Huh?

Now that the Tour is over I have had time to pay attention to things that aren't related to spinning. This poor weaving project has been terribly neglected. 

 This is a new to me pattern and I was a bit horrified to see how it was turning out. What's with all the holes?

There wasn't a good picture of the finished towels with this particular kit so I did some research and.....it's huck lace. It's supposed to look this way. Lace means holes, right?

 I may be undecided about the kit but I am still in love with my little blue cart. It makes such a big difference to have everything right where you need it when you need it. I'm thinking I need one for my spinning nook now.

Tiny Needle Tuesday:Kitty Sitting Edition

 July's Miss Patience and her baby are done just in the nick of time. It was a close one thanks to the Tour.

Here they are with all their other sheepy friends. The year of sheep has flown by.

Next up is Miss Wisdom sitting on a book reminding me that it's almost back to school time. I used to hate August but not anymore. No back to school for me-just lots of cheap school supplies to throw in the shopping cart on every trip to Walmart.

 There was even more sheepy stitching done over the weekend. No sooner had the Tour ended on Sunday when I had to jump in the car and go to Daughter's for an overnight kitty sitting gig.

 I immediately sat myself down in her sunlit dining room to stitch along with some Floss Tube videos. It's my favorite place in the world to stitch.

There's always an audience...

...and several distractions but it's all good. All that light is just perfect for these old eyes.

There was of course someone missing. I bawled my eyes out for the first half hour I was there. The kitty Daughter just lost to cancer was the "I will not be ignored" type of kitty and everything was just too calm and quiet.  Daughter had this stuffy made by Cuddle Clone in her image and she keeps her on her bed. She says it brings her comfort. Nothing made me feel better on this trip. It's going to take time.

The End of the Road

Last Tour post, I promise. If I don't get a photo of everything I did then I won't remember what needs to be finished next year when I go to dig it out. 

I almost forgot to post about the knitting I started during the Tour. It's all from last year's spinning. I didn't get far. Maybe I'll keep working on it. Maybe not. I'll decide once I clean up the spinning mess I'm left with. The Monday after the Tour is always a day of reckoning.

Aux Champs-Elysées

 I officially ran out of road today. Yesterday I managed to get some plying done. Today I'm just cruising along with the drop spindles as I watch the riders make their way to Paris. Dirty Nora is a skein now with two batts and two partial bobbins to go.

 Trinidad, my California Red is also a skein with two bobbins and three batts to go. My Ashford bobbins don't hold a lot so I've always got leftover singles to add on to which is a good thing because I still have a ways to go with all these projects.

I've got two more ounces of gradient Targhee to spin on the Ladybug but for now it's going to the back of the queue. After 21 days of spinning, I need a break.

An Unexpected Harvest

 One of The Mister's old work friends went on vacation and told us to go pick through his garden while he was away.

 He had the biggest eggplant I ever saw. That means it's ratatouille time.

It was the prettiest pot of vegetables I ever saw. My house smelled like heaven all day.

 It also means still warm from the sun tomato sandwiches on some crusty rosemary bread I was lucky enough to have in the freezer. I couldn't help myself. I had to have two bites before I took the photo. I was starving.

 Fried green tomatoes are also on the menu. I'm not a fan of summer but even I have to admit it's not all bad.

Knit Wit

 Thanks to the Tour and all the soap making I've been doing I don't have any real knitting to show off but I do have this new stamp and die set. It's the Knit Wit set from Sugar Peas.

I was playing with this background stamp that looks like knitted fabric a few days ago  and wondered it they made any knitting stamps. They don't make many but there are some out there.

 As you can see I had a lot of fun.

The possibilities are endless.

Dead Calm

 The heat wave broke on Tuesday. I'd been cooped up for days so it was good to get out. The Bay was as still as I've ever seen it. It looked as worn out as I felt.

 It was raining but the cool drizzle felt wonderful. This guy seemed to be enjoying it too.

 All the osprey babies were out of their nests enjoying a shower also. They've gotten so big. They will be leaving us soon.

It was too wet for Pup and I to sit on our usual bench while The Mister made a detour into the corner coffee shop. Pup won't take her eyes off the door or move an inch while she's waiting for him to come out.

 On the way home The Mister drove me past the new parking garage they are building to see the murals they are putting up. No one seems to know why a small town like ours needs a 700 car parking garage but it's probably not for a good reason. I know it's been a real mess while they've been building it. Even with the murals it's a real eyesore.

The best part of the day was going home and making a HOT cup of coffee to drink with the giant cookie The Mister picked me up at the coffee shop. I haven't had a hot cup of anything in ages and it tasted like heaven.

Picking Up the Pace

My little spinning nook is still the busiest place in the house but panic is setting in. I always freak out in the last week thinking that I have not accomplished enough. I've got three bins of handspun. I don't really need anymore. Ever. I'm not even on a team this year but old habits and expectations are hard to break.

 I used to count skeins as a finish. That's not going to happen this year. I've got one bobbin of California Red and just started the second.

 I've got one bobbin of Dirty Nora and half of another. Nora may be done with the emphasis on may.

 I've finished two of the five gradient minis. I should have the third done by the time we hit Paris but the other two will have to wait.

 I count the spindles by wind offs. Only the one on the right has been wound off. Tomorrow the green one in the middle will be. It's getting heavy.

 The cotton and the Russian spindle are inching their way to the Champs Elysee. No wind offs here at all and most likely won't be by Sunday.

Then there is this. All that fiber I solar dyed over the weekend has been a distraction. I should have packed it away until winter but it was too tempting. They may be some wonky rolags but that color is certainly to dye for. Vive le Tour. 

Stick a Fork In It

 Guess what's finally done? Well, almost done.

 All the blocks are sewn together. All the papers are out. After 6 years of wrestling with it I am counting the place we are now as a done.

 It still needs to be sandwiched and quilted but the soap/sewing room is in full soap mode at the moment so it will have to wait.

I can tell you one thing I learned from this epic experience. I could remove Daddio's thread basted squares much easier than my glued ones. It's something to think about when you have this many to remove. What a job.

To Dye For

 I was stuck in the house all weekend because of the heat wave and bored out of my mind. Looking out of the window at the blistering heat on the deck gave me an idea.

 My California Red fleece is spinning like a dream but I had left it white and I still have seven of those white batts left. Boring.

When it used to get hot like this I would take my dye jars over to Daddio's and we'd mix up some fun with whatever old fleece I had laying around. The asphalt in his driveway, the part right next to his garage doors, was as hot as any oven. It was perfect for solar dyeing.

 I don't have that set up here but I do have a hot deck with 99 degree temps so on Saturday I thought I'd give it a try.

 The lids have all rusted so I kept my fingers crossed that my raccoon buddies wouldn't be interested enough to pull the tops off to investigate. That could have been a spectacular mess in the morning.

 Instead of a mess I had six jars of exhausted dye and two that needed a little more time. Red and orange are always the slowpokes.

 I didn't know how the California Red was going to take the dye but from what I can see so far it's taking it pretty darn well.

 Since Sunday was another scorcher I gave it another go with more colors.

Today is the last Tour rest day so if I can get any of this dry enough I predict some carding in my future.