Still Knitting

     Although Friday in the shop was a slow day with sales coming in spurts I did manage to sell 3 of my own sweaters...something I rarely if ever have done before!  The lady came and picked up the Train Hoodie that she had ordered and I gave her the choice of the color combination she had asked for or the one I did on my own on the 2nd sweater.  She picked my combo!  Oh, well, I knew it was a good looking sweater....

This is an old pattern from the Yarn Barn that use to be in Speculator, NY that I had the privilege of working at for a couple of summers back in the 1980's.  I decided to make it because I had all those small balls of yarn leftover from the 2 train hoodies.  This one is a size 1, and while the buttons are on the boy's side, Jeff says it's not a boy's sweater.  Who cares, huh?   If it sells I'll do it again and put the buttons on the girls' side just to make him happy!

   I love this Flowers and
Lace set...a size 6mo...done in Red Heart White on Petal Pink.  It looks so delicate, doesn't it?  The same pattern, Flowers and Lace, a size 1 this time, is done in Red Heart Petal Pink on 

Frosty Green.  The pale pink shank buttons give it a very special look.  This design has been a very good seller this summer and I enjoy making it.  Right now I've got a size 2 in Red Heart white on my needles and I'm planning to put lavender shank backed buttons and lavender flowers on it.

    Now even Jeff admits that this size 6mo V-necked set is a little man's sweater. Size 6mo sweaters knit up so quickly I really enjoy making them!  That's good because I think I

may have to do another one this week to help fill in my space! 
   And here's the Train Hoodie that sold on Friday.  The one in the shop has light sage instead of spring green grass but it still looks cute.
  Oh, I also had an half empty hat rack and was able to only make 2 hats during the day, so I have to fill my hat bag.  I've done one each so far...baseball, pumpkin and apple...and the muscles in my left hand have started to spasm creating the Vulcan salute...Live long and prosper!

Waiting for a Train

    I finished my 2 Train Hoodies yesterday and got all the buttons sewed on last night but decided to wait for a bright sunny day to put in those back zippers!  They'll be in by Friday in time for a ride to the shop.  The hoodie

on the left is a special order but the other one will be available at Cooper Country!  Both are size 1.
Since the backs are alike except for the green at the bottom I took only 1 photo.
   It never seems to fail but whenever I take a day-off, I fall behind.  I've been told I had a very good day in the shop while we were out exploring the Canal so last night I started a size 6 months Flowers and Lace sweater in Red Heart Petal Pink.  Don't know what color the flowers (and buttons) will be, but I can wait until the sweater is finished to decide that.  I also sold several hats so I have to replace them.  Guess I'll be busy knitting this week!
   Jeff went fishing with his nephew, Tim, last night after it stopped raining.  They didn't go out until after 9pm and stayed out till 4am.  Didn't have much to show for it except a couple of lost bobbers.  Jeff and I showed Tim photos of the canal that we explored and now Tim wants to try those fishing access spots in Canajoharie, Nelliston and St Johnsville .  Since they were all 'Close at Nightfall' locations they will have to go fishing this afternoon.  That means I can knit this afternoon and we'll have a late supper when they get back!

How to Spend a Sunny Summer Afternoon

   Just back from a wonderful afternoon with Jeff and Fanny exploring the fishing access areas along the Erie Canal east of us.  We're very familiar with and like Lock 18 at Jacksonburg very much but Jeff wanted to see what else the Canal had to offer.  We checked out the fishing access area in St. Johnsville first.  We met a young couple and their dog, a chocolate lab, who just wanted to play ball.  Fanny wasn't sure what to make of him at first but before we left she wanted to run after that tennis ball, too!  We visited the boat launch across the river at St Johnsville, too.

Next stop was Nelliston where we crossed their lock to look at the river. Fanny wasn't too happy doing that!  Then we headed over to Canajoharie.   They have both a boat launch and a fishing site and their Riverfront Park is beautiful!  Jeff thinks living in Canajoharie might not be too bad.  We haven't figured out how the locks were numbered.  Lock 18 is Jacksonburg, Lock 19 is Little Falls, Lock 33 is St Johnsville?  What happened to the ones inbetween??     We had noticed driving thru that gas was cheaper in St Johnsville and planned on filling up on the way home but by the time we made it back to that station the price had gone up $.10 a gallon.  We ended up filling up in Little Falls and getting cold drinks for the 3 of us which cost $5! (2 bottles of Coke for us and a bottle of water for Fanny.)

Still Hazy, Hot and Humid

    It's still pretty uncomfortable here.  I just read an article that said this time of the year there's usually 1" of water in the atmosphere but this week it's been between 2 and 3".  That means a trip to Walmart is a vacation...until you come out and get back in your car.  And mine is black...inside and out...and boy, does it get hot!  It's even been uncomfortable sleeping.  The downpours cool things off for a little while but it doesn't last long.  That poor beetle that my mother use to call a 'zing a zinger' has been rubbing his leg together pretty steady all week!
    We've been restless around here, napping when we can and trying to do household chores when it's not too humid.  About 3am Fanny who was sleeping on the floor at that time, pushed against one of the legs of my bedside table...an antique oak plant stand...knocking one leg loose and sending the table over!  The lamp, phone, netbook...all went flying.  Oh, so did the dog who scared herself!  I just sat up in the bed yelling until Jeff turned on the overhead light and moved the table pieces.  He started handing me things from the floor until I reminded him that my glasses had been on the table too!  He found them...undamaged...under the armchair I had pulled into the room to watch TV.  This morning I got up around 6:45am and picked up the rest of the stuff then went back to bed only to be awaken around 9:30 by a piper in the cemetery.  He must have been practicing because he just did 'Amazing Grace' for the 3rd time,  this time playing it all the way thru.  He did a couple of other songs, too, but not all the way thru.  The trees are too full so I can't see if there is a funeral or just the piper and a funeral director practicing for one.  It was a different way to wake up.
    Sales in the shop have stayed pretty steady in this heat and it seems I've been lucky enough to sell a sweater every other day or so.  Of course, that means I have to replace them and frankly, I don't want to knit.  I'm scheduled to work in the shop once a week for the next 9 weeks so I have no excuse for not getting the sweaters down there...just for getting them made!  I'm about half-way finished with a size 1, pink-on-white flowers and lace cardigan.  I should finish that today. 

All it need is buttons and embroidery.

(Finished this morning, 8/14.  Now need a fast run to Walmart for yarn.  Hope they have some Red Heart Spruce.)  Then it has to be another Black Sheep cardigan, probably a size 2, in some shade of green.  Can't forget to do a couple of hats...baseball, pumpkin, apple and flower... in between. 
   If it would just cool off a little at night I could knit and watch TV!

Lazy (?) Summer Days!

   Yesterday Jeff, Fanny and I took a nice drive along Rte28 north to Barneveld to the DeSantis Meat Market.   Jeff had shopped there when he lived in Gray but I had never heard of it before.  He got to thinking about it again since he's been up to his brother, Tim's, lately and the day was just right for a road trip.  We had the windows open and we all enjoyed the sights and sound of being near the creeks.  The West Canada Creek and the Cincinnati Creek both looked inviting...but I bet they were cold!  We saw 2 does with their fawns along the Old Poland Road on the way home...actually had to stop and wait for one of the fawns to decide if it wanted to cross the road or not! We went thru an old brick tunnel that was just about big enough for the car to fit!  And the meat prices at DeSantis's weren't bad, either!  We will go back again.  We even stopped for gas at Stewart's in Middleville on the way home and had hot dogs for lunch.

What I put up with to keep my humans happy.

    Today I've been working on Pumpkin Hats for the shop. I was surprised to find that I was sold out of them when I got there on Sunday. (And, yes, it's early!)  I just finished one while watching the Olympics and Fanny had to inspect what I had done.  I couldn't resist taking a picture but I don't think she looks pleased. I should be able to do another one today and then leave them and this size 6mo sweater set

at the shop after my doctor's appointment tomorrow.  Then I have about a week until I have to work in the shop again so I should be able to do another hoodie.  Oh, a train hoodie sold over the weekend, too, but I won't try to replace that yet!

Life in the Little Woods

  Today has been a different type of day.  Jeff cleaned the Berkey water filter yesterday and used the last of the dish soap so this morning I had to go to the store and get some more. And while we were out of bottled water I didn't want to spend .86 for a gal for bottled water instead of .37 a gal at the Culligan machine where you refill your own bottles, so I got only 3 gals.  This has been one of the longest Boil Water orders in Herkimer...since last Saturday!  If the order isn't lifted by Sunday, I think I'll fill up some gallons at the shop for free!  When I got back home I mowed the 2nd part of the lawn...between the house and garage and along the front of the garden.  I ended up mowing between a couple of the rows of raised beds because that was the only way I could turn the lawnmower around!  I think that may be the last time I mow with the catch-bag attached.  It makes the machine heavier and more awkward.  That leaves the backyard to be mowed but I can't do that until Jeff moves a couple piles of wood and PVC pipe from the old greenhouse.  We have a pretty large woodchuck who is happy I'm not mowing back there.  Yesterday I saw him stripping leaves off some tall weeds and stuffing them in his mouth.  No wonder Fanny doesn't want to stay outside alone for very long.  There's the bobcat, the coyotes, the fox, the raccoon and now the woodchuck who think they all belong here, too.
   From lunch time on we watched a movie on demand...one of the newer Star Trek ones.  Kirk and Spock are cadets and just met...and don't really get along.  It was pretty good.  I liked it. 
   Jeff's back outside working on the piles of stuff in the back and I had to put the lawnmower away so I took photos of the garden:  Jeff used a lot of land-

Peppers and tomatoes and 1 stalk of corn

scape fabric to cut down on weeds but it made it easier for something to pull one box of corn seedlings right out of the soil! As you can see, only 1 stalk of corn is left in that box (r).

Potatoes!

The gutter pipe garden

The other box was left completely untouched!

The peppers and tomatoes are doing ok...we've picked a couple of each so far.  Jeff's not sure the potatoes are doing much.  We've had a lot of rain lately and well, potatoes don't like a lot of water.  The tops of the plants are big and bushy but the boxes haven't started to show any bumps that might be potatoes.  We'll just have to wait and see.

   This is an example of a gutter pipe or self-watering garden.  There are peppers, tomatoes, parsley and basil in those blue bags.  Plastic wickie cups in the

bottom of the bags sit in the water in the pipe. The pipe and the plastic bin...which hold water...are connected with plastic tubing and a float valve.  Jeff refills the bin about once a week.  He has the same system in the greenhouse and is pleased with the way it's working.

Life Goes On

   Yesterday I mowed some of the lawn...takes 3 days to do it all so I did the hard part, the hill, first...after we ran errands around town.  There was still a 'Boil Water' order in Herkimer and the water machine where we get cold water to use to make Crystal Light drinks wasn't working.  Today we've got to get a couple of gallons of water...our 'drink bottles' are empty and it's suppose to be hot and humid the rest of this week.  We've also got to go to calling hours for an old family friend.  I promised Jeff 'Supper Out' if he went with me.
   I'm on my 2nd baby sweater this week.  The first one was a pink flowers and lace on lavender

size 6 months set.  It didn't take long to finish.  Now I'm working on a pretty mint sweater, also a size 6months, but haven't decided on the trim color yet.  I've got to do a couple baseball hats just to be safe since they sell so well!  Then I've got to do a couple of hoodies.
   Jeff's disappointed with the garden because of the amount of rain we've been getting.  While most of New York state is in a drought, the Mohawk Valley isn't.  We've received 3.81" in July, bringing our rainfall up to 20.18" for the year, not far behind the average 24.05".  Since our major crop is potatoes, we won't know if the rainfall has hurt or helped us till we dig them up.  The plants look good growing nice and green and bushy but that doesn't predict how the potatoes are doing underground.  On the other hand, the basil and parsley are doing well. Here's what I

picked the other day.  Boy, does it smell good!
It's been a little difficult drying it with all the rain we've gotten this week but I can always use the dehydrator.  My grandmother use to put it in her oven and let the pilot light dry it.  Can't do that with an electric stove.
  Oh, the electronic mouse repellant seems to work.  Still no mice...and we have a funky night light! 

   Oh, Jeff is worried about the economy of Herkimer.  Last night he ran out of cigarettes (a fate worst than death?) and made an emergency run to Walmart for a pack.  It was about 11:30pm and he was shocked to find the bars (Pete's, Stoney's, Belly Up) and pizza places on Main St closed.  A nice summer night and they were all closed!  He couldn't believe it.