Ripple Shawl

Here's my progress on the ripple shawl. It's about 22" long, and will be 60" when finished. I like the pattern! It's easy to memorize, so you don't have to look at a pattern while you work.

"Healthified" Strawberries and Cream Pie

I just made this yummy-looking (haven't tried it yet!) pie... click the link below for the recipe!

"Healthified" Strawberries and Cream Pie - Cakes, Pies & Tarts - Eat Better America

The First Tomato

The only time I remember growing tomatoes was in Canada, as a kid. We had a planter on our back deck, and they didn't exactly flourish. They were kind of pathetic, if I remember correctly. So as you can guess, I'm thrilled that the tomatoes in our plot seem to be doing so well! They're pretty much all still green, but this guy here was a bit ahead of the bunch:

See that lovely basil plant behind my hand? Just imagine all of the pizzas and marinara sauces that are in my future :-) Yummy!

Kayaking

We had a really fun time kayaking yesterday with LL Bean's Walk-On Adventures. It's always fun to try something new!

I got the hang of it pretty easily, and loved it!

Thank you, Summer Rain!

I haven't been going down to the garden for the past week or so because we've been getting enough regular rain, and WHOA! I'm blown away by how much everything has grown! I stopped by to pluck some basil leaves for the homemade pizza I was making, and was shocked at how amazing the garden looked! My herbs, especially the basil, are really thriving and growing, but the most amazing thing was the tomato plants. Not only do they seem to be at least a foot taller, but now where I used to only see a sparse handful of baby tomatoes, I see dozens! Huzzah! Sorry about the lackluster photo quality from my cellphone:

Pretty soon I'll be able to use not only fresh basil for my homemade pizza, but home grown tomatoes as well!

Bharot jabo! (We're going to India!)

We're planning a trip to India this fall to visit hubby's family, and I'm super excited! I've been knitting away on gifts to give, and I'm doing my best to learn Bengali, one of the official languages of India, and the first language of my hubby and his family. For someone who has primarily studied European languages, Bengali (or rather, Bangla) has its own unique challenges, but as it is supposed to be one of the easiest Indian languages (so I am told ;-) ) I'm sure it's nothing I can't overcome! The script is beautiful to look at, and I'm getting better at reading, although when I read out loud I do still resemble a grade-schooler, sounding out her words! I'm sure I'll improve with time and practice. I just got a great big book called Bengali: A Comprehensive Grammar, and it looks like it'll be very helpful. Here's a little phrase I like; it means "one language is never enough":

Wavy Shawl

I'm making an easy but pretty shawl to give to my mother-in-law. It's a nice ripple pattern in a lightweight (but not lace weight) lilac yarn. It's something she can wrap around her shoulders during the colder winter months. It takes 6 skeins of yarn (I'm using Lion Brand Microspun) and I just got through the first one. Here's a little preview:

Ravelry: TheHomeEconomist's Lilac Waves Shawl

A knitted gift

I just finished making the easiest, cute little drawstring bag. The yarn is this lovely soft, plush, chunky, brightly colored kind by Loops & Threads, and it self-stripes into lovely blues and greens. The bag is one gift I'm making for my niece to give to her when we visit India, as we are planning to do, this fall. Don't you just love giving home-made gifts?

Baby Roma tomatoes!

Here's a sneak peak at the upcoming crop of Roma tomatoes! They're so cute and little! Awwww!

Cirque du Soleil

Cirque du Soleil's OVO has come to Hartford, and we got a good deal on a pair of tickets last weekend. It was such a fantastic show! If it comes to a city near you, you should check it out!

 Check out this short trailer to see what it was all about.

Failed slippers.... fixed!

So, remember my slipper that resembled a canoe of some sort? Well, I ripped out all of the stitches on the top part and redid it, this time pretty much ignoring the pattern and doing what I thought would work. It worked out much better this time! They were meant as a birthday gift for my college roommate, Bethany (Happy Birthday today, B!) and I hope she likes them! I waited until today to post this, because today is her birthday, and I didn't want to spoil the surprise. I crocheted a magenta border around the top edge, and made a little flower. They also each have a strap, making them Mary Jane slippers. They look kind of short and fat, but they stretch out longer to fit the foot. Casper seems to like them!

Camping on the 4th

We opted for some outdoor long-weekend fun. We camped at Tolland State Park in the Berkshires. The weather was great, the fire was crackling, and we lit some sparklers for fun! It was right on a lake, which was lovely.

There was also an old cemetery at the campsite, with a few headstones from around 1840-1860. I think they are so neat!

Bad kitty!

The kitty has discovered a new toy, unfortunately. For centuries, cats have been driving their owners crazy by getting into the yarn... mine just recently discovered this feline joy. We came home from a night away camping to find our apartment one big tangled mess of yarn! I cleaned it all up, winding the ball back up again. I put it in my knitting bag, fastened the button clasp, and tucked it away next to my sewing table, as you see in the upper left of the photo. Then, we went grocery shopping. When we got back, as you can see, he had craftily pulled it out of the bag and started to have his fun again! It was even wrapped around the legs of my nightstand. Naughty kitty! Bad! No!