Lost in Kentucky

Well, not really lost, but... may as well have been. It feels like ages since I've posted. I spent the weekend in Kentucky, working and playing. Obviously, I didn't finish the second Canal du Midi sock. Thursday, I left my house and carefully made sure to pack my unfinished sock, knowing I would have plenty of time to work on it and finish it before Friday at midnight. Of course, I wasn't that careful, and forgot to pack the fourth dpn. So I had the sock, but no way to knit it. Hopefully I'll finish up in the next few days. I want to reknit the toe on the other (I hate the pointiness of it). I'm hoping for an FO by Friday.

BUT -- to make up for lack of knitting content, I have a nice picture-show of my weekend. My friend Laura was out of town, but Robert threw an April 1st party at her house (with her permission), complete with ritual burning. As soon as it gets warm enough here in the mountains, people have bonfires. Friday night (the night of our party), I saw at least five other bonfires. It's like emerging out of hibernation when it gets warm here. The sun comes out, everyone is out on their porches, planting gardens in their yards, generally enjoying the amazing spectacle that is nature here. Our bonfire was most certainly the biggest fire I've ever seen. The highlight of the party? Hard to say, but the older gentleman (Wayne) who rode up the hill at dusk on his way home from "cruising" on his horse (Black Jack), drunk, with a saddle-bag full of beer is definitely in the running. It was a good night -- whiskey and moonshine were imbibed, there was the intoxicated (and WELL MONITORED) use of a chainsaw and an axe to dismantle fallen trees for the fire, stories were told, furniture was burned, the fire was 'jumped' and a lot of Hank Williams (Senior, of course!) was played... all in all, it was the perfect 'hillbilly' party and the best way to start the weekend.

Bethany and Chad pick on the porch with Black Jack. Some things just can't be described in words. Those saddlebags on Black Jack are holding about a case of beer.

A pagan-esque shot of us around the fire. I love the sense of space you get -- there are tall trees and sloping mountains all around Laura's yard, which is perched on a hillside itself. It's pretty amazing there.


The fire at its height (those old closet doors really burned. Wayne suggested placing them so they folded slightly inward -- this created a chimney effect that set the whole thing ablaze in a matter of seconds!).

Nathan jumps the fire. [I can't believe I caught him midair... I always get pictures like this when I'm not trying!]

We found the axe in the yard the next day.


I did a lot of writing and thinking this weekend, if not a lot of knitting. I'll make up for all that thinking this week, hopefully with a lot of knitting. This weekend promises a trip to Louisville (and hopefully a knitting store -- I need smaller sock needles!). Knitting content to come in the future. Thanks for your patience (and nice, supportive comments!). Now I've got to catch up on the blog-reading that I've missed...


Addendum -- [Sorry -- this is a gratuituous kitty post]

I just posted this and was catching up on my reading when I heard a loud purring coming from the corner behind me. I turned around to see which kitty was so happy and saw this:

Those white canvas boxes contain my WIP. They are on my knitting table, a location both kitties know is a no-no (and so they are constantly trying to get up there). Sorry for the blurriness of the photo, but when I got up to snap it, Hank started to jump down (he thought, rightly so, that I was coming to chastize his naughtiness). Ironically, the WIP he was curled up on was the abandoned kitty pi. Maybe it's a sign...