Monday, September 29, 2008

Color report


Just arrived home from the northwoods, it's still very dry there. The trees are really beautiful, color around Goodman is at or close to peak.
My friend Betty went along, for the total Goodman experience......
A short trip, but fun.

Friday, September 26, 2008

Random stuff

Just checking in, I have been incredibly busy, both with home and shop.


Cooking. Normally , I don't do much of it. This summer has been different, I have actually made quite a few meals. The CSA membership has made the difference. Today I made stew...and it's almost 80 degrees outside!
The vegetables in the crock pot look pretty. That shiny purple thing is a potato! Onions, carrots, Brussels sprouts tops, garlic, beef, celery (lots) and a few tomatoes.
Here is the purple potato after cooking.

This week our CSA box had arugula.... I've never had it before, anyone have recipe suggestions?



A man followed me home from the shop last night. Actually, he followed me ON MY WAY home...........not TO my home. If he wasn't so darned handsome, (and related to me) I might have called the cops!Luckily I got a photo. Watch out for this guy.



Friday, September 19, 2008

Sunday, September 14, 2008

Friday, September 12, 2008

Vegetable bounty

Cherry TomatoesLots of varieties of tomatoes, these are all ripe, some are yellow and some dark green


Tender lettuce


Ground Cherries
Husk removed from ground cherry fresh garlic
single serving watermelon




Hens and Chicks and eggs...and sheep!

Every day is gift, I know this....and I have received many gifts of many kinds lately. This week I received two tangible gifts from two different people.

First, Em gave this cute sheep key chain. She bought it with her own money (at least that's what she said) When I squeeze the sheep's tummy he snores! I hung this little wonder from my reading lamp that's attached to the headboard of my bed. Cute.


My friend Ginger brought me a dozen farm fresh eggs from her chickens. The colors of the eggs are just so beautiful and varied, I may not want to crACk them.

Nested among the "hens and chicks" plant, they beg the question, which came first, the hens, the chicks, or the eggs?

Monday, September 8, 2008

Don't read this

Don't read this post if you are tired of my bragging about my granddaughter, this is my blog, and I will brag if I want to.
Today was the first day for me to pick up Emili from school. During the school year she and I spend our Monday afternoons together, sometimes we plan something, other times we just hang out. Today was a hang out day.
I hadn't seen Em for two weeks, and she has grown and matured a lot in that short time. We laughed and giggled, shared stories and supper.
I am looking forward to our weekly visits, a little treat every Monday for me!
Time with Em never fails to lift my spirits......Aren't kids great?

Sheep and Wool Festival






Dave and I attended the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival yesterday. We have attended this event in past years, with heavy emphasis on the WOOL aspect.

Yarn, processed fiber, spinning equipment, etc. This year we looked at all that stuff, but I really enjoyed the SHEEP part of the Sheep and Wool Festival. After spinning for many years, I finally got to see what the breeds of sheep look like. I can identify their fiber, but now I have a few faces to put with fiber.How would you like to meet this one in a dark alley?

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Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Split!

I have been spending some time working on my shop website. A total re-design was done and the site is up and running. I still have a lot of work to do on the site, but it's a work in progress..
So what does the new site have to do with this blog? Well, mostly, I plan to separate my posts into two categories.... personal, family and home stuff,,,,, and knitting, and shop stuff.
The shops stuff will be at www.looseendsyarnshop.com .
The personal stuff will be here.

Monday, September 1, 2008

Waiting for the paint to dry

We drove to our cabin Saturday night, and planned to have quiet Sunday in the woods.
7:15 AM
Dave was still in the cabin making coffee while I was sitting on the porch contemplating an entire day of nothing but knitting. What to knit? What to knit?
I lined up these small, 20 yard, skeins of yarn and decided to make a striped hat.
While I was contemplating Dave made more than coffee. The cinnamon rolls appeared at the same time as the KNITTERS HANDY BOOK OF PATTERNS. Like the good girl I am, I did a gauge swatch and measured it. The only measuring instrument at our cabin in the woods happens to be a yard stick, but it works. In addition to measuring tools, I neglected to bring along any short circular needles or double points that I might need to knit a hat. I improvised using two very long circular needles. Time for another color.Here is the view from the porch where I planned to spend the day knitting. Of course, by this time Dave has started his own chores. He spent the day painting. Time goes on, the hat grows, the coffee turns into Diet Coke. What is that? A skein of Cherry Tree Hill sock yarn has appeared on the porch, along with a box containing sock needles. mmmmmmm.....................
Noon

Being the fickle knitter that I am, I switched over to the socks abandoning the hat. It was getting way too warm by this time to be working on a hot hat anyway. Note the fan in the photo.



2 PM
Dave is waiting for the paint to dry and wants to take a ride in the woods. I want to knit, but I have been sitting so long that I can't feel my feet.

I think that it is best that I go along.


It is dry in the north woods and the trails are very dusty.

The ferns are drying up earlier than normal.I have had my eye on this pink rock for more than a year now. Mostly, Dave just drives by and says "There's your rock". I really want to bring it home. This trip Dave indulges me and offers to show me how heavy it really is.


My muscle man couldn't lift it. He could barely move it. The rock stays.
I am OK with that. It was the "effort" that counted.

We brought home this rock instead. Very sparkly!How about the size of this rock????


Maybe I left my camera in the woods or in the truck, but somehow I neglected to take anymore knitting photos until bedtime. By the time I was ready to turn in, I had turned the heel on the sock, the hat remained abandoned and I could feel my feet again. (I did finish the hat today, on the way home)