Knittinggarden

I'm back from the second annual Loopy Ewe Spring Fling and it was great. I can't say enough about how well organized it was. Sheri and her family, friends, and employees did a super job of making sure everything ran smoothly and everyone had a great time. I took only one class this year, Advance Lace Knitting with the inimitable Anne Hanson . She was lovely to meet and full of tips and inspiration. I just may have to try one of her big projects soon. A couple of fun things: I organized a swap of small sock yarn scraps for people making (or thinking about making) a sock yarn blankie . You can find all the details of how to make this beautiful blanket right there on Shelly Kang's blog. Several people brought bags of yarn, and a few of us sat right down on the floor to swap. It was loads of fun. Now I have to get going on this project! I have tons of tiny balls of yarn just patiently waiting to join the party. Of course, a highlight of the trip is always the trip to...

A girl and her dog enjoying a bit of Seattle's elusive sunshine.

So the rain finally stopped for a couple of days and I decided to work in the yard. Lately, it's hard for me to drag myself away from knitting/spinning/rolling little balls of yarn to trade and go outside, but it's also hard for me to drive into my driveway and see a garden filled with dead ornamental grass that should have been cut down weeks ago. I took care of that, then moved on to start to tidy up the long garden that runs beside the driveway. This will take longer, but I contented myself today with cutting more dead grass and stalks from last summer. Here's something I saw while I was out there. Pretty, huh? The tulip and the rhody blossom I photographed last week are opening nicely in the slightly warmer weather we have today. While I was out there chopping away, a man came down the driveway with a big box. This was a BIG box. Here it is in relation to Buddy. Yes, Buddy did wonder why I was trying to make him sit or stay next to a big cardboard box that didn...

I know a lot of the country is having it much worse than we are (special regards to my good friend, Goatlady, in Tennessee who was hit by a tornado the other day. They and their animals are okay, but their house sustained some damage, so all good thoughts and prayers are sent their way.) Anyway, I went out for my afternoon walk with Buddy today dressed like this: That's my winter jacket, and around my neck is my new Darkside cowl that I recently finished. I made it out of handspun (not by me) wool and it's soft and handy to have around the neck when it's cold and windy (even in April.) I've never made or worn a cowl before, but I liked the way it blocked the wind from the neck and didn't add the bulk that a scarf does. Now I see why they're so popular! It looks like this when it's lying flat. I really liked working with this yarn. It's handspun, hand-dyed merino that I bought from an etsy vendor and it's really soft. I made the Amanda hat wi...

I hate to say it out loud.....We've had a month of bad weather (snow a couple of days ago...in Seattle!) and a month of illness. Today was in the 60s, mild and just a perfect day all around. My goal was to spend a little time in the garden. I got my roses pruned, finally, and a little weeding done. Luckily I did a good job of putting my dahlia/vegetable garden to bed for the winter, and it's not looking too shabby. I weeded around the garlic that's starting to sprout, then mulched with some of the straw from under the rabbit cage. Good organic fertilizer, that. Growing garlic is really easy and we love having all that fresh garlic to enjoy from midsummer on. The raspberries got a little weeding and mulch, too. They're just starting to sprout some new leaves. So are the roses. You'll never guess what's doing the best already. Good thing our little rabbit likes dandelions. In keeping with the spring theme, I sat outside for awhile and worked on my Asparagu...