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.

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

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

Tuesday Afternoon

excerpt from Joy in the Woods

By Claude McKay
 

There is joy in the woods just now,

       The leaves are whispers of song,

And the birds make mirth on the bough

       And music the whole day long

Remember that album - "Nights in White Satin"? Right - The Moody Blues. I think they still play, but mostly for public television fundraisers.

Into the second week of summer vacation now. I have been surprisingly disciplined in my handling of all this free time: I have a daily schedule. And I stick to it. Actually, the schedule is only for the morning, but it helps me make sure to exercise and complete at least one chore on our (much too long) to-do list. Washing windows, painting the deck, cleaning out Stu's room, etc.

Bears are still about, all too frequently. The two juvenile males were around for much of the day Saturday, probably because Abe was cooking short ribs for much of the day, and the aroma is simply too delicious to resist.

Pimpelliese Shawlette knit is Malabrigo Sock "Carine"

I finished something today! That's two things since my last posting. Here they are:
  The shawlette is for a good friend at work, but the tunic is for ME. It's shown with a blank tank top underneath, as the knitting is loose and purposely full of holes.

No spinning for almost two weeks. Not in the mood.

I'm reading the second in the "Fifty Shades" trilogy. Horrible writing but mysteriously compelling - obviously, since I bought book #2.

DeGraw Tunic knit in Tahki "Ripple"

I Promised Photos - Here They Are

Spunky Eclectic "Birds n' Berries" Targhee - January 2012 shipment

Barely-begun Elm Socks made with String Theory Caper Sock in "Lichen"

Very-boring-but-will-be-lovely DeGraw Tank in black Ripple yarn

Completed String Bag made with Knitpicks Cotlin in "Clementine"

Pimpelliese Scarf made with Malabrigo Sock in "Carine"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Early June Meditation at Lakeside

By Colette Inez

 

Fire alarms, a far off wail.

fireflies twitch in the grass.

At summer’s doorsill we stand,

a seasoned couple in good weather.

It seems no great matter a comet hurtles

towards the sun, that a child’s

charred bones will slip into earth.

In the city the firemen

have put out the fire.

We are here and not there.

Look at the dream

we have: a field of mullein, a lake,

two flies trapped in a hub of silk.

This night belongs to an interpreter

of wasps, aphids

in the mouth of a ladybird beetle

carrying red spots

on the dark ground of her back.

We count her years by them,

we who have learned

to eye seconds on a watch,

to burn old calendars, accounts.

And this night belongs to the author

of fire in the arsonist’s heart,

to comet tails and summer births

where frogs, and bugs

claim their brief patch of dark.

No one cares if we swim naked

in a lake whose fish gulp shadows

and trembling stars.

The child’s mother will buy a casket

with money from the firemen.

Our thoughts are dry when we think

in summers to come

we will be red cinders

rising from a burning house.

Ilene String Bag made with KnitPicks CotLin in "Sprout"

Oops

How could I forget to add a poem? Here's an appropriate one. Just substitute the word "black" for "grizzly" and you'll know how I feel right now.

IF YOU EVER
If you ever, ever, ever meet a grizzly bear,
You must never, never, never,
Ask him where he is going,
Or what he is doing,
For if you ever, ever, ever, dare,
To stop a grizzly bear,
You will never, never, never,
Meet another grizzly bear.

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!