Winter's icy grip

We are experiencing winter's last icy grip for the next couple of days.  Rain and sleet for today and possibly snow tomorrow.  The slop rugs and boots will be in the foyer a bit longer!  Maybe if I change the flag on the porch from the snowman to the butterfly I can think it is April when I am at the kitchen sink.

I have been busy with samples.  The Vertical Lace Scarf is finished and at the shop.  The Silken Straw top is progressing even though I must stop and check for wayward threads on the reverse side--very annoying and time-consuming.  The color is lovely and the yarn softens as I knit.  I hope that when I block the finished project the stitches will even out and the yarn will bloom a bit, which seems to be the consensus on Ravelry.

Mindful knitting.  The more I knit, the fewer the stray strands.  Whew!

The Upcycled Elegance scarf from http://www.pagewoodfarm.com/upcycled-elegance.htm is ready to be needle-felted.  I cut the sweater pieces smaller and left the woven silk pieces as I first cut them.  The silk scarf is delicate and I do not want to weigh down the fabric.

First layer--silk scarf

Second layer--wool sweater fabric

Third layer--woven silk fabric

Final layers--silk ribbons, yarn, and sparkle

Planning stage

My poor UFOs are beginning to whine about being neglected, but Louie is quite happy.  He has been given my full attention lately.  I spun up the two packages of Three Feet of Sheep and plied them together.  That is one big honkin' hank of yarn.  I was winding it onto the swift and had just a few inches to go when the swift collapsed and the yarn went into a tangled heap.  It took me a couple of evenings to clean up the yarn barf and I hand wound the yarn again using the backs of three dining room chairs.  To keep the behemoth from tangling again, I tied it off in five places.  The colors are gorgeous and now I need a neutral background color for what I have in mind...humm...what to do...what to do.

Big honkin' hank of handspun!

The Groupon/Deal Chicken classes are going well.  I had a student come back to the second session with a scarf!  I really enjoy teaching other how to knit.  Some will stick to it, some will not but everyone has been great and I enjoy teaching the classes and the students.

Jim is excited for cycling season.  Ben and Jim went on their first ride of the season on Sunday to prepare for the Ironman ride later this month.  With the weather the way it has been they are not going to register early!  I was the sag driver the first year Jim rode and it was freezing cold and raining.  No fun for the riders!

Jim finished up as Round Table Commissioner.  I will continue to make goodies and have ideas on how to change things up for next season.  Jamboree is less than 100 days away.  Jim is busy as Scoutmaster.  I have to mail my health form in and order my nameplate.  We had our first development weekend for the Fall Wood Badge Course.  The church kitchen was wonderful.  It will be a bit more of a challenge on course at Stearns.  My friend, Kristi, gave me a notebook with her notes from last year.  Kristi and I will be teaching Cooking With Cub Scouts at University of Scouting.  I have my fingers and toes crossed for good weather, as we will be outside.  Cold is tolerable--rain is a pain.

10.04.2013  I got my newsletter from Rowan and clicked on the link for Sarah Hatton.  She has photos of her US tour and Amazing Threads.  The first sample I knit for the shop is the checkered shrug on the Rowan wall.  I loved the Classic Cardigan she wore the day of class and it is available on the site.  Now on the quest to find the Liberty of London binding!

Alchemy

In the Merriam Webster Dictionary the second meaning for alchemy is, "...a power or process of transforming something common into something special."  How true the statement is when concerning yarn and a pattern.  The yarn is Alchemy's Silken Straw (in Blue Moon) and the pattern is Purl Bee's Silken Straw Summer Sweater.  When asked if I would like to make a shop sample I jumped at the chance to knit with silk.  At first glance the hank looks like beautifully dyed raffia, although once the stitches (228!) are cast on the needle and knitting begins, the stiffness begins to soften and I think ahead to blocking the sweater.  The pattern is simple and the top is just a whisper of translucence, which is perfect for summer.  I chose the beautiful turquoise because it reminded me of the clear New Mexico sky over Philmont.  Silk takes dye beautifully and the colorways of Silken Straw are richly saturated hues--even the smoky gray is beautiful.  I hand-wound the first hank and popped it into a sandwich bag to keep it from unwinding.  So far, so good.  The yarn easily splits so I am taking extra care as I knit.

Alchemy Yarns Silken Straw

The beginning--228 stitches...

The second sample knit is a scarf (from a kit) by Trendsetter Yarns.  I chose the copper colorway for the vertical lace stitch project.  The kit contains two skeins of Kid Seta mohair and silk, one hank of Mimi, and one skein of Luna.  Three strands held together will be a lovely mix of shine, color, and halo.

Yarn from Trendsetter (kit)

Vertical lace pattern

The Tayberry Hat is finished and Bobbi and I agreed the points needed to be tacked together.  I will have to get a photo when I go back to work.

Speaking of which...today is a snow day for the schools!  With Ben gone that falls under our radar.  We had some snow yesterday as I was driving to work.  I was very careful not to spin out twice this trip.  After the last snowfall I drove Ben's Jeep with four-wheel drive and spun out once on a ramp and then again on the highway.  The black ice was treacherous and fortunately I was able to get back on the road and make it to work on time.
The second spin out was in traffic and it was a miracle I did not hit another car and another car or truck did not hit me.  A kind officer blocked traffic in one lane so I could get back on the road.  The snow is still coming down and will taper off this afternoon--so the weatherman says.

Progress on the room is coming along.  The fiber/tubs are stacked in the corner and most of my art supplies are in the closet.  Naturally, by moving everything before painting Ben's room is probably a mistake, but one needs to get one's space organized and the cosmetic changes can happen at any time.  The recycle bin is getting full, bags of yarn are separated, and books and clothing are bagged and ready to go away!  Yea!

On the Scouting scene...the District Dinner was on Friday evening.  Since Jim was on the Winter Wood Badge course I was there alone.  The theme was "A Funny Thing...," and the speaker was very good as well as funny (a comedian/Eagle Scout).  In a nutshell, we are here because we said, "yes" to being Scouters and volunteering.  I am glad I said yes!  Before supper started, I got a surprise with Jim showing up.  I had his mug and something for another person on course (so proud I did not forget!).  It was good to see him.  The evening progressed through the awards and the last one given out is for the District Award of Merit.  Now I have to buy extra knots for my uniforms!  An interesting thought about awards in Scouting--an award is not just for what you have done, it is for what you are going to give back in the future.