We got a lot of stuff done, but nowhere near everything that should have been done (as the 10 pounds of tomatoes sitting on my kitchen counter waiting to be canned continue to remind me). Archery deer hunting opens in just 2 weeks, so several hours were spent on Saturday morning and today going out to the woods and putting up a couple of deer stands. It's hot and strenuous work requiring copious amounts of profanity. Do you know how hard it is to find a perfectly straight tree that's not too small or too large to support a portable stand and yet it's still near a deer trail? I'm really feeling my age this evening after hiking through woods, weeds and cornfields, sawing limbs and trees with the "Jack Armstrong" saw and climbing up and down the ladder to the stand 12 feet up in the tree. Pulling weeds and filling birdfeeders just hasn't kept me in shape like it used to (or maybe it's all the ice cream and BLT's I've been eating lately???)
Our reward for working so hard in the mornings was to take a couple of nice motorcycle rides. The weather has been quite warm and summer-like all weekend, so we're trying to get in as many rides as we can while it's still nice. I've ridden into November in previous years, but after the middle of October, the days we can still get out on the bikes will become pretty rare.
Switching gears here, I'm going to be teaching a couple of knitting classes for a "Fair Isle Hat" on September 8 and 13 at Kristen's Knits (my local yarn shop). It was supposed to be a two-part class (2 hours for each class), but an error was made when Kristen sent out the notice, so it's two sessions of the same class (each only 2 hours long). I started on the hat last night to see if it was possible to get it done in 2 hours (no - and I'm a pretty fast knitter). However, I've designed the hat with fairly simple Fair Isle patterns and no crown shaping, so hopefully if the students have any experience at two-colored knitting, they will be well on their way to a finished hat by the time our 2 hours of class time have elapsed.
I don't know about you, but I always turn two-colored hand-knits inside out to see how the carries are done (kind of looking at the backside of counted cross stitch, you did that too, right?)
Okay, blogging friends, here's the deal: If you have no aversion or allergy to wool and you've always dreamed of wearing a funky little hat like this, I will mail this hat to the first person who sends their USPS address to my e-mail box (rjknits at msn dot com). The hat is 100% wool and the circumference is approximately 18 inches. And just so there are no hurt feelings, for e-mails number 2 and 3, I will send you a hand-knitted, cotton dishcloth.
P.S. I will have to get this pattern written up by Saturday for distribution at class, so if you want a printed copy, please e-mail your mailing address and I will get a copy sent off to you.
And, hey, did you notice the new picture in my profile section? I found a really fun website this afternoon: www.meez.com and that's how I turned out there. (I was getting pretty tired of that old photograph anyway!)
16 comments:
I cannot believe you have the energy to post! You are one productive and busy woman.
And your knitting is lovely. I wish I were close enough to take your class. Maybe you should break it up into 6 little 20 minute podcasts. Now that would be interesting.
OH, and I did notice your new picture, very, very cute. I think it suits you.
OK Trixie,
I'm fairly technologically challenged, and don't have an iPod....can you only listen to a podcast on an iPod? Can a podcast include video also?
Creating the new me was fun...too bad they didn't have any faces wearing glasses. You could, however, choose grey hair, so I can update myself when it becomes necessary (tee hee!)
Late again! You have to get up pretty early to keep up with the nature knitter!
I agree--your energy is amazing. What I would give for a relief from this incessant heat. Could I have a cool blast instead of the hat?
Hi Nina,
It was in the 80's here all weekend....I know that sounds cool for you and I tried not to complain because I know you and lots of other people are suffering much more than us in the heat. The weather forecaster is talking about highs in the 60's for next weekend and I am so ready for that! (I'll try to send some of it your way)
Copious profanity! LOL! I hear you, sister. I can't dig and weed and climb ladders like I used to and can really fling around the f-word once in a while. So how do you keep going non-stop? Do you have a pound of chocolate and a pot of coffee for breakfast?
You hat is adorable. We don't need wool hats anymore. Once in a while I will pull up a hood, but that's it. Plus wool hats flatten my hair and makes it static.
Would like a cotton dishcloth, though :o)
Now I'm off to see how you changed your look...
Wwaaa!! I'm late!! :(
Cool hat!
Hi Mary,
You're right....lots of coffee, plus my Spousal Unit doesn't know the meaning of the word "relax" so when he's home on the weekend, everybody better be doing something.
BTW, e-mail me your address for a dishcloth, OK?
Hi Lynne,
Trixie won the hat (she has the Alaska time difference advantage), but e-mail me your address for a dishcloth.
P.S. some hats may also be coming along to Duluth!
Ummmmm - BLT's . Haven't had one in ages. Ummmmm . . .
Now that's a very cute hat :0)
It takes me two hours to knit a dishcloth. I would be challenged to do that hat in the same amount of time, but I have never done 2 colour knitting except for those old Phentex slippers. You are a very interesting lady! Biking, knitting, deer hunting, all in one post.
Hi Cathy,
It's so nice to go out to the garden and pick a nice fresh tomato for a BLT....the ones from the store just don't taste as good.
Hi Ruth,
Dishcloths are best because you can use them year round!
My total hat knitting time was about 4 hours--from cast-on to tassels.
Sounds like hard work, putting up the deer stands!
The hat is lovely, and I would very much like to have the pattern! I think I even have some yarn for it left in the stash (desperate, yes!)I too turn fair isle inside out, and look at cross-stitch work from the backside (mum was always very proud of her work, said you should be able to admire both sides, and a messy back side takes down the value of the whole work). Your hat looks very neat!
Hi Maud,
Thanks for your kind words. Once I get the pattern typed, I will try to scan and save it as a JPG, so I can attach it to an e-mail for you. The yarn is worsted weight and doesn't take much. I had a partial skein for the main color and ran out near the top--fortunately I was able to locate a small leftover ball of black in a bag to finish up the last few rows.
Ruthie - there is only one word that I could think of while reading what you and your hubby were doing (and the spelling may not be right) - ooph-dah! Wow! Just describing what you did made me feel tired. I'm glad you got some bike riding done. Something tells me you don't ride as much as you would like. Great design for your hat - glad to hear you are teaching a couple of classes - again, how do you find the time? And your new profile pic - I noticed it from your comment on one of my posts - I was a little surprised, but we all need to change our blogs a little once in a while, don't we? BTW, I got a kick out of your new pic.
Hi Mary,
Uff-da for sure! I made him cut out a few things from the list of what he thought we could get done on Monday. That man is like the Energizer Bunny!
(that new picture still surprises me when I post a comment too)
That i.d. thing is pretty neat-I should do something like that.
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