One Down, One to Go

Cataract surgery, that is.  I've had the right eye done and the left one will be done this coming Wednesday.  This is about the easiest surgery I have ever had.  Don't change clothes, get an IV and 2 extra strength Tylenol and about 30 minutes.  Meds in the Valium family to make you less nervous but not asleep.  Wow.  The worst part was the three drops in each eye every 2 hours afterward.  5 minutes between each drop.  Now I have a chart showing me what drops go in when for the next 4 weeks. 

So today DH and I went to the Nashville Lawn & Garden show.  We were about half way there and DH asked if it was in a covered area at the State Fairgrounds.  I said if not, we would not stay.  It's been raining since last night, off and on - mostly on.  The show was nice - not great but I did take some photos. 

I've never seen a green Antirrhinum but they were used in an arrangement which looked great:

 And for my daughter - a unique chicken coop setup.  And it can be moved.  2 photos so the chickens can be seen:

The upper area is where they can roost or lay their eggs.  There are handles for lifting and moving so they can have fresh grass. 



One thing I love are orchids.  The Lady Slipper ones are favorites.  There were many orchids at the show but not too many of the slipper type.  Here's one I liked:  Well make that two:

Now on the Knitting/Spinning front - I'm making some socks for one granddaughter.  I made the hat but she was shocked when she took it off and touched something.  Autism often includes sensory issues so the hat is not a favorite.  According to her mom, this young lady took her mother's handknit socks right off mom's feet so I think socks will go well for her.    No photos yet but I will take some.  First sock is done and I'm starting the heel on the second.  These are knit cuff down.

The photos are of my finished socks - for me!  The pattern is Hermione's Everyday Socks and were a fun knit.  These will be knit again!

 I've also started the Evensong Shawl by Susan Pandorf
If you scroll down the page, it is on the right side and is GORGEOUS.  I'm using yarn from The Woolen Rabbit in a color originally purchased to knit Moroccan Days, Arabian Nights, also one of Susan's patterns.   The link takes you to the yarn & color I'm using. 

I need to take photos of the yarn on the wheel and a spindle.  The wheel has a blend of alpaca, merino and silk.  The colorway is Enchanted I believe and it is the Feb/Mar spin along from AllSpunUp. 

The Bosworth Spindle has a merino/silk blend in a graduated colorway - from a copper to the deep green that copper turns as it ages in the weather.  I'm going to spin each color - either 4 or 5 - on its own as a two ply and then knit a shawl from it.  That way I preserve the colors and it should be great.  I think I will do the Aeolian Shawl with the yarn when it is done.  More details when I post photos.

So that's all for now. 
Enjoy!

New Year, New hopes

Happy 2011 one and all.  2010 was both good and bad - probably the same for everyone.

On this first day of 2011, people usually look forward - making resolutions for things they want to accomplish, goals to set - and for some, nursing the mother of all hangovers.  

My goals are simple I think.  First and foremost to get my depression/anxiety under control again as I am sliding back downhill.  Publicly, I have a wonderful face and no one knows the despair and blackness I am in.  It is a major effort to do anything.  My previous therapist suggested I keep a journal of thoughts and feelings.  When I was living alone, it was easier - now it is not.  On this not-so-private forum I can put the surface thoughts - maybe that is the first step.

My other goal is to do more with my fibers - spinning, knitting, crochet (maybe) and maybe back to weaving.  I also want to record more of what I do so I can feel that I have accomplished something when I look back.  This past year I did finish a fair amount - but the unfinished list is still daunting.

Obviously I want to finish those things in progress.  I'm working on spinning with a support spindle - mine is a Russian style - and I want to complete the four ounces of silk/merino that I have started.  I've decided on a 2-ply yarn - hopefully lace-weight - and then I can decide what to make with the yarn.

I have a polypay fleece that has been washed.  Now I need to finish processing it into batts, rolags or something to spin.  The Winter issue of Spin-Off has an article on polypay with samples and photos from Lael at Maplewood North.  The fleece is wonderful and I'm very happy with it but want to do it justice.


I've also committed to two ______-alongs.  One is a two-color knitting sock club - but I'm just getting the patterns, not the fibers - and will have six pair of socks when I'm done.  The other is to spin and knit a project from the book A Fine Fleece by Lisa Lloyd.  There is a sweater called October Frost that I'm spinning some gray Corriedale from Crown Mountain Farms.  I'm almost done with the first bobbin and I will sample with it.  First a two-ply then maybe a 3-ply if needed to make gauge.  The sweater is a cardigan that was originally spun with a Rambouillet crossbred/mohair mix.  Mohair and I don't get along well and I didn't have any Rambouillet so thought I would try the Corriedale. The purchased yarn version is of Classic Elite Montera - llama/wool blend.  There are a lot of cables on this sweater so will be something warm and snuggle-y when done.  I also think I will get some pewter buttons for this as well.  I think Nordic Needle will have some - have to go check.    Photos of samples will be posted when I get them done.


On the needles now - socks for #3 grandson, socks for me, and the sleeve/yoke of the Nora Sweater.  Once that is done, I'll block and start assembly and add the front/collar part.    The photo isn't very good but this yarn is hard to take a photo of.  It's basically a navy blue wool with alpaca.  There are bits of a lighter blue and a pinkish red added. 


 

Seed catalogs have arrived and DH and I are sorting through trying to decide what to try for this coming year.  We are still harvesting lettuce, spinach, baby bok choi, tatsoi (Chinese green similar to spinach) and another Chinese green that looks like little bits of broccoli. I am super impressed with how the garden produced this year and what a difference it has made in our grocery bills.  We started with this:

and then ended up with this:

 

which was our last big harvest on 11/1/2010. Those mini-bell peppers (yellow and orange) are fantastic peppers.  We will be doing those again this year.  


I also want to be able to replace at least the 3 kitchen windows that face south with low-e windows.  The kitchen becomes both the hottest room in summer and the coldest in winter.  I'd like to moderate that a bit.  Then the 3 in the north bedroom which leak terribly - with cold air just blasting right now.  That room is my "studio" so it will then be more comfortable to work in.


DH is working on my plan for the fireplace.  The brickwork is horrid so we will cover that with sheetrock and hang the flat-screen TV on that.  The two cubby holes will have smoked glass fronts and one will hold DVD player and other components and the lower will hold the DVD collection we have.  This is what it looked like:

It has had a mantle added where the bricks jut out and I have to stain it.  Will add bits and pieces to cover the lower layer of bricks and it should look quite good.  The hearth area will be covered with marble or granite tile and then we'll have to plunk out about $300.00 to install gas logs which were not here when we bought the house. 

 

I also hope to get an assortment of perennial herbs in the front flower bed.  Currently there are 2-3 roses (one may not survive the winter), 4 lavender plants and some Stella d'Oro lilies.  I plan to add chives, thyme, rosemary, and sage for perennials then pop in parsley and some basil varieties for annuals.  There is also one very shady area by the front door which will probably have some sort of Hosta planted there.


So now I have published the home goals for 2011 and a portion of my personal goals and let's see how I manage with them.

Wishing all of you the best for 2011 and may you achieve your goals, whatever they may be.

Wow - more things done!

I finished some more things - so want to post while I remember to.  First off, the Owl Hat for DGD#2...  This went really quickly - except sewing 36 buttons on.  It's cute and she loves pink and purple and birds... so I have 2 of 3.

Then with empty needles I decided I wanted something for me.  My feet have been cold - so socks...Hermione's Everyday socks by Erica Lueder. I downloaded the pattern from Ravelry and here is my progress this week:

Unfortunately the greens that are in this have disappeared and turned to blues.  And I've misplaced the label so I'm not sure who the yarn is from.  Bummer.

I don't really like doing top-down socks.  I'm always afraid I will run short of yarn before I get to the toes.  The only solution is back to the leg part and make it shorter then do the heel flap, turn, gusset and all that again.  Working a toe-up sock - well if you run short, the leg is shorter - no ripping.  I like the texture of this sock so may do the pattern again - but will go toe-up.


Last, spinning.  

First there was one... well I'm now at two down and one to go:

Now to start bobbin number 3 then re-wind and make a 3-ply yarn - for socks if the yardage is enough.  I've been reading and re-winding the yarn back to another bobbin evens out the twist.  I can get rid of the little twisty bits sticking up which can hose up the plying.

On a final front, I have wanted to get some bread going.  One that needed you to start one day and finish the next.  I groveled a bit and got a recipe for Ciabatta from Mark at The Back Home Bakery.   I started the Poolish last night and got up early today - just to see if it worked.  It looked just like the picture I saw.  Then I measured out the main bread ingredients today, mixed and folded and let it rise.  More folds and risings.  Cut into four, rose again and baked.  Voila!

Oh this is good - exactly what I wanted and tastes even better than I thought it would.  All I have to do is work on the shaping a bit - and not have to rescue baking sheets from the freezer.  So when these are cool, the 3 above will be wrapped and frozen - we can enjoy maybe 1 per week?  At least that is the plan until himself gets a taste...


Until next time, Happy Thanksgiving to all in the U.S.






 

Monthly update?

Let's see if I can manage to update monthly and improve from there.  

I finished some socks.. and some others with photos not taken yet.  I started a hat for another Christmas present.  Have about 3 hours more work and the knitting is done.  Then I have to buy and attach a bunch of buttons.
Next task will be 2 more handknit gifts and some thoughts for gifts for other family members.

I've also been spinning...  This is some superfine merino and I'm almost 2/3rds done with the first 4-oz braid.  This will be a three-ply yarn suitable for socks I hope.

 I also have been using and trying to learn to use a supported spindle - Russian style.  The fiber is a merino wool/alpaca blend.  I'm learning but it is going slowly.  I'll try to get some better photos next time around.

The last entry is probably the most awesome to me.  Cheekwood Botanical Gardens has had an exhibition of the glasswork of Dale Chihuly.  The gardens were open both day and evening hours.  So I got to see these:

  This was truly a spectacular show.  Yesterday was the last day but the memories and photos I have will live with me always.  For those with a lot of time on their hands, check out the artist's website here.  At the bottom are links to see exhibitions, installations and schedules of what will be where.  Trivia - the ceiling in the lobby of the Bellagio in Los Vegas was done by Chihuly.

The last photo is showing what we've been finishing up now.  The killing frost has hit and we have finally put up the last of our peppers.  These are mostly mini-bells - the gold and orange ones with a few others included as well: 

 So until next time, Enjoy

Once Again

Here I go again - and let's see if I can stick with it a bit better this time around.  I've been inspired a bit watching a video blog - and I can't remember the name.  When I do I'll link it here.

So what have I been up to... Knitting and spinning and work and, and, and.  This may be a bit photo heavy but here goes...

First of all, Silk Hankies dyed by AllSpunUp.  It's been a really long time since I have spun hankies so I'm trying this again and hope the learning curve isn't too horrible.

The spindle with the hook is a Bosworth and has some of the silk above spun on it.  The other is a support spindle and the bowl it sits in to be spun.  I have an alpaca wool mixture on that one.    Below are two photos of a superfine Merino, again from AllSpunUp.  This was one of her mystery spin-alongs from last year, I think.  This one will be a three ply and hopefully, a pair of socks when I'm done spinning.

FireStarter Sock  Craftygirl83 Georgia Peach yarn

Next is the first of a pair.  The pattern is Fire Starter and the yarn is by an indie dyer, craftygirl83.  I know her   as Dana in Chattanooga.  The colorway is Georgia Peach and it's lovely.  I need to finish the other (I'm decreasing the gusset - that triangular area) and then have the cuff) and find my sock blockers.  These are for a Christmas present for someone.  Another Christmas present - unless I decide to keep it is Lacy Baktus.  This one is made of one of my handspun skeins.  This is merino, 3 ply, and I do like the way the colors move.

 The next photo is a group of handpun yarns of mine.  The gray and brown in the middle are Falkland Fleece.  The darker one to the left is Cormo.  The scarf is a Fiesta Ruched Scarf from Interweave Knits - last winter, I think.  It still needs to be blocked, but now I've found my Orvus paste, I can wash & block it.  
The yarn on the right is Blue Suede Shoes from Crown Mountain Farm - a superwash Merino.  Below it, the solid turquoise blue is a Merino - leftovers from a seaman's scarf I made for my daughter a long time ago.  Between the gray and the scarf are 2 skeins handspun from AllSpunUp again.  I'll be doing some beauty shots of these in the future.  Also below is Windswept.  This is a kit and included that beautiful silk/merino yarn in a colorway called Peony.  Somehow another photo was lost so we'll find it for next time.  


Take care everyone and I hope to return in about 7-10 days.

 

Time flies so quickly

Wow it's been a long time between postings.  Time is going by so quickly that I just ... well no time for excuses.

The first weekend of May saw 13.57 inches of rain in the Nashville TN area.  We came through just fine - one small leak near the chimney.  Neighbors had problems with lots of water - some in their homes.  I think we're on the high spot on the cul-de-sac.  

I used to think that the funniest thing I had seen was a soaking wet roadrunner.  Now I think it may be mockingbirds that are soaking wet.  All their feathers just hang down with all the water.  This one just sat on the fence, in the downpour, and sang and sang.

I did find one visitor after the rain... a blue-tailed skink.  He's been released into my garden bed where he (or she) has places to hide, places to sun himself and lots of things to eat.

In the back yard, our raised beds are starting to fill up.   DH has harvested some sugar snap peas for my dinner on Friday - Things have about doubled in size since this photo was taken a week or so ago.


I've been doing more spinning recently.  Finished a skein of Falkland dyed by AllSpunUp
I love the colors and the quality of her fibers.  I've moved on to some gray Corriedale that I purchased at Crown Mountain Farms.  Love the color but I'm going to play with it a bit more to decide how I want do spin this.  Meanwhile I have some more of AllSpunUp's braids that I can play with.  


Knitting has slowed down a bit.  I'm knitting a shawl called Windswept from Fiddlesticks Knitting  I love the Exquisite yarn which came with the kit - it's 50% mulberry silk and 50% merino.  I have other 50/50 silk/merino combination yarns but this one is so much softer.  Must be the bombyx silk instead of tussah.  


For more information about silk then you ever thought you would want to know see Worm Spit. Com.  This man's knowledge is awesome!


On another note - it is so great to get back in touch with people you haven't been in contact with for years.  That's happened to me recently and I'm really grateful for this.  My MIL had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's and I have been really concerned.  I have not been in contact with her or DH's siblings in a long time.  Recent updates indicate she is doing better than I thought and I'm so glad of this.  Things will get harder down the road but hopefully we'll all remember these good times.


Off to enjoy the remainder of Mother's Day.  Wishing a Happy Mother's Day for all the mothers, today and always.

Another one bites the dust...

Whooo Hooo The Dragon Hat is done!!!

The red is so intense it appears to glow on this.  The blue background is more of a dark royal blue with the ribbing a navy blue.  So it gets mailed off this week with the AAAAAA is for Wallaby and hopefully the kids will enjoy them.

Next up - finish the Ruched Scarf - and the swatch for Nana's Sweater both from Interweave Knits Winter 2009.  I've also pulled out some Opal Yarn and the Nutkin Sock (Knitzi.com) pattern to play with.