Strega's Needles & Hooks

This is my little piece of cyber space where I rant or rave, depending on my mood. Postings are whatever interests me at the time. Life with an Italian in Switzerland is interesting indeed! CLICK ON PHOTOS TO SEE ENLARGEMENTS

Friday, May 19, 2006

This is my second attempt at these socks. The first attempt hit the frog pond when I saw that the Opal Cotton wouldn't stretch to fit my big foot with the recommended needle size. Of course it wouldn't stretch! It's Cotton, dummy!
I switched from 2.25 mm to 3 mm. Now it seems the sock is a little bigger than I wanted, but is acceptable and feels lusciously soft on the tootsies. Live and learn....
You can find the pattern here.

Opals for tiny feet ... about a child's size 4


I was blessed with an angel this week! Yeah! And isn't it gorgeous!
This angel is from my dishcloth exchange partner and I love it! Thank you sooooo much Judy!!
It's much too pretty to use for scrubbing, so I have it on display with my orchids. The green and white of the angel and the orchids blend together perfectly.

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Another aquisition was this 3.5 kg bag of raw sheep fleece. My drop spindle and hand carders haven't arrived yet, so I'm sitting/knitting patiently in wait. Carding & spinning are totally new to me and I'm anxious to see how it will go.

Wednesday, May 17, 2006


My first sock from sockamaniac sockalong called the Fisherman's sock designed by
Monika Eckert.





Monday, May 15, 2006


Yesterday was one of those infrequent days when we had sunshine. I decided to go for a long stroll and took these photos. It's such a pity that the amount of sunshine in this country is so little. Coming from the Canadian province with the most recorded sunshine in Canada, it is terribly disappointing to see so little of it in a country that has such beautiful panoramic views.


This river is within steps of our house. It fills to almost overflowing in the spring when mountain snows melt and rush down to join the meandering streams. With the mountain water comes silt and other debris which makes the river look terribly filthy. However in late spring and early summer the river quiets down and becomes crystal clear. At times you can see the fish being swept along with the force of the currents.


This bridge is for pedestrians only. I have never seen a people do so much walking! The Swiss are almost obsessed with walking the millions of quaint paths that have been constructed especially for their walking pleasure. I've crossed this particular bridge many times since coming here and the surrounding beauty never ceases to make me stop and admire it.



As a returned from my walk, I took this photo of our village. They claim the population is approximately 800, including the surrounding farmers. I wonder if they count the sheep and cows in that number. From my guess there doesn't seem to be more than 400 people in this area. From the cow/sheep worship I have witnessed here, it wouldn't surprise me if they were included in the population numbers. ;o)