Crazy Beautiful!

That's the St. Elias (a.k.a. blueface leicester) from Pagewood Farm. It's here, I have pictures snapped, and you'll see them below. But first, a tiny progress report.

It's definitely warming up in these parts, as it's been closer to normal temps (40F right now) and the river has completely thawed in our section (it never freezes over completely by our house, but the edges get frosty) and the migratory fowl are at it again. We even spotted a couple wood ducks (or so we think) near the back deck


and Matt snapped a picture for me while they were swimming around. Cute!

I've made great progress on the Dusk cardigan (materials shown in my last post). In fact, all pieces/parts are knitted up, Matt has most of the seaming done, and I've got the belt finished (did a good bit on Sunday, when we saw "Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day" with Blogless Emily--cute movie, go see it!). Here's what the back looked like on Wednesday of last week


with Mr. Hambone (a.k.a. Tate) sneaking in. It's some seriously pretty fabric


It's nice, and you'll see the finished garment here shortly, as there's one side seam to go, then I have to add the up-and-around ribbing for the collar (from waist up around neck and back to waist) and the cuffs on the sleeves. Not too much knitting...WHEW!

Like I mentioned, the Pagewood Farm St. Elias arrived today, and it's INCREDIBLE! It's a blend of 80% bluefaced leicester and 20% nylon and NOT a superwash fiber (hand wash, folks, you can do it...if you can wash a baby, you can hand-launder socks or a sweater). If you think the Chugiak is pretty.....oh my is this stuff soft! It's a 4-ounce (113g) hank with 450 yards per hank, and they're $25 each. Not shabby, especially for BFL!

Let's look at colors, shall we? We received three of each, just in case you're curious


That's River Rock (yummy purples, golden tones, and some browns), Spring Brights (fun pops of color on a really nice blue/green base), Mocha (everything tan--perfect for stitch work!), and Sky Blue Pink (really REALLY pretty, rich blues with pinks and purples). More you say? OK


Misty (LOVE that teal and smoky grey/brown together), Bird of Paradise (VIBRANT greens, and so different from the Chugiak), Crayons (fun primary colors on a blue base), Butterfly (awesome pink base with pops of blues, melon shades), and Vineyard Blues (such a great combo of blues and purples). Still want more? OK OK OK


I present to you Greens(really sharp, spring greens!), Harvest (a beautiful autumnal palette, kinda like maple leaves...not my colors, but I GOTTA HAVE ONE OF THESE), Really Red (and it is truth in advertising!), and Meadow (a really pretty combo of greens, blues, and purples, with the right spring-y greens). And still more? You're greedy!


Mardi Gras (not as solid as it looks, with shots of purples and oranges), Forest Camo (really nice blue-greens with bits of browns), Camo (rusty-brown goodness!), and Grape Juice (nice lilac shades--perfect for Spring! and textured knitting).

One last group....


Turquoise (really nice teal/turquoise blues!), Prism (a purple lover's dream, trust me), Ireland (lovely medium greens--not too bright, not too soft), Rainbow (great pinks with awesome reds and blues), and Mississippi Mud (too pretty to be mud...beautiful toffee shades).

That's all 22 shades! They're ready for adoption to a good home.....for just $25 each. If you're interested, slip us an e-mail or call at 866-939-BEAR and anyone here can help. Just be sure to ask for the blueface, or the St. Elias (unless you WANT Chugiak, which we still have some on hand, with more being dyed for us for delivery in a few weeks...YUM).

With that, I'm off to go knit a little bit before closing up the shop for the day. Matt's teaching a class, as is our manager, Sabrina. The pups are sleeping on the couches, so it's a good night in Michigan. I hope you are experiencing similar "good" where you are, too!