Bee Swarm

Early yesterday afternoon we noticed a bee swarm had formed in the backyard in the hummingbird bush.  We already have a hive in the cinderblock wall behind the house, so we are used to seeing bees.  But this was a lot of bees.

There was a little activity but mostly they seemed to be quiet.  As the day ended, the swarm had gotten a lot larger.

They were moving around but not flying a lot.  I became concerned since the evenings are cool and we had a big bee die-off about a year ago that was horrible.  I checked in on them around 10 PM and they seemed OK.  This morning they are still there, and flying around a little.  It's going to be a lot warmer today, so maybe they will figure it out.

I have been dyeing over the outdoor firepit for the last two nights, after the coals have developed.  I am dyeing gray Coopworth roving that I purchased at the Vista Fiber Arts event in October.  I did not get too ambitious; I just used some red dye bath I had prepared, and sprinkled in some other purple - lilac - and blue dye powder.  I used the enamel tamale pot that is reserved for dyeing, suspended about a foot over the coals.  It came to a boil very quickly (much more quickly than a hot plate).  Photos to follow when the roving has dried.

I am knitting some cuffs using a wonderful merino sock yarn from Claudia Hand Painted Yarns.  The color is Passion Fruit. I've had it for years but it's only 50 grams so socks would have been very challenging.  Each cuff uses about 15 grams so I will have enough with a little left over.  I finished one and started the other.

The pattern is from Knitting Traditions, and was designed for color changes. Since this yarn has a lot of color going on, I just knit it by itself.  The finished one is very comforting, and I wore it most of yesterday afternoon.