Monday, March 30, 2015

Thrift Store Finds

I may or may not have done a little dance in the thrift store when I came across a rack of natural yarns. (okay, the dance was only in my head).

I did refrain myself to buying only two, but I will probably go back later this week to see if the others are still there.

Just look at these beauties! This one is 100% baby alpaca. The color is Tide Pool. I think this would make a lovely lace shrug. I was looking for a pattern yesterday but couldn't find one I liked. Perhaps this will be the project where I dare to design my own pattern?



These two are 100% Merino Wool. On the label it says it is a sock yarn so I am guessing that it will self-stripe, which will make a fun pair of socks. Now who to make them for?


Happy Knitting! 

Sunday, March 29, 2015

Waking Up

Springtime. 
It is a beautiful time of year.
The ground is turning green.
The breeze is cool. 
The trees are starting to bud.
The birds are singing.
The kids are all outside playing. 


It feels like the world is waking up.


   In Colorado, we are having almost summer like weather. Today the temperature is 76 degrees. And the forecast is pretty similar for the next 10 days. The gardening bug has bitten me hard this year and I am dying to get out and play in the soil. I know that there is still a pretty high chance that we will get more snow and frosts in April and possibly May, so I must content myself with simply reading and planning for my garden.



Springtime is also the time when bears wake up from hibernation. 
Bears can cause a lot of havoc in a garden and not everyone looks forward to them waking up.

   My friendly little bears, however, are waking up to bring comfort to kids on the other side of the world. 
   Meet Teddy, my first finished teddy bear that will get to travel to Africa to bring comfort and joy to a little kid. 





Teddy before he had a face





A very hungry bear that needs some stuffing before they can wake up

The beginning of another bear
(on top of my gardening notebook!)

   These bears are my new favorite thing to knit! They are easy to knit up in a few hours with lots of ways to customize the pattern. My goal is to have another 499 bears follow Teddy to Africa in the next couple of years. I already have another 6 bears knit so I just need to fill them and sew on their faces. It never ceases to amaze me what a simple skein of yarn can turn into. In this case, the skein of yarn is turning into a friend that will bring smiles to kids. I love it!

   Spring, you can take you time. I will patiently wait (or try too!) for you while keeping myself busy with reading, planning, and knitting.