A perfect day for knitting

It is a dreary rainy cool day in MN. A perfect day for catching up on shows on DVR and knitting. I've started my second wild sock. I used the 1,2,3 Knit app on my ipod to keep track of the rows on each section of the sock rather then measure. I know I could have done the same thing on a piece of paper, but linking the sections to the total row count worked great.

The sock is sized for a child and will be given to a local charity. Hopefully it will bring a smile to someone.

DD1 made the yarn bowl.

back in MN

After 7 months in Florida we have returned to MN. The sun is shining here today. The temp is pleasant. Now to begin the tasks of settling in. First on the list is refrigerator repair or replacement. The service person is coming this am to assess my fridge. It ceased working while we were away.

The outcome of fridge assessment will determine my plans for the rest of the day.

On the course

Sometimes, well truthfully often, the best things about a round of golf have nothing to do with the game. Yesterday was one of those days. The company was good, the sun was shining, and the Sandhill Cranes were sharing the course with us.

It was a real treat to see an adult and two babies so close to the tee box. The adult looked like it was softening up the ground so the babies could get at whatever lovely bugs were there.

Counting down to departure

We're returning to MN in a few days, so in the process of closing down the house. That means cleaning, a few errands, eating our way thru the fridge...well that's what we should be doing. Instead we're golfing today and going out to a Japanese Steakhouse for Hibachi dinner tonight with our neighbors. I felt compelled to start a sock..a wool sock at that. The perfect knit for 90 degree humid FL weather. My excuse is it will give me something portable to knit on the plane. I'm using a basic sock pattern from I follow her blog, she knits and designs. She also sews and makes these glorious silk and wool felted items. Anyway, its her basic sock pattern. It's perfect for my wildly colored what possessed me to buy this self striping Fortissimo yarn.

Tomorrow I'll tick off the rest of the things on my list. A trip to the Post Office and the bank, transplanting a potted plant, a final dust and mop, and emptying the fridge. I see an eclectic dinner of crab cakes and salmon fillets as our dinner menu Weds. Our ride comes at 8:30 am Thurs. So everything has to be done before we go to bed Weds. night.

frantically counting down

We're starting the count down for our return to MN. DH is scheduling sprinkler maintenance, car tune ups, and golf. I'm trying to see knitters, laundry, clean and golf. Trying to squeeze in one last card game with the neighbors. Trying to remember what we want to bring back to MN and what to leave here. After feeling like home for 6 months, it now feels like the end of a vacation.

I finished of my Luna Lace Cardigan shrug. It's a great pattern. I'm pretty sure I'll knit it again. Just need to find a single great button.

I'm also making good progress on my top down baby cardi.

Can't say the same about my Pansy socks.

I hadn't planned on shopping for anything but window cleaner today, but I got side tracked. Decided I needed to go to Bealls to pick up a rattan visor to bring back to MN. The kind that can be squashed into a golf bag or a suitcase without any damage. They were on sale....so I kind of had to go you know.....I bought my visor. While I was there I found this great Flamingo tempered glass cutting board and trivet on clearance.

Well what can I say, you understand why it had to follow me home. It looked so lonely on the shelf.

running out of battery

So the downside of a great knitting app is that if you're not paying attention you can run out of charge. I have about a inch left on the body of my lacy cardigan, then on to the sleeves.

I'll definitely do another of her patterns. She has a number of free patterns posted on Ravelry.

The 5 hour baby sweater I frogged is looking much better. I'm using seed stitch instead of garter for the neck and button band. I did a simple lace pattern rather then stockinette and purl rows.

For the first time someone spotted 2 of the bears I've donated to Motherbear.

It really makes you want to keep knitting bears. Check out the Motherbear website.

I took out 3 pansies, gave them to a neighbor for a driveway pot. In their place I put in 2 butterfly plants and an old fashioned daisy. I'll be curious to see how a daisy, that I think of as a MN wildflower, does in a hot FL summer. It'll be an October surprise.

wise moves

So my something "new" is actually the implementation of something I've known about and should have been doing all along. I have been diligent about making sure my DD's and DH have back-up drives. I've encouraged them to use them. I am well aware of what can happen if you don't. But until last week, when a horribly slow start up on my trusty years old ibook painfully reminded me of how close it was to giving up what I would lose if it did, I had not backed up my own stuff. Now I am the proud owner of a red portable hard drive with 500 GB of memory. I have successfully backed up both of the apple laptops I use regularly. I'm feelin' pretty good about the whole thing.

I have restarted the baby sweater. Just about to split off for the sleeves. Not excited about it at all. Will wait to take pic's until its done. No further progress on my cardi. Still love that pattern. The designer has posted several more she's working on, quite tempting for future projects.

I find myself looking seriously at all the new shawl patterns being posted on Ravelry. Yet, I never wear nor have I ever worn a shawl. But here I sit thinking if I start one and knit very fast I could have it done to throw over my shoulders at the spring wedding we're going to. Does that silliness ever happen to anyone but me.

Of course, I also found my self thinking when I saw them on someone's golf cart...oh how fun, fun fur knit golf head covers. I could make those.

Some day's it really is an effort to remember just because you can, doesn't mean you should.