Greetings from hot, sunny Colorado!

My last post was May 30th -- I so apologize for taking so long to get back to this blog. Our family has been in a state of "flux" that doesn't seem to be ending any time soon. Here's the story:

In May, we had sold our house in Greenville, moved in with my in-laws for a month and were getting ready to head to Colorado for a two-week family visit and then on to Austria so my dh could earn a Doctorate in Bioethics. Well, it seems God has other plans for us. Around May 20th or so we had the Austrian door "slammed in our face" -- due to a change in visa regulations my children and I would not have been able to accompany dh as "pupils" CANNOT have dependents! A crazy kink in our plans but God's will in all things.

I'm a firm believer in providence and that God NEVER shuts a door (no matter how loudly) without first opening a window. So we went to Plan B: relocating to the Denver metro area. One of my brothers and his wife (and their 10 kids) live in the area and my mother just moved to Catholic senior hiousing there. In addition, we have been wanting to move to the area since we first starting visiting every summer for the past three years.

For us it was a no-brainer.

Logistically, it's been interesting. My dear SIL and brother have kindly extended an invitation for us to stay as long as we need. DH is looking for work in the Catholic system here -- either teacher, principal or something at the Diocesan offices. We're in a great Diocese here, with Archbishop Chaput running things and VERY active, orthodox clergy and parishes! A big difference from the desert-like Catholicism of the South -- here, there is a choice of daily Masses, confessions frequently offered and generally a Catholic culture that is alive and kickin'!We're loving it here and I'm even getting some knitting done -- a pair of hiking socks for dear hubby who is lovin' being so close to the mountains. As a matter of fact, he and my brother are off on a backpacking trip this week with a group of Boy Scouts!

We'd certainly appreciate your prayers as we look for a job, a house, and, most importantly, God's will for our family.....

THANKS for continuing to check this blog -- I'll try to keep it updated.

Sorry, I've been remiss ...

in keeping up with my knitting blog. We're in the midst of finishing our time here in South Carolina, then heading to Colorado for 2 weeks than taking the big white bird to Austria -- for the next few years.

I've been packing, storing, trashing, sorting. I've been sending emails and checking on flights. I've been finishing the homeschooling year and working on records.

I HAVE NOT been knitting.

I have a pair of socks, working them on two circs at one time, that I've had on the needles for more than a month. I love these socks. I love the lace pattern I've chosen for the front. I love the way the toe-up sock is coming out. I love the k1p1 rib I've got for the sole. I love the color gradations of this wool from KnitPicks (a yarn they don't seem to carry anymore, which I love working with, called Simple Stripes in a blues/greys/cream colorway).

I don't love that I haven't been able to knit!

This weekend dh is taking me for a romantic getaway. We can only spare one night; our kids (ages 17 down to 3) would act up if we stayed away longer. So Friday night, as we drive up into the BlueRidge, I will be knitting. I will be knitting on the way back on Saturday. I will continue to knit until I get these socks done.

This Friday will be a bonus weekend -- not only will I have some hard-earned time away just with dh, I may actually be able to finish my "never-getting-knit-on" lovely socks! I'll post a picture of before the trip and after.....

What Would You Do?

So, if you were moving to another country and could only bring the bare necessities, which three or four knitting books would you bring?

This is the situation I'm in: My family and I are moving to Austria for at least three years. My husband will be obtaining a doctorate, so this is not a paid corporate or military move. We have to pay to ship stuff ourselves. I homeschool four of my five children and MUST bring books for them to use. Also, my dear husband needs to bring some books for his research.

Bottom-line -- I can't bring everything. Some books and yarn will be put in storage. So here's my short list of what I'll bring:

The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns by Ann Budd. This book has lots of the math done for me so I can add the lacy stitches or colorwork necessary to create unique designs!The Knitter's Handy Book of Sweater Patterns by Ann Budd. Like the original Handy Book, this one has done the math for all the sizes -- from toddler to BIG adult. I can use the book for the math and add color, stitch patterns, or other embellishments to create my own works of art!




Elizabeth's three best books for fun reading and educated knitting. I've been reading and using these books since I first started teaching myself to knit when I was 8 years old -- just a few (almost four) decades back! If you're interested in branching out or trying new things, Elizabeth is the doyenne of ingenuity and creativity in knitting.

I'll also bring Alice Starmore's Charts for Colored Knitting -- a cherished book that is a short-course on Fair Isle knitting with lots of personal details from the queen of British Isles knitting! Too bad this one is out of print -- it's a gem if you can find it!


And, of course, these three books from Lisl Fanderl: Although written in German, the stitch patterns are all graphically presented so theirs no reason not to be able to follow the patterns. Lisl Fanderl (Austria's answer to Barbara Walker!) went through ethnography museums throughout the regions of Austria to find and record the Austrian knitting patterns. In these three books you have lace stitches, twisted-knit stitch patterns and ideas to keep even my knitting needles busy for at least three years.

So these should hold me for a few years. What would you bring?