A Rose by any other name....

Saw this pattern on the

Knit Purl website and had to buy it. I used the yarn Irene brought which was dyed by Barbro. It's a lapel pin. I think it turned out well and I love the color.













I took these pictures of Hälsingland sweaters at the museum in Härnösand last summer. Someday it would be nice to do one in that style.
















The kids and I were working on the upstairs last weekend to look for garage sale items and Marc found this. He made me laugh " Hey Mom, don't I look ripped !". I am so blessed with my three children. They get along for the most part and have a great sense of humor.

Feels like Fall.....

It's been cool and rainy lately. So many patients today said it feels like Fall already.

I finished my Koigu shawl. It's very simple but as someone said the color speaks for itself. It is such a wonderfully soft yarn and this colorway I love. I joke I can only do the simplest of projects, that they are the "popsicle stick art" of knitting. I so want to do some lace knitting but that will have to wait until the storm is over.














Thanks BW and KC for listening.



From my stash-Claudia's Hand Painted "Blue Sky"




















Taken by Ryan, who has become a connoisseur of sunsets.



Noble Sunset


I’ve gazed upon the sunset
In all its glorious hues;
And understood its awesome power;
Its propensity to soothe.

The true measure of a person’s soul;
The legacy left behind;
Is akin to the masterful sunset,
And etched in spiritual shrine.

To be like that wondrous force;
To shine boldly with color and grace
In the last moments of one’s glory
Until nobly conceding the day.

James Holsey

Summer travels

Hard to believe it's mid August already. Haven't finished any projects lately and want to wait until I'm finished with my Koigu shawl before I take a picture. I have three shawls and one scarf going at once !

These are a few photos from Anna's trip to Sweden. We are made fun of when we go over there because we always have to make a pilgrimage to the ancestral cabin "Oxnedalen" that is no longer there. Last summer we couldn't find it as it was raining and we went too far into the woods. Cousin Leif found it and here he is with his two daughters Astrid and Agnes, Anna and her cousins, Jessa and Elisabeth, showing their mock glee for finding the pile of rocks (foundation).







A must for Jessa was a trip into Dalarna to see the Dala horse boutiques.














Elisabeth, Jessa, Tina, and cousin Per Ingemar






















Anna bought these stylin' pieces in Stockholm !

DC Appaloosa Hat

I know my kids think I'm quite odd, but they are good
natured about it, making me laugh with their teasing.
Marc is wondering why I would knit a "horse" hat named
after our mini DC. He was kind enough to model it for
me though. DC is thrilled as you can tell ! He used to
be a real rascal when a baby, so his former owners
named him DC for Devil Child, I've changed it to Darn
Cute ! He is very mild- mannered. Anyway, this was the first time
I've used duplicate stitches. Still have to finish the
back. The kit came from

Kids Knits with "Dale of Norway Yarn".




Ryan, Anna, and Marc



This is the yarn Irene gave me this summer which was hand dyed by Barbro. It is very soft and the color reminds me of blackberry/raspberry swirled sorbet.





Emotional stress still has it's tentacles firmly entwined in my brain, I can only do the simplest of patterns. This too shall pass I hope.........

God has said,
"Never will I leave you;
never will I forsake you. So we say with confidence,
The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?"
Hebrews 13

"För Gud har sagt: Jag kommer aldrig att överge dig eller svika dig.
Det är därför som vi utan minsta tvekan eller oro kan säga: Herren hjälper mig, och jag är inte rädd för något som människor kan göra mot mig."
Hebreerbrevet 13

Thank you LJ

We had a board meeting last weekend for the Nordic Knitting Conference. There are only eight class slots open out of three hundred plus. This is very exciting !

Lycklig Resa !

Daughter Anna, nieces Elisabeth and Jessa, and sister Tina ready to leave for the airport on their Scandinavian adventure ! Wish I was with them !
July 19th












Taken in Dalarna by Cousin Per Ingemar
July 24th






















Koigu KPPPM 105D
Reminds me of an antique Victorian Christmas - faded velvet, burnished gold, the tree,......



What Is to Come

WHAT is to come we know not. But we know
That what has been was good--was good to show,
Better to hide, and best of all to bear.
We are the masters of the days that were;
We have lived, we have loved, we have suffered...even so.

Shall we not take the ebb who had the flow?
Life was our friend? Now, if it be our foe--
Dear, though it spoil and break us! --need we care
What is to come?

Let the great winds their worst and wildest blow,
Or the gold weather round us mellow slow;
We have fulfilled ourselves, and we can dare
And we can conquer, though we may not share
In the rich quiet of the afterglow
What is to come.

William Ernest Henley

Lavender Festival

...To lift the spirit, cheer the heart and make all sweet.

Kind friend and coworker Debbie treated me to the Lavender Festival in Sequim this past weekend. It was so relaxing and alot of fun. Eight Lavender farms were on the tour, plus a street fair in town. Everything made with lavender-cheesecake, ice tea, ice cream, BBQ sauce, lotions, soaps, candles, plus much, much, more. The fields were beautiful and the fragrance wafting everywhere smelled lovely.
We stayed at a charming bed and breakfast on a farm which has been in this family since 1870. We sat in the evenings on the big wrap around porch with a view of the Straight in the distance, knitting and watching the cows meander about. The smell of salt air is so wonderful. Ran into Port Townsend for a few hours and checked out two yarn shops. I managed not to buy anymore thank goodness ! Debbie picked up some Misti Alpaca to make a hat for her daughter.

A little pink amongst the lavender.







Hanged up in houses,
it doth very well attemper the aire,
coole and make fresh the place to the delight
and comfort of such as are therein.
~~By John Gerard, 1597.~~

























My lavender products-linen water, honey, lavender citrus lotion, and candle.



Mother Alpaca and her nine day old son.






Debbie knitting while waiting for the ferry.







This came from Leena Riihivilla while I was gone. I couldn't resist ordering them ! They are beautiful.

The sun feels good

Det är en ny lugn dag. Min lilla damm med vattenfall låter
behagfullt i bakgrunden, medan jag skriver. Vädret är perfekt. inte för varmt, inte för kallt.
I morse plockade jag lite smultron att ha i min smoothie. Dessa små
bär smakar så gott. (REALLY edited by PI)









Proverbs 18:4
4 The words of a man's mouth are deep waters,
but the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.

Ordspråksboken 18:4
4Orden i en mans mun äro såsom ett djupt vatten, såsom en flödande bäck, en vishetens källa.















Gallica ; Rosa Mundi
12th Century
Named after Fair Rosamund, the mistress of King Henry II of England
(Heirloom Roses)





Portulaca grandiflora ; Moss rose









Feverfew ; Tanacetum parthenium







Haven't progressed much with my knitting. This yarn is from my stash. I bought it at the Madrona Fiber Arts Retreat Marketplace. Lovely yarn created locally by Rainshadow Farm. Don't know why I'm in a purple phase !











Evelyn suggested awhile back that the nystpinne is an excellent way to wind up scrap yarn. Thanks again Barbro !




Knitting

Love dies
Knit one
Purl one
Cast off.

linda jenkinson

This sums it up !

Leviathans

Anna, Ryan, and Marc are on the annual 4H Natural Resources Whale Watching trip on San Juan Island right now. It is a wonderful opportunity to see these wonderful creatures. It is awe inspiring to see them breach, swim under the boat, spy hop, and more. Cell phone service is pretty non-existent so haven't heard if they've seen any yet. They have the digital camera so no picture taking for me until they return on the 13th. Ryan started a painting of this sunset. It is looking wonderful so far.

Picture taken by Lee on San Juan Island 2006

A heart's sunset

Out over the ocean, its waves are silent where they lay; a magnificent orange orb of fire drops down to be swallowed by the ocean.
The orb's spears of light slice through the water.
Down and deeper it cuts
This is the magnificent beauty of the sunset.
Everyone has one in there heart.
Can you find your sunset?
A priceless sight that the heart can conjure,
as the orb seeps below the horizon, to the signify the dawning of the new day.
The new day will bring new changes and people.......

Natalie Vail


Pictures courtesy of the Center for Whale Research














Psalm 104:25-26

25 There is the sea, vast and spacious,
teeming with creatures beyond number—
living things both large and small.
26 There the ships go to and fro,
and the leviathan, which you formed to frolic there.

Psaltaren 104:25-26

25 Se ock havet, det stora och vida:
ett tallöst vimmel rör sig däri,
djur både stora och små.
26 Där gå skeppen sin väg fram,
Leviatan, som du har skapat att leka däri

Happy 4th of July !

Climbing Rose "4th of July"


We ought not to look back unless it is to derive useful lessons from past errors, and for the purpose of profiting by dear-brought experience.
George Washington

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