I'll meet you in the library ...

Well, I just created my Library page. I also discovered another resource on the TKGA Group Forum for reference books. Too bad I didn't find that one first. I now own a lot of books with pictures of stitches I may never have time to make in this lifetime, especially if I keep spending my time buying and reading books about knitting instead of knitting.

Oh well, that's behind me. I did finish all my sample swatches for Lesson 3 of Basics, Basics, Basics. Now for that nasty B word again, yes, blocking. Oh, and I also get to muddle my way through that ever so lengthy list of reference books to answer the questions that go with the swatches.

I have to say, to myself and anyone who may be listening, how much Ravelry has added to my life. It's like a friend to me, one with so many different personalities and so much knowledge. I am also blessed to have a husband whose only request of me is that I be happy. And happy I am.

A life of its own . . .

Wow, this is really starting to be fun. My first page of knitting links is growing by leaps and bounds. Clearly, I spend way too much time researching about and not nearly enough time actually doing the big "K", knitting.

And now I have decided to add another page, yes, my Reference Library Bibliography. Hello, of course I have books about knitting! I spent years living in an apple orchard with no internet, I had to have some source of reference, right? Then I joined TKGA and started taking the Masters Courses, which I abandoned for the Basics, which I am finishing right now so I can move back to the Masters level. Just as soon as I do a wee bit more research. Just kidding. I only have one last swatch to finish, the "B" word, and off to Arenda it goes. So, about the books. TKGA has a recommended bibliography. I like buying books on eBay. I have the entire collection of Southern Living Cookbooks and it only took me six months to finish my collection. No, I don't really cook that much. So, the knitting library; I decided to buy my own reference library on eBay. I downloaded the TKGA list, put it in a spreadsheet, created searches and watch lists on eBay for the books I thought were relevant to the classes I would be taking, set my rules, and started the search. The rules were look for under $10 and buy nothing over $15, including shipping. I also don't buy New or less than Acceptable. Check page three for my ongoing results. I am almost complete for now. The last few are tough. They are all Barbara Walker books and hard to find for much less than $20 or $30, way out of the rules. I may have to either bend, or worse, rewrite the rules for her. Not yet, though. I have my eye on a couple of auctions for less than $10. Watch page three for updates.

Well, I just added all of the links I have been collecting for the past year to videos and web sites I use for knitting help. I entered 27 links; I had no idea I had that many. I will be working on entering my knitting library next. I was surprised to see that there are people viewing my blog. That is pretty exciting, and I hope I add information that is usable. When I started it was just going to be a place for me to have a conversation with myself. I was lonesome and I wanted someone to talk to. Then I started being more active on Ravelry and found a very nice community of people there, so I am less in need of talking to myself. Now I am more about using my blog as a storage place for my knitting resources. To any of you out there who do find this site useful, you can find me on Ravelry, tkparker, and message me through there. This blog will never be a place for comment by anyone but me, myself, and I. It's a tight little group.

Okay, this is getting bad. It's been almost a month since I have spoken to myself. It is not a good idea to let that much time pass without a good heart to heart with your own truest self. Now I can't even remember all the things I said I was going to have to talk to myself about later.

Let's see. I took a trip to George for a couple of weeks to help my Sister move into her retirement home. That was a little traumatic. She told Mark and I to move here so we would be close to my family, then she, being my only family within a four-hour drive, moves to Georgia. Hmmm. All and all, it was a nice trip and I saw a part of the country I had not visited before. I created my own yarn crawl in Atlanta. That was fun. Then I went to a Stitches show and met Charles Gandy. That was really nice; he is such a special person and made me feel as if we were going to be lifelong friends. Well, it worked for me. I will always think of him in a friendly way.

Since I have been home I have been knitting for my last Basics lesson, learning some new computer programs, starting a new regimen of pills that my doctor felt would be better for me. I hope the pill combination is better in the long run because it has not been pretty in the short run yet.

I have developed an addiction to Ravelry. I know, there are worse addictions, but this one is pretty bad. I am on there at least four to five hours a day. I keep addressing my issues for staying on there so much and hopefully I will spend that time knitting soon. It could always be that ugly "B" word raising its nasty head.

That's right, Blocking. I really have no excuse now. We had a spare room, not really a room, but a nice sized entry into our house. Mark put a table in there with all my supplies for blocking. I purchased the extra blocks from Julie at Knitting Blocks, even though I didn't really need them for five 4" squares of yarn; I bought four boxes of "no rust", not "rust resistant", pins from Lacis, definitely an overkill; I have watched every youTube video available; and I have read every article I could find.

Must go now; must block ... must block now ... no more waiting ... blocking room is empty ... can not hurt husband's feelings ... must block ...