Fireworks & FO's

Hi Cindy!

Happy Belated 4th! It was hot, Hot, HOT here!

How goes the Tour d'Fleece? I thought about doing it but still am unhappy with the last couple of Tour d'Frances and am not ready to commit to something associated with it. I am, however, considering the Summer Knitting Olympics or perhaps the UFOlympics. I will probably do the latter and push to finish DH's sweater.

Here are a few pictures of the fireworks display in downtown Tempe. We sat on the median on Rio Salado Drive, just east of Mill Ave, so these pictures are 90 degrees from what we saw. The median was hot and uncomfortable but at least we could sit through them, not have to stand the entire time. The display started about 20 minutes late but ran for about 45 minutes and was quite a show.
(above & below: looking east along Tempe Town Lake)

Here is my MIL in the poncho I knit her for her birthday. The yarn was a merino-acrylic blend that I got at Tuesday Morning. It took around 3 full balls although I had to use parts of 4 balls. The first two had a regular transition between colors but the second two balls had a different color sequence so I had to piece the colors in. I have enough left over that I'm making her a neckwarmer that will button using the stitch pattern from Yarn Harlot's Simple 1 row scarf.

At my old position at the other state agency I didn't have to wear my ID badge or even carry it all the time. At my new place I don't have to really wear it but I do have an access card that gets me to my floor and I need to carry it all the time. I'd been ruminating on making a small bag to carry it in for quite a while rather than wearing the plastic holder all the time. Here is my creation. It is another yarn that I picked up at Tuesday Morning. It is basically the same pattern as the Soap Sock I've made a couple of times recently. I added the flap and I-cord neck strap to make it a little more useful. The only problem is that the yarn is actually pretty scratchy. It is a linen-acrylic-cotton blend. I added the small padded section to keep the scratchiness away from my neck. I used the green bead as a closure and then added the second bead for decoration. I've started another id bag in a ribbon yarn, although that may go to DH's co-worker.

More pictures soon of DH's hat and other FO's (I hope)

A

117, or is it 151?

Hi Cindy!

Welcome to this side of summer!

Hope you're staying comfortable. We, most definitely, are not. We've had a full week of "Extreme Heat" warnings and are likely to keep it up for a few more days. It felt extra hot yesterday when I walked out to the car at the end of the day. I was sure it had broken the record of 115. And on the way home the thermometer on the car said 117 so I was sure we'd broken the record. But no, the official temperature at the airport was only 112 for the day. We swam in the pool the other night at 9:30 and it was still warm out. The moon was full and it was a lot of fun although there was a slight breeze that made the skin cool when you got out.

Well, according to Blogger this should be Post #151. Hard to believe we've put out that many posts in just over a year. We have slowed down quite a bit in the last few months but we're still writing so that's a good thing.

As a close, here is an amazing picture of a male hummingbird sitting on the next. My friend Matt helps his wife out with field work on the weekends. She is working on a PhD in ecology and is mostly studying bats. While they were out last weekend they came across this little guy sitting on the nest. He let them take a few pictures of him and then flew around a little to also let them see the eggs below.

Well, I'd better close this up. I'm planning on writing about last week's WWKIP Day activity that I went to in Jerome. Check out Tempe Yarn for pictures from their Virtual KIP Event. I'm there.

Take care, A

Knitting Needle Knitting Bag

Hi Alene, I finished my bag this weekend! I wanted to make it from stash. My purply-not-solar-dyed yarn would be cute . . . but it was much thicker and there wasn't a lot of it. I ripped the first few rows several times until I got bigger needles and figured out an alternative to the p3tog (try that on sz. 15's, ugh). And where are the berries in berry stitch?? Duh, on the purl side! So I did use the purply, knitting both sides at once on 2 sets of needles until there was no more of that yarn, then switched to some orange with bits of purple I had leftover from a mitten sample. It worked great doubled. Then I used my pretty Peace Fleece needles at the top (I love them but don't use straight needles that often, so why not show them off this way?). The handles are Heilo doubled, knit on size 9's. I sewed it up at the Sow's Ear anniversary party & grand reopening; made a lining at home the next day. Just the right size for spindle spinning or a small knitting project. I am really happy with it.

We went to get pumpkins in weather more suited for sweet corn and tomatoes. Weird weather year. A front is supposed to come through today, dragging our fall weather behind it. I'm keen for sweaters! If you come in December, I hope to see you (and you might need a sweater too ;)
Cindy

Ramblings

Hi Cindy!

Love the mittens although from here they just look too hot. As you may have seen we've broken our record for days over 110. Wednesday was 29 days and yesterday was 30 but at least there's maybe some relief in sight. By the end of next week we may have rain and the upper 90's. Sounds like a nice change.

Did you hear about the Mrs. American contestant that got bit by a rattlesnake? It was in Tucson at the Loew's Ventana Resort. They had her on the morning news this a.m. and she actually seemed pretty articulate. She's from Tenessee and she said that Mrs Iowa pulled the snake's fang out of her foot and Mrs Wisconsin called 911. She ended up in intensive care for part of a day and the poison had reached her ankle by the time the anti-venom took effect.

As I commented after your post the other day, we got our carpet put in on Tuesday. It looks great and we will probably have the other rooms not covered by insurance done here in the next year or so. (I'll try to edit this tonight with a picture but haven't taken one yet.) The rest of the house is still pretty much thrashed from moving everything out of the two rooms. The only thing that is mostly back in place is the china cabinet although the doors are still off it. We actually culled out quite a few glasses and now we need to look at books before they go back on the shelf and maybe movies.

In all the turmoil Ihaven't gotten much knitting done. I've knit a few rounds on the purse but that's while commuting with DH. I'm hoping we'll get the house set back up on Saturday and then have some time the rest of the weekend to be creative. Yay for long weekends! Maybe DH's brother will come down for a cookout. He hasn't seen the new fence yet.

On Wednesday DH had a second interview for one of the positions he's applied for and now he's waiting for an offer. He has another interview this coming Tuesday for a different postion that's a little closer to what he does. One of the women that he works with is also interviewing for that position and he thinks she stands a better chance. She also needs to get out of their agency pretty badly. She is 5 months pregnant and her doctor has told her to quit because the stress is too much. The problem is that she's the one carrying the insurance and she can't get other without getting a different position.

DH also got a recruiting call the other day for another position with that same agency so he knows that his time is limited in the current position. It will be nice when he finally gets out of there into a new agency, which ever one he goes to.

Guess I'll close this up. Have fun this weekend at the wool festival, I expect a full, detailed report with pictures.

Stay dry! A

Le Tour begins!

Hi Alene! My Tour had a good beginning. I spun some more of the cream and light brown wools. While I was working on my wheel, I kept looking at the bobbin of multi-color experimental singles I spun earlier and decided to ply it with sewing thread. It varies a lot in thickness and is a lot greener than the picture shows. I'm really happy with it even though some off the sections are so thin (oops) that I'll have to cut them out and double them for knitting. It's from a fiber grab bag I got online and also some Rainbow Fleece Farm dyed locks I carded myself. Cindy

p.s. it's been beastly hot here also and humid of course.

Hi Cindy!

Hope your Fourth was a good one. We had a guy out to give us an estimate on the new fence. Something about 30 years of sun, hot and termites causes a wood fence to give up the ghost. Fortunately my grandmother had an insurance policy that she left to the 12 grandchildren. My portion won't quite cover the fence but it mostly does. Pool Party as soon as the fence is complete! Everyone is invited! Ted's bringing the drinks! (And yes, he likes the taste of the dark stuff; it's called Moose Drool.)

So, what is hotter than 115 and no humidity (4%)? Try 117 with 15% humidity. Yay. Yesterday there was not a cloud in the sky. Today little wispy ones were around early and the tell-tale signs of monsoon storms forming in the eastern skies. Of course we won't get any of those for a few days yet.

Let's see, I promise some fibery goodness the other night didn't I? Tuesday night I dropped DH off at the zendo and then went to check out my 2 favorite fiber stores, Tempe Yarn and Fiber and Fiber Factory. Both have move locations in the last 2 months. Neither one very far but they are in new digs.

I went to Tempe Yarn first. There I got another skein of the tofootsie that I made MIL's socks from, same color. I figure I have enough left from her socks that I can make myself a pair of socks, just a little longer. I also got a bat of fiber in a green and brown mix. It reminds me of the desert. Margi had to check it out right away. It got 2 paws up.

Afterwards I went by Fiber Factory to pay for my new class. Beginning Spinning 1.5 starts tonight, in about an hour and a quarter so I can't dawdle on this too much. I didn't buy any fiber or yarn there although I did get the Spring 2007 Spin-Off. Something to read on the way to LA. I will probably buy something tonight since I have the class discount and need a project to start on. Mmmmm, wonder what it will be? Might have to wait till next week to find out.

In May I bought a sweater at Goodwill with the plans of ripping it out and dyeing it. For a dollar or so I figured I could torture it and experiment. Margi had other ideas. I did start ripping it out last night but it is pretty difficult. I think (hope?) it's mohair and everything sticks to itself. If I ever get it frogged I'm going to kool-aid dye it. Then we'll see. Maybe just a cat bed.

Well, we're off to LA in the morning. I'll take plenty of pictures to share. And I'm planning on checking out at least 1 yarn shop, probably the one on Melrose. Have a good trip next week if I don't talk to you first! A

Hi Cindy,

As promised here are a few pictures of the cactus growing in our yard. These are cholla along with a few agave. We got these about 4 years ago from DH's parents and they have gone while. Right now they are covered with a whole host of little white eggs. We had the same last year. Shortly they will probably hatch into little red bugs. We need to clear out some of the cholla as they've grown too close together. The agave also seem to die back when they get too large.

I'm calling this picture Inspiration. I have some Brown Sheep yarn I got at Goodwill in Yuma that is going to be transformed. Think 1-2 ribbing and a bobble or two. (Finally a good use for a bobble!) The tall center one was already planted when we moved in but the other two were the small cactus that you can buy in some of the drug stores down here. The scale is hard to tell but the bottom of that beam is probably at 5 feet high or so, I have to slightly duck under it. The brown band near the top of the right one is where it got touched by our freezes this winter. The small one on the left also lost a foot or two off the top due to the cold weather but is now growing back.

Here is the last picture from the front yard. The tree in the background is an olive tree. We've never cured the fruit but DH wants to try it some time. Mostly it just makes a big mess from the purple fruit and the little leaves. The ferny looking flowered plant at the center is a Mexican Bird of Paradise. It came up as a "volunteer" from our neighbor's plant. It is really pretty. The ironic thing is that it came up right about where there was a regular bird of paradise planted when we moved in. It was not a xeriscape friendly plant. You can also see the lantana and Texas Ranger/sage plant that has taken over our "flower" bed. Nice and natural and not too much work, just occasional trimming and watering.

The weather forecast for the next week is nothing but HOT. Highs between 111 and 114 the whole time with nightly lows in the mid to upper 80's. No wonder the pool is so warm.

I guess I'd better close up and practice spinning some more. Take care, A

Spinning Practice

Hi Cindy,

As promised the temps here have been hot, we're expecting 115 toward the end of the week. Thank goodness for AC and our water-filled hole. Here is a picture of Polly (for your DS) on the last day she swam. Right after this picture I noticed the horrid noise her pump was making and turned her off. We finally stopped by the pool supply store yesterday so see if they could rebuild the pump and motor but no such luck. It is about 15 years old and doesn't really fit Polly so we picked up a dedicated pump for her. DH will get it installed one of these mornings but it's too hot in the pm.

I have been practicing spinning diligently this week. I finished the maroon fiber mix you sent. I skeined it up on a piece of foam board I've cut to 18 inches. I got just over 24 yards out of it. It is pretty thick but it is yarn. I've washed it, dried it and wound it into a center pull ball. Although the angle on the scale is a little off, it came out to just under 2 oz. I have also spun up the rest of the corridale roving we got in class as well as the partial purple batt. I also got all my washed fleece carded up. Right now I just have that and the BFL bit that you sent that hasn't been spun. Looks like I'll have to buy some more. Good thing Fiber Factory is having a moving sale. But of course I do get a class discount too.

Just 2 1/2 weeks till we go to LA to see the Decemberists at the Hollywood Bowl. We'll have pretty good seats in the garden boxes. We're staying within walking distance so we don't have to worry about parking. DH is also hoping to do a set at the LA zendo associated with the group he attends here. I'm also hoping on visiting at least 1 yarn store while there too.

Well, it's almost time to leave for class #3. I'll keep you up to date on how it goes.

Later, A

Happy Birthdays!

Cindy,

Wish your DH a Happy Birthday from us. Today is also the first birthday of our friend A's twins.

Here they are about 3 months ago on St. Pat's day. For their birthday they are getting a new house. Today they are moving from their cramped condo into a real house. I'm sure they'll have plenty of fun exploring and wreaking havoc.

Spinning class the other night was frustrating. I tried out 2 wheels and neither one seemed to be working properly. I couldn't get them to wind the yarn on the bobbin so I just ended up with overly engerized yarn. At least I wasn't the only one. The young woman in our class gave up quickly, stating that she just wanted to spin on the drop spindle. One other woman was having about as much luck as I was. She took over the first wheel that I was one and had the same exact problems. The other two women had better luck but still were getting over energized yarn too. Here is what I was able to produce the other night. As you can see it is all kinked back on itself in places and some of it was hardly spun at all. I don't foresee myself buying a wheel any time soon.

At the end of class Barb ( the instructor) showed us the use of carders. I'd helped Sandy at a few living history demos back before I moved out here. She did all the spinning (I never tried it) and I sit carding wool for her. Here's the 3 rolls I did in class. Our home work this week is to card the rest of the fleece we cleaned last week.

When I got home I was so frustrated with how class had gone that I put the cats out to the garage and practiced with the drop spindle you sent for about an hour. DH was already asleep so I had no interruptions. The maroon blend from Sandy's Palette that you sent spins so easily that I've been using it for practice and I'm getting it pretty consistent. I mixed it a little with the merino the other day but it works great on it's own.

Happy Birthday again to all Flag Day Babies, young and not so young! And to the Yarn Harlot although in Canada it isn't Flag Day.

p.s. Did I mention it felt like the surface of the sun today? The temp read out in the car read 112 on the way home. Officially it was 110. Welcome summer