whatta week!

well, the dreary, wet weather continues outside, but we’ve hardly noticed, so busy have we been, handling signups for our upcoming fall projects club.

THANK YOU everyone for making our first foray into this venture so rewarding—this was a big leap of faith for us to take, but we have not been disappointed. signups are brisk, the clubhouse is packed to the rafters and rockin’ on its foundations (thanks to kim and kat who are running the show over there, haha), and excitement is whipping up both behind the scenes and in the mosh pit.

we still have spots left, but they are moving very quickly; i might even venture to say (knock wood) that we’ll be sold out by next week. thank you, thank you, thank you!

i’ve hardly had a moment to knit or think about the garden all week, but as i ducked into the workroom to look for something today, i noticed how beautiful the lilac blooms are today. everything is coming in slowly this year but strong; these are probably the nicest lilacs i’ve seen on this bush—large, full flowers on long, straight stems; perfect for bringing indoors if only we weren’t so allergic to them. fortunately, we can view them from several different windows of the house at wonderful angles, including this one from my workroom window.

i’ve been too busy the last few days to check the fiddleheads and lily of the valley (or even blog, for that matter), but i promise i’ll take a walk out there tomorrow to get some nice pictures of their progress as well. this weather is perfect for onions and greens, if only it would dry out just a little to plant them . . .

so let’s see, where did i leave off? the spinners met on wednesday night for our regular class and helena brought two bobbins filled with her second plied yarn. now i ask you—is that not the nicest stuff? she’s been spinning for what, all of a month??

this is some fiber from my stash, which i purchased at the 4-H fleece auction several years ago. it’s some type of undetermined, soft merino cross fiber, but i don’t know what exactly. helena’s decided to enter one of these skeins in the fair, but is currently waffling over which is her favorite. only one meets the weight criteria, though, so probably that one.

each skein has 160 yards and one weighs 1.8 ounces while the other weighs 2.2 ounces (this one is somewhat more tightly plied). sigh; she makes it look effortless, too . . .

as i said, knitting time has been pretty scarce most of the week and scattered, at best. i’m trying to write up some patterns, move others along in the production process, and get some new stuff photographed, all with limited success (not to mention i’m going away again on tuesday to a spinning retreat, so i’ll need to organize some travel knitting that!)

my poor shorty jacket is sitting right where i left it last monday. you heard that right—LAST monday. oy. it really just needs stitching up, a couple of hours worth, which would be totally relaxing and rewarding. i should just do that. maybe tomorrow when i go to knit at susie’s . . .

my cable and rib cardigan in woolen rabbit grace, on the other hand, has grown, though i have no idea how that happened. any knitting i’ve done this week was performed in a complete stupor after midnight, but apparently, that works well for me, because i’m almost to the underarm on this left front piece. hmmm . . .

my secret project is at the completely exciting stage of being almost done and of course, this is just the time it seems to move the slowest. no matter how much i knit, it does not grow that last little bit it needs to.

but that’s ok because the luscious 1/2 n 1/2 fabric is so rewarding just to hold, pet, and admire. uh, wait a minute—could that be why it’s not growing?

i blocked this piece unfinished to get some final stats for the pattern i’m writing and wow, wow, wow—is this fabric ever gorgeous. the milk/wool blend washes up a treat and smooths out to a velvety-soft, consistent fabric with lovely drape. i’m working with the idea of using knit motifs as “prints” and the final piece is everything i’d hoped it would be. you won’t see this one for some time, but i highly recommend the yarn for three-season shawls, sweaters, and accessories.

with such a hectic pace this week, my work is all over the place—what i have accomplished is quite piecemeal, so that it hardly feels like i’ve done a thing. i hate that feeling—one of the reasons i prefer to work with my hands for a living is that at the end of each day, i can point to the results of my efforts and say “i made that today”. so on these rare days when i feel all at odds, there is one thing i turn to that i know will calm and comfort me (and i bet you can guess what it is . . .)

i took out this scarf i’ve been meaning all week to block and put it on to soak. after dinner, i put on my audiobook, laid down a clean sheet on the rug, and gathered my wires and pins to set about the quiet work of threading and stretching it.

agnes knit this sample for us and she was curious about how i’d block the pleats. i was curious too, as i wanted them to smooth out, but not to splay out or flatten (they don’t maintain their sassy swing if they get flattened in the blocking).

and it turned out that all i had to do really, was to thread the edge as usual and take care to keep the side edges aligned so the pleats could scrunch up a bit. we’ll find out when i unpin it in the morning if that worked. it was too dark for pictures when i’d finished, but i’ll try to remember to take some tomorrow.

and now dear ones, it is nearly the witching hour—almost midnight here. i’m going to stop writing and go knit. happy mothers day to all the moms that make our world go ’round.

ebook signups for the club open on sunday and on monday, i have a new pattern to release, so don’t wander too far . . .