by Kat | Apr 28, 2016 | General, In This Moment
Nestled between the Lavender and the Butterfly Bush, is a fairy tale nursery in my back yard. A trio of cuteness was discovered residing in my back yard yesterday. Last year there were baby bunnies under our rose bushes – perhaps the same Mom? Anyways, this year they were found in a better spot and it even has a night-light! Weeding this bed will have to wait until the babies are bigger and the nursery is empty.
On the garden front, it looks to be a banner year for strawberries, if the mass of blossoms on my plants are any indicator! This will be very welcome, as the strawberry plants I brought from Michigan did not fare well at all with Pittsburgh winters. Michigan gave them a nice insulating blanket of snow as protection from the frigid temperatures. Pittsburgh does not do the same – snow is a rare commodity here. Add to that temperatures that get much, much colder and my plants did not make it through the winter. A gardening lesson learned – what works one place will not necessarily work in another.
And, thanks to a link that Bonny shared my Rhubarb plant has had its blossom pruned and it has now almost doubled in size! Good thing,because this recipe looks so good and will definitely be debuting in an upcoming Friday Happy Hour.
That’s all I have for today. Have a good Thursday everyone!
by Kat | Apr 22, 2016 | General
It’s Friday and that means a plethora of things to everyone, but across the board there is a collective sigh of relief that the work week is over and the weekend has, again, arrived! (And, it is Earth Day)
Before the weekend begins, it is Fiber Friday at Casa del KatKnits – and we have lots of fiber for you today.
I was unbelievably fortunate to talk with a knitting genius this week and she gave me a good bit of fiber food for thought. Which has me thinking about the economy of yarn and knitting things you love and, more importantly, will love wearing! And, swatching. Lots and lots of swatching. She shared a new to me way of determining if you like the fabric of your knitted swatch…close your eyes and let your fingers decide. Fantastic advice, which I did with the swatch from last week. And, my fingers like the fabric better with the smaller needle. Knitting is such a tactile process, yet I never thought of doing this. Thanks, Ina for closing my eyes and sharing a new dimension.
Rolag production has been going very well, especially with the addition of a bit of “pre-combing” to remove the vegetation. Pre-combing before carding? Something new I learned in the last week. It not only removed the chaff it also made carding incredibly easy and as a result, the carding is going faster.
I know. I am pretty sure I do not experiment enough, especially with fiber prep and spinning. I need to give myself permission to step out of my comfort zone, which is not always an easy thing to do.
Soon the spinning can begin in earnest.
Speaking of spinning in earnest, I am going to attempt to spin the braid above entirely on a drop spindle. I am aiming for a dk weight single. I struggle with this on my wheel, because of the ease of spinning and too much twist. Hopefully this plan will help that a bit. Add to that the portability of the project with just a drop spindle and a bit of fiber and it seems like the perfect summer combination. So far, so good!
Now, for the enabling portion of this post!
Ever wanted to knit stained glass?
Thea’s been cooking up some fun with Jill
Summer cardigans are so much fun, especially when they remind me of an Eileen Fisher-esque design!
It’s just knitting squares!
Did you ever wish for a Big Sister?
That’s all I have for today, have an amazing weekend and I will see you back here on Monday.
by Kat | Apr 21, 2016 | General
April marks the 20th anniversary of National Poetry Month and today is Poem-In-Your-Pocket-Day!
To celebrate, I am sharing The Enkindled Spring by D.H. Lawrence. I hope you enjoy!
Thanks to Kym for the lovely reminder’s she has shared all month-long!
As you can see, my backyard is a bursting bonfire of green (and purple and yellow!) How I love the rejuvenation that is spring!
by Kat | Mar 25, 2016 | General
Spring is most definitely springing here!
On this most solemn of days, the world outside my door seems to be telling me to slow down and enjoy the beauty around me. I will even find time to meditate with a favorite reading for this time of year,
The Ragman.
Have a very Happy Easter, Gentle Reader!
