The Great Blue Heron

Yesterday afternoon as I was working in my office and the dogs were out for some fresh air in their yard, I heard all kinds of barking.  Thinking to myself………"Good Lord, what in heavens are they yapping about?"

The commotion continued long enough to drag me away from my work.  Imagine my surprise when I looked out across the yard and saw a lone Great Blue Heron, standing statuesque in the yard.

One of my daughters claimed….."hey Mom, I don’t think that is real"…….until the bird moved…imagine her surprise…LOL.

What an afternoon delight we all had watching this great bird stroll across our yard!

Weaving

Speaing of treats, I don’t want you all to think that my summer has been a complete flop, there has definitely been some recent highlights. 

Our little summer vacation, took us down into Pennsylvania, to visit family.

As a bonus, I took a side trip to pick this little 24 inch, 8 harness treasure up.

With the loom clanking away in my van, I remembered how close "The Mannings" weaving studio was to my mother in laws house. Sooooo, you got it…….. while the dh went to watch the Steelers practice out near Pittsburgh with his brother, I took a little jaunt over to Mannings and OH MY……if you ever get a chance to get over there for a visit……….do it!  Simply amazing place!

Not needing any fiber, I (If I said I didn’t get a little fiber, I would be lying.) I concentrated on my other love…BOOKS!

Somehow, I never feel that guilty about purchasing books.  There is still so much to learn and each day I feel I learn a little more…….. thus the books…hehe

These books are a nice blend of weaving books, followed up with a few great dyeing books to help with the new fall angora blends coming out in a few weeks and the lone knitting book…Knitting socks by Charlene Schurch.  I want to learn how to knit short row heels and the reviews from this book have been so favorable.  This summer’s swaps have given me some of the nicest sock yarns ever, so autumn definitely promises some cool knitting. 

Speaking of swaps……………

Swap A Rama

My August color swap partner is Mary Ellen of
Meg’s Woolhouse  Mary Ellen spoiled me with some really cool Lorna Laces yarn, some Rowan Biggie, candies, candles and the most lovely woven dishcloth…..Thank you Mary Ellen!

Lynne’s colorswap will be coming to an end next month.  All in all I have to say it has been one of the most enjoyable ongoing swaps that I have participated in. 

Between the colorswaps and my incredible knitswap bag swap gifter, I am going to have some of the best darn socks in this part of the woods…….yessah!!

Don’t be afraid to explore
    Without exploration there are no discoveries
Don’t be afraid of partial solutions;
    Without the tentative there is no
   accomplishment.
Deng Ming~Dao

Now that summer is almost past, I finally managed to pick myself up by the seat of my pants and get a sky shot for Sandy up.  I was only going to put the photo up, but when I picked up my favorite little book (you know which one that is….LOL) and it slapped me hard………..here is a little more from the reading that I opened up to.

"Indecision and procrastination are corrosive habits."  "Every day passes whether you participate or not.  If you are not careful, years will go by and you will only have regrets."  "If you wait for everything to be perfect according to your preconceived plans, then you may well wait forever.  If you go out and work with the current of life, you may find that success comes from building upon small things."

I have truly struggled this summer.  Maybe it is menopause, maybe a touch of depression, or perhaps just too much stuff to deal with in a short period of time, but I have let so many things slip, other than work.  Not much spinning, weaving or knitting has been done.  Correspondence has been slim, blogging and blog reading almost non existant…………and my biggest regret is not taking the time to smell the flowers.  My garden has grown in spite of me……

Last night I took a stab at getting caught up in the wonderful circle of blogging.  I was crushed to read of Lee~Ann’s surgery and I didn’t even know she was struggling.  Then today I spoke with one of the kindest fiber acquaintances that I know and found that her husband lost his battle to cancer this past May and I didn’t know……truly life can pass us by, if we are not careful.  I don’t want to be on of those who let’s life escape me.

I’m hoping that the refreshing air of Autumn is going to help me bring about some life changes.  Life is short and the enrichment of friends is what makes it special………..

Norma, I booked my room (thank you!!) and I am coming to Rhinebeck, come hell or high water!! 

Although I have not been able to attend many fiber activities this summer, I have had a fun filled  fiber summer anyways!

This summer I have participated in a few different types of swaps.  One being the Colorswap, hosted by Lynne and the other one as been the KSKS Knitter

When I received my package yesterday morning and was greeted with green grass and a giant carrot I had to laugh.  I AM a Woolen Rabbit, no?

As I dug further into the package, I became more and more overwelmed with my swap partner’s thoughtfulness..

Inside this box of goodies were such incredible gifts and each one of them being something that I truly love and still keeping with that carrot theme….LOL


Some incredible Opal Handpaint yarn, some lovely Cherry Hill sock yarn…..and these carrot markers are just too cute!.

Some yummy Lindt candy that made my kids cry with envy…hehe… and best of all is the fantastic carrot bag , with a matching change purse!

I have participated in a number of swaps, but I have to say that I was completely touched by the thoughtfulness that went into this swap.  My gifter emailed me numerous times asking me all sorts of fun questions, getting to know me and I have to say she did a "bang up" job!  My swap gifter is
The Knitty Otter, go over and give her a big hello!!  Thanks sooooooooo much!!!

Can you guess who I had to make a bag for?  It was non other than  Jo of Jo Frog Knits   Now Jo is a girl who loves frogs, so this was fun!!

I had some balls of hand-dyed merino kicking around from this past winter.  I just laid out a few different colors and started felting away. 

One of the techniques that I used was the laminated felting that I learned at the one workshop that I attended this summer at Michelle’s farm.  I LOVE the way you can line a bag without having to sew it and the crinkly affect from the fiber felting to the wool is just to fun to watch happen.  Toping it off with a glamorous frog, especially for Jo was the finishing touch.

On A Sad Note

As many of you know, this has been a difficult summer for us in many ways.  A summer I am not really sad to see come to an end.

My oldest and very first Cavalier crossed over the Rainbow Bridge last week.  Maddie was a dear companion who spent her last 3 years living as my oldest daughter’s comfort spaniel.  Maddie filled a void in Stacey’s life when she gave birth to a still born baby three years ago. 

While we are sad to not see her happy, waggy tail, we also know that we were lucky to have 11 wonderful years with this funny little girl.
"Au Revoir"…………Farewell little one, until we meet again……….

Can you see a sound?
Can you hear light?’
Can you unite your senses?
Can you turn inward?

What we are all seeking is clarity

Forget about religious rationalizations.

Forget about elaborate explanations. 

What we all want is clarity.
Deng Ming~Dao

It has been a little while since I shared a passage from my favorite little book, but when I read this passage, I enjoyed it and thought that you might as well.  In todays world of chaos and war, it helped me to remember how important clarity is.

A Spinning/Knitting Fool am I

I have to admit that I have been such a bad blogger this summer.  I will also admit that I hate when people say that…haha!

I keep taking pictures in hopes of posting more regularly, but then get sidetracked once again and a week virtually flies by.

I have been working on the handspun MM stole and it is moving along at a nice comfortable pace.  The picture doesn’t really do the yarn justice however.  You can not see all of the lovely subtle color changes that happens in the yarn as the knitting progresses.

Now why is that stole draped over that wheel you may ask?  Well, it is because that wheel is going to be put up for sale on my side bar (if I manage to get it up there)  Any one who is a spinner out there in blog land knows that a wheel must speak to you if it is to stay.  This wheel is a gorgeous Cherry Vermont production wheel, but we have never really connected, so it must find the home that it was meant for :-).  If anyone is interested before I get photos up, please feel free to give me a shout 🙂

What has come for a visit however is a lovely fiddleback maple Van Eaton travel wheel.  This little wheel spins lovely laceweight singles.

Years ago I had an early version of this wheel and let it go and kind of regretted it after the fact.  This gorgeous version came available a few weeks ago and the temptation was too hard to pass by, so here she sits and on one of her lovely bobbins is some scrumptious silk from a brick that as been patiently waiting to be spun.

I am soooooooo enjoying working with this silk.  The colors are vibrant and the shine is incredible.  I had previously been spinning up some white angora blend and a white corriedale top, which has been so blessed boring that it has been a real treat to work with the lovely swirling colors in this silk.

The Color PURPLE!!!

In addition to the wheel arriving at my house, a package of the most yummy purple prezzies arrived as well from Becca of the Nutmeg Knitter Blog

What an incredible assortment of the yummiest purple’s ever!  A purple notebook and pens, some tissues along with a scented pencil and eraser.  A beautiful Serenity bookmark (she knows me well) along with some violet candies…..but the best part is the stunning Elizabeth Lavold silky wool in this beautiful shade of purple!

Thank you Becca!!!!

Thank you Lynne for putting this fun monthly colorswap together as well!  I like that you have a colorswap partner, so you know who you are getting something for and from……it is fun!  My experiences with secret pal swaps had not been very good in the past, but this little monthly get together has been a blast!

Maggie
Having only dealt with small dogs, I am continually amazed at how fast this sweet baby is growing.  Every morning I open up her crate door and swear she has grown an inch while she was sleeping!  YIKES!!

Sustenance for the Body……YUM!   

 Sustenance for the Spirit………FUN!

Laceing Along Again….

I think that even I have had enough of orange for a little while.  Last winter, I pulled out some dyed corriedale top that I had purchased on Ebay.  I was very disappointed when I received the roving as it was almost felted and I came very close to tossing it.

Somehow those colors just called out to me, so I pulled the roving apart into little strips and then pre~drafted each one.

Imagine how pleased I was when I got this lovely yarn!  Goes to prove that sometimes a sow’s ear, can turn into something nice…LOL

The pattern I am using is from Morehouse Merino and is called The LaScala Shawl.  It is a nice easy lace pattern and is working up quickly.

 

Spinning

The summer days here have been unusually steamy.  Up here in the mountains, we do not usually get these long stretches of uncomfortable weather. Too hot for knitting, this weather has lent itself just perfect for the slow rhythmic turning of my big 28 inch spinning wheel.

A cool glass of lemonade and lovely angora blends……….who could ask for more?

(Hmmmm………Are you noticing a little orange trend lately?)

.

A Growing Pup

Maggie is growing in leaps and bounds!  She is already towering over the Cavaliers here…  What a fun little girl she is!  Very independent with a mind of her own, but such a love bug.  (Kind of sounds like a few redheads I know…LOL)

Pattern:  Embossed Leaves Socks (Knits Winter 2005)
Yarn:  Opal Magic
Needles:  Size US 1

I would like to thank everyone who sent a note to me regarding Eddy.  Every now and then a little dog comes along that you bond with very closely and love dearly, he was one of those.  Because of dog club politics and possibly language barriers, Eddy had to be returned to Germany, even though it would not have been my choice.  My only hope is that he ends up in a home where he was loved as much as he was here.

And now on to more positive things…………..a lot more felting has been happening here.  Pictures will be following very soon!

Good bye my little Prince of New England and King of my Heart…

You are loved and you will be missed.

(Eddy left today for Germany…….it is still too difficult and personal for me to blog about, so I will say good-bye with some pictures) 

                                          
                                                

Good morning starshine
The earth says hello
You twinkle above us
We twinkle below

Good morning starshine

You lead us along

My love and me as we sing

Our early morning singing song

Gliddy glub gloopy

Nibby nabby noopy

La la la lo lo

Sabba sibby sabba

Nooby abba nabba

Le le lo lo

Tooby ooby walla

Nooby abba naba

Early morning singing song

As I was taking Miss Maggie for our morning walk in the yard, and saw the day’s beautiful sunrishe, this  song floated around in my mind.

Of course, the picture would be so much prettier without the electric wires, but it was the only view that I could capture the beautiful morning sun today.

What a difference a week makes in a puppy.  Little Miss Hellon Wheels has settled down considerably and I have to admit, either Cavaliers are not very bright (LOL) or this girl is extremely smart.  We’ve been dealing with some sad dog health issues, so Maggie has been a wonderful diversion 🙂

Felting Again

This weekend, my husband offered to tend to the small zoo and I took off for a day of learning new felting techniques.

My friend, Michelle of Sunshine Daydreams Gardens, a talented girl in her own right, hosted a day of felting classes, given by Australian fiber artist, Julie Williams of Jaruleeli FeltART.  Julie has been in the US since march and is felting her way around the world.

Michelle’s lovely gardens were a perfect back drop on a warm summer day for felting, lemonade and good company.

Someday, I hope to have a garden as lovely as this one!

This particular class is called the rose bag. It is a resist bag with a resist rose in the center.

Starting out with a plastic pattern and some cotton fabric, the merino and in my case, bits of silk are felted on to the fabric.  A separate little flap attached to the bag is also felted.  This flap will eventually become the rose in the center of the bag.

Now mind you, I am used to felting with a sander, so rolling the wool around on a bubble wrapped noodle was certainly a work out…LOL, but when it was finished, I have to say that I was very pleased with the results.

There are things that I think I might change when I do this again and a sander will definitely incoorporated, but all in all, it was a fun class and it’s always nice to meet new fiber artists.  I love learning new techniques!

Blue Gifts
 This summer I have participated in Lynne’s colorswap.  Summers with the all of the kids (and their
friends) home is usually crazy busy with children activities and
hopefully squeezing in some work.  I thought that it would be fun to
give and receive treats……something for me to look forward to in the summer’s insanity…… and I
have not been disappointed yet!

Emily has sent me the most wonderful blue gifts.  Some Regia sock yarn, seeds for 2 of my most favorite flowers, some yummy treats (one of which is missing…LOL) and best of all some handmade paper, which is absolutely beautiful!

Thanks Emily!! 

Peacock iridescence in veridical shadows,
Violet blooms spread to noonday sun.
The world’s beauty is a swirl of color,
But in the flower’s center is bright stillness

Deng Ming~Dao

Do you see all of those little droplets? 

Yes……………..

    rain,
           rain,
                  rain

and a little more rain is what we have had for most of our early summer here in the Mountains.  How about you?  Has your corner of the world been sunny and warm… or hot, muggy, rainy and miserable like it has been here…..ick!  Let’s hope for better things in July!  Happy 4th!!

Color Me Orange

I have had a few comments from some of my favorite fiber people checking to see if I am still alive…LOL.  Working full time, if even from home, has certainly put a crimp in my blogging.  I have tried to spend what free time I have working on some different fiber ventures.  I take lots of pictures, but unfortunately, I run out of steam at night and opt to spin instead of blog…..but I do miss blogging, so I am going to try to get up a bit earlier in the morning.  Now,  I am not an early morning person, however, getting up early will not be as hard as it might sound for me…..I will explain a bit later…hehe.

I promise though, I am really going to try to be better with responding to comments, as I do appreciate and enjoy each and every one, even if I didn’t have a chance to say so. 🙂

I bet you are wondering what the heck those bright orange pictures are……..hmmmmm……….

I had some balls of merino roving left over from this winter, so I thought that I would play with them, along with a few of the silk bricks I have sitting around here.

I have been participating in the Color Spectrum Swap, that Lynne has been hosting and wanted to make my swap partner a present with the 2 hands that the good Lord gave to me, so I though I would play with some felting and these 2 bags are what I ended up with

I have been wanting a bag for my double pointed needles, but haven’t been able to find one that I liked.

Because I have a tendency to randomly grrab a dp needle out of the pottery vase they have been living in to pull up my hair when I get one of those damn hot flashes that visit me hourly, I am forever misplacing one, so I thought it was time to create a bag for myself. 

One of the things that I wanted to avoid was having to roll the bag up and tying it with a ribbon….call me lazy, but I just don’t like bags that roll.  I made this one to fold in thirds and snap or button close.  All in all I am happy with it 🙂

And A Little More Orange…...

Remember I mentioned having to get up early in the morning??  Well, here is the reason………..

Meet Maggie, our Orange Belton English Setter puppy!  She comes to us from Bob and Francie Stevens of Fieldplay English Setters.

A bigger dog is going to be my new challenge.  Keeping her in show shape, is going to help my shape…LOL!

A big THANK YOU to Bob and Francie!