The Baby Alpaca vest is done! And I have actually worn it. It's very yummy, and very, VERY warm. It's a good thing it's an open vest. Sleeves would make it very, VERY too warm. Pics to follow.

In other news, I have cast on, and completed, a tiny hat for my tiniest of nephews. I shopped for him, and nothing measured up to a handknit hat. So done there too.

In still other news, the hat was so dang cute, I bought yarn to cast on another for a little girlie friend. Again, shopped, failed, pouted, knit. It's what I do.

Have we done anything fab in Bucks County lately? We did pick up a loaf of my favorite bread at Tabora Farm last week, and made chili to go with it on one of those frigid, wet December nights we've been having recently. If you hit Tabora at right around 10:00 AM, you stand a good chance of intercepting bread between the oven and the shelf, and it is often too hot to hold with bare hands. Just the most wonderful thing on a cold day. Mmmmm.

This is j meeting new friends at Tabora. He loves going there to see the bees, the chickens, and deeply inhale the scent of fresh baked goods. (OK - that last one is more me.)

On the wheel - nutmeg merino that WILL NOT END. Which is good. But geez. It just keeps going.

'Tis the Season...

Beautiful Thanksgiving table at my sister's house.

Great progress on the darn vest that should have taken mere days, rather than weeks. Silly.

Sunset on the bridge at Peace Valley. A wintery evening hike was just the thing for our little family to recharge our batteries. Now we feel we can take whatever The Season dishes out! Except for pie. Please, NO MORE PIE.

Turkeys Say......"Ribbit Ribbit"?

One quarter of the way into the Row I knew there was a problem. Even though it was just after a crazy K1 M1 PFB increase row in fluffy dark alpaca, I could still tell things weren't lining up. And yet, in deep denial, with my Thanksgiving deadline looming, I KEPT KNITTING. Why do we do this? Why didn't I just stop where I was, rip back to the mistake, and start over? Dunno. All I know is, when reality finally smacked me around, I knew what had to be done. And thus, the emotional toll taken from frogging rows in a project that I really, REALLY expected to finish caused a total motivational drain.

So I wore a different sweater today. Alas, not a huge deal. But you get it. I know you totally get it.

Thankfully, knitting like mad...

I am deep into the Baby Alpaca Vest, I'd say about halfway done. My goal was to wear it on Thanksgiving, but unless I stop typing and start knitting, there is no way that's going to happen. So back at it! Pics coming soon.

On the wheel: Nutmeg Merino still awaits. About 3/4 done.

In the Camera: Beautiful close-ups of James. Like this...

Back on the Needles!

Spinning every evening has its benefits. It's soothing, rhythmic, productive and warm. After Kidlet trundles off to bed each night, I bring the wheel downstairs and spin while listening to podcasts or whatever DH is watching on television. However, the combination of decreasing yarn uptake (not knitting) and increasing yarn creation (lotsa spinning) creates quite the yarny surplus. And I am not a stasher. I use what I have until I have no more, then and only then will I start something new. I don't buy yarn or fiber without a concrete and plausible plan for it. How very un-knitterly of me... I know! But I am starting to accrue a more-than-I-find-comfortable amount of yarn.

So time to get knitting!

I cast on some bulky baby alpaca for the Plymouth Yarn Baby Alpaca Grande Vest (search Ravelry for more info) tonight. It's a simple, but a tad boring pattern, but the finished product should be useful this winter. To spice it up a bit, I'm adding twists to the 2X2 ribbing around the edge. My colorway is a dark ruby color, and a lighter color would show the twists better. If I like the size and fit, I'll cast on another in a natural white.

But I need to finish that merino on the wheel, because I'll be attending our local alpaca fiber fest this weekend. Since it's the last event until Spring, I will definitely be coming home with fluff. I'll be flirting dangerously with establishing a stash... the horror!

Off the needles

I feel as though the weekend was spent in an endless cycle of putting on the tiny winter coat, taking off the tiny winter coat, putting on the tiny fleece thumbless mittens, chasing the dog to retrieve tiny fleece thumbless (dogspitty) mittens, putting on tiny winter coat, and so on. November has decided to leave no doubt about its arrival, and the bundling process to get this family out the door is matched in complexity only by the choreography of the dancers at the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. But it's all worth it, because James is friggin' adorable in the tiny winter coat.

Once bundled, we were able to rake the leaves, play in the leaves, re-rake the leaves, and set out for the park this weekend. Activities were somewhat limited, as James and I are both nursing a wicked cold. But we shall prevail. With no fewer than 4 boxes of Puffs Plus.

On the Wheel in November

This lovely fiber is pure Merino from Copper Moose in the Nutmeg colorway. It's spinning up nicely, with a smooth sheen. My experience with this fiber is that it blooms quite a bit after plying and setting the twist. So any thick or thin parts become very apparent, even if it looks perfect on the bobbin. I'm really hoping there aren't many little "surprises" awaiting me!

Onward into the Cold

November has descended. The temp has dropped, my age has increased by one year and only the most hardy of leaves are clinging still. The wind bites and the grass crunches.

Sure - I get a bit melancholy thinking of the cold that stretches out before us, but James and I decided to embrace the season yesterday. Instead of our usual visit to the gym (I to my elliptical and he to his pals in the toddler room), we opted for a hike at the Peace Valley Nature Center. We figured strapping him to my back and my (new!) SLR to my front would closely replicate my gym workout. We took lots of pictures of autumnal browns with splashes of stubborn color here and there. James counted 13 deer, which we feel is very lucky indeed!

Enjoy the images of our day. The place is no less beautiful than in, say, June. But beauty comes in a very different way this time of year.

Change We Can Blog In

Civic duty called early this morning. We were off to the polls by 7. The line was long, but it moved quickly. James enjoyed watching the wheels of Democracy churn ever so laboriously. Snacks helped.

Today marks the dawn of a new era, so why not launch a new blog? This will provide a way for me to blend spinning, knitting and shooting pictures in gorgeous Bucks County into one cohesive product. I hope you'll appreciate joining me on the search for the perfect wool, the ideal fresh produce, the heart-stopping photo and the inspirational daytrips here in our corner of the world. My 2-foot-tall co-pilot will assist.

Come and explore with us!