Oh, my, it's June!!!

the beauty after the storm ................... then the FLOOD!!!!!

rainbow in Iowa City after Condo meeting June 11, 2008

Tuscan Rose in tuscan pot ~
tomatoes in tuscan pot on front porch

i have seriously been neglecting my blog! BUT, i HAVE been knitting obsessively (as my DH would tell you!) ~ i am trying to make a selection of baby sweaters to sell at my g'kids' school's St.Nicholas Mart in December ~ i've been gifting them to susan/teresa's 'mother' friends and received many nice compliments, so i figured 'why not?' ~ i also have 2 close knitting friends now that i socialize with: jackie & cindy ~ so now i will not be a knitter 'alone' ~ i still love my back deck for knitting so i can watch the fountains, birds, ducks, rabbits, etc in the neighborhood ~ this pic is the Knitting Daily post i made yesterday re: using the "it's in the bag" w/2 balls to make 2 baby sweater sleeves on 1 circular...(to prevent one from being too short!) ~ it worked beautifully! ~ & i received a really nice comment back!
my cousin, Mark, is a chaplain in Iraq and received a high honor! my sisters, pat & deb, are going in w/me to send his troop a box of 'requested' jerky! i pray he can come home soon ~ his wife, catherine, is suffering thru cancer treatments... another friend's son, dan, found out he can retire from the military in august as planned ~ & of course, the midwest is reeling from the Great Flood of 2008!!! cedar rapids, iowa city, etc are beginning the cleanup...so much in ruin! the mississippi now is in flood mode...the saga continues...

this is NOT something i really want to include from my past ~ my sister deb sent it because it shows flood damage to 12AveSW bldg (1 block from Cedar River) in Cedar Rapids where my grandfather, Deda, first worked (in curved doorway on right) for Western Fraternal Life Association (insurance) when we were little kids ~ and yrs later i(+my 1st husband) operated a bar in the left side(doorway)... past history i'd like to forget ~ the entire bldg may have to be demolished...???

now back to my knitting.......

my 1st try at 'dreadlocks' on a child size 'rasta' hat from annieModesitt's pattern!
baby shrug in 'bambi' colorway from DebbieBliss pattern 'Baby Picchu' from Berrocco free patterns!
this is my 'one arm longer!' raglan that prompted the KD post on 2 sleeves/1 circ!!!
Preemie Sleeper Sack #1 from Bernat Softee
Preemie Sleeper Sack #2 from Bernat Softee
'Provence' #3 for baby S. (family pic at Cattleyard Regina bb game)
Watercolor Bolero 2T from Caron Simply Soft - i LOVE the colors!!
Evan's (in red) last soccer game in June...his baseball was suspended indefinitely due to the flooded City Park in Iowa City... Ethan still plays at the Cattleyard