Day with a dear friend

Remember the green Pikki Lilli mentioned in the previous post? The one that was over three-fourths done when I realized there wouldn’t be enough yarn. Frogging it turned out to be a blessing!

The next day my dear friend from teen years called saying she was in Washington State visiting her daughter who’d just had a baby boy. How could I not schedule a day to spend with her the following week. That evening I used the Cherry Tree Hill jade yarn to knit a Norwegian Baby Cap, a pattern I’ve done before and found to be a quick knit, and charming on both boys and girls. Not wanting to take chances on running out prematurely I alternated the green with variegated grey sock yarn.

Monday, the 1st,  dawned bright and cheerful, lightening to bright blue skies with the promise of a fine day as I drove 130+ north. The miles passed more quickly than I’d estimated when setting up the arrival time. (yes, the speed limit of 70 mph was maintained)  Realizing that I would arrive 30 minutes ahead of schedule — which might not be the most welcoming way to arrive at the doorstep of a brand new mother who I’d last seen when she was 3 years old– I kept a sharp look-out for a MacDonalds. (Ed and I don’t eat at Mickey D’s but I do like their coffee and I love their fries.)  Spying one only 5 miles from my destination I pulled in and enjoyed 25 minutes of drinking a latte while people watching and knitting on a project I’d started the day before. Much to my dismay they don’t serve fries until after 11am, only hash browns. (What’s up with that?)

How’s this for perfect matching?  They had no idea that I had knit Little Guy a green cap when grandma dressed him that morning. The cap will serve him well for a few months.

After holding and admiring Little Guy, Terri and I were soon on our way to the local Borst Family Park with its lengths and loops of trails leading around a pond, along the Chehalis River… where the clear blue waters were so enticing that it I’d had a change of clothes I may not have been able to resist taking a plunge. Terri is from Texas, our balmy weather felt a tad chilly in the morning.

to the mid-eighteen hundreds homestead with the still standing house and wonderful heirloom gardens.

Can’t help but wonder what the story is behind the name of tall, beautiful corn which dates back to before 1845.

We walked and talked for hours, ate a delicious lunch at the delightful Blackberry Fields Cafe then took another long walk through the fir park until the sun slanted to the west and it was time to head home.

I have embarked on my first Baby Surprise Jacket! (scroll way down)  Sarah picked out the yarn at OFFF, with Violet’s help – she clearly reached out for this particular skein at the Blue Moon Fiber Arts booth.

Violet rarely wavers from her first choice. As I knit with her in my lap she fondles the ball of yarn. I’ll try to distract her with a different skein but after looking at it a few moments her attention turns back to the BMFA yarn. It’s a Mill End skein which has a few splices along the 400+ yard length, and no colorway name – which I hadn’t realized until I was preparing to wind the skein into a ball. The pattern is moving along at a good clip, which is a good thing for another growing granddaughter would like a knit cap for her upcoming birthday.

Taking full advantage of the lingering warm days Violet and I love to spend time under the still leafy trees.
Tuesday a friend is coming to learn how to spin. I’m very much looking forward to spending time with her and teaching her to turn fiber into yarn. We worked together several years at the public library. During that time she bought a loom and began weaving rugs.  She’s also an avid knitter. This past summer she and her husband were vacationing in the far north of Alaska where she happened to see a herd of muskox roaming near the road. Soon the two of them were scrambling between the bushes plucking all the muskox fiber they could find with the goal of someday turning it into yarn.

The days are very full and busy. It’s been hard to be disciplined about working (I get as much done as possible during naps with Violet is here on Tuesday and Thursday) when my heart yearns to be outside roaming along fields, traipsing through woods, and exploring the low creek. There’s a waterfall not terribly far up the road that I’ve yet to see. It’s been calling my name.