Shooting the Moon

Just so happened that I ended up with my camera when the moon was there.

We had gone to Estes to eat with my BFF from Kindergarten! who was visiting from my hometown, and as we were saying good-by, there was the Old Man in the Moon!

The rest I took while on our September vacation in Zion or Bryce.  Seemed like every morning, against a blue sky, there he was again. (Clicky for biggy...)

The above...in order...Kolob Canyon, Zion Canyon, Bryce Canyon.

An Auspicious Occasion

Dearest Sister and Car Guy spent the night at Chez Iron Needles on their way back to Desert Crazy Town last month.  I was so glad to see her, and, as it happened, I had just finished cutting out the 3” squares that are to be the 9-patches for Grandbebe Four’s quilt.

She and I spent part of our all too brief time together matching up squares to make awesome 9-patches. The grandbebe quilts (See One, Two, & Three here) are a team effort, but happens states apart.  It is doubly extra special, with chocolate syrup and whipped cream, when the effort can happen in the same room.  Plus!  We are more creatively, I believe, than the sum of our parts…and we have more fun together than we do with others.

That much is certain.

As it also happened, I had ordered a walking foot for my most awesome Singing Singer, the Rocketeer, which for the uninformed, will enabled me to quilt with my sewing machine.

(Not that I will quilt the grandbebe quilt this way. Oh NO! A standard has been set and will be adhered to.  Grandbebe quilts are quilted by hand…with love in each and every stitch.  As it should be…taking months and months and months…of love!)

Back to the walking foot….Sister has one for her Featherweight, and seeing hers is what inspired me to find one for the Rocketeer.  I will be able to quilt smaller projects much faster and easier with it.  Anyway.  It showed up the same day Dearest Sister did.  We were able to break it in together.  Outstanding! with a side of awesome!

And…I did not realize that Dearest Sister had not been to our humble abode since the creation of my craftudio, my she-cave, my space-station.

She loved it.  I knew she would.  She wants one of her own.

Now...the next quilt is calling.  And I need a real project to test that walking foot on.

Miles (and miles) of Yarn

At Guild last month, it was announced that a member who previously owned a yarn store was selling what remained of her stock.

For an exceedingly good price.  So exceedingly good, I would say…it was almost free.  ALMOST FREE! for pete’s sake.

So I went.  And my stash grew by miles.

I know this because I have my yarn supply listed in spreadsheet format for easy tracking, and it is easily calculated into miles…or kilometers…or fathoms…

Yarn Garage Sale Lady #2 told me she was going to be selling her books in a few weeks and would email me.

She did.  I bought books…and more yarn.  More miles of yarn.

This enabler told me she was going to bringing out magazines in a few weeks, and she also informed me when this event occurred.

I went, and bought magazines…and buttons…and more yarn.

It was almost free.  I had to.

Such a heady experience it was. I got the best yarn ever.

I would show it off, but that would only cause grief and envy!

Dead Serious Knitting

Gathered Front Tank (rav linky) by Mercedes Tarosavich-Clark (Interweave Knits, Spr 11) out of Maggi’s Linen.  Had to buy a short sleeved tee for the proper look, and it wasn’t even on sale.  But I am lovin’ this and I get comments pretty much every time I wear it.  Happened that I had the exact recommended yarn on hand from Yarn Garage Sale Lady #1.   Love it when a plan comes together. Note: buttons from my stash, from a card marked 25 cents!

Weekend Pullover (rav linky) by Diane Soucy (#224) out of Tahki Yarns Baby Tweed.  Took this on our September vacay.  Had lots of this yarn on hand from the Yarn Garage Sale Lady #1, so figured out how much I needed when packing for the trip.  Oops…I looked at grams (100) not yards (60).  Yeah, so as I was closing in on the body, and quickly knitting through the last ball, I was wondering WTH?!  I had plenty at home.  Extra, even…if I had been knitting with sz 17’s as the pattern called for.  The largest needles I have are 15’s, which I considered big enough, and certain gave me a gauge pretty close.  However, the 15’s were small enough to require enough more rounds to eat up all my extra yarn.  The sleeve edges have an abbreviated trim, but the sweater blocked out to fit just fine.  I am glad I don’t have any extra length to the sleeves, actually.

Shalom (rav linky)  by Meghan McFarlane out of Elizabeth Austen Wool of the Andes.  I knit this once, and blocked it, thinking that looks mighty long…and it was.  Down to my knees long.  Yes, there were some things in the directions I overlooked.  I do swatch, albeit an abbreviated routine.  What I didn’t remember was the line about the original piece being knit for someone 6 ft tall.  To my credit, I realize I was never going to wear the sweater as it was, and having a skein left over, I decided to reknit the thing, with a double strand.  So I picked the woven end from the bind off…and pairing with the end of the fresh yarn?  cast on and started my new Shalom…knitting a sweater from a sweater!  I don’t need no stinkin’ re-skeining!  The new knitting allowed me to remember all three buttonholes, and fix an error in the buttonband.  I like the finished project very much.  Maybe I should knit everything twice? Note: buttons from my stash, 3 leftovers from I don't know how far back in time.

Summer Swing Cardi, by Jessica Grzedzinski, out of Reynolds Mandalay (100% silk).  Ooh la la.  I love this yarn.  Looking at the projects in Ravelry, I figured out how to make this larger  (36” bust) than written (32” bust), because I am not…you know…a teenager. It took math and gauge swatches and starting over once, maybe twice, but I figured it out (I thought). And so I knit and purled to my hearts content all through Zion and Bryce and back, with hardly a thought.  Perfect project for knitting while viewing the scenery, and the perfect yarn for it as well.  Well, yes.  As it got closer to being finished, I was having some thoughts about it being…scanty.  I measured my gauge again.  Yep, 4 st/inch…18 inches across…2 x 18 = 36…but after seaming, the sweater was really tiny!  I was not undone, though.  I didn’t weave in any ends (because, bigod, if this pattern didn’t work, this yarn was going to be something else, something else for me!), and I soaked it and blocked it out to 36 ½ “.  After drying, it was much better, even passable, but I had one ball of yarn (plus a bit) left, and I thought I could maybe pick up stitches along the front and add bands to bring the edges close together.  I added about 6 rows of garter, before binding off one side too tight.  After adding the garter edging on the other side, I knew I was on the right track. I un-bound off the first and added some more garter rows before binding off with larger needles.  Perfect. End result was 10 ridges of garter on each side.  No button.  Doesn’t look like any of the other projects from this pattern on Ravelry.

Eldest’s Yoga Mat Bag, Om Nava Shivaya Bag, by Audrey Loopy, out of Tahki Yarns Brilla. Just like mine.  Only it matches the swimsuit cover up I knitted for her…using up my leftovers.  Hope she likes it as much as I like mine.

Like I said...some deadly serious knitting.

Goals

Well, I am into the 4^th quarter.  I should take a look at that list/outline/catalog/inventory of goals/guidelines/efforts to be made and see where I am falling short/making headway/treading water.

Quilt.  I have two one bebe quilt to complete to start.  At a minimum.
Update: 9-patches cut out and matched up, ready for piecing, and four sewn.

Knitting. I would like to continue with my sweaters, expanding to pullovers, and also continue my sock knitting.  I am thinking to try some colorwork this year. And fearlessly learn new techniques as I go.

Update: one bulky pullover completed, and a couple of cardigans, too.  Continuing to hone current skills.I am marking colorwork off the list for this year. Don’t feel inclined.

An east coast trip, maybe timed for a trip during Rhinebeck.

Update:maybe Rhinebeck next year.

Continue growing the photography/photoshop skills.

The photography skilz grow with use, but not really channeled.  The photoshop skilz really need expanding beyond what I use.

Quilt… see above

Commute by bike (May-Oct) at least 600 miles.

Update:Made it to about 250.  Work and yoga schedules cut into the routine.  Darn it!

Hike 40 miles.

Update:Made it to 31.5mi. Better than last year.

Snowshoe.

Make soap.

Maintain low sat fat diet and continue regular exercise.

Update:continue to work the diet and exercise routine (yoga and swimming seem to help the back issues).  Unfortunately, neither has resulted in losing, or even maintaining, last years wgt.

quilt… see above

Knit/spin from stash (exceptions only when deals are spectacular and/or for souvenirs)

Update:yes, well, there have been some outrageous deals this year, and then there is trying to justify what I bought as Estes Park as souvenir…but I would rather concentrate on the dollar a skein deals I got (again) from someone who had owned an LYS in a previous life.

Overall, not too bad.  I am sorry I didn’t make it to either the Maryland Sheep and Wool or Rhinebeck, but I have Estes close by.  The exercise/diet weight thing continues to befuddle, but all I can do is keep on doing what I can to take care of this aging body the best I can.  I am glad I have found swimming is helping my back, after I put away the beautiful, but evil, handbag.  Perhaps next year, biking will be able to play a bigger part again.  I was glad that the Guy and I were able to hike as much as we were by the time the September vacay rolled around.

The quilting and knitting is ongoing, and is the photography.  Always learning, never quit.

And I will speak more of the stash enhancement at a later date.  It…was…intoxicating!

My Wild Life

Not like that.  Because really, apart from doing a tequila shot in Cancun, a wild life does not define my existence.

I speak of all those cool creatures I get a chance to see when the Guy and I are out and about on our adventures.

Such as one outing to Rocky Mountain, when we strolled around Lily Lake, and by chance I got this shot of some mergansers (maybe) or mallards (I think) or ducks (for sure) taking flight.

Another trip over the mountains, we spied a couple of young moose making their way across a meadow.  I really missed my fancy camera and telephoto this day.

On a different day, we say a momma and her calf.  I had my big camera and long lens but she was very far away.  Not a decent enough photo for sharing...but Still!  Moose!

We made a trip to Mount Evans on Labor Day weekend for several reasons.  It’s a great day trip, a beautiful ride, great scenery, a chance for mountain goats, flowers, and pie at the end of the day at Echo Lake Lodge!  (It might really be about the pie…)

I think one of these guys might be worth a frame.

We traveled to Utah for a vacation in September, to spend some time around Zion and Bryce.  We stayed close to Parowan Gap, where there are petroglyphs.  I just love me some petroglyphs, and one morning, Wonderful Guy drove me out for some photo opportunities.  After the crowds at the two national parks, it was a quiet morning.  Just the two of us, and the pictures on the rocks…but as we turned to go back to the car we noticed another car in the lot.  At the back of this Subaru a fellow with a golden eagle on his arm feeding on a…something….

Meet Scout.  And his feeder person, Martin.  Martin Tyner rescues raptors (and other wild things) mostly for release back into the wild.  Scout, however, could not be released, and hangs with Martin, doing his bit toward educating and fund raising toward Martin’s nature and raptor center.

Yep, we just stood there and talked and watched and took photos and asked questions and were amazed.  When Scout was finished with his breakfast?  lunch?  Martin took us back to the petroglyphs and explained a bit more about the site, and what scholarship believes some of the more intriguing designs might signify, as he does programs there as well.

fyi...for more info about what Scout and Martin are all about, check out www.gowildlife.org

Pretty cool. (Seriously...click for big!)

I know, I know

It’s been forever. (Or at least a month)

I have no real excuse. (Except work, chores, a vacation, life in general)

Summer lasted for a long time, but this weekend fall will appear.  However not quite far enough for me to harvest green tomatoes.  That’s nice, because there have not been nearly enough ripe ones for me to be sated this year.  I believe next year I may have to plant them somewhere else.

Not enough sun ripening time where they currently are.

It appears this post will be about the yard so there is this.

I have written before of Wonderful Guy’s efforts in feeding the birds, and his frustration at the hummingbird’s preference of my flowers to his feeders.  Last year I had one or two volunteer sunflowers come up, and this year so many that I thinned them.

These were common sunflowers, all spindly and unenchanting to the Guy, causing a rowdy effect to the garden and the walk.  For a few weeks, I cut blooms and brought a bouquet to the kitchen table where the happy faces of the sunflowers truly lit up the room.  Then dropped pollen all over the placemats.

Ah well…the price of cheeriness.

Then, one evening, sitting at the table, Wonderful Guy found my attention straying from the conversation.  The sunflowers were bobbing in the breeze.  Except there was no breeze.  I saw that wrens and finches were resting among the plants and wasn’t that fun!

And then we noticed the birds were just not hanging out in the sunflowers, but were taking their dinner there as well.

Birdfeeder, full of premium birdseed, not 4 feet away, and here our feathered friends are, snacking away on my spindly, common, everyday, volunteer sunflowers!

I bet next year I have even more of these sunflowers.

(don't forget to click for big on the photos...)