The Girlie gave me this kettle several years ago. I use it every day. Often two or three times. And every time the handle gets hot. I usually use a towel, my sleeve, or a napkin as a potholder, and each time I think, "I ought to make a little felted potholder for the kettle handle."
Yesterday, I finally did.
Perfection!
Just for Me!
You may recall this package which remained unopened until a certain something was finished.
It's from Knit Kimber Knit, my ISE6 spoiler.
A bag.
What's inside?
Closer view.
A perfect fit!
A new friend....
...who likes to sit on the windowsill with "Barb."
And, finally, some yarn to knit. OMG it's almost the same color as the scarf I just sent off!
I love the colors! Now what shall I make?
Incredible!
The fledglings departed the nest on Monday. I was afraid they'd leave over the weekend because there was so much activity on Friday. But they were there Monday morning. As if they'd waited.
And there was lots of activity. Hopping up on the side of the nest, testing of wings. You can see it all here.
By the end of the day, though, they were ready to go, and then they were gone. Just like that. All day Tuesday, I suffered from empty nest syndrome.
And then this afternoon, they came back, Mama and her two babies, and alighted on the tree, even closer than before. As if to pose.
And then, just like that, they took off again.
In.Credible.
HOME!
Upon my return from the Pacific Northwest I flew south over San Francisco Bay, which (with an east-facing window) afforded me a GREAT view of Berkeley. It was clear and, at just before 7 p.m., still light enough that I could see all the familiar landmarks. Out came the camera and I snapped several shots.
Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home.
Gone!
Yup, these puppies are finally in the mail and winging their way to Brenda in three to five days (the Post Office's estimate).
Yarn: Zwerger Garn Opal Bambus (50% wool, 35% bamboo, 15% nylon), purchased in Salzburg, Austria
Pattern: Michele Wyman's Twinkle Toes Socks (I substituted the pointed toe from this pattern)
Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 cm)
Cast On: sometime in early January 2008
Cast Off: March 22, 2008
I like the yarn, it makes up into a wonderful-feeling fabric.
The above photo is a pretty good representation of the colorway.
Once I popped 'em in the mail (that was Saturday - they are now long Gone), I immediately cast on a "silly" project:
Yes, my friends, that is a sock knit out of Kidsilk Haze. I just wanted to see how it turned out. And I'll let you know how it wears. For some reason, I just had to give it a try. Perhaps that means my mind is also G for Gone.
And that's all the news from the Unraveling neck of the woods.
Fete!
Today is our great green fete, an annual event - the event of the year at the house of unraveling. And I've been pouring over photos from more than thirty years of such fetes. What a stroll down memory lane!
The man I fell in love with: Mr. Celia at the second St. Patrick's Day party, before we were married.
The household at the third party. Yes, we were married and Shelley shared the house with us.
Our contemplative Girlie.
And then along came the Boyo.
Tonight, at the thirty-first party, we will pack the house with people.
We will eat.
And then we sing...
And sing...
We'll sing out loud and long and have a rip-roaring good time.
So F is for Fete, and if you can't join us at ours, I encourage you to make your own Fete.
Knit Green!
It's a great day for the Irish. Erin go bragh!
Enjoy!
It's the moments we have to learn to enjoy, because sometimes that's all we have in our busy, multitasking days. So I enjoy my own little tisane ritual. I have three of these small Bee House teapots - two at home and one at work. They are just the right size for a short "tea" break, holding about three cups of steamy liquid. This morning, my teapot was filled with an infusion of nettle, which is supposed to be good for the stomach and help with allergies, but tonight I might choose Rest Well or Tealaxation. Whatever I choose must be caffein free because it's all about the relaxing moment, and I'm way too tense already, thankyouverymuch.
For my ritual, I must have a cup with a saucer. A mug will not do. I stir in a little bit of honey, sit back, and relax. I can always find something to enjoy, like the handmade St. Patrick's day card that came in today's mail (thanks Bobbi!).
What an enjoyable moment.
Dawn!
I'm rarely up before it these days. With this coming weekend's spring forward to Daylight Savings Time, dawn will again become a part of my life. I've been working very hard at well-regulated work, sleep, and food habits, trying to tame my touchy gut. Getting a full eight hours, even with the aid of medication, really helps to keep me on an even keel. Soon, the sun won't be up till after seven. Which means if I go to bed at ten I'll be waking up in the dark at six. Or maybe, I'll just stay in bed until it starts to get light outside. I can use all the sleep I can get.
Menopause-induced insomnia is on the wane, at least this week. Thursday's visit to the acupuncturist has my Chi flowing and Friday's chiropractic treatment has me feeling well adjusted. The sun is shining, the air is warm, the hills are green, everything's blooming, spring is in the air. The only thing missing in this picture is knitting content. I haven't picked up the needles since...jeez...Thursday, when I was experimenting with toe treatments for blogless Brenda's socks. (Sorry it's taking so long for me to finish, Brenda.) That can be remedied. Maybe tonight!
CAT!
With all you've already read about the ups and downs of having dogs on this blog (and I snuck an entry of Timothy's into the links), you might never know there is a well-loved cat who lives in our home. Her name is Papi (pronounced "Poppy"), and she is a very social, talkative, and affectionate girl.
Papi loves to be picked up and scratched under her chin.
Soon as you start scratchin' she starts purrin'. It has been that way since the first time I held her at the Humane Society...twelve years ago. She also likes to have her tail pulled. Really, she comes back and asks for more - I'm not kidding.
It has not always been easy for Papi, living in this house full of dogs. Matter of fact, she nearly abandoned us when Zelda and Snooty were puppies. She took to hanging out with Fran, who lived around the corner. Though she was always considered "our kitty" (Fran never fed her), Papi loved the peacefulness of Fran's garden and the welcome into Fran's quiet house. For a while there, it became a nightly ritual for us to visit Fran, pick up Papi, feed her at our house, and let her out again to return to her refuge at Fran's. Fran even made up a little song, which she sang for me ("Who's that knocking at my window, tap, tap tap...?") on one of those nightly visits. And it was Papi who was keeping Fran company - sitting patiently at the foot of her bed - on the day Joe couldn't wake her up.
Now that we have become a one dog and one cat home, it's nice and quiet here. Quiet enough for our lovely, silky, chatty Papi to keep us company.
So, despite the fact that she is damned hard to photo,
C is for Cat.
And also for Change of Color.
It's a rich Port Wine.
BOYO!
And yes, he's off again. According to his itinerary, his plane left a couple hours ago. Seems like that just happened. And it doesn't get much easier each time he leaves. He'll land in Zurich at 10:50 a.m. tomorrow, take a week vacation in Germany with his lady love, then on to Milan for Italian language school.
This time, he has no idea when he's coming back. That's what's hard. Panic had me bolting out of bed both yesterday and this morning. We never do everything I think we ought to get done by the time he leaves. So there's that, and his plans are...in flux. He was planning on coming back in May and being here for the summer. Now... not sure. Maybe coming back. Probably not. What he wants to do is go to a German university. So he's exploring that. The good news is that he probably could. He has to jump through all the hoops, and take some tests. The bad news? My vacation time is all planned out for this year already, and it doesn't include a trip to Europe. That will have to wait for next year.
We got to the airport early enough for him to have some breakfast, during which he impressed me with his understanding of the democratic candidates for president (we have a primary election in less than two weeks, people!). And then it was time for a final hug. I stood there and watched him go through the security gate. I always watch until I can't see him any more. Then I had to force myself to turn and walk out of the airport. Back in the car, Dire Straits' "So Far Away" was on the radio. Sheesh! That's it in a nutshell.
And so I hope you will indulge me a little today, as I take
a little trip
down memory lane.
Because this Boyo of mine.
He's gone.
