Memorial Day 2010

It's One Of THOSE Days

We've all been there, right?

TGIF!

Have a great holiday weekend!

For the Record

It always amazed me when we would take trips with the youth at church the number of kids who had not been away from either this town, this county or this state. I realized quickly how lucky I've been to have grown up in a family where we got to vacation every year. (Granted, many of those vacations were spent here in Iowa, not far from home at Iowa's Great Lakes....Okoboji, but we managed to insert a few trips to neighboring states from time to time as well.)

I'm also fortunate to have married someone who likes to travel too. And we've been very blessed to be able to take our kids on the road for a vacation each year as well. Travel widens your perspective. It allows you to broaden your mind. When you visit places different than where you from you have the chance to become more inclusive, tolerant and compassionate. It also makes you appreciate things about your own native spot as well. (I really believe Iowa is a beautiful place with great things to see and do!)

I opened my map and colored in the places we've visited.



It made me realize that there are regions of the country I have yet to explore! I've always wanted to visit New England and the Pacific Northwest. (Of course, Hawaii and Alaska!!) As the kids get off to college and traveling during parts of the year OTHER than summer becomes feasible, I'm sure DH & I will get the chance to see parts of the south and desert SW too. (Too hot for me in summer!!)

I've only been to one province of Canada too. Would love to see British Columbia and Newfoundland (& Prince Edward Island!) [Did anyone else see that PBS program a few years ago where they traveled across Canada by rail from east to west? It made me want to follow the same route!]

Well, enough dreaming of the open road for now. It's time to get to work!

Happy trails!

Caught A Bug

The semi-annual travel bug seems to have bitten again. I'm in the mood to hit the road! Since we don't have time away scheduled for weeks yet, I'm settling for revisiting past vacations. I've been working my way through some photo enhancing tutorials for photoshop and played around with some of my favorite photos. Enjoy!

From last year's trip to St. Louis . . .



. . . visiting the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis.



My personal favorite destination, Colorado:


Rocky Mountain National Park (Estes Park, CO)



Along the road from Vail to Leadville, CO



A view of the mountains from the cabin in Tennessee:




The beach of the cabin we rented in the Keweenaw on the Upper Penninsula of Michigan:



The world is such a beautiful place, and I've seen such a miniscule part of it! Can't wait to get out on the open road and see more!

Happy shooting/travels/knitting!

Hmmmm . . .

What does this:



have in common with this:


???????????????????

Well, together they make up this:



Pretty drastic example of sock yarn gone potentially bad.

The cuff seems to be striping in this mock cable stitch pattern I'm using.

But when I got to the stockinette foot, forget it! It's pooling, BIG time!

I suppose it might drive some folks crazy.

I've decided I like it.

Also, I have entered the extremely tedious "ruffle" section of my second Citron shawlette and it occurs to me I haven't shown you the color. It's blue. BRIGHT blue.



Apparently I don't have too many problems knitting the shawlettes. It's the blocking that is tripping me up. (So far there are two in the queue ahead of this one!)

Happy Knitting!

No Knitting, But Ornate Nonetheless

So I have been knitting, I just don't have any photographic evidence because none of it is at an interesting point to photograph.

I did go to a local cemetery with my DD to shoot some photos the other day. As we were leaving, I noticed the fence and couldn't help shooting a few more photos.



How many times have I been to any number of cemeteries and NOT noticed the fence?? (Those of you who may be unaware, I spent 13 years as a Lutheran pastor in a large parish and did an average of 30 funerals per year. That's a LOT of trips to the cemetery!)



I thought this fence was really cool. (Although I wondered if anyone of a faith other than Christian would be buried within.) It is one of the older cemeteries in the county--and is a township cemetery, not associated with a church. Many of the graves have stones with death dates in the 1860's to 1880's.

I find gravestones and their symbols quite fascinating. It's the last "testament" a person makes about who he or she was and what he or she believed or held dear. (Or what those who said good-bye and made the arrangements thought about you!) The older the cemetery, the better.

On that note, have a great weekend!

Citron

I finished knitting the Citron shawlette several days ago and never got around to photographing it. (I haven't blocked it yet either, so perhaps that explains the lack of photo....)

I knit it from Knit Picks Kettle Dye Shadow (100% Merino) in the Grasshopper colorway. (I kept calling it lettuce because it reminded me of young, spring lettuce....but alas, it's called Grasshopper.)

My guage is off a bit, so I think this one will be a tad smaller than called for. (The pattern wanted 6 spi and I was getting 7 spi with the US #6 needle.) I started a second one using a US #7 in hopes of getting correct guage this time.

I like the look of this little shoulder warmer. It's a very easy knit. However the last dozen rows with 550+ stitches per row tend to take a while.

The pattern can be found at www.knitty.com if you're interested!

Happy knitting!

ps....on the moth front: she laid a bunch of eggs in the iris bed before disappearing. We'll see what comes of her efforts.

A Visitor!

We have been treated to a show by nature the last two days.

Last fall I noticed something near the roots of the iris bed which I assumed a dog had left behind. (Albeit a dog with a HIGH fiber diet!)

Then yesterday morning when I went out to take DS to school, we saw this in the iris bed.



(As a reference, the body of this moth is the size of my thumb.)

After that we left town to move DD home from college. (Don't ask me how the first year can be over already.....it seems like we just moved her in!!)

I did a little research on line with Iowa State Extension last night when we discovered our furry little visitor was still on the iris. It is a polyphemus moth, the 2nd largest moth/insect in the state of Iowa.

Much to my surprise, it's still here this morning. Today it has taken full shape and looks like this.






Isn't it lovely?? I'm not sure I've ever seen one of these before and I think it's amazing. We had a cold night last night, so I'm glad to see it gathering some solar energy this morning.

The web info says they hang in one spot during the day, then fly at night. Apparently the adult moths only live for a couple of weeks because they are unable to eat. Their sole purpose for those 14 days is to reproduce.

Off to work now!
Happy shooting/knitting!

Underneath

Went out to photograph some bridges in the area for my son's engineering class today. Here are a few shots.












I also managed to capture the moment a train was crossing the high bridge. (And played around with it in Photoshop!)



A quick update on my father.....seems his surgery went well and he is doing well. He hopes to go home on Monday already!

In knitting news, I've completed the first four sections of the shawlette, Citron, from Knitty.com. I'm using Knit Picks Shadow (lace weight merino) in the colorway, "Lettuce." It is going to be lovely, but a bit small as my gauge is off a bit. C'est la vie!

Happy shooting and knitting!

When I Find Myself In Times of Trouble

. . . I knit socks!



My father and I have had a rocky, on again-off again (mostly "off again") relationship for the past 20 years or so. I haven't seen him in nearly a decade and we've only spoken over the phone a handful of times in the past few years.

Yesterday I awoke to the surprising news he was having a heart transplant that day.

I'm very thankful to have had the opportunity to tell him I love him before he went into surgery.

Needless to say what was happening with him several hundred miles away preoccupied my mind all day. Thankfully I had my knitting to distract and calm me. I had the cuff and half the leg finished before the phone call...I did the rest while waiting to hear how the surgery went.

[It seems to be going well thus far. Surgery was successful. The new heart started right away.]

TGFK!!
(Thank Goodness For Knitting!]

KAL Update & A Challenge

Over the weekend I managed to get the body of the shawlette completed!




Now I started the leaf patterned border.



My knitting cyber-friend over at Caffeine Girl knit this pattern and made the remark on her blog that the leaves are quite addicting (as in like potato chips: once you knit one you want to knit just one more, then just one more, then just one more . . .)

She's SOOOOO right! Hard to put it down and get to work on my writing. (And I have deadlines!!)

I got a great email from Knitting Daily today encouraging knitters to think green when it comes to the craft. "Think outside the skein." I'm stealing the logo and putting it here as a sign of my intent to knit green!



You can read the article here!

Happy Knitting!

YOTH Shawlette KAL

I'm starting my Yarn On The House shawlette KAL (Knit-Along) today. I will be doing the Cedar Leaf Shawlette written by Alana Dakos of Never Not Knitting (which is a great blog if you've never taken a peek....she does a great podcast too, so head on over there and check it out!!

The yarn I've decided to knit the shawlette in is Mirasol's yarn called "Nuna." I'm going to be using the Emerald colorway. Here's a pic!



It's a really gorgeous yarn! The mix is 40% merino, 40% silk and 20% bamboo. It has a great hand and a beautiful drape and sheen. I think it will make a lovely shawlette!

Happy Knitting!

p.s. Alana's having a great give-away on her blog right now for all who love color work knitting. You can find it here!

Pass It On

My friend Val over at Sew Not My Day passed along the Happy 101 award to me!



Thanks Val!

Ten things that make me happy include (but are not limited to):

1. My husband.
2. My children.
3. Our cats.
4. Knitting.
5. Taking photos.
6. Walking in nature.
7. Warm cookies.
8. My extended family.
9. The sound of my wind chimes.
10. Traveling/road trips.

(Sheesh, I got to #10 quickly!)

I hereby bestow this same blog award on everyone & anyone who stops by to read this!
If you're here, take the picture and put it out there on your own blog. Happiness is something to give away, not hoard--so I'm passing it on to "all y'all!"

Happy Thursday, Happy Knitting, Happy....Whatever!

Button, Button

I went to one of my favorite button supply places over the weeked and look at what I found!






These will grace some of the gifts I'm making for the holidays this year. I think they're really cool as buttons go.

Curious as to what my source is? Goodwill. I buy items that have cool/funky buttons that I can use. I bring them home, remove the buttons, replace the buttons with standard issue stuff from my button container and donate the items back to Goodwill. (Sometimes I use the items as well, or repurpose them.)

I think my fascination with buttons started as a child. Whenever we would go visit my mother's aunt in Sioux Falls, Aunt Sadie would bring out her big jars full of buttons. I would sit on her floor and string buttons for hours!

Another relative taught me how to string a large, 2-holed button on a length of string just so in order to make a toy which we would wind up and let it "whir" for as long as we could keep it going.

And a girl from the neighborhood where I grew up would bring a button and thimble with her whenever she came to babysit us. We would play "Button, Button, Who's Got the Button?" and Hide the Thimble for the entire evening.

If you've priced buttons, you know they're not cheap--especially the more decorative sorts. I've found some nice decorative buttons (useful only for crafting) at some dollar stores on occasion. But I really like scouring the racks at thrift shops! (I saw a vest this weekend that was decorated with colored, wooden buttons! One $2 purchase would have brought you well over a dozen!)

Elves

With the arrival of today's mail I now have on the premises all necessary supplies for the making of this year's Christmas gifts for both the women:




and the men:



on my list.

Yeah!!

On a completely different note, I'm very excited to say I've been invited to offer a knitting tip/anecdote/pattern which will be published as an epilogue snippet at the back of one of my favorite author's next novel!! More details to come in a few weeks!!

To work now elves....only 261 days until Christmas!

A Walk In The Woods

Went for an Easter afternoon walk in the wooks at the local state park.

Here are a few of the treasures we found:



Duthman's Britches





Unknown purple flowers





Trillium





Shell on fallen branch

Paschal Tidings!

May your Easter be filled with light!

More Malabrigo

This caught my eye several months ago.



It sat at the top of my stash for a few months while trying to get me to pick up on the vibe it was sending me as to what it wanted to become.

Apparently my project radar was down for a while as I was unable to figure out what this beautiful brown and blue Malabrigo wanted to be.

So, I took it with me to knit night at the shop where I adopted it.

There, my LYS owner, Leslie, and I scoured books for inspiration. We narrowed it down to a couple of scarves (because Malabrigo is totally wasted if you don't get to feel it close to you!!)

I decided on this Criss-Cross Stitch Scarf.



It's about four inches wide and four and a half feet long. Here's a close up of the stitch pattern:



It's very easy, mindless knitting. I really like what the stitch pattern is doing for the color way/varigation.

I've decided this colorscheme reminds me of Siamese or Persian cats with their blue eyes (even if the browns are a bit too dark!)

On another note: I taught my first sock knitting class last night. Six ladies attended and it was really fun! We meet again in 2 weeks with cuffs/legs completed and ready to learn how to make a heel flap and and turn a heel!

Hope your projects are coming along swimmingly!

Happy Knitting!

Felted Slippers

Add one more thing to Martha Stewart's list of "good things." I got the slippers felted Thursday evening and they've been drying since. This morning, thanks in part to snowfall, a high temperature of only 28*F (again!??!) and the furnace running more, the slippers were dry. I sewed the buttons and flaps on and here is the finished product!





As I said, we've had a little return of winter, so my feet are enjoying their new-found best friends!

Happy Knitting!

Pre-Felting Slippers

Well, I finished off all the pieces to the French Press Knits Felted Slippers and got them sewn together.



I'm planning to felt them tomorrow when I'm able to give it my full attention (no pun intended....)

Will keep you posted!

Happy Knitting!

Yarn On The House

My new project is the lovely French Press Knits felted ballet slippers. This is the photo of the original pair from the pattern site on Ravelry.



The random number generator over at Yarn On The House chose my name to win both the pattern and two balls of Paton's Classic Wool in a very lovely Deep Olive color with which to make my first pair.

Knitting on the project commenced last night. So far it's going very well! Since you knit with either 2 or 3 strands of wool on size US #15 needles, it's knitting quite quickly too. I only knit for about an hour last night and finished off both bottoms and one of four sides.

I will take photos of them when I get them assembled, prior to felting. (They are going to look a bit like clown slippers at that point I suspect since they are about 4 inches longer than my feet!) Of course, I'll post pics post-felting too!

I highly recommend this pattern! And this may be my Christmas 2010 project for the ladies in the family!

If you're a knitter and haven't visited Yarn On The House, what are you waiting for??!! It's a great blog...and she gives away free yarn! It doesn't get much better than that dear readers. Head on over there; I'll see you later!

Happy Knitting!

Plymouth Sockin' Sox

Isn't this a lovely colorway for sock yarn?

This is the gorgeous stuff I won from Romancing The Yarn, specifically from author Fran Baker who resides in my neighboring state to the south.

I'm excited about the opportunity to try this yarn as I've not had access to it at any of the local stores where I shop. I love the fact that it has a bit of bamboo in the content....I am almost certain this is what lends a very soft feel to the yarn. And I suspect it will wear well too.

The skein is a very generous 436 yards of blues & greys goodness, so I won't have to skimp on the leg/cuff either.

Thank you so much Fran and the wonderful ladies at Romancing the Yarn!

Happy Knitting!

FO Alert!

I have a FO to report!! (Finally!) Although I still have quite a lot to do in weaving in loose ends, I finally got the afghan put together.



I really like how it turned out. Even DH said last night, "That's really nice! The colors are great!"

Also, I was much surprised to learn that I've won another blog give-away. The ladies over at Romancing The Yarn are so awesome! Fran Baker has some sock yarn she was parting with and I will be the fortunate receipient!

Look what else came my way today!



Here's the rules:
• Thank the person who gave this to you.
THANKS Val!!
• Copy the logo and place it on your blog.
• Link the person who nominated you.
• Name ten fun facts about yourself.

1) I like a splash of milk in my tea.

2) My guilty pleasure is watching Desperate Housewives.

3) I spent too much $$ on magazines last time I was at a real bookstore.

4) My favorite indulgence right now is a cup of almond biscotti flavored tea (with milk as stated above) and a real biscotti to go with it.

5) I used to visit a "rock shop" located in the basement of a house in my nieghborhood as a kid and buy up pretty, polished rocks. Then my friend Linda got her own rock tumbler and we made our own. I was so jealous of her rock tumbler! Then the kids received one for Christmas a few years ago. What fun!

6) I used to love riding my bike around the neighborhood I grew up in during the late afternoon in autumn. I could hear other people in their homes sometimes. On occasion delicious smells of something baking in someone's oven for their supper would waft by in the air. Sometimes when I'm out on a walk and catch a smell on the breeze I am transported back to those days of leisurely riding around Riverside.

7) I played the organ for my church for one terrifying, gut-wrenching summer. I was truly horrible and it made me throw-up from the nerves. (Sorry if you were eating while reading this....)

8) A couple times my sibs and I rode our bikes up the state highway a few miles to the near-by Stone State Park. We carried back packs and took a picnic with us. It was fun.

9) I enjoyed all the fishing outings I went on with my grandparents and family as a kid. Even when I didn't catch anything, I still had a good time.

10) Some days I'm still not sure what I want to be when I grow up.

Ok - I'm supposed to give this to the most frequent commentors on my blog.

That would be:

McVal
Two Cables & A Frap
Cathy over at Kerowynsmom
Marie-Jolie
Caffeine Girl

Congrats Blogger Buddies!

Oh So Close

Well, the Knitting Olympics has drawn to a close and I'm afraid I did not earn a medal.

I feel I came oh so close and truly gave it an olympic effort, however, I fell short of having a completed afghan at the close of the day yesterday.

Here's where my efforts got me at day's end:



All squares are knit. (Yeah! This in itself was quite a goal given the fact I do have a life other than knitting and ended up with 2 days of unforeseen travels which took out my ability to knit!)

8 of the 12 squares have their first round of edging done. I think this will be the slowest part of putting the pieces together as the rest of the edge colors will have much easier to sort out and pick up stitches in lovely bound-off rows. (Unlike the first edge, which is being picked up rather slowly in an attempt to get it somewhat even across!)

I do LOVE the colors, as well as the pattern. It will definitely cheer up the living room on cold, wintry nights.

(However, now that it's March, we're not going to acknowledge the potential for more cold, wintry nights!)

Happy knitting (even if there are no medals involved!)