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I AM a child of the 60's, if only for a few months of my life.
So, as you can see, I dove into the pile of sock yarn scraps. Out of all the ideas I've seen and that people have suggested for using up leftovers, I think these squares show off the striping and patterning to it's best advantage. It looks like this will be a project for the long haul, and someday it will need some sort of fabric backing, maybe a Kaffe Fassett design, or, alternatively something solid.
Since there seems to be a slew of toy train pictures around the web, I thought I'd share a couple also.
A couple years back, we were driving home late one evening and we thought R was asleep, but he suddenly piped in from the back seat, "Can we paint our train track?" I answered, "Sure, why not?" and he fell right to sleep. The next morning he woke up ready to start painting. Every now and then, we paint a few more pieces. If we remember to, we put names and dates on them, too. We use just regular acrylic craft paints and then I coat them with a "child-safe" clear coat from C's shop. R seems to prefer painting on 3-dimensional things over flat pieces of paper. I can understand that. The blank page can be intimidating.
Two weeks from yesterday, actually. That's when the first relatives will start arriving for my sister in law's wedding (C's sister). They're getting married in Glacier National Park, and the reception and place where most people are staying at is at a ranch near Whitefish. Most people won't even make it up to our house with all the planned events surrounding the wedding, but some will, and of those, they've either (a) never been here, (b) haven't been here since we were married almost eight years ago on our property and living in an old 50's trailer, or (c) haven't been here in a couple of years.
Which means I've got a heck of a lot to do before then. I'd like to do a serious detailing of the house. I can barely keep up with all the daily cleaning and organizing, I don't know how I'm going to pull this one off. Some other things I'd like to do between now and then:
1. I'd love to try to get to Calgary, Alberta to see Stephanie, the Yarn Harlot, speak on August 9th (the day C's brother and his wife arrive) at 7pm. It's a 5 hour drive. Do you think I could pull it off? Would it be rude?
2. I'd like to, but probably won't, knit a Flower Basket Shawl. I got stuck after a few rows last spring.
3. Pick huckleberries, and maybe U-pick cherries along Flathead Lake.
4. Go sailing this weekend.
5. At least make a list of all the things I need to do around here, even if they don't all get done.
6. Knit and keep up with this blog thing.
7. Swim and have all the summer fun we can possibly squeeze in.
And I still haven't unpacked and done all the laundry from last weekend.
By the way, that is one Regia Jubilee "India" sock in progress, and one Elann Sock It To Me "Highland Heather" sock finished. And one big, green toenail. I usually only paint my nails two times a year: green on the Spring Equinox in March, and blue on my birthday in September.
All in all, a fabulous vacation. We left a day early, taking two half days to get to Portland so we could spend an afternoon in the city. Powell's was the first stop, of course (where I picked up a few children's books for a great price). The only stop, really, besides a swing through the American Apparel store only because we parked right out front. Then we got to sit in traffic and explain to R what "rush hour" means. Traffic is a novelty to children who live in a town with no stop lights, and who experience city traffic only once or twice a year.
(Left) Poplar trees, grown for paper pulp in northwestern Oregon. There is about 17,000 acres of regimented "forest" in the middle of dry, desert conditions. This type of monocrop both intrigues me and freaks me out. Something about large scale agriculture just makes me want to stop the car, get out, and run through the "fields". There was a crop duster flying overhead when we went by. Roll up the windows! (Right) Rest stop along the Columbia River. I'm convinced you could have a coffee table filled only with pictures of rest stop architecture. There probably already is one out there somewhere.
Pictures taken by R: (Left) Barges on the Columbia River, past E in the other seat, misting himself down with water, because we didn't get the air conditioning fixed before we left. We got to discuss dams and salmon runs and how the water in the creek by our house ends up in the Columbia River and then into the Pacific Ocean. I can see a trip to the fish hatchery in our future. (Right) A picture of the stage at the festival.
(Left) We pulled into Portland and parked in front of an antique store, which had this set of Bauer mixing bowls that we had when I was growing up. Out of curiosity, I checked inside for the price and they were marked $165! (Right) We spent the night at the daughters' house of some friends in Montana. I'd never met them before, but had heard that they are knitters. I got to check out all sorts of yarns like Rowan Calmer, and KnitPicks Shine, see a real live knitted Clapotis, and a Hello Yarn! spindle kit, in person! And more. There were beautiful yarns, projects, and handknits everywhere. We talked about going to Mabel's or the Yarn Garden, but we all went out for Thai food instead. (Right) Country boys in the city.
The wagon we borrowed for the trip from a friend was a hit with the kids! The boys ran around and played all day long. There were so many great people there with kids, and yet the event was small enough to have plenty of room to play. (Right) I spent much of my time seeking shade. Sun and heat = cranky me.
The wagon served as carry-all, vehicle, toy, couch with the side down, and bed for the boys in the evenings during the later bands. (Right) R towing his cousin to the venue.
(Left) R in the sunhat C bought from a woman wearing several of them on her head in Caps for Sale style. (Right) E taking a break at back at camp. We spent a good part of the afternoons here taking naps, knitting, making dinner, and regrouping for the evening.
Yesterday, we drove from 7:30 am until 7:30 pm, took baths, and fell into bed with bittersweet feelings about being home.
Home, sweet home. The hops vine is going crazy!
This weekend we're going to the Northwest World Reggae Festival outside of Portland, Oregon with my sister-in-law and her family. I've decided that our nephew, A, needs some festival- wear. I made a couple pairs of pants from bandanas for E last summer. These are the BEST toddler pants for summertime. They're lightweight, loose, comfortable, and keep them covered from the sun. They are the Flat Pants from Domestic Sphere under the free patterns link (scroll down to the bottom). There is also another helpful tutorial on them in her June, 2002 archives(scroll down, again). They're made with only rectangles so they are super easy. I made a similar pair without the center panel from a Martha Stewart Kids magazine pattern for R. Here is E watching a clown show in his brown and green pair, and R being "blue-green allergy".
These pictures are from Reggae on the River in Northern California last August. It was 110 degrees. We were camped literally tent stake to tent stake with 20,000 people on a rocky river bed where we had to haul our things in about a mile from the car, with a 4 year old in tow and a 1 year old in a backpack. We spent alot of time filling water bottles, misting ouselves with spray bottles, and making trips to the portapotties. E had just finished weaning about 2 weeks before that, so he was waking up hungry and screaming at 4 a.m. right around the time when other people around us had just gone to bed. They had all kinds of activities and entertainment for kids, but it just wasn't enough. If you met anybody else with kids, you'd never find them again amongst all the people. I said I'd never go back, not with kids, anyways. Not until they're older, anyways. We must have been crazy.
So crazy, that we're doing it all over again this year(!), but on a smaller scale and at a closer location. This time there will be a family only camping spot, which was the one BIG thing I was wishing for at Reggae on the River last year.
We weren't going to go. C didn't want to take the time off work, or spend the money on it, but one day I said to him "Come November when it's dark and cold and snowy, will you regret not going to this?" The next day, he ordered tickets.
At least we're experienced this year. And the boys will have their cousin along, too.
I'll be missing out on the 3rd annual local fiberfest in my very own hometown. It's really small scale, but fun, with some great vendors. Last year I taught a Natural Dyeing workshop. It was so much work to prepare for it! I'm glad to not be teaching anything this year, but it would have been nice to be able to attend it.
Here are E's other flat pants (this is last year, too, but they still fit him with the cuffs turned down) and the new ones I made for A yesterday. I'm in avoidance mode. Despite the fact that I should be packing and preparing food, I went huckleberry picking today with a friend and our collective 6 children, I'd like to go pick raspberries at another friend's house this evening, and I'm trying to sew a skirt before we go.
The new pair for nephew, A, is made from 2 bandanas that I bought for 69 cents each last weekend at the Amish store, some leftover bandana fabric for the bottom cuffs, a linen/cotton blend for the center panel, and a pocket from a thrifted dress shirt.
Oh no. Knit Picks just put out 2 new sock yarns on their site. A solid yarn and a thicker self patterning one, and they're machine washable, both of them. I like using other solid sock yarns as reinforcing yarns. It's cheaper than those little cards of reinforcing yarn you can buy, and thicker so the socks last longer. I'm pretty tough on my socks. I wear them year round, even mornings and evenings and camping in the summertime.
I can see myself not only knitting socks with this one, though. A child's sweater a la Bee's Knees Knits would be fun AND durable AND easy to care for.
Same old story. So many sock yarns. So little time.
Who needs to dye their own? Me.
C bought this beautiful girly bike for me for my birthday a couple years ago. I can't tell you how much I love this bike. It's one of those new retro-style one-speed cruisers with the high, bouncy seat. We live on a fairly flat, country road, so this is perfect for riding with the boys down to the river as they learn. R is getting his balance pretty well, but you have to run along side him in case he falls over. E hasn't quite figured out pedalling, so he rides in the back pack.
Growing up as the youngest, and only girl, with 2 older brothers and 6 older boy cousins, I always got hand-me-down boys' things. I thought it was cool to ride a boys' bike. Girls' bikes were, well... too girly for me. So, when I got this bike, it took a little getting used to. Now, I know that it's the perfect bike for me.
The handle bar grips have gotten goopy, probably from being left in the sun, so my hands get all sticky and black when I ride it. I saw a picture of knitted handle bar and seat covers over at Knitting Freak. I don't think the picture is there anymore, but they had yarn fringe attached to the ends and an intarsia heart on the seat cover. I made mine from some leftover Cascade Fixation which just happened to match my bike. I just cast on 24 stitches and knit in k1p1 ribbing in the round for 62 rows, then decreased down to a point. C and I rode home from the neighbors' the other night in the dark at 2 a.m. byt he light of the moon. It was so fun! And now my hands don't get goopy!
If you're out there looking for Kool-Aid, have no fear. You WILL find it. Just look up.
For something that sells for as little as 10 cents a packet when on sale, and takes up only a few square feet of shelf space, Kool-Aid sure gets a lot of publicity in the supermarket. Ah ha. It must be the influence of the Kraft conglomeration at work. Even though I'm supporting them by buying the stuff, at least I'm not consuming it internally. It feels a bit subversive, even though it isn't.
Or, if you're looking for some of the more obscure "flavors" for dyeing, you can check out and support the little Mom & Pop stores. We went for the Friday night buffet dinner in the nearby Amish community this past weekend, where I picked up some Man-O-Mango Berry in the store there. I bought a few packets of it last summer, and there was still most of a box left this year. Last year also, I found a few other ones no longer listed currently at the Kool-Aid site at a small store where they have a full row of Senior Parking Only spots right out front and the coffee in the deli is as cheap as the Kool-Aid: 10 cents a cup.
I'm sending off my order tomorrow to KnitPicks for some of the dye-your-own merino, but it won't be back in stock until the end of the month, and browsing everyone else's dyeing adventures.
