Crazy Pants

That's what this spring is so far.  Crazy pants.

See that header photo?  That's a tulip tree.  Here where I live in northern Colorado.  Where I have never ever ever in my long legged life seen a tulip tree in bloom in these parts.

Ever.  And when I saw this one, I drove around the block to make sure of what I was seeing.

Then went back the next afternoon with the fancy smancy camera to get a photo.  Because it will probably be another 15 years before I see it bloom again.

Seriously, all the flowering trees are bursting into bloom.  Not budding, but blooming.  It was mid-May a couple years ago when I made the Guy drive me around on a Saturday morning taking photos of the lovely trees in our fair burg.

Done Deals

Spring Cardi

Sprout (rav linky), by Amy King, out of Andes Wool, buttons from the stash.

Interesting tidbit: The 3/4 sleeves ended up being 7/8 sleeves, and the cuffs not tight enough to hold them up, so out they came.  With enough yarn left, I lengthened the sleeves to full, and re-knit the cuffs with smaller needles.  Yea!  Also, the first button bands were all stretched out looking, so out they came as well.  I picked up more stitches with smaller needles, and also, second time around…remembered to add the buttonholes.  I have worn this several times already.  I am really very please with myself for ‘fixing’ it.  There was a time in my life when I would not have done that.  So good for me!

Tweed Pullover

Deeply Textured Tunic, by Melissa Wehrle (Interweave Knits), buttons from the stash.

Interesting tidbit: Adapted this into not so much a tunic, no waist shaping, a little widening at the hips (hey, don’t judge!)  I cast on for the smallest size but increased to the medium size…something to do with my gauge and size….anyway, being knit in the round, top down, I tried it on as I went, and it seemed to fit as it grew…and grew….and grew…this is one big sweater out of aran weight.  And then after blocking, I decided the hip increases just increased the look of my hips.  NOT necessary, thank you very much.  And also...made it a tunic.  If I hadn't abbreviated this thing, I would have had a dress at this point.  Anyhoo...I unpicked and frogged back to the increases, knit in the pattern another inch and a half, then added the ribbing.  Done and done.  And much better in my opinion.  Unless we have one last cold snap, I probably won’t have a chance to wear this puppy until next fall.  The joke among my knitter peeps is this might stop bullets...

Tripping

Of late Wonderful Guy and I travelled to the State of the Utes to see the Grandbebes that live there.  And also their parents.  Of course their parents too!

It had been way too long on both accounts.  This trip was a road trip, and whether it happened or not depended on the weather.  We lucked out, and had fine a fine travel experience. Of course we had a fine travel experience!  Because we had a great visit with the bebes and their parents.

See…the thing is...I learned stuff.  I learned that some of I-80 runs at 7500 feet.  And also, that checking weather is good and well.  But not complete.  One should also check road conditions when travelling….there.  Yep.  We spent some down time in Rawlins, but yea! They opened the road back up after 2 1/2 hours!

Only to have Hiway 287 closed 4 minutes before we reached Laramie.  So we spent an extra night there, before heading north and east an extra 120 miles to go south on I-25 to get home.

Under blue skies the whole way!  It was sideways snow…blowing snow was the issue.  Our direct routes home didn’t open up until way after we reach our fair burg, had lunch, and were all unpacked!

It was excellent to have a chance to catch up with Middle Daughter and have a chance to get acquainted with the grandbebe girls.  They are cutie-pies.  How could they not be though?  I say they could not!

And then we travelled to Desert Crazy Town in which to see Only Step Son marry the Lovely Fiancee.  The wedding was downsized from a big planned affair in June, to a intimate engagement in March.  They chose simple and less complex and less stress as the big plans started snowballing.

And I got a brief visit, once again, with Dearest Sister.  She and Car Guy celebrated Wonderful Guy’s birthday together with Lovely Step Daughter.  We took in the Shelby Museum, did a drive by of the Gold & Silver Pawn (home of Pawn Stars), and dropped some quarters at the Pin Ball Hall of Fame, where we all got a big kick out of the South Park game.  After walking Molly, the grand-pup, we finished of the day with the whole wedding gang at dinner.  I think the Guy had a good day of celebration.

(as seen on TV!)

We were up the next morning early for the flight home, and while it was not the best travel experience I have had, we made it safely.  And it was good to go somewhere warmish, though, and break out of wintry weather for a bit.

True Story

Talking to Youngest Daughter the other day…telling her something I heard on NPR.  It was something awesome and inspiring and deeply moving and no doubt humorous and full of truth, all at the same time.

She listened attentively.

And she responded, “you listen to NPR?!?”

Hmph. Yes. Yes, I do, and it doesn’t take away from my kewlness.

In other news, we have been totally enjoying a blissful March, with the middle of the month free of wind, and with temps in the high 60’s and low 70’s.

Last fall, with Wonderful Guy’s initiative and motivation, we hied ourselves to the local hardware store and bought a bag ‘o tulip bulbs.  Fifty of ‘em, then we went around the yard and stuck them in the ground.

Well, ‘we’ did until the guy ended up with blisters from the bulb digger thingie. I finished while he was in doctoring his wounds, so he didn’t know where the last several ended up.

Last week he asked me if some of those tulips ended up over by the blah blah blah because something was coming up…and I was all ‘Ohmigah!  I forgot about the TULIPS!!!  Lemme see lemme SEE!!!’

We have tulips sprouting all over, and hopefully soon we will have some blooming.  Oh, I am not fooling myself.  I know its just mid-March.  We are due chilly weather yet.  Maybe even more snow.  This is Colorado after all!  But still…we planted tulips last fall!

In the meantime, these bloomed this week.

WWID???

What Would I Do…if I didn’t have to go to work tomorrow…or the next day…or the day after…

With Dearest Sister’s impending retirement, I will be the last sibling standing, more or less, and it’s giving me the opportunity to ponder the question, how would I spend my time, if it were my own?

One of my first goals would be to clean and reorganize the house.  Cleaning Gina would be a thing of the past, obviously, and I would inventory everything.  Recently a couple of my knitter peeps lost their home to fire, and the only thing they had a good inventory of was their yarn/fiber on Ravelry.  And there I sit, being able to amaze with how organized I have been with my stash, and little else.

Cooking/baking/shopping/planning would happen so healthy eating and less eating out would follow.

Probably there are certain financial/bill paying chores that Wonderful Guy does now that I would do, having more time.

Gifts and cards would almost all be homemade.

That is how I see saving money that I wouldn't be earning.  This is what I see doing for growing and learning…

I long to have the time to challenge myself with my camera and photo-editing software.  I would set goals and finds lessons and read and meet challenges with both.  Har har!  My family thinks they get hand knits now!  They will be receiving artsy photos next!!

My yard would so less hit and miss, and I would try new stuff to make it better.  I read about interesting ideas, but just don’t have the time to figure out how to implement them.  Also…I would build a cold frame to extend my growing season!

I will teach Grandbebe Girl #1 how to knit, and the others, too, in their turn, if they want.  And continue to expand my horizons in the fibery fields, of course.  Maybe I could parley those skills into an income stream, who knows.  I will join the local knitting guild and perhaps work on becoming a master knitter.

The baby quilts would be caught up for sure, and maybe there is a quilter’s guild, too, that suits.  And I will sew up all those good ideas I have seen and have cached for ‘when I have time…’  I really love to sew.

I will walk most days, and I will have that second (or third) cup of coffee in the morning…sitting down.

I think that's a pretty good start.