Road Trip, and Knitting

Since my last post, my BFF and I had a short but fun road trip.  Some of my friends followed the fun on Facebook, where I used a hashtag for the first time.  The #sandyandlindasupnorthadventure tag enabled us to see each other posts as well as anyone who wanted to vicariously join in the fun.

The first day was hot and sunny, but we rode in glorious air conditioned comfort, taking in Sea Shell City, Tahquamenon Falls (learning to spell it along the way) and Whitefish Point, with its Lake Superior shoreline and memorial to the Edmund Fitzgerald.

The Falls, were thunderous and wonderous.  And I've never seen the big lake so peaceful.

After a nights sleep we awoke to a drizzly cloudy day.  Our first stop was a bear ranch, that takes in nuisance bears from the DNR, thus saving their lives.  While Sandy had her picture taken with a live cub, I opted for the safer, though fiercer looking fake bear.

Roar!

While heading down to US 2, the main east-west artery, we passed some sand hill cranes, and had to get a picture. 

And then while turning back around, of course we chose to use a cemetery, rather than a parking lot.

What else would you expect from the Cemetery Diva's?   We continued along  to the Lake Michigan shoreline.  It was doing its best to imitate the usual appearance of Lake Superior.

Even with the rain, we still had a good time.  It was down to a sprinkle when we hit the Casino for a bit. Later we returned to the land of the trolls, below "The Bridge", where we played tourist in Mackinaw City, shopping up a storm after a wonderful, if late, lunch. 

I got home after midnight, yet still earlier than I expected.

Whew, I guess I will leave the knitting details for another post.

Ode to Kate

 

There once was a farm girl named Kate.

When we met, '89 was the date.

The oldest of four,

And never a bore,

To be friends as she grew was just fate.

With her whole family I've been quite close.

To them all I will raise a toast.

To her parents and Hubs

And home full of cubs

I ask blessings to fall on their house.

As the day approaches to meet number seven

And your bundle from God is "geven"

May your contractions be swift,

As you receive life's gift.

And you'll be flooded with blessings from heaven.

 

Fiber Fumes

So, on the day after attending a fiber festival with a friend, what do you do to recover from the lanolin and yarny fiber fumes? You play in your stash of course. While I just could not justify spending upwards of $75 for a single skein of the ombre dyed yarn that was everywhere (going from one color to another, or light to dark, over an 400-800 yard skein) I still found something to love.

Of course there was some stash enhancement while there. I purchased the two skeins of semi solid blue, and got the green free. I think they are probably destined for another shawl, since I wear shawls more than sweaters. One of the three patterns I purchased was a two color shawl.The skein on the left had a sample that was knit up into a scarf that really showed off all the light and dark color spots. I think that skein is telling me it wants to be socks, simple ones to let the colors play together nicely.

I also made a purchase to replace my broken sizable zero needle, which is already safely inserted into my Simple Brainless socks, taking over my broken needle.

On the way home we stopped at Arnies, a mega multi-craft supply store. I got some more yarn in a slow transitional colorway to possibly use with another shawl pattern I purchased.

Eventually Sandy and I made it home. With her mothers illness we had not gotten together much all summer. I was happily surprised when at the last minute we were able to make this trip. It was great fun to be able to spend the day together.

It does not, however, count as the "up north" roadtrip to compensate for the knitting of her Traveling Woman Shawl.

Even if I didn't get a picture of the finished shawl from her Alaskan cruise.

 

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Keeping Busy....Part 2

As I mentioned yesterday I have been keeping busy. I failed to mention that it will be getting busier.

My beloved Community Bible Study (CBS) starts on this coming Thursday morning. I found out my group leader is a friend at my new church who worked with my dad when he got his infusions. I will enjoy getting to know her better as we study Matthew this year.

Because of CBS, I will be unable to attend breakfast on Thursdays with some of the women from church. I have enjoyed diving in and getting to know them better. They invited me to the women's Bible study at All Saints, on Tuesday mornings. I am seriously considering attending.

And then there was the surprise I got at Mass this weekend. One friend greeted me, noting that I was settling in and becoming famous. With great poise, I said "Huh?

Turns out, according to the announcements, I am on the schedule to be a speaker for the women's group, CCW, in October. I repeat, huh?

I figured it out later, after corralling one of the gals who had come to see my spinning demonstration in my hometown earlier this summer. They had suggested that would be a great program. So I got drafted. I don't mind, if they want to see it, but what a surprise.

So I suppose I should attend the meeting this month, to see just what kind of program they expect. They meet once a month on Tuesday nights. Sounds like I may be missing Knit Nite occasionally.

I may also need a bigger table than I had in July.

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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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Reminiscing

Gosh, was it really seven years? It must be because these pictures popped up from June 2009.

Our Spin Guild took a field trip one week, to the fiber mill near East Jordan, Stonehedge Fiber Mill.

One of our group had a bunch of wool to drop off/pickup. (She has her own wool room there.). The rest tagged along for a field trip.

What fun! They showed how they clean and prepare wool both to leave as roving or to spin into yarn to sell.

And their spinning room. Wow.

We may have even made a few purchases.

 

Then we were off for lunch and another stop, with more purchases.

Hey gang, we need to plan another trip like that some time. It was fun.

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Back Again

Well, look, I haven't fallen off the face of the earth.  But it was a hot and busy weekend.
The Open House with Dances With Wool at Chickasaw Farm was fun.  It helped that before I got there I was able to get myself chilled completely.
In spite of the heat, I had a great time. I even wove a few rows on the huge tri-loom.  I put in a raffle ticket but I guess I didn't win.  I haven't heard from my friends that I had the winning ticket.

There were demo's of different crafts, and some vendors.  I didn't take my spinning wheel, but I did get one row of knitting done on my Tapestry Hitchhiker.  After all it was World Wide Knit in Public Day.  I got some wonderful wool for a shawl, and a nifty and inexpensive needle sizer.  Some people lose tape measures.  I lose needle sizers.  I also bought a white Shetland fleece to be layered with a rose gray alpaca I had found in my wool room and sent them off for processing at Stonehenge Mills.

I had to leave early from there, in time to get home for Mass, and then went on to the wedding reception with Hubby.

Friends of the family, the groom was the younger of our matching sets of boys.  Some of the groomsmen were familiar faces from the younger years. 

In spite of the heat, a great time was had. 

We even got a wagon ride back to the pond, where the wedding was held.  We saw a bald eagle fly off from a log when we interrupted his fishing in the pond.

Bonus Post--Finished Shawl

Even though I had a previous post today and have picked up another project, I wanted to share some preliminary pictures of Sandy's Traveling Woman Shawl.

Last night, I only had a wee bit of yarn before beginning the bind off. So I wound the yarn I had dug out of my stash to use for the final cast off only.

Gertrude graciously consented to model. She feels the heat much less than I do. Of course it needs blocking and I have already passed along the blocking frame boards to Sandy to see if Robin could make a frame.

A good firm blocking should work its usual magic, accenting the points and opening the lace.

I couldn't resist a quick try on. Even if the wool room doesn't get the benefit of the air conditioning.

And now on to some of my previously started projects.

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Poetry Month--Day 11, "Spin" Guild

With only a forecast of two in attendance,

We decided to meet and take our chance.

Cyndie and I sat, talked and knit instead,

We had but an hour, so our wheels stayed a' bed.

So come next month, we will try it again

Hopefully more folks will be out of their den.

But even if it is just us two who show,

We can spin a yarn with time to blow.

 

As mentioned above there were just the two of us coming to spin guild today. And I had to leave after an hour. But we had a good time, even if it was just the two of us.

Our group has been at cross purposes lately. Last month I couldn't attend at all. But the two months before, I had come at one and left after half an hour when no one showed. Cyndie showed up later (each month) and did the same. Hopefully we can do better in the future, both meeting up and getting people. Cyndie and I at least committed to come, at least for the first hour, next month.

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Knitting On

While our knitting group awaits confirmation of a new permanent location, we are meeting at another spot.

Sorry Cindy. I couldn't quite get you framed.

A new meeting place was needed when I left my previous church, and turned in my key. Hopefully next week we can find a quieter place, with less food.

Not everyone made it tonight, but we still managed to get a bit of knitting finished. In spite of the rowdy middle school aged girls sports team sitting behind us.

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Stealthy Knitting

I have finished one Christmas present and am closing in on another. But, because they are presents, I cannot show pictures. Those will need to wait untill after the holiday gift giving.

Instead, I will say, the boot toppers are finished. I should have my next present completely done by bedtime. I may even have a new project started by then. It replaces one of the ones pictured last time I showed my queue list of patterns. I found a better pattern. And if I can't get the others done in time, no big deal. The next one to be cast on may take me to the Christmas deadline.

And in case you can't deal with no blog pictures, I can give you this:

He likes to laugh at our selfies.

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Games and Races.

Great day for sports in the farmhouse.

The Detroit Lions actually won their second game in a row today. And while I don't watch football (I have a friend who shoots me the score while I give her race updates), I do appreciate the fact that both of these last two games haven't been high scoring games. My Scoreboard Cowl isn't growing quite as fast as it was previously.

The knitting goes easier with the majority of the cowl folded up into a plastic bag. I can manage the three skeins much better without the length of the cowl getting all wrapped up in it.

The other sporting event, more near and dear to my heart was the NASCAR finals. My favorite driver was out of the running for the championship, but up until about 10 laps left, was leading the pack. Then a caution hit. He ended up third, and since Brad couldn't win the championship, I am glad Kyle did.

What a comeback it was too, after missing the first couple months of the season with both a broken leg on one side and a broken foot on the other. I am happy with the outcome of the season.

Now how long till the Daytona 500?

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This and That, With Yarn

I find myself hovering from WIP to WIP (Work In Progress) lately. After the weekly football game, I devote myself to the Scoreboard Cowl. These have been high scoring games, at least for the opponents, so I usually finish them late Sunday or sometime on Monday.

I finally changed the status of the Purple Swing Cardigan to finished, with the addition of the ribbon.

You can tell by my sloppy bow that, being the mother of boys only, I never quite mastered a neat bow. But the cardigan is all ready to exchange for a cuddle when the little Purple Princess is in the neighborhood visiting her grandparents. I only hope she doesn't blow out her diaper on me, like her brother did when I met him.

I have been working a lot on the Baby Hap Shawl. I know that is a crappy name, but the shawl/blankie will be wonderful when it is finished. There will be color, but not until the center square is finished. Right now this is my principal project.

I just haven't taken a recent picture, but it has grown a lot from this.

And today....

I swatched. From bottom to top, size 7, 8, 9, and 6 needles in the Coopworth/Teesdale handspun I coerced Sandy into buying when we were at the Fiber Festival last month. I agreed to knit a Traveling Woman Shawl for her, so I will let her pick the fabrics she likes. Even the size six needle this is a slightly larger gauge than called for, but with a shawl, it isn't too critical. We will go for the stitch she likes best. I'm leaning towards the top one, size six. I have plenty of time to finish that, it only needs to be done in time for her cruise next summer.

Hmmm. Looks like the Summer of Purple, is turning into the Winter White winter. Even though there is the Lilac Cardi and Lion's Cowl still on needles to keep it interesting. Since I don't think there is any danger of the Lions having a post season, I can start this shawl when the football season is finished.

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Fibery Fun Fix

Saturday was the weekend for a wonderful, little fiber show called Northern Michigan Lamb and Wool. Held at the county fair grounds near West Branch in the northeast lower peninsula of Michigan, it is a low key, relaxing event that doesn't have the heat and crushing crowds of the Michigan Fiber Festival in Allegan in August. Nor is it as ritzy or high toned as the event held in Charlevoix in late July. Instead it has a more comfortable, casual feel, with plenty of yarn and fiber and tools. I saw lots that interested me. One booth was packed with antique wheels and books, from the estate of a fiber crafter. Drool!

Mostly, I served as an enabler this trip. I was once again accompanied by my usual partner in crime and owl lover, Sandy. Unfortunately the shopping experience was hindered by her killer headache and her hubby'spresence. ( Although he was an excellent chauffeur.) He probably was also the reason we got home before 9 pm instead of 2 am.

I talked her into buying a shawl, although it was with the condition that I knit her one like another we saw. I said ok, as long as she furnished the yarn. So...I have a Traveling Woman shawl in my future. Luckily I already have the purchased pattern. We later found some lovely creamy handspun that should work really well.

I scored the last two skeins of a white merino-tencel blend. The tencel gives it a great sheen, and of course the merino makes it wonderfully soft. I also got another fan and small basket and some buttons. I was delighted to find that they were being sold by the daughter of the gal I had purchased my previous baskets from who will soon be a missionary in South Sudan.

Oh, I also got a ball of sock yarn at the festival...a Zauberball, barely seen in the basket below. I have always wanted to try it. Then I get home to an email from my local yarn shop and found they are now carrying it!

We had stopped at a craft store on the way to the festival. And since we had time and money, we stopped again on the way back. I spent a bit more there, tatting needle, (like I need another craft to learn,) some thread, buttons, and two skeins of Noro Silk Garden Sock yarn. Clearly I need to step up my sock knitting.

The night before, because none of my projects were in a state of being good traveling projects, I started to cast on this.

It was part of my birthday splurge at the aforementioned yarn shop. It is, as the label says, pure silk. It is a simple triangle shawl that looks lacy and rustic both, thanks to large needles and the thick/thin character of the yarn.

More on the knitting another day.

 

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Progress. The End Is Sight

I have continued knitting away on the Gray Spiral Blankie and am now finally on the last increase section. That means seven more rounds before the pattern is done. I am considering doing one row of plain knitting, removing the markers, before I change the bind off to a sideways garter stitch bind off over what will then be a total of 532 stitches.

Yikes!

I would like to finish it this week, so I can concentrate on the baby sweaters as well as my cowl and finish the Oatmeal Vest. Hmmm. With that many stitches, maybe two weeks.

This was also the day for my monthly lunch with my owly loving friend Sandy. I guess we may be a bit obvious about our love of owls when another friend who doesn't even know her purchases an owl for her. But, I might add, Sandy loved it.

It's nice to have friends as crazy as I am.

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Prayers for the Blue Line--And Beyond

Fairly late yesterday afternoon I posted on Facebook, and sent out a general email to my fellow parishioners. I wanted to let them know I intended to spend some time this morning in prayer for our embattled police and invited anyone to come who wanted to join me.

I was happy and somewhat surprised to have six others join me. Admittedly one came as we finished, but I didn't give a lot of warning.

We read through the office of Morning Prayer with extra intercessions for the country's police as well as the military and those innocent citizens in other countries in danger because of their faith.

We were more than just two or three gathered. We are not be able to physically reach and assist all these, but at least we can pray for them.

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