A bit of a reset

 I bet you thought I was going to title this one "Smoke!" or "I survived the great smoke-out of '26!"

Nope, I thought I'd try to be a bit unpredictable and *not* talk about the wildfires right away in this post.

*ahem*

It was another one of those weeks which flew by, and I was left a bit perplexed by this when Friday evening rolled around.  How? The week was fairly quiet, thanks to it being an off week at work, and staying in the house, mostly, to avoid the smoke from the wild fires that are burning up by the border. 

Monday was publishing day, which went smashingly well. Tuesday through Thursday went by in a blink. I did a lot of spinning for Tour de Fleece, and touched my crochet projects a bit. I even recorded a garden journal video ... Wednesday morning, I believe it was. 

Can I just say that when I realized Wednesday was the 15th I was shocked. SHOCKED that the month was officially half over. 

This summer is speeding by and it's certainly not going the way I thought it would.  Nothing bad, I should clarify. It's just that I thought I'd have more time to do things, read books, watch interesting movies ... And here the summer is practically over. 

"No it's not," you might be saying. I always feel like summer is on the downslope once Independence Day rolls around. Usually my focus is on the garden and enjoying the fruits of my labors, and think how there is not enough time to do all the things because the garden is producing so much. 

I've been a bit brooding about this.  If I'm using the word correctly. So I decided to take a break from some things this weekend. Mainly crafting and I cut back on the interwebs.

I tried a new television program, and I read a book. 

The television show was Ride or Die, on Amazon.  I like it well enough, I suppose. It's one of those programs where I don't know how they could do a second season if they manage to wrap all things up by the end of the first season. 

The book I read was "The Wedding People". I enjoyed it. I started it on Saturday and finished it Sunday evening. 

On Friday I decided to try and find a map showing the path the smoke was going. A few friends who live in Virginia posted on social media that the smoke had reached their state. I was surprised to read this.

It took me a bit of doing to find a map that showed a broader picture of the country affected.

That same day I pulled up Watch Duty, to see all the current wild fires in the country. 

So depressing to see how many wildfires were marked on the map. 

And then to see how close the border wildfires are to my area. 

Friday evening a storm rolled through and helped with the smoke. 

Saturday we made the trek to town, for shopping and I got to see what things look like since the smoke hit the area. 

For the most part, the smoke is gone. Thankfully.  There's still a bit of something, and you can definitely see it on Saturday when you were headed towards Duluth. 

Smoke off in the distance. 

On the High Bridge

Overlooking Lake Superior.

Around midday we went for a bike ride to one of our usual spots. No issues with biking. 

There was maybe one boat out on the water. 

I picked my first official harvest of raspberries. 

Oh, now that I think about it, I should start freezing the berries as they ripen (as long as the birds don't get them first) and when I have enough, make a small batch of raspberry jam. Oh, yum! 

I couldn't break away from the crafting totally. I did knit a few rounds on my vanilla sock. 

So that was this past week, in a nutshell. 

Vacation!

 I feel like it has been forever since I've had some honest-to-goodness time off for vacation. At least a year, anyways. 

As I mentioned in my video this week, I've been working to get things taken care of before I go on vacation this coming week. I almost got all I wanted to accomplish done, too. I was *so* glad when I was able to close things up and shut notifications off for all the work things.  One thing off the plate while I go have fun this coming week and finish putting the garden in. 

Yes ... the garden isn't in all the way. Rain kinda wrecked my plans. 

Almost everything is in. I'm not pushing too hard to get it done because, well, I have time and also because I'm old and busted. (Not really, but sort of true) so some things are taking me longer than I'd like. 

*ahem* 

Yesterday once I was done with work my hubby and I went out and did our first fishing trip of the vay-cay. He lucked out.  I did not.  That's okay, cause I did good this morning. 

The girls were *very* happy he was successful with catching a couple fish.  They crowded him until he made the right decision. 

This morning the alarm went off at 6 a.m. and it was a rude awakening. It took me a bit to process being awake and I managed to get down one cup of coffee in me before I went and started doing the things that need doing. 

Then we decided to go do a morning fishing trip because it was so pleasant out. 

There was a couple fishing off a dock that was near by me.  They were not successful with fishing and when they heard me land a fish they disappeared.  A short bit later I heard noises and realized they were getting their own kayaks ready to put out on the water.  I thought it was pretty funny. 

While I was waiting for fish to discover my bait and bite I spent a lot of time absorbing all the sights and sounds around me.

It was so peaceful out there this morning.  

The water lilies are starting to bloom.  At least that's what I think they are. 

And I caught a bass!

I don't often take photos of my catches.  I'm a bit paranoid about accidentally losing my phone in the water.  I wanted to send this photo off to my hubby and son.  My guy was over on the other side of the lake.  He made out better than me.  Fish lunch for him! Yay!

On the way home I took a shot of my summer sock progress. 

It's a nice amount of progress for not spending a ton of time knitting on it. 

Project name: Beach Cruise socks
Started: June 1, 2025
Finished:
Needle size: 2.5 mm (U.S. 1)
Yarn: Knit Picks Felici "Beach Cruise"
Yarn color: Yellow, orange, blue
Yarn Purchased: 2025 Knitpicks order

After lunch and a quick cat nap we went out to "play" in the garden. 

The weather was playing nice and the sun wasn't beating down. It's not too often that I'm glad for overcast skies. 

The tomatoes were all planted .... I can't remember now. Thursday? Rain earlier this week derailed my garden plans ad I think I would have had everything taken care of already if it wasn't for that darn rain.  They were in need of being staked or trellised.  That was the main project today.  Then I started planting my pepper starts and have almost all of them planted. 

Halfway through the planting I got a little garden visitor. 

Sweet little Feffer. My husband brought him over for a quick visit.  Feffer had a blast.  I have some cute video clips.  Just need to pull them together and load them to Youtube. 

Tomorrow's weather is supposed to be the same as today.  Maybe I'll get the rest of the garden in? That would be lovely. 

Until next time, here's a video of my time out at the lake this morning. You're welcome. 😉 

Episode 19 - Chatty

 Complete show notes for Episode 19. Thank you for watching!

Knitting

Project Name: February Lady Sweater
Started: May 2024

Finished: July 19, 2024

Designer/Source: Flint Knits.  I still had my copy from the last time I knit this sweater.  I guess it's no longer "published" but I'm sure you can still track down a copy. 

Yarn: Yarn purchased from Temu and the label has Chinese written on it.  So ? I can tell you that it's 95 percent alpaca and 5 percent acrylic.  It is SUPER soft. 

Colors: Red/burgundy

Needle Size: US #8, 5 mm; US #10 (6mm)

Made For: myself. 

LOVE this sweater and the yarn. 

Project Name: Monkey Socks
Started: Nov. 12, 2023

Finished: 

Designer/Source: knitty.com

Yarn: Forbidden Fiber Co.

Colorway: Tale as old as time, on the Fortitude base (Superwash Merino).

Needle size: U.S. 1, 2.5 mm

Made For: myself. 

What it looked like at the last update:

Up next is my passenger princess socks

Project Name: Passenger Princess Socks
Started: June 3, 2024

Finished: 

Designer/Source:Vanilla sock pattern I use.

Yarn: Patons Kroy Sock Yarn

Colorway: Midcentury stripes

Colors: Peach, blue, cream, vintage looking colors.

Needle size: U.S. 1, 2.5 mm

Made For: myself.

From previous update. I had to rip back a bit because I was creating holes in the fabric by accident.

Cross Stitch 

Fully finished: 

Project name: Bunny stitch "The Meadow" kit

Started: March 3, 2024

Finished: July 3, 2024

Designer/Source: Bothy threads

I debated with myself about passing along the chart but I think I'm going to hold on to it, just in case. 

Up next is 

Project Name: Love and Prickles
Started: July 20, 2023

Finished: July 23, 2023

Designer/Source: LindyStitches.com

Floss: Called for DMC

Fabric: 28 count evenweave in "Ivory." Fabric purchased from Hobby Lobby.

Made For: myself. Maybe ... 

I have a tentative plan to finish it on the top of a trinket box from Hobby Lobby, #299743L

The other Love and Prickles I started ... 

This is the variegated floss I'm contemplated on using for the one flower. Still undecided if I keep using this fabric or go with an 18 count aida. Now that I've had some time to sit on it I think I may be leaning towards the aida. 

***************************

Project Name: One Piece 

Stitch count (via pattern keeper) as of Aug. 6, 2024: 2,582/9,029 (28.6%)

Started: March 30, 2024

Finished: 

Designer/Source: Cross Stitch Bay on Etsy. Chart no longer available

DMC Floss: 310

Fabric: 14 Count Aida purchased at Walmart

Needle Size: 26

Making for my son. 

Previous update

What the finished piece should look like:

---------------

Project name: Crested Porcupine

Stitch count (via pattern keeper) as of Aug. 6, 2024: 601 / 64,152 (0.94%)

Started: June 27, 2024

Finished:

Designer/Source: Purple Stitching on Etsy.

DMC: 167, 168, 169, 310, 317, 318, 413, 414, 415, 433, 437, 451, 452, 453, 524, 535, 611, 612, 640, 644, 645, 646, 647, 648, 762, 779, 840, 841, 842, 844, 927, 928, 934, 935, 939, 3021, 3023, 3031, 3032, 3041, 3072, 3371, 3756, 3787, 3799, 3828, 3863, 3864, 3866

Fabric: Half yard of 14 count Aida purchased from Forbidden Fiber Co. 

Needle Size: 26

Stitching for myself.  I know it is going to take years. Story about Porkie is here. The follow up post is here. The story is towards the end of the post. Scroll down. 

Quilting

Project Name: Sandpiper quilt

Started: Jan. 21, 2023

Finished: Let's call it July 12, 2024. 

Designer/Source: It's Sew Emma / Fat Quarter Shop

Fabric: Fabric from the Solid Fat Quarter Club

Colors: A different color palette each month.

Made For: Myself

i would definitely make this quilt pattern again. I think it would make a great scrap buster. 

Youtube channels I mention: 

@mudpuppystitchery‬ ‪@leann.stitches‬ (Forbidden Fiber Co.) ‪@javagirlstitches‬ ‪@lindystitches‬ ‪@knittingtraditions‬ ‪@professorstitch9171‬ ‪@logcabinstitcher7274‬ ‪@craftycatstitcher6658‬ ‪@Thehighfiberdiet‬ ‪@institcheswithebony‬ ‪@katiethenovelstitcher‬

I ordered my needle minders from Sweet Autumn Stitch at https://www.etsy.com/shop/SweetAutumnStitch

Let's talk about my knitting! (and a couple other things)

 It's Friday. End of the week. Yay! 

Usually I'd try to do some sort of "This is how the week went" if I hadn't written much during the week. 

This week not much happened, except rain and crappy weather. Really.  I worked and when I wasn't working the weather was not conducive to being outside.  Bah!

So I've been puttering with this and that, all the while thinking about how I was going to sort all this crafty stuff out ... I'm still working on it.  Or, as some may know it, I've been in my own head a lot this week. 

Oh, and sewing. But that's for another post. 

I'm looking forward to the weekend, even though it may just be more rain.  I'm looking forward to spending time with my man and possibly having my birthday dinner early.  

Okay, so boring week. Nothing exciting going on. ... Let's talk knitting!

I've been holding on to a few things, waiting to share about them on the blog. I've been wracking my brain, making sure I remember everything and not leave anything out. 

Current WIPS (Works in Progress)

Project Name: February Lady Sweater
Started: May 2024

Finished: 

Designer/Source: Flint Knits.  I still had my copy from the last time I knit this sweater.  Apparently it's no longer "Published" but I'm sure you can still track down a copy. 

Yarn: Yarn purchased from Temu and the label has Chinese written on it.  So ? I can tell you that it's 95 percent alpaca and 5 percent acrylic.  It is SUPER soft. 

Colors: Red/burgundy

Needle Size: US #8, 5 mm; US #10 (6mm)

Made For: myself. 

I started this sweater in May.  My first time working with yarn purchased off the Temu site. Each skein says 100 grams but I have no idea what the yardage may be. Crossing my fingers I have enough yarn to make sleeves a little bit longer than my other February Lady Sweater.

Yarn is super squishy, though, and I enjoy knitting with it.  It's easy on the hands. 

Project Name: Passenger princess socks
Started: June 3, 2024

Finished: 

Designer/Source: Vanilla sock pattern

Yarn: Patons Kroy sock yarn

Colors: Mid century stripes

Needle Size: US #1, 2.5 mm

Made For: myself. 

I decided to start a pair of vanilla socks and knit on them only when I'm passenger in a vehicle.  I made quite a bit of progress the first week.  I don't anticipate having these done until the end of summer at the earliest. 

Project Name: Monkey Socks
Started: Nov. 12, 2023

Finished: 

Designer/Source: knitty.com

Yarn: Forbidden Fiber Co.

Colorway: Tale as old as time, on the Fortitude base.

Needle size: U.S. 1, 2.5 mm

Made For: myself. 

This sock hasn't received much attention the last few months.  The main reason why is that I need to haul my chart keeper with me because I'm using it to keep track of where I am in the pattern repeat. Bit of a lame excuse, but it is true. 

The last time I had it out and was working on it I tried the sock on and it was a bit snug. I reminded myself that they will "ride up with wear"  grow a bit with washing and blocking. The yarn is so nice to work with. 

Look at those stitches. 

I'm will working on my charity stitching.  It's crochet.  Maybe I should have said "Let's talk yarn crafting." 

Project Name: Charity Stitch year-long project
Started: Jan. 1, 2024

Finished: 

Hat and blanket sets for Make Bundles for Babies. 

Yarn: Acrylic baby yarn I have in stash.

Needle size: Crochet hooks of various sizes, depending on yarn weight

Made For: Make Bundles for Babies. 

Hats need to be made for these two blankets.  Since this yarn is a light weight yarn, and not worsted, I need to use a smaller hook and a different hat pattern than what i was using.  I'm dragging my heels on making the hats because of this. 

I have other sets completed.  They are already in the pile of finished sets and sitting out in the she shed.  I had sets left over from last year so there is 12 complete sets, which was my goal for the year.  I'm not sending them just yet.  I'm sure I'll make more, here and there. 

Finished projects (FOs)

I've been holding on to these socks to share. 

Project Name: Vanilla sock
Started: Nov. 13, 2023

Finished: March 5, 2024

Yarn: Patons Kroy sock yarn

Colorway: Amythest stripes

Colors: dark purples.

Needle size: U.S. 1, 2.5 mm

Made For: myself. 

I'm happy with how they turned out. They fit like a dream. 

Project Name: Vanilla sock
Started: Nov. 18, 2023

Finished: March 15, 2024

Yarn: Patons Kroy sock yarn

Colorway: Coastal stripes

Colors: variations of blue and some white or grey.

Needle size: U.S. 1, 2.5 mm

Made For: myself. 

This was the pair of socks I started out on a 9 or 11 inch chiaogoo mini twist and decided I wasn't happy with working on that size needle. 

The toes turned out more pointy than what the photo shows.  I'm happy with these socks too. 

And now that I've shared them on the blog I can wear them. 

Project Name: Opa! Dishcloth
Started: June 5, 2024

Finished: June 11, 2024

Yarn: Peaches and Cream dishcloth cotton yarn

Colorway: green

Colors: green

Needle size: U.S. 5, 3.75 mm

Made For: myself. 

A while back I saw someone on Instagram making dishcloths and sharing the patterns from the Kitchen Sink Shop. Free dishcloth knitalong this year and a different pattern each month.   So I bit and signed up for it. 

This is the first dishcloth I worked on.  I'm almost embarrassed to say that this pattern repeat gave me more problems than it should. I kept messing up. I think because the pattern repeat is so similar to the pattern repeat of the February Lady sweater, too. 

And now for the project I know a lot of people have been waiting to see. 

My Harvest Cardigan.

Started: Nov. 12, 2023

Finished: Feb. 10, 2024

Designer/Source: Tin Can Knits 

Yarn: Hobby Lobby "I love this yarn"

Colors: Cinnamon Cedar

Needle Size: US #6 / 4mm & US #8 / 5mm

Made For: myself. 

I am ridiculously happy with how this turned out. It's super cozy and I enjoyed snuggling in it earlier this year when it was still so cold out. Oh, who am I kidding, it's still cool out.  The coolest June in ages. 

Busyish day, here

 Today was one of those days where I had a full to-do list, and was steadily busy from 7 a.m. til after supper. 

We are still having warm temps in my area. I took a long lunch and cleaned out the chicken coop for my girls.  

One barred rock kept popping her head into the coop, trying to figure out what I was doing, and if it was safe to go in.  I could tell she was thinking she could be really clever and run past me and out the open door, but she was terrified of the shovel. 

I also replaced the cover on my greenhouse. 

Way earlier in the year I was singing the praises of this greenhouse I got off Amazon a few years ago. 

Then we got a metric ton of snow and she couldn't take it anymore.  The zippers gave out on me. The frame is still solid. 

I have a lot of stuff stored in there. 

Off went the cover. 

It looks so different without the cover. 

She looks pretty with a "fresh coat of paint."

I'd say "I wonder if my husband will notice the new cover," but he reads my blog.  This will be a pleasant surprise for him. 

Speaking of surprises (ha, see what I did there?) I was surprised yesterday when I got an email notification that my seed order from MIGardener shipped.  I had totally forgotten I placed a small order when MIGardener had a 20 percent off seed sale for Cyber Monday, or whatever. 

*facepalm*

Seeds ordered were: 

Broccoli Rabe - Spring Rapini

Self blanching cauliflower

Mushroom red pepper

Big Jim pepper

Shishito peppers (I'm so set for these seeds now.)

Ghost peppers

Rutgers tomato

Tiny Tim tomato

Geranium Kiss tomato

Muncher cucumber

San Marzano tomato

Yeah ... I guess I'm totally set for seeds. Ooops.  What can I blame for forgetting the order? 

I also took a quick walk out to the back 20. The SD cards in the game cams needed to be swapped out. 

See? Still so much brown. 

Some neat things were seen. 

This evening, after dinner, clean up and doing some work-for-pay, I stitched a few threads on the ornament. Slow and steady.  I kind of wish I could just knock these out so I can FFO them and get them on the tree before Christmas. 

Yesterday I realized I "lost" my monkey sock project. This morning I remembered where I put it. I forgot I put it in a project bag. 

I need to give it some attention soon.