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.

Random Ramblings

Leanne's shawl

My dh gave the shawl to his coworker, and she absolutely loved it.  No news yet on whether or not it worked, but then the weather is actually nice now, so the a/c isn't really an issue.  Maybe the heating won't become one this winter.

I've started work on a new secret project, which prompted me to take a look at the wips I have listed on my Ravelry project page.  I was a little stunned to see just how many there are.  I think I'm going to focus on getting some done before I add any more new ones to the list.

Slow progress is being made on the vest for I'm designing for Bonnie.  I'm now ready to start the armholes, and am fairly pleased with how the color changes are happening.  I did have to rip back initially because of pooling issues, but working with 3 balls at a time seems to be helping.  I had to do a provisional cast on because Bonnie wasn't sure whether she wanted the bottom edge to match the sides and collar, or if she wanted it as just the main color.  I'll finish everything but that edge, take a picture, and let her decide.

Bonnie's vest, up to the armholes

I was able to stop by the yarn store on Friday, and purchased 8 oz. of mulberry silk, and 1 oz. of cashmere top.  I am very much looking forward to spinning them, but only after a new spinning project I have planned - more on that a little later.  I shall try to spin finely enough to get a wedding ring shawl out of the cashmere.  Anyone have any pattern suggestions?

(left to right) 2 bags of Mulberry Silk Sliver in a silver color, 1 bag of natural colored cashmere top

 I have been working on a cross-stitch project as well, and am quite happy with how it's going.  There are several "personal design features", but that just adds character.  Here's a preview of what I'm making:

The cover of the magazine that has the stocking pattern I'm working on

And just because I think they are fabulous, my fur babies:

Bogey and Gypsy -- it's a dog's life

Gypsy

Bogey

I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend, and that you remembered to thank a veteran.

It's Getting Hot In Here

The mercury is climbing (we're expecting 106ºF today), but I can't complain too much.  After all, at least it's June.  And since this kind of weather usually gets started in April and it's supposed to drop below 100ºF for the weekend... I think I'll just be grateful. 

Gypsy has the best idea of how to spend the day.

Wherever you are, I hope you're keeping cool.

Swallowtail Shawl

One of the last knitting projects I completed in 2009 was the Swallowtail Lace Shawl by Evelyn Clarke.

The pattern has both written directions and charts, is very clear and easy to follow with no errors, and is free.  It has the "rest row" after each patterned row making any errors very easy to spot and making it knitting that I was able to do while doing other things, like watching T.V. and listening to books.  And it has nupps which I enjoy doing.

 I used the bombyx silk in the abalone colorway that I knit up last summer.

I love the way this turned out;  blocking made such a huge difference!  I also made a point of working in the ends as I went, so once it was blocked it was done.

And a big thanks to Gypsy, who was kind enough to model this for me. 

Random

Making the handknits look good.

100% Bombyx silk in the "Abalone" colorway that I've spun very finely.

A refreshing drink of water at the dog park. Drinking out of bowls is SO last year.

10 of My Favorite Things (In No Particular Order)

1. Family
2. Friends
3. Gypsy
4. Knitting - especially with Knit Picks needles
5. Spinning on my wheel
6. Golfing - even if I now fully appreciate Mark Twain's golf quote
7. Book, books, and more books
8. Technology - which would also make my list of ten things that I don't like
9. Weekends
10. Autumn and winter


What are some of your favorite things?

Spring in the Desert

So many people seem to have this picture in their minds of the desert as a burning wasteland, with, maybe, an occasional cactus. Perhaps there is a desert somewhere that fits that stereotype, but here in the Sonoran desert, there is so much more. Especially in spring.

There is Texas Sage with its pretty purple flowers

Ruellia "Katie" has lovely purple blooms as well

Palo Verde trees, with their yellow blooms and green trunks

*Rant 1: Though not in this picture, there are lamps that line the sidewalk you see in the above picture. They help to provide safe usage of the area regardless of the time of use. Parents, before you turn your children (or yourselves!) loose with a BB gun, make sure you let them know that lights such as this are not for target practice. The loss of light, as well as the broken glass debris create a safety hazard where none need be. And lest you think I'm randomly singling out BB gun owners, the perpetrators left little copper BBs in the debris. /rant

Red yucca (and some seemingly indestructible weeds)


Fairy dusters that are always in bloom

Ocotillo, with their bright orange blooms and sharp spines

Bougainvillea's beautiful pink "blooms" (they're not true flowers)

Oleander, too.

Anything but barren, don't you think?

And finally a gratuitous shot of my walking and photo shoot companion, Gypsy.

*Rant 2: If you're going to bring your dog with you on walks, be responsible and PICK UP AFTER THEM! Nobody else wants the presents they leave behind. /rant

Update

Poor, poor, neglected blog.

I have been much busy of late, and updating hasn't been a priority for me, so I don't do it, and then feel terribly guilty about it.We were finally able to get the OS fixed. I had to totally dump my hard drive to get it to install properly, but it's working now. I also had to update my iLife software to get iPhoto to work, but it, too, is working now. The only thing not working is the program that started it all. See, my son is on the yearbook committee and needs to have Photoshop for creating the pages. Well, we bought the program, but it wouldn't work. We thought it was because we needed to upgrade our memory and OS, but that didn't make it work. So I took everything down to the genius bar to see if we could get things working. There is nothing wrong with my computer. There is nothing wrong with the Photoshop program disk we have. It STILL doesn't work. There is no explanation for why. (Sigh) I think I will just admit temporary defeat, and come back to it later.

As for my knee, believe it or not, staying off of it and taking anti-inflamitory drugs did work. No trip to the specialist, I am much better, and am s-l-o-w-l-y getting back into walking. YES! And I have a couple of new walking partners -- my son and our puppy.

And speaking of pets, our beloved dog Sandy passed away on March 4. She really hadn't seemed that sick. We thought she had an eye infection and so were taking her to the vet, and by the time we reached the office, she was unable to breathe or walk. I rushed her inside, but it was too late. We were very distraught. She was an awesome dog, and a much loved member of our family for the last 8 1/2 years. She is still missed.

We decided to get another dog, to make our family feel whole again, and so we brought home Gypsy.We've had her with us for 2 1/2 weeks. She is a boxer, 10 weeks old, and so wonderful. She has already stolen all our hearts and is a vital part of our family.

Much knitting and spinning has gone on, and other exciting news (I have a job!). But I think I'll save it for next time. Hopefully it won't be months between posts again.