Fabulous Feather

V Neck Back is complete!

Tadaa!!!!

  I am using my favorite purple turtle neck as a guide for the shape. This may end up a 1/2 inch or so longer. I am hoping that the seaming will eat up some of the additional length.

I am also feeling an incredible urge to start several new projects simultaneously. I need to make a surprise gift for someone soon. A neighbor is having a baby & I want to make her one -two things by mid July. The socks that rock that I bougt at MDSW keep beckoning and now have the new Sock Innovation book to tag team, plus, I am itching to make a lace stole/ scarf. Then there is the Christmas knitting.

Owls Head, Maine

  Last weekend, DH & I visited dear friends in Owls Head Maine. Below are some highlights.

Sammy, their cat.

 DH, Ashley & the pooch my friends were dog-sitting, looking for sea glass.

Owl's Head Lighthouse

 Sunrise.

Blackrose sock & modern classic v neck

The second blackrose sock just needs to have thetoe grafted & the ends woven in!

 

I am also working on the fitted sweater from modern classics. I am making it abou 1.5 inches longer. I love the colors. The blues and specs of gold shimmer in the sun.

I am switching balls of yarn every row to limit pooling and to ensure that the three hanks blend together. It is Blue Heron's Silk/Merino.

Blackrose grows slowly

One month after starting the first blackrose sock, I am still working on it. It's the only project I am knitting, but work & life seem to be slowing me down. Progress was made today & more will be done, I hope this evening.

This afternoon, I gave up a few precious knitting hours to read The Horse and the Boy - the third in the Chronicles of Narnia series. I picked it up at the library today, along with a few knitting books. It was a fun read on a hot afternoon. Chloe seemed happy with my company.

 

DH & I also hit Home Depot & Bluemont Nurseries. I got another cherry tomato plant, tarragon, basil, pineapple mint, spearmint, rosemary, marjoram, catnip (which, oddly enough, Chloe didn't seem that excited about) and parsleyy. All will be planted soon.

Ravishing Radishes

 A couple of weeks ago I planted radishes. The first sprouts are popping up! They are on the left. The strawberries that I planted last year came back and are on the right.  Today I planted in two tomato plants (one a smallish early variety & the other is acherry), cilantro, lemon thyme and parsley. I hope it's not too early.

 

On an unrelated front, here is a cute shot of Ash & Chloe napping.

Knitting has been on the back burner due to Easter and work. I am just past the gusset rounds on the sock. I hope to make headway this week. Soon, I also need to start a secret project.

Cherry Blossoms

Yesterday, DH ran in the Cherry Blossom race & Ashley & I checked out the trees along the tidal basin. It was a gorgeous day.

  The blackrose sock came along for the ride. Here is Ashley posing with it and some tulips.

Blackrose Socks

I have started knitting Blackrose socks from Knitty. I got the yarn at Pocket Meadow Farms, a fabulous yarn shop in Berkley Springs. The yarn is Pagewood Farms, Denali in the SKY BLUE PINK colorway.  I love the pattern, the colorway & have fond memories of my visit to the shop.

I have narrow feet & ankles and so I am knitting them up on US 1s. The lace doesn't show up very well but is lovely.

Sebastian, you were loved.

On Monday, March 9, 2009 at approximately 7:40 p.m., Sebastian had a sudden, massive heart attack and died. I miss him terribly but know that he is with the angels.

 

Gifts

One of my dear friends lives in Maine. Her favorite color is blue. I also think the world of her husband and wanted to surprise them with a hand knit gift this year. Plan A was a pillow. A week ago I cast on three times. The first was ripped because I ran out of yarn on the tail end 20sts before the end (I was shooting for 160). The second was ripped after two rows because there was no way that I could knit up a cover for a 16X16 pillow in the time allotted (one week). The third was unceremoniously cut yesterday. I had only managed to knit an inch over the whole week. Sometimes it seems best just to accept that project isn't meant to be. On the upside, I do like the color of the yarn and see a pig and an elephant being made out of it in th near future. The other balls I bought for the project have already been exchanged for more needles & two row counters (Ashley ate my last one).

Today I cast on for a hat. The plan is make one for my friend & her husband, reversing the color scheme. Two rows into the hat, I ripped it out, coming to the conclusion that my friend has a narrow noggin & the 110 sts would create a hat that would not stay on. I have cast on for a second time and HOPE that I will be able to complete this one quickly & the one for her husband soon thereafter.

On the left is the remnant of the pillow, on the right is start of the hat. My friends hat will be knit predominately with the lighter color. 

On a different front, while we were running errands today, DH wanted to swing by Dunkin Donuts. It was entirely HIS idea. He didn't know that there was a bead store two doors down. :-) I bet in the future he'll be skipping coffee from that place when I am in the car.

While he got his drink, I popped in my store a got some beads for the gray lace weight yarn I bought yesterday. The flash makes them look wonky together, but I think they should work. The beads are hematite & are charcoal gray. I think I am going to look through stitch dictionaries and come up with something very simple.

Pocket Meadow Farm

Today, a friend and I took a road trip out to Berkley Springs, West Virginia. We had made the plans several months ago when we thought that there were three fiber shops in the area. This week, we discovered that there is only one, Pocket Meadow Farm. I have to admit, I was a little concerned only because of the distance we were covering to get there.  Research on Ravelry was promising though and an email exchange with the owner, Ellen, was great. She recommended Tari's Cafe. We got to the town a little after 11, and had enough time to help local economy in the shops before our reservation. Following Ellen's advise, we ate in the front room. The food was delicious and reasonably priced.

Our next stop was Pocket Meadow Farm. It is a WONDERFUL yarn shop. We felt comfortable as soon as we walked in the door. She has lots of brands that were new to me and there was a variety of price points. Ellen is a joy. She is helpful but also happy/willing to let us fly all over her shop on our own, touching everything. The store is open and airy.

Here we have a shot of one of her chickens on the front porch. Oddly enough, they do not cross the road. :-)  

I came home with this:

 

Starting in the lower right corner, I have sock yarn from Pagewood Farms in a color that reminds me of spring violets, called sky blue pink.  Above that are three hanks of Hacho sock yarn. I had to get three hanks because, according to our running store, I have skis for feet. Next are four hanks of Riverstone Wool. There are destined to become four, two color hats, that will be given as Christmas gifts. The gray is 437 yards of baby alpaca lace that was only $9! It was one of those hanks that I kept petting and putting down. It will become a scarf, possibly with beads.

My friend came home with the stash below, plus one more skein that hid between the car seat & the door (the picture was taken on the drive home).

The orange is sock yarn dyed by Ellen. The mottled purple in the front is nature's palate sock yarn. The two solid purple hanks are destined to become a Christmas gift and the burgundy & blue will become two hats.

If you are a fiber addict & and within two hours of Pocket Meadow Farm, make the trip. You won't regret it. Also, be sure to get dessert at Tari's.