The Boyz Are Back In Town...

Actually, we got back with the boys last Thurs., but I had problems with internet service being down for a few days and was also busy doing errands with the boys, so today is the first time I have had a chance to post. And this is my second attempt (the internet service ate my last post. We made a 2 day trip back to Wy, 2 days there, then 2 days back home - over 2,000 miles round trip. It sure feels good to have the boys back, suddenly I feel like cooking again! And there is food in the fridge! Basically, I was just feeding 2 people this summer (hubby and I) since Son #1 has been working fulltime this summer and hasn't had many meals at home lately.

I have borrowed an idea from the Yarn Harlot and others, and took a travelling sock with me. Isn't there a KAL out there for the "Summer of the Travelling Sock"? Maybe I should have taken pics of this sock while I was in TX!

Here we are in Jackson Hole, Wyoming at the park in the center of town. They have these arches at the different entrances to the park made entirely of antlers. It just occurred to me to wander if they just found these antlers laying around, or if they obtained them from hunters. My husband (who happens to be a native of Wyoming) assures me that they were gathered from the Elk reserve near Jackson Hole.

You can barely get a glimpse of my knitting bag that I made last summer. I love that bag and got the kit for it from Fonz and Porter's "For the Love of Quilting" magazine a while back.

The sock and I (and hubby) also went through Yellowstone National Park. The only wildlife we spotted in the park on the way to Granma's house were tourists (haha), and buffalo that were way off the road. This is a pertinent comment as we usually have to slow for Buffalo that loiter in the middle of the road, or tourists that stop their cars in the middle of the road, going both ways, completely shutting traffic down so they can get a close up picture of the aforementioned buffalo (or elk, or even bear) and drag their kids out of the car so they can get a close-up view of aforementioned wildlife (totally forgetting that Yellowstone is not a zoo, and this wildlife is not behind a secure chain link fence). On the way home we saw alot of Buffalo and gawking tourists (with their cars stopped in the middle of the two-lane highway!).

I have also been working on the red sweater since I got back and hope to have it finished by this weekend some time. Stay tuned....

Just a Quickie

This will be just a quick post as we are going back to Wyoming tomorrow to pick up the 2 younger boys that have been staying with Grandma and Grandpa since school got out.
And yes, I am making sure that I take several projects to work on in the car while we drive to get the most out of our travel time. If I don't keep my hands busy making something, I end up sleeping alot on the road. When I was school-age and we went on long car trips, if I wasn't sleeping, I was getting sick all over the car. Well, enough of that. I seem to have outgrown alot of the motion sickness business. I have learned not to turn around to look at what is going on behind me too much (like when you try to tell the kids "It's okay if he touches you, just as long as he doesn't hit you!"), or try to read or do any hand work on curvy mountain roads.

I have been working on the Tangled Garden Fair Isle socks. Doing Fair Isle is a challenge and needs to be spelled off with easier projects. I have made some progress though, and am almost to the heel.

And this is the wrong side. I have had a good teacher that has told me how to carry over the yarn on the wrong side, I think it's looking pretty good.

The right side of the sock is definitely more appealing.

I have also been working on the Leaf Lace Shawl byFiber Trends. This too is something that cannot be worked on continuously, or in very distracting circumstances. I have also found out that it is best not to knit on lace when I am too tired, and to count the number of stitches that you have on your needles at the end of the row and see if it matches the number of stitches you are supposed to have at the end of the row. I also learned early on that it is very difficult to knit lace on Addi Turbo needles, the stitches just want to keep on sliding right off the needles! So I am using Bryspum circular needles instead. They seem to hold onto the laceweight yarn enough so that I don't lose everything.

The last time I showed a picture of it, it was only about 1 inch long. I have completed up to row 40, now I just have to keep repeating the last 10 rows with the increasing increases until it is the right length - which should be about 18 repeats of those 10 rows for a total of 427 stitches on the needle. WHEW, that sounds like alot! I sure am glad there isn't a time limit on this thing.

And to your left, a close-up of the leaf pattern. I am soo excited. I have never done anything like this before. I hope and pray for the endurance to see it through, and the ability to keep the stitch count correct!!

I am taking these 2 projects with me to work on during the two day drive out and back. But if they prove to be too much for a car trip, I have a baby hat and matching socks to work on (a gift for a friend), and a sock to finish up for a birthday gift.

Two Sleeves Down

Now I need to block the Bookworm Tunic sweater, sew it up, and finish off the neck. The end is in site. I worked on the second sleeve over the weekend, and finished it up this morning. I am soo excited. This is my first of (I hope) many sweaters. I enjoyed working the pattern and learning how to adjust it when the pattern called for increases.
When I was in Texas visiting I was able to help my sister with a scarf that she had started several years ago. It was so nice to be able to help her with something for a change. Since she is the "older" sister, she is the one that usually helps me out with questions that I have about projects. She also succumbed to some pretty blue-green yarn that she saw in the yarn store that really complemented the color of her eyes. Unfortunately, she didn't want to show off her pretty eyes. Do you like the double scarf look?
I was just looking at past posts and discovered that I forgot to post a picture of hubby's finished Harley-Davidson socks. I guess I put it in the Flicker photo-stamp on the sidebar and forgot about it. I finished his socks the same week that I finished the Pomotamus socks - before the end of July. He has already worn his socks several times and is tickled that I made him a pair.

I guess I had better get off the computer before I am late for work. I hope everyone has a nice weekend. TTFN (Ta-ta for now)