Spinning In The Woods

A couple of weeks ago I got myself a new spinning wheel, Ashford Joy 2 and I love it. Altho I got to work on my spinning techniques but having fun doing it.

I chose this one for easy handling to take out to my Outpost and camping.  It is so quiet and spins like a dream.  I spin outside and just listen to the birds and cows and sheep in their pastures, so very peaceful. I wish I had done this years ago.  

I have an older fairly tale type spinning wheel that I never got the parts for.  So my dream of spinning was put on hold for so many years and now I'm spinning : ).   DD is raising some sheep so I'll have wool and go from sheep to socks.

Here is my very first spun yarn.  Its from wool I had for some time and it was a bit compacted.  I dyed it and then carded and made rolags which made it easier to spin.  Still its rough and will make a nice little project.

After the spin it is then put on the Niddy Noddy and then twisted into a skein.   

This was a wool I spun, dyed and then did my first 2ply with a textured tread, it to is a bit on the rough side but was fun to do. planning to put beads on this one.

I'll call these practice yarns Art Yarn : ).   Someday I'll be making a thinner yarn that is even.   Dyeing the yarn and then on a blending board will make for some interesting yarns, sky's the limit

Morels are up and the hunting is on.  Hubby and I found about 80/85 and we just started yesterday, some today before the storms came.  They should be out tomorrow full blast.   

Gardening is going full blast to. With cold crops put out earlier, peas are up and onions.  Lettuce, radishes, carrots, potatoes, kale, garlic and herbs and lots of wild flowers and perennials.   The flowering trees are beautiful this season.  

With over 2 hundred heirloom tomato plants that will be planted around May 1st.  I plan not to put that many out this year and give the plants to DD.   

Winter sowing did OK but could have done better if I had newer seed.  I used a lot of older seed and will I took a chance.  But I'll be planting lots of plants from the WS.  Its a really good way to get head start on the plants.  I'm very sold on it and cuz works : )

More important of all is my Mom is recovering very well.  She is a trooper and does her therapy and it sure makes a difference.  She even helped my sister transplant tomatoes in her wheel chair.  She was very happy doing that.   Now she can use a walker and soon move on to a cane.  She'll be dancing before we know it : ).

We have some nasty storms today so I hope you all are safe and perfect weather.  Thank you for your visits.

linda

Might As Well Knit

What do you do when your mom falls and breaks her leg and wait while a four hour operation is going on.  You knit and knit.  Pray and knit.   Its been an ordeal and mom is coming along really well for her age 87. She is spunky!  Mom is back home at my sisters and we take turns watching 24/7.   Pee breaks in the middle of the night with a bell ringing from mom. Sis and I would be sleeping in the living room with moms bedroom door open and jump up and run in, lift her on the pot.  Hats off to nurses and aids who lift their patience.  It really is a job. We are doing good along with nurses and therapist who come out and work with mom. 

So theres nothing but knitting to do when mom is sleeping and recuperating.  So I got a couple of different  socks made and now I need to make those second socks.
I'm making my socks a bit more challenging with harder patterns to follow.  So far so good with just a few glitches.

Ridge and Eyelet from Hand-Knit Socks by Threads Winter 2014, very easy

 

Periwinkle Picot from Love of Knitting  Spring  2014  designer Phyll Lagerman
This pattern I altered and did for a smaller foot.  I thought I was going to be in trouble but turn out ok.  Next pair I will use the correct yarn and follow the direction to the letter.  Was fun to do after I learn how the pattern went. 

 Tomorrow I'll be watching mom and I'll bring my knitting and work on those second socks : ).

Garden update:

Seed potatoes (Red Pontiac) are cut up and ready for the St Patrick's Day planting.  Rain, snow, sleet or sun shine I always plant the potatoes on that day.

Almost Spring!

Have a Happy St. Patrick's Day-- don't forget to wear green ; )
linda   

Asking For Help Pays Off

I'm on a site that has many members from all over the world, called    Ravelry (click on).     Its a place  you can keep track of your knitting's and crochet projects, your own library , patterns , an outstanding data base and you can share and ask for help with many more features.  It is awesome.  I have already learn some new things and the one that I thought I would never understand and do is the cable stitch.  So heres 
the first attempt that had me working on  tell dawn.  I gave up and asked what was I doing wrong and in no time I had help and the answer by just a picture of what the problem was.

So heres the problem pic. The problem was the cable getting real tight. See how it is getting smaller.   If your a knitter you can see what the problem is just like a few members seen.  

After they told me I  was leaving out some rows (which I thought I was following) I finally got it quick : )  Heres the result of their help.  Now thats more like it and was so much easier to knit.  

And here is the finale project, a cabled headband.   I Can Cable Now, yahooooooo!
 

After sewing up the back I made my first knitted flower and added a vintage button. Its not perfect for sure so each time I'll do better on my knitting.  This was started in the evening Feb 28, and blocked it, March 1 I sewed the back up and flower.  So this is a very fast project.  Fun to do!

These will make great gifts. the next ones I'm going to work in some beads, the sky is the limit on cables.   Plans for cable socks and someday a sweater.   The pattern for this is on Ravelry (free) and was so easy to do.

Something I thought would be so hard was not at all.  Its about following the directions, having a little help to understand , I'm so very grateful for the help.   

I do hope you check out Ravelry ,, there are so many who enjoy helping and make it very easy to share.


Garden:

I picked up 100 lbs of seed potatoes today , Red Pontiac and  Kennebec .  I'll be giving half of each to my dd and I'll still have a lot of taters : ).

 Bulk seed :  picked this up today as well
Sugar Snap Pea
Denver 1/2 long
Boston pickling
Red Kidney Bean
Blue Lake Bean
National Cucumber
Kandy Korn  Corn
Kentucky Wonder
Purple Top White Globe Turnip
Mammoth Sunflower

Picked up a some seed starter mix and new trays for the heirloom tomatoes and peppers to start tomorrow.

A big snow storm is heading our way, wood stove going and all hunkered down with knitting projects : )

Have a great weekend
linda 

Forcing Spring

With snow on the ground this Forsythia is a warm welcoming of Spring to come.   Starting's from my grandmothers plant back in the 70's we now have many bushes that will burst with flowers this Spring.   But for now this handful of cut branches started in warm water inside will do just fine.   They bloom right on St Valentines Day, perfect!


New project:  Wool felting
I always wanted to do so I did a very small project from some wool my DD gave me.  She has the sheep so I'll have plenty of wool to play with.  I checked out some youtubes and was so impressed with how its done (looked pretty easy) and the creations ppl made.  Beautiful art.   Would be a great kid project!

This is a leaf 5' by 4 1/2" .  DD colored in beet juice, an experiment.  It turn a nice brown color and kept it color through the felting process.   She did well in the coloring.  Fun project to do and easy!

Watching the Olympics and knitting.  I finished a sock and now the that second sock.   Its always hard to do the second sock b/c I'm already to start a new one.   But its got to be done.   My goal is to start doing some fancy socks , that means a trip to the yarn shop : )

After the snow melts I'm keeping my eye on the ground for popping crocus and other early pop ups.

Have a great week
linda

Winter Snow

We got a nice snow storm yesterday so I got my old showshoes off the cabin wall for a photo shoot.   Here they are in the snow with a pair of cuffed knitted socks I started during the Super Bowl and finished yesterday.  They went fairly fast.   The pattern is in Knitting on the Road by Nancy Bush collection.   Called "The Road to Oslo"   Back in the 1920's skiers would wear these types of socks, the cuff pulls over their ski boots keeping the snow out.   I think the snow would go right into your foot faster.  No matter, I always get snow in my socks and feet no matter how hard I cover them up.

I love these snowed in days in the cabin.  Woodstove  keeping us warm with single digits outdoors. Makes it fun and peaceful knitting.  Until I run out of yarn and all these beautiful things to knit.   Next time in town will be to the yarn shop.  Would it be cool to have these new drones dropping yarn off by the cabin, I might like that ; )

My next challenge will be knitting 2 socks at one time on a single circular needles.  I have had the book for some time and I think I'm going to give it another shot.   Youtube helps on some of these techniques.  I need all the help I can get.  Plans on working more on Fair Isle patterns.  Lots of great patterns to work with. 
 

Here the snowshoes are on our porch with about 10" of snow.  These old snowshoes have not touched snow for many years.  They will go back on the wall in the cabin for the winter look and lots of history they must have had.   I have had them for many years and have no history on them other then decoration but I can imagine how they must have help someone through the deep snows.  Maybe a dad bringing food for his family from a far away hunt.   Mom keeping the cabin warm and kids doing their chores.  Happy to have their family back together.   I hang that on my walls.

 Winter sowing:
Well just what the doctor ordered, snow and thats just what the winter sowing needs.  Cat does not know theres coffee cans with seeds under that snow.  Probably could care less but I'm excited.   Snow will be good and before long there will be green plants ready to plant in the gardens.   Love Winter but oh boy Spring, it will be here soon. 

 

Thanks for dropping by, have a good one
linda

Work'n Those Needles

I'm starting the socks for Christmas gifts early altho can't wait and give them away as soon as they are knitted.  Just finished the red and green socks giving a couple of days of knitting for each sock.  It use to take me months to complete that second sock but the more I knit the faster it gets.

Working on how to knit mittens , these seem to be a challenge for me and like socks just need to keep at it.   Don't even want to think about knitting a sweater now, that seems like a really big challenge, but I would love to learn.  Hats, scarves, socks and dishcloths are my projects for now with mittens on the needles with lots of undoing.

The best part its relaxing and I like to knit in the evening while watching a movie or watching the snow fall with the sounds of the woodstove crackling wood along with a cup of hot coffee.   Last night it was ice pellets falling and we woke up to an ice covering in the woods.

I'll be knitting when the Super Bowl is on, stopping to see the commercials and eating some hot chicken wings.  Hope all goes well and a good game.    I'm looking forward to the Olympic Games and need to get some more yarn ; )  

Have a great weekend
linda

Winter Sowing

It starts with a nice winter day, some seeds, soil, containers and the Winter Sowing is on.  Its easy and fun to do and helps with the long winters and a great start.   I have grown hundreds of plant this way and this season I'm so excited to get started again.

First the seeds, I save many of my heirlooms but I can't resist the seeds in the store and even the cheap 20 cent paks do well.   Heres a just  few!

I have done Winter Sowing for a few years and my coffee can containers have lasted very well.  All have a number on the outside so I can keep track of whats growing each season.   I also keep a journal of the plant with number and there's a plastic label in the container too.   The label I make from cut up strips of milk jugs with permanent marker with plant info and date. 

I use potting soil but you can use soil less mixtures too.   Heres a pic on the deck, after about 3 inches of soil in container then water and let drain before adding seed.  Sprinkle some soil on top, add clear plastic with holes poked in the plastic.  Be sure container has bottom drainage holes.  Holes on bottom and on top is very important.  Your pots will be out in all the elements winter can bring so needs to have drainage from condensation,  rain, snow and protection too.

I just did 39 containers yesterday with many more to do.  Their nestled in some extra cement blocks to keep it a bit more organized and from blowing around.  They might not look pretty but come early spring and all the green tops coming up I can't think of anything more pretty.   Well I can but they do look nice : )!  

Heres a list of what I planted Saturday,

 January 15, 2014 Winter Sowing:
1-Cabbage-- Early Golden Acre
2-Onions -- Evergreen Bunching and Southport White Globe
3-Broccoli -- old seed
4-Asparagus -- old seed--Mary Washington
5-Leeks-- heirloom
6-Parsley
Tomatoes:
7-Cherokee Purple--saved seeds -heirloom
8-Stupice--saved seeds-heirloom
9-Beefsteak-organic
10-Amish Paste-saved seeds-heirloom
11-Abe Lincoln-saved seeds-heirloom

12-Pepper- sweet bell type, Rainbow Mix
13-Joe Pye- saved seeds
14-Sweet Williams- bought and saved seeds
15-Echinacea- White Swan
16-Shasta Daisy- Alaska
17-Four O'clocks- Mixed colors
18-Canterbury Bells-
19-Columbine-Mckana's Mix
20-Liatris spicata- Blazing Star- purple

Also a shot at some Bonasi from some old seeds that were sealed very well.  This will be something new for me.
1-Fagus Sylvatica--Native Beech
2-Acer palmatum- Japanese Maple
3-Cryptomeria japonica- Japanese Cedar
4-Pinusthunbergia-Black Pine

Hope your Winter Sowing, if not I do hope you give it a try, you'll be hooked.   Below is a link to get you started and all you need to know to get you gardening in winter when the snow is flying.

Winter Sowing

Thank you for dropping by, have a great week!
linda