We got a huge crop of volunteer sunflowers this year around the compost bins, which are both pretty and useful. I’ve harvested three heads so far and a few more look ready in a week or so.

Also got a case of peaches from a local grower last month and had fun freezing some and dehydrating the rest. I even tried dehydrating some watermelon … when it’s brittle dry it’s just like eating candy (and MUCH better than that fake watermelon flavor candy, too).

The last few days I’ve been using my solar oven a lot. I made bread, a roast, and today I’ve got spaghetti sauce out there. The house is a lot cooler these days …

I’ve also been doing a lot of spinning lately — I’ll put pictures up when I get through this one bag of fleece a gal over on PeakOil.com gave me.

Hope you all are having a good summer.

They have patterns if you need one, or you can use your own. This would be a good project if you have some young, old, or in-between knitters or crocheters that are looking for something to do.

Have fun!

These are from a discontinued kit I got at KnitPicks.com, called the “sock cocktail”. It has a bunch of different patterns for the sock’s body, heels, toes, and cuffs that you can mix and match, along with enough yarn for five socks. Since there are five of us (including my DD who just got married, but I’ve been putting this off), I plan to make a pair for each of us. The yarn for this pair is called Essential Ash Tweed, and is 65% Superwash Merino Wool, 25% Nylon, 10% Donegal. My husband loves them!

This one I did toe-up (first time for that), with a round toe, “shifting rib” body pattern (I had to learn cabling!), a mitered heel and ribbed cuff. A lot of learning with this pair, which is good.

Now that that’s done, I’m back to work on the sweater. One more arm and the finishing to go!

This is the yarn I made during that spinning marathon several months ago. I finally got it washed and measured and skeined.

The salmon is from hand-painted merino/mohair roving that I got from the farmers’ market. The black is natural Teesdale from a shepherdess who is breeding them here in Oklahoma. I had to card that first, but it’s beautiful stuff.

Here’s the sweater I’ve been working on. This is Knitty.com’s Arrieta pattern, in KnitPicks Shine Sport yarn (60% Pima Cotton, 40% Modal®), colors: Black, Serenade, Turquoise, Harbor, and Sky. (I notice they’re not carrying Turquoise anymore, I wonder if they ran out)

Anyway, this is my first sweater, and it’s going okay. I’ve been working on this since early summer; I have the back and the left front done, and I’m working on the right front. At this rate, by the time I finish this it’ll be early summer again!

The groom’s vest was woven from the same wool also.

This is so beautiful; I love it!

Been keeping up with the spinning challenge … I’m doing a little every night, and it’s really good for me. I feel like I’m starting to get good at this!

Thought I’d do an Independence days update while I’m here–

Planted:  potatoes, garlic, tomatoes

Harvested: tomatoes, carrots, strawberries (just a few, but very good!), chard

Preserved: more hay-drying

Ate: everything harvested! I’ve been clearing out the inside freezer and making dinners from there — last night we had codfish baked with dijon mustard on top, with a rice/bulgar pilaf cooked in chicken broth (yummy!)

Managed: brought two sacks of old catalogs/magazines to the recycler bin. Still doing all the other stuff.

How’s everyone doing?

Here’s Ravelry’s Tour de Fleece challenge!

I got off to a good start. I finished a bobbin of peach wool (merino/mohair), and did a bit of another bobbin of black (Teeswater). I’m planning a sweater in bulky yarn mixed peach/black, so I’ll need a good amount. I’m going to need to buy some more bobbins as well as another lazy kate, as mine only holds two bobbins and this is going to be at least three-ply.

Le Tour de Fleece is a spinning challenge done during Le Tour de France (July 4-26). You can pick any challenge you like during that time, from learning to spin to spinning enough yarn for a major project.

My challenge will be to spin every day, I’ll be posting here to let you know how that goes!

(If you’re on Ravelry, you can also join Ravelry’s Tour de Fleece challenge, which is a spin-every-day-they-ride sort of thing. I’ll probably join both since that’s what I’m doing.)

Hope to see you there!

Planted: corn, more tomato plants, shallots.

Harvested: chard, onions, peas, blackberries, a strawberry here and there.

Froze the peas, also still drying weeds for the bunnies. Have a couple large bags full now.

Today I’m making broth out of chicken carcasses. We’ll have chicken enchiladas for dinner tonight, using the meat from these two.

Went on another foraging walk this weekend, got some wild garlic and a passionflower plant to add to my back yard.

I’ve also been doing a lot of spinning lately. As soon as I get another skein made I’ll post pictures (I have a camera now!) .

What have you been up to?