Time for a Mini Break

Greetings from the top of a mountain! We've escaped the city for a few days with my parents and my brother and his family (and his dog) in a rental house at a ski resort in the Laurel Highlands. Ruthie bounced back completely from her illness of last week and is boarding with the dog sitter while we're away. There will be other dogs for her to play with and a big yard for her to run around in. We're not going to have great weather (lots of rain is in the forecast), but frankly we brought so much food with us, we're going to need to just sit around and eat all day unless we want to schlep it home again!

We had a quiet 4th of July. I went for a short run in the morning, as I didn't get a chance to get out on Friday when I was at the vet with Ruthie, and then had a quiet afternoon of reading, knitting, and snuggling my puppy. We had my in-laws over for dinner as a thunderstorm moved through. Before I went to bed, I finished up the Baby Surprise Jacket. Once we get home, it will be blocked and two buttons will be sewn on.

I used a US 6/4.0 mm needle for this one, given that STR Mediumweight is more of a sport than fingering. After I sewed the shoulder seams, I did applied I-cord all around the neck, openings, and bottom edge and made a couple of loops on the front in lieu of buttonholes. According to the projects I've logged on Ravelry, this is the 11th BSJ I've knit! It continues to be a fun and engaging project, and I'm sure there will be more in the future.

Meanwhile, Tour de Fleece kicked off yesterday, and I've decided this is as good an excuse as any to get back into spinning. I brought a spindle project with me to work on while we're away, but yesterday I pulled out some precious fiber and split it up to go on the wheel when we get home.

This is some Southern Cross Fibre club from November 2015. I can't remember if I spun my shipment, but this one was acquired via a destash after David announced his retirement. This is a particularly luscious fiber blend: 50% South African superfine merino and 50% mulberry silk. I've split it for a two-ply fractal. I imagine it will want to be spun quite finely.

The plan for this week is to relax. I haven't slept well in the past several days because I've been worried about Ruthie and she's been barking early to wake me up, so I'm hoping I can sleep in a little (and not wake up completely at 4:30 a.m. for no apparent reason like I did the past two mornings). I've got knitting, spinning, a physical book, and my iPad and computer, plus we brought a jigsaw puzzle and my mahjongg set. And there is the aforementioned eating. I'm sure we'll all find plenty of ways to pass the time.