June is Bustin' Out All Over!

Winter is but a distant memory in New Hampshire.

Life in New Hampshire

      School is almost finished for the year here in New Hampshire.  A few more exam days, clean up, and mounds of paperwork and then it will officially be summer.  My seniors graduated last week and soon everyone will be hitting the beaches, mountains, and parks.  

     We are winding up a renovation project and soon the house will be in true-relaxation mode.  Today hit 90 degrees F and the pool temperature rose to 76 degrees - very pleasant.

     Lots of concerts, travel, and relaxation are on tap for us for the rest of June, July, and August.

Off the Needles

I finished the Giraffe for one of my students.  This is a pattern by Susan B. Anderson from the Itty Bitty Toys book:  http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/giraffe-10 which I checked out of my local library.  The Giraffe is definitely NOT itty bitty!  Although I was not one hundred percent satisfied with how it turned out, my student loves it and I am happy that I was able to complete it before school ended.

Also off the needles (but not completed) were my Monster socks (http://www.ravelry.com/projects/pjmcmullen/monster-socks).  After turning the heel I realized that they were too large for my feet and I frogged them. I will cast them on again on smaller needles but maybe not until fall as they are intended to be Halloween socks.

On the Needles

I am still plugging away at the Rowan Afghan KAL project (http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/pure-wool-worsted-mystery-afghan-kal).  I skipped a couple of clues and went on to Week 6.  Although I would really like to finish the project soon, I need to do some gift knitting so I might need to put it on hiatus for a bit. 

I have cast on two projects which are secret knitting.  One is a Christmas gift so that will be a long-term clandestine project. The second is something I can’t even hint at because I know this person reads the blog!

Other than that I have socks, shawls, and a sweater that I plan to cast on in the next couple of weeks which will kick my summer knitting into high gear!

Spinning

Two skeins have been completed since the last blog post.  The first is a beautiful blend of merino, bamboo, and silk from Taylored Fibers.

 I created 403 yards of a 2 ply in a light fingering weight.  This is definitely going to become a shawl.  The Tanhouse Brook shawl - for now - is my first choice: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/tan-house-brook-shawl by Jennifer Lassonde (BostonJen).  I purchased the pattern and am anxious to knit it up.  There are so many great shawl patterns coming out this summer that I find it so hard to decide!

The second skein is 381 yards, 2 ply, in a merino/silk blend by Friends In Fiber.  This was a batt I purchased at the NH Sheep & Wool Festival.  I plan to gift this skein to a new friend who fell in love with the fiber.

Currently on the wheel is a 4 oz Loop batt called River Run.  It is a merino/bamboo/tussah silk blend that I plan to chain ply so that I can keep the gradient colors intact.  It is a gorgeous fiber to spin and it is going so quickly.