ABCedarium...IloveKnittingLetters

ABCedarium....Yes...It's a real word...I did not make it up!  I do make up words occassionally, and many of you have questioned my TexaSutionary skills, and have commented that you have not been able to find definitions or pronunciations.  That's because Wikipedia has not updated their TexaSutionary.  I submitted it ages ago!  I suspect they have just not gotten to the Letter 'T' in their vast data base of New Reference Online Materials.  Hopefully, I'll hear from them before the end of this 2012 Mayan Calendar Year.

 I'd hate to think that sometime in the FarFarAway Future that the New World would not have The TexaSutionary.  Yikes...I'd be responsible for FFA Future Knitters thinking the Alphabet is 'B-Z', and that CVKG is the correct letter order, and LogIn means it's OK to light the fireplace, and Ravelry is just misspelled, and the author 'SuKnitWitty' has two extra letters...ty!

OMG!  I don't have time for this FFA Future worry right now.  It's the last day of February and I'm rushing to meet a SID (self imposed deadline).  I promised several of Ya'll Knitters I'd have this 'ABCedarium Post and Pattern' for you this month.  So, here YaGo!

Abecedarium (or abecedary) is an inscription consisting of the letters of an alphabet, almost always listed in order...oops.  Typically, abecedaries are practice exercises...whew!

Some abecedaria include obsolete letters which are not otherwise attested in inscriptions...Yay for TexaSutionary!

Some abecedaria found in the Athenian Agora appear to be deliberately incomplete, consisting of only the first three to six letters of the Greek alphabet, and these may have had a magical or ritual significance....YEEESSS...SuKnitWitty The Knit-Purl Wizzard!!!!


There's more, but I'm going to get right to the Knitty Gritty of  Knitting the Letter 'E' in Two Colors....

Early Bird.....Feeder

Nana....Burds YaYa!!!!

I don't know Jackson, it seems kinda early to be feeding the birds!

Do you think Lovey and Dovey are back from Wintering at South Padre'?

Lovey....YaYa!!!

I checked with the Lab of Ornithology and they agreed with Jackson that it is not too early to start feeding the birds YaYa! It seems that during migration in the spring, a bird feeder might be a very welcome source of food for a bird that has already come a long way from it's wintering grounds.

So, if your 'Burd Feeder' is ready....our resident Ornithologist says go get some Burd YaYa!

Lovey and Dovey our resident Doves love the Wildbird Seed (YaYa) that is a mix of Millet, Sunflower seeds, Wheat, Milo and Vitamin Supplements.

Oh Happy Days for Lovey and Dovey....as soon as The Early Bird Feeder

finishes PLAYING in their YaYa!

Sheep Happens...To The Best of Us!

I am a Knitter, and I know it's a process...the Sheep to Shop Thingy!

I've even considered being more involved in the process.

Oh! I bet you're rolling your eyes and thinking...

"OMG, she's going to start Shearin' Sheep!

Nope!  That's not it!  I've heard yarns about Sheep Shearin' and I'm quite sure

Skinin' a Sheep is not on my Bucket List!

I do fancy myself as somewhat of a Pioneer, afterall, I come from Texas Pioneer Stock!

Problem is my Ancestorial Pioneer Stockers didn't take much

Stock in Sheep!

There goes my Dyed in the Wool Genetic Pre-dispostion for 'Sue Had A Little Lamb'!

  Bronc Bustin'...that's my Ancestors StockNTrade, but don't worry....you won't find

 My Ancestorial Jeans on a Buckin'Bronc!

Nope, not on my Bucket List either!

The only Bustin' goin' on in my world right now is....

Freedom of Speech...Even at Two!

Our Two Year Old GrandGuy is a 'Thinker'.  He did alot of thinking before he ever uttered a word.  We were getting concerned that he wouldn't talk at all.  Afterall, he is the youngest of four and his elder siblings are teens and tweens with Smart Mouths and Smart Phones.  So, naturally, he is an IPhone-IPad IKnowHowTo Two Year Old.  That in itself is amazing to me! 

When finally he began to 'Speak' he was a conservative  and thoughtful speaker.  He had one word for his parents...DaaE!  One word for me and HiHoney...Papa!  One word for food and drink...YaYa!  One word for comfort...TeTe...his blanket!  For everything else he just Pointed and everyone jumped and fetched.

As his vocabulary grew he spoke a language of his own....Jabberwocky. Or so I thought, until I saw him slide open the IPad...touch the SpongeBob APP and repeat everything SpongeBob said....in Japanese!  Right then I knew he would be Bi-lingual, a great Orator and Master Magpie!

Now that his vocabulary has increased...both in English and Japanese... and his Magpie Skills are at a peak...his Freedom of Speech is often discouraged.  Actually, I should say....threatened with a good soapin'!

Yep, the forbidden 'S Words'.

Come On, Ya'll...where do you think I heard those words?  Ya'll spent all that time trying to get me to speak...SAY Nana...SAY I love you...SAY SAY SAY!  Well, now I'm ready to SAY what I hear YOU SAY! 

Here it comes!  He, Elmo and I went to HEB yesterday...just the three of us...I'm driving...Jack is relaxed, groovin' on the passing scenery and talking to himself.

ShutUp!  Shit!  ShutUp!  Shit!  ShutUp!  Shit! ShutUp!

I know Elmo,  but I don't have any Soap!  Besides sometimes you just gotta get it outta your system!

Look on the bright side...we are not out in Public! 

 Elmo, you can only look shocked and I already know those 'S Words' so let's Chalk It Up to....

A Two Year Olds Right to The Freedom of Speech!

The Winter Texas Thorny Thicket

Winter grass and early spring flowering weeds cover the pastures and roadsides of West Texas at this time of year.  Hard to believe February is winding down and the Ides of March are upon us!

The Winter Texas Thorny Thicket sure makes for a great Photo ShootOut!

The Winter Texas Thorny Thicket

A season that brings

Beauty

Pain

Weeping

and

Wonder!

Thanks for visiting and viewing CollectInTexas Gals

Photo Profiles....Moments Never To Forget

The Faces of Love

Until tonight, my heart was just half full.

I'd never known the fruit which fed the soul.

But now I see what may put to rest my longing.

For I have seen, the Face of Love.

The Grace of God, the Face of Love.

In silence I feared my heart would remain words unheard inside a separatness of skin.

But now I know that the skin just veils the soul.

For I have seen...The Face of Love.

The Grace of God, The Face of Love.

Excerpts from 'Face of Love' by JEWEL

Photos by

CollectInTexasGal

George Washington...One In A Million

That's Right!  My Great Granddaddy George Washington Pittman born in 1843, is TODAY an Internet Statistic.  And I do mean TODAY...February 20, 2012 Presidents Day!

Having a famously named ancestor has been a real boon to The Pittman Family Tree and Tracks of My Texas Ancestors...my Genealogy Blog.  Just think, how many folks will Google George Washington today.  Shoot, I bet every Elementary School kid in American Googled George Washington last week for the traditional Cherry Tree Choppin' Essay!

You know TODAY they are thankin' George for the day off.  Their teachers are...I know...I was once an Elementary PE Teacher who sure was glad to have a day off in February from West Texas' Brown Norther Dirt-Sleet Storms.  Of course they hit the day after Presidents Day.
Anyway, back to George's Stats!

Did you know that there are 1,458,990 people in America named George?  And 99.46 percent of them are MALE.  That makes me wonder about the .54 percent.  Are they FEMALE's named George or Georgia or Georgina?

Of those Million Plus George's...882 of them have the last name Washington.  They rank right up there with 189,221 other folks with the last name of Washington.  Like George of course, Booker T., Martha and Denzel. 

In The Pittman Family Tree only five guys were named after George Washington Pittman.  One son and several grandsons, but no Georgias, Georginas or Georgettes.  Whew!  I'm kinda glad not to be in todays .54 percent.  I'm really glad I was born before parents started making up names that combined ancestors monikers into one name....I coulda been Suorgia!

Thankfully, my Mama and Daddy picked Sue...named after nobody they knew or anyone famous in 1947.  Since then there has been one famous Sue that I know of....A Boy Named Sue!  Thanks Johnny Cash....I really needed that!

Since I brought up the GOOGLE Name Search Thing, I thought you might like to know How Many Of Me there are today.  Yes, there are more Sue's in America today...

173,766  people in the U.S. named Sue.  Statistically the 361st most popular first name.  More than 99.9 percent of Sue's are FEMALE...thanks to Johnny Cash.

Wanna know How Many Of YOU there are?  Here's the website...HowManyOfMe.com

Happy 276th  Birthday George Washington!

Thanks for the Day Off!

A Girl Named

I've Been MicroFiche-ing...Reelly!

I've been known to tell some pretty good fish stories!  Mostly about how the Bigun's Got Away or the fishin' was so good they were jumpin outta the water and snatching the worms right off the hook. 

It's been awhile since I've been fishin' for whoppers, but recently I got the idea to go Microfiche-ing.

I've been carrying around the 'Bait' for several months and was just waiting to be in the right place at the right time to catch what I hoped would add some insight to what happened to...

....Great Granddaddy's Second Wife!

I caught a Whopper and Opened Up a Whole New Can of Worms!

FORT STOCKTON PIONEER
August 23, 1918

DIED

Mrs. G.W. Pittman, of Grandfalls, who only recently had come here for medical treatment, died very suddenly from organic heart trouble, at the Riggs Hotel, Saturday evening August 16th.

The remains were prepared for burial by Undertaker W.H. Bird, after which they were taken to Grandfalls, Sunday afternoon and interred in the cemetery at that place. 

The funeral services were conducted by Reverand M.O. Williams, pastor of the Methodist Church, of which church the deceased was a devoted member.

A husband and two children, who reside in Grandfalls, are left to mourn her loss.

Obituary for Mrs. George Washington Pittman...Nancy Anne Carey Forkner Pittman.

Born...April 23, 1854 in Monroe County Tennessee to John E. Carey and Ellen M. McAllister

Died...August 16th, 1918 at the age of 64 in Fort Stockton, Pecos County, Texas

Survived by husband George Washington Pittman of Grandfalls, Ward County, Texas.

and....here's the Opening of a Whole New Can of Worms....

Shop The Mall...It Heals 'The Frumps'

Ya know, when you have a Big Ol Birthday like I just had, you are likely to have an attack of 'Feelin' Frumpy'.  You're standin' in the closet and everything  screams 'Old Lady'...'WornOut-TrashMe'...Buttons Gone-Ripped Butt'...'Go Shoppin', Already!

It's hard to part with those JCP Stretch Bell Bottoms.  But when you've stitched that  butt seam for the jillionth time...they're done!  Let them go!  Give them up! 

The Keds, too!  Face it Sue, they aren't even good enough for Goodwill.  Nobody's  bunion will fit just right in the hole you cut out and since you removed the liners for your OrthoInserts....they are done...finished...kaput!

So, to silence the screaming I went shopping!  I went to the mall.  I know!  I  N E V E R go to the mall. 

My GrandGals say it's the coolest place to shop...but Nana stay outta JCP...pha-leeeze!  And don't go to Sears either...that's why your closet is screaming!  I'm stunned...you mean there are other stores?  Oh, Yeah, Nana go to GAP or PINK or Scraps R Us or any of those Awesome shops!

So I did!  OMG!  I had no idea that mini-skirts were back and less material means more money.
Who knew that GAP stood for God Awful Pants!
Or that Scraps R Us clothes really were made from scraps and little bitty scraps at that,
and that PINK meant that EVERYTHING in the store was...

Tea Party Candidate....Sugar or Sweetner?

Do you know anyone less likely to be a Candidate for a Tea Party than yours truly?  What I know about being a Candidate I learned as a Freshman in High School as a Nominee for Homecoming Queen.  What did I learn? 

That I could hardly wait to be a Senior!  Experience, Maturity and Seniority do have their merits!
For instance....The Senior Nominee's Merits were way ahead of mine from the 'GetGo':
~Her gown was strapless...no kleenex needed.
(mine was strapless and stuffed)
~Her boyfriend was Captain Studley of the football team.
(mine was non-existent...nada...zip...no boyfriend)
~Her brother drove a Corvette Convertable...she waved and smiled like a Queen!
(my brother drove a 1955 Cushman Motor Scooter...I was hanging on to the handlebars for dear life...no waving...no smiling)
~She was a HiHeel ShoeIn to Be Crowned...It was the Tradition!
(I was an Un-informed Freshman wearing Converse HiTops...safety precaution for jumping off Cushman)

From that day forward I knew that I would never be a Candidate for Anything!

Imagine my surprise when I found myself as a Candidate for a Tea Party....

Spinning The Same Old Yarn/Topics...NOT!

Surprise!!!  I bet you are, too! 

 Surprised to see a NEW Topic here on CollectInTexas Gal!

UhUh...don't do it...I can see you...you are looking up...your eyes are rolling...your head is shaking and your just about to cover your face.

Don't Touch That Mouse!

Here's the Thang!  I am Two People!

I am CollectInTexas Gal

and

I am SuKnitWitty.

I am Not Nuts!

I am a Two Blog Personality!

and

Now is the time for this good blogger to come to the aid of her aging self.

and

GetIt-BlogIt All Together!

Say Howdy To SuKnitWitty...She I will now be a PAGE here on CITexas Gal....

Vanna and SuKnitWitty Choose...To CastOn...Again

I use to say, "I want to be a Master Knitter".

Now, after Knitting seriously for four years, I say,

"I just want to Master the most difficult stitch in knitting...Binding Off"!

I've pretty much mastered Casting On! You'd know that by the number of projects that I've Cast On!

I'm really good at buying the yarn, picking a pattern, getting started and knitting with obsessive focus...

all the way through at least one pattern repeat...sometimes more...depending on how many rows

are in the pattern repeat. Yes, I Knit...I'm a Master of WIP's...Works In Progress!

In Knitters Blogland, I am known as 'SuKnitWitty'.

When I decided to take up Knitting, HiHoney rolled his eyes and said,

"Sue, you are already a KnitWit...go figure".

There ya go....Su Knit Wit...ty!

As I enter my Fifth year as a Serious Knitter, I'm still honing my Casting On skills!

Yep, Cast this Scarf on so I'd have something to do while watching Super Bowl XLVI.

For once, I'm not Stressed Out over getting to the Binding Off Stitch!

I don't plan on Binding It Off....I don't plan on finishing it!

It's a Knit And Switch Project!

Yep, one way or another at least One CastOn will be Bound Off!

Clever of me, huh?  That's why I make the BigBucks!

Ya know...the ones you get when you zip your Credit Card through the machine at theYarn Shop!

That's how I convince HiHoney that building My Yarn Stash is paying for itself!

Uh Huh!  The CashBack Bucks are as good as Money in the Bank!

Who's going to Bind Off this Scarf? 

One of the Gals from the Concho Valley Knitting Guild!

It's good to be the VP!

I hope you've enjoyed this Introductory Post to SuKnitWitty on CollectInTexas Gal!

There will be more....hopefully, I will get to show you the

Binding Off Stitches!

There's a Tutorial on Knitting with Beads on

SuKnitWitty...Yes, I knit, too...Purl one!!!

This Scarf Pattern Free on Purple Sage Designs Website

Free Leaflet:#7 Hunter Blue

My Yarn Choice

Vanna's Choice...Dusty Blue #108...Worsted Weight...Lion Brand

My Knitting Needles

Bernat Circular...size 8 (5mm)...16"nylon loop

Super Bowl # I...We Were There...Back In The Day

It was January 1967.  The 'Supergame' as it was called Back Then, was scheduled for January 15th...FIVE days before my Birthday! 

You can imagine HiHoney's excitement !  Here he was, a former High School Quarter Back and current Texas Tech Red Raider, about to witness  Football's FIRST Most Memorable Sports Event of All Time....on our 19 inch Black and White TV.

A wedding gift from my parents...one that I had been watching since 1957.  It was a generous wedding gift, and HiHoney and I were thrilled to have a TV even if it was black and white and ten years old.  It worked out fine Back In The Day of Rabbit Ear Cable.

Then came GE's PortaColor TV in the Spring of 1966.  That brought the First All Color Primetime Season  in the Fall 1966...just in time for FOOTBALL.

Guess what I got for my Birthday in January 1967... Early Birthday present at that! 

~Early enough to get the Rabbit Ear Cable in place. 
~Early enough to catch the Play Off's for the Supergame.
 ~Early enough to invite the Red Raider Buddies over for the Historic Supergame.
~Early enough to budget in Beer, Popcorn,  Pigs InA Blanket, and whatever other Pigskin Snacks were available.

Those were The Days!!! 

The Days I will never forget my Birthday gift from HiHoney!!! 

 (Another memorable Birthday gift was an Electric SKILLET...really!) 

Anyway... since that First Supergame to

TODAYS XLVI SUPER BOWL...

....our TV is RabbitEarless!

Our book case is Encyclopedia-less...now available through the RabbitEarless Cable!

We can SEE the TV from the kitchen table...at least 20 feet away!

We have a Two-year Old Grandson Decorator!

...and...

We are READY for SOME FOOTBALL!!!

BRING IT......

The Age of Aquarius...Here's My Sign

Fraud Fraud Fraud....That's what you are Sue!  

Claiming to be an Aquarian...even if it is by the Cusp of your Chinny ChinChin! 

Claiming to be living in the Age of Aquarius!

Claiming the Aquarian Characteristics as....'Fits Me To A T'!!!

Pro-Claiming the Astrological Powers That Be as All Knowing for Tagging You to a T!!!

I swear Ya'll...I'm as shocked as you must be to find out that THIS is NOT the Age of Aquarius, and that I have NOT been living in The 5th Dimension.

I'm floored to find out that all the 'Workin' On My Groovy Thing' has to be chalked up to 'Those Were The Days'!  I was counting on my Groovy Thing to carry me into the Golden Years!

 My first foray into the world of Astrology was through Linda Goodman's SunSigns.  I was young and workin' on finding my Groove!  I was born just a few years outta the 'Baby Boomer Era', so my Groove was not there.  I was not a Flower Child.  Cowboys and Iowa Farm Gals did not raise Flower Children...if they did they would be called Magnolia, Petunia or Pansy...can you imagine being called Pansy Sue Pittman.  OMG I'd have never gotten any kinda Groove On!

I almost missed the whole 'Groovy Thingy'....Texas Gals from PoDunk in 1965 did not have a vocabulary that included words like Groovy, Out of Sight and Far Out!

Had anyone even suggested I was a Flower Child, I'd have assured them my name was not Pansy or Petunia. 

It was forever before I figured out that when the Far Outs talked about Bread it wasn't the kind you buttered.

Then we moved to AUSTIN!  To the city of the Far Outs!  The Hub of Texas HippieDom!  The city where my mouth was in a constant state of dropping open! 

It was there that.....

PuckerUp ... It's February

Sometimes I'm absolutely floored by what some folks don't know!

Seriously, Ya'll...doesn't everyone know what 'PuckerUp' means!

I do...but decided to see if Google knew!  She does!

Some Googlers didn't...I know...hard to believe, but none the less here ya go!

The Meaning of PuckerUp!

From Urban Dictionary...means to stick out your lips ready to kiss somebody or something.

The pursed movement your lips make in preparation for a kiss.

Online Slang Dictionary...to prepare for a kiss...Pucker up baby!

There's a few more that are 'Eye Rollers', and if they were Asking.com me...

I'd be sayin' KissOff!

Then there are those that just instinctively know ....

....that when you LOVE somebody....you PuckerUp!

Happy February!