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Morrison Wrap

Posted on March 1, 2015by Virginia

Dan and I have pretty different work schedules, so we don’t always get to have dinner together. Last night we made one of the usual items (stir fry with peanut sauce) but made it “fancy” with some candles and wine. It doesn’t take much around here!

It was a busy knitting week, and I am happy to report I have finished knitting this lush wrap. Let me introduce Morrison Wrap, another in my series of scarves and wraps named for female authors I really like, this one after the incomparable Toni Morrison. Here is a great piece on her. I find her books so profound, moving and beautifully written, I think she will prove to be the greatest author of our time. Reading her work is not easy, but an emotional/spiritual pilgrimage. Anyway, a big wrap for a big author! It measures 80×21 inches!

The yarn is Blue Sky Alpaca’s Alpaca Silk, which is so drapey and soft I never want to take it off!

I am mostly a jeans kind-of person, but I think this would look really nice dressed up.

With everyone around here going south for their winter vacations I am happy to report I will be too! I think it’s best to manage one’s expectations in this department, say if you went to Mexico and it was cool, you would be pretty disappointed, so I am playing it safe and going to Chicago and Davenport next weekend. I will hope for 30’s! Poor Dan will have to stay here in the cold weather as this trip is for my dear niece’s wedding shower, a ladies-only event, so my sister and I will be meeting up and celebrating with her! I can’t wait!

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Knitting
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February Cheer

Posted on February 22, 2015by Virginia

I recently tried the new yarn from Spud & Chloë, called Stripey Fine, which is every bit as wonderful as the Fine, which is one of my favorites. The colors are fun and coordinate beautifully with the solids, which was the inspirational starting point for my new patterns.

First off, a little sunshine for your feet: Goldberry’s Socks, named for the mysterious and lighthearted character Goldberry from The Lord Of The Rings, whose singing is like the sun shining out from grey clouds. Her presence is uplifting and comforting as these socks are in the middle of winter.

With Clearwater Cowl, I was going for the comfy Saturday feeling, wearing your favorite jeans, whether hanging out or running errands. It’s also a perfect weekend project, as it knits up quickly, and you could easily finish it over a movie or two. Or, in my case, several episodes of our household favorite, Jeeves & Wooster.

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Home & Hearth
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Valentine’s Day at Bunny Acres

Posted on February 15, 2015by Virginia

February is a hard month in MN. It’s still very much winter here, and yet signs of spring are popping up in other places, photos of spring bulbs in bloom show up on blogs, people talk about starting their gardening… But, those of us in MN who are not taking trips to warmer climates this month must draw on some very deep fealty to the State and find joy where we can. Dan has a new sweater, a Valentine Grettir:

We sometimes call our place Bunny Acres, as we always have at least one bunny around. We have a lot of shelter possibilities and in the warmer months a 24 hour buffet of tasty plants. We name the friendlier ones and while we might sometimes get a little frustrated when they eat a particular plant to the ground, generally we feel like there is enough for everyone in our yard, including the owls and hawks. One famous year we had a bunny who would eat the little piles of weeds I’d pull up! This last year we have had an especially friendly bunny, in fact a few times Fred has surprised us by popping up very close almost as if to see what we are up to.

Now Fred is very responsive to our presence, since we have been showering our friend with the bounty of our organic veggie and fruit peels and ends to brighten her/his Feb. Certainly Fred has had a much harder winter then we have, and is looking forward to spring just as much as we are.

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Knitting
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So Much Knitting, So Little Time

Posted on February 7, 2015by Virginia

It has been a busy knitting week around here! I have been enjoying my new mittens I finished recently.

The pattern is by Adrian Bizilia, who I think is a master of mitten design!

I do a lot of test and sample knitting, and most of the time I can’t show anybody since it’s top secret stuff. But, this week I finished test knitting this beautiful shawl for Kieran Foley, and I can show it off! It was a fun one to work on. I also finished testing a lovely sweater, but that one is top secret.

And, I just published another new pattern in my own series of scarves named for authors I like a lot—this one named for Isabel Allende.