Luv 2 knit! I’m a widowed grandmother and I’ve been raising my granddaughter since the death of her mother (my only child), whom I call Angel in my posts. There isn’t much time to knit until after my granddaughter goes to bed (and sports, and laundry, and homework) - hence the ‘Goodnightgram’ thingy. She’s the ‘Goodnight’ half and I’m the ‘Gram’ half. 
I’ve been knitting a long time. I keep some of what I knit and I give some away. I like to rescue unfinished knitting projects and old yarn from thrift shops and try to make something worth sharing. I chose the holiday theme for my blog because knitting is like making Christmas presents all year long. Fa la la la lah!
Once in a while, I refer to my late husband. I call him Officer Friendly on my blog. My mother is still alive and Goodnight and I spend time with her. We call her Gr8 because she is Goodnight’s great-grandmother. If I refer to my dad, I call him Mr. Gr8.
Not too many other characters in my soap opera, so far. I have a brother who lives in Indiana and I refer to him as Indybro. Other characters will be added if they come up frequently.
Favorite Books: The Peasants by Wladyslaw Reymont in four volumes: Autumn, Winter, Spring, Summer. And Quiet Flows the Don by Mikhail Sholokov. There’s a reason they won the Nobel Prize for Literature . . .
Favorite Hymn: It is well with my Soul by Horatio Spafford (penned after the loss of all four of his daughters when their ship sank. His only son had died two years before.) There are some beautiful renditions. Take your pick. Wintley Phipps at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYFjikyp7mQ&feature=related ; Mahalia Jackson at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wziwGZq06PE&feature=fvw; or an American Sign Language version by Vernado that I find particularly beautiful: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDdaLGbcrOI
You can write to me at: goodnightgram@yahoo.com
I first came across that beautiful hymn sung by The Three Tenors in Bath some years ago…
Dancing: I’ll bet they did a beautiful rendition. I enjoyed The Three Tenors but never heard them perfomr that particular song. Thanks for letting me know!
I have spent a wonderful afternoon “with you” today. I really don’t how I got to you, but what a treat. Goodnight is a very lucky girl. Bless you Gram. 7/19/10, Lexington, Ky
Sue: Hello! Thanks for finding my blog – however it was that happened. I glad there was enough here for you to spend the afternoon. If Goodnight is a lucky girl – than I am a very lucky Gram. Please let me know when you come back!
I just happened to find your blog & can relate as I too am raising a granddaughter in my home. However my granddaughter, Terry has special needs so our lifestyle is much different. I have enjoyed reading your many comments on your blog of your life with your granddaughter. I am also a knitter & knit when I can.
Adora: I would love to hear about what kinds of things you knit. Thanks for letting me know that you are raising your granddaughter, too. Grams do what grams need to do, right? I hope you get enough rest along the journey. . .
Gram,
So good to com across your blog. It’s like coming home. I was searching for flowers to knit to put on a bag that I am going to felt and came across your vintage flowers illusion cloth. I like illusion knitting too. My sympathies regarding your loss of Angel and Officer Friendly. I’ll be stopping by every so often.
Lynne: I’m sorry that you didn’t fine any flowers to knit for your felted bag on my site, but I’m glad you found the vintage flowers illusion cloth. There’s a table runner, too, BTW. The cloth was practice for the table runner. Thanks for your condolences. I appreciate that very much. I’m glad to know someone who likes illusion knitting, too. Thanks for stopping by and for your warm comment. I hope you find the flowers you were looking for.
I love the aran stocking on the railing. Good to know about you.
I learned knitting from my at age 10 and knitting ever since.
I call myself cables queen.
Cablesqueen: I like that. It’s clear that you are a knitter with that kind of name! I learned when I was a similar age as you. Loved it ever since!
love your blog will try an keep up
Sandra: Welcome to my blog and thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. I saw your blog, too and I have a lot to learn from the photos of quilters! Beautiful!
Hi there. I own a yarn shop in California and was searching around the internet looking for a Super Bowl project idea to make at my shop during the Super Bowl. I came across your blog and saw your Hands-Free Scarf, and liked it a lot. Would you mind if I used your pattern on that Sunday (with credit, of course) so knitters could come to our shop and make the scarf instead of sitting in front of the TV at home?
Thanks in advance!
Deborah
Dear Deborah: I don’t mind. Absolutely! Go for it. Have fun. Thank you so much for asking.
Thanks! I thought you’d like to know that I dedided that when people come to the shop to make the scarves, we’ll do it as a charity project and donate the scarves to a local center that helps homeless teens.
Deborah: Yes! I love knowing what you will do with the scarves. Thanks so much for telling me. Once the Super Bowl is over with, I will be doing the same thing! Thank you for doing something to help homeless teens.
Hello Grams
Just want to say what a great roll model you are for Goodnight. It is obvious from your talks to all that you are a very loving family and close. My hats off to Gr8 for doing a wonderful job raising you. Your someone who’s footsteps I would follow in. I am sure that your daughter Angel and Officer Friendly are watching over you all, and making sure you are safe.. I look after my mom. I moved my parents in with me, however dad died two months to the day I moved them here. I would not have done anything different, as they were struggling to look after themselves. Thank you for allowing us into your heart. Look forward to checking out your patterns. I am a fairly new knitter. Mom and dad taught me what they could. I am a slow learner in everything haha. Take care.
Dear Shirley: Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment. Gr8 is a wonderful mother. My siblings are good people, too. Thank you for taking your folks in and looking after them. You’re heart must bevery large to do that. I hope there is something in my patterns that suits you. If not, then thank you for stopping by. Don’t worry about being a slow learner. At least you are still learning!
I have just read through your comments and replies. I too am a grandmother, being taught by my mother when I was quite young. In those days we knit items because they were needed, like soakers, socks, and other things of clothing. When opening my e-mail today, I found the photo of the table runner. A friend of mine, an 88 yr. old greatgrandmother to be exact, donated many bags of unused yarn she had stored from the days when she either knitted or did some crocheting. I knit with a group who donate items to the Linus Project. My group decided we should knit something for “Lillian” for her coffee table, using some of her donated yarn. Your “Vintage Flower table runner” looks like the ideal thing!
However when I tried to make a copy, I could not get it to print, although I do have Adobe pdf. I will keep trying though. Thank you for lighting up my day with your project, which is so beautiful and colorful.
Grandmamarg75
Hello Margaret: I sent you an email offline with another option if you can’t get the pattern to print. Hope it will help.
Thanks! It turns out that the new ink cartridge is a “dud” and not giving up any ink. I requested a replacement and it works great! I now have the pattern and have been able to use most of the yarn Lillian donated in place of purchasing new skeins. There seems to be some difference in my knnitting the pattern as I have rows of black and purple, with no “balls” forming. What can be the problem? I will ask one of my knitting friends here if I am missing something??
grandmamarg-75
Margaret: Illusion images are not visible when you look at them while you are knitting. That is a 90-degree viewing angle and all you see is the stripes. Set the knit piece on a flat surface and step back so you can increase the viewing angle. The flower design should appear. Take a looke at the photos on the pattern and see the camera angle. Try to match that angel when you look at your piece.
Another way you can tell if you are working the pattern correctly is to look at the back side of the knitting. The flowers will be visible, but ikn the reverse colors. That’s just hoe Illuions knitting works.
Hope this helps.
Thanks for your reply. I am now starting with color Seaspray, row 16. I will copy your instructions, and when I get a few more inches finished, will follow your directions to view it. I am loving the knitting pleasure, and look forward to the finished results. Thanks again for your help.
Grandmamarg-75
Margaret: Seaspray sounds like a lovely color! You’re welcome for the help!
Yippie!!!! I can see the pattern now! What a relief that is! Thanks again for giving me the courage to keep knitting away and directions to see the image. I’m very happy with the results, and my knitting friends here will be excited to see my work on Tues. night when we get together for our craft meeting. Since two of the women wanted to be involved in thanking Lillian for her donation of yarn, and they crochet, maybe they would like to put a row or two on the sides when I’m done knitting. We shall see. THANKS so much again. Have a good day!
Grandmamarg – 75
Margaret: Yea! It’s working. I’m thrilled for you. I hope your knitting friends like it too. Just help them to view it from the proper angle. What a nice thing you are doing for Lillian. Let me know how it goes.