Updating my list of unfinished objects....

1. Cashmere scarf (2 balls of yarn)
2. Denim blue baby sweater from Last Minute Knitted gifts (3 balls of yarn)--COMPLETED
3. Lady Eleanor (10 balls)--COMPLETED
4. Ripple Baby Blanket (4 balls)--COMPLETED
5. Finish the knitting club scarves (these aren't actually my stash)--COMPLETED
6. Hailey's pirate doll (? as to balls of yarn)--COMPLETED
7. Hexagon shawl (10 balls?)
8. a pair of socks
9. Griffindor Hats--COMPLETED
10. TBA

I actually have only three things left on the needles! Wahoo! I may slow down a bit on this as I need to do some gift knitting. However, progress has been made!

The Blue Baby Sweater...

After many years of languishin in the bottom of the knitting basket, looking for more Reynolds Gypsy, and general inertia, I would like to present the Blue Baby Sweater. The pattern is from Weekend Knitting and I used 3 (?) balls of Reynolds Gypsy. It will go into the drawer of presents that await owners. Check another thing off my list of stash projects!

My little green character....

I needed a birthday gift for a two year old friend this weekend. I would prefer not to shop these days, but to use what I have to create gifts. I had Isaiah draw a picture of a creature that served as inspiration for this fellow. He's an alien, roughly. I used outgrown sweaters of the kids' that had been felted down and leftover quilt batting for the stuffing. An exercise in recycling! He was lots of fun to make up as I went along. He's actually version 2 because my first try didn't really work. Hope his two year old care giver enjoys him.

Finished objects...

So, pardon these photos. My camera isn't doing its best today...
The first picture is of a quilt that Hailey made for a friend. I thought that she did a beautiful job! She sewed and designed it herself with just a little help from me.
Next, you will see that Lady Eleanor is done. She was a breeze to finish as the Noro Silk Garden is so fun to work with. I became addicted to seeing what color would come next and what other color it might end up being next to. This was a fun project and ended up using 9 1/2 balls of Noro Silk Garden. It is so lovely that I want to figure out a use for the other 1/2 ball!

13 balls down and Lady Eleanor coming soon....

So, I found a home for some yarn that I couldn't imagine using myself--not bad yarn (cotton, linen and viscose) but not my color so much. I gave it to Kayla, who is a prolific young crafter that I know. A mutually beneficial re-organizing of resources--she needed yarn and I have more than I actually need : ). More soon on Lady Eleanor!

I am truly a farmgirl!

I spent the afternoon connecting with my farm girl self. I started with canning six pints of applesauce. Hailey was glad that there was a warm bowlful that didn't make another pint. I've been reading "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" by Barbara Kingsolver and have been reflecting on growing up with most of my food (vegetables, anyway) being grown in my yard. My mother had a cold room made in the basement lined with shelves (she still does). Every August and September, we would can applesauce, green beans, tomatoes, beet pickles, cucumber pickles, carrots, peaches and pears and those jars would be dated and lined up along the shelves. Corn, peas, strawberries and pie apples would be frozen in the deep freezer along with any meat. Potatoes and onions were stored in sacks in the cold room. There was even an extra refrigerator to store the jam my mom had sealed with parrafin wax. So, my small batch of applesauce today makes me feel frugal and I'll line it up on the top shelf of my cupboard with my blackberry jam and this winter we'll have a taste of early September!
The other three pictures are a fleece I am processing. First you see the raw and dirty fleece. I then wash it in the tub and rinse it. Finally, it is laid out to dry on the deck. It will eventually either be felted or spun as I attempt to learn to make a decent yarn with a drop spindle. I have to say that it has been a very refreshing, grounding day for me!

Blackberry Jam

Nothing more satisfying to me than picking berries and squirreling them away for winter in the form of jam. I picked these berries on Bernal Hill (just a hike up the hill from our house) and Isaiah and I made and canned 9 jars of jam. One was given as a birthday gift to a friend before this picture was taken. I forget how quick and easy jam making is. I love the look of the jars all lined up on the counter.

Here is an update of my project list now:

1. Cashmere scarf (2 balls of yarn)
2. Denim blue baby sweater from Last Minute Knitted gifts (3 balls of yarn)
3. Lady Eleanor (10 balls)
4. Ripple Baby Blanket (4 balls)--COMPLETED
5. Finish the knitting club scarves (these aren't actually my stash)--COMPLETED
6. Hailey's pirate doll (? as to balls of yarn)--COMPLETED
7. Hexagon shawl (10 balls?)
8. a pair of socks
9. Griffindor Hats--COMPLETED
10. TBA

That makes four done and six left to go. I wonder what is next!