Sunday Outing -The Lavender Fields

Today, my husband and I took our little road trip out to The Lavender Fields in Northern San Diego County. I stocked up on yummy lavender soaps, bath gel, lotions and a lavender infused honey (for my honey). We took a leisurely walk around the gardens and then stopped up on the hill to sit for a while and just enjoy the birds singing and the view down the valley. What peaceful surroundings. On the way into the parking area, we saw a road runner scouting around for lizards. We were so excited. That made our day.

There are tons of prickly pear cacti on the grounds of The Lavender Fields. Many were in bloom and had much new growth. Paul picked a white furry cochenille bug off one of the prickly pears and squished it and got the red dye stuff on his fingers. Cochenille is a natural dye stuff that many dyers, like my friend Margie, like to collect and use.

And, what a pleasant surprise -- we ran into Mr. & Mrs. Twisted Knitster (Jerry and Debbie) at the Lavender Fields. They, of course, had their knitting bags in tow and planned on sitting and knitting while enjoying the ambience. [See, http://twistedknitster.blogspot.com]

After we left The Lavender Fields, we headed down to Escondido to the French Bakery on Grand Avenue for some pastries. They have the best ever brioches and croissants.

Then off we went on side roads through the hills out to the coast, Solana Beach and Encinitas. Unfortunately, there was a street fair in Encinitas. Way too many people, no parking, and the Coast Highway was blocked off. We finally made our way around town and decided to head up the coast for home. What a fun excursion for a Sunday. Made me think, "Gee, we need to get out more often."

On Saturday, I went to La Petite Knitterie for our Saturday spinning group. Again, we had a good turn out, with Pam, Margie, Karen and Nancy. Then, Julie showed up a little bit later and literally had piles of yarn she had just spun and plied. She has been spinning for a few weeks and it appears she's got the bug real bad -- totally obsessed is the word on the street.

And, on the granny square front, I have finished another baby afghan using bright superwash merino that I dyed. These are so easy and so much fun.

And, in case anyone is wondering, yes . . . I've started another baby blanket . . . this time out of some natural silk and merino that I dyed in pastel colors. The funny thing is that my granny square obsession seems to have caught on with a bunch of the other knitter/crocheters at LPK. Granny squares are being crocheted by many, and everyone's work looks totally different and amazingly creative.

I have also been busy every day dyeing up roving and yarn for the booth at the Black Sheep Gathering in Eugene, Oregon (June 22nd - 24th). I've posted some of the fibers at my Capistrano Fiber Arts blog (see link to right). These are just a taste of what I will be taking to BSG.