Wool and Flowers and Books, Oh My

It's the heat of the summer. The first roses have withered, the planters are thirsty and the grass is going brown. I'm trying out mojito recipes with my mint. Still need to balance the lime and the ice.

 For those of you who are playing #metricrevolution with the Knitmore Girls, here is my Paw's thermometer. It has been getting over 30 degrees which is pretty hot in this temperate rain forest. We switched to metric with much fuss and fever when I was in grade 5. I was lucky to discover the simplicity of measuring by tens. I can't tell you how many feet in a mile. In the hospital, and hospice, we mostly follow SI, System Internationale, to avoid misunderstandings. Some doctors haven't given up their archaic gtts and ungts. And we are supposed to mark the date: Year, month, day; but we do day, month year (increasing increments) which I still prefer over the random month, day, year.

 But I don't work there anymore. I had my last shift, which was not without its challenges and complications. My dear co-workers gave me flowers! Add that to the wool and the books I got for my birthday and there may be a correlation to pigs in sh*t.

 This is the yarn my daughter dyed for me for my birthday. Can't say enough about it. Her first attempt!

 This is what it wants to be, a Lintilla. Yes, Martina Behm, you are my esteemed leader. I will knit anything you sneeze at. I know the Nuvem was a crazy, koolaid drinking slog at the end, but the Sweet Georgia CashSilk lace was devine to the end. I have even worn it once at our knit night outside. The evenings are already perceptibly shorter, and with a breeze, there is a delicious chill in the evenings.

 Yarn bombing in the wild outside a store in Abbostsford, the next city west of us on the Trans Canada Highway. My BFF took me to lunch for my birthday and we did a bit of poking around in the shops.

 After the epic that was the Nuvem, I picked up my needlepoint again. This pattern could use a smaller grid to get more detail, but it is my favourite William Morris pattern, The Strawberry Thief, and I would love to have the cushion in my living room. I saw the original at the V&A in 1996.

 Scott was home, so there was grand grilled cheese events.

He and his friends hiked some of the local mountains and didn't get lost, but took 12 hours.

 I took him to our Local Harvest farmers market and the cheese shop. We picked up corn and had a great evening of movies in the cool, cool basement.

 If you get up early, you can make supper, hang the laundry and walk the dog before 10 am when it's too hot to do anything. I am a wimp.

 I picked 2 litres of blackberries. There had been someone in the patch before me, but I was taller and still got some nice, soft, warm ones. They are terrific on vanilla icecream!

The Christmas presents continue. I saw the Hidden Gusset pattern on knitty.com and immediately cast on a pair for my nephew. In the largest size, I used just over half the yarn expected. Scott tried them on before I finished the thumb. I like how they turned out except for the right leaning increase. It pulls too much on the given yarn (does anyone remember this in the Colour Affection?) I would do a different increase if I knit them again, but I had to make them match.

All the piggies are done (6 pair). Thanks to the Knit Girllls for keeping me company while I knit the last two.

And this is going to be a False Creek cowl for my niece. The first one knit up so quickly and only took one ball of chunky superwash wool, that I've already cast on and half finished another one. Then I get to hunt for buttons!
This weekend I am at the fair. Emily came home, we had a grand anniversary party last night up on Ryder Lake mountain, and have a family BBQ on Sunday. I think I like the fair more when I don't have to be there so much.