Did you know that I knit?

I haven't posted anything knitterly lately so I thought maybe you forgot... I haven't been feeling very knitterly lately for some reason. The temperatures have gone over 100 degrees, so that might be part of it. Mostly I've been reading and playing spider solitaire or Sudoku when I have down time. (What down time?) I did get a nap today for the first time in awhile...

On Saturday afternoon my landlord showed up with his wife and the sewer guys. I ended up working in the yard with them (I couldn't very well sit in my house and watch him and his wife trim the hedges and haul branches to the trash, could I?). By the time he left my face was so red I looked like I was about to have a heart attack. We were in the exact part of the day when they say not to do physically taxing things outside. We really need to buy a house... we'd be more likely to keep up on the yardwork in our own yard and if we didn't keep up with it there would be no landlord to make us feel bad about it. It was mostly backyard stuff - it's not like we just didn't mow or something. Anyway, they left after two hours of yucky, dirty, sweaty physical labor but the sewer guys weren't done for another two hours so I was hot and gross and couldn't take a shower. I sat by the fan with a bottle of gatorade and an icepack on my neck. It took me almost an hour to cool down and then I had a headache for the rest of the night.

Heat sucks. Maybe we should look for a house in Maine... or Canada.

Now for the Knitterly stuff... while I was outside on Saturday the mail carrier brought a box. I hadn't ordered anything so I was sort of confused until I saw that the return label was from my friend Emilie. She sent a necklace and earrings and a jar of mango body souffle and this:


It's a much darker red in real life... a bright wine color. It's very softy and there are exactly enough skeins to make a sweater I found on the Lion Brand website. I am so happy!!! It's like she KNEW I wanted to make this sweater...

There is a pattern on the label for a really nice blanket that uses 6 skeins but it's a crochet pattern. It's not that I don't like crochet, I'm just not very good at it. Everything I've tried to crochet has ended up sort of wonky and misshapen. Knitting is a much better idea for me. So just a few weeks ago I was bitching about the cost of yarn and how I would never be able to afford to knit a sweater. (OK, I was really more whining than bitching). And now I have cast on not one, but two sweaters. (Two sweaters, ah ah ah).

Here is the detail on the lapel of the Natalie sweater. I haven't gotten very far on it (obviously) but so far I like it.
I know this picture is not the best... google "Natalie Coat" for a better picture of what it's supposed to look like if you're interested.


I also have two baby blankets on the needles and I'm supposed to be making Cubs socks for the husband and socks for Bean... and there's lace on circular needles somewhere - not to mention the fair isle socks that we're not speaking to. I need to finish something. Maybe that will be my goal for July - finish something. I'll try. I promise I will.
Well, despite my nap today I am very tired and it's time for bed.