the first day

this hot weather is really getting me down!  with going on two weeks of 90 degree weather it is starting to drain me.  i mean it's not like i don't have air conditioning or that i have to work out in this hot weather or anything like that....but there is very little you can do but stay indoors in this type of weather.

i would love to work in the yard or flower gardens but other than watering or sitting outside for a few short minutes i've been sticking to the indoors.  i think i'm more of an "outside gal" than i thought.  it's driving me a bit nuts.  if i was on a vacation, or by a lake i would probably be loving it, but enough already!!!!

i've been scrubbing, cleaning, organizing and doing some knitting and reading.  i did watch a DVD ( i find i'm just not interested in tv, not sure why, used to love the morning shows but can't seem to get into those either)...

 and i have done some knitting.  i may be finished with my felted bag this week.  next up?  i may start on the trellis sweater for the grandson.  this is the pattern from knitty.com.  i scored some lion brand cotton ease in "mint", at my local Tuesday Mornings for $2 a ball!,  or the "lined bag" from the debbie bliss Simply Living book.  it is a cute, cotton, seed stitch bag.   i would use the Patagonia yarn that i purchased a few weeks ago.  remember that yarn...i was going to use that yarn for the market/shopping bag, started it, but was not happy with how it was turning out.  and that yarn it too amazing to not do something really beautiful with.  plus i do have some lining that would go really well.  we'll see.

last weekend DH and i went to see Bewitched.  so cute.  it was a fun movie.  i think will ferrell is funny but i must say...nicole was SO CUTE!!!!  you must go see her.  and her little cottage is to die for! what a fun girl movie.  and  if you go with your hubby, will is funny enough for hubby to be happy too.

tomorrow i'm taking the train to downtown to meet a friend on her lunch hour and fit in some knitting time.  then i have some Michigan Ave shopping to do.  looking forward to that.  haven't seen this friend in months.  we've lots of catching up to do.

a whole week has gone by and i have either had no time to post or just didn't have the interest or energy.

as mentioned last week, monday i went to grand rapids to visit my daughter and her little family.  we went for our pottery lesson on monday night and i watch the little one while she worked  some on monday and tuesday.  then on tuesday afternoon i brought him home to chicago with me!!!

he was  with me until yesterday morning and then we drove  1/2 way and met, had breakfast, and exchanged cars (i had their big kid friendly SUV and they had my convertible VW) and the grandson.

so it was a wonderful and very different week for me.  except for a dr. follow up visit, and a few other small scheduled things i did nothing but fit in with his schedule, sit on the floor and play with him.  fit in a shower do a few things during his nap time.  it was fun to just focus on him.  he is so much fun and such an easy baby.  he has such a great smile and laugh.i could sit all day and just watch that. my daughter and and son in law  have done a great job parenting him!              

now, today i will catch up on some errands, do some laundry, emails, and maybe do some knitting.  it is in the 90's today so i don't think i will be outside much.

in knitting news, of course, there isn't too much.......i did start on a bag.  i found the pattern on line for the booga bag.  i love the size.  i am making mine just a bit larger tho.  i'm using the olive manos, as i had mentioned last week.   i have about 5" on the sides done so far. 

 i was just starting to add the noro yarn.i had done about 3 rows and noticed that the weight of the yarn is so different.  so i am afraid  that it is going to felt too differently.  the bag that i saw in a store sample using a wool with this noro added with it was a lighter wool.  i've seen how felting with different wool can come out wiggly, and i really don't want that, so.... i think i will abandon that idea this time and stick with manos and use the noro for something else.  i'm going to pick another color of manos for the strip in the middle of the bag, ( i will choose that at the shop today) and then finish the bag with the olive and do the handle in the strip color.

i also feel a bit of a sock bug.  so last night i pulled out my #3 dpn (i don't have any #2's) hey there's any idea for sp5 (hint!!)  and some left over clapotis yarn and thought i might try some socks for the little grandson.

i think i will go out and water soon, before it gets to hot.

 i may treat myself to a manicure today!

enjoy your saturday!!!!!

it's saturday morning, about 10:15 and i'm still drinking coffee and still in my p.j.'s.  that's a good thing.  i know, you're thinking, what's new with that.  that's the same as every other morning around here this summer.  sorry!  it is an accomplishment for me in some ways tho, i really am a morning person.  i have had to work at becoming this.  so pat me on the back for my hard work.  yeah right!

i have been up since 7:00!  i've torn apart my basement office, reorganize and put it back together this morning.  looks pretty good.  (i've re-found the laptop!)  i mostly was going through my yarn stash.  next week on tuesday night i'm meeting with a group from my church to teach them to knit and we are going to work on making scarves, over the summer months, for the homeless and then this winter we are going to pass them out on the streets of chicago.  sort of a labor of love and outreach.  i have a lot of yarn that i can also donate for this cause so i need to go through things.

i finished my IK staff shrug last night.  the one that i was so unsure of.  i love it!  it fits! it's cute!  it really looks great.  i look forward to adding it to my fall wardrobe.  i was a nice surprise to have it turn out so well.  i had very little faith in that project.  :)

next up is a felted bag.  still pouring over patterns.  haven't found that perfect one yet but i have the yarn.  i'm using a olive colored Manos (colorway #68) with a strip of  Noro from Japan (kajaku # 13).  should be very chic!!!!

in family news: 

 my daughter has just found out on friday (yesterday) after 2 rounds of interviewing and almost a week of waiting, that she got a part-time assistaint job.  she had been starting to think about something parttime just recently and this person contacted her.  the little grandson is 7 1/2 mos. old now and she is ready to do something a few days a week.  she starts next week so i'm going to go first thing monday morning to help out with watching the little one on monday and tuesday.  daughter and i are going to fit in a pottery class on monday night too.

my son arrived in hawaii on last thursday for a 10 day vacation with i think probably about 10 of his friends.  (don't know the total count).  he is having a wonderful time, how could you not!!!  he said it is so beautiful and green, mountianous, wild orchids everywhere,and that the air smells like sugarcane.  he is, throughout the day, and evening sending me, thru me pix-phone pictures and messages (the first picture i recieved looked so faux i thought i was a "screen saver")  that's a mom for you!!!

well i think it's about time i gave up the coffee cup, showered and entered the world today!!  live fully!! make it a good one!!

yes i did some shopping today.  it was double punch card day at the knitting  shop.  i couldn't help myself!!!  now the next time i go i have $30.00 free dollars to spend!!!!!

got this great 100% cotton fiber from chile called Patagonia in a beautiful margarita, lime color.  i will make this bag to go with my bathing suit.  i thought i could use it at the beach and for trader joe's grocery shoping.

then i saw this Noro Kujaku yarn when i was there before.  it has these interesting "wraps" in it.  at the shop today the had used it with another wool and felted in, which i would have never thought of.  it looked so great, and i have been thinking about doing a new bag.  so there you have it.  i have a olivey green manos that i will add with this one.

i love mission falls cotton, and have heard they've discontinued it.  so when i see colors i like, i pick them up.  i always know i will use them and think they will always will come in handy with the little grandson.  in this new bunch, i especially like the tomato red.

last, but not least, the pronto is for the pinwheel baby blanket that i have seen all around the blogs.  yep, i've fell in.  i want to make it for the grandson.  this is a chunky weight yarn so it will be nice and big.  on my drive home today i have second thougths on the color i chose.  there was one that was my 2nd choice, more in the reds family.  i'm heading up to michigan for an overnight again next monday.  i think i will stop by the shop on my way and pick up that color too and let my daughter see both and decide.  it doesn't have to be a surprise.

the staff shrug is blocking today.  i did the pattern a bit different in the fact that i did not do the sleeves in the round, i did them straight.  so i will seam them after they block and then do those final rounds, and then she's done.  can't wait to try this one on.  still can't imagine how this will fit.

well i'm off to wind the yarn for the lime shopping bag.  good day!  (i blogged this with downloading pictures in mind, no such luck.

it's fun to have time to do "whatever" at any given moment.  however i'm still getting use to my "summer skin".  takes a while to get use to not be running 100 mph...and go to 0.  why is that?  you would think it would be harder to get use to going from 0 to 60.  but it's not.

today i decided i was ready to start doing some cooking.  i usually do cook more in the summer, or other holidays when i'm off work.  i'm really trying to follow the south beach eating plan most of the time, so i do keep that in mind when i shop.

looked through some cookbooks this morning. made a list. then went to the grocery store.  came home and made myself some turkey roll ups for lunch.  picked up lots of other "goodies" for meals and stocked up on good for you snacks. (that's really the key to sticking with this healthy eatting.)

my five month pregnant, baby, sister stopped by today with my five year old and almost one year old nieces.  (yes, she has her hands full).  so cute, so much energy,  and so much fun.  they played, drank auntie laurie's juice boxes, ate popsicles and crackers, while sis and i  visited and moved just about everything in my house.

now i'm doing some blogging stuff and i plan to knit for a bit.  don't know if DH  is working late again tonight or not.  if not i'll plan something yummy for dinner.

i'm going to head out to pick a bowl of strawberries. we had rain last night, so i don't have to do my 45 minute watering routine today!!!  that's a nice break!!

well i have one week of summer under my belt.  and i must say that it was a good one.

the week that i spent with my daughter and little grandson in michigan was great.  we went to the beach twice.  i have tan-lines to prove it.  and went to two sessions of our pottery lessons.  that was great.  we are not "potters" yet but we learned so much.  the studio is located on a hobby farm and the owner has peacocks, lots of different types of chickens, roosters and turkeys.  also horses, ducks, cats, and dogs.

we had some knitting time too.  my daughter got her knit picks yarn.she started Lucky Clover from  stitch and bitch nation  (many times!), but i think she is well on her way now.  and i'm struggling through one of the IK summer 2005 staff shrugs.... still, i've had to do some ripping. i'm having difficulty with the sleeve chart working out.  and i have little faith that the pattern will come out "right" in the end.  not sure why, just have this "feeling".  but i will continue on till the end.  i'm using the knit picks Andean Silk yarn, in cinnamon color,  instead of the mohair that it calls for.  the gauge is the same and i like the drape of this yarn.  i should have some knitting time tonight. so we will see.

today i worked on flower beds and in the yard until i could take the heat no more.  DH did a great job of picking strawberries and watering while i was gone all week.  but there was lots of weeding and dead-heading to do.  then i worked inside on laundry, bedding, blog reading.  missed a lot of reading over this week.

was a great week.  but good to be home.

the first official day of summer vacation.

i feel like a kid again! 

today, in about ten minutes, i'm heading to michigan to begin a week long visit with my daughter, her hubby and my 7 month old grandson.  can't think of a better way to spend my first week of summer vacation.

we plan to spend some time in the sand at lake michigan.  do some shopping for the little one and cook, eat, take walks, go to the park, relax, take a few pottery classes and just do whatever we feel like!

on another note, saturday had a fun day with "the girlfriends".  we did a chicago field trip.  had "high tea" in bucktown and then did shopping at some of the little shops in that area.  came home with some fun finds.

sunday, yesterday was a very relaxing day at home.  and we had a rain storm that caused the electric to go out for 5 hours...so that meant lots of knitting time.  friday i had finished my firey belero.  turned out great.  now just looking for a time to wear it.   i am now making one of the staff shruggs from interweave knits. i have 3 more inches to finish on the back then will be on to the sleeves.  i'm uses knitpicks yarns.  this is the first time i have used their yarns, very nice i must say.

my project for this blog, when i return next week, is to figure out how to add pictures.

see you next week!!!

secret pal 5, all about me.

1.  are you a yarn snob?  i guess so...i like quality.  if  i'm going to spend all that time i like it to be worth it.  however i would love to get my hands on some more lion's brand cotton ease!

2.  i only crochet to do edgings and to pick up and knit stitches.  other than that i'm a knitter only.

3.  i have no allergies, but do not of course like smoke smell (who does) and i have a dog and a cat.

4.  i have been knitting for about 5 years.

5.  favorite scents?  i like bath products, candles, etc...in lavendar, rose, orange blossom, lime.

6.  sweet tooth?  yes!  chocolate and gummies are my fav.

8.  colors/seasons.... i like neutral colors, really i like all colors, just in natural shades.  does that make sense?

9.  i'm married, we have one daughter who's married with a 7 month old (first grandson!!) and a son (not married).  they both live in michigan.

10.  life dreams...to travel to europe, and someday live by the beach

11.  my favorite yarns are: manos and  rowan yarns, right now i'm knitting with knitpixs and i like that.  i don't like acrylic or novelty yarns.

12.  collections...mix-matched china dishes (not real china) with mostly yellow and red in it (hard to find) and anything Paris!!!

this is a bit of me!!!

the end/the beginning.

the end of another school year.

the beginning of another summer.

i think that i have done my best with the students this school year.

and i plan to make the best of this summer.

today i stopped at starbuck's on my way home from school for an iced mocha. yummy!  and i plan to meet my hubby at the local Thai place for lunch in thirty minutes.

then i will do some afternoon knitting and relaxing.

sounds like a good start to summer to me!!!