I’m such a happy snowman
I love the winter time.
I love those Christmas Carols
and the jolly way they rhyme.
~Welshdragon

Some people collect Santa’s at Christmas time, but here, I collect Snowman in all different shapes and sizes.  I love their happy faces and their chubby little bodies!  They never cease to make me smile….all winter long and winter IS lonnggggg up here, so I keep those chubby smiling faces around until spring.

I took some time this morning to just sit and spin.  It’s been a long time since I have had the freedom to do just that……life has been busy~

The roving is the beautiful BFL that Keri gifted to me last month in the special swap.  Can you believe that I have never spun with BFL?  It is pretty amazing stuff….very soft and easy to spin. 

I am trying to spin it at a thicker weight, so that I end up with a worcestered weight yarn.  I thought that I would make myself a winter hat, as my old one is looking worn and tired.  After seeing Gretel on Cassie’s blog, I immediately downloaded the pattern.  It is the perfect hat for handspun. 

One of the things that I thought about as I sat and spun this morning, was how busy I have allowed my life to become.  It used to be the rare occasion that I did not spin in the morning with my coffee, but now it is the rare occasion when I do.

The internet is a wonderful thing and I have made many many lifetime friends, but I think the downside to the internet is what a time suck it can be.  Emails that need to be answered, blog pages to be read, shopping to be done, chatting with friends on AIM and more emails that need to be answered.

Do you know I managed to be so busy that I never even got my Christmas Cards in the mail this year?  Sheesh!  I feel awful about that…..how did I let myself get that busy?

As the year comes to a close and on this day of Winter’s Solstice, my resolution for the next year is to slow life down a bit and be more present in the here and now, and to limit how much I am running towards the future. 

I love Anne’s idea of weekly goals even more now that I have had some time to think about it.  Small obtainable goals each week is a good thing.  Along with weekly fiber goals, I am going to incorporate some weekly life goals, such as walking each day with a dog, doing something with one of the girls or grandchildren each week and so on….you get the idea.  If I put it in writing each Sunday and look at the list each day, perhaps it will help me slow down and enjoy each day for that day.

This will be my last post until after Christmas as I am going to spend the weekend with the girls making Christmas cookies and getting ready for the company that will descend upon me Monday.  It is always nice to have older children come home for a few days!

So as I close, I want to wish you all a Very Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday!

Anne has started a little thing on her blog called Work In Progress Wednesday.  Now a little bird did tell me that she had me in the back of her mind when she thought of doing this……imagine that…<grin>.   Being the good natured soul that I am, I decided that I would join along, in spite of all the teasing I have taken over WIP’s…LOL. 

I love the way Anne sets weekly goals for herself.  I think I may join along with that after the first of the year as well.

Now onto the WiP’s.  See that mitten………I have knit and ripped it now twice.  The third time was the charm.  Knitting with handspun is always a challenge when it comes to gauge for me.  The first mitten…….was a wee bit too skinny, the second one was a wee bit too long…..the third one, was just right.  Knowing what I know now….the next mitten should be done tomorrow…whew. 
Of course…….I could have knit a swatch~ eek!

No…you are not seeing things…there are 3 mitts.  Now you may be asking yourself…why 3?

The mitts that I knit last week, were to go into the mail over the weekend.  As I was getting them ready to be boxed and wrapped, I tried them on one last time, as I really love the way they feel on my hands, so soft and cushy!

The mitts looked the same….until….I turned them over.  Holy crap!  However did I manage to do that?

Now the person they are going to may or may not have noticed and may or may not have even cared, but I knew that I was not going to be able to send them that way. 

I looked at how much yarn I had left over in the skein and decided instead of ripping one back, that I would just knit another one.  The good news is, I now know that I can get 2 pairs of mitts out of one skein of this yarn :-).  So my friend will get a new pair of mitts…and so will I.

Moving on to Christmas Preparations…….
It’s hard to believe that Christmas is just one short week away.  Do you have your Christmas shopping/knitting finished?  I don’t, but I am getting pretty close to being finished. Whoo hoo~

Every year on Christmas Eve we have a family gathering.  I have been serving many of the same items year after year, and I thought that maybe this year might be the year to try a few new things.

Appetizers always stump me, as Martha Stewart I am not.  If any of you have some good recipes that you are willing to post on your blog, or share with me privately, I would be so appreciative.  In fact…….if you share one of your recipes, I will again share the one recipe that I could never not make on Christmas Eve………

EGG~NOG

12 eggs (separated)
1pint heavy cream
1/2 gallon milk
1cup rum (more or less)..we like more 🙂
1 1/2 c. sugar
3tsp. vanilla
                                    dashes of nutmeg
Beat
yolks & sugar in large bowl.  Beat whites in another bowl and beat
cream in yet another bowl.  Slowly beat milk into yolk mixture, then
fold in whites and cream.  (I actually beat the whites and cream in, so
that it is well mixed).  Add your rum and then top off with lots of
nutmeg  ~YUM

In the spirit of giving, I will leave you with the Christmas Carole that makes me smile each and every year.  This time I am posting it a wee bit early, so that you can enjoy it for a bit longer.  Of course my family gets tired of hearing it….but oh well, it’s only once a year, right? LOL
~Cheers!~

Clearing blue sky,
A promise in bare branches.
In winter there are sunny days.
In adulthood, childhood can return.
Deng Ming~Dao

So far, in the Northeast, we are having a wonderful winter.  As you know, I live up north in ski country and the last few years have been lean ones for the ski mountains….but not this year!  Last week alone we had 4 snow storms…wheee!

One of the things I love best about winter is the time inside.  Time to work on things that get put aside on warm summer gardening days.

This weekend was an enjoyable one working on a few of the things that I have not had much time for lately.  There was some soapmaking and gift wrapping…………..and a little spinning…….

I finally found a little time for one of my favorite girls….Mariah Anne.

Such a patient girl she has been for she has been sadly neglected, during this busy autumn.

With winter now upon us, I know that she and I will be spending a lot more quality time together.

I managed to finish spinning and plying the first roving that went onto her bobbins and I am thrilled with how wonderful this wheel spins and plies.  I think this might be the most consistent yarn I have had in a very long time. 
I am not sure if it was because I had the time to just sit and spin, or if the wheel made the difference. 

Mariah’s big wheel moves so effortlessly…:-)

……..and of course, marshmallows roasting by an open fire…..
There truly is no better way to end a day than to light a fire and spend time with family.  Hannah and Courtney snuggled with Maggie, Ken snuck in some reading and I worked on some Christmas knitting.  With the wind howling and the fire crackling in the fireplace, it was the perfect ending to a very enjoyable weekend. 

Yes…….sometimes she actually finishes things 🙂
Pattern: Smocked Mitts
Yarn:  Woolen Rabbit Opulence (merino/silk)
Needles: US size 2

Why is it that purple and red are so hard to photograph?  We have had numerous grey, snowy days up here, which has made taking pictures challenging. 

The color of the yarn is more accurate in the second photo, but I did want to have a photo with 2 finished mitts, just to prove that I do finish mates now and then…<grin>

You can find this free pattern on Yarnophiliac’s blog.  It is a fast, fun knit! 

New beekeepers are told that the way to find the elusive queen is by first locating her circle of attendants.
–The Queen Must Die; And Other Affairs Of Bees and Men

I love the above picture……those markers look like bees milling around the entrance to their hive, don’t you think?

This sock kit has been such a fun project for me. 

Picking up my little book tonight to find a verse suitable for today’s post, made me want to read this book all over again.

After all of the research that I have done on bee keeping, both the online papers and blogs, I know without a doubt that there will be 2 beehives here this spring. 

I truly have been fascinated by the little community of bees…..the girls!

Did you know that the majority of bees in a hive are female?  They are the worker bees, who not only forage the flowers to produce honey, but they also tend to the nursery, protect the hive and attend the queen.  Did you know that these girls also know how to dance?  Yes sir…these girls know how to shake their little booties and produce pheromones.   Go take a peek at these girls waggling……fascinating I tell you!

The drones just hang around eating honey and for the most part do not contribute very much.  Did you know that the worker bees will push the drones out eventually?  I can just see those little hands waving and their heads bobbing saying…."Yo…no slacking allowed here!"   

I want to take a moment to thank all of you who pre~ordered Bee Sock kits.  The pattern is finished and proofed and the kits started mailing today.

I had offered bee markers for the first 25 kits that were pre~ordered.  I’m calling those makers the Queen Bee Markers :-).  I had inadvertently ordered smaller than expected beads the first time around and instead of returning them, I am going to include a smaller worker bee marker with all of the other kits….tis the season…..fl la la la la la………..

Anne will be listing the pattern for sale on her website Wednesday with the fabulous model shots that we have come to expect and love.  This pattern is such a fun pattern to knit……..you will love it!  I will also continue to sell the kit and the pattern 🙂

In parting, I will leave you with another bee gift.  I first found this song thru a fabulous blog….  Yep…this song has a way of growing on you the more you listen to it.  Buzzzzzzzzz…………………

You breathe,
Frosting mountains white,
Exciting trees to verdant flame,
Dancing sparrows on your wing,
Swirling waves into long sighs
You breathe….
Deng Ming~Dao

Well, winter arrived here Monday with a bang!  14 inches of freshly fallen snow for the dogs to romp in.  No easing into winter this year for us…but that’s ok by me for I LOVE winter! 

It is the perfect time to curl up on the sofa with a mug of steaming eggnog coffee, a good book, a crackling fire and some knitting of course. 

As this has been a week full of knitting….perhaps I can convince Ken to load up the fireplace tonight so that I can finish these projects :-)…mmmm

Belvedere……

Over the last few nights, I have been working on a few test projects.  One to see if my yarn will work for the pattern and the other to make sure the pattern is free of bugs for my good friend Anne.

This seagreen sock is the Belvedere sock that I test knit a few weeks ago for Kirsten. Oh my..  the lace…..the swirls….I just fell in love with the pattern!

So much so that I asked Kirsten if she wanted to work a kit into this pattern with some new merino/nylon sock yarn I had picked up.  The pattern works beautifully with the yarn, so I am excited to offer this kit in 2 new colorways.

Marie Antoinettes…….

Bee still my beating heart, for Anne asked me to test knit this incredible sock pattern for her along with Jocelyn, who is an amazing test knitter!

What can I say that has not already been said about Anne’s talents?   She is simply amazing!

I am truly enjoying each and every stitch,even if this queen bee has shown us that she can be a bit fussy and demands attention…but in the end, she works her magic and gives us some honey!

I am hoping to finish up with this sock tomorrow, which may make the pattern and kit ready for the weekend!  This sock is relatively easy to knit and moves along quickly….and is fun!

I am hoping to finish both pair (yes you read that right…these girls WILL have mates) over the weekend…as I have another test knit that I am excited about. 

Go take a peak at Susan’s Morocco…….oh.my!  It is absolutely beautiful!!!  I have to admit, that I was not sure that my bee colored yarn was going to work with what Susan had in mind, but I have to admit again, she has magically turned that honey into Moroccan spice!  Now I need to come up with an Arabian Night to balance those Moroccan Days 🙂

So that is what has been happening here in my little corner 🙂

As I close this post, I encourage you to go read Margene’s post today.  Margene said what I was trying to say the other day…only much more eloquently.

Sometimes as we move forward not only with our knitting, but in life, we have to take a few steps backwards in order to move forward.  I had this exact conversation, almost verbatim with my son last week, who is walking thru some difficult pathways right now.  I told him even if he had to take a few steps backwards, as long as he keeps his toes pointing in the right direction, he can take babysteps forward……..one step at a time.

….and isn’t that what life is all about……..moving forward…one day at a time 🙂

Remember the old saying from the Olympics…."The thrill of victory and The agony of defeat?  Well this week here has not been as dramatic as agony, but there have been little bouts of victory and little spells of defeat.

It would appear that my post from a few days ago regarding WIP’s
stirred up a bit of interest.  I will admit, that I was a little taken
aback by the good natured jabs on numerous posts, feeling a bit defeated…. but then
I smiled victoriously, for it seems that I am seeing more works in progress again
and grrls……….part of why we knit is the process…so keep sharing!

The Agony of Defeat….
Ok…….I will start with my real life little defeats this week, so that I can end my post with the good things that have happened, as we all know life is a series of ups….and downs.

See that hand above?………that is the hand of a daughter wearing a very tight mitten……sigh. 

This daughter has long thin hands, so I thought I was going to be ok with this gauge, even though that little voice in my head kept whispering in my ear… "Too small….Too small". 

Geez…when am I ever going to listen to that voice?  Well you know the end of this story…..ripppppppp.

Now my dilemma is….do I just bump it up a needle size as the stitch was a bit tight as well, but not so tight that I didn’t like the fiber…or do I add stitches which means doing some math…and I think I told you how I feel about the math….I guess I will have to think on it some more…  Uggh

Today was a busy day of making soap, dyeing wool, working and making hand cream.  Tis’ the season to be busy with the holidays right around the corner.

I was feeling pretty good about my pace until I opened the new bag of caps for the new glass jars that I use for handcream.  Slam on that brake sister….for the caps in that bag are much much too small.   

Frantic call to the bottle company with assurances that the new caps will be on their way tomorrow, but what do I do in the interim?  Hmmm…I wonder if wet papertowels under saran wrap will keep them happy….uggh…

Then there were the beads that I ordered for markers that were much smaller than I envisioned when I opened the package.  (note to self, learn measurements in mm’s)….and then the 4 oz of lavender essential oil I had chilling in the freezer for soap that daughter #3 with the long thin hands spilled all over the freezer and floor….ugggh

...and the Thrill of Victory…

But thankfully there were small victories as well!

I am working with Kirsten on setting up a kit for her Belvedere socks and for once I came up with colors that I loved almost immediately.  Colorwork can be wonderful when it clicks and ..well…lets say I have given some yarn away to the children on more than one occasion when it didn’t.

This week it worked.  The yarn is a new blend for me.  An 80/20 merino/nylon superwash yarn that is extra soft and extra cushy, so I am excited about that…….yay (more about the yarn when it is ready to be sold)

…and my website….  I was thinking to myself this week…."thyself, if you are paying for this website…then don’t you think you should learn how to utilize it?"

Well, after much digging around in the various help folders, I finally figured out how to send a newsletter.  With lots of new things happening on that site, I was pleased that I was finally able to figure out how to utilize this feature, so …..yay again!

…but the biggest yay came today when #2 daughter stopped over for a visit and a chat.

She told me that she had been discussing what "success" is with some of her co-workers..and then contemplated on it some more.

She told me that her idea of success is doing what makes her happy.  Working with the land and learning about self sustenance in a natural way.  She wants to learn how to work with herbs, make tinctures….. and garden. 

She wants to build her own home….. and spin.

She wants to help our earth……….and learn to knit. 

How much do you want to bet she is going to want bees too……buzzzz!

………..and I smiled for yes……..I have raised her up well.  A victory indeed!

How was your Thanksgiving?

Even though the day was busy with activity here, it was enjoyable just the same.  Don’t you just love the smells of Thanksgiving?  MMM…pumpkin pie, apple cider and roasting turkey.  YUM!  Hard to believe we will be moving on to that next big holiday in 4 short weeks.  Yikes!

Scottish Lamb Jean came up with her family to spend the holiday with her NH relatives and we managed to squeeze in some visiting time with her as well.  Jean made the beautiful silver pendant especially for me….isn’t it wonderful?  On the flip side is a picture of our little Skyy-baby!  Thanks Jean!

I was thrilled to meet, Lucky the newest 4 legged member of Jean’s family.  What a dear sweet dog he is and so lucky that he was rescued from the puppy mill that he nearly died in.  Go take a look at the blog that Jean put together for him…..too cute! 

Thank goodness for the dedicated rescue people who work tirelessly for our breed!  You can read more about Cavalier rescue here and here .

…and a little knitting….

Remember the little pumpkin hats that I made for the Fryeburg Fair?   Well, this summer when I was working on them, Ashley’s boyfriend, Brian had mentioned to her that he would love to have one for himself.

I had to chuckle as not too many adults have inquired about having one made…in fact not a one has, but Brian really wanted one, so on the needles it went.  This was his birthday/Thanksgiving gift 🙂

He promises that he is going to wear it hiking, so if you see a pumkpin headed hiker, say Hi!

All in all other than Thanksgiving Day, it was a pretty quiet weekend here.  My MIL was here visiting, so alot of time was spent sitting and talking, which gave me time to work on Bee.

I am working on the hive portion and really enjoy the rhythm of this lace.  Even though the lace is worked on both the knit side and the purl side, I have found Bee easy to follow along.  It is a treat working with pure merino yarn instead of sock yarn for a change………an enjoyable knit all around!

In addition to the stole, I have also been working on some new dye colors and my next to the youngest daughter made me promise to start her mittens now that it is getting cold out here.

The yarn that she chose is some handspun from some CMF roving that I received last year in a swap.  While pink is not my color, Courtney claimed it the minute she saw the roving….so hers it shall be! 

I think I have a few things to keep me busy… 🙂

Ok….Terry got me good on her post the other day, so you can be sure I will be posting WIP here..haha!

You see that yarn above?  It’s a familiar colorway to some of you, but the yarn is different.  This is a lightweight 100% superwash merino yarn that I purchased this summer. 

When I first opened the box, I wasn’t sure that I was going to like it as has a very high twist, so I sat down and did up a swatch.  Lo and behold the yarn created a very very soft fabric, but the added twist gave it good durability.

Now, it is no secret here that I have been shamefully fascinated with bees, since the reading of one good book and the creation of a beautiful shawl….so I spoke with Anne early in the fall and asked if she might consider creating a bee sock for this yarn.  I sent the sample to her with some yarn to be sure that she felt it was a suitable yarn and she agreed…a bee sock it would bee :-).  Anne has been working on the design, so go take a peek.

I will be offering it as a sock kit when it is finished and if I can
get my butt in gear, I may tuck a little bee-u-tiful surprise inside
🙂 

Can you tell how excited I am?

Yep….very excited, because there is more.  Tonight, Susan emailed me a peek of what she has been doing with some of the lace yarn that I sent to her.  Susan originally had asked if I was sick to death of the Tupelo yarn and if I was not, she had a design in mind that she wanted to try with it.  Silly girl………it’s no secret, that colorway is my favorite, so I told her to go for it and go for it she has.  Her swatches and bead colors have truly piqued my curiosity….I can’t wait to see what she comes up with.  You can take a little peek here.

 

If you can stand it….there is even a little more excitement here at home as well.  I have been gently hinting for the last few years how much I wanted to turn the downstairs of our barn into a studio that would fit my big loom.  A studio that could also be a casual storefront.

Imagine my surprise when Ken told me this weekend that perhaps we could slowly work on getting the lower barn redone for a fiber studio. He says that he will work on what he can over the winter and we can finish it up in the spring….whoo hoo!

Ken, God bless his soul, has seen me through my various obsessions.  He has helped me with the dogs, frequently hauling crates and doing the early morning walk at dog shows.  He has helped me pack and unpack spinning wheels and looms.  He has lugged the bags of bunny poop to the dump and empties them in the organic dump piles (can you believe it?) and just this weekend he actually walked the grounds with me contemplating where the bees will go, even though he thinks I have lost my mind.

My husband………..I think I’ll keep him 🙂

Remember when I came home from Rhinebeck and I had no pictures to post of fiber goodies purchased?  There was a good reason for that……….a big chunk of my allowance went towards that large wheeled purchase.  There was one fiberish item however that really grabbed my attention.

This stunning rectangular shawl that was hanging in Chris of Briar Rose’s booth, jumped out at me.  Whilst it was hanging up on the wall and I couldn’t reach out and touch it, I knew how highly Chris’s yarns were held in regard by another friend, so I took a chance and ordered the kit as it was already sold out by the time I noticed it.  (yep, we all loved that shawl it seems!)

Given that my house is always full of yarn, it is really hard for me to justify a yarn purchase, but this one needed no justification, it was stunning all on it’s own!

Well….the yarn and pattern arrived this week and it truly exceeded my expectations which were already quite high.  The yarn is absolutely divine and the pattern is exquisite!

As I was reading the pattern, I did a Google search on the designer of the pattern.  Lo and behold it was a woman who had recently purchased some yarns from me.  Susan and I emailed each other a few times once I discovered who designed this beautiful shawl and she agreed to design a few patterns for my yarns as well  I can’t wait to see what she comes up with as she is VERY talented!  Go take a peek!

I am now into my 4th year of blogging and I feel that as a fiber artist  I have truly grown because of blogging.  I  have been incredibly fortunate to meet and become friends with designers that I hold in high esteem such as Anne Hanson, Mim Felton, Susan Lawrence, Kerstin Kapur, Kate Gilbert and now Susan Pandolf.

I have such an incredible admiration for the women who design patterns for us as I can not fathom having the ability to design.  The minute I even consider giving it a try, my brain takes a siesta.  "Looks like a math word problem, sounds like a math word problem, therefore it must BE a math word problem". You know what I mean……remember that question…..if a train is traveling 200 miles an hour, how long will it take………see you DO know what I mean!

Perhaps it is one of those right brain/left brain kind of things, but I am grateful that the designs that these ladies come up with inspire not only me, but many of the women and men who dye the yarns that the designers and then ultimately you knit with.

Lately I have sensed a slight wind of change in blog land, where it may not be considered politically correct to show knitting in progress on blogs, but rather wait until you are finished and unveil the newly knitted item in it’s finished glory. 

This makes me a bit sad, as I really do enjoy watching the process.  I enjoy watching the designers show us how they create and I enjoy reading about the process of your knitting.

Yes, perhaps some of it does not turn out the way that we hoped it might, but I believe that we all learn not only from our successes, but from our failures as well.  While I would hope that no one delights in someone else’s failures, I do think that we all can learn from it.  So for now, I will continue to discuss both my success and failures on my fiber journey and I hope that you will too :-).