Hot, and Muggy, with Wool Sock

Will this summer ever end? I can only count a few nights in the last couple months with comfortable sleeping conditions. Old farm houses do not cool down easily after the sun beats down on them all day.

I am leaving my snowy background on Facebook until the weather breaks. I am sure glad I don't need to sit in a hot stuffy classroom all day.

On a cheerier note, I have the sock ready for session two of my class. It is the Gold Digger Sock, top down with the gusset done before the heel turn.

The gusset is all complete, and ready to turn the heel.

I even made the supreme sacrifice and tried on the sock to show on the blog. (I mean after all, wool? In this heat.)

See how the design goes all the way down the heel?

I think I am going to like this sock. Even if I don't enjoy trying in on on a muggy afternoon. Wool doesn't wear well with 88 degrees and high humidity.

I am so ready for cold and snow.

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Helpers

So, I arrive at Knit Nite to be greeted with a big bag of toilet paper tubes.

Apparently, one of my knitting friends had offered to give them to my teaching friend down by St. Joe. And since her mom and I are heading down there on Friday, I stuck them in my trunk. Hopefully I won't forget them.

To help me remember, I also stuck four ice cream buckets with lids I had promised her mom in the trunk as well. I really hope I don't forget. I'm gonna need my trunk soon to get chicken feed.

Also, while I was at Knit Nite, I was knitting away on my truly brainless project, the Ten Stitch blanket.

Alas, it is apparently not brainless enough. Just before packing it up for the night, I discovered I had 11 stitches. For the TEN Stitch Blanket.

Sigh. Some few rows of frogging back resulted in...eleven stitches.

I see more frogging in my near future. As well as more frequent stitch counting. I mean I only need to count to ten. How hard can that be?

Apparently too hard.

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Whacking Away

A month or so back, we got a letter from our farm insurance company stating that they were no longer offering coverage in our area. Our local agent came out last week and offered alternate coverage. However, before they come to take pictures, we need to clear the grass, weeds and, in some areas, brush away from all the buildings.

Our tractor is needing a new tire rim, which means the brush hog is not an option. We can't keep a string weed wacker working. So, yesterday I ended up springing for Hubby's next Christmas and birthday present...a hand held bush whacker. Think weed whacker with a blade instead of a string.

Hubby has been buzzing up a storm, clearing around house, barn and garage.

In the meantime, while waiting for the rain delayed NASCAR race to finally finish, I worked on my Cactus Flower Gold Digger sock. I need to finish the cable chart twice before starting the heel gusset. The gussets get increased, and there is no flap. Just short row shaping/heel turn after the gusset.

I was worried the cables would be lost in this Madelinetosh yarn.

But they seem to be showing up nicely. These pictures show me at about row 8 of 24, on the second time through the chart, first the front then the back.

Then dark came and I turned to the Ten Stitch Blankie for my evening knitting.

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Cables After Dark, and Kids

Even with relative bright colors, it seems that once the natural light is gone, cabling difficulties multiply. Especially at 8 stitches per inch on size zero knitting needles.

After I needed to unknit a needle with cabling, I decided to wait until tomorrow to pick this sock back up.

At least it was the back, with smaller cables that needed to be tinkled. I guess I better work on these during the daytime and find other evening knitting.

My visit with the grand kids the other day of course needed a few pictures. Little Farmer was mugging for the camera, as usual.

"See Grammy? I have two ears!"

My Little Peanut showed off her long fingers. Knitting fingers? Maybe I better bring a pair of needles to put in her hands. (And look! Open eyes this time.)

Legend says that is how new knitters are created, by having a knitter place knitting needles in a baby's hand. I need to find some dull needles.

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WIPs Parade

This past Monday, before my Tuesday sock class, I spent some time on several of my active WIPs, or Works In Progress. While the Baby Hap was out of the question due to the heat, I did manage to work on the Ten Stitch Blankie for my Little Peanut.

Once the heat started getting to me, I turned to the Tapestry Hitchhiker. Being a rayon yarn, it was less fuzzy and much more comfortable to knit.

I have quite a bit of yarn left, and it is already wearable.

Poor picture, but you get the idea.

Finally I dug out the poor forgotten Smocked Brown Cow Socks and tried to figure out where I left off.

I figured out that I had left off with the gusset almost done. I am now working down the foot.

And of course on Tuesday I had my class on the Golddigger Socks. I have completed the cuff since this picture and am on the cable set up rows. I need to get through the chart twice before my next class.

I better get back to the charts.

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Crisis Averted

Well, maybe not a crisis, but a possible large expense.

Monday, we brought our beef back from the meat packer. Being a bit on the warm side, it softened a bit so when we got home we stuffed it into the freezer as soon as we could. I had offered to get it with my air conditioned car, but but Hubby didn't think Hharry could make it up the hills with over 700 pounds of meat.

We noticed the alarm flashing on the freezer because the temperature was above -5. I hit reset, but still the freezer didn't get below 19 degrees. Hubby was starting to worry the freezer was going out. We put the big barn fan on, aimed at the compressor, as it was getting warm.

And two days and one service call later, (I told you Hubby was getting nervous) the freezer is down to -5 degrees. And as you can see above, not a smidgen of room for anything else.

Plus the smaller freezer has the extra hamburger in with the usual bread and frozen veggies.

Now to repair/replace the rear tractor tire rim. It's always something, isn't it?

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Hot and Cranky

That's the only excuse I have for my lack of blogging recently. It is a bit better today. Or at least less humid. But high humidity is listed for the rest of the week. Ugh! I am sooooo ready for cooler than average weather.

Even the garden is a loss. It was too hot to venture out very long. With Hubby at the fair all week, I just couldn't face picking anything. I picked a few beans the other day to give the chickens, but that has been all. I should look to see if any of the tomatoes are getting ripe.

I could use a good tomato and miracle whip sandwich on whole wheat toast. Yum.

Yesterday Hubby and I attended a surprise 80th birthday party for a friend and former co-worker of his. Luckily it was inside, but still warm.

On a lighter note, the usual rain during the fair helped the corn fields again. But why does it always rain fair week?

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Chicken News

My flock continues to come through with about three eggs a day. Still small, but I think we have a new contributor to the egg production.

My first green egg. (And darn, we are out of ham.) Pencil included for scale. And to prevent rolling off table.

On a sadder note, Dovie died today. She was a grayish Aurancana with twisted toes on one foot . When Hubby mentioned we lost one, I figured it was either Rita or Dovie. When we first started getting eggs, Rita had a bad case of pasty butt. I think it's better, but her fluffy butt is rather flatter and white than usual.

Dovie on the other hand hadn't appeared out in the chicken run much since back when Rocky was terrorizing the flock. Montgomery (formerly known as Mumps) is a much calmer rooster, but Dovie still stayed in the coop, only venturing out rarely, apparently, for food and water. She was the first of the flock to be named. She will be missed.

For those keeping track, besides Montgomery I still have the girls: Lacey, Goldy, Coppertop, Cinder Ella, Rita, Lucy and Measles. Since I renamed Mumps, I may rename Measles too. How does Maisie sound? I think I like that.

 

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No Surprise

It should probably come to a surprise to no one that with the completion of the Peanut Dress, for my new granddaughter, that my thoughts have turned to new projects to begin.  Teddy bears, socks, sweaters for me,,,,,
But I quickly came to my senses.  After all, there are quite a few items sitting in the WIP pile, not necessarily in time out, but still not being worked on.  So while visions of new projects continued to dance in my head, I sorted out the projects sitting on deck.
While I will continue to work on the Tapestry Hitchhiker at odd moments, I am designating the Ten Stitch Blankie, which is for Little Peanut as my main knitting emphasis.

If this makes me sound disciplined, toss that thought out of your head.  I also signed up for a sock class at the local yarn shop.  It starts next week.  Book was previously purchased and yarn has been purchased as well.
Swatching has begun. There will be a new project begun soon anyway.  But to anyone who knows me, that should not be a surprise.

My Little Peanut

After a good start blogging this month, life was interrupted with the somewhat early arrival of my little peanut.

Introducing Paislee Jo, hereafter to be known in the blog as Little Peanut. While scheduled to be born today, she had other ideas. Six pounds one ounce and nineteen inches of snuggle bug.

Of course the dress I was knitting wasn't quite done. But if she had waited, it would have been.

It does need washed and blocked, but I would have been on time, if she was a bit more patient.

All are home and well. Grammy can't wait to get her hands on her again.

 

 

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Hey!

Look what I found!

I had to take a second glance before realizing it wasn't one of the ping pong balls I hid in the nests to give the girls the hint that was the place to do their laying.

Those slackers may be ready to earn their feed. I knew at least one was a few weeks older than most of the others.

Yum! Yes, it is truly a pullet size, but that will improve with age.

Omlettes and pound cakes, and custard...oh my!

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