the color blue

omg, do you see what’s all over those leaves??
if memory serves me correct, that would be actual sunshine.

yep, that’s the sun alright, though i hardly remember what it looks like.
you could knock me over with a feather.

(i know that’s a picture of nothing, but i can’t help myself—it’s got the SUN in it).
after a full week of chilly, sodden days i woke this morning to a bright room and glimpses of deep blue sky outside—that wonderful autumn cerulean blue. can you tell this makes me happy?

all through my coffee-making ritual i looked out my kitchen window and grinned. i am one of those people who becomes a sluggish mess when the days turn gray in autumn—and we have and almost continuous parade of them from late september through march in ohio. and a day like this—well, rare indeed, but i appreciate every one.

i think it might even be a day for flowers

my one surviving toad lily plant has dozens of blooms this year—very unusual; it normally puts out a half-dozen or so flowers. it’s been quite prolific and long-blooming this year. i don’t know what happened to the dozen or so other ones i had, but i should get more; i like the color and their fascinating miniature blooms.

i started with the garden stuff because, well, it’s about time, right? but i have loads of knitting to share too.
i’m taking a short break from my secret projects (while i wait for more yarn) and it just amazes me how much other knitting i can get done when my time is not all tied up in those.

i got a chance to work on wasp and rose for a couple of hours last night and it’s growing nicely

i love how the yarn—fibre isle kami bison, colorway rose petale—knits up; it’s a skinny lace yarn, made up of slippery fibers, but extremely easy to handle on the needles; even surprisingly so. i so admire how sylvie engineers her yarns—they are always easy to knit with, despite their fine weight and have such great integrity.

i’ve been wanting to use this edging in something for some time now, but it’s not right for just anything and it’s a bear to figure out the reversal. it works perfectly in this composition though and was worth all the work i put in to solve the reversal and make it work within the design.

i am off and running with this knit now—all that remains is to decide how much of each part will be the right proportion and to tweak that darn wasp motif a little (still in timeout).

as you know, i have my little knitting addictions and true to my nature,the other night while i was talking on the phone with cookie, i cast on another one of my current faves.

i swear, i didn’t even notice i was doing it and before we finished our chat, i was halfway through the hem section of my fourth les abeilles.

i took out this skein of yarn and wound it up as a reward for a very long day’s work on tuesday (sometimes i do that; just getting away from my desk to wind yarn feels so good). it’s briar rose grace in one of those wonderful dusky colorways that chris send me as a one-off thing (grace, a bamboo/merino blend, isn’t currently available, but sea pearl is a great substitute and if i had that in this color, i would have wound it instead).

anyway, this skein has been calling to me with it’s gray-blue siren song and who can resist the pull?

to be fair, i’ve given away two of the other three that i knit and was determined to have one in this yarn weight. i’m knitting it on size 6 needles and the fabric seems just right—light and airy but maintaining good stitch definition.

so i have myself another shawlette on the needles to take on my teaching trip this weekend (river colors in cleveland; see all the info on my events page). it’s a good knit to bring to class, in case there’s time to knit.

what else have i got packed?
let’s see, i started another hellebores beret in some leftover fibre isle magique that matches one of my pine and ivy shawlettes. it’s a shame to let this much luxurious leftovers sit for long, when i can always use a hat.

it will also look great with my handspun pine and ivy. i’ve just got the brim cast on—it makes good travel knitting so i got it started and then set it aside as a treat to work on after classes.

this is the magical twilight colorway, which is mostly natural brown bison, infused with deep plum—you can only really see it in the right light, which we happen to have on hand today, thanks to the sunshine.

in other light, the color is much more subtle. i love that!

i finished my gray mitts, which photographed a little better today, too—the textured panel stands out here (my favorite part of knitting these is the pattern).

these are light and delicious once you pull them on—they feel like nothing at all, yet provide that cozy layer of warmth i sometimes need while typing.

the skein of yarn just goes on and on, so i still have lots left after knitting these (along with a neckwarmer last winter). so i thought i’d try to squeeze another neckwarmer out of what’s left, this time to match the gloves and make a set.

all of these small project, plus david’s sock will go into my carrying bag for the weekend. linda and i are driving up tomorrow; david is staying home to work on the roof, now that we have some good weather back in our corner.

last night the spinners came over for class, too. we changed our class day to wednesday because it’s more convenient for most everyone to meet during the week.

i took out this stunning coopworth fiber to spin some sock yarn for a special pair of tenth anniversary socks for david (i hope i can make it). we all shared the purchase of this grand champion fleece at last year’s wooster fiber show, then had it processed with nylon added. a sacrilege, i know—maybe—but we expressly wanted to spin it up for socks. we all love handspun socks but we get dismayed when they wear out so fast. so we decided to experiment.

coopworth is one of my all-time favorite spinning fibers. it spins up kind of wiry, but then when washed, is completely transformed into a soft, spring yarn that is very hardwearing.

and you can’t beat the luster—it’s a joy to spin

i’m working on singles for a 3-ply, so i’m spinning worsted, fairly firm, but not too; i want the yarn to be springy and soft.

i think i’m on a good roll with it.

ooof, you know what? i have GOT to run; i have an appt in 45 minutes.
i’m not even going to proofread this today—my apologies.