Spinach and Tiny things

Tiny Spring
Dutchman’s breeches

Last weekend we celebrated our niece’s wedding and had a wonderful time! We are so happy for them and it was really great to spend time with my siblings, and of course there is nothing better then dancing at a wedding.

Tiny Spring
Wild ginger

Wrap
Citron

This week I finished a Citron shawl, which makes great car knitting.

Spinach Socks

I also finished a new Sport weight sock pattern: Spinach socks, these are on sale for 25% until April 30, 2015, no coupon code needed.

Spinach Socks

Spring is here, and there are daffodils beginning to bloom in the yard as well as many tiny wonders that begin the season for me.

Tiny Spring
Daffoldil

I hope you are enjoying the tiny, beautiful things emerging where you are!
Tiny Spring
Scilla
Tiny Spring
Hepatica

Tiny Spring

Cloud Stone Simplicity

Cloud Stone Cowl

I finished a new cowl design this week, and what a pleasure it was to knit! That Blue Sky Alpaca Royal yarn is so decadent and luxurious! I used one skein each of two neutrals, but I can imagine many lovely color combinations. I called it Cloud Stone Cowl, mainly because of the colors I chose, but the yarn makes you think of clouds, it is so soft. This is a good project for someone new to lace knitting. I have the pattern on sale for 30% until April 15, 2015.

Cloud Stone Cowl

Simplicity

I also finished a sweater for myself, Simplicity. I have a feeling there will be more of these sweaters in my future. I think I will end up wearing it a lot! Light weight, made from the laceweight yarn Claudia’s Lust (Silk Wool Lace) that I recently bought from Eatsleepknit.com. They have a fantastic selection of really nice yarn. Dangerous!!!

Mochimochi Land Owl

This little guy came flying off my needles this week as well. It was my first Mochimochi Land project, but it won’t be my last!

Classic Easter Joke

In other exciting news, this joke never gets old around here:

Left bunny: my butt hurts.

Right bunny: what?

 

 

Colorless Tsukuru and Divinity

Greys

Greys

Have you read Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage? I really enjoyed it. My knitting this week reminded me of the story. Although these yarns are not really colorless, coupled with the grey skies we’ve been having they feel a bit that way. Not sure how this happened.

Greys

Divinity Socks

I have a new pattern out this week, sport weight socks: Divinity. I was thinking about a picture in one of my mom’s cookbooks, or maybe it was on a card in that recipe-of-the-month box she had. That candy always seemed very fancy to me as a kid.  The socks are on sale now through April 10, 2015, for $2.95.

Divinity Socks

Speaking of cookies, today is my Grandma Virginia’s birthday! She would have been 107. She excelled at all of the grandmotherly arts, including cookie baking. She used to send us home with gold tupperware canisters filled with chocolate chip, peanut butter, or peanut butter with Brach’s chocolate stars on top, date cookies, or my favorite, orange cookies… maybe there were other kinds, but those I remember the best. I used to have the best time with her, she was so creative and open to the wacky ideas I’d come up with. She was an amazing person, full of resilience, kindness and love. I am so honored to be her namesake.

Daffodils

As remedy to the grey skies we have some cheerful flowers around this week. Trader Joe’s had daffodils for $1.50 a bunch! Can’t beat that as we wait for ours to emerge. There are a few tulips poking up, but it will be awhile yet before I have any pictures of home grown flowers.

Cloud Flower and a Hat Full of Sky

Cloud Flower Hat

Another busy knitting week here at Bunny Acres. I finished a new hat pattern, Cloud Flower made with Blue Sky Alpaca Sport and Melange. It’s so soft and warm, perfect yarn for hats. I blocked this over a favorite vase to get that flat top shape, but it could just be laid flat to block and would have more of a beanie shape to it.

Cloud Flower Hat

I also finished a sweater, it’s called Sallir, I was thinking it was going to be for me, but now I’m not sure, it’s a little long on me. I don’t know if I am extra picky, but I seem to end up keeping only about half the sweaters I knit for myself.

Sallir

We enjoyed our dinner by a little fire this weekend, getting rid of some small branches and pretending like we were camping. It was lovely, so nice to spend time outside again. I have some tulips peeking up in a few places, but snow is in the forecast, so spring is not quite here yet.

Spring Fire

Terry Prachett passed away this last week and while I knew he was not doing very well it was still extremely sad to me. Dan and I have enjoyed his books so much, often reading them aloud. His sense of humor and wit, his insight into the foibles of folks and his way of seeing and appreciating all the shades of grey in a world obsessed with black and white/light and dark. I guess the sadness is for losing such a wise person so young, a beloved author that feels like a dear friend.

This weekend we also went to an Open House for a home we have walked by and admired many times. We love our house but we really could use a couple more rooms. Seeing this larger house that needed quite a bit of work reminded us of some of the things we like about our place, and clarified some of our wishes for a new house if we were to move.

Kingsfoil Socks and Strawberry Pinot Jam

I had a lovely weekend away seeing my sister and her family and my niece. A bit of a whirlwind trip, which ended with some lovely person asking if I would trade seats with her mother who was flying in First Class. It was my first encounter with the fancier snacks and real glassware, and now I fear I am spoiled for life. 🙂

There has been some knitting around here, first off I am proud to introduce my Kingsfoil socks. These are just the sort of socks I like to knit and to wear. The knitting is interesting, but not too involved that they take too long to knit. A classic style, and one that would look good in plenty of colors besides this basic grey.

Kingsfoil Socks
Kingsfoil Socks

I also finished the latest Kieran Foley Mystery Shawl, which was great fun to knit. Sometimes these mysteries make choosing colors challenging, but it seems like a good exercise.

Kieran Foley MKAL3

We have had some lovely weather this week, unseasonably warm. Dan has been loving being able to bike to work again. It has me in the mind for spring cleaning. In that spirit we decided to make some Strawberry Pinot jam with the last of last year’s organic strawberries we had in the freezer.

Strawberry Pinot Noir Jam
My friend Jean shared her delicious recipe and I can’t wait to try it out!

Strawberry Pinot Noir Jam

This weekend is a poignant one for us here, 6 years and 6 months ago my mother passed away and it’s her birthday on Tuesday, St. Patrick’s Day. It’s also 6 years since Dan’s Leukemia diagnosis. We are pretty grateful to be where we are now, happy, healthy and enjoying this good weather.

Almos spring
*These are store tulips, the weather isn’t quite that good yet.