Catching Up

I have a new design in the wings and I am so excited about it! Last September I was visiting my sister-in-law and somehow did not have a project to work on. I can not remember now if I forgot to bring something, or if it was simply a case of finishing up what I did bring along. Either way, my hands were empty and I needed a project. She rummaged in her craft room and came back with yarn, needles and the stitch dictionary and basically  said "design something". So with plenty of quiet and spare time on my hands, a new pattern was born. I only knit the left mitten, then it got put on the back burner as other projects came along. This week I puled it out and sorted through my notes, determined to make a go of it and finish it off. I'm pleased to say,as of this evening, I finished the mitt! Well, all except the top part of the thumb. I need to jot down how to do it, as I failed to make thorough notes on the first time around. 

While visiting a new yarn shop this week I picked up this yarn for a test knit of my new pattern. The yarn is "Rustic" by Cascade Yarns, Fiber content is 79% Wool 21% Linen. I purchased two skeins as I am hoping to have enough yarn left over for a complimenting accessory. I am looking forward to sharing more with you about this project in the near future.

I have several Christmas presents that I never showed you. The first being this adorable hat. I knit this for one of my sisters. 
Yarn: Handspun Blue-Face Leicester
Pattern: Kim's Hats from "Last-minute Knitted Gifts."

Up-close detail of the hat.

Jillian & Bilbo

Christmas 2010 I made Jillian as a gift. She was made out of hand carded, hand spun Alpaca/Angora yarn,
Christmas 2011 I made Bilbo as a gift. He is made out of hand carded, hand spun Merino/Corriedale/Dorset/Angora yarn.
Pattern: Loveable Toys from "Last-minute knitted gifts.
The rabbits are quite different from each other, because of the differences in yarn. Jillian is more soft and floppy, and thanks to lots of angora, she has a nice fuzzy halo. Bilbo is soft but sturdy, with a nice firm hand. He does not have nearly as much halo as Jillian does, seeing as I did not card as much angora in with the the rolags.
I suppose it could also be due to the fact that he is only 4 months old, whereas Jillian is over a year old and has had time to grow fuzzy.

Bilbo

Such a sweet little face!

The boys were exceedingly interested in the goings-on of the photo shoot. I do believe they thought the rabbits were edible. I couldn't get a single photo without the alpacas in the background! Not that I minded though. They are inquisitive fellows, and so sweet.
   

Difference in ears.

I also made a pair of wristlets for another sister. These are from one of the older issues of Spin-Off. Though at this precise moment I do not remember which one. If anyone wishes to particularly know I will gladly look it up. This is the fourth pair that I have made. They only take a small amount of fingering-weight yarn, and work up very quickly. The only modification I made this time was to lengthen the ribbing.


Next up: Spring updates!


For now, farewell my friends!

In Which I Card My Walnut-dyed Alpaca

Remember when I dyed alpaca with walnuts this past autumn? I carded up a couple rolags at the time, but had other projects that I needed to work on. So this projects was set aside, though I was hoping to get to it over the winter. Obviously that did not happen. But thinking back on it, I really wouldn't want to be carding in the house. Even though I washed it and dyed it, there is still veggie matter and a little bit of dirt that falls out. Not to mention stray fiber that blows hither and yon. 

 Two weeks ago during our spell of beautiful weather I carded fiber on two different afternoons and ended up with approximately 30 rolags. Because I was working from fiber that had been dyed at two different times I had different shades of alpaca. My first dye batch is darker, see the above photo on the left. The second batch is lighter. I was taking fiber from both bags and carding it, and also some just from one bag or the other. I figured once its carded, spun, plied, and knit it will look beautiful, despite the differences in the colors of the fiber.

 I'm looking forward to spinning this fiber, but I am trying to wait until I have made more of a dent in my dyed fiber. At the moment two pounds seems like a lot to card! 

I'm also spinning from a sample grab bag of assorted fiber that I picked up at a fiber festival last summer. The only problem with the grab bag is that I have no idea what sort of fiber I am spinning! I can take a guess at it, but its just really a stab in the dark.

This fiber is soft-ish, a nice heathered blue/grey. It spins well, we'll see how it plies.

This yarn is rough feeling. I carded the fiber together with some angora. It helped soften it up some, but it is still quite scratchy for next-to-the-skin wear. Although I only have about 70 yards of a fingering weight, so I can't make anything substantial with this yarn alone! I'm just setting the skein aside and deciding later what to do with it. 
If you have any thoughts or ideas I'd love to hear them!

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!