Seeing "The Rocks" from a Whole New Perspective

One weekend in September an arts and crafts festival is held at the Rockledge Ranch near the Garden of the Gods. Artists and crafters from around the country converge for a three day sell-a-thon of fabulous goods for everyone, especially the early holiday shoppers. It is held on the grounds of the ranch with large tents and various activities that are related to this historic site. The blacksmith has demonstrations throughout the day. And the most popular vendor is the one selling kettle corn.

There were activites for the kids like face painting and lots of fair food to keep the masses nourished throughout the marathon shopping day.

And with the backdrop of the red rock outcroppings from the park, it was a beautiful day to be a tourist in my own backyard.

Follow your dreams!

Blog Hiatus or What you can do when your computer is broken.

Hi all: it has been a long time since I was able to sit down to a working computer and have the time to update my blog.

While I have been on hiatus, caused by the motherboard in my 10-year old computer finally beaming back to the mothership, I have done some fun stuff.

This little guy to your left posed so nicely for me while he was eating a seed at Crystal Reservoir on the drive up Pikes Peak. Fall is coming quickly here to the high country and everyone is getting ready. Our high country trip was planned around a visit from an East Coast sister. We took her to see the sights around Colorado before returning her to the Denver airport for her trip home.

Here is Dad and Mary enjoying the thin air on the top of Pikes Peak. We lucked into a beautiful day and the temp at the top was pleasant 48-degrees, quite a treat after continual days of 90+.

The scenic route to the Denver airport consisted of a visit to the historic mining town of Leadville; Camp Hale, the site of the 10th Mountain Division's winter training; a side trip through the popular ski area of Summit County and a fabulous dinner at Tommynocker's Brewery in Idaho Springs. And for the third weekend in August, we saw quite a few trees with the beginnings of fall colors. After that trek you know summer is on it's way to an end with the 30th Annual Balloon Festival in Colorado Springs on Labor Day weekend. This year there were 90+ balloons in attendance and the best weather anyone had seen. Lots of fun colors and shapes like: Marvin the Martian, one that looked like the dragon from Mulan, a farm scene, an inverted pyramid, the owl and the pussycat, and a patchwork quilt. And at some point, the sky was full of them.

















Besides summer fun and travel, I have been keeping up with the triumphs and tribulations of my favorite fellow bloggers. and I have a few observations.





Of Crazy Aunt Purl, all I can say is: You go, girl! She found a new dining room set on the affordable side, uncovered wood flooring that is gorgeous and has accomplished all of this in a scant month or so after her declaration to make her "house a home." I am so inspired by her fortitude and stick-to-it-itiveness.

Of the Yarn Harlot, her latest fleece washing endeavor is quite amusing. The squirrel repellent device looks like it worked. The squirrel looked perplexed as he viewed the coveted fleece, yet could not find a way to get to it.

Of Wendy Knits, she is the queen of the summer sock challenge. And I am certain it is because of Lucy's unfailing assistance.

Of What Housework? Milo is my new super hero. (don't breathe a word of that to my own Pirate Prince, Pedro). Milo gives barn cats something to aspire to. The flowerpot incident is too funny for words.

Of the Loopy Ewe, Sheri is amazing. All the energy she has goes into unpacking all the goodies for the store, keeping up with the kids, cooking yummy things and being up-to-date with the most important events, like the return of Pumpkin Spice Lattes to Starbucks.

And during the no computer at home down time I have been knitting -- a lot. I have several Christmas gifts ready for felting and at least two more to knit. No, I will not tell you what they are, it will spoil the recipients' surprise. I hope to have all the gift items finished by September 20th so I can work on a couple items for myself. I like to have the holiday things finished early so I can enjoy the approach of the fun days.

I am hoping that my home computer is back, up and running a couple weeks so I can be more active with my blog.

Enjoy what is left of the fabulous weather.

Estes Park Wool Market 2007 or What Great Projects Did I Find.

I am sure some have asked "what did she find at the Estes Wool Market that she could not live without?"

In the picture you will find the makings, yarn and pattern, of a fun vest using Interlacements yarn. This yarn is actually made in Colorado Springs about 5 miles from where I live. And the two balls of mocha strawberry colored yarn is for a pair of socks for my mother. (ssh...don't tell her)

The rest of the trip is documented in the post below.

Chase your passions where they take you!

Road Trippin' or Off to See the Wool Market

What at trip! It was all about wool, dogs, fiber animals and classic cars. Mix that together and you have the perfect combo for a father's Day weekend complete with uncomplaining father.

On the way to the 17th Annual Estes Park Wool Market, I took the scenic route by way of Lambspun in Fort Collins. This yarn shop has been made famous by author Maggie Sefton's use of it in her cozy mystery series. The books in order are: Knit One, Kill Two; Needled to Death; A Deadly Yarn; and A Killer Stitch. The shop, a renovated farmhouse, has several rooms of all things fiber and an excellent restaurant with patio dining. The staff are friendly and helpful. I even got a much needed knitting tip from Maya: if yardage is not stated on the ball band, and is noted as meters, you take 10% and add it to come up with the yardage. Example: 155 meters plus 10% (15.5) equals 170.5 yards. She says it is not exact but pretty close. One word of caution: be careful where you park - the property borders a golf course.

Oh my, the drive up the Big Thompson River Canyon is spectacular. Be sure you have a map (OnStar, GPS or a good navigator, thanks Mom) to find your way to the correct road to go to Estes Park. This part of Colorado does not believe in road signs. We rarely saw a mileage sign, speed limit sign or a "beware of falling rocks" sign the whole way up from Loveland to Estes Park. That's a 30-mile drive.

Little did I realize when I booked the cabin by the river that it would be so cute. It was nice and clean, with 2 bedrooms, kitchen, dining area and so close to the river you could toss a line in off the back steps.

My folks asked each morning, "Who left the water running?" And, to our surprise, the manager was a Stephen King look-alike. That made one more place to put on the sightseeing list, The Stanley Hotel where most of the interior shots were filmed for The Shining starring Jack Nicholson. We even got a sneak preview of the Manor House where Mr. Stanley lived. It sits right next to the hotel proper and is used now for wedding receptions and other functions. My folks were very elegant walking down the steps if the covered entry when I brought the car around to pick them up. Usually the hotel grounds are covered in elk, however this weekend they had gone to higher ground because of the mini heat wave Estes Park was experiencing. We cheated and drove up to the top of Rocky Mountain National Park to cool off. We saw a herd of elk at 12,000 feet and I looked at my temp gauge in the car. Sure enough it was only 60-degrees up there. No wonder they weren't hanging out in town.

Here is a picture of my travel mates in the lobby of the Stanley Hotel.

Believe it or not, they had the fireplace lit and it was 85-degrees outside.

And a picture from the high country in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Many things were going on at the Wool Market on Sunday. First, we got there around 9:30 a.m. and got to park right near the entry gate. There is no admission fee however there is a $4 parking fee which goes to benefit the Boy Scouts and they are out in uniform collecting. You can park on the street if you like and walk in, however it can be a hike. We picked up a schedule of events, that were being held down by rocks because the wind was blowing, and found the upcoming event that we were interested in - sheep dog herding demonstrations. It was very interesting and included herding them to the owner and driving them to another location. There was also a gentleman there who has trained his dog in article recognition. He laid out about 6 items on the ground, called them by name and the dog went out and picked up what he named. The dog is up to 75 items that he knows by name and can recognize. It was amazing!

Then we went on to the animal tents to see what kinds of fiber critters they had.

Alpacas and llamas and Corriedale sheep, oh my. I had no idea there were so many different breeds of sheep and goats raised for fiber. I saw Jacob, Icelandic, Suffolk, Shropshire, and Corriedale sheep. Then we saw Angora, Sable and Cashmere goats. It was very interesting to hear why some breeds are favored over others not only for fiber quality but for temperament and acreage needed. There was a small tent to house the alpaca breeders, with their animals, that were there not only to show off the fleece quality but to discuss why raising alpacas is a lucrative and fun business.

Rabbits galore at the Angora rabbit section of the goat tent. Several were out of their cages sitting cozily in prospective buyers laps. I had never seen a "lap bunny" before. Their fur is so soft it is like cobwebs. The lady who had them there, Sharon Dalrymple owns Woodlake Woolies in Colorado. I understand that she spins the fur right off the rabbits as they sit in her lap. Unfortunately, she was not spinning when we were there so missed that demonstration. Someone told us that they love to knit with angora however have to lock the yarn up in the closet because their cat will not leave it alone. Kitty must think it is their very own bunny to play with.

Knitters and fiberholics of all shapes, sizes and abilities cruised the vendor booths on Sunday. We had chosen the less crowded day to attend but learned that if you are looking for the best selections then you need to be there when the show opens on Saturday. There was also a tent that housed the spinners that were competing in the Sheep to Shawl competition. We missed the sheep shearing beginning but caught up with the spinners while they were working the raw fleece into the skeins of yarn that the weaver was turning into the shawl. Found out that they are given 5 hours to complete the project. All the components were being demonstrated at once from spinning to yarn, to plying, to weaving, by a lively group of women willing to talk and demonstrate for the constantly changing audience. I found it all quite fascinating. My dad was interested in how the spinning wheels were put together and how you made them do different speeds. That is the engineer in him. I found a gal in the vendor tent that explained all the parts of drop spindle spinning and think that is the next thing I want to try. Dad said he will make me one.

Everything you can imagine was in the vendor building including: wild fibers from yak, camel and buffalo; spinning supplies; patterns; buttons; bags; yarn galore and even the author of the new book Cast On, Bet's Off, soon to be a PBS series. It is a murder mystery set in a yarn cafe called the Sit N Knit. He and his wife own a couple of these style stores in Indiana.

Time to head home Monday found us at the Egg and I for breakfast. It was good food, great service and some interesting people-watching. Afterwards we waved good-bye to the cute little mountain town and headed towards Denver. Our final stop was the Cussler Museum.

We found it hidden away in Arvada. It is housed in a large warehouse that contains a premier restoration facility and the classic car collection of Clive Cussler, author of the Dirk Pitt novels. My dad really liked this place. He was having a difficult time deciding which one he wanted to drive home.

Cooking from Scratch or Reinventing Leftovers from Outback

I love to cook! I find it very relaxing even when I am under a deadline to create and produce a meal. Currently my downside is I am doing it just for one. For me that is much harder than cooking for a group.

When I am just cooking for myself I find I am stuck in a rut with spaghetti and meatballs, chicken and spinach salad, ramen or burger and fried potatoes. Not very exciting yet quick meals after work.

So, when I get something really fun to create or re-create I am all over it. This past weekend I went out to dinner with my folks to the Outback Steakhouse. I love the Awesome Blossom!

We all ordered steaks and two of those were with their signature garlic smashed potatoes. We took home leftovers of steak, mushrooms and potatoes. On Sunday morning I created breakfast from the leftovers and it was fantabulous. I chopped the shrooms up into scrambled eggs with green onion and cheese, lightly reheated steak slices and fried smashed potato patties. It was scrumptious.

Cooking should be a passionate act of creation. Try it sometime, even if it is just for yourself!

Until next time: Show up for the present events in your life!

Ode to the Kitty-ghan or What to do with all the acrylic leftovers?

All my new knit friends look at me when I bring out acrylic yarn. They reach out to touch it and recoil, covering their grimace with a half-smile and a "nice piece, what is it for?"

I realize that the in-thing is to be knitting with wool or silk or even yarn with shrimp peels in it. However when I started just a half year ago I wanted to see if I could conquer knitting first before I went whole hog on yarn buying. And I had to be certain that my wool allergy had not followed me into my current life.

So I bought up a bunch of bright colored acrylic, WalMart special, $2 a skein, to get the hang of knitting. I made a really neat vest with it. Bold stripes with black in between to highlight each different color row. I mastered a no-pattern, grow it as big as you need it, there is reason for knowing your measurements, vest.

When I finished the vest I discovered that I had lots of leftover yarn. Now, what to do with it?
Suddenly my kitty pal, Pedro, leaped into my lap and made himself comfortable on my vest as I was stitching it together. Call it need for attention or gee, momma, I really like laying on yarn.

I took it as the latter and decided the leftovers should be used for his very own kitty-ghan. So I gathered up all the remnants of acrylic and laid them out on the table, trying to decide what kind of pattern was appropriate for my favorite feline. Nothing came to me right away, so I stuffed it back in a bag in the stash tub.

A couple weeks ago I was looking at a dishcloth pattern book and it came to me. I could knit dishcloth blocks for the kitty-ghan. So I set about picking out the patterns and colors to get started. I realized that not only would it work up to be something interesting but I could learn all kinds of new stitches and pattern effects as I went. The dishcloth book was all designs with a heart motif. That would be perfect because he holds my heart. And I also found a pattern online for a block that had a cat in it.

Currently I am two-thirds of the way done with the block knitting. I think it is going to be a really fun thing to display in the house. Of course, you will have to pick up Pedro to see all of it. When I get it finished I will post a picture of it and Pedro.

Then I can get back to knitting with wool, as long as it is superwash, and maybe try some cotton for summer.

Until next time, I hope you are pursuing your passions today!

Knitting Rules or Rules of Knitting

Who knew that knitting could have so many rules? Now I am not talking about pattern rules or holding the needles rules, I am referring to things you learn as you knit and jot down as a "Note to Self" rule.

Some I have learned during my long absence from my blog are: Do not buy books before you have borrowed them from the library to assess if they are worth taking up space on the bookshelf and do not leave your precious knitting bag in plain view on the front seat of your car.

The first rule came easily to me when I noted the price of knitting books. and the fact that most come hardbound, at the local Barnes & Noble store. Instead I wrote down the names of the ones I was interested in and ordered them from the library. Amazingly, I have only found one or two that was worth owning for all the invaluable information in them. The others I just took notes out of for future reference.

Now, to cover the next rule, here is my sad tale of woe that incapacitated me for a month after it occured. On a Friday afternoon in the parking lot at the office complex where I work my car was broken into. Some punk(s) smashed the passenger front door glass and snatched my knitting bag. Now granted it did look similar to a largish purse, however it had yarn and knitting needles sticking out of the top of it. I am certain that they thought they would find a wallet with enough beer money to get them through the weekend. Bet they looked really silly trying to sell the yarn and needles for beer money that evening. Sad to say I had about $300 worth of yarn and knitting paraphrenalia in that bag. I was half way done with my most expensive project yet, a shawl made out of Mountain Colors 4x8 yarn that goes for $20 a skein. Fortunately I only had one of the the two skeins needed with me.

I was so angry with the loss of the knitting bag that the window replacement claim to the insurance company seemed like a walk in the park. And with reacting so strongly to that event the very next Monday I came down with a stress-related illness that kept me in bed, and away from work, for a week. In fact, I am just now feeling like I am on the road to recovery. Most people that have heard this tale are not knitters and cannot understand why it made me so angry. In fact, I was so sick I couldn't even knit for well over a week.

So enough of that. I have replaced the skein of yarn and am back past the halfway mark on the shawl. It was originally going to be called the Stain Glass shawl. Now it is known as the Broken Glass shawl that "fades to bright." In the case of Mountain Color yarn, since it is handpainted, to replace a skein you run the risk of not getting a close match on the dye lot. In this case all was good except the teal was brighter, hence the fade to bright. It will still be a lovely thing when it is finished.

For the first week back in that parking lot I was very paranoid about where my car was parked and this is not even a bad neighborhood. Even now if I hear an alarm go off I am looking out the window. Of course there is nothing on the front seat, it is all hidden in the back or I carry it into the office.

Hope you are living your passion today!