Overwhelmed with sadness...

Today is Wednesday.  It has been two days since we received the news...

Our Grandmother passed away on Monday afternoon.

She was my husband's Grandmother on the maternal side.  I called her Grandma Hana, but pretty much everyone called her Grammy- 

My husband keeps telling me that she's had a very fulfilling life... that she was just old.  She would have been 89 come this July.  I actually have only met and known her for just over the past two very short months.  Those two short months, for me, were a very special gift to me... 

She was just lovely.  I felt as though I have known her for a very long time... she made me feel so welcome and I instantly felt right at home.  Just wish I had spent more time with her and I am sure she would have liked to share a lot more with me as well.

The second visit we had was over Mother's Day weekend.  I wanted to give her something that was personal, and also wanted her to remember me by so I decided to knit a lap throw for her :)  she seemed cold all of the time even though her house is kept very warm.  I had no idea what colors she liked nor what textures she would prefer, for she also is a seasoned knitter/crocheter, but I wanted to surprise her...  So, I ventured out to find what I thought would be fitting for her and just went with it.

I worked diligently since I had a deadline to meet and just knitted my afternoons/nights away.  I do have a full-time day job, ya know?

I bound off the last stitch...  embellished some knitted flowers on it...  blocked the piece...  carefully wrapped it...  only then, I was able to relax...  however, that was short lived :( 

I started to worry about what if she doesn't care for it?  what if she hates the color?  what if?  what if?  Many "what ifs" later, I came to a realization that she will love it no matter what because it was knitted by my own two hands and made especially for her AND because she is a knitter herself, she will appreciate it. 

Guess what?

I was right. 

I noticed whenever we visited after Mother's Day, Grandma Hana had the throw over her lap whenever she sat down in her chair.  Oh, it made me feel so happy~  I am very glad that I was able to give her a gift that will keep her warm and cozy.

Ah...  I will miss you very much, Grandma Hana... 

I want you to know that you will always, always be remembered by me, Grandma Hana. 

I am so very grateful that the last time I saw you in the hospital, you were alert and that you remembered me as well.

I will remember your smile when I said, "Good Night~"

Almost finished!!!

Remember I said I was going to work on a perfectly sassy gift for my cousin?  

Alright, alright...  I will spill it...  It is a purse with adorable wooden handles in this incredible shade of purple by Dream In Color~ 

Well, I thought I had enough yarn, but ran out simply because I changed my mind at the last second to make my design a little bigger.

So, FINALLY, I made it back to the yarn shop this evening to purchase another skein... only to realize that it is, of course, hand painted and dyed so the colors may vary ever so slightly.  In which case, I am supposed to alternate between skeins of yarn to minimize any chance of my creation being noticeably different in their hue... should there be a discrepancy-  Only, I have already spent the first skein therefore I am not able to alternate... AHHH.........................

Oh, well...  I actually am not that worried about it because I just know it will be perfect!  I try to set a deadline for myself when I am working on a gift piece...  

I better get back to my needles~

  

A small gesture; a P-E-R-F-E-C-T surprise~

Well, I had a G-R-E-A-T night on Wed. :D 
It was such a pleasant surprise, really...

Every Wed. evening, my husband and my son have their "Boyz-Night-Out"-  They go off do their own thing while I'm at Yoga, usually, or doing my own thing-  Actually, I took a term off from my Yoga class so I've been pretty much left to fend for myself on Wed. nights.

Anyway, this Wed. evening, my Boyz took their night off to spend it with me.  My husband took me to one of my favorite yarn shops and my son helped me choose a perfect color to knit our favorite cousin a fantaboulous purse!!!

It was a small gesture, but nevertheless a perfect surprise for I really needed a little pick-me-up... 

Of course, I walked out of there with a perfect shade and weight of yarn to knit a perfectly sassy gift for our cousin.

Nothing like a good company to knit with~

I was just looking over a knitting book which my friend had left at my house for some time, now...


Hmm... it brings back memories as I thumb through the gorgeous patterns of vests for both men and women in all sorts of texture and colors.


Many winters ago, this friend of mine would come over every evening and we would knit and knit and knit.  We both love coffee and tea so we'd make a fresh, hot pot of coffee with our favorite mugs in front of us and we'd knit.  My family will eventually excuse themselves and go off to dream land, but we'd stay up long into the wee small hours of the morning chatting, laughing, discussing everything and anything there is to discuss under the sun... and most importantly, bonding-  Ah... those truly were some good times!  We carried on this way about 1 to 2 nights a week during the very cold winter months and never tired of it.  She and I shared many projects, designs and were each other's biggest knitting fans:)


After awhile, she complained of pain in her hands.  It worsened and she no longer was able to knit with me.  She still came over and kept me company for some time, still... but it just didn't feel the same for me anymore and I felt that I was somehow being disloyal to her because she loved knitting just as much as I did if not more.


So, I put away my needles and we would just visit...


I miss those days knitting with my friend :(

My newfound best friend~ Patterns!

Okay...  So, I've shared my secret with you last time which to this day as I look back at all those years of knitting by my "perfect" method, makes me smile :)  Why?  Because it worked so well for me!  I actually am capable of writing a perfectly sound pattern just like any other knit designers'.
Please do not confuse this statement with my being conceited and/or arrogant, I am simply stating the fact of what works for me and that I enjoy writing patterns as much as knitting them.


The reason I like writing my own patterns is that I could create the piece however I want!  Sure, I have a ton of books on knitting and also check out two tons of books from the library but when it's time for me to focus and actually knit, I almost ALWAYS tweak the pattern I am using as a reference to make it my very own.


Have you ever felt that you were at a total loss while studying a pattern?
I have...
But do not worry... you just have to practice reading them-
Also, I do not like to work from charts.  When chart reading is not your forte, make it so~ by simply writing it out!  That's what I do and it works every time.


Well... if you CAN'T read a chart... I can't help ya, there... just kidding... 


Try deciphering a simple chart using the skills of basic chart reading and always, always write down as you work your way through.  Remember, take baby steps with positive mental attitude, and soon chart reading will be a piece of cake~ oh, yeah, and you get to eat it, too-


One last thought on my newfound best friend...
As you study patterns in abundance, you will become more familiar and comfortable with them as well as you will love them as you would love your best friend; unconditionally!


So, go ahead, befriend a Pattern... you will thank me, someday...


I P-R-O-M-I-S-E   :D

Hmm... Patterns? What's that???

I have to admit...
Until a few years ago, I absolutely despised reading patterns!


What?  What was that? you may ask... for how can you call yourself a knitter if you despise reading patterns?  It's an absolutely asinine statement that it's ludicrously unfunny :)


Okay, okay... Sheesh-  there was (notice a past tense) a perfectly logical explanation for this fact.  Remember a few postings ago when I told about having to learn the terminology and reading the patterns in the Korean Language?  That has everything to do with "why" I couldn't stand to read the patterns in English.   I didn't know the terminology in English let alone muster the courage to actually learn and memorize them. 


Who has time for such things???


Knitting is about unleashing your own inner creativeness; not some chore you have to endure...


There, I've just divulged the truth that I was back then embarassed to admit, but now I openly tell my fellow knitters.


So, to get back to the subject of pattern reading, I simply did not.


Every time I knitted, I wrote my own patterns complete with my freehand design illustrations of what my creation is going to be.  I envisioned the end product and kept on knitting.


I went on to knit for a few more years with my "perfect" method :) until I was good and ready to give this... this... uh... "pattern reading in English" a try~


After that, life was A-L-L good :D

When my son was born...

The year was 1999... Wow! no wonder my boy is just an inch shy of being as tall as I am...
Actually, that is not saying much since I am only 5'1 1/2" Hee...Hee... Please, don't forget that "half-an-inch" part!!!


Anyway, when he was born, I received these A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E set of crocheted pair of newborn booties in white and blue from a woman in Utah whom I've never met-  I've only heard of this woman through my friends who live in Utah... for she is one of their friends. My friends told her that I had a baby... she just got to working her magic and voila` just a few days later arrived this incredibly adorable handmade gift.


This got me thinking...
How wonderful is that to share your talent to make someone feel special?
Of course, my son never wore those booties... it was too precious!  I have it safely stowed away in his very own keepsake box. 


I stopped thinking and put my thoughts to action... :D
About a year and some months later, one of my good friends had a baby girl.  I wanted to do something special for her so I got out my crochet hook and got to work.  All the while, I thought of the woman in Utah and my friend's baby girl.  I crocheted a baby hat and a scarf for it was winter at the time and thought it would be perfect!  After gifting the items I have created, I felt such joy at having given something that has been made by my own hands, I knew the feeling I experienced then would never have been possible had I gone to the store to purchase a gift for my friend's baby girl.


So... I crocheted a little something here for my son... a little something there for my home...etc.etc...


Well, you know?  You can't have it all...  Things got hectic with life and I once again had to put away my hook for a long, long time-

When I was a little girl...

Well... let's see...
I remember I was about seven when I first held a pair of knitting needles and a crochet hook.  Actually, I learned from one of my cousins how to crochet first then I learned how to knit later.  I was and still am a very curious soul when it comes to creating "stuff" by hands:)  I saw my cousin working on this beautiful ivory lace table runner and asked her how she could make something like that!  She asked me if I would like to learn and I said "yes" in a heart beat...  After spending an afternoon with her at the age of seven, I really got the hang of the pattern and started my very own project.  I never finished it, but I still to this day have that piece of my very first project tucked safely away in my treasure trunk.

About a year later, I found a pair of knitting needles laying around the house and asked my mom what those were for.  She showed me that they were for knitting and I asked, "what's knitting?"  She then asked if I wanted her to knit me something, as if she, too, had forgotten all about her knitting needles until I asked her about them.  She took me to go buy this bright red yarn and told me that she was going to knit me a pair of mittens.  For days, I contentedly watched my mom's fast moving hands work their magic over my red mittens with huge cables running down the middle of it!  They were so warm and bright... I wore them everywhere I went.  But unlike my cousin, my mom never asked me if I wanted to learn how to knit and I don't remember asking her to teach me, either.  I do remember playing around with her needles and yarn on my own...


Another year has gone by...  and I somehow learned to cast on and was able to knit and purl fairly well.  My very first project was this long piece with alternating knit and purl pattern which now that I think back could have been a scarf???  Who knows???  I still was a little girl.


Oh, by the way... what little experiences I had with crocheting and knitting, I learned the terminology and reading the patterns and books in the Korean language-  This plays a very crucial fact later in my "knitting" life because I had to re-learn all of the terminology in English!!!  


Anyway, so been there, done that... I moved on and didn't look back on the craft until when I wasn't a little girl anymore~