'Sconnie

Our trip to Wisconsin was fantastic - we left the 105+ temperatures behind in Huntsville and arrived in Wisconsin to temps in the 70's. That is my kind of weather! Unfortunately, it was a little to cold to do any swimming, but we still spent lots of time near the water - taking the dogs to the beach, lots of fishing, canoeing, and just general lounging by the lake. I thoroughly enjoyed the week. I didn't catch a single fish, despite lots of casting, but Bill caught a musky, a small mouth and two northern pike, so he did fairly well. I think we were all hoping for the BIG FISH, but he just wasn't hungry...

I think my dad liked the socks I made for him for his birthday - they were one of my secret projects. Just a basic K2P2 rib in Trekking XXL yarn.

If you want to see more pictures from our trip, I've uploaded some to my Flickr account.

Last Week of Summer

I finished the blanket! It looks really good. Its really warm because I used some wool yarn, and it has a really nice texture from the wool vs. acrylic yarn, too. Plus it's really big. I think it turned out really well. I gave it to Brian last night and he was pretty excited about it, too.


Plus, I got to see my sister last weekend!!

Oh, and I got my hair cut again. It looks a lot better, much less soccer-mom. It's basically just a lot shorter in the back and not so froofy. I'll put a photo up when I get one.

Go for the cheesecake

I had a great time in Chicago - It was great to just spend a few days with a good friend, eat yummy food, and relax. Mary lives north of the city in a really cute little neighborhood with the train, parks, the lake, a few stores, and a yarn store (yes, a yarn store) within walking distance. We spent one day just hanging out there, and the other two exploring the city. We rented bikes and rode up the lakeshore one afternoon, stopping at a couple beaches to laze on the beach, drink smoothies, and eat ice cream. The other day was spent doing a little shopping, walking down the Magnificient Mile, and people watching in Millenium Park. She took me out to eat at the Chicago Diner (near Wrigley Park), and if you are ever in Chicago, you must eat here - fabulous vegan food. I had a delicious dinner of polenta with vegetables, black beans, and spanish rice; and for dessert we tried raw cheesecake (i guess its made with finely ground up cashews, coconut oil, and some other stuff I can't remember). It was to. die. for. I mean, for real, delicious. All in all, it was a great time.

By the by, Molly mentioned Barbara Kingsolver books a while back and I second Molly's thoughts - Kingsolver is one of my favorite authors. Right now I am reading her latest book, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. It is about her and her family's experience spending one year eating only local food, food that they knew where it came from. So for, it has been real thought provoking... I think both of you would really like it if you haven't already checked it out.

My Happy Day

Look what I got in the mail yesterday!




This package made my day! What beautiful yarn and I love the project bag. This gift really brightened up my day, I was having one of those days where everyone I talked to was nasty and mean, and the gift made me remember that there are some nice people somewhere in the world! So thanks Jill, I really appreciate the gifts and nice thoughts.

Later in the day, Kane and I went up to the Lake for an evening/sunset picnic. Here is an action shot of the skirt.



And here is a picture of the gorgeous sunset.



All in all, a nice day to turn 29!

Hope all is well with the two of you.

Blanket Update

Yay for spending hours and hours of every day working on this blanket instead of studying for the GRE.... It's coming along well. I'm almost done with the squares, about halfway done sewing them all together, and I got some rust colored yarn to use for the border.

Have fun in Chicago... The only thing I can suggest is if you see a little man running around the streets with an ice cream cart selling little popsicles, BUY ONE, they're delicious like nothing you've ever tasted. I'd suggest mango. They are made with real fruit and milk and delicious.

Getting Out

I'm heading to Chicago tomorrow to visit a friend that just moved there. Its been a long time since I've been to Chicago and I'm super excited! Any suggestions for (cheap) things to do there?

I've been slowly working on a few projects: Carolyn from Knitty, the scarf for my aunt, and a couple secret projects, but I'll give you a glimpse of them! See you in a week!

Oh yeah, my Sock Pal, Meredith, received her socks! And they fit! And she likes them! Unfortunately, I haven't gotten mine yet, but I'm checking the mail every day... Sock pal, are you out there?

Finito!

Yo girls!

I'm finally caught up....what are we going to K-A-L next?

The big unveiling:




No glamour shots here, but I do plan on taking this bad boy out for a day of fun tomorrow, maybe I'll get some action shots to post the skirt in public! I tried every way possible to remove the kitten from the picture, but Flannel would have nothing of it. I'm sure he's felt neglected this week.

It's so interesting to me that all three versions turned out differently. I'm sure one variation has to do with Rowan Summer Tweed vs. Jaeger trinity.....Jaeger has a finer gauge, but also I think I've discovered that my gauge loosens as I knit. Something I'll have to be aware of! But nonetheless, I LOVE the skirt and I'm glad you both invited me on this knit along, I don't think I would have ever decided to make a skirt otherwise!

I promise to post some pics of the skirt in San Francisco....unless it's too cold!
Have a good weekend... must get some sleep, I'm delirious.