Upside-Down and Inside-Out

Remember this fun project, started in Michigan with an 8-year-old? I worked on it with her in the beginning, 

but over time, she lost interest in the actual stitching...lol! She is young and full of energy! Who can sit still to hand stitch squares in 2024?...

Then hand quilt in 2025? Apparently, that's a job for Pretty, and here's the back of the quilt to prove it!

That little upside-down shot shows that the lines aren't perfectly straight, and I maybe should have taken the time to do one more row of stitches around the perimeter...but it was bound before the end of last weekend's visit, so that's a yay!

Still, I wanted to secure the binding with a little decorative stitching, so I brought it home to do that...

And this Pretty Knitty (and granddaughter) quilt will be reunited with that 10-year-old this summer, when they come to visit ME! 

How will I pass the time until that glorious day? Probably a little inside-out sock knitting! 

I've found it's the best way to control my tension on colorwork socks, and I'm looking forward to getting this pair on my feet soon! (Upside-down and inside-out can be good things, depending on your perspective, but I hope most of your days are more sunny-side up, in general.) I'm sure there will be a reveal in next week's post, so be sure to come back and check it out! 

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health! 

Cousins and Grandkids and Funtimes: Oh, My!

There hasn't been much knitting this week, but I'm ok with that...and this is the reason: 

All the kids have had some great cousin time, and we've had fun hanging out with them all together, too! 

There's been playground time, 

Dinners together, 

Playtime 

and even times to borrow handknit socks from Gramma, to help them slide smoothly down the stair-slide, without stopping! 

In the middle of it all, I SAW DONNY OSMOND IN CONCERT last Saturday!

Jess and I went to Akron, and we had the best time!

So, yeah! Very little knitting, but SO MUCH FUN!!!

I hope you've had some fun with your family and friends this Summer!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

I've Got That Feeling

I've got a funny feeling. Not tummy funny, like when you order fast food from toddlers at the playground...

Not dizzy... I mean, there was a lot of spinning last night, when Pop Pop and I took the boys to a Jim Gill concert at one of our local libraries, but I think I'm over that today.

And there were a lot of spin-around 

and up-and-down fun things at the playground after the concert...

But I didn't ride those, and we've all had a good night's sleep now...so what is this funny feeling? 

My feet hurt a bit from walking around in the wrong shoes yesterday (oh! my achin' feet), so I have a feeling that they would enjoy another pair of stripey socks to slip on...

Especially since I finished the last pair of stripey socks on Wednesday. They have random butterfly stitches on them!

And I have a funny feeling that I'll be knitting more frogs...

...and possibly working a little hand-embroidery to repair a hole in one of my favorite pair of summer capris. (I'm not sure how that will go, so I'll let you know next week.)

Wait! I've got it! I've got that feeling that the annual Woolapalooza trip is coming up! Yes! That's it! Yay for that Woolapalooza feeling!

X marks the spot for Woolapalooza, Baby!

Anyone else in Blogland planning to attend the Great Lakes Fiber Show on Saturday? Message me, or look for me there, if you are. Perhaps we can have some fun together!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Soured?

During the pandemic years, many people made sourdough bread...for fun. Dutch ovens and proofing baskets and mason jars were purchased, and there were varying degrees of success posted to social media. So, when I was offered a sourdough starter, I gladly accepted. 

And then I made sourdough, with varying degrees of success,  though I did not buy any new equipment to make that happen. Mostly, I enjoyed the process, and the bread...the bread that sometimes took two days to prepare for the baking. Two, labor-intensive days of measuring and mixing and checking and folding and checking and shaping and resting before baking, with constants stops to wash the sticky dough (and all of the moisture) from my fingers and hands. 

The bread is good, but I'm not sure it's worth the 48-hours of attention I've lost to it. It's really more of a hobby than a recipe.

Today, as the snow continued to gracefully and lightly accumulate, 

I made French bread with yeast. It took about three hours, and the most labor-intensive part was 8-10 minutes of kneading. This bread will be every bit as good as the sourdough, and we will gobble up every crumb over the next few days...yummm! 

Some things are worth hours and days of my time and attention...like a handknit sweater, or pair of socks...

Or watching my grandkids jump off the end of the slide in the backyard, until they have tired of shouting, "Watch me! Look at me, Gramma!"

I'm not really soured on sourdough, but I think I'll save my attention for knitting and playtime and recipes for French bread (and sweet rolls and fresh, white bread).

If you have a starter, and you look forward to making and eating sourdough regularly, I am so glad for you and your bread hobby! If you'd ever like to learn to knit or crochet, I'd be happy to help you get started with that hobby, too.

Whatever you give your time to, may it bring you great joy! 

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health! 

Sometimes, my joy comes from a
ceramic chicken dish on the table.

Three Musketeers

I feel like this picture tells a story...

...and so it does. It's the story of three boys, growing up together so that they will always be the best of friends (and maybe finding some mischief, too!). Wanna guess who the ringleader will be? 

If you guessed that the fearless, headstrong, third-born of the brood will be that brother, I would tell you that is a very solid guess! But who knows, really...

We have two of the three boys at our house this weekend, so I'm putting this post together  early. It will go live at the normal time, and I will hopefully be napping when it does, but I anticipate that I will not have time or energy to do much blogging on Saturday or Sunday! 

On Monday morning, there will be copious cups of coffee to help Pop Pop and I recover from the fun! Then I will try to catch up on some knitting...

I hope you have found something to enjoy this weekend, and thanks for stopping by!

Now, go Knit in Good Health (and share with me what you're knitting in the comments!)!

Busy, Busy, Busy Day!

Earlier in the week, I put up a random Facebook post about the probability of my survival if I had birthed three, rambunctious boys, like my daughter has. The odds are not good that I would have been thriving in the same way were this scene part of my daily experience:

Yet, thrive she does, enjoying sweet moments and snuggles...

Moments of defiance, as he will clearly go any direction he pleases on that ladder, Mama...

Moments of big feelings, when the little kids watch big kids get off the school bus, and then the bus just drives away...without taking them anywhere...

Even the joyful moments make my heart leap in unexpected ways, because this idyllic scene...

Can quickly turn into the scene where the baby is done, and he will clearly roll himself off the swing, all by himself...Mama, he done! 

Gah! Somebody catch the baby!

So, it's been a busy, busy week in the lives of the local Pretties, and our hearts are full! My Saturday is also full, I've been going since about 6am today, so this will be a quick post. I have cookie-baking plans with my daughter this afternoon, a hat to finish, and a pair of socks to start!

A favorite shortbread cookie recipe
New cookie cutters that I am pretty pleased with
Another Musselburgh hat in a Stroll Gradient
Some sock planning and design...shhhh!

These come on the heels of chili-making, muffin-baking, chocolate caking (I dunno. I guess I'd like some chocolate cake? Lol...), and more! 

All of this in preparation for a fun afternoon with the boys and their parents. Yes, even despite the rough patches that are sure to show up from time to time, my life is good. Yay! I hope you are finding some good in your life lately, too, but it's time for me to stop typing and get on with the day.

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Potpourri...

Because sometimes a week is full of random, here's a little bit of everything... 

...like rain and puddles...

and boys and Pop Pops!

A desire to knit loopy beads, 

then more loops...

and even more loops (143 at my last count)! 

Could I make another lizard, but smaller? Yes, but they don't make as nice a lizard as the original, crocheted beads (made before the Kansas trip)... They do still look pretty cute in a bowl on the coffee table though,

or on the kitchen counter. (Caution: Not breakfast cereal. Do not eat!)

Finally a few walks around our favorite parks and properties have shown us that the butterfly game is strong this summer!

And the bees are doing ok, too. 😜

Even a very recent funeral at the church reminds me this week that everything comes full circle, and this lady was well loved in her 94 years on this earth. (If you're the praying kind, please keep her hubby of 74 of those years in your prayers. His heart is achy, as is to be expected.)

Yes, it's been a good week, and fall is on it's way. For those of you who might wonder, I have put out some pumpkins, but that's it so far. 

I don't mean to rush it...but kids are in school around here, the days are shorter, and the aroma of autumn is all around. Life is short. I will surround myself with things I love. (Yes, mostly yarn.)

Some of my lovelies are splashy young men, coming to visit for dinner very soon, and others are breakable. I'd better stop here and give the house a run-through to move some things out of reach!

Thanks for stopping by, friends! Surround yourself with what YOU love, in this season and in those to come, and Knit in Good Health!