Unraveled Wednesday 7/31/24

 Good Morning Friends,

It is a quiet, sticky morning here.  We did not get the forecast rain overnight and our humidity is so high!

We did have a nice evening though.  We met Colin & Mailing at Agua Bistro for dinner.  This restaurant is only 5 minutes (if that) from our home, but we had never eaten there.  We will go back!!  We were able to sit outside and it was just so lovely.  The kids leave for Turks & Caicos on Sunday and we wanted to see them before they left.  We will be on cat duty for the week they are gone.

Well, here we are at the (last!!!) Wednesday in July and it's time to link up with Kat and her Merry Band of Unravelers to talk making and reading.  Once again, my knitting mojo seems to be missing, but I did manage to do a little knitting over the weekend.  And when I say little, I mean really little:

Voila!  Little itty, bitty newborn socks!  Gosh they are tiny - I hope they fit the baby when she is born...if only for a day or so.  LOL. I used This Pattern by Kate Atherley and some leftover Static yarn by KnitPicks.  Little baby socks are even faster than shorty socks!!

Monday turned out to be yarn delivery day!  Two orders of yarn arrived in my mailbox.  First up is the Farmer's Daughter Sock Squad yarn for August:

Pretty colors.  I will say that I prefer full skeins to half skeins, but these colors are so pretty.

Also arriving was my yarn from KnitPicks (Gloss which is 70% wool and 30% silk) for the shawl (Semplice) I want to make.  What a gorgeous shade of lavender.

As you can see, I've caked up one skein and I may start the shawl today!  

I've also chosen earlier Sock Squad yarn to start some new socks (of course) and picked out a skein of fingering yarn to make a Baby Vertebrae.  So, I have plenty of plans...now I just need to get going!

In other news, I was released from care at the Wound Care Center yesterday and our street was paved yesterday!  (The two are not related.). And this morning a young (very young) buck showed up to dine on some fallen apples.

You can just see his two antlers.  The spot on his side almost looks like a wound of some sort, but he seemed to be fine.

Well, time for me to get ready to go out.  I'm meeting Dee in an hour or so.  I'm planning to take my Shakerag Skirt so I can start the waistband.  Have a wonderful Wednesday and be sure to check out all the other Unraveled Wednesday posts (links on Kat's blog).

Tiny Needle Tuesday 7/30/24

 Hello and Good Morning,

We've made it to Tuesday and it's time for a TNT update.  Only a little update.  My stitching mojo still seems to be missing, but I managed a few stitches this past week.

I was a little tired of (or bored with) stitching the vine flowers, so I switched to starting the words.  I got as far as "sewing" and called it quits.  I do like this piece and I will get it done...apparently just not very quickly.  LOL

Yesterday I ended up going back to the park in Oaks that runs along the Perkiomen Creek and again walked 3 miles with absolutely no back pain!  I feel a little stiff this morning, but I won't be walking as I have my LAST appointment at the Wound Care Center this morning!!  Meanwhile, back to the walk, I was rewarded with seeing a blue heron!  First I saw one along the dam, but was unable to get a picture.  But then, further down - near where the Perkiomen Creek spills into the Schuylkill River, I saw this guy (or gal):

I paused for a few minutes to watch him (or her) fishing.  He was pretty adept - it looked like he was having a very tasty meal.  Again, there were a number of walkers and bikers on the trail - a busy place.  And it was very humid yesterday - not the most comfortable for walking.

At home, I noticed that our first hibiscus bloom had opened:

So pretty.  Our hibiscus is loaded with buds, so we could have a beautiful display soon.

Finally, we have a finch that loves to perch on one of our hummingbird feeders and sip!  I've never seen another bird do that.

Not the best picture, but oh well.  It's fun to watch him.  We did have two hummingbirds flying around yesterday afternoon too.

That's a wrap for me.  Hope your Tuesday is a good one.

Weekending 7/29/24

 Good Morning!

How are you?  And how was your weekend?  Mine was good.  Nothing special, but it was a nice weekend.

Our Gladiolas started blooming again so I cut some stalks before the deer could consume them.  So pretty.

Love that peachy/apricot color.

Friday I ordered a new washer!  I ended up buying a top loading Speed Queen (non-locking lid) that will be delivered on 8/7.  I did call Maytag about my current machine...explaining how it stopped working twice within a year and a half...but they would do nothing for me other than offering repair options (at a price).  Sorry...not interested.

The weekend was filled with some cooking (new to us salads that we did not like!!), some stitching, some knitting and some reading.  Also a little cleaning.  Yesterday morning we went out to breakfast and then I walked along the Perkiomen Creek and managed to go 3 miles with NO back issues!!  To say I was thrilled is an understatement.  This morning looks to be a bit overcast, so I may go out again to walk...maybe at the canal this time in hopes of spotting a blue heron.

July is winding down and the light is definitely different these days.  I'm enjoying it and looking forward to Fall.

Have a great Monday!

Unraveled Wednesday 7/24/24

 Good Morning My Friends,

We find ourselves on a Wednesday nearing the end of July which just does not seem possible.  Where did the month go?  Anyway, it IS Wednesday when we usually link up with  Kat and her Merry Band of Unravelers to talk all about what we are making and what we are reading.  But, I just saw that Sherman crossed the Rainbow Bridge last night and Kat is taking a break.  Please keep her and Steve in your thoughts.

Despite Summer Ennui continuing, I did manage to finish the pair of Shortie Socks!!

These were made using the January Sock Squad yarn I received from The Farmer's Daughter.  You may recall this was the yarn I used to make a crescent moon sock and then it would not go over my foot.  Oh well.  No worries, I now have a lovely pair of shortie socks.  One thing:  shortie socks are FAST.

I mentioned a bit back seeing a pattern for Semplice and immediately being drawn to it.  I love how there are triangles, rectangles and squares within the pattern.  I didn't find the necessary yarn in my stash so I ordered some!  It has yet to arrive, but what I ordered is KnitPicks Gloss (70 wool, 30 silk) in the beautiful color way named Jacaranda which is a lovely lavender shade.  You sure can't beat the prices of KnitPicks yarn!  I successfully resisted temptation and did not order any other yarn.

Of course, I still need to get back to work on my Hitch on the Move which has seen no love for several months.  And the Shakerag Skirt!  I'm now at the point where all I need to do is knit the waistband.  Maybe I'll get to that while waiting for my yarn order to arrive.

Reading has been good (though Summer Ennui is creeping in there too).  Right now I'm in the middle of The God of the Woods which I am thoroughly enjoying.  I have roughly 150 pages to go.  I also picked up  James from the library on Monday.  I'll start that as soon as I finish The God of the Woods.

Our afternoon visitor has been Steve the Beav (our groundhog) who comes out daily to forage in the grass.  He is pretty skitterish and will book it back to under our shed if he hears our back door opening, so this picture was taken through the door.

You may need to click to enlarge.  We love his white cheeks!

Have a wonderful Wednesday.

No TNT This Tuesday. 7/223/24

 Good Morning My Friends,

I have no TNT pictures to show you today.  I have not done a single stitch since last week!  I believe that summer ennui has set in.  I don't feel like stitching, don't really feel like knitting (though I did order yarn for a new shawl...and bought the pattern), even reading doesn't seem to be what I want to do.  Mostly I just sit and stare!  LOL

We started looking at washers over the weekend.  I have been encouraged to be in touch with Maytag...one guy said they may do something for me even though the machine is out of warranty.  I guess a call can't hurt.  I will try to do that later.  I want a top loader and so far I'm leaning towards a Speed Queen (the only machine made without a locking lid).  The Speed Queen is around twice the price of others, but it does have a 5 year warranty compared to other models that only offer a one year warranty.  I still have a little looking to do.

In other news, four new gladiola shoots came up and yesterday they started to bloom!  Different colors than the red...some pink and some an orange color.  Very pretty.  A glance out the door this morning shows that once again, all the stalks have been bitten off by deer.  Grrrrrr.

On a positive note, we did receive just under half an inch of rain last night!  It sounded so good at 2:30 a.m.  LOL. It's been 5 weeks since we've needed to have our lawn mowed, but I'm guessing we will have it done next week.

We had a delicious dinner at Colin's last night.  Mailing is back in Texas for the week, so we missed her, but Colin cooked a wonderful meal with a lot of fresh produce from their CSA  - beautiful heirloom tomatoes, lots of greens (dandelion, chard and carrot greens!).  All was yummy and bonus - I got a load of towels washed and dried while we were there!

I hope everyone is doing well and I hope to be back to a regular TNT post next week.  I will be back tomorrow for unraveled Wednesday.  See you then!

Friday Felines

 Good Morning!

I'm almost afraid to say this (or write this), but it kind of feels chilly this morning!  The temp when I got up at 6 was just 60 degrees.  Quite a difference from a few days ago.  No AC running and I haven't even put on the ceiling fans yet.  Delightful!

Mabel has stayed out the past two nights.  I guess she is acting like a teenager...disobeying curfews, etc.  During the day she pretty much hangs around and yesterday I caught her very relaxed as she sprawled on one of the picnic benches.

We did go to Colin & Mailing's on Wednesday night for dinner.  Colin grilled burgers and we had a ton of fresh veggies from the CSA share they had picked up on the previous Saturday.  Roasted carrots and beets, fresh pickles, lettuce and tomatoes and onion for the burgers, etc.  I made a crostata for dessert using rhubarb from our garden, some blueberries and strawberries.

The first shortie sock has been finished and the second one started!  I'm also seriously contemplating a new start - a shawl!  Time will tell.  I have plenty on the needles that I could and should finish up.  But the temptation is strong.....

First I have some running around (errands) to do this morning.  Here's hoping the weekend is a relaxing and enjoyable one for all.  Have some fun!

A Gathering of Poetry 7/18/24

 On this third Thursday of July, I am going in with Bonny and others to share some poetry.  I don't always join in, but thought of this poem since last night was a bit of a restless one.

3:00 AM

Only my hand

is asleep

but it’s a start

 

 From Musical Tables by Billy Collins.  I just love his short poems!

Enjoy your Thursday!!

Unraveled Wednesday 7/17/24

Good Morning!

It is HOT, still.  But, last night a thunderstorm blew through.  Not enough measurable rain in the gauge, but the temp dropped to a very comfortable 79 degrees.  In fact, I slept with the AC off last night and the bedroom windows open.  Mabel loves that because she likes to lie in the back windowsill where she can look out over the backyard and keep her eye on the deer and any foxes that might wander into the yard.

Here we are mid-week and it's time once again to link up with Kat and her Merry Band of Unravelers to talk making and reading.  It's really been uncomfortable to knit or stitch much due to the weather.  I did not bother taking yet another picture of my Shakerag skirt which still needs a couple off rows added before I start the waistband.  The shortie sock has had a few rows added though.

You can see I am cruising down the foot.  I think I have 20 or 25 rows left to go to the toe decreases.  I'm meeting up with Dee this morning, so perhaps that will get completed (or not...no worries).

Like the sock, I am almost finished reading The Glassmaker by Tracy Chevalier which I am enjoying quite a bit.  I still think her book "Remarkable Creatures" is my favorite of hers, followed by "The Girl with the Pearl Earring," but this novel is enjoyable.  As Bonny mentioned to me the timelines are a little weird, but still I'm liking it.  I need to finish it up, because waiting on my night stand is The God of the Woods and I just received an email that James is being held for me at the library.  When it rains it pours!

Hoping everyone has a pleasant Wednesday.  We are headed to C&M's for dinner tonight and I promised to make a strawberry-rhubarb crostata, so I will be tackling that this afternoon.  Stay cool everyone!

Tiny Needle Tuesday 7/16/24

 Hello All,

Greetings from the furnace!  Yup, Eastern PA is back to the VERY hot and sultry weather.  Yesterday was close to 100 on our patio.  Mabel goes out and collapses on the patio.  We do go out and bring her inside when we see her panting with her mouth open.  Sometimes that girl has no sense!  It has now been 4 weeks since we've had our lawn mowed.  There is no need!  No rain = no growth.  The brief shower we had Sunday that cooled things down to 80 wasn't even enough to be measured in our rain gauge.

The deer have consumed ALL of our gladiolas which had started to bloom.  Yesterday I spied one small dahlia that had opened, so I picked it and brought it inside before any creature would get it!

All of the other dahlia buds turned brown.  It is still only one dahlia plant that has produced buds (or even come up out of the ground).

The garden is not doing so well.  The eggplant has some kind of scale insect that is destroying the blooms, so no fruit.  The yellow squash plants have died.  Beans are FINALLY growing well and I picked one tiny pepper the other day.  Tomatoes are puny and not really ripening.  Fortunately Leslie brought us tomatoes from Bob's (her husband) garden:

I sliced one of the larger ones last night to go with our dinner and it was so yummy!

Meanwhile, it is Tuesday which means it's time for a Tiny Needle update.  I have a new piece that I am stitching.  It is from the book A Schoolgirl's Work by Blackbird Designs.  The design is called "Ann's Sewing Tray" (but I will not be making it into a tray).  Here is my start:

It is a soothing piece to stitch and I am enjoying it.  I'm using 40 count linen and DMC threads (1 thread over two linen threads).  Hopefully there will be more progress to show you next week.

I will see you back here tomorrow for Unraveled Wednesday!

Weekending 7/15/24

 Good Morning!

How was your weekend?  Mine was so very full...in a very good way.

Saturday morning saw me on the road early to drive to Easton, PA.  It was raining lightly when I left home, but by the time I got on the PA Turnpike, the rain had stopped.  My destination was Three Birds Cafe where I met up not only with Dee and Bonny, but also Sarah and her daughter Mo!  What a delight!!

Sarah and Mo are both wearing sweaters they made!!  We spent a delightful couple of hours chatting, sipping and working on various projects.

All too soon it was time to say goodbye and get back on the road.

And then on Sunday my friend Leslie arrived!!  Leslie's daughter Jaimie and her granddaughter Emory were with her, but they didn't hang with us...they went to a hotel to hang instead.  Jaimie is fighting bronchitis and Emory had just gotten over pneumonia and they did not want to chance getting any of us sick.  

Colin and Mailing came over in time for dinner.  After a pretty hard rain storm, it was actually pleasant enough to be outside.

All too soon C&M went home and I took Leslie back to the hotel.  

This morning will find me at the laundromat catching up on the laundry that has piled up.  We've decided to just cut our losses and buy a new washing machine.  The one we have is (obviously) a lemon and it's not worth having a repair person come out.  In the meantime, I'll be hanging at the local laundromat.

Unraveled Wednesday 7/10/24

 Hello All,

Still hot and humid here in Eastern PA.  I thought we might get a little relief yesterday, but no such luck.  This morning all is still (not a breath of air moving) and at 6 a.m. the temp is already at 80.  Ugh!

Let's instead focus on happier things.  It's Unraveled Wednesday and time to link up with Kat and her Merry Band of Unravelers to talk making and reading.  My knitting making has focused entirely on my Shakerag Skirt.  No progress on the first shortie sock at all.  But, the Shakerag skirt (despite looking similar to last week) has progressed nicely.

The decreases have been completed (and those stitch markers removed).  I am now in the process of adding some rows since I don't want the skirt to be mid-thigh length - LOL.  Soon, though, it will be time to knit the waist band, add the elastic and have this project finished!

This morning, reading MDK's daily post, I came across the pattern for Semplice by Vera Marcu and I'm smitten!  I might just need to cast that on sooner rather than later (I've been thinking of shawl knitting...of course my Hitch on the Move has been ignored for months...but no worries).

On the reading side of things, I read Piglet by Lottie Hazel.  Unlike Sarah and Bonny, I did not really care for this book.  It just didn't seem real or logical to me.  I have never met anyone who behaved the way Piglet did in the story...I kept wanting to shout "oh for God's sake, grow up!!".  Oh well, different strokes for different folks.

Last night I started reading The Glass Maker by Tracy Chevalier and roughly 30 pages in I am liking it so far.

In gardening news Fletch picked the first ripe fig!!!

Can't wait to try it.  Alongside it is a small (quite small) yellow squash.  Normally Fletch would have left that to get a bit larger, but the larger squash had been nibbled on by something, so he decided to rescue this one before some critter got to it.

Today I go back to the audiologist for a fitting check.  I confess to not wearing my hearing aids very much.     My hearing loss is so minor I think I probably could have waited to get hearing aids, but I'll keep them at this point.  I just need to remember to put them in/on today before I go to the appointment.  LOL

Happy Hump Day everyone!

Tiny Needle Tuesday 7/9/24

 Good Morning Everyone!

How are you on this fine Tuesday morning?  It is still warm here in Eastern PA.  Tiny apples have started to fall from our apple tree (this happens every year) and the deer have started to come to dine.  Have you ever watched deer stamp their leg(s) when they sense danger or something they don't like?  This morning I looked out the bedroom window and saw a little fawn doing that.  So funny to watch.  The poor thing almost couldn't stand on just 3 legs.  LOL. I think that Mabel must have been on the patio (I had let her out earlier) and the little fawn didn't like that at all.

As I mentioned in my post yesterday, despite the heat I managed to get some stitching done over the weekend and "Gaze" by The Primitive Needle was finished.  I love it!

Overdyed threads by The Gentle Art and Weeks Dye Works were used and the linen is just 32 count.  The finished size is 5.25" tall by 4.5" wide.  I will most likely make this into another pin pillow.  Just need to find some fabric in my stash that will look good with it.

My next stitched piece will come from this book from Blackbird Designs:

I actually started it yesterday, but will wait until next week to show it when (hopefully) there is more to be seen!

And guess what has stopped working again?  My washer!  Yup.  Bought in January of 2023, repaired in September 2023 while under warranty and now, of course, no longer under warranty.  Can you say Lemon?  Definitely will not spend much on a repair...I don't think this particular Maytag is any good.  I will see if it can be fixed reasonably, but if not, we will be shopping for a washer again.

On a more positive note, here is the Gladiola stalk as of this morning:

There are some more flower stalks, but they are all closed tightly right now.  I'm curious to see if they will be the same red color or if we will get something else.

Well, time for me to get moving.  I've a busy morning.  Hope everyone is doing well and I will be back tomorrow for Unraveled Wednesday.

Weekending 7/8/24

 Hello and Good Morning,

Boy was it HOT and HUMID this weekend.  Not pleasant!  It's difficult to get comfortable, difficult to think 0f anything appealing for meals, etc., etc.

But, let's not whine.  My one Dahlia plant with the bloom has more buds that should open soon!

And the first flower stalk on the Glads has started to open!

That photo was taken the other day when the first one opened.  As of this morning there are now 4 blooms on that stalk and it is gorgeous!

I don't think I mentioned that Fletch had to have emergency root canal work done the other week.  He is fine...no issues with the root canal, etc.  Saturday night during dinner, one of my crowns popped off!  We will be funding our dentist's summer and/or winter vacations!  LOL. Luckily I have no discomfort or pain because my dentist has summer hours and is not open on Mondays!  I will call tomorrow morning and hopefully get a quick appointment to have the crown put back on (luckily I didn't swallow it or throw it away!).  It's always something!

In spite of the miserable, hot weather, I did manage to get some knitting and stitching done as well as some reading.  I'll save the details for TNT tomorrow and Unraveled Wednesday the following day.

I'm looking forward to next Saturday when I will be getting together with Dee, Bonny, and Sarah (and Mo) in Easton at Three Birds Coffee!  It will be so nice to meet Sarah and Mo in person!!  And then on Sunday, my friend Leslie and her daughter Jaimie and granddaughter Emory will arrive for a quick visit.  It will be a banner weekend for sure!

Today's plan is to figure out what would taste good for dinner other than ice water!  Wishing you all a wonderful week!

Unraveled Wednesday 7/3/24

 Hello All!

It's Wednesday and time to talk making and reading.  Usually we all link up with Kat to chat about what we are doing/making/reading, but Kat is taking a little break so I don't think there will be any official link up.

No matter!  We can still talk about what we are doing.  My Shakerag Skirt looks very similar to the photo I shared a week ago, but trust me a number of rows have been added (I've now added 5 decrease rows which means a total of more than 45 rows have been added!)

I'm meeting Dee this morning for a bit of knitting and chatting time and I will be working on this skirt.

Since finishing the (PITA) Fairy Maiden socks, I started another pair of shortie socks and am through the heel flap on the first one.

These are being knit with my January Sock Squad yarn from The Farmer's Daughter.  Gorgeous colors.  You might remember that this is the yarn I used to knit a "crescent moon" sock that would not go over my high instep!  My friend Carol was able to (just barely) get it on her foot and I said I would knit a matching sock for her.  Well...forget that!  I had thrown away the pattern I used (my own creation) and I tried and tried to create a chart for a matching sock and I just could not.  Rather than waste a lot of time on it, I decided to just do something else.  My yarn, my rules.  LOL

Reading is picking back up.  I read Maud's Line by Margaret Verble.  I can't remember where I heard about this book, but it feels like one of you recommended it.  Whatever.  I finished this last night.  It's a well written book (novel) about an 18 year old Cherokee growing up on an allotment.  There is a lot of roughness, many hard times and way too many mentions of snakes, but I enjoyed the book a lot.

Fletch and I are still listening to Nobody's Fool - the first "Sully" book (in a trio) by Richard Russo.  I say STILL listening as the audio book is just under 25 hours.  Given that we only listen at most 20 minutes per night (and not every night), it is taking a bit of time to get through this.  I think we have 15 hours left.  There are some nights we really enjoy this and others that are quite boring...but we will get through it.

I'll be stopping at the library later to drop off Maud's Line and to pick up two books that are being held for me.  I also looked and am moving up the queue for a number of books (I'm now 56 in line for "The Ministry of Time" our next RWU selection and number 12 for both "James" and "The God of the Woods").

Wishing everyone a fun 4th of July and hoping that all of our animals are not too traumatized by fireworks.  We will be heading over to Colin & Mailing's for a cookout.

Tiny Needle Tuesday 7/2/24

 Good Morning!

How are you this morning?  The air still feels so fresh and yesterday was absolutely wonderful.  Not hot, not too cool (though I could have used a little shawl or something when I sat on the patio late afternoon).  This morning it is in the upper 50's.  Almost like September!  I know the heat is coming back...and soon...but right now it is glorious.

Today finds us at the first Tuesday in July and time for a Tiny Needle update.  Gaze by the Primitive Needle is a rather small piece and I thought I would have a finish for you today, but I don't.  There are still a number of little do-dads/tiny little new-agey things to stitch.

This should be wrapped up by next week.  Those little tiny motifs take some time - some of them has as many as three different colors in them...so five stitches here...change thread...another 6 stitches...etc.  It all takes time.  Luckily I am still enjoying this one.  I also need to think about what will be next.

Meanwhile, let's talk flowers.  We planted gladiolas for the first time this year.  Six or eight I think.  They are up and their leaves are tall.  Yesterday we spotted the first flower stem.  I'm curious as to what color it will be.  I'm also curious as to whether we will get more flower stems.

Thanks to all of you Dahlia growers, we also planted Dahlias this year.  Again, six or eight.  Not all have grown.  There are only 3 definite plants that we have seen.  Of those 3 only one has buds.  Yesterday, one of those buds finally opened.

It's pretty, but looks a little ragged...a little worse for wear...kind of like me.  The lackluster performance of the Dahlias is leaving us a bit underwhelmed.

Once again it is time to finish my first cup of coffee and then jump in the shower.  Have a marvelous Tuesday my friends!

Weekending 7/1/24

 Good Morning!

And welcome to July.  We had some good rain yesterday which seems to have cleared the air a bit.  Geesh but it was a hot and humid weekend.  I hope your weekend was a good one.  Mine was good despite the awful weather.  There was cooking, knitting, reading, stitching, just sitting, sipping wine - all the things that I love.

Fletch had an appointment Friday morning, so while he was out of the house, I took advantage of the time to turn on the oven and make the promised peach/rhubarb crostata.  Oh my!

It really was delish!  And there is even some left in the frig!!  While that was baking, I stepped onto the patio and spied a little visitor:

Such a beautiful and delicate creature.  The picture is not the greatest, but each time I moved to get into a better position to capture it on my camera, it would fly up and around and then land again.

We had a modest amount of rain Saturday evening, so Sunday Fletch went out to the garden and pulled all the garlic.  We (He) managed to get some nice heads...others are a bit small, but the scent is wonderful!

Fletch will be hanging the stalks on the patio to dry.  We will share some with Colin & Mailing too.  Last Fall Fletch planted some at their house, but the squirrels dug each and every clove up!  Never would have imagined that squirrels liked garlic...

Sunday afternoon I finally finished the 2nd Fairy Maiden sock.

I say finally because these were such a PITA to knit.  First of all the initial stitch on each DPN is a purl stitch.  I dislike starting with a purl stitch.  The pattern is 8 rows long.  The first 3 rows of the pattern have cables (both front and back) as well as some yarn-overs, SSK and K2together.  I can do all those things, but I guess because I was knitting with DPNs it was more fiddly and awkward.  I was continually messing up my stitch count (either dropping stitches or adding some).  THIS is a link to the free pattern on Ravelry in case anyone wants to make themselves crazy.  LOL. And here is a picture showing a close up of the very pretty pattern:

Pretty but still a PITA to knit!  I'm glad to have knit them but I'm betting I will never knit this pattern again!  LOL. (The yarn is from The Farmer's Daughter - April's Sock Squad yarn)

Finally, I will end this lengthy post with yet another picture.  When I came downstairs at 6 to turn the coffee on, look what I saw outside:

Two little fawns resting on the grass.  So sweet.  They didn't stay there long after Mabel went outside.  (Picture taken through our door so that I wouldn't disturb the little darlings.)

Well, time to finish my first cup of coffee and then hop in the shower.  May July fill you with wonder and bring you much joy!