Catching Up

Sorry for the absence, but I'm not kidding when I tell you that the sun has not come out for over a week here in Louisville, probably the whole state of Kentucky for that matter. I have had lots of things to show you, but I have been waiting and waiting and waiting for a sunny day to take pictures of them. Today it finally happened! So if you are not interested in my knitting and spinning efforts, this post is not for you. I apologize for all of the pictures, but I just want to make sure that you are caught up and don't miss out on anything.  Let's start with what I've finished:

 The 5 Hour Baby Boy Sweater knit out of some of my Homespun yarn with a too cute hat to match.

 The Hitchhiker shawl/scarf also out of some of my Homespun yarn. 

As you can see it is very long and skinny

 I love the way it wraps around my neck.

Sorry for the fuzzy picture, but you get the idea.

 Now on to a nearly done project:

 This is called the Dichotomy Shawl and I started it last weekend because I just had to. I'm knitting it out of my Lorna's Laces yarn that is super soft.  I think this shawl will really grow once it's blocked. 

You can see in the yarn bowl that I don't have a lot of yarn left. I'll add a few more rows and then it has a garter stitch edge.

Now for the just about half-way done prjects:

One Lacy Spring sock is finished and the other just started

 My Two at a Time socks are coming along nicely. I have not given them much attention this week, but I think I need to knit another inch or so before I add the yarn for the after thought heels. I knit on these a lot last week while I was sitting in meetings in Lexington. Is that rude?

Now, here is what I've just begun, as in yesterday...

 I saw this crocheted scarf on Pinterest and thought the yarn that I spun last week would be perfect for it.

 I always forget how much I enjoy crocheting. It goes so much faster than knitting, I think it's showing off the color changes in the Homespun yarn nicely. I might have to wait until next year to wear it though, because it's going to be 65 degrees here this weekend. I can't wait. We might just have to grill some hamburgers...

Hope you have a lovely weekend

Sally

So Simple and Yet So YUMMY!

I'm still trying to figure out how something that uses so few ingredients and is so simple to prepare can taste so good.

 The Pioneer Woman Cooks had this recipe on her blog the other day and she practically ordered her readers to make it.

I am one of her regular readers, so I obviously obliged.

She called them Strawberry Oatmeal Bars. I used raspberry jam instead, because that's what I had.

I packaged up half of them to take with me to share at my speech pathology meeting in Lexington and I'm leaving the other half here for Alan to enjoy. 

You probably already have all of the ingredients in your kitchen. 

You should make some and eat one warm with a glass of milk.

Sally

Oh My Goodness

I told you that some new fiber or "fluff" as we like to call it around here arrived on my doorstep last week.

 Well, here it is.

 I was lucky enough to snag this from Lisa's shop. I heard her mention it on her video podcast and knew that I needed some. It was a custom order, so she dyed up the colors that I requested. 

Are you just shocked that there is a pink in there to go with the blue and green?

 I can't wait to get started spinning. Actually, after I took these pictures I did sort of get started.

 I'm spinning the pink first just because it was on top.

 My plan, and what Lisa suggested is to spin each color separately and then ply them all together.

If I do it right I should end up with a whole skein of beatutifulness. 

I can't wait to show you how it turns out.

Sally

Knitting with My Homespun Yarn

I mentioned that one of my New Years "intentions" was to knit up all of the yarn that I have spun to date. Well, I counted up my skeins the other day and I have 12. I realized that I needed to get started. 

Most of these are not very big. Maybe enough yardage to knit a hat, or a baby sweater or a smallish cowl/scarf type item. 

 So, I started with the Hitch Hiker out of the fiber I got in Greensboro over Thanksgiving.

 The pattern is based on the "Motor Cycle Diaries" which I think is a book or a movie. There are supposed to be 42 of the triangle teeth and that is somehow significant to the story. Like I said I'm a little short on yardage so I only have 30 teeth. It's not quite as long as it should be, but it works for me.

 My next project is out of some of my very early homespun. The fiber was from Greenwood Fiber Works and it was a Hand Painted Roving called "Vancouver".

 I'm knitting a 5 Hour Baby Boy Sweater It was a free pattern on Ravelry and just so you know I'm pretty sure it's going to take me more than 5 hours to finish it.

I'm hoping there will be enough yarn left to make a matching hat. It's super soft and cuddly. Only problem, and it's a pretty big one. I didn't think about the fact that it will need to be hand washed until I'd finished the first sleeve. A hand wash only baby sweater is probably not the smartest idea I've ever had.

What can I say?

Sally

The Bunnies Are Back

Can you believe it? It's still February and I've already brought out the Easter/spring decorations.

 I just couldn't help myself. I was putting away the snowmen/Valentine's Day stuff and I realized that Easter is early this year. March 31st to be exact.

 Since I'm going to be off at the Kentucky Speech and Hearing Association Convention the second half of this week and part of next weekend I decided to get a jump start and have Alan drag the Easter box up from the basement this past weekend. He's so helpful that way. He just loves the bunnies too....

 I know I've said this before, but I'm really pretty much over winter. I'm ready to start working in the yard. I want to plant some lettuce and radishes. Of course the weather people are saying that winter is by no means over just yet and that we can expect cold temps and "snow" again this week. Lovely.

At least the inside of my house is feeling springy.

Happy Monday!

Sally

Trying Something New and Crazy

The other day I showed you my cute little gnome bag and the lacy socks I'm working on, well here is the other pair of socks that I've also started knitting. Can you tell that I'm knitting two socks at a time? I've never tried this before, but now that I know the Magic Loop trick it's really pretty easy. I'm just using my plain old sock pattern, but it's so fun to see two sock growing at once. The secret is to use two separate balls of yarn. You have to be especially careful because the last thing you want is a twisted mess of yarn. The bag that I was keeping my yarn balls in was just a tad bit too big and left too much moving around room which was to be honest giving me fits. 

 So, I made a new bag. I love this little bag. I've had the pattern and material for some time now and just hadn't gotten around to sewing it up.

 I don't know why I procrastinate so much. Probably too many projects and not enough time.

 The size of this bag is perfect for this sock project and it's helping me keep everything tidy and organized.

It also matches my new yarn perfectly.  I must really like blues and greens together. Those two colors seem to reappear frequently when I'm crafting.

 I can't wait to knit with this yarn. I have absolutely no idea what I'm going to make. Right now I'm just enjoying looking at it and feeling it. It's lovely.

 Here it is just a little closer up. The colors in the picture above are the most accurate.

Well, on to the next thing.
Sally

What I Eat When Alan Can't Make It Home For Dinner

 I promise that this meal looked a whole lot more colorful and appetizing in real life.

 Alan was in Ohio yesterday doing  a hospital lab inspection, so I was on my own for dinner. I think soup and salad are probably my favorite things to fix when it's just me.

Here are two of my all time favorites. Spinach Soup and mixed salad greens with goat cheese, apples and Rosemary Cranberry Pecans from Trader Joe's which by the way they have discontinued..... I've been hording my last package but decided it was time to use it last night.  I drizzle on a little Fat Free Balsamic Vinaigrette also from Trader Joe's and thankfully still available and lots of freshly cracked black pepper. Probably some bacon crumbles would have been nice, but I was trying to make it a meatless meal. 

P.S. I thought I had already put the recipe for the soup in the I love the taste of.... section, but I can't find it now, so I'll try and remember to add it soon. It's very yummy if you enjoy spinach.
Sally