Month: July 2007

Ivy’s baby quilt is finished!

This really has been a most pleasurable project from start to finish.  Now all that’s left is the label, but that will have to wait until she is actually born.  Since we will be there in Orlando, I’m going to have to figure out a way to design most of it here, add in the stats after her birthday and print it out onto fabric there.  I’ve already picked out the Bible verse for the the label: "I know the plans I have for you saith the Lord.  Plans for good and not for evil, for a hope and a future."  These words were written by Jeremiah to relay God’s message to the nation of Israel.  They embody perfectly my hopes and dreams for Ivy.

The little sweater set is coming along too.  The sweater is all done except for the neckband, sewing the underarm seams and darning what seems to be an awful lot of ends for a one color sweater!

Once the cap is done I can start picking up some languishing projects, such as Forest Path and the finishing of Abby’s sweater.  Hmmm – any chance I can get that done before our trip?

On Monday I was getting ready to go off to an evening meeting and decided to wear my snappy new sandals:

Notice something not quite right?  I’m wearing wool socks.  In July.  Even for the Pacific Northwest that just doesn’t seem fittin’.

This morning I started a new audio book (Family Tree by Barbara Delinsky) while on the treadmill.  I got this from the library because the plot sounded interesting:  A young woman is raised by a single mom and never knows her father.  She marries into a snobby wealthy family that is thrown into turmoil when she gives birth to a child with distinctively African American features.  She then goes searching for the father she has never known.  Imagine my delight when, in the first chapter, the author establishes that the main character is not only a knitter, but an obsessed one as well!!  She has a disagreement with her husband over how much yarn is appropriate for a 24 hour hospital stay.  She says, "But what if I run out?"  Ah, a woman after my own heart.  Her in-laws are also a little put off by all of the intricate baby items she has knitted because they are not from Neiman Marcus.  She even discusses her stash.  I think this is going to be a great read!

Off to a fun picnic today – our knitting group hosts the group from the adjacent island.  It’s lots of food, fun and great show and tell.  And the door prize is the knitting tote I made, so I’m anxious to see how it’s received.  Toodles!

We interrupt our regularly scheduled knitting, sewing, etc. to bring you:

Or at least that was the way it was going to work.  I planned to put all needlework aside this week while I read.  As it turns out, I sat down to read at 4:00 p.m. yesterday and finished about 24 hours later.  And yes, I did sleep – a full 8 hours as a matter of fact.  It’s been a long time since I read a book that was so intriguing that I couldn’t put it down.  No spoilers here, but the end was heartbreaking yet satisfying and will not please everyone.  Anyone who wishes may email me privately to discuss, but I won’t reveal the ending.  Except for my eagerness to find out the ending, I was really, really sorry for this book to end.  At first I thought that the book was way too adult for Harry’s followers, but it occurred to me that those children that started off with the first book are now in their teens.  My advice to parents out there with younger children would be start them with the first book, but try to parcel them out to one a year so that by the time they get to the later ones they have matured a little.

Three days in Seattle have satisfied my desire for city life for another year or two!  I’ve decided that cities are exciting and fascinating but also hold so much ugliness and sheer craziness!  Seattle certainly has its share of odd characters and I am so grateful for my ordinary if boring life.  The convention was interesting, with some enjoyable classes.  And there was enough down time that I did get knitting accomplished:

Body and sleeves are now joined and the yoke is started.  As I’m decreasing every other row, I am on the home stretch.  With a little over 6 weeks to go, I am in good shape for finishing all baby knitting and quilting with time to spare.  I hope this will be my last week working five days and life will get back to normal by next week.

Earlier this week we awoke to this lovely lady in our front yard:

It was raining and apparently she found shelter under the overhanging trees.  She was sleeping soundly when hubby first opened the curtains and stayed there for about an hour.

Once again, I have not fallen off the face of the earth.  I’ve just been working, working, working.  I don’t know how all of you out there who work 5 days a week do it.  I feel as if all I do is go to work and then try to catch up on the weekends.  In the evenings I have a choice as to whether I knit or blog.  Clearly knitting wins out because if I didn’t knit I wouldn’t have anything to blog about, but I don’t have time to blog, so it doesn’t really matter anyway!  And for some reason, every weekend since I’ve started this work schedule, I’ve had to go off island for something or another.  Sigh!  Let’s just say that all of the extra money I’m making has gotta go for something really nice to make me feel better.

I really feel kind of blah, too, but I think weariness plays into that a lot.  I miss my Fridays when I get to "play" and refresh.  This too shall pass and with any luck the employee I’m subbing for will be back soon.  I would not trade with her for anything – she had back surgery yesterday and the day before that her father passed away.  My heart really goes out to her and I hope she has a speedy recovery despite a heavy heart.

Ok, so enough whining.  During my spare time I’m been doing a lot of quilting.  All of the hand quilting on Ivy’s quilt is now done and only the binding to do!  I need a block of time to work on that so I don’t rush through and mess things up at the end, so that will probably have to wait at least another week.  The first sleeve on the sweater set is done and the second started.  This week I’m going to Seattle for the Pacific Northwest Dental Convention.  I know, you’re all jealous.  I’m kind of kicking myself for signing up.  It’s not required, but now that my boss has paid my way, I’m committed.  But it is paid time and a nice chance to bond with our staff.  Four of us have gotten hotel rooms so we don’t have to drive back and forth.  Friday afternoon I will take the bus over to Kirkland and meet up with my sister, who hopes to convince me to stay up until midnight and go with her to Barnes & Noble and pick up the new Harry Potter.  I think her chances are about 50-50.  The next day we’re going to the Pacific Science Center to watch the new Harry Potter on Imax.  So, a fun but exhausting week in store.

Today Abby sent me an email proving just how extremely intelligent Izzy is!  She was pointing out her nose, mouth etc. to Ben in English and then turned around and did the same thing to Abby in Chinese – apparently without prompting.  She knows which language to use with which parent!  How very, very clever.  Now she’ll just have to figure out the grandparent thing.  Although Abby’s parents speak a lot more English than we do Mandarin.

I leave you with this cutie – a little corner design done on some fleece.  I think these would make cute receiving blankets and am contemplating doing some up for our local Pregnancy Care Center.  What do you guys think is a nice size for a receiving blanket?  The fleece is 58" wide and if I make them just a hair under 30" square, I could get four out of a little over a yard and a half of fleece.

I’m on sleeve island, and believe me, it’s a teeny tiny little place:

This one’s almost done, then the second, join together and knit the yoke.

Yesterday hubby and I drove up to Bellingham to visit with his uncle who recently had surgery and of course, there was time to go by Marilyn’s.  Sadly the store is closing, but happily there is a liquidation sale going on.  It’s been going on for several weeks, so I was doubtful that I would score anything good.  I had hoped to find some laceweight yarn, but the only thing left were some single skeins of Zephyr in some odball colors.  However, much to my surprise I came away with this:

Well, actually more than that – that’s just a sampling of the colors.  There is enough for a vest for me out of the rose, a sweater for hubby out of the grey and a sweater for me out of the blue.  I was very, very happy!  I’ve so been wanting some Silky Wool and I can’t believe I got the colors I wanted on sale.  I’m going to be very disciplined (yes, you heard it here first) and wait until baby knitting and quilting is over before starting anything.  I should wait until October because I’m going to be taking a class with Elsebeth Lavold!  She is coming to AnaCrossstitch in Anacortes.  I do feel a little guilty – I’m taking three weeks off to go to Orlando, then I come back, work one day and take a day off for the class.  But work is just going to have to deal with it – this may be a once in a lifetime chance.

Speaking of work, I’m getting more than my share of hours this month.  For the past 20 years I’ve worked a four day work week and I really like it.  But this month we are short handed and I’ve been working five days.  I do not like it!  That extra day means a lot more free time.  And I’ve realized that that extra day is also my "alone" time.  Fridays are usually spent puttering around the house and in my sewing room.  Hubby and I check in several times a day, but he is usually puttering in his shop.  I find that I treasure that time that I’m not around people.  I’ve heard that there are two types of people – those that are energized by being around others and those that are energized by time spent alone.  I am definitely one of the latter.  At the end of the month I’ll be ready to crawl into a hole and not come out for awhile!

                                                         

                                                       HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!

Our town really knows how to throw a Fourth of July parade!

There were flags:

There were jets:

There were pirates,

queens,

and yes, even knitting:

There was even this handsome guy who showed up and circled the parade staging area five minutes before the parade began:

What could have been more perfect?

Life has been pretty busy here at Missouri Star, but knitting (other than sock knitting while waiting around) has been accomplished.  I am up to the underarm on Ivy’s new born set and now need to start some itty bitty sleeves before joining them for the yoke.  I even picked up Forest Path and have almost finished Tier 17.  I figured I’d better work on it now and then so I don’t forget all the little tricks that help make it work.

Back to the grind tomorrow.  Hope everyone had a safe and happy celebration.