Keep It Simple

For the past two years I have had a skein in my stash that I couldn't decide what to do with, mostly because I couldn't thing of a project that I thought would be worthy. It's handspun 50/50 merino and mohair from Puff (the Magic Rabbit). It's a subtle lavender and softest green color combination, thick and thin in texture. And I kept thinking that I should come up with some really fancy, complicated design for it. But nothing came to mind. I swatched a couple of stitch patterns, but didn't really like any of them. So the yarn sat there.

A couple of days ago I finally thought "What the heck, what small item would I like to have for myself?" And I answered, "Some new handwarmers"; and I decided that I would make them extremely simply and just let the yarn speak for itself.

The lavender looks kind of grey in this picture, it's prettier than it shows here. Once I got going I almost wished I had opted for socks. They would have been cozy. But I'm just not into hand washing socks any more.

For a Non-Knitter

my girl has very good taste in yarn.



This was my Mother's Day present, and it's lovely. A skein of superwash merino from Honeypot Yarns. This is a local indy dyer I was not even aware of. The colorway is called Shitake. I'm not sure whether to use it for socks, which would be so soft and warm, or mittens. I'm kind of leaning to the latter, because they would show more.

Due to scheduling complications on Sunday, we celebrated Alternate Mother's Day yesterday, and it worked out very well. Wonderful Daughter brought equally Wonderful Mom down here and we had lunch at the new coffee shop, a very cute place, than went out to The Salad Garden, an extremely good local plant nursery. It was a fun, relaxed and relaxing time together.

I came home with plants to go in the big pot by the front door. It's too cold and damp today to enjoy putting them in, but tomorrow looks more promising.

Not Totally Abandoned

The Really Bright Socks have been sort of pushed to the back burner, but not completely forgotten. I made it as far as the heel on both, and decided on red.



Both heels have been completed and I'm through the gusset deceases on this one. Home stretch.

Yikes!

They're everywhere.



I did get out yesterday afternoon and grubbed out most of the front flowerbed. That only leaves the side bed and all of the back yard. (Sigh!)

Fortunately, the Bleeding Heart is also in bloom.



As are the last groups of tulips.

Guess I'd better get out for a bit and tackle the rest of the Dandelion legions.

Inspiration

I printed out a few charts from books at the Antique Pattern Library site.



These are embroidery charts (and they are just about enough to make me want to take up cross stitching), but obviously there is potential for knitting color work there, too. Plus, they are just fun to look at.

I'm awfully fond of that blue and white one running vertically in the middle, and it would present no great technical challenge. Some of the others (like the big one on the top left), have long spaces between color changes: too long for basic "Fair Isle" color stranding - but double knitting? Armenian? (don't know that technique yet, but could learn it).

Lots of possibilities.

Proud Mamma

Just found out that my daughter will definitely be attending grad school in Steven's Point starting next fall (in Speech Language Pathology). She's worked really hard to get to this point, taking a year's worth of challenging undergraduate prerequisites (her own undergrad degree having been in a completely unrelated area), and I'm just pleased as punch that the hard work has paid off. I knew that the programs were competitive, but until today didn't know just how competitive: 150 applications for about 25 spots.

I'll be a little sorry to have her two hours farther from home, but not nearly as sorry as I am happy and excited for her and proud of her. Way to go kiddo!