it's been a while

This is the grey neckwarmer made out of the baby camel yarn I wrote about earlier. It is so lucious. I used a larger needle size then called for, and to be honest, I can't remember how many stitches or what size needles I used and I already gifted it to the intended. I wanted to show you the project as I recommend people try out this yarn. Classic Elite Baby Camel.
This baby sweater is for my new neice. I used Manos Stria- it is my favorite cotton. So soft and always has a nice drape. The project is Yoda Sweater from Dogs steal Yarn. Baby sweaters leave me with such a sense of satisfaction as I can complete a sweater in a few days. This following picture is the recipient of the sweater, Morgan.
I finished up a pair of socks that have been on the needles for at least half a year. They will be a gift for my son at Christmas. He already has two pairs of socks made for Christmas. i am knitting myself into a little bit of a pickle; if one kid gets two pairs of socks they all want two pairs of socks! At least the other two have smaller feet!
These last socks are for my Hogwarts Sock Swap partner. I double stranded Brown Sheep Nature Spun sport and they knitted up beautifully on size 7's. I love the Cowgirl Slipper Sock pattern in last winters Interweave Knits and I wanted to make them again. It was a little challenging to find a pattern I liked with the colors I needed to use. I hope my pal likes them.
I also did manage to find the Addi Turbo DPN's again in VA. They are my favorites and i only had one pair (I now have three!). I went to one yarn shop and the owner didn't believe me that they even make DPN's and instead told me they make circulars, "you know two needles with a string in between". I was a little offended. Anyway, my second stop at Uniquities in Vienna, VA had the Addi's and a very nice woman working there. It is a lovely shop if you are in the area. I go to see my family a few times a year and have to visit all the shops around. One of these days I would like to do a yarn crawl from here to there and stop all along the way. i know that trip will not involve my husband or children!
On a final note my Herb Conference was amazing and i met many new teachers. I took a four hour intensive in Hula dance with a magical woman from the big island of Hawaii . It is a powerful dance and she is a powerful woman. I learned alot about medicines from all of the other plant lovers there and came home feeling renewed. It has been a challenge coming home to my life of chores and children but I just go off the good energy there and count my blessings that I have chores and children to tend to!

busy, busy, busy

My computer is acting funny so I have no photos today but I do have some fun things to show when I get it fixed. I used Classic Elite baby camel yarn recently and I have to tell you if you see this yarn you want to buy some. It is so soft and creates a beautiful and lucious fabric. I made a neckwarmer for a friends husband and I am looking foward to using it again.
I have been under famly travel deadlines which have made me whip my garden into shape. We grow a lot of our food and getting the crops in has been a big feat. I bailed on planting corn this year but I managed to get everything else in. I also have full flower gardens for the first time! I created these gardens five years ago and up until this year they have small plants with alot of dirt. This year the plants have filled in and the dirt is minimal. I am now trying to move things and figure out what blooms at which part of the year so there can always be color. My mom is an amazing flower gardener so I have learned from her.
There has been knitting. I was on a 12 hour car ride twice this week and I finished the Hogwart's socks for my sock swap pal. They turned out to be pretty good and I hope she likes them. Bright yellow and black were new colors to work with!
I am headed off to the International Herb Symposium this weekend. I love these conferences and this is my second year going solo- without any children. I get so renewed and I need that to get through the summer.
I hope to get pictures for the next post when I get home.

look what I did!

I actually spun some yarn! It doesn't look great and I have a long way to go but i have figured out how to use my foot and hands at the same time (quite tricky!) and there are moments when the yarn spins itself and I feel like I am really doing it. I have already used up all of the roving in my house and am looking for more- does anyone have any suggestions?
Of course I want the soft merino beautifully dyed but I think I need to stick to wool that is easier to spin until I have more control on the wheel. Here is the wheel:
It is on indefinite loan from a friend with three young kids who is a weaver and wants to focus on that for a while. I have been wanting to learn to spin for years and the drop spindle just hasn't done it for me.
On the other news. I am working on a wrap sweater for my cousin's baby. The yarn is Manos Stria in light green. What a nice soft yarn to work with. I am using size 6 needles which are a little big so the fabric is more flowing and has a nice drape. I hope to get the sleeves done today and it all put together over the weekend.

A last picture to show you the stash enhancement that happened at WEBS the other night. It is almost all new to me yarns that I haven't used before. The possibilities are endless...