Wednesday Starts With a Bang!

Massive thunderstorm earlier this morning!  It seems to have calmed down now, but it was thunder and lightening...very..very frightening.....

My socks are thisclose to being finished.  One stripe, maybe two and then the cuff....I can't believe I'll have two socks when I'm done!

I FINALLY finished American Gods by Neil Gaimen...I didn't hate it, but not a favorite...and it ended at Rock City in Chattanooga, TN, which is extremely cool since I just visited there earlier this year...and I could picture the places in the story...


I am still rereading Little Women, but also started The House at Riverton by Kate Morton.  I read her The Forgotten Garden last year and immediately went out and bought this book..  The Forgotten Garden is one of my favorite books....I've just started this one, so we'll see how it goes...

Let's see what everyone else is up to this week...Ginny and Tami

I had a great night last night, but it's been two late nights in a row...think I may head back to bed for awhile....

Humid Finished Friday

The forecast:  hot and humid....thunderstorms....do I stay home or head out for a bit?  Got my car back yesterday...yeah!

Last Saturday I took a class at Kristin Nicholas' farm....and I made a sunflower...

This one is crocheted.  I knitted one, too...this one I plan to felt...

And yesterday I made wee Seamus the Sheep for one of my Nerd Wars challenges...

So not sure what I am doing today....I could work on my socks...I finally have toes...they are a bit further along than this picture shows..

Please take a look at others finished projects at:

Wisdom Begins in Wonder

Tami's Amis
and
Natural Suburbia 

Do You Enjoy Your Company?

My friend, Lori, posted today about spending time with herself.  As an adult, I've spent a lot of time by myself.  My husband used to run a "mom-pop" retail store and was there the majority of the time.  I was in college and then I started working...and we had opposite hours.  I was up and out by 7, he didn't open until 10.  I was in bed by 10 or 11, he didn't get home until after 9.  As we did not have kids, I spent a lot of time on my own.  I still do....I'm off for the summer and he is now working.  We do see each other more and we try to have day dates when we can, but I still spend a lot of time alone.  I'm okay with that.  I like my company. I even go to the movies by myself (oh the horror!)

Yesterday I decided to walk to the library for Knit Night.  I am car-less, at the moment.  It was damaged in a storm a couple Saturdays ago.  It'll be at the body shop for 5 days.  So I'm not only alone, I'm stuck at home....no biggie, plenty of projects to work on (which doesn't seem to include cleaning, can't seem to get motivated for that!) 

But last night I decided to head to the library, as it's not a long walk.  The Hubs picked me up at the end, as he had gotten home about 7. 

It was a nice walk...

Lots of kids and families at the park.

Down the hill...

The library is down on the left.  When I was a kid, we lived about 15 minutes walk away and I used to walk to the library almost every day.  I once spent an entire day researching all The Little Rascals (just for fun)...back before the Internet!  So in actual books!

I used to walk everywhere....

Only one other person showed up for Knit Night, but that was fine, we just sat and chatted....

And I continued my socks....look!  I have toes on my first ever toe-up, two-at-a-time socks!

I took this picture earlier in the day when I was sitting on my porch swing....they are a bit further on

Today....it is going to be humid and we are going to have rain and thunderstorms....I may be holed up the a/c room most of the day....How about you?

And to leave you with Lori's title for the day...but the version I know...

WIP Wednesday and Yarn Along

So this week I have been working on my dissertation for Nerd Wars.  I am making a Granny Square tunic.  I finished the bodice last night.  I have a ton more squares to make.  Except for the dark purple, all the yarn is locally raised, mostly alpaca.

The blur bag contains my first ever toe-up, two-at-a-time socks....or would contain them, if I had not ripped them out three times...going to start them again today....

I am finally interested in American Gods and have about 150 pages to go....I think part of the problem was I didn't care about any of the characters.  I have now grown attached to what happens to Shadow.

In about a week, I am planning a visit to Concord, Mass and Orchard House.  This is where Louisa May Alcott wrote Little Women.  So I decided I needed to reread the book.  I started it last night on the nook...there is some added stuff on the nook about the history, etc...But I plan to read the actual book.  This is a 1947 edition of the book.  It is not the one I had as a child.  I don't remember where I picked this one up, but it is in very good condition....and has some lovely illustrations...

Please join Tami and Ginny for more projects in progress.

So Whatcha Get in the Mail Lately?

I am now a member of 3 yarn clubs....see I don't need to go out and buy it...it just comes to the door!

Yesterday I received my yarn from Cookie A's Sock Club (sold out for this year)

It's GORGEOUS!!!!

I took the picture in the shade, as the sun shot seemed a bit washed out.  The color is intense!  It's Genmaicha from Enchanted Knoll Farm.  One of the patterns, The Jedi Mind Trick Socks, which are gorgeous, but probably beyond my skill level at the moment!

I did also stop by Webs on my way home on Saturday....

I don't wear pink, but I decided I needed a hat made of this color!

Recently I saw a cowl on someone's blog in a similar color, again I don't wear blue, but need a cowl in this color....any suggestions?  It's Lorna's Laces Shepard Worsted, which is my FAVORITE squishy yarn!

Saturday at the Farm

So yesterday I went to a 1 day workshop on knitting and crocheting sunflowers.  It was given by Kristin Nicholas at her farm.  They raise sheep.  The farm is in a beautiful setting in northern Massachusetts.  Warning: Picture heavy

It's very rural, these were the directions to her house...

Go uphill, and the road becomes Greenfield Road, although there are no street signs to identify this.

After the plateau, you will see a long row of mailboxes on the right and a large oak tree with a blue sawblade that says Herron’s Blueberries. Take the immediate right onto South Schoolhouse Road at the mailboxes. The road quickly becomes a dirt road. Continue to the end of the road where there will be a white ranch house directly in front of you.

Take a right, going slow around corner, and travel downhill. Our farm is the only house on the left. It has a picket fence around it and a little red barn on the left.


I took a left at the ranch house and ended up having an old guy in a red pickup re-direct me.  Kristin said I met the "local color."

Can you imagine living here?

We were greeted by the Welcoming Committee

We were told they would be stand offish, although one did approach me and let me pet his head.


So that is her house up on the hill behind the dogs. She has three border collies, too....but I did not get pictures of them, although I thought Nessie was one of the most beautiful I had ever seen!

More shots of the outside:

Stairs in the back of the house, up to the sheep and chickens and guinea hens

The inside of the house is full of little nooks and crannies and lots of color..

The first room, where we gathered and had lunch

Know what else was in this room?

Itty bitty kitties!!!!

We were given a tour, my favorite spot was this...

Then we headed downstairs and started the workshop.  There were about 6 or 7 of us...I'm bad with names, but Laura came from Philadelphia (she and I hit it off), Barbara was here from Georgia (her daughter was along for the ride, but didn't take the class), Judy (who ended up adopting the black kitties, her young daughter visited with Kristin's daughter), Marlene and Tracie from CT, and several others (sorry I forgot your names)  I was at the end of the table with these ladies, so I talked to them more..

Busy at work....and the end product.....Mine was not quite finished.  I was the only one who crocheted.  I also made a knitted one, but it is not finished.  After this picture, many of these were thrown in the washer to felt...


Laura had come with several already completed

Aren't they pretty?

It was a great day and I made several new friends....I may even get invited to ride in a convertible on a yarn crawl!

Kristin's book will be out in March, hopefully...it is part of a series

And ta-da!  My completed crocheted sunflower....

I also made this knitted one, but plan on felting it...

Sunflower Class

Today I am traveling about 2 hours to take a class on knitting and crocheting sunflowers here.  I am looking forward to it....lots of pictures to follow...toodles...