Diamond Fantasy Shawl is complete

I hope you all had a great Mother’s Day.

I spent most of Saturday doing my walking and then painting – priming and painting – the living room and hall upstairs in my house. I am really pleased with the color. It is neutral (we hope to sell the house in a year or so) but still a color and it blends well with the new carpet. My muscles are reminding me about each and every time I went up and down the step ladder and all of the steps I climbed in the process of washing out rollers and paint brushes. We have one more coat of paint to go on the hall walls, and then DH and or eldest son must paint the entry hall. That requires being on a tall ladder and a board stretched over the stairs going to the basement and is not something I will ever be found doing.

Sunday I was a good DooBee (anybody remember Romper Room?) and did my 4.5 miles with Karen. Then I went to Home Depot and shopped for my plants for the year. I came home with 3 carnation plants for the front garden (to provide flowers without the need to plant every year since they are perennials). I bought some tomato, cucumber, green pepper and green bean plants for the veggie garden, vinca, petunias in several colors (this one is called lemon Zest) and vining vinca for the pots and boxes on the deck, and a twisted trunk hibiscus. My deck will be very pretty and welcoming. I planted some of the plants I brought home.
Strawberry plants with a pretty red daisy in the center.


Then, since my legs were killing me at that point, left the rest to be planted on Tuesday after work. This is what I have to plant on Tuesday.

I hope they didn’t all blow away in the winds last night!



I spent the rest of the day doing some spinning (the last bobbin of the Spunky Eclectic spring Mud fiber)

and knitting. I finished the Diamond Fantasy Shawl!!!!! I haven’t blocked it yet. I am so excited – I can’t wait to wear it.

I cord bind off

A close up of the pattern.






Tilt, the test knitting sock, is going well now that the size issue has been taken care of.




I love this pattern and it looks great in the Trekking yarn. I am a little concerned about the durability of the fabric since I had to go to size 2 needles to get the fit around the leg that I needed. It will be worth the effort to get it just right, though.




















I put the chicken in to roast but DH came home from work and did the rest – mashed potatoes, veggies, gravy and biscuits. Yum! He even did the dishes! How’s that for a peach of a guy? He started my day with a gift of chocolate and ended it with a wonderful dinner and no clean up. He's a keeper.