No surprises

Don't you just love it when things go according to plan? I know *I* do! I planned on finishing up the fronts of Scoop de Jour .... check. Casting on the sleeves .... check. Knitting on the aforementioned sleeves ... check. Plus which the Seahawks won their last pre-season game and got out of there without any (serious) injuries. Yay! Let the real football season begin!

My bone dry Isabella is now draped over a dining room chair, front and back still separate. I'm going to have to bribe myself to sit down and start finishing that. I'll have to think of something good. Maybe get myself a nice bottle of champagne (or at least a foreign sparkler ... Thanks, Trader Joe) and use it as a carrot.

One more meeting today at work, thankfully this morning. Go have a nice run, then babysit the front office because everyone (and I mean every-freakin-one) of the admin ladies are either out on vacation or sick! I only have to do an hour and a half and, quite frankly, I'm totally useless since I know nothing about anything anyone would ask me about. I guess they just want a presence. I'll be all sweaty from my run so I'll bring my laptop and my lunch and sit there and sweat and ... oh! I can buy some memory for my laptop on line. That's a great idea.

The weather isn't supposed to be particularly nice this long weekend. I'm going to Bumbershoot on Monday to see Joss Stone. Otherwise I want to work in the yard and input stuff to Ravelry. Maybe rehearse. Relaxing weekend. Yeah

I'm having knitting withdrawls!!

No knitting again last night, although I did work some on Mike's sock during noon knitting yesterday. Unless my plans completely go south, I should be able to knit tonight. It's hot today but I'll be downstairs watching the game anyway. Should be perfect, especially since it's the last pre-season game and probably not going to be very riveting.

I really really want to photograph the stash and spend some time on Ravelry this weekend. I am going to get some more memory for my laptop. It's something I've needed to do forever but just haven't gotten around to it. Now that one of my web site production tools has been upgraded it's eating up too much memory and significantly slows the machine down so I'm going to have to do it to save my sanity. Oh yes, I procrastinate. But in such odd ways sometimes. Anyway .... what I think Ravelry will help me do most of all is organize my list of projects I want to do. For example, I still haven't made the Rockstar Cardigan and it's been on my list AND swatched for over a year! True, I don't have the yarn, but I know where to get it and what I want. But things keep jumping the queue. Maybe this will help me be more organized.

It's dry!

My Isabella .... I fondled it on the way out this morning and it's totally and completely dry. You know that that means, don't you? I now must steel myself to weave in the ends and start sewing the thing up. Holy cow, that is going to be some tough chore. I'll have to do it in stages. Then there will still be finishing to do on the armholes. I want to be able to wear it before it gets too cold.

My plan for last night was to practice (learn) the songs I'm going to be singing for that new band tonight and simultaneously finish up the fronts of the Scoop de Jour and cast on the sleeves. Well, that plan was derailed by a charming smile and an offer of a dinner at my favorite sushi restaurant. Ah well ... that means I'll be singing as I work today, in between meetings, and finishing up the Scoop de Jour tomorrow evening while I watch the last pre-season football game - Seahawks and Raiders. Or that's the new plan anyway.

I have been dabbling just a teensie bit in Ravelry. I think I am going to be spending a few hours this weekend just putting stuff up, photographing my stash, etc. I haven't really even explored it much yet. There is just so much. It's an incredible place. What an idea, eh? I signed up for a couple groups and haven't even been able to explore them. Now I understand what Baa Bonny Belle was saying about getting sucked in. Wow

Sometimes ......

I just can't believe what a complete scatterbrain I am! I walked by my iPod this morning, sitting in its customary place and said to myself, "Pick that up now and put it in your pack so you don't forget it". But did I listen? Noooooo. I took out the garbage and recycle and got my lunch together and packed up everything and took off. I was half way to work before I realized my mistake. I'm just so spoiled. I hate running without my iPod. I can hear myself breath, for one thing. Plus I like the music in my head. It keeps my feet going. Well I'm going to have to tough it out today.

I only took 3 pictures on the island Sunday, on the way back. Saturday was just too rainy and dark. Here is a picture of the dock and the surrounding islands. It was still quite cloudy Sunday morning, as you can see. But just so green and gorgeous! Definitely too remote for my taste, even for a vacation house, but nice to visit. I suppose if one had a plane it wouldn't be so bad but still, you couldn't really fly to Seattle to see a play or anything without a lot of hassle.

And finally, here's a picture of my Isabella, pinned out and drying. I didn't have room on the table to pin both the back and the front, but I washed them both and pinned the tricky part, the front. I don't think I'll both pinning the back. And by the way, the difference in the dye lots is so apparent, especially when wet. Thank goodness I only have that problem on the back.

I fiddled a bit with Ravelry yesterday afternoon. I hardly know where to begin! It's quite the thing. I can see how one could lose days there.

A comedy of errors

Yikes ... back at work after a glorious week off and the morning couldn't have started out crazier. First of all I turned off my alarm and awoke 10 minutes before I should have been stumbling out the door. But I got myself in gear and made good time, dashing out the door in about 45 minutes. As I rolled my bike out of its little cupboard I was recalling what my friend said to me as we were biking Wednesday afternoon ... those words were , "Is there something wrong with your back tire"? Since I was powering up a hill at that point I wasn't going to stop and check but I looked back and it didn't look flat so I said, "No, I don't think so". I had put air in it before we had gotten going too far and indeed we only rode 11 1/2 miles. But whatever ... when I rolled it out this morning that rear tire was flat as a pancake. Dang! Already late, I just dashed inside, threw on some jeans and a top and rearranged things between my pannier and a backpack and dashed back out to the car. It was only when I was 3/4 of the way to work that I realized that I should have put the bike in the back of the car so I could take it down to be repaired after my run at lunchtime! What a DOPE!! Now I'm going to have to go back home after work and then come back down here ... crap. But I just wasn't thinking. It happens.

I had a very interesting weekend. Saturday afternoon I went out to a private island for a concert and party. By "private" I mean that it has NO PUBLIC LAND and is entirely owned by the few inhabitants. There is no regular ferry service, just a boat that you can schedule to run you out. Most of the people living there come and go by airplane. I am not kidding. It is just incredible. Since it's rather remote not many people live there full time, but a few do and one of the full time folks sets up parties and concerts every year. The venue is a saloon that reminds me of Disneyland. I stayed in a vacation home that was so grand - three floors, log cabin type with windows looking out over the water and decks and balconies ... just too much. I was traveling with the talent and crew for the event but since I wasn't actually working nor entertaining I got to be a guest. Best of both worlds. There was a little pre-show dinner given for us by some lovely people who happen to own one of the larger wineries in Washington. I got to the house and everyone is sitting around chatting and drinking wine and the host introduces himself and suggests I pour myself a glass of wine. Oooo, I love this wine!! It was lots and lots of fun.

There wasn't much knitting this weekend. I tried to knit on the little shuttle boat coming back from the island but it was too choppy and I started feeling seasick. I did ... ta da! ... finish up Isabella last night!! Woohoo! Tonight I'm going to block it so I'll take pictures after it's pinned out. And then I'll finish up the fronts of the Scoop de Jour and cast on the sleeves. I haven't decided which project to tackle next. I have so many to choose from.

And to top the weekend off I got my Ravelry invitation. I haven't yet had the time to activate it. Maybe this afternoon after I put out a few more fires.

I 'm lovin' this vacation thing!

The weather has been gorgeous and I'm having a wonderful vacation. Yesterday I had a nice bike ride, then got my hair done and then .... ahhhhh .... nothing. I was going to work on a web site for a friend's business but I figured since he's been without one for years another day won't kill him. I am actually working on it this morning and that's the ONLY work type thing I'm going to do today. After I get one page up for him I'm going to get cleaned up, wash my doggie and then get my nails done. Maybe another bike ride this afternoon if I'm feeling like it. I'm going up to the San Juan Islands for a party Saturday so I want to get Tink washed up before I send her over to her doggie friend.

I haven't finished up Isabella yet ... gah ... but I have been doing some good work on Mikie's socks. There are only so many hours in the day. I've been reading for a nice change, catching up on my Vanity Fair magazines. Maybe tonight I can finish up Isabella. Or ... not.

Proof - I have proof!

I am finishing things ... yes I am! Here's a picture of the finished socks. They are not very pretty, I know. I don't like the width of the stripes, nor the colors actually. But they are comfortable and will be good with boots or clogs for the winter. And I must admit I'd rather wear ugly hand knit socks than store bought ones.

I got a surprise in the mail yesterday -- it was a good day, really. My secret pal spoilee from last round (SP 10), Jen, dyes yarn. I could hardly wait for the exchange to be over so I could go to her Etsy shop and purchase some sock yarn. And as luck would have it she had just finished up a new batch of yarn and had a gorgeous colorway all set to sell. So as fast as I could I clicked into her Etsy shop Knitting Like Crazy and purchased this beautiful hank of yarn, which she calls Forbidden Forest. Isn't that beautiful? I can't wait to get started. Oh but I must -- I have lots of sock yarn now sitting on my shelf waiting for their turn. Click on over to her shop though and take a look. It's beautiful stuff.

And finally, I got the right front of Isabella finished and took the stitches off the holder and got a good start on the left side, before I went out last night (for the best Italian dinner I've had in years but that's another story for another time). Here's how she's looking this morning. I have a one o'clock massage appointment and I am going to be in the neighborhood of Little Knits so I am going to stop in while I'm there. Hopefully I can get some more knit on this tonight. Maybe even finish it? We'll see.

Hoorah for vacation

Okay ... even though I'm not going out of town, I'm still happy about having a whole entire week to sleep in and just do whatever I want. I had planned on doing gardening this weekend but it has been raining so that was out. Today after I do a few chores around the house I'm going to settle down and tackle Isabella. I have finished those socks and my resolve is set. I'm going to finish up Isabella and then finish up the fronts of Scoop de Jour and cast on and start the sleeves before I cast on another project (except socks, which don't count. I do already have another pair of them going).

Other things I want to do this week are get my circular needles into the great needle case Pam gave me, my SP10, and sort and straighten my stash. But hey, if I don't get to it I am not going to beat myself up. This is supposed to be a rest for me and I tell you, I have been resting! I think my friends are right when they say that my constant exhaustion lately is mostly likely a backlash from stress over all that I've been through this past month. I can't get enough sleep, that's for sure. Saturday and Sunday afternoons I slept! Napped!! But oh it was good. And today I got up at 8 to let the dog out, read the paper and then went back to bed and slept for another couple hours. I wonder when I'll be caught up?

What a fabulous event!

Yesterday evening I went to Chateau St. Michelle winery for a wine auction and picnic. The woman who does my hair invited me to come along with her. She had been given 2 tickets by one of her clients, who runs these types of events. It was gorgeous. The Northwest Wine Society (or something like that) does a couple of very high end charity events to benefit Children's Hospital. One of them was last night and then on Saturday is the grand extravaganza event. But the one last night was just wonderful. There were more wines to taste than you could even imagine, and I've been to a few industry wine tasting events in my time. And the food .... I couldn't believe it. The cheese table alone was mind blowing -- French and Irish and Italian English and everything in between. And there were lamb chops and salmon and ... well, you name it. It was just wonderful and I had a super time. She was the designated driver but somehow got sidetracked. I think she was doing too much drinking and not enough eating. I ended up driving her back home but I was fine because I was doing plenty of chatting and eating along with the drinking. Can you tell I had a good time?

And I'm still smiling today! I have been working on a rather large project for the chairman of the department. When he first asked me 2 years ago if I could do a web site for a meeting he was in charge of in Hawaii I said sure, but that I'd probably have to go to Hawaii to make sure it all went well ... I was just being glib. But as the time has drawn closer and I've not only done the web site but planned and set up the program for the meeting, I'm gathering the abstracts and basically coordinating the whole meeting and today when he came in for a short talk about a few things and I mentioned that I might be gone around Thanksgiving he was a little dismayed and said "Aren't you coming to Hawaii?". I said I wasn't sure he was serious about that and he said oh yes he was and he was also hoping I could come a few days early to help set everything up. Oh. Okay. So it is now a fact and not just wishful thinking. Woohoo! I guess I'll have to go to Europe in January or February.

Again, no knitting content. Tonight I plan on starting some socks for my friend Michael and I'll have a whole week to do nothing but knit and goof around. I got some yarn from Elann yesterday. They are so fast! Of course, they're not far from where I live but still - I just love that about them. That and the fact that I have less than $50 to spend before I get my $50 certificate. Niccccccce.

Disappointing peach

In my opinion, one of the sole reasons for venturing across the mountains into Eastern Washington in the summertime is the fresh fruit. Just right over the mountains in Cashmere and Wenatchee it is just one orchard after another - peaches, nectarines, pears, apples, cherries, not to mention corn and tomatoes and beans ... far as the eye can see. Little mom and pop fruit stands line the sides of the road and I was really looking forward to getting some fabulous fruit for this week. I can only assume that it was simply bad timing on our part because we couldn't find much at the fruit stands! Oh plenty of jam and honey and kitschy junk, but the fruit and vegetable selection was slim to say the least. There were huge peaches and good sized nectarines with good color, but rock hard. The cherries looked good so I bought some of those for my friend Ruth for taking care of Tink. The tomatoes were ripe and I got a couple of those and a few rock hard nectarines and peaches, figuring I could ripen them up in a bowl on the table. Yesterday evening one of the peaches and one of the nectarines felt ripe so I popped them in the fridge and now am eating the peach. And hmmmm .... not sweet. The texture is good but the flavor is not what I was hoping for. It could have used a few more days on the tree is what I'm thinking.

The weather has taken a strange turn for the worse and wouldn't you just know it! I have been invited to a party this evening at a winery -- a gourmet picnic and wine auction. The forecast is for rain but I don't care. I think it'll be fun anyway. The winery is lovely and humidity makes my hair curl! It's a good thing.

I finished up a pair of socks last night! Yay me!! I finished something!! Woohoo!! I should have taken pictures for proof. I'll do it tomorrow. Mike has been bugging me to make him a pair of socks so maybe I'll do that next. He lives in Phoenix - it doesn't make sense to want some warm hand knit socks to me, but he says the floors in his house get cold in the winter so whatever. I'm happy as long as someone will actually wear what I knit for them. McG is being a much better house guest than last time, I must say. I suppose partly because he hasn't been in my house as much and he put the bed away downstairs when he left to visit his mom and sister. I think it's a case of when I make a critical remark on how he is treating me and my house he's going to be worse, and if I ignore his messes he cleans them up. Kind of immature, isn't it? Truly - some people never ever grow up.

Public enemy No. 1

Yesterday afternoon I strolled up the Ave to send off a felted bag and to get new pictures for my passport renewal [I was thinking ... I've had a valid passport since I was 16 years old and I won't say how many years that is!!]. Anyway, there is a copy shop that I passed by that also takes passport pictures so I stopped in. The man that owns the place was talking to me as he was setting up for the photo, didn't even give me a "1,2,3" and shot the picture. Now I know we're not supposed to smile any more for the picture but I thought I had at least a pleasant look on my face. Not so .. not so my friends. I look like a convict. You know you see those booking photos of celebrities, like Nick Nolte when he was pulled over for DUI? Or Mel Gibson? You know, that slightly crazed look in their eyes, kinda droopy and drooling? Yup, that's what my picture looks like. Not only that but the lighting was bad and do I need to tell you what bad lighting can do ladies and gentlemen?? I am seriously considering getting another one taken. It's hideous.

I had a pleasant surprise yesterday evening WIP-wise. I had forgotten that I had finished all of the decreases, both neck and arm, for the fronts of the Scoop de Jour! I just have to finish up knitting on the 11 stitches until the length is the same as the back. I wish I had had the foresight to count rows like I did in the Isabella. It is just so hard to get an accurate length measured with Calmer, especially if there's ribbing. It's stretchy.

No knitting ... no ranting either

Last night was dancin'! I was exhausted after work yesterday. I barely made it through my run at lunchtime. I can only surmise it was just my body telling me I had had too much late night and party the past few days, but I had made arrangements to go dancing with my friend MaryEllin and I wanted to go! So I took off from work a little early, dashed home and walked Tink and then went down for a nap. Man ... I slept hard! I was asleep before my head hit the pillow and slept for 1 1/2 hours. But then I felt great! And we had a fun time, too. I learned something new as well. But oh my goodness.... the air conditioning in that club was not working very well and I was just drenched by the time I got done with a couple dances. Next time maybe a sleeveless top would help.

Today I'm going to get my new passport picture. I realized as I was looking at my calendar and day dreaming that IF I'm going to go visiting friends in Europe in November I'd better get going on renewing my passport. They are backed up and saying on the web sites that you need to allow 10 to 12 weeks (!). One does have an out though. If your passport is not in your hands and you have 2 weeks or less to go before your trip then they will expedite it. But I don't want it to get that far, so I'm getting the picture today and getting that thing in the mail ASAP.

Must fill out my SP11 questionnaire and get that posted. I believe we're starting tomorrow.

Just the barest HINT of a bite in the air

When I went out to get the newspaper this morning I detected the slightest hint of a bite in the air. I know it's only mid-August and maybe it's purely psychosomatic on my part because preseason football has started and football = autumn. But still it was a little brisk this AM. I'm not trying to hurry time. Things move too quickly for my taste as it is.

I have sold a bag from my Etsy shop! I got an email from a woman this morning asking if she could purchase a ready made bag and I told her I just hadn't gotten around to listing them yet but I'd do it first thing and before it even showed up in my store she had purchased it. Fun! I'm curious to see if the kits go. As I said before, the ready made ones seem to sell but I would think a kit and a pattern would be a good seller. We'll soon see, won't we?

The newest Secret Pal starts Wednesday - Secret Pal 11 - and that means I've got to stop messing around and start back on some real knitting so I can have some interesting pictures to post. Heaven knows I've got some WIPs and I may even resurrect my Ogee Tunic! That'd be something. I am, truly, motivated to finish things but I keep getting side tracked - mostly by felted bags. This weekend I had plenty of time before and during the "concert"/party thingie and I worked on the sock ribbing until it got too dark to see. I have two more stripes to go and I can cast those suckers off (and away). No, I'll wear them. I love the feel of hand knitted socks. And it doesn't matter if they're ugly because I don't wear them with sandals.

It was a long weekend. McG and I drove from Seattle to Wenatchee on Saturday, I got a brief nap and then we headed off to the Columbia River where the party was going on. It is an annual party a woman friend of Mike's throws every year in a neighborhood that is mostly summer homes, but there are people that live there year around - about 20% according to one of the "natives" I spoke with. The music is mostly mediocre to bad with the exception of Mike, one other guy and a blues band. The rest of the time - this goes from 7 to midnight - it's just one excruciatingly bad performance after another. Yes, I am a bit picky when it comes to live music but still - amateur hour for sure, with the exceptions. My favorite part of the evening was the end when the children had gone off home and the locals were out in all their drunken glory and I was dancing on the grass in my bare feet. That was nice. Then at midnight we went back to the Best Western in Wenatchee and Sunday morning drove back to Seattle via the scenic route, stopping at a fruit stand on the way to get peaches and nectarines and the tastiest tomatoes in the world! OMG - I just about swooned when I sniffed those gorgeous tomatoes. I didn't even put them in a salad last night but just sliced them and sprinkled them with a bit of balsamic vinegar. Yummy!

The Seahawks played well in their first preseason game last night, beating the Chargers. I just watched the game - no knitting. And there won't be any tonight either because I'm going out dancing. But this week and the next - I'm going to be a knitting fool!!!!

Can you say football?

Oh my goodness - football season again! I watched the first pre-season game last night and finished up my latest felted bag. Knitting and football - it's just so .. so... right. Now if it would only cool down a bit so I could have a lap full of sweater and not be sweating to death. No - I don't mean it. I don't want to hurry the cool weather. I am just a bit anxious to get back to knitting garments rather than accessories. It's my own fault, but still.

So - I had a productive day working from home. There is so much going on work-wise this time of year. It's lucky that I have projects I can do from home because that dish guy didn't leave until nearly 2 o'clock!! It wasn't worth changing into my biking clothes since I was already handling stuff from home, so I finished up the day there. Then Tink got a bath - she was so dirty!! No matter that I put bark in all of the flower beds, she just scuffled around in them until she gets to the dirt and then plops down! I didn't let her out again after that except for the deck and the patio because if I don't watch her carefully, as soon as I let her outside after a bath she rolls in the dirt.

The latest felted bag experiment went surprisingly well. When I looked at it during the felting process I was not too happy, but I let it go all the way through the cycle and it has turned out pretty good. There is some tweaking to do with the pattern but overall I am happy with the structure and proportions and general design. I'll take pictures - it's drying now. I think I will add a button closure and re-think the structure of the handles. But I'm going to take a little break from bags and finish up a couple of my WIPs. Isabella first, because I am so close, and then the Scoop de Jour. I must! The new Secret Pal is starting up next week and I've got to have something new to talk about!!

Weekend in Eastern Washington. It'll be hot and dry. Maybe I'll take some pictures there as well.

They can't all be fabulous

Mid-week birthdays are .... boring. I did my best. Had a little sparking wine, got some nice cake and it was fine. McG came by and brought a cute card and more wine and we had some laughs. What more can you ask for, really? Good friends are what it's about.

So, today I'm home. The cable box is gone and as I type the Dish man is putting up not one, but two satellite dishes because they need a separate one for the HD signal. What I did not count on, however, was that I would be seeing those (ugly) dishes when I look out of my window toward the deck. They had to mount them on the rail along the floor of the deck, above the patio, because of the sight lines to the satellite. Because my house has no fascia and the gutters are small and there isn't much clearance between the house next door, and it's illegal to mount them over living space (i.e., on any part of my roof), that was the only place the guy could put them. How long before I stop seeing only them when I look out my window? I'm really not happy about it but I'm kind of stuck now. If I find it's too steep a price to pay I can change it out next spring. I think I can stand it for a year. Well, I'll have to I guess. At least they're not visible from the street.

I was washing up this morning while I was waiting and noticed that the water wasn't getting very hot. Uh-oh... McG had spent the night and so I asked him if he'd noticed anything and he said when he had his shower yesterday he noticed the water wasn't very hot. Grrreat .... I thought I'd check the breakers first because I had flipped one a few days before and sure enough, I had accidentally flipped the water heater as well! Oh joy! That's the good news for the day.

It is a case of the last straw

Comcast ... I have had it! My cable bill is outrageous even though I don't have a single premium channel. But I did have NFL network. DID have it. I tried to watch the channel a couple nights ago and found that they have now put it into a premium tier and if I wanted it I would have to pay for it. That just really steamed me!! I already pay too much. I was reading NFL.com and there was an article about what Comcast had done and they were suggesting calling and complaining (big deal ... like that's going to do any good) and changing to one of the satellite services. I had looked into that before but found the price of the HD-DVR tuner to be prohibitive. However, when I checked again yesterday they were giving them away to new customers so ... I signed up! Tomorrow they're coming to switch me over and Comcast is coming to pick up their equipment. I will have all the channels I currently have PLUS NFL network and I'll save $50 a month. Not bad.

I did not knit last night. McG came over and I cooked and we tried to decide what song I would do with him. I'm having second thoughts.

My arm is not as sore as it was yesterday but I am noticing as I type that it's starting to hurt again. So it's the typing and not the knitting that is the cause but knitting doesn't help it any. I should have taken another Naproxen this morning but I forgot. Oh well, I'll do it when I get home.

I was reading the paper last night and saw that Stevie Wonder announced a date at the winery - August 31. The tickets went on sale yesterday and sold out in 15 minutes! I somehow missed the announcement of ticket sales or I would have been right there! I would LLlllllove to see him! What a legend. My one friend with contacts at the winery all but laughed in my face when I called to ask about getting seats. Oh well ... would have been so cool.

Too much of a good thing?

Last Monday I noticed that my left hand was sore, especially around the base of my thumb. I assumed it was from playing golf, since I do it so rarely. One week later and it's not better. In fact yesterday it was hurting me quite a bit. The pain is now going all the way up my arm and into my shoulder, which leads me to believe it's an inflammation from a combination of the tons of computer work I had to do last week - lots of copy and paste movement - and knitting. I noticed Sunday night that my hand got awfully sore while knitting (yet another) felted bag prototype. Since, unfortunately, I can't take any time off work until August 21, I might have to curtail my knitting. Maybe I'll just try to take tonight off and see how it feels tomorrow. And I have done the major part of the donkey work on my sites for school and spreadsheets for the meeting I'm helping the chairman with. Don't ask why his secretary can't do it ... I have no earthly idea ... and the only positive coming out of it is that I might get a trip to Hawaii in December and I don't know about you, but I'd do just about anything for a free trip to Hawaii in December! It's worth a bit of discomfort. This morning I took a good anti-inflammatory and no weight lifting today. Must nip this thing in the bud.

The clouds have moved in, which is not typical for August. It was raining on my ride into work. At least I had my glasses this time.

The birthday week has begun!

Rather unusually, my birthday week has started before the actual date. I don't know about you, but typically my birthday celebration starts on my birthday and just kind of keeps on for a few days. But this year my friend Ruth invited me to brunch at the Space Needle on Sunday with her son and their Japanese exchange student to watch the Blue Angels perform their air show (which is an annual Seafair tradition.) But it was also a lovely surprise b'day brunch with gifts! (My favorite? A ticket to the Seahawks season opener!) The weather was perfect, we could see the planes flying around and it was just lots of fun. The previous day I had gone to watch the Seahawks at a scrimmage and didn't get any yard work done, so my plan was to come home from the brunch and work in the yard. Hah! All I wanted to do after that meal was snooze.

I didn't do much knitting this weekend either. Got the heel turned and the gusset stitches picked up and am now set to do the leg ribbing. Then I was working on another prototype felted bag - this time I'm getting smart and not doing a huge version but just a small one to check dimensions and see if the new handle idea I have works. But tonight I really want to dedicate myself to finishing up the left side of the Isabella and starting on the right. I am motivated to get that thing done!

This coming weekend I have been invited to accompany my friend McGarrah to a party he is performing at near Coeur d'Alene. He wants company and it would be nice to get out of town. But the coolest is that he wants me to sing a song at the gig. Cooler. It has been too many years since I've actually sung in front of a crowd. I used to love it and never got stage fright. It will be interesting to see if those things still hold true.

Disaster averted ... kind of

I awoke to rain this morning. What a nice surprise and a nice break from the heat. Well ... for Seattle anyway, days and days of 80 degree weather is difficult when you don't have an air conditioner. My office ..... it is hot even with the window open and a fan to circulate the supposedly air conditioned air. I am at the end of the air conditioning duct and it doesn't seem to blow very cold over here. On the other hand, my friend's office on the other side of the building is so cold she needs to wear a sweater. Doesn't seem very efficient does it? Anyway, so I was a little off my game this morning, running on autopilot as usual and as I stopped to pick up my keys and put my bike helmet on I glanced in the mirror and .. yikes! No makeup! Got that fixed up and half way to work, as I was cursing the rain pelting my face, I realized I had forgotten my sunglasses and hadn't put on goggles either. Some days I wonder how I arrive at work at all.

Got the bag felted last night and got my sock up to the "turning the heel" spot. I spent quite a bit of the evening reading the new "Interweave Knits", which did indeed seem much larger this issue. I enjoyed reading it but I don't think there's a single thing in there that I would make, except maybe the cardigan with the cables at the yolk. Not that the designs weren't good, it's just that this issue nothing really jumped off the pages at me. Of course, I've got a few things in the pipeline as it is and don't need any more projects at the moment. Once the weather cools down a bit more I can get back with the sweaters but it is too darned hot for a lap full of sweater at the moment! Although I am just dying to get back to my Scoop de Jour, although that's probably because it's being done in Calmer and everybody knows how nice that stuff is, huh?

Before I finish up -- everybody send Nonnahs and her B some positive thoughts today.

Kick start me!

I cannot get it going this morning. I slept okay, didn't have much trouble getting out of bed even, but I am just barely keeping my eyes open and it's only 9:30. Perhaps it is because I've got so much work to do. Or maybe it's construction fumes. Whatever ... I've got to shake it off and get moving.

Yesterday evening was just lovely - the weather is so great! I had a nice cold Stella on the deck of the local pub while waiting for the sushi place to make my dinner, then Tinkie and I walked back home and I relaxed and nearly finished the bag I'm working on. I could have finished it up but not gotten it into the washing machine, so I left 1/2 a row and binding off for tonight, then I'll pop it into the washer. Maybe I can even finish the heel of the second (ugly) sock. I do so want to finish those up so I can use some pretty sock yarn. [Memo to self: Quit buying ugly sock yarn!!]

I've got a busy weekend building. Saturday the Seahawks are having a scrimmage and I'm going down for that in the evening, meeting my friend R whose son is going to the football camp in the morning. Then Sunday my friend R also invited me to join her and her son and their Japanese exchange student for brunch at the Space Needle and the Blue Angels are going to do a fly by! That'll be cool. Hoping also to get work done in the garden and, if the bass player has been replaced, to have a rehearsal as well AND maybe even go out to hear some music on Saturday. Almost sounds like too much ..... when will I knit?

They don't have to be single to chat you up in a bar

Here's a classic. [PJV, you are most likely not going to like this story.] My friend Lisa and I went out to hear some music a couple weeks ago. When the band went on break the drummer of the band approached me and started chatting. I had remembered him from when he played in another band that I saw a couple times at a now defunct bar near my house. I mentioned that and he introduced himself. Having learned the hard way that not all flirtatious men are sing, I said, "How many wives, girlfriends and children do you have"? He said, "No wife, no girlfriends and 2 sons, 18 and 20". We chatted some more about the music scene and he bought me a drink and then had to go back to work. He said something like ... see you on the next break .... or something to that effect. But Lisa wanted to go and she was driving so we left. I wanted to go dancing again this weekend and I love to dance to that funk and R&B music they play, so yesterday I looked up the band's web site to see if I could find out if they're playing. On the web site there were only dates for July but a link to be added to the mailing list. The link was his email address, so I sent an email saying how much I enjoyed the band and I wanted to thank him again for the drink and sorry I didn't get to stick around for the next break but I wanted to be on the mailing list. I got a message back .... from his wife. She said "Hello, this is xxxxx's wife. There is no mailing list". Can you believe it??? The nerve of that guy. And the stupidity. Let me ask you, do you think I have the word "gullible" written across me in some way that only married men can see? Oh well ....

I had to mow the lawn when I got home last night and then got some good work done on my second whimsical hairy bag. I need to find a name for it ... Anyway one more good night of work and then I should be done and I can put up two more bags on my Etsy site.

It's going to be hot again today. I need to run early so I'd better eat something!