Welcome Spring

Warning: Extremely photo-heavy post ahead!

Spring has got to be one of my absolute favorite times of year. I love that every time I step outside I will see a new flower blooming, something that wasn't there before. We bought this house at the end of spring last year, which means that the flowers that exist here that bloom in early Spring I didn't even know we had. I'm not very agricultural at all. In fact I pretty much have a black thumb when it comes to plants (which is ironic because my grandmother was a florist). So imagine my surprise when I found all these things in my yard and I didn't even have to do anything!

Aren't they beatiful?! The only thing I hate about spring is the more flowers there are, the more bees there are. I am allergic but I am unsure how severe my allergy is so I am extremely careful (read: terrified) around bees. I actually had a huge panic attack last spring when one flew down my shirt. Amazingly, I didn't get stung. I did rip the shirt over my head and ran about 110 mph in the opposite direction. Don't worry, I was in my own house, not somewhere public.

Project Spectrum blue/grey/white sector will be over tomorrow, so I figure I should probably post something in that color spectrum before it's over. I didn't really have any crafty things planned in that color spectrum, and I haven't knit in almost a week (spring fever big time). I did decide to paint my bathroom this past weekend to surprise my hubby. I picked a pale greyish blue to match my shower curtain which is several shades of blues and greys.

These pictures don't actually do the color any justice, but you get the idea.

I have Secret Pal Homework! I am supposed to post about my favorite and least favorite yarns. I feel very strongly about novelty eyelash yarn. I absoultely can't stand working with it anymore. When I first learned to knit I fell into the craft store yarn vortex. Can we say Lion Brand? Now, I do feel that there are some LB yarns (even some acrylic blends) that are worth working with for the money. I have no desire to make an afghan out of $10/ball yarn. But Fun Fur, yikes! My first dozen or so projects were long skinny LB Fun Fur scarfs. I would hold one strand of Fun Fur with a strand of skinny ribbon to give the scarf a little more substance. I made about a half dozen for my mother who was going to Italy right after Thanksgiving with her church for a mission trip. While there my mom gave each of her scarfs away to the Italians she worked with, who absolutely loved them. I am glad they found happy homes, but since then Mom has wanted at least one replacement for the scarfs. I have attempted to try to make her another one, but alas I can't bring myself to work with the junk ever again. So, my least favorite yarn is Fun Fur. As for favorite yarn, I'm not sure. I'm currently working with Knitpicks Wool of the Andes in one of the heathered varieties and I love the fabric it's making. However, I think some of their non-heathered colors are a little bright. I really like Aurora 8, although I have never worked with it. My friend has a scarf on the needles using it and I am really jealous of the sproinginess and squishiness of the fabric. I'm really loving the basic yarns that make a really nice fabric. In theory, I like alpaca blend yarns, but I find that when it's knit into a fabric, it's too itchy for my sensitive skin. Picky, I know.

One more thing.....
Just evidence that I am learning how to ride my new bike. I am headed to the DMV now to try to get my learner's permit!


Have a great weekend!