Two Cute ~

One of the most delightful parts of our vacation was seeing our wee Connor. Born in May, he is adorable.

My sweetie, born in July (15 years before Connor) is also adorable - major adorable. Together they are a bundle of cuteness, sweetness and joy!

Vacation Series ~

While I was knitting socks, my sweetie daughter was reading through a three book series. We thought she would read one of these big books on the plane trip home, but she just kept speed reading them!

Great that Mom lives close to a bookstore so we could buy #2 and #3 while we were there! Now I have to read them so I can try to keep up with the conversations!!!!

Vacation Heels ~

Very excited to get to the heel turns for these socks!  These are destined for a Christmas gift, so I feel like I am getting ahead of the holiday list, even if just a little bit!

Loving the Jitterbug yarn and the wild colors and tight twist, such happy yarn and happy knitting for vacation!

Eighty Degrees and knitting ~

Yes, this is what we do during Michigan vacations in June. We knit wool socks while the temperature and humidity climb to unbelievable heights.

This picture was taken well before noon, so not the hottest part of the day yet - not even 80 degrees yet! Most of my knitting was done indoors where it was a bit cooler.  Still, vacation knitting is getting done, no matter what!

First Vacation Stop ~

Dairy Deluxe on Woodward Avenue. No other place on earth like Dairy Deluxe.

One of a kind, forever and ever.... Love that sign!  Love that ice cream!

Socks on the Plane ~

Off on a trip to Michigan to visit family. A quick week, yet good to be getting home to see Mom and our newest addition to the family, our wee Connor.

Also good to be getting some plane knitting (not plain knitting) of socks while we are airborne. Vacation knitting starts now!

Back to Corriedale Spinning ~

I set aside this lovely corriedale mixed fiber while having my adventures with Finnish wool, Chevoit wool and my Cinnamon fiber. Although not as soft as those, I love the color mix in the corriedale as the mohair pieces are bright pops of color that are an unexpected bonus while spinning. Purple, green, orange and yellow, all dipped in this lovely chocolate brown.

Curious how this will ply, and also wondering how rustic it still might be after soaking. I am hoping for less rustic and more softness... stay tuned!

June Boot Camp ~

Our 6:00 am world is very different in June than it was in December or January. Still a lot of fun and a tough work out, always a lot of laughs with friends that believe this working out at 6:00 am is a normal part of our day. Good news in June, the sun is up and we are not wearing layers to keep warm!

So happy that I started these workouts in May of 2013, and am looking forward to the day when I get legs like the rest of the boot campers.

Plus, when does it get easier? (perhaps next year?)

Finished Finnish ~

My experience with the Finnish wool fiber has been great. The fibers spins well and the yarn turned out to be lovely, however not next-to-the-skin soft, but not pokey. Does that make sense? I would not knit a cowl for next to my neck out of this yarn, but certainly it could be worn over a turtleneck or shirt.

So happy to be spinning fibers that are new to me and stretching my knowledge and experience of spinning. There is such joy in this spinning I am doing, plus that mystery solving of, "What will this yarn look and feel like?" each time the plying (and soaking) is done!

I think I will be getting more new-to-me-sheep fiber from our local Woolgatherings, as they have a good selection and I love their fibers!

Cinnamon Girl ~

This fiber turned out to be lovely yarn that is oh-so-soft. I am in love with the color and the texture. Once it was spun, it does not have as much of the cinnamon red that was evident in the fiber, yet it is still so beautiful.

The white that you see in the picture is the silk blended with the alpaca and merino, oh so lovely! I need to knit something wonderful with this yarn. Hurrah!!

Stepping ahead ~

I knit more on the intarsia stocking, and so far I have not ripped back again. I am thinking of changing the little border below the snowman, as I am not sure what the picture is supposed to be. I thought they were bells, and my sister-in-law thought they were candles.... so I might have to find a pattern that really looks like something.

Also interesting to be knitting this flat, from the cuff down. Not my usual pattern for socks, so this is all a total learning curve... Yikes! I hope to have this done by Thanksgiving!!!!

Love Neon ~

I was getting frustrated with the intarsia project and needed a happy boost. This lovely neon yarn was a gift from sweet Jitteryknitter that knows how much I love love love neon, and this yarn has been patiently waiting on my bedside table waiting for the perfect time for cast on. Today was that perfect day.

Look at how happy these socks are going to be! Check out the radiating good Karma of these great colors and how they combine in delightful stripes!  I am in love with these socks already, even though they are just little toes so far!

Madagascar ~

Today we put our nineteen year old on a plane for Madagascar where she will be for seven weeks. She will be taking three college classes, speaking French with the locals and having her first international adventure - not counting her trips to Canada....which is, of course, another country, but not the same sort of "adventure" that she will be having in Madagascar.

We are so proud of her, and know that she will have an amazing experience. She will be learning about traditional medicines and the traditional language, and perhaps meet some super cute lemurs! I have posted a link to her blog in the side bar of my blog so we can all follow her adventures.

Respect the Gate ~

Our garden is getting into full swing (see what I did there?), so I wanted to show you the amazing garden gate that my sweetie made. Hopefully it will help us keep the deer and other critters out of the garden this year.

We have tomatoes, arugula, blue berries, raspberries, spinach and other delicacies to protect. The gate turned out to be so beautiful and we are all sure to acknowledge the gate greatness!

College Celebration ~

Road trip knitting on the way to pick up oldest daughter from her first year of college. Beautiful day, and perfect time to get some sock knitting done.

 

 

What an amazing first year of college it has been, and we celebrated by ending our day at our favorite waterfront to have a great dinner together. 

 

Hurrah for our family adventures!

Honor Cake ~

So proud of my girl as she is inducted into National Honor Society. She has kept a 4.0 grade point for her second year of high school while taking tough classes. Hurrah for our 15 year old!

Celebrating with cake is mandatory! Always a good idea to have cake!