Calling all opinions! Here’s the deal — I’m going on a road trip this weekend, and there will be LOTS of knitting time. What do I work on?
#1 - Existing Storm Water Shawl kit from Handmaiden that I’ve been working on for over a year. It’s beautiful, but never seems to end! (Apparently I have lace issues.) The yarn is Sea Silk, and is a joy to work with.
#2 - Start a pair of socks with beautiful sock yarn from Wooly Wonka Fibers in the Wood Duck colorway. (I’ve started several pair of socks in the last few months and never seem to be interested enough to finish them.)
#3 - Go to the yarn shop and get yarn for the Neck Down Pullover Tunic #9726 from Knitting Pure & Simple. I’ve had the pattern for years and have never made the sweater. I love, love, love the three handmade sweaters that I have and wear them all the time during the winter months.
When you don’t know what to do, you bring it to the blogosphere, right? Ideas? Opinions? Anyone?
Yesterday there was a wonderful story in the Idaho Statesman about my dear friend and spinning mentor Cleo Gallinger, and the work that she and her husband Duane do with local school children. She has blessed my life and been such an influence to me in so many ways, and I’m thankful every day for the privilege of calling her my friend. The story is appropriately titled The Gallingers have a peaceful way of living and a commitment to sharing their sheep. There is also a video of the kid’s tour of the farm. Enjoy.
It’s kind of a crapola photo (taken with my Blackberry), but I think you can still get the idea. There’s beads in dat dere yarn!
What the heck, you ask? Well, I’ve been decluttering the house, and have found a TON of spinning fiber just waiting to be…well…spun. Now just plain spinning gets a little dull after awhile, so I thought I’d mix it up a bit, and toss some beads into it. I’ve tried threading beads onto a string & plying said string with a wool single, but didn’t really get the results I wanted. Then I saw this YouTube video:
What a brilliant idea - threading a bead onto a bit of fiber, and incorporating the fiber & bead into the single as you are spinning. It’s fabulous, if not a bit tricky, and takes some practice. Just what I needed to spice up the spinning!
Am I going to spin enough beaded yarn for a stole, or a scarf, you ask? I’m really not sure if I’m that ambitious. That’s a helluva lot of work. Not that I’m against hard work, mind you—-it’s just that right now I’m all about the fun, and learning new stuff. These days, as soon as the “new” wears off, my mind wanders to something else. Can you be diagnosed with ADD for the first time when you’re middle-aged?
Good friends, good food, and beautiful surroundings in which to knit. What more can a girl ask for?
Hunka and I wanted to get away for a little birthday celebration last month, so we spent a lovely weekend at The Liberty House Bed & Breakfast in Weiser, Idaho.
Here are some photos of the interior of the B&B — the owner has such a fabulous sense of style! This is a little vignette in one of the bathrooms:
The lovely library where I spent several heavenly hours knitting. You can see my project bag in the photo. Heh.
The kitchen…OH, the KITCHEN! I could easily live here. I wonder if Hunka would mind moving to Weiser…
Besides the relaxing weekend, we came away from The Liberty House with a recipe for the best mini-muffins ever.
Diane’s Pecan Breakfast Muffins
Preheat your oven to 350.
Mix these 4 ingredients together thoroughly:
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), melted
Add 1 cup of chopped pecans and stir until incorporated.
Spray a 24 spot mini-muffin tin with Pam and spoon the batter into the tin. Top each mini-muffin with a pecan half, if you like.
Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Let cool completely before removing from the tin. Otherwise the bottom edges may stick.
These are truly amazing little bites of caramel-y goodness. Perfect with a hot cup of tea and your knitting project. Enjoy!
Ideas? Opinions? Anyone?
