Taken from kp and Lynn


You appear to be a Knitting Guru. You love knitting
and do it all the time. While finishing a piece
is the plan, you still love the process, and
can't imagine a day going by without giving
some time to your yarn. Packing for vacation
involves leaving ample space for the stash and
supplies. It can be hard to tell where the yarn
ends and you begin.
http://marniemaclean.com


What Kind of Knitter Are You?
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Who knew? I wouldn't call myself a guru, but I do love working with yarn daily and the vacation thing is right on...

Just a long ramble tonight...

I just walked Hobo. We walk every evening, usually after the kids go to sleep, sometimes after dinner if Luis isn't busy with a project. Tonight wasn't our longest walk (30 blocks), but it was our best time. 20 blocks in 22 minutes. Woohoo!

Today's science club activity was at a local state park - a tree walk, nature scavenger hunt and then a chromotography discussion. I even learned something, what makes the leave yellow/red/orange/purple/brown in the fall.

We had our first soup night of the fall yesterday. Soup night is when I make a couple of large batches of soup or chili and a bunch of bread, then we invite a bunch of interesting people over for dinner. Whoever can make it, comes, but we never have any idea what type of group will show up for sure. I tried cream of broccoli soup yesterday, and it was very good.

We picked up three more chickens last Friday. I didn't want to pay shipping, and I didn't want to get 2 month old birds this close to winter, so I found someone through the Backyard Chickens' board who lived about 1.5 hours away and had grown hens we could have. I picked up two Rhode Island Reds (1 year old) and a Brown Leghorn (6 months old) for myself, plus two birds for my friend P. Even with the stress of moving them, we've gotten two eggs every day so far. Can I just say that it is SO COOL to go out to the garage and come back with eggs? I can't wait for the others to start laying. One or two are very very close to being ready to lay, the others need to grow a little more still.

Abigail has her first Brownies meeting tomorrow night. She is very excited about the idea of Brownies. I hope the leader and the other girls are nice.

I have finished another pair of socks for Isabella. I've also almost finished the second sleeve on the cable weave sweater, but I've realized I do not have enough yarn for the neckline. I called the store I bought the yarn at (an hour away) and luckily they had some left. They are shipping it to me. I've also got one sleeve on my Rosemary's Sweater nearly complete. I've completely stalled on the Jig sweater. Maybe once I get some of the other projects actually finished, I'll be ready to pick that up again.

Swiped from Larissa

01. Bought everyone in the pub a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula.
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said 'I love you' and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Done a striptease
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Stayed up all night long, and watch the sun rise
15. Seen the Northern Lights
16. Gone to a huge sports game
17. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
19. Touched an iceberg

20. Slept under the stars
21. Changed a baby's diaper
22. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
23. Watched a meteor shower
24. Gotten drunk on champagne
25. Given more than you can afford to charity
26. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
27. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
28. Had a food fight
29. Bet on a winning horse
30. Taken a sick day when you're not ill (and really, who the hell hasn't done this?)
31. Asked out a stranger
32. Had a snowball fight
33. Photocopied your bottom on the office photocopier
34. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
35. Held a lamb
36. Enacted a favorite fantasy
37. Taken a midnight skinny dip
38. Taken an ice cold bath
39. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar

40. Seen a total eclipse
41. Ridden a roller coaster
42. Hit a home run
43. Fit three weeks miraculously into three days
44. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
45. Adopted an accent for an entire day
46. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
47. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
48. Had two hard drives for your computer
49. Visited all 50 states
50. Loved your job for all accounts
51. Taken care of someone who was shit faced
52. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
53. Had amazing friends
54. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country (Does Montreal Count?)
55. Watched wild whales
56. Stolen a sign
57. Backpacked in Europe
58. Taken a road-trip
59. Rock climbing

60. Lied to foreign government's official in that country to avoid notice
61. Midnight walk on the beach
62. Sky diving
63. Visited Ireland
64. Been heartbroken longer then you were actually in love
65. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
66. Visited Japan
67. Benchpressed your own weight
68. Milked a cow
69. Alphabetized your records
70. Pretended to be a superhero
71. Sung karaoke
72. Lounged around in bed all day
73. Posed nude in front of strangers
74. Scuba diving
75. Got it on to "Let's Get It On" by Marvin Gaye
76. Kissed in the rain
77. Played in the mud
78. Played in the rain
79. Gone to a drive-in theater

80. Done something you should regret, but don't regret it
81. Visited the Great Wall of China
82. Discovered that someone who's not supposed to have known about your blog has discovered your blog
83. Dropped Windows in favor of something better
84. Started a business
85. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
86. Toured ancient sites
87. Taken a martial arts class
88. Swordfought for the honor of a woman
89. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
90. Gotten married
91. Been in a movie
92. Crashed a party
93. Loved someone you shouldn't have
94. Kissed someone so passionately it made them dizzy
95. Gotten divorced
96. Had sex at the office
97. Gone without food for 5 days
98. Made cookies from scratch
99. Won first prize in a costume contest

100. Ridden a gondola in Venice
101. Gotten a tattoo
102. Found that the texture of some materials can turn you on (specifically, the underside of people's tongues. don't ask)
103. Rafted the Snake River
104. Been on television news programs as an "expert"
105. Got flowers for no reason
106. Masturbated in a public place
107. Got so drunk you don't remember anything
108. Been addicted to some form of illegal drug
109. Performed on stage
110. Been to Las Vegas
111. Recorded music
112. Eaten shark
113. Had a one-night stand
114. Gone to Thailand
115. Seen Siouxsie live
116. Bought a house
117. Been in a combat zone
118. Buried one/both of your parents
119. Shaved or waxed your pubic hair off

120. Been on a cruise ship
121. Spoken more than one language fluently
122. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone
123. Bounced a check
124. Performed in Rocky Horror
125. Read - and understood - your credit report
126. Raised children
127. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy
128. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
129. Created and named your own constellation of stars
130. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
131. Found out something significant that your ancestors did
132. Called or written your Congress person
133. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
134. ...more than once? - More than thrice?
135. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
136. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking
137. Had an abortion or your female partner did
138. Had plastic surgery
139. Survived an accident that you shouldn't have survived.

140. Wrote articles for a large publication
141. Lost over 100 pounds
142. Held someone while they were having a flashback
143. Piloted an airplane
144. Petted a stingray
145. Broken someone's heart
146. Helped an animal give birth
147. Been fired or laid off from a job
148. Won money on a T.V. game show
149. Broken a bone
150. Killed a human being
151. Gone on an African photo safari
152. Ridden a motorcycle
153. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100mph
154. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
155. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
156. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
157. Ridden a horse
158. Had major surgery159. Had sex on a moving train

160. Had a snake as a pet
161. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
162. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing
163. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
164. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
165. Visited all 7 continents
166. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
167. Eaten kangaroo meat
168. Fallen in love at an ancient Mayan burial ground
169. Been a sperm or egg donor
170. Eaten sushi
171. Had your picture in the newspaper
172. Had 2 (or more) healthy romantic relationships for over a year in your lifetime
173. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
174. Gotten someone fired for their actions
175. Gone back to school
176. Parasailed
177. Changed your name
178. Petted a cockroach
179. Eaten fried green tomatoes

180. Read The Iliad
181. Selected one "important" author who you missed in school, and read,
182. Dined in a restaurant and stolen silverware, plates, cups because your apartment needed them
183. ...and gotten 86'ed from the restaurant because you did it so many times, they figured out it was you
184. Taught yourself an art from scratch
185. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
186. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt
187. Skipped all your school reunions (not on purpose) ON PURPOSE!
188. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
189. Been elected to public office
190. Written your own computer language
191. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
192. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
193. Built your own PC from parts
194. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
195. Had a booth at a street fair
196: Dyed your hair
197: Been a DJ
198: Found out someone was going to dump you via LiveJournal
199: Written your own role playing game
200: Been arrested

Summer has wound down and life is back into full swing here. Art class, 4-H, homeschool gym, science club and playgroup, plus we are thinking about a dance class for both girls and girl scouts for Abigail. The kids are loving it, and I'm not feeling overwhelmed yet. Everything but girl scouts is during weekdays (the 4-H club and dance class are organized by homeschoolers), so weekends and evenings are still free. That makes such a huge difference imo. Not having to rush around during the evenings or weekends, being able to keep the weekends and evenings open for family time, that makes life seem more relaxed and open to me.

Since we have decided not to sell our house, I wanted to change the chicken coop and run. We ripped out the raspberries, since they haven't produced much the last few years anyways, and put the run there. This way I also get my 5th garden bed back. Then, Luis built a coop in part of the garage, and there are ramps that go up to the window from both the coop and the run. They have so much more space now, and I don't have to worry so much about them in the cold winter. We can just close the window of the garage to keep them in on the cold days, and there is electricity to put a light on a timer or plug in a heater if needed. Luis did an amazing job building it all.

Speaking of Luis, a teenager called him "sir" the other. He isn't coping with it well. ROFL

On the knitting front, I have been jumping projects like mad. The cable weave sweater is nearly done, about 1/3 of a sleeve is left along with the collar. I've finished a pair of socks for Isabella, and another sock up to the toe decreases. I've made Lynn's poncho for her as well, except for the furry fringe along the edges. I need her to try it on again in good light; I think the hood might be too short, as much as I'd hate to rip that out. I've done a little work on the stripey sweater, the Jig sweater and my Rosemary's sweater too. I need to focus on finishing some of these up! I want to cast on a heavy poncho for me and water bottle holder too, but I'm making myself wait until something is finished!

A Hobo finds a home

Hobo the dog has found a new home with us. He's an Australian Shepherd/Heeler mix that we recused from the Humane Society a few days ago. He was a stray, but we believe he had a home before. He seems to be housebroken, but not really trained well for sit, stay, etc. He's quite intelligent and has been learning qickly. He's a great dog, pretty calm and good with the kids. He does have a slight tendency to jump on Luis and me, particularly first thing in the morning, but is quick to stop when we say down. Vincent and Isabella are still somewhat nervous around him at times, but they are starting to relax. They really like him, it just makes them nervous when Hobo tries to smell them.

Here's our Hobo:

There is nothing like a good piece of pie. The way a truly flaky crust feels on the tongue. The contrast between the mellow crust and the burst of flavor that is the fruit. (The only real pies in my book are double crusted fruit pies. Creams, merigues, custards - those are just gussied up puddings and whatnot.) The smell that floats up as it bakes, that sweet spicy combination of sugar, fruit and nutmeg. The feeling of pride one gets when sharing a good pie with others. I love pie.

Pie lives in the shadow of the showier cakes. Cakes get all the events. Birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, retirements. They all have cake. Pie, on the other hand, is family gatherings and potluck dinners. It's sitting on the front porch on a cool summer evening, visiting with the neighbors as the kids ride bikes.

Cake may have claimed all of the milestones, but I think pie got the better end of the deal. Pie gets to be part of the true essence of living.

I've got two pies cooling and another in the oven. Why don't you come on over for a slice and chat awhile?

I can tell that we are emotionally invested in the house again. We are almost done repainting the bathroom, we finally bought the window glazing we've been meaning to all year, Luis has replaced all the old switches and I've been going to town in the garden. I moved the sage out of my veggie garden and into one of the flower beds. It was getting way too big for the veggie garden, and it looks so pretty that it does well in the flowers. The plants were both very large, but I'm happy to say they are doing well after the transplant. I was worried.

I've been ruthlessly ripping stuff out of the flower beds. There are plants I no longer wanted, or had too many off. I'm trying to find a home for three rose bushes that were here when we bought the place, but I don't want. I'm also collecting the calendula seeds faithfully. I have been letting it reseed itself, but I want to move the patch next year, so I need to collect. I'm going to fertilize the west flower bed heavily with compost this fall and put the tomatoes there next spring, so I have to rip out or most of the flowers there. I'm also going to put in a lot more lavender over there.

I'm really into gardening again now that I know I'll have this land longer.

A friend got married last weekend, and it was just the push that I needed to finish up my Cape sweater. It's a little wider than I had hoped, but still fits pretty good.

I'm zipping down the sleeve on my Rosemary's sweater finally. I decided to heck with it and used my 24" circ until I got down to the point where I can use dpns. I still need those size 8 dpns to finish up the sleeves on the two sweaters for the kids. These are driving me nuts. I also am planning a new sweater for Vincent in the gypsy cotton I have left over from last summer. I think I might have enough of the yarn left from the stipey sweater to do a second sweater (in wide stipes this time) or at least a poncho for Isabella. I made Abigail a poncho last year, and Isabella really really really wants one too.

I think we are going to take the house off the market. It's been really annoying getting ready for all of these showings for the last year with no result, and what with refinancing a few months ago, we wouldn't have all that much by getting a cheaper house, unless we go under $90K and even in this area that will get a you a house that needs some to a lot of work. So, I think we are just going to struggle through Luis' winter layoffs somehow and stay here for a few more years. Now that that's pretty much decided, I want to move where the chicken coop is, modify the garden, and plant some fruit trees. I figure if I get dwarf ones, I could fit one on the garden, one in the side backyard flower bed and one by the driveway or in the front. Of course, I need to price them out still to see if that would even be feasible.

Apparently I've reached a new level of hippie-freakdom. Our microwave died about 5 weeks ago, and we haven't replaced it. *gasp of horror* I thought people looked at me like I was weird for not watching TV. That's nothing compared to the looks one gets for not having a microwave. *shrug* It hasn't been inconvenient, except for me having to remember to get the butter out to soften before baking cookies. It's actually quite easy to heat things up on the stove or oven, and I love not having the micro on the counter.

Abigail lost two teeth yesterday, in addition to the one last week. Both of her front upper teeth are gone now, and one on the bottom. Her smile is too funny. She is lounging one the sofa right now reading Amelia Bedelia. I love Amelia Bedelia books!

Isabella got her first library card today. She was so proud when we all checked out our books on her card.

I packed away Vincent's diapers today, except for 3 for nighttime use. He's been dry 12 of the last 14 nights, so I suspect those three will be boxed up soon too.

I love fresh summertime meals. Tonight's dinner is corn on the cob and bruschetta, made from garden fresh tomatoes and basil on homemade french bread. Dessert is blueberry pie made with fresh berries. Mmmmmmmm

I bought a case of the blueberries this week and indivually froze them, then bagged in 4 c portions. That's the perfect amount for a pie or a double batch of blueberry muffins. We've got 26 c in the freezer and another 6 c in the fridge right now waiting to be snacked on or turned into something baked. I'm on a baking spree these days. I got a baking stone free from my pampered chef party and I'm LOVING it. I must get more. These things are incredible!

We took the boat out today on an aborted journey. The water pump went out about 3 minutes upstream. So, we got out the paddles and played, making the trip back last about an hour. :) It's just a little boat, nothing heavy, so it was fine to paddle around. Luis would throw a cushion life preserver in, and then the kids and I would paddle to it and one girl would try to hook it with a grabbing pole we keep in the boat. Repeat about 15 times. It was great fun and we never even missed the motor.

We had a pretty nice weekend. The country fair sponsored by Organic Valley was very interesting. We took a tour of one of their dairy farms. It was a lot like the farm I grew up on, rather than the more industrial type that we've always seen at the breakfast on the farm. It was really nice to be able to show Luis and the girls the "real" small family farm that I remember. We didn't actually get to attend any of the workshops or presentation because of helping out Lisa and John. John decided to go with Lisa to her presentation, so I covered their booth for them and Luis had the kids. However, I had some really neat conversations wih some people walking by and some of the vendors in the market, and I finally got the name of the contact person for the Viroqua Waldorf School holiday fair. I plan on participating in that this year if the booth rate is reasonable. Luis and the kids took the tour of Organic Valley's new headquarters. It's amazing how enviromentally responsible the building is - almost everything is recycled, energy efficient, etc. The more I learn about Organic Valley, the more I like them.

Vincent is well on his way to using the potty totally. He's been out of diapers for a week now, and he's doing great. He's still having some accidents, while wearing clothes particularly, but only one or two accidents a day. Saturday at the fair I was concerned because he'd be spending the entire day in clothes, but he didn't even have a single accident.

Vincent was diaper free yesterday. He used his little potty all day (with reminders from me, but twice he told me he had to go)and had only one accident in the afternoon. Hurray! It would be so nice to be done with diapers already.

I'm having a Pampered Chef party tonight. My friend and neighbor, Darla, is starting as a consultant. I hope it is a good one for her. I really want to help her make a go of this. She needs to quit doing daycare, and has high hopes for her PC business.

The stripey sweater is zipping along. It's a top down raglan, and I only need a few more inches of body. I ended up doing a lot of knitting yesterday.

It's been a while since I've done a long stream of conciousness ramble...

We went to dinner at the ILs last night.  It was a pretty good visit.  After dinner , instead of twiddling our thumbs we went for a walk to a nearby playground.  The kids had so much fun and the walk was really nice.  It gets so boring sitting in the ILs living room with nothing much to talk about and just watching the kids play for a couple of hours, so it was great to be outside and moving instead.

Our chickens are getting really close to laying.  Their combs have gotten larger, and the combs and wattles are getting quite red.  I can't wait for the first eggs!  I'm very glad we got the chickens.  Even without the eggs, they are a fun and low maintenence pet. 

Speaking of pets, we are babysitting our neighbor girl's fish this weekend.  LOL  The kids are thrilled, and love feeding it (three flakes for each girl and one for Vincent to give three times a day).  It's quite the pain to count out individual flakes, but we have to make it fair doncha know.  :D

We are going to our friends' cabin next weekend, and all going to the Kickapoo Country Fair sponsored by Organic Valley.  Lisa is doing one of the Sustainability Presentations, and John has to man a booth for their book, so we'll help out with Liam, their son.  It looks like it should be a fun day.

The Cable Weave sweater body is finished.  I love it!  I want one in my size!  I still need to do the sleeves, but that's on hold until I get some size 8 dpns.  I could work them in a magic loop way (even thought my circ isn't a super long one), but I'm really not fond of that.  Maybe I'm not getting the concept correctly or something, because I've not met anyone else who didn't like the magic loop.  I started on Isabella's stripey sweater yesterday.  It's a top down, in the round raglan, done in stripes of purple, yellow, pink and blue.  I'm randoming the stripe size, and debating if I'll random the order too. 

I so need to finish sewing up my Jagaer Cape sweater.  Two little seams and the neckline, and then it'll be done.  I'm not one who loves finishing, which is why this has languished.  I guess that's why I love designs that are worked in the round or the ones like Green Mountain Spinnery has that are done bottom up in the round, and then the shoulders are bound off together.  No seaming sounds great to me!

I've found a pick your own blueberries place about an hour away.  I want to go, but I want to know how much they charge and when they are open.  I've called three times in the last 2 weeks, and they haven't returned any one of my calls yet.  Argh.  I might just buy a case from Brennans (a local fruit/veggie, cheese and wine store) if they don't call soon.

Our local farmer's market moved up to the square.  It's closer now, and we are always up on the square, so I'm actually getting up there.  It's good stuff, very cheap, and everyone I've bought from so far doesn't use chemicals ("those are too expensive" they say when I ask).  Can't go wrong with that! 

Goodness, but I am up waaaay too late tonight.  Luis was home by noon today due to all of the rain we had here, so he decided today was the day to reformat the computer.  He's been wanting to do this forever, and he finally did.  Oh my gosh, how scary is reformatting???

He put in a new operating system (windows XP) with profiles for each of us and the kids.  Now he won't worry about the girls messing something up when they play nickjr.com.  He also got me a new version of Outlook. I can actually use my address book again, woohoo!  Somehow he messed up our old Outlook last fall, and I was never able to get into the address book again.   HOWEVER, he didn't back up our bookmarks correctly, so I have lost alllllllll of my bookmarks.  ARGH.  All the knitting patterns I had saved, all the birth and breastfeeding site, all the homeschooling resources, everything is gone.  Talk about frustrating.  I must say, though, that if he had to lose something in the process, the bookmarks were not a horrible thing to sacrifice.  Much better to lose those than my pbk stuff or emails I needed. 

On the knitting front, the Galaway Sweater is zipping along.  I'm having so much fun knitting this one that I just can't seem to put it down.  The front is completed up to the neckline, and the one side is finished.  I just need to finish the other shoulder now, and then do the sleeves and neckline.  I'm going to have to commit on a neck pretty soon.  Welts or ribbing - which will it be?

I've taken the plunge and am creating my own sweater out of the Galaway yarn.  I'm doing a pullover, working in the round from the bottom up.  The bottom has a slight rolled hem (I love those on kids sweaters) with an inch of ribbing, then is straight stockinette.  At the armhole divide, I did a garter stitch ridge, added some stitches and began the texture.  It's a cable weave pattern that is absolutely gorgeous.  I took it off a sweater in the Green Mountain Spinnery book that I love.  It will have a simple crewneck, but I'm still debating if it'll be welt like in that sweater, or if I'll do a plain ribbing to coordinate with the hem. 
 
I cast on too many stitches when I started, so Vincent will get this sweater, but not until Abigail and Isabella have had their turns.  :)  It will be the perfect size for Abigail for winter this year.  I have the bottom completely done, and I only need about 1" more of the cable pattern in the upper back.  I can't believe how good it looks.  This yarn really shows the texture nicely, and the dark red it lovely.  It will look so good on all three kids, and it's a classic, unisex style so I know they will all be able to wear it. 

We took the girls to the dentist for the first time. I was positive Isabella had a cavity or two. Two of her top teeth chipped when the teeth under them came in back when she was about 1. We've been keeping an eye on them, and they were darker in the back than the rest. A couple of weeks ago, she mentioned it hurt to eat meat, so we took her in to get them checked and to get Abigail her first checkup too. Given Isabella's nervous personality, we weren't sure how this would go.

It was great! The hygenist was fabulous with them both, and both enjoyed it. While her teeth are badly chipped and worn, there are no cavities. Talk about a relief. Both she and Abigail got their pictures taken for the "No Cavity Club". :D They think they are pretty cool stuff now.

Our library is doing a really great summer reading program, with both a program for keeping track of how much you read and weekly events. Abigail is really into it. She has been going to the events and having a blast. This week is Gold Rush week, so they'll be panning for gold and learning about rocks.

Time for a little knitting update today...

My Cape sweater is nearly done. All of the pieces are knit, one sleeve is attached and one side is completely sewn. I just have to attach the remaining sleeve, sew up the side and do the collar. It looks really nice; I love the olive-sage color.

I've started a new project, also one from Jaeger. This one is using Jaeger Aqua, a really nice mercinized cotton, in a mahogany brown color. It's called Jig, and it's a rib (6x2x2x2) rather mock turtleneck. I think it's going to take a while to do, what with the ribbing and being 6 sts to the inch. It's something I'll wear for years though.

The latest pair of socks in the Fortissima Colori Mexico Demin are complete. I'm nearly out of sock yarn! Ack!

I bought some Galaway wool this weekend to do a sweater for Vincent. It's a dark red color, and I think it would make a really nice crewneck sweater with cables. The only problem is that I can't find a pattern for what I'm thinking of. I'm thinking of adapting one, taking a pattern I have for a simple crewneck and putting cables on the upper chest like an adult sweater I like from the Green Mountain Spinnery book. Do I feel brave enough for such an undertaking????? If not, I'll probably do a modifcation of ribbed sweater from Debbie Bliss' Cotton Knits for All Seasons or a cabled jacket from the same book. This yarn is screaming for texture.

My Rosemary's Middle Sweater (Green Mountain Spinnery pattern) is coming a little farther along. The body is completely finished, so now I need to either buy the Denise set of needles or a 16" size 9 circular to finish the arms.

I did up a cute little stripey hat for the baby of one of my sister's friends. It's in Jaeger Aqua, a slate blue and sage green striped pattern, and has a little I cord topknot at the top. It's just darling.

I need to start planning some new sweaters for the girls for this winter too. I have this purple marl sweater I did last year for Isabella that she has outgrown. The color is just a little too girlish for me to keep it for Vincent, and I have more of the yarn, so I do think I'll frog the thing and reknit a larger one for this year, sizing it with some growing room this time! I'm rethinking a sweater for Abigail too. I have some of this Reynold's Gypsy to use up. I knit her a sweater with it last year, but I still have tons, and the sweater from last year shrunk up funny. It's also rather heavy. I need to come up with a lighter sweater with this yarn. It's supposed to be worsted weight, but I might work with it at 18 or 16 sts/4" instead to get a lighter, more airy sweater.

We had the best weekend. First some background. Our friends, Lisa and John of the cabin, got married 8 years ago. At their wedding, people were having a great time and asking when they were going to get together again. Lisa and John said "Come out to the farm for July 4th weekend." The Reunion, as they call it, was born. For 8 years, an eclectic group of people, many of whom had never met before this, have been gathering at Lisa and John's farm for a few days around July 4th. They have had as many as 65 people there, sleeping anywhere they could or camping around the farm. The mix of people varies each year, with new people coming or old people missing.

We have gone out for various activities prior years, potluck or tie dying. This year we went out on Friday with the camper and stayed through Monday afternoon. It was an amazing weekend. We'd met some of the people before, but got to know them a little better this weekend, and met many new people as well. There were probably about 35 people there, all walks of life. There were kids from baby through 12 years old, and a community of people to keep an eye on them and play. John had gotten a wagon of straw bales for the express purpose of building forts for the kids (later to go into the garden). Water balloons were flying and squirt guns were shooting. The big project was putting a composting toilet into their barn. Saturday was rainy all afternoon and evening, so the normal drive in movie was out, but we all gathered in the greenhouse and cantina for good conversation. Sunday was the potluck, tie dying, knitting circle and martini bar. :) Some musicians came out play outdoors during the potluck. It was such a great atmosphere. I haven't had that much adult conversation time in years!

We can't wait to go back next year. :)

It's our 9th wedding anniversary today. 9 years. It seems like just yesterday; it's not possible that it's been that long! 14 years and 2 weeks since our first day. Wow. I guess I'm not 22 anymore, eh?

I'm having a fireworks sale at Peanut Butter Kisses. 20% off all outdoor play toys, Woodkins and dollhouses, plus all organic cotton bedding, pillows and mattresses. Stop on by if you need anything, or pass the word to a friend! :)

Well that was a mistake. I browsed around yaaps. I had left there last fall after the Halloween candy and trick or treating thread was my final straw, but would still visit occasionally to read and keep up with certain people's lives. Somebody stop me! I just wasted far too much time reading the current thread there about the cost of eating healthy and about unschooling. I find the grad school condescendion of certain posters to be irritating and frustrating beyond belief, and the complete thickheadedness of others to make me want to bash my head into a wall. The unschooling thing gets rehashed about what, once a year? It's always the same thing, Robin (along with a few others) saying what she believes and most everyone else acting like she's passing some sort of judgement upon their life choices and invalidating their children's learning experiences. Puhleeze, how about just archiving the thread and bumping it up for everyone to read once a year? As for the healthy food thread, people make the choices they think are right. Everyone has different beliefs they hold to different degrees. Someone who thinks that non organic foods or those grown in evironmentally irresponsible ways are lesser foods are entitled to their opinions.

For me, things like this illustrate the limitations of internet societies. They are why I've been withdrawing from the online world and taking a more acive role in the real world. People have things they feel passionate about; everyone has their BIG issues. If I feel passionate about healthy eating, it doesn't mean I am passing judgement on those who do not. If I feel passionate about homebirth, I'm not passing judgement on those who have chosen to birth in a hospital. Conversely, I have a responsibility to realize that people who are passionate about things I'm not are not judging me or invalidating my experiences. They have simply made different choices, and I have a responsibility not to get defensive and read into their words. If people are able to discuss these issues calmly, without defensive "But my kids do that too" or similar comments, they can really learn the other point of view and come to a true understanding. I think this is something that plays out better in the real world. We have friends who are passionate about conserving the earth's resources. Sure, we reuse and recycle, but nowhere to the extent of these friends. Yet we can all go to a fair and not feel judged for using the disposable plates provided when our friends pull out their picnicware.

Is this making any sense? I've lost my point in this ramble.

Geez, not only have I wasted my time reading these long conversations, now I've just wasted it by writing about and wasted your time reading this. Time to turn off the computer and go weed the garden. We are having an impromptu picnic this afternoon with the HS'ing group that I've been working to organize. Should be a fun time!