How'd It Get to Be June?

It's been busy here!  May and early June are always a bit crazy everywhere, I think.  We had a fun visit at the end of the month with one of my sorority sisters and spent a fun day with her in Gig Harbor.

Part of the family got together on Memorial Day for a picnic in our backyard, and while it was a bit chilly, it didn't rain even one drop! They brought this lovely hanging basket which now hangs on the deck off our living room.

Speaking of the backyard, the flowers (and weeds) have been amazing. First the trillium and bleeding heart bloomed.

As you can see on the header, our clematis is having a great year!  The iris are done and so is the golden chain tree, but the poppies are out in abundance.

There are even flowers inside the house with most of the violets blossoming.

But what about the knitting, you say?  A couple pairs of booties have popped off the needles for the a couple choir Grandma's first grandchildren.

That's about it.  Tonight is our last choir rehearsal until late August.  On Sunday we are premiering a beautiful hymn written especially for our choir.  Here's the link in case you care to hear it. (You can tune in at either 9 or 11 AM PST.) Have a great weekend!

Back Home with a Finish!

Finally, we are kind of caught up after being gone to the Midwest for ten days.  Our yard surprised us with lots of crazy flowers (and weeds).  It's amazing what a few warm days can do.

While we were in the Chicago area, we went to lots of swim practices and a couple of meets to watch all three of our grands compete.

Here's the oldest conferring with his coach. (This guy now looks me in the eye!)

 Here's the speedy youngest.

And Missy did well, too.

DD participated also as one of the many timers.  She and I had a delightful lunch in Richmond, IL, with Kathyb.  It's always fun to be with Kathy!  Seeing a fellow blogger in person is the best!

And here it is the long-awaited mystery finish!  I plan to hand it in today to the nurse who requested it.  Can you guess what it is?  No, it's not a water bottle holder.  Here's the link just is case you get a similar request!

 

Have a great week!

A Few More Finishes

We spent most of this weekend involved with our Worship through Music church services this morning.  However, I do have a few finishes to share.

I started this scarf/shawl a long time ago, and it's finally finished. It's an interesting pattern and include directions for a bind off that was new to me.

The colors in the second photo are truer to real life.

Like some others of my knitting friends, I've been in a dishcloth mood.  It was helped by the discovery of the fun Crazy Eights pattern which is reminiscent of the Almost Lost dishcloth.

Our recent warmer days have found me out working in the yard, or should I say fighting with Mother Nature?  Boy, is there ever a lot to do!  Our front yard camellia is really pretty this year.

Oh, and this week I got the strangest knitting request of my whole knitting life.  I may share it when it's completed.......  Have a happy week!

Cannon Beach and Last April Finishes

Wow, life got busy, and I'm later than usual with a new post.  We've been rehearsing with our choir for Sunday's Worship through Music concert.  If you are so inclined, you can watch the live stream at either 9 or 11 AM (Pacific Time) this Sunday, the 6th.  We are singing Ralph Vaughn William's Dona Nobis Pacem and a few other hymns.  We also spent a couple of other days at Cannon Beach, OR, and had the local GK at our house overnight, and Little Miss asked me to teach her to "yarn"!  (She's four.)

Can you guess this mountain?  It was visible in all its glory from a viewpoint en route.

A very low tide let us get close to Haystack Rock and its nearby companions.

This cave was approachable because of the low tide. It's on a beach south of Cannon Beach.

The bunnies are back at Tolovana and snacking on the grass!

When we got back home, we were pleasantly welcomed with these beauties.

And here are two of  my  last three April finishes:

The third one is still drying on the dining room table.  That scarf is a fun pattern for striping yarn that has fairly long color changes.  The socks also work well with striping yarn.  Can you see the one spot that has a dyeing issue?  So long for now, and a Happy May to you all!

A Few Finishes and Lots of Snow, but None Here!

My thoughts are with those of you who, like my sister, are dealing with this in mid-April! These photos remind me not to complain about our rain. At least that doesn't need shoveling.

This week I worked on something unusual, a few quilt blocks.  Our group is making a quilt for a local hospice. The camera sure picks ups on the inconsistencies in my measuring. Sigh.

This one is called Connector Chain.

I love hearts.  Our blocks are to be red, white, and blue, so I think I need to add some stitching to this one.

This was my first attempt at a Disappearing 9-block and looks a bit wonky. 

Has anyone figured out how to make these diagonal dishcloths "unwonky" on that last corner?  This is the Illuminator pattern, once again.

Spring arrived in our living room this week!  Our hibiscus bloomed; it looks like it's yearning to be outside, but you can see just how wet it is on the deck.  It won't be headed outside for at least a month!  Have a good week.

Yet Another Pair of Booties

My only recent finish at the moment is yet another pair of booties.  Lots of spring babies, I think. I will deliver these on Thursday at choir to the baby's grandma.

Our son-in-law sent a few more photos from our trip to Breckenridge.  This one was taken after their arrival in Denver after 24 hours on the train from Chicago. The kids survived the rest of the day amazingly well.

These two hadn't seen each other since last July, but they picked up right where they left off!

The intrepid skiers having lunch together on their last day on the slopes.

Spring really is coming to the Pacific Northwest, albeit way too slowly!  This tree was given to us by a friend after the passing of my mother almost 38 years ago.

Have a great week!

Home Again!

We just got back from a fun family gathering in Breckenridge, Colorado. My hats were a hit and came in handy in the cold, crisp air.

The cousins had fun together playing hide and seek, taking skiing lessons, and enjoying each others' company.

Battleship seemed to be the favorite game of the four youngest.

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And I even completed a pair of socks in one of the quieter moments.

Hope everyone had a nice Easter; we were home in time to have dinner out with a good friend.  Driving home, we encountered an April Fool's snow squall.  It was really crazy as we left the sunny Des Moines Marina and drove north into dark clouds, slushy rain, and then a dusting of snow on our hill.  Very strange!