For our 35th anniversary we played the tourist and went to Tahoe. The first morning we got up before the sun so we could watch it rise over Emerald Bay.
That afternoon we hiked to Eagle Lake for a picnic.
The second day we took a cruise on board the Tahoe Queen paddle boat.
The last day we visited the Taylor Creek State park and walked the nature trail.
It was a great trip and wonderful to 'get out of Dodge'. But I also find it's nice to come home again too.
I have a nice collection of yarn I've reclaimed or been given, I don't need any more yarn. Still, once in awhile I stop at the Senior Center Thrift store to see what they have.
Someone must've cleared out their stash, for there were bags and bags of matching yarn; not the usual leftovers, those walnut-sized balls that aren't much use except for striping.
How could I pass this up, all this natural wool yarn for ten dollars?! I skeined ten yards, weighed it and with that number was able to estimate there's over 3,000 yards. That's approximately three adult sweaters or one really large afghan!
Dear Blog,
I haven't forgotten. You know I write to you all the time in my head. And I continue to take pictures of projects, progress and life; so the process of blogging is still going on, just not online. Here at last I will share some of what's been happening. But simply put - knit, garden, quilt, hike, eat, sleep, repeat. Not a bad way to spend the summer!
My mother used to have one of these in her sewing basket. I remember asking her what it was; a darning egg. Fast forward to today and I've been trying to find one to add to my own sewing basket, without paying $20.00 or more for a vintage one on e-bay or etsy. I was tickled to recently find it in a small, local craft store in town. And the price was reasonable - $7.00. Knitters darn their socks. I wonder if the economy will encourage others to learn to darn theirs.
I've been fighting all season with the local deer in my neighborhood. The drought is so bad, they are eating everything, including plants known to be deer resistant and even toxic. It's been discouraging and frustrating. Then fawning season came...
These pictures were taken a few feet from our back door. They come almost every morning or twilight. Because their parents don't have a fear of humans, neither do they. It's hard to hold rancor when they're so darn cute. So much for my flower garden...
I made a quilt for my niece who's expecting her first child.
I had almost all the fabric in my collection, and it went together in a couple of evenings. While I enjoy challenging quilt patterns, there's something to be said for easy-to-complete quilts too.
After all that wool knitting, it was time for something lighter. I got a lovely soft cotton, linen, silk blend called Amalfi, at the LYS's summer sale.
Just off the needles.
It blocked to just the right dimensions. Don't cha just love it when that happens?
I was at the local thrift store, shopping for summer shorts actually, when I found myself browsing the sweater aisle. I let my hands tell me if a sweater is worth reclaiming. The texture of this deep pink one was unlike anything I've come across up till now.
The label said it was made in Ireland and was 50/50 linen and cotton. I've always heard about Irish Linen, but I never knew what was so special about it. It has an unexpected sheen that is just lovely.
I estimated how many yards I have and then searched Ravelry's shawl patterns, using the yarn weight and yardage filters. This is Shoreline, so far an easy pattern with an applied lace border.
I just added the shawl to my project page on Ravelry and it told me it's my 50th project. (!) That's kinda fun...
