Spring Forward (& Special Pattern Savings!)

 
Yes, I know spring officially began a month ago, but not only has our weather just recently decided to behave in a spring-like fashion, since last year a serious illness has kept me from feeling as though spring would ever arrive. Sometimes I was so sick and weak I couldn't even sit up to knit or be on my computer. That, however, has all changed for the better! 

I am so happy to be able to say that not only has spring weather truly arrived (always something to be excited about) but that my long months of chemotherapy are over, my CT scan is clear, and I am at work on a new knitting pattern! 

A huge thank you goes out to everyone who sent kind wishes and prayers my way. I received so many notes, cards, flowers, emails, tweets, blog comments, Ravelry PMs and more that I can't begin to list them all or I might forget to name someone, but I'm truly humbled and blessed by the thoughtfulness of my friends, family and the fiber community. 

With my slowly but steadily returning vigor, my knitting needles have begun clicking in earnest on something light, lacy and expressive of my happy mood these days (see a peek in the photo at the top of the post). This little project will be available for test knitting soon! 

Special Pattern Savings...
To share my happiness about spring and a return to health, I'm offering a special 20% off coupon, good on all non-set pattern downloads in my Ravelry shop, through the next four days (April 30th). Just add your patterns to the cart then enter code: Spring2014 to receive your savings. 

Thanks for stopping by today and for all the sunshine you, my online friends, brought into my life during some very wintry days!

In Like A Lamb

 

The old adage has held true, at least around here, that March came "in like a lion and went out like a lamb" prompting me to share this photo of a ewe and her twin lambs (from my Pinterest Fauna board). 

Today it finally seemed like spring has arrived, with sunshine and temperatures in the mid 70's, feeling very lamb-like indeed. I hope you are enjoying some nice spring weather where you are. Thanks for stopping by today, happy knitting and...

Happy April!

Inspired by... Spring Flora

Spring flowers are so beautiful it's hard to choose the best one - iris, peonies, violets, 

forget-me-nots, cranesbill geraniums, hyacinths, pansies, lily of the valley 

 and so many others vie for the honor. In addition to those favorites, the humble lilac has always had a special place in my heart, and even more so after a trip to the Ukraine during their peak bloom time. 

My friend Cheryl and I slipped into a magical, gated garden and were immersed in their heavenly fragrance. 

To this day I am transported back to that secret garden when I catch lilac scent in the air.

For these and more flower photos, check out my flora pinterest board. 

Although I don't often work with variegated yarn, after this spring's magnificent flower showing, I was drawn to some ancient Malabrigo Silky Merino in my stash (the photo at the top of the post shows what I've been experimenting with). The yarn's subtle lilac, iris and green shades (dubbed "Indiecita") as well as the lovely sheen and drape lent to the wool by a hefty dose of silk, just breathed spring.

On another note, I've read that some stitchers are hesitant to gift their handiwork to someone who enjoys making fiber art for themselves. I'm not sure why this is, maybe the stitcher is afraid their gift will not measure up in the recipient's eyes? Or perhaps they think the recipient already has plenty of things of their own making to wear. But who better to appreciate the time, love and expense that goes into each stitch than someone who knits or crochets? 

I am always deeply touched when a friend makes something for me, and although I don't always get a chance to share those gifts here, I wanted to show off the gorgeous fingerless mitts my incredibly thoughtful Ravelry pal Loren crocheted and sent me as a surprise. She does such beautiful work, and she knows I love purple. What a pal.
  

This weekend is filled to the brim with planned activities, including attending the CPE Nationals dog agility trials where Cheryl will be competing with her Border Collie. Of course our dog will accompany us for a little inspiration, haha.

Thanks for stopping by, I wish everyone a fun and safe weekend!

Garden Matters & (shhh...) Crochet

Full spring has arrived all at once, along with the liquid gold blossoms of forsythia. 
 

The colors of these photos have not been enhanced, the blooms really are this brilliant!

   

The ground has finally warmed and dried out enough to allow for gardening, albeit somewhat later than usual. I've been pulling weeds, cleaning out debris and planting the vegetable bed with kale, lettuces, radicchio, snow peas, onions and radishes. Tomatoes and peppers must wait until the soil warms more thoroughly, they're usually in by June.

The little bit of green on the right is lemon thyme and the green shoots in the background are chives, both plants that overwinter beautifully here in our US zone 6 climate. 

Since the completion of my Greyhaven hat pattern (currently being test knit by my trusty team of intrepid knitters: Josefina, Laurie, Julia, Kim, Paula, Connie and Cheryl), I've taken some time to do a little crocheting. 

The photos above and at the top of the post show my current project, a lacy cardigan worked in grayish-natural color silk and wool blend yarn from Drops, called Silke-Tweed, that's been in my stash for years. 

The negative attitude many knitters exhibit towards the C-word (crochet) bemuses me as this lovely art form is simply another interesting way to combine beauty and utility through fiber. Although I don't perhaps love crochet nearly as much as I do knitting, I enjoy this alternative yarn technique for a change of pace.

At present I'm also swatching ideas for my next knitting projects now that the hat pattern is about ready. Look for the hat release announcement here very soon.

Thanks for stopping by today, peace, blessings and happy stitching to you!

Welcome Spring!

Although it's technically been spring since the first of the month, most people traditionally use yesterday's vernal equinox to demarcate the beginning of the new season. 

Today it was chilly in our area, but the sun was out, the snowdrops are blooming in great white swaths through the brown forest, and my garden is beginning to send forth signs of life.

I thought the words from this poem very apropos:

“Awake, thou wintry earth —
Fling off thy sadness!
Fair vernal flowers, laugh forth
Your ancient gladness!”

from 

"An Easter Hymn" 

by 

Thomas Blackburn, 1916-1977
English poet and novelist

I wish you a very happy spring! 

 

Marvelous May

How can it by May 1st already? I think the strange weather has me a bit out of sync with the seasons this year, with everything blooming earlier than usual.

Normally our lilacs bloom around Mother's Day but mine are done already.

  

The season has been filled with gorgeous flowers like these daffodils

and sweet violets. 

The redbud trees put on a stunning display.

 

If you follow my Twitter feed you might already know that I'm excited to support the kids from Rio Rancho High School (Southwest Region) in the Van's Custom Culture shoe design contest. There are so many wonderful teen artists from regions all over the country entered in the contest, but only five school groups get to travel to LA to participate in the finals. 

I know some of the people involved in the Rio Rancho art program and the kids are wonderful, hard-working young artists with loads of talent, many from under-privileged homes. photo rrhs

 

The students are from mixed cultural backgrounds with some not having ever been on a plane, seen an ocean, or having much chance of going to college, so winning this trip is a very big deal for them. Rio Rancho is the only high school from New Mexico to make it into the semi-finals.

Voting for the contest ends May 3rd (two days from now!!), so please check out the contest and help support Rio Rancho.

Wishing everyone a lovely beginning to a marvelous month of May!

May Day Spinning and Knitting

 

Gosh, there is a lot of stuff going on around here including only a little knitting this week, and work on two upcoming patterns.  

The patterns are coming along nicely, Spring weather has arrived and although I had to wait on more yarn to arrive to finish up the pattern projects, I am finally knitting the last version and putting the final touches on the first pattern. 

The "Grasshopper" colorway Madeline Tosh Merino Light yarn shown in the photo above is one I've been working with for this pattern and it positively shouts "Spring!" to me and makes me smile.

The non-knitting parts of my life are a bit chaotic right now, and I feel like my head is spinning sometimes, so I decided this would be a good time to take a short timeout from work on the patterns and do some spinning.

I've finished a bobbin of fingering weight singles in the beige Coopworth and decided I needed to work on something with a little color.  

The beige will eventually be multi-plied to knit some sort of coat or jacket from it, but that yarn will most likely take me the rest of the year to complete since I plan to intersperse working on it with other, more vibrant fibers.

  

Craving some cheerful color, I went stash diving.  I didn't have anything light-colored (wool festival anyone?), but I did pull this pretty BFL hand-painted roving from Handwoven by Tina in the "Wildflower" colorway out of my stash to play with.  

 

OK, all you expert spinners out there, please keep in mind I'm not super experienced as a spinner and be kind in your assessment of my spinning.  Our little spinning group at Temptations seems to have become defunct, and I miss having other spinners to consult with for advice.  I'm mostly learning from videos, Youtube and written materials.

The fiber is soft and well-prepared, and very easy to spin, great for the relaxation I was seeking.  After deciding I wanted to knit a shawl with the finished yarn, I split the 4 oz. bundle into two even portions, then split those into five thinner sections each before drafting them to spin.  

One end is much darker than the other.  

Although the singles is slightly different than I expected, I love the way the colors are blending in the twist and can't wait to see how it looks when knit up. 

This has certainly whetted my appetite for colorful spinning and knitting and I'm looking forward to attending the 16th annual Great Lakes Fiber Show in Wooster, Ohio at the end of this month.  

Held May 28th and 29th at a fairgrounds about an hour south of Cleveland, this show features workshops in knitting, crochet, weaving, spinning, tatting, carding fibers, felting and more, competitions for fleeces and handspun yarns, multiple buildings filled with vendors, demonstrations, a sheep show and sale, and loads of other fun things to see and do.  

Our dog always has a great time riding in her backpack.

Every year that I attend Great Lakes, I see lots of beautiful fiber and yarn, take tons of photos, and leave with great memories.  

This year I'll definitely be on the lookout for some fresh, light colorways, inspired by the beautiful, native wildflowers.  Although I live in a densely populated, semi-urban area, my city is ringed by many beautiful parks featuring wooded nature trails.  My husband and I try to visit all the different parks, and this is where I get many of my photos, shared here on this blog.

This weekend I was able to snap a few more examples of our local flora, including this  Geranium maculatum, commonly known as Wild, or Cranesbill, geranium.  

Violets of every color are abundant.

Jack in the pulpit is a more unusual sight.

And this blue beauty is a stunner, but I'm not familiar with it's name.

I hope you are enjoying Spring wherever you are, happy knitting and happy May Day! 

FO - Mohair Shrug

At last!  The room has been painted, the day was a beautiful one and I had a moment to photograph at least one recently finished object - a shrug in Elann's Super Kydd mohair blend.  The yarn is not as soft as I would like, but the knit fabric is light and lofty.

I've made several shrugs of this sort and I find this slightly slouchy, drapey style a nice layer for extra warmth during transitional seasons like spring and fall.  This version is knit in a simple stockinette and eyelet row repeat.

It needs a good blocking, but I really wanted to prove that - Yes! - I am actually knitting these days, LOL...

The air is balmy, the birds are singing and I couldn't let the vernal equinox go by without wishing everyone in the northern hemisphere a 'Happy Spring' with this photo of a crocus from my garden and a quote from English romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley - 

And Spring arose on the garden fair, 

Like the Spirit of Love felt everywhere;

And each flower and herb on Earth's dark breast

rose from the dreams of its wintry rest.

We are already enjoying tender young chives from the garden,

And the little garlic patch is growing like crazy.  

Pretty soon it will be time for greens and snow peas - yum!

As we enjoy the turning of the season, I want to remember to keep the people of Japan in our hearts, prayers and assistance in whatever way we can.  Each individual, doing something positive in even a small way, collectively, can become a mighty thing.  

Peace, blessings and happy knitting to you!