Välkommen Irene !

It was lovley to meet Irene this week ! We went to Let it Rain Yarn, Village Yarn and Tea, Ben Franklin Crafts, and to a knit together at Mary's house. Lovely conversation, food, and a chance to see each others projects.




















Thank you Irene for the lovely skein of yarn that Barbro dyed, and thank you Barbro for the fun mug !




"I get by with a little
help from my friends."
- John Lennon





An especially hard week emotionally. Caring friends and family help how they can to salve the wounds. Why can life be so painful at times.......



Varför är du så bedrövad, min själ, och varför så orolig i mig ? Hoppas på Gud; ty jag skall åter få tacka honom, min frälsning och min Gud.

Why are you so downcast, O my soul ? Why are you disturbed within me ?
Put your hope in God , for I will yet praise him, my Saviour and my God. Psalm 44:23




David Austin rose " Graham Thomas" and Geranium "Ann Folkard"


"What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity. They are but trifles, to be sure but, scattered along life's pathway, the good they do is inconceivable."
- George Eliot

Time on Camano

A kind friend lent me use of their Camano Island cabin for four days. The cabin sits on a bluff looking west over the water towards Langley. No phone, no cell phone service, and no TV - lots of peace and quiet in a beautiful setting. Plenty of time to read, knit, and explore the island , unfortunately I forgot the camera. One evening as the half moon reflected on the water I lay on the sofa listening to the haunting soundtrack of the movie " The Straight Story " It is the most poignant, gentle, and thought provoking movie I have ever seen.

Lucent Evening

Watching silent ripples play,
And ebbing waves dance,
I sit by the placid sea,
Lost in mesmerized trance.
Soft dabs of colour,
On distant walls of horizon;
A thousand auric shades,
Painted by the setting sun.

Collage of unsung melodies,
Resonate across the evening sky;
A lone sail in deep sea,
With masts full open, passes by.

Mystic breezes carry in,
Fragrances from the past;
Forgotten memories come fleeting,
Even as time slips in haste.

I wish time stood still,
This moment it would spare;
But some things are not meant to be,
And life goes on, wonder where.

Written by Ritesh Nair




I worked on my Ullcentrum shawl and this "Appaloosa Hat".
I found the pattern on www.kidsknits.com (to make this Nordic they sell all Dale of Norway yarn !). I changed the pattern to try and match the colors of DC, my mini Appy. I was going to embroider his official name on there but " Storm of the Century " is too long ! I'm going to try and duplicate stitch his Leopard spots on to finish. When he was born he had alot of black on him but he has the "greying gene" which means he will eventually turn all white except for the large dark spots.





















Kids knits












Wild strawberries or Smultron came up thru the broken concrete patio






Sweet Mock Orange

Seven degrees of Nordic

I love the DPN holders. What a great idea !
Seven degrees of Nordic knitting hmmm.... I received this CPY Panda Wool as a gift because of a Mitered (Domino) Shawl I was knitting. The sock pattern came thru a Swedish website called

http://www.garnkorgen.se/

Gratis mönster på Internet ( free pattern on the Internet ) but is from Michigan !

http://stitchesofviolet.blogspot.com/2004/12/old-shale-two-yarn-sock-pattern.html













Miniatyrhästar Sammy och Poco















Clematis " Dr. Ruppel " winding thru the vine maple in the backyard.















"But friendship is precious, not only in the shade, but in the sunshine of life, and thanks to a benevolent arrangement the greater part of life is sunshine. "
Thomas Jefferson

A chilly day

Slow progress on my Ullcentrum shawl. Very simple pattern which is good for me with my mindset these days. Feels lovely.

Our yard looks best in the Spring and early Summer with the rhodies, roses, and others at their peak. After that everything peters out ! My friends make fun of me for choosing plants because of their names ie: "Anna", "Karin", etc.. How can someone with Swedish heritage NOT have this rose in their garden though !

"Lichtkönigin Lucia or Lucia, Queen of Light " 1966

See how the buds are tinted with orange like a candle flame then open to a beautiful yellow.







“There are always flowers for those who want to see them.”
Henri Matisse


Friend Cindy introduced me to Antique Roses when we first met 16 years ago. Yes, most of them only bloom once a season but what a show !
This one seems the color of French Vanilla ice cream, Ghislaine the color of peach ice cream.

Albéric Barbier 1900











Ghislaine de Feligonde 1916

















Anna and Morris foal "Seven"

Another Proud Mother Moment

I received an e-mail last week from one of the art teachers at Snohomish High School with great news.Ryan had entered three oil paintings in the district wide "Night of the Arts" festival. His Järvsö Church painting took first and his Växbo Kvarn Mallard painting took third. The superintendent wants to buy the church painting for $300 to be part of the permanent art collection of the school district ! It will be professionaly framed and have a plaque with his name etched on it. Ryan was so sweet, he told the teacher he couldn't agree to selling the picture until he talked to me. He knew how much I love that painting. It's hard for me to let any of his art go but this was too exciting. We'll have a digital image taken of it and put on canvas like paper.

"It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge ." Albert Einstein

Thank you Carol and Cathy !


From the museum in Härnösand.














This Sweet Briar Rose was said to be a favorite of Shakespeare. It's leaves smell sweetly of apples when brushed.

I'm in COLOR HEAVEN !!!!!!

The replacement scarf came today from Sirkka Könönen. WOW, I have it wrapped around me and can't bear to take it off yet and put it away. Well, I did have it off long enough for Anna to model it.
It's been a hard week emotionally and this was just the thing to brighten me up.

































At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.
Albert Schweitzer

My first cable project

Alba Rose
Königin von Dänemark - Queen of Denmark
This wonderful rose thrives with minimal care. If it survives here it will survive anywhere !


This fun owl hat pattern came from www.ruthieknits.com
Mine is to the right of course. The darker gray is Berrocco Ultra Alpaca and the lighter is Plymouth Suri Merino. Owls are fascinating creatures to me. I especially like Barn Owls which we used to see in our great grandparents barn, their heart shaped faces peering down from the rafters as we played in the hay.





















All the birds have flown up and gone;
A lonely cloud floats leisurely by.
We never tire of looking at each other -
Only the mountain and I.

Li Po

While in Sweden we went to Järvzoo which features animals from Scandinavia including these two owls or ugglar.

The BIGGEST thrill was to pet this baby moose in the childrens area ! How often do you get to do that ! This is a wonderful zoo and well worth the trip to see it.






Newest member of the Morris/Osborn family born last week "Sammy"