It's been a crazy week....as usual. We survived the big snow storm and the kids have been enjoying the sledding and playing in all the snow. I have been curled up next to my woodstove knitting away on my sweater vest. The colorwork in this vest was a  lot of fun and now it just needs a blocking and I can get ready to steek. I say that with just a tad bit of fear in my voice as I have never .....ever....taken scissors to my knitting before. I am busy watching videos and reading articles and trying to decide on my plan of attack before I actually do this. Have you steeked before? Do you have any recommendations for me? I'm hoping to begin the process this weekend!



I also finished my Reyna Shawl. This pattern is a free one on Ravelry. A great pattern for a colorful skein of yarn.


No new books this week. I'm hoping to find some good reviews as I hop around the Yarn Along and see what everyone else is reading. Happy knitting!!!

This week we are falling into our winter rhythm.

Once we hit Thanksgiving there is no way to have a rhythm around here. Hunting takes up the majority of the boys time and they are gone for days at a time staying at the cabin and trying to fill the freezer. I love that they get this time with their Dad and also Uncle and cousins and close friends. They come home with stories and secrets and I can only hope it continues as they get older and spread their wings.

Then we hit Christmas and that has a rhythm all it's own! But now here we are in the New Year and this mama is trying to reel everyone in.......collect our thoughts and add a little structure to the chaos!! We slipped in some book learning this week and the colder weather has us all pulled up to the woodstove and settling in to this winter rhythm. We are currently reading Lost on a Mountain in Maine. By Donna Fendler and Joseph Egan. We are only a chapter in but it's a true story of a boy lost on a mountain in Maine.....a great boys book!! The perfect winter read aloud!


I am still trying to organize some stash and a trip to ikea this week should help that process along! On my needles this week was a test knit that I can not show yet. A fast and satisfying knit and perfect for handspun!! I also got a few rows done on some socks! I decided to jump into the Never not knitting mystery KAL going on....is anyone else joining in? I love Alana Dakos patterns and so this big worsted weight shawl should be a great knit! I chose some plymouth yarn homestead in the Burnt Orange colorway. I'm a little behind and need to get these wound into cakes so I can cast on today and get clue one done!


We had our spinning guild meeting this past week and I was able to get started on this months club colorway from Three Waters Farm. It is Birds in the Holly on Rambouliett. It was the first time I have spun this breed and I really enjoyed it. The fiber has a very long staple length. I decided to keep the colors pure so I navajo plyed my single.



I was able to spin and clear off a couple more bobbins of singles that were waiting for plying. It felt good to empty those bobbins so I can prepare for my next spin!!

I have just a little more weaving to do before my first dish towels can come off the loom! I'm very excited to see how these look after washing. I am already trying to decide what the next weaving project will be!

Joining Ginny this week for the Yarn Along. I'm looking forward to seeing what you are all up to this week!!

I've been taking this week to go over last years crafting and start thinking about this years. I don't want to call them goals.......no .......more like ideas and thoughts. No pressure and that means no failing.
I'm making some decisions about WIP's and already frogged a couple. It was actually very freeing and now I only have things I love on the needles......and that means things I want to to finish!

This week I have my first FO of 2016!! It was so fun to knit this and I used handspun that was spun this past July! Hannah Grace has been stealing my cowls so it was time for her to have her own. If you want to find a lot of lovely patterns that work really well with handspun check out Stitchnerd aka Susan Ashcroft patterns on Ravlery. Her patterns are very versatile and have lots of interesting texture. Three Waters Farm is having a SAL/KAL right now and she is our chosen designer.



 Can you tell she loves her new cowl!!

I did get some spinning  on my CPW this week. The cold weather has really finally hit and I found my happy spot right here in front of the woodstove. I decided to spin a braid that I picked up at NE fiber festival. It's Spunky Eclectic and her panda base. I broke this into two equal pieces and navajo plyed each. I was thinking it would be sock yarn but now that it is spun I'm leaning more towards mittens. It was a great spin!





 We are almost ready for another harvest of Angora from our newer bunnies! We have 7 in our rabbitry now. 2 German Angora, 3 Satin Angoras, 2 English Angoras and then a dwarf dutch. This is a photo of Asch. He is about 6 months old now and just about ready for a plucking! You will be seeing lots more angora fiber spinning in the future!




 I will leave you with one more photo from our small homestead........this girl loves her chickens!!


I have a list of books I want to get to and I am hoping I can start this week. We did commit as a family in going through the bible in a year. I have been listening to Daily Audio Bible for 2 years now and really enjoy it. So I challenged everyone else to join me and so far we are all keeping up!

Joining Ginny over at Small Things for the weekly Yarn Along! Happy knitting!!