Quiet weekend at home

We had a really nice, quiet, weekend at home. Since my older son is away at university it's just my husband, younger son and me, along with the 2 dogs, BJ and Cadee, and Hawkeye Cat. My younger son is learning to drive, and since we have cars with standard transmission it has taken quite a while for him to get enough experience with the clutch to get out on the road. Last weekend was his first time actually driving on the roads, and not just in parking lots, or the little access roads over by the lake. This weekend we got him out for about an hour each day, getting him all sorts of different experiences. In town, country, and he even got on a major highway yesterday. They sure grow up fast!

I have been working along on a few projects, and planning out others. Never ends. Things have been pretty crazy for some time, and it's nice to start feeling like I'm getting forward progress made on my own goals. The lovely pink shawl I'm making for my niece is coming along very well. I expect to be able to finish it in good time to get it shipped out for her birthday. She wants a knitting spool, too, so I need to take a trip to find her one to include in the box.

The shawl is too big to easily take with me now, so I am working on a pair of hand spun mitts. I've started to post about them on Ravelry, and will eventually get pictures of them, too. The first one is finished, I just need to finish it's mate. Usually I knit both of a pair at the same time, but this time I didn't. These are being knit on US size 8 Brittany wooden needles, which are so much bigger than the US size 1-3 that I usually use for socks!

The other 2 knitting projects that I have in the background waiting their turn are a quiviut seaman's scarf knit in Feather and Fan, and a pair of cotton socks. I really don't much like knitting cotton socks, but for some reason I started these to take on my trip. I don't think this pair is meant for me. I think they will end up a bit too big for me. I've got someone in mind, but will have to see if they fit! Whomever they fit is who they are for. How's that for rationalization?

In addition to the off-and-on knitting I also got some time at my spinning wheel. I am slowly finishing the spinning on the last shade of Spudnick's fleece. I've got a bobbin and a half spun from 12 batts of this last shade. I have 12 more batts to go. At this rate another month or so to go! As with the rest of the fleece, this is being spun on the Kromski Mazurka wheel. What a lovely little wheel. I love sitting by the big front window where there is lots of natural light, enjoying the heat from the woodstove. It's close enough to the stove to be cozy, but not so close that it will heat or damage the wood of my wheels.