March 26, 2009
March 22, 2009
Who said watching hoops was counterproductive?
It's truly amazing what can be done when you are watching parts of 48 basketball games in four days. Now to the vest.
March 20, 2009
Vacation, work, new car, March Madness....no time to blog!
Yep, I'm still here. Just haven't made the time to blog. For what it's worth, I haven't had a lot to report. However, I guess I should make an effort. I have 45 minutes until today's games start, so here goes!
The trip to Arizona was wonderful. It is truly amazing how a change from 17 degrees to 85 can completely eliminate all one's aches and pains. I went out to Scottsdale ostensibly for a medical meeting (which was really good for a change), but I did manage to catch a couple of Indians spring training games.
Here's my view for the first game:
Yep. The sky was that blue. It was also 91 degrees, a record high for the day. Life can be rough. I also saw the greatest pitcher in Indians history, the legendary Bob Feller:
The guy is (I believe) the oldest living Hall of Famer at 90 years young. He is at Indians events all the time. He's also immortalized in a huge statue in front of our ballpark. He pitched on our last team to win a World Series.
Yes, it has been a while.
I also had the opportunity to meet up with the lovely Lorette while I was in Arizona. She was there visiting relatives, so she, I, and her husband met up for a couple of cocktails. We also managed to finish a few rows on our socks.
If there's one huge positive to vacationing in Arizona in March (like there aren't dozens of them), it's the LYS's stocking tons of spring and summer yarn. I'm not sure our shops stock cotton blends for more than a week. So, I now have several skeins to add to the stash. Here's that booty:
Punto Color...yes, it is that bright. I plan on matching the Jeep.
Side note: I love that car. Disturbingly so. I have already had a flat tire, though. That's what I get for going to the JoAnn's that's next door to a Home Depot. I got screwed. Literally.
Back to the yarn....
It's a Peruvian yarn called Cotanani, a cotton/wool blend. Just plain yummy.
This is my favorite. The color repeats are huge, and the resulting fabric has a sunset feel to it. I have a simple pullover in mind to really take advantage of the effect.
Now, I need to finish up the projects in progress. The Sunset Bolero is going to be frogged, most likely. The damn thing just didn't fit right. And that point in the back, although it is cute, doesn't exactly flatter my tush. I may get back to it later this year...or not.
The Red Rocks pullover is in sleeve purgatory, in which it will probably remain until the end of summer. It won't be worn any time soon--too warm a sweater, and the color is clearly autumnal. It will be finished eventually, that's a guarantee. It's gorgeous.
So, what's on the needles? I started the Cat Claw vest:
It's made from the same stuff as the Sea Oats Cardigan I finally finished up last month. I have done a little bit of finagling to the pattern to accommodate the boobage...we'll see how that turns out. I love the colors, though. Very nice for spring and summer.
The project that really needs to get done soon is this one:
It's a basketweave stitch cardigan that I'm making with the wool/bamboo blend I got from Brooks Farm Yarns at the show in Pittsburgh. Here's the up close and personal shot:
This is a nice yarn to work with. Feels like cotton, but works like wool. I'm also pretty pleased with how the colors are working out. There's some pooling, but it's not offensive. I'd work with this stuff again in a heartbeat. Not to mention that the shades just ooze spring.
Like these:
The Easter Bunny came early.