Jam!

Yesterday Beth and I went blueberry picking at Morris Orchard in Amherst County.  We have had more rain this spring than past years and the blueberries are huge and so delicious.  Beth wound up with just over 5lbs and I was a bit under.  Ive frozen some, gave some to Angie, baked a cake and this morning made blueberry lime jam.

I wash the berries first and then measure them out.

The recipe called for crushing them in layers and then boiling.  I used a potato masher and it did a great job.

The finished product:

You can find the recipe I used here.  I added 2 packs of powdered pectin as mine wasn't setting well with one and only 4 cups of sugar.

Andy and I took a weekend off from fishing to do a little wandering around downtown Lynchbug.  One of our favorite places to visit is Estate Specialists.  They have everything and nearly anything you could ever want or imagine. It's fun to go and poke around for a bit just to see what's new.  The stained glass in the above photo is in the peak of one of their buildings. 

This interesting sculpture made of re purposed electronic components was in the lobby of one building:

I couldn't really decided if it was creepy or cool, I think it falls somewhere in between.

Ive been inching along (couldn't resist the pun, sorry!) on the Stripe Study Shawl for the Shalimar KAL on Ravelry.  The original pattern called for large stripes mixed with pin stripes.  This shawl is really in right now on Ravelry and I wanted to do something a little different while still keeping with the same pattern.  Ive made the stripes the same width with each color.  What do you think of this look?

And to finish up our weekend recap, we stopped by Andys parents house for Fathers Day. Somehow our wires got crossed and we missed them.  While we were waiting for them to come home, Andy and I walked around his moms garden and I took some photos.  Love this water feature and how the light is showing from the slats in the deck above.  It gave it an interesting perspective.

Knitting Bliss

Ive been doing a bit of test knitting lately and really enjoying it.  Here is the latest one: Summer Wind by IrishGirlieKnits.  It's such a great pattern and super easy too.  I literally knitted the enitre scarf in just three days. 

I love that it can be worn in several different ways.  Very versatile and would be a great last minute gift to knit up if you are in a hurry.

When Princess Kate and Prince William got married, I got up early and watched the entire broadcast.  I love anything British and who can resist a Royal Wedding?  I found a cute book:  Knit Your Own Royal Wedding and have knitted up Kate and William.  

Last week my husband, Andy, and I were at TJ Maxx and we stumbled on a mannequin!  Ive wanted one for so long, I couldn't believe it when we saw her!  Ok, I realize now that they sell them online at Amazon and if I had done just a little bit of research I could have easily found one.  But then we wouldn't have had the fun of finding this one.  She's modeling my heavily modified Beach Sand Blouse  .  Necklace and tank top by Banana Republic.

My latest project are the Love at the Opera gloves: 

Im almost done with the first one.  They are going to come to about 3" above my elbow.  No plans to go to the opera any time in the near  future, but thought they would look cute with a sleeveless dress or tank top this fall.  Maybe I will wear them when we go see Rocky Horror this fall at Universal.  I heard the movie theater there serves beer so it should make for even better than normal people watching.  Might have to sneak my camera in.

Don't forget the Shalimar Yarns Stripe Study KAL starts tomorrow.  Kristi is giving some great prizes so be sure to check it out.

Last but not least, sunrise on Mill Creek in Amherst, VA:

Shalimar Yarns

When I was at Maryland Sheep & Wool back in May, Kristi from Shalimar Yarns offered me an incredible opportunity to become Shalimar's Director of Social Media.  I started last week and you will see some of my posts on their Face Book Page , in the Shalimar Yarns Group on Ravelry , the Shalimar Blog and on Twitter.  Im really excited to be part of the Shalimar Team.  Kristi and Paul are the nicest people you would ever want to meet and their yarns are incredible.

My husband Andy and I met Kristi and Paul several years ago at our first Maryland Sheep & Wool show.  We all really hit it off and have been great friends ever since. 

Im hosting my first Knit Along on Ravelry in the Shalimar Group and hope you will join us.  The pattern is the Stripe Study Shawl and can be knit in Zoe or Breathless.  There are going to be some great prizes too:

• A Skein of Breathless
• $10 Gift Certificate to Shalimar Yarns
• Your choice of a Shalimar Pattern

Stripe Study is a very easy knit and perfect to bring with you to the beach, for car knitting or when sitting by the pool.  The KAL starts on June 15th and runs through July 17. 

Thursday Rambling

Last year I received eleven pounds of Cotswold locks.  They were washed and picked and had a wonderful luster.  I dyed some of them, used some for felting and still had a little over eight pounds left over.  I packed them up and sent them off to Singleton Fiber Processing in Frederick, MD.  I was able to pick up the finished pencil roving from them at Maryland Sheep & Wool last month.  It's spinning up easily and in a nice worsted weight.  I plan on spinning some of it in lace weight too.  After all, eight pounds of roving is going to make a huge amount of yarn! 

My husband and I have been working on turning what used to be our spare room/office into a proper crafting room.  I really needed more storage space for yarns and patterns as well as for knitting books.  We found these inexpensive book cases at Walmart and they fit in the little alcove perfectly:

There is a still a bit of extra room here and there if more storage space is needed.  Two of the large baskets are holding small knitting project bags with patterns and yarn all ready to go.  So much of my time is spent trying to put yarn and patterns together.  Now when I  find a pattern that is perfect for yarn that is in my stash I print it out and put it with the yarn.  If Im in a pinch and looking for a new project I can just grab one of these and be ready to go.

We found this Victorian wicker love seat at a vintage shop on one of our weekend travels.  It's very comfortable and a great place to sit and kit.  The braided rug was made by my Great Grandmother.  She cut strips of old clothing to make it.

Im currently working on a test knit for IrishGirlieKnits .  Summer Wind is an infinity scarf and a super quick and easy knit.  I should be finished with it today and will have finished pictures later on this week.

Celaeno Shawl

Last night I finished the Celaeno Shawl.  After binding off, I gave it a quick soak and blocked it.  This morning I ran out and got a few quick pictures before the rain (will it ever stop?). 

I love how the beads are incorporated into the lace pattern.  They show up really well in sunlight adding a bit of sparkle here and there.

Over the weekend my order from KokoNoelle arrived:

Noelle and her sister make these beautiful nest buttons by hand.  The picture doesn't show it well but they look like little birds nests.  I purchased a few of them at Maryland Sheep & Wool and when I got home I realized that I needed a few more and Noelle was kind enough to send them right out.

Monday the Somewhat Random Day

Monday's tend to be random and scattered for me. The start of the week which seems to begin in a fog 

Celaeno Shawl in Shalimar Yarns Breathless  The pattern is a fun knit and the yarn is very soft.  It's a blend of wool, cashmere and silk.  I found the beads at AC Moore and they match perfectly.

As the day goes on, it brightens up filling the world with beauty and light.

I took this picture on Saturday.  The clouds look so much like a bird in flight.  Art in nature captivates me.

The garden has been growing in leaps and bounds.  In the past I haven't had much luck with vegatables.  Flowers grow like crazy for me.  The vegatables either don't grow at all or the deer demolish them.  This  year we have added a stealthy fence made of fishing line.  We have also been sprinkling Irish Spring Soap around the edges of the garden to deter any veggie stealing critters.  So far it's working.

Everything in this salad came from our garden.  The strawberries went really well with bleu cheese dressing. 

I have successfully killed every lavendar plant for the previous four years.  Above is success!  Seven lavendar plants.  All growing and producing for us.  Im going to make sachets to put in my yarn storage boxes to deter any moths from having a feast.