Flag Day and Father's Day

Two big events this weekend.

On Friday, it was Flag Day, commemorating the date in 1777 when the Continental Congress adopted the first version of the USA national flag.  I posted these photos, two of my favourites:

The famous photo taken by Thomas E. Franklin: "Raising the Flag at Ground Zero"

Joe Rosenthal's Pulitzer prize winning photograph of the flag raising on Iwo Jima.

Today is Father's Day in the USA.  My family got together at my parents' house to celebrate with burgers and cupcakes.  Gifts were donations to favourite charities because neither my father or brother need things.  I gave this hat to my father a few years ago:

Mom didn't think he needed any more ballcaps, but forgave me for this one.

Speaking of Mom, she was happy that the farmer came to their community center with a farmstand again.  It wasn't clear that he would be back after last summer.  So we went over, had a reunion, and bought lots of peaches, cucumbers, tomatoes, squashes, and a couple watermelons, several of which turned up in our celebratory lunch.  And I picked some wild blackberries this morning, so it was a wonderful, fruit-filled feast.

A pizza from my brother.

Well, sort of - he dropped off some veggies on his way to check on DNiece#1's cat (she and her mother are off on a gap-week trip) and I quickly knew what I wanted to make:

Very simple:  bits of mozzarella, slices of tomatoes, and scattered
bits of basil added both before and after baking.

The original quantity; I did not use all the tomatoes and basil.
The cucumber was lovely.  Still figuring out how I'll cook the squash.

Luckily I had some fresh mozzarella in the refrigerator and a bit of pizza dough in the freezer that I kept meaning to use, but had not yet.  It was the right amount to bake in my cast iron skillet.

Of course I made the weekly soufflé for my parents, this time with a side dish of squash, tomato, onion, and basil.  Veggies from the local farmer's market; basil from a pot my mother has on the front porch:

Work was very busy, and I had three side assignments with deadlines:  An article about contracts, AI, and the metaverse; a cybersecurity test question writing exercise (which goes for a few months, with weekly quotas); and creating reference collateral for a professional association's library.  I also have to finish writing a short article about a Supreme Court decision about trademarks - it's at the top of tomorrow's to-finish list, as I'm partly done.

Yesterday my mother and I went to see the Ruth E. Carter:  Afrofuturism in Costume Design exhibit.  Fascinating to see not just the costumes and her mood boards and fabric samples, but also learn the process behind the designs.  Very scholarly and thoughtful, and so many elements considered!

I've been working on the test sock, and proceeding with the commissioned blanket (just a big piece of what looks like checkerboard filet crochet) while my finger healed from the tiny, sharp needles needed for the sock.  Heel turned and transition to leg pattern achieved, so it's round-and-round for a while until I do the top finishing.

Then I have to make another sock.

Thankfuls, Part 1

I was busy enough with things last weekend (including enjoying some surprise summery weather) that I didn't remember to post.  Then we had the last few days before the midterm elections, and work has been scrambling to meet some deadlines.

I did start posting Thankfuls on Facebook, thanks to a friend's reminder, and here is what I have so far:

1: A good meeting of the leadership for the Association of Corporate Counsel's Intellectual Property Network. I enjoy working with these colleagues, they are bright and energetic and we accomplish wonderful things for the IPN members.

2: Attending Robert C Fullerton's monthly concert with my grandmother. She really enjoys his music.

3: Thankful for local farms such as Clatter Ridge Farm, which delivered many yummy things for me today from their "online farmer's market", and The Farm Truck at Hein Farm, whose 2023 CSA has just opened for registration. I look forward to their farmstand being open for the holidays, so I can get some goodies as gifts, and a few treats to tide me over until they reopen in the spring.

4: Thankful that I found out in time that my local pharmacy closes on Sunday and I'll need to find another if I have a prescription. This one was conveniently within walking distance from the post office I use, so I will definitely miss the convenience.

5: Thankful to be able to celebrate with others at Congregation Beth Israel for the 18th anniversary of our Rabbi Pincus' arrival. It was good to see Rabbi Dena Shaffer, if briefly, as she joined the festivities.

6: Thankful for technology that allows me to hang out virtually with people I never would have gotten to meet in the Before Times. Today it included people from all over the world who are Franklin Habit's Patreon subscribers, for his weekly "From the Workroom", then the KnitTalk group which is mostly a dozen or so regulars. While a few of us had met one or two others in the past (including with some only-fiber-people-understand stories), and some of us have supported others through group gifts or gift swaps, we likely wouldn't have seen each other's faces.

7: Thankful for lovely weather (unusually summery for the start of November, mid-70's F) and not having early meetings so I got in a nice walk before the work week began. I remember a couple years with major blizzards at the end of October, this is really quite a contrast.

8: Whatever the outcomes (and I am sure some will be unpleasant, given allegations and comments made in the last few months), thankful to be in a country where I have a right to vote as I choose.

9: Glad to have the opportunity to join people in online theatre! I started performing with Plague Mask Players after enjoying a number of their productions. I had a small part in last night's production of Sophocles' Antigone, and ten minutes before we began was asked if I would also take another role, filling in for a performer who had an emergency. It's slightly less nerve-wracking to do it when online, but not by much! I joked about how both of my characters (Haemon and Eurydice) ended up dead - as did most of that family.

I also stepped in to take minutes for the Illinois State Bar Association's Intellectual Property Section Council meeting, because the secretary couldn't attend.  I am glad that the secretary for the Association of Corporate Counsel's Intellectual Property Network attended and took minutes for that meeting. Doing chair and secretary at the same time is quite a task, although I did it for much of last year. Later in the day we had a planning meeting for the ACC IPN so it was quite a day of non-work meetings. I very much appreciate that my job allows me to do these extracurricular activities. Maybe that should be my next Thankful?

The crazy quilt of responsibilties.

I didn't post for the last week because I did a whirlwind two days in Texas going to three plays and a local church's fall bazaar.  I would have added a fourth play but I had to go to a conference, where I was part of a panel on Sunday and then extremely busy at sessions and doing leadership-level stuff most of the week.  When I finally had downtime, there was work to do.

One of the leadership things is heading Team Turtle, which goes out every day for a walk.  I started it in response to the runners group, as not all of us can run.  Team Turtle's mascot joined us for the walks:

We passed the deli every day but didn't stop to sample, which I plan to do if I get back to Las Vegas someday.

My conference badge shows how much I do:

                            

As I said when posting it on LinkedIn, the crazy quilt at the bottom is legitimate roles and responsibilities; the black ones are just for fun.  I've been told they are just as legitimate.

The networking activity didn't go quite as I had planned, but people had fun and since we had more prizes than people I let everybody pick something.  Despite the chaos people told me they had fun, which was the important thing.  I already have an idea for next year's activity.

I had a very busy work day when I returned home, after working on the long flights and layover, then Saturday went for a final stock-up before the farmstand closes until the holidays.  I placed a delivery order with another local farm for additional items, which will arrive on Thursday.  This should keep me until I go to family for Thanksgiving week.  After I got home I pulled some chicken from the freezer, and cooked it using the instructions on a packet of seasoning I purchased during a friend's Pampered Chef party.  I substituted vegetables I have on hand (sweet potato, onion, corn) for the carrots and peas, used the drained tomato juice and a splash of wine for the liquid, and it came out very tasty.  I have enough leftovers to last until the other items are delivered.

Happily, a loaf of oatmeal raisin pumpkin spice bread I bought at the fall festival survived the travels other than being slightly squished, and thick slices have been yummy breakfasts since I returned home.

Finishing Things

While I haven't finished all my resolutions, I have made progress.  I finished another book, which means I have read thirteen so far this year - more than my blog commitment and my Goodreads commitment.  I am almost done with another, that I took with me on the trip.

As far as knitted and crocheted items, I still need to begin the cardigan and complete the second sock but have finished almost everything else listed in my resolutions.  While traveling I made a scarf for charity and started a second, and after getting home finished another that had been so close to finished I didn't want to take it with me.  In addition to the knitted one started whilst traveling and which I left in the car, I began a crocheted one and did 29" yesterday while in various online gatherings.  So far the tally of things finished this year is 47.

Gratitude Part 2

 

Day 16: Thankful to have a warm jacket so I can get an early morning walk when it's 36°F (2°C). Beautifully sunny, though.

Day 17: Thankful to be able to spend the evening listening to At Home... mid-November, a virtual concert by musician Robert C Fullerton "with" my grandmother.  We use technology - I call her, then turn up all the volume controls on my computer so she can hear.

Day 18: Thankful for telehealth, which makes looking after my uncle so much easier.

Day 19: Thankful for the guidance and vision of The Gettysburg Address, which President Abraham Lincoln delivered as he dedicated a national cemetery at the site of the Civil War battlefield of that name in Pennsylvania 158 years ago today.

Day 21: Thankful for live (and virtual) theatre that challenges me to think and presents me with different perspectives.

Day 22: Thankful for colleagues willing to jump into the fray and who work hours just as crazy as mine.

Day 23: As always on November 23rd, I am thankful for my baby brother. He came out all right.

Day 24: Thankful that today I was able to utilize the Early Dismissal at work, and that I got in a bit of a walk on a brilliantly blue-sky (albeit chilly) fall day. Usually it's well after dark when I am done with work. I am also thankful that I have a job I (mostly) enjoy, at a company that appreciates me, and a really good boss - and I know how rare the last item can be.

Day 25: Thankful to all the farmers who work so I can eat. And for the people who drive and pack the food that I don't pick up at a local farmstand, and the ones who do the cooked foods (jams, pickles, cheese, ice-cream, etc.) that I pick up in addition to the vegetables and fruit and eggs. And also for the animals who make edible things or turn into edible things.

Day 26: Glad to have a day off from work, and able to actually take it off from work.

Day 27: Glad to be able to do so many things from home - yoga class, Torah study, and a hangout with people from all over the world "in" an artist's Parisian flat - then make some charitable donations and play Cooky Monster for some friends. Yes, I didn't support Small Business Saturday except with some online orders, and I am OK with that.

Day 28: On the First Night of Hannukah, thankful that I live in a country that permits people to follow their own belief systems and worship as they choose, at least officially.

Day 29: Thankful for autonomy and the ability to make decisions for myself. Also thankful that I am able to help those who cannot.

Day 30: It's #GivingTuesday2021 so I am thankful that I can support nonprofit organizations which do so much to help the world, help people, and spread joy. I am also appreciative of the persons I know who work at nonprofit organizations and sit on their boards and otherwise support nonprofits and their missions.

I am also thankful today for modern medicine and surgery, as my ophthalmologist reminded me that it was nine years and two days ago that he removed my second cataract.  We get them young in my family, so we get them removed at a younger-than-people-expect age.  I'm still awed by how well I see now.  And I received the lovely edict "see you in a year" at the end of the exam.

First Sunday Brunch

A friend has been hosting a brunch on the first Sunday of the month for years.  I was invited to join the group a few years ago, and attended when I was in town, meaning I got there about two of three months.  One person would always cook scrambled eggs, breakfast meat (bacon or sausages or both), and potatoes (meat and vegetarian versions, with sweet peppers and onions), and the rest of us brought whatever we liked.  It could be donuts, fruit salad, vegetables, quiche, various baked sweets, orange juice and sparkling wine of some sort.

Then the pandemic hit, and there hadn't been one since March 2020 until today.  A small group of us gathered, and the weather was good so we could use all the outside spaces and move through the house in threes and fours.  It was interesting to be in a group.  I was the only one who kept a mask on almost the whole time, but I felt more comfortable that way.

I'd been thinking about taking fruit salad or just fruit, then I found a recipe for Nectarine Upside-Down Cake, and decided to make it because nectarines are available at the farmstand where I have my CSA share this year.  It came out a bit darker than the photograph, and a bit dry because I forgot the oven was on convection and I should have dropped the temperature and/or baking time.  But it was liked well enough, and there isn't much left for me to take to the bicycle shop this week.

I'd made another recipe from the same blog for the local cooking club (we don't meet in person, so it's not quite as fun as when we could taste each other's cooking) earlier this week.  Most of the ingredients came from the farmstand and this is definitely something I will make again.

Resolutions Report

Another month when I didn't do the end-of-month report, but we were busier than usual in the last few days because my uncle suddenly took a turn in the level of care he needs, and it turned out the place where he had been living couldn't provide it, so we had to find a new place and get aides to give the extra care he needed until we did and get him moved and settled.  When I say "we" I mean that my parents, who live near him, did most of it, although as his legal representative I had to sign a lot of things and tomorrow I go to a bank to get one notarized.  Conveniently, if you can call it that, the tax payments I mailed to our town mid-month seem to have gone missing so I have to go to their office (paying on line incurs over $60 in service fees) tomorrow to pay, as it's the deadline.  And stop payment on cheques.  So while I am out and have to visit the bank anyway........

I did have some time to do some knitting, and made progress on the Omega Shawl.  I am now working on the mesh border, and so far I am not a fan, but I persevere.  I'll see what I think after one full repeat of the stitch pattern is finished.  I've also made progress on the charity sweater and am about halfway up the yoke.  Since the yarn is solid black it's a challenge to keep track of the decrease rows at night, so I am alternating between the two and steadfastly not casting on something new except as I need it for dentist knitting.  I finished the hat I had, so I need a new one OTN before Tuesday when I go to get the new implant checked.  Yes, I broke a tooth and there wasn't enough to save, and this is the best option.

Half Things

I meant to write yesterday, which is the true halfway of the month, but I didn't.  And today is my half-birthday, so I suppose it's appropriate to do the midmonth report today.

Strawberries arrived at the local farmstand and I've eaten my share; the second week's crop was better, more ripe, than the first.  I think asparagus is finally done and I didn't get to try all the recipes I'd found, but I made quite a few and mostly ate it steamed or boiled (when the stems were thicker) with a bit of spice or just butter.

The farmstand has a festival on the first full weekend of August, and I am debating whether to participate as an arts and crafter.  I could offer handdyed yarn and such.  Most of what I've made lately is designated for charity but I could finish a few things in case people want made goods.  It's hard to think of warm things in the heat of August, I know.

In another update, my tax refund arrived.  Now I have to get off the stump and talk to contractors, if any are available, about re-doing the bathrooms.  It was a plan for last year that was postponed, of course.

Midmonth Resolutions Report

I am making progress on the biography of Mary, Queen of Scots.  I think Antonia Fraser needed a stronger editor.  No progress on UFOs but good progress on a sweater for the orphanage, mostly from some Kureyon that I like the colours but there's a limit to how many sweaters I can make for myself, especially when I seem to gravitate towards certain colourways.  This way somebody will enjoy wearing it - I hope!  And I have the fun of using it for knitting.  The tricky bit is getting the balls to blend so there's a bit of cut-and-tie when one ends, to keep the sequence flowing.

Spring has Sprung

 Today is the first day of spring, and the title of this post comes from a very silly poem:

Spring is sprung / the grass is riz

I wonder where the birdies is?

Silly and ungrammatical, but we take what we can get these days.

It's heartening to hear about so many more people I know getting vaccines.  Some I would have thought would be a higher priority due to pre-existing conditions or age are still waiting; some younger ones have gotten lucky by being available to take a dose when somebody didn't make their appointment and the location had extras that needed to be used.

Work is still grinding on, with long hours, and people have told me they appreciate it, but hey - it's my job.  I'm glad when I can get some time away from it, but this month there isn't much.  Unlike last year, I didn't have time to make special meals to recognize the holidays this week.  I did make Chicken Cacciatore today, mostly from watching my mother make it when I was a child, and remembering, and a quick look at what I hoped was a reasonably close recipe for reassurance that I was on the right track.

It was soooooo yummy.

Going into the end of the month and the huge work push that it will entail, I am trying to eat better than I might have under past times.  Of course, in past times I might have been onsite eating brought-in sandwiches and pizzas most of the time, with breakfast at the hotel buffet and supper might be nibbles from the happy hour or another brought-in meal as we worked into the night.  A good thing about being home is that I have a bit more control, although I am subsisting more on dried fruit and granola bars and nuts than perhaps I should being at home all the time.  Earlier this week I took the recipe I'd planned for St. Patrick's Day (chicken with a mustard-cider sauce) and turned it into a slow-cooked stew with the addition of potatoes and onions.  It was very, very good also.

A third portion of the package of chicken (from a local farm) was stuffed into a jar of leftover pickle brine and popped into the freezer.  I'll thaw and cook it towards the end of the month.  I've heard of brining chicken in pickle juice and I think it will be tasty.

Today I went to the local farmstand for their spring preview, and while they didn't have much other than plants, jarred things, chocolates, and fresh bread, I was able to buy some beautiful eggs from their chickens:

I almost hate to eat them.

But I shall.

One Year

Of course the news and our social media feeds have been full of the beginning of the lockdowns, or the last events we attended before the world shut down.  Quite a bit of "we thought we'd be closed for two weeks", or a month.  People being sad at the reminder of how long we've had to be inside, away from loved ones, missing occasions and each other.

It's overwhelming.  I don't want to say too much, because I don't have words that won't sound exactly like everybody else.

One year.  Over 540,000 dead in the USA alone.  No telling how many people who caught the virus and survived will never be the same in terms of health and ability.

Over one year since I have seen any family, other than two Zoom calls.  I can count on one hand the number of friends I have seen in person in that time, all at the proper social distance with a mask in place.

One year.

Midmonth Mini-Resolutions Update

As you may suspect with my comments about work, I haven't made much progress on UFOs and most days I am too tired to read, or I read at most a small page.  I needed some less-focused needlework so did a plain hat from some handspun I'd been given, and now I am well through another mostly-plain (one cable) hat.  I have made progress on the KnitTalk challenge BLUE item, and will have a photo before the end of the month.  Maybe I'll get back to the Magical Miniskeins sock by then also.

Not Quite Done - Redesigned

I've been knitting.  And working.  And walking, when the weather is good in the mornings.  And doing other things like reading books and some secret non-knitting projects.

There are many containers of blueberries and peaches in the freezer, not as many of plums (a pain to prep) and blackberries (not available), and I've eaten a more-than-respectable share.  I made my first tomato tart of the season earlier this week:

Not spectacularly photogenic, but more than adequately delicious.

Do you remember how I redesigned the shawl shortly after I began?  I was close to finishing, then decided I didn't like the harsh change in yarn, and ripped out several bands.  So it's not quite done:

Day 6 - Not much knitting time.

Day 7 - Well into Colour 3.

 

Day 8 - More of the same.

Day 9 - Getting ready for Colour 4!

I realized that I didn't have enough of Colour 4 to do a proper finishing, since I had just one miniskein.  However, I'd purchased some very similar yarn at another shop, and despite that being in a completely other country it appears to match closely enough to be able to join the shawl:

 

Therefore, onward with confidence!  However, I soon decided I didn't like the abrupt changes to Colour 3 and then Colour 4, so I frogged extensively:

Days and days of knitting undone and rewound on Day 11.

Day 12 - progress again.

Day 13 - More frogging.  I didn't have enough
of Colour 2 to complete a band with the garter
stitch separation rows, so back to Colour 3.

Day 14.  Colour 2 finished with addition
of the scraps of tying yarn, now two
bands of Colour 3.

Day 15 - Finally back
to Colour 4.

Since that was the return-home day, I decided to not continue the daily photographs and post the finished item.  As I said, I haven't had as much knitting time as ideal, and of course the rows are much longer so they take more time.  I'm about to wind the hank from Julija's Shop and I think the end may finally be in sight.  Not what I'd planned for that yarn, but I am glad that I have it.

August Mini-Resolution

I feel like finishing things.  First, the Boneyard Shawl.  Then at least one of the other UFOs in my stash.  And one or two of the non-knitting, non-crocheting projects.  Plus at least one load to the thrift store.  I also need to do a yarn diet, and since I just purchased the latest Dolores kit I just have to stay away from the indie dyers for a month.

Where I'm not today, with a shawl

According to the itinerary, today on the Craft Cruise we would be in Dublin, "the home of Guinness Beer, numerous literary greats, and the rock band U2; a fun city that is currently enjoying the status of being one of the hottest and most livable cities in Europe."  Instead, as for the last four months, I am home.

Upside of being home in the summer is the fruit arriving at the local farmstands, and I have had to ration myself on blueberries and peaches or I would eat little else.  Ditto corn, which is so sweet and fresh you can eat it raw!  I am already planning to freeze portions for the winter.  Tomatoes are not yet in enough but when the season hits, I'll be ready.

I get my CSA share about every other week, sharing it with three other people and we take turns.  Yesterday was one of my weeks, and to my disappointment I seem to always miss the weeks with fennel.  I did get parsley, celery, zucchini, eggplant, purple basil, green beans, chard, scallion, and garlic.  My share partner got the napa cabbage instead of chard because her stove is disconnected for kitchen remodeling so she could take only things that can be eaten raw.  She did get the two bigger zucchini as I got the eggplant.  Otherwise we split fairly evenly.  We're both going to farmstands for fruit this week.

Since I planned to start the Boneyard Shawl the day I should have left on the cruise, I had time to finish a hat and scarf for charity:

Scarf folded at left is about 66" long.

Other side of the hat.

These were made from leftovers of my grandmother's holiday vest from last winter.  Lion Brand "Ferris Wheel" in Buttercup.  Just a simple 1 sc 1 dc pattern, hat made up on the fly.

I also started a scarf in the Uzume pattern, using some Noro Silk Garden that had been waiting in my stash for something to happen:

She's right - it's pretty in a shaded yarn.

Shannon Okey, the designer, had mused on Cooperative Press' Facebook page about how it would look in a shaded yarn, and offered to send yarn to a knitter interested in making one.  Since I had yarn in my stash I figured I'd just go ahead, especially as I knew I'd put it aside midmonth.  More photos when it progresses.  The pattern is fairly easy, I've had just one blip when I didn't do the correct cable row in sequence and I decided to frog.

July Mini-Resolution Update

I did start the shawl on July 11th, the day we were to have set sail from Amsterdam: 

The yarn is from Hedgehog Fibres, their merino aran in "Ferrum".  Not one of Stephen West's yarns, although I bought it in his shop.  And ..... I just wasn't feeling it.  It's lovely yarn, quite silky-soft, and the colour glows, but somehow as a shawl it wasn't thrilling me.  I kept seeing me wearing it as a vest instead, even though I don't usually wear autumn colours.

So I went back to the yarn I'd purchased in his shop last year, which included a handful of miniskeins from an Amsterdam dyer called Undercover Otter:

I remember having plans to make mittens out of these but have decided the shawl will be a better use.  Handily, if I were traveling "for reals", it is a very compact item, even though it is growing quite nicely:

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3 - Yes, I added a stripe of Colour 2.

Day 4 - Finished Colour 1.

Day 5 - On to Colour 3!  Currently 12" deep, 24" across top.

Clearly, this is Meant To Be.  Yes, if I were on the cruise I couldn't have done the switch, but if I were smart I would have begun and learned the issue before I left home.  Or made the other choice before I left.  Or purchased more yarn in his shop......

Happy 40th, Mom and Dad

My parents got married forty years ago today, the only day both of them plus the reverend, an old family friend, were available.  They invited some close friends and a few family to dinner, with a mystery stop on the way that turned out to be the chapel where they were married.  We don't have photographs because a cousin opened the only camera and ruined the film, but this one from a New York City trip some years ago seems appropriate:

Happy Ruby Anniversary, Mom and Dad!!

Not much to report here.  Work was very busy running up to the end of quarter, as people tried to get deals signed.  I had only a couple days when meals were granola bars and peanut butter, which I consider a win for EOQ.  Because I am home I could have at least one properly cooked meal each day, which is even more of a win.  I've enjoyed cooking local chicken, local eggs, local vegetables, and the herbs from my countertop kitchen garden, rounded out with local cheese and yoghurt and ice-cream or italian ice.

I am reading books again.  For a while, I couldn't.  Too much reading for work, keeping up with articles and reports online, and I just lost the ability to focus and enjoy the words.  A friend finished and launched a book, and I'd seem some early chapters, but it took him long to finish, and coincidentally the book comes out in an eerily similar time.  It's available free to download today, as it is the first of every month, and is a prequel to his earlier book, also free to download today.

Next I will try to finish some books I abandoned when I stopped traveling.  I had a couple that lived in my briefcase or travel bag, and when I cleaned those to put away for the longterm I found them.  They are waiting, but I have a feeling I'll dive back into them soon.

Status of June Mini-Resolutions

I did not finish two of the OTN items.  I did finish the sock, but not anything else that was in-progress.  The Center for Knit & Crochet suggested that World UFO Day tomorrow also apply to UnFinished Objects so I give myself through tomorrow night.  When I read that I was inspired to go to a bin where I have two quite old items.  One is a shawl I started during the nearly-year in Madison, and the other a shopping bag from before you received reusable bags from anywhere.  I am pretty sure I started it when I lived in Texas and the yarn shop from where I purchased the yarn is no longer in business - so it's been a while.  The pattern is fairly mindless so I've made quite good progress, and it might be done tomorrow if I figure out the top and strap.  The pattern is long gone.

I did finish the gift for my friend and the post office says it was delivered, so here are some photos:

I had just enough yarn for two bags - one crocheted, one knit.

  

I used the lace pattern from the Phyllotaxis Hat.

Kim received an elevation within her religion and I had a hank of hand-dyed sock yarn that reminded me of her.  I offered to make something out of it and she sent several ideas.  I decided to make these bags and I think they came out rather well.  Both patterns are my own design, other than following the lace pattern, and based upon measurements she sent.

Edited to add:  Kim posted that the bags are "perfect", she's thrilled.  Huzzah!

July Mini-Resolution

This is easy.  I was going to be on a Craft Cruise this month, but it was cancelled due to the pandemic and because no ships are sailing.  I'd planned to have at least one project in addition to the class projects:  Stephen West's Boneyard shawl, in yarn I purchased at his shop last year.  I plan to cast on July 11th, the day the cruise was scheduled to begin, and plan to have it finished by the time the cruise would end on July 25th.

Maybe I'll get some other UFOs finished, too.

She waited several hours

My grandmother did, she said, after my birthday package arrived, before she opened it.  "I knew it was something that squished" she said, which was true because I hadn't put the gift into a box before wrapping it, so it would fit into the box I was using to mail it.

This shawl: 

Patons 'Glam Stripes' in Navy

For the record, her birthday is next Monday, and I didn't expect her to wait that long.  It's a bit of a running joke that my grandmother doesn't deal well with curiosity - she wants to know what is in the package now.  Sometimes I wonder why bother wrapping it - but she does have fun unwrapping.

I didn't finish my vest, but I did finish and mail the Mittens for Akkol grad items:

The sweater is more person-shaped when it's not patted out for photographing.  For the scarf I used the same stitch pattern as in the borders on the sweater.  The socks are overdyed wool and I didn't realize the two hanks were slightly different shades until I wound them, so I alternated yarns every three rows, with the darker one used for ribbing, heels, and toe.  The pattern had a texture to it but I left it out given the striping.  I wanted these to be semi-mindless.

The vest is past the dividing at underarms, but it's not nearly mindless enough and I am trying to figure out what to do at the armholes.  That will depend upon how much yarn is left.  I may figure it out this weekend.  For mindless things I made five rectangles for The Linus Project, and two scarves that will be donated to shelters.  All but one scarf are in garter stitch - nice and mindless.

I've also been doing cooking, including some very nice bread and sandwich rolls:

I found out about a cooking group at a library, and they moved online.  We had a meeting this week and everybody showed what we've made from our pantry.  I did a soup with lots of kale, because I got a bag of it at the farmstand last Saturday.  We didn't get to taste each other's cooking this time but we did have fun getting recipe ideas and talking about what we miss being able to cook.

Resolutions for May

I am one for two on the April resolutions, because I made the shawl but didn't finish my vest.  So first up will be to finish the "We Knit In Texas Y'All" vest.

For other items, I will finish the baby blanket I was going to do in March and hand off to friends to deliver.  Of course, all the travel stopped, so pressure to finish was off.  The baby is already in this world but the month that includes Mother's Day seems a good time to get it finished and shipped.

For a new item for me I think I will take a set of red yarns from one of the DFW Fiber Fest vendors and make a pair of socks.  With the colours I can do a very plain pattern and let the yarn be the energy.  My mother loves red, so it seems appropriate - and somewhere I think I have some red socks I was making for her.  I sent a Mother's Day gift so I don't need to make one for my mother, and my grandmother loved a box of soaps I'd sent to her, so I'm done with gifts for a while.

Music for May

A friend posted this challenge, which she'd gotten from her son:

She posted partway through April, and note it has a bonus challenge, so I decided to wait and start it on the first of May.  I'll post the dailies on Facebook and a summary list here each week or two.