Mother's Day

I hope everyone had a nice Mother's Day weekend. I had a quiet one with some significant moments of fun.

First of all, I got a new camera from my DH and kids . . . a DSLR! Here's a sample of one of the first few photos out of the shoot:



Also, I enjoyed going over to Cedar Falls in order to pick up the camera from their Target (ours didn't have any) and having the chance to see my FIL. He's a sweetie and hasn't been feeling well of late...so I'm glad we got to visit.

While in CF we grabbed a couple caches too.

Then, en route home we made a detour through Eldora, IA. What a cool town!! We want to go back and explore the Pine Lake State Park area as there appeared to be quite a lot of cool things to do there. We went to Deer Park across the street from the Hardin County Fairgrounds and found a cache and our third letterbox!! Yeah!! I love letterboxing, possibly even more than caching. I love the element that the pay off is a little piece of unique art in the form of the hand-carved stamp. This one was called "Peter Rabbit."

There was also an old car show and live music going as we passed through town.

On the actual day DH grilled delicious steaks and twice baked potatoes, which DD supplemented with healthy cupcakes.

[Check it out: one box of chocolate cakemix and one can of pumpkin--plain pumpkin, not the pie filling kind with spices. That's ALL you use. They are moist, high in fiber and fat-free. And you don't taste the pumpkin at all!! Amazing and oh so good!!]

The kids and I went out and found three more caches which brings our grand total to 100! A great milestone to hit together on Mother's Day.

I am blessed. (And really for so many more reasons than what I wrote about.....)

Happy shooting/knitting/caching/boxing!

Prom 2011

At the last minute my DS was invited to prom by a couple of girls in his Honors English 3 class. So, he went! No official date, just a group of friends having a good time.







I may be biased, but I think he's a pretty good looking young man!

Stamp Carving

One of my blogging friends inquired about the tools I used to carve the stamps I've been creating. I started with just an exacto knife. Since those first few stamps, I also added this set of carving tools from Staedtler:



I found them at my local "big box" hobby and craft store and used my 40% off coupon which made the whole set very reasonable. As it turns out, with practice, I'm discovering that I really only use 2 of the 3 tools in conjuntion with my handy little knife.

The other tool, which has enabled me to carve more intricate designs was a tip I got from one of the several web tutorials I used: the highest powered reading glasses I could find at the dollar store. (I think mine are +3.50.) My normal readers are +1.75, but for seeing minute details in the pattern, the mega-magnifiers do the trick.

One of the best websites I used for tutorials (which also led me to other on-line information) was on Atlas Quest, one of the two main letterboxing sites.

Hope this helps for anyone else who wants to join the addic...I mean fun!

One Thing Led to Another

So, if you've been following this blog, you will know that we discovered geocaching when I received a GPS receiver designed for the sport for Christmas. Our love of getting out to discover new caches and new outdoor spots led me to discover letterboxing as well.

And if you know me, you know that when I discover something cool, I tend to jump in with both feet.

This, then, is my true confession...



I have been obsessively carving stamps for letterboxing (and for fun!) for the past few weeks!

It started with dollar packs of two pink erasers from Target and 12-pack white erasers for $1 at the Dollar Tree and an exacto knife. The photo you see is missing four stamps I carved. Two of them are already gracing letterboxes which have been placed at local cemeteries along with 2 other stamps which were the "First to Find" prizes in those caches. (I'm trying to get some other people in the area interested in letterboxing or letterbox hybrid caches in geocaching. I LOVE the artistic aspect of carving your own stamps!!)

I have used some of the stamps to make some Letterboxer Trading Cards (LTCs) which are akin to Artist Trading Cards. I've even done some trading with other letterboxers for cards.

I have several "signature" stamps with our trail name (helms2049) on them for stamping into logbooks. I've also done some for the series of gravestone symbols I'm doing in area cemeteries. I've done a couple of owls to memorialize my grandmother. Three on a Frank Lloyd Wright series and 4 for a planned letterbox series at local coffee shops.

So, that's what I've been up to! (It's SOOO addictive!!)

We've Been Outed!

Knitters....beware! We have been outed by a guy at the University of Iowa!!

You can find every scandalous word right here!

(Do you think my DH may have been supplying this guy info??)

Ode to Joy

Letterboxing and geocaching aren't the only things going on in the woods!



Enjoy!

Lost: Mojo

Yes, something seems to be missing. Alas, it's my mojo.

I have been getting some knitting done. (I've nearly completed the shawlette in the Knit Picks Chroma which I showed you a while back. Also completed 2 pairs of socks and working on another.)

I finished the books for my book clubs (even led the discussion on Stephanie Kallos' "Sing Them Home.")

Made a new recipe, Almond Bars, to serve @ book club. (Think the delicious filling in Dutch letters. Super yummy all on their own, but really sinfully delectable with almond tea!!) [Thanks to DD's infusion nurse, Laurie, for that recipe!]

Have been geocaching. Went to our first event over the weekend (despite foggy weather that looked slightly threatening.)

Have been carving stamps for letterbox caches and/or letterboxing. (Related to geocaching, but different.)

Went to DS's induction into National Honor Society. [kudos Christopher!!]

I don't know what it is about this blog though.....for some reason I just couldn't motivate myself to get in here, sit down, and write anything about something.

So, if any of you happen to spot or come across my blogging mojo, I'd be glad to get it back. Drop me a line if you find it!

Thanks!

Anticipation - Avian Style

We've been keeping an eye out on the bald eagle couple in NE Iowa which has 3 eggs in its nest now. (First is expected to hatch around April 1.) Here's the live video stream if you're interested too!


Free video streaming by Ustream

Anticipation

I feel giddy!

I have placed my first cache out in the wild, filled out the forms and sent them to the reviewer.

Now I must wait for him to review and ok publication....then, the fun begins!!

The cache contains a FTF (first to find) Pathtag (collectible coin) for the first one to discover it.

It's also large enough to hold a few very small trade items such as coins. I have been knitting miniature socks to put out in caches, so I put one in this along with a Chinese "good luck" coin. (Nickel in photo is for sizing purposes only.)



I can't wait for it to get published and to have some people visit the cache! I hope they have as much fun discovering it as I did planning it and putting it out there!

Oh My Darlin'

I've decided the color of these socks reminds me of clementines....which reminded me of the song from elementary school days....



This may be my new "vanilla" sock pattern. Just a quick knit sock when you need a pair asap.

My friend dyed the yarn, which was acutally a sock blank. I knit them toe-up using Judy's Magic Cast-On, a combination heel and Jeni's Surprisingly Stretchy Bind-Off.

No frills, but nice warm socks in the end!



How was your weekend??

Early Spring On Prairie Creek

My DD needed to shoot some photos for an assignment in her photography class, so we zipped down to the nearby state park. This is what I found while she was shooting.
What you miss out on is the sound of the water running/rushing over the rocky areas. Definitely a sign of spring!

The ice has gone out of the Des Moines river, which Prairie Creek joins just a few hundred feet downstream from this spot.

I startled a bald eagle (or more accurately, a bald eagle startled me) from it's spot on a bare branch out over the river. As it flew away downstream DD was able to capture some shots of it in flight.

Good times!

Old Dogs & New Tricks

Well, I have to say I have challenged the popular notion that "you can't teach an old dog new tricks" and have decided that phrase is not true.

Here is the evidence:




I have completed the pair of socks I was test knitting for a German designer and I learned several new things in the making of hand knitted socks that I had not learned prior to this experience.

1. Judy's Magic Cast-On. Fabulous! How I ever knit toe-up socks without this nifty trick before is beyond me. It's absolutely brilliant. If you don't know it, you must (yes, I said MUST) learn it. Today!

2. New ways to increase. I learned the L-linc and R-linc ways of increasing. (Also known as the "La-link" and "Are-link" increases ala Cat Bordhi.) Again, genius! So glad I struggled through the learning curve and resisted the temptation to go ahead and do the increases the way I already knew how to. It's always a good thing to add more techniques/tricks to your arsenal of knowledge!

3. New combination heel method. I have always liked the look of the short row heel, but it has never quite fit me as well as the heel flap/gusset method. With this sock I learned a new method of forming a heel which involved both a short row and a gusset! This gives just enough added space so that the stitches on the instep of the short row heel don't stretch and pull taught at the row or two where the short row heel is joined back to begin knitting in the round once more. Brilliant!

I will let you know when the pattern is put into final form and released. I think it's a pattern that you'll love because the way it is written offers the knitter some choices in how they want the final socks to look. There is the version I knit as well as a more feminine, lacey version. The charted design can be placed on either foot, making for a variety of possible outcomes.

Oh, and did I mention the anatomical toes? Yes, for those who really like a definitive right and left sock....this is exactly what you've been looking for!!

Migratory Invasion

Each year there is a day or two when our ornamental crab apple tree is beseiged by visitors heading north.

Today is the day.







The Cedar Waxwings are on the move . . . and hungry!

I always enjoy their visit however! (Sometimes they come when the tree is in bloom and eat off all the blossom petals!)

An Owl Arrived

In order to help you better understand why this little owl's arrival on the wires outside my back door is so significant to me, I must first tell you about hawks.

I have long harbored the private, personal belief that hawks are a type of spirit guide to me. Whenever I see a hawk when we travel, whether in flight or perched on a roadsign, wire, fencepost or tree, a sense of peace, calm and joy comes over me and I feel that our travels are "blessed" in a way.

When we leave on intentional journeys like a family vacation or even a day trip to have fun or visit friends or family I often intentionally seek out a hawk sighting. I scan the tree line, watch the wires and notice every bird in flight. I usually spot what I'm looking for within the first 15 minutes of our trip.

Other times I have left home to hop in the car in a harried frenzie. I may be worried, anxious, tired, running late or a multitude of other reasons that threaten to get the journey off on the wrong foot. Invariably those are the times the hawk along the way makes itself known to me as if to say, "Relax! I've got you covered!"

O.k., change of thought.

As a photographer who loves photographing nature one of the things I have long admired in the portfolios of others are shots of owls. I have heard stories of family (in the middle of the Twin Cities no less!!) returning home late at night to owl song in their neighborhood. I have harbored jealousies...always hoping that one day I might be lucky enough to witness these elusive and shy creatures myself (preferrably with camera in hand!)

Today when my DH came home from work he "whisper" shouted my name from the back door. "Bring your camera!!"

Here's what (or should I say who) is sitting on the wires just outside my back door:


I have yet to google this bird to see which exact species of owl I have outside my door, but whatever kind it is, I believe it is a special message sent just for me.

You see, my grandmother died yesterday.

She was 93 and the only grandparent I had. She was a wonderful grandma to me and I loved her dearly.

Somehow this wonderful creature has appeared just when I needed reassurance and hope. It has blessed me the way that grandma did so many times throughout my life.



The last few times my grandma and I talked she spoke of her eagerness to be reunited with her long-dead family members, her parents, siblings, nieces and nephews who had gone before. I think she had a wonderful Valentine's day reunion with everyone she had been missing these past few years.

This little owl assures me all is well, both for grandma and for me.

Stuck (and Then Not)

I got stuck this weekend.

The first instance was in confusion I had over a new "combination" type heel in that sock pattern I am test knitting. Even though I have learned a few different types of methods for creating a heel on a sock, I have never done a combination type. So, a bit of a learning curve there. (But one which will be very satisfying to figure out and will most likely prove very helpful in solving my previous issues with wrap & turn short rows and their fit!)

That led to me getting literally stuck. In the snow. With my van.

In order to clear my head, get some fresh air and a bit of exercise, we decided to see if we could hunt up a few local caches on Saturday since it was such a nice day. We hopped in the van and my DH said, "Ok, the one thing I DON'T want to do is find our down any snow covered roads we shouldn't be on."

"No problem," said I, "I don't want to do that either."

We tried to find a couple caches near downtown and came up short.

We drove a few miles north of town and stopped at the county park where several caches are located. Nada.

Went to the other side of the park for one which was marked "easy" only to discover that entrance was closed and not plowed.

Frustrated, I said "let's go find the one my friends put out near the welcome to town sign. I know we'll have some luck there."

We drove the distance, got out, hunted around the sign and through the trees and voila! There it was! We got excited thinking that our luck was changing. We decided to go to the park/golf course along the river and hunt down the 3 or 4 caches there.

No luck. No luck. No luck. We drove to the final coordinates and started down the snowy road. About 50 yards down the way I said, "Does this road seem plowed?" DH responds, "I'm not sure....maybe...not..." FLUMP!!

The front wheels twisted funny and we were stuck. I mean good and stuck. Stuck like I can't remember ever being stuck in snow. And by this time we were a good 100 to 125 yards down the snowy trail from the paved (and plowed!) street.

After trying to rock it on our own and moving, at best 10 feet, we called our kids to come help us, "Bring two shovels and the bag of sand out of the garage. And whatever you do, don't pull down the lane behind us! Park up on the plowed street and put on your flashers."

Another half and hour later, they arrived. As we worked and worked at moving the vehicle a few feet at a time (while feeling fairly desperate about how far there was left to go), two men in a 4-wheel drive came to the rescue. The had a tow chain and pulled us out in fairly short order.

I thanked them profusely for rescuing a dumb blonde. To which the owner of the 4-wheel drive simply replied, "Lady, you gotta stay outta sh** like that!"

Needless to say, we were done caching for the weekend.

I decided that I really needed a project which would give me back my confidence/mojo. So I did a test knit of some mittens for a gal during the Big Game.

What do you think?


Close-up view:


The surprise is that these mittens make it easy to use your electronics such as texting or i-Pod!


They were quick to knit and I like the slits for access which make them uber-user friendly. DD took them to wear today. (Good thing I grabbed photos first!)

So, I think now that I'm no longer stuck. In fact, I think I got my mojo back.

Happy Knitting!

Knitting Related Caching

We enjoyed a quick trip to Omaha last weekend to spend time with extended family. While on the road we had a chance to do some geocaching and found six caches on Saturday. The little ones were thrilled that we found several with some genuinely wonderful swag for kids: toys and real change!

Not to be left out, I was genuinely thrilled with the trackables I discovered as well!

I has hoping to get to one cache in particular because I saw in its inventory an item called "Knit Wit's Travelbug." I did arrive in time and traded in a geocoin for this little bug:



I hope to show it to some knitting friends and perhaps take it to get its photo taken at a LYS before sending it on its way.

I also ran across several really cool coins. Being a former stamp collector, I couldn't resist this one:


(I think I may have this actual stamp in my collection!)

I dropped off the Iditadog travelbug (trying to make its way to Alaska) in exchange for this Denali Park stamp coin. It's goal is to see Mt. McKinley. I hope to show it at least one "McKinley" near me before sending it on closer to its hoped for destination as well.

In other news, I took the time to learn Judy's Magic Cast On for the super secret sock project I'm working on. Magic is right!! How did I ever live (& do toe up socks!!) without this ingenious knitting device??!! (I'll never go back to crochet cast-on for toe up socks!!)

I am in the throws of learning some new increases for these socks as well. Not having so much success with that as the dark yarn I'm using requires good daylight to see where the bits are that need picking up in order to form the increase. That means no knitting on that project after nightfall for me.

We're in the midst of a blizzard right now. School was released early and I have my doubts as to whether we will have school tomorrow either.

Does that mean I won't be able to make it to my weekly sit-n-knit? Dear lord, I hope not!!

Happy knitting (and cache hunting!)

Mum's the Word

I'm beginning a stealthy project doing a test knit for a designer in Germany. I can't post much information, but I think it's ok to let you know I'm using my Knit Picks Stroll - Kettle Dyed yarn in the colorway "Jay." (Think deep, lovely blue!)

Once the designer has the pattern perfected and up for sale, I'll point you all to it!

Here's something I can show and tell:


This is the pattern Pimpelliese available on Ravelry for free. I'm using my Chroma yarn in the Sunrise colorway. I like it a lot and the pattern is fun to knit. In theory it will only take this one skein of fingering weight yarn. It is a shawlette/scarf.

In caching news, we received our first souvenir for finding enough caches right here in our home state.

That's pretty fun! I'm hoping to add another souvenir in the near future.

Looking forward to the weekend; how about you?

Happy Knitting!

AWOL

Well, I've been missing in action lately. Went AWOL without realizing it I guess.

I got sacked by the January "blahs."

I was doing some knitting, but nothing exciting, nothing I really cared about. It was knitting that was simply going through the motions. I did finish a red hat that I made up on the fly...but didn't bother to photograph. The second sock and scarf I was working on are both languising in the piles of stuff in the living room.

I hate it when the "so what"s and "who cares"s set in.

How do you shake the apathy when it comes to visit??

Stymied

A couple of firsts to start the new year! I made my first ever Ebay purchase.
(Yes, that's right...I'm way behind the power curve on that one!)

For $20 plus S&H I received 11 pairs of knitting needles and two balls of cashmere blend yarn.

Which leads to the second first: my first package to ever arrive from China!
(Gotta love those cool customs stickers all over the outside!)

The needles I purchased came with an unexpected bonus:



Each package contained a yarn needle and needle sizer in addition to the 16" circulars!

I decided I needed some 16" needles in a variety of sizes for all the hats I've become interested in doing. Since there is not a 16" size option for my KnitPicks Options set, this seemed a reasonable thing to try. (After all, just the needles were only $12 for 11 sets! Hard to beat!)

The good news is that the needles are light weight, the joins are very smooth and the cord does not twist. I really like them!! They are sized according to the British method so that the package marked Size 16 is really a U.S. 000. That would be great for working colorwork hats in fine yarn!

I also purchased this yarn, (which lead to the title of this post)



The color of the photo is a tad deceiving. It's a very lovely, and vibrant cherry red.

The problem is that it turns out to be more like a fingering weight than a DK or sport weight. I have started no less than four seperate projects with this yarn (it feels wonderful!) and have frogged them all.

I'm afraid I'm at a loss as to what to use this yarn for.

Any suggestions?

Happy Knitting!

ps...I added a button on the side so you can keep track of our progress in geocaching. It should update each time we find another cache.

New Adventures

I'm not going to do one of those year end wrap up type entries. If I want to take stock of what happened in 2010 I will go back and look at archived entries.

Did I mention that my DH got me a GPS unit for the holidays? Specifically, this one:


I did a story for Fort Dodge Today a couple of years ago on a family who were geocachers (pronounced: jee-oh-cashers). I was intrigued by the idea of this high-tech treasure hunting, but the gps unit remained elusive in the budget. Thanks to a Cabella's charge-card and the price of gas the past few years, he had earned enough credits to get one!

We've been out on a few geocaching adventures already with seven successful finds and two we couldn't find. (I'm blaming the snow cover!)

If you don't know what it is you can check it all out at this website.

We visited my brother's family yesterday and took them out "treasure hunting" with us. The little ones had great fun and we found a cache with some trinkets in it for them to take home. (I had some other trinkets with me to leave behind per protocol.)

Another fun element to geocaching is Travel Bugs. These are metal dog tags with serial numbers and trinkets attached which cachers pick up in one place and take to a new place per the wishes of the owner or the goals listed for the bug. We were able to deliver one to the western border yesterday. We also picked one up!



This one is called "Iditadog" and was started in Anchorage, AK by some school kids in 2007. It's original goal was to travel around and get back in time to go on the Iditarod race in 2008, but it is still traveling. We may keep ahold of this one until vacation this summer when I hope we will be able to deliver it much farther west (and north). We'll see!

Today we're having sleet/ice/snow. I'm going to have to take a nap if staying up until midnight is in the cards. We shall see.

Happy New Year one and all! See you in 2011!

Heroes For The Holidays

I am pleased to report that I received the company of two of my knitting heroes for the holidays: the commemorative edition of Elizabeth Zimmerman's Knitter's Almanac (complete with an Introduction by Stephanie Pearl McFee, a third knitting hero of mine!) along with Barbara Walker's Treasury of Knitting Patterns.

I have already delved into both volumes, and am happy to report that I am already busy incorporating one of the patterns from Walker's tome onto the sock currently in progress on my needles.

I always enjoy reading EZ as well....she is so liberating!! One cannot help but become more self-confident as a knitter after reading her encouraging words. (I think that confidence spills over into other areas as well.)

In non-knitting (and non-photography) news....DS and I went in search of our first geocaches today. I also received a Garmin GPS unit for the holidays with which we can now take part in the fun that is geocaching. We did an earnest search for three caches today, finding two. (I am convinced the third one was not meant to be found in the winter with snow on the ground. We will have to try again in the spring.)

If you don't know about the sport/game/fun, check it out at Geocaching.com!

Here's another photo from my forray into the woods a few days ago. (No caching involved...we were only out to take photos!)



Happy knitting and shooting and caching!

Winter's Fruit

We have been having a winter wonderland of frozen fog/hoarfrost the past few days.

Yesterday, in order to get out of the house, DD and I went out into the woods and took a walk with our cameras. She got a lot more pictures than I did due to the fact I had dimentia and forgot to charge my camera's batteries.

But I did manage to shoot a few before the camera gave up the ghost. This is my favorite.



I know it doesn't really show the beautiful frost covered trees, but sometimes the details are just too pretty to pass up.

Happy Shooting!

Happy Holidays!

May yours be merry & bright!


(Local lighting display with 30+ scenes done by a variety of groups. They set it up in our county park's campground and Santa comes and gives candy canes to everyone. Always fun and supports the work of the local Sertoma group.)

Disappointment Thy Name Is...

Knit Picks Andean Chullo kit.

After doing a lot of Latvian mittens last year for the holidays, I kind of fell in love with doing stranded color work in knitting. When Knit Picks advertised their Andean Chullo hat kit last fall, I ordered one as soon as I could, knowing it would be fun to try.

Here's the photo of the completed hat which comes with the pattern:


Now if I had been savy and listening to a recent book of knitting advice I was reading, I should have known something was amiss at this point in the project.

Can you see what my clue should have been?

Yes, at no point does this hat actually appear on a real/actual HUMAN head. The only shots of it are on this clear dummy head. Right there I should have been asking myself "what's wrong with this hat that they don't have a live model in it?"

(My recent knitting advice said to always eye suspiciously the way any photos which accompany patterns are presented. Is the person standing or sitting funny? Are they showing the item from only one angle? What does the way they photographed it on the model say about potential pit falls/problems with the pattern?)

Ignoring that advice and plunging straight ahead like the mighty knitting fool I am, here's what I ended up with:


Yes, it was lovely to knit. I had fun doing the color work. I liked the patterns, especially the llamas.

But dudes.....

....seriously?

It is way, WAY too tall to fit a normal human head without looking completely silly!! (Can you see there are a good 4" to 6" of hat above the top of the head that just sticks up or flops over?!)

If you are related to Herman Munster or happen to know any members of the Conehead family, this hat would be perfect.

But don't expect your 17 year old DS to wear it, no matter how kind hearted he is to his dear, batty, old, yarn-crazed mom.

It just doesn't fit.

Oh, and I could have done without the serious, raging sinus cold/respiratory flu right before Christmas.

Happy Knitting!
(I'm going to get some more tea.....)

Holiday Knitting

Holiday knitting beginning to take up every waking moment? Is it all you think about? Is it all you do in your "free" time? Anxious you may not get it all done?

Are you obsessed? Compare yourself to this knitter and let me know!



Happy Knitting!

On Top Of It

I've switched from my slipper knitting frenzy (because I THINK I have them all completed!!) to doing a few last minute hats, etc. My DD saw a beret she liked at Target a few weeks ago and I took a picture of it with my cell phone. I went on line and found a very similar pattern, took her yarn shopping and commenced knitting. I found the "Druidess Beret" pattern on Ravelry and here's how it turned out.







I really enjoyed this pattern as there was somthing going on all the time. It's also the first chart-only pattern that I've actually completed! I knit it with Cascade 210 (it calls for DK weight yarn) in the colorway "Turtle."

Also it occurred to me that I did not show you the pair of slippers I did with Granny Square flaps or the way I put a decorative edge on one of the pairs of plain colored slippers. Without further ado, this is what they look like:


Granny square slippers for niece in Texas.


Blanket stitch edging on slippers for niece in Sioux City. (The hardest part about this was choosing which contrasting color to use!!)

I have a few other quick things to finish off for the holidays, but the bulk of it is finished. What isn't done yet are all little "extras"--so if they don't get finished it's no big deal. I can give them to the receipients at any time.

Hope you are all in full swing either enjoying the holidays or preparing for the ones yet to come!

Happy Knitting!

Because They Said So

I went to my weekly knitting group last week and they all "ahhh-ed" and "oooh-ed"
over the wee pair of Christmas slippers I made from stash for one of the smallest pairs of feet in the family. Since they were a hit, I'm sharing them with you too!


You can wear them with the "flaps" up to keep your ankles warm like this:


Or, if you prefer, fold down the flaps for what my DS calls the "elf" look:


Either way, I think they are going to look cute and keep toes warm!

I will post some pics after I figure out how I'm going to embellish the single color slippers for people with larger feet.

Happy Knitting!

Wedding Bells

Had the pleasure of shooting some photos for my nephew's wedding this past weekend. It was a perfect day with sunshine and temps around 70*--high for Iowa this time of year!

On The Shelves

Barbara Bretton's new book, Spun by Sorcery, was released yesterday!

This is the third book in the series and I am excited to read it. I'm also excited because I believe my Basic Sock pattern (which I use when teaching sock knitting 101) is included in the appendix at the back of the book!!

It's too bad our book store closed a few months ago. I have to wait until I can get to "the big city" to find a book seller and pick up a copy.

Comments

If you are one of the folks who likes to read comments on Blogs, then you might notice a comment on my last post r.e. the use of RIT dye.

It stems from a question I posed over at Marie's blog, Permission to Unwind, about her beautiful newly finished sweater.

(Go peek, I'll wait.)

Isn't that a beautiful sweater she made?

She mentioned having used RIT dye to make it the creamy, hot cocoa color you see in the photos and that got me curious about that particular dyeing process.

I remember my mom using RIT dye to color sheets when we were kids. I believe she simply used our washing machine for the whole process. I've never really looked at the dye too closely. So I was curious as to how Marie was able to dye a wool sweater. She had some great tips, especially to keep the object from felting. I may have to give it a try some time!

Anyone else out there ever used RIT? Do you have any tips to pass along?