We interrupt our regularly scheduled knitting program to bring you:

The beginnings of Izzy’s Berry Cute Hat (Fiber Trends pattern by Bev Galeskas). Abby reports that Izzy has outgrown all of her hats and she will need one (or more) for our cold, rainy Washington winter. What, you say? They are in England. But they are moving here!!! I am excited beyond belief. With the grace of God, Abby will get her immigration papers approved soon and they will be here the beginning of October. They were unsure about where they were going to live. We made sure they knew they were welcome here, but quarters are very tight in our house for three extra people and two extra dogs. But our younger son has graciously agreed to move back into his old bedroom and sublet his apartment to them. It’s a winner for everyone – Ben and family get some space and privacy, we don’t end up with four dogs in the house and Allen gets to save up for the computer he desparately wants. And did I mention that Izzy will be right in my own backyard? Well, not actually in the backyard, but you get the idea.

I have also been making progress on Madli:

I think this pattern is going to make it. It is very addicting and I love the way it’s coming out. Between little fruit and cupcake hats and Izzy’s Christmas present, I may be limited in progress during the coming months, but I think I will finish it. And, I ordered 12 balls of cobweb weight wool (say that three times fast!) directly from Jamieson & Smith for the Unst Stole from Heirloom Knitting (more on that next week). It was on sale for 1.50 in British pounds – a great deal even taking into consideration the exchange rate and shipping. I loved talking to the saleslady. She was so gracious and sounded straight out of “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie.”

The following is probably as political as you will ever hear me get on this site. I have watched with everyone else the horror and tragedy in the South. My heart truly aches and I know that all of you will donate to your favorite relief organization. Our choice is the American Red Cross. I know they are not perfect, but without fail they provide relief not only in the U.S., but all over the world as well. My husband teaches Disaster Preparedness classes for the ARC. He constantly comes home shaking his head at the people who tell him outright that they don’t think they need to be prepared because someone will come to their aid. What they don’t understand is that relief takes time. It is very, very difficult to get relief into an area when the infrastructure is shattered. Roads are impassable, bridges are out and even planes can’t land because of cracked runways. There may be blame to lay over the slow response in the South, but none of us know because we are not there. It saddens me that so much effort will be expended in pointing fingers and placing blame. Instead of that, let’s each of us commit to taking personal responsibility for preparing our families for disaster. Have on hand a minimum of 3 days food and water for each member of your family. I realize that for those in New Orleans this might not have helped because their homes were 10 feet under water. But there are many other scenarios where it will help, and if you are prepared, you are providing a solution for the problem, not becoming a part of it. If you are not sure how to go about getting prepared, this website should point you in the right direction.