Currently Reading Sunshine and Shadow (Benni Harper Mysteries (Paperback)) By Earlene Fowler see related

I have to say...when you find a better deal...grab it.  I decided to with BlogSpot.  I have cancelled my Xanga premium to go over to Blog Spot and Yankee Knitter and Spinner .  I really don't like paying for something like picture hosting when I can find it somewhere else for free.  I will post from time to time here...for my thoughts, what is going on with my life, etc., but will be at Blog Spot for my knitting, spinning, and weaving.

A lot has happened since I posted last.  I was removed by the people who's house I was house sitting. I had paid off the Uhaul the first of March and then they decided that their daughter and son in law were going to move in and pay utilities...so Ginny had to go.  Instead of sitting down and talking to me, Laurie chose to get really stupid with me and throw my stuff outside the trailer on a Saturday.  That was after calling me every name in the book on Friday night and getting really ugly with me on Saturday.  I finally had to call the local sheriff, who were not really impressed with her or her family...or the flunky truck driver who mooches off from them in the name of friendship, Allan.  I guess Allan went down to the sheriff's department on Monday morning and proceeded to bug them and eventually tick them off because he couldn't understand their basic instructions.  They told him he had to file an eviction notice in the proper way and he couldn't get it through his head that they won't change the system for him!!

So, they cut my phone line off on Sunday afternoon and reconnected it on Sunday evening. I couldn't called the police if I had needed to.  Late Sunday night Allan came to my room, with alcohol on his breath to inform me that I had to be out by noon on Monday or the sheriff was going to remove me.  SORRY!!  that isn't how OK law works. 

On Monday I called the sheriff's department with a ton of questions and they were a great help.  I didn't see any one come at noon....so they decided to disconnect my phone line again.  In the meantime, they put POSTED signs all over in the house and outside!!!  NO kidding!!  I almost died laughing if it wasn't sooo stupid.  I knew they had it planned if I left, I couldn't get back in.  I left a little later with a guy from church and found the gate padlocked when I got back.  I went to the sheriff's department to have someone let me in.  Dear sweet Allan was there when we got back to the house.  He supposedly had a power of attorney for Chris and Laurie and refused to show it to me.....Yeh..right....I was only allowed to get out my meds and "they would take care of my animals for me".  I told the police that I would probably come back and they would be missing or dead.  I took them with me and my church was able to put me up for a couple of nights at a local motel, my Mom paid for a couple of nights and I paid for one. 

Laurie was ultimately trying to break me financially 'cus she said I was a I*Y*(*^%%*&()*&^%$$###(&*^^  liar and didn't have a house, etc.  They got around the law by saying I "voluntarily" gave up the house key when I gave them the key to their van.  They also had rented from the assistant DA in Guthrie when they first moved here.  So..I didn't stand a legal or any other chance.

I don't understand some people.  But this was quite a learning experience. I truly believe that she is certifiable nuts...and I really mean that.  She moved me 1800 miles to dump me here in OK without so much as a kiss my a@@.  I know that God will deal with her if He isn't all ready.  But it is really hard to believe what happened was from good Christian friends....

TTFN.....

I can't believe it has been 6 months since I have writen anything!!  WOW...I will have to share pics of the State Fair stuff.

Things have been nuts here...the whole housesitting thing turned into a real fiasco!!  They basically didn't tell me much and 5 months later blew up at me cus the things they wanted done or not done they didn't bother to tell me when I first moved in.  It has taken such a toll on my health.  They are wanting me out yesterday as I paid off the Uhaul truck the 3rd of March.  So, since I had no money..they decided not to throw me out in the street!  GEEE..thanks!1

I did a lot of praying and God found me the perfect house!!  I asked for a fenced in yard, 2 bedrooms, laundry room, front porch, place for satellite dish and Harley.  I only made 2 phone calls after meeting up with a gal in Walmart one night I was buying tape at 3 AM.  She said her SIL basically runs the local paper and she would keep an eye out for a house for me.  True to her word, she called me the next day with 2 phone numbers. 

 The first one was an apartment...15 stairs...forget that one!!  The second one was the one I looked at and am getting.  It is $450 a month, a little more than what I want to pay, but God knows my needs.  I told the woman I didn't want to move in and have her raise the rent in a year.  She said that she has 10 other houses rented by people on disability and she has only raised her rent $50 in 10 years!!  WoW!!  She is a college professor who is buying property for retirement income when the time comes for her to retire.

I can have my collie and two cats with me.  AND my friend Linda, from Oregon, is trying to get out here about the beginning of April.

I think I will rent a 24' Uhaul for a day for $40 and just load up the stuff here and also in my storage unit.  It may take 6 months to straighten it all out..but at least it will be  MINE!!

Here are some pics of the projects from the Oklahoma State Fair...

Crocheted Layette from Vanna White/Lion Brand

Elliptical Cable Socks

Carewear Welcome Jacket (hat and booties not in this pic)

For some reason I am having problems uploading any more pics...so I will close this entry for now and try again next time...

TTFN..........

WEEELLLLLLL....the big moment you have all been waiting for.....I went to the Oklahoma State Fair tonight to see how I placed with my enteries....and here they are>

!   Eclipse Shawl that was spun from a fleec, and knit up won FIRST!!!!!!!!!!

2  Tatted Earrings, I just started tatting last year....won 8th.

3  Knitted Baby outfit in peach varigated with sweater, hat and booties won 2nd.

4  Shadeaux's Christmas stocking intarsia knitted won 4th.

5  Crocheted Baby outfit in green varigated with sweater, hat and booties won 5th.

6  Elliptical Cable Socks that I test knit for Mary McCall took 4th.

No spinning category for the State Fair...weird....

I will be going to the Fairgrounds on Monday to pick up my entries and also my RIBBONS!!  When I get pictures...I will post them!!!!!!

TTFN.......

Currently Reading The Master Quilter : An Elm Creek Quilts Novel (ELM Creek Quilts) By Jennifer Chiaverini see related

k…first off…I need to apologize for such a long silence.  I started packing for the move a few months in advance and really went through stuff.  The couple, Chris and Laurie, who moved me really had a tight timetable to work with and did a lot of work.  It was still the toughest move I have ever made.  It was a bit tense and communication wasn’t the best at times…but the main thing is, I moved!! 

Klahoma is a bit different than Oregon and California, but I lived in the South before.  I had spent time in Virginia, and North Carolina, and found the people to be very friendly to this Yankee.  I have to say that Guthrie is a really nice town.  If you like the type of slow, life style of 40 years ago before technology just started to boom and make the world really go so much faster, this is the place to live in.  I love it.  When I explain to people I have just moved here from Oregon, they are very helpful as to directions and welcoming me to the area.  It is such a nice change from the very fast lane of where I was in Los Angeles.  WOW!!  What a contrast, when I really think about it!!!

 was able to put my things in a storage unit not too far from here and have easy access to my things.  A lot of my wool is there, along with all of my kitchen things and a lot of my books, both fiction and Christian.  I have only 2 rooms in the house I am basically caretaking.  So, sometimes, I bring a box home, and to through it to send it back to storage with a few things taken out.  I am making the most of my space here.

have my table loom set up and have spun some California Red that I got from the Velvet Rabbit from Canada off Ebay.  I found the nights to be cooler to spin outdoors and I have access to a front covered porch and the back porch that is mine is not covered.  When I first moved here in July, the nights were still very humid and a bit sticky to spin outside.  It was 100o+ in the day and in the high 70’s and 80’s at night.  But now, it is only around 90o with a wonderful breeze in the daytime.  Thank GOD…I have AIR CONDITIONING!!!

 was able to find a local knit shop called S.W.A.K.  They are advertised in a lot of the spinning and knitting magazines.  They have a LOT of yarn and notions packed into a longgg shop in downtown Guthrie.  Of course I had to check it out when I moved in!!!  And talk about EYE CANDY!!  This is the place to go for that!!

  was able to finish Peggy’s Sheep Shawl before I left Oregon so she could wear it to the high school graduation of her granddaughter in North Carolina.  I was the knitter, but I have to admit, I didn’t block it.  That is one thing I didn’t have the time or the space to do as the house was filling up fast with boxes.  My animals I am sure contributed to some of the yarn and I also didn’t want to add any more to it than I all ready had in knitting it.

t is a Fiber Trends pattern that was definitely a challenge to this knitter.  I did rip a lot as the pattern is really intense.  I started one out of a lace weight merino for me and ripped it twice and it just shredded.  The one I knit for Peggy was a wonderful Shetland lace weight that took the abuse of a few trips to the Frog Pond.  So, I got a lesson on knitting lace…

  also have a picture of the Elliptical Cable socks I test knit for Mary McCall.  Her pattern is available at http://www.wool-fiber-originals.com/ .  I knit the sample out of Nature Spun that was wonderful to work with.

 do have to say that I just missed putting my entries in the Logan County Fair as it wasn’t well advertised.  I DID get to enter a few things in the Oklahoma State Fair.  I had my first fleece I processed from washing to yarn and finally, to a Candle Flame Shawl.  I had saved the pattern off the Brown Sheep site and it knit up nicely.  It was a Lincoln/Romney X in a medium grey.  The woman, who raised this particular sheep, lives in Maine.  The sheep’s name was Eclipse, as she has since passed away.  So, I am hoping I will get a ribbon for it, as I want to send the shawl to Mae in Maine for her to see my very first knit project from fleece to shawl!! 

 also entered the Elliptical Cable Socks, a set of tatted earrings from an old pattern I found last winter, a Christmas Stocking I knit in intarsia for Shadeaux, my collie, and a knit peach layette set, and a crocheted variegated green layette set.  I plan on donating the baby sets to Carewear, a preemie/newborn charity group online.

 will try and give you an update off all the things that are going on.  I have some pictures to add and also a lot to write about since I moved here….

TTFN…

OK....I kept all of you in suspense long enough.  I AM GOING!!!  I have decided, with much thought and prayer...to ship the plane ride to Oklahoma and just GO!!  I am currently working on packing and sorting through stuff.  I have a wonderful Christian sister who is giving it her all and helping.  She is dusting and book packing, while I sort, and tape and label. 

I am trying not to get too excited yet...but it is creeping in!!  I have watched God work soo many miracles in my life lately...that it would be insane for me not to go.  I have no real friends here...unfortunately the ones I just made are not enough to keep me here.

I figured that everyone else in our divorce got on with their lives....so why can't I????? 

On the knitting side, I am past the middle of the Sheep Shawl I am knitting for Peggy in Maine.  It is really looking nice and it is coming into shape quite well.  I am at the edging, so I am knitting off the stitches on the main shawl...kinda sideways.  Hard to explain, you just have to see it.  I am also working on some mindless knitting on the cuffs I started.  Also called Pulse warmers in Victorian times.  I need to get some yarn to go with a beautiful set of colors so I can do a slip stitch pattern for some socks.

So, Peggy and I threw around ideas for the solid color...light grey, light lavender, black,  or white.  I am thinking of the first two.    She sent me a beautiful photo of some socks her friend did using a slip stitch pattern.

What do you think??  Endless possibilities???  I think so!!

I also had another idea of buying some colors of the Scottish yarn that is Alice Starmore's line.  I can't remember what it is  called, but I know it isn't cheap.  SO, as small a size it comes in, I thought that this idea would work.  Peggy showed me that she all ready had the same idea and did these gorgeous beauties up! 

I really do get carried away with socks!  I can see them as a giant swatch!!  SOOOO many possibilities...so little time!!!

God Bless all of you.....

TTFN..........