Rapunzel is Retiring

After six hair donations to Locks of Love (locksoflove.org), I think I may be finished growing my hair out. Maintaining the patience to grow the last few inches before racing to the hair dresser is growing thin for me! However, as in years past, I do hope to inspire a few students to follow suit and donate their hair as well. 80% of donations to Locks of Love come from children.



This year I am able to donate 12 inches of hair. The grand total length that I donated in six times was 82 inches, which is 6 feet and 10 inches or 2.0828 meters. Yes, I think Rapunzel may be finished. That is a lot of hair!



Here's to inspiring us to help each other in as many ways as we can think of!

Surprise Gift Bags

In addition to Nephew #1, my parents also celebrate their birthdays in March. I whipped up another reversible gift bag for the occasion. For a March birthday we have a display of yummy cherries.


For Christmas, sparkly gingerbread men are the feature. My mother was eyeing this fabric with great interest at Christmas when I wrapped something else in it, and was sad when I immediately reused it for another gift. So, I thought it would a perfect part of her birthday present. I'm sure it was a nice surprise to peek inside the gift bag and see a favorite pattern.


The second bag is in use for the second time already, this time with spring flowers on the outside. Here are the two birthday bags, stuffed with gardening supplies and chocolate, just like their recipients asked for!


I have two wonderful friends who enjoy wine A LOT! In October during Fall Break, I picked up some wine at Hermes Winery in Sandusky, OH, for them.


I wanted to make the gift extra special and searched online for a wine bag pattern. This beautiful pattern and tutorial came up: http://www.berninausa.com/webautor-data/529/WineTote.pdf


Sadly, one my lovely friends recently lost her dog to an illness. This was the third dog she lost within a year. Condolences of a special sort were in order.


My other friend is constantly doing me huge favors and is a great musical partner as well. I definitely owe her a token of appreciation. This fits the bill nicely.


Finally, it always amazes me how much time it takes for finished crafts to materialize! Fortunately, the process is usually as rewarding as the product, though there were a few incidents that demanded the use of a seam ripper on these projects...


Here's a toast to awesome family and friends!

And the Sorting Hat Shouts...

GRYFFINDOR!



Nephew #1 turned 9 years old recently, so technically he is still too young for Hogwarts, let alone a 3rd year scarf, but how can you deny a favorite person a knitted gift that he requested?!?



I have been revisiting the Harry Potter book series via Books on CD recently on my commutes - so fun! I am trying to get through all of them before the last movie comes out this June. That will be a sad day... but I'm sure the thrill of these books will not be lost on several other nephews who will also need Harry Potter knits in the near future! I am so thrilled that my nephew not only can read well, but is enjoying a series that has become a family favorite.

The Details - Beanie
Pattern: House Hats, Beanie by Alison Hansel
Yarn: Plymouth Encore Worsted
Needles: size 8
Colorway: Burnt Sienna and Butternut
Size: Small
Started: January 2009
Finished: February 2009



The Details - 3-4 Year Scarf
Pattern: Year 3-4 Scarf by Lauren Kent
Yarn: Plymouth Encore Worsted
Needles: size 8
Colorway: Burnt Sienna and Butternut
Size: Small and short
Started: January 4, 2011
Finished: March 6, 2011



A quote from the nephew's Grandma (who is also my Mother-in-Law): "I mostly wanted to tell you that J. absolutely LOVED the scarf and hat! It was so cute... when he opened up the scarf and hat, he jumped up in the air yelling, "this is exactly what I wanted!" And laughing his J. laugh, he put them both right on!! It was so cute to see! I have never seen a 9 year old boy so excited about a scarf and hat! By the way, they fit perfectly!!"



Happy Magical Knitting!

Sure Signs of Spring

Crocuses are popping up all over the property, both in flower beds and in the "wild."




A late Valentine's Day gift report: How awesome is this pin of a Suri alpaca?!


Speaking of Suri alpacas, the animals on the farm are starting to show their fiber in longer dreadlocks. Click picture to make larger.


Of course, we can't have Spring without a nearly finished mitten... While danger of frost continues through May 17 in these parts, I am not hopeful that I will get a lot of use out of these until next season, especially since the second mitten still needs work as well. The pattern is "Woodruff" by Jared Flood, a very fun knit.



Happy Spring to All!

Finally... a Lace Shrug!!

I am pleased to FINALLY present a Lace Shrug in its completed form. We have had the worst winter weather the past few days and I am beginning to wonder if we will have school at all in February. I just got the call that there will be no school for the third day in a row tomorrow. So today I sat down and made myself finish the seaming and the end weaving. Here is the result!



Details:
Pattern: Lace Shrug by Kristin Sparkland (Shubuiknits)
Yarn: Classic Elite Silky Alpaca Lace
Needles: Size 4 and size 2 for cuffs
Colorway: Night
Size: Small/Medium
Started: March 27, 2010
Finished: February 2, 2011
Notes: If I were to make this pattern again, I would not knit double stranded. The shrug is a little thicker than I imagined it would be, giving it a sweater-ish quality. Single stranded would have been lighter and more sheer, which would make an interesting contrast to this version. It also took a lot longer to make than I expected. There were many points where I didn't work on it at all, but when I was knitting, it took much longer to make progress than I expected. I am humbled that even an easily memorized lace pattern demands attention from an experienced knitter. I might choose projects more carefully next time!

Close-up of cuff and sleeve:


I planned to wear this item to many events already, but I think it really WILL make its debut appearance on a recital this Sunday. Initially it was slated to cover up my arms at my sister-in-law's wedding on Memorial Day weekend. The shrug would have been ideal as a summer accessory in the freezing cold air-conditioned concert hall at the Viola d'amore Congress in June. Then, I wanted to perform in it in this Fall's Symphony concerts... And it would have been so nice to show off at the holidays, since my in-laws gave me the generous gift card that allowed for the purchase of the lovely yarn and pattern. Alas, now it is February and I am thrilled that I have an event to wear it. In spite of its relatively diminished size, the shrug is toasty warm and should keep any chill in the church off my arms.



Stay warm in your woolies!

Have Wheel, Will Travel

In anticipation of alpaca shearing season, I asked for a spinning wheel for Christmas. Several family members gave me generous sums of money. The day after I returned home, I headed out to Stitches 'n Scones and purchased a recommended model: the Ashford "Traveler," which features a double treadle. That means you can use both feet to make the wheel spin, thus decreasing the one-legged fatigue that a single treadle produces.

Who would have guessed that a spinning wheel arrives in a box?


Opening the box with awe at the packaging... and some trepidation:


Look at all those parts! There are 31 steps in the directions - GULP!


Midway, several parts are together, but not connected yet:


Finished, after about 4 hours of careful work! It could have been put together faster, but I re-read each instruction many times so I wouldn't have to re-do any steps... and I didn't want to scratch that beautiful Beechwood!


And here is the "traveling" part! This is how I can transport the wheel easily to spinning lessons and group meetings. I had a great lesson with Christina Wall last Saturday. I have gushed about her knitting designs in previous posts, and she is a wonderful spinning teacher as well. (Classiccableknits.com)


I can't wait to spin on my front porch all of next summer...

Welcome, New Woolies!

(Bella, left - 'Greta, right)

Time flies when you are having fun! We welcomed our third alpaca, Bella Oak, to the farm two weekends ago. Bella came with her friend Sassafrass (or Sassy, for short), who will keep Moonstar company.

(Sassafrass)

Moonstar and Sassafrass are still young and growing which means they eat higher protein hay. These animals don't like to be alone, even if they can see each other in the next pen. So the breeders allowed us to borrow Sassafrass.

(Moonstar, left - Sassy, right)

Unfortunately, there was some bad news: Bella is no longer pregnant. Her cria was reabsorbed some time in December. The breeders did bring the ultrasound machine so we could see 'Greta's cria developing nicely. If things progress as planned, the new cria will be born mid-August.


After a few days of getting used to each other and the new environment, the alpacas and the dog have settled in to their new routine.

(Tenny)

The routine consists mostly of eating hay all day!

CHOMP!