What a Great Summer

Wow, this has been the greatest Summer ever!  My first "Knit Night" was a huge success.  We spent the evening knitting, talking and laughing.  I can't wait until we meet again on September 6.  I hope to see more of my creative friends, since school will be starting, and schedules will be settling down from all of the summer activities.  Some Beginner Knitting Classes will also be held on August 21 and 28.  Give me a call if you are interested.

My "Haruni" shawl is finished.  Knit from our first batch of alpaca yarn, in a heathered charcoal gray.  I think it will make a nice addition to my winter coat, and my mtnman wardrobe (I can't believe I have such a thing).  Haruni was designed by Emily Ross, and the pattern is free on Ravelry.  You can probably see that my "Haruni" has a few issues going on, but now that I have the pattern figured out, I'm sure my next one will look much better.  This was also my first attempt to knit with beads.  It was tricky, but I like the outcome.

We just returned from our semi-annual "Girl's Trip" to Palm Desert, CA.  This was my take-along knitting project.  Another "Laura Leaves Tank", knit of "Tupa", a peruvian yarn of 50% merino wool & 50% silk.  The yarn is knitting up in a heavier weight than I had anticipated, but it's pretty just the same.  I purchased the yarn from "Knit Unique" in Logan, UT and I've run out, so I'll either be making a call or a drive to get some more.

The trip was great fun, even though it was HOT, HOT, HOT!  . . . or as my grand-daughter says, "Hotsy-Totsy".  Up as high as 115 degrees, and still 106 degrees at midnight, on the night we went to the street fair in Palm Springs.  We did a lot of shopping, and eating.  Here we are waiting, and waiting and waiting for our gourmet pizzas.

This is the first and most recent of our girls (my Mom and Alivia).  Alivia loved the heat, and would go right to sleep everytime we went outside.

We spent an afternoon at my son-in-law's parents' home in Hemet.  We ate some great food (prepared by Bill and Janet), drank a lot of their drinks, and swam in their beautiful pool.  Many thanks to the Coats Family for a wonderfully relaxing afternoon.  It almost makes me feel guilty that our husbands weren't allowed to join in.

Nola and Alivia had some relaxing time too.  This is unusual for Nola, since she is normally bouncing off the walls.

A trip to the outlet mall provided these funky sun glasses for Zeke . . .

. . . along with this fun bubble gun.  Here you see him shooting it up in the food court.  I'm guessing everyone's lunch tasted a little soapy, but he sure had fun! 

We even had time for knitting.  My sis is making a darling little baby sweater, from a Debbie Bliss pattern.  She is a beginner, but the sweaters is looking fab.

I returned to find some more "Scrumptious" from Fyberspates in the mailbox.  I'm not sure what this purple and periwinkle will become, but it will be fun to think about it.

Our garden is growing great this year.

Lots of zucchini, spagetti squash, strawberries, tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplants, beets, beans, carrots and pumpkins.  Please send me your zucchini recipes, we're burried in them.

I've even got a lemon on my lemon tree this year.  I hope it ripens properly, before Fall sets in and the tree has to be moved back inside.

This is the pile of produce I'll be sneaking into my Mom's car tonight.  I hope she is hungry. 

It has been a little over a year since this Blog went LIVE, and I'm celebrating with a new design. Tell me what you think of my new Blog design?  I'm so excited about it!  It was designed by Lindsay at:  http://www.happypotamusdesigns.com/.  Linsay does such a good job.  Thank you Lindsay for all of your hard work.  I'll be calling you again, when "Salt Grass Alpaca Yarns" are ready for marketing.

Well I'm going back to my knitting . . . Happy Knitting!