Back in June I told you how The Husband planted a couple of potatoes from the fridge just to see what would happen. They were planted in a couple of stacked plastic buckets one of which he’d removed the bottom. The other day they were ready to harvest so he put a tarp on the lawn and dumped the buckets out. This is the harvest. I used the potatoes on the left in a beef stew today and they were delicious. The Husband is planning a much larger system to grow potatoes next year. They (along with the sweet 100 tomatoes and the hot peppers) were a complete success. The other things were more of varying degrees of failure.
After dinner tonight we walked through the local conservation area. The garden is reaching the end of its life. There are still flowers blooming but the vegetables are done.
I have knit a bit more on the vest. It’s coming along fine. I’m finding myself craving some socks. It’s been a while since I cast on a new pair. The stash has plenty of single fingering weight yarn to choose from. So I did a quick dive into the top layer and pulled out this lovely skein. It was a gift from a friend. The label says Icemelon’s stash but when I went poking around on Ravelry, looking to see what others made with this yarn, I learned the name has changed to Supernova Dyeworks. This is Desmos sock in the my other ride is a unicorn colorway. I’m just going to knit some top down plain stockinette socks with a 2×2 rib. My standard plain pattern for letting the yarn shine. It’s been a bit since I’ve juggled a couple of projects. Hopefully I still remember how.
It’s been a busy day. We took the kids to lunch to celebrate H’s birthday which was last week. Now that we live in 3 locations and have different schedules planning get togethers is a challenge. Myles was so happy when N came through the door. They spent time together which was good for them both.
I’ve been giving serious thought to the fall semester of Loopy Academy and decided to skip this semester and join in in the spring. I’ve got things I want to knit and a baby sweater for soon to be born new family member. I’m looking at the next few months as an opportunity to use some stash and knit a few things I’ve been thinking about.
In that vein, above you see the Calidez vest in its second incarnation. Maybe you recognize the yarn too. It’s Rowan cork in its second attempt at becoming something. I’m doing the crew neck button front version of the pattern. Don’t you love a pattern that comes with options. This pattern has two neck options and cardigan or pullover style. Plus multiple yarn weights. It’s a very versatile pattern.
You know, when I take a few days (or weeks) off from blogging I find it really hard to come back. It’s like not working out. The muscle is weak. I do have things to say. I always have things to say but deciding how is the muscle that’s out of practice.
N has been happily at school for a week now. We’ve all talked or texted pretty regularly. It sounds like it’s going well. The food is edible. The people are nice. The roommate is nice. Can’t ask for more than that after only a week.
The Husband and I found a new place to walk. We’ve been twice. The first day, photo above, it started raining so we trudged back to the car. We weren’t sure how long it would take to walk the entire route. We went back yesterday, in much better weather, and walked the loop. It is 2.7 miles which is a good distance for us. We took our time stopping pretty regularly to take in the view of Boston, Logan Airport, the harbor and the islands. We hope to go back weekly. It’s nice to add a new walk to our rotation.
Politics Alert. If you’re sensitive to political chit chat move right along. Don’t stress yourself out. I’m still keeping my eye on the news. So much going on. So much lack of judgment. So much overreach. I could pick so many things to rail against. But I’m only picking one today.
Hypocrisy infuriates me. I’m a live and let live kind of person. I believe that you should do you and I should do me. If you want a tattoo get one. I don’t. If you want to pierce your genitalia feel free. I’ll leave mine unpierced thank you. The VP today is quoted as saying “ The right of women to make decisions about their own bodies is not negotiable. The right of women to make decisions about their bodies is their decision, it’s their body.” Then the President made a speech mandating Covid vaccines to basically all. I could point out that his speech contained half truths (no, the available Covid vaccines are not FDA approved. The approved vaccine is unavailable. Call Pfizer if you feel the need to fact check me.) but I won’t. I personally don’t believe he’s running the show. If you disagree see the press conference where he said he was told what to say/do. Again, you are free to believe whatever you wish. As am I. Now tell me, are women allowed to say they don’t want an experimental vaccine that doesn’t have full FDA approval or is my body my choice only valid when it involves abortion? Seems pretty hypocritical to me. Body autonomy is body autonomy.
*That’s the Boston pronunciation of harbor, not me spelling it wrong. Really.
N is all settled in at college. The house is quiet. Myles is at loose ends wondering where his human is. We’ll all learn and grow from this experience or so I tell myself.
Now that Camp Loopy has ended I wasn’t sure what I wanted to knit. Don’t get me wrong, there are lots of things I’d like to knit and yarn to use. The new semester of Loopy Academy has been assigned. We’ll talk about that when I figure out a plan. I decided to pull out the Calidez vest and reassess. I took no notes so the first thing I had to do was figure out which size I’d cast on and where I was.
I sat down and quickly figured out what was what and as I worked 8 or so rows I gave some serious thought to the yarn. It’s some vintage Reynolds Lopi I was given years ago. The color is a gorgeous deep purple, not a shade I’d ordinarily pick but truly lovely. But it is scratchy. Really scratchy. I’ve reread the inside of the label where it talks about how Icelandic wool like Lopi’s “essential characteristic is softness”. Huh? It feels like steel wool if I’m honest. So tell me, will this soften with washing and wearing? No. I didn’t make and wash a swatch. I don’t have yarn to spare. I’m 99% sure this is the last time you’ll see the beginning of the Calidez vest in this yarn. I’m thinking the Lopi might like to be a felted bag or some other none clothing item. Life is too short to be unhappy with my knitting.
In other knitting talk, I’ve got a baby sweater to knit and a tried and true pattern: Cardigan for Baby by Florence Merlin. I’ve got to stash dive for some yarn. While I’m digging through I’ll look for a replacement for the Calidez vest. Maybe I’ll have cast on something new soon.
Look! I finished my August Camp Loopy project and it fits ok. It isn’t the most flattering thing I’ve ever knit. It cuts me up in all the wrong places but I loved knitting it. There is something about a simple well written easy to follow pattern that just satisfies the cranky knitter in me. I love when instructions leave no question as to what to do. I love when the designer includes links to videos for things that might be new or confusing.
The pattern is The Birdwatcher by Casapinka. It’s a simple bottom up sweater with a bit of feather and fan sort of lace at the bottom. The yarn is Malabrigo sock in the carnival color.
As I said, this isn’t the most flalter style for my body type. The lace draws attention to my squishy midsection and the super short sleeves accentuate my chubby upper arms. That said, I loved knitting it. The lace section was fun. The swath of just plain knitting and finally the back and forth of stockinette was all relaxing.
The yarn is soft and pretty. I could have alternated skeins but didn’t so I ended up with a dark section right around the boobs.
I doubt I’ll knit another one because it isn’t right for my body BUT it has convinced me I must knit more sweaters. They aren’t hard. They can be just as relaxing as knitting socks or a shawl. Plus winter is coming. I’ll need a new cardigan for sure.
Now for the rest of the hodgepodge.
The garden is looking pretty bedraggled. Our weather has been really wet with a side of hot and humid followed by more rain. Leaves have yellowed, the cucumbers are waterlogged and the tomatoes are splitting on the vine. We did enjoy some really delicious turnip though. The flowers look good though the clematis has a fungus.
N goes off to college this week. I think we all have nervous excitement at the thought. We are as ready as we can be I suppose.
I’m still watching what’s going on in the world with equal parts shock, sadness and disgust. I think it can’t get worse and then it does.
I may not make it back here for a few days. I hope you’re all well and enjoying your crafting. I look forward to telling you about the projects I’m planning.
This is where I’m at. I’ve completed the squiggly bit at the bottom and the part that is done in the round. I did add two inches of length to the body because I’m past the belly shirt age.
I’ve started in on the second skein. I know I could have alternated skeins and not ended up with the stark difference. But you know what’s crazy, the change in color isn’t where the new skein was added. Notice how the bottom is darker and then the skein gets lighter. Well it got darker before I added in the new skein. I’m going with it. I am embracing the carnival attitude of this Malabrigo sock in the color carnival.
The pattern has been very straight forward. Lots of do this do that for this long. I love Casapinka patterns. She writes them the way my brain works.
I’ve just a bit back switched from knitting in the round to back and forth. My gauge has changed slightly but not too much. I’m going with it.
I don’t know about you but I’m really surprised at what I’m seeing out there. Who’d have thought things could go from bad to worse to oh my God in such a short time.
As I sit on my couch knitting furiously on my August project my mouth is open with shock. I don’t even know what has me most outraged. Let’s look at a few things and take a temperature of the situation.
Afghanistan. There aren’t words for this debacle. It is a worst case scenario of worst case scenarios. My heart breaks for all the people who after twenty years deserve better. I’ve seen photos online of swarms of people at the airport trying to leave. Reminds me of when Saigon fell and that was a travesty.
Haiti. First their president is assassinated and now they’ve suffered another devastating earthquake. Not good.
Japan, Germany, India, China, lots of additional countries. Extreme flooding from heavy rains. Streets and buildings flooded. It’s biblical.
United States southern border is being overrun. It’s an unsustainable situation according to leaked audio of Secretary Mayorkas. Who and what are coming across our border? No one knows. Could it be Covid (original and innumerable variants), other diseases, drugs, gang members, terrorists, biological weapons, nuclear weapons? Maybe all of the above? No one knows. Read that again: No one knows.
Covid is on the rise again. There have been many “breakthrough” cases. In Barnstable county Massachusetts 74% of those diagnosed were fully vaccinated. But don’t worry President Obama got his big unmasked birthday party on Martha’s Vineyard while the rest of the state is told we all better start wearing the masks indoors again.
France, Italy, UK, Greece and other countries are protesting forced vaccines, vaccine passports and lockdowns. Australia is locked down tight again for just a handful of cases.
I don’t know what to be enraged about. I don’t know what to do. All I can do is say a pray for the people of the world and work with my locals to do what I can in my own community.
How are you doing? Are you shocked by what you see? How are you coping?
Hi. I’m still alive. I’m busy with life and knitting. If it isn’t enough that my baby is off to college at the end of this month I decided to knit a fingering weight sweater for my August Camp Loopy project. The requirement is to celebrate the Main Event, a real showstopper. So I’ve wanted to knit a fingering weight sweater for ages and really didn’t think too hard before jumping all in. The pattern is The Birdwatcher by Casapinka. I love her patterns. The yarn is Malabrigo sock in carnival. Between shopping for twin XL bedding and all other college prep stuff I’m knitting as fast as I can. This may be the project and the milestone that does me in.
I hope you’re all well and enjoying your crafting. Say a prayer for the people of the world. As I look around there are many needing prayers.
