Spinning Mornings

I have decided it is time to resume my 'Spinning Mornings' because I have not been spinning at all lately and I really miss the peace and quiet and sense of fulfillment these few minutes in the morning at my spinning wheel provide to me. And I know if I don't spin in the morning, I never seem to get to it later in the day. So, on this beautiful Autumn morning, when the Japanese maple tree outside the window I spin in front of is at its most glorious red, 

Japanese Maple in all its red glory.

I sat down at my wheel and gifted myself 30 minutes of spinning some glorious brown (of course) Jacob roving. It was exactly as Zen-like as I remembered and after just a few moments I was moving smoothly along spinning at 32 WPI (which will 2-ply with some beautiful light brownish-creamy Jacob roving  I just happen to have in my stash, to 16 WPI and will give me a lovely sock weight yarn). If I keep this up, I should be able to get through my entire roving stash in................

Jacob roving with newly spun single @ 32 WPI

Another Week in Paradise

Just a few photos from our last get-away to our favorite spot in Maine - Topside Inn in Boothbay Harbor. The weather was spectacular and we had a wonderful week of eating, reading, walking and then reading, eating, walking and then walking, eating, reading, ...you get the idea. I also got a bit of knitting in but this was more of a reading holiday - finished 3 books while I was there...and didn't feel guilty about just sitting and reading...now that is joy!

Late Summer Light & Blocking

I noticed today that the light in the backyard looked different than it had for months and I realized that it was a Harbinger of Autumn. The Earth has rotated enough so that the Sun is now lower in the sky and, around Davenport Pines, that means the light being filtered through the leaves of our trees is softer and not as intense. Welcome, the first visage of my favorite time of year...you have been long in coming.

As soon as I feel Autumn arriving, the energy I have been without during this hot & miserable Summer begins to return and I am renewed...at least a little. All of the projects that have been on hold or not begun because of my lethargy are un-earthed and finished or begun. One of these unfinsished projects is my Cat's Paw Scarf...my first lace project. I had finsihed knitting it months ago and all it needed was blocking; so, on this day that makes me feel alive again, I decided to block it...not realizing that it would take a long time to do. Threading the blocking wire, inserting the blocking pins (I was almost finsihed when I understood how they had to be placed and so I had to re-do all of them) and measuring and readjusting to make it as even as possible. Over an hour later, my 8" x 70" scarf was blocked (not too well) and sitting on the blocking pads & towels on the living room floor...the only space in the house available for this project. if you look closely, you can see the little 'Cat's Paws' in the photo below.

I may have discoverd that I enjoy lace-knitting but I have also discovered that I am not very fond of blocking the lace projects I knit.

Shawls and Weaving

Well, as I mentioned...I could not wait to start another lacy-triangularly-shaped-shawl and so I did...and then I frogged it all back to the cast-on! Nothing seems to have changed in my lace-shawl knitting except the yarn & the pattern...I still can't get the correct stitch count and I still make mistakes!! I am convinced that I cannot knit and listen to an audio-book...or a Yankee game...or music...or someone talking to me...or..................because, if I do, I make mistakes. I ask you, what does that say about my mental facilities? That's up to you to decide for yourself. This shawl is being knit from yarn gifted to me by a friend (Thank you, Rosemary) from Purls of Wisdom (my knitting circle) and a lovely and easy (or so I thought), well-written pattern called 'Parisienne' by Katie White which I found on Ravelry. The yarn is Elegance from Knit Picks which is 70% Baby Alpaca & 30% Silk in a glorious colorway called Redwood (think reddish-BROWN...the picture doesn't do it justice, and, no, the shawl is not going to look like a Sting-Ray when it is finished!). This yarn has an inner glow and shows the stitch definition beautifully and is very lovely to knit with. After I ripped out my first attempt, I almost immediately started over again and now I am on the 3rd lace row and my stitch count is correct (Yes!!) and I am really loving this yarn & pattern & knitting lacy-triangular-shawls...who would have thought?

Also, I am finally taking the plunge...I am going to learn how to WEAVE! I have always wanted to learn this art, even before I wanted to spin. Working at The Spinnery most every week and looking at all of the looms and the beautiful fabric on those looms has weakened my resistance to adding more projects to my never-ending list...but, so it goes. And, when, I was gifted with a sweet little 2-harness loom by a friend, what could I do. So now I am a knitter, crocheter, sewer, yarn-dyer, spinner, tea-blender...soon to be weaver...we really need a bigger house and I need more time in each day! I don't have pictures of my new loom but they will be forthcoming...and maybe I can weave some Christmas presents after I spin some yarn to knit into Christmas presents and knit the projects for the Christmas presents and dye the sock-yarn for the Christmas presents, finish knitting the sweater & socks for a June (2010) birthday present...and, maybe, just maybe, all of these projects will be finished for Christmas.........2012...unless I find some more projects to work on!

PS> The Garland Shawl is blocked!

C'est fini...FINALLY!

Well, not quite...I still have to block it and weave in the ends; but, for all intents and purposes, my very first lace triangular shawl is completed...done...over...no more knitting on it...Hah! Of course, it is about the size of a small hankie and I know I knit way more stiches than there seem to be in the finished shawl...I mean I have been knitting (and frogging) this @#$*% piece of knitting FOREVER!!! Well, OK, not forever...it just seemed that way. Now for the surprise...I can't wait to start the next one!!!!

Fleecing-2010

On a couple of days recently, the 'Fleece Connection' got together to pick and cold wash this year's fleece...3 bags of Dorset mix and 1 bag of Border Leiscester. With that completed we just have to hot-wash, card, spin and ply the pounds and pounds of fleece we have and that does not even count what is left over from Fleecing-2009. It might be time to send some off for the final stages, because we really wnat to start knitting with this gorgeous fiber. And, oh, yes...we want to start dyeing some of the Dorset....oh, yes and then we want to learn to weave and there is plenty of fleece for Nuno-felting and.......

Hello Again

It has been a while since I posted...partly because I have not been feeling up to par and mostly because it has just been too bloody hot to do anything! The gardens are in a terrible state and no spinning has been done but; at least, I have been reading and knitting. I am moving along on my Garland Shawl

and have just started the 3rd (of 4) pattern repeats and I have decided that I really enjoy knitting these little triangular shawls with lace borders. In fact I have enjoyed knitting this shawl so much (even with the frogging and re-knitting that has gone on) that I have ordered more yarn from The Yarnarian for two more shawls...who would have ever imagined! I am also knitting a pair of "2-at-a-time toe-up socks on one circ" for my great-niece...these socks will match the multi-colored stripe on the sleeveless sweater I am knitting her.

We also managed a trip up to our favorite holiday place - Topside Inn, Boothbay Harbor, ME and a trip to Ocean Grove, NJ to hear a concert by an outstanding chamber orchestra,  the Carnegie Ensemble, which was founded by a dear friend from our NJ State Opera days.

Time to turn the air conditioner on and start knitting as I listen to the next chapter of my current audio book (Careless in Red by Elizabeth George) before meeting a friend for dinner. I really am anxious for Autumn to arrive!!