Busy, Busy

Warning: Picture heavy post!

I finished all four dishcloths needed for the Oldest One's teacher and classroom helper while camping on the weekend. Exhibit One in front of the fire.

Exhibit Two at the pool. The water is still too cold for my likings. I swear kids have no feeling. (Although there were some adults in there, too. But mostly kids. I did sit on the edge and stick my legs in up to my knees.)

Exhibit Three is appropriately the "swimming pool" colorway. The kids dragged me off to the pool twice on Saturday and twice on Sunday. This was the second trip there. The next day mostly involved knitting baby jacket sleeves two-at-a-time.

The finished products. Two basic dishcloths in Bernat Handicrafter Stripes. Two small arrow dishcloths in Bernat Handicrafter Cotton.

I couldn't NOT start a pair of socks on the first day of Summer of Socks. I cast on for Pillars of Atlantis* after 11pm Saturday night. I only knit three rounds so far. This yarn I bought off of eBay ages ago. It's hand-dyed. It looks and feels superwash, I can't remember. I will have to do a swatch and wash it on the delicate cycle before I just throw them in.

It was finally a beautiful weekend for camping. No rain at all, sunny and warm. I found one lone ladyslipper on our lot. I warned the kids not to pick it, walk on it, crush it, etc. And the dog can't reach it, either.

The kids had sparklers, a camping favorite.

I've got a thing for pictures of campfires. Maybe that's from being married to a volunteer firefighter.

This was hard to try and get pictures of the sparks. I had to hold the camera in one hand and try to take the picture while whacking the fire with a big stick with the other hand. I should have waited til it was darker out. Hubs worked all weekend or else he could have whacked the fire for me.

So as seen above, the pool is open at the campground. It's a pretty plain place, nothing special, but they do have a nice pool, and they keep it exceptionally clean. Neither of the boys have ever had swimming lessons. The Oldest One was always petrified of water for some reason (not that anything ever happened for him to be scared), but he'll go in the shallow end with his ring. I wanted to get them into swimming lessons, but he says he won't go if he can't have the ring. He's very skittish of a lot of things. (Good thing he has a spare ring just like this one -- the dog bit this one and put a hole in it. I patched it twice, but they both fell off.)

The Littlest One, on the other hand, he has no fear which can be a bad thing. He just uses water wings and has actually taught himself to swim somewhat. He can kick his legs and move his arms to propel himself through the water, but I don't know what would happen without the wings. He hasn't tried yet. The shallow end is three feet deep. Last year he had to hold his head up, and the water came to his chin. This year it's a bit below his armpits, so he's grown a fair bit, even if the pool has an inch or two less water than last year. He likes to stand on the side of the pool and jump in. He'll duck his head under water, but not the Oldest One! If that happens it's an accident. Heaven forbid he gets water in his eyes!

I started tomato seeds inside in pots. When I left Friday for the camper there was no sign of life. When I got home Sunday, they were all sprouted. Perhaps this will work after all...

So that's about it. The dog has been a bad girl lately. She took off at the campground a couple of times. She'd run out when the kids went out or if they didn't latch the door good she'd get it open. Once she was outside with one of their toys. I took it from her and gave it a fling where she couldn't reach it. She tore off after it, I heard *snap*, and off flew her collar. It has two plastic clips, and she broke one of them off. Of course she had a little jaunt around the grounds before she'd come back. Her obedience training on the command come has defintely flown out the window in the great wide open. Last night the Oldest One let her get out. She tore off in the neighbor's yard. First thing up she goes to the sidewalk and down the busy street, cars coming, her running in the road. I thought for sure she'd get run over. Finally a young guy came up the sidewalk, and she got spooked by him and sat by one of the houses where she knows there's a puppy and let me grab her collar. I'm not impressed with any of them right now -- the kids for letting her out all the time and her for not listening to me. She did have a brief visit and run with the hunk of dog known as Hank the other day. He must be twice her weight now, she looks so small compared to him! He puts it all over her, and I love it! (And I have no idea what my mats ever did to her -- she's taken to shaking the crap out of my mats, at the house and at the campground. It's quite the sight. Maybe she thinks she's helping houseclean or something.)

Happy knitting!

PS There was a yarn rep in the other day, but I wasn't there. Patons is coming out with a silk/bamboo yarn and seven new colors in Classic Wool, very nice. (I thought of the Knit Nite girls when I saw it, especially Heddy.) There are some other new colors in other yarns, too. Bernat has Baby Jaquards and a Jacquards with colors for older kids. She left two of the pattern books for the Jaquards. The baby one has some nice patterns in it. There's also a new yarn that is made with corn. Interesting. The new stuff is due out in August. Anyone interested in taking a look at the brochures just pop into the store sometime.

* If you don't do Ravelry you can get the pattern here on her sidebar.