New Blogger in the Family

The wildflowers in Rocky Mountain National Park were my favorite for picture taking. This is an Alpine Sunflower that was growing by Lilly Lake. I also saw some up on the tundra. It's amazing that anything can grow at that elevation.

I've been doing a little work on the sidebar of my blog. I've added a couple of knitting blogs that I've been enjoying lately. Check out Blo's Blog and Knit Tidbits. Also, my daughter has just started a blog called Bocks Rocks. Stop by and say hello. I'm sure you'll enjoy the antics of her two new kittens. And finally, I've added links to the charities that I've knit items for.

Time to turn this computer off and get to work unloading the trailer. It's not easy to get back to reality after a two week vacation.

Home Again

We made it home yesterday evening. It's good to be back. We had a great time and took lots of pictures. Maybe I'll share a few of my favorites on days when there isn't much knitting to talk about. But today I want to show you what I found...



...the famous discontinued Cotton-Ease. We got off the interstate in Salina, Kansas to eat some lunch and as luck would have it, there was a Tuesday Morning store in the same shopping center as the restaurant. I was very happy to find that they had some orange yarn so I can make pumpkin hats for The Preemie Project. Of course, I had to buy a few more colors. It's hard to pass up half price yarn.

I did a lot of knitting in the car on our vacation. I was able to knit two small blankets, a preemie gown and bonnet. There is still some finishing work to do on these and I want to knit some booties to go with the gown. So, pictures and details will be for another day. Right now it's time to unpack, wash clothes and catch up on everything that happened while I was away.

Kansas

Well, our vacation is almost over. We drove out of Colorado today and into Kansas. What a change of scenery. I thought it was flat where we live, but that was before I came here. I like it though. We've made a couple of interesting stops so far. A billboard advertising the largest craft store in the area got us to exit the interstate and drive into the small town of Brewster. I was looking for yarn of course, but they didn't have any. We did however, buy some lemonade and homemade cookies from some young girls who had set up a stand in their front yard. They were so cute.

Miles later, my husband spotted another billboard that advertised a quilt and yarn store so we got off at the next town to investigate. It was the wrong place, but we were told that there was a better store in the town of Gove called Gove City Yarns & Antiques.

The population of Gove is just over 100. It is very small, but the yarn store isn't. The selection of yarn is better than some stores I've been to in large cities. There are three or four rooms filled with yarn. A lot of premium stuff. Also, some spinning wheels and spinning supplies. I bought some 100% llama for a shawl. It's their own line of yarn. According to the label, it's produced by wheatfield llamas of Kansas. The perfect souvenir for a knitter. They don't have a website so you'll just have to drive to Kansas and see for yourself. You won't be disappointed.

Tonight we are at the KOA in WaKeeny. It's stormy. The people that work here said there were about ten tornados in the area in June. I've never seen a tornado in person. Hope I never do.

Stormy Weather

Today was our official family reunion day. Luckily, we were able to have our picnic and visit with each other just before the rain moved in. It's been raining for a couple of hours now. No hikes today. Maybe tomorrow.

Knitting With A View

Today I worked on this blanket for The Preemie Project while enjoying the view from our travel trailer.

Rocky Mountain National Park

Having a great time. Wish you were here.

Colorado Bound

Another adventure in trailering begins tomorrow. Something interesting always happens. Most trips start out with rain (floods even). And a couple of them have involved break downs and tow trucks. No matter, they have all been fun. We've had our trailer for almost a year now. Until then, my husband could never convince me to go camping. I love the outdoors. I just hate sleeping on the ground. Now we take all the conveniences of home with us. Can you really call that camping? Probably not.

We are heading for Estes Park, Colorado for a family reunion. Can't wait to spend time in this beautiful place. Besides catching up with the family, we will do a little hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park. Of course since we are flatlanders, we will probably have to stick to the easy trails. My husband and son plan to fish every day. I plan to check out some yarn shops and work on some knitting for The Preemie Project. So, don't worry if you don't hear from me for a while. I'll check in when I can. There is sure to be free wi-fi somewhere.

Time to go load the trailer. Colorado here we come!

Ready To Go

Twenty little hats packaged and ready to go to The Preemie Project. The two hats in the front were knit by a friend who wanted to help out. Thanks. They are so cute! Preemie Project volunteers are busy knitting, crocheting and sewing baby items for the first hospital donation on September 1. Things are really coming together and we are all having fun with it. Laura, you are doing an amazing job with this charity.

The Scarf

I like the zig-zag pattern of the eyelets and the wavy edges of this scarf. They add interest, but are very simple to knit. The pattern (Lopi Lace Scarf) can be found in the book Weekend Knitting. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I was short on the main color of yarn, so I extended the length of the contrasting edge. I like the way it turned out. The contrasting edge is knit on larger needles causing it to flair out a bit. I think this goes well with the wavy edges along the side. The finished length of my scarf is 54". Just right.

Good-bye Ladd's

This post has nothing to do with knitting except to say that the scarf I started is almost finished. It truly can be knit in a weekend. I will probably finish it today.

What I want to talk about is our small town grocery store, Ladd's. After serving our community for 70+ years, it shut its doors on Friday. This may sound silly, but it makes me sad to think it's not around anymore. When we moved here 10 years ago, Ladd's still used the old fashioned cash registers. You know, the kind where you have to push the $10 button and the $5 button then pull the handle to ring up a $15 purchase. Eventually they had to replace these with more modern registers because they could no longer get parts to maintain the old ones. Even though they could not compete with large chain grocery stores on pricing, they offered much more than those stores ever could. Their store was always clean, the handbuilt shelves neatly organized, the shopping carts immaculately maintained and the service always friendly. You could still buy groceries on account and receive a monthly bill. And, as the sign suggests, they sold the best cuts of meat in this area. On July 23 the store will open again as Super S., a supermarket chain of 48 stores in rural communities of central and south Texas. While I know it will be nice, it will not be the same. Thanks Ladd's for your great service to our community!

FYI: Ladd's can be seen in the movie On the Road to Galveston.

On The Needles

My next project is on the needles. It is the Lopi Lace Scarf by Pam Allen from the book Weekend Knitting. I'm using the handspun yarn I bought earlier this summer at Fire Ant Ranch in Elgin, Texas. Since I am just shy of having the recommended yardage of the main color, I've decided to increase the length of the contrasting edge. It will give it a slightly different look, but I don't want the scarf to be too short. Of course, I didn't take time to knit a guage swatch, so I'll just have to wait and see. So far, guage looks pretty close and that's good enough for me. I think this yarn will show off well in this scarf. I love knitting with it. It makes me wish I knew how to spin. Maybe one day.

New Favorite

Thanks for all the compliments on the shawl. I've been caught wearing it around the house...in the air conditioning of course. You know how it is. I had to try it out a little.

You are probably getting tired of seeing all the baby hats I'm knitting, but I wanted to show you this one I knit yesterday. It was designed by Libby for The Preemie Project. I know you are going to like this Mock Rib and Eyelet Preemie Hat as much as I do. The free pattern is well written and easy to memorize. The results are so pretty and detailed that you might think it is complicated to knit. It is not. So, if you are thinking of knitting a hat for charity, try this one. I like that it is knit in the round. Also, that the instructions are written for three preemie sizes (S,M,L). I used Bernat Softee Baby to make mine, but any soft yarn would work. This hat is now at the top of my favorite list!

It's Finished!

Here it is. The Meadow Flowers Shawl from Knitter's Stash. The whole time I was knitting it, I doubted that the lace pattern would show up like I wanted. When I bought the yarn, I didn't pay close attention and ended up with a heavier mohair than I thought I was getting. However, blocking really works wonders. And, I am happy with the result. Using size 9 needles instead of the size 8 the pattern called for also turned out to be a good idea. My shawl is only slightly larger than the pattern's finished measurements. Not too big at all. Don't you just love it when things turn out better than you expected? This shawl will get some use on our trip to Colorado, where right now low temperatures are in the mid 50's. That's winter weather in our part of the country! Can't wait.

Knitting On The Border

It is really hot here in Texas. The other day it was close to 100 degrees. So, my husband was surprised to find me knitting on the Flower Meadows Shawl. "Why are you working on the shawl on the hottest day of the year?" The answer is simple, "Because I want to finish it." After two days of marathon knitting I've completed the border on two edges and with a little luck I'll get the other side finished today. It's surprising how long it takes to get around the sides. I had heard this from others, but I wasn't convinced until I experienced it myself. Today is laundry day, so between loads I'll be knitting on the border.