Llady Llama Fiber Company has Yarn!

You must check out the great new yarn on Kelli's site. The Dinosuar Egg one made me cry. That was such a tough year for Gary and I, but all the girls seem to remember was all of the free adventures we took, like picking fruit at Dorothy and Warren's and coming across partially ripe plums on the ground. Gary called them dinosur eggs and the girls believed it! Thank you Kelli. I love you.
http://lladyllamafiberco.etsy.com/

Gary's First Striped Sock & A Weed That Hurts

I finished the first striped sock for Gary and he likes it! Have to start the second sock, but first I must make pickles and pesto, since the garden is growing and growing! Dad is coming tomorrow for 2 weeks and I can't wait to see him and Arden!
I was weeding in the garden yesterday and pulled up a weed and instantly had sharp pains in my fingers. It felt like I had burned my fingers. I came into the house and washed my hands, but that weed must have had some kind of poison in it. It had little prickery barbs on it like a wild berry bush. Kelli thinks it might have been a wild parsnip. My research says it may be a cow parsnip or called hogweed. Anyway, my fingers burned and hurt most of the evening. My fingers are better this morning, but feel a little strange, almost like the tips of my fingers have blisters on them, but I really can't see much. Gary went out with gloves and pulled the rest of the weed. I have never come across this weed before. Guess I will need to weed with gloves on from now on.

Off to make pickles and pesto!

Stuff and Things

Still working on Gary's socks. I have finished the gusset and working towards the toe on the first sock. Made mocha ice cream with my new electric ice cream maker on Sunday! It was good. I used half & half instead of heavy cream and it wasn't as creamy as I would like, so now I am making coffee ice cream with heavy cream. So much to do before Dad arrives on Tuesday. Trying to get the spring house cleaning done (I know it's summer!), and finish up summer school (2 more days), and work in the gardens, and knit, and sew, and shop and paint at church. Getting lots of vegetables from the garden now; cucumbers, zucchini, lettuce, onions, and broccoli. We have tons of tomatoes (not ripe yet), blossoms on the eggplant and the pickling cucumbers. I have jalapeno peppers, green peppers, dill and basil. Now I just have to find time to freeze or can. I want to make pesto soon. Must get Kaylee's birthday presents wrapped and sent out today. Hopefully when Kari comes the end of August, Sarah and Michael will come down with the kids for a day. Haven't seen Kaylee in a year and I haven't seen Alex since he was born in the spring (just pictures). Can't wait to see Dad and Arden. We will try to get out to see Kelli and Rachel when they are here. They will be here 2 weeks and then Kari will be here a week after that for a few days! I do miss having her close by. Can't wait to have family around!

Socks

I got a couple inches done on Gary's socks last night. I think changing needles will work. I can't believe I agreed to teach summer school, even if it is only 3 hours a day, 4 days a week. Week 3 and 1 more to go and I am wishing I didn't do this. The kids are great and we are having fun, but it does mess up the day. By the time I come home, I feel like I don't have enough time to do anything. I want to knit, sew and work in my garden in the morning. Remind me next year to say no.

Started Gary's socks but had to frogged them and start again with smaller needles. That's what I get for tweaking patterns. This is a self striping yarn too. Hope I can do as well on this pair matching the stripes as I did on my blue ones. I do love the center pull skein of yarn that I wound on Kelli's ball winder. I can't wait to get mine! The yarn comes out of the bag I made easily. I still think I will put interfacing on the next bag though.

Socks Finished

I finished the socks! Took me almost a month. I even got them to match almost perfectly!
Now on to Gary's socks. I am trying to figure out whether to use Ann Budd's seeded rib sock pattern or tweak a pattern I know fits and just use the ribbing.

Yars Sale and Thoughts

The yard sale went okay yesterday. The weather was good. Got rid of a lot of stuff. Didn't make a lot of money. Decided to put some furniture items and tires on Craig's List. I'd never done that before. I have people wanting what I posted. I am kind of excited about this. Need to get in touch with people later today. Hopefully they will follow through. If this works I may do more Craig's List. An added plus for yesterday's yard sale was I could knit in between customers. I am almost finished with the second blue striped sock! Then I can start Gary's. I think I figured out why I am not happy with the knitting bag I made. I think I should have put some interfacing in it to make it stiffer so it will stand up better. It may be because I am not using a center pull ball of yarn. I wound the yarn for Gary's sock on Kelli's ball winder so I will know if it is the bag or the yarn soon. I have a ball winder coming!