A Last Hurrah

I finished the Strathcona! For an easy, well written pattern, I sure had some difficult moments with it, but I never really figured out why. Lack of attention is the most likely answer, I'm sure.

I've also been cranking out wash cloths, using the Almost Lost pattern. Steve keeps calling them doilies, but I think they are pretty, and slightly more interesting to knit than my usual Grandma's Favorite.

As for my latest big project, I've finally decided on the shawl pattern and yarn for my cousin. I started with Tern but felt it looked a little boring for a wedding, so I bought some Luna (think Kidsilk Haze with sparkles), and am stranding the two together, using another Jane Richmond pattern, McMilne. Although the pattern still seems a bit casual somehow, it's a doable one for me. While a lace pattern would be prettier, I truly don't think I could finish it in time without putting too much stress on myself, as school will be very busy the first month or two. And both my yarn store owner and my husband like the way it looks, so I'm going to go with it.

I've also been destroying my house, in a last minute effort to accomplish everything I had planned to do at the beginning of this summer. Cleaning out closets, but leaving the mess in the room(s) where the closets are located, spending three days cleaning the stove while letting the dishes pile up; you know, the usual routine. I did finally clean both bathrooms and the kitchen, including the refrigerator and cabinets, so I feel better.

And for my last hurrah, I had to have my car towed to the shop last weekend, when my door locks finally quit working, leaving me locked out of my car on a Saturday night. The guy who came to tow it said he'd never seen anything like it. Oh well, at least it happened before school started. I wouldn't want to have any money left over, now would I?

Edited to add: It turns out I'm not quite done with "disasters". While flossing yesterday, I popped out part of a molar. But I've put the word disasters in quotes because none of these things are truly disasterous. I've still had a very lovely summer and really am a fortunate woman.

And don't tell anyone, but I am looking forward to school starting, even though I had a great summer. I love my free time, but I do like a schedule too. Quite a paradox, isn't it?

 

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Tick, Tock

The countdown has begun and I'm trying to cram as much summer into my last two weeks as I can. At the same time, I've begun to think about school and all the details I need to put into place. Quite a conundrum, no? (Gracie just wants me to hang out with her.)

I've been knitting, enjoying the beach, hanging out with friends, doing lots of yard work, and just generally living like a kid. In other words, I've been doing what I like, even more than usual. Many days end with a bath at 9:00 p.m., in order to get all the dirt and/or sand off of me, and while sitting in the tub, childhood memories of playing outside all day flood my mind and senses and make me smile. I have so enjoyed this summer, even more than I usually do.

This was Friday, when friends came over to hang at the beach with me.

 

I think part of the reason I've enjoyed myself so much is due to my friend, Lori, who is at a similar point in her life: our kids are grown and we have very little in the way of responsibilities to structure our days. Oh, we both have bills to pay and all that, but neither of us have children at home to drive around or cook for, and so our days are pretty much our own. And we are making the most of it.

Last week, two friends (Lori is the one on the right) and I went on a "field trip" to a North Carolina knit shop we love, to sit and knit there for a change. The owner, Jeannie, has just started taking a truck of yarn to different areas of the state, as a new marketing strategy, and let us take a peek inside!

We ate lunch at a little place right next door to the shop, to minimize lost knitting time.

Steve is going to be out of town Monday and Tuesday, and Lori and I are planning to knit and go to the beach tomorrow, and knit at a local yarn shop we love and eat at a great lunch spot on Tuesday. As a matter of fact, Lori will probably sleep over at my house tomorrow night, just for fun.

I'm still knitting my linen scarf, Strathcona, but it's almost finished. I could have finished it this weekend, but I kept losing track of the right and wrong side and having to rip out, but it didn't bother me too much. Luckily, the linen yarn is very forgiving that way. Steve and I were in the car for about ten hours yesterday, driving to and from Chestertown, Maryland, on the upper top of the Eastern Shore, so we could celebrate a friend's 80th birthday, and I thought that would be the perfect opportunity to finish up the scarf, but it didn't work out that way. The drive was lovely just the same. We had planned to stay overnight, but couldn't find a room available, so we came back, which worked out better in the long run.

Chestertown even had a yarn bombed tree, but alas, no yarn shop.

Steve and I had coffee and breakfast in our favorite coffee shop today, then I took a nap before we went to a cookout at Lori's house. I did a little yard work when we got home, and have been reading on and off since then. As I said, it's been a wonderful summer.

I hope your summer has been a great one too!

 

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