Monday Q & A On Tuesday Abridged & Altered*

*Did you watch the Solar Eclipse yesterday? I watched the total eclipse live on YouTube and the local partial eclipse out my window. 

*What is the most expensive yarn you’ve heard of? I know quivet is expensive but I’ve never seen. I once saw a skein of variegated yarn that had multiple variegations for $100. I didn’t buy it. 

*What is the most difficult knitting technique that you have tried or won’t even try? I look at difficult knitting techniques as a challenge and opportunity to learn so I’ll try anything. I have never done a steek. One day I will. 
*Have you ever had a venus fly trap plant? We did. It did fantastic all summer but once the air turned dry it just shriveled up and died. I’m always tempted to buy one when I see them but I don’t. I think the death of the previous one has stuck with me. 
*Has a neighbor shared from their garden this year? No but I don’t know any neighbors with a garden. 

*Do you like to eat sunflower seeds?  (roasted, salted, chocolate covered? any ? All?) I like the roasted ones on salad but otherwise no. 

*How many football fields of yarn yardage are you currently knitting a project with? About 9, if my math is right.

*A carnival and festivities were part of this weekend.  When was the last time you had a corn dog? I think it was the 80’s. I’m not really a fan. 

*Did you knit as much as you wanted this weekend, ? More than ? Less than? I always knit less than I’d like. There are too many distractions.

*I deleted a question that didn’t apply to me  and changed the first question to past tense.  The photo is from Bar Harbor. See the red sails in the distance. Such a cool looking boat! 

It’s A Keeper!

On Saturday I went to our favorite local farm stand and bought a dozen ears of corn. I know that only three of us eat it and it tastes best the first couple of days but it’s their own nearly local (their farm is is NH) corn and I am addicted. I knew I had to find a recipe that would highlight the freshness of the corn. On Pinterest I found this recipe for Summer Corn Salad. It was fairly easy to put together, except for taking the corn off the cob, and was made with things I had on hand (except for the parsley, I bought that special). It’s really quite tasty and just screams summer. I like the combination of apple cider vinegar and olive oil. It’s got just the right amount of acid with the sweetness of the corn. As summer fades away I’m hoping we can have this a couple more times. It would be perfect for a Labor Day picnic. Enjoy! 

Knits Around The House

I don’t use many knitted/crocheted items around the house. I do have afghans on the beds in N’s room that my mother crocheted and a couple afghans in the living room that I knit and the two pillows I’ve knit. (That’s more than I though.) Recently on a humid day I put a few ice cubes in Myles water dish and added the Ballband dishcloth I knit a few years ago. His bowl accumulates a lot of condensation when the water is cold. It then tends to pool and flow just far enough from the bowl that everyone walks through it. This has stopped the problem entirely. Amazingly enough he hasn’t tried to drag it out from under the bowl. 

What knits/crocheted items do you use around your house? 

*In the plate is the frozen raw food that Myles eats. I am paranoid about cross contamination and therefore extra vigilant about scrubbing the floor around his plate with bleach after he eats otherwise I’d put a dishcloth under it too. 

Suggestions on Saturday

Yesterday I mentioned the Cross-Stitch World app. That’s just one suggestion I have for you this week. I’ve got a couple more for you. 

First a couple of Ravelry suggestions. Have you looked at the Tools & Equipment forum? It’s a great place to find everything from vintage knitting needles to interchangeable needle sets to knitting bags and yarn winders. There are some nice bargains. How about the Ravelry mini-mart? It’s the place to get your Ravelry swag. They sell t-shirts, bags, buttons and such. It’s a great way to show your Ravelry pride. 

I’ve been trying to savor the last couple of weeks of summer, school starts here 8/30. I just discovered a tasty iced tea recipe with a secret ingredient. I recently gave up soda (again!) so I’ve been drinking a lot of water and needed something with a bit of sweetness. I thought this iced tea was refreshing and just the right amount of sweet. I am going to try to cut back on the sugar over time and see if I can get done to about half what the recipe calls for. 

Have you got any suggestions to share? 

Above is another photo from Cadillac Mountain. 

Distraction

Have I mentioned the Cross-Stitch World app? It has sucked me in something fierce. It’s mindless but crafty. I try very hard to limit myself to just a half hour before bed. Look how cute this kitty picture is! I don’t know if I can stop before I’m totally done with it. 

Touristing

Yesterday we took N to the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield MA. He had a great time looking at the exhibits and trying out a couple of skill challenges. 

I made him measure his wingspan. 

A real highlight for him was seeing all the sneakers. He’s a bit obsessed with sneakers in general but seeing NBA player sneakers was a real thrill. I must say I was impressed by Shaq’s size 23. They’re in the photo next to the full size basketball. 

Here is a statue of the man who invented basketball. Overall it was a very neat place. 

Finally

Yesterday I started the ribbing for the bottom of Dayton, finally. I feel like the body took forever! I’m a little worried about being done (blocked and with ends woven and buttons attached) by the end of the month. I keep reminding myself that next week I’ll have more time to knit when The Husband goes back to work. So far that doubting voice in my head is buying it.