Spring Is HERE!!!

Lilac Bush budding

Creek under the road

Primrose

Autumn Joy Sedum

Peony

Daffodil

Tiger Lily

Not only is it officially spring here, but we have been having some amazing weather and everything is way ahead for this time of the year. It has been simply amazing. It's like we skipped over spring for a week and had summer! Temperature-wise things are calming down now, but the weather is still very lovely. The distant tree lines have a misty green haze over them as the leaves unfurl. All the flowering trees are in full bloom, and all told, it is quite the astonishing display of spring we are having. 
As I travel I've been enjoying watching how the scenery has been changing over the last couple of weeks. Everything has gone from a spring-is-on-the-way look, to a full blown display of greenery and flowers.


But with all the early growth comes the worry that perhaps a hard frost, or even late snow storm, will arrive and damage the crops. We are praying that the nights stay mild and that the fruit trees survive until warm weather is here to stay.


I must go get ready for the evening church service. It was lovely stopping in here, if only for a short time to say "hello"! Next time I blog I'll have to share a few updates on the little bit of spinning and knitting I've been doing recently. Until then......take care, my friends!

Photos from Mid-February

Around mid-February while out feeding the alpacas I snapped some photos in the fading sunlight. The scenery. The barn door. And of the boys of course. They are such fun to photograph.

I'm coming along beautifully on my Tibetan Stole. Lately I've been galavanting around so much that i have not had as much time to fit in knitting or spinning. But this is how far my stole was a month ago. Since then it has grown by a chart repeat or so. 

Two and a half days a week I'm helping a dear friend who is recovering from a bout with cancer. She has several little ones, including a 4 month old baby, and needs a little extra help around the house right now.

Its been a joy and a blessing to spend time with them and be able to help her out at this time.

Cheerio for now!

Scottish Highland Knits

A couple of weeks ago I purchased Scottish Highland Knits from the used book section of our bookstore. I had been browsing the bookstore a few weeks previously and saw it, but couldn't quite make up my mind whether I should by it or not. To my surprise when I came back later, there it was! It was only $7.oo, but i still stood there and dithered back and forth trying to make up my mind whether to buy it or not. I thumbed through it and realized that I liked all the patterns in the book, save one. When you consider that just one pdf of a knitting pattern could sell for the same amount, well, it seemed like a good deal. Not to mention that the book itself is quite well-laid out and beautiful. More on that later.

But first let me show you the first project I am planning on making out of Scottish Highland Knits. These are the Felted Slippers by Catherine Tough. I have some handspun wool & llama yarn that I am hoping works for the pattern. The yarn that it originally calls for is Rowan Scottish Tweed DK. My yarn is a worsted weight. But the way the pattern works is you knit the general shape of the slipper, felt the knitted fabric, and then use the templates to cut out the exact shapes needed for the slipper. So I'm pretty sure I can make this yarn work. We'll see. I haven't started the project yet, other then winding one skein into a center-pull ball.
I have a few other projects I need to get out of the way first. And with spring just days away I don't anticipate that I'll need these slippers very much until this coming autumn. So its not a pressing thing that needs to get done soon. Just something I'd like to make up and have ready for cold weather. We have wood floors in our home and with the wind that whips over the fields around our hill it sure gets chilly at times.

Patchwork Throw

Here are some other projects from the book I would really like to make.

Doesn't that look so cozy?

Cabled Blanket Coat

I think this sweater looks simply scrumptious! So warm, cable-y, and perfect for layering during those brisk autumn days. I think this would look amazing in handspun yarn. Hmm, maybe I'll have to keep my eyes peeled for some appropriate fiber while I'm out and about at fiber festivals this summer.

Fair Isle Socks

Tie Shrug: by Wendy Baker

I think this around-the-shoulder shrug looks so cozy. Its perfect for curling up in the evenings by the fire with a good book. Or some knitting. It would also wear nicely to church or out and about as well.

Wrap Cardigan: by Sarah Dallas

The lace pattern is open and quite dainty, while the fabric of the cardigan seems to be substantial enough to keep one warm on a cool spring day. I also love the dainty touch the crocheted edging adds to it.


Not only does the book have great patterns, it is also a visual treat of beautiful scenery, textures, and gorgeous knitting photos.

I hope you've enjoyed this short little review of Scottish Highland Knits. I look forward to sharing the projects with you as I make them! 

I'm at my brother and sister-in-law's house today. We are having a big family shindig here later this afternoon. The house is sparkly, the food is prepped and we are now enjoying the sunshine, and the fact that we can have a few windows open letting in fresh air! 

 Lord-willing I'll be back here soon. Until next time, may you have a lovely day!

In which we speak of the Pumpkin Spice Stole

Hello my friends! Lately we have had quite a few grey, leaden days. For awhile it felt as if spring was in the air. We have certainly had an odd February! Lots of rain, very little snow, temperatures varying greatly...Last week we had another snow fall. It was a thick, heavy sort of snow that covered every little branch and twig.

Very pretty, indeed. I didn't take any pictures of the snow until the next morning. By that time the thick cover was gone, though it was still snowing and quite pretty. See what I mean by grey??

Snow covered field.

This was around 4:30 in the afternoon. I went outside to feed the alpacas and took my camera along in case there were any good photo opportunities. It was quite chilly so after feeding the boys I quickly snapped a couple of photos then hurried back inside. We get a good deal of wind on our hill and sometimes I feel like I'm about to blow away! It certainly makes cleaning up after the alpacas an adventure. 

Heading back indoors I'm greated by the heavenly smell of hyacinths in bloom. These gorgeous flowers just keep growing and growing. Their wonderful smell permeates the surrounding area. It is a nice touch of spring amid all the grey.

Last week I pulled out my watercolor supplies and did a small 5x7" painting as a birthday gift for a friend. The original is one I painted a few years ago when I was just learning to paint by studying various books. I painted my new "Clothes on the Line" with a hint of storminess to the clouds. It looks like a cool, autumn day with the wind picking up and a storm rolling in.

I was quite pleased with the way the painting turned out considering the fact that I painted it in the evening, when the lighting was not very good. I picked the brightest corner of the living room and set up station. Normally I do not paint in the living room, but it was necessary at the time. I am actually quite pleased that my set-up worked out. Now I know for future reference that it Is possible to get enough lighting to make a decent painting on a dark winter's eve.

Pumpkin Spice Stole

Speaking of winter evenings, this is what I am often working on by the stove late in the evening. A cup of tea and I am all set to go for a while. This is the "Tibetan Clouds Beaded Stole" by Sivia Harding. I started my stole shortly after Christmas. The yarn was gifted to me by my sweet sister. I was so excited to have this large lace project to work on. I've been taking my own sweet time knitting it up, savouring the process so to speak. There were about 3 weeks total where I did not pick it up and work on it. For awhile there I just needed a change of pace, and then at one point this month I was so sick that I did not want to knit. But other then those few delays the Pumpkin Spice Stole (so named because of its lovely, rich pumpkin-y color) is growing steadily. I do find that the beading is sometimes rather tedious. But this is my first big beading project and its taken me awhile to get good at it. I was so slow in the beginning, but now I feel like I can fly along at a fairly good pace. If it were not for all those little beads I'm sure the stole would be done by now. But the beads really make the project, and despite the slow process of individually placing each bead, it is fun to do and the finished results will be well worth it!

Only last week I finished the first "wing" of my stole. Chart E is repeated eight and a half times so by the time I got near the end I felt like I had it memorized. It should make knitting the second wing a breeze. Chart E does scrunch up a good deal, and the ending charts are all puckery. But I am sure it will all block it beautifully in the end. That is the beauty of lace, taking a scrunched up piece of knitting, blocking it and then seeing it transform into a delicate  and gorgeous work of art.

That is all I have to share for this evening. I have a busy week ahead, what with my sister-in-law hosting a gals get-together for the ladies of the family, traveling I need to do later on this week....whew it is making me tired just thinking of what needs to be accomplished in the next day or two. However I am looking forward to the times of fellowship ahead, as well as the opportunity to be a blessing. 

In the last month and a half we have been able to get together with many friends, as well as make some new friends, we have had some wonderful times of fellowship and have been blessed, refreshed and encouraged. Family and friends are truly a precious gift from God!

May you have a wonderful and cheerful  week, wherever you are!  

I Am Back!!!

 I thought I would share a few spinning photos with you today. I know it has been quite awhile since I shared any spinning. The last two months I have not done as much spinning as I would have liked. These photos are of some of my fall spinning projects. The above picture is of Merino roving that I hand-painted May of 2011. It was a roving I intended to sell, but it was such a lovely color that I could not resist and finally ended up spinning it. I took it with me as a special project to work on when we went on family "holiday" this past October.

I still have a little bit left to spin, maybe a quarter of an ounce? I had the outlandish idea to turn this roving into a four-ply yarn. More then once in the process I rued the day the thought ever occurred to me! Why? Because it was rather a trial when plying, and because it was spun so thin it took FOREVER. (hence why I still have a tiny bit left to do!) I divided the 4 ounces into one-ounce sections. Then I spun up an ounce at a time, winding it off into a center-pull ball when I was finished. When I had two ounces spun, I took the two center-pull balls and plied all four resulting ends together into one yarn.  I ended up with 4-ply fingering weight yarn.

The above spinning project was used for  Christmas gift. I knit a small rabbit from the book "Last Minute Knitted Gifts" and used the resulting yarn for the ears. I carded together white huecaya alpaca fiber and gray angora rabbit. It was a super soft blend, just perfect for the inner ears of a little rabbit! I'll have to share pictures of some of the Christmas knitting I did.

 Remember the pictures I shared of my first time spinning locks? Well this is the resulting yarn. I have not used it for anything yet, I still think it would make lovely crocheted flowers.

My first 4-ply yarn! Its so soft and lovely.

TeesWater locks, plied with commercial lace yarn.

Bunny Ear Yarn

Bunny ears: in progress.

I took my yarn outdoors to take pictures. It was a beautiful fall day. The sunshine was lovely, though the wind was a bit brisk. Windfall wanted to be a part of the photo shoot apparently!

So that is it for my fall spinning update. Well, I am off to go feed the boys. Around 4:30pm they start getting antsy and wanting their supper. Today is a beautiful, sunny day, just like when the above pictures were taken. I might have to take my camera out and snap some photos.