Earlier this summer the kidlet asked, "How many projects are you workin' on Mom?".
"Uhhh, I dunno. Several."
"Do you ever finish any of them? I only see you starting new ones."
"I finish them? Why?"
"I dunno. Just askin'."
Doh!
I do finish things. Really. She says to herself defensively. I'm not saying that he didn't have a point. There was a point were I began more than I finished this summer. I mean, how many of you have projects stacked up? You know, projects that need just need one or two things to finish them up? Just a couple of hours. Just one last little thing?
Or you're stuck. You don't like how it's going, so the project goes into the "I'll work on it later" pile? Come on, we all have them. Don't kid a kidder. I can see you averting your eyes.
Here's the thing. It kind of bugged me. I mean I have started more projects since he said it, but it's been lurking around in the back of my mind. Interrupting my thoughts when I have the itch to put something aside.
The kid is gooood. Subversive guilt. What can I say. He learned from a pro. (Mom, stop laughing!)
I did finish two projects this weekend. (So there!) I began two little crochet projects this summer when I was frustrated with a couple of knitting projects that weren't going smoothly. Here's the first.
Itty bitty leaves.
Piecing things together.
A little peek inside one of the flowers.
And another.
I added a little felt piece to the back to tidy things up a bit.
Scale. It really is very small.
And voila! It reminds me of a tiny boquet of flowers.
The pattern can be found in this book, filled with lots of tiny little crochet goodies.
This post is not really about elf hats in the garden, but I thought it was a fun way to start.
I have been plugging away on a sweater made of Mohair and Silk. The yarn is lovely, but it is a bit of a slow go. And sometimes I have a short attention span when it comes to projects like this. So I start another. Which partially explains why this particular sweater is such a slow go.
Anyhoodles, I started another gnome/elf hat sometime last week with leftovers from another project. I need to make the case that I am running out of yarn, before I can buy new. The Sweetie is starting to give me funny looks when he sees I have snuck more yarn home from the store. (I don't really think he understands how this stuff literally calls out your name and jumps into your bag!).
This is an elf hat. I think the last one was a gnome hat. I've decided that elf hats are pointier and taller than gnome hats. It's my game and I'm making up the rules, darn it.
This picture was taken right after I finished felting it and placing it over a jar to dry. Isn't it the cutest thing? I just love making these. They are so much fun.
I asked the Sweetie if he wanted another hat. He told me I had already made him a hat, so he was good on that front. I just don't get that. Aren't scarves and hats like shoes. It's OK to have many? Once this dried, I asked if he would try it on. He liked it! Goofy point and all. So now the Sweetie has a new hat. And it makes me smile, because it is so silly in a not so silly world.
Another topic (ahem, read short attention span).
Here is my first red Roma tomato and cucumbers from my garden. Yes, I know it's after Labor Day. Apparently the garden thinks it's late July. The only reason I have one truly red tomato is because we've had a week and a half of warm weather. I'm talkin' temperatures in the 80's, kids. Yup, the 80's.
Aren't they pretty?
I have a lot of these.
And a few of these.
Let's see, for dinner tonight there's traditional fried green tomatoes with corn meal, tomorrow we will have tempura fried tomatoes, the next night buttermilk battered fried tomatoes...
Here's my butternut squash. I'm not certain I will see the butternut color before frost comes.
I should know better than to attempt to grow tropical plants in my Northwest garden. Silly, silly me.
Ta ta for now.
At long, long last we are having a great stretch of summer weather. Upper 70's, low 80's, no humidity to speak of, not a cloud in the sky. Simply amazing.
So my friend Lisa calls and asks if we could hang out, maybe go for a drive on Sunday. Sure. Seemed like a great idea. A long weekend, great weather, hanging out with a friend. Sounds like a blast.
So the drive. Well, Lisa has recently acquired a Porsche Boxster convertible. Periwinkle blue. This thing is gorgeous. And I have a thing for Porsche.
It started with a boyfriend in college - TJ. Long before the sweetie. Anyway, he raced Porsche 914's. And I can tell you almost every date was in his car. We had a blast.
Time warp a few years into the future. Perhaps more than a few years, to this weekend. Lisa was going to let me drive. How cool was that?!
I settle into the drivers seat, push in the clutch and turn it on. What a great throaty engine sound! It was hot. In a couple of blocks I had a pretty good feel. It shifts like a dream. I was even able to pull away from a stop in third gear without stalling. The third gear thing was a mistake, but the point is that it didn't stall!
Where did we go? Part of the North Cascades Highway. We have a lot of great twisty mountain highways in Washington State and Highway 20 is definitely one of them.
There are a couple of small towns along the highway before you get deep into the pass and you need to go 30 mph in town. No kidding. The small town police are just waiting to write a ticket that will fund filling another pothole. And we saw a couple of folks pulled over. Now you know they are dying to pull over a couple of old ladies in a convertible. I was pleased to disappoint.
But, I can tell you that car does not want to go 30. More like 50 would be better, and without even breaking a sweat. God it was fun. Especially once we go out of traffic. Wind whipping through your hair. Flying through corners. It was fantastic!
I used to think owning a two-seater convertible in Seattle was foolish. Perhaps it is, given that you can really only drive them with the top down for a few months. But oh my gosh it was just about the most fun you can have legally. I am a convert. Gabbing and belly laughing with Lisa was just icing on the cake. It was definitely a bucket list day for me.
Here are some pics from a couple of stops we made.
