Monday FO: Keith's Requested Socks

Hello from a rainy and cool Philadelphia! This is one of those days when staying inside doesn't seem like such a bad idea. I thought I'd show you my latest FO, since I know that according to the tracking info on the package, that they have been delivered to the recipient.

Project: Keith's Requested Socks

Pattern: Plain Vanilla Sock pattern that I have used forever

Yarn: KnitPicks Hawthorne Fingering, colorway Vancouver Multi

Needles: US size 1/2.25 mm

Notes: Over the summer, The Tim informed me that for now, he had all of the handknit socks he wanted. So since I a) have lots of sock yarn, and b) like to knit socks for myself AND for other people, I put out a call to the nieces and nephews for anyone interested. I got a good response, and decided I would knit socks in the order requested.

Keith was up first. He said he would like socks that were a basic color with bright accents. So I pulled out this skein of sock yarn I had bought a while back during one of the KnitPicks sales. Then I looked through my bits and bobs, and found some leftover old Fortissima sock yarn to use for the contrasting cuffs, heels, and toes. I figured since it looked like the yarn had bright pops of color, low-contrast would be nice otherwise.

I'm glad I did that, because the yarn was actually brighter all the way around than it looked in the skein or wound up. 

As you can see, the bright turquoise made a sort of striped effect on the foot of the sock. But it pooled in a kind of weird way on both socks - here's a photo of the same two socks, turned onto their other sides and photographed:

I don't mind it, because they are socks and would be on my feet, but I don't know if that will bother Keith or not. At first, I thought, oh well, just wear each sock with the non-pooled side facing inward on each sock, but that's not how they will work. One thing I can say is that in real life, they are not nearly as bright as they are in these photos, so I'm hoping he'll like them, even if they are not quite what he had requested. I think they would be fine unless you are in a conservative office environment, and I don't think that's the case where he is (he works for an international liquor distributor whose company logo colors are *really* bright, though not these colors). In any case, I told him that they were now his to wear or do with as he wished.

I do have to say that the Hawthorne Fingering yarn was kind of unpleasant to knit - not terrible, but not very soft. Since these were a gift, I soaked and blocked them, and they did soften up some after that. But I don't think I'll go out of my way to look for this yarn again. 

*****

The next request was from another niece's husband, Greg, for a pair of heavier-weight socks in the colors of the Baltimore Orioles. I'm well underway with those, even though baseball season is over for the Orioles already (and also for the Phillies ... sigh). But when I send them, I plan to tell him they'll be fresh and ready for next season! 

One thing that amused me was that, for the most part, the requests I received were from the guys. I think they are just more likely to wear socks most of the time. Most of my nieces seldom wear socks, unless it is extremely cold. 

Of course, what do I care? I was just pleased that anyone at all was interested in receiving a pair!

Fall Makes Me Happy

OK, fall does not make me all that happy when it's 85 degrees at the beginning of October, but a) according the weather people, it's supposed to actually cool off to appropriate temperatures after tomorrow, and b) I can still put out some of my fall decorations, which make me smile. And let's face it, in this s**tshow of a world, we gotta take the smiles where and when we can!

I've been busy knitting, and have finished a pair of socks that I'll share with you once the recipient has received them. Not that he reads this, but someone who knows him may and I want them to be a surprise. I'm going along well on the cardigan I started, but don't have any recent photos, so you'll have to wait a little bit longer to see what one.

But remember the little acorn I knit a few weeks ago? Well, now he has a leafy friend!

I have to tell you, this little leaf is so fun and so quick to knit - I may end of with LOTS of leaves! This is another part to the garland I have started, and I'm so pleased with how it turned out. 

Aren't they cute together??? I'm not making any hurried effort on this, because it's kind of a when-I-feel-like-it project, and fall comes every year.

In keeping with the fall theme, and leading up to Halloween, The Tim bought this Halloween throw for us at one of the Aldi stores nearby. Not bad for $5.00, right?

And on our way to Rehoboth Beach, The Tim wanted to stop at the outlets because he wanted to look for something specific. I bought one of these black cat pillows at one of the stores there. I also got one for Amanda.

This is sitting on the couch in our living room, and let me tell you, it's been quite shocking! So far, only The Tim and I will still sit on the couch. 🙄

Meanwhile, Amanda says their kitty has claimed theirs for herself. Go figure.

That's all the news for now. I hope you are all doing well and knitting, reading, cooking, baking, whatever makes you happy at the moment. I'm off to start dinner (I'm writing this late on Monday afternoon), and it's a good thing because I'm starting to get hungry and sadly, dinner has yet to cook itself ...

Vacation, parts 3 and 4 and Then That's It

Happy October 1! I love October, and today we are having some nice cool weather, so I am a happy camper. 

Thanks to all of you who have gone through these last few posts with me, all about our vacation week. I know sometimes you're just not in the mood to see other people's photos ad nauseum, so thanks for your kind comments.  Today I'm sharing our last vacation day in the Poconos, and then the weekend after in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, with my niece Amanda and her husband Pat.

Since we had been able to visit Promised Land State Park on Monday, we realized that we could make a differen trip on Tuesday after we checked out of the place where we were staying and go to the Hawk Mountain Sanctuary. Originally, given what else we wanted to do, it would have been out of the way and maybe pushing it as far as our energy levels. But when it turned out that it could be the only Tuesday activity, we decided we needed go to for sure!

Hawk Mountain Sanctuary was the world's first sanctuary for birds of prey. It became an official sanctuary in 1938. It's a perfect place to see all kinds of raptors and also take an amazing hike along one of the trails leading to astonishing views. We (of course) took the easiest trail, since we'd never had a chance to visit before, and weren't sure what to expect.

So onward we marched. First we headed to the South Lookout:

They have biologists stationed at the lookouts to count birds and on an average day, they can easily count up to 1000 birds of prey! When we arrived, around 10:30 a.m., there had already been 400+ sightings.

The trails were challenging, since they were not always smooth ones. This was definitely not a trip for the faint of heart. 

I really liked this rock/small boulder along the trail - you can't see it here, but the colors in it were a beautiful gradient.

This is a staircase of rocks up the mountain to the North Lookout - and it's worth mentioning that not only do you walk UP these stairs ... but you have to walk back DOWN them afterwards!

However, it is worth the effort, because:

We even found a friend!

While we were there, we saw several hawks, two turkey vultures, and two bald eagles! There were also other birds that were pointed out, but you needed binoculars to see them, and we didn't have a pair. But the whole experience was truly magnificent. I highly recommend a visit to Hawk Mountain Sanctuary!  We'll definitely go back again sometime (with our binoculars!).

So after that, it was home to the kitties. They were very glad to see us and of course had several tales of horrible neglect and starvation from the cat sitter, in spite of many photos she sent to us that showed the contrary ...

We were home for Wednesday and Thursday, and then on Friday morning, headed to one of our most fave places, Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. When we went last year with Amanda and Pat, Amanda found this really nice, really reasonable place only a few blocks from the ocean, and easily walkable to restaurants and shops. We loved it, so we stayed there again. Here is the view from our room - right down the street, you can see the ocean. 😊

Amanda and I had The Tim take a photo of us to send to our friend Lisa. Amanda calls this her "thank God I have a weekend away from my govt job during this horrible administration!" look.

Saturday morning, we went to breakfast at this Victorian hotel restaurant along the boardwalk. They have birds in the parlor, and we had a lovely chat with these two.

This is Moose.

This is Emro.

Both had a lot to tell us, and were happy to sit on our shoulders. They are really characters!

Sunday, we all had breakfast and headed to our respective homes and kitties, after a really fun weekend that was relaxing and the perfect way to end the summer and our week of mini-vacations. 

Rehoboth Beach, early, on the very last full day of summer.

Vacation, Part 2

After our day in Jim Thorpe, PA, we headed further north to the Pocono Mountains. Neither of us had been there before, and the drive up was so gorgeous! Not just working our way up mountains, but the leaves were beginning to change color, so we saw stunning vistas along the way.

We made our way to a new place that we heard about on Instagram (!), called The Rex. It used to be a motor lodge and was recently redone to become cabins backing right up to Promised Land State Park. The prices were extremely reasonable, considering what it included, so we decided we would give it a go. 

We had our own fire pit in the back:

And it was completely outfitted with everything you need - you could easily buy food and drink and bring it along with you, and never have to leave the grounds at all. This was the kitchen:

We were very happy there for our visit. It was comfortable, cozy, and in the middle of such a beautiful area that you looked out the window to nature no matter where you were. We would definitely stay there again!

We did get a notice about a young black bear in the area, but alas, we did not spot said bear. But there were very strict guidelines related to storage of food and warnings about leaving anything at all that was edible in your car!

The next day, we headed to the Delaware Water Gap Recreational Area and to Raymondskill Falls, the highest waterfall in Pennsylvania. We hiked around, being amazed by our surroundings, and the waterfall itself did not in any way disappoint.  

We took this selfie after approximately 400 tries - The Tim took over the camera, and he added some kind of filter, and well, let's just say we should not be allowed near technology. But we finally figured it out, and ended up with a decent photo. 

The whole place was so incredibly beautiful that we were there for about two hours, walking the trails and seeing everything. 

White asters everywhere.

LOTS of goldenrod everywhere we went!

We had planned to go to Dingman Falls, but it was closed due to some kind of repairs and maintenance, so we headed to Bushkill Falls. When we got there, we realized that it was privately owned, and though the grounds looked lovely, it was a steeper cost than we wanted to pay to walk the trails. 

So we pivoted on some plans, and instead of going to explore Promised Land State Park the next day after checking out of our lodgings, we decided to finish off Monday by going there. As I mentioned, part of it backed right up to where our cabin was, but we went to the "official" entrance and let me tell you, it was well worth any effort to go there!

After exploring one part of the park, we decided to visit and walk around Conservation Island, where there are all kinds of campsites. For the first time since arriving in the Poconos, we saw more than just a few people (though still not many). Like everywhere else we'd been on Monday, it was stunning. 

We didn't even get close to seeing most of the park, but it was just all amazing. We ended up having one of the best days and again, we were lucky because the universe blessed us with weather that can only be described as perfection.

Our little cabin looked better than ever when we got back there after a long and busy day of activity. We had some leftovers from our dinner the night before, so we decided to just zap them in the microwave and settle in to our cozy spot.

We enjoyed our explorations, and loved our place, but we did agree that we were not really people who would enjoy living in a place that was remote or isolating. Neither of us really want to be somewhere that requires us to drive just to get to a market or a drugstore, etc. Even The Tim, who more or less drives as part of his job, and likes to drive, prefers not to if possible. So it's unlikely we will be moving to any of towns in the Poconos. 😊 

Since we had changed around our plan that was originally for Tuesday, we had to come up with a new one. It wasn't hard, and I'll share that with you the next time around. So Part 3 of Bridget and The Tim Do Nature will be coming soon!

Hooray for the First Day of Fall! And, Vacation Photos, part 1

Happy First Day of Fall! I've been waiting for this - not because it's a guarantee that fall weather will be the only weather we experience for the next few months, but because it means that the really hot and humid days are either gone, or will become less and less frequent. And the cool, crisp days will be taking their place. Which is very very good in my book.

For those of you in places that will now be enjoying spring, I hope it makes you happy to be changing seasons. 😊

Last week was our week of mini-vacations, and we enjoyed every single minute. We were lucky to have great weather the whole time we were away - the only cloudy or rainy days were the couple of ones that we were at home, and that was fine with us - we just hung out and cozied up! But our travels went without a hitch, and we just had the best time.

Today I'll share photos from our trip to Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania. We had a great time, walking around the little town, and along the Lehigh River. In a smart move - that in our case was just dumb luck - we were there pretty early in the day. So we had most places and most of the street just walking along to ourselves. Just about the time we were getting ready to leave, it started to get really really busy.

So here are some photos for you (you may have already seen these if you follow me in Instagram, so feel free to skip this part).

I love Victorian buildings, and there were quite a few! I'm especially a sucker for a round tower.

This is an old Presbyterian Church.

 

This is the local jail, where several member of the Molly Maguires were held and later executed. 

K

The Tim found a yarn store for me to check out! It was small but had some nice yarns, and the owner, whose name I am 99% was Diane, was so friendly and chatty. I didn't buy anything, but I really enjoyed my visit.

This was a whole little shop devoted to jerky - not something you see in most towns ...

There was a super cool old sightseeing train, but it was mostly full when we arrived, and so we skipped it, since we were on our way to the Poconos after this, and had a bit of a trip.

Before the town was named Jim Thorpe, it was called Mauch Chunk. I don't think I'd really want to live somewhere with "chunk" in the name, but maybe that's just me ...

Our plans for coal picking were ruined when we saw this - I mean, how are you supposed to start a vacation without coal picking???? 😉 We managed to get over it  ...

The Lehigh River was so pretty and the walk along it so peaceful.

This is Karma (adult dog) and Mochi (puppy). Their owners were trying to teach Mochi to walk with the harness, and wanting him to use Karma as inspiration. We saw them several times, going up and down the street past the shops, and then saw them again right before we left.  Apparently they all made some progress, but everyone was exhausted!

Both of them were extremely sweet.

We had a good morning into afternoon walking around sightseeing, and stopped for a cup of tea and a donut along the way. We left Jim Thorpe thinking we would definitely like to return sometime, and see a few things we decided to skip once it started to get busy. 

Besides, we had a cabin in the Pocono Mountains to check into! I'll show you that and the places we explored in Part 2 on another day.

I hope all of you have a good week, and that this new season will be good to you.

A Horse Tale

Hi all! I hope this week is treating you well. It's been very nice here in Philadelphia, and I am enjoying every minute of sunny days and cool nights and mornings.

Yes, the above image is Mr. Ed, the talking horse. As you may or may not know, Mr. Ed is one of my favorite TV shows *ever.* When I was a kid, I dreamed of having a horse - any kind of horse, really. But if it turned out to be a horse like Mr. Ed, that would have just been a bonus. And Mr. Ed is the reason that I have a lifelong love for horses. Just seeing one makes me happy. If I get to pet one, kiss its nose, or ride one, then it's all exponentially better.

OK, that was some background. Now the reason I'm telling you about this. A month or more ago, when I abandoned my Relax Tee, I said that if anyone was interested in the lovely linen yarn that I was using, I would be happy to send it along. A woman named Barbara who lives in Texas, and obviously reads the blog, sent me an e-mail and said she would love to have it. In the course of our e-mails back and forth, she mentioned that she had horses. REAL LIVE HORSES that she can see every day, whenever she wants to! In any case, I finally got my act together and sent the yarn, and she sent me a very lovely thank you package, which I'll take about in another post. But when I read the note enclosed with it, I was reminded of this story, which I don't think I've ever told you before, so here goes. If you are only interested in knitting or book content, you can skip this post.

*****

Years ago, when we first moved to Philadelphia, we lived in a neighborhood where about half a mile from our apartment were the City Stables. It was near a little market we used to visit, so when we could we would go and see the horses afterwards. Well, it turned out that they offered riding lessons for adults, but they were so popular, it was by lottery. I took riding lessons as a child, as part of a club at a school I attended in some place where we were living at the time, but hadn't really ridden a horse for years. The Tim had never ridden a horse, so we put our names into the lottery, and we were chosen!

They did the lessons in groups of six people. Our group was 5 women and The Tim. One of the women, whose name was Dottie, said at the beginning that she signed up for lessons because "she was hoping to meet a man." Good luck with that, right?

So after our first lesson, which involved showing us how to put the tack on the horse, get onto the saddle, and then guide the horse around the ring, we were back at the stables, putting things away, grooming our horse, etc. My horse was a sweet boy named Durango. I was the last one out of the lesson, so The Tim was nearby waiting for me to finish. Dottie went over to him and started chatting. Now, you should know that The Tim is a very polite and often charming person in public, and will talk to anyone, but isn't really stellar in the listening department unless he knows he has to be. So he and Dottie are chatting, and I heard her say, "What's your name?" And frankly, I suspected he wasn't paying attention, and that was confirmed when he responded, "Durango." I immediately started to laugh so hard I cried while I was finishing up with the *real* Durango, and Dottie replied, "Oh that's so weird, just like the horse!" Frankly, I was laughing so hard, I have no idea how he got himself out of the conversation. 

Going home, he said, "You know, I wasn't really paying close attention, so I thought she asked me if I knew the horse's name." (No sh*t, Sherlock.) 

Well, this story has become a legend in our family. One of my nieces said the only way it could have been better would have been if the horse's name had been Powder Puff or something like that.

The next 5 weeks of lessons were wonderful, but nothing as memorable as the first night, when we learned that one of the people in our group had the same name as one of the horses at the stable. 😉

Barbara - thanks for the gift, and for bringing this memory into my brain. I hope you enjoy your yarn at least as much as I enjoyed this story, and thinking about it again.

*****

Happy Trails, y'all. 

You Need to Start Somewhere

Hello all, I hope you are well. And somehow managing to continue to go along every day in this world full of trauma. It's hard. And sadly, getting harder each and every day. Just remember, you have to take care of yourself first and foremost, because otherwise you can't help anyone else at all.

I have two things to look forward to that are keeping me from complete despair. The week after next, we have two little trips planned, and since we haven't really had any outings since our trip to WV over Memorial Day weekend, the fact that these trips are coming up have been keeping me going. I'm the sort of person who can put up with just about anything if I know there is something to look forward to, even if not for quite a while. 

I promised I'd show you my sock project that is in progress, but I keep forgetting to take a picture of it. The first sock is well into the foot section, so by the time I photograph it, instead of a piece o' sock, it might be a finished sock. 

But I did take this photo of a something I knit yesterday:

When did I become a knitter of fiddly things? Let me be clear, this is not my fave kind of knitting, but I have always avoided anything looking or sounding the least bit fiddly in the past. The stuffed doggie I knit was just fiddly in parts, but this project is nothing but fiddly! So we'll see how long it takes for me to finish it. Though it is nice to knit for a short amount of time and have something to show for it, LOL.

This is my first piece in the Fall Harvest Charm Set, by Susan B. Anderson. Apparently I do love kits, and I do have to say that Barrett Wool Co., Anderson's company with her son, put together really lovely kits that usually are not overly expensive, considering what you get. Anyway, I bought this kit a very long time ago, and much like the puppy kit, decided during a recent stash review that this fall I was actually going to make this thing. Making this tiny acorn reminded me of the quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson: "The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn." Reminding me that in both knitting and life, you may start small, but it's the starting that is important.

So I need to figure out how to try to start in so many ways. I've gotten some things started, and they just need to continue. But with the world constantly bombarding me with so much terrible, I need to make my way through to finding positive things to start, to move along with, to keep myself sane.

I hope that those of you reading have been able or are able to start finding ways for yourself to be in the world without complete despair 24/7. Granted, what works today may not work tomorrow or next week, but we should all keep on trying so that we can work our way to better days, better health, just better all around. 

My plans for today are to post this, then work on finishing the laundry, and take a walk. I woke up this morning with a killer headache, so instead of taking my walk right away, I took some Tylenol and just sat for a while. The headache is close to being history, so the walk will come soon. I'll probably also work on the aforementioned sock, and read a bit. The Tim is cooking dinner tonight, so I can forget about having to plan that. 

Have a good day, however you are able to. (Well, unless that means murdering someone - that's not good and face it, they are likely not worth a lifetime in prison. Try to focus things elsewhere. 😉)

September

 

Hello and Happy Labor Day! I for one am always glad for the "official" reminder that a lot of the things we take for granted - set working hours, a limit to working hours, etc. - are in place thanks to labor unions. Even if you are not a union member, you benefit from many things they fought long and hard to gain.

So here we are with Labor Day actually taking place on the first day of September, which for many people, marks the start of a new year. I have been out of school since approximately 1893, and I still think of Labor Day and the beginning of September as a new start. This year is no different, but I'm taking a slightly different approach.

As you may have heard me blather on about mention, I have been working hard to create new exercise/activity habits, along with my niece Amanda and my friend Lisa. We all keep each other updated and accountable, and I have to say, this has worked better for me than anything else. Having support and people who give you grace when you fall short of what you hoped to do is game-changing in my life. Not that I didn't have support from The Tim before, but it makes a big difference when you are also supporting the others as well. The Tim has always been pretty fit and never has health issues for the most part, so he didn't really need me saying "Good job" to encourage him to continue.

My niece Amanda has a personal practice that I'm going to try to adopt for myself. Instead of trying to keep track of overarching goals over the course of a whole year, she thinks about what she hopes each new month can be. In her case, she creates a type of vision board and uses it as her wallpaper on her phone. I am not that advanced, but I like the idea of thinking/working on a month-by-month basis rather than a yearly one. So starting this month, that's my new practice. I have a few things roughly thought out, but one of my activities today is to actually put them on paper - yes, I still use paper! - so I can see them and remember them more clearly than if I just tried to put them in my brain for storage. 

I'll let you know how/if this works for me, in case you are interested in trying it. Though it wouldn't be surprising to know that a lot of you already do this type of thing, since you are more on top of your lives than I may be. 😊

So here we go - enjoy these -BER months!

*****

Thank you for the nice comments for me and especially for Alfie and his newfound freedom to roam in the garden. We spent a good deal of time out there this weekend, and here he is just enjoying the chance to be outside. 

In the comments, Jose asked if Alfie was on pain medication because I mentioned that he is declawed. First of all, before you give me a lecture about the evils of declawing cats, please know that when we got him, he was a three-legged, declawed cat already. So we were not in any way involved in that. 

But to answer the question, Alfie doesn't take medication at all. He doesn't seem to be in any pain, and gets around very well - especially if he is chasing something! He goes to the vet regularly (as do the others), and we have never had any indication that he is uncomfortable. So as far as we can tell, and based on his activity levels, Alfie seems to be just fine as he is.  He was on medication briefly last year for ear problems, but those are resolved, and now he's just busy in his true destiny of Nature Cat. 

I hope all of you have a good holiday, if Labor Day happens where you are. Unfortunately, it turns out that The Tim did in fact have to labor today, so we'll be glad to see him later to have a good evening. I'm going to attempt to make shrimp kebabs for dinner, so wish me luck!

Yes, Cat Dreams Do Come True

Especially if your name is Alfie.

As you may or may not remember, a few years back (prior to the pandemic), we took down the door that leads to our garden in our outside entryway. It was already in place when we moved in, and had simply rotted to the point that there wasn't much left of it.

Now this wasn't really a huge problem in the grand scheme of things. It did mean there was slightly less privacy if we were in that area of the garden, but the biggest issue was that if the cats were outside in the garden with us, they could just stroll out onto the street, which is less than an optimal situation. So we knew we needed to replace it, but at the time funding was extremely low. And the garden was seriously full of mosquitoes, so we didn't spend any time out there unless we had to. 

Over the past few years, we've been able to make some headway cleaning things up, and though the mosquitoes were still in force, at least the garden wasn't a complete mess and eyesore anymore. And once our mortgage was paid, we suddenly had some available cash to make some of the repairs and improvements we'd had to delay.

The first few things that were the most necessary were taken care of, and so now we could move on to thinking about other projects that had been waiting. I was "assigned" by The Tim the project of getting the garden door replaced.

Of all of our most recent cats, Alfie was the one who insisted - no, NEEDED - to go out into the garden whenever we went outside, even if for just 5 minutes. And then he would immediately run out onto the street as part of his routine. That is of course dangerous for any cat, but Alfie has only three paws, and is declawed. And let's just say his reaction times to things are not in the top 5 percent. It drove him crazy that he could not go out, because as far as he is concerned, he is a Nature Cat. I kept promising him that we would get a new garden door, and his dream has finally come true.

I was finally able to find someone to come and give us an estimate, in the first place, which was no easy feat. The person was just one of those people you can tell are the real deal when you meet them, you know what I mean? And he was very fond of Alfie, which of course Alfie assumes everyone is. And so this past Monday, one of the guys who works in the company came and both built and installed a new garden door!

Going into the garden (yeah, a weird angle because the entryway is very narrow and this is the best way I could take a photo):

And then if you are leaving the garden to go out onto the street:

It's a nice, solid, cedar wood door and it took the person about 5 hours from start to finish to get it all accomplished. The handle is a simple latch, which is nice. Now you may be saying, "Aren't you going to install a lock on it?" and yes, we could, but in order to get into the entryway where you could then open the door into the garden, you would have to get through a wrought-iron gate. And frankly, if you can figure that out, a simple lock isn't gonna hold you back. So for now, we're leaving it alone. This coming weekend, The Tim is going to put a cedar finish on it, for weather protection and aesthetics. But it's finally in place, and Alfie and I ventured into the garden yesterday, and he was the happiest cat in Philadelphia, I'm pretty sure. 

As soon as I finish this post, I'm heading downstairs to go into to the garden - with Alfie, of course - to water the plants, replenish the birdbath, and fill the bird feeder. I have found a mosquito repellent "system" that seems to be working pretty well for us, so now I don't need to put on long pants and long sleeves for those activities, which is nice. So it's actually nice to be out there. I'm hoping that we can spend some time there this weekend and into the fall, since during the heat and humidity of the summer, none of us has much interest in being out there unless we have to.

But Alfie would like you to know that after waiting SO long and hearing promise after promise, his fondest wish is now a reality. He can truly enjoy his role as Nature Cat of the Outdoors. So remember that if you just wait and hope long enough, perhaps your dreams can come true as well! 😊

*****

No major plans here for Labor Day weekend. As I said, The Tim is planning to work on putting the finish on the new door. In a pleasant turn of events, he may not have to work on Labor Day like he usually does. So it would be nice if the long weekend would be a long weekend for him for a change. I'm on a bit of a decluttering spree, so I'll likely spend at least some of the time working on that. But it sounds like it will be a good few days for walking, bike riding, and just generally being outside, so I'm sure we'll find a way to take advantage of that.

Here's hoping that your Labor Day weekend, or just your weekend in general since - GASP! Everyone doesn't live in the U.S. - is a good one, and that you can enjoy it however you like. 

As the song says, "See You In September." 

The Journey to an FO Post For Today

Hello all - I hope this finds you well, and ready for Labor Day weekend. As of this a.m., they are predicting nice weather for the long weekend here. Though frankly I'll believe it when I see it.

This is an FO post, but it took me a long time and some ridiculousness to get here. You may or may not remember these socks that I started: 

Project: Pool Beans Socks

Pattern: Vanilla Bean Socks, by the Crazy Sock Lady

Yarn: Jojo's Fave Sock Set, in the colorway I'll Be By the Pool, from Hopemade Yarn Co.

Needles: US size 1/2.25 mm

Modifications and Notes: First of all, none of the issues I had with these socks were a result of the pattern or the yarn. It was all me and my brain, or lack thereof.

You see the photo for the sock above. I started this pair by knitting the pattern stitch all around the sock, as it's written in the pattern. Then after the heel, I kept the pattern on the top/instep of the sock. I wanted to use the turquoise for the toes as well as the cuffs and heels, but I wasn't sure if I had enough. So I stopped before adding the toe and decided to knit the second sock and then see how much of the turquoise yarn I had left, if any.

So I happily knit along on sock #2, and after the heel, decided I probably had enough for the toes of both socks. But when I went back to sock #1, I realized that I had likely made it too long. Which is no big deal since I would just need to go back and eliminate a few rounds. 

BUT then I noticed that on the second sock, I had knit the leg with the pattern only on the front of the sock! I guess I was on autopilot and was knitting it like the foot of the first sock. Needless to say, I was annoyed with myself. So much so that I frogged the entire first sock because I decided I liked the sock with the pattern only on the front instead! 

And I am actually really pleased with how they turned out:

And as you can see, I had enough yarn for the toes. After kitchenering the second toe, I had less than 3/4 of an inch of the turquoise yarn left - so yes, I had JUST enough! Phew!

At the start of the summer, I'd given myself three projects to complete, and this was the last one, so I'm glad I made it (even though technically there are still a couple of weeks left in the summer season). In case you were wondering, those projects were:

Relax Tee (frogged and abandoned)

Waffles Puppy - completed

Pool Beans Socks - completed

So two out of three isn't bad. I usually can get more done during the summer than this, but this year, it just wasn't happening. I'm glad I only told myself that these were the primary three, because otherwise I would be annoyed with myself. 

*****

I've already started a pair of socks requested by one of my nieces' husbands when I put out a call for anyone wanting handknit socks. I'll show those next time. And I'm ready to start this, from another kit I've had for a while (apparently this is the year I knit some kits!). I'm still deciding what my third project will be. I find that for me, three is a good number. Always a sock, and then two other things that are different levels of having to concentrate. Any more than three and I start to feel overwhelmed.

In non-knitting news, I'm very pleased because I ordered this purse online, and when it arrived, it was even nicer than expected!

It also came in black and a snakeskin print. I have a black purse that I already like a lot, and I'm not much for snakeskin prints, and well, who doesn't love a red purse??

Anyway that's it for today. I do have some other tales to regale you with, but I'll save them for other posts.

I hope the rest of your day goes well. See you again soon!