Miles of Crochet

A very audible sigh of relief was heard in the ScratchCraft household when the final loop was made on this piece.

Tropical Stripe Wrap

Twenty-four skeins of Spindrift were used to crochet this luxuriously substantial wrap. Let’s see, that’s 24 x 115 = approximately 2,760 yards of yarn, or about 1.57 miles of spun wool. That’s a lot of crochet (although, we have been spending some quality time in front of the television, to help the miles go by quicker).

Tropical Stripe Wrap

Virginia used a pattern by Kathy Merrick, called “Tropical Stripe Wrap” in the book Crochet in Color, deciding to play with 11 different colors of yarn.

Tropical Stripe Wrap

And, as this is a shop model for the local yarn store,  we’ll have to wait a bit before enjoying being wrapped in all that wooly goodness.

Tropical Stripe Wrap

End of May Mittens, (End of) Earth Bread

Hot off Virginia’s needles are these fabulous mittens.

End of May Mittens

They are knit using Cascade 220. Pattern is by Mandy Powers, called “End of May.” They will fit right in with this Middle of January.

End of May Mittens

End of May Mittens

While the mittens were blocking I was playing in the kitchen, trying to start making a dent in the bulk, two pounds of yeast I had bought a few weeks back. The bread was inspired by a desire to eat less refined foods (including flour, sugar, etc…).

Earth Bread

It’s made with a whole wheat flour sponge, but crammed inside are all sorts of goodies, like wild rice, barley, molasses, flax seed meal, sunflower seeds and some caraway seeds. I call it (End of) Earth Bread (not to be confused with the Earth Bread recipes floating around out there that are laden with oil and sugar), and think it would by a necessary addition should there be an End of Earth. Virginia thinks I’ve been watching too many post-apocalyptic shows lately (she’s right about that). But, I have to say a few loaves of this and you’d be good to go.

Goals with Guidelines (not resolutions, right?)

Mother-In-Law's Tongue - Blooming

I’m sure I’m not the only one who has problems with following rules, especially self-imposed rules. For me, resolutions have always faded into the background of everyday life, usually much quicker than I’d like to admit. Still, I find it useful to go through the areas in my life that seem like they could use a little nudge in a positive direction.

This year I’m setting a couple of goals that have a some specific guidelines that are just that, guidelines.

A couple are pretty necessary and seem to be pretty standard across the resolution-setting population. For instance, I’d like to lose 10 pounds (best way for me to accomplish this would be to just eat less sugar and fewer carbs… Mayo Clinic diet anyone?). I’d also like to have a healthier body and the best way to do that (knowing my level of motivation) is sit-ups and push-ups every night, yoga twice a week and some cardio thrown in for good measure (obviously, I’m already a little fuzzy on the specifics, and believe it or not, I’m already in make-up mode with all the sitting on my ass that I did yesterday).

Also high on the priority list is a resolution that has repeated itself several times, but the year always come to an end without accomplishment. It seems especially more poignant given our experiences these last couple of years – get those documents in order (you know the ones I’m talking about, the ones that all adults should have created, signed and filed away).

Tibetan Spindle

A couple of my goals are not as necessary, but it would sure be nice to make some headway on. My mountain of spinning fiber has not shrunken any bit. Virginia suggested spinning 15 minutes a day. Seems doable, but, again, I’m in make-up mode. It looks like I’ll be spinning 30 minutes today. By the way, that beautiful Tibetan Spindle (a gift from my friend Barb of Wild Geese Fibres) is beautiful Purple Heart wood made by Edward Tabachek. Not pictured are the beautiful fibers that came with the gift, a luxury sampler from Ancient Arts Fibre Crafts.

The mountain of stash, this last year, grew into two mountains as I busied myself with making a whole host of needle felted friends. So, along with spinning everyday, I’ll most likely need to needle felt a little bit everyday.

Needle Felted Elephant

And, for kicks, I’d like to take a photo/snapshot every day. A snippet of life, with the challenge of finding something interesting in the mundane (or not), or capturing a glimpse of everyday beauty, or just figuring out how to deal with the lack of good light during the winter days when my daylight hours are spent in a fluorescent-lit office. I may not post all the photos that I take, but I do have a set on Flickr that will keep them organized.

Espresso

So, my friend, good luck to you in your own quest to meet your goals for the new year.

Fresh Air

Lately, it seems the only time I have been outside is to quickly scurry from the back door to the garage, and then the car to the front door of the office, with the weekly beating back of the snow after it falls. So, I was overdue for a leisurely spent day getting some fresh air. As a post-Christmas, pre-Birthday celebration, we spent the greater part of Sunday at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, my new favorite outdoor spot within a short drive from our home.

MN Landscape Arboretum

MN Landscape Arboretum

Under a heavy blanket of snow, the Arboretum still offered plenty to its visitors. The still, 20º air was perfect for a walk along their groomed, outdoor trails. Although, I was a bit jealous of the cross-country skiers who were also taking advantage of the gorgeous, sunny day.

MN Landscape Arboretum

MN Landscape Arboretum

Snowy landscapes have tendency to appear lacking in much detail, but I love looking for little details here and there that offset that perception. For instance, a spot of red on the horizon:

MN Landscape Arboretum

Or, a little tuft of fur on a wintering magnolia bud:

MN Landscape Arboretum

Or, the long shadows cast while the sky is till bright:

MN Landscape Arboretum

This was exactly what we both needed after spending so much time inside. So, thank you to our friends, Dick and Judy, for inviting us to spend the day with them there.