Surprise Fuzzy Navels

Last week's moving list included boxing up all our random food stuff. Trust me when I say there was a great deal of head scratching over various purchase decisions. In the end, a bag was sent to the food pantry, and I'm not so sure the items inside the bag qualify as pantry staples, but someone can have an awesome array of "not your average" dinners in the near future, or mix it up on a few of their usual menu choices. Either way, the cabinets were emptied.

And there were definitely a few hidden treasures! This frozen can of Fuzzy Navel mix, in the middle of the hot, hot spell we had last week, was one of these treasures. I split it with the girls, and managed to finish up a bottle of rum with a bit left at the bottom at the same time. I've gotta say, these premade cans are super SWEET. Lots of extra water and a few limes were necessary, but once they were added, it worked. I'd forgotten how good a fuzzy navel is - that orange-peach- and rum combo is hard to beat.

When not packing, I'm doing a lot of swatching.

For now, though, the process is kind of fluid and nothing seems to want to stick. I'm switching yarns and patterns and motifs with each new swatch, so I'll save details for later on when they all settle back into something.

I am loving the gorgeous squishy, pumpkin orange yarn in the front - it's Breckenridge, from Ball and Skein, which I picked up at NH Sheep and Wool this year. I have some of her other yarns home here, tagged for a scarf that I have yet to knit, and her colors are gorgeous. I promise my next photo of the project will do the skein justice, but the light today is not cooperating, so trust me when I say it's really deep pumpkin and very rich. I am thinking I'll make some kind of long cowl with it, but fear I have a few more swatches to go before I rest. The other yarns on the table include Cascade 220, Valley Yarns Berkshire, Berroco Blackstone Tweed and Fiber Company Canopy. Swatch, swatch, swatch.

I'm afraid the problem with the swatching might have something to do with my focus on cabinets and countertops and tile. So, here's the latest. The bottom piece here is my new bathroom floor - a travertine stone version of the traditional black and white basketweave. (Since I have a dark haired husband, I want no white floors in our bathroom. ) The top bits are kitchen cabinet and countertop samples - which did not photograph true to color at all, and will look nothing like this when installed. But they're on the desk next to me so a photo had to be taken, right? Hopefully by my next post, I'll have a swatch to show instead!