Knitting

Gotta love Prince Harry

August 12, 2012August 12, 2012 mud&stringLeave a comment

Prince Harry on the Jumbotron at Olympic closing ceremonies sing and whistle to the Bright Side of Life with the Monty Python guy. Love it a million times.

WHAT I DID

Crafts, I did crafts today. First up, a bracelet and necklace.

I’ve been experimenting with salt dough, molding it and finding different textures, just mostly playing, this little bracelet is one of the results.

I picked up a leaf on my walk yesterday and used it sort of like a stamp. I think it turned out pretty cool. I don’t think Tiffany’s has anything to worry about, but I like it.

I finally got the Wingspan and Summer Flies shawlette’s blocked. Both turned out very nicely.

Wingspan

Summer Flies

Summer Flies Close-up

THE GRANDS

Babymama has to go back to work tomorrow, Babydiva will be with her nanny and we’ll all breathe a little easier when it’s this time tomorrow. I remember when I had to go back to work after being on maternity leave, it was sooooo difficult to tear myself away from my baby the first morning. I expect Babymama and Babydiva to be totally worn out tomorrow evening. Sending them loving thoughts. Tomorrow’s going to be a long one for them.

SO HOW ‘BOUT THOSE OLYMPICS?

Great games, got a little overdosed on women’s beach volleyball, thanks to Mr. Iknead. How come the guys wore tanks and baggy shorts and the women wore bikinis? Would Mr. Iknead have been glued to the TV if the guys wore what the swimmers wore and the girls wore what the guys wore? Maybe I’m wrong, but I’m just sayin….. Seriously, I’m so proud of all the athletes, wherever they were from, all deserved a medal. London, indeed, did it right.

The man who can drive himself further once the effort gets painful is the man who will win. Roger Bannister

Knitting

Monday

July 2, 2012 mud&stringLeave a comment

ON THE NEEDLES

I finished the seventh of eight triangles on Wingspan and got started on the eighth. I’m having a little anxiety about running out of yarn but this is normal for me at this point in WIPs. I’ve promised my languishing sock project that it’s next in line, but I also have a baby hat that’s halfway to the finish line that I’ve made promises to, is it odd that I talk to my projects? It’s not like I expect them to answer or anything…..

BY THE BOOK

Will finish Song of Susannah, Book VI of the Dark Tower series, with a Lawrence Sanders novel, The First Deadly Sin, next in line. Mr. Iknead’s father got me hooked on Lawrence Sanders years ago, he passed 20 years ago, but when I go back and revisit books that he and I shared with each other, he feels very close.

IN THE OVEN

Nothing, of course, at this very moment. I don’t cook really during the week, by the time I get off work, exercise and stop on the way home to visit my mother, it’s close to 7 p.m. and I don’t have the energy. I make up for it though by cruising recipe websites and checking out cookbooks, with a little bit of Food Network for good measure. I made a Lemon Blueberry Cake on Saturday. It tastes good, but has an odd texture. I’m suspicious that my oven thermostat is off, it’s been taking 10 to 15 minutes longer to cook than the recipes say. That may be the cause of the texture issue, maybe not quite done in the middle, but nice and brown on the outside. I think I’ll get a oven thermometer and check it out further in the next few days, now I’m curious.

I ran across this on Pinterest. I’ve been a little obsessed lately with pot and pan storage – I’m rapidly running out of it and short of buying a new home and designing a house around a kitchen, it’s going to continue to be a challenge. Here’s what I dream of –

Nice, huh? OK, I’m officially weird, I fantasize about kitchen storage.

You ain’t gonna learn what you don’t wanna know. Jerry Garcia

Knitting

Hot Hot Hot

June 30, 2012 mud&stringLeave a comment

AT THE MOMENT

Need I say more? It’s not as hot as yesterday according to iPhone weather, but let’s get real, shall we, anytime you get over 100 degrees, the actual temperature is irrelevant. iPhone says 104. Whatever. All I know is that I’m not getting out again today, even though I’ve spent most of the afternoon working on my grocery list. I just can’t brave the asphalt parking lot this afternoon. Most of the afternoon has been taken up by alternately knitting and surfing Pinterest.

BY THE BOOK

As usual, I have several books I’m trying to read, two audiobooks, two Nook books and two paper books. They run the gamut, a couple of novels, a memoir and a book of essays on knitting. I do this at buffets too, a case of my eyes being bigger than my stomach. I’m particularly in love with Inconceivable, by Carolyn Savage, the memoir. A synopsis can be found in all the usual places (I apologize for not knowing how to put in a link, that’s on my list to learn this weekend). I started out with it being my “on the treadmill” book but very quickly decided that it’s my “read every free moment” book. It’s a definite repeater.

ON THE NEEDLES

I’ve started the seventh of eight triangles on Wingspan, I’m anxious to get it finished. It’s supposed to take only one skein, I hope that’s right, since I only bought one skein when I decided to knit it. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll just finish up with a different yarn and call it a “design feature”. I’ve done it before. ; )

JOSIE THE PUG

I love this picture, with her sweet face. She brings much joy!