tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50163872011-10-20T15:28:35.440-04:00The Spirit Trail BlogFiber Arts & Happenings at Spirit Trail FiberworksJenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.comBlogger1541100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-7093605172864304092011-08-31T09:25:00.010-04:002011-09-01T15:41:34.134-04:00Wow, have I been a bad blogger!
The New York Sheep & Wool Festival is moving quickly toward us on the horizon, and I am deep into preparing for it. So, rather than bore you with all the fibery activities I've been working on for the last 6+ months (which have actually, and surprisingly, have been rather substantial!), I thought I'd go ahead and start sharing some previews of new fibers and yarnsJenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-90721350778525718182011-01-24T10:31:00.005-05:002011-01-24T11:19:21.781-05:00I've been busy the last couple of months ~ recuperating from the craziness of Fall Shows and then the Holidays hit. Now it's already the middle of January!In addition to my 2011 Clubs opening and then closing, I've managed to get some knitting and spinnning in ...I just finished spinning up some of the 100% Targhee Top I had processed and then dyed this past Autumn. It's lovely stuff ~ springy Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-63507563395087335682010-11-30T09:11:00.007-05:002010-11-30T10:19:55.760-05:00Time flies when you're having fun, right?Eh. Time just flies.I have been having fun, but have also been more than a tad crazed and stressed out (mainly self-induced stress, which I'm really good at, but stress nonetheless).Rhinebeck was awesome. Thanks so much to everyone who came by the booth, braved the crowds and lines, and helped support my fiber addiction by purchasing yarns and fibers from Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-81430836403316666572010-10-03T15:35:00.001-04:002010-10-03T15:49:59.896-04:00Rhinebeck Teaser ...Jared Flood's Woodsmoke Scarf (Rav link) from Brave New Knits. I knew as soon as I saw the photo of this scarf over at Brooklyn Tweed that I needed to knit it. It's a fun pattern ~ super easy, with a short 8-row lace pattern that's easily memorized. This was the project I took to kids soccer games and other activities.I knitted 24 garter ridges in the body instead of the 16 Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-63241665584127147282010-09-08T10:03:00.003-04:002010-09-14T09:07:59.482-04:0012 Books in 12 MonthsLanea posted a link from Latter Day Bohemian and this sounded like a great way to actually read some of the books I've had around here but haven't gotten to yet. So, a little late to the party, but I'm in anyway ... took me a bit of time to actually decide what to include and get my list together.In no particular order, here are my 12 books:The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-90874499533063255802010-08-27T14:07:00.007-04:002010-08-27T15:56:05.397-04:00Teasers ... Teasers ...So many new fibers for NYSW festival this year that I've been working on over the last couple of months ...I just received a humongous box of targhee combed top back from the mill. I'm going to dye at least part of it, but I may sell some of it white. I had ordered a boatload of fleece from a farmer, and when it all arrived I sort of thought "WHAT the H*LL was I thinking?!?Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-92231851076993028422010-07-28T13:52:00.002-04:002010-07-28T14:32:05.261-04:00I've been up to quite a bit of fibering these days ...First, there was the Tour de Fleece. I didn't expect to get all that much done, but was pleasantly surprised when I wound this off and measured it:It's a 3-ply yarn ~ two plies spun from batts I drumcarded back in January (you can see them in this post) and the third ply from natural gray Jacob. The final yarn's color surprised me a bit, Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-73693640646076131552010-07-12T09:52:00.004-04:002010-07-12T10:00:30.010-04:00July Knitting and Spinning Club Photos below!50/50 baby camel / tussah silk:100% Superwash Bluefaced Leicester light fingering sock: This is the last shipment for the regular club. The 2010 Holiday Club is now closed and in process, with the first shipment anticipated in mid-August.Happy Fibering!Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-23592628798042936682010-07-01T10:13:00.002-04:002010-07-01T10:19:14.451-04:00Spirit Trail "Get Ready for the Holidays" Knitting and Spinning Clubs are now open (at least until they're full ... :-D ).Information is HERE.Oh, and I'll be attending the Fiber Farmer's Market sponsored by Uniquities Yarn Shop to be held at the Vienna Community Center in Vienna, Virginia on Saturday, July 17 from 1:00 pm until 6:00 pm. If you're planning to attend, and would like me to Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-15534392836762282502010-06-12T13:45:00.007-04:002010-06-12T14:47:51.261-04:00WARNING! June Knitting and Spinning Club Spoiler Photos below!This week was spent dyeing yarns and fibers for July clubs, The Loopy Ewe and Carolina Homespun. More to do, still, but I'm getting there. Also made some progress on the white lace thingee, but no photos. Because it's white, and it looks pretty much the same as the last photo.My friend Maureen also came to paint my living room. Yay! Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-19281990668238769652010-06-03T11:55:00.003-04:002010-06-03T14:47:18.328-04:00The first of the Tour de Fleece Team Superfleece prizes are ready:Above: Four batts, totalling about 6 ounces, of mixed bluefaced leicester dyed gray/green that I blended with bright blue/green cashmere/silk top.Above: 2 batts, about 2 ounces total, of mixed bluefaced leicester top I dyed gray/blue/green, blended with bright blue/magenta cashmere/silk top.I'm thinking of more prizes. I have some Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-87423158414571417332010-05-24T08:36:00.007-04:002010-05-24T09:29:16.967-04:00Another sort of spoiler photo at the bottom of this post (for May spinning club fiber) ...Recently off the needles:Natalya Gauntlets (Ravelry link). I knit this pattern years and years ago out of some handspun, and love these gloves. The cables make them nice and snug. I also modified it and didn't do the individual finger holes because I don't like individual finger holes on my fingerless mitts.Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-82346100961452532422010-05-20T10:18:00.010-04:002010-05-20T12:50:39.686-04:00Warning: May Spinning Club Spoiler at the bottom of this post! :-DA couple photos of new fibers, going up in the shop today or tomorrow:White Masham, from Great Britain:It's more of a vanilla/golden white than the photo shows ... even my new camera doesn't quite cooperate with the different shades of white (although it's way better). Masham is a lustrous longwool, long-stapled fiber originating Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-25449238444783057762010-05-18T13:15:00.005-04:002010-05-18T16:56:25.120-04:00Tour de Fleece. 7/3 - 7/25/10For the first time ever, there will be a Spirit Trail / Knitter's Review Tour de Fleece Team. Clara and I teamed up and formed Team Superfleece (Ravelry link). Spin any Spirit Trail Fiber, or a breed from the Knitter's Book of Wool during the Tour. There will be prizes. And goals. And prizes. And fun. Head on over to Ravelry and join us if you're so inspired.And Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-18365825155580661502010-05-07T08:11:00.005-04:002010-05-07T09:38:05.653-04:00SPOILER ALERT: May Yarn Club Photo at the Bottom of this Post!Maryland Sheep and Wool is over for another year. It's so bittersweet. So much work and frantic craziness in the weeks preceding the show, so much looking forward to the show & seeing friends, and then it's over in the blink of a sweaty, begrimed and bloodshot eye.This year was a good show, crazy on Saturday as usual and a bit quieter Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-16552936431908368012010-04-27T12:43:00.002-04:002010-04-27T13:04:06.743-04:00I'm excited to introduce my new yarn: Sunna's Big Sister, Birte (named for the Danish Goddess of the Home and Crafting)!Making it's Grand Debut at MDSW ... 75% Superwash Merino, 15% Cashmere, 10% Bombyx Silk DK Weight. I knit the above swatch last night to see how it would go: the bottom portion is 6 stitches/inch on US Size 4 needles, the middle portion is 5.5 st/in on US 5's and the top is 5 stJenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-24918823762555686062010-04-26T11:14:00.012-04:002010-04-26T13:36:40.982-04:00A few more teaser photos of some freshly-arrived booth sample knits: Harmonia's Rings Cowl, designed by Sivia Harding. I knitted this in Lyra, 50% alpaca/30% merino/20% silk in a new colorway, "Appalachia." It's wonderful. I love this pattern: it took only one skein of yarn (and I knit an extra repeat of the body so it's a tad longer). Lyra is soft and lovely, with wonderful drape. Excellent all Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-3685045005029467072010-04-20T12:15:00.011-04:002010-04-20T12:55:03.210-04:00More Teasers ... A New Pattern, and Some Booth Samples to Show Off!I finally finished writing up the lace pattern I started a couple of years ago, called "Halla," which is the Finnish word for "frost," because the main panel pattern sort of reminds me of frost patterns on a window pane ...I made myself a light box, but I don't have quite the right bulbs for it yet, so the light / color is still aJenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-63883161202274242122010-04-15T14:06:00.016-04:002010-04-15T14:45:21.960-04:00Fiber Teasers & April Spinning Club Spoiler!Here is a small taste of the new fibers I'm bringing to Maryland Sheep & Wool (I'll be adding them to the website after I get home): Castlemilk Moorit, from Great Britain, listed as "endangered" on the Rare Breeds Survival Trust (RBST) Watchlist. This is one of my favorite fibers, and getting harder to find. It's been several years since I've had this Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-43650247063777480862010-04-12T09:19:00.008-04:002010-04-12T10:17:52.888-04:00WARNING: April Yarn Club Spoiler photo at the bottom of this post.Another month gone by. Posting spoiler photos at least gets me posting once a month, anyway!I've had a rather productive month. Aside from lots of work getting ready for the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival on May 1-2, I've managed to fit in some knitting, stained glass, a little more knitting (I finished my Olympic sweater in Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-11741154947470793772010-03-02T17:17:00.006-05:002010-03-02T18:07:55.668-05:00Spoiler Alert ~ yarn club photo at the bottom of this post!So, the Olympics came and went so quickly! I love the Olympics, winter especially, and watching this year made all of us really want to go to Vancouver. It looks so spectacularly beautiful, and fun.Although I have to admit that I was really unhappy with NBC's coverage of the Olympics, it was a real downside to watching them. I got so sickJenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-38750056599594699152010-02-17T13:45:00.006-05:002010-02-17T14:07:09.075-05:00SPOILER: There is a photo at the bottom of this post, of the 50/50 cashmere/silk top colors mailed out to Spinning Club Members yesterday. So, don't scroll to the bottom if you don't want to see!Ok, so last post I wrote about my Olympic projects. Of course, my plans have changed (I'm still suffering from KADD, apparently). I decided that a new sweater was in order ...I finished my Porom Tam (Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-91290256254702849062010-02-11T19:24:00.002-05:002010-02-11T19:53:56.743-05:00So, I blame all this on Clara and Jane. Because it all started off innocently enough with my plan to spin my batts during the Olympics.Then came Clara's Woolalong Group on Ravelry and Knitter's Review. And you know, I'm a sucker for wool, so I decided to join up (even though I am so not a joiner of -alongs). Clara picked Cormo for February, and I just happened to have some Cormo/Silk Roving I Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-61989467544937876662010-02-04T10:34:00.003-05:002010-02-04T10:59:47.253-05:00(NOTE: Spoiler alert ... below is a photo of the February Knitting Club yarn, Sunna, on its way now ... so don't scroll to the bottom if you don't want to see it).Busy times around here these days.In between club dyeing, and wholesale dyeing, I started spinning the batts from my new drumcarder (see below), and am loving the fluffy fiberiness. But then I got sidetracked by Clara's Woolalong and Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-63100660631286057152010-01-26T11:32:00.014-05:002010-01-26T12:18:04.068-05:00Ok, so some of you know that after SOAR this past Fall and taking a class with Deb Menz, I purchased a Patrick Green Drumcarder (I had been wanting one, and thinking about it on and off for about 5 years) (I bought the Happy Hybrid, btw ... basically the Deb's Delux but with two speeds). I really wanted the electric, but decided to be sensible and buy a manual until I see how much I really use Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-85888638907482621182009-12-04T10:21:00.004-05:002009-12-04T11:28:09.170-05:00Shall we liken Christmas to the web in a loom? There are many weavers, who work into the pattern the experience of their lives. When one generation goes, another comes to take up the weft where it has been dropped. The pattern changes as the mind changes, yet never begins quite anew. At first, we are not sure that we discern the pattern, but at last we see that, unknown to the weavers themselves,Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-88057982696657938192009-11-11T11:14:00.004-05:002009-11-11T12:06:31.181-05:00It's been a whirlwind month ... first Rhinebeck, which was awesome (as always). Good friends, good times. I'm always so sad when Rhinebeck is over, and I have to wait another whole year for it to happen again. Now I'm gearing up to head to the Knitter's Review Retreat next week. But, before I do, I've managed to snap some photos of some of my recent projects!I was home for three days after Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-89040164502753112622009-10-10T15:58:00.005-04:002009-10-10T16:39:05.262-04:00Rhinebeck is right around the corner! I've been working madly to get ready, and am really excited about this year. I have loads of yarns and fibers done in lots of different colors, and some exciting new stuff to share with everyone ....First off, some Rhinebeck special events:Saturday, October 17, from 1:00 to 3:00 pm: Clara Parkes will be at the Spirit Trail Fiberworks booth signing copies of Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-47629974936072145142009-09-08T11:27:00.009-04:002009-09-08T15:30:14.784-04:00Good grief. I can't believe it's been so long since I've posted! I HAVE been busy ... dyeing for Sock Summit, going to Sock Summit, going to the beach, sending the kids off to school. And lately, knitting quite a bit, spinning quite a bit, and washing and dyeing fleeces even more.One pair of socks, finished:I knitted these with Spirit Trail Fiberworks "Frija," which is a fingering weight Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-76818637369945925542009-07-30T20:42:00.002-04:002009-07-30T20:50:34.793-04:00Finished!(click for bigger)So happy. Can't wait to install it over the front door. I do love playing with color, and stained glass is just another permutation of that, I think. So ... on to the next window. Not exactly sure what it will be yet, but I do have some ideas.Other than finishing this window, I am also in the final throes of finishing dyeing for Sock Summit, for Morgaine's booth. I'll Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-21083478842439286122009-07-17T14:58:00.004-04:002009-07-17T15:28:42.603-04:00Project Update ... Hawk Stained Glass Window ~(click the photo to see it bigger)Last night I finished all the copper foiling. I love copper foil. Next week, soddering commences. By the way, the window is 34" wide and 17-1/2" tall. Which is not really big, but seems alot bigger when you're cutting, grinding and fitting a little over 100 pieces of glass (needless to say, right now my Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-59333910185490335942009-07-02T13:49:00.004-04:002009-07-02T14:12:17.702-04:00I am pleased to present: Beautiful Hedgerow Mitts!I love this pattern!! It's easy, it's fun, it has great stretch, it's a quick knit, it looks beautiful ... the list goes on. I love them. They're a present for a friend, and I know I have at least three more pairs in my future ~ one for my daughter, one for me, and one for at least one more friend (maybe more).Check out the pattern here: Hedgerow Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-84086834940891574772009-05-30T10:24:00.002-04:002009-05-30T10:44:48.889-04:00The creative is the place where no one else has ever been. You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you'll discover will be wonderful. What you'll discover is yourself.-- Alan Alda******Next stained glass window progress. Hawk in front of the moon, with midnight blue sky. This hawk is a tracing of a drawing I did in highschool and thus, as my Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-12376650153004909432009-05-20T15:38:00.002-04:002009-05-20T16:06:04.459-04:00It is never too late to be what you might have been.-- George Eliot******Today is my Blogiversary! 6 years. Wow. Time flies.It's also, and way, way more importantly, my friend Clara's birthday. And a big one at that. Happy Bday, Clara!I've spent more time this week than I care to admit reformatting all the Spirit Trail patterns into PDF files for downloadable purchase. Computer whiz I am not, Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-82719575628503912622009-04-22T11:05:00.003-04:002009-04-28T08:14:02.501-04:00To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong.-- Joseph Chilton Pearce******This quote struck a cord with me this morning. I tend to have fairly regular angst over what I do, from a creative standpoint. Am I good enough, is what I do unique enough ... all the questions one's psyche can ask in those silent, solitary moments that can drive one simply crazy.Sometimes, I'll dye a Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-85971779097781743532009-03-31T08:12:00.002-04:002009-03-31T08:31:23.723-04:00Colors are the smiles of nature.-- Leigh Hunt******The pace is picking up around here, with MDS&W looming on the horizon. Lots of dyeing getting done. Yesterday was merino lace, today is alpaca lace and single ply bombyx silk. Then, a few other yarns and LOTS of different combed top blends. And a few more fleeces, if they arrive in time.A very large order of North Ronaldsey from the UK is Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-88726364342827707482009-03-18T15:09:00.002-04:002009-03-18T15:14:36.335-04:00You gotta check this out.Thanks Anj for bringing this to my attention. Love it.And now, back to dyeing for me.Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-92095453879164685432009-03-13T12:16:00.004-04:002009-03-13T14:46:51.523-04:00Iron rusts from disuse, stagnant water loses its purity, and in cold weather becomes frozen, even so does inaction sap the vigor of the mind.-- Leonardo da Vinci*******New fibers just arrived! And I am doing a jig, too ~ they turned out so well and I am just thrilled with them.Rose/Pink Bluefaced Leicester. Hard to tell in the photo, but there is a very subtle color difference between the rose Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-23486277383689215962009-03-01T11:46:00.019-05:002009-03-03T16:37:58.535-05:00The sun, with all those plants revolving around it and dependent upon it, can still ripen a bunch of grapes as if it had nothing else in the universe to do.-- Galileo******My Pi Shawl is (almost) finished. Just need to block it .... here are some progress photos anyway:Although I thought I'd have way more than I needed, I ran out of yarn. Obviously not planned so well. So, instead of the Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-3033547989639379322009-02-13T15:57:00.004-05:002009-02-13T22:57:33.546-05:00Let your life lightly dance on the edges of Time like dew on the tip of a leaf.-- Rabindranath Tagore******The Pi Shawl continues. I would be further along, except that I decided to rip it out nearly to the beginning and start over, because the colors of the two yarns were too different. So, after ripping it out last Saturday afternoon, here is where I am now (I was just about this far along, Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-45958453142396413952009-02-05T07:52:00.006-05:002009-02-05T15:49:14.377-05:00Life is no brief candle to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got a hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.-- George Bernard Shaw, Writer******Lots of photos to share today!First, four bobbins finished, from left to right: bison, cashgora, alpaca, polwarth blended with exotics ....Turned into this loverly Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-53773935176936806622009-02-02T10:40:00.003-05:002009-02-03T09:12:37.929-05:00The Fourth Annual Brigid in the Blogosphere Poetry SlamThis was a tough one. Mostly because I could NOT find the poem that has been on the tip of my tongue for the past several days, which is driving me crazy. If I find it, I'll post it later, but for now, 2 poems that speak to me ...WILD GEESEYou do not have to be good.You do not have to walk upon your kneesfor a hundred miles through the desertJenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-35845495004570659282009-01-25T14:40:00.002-05:002009-01-25T14:46:22.910-05:00Invitation to The Fourth Annual Brigid in the Blogosphere Poetry SlamFeel free to copy the following to your blog and spread the word.Let poetry bless the blogosphere once again!WHAT: A Bloggers (Silent) Poetry ReadingWHEN: Anytime February 2, 2009WHERE: Your blogWHY: To celebrate the Feast of Brigid, aka Groundhog DayHOW: Select a poem you like - by a favorite poet or one of your own - to post Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-23181309856093384032009-01-23T13:51:00.005-05:002009-01-24T09:16:38.986-05:00Interestingly, koi, when put in a fish bowl, will only grow up to three inches. When this same fish is placed in a large tank, it will grow to about nine inches. In a pond koi can reach lengths of eighteen inches. Amazingly, when placed in a lake, koi can grow to three feet long. The metaphor is obvious. You are limited by how you see the world.-- Vince Poscente******Been busy around here (isn't Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-58504938242530373812009-01-10T12:00:00.011-05:002009-01-10T12:48:48.467-05:00If you haven't the strength to impose your own terms upon life, you must accept the terms it offers you.-- T.S. Eliot******The new year has started off well here, with lots of knitting and spinning going on (and I actually have photos to prove it this time!).First, though ... I highly recommend that computers not be dropped on the floor. I found this out through personal experience, when I Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-85300912128632051992008-11-25T08:57:00.004-05:002008-11-25T09:45:34.936-05:00Just back from the KR Retreat. What a fabulous weekend! The new venue was excellent and the classes and teachers were phenomenal.I was able to take Shelia January's knitting lace edges class, which was (as always) well-planned, well-executed, clear, concise and fun (and I'm really not just saying that because she's my friend). Now I am totally comfortable with adding edges to my own lace Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-72480834077814370812008-11-06T13:57:00.007-05:002008-11-06T17:10:53.189-05:00YES WE CAN!Excited, thrilled, awed, proud, patriotic, inspired ...These are some of the emotions I experienced Tuesday night as I watched the election results, sometimes in tears. This is the seventh time I’ve voted for President, but the first time I can recall voting for a candidate I was really excited about.The emotion I felt most was Hope.Tuesday night as I watched the polls closing and the Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-2931804205946940042008-11-01T15:00:00.004-04:002008-11-02T11:29:13.525-05:00Begin doing what you want to do now. We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand -- and melting like a snowflake.-- Marie Beyon Ray******So, I've been doing some knitting, and doing some spinning.My knitting: started a hat. Knit a gauge swatch. Measured it. Knitted several inches. It was pretty, but looked like it might be too big. Divided onto two needles to try it on. It would Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-66591761523759170552008-10-22T17:45:00.020-04:002008-10-23T12:01:23.261-04:00I have been thinking that I would make a proposition to my Republican friends... that if they will stop telling lies about the Democrats, we will stop telling the truth about them.Adlai Stevenson, 1952******So, I've been a bit busy these last several weeks.First, there was SOAR. And what an awesome week it was. It started with a workshop with Abby on Spinning with a Purpose, which was quite alot Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-31151731047193163042008-09-26T09:29:00.009-04:002008-09-26T18:14:55.101-04:00Minds are like parachutes - they only function when open.-- Thomas Dewar******Some quick fiber news:A new pattern is up on the site now, designed by Jane Cochran and called the "Stepping Stones Scarf." I love this pattern, and it is incredibly soft and cuddly knit in Ixchel, my Prime Alpaca yarn. Here's a photo:Lovely, lovely. Thanks, Jane!!I am now knitting a pair of the Maine Morning Mitts in Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-90497269517050468642008-09-12T08:02:00.006-04:002008-09-12T09:46:39.042-04:00So, August sucked me into other activities and I was not online much at all ... hoping to catch up with everyone's blogs and such in the coming days.I did get some projects done, and others started. Though most were not fiber related.I made a leaded glass window for the door of our china closet, which broke when we moved it 4 years ago. It's been sitting in the house sans door for almost two Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-27237249393448144802008-08-01T16:52:00.002-04:002008-08-01T16:55:53.688-04:00Short post here ... I've been staring at my computer screen for hours every day this week, and quite frankly am computered out.But, Spirit Trail Fiberworks is completely updated ... with lots of yarns and quite a bit of fibery stuff on sale ~ check it out at Spirit Trail Fiberworks.Another, even cooler, thing that happened today is Twist Collective. Way, way cool.Hope everyone has a wonderful Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-32204605496724327642008-07-21T17:34:00.000-04:002008-07-21T17:36:39.821-04:0020As a 1930s wife, I amVery Poor (Failure)Take the test!I knew this. I'm not surprised.Good thing Brett's not a 1930's husband ;-DJenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-73601697004240997292008-07-18T08:13:00.002-04:002008-07-18T09:16:40.036-04:00Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside.-- Mark Twain******We spent several days this week in PA for a funeral, for Brett's grandfather. He had been sick for quite some time so it wasn't unexpected, and for him in some ways was certainly a blessing. It's hard to imagine how difficult it must be for someone, formerly very active and Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-39034294615398595632008-07-09T12:44:00.007-04:002008-07-09T15:41:14.020-04:00Each morning when I open my eyes I say to myself: I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn't arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I'm going to be happy in it.-- Groucho Marx******Back from our trip (which I didn't mention we were going on), with the July 4 holiday over, and back into the swing of Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-66995528140446209082008-06-23T11:37:00.008-04:002008-06-23T13:33:28.848-04:00Most of the shadows of this life are caused by our standing in our own sunshine.-- Ralph Waldo Emerson******A Brief History of the Arapawa Island SheepIt is generally believed that the Arapawa sheep of New Zealand were left on Arapawa Island in the Marlborough Sounds nearly 140 years ago. How and by whom they were left is the subject of much debate, and many different theories. Some say these Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-56632250111073638992008-06-13T21:38:00.007-04:002008-06-13T22:49:21.995-04:00You will recognize your own path when you come upon it, because you will suddenly have all the energy and imagination you will ever need.-- Jerry Gillies******I received some news a couple of weeks ago that I have slowly let sink in. At first, I was a bit too stunned to actually enjoy it. Then I went through an extremely silly, giddy stage. Now, I'm just plain excited and thrilled, and really, Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-43639838543798479442008-06-10T11:22:00.005-04:002008-06-10T11:41:50.018-04:00An unfulfilled vocation drains the colour from a person's entire existence.-- Balzac******We had our local dinner last night, after being away for the weekend ....For some reason the photo doesn't look as good as the dinner did in person. Fresh trout a friend caught and gave us cooked with fresh rosemaryfrom my garden; dried beans from my garden several years ago cooked with rosemary and sage Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-23874007074380285842008-06-03T09:20:00.004-04:002008-06-03T10:59:46.889-04:00It is good to have an end to journey towards but it is the journey that matters in the end.-- Le Guin******It's a photo day today ...Ta Da! Spinning Photos ... I spun this up yesterday for some new superwash socks. It's some superwash I dyed several years ago which got sort of fugged up in the rinse. I didn't sell it because it's not "smooth" ~ I'm not sure what happened but it got all frayed andJenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-15519427002107936092008-05-24T10:21:00.004-04:002008-05-24T12:31:57.637-04:00You and I possess within ourselves, at every moment, under all circumstances, the power to transform the quality of our lives.-- Wemer Erhard******In surfing through various blogs (on a rather circuituous route that I probably couldn't duplicate if I tried) I found a link to the One Local Summer blog, where participants eat at least one meal a week made from completely local ingredients, and thenJenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-14710718229663317272008-05-20T09:14:00.011-04:002008-05-20T10:21:50.976-04:00It is the first law of friendship that it has to be cultivated.The second is to be indulgent when the first law is neglected.-- Voltaire******First of all, Happy Anniversary to me! Today is my blogiversary (thanks, Teena, for noticing ~ I probably would have missed it!). It's rather hard to believe it's been 5 years of blogging (though, obviously if you look at the archives, there were a couple Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-22461248530724336672008-05-15T15:18:00.003-04:002008-05-15T15:51:21.754-04:00Most of the shadows of this life are caused by our standing in our own sunshine.-- Ralph Waldo Emerson******A NH post is coming ... soon. Til then ...I've been memed. Gryphon memed me today, so here goes:"The rules of the game get posted at the beginning. Each player answers the questions about themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5-6 people and posts their names, then goes toJenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-85977121922387016232008-05-07T12:38:00.002-04:002008-05-07T13:14:57.658-04:00Never permit a dichotomy to rule your life, a dichotomy in which you hate what you do so you can have pleasure in your spare time. Look for a situation in which your work will give you as much happiness as your spare time.-- Edward L. Bernays******I would like to say thank you to everyone who visited my booth at Maryland, and everyone who likes my yarns and fibers. I do so love to see everyone inJenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-73245016064073839212008-04-23T11:30:00.007-04:002008-04-23T14:21:06.787-04:00First comes thought; then organization of that thought, into ideas and plans; then transformation of those plans into reality. The beginning, as you will observe, is in your imagination.-- Napoleon Hill******Life continues here in a frenzy of activity. Last minute dyeing, lots of skeining and pricing, not to mention kid activities and all the stuff of daily life.I really and truly think I have Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-3458577608838131482008-04-11T10:00:00.013-04:002008-04-11T11:13:02.488-04:00Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and I, I took the one less travelled by. And that has made all the difference.-- Robert Frost******I received a HUMONGOUS box yesterday from one of the mills I use to process fibers. Very exciting ~ it's all the fibers I was hoping to have ready for Maryland Sheep and Wool. Here's a preview: Tunis dyed dark blue and sky blue, blended with some white Huacaya Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-47388037176675136742008-04-07T13:50:00.003-04:002008-04-07T16:27:44.535-04:00Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers.-- Voltaire, French Philosopher and Writer******Lots of dyeing and knitting going on around here these days.Getting ready for MDS&W, and working on having lots and lots of yarn so I can restock continually throughout the weekend. I'm also dyeing up alot of new combed top as well, so will have lots of braids in lots of colors. And working on Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-55826483369301773522008-04-02T10:45:00.012-04:002008-04-02T11:32:10.989-04:00What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.-- Ralph Waldo Emerson******Ten for Tuesday (yeah, it's Wednesday, so sue me).Well. Since our house isn't FINISHED yet, my Ten things I'd like to accomplish, given mostly the time to do it, are:1. Design and install mosaic walls in masterbath shower (my job, and needs to be done sooner than later).2. Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-75681344859866840482008-03-25T17:29:00.011-04:002008-03-25T18:16:54.017-04:00Any fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius - and a lot of courage – to move in the opposite direction.-- Albert Einstein******Hey! I'm doing a local show this coming weekend ... if you're in the Takoma Park, Maryland area stop by the Homespun Yarn Party from 2-4 pm at the Takoma Park Community Center ... directions and info here.Ok, I managed to Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-36753727612249645732008-03-24T10:51:00.003-04:002008-03-24T11:53:19.351-04:00Hey! I'm doing a local show this coming weekend ... if you're in the Takoma Park, Maryland area stop by the Homespun Yarn Party from 2-4 pm at the Takoma Park Community Center ... directions and info here.******Yeah, Yeah ... You Are An INFJThe ProtectorYou live your life with integrity, originality, vision, and creativity.Independent and stubborn, you rarely stray from your vision - no matter Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-21049882567026130052008-03-18T09:31:00.003-04:002008-03-18T11:10:43.827-04:00Why not go out on a limb? That's where the fruit is.-- Will Rogers ******It's Tuesday (how time flies!). Time for Ten Places You'd Like a Tourist to See in Your Home Town .My home town is Washington, DC, so that's what I'm going to do my list on ... I was born in Providence Hospital (which is no longer there), grew up off of 16th Street in Shepherd Park, went to school at George Washington Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-34925740211966456932008-03-13T11:11:00.002-04:002008-03-13T11:30:17.009-04:00World, inspire me! Share with me just hints of your glory and atrocity!-- E.C.******Not much to say around here. I'm behind on dyeing, behind on other projects (well, okay, last night I did cut off the mutilated ribbed edge and reknit said edge on daughter's angora hat ... that The Dog got a hold of and chewed a hole in. Luckily it was a hole on the edge, and not in the middle). Nope, no photos, Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-22958791015921773082008-03-04T09:16:00.007-05:002008-03-04T10:21:10.683-05:00It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see.-- Henry David Thoreau******E is for Eggs from our very own chickens ~ several Auracana and a couple of Red Star. They all have names. I don't remember them. DD knows them each intimately, and regularly eats her lunch in the chicken yard with them (we used to let them roam, but Darling Dog has taken a fancy to freshly killed, by himself, Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-61753038413449676452008-02-28T15:04:00.002-05:002008-02-28T12:05:53.248-05:00The only thing that stands between a man and what he wants from life is often merely the will to try it and the faith to believe that it is possible.-- Richard M. DeVos******Back from SPA in Freeport, Maine. It was Such A Blast!! Great to see friends I don't get to see very often, fun to sit around and knit, laugh, drink wine and tea. Fun to go to the market (and for once not be working the Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-43063260590150995432008-02-20T16:51:00.001-05:002008-02-20T14:49:15.501-05:00Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures.-- Henry Ward Beecher******The scarf continues. I'm finished with the actual knitting, and am now working to finish the lacey border I decided to add to both sides. No other knitting has transpired around here. I dyed up what seems like a ton of yarn this week, for some projects that I'm working on. It was Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-40629564982135423092008-02-11T14:00:00.000-05:002008-02-12T09:27:19.113-05:00If you would be a real seeker after truth, it is necessary that at least once in your life you doubt, as far as possible, all things.-- Rene Descartes, French mathematician & philosopher (1596 - 1650)******Sorry ... my ABC-Along photos for "C" are down in the middle of this post, because I wasn't thinking when I first wrote this post, and I can't seem to cut and paste them to get them up to the Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-17081849406654601172008-02-07T10:09:00.000-05:002008-02-07T11:00:42.953-05:00If of thy mortal goods thou art bereft,And in thy meager store there are but leftTwo loavesSell one, and with the doleBuy hyacinths to feed thy soul.-- Sheikh Muslih-uddin Saadi Shirazi, The Gulistan of Saadi, 1270******I think that might be my favorite quote of all time. It's at least up in the top ten. I love the thought it evokes.Well, all was not lost with the stupid moebius (yes, it is Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-7795250427028855472008-02-05T06:34:00.000-05:002008-02-05T17:09:09.247-05:00There are people who put their dreams in a little box and say, “Yes, I've got dreams, of course I've got dreams.” Then they put the box away and bring it out once in awhile to look in it, and yep, they're still there. These are great dreams, but they never even get out of the box. It takes an uncommon amount of guts to put your dreams on the line, to hold them up and say, “How good or how bad am Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-23385372393185324172008-01-30T10:16:00.000-05:002008-02-05T15:21:37.345-05:00There are no classes in life for beginners: right away you are always asked to deal with what is most difficult.-- Rainer Maria Rilke******Here's a new contest: leave me a comment with your favorite color(s) (all the way down at the bottom of this blog entry), and if your name is drawn you'll win a 500 yard skein of handpainted, fingering weight two-ply cashmere yarn in the colors you post in Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com132tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-38112965505205468242008-01-22T14:29:00.000-05:002008-01-22T14:50:33.495-05:00The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do.-- Walter Bagehot (1826 - 1877)******Diamonds & Purls is done and blocked:This was a really fun shawl to knit. I did knit it a bit bigger than the pattern called for, and used two balls of yarn instead of one. I really like the bind off (which I did with crochet rather than knit ~ thank you Shelia for the extra advice on that; Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-72734165429613785492008-01-15T10:44:00.000-05:002008-01-15T11:20:17.482-05:00Most people never run far enough on their first wind to find out if they've got a second. Give your dreams all you've got and you'll be amazed at the energy that comes out of you.-- William James, Author******The Diamonds and Purls Shawl is finished! I am currently blocking it on an ugly towel, so photos will come tomorrow or the next day, once it's dry and I can put it on something prettier.In Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-39099835132942379232008-01-10T13:04:00.000-05:002008-01-10T13:35:37.390-05:00It is not work that kills men, it is worry. Work is healthy; you can hardly put more on a man than he can bear. But worry is rust upon the blade. It is not movement that destroys the machinery, but friction.-- Henry Ward Beecher ******A is for AnatolianAnatolian Shepherd / Great Pyrenees, to be exact, my first photo for the 2008 ABC-Along. This is my puppy Phoenix, who's visited this blog before Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-65612598309958231632008-01-05T10:40:00.000-05:002008-01-07T15:55:21.311-05:00Thoughts for the Day:The great thing in this world is not so much where we are, but in what direction we are moving.-- Oliver Wendell HolmesAlways be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.-- Judy Garland********* UPDATED WITH ADDITIONAL PHOTOS ***Yes, new blog format. I got tired of the old one and decided the beginning of a new year would be a good Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-32870858059449986802007-12-17T08:40:00.000-05:002007-12-17T08:56:15.293-05:00In Memoriam Dan Fogelberg August 13, 1951 ~ December 16, 2007His music has been a part of my life since I was 13 years old, so lyrical, full of soul and thoughtfulness. It has spoken to me, and even helped define me, in various ways throughout the different stages of my life. It has always been there. He was a master of poetry in song. And he's left this world far, far too soon. It's hard to Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-6836358427595548852007-12-13T17:49:00.000-05:002007-12-13T18:42:27.164-05:00Thought for the Day:And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.-- Abraham Lincoln******A quick recap on Phoenix the pooch, who now weighs just under 100 pounds (at 6-1/2 months) ...August 2, 2007:December 5, 2007:Crazy, huh?******Good news for my computer! I managed to squash my Dreamweaver disk flat enough that it worked, albeit begrudgingly. Yay! I Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-88887097773718941112007-12-04T17:04:00.000-05:002007-12-04T17:48:54.594-05:00Thought for the Day:You need not do anythingRemain sitting at your table and listenJust waitAnd you need not even wait,just become quiet and still and solitaryAnd the world will offer itself to you tobe unmaskedIt has no choiceIt will roll in ecstacy at your feet.-- Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926), German Poet******The spinning fibers have arrived for the handspinning club, and the first specialJenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-42918278776635950942007-11-17T07:47:00.000-05:002007-11-17T08:38:06.014-05:00Thought for the Day:An eye for eye only ends up making the whole world blind.-- M.K. Gandhi******Here are a couple of photos of the sweater I recently finished for my friend Suzanne. She's lucky it actually made it over to her place, because it's my color, too, and I'm pretty pleased with how it came out. But, she absolutely loved it, and it looks fantastic on her (and that was such a relief! I Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-62966112712315686302007-11-04T09:52:00.000-05:002007-11-04T10:37:49.022-05:00Thought for the Day: Every great achievement is the victory of a flaming heart.-- Ralph Waldo Emerson, Poet and Essayist******This quote is for Clara on the publication of her new book The Knitter's Book of Yarn. There are scads of reviews flying around the web right now, so I won't post another one. Suffice it to say that this is a wonderful book that I truly believe will be one of those "Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-50885717162624403842007-10-14T14:47:00.001-04:002007-10-14T15:11:10.070-04:00Thought for the Day:Each day, and the living of it, has to be a conscious creation in which discipline and order are relieved with some play and pure foolishness.-- May Sarton, Poet******If no one else has taught me this, my kids and my dog certainly have. Lately, especially the dog. He is just so full of energy, and so darn cute, it's hard not to take time out to romp with him a bit (plus, many Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-66556004629877965922007-10-01T09:43:00.000-04:002007-10-01T10:11:38.064-04:00Thought for the Day:The fishermen know that the sea is dangerous and the storm terrible, but they have never found these dangers sufficient reason for remaining ashore.-- Vincent Van Gogh*****I love that quote. And isn't it true? We sometimes watch these crazy fishing shows on the Discovery Channel and some other channel (I can't remember) that go out with lobstermen to Georges Bank, and Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-37173035692792383762007-09-21T10:12:00.000-04:002007-09-24T09:38:00.072-04:00Thought for the Day:Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all.-- Stanley Horowitz******My favorite season is upon us. I love Autumn so much, and we have been getting a taste of it these past days ... cool evenings and until today, high temperatures in the 70's. Definitely a crispness in the air, a hint of clean, fresh autumn air. I love Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-48256166852276137502007-09-05T12:08:00.000-04:002007-09-05T12:48:51.869-04:00Thoughts for the Day:There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it's going to be a butterfly.-- Buckminster FullerJust living is not enough," said the butterfly. "One must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.-- Hans Christian Andersen******Sunday morning I walked out from my front door, and noticed that some of the annuals I had planted in the front garden had become a serious feastJenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-14891228510384108162007-08-28T16:32:00.000-04:002007-08-28T16:53:03.121-04:00Thought for the Day:America has abandoned the strong woman of spirituality and is shacking up with the harlot of materialism.-- Joseph Losery (1924 - ____) US minister, civil rights leader******Things here have been busy these days.I have just finished a design for some fingerless mitts that will be published in a book in 2009. Stay tuned for more information on this!I am gearing up for the new Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-48903232602078725682007-08-01T14:53:00.000-04:002007-08-01T15:28:14.915-04:00Thought for the Day:Whether we and our politicians know it or not, Nature is party to all our deals and decisions, and she has more votes, a longer memory, and a sterner sense of justice than we do.-- Wendell Berry******Yes. Indeed.Last week, we picked up our new Family Member:His name is Phoenix, he's 8 weeks old, and he weighs over 20 pounds (he was 20.5 pounds last Friday, and I know he weighsJenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-18198305891908609062007-07-16T15:05:00.001-04:002007-07-16T15:17:20.373-04:00Thought for the Day:Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.-- Maya Angelou, Poet and Author******It's been a busy couple of months around here! Can't believe it's been so long since I've posted.We spent two wonderful weeks camping in Ocracoke, NC in June. We stayed at the State Park campgrounds just outside of town. The weather was great ~ sunny, breezy (which Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-5677746405842735192007-05-10T08:00:00.000-04:002007-05-10T08:51:54.704-04:00Thought for the Day:Most people never run far enough on their first wind to find out they've got a second. Give your dreams all you've got and you'll be amazed at the energy that comes out of you.-- William James, Psychologist******Another MDS&W has come and gone. I'm always a bit melancholy after we finish packing up the trailer and start heading away from the Fairgrounds. MD always feels Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-28964991434134530812007-05-03T21:48:00.000-04:002007-05-03T22:18:51.838-04:00Thought for the Day:I would be most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves.--Anna Quindlen, "Enough Bookshelves," New York Times, 7 August 1991When I get a little money I buy books; and if any is left I buy food and clothes. --Erasmus******The last couple of months have been busy ones. I finally got all Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-1173122277200734372007-03-05T13:42:00.000-05:002007-03-06T13:06:11.924-05:00Thought for the Day:My message is the practice of compassion, love and kindness. Compassion can be put into practice if one recognizes the fact that every human being is a member of humanity and the human family regardless of differences in religion, culture, color and creed. Deep down there is no difference.H.H. 14th Dalai LamaWhere ignorance is our master, there is no possibility of real Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-1165808180185420972006-12-10T22:21:00.000-05:002006-12-11T12:37:03.280-05:00Thought for the Day:Perhaps if Death is kind, and there can be returning,We will come back to earth some fragrant night,And take these lanes to find the sea, and bendingBreathe the same honeysuckle, low and white.We will come down at night to these resounding beachesAnd the long gentle thunder of the sea,Here for a single hour in the wide starlightWe shall be happy, for the dead are free.-- Sara Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-1163538002358143522006-11-14T15:34:00.000-05:002006-11-14T16:00:02.873-05:00Thought for the Day:Last May, I saw a dragonfly as long as my hand — longer than an average-sized songbird. She circled and circled, flexing her body, trying to decide if my little lake was worthy of her precious eggs. She was almost absurdly colorful, sporting a bright green thorax and blue abdomen. Eventually she lit on the top of a horsetail plant that sends long slender spikes up out of the Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-1162481238768020992006-11-02T10:18:00.000-05:002006-11-02T11:35:03.380-05:00Thoughts for the Day:Autumn is the eternal corrective. It is ripeness and color and a time of maturity; but it is also breadth, and depth, and distance. What man can stand with autumn on a hilltop and fail to see the span of his world and the meaning of the rolling hills that reach to the far horizon?-- Hal Borland A few days ago I walked along the edge of the lake and was treated to the Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com2