FOs and the Fourth

One of my favorite places is my grandparents' farm, in Proctor, Texas. It's out in the middle of nowhere. The "town" has about 75 residents, a beer barn, a bait shop, a church and a post office.

They have hundreds of acres, most of which is just left to nature at the moment, but it's just gorgeous. They have lots of animals, mostly tended by my aunt and uncle, who live just down the road.

One thing they never run out of is puppies! My aunt and uncle breed border collies (seen above), Great Pyrenees, German Shorthair Pointers, collectively, they are all breeds for hunting and farming assistance. Our favorite thing to do is play with the puppies when we visit. They spend lots of time with the pups, training them and just giving them love.

Who could resist that face? (excuse the blur, but puppies are fast!)

This weekend, I enjoyed a quick, but wonderful visit to my grandparents' place for our annual family reunion on the 4th (or 5th, in this case). It was a blast, just hanging out with family outside, eating good food and enjoying each other.

I got to talk knitting with several cousins who also knit and crochet. They were impressed with how much I've learned in the past year.

I worked on Jill's My So-called scarf while I was there, and I finished weaving in the ends last night.
Details:
My So-called scarf, by Allison Isaacs
Yarn: Rustic Wool by Queensland Collection, 2.3 skeins (about 230 yards)
Needles: Size 10 straights (pattern calls for 10.5 or 11, but I used the biggest ones I've got)
Time: 2 months, at knit night, on my lunch break
I originally started this as a christmas present, just to get ahead on gifts, but my sister is actually going to be able to use it sooner than that, so now it's for her. More on that next time.

For now, I've got another non-knitting FO to show you. I took some fabric up to my grandmother's (I have a machine of my own, but I haven't touched it lately) and sewed up a quick placemat.
It's two-sided, each side in a different fabric, and I sewed it up using some binding. It was really easy and only took about 45 minutes or so. I planned on making a set, but I ran out of time. Hopefully, I will be able to sit down at my machine soon to make some more.