Yarn Along - With The Scarf And Stella, Comby And A Honey Bee

The weather's been gorgeous the last two days. So much so that Stella came over yesterday afternoon and we did some knitting sitting outside in the sun while I washed a couple fleeces!

There's just not much better than sitting in the sun, knitting, with Comby on your lap :-).

Except he's sort of in the way and look at those claws "making muffins" on Stella's knee :-o.

She brought a honey bee with her :-).  On warm days, bees will leave the hive and go out scouting for anything that might be out there (or maybe just to get the heck out of that dark, cooped up box they've been holed up in all winter ;-) and to "do their business".  They also give their hive a thorough cleaning, so it's not at all unusual to see dead bees in front of your hives on a warm winter day.  I was happy to hear her hive was alive and well!

The finished scarf.  To be considered "finished", just as, or even more so than in knitting, weaving is not finished until the material or item has been "fulled".  Fulled means soaked in warm water, with a little detergent (especially when a farmer weaves with white yarn ;-), sometimes agitated (a little or a lot depending on what it is, what it's woven from...), blocked out to dry and sometimes pressed with a careful iron.

Fulling fluffs the yarn up (blooms), stabilizes the material, evens out the "stitches" and softens the cloth.  It really makes a big difference (just as blocking in knitting does).  It did go a long way to helping me like the finished result better than my initial reaction.  While I'm sure not ready to add any Merino sheep to the flock, I did apologize for not loving it before ;-).

In most light, the scarf looks nearly white on white.  In reality it's actually a very light purplish gray and white.

And it really is pretty :-).

So, what am I reading/listening to this week?  Another Mrs. Murphy mystery.  Written by Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie, her cat, Mrs. Murphy and Pewter are cats who help solve mysteries with Tucker, a Mighty Little Corgi (that's Tilly's favorite part :-).  They are mostly/somewhat farm based with horses, dogs, cats, a barn owl, barn possum, barn mice and interesting humans and situations. Very fun!

Joining in with Ginny...