Tour de Fleece

Tomorrow marks the beginning of Tour de Fleece.  I have been trying to decide what my goal should be for the last couple of weeks.  I originally wanted to finish carding and spinning the fleece that I have but the humid weather is about to hit and the thought of carding in the heat gives me the hives.  Then my goal was to spin everything I have in my basket above.  That probably adds up to about 1 and a half pounds.  Definitely doable.  Then I got to thinking - I have a decent stash in my upstairs closet that needs to be attacked. I've been all about stash busting this year.

So I have decided I am simply going to spin every day during the tour.  For at least 15 minutes.  I know I can do that.  The question at hand - what am I going to spin first?????

How Does Your Garden Grow

You remember back on this post we had planted the seeds and were hopeful we would have our first "seed to fruit" garden.  Didn't happen.  The week we planted our seeds it proceeded to rain.  And rain.  And rain.  It killed just about all of them off.  But alas, that did not stop us.  (Sidenote - when I say "us", the term should be "him", as in my husband.  He is the one who planted the seedlings into the garden, he is the one who waters it, he is the one who weeds it.  I simply buy the plants and have grandiose ideas about the whole thing).  We went to our favorite nursery and bought some plants.  And they are doing quite well.

The basil is growing like crazy.  And we use it constantly.  It is usually accompanied by the fresh mozzarella and tomatoes.  They aren't our home grown tomatoes, but those are growing too.

This was a patio tomato, and to be honest, I think they are forced early because the tomatoes keep falling off and they are having to ripen on the windowsill.

Harry bought these banana pepper plants like this - with the pepper almost full grown.  Looks good to me.

We tried something different this year - broccoli.  We shall see how it grows.  And I am trying once again for some watermelon.

 

We tried last year and they all died off.  I'm crossing my fingers this time.  

Well that's about half of the garden.  I'll share the other half next time.  Hey, we fit a lot on our little piece of land.  

Yarn Along

It's Wednesday and that't the day I share what I'm knitting and reading (well, I share knitting on any day but always on a Wednesday).  Knitting time has been devoted to Evenstar.

It is a slow go - full attention must be paid to the pattern and keeping track of where you are.  I can only knit when I'm alone, can't pay attention to TV, and definitely can't read while I'm knitting this (which is why I have no reading to share).

My necessary tools have been my stitch counter, stitch markers, and reading glasses.  The glasses I need so I can see the yarn as I'm knitting!  I have the pattern on either my Nook or laptop and it's been easy to follow.  

I forgot how hard it is to really see lace before it's blocked.  My goal is to get through the first chart by the weekend and start the second one.

So I'm linking up with Ginny and the other knitters to share what's on my needles.  How about you?

10 on Tuesday

Summertime is one time of year that brings back so many childhood memories.  That's why I liked Carole's 10 on Tuesday this week.

10 Ways to Feel Like a Kid Again

1.  Eat snow cones.  This reminds me of the ice cream man that would come up and down our street.  Snow cones were my favorite.

2.  Go to the beach.  My aunt's favorite summer outing with us kids was to go to the beach.  Although I'm not such a huge fan of sand in my shoes anymore, I love hearing the ocean and smelling the salt air.

3.  Play games. We would stay up till all hours playing Monopoly when we were kids.  We do this now with my daughter and her friends, but the games have changed a bit (Have you tried Loaded Questions? Teens make that one interesting).

4.  Go in the pool.  We always had a pool growing up and as soon I jump in one now I feel like a big kid!

5.  Go to an amusement park.  We had Adventureland about 15 minutes from our house growing up and it a blast.  I wish we had something similar near us up here.

6.  Go on an adventure.  Whether it be hiking or even taking a drive to a new place.  It's so much fun to explore new things.

7.  Hula hoop.  These hips just don't work like they used to, but damn it's fun to try.  Does anybody remember Hippity Hops?  It was a big rubber balloon that had a handle and you jumped on it.  Don't know if my back could take that one anymore.  I'll stick with the hooping.

8.  Go to Carvel - or any soft serve ice cream shop.  Carvel was right down the road from me and there was nothing better than a vanilla cone with rainbow sprinkles.  Sadly all the Carvels have closed up here so it's another one of those NY treats I only get to indulge in once in a while.

9.  Try a different craft.  Each year we would learn something new - one year we painted sea shells and made them into necklaces (my mom still has one).  Another year it was pony beads.  I'm sure knitting and crochet fell in there one year.

10.  Be silly.  Try not to take life so seriously all the time.  Kids are a good reminder of that.

What's on you list?

Currents and Gratitude

listening - news on the radio and thunder



eating - just ate an egg bagel that my co-worker brought me from Long Island over the weekend.  God I miss those


drinking - orange juice



wearing - grey capris and black top


weather - stormy


knitting - Eventstar and Circle Socks




reading - Tried reading Taproot over the weekend.  Got to take a picture of the cover  and admired how it matched my reading glasses, but never got to open it



wanting - to go back to sleep


needing - to stay late at work a few times this week to catch up


enjoying - the weekends lately have been fun.  Some socialization but still enough time to get my own crafty things done as well




looking forward - catching up with my friend Christine when we meet up Thursday night



wondering - if all this rain we are about to get is going to wash away my lettuce seeds


thankful - with all the storms lately (which is so unlike this part of RI) that we haven't lost power for too long


appreciating - eating outdoors.  We have been outside every night until the mosquitoes chase us inside

Photo Shoot..... Check

I was able to get my Oaklet Shawl out for some pictures last night before the sun went down.  I tried for a couple of modeled shots but when I asked for a volunteer to drape it over their shoulders in the 95 degree heat they all ran screaming. No guts I tell ya.  One day I'll figure out the automatic timer on this camera and photograph myself. So there.

I love how the batt spun up but the next time I will chain ply.  I am not a huge fan of singles but I was afraid I wouldn't be able to get decent yardage out of it like Diane.   I'm willing to give a go next time.

I made some mistakes on the lace portion but I won't tell if you don't.  I started to get downright impatient towards the end.

I'm sure I will knit it again.  It only took 2 weeks from start to finish.  It would make a great prayer shawl.

I hear it will be cool enough to actually wear it next week.

And I'm kinda looking forward to that.  Have a great weekend everybody.

Seriously?

I know I said I would bust my butt to finish my Oaklet Shawl so I could give it a proper post for you all today.  Well, I finished the shawl early Wednesday morning (1:30 in the morning to be exact) and had it blocking all night.  You are getting a SNEAK peek of it for a couple of reasons.  First of all, a proper photo shoot just didn't happen.  Between getting out of work late yesterday, then having to run and do errands, get to Spinning night, we just ran out of daylight (on the longest day of the year - how about that!).  I could take it out now and take some iphone pics but it deserves more love than that.

Here is one I took yesterday.  That will have to do for today.

Another reason is that I want to get your thoughts on this Ravelympic thing.  In case you haven't heard, the US Olympic Committee is bent out of shape because Ravelry hosts the Ravelympics.  Not only do they have their panties in a bunch, but they feel the knitting community is being disrespectful to the athletes. Seriously?  They have nothing else to do?  I look forward to the games every two years.  I especially love that we have been able to tie it into knitting.  Some knitters are boycotting the games entirely.  Some are boycotting the sponsors.  What are your thought?

Yarn Along

It's Wednesday and you know what that means?  We get to link up to Ginny and be inspired by so many talented knitters and crocheters.

As far as reading, I'm going back and forth between the second Grey book and some magazines on the Nook.  I had gotten to the point on my Oaklet Shawl where I needed to pay attention so reading and knitting simultaneously was not an option.

My happy knitting right now is a sock with my Socks That Rock

Here is a shot of my baby boy modeling the skein when I first bought it.

He's been gone 4 months and we miss him beyond words.  But on to happy stuff......  I cast on the Circle Socks this past weekend.  I just adore Socks That Rock.  I think that has been the hardest part of my sock yarn diet - not purchasing any of this loveliness.

I am zipping right along now and will hopefully be done in the next week or so.

So what's on your needles these days?

You're in Time Out!

It's been quite a while since I have had to utter those words to my daughter (those conversations would be more like "you lost the car for 2 days now" - and we haven't had that issue come up yet) but I have had to speak those words to my knitting.  Several. Times. This. Weekend.  On every project I touched.  And it's not ending. Oaklet is such an easy pattern, yet I seem to forget to READ THE DIRECTIONS.  Now that I am at the edging I have had to rip it back twice.  And last night I realized I have to rip it back again because I skipped two rows.  I got so aggravated I started a pair of socks (with a pattern - what WAS I thinking?) and had to rip those back as well (much smaller scale so it wasn't heart breaking).  Each time I rip back I need to put the project down and walk away for a while.  I'm determined to finish Oaklet for Thursday's post, so the time outs a brief.

With all these errors, I cannot wrap my head around starting Evenstar.  The damage that could ensue is mind shattering with all those charts.  It will be the next shawl I cast on, but with the realization that I cannot knit that at social events, I need to have another project to work on as well.  I have been loving Color Affection and wanted to use my stash yarn to knit it.  I went through my piles a few times and couldn't come up with any color combos that knocked my socks off.  And then I came up with one.

What do you think?  It was a bit hard to capture the colors in them morning light.

The variegated skeins are ones I dyed and the solid purple is some sock yarn I bought years ago at Elann for some insanely cheap price.

I know the colors are bright but that seems to be what I am attracted to knitting during the summer.  After I get Evenstar going I will cast this on next to have to bring to knitting events.

At least I know it's kitty-approved.

Currents and Gratitude

listening - birds chirping


eating - haven't decided yet


drinking - peach ice tea.  I'm trying to give up the coffee since I don't really need it to wake up in the morning.  All those calories in cream and sugar can't be good




wearing - black pants, green golf shirt


weather - Sunny and beautiful, in the 70's


knitting - Oaklet Shawl  has 10 rows left, Circle Socks with my Socks That Rock, ready to cast on Evenstar, and picked out the colors for my Color Affection


spinning - not quite so much with all the above knitting going on, but with Tour De Fleece coming up you can bet my wheel and spindle will be moving soon




reading - 50 Shades Darker.  While I was productive in knitting this weekend I didn't read too much.  I was hoping to be on the third book already, but alas, I still haven't figured out how to live on no sleep


wanting - to go strawberry picking.  We didn't get to do it this weekend and I'm afraid we might have missed the opportunity


needing - get rid of this pile of papers on my desk one way or another


enjoying - catching up on knitting podcasts.  Besides my old favorites, I'm finding a few new ones




looking forward - to setting my Tour De Fleece goal.  



wondering - if the watermelon and broccoli plants I bought hubby for Father's Day will produce anything.  The seeds that I planted died off when we transplanted them.  


thankful - a quiet morning so far.  Mondays are usually a bit chaotic


appreciating - not being a taxi driver.  While my nerves are still on edge and I am making my daughter nuts by making her text me every time she gets to her destination, I am beginning to enjoy this "teenager with a a license and a car" thing.  I can't believe how my time is my own now.  Part of me misses it, but a bigger part is enjoying it.

Helpful Hints

As I wind down on my Oaklet Shawl, I am getting ready to cast on Evenstar.  I have seen a few people complete this and when I looked and admired it, I thought "No way am I ever attempting that.  It's way too complicated."  Last month I had seen another one pop up and a slightly insane small voice said "why not give it a try."  I have had this yarn in the stash for 2 years and hadn't decided what to do with it.

I believe it is Cherry Tree Hill lace weight.  I had tried a couple of projects with this and I don't particularly like knitting with such a fine yarn.  This was the reason I bought the Signature Needles with Stiletto Points - I am told that this makes a huge difference in being able to work with such fine yarn.

So do you have an hints for this project?  I am thinking of enlarging the charts to make it easier to see and using a post it note to follow.  I know I need to use a row counter.  I'm sure I will need all my stitch markers.

I asked the cat for her thoughts.  She thinks I'm insane too.  No help there....  And WHY is she on my table again???

Yarn Along

It was a glorious weekend!  The weather was absolutely perfect.  I got to indulge in my favorite summertime activity - knitting and reading on the deck.

I'm still knitting on my Oaklet and I'm about 4 rows away from starting the lace edge.  I am just blown away by the color changes.

It's so easy to knit this while I read.  I'm on the second Shades of Grey book.  It's simple to read and I'm all about that these days.

Simple knitting, simple reading.  Bring on the summer.

Linking with Ginny again for Yarn Along.

Currents and Gratitude

listening - computer humm...



eating - blueberries are waiting....


drinking - iced coffee



wearing - grey shorts and black top


weather - Sunny and beautiful, in the 70's


knitting - Oaklet Shawl with my Loop Batt




reading - 50 Shades Darker.  I downloaded it immediately after reading the first one.  It kinda left you hanging...


wanting - to sit outside and knit today instead of being at work


needing - to get back to DMV this afternoon in an attempt to get Nicole's car registered


enjoying - summer time.  The weather, the schedule, the kids in my house all the time, more daylight, being able to sit on my deck early in the morning




looking forward - finishing up my project in the spare room, which will take some time



wondering - if I have all the paperwork to deal with DMV today.  I thought I did last week.  I was wrong.


thankful - my allergies haven't been too awful this year


appreciating - unplugging lately.  With the nicer weather I seem to unplug from the computer a bit more and enjoy the outdoors

Let's Talk Technology

When I first started knitting and spinning years ago (I think it's going on 7 years for spinning) blogs had become popular and it was great to see what everyone was up to.  You could also go on Knitter's Review Forum or on the Yahoo Knit List and talk to other knitters that way.  That's actually how I hooked up with my spinning group was by invitation from a local woman on the Knit List (which I have talked about on here before).

I'm not sure which came first for me, but I believe Ravelry was the next great way of bonding with other knitters.  Facebook followed and there were even more ways to talk to the knit folk via groups and pages.  Twitter followed Facebook, and I loved checking to see who tweeted and posted pictures of what they were working on.  Hell - you could even see what celebrities were talking about on Twitter!

Plurk followed Twitter for me. It was similar to Twitter, but there seemed to be more interaction.  I liked that.  Now we have Instagram.  Oh my.  It's nothing BUT pictures and it is a feast for the eyes.  Many knitters and spinners post their works in progress and it's very real time.

With all this social stuff going on I could very easily fill my day with NOTHING but talking to people online.  And with the exception of Ravelry, all of the above social media are available on  my phone so it's at my disposal 24/7.  I've had to narrow it down these days.

I check Facebook out daily but don't post often.  I rarely check Twitter, but I have text messages sent to my phone from certain people on there (i.e. the Weather Channel for special alerts, the local news for important events, and a couple of close friends).  I only get on Ravelry a few times a week.  I guess you can tell that by the lack of project updating in my notebook.

I check out and post my WIPs on Instagram.  That has really been fun.  My other daily indulgence is Plurk.  I love the interaction we have on there and it has become a place for people to discuss what's going on and vent if necessary.  Mostly it's yarn talk, but it's funny to me that a lot of the people I know on there were from the original knitting blogs.  I still read the blogs every day (sometimes it takes me a day or two to catch up).

So what social media do you use these days?  Have you cut down on any?

Oh, and thanks to Plurk, look what jumped into my Etsy cart last night?

Bright?  You bet.  The colors screamed summertime and I had to have it.  Stephanie from Loop posts on Plurk when she will be updating her shop.  If you don't catch it within 30 minutes, there is nothing left.  Although I just checked this morning and she still has a couple of beautiful bumps of fiber in the store.  Go check it out.   They won't last too long.

Knitting Notions

A few months ago there was a 10 on Tuesday about items you keep in your knitting bag.  I don't usually have a knitting bag (shocking - I know, considering how many bags I actually own), but I keep my knitting in a project bag and toss it in my basket along with my other things for work.  I do however, always have my knitting notions bag.

I took a trip to my favorite Vera Bradley outlet this past weekend so Nicole could find a backpack for school. I made a promise to myself that I would indulge in something if I really liked it, and that I would not spend more than $20.  The first thing I found when I walked in the door was this.

It's only about 5"x7".  Very tiny.  And full of zipper compartments.  I knew immediately what I would use it for.

Knitting notions.  What does one keep in a notions bag?

I have tons of stitch markers in the top compartment (I love that you can see through it).  I have two tape measures, a couple of cable needles, my chibi, and some stitch holders. Of course there is Knit Check to verify needle sizes and gauge.

In the middle compartment I have rubber tips to put on the ends of my double points for sock projects and a row counter.  Of course I need some scissors, and in the last compartment I have all my double pointed needles.

It makes it so much easier to find my things now.  And for $17 I stayed under my budget!

Yarn Along

Linking with Ginny again to get some knitting and reading inspiration.  I love Wednesdays!

As for reading, I downloaded 50 Shades of Grey. I had to see what the hype was about.  I am halfway through and yes, it's difficult to put down.  And no, it's not for kids.  It's entertaining and  for my "summer reading at the beach" sort of thing, I want to be entertained.  It's kind of a tradition Iv'e had since I was young.  I will be downloading the second book by this weekend I'm sure.

I wound my loop batt into a ball and decided to knit the Oaklet Shawl.  It's great knitting right now, especially since I want to read while I'm knitting it and it's possible with the stockinette portion.

I love the color changes.  The shawl is looking good too.

Did you notice my  birthday needles? Love them.  I am a Signature Needle convert.  I'm saving my pennies for another pair.  I'm going for a set of sock needles.  Those awesome points make all the difference when you are knitting with finer yarn.

So what's on your needles these days?

Piper's Journey

Piper's Journey is complete.  I started it May 5th, so it took me under a month to finish.

I love the way the lace edging turned out.

It's a bit easier to see here.  Now that I have mastered the pattern, I think I would make it bigger next time.  It is certainly long enough, but I like a shawl that covers more of my back.  And it would be easy enough to make that kind of adjustment with this pattern.  It was fun to knit too.

I still have about 1/3 of the skein of yarn left.  I am trying to decide what to do with it.  I just love that yarn.

The next project is well underway.  Details on that tomorrow in Yarn Along.

Currents & Growing Gratitude

I'm adding a new element to my Monday Currents Post by linking up with Earth Mama 101 for Growing Gratitude.  I love her positive way of beginning a week.


listening - silence - and enjoying it because it won't last long


eating - nothing yet but there is a blueberry muffin waiting for me


drinking - iced coffee



wearing - green corduroy pants, black shirt & shawl (WINTER clothes - in JUNE.  Seriously?)


weather - I kinda just answered that, but to clarify, it's raining and in the 50's


knitting - Oaklet Shawl with my Loop Batt




reading - 50 Shades of Grey.  I couldn't resist.  And no, I can't put it down.


wanting - to start my Evenstar shawl - I want to finish it by the end of the summer which is a huge undertaking so I'm kind of anxious to get going on it


needing - to knit something else besides shawls


enjoying - school is about over for Nicole.  We enter summer mode and that is a more relaxed place for all of us, even when I'm not the one in school




looking forward - to this week in general - I have a lot of things to accomplish and I love to look at my list of crossed off tasks.  At the end of the busy week we have RI Sheep and Wool Festival



wondering - if I will get to eat any of the blueberries pictured above or if the birds will get them first like last year.  I probably have about a pints worth (which is good considering we only planted it 2 years ago), so I would love to actually enjoy them this year


thankful - for our little garden that is really growing, although a lot of my seedlings died off from lack of rain (who would have thought?)


appreciating - the inspiration I get from other bloggers.  Your thoughts and ideas  encourage me to try things I would never have dreamed about

Be Careful What You Wish For

Nicole and her boyfriend Wayne passed their road tests this week. For 16 years I have driven her and her friends all over the place and put miles and miles on my car. That will finally end.

And the sleepless nights and grey hairs will now begin (well the greys have been there for years but I'm sure I can manage to go snow white in short order).

Have a great weekend!


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