Getting Started

• Hi to my friend Candie! I've knitted the stockinette stitch and the garter stitch swatch! Wow, I never knew I had such uneven stitches. I got so confused about casting on that I went down to the local knit shop for reassurance. I pulled both swatches out several times before I finally quit and set them aside. I'm distracted right now because we are moving to a new house, so I'm knitting socks, but even then I notice how sloppy the stitiches are and how uneven the cast on stitches appear. Who knew? I am learning. I have a notebook and I bought five books to use a research, including the very impressive Vogue Knitting Book!! For great photos of how the swatches should appear, go to Forgetmeknotsgarden blog.


• I did finish the chemo cap, a purchase at Stitches West, with a pattern from Ali McGraw. She was at Stitches but I didn't get her autograph. My friend Janet called and she's a volunteer at the local hospital. She's asking for small afghans/shawls/laprobes to wrap around people who are going home and may have to go on the bus or who need something to wrap around them when they leave the hospital. I'm going to start on those while I'm watching TV. I can use big needles and washable yarn and pray for blessings on those who wear my wraps.


• I have a Knitting group now which meets every Third Thursday to knit and talk and support each other. I discovered I like small groups, five or six people, instead of a larger group because I want to hear what everyone is saying. I miss out if there are several conversations going on! Happy Day-WhidbeyKnitter

Knitting and Kindles

I got my instructions of the Master Knitter Level I course today. As part of the class, I have to do research on blocking, and understand the whys and how-tos of gauges. In one of my internet resources I found a website with a kindred spirit, a Level I Knitter, as well as a Kindle user. She recommends getting the Knitting for Dummies on Kindle. I will do that today! The Internet is turning out to be a great resource. More Later....

I Am Back and Happy To Be Here

Look what's happened north of Seattle! We got covered in snow. It's cold, snowy and good weather for knitting and reading.

Last weekend (Feb 17-20) I was at Stitches, a knitting expo, convention, gathering of many knitters in Santa Clara, Ca. My New Year resolution to start a knitting group happened the Thursday before I left, and I met up with old friends, Candie and Nancy, for a weekend of shopping, classes, and generally being blown away by the many exhibits of wool, yarns, patterns, needles...a whole convention center full of the things I love the most. I bought new needles, yarn for a sweater, and patterns for many projects, but the most important thing I came away with was an interest in the Master Knitter course given by The Knitting Guild Association (TKGA). I arrived home on Sunday and on Monday I ordered the first course, Level I. I am waiting for it to arrive, checking the mail every day.


While I'm waiting, I finished a pair of socks for Jim; I restarted a square for that Afghan for Missy; I started and ripped out a chemo cap three times!; I found a pair of wool socks I started eons ago; I recognize the need for bins or drawers for yarn when I get in my new house; I found the pattern book for a great gob of yarn I bought to knit a kimono cardigan; and I got the Knotty Knitter calendar in the mail from Knitters mag. and that included an entrelac pattern for a scarf that I plan to start with all the beautiful leftovers I have in baskets and bins. The year 2011 has started off pretty good.

Oh, and I joined the online group on Ravelry. Lots of support on there which should be a great help as I work my course. Lot of snow here, so perfect for knitting! WhidbeyKnitter

P.S. Just finished all Louise Penny books, my latest perfect detective story. Her development of side characters is terrific, and I am as interested in their development as in solving to the murder.

Happy Christmas

I haven't been keeping up with my blog on here, but I am posting on our Cruising Adventures blog. See the latest at: crusing adventures.blogspot.com

Knitting an Afghan

I read a blog about the Great American Aran Afghan and decided to knit it for Missy. So, I'm 6 blocks along, but I've only knitted the easy ones. I have gone to the local knit shop where they are doing a class for this very afghan, so I'll get help there. I have to admit I am much more interested in knitting brainlessly which means I knit socks. I know I can take the afghan along on our trip to Alaska with the big boat, but I'll just leave it and not work on it because I have to concentrate and look at the pattern directions. That's my knitting story for now. More later. V.

Cruising Adventures

For an update on what's happening around here, go to my other blog, Cruising Adventures http://www.crusingadventures.blogspot.com/ Look for my latest July 4th report, coming soon. V.

Oh, So Late!

We've been a little busy! The new boat is renamed from Dragon's Edge to Karen Marie. We didn't go with KM Too, II or KM III because it was getting silly. We really want the name and the extras don't count. We went over to LaConner to do the ceremony with 10 other boats from the Oak Harbor Yacht Club. It was fun, fun, fun. Steppe Williford, our friend, was Poseidon, and did the ceremony with all the proper drinking and toasting. We ate too much, drank too much and had a great time. Jim was really moved because it was silly but serious, and in memory of Karen.

The months have flown by. Where are we? I was sick for three weeks in February-the same bronchitis that got me a year ago. Seemed like it took forever before I was better. Jim has been preoccupied with the boat, prepping for Round Whidbey Race and our trip to Desolation Sound in Late May. We celebrated my birthday for a week and more in April. Last weekend we took the boat to Coronet Bay to be available for a renaming on a friend's boat. That got cancelled and we brought the boat back Saturday in a real blow. We bounced all over before we got back into the dock. Spent the night at the dock and slept like a log! All that excitement got to me.

We have been balancing boat stuff with church stuff. Our new priest has started things moving again. We got the portables refurbished ,and she now has an office, and we have a Sunday School room. The neighbors aren't happy but who cares. We have cleaned up th shrubs around the chapel, and they screamed about that. Now we talk to them through our lawyer. The good things are added classes, great Bible study and great gatherings of the faithful. I can see a wonderful future with so much less stress coming around the corner.

As I said, we leave May 27 for Desolation Sound. We'll be gone 3 1/2 weeks or so, traveling up and back with 4-5 other boats. If we are lucky, we'll have good weather like last year. Right now we are going through some spring storms that really blow and bring lots of rain. Hope that isn't what we can expect for later. We'll go to a few places we've been before, but we will have new adventures in Desolation Sound, a Canadian marine park with lots of anchorages, islands and beautiful scenery. We've stayed on the boat twice now and we love it! It has so much more storage and a great galley for cooking. We still have a few things to get/fix before we leave, but we'll be ready. I'm making lists of food and clothes to put on board, and Jim gets the electrical and other stuff ready. Right now he's working on a leak under the sink in the galley. He hates plumbing, so that's a challenge. Next week end is Round Whidbey Race, so he has to fix the leak now!

Everyone in the family is well. The girls will be here for July 4th, and we'll move on the boat to fit the family into the house. We hope both Wagner cousins will be here, too. We'll just be home a week before they all arrive! Meghan was here for sping break. What a gift! She is so much fun!

Blessings on friends and family. If you are coing over for a visit, let us know so we'll be home. The Whidbey Wagners