Today At My House

Heather Wombacher has a blog that has inspired me to participate in posting her URL, as well as answering the following prompts.
http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

FOR TODAY
Above is a picture for thought that I'm sharing...
It is a photo of my newly reorganized sewing and spinning/fiber studio. Sorry it's dark in the photo. Isn't it nice to have a place to create, that is just yours? It could be a wardrobe, or a bookcase, filled with inspiration. I happen to be blessed to have a whole room right off our master bedroom that we converted from nursery to this. Now I have space to invite some girlfriends to spin with me, or to teach sewing to some of my favorite girls!

Outside my window...
Is my vegetable garden, which I call my "le Poteger". In it, is growing espaliered apple and asian pear trees. There are potatoes, strawberries, tomatoes, onions, beets, carrots, broccoli, beans, turnips, squashes, peas, rhubarb, and chives. In addition, there are herbs for tea, seasoning, and garnishes. It was planted in the "Square-foot Gardening" style.

I am thinking...
About what it would take to put our house on the market again. Daunting. Purging, painting, pressure-washing, primping.

I am thankful...
For this time of having my 3 big boys still home. I can feel the times changing when I won't see them daily, and they will strike out on their own.

From the learning rooms...(if this applies)
Time to enforce more summer reading, outloud and individual.

In the kitchen...
I have a Lasagna in the oven, and fresh baked ww bread on the counters.

I am wearing...
A green t-shirt from Sonoma, and khaki shorts with clogs.

I am creating...
I have two bobbins of CVM to divide and make into a 3-ply, and on my needles I am plugging away on my Brandywine shawl, a remembrance of our last baby, which we lost.

I am going...
To my 30th high school reunion this weekend. It seems to get easier the more the time passes.

I am wondering...
Where the summer has gone? Only a few days of really sunny weather, but rather alot of busy-ness has made it fly by.

I am reading...
Magazines, blogs, emails, FB, Twitter, and sadly not my Bible as often.

I am hoping...
To begin again with a new routine for the rest of the summer, plan the next school year, set a schedule for fall, put up a fence in the backyard, touch up paint inside, process all the fleeces I have, to get them ready to dye and spin, and finish my shawl, by the end of August. Ambitious, I know.

I am looking forward to...
Going to Roche Harbor on a float plane with my husband the weekend after next, and relaxing with him.

I am hearing...
Nolan and his big brother Clayton playing a chasing and tickling game.

Around the house...
Our orange tabby is swishing his tail on the front porch,and children are playing with neighbor friends, while we wait for dinner to be done.

I am pondering...
My 11 year old son's desire for more playmates and exciting things to do. Considering Boy Scouts again with a wonderful Christian troop, perhaps while little girls do Awana. It's tough when you have 3 sisters above you, and 3 sisters below you. The house is always filled with girls.

One of my favorite things...
Is my little Longaberger basket I use as a purse. It is so cute. Looks like a little picnic basket. Very "me".

A few plans for the rest of the week:
Finish washing walls, baseboards. Exercise daily. Ply and empty bobbins. My young moms group comes over on Thursday mornings to hang out and talk about Biblical Womanhood, based on Victoria Botkin's cd. Love those gals!

Knitting Cables

Last time I told you about some of the projects I have going. I finished Rowan's socks and they will fit perfectly soon! In the meantime I haven't done much spinning, so the cabled scarf is still waiting for me to finish the Icelandic wool so that I can spin up more of the wool that I am spinning from a fleece I acquired. I'm washing that in bits and spinning it from the lock since it's all so neatly lined up. I really dislike carding by hand, so that eliminates that step.
I started another knitting project out of my handspun that has been sitting around. Two dear friends are going through cancer treatment right now, so I was inspired to knit a hat, in case one of them might be in need of one. I had picked up this pattern at my LYS by Jared Flood, that is meant for his yarn that looks like handspun, so I have substituted my own handspun! I'm using this beautiful heathery grey/brown BFL (Bluefaced Leicester). It is so soft, perfect to go against the skin. I tarted this project at home, but brought it with me on my 3 day trip to San Francisco with my buddy Barbara. She needed help getting stated on a project, so I thought the hat would be a nice little pattern to work on while we drank tea and sat by the fire in our little boutique hotel. What I have learned is that this pattern takes alot of attention and concentration. I like pattern, but there is no getting in a real rhythm with this. So, the only solution is just to really pay attention. I'm very happy with how it's turning out, as it's only my 3rd cable project, and my second hat. May it bless and bring comfort to the recipient.

What's on my needles and in my teacup?

I have quite a few projects going, and some days I just don't get to any of them, so I thought that if I posted my progress, it might help me to get a few things accomplished!
Currently I have some very cute 2x2 rib socks going for my granddaughter Rowan who has the cutest little chubby legs and has a hard time wearing socks because they strangle her ankles! Her mama and daddy like green, so I'm making them a light two tone green. I keep trying to upload a photo of them, but am frustrated to find that I have forgotten how, or it just isn't working right. I also have the rest of a bump of natural brown Icelandic wool roving that I spun Tasha Tudor's shawl out of, that I need to spin up. I have discovered that I have just 3 bobbins to do my spinning and plying on, and if I make the mistake of spinning two different wools, I have to wind one off onto a temporary bobbin by hand in order for me to ply efficiently, with two bobbins full of the other wool. So I am anxious to finish spinning this wool so I can start another! I have several other breeds of sheep's roving I want to try out, including Wensleydale, CVM, and Corriedale. I also have bags and bags of sheep wool that is waiting in the wings to be washed, and then carded. I'm going to try blending it with some of my friend Sonja's mohair. Very excited about that!
Nothing is done with out my companion cup of tea. Lately, my favorite find is Bewley's Dublin Morning Tea, which steeps beautifully into the same warm brown that I have been spinning. And it is a deep, full-bodied tea that goes perfectly with turbinado sugar and milk. I give a big sigh when I have my first cup in the morning. Bewley's Dublin Morning Tea is a lovely everyday tea. I picked it up at my lys Churchmouse Yarns and Tea. Thank you John!