Saving the World

Isn't that what "Eco" friendly is all about?  I did my part... I finished the Eco Vest.  Somehow, I don't think that's what the designer had in mind, but it's my story and...
It's lovely:

Totally re-cycled yarn!  The light lavender is the infamous Mongolian Cashmere that has crossed the Atlantic 4 times, and will make one more crossing to arrive "home".  It's doubled in this pattern, and super cuddly! (I, ahem, wore it last night to an outdoor concert - toasty!)  The darker color is Angora, and very cuddly, except when it's right-next-to-cashmere.  This yarn used to be the sleeve of a sweater.  Now a vest, because the sweater was too warm.

It wasn't a problem... nothing to tell, moving along...
Started a "mystery shawl"!  First two rows look great!  I mean, who knows?  I like the yarn and the beads.

Pattern:  Eco Vest by Katie Himmelberg from Knitting Green: Conversations and Planet Friendly Projects

Yarn:  Angora by Elsebeth Lavold

Aran / 10 ply, 60% Angora, 20% Wool, 20% Nylon  91 yards 

AND Mongolian Cashmere 4-ply by Jade Sapphire

Fingering / 4 ply, 100% Cashmere  200 yards  

 

Cupcake Mittens

Do I dare blog one more time about these mittens?  Comment all you like, but they will be finished WITH a funny crease across the back of the hand.

Instructions:  Pick up stitches across the back and knit.  This is the beginning of the mitten flap that covers the fingertips.  I don't know why the pick up bit is so pronounced... Here's the other side.

The ribbing gets sewn to the side seams.  There's really no 'seams' but it gets sewn where the seams would be, if there were side seams...

Fine

Meanwhile, I watched Roy demonstrating Navajo rug weaving at the Totah Festival annual event.

Lightning-fast wrist action as he beats the wool into place.

My keen eye picked up the familiar pattern, and he admitted that it's the same rug as last year.  It's been rolled up and put away since last September.  It confirmed that projects do not need to be finished.  SMILE!!

Doggies that make me smile

Went out for a quick trip to the mountains.  Perfect weather:  Some clouds, some dark, but no rain;  just wonderful air.  Friend, MLE, invited me along with her choice of a pooch (she has six or so to choose from) to ride up to the mountains (an hour) and relax with a packed lunch along the river.
But first we had to load "Boomer" into the car.

That's one happy and well-behaved dog.  He definitely knows he was the "chosen" one!
Moments before went like this:
MLE:  Jul, come hold this dog while I get Boomer into the car.
Me:  OK.  I got him.
MLE:  (to the other 16 dogs) STAY!
Me:  (2 seconds later)Ahhh!!  M!! They all got out!
At this point, I'm standing inside the fence with my dog (I did as I was told) and the other 16 were ALL in the car.  Ten minutes later, I took the above picture.  Each dog was individually escorted back to the yard.  LOL
I chose to introduce MLE to geocaching.  That's the price she had to pay for inviting me...
We took a delightful detour off the main road, through some little side canyons, and as I remarked how remarkable the quality of the road was, ahead, we spied the end of pavement.  The next 7 miles were what we expected of such a road, and we located a cache up a hillside with a lot of luck.

Re-built schoolhouse from 1905 - MLE rang the school bell but no children came.

Then we headed for the real mountains (Colorado):

And located another cache on our way home.

Tomato Follow-up

Not that successful:  One month later I have one of two plants looking like a tomato plant, but only one fruit.  I believe it's the same one that was there a month ago, too...  And look how the grass and weeds have grown!! And I HAVE PULLED some weeds.  There are WAY fewer grasshoppers after spraying every week and putting out poison.  Here's the Original Post.

 A month later:  Lucky me!

  I have friends with tomatoes...  No worries.  At least the roses are nice!

 

Following Stephanie

Stephanie who?  Otherwise known to the knitting blogger community as Yarn Harlot, Stephanie writes great posts on knitting and life.  Her descriptions are wonderful, but nothing prepared me for what I saw yesterday.  There's a link under my column "Blogs I Read", and I recommend it highly.  First off, her mantra or punishment on August 31 was the prelude.  I know that writing a repeated sentence on the chalk board isn't quite the same as Command C/Command V in a blog, but amusing all the same.  I saw this:

I cannot commit a fancy chart to memory and knit without it.
I cannot commit a fancy chart to memory and knit without it.
I cannot commit a fancy chart to memory and knit without it.
I cannot commit a fancy chart to memory and knit without it.
I cannot commit a fancy chart to memory and knit without it.
I cannot commit a fancy chart to memory and knit without it....

 And two days later my breath was taken away.  Gotta have it!  Anything with cats is of interest to me, but this pattern hit me in the solar plexus.  It's called Catkin, and for pictures you'll have to see Stephanie's blog or Ravelry.  
And just half hour ago I made up my mind I would finish 3 projects and in what order...  Time to re-vamp.
Designer:  Carina Spencer - I couldn't stop looking at her other patterns;  gorgeous...

Rewards

Simple rewards are the best.  Unexpected rewards are even better!
This morning I was whining laying in bed, thinking about how the temperature was just right outside for some weeding, and I had 4 plants to put in the ground.  I bought them a week ago, moved them from place to place, forgot to water them twice, revived them, and thought:  It might be nice to have a bit more color at the front of the house.  So, I jumped out of bed, threw on some clothes, grabbed a shovel...(maybe this sounds a little more energetic in my mind than if it was captured on video, but you get the picture), and by 8 AM I was finished with that little project, and I started pulling the OTHER weeds.  I was rewarded.  Among the weeds are my much neglected strawberries.  And there were little flashes of red:  My reward! 

Many sticks and wool

Beginning of the semester... starting lots of new things.  Where did retirement go?  I guess I got a little crazy this past month with the realization that I would be 'home' for the rest of 2011.  So I signed up for all of the things that I've wanted to do, and some that others have wanted me to do.  Kind of fun as long as I get a few long knitting days, too.
Here's a recap of my last week.  (I have many more things on needles, but these have been in my hands during the past 7 days.)
A toddler pullover to use up leftover yarn:

 A topsy-turvy doll.  I'm stuck 'thinking' about a face...  The skirt was created by my daughter more than a year ago.

 Something NEW for me:  Dahlia pattern for the back of a light-weight cardigan. (This will be the MOST fun part.  After the back, it may languish in line behind my other cardigans...)

 Mittens, really mittens, with a flap over the fingers.  (Started last March/February?)

The cow, socks and vest are closer to being done...  Maybe this weekend!  Have a great one!  Pow-wow pictures are next.