Playing Catch Up

I have composed so many witty and delightful blog entries in my head since I last posted. However, since I wasn't anywhere near a computer while they were being written in my head, you will have to suffer through this blog post which will just be a random mishmash of the stuff floating around in my head. I warn you, it won't be for the faint of heart. It will be disconnected and rambling, but that is just how my mind works.

First up, I do have a finished object for Stash Dash. I completed a mitered dish towel which is retro and fabulous. See?

It makes me think of the dish towels my mom had hanging in the kitchen when I was growing up. Of course those towels were actual towels with a crochet topper but it is the same general idea. I had always assumed that my mom made them but I just found out this weekend that she bought them at a craft sale when I was little. Of course, that was in the 70s so I'm guessing it was a church bazaar and not a full on, modern, Renegade Craft Fair style craft show.  Anyway, the towel was super easy to make and it took practically no time at all which is good because I am seriously slacking in the Stash Dash arena. The hardest part of the towel was picking out which button to use on it. My button stash is mostly buttons for shirts or pants and those are a lot smaller than I needed for the towel so I went on a button quest. I didn't take the towel with me because I wasn't thinking clearly so I brought home several options.

I went with the round gray stone-esque button and I'll just use the rest up when I make more towels. And I will be making more towels. I love a project quick project and a functional project and this was both.

In other knitting news, I am still working on the Pogona. It is nearing the end which means that I want to stab myself every time I work on it. The rows get longer and longer and my knitting boredom kicks in and I want to just stick it in a corner and forget about it. However, I need the yardage for Stash Dash and I know that I will love it once it is done so I just have to suck it up and soldier through the last bits. My next shawl project needs to be worked sideways so I don't have the super long rows to contend with at the end. Hopefully the next time I blog, it will be finished.

Now for my guilty summer pleasure: Ice Loves Coco. That's right, the reality show on E!. (Do you need the period after the exclamation point? I'm just gonna go with it.) It is entertaining and their dog is a total rock star.

What else have I been up to? Yoga. Yep, still doing yoga and still enjoying it. I bought my own yoga mat, mostly because feet gross me out and even though we wipe down the yoga mats the gym provides, strangers have had their feet on them. So, now I have my own mat. I tried to be all analytical about it when I was trying to choose one on Amazon but I realized that I really have no frame of reference for good versus bad when it comes to yoga mats so I just got one of the thicker ones that was available in a color that I enjoyed. So, I got this one. I had to ignore the "Yogi Tips" because that was a little over the top for me. The mat is squishy so I'll see how I like it when I use it later today. I'm going to the Gentle Yoga class that Linda is teaching for the first time today and it will be the first time I use the mat. I have been to Linda's Yin Yoga class twice and I've really enjoyed it so I'm hoping that I enjoy the Gentle Yoga as well. The Gentle Yoga class isn't at a time that I would normally be able to go to but I thought I would try it while on vacation and if I love it, I will try to find a way to flex my sleep schedule so I can make it.

Lastly, family bonding. This summer I made it to family reunions for both sides of my family.  It is such a rare occurrence that my dad joked to my uncle that "the kids must think we are dying because they are going to the reunion this year." He was referring to the reunion for my mom's side of the family which I haven't been to since the late 80s. So, consider me officially bonded with the extended family. I do go to the reunion for my dad's side of the family almost every summer. I don't know what exactly the difference is and I don't know if it bugs my mom but that is just how I do things.

The biggest family bonding news of the summer was delivered by my brother via text. My niece is pregnant and due in February so our family is growing. My mom is busily planning all of the things that she can knit and she has already offered her babysitting services. I'm excited to have a new baby in the family as well but my response is a bit more subdued. I just offered my congrats and I'm planning on stockpiling diapers and wipes. So, exciting times ahead for our family.

Until next time, I hope the summer brings you adventures, a sense of freedom and maybe a few nights watching fireflies in the back yard.