Zeneedle...needleart as life

Today, I am...

Reading . . . The Life of Edna St. Vincent Millay (brilliant) and Following Atticus by Tom Ryan-if you have a pet (especially a dog) you will love this book

Knitting . . . Chicane (of course)

Listening to. . . my favorite (community) radio station KRCL and John Florence’s Acoustic Sunrise

Thinking about . . . what it will be like to have a new refrigerator(today!)

Dreading . . . Quill (although I truly do want to finish it)

Planning . . . to knit with Cookie's handspun (red!)

Excited about . . . SPRING!

Drinking . . . my morning tea

Itching to . . . go Microspike hiking

Needing to . . . clean the pantry

Organizing . . . the patio

Delighted by. . . Carole! She can give you the deets. Isn't it pretty?! I LOVE IT!

Touching Base

Crazy days in the office
Laughter of grrlfriends all evening
Blog days neglected

I missed my 9th blogging anniversary and missed the first day of spring, but I've been crazy busy either working my fingers to the bone, or laughing with friends. It's all good.

The only picture available for your viewing pleasure (or not) is of me wearing a wonderful cowl Laurie knit for me.

The only thing I remember about this warm and beautifully blue cowl is the yarn, Blue Moon Medium Weight Sock in Midsummers Night. The construction is very cool, as the alternating sections of stockinette disappear, so the lace sections come to the fore. I love the color and love the Laurie hug.

Spring is her fickle self. The weather has gone from blue skies to rain, and snow is in the forecast. No matter the weather I hope you're out enjoying life!! Anything good happening?

Turning Green

Carole's 10 on Tuesday this week was to list 10 favorite Things that are Green. My birthday is a few days before St. Patrick's Day, which has led some people to think that green should be my favorite color. I do not follow the logic of that notion, but it has haunted me most of my life. I look sickly if I wear it, don't care for it in my decor, and think nature is the best place for it. Let the trees, lawns, veggies, and flowers have it, but (of course), if you like it, you can have green, too! 

Red hot red is more my style, which means I was super excited to open a package today and find I was the recipient of Cindy's secret project!

Look at that red! And the nice soft yarn! Are you turning green with envy? Oh Cindy, you really shouldn't have, but I love them, and will cherish them, and will wear my lovely Ragtops all the time.

Starting as Usual

As per usual, I'm starting out 2013 a bit unorganized. I didn't know which direction to go for my first post of the year and then I read Kym's first post, which is just what I would have liked to write if I were an organized person. Instead, I'm checking in to wish you all a very good 2013!

If this picture gives you a chill, it's because it's about 20 degrees. The skies have been a dreary gray since the 29th, our last clear day. Winter has decided to stay for awhile and we pray she'll bring us snow, as well as the cold.

2012 wasn't a year in which I put much into my knitting.  I knit mostly shawls, cowls and mitts, with every project taking much longer than has been my usual speed. This is not a complaint nor an apology, it's an acknowledgement of where I am. Looking back, my focus has been food; growing, planning, and cooking (oh, and lets not forget the eating part). 

We spent Saturday night going through seed catalogs (we know how to have a good time!) and making lists, even talking about the layout of our 2013 garden.  Every year we have the blank pallet of fresh dirt to start a new year of deliciousness. (Kym, we were also drinking rye.)

Reading, catching the bug of reading once again, as taken over much of my free time. I work full time,which means my leisure time is limited, and knitting has been a low priority when compared to reading, eating well, and getting my butt out for some exercise.  If there is anything to say about new resolutions, it is to do MORE of the same, but maybe a bit more effectively and efficiently.

Happy New Year, friends!!!

Treasures From Estonian Knitters

Last Saturday I let the best blogging opportunity pass by. It just goes to show I am not in my right (blogging state of) mind, if I can't remember to take pictures of such a unique event. I went to Nancy Bush's Estonia Winter Market at Black Sheep Wool Co. The sad part for you, and the lovely part for me, is I was totally in the moment. Seeing friends I hadn't seen in a very long time, bumping into other knitters I know, and sorting through the piles of hand knit treasure from Estonia, swept me away.

Not only am I going to show you the treasures I bought, but you can see Cheryl's treasures on her blog, too. First, let me show the lace and colorwork gloves that feel and smell like Estonia. Their rustic wooly feels authentic, substantial and warm. As luck would have it, the cuff is long enough to cover my wrist, an added benefit for warmth.

One of the benefits of arriving early was having the full selection of items to sort through, fondle, and peruse. I took full advantage and picked up everyone of the beautiful, elegant hand knit shawls. The shawls were knit with various yarns, some wooly and rustic, others soft and drapey, and all were knit in shades of white and cream.

The minute I touched the whitest shawl on the table it cast its spell on me. As she unfurled and showed her full measure, I gasped at the elegance of knitting. Her silken fabric left me undone. She never left my hands, she would not go back to her place amongst the other shawls, she clung to me, she felt alive. 

This piece of Estonian history, a shawl from Haapsalu, a traditionally knit shawl, of the Queen Silvia pattern, needed a good home...my good home.

Quiet Sunday

Every year we have been
witness to it: how the
world descends

into a rich mash, in order that
it may resume.
And therefore
who would cry out

to the petals on the ground
to stay,
knowing as we must,
how the vivacity of what was is married

to the vitality of what will be?
I don't say
it's easy,
what else will do

if the love one claims to have for the world
be true?
So let us go on, cheerfully enough,
this and every crisping day,

though the sun be swinging east,
and the ponds be cold and black,
and the sweets of the year be doomed.

Lines Written in the Days of Growing Darkness by Mary Oliver

Joining in with Kym for Sunday's are for Poetry

Holey Moley

Everyday of the last two winters I've worn this beloved pair of Ragtops. Its wooly, soft warmth covered my hands and my wrists. No matter the task they kept the cold at bay. Sadly, as with many oft-worn hand knits, the are now full of holes. Cheryl knit them, with Shepherd's Wool, right after Susan published the pattern. I am determined to replace them, as I can't be without the warmth and coziness they provide. I have several other pair, but for day to day use, I'm partial to the Shepherd's Wool.

I'm on a bit of an unintentional Susan Lawrence kick, as I just finished Beach Glass and should be able to fit in a photo shoot this weekend. As with the best laid plans of a many a knitter, Beach Glass was to be a summer accessory. At least it will be ready for next year, but I doubt I'll be able to keep it in the closet until then.

Something New

A trip to a Retreat requires new knitting, a simple, easy, enjoyable project, as talking with friends is of the utmost importance even (or especially) at a knitting retreat.

Elizabeth Zimmermann's large square Stonington Shawl has been on my radar for many years, but the yardage requirements were daunting and the overall size of the project was too large for my taste.  Jared Flood's Quill, a beautiful, and smaller, square shawl inspired by EZ, made the project feel more manageable. The inside square of Quill, knit in garter stitch, fit my needs perfectly.  I even felt inclined to learn a new provisional cast on.

Since the provisional crocheted chain has never been a comfortable method for me to use, I turned to a book I knew could teach me something new, Cast on, Bind Off.   The first provisional cast on the book showed was exactly what I wanted. When the author suggested using the cord of a circular needle instead of waste yarn, I knew I'd found the answer. (I also found an on-line tutorial of the method here.)

After working on the rhythm of twisting the working yarn around the needle just so, and getting the feel of using a cord instead of waste yarn, I was able to cast a bunch of stitches. When I decided to knit back through the loops on the cord, to make sure I liked the way the provisional edge looked, I was thrilled to see it worked perfectly! Quill was an excellent project for Retreat and learning the cast on feels like a feather in my knitting cap! Yay for me!

Pop!

Kim's post reminded me just how easy it is to pop in and say hello, if I'm willing to try, willing to give a little extra effort, to posting to the blog. I'm willing, ready, and able to say hello!

It seems a little trite to say the weekend was amazing, but meeting Kym for the first time, and seeing Carole again, was nothing short of amazing and FUN.

The colors in the canyon were nothing short of amazing and taking friends to Silver Lake at this time of year is a bit of a no-brainer.  While the canyons have forests of red oak (gambol oak), the predominate colors are yellow, yellow-green and GOLD!  I can never get enough of Silver Lake in the fall.

And, the lake is even better when my friends are there with me. Enjoying the company of friends, friends who have traveled miles and miles, is truly an honor and a joy, just as sharing time with any friend is a joy!

Wordless Weekending Wednesday