Empty Nest

Well, I delivered  son B to college last weekend.  I bought a Toyota Rav 4 (can't really say enough positive things about this vehicle) last year.  When I purchased it, I envisioned driving son B to college in it, and lo...I did.

Perhaps the best part of the empty nest syndrome was the phone call two days later..."MOM, THEY HAVE CHOCOLATE MILK ON TAP IN THE CAFETERIA!!!"

Needless to say, I don't have any chocolate milk anywhere near my house.

A couple of days prior to his departure, son B the future engineer tried out my new windmill swift.  

Not sure why I haven't purchased one before.  This one is from  Tim at Hornshaw Woodworks.  Just...wow. Kind of like the chocolate milk on tap...for me anyway!!

Beach Knitting

Beach vacation...St. Augustine

Sand on my treadles (I didn't take her to the beach but that might have helped her uneven finish...)

Trip to beadstore for the right beads (found The Bead Chick)

Discovering wire knitting with strands finer than hair

Dolls are better dressed now

No, my Ravellenics project is not done...but the skirt is progressing...

Even teenaged sons have some fiber activities

 (I might need to learn how to do this...)

Spending too much time on ancestry.com...but feeling righteous about it ...in a family benefits sort of way...

Ravellenics

Well, my good friend Deb came to visit.  Her social life on Ravelry is much fuller than mine.  We were discussing her group, Criminal Knits, and their Ravellenics team.  I had been invited by Helen to join Team Iceland the week before and declined due to time.

Deb explained more to me about how to follow one's groups on Ravelry forums, prior, I had just clicked on my groups...Deb helped me to figure out how to make this easier by fixing my forums settings.  Thanks, Deb!

At that point I decided to reconsider my Team Iceland participation!  I have started a new Theodora for a certain little girl who I'm related to, thinking that I would give Theodora-Lucia to Mom and knit her Lucia costume...thus...how appropriate to do the Lucia doll costume as my Ravellenics challenge!  

and here we are casting on last week:

And here is progress thus far:

I am underwhelmed by Olympics advertising and have been spending time watching foreign films instead, notably Jan Troell's Everlasting Moments. I am sad that his films of Wilhelm Moberg's The Emigrant's Saga are not available in format for the US.