July 31: Progress? What Progress?

Last day of July, and a rainy one it's been. . . I am on the verge of my first ever yard sale (to benefit our church's effort to raise $5000 for a Heifer International Ark--two of each of the animals Heifer provides for families in need around the world). We'll see how it goes, but I am blown away by the help and support everyone is offering, crowned by my BH but ably supported by Elder. . !!!

However, the heading refers to my February Lady sweater. HOW do people crank it out in one month or less? I have been knitting A. LOT. Every evening I knit at least an hour, and I have NOT had to take out major swathes or anything. I am about one or two lace repeats away from starting the garter edging, and that's great! I even tried it on last night and am cautiously optimistic, given that virtually everyone who's made it says it grows when blocked ("What ees dis blocking you spik of?"). Wearing this creation, the most complicated sweater I've made I think ever, seemed within my reach. . . but then suddenly I realized:


SLEEVES.


Long sleeves.


TWO of 'em.


All gull patterned lace.


This could take some time.


"More books on cd, Jeeves!"

July 26: Mornin'!

The show was great fun: I was amazed at how smoothly it ran after only five weeks of work, and delighted by how much fun they were all having. Younger went off for a late dinner/celebration after the show: a huge step forward for him socially!

Now I am browsing knitting blogs, all the while feeling that more knitting and less browsing might mean more progress. Certainly the infernal "it's too hot to knit this summer" problem has not raised its head so far! I did do several lace repeats (3, maybe?) last night while waiting for the show to start, during intermission, and then at home, waiting for Younger to appear (and to get to go to SLEEP!). I may finagle the sleeve stitches so I can try it on and make a decision about length soon.

The skies are only mostly cloudy, not pouring rain, today, so my spirits and energy are higher. Cleaning? Finishing the Skirt? Etc? We shall see! Let's hope at least that my brother and BH have great fishing!

July 24: Opening Day/Night!

Today Younger's theater camp opens "Bye Bye, Birdie!" with a 12 noon showing for the YMCA camp as a dress rehearsal, which BH will attend. I'll go tonight "for real" and then again tomorrow night for closing. Younger is very excited, and I'm proud of him in a complicated and mushy way: he has dealt with some stress (practices every day since school ended, riding himself up and down the hill on his bike, not getting a big part, being part of a show with older kids, etc) and has really thrived (throve? thriven??) and been increasingly independent and happy. He sings around the house and practices dance steps and retells terrible jokes the cast enjoys. . . . He's making his own way and loving it, so I'm proud and delighted and touched.

Today is also a day of heavy rain, though I'm watching to see if the old "rain before seven, stop before eleven" saw holds true. It's 11:03 and raining less heavily, so maybe that counts, at least for this soggy summer! I am still in my jammies, and have read and then played about on Ravelry for a bit. I'm pondering making the free skirt pattern I got from Sewing by the Sea using the funky rayon print I got at Marden's yesterday (3 bucks and change), but I might also want to really neaten up my study before that, and I had considered cleaning at least half the house today and doing the rest tomorrow. I could ALSO plop myself down on the couch with a movie and do some serious repeats on the FLS. . . but I just. don't. seem. to. be. able. to. muster. up. the. energy.

BLEAH.

Younger and I did make luscious millionaire's shortbread yesterday, and I did finish reading The Private Patient, a classically well-written and enthralling Adam Dalgleish novel by PD James, and I am very close to finishing the Nicolar book for my class. . . . so I have been doing stuff, but I am definitely in a quagmire of sorts--bored, moldy, lethargic, flat.

However: this post has been written over a span of about 2 hours, as several people have stopped by, BH and I have loaded Younger's old bike into BH's car for its delivery to my younger brother's older son (!!) this weekend, and I have begun and stopped a few things, like cleaning off the dining room table to cut out the skirt, etc. When I told him I was out of solar energy, BH also said to me, "So have a lazy day in your pajamas. No harm done." And he's absolutely right: what difference does it make? I don't really have to always be "a human doing": sometimes I can be a human BEING! So: whatever gets done, gets done. Inspired by his insight and given a burst of well being by it, I have brushed my teeth and changed out of my pjs. Plans (!!) include maybe cutting material, taking Zeus for a walk if the rain subsides, and maybe watching some "Columbo" and knitting. OR MAYBE NONE OF THE ABOVE!!!!

'Sokay.

JULY 21: Lest You Think. . .

that I am a rain-hater, I thought I'd write about the lovely rainy afternoon/evening I'm enjoying. Younger and BH have gone to see the latest HP, but I am happy to spend the evening pottering about, watching my latest Netflix (had it for at least a week now!), knitting on my sweater, and enjoying the rain. Elder is going to a swim meet (his last for the season) in Canada this weekend: unfortunately BH and my younger brother have planned a fishing weekend and Younger's show is this weekend, so none of us can attend. . . but we can send food. Elder doesn't have a remarkable sweet tooth (Younger inherited mine, I think) but he does love some things I bake, and one of them is a family standby: Choca-Dotta Pumpkin Cake. If my sister--I think my only reader, in fact!--reads this, she will cringe, since she hated the name when we were kids, tho I don't remember her minding the cake at all. It's a dense, heavy cake, one I often make in the fall and winter, and I thought it would be great for (fairly) healthy breakfasts or snacking for the four days the team will be in St. John. Elder himself is exhausted and sleeping right now (or texting Swimgirl. . . once I'm done this I'll shut off the router, just to check), but it adds to my cozying in feeling of this evening to have the cake in the oven.

AND here's the recipe. Ann, if you've forgotten it. . . have at it! You can call it whatever you want!

Choca-Dotta Pumpkin Cake
(my version)

For starters, mix the "wets" so the bran flakes can dissolve. In a large bowl,
beat 4 eggs and mix with
2 cups or one can of pumpkin (probably not the pie filling, tho I've never tried it)
1 cup of oil
1 1/2 cups of bran flakes (yeah, weird. But this way you can justify eating it for b'fast or sending it on a swim trip). Let that sit.

Then: sift together
2 cups of flour
2 tsp baking pwdr
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves (be sure to take a nice sniff--what smells better?)
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp ginger
2 cups of sugar (don't really need to sift that, but it makes it easy to keep the dries together)

Mix the dries into the wet, and add 1+ cup of chocolate chips and, if you so desire, 1 cup of nuts. Elder does not desire the nuts but does desire 1.5 cups of chips. SO!

Then: spoon into pans: if you do it in the one tube pan it calls for, grease it well and put the oven on 325 for one hour and a quarter and maybe you'll still need to put tinfoil on the top. I like to do a tube pan AND a small loaf so they don't get brown on top AND so the family can have some for b'fast and still send a nice tube cake to Canada. In that case, I start at 350 and then turn it down to 325; the loaf takes about 45 mins and the cake. . . an hour? But overall: bake till it seems done: some crumbs but no goo on the tester, pulling away from edges, etc.

Enjoy!!!!! My brother loves it with oranges and chocolate sauce. Go figure!

July 20: Progress (or lack thereof)

Lately our family evenings have featured watching at least one episode of the Jeeves and Wooster set that I gave BH for a belated Father's Day gift. Each show lasts about an hour or so, and while we watch it, I knit on the body of the February Lady Sweater (adapted by Pamela ?? [too lazy to get off porch and check] of Flint Knits), and I must say 1. I am enjoying the gull lace pattern, and 2. I am stunned by how slow the process is! So many bloggers I read seem to have finished projects to show off every day or so--lace shawls, sweaters, shrugs in ornate lace patterns, complete pairs of socks! When I'm teaching and thus tied to evenings of correcting or prep that precludes knitting, I thought that was the difference. "Humph," said I, "those professionals have the whole evening from 7 to at least 10 pm, maybe with a ride on the train or bus home, for knitting! Hence the progress!" Now, however, I am changing my opinion, and wondering what is up: I knit at least an hour nearly every evening, but I still think my sole project for the whole summer might end up being one. sweater. (and that's assuming enough for me to look like an old Italian lady as I cross myself and spit over my shoulder to ward off the Evil Eye). What gives? I knit "fast", with a modified continental style (I think it's called "English"), holding the yarn in my right hand but not dropping the needle to wrap it, and I use good tools. . .

But, as I run my mind's eye over my fuzzy (I fear my Cricket will pill like the devil but it's a pretty yarn nonetheless), lacy bodice-to-date, I guess I just have to accept this: I'm making progress. And progress is really what knitting's all about!

If I get my "gotta do's" done, I might post a pic of the sweater so far! It has come a ways, I do admit!



Edited to add promised picture of "Feb. Lady Sweater with Controller and Plant Pot". . .

July 19: Pic Coming. . . Lovely Maine Day

Wow--it's summer! Breezy, warm, sunny, even a few fluffy and some black clouds didn't interfere with that ambiance. Sometimes it just happens. And today was summer. Wonderful! I drank my coffee on the cleaned front porch without a fleece or a sweatshirt, and the day continued in that vein. Amazingly, it was the church picnic out on Newberry Neck, and we decided to go, though we knew we'd be the only family with children (child, really: Elder had to life guard and then mow two lawns, so Younger was it). The weather was such a clear sign that we couldn't ignore it--and BH suggested deli sandwiches instead of grilling, which made it fun and easy. And we had a wonderful time: everyone was tickled that we'd come, Younger brought his b'day origami books from my mom, and someone had also brought bocce, which is the perfect intergenerational game with a big group: it's fun to watch, it's easy to play, it's fast moving, it's very low stress, and it got us out into the sunshine. What a nice time we had--and of course the view of Blue Hill Bay didn't hurt anything, either! There were a good number of sailboats whizzing up and down (and we saw one washed ashore, unfortunately, after a broken mooring), white caps, and deep, gorgeous blue water. Ahhhhhhh.

Then we came back and Younger started to do his yardwork chores, only getting through most of the mowing part as the weedwhacker didn't work. . . but I did some major clearing and brushcutting, wreaking havoc against the bushes that had crept back into our walls, hedges, and washline. It was good sweaty dirty work (break to go admire the large black mouse that Swipe the cat has caught and is announcing proudly on the porch. Apparently we won't go hungry if he has anything to say about it. . . Nice kitty! Good boy!): I put on lots of sunscreen and bug spray and had at it! The yard looks better (the weedwhacker's ailment means it doesn't look great yet) and my shower felt TERRIFIC!

Shall I say it again? What a nice day!

July 17: Family and, at last, a ZIPPY BOOK!

Just finished Dick Francis's Under Orders--wow! I used to like him a great deal, and then just fell out of reading him, but having listened to one of his at the very end of the school year, I thought I'd try another, and Under Orders was great: fast moving, suspenseful, informative, and a lot of fun! Nice to read a really zippy book! I also started another book for my Wabanaki course, Joseph Nicolar's book about the Penobscot, The Life and Times of the Red Man, and it is fascinating, though I haven't even read his work yet, only various intros and discussions and historical backgrounds. BUT: hopeful nonetheless. AND I have the newest P D James to read as well!

And we have spent some lovely time these three days with BH's cousin, cousin's wife, their four kids, and BH's uncle. What great people! I wish the weather had been better for them, but the upside is that we got to see them more! Today they came to Ellsworth and we got Thai food for lunch, after which they headed off to watch the new Harry Potter. How terrific to see them and to enjoy them so much. Family: always a crapshoot, but sometimes you win!

We're due for heavy rain and maybe t'storms tomorrow, then . . . . clearing, we hope! In case we're denied, I DO have some good reading.