I Am Not Insane!

I first saw the Beekeeper's Quilt on Ravelry about 2 years ago.  Another of my friends and I talk about it in our knitting group, how we always want to do this, and some day we will do this.

Well, I started making my little hexipuffs last night.  I have made three and one is on the needles. I haven't become addicted to them, and I do find the beginning first rows a bit too futzy.  It takes about three rounds to get going right.  Hopefully I will get faster and better at this.

I have a huge box of leftover sock yarns.  I have given away a LOT of my leftovers, but the box still appears full.  So I debated adding onto the mitered square afghan.  I have dragged myself into that hole before, and in my mind, the thing is finished. 

I found another pretty interesting pattern, but they use a yarn,like Noro, with the long colorways.  I had a hard time figuring out how I would be changing colors along the way and what would it look like.

So hexipuffs it is.  I like it enough to satisfy my curiosity, and I can watch the Olympics without too much challenge.

I did stop working on them while Inspector Lewis was on PBS.  I knit on my sock during that show.  I am on the foot part and it is just round and round and round and round.  No thinking.

I have spent an awfully long, long time today trying to set up a business page on Facebook.  My Wix team sent me an email for free templates for the Facebook page, etc.  They forgot to tell me that Facebook will not allow me to have that template as my landing page.  That was why it was taking me so very long to do it.  Finally I settled that I have a Wix app and people have to press the app to see the Wix template I worked so damn hard on, and to have a link to my website.  Too hard.  Too confusing. 

So keep cool.  Keep knitting with the fans blowing on you. 

Hmmm! What Is New or Not New?

I have had serious depression over this heat.  I have to stay indoors or I melt-it's true.  I simply cannot tolerate more than a few minutes outdoors.  This is new behaviour for me, but when it is 105 degrees, I melt. 

We had one afternoon of some rain-around 3/10ths of an inch.  Whoopie Doo!  It didn't do anything for the drought, but it did cool things down to 78 degrees for a little while.  There was a great wind attached to the storms, and thunder and lightening.  It would have been great to have a massive rain, but I guess any water is better than none.

I made myself stay up to watch the whole opening ceremonies for the Olympics, and I did not understand all of it at all.  There were very entertaining parts that were theatrical, but....  I think one has to be British to understand everything.

I don't have a schedule of what is shown on t.v., but by accident I did get to watch the women's eight 1500 meter rowing race.  The USA was so far ahead, and I expected to see Australia put on some speed at the end.  Instead the USA women kept a steady fast pace the whole race.  Most of the races I have seen or been in you start out strong, find a steady sustainable pace, and then put on every bit of speed you can muster towards the final meters.  This boat stayed at a very fast, steady pace the whole time.  Their strokes were different from the competitors, too.  Well, I enjoyed it. 

The gymnasts have some great bodies, I will say.  They are putting themselves through some hell with their competitors.  One of the Chinese men is 5'7".  Wow!

I have finished one knitting project and continuing with others.  I can't seem to push myself right now.  I have kinda stalled out on the camel/merino yarn.  And I did get the binding on the quilt, but haven't started the handwork yet.

Yesterday CJE, JE, and I left at 7am to go to the Fiber Christmas in July in Kellyville, OK.  I don't have to tell you that none of us were too motivated to brave the heat.  It was so much fun to visit with all our friends and vendors we know.  I only bought a few fiber treasures, and a coupla tools.  We left by 11:30 am, ate lunch in Sapulpa, and drove on home.  We only made one pit stop to go to the bathroom and stretch our legs.  We were home early.  On my car thermometer it was 105 degrees!  106 in Tulsa in the concrete jungle.

So nothing new to report.  My writing has been scarch because of that.  I just am not too motivated to do much, and I am just trudging along on unfinished projects.

Stay cool and hydrated.  We still have about one month and a half to go.  SIGH!!  

What a Tease!

Yesterday afternoon clouds moved in and there was thunder all around us.  I noticed that the wind was blowing a little more.  I walked out to the deck, and it was cooler.  It was in the high 80's!  Oh, boy, a real storm.  But as the afternoon carried on, no rain.  No rain.  How could Nature tease like this.  On the weather report at 6 p.m., other places got rain.  No rain.  Still dry.

This morning it was cool-around 79 degrees.  There was some tiny bits of dew on the grass stems.

CF is coming today, so I took advantage of the cooler weather and baked some multigrain rolls.  I ate a warm bit of bread with soft goat cheese, and it was heavenly.  I had forgotten how good hot bread tastes.  The muffins I made is not the same as chewy multigrain rolls.

Isn't Life the funniest thing?  A silly thing as hot bread, clouds that cool the air, and the news that my nephew finally married his girl.  Yeah!  I am so proud of him.  They stood in the surf and had a friend of his marry them before they flew off to the Keys for a honeymoon.  Yeah!

I gave Patty a quick bath to cool her off and to help with her appearance.  She badly needs a trim, but that will wait a while.  This week is really busy.  She and I have a ritual that I rub her with the towel and say "Shaky, Shaky" and she shakes and grins and jumps.  We do that for several rubs, then I gently comb out her leg hairs and her mustache.  Then she shakes all that apart, and runs into the house and out again.  It is so funny!

The sun is out now, and the heat is on.  I don't know how long I can go without the a/c.

My neighbor's dogs are getting really tired of the new routine.  They want their mama and daddy to just come home and go back to their routine.  Abby is "acting out" and is sullen.  Beau could care less, but wants to stay out in the sunroom on his couch.  They do not like being shut up in a small laundry room all day.

I have not worked on the new quilt.  I finally found the fabric I want for the binding on the quilt I got back from the quilter.  Yesterday I measured and sewed and ironed the binding.  Today I hope to get it sewn on.  Maybe tomorrow.  It depends on when CF gets here. 

I have been spinning while listening to an audio book.  I am not pushing myself, but I want to hurry up and finish it up.  I am spinning the second skein of the camel/merino.  I really like the first skein, and hope this one is as nice as the first.

CJE loaned me a video on Combing Fibers.  I have never really combed fibers very much, but I got kinda excited about it.  It isn't as easy as she makes it look.  I am thinking of saving up money for a pair of mini combs for finer fibers. I have been thinking of how to process the bison easier than I have done so in the past.  I also would like to have a set of paddle combs to blend with.  I want to experiment with colors a little more.  CJE has a pair of Viking combs, so that would be something to practise on.

Well, I guess I will dust mop the floor to get up some of the dust bunnies.  Thank goodness, no one really expects me to clean my house.  The sheets are clean on the bed, and the bathroom is clean.  That should count for something.

Well, down to business.  Later.

It's Still Hot!

Well, we did get about an inch of rain last week, and an itty-bitty reprieve of 90's instead of the 100's. The weatherman said my part of Arkansas is about 10 inches below normal in rainfall.  Whew!  It's a drought again.

I do have some good news.  I have officially opened a web site-  juliannkingsfiberart.com  I know it is an insanity, but I like it.  It has taken me to places I cannot imagine in the brain field.  It has been frustrating and fun, too. 

I sold my rototiller, and I had  planned that money would help out with the extra bills, or at least, maybe would go with me to Christmas in July to the fiber show.  Well, tomorrow is CJE's birthday, and we went to a pawn shop yesterday so she could buy herself a present.  I walked out with a new t.v.  Whodathunkit?!  I got an excellent deal.  The only thing is the picture is too big for my chair placement.  It gives me a headache.  I have to work something out with that.

I finished the squares-56 total.  Now the puzzle begins.  I cannot decide how I am going to place them.  I haven't decided if there will be sashing, or just a border.  Now the fun part begins. 

My neighbor is having a triple bypass this a.m.  I am babysitting the dogs while B is at the hospital worrying over H.  I told her I would mow the itty-bitty patch of tall grass right by their driveway.  It was too hot this morning, but I will try to get up earlier tomorrow.

I finished the socks I was knitting on.  They are on the website now.  I also put the clown socks on the website, too.

My sister-in-law bought my red scarf, and I mailed that off to her.  She and I talked about an hour on Saturday to catch up on everything.  It feels good when one catches up with old friends.  She wants a pair of socks, so I have cast on for her pair.  I told her it may be a while, but it is too hot for socks anyway.  The fabric is coming out a different colorway than I imagined when I look at the ball of yarn.  That's always the case, but it is different. 

I have been putting out a small bowl of water in the shade for the outdoor critters.  My woodchuck is pretty active, even with the heat.  I also have been putting out watermelon and fruit for the critters. 

I haven't been cooking much with the heat.  Yesterday evening I made some chocolate chip muffins, and it tasted so good.  I figured muffins wouldn't be in the oven long, and it wouldn't heat up the house too badly.  They are yummy!

My friend CF is supposed to come visit on Sunday.  Her younger grandson's birthday is next Wednesday, and she is going to spend the day with the two boys on Monday.  Then we are going to go to a movie on Tuesday before she goes home again.  She will be sleeping at my house while she is in town.  So a nice little reprieve for us both.

So not a lot is happening.  I have spent so much time on the website that it has consumed me.  I just want it up and running so I don't have to think about it any more.  I am done with troubleshooting, I think. 

Keep cool, and keep the a/c running.  It is still too damn hot!

 

It's July-It's Hot!

I am certainly not going to talk about the weather.  It's July-It's Hot!  And dry!  Watching for fires.

Sometimes I find certain amusements in my two fur kids.  Noodles has been teasing Patty a lot lately by lying in her bed.  Then one day I put my basket on the chaise while I was doing something else.  And there he found his nest.   Maybe the message is "Fill the space you are in".  He is a 17 pound cat, and it is a wonder what he can do with his body.  Today he is snoozing in my photo cube I set up on the screened porch.  A great cave place.

Patty has been going to the neighbor's to find junk thrown out.  The other day I had to walk over to their yard and scream at her.  She is great with her selective hearing.  She came trotting up with something in her mouth.  It was a piece of garlic bread they had thrown out for the birds and critters.
Today she just wants to play on the floor and eat her "chewy".

I finally put out a bowl of water for the woodchuck and other rodents.  I know that everyone is looking for water lately.  I put water in the bird bath everyday.  I also put out half of a small watermelon the other day, and it was gone in one day. 

Oh-I am happy, happy, happy that my grocery store has yellow watermelons.  I don't know why, but I really like to eat fruit in season.  The melons I have been getting lately are super sweet and wonderful when cold.  The peaches are local grown.  They are small, but oh, so sweet and juicy.  The corn is really sweet now too.

I have finished one skein of my baby camel/merino that I plied with black alpaca.  I really like the contrast of the natural beige and black.  Now onto #2.

I finished sockie #1, and I started #2. 

I am still knitting on the soft, squooshy, merino wrap. 

I am still weaving the dishtowels.

I am still sewing squares for the next quilt.  Oh, I should be getting the latest quilt from the quilter today.  I can't wait.  Then I can put binding on it and be done.

I am still using the air conditioner.  Can't take the humidity and wool together.

So that's it! 

My nephew's wedding was cancelled for tomorrow.  Something going on, but he is not talking to his dad about it.  That's my brother-who is really upset over it all-and I emailed my nephew with all the love a meddling aunt could muster.  I just want him to be happy.

No plans for the 4th.  Just trying to stay cool and hydrated.

Have a fun time tomorrow, enjoy the week, and stay cool!