next project??

While at the beach, i did finish the boring socks, got 1/2 of a hat done for Zylie and did not start the fluffy cuff socks. i used
the pattern for the strawberry hat, but used a dark purple so it is either a blackberry or an eggplant hat. The next time i do
silk fusion, i'll make bigger pieces in light coral/pink/yellows and use them to cover lamp shades for the living room which
we recently painted bright coral. my silk fusion tiara will just have to wait til i get the more practical projects done!

other projects: since the fluffy socks will be the carry along project, i'm trying to figure out what the big at home project will be. i want to knit a sweater for me me me... probably a pull-over. have been noodling on a photo i took in Greece of a section of a mosaic floor which is intriguing. it is a beautiful flower with quite a bit of shading in the petals, and i'm just not
sure if i'm able to translate it to graph paper and then incorporate it into a sweater... i get all verklempt just thinking about
it! here's the mosaic:

and on the other hand, i've been wanting to do the Sakori vest from Folk Vests, and some sort of fair isle, and yesterday i
came across the picture i'd cut from a magazine several years ago for which there is no pattern, but i think i could probably
do it. i'll scan the pic and put it up. later.

here's the scan of the sweater that i just might try to knit. it was shown in an article on Japanese knitters and was an entry
in a contest for "Turkish Design" sweaters. i doubt i'll put in that design at the bottom of the sweater as that is not an area
of me that i wish to draw attention to!! just want something similar to the rest of the sweater.

Silk Fusion

here's the silk fusion i did while at the beach (which featured *lovely* spring-like weather!!). I'm not especially pleased
with how these came out. liked the ones i did last summer after the demo i saw at Black Sheep Gathering. the highlight
for me was the most wonderful tiara i saw someone wearing... and that is my silk fusion goal now. for instructions in
this process, visit www.treenwaysilks.com, but be aware that they have gorgeous silk for sale and my credit card is never
safe there!!


and just because i am a proud gramma, here's a photo of Alex and Zylie. i love this one because Zylie found my pink
flamingo hat and is happily wearing it!! i am so happy to have passed along my sense of style to her.

beach

I'm leaving this a.m. for the beach. My friend, Anna, is here from Boise, and we'll spend 3 days lazing around at
Rockaway Beach. I'm taking 3 knitting projects (the boring socks to finish, the fluffy cuff socks to start, some purple
dyed commercial yarn to make a "grape" hat for Zylie) The main project tho is silk fusion, which i love doing and Anna
wants to learn..... it's so fun to do and takes almost no supplies. dyed some silk to use. Pictures later. Oh and also
am taking pics from Greece and album to see if i can get a bit done on that. With all the projects and the load of
food and wine that we bought last night at Trader Joes, it looks like we're planning on staying 3 months! oh, yeh, and
there's also my audible book to listen to.......

best socks

Today I was looking through my handknit socks trying to decide if i would ever actually darn the holes in a few socks, or
if they would just lie sadly neglected in their holey state. I think i'd rather knit a total new pair than try to repair one sock.
Anyway, this pair got my vote as the best pair ever... with high points for lots of wear and no holes. I dyed and spun some
Wensleydale top (actually, i think i bought the purple already dyed and maybe the turquoise). and until i put the finished
socks on, i kept thinking that the fiber just did not feel quite sock-like... it was kind of coarse and not cushy feeling. they
do feel good on, though and i like the way the patterning came out (invented as i went along) And I also like that i made the cuff long enough. Too often i get tired of doing the ribbing and the cuffs arent long enough. These ended up being
fraternal rather than identical socks. What i learned from this pair was to take care in putting patterning in the foot, as
there is a spot on one sock, in the instep where it's just a bit too snug and wont stretch because of the carried yarn. and,
of course, Wensleydale doesnt have the give that my usual handspun sock yarn (Romney, BFL, Corrie etc) After i finish the
boring pair i'm working on now I'll do a pair with multi-colored angora/wool blend for the cuff and use mohair/wool for
the heel and foot. i love fluffy cuffs!!

not a destashing project

my thought was to use up some stash while creating one of those mindless projects... the kind you can pick up a year later and know *exactly* where you are. the kind of project i could work on while watching tv. i did use up some of my handspun yarn, and made a bit of a dent in some of the limited stash of novelty yarn. in the end, though, i indulged in impulse buying of more novelty yarn resulting in stash enhancement rather than destashing. i like the shawl, though, and it brought some ooohs and ahhhs on its first outing. it is modeled on the shawl on the front cover of Handpaint Country, and i started it right
after the book came out..... dont want to remember how long ago that was!

Greek sheep

While we were in Crete and driving over a curvy mountain road, I spotted a small flock of sheep lying in
the shade beside an old stone church. Of course, we stopped so i could get some pictures. This sheep
was by herself on the other side of the church nibbling at what little green stuff there was. The wool on
this sheep looks very straight and coarse. i didnt try to get close enough to feel it...

some pics from Greece - fiber related

here's one from the Folklore Museum in Handros, Crete... a distaff dressed with what looked like flax. we were unable to
make a certain identification of anything there because the woman who opened this small museum for us spoke no English
and we couldnt understand a word she said!

beginning of a blog....

this will be a place for words and pics about my life with fiber, and other stuff. well, i guess that's a beginning. now to figure out how to get pics on it.



and beginning with "other stuff", here's a pic of our dogs giving us a basketball game serenade.