GREAT NEWS!

Well, I did it. I received my certificate for the TKGA Basics, Basics, Basics course. One small step for knitting, one large step for knitting Kathryn! It not only means I have some of the basics down, and I can do them satisfactorily, it also means for me that I finished something that frightened me for many years. For reasons I can not explain, I have owned the TKGA Masters course for almost ten years and was absolutely sure I could not do it. Thanks to Arenda Holladay for her patience and for her well-structured Basics class, I have the confidence to begin my Masters course. I have given myself a couple of weeks to just do some knitting as I have fallen way behind on my committed projects for family and friends. I will, however, be back into my number one Bucket List item very soon.

I found an incredible gold mine on Ravelry today and added it to my page for Knitting Help by Subject. ClaireAlthea's Profile page on Ravelry is a real treasure of references and a wonderful start for my page. Thank you, ClaireAlthea. Now I have a great starting point for many of the topics I haven't touched on yet as well as links to many of the best references from some of my favorite sources.

Well, it's back to work for me. Well, it's really not work. I will check in with my friends at Elizabeth Watkin's Designs group and Sally's knitCompanion app group, and then work on my every growing pile of knitting commitments. All of these things bring such joy to my life that it is a great disservice to call them "work."

And the Blog goes on ...

Well, my little place to talk to myself seems to be taking over the conversation here. I just added another page for one of my great passions, knitting tools. I don't know why I didn't think of it sooner. Well, actually, I do know why I thought of it today. I just love the way life lives itself.

Yesterday I saw a post on Ravelry by a knitter looking for a tool like a lazy susan with a wooden peg to hold her yarn while she knitted. Well, I like to research things, and I like to hook my fellow Ravelers up with what they are looking for, so off I went. I found a post with a reference to the Yarn Lazy Susan. Not only did it do everything she wanted it to do, it was beautiful. And, it was the best price of other similar products. And, it had a great story behind it.

I had a little difficulty locating information and a good strong link with pricing and such to post on Ravelry, so I sent an email to the manufacturer. I had a response within about and hour, and after a couple of emails back and forth, life brought me a great opportunity to meet an amazing man, Bob Moffett. Be sure and check out his Facebook link under my Tools page. Buy his product, don't buy his product, you are going to like what you see and you can't help liking Bob and what he has to offer ... the best of American entrepreneurship.

Research and writing day ...

I am doing my favorite things today, research and writing. Seriously, I love it. Only one problem, I really have a problem with focus. Take today's problem; I am supposed to be finishing Lesson 3 for TKGA Basics. It is not rocket science, as real scientists like to say. Just write up a pattern to match a swatch. So what do I do? I am researching how patterns are constructed. Of course, there is very little actually written about the actual "structure." Some information is provided about content, but that was in the course information, and, you see, I always like to dig a little deeper. I am not an overachiever, but one of the wonderful things about being a research addict is that it is a great way to learn as well as put off the inevitable ... completing the project. Anyway, back to the reason for this post. While doing my thing, I came across a blog by Kate Mullen, a Suite 101 Member who had a post about where to find free patterns. Now, this is how I think and search. To find out how to format a pattern when there are no direct search results, I search for free patterns and download them and then evaluate them against the content advice I did find. Soooo, obviously I am interested in Kate's post so I can find more free patterns. Now, I think that makes sense, right? Never mind. I really just want to thank Kate for her references. Talk later; I have to finish that project today. Really. Have to. Have to go. Really.

Who knew ...

Who knew I could get so busy so fast! Let's see, where to start. Well, I will just threw a bit of this and a bit of that out there, because I really have to get going with my life in a few minutes.

I joined a group on Ravelry, Elizabeth Watkins Designs & Friends. Not only is Elizabeth a wonderful, and published I am pleased to note, knitting designer, she is a Pug mother and so are all her friends. She designed a special sweater for Pugs, understanding how difficult they are to fit and no commercial designer will entertain the idea of making a special design for them. She started a KAL, I was invited to join by a lovely lady, and I am having the time of my life. I have more friends than I ever imagined possible. They are wonderful, loving, interested in each other, supportive of each other, and just plain make you want to get up in the morning and join in the conversation. I am truly blessed.

I have just about completed Lesson 3 for BBB from TKGA. It should be in the mail this Monday. Now it is time to move forward with the Master's Course I have been holding on to for so long. It's so long, I can't remember how long. I feel much more prepared with BBB completed, and I am looking forward to beginning.

I really must go now. Life to live and all. I hope all is well for each of you. I was shocked to find out you were even reading along. Thank you for your interest. I will continue to update my references, but I am finding less and less time, or reason, to visit with myself. Not a bad thing at all. But, if necessary, I know where to go for a real heart to heart ... with just me.