Memorial Day 2016

Four things support the world:  the learning of the wise, the justice of the great,

the prayers of the good, and the valor of the brave.

-- Muhammad

May God bless them every day, and smile upon them especially today.

Five Favorites for This Friday

Believe it or not, it's the Friday of Memorial Day weekend.  I always find this time of year difficult, because I am not a fan of summer, though I do enjoy going to the beach.  But I strongly believe that it should not in any way be 90+ degrees and humid already, especially when it's still only May!  I hate that when it's July or August, but at least then I tell myself that's how those months are supposed to be.  I like Memorial Day weekends when it's great to be outside but not miserable.  And then June eases you into summertime.  Clearly I live in a fantasy world.

We had plans to go to WV for the weekend, as we often do on Memorial Day, to get together with family and have a ridiculous time.  But Dug is not doing all that great (he's having a particularly severe arthritis flare up), so we changed our plans to staying home and making our own fun.  And though it would have been a wonderful trip, having a long weekend with no obligations is also something we know we'll enjoy.  We already made plans to go out to breakfast one day, have our own picnic, and things like that.  Lemonade, people.  Lemons go into our tea here.  :-)

Anyway, I realize that it's been a long time since I've done a Friday favorites, so here is my Memorial Day Summer Kickoff Five Favorites for this Friday.

1.  Family.  I am always grateful for my family, immediate and extended.  But every single person has been understanding, concerned, and supportive of our decision to stay home, and is holding good thoughts for Dug.  And in our own little family, we are all happy to be able to spend time together and enjoy each other.  Life is fleeting, and though I had to learn that lesson at a young age in a way I wish did not have to be, I'm glad that it's made me aware of it ever since.  Whenever I remember that life is short for all of us and having someone, anyone, to love and love you is the point, I feel better about things in general.

2.  Cool nights that are pleasant for sleeping.  Being able to comfortably sleep with the windows open, and maybe even having to pull up the sheet over you at some point is one of the things I like best about warmer weather.

3.  Our CSA.  We signed up for the same farm share program as last year, and we got our first pick-up yesterday.  Fresh strawberries, asparagus, spinach, radishes, eggs, salad greens, and fresh cheese - it doesn't get much better than that!

4.  Planning our picnic.  There's a better than 99 percent chance it will be in the house, but planning the goodies is part of the fun of anticipating the holiday if you ask me.

5.  Bicycles.  The other day when The Tim was not working, he was nice enough to take my bike to the local shop for a tune-up.  (He rides his in all weather; I ride in nice weather only.)  I'd wanted to do it for weeks, but it has been so rainy, I just didn't get around to it.  So now my bike is ready to go whenever I am!  I love to ride, and want to try to increase my distance over the summer if I can.  There are so many great places to ride right around here, and even if it's too hot later in the day, the weekend early mornings are usually nice enough to get in a good long ride.

So there you have it.  As  the saying goes, the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry ... but in our house, we just go with a new plan!  I hope your plans whatever they are, go the way you would like.  I hope you have at least five favorites that you can think about.  And I hope that whether you have a long weekend or not, that it's a good weekend anyway.  

Because here comes summer, no matter what!  :-)

Knitting Does Still Happen Here You Know

Hello and Happy Saturday!  I hope you are enjoying your weekend.  I'm taking a little break at the moment, and thought I'd go ahead and write a post.  This morning I did some running around, attempting to get a few things accomplished since we will be away next weekend.  I was slightly successful, but didn't do as much as I'd like since it started raining.  Not pouring, but just enough to make being outside, even with an umbrella, slightly unpleasant.

Anyway, as the title of the post says, knitting does still happen here.  I keep looking at others' blogs, and they seem to get so much more knitting finished than I do.  It doesn't bother me really, since I knit for fun, not as a contest, but I tend to take a while to actually complete a project.  But I have one to show you today, and not only is it an FO, but it is a Christmas gift, so I consider that a two-fer!

I think I've mentioned that I had a plan to make each of my niece's husbands a Turn A Square hat for Christmas.  It's a pattern that I have made a few times, for The Tim, and he loves the resulting hats.  He's also had a lot of compliments on them.  

So here is the first of three, for my nephew-in-law (?) Patrick.  He is an attorney, so I was thinking something a bit classic, color-wise.  Here's the finished hat from the side:

and from the top:

I'm very pleased with the result, and am also more than pleased to already have a holiday gift ready.  If you haven't tried this pattern, you should. It knits up quickly, and there are an infinite number of possibilities for color combinations and stripes.

Details:

Project:  Pat P's Turn a Square Hat

Pattern:  Turn a Square by Jared Flood/Brooklyn Tweed

Needles:  US 5 and 7 

Yarn:  Berocco Vintage, Denim and Dove

Modifications:  Since I used a regular long-tail cast on, I didn't need the third needle size the pattern mentions. I did use the jogless stripe method, and otherwise, knit the pattern as written.  

For the record, the colors are more navy blue and light charcoal gray - its darker in real life than in my washed-out photos.

I think rather than go ahead and start another one of these right now, I'll work on one of the things I want to make for my nieces.   That way - at least in theory - I won't get sick of either thing right away, since I'm making multiples.

And now I'm off to get a few things done around the house (exciting stuff like laundry!), and enjoy the rest of my weekend  I hope yours is good as well.

Mixed Bag Meme

Kathy's meme this week was truly a mixed bag.  Which makes it all the more fun.  Here are my answers, since I enjoy playing long so much (and frankly, was not in the mood to do a Ten on Tuesday with today's topic).  

Are you surprised I'm knitting lace with Big Yarn?

Yes and no.  I know lace can give Kathy fits, but I also know from personal experience that knitting a lace pattern with big yarn can be a whole 'nother story.  The only lace project I ever knit and finished successfully was with bulky yarn.

What's your favorite toenail polish color for summer?

I almost always go for reds and pinks.  Last summer when I splurged on a pedicure, they had a bottle of Essie Watermelon color and it it just seemed so summery.  I may splurge this year and buy a bottle for myself, you never know.

What do you do with an odd leftover knitted sock?

I can't say this has ever come up.  However, on occasion when a store-bought pair of socks has one sock that dies, I have been known to take the other and make it into a catnip toy for the kitlets.

Have you ever had lice?

No, thank God!  

Have you ever had a tick?

See above.  But I am very conscientious with how I dress when I go into areas where they might be, and also spray repellent all over me, and check thoroughly when I get home.  So clearly I am aware that it could happen.

Are you afraid of needles?

Nope.  My life would be extremely difficult and terrifying if I were!

Knitting: Who are some of you favorite pattern makers?

Oh wow, there are so many.  I shall name the first three that come to mind:  Kate Davies,  Thea Colman (Baby Cocktails), and Hunter Hammersen.  (They are the ones on my Ravelry page I have most recently perused.)

*****

In other news that I must brag about, my sister and brother-in-law recently received the very first Clean Energy Award from the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection for their work on the First State Capitol.  My brother-in-law's law firm bought the building a few years ago for their offices, and as part of the renovations, it is now completely solar-powered, while remaining a historical landmark.  They are not just two of my favorite people (in the middle in this photo), but they are two people who walk the walk, so to speak.  I'm really proud of them!

Last Saturday's Adventure

Last Saturday, bright and early (well, overcast and early), I got on the bus rented by Loop to go to the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival.  I had spent all week hoping it wouldn't be a rainy day, since it was a really rainy week, and it poured rain here on Friday.  Saturday it was overcast and misty, but as we got closer and closer, the sun actually showed up.

So, no it wasn't rainy.  But wow was it muddy!  It made me glad that - after much indecision and angst about what to wear - I wore my hiking boots.  The mud was the kind you sink into, and there were still some major puddles around.  But it was not too cool, and not too hot, and didn't rain the whole day, so that all worked out.

I didn't buy any yarn.  I decided beforehand that unless I saw something that I could only get there, and that amazed me, I wasn't going to spend the money.  I saw lots of really lovely yarn, but none that fell into that category.  I did buy some buttons, and a teensy felted gnome, as well as a couple of antique prints I want to frame.  Never fear though - everyone else on the bus seemed to have bought enough yarn to make up for what I didn't get!

It was a fun day, mostly because I love seeing all of the animals.  I'm sure you have seen variations of this on other blogs, so I decided to put my animal pictures together into one big one.

I always find the guy who makes brooms fascinating to watch.

And these needle felted items were amazing - look at the R2D2!

And then the booth where the artist makes whimsical pictures involving animals.  This was my favorite one for this year, called "Kilts on Stilts."

It's always a treat as well to see what everyone is wearing - both handknits and otherwise.  I have to say, I didn't see nearly as many "interesting" outfits this year as I have in other years, but I did see some really beautiful things that people were obviously wearing to show off.

My very favorite though was this sheep, who reminded me of Dug.  Not only did he come to the fence to see everyone, but if you petted him at all, he leaned into you.  My friend Andrea took this picture of the two of us, and it's one of my favorite pictures ever.

When I posted this picture on Facebook, one of my sisters commented that it looked like we were soul mates. :-)

It had been a couple of years since I'd been able to go to Maryland Sheep and Wool, and I think I enjoyed it even more as a result.

Who cares about mud and puddles when you are having such a good time?