Monsoon Season is Upon Us

A bountiful fall harvest this brisk and rainy morning.


Our side garden is really enjoying this weather!



Finally a proper blocking for the Shetland Triangle, now it is clear to me who is recieving this shawl for Christmas.

Uh oh So Fickle

The postal carrier dropped this box of yarn on my front porch and just like that, I'm on a tangent, a delightful, silky, wooly, teal tangent!

Vagabond Hemlock Ring Part 2

Row 88! The rows are getting much longer, it is getting much bulkier (and ungainly) and I am almost through the first skein. Will the jokes about it being a big 'Rasta Hat' never cease? Sometimes knitting in public is really annoying.

Addictive Hemlock

The first 60 rows go so quickly!

Spinning Into Fall

This is an amazing tapestry that was an entry at the Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival this year. All of the yarns were dyed with plants. Isn't it gorgeous and inspiring?


A gratuitous photo of my Hemlock Ring Blanket, in natural light(finally)!





My new toy!
I purchased this Clemes and Clemes wheel from a woman named Sonya on Craiglist (the best way to shop and the only way I could afford to get into spinning). Sonya bought this wheel new in the 70's and it has been used and loved but she moved on to a newer wheel and the Clemes and Clemes has found a new home with me.
I have never spun before and need to do a little research and give the wheel a bit of TLC before I start. Fall is here and I look forward to many cozy nights of spinning while the hubby studies.







Of course I picked up some magnificent roving at OFFF. Wish me luck with my new hobby!




I started a second Hemlock Ring Blanket yesterday in Cascade Eco Wool 'Mocha'. It is much easier with stitch markers. The Eco wool in natural colors is much finer and softer than the dyed Eco Wool + of the last HRB. Pedro modeled the HRB, much to his displeasure.

Pedro Gets a New Shirt

The Hemlock Ring is still drying on the bed, I put a fan on it so hopefully it will be truly dry before bedtime. considering how many mistakes I made in this pattern really early on, it was quite forgiving. I can see them but the overall 'experience' of the blanket is great. I am looking forward to test snuggling it on the couch.
I'm making another one in 'Mocha' hopefully with fewer mistakes this time.







Pedro got a new shirt from his Grandma today!




Vote for Pedro! The cutest Mexican American Staffordshire Terrier ever!

Update Coming Soon

My first Hemlock Ring Blanket is blocking on the bed (had to kick the hubby out of bed a little early ;) right now.
It has a few mistakes but overall turned out better than I expected. I'll post some photos this evening!

Stripes and Cozies Forever

Some FOs for your viewing pleasure, the Noro striped scarf, a la Brooklyn Tweed, finally finished. I am much less enamored with this project than I was at the start. It was just so boring to knit and those four skeins lasted forever. The easy knitting would have been OK but the skeins constantly tried to attack one other and tangle so it was a constant battle to knit in locations I frequent such as the bus or the lunch room at work where space is tight.

The second object is a felted cozy for my new pink phone. I used Cascade 220 and the same needles I used for the scarf, because they were handy. I basically knit an envelope, sewed it up and felted.
I intended to take pre-felted measurements for future reference but forgot. The button is from my tin of buttons that has been passed down over at least four generations and looks like maybe an old coat button.
It is nothing spectacular but it is serving the function of cushioning my phone from myself. The cell phone guy did his best to talk me out of this particular phone, saying it was fragile and many have returned it broken. I did the only sensible thing and bought the phone I wanted and knit it a cozy!






I am off to the beach with old friends and a Hemlock Ring Blanket to knit!

Happy three day weekend!