Even though I didn't go to Cummington Marisa and John did. They sent me a number of great shots of my favorite sheep breed!This one is so sweet....

What a gorgeous day we had yesterday. The temperature was in the 70's. I went on my yearly pilgrimage to various plant venues. First I hit Al's Greenhouse and bought some basil and rosemary. Then I had to stop at Stamp Farm. I'm so glad I did. She has a wonderful selection of interesting perennials and annuals. I bought another herb plant...a lovely thyme that has red blooms and two other annuals...one of which has small orchid-like flowers. Pics will come eventually.

Obligatory knitting news: The Slip Stitch Cardigan back grows to 12 inches and the Opal sock is nearing toe decreases.

A Mostly Sunny Weekend

Barrenwort is ready for the garden!This plant has some lovely leaves and delicate lavender flowers. I have two varieties. Next to the Barrenwort is Mullein. I had to have the Mullein because I saw it at Judith's last year.

Thankfully the weather has allowed us to think about garden plantings. I've taken to appraising my shade garden. There are so many lovely plants to consider: Bleeding Heart, Hostas, Dead Nettle and Toad Lily. Toad Lily is a must have for me if I can locate some.

On the fiber front.....I continued to work on my Opal sock which is nearing completion and the slip stitch cardigan.

Marisa tells me she went to MSW this weekend with John and did some stash enhancement. Maybe I get a pic :)

This Morning's Spin In & Last Night's Spinning

Carol M is displaying her latest quilt! I love the lambs and Carol's fabric choices.

Paula is having a great time at Sue's Spin In plying on her Merlin Tree wheel... I just love her carryall seated to her right. We missed seeing Carol R., Muriel, Sandy, Judy, Patty and others I can't remember at the moment.

Here I am in my jammies two- plying my singles using a center pull ball. Love this technique for using up small amounts of singles. I now have three skeins of some purple-rust mohair and wool yarn. Maybe I'll make a hat....

The Sun Peeks Out

I can't believe it! The sun peeked today, but it appears to have withdrawn as I write. Oh well ....at least it is a bit warmer. I look forward to planting more flowers this weekend.

On the knitting front I continue with the slip stitch cardigan, Marisa's stole and some Opal socks. I just about knitted a few rows on each before falling asleep on the couch. The last two days at work were exhausting.

I forgot to give the Knit In report this week. Tuesday night Sue graciously put on the old pot of tea as always. Barbara T was there working on another hat in bulky yarn. Paula, too, worked on another hat made out of her handspun that she purchased from Sue's RI Handspun fiber offerings. It was luscious. Marie continued work on her crocheted piece and I worked on Marisa's stole.
I so look forward to these gatherings to see what everyone is doing thereby getting inspiration.
Sue also showed us her latest dye creations some lovely silk in a pink colorway and some mohair/silk in a dark orange-yellow and red. Help me here, Sue....

Slip Stitch Sweater , More Pansies and Tropical Fish

Here's the slip stitch cardigan with four inch ribbing. Unfortunately you can't see the pattern well. Perhaps I can get a close up for a future post.

These pansies are just too much!!! 

Ralph's fish say: Hi, John! 

Gray Days Won't Keep Me Down

Can someone help me name this perennial?

More smiles......Spring flowers are wonderful and pansies and violas love the cool weather we've been having in New England. My herb garden is loving this weather as well.

The Slip stitch Cardi is still stuck in ribbing land. I hate ribbing and this sweater has four inches of it.The yarn, however, is so soft and nice to knit becuase it had alpaca in it. I know....I need to post a pic :)

Gusset and Garden Shots

I'm coming along on this Opal Element sock. The second sock will be a chore as we all know second sock syndrome it very real. All the same socks are a great carry along project. I also began another sweater...slip stitch cardigan. I'll post a pic soon.

I stayed up late last night watching Soundstage. Fleetwood Mac performed;what a treat to hear Stevie Nicks and the band. The lead guitarist was superb!

The Bursting Chive! 

Wonderful Rhodedendron! 

This made me smile today! 

The Bounty of the Internet

How lucky we are as knitters to have the bounty of the Internet. Not only can we communicate with each other via email, but also our blogs!!! How long I had knit and spun in isolation for many years;now thanks to cyberspace we are not alone. The Internet has also created friendships where people meet virtually which sometimes leads to face-to-face meetings.

Lately I am enjoying the bonus of free patterns. I found this small felted bag and large felted bag pattern on Knit Net. I remember when the whole Knit Net site was free, but, of course, magazine writers deserve to earn a living. I wonder if this will happen with Knitty? Check out Trellis...it's lovely!!!! Also Plethora of Petals....

Here is a list of Knit magazines some of which are hardcopy magazines and others online magazines:

	Knit 'N Style Magazine - http://www.knitnstyle.com/index.html Site features knitting links, message board, In The Loop classifieds, back issue catalog, shop directory, subscription information and advertising information.
	Vogue Knitting - http://www.vogueknitting.com/ Previews the current issue of Vogue Knitting. Each issue has styles for varied skill levels plus original fashions by top designers. Includes basics and advanced techniques.
	Knitter's Review - http://www.knittersreview.com Free weekly email newsletter with in-depth yarn reviews, fiber information, online shop profiles, interviews, and book reviews.
	KnitNet - http://www.knitnet.com/ Online magazine offers subscription information, knitting tips and free patterns. Published six times a year.
	Knitting Universe - http://www.knittinguniverse.com/ Includes Knitter's Magazine, free patterns, and a community forum.

	Rebecca - http://www.rebecca-online.com Includes patterns, photos and tips for knitters. Offers a list of European shops where the magazine is available to purchase.
	Interweave Knits - http://www.interweave.com/knit/ Official site includes subscription information, corrections and a free sock pattern.
	Family Circle Easy Knitting - http://www.fceasyknitting.com/ Offers preview of upcoming issues, corrections and knitting instructions.
	International Network of Knitters - http://www.inknitters.com/ Publisher of magazines for hand or machine knitters.
	Socks! Digest - http://www.montat.com/ Quarterly publication specializing in sock patterns and articles.

	Heels and Toes Gazette - http://www.dawnbrocco.com/Gazette.html Quartley publication specializing in sock patterns.
	Knitting Now - http://www.knittingnow.com/ Newsletter which publishes articles about knitters and knitting. Includes reviews, calendar of events, humor, and original patterns.

Small Bouquets from the Garden

Pansies make me smile.

Our Tuesday Night Knit In

Barbara T's hat is lovely!!!! She bought the yarn from MS&W. Paula is displaying it for us at our weekly knit in. Paula,too, is working on a hat in her blue handspun. Judy brought her luscious spring shawl and displayed it for my camera, but alas the pictures didn't come out. I'm so unhappy about that. Sue continued her work on the red Opal sock. I continued with my Opal sock begun last weekend.

I heard from Carol R yesterday and was happy to hear she is doing well toiling in her garden and working on a Civil War quilt. Carol.....we'd better see that quilt soon :) Now if I can just get a response from Carol M that would make my day!!!

Today I'm off to work

Meet My New Sock :It was a Difficult Birth

Little do we know what goes on in the lives of knitters behind the scenes. Yes ...I'm referring to the knitter's nightmare called....THE TANGLE. Sunday on the way to visit with my daughter and her fiance it happened. I decided to work with the sock yarn by pulling out the center thread. You know this can be risky and it was. I pulled ever so gently,but it was not meant to be. The dreaded TANGLE emerged....I was not daunted by this task...after all our knitting group had saved Carol R from a worse tangle created by her beagle....I could do it...untangle it. After working on this tangle dare I say conservatively two- three hours I gave up. Yup....threw my hat ( err.... sock) in the ring and broke that baby free of a smaller tangle. At least it was a smaller tangle. And we all know Opal gives you a generous amount of yarn.

So here is the new sock in all her glory...I won't tell you today what happened to my Flower Basket Shawl.....that's for another day :)

Gifts and New Patterns Always Make Me Smile

My new necklace :)

I don't know whether I have more yarn or patterns . At NHSW I bought a lovely simple lace cardigan pattern from Green Mountain and today I just had to have the Ribby Cardigan and Scoop du Jour from ChicKnits.

My head is dancing with which of these wonderful patterns I wish to knit. Add to this I happen to have Wyman's cardigan cable pattern that Kim knit in Peruvian wool. It was in my pattern stash all the time waiting for me to find it. LOL I even tried to buy a pattern at NHSW that I already OWN!!!! Can you stand it? I need to create an inventory in my PDA.

Today Marisa saw the Peruvian wool at Elann and has to make the Ribby. She chose malt for the sleeves and oatmeal for the body. Great color choice to wear with everything including jeans.

Oops...I forgot to mention M and J gave me a beautiful amber and sterling necklace above for mom's day...it is so beautiful!!! I can wear it with my amber ring!!!
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BTW...Carrie...you were right about the plant identification...It's Veronica!!! Thanks for the help!!!

Of Bloggers,Sheep and Stash

My favorite Sheep are Jacobs. I just love their ancient heritage and their fleece. One of the first fleeces I processed and spun is a Jacob. I made a cardigan out of it that I still wear. Luckily I was able to photograph this guy yesterday at NHSW. I did escape the fair with nary a fleece :).....especially since I have five fleeces in my stash.

What a great time Judy and I had that day. The rain held off and the sun actually appeared in the afternoon.We met some bloggers over the course of the day!We had lunch with Kim of The Woolen Rabbit and met Cassie, Norma and Stephanie while touring the barns. It's so great to put a face with a blogger. It makes the reading of her blog so much more fun.

We spent some time at The Merlin Tree watching David speak to fiber lovers about his new Hitchhiker wheel.

This huge Romney refused to stand so I could get a better picture of him. His fleece was so voluminous you could not see his face . His fleece was so soft!

My NHSW stash was small. I bought some wool ,alpaca and bunny from Zeilinger's and some to die for balls of soooo soft merino and angora fiber in a deep reddish purple. I did manage to get a buy on a portable skein winder. Lastly I picked up a set of antler buttons for a sweater I have in mind to knit. Now I can play.....