Bits o'knitting

I don't have many FOs (finished objects) to show lately; with the end of school busyness and being away for a spell, I haven't sat down and knitted for good periods of time. The Buckeye book bag is going well - perhaps I am almost halfway? - but I am too lazy right now to take and post a photo.

Quick knits have really been the name of my game lately. I paired some bright green cotton yarn with two great colorful cotton yarns that I received from my friend Kelli for my birthday, and made a set of three dishcloths in my new favorite Double Bump pattern:


I bartered the set with my friend Jennifer in New York for a custom set of catnip filled cat toys for Spenser. In true cat fashion, he is ignoring the toys until some moment (probably around 2 am) when no one is watching, and will thunder around the house, batting them from corner to corner.

(Note: The above photo is now one of the featured photos on the Double Bump pattern page on Ravelry - kind of a thrill to see my work highlighted in a minor way!)

Back in March when I first visited our new local yarn shop, Sugarfoot Yarns, I bought some Mission Falls 1824 Cotton in a bright purple. I frogged the first baby hat that I tried to make with the yarn; there is so much texture in the yarn itself that the pattern of the hat was almost impossible to see. I decided to try a more simple pattern, the Umbilical Cord hat, and I like the result:


I am planning to send the hat to a friend in the Motherhood Later group on Ravelry that has a new bean on the way.

Our dam trip

After a week in Tennessee with my mother, we are back at our house in Georgia. Our saga started over a week ago, on Saturday 30 May. Since James wanted to join us for a few days at the end of our trip, he drove Aidan and I to Chattanooga where we rendezvoused with Mom. After a quick lunch, James drove back to Hooterville while Aidan, Mom and I drove up to her house in Knoxville.

My sister-in-law, Tammie, and nephew Michael drove down from Michigan on Sunday to spend a few days with us, which was a real treat. Aidan had a great time going to Vacation Bible School at my mother's church each morning then playing with Aunt Tammie and Cousin Michael in the afternoon. They had to leave on Wednesday, but Aidan didn't have long to mope because James arrived on Thursday.

On Saturday, we made a jaunt up to Norris Dam, the first dam built by TVA - the Tennessee Valley Authority. It was a gorgeous day and we enjoyed light hiking before and after our picnic lunch.

Here is Aidan on a platform beside the Clinch River, below the dam:


You can barely make out the fly fisherman on the river:


Humans weren't the only creatures fishing below the dam - that is a heron on the rock, and he caught several fish as we watched:


Aidan and Grandma at the Visitors Center at the top of the dam:


James, Aidan and Grandma looking at Norris Reservoir:


Here is the view of the top of the dam, with the reservoir on the left:


James and me in a photo taken by Aidan - we are only a little off center (but when have I ever really been on center?):


Yesterday we drove back to Georgia, much to Aidan's dismay; he was missing Grandma before we even left her neighborhood. We were greeted at our house by a very annoyed cat and an empty fridge, and soon a mountain of laundry was taunting me. Nothing like catching up after a week away!