Decisions. Decisions.

There have been a few decisions made and quite a few more yet to be done.

This is Moldova Burgundy from Peace Fleece. I love Peace Fleece yarn for cardigans and that is just what this is going to be. I decided at the end of the winter that I needed another cardigan and got this ordered. Now to decide what pattern!

The yarn is firm and has good shape and body when knit and the touch of mohair gives it a little fuzzy halo when washed. It does itch just a bit though so a turtleneck is in order for me.

These adorable little balls are also from Peace Fleece and if I can bear to use them and not just keep them to look at, some might be used as a bit of decoration on the cardigan.

This will be the most fun decision of all! I won this yarn from our sweetheart, Karen. I was the 2,500th comment on her blog. Karen....that is a lot of comments! And Karen, you must know me pretty well because you got the colors exactly right. I will so enjoy deciding what to knit with this yarn. And yes, I think it did spark my mojo! :D

I really really want to design a lace shawl and so when I found out about this book I just had to have it. It has good basics and combined with other things I've found online I just might be able to do a design for myself. Only time will tell.

And so when I decided to buy the book above there was yarn for sale on the same website! How convenient is that? ;) I found this pretty plum laceweight and decided to order it also. It is one honking big ball....1500 yds worth!

This is Wollmeise yarn. I'm a fan of The Loopy Ewe online yarn shop. On occasion there is a bit of this yarn for sale. But only if you are aware of when it is available and then you have to be as quick as a bunny to get any of it. It sells like hotcakes. And so when I saw on Facebook that there was some for sale I decided then and there that I "needed" to see what all the fuss was about!

Since there are days and days of rain in the forecast...(Trust me it's a good thing! We need rain like crazy. The soybeans don't want to pop through because there is a crust on top of the soil from the last rain and it needs to get softened up asap!)...I decided to snap a few pictures of the peonies.

There's lots of buds...

on both bushes. But they'll be flat on the ground and turning brown if it rains as much as forecast so I'll have them in picture if not in real life!

Can you almost smell them?

Dilemma

Here's the thing. I've been going to a book club for maybe close to a year now. It's a bit off and on but is back on again. It's fun. Really fun. We discuss the book but we also eat and have a drink if we want. And laugh. There is a lot of laughing.

There used to be people of all ages but now basically it is a group of 30 and 40 somethings and me. And I'm a good 10 to 15, and in more than one case maybe even 20+, years older than them.

I basically feel very welcomed. I'm one of the last ones to join so I'm not an original member and there are times when I feel like I could be cramping their style so to speak. That they might be more relaxed if I wasn't there. Kinda like having a mother at a slumber party.

There is another book club starting in town and it will probably be mostly people more my age. Do I switch to the new book club and be age appropriate or stay where I am? What would you do?

WIP, Reading and a Window Visitor

Look at all that! Looks like I've had a case of cast-on-itis. There sure is good choice to pick from for whatever knitting whimsy strikes.

I'm about 11% (what can I say...it is how Kindle tells you where you are) into this book. It's good. And it is the winter that we aren't getting this year. Shh, don't tell anyone but I kinda am missing our regular type winter.

And while I was taking pictures by the best light source this time of year (patio door), look who showed up.

The bold cheeky little critter. I got a couple mug shots of him.

Front view.

Side view.

And when the kitties discovered him he ran so fast I didn't even get the thought put together to take a picture much less press the shutter.

But the kitties knew what was up. Up a tree!

I've got nuthin' but some randomnesses...

This is the 3rd time that I've started this book. If I can't make it through this time it'll probably be 3 strikes and you're out. It's just so wordy. A whole page to describe a woman's face. It could have been done in 1 sentence.... Taken separately her features were unremarkable or even unbecoming, but all together they made her a beauty. There. That wouldn't have been so awful for the author, would it?? But then I'm a bit of a believer in "Less is More"...

Onward!
The Sea of Dreams baby blanket is coming along. It's the next on my "finish this project NOW" hitlist. It is really quite easy going except for a few rows in each repeat that make no sense to me and so I'm constantly checking the chart to make sure I'm on the right track. Uff.

The fall flowers are doing their best to show off.

Russian Sage.

Joe Pye Weed and Veronica.

We've got apples! The squirrels are having their way with them though and so I'm thinking that I need to get ahold of 1st DDIL and we make a raid on the tree and get them picked. Ready or not!

There are plenty of apples but the bulk of them are at the top of the tree. /sigh

The bugbane has yet to bloom but the hostas and columbine are finished.

I love my ruffly daylily that always looks a little deformed.

And the rose is still going strong. If I get out and clip off the old buds I'll have blooms for a long time yet...

Well, that's it folks. My life is dull these days. Harvest is going on though. Maybe I need to get out to the field today and get a few combining pictures...

Book Club!

So our little community has started a Book Club and I am thrilled to say I am a member! Granted we are reading books that I've already read but that isn't the whole thing...it's the getting out of the house and seeing different people. And I liked these books so much it's fun to reread them.

It is held in our local restaurant at suppertime, so we push a bunch of tables together and have a meal first and then discuss the latest book. So far we have read "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn", "Water for Elephants" and now we are reading "Saving Ceecee Honeycutt". I and the young gal that used to babysit our boys pushed for this book. I'm crossing my fingers that most everyone will like it.

I wanted to tell everyone about the website www.goodreads.com last time we met but I didn't get a chance. It is a social book readers site where you can list all the books you've read, rate them and when you read them etc and also you can have friends and you can see what your friends thought of different books.

My 2nd DDIL is also an avid reader and she told me about goodreads. It's really quite helpful also...it helps me remember just what books I actually have read! ;) I guess I just told you about it....maybe next month I'll get a chance to tell everyone at the book club about it. Until then I'm happily reading and sipping ice tea!

An excellent book, a good cup of coffee and some knitting

Have you ever wondered what it is like to be an early onset Alzheimer's patient? Some days when I can't remember what I'm in a room for or what a certain word is, I do. And so when I came across the book STiLL ALiCE by Lisa Genova I snatched it up and bought it. The National Alzheimer's Association has endorsed it and it's the only one that they have endorsed.

This isn't a statistical book. It's a work of fiction that follows 2 years in the life of Alice who just turned 50, is a professor at Harvard, is a mother and who discovers she has early onset Alzheimer's.

It is written from Alice's viewpoint but also shows how her husband, children and coworkers deal with the disease.

It made me cry. But it isn't written to grab sympathy but to as accurately as possible show you what is happening to an Alzheimer's patient.

I give it 5 stars.

And for a real change in topics...I'm not really a coffee drinker. I usually go for a Diet Coke or some tea but this is something else that I could give at least 4 stars. It's Maxwell House International Cafe Vanilla Caramel Latte. And it makes it's own foam on top! What fun!

There have been days and days that I haven't touched my knitting but I am making some advances on the Norwegian Woods Shawl. I'm on the 3rd chart now and it is less rows for a repeat so it will go quicker.

And I have to admit that reading a chart is easier/faster than reading the words. I just had to learn how and stop thinking that I couldn't!

I think I love the beads. They look like little dewdrops.

The next shawl will probably be Frozen Leaves. If I can decide on the yarn....

Conditions update & new toy...um I mean phone!

There are a few flowers still blooming. A lot are past their prime though.





















Claus is chilling.















And so is Teddy. I'm blaming their laziness on


















this weather. Grey and damp. Fall is here for sure.












This is the new toy! And yes it makes and answers phone calls but you can't really call it a phone. It just does so much more. It's a mini computer in your pocket.

I'm not in love with the keyboard. The touchscreen is easier to use and so I do.

And I don't think I'll be adding too many apps. There aren't many that have caught my attention yet. I do have WeatherBug. I loves keeping track of the weather.

But the one that I think I'll love the most is Kindle. I can read books on my phone! Unflippin believable! And the classics are free. And so being the cheapo that I am I'm reading "War of the Worlds". It is a good book. And I'm really enjoying my new pocket size computer. :)

New Things

I never thought to look in other craft departments at Joannes Fabrics for things that I could use for knitting. But look what I found in the counted cross stitch area of Joannes. A chart keeper! I was using up an awful lot of post it notes. The sticky just doesn't last very long on them!

It says to put masking tape on the edges because they are sharp...and they are. Couldn't find masking tape so I briefly considered duct tape and then settled on electrical tape. What!? I'm a farm girl. We use what we have on hand.

There isn't much for magnets with it though. Just short ones. So I bought a roll of sticky magnetic tape that you can cut to the length you want. I used electrical tape on that too to cover the sticky side.

Now I have enough magnetic strips to hold the chart securely in place and underline the row that I'm on too.

And my most recent discovery at Walmart is a new pair of readers to put a little jazz in my reading time. If I remember correctly I got the book at Walmart too. It's an interesting read.

I had time to kill while I waited for DH so I bought a pair of size 10.5 needles on sale and 4 skeins of Wool-Ease in red and started a Red Scarf. It wasn't on my mind until I read Norma's post about the Project and reminded me to get going! :)

And I have gotten a nice start on my Norwegian Woods Shawl. It's coming along quickly. I have slightly over one repeat left on the 1st chart. I'm using Cascade Heritage Sock yarn. I've never used Cascade of any kind before. It's very soft and the price is right. And I do like the color!

Our weather has been so humid and warm. I am anxiously awaiting the middle of next week when we have highs in the low 70s and I'm really really hoping for lower humidity too.

Whatcha reading??

I'm reading Steig Larrson's "The Girl Who Played With Fire". But only after struggling to get past the prologue. That was a little upsetting.

I'm also reading Laura Bush's book "Spoken from the Heart". A book that actually has a bibliography and and index. How cool is that!? I haven't seen that since I was in school mumblemumble years ago and reading textbooks.

I'm liking both books but talk about diversity! :)

On the knitting front I have 2 repeats of the body to go on The Fountain Pen Shawl and the I'll just have the edging to do. I haven't looked at the pattern enough to know how many rows or how difficult that is.

I hope your day is as sunny and pleasant as mine looks to be.

Traveling Woman finished

Traveling Woman Shawl on a bicycle. Clever? No. Geeky? Probably.

The color is darker than it shows on these pictures although it did bleed a bit when I Soaked it.

The yarn is Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Select. In a limited edition color called Pilgrims Progress from November of 2008.

It took me 10 days by the calendar to make it but it was actually less than that. I didn't touch it at all for a couple days. I was too busy reading "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo". Good book. One of those that won't let you put it down.

A little of this. A little of that.

I just love peonies. (Doesn't it look like a work of art? Even with the ant hanging on upside down!)

From the beginning when they are pretty little balls with raindrops (and ants) on them.

To the big luscious blooms....

That hardly fit in the viewfinder.

I've been doing a bit of gardening and I've got a set of before and after pictures for you. This obviously is the before. Kinda sad looking.

And here is the after. Ahh, much better.

And here is the knitting I'm currently working on. It's Traveling Woman by Liz Abinante. Love it. It's a quick knit. I'm already on Chart B.

The yarn is Cherry Tree Hill that was free from Sheri at The Loopy Ewe when I became a Loopy Groupie. Fun....and very generous!

I'd be even further along but I've been reading a lot lately. The last one was over the weekend and it was "the beach street knitting society and yarn club" by Gil McNeil.

She's got a sequel too and I'm hoping to find it when I get to a big town again because this was just a fun read. I could hear the British accent in my head while I read and it was so witty in places that I laughed out loud. Perfect for summer reading.

Well, my 90+ year old neighbor just keeps mowing his lawn and I have to try to keep up to him so I better get outside and get busy! Catch ya later! :)