A Few Sheep Shy of a Farm

Just a quick note . . .

to say that I likely won’t be able to post again until after the big party this weekend! With all the party prep I haven’t actually gotten to do much knitting or any additional carding for “Le Tour de Fleece” so it isn’t like I’ve much that is post worthy right now anyway . . .

I am doing a little bit of scrapbooking type stuff. I’ve used the SB stuff to put together a big foamboard of baby photos for a display at the party and intend to create actual pages for his album later . . .

I’m also planning to start dyeing yarn again, next week actually. I had been hoping to have MIL watch him 2 days a week but since she is going out of state for perhaps as much as a month or two (hmm, guess that means I’m kitten sitting?) and my SIL is having a new baby any time now so my own Mom will be busy with them . . . Mimmo is just going to have to learn about Mama having to work I guess. Better dyeing yarns at home when I can still take breaks for him than off at an office all day where I wouldn’t see him, right?

Ah well, sometime next week after the party I’ll be back with sock photos, blended fiber photos, spinning photos? and perhaps a few party pics.

Have a great holiday weekend!

The “Startitis” is getting worse, not better!

I was just browsing in KR and noticed the thread about knitting holiay gifts . . . I haven’t even come up with a list yet . . . but then I started thinking . . . wouldn’t it be fun to make matching sweaters (and hats and mittens) for my two neices? And that lead to thinking about what to make Mimmo for winter . . . and what to knit for DH for Christmas this year . . . I’m sure he’d love a sweater . . . and . . .and .. . .and . . .

Too many ideas, not enough time.

We are at the count-down till the big birthday bash on Saturday and I have a ton of stuff to do still. I made sauce last night (still need a 2nd pot though) and there is a bunch of cleaning (window washing, scrubbing the bathroom, and dusting!) and the patio needs to be really cleaned again . . . I’ve also got to get pictures together for a little project I want to have done.

I’m starting a scrap book that will someday be DS’s. I plan to put together several pages with things from his first year and then temporarily attach them to a big piece of foam board to display during the party. I can then put them into page protectors and into a book to be added to over the years and that will some day be given to him to keep. Perhaps I’ll hang on to it and give it to hime when he has his first child someday . . . talk about long term planning right?

Well, he’s up from his nap and I’ve got to get the pictures together . . .

Oh, I’ve been working more on the sock (late at night when I’m too tired to clean any more) I’ve gotten most of the way through the heel gusset and should be working on the foot by sometime tonight I hope. I’ll take a picture later today or sometime tomorrow if I can.

Aaaahhhh!

I think I may be coming down with a case of “Startitis” again! I’ve got the lace shawl for DH’s Aunt on needles as my “at home” project though I don’t intend to pick it up again until after the party next week . . . I can’t focus well enough for lace until after that!

I’ve started the sock that is in the photos from a few days ago and I’m actually on the first heel. I didn’t like the heel that was in the book . . . it was a heel where you work all the stitches on each row and it looked wide for my feet so last night I ripped it out and I’m doing a Sl 1, k 1 on RS, S1, purl to end on ws heel which tend to fit my foot the best. I’m about 1/2 done with the revised heel and hope to be working on the foot before the end of the day. . .

This morning I realized I’m way behind - I need to come up with a baby gift!!!!! My brother and SIL are expecting their 2nd daughter pretty much any time now. She isn’t due until July 23rd but due to some complications the DR believes she is very likely to arrive a few weeks early. And having seen said SIL a few weeks ago I’d tend to agree, she looks like she could pop at any moment (and like she wouldn’t mind either) so I really should make a little something for the new baby. I’m thinking of doing a small sweater for now. Something in a premie size since she is likely to be early and that way she will have something to wear inside in the AC this summer . . . I know it won’t last long but I also know that most of what they have for clothing for her is going to be huge on a premie . . . I have some nice white baby yarn . . . perhaps a raglan with a picot edge? I think I still have a pattern around here somewhere for that . . . . I did one for our other neice last year and one for my step-father’s new neice before that. So perhaps tomorrow when DH is working a double I’ll be starting another project!!!!

I also managed to make it out to the barn to card up some of the fiber for “Le Tour de Fleece” the other day. I’ve got about 2 1/2 onces carded so far . . . doesn’t sound like much but I’ve got a big pile of dyed samples in solid colors that I’m taking snippits from and blending them together to make lovely new shades . . . I’ll then take all these different colored bats and spin them one at a time into a yarn that keeps changing color . . . My plan is to try to card up about a pound before the challenge starts so I’ll have enough for several hats and perhaps even a matching scarf or two.

Okay, the boys are getting hungry, DH is mumbling about going out for breakfast (no, I’ve got too much to do here!) so I’d better go feed them.

Oh, got in the final Season 2 episode of “The 4400″ last night while the boys were out (visiting Godfather) so now I’m caught up Anyone else watching that show?

Caution: Blogging can be dangerous!

Especially, if like me, you can’t resist wanting to try everything you see, all at once!

I’m continuing my tour of my webring neighbors this morning with a visit to this site: Sivia Harding Knit Designs.

Many of you have probably already seen her site and her amazing lace shawl patterns . . . but as I’ve been a bit out of the loop (or ring as the case may be) for a while now . . . I’m only just discovering her work.

Now I’m just dyeing (pun intended) to knit this:

This lovely shawl is the Shetland Garden Faroese Shawl and I’m thinking of doing it in one of my yarns . . . how about some nice Espresso Hmm, it might take me some drinkable espresso to get through this one! I’m so inspired by it that I might just have to come up with a whole new colorway just for this shawl! Hows that for Inspirations?

Perhaps this will be just the thing to get the dye pots simmering again around here!

The boys are looking for their breakfast so I have to run . . . .

Getting back into blogging . . .

So now that I seem to have managed to start posting regularly again I’ve decided to clean up the blog a bit! I worked on it a little bit last night, removing old broken links and webrings that I was no longer in etc.

While doing that I came up with an idea to get me reading a few other blogs again as well. I started visiting my “Web ring neighbors” by clicking on the previous/next links for the rings. I don’t know how many I’ll get to do but this morning I started off with the Fiber Arts Ring and clicked over to CJ’s blog and even left a comment . . .

She had a post about something that sounds like great fun:

The idea is to set a spinning challenge for yourself, post about it on your blog and try to compete it during the Tour de France. I love it so much that I’m planning to email her and offer to donate a prize from Inspirations! Perhaps some nice handpainted fiber . . . .

My challenge is going to be to spin up a pile of roving samples that I had dyed. I’m going to alternate the colors and then navajo ply (something I’ve never done before) and use the yarn to knit hats for the hat box that I keep.

The hat box is something that I have been doing for a few years now. When I get a chance I knit up a winter hat, usually from leftover yarn or sometimes handspun, and put them in the box. Then as the weather cools off I break out the box and have let various kids (and even a few adults) choose a hat from the box. In past years I’ve given them to my cousins and Aunt, to Pixie Dust and to a few other kids we know. The idea is that instead of knitting a specific hat for a specific kid, I knit what I feel like and then they can choose what they like best . . .much higher satisfaction ratio for them and for me! And after all the intended recipients have made their selections the remainder of the hats get donated to charity.

Anyway, I’m signing up for the tour. The hardest part of the challenge for me will just be in finding the time to spin! I think I’m going to spin this up on my Ashford Joy as it is currently living in the house anyway and will be easiest to take out after the little guy has gone to bed most evenings. . . . lately I get to sit and do fibery things starting sometime around 10 pm . . .

Speaking of which, I have made some progress on the socks. The leg of it is now about 6 1/2 inches long . . . another 2 to go before the heel . . . not bad considering, see:

I really like the way the stripes of color actually spiral around the sock leg, pretty neat stuff

And look, my lavender is making a real come-back this year. Lots of flowers!

Okay, gotta run, my boys are looking to be fed!