I'm PUBLISHED!!!!

I wrote an article for my local county paper, the Wilson County News, here in Texas. I emailed them their copy, and they actually printed it on the Editorial Page! The fire depts. are listed each week in the paper, and they printed that listing right below my article. I was told they would use part of what I wrote, but I think they used the entire thing. Much have been a slow news week. ;-D How cool is that????

Support your Local Emergency Services

Written by Laurel Smith
firefighter, EMT in training
wife of a firefighter, EMT in training
mom of a firefighter & a jr firefighter

Wilson County's EMS and fire services are staffed completely by volunteers. Many of those volunteers hold full time jobs in San Antonio, and elsewhere, but they take time out of their lives to protect and serve their neighbors.

Our local fire departments are busy training their members to become better at their jobs. They are always happy to meet fresh faces who are interested in learning new skills, sharing in the fun and excitement and helping their neighbors.

Emergency Medical Services (EMS) units also need new volunteers to help protect and serve our county residents. Training is provided for new volunteers, from ambulance drivers to transport and help as needed, to those willing to undergo higher training. The minimum age to participate in EMS is 18. Several families and couples are working together as EMTs here in the county.

Jr. Firefighters, teens 14 years and older, with parental permission, can be a good way to start to see if public service may become a career. It is a good community service project, as well. Several families have gotten involved together in their local departments. Dad, Mom, or both, with one or more teenager work together caring for your home and family.

If you do not feel physically able to help out in your area, then please support your local departments emotionally and financially. Pay your annual dues and visit during the various fund raisers. Pancake breakfasts, auctions, craft shows, whatever is happening, we all need to be a part of the community events. Administration help, grant writing knowledge, donations and corporate sponsors are also desired. Wilson County isn't able to totally support our various departments. To fill the gaps and upgrade the equipment to better serve the public, these fund raisers need the support of their neighborhoods and friends.

Check with your local contact person for your local fire or EMS department to see how you can help out. All fire departments are listed in the Wilson County News each week. EMS units can be found in La Vernia, Stockdale, Floresville and Eagle Creek.

Playing Catch Up!

I am behind, have a couple new pics to add. My Hemlock Ring KAL blanket is FINISHED!!! I love how it turned out, you can't see a whole lot of the detail, because I knit it in black/dark gray, which isn't photographing well, but you get the idea.





This is my latest doily pattern turning into a blanket! The pattern comes from www.yarnover.net and there are TONS that I printed off. I'm using mostly cotton yarn, there is some wool mixed in to the peach. The pink is a much thinner cotton-- all is machine knitting yarn, but I'm multi stranding, to make it work better with my size 10.5 Knit Picks circular needles. This is called "doily with spiral". It worked up to 66 cm using the original rayon thread, so I figure the cotton/wool on size 10.5 needles will make a really nice baby blanket.

Still doing the EMT classes, I got an 85% on my first big test! I'm passing all my skills tests and start doing ride outs with the EMS service that hosts our Academy starting next week. Will also be doing several shifts at one of the hospital Emergency Rooms, and am still very much on track to graduate in December!

OK, back to studying.

MS3 is DONE!!!!!

It's DONE! It's DONE! It's DONE! Why would I be excited about it at all??? Who knows? but it's DONE!







I know my camera tends to take rotten pictures, to get a good view, the distance is enough you can't see details well (maybe it's the photographer's fault more than the camera's)








Anyway, it's getting blocked out on my bed, laid out on towels-- would have been better to had 2 solid colors behind it, I know. Oh, well. My beads don't show up well, but they are there!











Not bad for some acrylic yarn from my stash, huh? It's not your normal acrylic, I'll give you that, it's very soft, and doesn't feel like acrylic at all, anyway. It will be nice to wear for church and other activities.

EMS duties have been somewhat heavy, tho really non-existent, this week, that's a weird thing to deal with. I live far enough away that I can't stay home during my volunteer shifts, so I hang out in town. Studying for my EMT classes, exercising, shopping-- what little is available in my little town, and exercising at the fitness center, or walking in the park. My normal 12 hour shift is on Tuesdays, I substituted for 6 hours on Wednesday, and a whole shift Thursday. I get a lot of exercising done, and I've noticed some weight loss, finally. Maybe doing hours of crunches on the Bally Ball while watching TV is paying off? My muscle tone is much better, and my back doesn't hurt nearly as often as it used to, as well as my heel spurs don't act up-- that is mostly from changing work environments, I'm sure, getting off my feet at Wally World like I used to do.

Today is my "day off". Yeah, right. I'm doing home based stuff, for once, getting a few things caught up on with the kids-- even my teens were asking when I'd be home this week. Both dh and I were very busy all week, he's taking EMT classes along with me, so we aren't making it home Mondays and Wednesdays until nearly 11 pm!

Was playing phone tag with the college boy; he'd call, I'd be in a meeting, I'd call back, he'd be in class. Dad called, and I ignored him, also, as I was still in a meeting. Need to make phone calls today, don't I?

update on craftiness

OK, heavy on the pictures today. This is what is keeping me from getting more knitting done-- or blogging. I need to take pics of my sewing projects one of these days.




DH and I are studying to become EMT-basics, it's a lot of work, and study, so it's biting into my knitting time greatly. I should be studying NOW, instead of posting this. I promise to get busy right after this, really, I promise. This shows how thick my book is I'm studying.




Here's a pic of the front cover. No cheap junk for us! Chapter 4 is tonight-- Anatomy-- I need to study alot! to get a decent grade on the quiz tonight. No stress, what so ever, is there???? I want knit and relax, not study!










Here's the progress on dh's fire fighter's socks. The pattern is called fire fighter's because the person who came up with the pattern thought the design looked like ladders. I'm nearly done with the first ball of yarn.








Kind of dark, but you can see I'm working 2 socks at a time. Dh's feet are big enough and his ankles wide enough that 2 balls aren't going to make it, so I'll use yarn from my pair that I planned to make for me. Guess that means I'll have to BUY MORE Yarn!




This is an entrelac scarf I was trying out the pattern. I ended up ripping this out, but it was interesting to do. May make it again in some other yarn. See below to find out what that yarn ended up turning into.





This is the latest hat I'm in the process of making. I'm nearly out of the yarn, so it's close to completion. I'm making it out of navy Bernat Denim Style yarn. It's looking cute.










I'm not finished with my MS3 stole, I am into clue 6, so I'm making more progress. I should do another temporary blocking and take a picture of how far along it is, but that takes away from my knitting time. Had to start a new shawl, and am making good progress on it. It's called Honeycomb, as it looks like that in the design. I actually took a scarf pattern and widened it. It will end up with an "S" look to it as it will slowly grow toward the left as the length progresses, and then when you add the end decrease, it resembles the top curve of the letter.



I got these pictures reversed. This is how far along I am on this shawl. It's bunched together, as it's wider than my needle will let it stretch out. I've done 2 YO "V"'s in it, so far. I'm nearing the end of the second skein of yarn, and have one more available for me to use on it. Right now, it hangs from shoulders down to my rear end. I want it longer. So will keep knitting.






Here's the beginning of that shawl. I love the color striping of the yarn. It's Lion Brand Color Waves, a boucle yarn that I got on clearance at work, so it is a fantastic steal as far as cost of shawls go.





My bunny-in progress- is what that yarn ended up being. I don't have enough to do the whole bunny, so the green, which matches the green in the yarn will become the legs and ears. It may be ugly, but will be cuddly for a child needing something to snuggle with. I knit this much yesterday while on call for EMS. I hung out at my fitness center, and in between riding the stationary bike a total of 30 miles over the course of the day, studying for tonight's class, and watching TV, I knit this guy up.




I'm going to be teaching some beginning classes in knitting and crocheting next month. I have info at my work, for sign ups. Only easily available if you are in the San Antonio area. I'm also doing advanced crocheting and jewelry making. Hope to get sock knitting classes going next month. Depends on the EMT fun I get to have.... I'll be studying until almost Christmas before I get to take my certification test. It's going to be a long and book filled fall!

2 in one day!!!

My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is: Her Noble Excellency Laurel the Winsome of Melbury Bumpton Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title

OK, I know, weird for me to actually post twice, but I came across this, and had to get my own Aristocratic title, and therefore, put it up! So, short post, but you know us aristocrats, we have our own set of rules.

The latest kniting progress

Here are the latest fun things I've been working on around here. This is an Entrelac scarf. This is just a sample to try out the stitches and how it ends up looking. It's a 1/1 rib, and I think would look better with a longer repeating striped yarn. Like how some sock yarns are colored. This basic variegated yarn is bright and hides the stitches. If I take this further with a different yarn, I'll take new pictures to show off the detail of the design better. I'm just using leftover stash yarns to play with right now.


This is a honeycomb scarf pattern I've widened to make a stole. I think it will block out to be a nice width when it's done. I'm using stash yarn for this, it's a wool blend with nepps in multi colors. It will end up being kind of elongated "S" shaped, the point here on the end gets offset as the body of the stole works it's way to the left with every honeycomb motif completed. So when the finishing off happens and the point there is completed, it's not quite centered on that end, or so it looks.


I started this yesterday, and it was my car riding project. I took out my entrelac felted tote I'm working on-- need to order more yarn, as the balls I'm working on aren't lasting thru a whole round. Fortunately, it's Wool of the Andes from Knit Picks, so isn't expensive. I was wondering about putting some red only one round away from a fuschia pink, so we swung by a Walmart the other day to see about buying some Lion Brand Wool, and they didn't carry it! The ONLY place near me at the time that might carry a little bit of wool, and that store doesn't carry it at all! So, we went ahead with the red. Now it's nearly out, and the round has several more segments to be knitted up. Guess that means I get to order several other items I "need" to make the order worthwhile. I don't think I'll order enough to get the free shipping, but still, make it worth the shipping cost. Most shipping costs are well worth it, compared to the cost of gas these days, anyway.

I don't have any new pics of my MS3, as I haven't worked on it since Thursday, so I should take time to get some more rows worked on that. I'm still in clue 5, and should be moving into clue 6, at least. I've done well to keep up with the main crowd on the Knit A Long, so I feel good about that, at least. I have a feeling Clue 7, the last one, will be similar to a repeat of clues 1-3 or so. We are supposed to be over 60% done, 5 and 6 have basically turned a corner, and my mind thinks there should be quite a bit more to make this complete. But there's only one more clue left.

Non-knitting news: My oldest son is leaving for college this coming weekend! OK, he'll be across town, but he's staying at the dorms there, instead of commuting. We went to Open House yesterday, he's at Orientation today and tomorrow, and SOMETIME, we have to pack, shop and Sunday afternoon, we'll move him in to his room. We met his room mate yesterday, he doesn't have a whole lot of space, so that makes shopping easier-- cafeteria eating for all 3 meals, no nearby fast food places, unless he rides the bus to get there.

Dh and I start EMT classes tonight! So he and the son are driving across to meet up with me by 5, I hand over my car to the son, and ride with dh to classes. This week, we have Monday, Wednesday and Saturday classes, most weeks will only be Mon/Wed. classes. We were helping out Saturday with EMS at the La Vernia BBQ cook off in the city park. We both got to go on a call (separate calls). Mine wasn't nearly as exciting sounding as dh's, but I'm sure, eventually, I'll be in the middle of some exciting calls. We heard them getting toned out about 1 am last night for a burning car, didn't feel compelled to jump into clothes and offer to help out. We'll get enough of that as we get more involved. We have our shirts and stickers for our cars-- We've lost 2 already, so only have one vehicle marked right now.

entering the scary zone!

I'm getting very personal here, and it is high in photos, so beware where you step... LOL.

Pictured here is my stash-- in high need of organization and upkeep. On the left, is my corner that I sit in most of the time to knit and watch TV. It needs work, but it holds my current projects. So that works for me. The other pictures have my stash, mostly from my bedroom corner where most of my stuff gets crammed. I am going to clean it up, so this is my official "BEFORE" pictures. Told you is was a scary zone! Can't say I didn't warn you. This isn't ALL of my stash, mind you, I'm not taking you into my closet, which is a big walk in closet, and you CAN'T walk in it because of all my my stash in there. Few clothes, mostly yarn and wool roving, fleeces and such. These aren't even all of the corner, there's a big table for my other knitting machine, boxes and baskets under it, a dresser full, a set of shelves beyond that, and then there's the dining room overflow.... YIKES!!!!





Top drawer on left

Second drawer on right
Third drawer is above on left




Left pic is the whole corner area that will be gutted and reorganized, hopefully, mostly this week, yet. Wish me luck!





Now, we get into a fun photo "technique" called Kinnearing http://www.yarnharlot.ca/blog/archives/2007/08/02/i_was_kinnearing.html which refers to trying to get pictures of famous people without them realizing you are taking their picture. We've taken it beyond that and were just shooting for fun within the family. The lovely shot above is my oldest daughter.




This is my younger daughter and one of the kittens on my lap-- it's too straight, isn't it to be a "real" Kinnear shot...










This is my second son, on one of the computers







My oldest daughter and my toes then my oldest son was taking pictures of himself holding our ferret, Sheba.