52 Weeks of Happy 3/52

Once each week for a year I will post something that made me happy that week.  This will give inspiration to me to blog more.

I love spinning this Falkland fiber.

Sheep from the Falkland Islands.


I love my garden. I planted lettuce and some herbs. I also planted a branch of raspberry that I will train to go up the tomato spirals.


I love my kitties.  Above is Coraline and Charlie.
Below is Charlie.  He was sick for 10 days with a cold. But he is feeling better this week.


He is a handsome kitty. I call him my sweet Baboo.


Finally (after all the kitty love) A new fiber arrived this week.  It is from Germany.  The sheep are called Weisses Alpenschaf (WAS). It's semi-soft. I think I will like spinning it. 



I haven't been posting every week like I wanted to but at least I am blogging again.  

Happy Easter Sunday to everyone.  The Lord is Good.
Praise the Lord.
Luv ya, Carol

52 Weeks of Happy 1/52

I saw this on Irish Girlie Knits blog.  Once each week for a year I will post something that made me happy that week.  This will give inspiration to me to blog more.  I have been very lazy in my posting.

Spinning with friends makes me happy. I went to the spinning group and started this braid of Falkland wool.  Is is so pretty spun up.  I am about 1/3 of the way into this. I am trying to spin thin so that I can get a sport weight yarn.



Last week we got more snow.  This photo is from a few weeks ago but the mountains look the same.
I try to enjoy the green color on our mountains because in a few months they will be dry and brown.
In the lower mid-section of the photo is a large orange grove. I live to the right of the grove.  My backyard is next to this grove.  In April when the trees begin to bloom the air is so sweet.


And lastly here is a knitting project that is making me very happy.  This is lace.  I am knitting with lace weight yarn. It is like knitting with string.  My yarn is 50% merino wool and %50 silk.  It is so soft and beautiful.  I have knit shawls before but nothing so detailed.  So this is my first lace shawl in lace weight.  I am loving it.  I did start and rip out 3 times. But now it is going very good.
The red thread is my life line.  That is incase I make a mistake or drop a stitch and can't fix it. Then I can undo the shawl back to the red thread and go from there.


So there is week one of Happy.
Join in if you like.
God Bless,  Carol

A post from the Past: September 14, 2008

I am transferring my blog post from Live Journal over here to Blogger. I will start with the newest first so that the last post I post will be the oldest one from LJ.  That way you can scroll down and read it in order. 2008 to 2009.

September 14, 2008

I have been working on a lot of projects at the same time, again. I want to show ya'll what I have been up to. So I finished one of the Serpentine mitts.  I love this yarn. It is Wool by Dream in Color-smooshy.   I made the mitt cover my knuckles more than the pattern called for. I have an update pic of Alexis in her Monkey Socks with church shoes. Scuffed toes and all.  I was teaching the mother of my daughter in law, or my son's mother in law or I think the best label for her and I since our kids married each other is Co-madres, that is spanish for co-mothers. So I was teaching her today how to make socks. And she has this huge stash of yarn. One of the big hospitals here use to have people knit hats for patients and babies. Then no one was doing it so when they heard that my Co-madre was interested they gave her a few bags full of yarn. There is all types and sizes of yarn. She gave me this small skein because it is too small for a hat. I don't know what it is but it looks natural and it if soft like angora. It also looks thick and thin so could it be handspun? There is a tag on it and it says: Phoebe 11/00 60 yards. I think 11/00 means November 2000. Here it is, can you identify this yarn?  And a close up
  It was a good day teaching someone to knit socks. I just learned in March. This knitting is really addictive. I love it. I have 4 projects going right now and a growing stash that is calling me. I just have to keep my eyes off of the spinning websites!!!

A post from the Past: December 12, 2008

I am transferring my blog post from Live Journal over here to Blogger. I will start with the newest first so that the last post I post will be the oldest one from LJ.  That way you can scroll down and read it in order. 2008 to 2009.

December 12, 2008

I haven't posted in a long time. I have many projects that I have finished and so I will not write much but instead post a lot of photos.  
You can get the details on my Ravelry page www.ravelry.com/people/Idahobound

Or you can just ask and I will answer.  I finally finished my sweater. I did a lot of knitting on other projects while the sweater was on the needles. I do like the sweater. It fits really good and it is long.

As you can see in the first pic, there is a BEE above my ear on my right. That bee did sting me when I heard a buzz and I put my hand up there. We had been outside right before this. I'm allergic to bees too. I'm ok now.

This hat pattern is Easy Beret.  The yarn is from Monkey Spinner and is Alpaca from Peru!!!  The beige stripe is handspun angora.  I needed to put in a stripe because I didn't have enough alpaca to complete the hat, but I do like it a lot.
I blocked it on a clear blue dinner plate.

I finished a scarf in Noro Krueyon doing the Jared Flood pattern. I changed it to casting on 40 stitches instead of 39, so then I slipped the first stitch each row. 
It was a little scratchy but I washed it gently and then put some hair conditioner on it.  It smells so good and it is pretty soft. 



I also made a coffee cup sleeve.  I used Noro Krueyon and felted it.
 

I finished my Mockery Socks. I used Regia sock yarn. It is really nice yarn. I have already washed them and put them in the dryer too, they came out beautiful.  The first time I washed them I dried them flat, but they were a little big so I tried the dryer the on the next wash. They came out great.


So here is my "Idellah". She is my new and 1st spinning wheel.


I have spun on a drop spindle a little, and so last night I started to practice.




This is my BFL roving from Crown Mountain Farms in the colorway Mother Earth.  It is so soft. 
Peanut is going to learn too.  She is good at the treadle. 
Next week a lady in my knit group is going to give me a lesson in spinning. She has been spinning for 40 years and spins at the Renaissance Fairs all over California. 

A post from the Past: February 22, 2009

I am transferring my blog post from Live Journal over here to Blogger. I will start with the newest first so that the last post I post will be the oldest one from LJ.  That way you can scroll down and read it in order. 

February 22, 2009

Here are some finished projects I have been knitting on. I haven't posted in a while so there are a few.

Pattern: Queen of Beads by Sivia Harding
Yarn: Blue Moon Fiber Arts-Socks that Rock Light weight- Merino
Color: My Blue Heaven
Beads: Blue/teal
From the Rockin' Sock Club - Blue Moon Fiber Arts
January sock 2009
And here they are in my new Dansko shoes.   They look so cute I want to wear high water pants to show them off. LOL

Here are a pair of socks I knit.
Pattern: Basic Sock. Ribbing cuff down, Stocking st. on sole. K1,S1 heel.
Yarn: Blue Moon Fiber Arts-Socks that Rock- light weight Merino
Colorway: The Cookie Next Door.
 I gave the socks to my dear friend Karen.


I Knit a hat.
Pattern: High Peaks Hat by Anne Hanson
Yarn: BMFA Socks that Rock- Merino
Color: Jubilation in heavyweight.
 I think I look bad in a hat so I might give this to my granddaughter.

I knit a pair of socks for my son Roland's birthday.
Yarn: S.R. Kertzer- On Your Toes 4 ply. Wool & nylon.
Color: Grey/tan/white
I didn't use a pattern. I did ribbing then just stockinette stitch. I did an eye of partridge heel.

Then I made a pair of socks for me. I knit them during the Christmas trip to Idaho. It only took me 6 days, my all time record.
Yarn: Blue Moon Fiber Arts, socks that rock-merino
Color: Chapman Springs.
Pattern: Ribbing all the way except the sole. Heel flap K1, S1
Cuff Down.

Here is a hat I knit.
Pattern: none
Yarn: Handspun BFL
Spun by: Peanut, 7 year old girl
Knit by: Grandma, Carol

I knit 2 mitts.
Pattern: Fetching
Yarn: Knit Pick Bare wool- Hand dyed by me-Carol
Dyed: plants in my yard & onion skins

I also knit a scarf.
Pattern: Irish Hiking Scarf
Yarn: Malabrigo worsted merino
Color: Velvet Grapes
This was a Christmas present for my daughter in law Bambi.


I have several other projects that are works in progress.  I need more time to knit.  Don't we all? 

A post from the Past: March 10, 2009

I am transferring my blog post from Live Journal over here to Blogger. I will start with the newest first so that the last post I post will be the oldest one from LJ.  That way you can scroll down and read it in order. 

March 10, 2009

I have a few finished projects. Here is a scarf. I love this scarf. I can't stop looking at the colors. The yarn is Noro Silk Garden. It is Silk, Mohair & Merino wool. I used 3 different colorways




Then on the weekend I stayed up way past midnight because I was spinning. I was spinning some Blue Face Leicester (BFL) wool. They are very cute sheep, a breed developed in Northern England. Then I 
2-plied this yarn. The fiber was from Crown Mountain Farms. Here is my finished yarn. 






Now my latest project is a sweater. Yes, wool again but it is so pretty. We still have some cold days, remember June Gloom? Anyway this morning the temperature was 45 degrees F. This sweater is made with heavy weight yarn of Socks that Rock merino wool. The color is called My Blue Heaven. Yes it is the same color as my beaded socks. I like this color. I still have the sleeves and body to knit. It is going pretty fast because the body and sleeves are a lace pattern.




This sweater has 3 buttons at the yoke. I am looking for some wood buttons. I do have other projects on knitting needles. I am just really trying to finish this sweater first. The other projects are a pair of green socks. A lace scarf and a pair of alpaca fingerless mittens. 4 projects on needles. And I want to start more. It is addicting to start projects. I love them all. 

A post from the past: March 18, 2009

I am transferring my blog post from Live Journal over here to Blogger. I will start with the newest first so that the last post I post will be the oldest one from LJ.  That way you can scroll down and read it in order. 
March 18, 2009


Here is the BFL that I spun.  This is my first handspun ever. I am new to spinning. I started this fiber on a Kundert drop spindle.  But I am not a drop spindle kind of girl.  So I ordered a Lendrum DT complete.  I waited months and then in December it arrived.  My granddaughter spun on the wheel first while I was drafting for her.

Then I plied hers for her when she was at school.  And I knit her a hat.

Then it was my turn at the wheel and it took a while.  I was doing some knitting projects for Christmas 2008 so finally in Feb.09 I finished my spinning and March 09 finished plying.

The fiber is from Crown Mountain Farms.
Hand Dyed Blue Face Leicester.
8 ounces.
colorway: Mother Earth.
Yardage spun: 223.9 yards. 


 
Here is the roving. I had divided it in half, then in half, over and over till I got this.  I think the drafting a big hunk of fiber is beyond me being so new.  I found that if I divided it to a small size then I could draft and spin.  It also preserved the colors better.  When I tried to spin with a big hunk of roving it was mixing the colors and making this green and brown turn to MUD.





I love how my yarn turned out.  I have 223 yards so I either want to make mitts or a hat?  What do you think would look good with this handspun yarn?
Here are the pics of my granddaughters spinning. I love how well she did. She is 7 years old.


This is Blue Face Leicester fiber from an etsy store.


Here she is practicing with some fiber before spinning her rainbow BFL.



 

1st DAY of LE TOUR DE FLEECE

Well today June 30th is the first day of Le Tour De Fleece. Many spinners over at Ravelry will be spinning during the Le Tour de France.


I am on team Crown Mountain Farms.  I have very ambitious plans.
Klaus over at CMF helps all of us team members to have a gift of fiber.
He sent us the fiber of our choice. I wanted a nice blue so he sent me Copenhagen Blue. It is a semi-solid, the fiber is BFL.



The first fiber I am working on is CVM/Romeldale. I love this fiber. Soft and long. I prefer long fibers. The color is called Tramat.

Yes these are my shasta daisies growing in my yard. I love daisies.


So here is a group photo of the fibers and colors that I will be spinning.



I will list the fiber and color going clockwise starting with 11:00 the dark red fiber. That will be #1.
All fiber is from Crown Mountain Farms and is 4 oz.
 Here goes.


1. Corriedale Top- Chinon (red)
2. Cormo Top- Annunaki on Tramat (rust, dk green & lt. green)
3. Cormo Top- Secret Garden (browns & greens)
4. South African Top- Celtic Glow (green & lt. brown)
5. Heinz 57- Sumer (green)
6. Jacob Top- Season of the Witch (blacks,green,purple)
7. Debouillet Top- Eternity (purple)
8. Polworth Top- Nirvana (lavender)
9. BFL (blue face leicester)- Copenhagen Blue (blue)
  CENTER fiber LEFT TO RIGHT
10. Perendale Top- The Fifth Element (orange)
11. CVM/Romedale Top- Tramat (blue green) gift from Klaus for the TDF


Here is my fiber journal entry.



So I have 23 days to spin all this fiber. June 30 to July 22.
Wish me luck.


And always with God in my heart.