Notes to Self

On Christmas morning, Janet, Sarah and I gathered around Janet's living room and Janet began the Holiday festivity with ye ole, "Hey, I had a really great idea last night! Wanna hear it?"

I have learned over the years that this could spell trouble or be a stroke of shear brilliance. This time brilliance prevailed.

Janet's idea was for each of us to write a note to ourselves, to jot down our thoughts, wishes and goals for the upcoming New Year and seal them in an envelope until next Christmas, when we will read our notes aloud. We decided to place our notes inside the "Memory Table" in Janet's living room so no one would be responsible for losing them.

I have not yet written "My Note to Self" and I'm pretty sure that Janet and Sarah are noteless too. But, I have been formulating my Note in my head. So, here lies the problem...my brain is like the "refreezerator" at the shop or my freezer at home. I keep putting stuff in it, but I never take anything out.

Now, if you have been following this blog for a while, you may remember that We (Janet and I) have "The Pulitzer Prize-worthy Knitwits Book" stored and our heads. Also stored in my head are countless inventions (Sheryl: remember the Mankerchief?), highly success business ideas (Knit-o-grams), unknit sweater designs, endless good intentions and large amounts of clutter.

Last month, I finally got 5 years worth of Knitwits website stuff out of my head. It felt amazingly good to get all of that out of my head and hosted on the web. It is also helpful that our new website has the correct address and hours now.

Blog followers will also remember that last year I spent a great deal of time and energy Feng Shui-ing my condo (and my colon) in search of a good night's sleep. With the help of books like "Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui" and books on tape like "Does All of This Clutter Make My Butt Look Big", I got rid of boxes of clutter, a closet full of poor fashion choices, stacks of outdated books, magazines and papers and undesirable toxins in my diet. Now, if only I could find an e-book on "How to Feng Shui your Brain".

My "Note to Self" could be a long laundry list of lofty ambitions and goals or it could be as simple as "Find Peace". Whatever the final form of my "Note to Self" may take, I'm just glad that I will take to trek into 2011 with Janet and Sarah and all of you!

Happy New Year!

Warm Wishes from the Wonderful World of Knitwits

Well, the shop is now closed for Christmas and we don't reopen until Tuesday morning. I think this may be the longest span of time that the shop will be closed. It has been very hectic for the Knitwits and I am really looking forward to spending time in my pajamas unwinding and piddling around.

I have been dealing with a very stressful work schedule (Comair and Knitwits), car trouble, home repair and over ambitious knitting obligations. Without the support of the staff, my family and friends, I don't think I would have found the strength to see it all through.

For me, the true meaning of Christmas is not about shopping and giving and receiving stuff. It is about sharing, caring, spending time with or thinking about the important people in our lives and enjoying the moments.

As I write this, I feel almost overwhelmed by the caring, sharing and generosity that is shown in the wonderful world of Knitwits. I have been the recipient of so many gifts, cards, goodies, warm hugs and invitations not only for this holiday season but all year long. Please accept my many thanks and know that you all have a special place in my memory bank.

As our day wound down, Janet and I had her daugther, Sarah, bring down a wine opener and festive wine glasses and we cracked open a nice bottle of wine (we have a case under the desk). We sat in the collection of mismatched chairs at the wobbly round table in the front room and for the first time in way too long, I didn't feel stressed out, pressured or anxious. Was it the wine or the lively conversation?

It was probably both things, but more importantly, it was what we needed and wanted to do. We talked about our favorite vacations, wines, foods and memories. It was not the places, tastes or dates that were important...it was whom we shared them with that were most memorable.

Janet and I often ask ourselves, "Why do people like hanging out at the shop?" After parking ourselves around the wobbly round table for a few hours, I now know why our chairs are usually full. It's all about who fills the chairs!

The shop and the mismatched chairs will be vacant for the long Holiday weekend. We hope you all have a safe and wonderful weekend with your family and friends and we look forward to spending time with you around the wobbly round tables soon!

The Blog is Back..A Tribute to the World's Best Car

After a very long break from blogging, I'm back to write a tribute to the world's best car.

Let me begin this tribute by setting the stage. I am a knitter. I will knit anywhere and everywhere. I can tell you about the subtle nuances of just about every yarn on the market, their strengths and weaknesses, their stitches per inch, the yardage, etc. I can decipher an intricate cable pattern and solve almost any knitting problem that arises. These are great skills for Knitwits. But, if you ask me for directions to the shop, I will have to get you someone else to answer that dreaded question. I have zero sense of direction and I don't know the difference between 71, 75 and 275 or KY 18 and 42.

To make matters worse, I only like to make right hand turns so I will often drive a circuitous route from point A to point B to avoid making lefts. To make matters even worse, I cannot knit while driving-so, I prefer to be a passenger. With all that said...I am going to admit to two things. #1: I know nothing about cars and have little interest in learning about them. #2: If you ask me to take you to the airport, I will pick you up and have you drive me and my car there.

I think the stage is now set, so let me begin my tribute. The last time I bought a car was 1990. I asked a boyfriend that I had recently broken up with to find me a new car because he loved negotiating and getting deals and he knew that I needed a good, solid, reliable car for the driving impaired. He wheeled and dealed and told me go to an Acura dealer with a check, so I did. I drove away with a Black 1991 Acura Integra R-something. Twenty years and 84,000 miles later, I am still driving the darned thing.

Last week, I got in a little accident on 71 or 75 (doesn't really matter which one). Someone a couple of cars in front of me slammed on their brakes and I ended up hitting the brand spanking new Jaguar in front of me. No one was hurt and the Jag had a hairline scratch but my beloved Acura Integra R-something had a smashed up headlight, a crumpled front bumper and the hood was smooshed down. The Acura didn't look good before the accident, but after the accident it looked---well, pathetic.

I drove my crumpled car to Don's Garage, a really great place in Erlanger if you ever need car stuff done, to see if the car would be okay to drive. They crow barred the hood open and checked everything out and said, "She's good to go but don't drive at night until you get a new headlight."

The new headlight would cost more than the car is worth. To the relief of my family, Janet, Janet's dad and probably my neighbors, I admitted that it was time for a new car.

The Acura Integra R-something is still running like a top and much to my surprise, the headlight that disintegrated upon impact still has a little flashlight bulb intact that lights up like a beacon. She's been stolen, keyed, neglected, rusted, spilled in and on and used like a heavy duty hauling truck over the years-she has served me well but it is time to park her.

Tomorrow, I will pick up my new ride-A 2009 Silver Honda Fit Sport. (Janet test drove it for me.) Tonight, the sadness of retiring the Acura is greater than the excitement of a new car. That will probably change tomorrow-but for tonight, the sadness was enough to break the blog silence.

Thank you Acura Integra R-something and thank you everyone (Steve, Not Steve, all 6,000+ others and especially Comair Steve) for helping me find her replacement.