And We Begin Again…

I think we all need a new year. A new beginning.

2008 was a tough one.

But there was also much to be thankful for:

A roof over our heads
Food on the table
Work
Our good health
Perseverance
BIL is recovering, albeit slowly
A close and caring extended family
and many, many good friends.

I'm not making resolutions, at least not specifically. I'll just look back at the past 12 months and determine what I may have done differently. Maybe a lot, maybe a little. I mean, it's not like I'm going to wake up on January 1 a new and different person. I'll still be lazy, I still won't like to get up in the morning - I am so NOT a morning person! I will still have to nag myself about exercising, and to cut back on the wine consumption.

Well, maybe not the wine consumption. :)

But I will still welcome the New Year with open arms. And Hope for brighter days ahead!

Here's the last WIP for 2008.



Yes, a Noro Striped Scarf. Colors 292 and 269.

Happy New Year! Be safe everyone!

YPF

Reclaimed YP for YPF:



This was an Express turtleneck sweater, size L. It is now 905 yds of really soft 40% merino, 30% viscose, 20% angora, 10% cashmere yarn. I'm hoping to make Ingenue with this!





Yum.

Tag!

Things I've Done (In Bold)
1. Started my own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than I can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sung a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched lightning at sea
14. Taught myself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown my own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitchhiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a marathon - well, rode a century (100 miles on a bike)
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of my ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught myself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had my portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had my picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous - Richard Dryfuss at a luncheon - cool!
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a lawsuit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Rode an elephant

Stitches!!!

Since it is to be somewhere else next year… I went out with a bang!

Brenda and I went up on Friday and took one of the Market Session classes on socks. We almost missed it as we both got caught up in the frenzy that is Woolstock Yarn Shop - the place with the bins of full bags of yarn at mostly 50% off. I bought a full bag of Lana Grossa Royal Tweed in a pretty strawberry color.

We literally dropped and ran to the front and slid in 15 minutes late. We caught up and the little session on heel turning was very informative. Maybe DH will finally get his socks.

Here's the "haul":



Rick Rack from Interlacements. I have regretted NOT buying it the last two years. I really want a shawl or throw out of this.



Louet Gems in a gorgeous colorway - Gypsy Rose. I walked past this twice… and ended up purchasing it in the final 10 minutes - what they called "roadrunner shopping".



Kauni 8/2 EQ. I have wanted this forever! Something about the rainbow effect. It will be the Swallowtail Shawl. Just like the sample at The Yarn and Fiber Company's booth.



MMMMMMalabrigo. I was a Malabrigo virgin. No longer.





This is the Royal Tweed and the Greenwich patern from Dolce Handknits. Kim was wonderful to talk to. And I am almost finished knitting her Amherst pattern. Very easy to follow patterns.





And a button from Annie's Sweet Handspun. She had beautiful yarns and sweaters - but the buttons caught my eye.



Couldn't resist these at WEBS. 50% off, they will become little shoulder shawls for the holidays. Nice little sparkle.



This was another "Quick, before they shut off the lights!" purchase. 3 balls of Jojoland Melody Superwash. I've seen the Swirl Shawl many times at many booths. I bought this from Knitting Software - nice yarn, even if they don't yet have a sweater version for Mac.



And, of course, who could resist the beautiful baskets from Maendeleo. They were everywhere on the market floor. This one had to come home with me.

It was a good day! I will sorely miss it next year.

Tarot of the Cat People:

You are Strength

Courage, strength, fortitude. Power not arrested in the act of judgement, but passing on to further action, sometimes obstinacy.

This is a card of courage and energy. It represents both the Lion's hot, roaring energy, and the Maiden's steadfast will. The innocent Maiden is unafraid, undaunted, and indomitable. In some cards she opens the lion's mouth, in others she shuts it. Either way, she proves that inner strength is more powerful than raw physical strength. That forces can be controlled and used to score a victory is very close to the message of the Chariot, which might be why, in some decks, it is Justice that is card 8 instead of Strength. With strength you can control not only the situation, but yourself. It is a card about anger and impulse management, about creative answers, leadership and maintaining one's personal honor. It can also stand for a steadfast friend.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

Limmony

The first tomato of the season

This is an old photo, I just wanted to remember these. They are sooooo good! And we ate probably the last of them last night in a tomato/mozzarella salad.



I knitting news: I have finished the knitting portion of Suzy and now need to seam her up. This is yarn I purchased at last year's Stitches East - and I want to wear it to this year's event. It's Araucania Limari, a squishy soft merino, alpaca, silk blend. No photos yet.

I've also finished the back of Amherst. I am really liking the Katia Twist. It IS splitty, but makes a bouncey soft fabric. Now to decide if I want to put the ginormous buttons on it, or use a clasp type of fastener. I have found an interesting button, the trick will be to find it in a store.



And a sweet kitty face:



Doesn't he look content?

Things are getting done…

28Thirty is finished. It blocked nicely and now needs it's buttons sewn on. Maybe I'll do that during tomorrow night's debate.





VCU Hat is finished, and another has been started… and almost finished… in reverse colors. I really like this Ribbed Hat pattern. It's fast and fits well for a wide variety of head sizes.



And I finished yet another Seagull Century ride. This time the weather was spectacular! There must have been a bajillion riders! I felt great! These were taken at the finish. Don'tcha just love the do-rag? I had serious "helmet hair".

September 17

I feel like I've been away forever! I've been busy… DS going back to college the first week in August, my birthday was August 8 - and I treated myself to an Offhand Designs Zelda Grand in Pansy. Love it!

My sister is hanging on, with her husband home. I think they've now realized how long this recovery process is going to be. Basically it's a lifestyle change. Things will never be the way they were. They did get to the Redskins game though, - twice! They are season ticket holders and die-hard 'Skins fans, so this was a milestone of sorts - getting back to tailgating and the game. And some of his colleagues have been picking him up and taking him to a few board meetings in the evenings. All of these things show what remarkable progress he has made, but he still needs the wheelchair, and his eyes still won't open. So we hang on.

I've been sewing - making tote bags to add to my etsy shop.



This one I'm keeping for myself.

I've also made progress on three of the projects I had hoped to finish during the Olympics. Flirty Tank ran into some pattern issues - my pattern was missing 6 rows of instruction. I was set back a couple of weeks as I attempted to get in touch with Y2Knit. That got resolved finally with my calling them on the phone. Pattern fixed.

28Thirty now has sleeves. I'm knitting them using the two circular method. I may even finish that one and be able to wear it soon. What a concept!

And the little Everlasting Bagstopper is maybe 3/4 finished. That one resides in my Emergency Knitting Bag by Illiane. It's a good "sit at the field hockey game" project.

DD finished her driving "Behind the Wheel" course in mid August. Which means she now has her license to drive. We managed to put her off til now to add her to our policy, which meant we didn't let her drive by herself until two nights ago. I think we may allow her to drive to field hockey practices (two miles away at the school) a few times a week. She's a good, careful driver, but people here in the DC area are crazy behind the wheel. I'm in no hurry to have her on any kind or highway.

We did buy a little black used VW Bug so she won't be driving my car. DH bought a used silver one a year and a half ago to commute in (attempt to save gas). We now have a fleet of two. They're cute!

And on the cycling front - I have two rides coming up real soon - the Rappahannock River Ride in Tidewater Virginia on the 26th and the Seagull Century in Salisbury MD on the 4th of October. Both are long ones - although I think I'll opt for the 65 mile route in Tidewater. As opposed to the 124 mile option. Just don't think I want to do two hundred milers on back-to-back weekends. I am looking forward to the "girl's weekend" aspect of both, though. We always have a great time.

The Fall craft show season in here again, and I think I may get back in to it. I sell my beaded jewelry at them. I didn't go to any last year. We were going to see DS run in his cross-country races and they inevitably fell on the dates of the shows. So I didn't sell many earrings last year. I kind of missed it.

I really don't know where August and September have gone… maybe it had to do with the fact that DD started Field Hockey with two-a-day practices on August 5. That was pretty much like going back to school already. And we didn't go to the beach this year. We spent a good amount putting in the new windows, but it was primarily a schedule issue. DD could not be away from the field hockey thing. Ahhh - high school sports…

Anyway, I am now looking forward to the fall, and knitting, and riding in cooler weather, and routine.

I'm Up for WIP Wednesday!

Should be done real soon… Riiiiigghhht.



But maybe it'll go faster now that it has a friend…



Isn't it cool?! It's a Yarn Bowl from the Knit Witch. I've been stalking her site, waiting for one in pinks to appear, and one did last week! It's Bowl # 201. I love it! It's so cool to knit from! The little ball just spins, and spins…



Oh, it's the the Flirty Tank from Y2K in Gedifra Topas.

Who's Been Eating My Porridge?…

MMMM… not too hot, not too cold… said goldipillar…

Actually, it was eating my parsley. C said to kill it, but I had to find it on the internet first. Glad I did.



This Anise Swallowtail Caterpillar will metamorphose into a beautiful large black butterfly with tails and yellow spots.

I looked it up on whatsthatbug.com. It may have my parsley for now.

More Garden shots. The tomatoes have taken off, as have the cukes. Zucchini are taking their sweet time, but I'm pretty sure they will soon be abundant. I transplanted the two bell pepper plants. They were being crowded out by the crazy cucumbers.





"Red Pear" tomatoes





Bees in the cucumbers. I've never seen so many honeybees!



"Black Like Tula" tomatoes.



"Hillbilly" tomato.

Can't wait til they ripen! There is nothing better than summer tomatoes!

Reverse Yarn Pr0n

This is what I'm doing today:



This is why:



This is one of my early knits. A few years ago, I splurged on one skein of Colinette Mohair in the Dusk color, and set out to knit a feather and fan scarf. I did notice a knot in the middle of the skein, but kept going. It has bothered me ever since.

I had a "Two-faced" scarf.



Well, I've finally mustered the courage to frog it. It being mohair and all…

It's going not so bad.

Maybe I'll try it again, this time alternating the two different colors. I have half a mind to send the whole thing to Colinette. But I suppose I have lived and learned. It is hand dyed/painted after all.

And it is beautiful yarn.

A Mystery

I have no clue…



This was one of many balls of yarn in a bag at the thrift store. I was intrigued, you can't open the bag to touch the yarn, but I could see that it was chain stitched, and looked to be a painted or dyed yarn. I haven't done a burn test yet, but I don't think acrylics would color like this. I unwound the tight ball and wound it on my niddy noddy. Looks like there are 46 yards/80 grams. It's bright primary colors. Now I'm on a mission - to find out what it is.

Friday…

How does this happen?!

Friday just sneaks up on me. EVERY week!

And I ask myself… what DID you do all week?

Well…



This week I was at my sister's twice, Tuesday and Thursday evenings. Tuesday I wound up staying and takling with her when she got home at 9:30. I stayed til 12:15 am. We just talked and drank wine… well - she drank wine. I had one glass - had to drive home. It was so nice to just sit and talk to her.

Her husband is making more progress. He had another surgical procedure two weeks ago to repair a tear in the dura - membrane surrounding the brain - which he ruptured when he fell. They put his bone flap back in at this time as well. Hopefully to prevent another injury of this type, should he fall again. He was readmitted to Nat. Rehab Hospital and is being reassessed all over again. We had hoped he could be discharged to home this week, but it looks like a few more weeks now.

Wednesday, I took the morning off and did a long ride. My riding buddy and I rode to Georgetown, had coffee and stopped in to Stitch DC, looking for the Petal Tank pattern. No luck. I'll have to order it from WEBS, I guess. Then we rode around Hain's Point and stopped in Old Town Alexandria for lunch at Chipotle. Had to check Knit Happens for the pattern. Nope. It was a gorgeous day. A little hot, but a good 30 mile ride.

I started an Everlasting Bagstopper in pink Fibranatura Flax. I love how this stuff knits up. It's a little rough, and I'll wait and see if it softens up, but for the bag, it's perfect.



I'm heading to the mountains this weekend. A Mom's weekend away at a friend's house at Bryce Resort in VA. 6 ladies in a cabin in the woods. I plan to knit, read by the pool and drink wine and watch movies.

Oh, the windows came in. We are replacing all 20 windows in our 37 yr old house. BY OURSELVES. I think it's a good thing I am leaving DH home this weekend to do the first few windows without me "hovering". Wish him luck.

Can't wait!

Happy Knitting!

YPF

KPPPM



MMMMMM

GardenAlong 1.0

Well, with thanks to Norma, here it is:



The raised beds are begining to look like a real garden. The tomatoes are beginning to blossom and so are the zucchini. These are all Heirloom tomatoes, grown from seed by my youngest brother. We can always count on him for the best tomatoes every summer.



Notice my attempt at an irrigation system - a coiled soaker hose. Hey, whatever works!



"Limmony", "Red Pear", "Hillbilly" and "Brandywine"



The fifth tomato is "Black Like Tula" and the peppers are Red Bell and Big Bertha - a great pepper for stuffing.



Then there are the lavender and basil plants, a summer staple around here.