The lilacs have gone by but the bridal wreath is in full bloom. I love that just being in my yard this time of year gives me something beautiful to photograph.

Happy Weekend!

1) What was I doing 10 years ago?
Dale and I were just about to celebrate our 1st wedding anniversary. My mom had died in March so I was still reeling from that. I was working full time as director of our town library and trying hard to be a good wife, mom and step mom. I was not yet a knitter.

2) What are 5 things on my to-do list for today?
It’s Thursday so that means payroll and next week’s schedule. I have some paperwork to do, I need to stop at the grocery store on my way home from work, and I also need to finish up some test knitting.

3) Snacks I enjoy:
cheese and crackers, pita chips and hummus, popcorn, wasabi peas

4) Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
Quit my job, pay off the mortgage and various other things, travel, set up trust funds for my kids, and buy a beautiful spot for all my fiber friends to gather.

5) Places I have lived:
Ummm. Massachusetts.

6) 5 peeps I wanna know more about:
No tags. I think everyone has done this by now but if you haven’t, feel free!

Happy Thursday, it’s almost the weekend.

I’d like to discuss for a moment the knitting of a scarf. I think that many experienced knitters tend to avoid scarves. I don’t know if it’s because we all got sick of garter stitch scarves when we were learning to knit or if it’s because (sometimes) scarves seem to take forEVer but it seems to me that we don’t knit enough scarves.

I, however, am doing my part to change that. Why, just last week I knit this sweet little scarf.

It’s called Boing! and it is a terrific pattern from Anne combined with a terrific yarn from Kim.

It’s perfect for cool spring evenings when you just need a little something-something to chase away the chill.

It’s entertaining to knit and quickly produces a really beautiful product. It would be a great gift.

But not this one. This one is for me.

At two hours and forty-five minutes from home, Massachusetts Sheep & Wool is hardly the perfect day trip. But we all know that never stops a fiber enthusiast! So, on Saturday Dale and I and Sharon and Al left bright and early for Cummington.

The chatting in the car made the ride go quickly and it seemed like we arrived in no time. We were greeted in the parking lot by Juno and Cate and that was the perfect start to a day of friends and fiber.

The first sheep we saw was this one. I call him Lyle Lovett.

Once we started wandering around we quickly bumped into Kathy, Manise, Laurie and Jess. We spent some time shopping together and then had a wonderful picnic lunch of fried chicken, potato salad and wine.

After lunch we shopped some more while we waited for the fleece sale. And yes, I did indeed buy a beautiful merino fleece. Al asked me how many fleeces I had at home and I looked at him pointedly and said, “that’s irrelevant. I don’t have this fleece.”

We then spent the best part of the day – lolling around on the grass, taking photos, chatting, knitting and spindle spinning. I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again, it’s the gathering of friends that truly makes these festivals special.

Friends like Cheryl and Mel.

And dear sweet Cate.

And Jackie and her brand new baby bump!

The day really flew by and before I knew it we were dropping Sharon and Al at their front door. It was great to spend such wonderful time with friends amongst the fiber.

My day lilies are in bloom. I’ve had these for years and no one has ever been able to identify the variety – any takers?

Have a great weekend and Happy Memorial Day! See you on Tuesday.

I’ve covered knitting, spinning and a meme this week. I’m left with nothing to talk about but food. That’s okay, though, because I like talking about food.

A week or so ago Cindy posted a dinner that included bean salad. I asked for the recipe, which she gladly shared, and I made it Wednesday night. Cindy then agreed to allow me to share it with all of you – so here you go.

Bean Salad a la Cindy

4 stalks celery, finely chopped
1/2 large purple onion, finely chopped
2 large handfuls green beans – blanched for 2 minutes and then cut into 1″ pieces
4-5 cans assorted beans
1/2 – 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 – 3/4 cup olive oil
2 T fresh lemon juice
2 cloves fresh garlic
1 T dry mustard

So, combine the celery, onion, green beans and canned beans (I used kidney beans, black beans, pinto beans and garbanzo beans. I think I’d leave out the pinto beans next time, they were kind of mushy) in a large bowl. Whisk together the vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and mustard and pour over the beans. Eat right away or refrigerate.

It’s quick and delicious. Loaded with fiber and lots of flavor. Perfect for your Memorial Day weekend cook outs, in fact. Enjoy!

I recently heard an organizational expert say that if you are feeling overwhelmed by a task then you should set aside just 10 minutes a day to devote to that task. The theory is that those ten minutes every day will get you on track and help you to feel like you’re making progress without taking up a huge chunk of time.

I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed by my fiber stash so last week I decided to apply this principle to spinning. And you know what? It works! 10 minutes a day for the past 10 days has produced a lot.

I have finished a skein of icelandic.

And have singles of Spunky Club “Think Spring” ready to ply.

I’ve spun up one of two braids from last year’s Rhinebeck haul.

And I’ve made progress on a Corriedale Bond X fleece.

There has also been progress on some Indigo Moon alpaca and silk.

I’ll admit that many of those 10 minute sessions have wound up lasting longer than 10 minutes but that’s okay. The point is to just set aside those 10 minutes and sit down at the wheel. If it’s longer, that’s fine. If it’s only 10 minutes, that’s fine, too.

The bottom line, though, is that I’m learning that 10 minutes a day can really make a difference. I’m still feeling a bit overwhelmed by my fiber stash but you can be sure that won’t be stopping me from going to Massachusetts Sheep & Wool this weekend. Just saying.

This week’s Ten On Tuesday is “Ten Movies You’re Excited to See.” It’s no secret that I love movies so this was an easy list for me to write. Some of these movies are just coming out in the theater and some are from my Netflix queue and I plan on seeing all of them.

1. Sex and the City
2. Charlie Wilson’s War
3. Get Smart
4. The Savages
5. Atonement
6. Love in the Time of Cholera
7. The Jane Austen Book Club
8. The Happening
9. 27 Dresses
10. Leatherheads

What’s on your “must see” list this summer? Oh, and pass the popcorn!

This just in: Mama-E has dyed up 15 skeins of this colorway due to demand. Get ‘em while they last!

This year’s daffodils have come and gone but their memory lives on in my Daffodil Socks.

This yarn, you may recall, was inspired by one of my Eye Candy Friday photos and dyed by the oh-so-talented Mama-E. I actually had the chance to show these socks to her when I was at Maryland Sheep & Wool and I’m really disappointed that I didn’t think to take a photo of her with them.

Nor did I take photos of them anywhere else but I have to say – these socks got around! Not only were they airport and airplane knitting but they were car knitting and town meeting knitting and sheep & wool festival knitting.

At New Hampshire Sheep & Wool they were even instructive knitting as Kathy knit her first successful rows of magic loop with these babies.

The yarn is soft and lovely to work with and the contrasting heels and toes are terrific.

It’s too warm now for wool socks but these will be a sweet reminder of my daffodils when autumn rolls around again.

Sorry this post is late today. We are having internet connectivity issues at home. It’s supposed to be fixed by the end of today but if you don’t hear from me over the weekend . . . well, you’ll know why.

My garden is too sunny for Bleeding Heart, these belong to my sister-in-law, Mary. I love the color and the delicateness of the blooms.

Have a terrific weekend!