Signs of Autumn.....

.....the littles & I go for a walk nearly every day, weather permitting.

And with the coming of autumn, comes the beautiful changes in the scenery!

...the maple leaves turning red.

...the last bits of garden left to be harvested.

....turkeys for thanksgiving.

....sumac is turning red.

....fall flowers along a stone wall.

....ripe apples.

...milkweed pods bursting to release their fluff and seeds.

...berries for the birds.

...Chinese lanterns along a neighbour's fence.

....acorns for the squirrels and chipmunks.

...wooly bear caterpillar.

....and last but not least , knitting ! Lots and lots of glorious knitting. Socks, more socks, hats & mittens.

Have a good one!

A perfect fall day.....

10C. Coffee, a walk with my little guys, dyeing wool and some knitting time this afternoon while they nap.

 

Have a good one!

Taking a break...

.....from the larger projects. Much too warm; even for me! But I still want to knit. I've started a pair of fingerless mitts. Using a pattern from "Knitting Fair Isle Mitts and Gloves". I'm using some more of my millspun wool/mohair. The background is a natural grey and the pattern colour is a pretty medium blue. On 2.5mm needles at a gauge of 8sts & rows/inch, these will be sturdy enough to use when doing chores in the barns.

Stay cool & happy knitting!

A couple of big projects...

....on the go.
The first I started about a week ago. An adult-sized cardigan. I'm knitting the Stars and Bars cardigan from The Green Mountain Spinnery Knitting Book. I'm using an assortment of natural colours instead of dyed colours. The natural white background wool is the 2ply from Topsy Farms. They're local to me - being located on Amherst Island, Ontario. The three shades of natural grey come from Custom Woolen Mills, located in Carstairs Alberta. I'm using the 2ply mule spinner wool. I like both yarns and am enjoying the knitting. Progress is a bit slow as I'm knitting the cardigan in one piece. But a few more inches will have me dividing for the fronts and backs.

 

My other large project is a spinning one. I've pulled out a very large bag of roving. This is from a sheep named "Shine". This was/is one of Carolyn Turner's sheep. I had the fleece processed at the Wilton Rd mill (no longer in operation). I had 5 lbs of roving but have used some over the years. I hope to spin most afternoons while the littles are sleeping. I'll have the finished yarns available at my booth at the farmer's market. I'll probably dye some and leave the rest in it's natural white state. This should take up my afternoons for a good portion of the summer break. 

We've got some new babies here on the farm. Pheasants! They started hatching out on Saturday evening of this past weekend and by Monday afternoon we had 8 babies. They all are healthy and are running about in an old wading pool under a heat lamp. It'll be fun watching these birds grow - I love the colourway on ring-necked pheasants.

Littles are awake and buses will soon arrive.  Time to go.

Have a good one!

Knitting non-stop.....

I've been keeping my needles busy these last few weeks. I took on Elizabeth Zimmermann's pi shawl. I've never knit a full-size one and decided to jump in. I used Old Apple Ridge Angoras millspun blend of 50% wool/50% mohair in a fingering weight. Tracy had dyed it in a mix of teal and black, creating a beautiful but busy yarn. Therefore I chose to knit the basic and plain Pi. A lace pattern would get lost in this yarn. I spent a few evenings of pleasant mindless knitting while watching TV or listening to audiobooks or knitting podcasts. I still need to darn in the ends and then block it.
I'd like to do another one sometime in a natural coloured yarn and insert lace patterns into the blocks of plain knitting. But not for a while yet. :)

Bus trip fun....

...on Saturday April 27. Teira, Tracy, Helen and myself boarded a McCoy tour bus that was headed to Creative Festival Spring 2013! I'd never been to this festival before, though I have seen the ads many times in the knitting magazines that I've collected over the years. Finally dawned on me, that taking a bus meant I could get there without the worry of driving & parking.
  We arrived at about 11am and started in on the goodies right away. While this festival focuses on many different needlework mediums, there were a few booths devoted to knitting. That's what I was there for!
   My first purchase was at the Mary Maxim booth. So neat to see the products & finished items that I see in the catalogue. They had 100g balls of sock wool that were priced at $4.97. How can one resist?
One can't. :)
   Here's the haul from there:

Some of these will be turned into socks and some into hats or baby wear.
   Next came a stop at Black Sheep & Ewe. I picked up a kit for a hat knit with Noro here.

   We strolled and browsed through many booths ~ quilting, cross-stitching & beading seemed to dominate. We talked to the people at the booth for The Society for Creative Anachronism and learned of a workshop for naal binding to be given at 3:30.
   We stopped for lunch at 1:30 and I was so thrilled to sit for a while. But oh my, $17 for a salad, slice of pizza & juice!
   After we ate & rested, it was back out for more. We found a small booth that was from the Unwind Yarn House in Newmarket. Here I picked up two glorious skeins of Koigu. I think this is my new favourite fingering yarn. :) 100% pure merino, tightly twisted and dyed in deep, saturated colours that literally glow in the sunlight.

   A few more booths checked out and it was time for the workshop on naal binding. This is a form of Viking wool work that is not knitting and not crochet but a series of loops worked with lengths of wool yarn and a needle. The woman running the workshop was very good with her instructions and after a few minutes, Tracy & I had the technique mastered and were dreaming of projects to be done. Woolen vessels & rugs were being designed as we stitched! Now to hope that I can remember on my own. :)

   After the workshop, it was back to Mary Maxim. I wanted to pick up a set of the Knitter's Pride symphonie sock needles. These needles are coloured wood and perfect for sock knitting!Six pairs in sizes from 2mm (my fav) - 3.25mm. I also found a pattern that will allow me to knit sweaters for my two youngest granddaughters until they are 7 yrs old! Perfect!
A package of stitch markers rounded out my purchases.

   I then gave in to the urge to get back into cross-stitching. I haven't worked at any for the last 10 years or so. But the beautiful finished projects mounted on the walls of many booths won me over. This one really caught my eye as it was worked on a navy background and caused the stitching to really shine.

   I had saved the book booth until the end of the day as I didn't think I could schlep books around all day. So many, many books to choose from. I managed to come away with just three.

   The pattern for a bra & matching panties in the Knitting Lingerie Style was a hit with my friends as well as all the women sitting in the lounge area. Much laughter as we imagined ourselves attired in fancy knitted dainties!
   By 4:00 I was done in. My feet ached, my shoulder was protesting from the weight of my shopping bag and my purse was much lighter. I joined Teira at a table in the lounge area (where she had a considerable amount done on her shawl that she had started just an hour earlier! ). Whipped out my new sock needles, wound one of the Koigu skeins into a ball and promptly started knitting myself a new pair of socks. I could easily become addicted to Koigu socks.
   Our bus headed back home at 6, we stopped for a quick dinner at Port Hope OnRoute and then proceeded east. Tired but happy, we arrived back in Kingston shortly before 10.
   A wonderful day spent with wonderful friends and we're hoping to do this all over again at the Fall Festival.

....a few hours yesterday and today in my rocking chair and I have this to show. :)

One warm foot!

Til later...

P.S. For another take on our day, head over to the post from Teira at South Frontenac Fibres. Link is on the right. :)

A Warm Welcome....

...to our newest granddaughter! Adelyn Claire Smith made her grand entrance Mon. April 22 at 6:50am, weighing in at 11 lbs 4oz. Whew! And the sweetie has us all in love with her. She's healthy & happy and Mom & Dad are both fine. Just tired.

   The next few pairs of mittens are finished. The pair on the left still need to be washed. I put them through a regular cycle with my laundry. They're knitted firmly enough that they don't shrink but lightly full and the fabric softens up a bit. These mitts are sturdy and perfect for everyday use whether shoveling snow, doing chores or just out for a walk in the winter. Loving watching the rainbow grow. I've got so many lovely colours dyed up and am having a hard time choosing which colour to do next.

    In between pairs of mitts, I'm working on other projects that need to be done. Right now, the project of the week is a crocheted blanket for Adelyn's other grandma. This blanket has farm animals crocheted in a soft worsted weight yarn. This will live at Grandma's house when Addie comes over. They live just around the corner, so that will be often, I'm sure. :) Addie is about a 10 min drive from us, so she'll be a frequent visitor here as well. I'll post a picture of the blanket later today (when the littles are sleeping). It's in the early stages and has about 6-7 balls of yarn hanging off it. Not something I want to pull out with two active little guys ready to pounce and "help".

It's a beautiful sunny day and my guys are asking to go back outside to play. Lots of fresh air and running around means they conk out fast at naptime.
Til later.....

Taking time....

....to slow down. Taking time to enjoy my day....watching the birds returning...the geese, the red-winged blackbird & the robins. Sipping a cup of tea or coffee and knitting. Listening to a podcast or audiobook while in my rocking chair in front of the picture window. I've slowed my knitting down as well. I've put the shawlette, the five colour mittens & the aran cardigan on the back burner for a bit. I've got a bin full of hand-dyed wool/mohair millspun. And a bin of natural grey wool/mohair millspun. It's a fingering weight and I'm using it double stranded. It works up as a worsted weight and I'm working it on finer needles to get 6sts/inch. The plan is to knit basic mittens and basic socks - in both women's & men's sizes - until I've used up the yarns or until I get tired of knitting plain jane. :) I know which will happen first, but I'm going to be optimistic as I want a nice selection on my table at the Farmer's Market this year.
The sun is shining here today, though it's still cool. 6C. But the forecast for the next week has the temps slowly climbing. Looks like spring may finally be here. I'm thrilled! I can use some heat & sunshine. I love winter & cold weather but I'm tired of being cold. :)

Have a great day - I'm headed out for a little Vitamin D and a cold drink with Papa Bear.
Then more knitting!

Thankful it's the weekend....

It seems that each day of last week, I got more tired each day. Probably a combination of time change, grey snowy days and more time outside in the fresh air. Whatever the cause, it means that I don't get as much knitting time. So this morning, I got an extra hour to sleep and I have spent most of the day knitting and taking small breaks to do the household jobs that needed doing.

I was able to finish a pair of socks. Plain ribbed socks of hand-dyed superwash wool/nylon. Three 100 yd skeins were required to knit an 8" pair of socks. These will fit a woman's size 7 or 8 foot.
I'm working on reducing the stash I have here (in order to buy new, of course). I purchased a skein of  50%/50% mohair/wool from Tracy Asselstine at Old Apple Ridge Angoras during the Christmas sale in Tamworth. She's hand-dyed it in a blends of teals, greys & black. This yarn is her millspun from her own sheep & goats. I bought this yarn with the intention of knitting a one-skein shawlette to have on my table in my Farmer's Market Booth. I like buying hand-dyed & handpainted yarns from other fibre artists; each of us are unique in our colourways, and this allows for creative variety.

I've started the 

Multnomah - a design by Kate Ray (available through Ravelry.) This is a garter stitch shawlette that has a beautiful fan & feather border.

Tomorrow we're meeting up with our daughter and son-in-law and his family and we are all headed to Wheeler's Pancake House & sugar bush at McDonald's Corners. We'll have a wagon ride, tour the museum and enjoy a nice breakfast that will include sweet maple syrup.
It's been a productive day. Keep knitting! :)

A lazy day....

...tired still from the time change and tired from the grey weather. :) I'm ready for spring!
Didn't do much on Sunday ~ picked up a few groceries and worked on my knitting. I'm working on a Kathy Zimmerman pattern. Another cabled & textured sweater and it's for me! I'm using some millspun for this ~ it's about a worsted weight and is from the Columbia (I think) flock that my friend, Stefania first started with.
She later switched to her beloved Icelandics and they were the breed that she had always, right to the end. You can read more about her here, if you wish. http://www.icelandicsheep.com/Filly.html Stef was a beautiful person and I miss her still. :)

I've used up the first skein so far. This is the back of the cardigan and I really am pleased with how it's turning out.
Took a break and started a pair of socks to have as samples of my hand-dyed sock yarn. I've got a sale coming up at the end of the month and am hoping to have a couple of items knit by then. I'll be at the Verona Lion's Hall for the Frontenac Farmer's Market Easter Sale. If you are in the area, please come out and support your local vendors.
I'm using the superwashwool/nylon blend for these socks. I'm trying a new twist on my yarn sales. I've re-skeined these after dyeing, as usual, but into 100yd skeins. They are about 25g each. And they'll sell for $5/skein. These socks will also be an experiment in how many skeins needed for a pair. I'm thinkin that I will only need 3 skeins for this size. Therefore one only needs purchase 3 skeins. Plus having smaller skeins is perfect for colourwork projects. Buying 400yd skeins of 4 or 5 colours is an expense that many can't afford. We'll see how it goes.

Today was the first day back to school for the kidlets. They all moaned & groaned about having to go back, but I think once they are among their friends, they'll all be happy again. Me, I'm glad to have my routine with the littles. Today was a road trip to the Pet Store in Sydenham. Bill & his wife, Kerri are so nice and I'm able to buy my chicken feed there. Today the little guys were able to play with Nell, a Border Collie that works in the shop on a regular basis. Fetch is her job and she insists that you play!

Littles are sleeping and it's time to get some knitting done! Enjoy the day.

A great day...

.....finished up the sweater for our granddaughter. Always a nice feeling of accomplishment.
Then, a flying visit from a friend from school -we've recently re-connected, thanks to Facebook, but hadn't seen each other in 30 years! Oh wow -I wish we'd had more hours! She looks fabulous! We talked liked we'd never been apart all these years and I'm looking forward to many more visits and to meeting her hubby. And one of the best things? She's an addicted knitter too!
Then a birthday gathering for our granddaughter Reese. She was thrilled with her gifts but her favourite was the card from cousins, Steve, Julie & Lezlie. A spinning musical Minnie when you opened up the card. :)
Turns out all the kidlets are away this evening, so Papa Bear and I had a quiet dinner out at a local restaurant. If you read the Kingston Whig, you can read about Martha's Place in today's issue. Yummm....
Now we're home. Lounging in front of the TV with a cup of tea -me with my knitting and Papa with the remote.
This project is for me! A cardigan knit with yarn from a friend no longer with us. Will be thinking of Stefania while knitting this.
From the Winter 2012 issue of Interweave Knits.

Will post a picture of progress in the morning.

Enjoy the evening & keep knitting!

Sweater for our granddaughter....

I used one of the patterns out of "Forever Favorites", a book from Patons. Knit with 2 ply wool from Cottage Craft in St. Andrews in N.B. Even though it requires sewing up, I enjoy knitting the fisherman type sweaters in pieces. And tomorrow I can send it home to her, just in time for wear this spring.

Keep knitting!

A sure sign of spring....

Red - Winged blackbirds! Look forward to that call every year!

Enjoy!

Great weekend!.....

Though busy, it was a wonderful weekend!
   Papa Bear spent Thursday and Friday getting the maple trees here on the farm tapped. Maple syrup season is underway! Mmmmm.... Our first boil started on Sat afternoon and a couple of hundred gallons of sap will be converted to sweet flavorful syrup. Hoping it's a good season and that we are able to make lots! We use maple syrup as a sweetener for many things, including Papa Bear's coffee every morning. :)

   I've also started a couple of new projects. The first is a sweater for a wee girl that just turned two. Her party is this upcoming weekend and I'd like to have it done for that. It's a pattern from the Patons book "Forever Favorites". I'm using up some stash on this. Cottage Craft 2 ply wool. This is very similar to Briggs & Little's Regal and knits to the same gauge. The small size of the sweater (compared to an adult-sized) means that it's knitting up very quickly. I've finished the back and am on the armhole shaping of the front. It'll be a good thing to wear on these spring-like days when a coat is just too much.

   The second is another pair of mittens. I ordered one of the Spillyjane kits from KnitPicks. These are fun, fun patterns! I'm doing the Isadora in autumn colours. The wool is Palette from KnitPicks and is very similar to J&S shetland jumper weight, though a wee bit softer. Not sure who they will be for - perhaps me!

   The temperatures have also started their climb into warmth. The snow is quickly melting but there is still some frost in the ground making it impossible for the water to drain away. As a result, there is mud. Lots & lots of mud! So much so, that we needed to close off  half of our driveway until it dries. Trying to use it means that someone would likely get stuck!

   One of the best parts of this weekend happened on Saturday. I was invited to join the shearing at the Turner Farm! I've had the privilege of purchasing fleece from here for the past few years but had never attended the day. What an absolutely wonderful time. Seeing friends, old & new, helping skirt the fleece as it came directly off the sheep and then spending an hour or so in the cozy farm kitchen, eating, drinking coffee and chatting non-stop with fellow-minded fibre "freaks"!  lol  We all came away with fleece, some with one, some of us with two and some with many more. My friend Teira from over at South Frontenac Fibres had the forethought to take pictures. Check out her page to see. :)
   All in all, a very good weekend!

This week is the March Break and we'll have kidlets & munchkins galore! The weather looks promising to spend much of our time outside. Just need to keep them away from the mud!  Yikes!
Enjoy the day & keep knitting.