Fences, knitting, etc.

The fence of pain is finished. The construction part is done, but there needs to be some fine tuning of the picket part. It has been raining since 15 minutes after Kyle and Joe finished putting the privacy sections up on Saturday. Perhaps I'll get to take pictures after I finish building the Ark. Ha ha. It should take a month of Sundays before it dries out enough to be able to stain it white. Now I just have to frame out a piece of lattice to fill in the gap in the backyard between the privacy section and the neighbor's garage and build my picket gate for the front and put it up. When we're done with that, there's always another project waiting!

I do have the pockets done for the Yarn Pig. I just have to take pictures of it in it's final form. I've been a teensy bit busy with my nursing care of Paulette and dealing with phone calls and visitors, who though well-meaning, just can't seem to leave Paulette alone long enough so that she can rest. Apparently I need to hone my skills in diplomacy to make everyone leave the sick person alone so that she can rest and get better. She's feeling a little better every day. I hope that it helps her feel better in the end.

I can't wait until the sun comes back out and it's a little warmer outside. 65 degrees F for a high temperature in August is not normal. Plus it's annoying. And I haven't been able to go outside and enjoy the new fence yet. Yes, I'm whining now. Sorry about that.

No knitting today

I have not had much time to knit since I brought Paulette home from the hospital. I couldn't concentrate on the Kushu Kushu scarf in the hospital, so I started a pair of socks. Ribbing is very therapeutic when you're waiting for someone to get out of surgery.

Kyle and I got the fence posts for the privacy sections of the fence set today. Hopefully we can get the panels up tomorrow. Or, should I say, Kyle and my neighbor Joe can get the panels up tomorrow. I love my neighbors! (Well, most of them--except the ones who live on the side of the house where we're putting up the fence.)

Better go--the dishes are waiting to be done.

Progress on the fence of pain

The fence of pain is coming along nicely. Digging post holes sucks and is painful.




I just have to even off the tops of the posts, put caps on them and stain it white. Our friend Kyle is helping with the 6 foot high privacy sections for the backyard. I can't handle them by myself and Paulette is too weak right now to help. Her surgery is tomorrow morning.

I started the Kushu Kushu scarf. All I can say is that the Japanese must like knitting with very tiny yarn. I am tolerating it but I am not enjoying the knitting all that much. It's only stockinette stitch, but because the yarn is tiny and you have to hold two strands together, you really have to pay attention to what you're doing. The stainless steel and the merino like to tangle together if you pull too much off the cones at once.

It's raining

I'm currently in a rain delay in putting up the fence in the yard. So, I'm doing this.

I got the first pocket square done for the Yarn Pig. Just one more and then it's felting time.

Bad news--I need to get one more ball of Lacey Lamb to start my Print o'the Wave stole, but the yarn store didn't have any more of my color. It's ordered but won't be here until mid-September. Bummer. Well, I do have other things I can work on.

I guess I'll start the Habu kit that Paulette bought me for my birthday. It's the Kushu Kushu scarf. The yarn is fine merino and silk-wrapped stainless steel. Here it is:



I did finish the Tidal Wave socks, modelled by the lovely Jefferson:



Here's a picture of the fence-in-progress:




I think the rain is stopping. It just has to dry up a little--I need to saw the posts down to size and I'm not a big fan of being electrocuted. Gotta go now....

It's Friday!

Yippee, it's Friday. DPNgirl will be off on vacation all next week to put up a fence in her yard. We are putting a white picket fence around the front side yard and a privacy fence in the back side yard. DPNgirl and Paulette can only handle the picket part--a friend is helping with the 6 foot privacy sections.

When it's done, I'll put up pictures.

We hopefully will be done with the picket part before the middle of the week, so that we can go to Door County for a day and also lobby legislators in Madison about some state budget issues.

DPNgirl's friend, housemate and knitting buddy Paulette is having surgery the next week after that, so DPNgirl will be helping take care of her. Keep her in your thoughts and prayers. DPNgirl would be very sad if something happened to her best friend whom she has known for at least 34 years.



DPNgirl (Sara) and Paulette at Christmas last year

Our little group

Here is a picture of our little knitting group:



Left to right: Me, Paulette, and Margaret.

Margaret was only pretending to knit for the picture. She had actually been working on her chain mail jewelry all evening. She's truly a Jill-of-all trades, our Margaret.

My sock is still in progress. I have trouble knitting and talking at the same time. I need to work on that skill. It's coming along, though. Paulette is knitting a sweater. It's from the Nashua Handknits 4 booklet--the surplice lace top. She's using Nashua Handknits Cilantro yarn in this beautiful soft yellow and white. She has one lace panel for the front done. Margaret is actually knitting a lace scarf (just not last evening), oddly enough, in the very same lace pattern as the sweater Paulette is making.

Aside from our usual gabfest, we found out something interesting about Starbucks from one of the employees. Did you know that no one is supposed to take any pictures at a Starbucks? Who knew? We did it anyhow, as you can see.

How horrible

The news from Minnesota last evening was too horrible to even imagine. It's so hard to fathom that you could just be driving home from work or to a baseball game and have a bridge just drop out from beneath your vehicle. My thoughts and prayers are with everyone who has been affected by this tragedy.