More "I Love My New Camera" Shots

And perhaps my favourite of the bunch:



Unfortunately, I missed most of the bloom time in my father-in-law's garden this year. The recent hot spell hasn't helped much, either - but I did manage to snap these pretties while during our cook-out yesterday.

Why, yes -

I am alive - thank you for asking.

Sorry - I have been incredibly busy at work. My lucky bum co-worker was whisked off on a surprise Caribbean cruise for her 50th birthday and I had to cover for her while she was away. Hint, hint - husbands...

I did manage to finish both pairs of socks I had been working on by Saturday night. Here are the Mandy socks:



They are too big for me, so I will be gifting them to someone, as soon as I make sure I have her mailing address (Ahem, Amy B. Cats).

Here are the Ampersand socks:



I love these socks, but I will be giving these to someone as well. They are beautiful, they fit - but I know someone who will really appreciate them. More on that later.

In the meantime, I discovered a cool feature on my new camera - super macro! Look what it does for the Ampersand socks:



Everyone, now - "Oooh..."

And my basil (which I started from seed, thank you very much) that desperately needs transplanting outside:



And my Christmas cactus, which not only have I managed to not kill, is sprouting new leaves:



I have a bad track record with houseplants...

Yay me!

24 Hours of Baseball and some WiPs

Whew! It's been a whirlwind of baseball around here!

Yesterday, Andrew, Willow, and I headed out to Frawley Stadium to see the Wilmington Blue Rocks play baseball.



This was Willow's first trip to a baseball game of any kind, and she thoroughly enjoyed herself. She saw a homerun, bases being stolen, and foul balls coming perilously close to us in the general admission seats. She got to eat a hot dog, have roasted peanuts and cracker jacks. I think it is safe to say that a baseball fan has been born.



I think she especially liked the theatricality (is that a word? If not, it is now!) of it all. The celery that came out and danced whenever a run was scored, the games between innings, people singing, the scoreboard lighting up and shooting water from the Mountain Dew bottle. Now I will just have to teach her how to play!

There was a fire up on the hill in Wilmington around the second inning mark:



For a while, people were more interested in watching the fire than the game in front of us. I can't say I blame them - I've never seen so many attempts to bunt in my life!

The baseball calvacade continued today when my work group had our yearly outing to a Phillies game. I *love* watching baseball in person - I played softball and fastball for so many years it just doesn't make sense to me when I watch it on TV - the perspective is all wrong.



Is Citizens Bank Park a lovely stadium? Our seats were in section 418 - I've never been up that high before. It wasn't bad - I mean, we were looking down the entire time, but we had a great view. Last year we were about 15 feet past third base and my view was obscured by the yellow foul line pole - I couldn't see the scoreboard at all. Personally, I much prefer being somewhere along the first base line.

There was an interesting starting act. I was really off in Lala-land. I had eaten my lunch, was wondering if it was going to rain or not when I looked down at the field and saw dogs... lots of dogs:



And a very chesty assistant. Ahem. The dogs did all sorts of cute an acrobatic tricks - it's too bad Willow wasn't there - she would have really enjoyed it.

The game was fun - it went into a tenth inning, but the Phillies ended up losing to the Dodgers 5-3. It was amusing to listen to my guy work friends - apparently they have an extensive fantasy league, so nearly every move on the field was mirroring something in their fantasy league. And they think knitting is time-consuming!

I did bring my knitting with me, and neither the security guard nor the cashier where I bought my food were surprised by it. The cashier asked me if I was working on a hat and I had to pull out my project to show her the sock in progress. I didn't knit at the park - my sole reason (ha-ha! pun intended!) for bringing it was the ride home. We have done this businessperson special a few times and I know we always get stuck in traffic on the way home.

So, without further ado, here are my two socks in progress. Both are second socks, and both will hopefully be finished by the weekend:



The pink sock on the left is the matching Mandy sock, and I need to find someone with feet larger than mine to give it to. I have 6.5/7 wide feet and they were just too long for me. And I am too lazy to rip them back and make them shorter. The pair on the right I am still up in the air on - I really like them and the pattern, but I think I may have a recipient in mind for those ones as well.

Last shot:



Lucky and his new friend - can you spot her?

I Love How Pansies Are Pretty All On Their Own

Lucky Shot

A few weeks ago, Bezzie wrote something about how there is a correlation between how far a cat stretches out and how hot it is. Well, it was hot yesterday. No - not mid-August humid hot, but after 11 straight days of cool rain, a day that hit the low 80s was a shock to the system.

Late in the afternoon I was folding clothes and watching episodes of No Reservations when Lucky jumped up at the other end of the sofa and sat like this:



I couldn't help myself - I started snickering and lucky (ha!) for me, my camera was right beside me.



"Why do you stare? I know I am beautiful."

WiP It Wednesday

There you go... a sock and a fifth? This Ampersand pattern knits up exceptionally fast (I think the sport weight yarn helps as well), so I hope to finish this pair soon so I can dig into something from my MDSW stash.



I forgot to include this yarn in my Rehoboth Beach post a few days back. There is a new yarn store in Rehoboth called Kitschy Stitch, in a very cute Cape Code house off of Rehoboth Avenue. If you are walking away from the beach on the right side of the street, Lake Avenue is the street where Starbucks is - turn left just before the Starbucks and it is the second or third house on your left. Allison was very nice and she chatted with Andrew (and while Willow pulled out *all* of her son's toys) while I searched for yarn. I will definitely stop here again on our next trip down to the beach.




And some non-knitting WiPs: the plants I haven't been able to transplant because the weather has been so wet and dreary lately:



While I was taking these pictures I was surprised to hear a lawnmower outside - it isn't raining at the moment, but this afternoon has been the only break in about 4 days of constant drizzle. The guy behind us was mowing his lawn - and can you see the massive machine he is straddling?!!? Someone has issues. That side of the street has long front yards and short backyards (ours is the opposite) - so his backyard can't be more than 20' X 40'.

MDSW: The Most Boring Recap in the World

I'm going to apologize up front. I was so tired by the time MDSW finally rolled around, I forgot to take pictures. I have one picture from the fair, and the only reason for that is because Pam took Cristi's photo of us first and that reminded me my new camera was in my wallet.

So, without further ado, here is the only proof I was at MDSW:



I suppose you could argue the following wool means something, but really - practically anything can be bought online now. I also got to meet Jesh, and I was a bit taken aback when she said she knew who I was. I meant to tell her I love Oolong's nose, but that isn't what came out of my mouth. And Pam, you look terrific - I think I need to check out that Lazyman regime of yours. Karen, you are so much taller than I thought you would be! I don't know why I expect people to be closer to my height - I'm only 5 feet tall on a good day with thick socks, so most people tower over me. I'm so sorry that I didn't ask to have a picture taken with all of you, and I hope next time there is a meet up I will be able to spend more time with all of you.

So, what did I buy? Honestly, not a lot. I had budgeted a certain amount and I didn't even spend half that. That isn't to say that there wasn't nice stuff there because there certainly was, but not much screamed to me that I had to buy it. I wonder if there was a colour trend going on - I love bright vibrant stuff, and it seemed like much of what I saw was more muted or was in colourways I already owned. Ha! Maybe that is it - my stash has hit a saturation point (Jeez, don't tell my husband that!)

Ellen's Half Pint Farm 50% silk/50% merino dk in 'Rose Garden.' This is the same colourway I knit my misbegotten Jaywalker socks out of (but different yarn base):



My friend Kathy bought this sock yarn for me to thank me for the Kermit the Frog socks. It is also Pucker Brush Farm superwash sock yarn, and coincedently, also in colours Kathy likes:



This might be my favourite yarn from yesterday's haul. It is from The Barefoot Spinner and I wish I had picked up more (I had been trying to pace myself). There is an lighter swath on one end that didn't get as much dye and I am absurdly excited to knit it up and see what it looks like:



And the last bit of yarn I bought was from the Creatively Dyed stall - Calypso yarn in the 'Barbuda' colourway. My photo above isn't the best because of the fading sun, but it reminds me of a rose garden:



And, of course, you know I can't leave without getting something for Willow - so here is her new sheepdog stuffed animal, who she named Meatballs. I'm running out of toys to get her at these events - I think from now on I am just going to buy her yarn and get her a hope chest to put it in. Just think what vintage STR will be worth in twenty years!



As I mentioned above, I have a new camera - my five-year anniversary gift from my company. I'm still trying to learn how to use it - the above shots were taken with the 'cuisine' selection - I kid you not! The description says it is intended for still life, and yarn certainly qualifies for that. It also has a self-portait selection, for when you are taking a picture of yourself while holding the camera:



Do yourself a favour and don't go to Flickr and see the original of that picture. No one needs to see my skin close up like that.

WiP It Wednesday

I had to start a new pair of socks right after I finished my Kermit the Frog socks last week - and for the first time in my life I had a pattern picked out, but knit a swatch out of 4 different sock yarns before I found the perfect one (and in the process decided I need to get two 16" size 2.75mm circulars).

What did I decide to knit this time? Ampersand!



I loved my Jaywalkers, but the constant chevrons made it so I couldn't get the socks over my cankles - and I think I have found a pattern in Ampersand that gives visual interest, but is still a simple pattern.

I have to re-purpose my sock form here to show you the more interesting part of the pattern - the section that will go down the front of your foot:



Isn't that pretty? The sock is zipping away as well - it's been less than a week and this first sock is nearly done.

Thank You

We just came back from a whirlwind weekend at Rehoboth Beach, and we couldn't have asked for a nicer weekend. With all the sweltering 85+ 'F weather on the eastern seaboard this weekend, the beach was the best place to be. And due to the wonders of 50 and 70spf sunscreen, I managed to come home unburned!

We stayed at the Atlantic Sands Hotel, which is right on the boardwalk in Rehoboth. How close?

Here is our hotel:



And there is the boardwalk and the beach:



And this was the view from our hotel room:



We had so much fun - we played on the beach:



We walked the boardwalk (**) and Rehoboth's main drag:



We visited a few of Rehoboth's fine brew pubs:



(That's my Aprihop on the left, Andrew's Lawnmower on the right.)

We had a wonderful time - and Andrew? Next time I promise to bring my sneakers.

Thank you, Mom and Dad! I know this was supposed to be your trip, but thank you for giving it to us (and taking care of Lucky!)

(** Why the jackets? The first night we were there it was only in the 50s - the temperature jumped Saturday morning.)

WiP It Wednesday...

... Damn!

Make that finished object Wednesday! I finished my Kermit The Frog Socks last night, and I have known since I started on the second sock that these socks were not destined for me.



Don't get me wrong, I love the colours, the size is right, and I love the style - but these socks told me they belonged to someone else. I will be giving them to the lucky recipient next week - we will have to see if she is surprised or not!

And, because I finished these socks, I can buy more yarn at MDSW! Who am I kidding? I would probably have bought more anyway - at this point I am considering yarn to be soft and colourful home insulation. A while ago I was looking through my stash, trying to decide what to make next, and I came to the decision that I needed to make something with the yarn I bought at last year's MDSW before buying anything new.

The Particulars:

Yarn: Puckerbrush Farms Superwash Merino (no colourway listed)
Pattern: Ann Budd's basic sock pattern in Ladies M
Needles: 2 - 24" Addi circulars in size 2

I've come to the conclusion that I prefer to knit socks with two 16" circulars rather than 24" ones - I was constantly annoyed by the extra length of needles.

Here is a garden update - my pilfered squash!



I bought a Cheddar Spaghetti Squash from Linvilla Orchards last year - it looked just like a normal one, but the flesh was bright orange. It tasted like normal squash as well, but I liked the novelty of the orange "noodles." So, I saved some of the seeds and planted them about 10 days ago - this is the only one of the four that took. Now I need to figure out where to plant it outside.

I need to get off the computer - this is what the sky looks like right now:



Yikes!

Sunny Day in Philadelphia

This weekend was the last weekend for the Narnia exhibit at the Franklin Institute, so we woke up early and headed out to Philadelphia. I would have loved to take pictures of the exhibit - there was knitwear, even! They had many original costumes on display, including the Ice Queen's gown and the sweaters the children were wearing. I have to admit that I teared up in the beginning of the exhibit, because they had a real-life historical section about the children who were sent out of London during the Blitz. Do you know they managed to move over a million children out of London in just three days? My grandmother and her older sister were two of these children, and this really hit home.

After seeing this exhibit, checking out the Amazing Machines exhibit (I think maybe I had more fun than Willow here) and then an IMAX movie called Grand Canyon Adventure about the Grand Canyon and water conservation, we headed out into the city to find something to eat and walk around.

I was entranced by the Swann Fountain in the middle of Logan Square - I had never seen it up close before and it was beautiful.



The four figures are supposed to be Native American river god representations of the three main rivers in the area, and I have to say, they are rather comely:



Wissahickon Girl's backside



and her front!

Here's a picture of me and Willow:



And a self-portrait of me:



Who says I never give you anything?!!?