there. This very nice man had my tire changed in under an hour. As he was packing his gear to leave, I hopped in my car to drive away. . .click . . .click click click . . .deader than a doornail. My hazard lights had drained my battery. Luckily, the gentleman had not left yet. With a smile, he jumped my car and sent me on my way - wishing me a good evening. AAA Man, you are my hero!

So, there you have it. In addition to a AAA card, spare tire, flashlight, and cell phone, emergency knitting should be considered essential equipment for every car.

Podcasts, anyone?

I made the mistake of mentioning to my brother that I love to listen to knitting podcasts. He said "What's to listen to? The sound of metal sticks hitting each other? Ooh, that sounds like socks." What a smart @$$.

But, it gave me the idea for this blogpost. Here are a few that I listen to on my 40 minute commute to work.

Stash and Burn - Nicole and Jenny have inspired me when my knitting mojo was MIA. They are creative, funny, and I look forward to every new episode.

The Knitmore Girls - Gigi and Jasmine are a mother and daughter duo that have lots of good information. Gigi is a delight with her "Mother Knows Best" segment. And you never know what to expect from her Magenta-headed daughter.

cogKNITive - This is a new one for me. Dr. Gemma is a prison psychologist who records her podcasts in her car during her commute. Her insights into psychology combined with her knitting stories are a good listen.

CraftLit - CraftLit is also one I'm just now trying on for size. Heather Ordover is reading The Scarlet Letter right now. I'll let you know if I stick with this one. She has a nice voice and her podcasts have good sound quality.

Cast On - This was one of my favorites for a long time. Unfortunately for us, Brenda Dayne doesn't release new episodes as frequently or as regularly as she used to. And I miss the stories she used to tell herself. She has such a wonderful voice and paints such vivid word pictures.

Anyone else out there have some favorites they'd like to share? Those of us with long commutes would appreciate anything new to keep us entertained as we fly down the interstate.

May - Derby Day, Mother's Day

This is my new knitting nest. My husband bought the swing for me a while back and refurbished it. He bought me new cushions for it and hung it on our private deck outside our bedroom as a Mother's Day gift. I spent all Mother's Day in it - knitting, napping, knitting, reading. I woke up from my nap to this from D#1:

This is a rose from a rosebush that my mother started for me, that she started from a slip from her grandmother's, that her grandmother started from a slip from her grandmother. My favorite part of flower gardening is having a plant with history.

On the knitting front, I have been busy with Bella Paquita, but she is still not finished. I am having trouble getting the sleeves sewn in just right. My seaming is P-I-T-I-F-U-L! I took the sleeves out for the second time today and will have to work up the gumption to attempt them again.

For a little mindless knitting in those "I am so sick of you, Bella!" moments, I'm just working up a good ol' dishrag - or warshrag as D#1 likes to say.

I did not make it to Stitches South in April, but my friends were able to go. My good friend, Liana, didn't want me to miss out on any yarny goodness and brought me this gift:

The colorway is "Wild Thing" - doesn't she make your heart sing? Thanks, Liana! And thanks, Martha and Chris for sharing your stories and for the show-n-tell!

Also, this month, it was my privilege to work as a volunteer at Churchill Downs again during the Oaks and Kentucky Derby. Four friends from Nashville drove up to join me on Friday night, May 2, to work a 12+ hour shift manning souvenir trailers at the Downs. It was a long, hard day, but we had a blast. We were participating in a fundraiser for G.O. Ministries, for which my brother and sister-in-law work. G.O. received $47,500 for working this event! I've already committed to work again next year - my 4th year in a row - a great time for a great cause.

That about wraps up May for me. The kids will be out of school this week (although D#2 has had some kind of bug and will probably miss her last day). We're looking forward to our family vacation next month. Then, the month after that, we hit birthday season. Hopefully, Bella will be done by then!?!