C'est Finis! Es Wird Getan! è Fatto! Se Hace!

At long last I've completed my most challenging sweater to date. Hope you enjoy it sweetheart, and I hope the wool keeps you warm like a perpetual hug.The pattern is Knit Pick's Amhra'n Gra' (Love Song) and I used Knit Pick's swish superwash wool in jade per Rick's request. I am very pleased with the way it turned out, especially in the collar. In the past I've tended to make the collars too tight. This one is wonderful. It can even go on without having to remove eyeglasses.
Now I've started on two projects. There is a summer top I've been eying for ages in Great Knits from Threads On. Over the past several months I've been buying the yarn for it a few skeins at a time, and now I have enough to begin, and hopefully enough to finish. I think this is the first time I'm actually using the recommended yarn for the pattern. I'm hoping the finished article will be as delightful to wear as it looks on the model. I had a similar garment (a favorite) in my wardrobe before I became a mom, but alas, it no longer fits.

The second is using up some stash wool to make some sachets for moth balls. Last week a moth came in with the family late one evening. This never bothered me much before because I was not keeping wool in moth-accessible places and because I had a cat who made it her business to keep the house insect free. Now both of those have changed. I want to make a sachet for my box of wool yarn and one for each clothes closet. In the process I can play around with some hand felting.

Late to the Party...

...But still so glad to be here!

How about that Tribe!!!

The bull pen runs toward to diamond to join the celebration.

The day was beautiful. Westbrook had a career high strike out game. The crowd was excited. Here are some of my favorite shots.

John Adams drumming the Tribe on to victory. He
is standing to the right of his drum under the
"of" in the Budweiser sign.

Next year the upper deck facing will sport
another flag. Lets make it a gold one!


The family enjoys the game.


The central division championship flag is raised!


The statue of Bob Feller is dressed for
the occasion. Bob Feller, in the flesh, was in the
owner's box wearing the same shirt .

Horns were blasting, fans were whooping it up, drivers and pedestrians were waving their caps and posters (handed out at the exits) to each other. It was a loud walk back to the car. The Engineer walked the whole way with his ears covered.

Best News!

My Brother in Law, Paul, asked his girlfriend while on stage at the end of his concert...
...and she said yes! The audience whistled and cheered. Everyone in our family and all Paul's friends are thrilled this has happened and we happily look forward to a wedding.

That's a great way to start your first American national tour. From here, my bil's band, Elegantly Wasted, traveled east to Buffalo and Brooklyn, NY, then south giving some concerts on the way to Alabama before heading back through Kansas City to Los Angeles. In all about a dozen concerts, similar to the tours they've done overseas.

This began a whirlwind weekend for the family. I'm so glad Rick is home from work today to recover.

Back Yard Science

Or maybe drive way science?

I just love it when we just finish studying insects in science class and we come home from Latin in time to spy a grasshopper digging a hole in a wide crack in the asphalt with her dorsal and ventral valves and laying eggs in the exposed dirt.

She was one of the biggest grasshoppers I've ever seen. Her body was beautifully colored and she was doing a delicate balancing act employing five of her six legs, one didn't reach the ground from atop a pebble.Her location in the driveway must have given her a scare when I pulled the van into the garage! I can't imagine how I missed her, except I was a little more than usual toward the right wall of the garage.

After the excitement is over and we come inside it leads me to find websites like this field guide to help drive the knowledge home.

Best of all I hear statements like "That made my day!" from the Artist.

Magic

An off day is the longest day in the baseball season, but never more so than in September. Today the magic number sits at 3 with only ten, (or perhaps only nine) games to go in the season.What is a magic number? A combination of the number of games a team (the Indians) must win and the number of games a division opponent (the Tigers) must lose for a team (the Indians) to clinch the division championship and therefore a spot in the post season playoff games.

The Indians may not get to play all 162 of their regular season games this year. Due to the Snowout of an entire series at the beginning of the season the Indians have had to make up more games than usual. If the game will not have a bearing on the standings of the Indians or the Seattle Mariners, it will likely remain unplayed.

Last Gig of Summer

Saturday was expected to be the last outdoor show Running in Circles would do this year. I suppose that is a good thing as it turned out to be in the upper 40ºF after the sun went down. The two gallon thermos of hot chocolate I brought along was well received by all our friends. Thank you, Rick, for the thermos idea!

The kids were bundled up in their winter coats, but they probably didn't really need them. They were all running around, playing all variations of tag and chase games, leap frog, and even some dancing. I brought my camera to the show because Rick wanted some video of certain songs. Unfortunately, I forgot to take any still photos of the band this time.

I really like this venue (Legacy Village) and I'm happy the band will be back there next year. There is ample room for kids to run around and the sound is not too loud for the little ones or big ones like me.

Sleeping Sideways

When we tuck the Engineer into bed in the evening he has his head on the pillow and his feet under the sheet and maybe some covers if it is not too hot out.

Somehow, in the night, he manages to work his way around to this position. It happens almost every evening! I wonder what he thinks about the instant he wakes up in the morning. Well, I take that back. Sleeping sideways must not phase him a bit. He is the one who nudges me awake 45 minutes before my alarm is set to go off and asks in his most anticipating voice, "Are you ready to give me my breakfast now, Mommy?"

A few years ago sleeping sideways was habitual for the Artist but she seems to have outgrown it.