Under The Wire

I have been trying to post a photo of my completed socks for the August Sock of the Month KAL 4 for over an hour now with no success ;( I am going to post the pictures and details here at my own blog and hope that will count towards my completed socks...

Here is a picture taken last night:



and here they are tonight, finished and on my feet!



I really thought I would complete them last night, but it seems I had so many interruptions that they couldn't be done until today! The details? This is the ROZA sock pattern by Grumperina from Spring 2007 Interweave Knits. I knit them with Regia sock yarn (2 skeins with plenty left over) on size 1 dpns. I did not continue with the pattern on the foot. I started this socks in May for a knit a long at my LYS but only finished one sock at that time. Its nice to now have a pair!

It is fun seeing all of the finished socks at this kal and I am looking forward to more completed socks of my own in September!

Look Through The Window

It seems to me that I haven't been writing about life around the farm enough these days ~ but as I have often complained (um, I mean talked about) here on the blog, slow dial up service and loading photos on the computer takes waaaay to much of my time (and I seem to be in especially short supply of that lately!) For example, this morning as I waited....and waited....and waited for Photobucket to load some new pictures, I knit three rounds of my current sock ;D On the positive side, I was doing something productive and in the grand scheme of things, I guess it really doesn't take that long and is free! So I really shouldn't complain.

Anyway, I am wandering off topic....

I snapped the picture above as I was walking the aisle of the basement of the barn. On the east side of the barn is this walk way that runs from the bottom of the stairs and behind the old horse tie stalls into the open floor of the barn. Three windows cut into the concrete look out, at ground level, and provide necessary ventilation for the barn. The grating that you see in the picture is to keep sheep from falling in (grin) I looked out and saw one of our prettiest ewe lambs from this year resting while the hens worked away, looking for bugs. The ewe lamb is one of Ainsley's daughters. Her twin sister is already at her new home in a beginning shepherds flock.

Here is another of this years lambs, one of the last born.



You either have to love this photo or think it is silly, but I enjoy it. This is Daniel, Violet's son, named after a dear friends little boy. He is just exquisite! Square built, clean face and fleece to die for!!! His faults? Ears that are a bit to big, and a small stature. His mama is our smallest ewe....who also happens to produce beautiful lambs and more fleece than any other ewe in the flock. Here is another photo of him resting and chewing his cud (the photo also gives you an idea of how sandy our soil is here):



Sigh....I'm not sure what to do with Daniel yet. He is to closely related to the majority of my flock (I have a lot of Violet's descendants), he is a half brother to our former flock sire, Joseph. I could wether him and keep him as a fiber producer...his fleece is that good, and he has a very nice personality. But fiber animals take a spot that could more productively be held by a ewe who is capable of producing both fiber and lambs, and it doesn't make good business sense to keep many of them on the farm. Now, if I only had another little group of ewes who were not related to Daniel - LOL - I would have my answer! Anyone have two or three nice old style Corriedale ewes they would like to provide me with?!?

Of course, the logical solution would be for him to be sold to lead someone else's flock....

What else is happening around Serenity Farms? Well, in what has been (up to this point) a very dry year, we have one of the best looking crop of soybeans around! Here is a photo of grandson Mason on one of our walks. I asked him to pose next to the beans and here he is, showing off a turkey feather we had found on our way. This was taken towards the end of July:



Finally, Alex and I try to accomplish one or two extra farm jobs as we are able. One that had gotten a bit away from us was digging the "bull thistle" from the pasture. Some of them were starting to flower! The ground, though sandy, seemed hard as a rock and it was tough digging! You can see Alex in the photo below putting some muscle into the spade. But we spent what really is an enjoyable evening walking the pastures, working amongst the ewes, making our pastures safe from this pesky weeds!



We have gotten some much needed rain these past few days. Our hope and prayer now is for a decent third cutting of hay and that we are able to hit that window of opportunity that will allow us to cut the hay, get it dry and raked, then baled without a rain on it! Will you join me in those prayers?

On Sundays, it seems my mind is often taken up with how grateful I am to be a farm girl, a farm wife, a farmer at all! To be a shepherd to a flock of sheep that I love, who earn their keep on this farm. To be even more specific I am grateful to be farming in this state of ours, Michigan. I think it especially as I prepare todays lunch for the family and pause to think about and be thankful for each part of it. On today's menu? Pork chops, from a hog our nephew raised. Scalloped potatoes, made from newly dug Michigan potatoes, dotted with onions from my garden and with rich butter, filled to the rim with whole, grade A milk! And the sage that dusts and flavors the pork chops? Picked from last years garden, dried and crumbled. Alongside this main course will be green beans from anothers garden and sliced Brandywine tomatoes from my own. For desert? I am thinking something with blueberries...

During the week, we often eat much lighter fare than this. But on Sunday, when we stop to be thankful, we take special joy and pride in this meal we are given.

I hope that you have a good week....

A Wonderful Sound

A wonderful sound to wake up to this morning was the soft drum of raindrops on my rooftop. Thank you, Lord, for another night and day of gentle rainfall!

Some fibers to sell

UPDATE....The fibers I had to sell have all found a wonderful new home! Thank you to all who inquired and thank you to the new owner for her purchase of Serenity Farms fiber ;D

A Little Bit Of Fiber

On Saturday, the mail lady pulled into the driveway honking her horn ~ signaling a package of some sort for one of us. It was for me!



This is from Melanie ~ a Christian Artisans friend who was also participating in a fiber swap I had joined back in the spring. Melanie said she was so surprised when she got my name to gift to and she was worried about her choice....well, not to worry because it is soooo pretty! Melanie dyed this Corriedale roving herself in a beautiful colorway that I look forward to spinning. There was also this chocolate "spud bar" - LOL, representing her home state of Idaho. Melanie has been participating in our Journey To A Shawl, and recently finished her project. It was truly a journey for her and you can go to her blog here and read more about it.

My package is nearly ready to send on to my "person". I am attending Michigan Fiber Festival this weekend and want to look for something else to tuck in the box, then it can be on its way. Aren't these kinds of swaps fun?!?

I thought I would leave you with another fiber photo, this one of the latest dyeing going on with pygora.



There is wool, pygora, silk and some angelina sparkles in there. If all goes as planned, this will be traveling with me to Zeilingers in the morning. The color probably looks more pink to you than it really is ~ its actually kind of rose and orchid colored.

Water For The Fields, Flowers and Soul

Guess what is happening at Serenity Farms this Tuesday????
(NOTE: Even though I wrote this post on Tuesday, somehow it ended up with Wednesdays date...LOL ~ it was hot and humid and sunny here on Wednesday!)



It is raining!!! Those are PUDDLES in our driveway ;D

I woke up around 4:30 (maybe 5) this morning to the gentle rumble of thunder, a few weak flashes of lightning and the sound of rain softly pattering on the ground. It wasn't long before the rain had built enough momentum to run steadily off my roof and I had to get up and see it for myself. Put the coffee on, slipped on my rubber garden clogs and went outside just to soak it up (and get a bit soaked myself!) Even the bumble bees were happy, making wet buzzy sounds amidst the flowers. They gave me a quick looking over, probably wondering what the crazy person was doing out in the morning rain - LOL!



I think I may have even giggled our loud at one point, I was so happy for the watering God was giving my garden....especially the pastures and hay fields! I kept thinking of the song the children sing in Vacation Bible School ~ do you know the ones where they try to get louder and louder each round?

Hallelu, hallelu, hallelu, Hallelujah
Praise Ye The Lord!!!

Anyway, I am thankful for the soaking rain that lasted a good bit of the day, then ended with a glorious sunset. The prospects of a third cutting of hay is looking better!

I do have knitting to write about, but not my own. You will have to check over at the Journey To A Shawl blog to see what I am talking about....see you there!

(By the way, have you heard about the Hanami Stole Knit A Long yet? Check that one out, too, especially if you are a fan of Pink Lemon Twist ~ you know, Mystery Stole 3? ~ patterns! Its not to late to join in!)

White Willow Market

This post is to honor someone I am very fond of, who just received some well deserved (and well timed!)recognition ~ my sock knitting-yarn dyeing friend, Brooke at White Willow Market.



I met Brooke through the Sock-ret Pal exchange last year and we had a grand time getting to know one another via sock knitting, spinning, dyeing...you know, all the goodies ;) In the photo above (which I shamelessly stole from her blog), she is modeling a lace cowl that she designed herself (gasp!) using yarn from Serenity Farms. Isn't it lovely? Rumor has it that there may be a printed pattern available in coming days....

She has the cutest little boy and had a strong desire to live where it got cold enough to wear wool (grin) so she recently made some changes to her life that weren't easy in so many ways, I know. But she has courage and now I think has been rewarded in her work by being featured on the new Lime and Violet blog


(Okay, so this picture is actually of me in my bright lime green garden gloves showing off a vivid violet phlox from my garden...but you get the idea, right?)

So, with a big cheer of gladness for you, Miss Brooke - this post is for you with lots of happy hugs! You know that you are always in my prayers....and God is better than any other at making a bad situation good when we let Him!

August?

It can't really be August, can it?!?

The weather here has returned to hot and humid during the day, but thankfully it cools down to lovely sleeping weather at night. In the mornings, we wake to heavy dew and deep mists. Can you see the sheep in the mist? And the sun's rays just beginning to top the woods and spill over into the pasture?



Or how about the ghostly white horses?



We have to get up early and work fast to accomplish outside chores that need to be done in the cool of the day.

In a recent post that included a sweet photo of one of my ewes, Abby, Brooke mentioned that my sheep seem happy to be near me and I like to believe they do. In fact, some like to be really near me - LOL - like Amanda here (Abby's twin sister) I couldn't get a decent picture of her the other day because she wouldn't stop hugging my legs, wanted her ears rubbed!



I don't have any knitting or spinning photos to share because - well, because there isn't much knitting or spinning going on. I am doggedly still working on the sock for my Summer Sock Hop pal, Deb, who is still kindly waiting for her gift. Gosh, this has got to be the slowest knitting sock I have ever made! But I am determined to finish it and get this out to her before winter hits.

I do have a flower photo to share, though:



These are my new garden additions (the coneflower) next to one of my all time garden favorites (the daylily). The coneflower - Echinacea - is from the Big Sky series and is called "Summer Sky" It is fragrant and lasts forever as a cut flower. The plant tag says it has "soft peach petals with a rose halo around the cone...dark stems" Well, let me tell you that it has a very lovely wide range of peachy-rose tones to its petals! Hmmm, I think I will challange myself to fire up the dye pots and come up to some colors even close to these!

And finally, I had promised some of my friends a snapshot of our farm from a different angle, a view you don't often see here.



I took this from out in the pasture amongst the sheep. I think maybe you get an idea of the scale of our barn compared to our modest little home (modest...well, actually it is pretty dinky! LOL!) But its ours and it is a roof over our heads and a place to eat our meals and sleep at night. That back porch is where you will find me with my coffee most mornings around 6 am, preparing to greet the day and again in the evening before turning in, to get my fresh air (I do that even in winter!). I think you can see the back door and the ramp that was built early this year for Bill's wheelchair (Mason calls it "Papa's Bridge") You see the lean-to that was added to the big barn for horse stalls - it is now the "barn floor" where the sheep hang out in winter. In the summer, when they aren't grazing, they rest under the trees.

I really like this picture, and I hope it gives you another glimpse at our life. While it all appears serene and quiet, there is always a lot going on!

A BIG Birthday!

Happy 50th Birthday to Michigan's own Mackinac Bridge!


(Photo taken under trees on the sandy shores)


(In her full glory)

Our Big Bridge is currently the world's third longest suspension bridge (it is five miles long). You can read lots of interesting facts about the bridge at this website
Mackinac Bridge


(Its hard to explain the lump in the throat you get staring up at this bridge, over these waters, under this flag)

I took this photo last year on a trip up to take delivery of some sheep ;)

One Last Look

Before this (my MS3 Stole at the end of Clue 1):



became this (a pile of twisty, curly yarn needing to be re-knit):



My confidence and comfort level, flying in the face of danger....LOL - knitting lace without a lifeline - and my mistakes became to numerous for even me to ignore! (Often, if it is a mistake here and there....I don't rip out or go back to find the mistake, just continue on) But in this case, I either got off track on a stitch count or on a row count, because I ended up being WAY off course. I let the piece of lace sit quietly in a knitting basket for nearly a week before I picked it up again and decided I couldn't live with it the way it was. So out she goes!

Now I will think for a few more days, deciding if I want to restart the project. For me, usually when these kinds of set backs occur, it is tainted for me and I don't care to pick it back up. We'll see. The yarn is so delicious, that I could happily knit several other things with it (I have no shortage of projects I would like to do ;) As well as other projects that need to be finished!) The pattern and the Knit A Long are also great!!! I especially want to say that my current dislike is in NO WAY a reflection of the MS3 pattern and project!!! It was 100% my mistakes, but I just know myself well enough to know that I may not have much enthusiasm for the same pattern if I have to start it over. So, like I said - we'll see.

How about if I end on a happier note? Would you like to see a very sweet picture of a very beautiful Corriedale ewe...one who contributed in part to the roving I was spinning for this project? Well, of course you do! Who doesn't love to see beautiful sheep (grin) Here is Abby (twin to Amanda, daughter of old Hannah), posing for the camera (okay, so she was really looking for cookies, but the effect is good)



As I think I mentioned before, I took all of the "skirtings" of my very best white sheep and had them washed and carded into my current favorite roving, that which I was spinning for the MS3. Isn't she a beauty? Full of so much Corriedale breed character! You might notice that she is not wearing a coat...one of the chores that Alex and I had this past week was pulling coats off the girls and getting them all washed and repaired if they needed it. The ewes are all out on pasture (take a peek at the new photo across the top of this page for a picture in pasture taken the same night) and not receiving any hay, so their wool won't get full of chaff, though it will get a little dirty till we get the coats back on. You can see how clean she is across her back. Each adult sheep will usually go through three different sizes of coat in a years time, each one larger than the last as their fleece grows. I am so happy that my customers all seem to appreciate how much work it is to produce those nice, clean coated fleeces! I love them, too ;)

Anyway, that is my knitting update for today as well as a little sheep fleece management 101. Other good news? Second cutting hay is going into the big barn today and while not as plentiful as years past I am still happy and grateful and thankful for what we have!

A Collection of Friday Flowers

Brought to you on a Thursday ;)

We have had some stormy weather lately, which always results in slower than usual dial up internet service...making it nearly impossible to post pictures on the blog. So, some of my Friday Flowers have been laying idly by on my camera. Today, the computer seems to be cooperating - so here is a collection to catch me up!

Can you guess what this beautiful flower (complete with busy bee) is? I will give you a hint...it smells heavenly and is cherished by butterflies:



It is a common milkweed! Below is an old fashioned, ruffly hollyhock with such dainty flowers, though the plant itself is a real iron horse:



The old fashioned petunias are so often overlooked now that the new "wave" varieties have gotten popular. But this old, very fragrant purple is still my favorite:



The daylily below is one of the few that I have ever purchased and of course, I lost the tag for the name. Isn't it stunning? I would love to try dyeing some roving in these colors:



And finally, I had to include some fiber! This one is called Silver Lining and spins up interestingly textured (it is a mix of white and silver Corriedale and pygora). Notice that there ARE some flowers in the background of this photo (those purple petunias again)!



I'm actually very glad that I had these photos (along with others) because the hail from last nights storms shredded much of what was in my garden....including my burgeoning Brandywine tomatoes! WAAAAAAH!

My own Mystery Stole 3 offering

Here it is, my swatch for the Mystery Stole 3 that Melanie is preparing us for!



I knit this over the weekend while at the lake (see previous post). It is from my fine white Corriedale roving, all from farm raised sheep. Spun and plyed on my Louet S45, knit on my new Addi Turbo Lace needles. I love the look and feel, and am just about finished with my first full bobbin ~ hopefully will have yardage complete before the first clue day (this Friday, June 29) Once I have seen the clue, I may decide to go up one needle size for a more open look. Or I could block harder (grin)

This is also part of my Journey To A Shawl project.

He Leads Me Beside Still Waters....

Those of you who know me have heard me speak of the one weekend each year that I try to move everything else aside and travel with some very special friends to a cabin in the woods, overlooking a lake. We pack a change of clothes and toothbrushes, some simple food, our knitting projects and our spinning wheels. We visit the loons there, who call to us mysteriously in the dark (you can click on this link, if you aren't sure what a Common Loon is - or do a google search). They urge us to wake up in the morning and walk down to the dock to look across the stillness of the water. It seems to me that it is that very call and that very stillness that both calm and stir something in my soul and my heart every year that I am there.



This year, in our everyday lives away from the lake, the world around us had changed. It is a very different place than it was a year ago ~ than it was even six months ago. Death and loss had invaded ~ unwanted, unwelcome, unexpected. And it is still so very real and fresh, walking hand in hand with one very special person in our group. But touching all of us in ways to numerous to list. Would the lake still offer the comfort and serenity it had in the past?



It did. It offered sweet sleep under the rafters. It offered the beauty of a little blue eyed grass along the trails, glimpsed on a hike in the woods. If offered the bounty of the lake waters and fresh trout on the supper plate, thanks to the able fisher-women in our quartet! It offered bright colorful roving spinning around our wheels, and solutions to spinning and knitting problems as talk flowed around the screened-in porch. And especially in that call of the loons on the lake, reminding us of the mystery and uncertainty of life. Somehow in that, it seems we were reminded that we don't know or understand why ... that is a question we have to save for the day we meet God face to face. Sometimes as we walk ahead into those days after the loss of a person who meant so very much to us, we ask why in fear, in anguish, in sorrow and yes - in anger. But we remember that He is a good God. We can trust His heart for us. He does lead us beside still waters....He does lead us through the valley of the shadow of death.

I don't know, maybe my jumbled up words aren't making any sense....I only know that in that huge, aching hole of sorrow was also a reminder of life, and friendship and the beauty He allows us to glimpse to give us hope to continue on. To slowly and cautiously stick our toe in the water of life and keep going. It seemed to me that we were able to do that this weekend.



Maybe I should be quiet and just let some of the profoundness of the place speak to you? Here they are, just a few images captured:









I am sorry that in my photo journalism (LOL!) I didn't capture an image of Mary, another of the four of us, on film! The fish in the picture above were actually taken by Mary and Carol, with Pat manning the net. In this photo you see Carol on the left, and Pat on the right.

I am so grateful for the friends I have who even offered me the chance to share in this very special place! Every year I am awed and honored to be asked again to make the trek. It has become a golden nugget of the year to go. I already have this years memories tucked quietly away in my heart, to carry me through till next time.

So, to Pat and Carol and Mary ~ thank you. Till next time ~

Friday Flowers, Friday Fibers

What a glorious Friday this is! Sunny, breezy, low humidity and some decent rain fall for the past two nights...now this is what June in Michigan is supposed to be like!

Kim over at The Woolen Rabbit has started something she calls Fridays Flowers. I love the idea, because at this time of year, I am in my gardens constantly snapping photos! I will put a button and link in my sidebar as soon as I can get blogger to cooperate with me ;( In the meantime, here is my first offering for Fridays Flowers:



This is the Sally Holmes rose, which I adore! The color is just right with the first of my Asiatic lilies. And see the rain drops on the petals? Ahhh, bliss!

But at Serenity Farms, it is just as much about fibers as it is flowers, and so I am going to start my own theme of Fridays Fibers - LOL! The lavender has exploded and this morning, early, was a day of harvest. This is done (hopefully) when the florets just begin to open and on a cool, dry morning such as this one. They will be bundled and hung to dry upside down in a cool, somewhat dark place to preserve the fragrant oils and the color of the flowers.

Here is a small token of the Provence lavender in all its glory, along with some of my "Comfort Wool" ~ Serenity Farms Corriedale rovings:



The smokey grey is called "Warm Campfire" and is a blend from my grey, black and brown sheep. It is just amazing to spin and cuddle with! The antique ivory white comes from the fleeces of Amanda, Abby, Charlotte, Caitlyn and Autry and is called "Vanilla Dream" (was going to call it Whipped Cream, but saw another farm with fiber of this name) All of the fiber that went into these rovings are from fleeces that I sold, but I always like to keep about a pound from each sheeps fleece for myself to experiment with and check for quality. This is the result for this year, processed at Zeilingers Mill and I could not be happier with both of them!

Notice the little sample skein of white? I spun that yesterday and will be swatching as a possibility for my Mystery Stole 3 yarn, as well as my second shawl for my Journey To A Shawl project.

Finally, this roving is also doing duty as a prize for the winner of our first prize drawing for Journey To A Shawl. You will have to visit the Journey blog to find out who the lucky winner is (grin)

I am leaving today to spend the weekend at a very special place with some extra special friends. No tv, no radio, no computer...just spinning, knitting, eating well, swimming, walking....and wonderful friend time. I plan to remember my camera and share some photos when I return...hope everyone else has a grand weekend! See you Monday!

The Best Pature Management

We have been so lucky with our pastures this year! Early spring rains in abundance and just the right amount of warm days brought on even more pasture than the sheep could eat! (I know, I know...I need more sheep, right?) Here is a picture taken just a few weeks ago, in lush green grass...the little bumps you see out there are actually sheep!



Good pasture makes so much sense in livestock production...the animals are eating what God intended, they are out in the fresh air and sunshine, they stay in good shape physically. For sheep, the critical point in pasture management is rotation as sheep are so susceptible to parasites (internal worms) Now that we have sold the horses, I have plenty of pasture for rotation and the sheep are following behind the few horses we have left - they clean up what horses don't.

Just at the time when the grass was starting to get away from the sheep (ripening faster than they could eat it) it is hay making time. Because my husband has always done such a good job of managing our pastures, they actually make very good hay. So, hay was made off the pasture fields. This benefits in two ways - first the hay and second the grasses are clipped, giving them the chance for more nutritious regrowth. A good rain to get things growing again, and the sheep will go back into one of these pastures.

This photo was taken at 7:30 in the morning, today when the temperatures have shot up to mid-nineties with high humidity and is the same field as the one pictured above. You can probably see the haze in the air. This is the man who makes the hay in partnership with us, loading out the round bales that are already sold. Isn't it interesting to see the paths that the sheep and horses have worn into the fields? They follow those same routes almost exclusively, for reasons known only to themselves!



For me, I have a load of square bales in my barn, ready for winter. Before we put new hay in the barn, we sweep the chaff from last years hay and straw out of the mow to clean the floors. That is the "job" for the youngsters...and here is one of my favorite "helpers", four year old grandson Mason. Up until just a few years ago, that job belonged to Alex. Now fourteen years old, Alex has graduated to the real hay help, and spent his day on the wagons - loading and then unloading square bales. He did a great job and we are proud of him.



Mason chose his work attire ;) His Uncle Michael, my brother, wears a bandanna when he is working in the fields and Mason wanted to do the same. He couldn't stand still for very long though, and was soon hard at work:



First we pray for sunny, dry weather to get the hay put up and we had that...this June was perfect haying weather. Now, in the fickle way of a farmer, we pray for good soaking rains to kick start re-growth of the pasture and hay fields as well as the corn and soybeans and wheat in the crop fields.

Just enough, but not to much....

Picture Taking Help

This morning I was outside trying to take photos of the progress of my Journey To A Shawl spinning.

Evidently, Christy the barn kitty thought she made a better photo than the yarn:



I thought she was pretty cute myself, so I promised her I would put her picture up for all to see ;) You can click on the link above to read more actual spinning details!

And, if its June it must mean strawberries:



Its very hot and breezy here today, but these berries are delicious and refreshing. Wish I could share with you all!

Spinning, Knitting, Journaling and Nature

All of these things have in common spins, knits or swaps I am participating in for the summer.

The first is my own Journey To A Shawl spin and knit along that I wrote about in a previous entry. We now have a blog to share with others (why don't you come join along with us? We would love to have you!) You can read more about this project at the Journey To A Shawl blog, by clicking here...

Yesterday, locally, we had a workshop for those interested to create a journal for documenting our progress. Here is my journal, photographed in my garden this morning:



I will be knitting the Pendants shawl from Heartstrings Fiberarts. But before I can knit it, I need to spin the yarn (grin) I am finding little spinning time these past few weeks, but I will get there.

Also knitting along on my Sock Hop Sock '07 sock for my new friend on the west coast, Deb (hi Deb! By the way, if you clink on the link from Deb's name, you should be at her blog and you can read about the fiber swap she is hosting. I am signed up for that, too. I love sending roving out into the world and having some come back to me from someone else!) Of course, I can't show you a picture of that sock in progress, but I can show you a picture of the sock I received from Katrina, who was knitting for me:



This is just the neatest sock!!! It is the Acorn Sock from Fiber Trends (daughter has already confiscated the pattern to start a pair for herself - LOL!) The yarn is Lorna's Laces in the color Aslan. This sock fits as though I had knitted it for myself, what a great job Katrina and I thank you so very much! Um, there were also chocolates but they have mysteriously disappeared...hehe...and some soft and fresh Healing Garden Mandarin Therapy shower goodies.

More knitting looms on the horizon....



I call this photo Boudica Sky because the colors of the sky look like the colors in the yarn I am using to knit the Boudica Socks. My new friend Brooke and I are going to work on this pattern together at some point this summer, when life settles down for both of us (what? when???) If you haven't heard of this sock, be sure to take a look at the kit here at Wooly Wonka Fibers. I am using the colorway Wasatch.

Tracey has started a really neat KAL, too. Its called Inspired By Nature and the idea is that you go outside, "look around, find something in nature that you love or are intrigued by....take pictures, draw it, paint it....search out a pattern and yarns that represent the elements that you love...then, knit it!" If you are interested in this concept, you can still join. Click on the link to find out more.

Here is my "something":



These beautiful lavender-orchid colored irises in my garden never fail to inspire me. The yarn was dyed by my friend Sharon in Ohio, and though it is called Roses and Violets, the color is so very close to the iris that I couldn't resist. It maybe doesn't truly show just how close in this photo, but it really is. Not sure what the pattern will be yet...but think this will be the inspiration and the yarn.

Finally, Melanie has announced the Mystery Stole 3!!!! Oh my....will I have time??? I am sure going to try! And I am certainly going to follow along.

There you have it...my kal confessions for the summer. Maybe I will see some of you at some of these....