I've Been Tagged.....

Just before I left for Washington last week, two of the blogs I regularly read (Yarnhog and Knottykitty) let me know I have been "tagged". This strikes me as somewhat amusing because I can say with absolute certainty that I have always tossed any chain letter I have ever received into the trash, thus depriving myself of untold riches, boundless good luck, health and other assorted sundry promises. But in the spirit of blogging I decided to play. So here are my eight random facts:

1. I am a licensed pilot rated for both hot air balloons and single engine planes. My first hot air balloon was a purple, blue and white Raven RX-6 named Skybird. I continue to like that color combination and use it frequently in my knitting.
2. My husband and I have been together for nearly sixteen years. I met him when he arrested my client in the courtroom on an outstanding warrant (Dan was working as a bailiff in the Family Law Department at the time). He doesn't fully understand my huge collection of books and/or yarn stash but has managed to learn to quit looking surprised when he discovers yarn stash in unusual areas in our house, such as in the book shelf, in the pantry, in the hall closet, under the bed......
3. I am a published author and have had stories appear in Guideposts Magazine and Reader's Digest.


4. I have owned Schipperkes (a breed of dog) continuously for the past 35 years. Quite a few have became champions in confirmation shows.
5. I am over six feet tall. For those that are wondering, I am about five inches taller than Dan.
6. I like to ride horses and have owned a rather cantankerous American Quarter Horse named Dallas for the past 14 years.
7. Both my husband and I have ham radio licenses.

8. I like power boating. Dan and I have a 30 foot Sea Ray Cabin Cruiser named Blue Moose. Two years ago my son's Cub Scout Pack decorated the boat and our truck and entered it in the Clovis Children's Light Parade. Otherwise, we take the boat to the California Delta and stay on board for up to seven days. Unfortunately, the recent huge spike in gasoline prices has curtailed much of our boating this year.

I have checked nearly every blog that I read and this "Eight Random Things" tag seems to have spread like wildfire. As a result, every blog I frequent has already posted their random facts and it seems unfair to tag someone I haven't read on a regular basis. If you haven't played, and want to be tagged, post a comment requesting that I tag you and I will be more than happy to oblige.

Remembering All Who Have Served In The Armed Forces

(Taken by by son, Kenny, then aged 9, of the flag flying above the sunken Battleship "Arizona". )

The Endless Afghan - The Sixth Square

The sixth square I chose to knit was designed by Suzanne Atkinson. Since this was Memorial Day weekend, I thought the church and tree were fitting.

This is a close up of the tree.

And here is a close up of the church. I really liked this design and the final result.

Prom Night!

It seems like only yesterday that Justin thought girls were gross. Now my young man on his way to the senior prom!

Secret Pal 10 and Other Packages

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I discovered two packages on my desk when I got home from Washington.

The first package contained 4 skeins of beautiful hand-dyed yarn I had ordered from Yvonne at Lavender Sheep Fibers. I am currently designing a fair isle pattern for an afghan featuring a wisteria arbor in full bloom.

I want a yarn that has subtle changes in color to give the blossoms more depth. The yarn Yvonne sent me is 100% Merino. It is called "Sugar Plum Fairy" and is everything I wanted.

I also received my first package from my Secret Pal 10. The first surprise was the postmark. It was from Minneapolis, Minnesota. In one of those strange twists, my mother was born in Minneapolis and a number of my extended family members still reside in that part of the country. My Secret Pal had wrapped the various items in tissue paper.
Inside was the following:

1. A great postcard featuring chocolate cake and a note from my pal. Chocolate cake is somewhat of a joke around my home because one of my son, Kenny's favorite comedy routines is Bill Cosby's "Chocolate Cake for Breakfast".


2. Two skeins of lovely green sock weight yarn. The color is perfect for some of the leaves in the aforementioned wisteria pattern.
3. A Godiva dark chocolate bar;


4. A package of Godiva dark Chocolate almonds;


5. A package of stitch holders;


6. A package of stitch markers;


7. A cute, little wooden crochet hook;


8. A row counter;


9. A skein of luscious green, blue and hunter green yarn; and


10. A felted sheep!

Kenny spotted the felted sheep and immediately ran to his room and retrieved his felted Teddy Bear. After putting the two together, he wholeheartedly approved of the choice by my secret pal.

The Endless Afghan - The Fifth Square

I have finally had the opportunity to work on some knitting. And because it has been one week since I posted my progress on the The Great American Aran Afghan, I decided to work on a square designed by Barbara Selesnick.

This design features two vertical rows of cables which resemble hearts, as well as some open work crossed cables on the edges. This square was fairly easy and quick to knit.

This square knitted up slightly smaller on the recommended needle size so I traded up .5 mm and it came out exactly on gauge. After inserting the blocking wires, I steamed it to set the stitches. Here is the closeup of the finished square.

I took these pictures and downloaded to my flashdrive before work this morning. When I got to my office, I found two packages waiting for me --- one from my Secret Pal 10 and one from Lavender Sheep Fibers. I didn't have my camera with me at work and I was due in court so will post about the packages tomorrow.

Give a Man a Chainsaw...

Thursday morning we arrived in Washington State. I imagined four days of quiet knitting and spinning. It got off to a good start.

When we pulled into the driveway, this little doe was grazing in the front yard. We also saw a Bald Eagle flying overhead but it was too far away to get a good picture.

I went to the Allyn Knit Shop and found new sock yarn.

Can you tell that I like the color blue?

But when I returned home from the knit shop, I immediately heard the buzz of a chainsaw. There, out in the overgrowth, was my husband. I had given him a chainsaw for his birthday last June (it was on his wish list!) and he had decided that this weekend was the perfect time to attack 30 years of dead fall and forest litter on the far third of our property.

The area in which we live in Washington was logged about 30 years ago. The logging company left the stumps and dead fall that was not worth their time, then sold the acreage. It was later subdivided and parcels were sold. The original owners of our property cleared the area closest to the home, but left the remaining forest alone. As you can see from this "before" picture, the growth was substantial. In fact, it was nearly impossible to walk more than 15 feet in the jumble of stumps, branches, ferns and huckleberry bushes.
Dan cut and I hauled out. It was a long, hard job and certainly not the weekend of knitting and spinning I had envisioned.

Slowly, the ground began to emerge.And I discovered some of the forest creatures that inhabit the undergrowth. This is an Olympic Torrent Salamander

This is one of the famous Washington State Banana Slugs. I put a knitter's gauge next to it so you can see it really is 6 inches long! Sometimes they are bright yellow, sometimes dark olive colored and sometime they come spotted like a pinto pony!

By late Saturday afternoon the rains had moved into our area and it was time to pack up and close up the house. But, as you can see from the above "after" picture, there is a substantial dent made. Dan says we will work on it some more this summer.

In the meantime, I'm looking forward to knitting on the plane home.

Back to Washington

Tomorrow morning Dan and I will head back up to Washington for a week. Which means I have a big decision to make.......

What project will I take with me on the plane?