Weekending 9-20-21

 Good Morning!

How was your weekend?  Mine was lovely!  Friday wasn't as quiet as I would have liked work-wise, but I managed to enjoy it.  Saturday morning I met up with Dee for some coffee and knitting and chatter.  And, as it turns out, for some knitting help.

I had started working on Peggy's sock - the cuff was finished and I started in on a lace pattern that I had written out on paper.  It looked pretty on paper, but it just wasn't working with the yarn, so I decided to rip out.  When this very same thing happened (different pattern, but same yarn) a week or two ago I ripped out EVERYTHING, including the cuff.  I'm not real good at picking up stitches when I rip out, unless there is a lifeline involved.  It turns out Dee is very good at that.  And speedy.  So, while I sipped coffee, she ripped out the rows I had knit down to the cuff and then picked up all 64 stitches and NONE of them were twisted!  Thank you my friend!  Turns out that yarn was just begging to be a PLAIN sock, so that is what it will be.

Later on Saturday I went out for a pedicure.  My first pedicure in years - really!  I used to get pedicures and manicures every 2 weeks, but my nails became brittle, so I stopped.  Oh boy did I enjoy the pedicure on Saturday though.  This may be common, but where I go you always get a hot stone massage on your legs and feet.  My feet really appreciated the work on my calluses and the focus on them too.  So now my toes are pretty and my feet are soft.

Sunday was filled with a bunch of miscellaneous things including yarn!  I wound the blue skein of yarn that I bought the other week at the fiber fistival.  It is gorgeous caked up:

And I picked out this pattern:  Mariner's Scarf to make a scarf for Zhongren with this yarn.  this is one of the things I plan to take on our vacation.

One thing I managed to do Friday morning was pick out yarn for the next French Market Bag.  I tried to start it Saturday morning after the sock fail, but it is way too fiddly a start to try to do while talking (at least for me).  But Sunday afternoon I had a bit of free time and buckled down and got it started!

The start is much further along now.  The fiddly part is having just 2 stitches on each needle and then making two M1 on each needle.  As someone once told me, they call it a "belly button" and that really is what it is like.  I'm now up to 80 stitches on each needle (not quite ready to switch to a circular, but soon!) and it is going faster.  I stopped, because the weight of the yarn and the size of the needles (7) was beginning to bother my fingers and hands.  Obviously this bag will not be a solid color.  There will be some stripes of grey and green (both of those yarns are Plymouth Earth Homestead 100% wool - found somewhere - maybe the shop in Chesapeake City?? for $3 each!).  The multicolor yarn will be used along the body of the bag.  That yarn is "Gina" from the Plymouth Yarn Company - another bargain for $6.  This will also come on vacation.

And, of course, Peggy's plain socks will travel to New England as well.  Those three projects should be sufficient - LOL.  (I know I will throw in some cross stitch as well...)

Meanwhile this is our last week at home before we leave next weekend for New England!  I cannot wait.  There is lots to do before we take off.  As I've mentioned before, I'm one of those people who clean the house before we leave.  I want to come home to a clean house for sure.  So, bathrooms and kitchen floor are on the list as well as dusting and vacuuming.  Yuck!  Then, I plan to make some new cookies to take (a pumpkin cookie with chocolate chips, some nuts and maybe some dried cranberries) plus a new granola bar recipe.  And...Friday is Fletcher's birthday, so there is a cake to be made.  Plus packing, planning camping meals, etc., etc.

Today, however, I am heading to the office.  Work has become ridiculously busy and I've got a ton to do before we leave.  Some of it needs to be done at the office, so I would rather get that over with today.  I'll stop at the State Store near my office for wine to take on vacation and I also want to run into TJ Maxx.

Wishing you all (and myself!) a productive and easy Monday!