Like Autumn Leaves....

....the brilliant colors of yarn warms my heart. I don't need to knit with it, or even have plans to knit with it-just looking at the brilliant colors makes me all happy inside. Take these for example-(well, not really.....you most certainly MAY NOT take them!). Don't these colors remind you of crisp autumn nights, fires in the fire place, and apple cider?

































1. Wollmeise 100% in Thriller
2. Wollmeise Bob WD in 80/20

Aaaaaahhhh. Perfect for this time of year!

I also appreciate other beauty found in nature....in wood for example. I think it's amazing when craftspeople can take a piece of wood and turn it into something that's not only beautiful, but also functional. Here's an example from a Ravelry destash.
















Bossie Bigleaf Maple Midi w/Cochin Rosewood shaft - .96 oz.

Now, please excuse me while I go put on a sweatshirt, grab a blanket, and play with these beauties for awhile!

MIA Knitter

....so not only has my inner blogger been missing, my inner knitter has gone AWOL, too. While I have several wonderful projects OTNs, I have just not been moved or motivated to knit. Maybe it's partly concern that the kitten will get into my projects, or that it was too hot for sooooo long, or that I've started running a little three days a week....or maybe I just need a little break. Although I'm not producing any knitted results, I am still collecting yarn. Here's the evidence, from top to bottom:


WM Silberdistel 100%
WM Salamander WD 80/20
Wellenstittichengefelder 100%

Here's one of the aforementioned projects. It's Wendy's Shetland Pi in Mitternacht WM Lace Garn. I'm almost finished with Clue 3. I love the pattern because it's easy to remember and I haven't lost my place.....yet....



I've also been thinking about spinning and managed to find this beautiful Spanish Peacock Chechen Rose/Ebony spindle in a Ravelry destash. Lovely......


So, I have beautiful tools and gorgeous yarn. Now all I need to do is knit and spin....need to find that creative mojo - I know it's around here somewhere!

M.I.A. Blogger

...yep, that's me. I haven't blogged since the summer - and haven't been very productive in the knitting department either, so there are no FOs to post. Nonetheless, I thought I'd post a little something to get back in the blogosphere.

The kitten photo, as many of you Ravelers/Plurkers already know, is Gunston Diego, who came to live with us in July. His arrival was very timely, as our "First Cat" White Socks passed suddenly two weeks after Gunnie's arrival. We really miss White Socks and are really glad that Gunston is here. He's been quite a good distraction!

Now for a little yarnie news- here are a few of my latest stashquisition.





I really must start knitting down my stash - honestly, I think it's reproducing! (as long as it's making good yarn, I really don't care!)

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.


A change of pace was what we needed -


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


There was time to ponder the big questions in life -


....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.


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.



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!


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

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


Zenzi & WD Petersilie


WD Birkenrinde (a little piggy) & Fuschia


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:


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!

Spindle Spun

Little Skein of merino tencel/lycell
Originally uploaded by ckknitter

...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!

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

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


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!