Yopping Update #13 - Rest in Peace Cat Bordhi

 It was sad for me to open Ravelry earlier this week and hear of Cat's passing.  She was such a great influence on my journey as a sock knitter.  I have knit almost every pair in her Pathways to Sock Knitting.  Some of them multiple times.  I also loved her videos on the Sweet Tomato Heel and it is one of my favourite heels to knit on my socks.  Then there was her book of Felfs, and moebius knitting.  In honour of her passing I cast on a moebius cowl this week and used my handspun.  The pink and lilac were my hand-dyed homespun and the gray was Panda from Sweet Georgia. (also handspun).

  

I will knit a toque to go with the cowl with the rest of the pink and lilac (and a wee bit of the grey to finish it off).

I ordered two more of her books - her last was a book of momo cowls - colour work moebius cowls, and her Versatildes.  I really want to make one of the vests and I will when I spin enough handspun for one.  

I made the tiny tilde to practice the technique.

and then I frogged it to make the hat.  The designs in the book are very cool as the cables are reversible.

I started my Nativity scene.  For now it is a lot of bits and pieces: the green magi, the red magi, and Mary's cloak started as well as one sheep (from handspun, not sewn together) and the baby Jesus.  

Moomintroll photo bombing  

I have knit all I can with the colours I had left over from my blankets, but I have ordered ALL the colours from Knitpicks to finish. I love the stitch definition I am getting from the Brava Sport. There goes my yarn diet!

Now, back to the Moomintroll.  He was in my queue and when I couldn't think of anything to cast on last Sunday so he decided it was time. 

My nephew loved the Moomintroll books when he was little

So that has been my week.  A week of mourning and remembrances.  I heard of two of my colleagues who also passed in the last few weeks.  I know that Heaven has two new angels looking down on all of us.  And goodness knows we need all the angels we can get right now. 

I am waiting on the results of yet another ct scan, and this week I laid pretty low.  Ok to be honest I didn't get out of my pajamas from Sunday night until Wednesday afternoon.  Ya, that kind of week.  I am feeling a wee bit more energetic today and hopefully I will hear the results from my doctor tomorrow.  The waiting is always the worst.  Once I know, I know and then I get on with it.  

I did try a couple of new recipes this week, and this enchilada casserole was a huge favourite.  It comes from a cookbook called Yum & Yummer.  It will definitely be in our rotation from now on.  I have to admit that since the lockdown in March I am cooking more and getting more adventurous to try new recipes and I think my cooking has really improved, plus it gives my dh a break from the cooking duties. (I am off to start the slow roasted salmon as soon as I publish this post). 

I am happy to also share that my sister has been published.  It is a wonderful story called Ivy's Tree about a newly widowed woman who moves from Vancouver to Tokyo to live with her only child.  It is sad, and funny, and lovely and hopeful.  It is a story about being brave. I think the world needs more stories about being brave. Don't you?  The day to day brave that we all must be at this time especially. 

I almost forgot.  I won a free pattern in the 2nd Tour de Fleece for my turkish spindle work.  I chose this Kangaroo Mom and Joey that has been in my queue for a while.  I think I have enough brown homespun to make it work.  Stay tuned. 

No grand-daughter pic this week, but lots of facetime on whatsapp which has been glorious.  

Take care all.  Enjoy the fall, rain and all (she says to herself).

Yopping Update #12 - I have NOTHING on my needles

 

Nothing on my needles for the past eighteen hours.

What?  I know right?  I had three finishes this week, and now I have zero WIPS.  

I finished this little guy this week.

Gnome is where you hang your hat
Imagined Landscapes Designs on Ravelry

And I forgot to show you last week that I also finished my basket!

Only took 2.5 years to finish

The instructions for the basket says that it is tradition to give away your first basket so I gave it to my husband to remind him of our trip to Arizona and a promise that we will get back there for another long camping trip. One day.

I washed all my samples I spun during Tour de Fleece Redux 

perfect minis for my nativity shepherds

And for the challenge day on Thursday I plied on my Turkish Spindle.

I decided this week that I didn't want to wait anymore to put together my Wrapped in Jamie Blanket.  I used a zigzap slipstitch to join the squares together and then I single crocheted around the blanket.  I really like how it turned out.

With that done I could finish my Spice of Life blanket with the leftovers and so...tada!

both blankets are baby sized, or good size for lap blankets
Not sure who the recipients will be yet

On the spinning front I began my rainbow fingering spin.  This is going to take some good while, but here is my progress so far:

So that's my week.  Perhaps by next week I will have something on my needles but not sure what is calling me to cast on.  Stay tuned.  

Just for fun here is a picture of the coffee table (my workspace) from earlier this week - 

And as promised my wee grand-daughter learning how to play with party favours.  My little sunflower.

and a picture of my daughter  playing at a local bar/restaurant last month.

I had a great phone appointment with my Naturopath on Wednesday.  She has given me a new regime of supplements and I have to say that after only three days I am feeling much better, sleeping better, and I have more energy to get things done.  I joked with my daughter that I spent my kids' inheritance buying all the supplements, but if it works then it is well worth it.  

I am still trying to figure out blogger's new changes.  Now the labels are different again, and so are the captions for photos.  Sigh.  I am not good with change, but I am persevering. 

Have a good week all, and to follow other yoppers check out their newest posts at the top right of this blog, or if you are a Ravelry member you can check them out here. 

Yopping #11 - Second verse, same as the first

 

Does anyone else remember that song by Herman's Hermits. 

I'm Henry the Eighth I am....

There is a line where he says - "Second verse same as the first."

I feel that way about my blog post this week.  It should have the same title as last week's entry.  Gnomes and Spinning.

First my finished Gnome - 

Here we Gnome again by Imagined Landscapes

He has joined his buddies atop the piano. 

I spun on my turkish spindle (will ply them tomorrow) 

I had a much more successful long backward draw after Highland Heffalump's suggestion to spin from rolags. 

And then spent time plying another sample - this one Icelandic which I think is my favourite so far.  I love the colour and so easy to spin. 

Handsome Icelandic boy

I have the Dorset Horn sample on the wheel but you will have to wait until next week to see it.  I also have another gnome on the go, but he is naked right now and I need to knit him a wee little sweater - so next week as well. 

The big news this week was yesterday my husband, nephew and I put two solar panels on top of our camper.  It was a full eight hour day and we are all tired today, but doesn't it look like fun?

picture from my living room window (note slanted driveway we are working on)

Auntie and Nephew

husband was taking our photos and supervising from the ground

We are all pretty pleased with ourselves.  

Of course we expected a nice hot day to do this work, and probably it was good it was not for the sake of my nephew who was on the roof most of the day, but the skies were very smokey and cold from the fires in Oregon, Washington and California.  I think by the time we were done the temperature at 5 pm was only 57 degrees (14 Celsius).  By 6 pm when I started dinner it was already so dark it felt like 8 pm.  

this was taken about 2 pm - very apocalyptic, no?

So today we will take it easy.  My husband is napping and here it is 2 pm and I am still in my pjs.  

I hope everyone is staying safe, and keeping their outside activity curtailed if your skies are as smokey as mine.  

Boy, 2020 has not been fooling around, and we still have 3 1/2 months to go!  

Yopping Update #10 - Gnomes and spinning

Good morning all. 

I have been continuing to gnome along this week.  

The little guy on the left is on his way to Plymouth on Tuesday to go to University with a student of mine.

I loved doing his hat

- a new technique to me for sure

Gnome Pun Intended 

On Thursday I started a new gnome - this one from worsted leftovers and last night I finished his hat:

Here we Gnome Again

You will have to wait for his full unveiling next week.  

This week I have been spinning everyday - working on the different samples I won during the earlier Tour de Fleece this summer.  So far I have spun six.  
 

Manx Loaghtan

Masham

Jacob

Cheviot

All of these samples came from Adelaide Walker in the UK.  I was looking up the sheep breeds on Wikipedia, but discovered she has information on all of them on her website.  I plan to order from her in the new year since I promised myself NO fibre purchases in 2020.  

Southdown

Whitefaced Woodland

All except the Whitefaced Woodland were spun with short forward draw and chain plied.  With the Whitefaced Woodland I tried the long backward draw but only succeeded with a short backward draw.  It is much hard then the youtube I watched made it look!  So far my favourite fibre was the Masham, but I LOVE the mousy brown colour of the Manx Loaghtan.

Today is the challenge day, and I will work with my new-to-me Turkish spindle and some Romney crossbreed I have that came with the spindle.  It will be a vintage spin for sure. 

Summer Days be like this

I would like to try to paint this scene.  My daughter is becoming quite the photographer with her new phone.  She has always had a great artistic eye. 

We are almost to the end of the last summer long weekend.  School is returning on Tuesday. I can't even imagine what that will be like, but I have already told the school I will not be subbing in the foreseeable future. Cases are on the uptick here so I am staying safe and secluded.  Thank goodness for my spinning wheel, needles and hooks.  

I hope all is well with all of you wherever you are.  I am so thankful for my global Ravelry and Zoom communities during this pandemic.