Thursday, July 27, 2006

Just Hanging out

Well here we are again just hanging out. We finally got our permits Monday afternoon and delivered that load on Tuesday morning. What a relief to get that off the trailer. After we delivered we headed over to the TA in Greencastle, PA (which is where we sit as I type). After a bit we headed over to on of the agents office to visit with them.

Yesterday we ran a shorty up to Johnstown, PA and back. It was a nice day yesterday and the drive up was really pretty. We skipped the toll road and took the backroads. We were up and down mountains and through little towns the whole way.

This morning we delivered the return load and headed back over to our new home here at the TA. We had the truck washed and did laundry and that has been out exciting day today. We don't have a clue what we are doing next. We are holding out for the agent we visited to load us but Chris is losing his patients already. I guess I'm ready to hit the road also.

Since I blogged last I have finished the lumberjack socks.

I have also knit 3 apple baby hats. I know of two unborn babies for two of them and then have one more already made for whoever should bet pregnant next. I took this picture while they were sitting on the dashboard when we were in line for the truckwash:)

I started another cabled bag yesterday and plan on starting a pair of cabled socks later today. It's time for a thinking project and a real cable project should do the trick.

I wonder if there is any yarn stores around here???? Hmmm. I may have to check that out.

Saturday, July 22, 2006

Our New KY Home


After delivering in Texas we booggied up to Texarkana to load a load to PA. After waiting for permits, and having A\C problems we arrived in KY. Well WV is a PIA. They have changed the way that they do there permits and we found out that they are really really behind issuing permits because they changed there system. So Thursday night we pulled into a Flying J in Cattlesburg, KY and set up camp. That's Skip and Mugs the Pugs. They are running one of these glorious loads with us! So anywho, we set up camp behind the trailers and whipped out the grill! We shunned the J and had some steaks and asparagus on the grill instead!It was really good and a nice night so we were happy.

Then Friday rolled around and we thought that surely we would have out permits in the morning so we could still deliver on Friday. 10 am was the cutoff for us getting our permits and still being able to deliver Friday. Well 10 came and went and still no permits. After twiddling our thumbs all day and discussing our options at length, Skip got his permit at about 4:30. It was too late to go for the weekend but at least he can leave first thing Monday morning. We thought surely our permit was right behind it and we would be getting the call soon. Yeah right... Friday came and went and we have no permit. We are still on standby. We will start the thumb twiddling again Monday morning.

Yesterday we checked into the Days Inn. The dogs are happy to be running around, I have been using the computer and watching TV. We even ate at my friend Bob's house last night. Bob Evans that is:)

This week has been a productive knitting week for me. I also have managed to locate a yarn store here in town. (Thanks Leslie! I used mapmuse.com) I just hope that they are open on Sundays. I will try calling them in a little bit here.

This week I started and finished this cabled purse. It is from the book Last Minute Knitted Gifts.

It is a wallet sized bag made with Koigu. It was quick and fun to make . It's really hard to see the pattern in the picture but there are little mock cables (right twists) that run along the side the bag and in the middle there is a leaf motif. After working on the bag for a little bit it was really easy to read my knitting so that I had to look at the pattern minimally. It also has a stockenette lining so it won't pull and get stretched out. It look less than one skein of yarn which is also a big bonus. I had bought two skeins of the kouigu to make socks with but when I seen this project I decided I would like to make this bag since I am a sock knitting fool. I will probably make another one these bags with the other skein.

I have also been working on these socks. I am calling them the Lumberjack socks.

These are made with Lion Brand Magic stripes. They are just plain socks knit around and around and around. I like them. It's kind of nice to have a totally mindless sock project with no pattern to think about. I am working on the toe decreases now so I almost have one sock done.

Hopefully today I can hit up that yarn store in Ashland, KY and start cooking up a new project! Well that's all folks.

Sunday, July 16, 2006

This post brought to you by Idle Aire

Greetings from TX. We are currently holed up in the truck in San Antonio, TX. We will deliver this

tomorrow morning down in San Juan, TX. His name is Brutus. He is a 1963 Cat Wheeled Dozer. Brutus doesn't look quite as impressive with the canopy down. I could kick myself for not getting a picture of him before we had the canopy dropped. Oh well too late now.

I don't think I have mentioned lately how much I LOVE Idle-Aire. Friday night we hooked up to the Idle Aire in El Paso and had a lovely time watching TV and using the computer without worrying about it dying. Today we are hooked up in San Antonio watching the race in cool comfort.

Here is a pic of my finished butterfly shawl. Don't you just love the deck of the trailer as the backdrop?

I have also been working on socks like a mad fool which seems ridiculous since it has been 100 degrees outside the past few days. I felt silly putting these socks on to take the picture. Look!!! I finally finished these socks. I was looking back on the blog and they made there first appearance in April. I can tell that they were worked on for a long time since the second sock is a bit bigger than the first. Either I have loosened up my gauge in the past few months or I was really angry when I started them (hehe).

I am also making excellent progress on Chris' socks. I am calling these Chris' peacock socks. The picture doesn't do them justice but in the light the colors remind me of a peacock. I am a little worried that I am going to run out of yarn. I am just going to keep knitting away and hope for the best.

Well that's all folks. All is well in the big blue truck.

Sunday, July 09, 2006

Vacationing in Oregon



We are doing one of the things that we set out to do when I got on the truck. We are taking a little mini vacation here in Portland. We got into town Friday night and settled in and headed to the Ponderosa Nightclub that is here at Jubitz truckstop in Portland. We listened to the Honkey Tonk band, Kindling and had some drinks. Yesterday morning we woke up and got a bite of breakfast and got some laundry started. I decided that I had better call Linda and Bob Cole, one of the agents in Vancouver, and say hello since we were in town. Well we decided to go grab some dinner and then they were kind enough to show us some sites around the Portland area. Wow! What a great afternoon we had. They took us to the Columbia River gorge. We drove thru the beautiful Pacific Northwest forests and stopped to see 5 waterfalls!!! The scenery was fabulous and I'm sure that without Linda and Bob we never would have seen this area.

View of the Columbia River from Crown Point

I can not express how really really nice it was of Linda and Bob to take time out of there weekend to drive us around and show us the sites.

Chris, Laura Bob, Linda and Zachery at Latourell Falls

Bridal Veil Falls

Chris and Laura at Multnamah Falls

Multnomah Falls

Up until 1995 Multnomah had the longest continuous waterfall in the world. In 1995 a 400 ton chunk of rock the size of a school bus fell from the falls from the natural erosion of the water hitting the rock. Now that that piece fell the walls sucks the water close enough to the rocks that it breaks the continuous fall.

When we got back to the Hotel we came back to the room and crashed with the boys for a little bit. After we had rested us for a little bit we headed down to the Ponderosa again. We listened to the band and had some more drinks. It was a very wonderful full day yesterday. Today we will be a much slower paced day! We are going to watch the race and do some "housework" in the truck.

Here is one of the pics of my shawl that I had been trying to upload. I did finish the butterfly shawl but do not have a pic of the finished shawl yet. I finished it just in the nick of time. The day after I finished we were in Northern Idaho (beautiful!!!!!!) and it was chilly and perfect shawl weather. I am predicting that shawls will be the poncho. Watch out fashion world!


I have also been plugging along on Chris' socks. They are turning out really nice so far. I finally had him try them on yesterday and they are fitting perfectly so far also. I have spoiled myself by knitting little socks for me and Chris has BIG feet. These socks will take longer to complete than the shawl!

Well it's time for me to get cozy, knit and watch the race!

Monday, July 03, 2006

I am a lazy blogger

I'll admit it. I am a lazy blogger. I could rattle off why I am a lazy blogger but I'll save it.

We're in SSP right now. We will leave tomorrow morning for Portland OR. I am excited to be heading into the Northwest. I have never been to OR or WA (neither has Oscar!!!). I'll be curious to see what we can find to haul out of there since this is a Holiday week. Happy 4th BTW.

Oh and Happy Birthday Skip. I know this isn't the weekly message but it's the best I can do!!!

Well this week has been filled with truck drama. We were going to get a new truck then we weren't then we were again. Well we are not getting a new truck. We will continue to travel around in 3310.

Here is a pic of the load we took to NC.














This is our current load that's going to Portland. Well this is part of it anyways. We are in the middle of loading when I took this but the rest of it looks just like these crates.



I finished the counterpain bag. I am pleased with the way it turned out. If I had it to do all over again I would have sent it to Moe to have her do the sewing for the lining. I guess the good thing about me doing all the sewing by hand is that it is 100% hand made by me. You can tell it's handmade if you look at the lining though.

I also finished these socks. I drunkenly promised them to Kari. She is one lucky chica because these are some lovely socks. They are Mountain Colors Barefoot. The yarn is spendy but lovely and wonderful to work with.

This is my newest big project. It is a butterfly shawl that I am knitting me me, me, me!!! I was looking for a shawl pattern for me when I ran across this at Borrialis Yarns last time we were in town. I wanted a shawl for in the truck. Sometimes it gets chilly but I don't want to put a sweater on and the dogs are SUCH blanket hogs. (It looks like Nannie might turn into a shawl hog!) It's coming along nicely and I am thinking that it should be done by the time we get to Portland unless I get distracted by socks. I am over half way done already. ***This site does not want to upload these pics of the shawl. I will try later***


Today I swung by Three Kittens Yarn Shoppe to return the extra balls from my bag. ( I just don't have the space or money for a stash in the truck that does not have a plan!!) I picked up some (more) sock yarn. I got this really cool sock yarn that has aloe vera in the yarn. You really can't tell when you just pick it up but the lady at the yarn shop said that she loved knitting with it because it moisturized your hands while you were working with it also. It's supposed to last for 40 washings.

I also picked up yarn to knit Chris 2 pairs of socks. He was not feeling the knitting love. He is financing my knitting career and not seeing anything knit for him. Sorry about that babe. I'll get those socks started stat!!!