Staghorn Aran cont'd

Knitting down the front.

The longer piece is the back top.

 So far it hasn't been too hard.  I have to really concentrate and pay attention, but I am thrilled I made it this far.   I knit the saddles first, then the top back and then the two top front pieces, soon to be joined.  

The Ugly Woman Painting

Margaret picked this painting up at a yard sale for the music room long before we were able to paint it.  The paint colors were already picked out so we were pleased when they complimented each other so well.

It certainly isn't an original painting.  The surface is smooth and there isn't even a signature on it.  But it is still lovely.  She wanted it for the music room because, obviously, they are playing music.

As you look closer though the woman in the background is not so pleasant to gaze upon.  Thus, she has named the painting "The Ugly Woman".

It is sweet over the mantle.

Staghorn Aran Sweater-Saddles

The first thing I needed to do for the sweater was to knit two 6 1/2 inch saddles and put then on stitch holders.  Did it.

Kitchen Curtains ?????

We are leaning toward the fabric on the left for the curtains in our very yellow kitchen.  They both look good with our very blue cabinets as well.  What do you think?   I am going to try and create cafe curtains.   I have been shopping at JoAnn's for years and just today learned that they will give you four inches of fabric free to take with you to help you decide on which one you want.  How wonderful!

Staghorn Aran Sweater by Janet Szabo

The sweater that I am casting on for tonight should look similar to this when I get it done.  We will just see....won't we.  Janet Szabo of Big Sky Knitting Designs created the pattern ( the pic came from her design on Ravelry)  and I thought I would give it a go as my first Aran Sweater.   I have wanted to make an Aran since I learned to knit and here it is 4 years later and I still haven't knit one so....here goes.

I chose Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool in Oatmeal.   I would love to raise my own sheep someday and spin their wool and knit a sweater. But for now...it must be this way.  :)

 

 

Lobsters

Last Friday evening we strolled down to our towns Independence Day celebration.  In case you were unaware it has been quite hot in Indiana.   We sat along one side of the river while they set off fireworks on the other side.  Directly behind me, two tents away...which was nice and close was the Philharmonic Orchestra playing some wonderful songs for our enjoyment.  As they started playing Stars and Stripes....the fireworks began and the two of them together were so wonderful I could hardly stand it.  I don't think I can watch fireworks again without an orchestra playing.  My husband snapped this picture with his phone and I thought I would tackle my vanity and share it with you all.   After the fireworks at @ 10:30 p.m. we walked back home....the heat index was 106°.    






    This afternoon we were invited over to some friends house for fresh lobster from Massachusetts.  The friends are from that area and when they go back home to visit they usually bring lobsters back and have a big lobster dinner.

She would put 4 in a pot at a time and cook them for about 15 minutes.

They brought 22 live lobsters back.

The plate that has 8 steps instructing one how to eat a lobster.  The little bowl is for the butter.

My crustacean.

It was a ton of fun with @ 18 people gathered around.   Margaret found out she really liked lobster and I found out that I didn't.  Chris liked it of course.

Kitchen Happiness Part Two

Can't help it, had to paint it a happy blue.   :)

Bathroom Curtains Revisited

I shortened the front curtain and created a side curtain....so hide stuff.  :)

Fourth of July

Chris made kabobs to go along with Steve's chicken and brats.

I made rolls/buns for a friend who will be traveling north to Indiana to visit with her son and his family.

Margaret made 'flags'.  She said it is harder than it looks.  But they were deliciious.

Bathroom Curtain

I made a curtain to hide the crates under the bathroom sink.

I had Chris hold them up in the living room to get an idea of what they would look like and to take a picture for you.

We all agreed they just looked too cute right there in the living room.

These are the attachments.  The rings across the rod very nicely.

My new favorite attachment.  I am gonna use them when I make the kitchen curtains as well.

Here it is under the sink again.  It may be a little too full.  The jury is still out on that.    I still need to make one for the end of the counter and I may just shorten this one and make the other one from it.

Kitchen Happiness

Life is just too short not to have a happy HAPPY kitchen.  I had originally wanted the color of the sky on the kitchen walls, but I decided on yellow!  I am happy I did.   It is a small kitchen with black appliances and dirt colored floors so I wanted it to look bigger and of course, why not really happy while I was at it.  It might make my cooking experiences more fun.  :)
Does anyone out there have a yellow kitchen?

It went on a little brighter than the paint sample showed but I still LOVE it.

Inch Worm

A better picture of the Inch Worm color on the wall.

We have been busy of late painting some rooms in the house.  Margaret picks out the colors.

I can't get the color of the living room to show up on the camera as even close to the color it is.  :(  But here goes.

 It's called Inch Worm by Valspar.  Much prettier in person.

The music room is probably my favorite room.

The bookshelves are Phoenix at Noon/Valspar and the wall is Valspar Lamplight.

Married ten years.

This is how we appeared before driving down to Indy to eat at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse to celebrate our anniversary.

10th Anniversary

Chris and I have been married 10 years on the 20th of June.  We thought we would do something we had not done before and will probably never do again......eat at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse.  We did just that on the 24th.  Indiana has two of these restaurants...both in Indianapolis.  We chose the one on Indy's Northside.  Here it is.

It had valet parking, we were able to park our own vehicle.  I mean, look how close to the door our parking spot was.

This Caesar salad was good.

I think the steak Chris ordered was a bone-in Cowboy Steak.  They served the sides "family style".  Asparagus and au gratin potatoes.  The little piece of meat nearest the camera was called a Petite Filet.  I figured it meant 'little piece of meat'.  Chris said it was filet mignon.   Well, it was little, but still too much to eat in one sitting.  It was probably the tastiest piece of meat I have ever eaten.

We shared this fancy little cheesecake.  The graham cracker crust was the best part.

The ladies restroom. 

The colors were pretty.

 

Ceramic tile top to bottom.

Cables

I have been practicing making cables.  Not a strong point with me, but that is why I am practicing.  :)  I did three swatches so far of different wools to get a feel for it and to see which fiber I liked with the cables.  The grey is the Wool-Ease blend with the Triple-Braided Diamonds, the white is Knit Picks Wool Swish with the Double Cable or Horseshoe Cable and the brown is the Lion's Brand Fisherman wool with a  Staghorn Cable.  All of these cable patterns came from Barbara G. Walker's A Treasury of Kniiting Patterns.  I want desperately to make an Aran sweater.   I am currently looking at Janet Szabo's book Aran Sweater Design.    I don't want to design my own because that would just take too much thinking power for me, but I may knit one from a pattern.

Chris Painted the Bathroom

Knobs and Shoes

The bathroom now latches and locks.  I love the knob and the little key.

If the shoe fits.   It DID and it DOES.  :)  My husband is Brilliant. He had this old shoe out in the garage.  

The pantility locks and latches as well.