Tuesday, July 31, 2012

July Ends

At Popham Beach

By Thorpe Moeckel
Haze of wave spume towards Small Point,
       Seguin Island Light like a whale's spout—
maybe life washes itself here, cools off.
       It never comes clean. See all the sails up
and full in the windy parade of skin
       and sand and brine. Soon the rocks will pluck
each wave's feathers. Soon the beach
       like the moon, waning, will be 1/8th its size.
Somewhere else—maybe Ireland—the tide
       will bottom out then. For now the sun
blesses the bodies at home in theirs,
       and those less so, to ruin and ruin's aftermath—
whatever that is—and the waves rolling in,
       little snowplows, nimbus in miniature; how
the beach fishhooks east, one child—
       is that mine, or some spirit I was one more
usher of?—face up, arms and legs
       scraping a temporary angel in the sand.



Still in Maine, though it is our last week here. Sigh. Difficult to leave, but I do love my little house in the Hartland hemlocks.


Spunky Eclectic "Little Fishes" Merino Top 2-ply
Still getting lots of spinning done, with a bit of knitting, too. The "Little Fishes" merino top, pictured below, came in at 554 yards. That might be the finest (as in thinnest) I've spun. Planning to use it for the Holden Shawlette.

Spunky Eclectic "Robin Red Breast" Gotland fiber
Also just finished thwacking 194 yards of worsted weight (methinks - I forgot my WPI tool at home) Gotland sheepswool. It's very hairy - coarse, even - but the color is pretty-Spunky Eclectic's "Robin Red Breast" - the April 2012 shipment.  Photo of the finished yarn is forthcoming...

Just began spinning, for a fingering weight, the May 2012 Spunky shipment - "Big Bang". Man, this is lovely BFL top. The colors are to die for. So lustrous, too. I'm catching up to you, Spunky Club!!! "Only" May, June, and July shipments to do. But then comes the August 2012 shipment...and then school begins and spinning time disappears...if I've got to have a problem, that's a pretty good problem to have.
Spunky's "Big Bang" Blue-Faced Leicester Top fiber - yum!






I'm actually using some of my handspun this summer - knitting up a quick, bulky garter stitch scarf using Frabjous Fibers' "Stained Glass" merino - spun during the winter of 2010. Size 11 needles. Easy pattern. Graceful Shawl.
"Graceful" Shawl using bulky handspun
Sock knitting continues with the second of Cookie A's "Elm" pattern from The Knitter's Book of Socks by Clara Parkes. Decided to make these for Zig, as the leg is very slender and thus will fit him well.


Cookie A's "Elm" Sock #1 for Zig
I did some SERIOUS stash enhancement over the last two weeks, visiting two local yarn shops - Eagle's Nest Yarns in Waldoboro and Purl Diva in Brunswick, as well as scoring some locally produced yarn and fiber at the Pemaquid Farmers' Market just up the road from us. So much for stash reduction/control.

Now it's off to the beach for some sun, reading, and knitting. More later...



Monday, July 16, 2012

Wait...There's More

We are in love
 Snowy Woods Sweater, which doesn't look anything like a snowy woods, but rather more like a beach lined with wild roses, is done. It fits like a dream come true. Maybe we'll call it Wild Beach Rose Sweater?




And this is the loveliest Hollyhock flower I've ever seen.

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Evidence

Maine

Spunky Eclectic "Birds 'n' Berries Targhee 2-ply




Spunky Eclectic "Abstract" Corriedale 3-ply


Snowy Woods Sweater detail


Spunky Eclectic "Little Fishes" Merino Top


Thursday, July 12, 2012

Is it really progress when there are not photos?

On the Seashore

By Rabindranath Tagore
 
On the seashore of endless worlds children meet.
The infinite sky is motionless overhead and the restless water is boisterous. On the seashore of endless worlds the children meet with shouts and dances.
They build their houses with sand, and they play with empty shells. With withered leaves they weave their boats and smilingly float them on the vast deep. Children have their play on the seashore of worlds.
They know not how to swim, they know not how to cast nets. Pearl-fishers dive for pearls, merchants sail in their ships, while children gather pebbles and scatter them again. They seek not for hidden treasures, they know not how to cast nets.
The sea surges up with laughter, and pale gleams the smile of the sea-beach. Death-dealing waves sing meaningless ballads to the children, even like a mother while rocking her baby's cradle. The sea plays with children, and pale gleams the smile of the sea-beach.
On the seashore of endless worlds children meet. Tempest roams in the pathless sky, ships are wrecked in the trackless water, death is abroad and children play. On the seashore of endless worlds is the great meeting of children.


I just took a flurry of artful photographs to "prove" what I've been up to, but I can't find the $%#@(! camera cable to do the $#%&*@ upload.

Arrgghh.

Add that (the cable) to the list of miscellany that Zig will hopefully ferry up here tomorrow.

Yep, I'm in Maine, and all I have to say on that subject is, "It's GLORIOUS".

So, on to fibery goodness. Photos to follow, and then this will all be "really" true.

  1. Handspinning catch-up game - have completed the January 2012 Spunky Eclectic shipment of "Birds & Berries" Targhee. A lofty, softy 2-ply, approx. 488 yards. As is almost always the case, I fall in love with the colors AFTER plying. The color elves at SE are brilliant! Also on the fast track to completion is February 2012 SE "Abstract" Corriedale. I spun this into 3 bobbins of singles, approx. 237 yards each. The fiber is resting. It must be exhausting to be spun/twisted/wrenched into submission. Next up is March 2012 SE "Little Fishes" Merino Top, which I just finished weighing into (almost) equal 1.04 ounce bumps. Can't recall if I've done a 4-ply before.
  2. Knitting: I rescued the "Vitamin D" cardigan from deep hibernation (or was it a cryogenic freeze?) and hauled it up here with me, but I haven't touched it other than to refresh my memory of the pattern and where I currently am in it. I am plugging along on the low-bandwidth "Snowy Woods Pullover", and have completed the body to the yoke, one sleeve, and most of the second sleeve. Hoping to join all three pieces for the yoke later today.
"Abstract" Corriedale" fiber from Spunky Eclectic
The fact that I can't put up the related photos really really really really really bugs me. I guess the next best thing is to post older pics of the projects, even though they've already been posted.
"Birds & Berries" Targhee fiber from Spunky Eclectic