I was just sitting here, reading some items on Ravelry and some blogs and right out of left field it hit me. A bad case of Startitis.
Now I know I have a consignment shawl I vow to finish before Labor Day. And a sweater for me, and a couple other shawls, and 2 pairs of socks on needles, and .....
Well you know how it goes.
But I just realized that Sunday (8/9/10) would have been Elizabeth Zimmermann's 100th birthday. In case some random non-knitter happens to read this, EZ is my knitting guiding light. Thanks to her I know there are no knitting police and I can knit fearlessly. She has been such an inspiration and changed me from a knitter to a Knitter. I love her and have all of her books, and 2 DVDs.
Can you tell I am a fan?
Anyway, I have found a pattern based on her circular PI Shawl that is an Anniversary edition using multiples of 8s, 9s, and 10,s. I. Must. Cast. On. I must. But, I will wait till Sunday, on her birthday. Now I need to decide which cone of yarn to use. Luckily I have a few. Maybe the Boysenberry.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
He Got Me Again
After the episode Sunday (I just need you to hold the light while I grease the grain drill), you would think I would have learned my lesson.
You would think wrong.
Just as I was finishing the virus scan, and ready to go to the blog, Hubby says, in all innocence, "Can you help me cut and nail a board in the barn?" Notice the singular form.
Background is that almost every summer we need to replace a couple of the posts in the barn. They stick up about 4 feet from the cement floor, with about another 2 feet or so buried. That involves breaking through about 4 or 5 inches, at least, of cement, wiggling out the broken end of the old post, digging, and cementing in a new post. Then we replace the boards for the pens. When we got married 28 years ago, none of the posts or boards were treated. They had been build with raw timber he had milled for the barn. Eventually boisterous bulls and heavy heifers tend to break the posts off, and manure is not kind to the untreated timber. By now, nearly all of the untreated has been replaced with treated, a 4 or 6 foot section at a time. Sometimes more. Last year we had 3 posts in a row to replace. Sometimes the same treated 2 X 12s can be reused. Sometimes not.
So, anyway, I got naively out to the barn. Luckily the humidity was down, and we were in front of the 4 foot barn fan. And somehow the one board turned into 3, and nearly an hour. But that did finish this years project and now he is taking down an interim gate and moving water tank and mangers around. Happy as a farm guy can get.
And as you can see, I got back to the blog, if not the knitting.
You would think wrong.
Just as I was finishing the virus scan, and ready to go to the blog, Hubby says, in all innocence, "Can you help me cut and nail a board in the barn?" Notice the singular form.
Background is that almost every summer we need to replace a couple of the posts in the barn. They stick up about 4 feet from the cement floor, with about another 2 feet or so buried. That involves breaking through about 4 or 5 inches, at least, of cement, wiggling out the broken end of the old post, digging, and cementing in a new post. Then we replace the boards for the pens. When we got married 28 years ago, none of the posts or boards were treated. They had been build with raw timber he had milled for the barn. Eventually boisterous bulls and heavy heifers tend to break the posts off, and manure is not kind to the untreated timber. By now, nearly all of the untreated has been replaced with treated, a 4 or 6 foot section at a time. Sometimes more. Last year we had 3 posts in a row to replace. Sometimes the same treated 2 X 12s can be reused. Sometimes not.
So, anyway, I got naively out to the barn. Luckily the humidity was down, and we were in front of the 4 foot barn fan. And somehow the one board turned into 3, and nearly an hour. But that did finish this years project and now he is taking down an interim gate and moving water tank and mangers around. Happy as a farm guy can get.
And as you can see, I got back to the blog, if not the knitting.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Who's a Hayseed?
Sunday afternoon, after the race was finished (Mark didn't win, but still a good race), Hubby decided it was time to seed the new hayfield.
I was all this time stretching before me with him out of the house--time to put my loom together. But.....I was needed to help him grease the grain drill.
Well to hold the trouble light while he greased it. So I changed into some grubby clothes, since the grain drill had been sitting covered in assorted junk, collecting dust all winter in the barn. You know, it is surprising how much dust can accumulate in the barn.
So we greased, and then I thought I saw my chance of escape.
But it was not to be. He needed me to ride on the back of the grain drill, to make sure that the grain was feeding through properly. The last field we planted to grasses, and the long narrow seed wouldn't feed through the openings very well. That time I had to ride on the back of the drill, sidling back and forth on a 6 inch board, from one side to the other, poking a strip of plastic into the holes to open them. But this was trefoil seed, tiny round, black seeds.
Just a couple rounds, Hubby says. I sigh, in my mind seeing my loom languishing in the box, but I climb on the back. After the first round, he adjusts the flow and says one more time around. After that round Hubby adjusts again, and says, you might as well ride the rest of the way.
(Grrrrrrr.) But I ride. Butt up in the air. Sliding back and forth across the top of the drill. Even with a plastic burlap bag to slide on, I was still plenty dirty.
So no loom assembled yet. But I know in the spring, when we see all the pretty yellow trefoil flowers all over the field, and the sore neck is forgotten, I will be happy it was done.
Hope my loom is assembled by then.
I was all this time stretching before me with him out of the house--time to put my loom together. But.....I was needed to help him grease the grain drill.
Well to hold the trouble light while he greased it. So I changed into some grubby clothes, since the grain drill had been sitting covered in assorted junk, collecting dust all winter in the barn. You know, it is surprising how much dust can accumulate in the barn.
So we greased, and then I thought I saw my chance of escape.
But it was not to be. He needed me to ride on the back of the grain drill, to make sure that the grain was feeding through properly. The last field we planted to grasses, and the long narrow seed wouldn't feed through the openings very well. That time I had to ride on the back of the drill, sidling back and forth on a 6 inch board, from one side to the other, poking a strip of plastic into the holes to open them. But this was trefoil seed, tiny round, black seeds.
Just a couple rounds, Hubby says. I sigh, in my mind seeing my loom languishing in the box, but I climb on the back. After the first round, he adjusts the flow and says one more time around. After that round Hubby adjusts again, and says, you might as well ride the rest of the way.
(Grrrrrrr.) But I ride. Butt up in the air. Sliding back and forth across the top of the drill. Even with a plastic burlap bag to slide on, I was still plenty dirty.
So no loom assembled yet. But I know in the spring, when we see all the pretty yellow trefoil flowers all over the field, and the sore neck is forgotten, I will be happy it was done.
Hope my loom is assembled by then.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Progressing Right Along
I don't have a current picture of the cherry leaf shoulder shawl. But I have managed to turn the corner and am now working my way up the second side. I had to do almost 2 full repeats in the corner stitch. I am progressing slowly because the last time I took it to Knit Nite, I ended up tinking almost as much as I knit.
So I have started the second sleeve on the Marl Sweater and hop to be joining those to the yoke and finishing that sweater so I can start on a sweater for Evelyn. She is planning on paying me in yarn to make a sweater for her.
I need to count up how much I need so I can let her know what to order. I have a White Lies pattern for a lacy cardigan. I want to use Victorian Pink Naturespun wool for it.
And of course, I have to start one of my cardigans with my handspun. I have plenty now that is spun up. And I would dearly love to try a cardigan with intarcia sheep in the yoke out of my handspun. Not at all ambitious am I?
And I need to make my first grand nephew another Wallaby. And I want to make a swirl shawl--already have the Jojoland for that.
So many projects. So little time.
Even if I am only working part time.
So I have started the second sleeve on the Marl Sweater and hop to be joining those to the yoke and finishing that sweater so I can start on a sweater for Evelyn. She is planning on paying me in yarn to make a sweater for her.
I need to count up how much I need so I can let her know what to order. I have a White Lies pattern for a lacy cardigan. I want to use Victorian Pink Naturespun wool for it.
And of course, I have to start one of my cardigans with my handspun. I have plenty now that is spun up. And I would dearly love to try a cardigan with intarcia sheep in the yoke out of my handspun. Not at all ambitious am I?
And I need to make my first grand nephew another Wallaby. And I want to make a swirl shawl--already have the Jojoland for that.
So many projects. So little time.
Even if I am only working part time.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Older Son's "Office"
I mentioned back during planting season that my oldest son had a new ride--a huge Case International tractor with tracks and a pivot. I kept trying to track him down in the tractor for a picture, but had no luck.
The other day I was driving past their shop, and there it was.
No one was around except a couple trucks, so I stopped in and snapped a picture with the good old camera phone. 
It doesn't really capture the size, unless you notice how small the steering wheel looks up there.
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