Deb on the Web

What a weekend

I am posting this without photos as they are just taking too long.  I'll add them when I head into town later today.
It was a fabulous mail week-end.  So how is that for a tease.  I have lots to show from Woolgirl (Spin Club), Loopy Ewe (Malabrigo worsted) and A Swell Yarn Shop (the beginning of my Lucky Lurkers project).  I also would love to show you the current progress of my spinning of the Dicendra roving for the Tour de Fleece.  A fun project.  I have decided to Navajo ply this and knit Cindy's beautiful scarf pattern.  I am hoping the stripey-ness doesn't cove up the pattern too much.
In the animal department we are having to put back the Pygora pickup for a week due to a funeral that Darlene is helping with.  Even if I'm disappointed we totally understand how these things go.  Our godson will be spending next week visiting here so he gets to have quite a farm adventure!  As if the Skateboard park in HoodRiver wouldn't be enough.

Saturday was such a food day.  I started the day early so I could get to the Farmer's Market as it was opening.  I was hoping to beat the crowds.  No chance at this point in the year though.  Even though it was packed I managed to get the berries, corn, peppers and tomatoes I was looking for.  A small batch of canning has already started up here at "The Cedars".
As I headed in to work I had lots of food ideas running through my head.  A slow braised pork sauce for pasta, rabbit (not ours) in pepperonata and a great antipasti plate that included a great veggie tart filled with chickpeas, Cardoncello mushrooms and chive marscapone.
After work I tossed a couple of produce bags in the car (all the scraps that get added to my compost at home) and headed over to the grocery.  I am able to get all the produce at the farmers market, but there are still things like popcorn and coffee I need from the store.  I loved opening up the back of my car at home and seeing all the bounty (even the scraps) that were from pretty darn close to home.
Local is the important thing these days!  Organic yes, but local is becoming so much more important.  Reasons?
Support your local community
Eating fresh foods is healthier
Carbon Footprint
Knowing how your food was raised will cut down on deadly bugs ending up in your food
I'm not saying that I wouldn't jump at organic foods at every chance, but if I know the farmer is working his property in a natural way, but doesn't want to pay the price to be certified I am going to support him 100%!
Okay, climbing down from the soap box.

(husband was just heard to say--you are a dead fly walking)  I end with that...

And those photos

By having another day I actually have a couple more photos to add to this post.
Let's talk garden first--I thought I'd gotten a photo of my peas ready to climb up the trellis (nice that no one pulled it down last year) and one of the just planted pansies.  But alas you will have to use your imagination.  Here instead are the starts that now reside in different parts of the garden. 
I just love violas and pansies.  I add a few in as plants and started some seeds.  In the starting to pop up from last year category the chervil is coming right along.  I love a bit in salads and it's always good sauteed with a little butter over cheese ravioli.  The parsley, marjoram, sage and thyme also survived the massive amounts of snow we've had this year.  Look at this poor rosemary It had so much snow piled on it!  It is mainly alive just flat.
One bright spot of Spring in the house as it really poured the last couple days

And on to knitting--
Here is the finished stole (not finished in 7 days, but 10 wasn't bad) This is a gift for a very helpful Italian friend.  I loved knitting with the Woolen Rabbit lace weight and the drop stitch pattern was fun (although I highly recommend addy turbo lace needles), but I just don't think I would ever wear this stole myself.  The drop stitches kept catching on my ring and had to be worked back into the pattern.  Luckily my friend is not a big jewelry wearer.
This was the next project on the dock A hat pattern (Windward) from Going Straight--knitted hats.  That is a ravelry link--here is the download link  Yep, the entire book was downloaded.  I love that idea--I've only been printing the patterns as I make them and I love that I can print the written portion and not the charted pages.  Yarn is Lime and Violet Sasquatch in "Cha Cha".  That has been sitting in my stash awaiting the perfect project for over a year.  Here is a close up of the pattern  All the patterns in this book are knit side to side on straight needles.  Here are some progress shots This was started with a provisional cast on for grafting at the end.  Here she is waiting to be grafted.  This is a gift for a friend that recently found out she has breast cancer.  These are her colors, but I realized part way through the pick was more than appropriate.  I wanted this to be a light Spring hat, but I do think it might look better with a heavier yarn. 
Also slated to get finished before we leave town (5 days woooo!) is the main portion of the Icelandic shawl The white section will be finished soon (decreases by 8 st every other row).  I will leave it there for a while as you then pick up along the outside edge for the final portion.  The pattern stitches have given me all kind of ideas for other knits.
I came back into town this morning to a perfect in plane knit project!  My first installment has arrived for the The Verve sock yarn from Unique Sheep is really Springy!  The pattern is perfect for a multi-color project and I love that there is a separate sock key chain project as well:)  That is in the Leili yarn from the ladies.  In addition to the projects there are needle protectors (in socks of course) and you might spy a few jelly bellies sneaking in (to my mouth).

Enough for today!