lifelong knitter

STRIPES!

We're all about Stripes around here today...knitting them happily in Silk Garden for Klaralund, the Cardigan...and READING about them, too!
Carson had a trip to the vet yesterday as part of my contractual agreement in the adoption process. He'll need a bunch of dental work, regular allergy meds, a special diet, and lots of exercise. The vet was thrilled that I knew how to establish the Pack Rules...and when Carson fell asleep in my arms, SNORING loudly during her lecture, she giggled and said Clearly, he's found his home!
Our local animal shelter is overcrowded, full of wonderful adult animals like Carson. He was considered *unadoptable* because he had been returned twice from foster homes after he chewed himself bloody because he didn't have the right meds or diet. Anxious and itchy would make ANYBODY a miserable candidate for a beauty contest!
I know I am probably preaching to the choir here, but please consider joining your local Humane Society, or volunteering to rescue or foster these wonderful companion animals...knit a few critter blankies, you never know what LOVE it might bring....
We're off for walkies,
bye for now!

Special Guest

Hello there, it's ME, Sandy Poodle!
First, I am supposed to tell you that yesterday's pretty pictures were from the Brookgreen Sculpture Garden. Mom says you can do that googly thing to learn more about it...
Now. I hope you are sitting down.
My Mom met this new guy on the internet. She has been knitting him stuff and going to visit for a while now and he is going to be her new studio assistant. Can you believe it?
We've talked about it, and I guess I'm okay with it, mostly.
I'll still be in charge of the House, of course, and he'll have his own room and all that, but I'm a little worried.
The nice social worker lady that came to check out the studio said Mom would have to put away some of the valuable stuff, because of his HISTORY, and she wanted to be sure Mom was going to drive him to his doctor appointments and be extra sure he always gets his medications....and that's when I found out he'd been in JAIL!
He was abandoned and got into all kinds of trouble and was kicked out of a few foster homes....
I don't think she was going to tell me at first, but I would have figured it out right away...he doesn't smell too good. I'm supposed to be nice and remember that he's had a really rough life and never learned how to keep himself clean...but, ewwwww!
I sure hope he learns to brush his teeth!
Mom is going to be extra busy helping him learn to do his new job, but she's really good at that. She believes that there is always room at the table for everybody, no matter who they are or where they came from.
I have to say, though, just between us, he's kinda cute. I'll bet he'll clean up really well.
His name is Carson.
Mom says to say extra prayers for him and that his eyes are red cuz he's been crying since nobody wanted him. She's SUCH a pushover.
Okay, that's all for now. I'll keep you posted.
Here's his picture....

And NOW, back to our regularly scheduled programming...

Dear Daughter and I had a lovely time on her Easter break.
We both love the BEACH

and this lovely view is just a couple of hours further from her college. I was looking forward to relaxing and knitting to the sound of the waves, perhaps taking a stroll to collect shells....
but she was all about Adventuring and had a long list of attractions and amusements on her list.
We compromised.
I agreed to go here

so she could look at movie memorabilia and eat fries
if she would accompany me to this

amazing sculpture garden established in the 1930's.
She astonished me by knowing a LOT about sculpture, and as she skipped from statue to statue in
the Classical garden, exclaiming at the mythic figures and regaling me with tales of their histories, a small group of people began to follow us around. One couple in particular, he with at least EIGHT cameras around his neck and strapped across his back, she clearly more interested in the flora...got closer and closer, and finally he leaned over to me and said "She's WAY more interesting than that docent we followed around yesterday!" teehee.

I had a particular sculpture I had wanted to see *in person* and so I made it kind of a treasure hunt...let's see if we can find Mommy's favorite on this thousand acres of historic preservation property.
We took a pontoon boat ride to learn about the early days of the rice plantation, and saw alligators and bald cypress trees and heard an interesting description of the War of Northern Aggression ("warnt nothin CIVIL about it, folks") ending the prosperous days of the plantation owners who had no labor costs or income taxes to "worry about". THAT prompted a rather lively discussion as we walked on to look for more sculptures...

We loved this particular wall installation (it looks like an ocean wave, we think) and the incredible tulips

but then we finally found what I was looking for....

BENEDICTION by Daniel French. AMAZING.

I did finish Clapotis, and am nearly halfway through Klaralund, the Cardigan. Tomorrow there will more than likely be a Special Guest on the blog...so I've got to go do laundry and get this place cleaned up...
Namaste.

Be back Tuesday

With pictures of a finished Clapotis
and who knows what else?

I'm off to pick up dear Daughter
for her Easter break....

Here's hoping your weekend is
Joyous!

Happy Easter to those who celebrate....

Do the BUNNY hop

hop, hop, HOP!

I took a break from Clapotis last night to *start* the Kate Gilbert bunny
and just couldn't stop....what a fabulous pattern!
Easy, too.
If you need a cute gift for Easter and you have an evening....
hop to it!

I used Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Worsted
from the stash
and 7US needles....
stuffed Mister Bun with fleece
from my spinning basket.

My spinning basket, Ahhhhh, you didn't know about that, did you?
Inspired by Claudia at last year's MSWF
I've been determined to relearn to spin...
more details in the coming weeks!

Speaking of details...Mister Bun has the cutest little
fluffy pompom, but since we are under a Special Weather Advisory
(otherwise known as the Tornado watch)
I'm a gonna keep this short.

Hop, hop, hop....

Clapping along...

Happy, happy birthday to the Divine Ms. EM!
Em-dash was one of the first to encourage me when I was just beginning to blog....
seems impossible that we haven't yet MET, in person.

This is a Holy Week for me, in addition to being the first week of Spring, so you'll find me out in the garden, on my knees during any available daylight. Posting will be sporadic, at best....to be continued, joyfully, middle of next week.

Know that I hold each of you in my thoughts and prayers,
as ALWAYS.

I'll be Clapping

at the College Honors Convocation tonight...to the sound of bagpipes!

I've already dropped three stitches, whee!
Gotta go pack and get on the road....if I owe you email,
next week prolly, okay?
Something has gone wonky with Typepad
and I can't access my own comments for some reason.

Yesterday the Boybird and I went to the old fashioned barbershop
for a shave and a haircut after the bookstore. He was looking rather
Shaggy and I did that thing that Mothers do...
you know the one....
"let's go get a HAIRCUT so I can SEE your EYES, buddy!"
he INSISTS on calling it the BARBIEshop
which makes me giggle
and all the guys CRINGE....then they enunciate CLEARLY.
Even if they don't do it any other time.
Really. Try it. Find a guy, any guy,
and tell them there's a new BARBIEshop in town where
he can get a great haircut so you can see his gorgeous eyes.
"barBERshop!" is the hardwired response.
Betcha.

Hope your weekend is snuggly! With a side of giggles.
xoxoxo

Whisper

I spy with my little eye...
something white and fuzzy!

I pulled over to the side of the road and tried to take a picture...
"Hey, there! Gitcher vehicle off of the Hiway, Girl! Pull rightcheer into the drive ...."
The farmer was waving me into the muddy driveway, where he was standing with his sister in law, chatting, and getting ready to feed the sheep in the back pastures.
I hopped out of my truck with my camera and my knitting.
"OH!" exclaimed the sister in law (after the introductions had been made....) "Is that a Prayer Shawl? I just dropped off three last week with Hospice!"
The farmer rolled his eyes and encouraged us to BOND, as he was off to feed the Triplets.
"Cutest pictures you'll ever get...two week old triplets, back thisaway...."
First I took a shot at the front pasture

while chitchatting about prayer shawls and local handspinners.
Aren't they ADORABLE?
The Farmer explained that these here are HAIR sheep, a special breed, developed in Maine.
I was too busy being distracted by their cuteness to remember the breed name.
"You don't have to SHEAR them", he explained, "they just shed all OVER the place...
come back during shedding season" he said, "it'll look like we been bushhogging chickens!"
ACK!
The sister in law excused herself to run errands and I wandered in the direction of the Back Pastures.
True to his word, is there anything cuter than these two week old triplets?

Just then, I saw a flash of black out of the corner of my eye, and SUDDENLY, there was a Border Collie
sitting at my feet. I held out my hand and he jumped to my side, ready for a command.
"well, I'll be DANGED" said the Farmer, tipping his hat back"who ARE you, the dog whisperer?"
I giggled a little, because that makes the THIRD time this week I've been asked that, in completely random situations, and you know how I feel about signs and wonders appearing in threes....
He went on to tell me the story of how this dog had come all the way from Scotland on an aeroplane, and was the best money he'd ever spent in his whole entire life.

He gave the voice command for the dog to hold the herd at bay while he filled the feed trough.

Then he said "That'll DO!" but the dog held the sheep.
"THAT'LL DO!" he repeated.
The dog looked at ME.
"that'll do" I whispered.
The dog released the sheep and came to my side.
The Farmer shook his head.
"you got the GIFT, girlie, I'll say that."

I thanked him for his time and walked to my truck.

What do YOU spy with your little eye? Are you wearin somethin GREEN?
A very Happy Saint Patricks Day to you!

Friendship

Today's forecast included the dreaded *Wintry Mix* and so I spent as much time as possible Outside yesterday, taking care of errands and doing pre-emptive Gardening chores. I soaked up some sunshine with a Knitting buddy (she called and said "I have a Knitting Emergency that ONLY you can fix"....teehee. Hard to describe, but yes, it got FIXED. Just required some THINKING....) and we got all caught up on the Kiddo News. I went to the grocery store to get ahead of the Bread and Milk crowd and on the way got sidetracked by the most amazing...well, it was going to be my post for today, but now you'll have to wait until tomorrow for Adorable pictures of two week old lambs and their Scottish nanny dog....
cuz when I picked up my mail, there was a PACKAGE.
Much whooping and hollering (good Lord, you'd think it was Christmas around here!) and grinning when I tore open the bubble wrap and the Fabulous Wrapping paper that matches my blog.... and found Just What I NEEDED. Knitting, Magic, and Silly Hats! WooooHoooo!
Thank You FRIEND!
It just means the world to me, these amazing people who have appeared in my life because I started trying to find my voice on this little knitting blog.
It may be raining ICE and Snow outside my window, but Honey it's WARM in here!
Stay tuned tomorrow for the baby lambs....
Now go HUG somebody, oKAY?
Pass it ON!

If you're HAPPY and you know it

CLAPotis!
I'm prolly the last knitblogger to cast on this Fabulous French design, but I was searching for JUST the right colorway.....and this is (according to the label) American Wool from Plain & Fancy Sheep and Wool Company, colorway Turquoise.
I'm using bamboo circulars, size 8US, as spec'd in the pattern,
and LOVING it!
As you can see from the picture...I have some, uh, ISSUES with tangles
when I go from skein to ball lately.
I've always been able to rely on the Boybird to hold the skeins whilst I wind, but now that he
has a REAL job, I think I need a Swift.
A real wooden one.
Stay tuned for the synchroblognicity.....
wooHOO!