I'm giving up the ghost!

I can not see to use a standard machine so it is all going!!!

 Brother KR-850 Ribber and Manual

 Brother KH-930 Electonic Knitting Machine and manuals

 The main carriage

 The lace carriage

 Middle of the machine.

 Tools in their little compartment

 Weights and tools for the ribber and extra tools for a standard.

Cute little Passap adjustable standard stitch mover.

Brother Knit Leader KL-116 and ribber and machine cast on combs

Books!

                                   More Books!!

Here's a list of titles:

NorBon Knit Better
John Allen's Treasury of Machine Knitting Stitches
Common Sense Fitting for Machine Knitters
Sabro Garment Shaping Electronically
5 issues of KnitKing magazine
Brother Fashion
Signature Hats and Caps
Machine Knitting (includes DVD)
Brother punch card book (this is not a punch card machine)
Make Your Knitting Machine Sing!
Knitting From Head To Toe
Upside-Down Raglan Pullovers For Everyone
SWAN Sock (Sock Without A Name)
Programming Possibilities
Roundneck Raglan Cardigans
Western Knitting Machine Guide
Super Machine Knits
KH930 Cheat Sheet Manual
The Prolific Knitting Machine
Bulky Beauties*
Going Places With Bulkies*

*These are for a bulky machine.

Any suggestions?  Let me know!!

First of the Blueberries!

The first of anything is exciting! Tonight it's blueberry pancakes for supper! I love breakfast at suppertime.

Last of the Zucchini

That's it...my last zucchini crisp. This is the fifth time this summer I have made it and it's the best recipe I have found. (I do double the cinnamon.) I also use Costata Romanesco zucchini with seeds from Johnny's Seeds. They are less juicy with a nutty taste. They came in so fast and furious that I was giving them away but now I'm tempted to see if I can get another planting this season.

Summer's Bounty

I can not believe that I didn't think of publishing pictures sooner. We have already gone through most of the zucchini and given away a ton of it. Now the corn is coming in. This is for dinner tonight: Bodacious!You have to store the crops where THEY like. This was a favorite spot last year so here are more....
and more....
and more! Sixty-one in all! Some are going to the next spinner's meeting. Some will go to my friend in Knoxville.
Bruce just realized he has another plant in the "lower 40". I am going to have to find some recipes. We can't eat butternut casserole all the time!

Traveling Again.....

.....finally!

Lovely barn between Maryville and Townsend, TN.

We shared a cabin for the weekend and I got to nap, read, and knit while the others played golf.  Then a great steak dinner at the Black Bear Cafe.  Excellent!

SAFF

...or Southeastern Animal Fiber Fair. Click on the picture to make it larger. This is only the downstairs of the arena. There are two big barns with more vendors. It's still going on so if you live close, run on over!
Here's Margaret holding my Happy Hands Yarn. It's a much better showing of the colours.
Now to start the project!

A New Project!!

Margaret and I went to SAFF yesterday. (I changed the name to protect the innocent.) I went with no intention of buying anything. I have everything....well, it seems like it when I try to get through my closet - or my wool room. But it's like looking for anything. When you are not looking, you find it.

I found "Iced" by Carol Feller. It's a Knitty pattern from First Fall 2010. It didn't speak to me in the online magazine, but when I saw it made up in a hand dyed yarn in MY colours, I had to have it. I don't normally make up a sweater in the yarn I see it in but this was impossible to resist. It's Happy Hands Yarn who came all the way from Wisconsin. My coulorway is right on the front page - "Mother Earth" - along with a picture of the sweater I saw! The picture below is just a tad dark, I think.I then needed two buttons...large buttons. And they had to be just right. An ordinary button would not do. Now check back in my blog on September 5, 2008. There you see my bag pattern (phree) along with the perfect button by Gail Hughes. She was at the show!! This was her first time and look at the perfect buttons I found to go with the sweater! (I do not have enough exclamation points on the computer to express my excitement!:-))
And here is the artist herself...Gail Hughes. She is now located in Kentucky and doesn't have a website, but hopes to get one with a list of all the shops who carry her wares. I know she is carried by Loopville in Knoxville, The Yarn Patch in Crossville, and Haus of Yarns in Nashville.
If I have said it once, I have said it a thousand times: The buttons will make or break your project. If you have a great pattern and use ho-hum buttons - "eh". But even a simple project with great buttons "pops"!

The Wedding

I was without internet for several weeks so it's impossible to catch up totally. But here are pictures that I do have of the wedding. It was wonderful and went off with out a hitch.

Below is Lizzy (Tad's sister), Tad, and Lizzy's daughters, Cathrine (in the foreground) and Caroline.
Tad, Bruce, and the flower girls.
Joice, Manisha, and Susan.
Rachel...the bride!The complete wedding party: l-r - Elizabeth, Manisha, Susan, Joice, Catherine,Rachel, Tad, Caroline, Uncle Jimmy, Mark, Tim, and Forrest.
Tad and Rachel descending from the cottage.Two days of being high on a ladder sewing the material to the wires paid off!! This is the inside of the casino when it was finished for the reception.
The cutting of the cake.
Mr. & Mrs. Arthur Hackett. Don't they look happy!!
Now I am back home and it's all a distant memory. I can't wait to see the photographer's photos!

Mother-Daughter Bonding....

...or Spa Day!

We had a wonderful day!!! We started at Fabu down on Commercial Street. We both had a full body massage. It was my first! (I think there will be a lot of exclamation points in this post. ) It was wonderful. I had Molly. From my feet to the top of my head was oiled an massaged for 45 minutes while soothing music played in the background. The crink is out of my neck. :-)

Then they let us lie on the table a bit and the women who gave the facials came in cleaning, scrubbing, moisturizing with steaming towels in between. I'm sure they did more but I was finding I was dozing off time to time. Another 45 minutes for the facials. My skin is SO soft and smooth.

Then downstairs for our manicures. Another first for me. I chose the squoval shape. (Square ovaled) with a nice neutral colour that hopefully will last until the wedding...or not.

Don't think this day was without excercise. We walked up to the Green Elephant for lunch. It's a vegan restaurant and if I could eat here all the time or cook as well as they do, I could turn vegan. I had the Tikki Masala (since I cook it in Cafe World all the time) and Rachel had the Steamed Assorted Veggies/Peanut sauce and Vietnamese coffee. Yumm! We liked them both so we ended up splitting them.

After lunch we crossed the street to O2 Salon & Spa. Rachel had the works with a trial updo for the wedding. I had my hair blended the front to the back. I was feeling like a cocker spaniel with long fronts and short back but I had Mathew (cousin to Molly at Fabu) and he is a miracle worker. It would almost be worth a trip to Maine just to have him cut my hair.

Rachel was finished at 5:00 and home we went for a change of clothes and then to dinner at Bar Lola. The food was wonderful, eclectic, and filling. With their five courses for $39, they will certainly give 555 some competition.

It was a wonderful day...one I will remember the rest of my life!

Labor Day Weekend Lobster Bake

Yes, we are back on Little Diamond for the annual Labor Day Lobster Bake. This was my first!Rachel...standing on the dock in the bay. Does a song come to mind?
This will be photo instructions to recreate your own bake. First you dig a pit and start a fire. We missed that part but the fire is going and covered (left of center).
They then covered the fire pit with seaweed....
sprayed it down for lots of steam
and then picked up the steamer box....
and set it in place on the fire.
First course is a layer of seaweed.
On the seaweed goes the sweet potatoes....
then the corn followed by a layer of seaweed.
The lobsters are next!
A layer of seaweed separate the crabs that came next.
More seaweed....
then dozens of eggs.....
followed by hot dogs and keilbasa.
The entire box is covered with seaweed....
then sheets of aluminum foil.....
followed by more seaweed.
Then we wait. The eggs are a necessary ingredient. When the eggs are done, the lobster should be done. The cooking process took just over an hour. Now that the time is up, they are placing poles in the handles of the box.
Ready.
Lift.
On the wooden pallet it goes to rest a bit.
The cooks must test the food to make sure it is properly done! If you blow up the photo, you can read the logo on the t-shirts which are worn by members of the island septic committee.
Look at all that lobster!
More taste testing. :-) Then the food makes it's way up to the dock where it's served buffet style. I had my plate in hand not my camera so there's no picture of the line.

Rachel is one happy lobster eater.
Opening the wine with determination.
And just look at my plate!!! Do I have to tell you that I was full after this meal? Lobster is SO low in calories. Even the butter didn't count.
Now, we just wait until next Labor Day!