Cup of Tea

After a roller coaster week, including two major tragedies that dominated the news, it was refreshing to have tea today with some lovely ladies.

Fancy tea party!

Thank you gift - Coasters (Hand Knitted by the hostess!)

We all have something in common. We are all married to musicians.  The other ladies are young enough to be my daughters, and their husbands are on tour right now.  My husband used to travel quite a bit as a musician, and was on tour when I met him. He traveled a good bit even after we were married, and while our kids were growing up.

My two kids saying goodbye to their dad at the airport back in the 90's

I never really thought that my experiences were of value but today I was asked to share some of them. Not everyone values the job a musician does; not everyone sees it as legitimate. Then if the musician becomes successful, everyone wants to know "how you make a living" doing something like that.  The supporting role of being a musician's wife is extremely rewarding, unique and has lots of ups and downs.  I wouldn't trade it for anything, and I felt really good sharing with these band wives how important their role is. God bless them!

I'm almost ready to start another knitting project, and I can only say that what's on the needles hasn't changed since my last post.

What has changed, however, is the amount of wool I've been processing.  Picking and carding is taking a while, and I'm really ready to be done with the current gray fleece.  And I'm only half done with it.  What's up with that??  I still have a really large white fleece that is going to take some doing! Gee!

 I plied the shiny green bamboo yarn - two ply and only two skeins, not a lot of yarn for $12.  Pretty end result but disappointed in the small amount of yarn I got.  Probably not more that 200 yards. This stuff better be good when I knit a swatch!

I bought a new book on our date night Friday, but after I got home and made it into the second chapter, I had to put it down. Not my cup of tea, if you know what I mean.  Glad I got it on the discount table! It was banished to the book shelf this morning, and right away I got online and found an Agatha Christie audiobook to soothe my disappointment.  Thank you Agatha for being a classic writer! 

Her books always shoot straight about human nature, deception and truth telling.  My husband and I watch a TV show called The First 48, about detectives solving crimes, usually homicides.  In every episode, there is an interrogation room where a detective and a suspect or witness sit for an interview.  Its always obvious who is a deceiver and who is a truth teller.  I love Agatha books because the same two people always show up. Deceivers and truth tellers. And there's usually a cup of tea being served !!

Blossom

KNITTING
As luck would have it, the little elf hat was too small for Charlotte as soon as it was made.  I have finally measured her little noggin and hope to be a better knitter/seamstress before the next bit of head gear is made!

Striped elf hat already too small

It will of course be ripped out, just like the yellow shawl.  So far I'm 0 for 2 and have no fresh ideas for knitting projects, except to keep working on this blanket.  Always a good diversion.

Knitting on the Sea Waves Blanket and sipping homemade cappucino

SPINNING
I'm done spinning this terrific green-yellow bamboo roving.  Its so shiny, but it's hard. As in, not soft.  There was no crimp in the fiber, so no bounce.  It is silky, though and will make something very nice, but nothing that needs to spring back.

Green and Yellow singles (prettier in real life!)

PERSONAL
On the day of the Boston Marathon tragedy, I had been carding some gray/blue batts on my drum carder, when my husband called me inside to watch the news report.  I'm so glad I had something to spin.  I grabbed my spindle on the way inside, because I knew before long I would need it to calm my nerves.  We all just watched the news for at least an hour, reliving 9/11 and wondering what it all was about. After that, I started warming up some dinner, and then spun with my little midi whorl spindle the rest of the evening.  God help us.

It has been a fortunate week, being so close to our granddaughter.  I have seen her 3 days in a row, and can't believe my good fortune.

View from my son's front yard - lovely hills in the distance

GARDENING
I am truly blessed to have my kids close at this time of our lives.  It cheers me so to have them over for bits of time here and there.  I also feel fortunate to have such a lovely home and back garden. It has taken 12 years to get it to this stage, but I never feel like its finished.

Snow Ball Tree in the back yard

Ajuga in bloom

Apple tree blossoms

monkey grass invaders

Real gardeners are that way.  Always moving plants, adding and taking away; dreaming of what a new flower bed or tree would look like.  Its nice to love something so much that gives such joy.

This morning I met with a couple of friends at church to pray. It's something we've been doing the last few weeks and is another thing that really truly brings me joy.  When life doesn't  make sense, it helps to pray.  I always feel better after! 

Elfin Magic

KNITTING
I told you I was gonna make a hat, and  I mean what I say, you know.  I was not kidding, and I am a woman of my word.  At least this time (sheepish and blushing)! So here is the silk hat for my little Charlotte.  The pattern is called Striped Elf Hat by Anna Daku. Free on Ravelry.

The needles are size 3 Crystal Palace Bamboo DPNs and the yarn is handspun silk. The pink I dyed myself and the white is natural. 

Striped Elf Hat

Its convincing me that spinning and knitting with silk will be my drug of choice when the weather gets really hot.  I love the feel of this yarn and I love the size of these needles.  Small enough to be quick, but large enough not to drop them a million times!

Since you are wondering (aren't you?) about whatever happened to the yellow shawl I started a few posts ago, I will give you the sad news.  Yes, its true, it was lost in a frogging incident.  I ripped it out after more than a few frustrating efforts. There will not be a film at 11:00.  I think you know why!  (too gory)

PERSONAL
On Thursday we attended a victory party for a dear family friend who ran for mayor. He won!  Woop woop! He is one of those rare, good old fashioned family men. He never speaks damaging remarks about others, but is clear about his goals and how he is different from the other candidates.  So grateful that he is our new mayor and so glad to live where I do.

New mayor of our town and his wife - great people!

 What a fun time we had! And we got to see some folks who live in our community that we never see, so that added to the occasion.

SPINNING
A few weeks ago we spent some time in Asheville, NC and I made a special effort to go by Earth Guild for some shopping.  I picked up this roving (also bamboo) and started spinning it on my little travel spindle.

Today I transferred what was already spun to a bobbin on my wheel and started spinning the rest.  It was early and I flipped on an audio book, so the time went pretty quickly.  I always forget how much I like to spin, until I sit down at the wheel and give it a go.  I'll say it again. I love to spin. 

READING
The book my father in law ordered for me came in, but not before I had downloaded a free audio version to my iPod from the library.

The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom is a classic book about a holocaust survivor from Holland who was not a Jew.  She aided families in their time of need and later she and her family paid a great price for their help.  I finished listening to the book today, but will probably read the hard copy as well.

Green Gardens

After a beautiful weekend in which I did NOT get to spend time in the garden, I determined yesterday that no matter what chores I needed to do, gardening would be one of them! I sort of did not vacuum or mop, but I did wash sheets, clean the kitchen and generally straighten up the house.  Okay, so about 10 different times (in between laundry checks) I grabbed my little garden claw and hoe and worked on the flower beds. 

Every time I passed across the lawn, I would see these tiny little flowers, and by the end of the day, I was intrigued enough to grab my camera and take pictures before the lawn mower got them.  (Our grass has not been cut yet, due to the fact that the neighbor across the street borrowed the lawn mower and hasn't returned it yet. My husband is distraught over the fact that he can't start cutting the lawn this season.)

Here they are closer up - I reduced the brightness on the photos so that you could see the marvelous color.

God's gift that I nearly missed!

Even the weeds are lovely close up

Incredible detail among the blades of grass

Teeny tiny flowers

CLICK ON THIS ONE - so little!

They are all so tiny, maybe an eighth of an inch in diameter.  Maybe. The dry leaves and clover look huge - like something out of Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.

So now, most of the flower beds have been trimmed, weeded and rustled up.  They are excited that I'll be planting stuff soon.  Around here, you have to wait for April 15th to put out your plants.

KNITTING
My granddaughter was here last week and we made a valiant effort to take her to the park for a little while.  It was really chilly and we realized she had no hat.  I found one  in the closet and my husband tried to put a rubber band around it, but it just didn't work.  I'm amazed she didn't catch a cold while we were out there, but it solidified my guilt that she had no hat.  The only hats I've made her were for newborns and those are way too small now.  So even though its turning warm, she just might need a hat in the future, and dadgummit, I'm making her a hat.

Its made of silk, so that it won't be too warm, and less likely to irritate her skin, but its soft and lovely and just enough cover for her little princess skin.

Charlotte rock climbing at the park with no hat!

SPINNING
If I posted pictures of the carding I've been doing, you'd shriek and drop your coffee mug, like a Roadrunner cartoon.  It looks awful out there.  The carded batts look more like furry, large prehistoric animals hibernating amongst the boxes in the garage.  But they're actually great signs of progress to me.  I'm down to the last two fleeces, after the one I'm carding now.  That means that I'm about to have a yarn store's amount of wool for any purpose I could imagine.  Like that big room full of gold coins and treasures they have in the movies, after a treasure hunt. Its that exciting for me.  I can hardly wait!  But I've determined that I will card all of the wool by the middle of July, and I know I can do it.  Woo hoo!

READING
I have finished Defending Jacob and The Happiness Project.  My father in law is anxious for me to read the story of Corrie Ten Boom, since he's re-reading it now, and has ordered me a copy.  It seems strange that I've never read her book, so I can't argue with his goal for me.  It should arrive today, and will be my nightstand book for the next little while.  I'm looking for a new audio book for my iPod, but nothing strikes me yet.(I'll have to get back to you with that! ) Any suggestions would be appreciated ~

59th Street Bridge (Feelin' Groovy)

After a very fun weekend with the family, I woke up on Monday missing my knitting.  I hadn't knit all day Sunday, and most of Saturday, so I started the Monday morning coffee with a few rows of The Beginner's Triangle.

KNITTING
For some reason, even though I'd already finished a full cup o'Joe, I could not master two seemingly ordinary stitches.  The first being "K1 in stitch below" and the other was a new take on the old, "knit stitch but do not remove from left needle".  Surely it was just early, but I had to look at the glossary and google a few times until I figured these out!

What the heck? What's wrong with me?  And this is the shawl that I referred to as The Beginner's Shawl?? My, oh my, aren't we full of ourselves?  Just goes to show you that even veteran knitters are still beginners.  Lesson learned. (Don't brag, its not becoming, and you'll just have to eat your words!)


PERSONAL
I promised lots of pics from the weekend so here they are in My Daughter Betsy's Blog.
Everything was a success and it meant more to me this year than most, to really do things right.

table set by my lovely daughter Betsy

 My garden is sprouting turnips, and they already have their second set of leaves or true leaves. 

TURNIPS!

On Saturday I read that Edith Schaeffer had passed away.

Edith and Francis Schaeffer

 She was pretty much the only living person who I wanted to meet before I die.  She was the writer of the book L'Abri, and I used the principles of the book to guide my life (along with the Bible).  She was married to a theologian named Francis Schaeffer, but to me, she was greater than him. She was the epitome of grace, discretion and a religious version of the better known Jackie Kennedy Onassis. Edith Schaeffer believed in making the best out of difficult circumstances, seeking the Lord's will even when it seemed like it could never work.  I never did meet Edith, on this Earth, but I am confident I will meet her on the other side. Until then. 

Easter's On Its Way

Last night my husband and I went to see the new OZ movie.  Right before we left for the matinee, I frantically grabbed a ball of yarn and pattern.  It is so hard for me to sit still in the theater as they show the endless commercials, then previews before the movie actually starts.  And if you get there late, hoping to avoid the tedium, you risk not finding good seats.  I realize this is sort of a "let em eat cake" problem.  I admit its not anything huge, but it bugs me nonetheless.
So, back to my grabbing a ball of yarn.

KNITTING
I have been searching for a new project, that's sort of mindless and take along.  The classic book, A Gathering of Lace, is full of great projects. Most involve serious chart-reading, but the first shawl of the book is called, A Beginner's Triangle.  Its a simple garter stitch shawl knit from side to side, with a very small chart and very basic stitches.  So.....I used my camera phone to snap a picture of the chart so that I could read it without a flashlight in the movie theater.  (Two birds with one stone, huh?) Size 6 Addi Turbos and a small cake of yarn all ready to knit a swatch with.

Beginning of Beginners Triangle Shawl

The Steek Adventure continues!  I made a larger swatch the other night and its washed and ready for the crochet binding and cutting.  Its probably not a good idea to wash the sample first, but I wanted to see how it will look, and since I'm learning all this, I figure its worth a try. 

Unwashed and washed steek samplers (worst color choice ever)

Steek Sample #2 prior to cutting (yes, I know its ugly)

SPINNING
Here's the last of the Watermelon Yarn.  Its a mix of wool and angora, two ply, and about _ wraps per inch or sport weight?

3 Skeins of Watermelon Yarn - DONE!

READING
After hearing about this book for a long time, and finding every reason in the book not to get it, I finally succumbed to the pressure (really?) and got The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin from Audible.  The hype is true - it is a valuable resource if you have any intentions of leading a better life than the one you're leading now.  It is thought provoking and chock full of 'things I never knew', like statistics about hugging.  Who knew life could be improved by so many little things.  Two thumbs up!

FAMILY
We're making Easter preparations and I must admit, I love the saying, "Make every occasion a special occasion."  My mom exemplified this, and I'm trying to pass it on.  Silver candlesticks for Easter Sunday.  Why not?

Tomorrow we'll be having ham, green beans, rolls, salad, scalloped potatoes (from a box) and a surprise dessert from my daughter in law.  My daughter is coming over tonight to decorate the table and I can't wait!
By Tuesday's post, I should have some pictures for you!

Shiver Me Timbers

I just shivered.  I mean it.  Just now, I literally shivered, and you wanna know why?  Because I just cut through a small piece of knitted fabric on purpose!! Yikes!  I just STEEKED!
Okay, if you're not familiar with the term "steek" or why that would make me shiver, then let me back up and explain a couple of things.

First, the term steek, in knitting means to cut through a portion of knitting just like you were cutting through fabric.  It is intentional, and meant to achieve what the definition implies - to pierce and enclose. 

Second, the reason for my shiver was that I have made a New Years Resolution to learn how to steek, and yup, I just did it! I am so proud of myself.  I got that same feeling in my sock knitting class in Asheville when I completed a little sock ornament.  You probably got that feeling the first time you rode a bike or learned to drive a stick shift.  Small for others, but BIG for you!

So tonight, I started this project by locating a pattern and two colors of thread for the sample.

fair isle patterns with light and dark yarn

Then I cast on the specified 25 stitches for the pattern, plus 5 stitches for the steek, or 30 total stitches. 
I knit in the round following the pattern and on the 5 steek stitches, knit one light, one dark etc. to make 5 little vertical stripes.  The Center Stripe will be cut like unzipping a zipper. Right down the middle. 

Fair isle sample with steek stripes

The center light stripe is the zipper

The last step involves crocheting up, then down, either side of the zipper stripe, pulling the stitches apart. 

Crochet down from cast off edge

And crochet up from cast on edge

Cutting in the ditch

Do you see the ladder stitches?  Like teeth between purple lips!

Finally is the actual cutting of the fabric, and like I said, I literally shivered! Wow, what a cool feeling!

Starting to cut was scary!

Its Done! Like a teeny, tiny sweater!

I must give credit to Elizabeth Zimmermann who always gives me confidence.  That's what she's known for. Encouraging knitters for generations to jump in and face your fears.

 Just DO the thing that scares you to death, and you'll be surprised when its over, how little there was to be afraid of! I also must give credit to this amazing website, for showing in steps how to do everything from start to finish.  Woo hoo!!!!!!  I did it!