What was I doing a few days ago

Since I took these photos, I've finished my most complicated socks ever. These are the same socks I told you I had turned the heel on at the end of July. All the pictures I've taken of them since then have been fuzzy. I'll post something when I have a nice photo of them.


Meanwhile, I've been making progress on my sweater. This is the first time I've knit myself a sweater. I'm using the Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns by Ann Budd, and I'm re-using the yarn from my aborted attempt at a skirt. So far, so good. In the photo you see here, I've finished the back and am part-way up one side of the front. In reality, I've finished one front panel and have just decreased the armhole of the second. It looks like this might actually work.

I have joined a baby-hat project at work. When it comes to chilren's charities, I usually prefer Plan/Childreach to Save the Children. However, Save the Children is doing a baby cap knitting project, and a bunch of us at work are participating.



In gardening news, I've been harvesting between two and three pounds of beans every two to three days. Mmmmmmm.

He made it!

No photos, just happiness. I told you a couple posts ago that my sweetheart was in England. He got back yesterday. If he had been flying today, I think his plane would have been one of the ones cancelled, since he was flying into JFK. All is well in my world now!

Just one reason I love my job

It was brutal here in Connecticut the first week of August. I'm sure they're used to weather over a hundred in Arizona, but "it's a dry heat." We're not quite as bad as Chicago, where we thought we were swimming when we were walking along the street during our one visit there a couple years ago. Still, it was so hot and humid that it was miserable to try to get from the car into the building without looking (and feeling) like you'd just visited a sauna.

But this is the kind of company I work for. Everyone is really thoughtful. This was at the receptionist's desk.

See what I mean? Great people.

To make a short thank-you into a long story....

I was expecting a package from my Secret Pal.

There was a soggy box on my back steps when I got home from work on Tuesday. I was...slightly miffed. The Postie had left it out during the sweltering heat of the day and then we had a "severe thunderstorm" blow through before I could get there to rescue it.

So I brought all my stuff inside (I have to bring home the backup tapes and my computer and of course I had my knitting with me).

Then I went back downstairs and picked up the second box of books that arrived a week after the first box, by which time I had completely forgotten they were coming.

They weren't ruined; the water had only soaked the outside of the box, but not the inside. I re-packed them in a different box and I was happy.

Wednesday there was another box on my back porch when I got home from work, and we had not been treated to a severe thunderstorm to cool us off after scorcher day number two. This was the delivery from my Secret Pal!



The yarn you see is Artyarns Ultramerino 8. MMMMMM. Adagio tea (valentine), a notebook and lavender body oil, as well. It's in the neighborhood of 100 degrees Fahrenheit out there and I think the yarn overwhelms the rest of the lovely package.

Do you think, perhaps, I'm a bit ... addicted? Addled? Truly around the bend and long gone?

Let me give you more evidence of my insanity. I have started this:



A sweater in 100% Peruvian wool (from Knitpicks). This is the back. I have almost used a whole skein already.

If my sweetheart were here, I'd be completely happy. Hot but happy.

Last Week

This is such an overdue post it isn't funny.

My Sweetheart has gone off to England for two weeks and I haven't published the photos I took before he left. He's been gone a week. I am going only slightly out of my mind. (Good song, by the way.)

Anyhow, I've been doing another pair of socks. (If you're surprised, you're new here.)

And after informing my friend (who has offered me a bribe of sock yarn) that I really have had my fill of the clapotis for a while, but she'd better get the yarn before it went completely out of stock everywhere, I knitted a half a scarf.

I think it might have been the promise of sock yarn that did it.



Now for the gardening. Here's a picture of some of the happy plants in my tubs. I've now finished four of them, but at the time of this photo had only filled two. I think my plants like it in there.



I do not have any cute little bunny (jackrabbit!) photos to show you. If I did, you would see why I'm doing all my gardening on my back deck. Take a look at my vertigro.



Yep. This is what happens when insane people are taken by their friends to Disneyworld. We went on the greenhouse tour. I bought a vertigro. This year I planted chard in my original vertigro - the 1-high model.



In my 2x2 model I planted two kinds of beans, broccoli raab, beets on top and a couple marigolds to help attract bees. Nope, I don't see the marigolds anywhere either. I don't think it really matters. I've got baby beans growing right now.







My sweetheart comes back in a week. Just in time for the harvest.