So much to tell


I did not mean to take a blog "sabbatical" but i must say, Wow, May sure went by! It started off with all the lovely knitters and spinners at MDSW and Stitches South (not technically May, but you know), and continued on with the Mermaid's confirmation. There were some goodbyes in there, and my father's illness, and suddenly, it was all over!

Not for my dad, however, who is recovering nicely from his surgery and preparing for the next part of cancer treatment journey in New Mexico, where he seems to be a ble to breathe. He starts chemo and a full course of radiation this week. Luckily, he and mom have made wonderful friends there already, and they are looking after him well. Mom is bravely soldiering on with caved in carports and doggy surgery, and her own health and well-being. Eventually she will make her way to New Mexico too, and then here for a grand kids fix for the 4th. At some point this summer, both the lovely Jack and i will be going seperately to help my dad. It'll be a bumpy ride, but that is the way life happens sometimes:)

I did have the pleasure of spending Memorial Day weeknd at home, and spent most of my time doing battle with the weeds in my garden. Above is my Lady's Mantle, which, thankfully, seems to take care of itself. I LOVE the colors in it; do they look familiar? below is my fancy french pink hydrangea, which starts off as a pink-tinged chartreuse and ends up almost burgundy, with a delicate light pink in the middle. Doesn't look a thing like my colorway "pink hydrangea", does it?

May need to re-name the old one and make a new colorway just for this loveliness!
As you can see, we were hopeful that we might prevail in our battle with the weeds; his loveliness bought some tomatoes and peppers on one of his innumerable trips to the hardware store. They are in the ground, and still living. I am dreaming of ordering some new hardy perennials and flowering bushes...blueberry bushes, and more butterfly bushes and some mountain laurel, as well as more moonlight coreopsis, and something orange. And maybe a bit of Gaillardia? Better hurry up as my drop dead date for putting things in the ground is July 4th. After that, forget it!


Another thing that happened in May thanks to Shipping Goddesses and Skeining Djinnis is that my basement has begun to look more and more like a proper studio. After much measuring and planning (not mine:), we took an excursion to IKEA and bought some shelves and lighting. I had nothing to do with putting things together either dyeing yarn out on the deck while the magical folk at DF Headquartes put everything together and made it all look gorgeous. I know have tons of shelving, a packing desk and a computer desk, and room for people to even walk around and not run into each other.



Do you see those little signs on the shelves? If not for Team DF, i'd still be routing around in boxes and finding nothing!
I have been knitting, however. This is a sock for Wayne the wonderful warlock to Brittany's KnitWitch. As I mentioned, he made my very attractive and clever show set up. I hired him fully intending to pay him the going rate (whatever that might be:) and he wdn't take more than the cost of materials. So I'm knitting him a pair of socks out of Rocky Top Djinni Yarn. Hopefully, he'll like 'em and, more importantly, they'll fit! First sock down, and second sock re-started, cause I think he'd prefer two socks roughly the same size, don't you?


I am also knitting the High Line Cardigan from the Tahki Yarns Terra collection in a lovely springy green cotton tape yarn also from Tahki. No picture yet, but i am on the last piece. This will be for me, as is nearly always the case. I am knitting this with Victoria, owner of the Knit Spot, my lovely new LYS. We are doing a two-person knit-along; although, as I have been mia much of the month or more, i have no idea if she is also working on the sweater still or not. She picked a pretty coral color. One of my goals for the week is to get in there for knit night; wish me luck!
Now for important Dragonfly news! We are having a shop update at 9 pm est this Friday night, the 11th. I'll have Naiad and laces, including a few skeins of Squishy in requested colorways. I hope they phoyograph well, cause i think they are stunning:) I'll try to do some spinning fiber this week, as well.
Also, do come by my Ravelry group and join the June Miniclub, if you want. I am featuring Djinni and Dragonsock and six colors: Midnight at the Oasis, Bad moon rising, Poseidon, Spring in Washington, and a new color in the Pearl series (to be dyed). You have until Sunday sometime to place your order, and you can change your mind as many times as you'd like until i lock the thread. We'll then ask for your email address and invoice you through paypal, then ship as soon as the yarn is dyed and dried and paid for.

The final very important thing is that June and Summer are here. yay! This means I'll be retiring my Spring Colorways (Spring in Washington, Baltimore oriole, Green and Speckled frogs, and daffodils) and dyeing new colorways for Summer. The summer colorway inspiration contest will start later this week, possibly Friday, so start thinking!