I Was Knit Together In My Mother's Womb

TGIF....

Go figure....

So, Vicki tagged me for my first meme.... got me wondering about my idiosyncrasies...and I, also, had to check with my family. It's really funny, because I'm pretty easy going (according to Meghan) except at holiday time (as she pondered how to put the psychosis that I demonstrate into words that would be fitting of an idiosyncrasy). As JR began to list some of my unique characteristics, we were on a roll.

id·i·o·syn·cra·sy 

Pronunciation Key:  n. pl. id·i·o·syn·cra·sies - A structural or behavioral characteristic peculiar to an individual or group.

Write down five of your own personal idiosyncrasies.  Then, if you wish, tag five people to do the same.

1. I leave my shoes everywhere in the house. and I like a neat house, as long as it's not someone else's stuff.

2. I sigh. Alot. So do my children. Alot.

3. I can make a long story even longer.

4. I love my dogs and cats, but I am a fanatic about smells and fur. I can smell something funky from a mile away... so , I love Fabrize...and this stuff... which I even keep in the bedroom...

and I hate dog hair laying around the floor like this...

5. I cannot climb into an unmade bed. I have been dog-tired and ready to hit the hay, and will make my bed (if it had been left unmade, which is rare) before I pull the sheets back.

So, I will tag....

Lisa and Cathi, because I'd love to see them narrow down their list to five...

Ms. Mar, Susan aaaaannnnndddddd.... how about Dani?

Do you wonder where the summer goes? I have so not been myself these past few weeks. I'm tired of the heat, and trying to adjust to life with a 9-5 job...when do you people blog?  I used to work full time, but a flexible full time...and I didn't have that much drive time. When do you knit? I knit three rows in my car on the way home the other day...if I had my camera with me, I would have taken a picture while knitting and driving to really qualify for "Extreme Knitting." Will my life settle into a comfortable routine? When do you exercise and read? Or cook? Will my Rowan sweater look okay on me?

It was a nice weekend, with a visit from Jon J and Augie....

The boys were here, enjoying some summertime stuff at Mimi's house....breakfast on the porch, and an outdoor shower...

 

Meghan and I watched Born Into Brothels....excellent documentary, thought provoking....I can't imagine a life with "no thing called Hope."

On  Tuesday, my husband finally arrived home, and I am so happy!

And, I have been otherwise occupied since then. (wink)

we had the best knit night!! And of course, I had no camera with me...well, actually, I did have my camera with me, and I couldn't find it in the bottom of my bag.

But we had Jen and Chris, Dawn and Amber, Maria, Chrissy, Mar and her friend Heather, Lois, Joanne and Megan, Mary, Mom and Me...Lisa couldn't make it...  It was just a regular Romper Room of Knitting Friends! Jen got some great yarn in from Fiesta...some Soy Silk and Bamboo... just lovely...touchable....rubbable...the kind of yarn you  want to fondle.

A few nights ago, I started yet another project....

What is this mess?

THIS INTARSIA IS MAKING ME CRAZY!  Hints or tips, please.

A few weeks ago, I felt like I was in a knitting rut...tying to dream up a next project...now I'm swamped with new starts, and imagining the next several. This weekend is finiishing weekend....I will complete two projects, yes, I will....

And for the more adventurous among you...those of you looking for a little excitement with your knitting...think about this for the weekend!

My husband is gone. He left yesterday for vacation on beautiful Lake Michigan, and I did not. I was even going to meet a wonderful reader at a few local shops had I gone. But I'm working.

Pout over.

I have enough to keep me busy while JR is away. On Saturday, I skeined several hanks of Manos Cotton Stria at our LYS and came home with this....

 

Remember the last visit to New York Knits, when I left my husband waiting in 90+ heat in the car? Well, I did see a great crochet "Flower Power" belt in a Design Source booklet which I have not been able to get out of my head. As a lovely parting gift for skeining, Jen sent me home with all of this Cotton Stria so I could do up a belt for me and one for the shop...my pattern should be here any day now! I'm so excited!

My Linen Print sweater is going along very quickly...even after "frogging the entire back so I could make the larger size, quickly."

  I finished the back and moved on to the sleeve.

All of you Clapotis fans out there have already gotten your high from the dropped stitch thing...I can't wait to do the other sleeve so I can do it again!

 

Isn't that the coolest thing? It makes a very dramatic bell sleeve and I can hardly wait to wear it. I will get this sweater done this week.I will get this sweater done this week. I will get this sweater done this week.

Why? So I can wear a sweater in 90 degree heat?  No, in 70 degree air conditioning! This has been my life the past week... AC bedroom, shower, porch, AC car, AC office, AC car, AC bedroom. Shower, rinse, repeat. Repeat.

I am thankful, however, that we have had some rain. You can almost hear the grass breathing a sigh of relief. We get excited about the rain during such a dry hot summer...and then we complain again about the humidity.

We managed a great getaway on Friday afternoon with our friends, Bob and Sonya. Boating and skiing on the Niagara River, dinner on the boat...it really was beautiful and we had the best time. Lots of great scenery, laughter and incredible ski shots. However, my camera battery died. I got one picture.

Bob and Sonya.

Are you thinking about fall knitting yet? 

When the Rowan yarn arrives, you have to put everything else aside...and last night, I cast on for the Linen Print sweater, knit in Rowan Linen Print "Crush." Don't you love that name? Talk about an exciting project...yarn all the way from the UK, a trendy, hip, and now sweater....knit on #11 needles! Yes...I thought about this sweater all day today at work. I only ate half of my sandwich at lunch so I would have more time to knit!

Now I'm waiting for another yarn delivery so I can finish my shawl...AKA crocheted table cloth....

And, then, there is the mock cable sweater....a slow and steady knit,

and I'm thinking a mock cable, being a fakeout, would be quicker to knit than the real thing....I don't think so. This one may take til next summer!

Would you look at these lilies? They are just like sunshine!

I happen to have a great secret pal....attentive and sweet, generous and thoughtful...

 

Heavens to Betsy! Beautiful fabric, yarn, candy, gum, stickers, a sheep print and cleome seeds for my garden! This girl covered all the bases and she couldn't have chosen better! Thank you Secret Pal!!!!

We welcome a new knitter into the fold...my niece, Jamie, doing some good old fashioned porch knitting while she visited from Louisiana. Now, imagine...she loves it so much, she wants to start a knitting group when she gets home! Knitting is good therapy, Jamie! And, remember to send pictures of your one-skein wonder!

New Weapon Discovered to Fight  "Battle of the Bulge"....

A funny thing happened...I love to peruse the clearance racks at Target, and was so pleased to find a very cute camisole with a wide lace trim at the neck, not too deeply cut, and generously-styled fit. Being in the usually hurry, I didn't try it on. When I got home, excited to check myself out in this cute pink top, I realized that the tag says...

"IN DUE TIME"  which, readers, is Target's maternity line!

I was thinking, though, that I just may keep it, since it so nicely accommodates my changing mid-section, which has nothing at all to do with pregnancy! Why didn't I think of that sooner??????

Yankee Ingenuity....

Or, "The Hot and The Desperate." In this episode, Lynne really can't stand the heat and didn't go into the kitchen. Instead, she sprung for two $1.50 Walmart air rafts and made her own little swimmin' hole....my own little tropical paradise....It worked, too! There's more than one way to beat the heat!

And the other way was getting some refreshment in our outdoor shower!

On Friday, a wonderful surprise came in the mail. A while back, I sent Lauren some Cotton Ease in a color she craved. In return, she generously traded back to me this wonderful yarn...( content and yardage unknown) which will surely become something soft and special. Thanks Lauren! Lauren always has some awesome project in the works, and is quite a knitter....in fact, it is she who sort of got me thinking more about Cotton Ease with all of her raving about it! In fact, she has an interesting post about it today.

Saturday was one of those incredible days that you don't want to end. It was a perfect weather day with low humidity, pleasant temps, and the bluest skies ever. I was up early for a walk, then cleaned and did laundry, knit and visited the LYS to congratulate Jen, the owner on her new location. I napped and gardened...

I have always loved this combination...plain old orange ditch lilies next to that bronze Japanese maple...pretty.

The Asiatic lilies are starting  their bloom, too.

We finished out this fabulous day at Maria's  "Quinceanera" - a lavish event in celebration of a Latin girl's 15th birthday. A Quinceanera (the term refers both to the celebration and to the girl who has turned 15) is similar in concept to a debutante's "coming out party" in other countries. The celebration is a means of acknowledging that a young woman has reached  maturity and is now an adult, ready to assume additional family and social responsibilities. In addition, the celebration is intended to reaffirm religious faith, good morals, and the virtues of traditional family values.

After a sumptuous feast, the music and dancing begins. The first dance is a waltz danced with the quinceanera, Maria, and her uncle.

This is Maria with her beautiful sister, Sandy...

And I was even able to get in a dance... and boy, do they dance...Aye Carumba! We didn't stick aroung for much dancing, since the hour was close to our bedtime!

When our daughter married into this wonderful family, we really became a part of it. We are included in ever special family event and occasion, and feel so blessed to have such great in-laws.

And what else did this knitter do over the long holiday weekend? Why, I sewed a summer knitting bag, of course!

 

A new sweater in the works....can't get enough of that Cotton-Ease! One of my Lockport girlies lent a great book to me. Of course, I don't have it in front of me, so I can't give you the title...right now....But here is what's cool. It is a ribbed sweater, with every other rib being a mock cable. I am so blown away by this! The little "cable" is a group of three stitches. You knit into the back of the second stitch and then into the front of the first stitch, then take them off the needle as a couple. Knit the last stitch of the trio. Presto! A little twisty cable thingy!

With my first full week of work at the new job, I've found knitting, cleaning , laundry and life to be somewhat of a challenge...I'm dreaming about work, I'm replaying my days over and over in my mind. I'm sure you know what  I'm talking about. One thing I have discovered is that if my knitting is by my side, I can work a few stitches at traffic lights, get a few rows done on a break, and even more rows on a lunch hour...Cool.

I know that things will become less hectic as the weeks go on...I've felt like I'm on information overload! It's been wonderful, however, to have such a supportive staff here...and to know all of them! I couldn't ask for a better transition experience.

So, until my life gets under control, it's good to come home at night, water the flowers and relax with my husband.

campanula, "Cherry Delight"

A blue delphinium which cost me $1.49 and survived after I have spent a hundred dollars on delphinium plants which have died over the years!

A beautiful blaze climbing rose, which is not climbing this summer because when a helper helped me cut back the beds last year, he cut back all of my climbing roses! Eight of them! But, I'm glad to report they are making a healthy comeback!

I haven't put myself under too much pressure, though...I am sure one of these weeks I'll have to address the cobwebs and dust bunnies...