Spinning Update

Here's the thing,
I think I love spinning.The hank on the left is what I spun the other night, and then I brought the stuff that I had on hand from a 6 year-old purchase to the park and spun up some more.
I did it at the Park! while I was watching the kids.
I probably only have about 50 yards of the blue, I will knit up a swatch today to see what it looks like.

In other news, the shade garden is coming along quite well.
And this-is a girl determined to bike without training wheels.
So there is spinning excitement all around here.

Enjoy the sunny breaks today,
Jess

Oh Dear

As I said, my dear friend Nancy has opened a door to a new craft.
Well, I thought I'll just try it again.
I bought a drop spindle and some wool web when I was pregnant with the Elder Hug-a-Bug, that's 6 years ago, and never had much luck with it.
The lady I bought it from was really good at spinning, and she showed how she did it and I just kept getting farther and farther away from the spindle, and the yarn was everywhere and I hated doing it.
So N told me to go on YouTube and look up videos of people spinning and I did and this is what I did when I should have been sleeping last night.

I could see last night that the yarn was becoming less consistent and so I stopped, but I could get hooked on this, I tell you what.

Time to take the kids to school,
Hope you had a terrific Mother's Day!
Jess

Shepherds Harvest

Yesterday and today the Shepherd's Harvest Sheep and Wool Festival was and is going on at the Washington County Fairgrounds.
My friend Nancy and I went with our families. We spent the morning looking at sheep and goats and stock dogs, but, my friends, it was COLD there.
So when the rams and lambs got too cold and hungry, we went home.
Then Nancy and I went back for seconds after naps were established.
Nancy is a spinner. She is doing her best to suck me in to her twisty world, and I got some beautiful wool/silk roving.
I also bought two basket kits;



The lovely and talented Elder Hug-a-Bug wanted to try her hand at some basket weaving and did a couple of rows. She really enjoyed it, and I think we can do the next basket entirely as a team.
The basket ended up a little lop-sided, but that's o.k. with me.
It was also supposed to have a handle, but the cane broke, so an open table-top basket it is.
I don't know if I said this before, but I am not very good at making baskets.
I just like to do it.

So, I think it was a very successful day at the festival, and I can't wait for next year!

In other news, the front of the Elizabeth I is completed. I have one sleeve cast on, but it isn't very far along.

The front needs a good blocking, as you can see, but I am really getting excited about this sweater.
My next conundrum is whether to make the back the same as the front, as instructed, or make a plain back which will be easier and faster.

Have a wonderful Mother's day!
Jess

Spring Storm Season

It's upon us.

This afternoon while we were getting dumped on with rain, the Elder Hug-a-Bug says to my husband:

"Ice falling from the sky!?! You've got to be kidding me!"

Tra La

How do I love May!
The official start of the gardening season!

I decided that this was the year to take the only part of our yard that gets any sun and turn it into a veggie/herb/berry patch.

I spent most of the day moving the grass from here
(This Robin was pretty jazzed about all of the worms I was bringing up)
To here
This part of the yard is one of the shadier places, and we haven't had much luck with grass seed.
Most of the transplanted stuff is Creeping Charlie, or Charlie Creepers as the Hug-a-Bugs say, and I wonder if it will work better here than the seed. (I know, it's a weed, but I like it. No maintenance and there are pretty purple flowers)
If the transplant doesn't work we don't lose much since it was just a big patch of dirt before anyway.

Here is a before from last summer. And here is the after.Note that the Cozy Coupe is in the same 'time out' place, having caused one too many disagreements.

So far I have planted onions, tomatoes and some herbs.
I didn't do any veggies or herbs last year and I really missed running out to the garden for fresh thyme or basil.

I am off to read some gardening books,
I hope that you have had spectacular weather today too!
Jess

More green knitting, etc.

First of all, can I just say how irritated I am with my DVR?
We are always putting the kids to bed during Lost, and so we always tape it.
Shouldn't the DVR know that a show is going to run late? Shouldn't it know that a major character, even one I don't particularly care about, getting shot is something that the viewer would like to see?
Oh well, it's a good thing I have you fine folks to keep me in the know.


Second, I have been off Dairy for over two months now and today I tried baking some cookies with vegan butter.
They're o.k. there is a little aftertaste that I can't quite identify, but I like cookies, so all in all I am pleased.

Third, it is May!!! I almost missed this fact, and faithful readers will recall that I have one May Day ritual, I crank up the Lusty Month of May from Camelot and sing along at the top of my voice.

Check.

It is a little windy today, but that didn't stop the Hug-a-Bugs from having a super time at the park this morning.


And fourth, I began a new knitting project on Tuesday.
It's the Elizabeth I pattern from Alice Starmore's Tudor Roses book.


The yarn is Thirteen Mile Sportweight in color Moss.
I am really loving this knitting.
It's mostly stockinette, so it's pretty mindless, which I love.

Enjoy May Day!
Jess

Last concert of the Season

Caritas Vocal Ensemble is giving their last concert of the season this evening at 7:30.
The concert is at 1st Lutheran Church in Columbia Heights.
This concert is to benefit the Arc Retreat Center.
Please come and support this worthy cause, and come enjoy some beautiful music.
We are doing a super fun program, and we'd love to see each and every one of you out there.