Happenings

Good bye sweet summer.  I'm always ready to see the end of the heat and anxiously anticipate the cooler weather.  And we've been pretty industrious around here since I last wrote... my pictures are better at showing what we've accomplished in the last few weeks, so here goes...

We tried on last falls sweaters and they still fit, which is great news – but probably won't prevent me from knitting more sweaters for my little people.  These are knit in Jill Draper's super wash wool called Hudson... one of my all time favorites.  The patterns are Lori Versaci's patterns which are classic and well written.

There was a bit of travel, so I knit some socks... the yarn was gifted to me by the dearest girl, Jen. They remind me of the confetti frosting that my sister and I used to covet.  The kind with the completely artificial tasting rainbow chips in it... and made your teeth hurt from eating too much of it. (Which we may have discovered after "stealing" a can of it from Mom's pantry and secretly eating it in my sister's closet... sorry Mom.)

And proof to the earlier point, I finished this very pretty and fine gauge sweater for the small fry.  It's lightweight and she loves it and I hope it makes many trips back and forth to school... The yarn is Crave Yarn One hand dyed by the lovely Amor, who I had the distinct pleasure of meeting and spending a class with in June at Squam lake.  You should look her up, you will not be sorry.

There was a small amount of spinning.

And the stairs and the banister and spindles finally got sanded and stained, after a mere 18 month delay.  We're pretty happy with how they turned out... and even more excited to take that "project" off of the list.  Hurray!

And last but not least, my thoughtful and talented better half build this "house in the house" as the girls call it.  It's a play house – ingeniously build over the opening of what was a full closet.  And it has become quite the place for entertaining friends, storing dress up clothes and locking your sister out of.

Spin, knit, deliberate.

I've been knitting and spinning and working and playing and doing my civic duty for the democracy like crazy this last few days.  The civic part of that was jury duty... the work and play part are just the normal keeping on... and the knitting and spinning was employed primarily to offset the weight of being on a jury.  Thank goodness for democracy (and wool, to distract my mind in the evenings). 

We're looking forward to fall around here... not to say that we are wishing away summer, but we've tried on and adjusted school uniforms, bought school supplies and new shoes and are gearing up for another season of peewee soccer (or in our case organized socialization of first graders).  

This morning is especially peaceful... coffee, Elton John's "tiny dancer" filling my ears, the girls absorbing the Olympics, my better half off enjoying some visiting friends and me with a few moments to record these projects...  I hope your morning is equally lovely.

 June Nest Fiber project - color way called "Boardwalk"

Attempting to create some blocks of color in the singles

Three ply result

I did get some spinning in last weekend... and am working hard not to overspin the fiber...  You'll see what I spun with the May fiber is so very tight, that the wool actually feels like cotton... not ruinous, but not what I was going for...

In progress

"Simple but Effective" cowl

Modeled by our tiny dancer...
complete with a pirate smile.

Waist length cowl

The May fiber was this beautifully dyed Targhee wool... which I spun and chain plied.  And then knit it into a cowl which will be a Christmas gift for a dear friend of ours (who has no idea that this blog exists).  It will definitely be warm, it's a dense and heavy 8oz of wool all packed into a conservatively sized cowl.  (In other words, way over spun.) Modeled by our ever-willing-to-be-photographed girl.  I think I included the last picture just so I'll have a record of her hair when time passes... 

New beanie

Keeping our heads warm in August

 And lastly, I took this girl of ours to the local yarn shop and she attached herself to this skein of bright pink wool and announced a need for a new hat... and I was happy to oblige.

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.