SPRING! Tide's In!

Acer rubrum ~ Red Maple

Having grown weary of the long monochromatic winter, my eyes hunger for color this time of year.  As the new season unfolds, I find myself on a quest to seek out the emerging color moments that harbinger spring.  Not the deep lush colors of summer, not the vibrant last hurrah colors of autumn, but those innocent soft colors of spring.  This year I am particularly enamored with the colors offered up by the buds of trees. Although upstaged by showy spring bulbs, trees offer subtle color en masse and inspiring hues up close. 

Lonicera canadensis ~ Fly Honeysuckle Bush

Salix ~ Willow

Populus tremuloides ~ Quaking Aspen

Inspired by all the new spring color, I am eager to get the dye pots going this week and prepare some TIDE colors to take to the island next week for *lambing season* knitting.

Very fortuitous since there is a new batch of Nash Island TIDE yarn ready and waiting for skeining and dyeing.

Starcroft ~ Nash Island TIDE Yarn

And also fortuitous that I just finished this Sea Urchin Treasure Bag by Mary Jane Mucklestone to take to the island with me next week to collect beach treasures during *lambing season*.

Sea Urchin Treasure Bag by Mary Jane Mucklestone in Starcroft Nash Island TIDE Yarn

And did I mention that next week begins *lambing season* on the island? My absolute favorite time of the year ~ SPRING! LAMBS! Tide's in and I'm headed out to the island....

Fibertrek Wool Scouts Retreat

We all need to take some time for ourselves.  Now more than ever.  Time to disconnect, seek solitude, immerse in nature, recharge our energies, reground.

Just imagine... climbing into a float plane and leaving chaos behind as you lift off above the tree tops and head into the Great North Woods of Maine.

Just imagine... flying over the peak of majestic Katahdin Mountain as your pilot names every peak, lake, and river that flow past beneath you and tells of their history and lore.

Just imagine... gliding to a landing on the surface of Munsungan Lake and stepping out onto the awaiting dock of the only habitation on the lake and 3.5 million acres of wilderness forest surrounding you.

Just imagine... being warmly greeted by the wonderful hosts of Bradford Camps and made welcome to this quintessential vintage Maine sporting camp.

Just imagine... plunking your gear down in your cabin and meeting our cabin mates before grabbing your knitting and heading out to the porch to catch the last rays of sunset and settle yourself in to camp mode.

Just imagine... the stars and the silence.  Such silence that you can hear the ripples of a fish breaking water as you drift off to sleep.

Just imagine... slipping your toes into the cool lake at dawn before plunging in for a quick swim with the trout before breakfast.

Just imagine... delicious home cooked food fresh from the garden eked out of the wilderness.

Just imagine... days filled with fellowship, learning new skills ~ how to start a fire with flint and steel to set your dye pot to boil, how to read a compass to find your way, primitive storage for your knitting sundries, knitting a pair of traditional Maine mittens.

Just imagine... paddling the lake at sunset, lakeside fire chats in the evenings, and long walks in the woods ~ leaning-in to your hand craft among the trees and filling your soul with fresh air and the scent of pine and balsam.

Just imagine... THEN DO!

Join Wool Guides Sarah Hunt, Mary Jane Mucklestone, Sarah Lake, and myself for the incredible Fibertrek Wool Scout Retreat, August 13-17, 2017 at Bradford Camps in the Great North Woods of Maine on beautiful Munsungan Lake.

For information click HERE, or contact fibertrek@gmail.com

Hope to see you there!

Nash Island by MJM

                                       Nash Island 

                         pattern by Mary Jane Mucklestone 

                                  Nash Island LIGHT yarn 

Last June my friend Mary Jane Mucklestone arrived on Nash Island to help with shearing, knitting in hand, as usual.  Nash Island Yarn, of course.  Wisely knowing a compact portable project makes for light dunnage (an essential for boat travel) Mary Jane was designing (on the needles, in the moment, on the island) a sweater knit flat in pieces. 

         Mary Jane designing with her muses, photo by Gale Zucker.

Nash Island is an old school Maine sweater, the kind we wear year round in all seasons. For hauling wood in winter to summer evenings on the lobster boat.  Nash Island is knit old school too, entirely flat, with the color work 'lice' happening only on the right side to make it easy.  With  modified drop shoulders and a lace up placket it's a comfortable everyday sweater.  With spring just around the corner, a Nash Island sweater will be the perfect portable project for my island lambing season knitting.  And maybe I'll get it done in time to wear to shearing!

Nash Island by Mary Jane Mucklestone is available on Ravelry.  Nash Island LIGHT yarn is available at Starcroft and at Clementine in Rockland. (We are currently spinning up more LIGHT yarn from the 2015 clip, more colors will be available soon!)

Valenzi

A new installment to the Cardi Project just completed!  

This is Valenzi by Mary Jane Mucklestone from her fabulous book Fair Isle Style.

Knit with Nash Island Light yarn in driftwood, wild iris, mussel shell, whelk, and raven.

A great pattern and wonderful knitting start to finish. 

 And thanks to the current Maine weather I won't have to wait until fall to wear it!