Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Friday, August 19, 2011

Christmas Knitting/Crocheting

Are you getting ready to start your holiday knitting? I know. Who wants to think about that time of year when it's still hotter than your husband sitting down to knit after first making you dinner and tidying up, but not before he lovingly rubs your feet.

If you would be so kind as to add one more person to your gift list, they would be ever so grateful. How about whipping out a scarf or a hat for one of our military personnel serving away from home this year? Operation Gratitude is asking for donations of handmade scarves to include in their care packages. All the information is there, just follow the link.

If you do this, you will lose 20 pounds over night, your hair will be shiny, and you will find $50 in the pocket of the coat you wore last winter. Well, maybe you'll just feel smug for doing something nice for a stranger.




Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Great Googly Moogly


It's August, already? But summer just got here. I need a do-over. Band camp has come and gone for the Boy, Thing 1 and Thing 2 are complaining that we've only gone to the pool once, and the Girl, well, she's been hiding in her room.


It has been a productive summer, knit wise. As far as accomplishing things around the house, not so much.





I did finish the fat green socks that had started out to be for me, but they became the Husband's socks along the way. This the Country Socks pattern from Nancy Bush's "Folk Socks" using Sheep Shop's Sheep 3 yarn (say that 5 times fast). I was a little late to the Sheep 3 party, as it's been discontinued, and I love it. Of course. I finally found a bra that I loved, didn't buy eleventy of them, and now they are discontinued. I know, TMI.





The very next day I cast on the Hair Tamer. The Girl has convinced me that since I have had bangs since 7th grade, that it was time for a change. Hence the need for a hair tamer. The pattern (Cabled Headband by Jennifer Hagen from "The Knitter's Book of Yarn") called for the headband to be the same width for the whole circumference, but some one more brilliant than I on Ravelry suggested tapering the back to make it more comfortable. This is wide enough that on cold days I can wear it over my ears, or I can push it behind my ears if I'm embarrassing the Girl by wearing it over my ears.





I also started and finished my new favorite sweater. This one will be getting a lot of use. Its the Garter Stitch jacket by Fleece Artist. The only modification I made was to leave out the waist shaping. I asked the Girl to model it for Le Blog, and she complained that it was itchy. Good. I won't need to go trawling through her room when I want to wear it.


I'm currently working on the Frisco Whip Cowl (another cowl!). This may end up being a gift for a friend in Syracuse. She gifted me (well, I strong armed her) with 2 jars of her pickles, 1 jar of pickled beets, and 1 jar of her pickled green beans. She is the pickling queen. She has red hair, lives where it's cold 10 months of the year, and gave me pickles. It will be perfect for her.


I've also started on the Dorflinger Tee. I'm not sure if this is "me". The beauty is that it's knit top down, so I can try it on and decide if it's "me" without having to finish it first.

Monday, August 15, 2011

Camping in the Great Outdoors


Well, duh, I guess you could camp in the living room. There'd be less bugs, and we wouldn't spend the first night sleeping in wet clothes.


This past July, yea, I'm a little late, the kidlets and I did our yearly trek to Watkins Glen State Park for a week of bugs, rain, dirt, and holy poison ivy those birds are loud at day break! Good times.


A sideways photo of the Boy asleep after a night of pouring rain.*

We met up with friends of mine from college and their respective kids and dogs.

We went for hikes,

we visited wineries (one of which was very hippy-dippy and had this Keith Moon autographed drum),
and we had good food, heard good music, and saw a beautiful sunset all at another winery.




This lovely creature rode home with us. His name is Ringo, and he is a service dog in training. We gave him a lift, because his trainer (my friend that lives in Massachusetts) was in southern Ohio, while we camped with the rest of his family in NY. He was a delight, even if he did leave behind a carpeting of hair in my car.



*Crappy photos taken with cell phone. I forgot the good camera.