…as of earlier this week.  Our mornings are dawning brilliantly clear.  The ocean temp’s gone up a few degrees just over the past week (I’ve been in twice, went body boarding Wednesday a.m. and splashing about (in the June gloom) last week).  The water’s now in the mid 60s — a little cold at first but refreshing and cooling.

Of course that means we’re not experiencing the unseasonally cooler air temps anymore.  I’ve turned into a weather wimp since moving back to California.  I wilt in heat (heat being anything mid 80s and up).  I know, pathetic, especially from the girl who grew up in Arizona (it’s a DRY heat) and has lived in New York state (very hot & steamy in the summer) and Austin and Bryan/College Station Texas (even hotter & steamier).

Zylphia‘s nearly done & Emily‘s been started.  I tweeted about my moment of happiness — the 344 lace stitches of the flounce successfully joined in the round without twisting.  Emily is going to have some rather interesting construction techniques;  I foresee a video tutorial.  I’m planning on having all the bottom portion of the skirt — all the fiddly lace & intarsia bits — done before heading to the Madrona Mittens workshop next week (but am planning on bringing the skirt to work on in the evenings).

I hope everyone is having a wonderful 4th of July.  Franklin Habit has a wonderful post for today (and I have to admit, his comment re: comments made me giggle).

We (Dave, me, Rigel) met Tina for a run this morning.  So many people out already at 8 a.m., walking their dogs, running, biking, setting up for beach volleyball tournaments.  The LA Tri Club 8 a.m. Manhattan Beach ocean swim was on — we could see some people out swimming.  It’s June gloom-y, but it was lovely to be out.  A little girl in a stroller was thoroughly entranced by Rigel — her mom was fine with Rigel coming up to her for a petting.  I love seeing kids who are so excited about dogs, and comfortable with them.

We’re planning an otherwise quiet day — grilling some chicken from the Farmer’s Market for a late lunch, potato salad, fresh fruit salad (we got some wonderful nectarines and blueberries yesterday), drinking some pink wine.

Knitting-wise, I’m going to try to get Zylphia done to the armholes and one sleeve at least started today.

I started a group on Ravelry for my designs.  I was a bit worried about doing so — what if no one joined???  But people have, yay!  I’m hoping to get some KALs going and to post some techniques links and tutorials there (will have here on the blog as well).

***

Probably the most exciting thing that happened this week was Rigel breaking a window.

The squirrel that sometimes sits in our pine tree was there, chittering at Rigel.  Rigel got so excited he lunged at the window with both front paws and BROKE THE WINDOW.  He didn’t go through it, and he didn’t cut his paws, though he was startled.

Dave (with help from me) took out the rest of the broken glass (with the VARMINT chittering at Dave all the while), took apart the window (old aluminum slider window, the fixed window was the broken one, but you have to take out the slider window first to take out the fixed window), and took it to a local glass store.  They cut the glass and re-assembled the aluminum frame & gasket around it, and Dave and I reinstalled the  windows.  Apparently the old glass was thinner than it was supposed to be, which I’m sure contributed to it breaking when hit just so.

So…the new window is fine, Rigel is fine, the darned squirrel (which is now referred to by a variety of obscene names) is fine.  Dave was fine for the whole process.  I was a bit of a basket case.

The second most exciting thing…I got a loom!  It’s an antique high castle four harness loom.  Its previous owner just wanted to find it a home.  We’re going to set it up in the cat room (the bedroom/library where the cats stay during the daytime so they don’t use Rigel’s dog door and go outside;  they are indoor-only cats).  Pics to follow.

So….I made soup with some leftover bread (which Dave had made the day before, bread machine — a cliche wedding gift that we really have used over the past 9 (9!!!) years) and the tomatoes. I did choose to add a can of tomato paste.

Ingredients:

• Olive oil
• Garlic
• A lot of ripe tomatoes
• About 1/3 of a 2# loaf of bread
• 1 can of tomato paste
• Salt
• Pepper
• Water

Basically toss everything together.  I didn’t measure anything.  Not fancy but tasty, and we’ve had it for 2 lunches so far, and have enough for one more.

Dave & I & Rigel went running this a.m.  I’m really, really wanting to get in the habit of running every other day, no matter how slowly.  We did what I consider the ‘normal’ route:  parking at the Police Station, running down Pier Ave, then up the Strand (the concrete running/walking/biking path adjacent to the beach) to the ‘steps’ (literally where there are steps that go up from the Hermosa Beach Strand to the Manhattan Beach Strand (which is divided into 2 paths, one nominally for cyclists, the other for walkers/runners)) and back.  It’s about a 5k, so it’s a reasonable distance.  Dave’s now off for the summer, so we should run together.

Knitting news:

Pippin got frogged a second time.

I’ve nearly finished the second Josephine mitten, a lovely beaded fingerless mitten that should be coming out in the Gifts issue of Knitcircus.  I couldn’t bear to touch Pippin again this weekend, and Josephine was on my list of to-do’s, as well as being something absolutely different.  I just have the thumb & blocking left to do, then the mitts will be mailed.

And….today I received the first packet of yarn from the Sanguine Gryphon — the Eidos for Zylphia and the lace for Emily.  I’ve been swatching all afternoon and am delighted to say I’m able to use a US4 for Zylphia (as opposed to a US2 or US3).  I’ll be casting on tonight or tomorrow.

Hmph.  Back to more learning videos.  I’ve decided to really tackle Illustrator next.  I can do schematics in Inkscape (which at this point I consider a fine, free substitution/fill in for Illustrator – we’ll see if that changes as I learn Illustrator) but really want to start using Illustrator for them.  Regardless, I’d like to get through at least one of the Illustrator basic courses & one for Photoshop, then play around with some of the more advanced Indesign tutorials before my free month runs out.

Knitting-wise, I’m working on some swatches for the TNNA Great Wall of Yarn, which is fun;  I’m working with some yarns I’ve not used before.  I have 2 new mitts currently at various stages (one twisted stitch, one stranded) and I’ve turned in several proposals recently (skirt, cardi, etc)(and have more to work on).  Oh, and just for grins:  I’m actually including a fair amount of lace in one of those patterns.  Go figure.  I am nothing but inconsistent.

I’m also working on revamping the Dave socks & Sw’Elegant in Indesign:  tightening up the pattern, layout, etc.  No real urgency on these;  I need to get the Dave socks done by June 1st, no deadline for Sw’Elegant.

On running:  Dave & I finally have race plans!  We recently volunteered at the Malibu Creek XTerra trail run & earned race entries.  We’ve decided on the 11k Pt Mugu race in October.  Please note when I say ‘race’, it’s just against myself.  Anything else would be an utter disappointment.

Regardless, I now have a goal race for which to train.

We’ve done this one before (if I recall I injured my knee and hobbled through the last half of the run) but it’s a good (but hard) course:  straight uphill, a couple miles of relatively flat, then straight back downhill, with some nice panoramic views at the top.

Here’s the elevation map:

And here’s the topo map:

….being sock pic models.

Also, a very belated thanks to Patricia and to Judy! I won contests at both of their sites.

Patricia at Tangletale sent me a beautiful bag she made, as well as yarn and stitchmarkers (you can see them here).  The bag is reversible and is exquisitely crafted.  I can’t sew a straight line (I’m serious, not joking) and I’m so impressed when I see such wonderful work.

Judy at Smatterings sent me incredibly soft & lovely sock yarn, colorway Autumn, for guessing closest to the number of acorns in one pound.  It reminds me of butternut squash, and is supremely autumnal!  just gorgeous.

I’ve not posted recently about workouts, but it’s not because they’re not occurring — they are — I’ve just been lax about blogging about them.  Running is becoming a habit again (YAY!) and I’ve started doing some weights at the gym.  I’m almost back down to the weight I was when I overtrained to the point of getting sick a couple years ago — but I’m not nuking my immune system this time.  I can also tell I’m getting faster.  (Mind you, I’m not fast, but relatively speaking, I’m pleased with myself.)