Home Again

I did not write a post last week as we were with family in Minnesota. Each summer my sister and brother-in-law invite us to visit at their lake home in the northwoods. My brother and niece who live in Montana joined us. We enjoyed being together and enjoyed the area. My sister and I spent happy hours knitting and chatting on the screened in porch. I helped her make a batch of peach jam. We worked a jigsaw puzzle with my niece who is college bound this fall. A couple of afternoons I sat on the dock while my niece paddle-boarded or kayaked. We each experienced a few bittersweet moments as we remembered other visits with John, the brother who passed away last September. 

One afternoon my husband and I went into town. He browsed the big hardware store and read while I went to the Serenity Now Yarn and Alpaca Shop. The owner of the store and her husband also own an alpaca farm. The shop sells commercial yarn as well as fiber and yarn from their animals. They also sell spinning wheels. I had arranged to take a lesson on spinning. Esther spent two hours with me. I spun and plied this little ball of beginner yarn. The cream colored fiber is cormo and the soft brown is the owner's alpaca. She sells Kromski Spinning Wheels so I tried a Kromski Fantasia and a Kromski Sonata Wheel. One thing different from the lesson I took in March was time spent spinning with already spun yarn to get the feel of yarn/fiber going through my fingers and on to the wheel. Esther was very kind and patient. I throughly enjoyed the lesson and came away thinking I could eventually master spinning on a wheel. The spinning adventure continues. 

Today (and other Wednesdays) Kat greets her readers as "gentle unravelers." I love her greeting. The world benefits from gentle makers. At any rate, I am happy to be back, writing in this space. I didn't take many photos or read blogs while I was away. I'm slowly catching up and finding it takes me longer to rest from traveling than it used to. Oh - age. 

At any rate, our trip to Minnesota made for good knitting time. I don't know what I'd do if I couldn't knit away the miles. I almost finished the baby sweater in Minnesota. I did knit the last few rows of the second sleeve after I got home. Somehow my count on the decorative stitches was off and after knitting those rows three times, I decided to sort that out at home. Now the sweater needs a spa treatment, ends woven in, and buttons but it will be ready before the intended recipient arrives in August. On the ride home, 525 miles, I worked on a new pair of socks.  

While away I read Garlic, Mint, and Sweet Basil by Jean-Claude Izzo, a little book of essays that I purchased at the Watermark Books and Cafe in Wichita, Kansas. We usually stop there on our Texas trips. This independent bookstore is a gem and I sometimes purchase a book I wouldn't find at Barnes and Noble. In this book, Izzo wrote about the cities around the Mediterranean Sea. The three very short pieces that make up the title were the best. I found his opinion that the cities around all sides of the Mediterranean should be viewed as one community and not separated into European, African, Middle East locations interesting. He wrote a little about the commonalities between the cities. Some of the book was a bit esoteric and not to my liking. The book was also translated from French which also changes a reading experience. 

I hope your making and reading is treating you well. I look forward to catching up with this blog community. 

Ravelry Links

Baby Sweater

Summer Socks