Last weekend was our end-of-summer quick get away.  Our road trip took us to visit our pals in Boston.  It took me about 15 minutes to pack for all four of us – easy as the weather was predicted to be VERY HOT and HUMID.  It doesn’t get much easier than shorts and t-shirts.  But what knitting project to pack took me quite a while – endless changing of choices.  All of my current projects were just too big and hot to bring along.  Even the lacy shawl was too much to carry.  What to bring!??   I finally grabbed a skein of sage green silk, and a copy of Scarf Style from Interweave Press. 

The heat made it hard to make decisions, and it was almost too hot to knit (horrors!), but a quick piece comprise of strips was just what the conditions called for.  So I cast on 8 stitches and just knit, making the strip longer and longer, which will be added to other strips, making a lovely, simple scarf of narrow strips.

We returned to more heat and humidity, which has not yet broken.  I don’t know about you, but I am at my worst during these conditions.  I have no energy and little ambition.  It is an effort to take care of all that needs to be done, let alone moving on to what I want to do. The coolness of autumn is what I look forward to each year.  Some years are rewarded by “extended” autumn – this is any day that does not yet include snow.  And even as winter sets in, I am more energetic.  Perhaps it is the need to keep moving that helps me keep warm.  Or maybe it was just the years of growing up in snow country, where it was common practice to head to high school with an open coat, no hat or mittens (not that I condone that behavior for my kids…).  I think my blood is just thick and that works well in the cold, but not so much in the heat.

In any case, I have added yet another project to my list of works in progress.  Plenty, certainly, to keep me busy once the cool weather arrives.  But just in case, I just picked up the Fall issue of Knitters – many lovely projects.  And with a holiday weekend looming, I might have to test one of those out.

Happy back to school,

Peace & Love

Mako the kitty is an incredibly lovely shade of silvery grey and has taken up residence in our home on a part-time basis.  Prior to this arrangement, he resided outside, wandering between barns and fields.  He was discovered on the day of his birth a year ago by Alison (along with 2 other wee kittens, both girls).  Alison was delighted by this find, we were not so sure.

Knowing we could not keep all three kittens in addition to the mother (another "barn kitty", aptly named Killer, as she would not allow anyone to get close to her), we broached the subject of finding adoptive families. 

Long story short, Killer vanished as soon as the kittens were 6 weeks old and we were left to care for them.  One potential adoptive home did not work out, and that kitten returned.  One adoptive home worked out beautifully, and we have the ability to visit "Lily" in her home whenever we like.  The two remaining kittens - Mako and Peanut stayed throughout winter and spring.  The weather turned beautiful one April day, and both kittens vanished.  After assuming they had moved on to greener pastures, Mako returned 10 days later, and has been a fixture ever since. 

With proper vaccinations and neutering, he was bid welcome into the house.  I personally like him so much because he acts very much like a dog.  He likes to play fetch, he comes when he is called, and he enjoys relaxing much of the day.  He is fond of all the yarn, yet doesn't claw at it or seem to want to play with it.  I admire his respect for all that wooly warmth. 

And it's been interesting to watch his "fitting in" with Pepper, the Jack Russell that has dominated the house for the last 2 years.  She tends to be on the squirrely side, and a tad energetic, but they seem to coexist fairly nicely.  In fact they are my evening entertainment - Mako stalks Pepper from beneath a table, Pepper runs away in a panic until she realizes it's a game, then they race around the house after each other.

So I figure that Mako is here to stay and as a result is entitled to some sort of special spot to sleep (other than my desk chair).  I'm thinking of a felted cat bed, as can be seen in Cat Bordhi's second book.  It might also be nice to make a similar thing for Pepper as she only weighs in at 7 pounds.  And I have this great wool that is perfect for felting...

The deck project is progressing nicely, and with the children back to school in 2 weeks, I figure I will finally be able to work more on my time management.  This will allow a set amount of time per day for knitting, and we all know that you can never have too many things going at once, because variety is the spice of life.  Or it could be that I have no will-power, particularly when it comes to knitting and animals.

Peace & Love

There are many projects going on at Chez Fiorini. 

On the home improvement front, there are: the new deck which will allow access out my back door, to enjoy the lovely western sky; the office in the barn which will alleviate the office-type stuff in the house; the sealing and re-caulking of various windows, and the final trimwork around the exterior of the new front door that only took 9 hours to install.

Knitting-wise, I have no fewer than 5 projects going at the same time, each in their own state of unfinished-ness.  Knitting has taken a back seat to dyeing of yarn and the making of beaded stitch markers and silk scarves, all in preparedness of the craft show I will be attending on September 8 & 9.

As it is still summer, and consequently summer vacation for school-aged children, there are additional activities involving entertainment, socializing with friends and just more time being spent doing things together.  That’s what summer’s all about, right?  There will always be time for work (the hours of 10 pm to 2 am have always served us well in terms of “catching up”).

It would stand to reason that we would cease and desist from beginning another project, committing to another event, etc.  But things just don’t work out that way.  Another home project will present itself before we are finished with what we’ve started; another knitting idea will rear its creative head at 10 pm some evening and I will have to at least sketch it out; and there will be another request to get children together, all before school begins in just a little more than 2 weeks.

We wouldn’t have it any other way, mind you.  Why just dip your toes in the wading pool when you can dive into the ocean?

Peace & Love  

After another long absence, I’m back. 

Many things have happened in between, the biggest being that the new website is up and running!  If you haven’t linked through the site already, please go check it out at www.peaceloveyarn.com.  I’m really proud of it, and eternally grateful to Bob for all his efforts. 

He was absolutely brilliant in putting this all together (that’s where those years of being a software developer/programmer/business analyst came in handy).  Regrettably, my computer skills leave much to be desired.  In fact, I am of the camp that wants to turn the machine on and have it work.  If it gives me any trouble, I reboot it.  If that doesn’t work, I ask Bob to help…

While he has been programming for me, I’ve been dying lots of yarn and putting together a selection of books (check out our selection of titles from Interweave Press, my favorite publisher for all things fiber), silk scarves and more things to be added very, very soon.  I’m also preparing for a really great craft show – the Madison County Historical Society’s Annual Craft Show, held on Sept. 8 & 9 this year.  This is a fun venue, and as an added bonus, I get to visit my family for the weekend.  If you happen to be in Oneida, NY that weekend, stop by and see us at booth 305.

Summer boredom has kicked in for the children.  Swimming lessons, theater group, and the novelty of not having to go to school have all come and gone.  We are now left with a lot of sighing, aimless wandering throughout the house (go outside!!), indignant looks when requests for tv time are denied, and, my personal favorite, following me around everywhere.  Ah, just 3 more weeks until school begins again. 

It is difficult out here in the country where every activity or get-together has to be planned, and driving is essential for everything except hikes on our own property.  But all in all, they have had an enjoyable summer and there is still a weekend trip to Boston to look forward to.  The kids have both begged to tag along for the craft show.  The jury is still out on this one, but in typical mother lingo, “we’ll see” is my standard answer.

So there you have it.  Another update.  Plan on more frequent posts going forward (particularly after Sept. 6, which is the first day back to school).

Hoping you have all had an enjoyable summer to date.

Peace & Love