Throw Back Thursday or Throw Forward Thursday

Some people dream about big fancy places, me I dream of this little place that just happens to be for sale in Minnesota.  This cabin was part of a resort that we would go to every year when I was a kid with all of my aunts and uncles and cousins on my mom's side.  At the time, it did not look anything like it does today, it was quite rustic we thought.  Since then, they have added to it, included a nice little porch and totally re-sided it.

The sliding doors have been added to what was once where my brother and I slept on twin beds.

This whole kitchen has been redone.  Back in the day where the sink is there was just a free standing sink and no cabinets or at least not these.  The room off to the right was not there.  It appears to now be a new bathroom, wonder if there is a shower and a tub?  Back in the 60's, Mom would heat water on the stove and pour it in a big galvanized tub so we could have one or two good baths over the week. The rest of the time, the lake was our bath and we took advantaging of swimming in it  every day!

Everything has been re-done in this cabin, from floors to ceiling.  And the added windows.

The only bedroom way back when is where it is now, but over the door hung a curtain to shut it off from the rest of the cabin.  The one dinky bathroom (read as toilet only) was back there too.  Where the cut out is was a cut out all the way across, and Dad would sometimes climb on the bed  and scare us over the top.

There was no porch, just a door with a screen door that would slam as you went out.  It was a wooden screen door and if I close my eyes I can still hear the sound as it shut.

Wouldn't this be a great place to sit out in the early morning, drink coffee and do a little knitting while listening to the loons?!  I love the sound of loons and the view has not changed a bit.  There are some houses across the lake but this view seems to show that not all of the land has has homes on it yet.

The sandy beach and dock  are very familiar.  You have to rake the water right out from the beach to keep the weeds from growing up and keep it sandy so you can enjoy the clear waters off of the dock for swimming and fishing.  As a kid, I spent a lot of time off of a dock just to the left of this one, fishing for sun fish.  They were not very big and so we would have to toss them back, but I loved watching them, especially in the early evening when we would toss bits of bread into them.  The fun part would be to break little pieces of gum from my mouth off and toss it in and watch them bring it in their mouths and then spit it back out.

What a beautiful place this is!  It brings back a whole lot of memories and if I would win the lotto, it
would be mine.  I would spend my Summer's right here in a New York minute.

Once can dream!  And remember of a simpler time and a time I'd give anything to do over.

http://www.lakeplace.com/listing/northstar/4589845#description

And now for the Throw Back part.  My cousin sent me these pictures from 1963 on this same beach and water.

  This is me and my brother out on the lake in inter tubes that the resort had. I cannot figure out why I had to wear a swimming cap in the lake?!  I hated swimming caps.  We spent every and I do mean every afternoon out in the lake when we were there!

This is what I mean by everyone being up at the same resort.  Thats me in the front with the short blonde/white hair.  Wish I had that hair again.  These are my Mom's sisters and their husbands and one of the husband's brother with his sisters and their families.  It definitely was a family affair.

Dang, I miss those days, but I guess almost everyone says that as they get older, don't they!

Wednesday Website(s)

The Rainey Sisters - Sally's LaBrouste

Susan B Anderson - Ellison Bay

Twist Collective

Linen in Early June - love!

Wool People 9

Just Check Out Natalie's Other Shawls

Go forth and knit shawls this Summer!

Summer of Shawls Update

Wow, where is July going??  Here in Central Illinois, it has definitely decided that is Summer.

It is hot and steamy tonight as is evident by the first picture I took outside.  The lens steamed up!  I miss sitting out on the porch at night knitting.

The heat of the Summer is a perfect time to be knitting on shawls and I certainly have my fair share of them on the needles.   You all know, I am hopelessly addicted to casting on.  I love watching the play between needles and yarn and the pattern.  I want to see if what I thought it would look  and feel like actually comes through on the needles.    And I am loving all of the ones I have on the needles right now for my Summer of Shawls.

I've got Cheryl's Kimono Shawl out of Rylie.  Yes, this has been on the needles all Spring and just has not been getting the love it deserves!  I love Rylie's feel in this fabric.  So soft.  This one is for the Hospice Home and is a wrap.  It is a pretty simple pattern, I just have got to get back to it soon.

Next up for the Hospice Home is Boneyard by Stephen West.  The yarn is Malabrigo and is another super scrumptious feel good yarn.  This is a great take-along project easily done almost anywhere, hey, maybe I'll throw it in the car for stop light knitting!

And also for the Hospice Home, the Aise Wrap.  Another easy to take-along project.  This has been traveling back and forth to work with me in hopes that I'll actually take a lunch and knit on it.  So far that hasn't been happening.

Dragon Melody went with me to Knit Camp a couple of weeks ago and I was much further along on it then it is now.  When I got home, I decided I wanted a bit more softer feel to the shawl so I ripped it all the way back and re-cast on with a couple of size larger needles.

While at Knit Camp, I scarfed a couple of Gradient Yarns from Knit Circus.  I love the color way names, this one is The Tin Can Can Can.  The pattern is Watering the Garden Shawlette and I am super excited to see where the colors go on this one.

 And not to be out done, I bought another color way, this one is called Mermaid Lagoon.  I am using a shawl design cheat sheet and trying my hand and designing a crescent shawl, you know, just for the fun of it!  This is super super soft!  And the greens on the one above and the one below are indeed different.

Oh, yes, there are more on the needles, but for now, these are the ones I would love to have done before Summer is over, which I think is so doable.

Tomorrow, I'll give you some websites of some other great shawls that are being knit by other wonderful knitters.

I'll see you on the Purl Side!  (yes, I totally stole that line from someone).

Gearing Up For Stitches Midwest

Stitches Midwest is two weeks away and my vendor shopping list is growing.

Fellow Knit Wit, Kendra,  sent us a link in Ravelry where vendors can post what they are going to be bringing to Stitches Midwest.

Vendor Cheesecake

As if I don't already have a list of things off of the previously discussed vendor listing!

SMW Showbook

But, I really am trying to be smart about the whole Stitches market.  It is kind of like going to the grocery store.  If you make a list of things you need to make certain meals, then you are more likely to not just wonder around every aisle trying to decide what to make for dinner and what you may need to buy for those meals  (Or at least that is what  I am told, as we all know I am spoiled, and have the Tall Guy who loves to cook).

So, I'm pulling out some favorites from my pattern collections and putting into my shopping notebook some yardages of things I am looking for, I've got my printout and made some more notes on it, thanks to the Vendor Cheesecake link above and just all around dreaming of having 2 days and a few hours of shopping and knitting.

Ahhh, thats the life!

Happy Birthday Victoria!

Wednesday Website

Wisconsin Is Summer

or aka, another reason why I love Knit Camp!

What's On The Needles This Week?

That may be a bit of a loaded question as you all know I have a lot of projects on needles. And I am not apologizing, just stating a fact and I am okay with it.  I believe in having options.

The real title for this post should be, what are you concentrating on knitting this week instead, but I'm going with What's On The Needles This Week.  You get the gist of it.

This week's knitting projects are:

One of the many Hospice Home Shawls I've got on needles, but this is the one I am knitting on right now.  The pattern is the Aise Wrap from EspaceTricot.  The yarn is Plymouth's Baby Beenz.  I was a bit ho hum on the project when I first started it because it was a lot of garter, but I hauled it out this past Sunday, because I wanted a bit of no thinking knitting.  Surprisingly, by the end of Sunday, I did not want to put it down, I am loving it that much.  And it is doing a bit of chevroning with the color way, I just love it when there are some surprises to my knitting. 

 

The next project on the needles is Poppy's baby blanket out of Cascade Pacific.  I'm having a bit of a problem deciding where I am going to go after the first border is done.  

Mona Lisa's was so much easier.  I knew from the beginning that I wanted it to be hearts, but the boy one is much harder to decide where to go with it.  I'm saying my options, but I am going to have to decide fairly soon what to do.

Chapurusa from Maya is on the needles.  I want to wear this in a couple of weeks, but at the moment is not getting a whole lot of time while I figure out Poppy's blanket.

And not on the needles, but something I had to post is my new best shoe brand, Naot.  I've looked at this brand several times on Zappos and while at camp, friend Elizabeth was sporting these.  Well, I ordered them before I even left camp!  They are perfect.  I wore them all day last Friday to work and the feet felt great.  They get my seal of a approval.

And the weather in Central IL tonight is beautiful.  Sun, a cool breeze and the chirping of birds.  Nice night for knitting on the porch.  See you on the purl side.

Stitches Midwest Public Service Announcement

I am going to commend the XRX Company and Stitches Midwest.  I found that I needed to drop my classes I had signed up for and was very much thinking that when I made the call, I get so sorry, you are out the money.  The Customer Service Rep was so nice and tried to give me my money back (minus what we call in the biz, restocking fee), but it would not go through.  ( I was a few weeks past the cut off date).

But, she was more than helpful, letting me know when I would be getting my email with my promo code that I need to keep and can use my credit at any of the Stitches Events in the next three years.  While we were at it, she hooked me up with the Fashion Show on Friday night and got my address changed too.

Now, that I've got my schedule fixed comes the next stage of Stitches Midwest.  The market!  Which I have a plan of attack.  First of all, by attending some of the other events, I get to go to the Thursday Night Market Preview.  I've printed off the vendor listing and then using the Stitches Midwest website, I've clicked through all of the vendors who have websites, if they have potential, I've put a bit of a asterisk by them, if there were some really cool things on their website, I made a little note next to them.

And if I really wanted to see them the very first night, they've got a big circle around them, those are the places I am going to first on Thursday, and then I'll go to the ones that have asterisks by them, if time warrants on Thursday. On Friday, I'll do some leisurely shopping making some notes of things I may want to give one more chance and then at night, I am sure I'll do a little Ravelry surfing to really make sure I've covered everything at the market.

On Saturday,  I'm meeting up with some friends who are just coming for the day, it will be a hoot to see what they see that I may have missed the day before.  Then, I'll head home with all my lovely purchases.

Thats all a few weeks away, but I've got a plan when it does get here.  And I'm already getting excited!

So Much Has Changed

This photo was taken back in 2005.  So much has changed in 10 years.  Norma, center back,  has passed away; Jan, bottom left,  has moved to Texas;  Jo, bottom right, has moved to Seattle and just last night, Char, bottom center, has passed away.

I'm sad today.

High Flight

John Gillespie Magee, Jr

Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of earth,
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds, --and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of --Wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there
I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air...
Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue
I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace
Where never lark or even eagle flew --
And, while with silent lifting mind I've trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.

Back At It - Knit and Fit 2015 Edition

Ok, Camp is over for another year and we are smack dab in the middle of Summer.  In just a month or so, schools and colleges will be starting back up and before you know it, yes, we'll be talking Fall.  And since it is obvious to me that I am not going to be wearing any shorts or swimming suits this Summer, there is always hope for next year.  But, honestly, as a friend said today, it is not necessarily about that, but more about being healthy.

Back in the start of 2014, I started a little thing called Knit and Fit 2014 over on Pinterest.  The thought then was to start the new year off by getting in shape, losing some weight and knit sweaters that fit me and looked good.    I can say that since then I have maintained my weight (well give or take 5 pounds) and I have toyed a bit with getting my sweaters to fit, but really the key word is toying.

Since coming back from camp, I feel rejuvenated, and am really ready to revisit this concept  and have created a new board over on Pinterest called simply Knit and Fit .  I have already started the healthy eating and a bit of exercise and am anxious to get my knitting on track. I am making lists of sweaters from various designers that get the whole fitting idea and looking good in your knits.

Chic Knits

Amy Herzog Custom Fit

I'm checking out Ready To Wear sweaters that I love and trying to copy them into knitting and that is what is showing up on Pinterest.

I am hoping that by the end of the year, I will be able to report that I have succeeded in my goals.  Along the way, I hope you all will join me so that we can truly be Knit and Fit in 2015 in more ways then one.

The Contest

The theme this year was "If I Could Fly".

There were 22 entries.  Each entry had to get up in front of the group and sell your entry.  Unbelievable!

Here are some of the entries:

Kim and her piggy.

Linda and I watched her knit on this the night before the contest.  This was so dang cute and brought Kim the fourth first prize.

Jane always has an inventive entry and she sang her way to third first prize with a rendition of the Puff the Magic Dragon tune.

So double dang cute.

From Marilyn van Kepple, the Faroese Shawl.  This was stunning on her!

And the winning first prize was this sweater from Susan Rainey.  This is even more gorgeous in person.  Susan sold her entry with Somewhere Over the Rainbow music in the background.

If you want to see more, hop on over to the Rainey Sisters website and see Susan's post from
September 7, 2014

Next year's contest is "Kniterature,  Favorite Book or Character".  I'm already thinking about possibilities!

Show and Tell

Like I blogged before, from my vantage point, it was really difficult to get any pictures.  I'll wait until the Camp Calendar comes out later this year to remember all of the many things that came down the runway at Camp.  Needless to say, it was unbelievable!

There was so much more!

The Purchases

 A new gradient yarn from Schoolhouse Press in a limited supply and in Unspun Icelandic.  Meg gifted us a hat pattern that this yarn can be used for.  I'm not a hundred percent mine is going to be a hat, for now it is going to sit around and look pretty until I decide.

From Knit Circus Yarns, a couple of their gradients.  I'm kicking a couple of things around with these, I so want to cast them on like right now.

Denise from Lost City Knits vended on Saturday afternoon and I could not resist a couple of her yarns. The top one is Oak Barn and it is slated to be Nuvem (fellow camp knitter had a Nuvem on and I fell in love with it) and the bottom one is some more of Denise's silk.  This, I believe wants to be Tilt, again a pattern one of our campers had for Show and Tell during the weekend.

I, also, bought a bag of Jamieson's Spindrift in a bright red for another Faroese Shawl (this time for me).  It did not make it to the picture taking stage, but passed directly to the Yarn Room for a future project.

I was pretty proud of not going over board this year and of what I did bring home.

WOW!

I am still sorting through everything that I saw and heard this past weekend at Knit Camp!  Talk about rejuvenating my knitting.  I'll try over the next few days to give you some highlights (although I really stunk at taking pictures this time).

For now, I'll post some people pictures.

Anne and Debbie from Canada.

When Meg talks, knitters listen.

Down our side of the table.

Al and LeeAnne, the knitting couple.  Al used to be our camp photographer.  What a lovely couple and both knitters!

A bit of conversation going on during a break.

Our table mates, dinner mates, and knitting mates at night.  These three are unbelievable knitters!!
And they made us laugh a lot.

My campmate.  I don't think I'd go without her.

And a couple of new campers this year, right under our table.

Tomorrow, what I bought!