travelin' blues

Before we left, the packing was what gave me the blues. Now that we're home, well, I'm missing the good company of my sister and her family. But while we were there, the only blues I noticed were the glorious ones provided Nature.

::: Spencer Spitt, Lopez Island, WA :::

::: Shark Reef, Lopez Island, WA :::


:::Bay view, Seattle, WA :::

It was a great vacation. We took in some real beauty: companionship, nature, and real, fresh crab! Thank you to my sister and her family for spending their week with us in their town(s), it was really a dream of a vacation!

bee season

Do you see that sweet bumble bee feasting in the sunflower below? He must have been completely drunk with pollen, he's hardly visible because he's covered in it! {This is a photo from last summer since this year's sunflower crop was enjoyed as salad by the deer. A few of the stalks which were left over from the deer's feast have sprouted some blossoms, but they're stragglers, late bloomers. Ah, well.}I have a thing for bees. Their buzz is among my favorite sounds, along with the sounds of the breath of a sleeping child, rainfall, chirping crickets, wind in the trees, laughter, waves.... I like achieving the point of quiet at which a bee can be heard.

I also have a thing for stripes.

Bees + stripes = happiness!These are my Skew socks in Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Bee Stripe. Socks only a bee-loving stripe-crazed knitter could love because they are busy in a dizzying way! Do they ever make me smile. I can hardly wait to sport them in my clogs this fall, but I will be patient as there is still a bunch of summer to enjoy.This pattern is genius, really. Mind bending. A leap of faith. Blind following is required. And the reward is plenty. Not entirely unlike the life of a bee, right? I really enjoyed knitting these and will probably make others. I highly recommend it to you! How are things with you? Bearing the heat ok here in the northern hemisphere? Just warming up down under? I'm wishing you well from my part of this wonderful internet bee-hive. Buzz... buzz... buzz...

signs of summer

::: fireworks :::

::: veggie patch :::

::: water play :::

::: watermelon :::

::: flower garden :::

::: baseball :::

::: sunflowers :::

::: sunflowers :::

::: sunflowers :::

{this moment}

{this moment} - a Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A single, special, extraordinary moment. A moment that I want to pause, savor, and remember. This is my contribution to Amanda's {this moment} photo project.

Earth Day

I hope your Earth Day was beautiful!

best ~ Annri

Chases Rainbows

Maybe that would be my Native name. It seems to fit. Hexagon Pincushion, (and on my Ravelry page) I was a girl possessed. Oh, to know what lies at the end...

much anticipated

Much anticpated treasures have arrived! Spring has brought along with her many of her glowing friends: sweet crocus......an enrobed river stone......and humble bumble. Do you see him there?
Thank Goodness for Spring's arrival, for all of her glowing cohorts, and for Margie and her Resurrection Fern always full of Nature and inspiration for expansion (check out the link at the end of her post for today 3/24/10).

{this moment}

{this moment} - a Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor, and remember. This is my contribution to Amanda's {this moment} photo project. Lucky me, my days are full of these moments, I just happened to have the camera in my hands this time. :) If you'd like to see others' moments, check the comments over at SouleMama today.

accumulation

An accumulation of gratitude, snow, and granola bars...

I thought I should drop in here to say, "Phew! February is on it's way out!" And I would like to say thank you for all the encouragement to be bold back to this longest shortest month, and return all the virtual high-fives you gave me about the Crafty Crow appearance. Thank You!This is some of the beautiful snow that fell last week. Here is what we did with some of it:*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

For some reason today, I just had to make granola bars. I haven't tried making it from scratch before. I've found it hard to find one that I really like at the store. I'm picky about the bars I buy; I don't tolerate cashews, don't want the chocolate (I know, I know, blasphemous), like a good portion of chew, a titch of salt, and not too sweet. Please. Oh, and I love knowing exactly what's in there. I guess it should have occurred to me sooner. I tweeked a recipe I found over at delicious Smitten Kitchen. My modifications: I only had whole almonds, so I sent them through the nut-grinder. I didn't have wheat germ, so substituted oat bran. In my impatience, I added the oat bran before I was instructed, so it got toasted with the oats, almonds, and coconut (unsweetened); no harm done. Our honey is very solid, so I melted it a bit before mixing it in. And I felt compelled to add 2 tbls of butter, melted (Deb said I could!) For fruit I used dried cranberries, dried apricots, and raisins. You can see the sunflower seeds on top; that's because I forgot to mix them in. I just pushed them onto the top of the granola bars after it was all pressed into the pan. YUM. I think you should make some too. {By the way, that rigatoni is calling my name!}

So, if you're reading, you've made it through February too! Hooray for us! I hope to have a finished object (or two) to share later this week. Time to check out the Closing Ceremonies; the Olympics really helped me through this last bit of the calendar. :)

the view from here...

...is quiet today. When I feel overwhelmed, I find it helps to look up. These are some of the great trees we have in our yard. They serve us in so many ways: bearing fruit, lending branches to climb, creating shade, breaking the winter winds, sprouting branches & leaves & cones & acorns to play with, offering kindling, and improving our point of view. I really love these trees.

What helps you to refocus?

a toast

Here's to 2009 in craft! {click the photo to enlarge}

Thank you for all your visits here. Your comments put a smile on my face and lift my heart; I really appreciate that reverberation, and I hope that same good vibration echoes over into your place wherever your nest may be. I have made re-connections and new connections, have been reassured of kindness and generosity, and have marvelled at creative beauty in so many forms because of this Woolnest and my travels around the wonderous web. The experience has nourished me in the most delicious way!

So, I raise my needles (tee-hee!) to You, to 2009, and to 2010, bring it, I'm ready! (that is, once I finish those few straggling projects from 2009....) ;-)

xoxo

best - Annri

snow

I love snow. We had some glitter snow earlier today. Hana and her friend immediately went outside to play. With the sparkly snow dancing around them, they looked like a scene from a snow globe. So sweet!


Here's some other snow that has developed around the house:

This snow was precipitated (!) by Margaret Oomen at Resurrection Fern; her endless blog wonderland of inspiration is one of my favorite places to escape to. A couple of weeks ago, she generously laid out the making of these snowflake pendants. It took me a little self-encouragement to free-stitch the snowflake, but once I just went for it, I really enjoyed the making. I love wearing the pendant too. When I was getting ready to take photos earlier, I threw myself into a panic because I couldn't find that last one, that's the one I'm keeping. Guess where I found it? Around my neck! Silly me. My pendants are about 2" in diameter and strung from a handspun merino crochet chain, but just imagine the possibilities! I've had to write down the list of ideas because they keep coming, and I worry that I'll forget before I get to stitching. I'm thinking of a holly sprig with berries, icicles, fir branches, pinecones, etc. Thank you, Margaret, for the inspiration and instructions, again!

Any snow in your neck of the woods?!

fall-ing!

Out and about at the pumpkin field down the street: How does one choose?!

Out and about at home:

All the out-ness leads to happy in-the-house-ness: knitting socks, cooking soup, reading books, knitting socks, playing Scrabble, strumming guitar, knitting socks...! Sounds good, doesn't it?

I hope you are well. xoxo