Blogtoberfest

I just went over to TinnieGirl's and signed up. The challenge is to blog every day in October. I've been trying to blog more often so I'm looking at this as an opportunity to get into the habit. There's still time for you to jump on the bandwagon! C'mon!

Weekend Pursing

I'm still on my purse jag. I finished Foster Purse #2 last night, took its picture, and immediately hauled both #1 & #2 downstairs for some quick felting.






Fortunately I had read a bunch of Ravelry posts about this purse and one of the Ravelers had commented that hers felted quickly, so I stayed downstairs and checked them after about 6 minutes of the cycle. Perfect! So I turned the dial to Rinse and Spin, tugged and patted them into shape, and left them to dry overnight. I love them!

Foster Purse #2's color is correct in the above photo where the couch cushion looks bright yellow. I don't understand how come Purse #1 and the couch look the right color in the felted picture but it is sooo wrong when the purse color is right.




Durwood wanted the world to see what a perfect breakfast looks like, in his opinion. It's a slice of Rosen's Rye (unseeded) toasted with butter, mayo, and thick slabs of tomato, with more tomato on the side. Oh, and with coffee too. Not my idea of breakfast, but to each his own, and he can have my share of that one.

No Yarn Here. Move Along.

My lovely Durwood is having the time of his life harvesting his hand-me-up raspberries. Our DS got them from his friend's dad and planted them behind the duplex. Then DS and his beloved moved first to California and then to Montana, both waaaay too far away for convenient berry harvesting, so dear ol' Dad inherited them. So far this year he has made 9 jars of preserves, a raspberry pie, too many bowls of vanilla ice cream and fresh raspberries to count, and I just carried some downstairs and put them in the freezer. He's in seventh heaven.

Foster Purse #1

I'm liking this pattern. I even like knitting it on circular needles. Amazing. I've cast on a purple one and have more yarn waiting in the wings. I'm using the leftover Lamb's Pride Bulky from last Christmas' Meathead Hat extravaganza. Now, if I can manage to felt it so I like it then too, this whole undertaking will be a success.

Pursing

I can't seem to stop making purses to felt. I'm on a purse jag, I guess.



Here's purse #3 felted and dry but not buttoned or clasped. It's lying on our new king-sized bedspread I got at TJ Maxx for only thirty bucks. King-sized for THIRTY BUCKS!





I cruised my pattern books and found the Two-Hour Handbag (Ravelry link) in this book and couldn't wait to start it. I took needles, some leftover Lamb's Pride Bulky, and the pattern to work yesterday and got over half finished. As you have probably surmised it's taken me longer than 2 hours to make, but it would be easily done in that time if you're not a glacially slow knitter like me. This is still way faster than I've made other projects.




I wish I had a longer attention span. When I've got all socks and a sweater OTN, I just have to break out of the rut and knit some fast-finishable stuff.

Back From Writing Camp

I had a very relaxing and productive writing week up at The Clearing in the wilds of Door County. Now I'm back with photographic proof that I actually knitted a bit and went to a yarn shop (twice) so you won't think I wasted my week writing.


I got a skein of Trekking 6 Fach, color #1805 for socks,







and Bearfoot Mountain Colors in Firestorm for a drop-stitch scarf.








Every morning we had what our teacher called Quiet Writing Time which means you don't talk and you don't make eye contact with anyone, you just write. I took my Alphasmart out and found a little nest on the edge of the bluff overlooking the bay and just typed away. If I got really stuck for an idea, I tucked an index card and pencil in my pocket and walked the trails through the woods. Very good for generating scenes and outstanding for making my shoes stink. I have my Great-grandpa Charlie Gerst's feet and they're decomposing even as we speak. Next time I'm taking 2 pairs of walking shoes. Who could resist walking through these woods? Not me.






One night I worked on Reef Sock #2 while sitting in a rocker in the Lodge talking to some of the other students.






The next night I knit on Felted Purse #3.










It was hard to come home, but I needed clean clothes. Plus this week's students were arriving so I'd have had to sleep in my car. It was worth coming home because I'm making Cornish Hens on the grill with roasted potato chunks and giant beet slices on the grill too. Mmm, you wish you were here, don't you?

We Visit The Land of Giant Veggies

I convinced Durwood that we needed eggplant so off we went to the Farmer's Market at Festival. Our favorite corn people, Sunny Hill Farms, had a big booth and we were powerless to resist. We got a basket of tiny Damson plums like Grandma Angermeier grew ($2), 2 ears of the best sweet corn in the planet, normal sized eggplants ($1 ea), petanque ball sized beets ($1 a bunch), and a kohlrabi that defies description (50 cents). I foresee Layered Veggie Bake in our near future. Yum. I love this time of year.




In knitting news, I made one of the knitted hats I promised to my web-friend Rochard for a bunch of foster kids she makes sure get gifts. More to come!









And I shaved and sheared the fuzzies on Felted Purse #2, along with adding the clasp and a big purple button. Now it looks like a real purse instead of some alien pelt.










I also did a bit of extemporaneous yarn buying. It was on sale. Pretty colors, people.

The Zoo & A Sock (picture heavy post)

Not at the same time, unfortunately. I'm not clever enough to be able to knit and walk around. I need to watch what I'm doing most of the time here at klutz central.

Since it was my birthday yesterday I decreed that we needed to go to the zoo so I could feed the giraffes--and so we did.








The lioness was tired.





The otter posed.



















Durwood talked to the eagle and the macaws. (They didn't talk back.)













The raccoons made off with a rake.








And I fed Hodari. I could have spent all afternoon feeding him giraffe crackers (which look like Triscuits) and having his big, long, dark blue giraffe tongue all over my hand. I hate dog spit on me, I don't mind giraffe spit. Go figure.

After a lovely supper at Tony Roma's (mmm, bbq ribs and onion loaf; onions are a veggie, right?) I finished Reef Sock #1. When the weather turns chilly, it (and its future mate) will keep my tootsies toasty. I love the colors.

P.S. I finally noticed when I was photoshopping the pix we took at the zoo that there is definitely 30# less of me. I could feel it but not see it; I can in this picture. Feels good.