GOLDEN

 life at the moment. i have to remind myself to breath. sometimes so much is going on it's a challenge to know where to start, how to share. keep up my journal here. i may sound calm, but i am filled with exclamation points. oh dear here they come, those marks that illustrate everything these days, and a few photos too...

a baby swallow! i feel like this too little bird, sing your heart out!

my best friend went to greece and turkey, she and her husband had a brilliant time (we still need to get together, drink wine, see the photos!). they brought me many gifts, including this from istanbul. this hand stitched, cashmere shawl. exclamation point!!

it was my lucky day! here is a new perfect size cross body bag for my trip that i managed to get....

and some pouches from bookhou too, perfect for carrying watercolor pencils in my suitcase. the wool is going to be my travel knit (i think). reading 'how to catch a frog' by heather ross. lovely lovely book.

i grew a strawberry (s) and finally got to eat one before the raccoons did!!

stitching in progress for my travel journal (to shetland!!) ( nineteen more days!!!)

to celebrate summer solstice, i made a flower wreath...

for my head :)  i tried to have owen model it, but that was as likely to happen as if he were to make it. ;)

here come the exclamations. to celebrate the first little movements OF OUR NEW BABY!!! i've cast on a kicking bag. this is my girl on the left in her middle trimester and in the photo on the right, she's four years old. will it ever stop being a complete and total miracle, when your baby has a baby??!!!!!

and then, friends...remember this child of mine? my baby? hannah rose?

last week in kentucky. here, because they are so darling, is a reenactment. he proposed. she said yes. 

my baby is getting married. !!!!!!

~ before i end this post i wanted to say thank you so much for the kindness (as always) on my bressay dress. i am really thrilled with it, it's really so amazing to wear a dress you've knitted. if you've ever had a mind to make one i would encourage you to give this pattern a try. and the very last thing, i am completely honored and thrilled to have been featured on fringe association. thank you karen. whew. (!!!) :)

happy 4th.

xxx lori

bressay

my bags are not packed, but i'm ready to go...

my first knitted dress! this is bressay, done and done, and ready for it's journey to scotland and the shetland islands (again, deepest apologies for repeating myself, unless you are new here, welcome!) and again standing by the theory that the longer an item takes to make, the more photographs it gets, hee hee. this truly was an outstanding pattern, easily accomplished by even an ambitious beginning knitter. it's top down, a teeny bit of fair isle, sleeves in the round and lots and lots of stockinette stitch (i omitted the pockets). what makes this dress so soft and light (and cozy!) to wear is the loft wool it's made with. one of my favorite yarns ever, there is something magical about the delicate, yet sturdy fabric it becomes. my hap shawl, hansel, joined in the photo shoot, and completes my shetland outfit, plenty layered knitted warmth now  :)

bressay 

 these are my travel journals. in the foreground is a brand new blank book (waiting to be filled!) and materials, to give it a personalized cover...

 trying something a bit different, embroidery, crossing fingers it will work!

only thirty three more sleeps ;)

xxx lori

the things they made

just over the hill and around the lake, in a sunny little valley near my home, was a small fiber festival. i went sunday morning and met talented spinners, dyers, felters and a brilliant sculptor. the yarn over truck was even there!
i was a good girl (on a budget) saving up for my summer trip or i would have brought home that sculpted fox oh! and the kiwi! everything sara created was exquisite. her fanciful imagination realized in the most incredible (cannot use enough superlatives) whimsical pieces. and then i saw the felted owls. oh goodness. these are the creation of borbala. bori teaches natural dying and felting, i signed up for her felted owl necklace class. :) sad to not bring one of these treasures home, but i didn't go away completely empty handed, i found these pretty speckly hanks of wool and silk. i think they kind of match the wild lupine i saw growing in meadows surrounding the festival.
you can find sara's sculpture's at her etsy shop ~ spun on cotton and borbala's felted goods at bori dolls
the wool is from shari (sorry to have forgotten your photo shari!) at morro fleece works in morro bay. lovely work ladies!


and along with lots of knitting lately...

i've been practicing sashiko. i recently found preprinted sashiko designs, you only have to begin stitching. the leaf pattern i am working on is supposed to be a pillow top. i think maybe it wants to be a project bag instead. :)  did you see the felt scissor case? that is the work of my sweet friend karen (she made the pin cushion too, a white owl, love) if you need a good pair of embroidery scissors (gingher) with a very lovely handmade case, karen has them in her etsy shop crows nest studios. 

and honestly, i don't understand how it happened. there is an extraordinary (embarrassing) amount of projects on the needles. a sample knit was just finished, it needs a teeny bit of seaming and off it goes (yay! whew) then there is the in progress dress, and shawl and another shawl. i happily joined in a new kal with lovely leigh, and even though she said it would be just fine to keep knitting whatever you are already working on, i was compelled to cast on the same project she was making, the beautiful shallows cowl. the start of which is shown dangling above. it is such a pretty thing. have a wonderful week ahead. xxx lori