The sky isn't looking so good for today... low ceiling, and lots of rain dumped overnight... so I decided to post this sunset shot from earlier in the week! I do love the sunset low in the sky this time of the year, and am grateful for all the rain and snow we have gotten this season, even though I miss the blue skies. California is close to not being in a drought state, finally!
I have already been out and about early today, and picked up rhubarb roots for the garden; it's not too early here to start thinking about the spring planting even though Puxatawny Phil saw his shadow, and six more weeks of winter will likely mean a long mud season. We have a spot in mind for those roots, that will be getting both donkey manure and sandy loam out of a bag to get them started right... they will outlive us, most likely. Up at the Forest City house, we have rhubarb plants that are close to a century old, but often miss their timing for 'best harvest' because spring gets so busy.
I haven't posted in a long while, so have a few family photos and a finished object to share, from a birthday celebration for dear eldest son two weeks ago...
We met at Northstar, where Cody works in hospitality in the re-designed pedestrian village, and also rides (snowboards) almost daily... he is up to over 40 days this season already. I envy him that, both for the exercise value and the sheer joy of being outdoors, any time of the year, that I am happy to say I instilled in him.
I think his best gift was getting to see niece Odessa, just past four months old in this photo, and getting very charming!
Here, she is just realizing that she might be able to reach the menu on the table... she is like many first-child babies of middle class parents, well familiar with going to restaurants and is starting to clamor a bit watching others eat... still has to rely on getting it second-hand from mama for a few more months before a range of foods will be available to her.
She has grown so much, but looks pretty tiny sitting in a big high chair!
Here's daddy Jesse, modeling the finished object I promised to show you... a warm winter hat that I had been making for Christmas, before I got too sick to finish it.
He works outside, and really liked it... his bro is also getting a late gift, this time birthday, of a scarf I have been crocheting, that is finally almost done. I like many of the effects of crochet, but my hands protest about it far more than knitting, so not to worry, no chance of this becoming a crocheting blog!
Below is a close-up of the hat, though the one with him wearing it is a truer representation of color.... it has a turned hem, giving it a thicker ear-head band, for warmth and for keeping it on better... a feature he got to try out right
away as it was going back and forth between rain and snow on that day!
You might have heard rumors of a dye workshop... a group of my knit grrls (Luci, Stephanie, Rhodi, Rowen and I) got together with Sara Lamb for a workshop to begin compiling our own dye notebooks last Sunday. It was a hard-and-fast job, trying to get through as many of the color combos in percentage as possible, and we will continue on our own, meeting monthly until we get 'done', at least through the range of mixing possible. We kept talking about taking photos, but nobody stopped long enough! In fact, the only slow moments in the whole day were while we shared a lovely potluck lunch. Here are a few shots of the sample cards we got done on Sunday....
This is the total number of samples... the cards are labeled with both letters and numbers... the ones with only letters are laid out in a range of colors between two primaries, such as "magenta" and "yellow", and the ones with numbers reflect a blending of three primaries from specific recipes.
A close-up view of just two sample cards gives you a better chance to see the ranges of color that can be produced by mixing... we had a great time and were very thankful to Sara for fitting us into her busy schedule.
My dear friends over on the east coast, please be warm, dry and safe! Our weather is nothing compared to what you are getting, and I realize many in that storm simply aren't used to such severe conditions.... you are all in my thoughts and prayers. The rest of you I hope are having a great weekend... and all of you, pull out some knitting!
Now, I've got to go and spend some time with the new edition of Piecework, which just arrived in my mailbox... both historical knitting AND a new Barbara Walker pattern! Life is good:)
