School's Out for Summer!!!!!!

I am ecstatic! Today was Conor's last day of school for the year. He still has finals and Regents to take, but no more class days. I am so thankful that the school year is over. I did a little happy dance when he arrrived home. Only one more year and he will graduate, and I will be through with public school systems forever. It has been a long 21 years and I am planning a very large party when Conor graduates. (For me, not him, although I guess I'll let him come.)

I finished a project-a pair of sleep socks made from mohair and wool. It seems like it has been forever since I have finished any knitting project.

To celebrate finishing a pair of socks, I cast on a sweater, and a very large one at that. By large I mean it is long and has a hood, so there is a lot of knitting involved. It is the Susie Hoody from Big Girl Knits and I am knitting it in Peace Fleece tweed. Several members of my knitting group are also making one. It's my first KAL that isn't an on-line KAL.

I did a gauge swatch. Since I'm casting on over 300 stitches, I wanted to make sure this would be the right size. I have always contended that gauge swatches lie, and this swatch was no exception. I knit about 18 rows and then realized that I had messed up on the number of stitches in the cabled side panels, so had to rip it out. When I did, I realized that the sweater would be about three times the size it should be, so I will begin again with a smaller sized needle and fewer stitches. At least I had only knit 18 rows, but it does take a while to cast on those 300 stitches.

Tomorrow and Sunday I am going to demonstrate drum carding and spinning at The St. Lawrence Power & Equipment Museum in Madrid, New York. There are going to be activities to interest all age levels with demonstrations of many old time activities, like sheep shearing, fleece preparation, spinning, knitting, tatting, and quilting. There will also be old time spring planting and plowing, antique machines, cars and trucks, sheep, alpacas, live music and lots of good food.

It should be a good time.

I had hoped to have pictures of what I dyed on Wednesday, but the weather has not been cooperative. I'll try to get some this weekend. I am really pleased with the way the silk that I dyed came out, since it was my first time ever dyeing silk. So, since I don't have photos of yarn or fiber, here are a few flowers that are in my garden.

I must finish getting yarn and fiber labeled for tomorrow, and figure out what fiber I will bring to drum card.