Summertime

I finished the Something Red sweater on June 15, but it's taken me this long to find a good button for it. This was an easy, fun, fast knit. Very satisfying. I didn't see that wonky bit in the raglan part until I posted this picture. Darn. I'm not ripping back now.


Last weekend I went camping with friends at Diamond Fork in the Uinta National Forest, in Utah. There are some hot springs there, which we visited. It was a fun, and much needed, weekend away.


Then, to brag a little about how great my job is, I stayed in Salt Lake City for a meeting with colleagues about the programs we do. Basically, we got together to talk. Just talk. That's about all we did. We talked about where things are going, how we're feeling about things now, and ideas for the future. On Monday we're having a staff retreat, where everyone on staff is going to talk about these same things (and more). I do like it here.

It's good to say that, because the week before was the worst. Things are on the upswing, though. A new program that I developed, Play Your Hand, is really fun. I think when the word gets out there will be a good turn out. We had a few folks to learn poker and blackjack, and I think they had fun. Next week is La Loteria, and families are encouraged to come to all future game nights (kids couldn't come to this past one because those are licensed games in Nevada and minors can't be in the same room, even though we weren't gambling--or so the gaming board told me). So if you're in Elko on Wednesday, please come play some games at the Folklife Center.

I'm working on a February Sweater and the partner to a sock I made a while ago. I'll write more about those someday.

Weak

I was planning on posting last Sunday, but my fingers were so tired I couldn't type (or knit). I had tried to climb a 5.9--way out of my beginner's skill level. My thumbs could barely move after gripping so long on the rock. The person on the belay (is that the right phrasing?) was the only reason I was holding onto the rock at all.

I was feeling quite impressed with my progress on Something Red until this week. Time seems to be getting away from me. I put in a twelve-hour day yesterday and the only reason I left at a reasonable hour today is because the majority of what I had left to do was to make phone calls. I didn't want to call folks in the mountain time zone during dinner. That's a good reason, right? So I was all the way to the sleeves on June 6th, then I had one sleeve by the 7th, then the other took until Tuesday. I picked up stitches for the button band yesterday, so I'm still cruising on this. I liked the idea of having a complete sweater in less than two weeks. I've got workshops in Lamoille Canyon on Saturday, a barbeque tonight and a possible concert (in a venue two hours away) tomorrow, so I guess I'll have to settle for just over two weeks to finish.

Vegas!

Here's what two seven-hour drives to Las Vegas will get you:

One finished pair of Fulbright Socks (I hope Aimee really is computer-free while she's at a residency in Maine because these were my secret project). I named them that because Aimee is leaving in a few weeks to spend a year in Korea. I'm saving my nickels so I can visit.


And the beginning of Something Red. This may be for me. I was going to make Flair, and bought a kit from kpixie a while ago, but now I'm looking for something with more shape. I need a brown cardigan, too. Living in Elko has made me gain a little weight (yes, it is Elko's fault), and lately I've picked sweaters that don't look the best on me (this only happens when I knit for myself. I can purchase a perfectly flattering sweater). Maybe Something Red will get more wear than other sweaters. If not, I'll pass it on to someone who will look good in it. I'm using the yarn from the kit, Blue Sky Alpacas Dyed Cotton, which I used on a sweater that did look good on me, except for the wonky button holes.

Right now, Something Red is my only project. We'll see how long it lasts. There's a sweater I want to make for a friend that's winking at me from the queue. I have the yarn, even.

I'm blocking Dollar and a Half now (that picture is before blocking). I hope to get some buttons soon. Maybe a finished sweater will entice my sister to visit. Of course, she lives in the desert (the desert desert, not the high desert like Elko), so she might not care about a sweater right now.

By the way, I was only in Vegas for about sixteen hours. I drove down on Saturday and returned yesterday. It was for work, but I did get to hang with Wylie and the Wild West and Paul Zarzyski.