Two Pair Down with How Many to go

"R" did a lot of the driving on our Heritage trip, so I was able to complete a couple pairs of socks. I had some of each pair done before we even left, but it felt good to get them done. Started another pair after getting home last night. I haven't decided who these are going to yet, but they will be ready for gifting come Christmas.

"R" and I had a lot of fun on our trip. He was really goofy the first afternoon. He jammed out to his music and was very talkative that first day. He also talked quite a bit on Saturday, but Sunday he was very quiet. He was ready to be home to hang out with his friends. He wants to spend time with them before leaving for his dad's in three weeks.

I took quite a few pictures and will post them during the next week or so. I need to show them to a friend before I can download them to the computer. I don't want to print all of the pictures off, some of them are just important to me.

We saw a lot of deer with "R" almost hitting one on a blind corner. Instead of hitting it, we watched it (a fawn) bounce down the road in front of us. It was fun to watch. We also saw a couple of eagles, antelope, a moose, and a black bear. Lots of animals to see all in one trip.

Like I said, it was a fun trip and I hope one that "R" will remember, at least for a little while.

Happy knitting & spinning.

Another Finished Shawl

I was going to give you a modeled shot of the shawl I just completed, but my friend for whom it is for couldn't meet today. And the next available day to meet won't be for about two weeks. I wanted to show it off, but this picture will have to do. I used almost two skeins of Opal #2020. I think it will look nice on her and I can't wait till I can give it to her. There is enough of the yarn left that I can make a child's size pair of socks.



Here is the moving storage room today. It doesn't look much different than last week. But there are definitely more boxes in there. "C" and I went to the mobile home and got packed boxes from there. We came home with about seven boxes. I also packed five or so boxes from the computer/craft room today. That room, at least, is looking like I am getting something done.

I am sure "E" and "Au" will be glad to have them, the boxes, out of their 'place' now. Besides the room the boxes were in is the baby's room and they want to get it painted before the baby comes.

I have been busy working away on my SoS socks. I have two pair on the needles and one pair is about done. I am three inches up the cuff, from toe up, and would like to put another inch or so on each sock. The Ravelry group is really busy with posts of people already finishing many pairs of socks. I can knit fast, but not that fast. Besides, I'm still packing and planning "R" heritage trip which we are starting tomorrow after I get off work.

"R's" heritage trip is a memory lane trip for me. I take the newly graduated child and take him up where I used to spend my summers in Mission Valley Montana and Kalispell, Montana. We might even get into Glacier National Park this time. "J-b" didn't want to go to Glacier when we went three years ago. Just letting you know, I might not post until we get back sometime on Monday.

Happy knitting & spinning

Yes, It's Tuesday Orchid Watch

Yes, it is Tuesday and that means it is orchid watch day. If you look at the picture, you'll probably say, "This is the same picture as last week." But really it isn't. The center here is a little whiter than last week's picture. It is fun, for me at least, to watch my plants and see the changes happening to them.

Not much new is happening here. I packed more boxes before work this morning. I finished knitting the shawl that was on my summer knitting list. (I will block it tonight or tomorrow and have pictures for you soon.) I have worked on my SoS 2008 socks and started another pair. Yes, I have startitis right now! I have been digging out all the sock yarn I can find, that hasn't been packed yet, and making a list of what I want to get done before the summer of socks is over. So far, I have found yarn for seven pairs of sock and I'm not done looking yet. I know, ES, I have too many skeins of sock yarn in your opinion.

Tomorrow I get to teach a neighbor how to spin on a drop spindle and wash some wool. She has been a weaver before, but never a spinner. And now she wants to learn how to spin, before I leave the area. I think it will be fun! I'll let you know.

Happy knitting & spinning.

Socks and Books

Yesterday was the start of the Summer of Socks 2008. I started my first pair of sock before heading to Poky for the Spinner's monthly meeting. The first picture is how much I had done when I got off work Saturday. Valerie, I didn't like how they were looking so I ripped them out and restarted. The second sock picture is of the socks today, going down about eight stitches in the circumference and casting on a fewer number of stitches at the toe. I did the figure eight cast on for the first time and I like how it worked. The pattern is working up very quickly and makes a perfect project for watching tv.

Yesterday, on the way to Poky, I kept trying to remind myself to take pictures at the guild meeting. On the way home it dawned on me that I hadn't even gotten my camera out of my purse. I so wanted to get a picture, because this was probably the last guild meeting I would be able to attend! I know I will miss seeing all my fiber friends. Edie was reminding me of what I was like when I first started attending the guild meetings.

I would go to where they were holding the meeting and sit and watch! I would then go home and take my spinning wheel out of the car and sit and mimic what I had seen. I thought I wasn't nearly good enough to bring my wheel inside and have everyone see what I was working on. It was about two or three months after starting to attend that they, Edie - Anna Lucy - Lu - and Phyllis (those are the ones that I remember, but there may have been more), found out that my Ashford Traditional was in the car. They made me go get it! And I haven't been the same ever since. I didn't realize when I first started going how eager everyone was to share their talents with newcomers.

Now I'm one of them who likes to share my spinning talents with other people. And I don't think I would trade that for anything. I am glad I have had the guild to help me along the many different roads that life has led me on.

The many wonderful ladies from the guild signed this book for me. They debated getting more fiber, but decided the book would be easier to move. Thank you so much! I have enjoyed reading all your little notes and special thoughts and it will be a very nice reminder to me of what you all have meant to me.

Thanks for putting up with me!!

Happy knitting & spinning.

Ten Minutes per day

I thought I would show you what this past two weeks of 10-minutes per day spinning has produced. (On that link it is the June 12th post.) It is this jumbo flyer bobbin for the Lendrum full of two-plied yarn. I don't know how many yards are on the bobbin, haven't put it on the niddy noddy yet. I do have about 15 wraps of this yarn that wouldn't fit onto this bobbin. I think it will make a nice Luna Moth shawl, if I have enough yarn.

Today has been spent packing boxes, cleaning the yard up, doing some spinning and taking the dog to the vet. I have one full row of boxes against the one wall. I have started on the second row, but sometimes I think it is going very slowly. I don't know if I will ever get everything packed. I am taking one room at a time and going through things as I pack. Getting rid of things as I pack has become the mantra. I am a pack-rat, so that makes it hard to get rid of things. I have a great big box ready to go to the Goodwill though.

I'm looking forward to the spinner's monthly meeting this Saturday. It will be good to catch up with everyone. Saturday is also the first day of the Summer of Socks 2008, so that's what I'll be working on. I have my pattern picked out and the yarn ready to go. I might get all the socks for Christmas done with this challenge!

Happy knitting & spinning.

Tuesday Orchid Update

To start off with, there is a orchid update.

This week there is not much change in the orchid from last week. The buds are a little bit bigger and lightening up just a little and if you squint really hard to can see a little bit of white in the center of the bud. I know, probably not very interesting to you. But I've never had a orchid before these and I am really excited to get to see them bloom in my very own home.

I have been doing some knitting. These are my projects from the WWKIP day. They are another pair of the Pieces of Eight by Susan Lawrence. They worked up really quickly and I had them done by Sunday night.

I have also been packing more boxes. Are you tired of hearing that yet? One day I will show you the progress of the boxes moving across the "staging area" bedroom. It's amazing to me to see how much "crap" we have! Now I need to go pack some more. We have a house in Virginia so now I know how much I can take with me and what I will have to get rid of.

Happy knitting & spinning.

Silk Shawl Unveiling

I thought I would show you the process I went through for the silk challenge for the fiber guild. I didn't get to attend the "big unveiling" in May, but will be there this next Saturday to show everyone in person.


First, I spun the silk in the first picture. I had dyed the silk with the same colors that I had used to dye some wool I got from Heather that she got from Portland. I had three bumps of the wool and two ounces of the silk. Both fibers spun up very nicely. The silk spun up better than I thought it would! Lyn had told me that I wouldn't have problems spinning the silk, because of the way I spin anyways.


Here are the full bobbins of the spun fiber. The silk is on the left, in case you can't tell, and the wool is on the right. They look very much different on the bobbins than they did in the fiber stage.






Here is the fiber plied and skeined, ready to be wound into a ball and start the knitting process. I think, if I remember right, I ended up with about 560 yards altogether of the silk blend fiber. It worked up very nicely into this shawl by Myrna Stahman.





Here's the shawl, blocked and ready to be worn. Doesn't she look pretty draped over the wood cart?



I really think she looks better on.

I even wore her at church today when the chapel was a little too cool. I think I will enjoy this shawl and it's many uses.