Monday, June 18, 2012

Half Soled Boots' "Wet Woollies" Advent Calendar

Do you remember me making a hat and mitten advent calendar back in 2008? I loved it, made a second one for my sister, and wrote up a pattern.

In 2009.

Here you are then - enjoy!
Ravelry page

EDIT:
Some people have had a problem downloading from Scribd.com. Here is an alternate host - please PM me on Ravelry if you still can't download it.

And here is YET ANOTHER alternate host. Google docs. Argh!

HSB Hats Mitts Advent

Friday, June 08, 2012

Mainly in the plain?

It's a dismal spring here on Vancouver Island - much like last year. My garden is gradually coming into bloom, sodden, then the flowers sit there, sodden, until they finish and drop off, sodden. I check from my kitchen window a few times a day, and notice what else has opened up in the pouring rain, but I never actually get outside.

My friend visited me last weekend for a few days, and brought some beautiful marled sock yarn from Iceland. "Direct from the factory," she assured me. A few hours after she left on Monday, I cast on a new pair of knee-high stockings with the Icelandic yarn. Why? Because I need the warmth.

Canadians have a wonderful ability to talk about the weather, almost without ceasing.

Actually I think it's a wonderful ability to listen to each other talk about the weather.

***

My house has been colonised by moths - can you believe it? I had been carding wool for a few weeks in preparation for spinning, and one day I noticed a little fluttering...Mum and I actually saw a larval moth, his/her head wiggling around, half-covered by a cocoon s/he was making out of my grey Shetland. There was a frosted cluster of tiny pearly eggs clinging to the side of the box, too. Did we freak out? Yes, we did.

***

My older daughter is a horse girl, and is preparing for a show in August. Being that we homeschool and therefore have a flexible schedule, we spend a lot of time at the barn these days...it's mostly wonderful, but sometimes a drag if I'm tired, busy, or cold. My younger daughter spends her barn time on a tire swing under the trees, singing and talking to Dayley, a 17hh thoroughbred, and Vindaloo, a little goat. Usually some chickens come by, and a dog or two. On this particular day, one of the rare sunny ones, she had my camera with her. (For the second time.)