Summer Knitting

It is hot here......really, REALLY hot!!! Heat index is in the triple digit, humidity is 1% shy of rain....yet the sun shines!!

In other words.....it is like a sauna..truly!!

We went from Spring to Summer overnight!! UGH!! Needless to say, the AC is working overtime. I do NOT like to sweat...so the air is down to "ice cube" temps!!

I M.A.Y. have turned it a bit too low......poor Heidi....I found her wrapped in her favorite towel playing with her toy! If you look close....I believe she is sticking her tongue out at me...or perhaps licking the ice off her nose! LOL!!

Knitting:

I have competed the first Dash sock, knit with Koigu yarn and well underway on the second one.

I stopped the pattern at the beginning of the foot portion as I was afraid it would be too thick to wear with my shoes...but will definitely make a second pair in a lighter gauge yarn and continue the pattern to the toe.

Sock for the Hubby...who was complaining that I had knit myself WAYYY more socks than I had for him.

Wah, wah, wah!!

Last but not least: I made a quick peak at the nest in the fern and was surprised to see very active baby birds!! The pic is a bit fuzzy....didn't take time to adjust the shutter speed, just snapped.

What a vision of sweet uglies!! LOL!!

I am still driving to the Post Office daily to pick up my mail as the wrens are still in residence in the mailbox.

Friday Fill Ins!!

And...here we go!

1. All children alarm their parents, if only because you are forever expecting (I don't have kids so I can't answer).

2. Show me a good loser and I will show you a good actor.

3. Finding a GREAT yarn sale is like eating an entire box of chocolate liqueurs at one time.

4. Too bad that all the people who know how to run the country are not politicians and have no clout in Washington!!

5. I have yet to hear a man ask for advice on how to combine cooking and keeping the house clean!!

6. It is impossible to think of any good meal, no matter how plain or elegant, without butter or cheese in it.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to spending an evening with my DH, tomorrow my plans include a bit of coffee drinking and knitting and Sunday, I want to finish Ophelia!

Weekend In Review

There was a Birthday Celebration!!

My Mother turned 76...can you BELIEVE it?? I am SO lucky to have a wonderful mother!!!!!

AND she he has NO wrinkles!! (click the pic to enlarge....you'll see I am NOT joking)!! Sure hope I received that gene...guess time will tell!! We all went out for lunch then home for Birthday cake and a great visit!!

I finished a pair of socks for the Sock A Month KAL

Trekking XXL in the Twin Rib Pattern

AND.......after a conversation with my friend Laura ...(who needs to update her blog with all her fabulous socks and updated pics of Master Coal)...but I digress..........during the course of our conversation we naturally came around to the subject of knitting.

In a nutshell, Laura feels that knitting needles are lonely when not in the presence of yarn....and feels that it is better to have lot's of UFO's/projects on the needles/new cast ons than to have needles languishing away. (Me thinks she doth justify too much).........

So I cast on 7 pairs of socks!!!!!!!!! (A pitifully inadequate number considering there are SOME with socks in various states in the DOUBLE DIGITS).......but anything to help out a friend to feel better!! LOL!!

L to R: JoJo Land, Mystery yarn, Supersocke 100, Koigu

L to R: Colinette Jitterbug, Fleece Artist, Fortissima

I may need to order more needles!!!! LOL!!!!!!

Friday Fill Ins!!

And...here we go!

1. I grew up thinking that life would just evolve...I didn't "contemplate" my future much.

2. MSN was the last website I was at before coming here.

3. Why don't you pick up after yourself?

4. Knitting helps me relax.

5. Thanks for the many, many, many friends that I have!!!

6. People that aren't comfortable with themselves and feel they must try to make themselves better than others is very off-putting.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to knittingtomorrow my plans include taking my Mom to lunch and celebrate her birthday and Sunday, I want to do NOTHING....but I am helping give a bridal tea!

Whiskers On Wednesday, Feathers and Socks!!

Now that the hot weather is here....the kitties are doing a lot of sleeping interspersed with a lot of terrorizing each other.

Here are a few of Heidi's napping places and positions.

Her go to place......love of her life.....sheep rug!!


















Dead to the world.....bird watching is VERY tiring!!


















Holding Max's bed hostage!


























Now.....I know this has got to be a birds nest....but does that look like a bird to you????
























Sort of looks

like a Chipmunk...









Trekking XXL socks....hope to finish tonight!!

Bird News

Nest-O-Birds, ready to leave......





By 6:00 a.m. this morning there were two.







By 6:05.....all gone. The cats are really ticked too....they were thoroughly enjoying the constant "show"....by 8:00 they were completely bored and taken to stalking each other for entertainment.




Other Bird News: Yesterday afternoon I spotted a wren in the mailbox....of course once I got back to the mailbox with camera in hand, she was gone. BUT.....we have EGGS!!!


I called the post office......I put my mail delivery on hold until further notice.





Ahhh......the joys of a fertile Spring......now if I could only get a money tree to grow in the yard!!!

Knitting News: started on the foot of the second Trekking XXL sock, will post pics and once completed I will deal with Ophelia.

Weekend In Review

Bird Update:



No eggs in the mailbox nest....if there aren't any by this afternoon, I'll probably clean out the mailbox and have the mail delivery started back.



The Baby birds by the back porch are just about to leave the nest....I am guessing they will be gone one day this week.






I thought to check my Boston Fern prior to watering....and sure enough.....





The new beginnings of another nest........ we are nothing if not fertile ground for birthing birds around here!! LOL!!'



KNITTING:








Despite my intentions to finish Ophelia, I didn't knit a stitch on it. I did finish up a Prayer Shawl for donation to a local Hospice.



I kitchnered the toe on a pair of socks......that I don't like. (I can't believe I'm even saying that)!





I have never.....EVER wanted to throw a project in the trash....I H.A.T.E. this yarn!!! Noro sock yarn.....this yarn was so thin in places, just pulling from the ball would break the yarn!!! I am a HUGE fan of Noro yarns and understand completely single ply yarn, don't have a problem with vegie matter, etc. But this yarn was just aweful. I tried several times to chunk the whole project....but the "thrifty" part of me just couldn't let myself throw away yarn.

I have a skein of Noro Silk Garden Sock yarn and I sure hope it won't be the nightmare this was!!


So they are completed and will now be shoved to the bottom of the sock drawer.

I also finished the cuff on a pair of Trekking XXL socks........

Soooo.........that was my weekend!

And...here we go!

1. There TRULY is no place like home.

2. My favorite thing for dinner lately has been anything quick and easy and gets me out of the kitchen quickly!!

3. Max says bark! bark! bark! but not like he used to!!

4. A nice long walk is good time to talk to God.

5. Our family could use some good news.

6. When all is said and done, it isn't about what you had or where you went, but rather how many people you loved along the way

.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to chillin with my DH, tomorrow my plans include catching up on some housework, get to work hand carding some rolags to spin, and Sunday, I want to hopefully finish Ophelia and get that off my list!

Whiskers On Wednesday!!!

Does this table make my butt look big???
















Poor Heidi, she obviously thinks she is about two sizes smaller than her actual size....she is forever going places that are simply too small to accommodate her....girth.

Birds, Birds, Birds

It has been quite a busy time around here!!

We are on the SECOND set of baby birds.....different mother, different species, same nest oddly enough!! If you clicked the link and look R.E.A.L.L.Y. close you will see some fuzzy white at the top of the nest...that would be roving that I placed on the tree branches several weeks ago.

We did a bit of yard work this weekend and despite digging deep into the bushes to be sure there were no birds nesting we found this nest AFTER cutting the bush down.....no eggs, thankfully!!

When I rounded the corner to the mailbox this morning I saw the door was open and the mail was half out of the box!! I have a VERY sweet mail lady and I know she wouldn't just throw my mail in the box like that unless there was a reason......imagining a snake I was surprised to see this:

Which interestingly, was NOT there on Saturday when I got the mail!!! This has been one busy bird!!! I guess I'll head down to the post office to have them hold my mail......not sure what kind of bird is making this nest.....guess word is out....baby birds welcome!!