four things | thirty-one

As you probably noticed I didn’t post last Saturday. I was on vacation with my BFF in Hocking Hills, Ohio. I’ll talk about that another time.

This past week has been so comfortable with lower temperatures and less humidity. Mr. Aitch and I could actually work outside without melting into a puddle.

The tomato harvest is slowing down. I think we got over 500 Super Sweet 100 tomatoes this year on the two plants I grew in pots. I’m going to find bigger, heavier pots for next year so they don’t tip over in the windy rain storms we had this summer. Our soil, or lack of it, is the reason I use pots for my veggies. Our property is mostly shale and we are lucky to have grass growing let alone anything that has a deep root system.

My latest harvest — —- —- —- — —- — — — —>

This week is about book club, sewing video, awesomeness, and a finished object!

what I’m reading

Our August book club book was The All Girl Filling Station’s Last Reunion by Fannie Flagg. I read the book a few years ago but reread it or rather listen to it while traveling. It’s a fun read with the story line going back and forth between two different times but coming together in the end.

At age 59 Sarah Jane aka Sookie Poole discovers she was adopted. Her mother is a very strong-will, domineering woman and has ruled Sookie’s life as much as possible. Sookie has always felt she was a disappointment to her mother, Lenore. We learn about Sookie’s birth mother and her family and how that helps Sookie grow as a person.

“Here is Solvang, she wasn’t Lenore Simmons’s daughter. For the first time, she was just herself.’

“She learned that being a successful person in not necessarily defined by what you achieved, but by what you have overcome.”

what I’m watching

I’ve spent more time sewing than knitting this year and finished a Catch-All Caddy by Patterns by Annie. I want to make one out of canvas, denim, or other heavy fabric to use a a tool bag. I bought a cordless hammer drill and need a way to carry the drill, bits, battery, gloves, etc. when drilling into some of the tree stumps in our back yard. I’m “helping” the stump disintegrate by drilling large, deep holes and filling them with Epsom salts to speed up the decay.

I’ll use this one for some sewing or knitting supplies. I followed the pattern as written so I can make the necessary changes to fit my needs. Annie has Add-on videos for lots of her patterns and since I’m more of a visual learner, her videos have really helped with the tricky parts.

Check out her website if you find yourself needing a sewing project.

what I’m working on

I finally finished my Trailblazer Socks!!!

I lost my knitting mojo (how many times have I lost it?!) but needed to get these socks off my WIP list.

I played yarn chicken, meaning I didn’t know if I would have enough yarn to complete the project. And I didn’t. Of course, I didn’t realize that until I looked at the dwindling yarn ball the eighteen unfinished rows of the pattern. Enter yarn #2. Click here for more details.

I alternated about 3-4 rows of the original yarn and the new yarn so it would blend in better. If you look for the difference, you should see it*.

*It’s the sock on the right. But it’s close enough. For my feet.

four things | nineteen

I can’t believe it’s the end of the week already. Time certainly flies whether you’re having fun or not!

It’s been unusually cool here this week. Rainy, cool, and breezy. I think Mother Nature is messing with us. I even wore my “bed socks” to bed the other night. These are thick and heavy and I can’t wear them with any of the shoes or boots I own. They are perfect for keeping my feet warm in bed.

what I’m reading

Book Club was last Monday so I’m between books right now. I have several digital books “on hold” through my library so whatever becomes available first will be my next read.

what I’m watching

Mr. Aitch and I watched What About Bob? Thursday evening. Perfect casting and perfect acting. As usual, we could only remember bits and pieces from when the movie was first shown in 1991 but still thought it was funny.

what I’m loving

I just happened to look of the door to our deck when I spotted this hummingbird flitting from flower to flower. By the time I got my phone out to snap a picture of him, he perched on top of the Tiki torch holder.

what I saw on my walk

I had to text my BFF to find out what kind of bloom this was. It looked like a peony but I wasn’t sure as I’ve never seen one quite like this. She confirmed that it was indeed a peony. That iris was jealous and just had to bend into the frame.

Have a great week!

four things | seventeen

This week was better than last week though my garage door is still not fixed. We decided to have both doors reinforced so maybe they are waiting for the parts…. It’s amazing how one gets used to a luxury then when it’s out of commission, we think we “suffer”. It’s just a nuisance.

I managed to go for a walk everyday this week except for Wednesday (I always skip Sundays). I did get my steps in since I went to two grocery stores and managed to backtrack several times at both.

We had a rather cool day yesterday in the low 60’s so I made veggie beef soup from the leftover roast beef we had earlier in the week. What we don’t finish today will go in the freezer and my future self will be happy for some homemade soup.

Onto this week’s four things…

what I’m watching

I bought some flowers for the front porch and deck plus two tomato plants and a lonely dill plant. It’s been nice weather, not too hot, not too cold, a few showers and plenty of sunshine. I’ll be watching to make sure they have enough water and don’t get too hot later on.

Pepper is checking out the dianthus on the front porch.

From left to right: Calibrachoa, Celosia with Creeping Jenny and Petunias, Lavender with Celosia.

I love lavender and hope to plant them in the ground. I’m just not sure where so for now, large planters are their temporary home.

what I’m loving

Great things do not just happen by impulse,
but as a succession of small things linked together.

Vincent Van Gogh

what I’m doing

Yay!!! My knitting mojo has returned. I have no idea where it went but I’m so overjoyed it’s back!

I’m working on the Trailblazer socks I started at the end of January and then just stopped in February. Maybe it was the dark charcoal grey yarn. Who knows? Fortunately I keep good notes and was able to pick right up where I left off. I’m on the second sock and am halfway through the heel flap. I hope I don’t hit another mental roadblock as I really want to knit something else.

what I saw on my walk

These metal sunflowers replaced the racing bunnies in carrot cars at the mailbox. Once it warms up and stays warm at night, one of our neighbors adds plants at the mailboxes and street signs so these flowers are a placeholder for those.

I posted a picture of this before but I thought I’d show both sides of the birdhouse while those irises are in bloom.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers, grandmothers, aunts, sisters, caregivers, and all the motherly people out there. I hope you enjoy your day!

My Trailblazer socks

I joined my first KAL last month with a free sock pattern, Trailblazer Socks, from Winwick Mum. It looks like a cable running off-center down the front and back of the leg but it doesn’t require a cable needle or holding stitches in front or behind.

The secret is a new-to-me stitch called the Right Lift Increase or the Left Lift Increase along with ssk or k2tog. She has a great tutorial if you need a refresher. It’s relatively self-explanatory but sometimes a picture IS worth a thousand words especially to a visual learner.

I am farther along than these pictures show from the weekend. In fact at this time I’m just a few rows from the toe on the first sock.

The dark yarn makes the cable a little hard to see but I still like the texture it provides.

Speaking of the yarn, this Regia 4-ply is a workhorse of a yarn. I’ve used it before and the yarn doesn’t pill or get holes in it, at least I haven’t had those experiences yet. I plan to knit the toes in one of my hand-dyed yarns leftover from a sock from couple of years ago.

The KAL has ended but as there was no official deadline, I’m going to keep on knitting.

  1. Have you ever joined a KAL, MKAL*, CAL* or MCAL*?
  2. Did you finish the item?
  3. Did you like the finished item?
  4. Would you do it again?

My answers:

  1. This is my first.
  2. Not yet but I will.
  3. So far so good.
  4. Yes, if I like the end product. I don’t think I would do a mystery KAL just because I like to know what I’m investing my time and yarn into.

On to knitting…

Patti nona