new yarn...

New yarn added to the stash. I bought this on ebay from yarn treehouse. I't looked a little more yellow onling but I like these colors too so there was no problem. This is sock yarn and someday I will have time to knit up some socks again. This yarn fades from orange , green to deap yellow. I can't wait to see what it knits up like. Now I have to decide on a sock pattern for it.

Here are the supplies for my next 2 projects.. The two summer sundress (ravelry link). As of now I'm still working on the sunflower doll's hat and dress. All my free time the last few days has been dealing with the AC and looking for a dress for a wedding that I'm going to attend this Saturday. I think I tried on about 30 dresses. I found the dress but now I have to find shoes. Considering that I wear size 5 1/2 that's not going to be easy..There was a perfect pair of Nina dress shoes where I work but I was too late .. someone bought the size 5 1/2.That means I'll be running around again tonight after work.

hello dolly!!

The doll's body is finished. I worked on it yesterday in my free time. I'm using the short dpn's .. size 2 for all the circular knitting. Now all I have to finishis the flower hat, the dress and the shoes.
Something great happened today after work.. I actually mailed out that sweater I just finished that took over a year. That was a happy event. An unhappy event.. when I got home to see if the new air conditioner was installed.. I found out that they only replaced the outside unit... so I'm in the same place I was before but with a lot less money. The inside unit is still bad and still leaks, is rusty and has no heating unit anymore... I was told he was going to replace everything... so at this point we still don't have air conditioning. Well I could put it on and it will get a little cooler in here but at a great cost. So now I have to save money and hopefully will be able to find an inside unit that we can afford.. if not.. it's going to be a very hot summer. [sad face]

wips.....

Summer is approaching in Florida. Right now we are having the most wonderful weather. Low to mid 80's, breezy, sunny on the dry side.. well just beautiful weather..But weather changes here so fast it can get hot and humid pretty quickly . I'm especially enjoying this weather right now because at the end of last year our air-conditioner started acting up and eventually just died. I was dreading the coming summer not knowing if I could spring for a new unit.. between my tax return and a little ( or a lot) of help from my Dad and good connections we are going to get a whole new air-conditioning system tomorrow. I'm ecstactic..!! I can't wait.. it's going to be wonderful to have a nice cool house again...

Projects of the week.. 1. Sunflower doll by Jennie Eveleigh Lamond. I'm working on that now so hopefully I will finish the legs and start on the arms before work. And 2. I just can't help myself .. I have to spin on a spindle every day.. I think I spin all my problems away and feel so relaxed when I spin.. I tend to be a worry wart and think about the same problems over and over ( like that is going to help).. but when I'm spinning they seem less stresfull and not so evil.

the cuteness !!

Time is flying by so fast and all the grandbabies are growing so big already. There is just too much cuteness here. I can't keep up with the knitting they are growing so fast..
















































Since I finished 2 projects.. cough..umm time to start another.. I just had to play with the new fiber that arrived yesterday. There is a whole lot of tencel in it.. It is spinning like silk. That little spindle has a good spin.. it's like a sprinter though. Fast and short. I'm trying to put a little extra spin on these singles hopefully for sock.

And of course I casted on already. These dolls are just too cute. I hope to finish the body of the sunflower doll today. (^_^)

surprises from a far..

I have been waiting for some stuff I ordered from etsy.com and expected that in the mail today.. but I didn't expect this box. It's from my son and was full of Trader Joe's goodies. He sent me shopping bags of all sizes and just a box full of surpises.. All sorts of organic and yummy treats. It was like Christmas here today.




























That was the unexpected box and here are the expected items.. First is the beautiful glass flower spindle purchased from Butterflygirldesigns on etsy. Next is this gorgeous Superwash merino / 50% tencel fiber from FatCatKnits on etsy... I'm going to spin this as thin as I can hopefully for socks. I have to see how much spin I can get after I ply it.. if not it will make a nice lace scarf.. either way I'm in spindle/fiber heaven today... and to top that off I have the day off..in which I plan to spin and knit and eat some yummy goodies with some pomegrante white tea.. woo hoo..!!

ta daaaa...

A drum roll please....at long last a finished sweater. This sweater has been haunting me for over a year. It was sitting there almost complete except for one sleeve. I just hated the yarn for this and after I had over half of the sweater knit my son pointed out that the sleeves seemed to wide for the fitted body of the sweater. And sure enough they were and are very full. But the sweater is finished now and I'm going to mail it to my son and I hope he will at least wear it to work or something... It is definitely not the prettiest sweater I have ever knit but it's finished.

















Another project just 4 rows from completion is this baby sweater that I have been toting around with me every where.. and this too will be finished today..!!


I have just been loving the drop spindle and here is my progress on this fleece. I have one spool finished and the next 1/2 done. That will leave another small ball of roving to spin. I'm using this to practice with. I just purchased a beautiful superwash merino/silk roving that I want to spin next on the spindle. I can't wait..!!

changes..

Here is my current spinning project. Recently I picked up a drop spindle again after disliking spindle spinning for ever.. and now I can't seem to put it down. This roving was purchased quite a few years ago. It was 8 oz. of merino/silk with little bits of different colors that pop up when spun. I spun about 1/2 of the roving on my ashford wheel back when I bought the roving and then gave it to my daughter who knit leg warmers and a hat. She held it together with one strand of Rowan kid silk haze. The result was beautifully soft. Not sure what I'm going to do with it after its finished.

















This little beauty was just added to my stash. I have 2 different shawls in mind that I would like to use it for. In that little ball of yarn there is a tremendous amount of yardage. 880 yards. Well here are my two choices and I haven't decided on which one yet.. First choice is Gail..(pdf) and the second choice is the Aeolian Shawl from knitty spring 2009.. This is shawl is estonian lace and I'm no sure if I'm up to that but I would like to try. Both are beautiful.. I just have to decide on one of them. This will be my summer knitting project.

















Florida weather can change this time of year from day to day. We went from 90 degree weather to 40 degrees two nights later.. back up to upper to mid 80's . From drought to a mega rain storm and this beautiful night sky appeared after the rain. My digital camera couldn't capture the true colors but it's still pretty. (click for the big pic)

















And last of all I'm still working on sewing the zipper in this sweater. I'm dragging my feet terribly. I was able to pick up a separating zipper in the perfect color at Joann's.