Chug chug chugging along

I have found the perfect project for the yarn A.L. gave me. Actually, it's a pattern I've wanted to do for a long time & just hadn't found the right yarn for it. It's called the Bloody Stupid Johnson hat, in honor of the Discworld character of the same name. (Wikipedia has some articles on him so you can look him up if so desired.) It's an awesome hat; after the ribbing, you do some short rows to give it a lopsided look. A cable band is knit sideways above the ribbing, the cables deteriorating into wavy strands over the short rows. (Click on the pic to the right for a better view of the short rows & cables.) I had to learn how to graft rib stitch for this project which is an AWESOME skill to have, and easier than one might think. Short rows in the crown allow the hat to fit properly. The pictures posted today are of the cable band before grafting.

Today I picked the first ripe figs from the tree, or rather the first fruits we humans get to eat. I noticed quite a few that have been munched on by birds and insects (notably ants--the tree was swarming with them!) I gathered 21 of them; 14 are in the fridge now, and the others were used to make some fig bread which is currently baking. I've never made it before, since normally the birds don't leave enough figs to bother, and I hope it's good. It smells good, which I'm taking as a good sign.

I've started following a new blog (new to me, that is). It's called Hopes & Dreams & Happy Things (www.hopes-dreams-happythings.blogspot.com) and the title pretty much describes it. Current postings include a photo of an open-mouthed bullfrog (love his reflection in the pond) and some shots of The Magic Castle in LA (an awesome place; if you ever have the chance to visit you should do so). Scrolling through the old posts certainly made me smile.

Ralph is performing in a church talent show tomorrow. Neither of us are members of this church, but some friends of ours go there & one of them asked Ralph to help out as they were short a tenor for "A Weekend in the Country." I think I may have mentioned this in an earlier post. I'm really looking forward to the performance.

Temp work is still holding on. Friday was supposed to have been my last day and they've asked me to stay another four weeks. Keeping my fingers crossed!