Summer love

Yesterday morning I got up far earlier than I normally would on a Saturday. I kissed Dave goodbye (lucky jerk was still sleeping) and headed up to my grand parents farm.

It was finally my aunt's wedding day, and I'd made myself head of the decorating committee.
While everybody else was scrambling about, getting bride ready, and shuttling the groom's family about, I was working away, transforming the yard into a wedding sanctuary (with help from my uncle Jeff and cousin Drake - thank goodness!)

And the work was worth it!
It was a nice casual wedding and my grandfather got to walk his youngest daughter down the aisle.So nice to see my handi-work all together - shawl, flowers, hair wreath!

The ceremony was short and sweetIt was also the first time in a very long time (almost 20 years) that all my cousins have been in the same place. So we had to snap a photo with the grandparents (and a few babies!)

Pssst....

....Hey, Miss Peno...."What...? Can't you see I'm enjoying the 16th hour of my 22 hour nap?"

I just wanted to tell you... on Saturday, there will be another Miss P in the house
"Sighhhhhhhhhh....fine. I'll stay under the bed."
Ummm... she's staying until Thursday.....
"WHAT?!?!?!? Oh crap."
"Fine. I expect ALL my meals to be delivered under the bed. And move the litter box there too, slave."

Off to the Faire

I might not have won Delusional Knitter's Contest, but I decided I had to try her yarn anyway.

I had my eye on a skein of Butterscotch, until I saw FaireAnd it's even prettier in person. touches of purple, taupe, blue and black - I can't wait to see this knit up.

I don't usually do lace weight, but I'm glad I made and exception for this!

Magpie - v1.

Thank you to all of you for your compliments and suggestions for Magpie.

And thank-you to Mangofeet who reinforced my thought to make another one and offer both versions in the pattern . That's just what I'm going to do. Especially after seeing the first Magpie in her final photo shoot today.This one is done with just one skein of Slinky Cat (colour is Steel Magnolias) and several hundred beads (I have yet to properly count). As mentioned, it's 72 inches wide and 15 inches deep, and the combo of the slik and beads creates just the right amount of weight and drape.When I started this design, I didn't really have anything in mind, other than knowing I wanted it wide but shallow, with a garter base done in short rows.I also knew I wanted lots of beads and some very open lace. More often than not, this is the way I design - a vague idea that evolves along the way.
And while this one turned out much larger than expected, it has everything else I wanted

Open lace...
And lots of shimmery beads.

Summer Bead-A-Long - A conundrum

Well I guess this is the end of the bead-a-long for me... but not in a bad way.

Nope, I cast off my project today.My newest design - called Magpie - it's hard to see, but it's chock full of beads. I'm pretty pleased with it, for the most part. It's just... well... it's wider than I planned.

My plan was to make a wide, but shallow shawelette, absolutely glittering with beads. I was aiming for at least 60 inches wide and whatever depth I could get using the entire skein.

Well I used the entire skein - there's only a few yards left. But...It's really wide. 72 inches wide, and 15 inches deep.

to put that in perspective, it's roughly the same size as the shawl I just finishedNow, I could leave it the way it is and put the pattern together. Or... I could grab another skein, start over and make it deeper and not quite so wide.

What do you think?

Exactly how hot is it?

Hot enough to bake a cat on the sidewalk!

This is Mom's cat Deuce. Don't worry - he was enjoying this. He didn't want to be inside.

Neither did this one:
Or this one:
I have some awesome footage of the pair of them doing face-plants into the pool. I just have to figure out how to edit it, and put it to music. Hopefully this weekend.

Hot but happy

Yep it's hot. Disgustingly sticky, drippy, hot.

But I'm happy! Why am I happy? Because I can drive down the QEW with the top down singing "Rock Lobster" and "Clap for the Wolfman" at the top of my lungs!

If you gotta commute, you gotta make it fun, right?

I haven't knit a stitch all week. And probably won't until Friday. It's just one of those weeks.

But today is also Dave's birthday! Funds are limited (beyond limited - it's actually borrowed right now - thanks Mom!) so it's just a quiet-night-in kind of celebration. Steak and shrimp (that I've been saving for just such and occasion), for dinner, and I stopped at the grocery store and picked up the most adorable bar cake.It's the perfect size for just the two of us, and that sun was just too cute!

Hope you all are keepin' cool!