I FAILED CASA

     My interest in CASA came from a neighbor who was involved in two of the three programs available through Johnson County CASA.

    I took the eight training sessions, was given a CASA case, a divorced couple, two children, father remarried. The son burned with the desire to talk to the judge; rarely ever were judges willing to talk directly with the children.

    The case was different from the beginning, although being a newcomer I was not aware. Rather than wait for the judge to assign the case to CASA, one of the attorneys had asked for CASA, which made them think they owned the process.

    My principle problem was that I was heavily involved in small claims court mediation. Every time I went to meet with one of the parties I kept telling myself, "This IS NOT mediation." And about midway I came to the conclusion that devoting my energy to mediation was time better spent.

    Sunflower Knitters Guild Association is giving me a chance to give back to CASA. I have lots of knit caps to donate to a CASA holiday event. Most of the caps were made from stash, which has resulted in very colorful combinations, and will make the gathering very festive.

    

MISSTITCH

     Had some leftover yarn from the Baby Surprise Jacket, and am now knitting a matching hat.

    Bought nine-inch No. 5 circular needles which are not so easy to work with. Will not know until I finish and take off the needles how close it will come to fitting a baby's head. But if the needles are nine-inch, and a baby's head around 13 inches it ought to work. Knitting in such close dimensions is somewhat cramped. I'm trying to watch as I go, so I don't create a misstitch that will be harder to correct later.

More Knitting, More Writing

Sometimes I get more knitting done, sometimes it's more writing. Knitting and writing. I've tried other combinations. Painting and writing doesn't work -- I have to think about what I'm painting, which keeps me from thinking about what I want to write. Housecleaning is no good, either. I'm thinking about should I pick up the clutter in the living room or focus on the hallway instead of should my heroine fall in love with the cowboy or the sailor.

Eating and thinking about writing is a workable combination, but then you just can't keep eating all day -- or shouldn't.

I Take It All Back

She is NOT a heartless, remorseless girl, she is a beautiful teen-ager with admirable manners, and great writing skills.

When I picked up my mail, I thought it was another Christmas card, it was the right shape, but it was instead a lovely thank-you for the red and yellow (gold) ankewarmers. Besides thank-you, she also wrote that the anklewrmers would be very welcome for walks from campus building to building.

That girl was showing her true colors! I do not receive, nor do I expect, a thank-you from someone whom I have talked to, but sometimes my anklewaremers travel to other homes, and I have received many thank-yous from people I have never met, or perhaps seldom see.

Stay warm.

Reporting a Theft !

I want to report the theft of a pair of anklewarmers.

The granddaughter of some friends of mine stole (yes, STOLE, as in "to steal") her father's ankle warmers.

Well, that was the first report. Upon the receipt of more information, it appears that the anklewarmers she stole were pink, which was NOT the color her father had chosen for himself. It's true, he also chose a pair of pink anklewarmers, which were intended for his wife.

But the theft still stands. This heartless girl stole her MOTHER'S anklewarmers. And now, she's not even remorseful -- she wants another pair in her school colors. I don't want to single out this thief by telling you her name, but the colors where she goes to college are red and yellow. Any guesses where that might be?

Reminder to One's-self

Reminder to one's-self: When you take a potluck dish for a Christmas party that is hosted at a fire station, don't prepare your contribution to the dinner in a favorite bowl or platter that you have to take home. Put your food in a throw-away container that you can leave behind because the firemen, who have been the hosts, can soon finish the left-overs after you've gone home.

My ankle warmers were warmly received by the smart, intelligent, clever, forward-thinking, astute members of the group. The other thick-headed, idiot dolts, who claim they are so warm-blooded that they don't need anyhing as sissy as a pair of ankle warmers, well, it's your tough luck. Don't come to us for sympathy when it's 41 degrees below!

KNITTING MORE COMPLICATED

Well, I exaggerate. Shawls aren't really more complicated (oh, they can be, but then you have to start counting stitches).

The below-mentioned shawl in muted blues and greens turned out to have a lovely, fluid feel to it. The yarn was soft merino (which I think comes from a certain breed of sheep, but what do I know?) I took it to a planning meeting, and it was bought on the spot -- money to go into the treasury to pay for the convention.

DID AUNTIE EM WEAR A SHAWL?

I'm trying to remember -- does Auntie Em wear a shawl?

Certainly not when she's out by the hen house with Uncle Henry, putting the new chicks into coops just ahead of the looming storm.

Maybe later -- there's those scenes after the house and everyting else has been carried up into the sky, remember the despicable Miss Almira Gulch riding her bike in the wind, and Auntie Em swinging back and forth in her rocking chair, blissfully knitting as if she were sitting in her parlor firmly on the ground?

Didn't Auntie Em wear a shawl then?

The blue-green shaded triangular shawl I've just finished is for the silent auction at the 2010 Kansas Authors Club on October 1-3, but I'm tempted to keep it for myself. Only, you know Auntie Em would be wearing brown, not blue.

A BIGGER PROJECT

You know how it is -- you walk into the knit shop, only needing one little skein for a small project, like ankle warmers, the construction of which requires very little imput from the brain, and you walk out with $45.00 worth of Peruvian yarn and the pattern for a short jacket.

You didn't even spend much time thinking about it. You walked around the corner of the display shelves, and there it was, hanging about eye level, a jacket/shawl sort of thing, only you didn't especially like the color and even more enticingly, one of the clerks was making the same garment.

The pattern doesn't look too complicated, and if you have any difficulty, well, there's the clerk, quite a few stitches into the project, which is good, because if you have any trouble figuring it out, there she is, a ready resource. (Well, ezcept on Sunday or Monday when the shop is closed -- oh, how agonizing to have to wait until the shop opens again on Tuesady morning -- it is true, a harrowing experience, should it ever befall to you, yarn withdrawal symptoms.)

Even as I cast on 94 stitches, the highest amount, the biggest sise in the pattern, I knew the piece would not be long enough. Hardly fourteen rows, and I decided to take it all apart. Done with two threads, even more tedious to unravel.

I added 30 stitches, and then because I still had some length in the tail, add six more stitches -- 130 in all.

This is going to take a lot longer than a pair of ankle warmers.

ACTUALLY MAKING MONEY

I've actually sold some ankle warmers!

Made some money.

As a fund-raiser for the Kansas Authors Club District Two convention on October 1-3, 2010 in Lawrence.

Speaking of Lawrence, my ankle warmers are for sale TODAY (November 15) at an arts fair at a community center at Eleventh and Massachusetts. Also a fund-raiser for the convention next year.

Looking over the ankle warmers that are left in my basket, I have to conclude that orange is practically no one's favorite color. I thought they would be ideal for any hunter to wear as very visible boot toppers. (I had no idea that one skein of orange yarn would make so many sets of ankle warmers.) I've got to get busy and make some K-State purples, some KU blues and reds, and . . . what are the team colors at Pittsburg State? Do Gorillas wear ankle warmers?

In case you couldn't guess, Baker's color are black and ORANGE. Yeah, Baker.

RUN IF YOU SEE ME COMING

Be prepared to run if you see me coming. I've been knitting and writing all year, and I've got a new supply of ankle warmers, or boot toppers.

I know you don't want to hurt my feelings by telling me, "No, thanks, but I don't really need a pair of hand-knit ankle warmers" -- but if you refuse my offer, and later come down with a sniffling, wheezing, my-head-feels-like-a-rotten-squash cold, I will try to hide my i-told-you-so look for your refusal to take my advice about keeping your extremities warm at all times.