Roman Holiday

For this whole entire week, we've taken a stay-cation, doing whatever we want, not making appointments outside of fun stuff, if we can help it.  It is really hard for me to "do nothing" cause that's just how I'm wired. So doing the minimal amount of laundry, kitchen cleanup and cooking, I've really enjoyed my week. 

Wave Petunias doing great!

PERSONAL
Today I did a judicious amount of pruning in the back yard, finding runaway vines, shrubs and itty-bitty plants that I have no name for.  It never fails that when I'm gardening I have these deep, philosophical thoughts about life, hardship, rewards and "pruning".  Its natural, pruning is, and it hurts, but its sooo necessary.  Sometimes things that haven't been pruned in a while look like they belong. The stems are woody and large, the leaves are abundant and healthy, and the fact that you're just used to looking at it for so long makes it feel weird to cut back so severely.  After the pruning is done, it can look really bad.  Like a little boy back from the barber, it may seem like you've over done it.  But I have faith.  I know that for years these plants have come back even stronger, and that I have nothing to worry about.  Of course, life is exactly the same.  We are destined to be pruned now and then, and like the garden, its worth it later on. 

Wave Petunias - hot pink!

POST PRUNING - YIKES

Full to overflowing

Finally some figs that the birds didn't eat

Purple Phlox?

the weeds are winning

KNITTING
The colors of the socks I'm knitting are pretty much in the watermelon family, but to stretch my point, I'm going to say that they look like the colors of the Italian flag. I've turned the heels on both socks and tried to finagle a little intentional color here and there, without disturbing too much, the random-ness of the self striping yarn.

Italian Watermelon

I signed up for the Craftsy class on Icelandic Sweater Knitting, which teaches in great detail how to steek. I got a serious discount, and decided to throw down for the class.  After I finish the Watermelon socks, I'm going to make some golf club covers for my SIL, and then start on the steeked sweater.  I don't want to hurry it.  Like a school class, its meant to teach, and I want to glean all I can from the class.  

SPINNING
My spinning has been fun, but after a week of spinning for the Tour de Fleece, I kind of fizzled out.  I was trying to document my progress, while avoiding social media.

French Angora on a mini Bosworth

Lovely purple wool on my unknown spindle

Make it snappy, will ya?

SPINNING 
In order to keep my spinning challenge for the Tour de Fleece 2013, I'm doing a little less knitting and a heck of a lot more spinning.  Woo Hoo!   It works out really, since I've completed the major job of picking and carding virtually all my wool.  What better way to kick off the second half of this wonderful year, than to spin like there's no tomorrow? 

Midi spindle laying out by the plants,  trying to get a tan!

I finished a spindle full and wound it off so that I could start this stuff.  LOVE IT.   So darn pretty with the vivid blue and yellow.  Downright adorable if I do say so myself!
I've been posting on Instagram, and tagging my pics with at least #tdf13 and #tourdefleece so that I feel like I'm playing with the big dogs.  If you didn't know, Instagram has the same principle as Twitter regarding hashtags, and you can search for almost anything.  (Beware, though!)

First spindle full, after day 2

My Instagram name is brendamyfrienda, and I guess that's no surprise.  On Twitter I'm @brendamyfrienda although I'm not really posting to Twitter for the Tour de Fleece.

Beauty contest winner  "STORMY" on a lace flyer!

And this is the dirty looking lint-like roving  that I dyed over the weekend.  It is stunning in this deep stormy blue.  Guess what I'm calling it?  Gosh you're right!   "STORMY"
I got out my lace flyer for the Ashford Traveler and set the bobbin whorl on about medium for lace.  Its as fine as sewing thread, and the 3 ply skein of yarn that I worked on today, is about a sport weight.  It should make some lucky relative a nice Christmas present!  Maybe a necktie for my dad.......just kidding!


KNITTING
 I'm taking Watermelon socks to the 4th of July picnic!

Watermelon ribbed socks, just in time for the 4th of July

I had to try my self striping Watermelon yarn from a few months ago.  It feels almost like cotton, but its wool.  The stripes are a bit random, but I wound off enough of one of the balls so that at least they both started with a variegated green-white border at the top.   The heels and toes will probably also match each other if I can remember to do that. 

I'm taking the knitting to my brother in law's house for the 4th of July picnic at his house.  They have a pool, a movie theater in the basement, and best of all, no chores for me to do!  I love going anywhere that doesn't remind me that I need to dust my baseboards or do the dishes in the sink. 
So....I'm taking my little socks and my Tour de Fleece project,  and maybe a little audio book or some podcasts to listen to while I'm laying out by the pool!

We Interrupt This Program

Do you remember in the early days of television, when breaking news was signaled by an anchorman (never a woman) who said, "We interrupt this program to bring you a special news report" ?

Please Stand By

Well, I'm about to interrupt the program, and I'm talking about some habits that have formed like dust-bunnies.  Habits that just happen, without realizing that they're a part of your life. You know what I'm talking about!
At the first of the year, I posted about my resolutions for the year and my desire to do more "off the grid" stuff.  So far I feel pretty successful, but I'm ready to take it up a notch.  It is normal for folks here in North America to take a summer vacation or holiday, usually in the months of June, July or August.  And I'm thinking of taking a semi-off-the-grid vacation for the next several weeks.  I'm talking about being glued to the internet and my cell phone; the constant need to glance at my phone and check my email or social networking accounts.  I'm talking about the opportunity I have to make a real effort at reading an actual paper, or magazine.  Like, reading the words, not looking at the captions under the pictures. 

My husband and I have an opportunity in the next week to have several days of uninterrupted time without certain obligations.  Being caregivers is a 24/7/365 sort of thing.  Kind of like being a parent to a child, you are never fully disengaged from your responsibility.  I can tell we are ready for this vacation, and my husband in particular, who had a tiny little meltdown last week over peanut butter.  Actually, he was just venting, but it was unusual for him.

SPINNING
So, since the Tour de France has started, and Ravelry has invited everyone who spins to be a part of the Tour de Fleece, I am joining in.  I have lots of wool to spin, and the Tour de Fleece starts Saturday June 29 and runs until Sunday July 21nd, 2013. The perfect opportunity for me to spend about 3 weeks doing what I love to do.  Spin, and of course, knit!

Light purple and my mini Bosworth

Light and dark purple with both Bosworth spindles

Here's my start for the challenge.  I spun and plied a skein first thing this morning, and this afternoon, joined Team Spindlers, and will be spindle spinning with my mini and midi Bosworths.

The colors of the Tour de France 2013 (yellow and gray)

KNITTING
Here are the TWO cable ribbed socks that have taken a whole month to knit.  Well, hey, at least I knit them.  And doing two at a time, even on DPNs is the way to go.  Not kidding.  It IS the best way to knit socks, and don't kid yourself that you don't get second-sock-syndrome. 

Closing the toe and closing the book on these socks!

Its a well know fact that everyone gets it, and you and I both know you have to admit you have a problem, before you can get help.  So, bite the bullet, and from now on, knit two at a time, okay?

Done!  Ready for a cold, wintry night.

They are reversible, by the way.

PERSONAL
So, back to the personal off-the-grid challenge for the next 25 or so days.  I read this article that really got me thinking.  It is just so darn easy to let life take control of you, when it is well within your power to take control of your life, your circumstances, and your attitude.  So, here I go.  Not a complete break from the digital world, but a concerted effort to curb my enthusiasm for it! 

Specious or Pernicious - Pick One

SPINNING
People who climb Mt. Everest or Mt. Kilimanjaro are mere novices when you compare the mountain I've just climbed.  Its taken me months to pick and card everything in my stash, and I can say without equivocation that I AM DONE!  The wool is ready for dyeing and spinning. (Which is my new goal for the next 6 months, by the way.)

These pictures can't begin to convey the hours and hours I spent picking and carding these bags of wool.  I have a new found respect for shepherds long ago who spent their whole lives sheering, picking, and spinning wool.

Stash Sampler

Pantry of wool -  carded

Action Center- note the bags of white wool above the lamp

What great patience they had.  Of course, being permanently 'off the grid', they had no internet, or very little, to distract them from their course of action. I had to make a deadline or I knew I'd never get all this done.

It is so fun now, to go to the stash without any guilt, grab a bag of wool, and start spinning. I felt like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, when he saw all the candy and goodies, waiting to be eaten.  Having a large stash of carded wool for a spinner is probably the exact same thing.  Nothing pernicious or specious.  Just good clean fun!

Grape Pop

Here is a sample of some really purple-y wool that gets better once its spun.  Darker and more like a pack of grape Kool-aid.

MORE SPINNING
I also carded some wool with silk noil and spun very fine, then plied.  I really, really like the effect the silk has on the wool.  I will definitely do more of this!

spinning wool and silk

singles

plying

Hank of silk noil and wool

KNITTING
I took these socks with me Sunday night to my husband's concert.  He played and sang with his partner in a nearby town, very close to where the Bonnaroo Festival takes place.
The church that hosted the event also provided homemade pies, homemade ice cream and all kinds of refreshments for the outdoor event.  It was a lovely night and we really enjoyed the All-American feel of the town.  Kids running around playing, grown-ups in folding chairs, singing along.  I sat at a picnic table and knitted during the rehearsal.  I made a lot more progress than you can see in this picture!

Finally knitting the foot of the socks.  Two at a time socks rock!

I also tried my hand at some beaded knitting.  I'd really like to incorporate more beads in my knitting and this time I used a tiny antique crochet hook from my grandmother.  I think it was a size 14 or 16.  It was so small it had a cover for the tip, like a cartridge pen.  Super tiny beads!

Knitting with beads!

PERSONAL
Our kids all came over this weekend, so the house exploded with all kinds of family oriented collateral damage. Its always worth it to me.  These are days that I cherish, and know that they'll be over before you know it. 
My little granddaughter doesn't walk quite yet, but makes great strides crawling across the carpet when there's something she wants.  On the way she takes what we call "thumb-breaks", which are quick moments to rest her head and suck her thumb.  Literally seconds later she's up and at 'em again. Somehow I think its as much a soothing technique as it is rest.  A lot times, I wish I could just stop and take a thumb break, too!

For Better or for Worsted

My husband and I had a conversation recently about breaking points.  Not classic "nervous breakdowns" but moments when the straw breaks the camel's back.  Seemingly small events that bring down emotional walls and allow the floodgates to be flung open.  (Metaphors galore!)

My wisteria!

We all have those moments, days or weeks.  There's no way to convey how glad I am to have a fun hobby like knitting to keep me sane when things start to get wobbly.  Sometimes, that's all you need; a little something to steady you for a few minutes till you get through the heat of the moment!

SPINNING
I had a break-through yesterday when I picked the last of the mountain of fleeces in my stash.  I can card the last little batch this morning and then I'll have completed one of my New Year's Resolutions a whole month early!
I can't wait to get started spinning all this stuff!  I've been spinning up a little pile of odds and ends and will ply it with some gray "dryer lint" roving to make a couple of skeins of sock weight yarn. 

Odds and Ends - crazy yarn

It struck me the other day, that non-knitters have no idea what the terms mean that we use to describe yarn weights.  It can always be thought of as thickness, rather than weight, if that helps.  Sock yarn is an easy term to understand, but DK weight and worsted may be harder to understand. 

Worsted weight and sock weight yarn

Remember doing crafts as a kid and the teacher pulling out a box of colorful yarn?  That was probably sport weight or worsted weight.  Sport would be just a bit thinner than worsted weight.  Worsted weight is the yarn all those Granny Square afghans are made of, that you see on the back of a couch in a TV show.  Worsted weight is the yarn your friend used to make you a scarf that resembled a homeless man's football sock.  Worsted is the weight your grandmother used to make you Christmas presents each year.  And worsted weight is the yarn you see in K-Mart along side of the popsicle sticks and pipecleaners in the craft section.

KNITTING
I did some volunteer work at my church earlier this week, answering phones and sitting at the front desk in the lobby.  I brought my knitting along, and by the time I left to go home, I'd pretty much finished the heel of a sock.

Two socks at a time!

This yarn is a total surprise hit for me!  It's been a soft, easy to knit yarn that turned out to be the perfect sock yarn.  Everybody stopped by the desk at church to ask me what I was knitting, and it felt good to be in the heel section of the sock. It was obvious what I was knitting.  Knitting in public is actually one great conversation starter.  So thankful for my knitting!!

PERSONAL
My daughter took me to lunch yesterday at the Frothy Monkey,  and we had such a fun time.  She makes me so proud, and always picks great restaurants.  And the cappuccino was terrific!

Wet Cappuccino - from my daughter! 

With the End in Mind

Its been a lovely day here in Tennessee, and the warm weather has me finding ways to keep up with my fiber without getting overheated.

SPINNING
While picking that bless-ed white fleece has pushed my limits, I decided to keep a clear head and just move on.  The majority of what's left is second cuts and too-small staples anyway.  So I drug out the last fleece and started picking it.  It really gave me renewed confidence that I could meet my goal for the stash; the goal I made to pick and card all fleeces in the stash by July 15. 

Being a goal oriented person, it was really bugging me that I might not be able to meet the goal.  UGH.  I hate to lose, even if its when I'm 'competing' with myself.  Now I feel a lot better.

Basket of singles turning into sock yarn, right before your eyes!

It made me take on a small spinning goal without breaking into the large bags of carded wool in the stash.  (They will be saved for later this year!)
Anyway, I have a ton of singles, that are small and not enough for any real project, so I decided to start a skein of crazy yarn. Kind of like a crazy quilt.  It will be two ply, and made of whatever bits and bobs I have in the garage.  Plied together in a couple of balls, I'm going to have a second 'go' at the Pippi Longstocking socks I started months ago. They were a complete fail by the way.  And I do mean complete.
So this yarn will be like a self striping yarn, with no predictable arrangement of color, other than that I tried to keep like colors together.

KNITTING
With the world wide knit in public week coming to an end, I have to share a few more pics of me working on the cable rib socks.  This was so much fun!!

Business lunch with a friend

Starbucks drive through

Date night with hubby

I power washed the front sidewalk and part of the driveway, so its really inspired me to sit on the front porch this weekend.  There was so much bird poop everywhere (I know its my fault for putting out bird seed) that the shady, private porch was not inviting at all. Now that its clean, I'm eager to go out with a quilt to have a few private moments!

I am not as young as I feel, and power washing two large cement areas in one week has taken its toll on my neck and shoulders.  Ben Gay, take me away!

Sitting and knitting on the front porch

This sock is about to have a heel-turning!

READING
I finished a great book this week, called The Circle Maker.  If you find yourself in need of faith, hope or encouragement, this is the book for you.  It is really more of a motivational book, but is also inspiring and has lots of historical examples of people overcoming impossible circumstances.

The paperback copy of Lonesome Dove came in the mail, and the cover matched my Turkish spindle! How's that for serendipity?

$3 copy of Lonesome Dove and a Turkish spindle with sample God's eye wind-on

PERSONAL
I got some great news this week, about some company coming next weekend.  I can hardly wait, and will make every effort to have the place cleaned and well stocked by the time they get here!
I even re-arranged my little office/guest room today.  I moved my Kromski wheel further into the open, and put the desk under the window where I can look outside without looking over my shoulder.  Much better.  Amazing what a little change can do for your "outlook".  Everybody needs to change things up now and then, even if its just grocery shopping in reverse order, or changing up your morning routine.  Whatever it takes, it can always be abandoned if it doesn't suit you.

World Wide Knit in Public Week

KNITTING
This adorable sweater is the inspiration for my new cabled sock project. 

 It is based on 2x2 rib with a cable-3 tossed in every so often.  So far, its super easy, but my track record isn't so good lately, so I'm allowing myself the opportunity to mess it up at least once.  Tonight, I dropped one of the cables and had to just grit my teeth and fix the thing right away.  That one won't count, okay?

I cast on 56 stitches in the round with size 3 double point needles (DPNs).  The yarn is homespun that I'd already wound into balls earlier this year.  Fairly soft, except for a little leftover straw/grass that keeps popping up in the yarn.

I'm trying to pick it out, but whoever gets these socks will just have to call the bits "organic matter" and leave it at that.

Progress as of tonight!  Woo hoo! I'm flying!

I'm doing two socks at a time, but not on circulars. Just two separate socks with two separate balls of yarn.  I won't run out of yarn, because I have an extra (secret) ball of yarn.  Its a safety-net-ball-of-yarn.

SPINNING
Still picking the big white fleece.  What more can I say?  I am so over it.  Oh my word, am I done!

Spinning some more purple wool on my Tahkli spindle

I'm also obsessed with the Ravelry Spindlers group.  I never comment, only stalk and lurk, reading posts and occasionally giving a thumbs up (love) on posts with pictures I like.  It is a great way to start the day, looking at everybody's tips and updates; I am also stalking the Jenkins spindle group, but I'm not a member because I don't own a Jenkins spindle.  I really want one, though.  Just sayin'.

PERSONAL
In honor of World Wide Knit in Public Week, and Sunday being Knit in Public Day, I will share a few pics from the challenge.  

Knitting in purse at church (shhh!)

Family dinner knitting

Patio knitting

I had a chance to give a little sewing lesson to my daughter in law yesterday, and my granddaughter joined us for a little while, playing with a ribbon from my scrap box.  My DIL did a great job with her sewing, and Charlotte did a great job playing with the ribbon.

Charlotte's Bumbo seat