Scott just saved a squirrel.  It had fallen off of our roof into a trashcan full of rain-water.  We don’t normally keep booby-traps around to torture the wildlife, but these floods and storms keep getting ahead of us.  Our hero was outside grilling up some burgers and just happened to check to see if any of the cans had standing water.  The poor little squirrel was trying his best to swim–squirrels aren’t the best swimmers, apparently.  When Scott tipped the can, that poor little rodent zipped up a tree and just sat there panting for ages.  I bet his little squirrely life was flashing before his eyes.

I’m expecting he’ll get back to ransacking my pitiful, water-logged vegetable garden any second now.  He’s got some strawberries to finish.   Take all you want, little pal.  I’d offer you a towel, but you seem to need to keep yelling at the empty trashcan.  Take your time.

And for his next trick, the intrepid Scott. . . .  installed the window air conditioner in the sweatshop, no, studio oh, who am I fooling.  Sweatshop.  Woot!  I am sitting at my desk and not sweating.  Life is good.

I finished:

Some very warm socks made out of Rowan Cork

Some blue Trekking socks:

Which reminded me that my grafting has gotten sloppy:

That little ear and ridge will drive me even crazier.  I should read up.

Also, I thought I was done with that log-cabin blanket:

But it had a bad corner:

Which demanded, and received, some attention:

And will be flying the coop someday very soon.

And I did some more experimenting with the sewing machine that ate New York.  The thing is a beast.  It has repaired canvas tents and sewn double-layer super-tarps.  It has sewn deerskin as if it were calico.  I’m pretty sure it beat the crap out of a rampaging bull last week.  It sails through layers of denim and felt and cotton and whatever else I decide to sandwich into a potholder but, well.   . . .  I still hate machined applique.  I hate it like poison:

What can I say?  I’m a girl who thinks machine-made things are inherently uglier than hand-made things.  My Mom, however, really loves the scattered-leaf motif, and she wants this.  And more like it.  And who am I to say no, since it’s so easy to do this way?

Holy crap.  With that kind of attitude, I’m going to start hot-gluing my seams and bedazzling purses.  I’m going to turn into one of those people who lies and says they baked cakes they actually bought at the store.  I’m going to become, dare I say it, less crazy.  Send help.

I swatched and swatched for Print o’ the Wave, and I think I actually have made a decision.  Wonder of wonders.  Proof forthcoming.

But the knitting is in the backseat for now, because I have to make the piles and piles of clothes, and I have to do it now.  I got a lot of linen:

When I say a lot, I mean nearly 20 yards.  I would have gotten more, but apparently they still let the masses shop for fabric during my official season.   Sheesh.

I also got a few good patterned pieces:

The one in the center is a linen blend I’ve used before, and I love it.  Very gauzy, and the pattern is particularly striking in firelight.  The bottom:

Is a really lovely wool silk.

The best bit, though, is that top fabric.  It’s a bi-color linen–green on one side, blue on the other:

I love it so much I want to eat it.  I don’t think I’m willing to share this one.  I’ll tell folks where it came from, though, if anyone wants some.  It’s on sale and everything.

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