At the Top of Squirrel Spur

It's a Beautiful Day!

Greenberry House and the new look

I finally went shopping and found some ferns for the porch; I had the idea I wanted to go for a cool, bistro look this summer. The porch furniture was serendipity earlier in the year, and I at long last finished the Leaves sweater. The avocado seedlings are fun, too, and get some attention.

Jane Plaugher is teaching a workshop here next Friday, July 25 at 12:30 on Entrelac Knitting. $25.00, Number 8 knitting needles and knitting worsted, basic knowledge of knitting required. Drop me a note if you're interested at leslie@greenberryhouse.com.


Forecast:
Meadows of Dan, VA
(Clear 83*F)
Today Mostly Sunny 68-83*F
Sun Mostly Sunny 68-83*F
Mon Chance of Storm 67-83*F

Come up and beat the heat this weekend in Meadows of Dan! I've got a cool shady porch!

Labels: Greenberry House, summer, The Shop

On the Shop Porch

Where's Mom with dinner?


Look! I'm a bird!

Labels: birds, Greenberry House, nesting, The Shop

Belated Happy 4th of July!

Making a Crocheted Shawl from Noro Sock Yarn

Holiday activities are rare for me; I usually have to work through most of them, since I've been in retail forever. But Friday night we took advantage of an evening celebration in town to have pizza for dinner, listen to some fantastic music and watch an awesome display of fireworks. If you're in Meadows of Dan over the 4th, Christopher's Pizza is the happening place!


Local Fire Department helping out

There were lots of festivals and things going on around the area; I should have gotten my ducks rowed up and put them on the Meadows of Dan blog. Not enough hours in the day, I'm afraid. I did manage to run out and get a picture or two of the banner that is to advertise the Folk Fair, on August 9, as it was being put up in town.

On Sunday we were invited to a baptizing in a pond high on a hill near the community. Not many congregations use a pond these days; this particular church does have a baptismal font. But the individual concerned liked the idea of an old-fashioned ceremony, apparently. It was lovely; out under a hazy sky with a still pool in front of us. The choir sang as the pastor and new church member waded out into the water.

I've been spinning silk hankies I bought at SAFF from Lori Flood and really enjoying the bright red and purple of the colorway "Royalty". Trying to get them done quickly as I have several other projects pressing, but had the wheel set up to spin fine. I'm also crocheting in odd moments on a shawl from the Noro fine yarn I bought at Mosaic the other day. I'm making this shawl up as I go along, so I'm not sure what it will look like!

Labels: Daily Life, Projects

Woosh! That was June going by!

My new neighbors

And July is starting out just as busy! It's lovely to just stop a moment and watch the clouds drifting easily across the sky. The hummingbirds have been visiting the hosta blooms by the window, and a noisy sparrow just hopped across the ledge fussing. There's a swallows' nest on top of a post on the porch. I've been watching their progress. Mom and Dad Swallow are both busy feeding the little ones now after an anxious watch and wait. Apparently all the activity around here doesn't bother them.


Spindles and More

When I went to Sedalia I didn't have much time to look around but I saw some customers carrying around these beautiful spindles. I made a dash out and picked up a card, and Darcy is graciously allowing me to sell these lovely pieces in the shop. Each is signed and numbered and would be such a pleasure to spin with. Darcy also has a sense of humor; I love "Blaze Orange" for spinning during hunting season! Can you guess which one is called "Teach Me to Spin"?


Fayetteville, West Virginia, Demonstration

I spent last weekend in Fayetteville, West Virginia, dodging raindrops and spinning some lovely Jacob wool I bought from Perfect Spot Farm. The New River Gorge Heritage Festival was very nice; new, maybe, because it was small but it should grow. The location was lovely. I was set up next to a Civil War encampment on a quiet town street. Two of the residents were kind enough to offer shelter if the storms became too frightening. I made it through two nights in my tent, though, sleeping on straw and tossing ants and some sort of friendly black bug out into the night. It was charming to sit spinning as twilight fell and the lightning bugs rose out of the lawns all around me.


Completed Some Sock Yarn Shawl

Since it rained a good bit last weekend, I finished this crocheted shawl. More details on my Ravelry page, but it's a simple pattern of double crochets and increases to make a triangle shape. I went over to Blacksburg yesterday to pick up bunny feed and stopped in at Mosaic. I'd been dreaming about that Noro sock yarn....

Labels: Greenberry House, Stash Enhancement, The Shop, Travel

Daybreak

Lily resting from a lazy day

This morning I went out with Lily a little early on our walk to meet friend Kym. Lily was all nose to the ground and I dawdled along with her while she checked out fascinating scents along Concord Road. Mourning doves called across the dark trees and a light breeze brought a scent of earth from the corn maze field. We walked quietly and I looked up at a burnished pale gold moon riding in a rose streaked silvery sky. As we reached the empty house of a fondly remembered neighbor couple, a small doe lifted her head in the yard. She stood, still, watchful, curious, against the peeling board fence while long grass whispered in the wind around us.

Now the sun is shining bright over a dozen brilliant and soft greens in the woods, fields and lawns around the shop. Hummingbirds visit the feeder and hosta blooms busily by the window and occasionally check out the yarn on the porch table in disappointment. High under the eaves a delicate barn swallow nests as her mate keeps a wary eye out from my yarn drying line.

Had a lovely dinner with friends last night, who were gracious enough to invite me again after I forgot to show up on Wednesday! I dashed over to Chateau Morrisette on the way, where the Patrick County Chamber of Commerce was hosting a "Business After Hours". As usual, Nora and Doss, and the other winery staff, were quite wonderful as hosts!

Labels: Daily Life

I really do things lately....

Galax Leaf 'n String Festival 2008

...it just seems that there's never any time to talk about what's going on! The shop has been busy, and I put up yarn and fiber all weekend. Then I sheared several rabbits to get them more comfortable with the warmer weather and met with a fellow from the Invisible Fence Brand company to talk about a way to keep TJ safe and exercised more. Then I finally got my car back, and fences, invisible or otherwise, got pushed aside for the moment with more busy times.

Over the weekend I traveled to Galax, Virginia, just up the road, really. The directors of the Chestnut Creek School of the Arts, a new project in Southwest Virginia, had asked me to teach a crochet class over the weekend. So I went up on Friday and Saturday morning to demonstrate. Odd not to be spinning! I had two lovely students, very bright and quick to catch on, and we had a terrific afternoon. I didn't see much of the festival but I heard some awesome music through the weekend.


Morning Surf Scarf

And the Morning Surf scarf is coming along. I think I'll do it again, maybe not right away, but in some sort of soft, finely spun yarn. I like the Maizy's crispness for this but I also think I'd like a version with some softer drape.


Country Cotton Shawl

I finally finished Violet Beauregard, that wild purple skirt. No picture yet because it needs blocking, and because I forgot to do one last night when I had the camera out. I have to have a crochet project going, so I started this shawl yesterday. Have to love the way crochet zooms along; twelve rows of crochet is half what you see here and twelve rows of knitting is about an inch in the Morning Surf pattern. Not that I'm knocking Morning Surf. That's the fun of having so many different projects going. Some can go quickly to fulfill the need for immediate finishing gratification! The shawl is made from some funky Regia Design sock yarn that I bought down in Charleston, along with a more refined colored skein of the same brand. The pattern calls for two strands. I'm not sure I would have loved the brighter colors alone!

Labels: Festivals, Projects, Travel, Yarn

Quick Note

Last night I walked out late, to check on a computer upload at Sue's shop. Lily went along with me to enjoy the cool breezes of the evening. A few lightning bugs drifted across the fields in lazy archs, just above the waving grass. In the little field beside the Parkway it seemed very dark; clouds piled heavy above the tree line. I looked up at the lightning bugs, signaling as they have done for centuries, against the deep shadows of the trees.


New Greenberry House Yarns

As you can see from the pictures, I have a lot to do today!


More new yarns!

Claudia and Ann came by on Thursday, and left this lovely selection of beautiful yarns. I love their stuff; the yarns are as individual as the spinners! I also have two of Claudia's special knitting bags. Hoping to get everything on the web site as quickly as possible. The yarn will be on the shelves today.

Then yesterday a local farmer brought me some fleeces. He's a shearer and had several different varieties. I bought the Jacob he brought; love spinning that and it sells well as yarn, and took some other fleeces on consignment. I'll have to do some investigating on the uses of the fleece he brought; one of them is from a hair sheep. I know nothing about them, but a quick search on the Internet indicated it might be used to make rug yarn. I thought I'd wash a bit and spin up a sample to see.

And while I was waiting out a stormy afternoon while sitting and knitting with my neighbor while she quilted, a big box came in the mail that was full of yarn from another North Carolina Jane. She included some kits so I'm looking forward to diving into this box!


Ripples in the Corn Field

The Summer 2008 Spin-Off came into the shop this week and I read it cover to cover. Some really good articles but I was really taken with the Handspun Gallery this time. Some lovely scarves in the Morning Surf pattern by Jackie Erickson-Schweitzer. Since I'm such a beginning knitter, it's surprising that this captured my fancy, but it's really quite easy, despite the multiple yarn overs. I've been having fun knitting it in odd moments. I needed to make a sample for the shop in Crystal Palace Yarns Maizy, anyway, so I'm using the Indian Corn colorway. The yarn is nice, not as soft as the Panda Cotton but it looks nice in this pattern so far.

Labels: Daily Life, Dogs, Greenberry House, Yarn