learning to knit & other things

           

Amelia and I have learned to knit!  I really thought this was one crafty thing that was utterly beyond me, and it might have been if not for this little cd-rom which I picked up (over two years ago) at Hobby Lobby for about six bucks.  Absolutely the thing to have if you have no one to teach you and cannot seem to learn from books.  Using wooden needles this time around seemed to help a great deal also (less slipping).  I had given all my aluminum needles away a few years back after giving myself up for hopeless, so I decided to replace them with hardwood and bamboo when it came time to purchase new ones.  The warm, soft feel of the wood is infinitely nicer than the cold hard metal. (But maybe that's just me...)

I am also totally hooked on baby alpaca yarns.  This stuff is so deliciously soft!  Amelia and I just ordered a couple of these beautiful colors for our autumn knitting project plans (VERY beginner), and I can't wait for them to get here.

In addition to a bit of knitting and the usual gardening, I have been doing more weekend thrifting, mostly in search of some clothing for my expanding waistline and shrinking wardrobe.  This past weekend was no good for clothes, but I found a "new" pair of roller-blades for James (he had outgrown his quite a while back) for only a dollar along with two pairs of nice shoes for Marie.  My favorite loot, however, was a pile of assorted vintage, silver plated, utensils.  I am not sure what I am going to do with them yet, but I have a few ideas. :-)

           

On something very much like a whim, I recently got some recipe cards printed professionally.  The above photo shows the front and back of the same card.  I am toying with the idea of putting them on Etsy, or maybe simply offering them here on the blog, or perhaps just saving them for Christmas gifts.  I'm not sure ...  I also ordered a second version, but they are not in yet.

I have finally completed all my orders for next school year's (right around the corner!) homeschool books.  So many of my friends start thinking about the next school term as soon as summer begins, but I cannot do that.  I need that mental "time off" where I don't even contemplate school.

We are trying to keep up with the weeds in the garden, but it is a constant battle.  I planted winter squash this morning and I really need to start some tomato seeds for fall tomatoes.  The cucumbers are slowing down now, but we may put in another batch of those for autumn, also.

Stay cool & drink lots of lemonade!             

                                            

PS ~If anyone has any good beginner type knitting pattern books to recommend, I would love to hear about them!