desperately seeking springtime

Posted on Posted in designing, food and garden, projects

well, the sun had a little trial run today, sticking its toes in the water and coming out for a few hours this afternoon. now though, it’s already back in hiding and another inch of snow is predicted for tonight.

i guess it’s all about small steps right now. i would like to say that we’ve had more glimpses of spring than just one sunny afternoon, but it isn’t true—it is still FREEZING outside with biting winds. yesterday i went running as usual, without giving much consideration to the cold  (because um, it’s supposed to be spring) and by late afternoon i was sore all over. i don’t think my legs like the wind, haha.

hard to believe that the temperatures will get all the way up to 50 degrees by saturday, the way they’re supposed to. i’ll believe it when i see it, haha.

since mother nature is not cooperating, let’s warm ourselves up with a little excitement—how about i announce the winner of the botanical knits eBook by alana dakos?

and it looks like that would be . . . . carol P!
i have emailed the winner to let her know; thank you all for participating.

good thing i have knitting to keep me warm and occupied. yes, i’d rather be working in the yard of an evening, but if it’s too cold outside yet, then knitting it will be. i have all manner of secret projects going on in various stages of doneness, but a few non-secret ones that are slowly making their way long the FO road.

all the way home the other day i wanted to knit in the car but motions sickness got the better of me and i spent most of the ride trying not to look at anything. but i did work on this cowl some during my trip and hopefully there is noticeable progress.

i left my DK shawl project home, but as soon as we got here i worked the last couple of rows and did the bind off. it still needs to be blocked of course, but it’s finished, yay.

i’m placing it on the growing collection of finished BNW knits, hoping to organize a nice big blocking and seaming party for myself over the weekend; i have several other FOs that arrived from sample knitters which also need to be done. i’d invite a few other people, but i don’t know anyone else who enjoys blocking and seaming as a recreational activity, haha.

barb knit this gorgeous sticks and stones pullover from our stone soup DK and brought it over a couple of weeks ago so i could seam it. i got some of it done before we went away, but didn’t want to truck the whole thing to albany, so it stayed behind.

the stone soup yarn blocks out like a dream, in lace and in regular sweater fabric. the fiber blooms a bit to make a soft, flannel-like surface, not too fuzzy. but even better is how crisply the pieces take a shape after steaming or wet blocking. the stitches fall into beautifully straight columns and the overall fabric squares right up as if it is reinforced, yet remains supple and soft to the touch. i think the combination of fibers has a lot going for it that way.

anyway, i’ll work on it tonight and tomorrow so it can join the rest of our beautiful samples which are queued up for photography.

we have quite a lovely lineup, waiting to be in the look book we’re preparing for our yarns. (see—i even received my lavender buttons from moving mud for the cocoa sprossling and sewed them on so i could wear it over last weekend. i love them. and the sweater was super-comfy, too)

speaking of this delicious pile of stuff, it’s time to marvel over another gorgeous sample knit by one of our readers—this time, a stunning rendition of the dovecote shawl knit by dear agnes in our breakfast blend fingering yarn

she knit this up in the earl grey color; isn’t that just the epitome of natural elegance?

this yarn is another that blocks out superbly—just take a gander at those points; they are breathtaking, right?? seriously, my knitting class gasped when they saw this shawl in real life.

this is such a fun design to make, too—it practically knits itself, yet it looks complex and intricate. just ask our test knitter, karolyn—it’s one of her all-time favorites; she has knit it numerous times.

thank you agnes; we are so grateful for your beautiful contributions to our community, our ravelry groups, and now our trunk show!

all of these beautiful knits and yarn make me feel like i’m in the middle of a celebration—because this was a real red-letter day for me in another way. to tell you about it, i have to go back a bit; i hope you don’t mind a little story.

on a gorgeous august afternoon in 2011, while out for one of my daily rides, i managed to lose control of my bicycle while racing downhill. i don’t remember this part, what happened exactly or why, but the first thing to hit the pavement, breaking my fall, was my mouth.

miraculously, i did not break any bones and my teeth, while shoved all askew, were mostly intact with just a few chips. my helmet was in tatters, my face was a mess of road rash from top to bottom and needed stitches in several places, but again, mostly minor injuries there. once we got the all-clear from the emergency room staff, it was time for the dentist to have a look. the verdict was that i’d be wearing braces for the next ten to twelve months.

HA, well it’s now twenty months later and finally, finally today i walked out of the orthodontist’s office with the chain mail removed from my mouth. no more painful adjustments, no more railroad tracks. i feel like bikini season has begun for my teeth!

my smile is a little different now than it used to be. i will always have a couple of scars and some nerve damage around my mouth, but i am grateful and thrilled to consider myself “all better now”. and thankfully, still in love with my bike.

tomorrow we are releasing the sky cap pattern—a fun, quick knit that could be the perfect item to tuck into a little easter basket for kids not yet of chocolate eating age.

35 thoughts on “desperately seeking springtime

  1. My sister had braces as an adult, too – I suspect they are much more annoying to grown-ups than to kids! But your smile is beautiful, so it was worth it!

    And I, too, am desperately seeking springtime. It’s been in the low 40s here the last couple days, so much of our snow is gone, and they aren’t predicting anymore! (Fingers crossed, of course!)

  2. Yeah!!!! You look maahvelous dahlink! Congratulations!
    Best title; love the shawl you have been working on; the dovecote that Agnes did just looks stunning in the Breakfast Blend. I think I have to do this in coco for my sister.

  3. You just light up when you’re smiling–congratulations on getting those braces off! We had 14 inches of snow over the weekend, but it’s almost gone except on the north side of the house. It’s hard not to yearn for spring, but the snow moisture is a boon with a dry summer coming. Love the Dovecote shawl and love the way your yarns look after blocking. I need to go back to Anne’s class and be a more contientious swatcher!

  4. Your smile is radiant! Beautiful! I agree that it must feel great to get them off and eat regular food without thinking about it first.

  5. Oh Anne, I had braces as a late teen and wore them for about the same time as you. Wasn’t that first run of the tongue over smooth teeth one of the most wonderful sensations?!

    It has been 16 years since I had my braces removed and I still remember that first few minutes when my mouth was mine again.

    You have such a beautiful smile, having fun showing it off!

  6. Congratulations on your new, bare teeth! I still remember the day I got my braces off. My teeth felt so strange. I seemed to have a lot more room in my mouth as well. Lovely smile! Spring is coming. We just had 12 new inches of snow here in Alaska. But, Spring will be here this weekend – for sure!

  7. Beautiful smile! Congratulations! Sorry about the bike accident – I broke my collarbone from a bike fall last year but still love cycling all the same, too.

  8. Your smile is (and was!) beautiful! Many congrats on getting the hardware off. What a trooper you are. That was some header you took.

    Now you can eat caramel apples again, haha!

    Love all the wonderful samples. Agnes did an incredible knitting and blocking job. Just perfection.

    It’s still snow, sleet, wood fires and hot tea in Maine.

  9. Congrats on the metal-less mouth. What an ordeal, now behind you. The samples are stunning, especially that Dovecote, which is now on the queue. Take care.

  10. Congratulations on the un-encumbered smile; you look great! I am also waiting for spring–doesn’t look like the annual April 1st planting of peas will be a good idea this year!

  11. What a fantastic smile Anne, you look amazing. Agnes’ shawl is breathtaking. It must be such a thrill to keep receiving all these knits in your own yarn. Have a good Easter weekend. I’m hoping the sun will shine here, even if the temperatures aren’t due to warm up very much.

  12. Congratulations on surviving the orthodontist! (I remember it well, ungh.) Your smile is so so pretty 🙂 And the points on that Dovecote. Oh my goodness SWOON. That sample is incredible!

  13. Love your blog & your knits; read daily and wear many often. 🙂

    It’s just lovely when the braces come off, isn’t it? Congrats! (I’m 36 and had mine taken off about a month ago. It’s bliss to be able to eat properly again.) Your smile is terrific!

  14. A beautiful smile and beautiful knits. Agnes’s Dovecote shawl is a gorgeous recomendation for the new yarns. It certainly IS a big day for you all.

  15. You look gawgeous, Anne! And that Dovecote! After having worn it constantly, I gave mine to a favorite relative who was always admiring it. I can see what the next one will be!

  16. YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So happy for you — I was just thinking about the braces a few weeks ago and was wondering when you were going to be able to get rid of the blasted things. Happy day.

    And Spring? What Spring?!?

  17. We had 12.5″ of snow last weekend, and bitter cold. The snow is a normal happening in our spring, if we’re lucky enough to get moisture, not those temps. Even in summer evenings are sometimes chilly. Which leads this inquiring mind to ask if there is laceweight BNW on the way? It would be perfect for those outdoor theater and concert evenings. Now, off to reconsider Dovecote. All these new samples are killing my queue!

  18. dovecote is spectacular and so are those little yellow budding flowers but the BEST news is about your MOUTH!!
    congratulations!

  19. I love Agnes’ Dovecote! I think I’m going to have to knit that shawl in that exact colorway! I love it so much!

    The DK shawl looks so lovely too! Can’t wait for that pattern to be released! Do you think that the DK shawl would also work with the BNW DK Stone Soup?

  20. Wonderful to have the braces off. You had a wonderful smile even with them, but I know the feeling to have them off.

    The Dovecote shawl is just lovely. Maybe I’ll have to use my Breakfast Blend that I bought at class – or buy more!

  21. I understand— completely. I was in a bad bike crash about five years ago, and besides breaking my shoulder blade, collarbone, and various bones in my face, I broke a tooth– one of the ones right next to the front teeth. Not a chip, it broke about half off. I lived with that for a year until I was literally given a new tooth for Christmas. Finally having that crown and having a full set of teeth made me realise just how much having that broken tooth had affected me– and my smile!
    So congrats!

  22. Oh my, so much gorgeous knitting in this post! I also gasped when Agnes showed me her Dovecote – it’s just lovely in this yarn.

    Nice to see your gorgeous metal-free smile too, Anne!

  23. Hi Anne! Thank you for the beautiful spring flower/snow pictures. And Agnes’ shawl is breathtakingly gorgeous – perfect in that yarn! No wonder your class gasped when they saw it! Have a great Easter!

  24. Ooh, nice teeth! Last year I had my braces removed after 54 months, so, bravo to you. I couldn’t help but wonder after hearing of your painful fall, would a mouth guard have prevented your issues? I fell on my face in my thirties and broke the bursa in my knees and broke my glasses and redirectioned my nose after falling on some rough ice. Perhaps we all need bubble wrap!
    Your knits are masterpieces. Your new yarn line looks most intriguing. I look forward to knitting with it.

  25. I’m glad you did not break your teeth, the repairs would have been more serious, and more expensive.

    The Dovecoat looks wonderful in that colour and weight. I’m wondering how much smaller this version was than the one depicted in the pattern. I like this length and would like to give this one a try.

  26. Yay to getting the braces off! That’s such a wonderful feeling of freedom to have the metal gone; I’m sure you’re totally enjoying that and your lovely smile.

    Dovecoat is wonderful in the Earl Grey Breakfast Blend.

    The pile of hand knits on the back of the couch is beyond awesome.

  27. So thankful you didn’t knock yourself silly. Thank goodness, fer sure

    Your smile is beautiful, Anne.

    Now, all those lush knit projects
    Couldn’t a gal just wallow in them!

    Hugs

    I’m going to venture, will be casting on one of your sweaters soon
    My fingers will be crossed for my first REAL cardi

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