Eye Candy Friday from the garden...

...because I couldn't pass up another apricot picture.

We're picking the last apricots this weekend. Between the heat and the squirrels, we've lost a lot apricots this year. This morning I watched a squirrel run over to the tree, pick a ripe apricot, and then climb to the top of the wall to enjoy it. At least he ate it all this time! We've been finding lots of half eaten apricots on the lawn.

The yellow snapdragons that were in the front planters have finally given up the ghost. I asked the Husband to plant new flowers with different colors...anything but yellow! He picked some very interesting flowers in pinks and purples:

Here are some individual pictures. An unknown purple-spired flower (he didn't leave a tag on it so I have no idea what it is):

...another salvia, this one is Marble Arch Mix:

...Dark Rose AngelMist (Angelonia):

...another penstemon, this time purple:

I'm thankful that we have a holiday from work today. The week was stressful in many dimensions and I need the extra time to recover. Mostly, I need to catch up on my sleep...just not sleeping well at all.

Craft-wise, I've managed a few rows of knitting, but nothing else. However, I have spent some quality time with the cats...they've been comforting little souls and there's nothing like having a purring kitty next to you when you're feeling low.

Up this weekend: pick the apricots and make an apricot crisp. Try to spin a few minutes a day for Tour de Fleece, which starts tomorrow when the Tour de France starts. Do some knitting. Mostly just rest and store up some energy for next week.

Happy 4th to all who celebrate it!

June 2009 Recap

Finished:

• 6/6 Plumcopper scarf (weaving)
• 6/13 Purple Silk Wrap (weaving)
• 6/20 Mas-Acero Shawl (weaving)
  

Worked on:

• Stranded Hearts socks (knitting) [Ravelry]
• Fraggled Socks (knitting) [Ravelry]
  
• Eleanor de Plume socks (knitting) [Ravelry]
  
• Under the Sea socks (knitting) [Ravelry]
• Purr-ple Lisa Souza wool blend batts (spinnning)
• Wisteria Angora-Merino top from Tactile (spinning)

Started:

• 6/6 Plumcopper scarf (weaving)
• 6/7 Purple Silk Wrap (weaving)
• 6/14 Mas-Acero Shawl (weaving)
  

Works In Progress, did not work on:

1. February Lady Sweater (knitting) [Ravelry]
2. Corrugator scarf (knitting) [Ravelry]
3. Morning Surf Scarf (knitting) [Ravelry]
4. Sea Foam Wrap (knitting) [Ravelry]

UFOs:

1. Black leg warmers in Caron Simply Soft yarn (knitting)
2. Angora Cottage 70% Merino and 30% Silk 4 oz.roving in purple [Ravelry]
3. Cascade Fixation anklets (knitting)
4. Central Air socks (knitting)
5. Chasing Rainbows Heather--one Merino-Bombyx (2 oz) and one Merino wool (2 oz) (spinning)
6. Dogosaurus Rex sweater (knitting) [Ravelry}
7. Flower Power quilt; top finished, need to sandwich and quilt (quilting)
8. Hopi by Susan Portra (needlepoint)
9. Jungle Songs quilt; top finished, need to sandwich and quilt (quilting)
10. Montego Bay wrap in Walking on the Wild Tide yarn, using Montego Bay scarf pattern from Interweave Knits Summer issue (knitting)
11. Paint it Black quilt
12. Peacock Majesty by Just Nan (cross stitch)
13. Queen Mermaid by Mirabilia (cross stitch)
14. Sangria shawl (knitting)
15. Twinkletoes slippers; just need to make one (knitting)
16. Violet Needle Roll (cross stitch)

WIP = me

...I realized that Monday's comment about the "strange" was somewhat cryptic. So a little more explanation is in order (emphasis on "little").

Remember that I had the flu last Tuesday? Well, it was apparently the precursor to a small health problem I've developed...nothing earth-shattering or life-threatening, just something I need to deal with. It's small enough that I can still work full-time (maybe not as efficiently), but by the end of the work day, I'm pretty wiped out. The normal course for this thing is 3 to 5 weeks...

What this means to my crafts (and the gym, Pilates, and yoga classes) is that they are taking a back seat for the moment. Sadly, this means my goal to really make a dent in my spinning stash for Tour de Fleece will have to be revamped. Weaving and knitting will be when I feel like it. Mostly I'll be concentrating on getting me back to normal.

I'm going to try to keep posting on a regular basis. You just may get more garden and sky pictures than craft pictures!

short hit Monday...

...because the strange just keeps on coming. I'm not going into any details because it's not something I want to share with the Internet. You'll have to take my word for it. 'K?

The weekend was too hot to really get crafty.

• Finished spinning the Purr-ple singles, but had no energy to ply it.
• I did some stash diving can found several bums of fiber to spin for Tour de Fleece. I found some Falkland, BFL, Merino-silk, and Merino-Bamboo tops with names like Tidal, Just Beachy, Tropical Fish, Sea Nymph, and Shipwreck (I sense a theme...)
• Found a yarn to use as a warp for my Grape Jelly handspun. I
  
• I knit a little on the Fraggled Socks and the Eleanor de Plume socks, but it was really too hot for knitting.

I read a lot and hung out with the cats on the tile floor. They sure had the right idea!

it's been a strange little week...

...getting sick didn't help. While my body recovered pretty quickly, my mind didn't. It wasn't until Thursday that I really felt that my brain was fully functional.

I have managed to get a little knitting done. But remind me never to have 4 pairs of socks on the needles again, will ya? Because I am so bored with heel flaps, heel turns, and gussets...and only two of the four pairs are that far along! Ugh!

It''s good that I have to gear up for Tour de Fleece 2009. I can put the knitting aside for a while and spin my heart out! I need to finish up a few yarns and try and make a dent in my stash. Here's one of the things I want to finish spinning: Apricot Cinder Merino-silk from Yarn Wench. I started this at the Spin-In last weekend.

My Tour de Fleece goal is to spin weft yarns that I can use in my weaving. I want to try to spin some warp yarns as well, but I have very few bumps of fiber that are more than 4oz. The most I've ever spun from 4 oz. is 440 yards of a 2-ply Wensleydale. I generally do 3-ply yarns and get between 250 - 330 yards. While that might be enough to warp for a scarf, I don't need that many scarves! I need to stash-dive and see whether I have any bumps bigger than 4 oz.

Up this weekend: clean house a bit and run the errands I didn't get to last weekend. I want to go through the stash and figure out what I'm spinning for Tour de Fleece. And then concentrate on trying to finish at least one of my WIPs!

well, that wasn't fun...

...I picked up some flu bug and stayed home sick yesterday. The fever was the worst part...when you feel your pulse in your whole head...ugh! I was very happy when that finally subsided. fever on a hot day = miserable

No fever today, but the flu part has not completely worked its way out of my system yet. I'm taking it slow; I skipped going to the gym today. However much I wanted to stay home another day, I have a ton of work to do, so here I am.

Needless to say, no progress on any craft front.

That's all for now...

weaving R' us...

...finished another one! I'm really loving how fast these weaving projects are!

Presenting the completed Mas-Acero Shawl.

This was gifted to my mother-in-law on Sunday. Here's a view of it hanging on the tree so you can get an idea of the drape (taken after washing and before a little steam).

Specs:
Finished 6/20/09
Finished size: 81"L x 18"w, including 6" fringe each end;
Warp & weft: Brooks Farm Mas-Acero yarn in Lakeside Shadows;
Warp: 10epi, 95"L x 19.25"W;
Weft: 8ppi;
Loom: Ashford 20" Knitters Loom

I had a great time at the Spin-in on Saturday...nothing like spending time with fellow spinners and knitters! The host and hostess were gracious, as always, and we enjoyed lots of yummy food! (mmmmm, pie...cheesecake...cupcakes...) I started spinning a Yarn Wench merino-silk top in Apricot-Cinder (I know, more apricots!) and finished about half a bobbin. No pictures yet, sorry!

While I decide what the next weaving project will be, I'm working on my socks.

• Eleanor de Plume[Ravelry]: finished the heel flap, turned the heel, picked up the gusset stitches and am working on the instep decreases.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Fraggled Socks [Ravelry]: started the heel flap
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Under the Sea Socks [Ravelry]: Still trying to finish the foot! (no picture)
  
  

That's it for now...another busy week at work ahead!