Sunday at Sabino

The monsoon season in Tucson is over and the wind is beginning to bring cooler air in ... and making my skin really, really dry (thank goodness for Aveeno).

We actually opened the windows up in the house for most of Sunday. The wind outside, not always great for contact lens wearers, created a really pleasant cross breeze in the rooms and we didn't need the air conditioner until the early evening when it gets a little toasty right before the sun begins to set. 

 

It was so nice, Jeffrey put off studying for a few hours to go enjoy the weather with me up the street in Sabino Canyon. There were a lot of people with similar ideas and the pathways were packed with Tusconans with weird hiking hats, poles, gallons of water strapped to their backs, and all kinds of gear. Jeffrey and I felt maybe some were a bit over-geared.

Absolutely a gorgeous start to the day. There was still water in the canyon but the air was crisp and dry. The kind of day that makes you happy to be living in such a beautiful place.

Eric's New Online Shop

My brother Eric has put some of his photos on wares at CafePress.

Check out our new mini mogul's stuff!

I Like Carrots Modifications

Instead of doing work or practicing knitting, I thought I would take some time to play with my blog's look.

Dots! 

Also, I've added a blog roll (if you don't see your blog here, it might be because I don't know the URL anymore ... gabel group, Lena's baby blog ... I will add it if you will give it to me again.

AND introducing (trumpet noises!) a poll. Because everyone likes a poll, right? I don't know what good it will do, but it will be fun to test out.

Also, for those of you who don't know what a twitter update is, those are from my Twitter site where I often post up little bits of fun during the day because it's easy. If you want to see the other end of the conversation, go to Twitter and sign up for a free account and start following people. It's fun and you can lurk. (and it might curb the panicked emails from my mom who only saw me telling Snaps -- my brother Eric -- that I was sorry and she assumes the worst ... he was just sick ma!)

Craftiness Part Deux

Today was my first beginner knitting class.

My mom and I tried to learn to knit several years ago. She has since made a sweater. I think I used my needles to stake a plant.

I sucked at it. 

My fingers aren't generally that nimble. I have trouble with some fine motor skills and when it came to knitting, I would brain the concept down to the fingers, but it was like a game of telephone: The message somehow became altered and knitting was not possible.

But I thought I would give it another shot. I looked online and tried to read the diagrams, but it was about as helpful as an IKEA instruction sheet.

I went online, did a Google for "knitting classes in Tucson" and came across Purls Tucson and they had tons of classes.

So I signed up.

The class was great. 

Instead of it being a bunch of white hairs, the instructor was cool and didn't yet qualify for anything with an AARP acronym. Her assistant was a twenty-something manchild who looked like he should be doing something much more masculine than knitting but who is apparently an awesome knitter (and I heard him talking to some of my classmates, and he was a great teacher. His mommy should be proud.)

And ... I knitted!!!

Also, I finished my lunch bag right before I (possibly) broke my sewing machine!



I bought a rotary cutter and mat ... these are excellent inventions. If you ever make anything with fabric that requires cutting, buy one. And the cutters now come in pretty colors. So you get innovation AND cuteness. Awesome.