Spring time in Normandy

Normandy is really beautiful, particularly in the spring!
April is one of my favorite months,
bringing wave after wave of beautiful blossoms!
From the delicate cherry blossoms
to the white pear blossoms and the pink apple blossoms!

It's a feast for the eyes when the trees are in full flower
and buzzing with the sounds of honey bees!

Here's a little sample of what's in my backyard!


Apple Blossoms!

Pear Blossoms

Cherry Tree in bloom

Pear Treee in bloom

Knit One, Purl One

Spinning is coming along quite nicely. I’ve been dreaming up all sorts of knitting projects. I think that I will be starting with a pair of socks. Will need to think of the design. Perhaps ‘Simplicity’, one of the socks in Janel Laidman’s book, The Eclectic Sole. It’s a simple K2 P2 rib with a clever eyelet twist! I’m thinking that it would look quite nice in brown ouessant. I’ve also ordered a few sock patterns from Lucy Neatby at Tradewind Knitwear Designs.

As I was spinning and thinking about knitting, it occurred to me how things change over the years. My grandmother taught me how to knit when I was 8 years old. I remember as a teenager how I couldn’t find needles big enough or yarn thick enough! As I’ve gotten older I’ve grown fonder of smaller needles and finer yarn. I think that this is due to many things ... but perhaps more than anything else, it’s because speed is not the object anymore : I no longer try to finish a project as quickly as possible ; now I enjoy the process of knitting. I love every stitch. Smaller needles and finer yarn only means more stitches to enjoy! Also, at a gage of 7 to 8 stitches per inch, 500 grams of ouessant fleece can go a long way!

‘Tis the season!

Ahhhh! July is here!
Time for a little vacation!
For me July represents the end of the season!
Lambs have been born.
Sheep have been shorn.
Fences have been mended.
And now it’s time to sit down and relax on the terrace with a cool drink while I watch my little flock graze happily under the apple trees. It’s also a time of reflection, a time to take stock of the past year. But it’s not just the end of one year ... it’s the beginning of a new year. The shepherd in me is already thinking about next year’s lambs! The spinner in me is just now starting to look at my woolly harvest : oiling up the spinning wheel and dreaming up knitting projects for the months to come. I’m really excited about the possibilities! I’m thinking about socks and sweaters in lovely natural colors and brightly dyed wool. Can’t wait to get started!