Vive Le Vuelta!

 

Today the riders take off for the Tour of Spain which means I'll get a bit more dedicated spinning time in the next three weeks as I watch the Spanish countryside fly by. I've got that Cormo/Silk on the Ladybug and I have to say I'm underwhelmed by the color. Dull.

Since my handspun cubby in the spinning corner still looks like this from the TdF, I'll not be focusing so much on adding to it. 

I'll be using that time to finish up some handspun knitting projects like EZ's Pi Shawl. I just have a couple more rounds of the dark red and then I'm starting the border which will be the same one I used on my first Pi Shawl. 

This one minus the Gull Lace that precedes it. It's the Willow Border from Victorian Lace Today.

I've also got some handspun socks that need attention. I'm about a half inch from starting the toe and then I have the second one to knit, of course. This is why I usually knit socks in tandem. Second Sock Syndrome is real ya'll.

Well, Blow Me Down

 

You don't see that very often when you check the weather. Erin seemed too close for comfort. The wind had me up at 4 am because....trees.

I was sitting in the sewing room with the window open listening for any limbs coming down when this big truck pulled up. Remember that house across the street that had a tree go through it in February? Six whole months ago? They are just NOW starting to repair it. That's just crazy.

I was in the sewing room because I was trying to wind up some manly sock yarn. It didn't go well. In order to get matching balls of an old Static colorway, I had to wind it all over the dining room to find where the color pattern repeats. After all that I never did get them cast on but at least now I know where to start.

We had some errands to run and a pup to walk so off to the beach we went to see how it was making out in this wind. It was wild. It was a "hold on to your hat" kind of day. Those strong winds from the north were actually chilly. My kind of weather.

The only thing on the beach were the seagulls. They had more sense than to try and fly in this weather. The town beach crew were looking pretty bored. Between all the rain and now the hurricane's glancing blow, they didn't have much to do. 

Auxiliary Report

 

Thanks to three days of rain, I was able to get to some things that usually get neglected. The latest towel is almost done. It's been a nightmare. My repair job somehow pulled it all cockeyed so every shuttle pass requires me to adjust the reed to get it to look straight. One more block of white and I'm throwing in the towel....ahem.

Poor Spiral Chicken has been abandoned for the time being. I just couldn't find the right gray. I've picked up Hearts and Flowers until I do.

I've been punching the mug rug. This is the back. You work from the back.

Here's a peek at the front. It's hard to photograph because of the frame. 

The vegetables are being punched also. Again, this is the back. The part I see.

And the front. In all honesty, this punching thing is just silly. Nothing useful is going to come from any of it but it scratches an itch in my brain.

I've also been adding pieces to my little Colorwash quilt. I feel like I've been making these for ages but I don't seem to be getting very far. 

Wednesday WIPs

 

Two more pairs went into the gift box this week. I've got some man socks on the left. Man socks are in short supply in the box. I need to get on that. 

When I went stash diving, I intended for the Regia on the right to be more man socks but forgot about it when I cast them on.

Now I have two more pair of lady socks on the needles. I have pulled out several skeins of yarn in man sock colorways. I just need to get winding. 

Tiny Needle Tuesday

 

I'm slowly marching across the bottom and right side of the border adding those little flowers. I do a couple a day. Any more and my head would explode. 

I've replaced all the orange background dots that I had to pull out and I'm glad I went to all the trouble because this looks much better. 

Dear Jane block E3 is slowly coming together. This one is such a big relief after those first two blocks. 

And....now that all the paper piecing is done I have started appliqueing the pieces down on the outside border. I'm still not sure what the corners will look like. I'll have to figure that out when I get there. 

Road Trip

 

My usually productive Sunday got sidetracked by an unexpected field trip to Virginia. I did get some new socks on the needles on the way up and back so it wasn't a total loss.

We went to Grand Puppy's house. Isn't he darling? He's grown since the last time we saw him. 

We had to go pick up some cigars The Mister ordered and had sent to his house. They can't ship cigars to our state anymore so The Mister has them sent there which is a good excuse to see this little guy and the Big Grands, of course. One had a recent birthday and one just graduated out of elementary school. Big happenings with the not-so-littles these days. 

I also got out of dinner duty when The Mister decided he wanted a Ledo's pizza for dinner. You've probably never seen a pizza like this one outside of Maryland. I call it ketchup on a cracker. It's good but it's not pizza. It has a sweet sauce on a ridiculously thin crust. You could eat the whole thing. You'd feel sick but you wouldn't be full. 

Hot and Bothered

 

How humid is it? This humid. July is statistically the hottest month but August is always the most miserable. 

We had an 8 am appointment to drop off the car down by the beach for some maintenance so we were out early and stopped for coffee on the boardwalk.

We haven't been out to the coffee shop at the beach in ages. It's just too hot and sunny on their porch for Pup and I to sit and wait for The Mister to come out with the goodies. 

Pup knows her way to this place by heart. I'm sure she can smell those muffins baking from a mile away. 

I miss digging through the little lending library. I always found something good to read.

This time I found these three. Since I'm stuck inside waiting out this terrible weather, I'll make short work of them and get them back in no time. I swear I need an advent calendar for Halloween. That's when the weather finally breaks around here.