Bittersweet

It's a sad day. I just got news about Knit Wits in Chanhassen closing this past week. While out and about this afternoon, I popped in for a look-see.

It was very pitiful to see the empty windows and the half-empty shelves. It's just another sign of a faltering economy, I'm sure, but one that hits me a bit more personally. I'm going to miss Mary and her shop, without a doubt.

On the nicer side of things, I did snag 12 skeins of Rowan Yorkshire Tweed Aran yarn in the most delicious shade of blue-green at 40% off. I have more than enough for a twin sweater set. I also picked up a couple magazines I missed getting in the spring and a new book at a discount as well.

Now, I just need some free time and cooler weather so I can get back to a more regular knitting schedule. Which I have a feeling might be sooner than I realize.

Can you believe July is almost over already???

What a week!

It has been a whirlwind this week. Dancing Diva had her intensive dance camp and auditions for the performance companies this week, as well a performance at River City Days this weekend.

Hockeyman had a scrimmage and 3 tournament hockey games with the high school players this week, as well as a shooting camp, Rock 'n Roll camp and Music Technology classes.

Bubba and Peeps both had swimming lessons.

And I have had to transport all of the above to all their activities, as well as working at the ice cream shop and helping hubby finish the Garage. The first photo shows how everything was before we started.

This is where we are this morning. I've spent several days putting 2 coats of paint on the walls and ceiling. Today, hubby is planning on installing peg board and rearranging the shelves and workbench.

We've been on a deadline on the painting and such because we are trying to arrange for delivery of some free cabinets that a friend is giving to my Mom. As you might remember, her home in Cedar Rapids was flooded and she is in the process of trying to rebuild. A very special friend had a kitchen's worth of barely used cabinets and an electric stove she has donated to the rebuilding process for my mother. They are in a time crunch because of contractors coming in to start work tomorrow, meaning the cabinets need to be out of the way today, which has put us in a time crunch to finish the garage and make room for them.

All that to say that I am still here, just running around like the proverbial headless chicken. As much as I was looking forward to summer and some time off the "normal routine", I'm now just as eagerly looking forward to school starting and the return to a "normal routine."

At least I had time for fiber arts during the school year. Meh!

Still here

I'm still around and kicking . . . or scooping, as the case may be. This is the busiest season for the ice cream shop, so I'm working lots and lots of extra hours. The positive, saving lots of $$$ for expenses this fall (including a little yarn shopping, I hope). The negative, little crafting time.

I have been plugging away at a pair of socks as an anniversary gift for hubby. We celebrated 21 years of marriage this week but the increased work schedule prevented me from finishing the socks before the big day. I'm turning the heels right now and am heading into the cuffs, so hopefully, hubby will have a new pair of socks by Monday or Tuesday.

In the meantime, I hope everyone is having a beautiful summer.

Snug Rug Bugs

Yup, I think I'm going to have some extra door stops hanging out in front of the door when I finally finish the new rug. They can't even wait until it's finished to sleep on it.

Not much new around here. I've been working lots of hours at the ice cream shop and still battling some soreness and swelling in both hands. Ergo, little progress on fiber arts.

On the plus side, I've been reading lots of light novels this summer. It's been years since I spent balmy hours with my nose buried in books and I'm thoroughly enjoying my summer as a bum. When I'm not scooping ice cream, that is.

Slow but steady

I've decided to focus my "HOME" craft time to finishing up the rug for the entry way. This has become a high priority because the rug I have been using has finally disintegrated in the wash.

We've struggled with finding a rug for this area because the bottom of the stairs impinges on the area that a normal sized rug would cover. So for the past 8 years, I've been using a rug that is far too small for the space while hunting for the "perfect" replacement.

Alas, I have not been able to find anything that we like that will actually fit in the space.

To compound the problem, cash is a bit low at the moment. So, I came up with the brilliant solution of making a custom sized rug, using fabric from my stash, costing me next to nothing to create. Anyway, as you can see, I am making slow but steady progress on the rug.

The first picture is the size of the rug as of early Monday morning. Fortunately, this is a no-brainer type project. Since it is my first toothbrush rug, there are a few flaws. Initially, I didn't have the whole increasing thing down very well, so the middle is a bit denser than the subsequent rows. That makes the center pooch out a bit but I'm hoping with a good washing and stern blocking, the finished rug will be smooth enough for the front door to pass over without snagging and catching.

The second photo is of the rug progress as of this morning. Not bad for 24 hours, I'd say.

Of course, both cats are utterly fascinated by the new rug. Koda is constantly trying to curl up on it while I'm working on it. I've had to get a bit stern with her, which has led to an injured sense of martyrdom on her part and significant guilt on mine. She was less that pleased when I shooed her away during the photo shoot, as you can see by the flash of floofy tail in the second photo. Trust me, there was a definite cold shoulder being presented to me as I attempted to get a decent shot of the rug.

To exacerbate matters, now that Harley has discovered the joys of this rug as a scratch pad/sleep mat, I have an epic battle of the sexes going on over possession of the rug when I'm not working on it. As you can see in the third photo, Harley obviously won this round, as Koda is relegated to the corner. I doubt that is going to improve her mood today.

It is clear to me that I'll need to make two toothbrush cat mats as soon as the rug is done. That is, unless I make this one so large, they can manage to share it later.

Of course, being able to open the front door with two cats sprawling all over the new rug may create a whole new problem . . . not to mention the whole cat hair on the rug thing, too.

How come seemingly brilliant solutions come with so many problems?

(BTW, to answer Guinifer's question, pointe shoes are not as expensive as skates, generally under $100. But they do require specialized fitting and need to be replaced at least once a year, so this annual trip to St. Paul can definitely be added to the overall expense of dance. Ugggh!)