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.