Tell you what I’m gonna do now

Honey, Shakin’ is the greatest thing

It’s Spring and I’m ready to get back out to my 3-season studio but MAN that space was a mess after a winter of neglect!

I spent all of last weekend rearranging the areas of my studio and cleaning out lots of bits and bobs that I don’t need anymore.

I have my cozy yarn corner where I can sit at my desk when doing the tech work of design and pattern writing and settle down in my comfy chair when making samples. (Not all of the yarn had been put away yet when this one was snapped – it has doubled since!)

And now I have a great sewing space with my sewing machine and serger on their own table, a bureau and cabinets full of fabric and a BIG table for laying out and cutting fabric (again, it hadn’t quite been assembled when this pic was snapped, it occupies that large open space to the left) which also doubles as a great space for blocking crochet and knit pieces.

I have a feeling I’ll be spending LOTS of time out there this year.

Hey man slow down, slow down

- That’s when you see sparks

As promised, a garden update and a freebie!

Garden first, well lets call it the Micro-farm cuz that’s kinda what were trying to do here. The apple trees are bearing up well and we discovered a surprise on the new pear tree, an actual PEAR!

I am so planning on doing this in a few years

The beans are climbing all over the fence, the peas are beginning to flower and the tomatoes are really beginning to take off. Over in the main garden we are almost done with the first bed of radishes, a few more coleslaws and salads and we’ll be ready for a second planting.

We also have a bunch of little berry patches that we hope to consolidate for next year.  Black raspberries, I feel a pie coming on!

The cockerels and pullets have been separated. The male Steves are living in the new “dude-coop” and the lady Steves have moved down with the hens.

We also picked up 5 Leghorn chicks, from Mr. Lipman’s 2nd grade again, whicj brings us to a grand total of 35 chickens. I know, but really, we’re pretty sure that 2 of the leghorns are male so that means that by the end of the summer we’ll be down to 21 hens. Holy shit, did I just say 21 hens?

Who needs eggs? You do, right? Right!

And how do we corral all these chickens? a Liberal use of chicken wire and other fencing which brings me to the freebie!

My hair is kind of a crazy thing to begin with and the summer humidity does terrible things to it. I often wear my hair in a ponytail but sometimes I just want it out of my face. So what’s a girl to do?

Chicken Wire!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a simple mesh kerchief that ties at the back neck to help corral your frizzy summer locks (it also doubles as a great neckerchief!)

Grab the PDF of Chicken Wire here or over on <a href="download now“>Ravelry

Toots

I’m fancy free darlin’

– So who shall I start with

New Summer patterns are up at Webs!

Math for Kathy, Hill Log Cabin blanket, Bartholomew’s Cobble vest and my favorite, The October Mountain cardigan.

This sweater went through SO many changes from idea to garment but I am thrilled with how she came out.

Rav links are all here.

I’m also really happy to finally show you my current favorite sweater. Kirsten was designing this as I was getting my feet wet with spinning. I decided to spin my own yarn so I could make one. I spun up 8 oz of Kangaroo Dyer Merino and 8oz of Louet Merino and Silk and plied them together.  I love the color!

I knit and knit until all that was left was scraps of yarn for seaming and sewing on the buttons.

I am over the moon for this sweater and I wear it all the time, I’m wearing it now.

I’m hip deep in Fall design work now but I reward myself with mini spinning breaks. The bag of sample nubbins that I got at the 2011 MSWF from Into the Whirled is filling this need perfectly.

Alright, I’ve got a pattern to get typed up and a class to finish packing up supplies for. Next time I’ll have a garden update and a free pattern for you

Toots

Ends of the Earth

Oh this blog post is SO not going to happen today, but I’ll give you a peek

Tomorrow night chickadees!

Toots

The trees on the mountains are cold and bare

– The summer jus’ vanished and left them there

yeah, I know.

Facebook ate my life. I think its under control now, I think.

I made some stuff

Those are for the ornaments swap that I did this year. Today I’m making the girls annual holiday jammies with the added bonus of bathrobes.

I have made tons more stuff but I won’t bore you with a list of all of it, just go check out my flickr pics.

Back to cutting and sewing now. You’ll see more of me in the days to come

Toots

Drawing lines above my head

– But the fan keeps spinning over me

Life has been SO busy here the last few months, well its been busy for my hands. I have not been without a hook or needles in my hands in weeks, and there doesn’t seem to be an end to it anytime soon – not that I’m complaining.

I have a series of crochet workshops at WEBS this summer, plus a year long blanket class, my summer run of Crochet 1 and a 6 week tutoring session, and all the samples needed to be done by early May, to be put on display in the store, photographed for the website, and available so potential students could see what they’d be making. Then it was time to start on the samples for Fall classes!

Somewhere in there my kids finished up school, I attended 2 baby showers – with gifts that HAD to be handmade, my sister’s 30th birthday party with her handmade gift, my 13th anniversary slipped by, I participated in a hotpad/potholder swap ( I needed 5 – I made 12), weekly trips to the farmers market started, we got to meet the 2 chickens that will come home with us sometime this month, jam making, pickle making and I was asked to take over the Friday afternoon drop-ins at WEBS. 

Just to see how high I could pile it, I wrote 2 patterns. This one from last week and one more. The potholders that I did up for that swap were my own creation, based on a inspiration pic I’ve had for a couple years, and now you can make your own. The pattern is up in my Etsy shop – have at it

Toots

Don’t stop till you get enough!

– Lovely Where We’re At 

I’ve been makin’ coasters – and now you can too! you can buy the pattern or you can buy some of mine. Either way, stop by the Etsy shop to pick out your goodies!

I promise a return to actual, regular blogging in July. Be well my little chickadees!

Toots

How can I hold the part of me that only you can carry

- I will not take these things for granted

The girls got new bikes last week from their Uncle Kevin and Auntie Jamie. Today we put their old bikes out by the road so some other lucky little kid could have a new bike. Saebra has a very hard time letting go.

She’s alright. We talked about how special she felt when she got her new bike and how special the child that gets her old bike is going to feel. Then she got to go get ice cream, its all good.

Our neighbor dropped by this morning and asked if we liked fish. Um, yes. Her nephew had gone fishing on Friday and bagged a bunch of trout, she wasn’t really interested in it but would we like some. Um, yes.

And oh was it good! Saeb ate half a fish all be herself. Marinated all day in olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, hot pepper flakes, terragon, dill and ginger, wrapped in a few bacon slices, wrapped up in foil and grilled to perfection. I’d show you whats left but skin and bones is just not attractive.

Today I also finished my 12 potholders. Here is my prototype and the one that Melissa picked out, its her fault I’m doing this swap, she told me about it. oh, shiny pretty swap…

The swap is only for 5 but I have 6 other people to whom I promised handmade goodies so I figured that if I was going to dive into potholder mayhem I might as well go whole hog. The pattern is my own based on something I saw on Ravelry that had no available pattern. Maybe I’ll write it up. Would you want me to?

This is what I started with

This is what I finished with – minus Malea‘s, she got hers yesterday

Tomorrow I’ll go back to finishing a tank and neckwarmer that are promised to other folks and contemplating some pattern ideas rattling around in my noggin.

Oh and some serious thank-yous to Melissa, Grill-Master Gene and all the ladies at the chocolate party yesterday. I had a grand time, my ribs still hurt. 

Toots

With your fingers you can touch me

- I’m for spare parts, broken up 

(btw, the lyrics for this one are nsfw! or small children. Have I mentioned that I adore Thom Yorke?)

One last class sample is done for the summer run at WEBS. 

Wanna make one? Sign up for the class

Toots

Think about the days of me and you

- Then remembering will have to do

(thanks for the music today Ma. All I need is another excuse to cry in the middle of the day)

I finished up a big project today.

Perty idn’t she. This is the sample blanket for the crochet block of the month class I’m teaching from July – June of next year at Webs. Once I really sat down to work on it things moved along pretty quickly.

There are detail shots of the squares on my flickr page.

Its pizza night and I have a basket full of laundry to fold and I still have to go pick the Hubby up from work. Have a great weekend, chickadees!

Toots

UPDATE! 11/4/12

Since so many people contact me about this blanket, I thought I’d update this post with the details.

I used Jan Eatons 200 crochet  blocks

I made 13 of the Traditional Granny blocks #18
and one each of the following squares:
#20 Colorful Bobbles
#22 St. Petersburg
#30 Shell lace
#38 Dahlia
#39 Gavin’s Stripes
#71 Star Flower
#74 Seville
#76 Granny Stripes
#95 Kingcup
#145 Chocolate Box
#161 Daisy Chain
#189 Willow

Using Valley Yarns Berkshire Bulky:

2 skeins Orange, 2 skeins Red, 3 skeins Royal, 3 skeins Gold, 3 skeins Fuschia, and 5 skeins of Lime. The blocks were all joined together as I added the last round on the granny blocks.