very little progress

I don't have much new work to show. I have been bogged down with freezing food from the garden and getting the kids to the water as much as possible. I decided to bail on the Harry Potter sock swap as I had to get a new blogger address for it and i just don't feel like I can handle any more right now.
My drama for the day is that a large bird flew into my windshield this morning and four hours later I found it in the back of my pickup still alive. It was a Pileated Woodpecker and it was just stunning. I was in town and it was roasting hot and I didn't know what to do and I felt very guilty for being the one to injure it in the first place. I finally found a nature center that took it and was going to get it to the bird rescue place so I do hope it will survive. It distressed me way more than I thought it would have. Anyway...in the world of knitting I am just plugging away at the two pairs of socks, two scarves and one sweater I have already posted about. I did manage to make two little felted bags. I am going on vacation for a week in a couple of days and am hoping to finish a few of these things before I go. I hope to have something to show soon. Hope everyone is having a fun summer.

Sock Swap 2!!

I just couldn't help myself and i joined the Harry Potter sock swap 2. It was so exciting to have someone make me socks and it was fun to get a package together for someone else so... here are the answers to my questions.

Hogwarts Sock Swap Questionnaire

Second Years

1. What Hogwarts house have you been sorted into?

Gryffindor

2. Shoe size? Foot length? Foot circumference?

Shoe size- 9 ladies, Foot length 9 1/2 inches, circumference- 9-9 1/2 inches.

3. List your three favorite sock yarns.

a.Koigu

b.claudia's handpaint

c.fleece artist

4. Would you like to try a new brand of sock yarn? If so, which brand?

i would love to!! No particular brand- surprise me!!

5. Do you prefer variegated or solid sock yarn?
Variegated.


6. What colors would you like to add to your sock yarn stash?

Any. I like purples and greens. (Also reds, oranges etc!)

7. What kind of sock patterns do you gravitate toward? Lace? Ribbed? Fair Isle?

Ribbed, plain. Sock knitting is my travel knitting so it is great when it is simple to follow. I have done a little lace and loved it but it would need to be a simple pattern.

8. Do you have any allergies? (smoke, animals, etc.)

no.

9. Will your socks be exposed to cigarette smoke or animals as you knit them?


An old dog who does not touch the yarn.
10. Are you willing to have an international Hogwarts Sock Pal?
yes.

Owl Post!

I have an awesome Harry Potter sock swap pal! I opened my mailbox the other morning and look what I found!


There were HP candies that were promptly gobbled up by little people, a pair of Brittany DPN's, stitchmarkers that are so lovely I could wear them for jewelry and the yarn leftover from the socks she made- enough for me to make another pair for one of the boys! The socks you ask...


are beautiful! They were immediately on my feet and they fit perfectly. I am so touched that someone made me a pair of socks because I know how much work goes into them. thanks so much Erin.
I really enjoyed this swap thing and look foward to doing it again. There is a HP sock swap 2 if anyone missed out the first time.

it's raining, it's pouring

We finally had a rain free day and the kids and I hit the beach. I did manage to take a few pictures too! This is the Montego Scarf from IK summer issue. It is the first time I have used Seasilk and it is quite luxurious. I find that it is a little slippery so I can't work on the project for too long at a time or my fingers ache. I hope to get it done soon so it can be a summer accessory.


This next scarf is made with two skeins of Koigu I had in the stash. I loved the colors so much that I didn't want to put them on my feet- I wanted to see them so... The pattern is called the Twisted Rib scarf by Mountain Colors. This pattern would be lovely in the Bearfoot yarn also.


This is a cardigan sweater I am hoping to have done for fall. It is made with the Lavold wool/silk blend and the yarn is really soft. It knits up nicer than I expected from the feel of the skein. The gauge was only measured in width and there was no gauge for length so I hope it works. The pattern has me knitting until I reach a certain number of stitches (after increases) instead of to a certain number of inches so we'll see. If it doesn't work for me I have a nice gift for someone smaller!

This next picture is really exciting for me- it is my first few skeins of handspun yarn! I LOVE spinning! I had used up some random roving from someone when I first tried it a month ago and it was really hard to draft. I decided to order nice roving and it has just been great! I spun up the blue/green in a few days and all 4 oz of the darker wool in one day. I have more ordered and it is challenging to wait for it to arrive. If there was a local source (I am sure there is, I just haven't sniffed it out yet!) I would already be fast at work. I told my husband we will save money this way because I get to enjoy the fiber twice when I spin it and then knit it!
I got the roving from Amy at Spunky Eclectic online. The lighter colors were Falkland top which is so soft and the darker is BFL wool. I ordered more BFL and a little Merino to try out next. I can't tell you how proud I am of these two skeins of yarn and I can't believe they came from my own two hands!
Anyway... This last photo is just a treat from our Vermont summer. The delphiniums love our climate and grow beautifully. Hope everyone else is surrounded by flowers these days!

Rain rain go away...

So it looks as if we may have a rain free day here in Vermont! We have had rain every day for weeks and there are parts of the state that are flooding and needing Federal help. I hope to get some pictures today when the sun finally shines. I have been working on a couple of projects through this gray period although nothing is completed. I bought my first skein of Sea silk and it is gorgeous! I am making the Montego Scarf project out of Interweave Knits Summer 07. The yarn is a little slippery and I can only work on it for so long before my hands get sore from holding so tight to the yarn. I am still plugging away at my Koigu scarf and a pair of socks made from Mama E's cyber fiber. Beautiful colors she uses! The most exciting thing that has happened is I am spinning again. I spun up a bunch of white Romney last month for the first time and then for some reason I couldn't seem to spin anymore. It turns out that the flyer wasn't spinning and once I figured that out (a month later!) I have been spinning away and I love it! My first skein is drying right now. This is just a quick check in as I have been away from the blog for a while but I will get pics up soon!