skein and song

::a bit of excitement: first ever skein of handspun by yours truly: cannot stop cuddling and smelling: beautiful imperfect.

 

listening to::incredible Australian indie folk talent:the mae trio: one up two down: domini forster

 

 and::
last but not least!! presenting my two beautiful girls performing Mabel's gorgeous song "Home" live at music camp.

knitt'n' swatch'n' spinn'n' read'n'

read'n'::Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier::so tasty, but why oh why did i watch the movie first...nicole or jude ever present on each page...

spinn'n':: I finished spinning by first bobbin full:: excitement::it's 'interesting", thick and thin and nubbly::smells like a sheep!

swatch'n'::annabel sweater/jumper for my lass:misti alpaca tonos worsted, leatherly colourway

lov'n'::the sunflower forest planted by my beloved and now making us all happy outside and in.

knitt'n':: finished Mama Vertebrae in cleckheaton merino angora silk 8ply::love::open front but covers the kidneys::ravelled here

 

 

yarn'n' along:: with ginny

in a spin...

I never thought I would go there. you know, bother learning to spin. But one day I spent a day as a relief teacher in Steiner Class 4, and the children had drop spindles made from cds and dowel and a screw in hook from the hardware store, and were spinning like demons! Some were even knitting fair isle scarves with their spun yarn! Finally I got the connection.  I felt the need this year to connect another part of the chain which links those lovely smelling sheep to my knitting!
I enrolled in a spinning course. Today was the first day. Oh my goodness, I was so excited. I have always looked at spinning wheels with a mix of awe and confusion. Well, now, they are demystified, and after three hours I have the rudimentary skills to spin on a wheel! My goodness the brain does hurt making those new neural pathways, but somehow it's coming together.
I'm not sure this will take over the knitting passion, but it kinda feels good to know if for some reason all the knitting mills in the world closed, I could still make yarn!

in between time

days of drifting, children reading and making up songs, playing with Christmas presents, me, dreaming into new knitting books, catching up on stuff around the house, forgetting what day it is...wondering how on earth we will ever eat all the shortbread and chocolates we brought home from Christmas gatherings....doing nothing much...those in between summer days

k n i t t i n g
progress on the Vertebrae; very fond of  the twisted rib edging.

h a n d m a d e  g i f t s :

the night before Christmas Eve, I decided I couldn't let Christmas happen without at least one handmade gift.
These pencil rolls were so quick to whip up, possibly because I was a little slap dash and didn't do any measuring! The girls absolutely love them. I checked out a few tutorials online for ideas by googling "pencil roll tutorials". The pencils are Lyra Giants, our all time favourite pencils for drawing. There's an extra layer of flannelette in the middle to make them padded and the ties are wool "twisties".

o h

and here's the gingerbread shack we made for fun!

getting into the spirit...

I must admit I  have been lagging behind in the Yule cheer, personally, even though I love Christmas. However, today, even if mostly for the sake of my dear wee excited full-of-wonderment 3 year old, a surge of Christmas enthusiasm swept over me. Or should I say, I dug a little deeper to attempt to invoke enthusiasm by simply partaking in Christmas preparations.

 Star making, the intoxicating smell of a freshly cut Christmas Tree, some bling and lights and a bit of Sufjan Stevens carols and I'm feeling a lot more in the mood for the season! Hooray! Thanks to my three ever willing Christmas elves.

 

 And on the knitting front: I've started a cardi for moi. It's called Mama Vertebrae, a little frontless number for summer.  I'm using a surprisingly delightful yarn (sadly being discontinued) by Cleckheaton containing angora, silk and merino.

the rushing, the pausing

Spring hit, the rushing began...the pace has picked up. there are more events, fairs, volunteering,  rehearsals,  less empty pages in the diary, and less knitting!
Life seems to be about a swinging from rushing to pausing (or gasping?).
Something must be done about this periodic quickening... this November malaise...knitting seemed the antidote...but it's being pushed out by the packed agenda of a family of five.
That said: I finally finished my  "hitch"jumper/sweater! hooray for that! (ravelled here)
It feels good to finish something, and it's a stunner in the Rowan Felted Tweed.

and while I dither about between projects, I have some finishing of socks underway...

oh, and on a hot afternoon, I picked up the girls after school and we all five, yes the whole family, drove in peak hour traffic across town to the bay for a first of the season swim and a fish'n'chip dinner on the beach!! worth the fumes, I can tell ya!

and just because, I'm joining the Yarn Along with Ginny, though I haven't read much at all except of course, bedtime stories! The favourite is "Charley's First Night" by Amy Hest and illustrated by Helen Oxenbury (I love her work); about a child and a new puppy.

Spring nature fix and a yarn bombing party!

went to family music camp:

the gumboots say it all...ready for wet weather and plenty of  knitting...

my chickens made new friends and jammed in the forest.

 Taught a friend to knit!

 climbed a mountain,

and explored the rocks and caves.

and then back for my 11 year old's birthday bash complete with a lesson in granny squares and bike bombing (just a bit!)