Quickie

This morning a friend is dropping in to check out my gardens. I had high hopes they would be in lovely blooming form when she came. More typically, they are in sad shape with a few things growing, well-behaved and nicely, in the parts I have managed to whip into submission. 

 

The wee summer socks are finished. Surprisingly, they are comfortable and stay on in my running shoes. Goodness they are a conglamoration, aren't they!?

Over coffee this morning (coconut sugar and coconut milk for flavour) I am winding a bit of lace. It's my new purple Malabrigo that I'm very excited about. I find its a little clingy in the skein. But maybe that's normal. 

Appliances arrive in ONE MORE SLEEP!! Since that's been sorted, we're on to planning for installation. We are converting to a gas range and someone will have to be brought in to do that. And a bit of furniture shopping has been talked about. Yesterday I was playing with the Ikea catalogue, which turned out to be amazingly interactive:

That's my fireplace but the stripey chair is Ikea's. They are kind enough to show me how the chair will fit into my space, though. All I needed was the paper catalogue placed on the floor and a tablet. 

Onward,

♥Mrs. A. 

Read more...

Stash Dash 2014

Well, this sounds fun! 

From the 23rd of May to the 7th of August, there is a KnitALong called Stash Dash. The rules are terribly accommodating. Any finished project counts toward your total meters of yarn knit. Even if I started and mostly knit something before May 23, if I finish it, all the knitted meters of yarn can be counted for my total. I'm aiming to knit 5000 meters, or 5 km, of yarn. From stash. Terribly unrealistic, really. But fun! 

My first finished project will be the unfortunate wee summer socks. A mismatched pair with a picot cuff, short-row heel and just about nothing else in common other than foot length (maybe, last night in the dark, I eyeballed where to start the toe decreases). 

Next up will be a 'good copy' of short summer socks knit with a lovely purple colour of Koigu that I bought at the new yarn shop I found. First cuff successfully under way: 

Also I hope to complete a Jared Flood pattern called Rock Island. It's a lace shawl. I figure that if I'm thinking of more ambitious Shetland lace, I'd better do a training run. I'll use my first Malabrigo Lace, also in purple and also bought at the lovely new yarn shop I found. 

It's a dark and wonderful colour of purple. I had to photograph it on a black table to get close to the real colour. The shop owner kindly offered to wind the skeins for me but I didn't think I'd be knitting it up any time soon. Mr. A will have to hold it while I wind it. 

I do have a baby blanket started which could be finished as well as two pair of stranded mittens to finish. I'll need a baby shower gift for the end of June, which could include a knit item. And the Knit Night girls are having a summer challenge that I'd like to knit something for. It's just a 50g challenge, but it's something. I don't think all of that will get me close to 5km of yarn knitted, but we'll see how far I get. 

It's fun to read through the Stash Dash forum and see the finished projects. Some people have done some serious planning! There's someone with a Princess Shawl mostly knit; about 4000m completed and just over 300m to finish. Someone else has a large number of projects just ready to finish which will all count toward her 5km. Others, like me, have joined late with nothing to show but good intentions. 

I should have a finished pair of socks by the end of the day to start off my Stash Dash. Then tonight, Malabrigo to wind!

♥Mrs. A. 

P.S. THREE MORE SLEEPS TO NEW APPLIANCES!! 

Read more...

FOUR MORE SLEEPS TO NEW APPLIANCES!!

Coffee #2 this morning used the last of the cream. Also, my Coffee maker took a ridiculous amount of time to spit out coffee #1 and then told me to descale. I find myself wondering if I should just quit coffee. 

Then I recall that today is Monday and I must be crazy. I can't quit coffee. Amendments may be required, though. This white sugar habit is out of control. Again. 

Last night I met up with my book club for dinner. It's the first time since we started meeting - 3 years ago maybe? - that we went for dinner in a real resturant. It was fun. We took a long time to eat. We made the waitress move us twice because we can't all show up at the same time. We were loud. 

The book club selfie wasn't so great as my arms aren't long enough. The second picture without me is nice...and I am represented by my drink. Good times. 

I came home to a new cabinet. Doesn't everybody, sometime, come home to a new, random piece of furniture?

It wasn't in that spot when I came home. It was lying flat on the floor in another room. I put it in my living room this morning. I will let it sit there for a bit. I'm not sure I love the set-up yet. I might have to move it around a bit to see where it was meant to live. My grandmother sent it to me via my mom, who had to borrow my brother's 'truck' (it's a mini van) for the weekend to fetch it. It's a four hour journey to grandmother's house. You'd think I would be better informed that I was getting a cabinet when there's that many people involved. It's adventures like this that convince Mr. A that I come by my craziness honestly. 

I spent most of Sunday in the garden. Not that you can tell, but there is improvement and progress!

I have completed work on the short side of the pool, around the corner and up to the yucca plant. I put down weed mat for the first time. I transplanted a fern. I went to a friend's open house and obtained many of the little plants on the deck. She has a small farm and keeps winged creatures. She grows heritage tomatoes and other lovely things. I came home with 6 tomato plants and a few perennials that need to find homes. My lilac tree is blooming and it smells wonderful. I'm not sure if I will plant it out this year or keep it in its pot until next spring. 

Because of all the weekend activity, I got no knitting accomplished. I did learn about a very fun sounding knit-along, though. It's called Stash Dash and the challenge is to knit the equivalent of 5km of yarn over the summer. I read about it at Handmade Homeschool (www.handmadehomeschool.wordpress.com) and then popped over to Ravelry and tracked down the group for the nitty gritty details. The 'rules' are very knitter friendly, almost too much so. Hopefully tonight when the bugs are too bad to work in the garden, I'll get myself organized enough to officially participate. 

Today I will write a report outlining the high school English learning of my dear firstborn - and I need to submit it to the virtual learning school she would like to take courses with in the fall. I will not have coffee or lunch until it is done. I will not pass Go or collect $200 until it is done. I may have to make lunch for others before it's done...

♥Mrs. A. 

Read more...