Woolythyme

a new day dawning...

2013-06-17T07:57:20-05:00

:: early morning walk, greeted the sun about the time we got to the pier

:: the 'walk' was more like a stroll---I can't be on the beach without looking down; this year...only sea glass and shark teeth will come home (yeah, right!!!)

:: this flower appeared between leaving on our walk---and getting back 'home'....a beach morning glory? (ipomoea pes-caprea)

:: some of us dug to China (but didn't get there---yet)

:: some of us went 'fishing'

:: some of us skim boarded with a new board

:: some of us waited for waves

:: and some of us just sun-bathed....

It was a great day!

we're h-e-r-e!!!

2013-06-15T20:55:56-05:00

Let the vacation begin!

Magnolia grandiflora!

2013-06-13T17:14:56-05:00

I like to think this tree was planted when the house was built. That would make it exactly 90 years old. I know for a fact that children climbed it in the '50s, so that might not be a stretch. Severe storms the past several years have claimed most of our canopy trees, but this old girl has weathered them all.

She lures all kinds of wildlife....

birds flock to it when the feeder is full (oops)

she'll wait patiently for months...

until more wildlife appears.... they bounce, they swing,...

they climb ....

and they hug.

And every couple years, she flowers where I can actually see those beautiful blooms.

She really is rather grand.

Yarnalong...WIP Wednesday

2013-06-11T19:59:01-05:00

Look familiar? Grey yarn, black bowl? Same bowl, but different yarn/different project. Promise.

I dragged out Leaves of Grass. I had only gotten several rounds into it---trying to convince myself that the two (of eight) center stitches that somehow got knit into the back instead of the front and twisted would never be noticed (and believe me, they wouldn't have been. Can you see them? The Rav picture was taken before I ripped out). Didn't work. HAD to start over. For a change, I didn't wait until I was several inches into it before ripping. Usually, if something bothers me on row 2, I wait until row 82 before deciding to rip it out. Why do I do that???? Drives me crazy.

I'm now well on my way. Just starting chart D (knit 2x), then E, then.....ta-dah!! I'm having a rather hard time believing that it's really going to take all 5 skeins I have left to finish. If it does, it means I'm only 1/2 way.....which means that Ta-Dah moment isn't coming any time soon.

I'm reading Zero Waste Home by Bea Johnson. I've followed her blog (of the same name) for quite some time, and while there is much to learn and even more to admire, I've pretty much convinced myself that zero waste will never work for me. Note: this is ZERO waste---not just recycling. Limiting junk mail (actually all mail)--to zero. Bringing in NO excess packaging of anything. No tubes of toothpaste, so you make your own from bulk materials you carry home in jars and bags. Make your own cosmetics. Nail polish? too many chemicals. banned. Of course, she's right about it all. We only have one planet--and we really aren't treating it very well. She simply has much more energy than I have, because not only does she walk the talk---but she's an activist and has convinced many major companies to change their wasteful ways. She's my hero. She makes major strides. I find a few baby steps that make me feel better.

(But note: even she decided that scavenging for lichen and moss to use instead of potty paper was going too far!!)

joining Ginny for Yarnalong and Tami for WIP Wednesday!

Bridgewater

2013-06-09T10:28:42-05:00

Bridgewater. Blocked.

Happy Birthday to me!!!

let's dance...

2013-06-08T15:40:09-05:00

Dance recital!

Ten hours in the car....but we were entertained with two shows. One grand danced in the 'early' show, one in the late one, so we had a whole evening of glitter and tutus and ruffles and flowers and just plain fun. So dedicated these girls are....not just our two (who of course were wonderful, beautiful, and as graceful as a 6 and 10 year old can possibly be....actually the 10 year old was far more graceful than I ever dreamed of being!) but ALL the little girls dancing....particularly the one who was in at least 5 numbers, dancing (and I do mean dancing!) with...

a boot cast?!!

Yarnalong and WIP Wednesday.....

2013-06-04T20:30:58-05:00

Bridgewater is knit....not blocked. It's huge and I'm still debating how the blocking might happen. One side at a time? Cordon off a room? ???? So, it's finished....just not FINISHED.

Last week, while 'reorganizing' the yarn closet , I found a few projects that had -- for one reason or another -- been put in time-out. Some much longer than others. The lace-edged cardigan was one such find. (You sort of had a sneak peak yesterday.) It was started as a sweater for a grand-daughter...who has no love of sweaters at all, being a hot-natured little one. It was rather selfish of me to try to foist this on her----or any of her hot-natured siblings, and honestly.....how many years would it take for any of them to 'grow into' this thing? Back in the 90s when this pattern was written, Debbie Bliss sized her children's patterns quite generously. So generously, that I'm pretty sure knitting the size for an 8 year old is going to fit me. I'm giving it a try. We'll see.

Books? I just started the Age of Desire by Jennie Fields. It's an historical novel about Edith Wharton, with her real letters and diary entries scattered throughout-- told from the points of view of Edith and her secretary, Anna Bahlmann. I've hardly started it, but I'm thinking already that I need to pause at some point and read The Age of Innocence or The House of Mirth to really enjoy this. (Never read ANYthing by Edith Wharton. How is that possible? Am I the only one never exposed to this famous lady?)

It's starting out OK, but having just finished listening to The Sandcastle Girls, anything I pick up next is going to have to be an incredibly well written story to begin to stir the emotions and garner the attention of Chris Bohjalian's tale of the Armenian genocide during WWI. It's a story that resonates long after the last page is turned (or read!).

What are you reading??? Any good beach book suggestions????? ( hee, hee---hint, hint....guess where we're going in a couple weeks???! )

Joining with Ginny for Yarnalong and Tami for WIP Wednesday.

Oh...to be 8 years old!

2013-06-03T20:11:00-05:00

From: Great Knits for Kids--27 Classic Designs for Infants to 10 Years Old by Debbie Bliss.

Look at the sizing.....!!

I think it will fit me!

pretty in pink...

2013-06-01T18:44:21-05:00

I completely understand how this Traveling Woman shawl ended up multiple times in my favorites. First of all, it truly would be the perfect traveling project----large enough to keep you knitting throughout a trip, but using only a single ball of yarn, so you can travel lightly. The lacey border is the only part requiring any attention whatsoever, but it's a very easy, intuitive pattern, so even then, you can certainly enjoy your travels while knitting away.

The pattern is written for x-small, small, medium, large, and x-large sizes---in lace, fingering, dk, and worsted yarns....and from the variety of samples present on ravelry (all 7589 of them!), you can see the amazingly different looks you can get from this one pattern. There are even instructions on how to customize your shawl, but how many more variations do you really need??! And...row by row stitch counts are provided for the entire shawl---so, if you are careful, you simply can't shouldn't mess up.

I knit this one with Blue Heron merino/silk lace in the x-large size, and the result is the most wispy, lightweight shawl I've ever knit. It can ball up into the teeniest little ball....again, perfect for traveling.

I really think this is quite pretty in pink.

So, what's in the travel bag? Why, yarn for another Traveling Woman shawl, of course. I'm thinking it might be pretty in blue, too!

for everything there is a season....

2013-05-30T19:12:52-05:00

and a time to every purpose under heaven.....

Their season is just about over. What beauty they brought this spring! And their aroma!

When they say....stop and smell the roses, I think they must be talking about New Dawn.

***** heavenly*****