~Spring Magic~
The World is very old;
But year by year
It groweth new again
When buds appear.

The World is very old,
And sometimes sad;
But when the daises come
The World is glad.

The World is very old;
But every Spring
It groweth young again,
And fairies sing
Cicely Mary Barker

I thought that this poem was such an appropriate one to kick off Friday’s flowers.  While many of you are in full bloom, here in the mountains we are just starting to see the signs of what is to come.

The baby buds on the crabapple trees and lilac bushes should burst open over the next few days. 

I have to admit that this one week in the year when all of the flowering fruit trees and dogwoods are in full bloom is one of my favorite weeks.  It is just SO beautiful.

Of course you know it’s Spring when you see a field full of these as well….

Ken treats our front and side yarns with crabgrass/weed killer, but we usually leave one of the fields alone to do it’s own thing and this is that field…LOL.  Full of Dandelions…great for Dandelion wine and bunnies 🙂

You also know it’s Spring when you see yard after yard of freshly tilled gardens.

We have decided to expand our garden a bit this year, so I had someone in to till the garden as well…..and welll……

Oh my…….the tiller was a kind hearted man, but at 72 years old, I pretty much walked behind him to be sure he didn’t have a heart attack.  I think that this garden was a bit more than he anticipated….yikes!  God bless him, he told me that next year he thought he might send his son…LOL.

After spending the day in the yard, I am really looking forward to the upcoming garden season and am looking forward to seeing yours as well!

Birthdays, anniversaries, memorials, festivals
Measure our progress on the path.
Deng Ming~Dao

The other day at the Sheep and Wool festival, Laurie and I were talking about how easy it is to lose your blog voice when you have stepped away for a bit.  Somedays it seems as though life goes by so fast that a thought has come and gone and then a day has come and gone….then a week….and that thought is long gone.  I could completely relate, because I feel the same way at times.

My life has been very busy since the last NH Sheep and Wool festival, but it has been a wonderful kind of busy, as I get to do the things that I love to do for work, but on the other hand…it is still work.

The one thing I have lost over the last few years however is the free time that I once had to knit, weave and visit with friends as much as I would like to….I miss that the most.

These "Little Nothing" scarves of Anne’s have been perfect for me during this time in my life right now.  I actually feel as though I am accomplishing something at the end of the week, which hasn’t been happening here for a spell.

Many nights, when I finally get to sit down, I am just too tired to tackle anything that I have to think very much about.  This new little scarf is so easy, peasy that I was able to memorize the pattern right off.  I actually find that I look forward to the hour I have at night and in the morning now to knit.

I am really looking forward to the summer and the change in schedules.  Life seems to become a bit more flexible and relaxed don’t you think?

The weather here is really starting to warm up nicely, so I thought that I would start back again with Friday’s Flowers this week.

Please feel free to snag my button on my side bar and join along.  It was fun last year to see how different the flowers are from region to region.  I look forward to seeing your flowers again this year too!

Another New Hampshire Sheep and Wool Festival has come and gone.  The weather was picture perfect and spending time with good friends was as magical as ever.

Now, one thing you are not going to see on my blog this year is pictures of those friends because I didn’t take my camera with me.  Learning to use the new camera is like trying to learn how to ride a bike again.  I am sure that you will see a bunch of pictures over the next few days however…..the grrls were in rare photography form..LOL!

As we have been tearing apart my barn in preparation for the Studio that Ken is building for me, I was ever mindful of how much fiber I have stashed in there, so I resisted the temptation to by too much fiber. 

The only stuff that did come home with me were these 2 lovely angora blends from Chris.  Yes…you read that right…angora…and yes, I have a barn full of angora, but these are ready to sit and be spun and oh so beautiful!  The only other purchases were some yummy dressings and a beautiful gift from Ken for Mother’s Day.

I met up with the grrls for lunch, but for the rest of the festival, Ken and I took our time enjoying the weather and our day away from home.  At one point, he told me he felt bad, thinking I would rather be with my friends as I don’t see them that often.

Silly man…….what he doesn’t realize is that I treasure the time that we get to spend alone even more.  Having 5 children, well, you can well imagine how that goes.  We spent a number of years attending the festival was with a child in tow complaining each step of the way how boring it was.  I have to admit that i have enjoyed the childless trips a bit more 🙂

All in all it was a fabulous day out!  A grrl needs that every now and then. 🙂

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

Whereas Anne’s Boing is a wild child in her bright and happy colors, mine is a bit more fragile and subdued….a quiet but beautiful sister.

This is another beautiful lace stitch pattern that creates a little extra something to wear around your neck when it is not really that cold, but cool enough to warrant a bit of extra warmth…or to dress up an outfit.   I so enjoy knitting these little scarves, as they are easy to knit and finish in a short period of time.  Perfect for a gift as well. 

Pattern:  "Boing!"
Yarn:  300-400 yards (depending on desired length)
Woolen Rabbit Whisper Lace Yarn ~ Rhubarb
Needles:  US 4
Another fun knit!  (Available starting Friday)

I bet you thought you were going to see a picture of a completed "Boing!"

Not today as Boing is getting a good soak in some hot water and Eucalan.  Later this afternoon I will block her so that hopefully I can take some pictures tomorrow when the sun comes back out….featuring my favorite shy model again.

The picture above is another one of Anne’s patterns, Tesserae, done in some Harmony sock yarn in a colorway that was another nameless one until today.  Every time I looked at it, I could only think of the yummy frozen Chocolate Chambord drink we used to make years ago at a restaurant I used to work at.  YUM….

To give you an idea how much I enjoy working on this sock, I show you this picture…hee.

Those who know me well, know that this doesn’t usually happen so soon after the first sock is completed…..however, this is such a neat pattern!

It’s 2 groups of 6 rows each so it is easy to finish a repeat quickly and very easy to find where you left off without dragging the pattern around.  When I want mindless knitting or a glass of wine, I work on the sock :-).

Now that "Boing!" is finished, I am moving on to the next little nothing.  I really enjoy knitting these little scarves as they are easy to complete and fun to wear tucked into a sweater this time of year.  Simple lace stitch patterns perfect for those new to lace.

Now you may be wondering what that pretty background in all of my pictures is…or maybe not, but I will tell you anyways. 🙂

Yesterday I met Terry for an afternoon of shopping and lunch.  Of course meeting in a fabric store in Portsmouth that has some of the best selection of fabric crammed into a very small space was the perfect reason to purchase something a bit more challenging for me in the sewing department.  Now that I feel like I have finally caught my breath, I am going to sit back down to the sewing machine again. 🙂

As a footnote….thank you all so much for your camera suggestions!  Even though the Canon seemed to be the larger favorite, I am pretty sure I am going to get the Nikon.  After reading the online reviews and speaking with some diehard camera buffs, even the Canon folks were impressed with this new Nikon.  So now I have to save a few more pennies, but it will be worth it :-).

Spring was a time of swaggering declarations.
Reaching autumn, one finds few absolutes.
Life is mystery and ambiguity,
Toward winter, that now seems agreeable and comfortable.
Deng Ming~Dao

I love this quote from my favorite little book.  I am definitely approaching that autumn time in my life :-).

As you can see in the picture above, I have not quite yet finished Boing, although she is bigger now than in the picture.  I am hoping to finish her up tomorrow then on the blocking wires she goes.

Thank you all SO much for all of your colorway name suggestions…they are great!  So far I am leaning towards a Rhubarb theme, but I think I am going to wait to see how it blocks out first.

The show this weekend was great fun!  Skyy only placed in her class on Sunday, but it was a big class with many lovely puppies, so we were pleased with her placement.  She is still a baby with many shows ahead. 

One of the things that made the show even more enjoyable was the company of Scottish Lamb,Jean and her family.  Over the last year since they have returned from Germany, Ken and I have really enjoyed getting to know them better and this weekend was no exception!

Now….I did take my knitting and my camera.  Did I knit…nope.  Did I take pictures of Jean’s family….nope.  You know how it goes….too much yakking and not enough pictures.  The kicker is however that Jean brought her fabulous Canon SLR camera that I used all weekend taking pictures for a dog show magazine.  Oy~vey, you would have thought I could have taken one picture that was not dog related…LOL.

I will tell you however, that I NEVER should have touched that camera….and you know the reason why I am sure.  Yep…..you can’t want what you don’t know…but once you know, you are sunk.

As soon as I got home, the research began.  A girl can get dizzy reading all of the reviews and of course choosing between a Canon and a Nikon is like choosing between a Toyota and a Honda.

I have narrowed the choices down to these 2 cameras.  A Nikon D300 and a
Canon 40D.  Both of these cameras are way more camera than I probably need, but I really enjoy photography and hope to take some classes.  Between the dogs, fiber and family, I do take a ton of pictures and one of these cameras should get me through many many years.  The hard part is going to be choosing which one. 
Any preferences out there?

I had all kinds of things I wanted to show you this week, but alas Mother Time didn’t allow for it.  Ken and I are heading out of town for the weekend to celebrate our anniversary and to attend the CKCSC,USA National Specialty.

She who would be naughty and chewed her ears will be staying home, giving her younger sister a chance to shine on her own.  Wish us luck!

I hope you all have an enjoyable and restful weekend!

Imagination song, the soaring spirit.
Separate them to know them as aspects of the whole,
Join them to know the mystery of totality.
Deng Ming~Dao

In my little book Deng Ming~Dao goes on to talk about how powerful the mind can be when it is focused and  how many of us are lost in the vastness of our own uncharted minds………(yep…that would usually be me and my ADD)

Many people tend to get a bit unfocused come Spring time, hence the term Spring Fever, but for me, I find Spring to have the opposite effect.  I become very focused and rejuvenated. 

Today I played with my little Peat Pots.  It is too funny to watch them grow when you add water the bottom of the tray….like little  brown Stay Puff Marshmallows…LOL

We have decided to double our garden this year, so I am starting some plants from seed and will sow the rest into the soil directly.  It’s hard to believe that Spring is really here, but after a week of 70 degree temps, most of our snow is finally gone..whoo hoo!

Ok, so I bet your wondering what that lovely little bit of lace at the top of my post is.  Isn’t it pretty?

This is another of Anne’s Little nothings….."Boing".   It hasn’t been released yet….but soon.  I know, it’s hard to wait, but this one will be worth it….trust me!

You know how much I loved working on Alhambra…well, I think I may love this one even more!

In working up these little scarves, I am trying to come up with colorways that I think will complement the pattern. 

Where as Alhambra really needed to be more of a semi-solid color to show off the texture, Anne went more in a varigated direction with her sample.  Following her lead, I went a bit softer in contrast, but still varigated enough to lend some depth to the scarf.

My scarf in person looks very delicate and almost Victorian.  I have to admit though that I am a bit stumped on what to name the colorway, so feel free to send me a suggestion. 🙂

Pattern:  Alhambra
Yarn:  300-400 yards (depending on desired length)
Woolen Rabbit Whisper Lace Yarn ~ Fiddlehead
Needles:  US4
Fabulous little knit!  (Available starting Friday)

Thanks Anne!

Seize the mountain spirits,
Make them divulge their secrets.
Only with strength is there discovery.
Deng Ming~Dao

It is a beautiful day here in the mountains, so once I finished blocking Alhambra, I decided to take a walk around the property to inspect the conditions of the land and the gardens, now that a good amount of our snow has finally melted.

Yes, I actually completed the scarf and can honestly say I loved each and every stitch.  Anne is a genius when it comes to writing patterns, but then you already know that, don’t you? 🙂

Come take a walk…….

First stop is the side yard that is mostly old pasture land.  Yes….the snow has left some pretty big puddles.

We live across the street from a large pond which runs underneath our yard, so Spring is always a squishy time of year, even when we have not had the snows that we had this year.

Great for the garden soil, but certainly messy. 

I have to admit, I am pleasantly surprised that mud season isn’t nearly as bad as we thought it was going to be.  The nights have been cold and the days have been warm, which has led to a nice gradual melt.

Now we have to keep our fingers crossed that we do not get a lot of spring rains.

As you can see my garden is pretty much still under water,  but I was pleased to see that  my Rosemary looks like it has survived.

Amazing given that it was under 5 feet of snow at one point this winter.  On closer inspection, I think that my Oregano may have made it as well.  Go figure….they must be sturdy plants!

All in all it was a beautiful morning for a walk.  Blue skies, warmish temps and plenty of bird songs all around……..