by Kat | Jun 17, 2016 | General
Friday. Oh how I love you! But, some Friday’s are just uber-appreciated. Today is one of those days.
It has been a busy week here, work has changed things up for me and I have still not gotten into a good rhythm with the new schedule, thus Friday arrives and I am still feeling a bit “behind the eight ball” with a list that still has things to get done.
Time coordination – the bane of my existence. Seriously.
And, apparently plying is right up there as well.
Which brings me to the Fiber portion of today’s post! Thanks to Rachel for hosting Fiber Friday’s!
I spent some time this week plying up the singles I spun. Some of it was lovely, and some…not so much. It is the one aspect of spinning that I really struggle with. I look at all the amazing photos of plied yarns that drift around on Instagram and I am in awe that people do this so well, yet it seems somehow elusive for me. I struggle most with worsted spun yarns – but maybe that is because the loftiness of woolen spun yarns fills in the plying problems I seem to have. I am not sure exactly how to fix this, but I am really thinking a plying class is in order.
But, not one to give up – I will “re-ply” this yarn and see if I cannot improve the areas where it is under-plied, or not plied as the case may be. I will update you next week on how this re-do goes!
There is some welcome rain forecast for today, and while an “on the road” version of Happy Hour is not looking good for today, there will be a snacks and beverages to usher in the weekend. Photos courtesy of last week’s FriYAY celebration that were preempted on Monday for a more somber post.
And, lest you think there were no links this week – you’d be incorrect! There are a few, even a few spectacular ones:
First off – everyone could use More Love! (and right now it’s free!)
Gradient Knits – how I love thee!
Perhaps you’d like a Party on your needles?
This is such a fascinating construction method.
And, then there is Jutta! I am in love and I am pretty sure that Genevieve needs one!
That’s all I have for today, Gentle Reader. Have a fantastic Friday and be safe this weekend.
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by Kat | Jun 16, 2016 | General, Words
Reveling in the lush greenness that is everywhere I look,
Weeding the garden and marveling at how it is growing,
Sipping iced coffee in the early morning while listening to the birds sing their summer operas,
Savoring the delicate flavors of freshly pickled vegetables,
And, knitting under the pergola,
These are the tastes of my summer.
by Kat | Jun 9, 2016 | General, In This Moment, Words
I am not sure if it has been the volume of rain we have gotten, or the suddenly warm days, but my roses are on steroids this year! The branches are so full of blooms and buds; they are weighed down with the volume of them! And yet the buds keep coming.
This little bouquet was hastily picked before bad thunderstorms and winds arrived here three nights ago – and they still look amazing.
This got me thinking, or perhaps it was all the curiosity that this post stirred up (really, go read all the linked posts – if you were not curious before, you will be soon!)
How often do I take what comes my way, good or bad, and allow it to bloom an explosion of color in my life? Or, perhaps an explosion of something good/positive/enriching is a better way to think about it.
Honestly, I can tell you that the answer is not very often.
Oh, it is easy to do when what comes your way is good – but the bad? Yeah…
For me, that almost always just makes more bad.
I have been carefully working on my gratitude focus – trying to quietly find one or two things to be grateful for each day. Some days, I am hard-pressed to find anything, and other days the things I am grateful for flow easily into my journal.
One blessing that has come out of journaling is that I can look back and clearly see how the external effects me internally.
Now I need to focus on how to be like those roses – good or bad – create an explosion of color where I am planted!
P.S. I wrote a guest post on the Sheepspot blog with my thoughts on the first year in the Fiber Club! Sign-ups open again soon, just sayin’
by Kat | Jun 7, 2016 | General, Words
It is Tuesday and this week Carole brings me a very challenging topic. Very challenging. She wants to know:
10 Things You Are Curious About
I am really happy that Carole sent this topic on Saturday so I could spend a good bit of the weekend pondering my curiosity.
Albert Einstein’s quote fits me completely because while I really don’t have any special talents; I am passionately curious.
Now, I am not curious in the sense of wanting to take things apart to find out how they work – I was not the kid who wanted to know how radios work, or how records make sounds (yes, I was of the era of vinyl records). Nor am I a risk taker – you won’t find me curious about skydiving, deep-sea diving, or mountain climbing.
But I am curious about many things and here is my Curiosity List:
- Pattern Design – especially in knitting. I am so amazed at the volume of patterns that are published daily on Ravelry. While, this seems to me such a daunting task; I would like to take a class to learn more about this.
- Pattern Technical Editing – which kind of goes hand in hand with pattern design. But, really – how do they do it?? Curious minds want to know!
- Home Brewing Beer – I have read books and I have a great friend who brews some amazing beer. I am curious about the entire process.
- Photography – I think my photography skills have been improving, however I am curious to learn more about the intricate details of the craft. I would love to take a class and learn more.
- Learning languages – We are a single language household, but curiously I have a daughter who is multi-lingual. Men Duolingo hjælper mig med at lære.
- Different cultures – the differences and similarities fascinate me. Thanks to Tess Vigeland, I am very curious about becoming an ex-pat.
- Shepherding – It is no secret that I love wool. I have this beautiful daydream that I live on a gorgeous farm with a flock of happy sheep. I am curious if this dream would be as lovely a reality. Perhaps I can fulfill two curiosities with this, although my daydream did not include 850 acres.
- Hand Writing – especially Calligraphy. This just fascinates me.
- Writing – I am curious how successful the participants are of NaNoWriMo are…
- Stained Glass Making – These are just so beautiful, and having watched Vicki Payne make stained glass on PBS for years, I am curious to learn more.
There is my Curiosity List…What makes you curious?
by Kat | Jun 3, 2016 | General
Happy Friday! I would say that it took long enough getting here, but it was a short week. However, I have felt confused on what day it is all week long! Tuesday felt like Monday, etc. But, today is Friday and that means I am joining Rachel for Fiber Friday.
I have been faithful to spinning on my Jenkins Turkish Spindle when I am outside with Sherman. I am happy to report that I am more than half way through the bump! The fiber is Cormo from Sheepspot Breed Club in the December in Ontario colorway. This was a good choice for me to drop spindle as it is so easy to spin! My spindling has improved as well!
I have not been spinning much this week on my Matchless, as I have been trying to get some knitting projects done instead, however I have so little of the Shetland to finish I will just sit down and get it done this weekend! (Perhaps while watching Shetland that I just picked up from the library!) We have rain in the forecast for the weekend so that might just work perfectly!
On a quick side note, my garden is going mad! There are peppers growing on the pepper plants, we have one tomatillo started, and (while there is not a picture) the potatoes are growing! My roses are crazy with blooms and buds right now too, as are my raspberries! It is a very happy time in the garden!
As usual, I have a few links for you today…
Have a fantastic weekend, see you all back here on Monday!
P.S. Thanks for sharing all the books you did not like, I now have an awesome list to choose from!
