Deja Vu

It's deja vu time -- I finished my pair of Kroy FX clover colors vanilla socks. Started August 25, finished the 29th. Details here. I like the first pair I made for the store display better. I don't like how the color flows on the top of the foot after the gusset pick up. Oh, well. They're for me, and I have other things I have to knit, so I let it as is.

I also did another pair for the Warm Hands charity. These socks are smaller, I'd say size 12-18 months maybe. They are leftover Kroy and Regia, started August 27, finished the 30th. Details here.

I took a few pictures the other day of the yarn department at the store. It's a little different now because we got all 14 new striping colors in of Kroy sock yarn. I had to move the Estelle Arequipa to fit in all the new Kroy.

This weekend gone by we were supposed to go camping and then hop on over to the amusement park on Saturday. We went to the camper on Friday night. That was quite a sad evening. On the drive out an ambulance passed us with the lights and siren blaring. We pulled over to let it pass. Once we got to the campground we saw that the ambulance as well as the local fire department were at the main hall of the campground. One of the seasonal residents, only 48, had a heart attack and passed away. She had a dance and went back to the table to sit down and poof -- gone just like that. Her step daughter lives a couple of houses down the road from me.

So Saturday morning we get up, and it's raining. Danny is passing through, but he's not nearly as bad as Bill was the weekend before. We decide to go home, so after breakfast we head home. We get monsoon rain off and on all evening, and my roof leaks again, down through one of my kitchen lights. It only does that when it rains really, really hard. So I send Hubs up into the attic to look for the leak. He finds this.

He says it looks like it was broken during shingling of the roof, probably 18 years ago or so, cuz there are nails right there, probably hit that knot and broke. I figure since the shingles are getting old they've gone soft there or sunk a bit, thus the leaking. So now I need it fixed. If we can stop the leak I won't worry about the broken board til the whole roof gets reshingled in a couple of years time.

Sunday morning it cleared off here, so we went to the amusement park for the day. Over there it was overcast and chilly, not the greatest day. (Sunny and nice out here, so I heard.) I ran into a ton of people from town. The boys were disappointed that the roller coaster wasn't running that day, so they gave free upgrades to a laser tag bracelet. (I'd never pay the extra $6 for that -- not worth it, that's for sure.) The mini golf course was under water, and the boardwalk to the bumper boats and peddle boats was under water, so those things were out of commission. But we still had fun, next year we'll have to make sure we get there earlier. We only did the flume ride twice, it was too cold to get wet. The only positive thing was it wasn't very busy, so you didn't really have to wait in lines to get on the rides.

Happy knitting!

Danny

Well, last weekend we had Bill, this weekend we're getting Danny. At least this one doesn't sound like it's going to be as bad as the last time. We are supposed to be going here tomorrow. They are only open five more days this season, so we're running out of time. The town where the park is located has a different weather forecast than what our town does, so fingers crossed it doesn't rain. Figures we'd get another storm this weekend. It's the Stihl Timbersports weekend in town this weekend, and it always rains.

Wednesday night Knit Nite was a fun night. Thanks to Deb we were notified that Nova Knitter's birthday was the next day. So we arranged to have a cake for her and a gift certificate to the store where I work so she can get some more yarn cuz she's always such a great hostess. (Even when Mags tangles with a porcupine.) I'll have to skip KN next week cuz school starts the next day, and I'm sure I'll have trouble getting the kids settled down early. No more late nights and sleeping in for them!

I have been knitting but so far only have one completed FO. I made this little pair of socks, probably size 2-4, for the Warm Hands Innu Knits box I'm sending. This is leftover Fortissima and Kroy. I ran out of the Fortissima nearing the toe of the second sock, so you can see I had to patch a few rounds with a darker grey. Had I done the cuffs in the Kroy as well I would not have had a problem.

Have a good weekend! Happy knitting!

PS We got a big order of sock yarn in today. The new striping Kroys and restocked FX!

After Bill

Bill came and went, and it wasn't too, too bad. Didn't lose power, but some people around here did. Lots of leaves down in my yard, but this time I didn't lose any big branches, so I was happy.

There was one branch in my yard, but that came across my hedge from the neighbor's yard, and it wasn't too big. There were a few branches down in the graveyard across the road, too.

The sun even came out at times in the afternoon.

We went for a drive after supper to look at the waves that were still churning. Hubs and the boys weren't as close to the water as what it looks like.

The causeway always takes a beating during tropical storms and hurricanes, but this time it got totally destroyed. The ocean is on one side, you drive across this little causeway, and there is a lake right on the other side. So it's just a road between two bodies of water. Years ago when I was a kid there was a rock wall (well, like sand dunes but made of rocks) that was high enough that when you drove across the causeway and looked to the ocean side all you saw was rocks. Over the years storms beat it down, and they used to go out and rebuild the wall. Now they don't, and there's barely anything left, so I don't know what they expect come storm time. Waves wash right across the road into the lake, taking rocks and whatever else with it. Now they've got a major repair to do.

My babysitter's mother has a video clip on Facebook of the causeway during the storm. There are two ladies walking out to it. The camera goes kinda haywire, then it comes back, and you can see a wave had come across the road and into the lake. The ladies are gone. One of them got totally washed into the lake. Luckily the babysitter's father and another man got her out, and she escaped with only cuts and bruises. Bet they both realize that was a rather silly thing to do.

I'll leave you with a short clip I took around noontime of the wind and rain.

Happy knitting!

The Calm Before the Storm

You'd never guess by the look of the sky this evening that Bill is on his way and due to hit here through the night! I worked today, but it was another hot, hot, muggy day. Normally hurricanes lose their oomph when they get to our area because it's cooler, but it has been so hot and humid lately that it is helping Bill keep a lot of his power. I am surrounded by big, big trees, so that has me a little nervous. Last year Hurricane Kyle passed through, and he did some damage to my trees. I was not happy.

I finished up the first pair of Kroy FX clover colors socks. They aren't quite as bright in person as what they look here. It was dark when I finished, and I won't be able to get outside shots tomorrow, so these will have to do for now. Started August 18, finished the 22nd. Details here.

So I've got lots to knit tomorrow. A friend was supposed to have her baby shower tomorrow but has changed it til next Sunday because of the impending storm. That's good cuz I didn't have her stuff finished yet! In fact I just started Pembroke tonight. I've also started some toddler/small kid socks for Warm Hands Innu Knits. I need to have everything ready to go in the mail on September 15. I cooked my ham tonight just in case we lose power. Got the bbq if we need it in the garage, and I've got bread and peanut butter, so I'm all set. Lots of candles, too, just not to get too close to the knitting and set it on fire!

Anyone in Bill's path stay safe, and Happy Knitting!

Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot!

And I do mean that temperature-wise! We're having a heat wave here finally. It's a little too hot for my likings. My house is just like an oven, it's so hot in here, can't sleep nights. I don't sleep well anyways, and the heat doesn't help. The past couple of days the boys and I have headed for the beach. Today we couldn't as I had to take the Oldest One to the orthodontist, and this evening was the parents vs the kids soccer games for both of them. (The kids won both games.) The beach wasn't that much cooler than town, but the water sure was cold! The one we went to has an old train bridge at one end where a river runs out into the ocean. Usually its warmer water over there, but when we got there on Tuesday this is what it looked like.


Usually the water is reddish colored, but this was crystal clear and freezing cold. I managed to go out to my knees, but the kids went in. I swear kids have no feeling. I suppose I was the same when I was their age.


There were boaters both days. I decided that looked like fun, it'd be nice to have one.


There were crazy people jumping off the train bridge into the water. I don't like heights, so you wouldn't catch me doing that, especially not into that freezing cold water. I took the market bag with me that I was making for BF for her birthday, but it was way too hot to work on it much. I think I only did 30 rows or so.



But I did get it finished at home. Grrlfriend Market Bag, started August 15, finished the 18th. I used 4.5mm needles, did 30 repeats for the body of the bag, and did 8 rows of 1x1 rib for the top. Then I did the handle 1x1 over 11sts for about 100 rows. The cotton is stuff I picked up at WalMart called Georgia, and there should be enough left for another complete bag. Details are here.


The next day I took plain old vanilla socks to work on. This is the new Kroy FX in clover colors. I love it! I see Christmas gift socks with Kroy FX in the future. The recommended needle is 3.25mm, but I'm using 2.5mm. I forgot how much thicker Kroy is over the other sock yarns I've been using lately. I'm more of a middle-of-the-road/loose knitter, so it's producing a soft, cushy, thick fabric. I think these will be excellent cold weather socks, easily a favorite pair, I'm sure. This is what it looked like when we got to the beach.



By the time we got ready to leave I had the heel turned and was ready to pick up gusset stitches.


Just before bed last night I grafted the toe! First sock started on August 18, finished on the 19th. Details here. I'm making one pair for me, one pair for the store for display. The Boss Lady said she'd like me to make a pair for the store, so I'm happy to oblige. I am also breaking with my usual anal self and not matching them up. It's pretty damn hard to match this stuff up, especially where I chose to start the first sock - in a non-obvious place which didn't seem so non-obvious a the time. I tried and tried with the other three skeins to find where I had started but to no avail. Picture obviously not taken last night just before bedtime!

And you can see that there wasn't much left to work with! Having this little yarn left makes it difficult to be matchy-matchy. This sock is ladies size 8. Anyone making mens socks or large ladies would need a third skein. We get a lot of older ladies who come to the store for Kroy yarn and always buy three skeins for mens socks. They say years ago they could use two, it had more yardage. But now they need three. (Unless you're making lower cuffs, of course.) But I remember when I was in my late teens/early twenties one skein of Handicrafter made two good size dishcloths. Now two skeins make three dishcloths.

The afghan has been neglected yet again. I took it out today to take a picture of what is done so far. I've had things I have to get done by certain dates, so as soon as those are done I'll be back to work on this baby.

Hurricane Bill is due to pass through here on Sunday. Sounds like it is going to be a real mess. I have lots of candles in case of power failure. Luckily I'm right in town, and on the rare times we lose power it's usually back on within a couple of hours at the most. But this time of year no power is no big whoop (except when I wanna go on Ravelry!) I'll get Hubs' food for work next week all ready between tomorrow night and Saturday night (my weekend to work if anyone wants to visit). Think I'll take a ham I have in the freezer out and cook it Saturday night so it's all done for Sunday just in case the power goes out. I've got bread, peanut butter, and jam, so I'm set anyways.

Happy knitting!

Hederas

It is WAY too hot here right now. I didn't like the cool raininess of July, but I don't like this hot, humid heat wave, either. We were at the camper on the weekend, and Saturday evening's news said it was the hottest day so far this summer. And so it continues. I much prefer temps in the low 20s (that's Celsius) for sure. I came home today, and it's reading 29C in the house! This place is just like an oven, I soooo need an air conditioner. The poor dogs and cats look like they've all been shot. At least the camper has air conditioning! I picked up a box of space pop popsicles today and had one so far, and I'm not a big popsicle/freezie person. It's just too hot for anything else.

While camping this weekend I finished BF's Hederas. Estelle Arequipa in color 210, 2.5mm needles, started August 4, finished the 15th. Details here.


I also started a Grrlfriend Market Bag. I'm almost finished the first one. This is going to be for BF's birthday, too. I have to try and finish it tonight so I can get it in the mail. Her birthday is Saturday the 22nd, but I doubt she'll get her package in time. I'll let her know it's coming.


Here's a picture of our camper. Next spring we'll put a deck on it. They brought in a load of shale to level out the lot, and it's hard on the feet. The kids like painting the rocks. They're so nice and flat they're good for that.

Jewel the fan hog. We had the air conitioning blasting, and she decided she had to lay on our bed in front of the fan as well. (It was on even though it doesn't look like it in the picture.)

I'll give a little space here and a warning to anyone who doesn't like pictures of feet to stop here. Saturday we took the boys to the nearby swimming pool for public swimming. There weren't many people there, and the water was gorgeous. Anyways, the first time I went in I was sitting on the edge, and I just kinda flopped in off the side. The next time I went in I used the built in steps. I had come out that way, so you'd think I would have realized that the bottom step to the actual bottom of the pool was quite high. Well, I stepped off the bottom step with my left foot, and my right foot kinda twisted in a funny way off the step which resulted in yet another broken toe. It's not the usual toes I break, either. Normally I break the pinky toes and the one next to it. This time it was the little piggy that had roast beef.

This was right after we got back to the camper, so maybe two hours after I did it.

This was later in the evening.

This was before bed.

This was in the morning. It's really sore. I'm supposed to play both boys' soccer teams Thursday night in the parents vs the kids games, and I don't think I'll be doing too much. We're also planning on going here Sunday, so that could be interesting, too.

Happy knitting!

Christmas in August (not July)

Last weekend it was Christmas at the campground. Santa was there to hand out small prezzies and treat bags to the chitlins.


The dogs went for a swim very reluctantly. Well, they were forced, actually. They don't care to swim, strange things. They immediately headed back for the shore. They'll walk in the water up to about their bellies, and that's as far as they want to go.


They like to pull, so Daddy got to go for a ride. (They were leashed, of course, cuz they run away.)

No more lake swimming. The Littlest One had a big leech on his foot, and we salted it to get it off. He wasn't too bothered with that one. But then we got ready to leave and check him over for leeches he had 10-12 baby ones on his legs, between his toes. Boy, were they hard to get off! Even covered in salt they did NOT want to let go. I ended up taking him to the doctor on Tuesday morning cuz his legs were a mess. A couple of spots were red about 6" in diameter around where the leech was. (And these babies were teeny tiny, almost looked like dirt.) One spot on one of his toes was really sore. So now he's on antibiotics three times a day for ten days because they're infected. Come to find out he has a slight allergic reation to leeches. So no more lake swimming. I'm a pool gal myself. There's a swimming pool about 10 minutes from the campground that has public swimming on Saturdays from 2-4, so I will take them there when it's hot. That's the only thing I miss about our old campground -- it had a nice in-ground pool.

Last year I planted zuchinni, and they flowered, but I never got a zuchinni. (I read somewhere on the net that if you get all male flowers they won't produce.) I went out a little white ago to check my garden and haul some weeds (it's so overrun!), and lo and behold I found one!!

There's only one so far, but that's more than I got last year. My squash are all in flower, too, but I don't see any signs of a squash yet.

We're off to the campground after a bit for the weekend. It's Trapper's Weekend, and I hear it's usually quite busy. There is an auction tomorrow, and someone mentioned they do a fishing derby for the kids. Grampy got the boys each a fishing rod kit, so I hope there is one. Hubs stopped in on his way home today and picked up a portable tote, so now we can use our bathroom. There's no in-ground sewer at this place. Most seasonals have these totes that have wheels on one end, then you hook it to your bumper and take it up to the dump station by the laundromat. There are outhouses directly across from our camper, but it's getting chilly nights to have to wander across the road to use the facilities!

Hope to have some FOs when I return from the campground.

Happy knitting!