bits

Did some more rows on the beach shawl, which - I don't have any better name for it.. guess I'll have to bring it to the beach again so I can say I knitted it more than once there?  The circular needle is very very nice.  It's making me doubt whether I want to weave the cot-lin scarf or knit it after I finish with this.. which is about 1/3 of the way done.  Worked on the tapestry a little more -- it has been so long since I did this that I forgot how very vertically condensed everything gets.. if you are planning for tall better start wide etc etc.  Still, it is coming along nicely enough.

Took Esme over to our friend's house and she played in the pool and stomped around with her friend.  I read some more of 'Magic Kingdom for Sale'.  We went to the store and got leek soup mix and good potatoes and some apples.  Mark made steak for dinner with lots of mashed potato and I made leek soup, which was quite good.  Of course, I'm the only one brave enough to eat it.. but oh well, then.

I've been trying to keep my leg elevated, and put an ice pack under it.  It is much better now than it was this morning, and tons better than yesterday after we returned from Murray, when it was swollen noticeably. 

A visit to my LYS in Murray, Kentucky Red Bug Yarn and Gifts

I found a good quantity of 'Linsey' yarn by Berrocco, which is 65% cotton, 35% linen, and 'Creative Linen' by Rowan, which is 50/50.  The yarns have a beautiful drape and the contrast will go nicely in a woven project.  I need to build a new larger skinny frame loom to do the project I'm thinking of.

The drape and feel of it was a big draw.

 Esme also found some 100% wool and a cute measuring tape. 

I told her if she is going to a yarn store she should at least buy one skein of yarn to experiment with.

 

This is the 'Shawl in a Ball' continuation.  I found a circular needle to help make this project not so heavy on my elbow.  I had started it on straight needles before I realized how much it would weigh as the project got longer and longer.

 

This is what the tapestry project looked like at stage one

And I'll call this one stage two point five...

A showy butterfly on the zinnias

The only 'Teddy Bear' sunflower that has bloomed so far

Blast from the Past :
I was trying to remember the name of the yarn store in Fargo, North Dakota when I used to live there.  It was called 'Yarn Renaissance" and it was in the downtown area., but within biking or walking distance (2 miles) of my duplex on 7th avenue.  I remember biking down that long stretch straight to the store and then cruising back with whatever little thing I had found, usually a skein of Baby Ull DK (merino wool 6 dollars) or Sugar n Cream cotton.  I made a green and white woven wool purse from their materials (they had wool felt, too) with green glass turtle buttons that I used the year that I graduated from NDSU.  I remember swinging that purse on my shoulder in my graduation gown and then having to hand it off to my mom and dad when it was time to line up.  I found a news article that said it closed in July, 2007.

Bits

Shawl in a Ball yarn by Lion Brand 151 stitches plain garter on size 7 needles.

colorways : Namaste Neutrals and Cleansing Quartz (alternated)

I've been knitting, reading and working on one of my other stories. 

Esme and I went to town today to the library, and a few other things.

We had a good time, and I bought a huge body pillow for her reading spot on the daybed.

I liked the color and the pattern, plus it was big and soft and fuzzy.  She likes that it is big and soft and fuzzy, and the color and pattern are 'ok'...

 This is the volunteer pumpkin out of the old chicken pen.  It is so far from the garden we really didn't even water it much.. the vine has only produced this one fruit and probably won't have anymore.

This is our 'original' Pumpkin (also big and soft and fuzzy, btw), and she is unimpressed with my garden variety hunting prowess.

bits

Read 'Bring me Back' by B.A Paris, and 'Flying by the Seat of my Knickers', by Eliza Watson, and am working on 'Magic Kingdom for Sale' by Terry Brooks and 'The Three Deaths of Magdalene Lynton' by Katherine Hayton.  Before all that read 'The Gray and Guilty Sea' and 'A Desparate Place for Dying' both by Scott William Carter.  I've got another three to five lined up

Knitting a bit with the new glittery yarn.  Writing more in a new story.  Pulled a pumpkin out of the garden and a smattering of tomatoes.  Also got a whole bunch of jalapenos, and cut them up - and ended up with the juice under my fingernails which has kind of plagued me all night but it could be worse.

Planning to bring Esme into the library on Monday.  We went out on Wednesday and did her school supplies.  Then I took Irene out for groceries on Thursday.  I got some Damson jam yesterday - it is a type of plum.  It's not bad.  It's from that Tiptree company I like the black currant jam from.

Work has been very long every day.. longer and longer as the night rolls on.  My left foot hurts as well as my right knee.  Tolerable.. but annoying.  I've also had some vertigo.. also tolerable, but annoying.

I'm early tomorrow.. need to do some laundry and go to sleep.
I told Mark the other day that it feels like I've lived three months since June 21st.  I don't know why.. it just seems like these last few weeks have taken much longer than that... some in a good way.  July 4th was very nice.  But other days.. I'm just working to the weekend.  Which comes on Monday.

Fourth of July

I love those eyes :)  That is my big floppy summer hat. 

 A little knitting project I started last night.. 

 

Kif dog, after we got back from the beach

These are the clearance lilies I got last year that just said 'red and yellow tulip style'.. they didn't bloom last year but wow, they're knockout now :)

 At the 1000 acre lake beach with Esme this morning.  It rained on us a little but not much - we had fun.  I swam with her and she showed me how much she learned at summer camp.

 She wanted me to take a picture of the far shore because she said it was pretty

'Pysgoden bach ar y traeth'.. A little stone fish on the beach.  I saw that they did this at the Say Something in Welsh (SSIW) boot camp and tried to make one of our own.

Happy girl!
We have watermelon and I'm going to try to make onion rings.
I got my tooth under control (hope it stays that way)... we'll see if the weather is going to cooperate to go find a fireworks show tonight.



What I did for my tooth:
I called into work -which I hardly ever do.  But I was in pretty bad pain and I was sure it was becoming a fever.  Nothing is open around here until at least the day after the fourth... small town yay.

So....
I mixed up baking soda with a little peroxide, and put it on the tooth I suspected was the problem with a toothbrush.  It was hard to tell - it kept moving from my ear to my jaw to the upper tooth to a lower tooth to all the middle of my teeth where there isn't even a problem.. basically a pressure thing.. and that was why I was in so much pain.  I also was running a fever of a sort.. but eventually, that was a good thing.  After putting the 'toothpaste' mixture on the area I waited for a bit.  It HURT.  It really hurt.  It was 'knocking out a rhythm on the side of the sink with the toothbrush waiting for it to be over' hurt.  Then I rinsed it out... and rinsed it out.... and rinsed it out. 

Then I put some of the really good local honey we have in a clean dish with a spoon and dripped it onto the teeth bit by bit until it was gone.  I sat there letting that soak in and it felt a bit better.  It still hurt, but not as badly.  After the honey had all run away slowly I went and brewed a strong cup of green tea.  I sat there and drank that slowly... letting it run over that area.. until the cup was gone.  I put a little peroxide on a cotton ball and dropped a few drops in that ear canal... let it fizz and then let it drain out.  I soaked a teatowel in some almost hot water and laid it over the area underneath that ear on my neck until it cooled down. 

Then I took more ibuprofen and went and crawled in bed with a sweatshirt on.  I was sweating 'nicely'... enough to feel it.  I slept for about four hours.. got up, did it all again.  It hurt again... a lot... but felt better even quicker than last time.  Slept another four hours.  Got up and felt almost alive.  Made some chicken broth garlic(powdered) ginger(also powdered) cashew (ground up) cayenne pepper soup with some brown rice in it and drank it all. 

This morning I've only taken ibuprofen once and stuck to drinking coffee or green tea.    -- This doesn't mean I won't have to have a dentist or doctor look at it next week... but I'm not feeling pain so bad.   I was reminded of being in labor... it was almost as bad as one of my worst contractions back then.

Summer Camp, glittery yarn and Welsh

Been a bit... Esme went off to summer camp for a week, and returned sunburnt and with better swimming knowledge.  I've been playing with some glittery yarns - three to be exact.  I finished a round pillow for the 'lolfa'... and am working some glittery blue yarn into our 'Creeper' blanket.. and then I have two balls of 'shawl in a ball' glittery mocha colored yarn that I haven't decided what to do with, yet.

The 'Creeper' blanket (in progress)

 Clustog crwn gyfer y lolfa (round pillow for the lounge)

Out in the garden the tiger lilies are just starting to bloom.
We have a few pumpkins on the vine, too.

I made a milestone - opened up the Welsh book I had ordered last year and turned to the first page, and this time (not last time) I could read all but three words without having to look anything up.  I was pretty amazed.  I've made some progress.  I've also subscribed to four Welsh podcasts on my phone to listen to as they become new episodes available.  I can understand quite a bit of what I'm hearing.. not all, but I'm picking up new words out of them as important ones that I look up later.. 'anffordus', 'wreddiol' etc.  I've also almost got to the end of SSIW level one and am now hearing some of those new words in the things I am listening to, as well.