Saturday Sky and a self portrait

This evening, after spending the afternoon at the baby shower for E (sadly, the blanket's not finished. When I measured it on the needles, it was a good healthy 28 inches diameter. When I started binding off, it measured only 26, which is just a little too small for my taste. I don't want the seed stitch border any wider, I don't think, so I've got to rip out the border, add another 6-8 rounds, then re-do the border) we decided to head for Wollaston Beach to get clams, which is a favorite summertime activity. Since we had the camera from the shower, I spent some time snapping some pictures.

The evening sky, Squantum Neck from Wollaston Beach



Beginnings of sunset


After clams, we drove out to end of Hough's Neck to pick up our farmshare from the friends who had done the pickup this week. As we were driving back, I saw the sun shining pink through the clouds. Wiley pulled over and I snapped another quick picture.

Sunset over Quincy Bay


The light was amazing out at the beach - the soft warm pinks of early sunset. I almost ever like pictures of myself, but we managed to snap a couple of decent self portraits, thanks to Wiley's long arms.

Self portrait

The conversation at our house tonight...

Me: "You know, if I thought I could carry one without zapping myself, I would *love* to carry a taser." (I'm the girl who managed to mace herself carrying the mace my boyfriend *insisted* I carry in "dangerous" downtown Worcester.)

Him: "You couldn't taser yourself - the way the newer ones work, it's almost impossible."

Me: "Yeah, but if anyone could do it, it would be me."

Him: *laughing* "I can see it now - you come home with burn marks all over your hip. God, it touched my pager and the battery in that arced to my cell phone, and then my knitting caught fire. My whole SCARF is GONE!"

Me: "That would be the part that would piss me off the most. Talk about insult to injury!"

Using my time

So, this weekend? When I have two (more, really) deadline knitting projects breathing down my neck, and a giant whack of free time to spend on working on them?

Do I spend my free time working on EITHER project?

Heh. As if.

No, I spend hours and hours futzing around trying to make friends with my spinning wheel instead, only really working on the blanket at knitting circle on Saturday night.

It worked - we're much more friendly now than we were before I worked on it on Saturday and Sunday. If I were organized, I'd have pictures to show you of the lovely bobbin and a half of red Corriedale I managed to produce (but I'm not, so you'll have to just imagine it). It's not *good* handspun, but I think it'll hold together, which is progress, for sure.

I did manage progress on both blanket and shawl as well, too. The blanket is up to about 24 inches in diameter (mostly because work was dead on Friday and so I got to knit a bunch), and I finished the first clue for the Mystery Stole on Sunday night.

So, progress. Just slow.

Pretties!

I did not finish Clue 1 last night, so now I guess I'm officially behind. Oh well.

To distract myself, and y'all, a pretty!


From one of the *four* bouquets that Widget got after her dance recital.

Weekend all entirely to myself this weekend. What shall I do with myself?!?!

Not much going on here

Our Fourth of July holiday was lovely - a low key morning catching up on errands and to-dos, followed by a party at the house of some friends. We didn't attempt the fireworks this year, and just as well, since the weather was terribly uncooperative.

We're slowly eating our way through all the veggies we've gotten in our CSA. So many greens! Tonight was all about the greens, and then I roasted all the beets we've gotten to use in salads and stuff over the weekend. May have been a mistake, since they would have kept for a while uncooked, but I love them so much I could eat them all in a couple of sittings.

I'm being consumed by my two current projects. More knitting, less blogging, as I'm sure you all know. Work has been busy too, so there's little time during the day for goofing off.

What am I working on, you might ask?

The first is the Mystery Stole Knit Along. I'm about 3/4 of the way through the first clue, the second clue goes up tomorrow. Soon as I'm finished this, I'm off to keep on knitting away at the darn thing. I have visions of being able to wear this as a wrap for my friend S's wedding on September 1st, since New Hampshire's weather can be... unpredictable, and my MoH dress is sleeveless. If I can keep to the knitalong schedule, I should be able to do it, since the last clue is due on August 17th.

Here's my progress so far:


The second is the last baby gift - I'm knitting a Pinwheel Baby Blanket for my friend E's baby. Baby's coming in August, but we just got a shower invite for next weekend - I doubt I'll have it done by then, but I've got the whole weekend to myself, so I keep telling myself that it might happen. Ever the knitting optimist, I am!

It's about 12 inches across right now, but the rows only get longer from here!