The great outdoors

The weather this weekend was so wonderful! We spent a lot of time outside and did some things to get ready for our garden this summer. I cleared away some vines and plants that were growing along the fence where we are going to plant. We are going to use the Square Foot gardening method and thus some plants will be growing up the fence.

This is the composting area. The left side is dedicated to yard waste and the right side is from our bokashi system! I can't say enough good things about the bokashi method of composting. It uses bacteria to ferment waste products. After a two week period in an air tight bucket it goes into the "ground" (now our compost zone, previously we put it in pots and covered it with dirt) for an additional two weeks and presto-chango you have wonderful compost to use in the garden.

When I was a little girl, I tried to make a solar oven (with a overturned metal pot and clay pot) to make my mom a birthday cake. This was not a bad idea as we lived in California and the sun was very strong, but California also has many ants which were soon drowning in my flour, egg and of all things maple syrup batter. Recently Hubs has purchased a "Sun Oven!" So we decided to test it out. This thing became very hot very fast (within a 1/2 hour) and reached temps as high as 325 F! I was quite impressed as this was a sunny but cool winter day. I can only wait for summer when it's much hotter and the sun is much stronger. Our potatoes were not entirely cooked after 2 hours, but they were cooked.

After my last post I decided I had to finish the yarns. Some are here on Hub's head. He's really too cute isn't he?


Also I received some Jacob's Wool from Hub's (and I guess now my) friend Michelle. I hope that I can repay her generosity soon! (And visit her farmlette.) (Oh and p.s., I cast on for the Hourglass Sweater from Last Minute Knitted Gifts this weekend too! More on that to come.)

Spinning for a sweater

Knitting has taken a bit of a haitus this week. Instead I have been spinning quite a bit in the hopes of making enough yarn for a sweater for Hubs. I am making it out of paradise fiber's Columbia/Dorset blend. That I've dyed. I am calling the colorway Lithium Lichen. (I've taken to a periodic table theme for my hand dyed yarns) I think I am going to make him a bottom up raglan, with some cable detailing....we'll see. It's not spun as evenly as I'd like it to be but hopefully it will even up a bit in the finishing. This is my greatest challenge in life...the finishing. I will spin up the yarns, ply them, take them of the bobbins, but I just can't seem to finish anything. I'm the same with laundry. I'll wash, dry, and fold and leave it in the basket for 2 months.




Unfortunately in the picture above you really can't see the variety in the colors....thus here are some singles:

thar she grows

Progress has been made on the sock front. I am now to the part of the pattern where I am supposed to be beginning the decreases, but I may or may not begin them. The reasoning is that I am actually now at the biggest part of my calf and may want to start them the next cable pattern around. The other reason is that I realized I am not on gauge. I am knitting 9 stitches per inch instead of 8. This means that the sock is smaller than I had planned on (although it still fits amazingly) And no I didn't do a gauge swatch....because I am lazy....so I don't know if it's the yarn or the knitting...probably both.


front and side of sock
back and side of sock
I also began some dying last night for a homespun handknit sweater for hubs. This is the roving pre-oven. When it came out ther e was way too much white , so the next batch (there are 4) is going to have to have more color.

a little spinning

This weekends activities were many and few at the same time. Progress was made on the sock (although not as much as I'd like, thus no picture.) Some yarn was spun (though not all the fiber.) I had intended to dye some roving for a sweater for hubs, but the closest I got to that was to soak the roving in a bucket of water. Maybe I'll decide to do it tonight.

Meanwhile, I made some sort of concoction that turned out pretty tasty! (But then I'd just eat tomato sauce straight if it were acceptable!)

Homemade tomato sauce with spaghetti squash


two of these bats (Cobalt Cloud) were combined with two white bats (approx. 4 oz) and the resulting plied yarn (I think I may make mittens out of it!)

me and my poor eyesight

I just noticed how crappy my pics are looking. I will remedy this!!!

keep on blogging!

I..........must............blog.

Last night I began a great adventure in the art of knitting. I cast on for my first pair of socks! I am knitting them in my own hand-dyed yarn (well it's Knit Picks yarn, and Country Classics' dye.) The dying was a bit disastrous (it was dyed thrice,) the winding was a bit disastrous (see photos below,) and Apollo spent an hour last night trying to eat my size 1 dpns (whilst I was trying to use them of course.) But I now have 1 inch of ribbing or so for this.


Trouble in the dye pot! After two dye jobs, I noticed this. (Yarn Knit Picks bare 70% merino/30% silk, dye Country Classics raspberry)


Hubs valiantly tries to untangle the mess


Socklings on the needles!!!!!

Hi my 3 readers

I have so much to say. It's been since April since I've posted on this blog. (I have written posts that have gone unpublished.) Horrid I know. So much has happened...I've begun to spin (I am nuts over it.) I will present you with some pictures and hope you forgive me my 3 loyal readers. (god damnit, now I can't get this to not be a link....sigh....technology and I don't mix)

curious curium
regal rhenium

Modified from Stephanie Japel's "Carie Cropped" from Fitted Knits. Yarn: knit picks' panache in coal.
Soups on! (Butternut Squash Soup)