Merino Wool

I went to demonstrate spinning at the local pioneer museum at their annual pork feed day. I had a lot of people stop and ask questions, etc. My sister came down for the afternoon and we had a little birthday party for her at the Dairy Queen. Mom was quite taken with the merino wool singles I was spinning and remarked how nicely that yarn would knit up for a pair of socks and how much did I want for it? So I spun up 2 spools worth and plied them together and got about 226 yards of this lovely heathery dark purple-y (I like your sweater! It's very purple-y! ;) yarn and gave it to her for an early birthday present. I will spin up and ply another 100 or so yards so she has enough for a pair of socks. It is a lovely blend of black merino wool with red and blue blended throughout.

WIP--Holly Leg Warmers

I know. I've started another project. Another project to sit on the pile with all the others and be picked up and knit on here and there. But isn't it pretty?! These are legwarmers (being knit in JULY no less!) from the fabulous book Handknit Holidays. They were supposed to be knit from a DK weight yarn, and instead I'm using some Summit Hill worsted that I found in Rochester. I was just sweating it and thinking they would be way too wide and tall for the pattern, but they are coming along very nicely. This has been some nice fairisle practice. I made good time on this first one and really may as well have knit the back panel of a sweater! Knitting back and forth, stranding and changing colors, fooling around with tension and following the chart backwards while purling, etc. has really made me appreciate the rationale behind the dreaded steek! I didn't say I'm looking forward to them, but I can certainly see why you'd want to do that. I like looking at the wrong side almost as much as the right side! :)

Happy 4th Of July!

Here is a picture of my most recent socks and my blindingly white legs! They are knit from Trekking sock yarn on size 2 dpn's and I finished them on my trip. My grandma and uncle from Fargo were at my parents' home visiting, and Grandma and I spent the afternoon chopping and freezing young rhubarb! While I was out in the garden cutting stalks, I couldn't help but think how nice my socks would look next to those pinks and greens! Grandma and Doug will go on to visit my brother's home where my sister will join them, and then they will ride the train home. We don't get to see them nearly enough but it was so nice to be together and visit. There is nothing so precious as working side by side in a kitchen next to your Grandmother! We had a beautiful day, we enjoyed wonderful food (including fresh corn on the cob!) and even better company--we couldn't have planned it any better! Nothing is more fitting than rhubarb on an Iowa July day!

And of course, THANK YOU to all our men and women in the Armed Forces today! We think of you ESPECIALLY today!

Did I NEED this stuff?

No. Could I LIVE without it? CERTAINLY NOT! ;)





Here are some pictures of the PLUNDER I bought on my last trip for those of you not lucky enough to enjoy a Trunk Show in my living room! I always try to get things for my kitchen because I spend a lot of time in there, and because that way I will USE my souvenirs. I picked up some hard to come by and local ingredients such as gelatin leaves, vanilla sugar, Speculaa spices, and Dutch Process cocoa (from Holland no less!). I found some lovely mini blanc mange pudding molds as well as wooden and tin Speculaa molds. Since we were in Cheese Country, I acquired cheese shavers and shredders for myself and gifts for everyone. And of course I could not come home without looking for tea strainers (note both Delft and steel). My kitchen favorites have to be the Delft sugar caster and the steel egg piercer!


Anyone who has been in this apartment knows that I am a slave to trinkets, bags, and blank books! I happily found a copy of The Diary of Anne Frank in Norwegian, a melamine tiffin, another wax seal, magnets, Romanov bookplates, dreidels, knitting needles, a rosary, Christmas ornaments, and stickers--just to name a few things. Now I just have to find homes for them within my abode!

And my FAVORITE thing to shop for...RAW MATERIALS! Holland had all kinds of "souvenirs" because they are known for tulips, wooden clogs, windmills, etc. whereas Denmark did not have typical "souvenirs". I bought all kinds of nic nac paddywhacks in Holland, but I bought YARN in Denmark! I did find some lovely trims and linen thread in Holland, a meter of this 60" wide fabric, as well as my first Knitting Nellie, but I found 3 more Nellies in Denmark! My favorite had to be the 3 skeins of Kauni yarn! I don't know if it is officially a "space dyed" yarn, but unlike regular variegated yarn (where it knits up a mottled color combination) this yarn has long stretches of color that blend into one another! You can kind of see the inside of the middle ball! It has vivid rainbow colors in sequence, so just imagine how a scarf or a shawl would knit up! I bought 2 more balls of a soft purple/blue/green blend for a purse. We saw the example in that yarn shop. The pattern was an original design of the owner and not available for sale, but after we visited with her and shopped, she surprised and delighted me by GIVING me a copy of the pattern! My mother has already threatened to steal both the yarn and pattern and begin work on it! We'll SEE about THAT! ;)