Short Story Long

Are you watching the Olympics?  Last night, BFJ and I watched the first half of the Opening Ceremonies while the boys were away.  I enjoyed the pastoral scene as well as the industrial scene, but could have done without the modern era.  We picked up the boys and got home in time to see most of the athletes coming into the arena, and definitely got to see Team USA entering.  I thought the cauldron lighting was amazing!! Today, we are enjoying the swimming and archery specifically.  Hurray! Team USA, winning the silver in archery; I'm sure it was bitter sweet for them but they're young, I think they'll all be back.  I'm furiously knitting a Starling , hoping that Phelps and Lochte will pull it together tonight and get some medals!  (My Starling will be done in time for Stitches MidEast.)  I was thinking of Jane when the Canadian girls' soccer team won their match this morning, Jane being a Canadian in the UK.  What events are you w...

Today, we went to the Colorado Renaissance Festival.  It was a hot day but we had fun.  Personally, I like being in a community, if a temporary one, where there's such a high percentage of people who know how to make things!!  I tried to travel light and only took a short lens, so I didn't get many pictures of people and costumes.  I did take a few pictures though, here are some from the day.  Can you guess what they are?  Answers at the bottom.   From top to bottom: an astrolabe , a hammock in the making, an elephant trunk, a barn owl, and finally, the smiling camel who gave two of my boys a ride. 

   I've been meaning to post a picture or two from the High Park Fire devastation.  I'm thankful to say that my parents' house had absolutely no damage.  Their view has changed drastically, and the smell of fire was looming when we were there, but their home is safe.  Unfortunately, a few of their friends did lose homes, but the majority had minimal damage.  Makes you thankful for fire fighters!  You can see the whole set of pictures I took here . 

   ...after a family photo session; reminds me of a song. 

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I was knitting a beautiful shawl, and a few people have asked since then whether I was going to post pictures. So at your request, I'm happy to do so.   DETAILS Pattern - Leaflette Shawlette by Stormy Autumn Yarn - Adorn Sock in the Brannagh colorway from Three Irish Girls This yarn was 430 yds; yardage noted for the pattern was 460.  I cut it really close; I had 14 inches left! Mods - the only modification I made was to cross some of the twists the opposite way from written.  I wanted my lines to go over-and-under.  I love it, though it is a bit pointy.  I really liked the architectural quality of the cabling, and I'm glad I knit it.  However, next time I'll look for something that's a little more fabric around the arms and shoulders where the drafts get me, and a bit less down the back.  If you want any more information on this project, you can check out my Ravelry project page . A couple more ...

I had this idea formulating in my head, pictures of a cute little fairy.  I shared the idea with a friend who is very talented and creative, and has an adorable little girl, and here's what we came up with. I took the pictures, of course, and scouted some good fairylands, and my friend made the costume.  I love it!  She made the wings! Don't you love stuff that's one-of-a-kind?  I literally had a hundred pictures that turned out great, but these are a few of my favorites.  The little fairy was even a good sport when it started to rain.   Fairies are known for being a little mischievous, aren't they?  And this one was no exception!

Thank you for your comments and thoughts and prayers on my parents' house. I'm hoping to get over there sometime this week and see the burned land for myself.  In the meantime, here's a spark of a different sort!  Just loved this picture from a wedding I shot recently.  It was a really fun wedding; it was really obvious how excited everyone was that these two were getting hitched!