Finally, pictures from my Tour de Fleece 2008 challenge. This is the cashmere that I spun on my spindle during the alloted time...

 

 

....and the BFL sock yarn....

...that came from this...

The challenge was easier for me than I thought it would be, and my only real obstacle that would crop up from time to time was my desire to do something besides spin (usually knit socks).

So the Ravelympics are coming up on Friday, and I have set myself a difficult challenge for this one. First, I'm going to complete a pair of (cabled) socks in those 17 or 18 days, when a pair of socks usually takes me 3 weeks or so, if I concentrate. And on top of that, because I am darn sick of not being done with it, I'm going to finish a work-in-progress (wip) that I've been working on for over a year, my Icarus Shawl. That should challenge me. Or put me in the hospital. Either way, it will be interesting.

For more pictures of our summer, I'd like to introduce the newest members of our family,

River

and Simon.

A brother and sister pair named after the brother and sister in Firefly. Greg wanted to name them Luke and Leia, but the children pulled a veto.

Finally, we've been spending a lot of our summer doing this...

at our friend's pool. Happy Summer!

 

It's so nice to have an internet connection again. So what if there are wires in strange places around the house. I can check my messages without "right-click, properties, repair, right-click, properties, repair, lather, rinse, repeat". I have had a connection at work, but work has been very... worky.

I've been faithful to the Tour de Fleece each and every day so far, but have not had the gumption to take pictures. The spindle project is just white cashmere, and so not very interesting to look at. But I'm to the plying step on my wheel project, and should really be documenting that. Maybe after a nap.

We have three (count 'em) gigs coming up with the band. Hooray! One at Dawn of a New Day on August 15th, one at the Magic Bean on August 23rd (that one is part of the Tri-City Art Battle, and we were invited!), and then we're playing the Christmas concert at my church on December 6th. I plan to have more, too. And a CD of originals by the end of September. I've started referring to singing as "my real job".

I've forgotten how much I can get done in just 15 minutes. I have great hopes of finishing both my 4 oz. of cashmere and the second skein (3 oz.) of BFL sock yarn. Woohoo! Then I can maybe work through other stash, and feel just fine about getting some roving for more handspun socks. I'm hooked. I love knitting socks, and I love knitting with my handspun. The two together were destined to be an unstoppable combination.

I'm joining the Tour de Fleece this year, which I first heard about at Stephanie's blog. My challenge will be to spin 15 minutes on my spindle and 15 minutes on my wheel each day of the challenge (making up the time for Saturday and Sunday that have already passed). I'm giving myself bonus points if, in that daily spinning, I finish the two in-progess works on each of those tools. If I finish off the fibers before my challenge is met, I will move on to some other wip's that are in hibernation! I'm on a finishing/using the stash spree. Somehow, what this seems to do is cause more yarn to appear. Of course, finishing a spinning project fits right in with that.

 

PS: Um. How do I add the Tour de Fleece button on my sidebar here?

My first baby turns 7 tomorrow, and so she is a hot commodity around here. She was invited to stay overnight at her friend’s house for a couple days, and then later this week, it will be an overnight with Grandma, who will also be taking her on a shopping trip. It’s no surprise to me that everyone wants to celebrate with her; I think she’s a really awesome kid and I’m glad that other people know it, too. What surprised me was the depth of her little brother’s sadness that she’s not around. When we were on our way to drop her off last night, my girl was a little sad, thinking of missing her family, even though she knew she’d have fun. Sethy was the one cheering her up, telling her what a good time she’d have. But on the way back, he cried and cried. He’d talk himself out of being sad, saying that he knew he’d see her in just a couple of days. Then some random thought would pop into his head, and he’d say, “Sissy!” and cry again. He slept in her bed last night. It’s heartbreaking, on the one hand, to see my sensitive boy so sad. But I’d rather have that issue than a sibling rivalry that overshadows the family. Bonus for Seth: He lit right up this morning when he realized that he wouldn’t have to share computer time with his sister.

I'm fairly sure I'm the only one still here in my department. It's tempting to leave a couple of minutes early (except for that pesky phone policy), but I actually like staying when it's quiet like this. I can get my work done without interruption. Except the interruptions I give myself. Hah. I can listen to my podcasts or music, chug along, or not chug along. It's peaceful, and I like it.

Still, I'll be leaving in two short minutes to go perform at another Jazz Vespers at a local church. This will be our third time playing there, and it's pretty laid back and fun. It's also a short gig, over by 7 PM, so I get to be home before the kids go to bed. I like that, too.

Happy First Day of Summer (not Spring, as I texted to Greg earlier. No wonder he didn't text back).

I do so love summer. I love the early morning quietness, when the sun is golden and the birds are singing. It’s so much easier to get out of bed on those warm days, even on those days when I have to get up and go to work. There’s no cold air to deal with after poking my nose out from under the electric blanket, no desire to stay in the hot shower for a few hours and delay the chill present when I turn it off. I love being able to walk out the door without bundling up the children and trying to find that persnickety, persistently lost mitten. I love being able to start the car up and go, rather than let it run for twenty minutes as I brush a foot of snow off of my windshield. I love the afternoons spent outside, playing “camping” and “pirates” and “chase Momma around the yard”. I love coming home from work and spreading a sheet in the yard for a picnic dinner of cheese, bread and fruit. I even love the summer storms, wild and furious, and over in time to reflect the setting sun off of every drenched leaf. I love having the windows open to the evening birdsong, and then the crickets and tree frogs as night deepens. Things in general seem so much easier in the summer, lighter and less serious. I am so thankful that summer is almost here.

Yes. We. CAN!

Happenings all over the place lately. April was the month of music, as I had several gigs with the band. They were really well received, too. At one job, for the first time, someone I don’t recognize told me they were a groupie, and one person had to leave, but when he heard I was singing another original, turned around and stayed for that song. The tip basket has started to fill up, I had an encore at one gig, and a shouted-out request and a standing ovation at another. Some of you may have seen the newspaper article too. So now I am working on original songs so that I can have CDs for sale at a future job. I’ve got more than half an album’s worth now.

 

 

Other than that, it’s mostly politics right now. I’m watching current developments with interest, although some detachment. If I get too caught up in the pundit barbs and “analysis” (yes, the quotation marks are used purposely), I get dejected and frustrated, so I watch from a few steps back, and just keep praying for the best outcome for all involved.

 

Oh, and war. Sock War III, that is (click the link for a description). This is my first time participating, and it’s been a little rough. I don’t know that I will be doing it again next year. Not just because of the glitches, but about halfway through the first sock, I start wanting to do my own projects again. I have some Noro sock yarn that is calling my name. And a Central Park Hoodie. And the Tangled Yoke Cardigan. Ahem.

 

Anyhow, here is a picture of pretty Sock War socks. Enjoy.

 

 

Greg and I were watching ”The Universe” on the History Channel last night, and this particular episode was about space travel, both current and theoretical. It reminded me of when I was a kid, and fascinated by outer space. Heck, I still am. But back then, I wanted to be an astronaut more than anything. I had no idea what it took to be one, I just knew that I wanted to be up there among the beautiful stars. I think that dream ended in about 6^th grade, when the Challenger exploded. Not that I’d ever be a good astronaut. What I didn’t get as a child (besides the amazing amount of math involved) was the vast, infinite nothingness of space. I watched those spacewalking astronauts last night, clinging to the Space Station, nothing more than a teeny speck of humanity in all that nothing. Can you imagine? If your tether broke, there would be no stopping you from floating out into space, forever and ever. My throat gets a little tight just thinking about it.

 

I don’t know that I’d ever want to visit another planet, even if space travel was declared as safe as air travel (and let’s not even get started on that), and as fast as a drive to the grocery store. Short of Star Trekkian comfort, I like breathing actual atmosphere and touching real dirt; hearing birds and knowing that I won’t die a long, lonely death among the stars.