May Flowers Continue to Bloom

The last weekend of May is upon us.  Today it feels about right, but this past week has felt more like early April with 40F degree temperatures!  This morning Lucy and I spotted our first iris while on her walk.

Off the Needles

This week I finished six more afghan squares of the Rowan Mystery KAL (http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/pure-wool-worsted-mystery-afghan-kal).  I have twelve completed which means I am 25% done.  On to the next pattern of six squares!

On the Needles

I have been making progress on my Giraffe.  It now has legs and I have the ears, tail, and horns ready to attach.  The pattern is by Susan B. Anderson using Cascade 220 yarn in the daffodil and tangerine color ways (http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/giraffe-10).

On the Wheel

This has been the week of plying.  I finished plying the 4 ounce bump of Taylored Fibers.  It is ready to be skeined and finished.  Last weekend I finished the singles of the Friends in Fiber Bahama Breeze that I purchased at NH Sheep & Wool.  It is in the process of being plied and should be finished soon.

Other Life Events in NH this Week

Monday was Memorial Day here in the States.  Lucy walked with the Nashua D.O.G. group in the Nashua parade.  She had a good time and many children gave her lots of love.

Two of my best friends lost parents this week so it has been the week of funerals.  Both parents lived long and fulfilling lives, but it is always sad to see a child lose their parent at any age.  May they find comfort in knowing that they will always have them in their hearts.

Now Is the Month Of Maying

Back to Future

This week I feel like I have returned to my roots.  Having grown up underneath the sewing machine while my mother sewed like what seemed non-stop, I found myself at my own sewing machine again.  Except for the few odd bits here and there, it has been pretty idle for a number of years.  So much so that I was compelled to make a cover so I wouldn’t look at all the dust!  The result……

A lovely new cover, learned a new technique, and have regained some sewing mojo!

On the Needles

No finished objects this week.  My knitting took backseat to a few other activities this week, but I still managed to get some time in on a couple of projects.  I am continuing to work on a Giraffe by Susan B. Anderson.  

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/giraffe-10

I finished the body, the head, and am now working on the legs.

No, this is not an alien - just a giraffe in progress.

Along with the giraffe, I continued to work on the Rowan Mystery Afghan KAL. 

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/pure-wool-worsted-mystery-afghan-kal

I am working on Week #3 squares.  Although I am a couple clues behind, I think I will move ahead to Clue #6 when it is released on Monday and catch up with #4 & #5 later on.  I will show my progress on what I have so far in the next blog post.

On the Wheel

Spinning has taken front and center this week.  As you can see from the photo, it is time to do some plying!  I finished spinning a 4 oz. batt that I purchased at the NH Sheep & Wool festival two weeks ago.   It is fiber from Friends in Fiber in the Bahama Breeze colorway.  Also ready to ply is 4 oz. of Taylored Fibers in a lovely gray (unlabeled) color.  

On Sunday I had the pleasure of having two friends over - one to spin along and the other to knit and maybe get bitten by the spinning bug.  We had a nice afternoon of spinning, drinking wine, and sharing some companionship.  It was a terrific way to spend a Sunday.

Life

The big event for our family this week was college graduation.  My youngest step-daughter graduated from Boston University!  Yay Julia!  We spent the day with she and her sister last Saturday and celebrated her achievement.

School is cranking on - only one more month to go.  Ugh! These last few weeks for teachers (and students) just drag on.  This is the only time of year I wish I were still teaching in Indiana.  Oh to be out of school at Memorial Day.

The New Hampshire Sheep and Wool Festival, Knitting, Spinning, and busy-ness!

Last weekend was the NH Sheep & Wool Festival at the Deerfield fairgrounds.  Two knitting friends and I headed up on a very wet Saturday morning - excited, though, to be sure. Shortly after our arrival the rain let up and it actually turned out to be a nice day.  The clouds kept the temperature cool enough to wear hand-knit items - always a plus at a fiber event!

We had a great time looking at all of the vendors.  This is a fairly large fair for a state the size of NH.  There are some vendors from outside the area, but most are local to New England. 

I bought two skeins of sock yarn.  One was a yarn I intended to buy.  It is a skein of Opal sock yarn.  So many people rave about how wonderful it is so I really want to try it out.  The other was an impulse buy from Decadence yarn.  The color is beautiful and will make a pair of socks less busy than my usual self-striping yarn.  I bought a lovely braid of fiber from Holiday yarns that is aqua with lots of stellina (that’s the sparkling stuff) in it.  The other fiber purchase is from Friends in Fiber which is not far from where I live.  I love their stuff and this is a batt of merino silk.  I’ve not spun from a batt before and it spins very different so that will be a good learning experience.

Off the Needles

 I have one finished object this week.  It is my Entangled Vines cardigan by Alana Dakos - http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/entangled-vines 
in Madelinetosh Vintage in the Magenta colorway.  I love how it came out and it fits perfectly.

 

On the Needles
This week was all about finishing the above cardigan.  To that aim, I took a break from the Rowan afghan KAL.  I will pick that back up this weekend.  This week I also cast on the Giraffe by Susan B. Anderson -http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/giraffe-10.  Although knitting stuffed animals has never appealed to me, I have a student who is obsessed with giraffes and I think she will really like it.  

Spinning
I’ve finished singles of a polwarth /silk blend that I will ply this week.  I also started spinning some of the batt from Friends in Fiber. More to come on that later.

Life
May is a ridiculously busy month.  Concerts galore and graduations.  We had our spring concert on Wednesday and all went well.  My stepdaughter’s college graduation is Saturday so this will be a busy weekend of family stuff.  We are also marching in a parade (weather permitting) on Saturday in Mont Vernon

Alex Preston made it to the top three on American Idol.  Since he graduated from the school where I teach this has been quite exciting.  Unfortunately, he didn't make the final two but we are all very proud of our "hometown" boy.  We know that he will make the most of this opportunity and look forward to what is to come in his future.

Upcoming Events

Interweave Knitting Lab in Manchester, NH - May 15-18 (I will attend the marketplace on Sunday - no classes for me this year.)

http://www.interweaveknittinglab.com/ehome/index.php?eventid=73662&tabid=160345&

Rhinebeck in October! I am officially going again this year.  Reservations have been made!

http://www.sheepandwool.com

Blooming in NH, American Idol, Knitting, and Events

Everything has started to bloom (finally) here in New Hampshire.  The forsythia is abundant, or as our local nursery called it — common, when we tried to purchase one last weekend.  It may be common, but the yellow blossoms are just what our winter eyes need to see.  My sinuses, however, could do with a little less pollen in the air!

School is gearing up for all final end of the year activities so work is busy.  Even more so because one of our graduates has made it to the top three of American Idol!  Alex Preston will visit our school tomorrow so things are going nuts.

Alex Preston (Mont Vernon, NH)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JltukumADJE

Off the Needles

I finished six more squares for the Rowan Mystery Afghan KAL.  I’ve not cast on for this week’s clue yet as I needed a break and wanted to work on other things.

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/pure-wool-worsted-mystery-afghan-kal

Works in Progress

I have been concentrating on finishing my Entangled Vines cardigan by Alana Dakos.  I finished sleeve #2 and the neckband.  All that is left is the button bands, weaving in ends, blocking and buttons.  Pretty excited to get that off the needles this weekend.

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/entangled-vines

Using my handspun I did cast on some toe-up socks.  More to come on those later.

Pedagogical Knitting

Last Saturday I taught my fourth class at my LYS, Twill, in Nashua.  This was the first of two sessions on knitting socks using the magic loop method.  Students cast on two socks - one cuff-down and one toe-up.  They learned to cast on and knit in the round using a long circular needle.  In a few weeks they will come back and turn the heels on both socks.  The students did really well.  I had neglected to tell them they would need two sets of needles and two balls of yarn so will need to correct that in upcoming class descriptions.

http://www.twillnh.com/classes/?ee=1201

Upcoming Events

New Hampshire Sheep & Wool Festival - May 10 & 11 (I will be attending on Saturday)

http://www.nhswga.com/index.php/sheep-and-wool-festival

Interweave Knitting Lab in Manchester, NH - May 15-18 (I will attend the marketplace only on either Friday or Sunday)

http://www.interweaveknittinglab.com/ehome/index.php?eventid=73662&tabid=160345&

Rhinebeck in October! I am officially going again this year.  Reservations have been made!

http://www.sheepandwool.com

Spring may have finally arrived here NH.  The sun is shining today (after the East Coast has been deluged with rain) and the temperatures climbing into the 60s.  That may seem chilly for some, but for those of us who suffered through an arctic winter it is almost balmy.

On the Needles
This week I finished blocking my first six square for the Rowan Mystery Afghan KAL.

http://www.knitrowan.com/designs-and-patterns/online-collections/pure-wool-worsted-mystery-afghan-knit-long

The second clue is on the needles and I am hopeful to stay pace.  That is dreaming to be sure!

My Entangled Vines cardigan by Alana Dakos from the Botanical Knits is coming along. http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/entangled-vines   I've finished the first sleeve and started the second.  I am hoping to get this done shortly, but with the weather turning warmer the incentive is weakening.

On the Wheel
I finished plying a bump of Dragonfly Fibers Polwarth Silk blend in the African Daisy color way.  It is a 2-ply, 433 yards.  With a 4oz. weight I am calling it a heavy fingering weight to light DK weight.

My plan is to cast on for the Age of Brass and Steam shawl as soon as I finish the Entangled Vines cardigan.  http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/the-age-of-brass-and-steam-kerchief

The current bump I am spinning is by Taylored Fibers.  It is 4 oz of a merino/bamboo/silk blend.  It is a difficult spin as there are places where the staple length is very long and others short.  There are also a number of places where there are globs of fiber that need to be broken down or removed.  It is a lovely gray/white combo so I am looking forward to seeing the end result.  I've spun one bobbin and started the second.

Finally, check out what one of my students is knitting with the yarn that I spun for her!  Aren't they beautiful?!

Upcoming Events
May 3 I am teaching a class at Twill on knitting socks magic loop:
             http://www.twillnh.com/classes/?ee=1200
May 10 is the NH Sheep and Wool Festival.
May 16 & 18 I plan to attend the Interweave Knitting Lab in Manchester NH

Happy Spring everyone!