A lovely fall day . . .

Due to the "Extreme Pumpkin Shortage of 2010", these things are like gold this year. 

If I didn't know that the alleged "pumpkin shortage" referred to canned pumpkin - as a result of harvesting problems last year  - not fresh pumpkin, I'd have been tempted to stage a bump-n-run for some pumpkin.

But it did remind me of my Mr. Greenjeans sweater.

Fall seems just around the corner when I'm looking at it.

I don't think I ever named a mannequin before but this pose reminds me of Scarlet O'Hara. 

"I do declare, Mr. Greenjeans, you make my little ole' heart beat faster!"

"I may have to check my pulse . . . "

These cables look a little more Yellow Pepper than Pumpkin but they have been very fun.

Tomorrow is a day full of fun - the Saint Paul Classic Bike Tour in the morning and a Minnesota Knitters' Guild Cruise in the afternoon. I'm hoping to learn the secret handshake this year!

And don't forget that Saturday Seven -

Three uniform shirts, a pair of sandals, a pair of tennis shoes, a gel bike seat and a really cute pink jacket. Ah, the choices one needs to make . . .

Have a great weekend!

Just biking around the neighborhood . . .

Just a quick trip to the grocery store on my aqua bike!

I've been unplugged quite a bit recently. With school starting before Labor Day for Youngest Daughter and just after for The Boy and, then, the Labor Day holiday, I've just haven't been around my computer.

I haven't neglected my knitting (I'm finishing up the second sleeve on my Mr. Greenjeans cardigan and there's an inch and a bit more on my Hedgerow socks), my reading (I'm on a mystery kick again!), biking (doing the Saint Paul Bike Classic on Sunday - will I see you there?) and playing my new obsession - Plants vs. Zombies on my phone. 

If you haven't seen this game yet - it is a huge time waster! But so, so fun.

I also am getting ready to make the Ruth's Adult Cap from Norwegian Handknits: Heirloom Designs from Vesterheim Museum by Janine Kosel and Sue Flanders.

This is a cute, simple cap that I'm going to make for the Minnesota Knitters' Guild's charity knitting project this fall. I'm thinking of using this great purple  yarn:

One last glimpse of our trip to Wisconsin this Labor Day weekend:

Mr. Daisy out for a spin.

A busy, busy day - oops, week

The week started out with a triathlon - a lovely day and I saw a lot of friends there - 

Then a trip to a tea room with my daughter and her friend and her friend's mom. A lot of laughing - especially when they discovered that the flower garnish was edible. 

Thursday was opening day at the State Fair and we were there from breakfast on. For some reason, the weaving and spinning displays are always displayed really well. 

Most of the knitting is displayed in very cramped quarters. For example, these two items were very cute - but they needed a little space between the two.

This is probably one of the least fattening items at the fair!

And I dare you to find a fair that has both a President Obama quilt and a Spam rocket - next to each other.

I spent some of my time this week plying this cute pink (Merino, I think) yarn. I'm also onto the first sleeve of my Mr. Greenjeans cardigan.

This week's Saturday Seven - two sweaters, two tee shirts, a cardigan, a hoodie sweatshirt and a skirt. Thank goodness Middle Daughter cleaned out her closet.

The Big Day!

Today was the MiracleKids Triathlon at Lake Ann in Chanhassen. 

 

Having a great day out with some of the other almost-900 kids there!

He swam 

and biked

(That's him in the white and red shirt coming down the entrance into the transition area after his bike ride.)

and ran

and raised $535 dollars for the Miracles of Mitch Foundation. Thanks so much for all your help!

A good time was had by all!

If you'd like to see all the photos, there is a slide show here on my Flicker photograph page. Enjoy!

Knitting-wise, I'm three-fourths of the way through the waist ribbing on the MGJ cardigan and it's been very fun. I'm hoping to start some sleeves tomorrow, after my own triathlon - the Saint Paul Triathlon. 

Saturday Seven? No photos yet but it was two sweaters, a pair of shin guards, a pair of soccer socks, a mixer blade, and two tee shirts. Very dull stuff.

Just in case you felt like you've read this before

Apparently, I write like Cory Doctorow.

See?  They gave me this to prove it!

I write like
Cory Doctorow

I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing!

Now, which book should I choose?

Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom?

For the Win?

I must appeal to young-adult knitters - or adult knitters who are young at heart!

Not really Irish - but faking it very well!

Last Thursday, I was listening to an edition of  the Clockwork Cabaret podcast and heard them discussing some very yummy cupcakes called (of all things) "Irish car bomb cupcakes."

The creator based them on a cocktail drink that I've never tried but believe me, the cupcakes are very rich and very tasty.

Middle Daughter and I must have been craving some chocolate because we gave them a try.

The cupcake batter has Guiness in it, the ganache filling has Irish whisky and the butter frosting has Bailey's Irish Cream in it.

Middle Daughter did say, "All my icing is going to have Baileys in it from now on!"

Our icing was tasty - but not as pretty as the original's.

I was trying out a new icing kit and let's say - I need more practice.

They are so rich I had to limit myself one a day. Everyone had one. 

After two days, I had to freeze the rest so we wouldn't overdo it.

Saturday's Seven was shorts, pants and polo shirts from Youngest Child. Fall must be just around the corner!

More knitting today on  Mr. Greenjeans. I'm on the cabled ribbing right now - my dream gift would be a cable needle on a necklace. I have lost two so far!

Time flies

when you're trying not to sweat. Things are hot, hot and hot here. In fact, the other day at the beach - too hot to knit. And for me - that must be hot! 

When in the air-conditioned indoors, I have been working on the Mr. Greenjeans sweater - now in the Small size - and it's working out well.

Youngest Daughter or Youngest Son wasn't around to model this one so I set up my dressmaker's dummy with my measurements. And it's looking like a good fit!

I particularly like the yarnover increases at the shoulder - very tidy.

I actually managed to pull together a Saturday Seven last week and since I was dropping it off at my local church rummage sale, I decided to snap a picture. Five teeshirts, one pair of jeans and a pair of pajama pants. Let's just say "Someone" won't be missing them from her dresser drawer!

If the weather permits this weekend - we will probably be out and about doing something fun. Hopefully, you will be as well!

Funny how things catch up with you

I really thought I would have at least one pair of socks done by now. 

The Vampire Boyfriend Socks? About two inches. 

The Hedgerow Socks? Almost to the ankle.

The Mr. Greenjeans cardigan? Ripped back, cast on again in a smaller size 

and about collarbone length.

Not even a neckwarmer size!

With my hand now officially declared fractured and in a brace, knitting has become difficult. 

And you know why? The yarn catches on the velcro on my brace!

 Knit, knit, knit - pull the yarn out of the brace - knit, knit, knit. Just a little tedious! 

And purling? Oh, man - purling takes forever!

I'm thinking of wearing a sock over my brace (which, ironically, I wear over a sock for padding) to speed things up.

On the bright side, spinning is absolutely no problem. I don't know why but it doesn't make anything sore and I've been using my time wisely.

Once upon a time, GFMelissa gave me this unpleasantly dirty, messy fleece.

It wasn't her fault it was a dirty fleece - someone had actually given it to her about six months before. And, bit by bit, last winter, I cleaned it and washed it and carded it. 

Over the last two weeks, I spun and spun and finally ended up with a pretty basket of yarn.

From left to right, starting inside the basket were three skeins of a soft black/gray, one skein of steel or dark gray; then outside the basket, two skeins of black with coarse long white hairs, one bobbin of light gray singles and then two skeins of dark brown/grey. 

Enough for a traditional gansey - if you don't mind itchy rough wool. 

There was one more bag of dark, extremely VM'd ("vegetable mattered") wool left but I think I'm going to pitch it. Or something. Maybe I'll need it come the nuclear winter but . . . maybe not. 

As for the basket o' yarn, I'm not really sure what I'll be doing with it. The Minnesota Knitters' Guild has a charity program knitting hats and gloves -  this may be the stash for that. 

But I did feel very good about getting it all out of the fiber stash and into the yarn stash.

One of the things I was doing while spinning was watch Eddie Izzard comedy films. Uniquely British and a bit foul mouthed but very, very funny! 

*And for the Saturday Seven - socks. Seven small pairs of sports socks. Even I have bad weeks for giving things away!

No longer good society . . .

Hey, if Guinifer says "Jump off a bridge," we all jump! Enjoy . . .



Although, I think the second rule of Jane Austen Fight Club should be, "Learn to knit."

If you are totally confused, you may need to reference these two works:

Pride and Prejudice and

    Fight Club 

Oh, this is just getting better and better . . .

Or, what the difference an inch or two makes.

So, my gauge has been off about half a stitch and I'm making the medium size of my Mr. Greenjeans sweater.

 Sometimes that isn't really a problem - sometimes it is. And today it is. 

I think this may be a result of my sore hand (more about that later) but I'm not really sure. 

It could be the iffy nature of the "worsted weight" Briar Rose Abundance yarn. I am actually getting perfect gauge for the yarn - just not for the Greenjeans sweater. From the front and side - the gauge looks good. Nice, even. However, from the back - whew, look out! One big sweater coming by!

Yikes. So, later today, I'll be ripping this back. Back to casting on for the small size. I've never actually made a small sized sweater before! But I think that the change in gauge demands it. 

As for my sore hand - I'm going to see the hand doctor on Monday. It's been getting better but (small problem here) every time I swim or bike - it becomes very, very sore. As I'm supposed to be doing another big swim in August plus a triathlon, I'm gonna be needing that hand. Luckily, running - no problem. 

Youngest Boy and I have been running three times a week and I've been running my own distances on the other days. Let me tell you - you get much better tan lines swimming than running!

As for my Saturday Seven - 

One pair of pants, a grey teeshirt, a pair of soccer shoes & shin guards, one pair of soccer socks and a mini potholder loom.

And a copper compost pot. Try singing that to the tune of "The Twelve Days of Christmas!"

A great day out with the kids!

Not my kids, mind you, but the MiracleKids Triathlon at Lake Nokomis.

Bikes everywhere! 

This is a kids triathlon where kids raise money for families with children with cancer. 

It's sponsored by the Miracles of Mitch Foundation. 

"For his final wish, Mitch made his family promise they would keep helping cancer kids and he sealed it with a “pinky swear” made with his father.

The MOMF is the non-profit formed in 2003 to fulfill that pinky swear. Today it is one of the very few charities that provides direct support to families who are treating a child with cancer.

The MOMF has two major giving priorities:

To provide cost of living financial assistance to the families of children diagnosed with cancer, and

To facilitate an individually tailored quality of life initiative for that child and their family.

The MiracleKids Triathlon is by far the MOMF’s largest fundraiser of the entire year. If not for the hard work of each MiracleKid raising pledges and the generosity of each and every donor, the foundation would not have the funding needed to support cancer families across Minnesota."

There are two races - one at Lake Nokomis in July and one at Lake Ann in August.

Today I was lucky enough to be the USAT waiver volunteer at Lake Nokomis - I handed out waivers to parents who were registering their child atheletes - and then I got to cheer on all the swimmers as they exited the water and ran on to the bike transition area.

That was one long gangway from the lake to the parking lot but those kids were just flying! They were very excited and I saw that continue later at the run to the finish line! Smiles all around and lots of friends holding hands as they crossed the finish line. 

For some time there has been a "2010 Miracle Kids Triathlon" button that leads to Youngest Child's First Giving page. 

Yep, YC is racing at the Lake Ann race in August. We've been running together three times a week (for a mile at a time), biking and swimming together as well. He's progressed to Level Four in swimming lessons this summer and got his first bike with hand brakes. We've gone to the MoM swim training at the Foss Swim School and we are planning to go and bike the Lake Ann course in August.

According to YC - he's ready to rock! 

I know not everyone is able to give and that many people have already planned their giving but if you are able to make a pledge in any amount - this is an excellent cause. And if you are able to volunteer at the Lake Ann event, I'll see you there!

Third time was no charm

Lovely, eh? 

But this was one of the flatter sections. And shortly afterwards, at almost the end of the bike course portion of the triathlon I was training for, I crashed my bike. 

Luckily, my first biking injury was just a sprained wrist - yea! - but no vacation triathlon either.

This view was the bloodiest but not that bad.

At this point in my day, I was longing to get out of these bike shorts!

Since typing is a bit hard, I'll be getting back to you later.

And the knitting is on hold for a bit as well . . .