Quiddity

A Rare Sighting

Sunday, Claudia and I leave to spend a week at the John C. Campbell Folk School in North Carolina.  We are taking a sheep-to-shawl class, taught by a friend from the spinning guild.  I predict lots of laughter in addition to all the knitting and spinning. In preparation for lots of spinning, I had to empty some bobbins that have been languishing for far too long.  Two hours of plying produced this.

A nice, soft, not too horribly overplyed yarn.  It started as Zitron pencil roving.  I love this stuff!  It's easy to spin, and always plies beautifully.  There is more in the stash, and I'm looking forward to working with it again.  

I also completed another little knitting project.

• Cabled Baby Vest.  This pattern is extremely well written, which makes it work up easy and fast.  I'm planning on adding some booties and a little hat, too.
• Rowan Milk Cotton DK in "Jelly Baby" (the green) and "Bonfire Toffee" (the brown.)  I'm not a fan of cotton, but this wasn't bad.  It's extremely soft and you can see how nicely it holds the cables.   And it's going to be perfect for a certain Arizona baby due to make his appearance in July.

I'm taking my laptop to North Carolina, so hopefully there will be some interesting photos to show of our little adventure.  But if I get too busy (or tired) to blog, I'll be back the second week of June.

 

Sock Madness

Whew, that was really a wild ride this afternoon (signing up for the Sock Summit, that is.)  But patience proved a virtue, and despite our initial disappointment at losing out, Claudia and I got into a nice variety of classes.  Our hotel room is reserved, and now we just need to find some passably affordable plane tickets.  Jim is actually flying out to Portland a few days before us, so that he can do some crazy mountain climbing.  After the Summit, he and I will be staying on in the area.  Our destination isn't worked out yet, but we are looking forward to a week of adventure in the great outdoors.

So, can I expect to see you in Portland in August?  I hope so!

Stormy Weekend

Actually, although the showers have been less rather than more, most of this long weekend has been very cloudy.  However, that didn't stop us from attending the annual Art Festival on the town square.  It's lovely to be able to walk to the event, which provides much needed exercise and also saves me from buying too much.  The organizers did a wonderful job in their choice of vendors, with a nice mix of painters, photographers, jewelers, wood workers, potters, and other forms of artistic expression.  Not to mention all that wonderful festival food.  While I only indulged in the kettle corn, it was nice to see that alligator on the stick was still available.

It wasn't all gray skies, either.  I caught this reflection in one of the office buildings around the square.

This year, I came home without my usual pottery purchase, resisted some fabulous photographs, and left behind a landscape in oil that would have looked lovely on the mantle in the den.  Instead, we finally found a large painting to fill a much bigger hole on the den wall.  We've been looking for ages, and were happy to find the perfect thing - from a painter who's work we've long admired on the walls of a local restaurant.

I love the color and motion in the painting.  It's an original oil, and we had the pleasure of having the artist both deliver and hang it for us.  It's impossible to tell from this little photo, but there is a lot of depth in the picture, especially when the light falls from the side.  We are going to install a small spot light for it, so it can be shown to its best advantage.  Most of our walls remain blank, but I'm happy to have filled this spot.

Today, after so much "art" walking on Saturday and Sunday, I'm enjoying a little quiet - watching old movies and knitting.  I hope you had a wonderful weekend, and got to enjoy both activity and rest.  And maybe even a little art.

Egg-cellent!!

As in, egg-cellent friends!  On Mother's Day, Haley and Nell gave me a beautiful skein of Anzula yarn.  Oh. My!  I was bowled over by their generosity, and deeply in love with the softness and brilliant colors of the yarn.  Nothing would do but that it had to be knit with immediately.  Without too much time or fuss, it became this -

Ooh, pretty!  (and really a much nicer orange than shows on my monitor.)  

• Ishbel from Whimsical Little Knits by Ysolda Teague.  I couldn't stand the thought of using this fabulous yarn for socks, and this little neck wrap was the perfect solution.  
• Anzula sock weight in a delightful blend of superwash merino, cashmere, and nylon.   Heaven in a skein. 

My next egg-cellent adventure really cracked me up.  I spent the last several days roosting in my chair, hatching some entries for the Knitch "Chicken For Charity" contest.   Presenting - "Kim" and "Nell", the Knitch Chickens.

They come with their very own nesting boxes.

The girls looks like they've been busy there, but that's nothing new for this dynamic duo.  They'll be taking up residence at the home coop this afternoon, and after judging is complete, will roost with the kids at Eg(g)leston Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.  It's a fun contest for a great cause.  Check out the rules and knit a flock of your own!

I'm off now to brood on my chances of winning.  I hope you have an egg-cellent day!

Catching Up

So, let's see, the last time I was here, there were thunderstorms and knitting.  Today, while there is no thunder or storms, it is horribly cloudy with just a bit of rain.  Looks like the drought is over for sure.  

At any rate, I've been spending a lot of time (probably WAY too much, in fact) knitting.  And finishing.  The proof is in the photos. (And I apologize up front for how bad they are.  Self-portraiture's is not my strong suit, and the sun isn't cooperating, either.)

First, a shawl I finished knitting in February, but which just only yesterday finally got blocked.

• Originally the 2008 Halloween Mystery Shawl from Goddess Knits, it's now generally available and renamed Samhain.
• The yarn is Blue Moon Fiber Arts "Laci."  I received it as a birthday present last year from Famous Steve.  Hands down, this is the best laceweight I've ever used.  Soft, and absolutely a dream to knit.  And the yardage is generous, too.  The shawl measures approximately 72"x36", and there were about 440 yards left over.   

I've been trying very hard to work through my stash.  To that end, I pulled out quite a few projects and put them all together in one big bag.  The easy things, I take to knitting group, and the more difficult are saved for working on at home.  A few years ago, I bought some yarn at a local shop and although the fiber content wasn't marked, I thought the colors were pretty.  Last week, I pulled it from the pile and started a multidirectional scarf with it.  Haley spotted it, and said, "I LOVE it," and so when it was finished, I very happily gave it to her.  (And darn it, why didn't I take a picture of her wearing it!  Haley, bring it to Knitch on Thursday so I can do that.)  Anyway, here it is.

• To have an accurate idea of the colors, think about day-glo paint.  Yes, it really is that bright, but it suits Haley perfectly.

Next, a really fabulous pattern designed by the completely talented Nell (who just happens to be Miss Haley's mom.)  

• Quivik Marvelous Mobius.  There's probably a zillion ways to wear this.  I LOVE it!  (Click the link for the pattern info, as well as much better photos.)
• Mine is not made from quivik, but rather llama.  Oooh, llama!  Mine came from Knitwitch.  I'm not sure if she has any left, but if she does, snap it up before I do.

The next project was a very quick knit, taking only about 2-1/2 hours.  

• Bumpy Handpaint Hat.  I've made several of these before.  The bumpy stuff is Mountain Colors Moguls in "Sunriver", and the contrast in this case is Misti Alpaca Tonos Chunky in "Lord of the Reds."  It's goofy looking here, but is really a very cute hat.

Now, there is a pair of socks on the needles, as well as a very cute lace project using a very special yarn.  Hopefully, both will be done soon.  Sadly, neither came from stash.  <sigh> 

Here We Go Again

I'm sitting here watching the TV weatherman go nutso about the incoming weather.  Granted, the clouds gathering south of the airport look like the arrival of doom, and it is getting a wee bit dark and windy outside.  But, I still don't think thunderstorms warrant all this attention.  Looks like it whatever it is will go by quickly, however.

Speaking of thunderstorms, we had a doozy yesterday.  Jim and I had walked into town to attend the Green Festival, which turned out to be a collection of vendors providing information about ecologically responsible products.  This is the first thing we noticed when we got there.

Eep!  We did a quick tour of the booths - actually finding several things we can desperately use in our house - and then ducked into a restaurant just before the onslaught.  Thunder!  Lightning!  Copious and heavy rain!  Thank goodness we got a dry spot at the bar where we could wait it out.  Looks like the drought is over for sure, and we are back into the typical Spring weather pattern of afternoon deluges.  

But enough about the weather.  Let's talk knitting.  Finished knitting!  First up - socks.

• Twisted Waffle Socks.  This was a fun and extremely fast pattern.  Highly recommened.
• Scout's Swag "Turquoise Snow Bunny."   I have not knit with Scout's yarn before, but I will again - soon!

The last time I knit something using the Feather & Fan pattern, it felt like work.  But not this time.  The combination of Brooks Farm "Solo Silk" and the beautiful colorway made it fun.  Even though it's too hot to wear now, I enjoyed trying it out inside the air conditioned house.

Finally, a pair of little booties I managed to start and finish today while at knitting group.

• The pattern is from Elizabeth Zimmerman's "The Opinionated Knitter" book (and is probably in several others of hers, as well.)  It's a fun pattern, and both design and yarn match the Baby Surprise Sweater I finished a few months ago.  I need to get (or make) some "strings" to thread through, but aren't they cute!

Ok, the storm is bearing down on us, so I guess I'll sign off.  Hope you are enjoying a sunny afternoon.