The Woolen Rabbit

Friday's Flowers......flowering bushes

 
From a bud, only a promise.
Then a gentle opening;
Rich blooming, bursting fragrance,
The fulfillment of the center.
Deng Ming~Dao

One of the things I love most about spring is the abundance of flowering shrubs in my yard.  The first picture is Bridal Wreath that we have in the front and side of our house and it is in full bloom right now.

These other shrubs in the back of the house are called Amur Honeysuckle.  Now from what I read this Honeysuckle bush can be considered an invasive pest in many areas, but in our yard it is definitely a friend.

This bush serves serves as a barrier from our neighbors during the months when we are out in yard, which cuts down on most dog barking behavior.  In the spring when it is flowering it is abuzz with bees, as I can attest to while trying to take pictures this morning, and in the early summer when the flowers turn to berries, it is food for the many birds who call our neighborhood home.

We do need to be diligent in keeping it cut back in the spring and fall, but so far it's been all good.

  Speaking of birds......my little friends are making their way into their new world!

Last night Hannah came running in to tell me that one of the babies had hatched.  This morning when I went to visit, there were 2.

Now mind you, anyone driving by and seeing me in my pajamas with a camera, must have thought me to be insane.....but at least I had on a nice Eileen West  nightgown and robe set... :)

One of the things that I love best about the bird world is how Dad sits on the nest and tends to the little ones.

Last year when the last little robin didn't want to leave her nest, it was Dad who sad on the fence urging her on.  I am always mindful to make enough noise before I approach the bush where the new nest is to give Dad a chance to gently move away.  As I snap these new pictures, he patiently sits on the fencing waiting for me to finish.  You have to love that in a man..er..bird!

I hope that you have an enjoyable weekend in your corner of the world.  This weekend I am off to Rug hooking classes on Saturday and visiting with fiber friends on Sunday.  Enjoy yours!

PS....have I mentioned how much I HATE typepad's upgrade.....because I do!

Cashmere anyone?

A few weeks ago at the NH Sheep & Wool festival I was on a mission.  The only thing on my list of things to purchase was more of the scrumptious cashmere roving that I had purchased there the year before.

Bypassing row after row of beautiful fiber, I went on the search for the vendor who had sold me the cashmere.  Imagine my dismay when she was nowhere to be found :(.  I was totally bummed out!  Once we returned home however, I thankfully found  my catalog from the year before and was able to track her down.  4 little bags of roving arrived on my doorstop last week...yay!

Currently I am working on Brambler and am about 1/3 of the way finished.  This will be my last scarf for a little while once I finish. 

Of all the Little Nothing Scarves, this one is probably the easiest of all.  Anyone new to lace and looking for something to learn on...this scarf is it.  Very very easy and with the heavier yarn it works up quickly. :-)

I have a few fiber things I want to concentrate on once I am finished with this scarf.  I need to finish up a few pair of socks, dig out my sewing machine, catch up on some spinning and then finally I hope to settle back into working on Bee during summer evenings.  Bee has been ever patient sitting in my basket and it is time for her to have a little more attention again :-)

I hope by finishing up some loose ends, I can simplify my life a bit. :-)

Memorial Day....

 
Spirit, that made those heroes dare
To die, and leave their children free,
Bid Time and Nature gently spare
The shaft we raise to them and thee.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Fiddlehead Scarf

 
May I introduce Fiddlehead :-). 
Feeling much better, I managed to get my scarf blocked and the rain held off long enough for us to get a few pictures.  This is a wonderfully easy knit....loved it!!  I will have the kit up later this evening. :)

  
Pattern:  Fiddlehead Scarf
Yarn:  400 yards Woolen Rabbit Whisper Lace
Color:  Flamingo
Needles:  US size 4

 
It was wonderful to have a willing model who allowed a picture without the head chopped off...LOL.

 
Ok Mom.......enough is enough!!

Look What I Found

Yes, another Robin's nest in the bush next to the one she nested in last year.  Yay...another season of watching the little ones grow!!  This year for sure, I am really hoping to see them fledge again.  Last year it was SO cool watching the babies jumping out of their comfort zone into the great wide world, guided by their diligent and watchful parents.

I will try not to bore you with a gazillion baby pictures again, but truly I so enjoyed watching them grow last year, having another opportunity to do so again is priceless.

You know what is so strange this time around though?  When I snapped this picture last week, there were 3 eggs in the nest, but when I checked on it again today.......there were 4.  Go figure?

I had hoped to show you pictures of my Flamingo Fiddlehead Scarf blocked and modeled, but sadly it will not be today.

I have been feeling a bit under the weather the last few days and while she is finished, I just didn't have the energy to get her blocked.  Hopefully tomorrow.

I am starting a new little project tonight during American Idol.  My fingers and toes are crossed for David Cook...but those teeny boppers are a powerful group.  We will soon find out.
Have a great night!
PS........I'm not sure I like this new typepad format very much :(

Let The Games Begin.....

It's Spring and our lives have all of a sudden become very busy!  Spring usually ushers in all of the sport activities, which we all enjoy very much and this year is no exception.  My son is home for the summer to save a bit of  money and it didn't take long for him to find a few teams, both baseball and softball to join.

Courtney my middle daughter is playing highschool softball and is also on the spring traveling soccer team.  Needless to say we have been very busy shuffling between games and working in the garden, along with our other responsibilities.

I have learned over the years to cherish these times as they seem to go so fast.  Having Miles home for the summer and watching him play ball again gives us just a little piece of that part of his childhood  again that has come and gone....just one more time :-).  Truly nostalgic.

Not to fear though....I have been knitting away.  One of the bonuses of attending all of these activities, is I have a perfect excuse to knit.  Courtney tells me I am known as "that Mom" who knits...haha!

I am almost finished with Fiddlehead, one of Anne's newest scarf patterns.  Actually it could come off the needles now, but I have decided to make it a wee bit longer this time.  I'm thinking that maybe tomorrow it will be finished and ready to be blocked :-).

Friday's Flower.....Buds

~Spring Magic~
The World is very old;
But year by year
It groweth new again
When buds appear.

The World is very old,
And sometimes sad;
But when the daises come
The World is glad.

The World is very old;
But every Spring
It groweth young again,
And fairies sing
Cicely Mary Barker

I thought that this poem was such an appropriate one to kick off Friday's flowers.  While many of you are in full bloom, here in the mountains we are just starting to see the signs of what is to come.

The baby buds on the crabapple trees and lilac bushes should burst open over the next few days. 

I have to admit that this one week in the year when all of the flowering fruit trees and dogwoods are in full bloom is one of my favorite weeks.  It is just SO beautiful.

Of course you know it's Spring when you see a field full of these as well....

Ken treats our front and side yarns with crabgrass/weed killer, but we usually leave one of the fields alone to do it's own thing and this is that field...LOL.  Full of Dandelions...great for Dandelion wine and bunnies :-)

You also know it's Spring when you see yard after yard of freshly tilled gardens.

We have decided to expand our garden a bit this year, so I had someone in to till the garden as well.....and welll......

Oh my.......the tiller was a kind hearted man, but at 72 years old, I pretty much walked behind him to be sure he didn't have a heart attack.  I think that this garden was a bit more than he anticipated....yikes!  God bless him, he told me that next year he thought he might send his son...LOL.

After spending the day in the yard, I am really looking forward to the upcoming garden season and am looking forward to seeing yours as well!

Little Nothings.....

Birthdays, anniversaries, memorials, festivals
Measure our progress on the path.
Deng Ming~Dao

The other day at the Sheep and Wool festival, Laurie and I were talking about how easy it is to lose your blog voice when you have stepped away for a bit.  Somedays it seems as though life goes by so fast that a thought has come and gone and then a day has come and gone....then a week....and that thought is long gone.  I could completely relate, because I feel the same way at times.

My life has been very busy since the last NH Sheep and Wool festival, but it has been a wonderful kind of busy, as I get to do the things that I love to do for work, but on the other hand...it is still work.

The one thing I have lost over the last few years however is the free time that I once had to knit, weave and visit with friends as much as I would like to....I miss that the most.

These "Little Nothing" scarves of Anne's have been perfect for me during this time in my life right now.  I actually feel as though I am accomplishing something at the end of the week, which hasn't been happening here for a spell.

Many nights, when I finally get to sit down, I am just too tired to tackle anything that I have to think very much about.  This new little scarf is so easy, peasy that I was able to memorize the pattern right off.  I actually find that I look forward to the hour I have at night and in the morning now to knit.

I am really looking forward to the summer and the change in schedules.  Life seems to become a bit more flexible and relaxed don't you think?

The weather here is really starting to warm up nicely, so I thought that I would start back again with Friday's Flowers this week.

Please feel free to snag my button on my side bar and join along.  It was fun last year to see how different the flowers are from region to region.  I look forward to seeing your flowers again this year too!

New Hampshire Sheep and Wool Festival

Another New Hampshire Sheep and Wool Festival has come and gone.  The weather was picture perfect and spending time with good friends was as magical as ever.

Now, one thing you are not going to see on my blog this year is pictures of those friends because I didn't take my camera with me.  Learning to use the new camera is like trying to learn how to ride a bike again.  I am sure that you will see a bunch of pictures over the next few days however.....the grrls were in rare photography form..LOL!

As we have been tearing apart my barn in preparation for the Studio that Ken is building for me, I was ever mindful of how much fiber I have stashed in there, so I resisted the temptation to by too much fiber. 

The only stuff that did come home with me were these 2 lovely angora blends from Chris.  Yes...you read that right...angora...and yes, I have a barn full of angora, but these are ready to sit and be spun and oh so beautiful!  The only other purchases were some yummy dressings and a beautiful gift from Ken for Mother's Day.

I met up with the grrls for lunch, but for the rest of the festival, Ken and I took our time enjoying the weather and our day away from home.  At one point, he told me he felt bad, thinking I would rather be with my friends as I don't see them that often.

Silly man.......what he doesn't realize is that I treasure the time that we get to spend alone even more.  Having 5 children, well, you can well imagine how that goes.  We spent a number of years attending the festival was with a child in tow complaining each step of the way how boring it was.  I have to admit that i have enjoyed the childless trips a bit more :-)

All in all it was a fabulous day out!  A grrl needs that every now and then. :-)

"Boing!"

Peacock iridescence in veridical shadows,
Violet blooms spread to noonday sun.
The world's beauty is a swirl of color,
But in the flower's center is bright stillness.
Deng Ming~Dao

Whereas Anne's Boing is a wild child in her bright and happy colors, mine is a bit more fragile and subdued....a quiet but beautiful sister.

This is another beautiful lace stitch pattern that creates a little extra something to wear around your neck when it is not really that cold, but cool enough to warrant a bit of extra warmth...or to dress up an outfit.   I so enjoy knitting these little scarves, as they are easy to knit and finish in a short period of time.  Perfect for a gift as well. 

Pattern:  "Boing!"
Yarn:  300-400 yards (depending on desired length)
Woolen Rabbit Whisper Lace Yarn ~ Rhubarb
Needles:  US 4
Another fun knit!  (Available starting Friday)