Hail Among the Seedlings...

Holy Hannah did we have a storm today! We were driving home from work/school and the gray clouds were congregated over Hillsborough. I wanted to take the kids to LocoPops after a quick post office trip, but I saw the clouds and prepared them for the worst. We weren't in the door five minutes when the winds picked up, thunder and lightening made their presence known, and the rain POURED! Morgan, who is anxious about weather anyway, was seeming more anxious than usual. He had his hoodie on and pulled up over his head, his sunglasses, his pillow, and was lying under a blanket in the hall weeping. I went and stretched out beside him (while an anxious dog walked on me) and tried to find out why this storm was so much worse for him (don't ever mention the word "tornado" around him). He told me he always gets nervous about them and I said I knew that but this seemed worse and that he has seemed more anxious than normal for the past week or so. He wouldn't look at me and I asked if it had anything to do with Myanmar and China and he said yes. So we talked about how we usually knew when to look out for severe weather, and what we would do. This was a pretty big storm, but not like a cyclone or an earthquake. I gave him my standard line that he doesn't need to worry unless I tell him to do so and then I'll be leading the worrying crusade! He came out of the hall but still needed hugs whenever the storm surged. When the hail came along, he was torn between enjoying it and being completely terrified.

Here's some hail in our "flower pot" - there's some rogue chicken weed in it too. These pictures are taken through windows with screens (sorry) but the good camera is not going outside in a storm!



Here's the hail among the seedlings:



You get the idea. Hail. Rain. Lots of rain.

Yesterday, when it was sunny, Chicky modeled the finished Noro Hat. Pattern by Saarje de Bruijn. (Ravelry link to her popular project page). It took a little over one skein of Noro Silk Garden Lite and all the kids wanted it. That one is mine, but I'll make theirs out of yarn I dye myself (no silk on heads of people that LOSE handknits).



I'm motoring away on the Girl's Best Friend Anklets (pattern KnitPicks). The yarn is Sunshine Yarns merino/silk in Salem (browns). I'm on the last row of the cuff and on to the st st. I really like the pattern and will probably do another pair in a lighter color so the pattern shows up a little better. Again, this is yesterday's picture and I was only about half-way through the cuff. You can get an idea of the diamond pattern.



I finally finished Memoirs of a Geisha, and I liked it and was totally absorbed by it, but also horrified at the same time. I still can't get over how many people have been and still are bought and sold in our world. I doubt I'll see the movie of the same name, though. I don't want to spoil my mental image.

The Kite Runner is the newest on the night stand. I hear it's heartbreakingly good and has been highly recommended by a reader with similar taste, so I'm proceeding.

Bed, and just one more row on the socks - are calling to me.

Fiber love

All the dyeing I've been working on is dry, named, and up on Etsy. My new favorite is called Beginnings and is 4 oz of Falklands dyed some bright, happy, flowery colors that remind me of life's potential in spring.



The next is Berry Fun, and I think it will be lovely spun with the white to contrast the bright orange and magenta.



Boo was going to be called Parfait, but my short-term memory is so bad I forgot! It's too bad my memory can only go downhill from here.



On the subject of memory, I saw an article in Newsweek about a woman that remembers EVERYTHING since she was four years old. She can tell you what she ate for lunch on a certain day 15 years ago. That must be annoying to be overwhelmed by the mundane. If you were married though, you'd have the advantage in arguments! I'd just like the healthy balance I had before I had children.

The last roving is destined to be spun and knit into something for Sarah's mother. She kindly bought raffle tickets even though she doesn't spin or knit! There's a woman that deserves some fibery love! Sarah told me she loves blues, so I dyed some gradated blue Falklands. I wonder what it will become?

A much appreciated Thank You

You may know that my dear friend sarah held a raffle for me (and generously donated half of her sales in April) to help with expenses towards a vehicle after Inga was tragically totaled. That extraordinary woman's vision and many people's participation raised $678 for me. I have never been so touched by so many people - and all of them people that only know of me through the internet - mostly through Ravelry. What an amazing community! Thank you to everyone. I do have a "new" 2004 Honda Odyssey. In addition to the car payment I have higher insurance rates, so that money is coming in handy right about now. Not to mention a court date next month where I'm hoping the charges will be dropped so the insurance rates don't go up even more.

The short and sweet of it is: thank you - very, very much! It was an unexpected blessing I will remember.

New yarns, new rovings, and FO's

The Fiber Goddess has been smiling on me lately. I finished Roza's socks, pattern by Grumperina and knitted in Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Solids. Love 'em, Cherry Tree Hill is soft and squishy and wears well. They'll get lots of use next fall and winter!



And I finished my Old Shale Smoke Ring, pattern by Cosette Cornelius-Battes (that's a Ravelry link, but you can find it on her blog cosymakes, too). It is busy blocking, so there's no picture right now.

In fiber dyeing, I had some re-dyeing fun with some rovings I detested when I first made them. Glam was reborn as Vampire Glam (cause if I was a vampire, I think I'd need a little glam).



The other I'm calling Tiger Toes, because of the stripy nature of the colors.



And there is yarn! Some Sting



and Bean Pods



and worsted - that's still drying. Aurora is dry though, she's kind of mellow and subdued.



Tonight, five more rovings are in the steamer. Who-hoo, can't wait to see how they turn out! There are a couple more re-dyes in the works.