Has it really been nearly two weeks? I guess lots has been going on! Much of it has to do with crafting, of course. And working. And reading. Yup, I can see why I haven’t been writing!
Crafting first – it is nearest to my heart. Been working on the outfit for Mom’s wedding. Funny story there. I made a sample top for her to try on so we could alter it as necessary. She tried it on, we made adjustments, it was ready for her to try again. that’s when I discovered I made the wrong top. Sigh. We had been going between two patterns, and I didn’t realize that I had BOTH in the bag, so when I pulled one out, I figured it was “it”. Good I figured this out before I made the real one! Not sure why we didn’t figure it out sooner but there is plenty of time for this kind of thing to happen! So I will start over again with another length of fabric from the overwhelming supply. I knew I had all that fabric for a reason! The skirt is almost ready for her to try on, just need to stitch the waist casing, and we can see how it flows. This was fun, as I got to basically, make myself a skirt. That one, I did use the right pattern. 🙂
Last Saturday Mom, sister C and niece E and I went to the Maine Fiber Frolic – wow, was it fun. A gorgeous day, and loads of space, not loads of people, so E could run a bit free, which she loved. So much fiber to look at and touch and BUY! I got some great sock yarn and a bunch of lace weight yarn from a woman in Denmark – www.Pinestarstudio.com she does wonderful things with colors, I wanted the whole display. 🙂 Am working on the socks first, the yarn knits up really nicely. I do love good expensive yarn!
I also got some nice soft wool/alpaca blend to make myself a sweater after the socks. Hats are going to have to wait!
And then there are the birthday cards. I know half the family has their birthday today, tomorrow or next week, and I know I only mailed out one card so far, but I have brilliant ideas for the rest of them. So hopefully, I will get some done tomorrow, so they won’t be TOO late being mailed.
I didn’t get so much done on cards because the sun finally came out, and I have been working away at the yard work. The pool relocation project is as done as it can be – the pool is filling slowly – an hour or so a day, and it is already up to my knees. I can’t wait! It is fun to get in and wade around scooping out the leaves, but it will be more fun when I can really get wet! And I have moved one raised bed, spread out the dirt from it and planted grass, which is just coming out – very nice, another patch of lawn to “mow” with my clippers! Got the tomatoes in the ground, and today I planted peas, lettuce and beans, I hope to put spinach and carrots and swiss chard in this weekend, but I might not make it – I have to set up a new raised bed to do that. I did cover the strawberries with bird netting today, they have their berries set, it won’t be long now! And I covered some raspberries as well – we will see if that does any good. the bushes look pretty with their white flowers, but if they don’t produce berries, they are out of here. They are WAY too invasive, and are everywhere in the yard.
A and I are going off to St Andrews by the Sea for a few days, that will also slow down paper crafts and gardening, but I will get lots of knitting done in the car.
reading – I promised to tell you about the Post American World, and This Life is in Your Hands… the first was very good, very thoroughly researched, well written, a little scary, but not too. Just kind of things to be aware of. I think I will reread it. I enjoyed all the world history – it seems that I never took world history in school, I got American history for 4 years – I guess going to three high schools had something to do with it! Anyway, I enjoyed reading that part of it, and learning all sorts of things everyone else probably already knew.
This Life is interesting to me as it is about this area, and people I have heard of, and it was also well researched (or she has an incredible memory for details from her childhood) by Coleman. I was fascinated to read the story “behind the scenes” so to speak of the good life and homesteading movement of the late 60s and 70s. While it may have been wholesome, it wasn’t great or easy. I guess pioneering isn’t, it just sounds glamorous. Great fun to find out that the Nearings weren’t perfect – whew! Anyway, I raced through it much faster than Post American – not as dense material. But both were good, and worth reading.
There – all caught up – now I am going to go to sleep – big day tomorrow visiting R and family at the cottage. Maybe a swim in the ocean???
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