Little this, little that

The more things change the more they stay the same.

Parents: Dad is still in Memory care. That won't change but Mom is getting closer to needing it every day. Her phone conversations with me are terribly hard to follow and she's starting to see she isn't coping. I just want to keep her as independent as possible for as long as I can but ..... I'm hoping she'll be okay until September when I can get some family help to move her. Visiting her becomes more and more of a challenge because she just can't follow conversations and has such odd thought process. It's so great that there's staff at both Mom and Dad's places to keep both of them as safe and well as possible.

The Boys: Okay something is going on here. I came home tonight to find a ball of Opal sock yarn had decided to make the living room floor it's home. Normally, not so strange. Things get knocked tables onto the floor all the time around here. But - and here's the kicker - this yarn was originally on a table in the den. That's - all the way across the den, down the hall past a bathroom and 2 bedrooms and into the living room, then halfway across the living room. AND it shows no pulled strands or other signs of wear. Somebody was very careful with my yarn and just wanted to give it a tour of the house. Well, it IS very nice yarn. Maybe they want a new blanket out of it.

Road work: It continues and continues... So far we've lived with a dirt road for a couple months. It's been a very pot hole filled dirt road most of the time with any rain we get hanging out in the pot holes until it evaporates because the drainage system has been dug up to be replaced. We've also been living for the past month with rows of giant cement pipes waiting to be put in the ground. This is getting real old! All this inconvenience and we get to pay massively huge special assessment for all this. Whoopee!

Knitting: I'm working on a few secret projects- sorry it makes blogging boring but it can't be helped. I finished one of my Opal socks (different ball from the one that toured the house). It's my usual garter stitch rib toe-up sock. I like the ease of this sock and can make it without thinking. The Opal is Rendez-vous color 2062. I'll get pics this weekend and post. The 2nd sock will have to wait a bit until the secret stuff is done.

Crocheting: Guess with all the activity on my biog from crocheters finding the Rust Goes Green bag I should be sure to mention crocheting. First off - thanks everyone for all the comments I've received on ravelry and emails about the pattern. I haven't written up a pattern for other people for 10 years and it's nice to get back into the swing of things. I've got a few other ideas roaming around my head and we'll see where they end up. Crochet has never been my prime craft but I've always enjoyed it and have things I prefer in knit and things I prefer in crochet. You've let me know I need to wake up the crocheter in me even more.

Stitches Midwest: FYI it's 56 days till Stitches Midwest. Will you be there?

Back to secret knitting. Next post will have pictures of knitting or something good - promise.
One last thing - I know I said I was going to hit the Yarn shops in our area I haven't been to and the ones I shop at with "fresh eyes" this summer but so far I just haven't had time. Maybe I make it to a few July 4th weekend. If I do , I'll report back and take pictures.

Next Season - Road Construction

Minnesota is said to have two seasons - winter and road construction. Now that winter is over we're into our second season. My city has decided to do ALL the utilities and roads at the same time so we only have to rip up the road once. First came all the flags and stakes in the yards; then the gas company had to swap out the in-the-house meters for new outside meters. We've had sewer people, electric people and more. This week was rip up the road week.

Yup, you were right Bert. This is a good place to see all the stuff going on outside. - Chief

I better get my big green sock inside to protect it! - Bert

Every night after the guys are done, the road has t be put back to "normal" so we can drive home.
We've had lots of big truck-like vehicles up and down the street.

They've moved a lot of dirt and currently they've ripped up end of everyone's driveways and torn out all the curbs.

Then came today - do you know how much fun it is to have a hail storm when you have a bunch of dirt instead of a driveway or street?! YUCK!

Enough about roadwork. Yesterday I got a package in the mail. I listen to the She-Knits podcast and belong to the group on Ravelry. A few weeks ago Sharon ran a contest where we had to write about a time someone did something for you - just because. It was kind of a Chicken Soup for the Knitter's Soul contest. But - not really a contest. We just wrote our stories and shared then the winner was randomly chosen. I was the lucky winner and received the package yesterday.

I got a book and some yarn. Let me rephrase that - I got a way cool book and some absolutely yummy yarn.

The book - Couture Knits by Jean Moss. There's beautiful "fashion" sweater, shawls, etc.

The yarn - Primero by Brooks Farms. It a DK weight 100 Kid Mohair. Yum. Very pettable. I've got 1000yds so I'll have to search my patterns for the perfect project.