May is Over Already

Last year during May, we were in Aix-en-Provence, and I have spent the past month reliving that vacation.  We had such a wonderful time and enjoyed the DS and DD coming over for a couple of weeks with us.

The family in Arles

Morning at the market

I found the calendar page that had all the events that we were doing while we were there and DH said to be sure to keep track of it so that we can remember the vacation again next year.  I don't know if we will ever get another vacation like that, but I am sure glad that we did it.  Like DH said it cost a lot, but it was worth it.

Looking out the window of our "home" for 30 days

Gardens at the newly finished museum 

It was such a great experience.

I have been doing some weaving this month.  I finally finished the alpaca scarves and I am pleased with them.  The yarn is a ragg yarn so the patterns are very subtle, but they feel fantastic.

In the bobbin lace group I am in, we had one of our members teaching some needle lace techniques and we started a small motif.

Here's my work so far, and a picture of the finished motif in a frame.  It would be fun to find an old looking broach to put my finished lace in!

Small runner from the Bronson lace sample

I managed to weave a small runner on the end of the Bronson lace sample I put on for the Summer & Winter class, if you look close you can see the error in the weaving (a white weft is floating over a red stripe).  Yes, I did repair the float in the finished runner and now you can not see it.

As you can see, I wove right to the very end of the warp!

I got some more yarn to weave some rugs (the large bumps on the floor) and for scarves and shawls (the eight cones on top of the loom).  This probably will keep me busy for the next couple of months.  I don't think I have enough warp yarn for the rug warp, so I will need to order more.  
You can also see the rigid heddle loom with the napkin samples and the spinning wheel ready to start the Greenwood roving (yes, I have not got around to that yet).

I finally got a picture of the socks from the sock kit I got from Mountain Colors.  I do love their color lines.  I have done socks in their yarns several times.  I followed the pattern that they provided in the kit, even though I thought I would like the ribbing on top smaller, and I ran out of the contrast yarn.

One toe has some dark yarn at the end!

It is really not that bad, the toes are usually in shoes anyway.

Next month I go to Chicago for Complex Weavers and I can't wait.  I thought I would have some handwoven clothing to wear this time...It seems that I need to up my game and spend more time finishing my work and less time watching Netflix!

The Lovely month of May

Every day when I get up this month, I think what was I doing last year on this day.  Last May we were in Aix-en-Provence and having a wonderful vacation.  Below you can barely see me and DH looking out from our  apartment window.

We stayed in a great hotel/apartment

 The family was able to enjoy seeing some of the sites in the area.  We had a great time and today I realized that we are half way through the month and a year ago, we were saying good-by to my son when he left after spending a week with us.

Both kids were able to come over for some time.

This month has, of course, been much less of an adventure.  I have been worried about the continuation of my teaching...there is some concern that the city the studio is in does not want to continue the craft school.  We have had some good rain so the plants are doing well, I need to get some help with the Dye Garden...it is really overrun.

I would like to put in more traditional dye plants, most of the ones in there now are just marginally considered dye plants.  Again, will l be able to stay in the studio to keep up the garden?...can I find some hardy souls to help me clean it out?...I am not much of a gardener.

I did spend a couple of hours doing some garden clean-up at my Mom's house.  She is ninety now and not able to do as much as she used to.  My DS was willing to come up and clean the roof of the carport, cut out some dead branches in the weeping birch tree.  We planted some flowers in the pots by the porch and trimmed back a bush my Mom wanted cut back.

We chopped off two bags full.

 Some time this summer we will need to shape the poor bush.  It was way overgrown and many of the branches had been tucked back into the bush making a "hedgerow" formation.

We planted the pots next to the porch to add some color.

I have not done that much gardening in my yard and I really need to get to it.  The herb garden needs cleaning and new plants and the deck and patio need massive cleaning and bagging up the leaves and pods that fell of the trees last fall and winter.

I have been getting a little weaving done.  The twill on the scarves was getting me down, so I re-threaded for huck lace.

Of course, with lace you can hardly see it on the loom

Looking from the side, it shows a little better.

I hope after the washing, it will open up and make a lace pattern that looks good.  I will probably put more lace on the next one, instead of the lace and spot sections.

We had some wild spring weather here.  We did not get any at my house, but when I I was at the studio we got quite a hail storm.  

View from the studio door

I could hear the sound of the hail hitting the roof, when I checked outside it was coming down and bouncing off the roof onto the side walk.  We ended up with the side walk completely white with the hail...Then in a half hour the sun was up and the hail was melted.  Spring weather can be so unexpected.  I remember asking about the netting over the fruit trees in Southern France and the guide told us that it was to protect the fruit from the hail!