Fish and Cats!!! Oh My!

DH has been playing with his aquarium this weekend. I must say the fish are having the time of their lives and so are we. This Pearl Gourami above is swiming in front of his new aeration device. I do love the sunset coloration of this fish particularly while it is basking in the limelight of DH's new Sunglow flourescent bulb.

Another star is the Gold Veil Angel which is our second oldest fish which is in the pucker mode...LOL.

Alas we can't forget to display our cats. This pic was taken just before Bennie nudged Ruth off the ladderback chair. As you can see she is comtemplating a jump.

Obligatory fiber news....I've been spinning some Mohave fiber from Ashland Bay which I hope to show you soon. Durrow has had a bit of attention in the knitting department.

Knitters Go for the Gold in Little Rhody!

Well..... Stephanie's influence has come to roost in Little Rhody. Today's Providence Journal Lifebeat section displays Team College Hill and a picture of four young women knitting their personal best. Believe it or not today I was asked by a friend if I was involved in the KO. I laughed and said..."I'm only in the cheering section of Team Boston!" Just ask Stitchy Mc Yarnpants.

I'm off to bed to sleep my personal best!!!

The Wheel's Whole Again!!!

If you remember this you will appreciate what is before you. After searching on Ebay several weeks ago, I found an antique flyer and bobbin which according to measurements appeared to be a fit for my new/old wheel.

When I received it in the mail, I excitedly began to try to fit it to my wheel, but first I had to find an old belt to cut up to recreate the leathers. With my brother's help I was able to get this New England Flax wheel to spin!!! He was able to refit the flyer and move it to the front closer to the orifice which in turn allowed the bobbin to fit properly. He also made a hole in the leather next to the front maiden. After securing the leathers with wooden matches minus the hot stuff, I was in business. She probably hasn't been spun on in years which is why she creaks and groans. I 've been adding oil to the usual places so that should improve her sound!

Here she stands.....a whole wheel. Next fall I hope to take her to the Hearthside Historic house where I demonstrate spinning with Sue and Sandy.

Odessa Self Portrait

Here's a not so great pic of moi wearing Odessa. This self portrait took only 12 shots ...LOL.

This is springtime at my house!!!! Thanks to Judith of Knitagarden I was able to force these Forscythia to enjoy a taste of spring.

I plod along knitting the loooooonnnnnggggg ribbing of Durrow. The yarn is scrumptious, and I long to begin the aran design sleeves. We are never happy with our knitting projects are we. We complain that this section is boring or I can't work on this now because it's charted and I have to concentrate. Or my arthritis is kicking up and these needles hurt my hands. But ....ohhhhh....when the project is done we are more often than not thrilled.

Of you get a chance check out Judy's blog for her newly dyed yarns. Her colors are wonderful as always.

I hope to get a picture up of Marisa's finished Scoop. I tried to upload it today, but the pic wouldn't cooperate...arghhhhhh!

Odessa is Finished!!!

A delightful and satisfying knit! That is my description of this project using Rowan's Kid Classic yarn and some purplish beads taken from my bead stash.The yarn is composed of lambswool and a bit of mohair...lovely to touch and very warm. Today is going to be in the 20's and a hat like this will keep me warm.

DH has been making the charts in the fish world. He's been raising some lovely Gourami in several varieties....blue, pearl and gold.The gold ,Trichogaster trichopterus, is displayed above. Do you know how hard it is to take a pic of a moving fish?

Marisa's Shawl

Marisa surprised me with pictures of her Adagio Shawl made with Sue's hand dyed yarn. It's lovely and again proof that mothers and daughters share knitting genes!

I continue to work on the Odessa hat which is nearing completion. I'm also toiling away on the body of Durrow.

Want a neat graph of a Celtic alphabet for knitting initials or for cross stitch? Check out this site.
You just type in the words and get a graph to print.

Lovin' Odessa

Odessa is a fun knitting experience!! Just enough beads not to frustrate a knitter and a lovely swirl that allows you to read your knitting quite easily. I just love knitting with Rowan's yarn. The color is not accurate on the monitor; it's a dark eggplant plyed with a black singles.

Flowers and Tea Cozy Versus the Blizzard

If you live in New England, chances are you experienced some snow this weekend due to the Nor'Easter that hit today. It could have been worse so I won't complain. At least we have reason to wear our woolies in the frozen weather. Due to these frigid conditions I thought some flowers were needed to perk us all up. My amaryllis displayed her colorful finery at our house. Thanks to a dear friend I also enjoyed some outstanding tulips. We need this boost of color!!!

Another savior of the February freeze was my sighting of numerous cardinals late this week in the wooded grounds where I work.. The darling males sat puffed up and reddened in the cold sun of Friday afternoon while the brown-red females chirped with their golden sunset beaks! It was all too much to absorb...this glorious riot of warm colors in a barren landscape.

I've been remiss in posting this week so I offer my tea cozy. Perhaps I post about my work on the incomparable Odessa by Grumperina soon......

Felted ( Fulled) Bobbles Scarf

For the last few weeks I have been knitting a lonnnngggggg boring scarf of stockinette stitch thanks to two people. The first is Gail H ; she wore a felted scarf to our guild holiday party that I just had to make. Then Barbara T sent me this wonderful Lion Brand pattern and I was off.

Above you can see the tying of some baubles to create interesting shapes while the scarf felts ( fulls) in the washer.

Here is the scarf after only one cycle in the washer.

I really like this technique!!! Maybe I'll explore more of this!

The Meme

Four jobs you've had in your life:
Nurse’s Aide
Teacher
Watch Band Packager
Cashier

Four movies you could watch over and over again:
La Strada
The Seduction of Mimi
Pushing Hands
King of Hearts

Four places you have lived:
Providence
Providence
Providence
North Providence

Four t.v. shows you love to watch:
Fawlty Towers
Last of the Summer Wine
Masterpiece Theatre
Barney Miller

Four places you've been on vacation:
Paris
San Francisco
Quebec
Pennsylvania

Four websites you visit daily:

Google
A Slew of Knit Bloggers
A Slew of Knit Bloggers
A Slew of Knit Bloggers

Four of your favorite foods:

Pasta
Cheesecake
Fresh Baked Bread
Chocolate

Four places you would rather be right now:
Trinity Repertory Theater
MOMA
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
The Grand Canyon

Four bloggers you are tagging:
(Don’t feel you must do this...)
Paula
Kristen
Laura
Judith

Inspiration

As much as I enjoy posting about my fiber work , I also love to post about the knitting of others. They inspire me in every way! In the top left corner you see the the beginnings of the wonderful Inishmaan by Carol M using her Irish wool. At the top right is Paula's own aran design using wool/silk hand dyed by Paula herself. The second row reveals the work of my daughter, Marisa. She is now working on the sleeves of Scoop and finished a wonderful prayer shawl for a special person.