The sun feels so good

Even for a person raised here, this winter has been very hard. Never ending rain and cloudy skies in which the damp and the gray permeated everything. Yesterday was heavenly. I had forgotten what that glowing orb in the sky was ! Went about the yard taking pictures of the light and shadows.

"Awakening"
Hark the awakening of sounds!
The gentle humming of bumblebees,
birds singing a magnificent chorus,
a multitude of sonnets to the sky.

Creatures bathing in the golden rays,
Sweet smells filling the pure air,
erasing the harshness of winter.

Replacing those endless days
of cold darkness and longing
with soft touches and mild melodies.
Heralding pleasure to all senses.

By Rynya
(edited)







Hard to see the view from our porch in this picture but on a clear day we can see White Horse, Three Fingers, and Pilchuck peaks in their shining white mantles.



The boys meet their new neighbor. Sherman has high hopes for a blossoming romance !
Where's the step stool ?

Purchases from the Madrona Fiber Arts Retreat Marketplace. Had a wonderful time with Charisa, Linda, and Kristin shopping there last weekend. So much lovely fiber and great company !

Easier to care for than an actual Angora rabbit but just as lovely to pet !
Local hand spun from Kelley's Klann




Hand dyed roving from Heidi of

The Artful Ewe

BFL







Gorgeous Silk/Merino in which the colors just glow. It's practically a work of art !
Natural light











With flash








Long Cut Scarf pattern from Ravelry using my Etsy purchased Angora/Wool thick and thin by Robin Dodge.

Yesterday I went to use my gift certificate from Karen at Country Yarns of Snohomish.
Chose this Wool in Woods Cameo "Rosebud" It has a lovely drape to it. This company was bought out by Cherry Tree Hill and alot of their yarns are no longer available :(
Thanks Karen !!

My So Called Scarf

I jumped on the "My So Called Scarf" bandwagon along with many other Ravelers. It's a great and easy pattern from

Sheep in the City
First I tried using CPY Taos but decided I liked the look of the Manos shown in the original. The Taos will make a lovely hat instead.








I purchased this Manos Silk Blend, with this scarf in mind, on a day trip with Karen C.. She brought me to a great little shop in Bellingham called

Apple Yarns
It has a fantastic selection. Couldn't walk out of there without buying something ! I like the way the color mottles throughout giving it a more woven look.


Thanks for the socks !











Besides Ravelry, I love cruising thru

Etsy Shops "Your place to buy and sell all things handmade"
Found this wool/angora handspun by Robin Dodge of One Sheep Hill. It's called "Black Ice" The color reminds me of the glacial ice in the background.


Picture courtesy of

Natures Mighty Pictures
Iceland


From my stash.

Schaefer Elaine "Indira Gandhi"








Farmhouse Lumpy Bumpy "Rhythm and Blues"




With three dogs this rings quite true !

OMG

Charisa organized a fabulous train trip to Portland to visit three yarn shops, Powells Bookstore, and everything in between !!! There was a full train car of happy, happy, knitters and on the way back shoppers !! She did a great job and it was the most fun I've had in a long time. She arranged a 20% discount at two stores, and a free skein of yarn at the other. There was no sales tax to boot !! Scones, tea, and hot cider were set out at my personal favorite, Dublin Bay. They have a wonderful selection, great ambiance, and very kind and courteous staff.
(Except for the Koigu wall all store photos are courtesy of the respective shops)






The famous wall of Koigu at Knit Purl.


Knit Knot is a charming small shop which included local handspun.








I could write all day about this wonderful trip. Can't wait until next year !!Thanks Charisa !!

My train buddies in the rear of the car. Aren't we glowing ?

Charisa, the wunderkind, on the left.














I should be on a yarn diet but I couldn't resist this Sea Silk at Dublin Bay. It is gorgeous !!
















Saturday was spent with friend Karen in Edmonds. We had lunch first at Chantrelles where we both had the world's messiest sandwiches !!
Afterwards we went to Spin A Yarn and perused their vast selection.




She gave me this absolutely fabulous gift basket as a belated Xmas present. Thank you Karen for your generosity and thoughtfulness. It was like Xmas morning all over again !

Christmas Fairy

The Christmas Fairy came again this year to wrap our porches with aromatic fir, cedar, hemlock, and holly. I cried when I came home and found our home festooned with such greenery. Thank you Cindy !!





Anna and friends went cross country skiing a few weeks ago in the beautiful Cascade Mountains.





With long time friend Dustin










We went to Cindy's last weekend to see the minis. Tess, the "blonde", with a happening doo !







Sammy and Spotman nose to nose.






Started Barbro's Star of the Forest Mitten pattern using Lorna's Laces "Blackwatch" and Toots LeBlanc Angora/Wool. Had to rip it out as it was too big :(
I LOVE the way the Toots LeBlanc yarn feels !

Julafton

Uncounted Blessings

Whenever we gather together,
The words are not easy to find,
But love speaks a common language
When people have ties that bind.
We don't always say what we're feeling
As often as families should;
We don't count our blessings out loud,
But somehow they're understood.
We know that we're thankful for living
With the comfort of each other's care;
We're grateful for memories and stories,
And the jokes that our family shares.
We might leave a promise unspoken,
But we know that we're loyal and true;
We can count on companions through life,
In the sunshine and shadows, too.
We might show some special attention
To a stranger, acquaintance, or guest,
But we never forget in our hearts
About those that we really love best.
These blessings can never be counted
Like money or gold dividends;
They can only be shared as the love
That exists when families are friends.

Jill Wolf

Xmas Eve was here. We keep the long standing family tradition of what we imagine a Swedish Julafton should be.
Pickled herring, meatballs, potato sausage, cucumber salad, flat bread, and more.
It was a relaxing time with friends and family.

Life is full of many blessings

Thankful
Some days, we forget to look around us,
Some days, we can't see the joy that surrounds us,
so caught up inside ourselves,
we take when we should give,
so for tonight we pray for,
what we know can be,
and on this day we hope for,
what we still can't see,
It's up to us, to be the change,
and even though we all can still do more,
there's so much to be thankful for,
look beyond ourselves,
there's so much sorrow,
it's way to late to say, I'll cry tomorrow
each of us must find our truth,
it's so long overdue,
so for tonight we pray for,

what we know can be,
and everyday, we hope for,
what we still can't see,
it's up to us, to be the change,
and even though we all can still do more,
there's so much to be thankful for,
even with our differences,
there is a place WE'RE all connected,
each of us can find each others light,
So for tonight, we pray for
what we know can be,
and on this day, we hope for,
what we still can't see,
it's up to us, to be the change,
and even though this world NEEDS so much more
there's so much to be thankful for.

David Foster, Carole Bayer, Richard Page

Xmas is coming too soon !!

Can't believe Christmas is just over a week away. My next life I'm coming back as an organized person ! I'm not ready at all but it will work out though, always has. Anna is helping with shopping which I really appreciate. Christmas will be different this year.....

"Men's courses will foreshadow certain ends, to which, if persevered in, they must lead," said Scrooge. "But if the courses be departed from, the ends will change. Say it is thus with what you show me!"
- A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens



Marc and Anna cutting our tree. Marc looking very fashionable in shorts and friend Elizabeth's coat ! He lives in shorts year round, has since a young child. People are quite puzzled why I "let" him but he's happy.


Multidirectional diagonal scarf I made with two of my favorite yarns
Farmhouse Lumpy Bumpy
and Berocco Ultra Alpaca
Found the pattern on Ravelry.com
The colorway is "Autumn" but it looks very Christmasy to me. Just noticed I didn't finish it properly. Oh well....

B&B holiday party was last week at Charisa's house. Didn't get a picture of her at the party so grabbed this one off her Ravelry profile. Was very fun and as always great to see other peoples projects.
















Custom dyed Merino roving purchased from Kristin who's in the group. She sells as Allspunup on Etsy.com Great colors !! Will be interesting to see how it spins up.








See what came in the mail today from my e-mail buddy Ulla ! We met in 1994 when I was trying to research the surname Winroth. Her name popped up in the search engine. We are not related but have been writing ever since. She lives in Örebro with her sambo Calle. She always finds her cute Christmas presents at area craft fairs, wanting to support the local artisans. Calle's ancestral home is in Järvsö. We met them on our trip in 2006. It was great to finally meet after corresponding so long.
It's wonderful how the Internet can bring people together from across the globe.