Spinning is such a great hobby.

You spin and spin and get lovely singles.

You soak the singles and thrash them around and wind them into a skein.

You make yarn.

Then, of course, you want to spin more and you make more yarn and the yarn piles up because you have time to spin or you have time to knit but you don’t have time to do both.

It’s a conundrum, no?

Ahhh, Spring Break. I have happy memories of a week in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida back in 1986. Good times.

These days Spring Break means that Hannah is home and we are enjoying that very much. Granted, she hasn’t been home much and when she has been home she has been sleeping, but still, it’s nice to have my chick back in the nest.

Speaking of chick(en) she’s eating meat again. This has made my meal planning infinitely easier. We’ve had pot roast and Swedish meatballs and she even had some bacon-wrapped dates that my friend Jo-Ann brought over. I’m also relieved because I know her diet hasn’t been healthy for the past six months. Not that eating meat will make her diet healthy but it does mean that she’s getting more protein and that’s important. The vegetarian options at her school are pretty limited so she’s been mostly surviving on bread and pasta and ice cream. I’m hopeful that she’ll have a more balanced diet now but I’m still proud of her for giving this a try.

And speaking of proud (another segue!)

She made the Dean’s List last semester. That makes me very proud indeed! We all know that the freshman year in college is a challenge and adjusting can be difficult. Hannah has made the transition easily, it seems. She has good friends, gets along with her 3 roommates, is involved with the Student Theater Association and was in two different productions last semester, has a work study job in the campus center, and is really enjoying college life. All that plus good grades = a very successful start, I think.

Last year at this time we were shopping for a prom gown and planning a graduation party, now we’re already looking towards the end of her freshman year in college. There’s been a lot of changing and growing for all of us but we’re still a family and that’s what really counts.

Yesterday was 3/14 and that means it was Pi day. Or pie day. It’s no secret that I love pie. I love to eat pie and even more than that I love to make pie. A day to celebrate pie is my kind of day, which brings me to this week’s topic, 10 Favorite Kinds of Pie.

1. Blueberry. It’s my absolute favorite, warm from the oven with vanilla ice cream.
2. Banana Cream. I make the vanilla pudding from scratch and it’s heavenly. It’s also Dale’s favorite.
3. Chocolate Cream. I use Cook ‘n Serve pudding for this because honestly, I can’t tell the difference between that and my own chocolate pudding. The homemade whipped cream and chocolate shavings on top make it extra special.
4. Pumpkin. I have to have it at Thanksgiving.
5. Pecan. I usually make Cranberry Pecan because it’s Hannah’s favorite but I actually prefer plain ole pecan.
6. Lemon Meringue. I have never actually made one of these but my mom made it regularly and I loved it.
7. Chicken Pot Pie. Not all pie is for dessert!
8. Peanut Butter. It’s rich and decadent and loaded with chocolate and peanut butter – almost like a giant Reese’s.
9. Peach. Peeling the fruit is a pain but it’s worth it when the peaches are fresh because a slice of this is like a slice of sunshine.
10. Cherry. I used to make a wonderful cherry pie for our reenactments and the soldiers would line up for a slice. Nothing is better than sharing homemade pie with those who love it!

Happy Day After Pi Day!

I took my own advice and spent some time this weekend searching for spring. Guess what – I found it!

There are crocus.

And tulips. Okay, I bought the tulips but they are yellow and make me feel like it’s spring.

There are daffodil shoots in my yard. This makes me so very happy.

And there is an ever dwindling pile of snow. This little bit is all that is left in my yard.

Of course you know what that means, right?

Mud season has arrived.

I figured I owe you this one after yesterday’s picture of the ever dwindling wood pile. Lilac buds = signs of spring! Hooray!

I hope you all have a great weekend. Spend some time searching for signs of spring in your neighborhood!

This week’s Photo Theme for Thursday is many.

We have many pieces of wood piled on our deck.

I’ll be happy when the wood is gone and we have many drinks on our deck instead.

Just sayin.

If there’s one thing I can count on every year it’s that SPA will inspire me to spin. This year it inspired me to spin a lot. Not only did I spin for the 3 days of SPA but I continued to spin a bit every day after I got home. Yay me!

I calculated that while at SPA I spun 12 oz. I finished a 4 oz bag of Hello Yarn that I had started at home, I started and finished another 4 oz bag of Hello Yarn, I started and finished 4 oz of BFL/silk from Sereknity that I purchased at SPA, and I spun 2 oz out of 8 oz of Targhee that I bought from Spunky Eclectic while at SPA.

The remaining 8 oz of Targhee have been spun but not plied but everything else is plied, soaked, thwacked and skeined.

Hello Yarn Fiber Club Sept 09
Finn in the color Winter Storage
210 Yards

Hello Yarn Fiber Club Nov 09
Rambouillet in the color Pallid
264 yards

Sereknity BFL/Silk
225 yards

They are all in the worsted weight range.

And they are all labeled.

Be impressed.

We had warm-ish temps over the weekend and I was able to open the windows and air out the house a bit. Boy did that feel good! The scent of spring is definitely in the air around here. Which brings me to this week’s Ten on Tuesday topic, 10 Favorite Smells. I was sure we had done this one already but I went through my archives and I didn’t find it so let’s talk about it.

1. Baking bread. It’s a comforting scent and sometimes I think smelling bread baking is even better than eating it. notice I said sometimes.
2. Yankee Candles. My favorites are French Vanilla and  Macintosh.
3. Coffee brewing. I love this smell anytime of day but especially at 5am.
4. Roast chicken. This brings me right back to my childhood and Sunday afternoons. My favorite Sunday dinner was roast chicken with stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy. Some things never change.
5. Fresh herbs.  I grow mint and basil and parsley and when I cut them to bring inside my hands smell so good afterward.
6. Chocolate chip cookies. The house smells full of love when I bake them.
7. The woods. They smell fresh and damp and pine-y, old and new all at the same time, and I love it.
8. Witch hazel. It reminds me of my Nana and cooling down after a hot summer day at the beach.
9. Lavender. It’s clean and fresh and I love it in soap.
10. A new baby’s head. It’s the fountain of youth and there’s no smell like it in the whole wide world.

If there’s one thing I noticed while writing this list it’s that my favorite smells are strongly associated with my happiest memories. I bet yours are, too.

There’s nothing quite like coming home from work and finding a package waiting for you. It’s especially wonderful when the package is from a dear friend.

The package felt squishy so I figured Margene had sent me some yarn. And she sort of did. It’s Madeline Tosh merino DK. And it’s in the form of mitts.

That’s right. Margene made me mitts. (say that 20 times fast!)

They are lovely and squooshy and perfect for this time of year. And they were designed by Susan, another special friend.

They are a gorgeous shade of deep red which just happens to be my favorite color. Margene knows me so well.

A new pair of mitts is a great thing. A new pair of mitts knit especially for me by my dear friend is a wonderful and fantastic thing. Every time I wear them I feel like she is with me and it just doesn’t get any better than that.

Thanks, Margene.

Another photo of Manise’s handspun from last weekend.

Manise says to tell you that the yarn is Hello Yarn Fiber Club December 2010. It’s Romney in the colorway Timber and she got 184Yds of aran weight singles from the 4 oz. (When you ask Manise for details she gives you details. I love that about her.)

The photo reminds me of a God’s Eye – remember those from summer camp?

Have a great weekend and do something that reminds you of being a kid!