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May 16. It's still not Spring yet. Not quite. Oh, a couple of teaser days here and there. But in the long run.....we can't plant flowers outside yet; can't take the storm windows off; can't totally turn off the furnace; can't cut the grass; can't do any painting or replace the screens; can't leave the windows that are accessible open....nor the door.
It's still cold during the day for the most part and near freezing at night. There is rain 4 - 5 days out of 7. And the winds!.....don't get me started.
But there's plenty of spinning and knitting.....mostly knitting.....going on. I've finished the back and sides of the Aran sweater, and I'm about 5" into the sleeves. Knitting both at once. There haven't been too many hiccups (read: rip-outs) along the way, so that makes me very happy. There is, however, still the question of enough yarn.
Right now I'm just about finished spinning the light grey, which will be plied with 2 bobbins of the variegated green. And they're not full bobbins. So, there might be a small problem. But I'll just salley forth until the very end. If more wool has to be dyed, so be it.
We took a trip to the "big" city this week. No, not that BIG city, but the one 53 miles from our home. We need a new BBQ grill. A charcoal grill, not propane. And sure enough, the big box hardware store has them on sale for the month.
Oh....it's a beauty!! Much bigger than our old one. With tables on either side, 6 hooks for utensils and pot holders, a warming shelf inside the grill, a deep charcoal well and a thermostat on the lid!! Our old grill is about ..14 years old....and the bottom is starting to rust out. Last year we kept it on the ground instead of the deck. Because I could just see the bottom giving way as something was cooking..full of hot, hot coals....and setting the deck on fire!!
Both sons are supposed to be coming up for the holiday weekend. So I said to BH: "hey, if we have sandwiches and snacks on Saturday, Ryan can put the grill together for us; then we'll have a cook-out on Sunday". BH thought that was a great idea. It saves us from monkin' around with it.
I also wanted a screen house that was on sale. Haven't had a screen house in maybe 4 years. This year I really want one. So nice to be able to sit outside, day or night, and not get all bit up....or burnt up. Anywho, the one that was on sale was very nice....12' x 12' but it had a polyester "floor" inside. Never had one with a floor.
Upon further discussion, BH says: "do you really want one with a floor?" Ehhhh.....not really. If you don't have it pulled taught, you're gonna get ripples in the poly.....and somebody's going to trip over them......like you....or me. Nah.....that's an accident you don't want to see happen.
So, we forego the screen house for now. But still keeping an eye out for other stores.....other sales.
This weekend is supposed to be gorgeous!!! In the 60's!!! I'm planning on getting the flower beds in shape (thank goodness they are perennials), spot painting the propane tank, and got some painting to do on the roof of our conversion van. Yeah.......
Whilst in Virginia for granddaughter's Army graduation, our hotel room was on the 2nd floor. One evening, looking over the balcony to the parking lot, I see the top of the van. OMG!!! It's rusted right along the rain trough. Crap. Bought the Rust-o-Leum a few weeks ago. This weekend may finally be the time to get roof painted.
We also bought a deck brush.....for scrubbing the deck, of course. Last time I did that (a couple years ago), it was on my hands and knees with a household scrub brush. That's something I don't want to do again. So....the deck brush with stiff bristles and a long handle! So that job is on the "TO DO" list.
Then there's the siding on the house. Put on about 10 years ago, it's never been washed. I can't stand it anymore. It needs to be scrubbed and hosed. BH never heard of such a thing (men! pfft) and thinks I'm either crazy or making this up (he's probably leaning towards crazy). I don't care. I'm sick of seeing the streaks of dirt...or whatever.....and there's some kind of funky growth that I noticed last summer. Little bits here and there. Looks like a mold....or bug eggs....I don't go poking around, just know it looks like hell.
The rest of this week is ice making and 2 dozen more hard rolls to be baked.
Oh.....this weekend is the Lake Elmo Shepard's Harvest....a fiber fest; just northeast of St. Paul. Oh geezzz.....I forgot about that. I love that fest. Not too big; not too small. And.....I do need different knitting needles.....I could use a blue "Firestar".....more stitch markers and holders...and always...more white wool; maybe the lady from Wisconsin who sells Border Leicester for $1.25 # will be there!! She wasn't last year; I was disappointed. And BH will most definitely try to talk me into buying more bobbins. 'Cause I always need more bobbins. And the price keeps going up every year....what's up with that?!
Yeahhhh.......those projects will have to wait another day.
(Remember that song from the 60's?) Yeah....but every day?? Every...frikking....day??? It's a bit much.
So, we had 5 or 6 (who's counting) days of pouring rain....and cold. Yesterday was gorgeous!! The next 3 days.....yeah. Rain. I don't even know if the ground is thawed out; can't get out there to try and dig in the dirt. But on the bright side....no more snow!! (shhhh).
Well, it's been a while. Last month we drove to Virginia for granddaughter's graduation from the Army training. She graduated top of her class in helicopter repair and maintainence; was promoted to PFC; and got an award for excellence in her courses, her PT (highest of the women's scores) and her leadership (squad leader for 3 months). And she got her Wings!! We were so proud of her and so happy to be part of this milestone in her life. And....we brought her home.
Now she is with the MN. Guard out of St. Paul. She hopes to pursue the training with the Aviation Regiment. When she called the base to inform them she was here, the sergeant said "we've been waiting for you! We definitely need your abilities; yes, we know who you are!" That made her feel sooo much better.
And it's also time to look for employment and an apartment. She's a bit nervous about it all...kind of overwhelming, especially for an 18 year old. But with her determination and "grit"....she'll be just fine.
On the homefront, not much has been happening. With a few good days, BH has been out gathering, sawing, chopping and stacking wood. A chore he's been chomping at the bit to get back to since.....March. If he ain't busy, he ain't happy. Crazy.
Not much spinning going on. I started the Aran sweater with my hand dyed painted green Shetland. Got the back done; knitting both front panels at the same time; 16 more rows before the raglan shaping. God, I hope I have enough yarn for the sleeves! Because of my increased body volume over the winter (ahem), I had to add on extra stitches at the sides of the largest pattern size. But if you've ever done Aran knitting, you know those sizes are always smaller than a regular knit. You know, all that cabling takes up a lot of yarn and pulls the stitches in, making the sizing much smaller. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!!
Our daughter-in-law is graduating from college this Friday. 6 years of schooling....while raising 2 boys and working 2 jobs.....and she finally made it....a BA in Social Sciences. We're planning on having a dozen red roses delivered to her Friday, and sending her a gift card so she can indulge in something that doesn't have to be figured into their budget.
She's the type of person who doesn't like to be in the limelight; no accolades, no parties, no fuss, no recognition. She just wants to keep it quiet...it's just everyday life. That's just how she rolls.
I can't believe Mother's Day is this Sunday. The months keep flying by, but the seasons are having a hard time keeping up. Like we're in a time warp or something.
Our son from the Cities is coming up with his buddy.....because it's "Fishing Opener" this weekend. So....guess what I'll be doing.....cooking and entertaining.....and not for my benefit. I was kind of hoping that the lakes would still be iced over. I know....that's bad.
Today we're going to take a ride and look at some apartments....at least from the outside. We found a few areas that we didn't know about last year. One in particular is what they call a "patio" apartment. One floor, like a little ranch home, with an attached garage and a bit of ground right out your door. Just what we're hoping for. Of course, we're still waiting for some action on the sale of our house. But....a girl can dream, can't she? That's one thing the rain can't stop!
When we moved to Minnesota 22 years ago, we learned that "Minnesota" was a Native American word meaning "land of sky blue waters". Whether this is the correct translation, I'm not sure.
I am sure that if it's relatively close, the meaning is all wrong. It actually means "winter that never ends". That's my opinion and I'm sticking to it.
This past Monday, we received another 6" of snow. Not just snow....but high winds...blizzard conditions. This was followed by a night of moderate temperatures and pouring rain. Temps dropped, rain froze and the snow and winds began. This lasted till about 11:30 Tuesday morning. The temp reached 34 - 37 for the rest of the day.
The week has been uneventful since, with temps in moderation again. Ahh....but starting this evening.....another major snowstorm is about to slap us silly. Depending on where you determine the demarcation line to be, we'll be looking at 3 - 6 inches, or 6 - 12 inches. Lovely. This "hiccup" will last until tomorrow morning sometime. Then we're projected to be in the 40's into next week.
We're leaving Saturday for Virginia. BH and I are both tickled pink!! Which is a big improvement from being ticked blue....with the cold. However, upon perusing the weather system, I see that there are major rain, wind and tornado systems coming in from the deep South, traveling.....you guessed it.....to the east. Across the Carolinas to Virginia.
Mother Nature is on some sort of vendetta. And we just can't get out of her way.
What is going on with the blog? When I have to sign in, I get an error message saying that the browser is unsupported, telling me to pick a supported one, giving me a list. One of which is XP/7.....which is what I use. Then when writing the blog, sometimes and error message pops up at the top saying "sorry cannot be saved; try again later". However, the blog is saved....no problem. Whaattttt??????
Anywho......
Exactly. This has been too much. Way too much. Last week, we had a few days of beautiful, melting weather. Spring is on it's way!! Not so fast......Friday, we're supposed to take daughter to doctor. It was snowing. At 7 am...snowing pretty hard and fast. Left the house 1/2 hour earlier than planned. Got 5 miles from home, told BH "this isn't good...we should go home"; he agreed and so we did. Couldn't see a mile ahead, couldn't see the sides of the road; kept hitting the "rumble strips" in the center lane. Snow was piling up that fast.
And it's still here. Minus below 0 temps at night since then; low 20's during the day.
About daughter.....a couple of weeks ago, she called to say she was having trouble. I'll spare you the gorey details...but the signs were all there for Diverticulitis. Gave her some instructions; she carried through for a few days; signs came back, things got worse.....call the doctor.
She (Doc) put her on 2 antibiotics; told her what to and not to do; took a white blood count, which came back normal, and sent us on our way.
All last week symptoms came and went. Then came and stayed for a few days. Call the doctor. Well, Friday had to be cancelled, but daughter was feeling much, much better by the afternoon. Fingers crossed....we'll see how this goes.
Yesterday was a "banner day" for me!! While I haven't done any major housework in almost....a......month......I decided to bake and make a great dinner. So....2 mixed berry pies were done (1 in the freezer) and a batch of chocolate/peanut butter chip cookies baked. For granddaughter. We send her a package of goodies every other week. And some for us, of course.
Ah, then dinner. Chicken breasts done in the electric fry pan (to save on the propane) with a new spice I came across....."rotisserie flavor". Deeelicious!! A side of rice done in chicken broth instead of water, with stir-fry veggies that were.....stir fried.....and added to the rice with a few dashes of Teriyaki sauce. A nice salad and crescent rolls. Mmmmm....mmmmm. Of course, pie for dessert.
Granddaughter graduates from Army Tech school on April 10. We're heading to Virginia earlier that week to pick her up and bring her home. Can't wait to get her home!! I miss her so. She's my spinning and knitting buddy.
On the fiber front.....yeah.....the raspberry vest. Well, it's 4" to finishing the back. And....yeah.....there won't be enough yarn. It'll have to be frogged.....again. New plan. I'm in the process of plying white yarn. So the next time the vest is started...it'll be raspberry/white. I'm thinking every other stitch white. I know it's probably going to be a hassle, but what the hell. It can always be frogged.
Still working on the green. 3 more bobbins of single ply done; maybe 2 more ounces yet to be spun. 2 bobbins of the grey are done. So when the white is finished, it'll be back to plying the green/grey. That should give me another 6 bobbins plied. 12 total. Maybe 30 - 36 ounces of yarn. Then maybe the Aran sweater can be started.
To quell my rattled nerves and frustration from the vest, I started a hat. Blue heathered/tweedy; Merino wool. Doing a slant ribbed stitch. So far, so good. Plan on mittens to match.
Trying to talk myself into starting some housework. It seriously needs to be done. At least the bathroom and kitchen are always kept clean; the bed linens always changed, the TV dusted off every few days and the sweeper ran over the carpets every so often. But the dust bunnies swirling around the floor and gathering noticeable amounts on the furniture are really starting to speak to me. And I don't like what they're saying. Time to "clean house". Seriously. Clean the damn house. Yuck.
So, I'm not a fan of swatching. Never. Or reading yardage, ounces or grams on the cakes I so carefully weigh and tag. I fly by the seat of my pants. Well, my pants are on fire.
I was knitting a vest of raspberry Shetland. Got to the arm holes, roughly 17" into the thing, when I realized.....I'm not going to have enough yarn. Now I start reading all the tags on the 7 cakes. Yeah....this isn't going to work. So, what to do.......I'll try the next size smaller and use smaller needles. Yeah. That'll work. That's the ticket.
Off I go. Put the 17" on the needles aside, pick up a smaller set, mark the smaller size and begin.
After 10" into the re-configured vest, a horrible feeling comes over me. I'm beginning to think.....I'm not going to have enough yarn. Oh, be serious. Continue. Now it's roughly 12", a few more rows and I can begin the armhole shaping, and.....I'm definitely not going to have enough yarn. In the meantime, I have ripped out the first attempt. The 3 balls are sitting there; there is a cake and 1/2 left for the newly knitted half, and I'm trying desperately to convince myself that it'll make it....probably down to the last 2" of yarn.
I don't think so. There's a tweedy yarn in my stash....6 cakes.....that just might work as a complimentary color. I can alternate the solid with the tweed. There should be enough damn yarn to get this thing done. Just have to rip the 12" and start over. My eyes are starting to glaze over. My brain is on overload.
There's a lesson in all of this. Swatch? Never!! I should've gone with my first inclination and used both yarns from the very beginning.
Meanwhile, here's this:
The cursed vest.
The pattern.
Finished hat and mitts. Yay!!
Yarn destined for my Aran cardigan.
The rolags blended from the hand dyed Border Leicester below.
Said hand dyed BL.
Next time....pictures of the almost finished vest, using the 2 different yarns. Seriously. No. Really. It's gonna happen. Trust me. I refuse to be defeated.
I'm an early riser. Like 4 - 4:30am every day, with an occasional 3:30 thrown in just to keep it interesting. For the past couple of weeks or so, it's been very heartening to see the beginnings of daybreak just before 6:30.
Now it's "Daylight Savings Time". An hour later for daybreak. At 7:00am, you can barely notice the midnight black slowly turning to navy blue; barely make out the silhouettes of trees and such. Don't like it. At all.
It's 7:00am, for Crysakes. Daylight should be in full bloom.
On another note.....we're supposed to start warming up, temp wise. Yesterday was pretty good, even if it never got above freezing. 29 degrees was the max for the day. Even so, the sun was shining and all was right with the day. Today...we're hoping for high 30's. Something on the weather report last night said the cold will return...blah, blah, blah. I wasn't in the room, so I didn't hear all the specifics. Not sure I want to.
There's something to be said for having a "Polyanna" attitude.
