Five Amazing Women!!

I am a very lucky person indeed....
Amongst the many reasons I say this....are My Friends!
I am most grateful for them all...I spent a few years yearning for some wonderful women to come into my life...and they are here!!

Here is a story about the collaboration of 5.

It started a while ago meeting Lisa Souza at a Craft Fair called King's Mountain.
It's a lovely show nestled in the redwoods, south and west of the San Francisco bay area.
Lisa purchased buttons from me....egged on by another lovely woman, Phyllis Champ (thanks Phyllis!!)
Lisa and I began a friendly relationship that bloomed into each of us having a bestest friend to share our lives with!

Through the years I got sightings of Alison Hyde at Lisa's booth....we smiled at each other and exchanged pleasantries & I knew that this lady was Special!! I wanted her too!!

Well, now I have her....in book and story.....I recently received this amazing book. Alison wrote it...knitting her way through the pages....telling stories about each one of the designs and knitted lace shawls and scarves....She's an Awesome story teller!.....A Lovely Lady....and now a friend!
She keeps telling me that I too can knit lace....Thanks Alison!!

So, since I wanted to make something from Alison's book....I called my good friend Lisa and asked if she had some cashmere that she could send me....she said, "sure I do, I will put it in the mail today".....love yah Lisa!!

Little did I know, until it arrived what magic would be coming my way!!....I mean...duh...but still....
This is Lisa's handspun cashmere!!
This is so yummy that it's hard to put the knitting down to do other things!!

I asked Lisa, when I called to rave about how wonderful the yarn was....."Did you get the roving to make this from Melissa of Peace of Yarn?" Lisa said "Yes"....it's the best.....
Enter....another good friend & incredible woman!....Sweet Melissa!!



I had picked out a scarf to do out of Alison's book....called the Opera Scarf. Here is a picture of Alison's version of the scarf. Hoping that Alison was right....that I, too could do lace....I picked out a set of our glass circulars to use for the project.


I already knew who it would be going to when completed.....our daughter Jennyrose!
Jennyrose is coming in a week to visit for 10 days.
I am very proud of this beautiful and talented daughter of ours.....she's a keeper!!

How special it is to make this for Jennyrose....to incorporate the love and experiences of each one of these special people into this scarf.

Oh yes....I AM counting myself in the 5.....since I'm knitting it.....I'm a lace knitter You Know ;)

Fun at the Fair!!

Sunday my friends and I went to Country Fair....we had a BLAST (to use a phrase from my youth)....here we are in the parking lot....the Motley Crew....On the right is my friend Nancy...she's an amazing friend, healer, intuitive....then Beautiful Cynthia...a Reiki Master, intuitve, business woman, and all around fun person!! Her lovely daughter Annie and her fella Zach.
We were greeted by this beautiful painting in the parking lot....She's around 30' long and quite impressive! The black hole in her body is a stage.....awesome!!

One of my favorites at the Fair are the Giants...they are people who are quite adept at walking on stilts...different each year & have the most amazing costumes!! Here's the Butterfly Lady...and the Diva with her pet Bear.



I was SO happy to be there and being who I am I just hugged the first tree that came my way.....yep, I'm a tree hugger! I mean, who could resist?



The Giant Mask came by to get me back in line....and before we knew it we were inside the Fair....

Unfortunately the Giant Mesqueetos were around and attacking....Here's one trying to suck out Cynthia's brain...luckily we swatted him off and ran for the hills....narrowly escaping ;)

Michael & I...and our girls...did Country Fair for 5 years....it's home to me...a very special place to leave the outside world behind. We have loads of friends & always make more every time we venture in!!

Nancy, Cynthia & I took a belly dancing lesson...and afterwards got to see how it's really done.

The young woman dancing here (Inanna).....Grace Lewellyn, was our daughter's instructor & mentor during their Unschooling years. She wrote a book that changed our lives, for the better....called The Teenage Liberation Handbook....a must have for "Nature" minded homeschoolers.....& as you can see...a hell of a great belly dancer! We aren't as good right now, but I'm gonna practice!
Who knows I may be up on the Gypsy Stage one day myself ;)

We decided to take a rest...hang out amongst the trees...listen to some great music and people watch.....
It was a Perfect Oregon day!








Just as we were settling in.....Along Came A Parade.....Freaks & Fairies
Music & Merriment........Great Fun!





This is our Old friend Peter Ames...He's an incredible wood worker! And a lovely man! Peter and I spent many years at Holiday Market in Eugene selling our wares....in booths across from each other. It was excellent to see him...it's been a while.
He gave us one of his wood rattles...like you see on the table here! We will cherish it...as we have Peter's friendship!



Walking along the path...I never know who I'm going to run in to.....So when I saw our daughter Kate and her friend Jen I was happily surprised!!
We hugged, told each other what fun we were having and went on our merry way ;)




Soon enough it was time to venture back into the real world....Yikkes...reality sets in.
Such a wonderful day...and SO MUCH FUN!!

What, pray tell have You been UP to?

My years of collecting bowling balls for our bowling ball garden has paid off....so, of course I have to show it off!
Bless you Dan!!
AND...since I have been spinning this beautiful roving in the same colorway as my Chinese maple I thought I'd show that off toooo!!
It was gifted to me by my *Sister/Friend* at Maryland Sheep & Wool and will become a Fall stole for Me ;) Thanks Jackie....see, I'm doing it!

The Summer clean up of our yard is continuing even though Dan isn't here to supervise...it's hot and sunny ;) now so most of it is done in the early morning or later in the day...


which leaves time for a bit of knitting.


Here's what I have been working on..... a Feather & Fan stole using some beautiful yarn that I got from Interlacement at the Black Sheep Gathering.


It's a rayon and is just a dream to knit up..... also cool and not hard to knit on....even in the hot part of the day.
The pattern is so simple that even I can mess it up....I rip out a lot...but in the words of the....ever so wise Eugene Bugler..."if you aren't willing to rip out then don't knit!!"



I hope that you all are enjoying your
Summer!!.........
That you have little "Pansy Faces" to keep you Happy....& a "Deck Buddah" to remind you to be Peaceful!

Thanks for visiting my neck of the Garden!

Dan's the Man!!

Waiting has been my game with the Chez Ernst garden for a long.....long....long....long time! Then came the Mighty Dan....He the Man!!

Sometimes waiting for Angels to show up is difficult....for me at least.....Sometimes they show up in the oddest of places....&.... just when I think that they won't show up at all.....they fly into my world...wings spread open to swoop in and HELP me do that which I can see in my heart.

Of course Michael found Dan...at of all places...our little video store in Drain. Michael has a way of finding Angels...it's rather his forte'....and boy am I, as always, grateful!!
Dan has whipped me and our grounds into something that I am proud of....now we aren't done yet, but I just want to say....out here in the blog-o-sphere....THANKS DAN...you are Definitely the Man!!