Pumpkin Sunrise

Yippee!  I finished another shawl.  This one  was a lot of fun to knit.  I really enjoyed the garter stitch for the main body of the shawl.  I sort of wished that I had more yarn so that I could keep going on the feather and fan portion of the shawl.  The pattern was quite easy and very well written.  The yarn  could have been a little bit softer but I still like it.  If you are a beginner knitter you might want to try this pattern for a first lace shawl project!

A whole bunch of thunderstorms came through last night and our table umbrella is lying on the pool cover!  So I thought I would post some pictures I took last week when it was chilly and spring was slowly evolving.  I couldn't resist putting a picture of Frodo in :)  He will be visiting his "beauty salon" tomorrow and will be a new man when I pick him up......oh and he will smell really really good. The last photo is the duck pond at the bottom of my hill.  It belongs to someone else but I feel like it is mine.  Every day when you drive by it you always have to yield to the ducks and geese.  The ducks are pretty easy going but the geese act so insulted when they have to move.  I have not seen any babies yet but they are always in abundance through out the spring, summer and fall.

This past week I started to read Water for Elephants  by Sara Gruen upon the recommendation from my son.  He really really enjoyed this book.  So I thought I would give it a try.  Frequently when he likes a book I will like it.  So far it is interesting and has not been a slow read.  For knitting, I am still  working on the Mermaid Tail's Shawl .  I should be finished by this weekend. I also continue to work on my cardigan  but am still on the back armhole shaping.  I have to admit that it has been neglected most of the week.   Today is the last home game for tennis!  As long as it does not rain. Yesterday was another hot and humid day.  I am not terribly fond on humidity it makes my joints hurt.  Luckily there will be a cold front moving on through by the weekend. For more knitting and reading posts take a look at Ginny's Blog- Small Things .

Even though this shawl is an enjoyable knit, I have made it to the best part!  Feather and Fan stitch always reminds me of my mother.  She would always make a blanket out of feather and fan stitch.  In keeping with tradition, I made a blanket many years ago with the same stitch that is in our family room.  It also makes great baby blankets!  The main reason that I selected this pattern is because I can keep knitting the feather and fan stitch until I run out of yarn. We went to another tennis match yesterday and boy oh boy was it hot and humid outside.  Our son lost his match but his opponent was polite and quite talented.  He has three more matches and the season is over.  All that is left is district tennis which will be on Saturdays.  It seems like his senior year went so slow and now that April is almost over it is whizzing by!  

Our daughter turned 21 over the weekend and we celebrated by going out to dinner and eating yummy cake.  Why can't the high calorie stuff be good for you?  We bought her a variety of books, a bento box for her lunches, and an armband for her ipod touch so she can exercise AND listen to music. My husband surprised me with some lovely tulips on Friday!  I really hope when we plant them outside the rabbits stay away from them.  It would be nice to have these tulips bloom again next spring. I came up with a brilliant idea for Easter dinner.  We earned a free turkey at our supermarket for Thanksgiving (because of all the money we spend there) and it has been in the freezer without any plans for it.  So this Easter I thought why not turkey instead of ham?  I did not realize that the turkey weighed 19 pounds! So I thought it would be neat to make broth/stock out of the turkey bones.  I ended up in the kitchen for most of the afternoon and evening washing dishes, cuttin

I did finish the increases of the body of the Valley Cardigan  (finally).  I am now on the back armhole shaping and as I decrease every other row, it goes a little faster :)  I am thinking that I will have enough yarn for the sweater.  I still consider changing the sleeve cuffs of the design.  I might just want a simple sleeves. I have not completely decided and have a way to go before I do. Here is a picture of spring in my yard: I have two lilac bushes that the deer love to nibble on so they are quite lopsided.  However, even though they get a thorough trim, they continue to grow thrive and blossom!  

The winter cover has been on the pool since last September and this crazy dog will walk across it, run across it and lay down and sunbath on it.  In this photo he is "hunting" the leaf covers that are shed in the spring by the maple trees.  I do believe he thinks they are bugs because they move around when he walks through the water.  Such a silly dog!  Right before this photo he jumped back in fear it was going to bite him.  

Good morning!  I thought this yarn along I would include my little chickie salt and pepper shakers, I find them so cheerful :)  I am near the end of reading The Mistress of Nothing which I checked out of the library and it is due back this Saturday.  I should be done with it today.  My knitting is the Mermaid's Tail Shawl .  I am enjoying all of the mindless garter stitch.  It makes fantastic TV knitting or talking knitting. Every right side row is the increasing row and the wrong side is just plain old knitting, can't beat that!  I also finished my cowl  and blogged about it here .   We are getting more days with a bit of sunshine but still get overcast days with.......rain.  I promise I am not going to complain about the rain.  Remember, it leads to more greenery!  (I need to chant this many times a day!) The weather forecast is for cloudy overcast days all week, ugh!   For all of you that love to see what people are knitting and reading-maybe at the same time?!?! Then go

Here is a finished photo of the cowl that I started last week.  The yarn just blossomed from being soaked in wool wash.  I love the lace design and the size of the cowl.  If feels so luxurious!

I think I have been really tired of all the rain we have had for the past week or so.  I think I have even complained about it, especially to my sister. However, on our walk down the dirt road (our favorite), my husband snapped these photos over the weekend.  I am amazed at all of the green we saw on our walk.  So I am done with any whining about the wet weather. The trees and bushes are sprouting their leaves a little more each day.  The air smells different and the sun feels warmer.  I love winter very much but I am ready for the next season.

I have only ten to twenty rows left to the armhole shaping on my Valley Cardigan and yet it is taking forever.  Maybe if I did not have two other projects that take my knitting time away from this project, I would already be there-to the arm hole shaping that is.  I remember when my kids would ask "are we there yet?" when travelling to visit relatives.  The car ride was long for them (and for me!).  So this weekend I am going to get there, I am going to knit my last twenty rows and divide for the fronts and the back.