Beehive Baby Blanket

I found my favorite baby blanket crochet pattern in this book (mine is without stripes) using 4 skeins of Patons Beehive Baby sport yarn in Grey on a #G hook.   I like this bias pattern because I can make a triangle with half the yarn I choose and then decrease for the remainder to make a square blanket that typically measures 36".  I finished it just in time for a coworkers baby shower this weekend.

Oh, Joy!

A very special delivery arrived in the mail today.  I like it when I forget that I order something and then am surprised when I look at the package.  Oh yeah - JOY - it's that Miss Maggie Rabbit kit I've been coveting from posie.   Homemade goodness from the talented Alicia Paulson.  Besides living in a simply magical place (Portland, OR)  she is my most favorite blogger, the best writer, talented beyond any measure sharing little parts of her life with total strangers so effortlessly and genuinely.  I have a couple projects to complete first and then I can't wait to get started on my special little rabbit from the Northwest.

Rocky Mountain High

I (we) needed a getaway.  Time on the road with nothing but the wind in my ears and my own thoughts.  Time to make peace with the stress, worries and disappointments that have filled my days.  As I think through all the issues in my head I take in deep yoga breaths and let them go with each cleansing exhale.  Within a couple hundred miles all my worries are gone and only a favorite song lyric comes to mind.  It's amazing how a long weekend traveling on the road with good friends can put things back into perspective.

We have a cozy A-frame cabin on the creek, great meals, small town shopping in Colorado Springs and Manitou Springs all the while surrounded by a snowy Pikes Peak mountain.  The priceless kind of therapy professionals and/or medications just can't provide.

Shakedown

The weather has warmed and a busy summer riding season is upon us.  We like to take a short shakedown run to make sure the bikes are running well prior to making a longer trip.  I suggested my favorite BBQ joint in Pawhuska, OK, Bad Brad's Bar-B-Q for ribs and cowboy beans.  The meal was good as always, the bikes are running well and we came home exhausted.  Even riding a motorcyle is something you need to condition your body into for those longer rides.

Leather Carving

I've been wanting to learn leather work for quite a long time.  Embossed leather is my favorite so I decided to take a leather carving class at Tandy Leather.  I even talked my good friend, Melanie into going with me.  We found it's not as easy as it looks.  It will take skill to have just the right tap on the tools to get a uniform design but I think it's something I can do with practice.  If only had the time to devote to another hobby...