Yes, It's Been Awhile

I'm still here -- and doing a little bit of knitting. I'm up to the legs on the STR socks (yarn color: Rainforest Jasper; pattern: Cedar Creek from the STR club). I really want to get them done! But I'm having a hard time working on them for long stretches. I don't know whether it's just the fact that they've been on the needles so long that it seems like they should have been done a long time ago, and why am I still having to go round and round....
After I finished my Mystery Shawl 3, I went for a quick & easy project -- the Black Sheep bags Kristina Bag , which was also my first foray into Fair Isle, using the two-handed technique taught in the Philosopher's Wool video. Then it gets felted, so any weirdness is disguised. Turned out pretty well.

I have several other Fair Isle projects planned -- mittens, gloves, a bigger bag that doesn't get felted, the Sampler Hat from IK. I've also signed up for Ginger's Knitalong for the Bazaar Socks in the new IK -- and my yarn arrived yesterday! (Minus one color, which is on backorder. I looked at the pattern, and I can get as far as completing the toes before I have to quit and wait for the missing color. Another reason to get the STR socks finished -- so I can start these!)
Finally blocked my Mystery Shawl 3 yesterday. It looks like a whole different creature. (No picture yet.)
Last time I posted, I mentioned that I was cleaning the house for the impending arrival of overnight guests. With help from the other 3 members of the family, we got the place into reasonable shape, guests arrived, graduation ceremony was attended, everyone came back to the house, (more) pictures were taken, people ate & visited, slept, ate a big breakfast, went "shopping" in the yarn storage to find yarn for a shawl for Mom, didn't find anything that was the right color, went to a neighboring town to watch my son's clogging team perform, then came home (my parents and my aunt left headed the other way, to go home after the clogging). Really, the whirlwind hasn't stopped yet. The kids are preparing to leave for church camp next week. My son has baseball practice, baseball games, clogging practice, clogging performances, science fair. Daughter is still finishing the college classes she was taking. And so it goes....
Here's the graduate:

This child graduated 3rd in her class, with 33 college hours, and a scholarship which will pay her tuition at Missouri State (and is renewable -- she just needs to maintain a 3.5 GPA...). We're pretty proud of her!