Summer School

I have a ton of stuff to blog about. Baby stuff, fiber stuff, good stuff. I don't have time due to things such as a nine month old baby and summer school. You'll have to wait until the weekend. In the mean time I have had several super fun kids books come across my path in the past week or so. I thought I would share.

A sweet sweet friend of mine came across Derek the Knitting Dinosaur by Mary Blackwood, Kerry Argent (Illustrator) and knew that Little Sir and I needed it. It is adorable. He even drinks tea.







If You Were My Bunny
by Kate Mcmullan (Author), David Mcphail (Illustrator)
I found this one at a children's consignment store. I love it. The author has written new words to some well known traditional lullabies as if the parent animal were singing to the baby animal.



Good Boy Fergus! by David Shannon was recommended to us by a nice neighbor (who we don't know) while we were out walking. He was running and saw our dogs and Little Sir. He told us that we needed to get this book for Little Sir, that it was about a dog that was the same breed as Logan. Turns out, Fergus is actually a West Highland Terrier, not a Cairn Terrier, but he's pretty dang cute none the less. We don't have the book yet, but from what the helpful runner said, it sounds as if they have the same MO.
Any other wonderful children's books that I need to know about?

First Father's Day

Here is the Daddy Duke and the Baby Boy on their first Dad's Day.

It's unfortunate that an angry barber did a number on the Duke's hair yesterday, just in time to commemorate the day. I guess it just makes Little Sir's shirt that much funnier. (For those of you who haven't had a chance to meet our family- it's funny because Little Sir looks nothing like the Duke.)

Here is the Daddy King and the Baby Duchess. (Yes, the little "boy" dressed in pink is me. Sorry Mom, I know you thought all your babies were cute, but at least you got cute grand babies.) Judging by how old I look this was probably even right around Father's Day.

Oh yeah, Dad, you were so cool (and the 70's were just a little bit creepy.)

And just for a little added cute factor, here is Logan and Little Sir bonding. Look close, it's kind of hard to tell with the striped duvet cover, Logan is resting his head in Little Sir's hand.

That is some serious cute right there!

Happy Father's Day to all of you Dads. We love you!

Sandia Reward

It seems that I am motivated by rewards. If I have a long list of tasks ahead of me, I divide them up and then promise myself that after I have completed a certain amount, I get a reward. Usually this reward revolves around fiber.

1. Tasks: Scour both bathrooms (bathtubs, floors and all) take a shower and get ready for the day. (I must clean our bathrooms before I shower for the day, otherwise I feel like I missed out on showering in a clean shower.)
Reward: Spin half of the recently dyed Lincoln/Cormo cross.



2. Tasks: Vacuum the main floor, clean kitchen, straighten family room, spot clean the tile.
Reward: Spin the other half of the roving

3. Get up early enough to get ready, eat breakfast, play with doggies, pack lunch, pack knitted items needing blocking, tape up packages for Bells and Princess P. (for her birthday.) and still have time left over to ply the two bobbins of singles.
Reward: Ply the Singles (really it was just the reward for getting out of bed early(ish)- which is beyond difficult for me most of the time.)



175 yds of light worsted weight from 110 grams (or 3.8 oz.) of fiber.



and a close-up




Isn't it lovely. I just love the colorway. I decided to call it Sandia. The Duke and I lived in Albuquerque, NM for four months after we first got married. Neither of us liked it much, with the exception of the beautiful and strange-to-us Sandia Mountains.


image from wikipedia

So, if you are are a bandit, a lost dog, or a pile of dirty laundry, watch out, because the Duchess is motivated! Now, any suggestions on what my reward for finishing this never ending business plan should be?

One last thing before I return to the business plan, a silly pup moment from the living room of Yarnnation. The Duke is learning to play the guitar. It appears that music really does sooth the savage beast. Logan sat just like that, listening to him practise for about half and hour.

Thanks!

Thank you to all of you that commented on my last post. "The Yarn of Yarnnation" will become a regular feature here at Yarnnation. I was inspired by Erin over at Dress A Day and her "Secret Life of Dresses." If you haven't read them, go on over, they really are entertaining.

And to celebrate the first episode, naturally, I must share some yarnish love. As Bells was the first to comment, I thought she should get a skein of some Yarnnation hand dyed sock yarn. Send me your address Bells- yarnnation at gmail dot com.



Each time I post a Yarn of Yarnnation I will (from here on out) randomly choose a person from the comments to share a little bit of Yarnnation with.

Now, what else has been going on around here? Spinning? Yes, and Maggie was trying to her best to impede.



This is some slightly variegated orange supperwash Merino, 2 ply. I wanted some orange socks, and orange socks I will have. It came out at a perfect 16 wpi, and it hasn't dried all the way yet, but it doesn't look like it's going to bloom too much. It came out at 245 yds. I have plenty of this left over, but I'm not sure yet if I will spin more to get enough for a pair of socks, or (as I am sick to death of it right now) I will knit the toes, heel, and cuffs in something else. We'll see. They aren't even the next socks in the cue.



Also, because I have so much of this stuff, and because I'm lazy and my scale is on a different floor in my house, I didn't weigh or measure the fiber for each bobbin in any way, I just filled up the second bobbin until it looked like it about matched the first- this is what I had left over- can you believe it? Crazy lucky!



What else? Dyeing? Of course, and when else, but in the middle of the night.

This is my new favorite Yarnnation dyed sock yarn: Raspberry Ice Cream (I can't eat it, but I can wear it!)



The Yarn Queen also sent me some very nice Targee/Lincoln mixed roving. I kettle dyed it in two different batches. They both came out stunning, but I couldn't get very good photos, you'll just have to wait for the spinning to see the colors. . . which won't be long :)





And last but not least. . . I over dyed some worsted weight wool that was this kind of unpleasant dingy orange and yellow variegated. Isn't it stunning? I have enough for a sweater, my internal Creative Project Manager is working overtime.



Hope everyone has a great week. . . It's the Duke's last week of a his second to last rotation.

As he says

THE END IS NEAR!

The Year of the Boar and other Randomness

Happy Chinese New Year. It's the year of the boar. While I was not born in a year of the boar (I in fact am a sheep, evidently, although I know little to nothing about the Chinese zodiac,) I do have a special place in my heart for pigs. And now I will have a little piglet nephew to love. Yes, the royal little baby of Princess P. and Prince B. will be a little bouncing baby boy! I all ready have projects lined up for him, starting with this, only in a nice brown. This book is adorable, I'm sure he will be getting other knitting goodness out of it.



Continuing, for the moment along the pig thread, the Duke and I have this print hanging our our wall. It is called Kohler's Pig by Michael Sowa and at our house we like to think that it is pig heaven, where pigs come when they die. It is here that they can fly.

Why do I like pigs you ask? It has to do with the legend of Carcassone

In 760, Pippin the Younger, king of the Franks and father of Charlemagne, had recaptured most of Southern France from the Saracens. But the impregnable fortress of Carcassonne resisted. According to legend, a Saracen princess named Carcas devised a ruse to save the city. After a long siege, she used the last sacks of grain to fatten up a pig, and then threw it over the ramparts. Seeing such a well-fed pig, the assailants gave up, thinking the city had enough food not to surrender for a long time. Carcas rang the bells to celebrate, and the city was named Carcas sonne (Carcas rings).
(http://www.bootsnall.com)

The Duke told me this story at a difficult time in my life. Now, when I am having a hard time, I think of Carcas and her pig who together saved the city. I realize this didn't end so well for the pig, that is why we have the painting in our house where pigs come to live in peace and happiness after they die.

Anywho, moving on. I listened to The Story of Dr. Doolittle by Hugh Lofting. It was sweet and while not the most enthralling of literature, was enjoyable. It has a baby pig name Gub-Gub in it.

So, in honor of the Chinese New Year, which I love because it's like another chance at the fresh start that I always somehow miss in early Jan., I thought I would pull out my various WIPs.


Sebastion- on the needles since Nov. I will get this done soon, I swear.


The Duke's Aran Sweater- considering I've had to do "cable surgery" on it three times now, it's moving along, slowly, but surly.


My Eco Sweater is DONE! YIPEE- it just needs a closure of some sort, I'm undecided as to what it should be.


Green Socks (done in my own hand dyed yarn.)


The Shadow Scarf


My scarf which if I hadn't made myself insane enough knitting endless rows of garter stitch, then I decided it needed a crochet edging. Slowly, yes, but coming.


Here is a simple raglan that I cast on for last night. The Queen Mother Knitter sent me the yarn and the pattern as a b-day gift, and I needed some mindless knitting last night, it was perfect.


Last by not least, here is my nearly finished tote for the International Tote Exchange III. It just needed the bottom ribbon and handles. I hope my exchangee likes it.


And to finish off with some more randomness, this is my latest hand spun, 2 ply, 12 wraps per inch, spun from a Corriedale Grafton Fiber Batt. So nice.





And here are some adorable pictures of my two little beasts. Click here to visit my latest photo set of my cutie pie pups!