Holiday weekend!

The wave of Christmas is over and another holiday weekend is here. Martin Luther King, Jr. remembrance day. This is a three day weekend. Hooray!

I have no memories or experiences of blatant segregation in action. I have never seen people being refused a service, or being killed, because of the color of their skin. The humiliation must have been horrible.

Dr. King was a voice in the darkness. A voice of hope. A voice who cried out to God. A voice who was able to bring about change for the betterment of many. A voice who saw wrong and called it wrong. It kind of reminds me of the Hebrews enslaved in Egypt and Moses rising up to bring them into a free life again.

Some may say I could never fully understand what this man did back in his day. I do know what is right and what is wrong. I may not see this holiday with full appreciation, but I will applaud anyone who's desire is that righteousness prevails, even if no one else desires it.

On a snowy day

...everythings coming up... polka dots!

A few months ago, I was browsing around Michaels craft store. Inevitably winding up in the yarn section, I spotted a small Patons Kroy Socks book that I couldn't shake. It had polka dot socks on the cover and I was enamored.

Of course, I pick up the booklet of wonders, flip through the pages, and carefully set it back in it's holder. After checking over the light-weight yarn suppliers, the fantasy of making up the black dotted beauties fill my thoughts. It can be done! I can make them. I have the needles. I need one varigated skein, I have one skein of the black and would only need one more. I go back to the dance, pick up the book, and put it back again.

Exactly why I do this to myself is a mystery. Perhaps it is the guilt of knowing I have so many patterns and projects that I vow to make and don't. Or the idea that it may be a waste of money to pick up an entire book because of the love for one pattern. Maybe it is knowing my tendency to to begin a project only to put it down out of boredom or lack of interest or the realization that I actually can't stand the way it is coming out in real life. After all, photos can be deceiving. And so can clothes on skinny models and mannequins.

The will power finally gave in and I merrily came home with my pattern and yarn. I immediately went for the size 2 DPNs and whipped up some ribbing to stay in the momentum. These are going to be great! Then the holidays hit. It all got put away. But they were only away for a short time. The dots have been calling me and I'm back in the game.

I look forward to finishing the first one pretty soon. Hopefully this week. Then the dreaded 2nd sock syndrome must be ignored so a pair can grace my sock drawer instead of a single sock in my yarn stash. The way I feel about this pattern, I should get them both banged out and on my feet. I just hope they fit into my shoes so they can be used often!

Casey Cowl on Bond

Christmas was over but I still had time to finish those three gifts that I needed to give out on New Year's day. My family comes together on January 1st so we can all scatter about on the 24th and 25th. This discovery has been our saving grace for the mother of all get togethers over the year. It works and we all look forward to it!

So the screws were tightening. My plan for them was to sew a small project for each of them. After picking out the fabrics from my stash, making copies of the paper-piece pattern, and choosing who was going to get what color, it became clear to me that the idea I had was not going to work. Attention shifted to another project that I could sew, but that one, although it was an interesting one, would wind up being cabinet bound instead of being used, so I "scrapped" it. Get it...scrapped it?

I had five days left to get the magic to happen. Since I am a fiber crafter, I enjoy giving away knitted things. My mind immediately went to my Bond USM knitting machine. It would be my source to success. Thus, Casey Cowl on Bond was born!

This pattern is being advertised in Ravelry! Yes, I have thrown myself into the designer world. I have ideas and think they are shareable! In the search bar on the right side of the page, type in Pam Baim and choose designer in the drop down field. You will find my designs!

To get a copy of this pattern, let me know you want it, I will send you a paypal invoice and forward it to you when I receive the payment. When I start getting enough orders, I will activate my Ravelry Store to expedite the process. Thank you for your support!

He made the stars also...

"...He set them in the vault of the sky to give light to the earth..." Genesis 1:16-17

That sounds simple enough. One short statement about God making the stars. Have you ever gazed at the heavens during a clear night? Or seen the wonders that are set up in the vault of the sky?

 
I have always been interested in astronomy. I think I did a model of the planets for a science project once in grade school. My sister used to lay on the ground with me at night and tell me the funny sounding names of constellations, such as: Casseopia, Big and Little Dipper, Orion, Taurus, or Leo. And showed me where to find stars and planets, like: Rigel, Canis Major, Venus, Mars, or the North Star. As a youngster, I had no idea what these wonders were or how massive they were compared to our sun. I just knew that it was amazing. And I have learned more amazing things about these things we call stars.

Did you know that the number of stars in the universe outnumbers the grains of sand on the earth? With the advances of space exploration through the efforts of NASA and the use of massive, space-travelling telescopes, scientists have captured incredible photographs of galaxies, star clusters, supernovas, black holes, nebulaes, globular clusters, and more.

We knew there was much to find but had no idea. God knew. Man has been star gazing and naming stars for centuries. God has every star named and knows the place where to find each one in space. Many of the stars were named after Greek and Arabic names. It will be interesting to learn what God's names of the stars are!

"The heavens declare the glory of God..." Psalm 19:1 "...without Him nothing was made that was made..." John 1:3 "...in Him all things are held together..." Colossians 1:17 "He who made the cluster of stars called Pleiades and the constellation Orion ...The Lord is his name..." Amos 5:8  "...He is the Maker of the Bear and Orion, the Pleiades and the constellations of the south..." Job 9:9

We all know that people used to believe that the earth was flat and was the center of everything. That all the objects in the sky rotated around earth. In the 1700's, a suggestion of anything contrary to this was considered heresy and the suggestor was pegged as a pagan. Sky-gazers were trouble makers and had much to fear from the powerful theologians and government who were closely tied with them. The beliefs were eventually overhauled as astronomers invented bigger and better telescopes and continued to gather knowledge about what deep space revealed. What they saw agreed with the Word. Isaiah 40:22 speaks of how "He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth..." and "...Look around you: Everything you see is God's—the heavens above and beyond..." Deuteronomy 10:14.  Space was full of discoveries.

Man doesn't like to be subject to authority. The notion of God and His creating all that was made just can't be the explanation of the beginning. Unfortunately, science would rather embrace their ideas of how the universe began. The "big bang" seems to be their answer of choice. I, however, cannot understand how an explosion of a single tightly-packed atom could result in perfect order and structure. Where did that first atom come from? Every explosion I've ever seen resulted in chaos and destruction. Physics was not a strong course for me in school, but I remember learning about how a state of order will eventually disinigrate and become subject to a state of disorder. Mass, energy, gravity, the lack thereof.... it takes it's toll on it's subject. If I blow up a deck of cards with a firecracker, I will not end up with a neatly stacked house. Explosions do not result in design. They just don't.

I was watching a show about astronomy the other day. It was mentioned that they are beginning to realize that the galaxies have orbits. They were not speaking of the orbits of the celestial bodies within the galaxies, but rather that the entire galaxies are all orbiting around something. Dare I say that "something" is the Creator? Orbits within orbits. This reminds me of Ezekiel chapter 10 where it reads, "And then I saw four wheels beside the cherubim, one beside each cherub. The wheels radiating were sparkling like diamonds. All four wheels looked alike, each like a wheel within a wheel...The wheels likewise were full of eyes. I heard the wheels called "wheels within wheels."

This chapter is probably not speaking of galaxies, but on the other hand, it may be. I don't think anyone knows for sure what it is talking about. But it is revealing another mystery of the many secrets of the Most High God. He is amazing. He is over all things. He made you, me, the beauty we can see with our eyes and the wonders we have yet to discover. His breath spoke the stars into existence and since He is still speaking, they are still being made. Why did He do this? Because He loves you and desires that you be with Him forever. He loves you more than you can ever know. Look to the heavens and see the work of His hands and ask Him to breathe His renewing breath life into you.

Don't -blank- and drive

I mean fill in the blank as opposed to the past tense of blink. Such as, don't program an address into your GPS unit and drive. Why not? It seems like what ever else you are doing in the car besides driving will result in some sort of trouble. That trouble can be as simple as something rolling under the seat to the extreme humiliation of getting a ticket with a whopper-sized fine associated with it.

So, I have been hearing about the "no phone zone" lately. You may have too. If I had a limo and never had to drive myself around, I would have no problem signing such an agreement. But the more I think about it, the more it makes some sort of sense. Taking your eyes off the road to type out an email or text message is really dangerous. I watched someone do just that one time. I was in the passenger seat and offered to to the messaging but my offer was declined. So I watched the driver text away while I counted the seconds. It was eye opening to me that a "quick reply" took about a half a minute to process. No one in their right mind would drive a half a minute with their eyes closed.

Well, yesterday was the day. I decided to put the cell phone in the purse and put the purse in the back seat where I couldn't reach it. "It's only 12 minutes to get home. Who would call or text me in the next 12 minutes?"  Off I go, up the highway, and I was about 5 minutes from my driveway when, "brrrinngggg!" I got a text message.....

(Good place for a side track - I found that a nice, loud, chimey tone works best for me to hear, even when it sinks down into the depths of my purse. This strategy still fails me while I am in a grocery store or at a place where there is muzak that can masque the alarm's sound.)

So, what do I do? My mind starts racing. I couldn't help but wonder who texted me. And whether or not it was important. And if I could only peek at it for a just second, would feel so much better. And if there was any good place for me to pull over and check it. But then, after about a minute of that, it no longer seemed to matter as much. I finished up my 4 minute drive, and looked at my phone as soon as I was in my driveway.

I admit, this is going to take some getting used to. But at least, I started to break the dangerous habit I have gotten myself into. Maybe you can break it too. It may save a life. Maybe even your own.

Inspiration

With a 40% coupon in my hands, I knew there was something out there I could find at the bookstore that would inspire me.

It didn't take long to find it. Sure enough, this qualified:

I think I have sat like that, gazing off to the side, with a slight pursing of the lips and my hand under my chin. Probably thinking about something silly.... Or wondering what the weather is like in Raleigh in January....  And I love that blue houdstooth dress....

Now to study the pictures of each project. To visualize whether I would like the look of each piece on me or not. If I had yarn - enough yarn- that would work.... and the needle sizes, well, I have plenty of them so I think I'll be ok there. New techniques to make things - that sounds good! Then I finally decided on one. It is with bulky yarn with size 15 needles so it will knit up quick.  And I picked through my stash of yarn and chose the gorgeous royal blue cashmere blend. Bulky weight. Perfect!

Started this project on May 26,2010. The yarn moved smoothly over the plastic circular needles. This piece was made from the collar down to the waistband. The sleeves (more like sleevelettes) were done at the same time and didn't require any assembling or sewing afterwards. (Big time saver at the end!) The pattern was pretty easy to maneuver through. I never got to the place where I memorized it but the chart in the book was very readable. 

On June 7th, I was blocking it out.

This was the first time I ever blocked anything. After reading about how important it was to block, and watching a few helpful you tube videos, it seemed like the smart thing to do. It really does make a noticeable difference. Those stitches set up in their proper places and your piece looks less bumpy. It was no longer lopsided or stretched on one side and tight the other.  Now it is a handcrafted work of wearable art.  I decided to stitch the front panels together to make it a short sleeve pullover instead of being an open sweater. The draping of the yarn did not handle that design very well, so it needed that adjusting. But now it is perfect and will be worn alot this season.  Finished this project on June 10, 2010.

See what inspiration can do?

Summer beauty

Even though it has turned cold outside, take a moment and enjoy the early blooms of summer.