Memory

September 11, 2001 was a day much like today in Philadelphia - sunny, a nice breeze, a day that promised that fall weather would be coming soon, but summer had not yet said goodbye. 

And even though I know what happened, and saw it with my own eyes, and still feel it pierce my heart every single year, it still somehow seems like it couldn't have possibly really happened. 

God bless the families and the souls of those who did nothing more than just go about their lives on a nice day in September.

We'll See What Happens Next Spring

Remember my story about Paulie Walnuts, Jr. and the gang coming to demolish our collapsed planter in front of our house? Well, they showed up a short while back and got the job done in only a few hours, and they did it very well! But I swear that it was like living in a local version of "The Sopranos" because the work crew could have all been related to some of those characters!

Guess what though? Even if they were, I don't care because they did a great job!  I think I'd posted a photo of the collapsed planter, but anyway here is what it looked like: 

Now granted, after it collapsed, I made no effort to pull the weeds there, etc., since I knew that before long it was all going to come out. But if you look on the far left of that photo, the first two areas of the planter actually had plants in them - asters, that were getting ready to return. I'd planted them about three years or more ago, and they loved it there! When they were in full force, they looked wonderful.

So before the workers came, I pulled up as many as I could with the roots attached, so that hopefully I could save at least a few. I planted them in one of the empty huge plant pots in the garden, hoping that if any survived, I could re-plant them next spring. So far, they seem to be doing OK so I have my fingers crossed.

Anyway, this is how it all looked after the work was done - we are really pleased with it!

It's also good because we know that sooner rather than later, we'll need to get the bricks pointed, so this way, nothing will be blocking anything else.

Our plan is that next spring, we'll get some planters/large pots/whatever, and put some flowers and plants in there, so we still have something nice in front of the house, and also so our new tree doesn't get too lonely. A lot of houses in our neighborhood have that kind of set up and it looks really good. Of course, I'm so picky, The Tim told me to start looking at things now, so that I might find something I like by next spring ... he's not wrong! 😊

So we're moving along slowly but surely with getting everything fixed up, repaired, replaced, etc. This wasn't really something we had planned to do or have to do, but at least it wasn't another major project.

We have even found a new guy and his crew to replace the kitchen and the bathroom floors - I *really* hope the second time works! This person seemed much more together than Floor Guy #1, and I had created a document with specific requests and questions, and he addressed all of them in great detail. Of course, it's costing a lot more, since the kitchen floor put in partially and poorly by the first guy has to be redone, but if we end up with what we wanted, it's all worthwhile. They are supposed to start a week from tomorrow, and he said that there will be three of them and they will likely need most of the rest of that week. I'm feeling good about this and hope that Floor Guy #1 was just a fluke for us. And yes, it's a pain in the neck to have workers in the house for a week, but if after that week the floors are really and truly finished and we are happy with them, a week is no big deal.

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The weather has been so lovely here, and yesterday was the first No-Car-Sunday of this month in Center City Philadelphia. For yesterday and the rest of September, the city is closing off a group of streets in Center City to cars on Sundays from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. There are all kinds of special events, offers from stores and restaurants, etc., but mostly there are just no cars and no traffic so you can walk around and just enjoy it! We went out, in the afternoon for a nice stroll, and there were a lot of people out and about, but it wasn't crowded anywhere, so it was just a nice way to spend time and people watch. 

That's about it from here. This should be a relatively quiet week for me, since the only specific thing going on is my volunteer shift tomorrow morning. So I've made a list of some other things I'd like to do, and have told myself that even if I just manage a couple of them, that's OK.

Right now, it's time to spend time paying some bills. Not my most favorite thing, but necessary and if I do it now, it's over with for a while. So I'll check in again soon, take care.

Tuesday FO : Kakigori Summer Shirt

Hello and Happy September, and for those in the U.S. I hope you are enjoying the last day of the Labor Day weekend. The Tim had to work today, so it was just kind of a regular weekend for us, which is fine, because our Labor Day is generally low-key even when both of us are home.

I was finally able to get a somewhat decent photo of an FO that I finished a while back, so this is an overdue post. But here you go. 

You may remember that I started around the end of May, and showed you how the yoke was coming along:

Project: Kakigori Summer Shirt

Pattern: Anker's Summer Shirt, by PetiteKnit (Ravelry link)

Yarn: Noro Kakigori, Color 23

Needles: U.S. size 6/4 mm

Modifications: I made it a bit shorter than the pattern called for in my size.

Notes: This is the second time I knit this pattern, and though I am still not in love with knitting 1 x 1 rib, this time around the whole thing was easier. I knew what to expect, and I was able to get a rhythm going doing the ribbed yoke, which made a HUGE difference. 

The previous one that I knit is something that I wear fairly often, and is really comfortable, so I knew that down the road I'd want another one. At the end of last summer, there were two colors of Kakigori in the sale bin at Loop, and when there were two of each left, my co-worker at the time, Kate, convinced me that we should buy them ourselves. She bought a pink shade, and I bought this greeny-blue that I love. I had this pattern in mind, but knew that since I wasn't going to do anything with it right away, I could consider other things.

But by the time I was ready to knit with it, I either didn't have enough for anything else, or didn't like the other choices. So I thought, why not just go with my original plan? And I'm glad that I did, because I love the result! 

This past Saturday, we went to see the Mary Cassatt exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and it was finally not a bazillion degrees, so I wore the finished top, and because I have no one else to do it, asked The Tim to take my photo in it when we were leaving and on the way back to the car. Now, even if you have never visited the museum, you can probably guess that there are lovely grounds around it. I foolishly had visions of a nice photo with an especially nice background. You probably know what's coming ... 

The Tim said, "Let's take your photo now, and I turned around to say could I at least stand somewhere where I wouldn't be squinting into the sun, and he started taking the photos. As usual, he thinks that a photo where I can't properly see is a good idea, because "you want to sunlight to show the item well." Which yes, is true, but I'd also like to look somewhat normal ... Oh well. To his credit, they did all show off the FO to an advantage, so why am I complaining? 

And I'm not doing anything else weird, so I'll take it!

I really like this pattern, and once you figure out what size you need to knit, it's pretty straightforward - though I have to say that knitting a PetiteKnit pattern is not something that you should do if "size" is something that trips you up. Because both times I've knit this, I've made the size that fits the measurements in the pattern, but not a size I would normally buy from a store. So just know you might be in for a surprise! 😊

I really love the finished top. It's comfy, and once it was blocked and soaked, the yarn softened up so much, it feels really nice against the skin.

Which brings me to the yarn. Noro yarn, to be exact. After using it a grand total of three times in my knitting life, I have to say that each time, it is so aggravating to knit with that I almost give up before finishing the item. I love the colors they have, but man is it unpleasant on your hands while you are knitting! But if you can get past that, go for it, because once it's soaked and blocked, it's wonderful.

I started with two balls of Kakigori, which are 200 grams each. This is what I have left.

It's roughly 122 grams remaining (please don't ask me to do math to figure this all out because it won't end well for any of us). Anyway, if anyone would like to have this to use for their own knitting, please let me know. I'm more than happy to send it to you. I'm finished with Noro yarns for now (probably even forever?) and would like to pass it along to someone who could give it a good home. So feel free to claim it in the comments!

So there you go, an FO and an offer that maybe one of you won't be able to refuse, who knows? In any case, have a good day and if you do want the yarn, please be sure to include your e-mail address in the comments if you have never heard from me before, so I can contact you.