It's Raining

“May you always have walls for the winds, a roof for the rain, tea beside the fire, laughter to cheer you, those you love near you and all your heart might desire.”

Irish Blessing

Here's looking at you through a new computer and monitor, raising my mug of tea. I didn't realise my old computer was ten years young until I took it apart trying to mend a problem. It had been a gift from my Father and had belonged to my Uncle Larry, it got me through for quite a while. I figured since our House and Senate finally did their job, did the right thing, and got together on the budget to keep the government running, I might as well splurge on a new one, a celebration of sorts. So, I am back online.The new mug on my desk, brought back from...well, you know. I have never been there, but am told often I NEED to go. How great are friends who remember you when they are out having so much fun. Thanks, Pete and Kim!

I have new yarn from Scotland, too. I need to take pictures of the beautiful yarns that came recently while I didn't have picture capability. Thanks, Bev!! She added some really pretty earrings that she made herself. They will be in my next post.

I am going through another flare, so I have been doing a little knitting and a little reading. My Mom & Dad sent me a care package of books. Iris Johansen is a current favorite.

This is reclaimed yarn. It came a while ago, but my camera and old computer didn't like to speak to each other. This lovely sport weight yarn started life as an unwanted sweater. Erica, the woman who rescued it, dyed the sweater first and then unraveled 226 yards of kettle dyed rainbow continuum. What a great idea. Check out PirateCatYarns over at Etsy. Notice the cute tiny skein of alpaca she included.

I still love my hand dyed sock yarns from Qutecowgirl best. The socks above are from a skein she named Manly. The toes and heals were some of the yarn I dyed using Kool-aid and tea.

I told you I have been doing a little knitting. These are for me. I refused to wear them until I could get the pictures off the camera and onto the blog. When I am out of her yarn, it will be a sad day.

Take care and God bless.

Memorial Day

"The bravest are surely those who have the clearest vision of what is before them, glory and danger alike, and yet notwithstanding, go out to meet it."

- Thucydides

Today is a day to remember...those that have given their all in the service and protection of this great Nation under God. God Bless Them Every One.

Brandywine Shawl. It still needs to be blocked. I am pretty happy with the way it came out. I think I would like to make another, longer version. This bind off was new to me and it gives the shawl a finish that is perfect.
My latest socks. The knitting of these has been very emotional. The yarn was dyed, of course, by Qutecowgirl. The name of the yarn is "Lynn 3". She dyed them specifically with me in mind and with thoughts for my healing. Pretty powerful stuff. Her yarn is a delight, so soft I can't even come up with words for it. I am letting the yarn be the showcase for these socks, the colors are so soothing. I worked on these non-stop while my best friend was in surgery last week...I think it brought both of us luck.
Winterscape Socks designed by Kay Redding From The Back Yard. I love her designs. These socks are very special to me. They were completed this month for my May Sock of the Month. The yarn was bought in the Black Hills on Bruce's and my last trip. I don't know if he will remember this particular yarn, but I thought about that trip and him with every stitch.

I have started the Spinner's Lace Shawl designed by Evelyn A. Clark. I chose a German mohair yarn I was lucky enough to find at a garage sale last year. I bought two cones for $6. There will be plenty for a longer version of her shawl.

I finally, after such a struggle, made a decision on buttons for my sweater. I didn't go with the silver after all, but with some polymer buttons I had bought off eBay last year. I found them rummaging through a drawer looking for something for my daughter. I knew instantly they were what I wanted.

I hope your weekend has been a special one, filled with the love of family and friends.

Happy Easter!

The shortest distance between two points is under construction.

- Noelie Alito

Another pair of reading mitts, this pair for my daughter. The first one is finished, the second is under construction with a little help from Dexter....AKA the Dextinator....everybody needs a little buddy, or in his case, a rather large buddy...this is 30 pounds of cat who really wishes he could knit, too.
Also under construction for the month of March, Tres Trax Socks from Kay Redding . These have been on my queue for a while and I am excited to have finally started them. They are my second pair that have been designed by her. This wonderful yarn is from Qutecowgirl.

Isn't it a crying shame when you are so proud of something you are making until you look at the photo for the first time? You never see the problems when the work is up close and personal. I have two months to finish this one in between sock of the month, should be a breeze. This is Brandywine Shawl by Rosemary Hill. I am in love with the pattern and want to do another one for me. The yarn is, of course from my favorite designer, Qutecowgirl.

I stopped into the LYS to pick up a ball of Lima to finish the reading mitts and decided to ask about a swift. I wind all my yarn by hand, it is good physical therapy. I did come home with a new swift, but also with this hank of handspun that is to die for. 124 yards of bulky that I am still not exactly sure what I will do with.

This is a ball of recycled super bulky hand dyed yarn I picked up off Etsy from SpinyNormanKnits. I know exactly what this is for, a bobble-less tea cozy. Now I just need 4 really cute buttons or beads. If it goes well, there will be several made for Christmas presents this year. My daughter, who never comments on my yarn except to tell me she does not like it, loved this yarn as soon as it came out of it's package and wanted to know what I was using it for. It really is quite lovely. Thanks to my new swift, both hanks were wound right away.

Decisions, decisions. I have two sets of buttons for my Neck Down V-Neck Cardigan. I think I am still hoping for polymer cane buttons to show up in the right color.

But I am leaning toward these from eBay.....

Magic Yarn Balls

Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one.
Dr. Seuss

I joined an online swap started by T Does Wool. I am usually tempted, but seldom join. Magic Yarn Balls. If you are interesed in taking a peek, we have a Flickr site. My swap partner has already received her package so I can show you now what it looked like when she took it out of the box. The premise of the ball is that you take a skein of yarn, alpaca in this case, and wind it into a ball, winding little trinkets and bobbles into it as you go, starting with something somewhat round in the center. That way, when your swap partner is knitting from the ball, little things begin to appear. Sounds like great fun, doesn't it? I had a blast putting this together, I hope she likes it as much as I did. Even my friend, Penny, got involved and found me a tiny pair of wooden knitting needles to wind in.

"So Long, January" Sunday

"A new British survey has revealed that 9 out of 10 people like Chocolate. The tenth lies."

- Robert Paul

Last weekend was spent with a good book, great tea and new yarn. I am loving the way the Bamboo feels. It does split a little more than Superwash Merino does, but with a little care taken, it is well worth it.
And they came out so cool!!
This beautiful yarn is, I believe, destined right now for the Evenstar mystery shawl on Ravelry. I have signed up, but I haven't finished my sweater yet and I may put the pattern with the yarn for another time. I still wind all my yarn by hand, I am a very tactile person that way.

Icy Wednesday

Before God we are all equally wise - and equally foolish.
Albert Einstein

One of the many joys of living in the heart of the Midwest, is dealing with the crappy weather. Can I use that word on Blogger? Believe me, it is much better than the word that came to mind this morning when I got up and could hear the ice tinking off the windows. There is no let up in sight. There are accidents everywhere and semi trailers in the ditch off the Interstate and some of us still need to try and brave it to go to work....

I found a necklace thrifting that had the most interesting elements....they all came apart to make row markers for knitting. Do I really need so many row markers, you may ask? Well, of course not, but now I have some to share with friends! I love that part of it.
I have been dyeing yarn again and it is wonderful to see it come together. This yarn was dyed very quickly in lime Kool-Aid, heat set and allowed to dry before three different sessions in tea. The color is as close as i am going to be able to get to the color in my head. It is destined, one day (probably not anytime soon) to be Anne Hanson's Honeybee Stole.

And this lovely table mat was made for me by Cathy of Cath's Pennies Designs. If you have not been to her blog, she has begun selling her patterns of some of the most whimsical designs. I just love her Love Ewes pattern, a sheep candle mat that has buttons to accent the little feet. This is one talented lady. I am expecting her newest pattern, Scarecrow Jack in the Pumpkin Patch, in the mail almost any day. She does tutorials on her blog to show you how to put her patterns together.

Holiday Mondays are Wonderful!

“Waste your money and you’re only out of money, but waste your time and you’ve lost a part of your life.”
― Michael Leboeuf

My very smart Daughter-In-Law and Son contacted my favorite yarn dyer, Qutecowgirl, for my Christmas presents. These yarns were dyed with me in mind. The yarn in the foreground was hand-dyed, the dark you see throughout the skein was the word "Health" spelled out during the dyeing process. The yarn in the background was her daughters first yarn. She knows how much I love her daughters yarns. My Son and his Wife sure put a lot of thought into this. Thank you so much, Perry and Kim!
The new sock project bag has been going everywhere with me. It was included in the gift. There is a small pocket inside, just the right size for a little something else. Something like, oh...I don't know, the gorgeous stitch markers that also came along with the gift. All I can say is WOW. I was thrilled to open this package Christmas morning.
Have you ever knitted with bamboo? Well, until this month, I never had. My Dad gets my next pairs of completed socks and I wanted him to have something soft. These feel like chenille.
It is no secret I love hand-thrown pottery. I thought I would show a couple of pieces I collected over the summer and have put to good use. I can never walk by a pair of knitting needles at a yard sale or a thrift store. You never know when you or a friend will need just the right set. And they look like little bouquets!

I have more to show you, I got some beautiful soy yarn from a dear friend....stay tuned.

Sunday Without Football

I love deadlines. I especially love the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.
Douglas Adams

One of my passions is thrifting and finding a great piece of discarded jewelry that I can turn into something new that will be loved and used. These little stitch markers, all 30, came from an ankle bracelet. they will be perfect for lace. They happen to be laying on my current sweater. The sleeve is progressing. I had to put it down for a while to get my Christmas knitting done.
How about a hand thrown pottery bowl and plate (reclaimed from a thrift store) with some pretty, blue, reclaimed wool, all beautifully wound by the woman who reclaimed it, forgottenfleece. She generously offered to wind ths lace weight for free. There are hundreds of yards, plenty for about any shawl I choose.
This cute little pillow was made by a good friend named Blyn several years ago. So wonderful that I thought you might like to see it. It is special to me because my Grandmother had a pear tree in her yard and I remember her pear jam very fondly. It is my brother John's favorite.

Why no football, you ask? We no longer have TV. We gave it up about 6 weeks ago and really haven't missed it very much.....well....except for my Eagles.

"Out of the strain of the doing
Into the peace of the done."
Julia Louise Woodruff

It has been an interesting week. I learned to do something I never ever thought I would have to do, and hope never to do, and suffered the side effects. Luckily, they only lasted 24 hours and I only have to do it once a week. So, into the peace of the done lasts 2 more days before I get to experience the pain to the doing again....a very fit quote this time.

And now for something I really like (imagine my best Rocky voice here):Three of my favorite things, felted wool, hand thrown pottery and beautiful wool yarn for a scarf...eventually. These must be favorites of the many because two cats kept trying to help me take the picture. Apparently the yarn had to be just so in the bowl....critics everywhere.

Sunday Moments

Surprise is the greatest gift which life can grant us.
Boris Pasternak

Remember this hank of yarn from yesterday?
This is the self striping butterfly that is turned into. Believe it or not, this beautiful yarn is called "Child's Play 2", for a very good reason. A delightfully talented 5 year old....yes, she is 5 years old...had a hand in dyeing this masterpiece. It is a wool silk blend and it is a pleasure to knit. I am so excited about how it is coming out that I put a pair of socks I was knitting on hold to do these. I also am lucky enough to have "Child's Play 1"!
In my Christmas box of yarn that I opened this week, Qutecowgirl made a wonderful sock bag to enclose as a surprise. Wow!! Look at the charming interior. Those little ladybugs are the color of my car (which also looks a little like a bug to me). The pocket is just the right size for my measuring tape, scissors and tapestry needle, the bottom of the bag will probably hold a little chocolate.... This bag will go into my car for appointments and anytime I get stuck somewhere unexpectedly. I hate not having something close at hand to work on. She has a few left in her Etsy Shop. If you go over to take a look, tell her I said HI!!

While I was away, I picked up a book. What are the odds that she made markers for me for this book? I didn't tell her I had bought it. Aren't they adorable? If you click on the picture, you can get a better look.