The End of August

Here we are on the last day of August, and at least here in Philadelphia, it's hot, humid, sometimes sunny, sometimes overcast, and frankly I'm done with it. I mean, I was done with it at the beginning of August, and we had some nice days, but I still live in the past weather-wise, where towards the end of August, really hot days were not that common. 

Also, it's Monday. I've gotten some things done, and The Tim is at work, but everyone else is quite loungey. 

Katie came home from the dog park and was exhausted.

Esme and Alfie are still enjoying this Chewy box from about 2 months ago ...

Milo the Koodle was feeling cute - which means he wants you to try to scratch his belly so he can maul you. Today I did not fall for this ruse!

*****

So here's a bit of a summer summary (as opposed to a summer summery) for you. I know there are still a few weeks of the season left, but I'm one of those people who see September 1st as the time to close out some summertime activities.

Plan 1 for the summer: 

Knit a tee and a tank.

Knit several pairs of socks.

Finish summer cross-stitch.

Actually accomplished:

Knit one pair of socks. 

Worked on summer cross-stitch once, got quite a bit done, never picked it up again.

I am still knitting a tee. I thought I was nearly finished, after knitting the neckline yesterday, and getting ready to do the sleeves. Tried it on, and in spite of what my measurements told me, it was not long enough for me. I know a lot of people look good in cropped tops. I just like to feel like when I sit down, my top will still cover my back down to my butt. So this morning I started picking out the bottom hem, which is especially fun, since it is an Italian bind off. I know you're feeling jealous right now. At least when I have the new length knit, only two short sleeves will be left to do. I originally wanted to have this finished by today, but last week I did not knit a single stitch so everything that's left won't be happening today, LOL!

Plan 2 for the summer:

Clean up the garden, and plan for planter/plants in front of house.

Call landscaping service to trim trees and bushes.

Buy some new/additional furniture for the garden.

Sit outside as much as possible.

Barbecue and/or eat outside once we have a table.

Actually accomplished:

I did clean up the garden, and was able to keep it in good shape. I found the perfect planter that I wanted, but could not afford it, and then of course nothing else appealed. I've told myself that next year, I will definitely decide on something, rather than have nothing.

I called the landscaping service, and they were booked at the time, so I said I'd follow up. Forgot all about it until last week, but I did call, and we are currently waiting for an estimate.

Bought no new or additional furniture for the garden, for the same reason I did not buy a planter; went to look to see what might be on sale last weekend, and every place was pretty wiped out. So much like with the planter, I will try again next year and try to be less finicky.

I did sit outside a lot, with Alfie at first and then with Alfie and Katie. We were fortunate to have a lot of nice days, or at least nice mornings, when we would be out there for an hour or so. Of course there were long stretches when it was unbearable to even think about being outside, but this is one thing I really felt I accomplished like I'd hoped.

We never got a table for outside, so never ate a meal out there. 

So as you can see, it was not all that I'd planned or hoped, but since I'm only responsible to myself, it's really OK. Do I wish that more had been accomplished? Sure. But it wasn't so I'm just adjusting things and moving along.

*****

You may recall that Patrick, my niece Amanda's husband, was diagnosed with Acute Lymphatic Leukemia right before last Christmas. He has been receiving intensive treatment, and at the beginning of July he had a successful bone marrow transplant. Last Friday, he was able to ring the bell to signify that it was all successful and he is now considered healthy again! All of us are so incredibly happy and relieved that he has done so well, and that he and Amanda can get back to their regular lives. I wanted to thank those of you who said they would keep good thoughts and/or say prayers for him - they made a difference! 💗 Since they live in Baltimore, he had care at Johns Hopkins University Hospital, so he was extremely fortunate to be in a place where they could provide the latest in treatment. 

Now I would like to ask you to keep my brother-in-law Patrick (Amanda's father) in your thoughts and prayers, since he is also dealing with a health journey that is very unlikely to end with a cure. But we are all hoping he can get to the point where he can enjoy whatever time is left to him. So if you would keep him and my sister in mind, that would be wonderful.

And on that happy/sad/hopeful note, I'll finish this post. I hope your August was as good as it could possibly be. I have a couple of small things to finish doing this afternoon, and then it will be time to sit down and get back to picking out that hem! 😡

I'm telling myself that it will build character ... but I've also decided that character is overrated ... 😏

See you next month!

Happy Canada Day, and Happy July (Not the Heat Part Though)

Today is the first of July, which means it is Canada Day, so Happy Canada Day to everyone north of our border! I hope for your sake it's more comfortable, temperature-wise. 

And for those of us who live elsewhere, Happy July 1! We are officially starting the second half of 2026, which is - at least for me - always hard to wrap my brain around. We are supposed to have temperatures in the 100+ degree range over the next 5 or 6 days, and that's not even taking into account the infamous "feels like" temperature that includes the humidity! Gah. My reverse SAD is kicking into gear. 

This morning, however, felt very very nice, so Alfie and I took advantage of time out in the garden, since the next few days will probably not be good ones to be out there. 

He was very pleased to be out there, but not so much to come back inside. But I told him that after we fill the bird feeders, we have to come in so that the birds and squirrels can have a chance to eat. He usually give me a dirty look, but then once we are actually inside, he remembers that the window looks out onto the garden, so it's all good. 

We were supposed to go to a baseball game tomorrow - our annual Pittsburgh Pirates vs. the Philadelphia Phillies - but since it's supposed to be at least 104 degrees, and we don't do well in extreme heat, we sold our tickets. I just hope the person who bought them is sensible about being prepared for the weather. Our seats are under an overhang, so at least they won't be out in the direct sun, baking away. It's extremely disappointing, but July is a crap shoot with a few nice days mixed in with mostly awful days, and this year we lost that bet.

Saturday is of course July 4, and the 250th birthday of America (as well as a World Cup match here in Philadelphia). I am beyond disappointed that Orange Foolius is in office and doing his asinine things during this special time, which I've looked forward to for years. I had already decided that I was going to ignore his plans, and enjoy being in Philadelphia instead. But now a lot of things are being cancelled or time-shortened, etc. because of the extreme heat. Which I am also blaming him for, BTW, because he makes life hell on earth, and now it even feels like it!

Oh well, we'll just have our own little party together here in the house. Happy 250 indeed. 

Speaking of the World Cup, it has been wonderful to be in Philadelphia with so many people visiting and seeming to enjoy themselves so much! Last week, I took a walk, and stopped at a neighborhood coffee shop, and while I was waiting for my order, there were two young men in soccer jerseys sitting at a table. One of them asked me if I lived in the neighborhood, and I said yes, and we spent about 20 minutes chatting. They were visiting from Munich, Germany for some of the World Cup matches. They had been in Houston for a match a couple of days before, and told me it was too hot there, and hard to walk around, with no good public transportation. But they LOVED Philadelphia! They said in some ways, it was a lot like Munich - but "not as many lakes" - and they were enjoying themselves immensely here. After here, they were headed to NYC and then back home. They were kind of disappointed not to see more matches, but until they tried to book their trip, they didn't realize that "America is so big that it's hard to get to some places easily." And I know that, but I tend to forget - especially since here in the Northeast, things are so close together. 

Anyway, they were lovely, and I was glad they were getting such a good impression not only of the city, but the country at large. One of them said, "Americans are MUCH nicer than Donald Trump." Low bar, but still. I told him to please tell people that when they got home. 

I was telling this to a friend, and she told me that she read that someone said that the New York Knicks victory parade, Mayor Mamdani's speech there, the opening of the Obama Center, and the World Cup were all the 250th celebration we deserved. I completely agree, and I'm going with that.

Someone posted on Instagram that having the World Cup in the U.S. was like having your cousins visit after you haven't seen them for years, because your respective sets of parents are no longer speaking to one another. 😄

OK enough blathering from me about all of this. I hope if you are somewhere that is too hot, or too cold, or suffering too many fires, or just whatever else is being unleashed, that you can manage to keep safe and comfortable. 

And I hope if you are Canadian, you'll have a Tim Hortons for me. (A donut or cruller, with a hot tea with milk. Or, Timbits are also good - you choose!)

Take care, everyone!

Just Because

This is an overhead shot of my geranium plants in the garden. As you can see, one little flower is blooming and there are other ones getting ready.

For as long as I can remember, we always had geraniums in pots during the summer. My mother was not a gardener, but when summer came, there were always geraniums in pots on the porch. They were usually red, and I'm not sure if that's because my mom liked the red best, or if there wasn't really any choice where she got them.

Anyway, to me it's not right to NOT have at least one geranium for the summer. A couple of years ago, I bought one and put it in a pot with another plant whose name escapes me and placed it on our front stoop. It looked so lovely. Apparently *so* lovely that someone else just had to have it ...

Now the geraniums (well, all the plants really) stay in the garden, which is enclosed. This year, I bought a pink one and a red one, and then got home to realize I didn't have two pots. Now you need to understand that, when I am ready to do something like plant/pot/whatever, it has to happen THEN. So both plants got put into a larger pot, and at least so far, all is well.

Every year when I buy a geranium or two, The Tim says, "I don't undertand why you buy those. I mean, they're nice, but yours never last into the fall or beyond, even when you bring them inside to take care of them." 

Silly boy. Apparently he had a deprived childhood. 

Because everyone (well, me) knows that if it's summer, you have to have a geranium in a pot to make you smile. 

Have a good weekend. 😊

It's Monday ... Again

Funny how it happens every week, huh?

The last few weeks, I've been feeling kind of sad on Sunday afternoons and evenings, and I couldn't quite figure out why. I don't have a job to dread, or any unpleasant activities that happen every single week on Monday, so it was a bit of a puzzle.

Then it occurred to me - during the week, I'm on my own the entire day. Yes, the cats are here, but unlike the weekend days, The Tim is at work. Thinking about it more, I decided that it's more the idea of someone else being around that I like. Some weekends we have plans, so we do things together for most/all of the weekend, but frankly most of the time, we do our own thing. Since I get nothing but alone time all week, I try to give him as much alone time as I can when the weekend comes, because he's not a fan of being social 24/7 any more than I am. 

Anyway, once I figured that out, it made sense to me. And who knows, maybe I am just biologically tuned to feel a bit down on Sundays, after a lifetime of having other, more intense, reasons.

*****

Last week, my niece La Liz sent us a text, asking us to make a video for her husband Greg. He is turning 50 on Thursday, and she had asked a bunch of family and friends to make a video, saying one thing they liked about him. You may or may not remember that Greg is a HUGE Baltimore Orioles fan. We went to the Phillies-Orioles game in Baltimore with them last summer. And he doesn't just love his own team, he can't stand some other teams - the Phillies included!

So Saturday, we got dressed in our Phillies t-shirts and sat down to make our video. We talked about the reasons we loved him, and then as we were ending it and saying "Happy Birthday, " we both put on our Phillies caps. Then The Tim said, "Oh and one more thing, " and we both said, "Go Phils!" La Liz said she was watching it with tears streaming down her face because it was so lovely, and then almost passed out when we "pulled out the Phillies hats!" She can't wait for him to see it and neither can we. 😂

*****

I was watching a YouTube podcast a week or so ago, and one of the people on it was knitting a sock in the most amazing yarn combo I'd seen in a while. And I could not resist, especially because the accent color in the sock set was turquoise, and I'm a sucker for that color. So I placed an order for it from Hopemade Yarn Co.  It arrived really quickly, and I cast on the next day. I just love it, don't you?

The colors just scream SUMMER to me, which is funny because when I wear socks in the summer, it's white athletic socks with my sneakers - otherwise, it's too hot to wear socks for me. So these will remind me of the good things about summer, while keeping me warm the rest of the year. 

So that's it for now. I hope you have a good week, and have a chance to do something that's just for you.  See you again soon!

The Ugh of Summertime

The way things are going in the country right now, we don't even need a weather report like this, but it's not far off the truth. You know, the kind of weather where you get out of the shower and towel off, only to find that you need to start over. Ugh.

The other day, The Tim said, "Fall will be coming, right?" - and that's when you know it's bad. He's not a fan of summer, but mostly suffers in silence. 

I've been trying to decide what I can work on that won't make me want to pass out or throw up. For once, I'm in the mood to do some of the projects I have around the house that have been on my list for a while, but since we don't have great air-conditioning, it's not really worth even starting. And forget doing stuff outside - I've been forcing myself to go out for my morning walks, but other than that, I stay put inside because it's the kind of weather that actually makes me physically ill.

So there has been more reading than usual, as well as knitting. But I've also been really conscientious about balancing the checkbook (which if you know me, says how desperate I am), and organizing the linen closet. I think I'm wearing out the towels and sheets I've been fooling with them so much!

Anyway, I'm a bit uninspired with my knitting. I have the puppy project, which I showed you recently, that I'm enjoying. But I don't feel like working on that every day. I am on the body part of a Relax Tee, by Aimee Sher, and if I could make myself work on it regularly, it could be finished. But contrary to the name, I do not find the pattern relaxing. 

I have been wanting to make this pattern, and even have yarn chosen. But regardless of the size needle I use, I keep ending up with too many stitches to the inch in the gauge, which I find suspicious, especially since no matter what size needle I try, I get the same numbers! - but there you go. There's a part of me that is tempted to start it anyway, and see how it goes. But I don't want to do that because even if I've done only 10 rows, it will be too disheartening to rip it out.

I guess I'll pull out some sock yarn and wind it because then at least I'll have a project that I can pick up and put down without causing problems. 

Sometimes, it just seems like everything is too much work. For me, that almost always happens in the summer. And really, it's never too much work in reality. So I'm gonna look for a skein of "extra special" sock yarn to use, because that will inspire me.

What about you? Any exciting projects going? Let me know, I'm happy to live (knit?) vicariously!

Recipe: Cold Cucumber Soup

Hello all - while I'm at my volunteer gig, taking care of kitties, I thought some of you might enjoy a recipe that is perfect for summertime - provided that you like cucumbers!  This is something I've been making during the summer for years, and it's always good and especially welcome on a hot day. So for those of you who are cucumber-friendly, here you go!

Cold Cucumber Soup

2 medium cucumbers (or 5-6 of the small type)

2 cups buttermilk

3 green onions, sliced 

Pepper and dill to taste

--> Wash cucumbers, and cut them into 3/4 inch slices. Reserve six of the slices for garnish, by wrapping them up and refrigerating them.

Pour 1/4 cup buttermilk into a blender or food processor; add half of the cucumber slices and blend on high speed until smooth. Add remaining cucumber slices, pepper, and onion. Blend until smooth, about 1 minute. Stir in the remaining buttermilk, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and no longer than 48 hours. At serving time, garnish each serving with reserved cucumber slices.

Needless to say, you can add any additional ingredients you may like, and you can use both fresh or dried dill and still get a yummy result.

I hope if you try this, you'll enjoy it. 😊

FIrst Day of Summer 2024

 

So much for easing into the incredibly hot weather of summer. 

I just hope that all of those who are climate change deniers are someplace where the air conditioning is broken, or where there wasn't any in the first place ...  😂

I'm Back - With an FO!

Hello and Happy September! I'm finally back and hopefully will be able to check in regularly going forward. The last couple of months were challenging, and I'm glad I took time off from the blog, though I did miss all of you. Let's just say that as of today, mental health stuff, dental stuff, life stuff, and house stuff are all doing better, so it was a worthwhile endeavor to concentrate on those.

I have been knitting, and have started a couple of new things that are holiday gifts, but I'm happily here to tell you about an FO! You may remember that I was going right along on my Stripey Summer Tee, which started like this:

(this is the actual color best represented, btw)

And then I made progress:

More progress:

And now, it's an FO <cue applause>

Project: Stripey  Summer Grapefruit Tee

Pattern: Rock It Tee, by Tanis Lavallee (Ravelry link)

Yarn: MadelineTosh Tosh Light in the Pink Grapefruit colorway; and, Fiberstory Fave Sock in the Barely colorway

Needles: US size 5

Modifications: In the pattern, it says to make the centered double decreases on the sides in every other row. I didn't do that, deciding that with having to keep track of the stripes, that would be an extra thing to worry about. So I did the decreases every 4th and 6th row, and I really think it looks pretty.

Notes: This is a really well-written pattern, making it very clear what needs to happen and when. The designer said that of course you can use whatever striping sequence you like, but when she made the sample, she did eight row stripes. I figured if that was good enough for her, it was good enough for me. 😊 I made the fourth size in the pattern, because if I'm wearing wool at all in the summer and springtime, I want there to be good air flow, so I wanted positive ease.

I've worn this a couple of times already (it still being summer - OMG I finished something during the season I want to wear it!), and it's comfy and I feel like it fits well. I've gotten a lot of compliments on it, which of course makes my knitter's heart happy. And another knitter even said, "Wow, you did the stripes so you can't even see the joining of the other yarn!" which I took as one the highest praise possible. 

I made sure to have enough yarn according to what the pattern required, and my gauge swatches worked fine, but at the end of things, here's what I had left:

That's 84 grams of the Pink Grapefruit color, and 97 grams of the Barely color, so ... I don't know, someone's calculations were off. But these will get incorporated into something else, never fear!

So that's that. I'm hoping to post more regularly now, and have some things to show and tell, as well as my regular golden nuggets of prose and wisdom. I hope all of you have been keeping well, and that if you are near any extremes of weather (I'm not even getting into a discussion of the weather here this week, ugh), that you are managing to keep safe.

And now I'm off to welcome the Chimney Guy, who is here to take a look at what needs to be done with/to the chimney before we can replace the roof. On the one hand, there goes any money available. On the other hand, I have been trying to get The Tim to get on this for the past three years, so please rejoice with me that soon leaky ceilings will be a thing of the past!

Take care, and have the best day possible.

And So It Begins ...

Just a little less than an hour of spring left - yep, today is the Summer Solstice. Unlike most others, I have been grateful for this spring. We've actually had springtime weather - very few really hot days, nice cool (sometimes even cold!) nights for sleeping, and lovely breezes nearly every day. Since usually spring is nothing but rain, and/or turns way too soon into summer temperatures, I've really been enjoying this, though I do actually wish we'd gotten enough rain for the plants and trees. (It sounds like that will happen for a few days, starting tomorrow, at least here in Philadelphia.)

Anyway, since most of you seem to love summer, I hope it is a good one for you. I do love the fruits and veggies that are available during summer, so you see there is something that appeals to me. 😉

Not much else to report. I am making good progress on my stripey summer top, and the market bag that I am knitting. I did in fact start a pair of socks and have completed the cuffs on them. Of course, I also have approximately 482 other things I would love to make and cast on immediately, but I know that I should continue with what I'm already doing, or I'll get overwhelmed and then not feel like knitting at all.

I'm also reading away, as usual. As is often the case, it seems that every book I put on hold at the library has become available at the same time. But better too many things to read than not enough, right?

*****

I saw something on Ravelry the other day that surprised me, though I don't know why things like this still surprise me. It was pattern for a summer top, and a lot of people had knit it and said they loved the result. Someone commented that they would love to make the pattern, but they don't wear cropped tops. Someone else commented, "Well, just knit it longer," and the person responded, "Oh I don't want to do that and get in trouble with the designer."

Now admittedly, 99% of the time, I follow a pattern the way it is written, at least when I first try it. I am not a designer, and I'm not good at math to make serious alterations to a pattern. But, it's never occurred to me that if I wanted to make a sleeve longer/shorter, or a sweater longer/shorter that somehow that was not allowed. Patterns generally say something like "Not for commercial use," but that doesn't mean the knitter can't do their own thing. Yet so many people seem to think that there is something like the Knitting Police, or that designers keep tabs on every person who buys the pattern somehow. 

I know this shouldn't keep surprising me, but it does. I'm sure it happens in other areas of crafting, or even life, but it's always something that makes me wonder.

What about you? Do you/have you ever worried about changing a pattern to do what you want? Did you ever think it was "illegal" or that you would be in trouble if you got caught? Let me know. I just always wonder if I'm the only person who has never worried about this kind of stuff.

That's it for today. I'm off to a dr appointment, but the good news is that once that's finished, I have the rest of the day to myself!

Long Weekend Ahead

I hope those of you in the U.S. have a good Memorial Day weekend. I know for a lot of people, this is the "unofficial start of summer," and they look forward to it more than just about anything else. 

I don't like to think about the beginning of summer, my least favorite season, so I just look forward to the long weekend. 😊

But I do look forward to more choices for fresh fruits and veggies, particularly anything that includes "-berry" in its name. And later today, we are headed to WV for the holiday weekend, and it will be fun to see everyone and hang out on my sister's front porch.

And I'm looking forward to next week, when myself and The Tim are on vacation. We both were able to take the whole week off, so we have some day trips planned, and will likely try to do some of the kinds of things you need both people to do (i.e., bank stuff, home repair loan) - you know, not fun, but necessary to move forward with some things. But interspersed with the day trips, and without any other schedule, it will be wonderful. I'm not sure we could be more excited if we actually were going on a week-long trip!

So no matter what you are or are not celebrating, or where you are or are not going, I hope you enjoy this weekend, and can spend some time doing exactly whatever you're in the mood to do. 

And don't forget the reason for Memorial Day while you're at it. Brave people should always be remembered and honored.

And Now I'm Kind Of Obsessed

Hello and Happy Monday! (I don't know if that's a thing. But I hope your day goes well, in any case.) 

We had a good weekend, nothing big, but everyone was in a decent mood, and yesterday especially the weather was lovely. It was busy at the yarn shop, but not crazy, so that was good.

Today I'm getting my hair cut, and I'm looking forward to it. It's time to go super short for the summer, so even though it's already what most people think of as short hair, a lot of it is getting cut off. 😀

Then I have a couple of small things I want to do, before I sit down to knit for a while. Right now, I'm working on a summer top and I must admit to being kind of obsessed with knitting it. I'm almost at the point where it will be joined in the front to make a V-neck:

I'm loving this so far! I did have to do a lot of ripping back and re-doing with the increases on the sleeves, but at last I'm on track. The stripes are making me happy, and I like these two yarns together. The coral-ish is some really deep stash yarn from MadelineTosh called Pink Grapefruit, and the lighter shade is a new acquisition, Fiberstory Fave Sock in the Barely colorway. I really didn't have enough of the Pink Grapefruit to do a whole top, and I didn't like anything else I had with it, so I could justify buying the other yarn in order to get some stashbusting accomplished. 

I'm knitting the Rock It Tee, and skipping the mohair for the alternating stripes because a) I want to be able to wear this in warmer weather, and b) because I'm just not that much of a mohair person. I like my version much better, LOL!

I started a couple of other things, but right now this is the one I want to work on all of the time. Which is fine, because maybe I'll actually finish it and be able to wear it in the time of year it is supposed to be made to wear! Of course, I'm also seeing this as something that would be fine under a blazer, a sweater, etc. in cooler weather. So I think it will be something really useful in my wardrobe.

And that's it from here for right now. I hope you have a project that is making you happy, and that the week treats us all well.

Friday FO Post: A Longish-Ago Finish

Yes, I'm bookending my week of posts with another FO - don't get used to it, though, because this is for a project finished a while back that I was never able to get good "modeled" shots of, but wanted to write about before putting it away for the winter.

You may remember seeing this:

Well, though it challenged me at the beginning, I did in fact finish it!

Project: Light Purple Thea Top

Pattern: THEA Top by Susanne Muller

Yarn: Sandnes Garn Line, in the colorway Light Purple

Needles: US size 4 & 6

Modifications: At the end, when it was time to do the ribbing around the bottom, neckline, and armholes, I did one round of plain knit, then the ribbing. I also did 7 rounds of ribbing, because I thought it looked better that way.

(This is as close to a photo of me wearing it as we'll get right now. As I recall, I had really dirty hair when taking this photo, so decided it would be a torso shot ... 😊)

Notes: This was a challenge, but once I figured out what was happening, it was a fairly quick and easy knit. I had never made anything with this kind of construction before, so it took a bit of effort to wrap my mind around the instructions in the pattern. But the project did provide me with my first [kinda] successful provisional crochet cast on, so that was a boost.

It's kind of wrinkled in the photo above, because it has been folded and in the closet, but this gives you an idea of how the finished item looks; and in the photo below, you can see the "possible" light purple shade of the yarn - but to be honest, it is really hard to tell there is any purple at all. Maybe if my skin was darker, it would show up more. Oh well, I still really like it.

Anyway, I would recommend this pattern because it doesn't take long to knit once you understand all of the moving parts. I started this around the middle of June this past summer, and was finished around the end of August. It only took me that long because I worked on other things in the interim, and had a bout of "who wants to knit at all" for a couple of weeks.

I'm hoping next summer to get a "real" photo of how it looks being worn, but this will be it for now. 

The yarn used, which is a linen/cotton blend, is very nice, very soft to work with, and comes in a variety of colors. If I do ever make this again, I'll choose something with more of a color pop. But I can see myself getting a lot of use out of this top when the weather is too hot to breathe.

Alfie thought about sitting on it, but decided it wasn't worth making the effort. Shortly after this he left the room altogether, as if to say, "If I'm not the main focus of this photo session, why am I even hanging around???"

Here's hoping you have a good weekend, I'll see you next week.

Yeah, Well, I'm Still Here

Hello everyone, it's been a while. I knew it had been a while, but then I got a comment on my last post (from a while ago) from Ellen D., and it occurred to me that I should at least let you know I'm still here. So thanks Ellen, for both your concern and giving me the boost to post something.

I have much to catch up on with all of you, but it won't be happening today. However, I do have a book report to post, and I have been knitting (and actually finishing) things, and life has been full of things that you will eventually hear all about - whether or not you want to hear about them! 😉

Just to reassure you, everyone is well - or at least as well as anyone in our house ever is when summer really decides to show up. 

I hope all of you are well, too. And if you actually enjoy the summer, I hope you are making the most of it. If you're like me, I hope you are managing to find a way to cope. It certainly sounds like most of the northern hemisphere is just too darn hot. I sincerely hope that the southern hemisphere is having just a normal winter and nothing too extreme. 

I hope your week goes well. Take care of yourselves.

Knitting Needles Tuesday - An FO Post

Hello all, and I hope you had a lovely Labor Day weekend.  Ours was nice, the weather was for the most part really pleasant - even the rain wasn't much and didn't ruin any of our plans, mostly because we had none.  The Tim had to work yesterday, but I got some projects of my own organized, and then fixed us a picnic dinner, so it was all good.

Do you remember seeing this just started WIP back in June?

If not, you probably do remember these photos:

Well, I'm happy to tell you that it is now an FO, with ends woven in, blocking completed, and ready to wear!

Project:  Blue Anker

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

Yarn:  Berrocco Farro, in the colorway Turquoise, 4.5 skeins

Needles:  US size 4 and 6

Modifications:  I added more stitches to the underarms, since sleeves always feel tight there to me in knitted items.  Then I decreased until I was where the sleeve pattern started, and went from there following the instructions.

Comments:  I completely love this top!  It fits the way I wanted it to fit, I just love the color, and even though it gave me fits with the 1 x 1 rib and the increases, it was all well worth it.  I think I'll get a lot of wear out of this not just a few more times this year, but a lot once the weather gets warm again next year.  Wearing this with a sweater or blazer over it, or a denim jacket, would be really comfy, as it is not bulky or heavy at all.

The yarn was a bit tricky to get used to, but other than occasionally being a little slippery-er than I would have liked, by the time I was a few inches in to the project, we were getting along just fine.  The pattern was straightforward, once you decided if you were following inches or centimeters!  There are a lot of sizes included, so I could see this being a pattern that would be really nice to use the Knit Companion feature where it shows your size only.  However, my printed pattern and highlighter worked just fine also.

I finished the knitting, weaving in, etc. last week, but was waiting for a time when the day was nice and The Tim was available to take a photo.  So Sunday afternoon, we went out on the deck.  I may have to find a new photographer, as you would have thought I had asked him to give me one of his kidneys, he was so put out by "having" to do this!  Then he was annoyed because I was squinting - but when the light is in your eyes, YOU try not to squint.  Anyway, I was pleased with how this photo turned out.

And oh that yoke!  It makes the 1 x 1 rib worthwhile (well, now that it's finished, at least).

Between that, a the fact that I am a sucker for anything turquoise, it couldn't have turned out better!

Grande Finale Prize Winner!

I know that we are moving into two weeks past the end of Christmas in July, but as promised, I did choose a winner for the Grande Finale Prize earlier today.  I'm not going to post a photo of it here - I decided to wait until she has received it, and then I can show photos and tell you about it.

You may or may not recall that to be eligible for said prize, the only thing you needed to do was to comment on any of the Christmas in July posts - so if you commented once, you had once chance; if you commented 4 times, you had four times the chance to win.  I took all of the names each time, wrote then on a piece of paper, and put them in a bowl.  I mixed them around, and put them on the floor, where Pip happened to be the one around, so he chose the winner. And so, the person whose name was on the piece of paper that Pip first started to chew is:

*****WitchKnit*****

Congratulations!!  Please send your name and mailing address to me at thekittyknitterATverizonDOTnet.  I'll get the package ready, and let you know when it's on the way.

Again, thanks to everyone who commented and participated.  This morning I was thinking it was so long ago, but then realized that we are only talking a little bit of time since the end of July - time does indeed not wait for us.  😊

*****

I did in fact survive my walk back and forth to the SEPTA headquarters yesterday to get my Senior Pass so I can ride for free on public transportation going forward.  But it did knock me out for the rest of the day, and when I got home, I was drenched with sweat.  

(not actually me)

Fortunately, I had a little wait once I got there which allowed me to both cool down and dry off a bit.  In the end, even though I had made an effort to pull myself together so the photo had a better chance to get a decent photo, it didn't matter.  The woman who took the photo didn't tell me where to sit ("I thought you'd know") and also took the photo off-center.  So the photo looks like it was taken from about 5 miles away.  Oh well, I have the card now that's what matters.

Not much else to report.  Today is even hotter than yesterday (how that is possible, I don't know, but there you go), and so inside is the place to be.  

Tomorrow I will be at work all day because it is the first day of BugFest, and this year the Library and Archives will be doing tours for those in attendance who are interested.  Hopefully we'll get some takers, but in any case, it will be an extra reason to be happy that it's Friday!  

So now you're all caught up.  If you are also baking somewhere in the heat, I hope you can manage to keep cool.  Take care.

In Which I Am Annoyed

I'm sure you saw that title and thought, "And so why is that different than any other time?" and you would be correct.  But if you are still reading, that's on you.

Here is the specific thing I am annoyed about today.  Patreon.  

Let me say from the get-go that I have no opposition to creative people making money and being paid for their work, and I also know that only a very few, elite types can make a living through the things they design, sell, license, etc.  For example, the knitwear designers and/or yarn dyers that I know who are even doing well at all are fortunate to have either another full-time job to keep them going, or a partner who earns enough to allow them to pursue their work full-time.  I get it.

Do I appreciate free knitting patterns?  You bet I do, and I make A LOT of things from free patterns.  But I also purchase a lot of patterns, as well as buy books of patterns from time to time.  Because I know that everything isn't free, nor should it be.  Yes, sometimes I use a coupon code or a discount, but I completely understand the idea of monetary compensation for work.  

But frankly, I'm getting annoyed by people starting Patreon accounts for access to "special" patterns, "additional" content, etc.  

For example, there is a knitting designer whose designs I usually really like, and I have purchased as well as made a few of their patterns.  But they have decided to offer Patreon as an option for people.  You pay a monthly subscription fee (there are different levels of membership) and you receive a "special" pattern monthly not available to others, as well as a look into their design processes, their personal lives, etc.  

There are also a lot of knitting podcasters who have also set up Patreon programs, providing more access to them, their patterns/yarns/dogs/whatever.  

I'm not saying they have no right to do so.  I'm just saying it annoys the spit out of me.  First of all, if you want to "monetize" your work, then just do so outright.  If you feel that you put all kinds of effort and work into what you do, and that you are not getting the rewards from it you would like, then yeah, change it somehow.  But for myself, I don't like the feeling that I am paying a monthly subscription for something that is basically what you were doing anyway, but now costs something.  

From what I can tell, the monthly subscription costs can be as low as $3.00, all the way up to $10.00 per month.  OK sure, but unless there is only a single person that you love so much that you decide to support them this way, I don't have even $3.00 a month for ten different people.  Obviously plenty of people do/can provide support this way, but I'm betting most of us don't have unlimited discretional funds.  And frankly, I'm not sure that even if I did, I would want to support anyone this way.

The world is already too divided among the haves and have nots to drill down even more into those who can pay $3.00 a month and those who cannot.  

And if you are a podcaster, and still providing something online for free, I also don't want to always hear about what you offered to "my Patreon supporters" and not the the rest of us.  In this case, as far as I'm concerned, ignorance *is* bliss.  And personally I just think it's rude to keep mentioning all of the amazing things that they receive that the rest of us mere mortals do not.

Does this greatly change my life or my daily functioning?  No.  Does it have an effect on my crafting or the things I make.  No.  It's just to me more about the principle of the thing.  It completely turns me off when I hear about yet another person deciding to start a Patreon group and how wonderful it will be for those who support them.

It's a free country.  Spend your money the way you like, do things in a way that makes you happy and helps you to feel you are valued.  I get it.  It doesn't mean I have to like it, or even give it my own personal approval.

Now.  Aren't you glad you kept reading?  Feel free to write your own blog post about how it annoys you when bloggers complain about things they don't need to buy/participate in/do.  I'll get that too.  😏

Anyway, regardless of how you feel about any of this - or about anything at all, for that matter - I hope you have a good weekend.  I am getting my hair cut tomorrow afternoon, which I'm excited about.  Awful summer weather is due to return and continue though, and I'm less excited about that.  

But on the plus side, I figure that's why iced tea was invented, right?

Not a Cold Shoulder But More Annoying

Hello there.  I hope your weekend was OK or at least not awful.  Ours was pretty uneventful, which as a relief after the fiasco that was last week.  Though on Saturday morning, I woke up with searing pain in my left upper arm and shoulder.  At first I thought I must have stiffened it up in some weird sleeping position, but it just didn't let up no matter what.  Grrrrr.  I kept trying to work it out, but frankly it hurt too much and at a certain point I gave up.  Sunday it was less sore, and then - seriously - all of a sudden, it hardly hurt at all and I could move it much more easily.  This morning there is a slight tinge, nothing else.  So I have no idea what that was all about, but I'm glad it seems to be clearing up, because it was annoying at best.

I didn't have a lot of plans for things I was planning to do, but since I was for all intents and purposes (as opposed to "intensive purposes") unable to do a whole lot, I decided that meant I should just read and do crafty things.  Makes sense, right?  By the end of Saturday, I had a sock finished, and by the end of the day yesterday, I was halfway down the leg of sock #2.

 

On Saturday afternoon, I finished the wording on my cross stitch project, which pleased me.  

Now I will have the border and the outlining to do.  That will probably take a while, because it involves counting and a lot of blank space, and I'm not really good at that kind of thing.  But I'm enjoying the project, and I'm the only one who will know if/where I mess anything up, so it will be done one way or the other.  

Shortly after mentioning having started Wild Game last week, I abandoned it.  I didn't like the people, and didn't like the story, and so forget spending any more time reading it, you know?  On Friday, I started Seaview House and I have to tell you, I'm finding it highly entertaining.  It's a domestic comedy/comedy of manners and I don't know if it's really that good, or if I'm just in the mood for it.  I'm about halfway through, and purposely trying not to finish it any sooner than necessary.

A local photographer posted this photo on Facebook, showing the moment a lightning strike over the Philadelphia skyline during a crazy storm on Saturday night.

I find this breathtaking.  Fortunately other than LOTS of rain, we had no other negative effects from this storm or from the remains of Hurricane Isaias earlier in the week.  I know some friends in the 'burbs are still without power, but in the city we lucked out.  I think since most of the power lines are underground, we don't suffer outages as much as places where trees fall onto power lines, etc.

It sounds as if this week we are back to hot and humid and overall ICK.  The other day on the local news, they said that there were 3 days in July when the temperature was not 90 degrees (F) or above, and that was a record.  I am not pleased to be living in these record-breaking times, let me tell you.

Hopefully in spite of any weather issues, we'll all have a week that goes well.  Part of me thinks, "Well, it can't be much worse than last week," but of course I know only too well that it can.  So I'm just going to hope for a normal, boring week where things are fine.  If it goes better than that, it will be icing on the cake (oooh, cake!).  Take care, friends!

It's Monday, and It's Too Hot, and I'm Already Over It

Not that it matters, of course.  Summer weather is gonna do what it wants, no matter what I care.  It was a pretty awful weekend - heat, major humidity, and mosquito-fest.  In spite of the fact that I practically poured mosquito repellent on my entire person when heading out to water our flowers, those evil creatures feasted as if nothing was different.  Grrrrrrrr.

Which is why other than taking Hamlet out for walks, we both pretty much stayed put.  Things were done around the house, so it wasn't a complete loss, but no real garden time which was disappointing, since that had become a lovely way to spend the mornings.

In the continuing list of things that seem to make the world feel like it's working against us, our oven died a week ago.  The Tim thought that it just needed a part that he could likely install to work again - or at least to buy time - so he ordered it, and spent about an hour trying to install it before realizing that it would mean tearing out part of a wall.  And even then, as mentioned above, it would only be buying us time, since our stove is about 20 years old.  Since like most everyone, we have SO much extra money coming in while not being at work (one of us is laid off, one of us is getting paid 30% less of our salary), we bit the bullet and ordered a new one.  The good part here (and there is one) is that we ordered it from the manufacturer, so not only was it on sale for July 4th, but they had a payment plan where if you paid it off monthly in 12 months, there was no finance charge, so that at least will work out.  Supposedly it will be delivered sometime this week.  That would be nice.

I did finish knitting The Tim's shortie slipper socks, and though they look weird (yes, I did run out of the yarn I was using!) he is thrilled with them.   It's nice when someone goes with the flow like that.  It's also nice when yarn chicken happens on something that you are only going to wear around the house.  😌 I'll do an FO post this week so you can see how they turned out.

I also wound yarn for another project, and got started.  For reasons that even I can't really explain or understand, I decided to try the Stillness Shawl MKL.

Who am I???  I no longer know, apparently.  The first clue came out last Thursday, and yesterday I actually sat down and got going on it.  So far, I have learned the i-cord cast on, which is nice and pretty when it works, but meant that I started over about 8 times before I decided it was OK-looking and moved along.

Here are the yarns I've chosen:

Side view

Top view

Yesterday, while we were watching some things we had recorded, I finally got my cast on to be acceptable to me, and managed by the end of the day to knit ~70 rows.  So far, it's pretty reasonable, with a few rows where you have to pay attention, and then more rows where you just knit or purl, depending what side you are knitting.  

The Tim (when I was trying to get the cast-on to work):  Is that going to be a shawl?

Me:  Yep.  It's a Mystery Knit-Along, you get one clue a week.

The Tim (laughing):  Oh that sounds so exciting.

Half an hour later, after I had a nice amount done:

Me:  See, I'm about halfway through Clue #1, and this is what it looks like.

The Tim:  Oh cool, now I'm invested.

*****

So that's the news from here.  Summer is making itself known, mosquitoes are feasting on my person, I've not only joined a KAL, but have actually started knitting the project, and June is nearly over.  

BUT.

Something is getting ready to start again.

Stay tuned!

Here is a Friday FO!

Hi all - today I have a very happy FO to share with you.

My Down the Shore Shawl is finished - and it's a big one!

Project:  Down the Shore Shawl
Pattern:  Beachcomber, by Chelsea Berkompas
Yarn:  I used the yarn suggested in the pattern, but changed colorways with the blue shade.  All are Knit Picks CotLin, and the colorways are:  Linen (beige), Conch (coral), and Marina (blue).
Needles:  US size 8
Modifications:  As previously mentioned, I changed the shade of blue to Marina (more of a turquoise, a color I love) instead of Surf, which is a lovely blue, but lighter in shade.  I wanted the color to pop more, to make it seem more summery.

(folded in half)

Notes:  I LOVE LOVE LOVE this shawl and this pattern!  It is also going to be the perfect thing for cool summer evenings (if there are any), and/or when the A/C is just making it way too cool as is the case in some places.

This is a fun and easy shawl to knit - mostly garter, but the stripes keep it interesting.  And the occasional lace panel needs you to concentrate, but only shows up three times, and is very straightforward (and I am a crummy lace knitter, so that means most lace knitters would think it was easy).  It goes quickly, because other than the lace, the pattern consists of only 2 pattern rows which are easily memorizable.  I had a lot of fun knitting this one!  It took me longer than it probably should have, for a couple of reasons:  a) there was a 10-day period when I didn't knit on any of my projects, because I just wasn't feeling it, and b) the CotLin could be hard on my hands when I would knit for too long, so at times I needed to take a day off to rest.

Of course, you could knit this in another yarn, but when I saw it, I decided that yes, I wanted a shawl for the summer, and CotLin is very reasonably priced, so it was a no-brainer.

Also, it fulfilled my desire to try and learn new things, as it has a picot bind off, which was a new thing for me.  It took me a few times to get started properly, but once it all clicked in my brain, I really liked it!

When we went out into the garden to take most of these photos, Hamlet had to be sure to remind anyone reading this that he was there as well.  😊

This is a project that just "hit" me when I saw the pattern (and I don't really remember where/how/why I came across it), and I'm glad I just let myself go with the flow and even actually buy some yarn!  It was worth every penny in the end, in that it was pretty inexpensive to knit, and the end result is just how I wanted it to be.

******

Tomorrow is of course the summer solstice here in the northern hemisphere, and I came across a poem the other day that I decided to post on my other blog.  I don't write there as often as here, though I am planning to change that, but in any case I shared the poem there yesterday, because I feel that it is something worth reading, given people's concerns about body types, and particularly wearing a swimsuit.  So I hope if you read it, I hope it gives you something to consider.

Have a wonderful weekend, and if you are someplace where summer is starting, I hope you find a way to keep cool!