I finished the first pillow for the couch this afternoon after school. I waffled for a few days on whether to cut a back for the pillow out of an old blue jean skirt I had that anpped all the way up the front, or to whip out the sweater machine my MIL owns and stores in my garage and knit a back for it. In the end, I couldn't resist the snaps on the skirt. So I laid the pillow form on top of the skirt, traced around it with a white crayon, (adding 1/4 and inch for seam allowances) and sewed it up on the sewing machine. I think it looks pretty cool. I love the way it turned out.

Front:

Back:


I thought I would only knit one of these, but I had so much fun doing it, and it looks so nice I have started another one. I hope it goes as quickly as the first one did.

A book I had on hold at the library came in today, Alternaknits. It's not quite a knitting book I would spend money on, but there are a couple of interesting projects in there. There are some totes and a blanket made out of felted sweaters, and a really cool dress dummy that was decopauged with yarn labels. I don't need a dress dummy, but I think the idea would translate well to a big shallowly curved bowl for holding yarn.

Well, school here is in full swing, and going well. We are going to start going to a homeschool group meeting every week starting in September. It's something I think the kids and I all need. With all the heat out here, Stache has been spending a lot of time in the house. It's been edging up towards 110 degrees, and it feels cruel to leave the black dog outside in the heat. So he comes in an throws himself down over an air vent as soon as the kids get up in the morning. When school starts and the kids move to the kitchen for lessons, Stache moves too. What a sweety.