A to Z 2019 April Blogger Challenge The Letter M - Mailbox

It's April - That means I will be participating in the A to Z Blog Challenge.

I will be posting six days a week for the month of April - (with a rest day on Sunday).
Each post will begin with the corresponding letter of the alphabet beginning with A and finishing with the letter Z.

I began participating in this challenge in 2012.   With the exception of last year, I believe I completed the challenge each year.   Last year I lost steam somewhere around the letter W.

The Mailbox

When I first began to get obsessive about knitting, I fell prey to what I call the "want, want, gimme, gimmes".  
I blame Instagram and Ravelry for that.  
I suffered from serious "Fear of Missing Out" or what's commonly known as FOMO.
The IG and Ravelry posters teased me with project bags that everyone else had and "so must you," they insisted.  
The indie yarn dyers flashed their colors and the pattern designers showed me the beauty I could create with them. 
I have to say though, I didn't go as far as some.  I am talking about the ones who would set their alarms to go off when a seller on Etsy would update their shops with the newest yarns or project bags, thus making sure they would be able to snag a bag or skien of yarn. 
This never happened to me, but I have heard of "cart jacking".  That's when a buyer adds an item to their cart and while they are off shopping for other things, another buyer also puts the same item in their cart.   I guess the way it works is the first one to check out wins. 
My favorite days were the ones when the mail carrier or UPS driver would leave goodies for me in my mailbox or on the front porch.  I am embarrassed to say this happened way too often. 
As time went on, I came to love the craft of knitting and crochet more than giving in to the "want want, gimme, gimmes.  
I have come to terms with my FOMO.  I've discovered that as long as my needles are rhythmically clicking and yarn is sliding through my fingers I am at peace. 
Of course, I have to admit that I have enough project bags and yarn to outlast my lifetime.
But now my mailbox is filled only with the most mundane pieces.

A to Z April 2019 Blogger Challenge The Letter L Under The Old Oak Tree

It's April - That means I will be participating in the A to Z Blog Challenge.

I will be posting six days a week for the month of April - (with a rest day on Sunday).
Each post will begin with the corresponding letter of the alphabet beginning with A and finishing with the letter Z.

I began participating in this challenge in 2012.   With the exception of last year, I believe I completed the challenge each year.   Last year I lost steam somewhere around the letter W.

Libby

From the time I learned how, I've been an avid reader.  In fourth grade I won the prize for reading the most books that year. 

In my youth, during summer break, you could find me under an old oak, book in hand sucking on a peach pit.

We had a small branch of the town library in our neighborhood.  I visited it two or three times a week.   Sometimes, I would walk the two miles to the big library.
A favorite pastime in my adult years was browsing Barnes and Noble.  

The library where I live now is quite small.   
The Barnes and Noble seems to carry more gifts, toys and games than they do books.  

Obviously, E-readers have affected how we read and where we obtain our reading materials.

I'm not sure why, but I don't seem to have the same ability to sit quietly for a while and just read.  

Because I can knit at the same time,  my preference is to listen to an downloadable audio book.   

Until recently, I would purchase an audio book from Audible.com which is an Amazon company.  But, I have found them to be way too expensive now.  I would say the cost of an audible book is currently about $20.00.
Frankly, I feel it is a waste of money.  The only person  I can pass some of my audible books to is Ross.  He and I don't have the same taste in books.   My daughter is a reader but, like Ross, she and I also have different tastes.  So,  I have an extensive library of audible books that I can't hold, touch or lend to a friend. 
About a month ago I heard about a phone app called "Libby".   It is a portal into local libraries which let you borrow e-reader and audible books.  You need a library card from your local library. 
Sometimes you might have to wait for weeks to borrow the latest best sellers.  
But that's okay with me.  Free books.  Just like the good old sittin' under the old oak tree readin' and sucking on a peach pit times. 

I'm currently listening to "The Death of Mrs. Westaway" by Ruth Ware.  I used the "Libby" app to download it.  I was able to borrow it immediately. I am enjoying listening to it.  

A to Z 2019 April Blogger Challenge - The Letter K In My Space

It's April - That means I will be participating in the A to Z Blog Challenge.

I will be posting six days a week for the month of April - (with a rest day on Sunday).
Each post will begin with the corresponding letter of the alphabet beginning with A and finishing with the letter Z.

I began participating in this challenge in 2012.   With the exception of last year, I believe I completed the challenge each year.   Last year I lost steam somewhere around the letter W.

Knitting

Of course my K word is Knitting.  It takes up space in my our life.  Yes, knitting also takes up space in Ross' life.  Or I should say our together life. 

In his own way Ross is involved in my knitting.  

I find it endearing that he pays attention to what I'm knitting.  
"What's that going to be?" he'll ask.
Or he'll try to guess, "A pair of socks?" 

Sometimes, when I get frustrated with a project to the point where I will rip it out, he'll gasp and say "You're not taking the whole thing out, are you?"  
He's always shocked when I do that and he always says the same thing.

He comes yarn shopping with me most of the time.  As he follows me up and down the aisles, he will occasionally  pick up a skein and ask, "What about this one?"  
He hasn't quite gotten the the fact that yarn comes in different weights, so he shops for yarn by color.
His color pallet taste is different than mine.  He likes the grays, navies and tans.  
I like all the other colors.
Once he realizes that I'm going to be awhile and that I'm not going to buy that gray yarn, he'll find a chair to sit on and pull out his kindle.   He is very patient.

Together we have been to many yarn festivals.  Yes, for those not familiar with the knitting world, there is such a thing as a celebration of yarn and the animals that give it to us.  
Mainly, though a yarn festival is a way for all creators of anything having to do with knitting and crocheting to congregate and show off their wares and hopefully sell then too.

 Ross takes part in my knitting YouTube podcast, which is called "Joey's Scarf."  He will pop in at the end to say hello.  He does have a fan base. 😉

I like to show off my accomplishments.  He is my photo shoot photographer.

Since he genuinely seems interested I thought he should learn to knit. 

Apparently he is more comfortable on the periphery of my knitting space.


Dear Ross, 
If you happen to read this post, and in case I have not told you this before, I love that you are in my space, whatever space that happens to be.
Happy Birthday!! Love, 💕
Lynda