Family Time

The past few months have just flown by!  I really need to get back into this blogging idea.

In July, Jim and I were able to spend a few days with just about all the children and grandchildren.  We were missing one daughter, who was in Spain at that time, and in this picture we are missing one son-in-law, who was setting up another camera.  We had lots of fun playing, but now it is back to reality and life as we know it now.

There has been some spinning, knitting and planning for Christmas gifts.  There are two new grandbabies on the way, due in the next six weeks, for which some knitting must be done.  I'm only halfway thru knitting an afghan, no sweaters or anything else yet.  There have been lots of yarn purchased for said baby projects though.

Well, I must get ready for work.  Happy knitting and spinning.

Western Done

I made the Western vest, out of this booklet, for a shop sample. I really liked the pattern, but it took me about six weeks to finish it. Granted there were other projects completed in that time, but still--six weeks! I can see this pattern being used with some hand-spun I have sitting around here sometime in the future.

Happy knitting and spinning.

Easter Dyes

A week ago Jim said he wanted to do something fun for date night. After he picked me up from work, we went home and dyed Easter eggs. We haven't dyed eggs since we moved here to Virginia and it was kind of a fun thing to do.

When we were finished dying the eggs, Jim wanted to throw the dyes out. I told him he couldn't! I don't know what you do with your left over egg dyes, but at my house wool is found and placed in those lovely liquid solutions.

Jim had picked the vibrant colors on the Paas box and the eggs, plus the wool turned out really nice.

The colors on the back two rows are from the original dye. Didn't they turn out lovely, or they would be if I had taken a picture in the daylight. The three rovings on the front rung are from the second batch. They are not nearly as bright, but I am quite pleased with them and I exhausted all the dye.


Now to see if I can figure out how I want to spin it! Happy knitting and spinning.

Last Year's Christmas Pillowcases

I decided to make pillowcases for the grandchildren for Christmas each year. These are the ones that were given to them for Christmas 2011. The pillowcases were a fun project that I hope they will use throughout the year and remember grandma while they use them.

I need to watch for Christmas prints as soon as they are available, so that I can make each one out of a different fabric/print. One family has three little ones and I don't want duplicate prints sent there.

This would be a fun project for birthday parties, baby showers, different holidays, and who knows what else. Have you done anything like this before? What would you give a custom pillowcase for?

Next time some knitting content. Happy knitting and spinning.

First FO of 2012

A week ago tomorrow Jim and I flew out to Washington state to visit with Ri. We then took Ri with us and went down to Oregon to visit M and B and their little one, JP. JP is nine months old yesterday and I haven't meet him in person until this past Saturday. It was good to visit a couple of our children in their own environments and to get out of town for a few days.

The first project into my carry-on was this scarf which I had started in November, then put aside until Christmas knitting was over with. I was determined to finish it and give it to one of the kids. Ri called dibs, so he got it. The pattern is the one row scarf pattern by the Yarn Harlot. I completed the scarf about an hour before dropping Ri off at the Ferry so he could complete his trip home.

Ri and M have put in requests for socks sometime this year. Don't know when that will be done, but it might just be Christmas 2012.

Well, off to get some more knitting and spinning done before returning to work next Monday.

Happy knitting and spinning.

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.