A Visit to Autumn

Spent

good part

of the last

week with

daughter

and family.

Went up to

the

mountains

of GA and visited an annual tradition with them, Burt's Farm.

It is wonderful to be able to go and share a slice of their life.

David is flourishing in homeschool and Abigail has grown so much-she talks in full sentences all the time now and has become quite her own person-and she sings lovely hymns of faith.........

Did some knitting while travelling up and back but mostly enjoyed the ride and held my Tom(cat)...he travels well but doesn't really enjoy it. Bling(cat 2) doesn't enjoy the ride and asks if we are there yet every few minutes! Fifi (dog) is just glad that we didn't forget her! Glad to be home and savor our less colorful but still well-defined change of season here in NE FL.

Leftovers?!

This has been a fun few days using up all the leftover sock yarn--it is a delight to the eyes, isn't it?

Maybe I should have titled this 'ankles and wrists'. The orange and teal wristlets have been simmering in me for a long time, since I saw an example of 2 color work in SpinOff magazine using 2 opposing colorways--it was as satisfying as I had hoped! I do not think I am done with the experiment and can already see some more lovelies in the works!

Trusty Assistant

See who keeps me

company? This is Bling (named for his golden color and his love of anything shiny). He likes to be on whatever I am doing-I am accommodating ; I was still working on the other end of this quilt piecing the rows together and I didn't bother him at all! Who needs to wait for a quilt to be finished to appreciate it?

End and Begin

I finished my socks for the Favorite Socks KAL while sitting and watching the 'workermans' put in our new driveway. This is another superwash that I dyed and spun. It is a good day when you get to finish something and it is always fun to start something new-I am going back out to watch and do some spinning. I received some lovely samples from Michele at Juniper-Designs and will enjoy spinning them!

Bill is laying new

under-

ground

conduit for

the

electric service

to be

run to the

addition

and to replace our old above ground.

It is so good to be making progress!

Spinnin' Finn

I have tried a new fiber and I love it! It is wool from a Finn sheep, very long fibers with a nice sheen so the finished yarn has a luster! The fiber spread out is to show you how I separate it before I spin it. I split the whole roving into 2 equal parts and put one away-this will be the second skein. I then split the remaining roving into 2 equal parts and set one aside for the second bobbin. The remaining section I separate into 6 parts along the length of the roving this time and wind them into little nests-these will be spun onto the first bobbin. I pick up a fluff ball and gently pull the fiber apart (called predrafting) to make it thinner and much longer-at least twice as long as the little nest was previously. Now, I spin! See my breathing slow, see my hands and feet work into a perfect rhthym that will transform this fluff into yarn-truly an amazing art.

Give it a try if you ever have the opportunity to-don't miss the chance due to any excuse!

Big and Little

This is what I have been building lately-this pieced top will be a wall hanging. I used a computer printed image on fabric--completely different than anything I have tried before. It is very free form and it was hard not to be in the 'exact points match etc' mode but it was also very liberating!

The bed size quilt is not sewn together yet, I just finished piecing the blocks last night. It is a fat quarter kit that is beautiful Batiks and was easy to piece with dramatic results! Even DH says, "Wow!" I am also knitting up the blue wool into socks in the evening; I had many false starts with this pattern from the Favorite Socks Knit-a-long....it has been very good to stretch my comfort zone in knitting and quilting-change can be good when you are ready for it.........!

GARDEN BLISS

Good friend, Becki, always sends us away after a visit with a carload of plants-she has a very green thumb............so far we have been accumulating the plants in pots and harboring them at the side of the house until we could think of a safe place for them with the construction ahead. This week we decided to give some of them a home in the only area we are pretty sure will be safe for a while-our driveway 'island' (the driveway loops around this area).

It has been fun to plant and help the area that once was flourishing to be restored to lush growth-now we are talking about future lush 'cuz every gardener also has to have vision and as we plant, we see not the single stalk before us but the huge, full, green shrub that it will be! We only work for a few hours in the morning while in the shade and before the sun gets to full baking strength!


And a very patient plant, my
Mother's Day Hibiscus
from the McKees has finally
been planted and is happy-
I can tell 'cuz it is still blooming ...............since May! Just beautiful! Thank you one and all.

Spinnin' and Thinnin''

The super heat of summer has broken and it is nice to be outside working in the yard again! (Isn't it funny to be calling 90 'cool again!') I have been dyeing some superwash wool roving and then spinning it for the past week-I will begin knitting tomorrow as soon as the wool dries-it is the finest sock yarn I have spun yet. (This is not refering to the quality but rather to the thinness of the yarn for you non-knitters!) I was hoping for a little more dimension in the color but it is still a pretty navy color-I am hoping some of the variations of tone will show up when knitting. New skills require a definite learning curve. I know enough to be patient with myself and the fact that nothing is 'ruined' in the process sure does help!

Bamboo Socks

Waving Lace is Finally finished! It has been a challenge for some reason-- You would never guess the rip-outs on this one! I really needed to be focused and alone when I knit these. I did watch and old movie and manage to crank away to get the second one done. As always, it is worth it when you see the end results. I made these pretty much as directed by the pattern instructions. The yarn is Step by Austermann in greens. It is a superwash that is made with aloe and jojoba oil in the yarn for a beauty treatment for your feet-will let you know how it holds up!

Road Blocks

Where have I been............in rip-out realms.........it has been very frustrating!

I can usually knit anywhere, anytime but that did not work for this second sock of waving lace pattern! The pattern is wonderful, the yarn is delightful in color and feel, the brain and fingers are not focused and it shows. I knit this while in the car and was doing the lace pattern from memory and I am no longer as good at hearing and thinking at the same time anymore.......most of the sock I ripped out was done on an hour and half car trip and then when visiting. It didn't work, okay. I will sit in near silence tonight and knit and hopefully regain the lost and lost-again rows.

An update on my namesake goat-she is doing wonderfully and has been upgraded from the nursery stall with her mom into the herd! She looks so cute and energetic--I am secretly marking her for some good spinning fluff next year!

Nursery Kids

I have been at my neighbors most of the week helping out with their orphaned Boer goat kids. They rescued a herd of maltreated goats-31 -and the stress of the move induced several malnourished moms to give birth. Most of them and a few kids didn't make it but the little ones that did needed bottle feeding! What fun! What work! This one is my namesake-now that is an honor! (Yeah, the fact she is willful and stubborn had nothing to do with the inspiration!)

Second One is Faster

Finished the second sock-aren't they enough to brighten your spirits! They feel delicious to wear...the lace pattern for this pair is from Favorite Socks, it is called the Anniversary Sock which is a very elegant city looking sock and mine are definitely the casual cousin!

A Hanky Bonnet

Spent an afternoon in the sewing room for a change! When friends have a new grand-daughter you are inspired to make a 'welcome gift". This is a project that uses heirloom sewing techniques to make a hankerchief that then is folded and ingeneously sewn into a bonnet for use by the newborn....then tucked away and brought out to be used by the grown-up daughter as a hanky when she is a bride! It is a old idea and not mine--I first learned how to make it from a Martha Pullen show, I believe.

Sock Blockers on a Budget

Oh, such clever people! I saw this the other day on Craftzine and had to make a pair! Big surprise to me-no wire hangers around! I always kept them in the entryway closet but that is in NY and I am here with all the nice plastic ones...........

My husband hates to part with anything-and sure enough, he had several in the back of the closet! Finders laws apply.....voila'! I had the first one bent into shape in a few minutes but wouldn't you know it, I had to ask for help shaping the second hanger because it was of a heavier gauge than the first one! Husband to the rescue; he even commented on the rarity of wire hangers and the value of these some day-he didn't ask where I got them and I didn't bring it up... Anyway, with just a little effort, I have sock blockers-now all I need to do is get that second skein knit up! (This sock is from Favorite Socks from Interweave Press; it is the Anniversary sock, yarn hand spun on 2.75 needles)

The Homecoming Trip

Bill and I do manage to enjoy each other's company! While covering the long miles of the trip home we get silly, get grouchy, hungry and needful of a Rest Area.....we smile a lot , discuss solutions to the world-at-large and reflect on the lives of our children and where they are in their lives ( I don't mean geographically either!) and generally just appreciate the life in which God has blessed us.

It is good to have such a block of time to spend together.

I am usually knitting while Bill does all the driving...here is the first sock I finished -the yarn is not yet spun for the second so the next day of travel I started a pair for David from some left over yarn I had packed.

It is good to be home, too.

Fond memories to all our Skin-Friends who have had to become Screen-Friends again ........until our next visit.

NY Project Frenzy

Stayed with my parents while in NY and managed to squeeze in several projects with my Mom. We decorated her sun porch door window with Gallery Glass,

we tea dyed a crochet tablecloth because she noticed it had different colored thread after it was sewn together!

We even managed to sew a quilted wall hanging for her entry way -she is getting out the Fall decorations since it is just around the corner for her! And we knitted and watched craft shows on tv...for an unplanned trip, we managed to make memories of the trip that will last quite a while! Thanks Dad and Mom for the hospitality and love!

Northward Bound

Heading North (1200 miles by car) to pay our respects to a wonderful man who lost his battle with cancer. Our neighbor graciously agreeed to care for our animals and away we went. We experienced happy and sad mixed together-saying goodbye to a good friend and being able to visit friends we haven't seen in 8 months since the move South. Finished knitting the Granite Socks (Embossed Leaves socks from the Favorite Socks KAL) on the way north.

Back to One

Glad I ripped the first sock out-this one fits perfectly and because it is tighter it shows off the lace pattern the way it is supposed to. I am making good progress on the second, second sock-a memorized pattern sure works faster! I will be on the road tomorrow , so it will be finished soon.

Ripping is Not so Bad............

See the Embossed Leaves Sock-see the pile of yarn? I knew it the minute I cast on the ribbing.........did I listen to that little feeling? Obviously not. When I tried it on last night I had that feeling again, the wonderful hug that a pair of well-fitting socks gives you just wasn't there. No matter how much I wanted to deny this, it was going to have to go. I waited until this morning to rip it out. I needed the freshness of the morning and the courage. Thankfully yarn is reusable-I will be able to fly through the pattern now, since I have had such experience knitting it. It will be worth it. I even figured out where in the pattern to reduce the stitches to get rid of the bagginess since I do not have a pair of smaller needles. Stay tuned...

A Southern Knitter Makes...

I would like to answer a comment question-what do you knit in the south that doesn't have to be sent north because it is too heavy for here?

In the 7 months we have been in Florida, I have enjoyed knitting and fulling bowls (14), knitting shrugs (10)to give those shoulders some protection from the A/C, cellphone/i-pod holders (4), hand spun wool for socks(4), accessory scarves (1) , and not pictured-a sweater set for new baby. And yes, some things went north like shrugs, socks, vests and sweaters for the grand kids and newborn hats (36) that go to Community General Hospital in Syracuse.

So, Jess, the southern knitter needs to answer this question, do I knit sweaters for my children because I can't find any in the stores........or do I need to knit 'cuz I need to knit. Do I need to feel the yarn slip through my fingers, do I need to see how that color will develop, how that pattern will accomplish that; need to see how the same item in a different yarn is completely new and amazing!?

Today we have an incredible selection of yarns to chose from so the southern knitter isn't limited to the heavy wool of outdoor sweaters-bamboo, soy, corn, silk, and tencel-on their own or even blended with merino all make lightweight, ideal for the southern (or anywhere sometime) knitter! Today, I have no limits to what I have available especially because I have the Internet right at my fingertips! My LYS is more than an hour away from me-but any fiber, any time is just a click away! What a great time to be a southern knitter.........hope this encourages you-have a good day-knit today!