yarn along: dark and stormy

It's yarn along day!

I think I've been bitten by the sock bug because as soon as I cast off my Rainbow Brite socks, I cast on another sock. This pair is a moody gray, so I'm calling them the Dark and Stormy socks. They're for my husband who prefers his socks a little more subtle than I like mine. I worried I might get bored knitting these solemn socks, so last night I cast on a pair of sunshine-colored Kalajoki. I told you I've got the bug!

I just finished reading Genesis by Bernard Beckett for my work's book club. It's the story of a post-apocalyptic world and how it came to be (hence genesis). The story is structured as an oral exam the main character must pass to enter the Academy; she narrates the history of her world. It's a little book, only 150 pages, and a fast read, but it lingers. I went to bed thinking about it and woke up still trying to sort it out. 

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I hope you're having a lovely week! What have you been making and reading?

oh, look what the sun did

This is my new favorite spot: my big comfy chair. The seat is large enough to curl up in, and there's enough sunlight and lamplight to read and knit. Plus, it's right next to the radio and record player. I'm content to listen most of the time, but lately the radio station has been playing songs that make me dance. Here are a few of my current favorites:

Oh Look What the Sun Did

Andrew in Drag

Somebody That I Used to Know

And of course I collapse into my tufted gray chair in a happy heap afterward.

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What are you listening to lately? I'd love to hear what your favorite song of the moment is.

Rainbow Brite Socks

I'm a child of the late '80s and early '90s. The coolest outfit I owned in kindergarten was a New Kids on the Block t-shirt paired with black and neon spandex shorts. I watched the Muppet Babies and Fraggle Rock. I roller skated to "U Can't Touch This" and "Ice Ice Baby" at the local rink.  So, when I saw this rainbow sock yarn, I immediately knew I had to make Rainbow Brite socks. Oh yeah.

They're my first finished pair of fingering weight socks. I love them! They're so darn bright and cheerful. Perfect for thwarting Murky and Lurky's evil plans to rid the world of color...Sorry...I got caught up in my Rainbow Brite fantasy for a moment. They are the most fun socks I own, though.

And they'd look great with some spandex and a NKOTB shirt, right?

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Rainbow Brite Socks

Super Simple Sock Pattern (free)

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P.S. These socks also remind me of Alice. She knits and crochets the most colorful creations and shares them all on her blog, Crochet with Raymond.

yarn along: socks and strangers

Joining Ginny in the Yarn Along today.

This week my hands are busy knitting my second rainbow sock. Those stripes and cheerful colors help me keep my momentum.  I hope that I'll have a new pair of socks to wear this weekend.

If you like weird books (I know I do!), check out It Chooses You. It's a book Miranda July came up with while procrastinating. Instead of revising a screenplay, she began interviewing people who placed ads in the PennySaver. She met a motley crew and shares their infinitely interesting stories and photos in this book. I read it on the bus and couldn't help wondering what stories the other passengers would tell if I asked. I didn't ask, though. I've got a policy of only talking to fellow knitters on the bus. They seem the most harmless.

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Do you talk to strangers? Have you met anyone interesting lately? 

first flowers of spring

I've finally put my snow dreams to rest for the season. Instead I've turned my thoughts to spring--digging in the dirt, identifying the mysterious green shoots sprouting in my backyard, and crafting with colorful yarn.

Last weekend I went to the craft store to look for sewing and jewelry-making supplies to make a Scalloped Dresden bag and cross stitched jewelry. Unfortunately, I couldn't find all of the supplies for either project. Sometimes when I go to big craft stores, I get overwhelmed looking at all of the supplies and end up in the yarn aisle. The yarn aisle comforts me. I know what to do with yarn. So that's what happened last weekend. I came out of the store with a giant bag of yarn and no sewing or jewelry supplies. Again.

As soon as I got home, I broke out my crochet hook and dug into that bag of yarn. An indoor garden soon bloomed as these crocheted flowers flew off my hook. The African Flower Hexagon pattern is quick to learn and easy to memorize. This crocheted garden is a lot less work than the actual garden I'm planning!

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What are you up to these days? I'm hoping to fill my Sunday with working in the yard, making cheese, baking bread, browsing at the thrift store, knitting socks, crocheting flowers, and cleaning up the house.  Even if I only check a couple of these things off the list, I'll be happy.

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I also want to say that my thoughts are with the people affected by the strong tornadoes that ripped through the area this week. The scenes of destruction look unreal, and I can't fathom how much hard work and resilience it will take for the people and towns to recover. I'm so grateful Louisville did not get hit by the storms. I hope you are safe and happy wherever you are!

yarn along: handspun and roughin' it

Hip, hip, hooray! It's yarn along day!

This week I've been knitting up some handspun yarn that I bought over the weekend at the maple syrup festival. It's thick and thin in shades of lavender and periwinkle. I've never knitted with handspun before, so I couldn't wait to get this yarn on the needles. Garter stitch shows off the texture and colors well, so I'm making a simple headband.

Another skein of handspun made it home with me, too. It's blue and gray and more uniformly spun. I can't wait to try it out!

This week I'm reading another of Liesl's "roughin' it" recommendations, Settled in the Wild by Susan Hand Shetterly, which is a collection of short essays about the author's experiences in nature. She rehabilitated wild birds for 10 years, and the book contains, among other anecdotes, her recollection of raising a raven like a pet. Her writing reminds me of Annie Dillard's and Terry Tempest Williams'. She uses simple yet precise language and includes imagery I won't soon forget, such as her description of getting her boots stuck deep in marsh mud and having to return home sock footed and streaked with dirt. I'd love to have her along on a stroll through the woods.

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What are you making and reading this week? 

planting and planning

Last night I planted lavender seeds. I planted two kinds--English lavender and Blue Hidcote lavender--with the idea that at least one type will make it. This is my first attempt at growing something from seed, so I kept it simple--egg cartons, soil, seeds. After planting the seeds just below the surface of the soil, I wrapped the cartons in plastic bags and hid them away in a refrigerator drawer. They'll get a nice 4- to 6-week chill before I start giving them water and sun. 

I'm nervous already. I've got such big hopes for these tiny seeds. I've imagined an herb garden just out the back door, where the lavender will share space with basil, peppermint, spearmint, sage, and lemon balm. It will be a kitchen garden filled with herbs I can cut for dinner or tea. Then there's the front porch, which I've decided needs a border of lavender plants. On humid summer days the scent of lavender will hang in the air, making the front porch the perfect perch for sipping lemonade and reading books.

Last night the weather was unseasonably warm at nearly 70 degrees. The promised thunderstorms never came, so I put on my galoshes and puttered around my muddy backyard. We didn't buy our house for its land. The small backyard is tangled with overgrown bushes and slick with muddy dog paths. There are also moles, along with the tunnels and holes that they make. Turning the yard into my dream vegetable, herb, and flower garden will be a challenge. I started with the overgrown bushes, cutting, tearing, and stomping down their dry stalks. I made only a little progress last night. Still, I'm starting to see where the compost pile might go, where I should plant the blueberry bushes, and where my lettuce bed will be. It's a start.

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P.S. I'm excited for the Sugarbush Festival, which runs this weekend and next. If you're close enough to go, you should. There's a pancake and waffle breakfast with all the syrup you can handle. I always stock up on my year's supply of maple syrup at the festival.