Eyes Up Again Tonight!

Have you ever heard the wolf cry to the blue corn moon? 🎶🎵 Me neither, and living in suburban, northeast Ohio, I doubt I ever will...at least, I don't think I'll hear it from my own back yard.

I also doubted that I would ever see a total eclipse of the sun or the northern lights from my own back yard, but 2024 has been full of wonder! We did get to experience a total eclipse from my daughter's back yard (in a neighboring town) last month...

...and last night, I saw the northern lights from my own deck!

Of course, that photo is not super spectacular...but a friend clued me in to make sure my night settings were enabled when I took photos, and I got these more-spectacular shots!

I think my son and daughter-in-law and their girls had a better look (fewer lights, more wide-open where they live in Kansas), but even they needed to enhance with those night settings.

Still, it is pretty cool that so many in my "neighborhood" had such a good viewing, considering that this is NOT Alaska or Canada and other points north! I'm not sure if the solar flares will interfere with communications (as some in the news industry have claimed they might), but they sure put on a spectacular show! (And they may do the same again tonight, so check it out!)

In other news, I'm still knitting! Sparkly socks finished mean new socks started...

...and I've finished that second cowl I was working up as a test knit! 

Bonus! It's two, two, two cowls in one, because it's double knit...because that's who I am. 

It's even been gifted, which frees me up to knit socks, clean closets and make more frog clothes...because what frog doesn't need new clothes? I know you stopped by to check on my frog-clothing progress...

Finally, tomorrow is Mother's Day, and I'd like to wish all of the ladies I know a good one. The women who raised us, taught us, encouraged us and loved us well deserve honor tomorrow (and every day), because we wouldn't be who we are without their influence. So hug a mom, if you can find one, and try to make it a good day. 

Oh, and Knit in Good Health! 

Cowl #1, not on the intended recipient,
but still super cute!

Baaaaa...

I still don't know "What does the fox say?," but I do know that Old McDonald had a farm, and the sheep on his farm went around "with a baa baa here, and a baa baa there..." etc., etc., etc. I also know that if you knit a sheep hat, it will not say, "Baaaa..."

But everyone who sees the hat will say, "Awwww! That is so cute!"

They will even "Awww!" at it's little, sheepy butt!

And if you knit 4 sheep hats, 

and photograph them in various locations throughout the day,

people will say, "What's up with Pretty? Is she always like that?!?"

To which my friends would answer, "Yes. Yes, she is," with a heavy sigh here, and a heavy sigh there, etc. Not to worry, I'll just distract them all with a picture of my new Grand-puppy...

I hope your day is full of fun and friends who love you, because you really cannot ask for much more. Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Hi-Ho, Alpacas, Whoa!

So, on Saturday, I went to the Farm. I knew I had arrived at the farm when I saw the farm van...

...and the alpacas (and baby alpacas!)...

...and the steps to the farmhouse!

I love That'll Do Farm! I love the alpacas, and the green, and the bees, and the farmhouse! Saturday was a Fiber Fun Day at the farm, so I loaded up my Little Joe (spindle), and a fiber mix that came from the farm (including alpaca, merino, camel and bits of colored silk)...

...and in I went! While I was there, I saw knitters and a rug hooker, but I was a spinning fool...

...and by the time I left, I had a tall, skinny bunch of singles AND a short, fat bunch of singles. I do not discriminate based on cop* size!

I spun this yarn a little thicker than I normally would, and I've spent the last few days creating a two-ply that is about 12 wraps per inch (DK? Worsted?)...sooooo pretty! 

I have about 71 yards of this two-ply, close to 45g and about 12 wraps per inch (for my fellow spinners and knitters). Here's what it looks like in the skein:

I wonder what it will be? I'm open to suggestions, by the way!

I cannot wait until my next Fiber Fun Day! Until then, I wonder what else I will spin? 

*cop (from wordnik.com)

n. A cone-shaped or cylindrical roll of yarn or thread wound on a spindle.

Not Quite SABLE, but I'm working on it...

Today's post includes a little lesson in knitting acronyms, complete with illustrations from my recent S.E.X., which (of course) stands for a Stash Enhancement eXpedition, to Wool-a-Palooza! I mentioned in my last post that this was our group's 6th eXpedition to this festival, and (as usual) we had a blast! First up, we all carpooled in to the festival in several Equinoxes (seriously, our group brought three of these SUV's in anticipation of the yarn and fiber haul!) and met up inside...I believe that ours was the first car to arrive, so in we went, and the shopping commenced! "Let the enabling begin!," shouted Crazy Jane, holding up some crazy puffs from the display...

...and she also checked out the mini-skeins of yarn, on sale for just this purpose, but she didn't buy any (I don't think)! I am currently the only one of our local group drinking the hexipuff kool-aide, and you'll find a Beekeeper's Quilt to prove it in my collection of UFOs (UnFinished Objects)...I expect that it will be there for at least the next couple years. It is a kinda crazy project! But rather than checking out my current level of crazy, let's check out an FO (Finished Object) on Pregnant Knitter!

Isn't the lace on her handknit, pink sweater pretty?!? I know it's not a belly picture, but from the front, you can definitely see her baby bump. From the back, she's just another knitter...lol! Following this motley crew, and sometimes breaking away from it, I managed to start working on SABLE (Stash Acquired Beyond Life Expectancy - as in, "I couldn't possibly spin or knit all of this before I die") pretty early in the day. For instance, within 10 minutes of entering the first barn, I had made my first purchase - a pound of blue merino to spin for a sweater!

Wow! I am normally not such a free and easy spender, and my goal for the entire day was a pound of fiber to spin for a sweater! I reached that goal in the first 10 minutes? That's something new, and I could have gone home pretty happy at this point, but I'm glad that I didn't! Just a few minutes after that purchase, I was the object of a celebrity sighting...as in, "Ummm, are you PKJewelry? from Ravelry?" OMGosh! I'm a CELEBRITY!!! (Well, not IRL - In Real Life - but among the local knitters, I am a bit of a celeb!) It absolutely made my day, but I was so stunned that I did not think to write her name down or take a photo (Oops! Sorry!!!). I did, however, float out of that booth to another, where I made purchase number 2 almost immediately! Some purple merino to spin for...to spin for...I need it for...well, nevermind. I am sure I will figure it out eventually...isn't it lovely?:

Also at that booth, I met up with an online and IRL friend that I haven't talked to in a long time...she and I have both been victims of the Too Busy, so we rarely see each other, even despite the fact that we don't live that far apart. I think it may be more than coincidence that we met up an hour away from both our homes at a fiber festival, so we stopped to visit and laugh together for a few minutes. That's one of the things I love about girlfriends...that common hobby, or past memory, or some other connection just stitches you together, so that when you do meet up, it's like you've never been apart! And, when you are surrounded by lovely fiber and yarn as well, it makes for a smiley, yarny reunion!

 

By the way, if you were the Raveler that spotted me on Saturday in that first barn, please leave me a comment!!! If you saw me but didn't say anything, please speak up next time! I think it will be my goal next year to get as many pictures with old and new friends as humanly possible! It'll be like an extra WIP (Work In Progress) for the next Palooza! Not that I don't have some WIPs going already, like the crazy puffs, and these socks...

I have both knitting and spinning WIPs, and that's a good thing! After all, it's always a good thing to have some knitting with you, especially for a big day like Wool-a-Palooza! In the middle of the day, there might be a stop at the food truck,

followed by a sit down in the sun for lunch,

some knitting,

and maybe even a nap!

A little sit'n knit in the middle of the shopping is totally appropriate, but it wasn't long until we were back to the shopping...and elbow deep in the yarn at Pollywogs!

Judging by the amount of Cotton Fine that was purchased this year, you'd think we all have a KAL (Knit-A-Long) planned! We don't, but even I couldn't let the Cotton Fine go by without a small purchase at least!

By the end of the day, I had really enhanced my stash quite a bit, with 4 oz. of art batts (alpaca and silk) from my friends at That'll Do Farms...

and some Ashland Bay fiber (merino and silk), another pound here...

...and even a new spindle from 7 Yaks! Lynn actually lives in my hometown, and I've been drooling over her Etsy shop for years! But sometimes I just wanna see stuff in person before I buy, and I knew she'd be in Wooster, so I even almost planned on this purchase...

It was such a fun day, and the knitters and spinners were happy and tired and all shopped out at the end of the trip...

Check out the back of the Equinox I rode home in...

Most excellent, and I am glad we had a big car to haul it home in, but it's not SABLE...yet! (Not for this Pretty anyway!) Still, this year my haul was one of my largest yet, including 2-and-a-half pounds of fiber to spin and 5 skeins of Cotton Fine!

Even though I was on my feet most of the day, and I was definitely tired when I got home, I was not too tired to spend time with two of my most favorite people!

Just about the only thing that can top a day full of yarn and fiber is an evening full of toddler Peanut fun! As a matter of fact, I think the only one who ended this day on a sour note was White Cat...

"Settle down, Pretty," says White Cat. "I'm sure it wasn't that great...it's just wool and a kid...and the kid is always sticky. Keep her away from me, wouldja?"

Wow!, White Cat...you're a bit of a Negative Nellie, ya know?!?

I hope that you had a fun holiday weekend, free of sour notes and grumpy cats...and I hope that you took a little time to reflect on Memorial Day and it's meaning. Maybe you even had a burger or some ribs, yummm! Whatever your weekend brought, and whatever this week brings, I hope that you find time for the things (and the people) you hold most dear!

Thanks for stopping by today, and Knit in Good Health!

Someone's in the Kitchen with Pretty...

Someone's in the kitchen with Pretty!

Someone's in the kitchen I know-ow-ow-ow!

Someone's in the kitchen with Pretty -

Strummin' on the ol' banjo!

Well, no...not strumming on a banjo...but my Pretty Knitty kitchen has been a pretty busy place these last few weekends!  You see, Sundays are the day that the kids come over after church for dinner...and since my CSA pick-ups have started from That'll Do Farm, I get really excited about the cooking!  These are a couple of my latest Sunday Success Stories:

Crock Pot Pork Chops
Potatoes, carrots and radishes in first, pork
chops (sprinkled with seasoning salt) on top,
can of cream of mushroom soup on top.
So simple, sooo scrumptious!

And...

Greens From the Farm (kale, swiss chard, chives, garlic scapes)
a little olive oil, and a can of diced tomatoes...

The veggies are great on their own as a side dish, but mixed into some whole grain, protein enriched pasta and sprinkled with grated Parmesan cheese, they are a meal in their own right!

I ate leftovers of this for days!  Loved every bite!!!

And...

Buttered Radishes and Poached Egg, both from the farm!
You've seen this before, but I've made it again and again!

My Community Supported Agriculture share has been good to me so far, and this is just a portion of what I've received!  I can't wait for every Thursday, so I can see what's in my basket before I hit knit night with my peeps!  Thursdays are my favorite!  What's your favorite day? 

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

BTW, I did knit this week...pics of progress on the Baseball Sweater in a couple days!!!