The Tour de Fleece 2026 has finished up and with it, I have finished my spin for the year. I took two matching gradient sets from Hilltop Cloud Fibres in a lovely blend of bamboo, BFL and merino wools, in the color “Wild Rose”, and spun myself up a whopper of a skein – 801 yards of 2-ply in a heavy fingering weight. I was able to keep the very soft and subtle color shifts intact. I think this would be lovely in a circular or half-circle shawl – maybe one inspired by a sunset or sunrise?

Craggy Shore Socks: I have the leg and the heel turn completed on sock 1, so I’m cruising on down the leg. The yarn is Hue Loco’s Merino Sock. The simple knit and purl pattern is quite stretchy and (I think) looks more complex than it actually is. These are my travel/waiting room socks, just working on these as I have opportunity.

I sent my Jane Austen quilt off to the long-arm quilter this week. She’s got a bit of a backlog, but hoping to have it back by the fall and I’m excited to have that on the bed when it’s finished. In the meantime….

I started a little mini quilt from a seasonal set I have stashed from the days of COVID. These are monthly and I have the January/snowman and the September (?)/fall leaves ones done. This one is firmly summer-themed with cheerful sunflowers and a gingham bow. (It’s either July or August.) I have worked on this a bit more since I assembled the bottom section below and I’m machine-sewing everything including the appliqué and the quilting, so this should be a quick project, comparatively speaking.

Finally, I got back the Sparrows Quilt I sent off to be quilted and got the binding attached and the quilt washed, so this is a completely done quilt. I love how it came out. I’m going to hang onto it for a while. A friend and her husband are trying for a baby so if that happens in the next year, I’ve got this baby gift ready to go! (If not, I know it will be a well-loved donation for the refugee group I send things to.) It’s got a soft and cuddly blue gingham backing and it washed up beautifully!

It’s been super hot this weekend but we did go on an amazing hike! I’ll have some of that to share this week, although no post from me next weekend as I’m celebrating a birthday!