Finished Damson

While on the trip to England I bought the book Whimsical Little Knits 2. There were a number of patterns that I really wanted to make. When L told me she was ready to quit working, I thought of making the Damson for her. I had some hand spun fiber that had been sitting in the stash for a while and I thought it would work up well in this pattern. I also thought it would look good on L.

I knit the Damson during my vacation time in July and then it sat, waiting to be blocked.

In October L was kind enough to take pictures for Jim and I. That gave me the perfect opportunity to present the shawl to her. I think she looks really good in the shawl and she will stay nice and toasty this winter.

I am definitely going to make this shawl again. I really like the construction of it and it's not like I don't have enough yarn sitting around around here. Who knows, maybe it will be a jumping off point and I will come up with something totally different.

Happy knitting and spinning.

Socktober

During the month of October, well I actually started the pink pair the end of September, I knit two pair of socks.
The pink pair is for a friend who we had asked to take some portraits for us. She appreciates handknit!

The brown striped pair I made for her husband. The last time I gave socks to L, her husband said he wished for a pair. I thought it wasn't fair to give L another pair without a pair for M also. I hope they fit and he gets much joy and warmth from wearing them.

The pink pair is Brown Sheep Wildfoote in the Acappella color. The brown pair is Austermann Step with Aloe in Coal(460). Both pair were knit toe up with a regular heel flap. The actual knitting time took about two weeks, but I had to wait until the photo shoot last Monday to present the socks to L. I also knit a shawl for L as an extra gift. Next time pictures of her in the shawl.

I am busily knitting away on Christmas projects and the spinning has not been left behind this time. I am spending about 20 minutes each day spinning. I even did some wool dyeing last Monday and have been spinning that up with a project in mind.

The end of this week my mom and aunt are coming to DC for a visit. They have both been to DC before, in fact my aunt lived here for a year, but they haven't been here since we moved here. It will be fun to show them our place. With that said, I have a lot to get ready for them.

Happy knitting and spinning.

What Happened the Year I was Born

I couldn't pass up doing this week's Ten on Tuesday and discovering what the headlines were in 1962. I definitely don't remember what happened then, but I have heard about some of them. Let's see what they were:

1. Polaroid introduces color film prints which develop in 60 seconds. Does anyone remember Polaroid?
   
2. 90% of Americans own a television set; ABC begins broadcasting in color.
   
3. The World's Fair is held in Seattle.
4. Maury Wills breaks Ty Cobb's single season stolen base record.
5. Industrial robots introduced to perform repetitive manufacturing tasks.
6. Lt. Col. John H. Glenn, Jr. becomes first American to achieve earth orbit; his Mercury 6 mission is followed by two other Mercury flights.
7. Telstar becomes the first communications satellite intended for regular service; relays television signals between North America and Europe.
8. Blowin’ in the Wind, Go Away Little Girl, Days of Wine and Roses, The Loco-Motion, Sherry, Monster Mash, Big Girls Don’t Cry where all released.
9. I’ve Got a Secret, Beverly Hillbillies, Route 66, The Flinstones, and the Price is Right were all broadcast.
10. And finally, Marilyn Monroe dies of barbituate overdose at the age of 36.

What happened the year you were born?

Happy knitting and spinning.

Well Traveled Shawl

I started this shawl on the trip to England in April and completed it once I was home in VA. It's been in the car as the commuter project. Long rows of purl stitches makes the four minute light cycles go faster. It's finally blocked and has now been gifted to a friend. Hope she'll enjoy it as much as I enjoyed making it.

The hurricane didn't affect us very much. We were lucky and just had rain and wind. We still have electricity, water and our lives are normal (as close to normal as normal can be). There are others in our area who didn't fair as well. Our prayers are with them.

One of the kids is here for a short visit. She will spend the next year in Spain on a study abroad program. Now off to get her up to head downtown.

Happy knitting and spinning.

What I've Been up to This Past Summer

This past summer has been a busy one.
There has been visits with most of the grandsons.


Getting to see the youngest one for the first time.

There has also been knitting............... Mittens for the donation box and some shawls.

There was also a tie-dying evening which resulted in about 13 shirts getting a little bit of color. This was done with Corb. Some fun time with him before he heads back to be nearer his brothers in another month or so.

Now that summer is over, I might get back on the blogging bandwagon. Happy knitting and spinning.

England the King Richard Edition

My sister is fascinated by King Richard so we spent some time at Bosworth Field on our first Sunday in England. We took the tour and learned more about the War of the Roses.

The next day we spent some time in Leicester. The first stop we made was at the Guildhall which was right next door to the Leicester Cathedral. Leicester Cathedral is where King Richard is said to be entombed. The Cathedral is really beautiful and the stain-glass is really stunning.

We then spent some time at the Jewry Wall. This is the remains of a Roman bathhouse. If you look at the picture below you can see the St. Martin's cathedral behind the wall and see that the bricks from the wall were used to construct the cathedral. They blend together very well.

The last bit of time spent in Leicester was spent wandering the castle gardens. It was very peaceful there and the flowers were all out.

I had not had much interest in King Richard, but doing the tours on Sunday and Monday made me want to do some reading. Who knows when it will be done, but it could happen.

England 5

Floating down the canal we also saw some swans. There were actually two swan couples with females sitting on the nests. I thought I had missed the picture of the first nest, but it turned out that I got it okay. Not very well framed, but okay from a moving boat.

The second picture is of our boat coming out of Saddington tunnel. The tunnel is 808 meters long, that's a little over half a mile. The first time through Aunt G steered and the second time through Mom did the steering. Mom said that was a good time for her at the tiller. She could bounce off the walls without worrying about hitting another boat or running aground.

Happy knitting and spinning.

England 4

We saw a LOT of ducklings with mommas and poppas. They were swimming all around in the canal. There were a number of times when the babies got separated while the boat went past. That means there was a lot of quacking until they could be reunited.


I took quite a few pictures of the bridges as we passed under them. If you enlarge this picture you will see the front of the boat at the bottom in the middle. I loved seeing all the moss and weeds growing out of the mortar of the bridges. We went under about twenty bridges and they fascinated me every time.

Happy knitting and spinning.

England 3

One of the first fun sights were these two sheep. They were munching on the May trees along the tow path. On an aside thought, we thought the May trees were spirea, because the blooms and scent were very familiar. The next thing you knew those two were running towards us and then ducking into their pasture through a hole in the fencing/shrubbery.

I think one of the most enjoyable things for me on this trip was the abundance of sheep here along the canal. I took MANY pictures of the sheep and the wool along the way. After all, what better for a spinner than to be around all that wool. I wonder what breed these two were? They almost look like Suffolk, but I'm not sure.

Happy knitting and spinning.

England 2

We are off!!!!! My sister, B, at the tiller with my aunt standing watch. B's first move was to steer us into some willows. Luckily the gentleman giving her steering lessons was still on board and got us out of said willows. All of us had the chance to spend some time steering the boat during our week on the canal. There wasn't enough room for all four of us to be up where the tiller was, but we took turns being outside and spending some time down below.


Last night at knit night someone asked what the inside of the boat looked like. The first one is looking up three steps heading out of the living quarters and the second shot is from the same spot looking into the living space. This is the kitchen area. See it is almost like a camp trailer.
There were quite a few boats that we saw in our travels that you could tell were used quite frequently. In fact, we spent a little travel time with a couple who are out on their boat every long weekend they can get.

Whenever we would tell someone (a cab driver, a tour guide, a store clerk, or someone we met at church) that we were on the long-boats, they always said they so wanted to do that. We got a ride back to the boat one Sunday night after some sightseeing and gave a tour of the boat to the two women who graciously picked us up from said sightseeing and took us back to the boat.

The link for the tiller talks about canal boating, maybe something I should have read before going on this trip.

Check in tomorrow to see what picture I put up. Happy knitting and spinning.

Things I've Never Done

I have never flown over any ocean before, but at the end of last month I was able to spend some time in England with my mom, her sister (my aunt) and one of my sisters. I have never spent any length of time on a boat especially one that you sleep on, but got the chance to do this also. I also had never ridden on a train, but got the chance to do that two times while there.

Now that I finally have the pictures off the camera, I can share some of the fun things we saw and did. The first picture is the narrow long-boat where we spent the first seven days of our trip. This boat worked out really well for us. It is made for six people, but with there only being four of us it gave us all a little room and not too crowded. This boat reminded me a lot of a camp trailer and the times my parents used to take us camping while we were growing up. We started from Market Harborough and meandered down the canal for a few days and then returned. We then spent the next four days in and around London. I won't show you all the pictures--I took 636!!--but a few of my favorites will work there way onto here.

I did take some knitting along and will show you at the end of this narration what I worked on. It's now almost done. I'm working on the bind off.

Happy knitting and spinning.

I'm Not Lost Yet

It has been way too long since posting here. I really should get my act together and make a posting schedule.

I have been busy knitting, spinning, visiting with friends, visiting some museums and just relaxing, well besides doing my day job. About ten days ago, I went into DC. I haven't been there in about six months and thought I should go. I really wanted to see the Coral Reef before the display was taken down. This is only one of the many pictures I took that day. I have a few friends who crocheted some items to include here and thought I should see it completed. While I was there I met Jennifer Lindsay, who was the program coordinator for this project. It was interesting to talk with her and find out some of what was involved with this project. She said that Nature's Yarns had an outstanding representation in the reef.

I also went to the Renwick Gallery where I looked at some paintings, fiber arts pieces, and took a nap in the room where they have their video loop going. Yes, it had been a long day and it was after lunch with my husband. I was tired and full! Next time I go downtown, I probably shouldn't wait six months to go.

I have also been doing some knitting. We have two new grand-babies due soon. There has been baby knitting going on. But I also had the chance to make a wonderful scarf for my friend Vicky. I really enjoyed this project. It is Brooke's Column of Leaves (Ravelry link). The charts were easy to read and the knitting moved along really easily. I spun the yarn from some Polworth roving I got from Misty Mountain Farm when I went there with Sue some time this past early fall. I think I need to make me one of these scarfs, it's not like I don't have the yarn sitting around here to do so.

Soon I will be able to show what I have been making for the babies, but I don't want to spoil the surprise for the new baby's parents. When the packages are in the possession of the parents, I'll post pictures.

Happy knitting and spinning!

Ten Non-Knitting Blogs

Today's topic is 10 Favorite Non-Knitting Blogs. This is one I can do even if I might not have ten.

1. Buffaloz Photography Tips. I really like learning how to improve my photography, even if it feels like it isn't helping.
2. What's a Hot Dish. This is my sister's food blog. She tells the best stories and has some pretty good recipes too.
   
3. The Nesting Place. She has some wonderful home decorating ideas.
4. Kerrific Online. It's my daughter-in-laws new place.
5. Photos By Lisa. I really like her pictures and she is a wonderful person.
6. Picture Potpourri. Another of Lisa's blogs. I could look at her pictures all day!
7. Prudence Pennywise. She has some really great recipes and she breaks down the costs for them too.
8. The Things Life Brings. This is another private family blog, but I love to hear about the updates of my kids and grandkids.
   
9. Ben and Melissa's Grand Adventures. Another family blog. Sometimes it's the only way we know what's going on.
10. A Year of Slow Cooking. I am always looking for crock-pot recipes especially when I don't get home until quite late.

I could have ended with many more, but a few of those were other family/private blogs. This was a fun topic this week. I love my knitting blogs, but sometimes I really need a break from them.

What are your favorite non-knitting blogs? Happy knitting and spinning.

Two More Shawls

This first shawl in today's update is the Sun Ray Shawl (Ravelry link) by Elann. The shawl ended up being longer than wider for me, but I think it worked out okay for a throw around the shoulders kind of wrap. This was sent to M for Christmas and I haven't heard back whether she likes it or not.

The second shawl is the Swallowtail Shawl by Evelyn Clark. I used beads instead of the nupps and really like how it turned out. Am- really liked it also. She called me the evening when she received it and thanked me which I greatly appreciated .
There are two photos of the Swallowtail, one so you can see the beads and the second to see the overall effect. I will definitely make this shawl again!

The picture of the last scarf/shawl I made for Christmas seems to have gone missing. Kar, if you would have 'bug' take a picture and send it, I would appreciate it.

I'm off to enjoy my last weekend of vacation with my knitting needles and spinning wheels. Enjoy. Happy knitting and spinning.

Two Christmas Shawl/Scarves

I can't find where I saved the rest of the pictures of the ear-flap hats I did for the boys for Christmas, so instead you get the shawls or scarves I did for the girls. The shawls were all done with hand spun yarn. I don't remember all of the patterns, maybe I should get organized with where I put all that information. I do know that the light colored one is a lacy baktus. I did put beads along the increase edge, but didn't get a picture of those.


I don't remember which pattern I used on the darker shawl/scarf, but hope the daughter it was sent for enjoys it. I haven't heard from her whether she likes it or not. I have heard from one of the other girls saying she really likes her's. You get pictures of the others in the not too distant future.

I have really enjoyed having the past two weeks off of work. I have gotten some yarn plied (pictures to come), I've worked on spinning up some fiber that has been on the Hitchiker since October, I'm finishing up some knitting projects and just today I've gotten all my hand spun sweaters washed. I have really gotten my fiber fix during the past ten days!

I'll leave you with a picture of two of the hats in action. These two hats have gotten a lot of use lately!

Happy knitting and spinning.

Two, Three, Four

These are more of the ear-flap hats I made the boys for Christmas. The variegated blue and pink hat went to Corb. His favorite color used to be pink.

The blue with variegated blue was made originally for Corb, but when I found out that Gareth would be with us during Christmas it ended up being wrapped for him. I didn't want him to miss out on Christmas presents when I had the ability to make something for him also.

The fourth hat was sent to Justin or Riley, I can't remember for sure. It's kind of bright! The variegated colors in this hat were from an Easter egg dye experiment. I tend to think it was sent to Riley, because if I remember right this yarn was from the sheep of one of his high school teachers.

Boys, if I have the hats labeled wrong let me know.

I have three more hats to show you. I made seven for gifts this past Christmas.

Today I was able to spend some time at the spinning wheels. I have some singles just about plied. I'll have a new skein soon!

Happy knitting and spinning.

One of Seven

I thought I would share one of the seven hats I made for this past Christmas. The older boys in my life all received an ear-flap hat for Christmas. This is the hat that went to Erik, I believe (it was either Erik or Ben). All of them, but one, were made with wool mostly hand spun or partially hand spun.

This week I get to enjoy quite a bit of spinning and knitting time. That's what I get when vacation time takes over. I'm looking forward to knit night tonight and maybe finishing a project or two this week.

Happy knitting and spinning.

Happy New Year 2011

Welcome to 2011. So many plans, vacations, new grandchildren, knitting projects, spinning projects and time spent with family to look forward to. I am hoping to do more blogging in 2011. Last year only had 39 posts, the same as 2009. I'd like to get back to 2008's stats which was over 100.

I'd like to knit more from my stash and to kick that off, I have my first FO for 2011. I purchased the fiber at my last fiber fair in Idaho Falls before moving to Virginia. This yarn was spun in 2008 which was originally used for a hat for a coworker. I used some for the hats I made the 'boys' for Christmas and then I used what was left for this hat for myself. I started it on Dec. 27 and finished it last night, but it wasn't quite deep enough for me. I frogged it this morning and used what was left of the yarn. It is now just about right and will match the coats I use daily.

This has been a lazy day full of watching the Rose Parade, football games, knitting and some spinning. What a great way to start off a New Year.

What are your plans for 2011?

Happy knitting and spinning.