A Little Bit of Everything......

It has been just too nice outdoors these days to spend any more time inside than I absolutely have too. Summer takes so long to get here, especially this year, that I just can't bear not to be out in it. Consequently, there has been very little sewing going on here. I though that, maybe today, I could bring my machine outside with me and do some, but it's a bit too breezy for that. I'd have pieces blowing all over the yard. Some people would say that it's too hot and muggy out, but not me.  However, this means that my stash numbers haven't changed a bit.
Used last week:                          0 yards
Used this year:                     49.75 yards
Added last week:                         0 yards
Added this year:                     52 yards
Net added:                              2.25 yards

So, while I haven't been doing a lot of sewing, I've been doing tons of knitting, while enjoying the outdoors.  My Flyaway Hoodie is growing by leaps and bounds.

 I think I have 2 more sets of increases to do on the sides of this, and it will nearly be ready for the body of it to be done. I think I'll likely leave the final part of the body to finish after I get the hood done. I want to put a separating zipper into this, and they come in 2 inch increment sizes in even numbers, I believe. I want to have the front opening of this as close to one of those sizes as I can, and I'm not sure how much the hood will add to the front opening measurement. I might actually be able to begin the hood today, which would be rather exciting!

Scott and I were out in the neighbourhood of The Little Red Mitten a couple of days ago, and I couldn't bear not to go in. I've been wanting wool to start See You There, which is a gorgeous design. I actually started it once, using the yarn that I'm making Flyaway with. But there was too much colour texture in the greens for the design of the stitches to show up, so I ripped it out. I'm thinking this new yarn will work better. It's not exactly what I wanted. What I wanted was a Malabrigo Rios, but at $18.95 for a 210 yarn hank of yarn, it was just way too far out of my price league. I couldn't bring myself to pay almost $200.00 for a sweater, lovely as the yarn is. Definitely a case of champagne tastes on a generic brand cola budget.
 Our son Noel was over last evening, and we had a family BBQ with steaks and sweet kale salad, mashed garlic potatoes, and roasted peppers. My contribution was to open the bag of sweet kale salad, dump it into the bowl and then open the dressing package and stir it into the salad. Such hard work, I know. ;) Noel took a hank of the wool back home with him. He is putting together a yarn swift for me, which is becoming a much needed item in my arsenal of tools. Have you ever had a hank of yarn go rogue on you and end up in a massive tangled mess? I had that happen Friday evening. A hank of sock yarn ended up in such a mess. It took me 5 hours to get it all sorted out, bit by little tiny bit, until it finally ended up in a usable ball of yarn. What an ordeal. I was sorely tempted to take the whole thing and pitch it out the window, but I paid too much and it was way too lovely a yarn not to be able to use.
There isn't much else happening here, today, so I think I'll link up to Judy's Stash Report and On the Needles, and then just relax and do some more knitting.

This is part of my view a I enjoy the outdoors. Matt built this wooden pole structure last year, as part of what he calls "bird central" There are 2 feeders there, which attract all kinds of little birds. I'm not sure what they all are but they are fun to watch. As is the squirrel who has figured out that, if it hangs upside down from the bar, it can get a hold of the black feeder that is filled with black oil sunflower seeds, and gobble them all down. The round feeder has a cage around it. The small birds can get through it, but the squirrel can't. So much fun to watch. We have quite a few chipmunks in the yard as well, and they congregate on the stones under the feeders, and in that giant hosta, to feed on all the seeds spilled onto the ground by the birds. I love out life here. God is so good!!