End of Summer

To an unknowing observer, this picture looks like a weedy field with some willow trees (left) and a tulip tree (right) in the background.

What this picture, taken today, really represents is the End of Summer.

See the golden tone of the weeds? That's the goldenrod just starting to bust out into golden bloom. The goldenrod towers above all the other weeds. Some patches of it are taller than me. By the first week in September, the entire field will be screaming gold and looking as if there's nothing growing there but goldenrod.

Autumn in SW Michigan is a beautiful season, but way way too short. With just a little imagination, summer lasts until the middle of September. By the first of November the leaves are on the ground, the days are cold and short, and everyone has located their mittens and boots.

This very week my mother mentioned tentative Thanksgiving plans. Could it really be that close?

Even more horrifying, last Thursday evening Gail at doggy school asked us to start thinking of ideas for the Briarwood Dog Training entry in the Kalamazoo Holiday Parade, formerly known as the Kalamazoo Christmas Parade and still frequently called by that name. One of her first thoughts was to have the dogs be sheep and their people be shepherds. Fourteen pound Pappy will need to be a newborn lamb. At least he's the right color.

I am just NOT ready to think about Christmas yet. Please. No.

Sock Status

There have been some questions about the More Fun Than Cables Sock.

The pattern is written and I'm knitting the second sock using the pattern while noting clarifications and corrections. The cuff is almost done.

As stated in my Knitting Peace guidelines, tomorrow I'll be setting the More Fun Than Cables sock aside and knitting a pair of socks for CIC.

I'm so tempted to keep knitting until the More Fun sock is done and then knit the CIC socks. But really, what kind of plan for knitting peace is that if I break the guidelines before the first week is over?

Assuming life goes on as normal, the pattern should be posted sometime the second half of next week. It will appear as a blog post.

I'm so pleased that numerous knitters are waiting for the pattern and plan on knitting the socks. I'm looking forward to hearing about and hopefully seeing pictures of your More Fun Than Cables socks.

Second Doggy Beach Party

Three weeks ago after the first doggy school picnic at Hagar Shores on Lake Michigan, we immediately planned a second.

Last night was the second doggy beach party. Like the first, the bring-a-dish food was great, the weather was beautiful, the company of other dog lovers was very pleasant, and the dogs had a great time.

Unlike last time, I brought Pappy instead of Sunny and the waves were gentle enough so the little dogs could swim.

Teacher/trainer Gail took Pappy out in water way over his little doggy head and gentle sat him down in the lake. I was waiting for him at the shoreline and he swam right in to me.

Check out his tail. I never noticed until I saw this picture that he kept his fluffy tail up over his back and it didn't get completely wet. In doggy body language that means he was happy. Or at least I'd like to think he was happy.



From left to right:

• Jazz the Maltise
  
• Sis the toy Poodle
  
• Molly the Sheep Dog mix. Jazz, Sis, and Molly are all part of the same human family.
  
• Dahle the Bull Terrier
  
• Pappy the Papillon, looking wet because he is wet
  
• Riley the Boxer mix
  
• Favor the Australian Cattle Dog
  
• Downy the Chow mix
  
• Casper the Corgi
  
• Effie the Corgi

Please let me know if I misspelled a dog's name and it will be corrected.

Both pictures were taken by Downy's Mom, Anna. Thanks Anna.

Quest for Knitting Peace

I'm capable of using any rationalization imaginable to start a new knitting project when there are already projects on my needles. The result? Too many projects going at once, stress about which project to pick up and knit, the feeling that nothing is getting done, and a general uneasiness about my knitting.

This lack of self discipline has been on my mind since before I went to Idaho, it stewed in my sub-conscious while I was gone, and has become a problem to be addressed now that I'm home and knitting again.

It's become apparent that in order to enjoy the process of knitting, I need to concentrate on one project at a time.

I've come up with two simple guidelines I believe are going to make my knitting life more enjoyable and productive:

1. Have no more than two projects at a time, a weekday project and a weekend project.
   
2. The weekend project will usually be CIC knitting, unless I've completed my CIC goals.

My overly detailed mind keeps trying to write more rules and guidelines, but that's overkill. The key is having only two projects at a time, and a timeframe defined for when to knit on each of them.

The immediate problem is how to get my knitting down to the required two projects.

Right now I have four projects going.

1. Hanover Jacket (1/8 done)
   
2. Unplanned Scarf (1/3 done and set aside for now)
   
3. More Fun Than Cables Socks and pattern (1/2 done)
   
4. 6 pair of CIC socks by the end of August (5/6 done)

Next weekend I'll knit the final pair of CIC socks.

The jacket and the More Fun Than Cable Socks are fighting for my weekday attention. So far this week the jacket has won, but I want to get the sock pattern posted. Every time I knit on the jacket, I think I should be knitting on the sock.

So, the sock it will be. It will go quick. Starting tomorrow I'm going to work on that second sock until it's done and I can cross the sock project off the list. Then I can work on the jacket with a clear conscience.

That's a plan. I feel better now.

Pictures from Idaho

While we were in Idaho, we did something that I've always wanted to do - we took a ride in a sea plane. It was a beautiful flight. This is one of the pictures I took from the air.

Selected pictures from the trip are in a Picturetrail album called "Trip to Idaho, August 2005. Take a peek if you're interested.

And, if you want to read and see more, Son John has written a blog post about our visit showing some of his pictures. The post includes a fascinating picture of me, first thing in the morning, in my nightgown.

I thought I raised him better than that.

Tattoos of Life

Seasons Change but Tattoos are Forever
I saw a young woman with massive snake tattoos on her arms and shoulders. Oh honey, I don't think that was a smart thing to do. Don't I remember that it hurts to have tattoos removed?

Life changes us. Our interests change as we age. While it might be interesting to have a tattoo history of things we used to find important, it's more likely that we don't want to be so frequently reminded.

Thinking of my own life in ten year intervals, here's my imaginary tattoo history:

1955, 10 years old - New tattoo is a picture of Howdy Doody.

1965, 20 years old - New tattoo has hearts and says "Harold Forever".

• Harold was my first husband. We married in 1965.
  
• Howdy Doody was removed in 1958, as soon as I could earn enough baby sitting money to pay to for the procedure.

1975, 30 years old - New tattoo has flowers and says "Bob Forever".

• Bob is my second husband. We married in 1975.
  
• You can bet that "Harold Forever" has been removed.

1985, 40 years old - New tattoo is a picture of running shoes.

• I imagine myself finding the meaning of life during a runner's high.
  
• "Bob Forever" still works, except I'm about twenty-five pounds heavier. The tattoo is looking a little distorted.

1995, 50 years old - New tattoo is a Christian cross.

• I'm a new Christian and it really is the meaning of life.
  
• The running shoes have to go. I have arthritis and a bad back. I'm lucky I can walk.
  
• "Bob Forever" still works, except I'm now about fifty pounds heavier. The tattoo is looking very distorted.

2005, 60 years old - There is no new tattoo.

• Can't decide between a dog, a violet, knitting needles, my laptop, or the names of my granddaughters.
  
• "Bob Forever" still works. I lost forty pounds so now it's only distorted by the wrinkles.

Note: This post was originally posted on Seasons of Violet, September 22, 2003. Minor changes have been made.

Home

Here I am sitting on the couch in Idaho with my two wonderful granddaughters. What great memories.

The trip was wonderful. I have many many pictures which are not uploaded yet. I'll post the link when they're ready to view for all who are interested.

Ten days without knitting. It was a nice break. Today I picked up the needles and knit a few inches on the back of the Hanover Jacket.

There are two more posts I had ready to publish while I was gone that never made it. I'll be posting them in the next few days while I catch up on everything and life returns to normal.

How the Greatest Trumpet Maker in the World Got His Name

Monette -The Greatest Trumpet Maker in the World is my little brother Dave. That's Dave on the left with our Mom. On the right is Wynton Marsalis with one of Dave's masterpieces.

Back in the 50s when Mom was pregnant for Dave, Davy Crockett was very popular on the Sunday evening Walt Disney show. Mom, mother of three girls and sure she was going to have another, said that if she had a boy she'd name him Davy Crockett.

Dave was born a few months early and weighted in at three pounds three ounces. His eldest sister (me) remembered what Mom had promised and knew Mom would keep her word and name him Davy Crockett.

Mom fudged a little and named him David.

She told all the relatives that he was named after the David in the Bible because he was so little and had so much to overcome. Made a great story. But now the truth has been published on the internet. The Greatest Trumpet Maker in the World was named after Davy Crockett. I was there. Trust me, it's true.

Note: This post was originally posted on Seasons of Violet, November 30, 2003. Minor changes have been made.

I'm on vacation but I'd still love to read your comments.

Up Up and Away

When I found these lucky four leaf clovers in the middle of July, 2004, I expected something special to happen, and it sure did.

First I learned that son John and daughter-in-law Anne were coming to visit, their first trip to Michigan in six years. They live in Idaho.

The second clover's luck was extra special. I learned I was going to be Grandma in eight months.

Wednesday, August 3, 2005, granddaughter Kimmy and I are headed to Idaho to visit our four month old cousin/granddaughter Sydney and her parents, John and Anne.

We've been talking about taking a trip out west to see Uncle John and Aunt Anne for several years now. The time has come to actually do it and we're both excited.

This will be Kimmy's first plane trip and first time to see mountains. She has window seats on all four flights.

We live in SW Michigan. You can't get there from here without at least one connecting flight. We're flying Kalamazoo to Minneapolis to Spokane.

If you see a midsize rental car in eastern Washington or northern Idaho being driven by a gray haired grandma who looks lost, honk and wave.

Travel day to return is August 10, big long nap day is August 11, and things should be back to normal by August 12.

There will be some non-knitting related posts while we're gone if I can find a few spare minutes to sit at John's computer. But the granddaughters take priority over posting for the next eight days.

Knitting Log for July 30

The first More Fun Than Cables sock is done and a draft of the pattern is written.

Next I need to test knit the second sock using the pattern draft. Then the pattern will be ready to post.

Since I have many things to do before leaving on the trip to Idaho Wednesday, this is not going to get done until I get back. I expect to post the pattern sometime during the last two weeks of August.

The Unplanned Scarf is languishing in a knitting bag. I'm looking forward to picking it up again, but don't know when that is going to happen.

Lately I've been thinking about making some new rules for myself about number of simultaneous knitting projects. Right now I have four going, and that's just too many.

I think I might enjoy my knitting more if I started something and worked on it until done instead of skipping from project to project and having all the projects take what seems like forever.

I know that I don't want the Hanover Jacket to take seven months like the Lavold sweater. I want to knit on it, make progress, finish pieces of it, sew it together and wear it. And then knit another jacket.

While in Barnes and Noble Wednesday I picked up the Summer 2005 Knitter's Magazine and flipped it open to something I actually wanted to knit, the Turquoise Jewel Jacket by Jean Frost.

Not only do I love the looks of this jacket, it is just the kind of knitting I love to do. As soon as a stitch pattern gets boring, it changes to another stitch pattern.

I'm 90% sure this jacket is in my knitting future.

Lately I've been somewhat tempted to knit a lace shawl. But not until this week did I see the first lace shawl pattern I could not resist buying, Violets by the River by Hazel Carter and sold through Blackberry Ridge Woolen Mill.

It's a medium size shawl with the river (feather and fan) around the edges, lace violets (my favorite flower) in the body, and lace bees (how cute) along the edge.

The pattern is ordered and I'm looking forward finding some violet yarn and knitting this shawl. But first I have at least four other projects to finish.

Doggy Beach Party

Last night some of the dogs from doggy school got together at Lake Michigan. Their humans had a picnic, the dogs had a swim.

Up in the picnic area Gail started the fire for the brats, we set out our dishes to pass, and everyone went down many stairs to the sandy beach.

It was breezy, which translates into waves. Several of the larger dogs had a great time fetching frisbees or balls in the rough water.

Hagar Shores is a bit of a drive, 35 to 40 miles for most of us, but is the only Lake Michigan beach we know of that allows dogs.

This picture was posed during the last trip down to the beach. Not all the dogs stayed for the second round of swimming, so this is a partial group of doggy beach party friends.

Behind the driftwood from left to right:

• Layla, the Australian Shepherd
  
• Favor, the Blue Heeler/Cattledog (also in the top picture)
  
• Brianna, the white German Shepherd
  
• Penny, the Springer Spaniel
  
• Molly, the Sheep Dog Mix
  
• Jazz, the Maltese
  
• Sis, the Toy Poodle

In front of the driftwood from left to right:

• Merlin, the Australian Shepherd
  
• Sunny, my Second Generation Designer Dog
  
• Effie, the Corgi
  
• Casper, the Corgi

Sunny was my companion for the evening. At last year's doggy beach party the water was calm and she did some swimming. This year she decided sensible little dogs did not belong in those waves.

I honored her reasonable request to stay on the sand.

She appeared to have a good time in her own Sunny way, but when she was ready to go, she was ready to go. She didn't waste any time beating me up the stairs to the picnic area where we watched the sunset and then headed for home,

Next doggy beach party is August 17 and I'm bringing Pappy. I have no idea if he can swim or what he'll think of the water, but I know he'll have a great time with his doggy friends.

Things to Smile About

Happy Baby
Here is Granddaughter Sydney after a stroller ride with DS Dad.

This is my new desktop photo.

Just a little over a week before Granddaughter Kimmy and I get on a plane and head out to Idaho to see some of these smiles in person.

Bluebird Eggs
Sunday evening in the triple digit heat, I noticed Mom Bluebird peeking out of the nest box. Thought it was rather strange, especially in the heat.

Early Monday morning when the dogs and I walked by, she was still peeking out of the nest box. When I said "Good morning" to her, she flew out so I looked in to see what was going on.

A third brood! I didn't know they ever did three broods in a year and I didn't think they would do one this late in the season.

Certainly something to smile about.

Colorful Flowers
Black-eyed Susans, one of my favorite wildflowers, are blooming in the field where we walk the dogs.

They're such a happy flower. They make me smile.

Free yarn!
This is the Knitpicks Essentials sock yarn I won in the Six Sock Knitalong CIC drawing. The color is dusk, a medium heathery grayish blue.

The skeins are soft. The yarn seems to be very nice and I'm looking forward to getting it on the needles. There won't be a final review until I've worn and washed the resulting socks a few times.

Guess that means I'd better knit them for myself. Smile.

The Heat Wave is Almost Over
The thunderstorms blowing into the area are bringing a cold front. Temps in the mid 70s tomorrow.

Sunny and I are going to a doggy school picnic at Lake Michigan to celebrate. We're hanging around to watch the sun set over the lake - and I'm bringing a sweater.

Weather Whine, Part II

The National Weather Service gives the most pessimistic and depressing forecasts. I guess that's their job, to warn us of the worse that can happen.

Yesterday's weather was much better than predicted.

Yes, there were thunderstorms Saturday night and Sunday morning, but we didn't get the high winds, hail, and flooding.

Yes, it was very hot (temp hit 96, heat index hit 110) and humid Sunday, but there was a little breeze and we were comfortable reading in front of the fan with nice cold drinks and some ice cream.

In the early evening, just as we were thinking the weather wasn't so bad after all, everything got very quiet as the power grid went out. The fans stopped spinning, the refrigerator stopped cooling, and (we have well water) the faucets stopped working, and the toilet stopped flushing. It was immediately miserable.

We were toward the east edge of the outage which extended to Lake Michigan, about 40 miles west of us, and lasted 5 hours.

We were just complaining commenting about the slow response of the power company when things started humming again. We immediately stopped talking and jumped in front of a fan.

Enough weather whining. I'm all done weather whining as long as the power stays on and my flight out of here (August 3) doesn't get cancelled. Before I stop, though, I have to say: July has not been a pleasant month this year. Is it August yet?

Weather Whine

Where we live in SW Michigan, the weather is normally very variable. If something ugly happens, like a heat wave or a super cold spell, we deal with it and expect the weather to change in a few days.

When we have temperatures in the 90s, a thunderstorm normally brings in cooler air. After a thunderstorm we expect to be back to pleasant temperatures. Maybe even chilly temperatures.

If you've been following my weather whinings, you know that things have not been normal this July. We've had temperatures in the "hot", "hotter", or "way too hot" range every day and thunderstorms almost every evening. With very high humidity.

Today was only "hot". It stayed in the mid 80s and was comfortable outside as long as we weren't being active. And now, because I couldn't say it better, here is the National Weather Service forecast for this evening:

A STRONG WARM FRONT WILL PUSH TOWARD LOWER MICHIGAN TONIGHT. AHEAD OF THAT WARM FRONT...A LARGE AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS FROM WISCONSIN AND WESTERN UPPER MICHIGAN WILL BE MOVING SOUTHEAST AROUND 50 MPH TOWARD LOWER MICHIGAN AROUND SUNSET.

DAMAGING WINDS UP TO 70 MPH AND LARGE HAIL WILL BE POSSIBLE FROM THE STRONGEST OF THESE STORMS. IN ADDITION...FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTING WILL ACCOMPANY THESE THUNDERSTORMS.

ALSO...LOCALLY TORRENTIAL RAIN...PERHAPS IN EXCESS OF 2 INCHES COULD LEAD TO SOME URBAN AND POOR DRAINAGE FLOODING ALONG WITH RAPID RISES ON SMALL STREAMS AND CREEKS.

So, what does it mean when it's 85 degrees and a warm front moves in?

THE THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD BE OUT OF THE AREA BY 9 OR 10 AM ON SUNDAY. THEN POSSIBLY THE HOTTEST AIR SINCE JULY 29TH OF 1999 MAY OVERSPREAD THE AREA.

... COULD RESULT IN HEAT INDEX VALUES NEAR 105 DEGREES. A HEAT ADVISORY MAY BE NEEDED.

I'm starting to hear the rumble of thunder in the distance. Time to unplug my laptop again.

Knitting Log for July 22

One skein of Elegance knit, 17 to go on the Hanover jacket from Jean Frost Jackets.

The design has a leaf motif in the center of the back. That's the one you're seeing in the picture. It has additional leaf motifs on the bottom of both front pieces and the bottom of both sleeves.

The first skein knit about five inches of the back. When the skein ran out of yarn, I took a picture and switched my knitting efforts over to the sock.

The More Fun Than Cables sock is almost ready to have the heel turned.

I'm hoping this sock will be done this weekend so I'll be ready to start the test knit of the second sock.

For now I'm ignoring The Unplanned Scarf to concentrate on the socks and the Hanover jacket, but there may be a new distraction if the Knitpicks sock yarn I won in the Six Sox CIC Drawing arrives tomorrow.

I've been thinking of this sock pattern as More Fun Than Cables for several months now. It's a descriptive name since the little faux cables are more fun to knit than cables, and quicker, too.

But I admit to not being very good at naming patterns.

Any other suggestions?

For the past several days my hit counter has been elevated. When that happens there is usually a good reason. Sometimes I find out who linked to Stitches of Violet, and sometimes it stays a mystery.

Thanks to Linda, an Opal Chatters List friend, I learned that the Threadbear newsletter posted a link to:

Basketweave Socks--perfect in Opal Handpaint, which is what the original is shown in. Basketweave Ribbing Sock Pattern

Since I've never been to this yarn store, ordered from this yarn store, or even subscribed to their newsletter, I was a little surprised. But it was a good surprise. How can it not be good to have so many knitters visiting?

Welcome.

Thursday Tidbits for July 21

Humidity Looks Like This
After taking the dogs for their morning walk, I grabbed the camera and went back out by myself to take some pictures of the humidity. You know it's humid when you can actually see the moisture in the air.

The sun is trying to shine through (upper left), but the air is so full of moisture that it appears we're living in a cloud.

Late yesterday afternoon we had a thunderstorm. Again. This weather pattern has been going on for weeks now. Hot and humid in the daytime and thunderstorms late in the day.

The power usually goes out for some people in the area. We've had our turn. Yesterday was something a little different, though. There was a flash of lightening, the phone rang very strangely to accompany the thunder, and that was the end of our phone service for the rest of the day.

Storm Damage
Since we live in a very wooded area, it's best to be inside when the storms blow in.

Branches blow down, power lines go down, and lightening hits where ever it pleases.

This large willow branch fell right across the creek. It's almost big enough to use for a bridge.

The soft willow wood is not good for much except a nice outdoor bonfire. Fortunately we live in an area where it's OK to burn, except on rare occasions when there hasn't been enough rain and the township puts out a fire ban. At the moment we have the opposite conditions. Everything is too wet to burn.

House Built of Sticks
About three weeks ago when I went to clean out the nest box used by the tree swallows, I found it full of sticks. A wren nest.

Male wrens put sticks in multiple nesting sites and let the female choose the one she likes best. I've had the sticks before, but never had a nest box be the chosen place.

Usually I make a note on what date I found the sticks. Then, after a few weeks of no activity, I empty the box out.

This time, however, there was activity. Wrens sitting on the box and wrens going in and out of the box.

This misty morning, I was able to catch a picture of one of the parents sitting on the roof with hatching food in its mouth.

How pleased I am to provide a nest box for the chattery little wrens. Sure wish I could look inside.

It's not possible to open the front flap to monitor the nest without destroying the structure of the nest, so I'm just watching from afar.

Last Garnet Picture

Here's the finished Lavold sweater. It started out as a pattern, Garnet from the Lavold Sentimental Journey Collection, picture here. Then I made so many changes that the only parts resembling the original pattern are the basketweave stitch and the lace up the front.

For anyone interested, changes and reasons for changes have been detailed here, here, here, here, and here.

The yarn is Lavold Silky Tweed, 40% silk, 30% cotton, 20% merino, and 10% viscose. It wasn't pleasant to knit. It split, hurt my hands, and was costly.

If it hadn't been for the costly part, this sweater would have found it's way into the never-never finish bin where I store unfinished projects for a minimum of five years before tossing them out. Occasionally I reclaim the yarn, but this sweater would not have qualified for that effort.

The yarn was/is very pretty. Its beauty is what caused its impulse purchase at the yarn store. Now that the sweater is done, I will wear and enjoy it and remember that I don't want to knit with Lavold Silky Tweed again.

So, if this sweater is finally done, why aren't I smiling in the picture?

Because it was 90+ degrees and humid. The energy needed to create a smile would have resulted in serious sweat.

Also, because the neckline is too big. When I wear a warm sweater, I want it snuggly up to my neck. Or, in other words, the sweater isn't really done. I will be un-casting off the neckline and adding to the neck ribbing. Sigh.

Do I sound a little grumpy today? It's hot and humid again and I'm about ready to go sit in front of the fan and read the new Harry Potter.

There. That made me smile.

Which Knitting Do I Pick Up Today?

First, The Weather
It's hot (82 F, 28 C), humid (72%), and hazy. The heat index is 87 F/31 C. Cooler than it has been, but we're worn down by the constant damp heat so it feels hotter. And, tomorrow it is going to be back in the 90s.

Thunderstorms predicted - all last week, tonight, tomorrow, and on into the future.

Knitpicks Order Arrived
Yesterday the Knitpicks package arrived with 18 skeins of Elegance in Barn Red for knitting the Hanover sweater in Jean Frost Jackets.

I immediately put down Harry Potter #4 and knit up a swatch on #3 needles, one size lower than the pattern. Still need to wash it before the final verdict on needle size. The #4 swatch was too big, so I think I've got it nailed now.

The big question that needs answering is: Am I going to cast on this jacket before finishing The Unplanned Scarf? It would be wise to finish the scarf first so I don't end up with The Unplanned/Unfinished Scarf.

Knitpicks did send the last skein of Andean Treasure for the The Unplanned Scarf in the dye lot I requested. There was no indication if they made an extra effort to accommodate my lack of foresight or if it just happened. Whichever it was, I am greateful.

CIC Socks
One more Chutes and Ladders pair of CIC socks done.

This is red, sport weight Brown Sheep Nature Spun knit along with sock weight Lorna's Laces Flame. The socks aren't beautiful, but they're colorful and warm.

If I knit one more pair of Chutes and Ladders for CIC, I would earn another entry in the Six Sox CIC Drawing for some of Knitpicks new solid color sock yarn.

It isn't going to happen. My Chutes and Ladders attention span has been exceeded, and I'm ready to knit a different stitch pattern.

These socks haven't been washed and blocked yet.

The Six Sox CIC Drawing is resulting in dozens of nice, warm, wool socks for the kids. Some of the knitters are learning about CIC for the first time and I hope they will continue their CIC knitting when the drawing is over.

The first week's winners have received their prize yarn and report it is soft, pretty, 75% wool, 25% nylon. I'm planning to buy some as soon as possible. Why? Because I really need some more sock yarn? Of course!

More CIC Socks
Even before finishing the first adult More Fun Than Cables Sock, I started a smaller version for CIC.

The adult More Fun Than Cables Sock has a 16 stitch pattern repeat. If I don't stagger the cables, there's an 8 stitch repeat. Even 8 stitches is pushing it for a little 28 to 32 stitch CIC sock, so I reduced the faux cable to two stitches (from four) and removed the non-cabled rib.

Now I have More Fun Than Cables for CIC on 30 stitches with a six stitch repeat.

I think it's cute, but who knows for sure? The yarn is so busy I can hardly see the stitch pattern - and I know what it's supposed to be.

They're knitting up quick, so I won't mind knitting another pair in a solid color to photo with the pattern. When I do, that will complete my six pair summer CIC goal and I'll be caught up on my one-pair-a month 2005 CIC sock goal.

Meanwhile, my apologies for the picture not showing the stitch pattern.

Knitting Log for July 14

First, The Weather
It's hot, muggy, lazy weather with thunderstorms in the evening. That has been the weather since Monday, that is the weather for today, and that is the forecast for the next five days.

It works as the perfect rationalization for getting on line early in the day instead of doing housework. After all, the past two evenings have resulted in lightening and loss of power. It could happen again. Better to have posted than to have vacuumed. Don't you agree?

Lavold Sweater
The Lavold sweater is finally done, washed, and is drying. Picture soon.

New Sock Pattern
This sock pattern has been in my head for months. It's a pleasure to get it on the needles and have it turn out even better than I'd hoped.

I'm calling it More Fun than Cables, which describes the knitting process.

The little crosses are made with double wrapped knit stitches from the previous row.

Real cables pull in and require extra stitches. The little cross over stitches in this stitch pattern result in a nice fabric with no pulling in. The sock fits with the same number of stitches a person would normally use for a sock cuff.

It is a fun stitch pattern to knit. Easy to memorize and no awkwardness once the knitter gets the rhythm of the crossovers.

The yarn is Opal UNI-Solid color #29. I think the socks would also look great in a variegated yarn with short repeats, like Opal Handpainted.

Yes, I'll be posting the pattern for these socks soon. Since I'm having so much fun knitting them, I may do a worsted weight, toddler size version for CIC, too.

The Unplanned Scarf
Looking at this picture makes me want to reach out and smooth the right side of the leaf motif. It really is as nicely designed and knit as the left side of the leaf, just in need of blocking.

This is 18 inches of scarf, the amount I was able to knit with one skein of Andean Treasure, color Lagoon. I have a second skein, but I'm anxiously waiting for my Knitpicks order containing a third skein before proceeding.

The order was shipped Tuesday afternoon by "Best Way and will arrive in 5-14 calendar days."

I'm guessing the yarn will arrive on Saturday with my copy of the new Harry Potter.

Christmas in July.

Harry Potter
In preparation for the arrival of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, I've started reading the two previous Harry Potter books.

I had forgotten how enjoyable the Harry Potter books are to read. I refuse to rush through them, so I'm not going to be ready to start the new book on Saturday unless I do a reading marathon between now and then. Unlikely.

If I was still working full time, reading the HP books would have been carefully scheduled and I would be finishing them just as the new book arrived.

Life is less planned now. I think it's a good thing. But sometimes I wonder.

Where Am I?

It's hot, muggy, and lazy weather.

Yesterday afternoon and evening we were having thunderstorms, so I unplugged my laptop and started re-reading Harry Potter 4 in preparation for the big day on Saturday.

This evening I was uploading a picture of the sock I'm knitting and the power went out. Have no idea why or for how long. I'm writing this on battery, and need to log off before I have no battery left.

Hopefully, if the weather and Consumer's Power will cooperate, I'll have a regular size post tomorrow.

Sunday Snippets for July 10

Yikes! Where is this month going? Where ever it's headed, it's one third of the way there already. Yikes!

Knitpicks Order
I kept knitting on the scarf I didn't intend to knit, the one with the pretty leaf motif where I was just trying out the stitch pattern. By the end of the first skein, I had 18 inches and declared the scarf a keeper.

Since I only have one more skein of yarn, that will make the scarf 36 inches. That's long enough for a dressy, pretty scarf, but not as long as I would like, so I ordered another skein. If I get the same dyelot (I requested it), or if the new dyelot matches, I'll have a 54 inch scarf.

After several days of indecision, I ordered 18 skeins of barn red Elegance to knit Hanover from Jean Frost Jackets with the same leaf motif and shadow ribbing as the scarf. I'm looking forward to getting it started.

Comments
Haloscan, the commenting software used on this blog, has been having server problems for the past month or so.

The comment counter at the end of each post is not accurate. There are more comments than the counter indicates.

They say they're going to have this problem fixed soon. Evidently "soon" means weeks or even months, obviously not hours.

Halascan is free with ads. I pay a small fee to have comments without ads. I'd be willing to pay a little more for a reliable service. Here's hoping the comments are tallying up correctly soon.

Greenfield Village Pictures
The selected pictures from our day at Greenfield Village are here.

Beep Beep! Splash Splash!

Granddaughter Kimmy and I have been having summer fun this week. The weather has been perfect, not too hot and not too cool. Things have pretty much gone as planned on both our trips. We didn't forget anything important, and we enjoyed our destinations and each other's company. It's been great.

Early Wednesday morning we climbed on a tour bus for Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village.

There was way too much to see and do in one day, so we did what we wanted. We spent the entire day in Greenfield Village and never made it to the museum.

We're sorry we missed the museum, but we wouldn't have wanted to miss anything that we did see and do, so no regrets.

Just a few of the things we did:

• Took a ride around the village in a Model T. That's us, sitting in the back seat.
  
• Cruised around a scenic lagoon in the paddle wheel steamboat Suwanee.
  
• Hopped rides on the 1930 Model AA shuttle bus.
  
• Rode on horse drawn carriages as we went from place to place in the village.
  
• Rode a train pulled by a historic steam engine. What a "blast".

Kimmy's favorite ride was the 1913 Herschell-Spillman restored carousel.

We came back to this one over and over again.

Once I get them uploaded, there will be pictures of more of the carousel detail in a Picturetrail album.. Lord willing, the pictures will be online this weekend. (I have dialup and it's painfully slow.)

There will also be other Greenfield Village pictures in the album. I'll post a link for anyone who wants to look.

Thursday we sent to the Lake Michigan beach at South Haven. Kimmy spent three hours in the water swimming, playing, and doing handstands.

I sat on the beach, rubbed on sun screen, and occasionally handed out money for a drink or some ice cream. So why am I so exhausted today?

Kimmy is home now, and I spent the day in quiet serenity. First thing this morning I finished my second pair of Chutes and Ladders socks for the Six Sock Knitalong CIC drawing held this afternoon.

I didn't win, but it feels good to have the socks finished. Three and a half pair of my six pair goal are done now.

Trying Out the Stitches

One way to answer the question "If I knit the Jean Frost Hanover Jacket, is the shadow rib going to bore me to tears?" is to try knitting some shadow rib.

So I cast on with my Knitpicks Andean Treasure, a sport weight, heathery baby alpaca, and started knitting on a scarf using the stitch patterns from the Hanover Jacket.

And the verdict is: The shadow rib flows off the needles in a nice rhythm.

I'm ready to order 18 skeins of Elegance to knit the jacket.

The leaf motif was fun to knit. Now I'm wondering if I can knit a second one and join the pieces together to make a scarf. Any advice on a good way to join ribbing?

This is not a well planned project. I don't know how to join the pieces and I don't have enough Andean Treasure.

What are the chances I can get another skein in this dyelot? Not sure. Maybe I can make a Seaman's Scarf and it won't matter (so much) if the ribbed center is a different dye lot. Depends on how close it matches. I'm pretty fussy about such things.

I may end up just calling this an experiment and frogging it. But it was a good experiment and I'm glad I did it.

Heading Out of Town

Today I drove to Battle Creek and picked up Granddaughter Kimmy.

Early, way too early, tomorrow morning we're getting on a bus for a day trip to Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village, about a two and a half hour drive across the state.

As I kissed her good night, she warned me that sometimes she's grumpy when someone tries to wake her up so early in the morning. But she's going to try not to be. I understand.

Thursday morning we're going to sleep in, get up and lounge around, and eventually pack up and head for Lake Michigan. And in the evening, we'll dine somewhere she can get chicken nuggets and I'll take her home.

It's unlikely there will be another post before Friday.

Knitting Log for July 3

This is Matthew's Scarf, free web pattern by Myrna Stahman, knit in Knitpicks Elegance, a DK weight baby alpaca/silk blend on US #4 needles. The color is called Barn Red.

A very pleasurable knit. I'm looking forward to using this yarn again.

Since I've never had the need, I don't own lace blocking wires. I can see how using the wires would have resulted in a tidier block for this scarf and I'll be owning a set soon. Nevertheless, the pattern opened up very nicely when blocked and I'm pleased with the end result.

Note Added July 4:
I only had two skeins of Elegance, so each end of this scarf is a few inches shorter than the pattern calls for. The length of the ribbing is also on the short side, fine for a small woman or child.

If you're going to knit this scarf using Elegance (110 yards per skein), you really need three skeins.
End of Note Added July 4

My CIC knitting goal for June was two pair of toddler socks. Done. Both pair are knit with Cascade 220 on US #5 needles.

The purple pair is a basic sock with a wide ribbing cuff.

The turquoise pair is the Chutes and Ladders pattern from the June/July Six Sock Knitalong.

Each two pair of CIC Chutes and Ladders knit is worth one entry in a Six Sock Knitalong drawing. The first drawing will be July 8. The prize is enticing, so I'm knitting up a second pair of Chutes and Ladders CIC socks this weekend.

The prize? 100g of brand new, not yet available, solid color sock yarn that Knitpicks will be introducing soon.

And that explains why I'm knitting little cables (chutes) in my CIC toddler socks when I'd rather not be cabling.

Wish me luck. There's a drawing every Friday for the month of July, but it's not perfectly clear to me if two new pair of socks need to be knit for each drawing. I'm hoping it's not necessary because it's unlikely to happen.

Aside from the second Chutes and Ladders CIC sock, the only thing left on the needles is about six inches of the final Lavold sleeve. I'm sticking to my promise not to show a picture of that sweater again until it is blocked and on my body. It won't be long now.

That leaves me with the question of what to knit next. Certainly there will be a pair of socks, but I haven't decided which pair.

Then there is the Hanover Jacket from Jean Frost Jackets. The Hanover swatch I knit with my tiny bit of leftover Elegance is too loose. I need to go down to US 3 or maybe US 2 to get gauge with Elegance.

The bigger question, though, is: Do I want the jacket enough to knit all that boring shadow rib (knit the right side, purl 2 and knit 1 in the back on the wrong side)?

Some other project options are the Upside Down Aran and the Vest of Many Stitches from Best of Knitters Arans and Celtics. After the endless Lavold sleeves, the thought of a vest is very tempting.

Stitch Patterns Making Me Batty

Alternate Title: What Happens To My Brain When I Knit Stockinette for Too Many Days in A Row

My all time favorite knitting books are the four stitch treasuries by Barbara G. Walker. I can spend hours looking through them. They overstimulate my mind. Everytime I pick one up, I find something new I've never noticed before and/or get an idea for knitting that was never obvious before.

I judge knitwear design by the stitch patterns used. If a design has boring, ordinary stitch patterns, I'm not going to knit it. (There have been exceptions to this rule, but I'm always bored and sorry when I break it - like now, trying to complete the endless Lavold sleeves.)

Shortly after I started knitting again and before I learned the beauty of wool, I knit this sweater for myself. (It was also before I lost 40 pounds.)

If I recall correctly, the yarn is Paton's Look At Me.

Starting at the bottom, I worked a stitch pattern until I was tired of knitting it. Then, I went to the stitch treasuries and found a new stitch pattern that I though would look good on top of the one I just finished.

Looking back, I have to note that this sweater was more fun to knit than anything else I've ever done. (Notice, I didn't say I wear it often, just that it was fun to knit.)


I've always wanted to knit the Spider in Barbara G. Walker's Third Treasury of Knitting Patterns. It's a complex twist stitch pattern 29 stitches wide by 52 rows long. She uses The Spider as a tutorial in twist stitches.

There are right twists, left twists, right side twists, wrong side twists, knit twists, and purl twists. What fun!

The spider is ugly. It looks like a spider, and I think the time has come I do need to master it.

Maybe on a seaman's scarf? For Halloween?

The problem is, I don't want to knit the spider twice. Now what would work on the other flap?

Bats!

In the same book Barbara Walker charts out bat lace.

What could be more perfect?

Sweet Potato Treats

A few weeks ago Carrie suggested I try some of the sweet potato dog treats available at Sit Stay.

I ordered a small pack of sweet potato rawhides for Glory and a small pack of the much smaller sweet potato fries for Sunny and Pappy.

To Bob's skeptical amazement, Glory thinks the rawhides are yummy. They're big enough so I can cut them in half and she still feels like she's getting a good sized treat. They're tough enough so a half rawhide takes her a while to chew and she enjoys the process.


The two little dogs differed, as usual, in their opinion.

Sunny enjoyed her sweet potato fry.

Hey Mom, if I stick one ear up and look cute will you give me another one of those yummy things?


Pappy rejected the sweet potato fry after one sniff.

Mom, surely that didn't count as a treat! Can I have something else please?


As Meatloaf would say, "Two out of three ain't bad."

The Heat Goes On

Looking at the color coded USA Today weather map, Michigan (where I live) is coded the same color as Texas - bright red, temps in the 90s.

It's a little warmer than we Michiganders expect in June, so the weather is a big topic of discussion. Especially the thunderstorms that don't cool things off at all. In fact the last two haven't resulted in enough rain to get the sidewalk wet. There was just enough moisture to make the air hazy and enough lightening to make the power flicker on and off a few times.

Early this morning I completed the small amount of housework that's going to get done today, and I've spent the rest of the day in leisure, sitting in front of the fan and taking short walks with the dogs.

Sunny thinks creek water is much tastier than tap water. Plus, it's a big dog kind of thing to do.

Each of the dogs has their own favorite place to cool off. Glory is under a table in the living room, Pappy is in front of a blowing fan, and Sunny thinks it's best under the bed. I'm with Pappy.


Why would a woman of reasonable intelligence wear a long sleeved turtleneck shirt outside for a dog walk when it's over 90 degrees?

Deer flies.

Or, as the Department of Entomology at Michigan State University calls them, "little sabres of pain."

They dive onto their victim and immediately CHOMP! Ouch!

The result is a red welt resembling a mosquito bite. The welts don't itch and they don't last long, it's just that initial, painful CHOMP that makes deer flies one of the worse bloodsucking insect pests we have here.

I view them as one of God's annual reminders that we live in a fallen world.

Actual blood was lost and pain suffered to bring you this picture of a deer fly biting my knee. Am I a dedicated blogger, or what?

Fun With Little Balls of Yarn

Warning to Sharon: This post contains a picture of a wool sock.

Several months ago a generous online friend from the Opal Chatters List sent me eleven skeins of Brown Sheep Nature Spun for CIC knitting. It's sport weight in various bright colors for the kids.

Knitting for CIC there are two main considerations, warmth and toughness. It's cold in Eastern European orphanages and the kids wear their socks without shoes. In my opinion, lightweight and/or delicate knitted items are a waste of time and energy. I've never used any yarn lighter than worsted weight for CIC socks.

This little sock was a successful experiment to test out knitting the sport weight wool with a strand of leftover sock yarn (Opal Bumblebee) carried along. It was knit on thirty stitches with size 5 (US) needles. The resulting fabric is dense, tough, and equivalent to a worsted weight sock. I'm very pleased with the result.

Using a quick kitchen scale calculation, it appears one skein of Nature Spun will make two pair of socks if the second pair is knit on 28 stitches. If I run a little short, contrasting toes are always acceptable.

I've been saving little, left over balls of sock yarn for more than five years. Once I start hauling them out of the bins I know I'll be amazed at the number.

It doesn't take much sock yarn for a toddler sized sock. The sock yarn ball in this picture is loosely wound and a little less than two inches in diameter. Its twin was enough to make the first sock.

I love knitting up the bright colors and seeing the interesting results. This is going to be fun. Most of the results are going to be more colorful than this first attempt.

Looks like I won't run out of CIC sock yarn for a while.

Dog Days of June

Since we live in a dense, shaded area, we usually don't mind not being air conditioned - except for a few days of the year, and this is one of them. It's 97 F (36 C) and the humidity is high. If we had to get up and actually do something, we'd be very hot.

I took the dogs outdoors one at a time and let them do whatever they wanted.

Glory, our oldest and biggest dog, had no problem deciding to head for the creek and wade around a while.

The two little dogs don't understand why a dog would voluntarily go into the water, but I think Glory was the smart one this afternoon.

Pappy's favorite pastime is hunting rodents. Since he's not much bigger than a rabbit, he's only had success with the smaller species.

He has caught and killed numerous mice, voles, and moles. We don't encourage him, but mousing is in his genes and there doesn't seem to be any stopping it. We'll be walking along and all of a sudden he will pounce into the weeds and come out with a prize.

This afternoon he was after a mole. He can smell them underground and knows right where to dig. If he doesn't get them on first pounce they're safe and gone, but he thinks he needs to dig a little just to make sure.

Sorry you can't see his cute little Papillon face. It's down the mole hole.

At our house, "turtle" is a verb.

Sunny has a squeaky, rubber turtle, her favorite toy since she was a tiny puppy. (Actually we're on the fifth or sixth one, and there is a spare tucked away for when this one falls apart.) She likes to play fetch and tug with it, and she's not gentle.

When she wants to play, she gets her turtle and whaps it down at someone's feet. We say that person has been "turtled". If you ignore her turtling, she repeats it.

Sunny is very persistent and hard to ignore when she wants to play turtle. Usually the person who didn't get turtled laughs at the person who did get turtled because there is no escape.

Sunny turtled me several times this afternoon and I tried to tell her it was too hot. Evidently it wasn't too hot, because we went outside with the turtle and she fetched, tugged, and had a great time.

Last One Out is a Rotten Egg!

The hatching has begun!

The first hatched looks like he's ready to rule the nest. Mom and Dad Eastern Bluebird are working hard to feed him and watch over the rest of the eggs which will be/are hatching soon.

There are five eggs, so we're hoping for another successful family of five to equal the first clutch that fledged in May.

Top Candidates for What to Knit Next

ChelleC left a comment yesterday asking to see the projects on my knitting "to do" list.

Here it is - a list of everything I want to be knitting right now:

• Chutes and Ladders socks for Six Sock Knitalong. If I'm going to participate, these need to be done by the end of July. It will be a hard decision whether to knit this pattern or start working on two original patterns I have ready to knit and write up.
  
  
• New pattern to share, Shetland Snowflake socks. Maybe this could wait a few months before we're ready to start thinking about snow.
  
  
• New Pattern to share, More Fun Than Cables sock. This is a very cool stitch pattern and I'm anxious to knit it and post it.
  
  
• Opal Tutti Fruiti socks. This yarn is gorgeous and I'm looking forward to having a pair of socks knit from it. Unfortunately, the three sock patterns listed above are not appropriate for the colorful Tutti Fruiti stripes, so this needs to be a separate project.
  
  
• Secret Sock pattern. I will be test knitting a sock pattern arriving in the mail the first part of July. Fortunately, there's no deadline on getting it done. If necessary, it can go in the stash to age a while.
  
  
• Four more pair of CIC socks. The sock challenge ends August 31. My goal is two pair in June (almost done), two pair in July, and two pair in August. These are my mindless, take along knitting.
  
  
• Five CIC sweaters out of the brightly colored Lopi I just bought. And I'd like to write up a pattern or two for other knitters to use for CIC knitting. The CIC_Knit List seems to be lacking some easy, bulky weight sweater patterns.
  
  
• Branching Out Scarf in green Knitpicks Andean Treasure. This is my quick project to try out this yarn.
  
  
• Dayflower Lace Scarf in red maple leaf Knitpicks Merino Style. This is my quick project to try out this yarn.
  
  
• Lace scarf (pattern to be determined) out of blue Knitpicks Alpaca Cloud. In fact, I have enough Alpaca Cloud for two scarves.
  
  
• Hanover Jacket from Jean Frost Jackets, yarn to be determined. Knitpicks Elegance is the leading contender. This and the test sock are the only projects on the list that I don't have the yarn for yet.