Spring has sprung!

At last the recent snowfall has retreated and I do believe spring is here.  Sadly my little pine trees did not make it, although where there is green there may be hope--never say die!

The last snowfall--I believe we are now done with winter.

Jim and I went to the Twins game on Friday.  It was cold, but we had a great time...and the Twins won!  We took the train to the ballpark and it was a nice ride.  I think about the hours I spent riding trains in Europe and it brings back fond memories.  My little cap kept my noggin warm.  It is the one I made for Stitch and Pitch in 2009 and then was published last year in 60 Quick Knits from America's Yarn Shops as a child's hat.

It was a treat to see real grass!  It was a record cold day for a game.

We managed to find snow in the stands.

Toward the last innings the clouds cleared and there was a beautiful blue sky.

MiniD and bunny.

Little bunny found a spot in the wood pile.

Found on my run.  The seed pod is a lovely brown and the seeds are green.  I love the color combination.

The bands and collar are removed.  I will secure and cut off the bottom band extensions.  The quality of the photo is not up to par, as I took it with my phone.  Time to charge the better camera!

Soaking the yarn to relax it and allow it to bloom.

Outside of knitting and spinning, I have been busy with Grey Wolf NYLT (National Youth Leadership Training).  Our last development weekend was this month.  The staff is on target with their presentations and it is fun to watch them fine tune their processionals and songs.

Yesterday was a beautiful day for Easter.  Ben came up at lunchtime.  I am blessed to have a wonderful family.  Jim and Ben took a bike ride and I went for a long walk.  It is now time to run with the weather getting warmer.  I need to get used to the heat and train for the Philmont trek.

Classes at Amazing Threads are going well and I enjoy the students.  There is always something to learn!  Tonight is the Monkey Jacobus class, our third session.  The Dacite class went well.  Everyone chose the Kenzie yarn in lovely colors.  It will be fun to watch their progress.  Samples in the works are Fjord wrist warmers, Pigment, illusion circle, Koigu beaded hat, and double knitting.  I am particularly excited to meet Sally Melville this weekend.  I hope she brings the Little Black Vest, as I will have that as an upcoming class.  Next on the agenda is to get a class or two at Anoka Fiber Works.  I have an idea for a polymer clay project and I have to work up a successful sample--make it work!

Play Ball!

I was so excited yesterday when I noticed the 60 Quick Knits from America's Yarn Shops was in one of the boxes at the shop.  Immediately, I paged through it and found the baseball hats.  They look good!  Wow, that pattern for a Stitch and Pitch game was a winner!  The light was good in the classroom, so I took a few photos.

A sample copy of the book arrived in a box at the shop.

I had to leaf through and find my hats.

They look great!

...and here's the original Stitch and Pitch hat that I designed.  I am
happy I waited to release the pattern until the opportunity came
my way at Amazing Threads!

Play ball!

I had such a fun birthday weekend.  Jim and I went out for pizza on Friday evening, Saturday we hung out, and then yesterday I joined the shop for our trip (via train) to the new Twins stadium (nee Target Stadium) for Stitch & Pitch.  Nothing like watching baseball outdoors on a gorgeous day.  The Twins lost, but still have a great record and our seats were awesome!  It got a bit chilly when the sun went behind the seats, but I had on my little cap.  some gals brought their large projects to sit on their laps.  Knit one, keep warm too!  Jim had ribs ready for supper when I got home and after that we had the wonderful chocolate drizzle cake from Byerly's bakery.  Om-nom-nom!

The Argyle Pillow is finished.  The I-cord is the final touch.  I started over a few times, as I didn't like the way it looked.  I ended up picking working three stitches and skipping the fourth and the cord lays nice and flat.  The pillow is on the class schedule.  You can check it out here along with three other classes!  I mentioned the hat I made...well, I had in mind what I wanted and it turned out so cute.  I was in a bit of a rush to finish, so  I didn't take notes.  I have to re-engineer it and will have a pattern ready this week.
I'm watching a squirrel bury an acorn.  My goodness, it's like watching a human.  It dug the hole, pushed the acorn in, covered it with dirt, and then tamped down the dirt with both hands--really pushing it hard.  So funny to watch!  The little buggers drive me nuts, but they're fun to watch.

Weekend fun

The fun started on Friday with a Saints game. Even though it was chilly (they were selling blankets) it was great to be out on a moonlit evening for a baseball game. The little pig was adorable. It wasn't very cooperative at first, but came out later with it's little ball cap prancing around with ears flapping. We had seats behind the dugout, so there was a lot going on with the characters. I worked on my cardigan sleeve.

Saturday I drove up to Shepherd's Choice and spun. It was very rainy and cold. Actually I was grateful for the rain. My sinuses and the yard were grateful for the moisture. Later, we went out to celebrate Ben's birthday, Mother's Day, and Father's Day. Sunday after work we had a grad party to visit and met up with some old friends. Those are such fun.
This week Ben will be leaving to work at Webelos camp. I'm a bit sad, but it's so wonderful he has summer employment that pays!
Back to knitting...I finished one sleeve of the tweed cardigan, and started the second. If I keep at it I might have a FO by the time KathyL and I go to coffee on Wednesday. I need to find some buttons! I do believe Sock Monkey red is a good choice!
June 11--I've got the sweater blocking. Sock Monkey is anxious and decided to see how the buttons looked. It should be dry by the end of the day. The sweater took only about a skein and a half of the yarn! Wow, that's a bargain. I hope it wears well. I'll have to make a little something else with the leftover.
Ben is working on the room of doom. I took photos last night. He isn't keen on me posting anything about that.
Funny! I didn't move Sock Monkey away from my sweater. Ben just came down and said he was weirded out when he was upstairs, "Sock Monkey's sitting there staring at your sweater, Mom."