Week 3 Is Already Upon Us!

 Hello there, and welcome to Week #3 of Christmas in July!!  

If this were Double Jeopardy, I would say that this is when the scores double, and anything can happen - but it's not, and we are not keeping score (well, at least I'm not), but I guess anything could still happen ...

In this week's drawing, the giveaway prize definitely NOT be a year's worth of Rice-a-Roni.  (When I was a kid, it seemed that a lot game shows had the consolation prize of a year's worth of Rice-a-Roni, "The San Franciso Treat" - I found this intriguing, because a) I had never ever had Rice-a-Roni, and b) it was always shown with a stock image of a cablecar, and that seemed incredibly exotic to me!)

Anyway, moving away from game shows, let's see what the prize is for this week:

Though the project bag is Christmas-themed, the book is most definitely not!  

This is a project bag that is definitely a good size for a sock project, or any other smaller types of things you may be knitting.  I purchased it from Sugar Tots a few years ago, but I have so many holiday-themed project bags, I have never ever used it.  It's so cute, I wanted it to have a happy home with a knitter who would use it and appreciate it.

As for the book, the Goodreads summary is here, and my review of it is here. It does take place in Philadelphia, but you don't have to be familiar with the city to enjoy it.  It's a good story, and is as much about families and relationships as it is about opioids and those who are suffering addiction.  (But it has nothing to do with Christmastime or the holiday season as a setting to the story.)  I won my copy in a Goodreads giveaway, so it seemed only fair to pass it along in another kind of giveaway.

Here's your question for this week:

What is a word or phrase/expression that you first encountered in print, and mentally pronounced one way, only to then actually hear it, and you'd missed the right pronunciation altogether?

Let me know in the comments on this post only.  You have until 12 noon (U.S. Eastern Daylight Time) on Sunday, July 25, 2021.  I'll once again call on the random number generator, and announce the winner in a post on Monday.  And don't forget - any comments will also give you an entry into the final prize for this year!

My answer - well, I have two that came to mind.  I used to love Nancy Drew mysteries, and sh would be referred to often as a "girl sleuth." I understood what it meant from the context, but in my head I thought it was pronounced as SLEE-UTH.  I was amazed to learn that "sloth" was correct.

The other was the expression "C'mon," which for who knows what reason I thought was short for "See you on Monday."  It didn't necessarily make a lot of sense when someone in a book would say, "See you on Monday, let's go to the store," but I would just move along.  Then one time I heard someone reading aloud say it, and then it made a lot more sense ... 😂

Your turn!

Week 2 - We Have Another Winner!

PLEASE NOTE: I mis-typed my e-mail address in the original version of this post, and I apologize.  It has been corrected below.

(How sad is it when you can't get your very own e-mail address correct??)

*****

Hello on a Monday, and as promised we have a winner for Week 2 of our giveaways for Christmas in July!  There weren't as many entries for the actual prize this week as there had been for last week, but I think some people either just don't do counted cross-stitch, or have tried it and don't care for it.  Which I get - I know very few people who love doing all of the craft things they have tried.

Anyway, Ye Olde Randome Numbber Generatore was consulted, and without any bias, it told me that the winner for Week 2 is:

Kim in Oregon!!!

This was her answer to the question: What is your favorite TV show ever?

"I think I'll have to say either 'The West Wing' or 'Sports Night.'  They're sort of related."

In my opinion, these are excellent choices!  I also really liked both of these shows, and as a matter of fact, we are currently on Season 4 of our re-watch of "The West Wing."  And I also get what she means about them being somewhat related.

So please join me in a round of applause to congratulate Kim!  Please send your name and mailing address to me at thekittyknitterATverizonDOTnet, and I'll let you know when the package is on the way.

Thanks to all who participated, you'll have another shot at things in a couple of days.  😊

NOTE to Karen51:  I never received your e-mail, either in my regular mail or in the spam/junk mailbox.  Please try sending it again to the address above, as my e-mail has been known to have weirdnesses, and it's worth another try.

I really enjoyed reading about the shows people like(d).  I'm also pleased because all of them were things I knew about, so I didn't feel like I'd missed out on something good that everyone else knew about.  God forbid, I miss a good TV show,  you know ...

*****

Vacation is over as of today.  At least I don't actually have to go into the building for work until tomorrow, that helps some.  But I am grateful first of all that I had vacation time that I could take, and second of all, that I enjoyed every minute of it so much!  Now to look forward to the next day off/vacation time.  

We had a nice weekend, not a lot of activity, but it was very enjoyable to just spend some quiet time together.  Yesterday was a day when I should have just not even tried at all to knit, though.  Have you ever picked up your knitting, and for whatever reason, it's like you have either never knit at all, or you have completely forgotten how it works?  That was me yesterday.  Anything in progress I tried to work on, I ended up ripping out.  And then I attempted to start a pair of socks, and that was just 100% a disaster.  So late in the afternoon, I just decided to put everything away, out of immediate sight, and read for a while instead.  Hopefully when I pick anything up next time, I'll remember how to use knitting needles!

So that's the news from here.  I hope all of you enjoyed a good weekend, and that we all have a week that treats us well, or at least kindly.  Take care.

For Once, I Wish It Was Not Friday

You can probably guess why - it's my last day of vacation.  I shouldn't complain, because I had a really lovely week (well, interspersed with whatever dr appts I'd managed to fit in, so as not to have to use time in a work day), but in some ways the fact that it was a lovely week makes it worse, you know?

Anyway, I did have - and am still having - a really great vacation week.  The weather was not at all cooperative, it was in the high 90s temperature-wise, with thick, ick, humidity every single day and then not that much cooler at night.  So except for necessary things, I pretty much stayed inside.  I tell myself that when I take some time in the fall, I'll be able to go out for long walks, etc. then.

Staying inside though, did mean that I was able to do some things on my own schedule that I usually just have to fit in among everything else, so that was a real bonus.  

For instance, I sewed four hanging kitchen towels:

I didn't have a pattern to work with (no kidding, look at the wonkiness!), but I am happy with the results nonetheless.  These are for us, and they are usable and cheery, so I'm pleased with them.  We really like the hanging kitchen towels, and they are not that easy to find.  So a couple of months back, when I was at a Joann's Fabrics, I bought some terrycloth and some cotton to make these.  I still have enough for a few more, but my plan was to get at least four made this week, so there you go.

I also did lots of reading - I mean for a few hours at a go, which is just THE BEST!  To sit and read and not have to worry about when your lunch hour is over, or if you are supposed to be doing something else or be somewhere else, is such a nice luxury.

I also worked on some knitting - my summer top got some attention, and I started a birthday gift for one of my nieces:

This is the beginning of the Lightweight Hipster Shawl.  The niece I'm making it for as a birthday gift is truly a hipster, so I thought it was a good fit.  As you can see, I have only the first part done; I stopped at the next part, where it starts dropping stitches, etc., because it was later in the evening, and I didn't want to challenge my brain OR mess it up and have to start over again at that time.

I do have a funny story from one of my dr appts. I see a cardiologist yearly, and I really love this guy.  He is so personable, and such a good communicator.  Anyway, he was saying that he didn't quite agree with something about some test results that my internist had told me.  But, as he said, "It's not that big of a deal, it's not like I'll fight her on it.  Besides, I think she might be able to take me."  

So I told him that periodically, The Tim and I will discuss that if we ever got into a physical fight, who would win.  He thinks he would win, because he is bigger and stronger, but I always say I would win because I'm meaner.  The cardiologist laughed, and then he said, "Wow. Sounds like when Kierkegaard and Nietzsche would get together to discuss the meaning of life."  That just cracked me up!

And that, friends, is the story of What I Did Over My Summer Vacation.  As I said, it's still happening, at least until Monday, so there is some comfort in that.  But I'm really happy that I had such a good week because I wanted it to be that, and for once nothing put a wrench into it.

I hope all of you have a good weekend, and are able to just enjoy some time the way you would like.  Don't forget that Sunday at noon is the last chance for you to comment on the latest giveaway post here.  

Take care, and I'll announce a winner on Monday.  In the meantime, I thought you might get a chuckle out of the cartoon below.  Take care, everyone!

Attention Cross-Stitchers! Christmas in July Week 2

I'm sorry for anyone who is disappointed this week, but rather than a knitting-related prize, I have one for those who enjoy counted cross-stitch.  I know some of you do more than one craft, so you may not be as disappointed as others, but it seems only fair to branch out with some of the prizes.

For the second week of Christmas in July, the giveaway prize is this one:

OK, so it's not completely as pictured above, BUT - it is a kit that includes the pattern, all of the floss needed, and the fabric, so I think that's a good deal!  As a matter of fact, I thought it was such a good deal, I purchased it on two separate occasions.  😲

Sigh.  Yes, I had seen this on the Floss Toss podcast, on one of the early episodes, and I loved it!  So I found a kit on 123Stitch.com, and bought one for myself.  Then a few months later, I remembered how much I liked the project, but did not remember having purchased the kit - so I bought another one.  Only when I actually went to pull it out and start stitching, did I realize I had two of the same thing.  

Two good things did come out of this experience, however: 1) I now remember to check before I even look around online for any cross-stitch projects, and 2) I had a stitch prize for Christmas in July!  

Interested?  Well then, to be considered for this prize, let me know the following:

What is your favorite TV show ever?

Let me know in the comments on this post only.  You have until 12 noon (U.S. Eastern Daylight Time) on Sunday, July 18, 2021.  I'll once again call on the random number generator, and announce the winner in a post on Monday.  And don't forget - any comments will also give you an entry into the final prize for this year!

My answer?  My favorite TV show ever is "Mr. Ed."  I have always loved that show, in spite of how ridiculous it is.  Mr. Ed had the best lines, and I used to love how he used the telephone, watched TV, and would not say anything if anyone other than Wilbur was around.  I still watch the reruns, and you may be interested to know that on more than one occasion, I have won a Mr. Ed sound-alike contest.  Talk about hidden talent, right??  (Most people prefer it remain hidden.)

OK, your turn!  

And good luck, Wilbur.  😘

FO Post: Blueberry Souffle Socks

Hooray, it's a finished project!

You are probably not completely surprised to see it's a pair of socks. 😊

Project:  Blueberry Souffle Socks (Ravelry project page)

Pattern:  Vanilla Souffle Socks (free pattern - Ravelry link)

Needles:  US size 0 and size 1

Yarn:  indigo dragonfly Socktabaa, in the colorway Cerealism

Modifications:  None

Notes:  I can't remember now where I saw this pattern (probably someone showed their FO on a podcast), but I was intrigued by the texture created on the front top of the sock:

Seeing that it was a free pattern, I figured why not give it a try.  Well, it's fun to knit, let me tell you!  Once you do the first pattern repeat (4 rounds), it's really easy to remember.  And since it's only on the front of the sock, you get a "break" with just knitting for half of the round.  Because the texture pulls in the sock somewhat, I made the larger size, and it worked out just fine.  The pattern is clearly written, and it didn't take me as long to knit them as my Ravelry page might indicate - there were a lot of times when I didn't work on them at all for a few days.

The yarn is deep stash, and though at first glance, it looks like it's just a light blue, there are flecks of dark blue, turquoise, and purple thrown in which also makes the knitting fun.  

I highly recommend this pattern, give it a try!