Hope everyone has a wonderful 4th of July having picnics, playing and watching fireworks with your families. Remember the troops who are away fighting for our freedom and independence that we are celebrating today and pray for their safe return.
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Here is JULY 1st and look at the temperature on top of our mountain at 7:00 this morning!!!!! The sky is clear and beautiful, but it is very windy.
I'm not complaining, mind you. It's just unusual not to be having 90+ or so temps this time of year. I love it.
While I was outside taking the above photo, I walked around to the back of the house and on to the deck. I looked out into the back yard and was saddened to see big brown splotches in the trees:
This was caused by these ugly guys:
That is a cicada or locust that I found on the deck this morning. We have had a month of their loud noises. Being on top of the mountain, we could hear them much clearer because the sound permeated the air. This was the 17-year locust, which as the name implies, comes out of the ground every 17 years to mate and then they die. Downtown, they were more prevalent than they were up here. They were all over the streets and you had to be careful not to step on them when walking. They were crawling up on houses. As a matter of fact, I didn't think we had them up here except for the occasional one that would fly into the windshield as we were coming up the mountain. My opinion changed, however, when I looked out this morning and saw the trees. We must have had quite a number to do that kind of damage. All over town, the trees look like this---some places worse than others. The locust are gone now---well at least the noise is no longer here---and the trees will come back out. My ears are still ringing.
I finished cleaning out the closet in John and Nathan's room. As you will notice in the photo below, it's not as empty looking as the guest room because of all my knitting storage boxes, toys, clothes, and books, but at least I can open the door and walk in now:
While sorting through my knitting, I found several projects that I had abandoned and decided to put them on top where I can find them and get started finishing them up. The first one I decided to work on was the one that had the least amount of finishing work to be done. Actually, I finished it, but I thought the armholes were just a tad small. I had lengthened the armholes but that's as far as I got. I still had to do the edge stitches around them, which was a simple pick up stitches, knit two rows, and cast off. So just to remind you, here is the finished vest from 2005. The pattern is called "Main Vest" from the Mission Falls book Quinte Scrapbook. I used Mission Falls 1824 Wool and and 4.5mm and 5.00mm needles:
Here's where I found the happy little mistake. I made the wrong side of the knitted fabric the right side. Look at the difference in the photo on the left (which is blurred--- and I apologize for that--- and is taken from the book) and the photo on the right (which is what I had knit). Actually I think the problem could have been very fixable---just rip out the button band, shoulder seams and side seams and turn everything around----but, I decided it would stay as is---what's that saying the TV artist (can't remember his name---Ross or something like that) use to say---it's my little [knitting] world and I can [knit] however I want---Besides, I think it looks ok either way.
I do like the vest. The fit is right on and I'm sure I'll get a lot of wear out of it this fall and winter. So here's to happy little mistakes that are sometimes ok!!!!!!!!
NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have been cleaning out closets for the last two days. The guest room closet was filled with some of Ryan's things (put them all away), a huge box of Angela's clothes that she left when she went back to Washington (sorted them and put them away), two big boxes of outgrown baby clothes (took them downstairs so they are out of sight), Christmas wrapping paper and bows (took them downstairs and put them with the rest of the wrapping paper), boxes of AAA travel books and maps (went through them and threw out old editions---haven't found a place to put them, so they are still in the closet) and now my guest room closet can actually be walked into, see:
Now I need to sort through all those clothes. I have dresses in there that I just can't bring myself to throw away (ones I had made in Taiwan and Hong Kong when we were there 36 years ago on our honeymoon). I can't even get my big toe in them now, but I have a sentimental attachment to them---maybe one of these days.
OK with that closet done, I moved on to the closet that is in "Little" John and Nathan's room (use to be Angela's room). This is where I store all my knitting "stuff". I have only touched the surface today. I put all my sock yarn in one box. Now look at this. Should I be ashamed of myself? Well, I'm not. ;) I have enough sock yarn to knit up 82 pairs of socks. I even did an inventory and wrote down the names, weights, and number of skeins I have for each one.
Why is it that everytime I go into a yarn store I end up buying more sock yarn? Answer: because it's pretty and because I know that it will take either one skein or two skeins depending on the yarn. There is no second guessing. I have other yarns as well and I love them; but, when I go into a yarn store, I have to know exactly how many skeins of yarn I need for a specific sweater, etc. It's just easier to buy sock yarn.
When I was sorting through the sock yarn, I found two single socks that I had made--who knows when--- and never made the second sock---I think I made them too small, so I just put them aside. I'll have to rip them out and start over, which is a shame because they both turned out ok, just can't get my heel in--could be a major problem, don't you think?
This last one was one of my first toe-up socks using Wendy's pattern. I'm not too fond of the pooling in this sock. Maybe that is another reason I never finished them---who knows.
Ok, I'm off to bed. Busy day tomorrow going through all the other yarn boxes. I WILL GET ORGANIZED!!! (Have to keep telling myself this---over and over and over again! ;)
I finished one of Maggie's sweaters. This is based on the Basic Top-Down Cardigan found in Top Down for Toddlers by Deb and Lyda Gemmell. I started out with a "crew" neckline, but the further down the sweater I got the more and more I thought it needed something else. So, I went back up to the cast-on stitches and picked up and knit for about 2 1/2 inches.
I also didn't know how I wanted to do the button band, so I waited until the sweater was finished and picked up stitches and knit 10 rows of garter stitch. I wasn't paying attention and went up to the original cast-on stitches instead of stopping where the collar met up with the body of the sweater. As it turned out, it worked out pretty good. It looks like the button band of a man's shirt. I did several crochet chains back and forth in between the rows of garter stitch to reinforce the neckline. This gives the collar a little more stability, in my opinion.
Now for the details: Pattern: Make-over of the Basic Top Down Cardigan as found in Top Down for Toddlers by Deb and Lyda Gemmell. Yarn: Classic Elite Flash Bee Bale (6 skeins---5 of which had at least one knot and several had many knots). Needles: US#6
Now won't this little cutie be all set for Fall in her little pink and green sweater jacket (hey it matches her sun glasses). Thanks for the darling photo Danielle
The 2008 Summer of Socks has begun and so have I. I'm using my beautiful Shi Bui superwash merino. This yarn, in my opinion, is wonderful to knit with. Since my girls are anti-pattern, I'm using my basic sock pattern, which goes pretty fast. I have turned the heel on the first sock.
Notice my Stargazer lilies? As you may know if you have been reading my blog for any length of time, this is my all-time favorite flower. What's not to love about it. The fragrance, the color, the beauty just can't be beat. Both of my girls used these flowers in their weddings. Everytime I order flowers to be sent to friends or relatives, my florist always puts these in the arrangements. I don't even have to ask anymore. Now that's good PR on his part, don't you think?
Alicia and the children left to go back home last Friday. The house seems so quiet now that they are gone. We'll see them again sometime in July. Not soon enough for me. Would love to see my little Nathan, but don't know when that will be. I haven't seen him since Christmas. Angela keeps us updated on photos when she thinks about it. Here are the latest. The first one was taken when he got to play on an inflated castle slide. Someone had to hold him at the top before he started down. The second one he was riding a pony all by himself. Angela said he preferred the slide to the pony.
He definitely gets that hair and the curls from his Daddy. Isn't that something. Angela hates to cut it because it took him two years to get any hair at all. ;) He's growing up way too fast!
Here's one of my favorite pictures of Angela and Nathan together. She framed this and sent it to me for Mother's Day. Isn't that a wonderful Mother's Day gift?
I'm going to hop off of this computer and do a little knitting. I've already been to church, have to fix lunch for "Big" John and then the rest of the day is all mine.
Happy Knitting everyone. Enjoy your day!
We are having some work done on our pastures this week. The wild multi-flora roses are taking over (what the 17-year cecadas haven't already claimed) so we had a man with a bull dozer and track hoe come up and do some clearing for us.
Without "Little" John knowing about it, "Big" John made arrangements for Mr. Jenkins to take "Little" John for a ride in the back hoe bright and early this morning. We got him up early so we could meet Mr. Jenkins in the "back 40" of our property so John could go for his ride. We got back there at 8:00 with a very excited little boy. (Notice the jacket? It was 50 degrees up here this morning)
We put John in the back-hoe with Mr. Jenkins and he was in 7th heaven for sure:
and away they went:
Mr. Jenkins had finished the work and was taking the track hoe to another job so John got to ride down to the front gate where his dump truck and trailer were waiting. He learned to push all the buttons to make the clam jaws open and close and turn the track hoe all the way around. What an adventure for a little boy who loves dump trucks, tractors, and bull dozers. Mr. Jenkins was going to let him ride on the bull dozer when he comes back to pick it up, but Alicia told me tonight that they would be leaving on Friday to go back home so he'll miss that ride.
John is having a medical procedure done tomorrow and we have to be up at 5:00 am, so I'm off to bed.
I have some beautiful Shi Bui yarn that I bought from the Loopy Ewe several weeks ago. I love this yarn. The colorway is in beautiful shades of blue and green.
This was to be made in a pair of socks for Alicia. Since she does not like patterned socks, I decided I wanted to try something different for a change----knitting a pair of socks from the toe up using two circular needles. I started off with the Magic Cast-on that everyone has been using and I loved it. Then after I had all my stitches on, I worked my way up to the gusset increases, which went very well. Then the red lights started flashing---I tried Wendy's toe-up pattern for the slip stitch heel and just couldn't get it to work for me. Next I tried Judy Gibson's toe-up and just couldn't get it to work for me either. Guess it was just not meant for me to do toe-up socks. When I first started knitting socks, all I did were the toe-ups. I'll try again one of these days, but I just couldn't wait any longer to get these socks knit up with this wonderful yarn. So, top down yet again. I also switched back to my double points. I can knit much faster using DP's than with the two circulars for some reason. I worked on them a little bit while traveling this afternoon---not enough done to show you though.
For the past month, Alicia and the children have been staying with us off and on while Ryan has been in Arizona taking a Captain's course for the Army. Today, it seemed to be a little cooler, so we decided to take the little ones to the Greenville, SC Zoo. Well, it's not as cool down there as it is here; but, heat did not bother "Little" John who "double-timed" it through the entire zoo. He had water pouring off his little head from the heat. We pushed Maggie in the stroller. We would go up to one of the animals cages, John would look at them and then say "OK let's see what's next" and off he would go.
While the Greenville Zoo is not the largest zoo I have seen, it is very nice. The exhibits and grounds were very clean and the animals who were well cared for consisted of elephants, giraffes, flamingos, birds, snakes, lizards, spiders, alligators, several species of monkies, lions and tigers to name a few.
Here is John and Alicia in front of the elephants:
This was Maggie's reaction. Actually it sounded like she said "What's that?"
They had a pre-school play ground which Maggie and John thoroughly enjoyed and it gave Alicia and I a little time to catch out breaths. Here is John riding one of the little animals.
Miss Maggie is exploring the pirate ship slide:
John roaring like a lion:
Maggie's not too sure about this one:
and John got to sit on the bear:
It was a fun day. It didn't take too much prodding to get them ready for and into bed tonight. The end of the week we are going to try to go down to Winston Salem to the Children's Museum. I understand it is packed full of fun things for the little ones to do and it's inside with air conditioning. It's about a 2 1/2 hours drive from here, so we'll just make it a day trip.
While it's quiet, I'm going to knit for a little while.
While on our trip to Hershey, I finally finished the green socks that I started some time ago. They are knit with Austermann Step on US#1 double points. This is just a basic sock pattern using 60 stitches, which my girls like better than "fancy" socks. As I've mentioned before, I prefer a plain sock pattern when using a patterned yarn. I think the pattern of the yarn just does not do "fancy" sock patterns justice.
I also fixed Alicia's red pajama socks. They were a tad short for her. I just went in and reknit the toes. Worked great!
I worked on Maggie's little sweater knit from Classic Elite Flash. I sort of added to the pattern as I went. I worked it from the neck down doing a yarn over increase down the arms. I started out with a garter stitch neck band, sleeve cuffs, button bands, and body ribbing. When I got to looking at it, I thought it needed something, so I added more to the neck band resulting in a wider collar. I have some really cute pink and green buttons that I'm going to use. All I have left to do is sew up the sleeve seams, weave in some ends, and sew on the buttons. This will be a cute little sweater jacket for Maggie in the fall. This yarn doesn't show up very well in the photos that I took, but maybe you can get some idea of how it looks.
So you see, I was not only in the "Sweetest City in the World" (Hershey, PA), but I got a lot of "sweet" knitting done while I was there. Also, went to a "sweet" knitting shop called Yarn Love. Great shop. Got some yummy yarn while there.
Knowing that I was going to be in Hershey, I decided to wait about sending my swap pal her "Sweet Treat" box until I returned. It's ready to mail and it will be on it's way tomorrow. So, Carole, be on the look out for it's arrival.
Speaking of "Sweet Treat" boxes, look what I got in the mail today from my swap pal, Hillary . She knows I love popcorn and chocolate, so she packed in some popcorn flavored Jelly Bellies (I love Jelly Bellies) and some dark chocolate Moose Munch that also has some caramel popcorn mixed in. For my yarn sweet tooth, there was one skein of beautiful On Line Supersocke Cotton (Summer Color) and two skeins of Hacho hand dyed merino in lovely shades of blue. Also in the box was a sweet tangerine candle that smells so yummy. When I took the picture, I left the candle in the kitchen so it didn't make it to the photo shoot. Thank you, Hillary, for a wonderful Sweet Treat swap box. I had so much fun opening each and every thing.
"Little" John is asking for some jelly beans, so I'll close for now and do my grandmotherly duties. ;)
We're on the road again. This time we are heading up to Hershey, PA. John's cousin's grandson, James, is graduating from high school on Saturday. He will be heading off to Cornell in the fall. Of course, the whole family is quite proud of him. His sister, Kate, is now in college at Penn State. This summer she is taking an internship in LA working for one of the executives at the Film Writer's Guild (I believe that is where it is). She is so excited and looking forward to the summer.
We stopped at our usual stop-over at the Hotel Roanoke in VA. This is such a nice hotel. It sits right next to the railroad, so we hear the trains going and coming (which, next to woodcarving, is one of John's favorites). Last night we had dinner here at the hotel and it was fabulous!!!. They also have the most wonderful chocolate chip cookies ever!!!!
We have well and spring water at our house. The reservoirs have been in for over 30 years. John decided he wanted them replaced. Of all times, they decided to come when we were about to leave. Alicia is staying at the house while we are gone. She gave us a call yesterday morning and said they had cut the water line that pumps the water from the spring and well up to another reservoir by the house. All the water that we had stored up there to use while they were working poured out. Now, there is NO water for the house. Luckily we are gone and Alicia had planned to leave today to go to Atlanta to visit some friends. It will be quite an ordeal to get this all fixed, but hopefully we'll have water when we return home. John, of course, is livid because he specifically told them about the line and gave them a drawing. Of course, he is not in the best of moods, so this trip will not be as relaxing and enjoyable as we had anticipated. He will be worried about the water the whole time we are gone-----and rightfully so.
John has been driving, so I've been getting in a lot of knitting time. I have finished Maggie's newest sweater except for the button band. I'm pleased with the outcome so far. I'll have a pictorial post when I get up to Hershey and have more time to take the pictures. I do have comments about the yarn that I am using----Classic Elite. So far I have used four skeins. Out of the four, three had knots in them and one even had three. Now, the yarn was only $5.95 per skein, but even so, I hate it when I have to cut the yarn and have to do unnecessary weaving in of ends.
Time to move out of the hotel and get on our way. More from Hershey---------um-------chocolate!!!!!!!!!!!!
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