I'm about to finish the Palette Shawl that I've been knitting on for several months now.   As soon as I run out of the blue yarn I'll call it quits as I think it will be long enough.   It's a trapezoid shape, so kinda hard to hold up and try on with the needles still in it to check out the length.  The lighter colors of yarn are Cascade Eco Duo and are wonderful to work with.   They are somewhat "thick and thin", kinda homespun-like.  

I wanted to show you a picture, but since I uploaded Windows 10 last week, I can't download photos from Adobe Photoshop Elements to this blog.  I am getting a little window from Adobe saying things don't work properly unless I have Internet Explorer loaded on my computer.  Windows 10 uses Edge - so I guess I have to do some computer work here.    I think I'll just go back to my Windows 7 - I liked it just fine and Windows 10 doesn't seem a whole lot different, except for the fact that some of my programs have not been updated to handle Windows 10.  I understand you can get a free upgrade to Windows 10 for a whole year - so I may just download it again later!

OF LATE

It's been a while since I've posted any yard pictures, and this wonderfully blooming Bougainvillea is pretty spectacular.   We've planted several different varieties of Bougainvillea since we moved here 3 years ago, and this is the nicest one.   Some of the others have passed on - so we're very happy to have this one.   It's kind of a "hit or miss" with plants here in Arizona - they must be able to stand the heat and drought, and sometimes even though others may be able to grow them fine, we haven't always been so lucky.

I've made a lot of progress on the Palette Shawl and am "determined" to get it finished before I pick up something else to knit.   It may be called "stubborn" instead of "determined".  LOL

I went to a meetup today at a local coffee shop for women over 50 in Maricopa.  What a fun group of ladies who meet every couple of weeks - sometimes at members homes and sometimes at other places!  Part of the group is interested in beading - which is a hobby I quit working on several years ago - I guess knitting started consuming so much of my time.   Anyway, I'm now anxious to get back in the "beading" mode.

ON A WINDY, STORMY DAY

I've been getting alerts for the last few hours, of the incoming wind, thunderstorms and rain.  So far none of that has happened, but still hoping.  We could really use the rain.  

So in the meantime, I've picked up my knitting on the Palette Shawl.  I found, last night at meetup, that I had dropped a stitch about 5 rows back, and due to the yarnovers, and lacy-type design, I couldn't just bring it on up to the current row.  So I've spent time today "un-knitting" those rows and now ready to start up the knitting again.   It's going to be way to heavy a knit for wear in Arizona, so it'll be gifted to someone up in Washington State where they get cold winters.

MOVIN' RIGHT ALONG

I've been doing a lot of knitting on my Palette Shawl and happy to see some progress! This is a trapezoid-shaped shawl, thus the reason it kinda looks crooked!!   I've just started a new color - Stonehedge  Shepherd's wool in Seabreeze (a pretty heather green) that goes well with the other two colors.  I'll use all of this skein (left over from another project) then switch to another color.  

WORK-IN-PROGRESS

I've been working on my Palette Shawl as often as I can, but I'm either getting to be a slower knitter, or something.  It seems like it's merely crawling on!  

READY FOR THE 4TH???

I assume your plans are all made and in effect right now for celebration of our great country over the 4th!!!   One thing about being retired and living away from family - nothing too exciting is going on around here.  Today we spent most of the day up in the Phoenix area - shopping and other errands.

I cast on this beautiful Palette shawl by Chandi Agee.  I sorta like my color selections from stash,  but am not too sure about one section being the pale blue.  I may have to come up with something else, but I don't really want to buy more yarn. (ha ha)  Once I got past the first few rows, I'm doing a better job of keeping count of my stitches.

I also have my "adult coloring book" nearby so that I can stop knitting and color for awhile to break the monotony and finished this particular picture I started several weeks ago.

Enjoy your weekend and keep safe!

RECENT HAPPENINGS

We (hubby and I) have just returned home from a wonderful 10-day trip to Washington State visiting family.

We spent time in western Washington visiting with our daughter and her family.   We attended our granddaughter's high school graduation, which was very nice.  They had a grad party for her the next day and got to see a lot of her friends and famiiy friends we had not seen in a while.  The younger granddaughter just gratuated from the 6th grade.

We rented a car and drove to Spokane (on the east side of Washington state) and visited with 4 more granddaughters, their mom, and two great-grandsons.  The youngest is just 5 months old and his brother just turned 3.   Such a lot of fun to be around the boys, but wow,  what a lot of energy that 3 yr-old has - hard to keep up!  But it was fun being around them.

We drove back to Seattle and flew home out of Sea-Tac.   Hard to believe how air travel is so much different these days.  "Back in the day" I was an airline "stewardess" and their was time to visit with the passengers, lots of elbow room, pass out food, etc..  Now eveyrone is all crammed in with very little leg or elbow room.

Due to said "lack of room"  I didn't do any knitting during the 3-hour flight.  Hard to get your arms in a position to do so.   In fact, I didn't get out my knitting the entire 10 days we were gone.   We were just way too busy.

It is nice to be home - the laundry is all done - had my long day of rest yesterday, and am now "back in the normal rut".

We are in quite a long heat spell.   We've had over 110 degree temperatures for well over a week now, and no end in sight.  These are really high temperatures for this early in the summer - hate to think of what it'll be like later this summer.

Are you planning a trip this Summer?  Write and let me know!

TUESDAY, TUESDAY

Good day to be doing things I want to do, instead of things I have to do.   However, the laundry is going, and phone calls being made for appointments, and a stack of receipts sitting here staring at me to be posted into Quicken!

 I'm certainly a procrastinator - but life is to enjoy, right?  Because this is really what I'm doing as we speak.

HAPPY, HAPPY YARN DAY

After two doctor appointments in Chandler mid-day today (one for leg veins and one for eye exam), I was anxious to get home and now I know why.

Does this explain my happiness????

This lovely yarn is from Expression Fiber Arts.  They dye some beautiful colors, don't they.  Now I get to decide what to knit with them....such a problem!

WORK IN PROGRESS

I cast on my Ananke shawl and so far all is well.  Loving the color (Blackberry Cheesecake)  and the softness of the Superwash Merino from Expression Fiber Arts yarn.

It's been quite a long while since I've knit a shawl and forgot how long it takes to see any progress.   Pretty soon these rows will be sooooo long it'll take me forever to get anywhere.   The finished product will be mine - to wear in the highly air-conditioned lobby of the local Entertainment Center where our knit/crochet group meets.   I'm tired of goosebumps on my arms and always forget a jacket or sweater.  Maybe I'll remember this shawl - hope.

A COUPLE OF THINGS GOING ON HERE

I just received today, a skein of yummy Expression Fiber Arts fingering weight yarn.  The color is Blackberry Cheesecake - very fitting name!  Right?

I'm searching for a pattern to justify this coloring, and think I have settled on this scarf - Ananke by Shannon Squire (this is her photo).   Can't wait to cast on this beauty. 


Secondly, I finished this page in my coloring book this morning.  I have mixed emotions about how I chose the colors, and can see where I'm going to need to buy a set of more colors than just the 20 I have.   I need to be able to "shade" the colors more.

 Tomorrow morning I'm having my fifth Laser surgery on some leg veins, so will not be very active the next few days and a great time to "color"!!!

FINISHED MY FIRST PIECE

I finished my first colorbook page this morning and really do love how it came out.  Don't look too closely as you'll see a couple of places I goofed up and also a place or two where I went outside the lines, for heavens sake.

 

 Now on to bigger and more colorful pictures..

REVERTING TO MY CHILDHOOD

I've been looking at "adult coloring books for some time now and finally broke down and ordered one from Amazon.  Also ordered a set of Staedtler colored pens.    Today I took the colorbook into Staples and had them cut the binding and put on a spiral binding so that the book cover lays flat, and also enables me to make a copy of a page (should I decide to do so).

This is the front cover of the coloring book:

The picture I started with yesterday is a very simple one and I'm really enjoying it.  There are already a mistake or two in it - but, oh well, I'm just a beginner.

 This below page will be for whenever I build up my skills.

For those who would like a relaxing therapy project (after some serious knitting), this is a fun thing to have at hand to work on for a little while!!

ENJOYING THE MORNING

We had some people working on our house this morning, so hubby and I went over to the golf course (The Duke) and had breakfast.   We sat out on the patio in the 80+ temperature and talk about beauty!!

 

This is what we love about Arizona!!   

 

HERE WE GO AGAIN!

We put our house on the market last week, and now we're in the constant mode of pick-up, paint-up, clean-up and all the fun things that go along with selling a home.   We've lived here for 2-1/2 years and do love the neighborhood.   We live in a 55+ community of wonderful people, but feel we must move closer to medical facilities in the valley area around Phoenix.    Instead of living 25-30 miles from hospitals and our doctors, we will be moving to an area approximately 5-8 miles away.   Not only will we save money in gasoline and auto wear and tear, we can get there quicker in an emergency.

We've had two lookers, one of which will be coming for a 2nd look, so hope it doesn't take forever to sell and buy another home.   My least favorite part of this all, is the keeping the house looking spotless every single day and all picked up every time we leave the house. 

I may or may not be posting very often to this blog for a month or so - depends on all the other activity going on.

I knitted this dishcloth this weekend - mainly to relax myself.  It's quite a simple one. 

Wish me luck in this ambitious endeavor, and I look forward to continuing to follow your blog, even if I don't comment on yours, or write on mine.

WHAT'S HAPPENING HERE?

I haven't posted in a while because life at our house has been rather hectic of late.   Lots of company - I think a lot of people come to visit us in Arizona to get warm.   We had ex-neighbors from Spokane visit a couple of times in March (they're on their way home now).  Our daughter and family from Las Vegas were here last week.  Our ex-neighbors from Graham, WA (who are snowbirds and live in Apache Junction during the winter) were here yesterday for a good ole game of Mexican Train and barbecue dinner.

One of the consequences of company and procrastination is that not much knitting has been done.  Our group has cancelled our meetups because of so many other events happening at the Entertainment Center where we meet.  

This is how my socks are looking - this is still the first sock and I'm ready now to start the heel:

Now I'll take you on a trip around our yard.  Lots of things blooming.

 These are two different-colored oleander bushes.

 Don't know the name of these flowered shrubs (below and above)

 This is a Palo Verde tree - Arizona's "state" tree.

Now I'm off to start the heel on my sock. 

COLLECTIONS

I'm sure most of you out there have a collection of some sort - I know I have a "few"!!

I seem to be collecting yarn for my knitting, beads for jewelrymaking, paper supplies for cardmaking, books and records for my genealogy hobby, and today I'm going to talk about my inactive collection of glassware.

A long time ago, my mother gave me her pieces of pink Fosteria glassware which she had received as a wedding gift in 1935!

Thus my fever to collect pink Fosteria began in earnest, and look what happened!  Went completely out of control for a few years, but really enjoyed doing it!

 

 

 

I occasionally use some of the pieces, but not often.  My beautiful china cabinet is full - no room to add to the collection and frankly, have lost interest in the collection.   Hopefully one of my children would like to keep these in the family.  If not, I guess ebay here I come!

What do you collect?

WHAT A BEAUTIFUL SUNDAY!!

This may get "photo heavy", but it's been such a gorgeous, wonderful day and I've got photos to prove it.

First off - the weather:

Took another picture of my new cactus - named cactus mamillopsis senillis.   Can hardly wait for the other two buds to bloom out.  That'll probably happen in the next few days with our weather so warm they bloom out fast and will probably not last a long time.

We live in a 55+ resort community with lots of things to do.  One of them being a concert this afternoon by the Tuners & Crooners singing 50's songs.  Was a lot of fun and WOW what a lot of talent.

Last, but by no means least, I found some time to knit on my newest pair of socks.  Loving this Opal yarn and the colors are very pretty.

WHAT'S ON MY NEEDLES?

I've been absent from here for a while, but actually I've not been doing much knitting.  Life has gotten in the way, it seems.

I think I'll "kitchener" stitch the Forza scarf together and consider it long enough.   I've added quite a bit in length to both pieces and frankly, am tired of working on it.

And.....I couldn't resist on casting on a sock yesterday.  Not that I don't have many WIP's on-the needle!!!  My friend, Tina, knits so many beautiful socks from Opal yarn so off I went to order a skein of Opal Potpourri and using a pattern called Easy Socks from Universal Yarns.  

So, what are you working on?

FINISHED

I finished this dishcloth today while sitting in the waiting room of the doctor's office.   I made an identical one a couple of days ago, but the sister-in-law fell in love with it and off it went with her, along with three or four more dishcloths.  I told them it gives me pleasure to see someone happy with them - which is true!

VISITORS

We've had visitors the past few days, from Boise, Idaho.   Hubby's brother and sister-in-law have been here and we've had such a good time catching up and the weather has been great.  Yesterday we drove to Tombstone, Arizona which took about 2-1/2 hours.  I knitted another dishcloth and gave it to my sis-in-law before I took a picture, so I'm making a second one right now.

 Tombstone, Arizona is where the shootout at the OK Corral took place between the Earp Brothers (Wyatt and others) and the Clantons.  It's a fun place to visit and here are a few pictures I "picked" off the web.  (Forgot my phone/camera!!)

 

Old time Tombstone back in the it's heyday in the 1880's!








Another "old-time shot" of Main Street

 Today's Main Street

 Stagecoach ride down Main Street today

Pictures of a couple of the graves in the Boot Hill
Cemetery.  There were a lot of them that just had a name and "shot", "murdered", or "lynched" on a date in the early 1880's.

DISHCLOTH STASH

Maybe you thought I was kidding about being on a dishcloth kick?  Here's a picture of my stack of finished dishcloths, and I've just given 3 away to a daughter.   I have promised myself to not knit another dishcloth for quite some time.....