Knitting and Girl Scouts

I finished knitting the Cascade 220 socks.  I wasn't really using a pattern, just knitting along until the top was 7" long or so, then reducing down 12 stitches (2 sts. every six rows, six times) then knitting a bit more before making a dutch heel and finishing down the foot.  While I didn't really count rows, they match close enough to be a pair. I haven't worn them much, but I worry that they'll be itchy.  Maybe I'll find someone who wants to own them more than me.

So I started knitting up another pair of socks.  This is a super-soft marino wool yarn that isn't knitting up as soft as the yarn is, and it seems that I didn't knit a big enough heel flap.  I think I may have to back up and try again.  Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of the yarn--this may turn out to be slipper socks instead.

Those are some cute kids!  We went to the Mariners game last Saturday along with a number of school families, and it also turned out to be CF Awareness month, so Cole from Cole's Champions threw out the first pitch.  I wonder how he qualified to do that?  I guess it pays to know people in important places or be awesome fundraisers.  We're terrible at fundraising.  We didn't even go to the walk this year--I went camping and Kelly went to a soccer game.  Meh.

I picked up some 6-hole weaving cards at Crown, but I'm having trouble with tension on the weave.  I talked with a couple other weavers who suggested that I need a longer distance from the anchor point to the end--this has the tension ending at that top bar, which causes some issues.  I'll have to experiment with some other options, like the 2 x 4 in the garage with the two pegs on it, which is like a miniature Oseberg loom:
I'll have to clamp it to the table and I'll have to use a bunch of twist-ties to keep the threads from tangling through the 4 yard length.  Someday I may try to make one of these, just to see if I can.

I went to take pictures of the rhodies at Omi's house, and didn't notice it at the time that the bamboo growing in the bushes have sent runners to the other side of the sidewalk, so it needs to be whacked.  Seriously whacked.  The good news is she has some renters wanting to get into the house, so Sharon needs to get serious about getting the house ready to rent--there's still a lot of stuff in the house and several repairs that need to be done.  The couple who are looking to rent are very capable, handy folks, and I get the impression that he can fix just about anything and is an experienced carpenter, so he's thinking about doing some improvements inside, like updating the staircase railing to make it easier to install baby gates (for when that time comes--they are newly married and anxious to start a family).

This weekend is going to include my first Girl Scout camping trip since 1976.  As I understand it, we will be camping in covered wagons, so this will be fun!  I know there are crafts and maybe some boating and (if it's warm enough) swimming and hiking...it should be a blast!  Especially with smores! Not sure how the sleeping arrangements will be sorted...I guess we'll find out when we get there.  I'll have to bring my new camera and take lots of pictures.  This will be the second-to-last Girl Scout adventure before the end of the school year.  After that, we have a trip to Great Wolf Lodge as our last hurrah, then I hang up my leader cap.  I guess Renee found a replacement leader for the younger Juniors, and I'm down to three girls for the bridging Cadettes, and one of them is moving to Germany for a couple years.  I told them that if they would like to renew their memberships, I would do that and be there as a mentor while they worked on badges.  We can also Skype our foreign member while she's away and she can work on badges overseas--what a trip that would be!  Can you imagine hiking in the Alpes, touring castles, experiencing new cultures....  I don't know if she'll be coming back during the summers to visit, but if she does, we can get together and do fun stuff over the summer months.

I went for a walk-run today.  It was about 2 1/2 miles, and I ran about four blocks of it.  Not bad for a fat old broad.  I hope that I can continue this trend and get myself back in shape.  Of course, round is a shape, right?

Only 7 days left of school (well, 9, but the last two days are a half-day and a couple hours for the last day, cleaning classrooms and a pep rally type thing).  Part of me is dreading the end of school--having 5 or 6 hours of the day to myself (sort of), but that part is very small.  Honestly, I'm looking forward to sleeping in and taking the kids out for adventures.  Hikes and Geocaching, swimming and *driving lessons* (big kid only), and doing a little bit of scouting activities with the little guys.