Koolhaas - A Hat by Designer Jared Flood

Worked with Cascade 220
size 6 / 8 needles

Pattern looks more difficult than is. After 2 rounds you pretty much have it down.
I did run in to difficultly in the decrease rounds, my fault not the pattern. I finally got it and am fairly pleased.

Thanks Andrew for being the hat model

Views of the Holiday

We have been vacationing on Mackinaw longer than I like to admit. For some reason we do not tire of it.

I started out this trip planning to take photos of all the things I was NOT going to do.

Such as .....I did not run the Mack Race 08.
I enjoyed it just fine from the porch of our lovely inn with several cups of coffee. Thank you very much.

Though I did ride my bike everyday around the island, up through the island, downtown, uptown, you get the idea.

This is a great new bike path past the Grand Hotel which takes you to Arch Rock. It also gets you out of the way of all the carriage tours, and need I say... horse apples.

I also did not have anything do to with gardening.

But, aren't these impatients spectacular, in the right setting I still never tire of these old standbys.

I quickly got side tracked, and stopped taking photos of things I wasn't doing and took way to many of trim and shutter colours on houses. I have been trying to pick out a new shutter colour and can I just say... nothing is working for me.

And of course all the quirky bikes you see.
Many of hours of knitting were done, the first Christmas gift is in the bag!
It was a very peaceful, stress free holiday.

See, even the guy with the gray beard is smiling.
How in heaven did we get so old?
And why do I always have lipstick on my teeth!!!!

Self portraits with a digital camera aren't they lovely!

Christmas Gift Number One

With Christmas just around the corner and wanting to avoid the knitting rush of last year.

I have begun the 1st of many knitted gift projects.

This is Koolhaas Hat by Jared Flood of Brooklyn Tweed.

I found one error on pattern, the photo shows k2, p2, k2 for brim and I didn't realize until into lattice pattern that the lattice is not vining from ribbing. Now, do I rip and start over or continue. I'm thinking rip.

Will be on holiday for the next 9 days.

Away from phones, business, and computer and the blogs.

I will be waking up to the sounds of horses and the feel of wonderful lake breezes.

And will have bike butt by tomorrow afternoon.

You know that wonderful feeling you get when riding your bike for the first time in several months.

Yikes!

Finished Projects

Ces's Spine Pillow
The child is just so spiney she says it hurts to sit in her school chair.
A Spine Pillow to the rescue.

Worked with Rowan Big Wool, 1 skein each of black and hot pink.
Size 13 needles
Cable Scarf Pattern from Tahki
Folded in two (one side pink-one side black), stitched together, stuffed, attached button and loop to attach to chair.
Fun to do, because I know it was for the "Green Bean Girl"!

Eliese's Beanie

Eliese requested this at the cottage, she saw one at the Art/Craft Fair and her mom told her I could probably knit one for her.

Worked in Malabrigo Moss/Marine

Size 8 Needles

Pattern: KnitSmiple Magazine Fall 2008

Fast, Easy, Fun Knit!

The girls stopped on their way to dinner at the grandparents yesterday.

Grammy said that Cesiley had to have her pillow attached to her dinner chair and Eliese never took her beanie off.

I guess they were a hit.

But it's Tradition!

Dan's nieces and nephews have been coming to the cottage since they were wee ones.
When the twins were little, Eliese loved being out in the boat it was even her preferred place to nap. Cesiley didn't want anything to do with it, so for a couple of years she and I stayed on the dock and made "pizza pies". This consisted of lake sand in buckets.

Cesiley has grown up and now is content to go on the boat as a first mate. Her true love though is turtle catching. She will take the paddle boat down to the lily pads and catch turtles all day.
This is "Todd", her first catch of the season. She was very sad when it was time to let "Todd" rejoin his family.

Another tradition involves lots of bubble gum.

After a long day of sun and water, there is always the night of the "biggest bubble" and "bubbles within bubbles" contests.

Always 2 pieces of bubble gum, "double bubble" or "bazooka" all of the kids and me piled onto the loveseat.

I'm not sure how long we have been doing this but I know it started with Ethan, who is the reigning champ. Watch out E, the girls are catching up!

Eliese and Cesiley will spend hours during the week just spinning around the dock poles.

This child has no fun in life, can you tell?


This was a shot of Water Trampoline "Gladiator".
Very intense, lot of screaming, shrieking and being thrown in the water.
Not sure who won.


The morning after...all the towels dry on the line for another day of fun!
It's Tradition!

Yogini Bolero

Yogini Bolero Pattern by Wendy Bernard.

This pattern got off to a quick start and then vacation got in the way. I finished it this last Monday.

I had such great hopes for this, but I think I am a tad bit too "Busty LaRoux" for this sweater.

I may try again but with some additional shaping in the bust area. In it's current form it gaps, and truly just makes me look more busty. There is "common courtesy" but I draw the line at wearing a sign that says ...look at my boobs! That is what I feel like with this on!!!!

It was an enjoyable knit and I loved working with Blue Sky Skinny Dyed Organic Cotton.

Thanks Heidi and Ruthie who had to go to great heights to achieve these photos!

Climbing up on a old potting table, which promptly broke, Heidi took her life in her hands to obtain the only angle worth shooting. Thanks again.

While the Rest of Us Have Fun...

Dan usually has a project to complete while at the cottage. This year it entailed steps down to the dock. Not only was the truck filled with lumber but so was my car!




First Step - get truck and car as close to hill, those beam(steps) were heavy! And yes, I helped to unload them. Dan, who reminds me often that he gets paid to think, devised a way to carry the beams down the hill. Sleds! We were able to load 2 kids sleds with 5 to 6 beams and send them on their way. Dan got so good at aiming most ended up where he needed them.



Second Step - he then placed them approximately where they would end up. I did not want a straight line, I wanted to follow the path that had been worn in the hill.



Third Step - the digging and placing begins.


Fourth Step-Lets walk them 100 times to make sure the rise is correct.



Fifth Step - after securing with rebar and back filling the steps are complete and perfect enough for a "big Brother" piggyback ride!

We are all very thankful for the new steps, but it would have been nice to spend "family" time with Dan.

While he was busy working on this project for 3 days we were all doing this....

Oh well, the choices we all make!