Do Baby Chicks Mean It's Spring, Even If It's Freezing Out?

It's Mud Season!

But Mud Season is also the season for baby chicks!

And cats taking an afternoon snooze together.

I took these pictures while I was at work today.  I've been told that when I see the chicks next week they will look very different because they grow quite rapidly.  They were entertaining to watch, walking on top of each other and being awake one minute, and asleep with their heads in the slots of the feeding tray the next.

Aren't Simon Peter and Philemon cute sleeping together?  I think they were huddled together for warmth.  It was windy and cold today, but at least the sun was shining.

I have been busy the last few days with some dyeing, and I've had a wonderful time making some new batts for my etsy shop.  It's so much fun blending the colors.  My favorite part is putting the sparkly bits in.  I'm hoping to get some photos taken tomorrow, so I can list the batts before I head south to take Conor to meet friends who will take him off to New Jersey for spring break.

This departure means that I will be home all alone.  What will I do with no one to ask me what's for dinner at 2:00 in the afternoon, and no one to ask if he can use my car, and no size 12 sneakers to trip over when I walk in the door?  It will be good practice for when he goes away to college.  Seems like a small road trip for me might be in order.  I'll have to think about that.  Any suggestions?

Granny Squares Took Over the Day

Suzanne is making a granny circle, or octagon, afghan for her daughter.  She was having trouble with one of the blocks and asked if I could help.  The pattern was published in a knitting magazine, but was rife with errors.  It took us all afternoon to figure out one block.  I do not understand how a magazine can publish a pattern with so many errors in it.  I feel sorry for a relatively new crocheter who might attempt that pattern.  I'm sure they would think it wasn't working because they had made a mistake, not the  magazine editors.  Suzanne checked for errata and there was none published.  It's really a beautiful afghan-what a shame that it is going to be so difficult to make.

I am still working on my granny square afghan also.  It's being made up as I go along, so I'm not having any problems, and the book I am getting the blocks from so far has had no errors, something that should be commended.

The big news at our house is that Conor got his license today.  He needs to get a job and earn lots of money so he can get a car and not drive mine.  His plan is that I should get a new car and give him my old one.  Good luck with that one, Conor.  I now have someone to run errands for me, my favorite part of having another driver in the house.  

No photos today.  If it ever stops raining I would love to go outside and take some photos of spring as it is springing her in northern New York, but the weather forecast is not looking good. Bummer.

Likin' my Lichen

In February I went for a walk in the Adirondacks and one of the photos I took was this lichen colored log.  I love the silvery green color of lichen and wanted to try to reproduce it on fiber and yarn.

This was taken as the fiber was drying outside.  (I do vaguely remember that we had a sunny day a couple of weeks ago when I was able to dry fiber outside.)  I think this color is pretty close to the color in the picture.

And here is another photo of the dried fiber getting ready to be listed in my etsy shop.

Guess what the colorway name is?  Lichen.  Aren't I clever?

Time for a cup of tea and a gingerbread muffin and bed.  I found the best Irish Breakfast tea at Hannaford's, called Thompson Family Teas Punjana Irish Breakfast Tea.  It's really yummy, yummy enough that I had it instead of coffee for an afternoon pick me up yesterday.  

Where Is Spring?

I know that April showers are supposed to bring May flowers, so I guess that means we should be happy for the rain, but the rain is getting a little old, in my  humble opinion.  It's not good when the 10 day forecast only has one picture of the sun, and that is next Thursday.  I want to go out and get some pictures of spring arriving, but I'm not sure that it is.

We woke up this morning to discover that we had no hot water.  This made no sense to me because we have two 50 gallon hot water tanks and I couldn't figure out how they both could break at the same time.  I went down cellar with some trepidation expecting to see the floor of the basement covered with water, but it was totally dry.  Thank the wool goddesses, since I had bags of fiber on the floor right next to the hot water heaters. It made me realize that more shelving is needed in the dyeing are of the basement.  I took a very lukewarm, very quick shower and Conor and I headed out to the grocery store, because not only did we have no hot water, but not much food either. 

 Upon our return, I put in a call to our plumber, and shockingly, he did not return my call.  I did a little batt creating, trying to figure out what I would do about a shower tomorrow if the plumber didn't call me.  Conor had not taken a shower when there was a little lukewarm water left, so

 asked me every 30 minutes or so if the hot water had fixed itself.  I suggested he heat some water and take a bath, but he didn't like that idea.  I put in another call to the plumber , and left a slightly more desperate message, listened to Conor ask me once again if the hot water had fixed itself, remembered the sign I used to have which said that raising children is like being pecked to death by a duck, and called my brother to see what he  might know about hot water heaters.  He came over, flashlight in hand, (knowing, of course, that despite the fact that I buy flashlights on a regular basis, I would not be able to find one) and went down cellar to discover that both pilot lights were out.  How did that happen?  I know it was windy last night, but I don't think windy enough to get through my very thick stone walls.  It's a mystery, but now we have hot water, a most wonderful thing. And I guess I'm happy the plumber didn't call because I would not have wanted to pay him the huge amount he would have charged me to light those pilot lights.  Not to mention that I would have felt like an incompetent female for not having figured that out on my own.

On to more interesting things. I think a while ago there were promises of photos of what had recently been dyed.  This is one colorway I just listed in my etsy shop.  It is called Scarlet Begonia in honor of Travis' dog Begonia.  This is the second time I dyed this colorway because the first fiber was purchased by members of my spinning group.  This colorway makes me smile.

This colorway is called Blue Days and Green Nights.  It is an effort to recreate a colorway I dyed at the end of a day when I was using up little bits of dye.  It's not quite there yet, but I think I have a better idea of what I need to try next time.  My favorite part of these rovings are where the colors blend together and create beautiful pools of color.

I have not been doing much knitting lately, but have been crocheting instead.  Suzanne's interest in starting a granny square afghan reminded me of the granny square afghan I had started last winter when a horrible fate befell me and I was not able to knit for about a month. I dug the bag out of my yarn closet and realized that I only need to make about 20 more squares and it will be done.  I'd forgotten how much fun it is to make granny squares.  The patterns are from the book 200 Crochet Squares for Blankets, Thrown and Afghans, and it's fun going through and trying out different patterns.  I amassed quite a large collection of yarns in my color palate, and it's giving me an opportunity to try some different yarns.  I started with some skeins of Harrisville Shetland yarn I had picked up my first trip to Harrisville.  I love their yarns.  The colors are rich and complex, and I like the way the yarn softens with age.

My last completed knitting was a sample for Mountain Gift and Powder using Lopi Yarn.  I had never knit with Lopi before, didn't really like the yarn, but discovered as I knit with it that I really like the way it knits up.  It wouldn't be comfortable worn next to the skin, but does make beautiful garments.  Here is the neck warmer-what do you think?

That's it for now.  It's sort of been a stressful day and it's time for me to go to bed.  Seamus just arrived and meowed to tell me that it's past my bedtime.

Missing In Action

I'm sorry I haven't been writing. At this point in time I am dealing with issues with two of my children which are taking most of my energy and time.  I'm also trying to keep up with the Phat Fiber Sampler Box (which is much more time consuming than I had anticipated, although fun).  These activities do not leave me much time, or brain power, for blogging.  I'll try for a post tonight, but no guarantees.  

I have all kinds of knitted and fiberly goodness to show you, so please keep coming back.  We'll get through these bumps in the road, I know.

If you give a cat a basket, he'll sit in it.