Remember that Baby Chalice Blanket I posted a few weeks ago?  Yesterday I was finally able to give it to the mom-to-be when I had the privilege of attending a baby shower at Terry’s house for my dear friend Cheryl.

What a wonderful afternoon we all had!  We ate yummy food and had lots of time for chatting and relaxing.  And Cheryl got a plethora of hand crafted gifts.

Blogless Sharon made her this quilt and she received 2 other quilts, too.

There was also the infamous Baby Bee Blanket from Kim.

And the cutest little dress from Kathy.

And so much more – baby sweaters and hats and socks and booties.This is going to be a wonderfully warm little baby.

I’m not just talking about the wool here.  The love my friends and I have for Cheryl, shown in such a tangible way yesterday, is deep and full.   And I know we can’t wait to surround this new little life with all that love.

And wool.

Lisianthus from our CSA share last week.  I offer them up today in memory of Senator Edward Kennedy.

I think it’s fitting to use the words the Senator spoke at his brother Robert’ s funeral in 1968 as a tribute to his own passing.

Those of us who loved him and who take him to his rest today, pray that what he was to us and what he wished for others will some day come to pass for all the world.

Rest in peace, Teddy.

Now don’t fall over or anything but I’m about to post about knitting for two days in a row.  Shocking, I know.

These are my Fannie Socks, knit while on vacation on Cape Cod, with Farmhouse Yarns Fannie’s Fingering Weight.

They are, of course, my usual plain stockinette with a picot edge and a slip stitch heel, type socks.

I think they are particularly yummy, and I’m blaming it on the yarn.  Truly yummy stuff.

But it’s hot around here and I’m not putting them on.  Really, I’m not.

Oh, alright.  If you insist.

You all know about the Red Scarf Project, right?  This is Norma’s charity of choice and it’s a fine one.  I could try and write great things about this project and why it’s so important but Norma has already said it much better than I could.

The Red Scarf Project, a project of the Orphan Foundation of America, or Orphan.org, collects scarves to send in Valentine’s Day care packages to college students who have aged out of foster care. These brave young people are going it on their own and trying to improve their lives and the community by attending college. The care packages are welcome tokens of encouragement to young people who otherwise receive little to no mail.

I lifted that right off Norma’s Red Scarf Project blog but I don’t think she’ll mind.  And I don’t think she’ll mind that this year, instead of sending money as I have for the past 2 years, I’m sending scarves.  Here’s the first one.

The pattern is Mabel’s Scarf by Larissa Brown and the yarn is Berrocco Ultra Alpaca in a beautiful tomato red.  I only used one skein and it could perhaps be a might bit longer but I’m hopeful it will make a college student warm and happy this Valentine’s Day.

I love the geographical pattern and think that makes it very unisex – something that’s very important for these scarves.  Another thing that’s important about these scarves is that they be of excellent quality.  Oh hell, I’ll let Norma say it again.

Please remember QUALITY.  This is not for beginner knitters or crocheters.

The goal is for gift-worthy tasteful unisex collegiate scarves for middle class American college students — something they would feel proud to wear, just as if they were your own college-age son, daughter, or grandchild — using the following guidelines:

• Soft yarns, a drapey gauge, evenly knit or crocheted (but not anything that could be interpreted “lacy”)
• Does not have to be machine washable (but please include washing instructions)
• DK or light worsted weight is the preferred weight (can be fingering weight doubled)
• NO BULKY or SUPER-BULKY (it does not fit in the care package boxes)
• 5-8 inches wide
• 60-70 inches long
• RED!  is the MUCH PREFERRED COLOR.  Other tasteful UNISEX colors are acceptable, but RED is PREFERRED.  Absolutely NO PINK or LAVENDER, and no colors that the general public might not like.  Yellows, oranges, and certain shades of green are examples of what I’m talking about.  Some people (me included) love those colors — others really get turned off by them.
• NO LACE.  NO FRILLS.  NO ROTINI SCARVES.  NO FUN FUR.
• UNISEX, please.
• No felted scarves.
• No used scarves.

So that’s the deal with the Red Scarf Project 2009.  Scarves can be sent from 9/1 – 12/15 and I plan on knitting another scarf or two to go along with this one.  I’m hoping that some of you will join me and make a hard-working college student warm and happy.

There isn’t an official topic posted at Ten on Tuesday this week so I’m winging it.  Here’s my list of 10 Things I Love About The County Fair.

1. People watching.  Oh, the sights you’ll see!

2. Beer.  I was so happy when I was finally old enough to walk around with a beer at the fair.  And the thrill isn’t gone.

3.  Corn dogs.  I only discovered the wonder of the corn dog a few years ago.  I can’t believe I went so many years without trying this culinary delicacy.

4. The rides.  I don’t go on as many as I used to but they are still fun.  My favorite was that big dragon boat one but only if I could sit in the very last seat.

5. The animals.  Rabbits, sheep, cows, chickens, pigs.  Yeah, they smell.  But it’s part of the ambiance.

6. The demolition derby.  Dirt and smoke and grease and crashing cars.  Good times.  I have a secret dream to drive a car in a demolition derby some day.

7. The giant pumpkin contest.  Sure, they’re ugly and pale orange but they are HUGE.

8. The arts and crafts exhibit.  Our particular fair doesn’t get much in the way of knitting entries but the quilts are fantastic.  And the photography exhibit is always very good.

9. Fried dough, candy apples, fudge, deep fried oreos and twinkees, giant lollipops.  I rarely eat these sweets, even at the fair, but I love seeing them all over the place.

10. Soak the Bloke.  The heckling is great and the cheering when someone finally dunks him is just the best.

This was probably one of the easiest lists I’ve ever written.  I guess I really do love the fair!

In my neverending quest to provide you with entertaining blog posts, yesterday morning Dale and I took a drive to Plymouth Beach to check out the waves from Hurricane Bill.

Considering that the surf at this particular beach is usually minimal, the waves were pretty big.

And beautiful.

The shore birds were scuttling around, looking for treats.

And there were a few people attemtping to surf.

We stayed for quite a while, just listening to the roar of the ocean.

It’s one of my favorite sounds in the whole world.

This osprey was soaring over the beach last week. I sure wish I was back there with him.

Have a great weekend!

Remember Tuesday’s post? The one about the 10 traits I look for in a romantic partner? Well. Dale read that list and said he was so pleased to see that he pretty much personified every thing on the list. I pointed out that he rarely, if ever, cooks for me. I went on to suggest that since I was working and he wasn’t that perhaps he could cook dinner on Tuesday night.

He agreed and then asked me what to make for dinner. I refused to give him any suggestions, telling him that figuring out what to make is the biggest part of the problem and that if I was going to have to do that then I might as well cook, too. He called me an hour later and asked again. And then he called again, saying that he was on his way to the grocery store and wondered what I wanted for dinner. I reminded him that I make dinner every night and I do the planning and shopping and cooking without harassing anyone. This point seemed lost on him since he then called me again – this time from the grocery store – and asked what to make.

I sighed heavily and told him to forget the whole thing and I’d just make dinner as usual.

He came home with a dozen roses. I’d still have preferred the dinner but at least he went for something on the list. And he promised to make dinner one night next week.

I never thought my knitting blog would be useful as a marital tool. Heh.

The first thing I did, on my first day of vacation, was to finish up the Bristow Sweater for Lois.

You may recall that I bartered with Lois and that’s how I wound up knitting her this sweater.  She chose the pattern, Bristow, and she chose the yarn, Cascade 220.

I did the knitting and in the meantime she’s finishing a quilt for me.  Since I’d much rather knit than quilt these days, I’m a winner on this deal.

This sweater is quite beautiful, though, and I think that makes Lois a winner, too.

Thanks for welcoming me back yesterday and thanks for missing me!  I missed all of you, too.  It’s nice to be disconnected from the world for a bit but it’s also nice to come back and catch up.

And now on to today’s Ten on Tuesday.  The theme is 10 Traits  You Look for in a Romantic Interest.

And there he is, my romantic interest.  He’s at the beach and he doesn’t even like the beach but he goes because I love it.  That’s a pretty good trait, right there.

1. Good looks.  This may make me shallow but it’s what I notice first.

2. A great sense of humor.  Because some day those good looks are going to fade.

3. A nice ass.  TMI?  Sorry.

4. He must be a reader.  This one is a deal breaker.  I am a librarian, after all.

5. Financial security.

6. Zest for living.  He needs to be someone who never says no to a good time.

7. Support for my pursuits.  I want the space to pursue my hobbies and interests.

8. Romance is a nice thing.  Flowers for no reason, love letters, poems . . .

9. Kitchen skills.  I’d love for my man to cook me dinner now and again.

10.  Selflessness.  As in, he puts me first.  Ex:  a husband who goes on a beach vacation when he doesn’t even like the beach.