Flowers and Frazzled

Gazania is such a lovely annual. I absolutely adore the striping in the flowers.

Gazania Again....

On the technology front I have been frazzled to death with my email. Apparently Cox is having server problems. My inbox is going crazy with thousands of emails ...%#$##$%^ I spent this morning on the damn phone trying to find out what the problem was.

At least I finished cleaning out my closet. I took out at least 5 bags of clothes for the Salvation Army. Now I can see my clothes for the first time in years.

On the knitting front I started a new pair of socks with Sue's Trekking Sock yarn. I'll have to post a pic soon.

This is the kind of Knitting Needles I am.

"You are interchangeable. Fun, free, and into everything, you've got every eventuality covered and every opportunity just has to be taken. Every fiber is wonderful, and every day is a new beginning. You are good at so many things, it's amazing, but you can easily lose your place and forget to show up. They have row counters for people like you!"

What kind of knitting needles are you?

Backyard Delights

What a surprise finding some mulberries ripening on our tree.I plan to have some today with my breakfast!

My astilbe are in bloom and leaning across the foliage instead of standing upright. They are still beautiful.

Yesterday and the day before were so humid...I guess summer is here to stay. At least I can knit and read in the AC. Marisa's stole is starting to move along. I have about 18 inches done and will have to ply some more yarns to continue. I also need to decide on a new sock yarn and pattern. Judy and Sue are working on old shale like patterns, but I don't know yet whether I will do one of those or another. Of course, there is the vine stitch....hmmm. Any suggestions out there for a sock pattern?

Reading: I finished The Time Traveler's Wife. It is a great summer read. Check it out if you have time. I began The Basque History of the World by Mark Kurlansky last night and couldn't put it down...very readable.

If you get a chance check out Kim's Smoke Ring...it is so beautiful!

Free Patterns at Sevia Harding's site.

Finished Skein and Cardi Front

I promised you a pic of the skein I finished plying.I love its sheen. This is the fiber called Copper Beech (from Barn 31 in Rhinebeck) that I plyed with a singles of dyed silk also from Rhinebeck. See I'm using up my fiber stash!Back to the wheel to spin up some more....

Today I'm off to Sue's Spin In ....shall I take my Joy, Louet or Schacht....hmmmm

Hey...check out this pattern at Spun magazine for summer socks! Perfect use for leftover sock yarns. I think these are in my future.

N.B. I know you'll want to knit a pair of these. Now doesn't it pay to read my blog :)?

Left front of Slip Stitch cardigan is finished. I've begun the right front. Also I'm still working on Marisa's stole. Last night I knitted about two inches of it.

I can't seem to put done another good read: The Time Traveler's Wife. This idea of time travel intrigues me and the author does a fine job of drawing you into the story even though suspension of belief is needed. It's interfering with my kntting and spinning :)

Warning! This method produces a twisted stitch!

Well....take a looksee!!! I just learned that the purl stitch I've been doing ever since Richard M taught me is called combined purling. It's so wonderful to see that Richard and I aren't the only ones who purl this way. I was feeling lonely out there in the knitting...errrr purling world.Much the same as my feeling about the dreaded KITCHENER stitch. Of course, we must remember when using this purl technique to untwist the stitch on the next row. I think it's all worth it given the speed at which I can purl especially when doing seed stitch ...one of my favorite stitch patterns.

I have some knitting to report...I finished one of the fronts on the Slip Stitch Cardi. The latest news on it is that it may be too small. Not to worry says Judy to the rescue....you can put in a zipper. So....now I have to decide...should I put in the zipper? If I want buttons I must add the buttonholes on the second front piece and must do it as I go along because the buttonband is formed as you knit up the piece...oh...decisions, decisions.

Tomorrow is the monthly Spin In at RI Handspun. Hope all you knitters, spinners and crocheters out there can make it!!!

BTW....check out the Knitting Help web site it is a joy....a five star Joy.

Container gardening is so much fun!
I love this annual...

They're Finished!

My Opal socks are finished. Yes thanks to Sue's Tuesday night Knit In I knit up the last toe. If you recall,these were the socks that had a difficult birth...the dreaded tangling of yarn that I started with from the center of the ball. Also they are not perfectly identical, but close enough to satisfy me.

The Knit In included Patty, Sue, CarolR, Paula and me. Patty looks as though she is on the home stretch with her lovely shawl done in a green jumperweight yarn. We are looking forward to the final cast off from circular needles to truly enjoy it. Paula brought another of her cockleshell scarves...this time in a wonderful purple. She also worked on her Seawater sweater which is proving to be stunning. Carol R worked on her famous sock...the sock that employed at least 7 knitters to untangle it. Sue...that talented woman displayed her Iris cards. She even created her own sail boat pattern. I just loved her hummingbird card. Sue is incredible!!! She starts a new craft and takes off with it to produce such a lovely result.

Judy, who is now gardening in Vermont, knit with us in spirit. It appears she also spent the day dyeing and gardening and surveying her property for heifer damage :)

Bennie sits proudly for this shot.

Ruth relaxes on her favorite couch.

What a Surprise!!!

Thank You Secret Pal!!!!Am I a happy knitter or what! My secret pal sent me a lovely surprise in yesterday's mail. As you can see she has given me the most wonderful Jawoll sock yarn in a dark red colorway. Add to this a handknitted face cloth and a Chibi case with two needles. SP do you know these needle cases are hard to come by!!! She also sent me a Lantern Moon Sheep tape measure...how did she know I wanted one of these. At Christmas I gave one to my daughter and she loved it, too. What a great way to brighten up my day :).

Last night I continued working on the wedding stole. My slip stitch cardigan and Opal socks are waiting in the wings for attention. Hopefully I will get them going again. Perhaps tomorrow I will show you my latest skein of handspun yarn.

Lastly I was a good doobie and exercised in the morning...let's hope I can do so again this morning. oh...and yes I've decided to go on the knitting cruise on Aug 7th. I'm looking forward to that!!!

If you get a chance check out Knitagarden who tells tales and reviews "The Goat Lady". Also visit Smatterings for a sock eye view of the world!

Father's Day Picnic

It's the annual Father's Day trek to our favorite picnic area.John and Marisa carry the bulk of the food while Ralph carries the traditional wicker picnic basket. I carried my sock knittting...LOL.

For those of you who remember the last picnic, this year's weather was superb!!! John had no trouble placing the tablecloth. The al fresco lunch was delicious and M and I even were able to stay on our diets.

Gwen is upset with us because she's discussing a private and weighty matter with her pals Ben and Abby. Gwen also needed a bath since she had decided to roll in the mud before we arrived. I snapped this pic between the the electric fence ribbons of the paddock. Luckily I didn't touch the fence or well....you know what would have happened.

Marisa coaxes the new baby foal named Bea while I get this pic. After petting the foal myself we visited the rest of the horses including Marisa's, Gwen. Mama is in the background. At one point she was upset with us for playing with her baby.

John's catch is too small so he returned it to its home. Marisa also caught fish....four sun fish which she and John put back in the reservoir because they were too small. Ralph and I knit and read in the sunshine. We had a lovely day in the delightfully cool temperatures of Connecticut.

Good news...I think Marisa and I finally settled on a pattern and a yarn for her wedding stole. This was accomplished when I toted her wedding gown in the trunk of our car so we could determine if the color and yarn of the swatch work well with her gown. I think we have a winner :).

Emptying Bobbins

I plyed some yarn this week....this was all due to the workshop I attended last week. It forced me to ply some singles. This yarn is very colorful. It consists of some fiber I bought in barn 31 at the NYS&W festival a few years ago. I plyed it with some silk a spun that had similar colors.

Now that I have bobbins galore I can choose some new fibers from my stash to experiment. One thing Alden Amos said about spinning that is that we should spin for a project instead of spinning aimlessly. What do you think about that idea? The purists out there may disagree....

On to knitting...I'm still experimenting with swatching for Marisa's wedding stole....drat I can't show you pics because John reads this blog and it's bad luck for the groom- to- be to see the bride's wedding day ensemble.

On the reading front I can't say enough about Kite Runner. It is a must read! It opens up the world of Afghanistan in the context of a very engrossing father-son relationship that creates a universality for the reader.

Knit In at Sue's and Visit to Patty's Perennials

This is Paula's Cockle Shell Scarf made with Sue's mohair and silk hand dyed yarn.It is to die for. Talk about luxurious! Marie, Judy, Barbara, Sue and I were in attendance at the weekly knit in at RI Handspun. We were dully inspired by her scarf and Barbara's poncho seen below.

I also learned that our very own Judy of Smatterings fame is mentioned on WendyKnits!!! Wendy purchased some of her hand dyed wool in silk aptly called Mallard.

Sue another dye maven is working her magic on other hand dyed yarns in purple, green and rust that she displayed last night. Their work is so inspiring!

Patty's Iris

Barbara's Special Poncho

Patty's Potted Plants