Sweater Weather.....Maybe....

Kathleen has been off for the last few weeks but that hasn't meant she wasn't busy knitting. She whipped up another Elizabeth Zimmermann Baby Surprise Jacket and had the perfect buttons to match in her button box.

And she also made her favorite pullover, the Gansey sweater. Some lucky kid is going to be nice and warm this winter.
Barbara finished the baby blanket using Plush yarn which made it so cuddly. On the pillow beside her are the three baby sweaters she made to contribute also.

At the evening session Karin brought the finished prayer shawl for my daughter. It is heavenly soft! This was a joint knitting project made by my knitting friends from my monthly Panera knitting group and the Chicks. Thanks to all the ladies who worked on it. A little birdie told me there is one in the works for me too. I can't wait to use it. By the way, the beautiful yarn was hand dyed by Karin and named in honor of my late granddaughter, Eliana.

Maureen is working on an Elizabeth Zimmermann pattern too called the "Pelerine". It's a shoulder warmer which can be knitted to your desired length. A really good pattern for using up stash yarn and a quick knit.

My Chick friend Karen Ayres bought us a Rose of Sharon shrub in memory of Eliana, so Moose and his parents helped me plant it in my front yard.
Poppop Ron got to help.....
And Mom Amanda assisted Moose when he got tired....

And Dad Phil got to throw some soil in the mix too.
We had to make sure it had a good long drink of water.

And now whenever we see those beautiful flowers we will remember our beautiful Eliana.

I finished the prayer shawl that will be donated to the Birth Center to be included with a memory box. The memory box is given to the parents who lose a child at birth. I pray they won't have to use it but it's filled with prayers for strength and comfort just in case. The yarn is a very soft and plush alpaca, wool, and acrylic blend called Snuggle and it's long enough to hold both parents together.

The wonderful staff at the Birth Center will be receiving these scarves that I made, with the help of Elaine and Maureen. Maureen made the burnt orange one.

And Elaine made the purple one on the far right.

Making gifts for these wonderful people who helped us through the tragedy of losing Eliana was my way of healing through knitting. Taking the time to meditate with every stitch helps to lift the veil of grief and leave love and comfort in it's place.

Knitting and Healing, Healing and Knitting

I've been away from my post for a long time. My daughter, son-in-law, and grandson, Moose, have been spending some time with me so we can all grieve the loss of Eliana together. There have been many tears but also some chances to smile. Thank God for my friends who have rallied together to pray and comfort us. Among those friends are some wonderful knitting ladies who cooked meals for us for nine days. I would like to publicly thank Dorah Bluth for organizing the whole plan and for the first night of meals, Beth Mashmann, Karin Maag-Tanchak, Sheila Pacowski, Linda Ingraham, Joyce Thomas, Barbara Kavanagh, Cathy O'Neill, and Elise Hiller for all the other nights of dinners. We had a great selection and in large enough quantities that I didn't have to make lunches most days either. God bless all of you and my family feels blessed to count you among our friends.

There has been an enormous outpouring of love and support, too many people to name individually here but you know who you are and I can't find words adequate enough to express my gratitude.

Some of the process of healing has been knitting. Every stitch I knit has a prayer attached to it and so the Chicks have helped also by getting me back into my routine. It felt good to see those loving friendly faces again and to have my daughter Amanda here to join in was comforting too.

Elaine and Sheila
Liz and Amanda
Daughter and Mother healing together.
Last week Moose needed some fun time so Poppop and I took the family to the Adirondack Animal Park near Amsterdam, NY. The wagon ride through the open portion of the park was exciting as the camels tried to catch up and give us a kiss.
The big old Bactrian camel almost hitched a ride.
Moose was so excited to see an ostrich this close, but NO CLOSER!

The giraffe was hungry and willingly took my crackers. Moose was going to try to feed him too but...

when he got close enough he decided the giraffe was a lot bigger than he was prepared for.

It was much easier to feed the bear since all Moose had to do was drop the "Fruit Loops" into the shoot. We forgot to tell him they were "animal" Fruit Loops, not people cereal, so, you guessed it! He tried to eat one. Not too tasty a treat!

The reindeer wanted to eat his crackers right from the source, but Moose knew the routine, drop it down the shoot.

The monkey, however, was easy to feed. Moose got a kick out of touching fingers with a real live "Curious George"!

There were animals to climb....

and animals to pet. All in all, a great time to relax and just be a kid.

Amanda has some online mommy friends who met when they had their three year old children and these wonderful women rallied around her. Since we are located near New England, the ladies from there suggested meeting at a halfway point to let the kids get together and give Amanda and Phil a little love and comfort in person. We all met last Saturday at the Amelia Park Children's Museum in Westfield, Massachusetts.

Left to right, Kim, Amanda, Sarah, Kirsten, and Aline

We managed to herd the kids together long enough to get a quick photo of all of them and then they were off!

Moose played dentist in the dental office.

Then he ran to the grocery store to check out customers.

Time out for a picnic in the fields and a little running time.

After lunch it was back inside to shoot Nerf balls from the air cannons. Moose's favorite expression was "LOOK OUT BELOW!"

"Captain Kirk" at the controls.

Even the adults loved the rocket ship.

It was a wonderful day to be a kid and apparently very hard work too.

Now it's back to reality and finding the energy to go on after a tragedy. Eliana will be in our hearts forever and luckily we have Moose to bring a smile into our lives and keep us moving forward.

Our Family's Grief

All along you have been reading about the things I have knitted for my precious granddaughter, Eliana, who was due to be born on July 31. Things did not turn out the way we expected.

It was a perfect labor in a caring and loving atmosphere at The Birth Center in Bryn Mawr, PA. Moose and I entered the room just as Eliana was making her appearance and he pointed the flashlight toward her so she could find her way out. At seeing her for the first time he exclaimed "Hey Everybody! I'm a Big Brother now!"

After that, everything else is a blur.

The staff worked furiously to revive little Eliana but she never even took her first breath. Complications from the cord around her neck and aspirating meconium were just too much for her to overcome.

Tomorrow morning we have to say our final goodbyes. It will be impossible to bear but with faith in God and the love of family and friends our family will continue and remember Eliana's beautiful little face.

I want to thank everyone at The Birth Center for their care, compassion and the love they showed all of us. They all wept as much as we did and the hugs were plentiful and comforting.

There are some beautiful photos of our little Eliana and her big brother on:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/28124270@N02/sets/72157624618382490

The pain is unbearable but the outpouring of love that my family has been experiencing is wonderful and healing. Thank you to all who have sent messages and food and time.

I know Eliana is in Good Hands and I can see her playing with her Great-Uncle Leo. Someday I will get to play with her too.

Taking a little time off

The Chicks will be taking a few weeks off so here is a picture of my precious ones with my Moose singing his first time with Mom and Dad at their church. He did very well and knew all the words. He even played the percussion egg in time with the music.

Enjoy the summer and I hope you find a cool place to relax so you can knit to your heart's content.

Busy Hands and Spoiler Alert! Amanda don't read this if you want to be surprised!

Karin worked quickly on a pair of Saartjes booties http://members.home.nl/tdpj/Patronen/Bootees/Saartjes%20bootees.pdf using her own hand dyed yarn that was the most beautiful shade of hot pink. Her yarns are available at http://www.etsy.com/shop/franknit

She finished one whole bootie in about an hour. She's a fast knitter to say the least!

Sheila worked diligently on her scarf and is mastering the basketweave pattern. Since it's summer, golf sometimes takes precident over knitting so the scarf is taking a little longer to finish. But who can blame her?! When the weather is nice you have to take advantage of it.

Kathleen took yarn last week and already finished a baby blanket with it. It is called "Plush" and it sure is! By the way, Amy this is the first finished project from your generous donation. All the Chicks thank you again.

Liz filled the inventory with four cute baby caps and bonnets. This little bonnet was the same pattern that Kathleen used last week.

Maureen picked up on Cate's pink baby blanket while Cate is away. The hearts make is so sweet.

My daughter has designed and knitted another pattern to sell on her etsy shop. My grandson loved the baseball buttons and asked his mom to knit him a sweater to go with them. So she did! You can find the pattern for sale at http://www.etsy.com/listing/51448082/raglan-sleeve-mock-neck-sweater-knitting?fref=fb_itemlist

Now here is the part where Amanda should look away!!!

I finished a baby afghan for my new granddaughter, Eliana, who has not yet arrived. I used Plymouth Encore yarn in worsted weight. The pastel pink is set off by a color changing yarn which makes it look like I used multiple colors when it was really only one skein of yarn.

It is a basic entrelac pattern with a finished edge of three rows of single crochet and one row of reverse single crochet to give it a sweet little scalloped finish.

Ok Eliana, we're ready for you anytime now. Just give me a little notice so I can arrive on schedule.

Thirty-three years ago today!

It's been 33 years since Ron and I said our "I do's" and here are some photos to prove it. My Dad, Bill, was Best Man and my sister, Jamie, was Maid of Honor. We were married at the Danbury United Methodist Church on a very hot and sunny Saturday.

Our dear cousins, the late Judy and Paul Petersen, were gracious enough to lend us their home for our reception. It was a great time to celebrate outdoors.
This was then......

and this is now.

Thank you Sweetie for a continuing wonderful ride on the roller coaster of life. I'm looking forward to many more years spent sharing it with you! I love you Ron and Happy Anniversary!