Back to the Real World, HA!

Yes I have finished reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. That darn thing called "work" was getting in the way of my reading pleasure so it took me 4 days and much fear that someone at work would let something slip. Thankfully, everyone kept their tongues and I was able to read it for myself. I do have to count myself luckier than Jeff though because right after we got the book he had to go out of town for work again and there was no time for Harry at all. He finished yesterday after reading all day straight.

So the knitting has been constent although not prolific. In late June finished the silk clapotis and then quickly decided to give both the mohair (from last year's SAFF) and the silk (Art Fibers) away as gifts to my friends Julia and Ana. I hope they liked them. I'm still in love with the Clapotis pattern and am looking for somemore fantastic fiber to make another. Perhaps the next one I will keep for myself. I still have the first one I made from the hand spun.





After I finished the clapotis I promised myself I would work on my unfinished Rouge....though I shouldn't promise myself things like that because I reached right over Rouge to my Briar Rose fiber and started "Looking Glass Top" from Interweave Knits Summer 2006. All the pieces are completed and I'm ready to block. I am coveting a blocking board since the only space I have to block is on the floor with towels over the carpet. Maybe a christmas present for myself. I'm blocking the sweater today. It is on the floor behind me as I type waiting to be pinned down. The pattern called for making the front in three pieces but I said the heck with that and knitted the thing as one. I also didn't like the "hole" at the bottom of the v-neck (probably what it gets its name from) but oh well. So its just a regular v-neck. I'm crossing my fingers about the size. The last few items I have knitted have been too big, so I went against my size leanings and knitted it smaller than I thought was wise. It might turn out that you get to have this top. We shall see. I still have half of that giant skein left so I could still make something else.

Sea Socks? J says, "sure" though I don't think he is very excited about it. I think I could do frequent flyer miles too. Maybe that will make J perk up. What about D? Is he interested in spending a cruise with a bunch of knitters and a scientist?

I did get both the Spin Off Magazine and the Llama you sent. I absolutely love the Spin Off Magazine and I have been buying them one by one, tempted to subscribe but didn't take the pludge yet. Thank you.

Asheville? How wonderful! Everytime we travel anywhere else I spend several weeks lamenting that we are in LA. I'm probably driving Jeff crazy with the, "let's move to -----" and "how about ------ as a place to move next." It will slowly ebb off until the next time we get out of here for a weekend, then I'll start it again. I like our place right now but the thought of


...a garden
...a workshop
...4.32 acres
...space
...quiet
... and less people

ah well, that will have to wait for a while. At least another year and we've got a lot to do to get our place fixed up.

I've started a Lady Eleanor. Good Lord was it a pain in the neck to get that started. I don't know what my brain and hands were doing. I had to frog the thing at least 4 times after getting 12 inches in. It looked like crap. I was reading the instructions all wrong, over and over again. I finally, finally figured it out and then decided my needles were too big and at the time I was at my mom's house with no source (so I thought) of different needles. My mom came to the rescue with a pair of Susan Bates metal straights. I was not thrilled about knitting a big heavy shawl on straight but after the 1st several entrelac rows I was set. The metal knits very fast and the weight doesn't seems to bother. I'm now 3 feet in. It's going to be a long one. I'm knitting with Noro Kureyon (Greys and Greens). A friend at work told me it was an old lady color but I'm beginnning to really like my inner "old lady."

Summer Fun

This summer has been the summer of visiting and traveling. Calen arrived at the end of June and stayed with Jeff and I for three weeks. Two weeks here in LA and one week in Ohio to visit the grandparents and to celebrate his birthday. We had a great time. I was able to take two weeks off and Calen and I did whatever we wanted. Here's Calen on his first day here. His mother gave him a Nano for his birthday so he and I compared tunes.
Then off we headed for the beach. It's so nice to be so close to the beach. We splashed about. Calen was definitely more adventurous than I was in terms of getting in the water. Taking in a Southern California beach

A big hit for all was the Chocolate Fountain near the La Brea Tar Pitsand learning that Los Angeles is ostentatious with all it has to offer. Hollywood Boulevard Yikes!


Then we headed to Ohio! Calen is TWELVE YEARS OLD! Good Heavens!

After Ohio Calen headed for another couple weeks in MIchigan with Aunt Dana and Jeff and I headed for Kansas City, MI for a grant meeting for me and lucky we got in a bit of relaxation at a pretty park. Here's JeffLounging at a park near Liberty Missouri

Butterflies aplenty

Bette liked it too. Yes Bette travels with us almost everywhere.

Nestbuilding

I just got back from Edisto beach where I pretty much remained motionless until I finished the final Harry Potter novel. Have you finished?!

Contrary to the quietness on my end, I have been getting some knitting done. I've found the perfect use for those sock yarn leftovers that were taking up room in my stash-- baby socks! I cranked out two pairs of unisex striped socks for my layette. I also couldn't resist this adorable onesie that I spotted on the Ferdinand Homestore website. This is the first thing I have purchased for my layette and not knit out of stash. This seems like a big step? I found this site when I wondered where the people from Interweave get all of their cute clothing to pair with the handknits. It was mentioned in the editor's notes. Speaking of Interweave, the fall preview is up... I can't wait for Eunny Jang's first issue as editor! Her cardigan looks like it's going to be my favorite of the new issue.

Here are the socks that I knitted while in Peru, from plane ride to plane ride.

In other crafting, I finally finished my wine corkboard. I took the hardware off of a print that did not make it up on the walls of our new place...

I'm hoping to get D. to hang it up tonight. I acquired another bag-full of corks from my family's restaurant-bar, so I will probably get started on a trivet or coasters or another cork project.

So... Sea Socks? What of the husbys? Does J. want to go? I might even be able to finagle free air fair out to Seattle by using freqent flyer miles. I can just see us on the deck of a cruise ship in our cabled cardigans and Lendrum wheels.

Speaking of spinning, did you ever get something in the mail? Also, I'm thinking of signing up for this weekend-long spinning workshop at John C. Campbell Folk School in the mountains near Asheville in April 2008.

Also, we have found another potential "starter" home that may work for us. We are going to look at it tonight. It is not a perfect fit-- there will need to be some reconciling-- but it has lots of amenities that match our lifestyle. Namely, a dishwasher, 1900 ft. workshop (where we can hide all of our junk-- VW van, kayaks, canoe, four-wheeler, surfboard, etc!), affordable mortgage payment, established garden plot with a muscadine vine, 4.32 acres, and it even has a little above-ground pool with a deck to help keep cool. The downside is that is located on a fairly busy road and the style of the house is not really what we had imagined in our dreamhome. However, if the inside is as updated and liveable as the website indicates, then we may make an offer and start the negotiation process! If all this house needs is a fresh coat of paint, then that may seal the deal for us. Here she is from the roadside--