Category Archives: knitting

four things | thirty-four

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I finally figured out what happened to my knitting mojo. The last two patterns I knit required thinking—following a chart with no repeats for 16-24 rows. And that is all fine and good; however, sometimes I just don’t want to have to think. I like to listen to or read books, watch a movie or program on my iPad, and sit and knit on the front porch while knitting on autopilot.

I have one WIP (work in progress) that I should finish. It’s a sweater for Pepper that’s been a WIP for almost two years! She’ll be three years old next month and has most likely reached her adult size, barring any girth spurt. I hope to have a progress report or a finished sweater by next weekend!

This week is all about orphans, bobcats, men, and yarn.

what I’m reading

Our Book Club book this month is The Orphans of Mersea House by Marty Wingate. The story takes place in 1957 England with two childhood friends reconnecting after twenty or so years. Margery moves back from London to take over her recently deceased uncle’s store and turn his huge home into a boarding house. Olive needs to find a job and a place to live after her mother also recently passed away. The two boarders and Margery’s 11-year old polio-stricken ward complete the main cast of characters.

The characters were likable and the story was sweet and somewhat predictable. I prefer a bit more action and surprises but this was a pleasant, feel-good read.

what I’m watching

I love watching a plan take place. After living in our house for thirty+ years, we are finally having a sidewalk connecting from the driveway out front to the deck out back. Finding a reliable person was the major hold-up. The construction began on Tuesday and will continue for another week or two.

This is much larger than I anticipated but we are going to love the extra outdoor space under some shade trees.

what I saw on my walk

This little wooden man brought a smile to my face. He’s about two-feet tall from his feet to the top of his hat.

what I’m working on

Since Joann’s closed, I have very limited stores close by to shop for fabric, yarn, or crafting supplies. Michael’s and Hobby Lobby are at least an hour away. I happened to come across this yarn yesterday at Walmart.

Lion Brand 100% Nylon Stitch Soak Scrub is a worsted-weight, chain structured yarn that comes in 19 different colors. I was so caught up with making scrubbies with Red Heart Sparkle a few years ago that I wanted to try this out. Of the two colors available at my store, red was the winner.

I quickly cast-on 27 stitches per the Sparkle pattern and love how this is knitting up. I think I’ll look for a round KNIT scrubbie pattern to try out next!

Take care and enjoy your weekend.

four things | thirty-three

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Happy Birthday, Mr. Aitch!

Friends invited us for drinks and a mini birthday celebration for Mr. Aitch Thursday evening. We sat around their firepit sipping wine. We also had some snacks and a homemade cherry pie.

what I’m reading

I had a few pieces of Dove chocolates after dinner this week and liked this one saying on the inside wrapper.

what I’m loving

I forgot to include this one last week…

what I saw on my walk

Since the weather is changing and not so hot, Pepper and I started walking around our neighborhood again this week. Several of my neighbors walk in the evenings but I prefer the cooler mornings. We used to walk two miles before it got too hot and humid. It’s almost like starting over since both of us are a bit out of shape so we’re only walking a little over a mile.

I saw this “tree” in a wooded area and had to find out what it was. I had never seen such broad leaves that were almost 2-feet across! The plant ID app on my phone identified it as a Foxglove Tree. I’ll have to keep an eye on it next spring to see if it blooms

what I’m working on

I made a Carry-All Caddy last month as a prototype for a tool bag. Why I never bought/made a tool bag before is a mystery to me. Mr. Aitch and I just make several trips to the basement when we need various tools and can’t carry them all at the same time.

I’m almost finished with this one. I just have to hand sew the binding around the edges to cover the exposed seams. I’m afraid it’s too thick for my sewing machine and I don’t want to damage/destroy it!

That’s all for this week. Take care.

four things | twenty-eight

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Relief for at least one day! Yesterday’s high temperature was only in the mid-70s. It was cloudy all day and looked like rain but it was nice to sit outside without sweating while breathing.

It’s supposed tp warm up again next week but below 90oF. I’ll take it!

I’ve been working on a sewing project and needed to change the needle in my sewing machine. I thought I had a grip on the old needle until I loosened the screw holding it in when it dropped straight down into the bobbin case. I took the throat plate off and removed the bobbin case. No needle. But I did find sooo much lint that I’m surprised it could run at all! I called the sewing machine repair guy only to find out that he was leaving in an hour for a three-week trip to Alaska! I explained the situation to him and he said that if I could hand turn the “wheel” with no resistance, I could use my machine. So I could. And I did.

No harm done. I will be taking my sewing machine to him at the end of the month for regular maintenance. I’m glad I could clean out what I could before I take it to him. I guess its like cleaning your house before the house cleaner comes….not that I have any experience with that.

Weird week of four things…

what I’m reading

I just finished Will the Cat Eat My Eyeballs by Caitlin Doughty. She’s a mortician and answered questions from kids about death. The book isn’t gory or graphic and some parts are funny. I learned a lot about what the human body does and goes through when dying.

what I’m watching

Mr. Aitch and I finished the Yellowstone series with Kevin Costner. I won’t to spoil it by telling what happened in the last season. We liked it. A lot.

what I’m loving

what I’m working on

I was cleaning out the ice bin in the freezer part of our refrigerator. While moving things around, I found a package labeled “pizza dough”. Great! Dinner solved. Except once the dough thawed, I could see bits of butter. Um, that’s pie crust, not pizza crust dough. Oops!

We already had our hearts and stomachs set on pizza so I mixed up the pizza dough, covered it, and set it outside in the 95oF shade to double in size. That took less than 30-minutes.

The recipe I use makes two crusts. I wrapped the second one, labeled it CORRECTLY as pizza dough for the next time, and stuck it in the freezer.

When it’s hot, we bake/cook on our grill which is how we make pizza in the summer.

Will the pie crust be alright if I refreeze it? Or should I just make a pie? On the grill.

I hope your week is as sunny and fabulous as you are!

four things | twenty-six

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Words cannot adequately convey the profound sorrow felt for all those affected by the flooding, devastation, upheaval, and loss of life over the past weekend and this week. Prayers go out to everyone suffering through these hardships.

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My week might seem inconsequential in comparison; nevertheless, the trivial matters remain for everyone.

what I’m watching

The summer the deck flooring was replaced, I wanted plant something colorful near the steps. That year being 2020 and all that went with that mess, plant selection in my area was very limited. I wanted perennials (lazy) and found a few orange coneflowers and something else (that didn’t survive that first year) that brightened up the steps. Orange is not a favorite color of mine but it was bright and what was available. The coneflowers expanded so I separated some of the root ball to plant in the front flower beds. Three of those transplants survived, one being huge!

The original plant is still blooming next to the deck but has changed from orange to a deep pinkish-purple. There are still a couple of orange blooms and even two white ones! Below left is the original and right the transplanted one. Is this a common phenomenon for coneflowers to change colors?

what I’m loving

Mr. Aitch and I power-washed the back deck several weeks ago…before it got so stinkin’ HOT. Our plan was to do the front porch the next day. Well, we finally got it cleaned on the “coolest” day of this past week.

Let me tell you, it was still hot! But the front porch is clean and we enjoy sitting out there in the evenings.

what I’m learning

I’m having a hard time accepting myself. My physical self. My body shape. I’ve gained a lot of weight in the past 20 years. And I just bought a new swim suit. Well, actually I bought four suits. One fits very nicely. The other three I’m sending back.

It was a rude awakening when I looked in the full-length mirror. I’m still recovering. My doctor told me that I should concentrate on eating healthy, staying hydrated, and getting exercise and not on the scales.

I’m learning but it’s a hard lesson.

what I’m working on

As I was closing the door to the deck from the outside, the door knob came off in my hand! That was exciting…not in a good way. The door frame/jamb swells in humid weather so we really have to tug on the door knob to close the door. Evidently I pulled too hard.

I took the entire knob off to figure out if it could be fixed. No clue but I did get it back to working order. I think we need to replace it.

Take care of yourself this week.

Patti