The weekend is almost over, already?

My weekend didn't feel very restful. We had a yard sale as a benefit for work yesterday and I was there from 7:15 am - 2:30 pm (that includes taking all the stuff that didn't sell to the Rescue Mission). I got to see lots of people I don't usually get to talk to very much, so that was nice. The bad thing was that after having the kids for a week my house was trashed and much work needed to be done when I got home. I did it so that today I could lounge.

Today was beautiful so I stayed outside in my hammock with my knitting, iPod, phone, and Newsweek on a table beside me, for hours. I rested, knit, talked on the phone, and dodged giant walnuts the squirrels above me were dropping. I couldn't believe how many were falling and then I realized they were dropping some of them unopened. I don't know if they were 'bad' nuts, the squirrels lost their grip, or they really were making a game out of 'who can hit the human in the hammock first.' At one point I had my pillow on top of my head because the nuts were getting really close (but I wasn't giving up my spot). While I was in my hammock one of the squirrels came down the tree and chewed on the rope that was holding up my hammock! I yelled at the little bugger and he scurried off, but he was a little too cheeky for comfort. I did make some progress in knitting.

Here is the Chevron in the sun.



And the fourth "becca" bag.



My first shipment from the Spunky Eclectic Fiber Club has arrived. Two ounces of merino/tencel in lovely blue, white, and golden brown. Yea!



I'm thinking of plying it with something else to make it go farther... We'll see. Now, it's almost time to go knit and veg out in front of the TV.

Frogged!

Out with the old, for sure. The fifth attempt a chevron scarf (the first using yellow and blue skeins of Koigu KPPPM) and the other three with different needle sizes using Amazon and Caribbean Fiesta Boomerang is OVER! Done. It was partially the unevenness in the stitching, but mostly just poor color choice on my part. I took it to Becca for another opinion and she said, "It's BRIGHT!" Aha! The real problem, I don't DO bright. Clearly, I am not very bright for plodding on with it for several days. It had become my "phone knitting" - for evening phone conversations after the children are in bed. It was comforting and the yarn so soft. While it was comforting, it was not visually pleasing and I had, "Oh, you're just not very adventurous" thoughts instead of, "This isn't you, idiot" thoughts.

Take three. Wait, or is it six. Oh, what the hell, here it is in better colors: Fiesta Boomerang (I'm in love with this yarn) Salsa (the purple and yellowy bits) and Laguna Bay (the blues, brown and purples). These colors seem to get on well together, and they please me to no end. Sigh. I thought I'd never get to this place again, and I feared maybe I just couldn't knit a Chevron Scarf to save my soul. Never say die.



A bigger, better picture tomorrow (I've already done an hour on it since this photo- Hee - it is love.

Spindle pictures

First my new spindle, a Nordic, designed by Priscilla Gibson-Roberts and crafted by Jorn Piel. I'm spinning silk caps on it right now and it is quite lovely. There was some careful pushing of the whorl so it would be tight. It comes off for easy storage and portability, but unlike the cherry lap spindle, it doesn't screw on and stay tight. It is art without the fiber production.



Then, my favorite, the cherry lap spindle. Also by Priscilla Gibson-Roberts and Jorn Piel.



Here are the wound skeins for the chevron scarf. This will be my fourth attempt (I've tried size 5,6, and 8 needles so far). I'm going at it with size 7's this time and hoping the feather and the fan will be more even and less bumpy or holey. URG!



May the knitting goddess be kind to me on this one.