I always assumed that if I had a disaster with my dyes, it would be because I knocked over a bottle of the dye solution, which really would be a disaster. But, as the case may be, it came in the form of my side-swiping a supposedly closed jar of dye powder only to find the lid not on tightly. Blue powder descended onto a box of 20 some cans of cat food, down the front of a wooden washboard, several assorted containers and finally hitting the floor.

Thankfully I had my mask on or I would be sneezing blue. YUK! I turned an afternoon of peaceful dyeing into a horrendous clean-up detail.  That was not fun. Still trying to find the lesson in that one – maybe be more careful, double check, etc, etc.  The next day proved to be much more satisfying in the dye room.

People? What people?

If you have ever been to the MD S&W show you understand exactly what I mean. And being a vendor adds a whole other level of stress to the picture. But, we got to see people we hadn’t seen in a year, catch up with a few snatches of conversation and generally had a good time. I even broke away and went to the sheep barn, and found some Romneys to hug on, shed a few nostalgic tears, and got my sheep fix for another year.  And my dyeing class was wonderful adding a new dimension to what I have previously been doing. Vickie Jensen of ProChem is a great instructor with a wealth of knowledge to draw on.

Look at what’s been going on on the Island while we were gone! Foals are dropping.

And what’s happening in the shop? We’re finishing up classes – the market bag, top-down sumer cardigan and coming up is the next installment of the washcloths. A new one every month to increase your knitting skills with new stitches. In October we’ll make soaps to package with them as possible Christmas gifts.

Yeah!

Always a celebration when a project is finished and especially with such dramatic results. I used 7 – 50g balls of the Gina yarn and size 8 needles.  Here it is being blocked.

Enjoying the predicted dusting of snow which actually became the unpredicted 3-4 inches before it finished up this morning. Came down so hard I couldn’t see the light from the lighthouse. Glad I was snug inside and not on the water. YIKES!

On Snow Goose Pond

Eagles taking a bath? That picture never came to mind until the other day when we happened upon the eagle doing exactly that in Snow Goose Pond. Your typical splashing with the wings, gotta get the water underneath it, how about the back feathers? It was a riot to watch. He probably realized his bath time had the paparazzi attending and flew off to join his mate in a nearby tree. This paparazzi needed a telephoto lens but hopefully you have a bit of imagination.

Schedule set for Jan & Feb

Classes and workshops are listed below. Please email or call the shop for more information.

Special Class in the Linen Stitch: Jan. 26th, 10-1. make a bookmark, embellish with beads or leave plain to show off the stitch. $25

KnitXperience Lite: March 8-10th – Information/registration.

Washcloth Pizazz! Jan 16th, 11-12
    We know you’ve done washcloths but have you tried a variety of patterns? It’s an excellent way to increase your skills. We’ll make one a month until October when we’ll have a soap making class so that we can bundle all the washcloths into gifts. Fee for washcloth class each month: $5 + supplies

Beginning Knitting – Jan. 17, 24, 31, 1-3
Learn how to cast on and bind off, knit and purl by making several items.
Fee: $35 + supplies

Owl Hat – Jan 11, 18th , 1-3
Knit an owl hat perfect for little ones and also that adult who still enjoys whimsical things. Fee: $20 + supplies

Beginning Sock Knitting – Jan. 25th, Feb. 1st, 8th, 1-3
Introduction to knitting socks with the magic loop. Make a miniature sock and then you’re ready for the real thing. Fee: $35+ supplies

This month we are having Bermuda Shawl KAL at 5pm every Thursday evening.

On Chincoteague Island!

Starting off small scale with my sign:

We went to Longwood Gardens to see their decorations and what did we find? A little yarn bombing going on there in the children’s part. The turtle and fish sported scarves and the hawk had earmuffs.