Yarn Along - sweater skirt

Joining with the Yarn Along at Small Things, Thanks for hosting Ginny!

 I am knitting a skirt for Butterfly as a fair challenge. We were given the fuffy yarn there - it is called Tutu by Berroco - and have to use it in something, either knit of crochet that shows it to good advantage and uses most of the two balls! So we will see.

I am crocheting actually two baby blankets using the same pattern (two day blanket) but two completely different yarns.  I ran out of yarn on the other and am waiting for the order to come in.  I find the traditional baby yarn one above to take longer and not look quite a nice.  Both are very soft and washable.

I am reading Thyme of Death by Susan Wittig Albert.  I am most of the way through and thoroughly enjoying it. It is about a lawyer who decided to change her life, slowing down and enjoying it, she now sells herb in a small shop in a small town.  It is a murder mystery as well.  I just happened to notice the puny tittle while walking past the stacks in the library.  So glad I got the second in the series at the same time.  I recently read The Urban Homestead, it was a great inspiration all about starting now and not waiting until you have your farm or the 'perfect' plot of land.  

Though I would include a shot of the finished throw that I was working on last time I join the yarn along.  I hope you projects are going well! ~ Julia

Fair projects

This is what I entered.  The boys did very well and Mouse is now an apprentice on the competition team that Beaver is on.  I had to leave everyone home to bring it all home, next year I am may need a truck... the boys both do train sections and this year a few people did not show up so to run the train we had to bring in our sections from previous years.  Three trips to bring it all there only one to get it home.  The dress is the one I made for the steampunk themed wedding.  Fair is done! time to start preparing for the one I grew up at, the family has been camping at that one since I was two the whole extended family would stop by and my Grandma and her sister would park their trailers and it would be a week long family gathering.  They are both gone now, and the family in that sense has moved further away but Mom & I still do it.  

wheel and treats

just when I feel like me schedule will allow me to begin posting again, my laptop stops working and my husband is too busy to fix it! So computer access these days requires wriggling through a que of four children, who all play nicely and cooperate while using the computer.  Um, yeah I'll read a book or spin like a mad fiend instead.  The upside I have gotten a lot of spinning, reading, crocheting, and knitting done. Downside, I am generally checking my email after the person who sent it has called to ask why I am not answering!

So here are some pictures of what I have been doing.

The first skein.

my favorite seat in the house

Shiny new wheel, now with footprints.

The back is that fun merino that Donna of Ester's place gave me. The front is a roving I bought from Fine Line.

This has tiny pink beads strung on it.

A white my MIL bought me mixed with the leftover wool that came with my wheel.

Finished throw.

Yarn cave. Who would not want a yarn cave?!

Some of the pretties.

Same spot different yarn.

Yes, I do have yarn hanging from everywhere. The white is from the wool I bought at Sheep and Wool, very dirty.  I figured out what I was doing wrong in scouring. I have hard water and should be using detergent not soap.

This the wool the wheel came with, and the first skein.

Pretty roving I picked up at Fiddlehead Yarns.

I hope you have had a creative and productive few weeks! ~ Julia