Rainy Day

I just happened to actually notice the title of this blog - and the part about the exercise? Well, I've been walking between 3 and 5 miles most days, or using our elliptical trainer. We just purchased a new treadmill, and on quite possibly the hottest, most humid day of the year, we moved the elliptical from our bedroom down to the basement to join the new treadmill and the weight bench in our "new" exercise room.

It's raining, so we're doing indoor stuff today. Morse's Sauerkraut, so my mom can stock up on the mango chutney she loves, and I can get German mustard and Wilhelmina Peppermints. Then on to Rockland, for lunch, the Farnsworth Museum, and a trip to Over the Rainbow Yarn. Will I escape unscathed? (Yarn Store, not Farnsworth.)

As promised, here are some visuals of recent progress/works in progress...

Spunky Eclectic Oatmeal BFL "Seashells"

Complete! 552 yards of laceweight singles Spunky Eclectic's Oatmeal BFL in "Seashells"

3 little Hexapuffs - the first ones done since early June

Needlepoint - barely begun.

Vitamin D Cardigan - 80%?

MKAL complete through Clue #5

MKAL detail

My Favorite Month

Yes! It's June! How I love this month - the month when Zig and I got married (30 years ago this year), the month when school lets out for the summer, the month when the sun and the birds are up delightfully early.

Lest you think I've forgotten entirely about my blog, please know that I think of posting every day; I just don't have enough time to set myself down in front of the laptop and create a post. But, here I am, better late than never.

Foot Model Abe wearing Turbo Toes

Lots of knitting and spinning going on. I finished Turbo Toes, from Clara Parkes The Knitter's Book of Socks, and gave them to Abe. I'm still undecided on whether I like toe-up sock design, and also whether I prefer knitting socks on two circulars, the Magic Loop method of sock knitting, or good old double pointed needles. On this particular pair, I exhibited wishy-washy behaviors - casting on with dpns, then switching to two circulars, then using Magic Loop for awhile, then reverting (on the second sock) to dpns.

Hold on. I was just sitting on the deck, blithely typing, when I heard some noises near me. Turned and saw a cute gray squirrel approaching me - he had no idea I was there. I shooed him away, and returned to typing, but not long after I heard more noises. Bigger, crunching-branches-type noises. I thought our little bear, who visited us four times yesterday, was back. I stood up to get a look, and saw, not the little bear, but two full-grown bears ambling down the hil towards our driveway. One was HUGE. It might be the largest one I've seen. They both knew I was there - they looked right at me. I grabbed the camera, which, fortunately, was sitting right near me, and snapped away. The big one snuffled up some birdseed from the freshly-filled feeder. The smaller one had not only eartags, but a radio collar. Here's some pics:

I don't think the one on the right has been tagged...

Speaking of the little bear, here's the juvenile who pestered us for about 4 hours on Saturday. Abe was making pulled pork tacos, which required roasting a large piece of pork loin for six hours, which had been marinated in spices for hours before cooking. Needless to say, the aroma wafting out our open windows and doors was...tantalizing, to say the least. This little guy sure wanted him some tacos. He even went so far as to walk up onto the deck and try to get in the screen door by standing up and pushing, but we managed to scare him off. He wasn't very intimidated by us, though, and we're worried that his lack of fear is going to lead him to a bad place.

Yes, he looks like a wood carving, but he's real.

I have to say, I'm a wee bit nervous sitting out here now. Zig and Abe are off at a driving range, so it's just me and the baseball bat Zig dug out yesterday. Maybe I should go get it...

Okay, back to knitting and spinning. Since finishing the socks, I suppressed the noble tendency to go back and finish up the string bag (which is rapidly morphing into a UFO - UnFinished Object), or to make more headway on the DeGraw tank I started last weekend, and, yes, cast on The Age of Brass and Steam Kerchief, using the mauve Fonty Gueret I picked up in Paris. This is going to be a birthday gift for my dear friend Pam. So far, it's a quick, fun knit. The yarn is a soft, sproingy merino.

Fonty Gueret Merino for The Age of Brass and Steam Kerchief

This is turning into a long post. Knitting and spinning and BEARS, oh my! On (at long last) to spinning. I finished up four ounces of Spunky Eclectic's "Peace on Earth" South African Fine fiber. I ended up with 318 yards of 2 ply, in what I suspect will be a fingering weight. This was a fun spin.

Spunky Eclectic's "Peace on Earth" South African Fine 2-ply

Of course, as I was working on this fiber, the May 2012 shipment arrived, which means I'm STILL 5 months behind on the fiber club. It could be worse - I AM gaining ground.

Spunky Eclectic's "Big Bang" Blue-Faced Leicester Top

"Birds n' Berries" Targhee

Now I'm just starting to spin for a fingering weight 2-ply, using SE's "Birds n' Berries", the January 2012 shipment of Targhee. I divided the bump vertically, hoping for some striping, but that never quite seems to work out the way I want it to. As usual, what seemed like a lackluster colorway is becoming breathtaking gorgeous on the wheel. I've fallen in love with this. Here's a photo of the un-predrafted bump:

Well, I guess that about wraps up my fiber life. And wild life.

Yes, I've been exercising regularly, too, but I am still far from being described as "lean", "angular", "slender", and the like. Still, I do feel good!

Latest Handspun

Superwash Corriedale. 312 yards 2-ply. Spunky Eclectic

Hey, this is the September 2011 shipment. I'm never going to catch up!

Spinning Wheel

by Neva Flores
 

Come twist my weave with your spinning wheel
Bend my twine into your making
Hold closely to your heart, that which you feel
When you take on
This undertaking

Spin my beautiful colors into a yarn of your choice
With your lovely spindle
I watch you spinning round, listening to your voice
As I become
Elegantly detailed

Remember, as you twist my weave, to always
Keep one hand free
One to hold your distaff far away
The other, to spin your love
Into me

Yes, I'm Still Here

PARIS

Paris
A wonderful city
A place for lovers
Paris
A city to dream wild
Paris
In that river the boats are moving with lovers inside
Watching that beautiful sky above the river
And the moon from that beautiful sky
Is shining in
The river
Paris
A city that never sleeps
Paris
The romance is in the air
Paris
The lovers are feeling the love that are in the air
Paris
That smell of the roses the lovers can smell
Paris
This is the sign that spring is here
Paris
Spring is the most beautiful time of the year
Now that winter has finally gone to sleep
Paris
The lovers welcome spring with open arms

Aldo Kraas

Paris was indescribable - in all positive ways - therefore, I won't attempt to describe it. But I'll be putting photos up on Facebook, a few at a time, and who knows? I just might insert a few anecdotes in here, now and then, if the mood strikes.

But what about the knitting, you ask? And the handspinning? And the exercise? Well, I'm back with lots of things to show and tell.

First off, I have photos to show of six different fibers spun up during the winter of 2012, that I FINALLY got around to washing, thwacking (to set the twist) and drying in the bright sun.

This side: "Change", "Angkor Wat", "Nightmare" - all Spunky Eclectic fibers

This side: "Night Owl", "Little Periwinkles", "Headache" - all Spunky Eclectic fibers

Washed, Thwacked, and Drying

Unfortunately, I've already added all these to the spinning "mileage" gadget, but I do hope to make some significant progress on what's been waiting for me so patiently - the "Tartan" fiber that I'm more than 50% done with.

String Theory Seri leftovers

As for knitting, I (as always) took more yarn/needles/patterns with me to Paris than I ever could have knit in a month, and I didn't even finish the Tour Eiffel shawlette I had hoped to wear while there. But it's finally off the needles, as of today, and is washed and blocking as I type. I knitted this using String Theory Yarn's "Seri" in their "Carina" colorway, and I LOVE it. The 100-gram skein had 1120 yards in it.  I measured (on my handy yarn meter) the leftover yarn, and I still have 400 yards left (maybe a yard or two less than that) for another project. Thank you, String Theory!

Tour Eiffel Shawlette is off the needles!

Tour Eiffel Shawlette detail

The center of this photo shows the motif captured in the shawl.

This was a delight to knit. Natalie Servant's directions and charting were clear and complete. The finished product is soft and feather-light - perfect for these (way too chilly) spring days.

I thought the graphite color was going to be a perfect match, but realized, when actually there, that the real tower is painted brown. Oh, well. A shawl knitted in the true color would be UGLY. Mine is BEAUTIFUL.

Now I am trying to finish up the second of the pair of vanilla socks I began way back in (gasp) February. So much for the lofty goal of knitting two pairs a month in 2012. Eiffel Tower shawls take a long time, as do Fair Isle Malthese Flower shawls (I'm ALMOST done!). And I'm still plugging away on the tangerine string bag for Zig.

I lied. Here's a Paris story. I made my way one afternoon to Lil Weasel, a tiny yarn shop in the Marais. I was the only customer, and I allowed my lack of French to scare me, but I did manage to ask for, and purchase, several items, including two colors of yarn actually produced in France. (It seems that there isn't much of this.) The shop was lovely, welcoming, colorful, and very well stocked with Cascade and Malabrigo.

Lil Weasel Yarn Shop, Paris, France

Mauve Fonty "Gueret", a DK- weight yarn made in France

Red Fonty "Gueret" from Lil Weasel

Gorgeous Malabrigo destined to become a Pimpelliese scarf

The Gueret yarn will, I think be knit up into "Saroyan" and "Brandywine" scarves.

Well, that's about enough for now. Oh, yeah - exercise. We walked more than 50 miles while in Paris, and since we've been back, I'm back in the saddle with weights and aerobic activity.

What's All This, Then???

The inch or so of heavy, wet snow that fell overnight brings back (not so fond) memories of the April 1, 1997 snowstorm, when several feet of snow were dumped on New England. Okay, there really is no comparison, but this frail forsythia coated with cold gives a pretty strong impression that winter is not done with us quite yet.

More fiber arrived this week, and  I love the colorway. Unfortunately, at the rate I'm going, I won't be spinning it until this summer. 

Spunky Eclectic Merino Top in "Little Fishes"

 

Snow in April

If you must slight me, let it be the touch
That snow in April, falling soft and white
Gives to the blossoms delicate and light,
So I don’t suffer, it won’t harm me much.
If you must spite me, let it be as quick
As snow in April falling, not to last.
Lies just one moment then, like mist is past,
So it won’t sting me; I won’t feel the prick.
If you must fight me, let the tender blows
Like snow in April, make no lasting mark
As soft, spring sunshine, on the grassy park,
Brings green renewal. But yet April snows
Can still surprise me, stir me from my rest
For snow is April’s chill, unwelcome guest.

 

C Richard Miles