In the morning of a big day

I had a great time this weekend (as you can see -- that's Julie, me, and Shawn, a.k.a. Chippy, eating in what turned out to be the worst diner ever), and although I didn't place in the flatfoot competition in Laurel Bloomery, Julie got third and our friend John got first, so all in all, it was a satisfying weekend. Laura asked if I could post some flatfooting footage to YouTube so she could see what it looked like. I'm working on this...

I did see some funny things on this trip. I've got a real weakness for funny signs, and although I've tried to keep my posting of these pictures to a mininmum on the blog, I just couldn't resist. I saw these two this weekend -- the "creamer" at the worst diner ever and the Burger King sign in Berea, KY.



I feel a little overwhelmed this morning. You see, I leave for a two week trip to Philadelphia tomorrow and I have to get everything in order before I leave. This includes several loads of laundry (can't leave the house with dirty laundry. ditto dishes.), cleaning out the fridge, vacuuming the whole house, cleaning my office. It also includes packing (haven't done that yet. I hate packing for two weeks when I have no idea what I'm going to want to wear in said two weeks) -- not just clothes, but the books and work-related stuff I think I might need, as well as two weeks worth of knitting. I also need to clean out Lil' Betsy (my car) who is carrying around the accumulated dirt of a summer's worth of festivals and fiddler's conventions. This might wait, because I'm going to a bluegrass festival in New Jersey this coming weekend (it was my first bluegrass festival, years ago, and I feel a certain nostalgia for it. I timed my trip to Philly so I could go to it). Add to all of that the fact that Hank is a chirper (he loves to talk and walks around gurgling like a bird) and last night, at four in the morning, was feeling particularly conversational. I tried shutting him out of the bedroom, but then he spent hours scratching on the door, meowing loudly. Not much sleep.

Why, you might ask, am I doing all of the preparations for my trip now when I'm not leaving until tomorrow afternoon? No, it's not because I'm a girl blessed with amazing forethought. It's because tonight, I'm driving to Prestonsburg, KY for a concert -- my first non-bluegrass or oldtime concert since I saw Devo in Atlantic City this time last year. Tonight, at the Mountain Arts Center, I get to see Dwight Yoakam in concert for the very first time. There are no words for how excited I am about this concert. I heart Dwight Yoakam. Which is funny to me, because although I harbor a great deal of love for old, classic country (give me Hank Williams, Lefty Frizzel, or Kitty Wells anyday), I have always professed an intense dislike for all modern country. But Dee-wight is a totally different thing. He's what Hank Williams would be if he hadn't died and were a lot younger. He's the cat's pajamas. And I hear he puts on a great show. I can't wait.

As for knitting, I finally finished Fair Isle sock #1. I blocked it (a first) and it's drying. Maybe a finished shot later, maybe not. I think I'm going to wait a while before I make it's parnter. I'm a little underwhelmed by the color combination and the tedium of carring the lice color all the way around the foot. Maybe I'll follow Grumerina's lead and make a fraternal twin for the second sock. In the meantime, I cast on for my second New England sock (long waiting). And look what I got in the mail:


A few weeks ago, I mentioned being interested in learning how to use a drop spindle to spin some wool I got from a friend who sheared his sheep.


I got an e-mail from Meg mentioning that she had a spindle hanging out in her basement somewhere in West Virginia, and that she would put her dad on the task of finding it, if I wanted it. Well -- yesterday, it arrived! Thanks Meg, and thanks Meg's dad for finding it and mailing it -- with instructions! I can't wait to give it a whirl (no pun intended).

And I'm off (again)

Remember last week, when I said that Fries was my last fiddler's convention until my friends' convention in October? Well... I lied. I knew I'd be going away this weekend -- Julie and I are scheduled to dance on Sunday at the Clear Creek Festival in Berea Kentucky (scroll down to the bottom -- see on Sunday at 2 p.m. when "Hell or High Water" is scheduled? Yeah. That's us). But yesterday, Julie called me up and convinced me that on the way to Berea, we should stop by Laurel Bloomery, TN and spend one night at their fiddler's convention. Just enough time to dance in their flatfoot competition, stay up all night dancing and making a rukus, and then drive off to Berea to hang out with more friends and dance our exhibition dance on Sunday. It didn't take much arm twisting.

So... not much knitting to show (the foot of that sock is killing me!), but I have been getting some prep work done for my fall knitting... swatching, a little designing, and a lot of hanking, washing, and rewinding cone yarn I ordered from Webs. Ugh, it's so disgusting on the cone. I hope it will soften a lot with a good wash or three. But it's a beautiful color, and I've got some nice projects in mind...

Oh, and for those of you (mom) who mighte worried that I'm not getting work done -- don't. The dissertation writing preparation is coming along nicely. I leave next week for a two week trip to Philly to meet with my advisors, take advantage of the library (and Trader Joe's!), and generally get ready to what I expect to be a marathon fall. Yes, this is the time when I start to write the dreaded dissertation (and I'm not even done researching yet!). But I have grant applications due this fall that require a completed chapter (just writing that makes my heart start racing), not to menion the paper for the hawaii conference... So, I'm in training for the "getting down to business" that must happen come September. These next two weekends are like my last hurrah until winter break. I plan to live it up!

More when I get back from Kentucky...

Living in color

The title is not, in any way, to imply that I think I've been doing any sort of black-and-white living, not daily nor in my knitting (actually, looking back over the last years-worth of knitting, I seem to gravitate toward wildly colorful yarn. So there!). Rather... if anyone other than Chris made it through the monster of a meme/questionnaire that I self-indulgently filled out last week, you would have noticed that I declared 2007 (and, I guess, the rest of 2006) the year of color-work knitting. That's right -- I want to "master" the art of fair isle. So... two nights ago, I decided to start this. I didn't go to bed until I had gotten to the heel, that's how addictive I found it.


This is a slightly modified version of the Huron Sock from knitting on the road. I really wanted to wait until it was finished, but the foot has slowed me down significantly, and I'm too impatient to wait any longer. I changed the colors (obviously). I'm not wild about the two of these together in a pattern like this. There's not enough contrast and it's a little... wild? In a strangely conservative way. I added stripes to the foot, rather than continuing the "lice" design, which seemed genius to me at the time (reinforces the foot, makes a nice, cushioned bed, etc.). It was only when I got to the first round after the lice row that I realized I was gonna have to either a) carry the blue behind the brown across the whole top of the foot for three out of every four rows to continue the striping on the bottom, or b) weave in a s**t load of ends if I snipped every round except the lice round. I tried it both ways -- carrying the yarn behind won out. It is slowing me down. A lot. Meaning, it will take me three instead of two days to finish the sock. But... I'm in love. And this is all technical prep so I can make this:

Ah, winter sweaters...

Soggy Fries

So, despite the "chronic" fatigue, I went away this weekend to the Fiddler's Convention in Fries (pronounced like "freeze"), Virginia. It's my last fiddler's convention of the season, until my friends' convention in Morehead, Kentucky in October, so I felt like I couldn't miss it. And despite torrential downpours and getting kicked out of the park due to the rain, I had a really great time. No knitting accomplished, but my new brown "Fetchings" got some action:


Pattern: "Fetching" from Knitty fall 2006
Yarn: Knitpicks Wool of the Andes, in "Chocolate" (just a hair more than one skein...)
Needles: Brittany, US 5 dpns
Started: 15 August 2006
Finished: 16 August, 2006

Notes: I added an extra cable repeat at the bottom and the top (and remember to flip the cables so they are mirror images). I also made the thumb a hair longer. I like them better this way.

While in Fries, I saw the biggest, weirdest, ugliest bug (Julie got bit by it! It is, I have since learned, a Dobson fly. This is a female Dobson fly. The male ones have longer pincers):


And I won fifth place in the dance competition. This doesn't sound like the big deal that it was -- it's really hard to place in these dance competitions down on the Va/NC border... I dance verydifferently than they do there. As you can tell, I'm pretty excited (and pretty drenched). This was right before they made us leave the park. Julie and I were practically giddy (the band Julie played in placed first!). We couldn't hold still for a picture.


We spent the night with some friends in North Carolina. They have the sweetest German Shorthair (named Callie). She snuggles like a cat.


All in all, good times were had.

Question for spinners

I've got a question for any and all of you who spin. I'm acquiring some fleece from friends who have shorn their sheep. I'm interested in learning how to spin, but obviously this needs to be a low cost endeavor (given the whole dissertating-student-going-to-hawaii thing). So I've been thinking about drop spindle spinning. But I know next to nothing about it. Does anyone have any tips or suggestions on what kind of spindle to get (both design and make)? Ditto that for carders. Any help (or internet resources that are good, too) would be much appreciated!

Thanks.

While waiting...

A gauge of how much time I spent in the doctor's office yesterday and today trying to figure out what's wrong with me. I cast on yesterday afternoon when I arrived at the clinic. We still don't know what's wrong (extreme fatigue and tightness in my chest), but I'm an afternoon's knit away from warm winter hands (all for me!)

Ready for winter

Pattern: Fetching, from Knitty Summer '06
Yarn: Knitpicks Swish Superwash, in "Red Pepper"
Needles: Bryspun dpns, US 5
Begun: 11 August 2006
Finished: 13 August 2006

Notes: Well to start, I used this project as a test for one of the new Knitpicks Yarns, Swish. When I ordered my needles the other day, I decided that I would buy a skein or two of a few of their new yarns, just to see what I thought. My reports on Swish? Well, at first, I was kinda disappointed. The yarn seemed kind of... acrylic-y (?). It wasn't particularly soft or anything, and something about the bright red on the skein made it seem cheap. But once you knit with it, man oh man! It's great! The yarn is a little splitty (and very uncooperative with cable-needle-free cabling) but it creates a tight, soft, squishy fabric with great stitch definition. I'm really pleased with it. And a superwash wool for gloves, hats, and mittens seems like a great idea. I would definitely use it again.

The pattern is a really quick knit. I would have finished both on Friday, if I hadn't been feeling so bad and if I hadn't had to get to Galax yesterday. The only modifications: 1. I sized the gloves down (they are a gift for a friend with remarkably small hands [and feet] -- if she's reading this now, she knows who she is!); 2. I started the second glove while at Galax, didn't consult the pattern and forgot that the cables are supposed to switch direction on the second glove. So they are symmetrical instead of mirror-images. I figure, that's ok. 3. I ditched the cable bind off. Couldn't figure it out, it looked sloppy, and a regular bind off worked fine. If I were to do it again, I would add an extra cable repeat at the top to make it grip the hand a little more (I have fingerless gloves with floppy tops). But all in all, great pattern which makes a great looking glove.

distracting questionnaire...

I just returned from the Galax Old Fiddler's Convention (where I did not place in the dance competition -- I dance so differently from the way they do down there, and like the Sparta convention, they seem to favor their own styles). I had a great time, though the weather was freakishly cold. After the last two weeks of hot hot hot, I never in a million years thought the temperature would stay below 60 all day yesterday. I drove down in the morning, pretty early, with my friend Julie, and it wasn't that cold up here. But by the time we arrived in Galax, I was already wearing all of the warm clothes I'd brought and it wasn't even noon. I usually carry a scarf, fingerless gloves, and a down vest in the car for "emergencies" (i.e. cold nights at festivals), but just took them out to wash them and didn't bother to replace them. I was kicking myself for that last night. I could see my breath, it was so cold. And dancing up a storm will only help that for so long. Hopefully, this exhaustion isn't a bout of sickness 2.1.

Anyway, I have pictures and FOs but I'm too tired to dig the camera out of my bag (not ready to unpack the muddy mess that is my festival gear -- Galax got a lot of rain Friday night). In the meantime, I leave you with this. I ganked this from Laura's site. Although I don't often do these questionnaire things, I liked this one... food for thought.

The Knit-Geek Questionnaire (unrelated to any swaps or secret pal exchanges)

1. What's your worst habit relating to your knitting?
I have really bad posture. I sit hunched over my needles with my shoulders pulled forward. I think this might be because I rarely wear my glasses when I knit, but even when I do, I still crouch over the knitting. I also always forget to cut the nails on my right hand (I keep my left well trimmed for banjo playing) and then they cut into my hand. See:


(ignore that cut -- I droped a picture frame and sliced my hand a few weeks ago).

2. In what specific ways does your knitting make you a better person?
I think it has made me more generous -- I love knitting for other people and I'm always planning projects for them. It definitely has made me more thoughtful, in general and specifically with regard to the handcrafts of others. I feel like I have a greater appreciation for how things are made and the time and thought that goes into it.

3. How might you or your life be different if you were suddenly unable to knit?
Wow. I'd have a lot of free time. And more money. But I think I'd be bored. I'd probably have found another (less portable) craft or art to serve as a creative outlet and a meditative force. Or else I'd be crazy and (as Laura said) more than likely a little depressed.

4. If money were no object, what one yarn, and what one tool or gadget would you run out and buy first?
Oh! I'd definitely get myself a pair of hardwood dpn sock needles (does lantern moon make dpns? in ebony or something? That's what I'd want!). And a blocking board. Wait, no! Scrap that. The very first thing I'd buy is a yarn winder and swift. I'm so tired of hand-winding yarn. Then I'd get that other stuff, and only then would I invest in something truly decadent, like enough cashmere yarn to make myself the world's greatest sweater vest (I dream of knitting a sweater vest out of hipknits cashmere sock yarn. Am I crazy?)

5. What knitting technique or project type are you most afraid of (if any)? What, specifically, do you fear will happen when you try it?
Fair Isle. For sure. I am confronting this fear as hopefully the year of the sock with turn into the year of colorwork. I don't know what I'm afraid of... I've tried it before and my tension was all wonky and I've never tried it again. I feel like I'm a stronger knitter now, and I've learned some technique, so maybe that will help.

6. Who is/are your knitting hero(es), and why?
Well, I'm not sure I've "heroes" in knitting, but I greatly admire the work of Eunny -- such detail, precision, and care! I also have always admired my grandmother's knitting. But you all know that.

7. Do you consider knitting, for you personally, a mostly social activity, or a mostly solitary activity?
I really prefer to knit alone. I do enjoy sitting with other people...But I've never really spent time at any kind of stitch-n-bitch and I find that talking while I knit is distracting. I like to listen to talk radio while I knit or, when I have the opportunity, watch TV.

8. Is there a particular regional tradition in knitting that you feel strongly drawn toward (e.g., Fair Isle, Scandinavian, Celtic, Orenburg lace)? Any theories as to why it calls to you?
Oooohhhh... I don't know. I do always feel drawn toward all sorts of Eastern European designs. Maybe because I'm of Ukrainian/German descent? I have no idea. But I love the patterns (this is connected to 2007 - the year of colorwork) and the combination of warmth and function with absolute beauty.

9. If you were a yarn, which yarn would you be?
Hmmm... I'd love to be something soft, beautiful and a joy to knit with (like the Noro Lily -- my favorite yarn right now, though I've never had a chance to knit it. It just seems sooo lovely). But I'm probably something way more practical, pretty but not the first thing you run to when you walk in a yarn store. Maybe a little bit of a pain in the ass to knit with, but totally serviceable.

10. Some statistics:
(a) How many years have passed since you FIRST learned to knit?
Nineteen (wow)
(b) How many total years have you been actively, regularly knitting (i.e., they don't have to have been in a row)?
two
(c) how many people have you taught to knit?
four
(d) Roughly what percentage of your FOs do you give away (to anyone besides yourself, i.e., including your immediate family)
Oh, wow. I'd say close to 80 -85 %. Most of them. It's fun to knit for other people.

11. How often do you KIP (knit in public)? i.e., once a week, once a month, etc. Where do you do it?
All the time. I knit at festivals a lot. Concerts. While waiting for people, anywhere. Any time I get a chance.

12. If a genie granted you one hour to stitch-n-bitch with any one knitter, living or dead, who would you choose and why?
Definitely, definitely my grandmother. (Not including all the other stuff I'd like to talk to her about, seeing as I never met her...) I'd really want to get lessons -- learn how she learned to knit, what techniques she used, did she ever knit socks?, figure out how to line a sweater the way she did, find out if she used patterns or created her own, see when she learned how to knit and who taught her, what her inspiraitons were, and, well, basically ask all the same questions that are here. I want to know my "knitting genes".

13. What aspect or task in knitting makes you most impatient?
Weaving in ends. Period.

14. What is it about knitting that never lets you get bored with it?
I love to watch the project develop in my hands. With variegated yarn, I love to watch the colors shift. I love the feel of (most) yarn in my hands, the sense that I am creating something.

15. Describe how and where you most often do your knitting - where do you sit, what is going on around you, what tools do you use and how are they (dis)organized?
I most often sit at either my computer or on the couch. When I still had television, there was an indentation in my couch where I sat in the middle and watched/listened to the TV while I knit. Now I sit mostly at my desk. So I'm mostly surrounded by work and then whatever project I'm working on at the time. The desk is convenient because it's hard for the little kitties to eat the yarn I'm working with. I have a yarn table where I keep whatever I'm not working on. My yarn is pretty organized, but my WIPS and needles are always kind of a mess on top.

16. Which one person is the recipient of more of your knitting than any other?
My mommy... or she will be as soon as I finish T-SALP and mail her that last pair of socks (it's coming mom, i promise!)

17. What's the oddest thing about your knitting, or yourself as a knitter?
Hmmm.... I don't know. You mean, outside of my general oddities? I guess that I'm not a very patient person in other aspects of my life, yet I can sit for hours and work on a sock on size 0 needles.

18. What do you see yourself knitting - if anything - twenty years from now?
God, hopefully something other than socks! I'd really like to knit a beautiful, fair isle cardigan. Sometime warm, delicate, and with beautiful colors, embellished silver buttons, some shape, that definitely manages not to look even remotely frumpy (something with a nice 1930's flair).

19. If you were stranded on a deserted island and could have only ONE SKEIN of yarn, which yarn would it be and what would you do with it?
Practicality aside (length of said skein, durability, machine washability, or practicality in terms of the weather on a desert island), if I were stuck knitting one thing for the rest of my life, I'd have to say that I'd knit Blue Sky alpaca until my days were through. wow. what a lovely yarn.

20. If you were allowed to own only one knitting-related book, which would it be? (you'd be free to browse others, but you couldn't keep them)
You know, I just don't use knitting books all that much. I consult for patterns and stuff, but I never had a "knitting bible" that I've consulted for stitches or techniques. I've always wanted one, but never gotten it, so... I do without.

21. Is knitting the new yoga? Why or why not?
Man, I don't know. Maybe it's the "trend-bucker" in me that hates how popular knitting is (I feel like it encourages the use of eyelash and other novelty yarns that I hate. I'm soooo snobby). I do find it relaxing and frequently use it to focus and redirect my thoughts, but... It isn't necessarily good for your body, and I never feel taller, stretchier, or healthier when I finish. I usually feel cramped and disoriented (like I said, I have bad knitting posture).

22. What important thing are you trying to put off doing whenever you knit?
Transcribing. Always transcribing. Sometimes reading. Occasionally writing or making phone calls. But transcribing is definitely #1.

Satisfaction

Thank you all for your guesses/responses to my "sneak peek" last night. Here they are, completed:


Pattern: Really? the infamous Jaywalkers (pair number 4 for me)
Yarn: Socks that Rock, in a colorway they unfortunately no longer carry - Fire on the Mountain
Needles: Those same Inox dpns, US size 1/2 (they fall kinda in between)
Started: Oh god, so long ago, I can't even remember
Completed: 11 August 2006

Notes: So much to say, and nothing to say at the same time. I raced to finish them before daylight disappeared... This shouldn't have been a problem -- I was more than halfway down the foot when I posted my sneak peek, but then I house-sat for a friend last night with two kittens who have not yet been introduced the wonders of yarn and poof! My plans to knit all night were thwarted. I did finish in time this afternoon, thanks to some old episodes of Project Runway and a very productive (work-wise) morning. I started these socks so long ago, there might still have been snow on the ground. I need to the ankle of one sock, got tired and didn't touch them until this last weekend. In the last six days, I have knit the heel and foot of one sock and the entire second sock. I thank Clifftop and my new-found urge to finish all these old WIPS for getting me through it.


I'm not sure why I stopped. For a long time, I thought about ripping out the ankle I had knit on the one sock and starting over. Now I'm SO glad I didn't because I love them. I love the way the colors look in the pattern, I don't mind the huge swatches of pooling pink (though I wish it was the green pool instead). I don't even mind all that much the fraternal quality of them, though can someone explain to me why they don't pool similarly? I think my initial frustration was due to the fact that I knit the first half of the first sock using magic loop. I don't like magic loop. I'm all about dpns.


The one thing I don't like? I tried a new toe-technique. That is, I waited too long to start decreasing the toe, so I didn't it pretty fast, creating a rounded toe. I like the looks of it on, except that with this pattern, I think there is something strangely alien about the toe. Does anyone else get this? Maybe I'm crazy...


And, you might remember, I once said the sign of a good pair of socks was how they look with your favorite shoes? Well, here you go:


These are obviously not boot socks -- too bright. But they do look great with my favorite pair of Doc Martens (ignore the safety pin holding the strap on -- these babies are 12 years old!). Oh yeah, fall socks! All ready to be worn with a skirt and a cute little sweater (to be knit, of course!)

In other news, today I felted for the first time. And it wasn't on purpose either. Remember these?


Well, they are now these:


The world's warmest, felted socks.


Yeah. Oops. In my defense, they were already felting a little as a result of being worn with my boots and being a little too big. So I figured, "What the hell? I'm throw them in the wash!" (I'd heard that some knit picks "hand wash" yarns held up to a delicate wash). No go. Out came felted socks.

I also think I'm going to join Sock Wars. Although I think my sock knitting patience is wearing thin (I crave a sweater -- a whole sweater!), I can't resist the call of competitive knitting. I've also joing Sock-a-Month II. Yeah... 2006, the year of the sock.

** Editor's Note: Who I am kidding? I'm going to be writing my dissertation this fall. I don't have time for competitive sock knitting... though it sounds like so much fun... sigh.

Sneak Peek

Itching...

It's so late. I just got off the phone with my good friend Jennifer and I am so tired I want to just collapse on the couch and not bother to turn off any of the lights, wash my face, brush my teeth, or get in bed. But there is a part of me -- a teeny tiny and loudly screaming part -- that itching to knit. Knit up a storm. Finish all these projects and finish the now so I can plan my fall knitting.

It's been a long time since my fingers have craved knitting when my mind says no. This is a good sign the dry spell will soon be over.

But for now? Bed.

Good night.

River Rapids

Tada!


I finished these a few days ago, but didn't have good light/tapestry needles for weaving in the ends. They are totally fininshed now (and yes, mom, I'm gonna send them off in the mail tomorrow).

The details:


Pattern: River Rapids socks from Sock Bug
Yarn: Nature's Palette sock yarn, 2 skeins in "medium indigo"
Needles: Inox dpns, US 0
Started: 20 June 2006
Completed: 2 August 2006

Thoughts: I love these socks. The only problem I had was the sock-yarn-needlesize didn't cooperate. I ended up having to knit the socks on size 0 needles to get closer to gauge, but the yarn really deserves a looser, more breatheable knit. It was so lush and cushy knit on size 1s (my first attempt), but was waaay too big. Rather than do the math to size down the pattern, I just dropped down a needle size. As a result, the socks are a little tight on me (the intended recipient) and so now my mom gets them (which she deserves, since I am several gifts behind in my knitting for her). But... I have nothing but good things to say about both the yarn and the pattern. LOVE this yarn. love it. Everyone should go out and get some. It put quite a strain on the needles -- I bent my first pair so severely that my mom's LYS actually replaced them. But that is due more to my iron fist and knitting under the recommended needle size than anything else.

I'm "home sick" today. I put that in quotes because I'm always home (I work from home), but I "called in sick". I've not been sick in ages and ages, so I don't feel too bad about it. I did a little work this morning and I'll do some more tonight, but this afternoon, I've been drinking tea, watching movies, and knitting. My new Knitpicks circular came today, so I'm going to try it out on TSALP. I'll let y'all know how it goes.

I leave you with this:


What is that, far off in the distance? Why it's the Gauley Bridge, over the New River in West Virginia (when first told the name of this bridge, I thought they meant "Golly!" because... well, it's a sight to be seen). I guess it's the tallest bridge in the world, or something like that. It's tall. How tall is it?


It's also phenomenally beautiful.


But I really like things like bridges. Julie and I stopped here on our way to Clifftop, where I had a terrific time. I pretty much spent the weekend doing this:


Except usually there were instruments other than fiddles (this is an awfully fiddle-heavy photo) and I was usually dancing. All day, and almost all night. So much fun (and probably why I feel under the weather today). And I get to do it again this weekend, this time in Galax, Virginia. I've got a pretty cool "job".

Ok. back to being sick.

p.s.

addendum:

Thank God for iced coffee. Really. Who ever thought of it is a pure genius. Hopefully, it will enable me to show you a new pair of socks before I leave for (yet another) fiddler's convention tomorrow morning (this one is in Clifftop, West Virginia). We'll see...

melting...

Air conditioning broken.

too. hot. to. knit.