Budgie

I've been knitting a baby sweater while we're on vacation.


It's Budgie by Grumperina, made with superwash stash yarn. Thought I'd finish it while we're here, but I didn't bring enough of one color (have more at home), so this is about as far as I can go.


Pretty productive leisure time!

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Same old same old

I could get used to this!

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I spy

Spotted by Jesse while chilling with the History Channel.


We cringed at the little old lady references and that the guy who owned it got sent away by the antiques appraiser, neither one wanting this wheel because, you know, no one spins yarn anymore; spinning wheels are just quaint decorations. ;-)

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My kind of day

It was windy at the beach, so this became a poolside day. S'okay with me!



Then the guys were headed to the hardware store, so my mom wanted to check out her new lys. S'okay with me!



Gots me some pretties!




All tired from a day in the sunshine, so we're settling in for a quiet evening. Off to finish 2nd baby sweater sleeve and cast on body of baby sweater. S'okay with me!

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Seussian

Dr. Seuss may have been from Springfield, MA, but I have a feeling he was also somehow involved in landscaping in Florida.









They just don't grow 'em like that in Connecticut.



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It's time

It's been a hectic couple of weeks. Time for a change of pace, don'cha think?




I agree.

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girl in action

Well, at least somebody has been knitting around here.

Beach ball dishcloths, made by Leah.

Socks, made by Leah.
Too big for her, just right for somebody else.
Yarn: Opal 6-ply, gift from Audrey.

A surprise in Old Sturbridge Village magazine,
this pic of Leah at one of their summer camp weeks
four years ago!

blissful bits

Even with all the other stuff going on this weekend, we've each been able to follow through with plans for things we love to do. That's important, even when everything else is topsy-turvy and a little surreal. Here's a glimpse.

Jesse's most recent interest is model trains, and all the building and wiring that goes with them. This is part of a local model train club's big layout, open to the public yesterday. I had just as much fun talking to the train enthusiasts as he did.

Leah's vintage dance event was last night. I mostly tried to be invisible, but still had to get a pic of her all spiffed up. She had a magical evening of dancing and laughing, and can't wait until the next one. She's psyched to see what time period the next dance will be set in so she can sew another dress that's suitable for the theme.

I made just a wee bit of progress on a Budgie baby sweater. This sleeve is doubling as my gauge swatch. I needed to go down one needle size and try again, but am on the right track now. Stash superwash yarn held double, easy enough that even I can handle it at this point.

The Terror Fish sweater and its fisherman are spending the weekend camping with silly old friends and playing with the fishies, as is their tradition for opening day of trout season. Scott and I have both known these friends since we were all about 16 and they're all good guys. They caught lots yesterday and sound like they're having a blast. The forecast was dismal, but it's ended up being a not-half-bad weather weekend after all!

right here, always

Thanks, everybody, for the kind words through blog comments and emails. Gram passed away this morning. She had an awesome life and lived it to its fullest up until the very end, surrounded by so many people who loved her every step of the way.

There was a moment when I thought, "I can't believe she's gone." But then I looked around. I was sitting in my office and noticed...

~ the little framed cross stitched love bunny that she made for me 20+ years ago, hanging to the left of my desk

~ the framed prints from our trip to London and Scotland (home of her ancestors) ~12 years ago, hanging near the bunny

~ the just-finished-blooming orchid on the corner of my desk, from our trip to Hawaii a few years ago, a trip which was prompted by the dreamy wish of an enthusiastic globetrotter while we were in Greece

~ the vase with a sprig of viburnum flowers in it, perfuming my office this week, from a plant bought as a housewarming gift for us 17 years ago by...you guessed it

~ the Monet print hanging on the wall, the frame for which used to hang on the wall above the sofa in Gram and Pap's TV room

me and my Gram, playing on the beach in South Carolina, 11/09
In that moment, with that glance around me, I regained my perspective. She's still right here, in our memories, in our hearts, and in our surroundings, remaining a big part of our lives forever. We were so incredibly fortunate to know her, to be on the receiving end of the joy she was known to spread far and wide, and to wrap her in love in return through our words and actions.

galore

Work galore this week, so I'll keep this short.

Fruit loops galore! So pretty.

I Spy fiber arts galore using camel fur
in The Story of the Weeping Camel.

Blooms galore.
I wish the blog could do smellavision.
The fragrance from this tree was intoxicating.

Tears galore.
My Gram had a massive stroke on Tues.
She's stable right now, but in pretty bad shape.
There are no words, just waiting and lots of tears.

fringes

The work boom continues. It's an excellent thing and I'm happy for it. The arms, though, they get tired. Come evening, there's little to no energy left for knitting. I've still managed to fit in a few stitches here and there, mostly while waiting to pick up a kid, but the projects have been squeezed way out to the fringes of my life lately.

We were on our way out to dinner to celebrate my mom's retirement yesterday (ooh, I'm so jealousssss!!!!!) and an optician had a display of antique crafty goodness in the window, including vintage embroidery, a spinning wheel, basket with knitting, old sewing machine with smocked clothing. Nice. See, even when I'm away from the hobbies, they're not far away from me!

I did manage to turn a heel on the current sock during after-dinner chatter and remembered that I never did take a pic of the ugliest socks I think I've ever made.


So there you go. Ugly duckling zigzaggy socks. I figured those lightning bolts needed grounding, so a shot among the daffodils seemed fitting. The yarn wasn't a good choice for my standard 2x2 ribbing, but they'll keep feet warm and they feel squishy and I'm just happy to have something to show for the past few weeks.

Tonight, b'day celebration w/ a knitting friend. There will be mindless knitting and happy chatter, and I can't wait!

The art of improvisation

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Moving on

Sylvi went to a new home today, with a new owner (Scott's sister, Vickie) who is all done growing!


Spring cleaning, knitterstyle!
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here comes Peter Cottontail

Happy Easter, everybody!

Looking forward to sunshine daydream kind of day
to top off a refreshing weekend.

'round here

It seems that every single one of my clients decided THIS WEEK that the winter lull is over and inundated me with work. In general, this is a good thing, but when I'm making money, the other makestuff areas of my life tend to take a back seat. Because I only have enough brain cells leftover for a wee bit of 2x2 ribbed sock knitting on occasion, I have not much to show here, but I noticed that the makey-ness of our house continues on without me.

Jesse is loving the clackety-clack of weaving while he listens to audiobooks and podcasts.

Leah finished the reticule that she designed on the fly, for use with her formal dress at an upcoming vintage dance event.

Scott's plying some of his handspun singles.

And even I managed to make a round of soap, with my soapmaking buddy Jesse's help. New season, new fragrances!

Taking a work-break this evening. Off to the art museum!