Purple Thang

I've realized that I mentioned I knit and spin but have never posted a story about anything that I have knit! Well, here's one for you.
I love Purple Thang. It lives in my car year round. I have used it as a changing pad for The Boss, a blanket, lap warmer and carrier of stuff. It has also saved my from a possible head injury. If I had to keep only 1 of my shawls this would probably be the one.
I had purchased Folk Shawls when it was published. I love shawls and had made a list of the ones I wanted to knit from this book. Originally Purple Thang didn’t even make it but after finishing the Irish shawl, the Box Lace shawl and the Dimovia stole I was burned out with lace.
It was around the end of October and I was still driving full time and I need something pretty mindless that I could work on here and there. It so happened that I had a trip that would put me close to one of my LYS. I parked the bus and walked into the store and announced I needed help. At that time, I was in a color rut. I had come to the realization that I only went for blue. Blue work pants, blue jeans, blue yarn. I was happiest when someone else plunked down the yarn needed in a color I would have never even looked at.
Such was the case here. Brown Sheep Lambs Pride Worsted in Amethyst! And of course being at work I needed needles as well. I cast on immediately and knit happily until the shop closed. Over the course of the next month or so this was the project I took with to me.
My regulars got used to seeing this on my lap. And eventually I didn’t even need to remove it from my lap to drive. It kept my legs warm because there are openings under the dash that the cold air can get through. And my feet and lower legs would be frozen in less than an hour of driving.
I did make a modification to the pattern. I didn’t like the look of the ‘holes’ going all the way through the top border. When I reached the maximum stitch count for the top, I worked a K2t, YO row and then finished the top border.
I think it only took me 2 months to finish. I only LIKED it at the time. It was pretty and I did like the color. But garter is kinda plain and ordinary. And it was big! But it did grow on me over the course of the next year.
In March, I got a group together and we went to Patternworks in Poughkeepsie NY. I didn’t drive. DH did and being an observant person I knew that he would keep the bus pretty cool. Men like cold and the front of a bus is always warmer than the back. Hence, the driver usually keeps the bus cooler than is comfortable for most of the passengers. So I gathered up a few shawls in case they were needed.
We hit rain and yes, it got cool inside. Blissa fell asleep stretched out over 2 seats. She was wearing a tank top and nylon pants and when I looked at her I was cold! So I took Purple Thang and gently laid it over her. She told me later that she dreamed the sun came out!
Later that year, I had The Boss with me and she need a diaper change. I forget where we were but I do remember there was not place to lay her down to do this. Voila! Purple Thang to the rescue! Nice and big and cushy.
That winter was awful! Snow and ice and yuck! I’d throw Purple Thang over my coat as an added layer. It made a great wind blocker and head covering. One day I had shoveled the front walk and as I was walking up the street to my drive I slipped on some ice. Both feet came off the ground and I did a full body slam onto my back! As the shock wore off and I had mentally checked that nothing felt broken I was stunned to realize that I was OK. Purple Thang was around my head and shoulders and it cushioned the impact and probably saved me from being knocked out. And run over by the plow that I had heard turning the corner down the street!
I’ve worn it at Younger’s baseball games because we sit in the shade and the wind is cold. I’ve thrown it over my lap in the car in the dead of winter to block the draft coming from the car door. I use it to cover the steering wheel in the summer so my hands don’t get burned from the sun beating down on it all day. As time went on I realized that I LOVE Purple Thang!

The Gift

If you look closely at my profile you should notice a small change to it.
A lot has changed since my last post. New job for one. I had been at the same company for 4 years. I started there just 3 days before Younger broke both bones in her right leg. A higher power had to be looking out for me as I could run home (not drive like a demon but RUN) when she called for help.
My direct ‘boss’ was wonderful and when he retired the supervisor moved up and he was great as well.
I knew my stuff, really liked the people I worked with and was settled in. I wasn’t happy about the money. I did take a second part time, part time job driving again but I was OK about what was my position in this company.
Shortly after my last post (which was when Blogger made me make changes that LOCKED ME OUT) the second company’s president called me and asked if I would come in to talk about what I did at my ‘real’ job. So I went, talked and showed off and was offered a job! At 25% more an hour to start!
I’m no fool, I took it. It’s meant changes in my work schedule which has affected some of my personal activities but that’s very minor.
I gave an over 6 week notice. I wanted the company to be able to hire someone and give me time to train the new person. I work with a program that is specific to the transportation industry. It’s not like Word or Excel or even Quick Books. But it’s very intuitive to learn and the tech support is phenomenal. Because I was the primary user I had set up alot of things to help the department run more efficiently and give my boss better information about the department. That’s what was going to take the new person time to learn.
Well, I ended up with only 2 weeks to train and it wasn’t until the last day I realized that this new person really didn’t know Word or Excel at all! Too late, I was out of there. This person was calling me multiple times a day for the first 2 weeks for help. I’ve even had to go back for several hours to straighten out some of the messes that were created and do more training on end of month closing.
On my last day, I expected that my boss would buy me lunch and maybe give me a card. Lunch time rolled around and he didn’t. But all the guys in the department did! And they made me cry! I was give pizza and soda and presents and boy do I miss them. But I do like my new job and most of my co-workers.
As I was pulling into the parking lot of the new place, my cell phone rang. Older was calling to let me know she was at the hospital and had been there since 3 am. This was to be the day that The Gift was arriving. I finally received another call at 3 as I was leaving that Taylor Grace had been born at 2:02 pm weighing over 8 pounds!
I got to see her when she was 5 hours old. Beautiful! Somehow we managed to take a picture of me holding her with the clock behind my head showing the time – 7:02 pm. And when Husband was printing out the pictures Younger and I took he started to cry.
The Gift looks just like her sister did except she has blond highlights, not red. And she is as laid back as The Boss is, well bossy! But she doesn’t like to be naked, just like her sister. Diaper changes and bathing is when she winds up and has her screaming fits. Once she has clothes on she goes back to being this calm person.
And now that the warm weather is here, Youngest has started playing baseball; Husband has started playing golf, bus trips have picked up and my new job?
Most days I come home with my brain fried! It’s a lot more that what was described to me. I’m super busy and can’t get everything I want to done each day. It’s challenging but I’m loving it!

PS – I also became a Great-Aunt 3 weeks after The Gift arrived. That means I’m not the only grandmother in my family and my mom now had 3 Great-Grand Daughters!

What the F%^*((*&^%$$#@

With the help of a college graduate I am finally able to acess my blog! It's only been 2 months! Have I got stories to tell. But I'm too tired tonight. So I'll be posting more tomorrow.