Summer is Going Too Fast

This week is going too fast, as always. Sunday's lunch with the priests was great. All three of them are from India. We learned a lot about their culture(s), since they are from different parts of their homeland.

On Saturday Kubota Man Jr. and Kubota Kid (Carter), along with Carter's dad had a camp-out at our place. Carter got a lot of tractor driving in. Their campfires made a bit of a dent in out pile of downed wood from the storm.

Daughter #2, Shelley, surprised us. She works at a very intense job as a team leader with our Immigration Services. She works off her stress/energy in her yard. She has decided to make a huge perennial bed, so she needed perennials and shrubs. We raided some of my own perennials, and she bought a real nice selection--she insists on paying her own way, so I convinced her that we are having a 50% off sale. She went home with a truckload, and even some gooseberry bushes for our favorite SIL, Scott the Plumber.

Kubota Man has been working hard on the greenhouse reconstruction. I've been trying to rescue various parts of the yard from weeds. I cleaned the strawberry patch--the sheep got 5 full loader buckets of weeds. They sure appreciate those.

It's still dry. Rain is predicted for tomorrow. But I'm going to put the sprinkler on the garden anyways.

This cutie's name is Noah. He lives with his parents in Passau, Germany. He is wearing the Blue Baby Hoodie that I sent him along with some other "Welcome" gifts. It took 2 months for the parcel to reach him, because the postal codes had been changed and I had sent it to the old postal code (although I had the correct street address). Noah's parents came to Canada on vacation about this time last year.






These are the "Spring Posies" socks that I just made out of the blue, because I didn't feel like doing anything else. When the yarn is so pretty, I just make my basic sock pattern.

I'm also working on a pair of plain socks in Mary Maxim's Bamboo sock yarn, color Hibiscus, a beautiful design in various shades of rose and pink.






The Alpaca Man (The friend for whom I knit alpaca sweaters) came on Sunday, and took a box of finished sweaters with him. He will be bringing me cones and cones and cones of yarn within the next couple of weeks. We discussed new designs, and I recommended another spinning mill he might try for this year's shearing. I also suggested he acquire sample bottles of Eucalan Wool Wash, and give them away with each sweater purchased. He liked that idea. I showed him the finished Honeycomb Sweater #1, which he really liked, but I didn't send it because I hadn't washed it yet.

Here's another glimpse of it. I wish I could show you the whole thing, but I'm sure I'm going to submit the pattern somewhere, so I don't think I'd be allowed. Because I'm making them for sale, I think I will make some changes to the style before submitting it.







Ooooops Time!
It's a good thing that the Honeycomb#1 sweater wasn't washed yet. And a good thing that I didn't give it to Alpaca Man. Because it has a great big OOOOPS in it. It's hard to tell from my grainy pictures, but the honeycomb pattern has little diamonds that alternate. (The July 9 post has a good picture of the pattern stitch.) Two pattern repeats below the shoulders on the back piece, I didn't alternate the peaks. There are two peaks on top of each other. I don't think the picture below is clear enough to see that. I entertained the thought of just leaving it, but the sweater will be quite pricy. It would be like leaving the scene of an accident.
The sweater has a button/buttonhole band that is only a couple of garter sts. wide. So, my plan is:
a. Open the seam of the top only of the sleeve cap, down to just past the BooBoo.
b. Open the cast-off edge of the button/buttonhole band. Put the sts of the band on the fronts onto a circular needle for holding. Unravel the garter rows over the back neck sts and the shoulder seam.
c. Open the shoulder seams.
d. Frog the back down to the Boo Boo. (making careful note of everything I've frogged.)
e. Reknit the back correctly.
f. Reassemble everything.
g. Give thanks that it wasn't further down in the sweater.
h. Check the whole sweater carefully for other Booboos. ( Maybe that should be done first).

















I'm excited because I might get to personally meet another fellow-blogger--Mrs. Spit. I have already met Mrs. Needles
Till next time: Because grandparents are usually free to love and guide and befriend the young without having to take daily responsibility for them, they can often reach out past pride and fear of failure and close the space between generations. (Jimmy Carter)

I'm Happy to be Back

Helloooo, out there, to everyone in Blogland. My computer is back, and I'm back. Here is all the latest news:
1. It is really raining here, for several days now. It is likely too late for the crops--our area had been declared an official drought zone with respect to the crops. It may mean there will be one cut of hay, but there will be a shortage of both hay and straw. It's good timing for flower beds, lawns, and gardens. Praise the Lord.

2. During this last week, I did a lot of work in the yard, in the house, and on the bridesmaids' dresses. Two of them will be easy fits, the third one is a puzzle to me--petite girl, small hips, normal waist and Huge bust (for all you sewers: her overbust measurement is 8" smaller than her full bust measurement). Will have to get out all my books on large bust adjustments--but I remember there is very little information on that adjustment in princess-seam patterns. Also did my regular work in the greenhouse and a lot of cleaning up. Made 2 trips to the garbage dump also.

3. Did a bit of knitting: finished sewing the Large, large Man's Cardigan for my alpaca friend. Also finished the back and almost one sleeve for the sweater that I'm loving working on the Honeycomb Sweater. (also for my alpaca friend). When I went through the boxes of his yarns, hoping for inspiration, I found that I had already started the same sweater in another color, so I'm partway through the next sweater, too. I might work on them simultaneously.

4. My order from KnitPicks came in--I ordered the Palette yarn for the "Little Birds" sweater (can't make this link work. It's in the fall 2008 edition of Twist Collective). I also ordered some awesome patterns from Twist Collective, the Harika socks, and the Sunflower and Ladybug dolls ( I figure I can make a dent in my Sayelle stash). But I need to do a pile of the alpaca and my Christmas knitting first. And a pattern for some beautiful kilt socks for my bagpiping nephew.

You are no doubt aware that my friends and I have a prayer shawl ministry in our church. Also, another project that I enjoy working on: In our church the children receive Holy Communion for the first time in Grade Two. For a little "secret" gift I give each one this little project. It is simple to make, uses up any kind of yarn ( I use synthetics, worsted weight). Inside the little pocket, I insert a poem called " The Cross in My Pocket".

Step one: Cut the 7-count plastic canvas pieces.
Step 2: Stitch each piece--you can make up different patterns. When stitching, leave the outside edges unstitched at first. Finish the top edge of the small rectangle and one of the tall rectangles. Fasten off the yarn. When finishing the top edge of the second tall rectangle, make sure you have a very long yarn on the needle, as you will now sandwich them together by stitching through two, then three pieces, to make the pockets. There will be a deep pocket between the tall rectangles, and a little pocket at the front for the little cross.
Step Three: Hold the two tall rectangles together, right sides facing outward. Stitch the sides together for half the length (take an extra stitch in the first hole for reinforcement). Now sandwich the little rectangle on top of the other two as shown, and stitch through all three layers (again take an extra stitch in the first set of holes to reinforce). Stitch around the sides and bottom and up the other side, reinforcing the top stitch of the little pocket and the very top of the long rectangle. Hide the end inside. I think the pictures are fairly obvious.
Step Four: Make copies of the poem. It will be a long strip, which is folded to fit into the deeper pocket of the little case.
I have the poem on a word document, multiple copies on one page, ready for printing. If you would like a copy, leave a comment and I'll figure out how to send it to you.

My son installed Firefox instead of Internet Explorer, since the latter was doing weird things, so that takes getting used to--like my list of favorites isn't perpetually open.

Now that I can upload pictures so quickly, I will catch up older pictures on the next post.

Oops: It's Wednesday--I'll do the Wordless Wednesday thing again starting next week.

Till next time: Slate Work (from Mc Guffey's Second Reader)
Beautiful faces are they that wear
The light of a pleasant Spirit there;
Beautiful hands are they that do
Deeds that are noble, good and true;
Beautiful feet are they that go
Swiftly to lighten another's woe.