Summer Round-Up

Summer is quickly coming to a close, and I find myself wondering where all the time has gone.

Golf has, I suppose, taken up a lion's share of it. What with playing rounds almost weekly with my family, and spectating at Jay's tournaments, I have spent many hours in the beautiful sunshine. I would also like to publicly give a huge CONGRATULATIONS! to Jay for winning his division in the Southwest PGA Antigua Jr. Tour. He did it through good play and, more importantly, with good sportsmanship, and I couldn't be happier for him.

I went through my stash, cleaning and organizing it for ease of use. It was like a delightful treasure hunt, reminding me of the fantastic things I've got squirreled away. It also served as a reminder that I really need to "shop" there first when starting a new project. I fear if I don't start doing that, I will reach S.A.B.L.E. in very short order.

There has been much knitting, spinning, cross-stitching, and even a touch of sewing. Sadly, this doesn't mean that I've finished much, and several of my finished items I can't yet talk about, but, at least there has been progress. I'm particularly excited about one of the projects that I finished, and I will be sharing those details in the next post.

We have enjoyed visits from some of our family, reminding me of how blessed I am to be related to such wonderful people. Whether we are related by blood, marriage, or heart, God has been very good to me.

When Life Attacks

Friday, DH was driving to work and hit some tread that had fallen off a semi tire and was lying in the middle of the road. It was either hit it, or one of the cars around him. I think he made the correct choice. The car sustained some damage, though, so we had to file a claim with our insurance. And getting everything set up and scheduled was how that day was spent.

Saturday was shaping up to be a better day. I went to visit my sister, and my truck's transmission decided to stop working properly. We ended up cutting our outing short, and I was able to make it back home. Barely. It appeared to give up the ghost when I pulled in my driveway.

Sunday, Jay spent the day with Miss L's family, and while DH and I were able to spend some time together, I was mostly running errands. I had to do it while I still had a vehicle available. Nice way to spend Easter, no?

Monday I spent the day getting the cars to the garage, picking up a rental, and trying to activate DH's new iPhone. (Turns out the Droid phone he'd gotten was a dud -- after 5 phone calls to customer service we decided to send it back and get a new phone.) Unfortunately, our service provider was having issues that prevented activation initially, but it took them 2 hours and 3 customer service representatives to communicate that to me. At least it's finally working.

Now, the truck isn't acting up, so the mechanics can't find and fix the problem. Typical.

At least my garden is doing well.  Strawberries are ripening,

cabbage is forming a lovely head,

and the rhubarb is thriving.

The trees are all doing well too.

I finished a secret project, started another, and am able to work on the others that are in progress. There's the Triangle Summer Shawl that I'm knitting out of handspun linen/silk,

the Bouclé afghan that I'm knitting out of Joann Sensations,

the socks I'm designing and knitting out of Knitting Fever Indulgence,

and the cashmere top I'm spinning.

And, of course, I get to see an abundance of this adorableness.

I guess things are looking up.

Something New

It's time to upgrade my cell phone, so look what I got today:

Yep, it's an iPhone 4S.

I'm so EXCITED! I've been wanting one since they came out, but didn't have AT&T. I'm so glad they're available on other networks now. And that it was time for an upgrade. :-D

So sleek. Yes, I did remove the piece of plastic, but not before taking the picture. I was THAT excited.

Even the back is beautiful.

(Happy Sigh)

I believe I'll be playing on this for the rest of the day.

Playing Games

I've been playing a lot of games lately. Jay and his girlfriend, Miss L, both enjoy them, and when she comes over, we usually end up sitting down together to play. Some of the games we've been playing include:

Monopoly

Life

Battle of the Sexes

Card games including Speed, Rummy, and BS.

But the favorite game, at least of Miss L and me, has to be

Bananagrams

My sister and her husband, Mr. and Mrs. Claus, sent us this last Christmas, saying it was one of their favorite games. I can see why!

I'd like to encourage everyone to get out some games and start playing.

Spring Cleaning

I've started my spring cleaning in the kitchen this year with the refrigerator. I'll be going room by room 'til the whole house is done.

I love the feeling of peace and comfort I get when my house is in order.

h/t: aka design for the photo.

Unintended Hiatus

Well, I hadn't planned to take a break from blogging, but I did.

I plan to get back to it now.

Thanks for coming back.

Happy Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day

by Nicholas Gordon

 

Valentine's Day

Is a wonderful way

To make "I love you"

easy to say.

I hope you have a lovely Valentine's Day, and that you're able to spend the day with the people you love.

 

What A Week

rhino virus (common cold) illustration

So, I'm still trying to recover from the micro-beastie that decided to make its home in my body.

Downside: It's been a week already, I'm not yet completely better, and I am so beyond ready to be healthy again.

Upside: Crafty goodness.

Yes, it's true. I got past the not being able to concentrate thing, and have been busy working on several projects.

First up we have the Triangular Summer Shawl. I started this last October, but after the initial cast-on and first few rows, it got set aside in favor of other projects. I don't know why. Its knit with linen/silk blend handspun, which I like. Its a pattern I've done before and like. There is no reason not to have been working on it. But I wasn't.  Having gotten a couple of things off the needles, I decided to work only on my wips, so this got picked back up. I have about 40 more rows on the shawl (each shorter than the one before, so it goes quickly), a lace edging, sewing on the lace edging, washing, blocking, and weaving in the ends.

Come to think of it, it sounds like I still have quite a lot of work to do. And here I was getting all excited about how close to finishing I was getting.

Next up is the sock I'm designing as I go. I picked up a ball of Indulgence from my lys, and loved the feel of the yarn and the color so much, I decided to cast on a sock immediately. I wasn't sure how the color repeat would go, but it turns out to be self-striping, so I knew that I could get away with some patterning without it being too busy or getting lost. I've got lace panels framing a center section of cables and ribbing. I like the way they are coming out, but am not thrilled with the short-row heel that I'd used. I think I'll do some looking around to find a heel that works better for these socks. Any suggestions? I also don't have a name for these yet, so any suggestions would be welcome.

Note to self: Make sure to write down what you've been doing, so that the second sock will actually match the first.

Finally there is the cashmere I've been spinning. I was able to pick up some incredibly soft and lovely cashmere top, and was trying to spin it for a wedding ring shawl (examples of which are Shetland and Orenburg shawls).

Truth is, it is nowhere near fine enough for that, but it is a good lace weight. The above skein is about 2 oz. (50 g), is two-ply, and is approximately 440 yards (400 meters). It is clear to me that I still have a long way to go before I'm able to ply as well as I'd like to, and before I'll be able to spin for a wedding shawl, but I have decided, overall, to be pleased with this yarn.

I still have another 2 oz. to spin and ply, and then will go in search of the perfect project. If anyone has a pattern they would like to recommend, I am open to all suggestions.

Oh Crud!

I'm so excited! I finished another project, and I can't wait to tell you about it. 

But it's a super secret project. So I can't. Yet.

Instead, I have fallen victim to the crud that is making its rounds in my little town. 

Ah, the many things one's children bring home from the cesspool we fondly refer to as school.

This is completely interfering with my ability to craft, so I'm not getting anything more done. I do try to work on things, but find I cannot concentrate on anything for more than about 5 seconds. (Sigh)

I hope your weekend is treating you better than mine, and that illness manages to skip your dwelling all together.

Visits and Travel

Last week made it impossible to be on the computer for more than a handful of minutes.

Scott had a business trip to Dubai (I'm so jealous!), and the day he left, my dad arrived to stay for the week.

Scott's trip went well, I'm very happy to have him home again, and I'm so grateful for Skype. It enabled us to talk every day without breaking the bank, and the quality of the calls were amazing. It's also where all of my computer time went.

It was lovely to see and spend time with my dad, and I'm happy he came. He's been considering moving here, so we went and looked at some homes for sale. He didn't find anything that would work, and I honestly don't think he'll be moving, after all.

Things are finally getting back to normal around here now, and I have some project updates that I'm excited to be able to share about this week.

I hope everyone has a fabulous Monday!

Back to Life, Back to Reality

Today is the official end of the winter holiday break. I hope everyone was able to spend the holidays with the people they love, enjoying one another's company.

As some of you may know, I listen to a lot of podcasts. They cover a variety of subjects, but most of them are craft related. You may also remember that I don't do New Year's resolutions. So, what do the two things have to do with each other?

One of the podcasts that I listen to is The Knitmore Girls. One of the hosts, Jasmine, does a theme for the year, as opposed to a resolution. I think this a marvelous idea. So I'm stealing it.

My theme(s) for 2012:

     Gratitude

     Thoughtful

     Diligent

     Living intentionally

Does anyone else have a theme or resolutions for 2012?

Day 22: Decorating Traditions

All of us have collected decorations to bedeck our homes and trees at Christmas. The most interesting ones, in my opinion, are the ones that have a story.

Like this ornament and musical globe that my dear husband and I received as wedding gifts.

Or these ornaments, sent throughout the years, from dear family and friends.

Decorations I made while in high school, and others that my dear son has made over the years.

Or these stockings and nativity set given to us by my dear mother-in-law.

Each object tells a story of a place in time, and a person so dear to us. Being able to pass these stories onto my son, and hopefully, someday, his children, is what makes putting up the decorations special to me.

I hope everyone is able to share their stories with the ones they love.

Day 13: Holiday Concerts

Jay and I went to a holiday concert that the band, choir, and vanguard of his school was putting on. We arrived a bit late, and missed all but the last song performed by the band.

 Next was the choir, performing a selection of Christmas songs,

as well as selections from Beauty and the Beast.

 This young lady sang as "Belle",

and this young man sang as "the Beast".








For their final number, they had a group come out and sign the song while the choir sang.

Then the color guard came out and did a routine that they had been performing all year, called "The Dark Night".

The drum line was next, giving quite a good percussion performance.

Finally, the drum majors stepped to the front and led the marching band in a several selections they had performed this year, and, of course, the school song.

I would like to encourage everyone to go to a holiday performance in their area. Whether professional or amateur, they can be a lot of fun. And since many of them are performed at no cost to the public, they are a penny wise way to create some wonderful memories and share in a little Christmas cheer.

Day 8: Time With Friends

Today I was able to spend the afternoon having lunch and visiting with my good friend, Pat. She's one of those wonderful friends that, no matter how long it's been since you've gotten together, you just pick up where you left off.

We had lunch at Raimondo's, where the curb appeal is unprepossessing, the ambiance merely okay, the service slow, and the food utterly delicious. Seriously. If you're ever in downtown Phoenix, take the time to eat there. If you're wondering, I had the vegetable lasagna made with gray zucchini, steamed veggies, and soup of the day - potato bacon. It's so good. One nice thing about the service is that despite the fact that we spent nearly 2 1/2 hours at lunch, there was never any pressure to hurry.

I loved being able to catch up with my friend, and I hope that everyone will make the time to spend with the people they care about. After all, that is the best gift of all.

Day 6: The Christmas Spirit

Yesterday I went to the post office to mail my Christmas packages. I didn't have a lot, but there were a couple of fairly large boxes, so my hands and arms were full. As I was walking up to the door, a woman was exiting, but she stopped and waited to open the doors for me. Our post office has a double door entry, and this kind woman stopped what she was doing to go back inside and get the doors for me because my hands were full. She offered to open the interior door to the service counter, too, but I was feeling guilty so I thanked her profusely and said I'd be okay. And I was. As I was approaching the door, a couple was exiting and the gentleman stopped to open the other door for me. While waiting in line, the other people made a little extra room near the counter so I could set my packages down. Amazing.

When December rolls around, I find these types of situations happening quite often. That's one of the most miraculous things about this time of year -- and one I hope to carry through the other 11 months.

Random acts of kindness, generosity, Christmas spirit, or whatever name it goes by -- sharing it with others and being grateful for it is what Day 6 is all about.