(tink, tink-glass being tapped)...Can I have your attention?

Today, I would like to announce...schools out for summer....schools out forever...ok, not forever, but almost a full six weeks of summer vacation for moi. How will I make it until 2 pm? What will I do with myself once 2pm hits...let's see.

1. Go to the library
2. Stop at Safeway for my no cook Friday family meal (Chinese takeout or chicken wings from deli)
3. Work on Remembering Honey
4. Read Full Bloom by Janet Evanovich while knitting on Remembering Honey
5. Take a bit of time to work on Satchel
6. Stay up late
7. Sleep in tomorrow
8. Play with Bloglines some more...I'm always behind the times
9. Catch up at the Knitty Coffeeshop
10. Read tons of blogs, getting absolutely no knitting done...but leaving comments for all those great knitters out there to know how much fun I have and enjoy reading about their projects and what's happening in their lives
11. Tell DD#1 to study some more for her written drivers license test
12. Have lunch with Mary next Friday
13. Go to Fibers Etc. after said lunch with Mary
14. Have lunch with Cindy and pickup seedling heating pad for my greenhouse she scored for me...free too.
and so on and so on and so on.
Happy Friday to you all.

Progress on Honey and how about a Satchel

Five days into Remembering Honey and I'm getting the back done. Yeah. I managed a few inches last night while finishing off yet another Janet Evanovich book. She's a light hearted, quick to read author that keeps me laughing and highly entertained. Picked up another one of her books today at the library and will start reading it tonight while I also start another project...the Satchel pattern from Knitty.com. I love my BagSmith...it's lovely, but at times I love a messanger style bag too...to hold just my wallet, cell phone and knitting. I never carry my checkbook with me...so I don't need much. I have two skeins each of a dark green, a rusty orange and one skein of dark red of Paton's Merino Wool to knit this up in. I LOVE fall colors, so this bag will reflect that. I'll just do some interesting stripes or something to incorporate all the yarn.

Blue buyou....

After a practice top two nights ago, here is a much better attempt. I've read you should do a mock up in muslin...I just did it in a $1 a yard calico. Well, the mock up has come and gone and I'm ready to sew this little top up in the Japanese Linen Print next.


I love the button closure on this top...easy to do and I get to use up my antique buttons to boot.

It's nice to sew up a little top to go with a sweater or shrug, don't you think?

My project picks for July

Getting up at 4:30 a.m. after DH leaves for work, being ready for work myself by 5:00 a.m. affords me time to surf the web and go through magazines...and lookie what I found.

From IK Spring 2006, these will, fingers crossed, be my enteries for the Pierce County Fair. The Trellis Scarf by Evelyn A. Clark (I see every year at Ft. Worden Knitting Retreat in November) and the Simply Lovely Lace Socks by Karen Baumer.

I have enough laceweight KnitPicks to make...oh, let's say, a dozen of the Trellis Scarves, so I might as well make one for myself. Lots of sock yarn in the stash too...so the lace socks should be a kick. (yes, punn intented).

Didn't knit much yesterday, but I did sew up a practice shirt last night...made the mistakes one makes when one does not read the pattern carefully. I did cut out another shirt and will start on that tonight. I have some beautiful japanese print linen that I purchased for this pattern, but need perfection on the fitting before I cut into my $10 a yard purchase.

When I did knit, it was between 10 - 10:30 pm last night. It was too hot to sleep, even with the AC going, I wasn't ready to shut down the ol' body. Probably an inch of St St was turned out...today is Ortho for K, so I should get another inch or so done before the decreasing for the waist.

Off to work...yep...only four days left.

Remembering Honey - IK Spring 2003

Here I go...my next project on the needles. Remembering Honey by Leigh Radford from the Interweave Knits Spring 2003 issue. Elizabeth from A Mingled Yarn knit this beauty up and I thought I would follow suit. The lace edging of the sleeves are done and I plan to start on the back, knit the front and then finish off the sleeves last. Stitches are picked up from the lace cuff, so I'll wait till the end. Doing the lace cuffs first gave me a feeling that I am making progress...I get so annoyed that I knit so slow compared to others...probaby because I throw instead of pick when doing straight knitting. I pick and throw when doing Fair Isle...it's goes so quick.


I am using a cotton in a "honey" color I purchased from Elann.com. I love the yarns I have purchased from them so far and the cotton has been a lovely fiber to work with on the very warm day here in Washington State.

Speaking of hot, I decided to make two pumpkin pies and a terriyaki roast w/rice for dinnner. Not the best day for baking, but since I did all of my chores this morning, I can sit and stay cool while I knit.

Veste Everest = Finished

Project Stats:
Pattern: Veste Everest by Veronik Avery, Interweave Knits Fall 2005 (pg. 64)
Yarn: Peruvian Collection Highland Wool, 8 skeins
Needles Used: Size 4 & 7 US
Started: May 26, 2006
Finished: June 24, 2006

5 jars of Cherry-Strawberry Jam and 2 hours of knitting to goooooooo

Having finished making up the Cherry-Strawberry Jam today, laundry washed and hung up on the line, time to go finish the armhole ribbing on my vest.

Finished the neck ribbing, had to rip back after bindoff when I noticed a few stitches were off (those ktbl, ptbl stitches getcha every time). The woodsmoke from the bonfire and the darkness did not help to get it all done last night...but I'm good to go now.

Turkey breast w/orange cranberry sauce, carrots, yams and biscuits w/fresh jam for dinner tonight. Yum.

Nearly done

Ah...it feels good to be on the blocking phase of my Veste Everest. With the dry, warm weather now here, the pieces should dry up nicely so I can get it put together and the ribbing on it knit up.

Six more working days to go till my summer break. Chuga-chuga-chuga...

Ever so quiet...

you could hear a pin drop in the house. J and A are out and about...summer nights, oh what fun. K is on the computer, with darling stepdad on his computer, shooting each other out in some WWII game online. K is all about military...loves uniforms and camo. K is a girl...K is starting to use the word "pretty". K, my baby.

Other than that...I'm on the neck and armhole shaping of my Veste Everest. I am still planning to have this done by the 26th. I've been a good knitter, not starting any other knitting projects until I get this done. I have been reading though...how can I pass up this wonderful, not very often, quiet time in the house...

Nine more work days till I'm free...free to stay home and do nothing but garden, put up preserves, read books, knit and drink coffee. Ahhhhh, in the summertime....

Class of 2006

My son, J, is the Class of 2006. Graduation is tomorrow. OMG, I'm feeling old...about to start crying...PMS...Calgon, take me away. Will need to take boxes of tissue with me to keep from flooding the Tacoma Dome.

On a less soppy note, today was the last school day for the 2005-2006 school year. I have eleven work days left and I'm on my summer holiday. Yeah! A hard and trying year. I can only hope it gets better from now on. August, J and I will be heading up for an overnight stay at his college. Not only does this quaint, little college town have a great college, but FOUR yarnshops. What more can a mother ask for.

Still plugging away on my Veste Everest. I have two more repeats of the 14 row stitch pattern, then I can start my decreases for the neck and arm areas. Think anyone will notice me if I am knitting during the down times of graduation. Ok, I'll leave it at home. :)

Veste Everest...

Here's the back...still needs to be blocked, but will most likely wait till I seam up as the shoulders are three needle.

BBQ invite called in this afternoon...I ran to Safeway for a few pounds of Red, White and Blue Potato salad, too late to be making up something.

Put up 11 half pints of strawberry perserves. Will grab another flat, maybe tomorrow to make a jam. I added too many strawberries to this batch, so it's a bit softer than what normally should be.

Canning Apron

Tonights project of sewing...


Here's the lining...

Project Specs:

Canning Apron
Pattern: My own...couldn't make up my mind on what I really wanted so I drew my own.
Fabric: Country Chickens and Farm Animals, 100% cotton purchased at JoAnn's, one yard of each fabric.
Time to complete: Two hours to surf the net to discover nothing was appealing to me...one hour to cut, sew and finish off with buttons.

I have plans to make a tunic this weekend...maybe even a skirt.

Still working on my Veste Everest. The back is COMPLETELY done...only a few inches into the front. I put another order in to Elann.com. Bad Belle, bad! Following a few blogs that are inspirational for knitting...Elizabeth over at A Mingled Yarn in one of them. I enjoy her blog, the set up is awesome and her knitting is divine.

I hear a "Skinny Cow" ice cream bar calling me....a treat for an evening of productivity.

Knitting as fast as I can...

I don't have any pics to post because I am saving that for a milestone for my Veste Everest. I had to rip a solid hours work of knitting on Saturday when I realized I skipped a "BO 6 sts at the beginning of the next two rows" after I had just done so. Would have been better to say the "next four rows". Ok...enough venting about my problem of not reading ahead "correctly". LOL Though I did read ahead on the pattern.

Tomorrow night is our Knitting get together at Cutter's Point. Trying to get my DD#1 to go with me...she found the backpack in Stitch N Bitch something she would like to make. She also informed me that she does not like "metal" needles and has an adversion to circulars, they piss her off. OKay...nice to know that. Guess I should buy her a few bamboo sizes she doesn't have for Christmas.

He did it...he finally did it. J, my DS, who is soon to graduate highschool received a scholarship. He was informed today of this great event. It's not a huge amount, enough to get books for at least two classes next year at WWU. I'm happy that he got anything at all. He only applied for this scholarship and good ol' Mommy and Daddy have to pay for his college. According the government...we make just enough money that he doesn't qualify for a single "anything". Oh well, I brought them into this world so I best pay up. LOL

Off to knit...feeling vested tonight.

One Skein Pal Package arrives...

Thank you to my wonderful One Skein Pal...she spun up this cormo-romney cross wool for me. She wrote to say it will knit up in a tweed...yummy!

The process and thought into spinning a skein of yarn for me is beyond words. You did a wonderful spin on it as well.

This arrived in the mail...

and this...



Not sure how I feel about them yet...another purchase of books, sight unseen. I may have to browse and then send one to my Secret Pal 8. I think I'm too old and a bit too chunky for the Knitting Nature...though I do love Norah Gaughan's patterns.

Tonight is the last episode of Rooftop Room Cat. The DVD's arrived on Tuesday in the mail...I hid them away from DD#1 so she doesn't sneak off and watch them without me. She did that with Pride and Prejudice.