Smatterings

  • what surrounds us

    Yesterday, I took my lunch on the deck.  It was a beautiful warm sunny day.  Overhead I heard the call of a hawk.  He’d been flying over, circling for most of the morning.  I could make him out as he passed through the opening in the tree canopy.  The warm days last week set the leaves to popping.  Everyday, it is harder to see through the green forest curtain that will soon surround me.   Not more than a week ago, I could watch the birds wing through the branches on their way to the feeder.   Today, I hear the woodpeckers before I see them.  A bird zips down from overhead.  The repeating buzz of this swooping hummer tells me that he has begun his courting dance.  I know that the crows have offended or stolen from another bird by raucous cries.    If the orioles don’t break through the green and cross the yard, I will have missed them this year.   Winter to spring, I know the woods and its creatures in different ways, each season having its own sights and sounds.

    There hasn’t been much knitting.  Preparing for the Sheep & Wool festivals has taken all my free and not so free time these past few weeks.  It is a good kind of work, this work / play with fiber and color.  Thanks to all of you that stop by and chat, the days spent at my booth are fun and full.  The fairs invigorate and inspire me.  You too.  I know that there has been a lot of chatter about the disappointing behavior that has taken place at Maryland and now New Hampshire.  You can read about it elsewhere.  Please keep in mind, that for what was bad, there was a mountain more that was good.  Like a small town grown into a city,  it has become harder to know everyone.  It is up to us to keep the heart of the fiber community at the center.  Remember, it is WE who made it.  It is OUR TOWN.

    11 responses to “what surrounds us”

    1. Thank you for sharing a peek at your landscape, your piece of sky.

    2. Manise

      Taking back our town. Amen to that!
      My oriole disappeared- probably nesting in someone else’s tree *sniff* I love those birds- so busy and playful in the trees singing.

    3. I’m sad about the things that happened but you make an excellent point. I was truly happy to spend some time with you last weekend.

    4. Thanks for the lovely word-picture.

    5. You describe your wood so beautifully- thanks for sharing your lunchtime observations…
      Glad to hear you enjoyed the festival, and came back inspired & invigorated!

    6. Perhaps you should take your lunch outside every day – it sounds lovely! Our green canopy is full and hides the birds rather well, except for the show-off cardinal. I’m pretty sure I saw a hummingbird last week.

    7. Lovely word pictures. Thanks!

    8. Manise’s oriole visited me this evening.
      You are right. We can’t lose sight of the positive.

    9. I love the sounds of birds in the morning — spring for sure. And what a treat to see you so many weekends!

    10. What a tranquil, verdant picture you paint. And what a luxury to be able to take lunch on the deck. May you relish many such meals! (And may you continue to share them with us. Thanks!)

    11. Well said!

  • NH Sheep & Wool

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    If you are heading up to the NH Sheep & Wool Festival this week end, please stop by the Ball and Skein booth and say "hi".  I’ll be in the Home Arts Building.   It is the first building in through the Blue Gate, on the left.  There is a cookie vendor outside and the booth next to me is the "Tea Guy".  Free tea!  What could be better??  Cookies, tea, and yarn.. hmmm..!

    12 responses to “NH Sheep & Wool”

    1. …sounds wonderful to me!
      wish I could go, have a great time and come back to tell all about it!

    2. See you there!

    3. Sure will, see you then!

    4. Well, I was going to offer to bring you some coffee, but I can see the tea people are ahead of me yet again.

    5. Manana!! Have a safe drive.

    6. Woot! See you tomorrow!

    7. Manise

      One sleep dude! And I’m so there! This time I need to hit the tea booth too.

    8. Wish I could be there! I hope the weekend is fabulously successful for you.

    9. I hope you sell out! :o))
      I’ve had my feeder out for about a week now and haven’t seen one Hummingbird. Hopefully soon!

    10. I think I missed your building and the tea guy, dang!

    11. I caught your photo at Shirley’s! One of these days, I’m going to make it to one of these festivals!

  • spring things

    In a perfect world, on a perfect day, one would sit in the sun knitting and watching the hummers, all afternoon.  So.. I only got in a row or two.  The time that I had was pretty near perfect.

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    It is a fun knit, so far.  The Tulips Sweater… in Cotton Ease.  It’s washable.

    So far, only the ruby throated males have shown up.  The females are usually a week or so behind. 

    Mosaichummers

    12 responses to “spring things”

    1. Exquisite jewels! You give me hope.

    2. What a smart idea to knit the Tulip sweater in Cotton-Ease. You could make several variations with placement of color in subsequent versions b/c you would have lots of leftover yarn from the 1st project.

    3. Ah, I knew there was something I wanted to do today. I need to clean my feeder and put out fresh sugar water. I also learned something new, I didn’t know the males migrated first.

    4. Maybe if I put out a feeder they’ll start showing up. I might have heard one scream past my window yesterday. It’s going to be months before they can head to their favorite spot (and mine) at Silver Fork.

    5. Sounds like a great way to spend (even part!) of an afternoon!

    6. I am so impressed that you can get photos of them. They go so fast and I never manage to have the camera ready!

    7. Those are such clear photos! How’d you do that? 😉

    8. Great hummingbird photos. I keep planning to sit really still on our patio with a long lens…

    9. Not here yet. I predict Saturday morning. I can NEVER get photos! You’re good.

    10. Our first hummingbird showed up yesterday but then I haven’t seen another since. **Love** your photos!

    11. Tish

      No hummers here in SE Colorado yet, but the feeder is clean and ready to go (they buzz my screen door when the feeder is getting low!). I bought the Tulips pattern this past summer and Cotton-Ease in both a “boy” and a “girl” colorway but haven’t started one yet. What size needle are you using? (May save me a little swatching time!)

Our lives are dyed the colors of our imagination.” ~ Marcus Aurelius

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