What's blooming this week, Memorial Day weekend

My poor azaleas have some flowers.

A shrub with flowers I always look forward to--no idea what it is.

My first columbine of the season.

Waiting for my poppies!! So far I count 15 potential flowers! I wonder if they will open this weekend!

And here is some yarn.

Three cones of Alpaca Silk lace from Webs--could not resist the sale, and I have been wanting some of this. It is a great value even at the regular price.

Also on sale, I picked up enough Peruvia to make a Tilted Duster.

And from the NH Sheep and Wool festival, some lovely 100% Tencel, in a fingering weight. Just enough to make a scarflet of some sort.

Done!

What's blooming this week, mid-May 2009

Here is an effort to bring more frequent posts, with pictures of pretty (or interesting) flowers/plants and the latest yarn acquisitions. I have a whole bunch of new yarn--but I haven't photographed it all yet, so I will spread out the yarn over the next few posts.

First, in the yard, the rhodies are blooming and looking lovely, even though the deer ate a good chunk of them over the winter.

The peony is starting to unfurl. I wonder if I will get any flowers this year?

And for yarn.

I bought this lovely skein in Newburyport.

Itata Solid
by Araucania
Fingering / 4 ply Wool, Silk, Bamboo

And this was prize from a contest I entered--so pretty I had to put it on display. Maybe I will keep this basket out as a rotating display of my yarn collection--hmmmm?

Happy Feet
by Plymouth Yarn
Fingering / 4 ply Nylon, Merino

NH Sheep and Wool 2009

I spent a lovely Saturday in NH checking out some lovely yarn and some cute animals.
We also has some celebrity knitters sightings!

I only bought one skein of yarn, and I have taken a picture of it yet. It is 100% tencel, and I think it is destined to become some sort of scarf.
I did buy a little loom, and lots of yummy food.

The alpacas were so cute.
But I wanted to take this little goat home.

Peek at completed Dashing

Just a quick peek at the Dashing. This was taken while they were still wet. In fact, they were still damp the next morning. I had to take the blow dryer to them.

In fact, here is a funny story.
Funny as in, yes my brain really is/was jello, not really funny, ha ha.

The night before my defense I was rerunning a few analyses. While I waited for them to run, I knit one thumb. After that I decided to do a dry run of my presentation--65 slides I did not want to fumble over. This really left no time for knitting. I got home at about 10pm and went to pull out the Dashing to finish that last thumb. Where do you think they were? Why, in the office I was working in!! After beating myself up for a few minutes, I decided I really needed to drive back and get them. After all, I was giving them, and the other knit items as gifts the next day, and it really would not do to give a rain check. So off I went, 25 miles there, found them on the floor of the office (could I have dropped them?) and 25 miles back. Made it home by 11pm, where I knit the thumb and washed them. Just the kind of stress I didn't need.

But the defense went well, and we celebrated with some champagne at 11:30am. I took the afternoon off and wandered the Isabella Steward Gardener museum, and went out to dinner at Dali. A good day!!

Pay it forward

Ok, so I swiped this directly from my friend Julia (who I think swiped it from Annie Modesitt).
Read on and see if you are interested. See how I might be spending all my new found free time.

The first 5 people to respond to this post will get something made by me.This offer does have some restrictions and limitations so please read carefully:

1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make. (No refunds... no exchanges!!!!)

2. What I create will be just for you, with love from me.

3. It'll be done this calendar year (2009).

4. I will not give you any clue what it's going to be. It will be something made in the real world and not something cyber. It may be weird or beautiful. I may even create something totally unbelievable and surprise you!! It will be handmade and may be any medium I choose. Who knows? Not you, that's for sure!

5. I reserve the right to do something extremely strange...or awesome...or lovely!

6. In return, all you need to do is post this text into a note/post of your own and make 5 things for the first 5 to respond to it.

7. Send your mailing address if you don't live close to me!

Wish me luck

Tomorrow morning I'll be standing up in front of everyone (well, anyone that shows up that is--I know there will be at least 5 people there) and describing what I have been doing, for fun, in my spare time, for the past decade.

I still have a bit of work to do before I can say I am officially done, but by noon tomorrow, I will be 99.5% done (give or take a few tenths of a percent).

I see so much lovely knitting time ahead of me.
But, I'm still not done with the dratted Dashings. Must finish those thumbs tonight!!!