Love this time of year

It's finally the time of year that I get to goof off. The seed plant is basically closed for the season. I have paychecks still to do and bills to pay and tomorrow I should really do statements but most days I'll get to be at home! Yay! Love it.

I had the car to the repair shop on Monday. It had a terrible slapping, banging sound coming from the front passenger wheelwell. The shock had a oil leak. I didn't even know that shocks had oil in them. So it's fixed now and it sounds better and because they had to do an alignment too it drives like new. Shazam.

I had the baby sweater along to the car repair shop and got several rows done on that. I'm going to put a ruffle on the bottom. I think it'll look cute. I just have to find out how many increases and how often to do them. I'm going to Google as soon as I'm done writing this. I really need to finish something for that new grandbaby. There is still the afghan to do and a couple little hats to get started. There is only 2 1/2 to 3 months left.

I've done some more on the Leaf Lace Shawl but have also made a couple mistakes that I'm hoping won't really show because I haven't figured out if you can partially frog lace without having to do the whole thing over again. I did a little tinking and I think I fixed it pretty good. I hope.

Well, I should be knitting instead of typing so maybe I should hop off here and get to it. But what do I want to knit? I want to do the shawl but I should do the baby things. It works best to do what you want to do instead of what you should do. Right??

Roses and Peonies. Oh my!

I've been waiting rather impatiently for these to bloom.

Pretty, yes?

Weather

This is the weather we had this morning.

It poured rain shortly after this.

Cool, hunh?

I took video of it too but Blogger won't upload that. Says it's corrupt. Whatever. The video was of the clouds rotating overhead. I love watching the weather. I should have been a storm chaser. Exhilarating!

Life advice

So we had our auction sale yesterday. It was a quickly put together deal with another family that had an estate sale. It was something that DH has been wanting to do for a couple years and the opportunity never presented itself before.

DH got rid of a bunch of farming things he wasn't using any more. An old sprayer, several grain augers, things like that.

But we decided to also sell our old camper, boat and snowmobile. I didn't have much emotions involved in the boat or snowmobile....hadn't even been on the snowmobile and the boat maybe once. They were mostly the boys toys.

Now the camper was another story. We did use it quite a lot when the boys were young. And I totally surprised myself when I cried the day I emptied it out. An image of them as youngsters popped into my head complete with fishing poles, bicycles and scraped knees and elbows. It made me realize a huge part of my life is done. I'm not a mom of kids any more but of young men with lives of their own. Which means I'm really not young any more either. I thought they would be my little kids forever but time has marched on and they've grown up apparently while I was watching but not realizing what was really going on. Bittersweet.

A word of advice. Watch closely to your life or it will slip away day by day and you will have missed it.

Update on lace knitting

The Leaf Lace Shawl is moving along. I haven't tried going by the chart yet....only the written instructions BUT I have memorized part of the pattern! All the even rows. Knit 2. Purl. Knit 2. Hahahahahaha. I'm so funny. I crack me up. :)

Kitty, flower & knitting pictures.

Teddy








Maddie










Johnny Jump Ups










Bleeding Heart









Iris









Begonia









Carnation pink baby sweater









Leaf Lace Shawl

What kind of sheep are you?

I took a test on Knitters Review this morning and found out I'm a Perendale sheep. Who knew!

I got the yarn from The Loopy Ewe yesterday. I have to say the color is just what I hoped for. Now that makes for happier internet shopping.....BTW, it's super soft too. I love the little extra gifts that Sheri at The Loopy Ewe sends along. It makes opening the box extra fun!

I've been making good progress on the little carnation pink sweater for not yet born DGD. I really like knitting either top down or bottom up and with no seams. This is even done on straight needles so no cord to hassle with. :) I need to take pictures and get a project page started on Ravelry.

A classmate of DH passed away so we have a funeral to attend this morning. I thought we wouldn't begin losing classmates for years to come.

Staying off the coke

I've been off the diet coke for approx. 2 1/2 months now. I think I feel better. I think I sleep better and I know I don't miss it as much as I thought I would. Iced tea is a great substitute.

I started the baby sweater on Sunday. It's coming along nicely although I'm not thrilled with the color. I wish it wasn't as dusky and was more of a clear pink. The hazards of internet shopping and computer monitors. I did get a totally cute pattern for a little hat with flowers that I'm going to make to match the sweater. It'll make an adorable set.

It's cold. It's damp. It's very much like fall instead of spring. Uff.

Lace knitting stalled

The lace knitting is on hold. I started and it was going okay. The pattern is written out as well as charted so I'm starting with the written and after I'm comfortable with that I'll probably trying reading the chart. But...the yarn was just too busy. I thought it could be but not as bad as this. I did enough rows that I should have been seeing the 1st leaf but the yarn was so many colors that I couldn't see the pattern developing. All that I could see were the holes from the YOs but not the leaf. Frog. Again. The yarn is now back to being destined for socks.

I went online and searched and searched. I don't know if I'm totally happy with what I ordered but it's a solid color at least. The pattern should show. I ordered from The Loopy Ewe. The yarn is Louet Gem in grape. Totally different color than what I was working with, Collinette Jitterbug in kingfisher. The Loopy Ewe is so fast in getting orders out that I'll be trying lace knitting again in a couple days.

The weather is cold. It's 52 right now. I usually spend as much time as possible outside this time of year but I don't want to even venture out right now. Brr. So I'm thinking of starting the baby sweater with the Debbie Bliss cashmerino in carnation. Yeah, that's what I'm gonna do!

This and that

It is gorgeous here today. Temps up to 75. I mean really, when it's been struggling to get to 65 this is something to be excited about. Downside is that next week is back into the refridgerator. Highs in the 50s. Yes, 50s. And rain possibilities for days. Nasty. Those crops need heat.

I did a few rows on the pink afghan yesterday. I should measure it's length again. I've been in that knitting black hole where you knit and knit and still don't get anywhere. I wonder if that's where I'm still at....

I need to take some pictures of my flowers. I planted some annuals and some zinnia seed recently. Well, the seed is nothing to take a picture of yet is it? But the begonias are so festive. And I actually have irises blooming. I've done some edging on a couple flower beds but have the biggest yet to do. The quack grass is racing to the center and I just can't let that happen.

I really wish I'd been able to get pictures and do a season long story about one of our fields but I'm stuck at work to answer the phone and just can't get out there on a regular basis. Disappointing. I think even the family would find it interesting.

Well, I've got invoices to enter and there are always bills to pay. Talk to you later.

Slowly advancing toward lace knitting.

So, as much as I dislike swatching I thought it might be a good idea since I've never knit lace like this before. Things have been going like this.....

I ordered a addi lace circular needle in size 6. Just what the pattern said. I'd never had one before and thought I'd splurge. I waited anxiously for it to arrive. It's a nice needle.

I got the yarn out and started a swatch. Cast on. Knit a row, purl a row. Back and forth. Cast off. Measure. Count. 23 stitches to 4". Measure again. Count again. 23 stitches to 4". It's supposed to be 19 stitches to 4". Frog.

Go up to a size 7 needle and it's not the nice new addi lace circular. :( Cast on. Knit a row, purl a row. Back and forth. Getting booorrringgg. Cast off. Measure. Count. 22 1/2 stitches to 4". Measure again. Count again. 22 1/2 stitches to 4". AUGH! Frog.

Go up to a size 8 needle. This one isn't an addi lace circular either. I should have known better and ordered a couple on either side of the size 6. Well, anyway, back to the knitting. Cast on. Knit a row, purl a row. Back and forth. Resigned to doing this forever. I haven't finished the swatch yet but have done a measure and count and came up with 20 stitches to 4". I might just call it close enough....On the other hand that might be a bad idea. But I don't know if I have a size 9 circular....then I'll be back to ordering and waiting again. Confused.

The silver lining in the swatching is this....The yarn had what appears to be a different colorway stuck on the end of the hank that happened to be on the beginning of the ball and I found it by doing the swatch. Dumb luck.