Thursday, April 15, 2010

Or Not, Mostly Not

Sammie gets agitated while we do our morning absolu-
tions and got over zealous with this ball of yarn that I had earmarked for Alexia's hat. Before I can begin to knit, I need to fix this. Sammie doesn't mean to be naughty....

She tossed and chewed so I ended up with three small balls, but with the other solid color, I've weighed and have enough for one hat for Alexia. I have to finish the second ear flap for grandson Logan before I can start on this hat. After those three hats are done, I can get back to knitting produce - can't wait.
I won this 100 gram ball of dyed silk at our guild raffle last Saturday, thereby ending my run of "never winning anything." The colors are pretty bizarre but I have some hogget grey Merino that might be just the ticket to ply this with and give me close to 5 ounces for a project. That's respectable.
I thought you might like to see what gardening looks like at 5,000 feet in the high desert. Each box has a buried layer of chicken wire so the ground squirrels can't burrow in and steal. The T-posts and high fence are to keep out the deer (we hope) and Ian will line the inside of of the field fence with rabbit guard, an ingenious wire to keep those adorable cottontails out.
Our shearing date has been resche-
duled, but that pretty much means these fleeces won't be usable. I'm not too upset since we have at least another dozen in the garage to skirt and process. I've relegated my sore back to the deck and the weather surprisingly was cooperative.

I finished The Executor by Jesse Kellerman, son of Jonathan and Faye. The apple does not fall far from that tree. This would be a killer book club book - a Harvard graduate student with an abusive background who is majoring in philosophy strives to get his PhD dissertation completed on the subject of existentialism. The whole book screams existentialism - it begs discussion.

I'm close to the end of Men and Dogs by Katie Crouch, which falls into the Chick Lit end the literary spectrum. I loved the cover and needed something light. Her first book was okay and this one is okay too.

7 comments:

Hilary said...

You sound like you are enjoying retirement.....good for you!!!
And I thought wood chucks were a problem......wow, you have them coming at you from every direction.

bspinner said...

I love the color of your silk kind of fun and intersting at the same time. I'm like you I've very rarely won anything and if I did it wasn't worth the room it took up.

Nice view to rest your back and read a good book. Hope your feeling better!!!!!

Robin said...

That silk is MY colorway!!!!!! I LOVE IT! Can't wait to see what you do with it. Sounds like you've covered all your bases on the gardening front. I need that fencing here.

Benita said...

Oh, no!!! I see bare feet on the deck! You have to stop this so it will stop snowing!!!

Actually, your garden looks like the one I want, complete with fence for deer and rabbits.

I drooled all over my desk at that silk. Those are such beautiful colors!

beadlizard said...

I had an 8-foot fence, 2" woven wire strung on 6" wood posts sunk deep and close, lots of extra wood diagonals, and serious gates -- to keep the white-tails and moose out. The hen yard had an even more intense fence and one side had the indent of the head and shoulders of a bear where he'd puuuuushed and couldn't get in. Had to fence the top on that, too, and once a bear was agile enough to climb up and over and tear his way through the top. That was a mess!

That silk colourway may just surprise you. I like the depth of shade and the way the colors interact.

Valerie said...

Curious about what goes on at your house...absolutions or ablutions? Poor puppy! Our kitty only gets into wool when we're at church on Sunday morning....can't figure out why unless it's the only morning that the 3 of us leave the house together, leaving her behind.

The silk is lovely! It'll tone down when you spin it. Maybe this is the handspun that will cry to go on the loom?

Hope your back feels better soon! Just looking at the gardens makes my back twinge. Have to get out there today...been putting it off all week.

Leigh said...

Yes to seeing what a garden looks like at 5000 feet! I know it gives you some real gardening challenges. Ingenious about the chicken wire.

Love that purple and love that silk.

Oh yes, and I'm very impressed with how quickly you read.