I'm sweating

It's July, and we are having the appropriate weather here in the Midwest.  We've been to the pool, we're watering the garden and quietly thinking grateful things about air conditioning.

Navajo plied Targhee wool from
Nest fiber studio

We've had a great summer so far. We're miniature vegetable gardeners – growing cucumbers, peppers and herbs for ourselves, and tomatoes for those voracious city squirrels.  Our little garden is also producing parsley, basil and sage and thinking about maybe generating an eggplant or two.

Our creative juices are flowing as well.  The small fry has been dabbling with watercolors this summer, and rarely a day goes by where she hasn't drawn something with that box full of colored pencils.  She's also trying her hand at knitting.  She's asked me to show her, and she'll get the hang of it for a few stitches and then the tension gets weird and she'll let it sit for a couple days and then come back.

Art and home grown produce

The peanut is a talking machine this summer.  She's picking up everyone's phrases... and chatters to herself while busy with the events of her imagination.  She's building a new level of trust with Georgie the cat and loves to go to the library.

Handspun "Garden Party"

I've been working on some knitting and sewing.  Slowly, things are getting made.  I finished that gigantic shawl, and then set to work on a cardigan for the coming school year. I spun a bit too and I've got some socks in (slow) progress too.

On the sewing front, I've deconstructed my favorite old silk tank top and am attempting to reconstruct it from some Liberty Tana Lawn.  It's coming together well, I think.  At least it appears as if it's going to fit, and I'm happy with how it's working so far. Just some finished arm holes and a hem and I'll be in business.

Slow Fashion

In the meantime, I hope you stay cool and entertained doing something creative.

Drab green for miles...

I've finally finished up a project that I purchased in the spring of 2015.  I saw a beautifully knit sample when I was in Syracuse NY, and decided that it would make a great addition to my winter wardrobe.  The yarn – WoolFolk Tynd – is wonderfully soft.  And the finished object is interesting and something I think I can easily dress up or down.

Finished knits and skinned knees

Miles and miles of drab green stockinette later I was ready to crochet 372 miles of vertical lines down this shawl.  Okay.  Maybe not 372 miles, but it felt like it.  I'm not good with the crochet hook... I can't look away, and it feels a little unnatural to me.  But I mustered through and I do love the finished piece.

BYGGE

So soft and lovely

Now that this is done I plan to focus on some spinning... I've got some beautiful Targhee from Nest fiber that I'm half through.

Nest Fibers – May 2016

"Garden Party" Targhee wool

Singles waiting for plying

And betwixt and between, I'll be working with Crave Yarn One and a new lightweight cardigan for the small fry.

Have a lovely start to your July.

This is your "fault" Donna...

Tonight I finished spinning a polwarth silk blend, and I got some decent yardage out of it.  My new friend Donna suggested I knit something from Martina Behm, and I think she's right... so now you all must vote.  I know there are at least three of you who read this blog...

2-ply

I've narrowed it down to these three patterns... Lintilla, Magrathea or  Trillian.

A little "barber pole"

I didn't pick anything too lacy because the yarn has a pretty wide color spectrum, and all that detail tends to get lost in an intricate lace pattern.  Here is what I will be working with.

Nest Fiber - April 2016 "Constellation" Polwarth/Silk

And thanks Donna for the idea.  XO

Swept right into summer

The heart at Squam

Here we are in mid-June.  So much has been going on behind the scenes.  We've attended carnivals and an air show.  I've worked on my spinning skills.  We took our first ever family camping trip to a beautiful CCC camp in southern Illinois.  We've gone hiking.  And been gardening and cooking new things.  It's good, this time of year.

First ever airshow

New recipe - so good, try for yourself

My mom's - big as a saucer - clematis

Our garden at home... coming along

Hand knit, handspun birthday hat (ravelry link)

Chickadee cardigan in progress

Newest fiber project - Polwarth Silk blend

Singles in work

First handspun, hand knit sweater.

Giant City State Park trail

Giant City State Park trip

Textures in green

And I went back to Squam Art Workshops for the third time.  It was so incredibly wonderful.  I returned there with one of the amazing women that I met four years ago at the first one I attended.  And we stayed in a cabin with eight other women who were just delightful.  I can't write about it without sounding like I'm gushing, and I've already used my best adjectives in the beginning parts of this paragraph... so I'll just say it was just what I needed.

A gift from my roomie, Jen.

Favorite Squam purchase... Crave yarn.  It's incredible and
so is the proprietor.  Seriously, go see her!

I think it might be the contrast that those five days offer me.  It is a luxury at this point in my life to have five days to be responsible only for myself – without the pressures of being a parent, spouse, employee or manager.  My favorite indulgences were all indulged in... I knit, drank wine, ate food that others prepared, talked and laughed, swam in the wee hours in a brisk and amazing lake, learned a bit about a few new things (book binding and tapestry weaving) and there was yoga and ice cream and luna moths and loons.

Warp and Rya knots at Squam

Re-entry to home life was super smooth.  I was so happy to get back to my nest and my family.  Re-entry to work was a bit difficult... I spent the first day trying to recall what I was doing five days earlier and simultaneously trying to convince myself that it was worth remembering.  That lake and those people... they are a powerful force.

Evidence of our last 6am swim.
Thanks, Donna!

Only 50 more weeks before I can return

UFO Socks

2T thigh highs or normal socks, whatever.

Crazy bright neon paired with tonal grey and black knit up a fun pair of "UFO" socks. My dear friend Jen sent me this yarn around Christmas and I was really anxious to see what kind of "fabric" it created... the colors in the skein were so bold and concentrated in skein form.

UFO color way close up

As it turns out, it was from Sunrise Fiber company with whom I've had no other experience.  But this was really nice tightly wound sock yarn, and the color was fast... almost no bleeding when I soaked them.

They knit up quickly.  I started with the toes first so that I didn't create any waste... so they are longish and also have a really tall ribbed cuff.  I think I'll be thankful for that when the weather gets chilly again.

Any my knitwear model was completely unconcerned about the fact that the fit was less than perfect. Love her.

Gorgeous weather and photographic ramblings...

Missouri Botanical Gardens

There is so much that I want to document here.  Sometimes I'm stymied by the problem of wrapping the photos and projects into some kind of coherent and thoughtful commentary...  maybe I need to take the pressure off and just share more photos.  (You might think so too after you read this brief but rambling post...)

This spring has been just beautiful.  We've been spending so much time outside, in our yard, at the Botanical Gardens, at my rural home.  And in the evenings, I've been knitting, spinning and sewing.  It's been a great balance.

Urban Garden

I listened to a podcast the other day about the declaration of "being busy".  And I know I just did that in this space.  And it felt cliched.  And the podcaster and her interviewee talked about how busy-ness is really just making time for all the things that you want to do.  And I liked that idea... it's not that someone doles out a list for me each morning as I stumble out of bed of things to do.  These are the activities of the path that I've chosen and our family has chosen... we are lucky that they are all engaging and positive things.

So, I guess if I'm being more honest and straightforward about all this busy-ness, it's all self created.  I get great joy out of our family time, watching the girls in their extracurricular activities and school, carving out time with my better half and also finding professional success at work. And I would be remiss if I didn't mention the hobbies and the activity of trying to chronicle them on this blog.

That's our busy... and it's self inflicted and good.