Playing with my new toy

Ever since my Canon point-and-shoot broke a few months ago,

I'd been going through withdrawal.

My niece's even simpler camera did the trick when necessary,

but I wanted to get back to normal.

This is so much better than normal!

After Christmas I bought a Canon DSLR, the Rebel T3.

Just a step above a point-and-shoot but the options are amazing.

Particularly like the image stabilizer lenses and macro features.

Here are shots from my first few days with it.

Peace on Earth

My most recent hats

Winter is officially here and
here are some of the hats I've made recently.

Gotta love elf hats and my new pom pom maker!

And what do you think of the mohawk hat at the bottom?

 A few of them, and some others, are for sale on Facebook.
Let me know if you would like one!

Outtakes from our Christmas tree trip

Thanksgiving, over the river and through the woods

Once again, we spent our Thanksgiving

in the most heavenly place on Earth --

the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York.

And this is how I spent Black Friday morning,

photographing the foggy and snowy landscape

near Lake Placid, site of the '32 and '80 Olympics.

We never know what kind of weather we will get

up in the mountains and the photos each year reflect that.

(Make sure you click each image for a larger view.)

The color has faded

And now we just wait for snow.

though we have already had a few tastes of it here 

in Northeastern New York.

Shopping sprees

Between the fiber festivals and craft fairs I went to this fall,

I've added to my stash, though I should be trying to use it up.

I have a hard time using the "good" yarn I buy though.
Want to make something extra special, usually for me.

Here are 3 wool yarns.

The top one is a hand-spun, bulky denim tweed.

The middle is hand-dyed worsted Norwegian wool

The last two red and white are fingering weight

and were seconds from a mill in Maine.

Any suggestions on how to use them?

I always go for the bargain bins at shows,

and don't mind buying vintage stock.

These are both wool and about $2 a skein.

I'm thinking of using them together.

I'm also building up my roving stash.

I have used the drop spindle once to make some yarn,

just enough to make a sweet flower brooch.

Need more time or to find someone who gives lessons,

in both spinning and felting, to get the most of these.

And I couldn't resist these cute pewter buttons with bagpipes!!!

I still have a stash of Scottish wool tartan and solids

I would love to pair these with.

Maybe a bag for me .... to carry my latest yarn projects in.