The Week In Pictures

I love this time of the summer.  Lake Michigan is warming up enough to swim if you're a hardy soul (the water was 64°F). The lillies are blooming and my pots of impatiens are filled out and lush.  You can even go out in the evening without a sweater or jacket (sometimes anyway).  Tonight it is still 70°F at 10 pm.
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....and sometimes mother nature leaves you a surprise in your yard.  The color of robin's eggs is my favorite color.  This nest was abandoned.  

We went to the park again this week.  A walk along the pier brought another little surprise....a young otter sunning on the rocks.  He seemed very unconcerned that we were there.  The girls were excited and thought we should take him home!  A lesson in why wild animals should be allowed to be wild ensued.

There was time for making friends at the playground

We went to the weekly community concert.  The weather was perfect.  The music was billed as Great Lakes music.  We weren't quite sure what that was.  The only song I really know is the one about the sinking of the Edmond Fitzgerald by Gordon Lightfoot.  They did songs that were about the Great Lakes....interspersed with Great Lakes lore.  Stories about a ghost, Diana of the Dunes....stories of ship wrecks....and facts about the Great Lakes.  It was quite interesting.  There are several hundred ship wrecks in the Great Lakes that have not yet been found.  

I finished the simple little top that gave me so much trouble.  I think it looks fine with 2 buttons.  I still don't know how I missed putting in the middle buttonhole.  Those are not the buttons I am going to use.  I set them there just to see how the buttons will look.   It still needs to be blocked and a couple ends woven in.  

Today was a perfect day for the beach.  It was a day for cousins to bond and be silly eating blueberries at the waters edge.  

I wish I could bottle these days and save them for my granddaughters.  But we are making memories.  I never really knew any of my grandparents.  I have a couple very vague memories.  I hope these little girls will have lots of Nana and Bapa memories.

I hope your week is sunny and you are making some good memories.

Til next time,
Peace

Knitting Woes

I swear, this is an easy pattern.

I have made this little top several times without a problem.
Suddenly I seem to have forgotten how to count or maybe I have forgotten how to read a pattern.
I got this far.....

And discovered this.....

Can you tell the button hole is on one side on the top (right side of picture) and on the other side in the middle?   

To make it worse, this is the 3rd go at this sweater.  I have had to frog it (rip it out) twice before because I apparently forgot how to count and messed up making the little holes design around the top.  

Now it looks like this.........again.  (sigh)

Third time is the charm...right?  Well, we will see.  It's really an easy-peasy top if you can count.  

Sometimes knitting is fun and relaxing.  

Sometimes it requires fortitude and persistence.  I think this is one of those times.

Stay tuned.

Til next time,

Peace

Knitting Mojo

I think I am getting my knitting mojo back.  I lost it a couple weeks ago and I think spring fever threw me off.  Today it is cool and damp....a perfect knitting day.

I have been knitting some easy baby tops for charity called the all-in-one baby top by Mariana Mel.  Isn't it sweet?  It goes very quickly, knit from the top down.  You can find the pattern on Ravelry HERE.

I had a sudden urge to crochet some placemats for the kitchen table a few weeks ago.  I found Sugar & Cream cotton in the perfect colors.

I wasn't liking the way the colors are pooling though.  So I tried knitting instead.  It looks a little different.

I don't think I like the knitted one any better.   Opinions please!  Which do you like better?  I do like the texture of the crochet for placemats.

I also have a shawl on the needles.  It is the Time Turner Shawl, also found on Ravelry HERE.   Right now it's in time-out.  I am going to have to frog some of it, and I think I am just about ready to do that.  I will have to post some pictures soon.

Have a great weekend!

Til next time,
Peace

Blocking Day

Hello friends,
Today it snowed in West Michigan.  I was at the pharmacy picking up some prescriptions this afternoon.  There is a pick-up window directly behind the counter.  Suddenly the woman in front of me gasped and we all looked outside.  SNOW!  What!  It has been wet, snowy, and cold for the last couple days. Ugh!  I have noticed in my travels around town that there are some daffodils and forsythia blooming.....just not at my house.   Not a single flower here.  I don't have much of a green thumb.   I will get some hanging baskets and fill some planters in a few weeks and then it will look better around here.

Sorry, I have no Spring flower pictures for you like the other blogs do.  Let's look at some knitting pictures instead.  I decided it was past time to block some of my finished projects.  I don't like weaving in ends, and I don't like blocking.  After a while I just force myself to have a "finishing day".

The blue scarf is Saroyan by Liz Abinante.
The other two are the Gallatin Scarf by Kris Basta.
You can find both patterns FREE on Ravelry

This is a close up of Saroyan.  I wanted to try to get a picture of the leaves around the edge..  I really need to find a better way to take pictures.  I used Hubby's phone and I think I need to use a better camera.   The colors in the first picture are more accurate.

This is a bit closer look at Gallitan.

Everything I have blocked in the past has just been gently washed and laid out and patted into shape.  I don't have blocking wires or T-pins.  These scarves could have used some pinning I think. They aren't like a real fine lace with lots of points though, so I think they will look ok.

This is the All-In-One Baby Top by Mariana Mel.  It is knit top down, and is very easy.
It is FREE and you can find it on Ravelry.
I haven't sewn buttons on yet.  Which is better?  Green? Or Aqua?  Or both?

Here is a picture of the rainbow that appeared in my little community this morning.  (credit: Dion Strumpo)

It looks like this is where the rainbow ends....who knew?

I am heading out for dinner with two of my best friends ( former co-workers).  I have been starving all day so I can eat at a wonderful Italian place.  Yum!  Pasta is my favorite!

Til next time
Peace

Knitting and Small Things

I have been knitting off and on for over 40 years.  There were probably a lot more off years than on.  I am by no means an expert knitter.  I knit more for the Zen of knitting than for an actual finished product.  I happily knit baby blankets, and scarves, an occasional hat, and a few simple baby sweaters for years.  If I never finished a project I would eventually frog it (rip it, rip it) and start something else.
After I retired I felt like it was time to challenge myself.  I took a knitting class and connected with a wonderful and welcoming knitting club.  My first goal was to learn to knit lace and use a chart.  It took awhile to really "see" the chart in my knitting but I conquered it.  I still prefer a written pattern, however.  The more I learn about knitting, the more I realize how much I still don't know.  I guess that could be said about quite a few things in life, huh?

This is what is on my needles right now.

The Time Turner Shawl by Elizabeth Saxton at Well-Read Knits.  You can find it on Ravelry HERE.  It is a free download.

           This is what it should look like.  Blocking will make a big difference (I hope it ends up looking like this).

I have also been doing some knitting for charity.  These baby thingss are for Taci at TACIstudio.  She will be taking them to Brazil this summer.  Looks like I need to do a few little girl things.

It's a small thing to knit a hat but we can make the world a better place just by doing small things.  After the recent tragedies in the news the world needs all the help it can get.  From murders in my local news, and a woman who shot into a McDonalds because they forgot the bacon on her burger (true), to the world news of terrorist attacks and the recent plane crash in France....it is hard to understand how human beings can hurt each other so much.
I would love to know what small things you do to make a difference in the world?

'Til next time,
Peace

Best Day of the Week

Today was my knitting group.  We meet at a local book store/café.  It is a day that I always look forward to.  It is so much fun to see the projects of others and to ask advice if needed.  Knitters understand each other.  No one understands the pain and frustration of frogging a project that just isn't working out the way another knitter does.  We always spend the time chatting up a storm too.  This group is so much fun it almost feels guilty!  2 uninterrupted hours to knit, a chai latte, and the company of friends....a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

Hubby is away at a State bowling tournament today and tomorrow.  That left me to spend some quality time with granddaughter Marley.  She is 5 & 3/4 and she will be sure to tell you that.  My daughter and son-in-law were both working this evening so I picked Marley up about 4:30pm and we went to see the baby chicks at the local farm store. We live in a small town.....that's pretty exciting for us, lol.

Then home to make spaghetti, Marley's favorite meal.  She has had a rough week with a bad cough that has made it hard for her, and her mom, to get a good night's sleep.   Wednesday she spent the night vomiting and was home from school Thursday and Friday.  So we spent a quiet evening playing cards and dolls and watching a movie.  How many times can a 5 year old watch Frozen anyway?!

It looks like the snow is finally melting here in West Michigan.  Welcome Spring!

This is directly off the deck

and this is the rest of the yard that you see off to the right in the picture above

  That really worked! I can post pictures from my tablet.  Easy peasy!  The only problem is I had to use Hubby's phone.  I do not have data on my phone right now.  Our contract is up next month and we are going to make some changes.  I need a phone with a good camera and I need data.  I also want a large screen display.  I would love to hear your suggestions and experiences.....what kind of phone do you have?

Let's Get Started!

I planned to start this blog shortly after my 60th birthday.  I wasn't quite sure where to start and I think life got in the way.
So ....a few years later....here goes.

One of the most important things in my life is family.  I am blessed to have our son and daughter living nearby and get to spend lots of time with granddaughters Amber (10), Marley (5), and Hayley (2 1/2).  I like to think they are helping to keep Hubby and me young, but sometimes I think they just keep us tired.

Today we took Hayley with us to the Farm and Garden store to see the baby chicks and ducks.  She loved watching them.  Hello peep-peeps.  Hello quack-quacks!

We bought seeds for the garden. We plant a garden every year and it's never very productive.  We aren't good with the actual care of a garden.....we just want to plant it and harvest it.  We vowed again, as we do every year, to do better this time. Right now we have a vision (delusion) of a bountiful garden.   I'll let you know how that works out.

I retired in June 2013.  I am still trying to find the right balance between necessary chores, relaxation, fun, and making the world a better place in some way.  I worked for almost 20 years as an RN at a Federally Qualified Health Clinic.  It was more than a paycheck to me.  It was also a mission, and I know that I was able to make a difference.
Today I spent the afternoon (while Hayley was napping) doing some charity knitting. For now that seems to satisfy my need to make a positive contribution to the world.
I am also working on a shawl for myself and trying to knit my very first sock on DPNs.  I will post some pictures when/if I get them finished.
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I'm looking forward to this new adventure into blog land!  I hope you will join me.