So many hobbies!

Autumn Clematis

I've gotten minimal response to my last post.  (Thank you Syd for your comment.)  I've decided to take a break from the blog for a month or so.  Maybe when I come back, my blogging excitement will have returned.  Take care everyone.

Finished

Washed and blocked.  It was a hit at my Guild meeting Saturday.  It's prettier in person.  This picture doesn't do it justice.

I indulged my inner geek again.  I just couldn't resist:

My extra change is safely stored in my new TARDIS bank.  Being a geek is so much fun! 

I'm considering ending my blog.  My heart hasn't really been in it for a while now, as I'm sure you can probably tell.  I'm officially taking a poll:  do you want me to keep writing?  Because if YOU aren't interested in reading any more, then what's the point?  Let me know.

Peppers

My red peppers are finally turning red.  Finally!  They've been green for so long I wasn't sure they'd ripen before it got cold. 

The Sweet Chocolate peppers have almost caught up with the red peppers.  I just hope they ripen before the end of summer.  Today's 96F day should help, although it's supposed to be 63F on Friday.  Just another week in Michigan.  My garden needs more summer!  I've still got tomatoes that the heat, too

That's all I've got.  I haven't been sleeping too well on my new bed so I haven't had any energy in the evenings to do anything, like block a shawl.  I'm determined to get to bed early tonight so, with that, I bid you "Good evening."

Why are my weekends so weird?

I spent Saturday morning working on getting rid of my old mattress and box springs.  I decided I needed a new one and my sister had one only a few years old that needed a new home.  I put an ad on Craig's List for a free mattress and box springs and, eventually, a couple arrived to take them away.  A few hours later, my sister and BIL arrived with the "new" mattress, etc.  The old mattress was a full/double and since we all thought the "new" one was as well, I bought sheets, mattress pad and memory foam mattress topper, all in a full-size.  The "new" mattress is a queen.  <sigh>  After much ado, my sister, who plans on eventually buying a new full mattress for a guest room, agreed to take the stuff that's now too small and an agreement was made.  The search is on once again for sheets, mattress pad and a queen-sized memory foam mattress topper, all on sale.  Crap, I'm going to need a new blanket, too.  <sigh>  I'm sure it'll all work out, especially since I really needed a new blanket again anyway.

Speaking of blankets, or, in the case, quilts, I'm trying to come up with a pattern for a Halloween quilt.  I already purchased some fabric for one

but I still need 2 or 3 more.  A couple of solids, green definitely, and maybe another pattern.  A trip to the quilt store is in my future.

When I wasn't moving mattresses around my condo, I was knitting.  I just finished binding off my second Mendocino Shaped Shawl but it still needs the ends woven in and a wash and block. 

While I was knitting, I was being supervised, in case you were wondering:

And while not a chaperone, Galen was with me the whole time:

Relaxing

This has to be one of the most relaxing weekends I've had in ages.  I spent almost the entire weekend knitting.  Saturday I went over to a friend's to continue her education in Doctor Who.  While there, I knitted.  See, I ordered some yarn that arrived on Friday.  Two of my girlfriends thought I was nuts for even asking if it was okay to start a new project when I had so many other projects incomplete.  "Of course!," was the response.  However, when I looked for the needles I needed, I found that one of those previous projects were using them.  What to do?  Finish that project, of course. 

I was on the last section of a shawl that's been sitting around since March.  More than time to finish it, sew in the ends and block it:

Of course, I found out afterward that I had switched my size 9 and 10 needles in my needle binder.  I was knitting this with size 10s instead of the size 9s I was supposed to be using.  I could have started the new project on Friday since the 9s weren't actually in use.  As a result, this shawl is a bit bigger than I thought it would be.  Good!

The weather was perfect and beautiful today.  I've had the windows and door open all day.  There was even a nice breeze that dried the blocked shawl on the back porch.

The new shawl - Medocino Shaped Shawl - was started Sunday morning.  This is my second time knitting this one but this time, I'm using the proscribed yarn:  Crystal Palace "Mendocino" in the Violet Rainbow colorway.

I've already finished the first ball of yarn.  I am a color whore so all that color makes me very happy.  I love the gradual change in colors.  This is going to be great to wear with jeans.  The blue shawl is thin enough that it'll be a summer shawl but the Mendocino shawl will be nice and warm.  Perfect Fall/Winter attire.

I've been feeling rather blue with summer and summer vacations being over but nothing perks me up like a new project made with beautiful yarn.  Currently, I have 1 weaving project, 2 knitting projects, and 3 spinning projects that are in process right now and I'm pretty thrilled by that.  There's not much that makes me as antsy as being between projects.  What projects are you working on?