Life has been rushed. I created a lot of internal deadlines for myself and I have been rushing along every day trying to meet them. After weeks of waiting I finally got the installation date for my new fences; that meant that I needed to do some major yardwork to prepare for all that construction and hauling away of stuff. Whew. I handled it. My flower beds are cleaned up, plants are pruned, and my new fence and gate look great!
Sharon from Security (Casapinka’s very snarky cat) released her latest pattern last Saturday. I decided that I need to get my current knitting project finished before the first clue dropped.
I started a new series of books that I needed to finish up quickly so that I could get other books, checked out electronically from my library and getting ready to vanish into the ether in two weeks, read on time.
I’m doing major cleaning and dragging bags of stuff out to the trash every week. That trash pick-up day is another deadline every week as I clean out drawers and closets and let old belongings, not used in at least a decade, head off to a new home or the land fill…
Whew. Busy times!
Garden
I am putting my energies now into moving and installing some new bricks and then planting several of the potted shrubs (like the mini-roses and my hydrangea) into the ground before winter. Next year they can bloom in the cleared garden in the background!
Knitting
It was quite the drive, but I did get my new sweater finished with a few hours to spare before the Snark-O-Meter from Sharon from Security (Casapinka) dropped.
This is my second little layering piece that is knit loose enough for summer wear (well, cooler summer wear) and then will serve as layering pieces in the fall and winter. This loose little V-neck top, The Rock It is just perfect!!
Well, let’s talk about Snark-O-Meter. I have been dreaming about colors and digging in the stash for weeks. I would decide on a combo, but then the next morning I would remember a different skein of yarn in the stash and the amended quartet of yarn would suddenly become my new favorite. I finally settled on a color combo that I know will go with almost everything that I wear.
I know, I know… it is conservative, but very wearable. Can you see that there are little flecks of black in the red yarn? The gray has a slight sheen from silk which makes the drape really nice and shines around the other colors. Snark-O-Meter is a mystery knit-along (MKAL) and the other knitters are already showing off their beautiful color combinations on Facebook. People are worried about being too slow, and others are asking for help from other knitters. Encouragement is everywhere, Sharon is shoveling out the snark while hunting for her stolen squad car (again?! Sharon, you need to take better care of your things…) and threatening to busticate knitters who don’t read the directions. I love this group!!!
I still have those other sets of yarn waiting to become something. I may cast on a second shawl in some crazy colors that I will also be able to wear. Also, they are colors that I just simply love!!
The last couple of years have been hard, to say the least. Some of the knitters in the Sharon Show group on Facebook have been giving away their extra sets of yarn to other knitters who are struggling right now. I look at my unused sets and wonder how many I can put together for the next MKAL. I’m going to bag the yarn and as soon as Sharon/Casapinka put together their next project I think that I should offer them up. Seriously, who better deserves my extra yarn then these supportive, cheerful, cat loving knitters. I wish I had thought of it sooner. I’m trying to clean out a lot of stuff… this is one way to do it.
Quilts
I really focused and worked steadily on a quilt that has been languishing for the last several months.
It is done! There was some help from the cats…
It is a huge relief to finally have this done. I cleaned up the sewing room and put everything away this weekend, and noticed that I have a really cute quilt kit just waiting for me to start it in the cupboard…
By the way, this quilt is an art quilt by Pine Needles called “Calling Me Home“. I used about half of the blocks in the entire quilt to make my wall hanging.
Books
I just raced through this series. The setting is hundreds of years in the future in England. There has been a terrible war, all the life has mutated dramatically in a race for survival and all the world is dangerous. People survive in small enclaves, their history and old skills lost, and the remaining technology is like magic to them. Because contact between surviving groups of people is restricted by the extreme hostile environment mankind is slowly fading away.
Koli is a young man who breaks the rules and gets banned from his small village. He begins a long journey with a thought of saving humanity; his companions are few, and not all of them are still alive. They face danger, fight battles, make choices, and in the end, reach their goals. It’s hard to convey, but the voices of the characters, their insight into the human condition, made this series extremely engaging. These people are primitive, but they are not unsophisticated. I love the books and raced right through them. 🙂
Have a great week everyone.
Read a little, knit a little, and garden like your heart can’t live without it.
Yarn, Books & Roses 
Sounds like you’ve had a good few weeks, I’m glad you were able to get everything ready for your new fence, it looks great. I love the tee! It definitely seems like it will be the perfect layering piece. I can’t wait to see the new MKAL, I really need to look at Casapinka’s patterns, I’ve heard really great things.
I got stuck in the editor and published the post before I was done writing it. If you look now I have the portion of the first clue in a picture. 🙂 I agree about the tee. It has such nice edges (all Icord trim) and just glides over the tee shirts and tops that I tried it over. I was a little worried about the speckled yarn, but I am so happy with how it turned out.
The patterns are very nice, and the fun extras (drinks!!) and online forum really make it fun. I never have done well in the forums on Ravelry, but on Facebook things are more supportive and interactive. Being in that group really makes you feel connected to the other knitters.
Wow, I LOVE the colors you chose – classic with a pop, it’s going to be awesome.
I will definitely have to check the MKALs out! I do love an MKAL
I had always avoided MKALs because… what if I waste my yarn knitting something that I won’t like… but these Casapinka ones are just too much fun and I always love the end product.
So good to see your helpers again 🙂
Your yard and new fence look great, and glad to see your bunny is still around! Your knitting projects are looking great as well – love that tee!
Some of my other neighbors are upset about the bunnies eating the lawns, but I’m like… you mean you didn’t save them the dandelions? The bunny takes care of the occasional weed and he/she is just so much fun and cat entertainment that I am happy to donate some lawn to its care.
The tee really is great. I’m almost done with this week’s MKAL clue so I think that I am going to cast on another one.
I really like the picture of the cats being entertained. They are so well placed in the image. The quilt is also impressive
Thanks! It is hard to get good pictures of the cats because they are black and keep moving! The bunny is easier because it freezes, but it is getting so tame now that I usually just carries on when it sees me.
I hope the quilt enjoys its new home. I shipped it off last week. 🙂
You always have so many interesting things going on. I love the kitty and bunny views and I’m pleased to hear that the bunny is doing well and not too put out by the fence work. The fence looks great. We’ve had sections replaced over the years and it always feels like a big deal. I’m glad it all came together for you. I’m going to follow your links so I can figure out what you’re referring to (mystery knitting…clues from a cat loving knitter…) I’m intrigued! I hope you’re enjoying your week.
It always feels like a big deal because it is kind of expensive!! My neighbor replaced a section with budget lumber (which still cost her a few hundred dollars) and it all had to be torn out and replaced because it had warped. I’m kind of glad that I just hired someone else to do it for me; it looks great and the materials are really nice.
I hope you find the MKAL.
I did have fun poking around on the Ravelry site and seeing what she’s up to. Have fun!
As for the fence, I’ve seen poorly installed fences and in the end you waste money having to do it over again. A good, solid fence from a reputable company makes all the sense in the world.
After experiencing my neighbor’s efforts that is my opinion about fencing too!
🙂
Oh my the photo of cat on sewing machine even beats the one of the two of them staring at the bunny. So funny. The quilt is absolutely stunning. Lucky cat getting to sit on it!
She was completely entranced by the moving parts of the machine and stressing me out! I did all the quilting last week with my hands cupped around the needle mechanism as I pushed the fabric. Cats make everything special, don’t they!