Where did August go?

 Yeah... what the heck? August - I kept saying, "gotta get the blog done, gotta get the blog done..." and then - the rest of August happened. 

On August 11, a derecho blew through, 90-100 mph winds whipping through, and several tornadoes in Illinois. This tree limb was about 2 blocks from my house, and it's resting on power lines. 

We live in an older neighborhood, where all the lines are above ground - and no, the city is not going to bother burying them. We're stuck with it. When a grasshopper farts, or there's a slightly quicker breeze or a "not quite heavy" rain, we can be guaranteed to at least have our power flicker. Or go out entirely. 

Mind you - Tornado Season is April - June. And Tornado Alley was "officially" shifted to include Illinois. When I was a kid, we were always told that we were in "Tornado Alley" - while it was, according to the meteorologists, closer to the Great Plains, Iowa going west. Well, now we're actually in it. 

I was at work when the storms first hit. My office is a renovated 1960s bungalow -- with a cinderblock basement. The power flickered, first, and then went out. Then the sky turned black - like night-time black, and it was about 11 a.m. I sit by two large picture windows, and I saw the wind picking up, so I actually grabbed the flashlight, my purse and my keys and headed down to the basement. I hate the basement. It's small, cramped, and claustrophobic. But I hated the thought of being shredded by window glass even more. The power briefly came back on, so I popped upstairs. 

Then, about 10 minutes later, the sky...turned green. I scampered back down there and stayed there as the sirens were wailing, and the rain was hitting the windows so hard that I thought they were going to break. I was not happy. As soon as it cleared, I packed up the office (now definitely without power and no sign that it was coming back anytime soon) and tried to head home. I work in an older part of the town across the river from where we live. I navigated the old streets, and the many, MANY trees and limbs that were down; neighbors were already out there with chain saws and axes, trying to get the roads cleared and making sure there were no downed wires that were under the trees. Several trees blew over, roots and all. I tried to go my normal route home, and found the way blocked by what seemed like the entire town's supply of cops and emergency vehicles -- there was a large tree that had fallen and taken down live power lines. 

Turned around and went the other way home. It was a mess, so many traffic lights out, so much storm damage. 

We were without power for 3 1/2 days. Thank God for generators. It seems like the "music of the summer" here in the summer of 2026 is the hum of generators. We'll be looking at a whole-house system later this year for sure. I called my mom and asked, "Do I remember that I hated camping as a kid?" She said that both my sister and I were VOCAL in our disdain for camping. 

I still hate it. We were lucky, and I know that. I can't complain: we had generators running, kept the fridge and freezer going, Hubby's computer, one light, and a large fan. But we literally lived in 1 room. I slept on a blow-up mattress and Hubby took the couch (my preference, so don't flame him...I preferred it). 

The neighborhood wasn't as badly hit as some, in terms of trees down. But the power -- Wow. So many people out, ComEd was overwhelmed, and some folks who actually DID get those tornadoes? They were out for the better part of a week. 

And those folks in NW Indiana? Good Lord. They were POUNDED and some areas are still - we're talking since August 12 or so - without power. This is nuts. 

But hey... Global warming is a hoax, right? 

The Knitting...

Oh wow - I managed to pull off an entire FULL-SIZED afghan in FOUR MONTHS. Yeah, I didn't think I could do it either. This is the lovely Soft Serve Panel Throw from Plymouth Encore. It's using 2 tones of Encore Worsted yarn - my personal go-to fave for this and baby items - and I added a border, because I don't do fringe or tassles. 

It's for a wedding, the couple requested the panel colors, and I added the dark pewter with the image of "stained glass" in my head. I hope it worked; I think it does. 

Nerdy Notes: MC = 3 balls of Plymouth Encore Worsted, CC = 2 balls. Size 8 circular needles (24" cable does just fine here) and size I (5.5 mm) crochet hook

FYI, I used 2 balls of dark pewter yarn for the contrasting crochet to attach the panels to each other. You can just use mattress stitch, but my mattress stitch sucks, so... And then I did a double crochet around the perimeter of the entire piece to tie it all together. 

Also -- for some reason, I used 4 balls of the green. I have no idea why. The colors are discontinued - Shamrock Heather and Sunflower. 

I'm back to socks, because I'll be doing some traveling. My mom's white Sophie Hood is going to wait till I'm done being on the road. White doesn't travel well... So I have a sock which I'll show you next time. Right now, it's just the first 6 rows, with my standard "roll" before I start the ribbing. Another vanilla one - using Opal's "The Little Prince" colorway. It's vaguely red-white-blue, which is only marginally patriotic - the tones are pretty muted, so it hollers "blue jeans" rather than "'Murrica!"

So this one is practically "vintage." A long, long long long long time ago, I took 12 balls/hanks of sock yarn, and put them in a large tote. I told Hubby, "Bag these in the brown lunch bags, one hank/ball each, and mark them for one month of the year, starting in January, because I'm going to knit a pair of socks a month for a solid year."

Yeah, no. It didn't work out. First off, I was relatively new at socks at that time, and I'm not the world's fastest knitter from the get-go. I got through the first quarter, sort of. Then, there were other projects: baby knits, a wedding gift, Christmas... and I started realizing that knitting a pair of socks a month just wasn't going to happen. 

I asked him to pull one of those bags for this "travel knitting," and he did - this was July, I believe. The plain vanilla will do well with this colorway, as it's looking like it's more variegated than self-patterning, but it's early yet. It feels nice to have my hands on socks again. 

I was finishing the afghan as the heat wave hit. Having a large wool afghan on your lap (even in the A/C) when it's 100 degrees outside is not optimal. But it's done and ready to hand over to the happy couple. 

Travel... 

Heading out to see Kid #1. It's the first time I'll have been out there in a couple years. Since before my hip replacement, actually. 

I have no pictures, but you'll have to trust me -- in order to prepare myself for the trip, I took a couple horseback riding lessons. I hadn't been on horseback in almost 8-ish years, and since then, with the hip replacement, I just wanted to be sure that I was ok. I ride Western, which is a whole lot more comfortable, given the new "hardware" (and yeah, even though it's been a little over 3 years, it's still "new" to me). 

I was able to ride at the stable where I volunteer, and I rode both Deuce and Zeus -- and yes, I know that sounds terribly confusing. Deuce is a lovely quarter horse, a big boy. Zeus is a Paint, a bit smaller. 

The picture here is Deuce; he's one of the horses I clean up after. Isn't he the cutest? He can be a bit spicy, but he is a very steady therapy horse. 

We have a new trainer in the barn, and she and I have really hit it off. I enjoyed my lessons with her, and I would like to book more - it was fun to get back on the horses, and while this was prep for trail riding, it was fairly easy - just walking, maybe a faster walk, learning (again) to steer, getting my seat back in order, and just moving with the horse. 

That's why I prefer Western. Posting - which I tried pre-hip-replacement - was not for me, and now with the hip, it's a no-go. I'm sure that if I had done it before, it would be different, but I dislike the constant up-and-down, and I want to just sit comfortably on the horse and follow its natural movements. More "Gary Cooper on a horse" rather than "Olympic dressage." 

The Garden...

I have 22 tomatoes. Only one of which looks like it might turn ripe before I have to leave for vacation... The squirrels got a lot of the green ones, and I'm hoping they've moved on to collecting the acorns which are starting to fall - for some reason, my tomatoes are late, even though I planted them on time. 

We had a weird summer, that's all I can tell you. 

And the hummingbirds are starting to migrate. My feeder has been like a Route 66 diner in the days of the Mother Road. The birds are ignoring the two bright red mandevillas next to the feeder and they're starting to fuel up for the big flight back toward Mexico. This little girl seems to be a frequent customer - but it's hard to tell them apart. We may just be getting more females this year. She posed so pretty! That's our maple tree behind her. 

Even though we tried for a second leafing-out of the red romaine, it didn't amount to much, and the basil all went to seed. What was left of all the plants after August 11 with the derecho - they were pretty beat up. The pink petunias seemed to handle things ok, though, and they're hanging in there. 

We didn't even get the fountain up at all this year. The birds had to do with the regular bird bath and the small solar fountain hanging on the lamp post. 

Current Affairs...

I thought I had some stuff to say about The State of Things... but I find that I really just don't want to deal with it. I want to go find dog grooming videos on YouTube. I'm not tuning out, honestly. I just need the mental break. 

I finished my 150 Signs of Justice postcards and they'll be mailed out in a few weeks, as a nudge to voters. 

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: This I will say -- If you have a mail-in ballot - DO NOT MAIL IT IN. Do a search or call your County Clerk's Office and find out where the authorized drop-boxes are. Drop your ballot in there. Don't trust the USPS. There's something brewing, even though there's a court order against it. 

Court orders are - apparently - suggestions. 

Ahem. 

Anyway, our local Clerk's Office has almost a dozen locations for drop-boxes, including several public libraries. I like to drop mine off at the Clerk's Office because the box is bolted into the concrete, has lights on it 24/7, is monitored by a camera, and there's usually a Sheriff's Police car sitting somewhere close by. I don't call that "election interference." I call it "Safeguarding my right to vote." 

The Demented Current Occupant and his merry band of under-equipped and stupid sycophants are determined to hold onto power any way they can. They've been TOLD that they can't implement any part of the SAVE Act. But like the following: 

• The Rose Garden 
• The East Wing 
• The Kennedy Center 
• The cherry trees 
• The weeping willows
• The East Lawn
• The reflecting pool... 

None of that matters. HIS word - his executive orders (which, I will once again point out, are NOT LAW - AND THEY ONLY APPLY TO THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH)... that's all that matters because Congress and SCOTUS have abrogated their responsibilities. 

John Roberts -- NOW you're thinking he's got too much power? Dude. Dude. Seriously? 

Oh. I guess I actually DID have something to say. 

Random Picture...

Who actually eats flour? I'm not kidding - I'm honestly asking. 

I was doing a very rare mid-year baking of cookies, and this label on the top of the flour bag just hit me weird. I mean, when I was a kid, we made paste out of flour and water, and yeah, a kid or two (not me, honestly - I thought the whole thing was gross) would taste it. We used to mix it up, tear newspapers into strips, and then we'd "paste" them over balloons. Pop the balloon and make a "bowl" as a gift to our moms. Hey, it was art. 

But who actually EATS raw flour? 

The cookies turned out fine, but it was certainly weird to make them in August instead of November, like I usually do. 

Now, I am going to go find those dog-grooming videos... 

For the love of GOD...

...just for ONCE could we be like the Repubs? Could we make a plan and stick with it? Can we have consistent messaging? Can we rein in our rogues who think it's fine to just blather away without regard to the fallout from their word-vomit? 

I'm so over the Dems getting thisclose to something and then blowing themselves up. We are going to be fine. Fine, I tell you. Because we outnumber them. We are angry. We are passionate about human rights, and we do NOT want to be ruled by a king. Or a madman. 

Get out, check your registration, and vote. Work the polls, become an election judge, work for a candidate. Write postcards. Show up for candidate forums. Join the League of Women Voters (it's not just for women) -- a grassroots organization which empowers voters and specializes in voter education and registration. While the tagline says "defending democracy," it's the idea that this country was founded as a democratic republic, not to be ruled over but to have a participatory government of, for, and by the people. 

Is it perfect, this democratic republic? Nope. But is it better than a fascist country run by a dictator? Um, yeah...especially for women and those who are not conforming to the "white guys rule everything" scenario that's been our lot for far too many generations. 

Women especially: If you haven't looked up Project 2025, do it now. Read it. Because the MAGA whack-jobs that want to put a demented orange fart into the most powerful (thanks SCOTUS, we wanted to get AWAY from a king...) position in the world, and while they're at it, they want to strip everyone of their rights, get rid of a free press, and allow a president to act with impunity. They plan to use the Comstock Act to restrict our rights to our own reproductive freedom. This act was made law in 1873. Quoting Bette Davis in her memorable film Jezebel, "EIGHTEEN SEVENTY THREE, dumpling!"

And it gets worse from there. It's time to get up off your butt and be that change. This is NOT the year to figure that "someone else" is going to do something. You know what? WE are "someone else" here. 

The Knitting...

I bit the bullet. I am currently knitting an Emotional Support Chicken, the latest knitting craze. I'm not a "craze" kind of person, but this one? I think maybe I need one. In any event, I'm making them for Xmas gifts. 

I have a bunch of yarn that I had stashed from making all the baby stuff, mostly Encore Worsted, which is what this chicken calls for. You can do just about anything - any color combo, any arrangement of the colors of the yarn in the different parts of the chicken. All you have to know is short rows - or wrap + turn. There are a LOT of w+t parts here. 

The above is just a bit of my Encore leftovers. Though I did buy the pink variegated and the red sparkly. I need the red for the comb & wattle, and the pink is for one of the gift chickens. I have safety eyes coming from Amazon. And I'm now kind of sad that I got rid of a boat-load of Polyfil because each chicken takes about a pound and a bit. 

My first impression was that I should have been paying attention. I ended up grabbing some grey worsted, but it wasn't worsted. It came from my friend's stash, and was going to make a nice base color - except that it was bulky. And I started knitting anyway. I wasn't quite paying attention to how you attach both sides of the tail bits, so that got frogged. I figured it out as I was trying to pick up and knit on the long side - which didn't look very long. Duh. So I decided, since I also don't have as much of that bulky grey as I thought I had, that this chicken was going to be more pink variegated. I'm doing the part from the body to the neck in the pink. Then instead of stripes at the neck, we'll switch to the grey for the head. 

It's going to be as big as a regular chicken, to be honest. The pattern is written clearly, and there's a really comprehensive tutorial on YouTube that I've been working with as I move through each section of the pattern. 

Knitting hurts... After I finished that beaded Qiviut cowl, I knew I had "over-knitted" on the left hand. It's always had a tad bit less strength than the right one - not because I'm dominant in the right hand, but because the thumb fusion causes me to use my hand slightly differently than I would if the thumb was fully mobile. 

I ended up going back to Dr. Mass, who put both my hands back together, and thankfully, I caught him between retirements... I ended up with a Kenalog shot - basically thick steroids that usually last longer than cortisone. If this doesn't help (and knock wood, so far it has), I need an MRI and he said, "we'll see what's going on."

Funny story (well, it wasn't funny at the time): I had had a cortisone shot (which I believe I talked about here) about 3 months before this, and the doctor at that time said I was "very brave," but yeah - you're sticking a needle into my VERY numbed hand. It's easy enough to sit still. 

Dr. Mass doesn't do numbing. Yes, he is actually THAT good, but his assistant/intern handed him the wrong needle. We went thru the whole shot thing, and no Kenalog was coming out. It's very viscous and takes a larger needle (sorry - I'm just as squeamish and I lived to tell about it!). He hands the needle back to his assistant, and says, "get me the bigger one." Apologizes to me, fusses at the intern, and gets the bigger needle. And does it all again. With no lidocaine and a LOT of Lamaze breathing. I felt it going in. I mean, like felt it spreading into the area he was aiming the needle into. I told the intern that he was not getting Xmas cookies... There was also a lot of ice and liberal use of compression gloves. Tommy Copper for the win, I have to say. So far, it's been doing its job and I'm not swelled as bad as I was. I can at least sleep in peace, use my hand mostly as normal for my yoga practice, and I can knit for a reasonable amount of time without pain. 

It occasionally comes back, but not as bad. And then I set the knitting aside and read a book. You really have to do that. Hand health is a thing. I do regular hand yoga and I make sure that I stop what I'm doing periodically and get up and stretch, flex and extend my fingers, make a fist and let go, and rotate my shoulders. It all helps. Set a timer if you have to, to make sure that you set aside your keyboard, put aside your needles, or whatever you need to do to make sure you give your hands a rest. 

The BlendJet Saga...

Ok, so this is such a First World problem. But it was an issue and I had to get obnoxious. Shocking, I know. 

Last November(ish), I bought two BlendJet blenders. One for my friend J in a Minnie Mouse design, and one for me, in a garnet red design. Gave J her blender and then got an email that the blenders "may" be under a Consumer Protection Agency recall due to a safety issue. So we checked our serial numbers, and yes, they were. I sent them both back as per their instructions. And waited. 

I did ask them to replace J's unit with a matching one, since it was a gift, and about 3 weeks later, she got her base back. 

Not me. First, they had "supply chain issues," which was a common excuse post-Covid. Then it was "first in, first out" - which I thought I was since it was literally 2 days after the recall notice that I sent the forms in saying our units were under the serial numbers listed. I sent them in not a week after receiving the notice. 

Months went by. Months with no communication, and only 1 more email saying, "We understand, but you'll get yours when we get to you." I looked at Facebook and found a BlendJet group where I found I wasn't the only one left hanging. 

Cut to June. Seriously, 6 months. To get a base for a blender. I wrote an email. It was quite a scorcher, in which I asked them to either replace the entire unit or give me a refund so I could go buy a Ninja, which seemed to have far fewer problems and better customer service. I told them that if they just left us all hanging, they'd experience just the drop in customer service ratings as they had and that they essentially did it to themselves. 

I got an email back saying that they apologized, and "knew that you were anxious to start blending again," and lo and behold... 2 weeks later, I had a brand new blender lid and base -- in the lovely Galaxy color, since the ruby red was out of stock... I think if they'd have sent me ANYTHING at that point, I'd have been shocked. And there were additional concerns that people had expressed that, once they got their replacement bases, the entire unit still didn't work. 

Luckily, mine works. I keep it at the office so that I can do a quick breakfast shake or lunch shake when I don't want to have a heavy lunch. 

I have a perfectly fine VitaMix (refurbished) at home, but it's clunky and hard to clean. And for some reason, I haven't been on the usual vegetable smoothie kick. I need to get back to making a batch of smoothies so that I don't have to fuss a lot. But for now, the BlendJet is doing nicely. The point is, that since I'm not making batches of smoothies, the big blender is a pain for just one breakfast smoothie. I was in the habit of making 4-6 servings and consuming them during the course of a week. But when I started doing singles, the "shaker jar" was ok, till I wanted to add more bulk to the smoothies. Then, the shakers just weren't powerful enough. I thought the BlendJet would work, and so far it has. Recall aside!

Mind you, I didn't swear or threaten in my email. I just gave them a lesson in customer service and used a healthy dose of snark. Worked for me!

The Garden...

Well. The wildflower garden is succeeding beyond my wildest dreams! The three different varieties of lavender are spectacular. I can't smell a thing, but every bee in the neighborhood has found our house. The coneflowers, Prairie Blazing Star, chives (that we let go to flowers) and the hanging baskets have all provided a haven for bees -- and my SECOND batch of caterpillars on the parsley. The black swallowtails are visiting their abundant "nursery" and laying more eggs. As I was taking pictures tonight, there must've been 6 or 8 bumblebees whizzing past and around me as if to say, "excuse me, I have a flower I need to get to!" as they swarmed around the lavender and the chives. They seem to have left the coneflowers to the butterflies, but they do enjoy the purple salvia too!

I've been out with the "big camera" - the 35mm Canon Rebel - and taking some pictures and having a blast refining my ability to play with depth of field. It was quite rusty - or *I* was quite rusty, but somehow, it's all falling into place this time. I have to do some judicious editing - cropping and expanding to get the full picture of the bees, but I do have some great shots. 

We had a storm blow up. And I mean BLOW up. I had gotten up for work, and was sitting in my chair near the picture window. It didn't seem right, though, and I looked outside. It was like it was 9:15 p.m. outside. I took a few quick snaps with my phone, but they looked "normal" since my phone has pretty much automated settings in the camera app. 

I brought out the Canon and this is what I saw - which is what my eyeballs saw... Yeah. Luckily, it was
just black, and not green. Those of us in Tornado Alley know the difference. The temperature dropped a good fifteen degrees, and while I was in my bathrobe (drives Hubby nuts, but I'm more covered than most people are...), I felt the first big raindrops. 

I know this looks like a black blob - but blow it up and you'll see how dramatic it was. The "edge" on the right is my white gutter. 

The rain and wind came fast and furious. The streets flooded, the water had whitecaps as it rolled down the street. I thought we'd lose the hanging baskets and hummingbird feeders. And the garden flags were definitely horizontal on their flag stands. And then the hail came. At least dime-sized. 

But thankfully, it eased up in about an hour and I was able to get to work. It rained all day off and on that day and the streets at my office did the same thing - it was a pretty good soaking rain, which we needed, but it would've been nice without it looking like the sky was falling. 

For those NOT in Tornado Alley, when the sky turns green - and we're talking "split pea and ham soup" green, with that yellow-ish cast, and the air gets still and the hair on your arms starts to stand up -- you're about to get hit by a tornado, so you need to take cover. A blue-black sky is simply Mother Nature having a ginormous hissy fit. 

Random Picture...

This is our first 4th with no doggos. I'm sad. And I do want another one - which is strange. But I do. But I'm glad, listening to the neighborhood pyromaniacs, that we don't have one right now. 

The neighborhood is hopping, though I know it'll be worse tomorrow - probably all day tomorrow. 

These same people will scream bloody murder at the cost of gas and the cost of groceries. They'll blame Biden and the Dems for jacking up prices, instead of handing it back to the big corporations who are gouging prices and getting away with that AND not paying their fair share of taxes. But they're blowing up hundreds of dollars. Seems like their priorities are a bit ... off. 

Anyway, I had a late night - or early morning - last week. We had a film crew out shooting at the church. I was the "onsite coordinator," which wasn't necessarily on my career radar, but hey - I'm a Liberal Arts graduate, I can do anything. 

The crew needed night shots, so they started at 4 p.m. and went ostensibly till midnight, but they ran over, as one does in the movie business. I got up out of my chair around midnight to see how the boys were doing, and they were doing the final outside shots. I took this picture of our church, as it was all lit up from the inside. We have a beautiful building, and you can feel the history in it. It's a magical place. 

They were extraordinarily thankful and respectful of our space. When they were outside in the front, all the lights were turned the way they were needed and a few of the crew were maybe a bit louder than normal for midnight, and the producer said, "Hey, this is a neighborhood and people are sleeping!" They quieted right down and got down to business. 

The director said they'd be another "little bit," which turned out to be closer to 2 a.m. They were all standing outside in their hoodies and freezing, and I'm standing there in shorts and a shirt, since it's a lovely 68 degrees outside. I don't know what they were feeling, but seeing as they were from north of Chicago, I was a little perplexed. 

After we cleaned up the church (I helped because it was just easier), I left about 2:30 a.m. and got home at 2:45 a.m. It's not uncommon for Hubby to get up at 3 a.m. to get into the office at 4 a.m. -- so I honestly thought I'd run into him coming out to go to work! Needless to say, I took the next day off. 

Anyway, I'm looking forward to the preview of the movie, and when I can share, I will do so. This isn't our first go-round with the film industry, and we're happy to be the site for films as long as they're respectful of our space and our neighborhood. 

Projects in Progress...

So, there've been a few things going on around here. At least in the knitting world. And today, I helped paint a bathroom - TARDIS blue, as a matter of fact!

Knitting On...

Kid #2 asked me, "When you have a chance..." to make a hat for a 3-year old girl. One of his friends has a couple of kids, and I guess I'm asked to make a hat for the youngest one. I have a pattern and I need to see what I have in stash. And I need to see if I have the needles. Why is it that it's always "I don't have those needles" even though your pile of needles is quite huge?

We shall see if I have the stuff needed. I'm looking at the "Emergency One Day Hat" from Ravelry (Celia's Basket). Of course, it'll take me more than one day - I'm not a fast knitter even in the best of circumstances. 

The priority at this point is the mitts, as they are for a birthday in November. Then I can squeeze in the hats, but I'm also working on "prayer squares" for church (more on that in a sec...).

I've finished one mitt. I've got the other one to go. It's using the Stone Tulips to match the shawl, and I did end up crocheting them, as I promised. Much faster, but boy-o-boy, crocheting with sock yarn is fiddly. 

I'm still faster in this method, but the small size of the yarn did slow me down a bit more than I thought it would. 

These are kind of blocky. But then, I'm one of those with larger hands and smaller wrists. I like the way the yarn flowed with the pattern; there wasn't a ton of pooling, and it's just enough to keep wrists and hands warm. It won't work on a frigid day, but then again, that's why one wears gloves or mittens. 


As I indicated, that first row or two are quite a challenge, and they curl like crazy. You think they're never going to straighten out, but eventually, you get it. After about row 8, you're doing just fine. There's a right and wrong, at least to my eyes. And what I seem to have trouble with, at this gauge and weight of yarn, is the tension. I'm usually the "tension queen" thanks to Granny's teaching. But this is a pain in the fingers. The first few rows are also a little tight, and I'm making a conscious effort to loosen up as I go. 

The mitts worked out to be 5.25" from the first chain, and that hits me right at the base of the knuckles. That's about right, and the length is below that bony part of your wrist (can't think of the name...maybe the Pisiform bone? That one that sticks out along the outer edge. Anyway, the mitts go below that bone. 

I wish they looked less square, but I think they'll be fine. I need to work on an actual pattern, one of these days. 

The Prayer Squares are a concoction of our priest. She used them in another parish. Instead of a whole prayer shawl, which takes some time to knit, she likes these as little "talismans" of prayer. 

She's going to be installed at our church and she's asked about the Prayer Shawl group doing these. I figured I had enough worsted weight scraps, so I started a few. That's when Kid #2 saw the purple sparkly yarn and asked about the hat. The kid may not get a purple sparkly hat, but if needed I guess I can go buy another hank of that if I don't find something else suitable in the stash. 

Anyway, I think I could do these in other yarn weights; I have bulky left, and somewhere, lots of Lion Brand chunky. 

I can do these squares over lunch, even sneaking in a walk before eating (which I want to do now that the weather is cooperating). 

But we'll see; the committee putting together her installation is meeting soon, so we can figure it all out. 

The Blue Bathroom...

So this was the bathroom in our church office, which is really a house. From the 50's we think, but we're not sure. There's a ton of work to do with the place, but we did do some emergency repairs to the bathroom, since we're working in there. And the priest and I hated the bathroom. 

So now, we like the toilet, a nice water-saving kind with two buttons to flush... for, um, you know - whichever one you need. The white vanity was a replacement of the old one which was brown. The wallpaper is right out of Laura Ashley. The tile, remarkably, is in great shape. But that harvest gold?? Yikes. 

The priest put up a really cute tapestry of a turtle, and we got to chatting about what to do with the wallpaper. 

She said, "Paint it." Of course, normally, you'd tear it off. This house is old enough to have plaster walls. We don't know what's under the wallpaper, whether we'd have to steam/score it and what it would look like after the scoring device got done. 

Do you repair the damage to the wall and then paint it? Well, we decided to just paint it, using the leftover paint we used in the reception area.

I suppose you could call it "sapphire" blue. I prefer TARDIS blue, of course. Or "Cubbie Blue." Which it has been called, sometimes with a sneer, by those other baseball fans. 

She did most of the work (that's her, right there in the picture); I managed to drip paint on the floor, and I ended up reaching the high parts, since neither of us thought to get a real ladder. Hubby will paint the ceiling for us. That leaves the kitchen/dinette area and the hallway. The hallway will be white, since it's short and kind of dark. The kitchen/dinette will use up the rest of the blues from the reception area, with light blue, kind of a porcelain blue (you can see it sort of in the Random Picture below). And maybe using the TARDIS blue again as an accent wall. 

It's fun to paint the place; we're transforming it from an area where our church "stored stuff" to something that's warm and cozy and welcoming to people. 

New Diffuser...

I actually think I have more diffusers than I need. I just opened up my Lantern diffuser. It replaces my Dessert Mist, which will be coming home from the office soon, since they have their own kit now. And I have the Rainstone, which I've been coveting for a while. I probably should have stopped with the diffusers, since we have a small house! I might bring another one to the church office; in the kitchen, maybe. We'll see.

Anyway: Lantern in the front room. Dewdrop in the kitchen. Rainstone in one bedroom. Dessert Mist will be in the office,once I get the table cleared off; I'd like to put it by the bookshelves, but I have to go where the outlets are. Home diffuser in the larger bathroom. And a couple of spares for demonstrations. 

I like this one; it's metal and glass, so it's pretty hefty. It's got a couple different settings, and on the "low" setting, it runs for about 8 hours. The lights can be white, candle flicker, and rotating through a bunch of colors. You can also pick just one. I like to rotate them. 

Interestingly enough, I usually use distilled water, but the Rainstone says to use tap or mineral water. That might be a good test of our water! Anyway, I'll let you know how I like the Rainstone in a later post. 

We've been lucky enough to sleep with the windows open, so I see no sense in diffusing to the back yard! I'll enjoy sleeping in the cooler weather, as long as the skunks stay away! Nothing like being awakened in the wee hours having to race around closing windows before the entire house reeks. I love my essential oils, but a layer of skunk usually wrecks any attempt to sleep or breathe. 

Random Picture...

This was a stencil that Kid #2 made for me. I love the saying. Especially in these times. That blue paint is the one that we may use in the kitchen. 

Anyway, this is hanging in the church office. I look at it a lot to remind myself, especially now, when it looks like we're headed into an abyss from which our country may never recover. 

We need to vote. We need to register as many people as we can. And we need to make sure people can get to the polls. 

When we say, "vote as if your life depends on it," unfortunately, now-a-days? We mean it. 

What with the allegations against the SCOTUS nominee looking more and more dreadful, and with Congress willingly enabling the village idiot, one has to wonder what's going to happen to us. 

Really, I've been reading so many heart-wrenching posts on Facebook from friends I know - I mean KNOW, in real life. People are having to relive things they shouldn't have to. People are mentally wounded because of all of this bubbling up. 

The only power we really have (so far) is at the polls. It's all we have to cling to now. Let's make it work in November. 

The Broken Rock...

I may have mentioned that we're looking for a new vicar at our church. It's been a long process and we've had a couple of people interested. 

In the meantime, we have a substitute vicar who's covering services through Easter. There's this sermon, and it's been sticking in my head for a few weeks now. Believe me, that's a record... 

And it's all about a rock. 

It's Lent. I grew up Catholic and about 7 years ago, went to the Episcopal Church. That in itself is another whole blog entry, so we won't digress now. We looked around, we found the church we now attend, and we're very involved. 

So, much like the Catholic Church, Lent is still 40 days. Still solemn. And still, people "give up" something. 

Rev. Shawn brought in this basket of river rocks. Some oblong, some round, some polished brightly, some matte. She passed it around and said, "Pick a rock." 

The premise of this sermon is that we have to use Lent as a time to go inward and decide: Are we living the life God (however you perceive God to be) wants you to live? 

Sure, you can give up cussing, or coffee, or chocolate. But you also need to think about it: Scripture has it that Jesus went into the wilderness for 40 days (Lent = 40 days, get it?). Maybe our own "wilderness" has less to do with "giving up" than "going inside." Go inside and make some discoveries of your own. 

So why the rock? Well. The rock is a symbol. Hold it, let your body heat warm it. Then put your wishes on it. Or put your troubles on it. Then, wash the rock. Wash away the troubles. Send the wishes out to the Universe. 

That's the essence of the sermon. And what I like is that my rock is broken. Because as a human being, I'm in some ways broken. As are we all. The broken bits make us who we are. As my friend Tom said, as we were talking today, each of us is entitled to keep our broken bits to ourselves. But sometimes, those broken bits need to be let go of. 

So wash away what you don't need. See if that helps you go through life a little bit lighter. 

Mother Nature's Show...

The other night, after Yin class, I saw this... This sunset is one of the more spectacular ones, and we've had a few lately. This is one benefit of living in the semi-boonies. We're far enough out in the "country" so as to get lots of sky, but unfortunately, we still have lots of street lights, which give far too much light pollution for a good old star-gazing.

Last night, coming in from class, I happened to look up and saw a perfectly black sky, the half moon, and a bunch of stars. We love our sunsets, but we also love our moon and stars, too. I reminded myself of the necessity of a simple thing: look up. 

Seriously, I'm not one of those tied to looking down on her phone, but with my schedule, I'm often running here or there. And my head is often down, either to watch where I'm walking or in thought. Thinking about travel time, getting where I need to be, etc. 

I need to look up. There's beauty there. 

Speaking of Mother Nature's ability to put on a show, the ground hadn't even thawed, and she gave us ... RAIN. Lots of rain. INCHES of rain. Which, because of the ground being frozen about 3" down, had nowhere to go. So it did the only thing it could, and flooded the crap out of many of our roads, parks, yards... The rivers were impressive. And the viaducts were dangerous. 

Yes, a few people were crazy enough to try to drive under the viaducts with all the water there. And yes, a few people were stranded and had to abandon their vehicles. Y'all were warned... The various cities and townships closed down roads as appropriate. The shot above is outside the dog park. As you click on it, you can see how high the river is running under that bridge. 

I was coming toward the studio and stopped at the cemetery - well, there are 2 cemeteries, but one is where my great-grandma is buried. The other, right across the street, is the cemetery for Stateville Penitentiary. It's not used anymore, but there are still graves there, and they're still maintained. Once in a while you'll see someone in there visiting. The space is half empty, actually. I have to go back in the spring or summer, and take some pictures. You're allowed to do that, but they will stop you if you try to go onto the farms or on other penitentiary property. As you can see, part of the area is pretty low-lying. Nobody's crypt has come to the surface. But you have to wonder when the ground will actually thaw enough to let the water absorb. 

Now for Knitting... 

It's been a while. It's been about 10 days since I actually picked up needles. I did a few rows on the "traveling sock" at work Monday during my lunch hour. I'm actually looking forward to knitting outside soon, and having a quiet space for lunch. My favorite park is only a few blocks from the office. 

So I got squishy mail... The pink is for a very special rendition of the "Close to You" shawl. I have to start that one soon. The recipient will, I hope, not only love it but wear it. 

I knit for only a few people, and I want them to use what I make. Don't wrap it in tissue paper and "save it for later." One thing I've learned: later never comes. Just wear it. That's what I made it for. 

The other one, I'm not really sure. It was on clearance, and I have to see what it looks like wound up. Honestly, it reminds me of a field of sunflowers, but I'm not sure what to do with it. I can't really wear any of the colors in this yarn close to my face. 

So, technically, I could make this into a pretty funky pair of socks and be happy with them. But I don't think a shawl is in the cards for the yellow-toned one. 

It goes into the bag and it'll sit there for a while till I get to it. I might try another go at Petty Harbour with this yarn just to see how it looks in a hand-dyed yarn. 

This little gem (the blue plastic thingie) is my Snark guitar tuner/metronome combo. The bag I was using (the one it came with) was falling apart, so presto-change-o, I whipped up yet ANOTHER crocheted bag. I was going to go for another button-down bag, but I ended up with a more tube-like contraption, with ribbon in some eyelets. We'll see how it works. If nothing else, I can make a crocheted chain and run that through the eyelets if the ribbon becomes annoying. I used a bit of the remaining Kiwi yarn - that merino + possum blend. I don't have enough left for a hat, but if I did want to get a white merino blend, I could use this teal as a cuff on the hat - I have enough in the ball left for that. The original hat I have done in this is quite warm, though I do wear earmuffs with it when it's really cold outside. I wear it much like a cloche - down to the top of my eyeglasses. 

Not necessarily fashionable, but this is one warm yarn! 

And for the socks... Petty Harbour is what I'm working on tonight. And I noticed something funny. Or at least funny to me. The Petty Harbour socks will match Raisa. Almost exactly. 

It took me a few minutes to get her to sit still - she didn't like needles that close to her neck, though. Her fur isn't that of a typical Husky - it's actually a very light coat. She has the undercoat, but it's not as thick as I've had before with prior huskies. So I get that she doesn't want 5 pointy things aiming at her neck!

Anyway, I got her to sit still for a nanosecond and snapped the shot. As you can see, the yarn pretty closely matches my dog... Not that it will matter. 

Because when I wear these, and when they get covered in dog hair, it'll be the white hair that sticks out on the socks. 

It always is. 

Be A Voter...

I don't know if you have primaries in your areas, but we have a big one coming up March 20. I've been writing postcards (to the point of hand cramps) - which is probably why knitting has come to a temporary standstill. I have campaign signs in my yard. I'm talking about local politics with local folks. I'm phone-banking. 

It's time to put my actions where my intentions have been. I've walked in two Women's Marches, and I held up a sign saying that it's time to get involved. 

In Illinois, we have closed primaries. You have to declare your party. I'm an election judge, and in order to continue to be a judge, I have to vote in primaries. It is what it is. People often ask why we do a primary, why can't we just get the whole ballot?

Well, that would be one huge general election, wouldn't it? Primaries are part of the process, and it narrows the field down so that we can hopefully vote the best person into the office. 

Though we have a problem in Will County...for our County Clerk, we have a woman running who's been charged with a felony, and for some odd reason, she's been endorsed by the county establishment. 

I'm voting for the other person. The one without a felony charge. It's kind of a no-brainer. 

Be that as it may...if you have a primary election coming up, in this time and place in our history, don't blow it off. Vote. It's a right people have died for. 

Random Picture...

So I'm still on that rant. I've contacted my legislators, and I've voiced my support for a gun dealer law that would put more rules on the dealers. They'll have to get over it. The law needs to be passed, and we have to have reasonable restrictions on who gets a gun. 

Arming teachers? No. Just no. Teachers teach. 

Teachers are not guards. 

Our schools are not prisons. 

The answer is a combination of social safety nets and consistent, sensible regulations. 

We just have to get to that point in the conversation. I'm not sure we're there yet. 

And yeah, I know. Technically, this is a xylophone, not a glockenspiel. Roll with it. 

I'm going to set this picture here and let you meditate on it. I've just been told I have to write a sermon for Sunday... This could be interesting... 

It's a Sweater...

...and even a pair of tiny little socks! Now, all I have to do is finish the hat. I have to get a 12" circular size 5 needle. 

Of course the moment I buy one, I'll find that I have 6 of them...That's the way that works, I suppose. 

I love the way this yarn pooled at the back. The front, I'm ok with, and I really like the stitch definition. It's Cascade 220 Superwash, hand painted. The little guy's mom isn't exactly a "pink and blue" traditionalist. I think she'll like the edginess of this sweater. 

Before seaming

It's a great pattern: New Arrival Cardigan - and it's on Ravelry. I got mine from a promo for renewing a magazine subscription, but I'm happy to see it's on Rav - I think it's a wonderful "first sweater" pattern. 

I usually make the 6-month size and this time was no different. After all, I was planning for a "regular" delivery - not a preemie! So we joke that the sweater will actually fit for longer than 5 minutes...

Before buttons

The socks are from Pure & Simple Layette, from "Itty Bitty Knits." The socks are more newborn-sized, so it'll be interesting. I'm also doing a simple hat that I found on Ravelry as well, because I have the yarn. The hat is going to be "baby" sized - in other words, not a preemie or a newborn size, but a regular "baby" size of about 14 - 16" circumference. I think that way we can stretch the entire gift so that he can wear it over several seasons. 

I got the yarn on clearance, so it's doubtful that I can find any more of it - and I may as well use it. I didn't think I'd have enough, actually, so I'm not sure how it all worked out, but I'm happy it worked the way it did. 

As you can see, the buttons really pop here. I used my plastic "wide eye" needle and simply crossed the yarn from one hole to the other and then tied it off. It's the easiest way to secure the buttons. 

Normally, when I sew, I use a "spacer" to give the button a little bit of a neck. When you sew your button on, you don't tighten it up to the fabric. You leave it a little loose, and when you pull the thread back up (before you go into the shaft or the button's holes), you wrap the thread around 5 or 6 times, giving it a little "neck" which is quite sturdy in spite of how it appears. It looks loose, but it really is strong. But it's not for a baby. Tighter is better for a baby, with the whole issue of choking on buttons. 

All done!

This sweater looks great in any similar weight yarn, and I've made it in pastels, brights, ombres and solids. I've done it in acrylic, with a "giveaway" yarn that I thought would make a good charity project. What I mean is, I was given the yarn, did a yarn test because we had no ball band, determined it was acrylic, and then knitted this up in a blue-white ombre. I used buttons from my button tin and it'll be lovely for a Giving Tree or something. I haven't decided what to do with that one. I have enough of that yarn to make a hat as well. I've got it partially started, and I'm just playing with a "made it up" pattern I'm tweaking. I'm not sure if it'll come to anything, but I want to try it. I like to try to give "pairs" of things for babies. 

I used my Kollage Square needles, and I have to say - those points are SHARP! But it was worth it. The tension came out perfectly and I was able to knit for quite a long period each time. There's only one hitch - I do worry about the cable connection to the needle. 


It's smooth; it's lovely. But I noticed that it looked like it might be wearing a bit. I'm hoping it's just an illusion. So far, I've never had a circular pair break. I think it'd be a tragedy if they broke mid-project, but nothing I couldn't deal with. 

For the socks, I just used plain size 5 DPNs, but a set of 4. That was awkward, especially at the toes. But for this size sock, the toes turned out remarkably nicely with a Kitchener closing. I was able to bury the one "ear" when I pulled the thread through the back and tied it off. 

This was speedy-knitting at its best! I finished the socks in a weekend. One sock a day. I could see doing this as a charity project. But I think I'd do a plain heel. After all, as newborns, (a) they're not in shoes, and (b) they're not walking. 

I did my usual knit a row around before the ribbing. I do wonder about just doing a straight up knitted sock - would they roll off? Kick off? Would they stay up on a chunky leg? Might be worth a try. It takes about 1.75 ounces of yarn, which was almost the rest of the ball I had left after the sweater was done. It was a great way to use up the last bit, which I wouldn't have used in a hat, because I like to do hats with a whole ball - no tie-offs in mid-hat!

As usual, the heel turn was magic even in a teeny tiny little sock. It came together a lot more quickly too. 

Sock #2 is nicer. Sock #1 is a little smaller, which I can't understand. I'm a religious "note taker" knitter. I think it'll be ok, overall. But it bugs me a bit. I try hard to match my socks. 

I hope Mamma likes the set. I can't wait to start the hat; that'll be this weekend. I think it'll go really quickly because it's a rolled brimmed hat. Knit, knit, knit till the decreases, and then tie off the top. I might try an I-cord for the top, just to add a little interest; not sure yet. 

A New Venture...

Way back a little less than 40 years ago, I dabbled in watercolors. Mrs. Decman, our high school art teacher, taught us. I see so many different things on Pinterest and the general internet - I thought it was about time for me to play with them again. 

Note to Self: Buy the better brushes. It's worth it. The cheapies shed. 

I've only used the paint pots so far. I've done a few things for the studio - little abstracts where I then put a word or phrase on it. Just to say "thank you" or highlight an upcoming class. It's been fun. I bought a book. I'd like to take a class; not sure how much talent I actually have, but if you're half-way patient, watercolor is pretty interesting to mess with. 

If you've ever tried something "back in the day," consider picking it up again. I think it's really interesting to see how your perspective changes. you think about things differently. You're a little more loose in your attitude - at least I am. I figure it's just playing. After all, in high school, we were graded on art. 

Now? I'm just having fun and trying to mess with my brain in a good way. Heaven knows that with work and other things in life, it's nice to have a "mild challenge" that exercises your creativity and allows you to experiment. 

Knitting is great - as you know, I do it a lot. But I thought that this was another way to tap into my creative side. I bet you have a way of doing that too, if you think about it. 

Politics...

Sooooooooo sick of the Bernie v. Hillary memes. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz has to go. Once again, let me repeat: this is an ELECTION. Not a CORONATION. I'm reading some polls that show that Bernie is a better bet to beat Drumpf. Hillary - not so much. 

This has fractured friendships - possibly permanently. It's created a lot of tension in so many groups. So many families, even. 

As a nation, we have to decide what we want to be as we go forward. And as we go FORWARD, we have to be careful to not go BACKWARD. We're already headed backward with the assaults on voters' rights and women's rights. What, as women, do we want for our daughters, granddaughters, nieces? 

I have boys. Those boys will, God willing, marry. And I want my future daughters-in-law to have full rights. Equal pay would be nice, but we won't go there right now. 

Young women should have full reproductive rights. Young women should be safe. Right now, women are threatened in both of those areas. We're not in charge of our bodies in quite a few states. We're not safe in so many more cities. And on far too many campuses. 

This has to change. Along with the many other things: this country needs jobs. Needs a stable economy. The rich need to pay their fair share of not only Social Security, but taxes in general. 

And corporate welfare has got to stop. Even my SILs who live in Alaska are astounded at the breaks the oil companies get. Not to mention the tech companies who pay nothing in taxes. Click here to read more about the concept of corporate welfare: where for-profit corporations make millions for their stockholders, but pay ZERO... -0- ... zip ... nada ... in taxes. They ship jobs to other countries, have no concern for their workers and only care for profits. 

I'm not an idiot. I'm a small-business owner. I want to make money. But I want to have a sense that I'm contributing something to this world, not being a taker. 

We do need a revolution. It's likely to take a couple of election cycles. But I'll say this out loud, risking turning off some readers: the conservative Republican ideal is not the way to go to move this country forward. 

We are not now, nor have we ever been, a nation founded upon Christian principles. We are a nation in the throes of growth. How we grow is important to all of us. The way to keep going forward is to vote and work for liberal principles - ideally progressive principles. 

Either way - if you don't vote in November, shut up and sit down. Exercise your right to vote. Too many people in other countries die for that. Don't be a jerk about it. Vote. 

Random Picture...

A gift for Mother's Day -- beautiful orchids. I'm jazzed because I've managed to keep the one in the studio alive for nearly 2 years! I think I can keep this one alive. 

I had to look high and low for orchid bark. I bought some "orchid medium" and it turned out to be pretty heavy and buggy. I mean, "lots of gnats" buggy. Urgh!

I think the bark is better. Hopefully, my orchid appreciates it.