Inspiration

Tonight I attended my last quilt class. I am not as far as I hoped to be but further than a few of the other students so I fee average. As I was knitting on the 3rd bootie the other day I was inspired by some of the colors as they came together as purl ribs and plan on incorporating them into my quilt. I'm using a design wall in my studio to help plan the quilt in the most visually appealing way so I'm anxious to make some progress. I have 16 more small blocks to make and 5 more large blocks. Our class plans to get together sometime in November to share finished quilts...I guess I'd better get stitching.

Blogging Bug

Someone else I know has started a blog! My brother. Click here to check it out.
I've also linked to his blog on my sidebar for future visits. I hope he updates often because after 10 quiet days I delete from my favorites ;-)

548 Miles

We're back! We spent the weekend at my aunt & uncles motel in the town of Ely. This is when we arrived on Saturday, look at the clear sky! It was a great ride up along the North shore of Lake Superior. A little chilly by the water but bearable for sure. Hwy 1 was awesome, nice and curvy with minimal traffic. Kyle & I rode our motorcycles and my parents drove their 40 Ford coupe with the 5.0 Mustang engine, it cruises (but not as fast as Kyle).

We bummed around town for the afternoon and then went to dinner with everyone. In the evening we went to my aunt & uncle's cabin for a short boat ride, the sunset and a bonfire with s'mores. Sunday morning we headed over to the Chocolate Moose, a must for me when I'm in Ely. I was craving Walleye & eggs. It was just as good as I anticipated. This is a view from my breakfast seat.

Kyle & I headed over to the International Wolf Center to hopefully spy a couple wolves. Unfortunately they were all hiding from the heat & bugs plus they were fed the night before so were lethargic as well. Back to the motel for a short good-bye and we hit the rode again to come on home. Between Hwy 1 & Two Harbors, the sky was looking a little bit dark and it got really cold (56º) but we managed to miss all the rain. Here we are at a pit stop we made on Hwy 1 about 2 miles from the end. I think Kyle was there about 10 minutes before I showed up, he already had his camera out and had taken all his photos.

Look at all the lupines lining the road, it smelled great.

We had a fun weekend, 548 miles in all. The longest I've ever ridden in 2 days.
I managed to knit 2/3 of a round on my circus sock, hey at least I packed it...I had very limited space!

Lilies & June Bugs

June's Month of Softies theme is June Bugs so I think I'm going to give it a try if I get some time next week. I photographed a beetle the other night but I thought this lily from my garden looked a little nicer.

We're headed up to Ely this weekend on our motorcycles so I'll catch you on Sunday or Monday!

Quilt Class

So tonight is my 2nd quilting class and I have made very little progress. These are the 2 blocks I started last week, the center spikes are completed but I just layed the outer pieces there so you could get an idea of what they'll look like. I am not too good with curved piecing so I need a little more practice before I start finishing the blocks. The quilt consists of 9 large blocks and 20 small. There are no deadlines for class so I'm not behind technically even though I feel like I'm slacking. But jeez...it is summer and it's nice outside. And my sewing machine is inside...

The Color of the Sky in My World

Ahhh, summer.

Happy Summer!

Today is the official start of summer. The season of ice cream, lemonade, mosquito bites, sandals, sunburn, warm nights, motorcycles, bon fires, Chicago dogs and fireworks. What does summer mean to you?

Sockapal2za

I managed to get some yarn for my Sockapal2za socks last week, what do you think? Of course I can't tell you exactly what my pal requested because if she reads this she'll know. She didn't really have any color requests and she only said she didn't want arcylic socks. On another note, this is our new hammock...well actually not really new. We received it from one of my co-workers for our wedding 8 years ago. Friday we managed to finally pick up a stand for it and assemble the comfy thing. I actually layed in it and knit for a while on Friday night.

I'll accept all ideas for sock patterns, oh and she said absolutely no lace.

Two Wheels Only

This past weekend was FULL of things to do in MN. We originally planned to head North to Brainerd for motorcycle racing but Kyle suggested we should stay home and take advantage of local entertainment and I agreed. We also agreed to go everywhere on our motorcycles. Friday night we went to dinner with some friends and then stopped at a local hotel to see some of the street rods which were in town for Back to the 50's. Then we went near the fairgrounds, I say near because the traffic was SO busy. We plopped down in the grass and watched for a while. 10,872 cars were here for the show, unbelievable!

Then Saturday morning we went to Betty's Bikes & Buns for the kickoff of the MN1000 rally. Sort of what I did last weekend but on a much grander scale. It's a 24 hour rally which consists of the 5 state area (MN, IA, WI, ND, SD) plus Canada. This photo is just a fraction of the bikes that were at Betty's. We were thinking of heading over there again Sunday morning for the return of the riders but had other things in mind.

Saturday afternoon I rode over to Hudson WI for my cousins baby shower. She LOVED the booties.

Saturday night we were invited to a friends house for a BBQ and then headed toward the fairgrounds again to get our car fix for the day. Again, super busy traffic but fun anyway. Sunday we took a father's day ride to the Blind Lizard Rally on Nicollet Island and then back to the fairgrounds to see more cars. This time we ate outside at Dino's and watched the cars drive by, most were leaving the fairgrounds to head for home. I easily logged over 200 miles on my bike and what a beautiful weekend it was...it's still 82º!

Another Bootie, Coming Right Up

I need to knit a 3rd bootie, a prize goes to the first person to e-mail me with the answer as to why.

I gave these to my cousin yesterday and she didn't care one way or the other but I know it will always bother me so she'll have a spare bootie laying around.
Update: Michelle of Pink Knits gave the correct answer. One top is knit and one is purled. It's supposed to be purled but I think I like the knit side up better. Karrie also gave the correct answer but just a few minutes late. Thank you both for being loyal readers!

I Said There Were AnniversarIES

Today is my mom & dad's wedding anniversary, I actually don't know how many years...maybe it's 38? Happy Anniversary!!!

Anniversaries & Birthdays

Today would have been my Grandma's 83rd birthday. I miss her very much. Today is also my brother & sister-in-law's 15th wedding anniversary so here's a photo of my grandma & grandpa with my brother in 1971.

Chris & Paula were married the same summer I graduated high school. It's great to be married 15 years but not so great to have graduated 15 years ago. Happy anniversary you two!

New Tennies

Yesterday I happened upon these super cool Converse, they're velour! So 70's I know but I love them.

Yes my knitting world has been almost non-existent...maybe I'll get into the groove this weekend. Tonight I'm heading to a quilting class.

Fly Your Flag High & Proud, It's Flag Day!

Baseblog Night

Last night at the minor league baseball stadium it was baseblog night. I found out about this through Ron's blog, one of my daily reads. He works for the Saints and put the whole thing together. I was able to meet Ron, a super nice guy, get my hot dog and hat and sit down for about 3 minutes before it started to rain. And hail. And blow. It felt like a tornado at times and then it passed. This thunder head is the one that had just passed, I think.

There were a few squeegie-ers out on the field so for a while we thought maybe the game was on. Then the severe weather sirens started sounding and a Saints guy came through and said the game had been rained out. I guess we'll go back another night. And if you live around St. Paul and have never been to a Saints game, you must go they are a blast and a half. Fun is good.

One of the Red Hawk players was playing in the puddles. Come sail away, come sail away...

BTW, in no way does this rainout change my opinion on an open ballpark for the Twins. Bring it on.

Soggy Doggy Rolling Video

Here is the video of Casey rolling around in the grass...
Warning: the file is huge so unless you have high-speed internet, don't even bother clicking.
Enjoy!

Soggy Doggy

Yesterday we spent some time at Kyle's dad's place doing various chores that he needed some help with. I spent all day tending to gardens and planting flowers. Kyle fixed some shingles and buffed the 32 Ford. My arms are screaming "ouch" since I failed to put on sunscreen. Casey hit the pond about a half dozen times. When he was young we couldn't get him in the lake and yesterday we couldn't get him out. It was the weirdest thing. He had a super great time and he's been sleeping ever since, well almost.

If anyone knows how to link to a MPEG or post one here, I'd show you a funny video of Casey rolling in the grass. Is there anyone out there who can help me with this?

All Things Pink

My mailman hand delivered me a Secret Pal 5 package today!!! As you can see, the box is loaded with pink pink pink. My favorite color, how did she know? There's some really pink sock yarn, a tube of cherry vanilla lip smackers, some cute 3-D pink butterfly stickers, and a photo frame notepaper box with the cutest teensy pink pen. Thank you secret pal!!!

Knit In Public Day

So I guess today is officially Knit In Public day. Since I didn't get a chance to KIP I'd like to hear where you've been knitting...

Schoolhouse Rock Rally

This morning I took part in a motorcycle rally, sounds weird but it's fun. It's like a scavenger hunt of sorts where you earn points for going to different places. When you go to a destination there's usually a question or task that you need to do. The route is published a day or two in advance and then the morning of the ride (more like 15 minutes before) we're given a bonus sheet, which for me usually throws off my whole plan. I like doing the rallys because it gets me exploring places I wouldnt normally go plus it's a fun way to get miles on my bike. I came in next to last this time with 5,340 points. My goal is never to win, only to have fun.
This is a photo of my friends Tony & Becca who borrowed this sidecar-bmw-remake-Russian-type bike. They had a good time and ran a great rally, one place ahead of me :-)

This is Karl rethinking his plan once we got the bonus locations. He ended up winning the rally with over 7,000 points. What did he win? Well, we each pitched in $5 so he wins all the cash plus he has to plan the next rally (this is why I don't try to win).

The starting point, under the Hennepin Ave bridge in Minneapolis.

Luckily the rain held out until about 3 minutes before I finished. It was a great day.

Jackpot

This afternoon on my way home from errands, I stopped at a few neighborhood yard sales. I am never in the market for much when I stop at these sales but I always keep my eye out for a few items, including knitting needles. I found this pair of wooden needles for 10¢! What a buy. The tag on the needles which is stamped near the end reads exactly this "Boye" 13. Since Boye is in quotes, do you think these are Boye-like needles? I don't really care, just curious. As I was walking away from paying my dime, one of the ladies asked the other "What did you use those for?" in which the other replied "I never did use that set". Casey wouldn't hold these in his mouth long enough for me to get a picture so this pose will have to do. I found him this new striped collar today for a buck at Tar-get. What a bargain type of day.

SP5 update-My 1st Secret Pal gift is on it's way.

Secret Pal 5 Strikes!

My mailbox was holding a Secret Pal package for me today!!! I received these uber-cute Weimeraner puppy notecards, I LOVE them. It makes me want to get another puppy. Thank you Secret Pal, you made my day ;-)

Of course Casey wanted to be part of the action too.

Complete with my dandelion infested yard. Hey, I never said I had a green thumb.

Pretty In Pink

This morning my Knit For The Cure bag looked like this (with my Chibi for size comparison)...

And by late afternoon it looked like this...

It's just the right size for a small project and maybe a little snack or drink, just perfect. I love how the wool is a little nubby in places plus it felted just how I like, with little curly q's all across the surface with no distinguishable stitches.
This photo gives a more accurate color of the bag.

Knit For The Cure MN

I have to back up a little here and tell you about my latest WIP. I am lucky enough to be located in a city with many yarn shops within a 20 minute drive. Seven of these shops have gotten together this year to sponsor Knit For The Cure MN, read more about it here. This pink wool is one of the special yarns dyed especially for this campaign & it came with a pattern for a cute felted purse which is my latest WIP!

This yarn is being modeled by my trusty Wiem, Casey.

Twins Territory

Yesterday I took a stab in the dark and suggested we go to a Twins game. Kyle agreed (!) and we joined 45, 500 other fans in watching the Twins vs. Yankees. You see, Kyle is not a sports fan and except for a few Wild games each year or motorcycle racing, he almost loathes sports. So of course I was thrilled when he agreed to go. And it wouldn't be a game attended by a blogger without a photo would it? The game did go into extra innings but the Twins were defeated 4-3.

I've seen a few other bloggers go to ball games and bring knitting along but I thought that was pushing my luck just a little, I settled on nachos and a diet coke to keep my hands busy.

Purrrrdy Nails

So, you want to know what I've been busy doing? Well...Kyle's away on a fishing trip so it's all about me agian. After work yesterday I came home and mowed the lawn, then I had an idea of heading to a nail salon since I was in desperate (and I mean DESPERATE) need of a manicure. You see, I tend to let my cuticles get WAY out of hand...I think Splatgirl or Knitting Knurse can attest to this. So back to the story. When I was finished mowing my yard I hit the shower and checked my email and a few blogs. Lo & behold I went to visit Poor Miss Finch and she had given herself a manicure-go check it out! Well, if she can do it herself than I certainly can too! So I picked up my favorite takeout for dinner, fired up the TiVo and gave myself a manicure...complete with a little rhinestone cowboy flower! And in case you couldn't look past those purrrrdy nails, that's a work in progress underneath.

I've heard from my Secret Pal...I'm so excited!

Kim Had A Birthday

Last Friday, May 27th, my friend Kim celebrated her 29th birthday. I worked until noon and then we met for lunch at our favorite place, Pink Flower. This restaurant serves THE best Vietnamese food, everything is always fresh and crisp with just the right flavor...egg rolls with fish sauce is our favorite. I knit her a reverse bloom flower washcloth and she loved it. Also in her birthday package was a duct tape coin purse and when she opened it she exclaimed "Oh! I was hoping I'd get one of these!". I'm glad I could deliver.

Here she is holding the washcloth just outside the restaurant since I couldn't get a photo ahead of time. It was still a little damp at the time...finishing just under the wire, again.

Blogging Friends

Whoot! Whoot! My laptop is back! I'm not sure if I've mentioned this yet but it's back home again, actually it's been here for a week now. I've been busy catching up on blogs and such the last few days. This week I joined Secret Pal 5...questionnaire posted yesterday...and today I joined Sockapal-2-za. I can't wait to get started on the fun. Time to make more blogging friends!

Yesterday in my mailbox I found these adorable tooth stickers from my blogging friend Mariko. There's a cute one with a cavity and it's squinting, also a couple of them look like they may glow in the dark. Thanks Mariko!

Check out the iPod cozy Meredith's daughter knit for her friend, from my pattern! Great job, I love the fuzziness of it.