Since last time.....

Gee...it's been awhile....sorry.  Well, I attended YarnOver in Minneapolis, which was great fun.  My highlight of my weekend was a class with Jared Flood on Shetland color work.   I was very "good" with my spending, doing very little stash enhancement, although the vendor's mall was quite tempting.  We did a little shop hopping, and I did bring home a few goodies.

This fiber was described as a rainbow in a bag.  Pretty fitting, I thought. 

I also bought this little pair of scissors.  

I just thought they were cute, and at only 2.5 inches in length, they fit nicely in my knitting tool kit. While not expensive, they are stainless steel, very sharp and appear to be well made.  I must admit that I have a "thing" for needlework scissors.  I also bought a Sue the Ewe pattern.  After reading it, I'm not sure I'm up to the challenge - but hopefully someday - someday when I grow up. 

Mother's Day weekend coincided with the annual Tulip Time festival in Pella, an Iowa community rich in Dutch heritage.  BG and his parents invited us to go with them, and it was a fun time.  We had beautiful weather, and the tulips were at their prime.

BG answered the challenge of finding something a bit more exciting than tulip watching ......

I think we are finally into spring,. I just finished planting all of my annuals this morning, this being the latest date that I have ever done so.  It's just been such a strange spring so far.

DH is heavy into gardeining right now, and I baked my first rhubarb crisp yesterday.  Which reminds me, I baked it in my new oven!  We are in the process of a little kitchen redo.  New countertops, range/oven, and sink are finished....step one complete.  Next is flooring.  I need to do some research, as we are not sure what we want. It took forever deciding on countertops..... the search for the perfect flooring material is not something that I look forward to!  I am happy with our countertop choice though, so I think sometimes it pays to take your time with such decisions.

On the knitting front, I just completed 2 pairs of mittens for Chris, of IntoTheWhirled fame.

This project became a little more lengthy as I actually lost one mitten while at YarnOver.  It was completed except for the thumb.  Darn!  Guess I'll keep my "important knitting" at home from now on.  I am currently waiting on new materials from her, but my next project will be "hush-hush".  So, while I'll be knitting away...I just will not be able to chat about it for awhile. 

On the spinning front, the new toy that I teased you about not too long ago:

A Trindle, with Fossil Stone balls.  I have another set of arms/balls that are lighter weight, but not sure what the stones are.  Trindleman ran a sale recently, giving a free 2nd set of arms/balls with any order.  Great deal!  You can change the weight of the spindle by changing out the arms/balls, allowing for a broader range of spinning results.  Cool!  And, Sofee ordered a Jenkins Turkish Delight Spindle as a mother's day gift for me!  Such a thoughtful husband pup!  I think I am going to spin that rainbow fiber up on spindles rather than my wheel.  That project should keep me busy for awhile.  lol

And, saving the best for last........ Big news!   Our son proposed to his beloved Ellen, so they are now officially engaged!  We are thrilled!  She is a very nice girl, and the two of them seem very happy and good for one another.  No date for the wedding yet.....but they are enjoying being engaged.  Life is good!  :)