Amaryllis and a Shawl

Things have been busy around here, just like it is every where. I have been knitting and watching the flowers bloom.

The shawl is the Forest Canopy shawl and I should have blocked pictures in the next week or so. I ended up using 349 yards out of the 350 yards that I had. The shawl is a little small, but will fit the intended recipient nicely, I believe. I really enjoyed making this shawl and am looking forward to using it again in other shawls I make.

I have also been busy with baby knits. I should have a picture or two to show before very long. They are a pretty quick knit, the BSJs.

To close, I'll leave you with a picture of the amaryllis blooming. It had four blossoms on it, but became too top heavy and ended up leaning against the wall. I can't get a good picture now and the blooms are starting to fade pretty quickly.

Happy knitting & spinning.

Cherry Blossoms and Dishcloths

Yesterday, I took "C" and a couple of his friends downtown to see the cherry blossoms. They were pretty much gone, but I thought I got some pretty good pictures. The wind was blowing the blossoms from the trees pretty fast. In some areas it looked as if there was pink snow. There were definitely less people there this time around. I took time to look around the tulip garden before meeting up with the kids by the tidal basin. This red tulip was really pretty blowing in the wind. There were so many tulips around DC yesterday.

My amaryllis is getting ready to bloom. I may have blooms for Easter. This picture was taken yesterday. Today the blooms are separating out and more pronounced. I love to watch it bloom.



Last night after knitting group, I remembered that I needed to take a wedding gift to work with me today. I have Sugar and Cream cotton in the stash, good thing, so I made both of these simple dish cloths. The creamy colored one, on the bottom, I made last night before bed and the blue one I knit up this morning while reading the blogs. Katie's last day of work will be tomorrow, but I won't be working there tomorrow, so she got this today. I hope she will remember all of us when she uses these dishcloths.

I have been busy knitting lots of different things. They are getting close to being finished! Maybe some finished shots soon.

My spinning is coming along nicely also. I am using the Lendrum this week and the Spring Fling is spinning up quickly. I will have to do some plying soon, as I am almost out of bobbins. I need to get pictures of the fiber I just finished spinning on the Traditional. It turned out pretty good and will make a pretty something. I should have pictures soon, when I can get some time to take some good ones.

Well, off to do some binding off before bed. Happy knitting and spinning.

Finished Southern Heat Scarf.

I have to show you the pictures of the scarf I test knit for Sue, who designs for Blue Ridge Yarns sold by Misty Mountain. The first picture is of the scarf in progress. Do you like my stitch markers? I made them myself!

This picture is of the scarf blocking. The yarn I used was Kaleidoscope, in Dragon's Breath. There were 400 yards and I used all but about three yards of the skein. The scarf blocked out to be about 11" wide by 70" long. A really nice sized scarf.

The last picture is of the scarf ready to be given back to Sue. She got it Wednesday night and says it turned out really well. We all really liked how the yellow streak seemed to zigzag through the scarf. I am glad this project is done and in the right hands. Now to weave in the ends on my socks for another finished project.

Last night a group of women from church met at my house to start a knitting meeting once a month. It was fun to sit and talk, give a refresher course to one lady, teach a brand new knitter and help another sister with a crochet project that she has had in the works for 35 (!) years. Thanks Liz for all the help you gave to Jill. It was good to have Liz come, I haven't seen her for about four weeks. While the women were here last night, I got the yarn ready to start the Forest Canopy Shawl. I just need to find the right needles and get busy knitting.

Well, off to walk Cleo and get ready for work. Happy knitting and spinning.

No Pictures, But I am Finishing

So today while reading blogs, I stumbled across this contest at Lisa's. She is giving away a couple of Nantucket Baggs. I have seen pictures of these and the youtube video, but have never really seen them in person. They look like they would be the ultimate knitting bag. Lisa says if I announce this contest on the blog and link back to her, I could get two more tickets in the drawing. Wouldn't that be a fun prize to win?

This morning I pinned out the test knit scarf. It looks really pretty, if I do say so myself. Yesterday I bound off one sock and started the bind off of the second, but work and sleep got in the way of finishing it. I finished spinning the fiber on the Traditional and will have pictures of it plied before the end of the week.

I want to start something new. I want to cast on for the Forest Canopy shawl and the Baby Surprise Jacket, but I need the pattern for that first. Maybe I could borrow it from someone I know. Liz?

Well, off to work (again). Happy knitting and spinning.

Just Monkeying Around

There is only so much I can get done in the day. But lately, I seem to be "monkeying" around. I thought this background would go well with what I've been feeling lately. Not really wanting to do anything, there isn't any finished projects, and there hasn't been much going on around here, except for work. The weather has been nice and I've been planning what to put in the planters, when I buy them, and I've been watching the trees bud out every morning on my walk with Cleo, the dog.

I am on the last repeat of a test knit project. I am on the last bump of fiber on the Traditional which has only taken me three rotations of the spinning wheels. I am on the last knitting of a pair of socks and I am so on the last of winter. Thank goodness it is officially the first of Spring.

I'm off to finish the test knit and watch the race from today. Happy knitting and spinning!

Look, I Found Pictures!

Okay, so I found the pictures and put them in my regular file. It took me a while this morning, but I have it figured out for right now at least.

I love looking at the pictures of these bobbins full of singles. There are so many colors here. The first picture is the Hitchiker. It is showing off the fiber from Judy Jackson in the Grand Rift colorway in fine range wools. I ended up with a pound of this fiber and I really like how it is turning out.

The fiber on the Lendrum is from Judy Gunn in the Spring Fling colorway. This is a corriedale fiber and I really like how it is spinning up. I started spinning this fiber in October, but I haven't dedicated time to spinning it until I started rotating the wheels out a month or so ago. I will miss seeing both of the Judy's at this years Fiber Fair, but have the websites to order from. Judy Gunn's is new and I hadn't seen it before.

The fiber on the Ashford Traditional is from Dianne at Creatively Dyed Yarn. This is colorway R7 which she was clearancing out just before the end of the year. It is a Merino wool and is spinning up quickly. I plied two skeins of it into a two ply yarn and am trying to decide for sure what I would like to do with this yarn. I have just about three bobbins to ply still, so who knows how much I will end up with. But it is fun to spin.


And last, but not least, is the Merino fiber I have going on the Scholar. I bought this fiber in September at the Montpelier fiber fair from Misty Mountain Farms. It is spinning up fairly quickly, but is also seeming to take quite a long time. I never seem to get as much spun on this wheel on my week to spin on the Scholar. I don't know if it is because the wheel spins slower or if it is because the fiber is beening spun pretty fine. I know I like the subtle colors in this combination and will enjoy whatever I decide to make with it. I think it will be destin to be a shawl, it is soooooo soft.

Thanks for looking at the pictures and letting me tell you about my latest spinning adventures. I am enjoying all the colors and spending the short amount of time I take with the wheels. The rotation is working really well and all the wheels get a chance to have their weekly glory.

Now, off to bed and an early morning. Happy knitting & spinning.

New Computer Woes

I thought I would be showing you pictures of the spinning on each of my wheels. But I have a new computer and don't know how to get the pictures here. Yes, I am computer illiterate in a lot of ways.

There is a lot to do today before heading to work. Have to find out about AAA here in Virginia and definitely need to get my car serviced. Too much to do and not enough time to get everything done.

Hopefully the next post will have the pictures I wanted to show you.

Happy knitting and spinning.