Saturday, May 17, 2008

Let's Catch Up!

Last Saturday, the 10th, HandHeld Knitting sponsored a Knit Out at the Farmer's Market. It was in April last year, and we nearly froze to death. This year we were hoping for better weather. So we kept watching for the rain to come, and we chatted, and we knitted, and we had a lot of fun.


The last photo is one of JF's students. She is making a hat. She is a 2nd grader! Go girl!

This past Tuesday I went to our local library to the knitting group that JF started there. I took my spinning wheel and demonstrated spinning. We had a great discussion of where wool comes from, how to dye, how to shear, how to comb the wool, and then I told them that the spinning group is doing a sheep to shawl today. I brought a container full of different types of handspun yarn, and the touchy feely part was a hit. These are very bright children, and they were inquisitive and eager to learn more.

By Thursday I developed some kind of virus-abdominal kind. Everyone else has the nasal, upper respiratory kind. I had to be different. Yesterday I felt much better, and I went to the grocery store and library. Today I am down and out again. I woke up with that gurgling and grumbling that can be heard prior to the event. So I am missing the sheep to shawl. Oh, well!

Speaking of different, I read the BEST children's book, Woolbur. It is very short, easy to read, and fun! It is about a little sheep that does not conform to sheep behavior. This concerns his parents a lot. He refuses to cut his hair, he jumps in the dyepot to experiment with colors, he finds the spinning wheel a fun toy, and he weaves his forelocks in the warp! Gasp! What are parents supposed to do with an unruly child? It reminds me of a Farside cartoon of a flock of sheep in the meadow. One in the middle is standing up with hoof raised, shouting, "Wait, Wait, We don't have to be just sheep!" The expressions of the others show they think he is an idiot. This is a cute book. And a good lesson for parents and children.

I am knitting the heel on sock two. I haven't been pushing to finish this since it is almost summer. These are heavier weight socks, and they won't be worn until next season. I am working on mitre blankie, and I started a new project. I found a pattern by Valentina Devine that are mitred squares. The squares consist of a small square, two L-shaped pieces, and a rectangle. It is easy to do, and portable. A good summer-time project. I am using Noro Kureyon in a colorway of grays, soft lilac, soft green, darker green, and turquoise. I wanted a neutral colorway that would be timeless. Everyone in the knit shop laughed at me because I said I wanted to wear this sweater in 20 years without it dating back 20 years. TR said the design was good because the sleeves would not catch in the wheelchair as I pushed it along. Then we decided if I am still mobile, I should knit a pouch to put on my walker. It was a good laugh for everyone.

I have been on a knitting jag suddenly, and I am reading a lot. I have been trying to rest my hands a little more than usual. They still ache. It helps if I do a very hot dishwashing and that seems to take away some of the ache.

Nothing else to report. We finally got a break in the rain and storms. I mowed the yard yesterday when I returned from town. It is somewhat like what my grandmother would call "a lick and a promise." I just wanted the worst parts mowed and I did not trim anything. The ground is still a little soggy.

So that's the catch up. Nothing exciting to report. I have been trying to use Ravelry more, but I haven't found my knitch there yet. I have joined a coupla of groups, and I did read some of the forum stuff from them. Hopefully this will just "click" one day.

Keep on knitting, spinning, dyeing, and having fun! Later.

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