Stick With Me Here

I owe an apology to all those who generously contributed their time and efforts to the Nepal project, because my ambivalence about this blog left you all unthanked. I regret not having photographed the giant box of handknits that got shipped to Nepal, but I did manage to count all the items. The final tally was 78 hats,13 pairs of socks, 8 pairs of mittens, 6 scarves, 5 sweaters, and 2 blankets. I was touched by the generosity of my friends and by the contributions of strangers who sent the most beautiful hand made items. I heard this week from my friend in Nepal who said that he "passed the knitted things on to two children's homes and a poor family. There was great appreciation and gratitude. The clothes really are needed and the people are happy to have such beautiful, warm things. Thanks so much for your hard work...!" So again, I thank you for contributing so generously for the people in Nepal. Your efforts are sincerely appreciated.

With that out of the way, I struggle with the status of our humble blog. I still knit a lot, but don't care to think and write in depth about it. I think most agree that knit blogging has run its course, thanks to Ravelry and, to a lesser extent, Flickr. I know that I have said all I have to say about the genius of Elizabeth Zimmerman, or how much I like to knit with handspun yarn. Does anyone need another post about the satisfaction of using your scraps? I don't want to make deep observations about how my knitting is a metaphor for life; I'm happy to just enter notes and modifications into my Ravelry project page. I like knitting, and I do like writing, but I don't much want to write about knitting anymore.

But I cannot bring myself to just abandon the blog. I like that we still have this project together, almost 5 years since I moved away. I like to see the things you knit, and I like having my little space to share the things I make with the readers who have not yet deleted us from their GoogleReaders. So while I cannot bring myself to just quit our blog altogether, I won't be carefully photographing and documenting each pair of socks or mittens that I make anymore. But I did just finish a project that made me want to pull out the P & S and share with my knitting friends. In fact, this project was epic, and I did learn a thing or two as a novice crocheter, some lessons to be shared with the ever-shrinking knitblogging world.

My daughter needed a bedspread, and despite having made a few trips to the Big Box Stores, she did not find anything to her liking. What she wanted, she told me, was "rainbow stripes." I immediately decided that I would crochet her a ripple bedspread, using the crapload of Tahki Cotton Classic that I had hoarded acquired through those irresistible closeout grab bags at Webs.

This seemed like a perfect project; I had the yarn already and crochet was fast, so I would whip up the blanket it no time at all. But in reality, I was making a queen-sized bedspread using dk weight cotton yarn and an F hook. This was insanity. A blanket should be made in a heavier gauge yarn and a bigger hook if you actually want to ever finish it. But what else was I going to do with 30+ skeins of totally unmatched, mostly discontinued colorways of TCC but make a crazy ripple blanket for my little girl who asked for rainbow stripes? Why should I buy blanket-quantities of yarn when I had plenty?

Thus I began this ill-conceived, slightly delusional course of making a Very Large Blanket with Thin Yarn and Small Stitches by choosing Attic 24's excellent ripple pattern after struggling through a few others. As a crochet novice, I don't really know how to properly swatch for a crochet project, so I decided that I would wantonly chain a bunch of stitches, make a few stripes and test the size by laying it across the bed to see if it fit. That plan worked, but in my haste, I failed to consider how much yarn I used in each ripple, and several stripes into the blanket, I actually weighed a skein of leftover yarn and learned that each stripe took about 28 grams of yarn or just OVER a half a skein. I could only get one stripe per skein of yarn. My crapload of yarn would only get me about halfway there.

At that point, I had two choices: buy more yarn, or start over, making a slightly narrower bedspread. I ended up with choice number one and bought more yarn. I bought more TCC and supplemented with Online Clip, which had better yardage for the price (although it was awfully splitty, and I didn't enjoy crocheting with it) and some Elann Sonata leftover from previous projects. And really, in the end, I am glad I kept it generously sized, because the last thing anyone wants is a blanket that is a little too narrow or a little too short.

The blanket took the better part of a year to complete. I started it last Spring, put it away over the summer, and worked on it periodically in the Fall. I decided to focus on it in earnest after the Nepal project was complete, and finished it at the beginning of March. There are 84 ripples, each one took about an hour to complete and I used almost 50 skeins of yarn.

This thing is a stunner. I absolutely love it, and so does my daughter, who got her rainbow stripes. It is perfect for her: colorful, unique and whimsical. As Someone Who Makes Things, I am gratified that my daughter sleeps under something I made just for her, and I do hope she cherishes it for many years, long past the age when she prefers tasteful neutrals over rainbow stripes.

And I am glad we still have this blog hanging around so I could share this little piece of insanity with you.

Moving the Chi

Are you still having a hard time getting your knitting mojo on? Never fear my comrades in yarn! I have another tip that will get your needles clickity clacking again in no time.

If you've read anything at all about feng shui, you know that clutter and piles slow down your chi and suck the energy out of you. The dynamic between UFOs and knitting energy is no different. (I also know that toilet seats must be down in order to avoid having all the chi just plain sucked out of your home. It's about the chi not about being a picky female. Put the seat down. Could billions of toilet seats left up have contributed to our sinking economy? It's worth a dissertation ...)

So for tip number 5, finish off one, preferrably two, UFOs. We all have them. Some of us only have a few. Others contribute a UFO to the chi stopping pile every week or so. Pick the easiest one to finish up and do it! Need to add buttons? A little seaming? Need to sew in your ends? Do it now!!

Here's what I did ...


These ornaments just needed the H stitched on them. Easy schmeasy. (See Charmed Knits for pattern. This picture was actually from last year, but the three that I knit this year look exactly the same!) The chi took a baby step forward.



This baby sweater (see The Knitter's Book of Yarn) just needed buttons. That's it! One trip to TYL and bam! The UFO becomes an FO and the knitting chi is fluttering around the room.


This scarf has been lingering ever since I knit this syncopated cap. I would knit a row now and then when I felt like it but I never attended to it properly. This was my next target and I finished in two days.


The knitting chi is zooming I tell you, zooming.

MDSW 2008 Round Up - Picture Heavy

I am terribly late blogging about MDSW, and since Ann did an excellent write-up herself here, I'll just share the spoils of the day.

Row 1: Indie hand-dyes: Woolarina, C*EYE*BER Fibers, and Brooklyn Handspun, all procured from the Cloverhill Yarns booth; Fibre Company Terra in Cochineal (50% off, y'all!), Dancing Leaf Farm Handspun

Row 2: Fibre Company Road to China (did I mention 50% off?), Brooks Farm Acero, Spirit Trail Fiberworks Toci

Handspun thrummed mitten kit by Stefania

I got some Socks that Rock, but I didn't wait in line to get it. I left that to Ann.
STR Lightweight Rare Gems Colorway, a prize hand delivered by Jenna!

The best part, of course, was getting to spend the day with Ann, my co-blogger, sister-in-fiber, and dear, dear friend.

Whaddya know? Knitting is cool!

From the San Jose Mercury News via the Richmond Times-Dispatch: Knit One, Purl Two, Blog Too.

Nice quote from our very own hip knitter/yarn store owner! Excuse me while I update my Ravelry site so that I can be as cool as everyone else!

Muddy Paws

Liz, Mo ... I've got something to admit. I've been cheating on you. I started a gardening blog. It's nothing serious -- I swear! Just a lark. I haven't really been keeping it a secret, I just could never find the right time to tell you. But here it is.

Please know that nothing will ever come between me and our blog. Nothing. In fact I just finished a lace scarf. And a knitted bunny. And a handtowel. I'm going to blog about them soon. Really. I promise. Forgive me?

Cupcake Craziness

The best cupcakes I've ever had were made by Liz. She uses the Magnolia Bakery recipe and they ROCK. They are so incredibly delicious.

Well, since Liz is my favorite cupcake maker and my favorite knitter, how's about whippin up some of these babies next time I come up?



I'm not sure that I even understand what has happened to this food product, but the details are here.

The Dance of Knitting

On and off for the past year, I have been spending my Tuesday nights at Scottish Country Dancing Classes. The extraordinary instructors, Stella and Sandy, drill into the dancers proper footwork, dance etiquette, and the beauty of the intricate twists and turns of the dance.

Just as I once learned to read knitting instructions such as "sl 2-k1-p2sso," I am now learning to find meaning in dance directions such as "½ diag reel of 4 with 1CRs - pass LSh." And as I learn to interprete the allemandes, reels, and poussettes that make up the dances, I find myself after class feeling a similar rhythm and movement in my stitches. The act of moving a couple down the set in a dance, the act of moving stitches from one needle to the other. Creating beautiful dance with the turns, setting, and chains, creating fiber art with yarn overs, cables, and decreases.

KPPPM Chevron Scarf

A Hat for R using leftover O-Wool

I remember in the movie "Cry of the Snow Lion" hearing of the traditional Tibetan culture as one that prioritizes art, beauty, and the spiritual so that every act of work and sustainance is elevated to an art. Everyday items (socks, sweaters, hats) and daily chores (cooking, cleaning, farming) are executed with integrity and spirituality.

I know that my life will never be completely integrated with art and beauty. However, my nights at dance class can remind me to bring more grace to my movements. And my handwork can remind me that a scarf can be art.

Scarf with Clarence Border in Handmaiden 100% Silk

You Make My Day

The gang over here at XRK would like to extend our collective thanks to those fabulous Knitbloggers who recently told us that we make their day -- thank you Chrispy, Tiennie, and Marnie!

Here's a list of bloggers who make our day -- some are knitters, some are gardeners, some are just pure inspiration ...

CurlyPurly
The Frog and the Daisy
Garden Rant
Go Knit in Your Hat
Jen Lemen
Kindness Girl
SavannahChik
Spiderwoman Knits
Tiennie Knits
Two Sharp Sticks
The Ravell'd Sleave

The writing, the projects, the wit, the book reviews, the photos, the intelligence -- click on the links and check out the fierce talents of these folks.

Thank you!

We're Two!

The Yarn Lounge was the site of a rare and unusual site: all three XRK bloggers, all together in one place! This week marked the second blog birthday of Crossroad Knits, and it happened to coincide with a friend's wedding in Richmond, so we had the perfect opportunity to celebrate together with fancy pastry and a visit to Yarn Church. We were warmly greeted by Stewart and Melanie and the other women of the Yarn Lounge, and managed to do some knitting, and some yarn purchasing too.

At the heart of XRK is friendship. It began as a conversation among three friends, but it has grown to include so many others. And so, thanks so much to our readers, for sharing our passion for knitting, for encouraging us to keep talking, and for joining with us in friendship.

Happy XRK Birthday to my two sisters-in-knitting and very dearest friends!

New Projects

Last night I finally finished the BackBou's socks. They are his Christmas present. I am cognizant of the fact that it is January 11th. That's 17 days late. Technically. Because Christmas should be in our hearts all year long, right? I shall have to post about them later since he put them on immediately and has yet to take them off. Good man.

So today I have nothing on the needles (eek!) and so many delicious ideas!





Could these yummy skeins of Koigu become my new chevie?



Could this skein of Spirit Trail Sock Yarn become Socks for Veronik? or possibly Whitby socks?



Here is one of two cakes of mohair/wool yarn from ValKnitz. This is from my MIL (don't you love folks who buy you really nice yarn for presents?). I just love the colors and think it may become some fingerless mitts ... maybe the Maine Morning Mitts or the Princess Mitts from The Knitter's Book of Yarn? [Liz, I just LOVE this book!]



Time to cast on! Enjoy your knitting!

Party More!

I can't say my slate is exactly clean; I'm having some neckline issues with my laceweight sweater, but still, I am content with my year's worth of knits.

Here's the final FO for 2007, then, Herringbone Mitts from Elliphantom.

I used Cascade 220 in cream and a tweedy brown and size 6 needles. This is my second attempt at colorwork, and this was the time that it clicked! I think the colorwork bug has bitten me badly, so look for more stranded goodness here at XRK in 2008. In fact, I've even begun major swatching for the next big project, the Sugarplum Pullover (Ravelry link) from Handknit Holidays.

Many New Year's Eve's ago, my family was celebrating together, and we made a series of lists: the 5 best things that happened to us that year, the 5 worst things that happened to us that year, and 5 New Year's Resolutions. It was the one and only year we made such lists, but there was one resolution I remember vividly. It was my sister-in-law, a senior in college, who resolved to "Party More!"

Party. More! I loved it. And I instantly adopted it as a go-to resolution. Now, as a thirty six year old mother of two, partying means something different than my then college-aged sister-in-law, but I love the attitude of wanting more celebration in life. So I resolve to Party More in my life, to celebrate life's precious moments more in 2008, and to look for ways to add more joy to my life and the life of my family.

Knitting remains a joy and a passion, and one of the ways I truly do party in my life. I resist rules and structure in my knitting, and allow whimsy to be my guide. I'll continue to follow the spirit of my inspirations this year, and knit what pleases me with yarn I love.

So from Ann, Mo, and me, we here and XRK wish you a Very Happy New Year and urge you to Party More too!

Happy Birthday Liz! (A day late)

How incredibly wonderful it is that you were born! I am so thankful that you are part of my life. It's hard to describe how you have enriched who I am. You are wicked smart. You are irreverent and hysterically funny while never turning away from the intense and deep emotions of love and pain. You are courageous. You are a brilliant, brilliant mother -- someone I use as an example for myself and others time and time again. And you are one of my best friends.

I hope you had a wonderful birthday Liz!

Leave a birthday wish for Liz in the comments!

Seasonal Forecast

This week has me thinking about seasons. The weirdly warm weather. The pitiful Eagles season. Wildfire season in Southern California has seen my dear brother-in-law and his family evacuated from their home, and the fires are frighteningly close. At this point, they believe their house is still there (the answering machine picked up!) but they have no idea when they will be able to return, and what conditions they and their neighbors in Rancho Bernardo will face.

For reasons beyond my understanding, my son calls any patterned sock I make him "Season Socks." When I knit him socks, I always use these printed Regias or Jawolls, which take only one ball for a little boy's feet. I finished these a few days ago, and he was so delighted to have another pair of Season Socks.

I know the calendar only ackowledges four seasons, but in our family, we have many seasons beyond the official four. Like Vermonters with their Mud Season in the Spring, we observe Nut Season in the Fall.

Every year, my husband haunts the produce departments of the grocery store, eagerly anticipating the return of the mixed, whole, in-the-shell nuts. From the end of October through January, The World's Ugliest Nut Bowl takes up permanent residence on our coffee table, and the couch is sprinkled with the leavings of his nightly nut-cracking sessions. With every nut he jauntily tosses into his maw, he is just in pure, hog heaven.



For a long time, I fought the nut bowl. It offended my sense of style, even though it was reproduced at Restoration Hardware. The nut dust everywhere drove me nuts (sorry), and my husband, for all his wonderful qualities, is not so good about the sweeping up. I purchased lovely nut bowl alternatives, rattan trays and little hand held vacuums to address the crumbles. But Mr S was attached to his vintage, bought-at-a-yard sale nut bowl. He really loved it! So, like lots of things as our marriage endures, I let it go. I embraced The Nut Bowl in all its messy glory into the family decor. I granted him total freedom from nagging and irritation as he enjoyed this simple pleasure, and we are both happier for it.

Last night, in celebration of the first night of Nut Season, we presented my husband with gift wrapped bag of mixed nuts inside, and after dinner, we conducted a taste test of all the different nuts (everyone seems to like filberts the best) and tried using all his different crackers. It made an ordinary Monday night feel like a celebration.

I couldn't help but think of my California family, leaving their home in the early morning, having been ordered to leave and immediately drive to safety. They took their family photos, their hard drive, their passports and insurance papers, blankies, teddy bears, all those irreplaceable things. They took my two nephews and drove to safety, leaving everything else behind. We're OK, they said. We have all that really matters. The rest of it is just stuff.

But as I fished the nut bowl out of the closet, I thought of all those other things, special things that you just couldn't save, for lack of time, space, and practicality. That nut bowl is a thing, yes, but it tells a small part of our love story for our children. It tells about compromise and accepting someone's quirks. Its about enjoying your spouse enjoying themselves. The nut bowl says something about who my husband is, someone who really likes his tacky stuff and doesn't care who thinks its tasteful.

My daughter and I regularly go up to my mom's attic and just root around up there. She loves to pick out books from my old collection of paperbacks, and she loves my old dolls. Even though I could just give her the whole lot, I let her pick just one each time. I love watching her look carefully at each one, carefully weighing which one she wants this time. It lets me relive each doll and its story, and she gets to learn something new about my life story each time.

I showed her my father's collection of goofy pants this weekend. She was so young when he died. She could see his holiday cords (you know, the pants with the turkeys embroidered on them? Penguins playing golf? Red lobsters on white chinos? My dad rocked them ALL!) and now, when she imagines her grandfather, she knows what kind of pants he wore. I got to tell her a little story about my dad, and I got to relive a cherished, happy memory.

I even found a poster that CurlyPurly made for me (check out the date) and she and I had a good laugh this week.
In my house, I have the clothes my kids wore home from the hospital. I have my husband's grandfather's kippah and tallit. I have my preserved wedding bouquet. I have a beautiful note my father wrote to my husband and a letter my daughter wrote to the tooth fairy. I have a painting my husband and I bought on our honeymoon from a street artist in Montmartre.

We all joke about saving our stash, but what about all these these things we lovingly knit? Our lace shawls? Our cashmere sweaters? Our handmade quilts or our heirloom linens? Is that just stuff?

So far, the news reports from California suggest that loss of human life has been gratefully minimal. And yes, it is just stuff. But as stashers, creators and collectors, we must not trivialize the monumental loss this represents. There are countless families that have lost their irreplaceable stuff, but they are holding onto each other, knowing that despite having lost everything, what really matters is each other.

I'm just deeply sad for all of them, and still fearful for my family out there. Please keep all the firefighters and families in Southern California in your hearts and prayers until these fires have been put out.

Sometimes The Project Picks the Person

“So you know how yarn can pick the project?” says my wonderful friend Martha as she hands me the most beautiful washcloth. “Well, sometimes the project picks the person.”

Martha’s very cool daughter had declared that this washcloth was mine, not Martha’s, after it left the needles. Not one to interfere with the mysterious workings of the knitting universe, I accepted.

Washcloth ready and able to wipe off those flour fingerprints below ...

Yes, it’s true, this washcloth was destined to be mine. It looks stunning with my kitchen – the colors (She gave me the ball band, but I of course lost it. Is it Rowan?) playing off the warm, honey tones of the cabinets and contrasting with the green of the concrete counters. It is hard to get a picture of the washcloth dried because it is in almost constant use.

The colors are beautiful honeyed browns -- golden and caramel.

After a day of using it, The BackBou took me aside and said, “You know, you should knit more of these. This is great, somewhere in between a sponge and a towel. We could use a lot of these.”

Will do! I'm going out today to get my supply of washcloth yarn. Yippee!

Lovely gift #2 from Martha

And it turns out that another one of Martha’s projects picked me – a Swiffer cover. After I admired hers, she pulled one out of her desk and handed it over to me. She tells me that I’ll need two, so I’ll be starting my own soon. (They will come in handy with our sweet Luna.)

Watch out dog hair!

But will it stay with me or choose someone else?

Setting it Aside

It's not that I didn't knit when we were in Maine, because I did. At night, when the kids were tucked into their beds in the sleeping loft, I would knit on the New England sock as Mr S read. On the plane and on the interstate, I cranked through Potato. I made some significant progress on each; I got through the heel and into the foot on the sock, and I got far enough on Potato that I finished it up this week (and will have the FO to debut this weekend).

But Maine, for me, was about putting aside everything to engage. It is hard to admit this openly, but we all know that knitting can distance you. Like TV or a good book, it can mediate the way you interact with the present, a shield against intimacy with your loved ones. It can be like a giant, flashing neon sign saying, "Leave me alone." Sometimes, I need that flashing neon sign. Sometimes, I need to be left alone, and knitting provides me with some solitude. Sometimes, you really do need to shut up because I really am counting.

But on this trip, I wanted to be alive and awake to my surroundings. I didn't want to miss one call of one loon on our pond. I wanted to hear the leaves rustling, and the sound of the kids playing in the woods. I wanted to watch the fog lift over Cadillac Mountain and hear the sound of our canoe gliding through the waterlillies. There was no TV, no radio, no newspapers or internet or cell phone. It was remote enough that there was no hum of air conditioners, no road noise in the background. (It was also close enough to civilization that is was just down the road from a yarn shop, but that is a post for another day.)

There were moments when I wished I brought my sock. I regretted a few missed photo ops for the blog: the sock on top of the mountain, the sock and a lobster, the sock at the Clam Box and the Great Maine Lumberjack Show.

But then I wonder if I brought the sock to the lobster pound, would I have been too distracted to catch this:

My husband is at his happiest eating lobsters.

Would I have been taking pictures of my sock on top of Cadillac Mountain and missed this:

Rosebud was truly moved by the experience of being on top of a mountain for the first time.

Would I have built this Fairy Bed in the woods with her if I was busy with my sock?

Would I have avoided sticky fingers and gooey kisses to protect the yarn?

So I don't have a lot of knitting to show you, but what I do have is (shhhhh) better.

Back Home Again

We arrived home yesterday after a glorious vacation in Rockport, MA. I had a great visit with Liz and then my extended family, finished a project, went whale watching, and read HP7 once, twice, and then certain chapters over and over and over again ... I have lots to blog about, but first things first ... vacation yarn buying ...

I had determined that I would not visit yarn stores on this trip. Liz had already gifted me with the wonderful Schaeffer Anne and I didn't want to test my family's fiber tolerance after they cheerfully accompanied me to MDSW. I'm also trying to keep a handle on the stash. I was fairly certain that I could avoid any fiber stores. (Stop laughing now. I mean it.) There happens to be however, a curious phenomenon that occurs when a yarn-loving knitter enters a fiber-friendly city. It is magnetic. Yarn stores just materialize in the path of the yarn lover and the force of the subsequent pull puts gravity to shame.

It happened to me while Letterboxing with the BackBou's wonderful cousin and her family in Portland, ME ...

After finding the Casco Bay letterbox, this yarn store just jumped in front of the path ...



Seaport Yarn! Well, I had to go in ... I ended up with 4 skeins of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock (two Fresh Stripe and two Jungle Stripe).

I have never knit with this yarn (can you believe it?) and I can't wait!! While in the yarn store, I saw two extremely nice knitters who were executing a very successful yarn crawl -- they offered again and again to show me where the other great yarn stores were on there map, but after seeing the warning looks from the BackBou, I declined. However, it seemed quite clear that Portland is a fiber-friendly city.

As if that weren't enough, Portland has a Flatbread Company Restaurant! Lorna's and Flatbread? We were in heaven!

Navel Gazing

Ann and her family passed through Philadelphia for a quick overnight visit on their way North, and it was so fantastic. Yarn was exchanged, socks were knitted, Greek food was eaten, the kids played like old friends, and we made plans for a family weekend in the fall.

Ann gave Liz Fleece Artist Sea Wool
Liz gave Ann Schaefer Anne

Have you seen the newest Yarnival? I haven't had a chance to click through all of this month's features, but a certain Dear John letter to a sock pattern is featured this month.


In other news, despite having a a very refined taste in literature, our pal Bridget likes to slum it by reading our blog and likes it so much that she's nominated us for a Rockin' Girl Blogger Award. Shucks, Bridget, thanks! Carol introduced us to Bridget at MDSW and were instantly friends. Bridget has great literary content on her blog, with lots of reviews and recommendations, so if you like to read, check her out.


I suppose I get to name some other Rockin' Girls, so here goes:

Specs, since we have a mutual deep love of David Bowie.

Rachel, because maybe it will give her motivation to blog a bit more. She's been super-busy at work, and though I wish her lots of career success, I am endlessly entertained by her blog and wish she could post a bit more. And really, anyone who goes swimming in her wedding dress totally rocks in my book.

StuntMother and Eyeknit at Two Sharp Sticks deserve more readers. Eyeknit's analysis of her FOs in unparalleled, and her attention to detail rivals Grumperina's. That's saying a lot. StuntMother knits a staggering variety of things, from the most diaphanous lace to a sturdy woolen sweater, and she is an amazing writer, which she showcases at her other blog. StuntMother recently moved with her family to the country, and so I have an added empathy for them, as they too are now knitting friends separated by geography and united by blogging. They are also my friends in real life, and are amazingly accomplished women in their own rights.

Jody, because she is one of the smartest knitters I know, and is great company as well. But you all knew that already.

And finally, Sally at the Frog and the Daisy, a pal from the Montco Sit and Knit. Mostly a crocheter, she is also a natural knitter and serious yarnaholic. She also was one of my very first friends when I moved up here, and remains one of my best.


Up next, vacation knitting dilemmas.

Happy Happy Joy Joy

Instead of blogging (or knitting much at all) this week, I:

went blonde spontaneously

found my perfect pair of jeans for 40% off

ate fresh raspberries from my backyard

took the kids to the pool every day

I also frogged another sweater-in-progress (Tomato was too big), and knit one sock. Blogging is likely to be sporadic over the next couple of weeks around here (for all of us). Mo is on a bit of hiatus since returning to work this Spring, and Ann and I will be in vacation mode over the next few weeks. But we'll post occasionally and try to check in with your blogs too.

I hope you all are enjoying your summer as much as we are!