Friday, January 25, 2008

News, Good and Bad

So much has been happening and there are varied ways to relate it:

Ver 1. Managed to produce a bunch of iPod cozies recently.


Ver 2. I have had plenty of time to knit in public while waiting for Gene's angiogram.

Ver 3. Gene is OK for now, but a second opinion is scheduled and then surgery.

Ver 4. It is reassuring to know that Gene has a heart.

Ver 5. Contrary to how it sounds, they won't bypass his heart.


You get the idea. He says he feels OK, but the doctors say he's all clogged up and needs to get fixed.

On another front, Happy Birthday, Franklin.

Wednesday, January 09, 2008

A New Gizmo

An iPod Nano, mint green, has entered into my life. Love it, love it, love it. Music is good, but I've discovered the world of podcasts, specifically Cast On. A wonderful thing, I think I'm in love with Brenda. There are 59 episodes and I'm being very good about starting with the first episode and going in order. Her knitting knowledge is great, her voice is soothing, the advice is sound, observances enlightening and the music is quite enjoyable. Check it out.

Lest the Nano should feel unloved (fat chance), I knit it a cozy. The ear buds don't get tangled and the unit won't get scratched. Donna, a co-worked, saw it and commissioned one for her iPod. Oh well, I guess I'm forced to go to the yarn store. Life is brutal.

My cozy was made from the same yarn as Faith's socks as sort of an experiment. It worked out fine. There is even an opening on the bottom for the cord.

Tuesday, January 01, 2008

December Recap

So many things, so little blogging.

December was a busy month. Here's a recap, not necessarily in the correct order but more a "stream of consciousness" chronology.


Our friend Helen celebrated her 90th birthday. Chicago area Mensa gave her a beautiful luncheon, her daughters flew in, as did her old friend Doreen. Helen is a clever, loyal, busy, giving, there-when-you-need-her, open-minded sort of person. Her energy and curiosity are never ending. Happy Birthday, Helen.

After the luncheon we headed to the monthly meeting of the Gourmet Group. Our Christmas dinner was delicious, the gifts were well thought out and appreciated and a good time was had by all.

On the knitting front, besides finishing Faith's socks, I knit a quick hat for my son, Abe. The bottom is knit with a double strand for warm ears, the reddish stripes and the rest of the hat are single strands. The red is left from my Sarum Tunic, the blue, something I picked up at Joann's.



I whipped it up in an evening or two and gave it to him as a Hanukkah gift. Wear it in good health, Abe.

As I'm sure that I have mentioned, I'll be retiring soon. News, but not hot news. In fact, I'm staying on through the end of January.

As always I helped plan the Holiday party. Little did I know, it was also a retirement party for me. We always have some sort of group participation event, we go around the table and recall the weirdest thing that happened in the past year, the strangest customer, etc. This year, they all gave their reminiscences about me! I did not see it coming. It was wonderful. As Sally Field would say, "They really like me." I've been with Bird-X for 27 years, so there are a lot of memories. One fellow pointed out that when I started with the company, he was in first grade!

They presented me with a beautiful crystal bowl, engraved with a skyline of Chicago and a touching thought for me. The logo bird is even on the bottom. Thank you everyone in the flock.

I tried to photograph it but failed. I'll try again.

Alpaca Direct tempted me with a sale on Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock Yarn. It is as soft as it is pretty.




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