Knittinggarden

to our lovely Laura. We took her to Portland yesterday to meet her group for the flight back to Spain. We hated to say goodbye - it was such a fun and educational month. We did and saw things around our own home that we hadn't done in ages and I have a list of 28 new Spanish words and phrases to work on. She promised to continue sending me new words via e-mail, so by the time we visit her in San Sebastian I'll be able to make a few sentences! We went to the King County Fair last Saturday. I hadn't been to that one in years, and it was lots of fun. We saw lots of animals (here are some cerdos) ate fair food, including hot dogs and scones and generally had a very pleasant time. We stopped by Lake Wilderness on the way back to show Laura where our summer cabin is, and here are the girls on the dock at the park. We also visited the Pike Place Market, where we saw more cerdos. We had a campfire on the patio and made s'mores, which were enjoyed by all.

I just returned from a fabulous, though hot, week in Palm Desert, CA. We had been having beautiful and quite hot weather here in Seattle for awhile, so it wasn't such a shock to go outside at 9 AM and find the temperature in the 90s. (Ok, it still was a shock but I survived.) I was alone (yes, alone!) for three days, then my daughter and Spanish guest arrived. I got lots of knitting done, some early morning walking and bike riding, and some sunbathing. I finished my Victorian Lace Socks and am pretty happy with them. They were fun to knit; the rib pattern was different, but not too hard. Of course, I also worked on my MS3 clue and finished the second one. I had my daughter print out Clue 3 and bring it to me when she arrived so I wouldn't be too far behind. We have two weeks to do Clue 4, so I should be able to finish the rest of 3 and get 4 done without too much trouble. Although being back in the land of gardening and housework slows me down a little. Here's my ...

I just finished Clue 1 of Mystery Stole 3. I have to really concentrate to follow the charts, but I'm pleased so far. Now on to the next one! My word of the day is fuente (fountain.) Here's our guest in front of the fountain near the Olympic Sculpture Garden in Seattle. Today was our first visit to the park, and it was beautiful. A beautiful day, and very interesting art. Do you remember these? I know I'm dating myself when I say I remember using them. (The picture isn't the best, but the sculpture is huge and very cool.)

than your own. Our exchange student, Laura, told her mother about the fun times she is having with us, and of course her mother thought that since Laurie "wanted to trade families", she would trade daughters to one who didn't use American slang! We are having a great time with her. We took a ferry ride the other day and enjoyed the beautiful weather. My new words: nadar (swim), tortuga (turtle), and anacardos (cashews). I don't know if I can use them in a sentence. I also learned that cardo alone means a rude or abrupt person. Laura and I took Buddy for a walk today around Green Lake and had a great time. We saw turtles (tortugas), a great blue heron, lots of dogs and, of course, many people. Everything is new to her and I enjoy seeing it through new eyes. My new Mystery Stole 3 progress: This is chart A of Clue 1. I'm busily trying to get Chart B done before Clue 2 is published tomorrow. With the Yarn Harlot 's announcement today that she has joine...

is my motto for July. We welcomed Laura from San Sebastian, Spain into our family for the month and she is graciously teaching me a new Spanish word each day. So far we have perro (dog), calor (hot), pelicula (movie), and gofre (waffle). DD says these words are random, but they refer to things we've done or talked about, so they're good for me! Here is our guest snuggled up with Buddy and everyone looks happy. The first clue for Mystery Stole 3 was published on Friday, and I managed to get through Chart A (half of the first clue) by last night. (Yes, it looks like thong underw*ear, but not for long!) I'm doing pretty well with it, but the yarn (Lane Borgosesia Cashwool) is quite fine and light, and I have to be really careful and pay close attention so I don't mess it up. Even fingering weight sock yarn seems thick after using this stuff! I don't know if I'll be a lace fanatic after this project, but I'll certainly improve my experience. As the tria...