She Knits By The Seashore

Caroline, Cycling, and Recycling

Thank you so much for your comments on the Noni bag. You seemed to be as undecided as I am, so I'm going to use the safety pin idea and add the flower as the mood strikes.

Caroline's left and right front are finished. Sleeves are on the needles!

The Giro D'Italia, Italy's version of the Tour de France, started last Sunday. US viewers can see it on Sunday nights on Versus, 4-6pm. The scenery is wonderful!

Our GYGIG donations now total $1323! Thank you again for your support. If you haven't yet made a donation, and would still like to, you can click the button on the upper left for details. We'll be giving out the last prizes of Charlie's yarn and the $21 LYS certificate on Memorial Day Weekend -- next weekend! Or, if you'd rather purchase some of the Charlie's yarn and donate that way, please see Lavender Sheep.

Our fearless GYGIG rider, both in preparation for his ride and in celebration of Bike to Work week/month, has been riding either home from work (leaving his truck there), or to work in the morning. It's 40 miles one way. Now if only his co-workers in the state government would get the clue, and make alternative transportation easier in our state!!

In an "Is it me?" moment, I called the Local Pharmacy With Initials in its Name to ask if they recycle pill bottles. A lot of knitters in blogland are doing their best to recycle, and in a moment of inspiration from their examples, I thought, "why throw the pill bottles away when I can take them down and have them refilled using the same bottle?"" So, today, I took the little brown bottles for my allergy meds and Rainy's meds to the Drop Off window, and explained that I would like them to use the same bottles and they can just put a new label over the old one, per the phone conversation I had with someone there the previous night. The woman at the counter looked at me blankly, said, "Well, we usually just throw them out and use a new bottle, but I guess if you want us to, we could do that."

I don't know if there are health regulations that prevent this that I haven't heard of yet (e.g. did I sneeze on the bottle, and so they can't reuse it -- how sterile is a pharmacy?) but from the blank tone of voice and looks I got from people there, I wouldn't be at all surprised if they said to each other, "She's crazy, just throw those bottles out and use a new one and she'll never know." But I will know -- I'll peel back that new label when I pick up the prescription to see if they covered the old one. It's such a small thing, but I thought it was a good idea, because those brown plastic bottles are a 5 which I don't think is even recyclable in the regular way. We live in a pretty earth friendly area, and a number of people do use their totebags in the grocery store now, so I can only wonder if maybe it is me?

Have a great weekend!

"So I hear they're going away this weekend, and that woman is coming to take care of us."

"We can take her."

Noni Baguette

Pattern: Noni Three Sassy, Skinny Tube Baguettes

Needles: U.S. Size 11 24" circular, and dpns

Yarn: Cascade 220: 1 skein of green #7814, 1 skein of natural #8010, 2 skeins pink #9478, 2 skeins pale pink #9477

Misc: bamboo handles, fabric lining, plastic canvas, pink ribbon for straps, pink zipper

This was my first knitted bag and Noni pattern, and my first felting project. I learned a lot of new skills (sewn bind-off for one), which is always a good thing. But I drew the line at learning how to sew, and a wonderful new friend at an LYS did the lining and finish work for me. You can see her stamp in the lining, above.

And what about the Spider Chrysanthemum?

Pattern: Noni Spider Chrysanthemums & Daisies (sold separately)

Needles: U.S. Size 11 24" circular

Yarn: Cascade 220, 2 skeins pink #9478

The bag seems plain without it, but the flower may still be too big to attach at its current size. Opinions, please.

Summer Wish List

The first repeat of the Dream in Color Shrug is done. I thought it would be nice to use the fancy stitch markers for this project, instead of my usual plastic rings, or none at all. Silly as it is, I have to admit they are very motivational for getting to the end of the row.

My very favorite season is coming up soon, and I want to savor every moment, stretch it out like the waves across a vast beach. In knitting terms, I don't want to spend the last 72 hours of summer staying up too late to finish a project, because time got away from me. Accepting there is no such thing as an endless summer is a yearly bitter pill for me to swallow.

Like everyone else, I'm feeling overloaded with too many things to do, and my job just sucks all the motivation & energy out of me some days. I need to find balance. A lot of bloggers seem to be going through this, to the point that, recently, several of them have stopped blogging altogether. Others apologize at the beginning of almost every post that "there's nothing to see here." I for one am not going to stop any time soon, because you are one of the lights in my day, the virtual friends that encourage me and inspire me. When I see Robin's sewing and knitting projects, for example, I want to be just like her, with all those fabulous sweaters to wear. But I wonder where my time goes and why it takes me months to finish one of them.

So, since it is helpful to write things down, I'm going to make a Summer Wish List, write down the things I dream of doing once the weather starts to get balmy. And maybe I should make a list of things I'm going to give myself permission not to do.

"Lazy Winter, Lazy Spring, Lazy Summer..."

The Summer Wish List

1. Read "The Not So Big Life," which is a more articulate expression of what I'm trying to say here.

2. Read "The Artist's Way" by Julia Cameron, and do the 12 week workbook of exercises through June, July, and August. Developing creativity is one of the things most important to me, and I don't make enough time for it.

3. Read more books generally, and listen to them on audio, which I put on the New Year's Goal list.

4. Spend Sunday afternoons at the beach, for #1-3. Do I even want to admit that I sat on the beach only twice last summer?! New house or not, that is just shameful.

5. Knitting. July is the Tour de France KAL, so I'll have three weeks of watching cycling and knitting the Breton Girl sweater. I want to finish Caroline and the shrug before that, and maybe do the Papillon Top in August, if I can finish BG in July. Needles crossed. (funny coincidence: both are designed by Kat Coyle. A Kat Coyle summer-moment??).

6. I want to go on at least one Butterfly field trip with my dad, visit the NYBG for the roses, and maybe Block Island for some cycling. Bonus points if I can get to one night of stargazing with a local astronomy group.

7. To eat outdoors more often, at home on the deck, or at restaurants, because we can.

The Not to Do List

1. A garden. I want one badly, a white evening garden that's also a memorial garden to Charlie. But I'm thinking that maybe for this summer, a few pots of flowers on the deck is more reasonable.

2. Cycling "training." Riding my bike should be fun, not about suffering.

3. Knit night every week at the LYS. Why do I feel guilty if I miss it?

4. Trying to keep up with all the blogs, Ravelry, the Italian genealogical forum, all the time.

So what do you dream of doing this summer? What will you regret if you don't do it? What would you like permission not to do? If you'd like to join me, please post a wish list on your blog and let me know, and we can encourage each other to make this summer different. Even if we can't make it endless.