winding lace

After a long hiatus from knitting and blogging I'm inspired to finally try my hand at lace knitting. It was very satisfying to put my nearly-finished random cable sweater in a drawer where it will languish all summer long, to cast-off the EZ gull-pattern sweater for the Finch and to fold it lovingly into his little dresser drawer, and to admit to myself that my charcoal cardigan will be on-hold indefinitely. Now I'm all clear to cast-on for my first ever lace project. Except that first I have to wind the yarn (Lorna's Laces' Helen's Lace) and I don't have a swift or a ball-winder. I really should, given how much yarn I buy online instead of in my lys, but whenever I have money to spend on crafting, I go for yarn, fabric, embroidery thread or knitting needles. This yarn is incredibly frustrating to wind though -- it tangles easily and simply goes on and on and on. I'm winding it in 30 minute increments while listening to public radio. Meanwhile, the children have completely dropped knitting and weaving in favor of playing outside from dawn til dusk, which is their usual pattern for spring and fall. We all of us are fresh air fiends, and none of us likes extreme cold or heat, so we try to take full advantage of the mellow days. Yesterday, in anticipation of Earth Day, Arbor Day, and Finch's birth, we planted a little Serviceberry Tree (A. laevis) which will provide delicious berries for the birds (and for us if we can get any!) by next summer. Our fig tree, planted last year, is leafing out beautifully, the rosemary overwintered just fine and is thriving, and the lovage is just now poking out of the ground. Plans are in the works for a front hedge of Pasture Rose (Rosa carolina) which will provide hips, mostly for the birds but also for rose-hip jelly (so old-fashioned!) and possibly some brambles out back. We have to go slowly as our budget is tight, but this forced discipline has it's advantages. I've had to put a lot more thought into what to plant where, and have had ample time to observe the sun and shade and to read about native species that will do well in the space I have. My plans are a far cry from the herbs and vegetables I'd planned when we first got the house, but I'm very excited about my 'wildscaping' plans. A few years hence I will sit and knit on my back porch, surrounded by native trees, flowers, and shrubs abuzz with life.

dinner tonight: broiled salmon with hollandaise, jasmine rice, steamed asparagus