[FONT=“Comic Sans MS”][SIZE=“3”][COLOR=“Purple”]My name is Kat. I’m a 42 year old knitter in Reno, NV. I’m mom to a 21 year old son and 17 year old daughter. I’m going to be a grandmother sometime this week, thanks to my son and his girlfriend. I’m so excited I can hardly type! (By the way, I DO NOT want to be called “Grandma”, so if anyone has any ideas on alternate nicknames, I’d love to hear them).
I live with my mate “Randy”, his cat “Monster” and my Yorkie “Jack”. I love to knit, skydive, read, travel, write poetry. I love coffee, horror movies and Christmas music, to name a few things. I’m teaching myself Irish Gaelic and one of my goals in life is to own (and learn to play) a pedal harp.
My grandmother taught me to knit when I was 8. I kept at it for awhile, but other interests took over and I didn’t pick up my needles again until about 8 years ago. I honestly think knitting helped me keep my sanity during my very painful divorce. I taught my daughter to knit during that time as well, and she knits now when she’s stressed out. She says it calms her down almost immediately. She doesn’t knit anything complicated, just row after row of garter stitch. She swears by it and has even taught a few of her girlfriends. Once learned, it is quite addictive! :knitting:
I love to knit all kinds of things, cabled scarves, blankets, hats, baby clothes. I’m working on the cutest baby cardigan and matching blanket in “Lornas Laces Shepherd’s Worsted” in the color “SWAK”, which was a limited edition color last February through my lys. I bought enough of that color to make several things. I’ll post pics when they’re finished. Beautiful reds, pinks, purples, browns, all in one skein.
I work as an Optician and technician in a Neuro-Ophthalmology practice, but I used to work weekends at my lys, “Jimmy Beans Wool”, which is just down the street from my house. I would work on weekends, stocking shelves, helping customers, pricing new inventory, JUST to make extra money to buy more yarn, needles, books. It was great! My coworkers tease me now whenever I go over there. I’ll go with the intention of buying, say, point protectors, but will come out with $200 worth of yarn in addition to my point protectors. It really is an addiction! lol
Socks are the bane of my existence. I’m bound and determined that 2009 will be the year I finally learn to make socks without wanting to stab myself in the eye with my needles! :wall: Stop by to introduce yourselves. I love to meet new people. I’m afraid, with my mental illness, I tend to drop off the planet sometimes, when I need to pull myself together, but I always come back, so please be understanding.
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Welcome to Knitting Help (KH) and the blogs! It sounds like you’ve got a very interesting life for sure! It’s great that you’ve found knitting to calm and center you. 
Welcome:waving:
Hi Kat!
I have been knitting on and off since high school and I am now 54. I also use knitting to quiet myself. I have anxiety issues from time to time. My former husband was diagnosed with BPD also, but chose not to be treated.
What types of things do you like to knit? One problem I have is chronic pain in my left arm/fibromyalgia, so I don’t knit as long as I want to each day. Some days I can hardly turn pages in a magazine. I am currently working on a baby sweater I started last summer. Believe it or not, I HAVE been working on it continuously, eventhough it is now January. Just slow-going for me. I hope to complete it by April when my stepson’s baby is due.
Rene’
Hi. My grand children call me “Beema”. My grand daughter started saying it when she was very small. She couldn’t say Grandma, and it has stuck all these years. I like it! Rubie
Hi, My granddaughter can’t say Grandma, so she calls me "Geeka."
Kathleen
[FONT=“Comic Sans MS”][SIZE=“4”][COLOR=“Magenta”]My new granddaughter is finally here! She was born 01/07/09, at 8:12 pm. She weighed in at 8 lbs, 1 oz and is 20 1/4" long. My 17 year old daughter and I had the honor of being able to witness her birth. Her name is “Kallie Michelle”. My fingers are working like mad to hurry up and finish the blanket I’m working on. haha. Thank you for all the welcomes. It made my day to log on and see them. OH, and “Knitfan”, don’t worry about things taking you a long time to knit…I have a difficult cabled scarf that I’ve been working on for 3 YEARS. I’m almost finished. lol
I’m going to try to put in a picture of Kallie. I hope it works. The first pic is of Kallie and me cuddling. The second pic is of my daughter Kelsie being the proud new Aunt, and of course the 3rd picture is Kallie at 3 hours old. OH yeah…I’m a proud “nana”. [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
My friend’s g kids call her “Mimi”
Congrats on the new granddaughter!
My stepgranddaughters (courtesy of my 22 yo stepson… i’m only 29!) call me Nana.
Congratulations, “Nana”!
There’s no feeling like it in the world to being a grandmother, is there?
Enjoy your darling baby granddaughter!
Kathleen:
[FONT=“Comic Sans MS”][SIZE=“3”][COLOR=“Purple”]I love being a nana. My mother has started calling me “Nana Banana”, however, and that’s not amusing. :nails: Ok, well, maybe it’s a LITTLE funny. Now my biggest problem is deciding what to knit the little beauty. Seriously, I have 4 blankets, 2 pair of booties, a sweater and 2 hats on the needles as we speak. I keep finding cute patterns and can’t decide which one to finish first. Oh well…at least I’ll never be bored! Thank you for all the replies and support. You ladies always make me smile. :waving: [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=“Comic Sans MS”][SIZE=“3”][COLOR=“Purple”]Well, I’m going to be 43 years old in about an hour and 45 minutes. :waah: haha. just kidding. I don’t mind birthdays. Just a number, although this year my son told me “Hey, it’s your first birthday as a grandma!” :tap: I was not amused. For my birthday, I bought myself an acoustic guitar and a music book / DVD to learn to play. I play piano, flute, drums, Celtic harp, and I’ve always wanted to learn guitar. I play by ear and I’ve already taught myself the few opening bars to “Time of Your Life” by Green Day, which is one of my favorite songs. Had to get my new driver’s license today. 8 years ago, when I got my last driver’s license picture taken, I wore a pink blouse, little heart earrings and pink lipstick. Today, I wore my kelly green Dropkick Murphys sweatshirt and my silver nose stud. Since that last drivers license photo 8 years ago, I’ve gotten my nose pierced and gotten 4 tattoos. My kids say I’m rebelling in my old age. haha. My daughter says I’ve gone from Martha Stewart to Marilyn Manson! But hey, I still knit every day. I’m knitting the cutest baby sweater ever with Lorna’s Laces yarn in “Valentine”. :knitting: My grandmother would laugh if she could see me now. Knitting, Godsmack t-shirt on, nose ring and tattoos, knitting a pink baby sweater. I may be a grandmother, but dammit, I’m gonna be the coolest one there ever was!
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Happy Birthday, KnittinChick!! Hope you had a wonderful celebration plus the added fact of having a brand new grandchild for your birthday this year! I found out in February that my 24 yr. old son and his girlfriend are expecting the end of August–this will be my first also!! I have 4 stepgrandchildren, but it is different when your own kids have babies. And if that weren’t enough–my 29 yr old daughter, who is currently teaching and living in Taiwan with her husband, just called last week to inform me that SHE is pregnant!! This is her first also. So I get a two-for-one deal this year!!
Wish I could knit faster–I am still struggling with the seaming on the baby sweater I started last summer for my husband’s son’s baby.
Do you know what would go faster? To knit one blanket or to knit several little hats and booties?