The lesson is...

always carry knitting with you when you leave the house. Keep it stashed in the trunk of your car, the glove box, underneath the carseat, wherever you think of to put it. Who knows when you'll need it? And who knows when someone else might need it?

On Friday I put the kids, a couple of bags and some knitting in the car and we made our way to Branson. The night before my grandmother had taken a fall and had broken three bones in her ankle. We were going to visit her in the hospital before surgery and keep Mom company for a bit. Our timing was impeccable and we managed to arrive right as grandma fell asleep for the first time since the accident. Mom met me in the parking lot to hug her most adorable grandchildren (and only grandchildren, though that doesn't matter) and talk for a few minutes.

Mom was holding up well and was trying to make sure that her own Mommy was getting the care she needed. Well, even Mom's need to be taken care of and so I asked her if she brought any knitting with her. She said yes, but a little hesitantly and told me that she brought socks with her. I pulled out a bag and put it in her hands before she left. A scarf. Easy easy scarf. Not intimidating at all and perfect for hospital knitting! She grinned as she left.

Here's the scarf, though it's much longer now. I took Tammy's advice and looked on Ravelry for pattern ideas for the handpaintedyarn.com yarn and found this, The Scrunchable Scarf. Simple pattern, great for this type of variegated yarn. I'm really happy with the results and the project is really moving right along.

Owen is done with his summer school so I lost the three hours a day, four days a week that I had with just me and Ailish. Since she's still little (6 weeks old!) and sleeps a lot, that was my chance to take a nap with her or knit or do stuff around the house. No longer! He goes back to school August 15th and though I love being home with him, I'm looking forward to having that time again!

Ailish is such a good baby! She's getting big and has started smiling at people and windows. Owen thinks she's wonderful and can't get enough of her, but who can blame him?