Too hot/ Bridal Shower

My D' Liz's Bridal Shower this past Sunday
Liz and I are on the left.

The Brides Maids I am hiding in the bedroom with Molly as I type this. This is the only room that has a make shift AC in it. Thanks goodness for the wireless router put in a few weeks ago so there is something to actually do in the bedroom along with knitting. But- the heat has made the Slow Bee Lace even slower. Hard to concentrate in this heat.



I actually cleaned all morning as the thought of the wedding being here in 2 months as started to hit me. 2 bathrooms took all morning long. The curtains, the walls, drawers etc were cleaned thoroughly. Then we replaced a screen that the dogs had ripped with pet screen. That took forever as I was the helper to DH. Now I am staying in this AC room for next few hours to recover and dry up.



Speaking of weddings. I went back to WW last night so the dress fits. I feel like I gained a lot but according to them only a pound so gotta get back on track. Not doing so good though as I bought one of their snack boxes last night and ate the whole thing already ( 12 points is 2 meals!) This heat makes salads look blah and chocolate tempting.



My D's bridal shower with her Albany friends was last Sunday. She was so beautiful that day. It is unbelievable how fast she has grown up into a mature and responsible women. To me- me is the perfect daughter and friend whom I love more than I could ever imagine possible.

on to clue 3!!!!

Clue 2 done!
Hard to spread out with my circular that is too short..longer one ordered!
Did find time to take all 4 pugs out today. Usually it is in shifts of 2 so one doesn't sneak away .
Can you see who is peaking out from inside screaming " Let me play too?"

Just completed Clue 2 of Slow Bee Mystery Shawl..Just in time for clue 5 to arrive.I am hoping only one more clue after this but looks like most of my yarn still on the cone. This lace is very addictive so I may have to alternate to to other mindless projects .Otherwise nothing gets done around here.

Books, ticks, clue 2 almost done Slow Bee

Ticks are invading us! Yuk

Buddy and Stinky share a bed..

Gave my hands a break and read an excellent book my daughter gave me.

http://www.amazon.com/Water-Elephants-Novel-Sara-Gruen/dp/1565124995

It was an easy read that held my attention. The story is thought provoking and made me think of my father and his condition at the nursing home. Sort of made me very sad but had a happy but unrealistic ending.

Damn we are getting invaded by ticks. The pugs go out and those ugly suckers are pouncing on them. These suckers disgust me and I found 2 crawling on me this week already. Of course, now I worry about Lyme Disease. ( I use Frontline each month faithfully but not sure how long it takes for it to kill them off when they first jump on them)

Clue 2 only has 4 more rows to go on Slow Bee Mystery. Then I am starting Design 1 for Clue 3 of slow Bee. Things are going a lot more smoother lace- wise this week. I don't know if these clues are easier or I have learned more.

Goddess's Knits Kal starts June 14 and Slow bee 2 in June but I can't see beyond this shawl.

spring on the Delaware

I love this time of year and all that is popping up in our yard by the river. The weather has been perfect last few days -Sunny but not real hot.



This is an adorable black squirrel that has been playing in our yard last few days. sorry ...When I try to get closer shot- it runs.

Clue1 done- Slow Bee Shawl

Shawl and had a lace spat for a few days.

I was not liking it with so much concentration but still constant mistakes after recounting and trying to figure out what was wrong constantly.(ssshhh I did a lot of fudging) It was shunned for one day and when I returned mistakes calmed down. I know it is not a race but would be happier if progress improved. Many hours have been spent on this - No kidding -my pace might average 2 rows an hour with all the rechecking and fixing.

It is a lace learning experience.

...here are some things I have learned by mistakes

• Keep careful track of what rows you are on. NOW I mark it on the charts and on a post it note right before I start a purl row.

• Get one of those magnetic boards and enlarge the chart!
  



• Be careful of those yarn overs when you go to purl they can be stuck together with another stitch




• Give up when your eyes twitch and hands start throbbing.




• Keep the beads and shawl in a bag so Stinky can't get to them..yes Stinky loves beads and lace.




• next time use bigger beads. Small ones one are shredding the yarn with crochet hook




• Don't use Crystal Palace circulars because lace gets stuck at the joint and it very annoying.




• never attempt to do lace while watching TV- not even the purl rows




• use Ravelry forum for help




• It is good to be behind because everyone else can tell you what to do or find mistakes.



• Beads are fun and are helpful for keeping track of where you are.

Stinky- a bird lover!

Spring time is so exciting here with new blooms and birds arriving.

here are a few of the birds that Stinky gets to see..

Can't see to catch a shot of a huge wood pecker,, an eagle flying overhead and male bright red cardinals . Yesterday my son saw an eagle swoop down to a baby duck in the river.

Rose breasted grosbeak
Indigo blue bunting

indigo blue bunting ( this is my favorite!)
yellow finch

rose breasted grosbeak


purple finch
purple finch ( but looks red!)

wood pecker

Slow slow Bee

If this is a Slow going group- I need a snail group. Clue 2 has been out since last Friday and I am only half done with Clue 1. It is not that I have not been working on it either. Going away this weekend and a sinus infection may have hindered progress but adding beads and recounting along with my slow "throwing "knitting method is making this even SLOWer. . But slow and steady is fine - although going faster would make it easier on my eyes and hands .

Clue 1

Stinky loves to sleep on his scratch box

My wee sock and purchases

Winter Clove Spinning Retreat was a good time . Claudia was super organized and everything was perfect including the other interesting participant's. What a beautiful setting for the retreat at the quaint Winter Clove Inn!
What puts a slight damper on these situations is my hearing loss which makes it very stressful .Forget being able to carry on a conversation when it is a large group in a big room or a noisy dining area so most of the time I sit there not talking to anyone. Hearing the instructions were even more stressful. Claudia did have a nice visual packet that helped follow what was going on and my friends are patient about helping me. Hearing loss sucks but vision loss would be much worse not being able to read , knit or drive.

Enough whining...

This wee sock (in picture way above) is a sample of what yarn spun..white, green, pink and purple were carded together to make this color. The purple was a mohair blend that made the yarn softer and flexible. Notice a new book and Lucy Neatby's DVD on Double knitting were added to my stash.

Spinning Weekend

whew....I am packed and ready to go for my spinning guild weekend . Between knitting, spinning wheel and supplies, wine and a few clothes not much room left in car .The theme for the weekend is learning how to spin sock yarn but mine will be secretly turned into shawl yarn. I have bins of lovely sock yarn that are waiting for my number two needles but my stash of shawl yarn is limited but quickly getting sufficient. Added to this my spinning skills are really lacking so this yarn will not be consistent enough for socks.

I am moving along at a tortoise pace on the Slow Bee shawl with only half of clue 1 done. Clue 2 is out today but will be waiting and then all the comments and explanations will be there to read. Not much will be accomplished this weekend as total concentration is needed for this with no wine and chatting at same time. My camera is packed so no pictures of it but it is so impressive . Doing this KAL makes me realize I have moved up in my knitting level. I am officially no longer an advanced beginner! maybe now classified as an daring intermediate with much more to learn..

My new Dell Inspiron came last night. Most the night was spent setting it up along with a wireless router. DH was impressed that I figured this all out as he does not have the patience but the LinkSYS router has step by step directions that were very helpful. The test will be if it works this weekend at this resort that offers free wireless.

Mother's Day Weekend/wedding details? Slow Bee

Mother's Day gifts for myself!



Whew the weekend flew by! Friday I drove up to Albany and stopped by the shop in Cohoes. The people were friendly and pleasant but nothing hit my eye to buy . Then I shadowed my daughter as she registered for at Bed, Bath and Beyond.

Invites for her Albany area bridal shower(shhh) are out so this needed to be done.

While using her computer this weekend a short cut to my blog is there so I must be cautious about surprise stuff.

Sat. we went to this shop in Saratoga. Oh- this place is fantastic with such a variety of yarns and classy projects . I browsed for over an hour while my daughter patiently sat. Could have browsed more but spent way too much already. Lunch was spent on a sidewalk cafes where we people watched, chatted and enjoyed the beautiful weather. Then the rest of the day more wedding details accomplished with flower vases, ribbons and candles purchased for wedding tables.

Stinky gives his approval

Liz and I toke her wedding invitation to get weighed at post office in order to get the stamps. The envelope is a larger size so finding pretty stamps was harder. She had to take the Forever stamps for the response cards beucas eof no pretty choices with prices changing today but decided on 2 of a pretty pink heart stamp for the invites . Total cost of each invite is about $1.50! They did not have enough so she will have to go back and get the rest.

I printed off the fist clue of Slow Bee while at my daughter's but could not get to it till late last night after visiting with my mother in Middletown most of the day. It is a good thing because got to read all the comments first and see people's pictures to help me understand . yes- This is going to be a challenge for me but I am totally excited about it. A few rows were started last night but my eyes and body were pooped so I am off to it now for a short period while DH is out and I can concentrate.

torture not knitting....happy Mother's Day

No knitting last two days has been very difficult. Knitting has become my therapy to relieve stress. ( and this week continues to be stressful getting my unhappy and hard to please mother settled in her new apartment ) Knitting and using the mouse on my right hand results in pain. This rainy and damp weather does not help. Instead of knitting -I have been just drooling over patterns and future lace yarn purchases and wishing I was a speed knitter with painless hands. But this weekend knititng won't be missed..

because

I am off to Albany area today to spend the night with my best friend , my daughter. I am leaving extra time to stop at this shop in Cohoes NY.http://www.beauknitsltd.com/
What a perfect way to celebrate Mother's Day!

lace is like chocolate

These arrived yesterday from Knit Picks. Reading these is like being in a candy store and wanting to taste them all. Problem is is if you eat too much -you get sick. Knitting lace too much results in hand and wrist pains . Now I must go on a lace diet for a few days to ease this pain.

My second swatch with size 3 needles of the Slow Bee Mystery was painfully completed last night.

My feline helper and I decided the original one in size 4 looks much better

size 4 is on the left..The pattern looks much clearer to me .

( Honestly- it might be because last night my hands hurt so much and it may be knit looser so my hand would not hurt as much ) Either way- I think the size 4 will be easier on my hands .

The birds continue to come to our feeders . Yesterday first hummingbird of the season was at the feeder. I love looking out over my sink and seeing colorful these birds. So does Stinky!

yellow finch
woodpecker

more lace

First swatch for Slow Bee Mystery is completed. I used size 4 Addis.

While blocking it looked a bit long compared to what is suggested by Moni. After it dried it was closer to the correct swatch size. I plan on doing another swatch in size 3 to see how the lace looks and size . That has to be done before next Sunday. I have silvery beads on one end that don't show up in the pictures but look better in real life. The dark multi ones showed up in the picture on the right side but can hardly be seen on swatch. Who would ever believe that one could get so excited over a lace KAL?

Last summer it was socks, winter was mobius and now it is lace. I decided against the River Stole after I started a few rows with the lace merino. It was too open and lacy. That patterns needs a fuzzier yarn. After looking thru websites and my books at home I have decided to try another Forest Canopy. If that does not turn out- my next option is trying one from Victorian Lace book.

Look what returned to my bird feeder. Sorry about the glare.

Rose- Breasted Grosbeak