Done!

Oops...I had said earlier these were Regia but they are actually Opal

 I've got two more pairs of socks to keep my tootsies warm this winter.

Wandering Cat-Barn Cat in Ride With the Moon colorway

They are both such happy socks. I need more happy socks in the sock drawer especially if this winter is anything like the last two. Brrrr........

Star Spangled Mug Shot

 Everything's been fixed and clipped. In spite of my best effort, I still had a few puckers that had to be exorcised.

 The back had to be pieced since I still haven't figured out how to measure backing before I order the material.

Now to put it in the wash and pack it up carefully so no kitty kooties can climb aboard.

Sunday Soap

 I'm still obsessed with making hot process soap. I am determined to get it right.

 After watching a million You Tube videos, I gave it another try. In spite of blending the daylights out of all the luscious oils and butters and giving them a longer, slower cook time, I got a crumbly mess once again. It looks like dried out Playdoh, doesn't it?  Phooey.

 Crumbly sure, but sticky insides. Go figure. The bars feel like they will take forever to cure. In the category of "what was I thinking" I added white colorant making it harder to check for undissolved lye pockets. Argh...

On a positive note, the green mica hanger swirl turned out better than I expected in the gloppy mess as did the herbal fragrance. Two out of three isn't bad.

On another soap making binge later last week, I made two swirled cold processed soaps and another hot process with some cinnamon pencil lines. The drying rack is full at the moment. Until I get some of the cured ones moved off and put into use, I need to slow down. You can only use so much soap.

Fini

 That's all that's left of the warp on the back of the loom.

 The towels have been finished and cut off.

 They've been zig zagged and cut apart,

 They've been hemmed. I loved using sewing thread as the hem weft. I'll be doing that again.

Now they need to go in the wash.

Ta dah....the final mug shot before they get put into use. The poor things are in for a hard life in my kitchen. So far their handwoven siblings are hanging in there just fine. They do seem to get better with age. Don't we all?

Rewash

 For the past four years I have drug this project out of the closet during the TdF.

 It started with a giant Cormo fleece I bought at the MDSW. I washed it by pinning the locks in a bag and pouring the soapy water over them like so many do but the locks were still too greasy to spin easily. That's why this project never got finished. It's no fun.

 I decided to give the locks another wash to see if it could be done. This time I'm using Margaret Stove's Merino washing method of dip and scrub. I dyed them with Paas Easter egg dye and not a bit bled out. That's some good stuff. I need to use it more.

While I was at it, I dug through an old Merino fleece and picked some locks to dip dye just for fun.

 It is so muggy outside nothing will dry so they are camped out in the kitchen. I'll do a handful a day until The Mister starts to complain.

Over the years I have gathered quite a bit of these Cormo singles but still have no idea what will become of them. Maybe this year's Tour will be the one with the answers.

Goal!

 In spite of the heat that has stolen my knitting mojo, these socks are just a couple more World Cup games away from the big finish.

 The round of 16 has been so exciting I can barely look away. Those ladies know how to play. No flopping around on the ground for them. Just wrap their bloody heads up with some gauze and off they go back onto the field to kick some more a**. Amazeballs.

My Heart Will Go On

 I'm a soundtrack junkie. When I heard that James Horner was gone I couldn't have felt any worse if I actually knew him. His name scrolls by on my ipod or on Pandora almost everyday.

Field of Dreams, Cocoon, Alien, An American Tale, Willow, Legends of the Fall, Glory, Apollo 13, The Perfect Storm, A Beautiful Mind, Avatar, Sarah's Theme from Hocus Pocus, Where are you Christmas from The Grinch....oh yeah, and that movie about the big boat. That's just a small sample of his work. With his music keeping me company, I finished the binding on the Star Spangled Baby quilt yesterday with a heavy heart.

 All I could think of is what James Cameron is going to do now about the three Avatar sequels. Those are some mighty big shoes to fill.

But life goes on. I've got the quilt. Now where's that Star Spangled baby?

A Day on the Bay

The Mister and I live in walking distance of the Chesapeake Bay. We rarely wander down there but we always make sure we get ourselves down to the dragon boat race.

It's a day of total insanity and every year it gets bigger and better.

There were blocks and blocks of booths to support your favorite teams by contributing to end hunger.

This particular event brings out the crazy in everyone. I love it.

If you forgot your costume you can buy one and have your face painted.

Here's lovely Queen Elsa being helped onto her boat. She was serving as honorary drummer for her team. Long glittery gowns and bay water are not a good mix but she made the best of it.

 It was a warm, hazy day so the visibility was poor.

There were thirty some teams and they all gave it their best. It was a tight race.

The race, with its many heats, takes all day so we didn't stay to see the finish. It was too darn hot.

Even the crazy air dude was suffering from heat exhaustion. Poor guy.

 Someone was a real ass to bring this guy out in the heat.

I'm pretty sure the water didn't offer much relief. It's been hot for a long time. The bay temp must be pretty high.

Look what that dirty bay water did to this guy. Yikes. I don't even put my feet in it anymore.

I like my bay from a distance.

 A sign of the times was the constant buzzing overhead from drones.

They were all over the place photographing the race for one reason or another. They made me nervous.

There were also lots of fun booths with crafty offerings. Of course I found some handmade soap to bring home. This little produce stand even grows their own lavender. It smells amazing. You can go pick your own from their fields any Saturday or Sunday from June 15th to July 15th. They are right up the road and you can even stop in for tea with a reservation. I'd be on my way if it wasn't so darn hot.

Summer Solstice

I'm not overly fond of being surrounded by all these tall trees until the dog days are upon us. They've been upon us since mid May this year. Now I am grateful for their shade.

The view from the deck is Jurassic. I wouldn't be surprised to see a T Rex stride by one day.

 My walking path is unwalkable. It's like cutting a path through the rain forest.

 The creek is stagnant. I have to remember to put out fresh water for the ferals and anything else that might need a cool drink.

The Mister's sand pit has sprouted ferns.

The hostas are getting ready to bloom.

 It won't be long before the deer eat them to the ground. The hostas on the edge of the woods are already gone.

Speaking of gone, the fig tree is history. It didn't survive the unusually cold winter.

Wherever we go, we have to step over hot kitties. They plaster themselves on the deck all day for a sun bath. Crazy cats.

 Odd bugs show up on a regular basis. This guy was on the deck for several days.

 The world is uggy buggy and terribly muggy.

You really have to watch where you walk.