Mystery Solved

Before I get to the mystery, I want to share a picture of the evening sky from last Sunday. A small thunderstorm rolled over the north side of town just around sunset.  These pictures don't show it very well, but the sky was various shades of baby blue and pink.  This particular cell also had lightening which I wasn't able to catch on film.

I love watching the sky. I inherited this trait from my Dad. Some of my fondest childhood memories are of the two of us looking up, whether it was clouds or stars. Every time I look up now, I think of him and I wonder what the clouds and stars look like to him from Heaven.

Now, here's the solution to the mystery.  I finished the 5th clue of the Through The Loops Mystery Shawl.  Since Kristin is now off at college, I used her bedroom floor to block it.  I didn't measure it's wingspan, but it is quite large. 

Here a close-up of the edge.  I love the flared detail.  I didn't bind off as loosely as I should though.  I tried.  I used a stretchy bind-off method and a needle 2 sizes larger.  As you can see below, the outer few rows got pulled rather tight when I blocked it..  Oh well,  I rather like the shading effect it give to edge.

Here is a close up of the center section.  As my son pointed out, the ribs are a little crooked.  ("Thank you, dear, for noticing and pointing it out.  Now go take your shower and get to bed.")

He did legitimately need to shower and get to bed because school began the next day.  Here he is heading off to his first day of high school.  It took some coaxing to get Blake to smile with his mouth open.  In 2 weeks after the braces come off, I'm sure I won't have to remind him.

Trisha was all set for her first day as a junior.  She made her scarf from an idea she got off of Pinterest.

Here's to a productive school year for all!!

Hoping This Is Temporary

For the past few months I've noticed that my right wrist hurts when I flex my wrist 90 degrees back.  I only seem to do this when I'm at my trainer's and he has me doing something like push-ups or planks.  With the other pains in my body (screaming thighs!!) during my workouts, I usually forget about the wrist.  Unfortunately, my wrist is making its presence know at other times during the past week.  If I knit for more than 15 minutes, I get a shooting, intense pain that goes from the wrist up to the ring finger.  My doctor has me taking some meds to relieve any inflamation.  I sure hope this does the trick.  If I can't knit, I will be a very unhappy person.

Given the above handicap, my progress on the Through The Loops Mystery Shawl has slowed considerable.  I'm on Clue 5.  My goal was to finish this during the Olympics, but I'm not sure I will make it.  Here's the latest pictures.

July was busy with a couple trips out of town.  Our first trip was the annual Norris Lake outing.  This year we took one of Kristin's friends, who is going to be my niece's college roommate.  The two girls met for the first time and got along fabulously. 

This year the kids got to swing on a rope into the lake.  I was a bit nervous because the cliff was high and rocky.  Blake was the first of my children to accept the challenge.

 I was worried Trisha would forget to let go of the rope.

Kristin seemed like a natural.  She has a lot of upper body strength.

The tubing was great fun.

Until this happened. 

As my dad used to admonish us, 'It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt!' Anna, in the center below, somehow cut the side of her head during this wipeout. In this jumble of bodies, it is hard to tell how it happened. The only innocent one is Kristin, who is still clinging to the raft at this point in time.

After our trip to Norris Lake, I took a few days off work and relaxed at home.  The following weekend, the girls and I, along with another sister and niece, headed to New Jersey to visit our oldest sister.  While there, we ventured into NYC for the day.  I'll post pictures of that trip later.