Kidcentric Day at the Landsdowne Farmer's Market

Moose took his parents and me to the Landsdowne Farmer's Market today for a special visit. There were all kinds of attractions there today that were special just for kids.

The Delco Bird Club brought their feathered friends for us to hold and pet. This Green Wing Macaw was a therapy bird so he was very friendly to us. His size was a little intimidating so Moose decided he would be more than happy to let me hold him.

Pammie the Cockatoo waved hello...

and flirted with us so we would come over and say hi.

Moose was making sure that Daddy Phil kept Pammie at arm's length, just to be safe.

Mommy Amanda had a little conversation with her too.

Moose found the hoola hoops quite entertaining.

But the best fun on such a hot morning was the "Wet Tent". Even Mommy got in on the cold water fun!

It isn't called the "Wet Tent" for nothing.

Winged Wonders was a net tent filled with Monarch butterflies. Moose had a ball. It was one of those rare moments when he is so fascinated by his surroundings that we could have stayed all day.

Notice the guide's "living earring".

Moose made sure he got a close look. His comment was "These are sooooo cool!"

The Q-tips and cotton balls were dipped in Gatorade so the kids could feed the butterflies.

Moose really enjoyed inspecting them too.

They really were pretty even if I'm terrified of them, thanks to a nightmare when I was five years old! LOL!

Ridley Creek was the name of the guest musicians this week and they graciously allowed Moose a short solo.

Moose enjoyed saying thank you with his tip.

It was a great day which was topped off by a visit with McGruff the Crime Dog.

It was over all too soon but we brought home lots of good fresh food. Oh yes! We'll be sure to enjoy John's homemade mushroom soup tonight!

Scarves and Hats and Mittens, OH MY!

Our current project is warm clothing for returning female war veterans who are homeless. There is a shelter that just opened near here that will house 11 or so clients and we're excited to be able to help contribute as a way of saying thanks.

Barbara knitted this hat a few weeks ago and was inspired to make a pair of mittens to match. She worked out the pattern in her head and POOF! she made them! I love her imagination and daring attitude to think something can be done and then she does it! And she made them left and right! I'm proud of you Barb!

Kathleen the Amazing Knitter is at it again too. She brought in a boatload of finished items this week. She started with this cabled vest...

a lapful of scarves....

a smart looking hat....

and two more hats with this lovely lattice pattern. The other hat is a pretty forest green.

Liz is making a hat to match the scarf she was working on last week. This hat will have a jaunty little flower accent on the brim when it's completed.

Liz also contributed three more scarves.

The two darker ones have a ladder novelty yarn worked into the pattern. Very striking!

But the ladies had to leave early as the dark clouds rolled in. Just as they pulled away from the house the sky opened up and we had a doozy of a thunderstorm!

We stayed indoors tonight. It was actually too cold to sit on the deck. Quite a change from last week's 90 degree temps.

Beth worked on her purple scarf....

and Maureen on her reversible stripes scarf.

I'm still working on the sock from last time but finally made it to the decrease for the toe section.

I'll be taking the next few weeks off to help out with Moose and my daughter and son-in-law while they await the birth of Moose's baby brother. If I find a few minutes of free time I'll stop by to say hello. In the meantime, keep those needles clicking!

A Few Simple Rules

Someone once asked me how could I invest all the time and energy into knitting a garment and then just give it away, never knowing who will get it, how they will wear it, and the most worrisome in her mind, how will they take care of it!? Well, I came across this website that talks about yoga and knitting and how to apply some applications to both. It offered the following guidelines for a healthy lifestyle which could also pertain to knitting.

Peacefulness toward self and others. Be gentle with your own hands and body, not knitting so frenectically as to injure yourself. Encourage others to do the same. Another aspect is not to get too competitive, with others obviously, but also with yourself. There's nothing wrong with enjoying a project that's not a challenge once in a while. Try not to get pulled into flame wars on your favorite net forum, no matter how strongly you feel about the topic or personalities involved, and certainly don't start them.

Truthfulness. Give credit where it's due, don't pretend you invented things you picked up in your readings, even if the sources are unknown to your audience. Be honest in any reviews that you share, don't let personality issues with the source overwhelm the things that you should be talking about, whether positively or negatively. Teach things fully and completely, putting in every detail to help others' success.

Honesty, or more exactly non-covetousness. Respect the spirit of copyrights: don't distribute others' designs as if they were your own. Take time and at least put in a significant amount of effort if you're going to re-do someone else's idea, acknowledge them in the write-up. (I did up there) Stores that sell designs they copied for free from the net fall squarely into the category that should be working on this concept. On the other hand, many struggling small stores have theft rates that rival Wal-Mart!

Moderation. Listen to your body and work within reasonable limits. Especially don't push too hard to finish a project, make softer deadlines for yourself if you must have any. If there is a deadline, make sure you realistically evaluate how much work the project will take, allowing extra time for unplanned events, and downshift to an easier one if necessary. Try not to let yourself get guilt-tripped into making presents for everyone, especially near-strangers like your co-worker's neighbor's new baby!

Detachment. Cultivate modesty about your skill and/or productivity. Teach others your tricks fully and completely when they ask, especially if you expect the same in return. Truly let go of finished presents, not using them as leverage for pulling strings, not criticizing how they're used or not or how they're washed. Remember the process is itself enjoyable, no matter how much you love the finished product.

And I would like to add my own personal rule: if it's not fun, don't do it! Just be careful not to say that in front of your teenagers. It's come back to bite me in the butt a couple of times! LOL!

In Progress

Liz made good progress on her scarf and the subtle colors look very pretty. It should be finished soon.

Maureen started a Baby Sophisticate jacket. She is using a washable bulky weight yarn so it is going to be nice and warm. She is also still working on her reversible stripes scarf but didn't want to bore you with another picture of it. LOL!

I made some progress on the sock I showed you two posts ago. It would have been farther along if...

I wasn't also knitting another pair of socks and a sweater at the same time. What can I say? I get bored easily!

Another Flirtatious

Last night some knitting friends got together at Karin's house to have an outdoor knit night.

The weather was perfect...no humidity, a gentle breeze, and shade. We had some tasty treats to complete the perfection. And then we saw Iryth's "Flirtatious" shawl. If you are a member of Ravelry.com, you can purchase the pattern through Paypal. If not, the pattern is available at Trumpet Hill in Albany, New York. I believe Iryth was the first one to finish knitting my original design and it's beautiful!

The color in this photo is a little dark but if you could see it in person it is breathtaking! This particular shade of turquoise is Iryth's favorite so naturally she had to make something for herself with it. Beautiful work Iryth!

Donation Day

Last week I showed you the following items which were going to be donated.

Today was the day Kathleen, Liz, Deeva, Beth and I took everything to USCRI .

There were 51 items and sets donated to the new residents of our country, some of whom leave their homes with nothing but the clothes on their backs.

Afterwards we went to The Riverboat Bar and Grill for a celebratory lunch. We had a beautiful afternoon with comforting breezes on the Hudson River, in spite of the 89 degrees in the sun.

Soon after we were seated we had visitors. They appreciated the crumbs that were tossed their way.

But couldn't quite make out what kind of food blew overboard when a big gust of wind took one of the dollar bills from our tip to the waitstaff.

Tonight Beth showed us the sweater she completed for her daughter's birthday. It took our breaths away! What a beauty!

She said it took her three months to complete and that was while she was knitting other things too. Look at the perfection in those stitches! The braided ribbing runs right up into the pattern on the body. Just gorgeous!

Maureen is still plugging away on her reversible stripes scarf.

I'm making slow progress on the first of a pair of Jaywalker socks for the returning homeless female veterans of our current project.

By next week it should be past the heel. But for now I'm going to look for a cool place to veg out. It's really hot here.

Sunsets

Looking westward towards the Helderberg Mountains (if you can call an altitude of 1,010 feet a mountain!) which separate the Town of Bethlehem from the Hilltowns and Schohaire in New York State, was a lovely sunset on Wednesday evening.

Even prettier was the view looking eastward when the sun reflected on the clouds.

I'm sure glad I had a camera with me to capture Mother Nature's beauty.

Wrapping Up

We started out catching up on the news about all the grandchildren's activities. Liz and Kathleen share grandchildren and there was a big game this weekend that dominated the conversation. It must have been a doozy.

Then Kathleen started pulling out all the items she knitted this week. This is the scarf she was working on last Tuesday. Done!

Two cabled hats like the one Barbara made. Done!

Buttons on the shawl collared cowl. Done!

And nice buttons at that. I'm going to have to start a button box for myself. Kathleen always comes up with the best buttons from hers.

Deeva is down to the last few rows of her scarf and Liz is almost halfway through hers.

Beth finished a hat to go with the mittens from last time.

And then we attached our labels to the goods to be given next week.

Four large bags were filled with such nice things. There were two pairs of mittens, 15 baby hats, and 3 adult hats.

In the sweater department there were 14 baby sweaters and 5 more with matching hats. Liz made two baby sacs with matching caps. We counted two blankets, booties, baby mittens, a vest, a capelet, 1 shawl, a child's pullover and a cardigan.

These are the items which will go to USCRI or the US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants.

Check out next week's blog for the report on the delivery and our luncheon afterwards.