What a week . . .

I have been in such a pickle, since I saw you last . . .

- The Tempest, Act 5.



After all the fence painting, chair finishing, mulch spreading, graduation party attending and tornado avoiding* I've done today, I was disappointed to find that I had far fewer photos to show for my week's work than I thought. I've been spending my evenings working on spinning last year's Shepherd's Harvest special treat - some Riverwinds Farm combed cormo roving - so that I can get to this year's lovely fleece.

At first, it was so damp from all the rain that the roving was just too limp and clingy to spin smoothly. Then, when I finally got a dry day, I was just spinning until the cows came home. That was the night I watched "Persuasion," "Mansfield Park," and part two of "Jane Eyre." Well, the rest is still on the wheel but I am hoping to get it finished by tomorrow night. I love the softness of cormo roving but it is very weather-dependent!

Outside of my spinning, I've been working on my own pair of "Go with the flow" socks.



Youngest Child is moving into his grown up bedroom furniture so it was finally time to get rid of the changing table. A friend picked it up today for his little girl.



The rest of the Saturday Seven was a crocodile lego box, two toddler bed sheets, some baby spit up pads (what were those still doing here?), a sweater vest and some swim trunks. Time to keep clearing out! Graduation countdown commences.

*The graduation party was in Lino Lakes, right where today's tornado was heading through. Luckily, it was just a warning and everything there is fine.

One fine day in May!

Not much was going on here this week except for the end of the year frenzy: Class parties, track meets and peace days made for a lot of extra driving and very little free time. I am on close, personal terms with my rolling weeding bench and my trowel, however! We're having a little extra yard work and house cleaning to get ready for Oldest Daughter's Big Day on June 7. I thought you might like a little glimpse of her many faces:


By the way, that was her starring role as Francis Marion, The Swamp Fox of the American Revolution.

On the knitting front, I've been working on my second set of bootees - the first turned out larger than I wanted so now I'm working on the infant size. I have also been working a few rows here and there of my Go with the Flow socks.



The Saturday Seven was easy - I was trying to move the winter clothes into storage and had to remove a few items. The red turtleneck and the loafers just never fit quite right, the tee shirts were all presents over the years and the red pajamas just never had the right kind of elastic - note to self, try these on before buying! Also, peach pink shorts are always a no-no. But, they are all in quite good shape and someone else will love them. Off to a rummage sale!

I hope you are enjoying your weekend as well - go see a parade on Monday!

A bouquet of spring flowers . . .

Finally, I got the buds attached to the "Rosebud" Hat - now I've started some matching booties. This photo makes the flowers look enormous but actually, the bouquet is quite in proportion.

I've started a pair of Saartje's Bootees with the remaining yarn. They are very popular on Ravelry!

See, I am knitting!

A few inches of "Go with the Flow" socks from the pattern by - you guessed it, Evelyn A Clark. The first pair for my Oldest Daughter was very fun to knit and now I can work on some for me.

As Brenda Dayne says, "It's a death march of fun!"

Okay, not really that bad but we are just going from one activity to the next in our countdown to the end of school and Oldest Daughter's graduation.

This week? Senior Class Drama - "Arsenic and Old Lace" - another track meet and the final concert of the Minnesota Boys Choir.



Oldest Daughter's debut as "Mr. Winthrop," proprietor of the Happy Dale Sanatorium. I always knew she would be good working with people!



Or could it be that she was cast because she owned her own tombstones AND a canoe paddle? From our yard to theirs . . .

The Saturday Seven was both easy and space saving . . .



My old jogging stroller - no way Youngest Child is sitting for that anymore! It went over to the Huge Sale at St. John the Evangelist.



Youngest Child's train table. Freecycle alert!



A pair of roller skates, a lost-now-found pair of baby socks and pants, Jorge el Curioso (how we got this, I'll never know!) and a much loved pair of pajamas. All now found at the Huge Sale staging area!

As for knitting, I've been working on some knitted flowers for my Rosebud hat, a new pair of socks for me and the wristlets from my Yarnover class. I may get two out of three finished this weekend. Right now, it's nothing but Margaritas and curry flavored potato crisps for the rest of the evening . . .

An early surprise!

A few weeks ago, Knittymama had her birthday contest and I won! I got this in the mail yesterday . . .



Ta Da! A new needle roll just for me!



Today's Saturday Seven was an easy swoop through Middle Daughter's drawers. When you can't close them anymore, it's time to clean them out! Five tee shirts, a pair of striped leggings and a pair of shorts.

That's all for right now - the fun just never stops here, what with a dance, a sheep and wool festival, a track meet and Mother's Day. Updates tomorrow!

Be there or be . . . a knitter without fiber!

"Where has all my wool gone?


The place to be this weekend is the 11th Annual

SHEPHERD'S HARVEST
Sheep and Wool Festival

May 10 and 11, 2008
9:00 a.m - 5:00 p.m. Saturday
10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Sunday
Mothers Day Weekend

FREE ADMISSION - FREE PARKING
Washington County Fairgrounds

It may not be the Rhinebeck Sheep and Wool Festival but it's darn good. I'll be there to work at the Minnesota Knitters' Guild knitting help table as well as shop. See you there!

A little night music for knitters

Despite the fact that watching this video is enough to give you claustrophobia, it's the only online glimpse into this band that I can find. I just bought their album, "Wildfires" after hearing it on a great rock podcast, Roots Rock Radio.




I read today that listening to music at bedtime gives you better quality sleep. Hmm.

Back to your regularly scheduled knitting.

Itty Bitty Cute Things!

Although I am working on something made from that Claudia Hand Painted yarn (you can check it out on Ravelry!), I've also picked up a lovely book, Itty Bitty Hats by Susan B. Anderson, and I'm working on a few baby gifts from it. The first one I've started is "Rosebud" for a little girl named Rose. I'm knitting it in Rowan Handknit Cotton and Tahki Cotton Classic. I've already bought the yarn for the Marshmallow Bonnet as well. Everything in this book is very pretty!



This week's Saturday Seven was easy - I found it all sitting in my laundry room last week. Middle Daughter cleaned her room! Four pairs of exercise shorts, a backpack, a pair of pajama pants and a tee-shirt. The tee shirt is a sore point for me - I can remember her saying how much she "needed" it from Hollister!