Breaking the Silence

I can't believe I haven't posted for 10 days!!! I kept thinking that I have things to post, but I never got around to it. Here are the 10 days in pictures which include Saturday Spin In. I managed to spin up the cashmere and silk into a singles:

8 Random Things About Me

Can you believe I got tagged by two bloggers at once! Here goes:

1. I love eating 85% dark chocolate...especially with a cup of tea!

2. I own two cats that always wish to be near me but not held by me.

3. I love the smell of raw fleece ( well-skirted of course).

4. The ocean is one of my favorite places.

5.The only gloves I have knit are sideways gloves; a wrist to finger glove is in my future.

6.I abhor doing kitchener stitch, but I do it anyway :).

7.I'm dazzled by the morning moon in the sky;I'm stunned when others never mention its beauty to me.

8.William Blake in one of my favorite poets.

RI Sheep and Wool Festival

Yes ...it was small, but it was our first festival!!! I was pleased to be there to witness it all.

Saturday Spin In

Persistence!!! That's what spinning teaches us. We take small steps to achieve a goal. I have spun one pound of Kona from Ashland Bay...a delightful blend of merino and mohair. The pic does not do the color justice. The green and golden browns are not seen here. I have spun a bulky weight yarn. Thanks to Jenny Bakriges's class at Webs last fall I learned how to create a bulky yarn that I love. Check out her post on hand carding ;she gives a great tip on carding long locks.

Today I plan to attend the R I Sheep and Wool Festival at Coggeshall Farm in Bristol, RI. It's the first sheep and wool festival in RI. There will be demonstrations and vendors and more.

The Daily Bread

We do not live by bread alone! But it helps!!! Thanks to DD and DSIL I received a beautiful dutch oven. It enabled me to bake the No Knead bread you see. It's so easy a 6 year old can make it.
Bread links: UTube Video on the No-Knead method. Check out A Rustic Loaf.

Of course...I began a new felted bag in charcoal Bartlett and I have been reading Rumpole ( a favorite of mine.....dear Leo Mc Kern was the perfect Rumpole!).

I thought the marriage of two worlds...the aquarium and the family room was worth a picture.

Saturday Spin In at Watson Farm

Lavender Loves Lavender

Two of my favorites are Lavender Stoechas and Wisteria.........................

Birth Announcement

We are the proud parents of a baby Swordtail . Follow the arrow to an orange baby fish that can be hard to see among the small pebbles....................Click on the pic to enlarge for better viewing.

Back in the Saddle

It appears that springtime and family reunions have caused me to be remiss in posting this week. The lovely weather is coaxing the blooming trees to reveal their splendor in my neck of the woods. The one container pot that I have filled with hardened off plants is delightful in its display of Rosemary, Hen and Chicks and Violas.

On the Knitting Front: I'm pleased to announce the finish of one pair of red variegated socks in Ellen's Half Pint Farm Yarn. I also am working on the second sock of the my hand dyed sock yarn using Ashford dyes from RI Handspun's shop.

On the Saturday Spin In Front: I continue to spin the Ashland Bay Kona you saw in the last post. I also picked up my Forester spindle last night and spun more of this fiber.
Cathy is sporting a skein drying rack above her new laundry tub. Laurie is hiding in the garden, but has a picture of her next spinning challenge. Kathy bought a lovely Cormo fleece with wonderful crimp at the CT Sheep and Wool Festival. Margene is spinning another luscious spring roving of Amy’s Corriedale Strawberry Fields ,and it she's washing a fleece as well. She also knitted a wonderful baby hat with her handspun!