Woolythyme

A single moment.....

 

Joining amanda at soulemama with a single photo from the week.

 

Yarnalong and WIP Wednesday....

My knitting this week has been rather uninspiring...(unlike my book!!!!!!!), so let me get the knitting out of the way fast.  This is a socks-that-rock club pattern and yarn from some years ago---I've lost track.  It was too big for me--it fit #1 Daughter, but she has declared a moratorium on socks.  I really dislike afterthought heels; it's sportweight yarn which to me is just too heavy.  It went from sock to this......

in no time flat!  Yeah.  That project is done. Check.

I then proceeded to frog a vest I started sometime in the 90s--well, maybe not that long ago, but I don't even wear vests.  I don't know why I started it (cul-de-sac vest) except that it has an incredibly wonderful cable incorporated into it.  Surely, I can find some other way to use that cable.  Check off another WIP that is no more--and I retrieved two favorite stitch markers in the process.  That was definitely a win-win.

So--what is currently being worked on?  I could almost see the yarn trembling for fear that it was going to meet the demise of its neighbors in the closet as I pulled it out....

(those are just plain ole "vanilla socks"--co 64 st. and go--in unknown yarn that I love)....but THE BOOK!!!!  Oh, my--the book!!  Where to  start.  (Just about) everything about this book is perfectly done.  The styling and photography is outstanding.

There are pictures of the food, pictures of the craft projects being made and being used, pictures of the parties, and just plain beautiful pictures.  It's divided into "seasonal" parties (and something like the egg-dyeing spring party and the strawberry picking/jam making party have a specific "window of opportunity") but many of them could be used anytime of the year.  For each party you are given a list of materials you need and a timeline to get everything done.  Natural ingredients/natural materials are obviously used throughout--as the title indicates.  

But, while the title calls this a party book---please be assured it is so much more!  Sure, I would have given my eye-teeth for this kind of book 35 years ago when my kids were party age.  But now, as a grandma to 7 (under the age of 9) this book is a resource guide for all kinds of fun things to do at Grandma's.  (I guess, though, every day at Grandma's is supposed to be party-day, right???  )

And as a recipe book....YUM.  Natural ingredients presented very inventively; there are several I'm planning on making for my dinner club in May.  Lemon-vanilla pizzelles?  Sweet and savory strawberry and apricot tarts?  Grilled peach, blackberry, and granola pafaits with lemon-vanilla whipped cream?  These are seriously delicious sounding recipes!  As I was thumbing through the book, PapaGeek happened by at this page....

and was just about beside himself.....BREAKFAST for DINNER!!!!  (his favorite meal).

 

Join Ginny for yarnalong---and, she's a contributor to the book!!!  

(way up at the top I said the book was almost perfect.....I think they misspelled Ginny's name in the acknowledgements.  bummer. otherwise--perfect.)

Ta-Dah Tuesday.....

Color Affection by Veera Valimaki was an absolutely joy to knit.  The perfect travel project (or hospital project in this case); lots of knitting so you won't run out; tiny little bit to memorize; color change to keep you interested (or awake!)--just perfect, perfect, perfect.  It's large enough to cuddle up in yet lightweight enough to stuff in your bag to ward off summer airconditioning.  I used 3 skeins of Miss Bab's Yet in laceweight (400 yds per skein) and it didn't take that much of any color.  It used the most of the border color, the least of the second cc color;  I already did a little stash diving and have found three colors that I think will work.  Now if I can only hold off until vacation time to start another!

 

 

(Tracey and Joseph are sharing the leftover afghan yarn!  Thanks for taking it off my hands!!!)

Weekending.....

another beautiful weekend...

:: had lunch al fresco for the first time this season

:: grilled out and fed #1 daughter and her family

:: pulled a few weeds (very few--I get the ones that are big enough to bug me when I look out the kitchen window--PapaGeek gets all the other ones.  He's a really really good weeder.)

:: planted a few flowers (very few--honestly, we're bound to get some cold weather before spring sticks, aren't we?)

:: decided to do just a tiny bit of spring cleaning.....

some in blogland have been spring cleaning their gardens, some have been spring cleaning their homes, one blogfriend spent some time spring cleaning her blog--but I decided to spring clean my knitting (what else?).  First thing I spotted when I opened my yarn closet was this...........

 

That basket is holding bits and pieces of dk wt yarn that I've been using on the Traveler's afghan since January 2011 (according to Ravelry).  It needs to be done--and the closet would look considerably better if that yarn was gone. (my version of spring cleaning!)  The afghan is already huge and soon it will be way to hot to have all that wool setting on my lap.  It's now or next winter.  I think--NOW.  

I added about 8" to what I already had knit--and called it done.

Ta-DAH!!!   And it's not even Tuesday!

This is really a great way to use up leftovers--garter stitch one row, leave a long end, cut; repeat...tying ends together every 6 rows.

I think it's sort of pretty.  It's definitely warm.  The only problem is....

It didn't begin to use up all those leftovers.  

I would love to share these leftovers with someone who would like to make this afghan.  The disclaimer:  everything is a wool or wool blend; some are undoubtedly machine washable, but I guarantee many are 100% wool--so whatever you make will NOT be machine washable.  There are no labels on anything.  

Just note in the comments if you would like the yarn (sorry, the basket is already holding another project!).  There is probably enough to give two people a good start---if there are more than two interested, I'll do a drawing.  (please, please, please SOMEONE want to do this afghan!!!!) 

A single moment.....

joining amanda with a single picture from the week....

 

Thrifting Thursday....

Joining ladycordelia for Thrifting Thursday....

I don't go thrifting as much as I'd like to, but I did pop into one of my favorite places this week and found this treasure--just before all the hellebores finish blooming for the spring.  (But won't hydrangeas or cosmos or irises or even zinnias look pretty in it???)  Can you ever have too many pretty little flower containers?

 

Yarnalong and WIP Wednesday....

 

 

 

Just about ready to start the border on Color Affection.   Right now it's all bunched up on a 24" long needle, but if it turns out as well as I hope--I'll be making this one again.....and maybe again.  I'm using Miss Bab's "Yet", a lace wt merino and silk blend, 400 yds per skein.  It's not going to take the entire amount of any color, so I'm thinking there might be some stash yarn to use on another.  I've been doing OK with the stash-busting....not great, but not poorly enough to pull the button on the side panel.  I'm still with the program.  Sort of. 

I picked up this week's book (Digital Nature Photography; The art and the science by John and Barbara Gerlach) at LBL's Nature Center.  It's pretty basic, but that is where my photography skills are right now.  John shoots with a Canon and Barbara with a Nikon, so they talk about both cameras.  I love the pictures and just wish more technical information for each shot was listed.

 

Isn't he cute?  I think he's taken up residence in my sanseveria.

Wishing for a macro lens....wouldn't an eyeball shot be great?

joining ginny for yarnalong and tami for WIP Wednesday!  

Ta-Dah Tuesday.....

 

 

 

   

 

Baby Jacket from Knitter's Year by Debbie Bliss.

Knit with Wendy's Peter Pan dk yarn (from the stash!)--two balls.

 

In all my years of knitting (quite a few) and with all the projects I've made over those years (quite a few), this has never ever happened before.

 

 

 

 

The project ended at the same time that the yarn did.

Weekending.....

 

 

 

 

I got a REALLY early start to my weekend this week....it started at exactly 11:03 pm Thursday night (according to the bedside clock) when PapaGeek woke me up with--'I think I need to go to the hospital.'

Thus began, the kidney stone saga.  Want to hear the gorey medical details?  (a 10mm, 2 9mm, and assorted ministones --surgery, stent, slight fever that fortunately dissipated quickly--and home again in time for the UK NCAA basketball game--painfree--late Saturday afternoon.)  Life is good.

Of course, I grabbed my knitting as we hustled out the door. (It pays to be prepared!!) What a test of my knitting stamina!  While PapaGeek dozed off and on during our 6 hours in the emergency room and the 12 hours in the room awaiting surgery--I managed a record setting 18 hours of straight knitting--then moved to the surgery waiting area, where I logged an additional 2 1/2 hours.  Boy, did I put a dent in Color Affection!  It is a wonderful, easy, almost mindless pattern that is  very soothing and rhythmnic to knit. 

[A little serendipity....our best friends were "rooming" down the hall and around the corner (he was in for a shoulder replacement) so we got a chance to see how life in an assisted living facility might work.  Not bad. ]

after that "drama", the rest of the weekend was....

:: sunny

:: full of spot cleaning the garden and heavy-duty cleaning the porch cushions

:: picking the first of the asparagus!!!

:: doggie-sitting #1 Daughter's OLD dog (hoping beyond hope that old Derby doesn't die on my watch!!)

:: going to the symphony with a friend

:: doing a little happy dance that my dad's alma mater (Lehigh) made basketball history

and most of all...

:: being thankful for good/restored health and the skills of our physicians

Ta-Dah Tuesday.....

 

 

It was so windy today, it was hard to stay in our tree.

 

 

So we decided to do a bit of bowl nesting.  

 

(Owl Puffs by Jenna Krupar.  A friend knit one--I'm a copy cat.)

For some reason, my Yarnalong link links here instead of today's post.....sorry.  (I talk about a book on the next post.)