Telling, not showing, or - "Out, out, damned digital camera!"

Well, I'd love to thrill you with another stunning digital photo of Andy's sweater, aka. "The Brown Blob", but someone has misplaced the camera. Not me, I swear! My daughters have taken it to produce photographic evidence of Computer Time Overuse - using the family computer during non-computer use hours - as a way to blackmail each other. Stupid but funny! Along the way, the camera has been misplaced.

As I inch long with the cable-heavy blob, I've been dreaming about another project. I do have Middle Daughter's rose-purple cardigan to work on but I too a page from another fiber blogger's journal and went to investigate my stash.

It wasn't as bad as I remembered. Along with various small projects half done and a variety of sock-able two skeins, I mostly need to work with 16 skeins of gorgeous Classic Elite Inca Alpaca (109 yds per skein) in a lovely soft turquoise blue, five skeins of the old-style Jamieson's Soft Shetland in Amethyst (100 yards per skein) and four skeins of Jamieson's Soft Shetland in Granny Smith green - all shades and yarns that I would love to do something with.

Add to all this my great buy on Rowen Yorkshire Tweed in Cheer (red?) and I have a burning need for patterns. PATTERNS, folks, right here in River City. What can I make with all this bounty? I know some boy babies who need attention and I could start a cardigan for myself in the Alpaca but . . . this needs some mulling over.

Brown sweater blues

I've been working steadily on Andy's brown sweater (made with Jamieson's DK yarn in Grouse) but photographing it has been another matter. The photographs just don't turn out. This was work from a few days ago - it may show you something - or it may just look like a string of really nasty brown lumps. Take your pick.

There's a reason why brown isn't most people's first choice for a sweater. Andy better wear this thing for years - 50th wedding anniversary kind of wearing.


Onward and upward.

Gone shop hopping

Last Thursday I convinced my husband and children that they really wanted to visit Squirrel Hill in Pittsburgh in order to visit the one Pgh. yarn store I haven't been to. Knit One just opened last fall and my last visit into Pgh. was during the summer. Instead, I visited Pittsburgh Bead and Yarn store which is now closed.

Despite the fact that my favorite Western PA. yarn store, the Otter Creek Store in Mercer, was closed for vacation, my visit to Knit One was a great substitute. The staff was very helpful and the background conversations were a hoot. I seriously restrained myself and only bought some great Twisted Sisters alpaca sock yarn called Avarice. Oldest daughter came along and we had some fun with the Yarn Good Enough to Eat.

Afterwards we visited the world-renowned Pittsburgh tourist attraction, Giant Eagle!

Tour de Wisconsin - you should come too!

Not swimming, biking or running - just relaxing. That's been our trip to Pennsylvania - via the Wisconsin Dells. Everyone should experience a water park with their family at least once and ours was a doozy. After a lovely day at the park, we went into town for a tour on the famous Ducks - the part car/part boat that was used during WWII. Our tour guide really gave us an up-close-and-personal visit to the Wisconsin River - both in and out of it. Needless to say, the boys were thrilled. I was thrilled to just sit and enjoy the scenery without having to swim/bike/run through it. Maybe next time.

One down, one to go?

I successfully finished the Minneman Triathlon on Saturday, July 1 with a total time of 1:37:32! The whole race was held up because of rain and thunder but after a 45 minute delay - everything cleared up. By the time I was biking, it was a gorgeous day!

I finished 275 of about 450 people and 14 out of 22 in my age group. The swim was a little frantic because of all the flailing arms at the beginning so it wasn't my best time but it was okay at 11:05 minutes. My Transistion 1 was 5:03 - much better than I anticipated - and the bike ride was a lovely 46:10. I was actually passing people and loving the rolling hills. When I finally learn to take turns better and not worry about going downhill fast (the whole point, really, of bike racing) - this is going to be my favorite part!

The run - enh, not that good but not too bad, either. 32:24 minutes. Three minutes slower than my best time but then, I'd never biked and swum before a 5k before, either!

The whole site was hectic but exciting. Here's a shot of the transistion site before the race to give you an idea of what's going on.



If I can find an another sprint tri with an open spot this summer, I'll be there in a heartbeat! Of course, the "One to go", however, is Andy's blue sweater. I am into the complicated Lt/Rt ribbing with tiny cables right now and ruing the day I picked it. I can't believe I am saying things like "I can't wait to get to the body work of cables - they'll be so easy!" Inching onward and upward, that's my motto right now!