Spring breaks

Well, we're finally home to Minnesota. Dirty dishes, a "not walked enough" dog and a dent in the minivan makes me think I won't be choosing the "leave the older teenagers at home" route again.

As for Pennsylvania,

Rainbow Bridge (for those Grovers in the know!)

We got lots of family visits in and, while the weather wasn't exactly warm, it was sunny. That seemed springlike enough!

I got to test some cookies for science fair project

I finished a shawl out of that free mohair (Mohair #9)

and got about a quarter of the way through Rosemary's Little Sweater.

The cute bag came from my husband's trip to New York City and KnittyCity. 

Now, back to cleaning up and getting some of the garbage out of the house. Grr. 

Saturday Seven to arrive sometime later this week . . .

Yarn - forward!

This past weekend was not only relaxing - it was rewarding.

I acquired two lots of unusual yarn and bought one lot for only $1! And I won a book!

I've used this Persia Color in another colorway before - it knits up beautifully next to a plain color wool. And - it was the $1 yarn!

I just love the sparkle and fluff.

This was two skeins of an old but free yarn called Laine Dor - it might even be Laine D'or but the label is done is a spiffy 1970s font and I can't read it. It's mohair and I'm using it on my trip to Pennsylvania to make a simple little shawl from the free patterns on the  Mary Maxim site. Plane knitting in all senses of the word!

I also got this skein of yarn in my goody bag.

It's a lovely blue color and it seems destined for mittens or a hat.

As a door prize, I also won this fun book.

One of my table mates offered me "a lot of yarn" for it but I think the patterns are well worth the keeping.  

Although I'd love to be working on my Turning Glass cardigan, I need to knit a baby sweater for a little baby girl at my church. And I need to knit it before she grows even more! So I'm pulling out some stash yarn

Jamieson's Soft Shetland in granny smith colorway

 to knit a Rosemary's Little Sweater. Simple and quick (or so I'm hoping.)

And I'll be traveling with all this knitting so - you probably won't getting another post until about Monday. Enjoy the snow!

Please come closer . . .

Saturday's "Supermoon" - but at a distance.

 closer . . 

A little closer - hazy but discernable. 

Oh, no - a little too close!

* Are you flashing back to Disney's "Alladin" movie? Try saying it in a Robin Williams voice!

Argh!

Like many other photographers, I was trying for a nice shot of Saturday's "14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter" appearance of the moon but - not my night. 

It was a beautiful sight, however, when viewed from the shore of Cross Lake in Minnesota. I was at the Minnesota Knitters' Guild's "Great Guild Getaway" this weekend and had a lovely (if still quite snowy) time. 

Lots of knitting (almost finished my vest) and lots of free yarn and books. Great food and company as well. If you are in Minnesota, you really need to check this out next year. It's open to all knitters, not just guild members, and it is very relaxing.

I almost finished my Artisan vest - I had a fidgety time with the crochet edging and buttonholes.

Luckily, the retreat was jam packed full of crocheters and I got a lot of help. Today, it's time to crochet the armholes and then I have to find some buttons.

Too close?

I'm counting that blocking will straighten up the edging.

I'm going to blog about the wonderful books and yarns I won and bought (yes, a "clean out your stash" auction is one of the events at the retreat) in a day or two . . . 

My Saturday Seven is more little boy clothes - he's just not that little anymore. 

Peppers! And way in the back, tomatoes!

And I, too, finally have some sprouts! (And what looks like a wicked case of mold but actually that is dirt that has washed into my basement through the window well as a result of all this snow melt.) 

I splurged and bought a pack of the Fabulous Beekman Boys' Beekman 1802 heirloom seeds. It's still only time to start some of the seeds (peppers and tomatoes) in Minnesota but I'll be working on the rest of the seeds later in the season. The Beekman television show is aiming at creating a "virtual community garden" by encourage their viewers to try raising the same kind of heirloom seeds - I'll keep you posted on how this turns out.

Oh, really?

The weeks after being sick, sick, sick are usually pretty quiet. But not here. Two weeks of missed cleaning? Check that off. Two weeks of missed laundry. Check. Finally going grocery shopping? Check.

Add in a birthday

And a ski trip to Northern Minnesota

The view isn't much here - but that's because we were in the middle of a lake! 

Lovely Liz and I had this trip by ourselves (we decided that the ice was faster to ski on but the snow trail was quieter) but the whole weekend was knit, ski, knit, ski with breaks for eating. 

Even Youngest Child was exhausted by Saturday night.

And we finally had knitting here at Chez Daisy. Alas, it was poorly done knitting. 

I have some advice for you - do not knit when you have the flu. I've spent the last week or so frogging "Knitting under the influence" on socks and my vest. The socks are done now - but I've given them away as they look odd.

Lovely yarn (Pagewood Farms Yukon in Vineyard Blues) and a pretty pattern but I don't have any idea of where I went wrong to make them so "wrinkly."

The vest - I did all the shoulder decreases before I was supposed to knit 7 to 9 inches. So, time to lay it all out and reknit. Sigh.

Saturday's Seven is going to the rummage sale today. I may be showing my age but - I long for the days of the good old regular weight turtleneck. 

Four of the items here are light "tissue weight" turtlenecks. Nasty, stretchy, not fit to keep you warm turtlenecks. Why they even make them, I don't know. A skirt, a boy tee shirt and a pair of boots rounded out the seven. 

More blue - not like cheese

It's been so gray here lately that I thought a little retail therapy was in order. This is Madelinetosh DK in the Ink colorway. I'm planning on making a Turn of the Glass from the Winter 2011 Knitty. 

It's a lovely dark/light blue - really pretty!

If this doesn't work - chocolate and red wine might be next.