Yards...

It's been a long, yard-ey weekend.

It started at about 8:30AM on Saturday with me digging up the (sadly) dead purple sage bushes in the front yard (you wouldn't believe the size of the roots on those suckers! Such a bummer that they didn't get water while the house was vacant!!). Aside from a few moments of irony (realizing I was digging them up with a 'Homeowner' brand shovel, purchased well before we were actually homeowners); and resourcefulness (realizing I neglected to buy hedge trimmers, pruning shears, a hacksaw, or any other tool suitable for clipping/cutting down bushes; and deciding the 20 mile drive to the nearest hardware store wasn't worth it--then using a pair of bolt cutters brought over by Cory's mom), it was a productive and exhausting day. Meanwhile, Cory fixed the fence in about two dozen places. I'm pretty sure his motivation was more because he wants to adopt a rescued dog; not so much because the HOA will soon be sending nasty-grams if we didn't.

Now, I really should explain that I'm addicted to bargain hunting. I'm pretty sure I haven't paid full price for anything in my home or closet for at least two years. Thrift stores, yard sales, clearance racks, hand-me-downs...good finds are out there and I'm bound and determined to find them. And I have. With help of course. Between my mom, and especially this weekend Cory's mom--I've collected some amazing things. This weekend's find: two stoneware serving platters, a buffet server, and a punch bowl all for the wedding, all for $11. So cool.

And the last of my 'yards' this weekend: it's time to choose my next project. I'm about 4 knitting hours away from finishing the Gayle (finally...egad!) and while I admit I'm better off with small projects, I'm really, really itching to try lace. I don't want to bite off more than I can chew, but I think I'm going to try the Shoalwater Shawl for my mom in a non-wool. There's no way of course it'll be done by Mother's Day--but perhaps by the wedding, if not then by Christmas. No pressure, just dying to try it. I think I'll try the SWTC Terra. The bamboo content really gives it a nice drape and besides that there's no animal fiber at all (my mom's sensitive to pretty much everything) it's an eco-friendly yarn, so it makes me smile too! She, like my grandma, loves red, so I think I'll knit up my test swatch in this color:

And I'm thinking I'll need about 850 yards :-)


*Ashley*