Saturday, June 19, 2010

Hatteras 2010 & Knitting Addiction

A friend and I just returned from a quick trip down to Hatteras. We were celebrating the end of the school year and the high school graduations of our respective sons.
sunset

A change of pace was what we needed -
Long walk

-and being away from the demands of being a mommy was very refreshing!
Atlantic-NC

There was time to ponder the big questions in life -
hydrangeas

....like, Why won't my hydrangeas bloom like these? LOL - that was a constant question during the trip!

Of course, both of us travelers took along our current knitting projects, and also found time to stop at an LYS on the way home.
where we were

Knitting Addiction is located in Kill Devil Hills, NC and is just what a yarn shop should be. It's open and airy with a comfy sitting area, excellent natural light, and beautiful displays.

knitting addiction shot

The folks at Knitting Addiction were helpful, but not overly interactive. :(

While there, I purchased a little Blue Sky Alpaca Cotton for a quick baby project and it's knitting up very nicely....love that stuff - it's soooooo soft!
more yarn

Knitting Addiction also has an online shop. Check it out at the link & enjoy your summer knitting!

Sunday, May 30, 2010

Color Options & Play-off Style

Once school is out and after I'm caught up on all my other WIPs, I want to make Anna Dalvi's StarLight double-knitted shawl. I've been playing around with my color options and would like opinions please. I'm leaning toward one of the below, but would like your input on the combinations posted. Which do you think?

WD Die Auster & Fuschia
WD Die Auster & Fuschia

Zenzi & WD Petersilie
Zenzi & WD Petersilie

WD Birkenrinde (a little piggy) & Fuschia
P5290173

WD Birkenrinde & Petit Poison #5
WD Birkenrinde & Petit Poison #5
hmmmm......maybe I should make four of those shawls!

On the family-front, it's soccer play-off season again, so DS#3 came home today looking like this:
P5300166_edited

What can I say? It's a team tradition....grrrr....although the timing is really bad b/c graduation is less than a week away! I hope his graduation cap covers it up!

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Spindle Spun


...and plied. Gaaaa - that was scary, but it turned out alright despite the occasional tangles and spindle snags. This is about 60 yards of merino/tencel lycell given to me by DS#1 for my big 5-0 b'day back in January. I was spinning it for the May Challenge over on the Spindler's Group on Ravelry. The challenge was to choose a piece of artwork and co-ordinate a little hand spun to go with it. My art was Georgia O'Keefe's Early Spring Moonrise, 1930. Even though my skein is little, I like it a lot! It's SHINY!

Saturday, May 15, 2010

No Knitting Mojo

Have you ever been in a knitting funk? Well, I'm there right now. I have three shawls ONT and am at sticky spots in all of them. To make matters worse, I really want to cast on for the Moonfleet shawl because my yarn is sooooo pretty
Moonfleet Eos-Seashell Gradiance
and the Spoiler photos of Clue 1 posted on Ravelry are really tempting.

To distract myself, I've been playing around with a new drop spindle, purchased at Maryland Sheep and Wool. It's a Bosworth Mini in Marblewood. The roving is merino/tencel dyed by cloudlover over on Etsy. DS#1 purchased it for my b'day in January. I'm spinning this for the Spindler's group May challenge - paintings and roving. Here's my roving
Cloudlover merino/tencel lycell
Spindler May Monthly challenge2
and here's the painting:
Georgia O'Keefe Lake George, Early Moonrise Spring, 1930

There's only a little more left to spin and I'll have to figure out how to ply it on a spindle.....never done that before! Maybe that will shock me out of my knitting funk and get me back to my sticks and string!

Saturday, May 8, 2010

Maryland Sheep and Wool-2010

was -
  • hot
  • more crowded than last year
  • more fun than last year
  • and offered even more enticing merchandise! (please see below)
2010 MDSWF haul

The above includes -
  • 8 ounces of Persimmon Tree roving (multi-color)
  • 4 ounces of Icelandic roving (natural)
  • Spanish Peacock Snowflake spindle in Holly/Bloodwood
  • Bosworth Mini in Marblewood/Cochin Rosewood
  • Brooks Farm Acero-2 skeins
  • Miss Babs Bamboo Baby in Plum
  • 2 pairs of Signature Needles - 3 & 5
In addition to the booty, 5 members of the Cindy Knitters group met up. There were actually 7 of us there, but we didn't know it until after we all got home. Next year we'll be more organized about getting the word out.

Heading off now to play with stuff!

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Goaty-goats

Several of us CVGs (Central Virginia Girls)on Ravelry, drove out to beautiful Palmyra on Saturday. The weather was perfect-sunny, cloudless, and not too hot/cold....perfect weather for visiting Juniper Moon Farm and meeting their flock of sheep and angora goats. Juniper Moon is home of the "LambCam". Go to their website and check it out!
Juniper Moon

We had to feed them, of course...
dark angora
..and meet Ernie, the Hunk of Cotswold.
Ernie Cotswold

Then we went over and sat down with the flock while they grazed. Aren't the kids adorable?
angora kid

Judy managed to get one settled onto her lap. He stayed there for such a long time, we forgot he was there! I think Judy would have liked to slip him into her bag and bring him home!
Judy -kid

The joy of the day was compounded upon arriving home and checking the mailbox. My Moonfleet KAL yarn arrived from The Unique Sheep. It's their Eos yarn in Seashell Gradiance.
Moonfleet Eos-Seashell Gradiance

What's the perfect ending for a perfect day? I didn't have to cook dinner! Here's hoping for many more of the same!

Saturday, April 3, 2010

Easter Basket Surprises

Flowers

Spring....flowers...warm weather....breezes blowing....remembering loved ones and Easter traditions...

DH's 1950's vintage basket-still in use by DS#2(soon to be 18)
John's basket

My 1960's vintage basket-still in use by DS#3 (also soon to be 18)
My basket

...and a new basket - a gift from dear Janice, my friend and knitting guru.
Easeter surprise

...wait a minute...there's more than chocolate in this basket...that's not green Easter grass peeking through...
WM Camo

...Great Jumping Jelly Beans.....lookie what Easter Bunny Janice hid inside that sweet little basket!
Easter WM

...I was totally surprised and am 100% blessed to have such a wonderful friend.Thank you dear Janice...and a Blessed Easter season to all.