Happy birthday caching

Update: From Late October

John celebrates 98 years + 37 days by finding his Birthday geocache. Another cacher placed this a month ago in honor of his birthday. Took a few wrong roads, then stopped short of driving across a creek, and finally hiking through the brush to get the honor of signing the log! Thanks to all cachers!

New top - Finch's Wings

A fun pattern, and a fun story behind it. 

First yarn, then pattern, then four months later a change in yarn as my mind imagines something else.

Knitters beware!  The tactile senses of yarn shopping, made me do it...along with 8 other knitters standing nearby, shopping, making encouraging shopping noises, peer pressure for sure...  It was a summer day in Warsaw NY, summer knit camp outing... do you see where I'm going?  The yarn was yummy, and since I had the yearn for yarn, I also had the yearn for a pattern (booklet) that featured that yarn... hence, Finch's Wings was born.  Yet when I opened the booklet, I had other stashed yarn in mind, that I had purchased years before... and now, I'm not totally happy with my choice.  

The pattern looks lovely after blocking, however, to really enjoy it, I will have to crochet a little something around the neckline.  It's a bit too wide, and tends to slip off my shoulders.  And I used up all of the yarn so it will be trimmed with a contrasting complimenting color.

A note about the yarn:

Lace

by Regia

Lace / 2 ply

71% Wool, 29% Nylon

656 yards / 100 grams

Link to my Ravelry page HERE.

My expectations of what the colorway would look like surprised me, and not in a good way, but it is what it is, and I think I will learn to like it.  Just not what I expected.

The Pattern:

Finch's Wings

by Caroline Fryar

from Juniper Moon Farm Findley Dappled Booklet JMF04

Meanwhile, the yummy yarn awaits...plenty of nice patterns in the booklet...

The Harvest!

My spooky neighbors!  They (she) LOVES Halloween, and begins with a few things at the beginning of October.  By Halloween night that house across the street is crammed full of bodies and pumpkins (only 59 this year), and lights.  It's a spectacle, and a great one!

The time came a few weeks ago, to pick most of the tomatoes from my one plant.  When I lifted the towel which has been giving a little extra night-time protection, I found a preying mantis cocoon.  I love those guys!  They are so ferocious, the way they eerily turn their heads to stare you down, and give you the creeps... and they take care of many garden pests, so I would like this one to survive.  I carefully replaced it and will remain as patio decor over the winter.

Still thriving, I decided to put the tomatoes in the garage, and have canned tomatoes and onions for the future.

Halloween?  This is all of the decorating I can muster...

Above photos from October 23, 2015.  Since then, we've had frost.

Scraps socks

What I need to carry with me for those "down" times: Waiting for appointments, in between gigs when I don't want to go home...

My thrifty nature is satisfied:  It's called stash busting the remnants of other socks.

Combining these two yarns, randomly with purpose, colors are pleasing to me. I haven't found many remnants that I wouldn't accept in pairings. And no pattern except 2x2 ribbing, trading yarns every row or every other row.  When I get to the end of the row, I play genius and decide if I switch or continue.  Since both yarns have many colors, my mood determines what I do next.  I wonder if it will work for two socks...?

Yarns:

Jawoll Color Superwash 50g.

by Lang Yarns

Fingering / 4 ply

75% Wool, 18% Nylon, 7% Acrylic

206 yards / 50 grams

Jawoll Magic

by Lang Yarns

Fingering / 4 ply

75% Wool, 25% Nylon

437 yards / 100 grams

Conquering Cedar Hill Arch

In August, John and I got to this point, but needed to scale a second bench.  I wasn't brave/foolish enough to attempt it, so we turned around.

Then John called a climbing friend to accompany us.  He came with ropes and rappelling gear.

Looking down at where we started.

This is the part that scared me off the first time.

It wasn't as bad as I thought, of course, it never is when it's behind you!  Speaking of behind, I gave John's friend permission to touch my butt!  He asked politely if I needed help, and I told him he could give me a push.  Thanks! That's what I needed to make the last few handholds.

Smiling, because we were confident we could make it from here!

 The Arch is peeking through, and we discovered something from the past.  A horse trough?

At last.

The top:

And another reason we brought John's friend: He found the geocache!

Perfect day.  Noticed a mini-arch forming on our way back.

Preparing for the descent.
I took the steps and handholds with a safety rope tied around me.
John decided that rappelling was the fastest/easiest for him.

Yay for climbing!  My thighs complained for the next two days.

I love the Southwest, especially in the Fall. 

My friend, John!

A few weeks ago, my friend, John, turned 98.  I met him several years ago when he was just starting his 90's, when he took my class on Geocaching.  He was smitten!  And now we go out several times a month.  The more caches the better.  

But on his birthday, as he has for the past 8 years, he goes to the climbing wall at SJC.  Here's his performance.

Next:  You won't be surprised at where we went last week!

Going to work

Just an amusing aside, for all of my friends who ask, "What does Mick do?"

He now has a part-time job! Although he goes to gigs all the time, for all his years, it's somehow different seeing him pull out of the garage going to a "job".  What is it?  KSJE Roving with the Arts program.  Part-time, so his shows will air twice a week.

Congratulations!