Knitting With a Celebrity!

Well, not quite, but as my son used to say when he was small: "Made you look!" Well, let's try this again......... How about Yarn Shopping with a Celebrity. Now, that did happen to me yesterday. We were in the Orlando area, and I made my customary visit to Sip and Knit and noticed a lady in there shopping but did not think anything about it until she was leaving and someone said - I can't believe I met a movie star today. It was Patty Maloney, a TV and screen actress. What a surprise and an interesting twist on shopping for yarn.

So, we are home now, and a little tired, but happy nonetheless. We had wonderful weather and got to visit with some friends we have not seen in years. One of the fellows has been living in Hawaii for 13 years, so it has been a long, long time and we had a lot to catch up on, even though I am not sure I really wanted to know how to prepare octopus for cooking.

Wishing everyone a happy and prosperous New Year!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. This will be my last day to post for a few days, as we have planned a trip and will leave tomorrow.

My DH surprised me with a Drum Carder!! Yes, I desperately wanted one, but did not tell him that I wanted one. He was shopping around on spinning sites for me and decided it was something I "needed." I am one tickled lassie over it. I even seem to be able to use it without much trouble. It certainly is easier and faster than handcarding. The most weird thing about it was that he even picked the one that I had settled on if I ever decided to ask for one. I love the way the batts end up after processing and cannot wait to try some advanced color blending techniques - oh and he also threw in a pound of cashmere. I guess I'd better hold on to him!

Well finally the scarf is finished. I think I will name it the Silk Lily Pad Scarf since it had so many frogs! And this was not even a complicated pattern. I am pretty happy with my first handspun silk - it was fun to knit with when I wasn't ripping it out. The sweater is also handknit from a pattern (Simply Perfect Sweater) designed by my best knitting friend Elayne. The picture is kind of fuzzy - sometimes that happens when I resize them, but maybe you will get the general idea.

Ah, the nostalgia! If I had one childhood day to live over, it would certainly be on a Christmas Eve. Even now, memories evoke such strong emotions - a wintry day with 10 inches of snow that fell almost in an instant, sweet strains of Christmas Carols, either on radio, phonograph player or old chord organ (with me trying to play and my dad bravely singing along), the lazy comfort of being in a warm house with plenty of good food to munch on, the fabulous gift wrappings my aunt would conceive, even on the smallest of "stocking presents", the tree so tall that my dad would invariably have to cut off the top of it, bubble lights, the soft glow of the red and green bulbs from the cellophane wreaths hanging in the windows (I would rest on my bed and bask in the dim light and dream of Christmas day yet to come) and the sort of feeling I was getting away with something naughty when my parents would let me have a glass of their wine (this was the only time they would drink it, too).

Wishing everyone the merriest of Christmases!

Heh, heh, look at me! I finally learned how to add the blog button links. I know it is probably old stuff for the rest of you, but I am soooo HTML challenged. Well, baby steps..........

And this is the picture of the scarf in progress. I wanted it to be reversible, so picked the eyelet rib stitch pattern. Even though it is a simple lace pattern, it is still lace, so I am having to do a lot of frogging. Funny thing about lace, I have some sort of hang up about it. I am not one to shy away from knitting challenges, but where lace is concerned, I obviously just "don't get it." But I figure that lace is the best way to stretch my limited handspun silk.

My camera is still giving me fits. Every time I use it, something else seems to goof up. Today, I could not get the flash to work. In addition, every time I take a picture it makes multiple shots. It sounds like this rascal in running on its last legs, for sure. I guess I should have asked for a new camera for Christmas. This one is 4 years old, and has had a lot of use, I guess. But, I did manage a nice shot of my Booga Bag. Also, I got a shot of the scarf in progress, but right now, I am so frustrated, I am only messing with one picture at a time. So here's the bag..........

For anyone thinking of doing a Booga Bag

I found the perfect size item for blocking the bag, since I did not have the right size box. A dictionary size book is perfect! And it dried fast, too - overnight. Finished the bag and now have my junk in it. Will add picture soon. Now I would like one to match my vest colors, but it will have to wait. And wouldn't it be nice to have some fulled mittens out of the stuff, too?

What a totally blissful morning! First day of a long vacation (I will return to work after New Years), a day with no pressing obligations, a warm, cozy house, silk wound into a center pull ball and ready to be turned into an eyelet rib scarf!
My flu has finally stopped ravaging my senses, and I feel ready, ready, ready for Christmas! I still have a bit of shopping to do, but not enough to feel hurried or harried over it and some groceries to buy. I have plenty of gift wrapping, which I have put off, but will be a joy to do, once I get into it. DS is returning today from a visit to his girlfriend and family.

Last night, after work, we had supper on the waterfront in downtown Savannah before returning home. We had a lovely dinner with a view of the river. There was a boat cruising by that was all decked out in lights! It had a sleigh, animated reindeer and a huge Merry Christmas sign on it. I have never seen anything quite like it and added such a nice touch to a marvelous dinner!

In knitting news, I have a Booga Bag ready to felt, once I wade through this weeks laundry, which has piled up from us being out of town. I cannot wait to see the results.

Small Felted Bag - A Rave and a Short Rant

Here is the first felted item I ever made. I just love this little bag - everything about it! I love the colors I chose, the ease of the pattern, the perfect way the Brown Sheep Naturespun yarn felted (fuzzy and strong, but not overly hairy) and the cute little design of the Felted Retro Bag. It was a perfect project for a first time felting.

However, obtaining the pattern was something else again, and here's where the rant begins. The pattern was a "self published" one that included a nice presentation complete with photo and was for sale in one of those types of yarn shops where the cheapest skein of yarn is 20+ dollars (well, maybe I am exaggerating somewhat - but it is one of those "fanciful" shops in a touristy area that cater mostly to scarf knitters). They had several of the bag patterns in plastic sleeves and hooked together with a binder ring. I believe the pattern cost 4 dollars, but it has been awhile since I purchased the pattern, so I may be wrong about that. I took it to pay for it, and the lady at the counter said she would have to make me a copy. Well, I was certainly going to have none of that. #1 - if I pay $4.00 for a pattern, I want it to be in the form the person created it to be sold! I was not, under any circumstances, going to pay for a xerox copy! #2 - here is a retail shop that is actually cheating the designer by making xerox copies - basically the designer is not getting her fair share. I raised enough hay about it that I got a "real" one, but I wonder how many people she has run a copy for and charged the real price. That just steams me so much - I have been back to that shop one more time, but could not find it in my heart anywhere to buy a single item from this person. I am wondering if anyone else has had a similar thing happen to them.

I finished spinning the rest of my silk - it is now ready to be plied. I am so looking forward to making a scarf from it, but am ready to get back to spinning my nice, familiar wool.

Well, ta ta, for a few days. I must make a work related trip, but when I am done, I will almost be ready to be off for Christmas! Having a flexible schedule is nice, but travel is part of the price I pay for that schedule.

Practically no knitting news at this time, but I have a lot of Christmas stuff done now.

Scarf is washed, blocked and drying. Almost everyone on my Christmas list now has a present. Christmas tree has been bought and decorated. Now I am finally beginning to believe it is Christmas! I am still conking out early in the evening. My sweet darling lovable "baby" son is a wonderful chef and cooked us chicken alfredo and made Caesar salads for us last night. It is always such a treat when he cooks for us! Every time he comes home and goes back to school, it is a shock. You would think after 4+ years I would get used to this. But I think it is because I know the time is growing shorter, and someday he will not be coming home for extended periods of time.

Today will be a little bit more low key. I have a little bit of baking to do and some more Christmas shopping, but I vow not to overdo it today. And I probably should address my Christmas cards.

I am getting behind with this blogging business. Between getting over being sick and working out of town, I have just simply not had the time.

Tomorrow and Saturday will be devoted to Christmas shopping (I haven't even started yet - ugh!) and getting the house decorated. I am so glad I am going to be off tomorrow. Scarf also must be blocked and dried before I can wrap it.

On the bobbin currently is some yellow merino I am spinning to contrast with my pink/yellow yarn I entered in the Montpelier Fall Fiber Festival competition. Eventually, both will make a pair of mittens.

I hope everyone is staying well.

Whew!, I do not think we have ever had this cold a winter here ever since we moved down here 7 years ago. The first Christmas Eve we were living here, my son and I went walking on the beach in a balmy 76-ish degree weather. The weather patterns have obviously shifted some! On the bright side - it is a chance to wear all my handknits, but at this rate, I'd better get busy and make some more.

Uh oh, when I tried to take pictures yesterday, my digital camera started giving me trouble - it did not recognize the memory card, then after it did, I had to reformat it. I hope this is not a sign that my camera is giving out, now that I am having so much fun with it.

The scarf is almost done - I didn't get too much else done this weekend due to this dratted cold/flu/achy thing, whatever it is. Hopefully, all the rest will have paid off in the morning when I have to go back to work regardless.

And the fiber experiment du jour is.....
Multicolor blending using combs. I made myself a diz out of the corner of a milk jug, a la suggestion on Patsy Z's website. It was really a lot of fun. I am not too happy with the colors, but had to use what I already have.

Now I know that I can do this though, I will think about dyeing some colors that will blend better.

Well, I am not sure what is wrong with me, but it certainly feels like the flu. Achy all over, coughing, sore throat, headache - the whole package. As I told DH, I know I am sick when I don't want to eat or knit!

Here' what happens when the client you were supposed to call on today puts you off until tomorrow and you feel like you are coming down with a cold. It's time to play.......... hunt and peck HTML coding! At least I have a little bit more color to the site now, and I like the text size much better.
Well, off to do a little bit more sniffling and coughing.

Tada.........

Here are the finished clogs and the unfinished scarf!

Here's what's cooking on the needles now...... I am doing a wavy ribbed scarf in Kureyon. The yarn is muted browns and greys. I was not sure how much "fun" this would be, since I love the bright colors, but I am am really enjoying this and imagining different breeds of sheep or other fiber animals as the colors change. This is a not so secret Christmas present, as the receiver is seeing me work on this, but does not know who it is for or even what it is going to be. I have had this project on the back burners of my mind for over a year and am glad to see it is finally becoming reality.

In spinning news, I am still spinning some handpainted Brown Sheep Roving (type of wool not specified by supplier), which has wonderful reds, oranges and blues and is wonderfully springy to the touch after being plied. I can see this yarn as making a spectacular vest. I also "test spun" some of the mohair/merino mix I carded together, trying to make a loosely spun single. I think this is going to be beautiful, so I will keep working on pulling the trash out of the dyed mohair.

I work today, but will go in late, as I have a dental appointment a little later this morning. This is going to be an interesting situation, since I have a broken molar, which the dentist thinks he will be able to fix only by redoing my filling - I was really expecting to have to get a crown - if this works, I will be so happy!

The clogs are now felted, and I must say they are comfortable, even if they are homely little pilgrims. I learned a few things, should I ever wish to make any more of them. However, I am not sure I want to go through that particular process again. I found that Lamb's Pride felts really well, but comes off in big clumps during the felting process. At least I zipped the clogs up in a pillowcase so my washing machine was protected. I certainly don't want to break it, since we just had to have the thing repaired last week - it would not run through a spin cycle.

Well, I find tonight that I cannot seem to organize my thoughts or think of anything witty to say, so I will sign off for the time being.

Of Bloggity Note, the Fiber Arts Blogger Button on my site is now hooked up and functional. I have been having a great time surfing through all the inspiring fiber sites. Interestingly, about 1 in 3 mentions a Booga Bag. I suppose they are the #1 rage among knitters at this time, and no wonder - they are soooo beautfiul. I have been checking the progress of Catherine's. She is already working on bag #2! Love the colors - well, I just plain love Kuryeon yarn, too! Must learn to spin an acceptable substitute. I watched a lady at the Montpelier Fall Fiber Festival do that very thing, so I don't really have an excuse, now do I?

Well, back to work tomorrow. I won't bore you with the specifics, except to mention that my particular job can be very tedious and detail oriented. And tomorrow and the next day, promise to be filled with lots of challenges. However, I'm wishing everyone an easy week back to work from the holiday weekend and hoping for the same, even though I am not expecting such for myself.

I found 2 rather amusing quizzes on Quizilla, but did not want to post them, since both had a number of atrocious spelling errors in them. I can understand a typo or two, but spelling boo boos really get under my skin. (My detail oriented personality, again, I presume)

Yuppers, this is what happens when you put off doing a second shoe and don't write down how you interpreted some less than clear instructions. Notice that the soles look different. However, they are finished, for better or for worse, and after all...... when they are felted, who will know?

Goody, goody, goody Can you hear me rubbing my hands together? I am going to my NSLYS (Not so local yarn shop) tomorrow!! It has been awhile since I have made the trip to this particular shop, as it is about an hour and a half away. I know I am going to buy some Noro Kureyon, and possibly some other things. For one thing, I have about worn out my #2 size Pony Pearls - they take such a beating from me what with all the socks I have knit. I generally always have a pair on the needles. The pair I am working on now are of Opal Sock yarn - faux fairisle in oranges, greens, blues and purples. I am doing a 2x2 rib for the cuff. Simple, yes, but I find that my favorite socks have the 2x2 cuff.

I spent a portion of Wednesday evening picking the excessive amounts of VM from some dyed mohair locks I bought back in the summer. My plan is to card it with some plain white merino, possibly with a shawl project in mind. The mohair is dyed in shades of mostly blues and greens, with a few accent colors thrown in for good measure. I have not tried spinning the fiber I have carded so far, so my plans for this fiber may change after I see how this works.

A Different Thanksgiving

Here's wishing that all my friends had a nice, thankful day. We spent most of the day with some gracious friends who invited us to their house for Thanksgiving Dinner. Being the shy person that I am and having never spent Thanksgiving with anyone other than just family, I was not sure how the day would go. But, we had a marvelous time, our host and hostess did all they could to put us at ease, and even send us home with loads of leftover turkey! Some people make you glad to be alive, just because you know them. These are definitely that sort of dear people. It was a very interesting day. They had also invited a couple from Turkey and the man's mother and father, who live in Holland. I always enjoy meeting people from other countries, love hearing about their heritage, culture, etc. We had a royal spread set before us - the traditional turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, salad, mixed vegetables, cranberry sauce , rice pilaf, pumpkin and apple pies, cinnamon bread, fudge and Turkish delight. I may not get hungry again for a week!

All in all a wonderful day.

I may even get to like working with silk after seeing how this turned out!





Not much other news in the fiber category, since the cotton dishcloths are not challenging or inspiring work. The only thing notable about this project is the discovery that cotton yarn sheds all over dark jeans!

Not much fiber news of note tonight. I have been working on my second 2 oz. of silk, now that I have seen how nice it plied and how pretty the swatch I knit from it turned out. I will take a picture to post. I think the silk will turn out to be a scarf one of these days. I am also working on some knitted cotton dishcloths, since some friends have invited us to spend Thanksgiving day with them. I thought several dishcloths might make a good hostess gift (along with a pecan pie and a bottle of wine we were already planning to bring.)

I am thinking of trying some of the modular socks in the Twists and Turns issue of Knitter's Magazine. Anything to do with socks usually intrigues me.

I am back from a perfectly wonderful meeting and chatty lunch at O'Charley's. At the meeting, we saw a portion of the Philosopher's Wool Fairisle Video, which was totally amazing. And I was pleased to note that the lady in the video had Sam the Ram sitting on her table.

A lady in our guild had brought a lace weight shawl she had knitted from black alpaca. It was stunning! She told us she only paid 2 dollars for the whole cone of alpaca. The shawl is probably worth 500, as beautiful and time intensive as it was. She told us it took her 9 months to make it.

And another lady brought some books to sell she no longer wanted. I got a Handspun Treasures from Rare Wools from Spin Off only gently used for 5 dollars! Also, she said Lucy Neatby has a new book. Yes, I want it!!

Tomorrow is my monthly "girl's day out", so to speak. I get up early and drive down to Jacksonville for a lively knitter's guild meeting. We are a boisterous group, a little resistant to organization, much to the chagrin of our president, who tries, tries and tries to bring a little order to the meetings. We are just too lively, too talkative and too excited to sit still for long. It is a great group of ladies, ranging in ages from the teens on up into the 70's, with most of us being somewhere in between. We were meeting at a Barnes and Nobles, until recently, when we felt we had outgrown that location, and now have a nice meeting room at one of the libraries. This affords us much more freedom to roam around and admire each other's projects. I believe that tomorrow we are supposed to have a mini lesson on Fairisle. After the meeting adjourns, the majority of us extend our fun by going out to eat lunch. Oooh, I can't wait!

And, today is wash day. I washed about 7 skeins of wool and the skein of silk, and they are now out on the porch drying. Funny how I put off this task - but it is very satisfying once it is done.

Silk, newly plied, cooling its heels on the niddy noddy, along with a sample skein.

Errrr... so we will try this again, but only one picture at a time. This is the sock picture again. I finished its mate on Monday and am wearing the pair today. I am a little bit disappointed in the way they feel. Usually, my feet do not feel the purl bumps of the socks, but with this yarn, it is happening.



Well, one more day of work tomorrow, then I will be on vacation for the next several days (running through my birthday, son's homecoming, Thanksgiving and the following weekend. ) Hurray!

I have been having some major computer problems over the weekend and was forced to remove the picture of my sock and my skein. Finally, this morning I have figured out what the problem was, but unfortunately, since I have a couple of hectic works days ahead it will be awhile before I will be able to get everything sorted out.

Today I have been thinking about favorites, so here's a list of some of my favorite knitting things:

Favorite Knitting Stitch Pattern Book: Reader's Digest Encylopedia of Knitting and Crocheting Stitches - Don't laugh! I love the slick pages, the various patterns knitted in different types and colors of yarns, the comments about skill level and drape. I also love that it has all different types of stitches, such as cables, lace, fairisle - almost any type you can think of

Favorite Sock Book: Twisted Sisters Sock Workbook. Ah, the visual delight, the dyeing and spinning discussions, the mouthwatering socks.

Favorite All Around Knitting Book(s) for Basic Techniques: The Knit Stitch and The Purl Stitch by Sally Melville. It's not the patterns so much as all of the helpful information and pictures that impress me.

Favorite Finishing Technique Book: Simply Perfect by my close friend and "knitting sis" Elayne. In my book, she's the Knitting Guru!

Favorite Book of Patterns: Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns. I have about worn that one out!

And yes, I have many other wonderful books, but these are the ones I most often reach for.

Favorite Straight Knitting Needles: Swallow Casein Needles

Favorite Circular and Interchangeable Needles: Denise Interchangeable Needles

Favorite DPNs: Pony Pearls

I find I like the plastic or casein type needles much better than metal ones. They are easier on the hands and I have much better control with these. I am too hard on needles to even think about using bamboo ones.

Favorite Yarns: Almost any and all!!

There is a little nip in the air tonight. How comforting to come into a cozy warm house after a long week of work, including about 755 miles of driving. I am ready to tuck into some serious spinning and knitting!

I finished a skein of the turquoise, burgundy, red orange, mauve yarn. Very reminiscent of a brilliant autumn. I promise to get a picture up sometime this weekend along with my current sock project (also autumn colors in Cherry Tree Hill superwash merino). The sock looks a little strange, as I am playing with making a narrower heel. Socks always seem to sag and bunch (not sure how they can do both things at once, but they do) around my ankle area. I think this is going to be the solution, as sock number one seems to fit really well - but it does make a sort of odd looking creature.

I am looking forward to the holidays, as my sweet son will be coming home for a longish bit. His Thanksgiving/Christmas break lasts 6 weeks. His school has a lot of international students, thus the college arranges a long break to enable said students to go home. He is always ready for this break (and of course, so are we!)

Yipee!! My spinning videos were waiting for me when I came in this afternoon. I have watched the Patsy Z. one and the Deb Menz Immersion Dyeing and Handpainting Fiber. I will wait and watch the color blending one over the weekend. Both of these ladies make everything look so easy. It really makes me want to create and create and create..... Well, you get the idea.

I have enjoyed so much reading everyone's reports on the KR Retreat. I am so glad it went so well and even surpassed the last one. What a wonderful experience it must have been! I hope everyone came back relaxed and refreshed.

So why does this always seem to happen? Last night I was spinning some handpainted (space dyed) roving. It is mainly turquoise, orange red and deep burgundy, but has some delightful patches of a light mauve which really set off the yarn that is spun. (I know, the color combination sounds hideous, but actually spun up it is very nice) Anyhow, when I got to the light mauve stuff, my yarn broke and the end got buried. Very rarely do I have to cut anything off a bobbin, but I did in this case, thus messing up the very nice mauve accent - I am trying to salvage/recycle that part, because it is essential to jazz up the yarn, in my opinion. But why couldn't this occur with the blues/turquoise/burgundy, of which there is ample supply? Do Murphy's Laws apply to spinning too?

STUFFING: You have grabbed the stuffing. Good work!
Arguably the most flavorful dish on the table,
the stuffing is always the first to run out.
The delicious recipe of bread and spices baked
in with the turkey juices are enough to drive a
person mad. It makes you wonder why anyone even
messes with the potatoes. Now if you can just
get to the gravy!

This heartwarming
ThanksGiving Day quiz has been brought to you
by the players of Ravenblack.


The ThanksGiving Day Feast !!
brought to you by Quizilla

Well, doesn't it look like it is time for me to start knitting again?




The old spinning basket is getting full, plus there is plenty more yarn upstairs. Is it possible that rovings can send out a siren song?

Today went a little better than expected, considering the start I got. First thing, I had a message on my voice mail to call one of my clients. I was expecting a messy problem, but it just ended up being a medium sized one. However, it delayed my departure for work, since it involved receiving and returning a fax. Well, I got that little duty all nicely tied up and got ready to leave when I noticed there was a small lizard on the floor of my kitchen. Not wanting to particularly touch the thing, I tried to coax it onto a piece of paper. It ended up scooting into the living room, where the paper manuever was tried again, this time forcing the critter under the couch. When he got to the back, where I was able to shoo him again, he finally bounded into the bathroom, then the bathroom closet, where he was finally corned and jumped onto my pants leg. I heaved myself up and took both of us outside where he got shaken off. We both sighed in relief. By this time, I had wasted 30 minutes. But, like I said, the rest of the day went okay.

Not Fiber related, but worth mentioning. I tried my first Pork Chop Sandwich (yes, you read right - only in the South) yesterday, and it was delicious! Thin grilled slices of well seasoned pork chop along with grilled onions and mustard on a warm toasted hoagie roll. Yum! Delicious. I even woke up this morning wanting another one.

I spent the morning dyeing some more fiber for the G.C.E. (Great Carding Experiment). This time, I dyed some green and blue to mix with the gray. I didn't dye a great amount, as it is very humid here (raindrops just in suspended animation, waiting for the command to go ahead and fall!), so I figured drying time would be a problem.

It is getting so dark here, it would be nice to take a nap. Hmmm..... have to think about that.

Oh Goody ! For my birthday, I am getting to order some tapes by Victorian Video. I have picked Spinning Wool - Basics and Beyond by Patsy Zawistoski and the color tapes by Deb Menz ("Fiber Dyeing - Immersion and Painting of Protein Fibers" and "Fiber Preparation and Multicolor Blending Techniques"). I can't wait until they get here.


And I am learning to play with pictures!




And just to prove I can do it again, this is the silk I am spinning.

Wishing all my KR buddies a great and relaxing time this weekend at the retreat! I will be staying in this weekend and trying to summon the energy for another full week of work. Holiday months are always the hardest, as even if I take vacation time (which I plan to do), I still have the same amount of work to do regardless. So I have to squeeze 4 weeks work into 3.

I promise my posts will be more fiber oriented and therefore, more interesting this weekend.

No fiber news today. (Unless you count last night's dream in which I carded wool all night long - and I actually was tired when I woke up! Now that simply had to be a dream. Whoever has enough time to work on fiber stuff until they are tired??)

Peculiar, but I am not sure how much I enjoy spinning silk. Yes, the colors are absolutely fabulous (hand dyed roving ranging from magenta, turquoise, lavender, copper, red, bright blue, olives, golds) and the heavenly soft stuff just seems to flow through my hands, but it seems that I get tired of spinning it very quickly. I wonder what undercurrents are at work to cause me to feel this way? Am I just so accustomed to working with wool that I have already become set in my spinnerly ways?
Or is it frustration that I am seemingly unable to maintain that uniform quality in the single that I so desire? Or am I spinning to an entirely different cadence? Somehow, it is just not as comfortable or relaxing. Maybe it is time to make a new friend, though. I know it will knit up as a wonderful scarf.

Much thanks to Catherine for prodding me on my clog journey. I have started the second one. And I love the picture of hers she has posted on her blog, Bossy Little Dog (see link at right).

Fibertherapy. What I love about knitting and spinning, aside from the obvious of handling luscious, fibers,yarns and seeing a project through to completion, is the journey itself. A chance to meet talented fiber enthusiasts - both in person and through fourms and blogs. Everyone is so willing to share their ideas and enthusiasm! It is so much fun to chat and to browse through pictures and take virtual journeys into all kinds of projects. And speaking of virtual journeys, my knitting always takes me to unexpected places. While I never expect to make a trip to Europe (unless I obtain a huge surprise windfall), I can easily transport myself to Italy, Germany, etc. by using some yarn that was made there. And pair that with needles from Australia, New Zealand or India, and I am a veritable world traveler. And my journey today is taking me to the Orient, as spinning silk evokes those particular senses, even though the Interlacements roving was obtained from Barbara at Stony Mountain Fibers

Second Shoe Syndrome. I guess there will not be clogs in Christmas stockings this year. I have completed clog #1 and am already dreading doing clog #2. Which is kind of odd, since I have knitted dozens of pairs of socks without ever getting second sock syndrome. I think attaching the extra sole to the clogs about did me in. First, I did it wrong and attached it to the opening your foot is supposed to slide through. Then I had to frog, and ended up with a whole needle full of stitches that were on the needle backwards. And to top it off, the needles I were using had too short of a cable, and I had to scrunch all that bulk up into a small space.
But, I do want a pair a clogs very badly, so will suffer through the process at least once more with a little more wisdom.

Pictures of the Great Carding Experiment follow.

Here are what the skeins look like and here is a photo of a knitted swatch.

I finally finished the Halloween project/outfit for my son. He is going to a party and wants to be a Video Game Hero! So, I have finished knitting hat, gauntlets and a sword strap for him. The hat is already felted, and the gauntlets and sword strap will soon follow. At first, he also wanted me to knit him a tunic, but I think he finally realized that was an unrealistic request. (Imagine knitting an almost knee length tunic for a grown person, and then making it big enough to withstand the shrinkage of felting - eek!! I am glad he didn't push me on that one!) Now, I am planning on trying some clogs for myself. If they go quickly and work out well, some people may be getting clogs for Christmas!

Spinning my Alter Ego. The great carding experiment flies in the face of my very personality. I am a very structured, logical and "do-it-by-the-book" person. This spinning is wild and wooly - literally. Instead of my normal worsted draw, I am using a woolen draw that is producing thick and thin places. I am combining a dull fiber (grey) with a riot of brightly colored ones and not trying to establish a certain coordinated color scheme, although I hope the colors will blend somewhat harmoniously. The fibers I am blending are both scratchy and smooth. So, I consider that I am breaking all the rules! But inevitably, I must return to my ordered personality and use the yarn in Sally Melville's very logically planned Einstein Jacket.

Carolyn

Okay, now to get down to fiberly business! One of the current projects I am working on is a carding experiment. I am carding some hand dyed merino into some grey Border Leicester. I have about 4 pounds of the Border Leicester and am always looking out for ways to use it. I also always use it when doing my spinning experiments. Hopefully, this yarn will go into a knitted Einstein jacket. So far, I am only working with 2 colors of merino, but I plan on dyeing all sorts of colors to incorporate into this project. This is my first use of the handcards I purchased at the Fall Fiber Festival. I am getting better with them, but am still pretty slow. I feel like I need about 14 hands for this operation. Anyhow, it may take me a year or so to complete the entire project, but I think I will be very happy with the final results.

I am also thinking of ways to use yarn that was spun from the same handpainted roving, but doesn't exactly match. I have some that is purple, blue and green which ranges from light lavender and light mint to a much deeper purple/ blue. So far, these are my ideas: 1. Start with the darkest, and knit up into the lighter ranges, 2. Knit a group of several rows with alternating skeins of yarn 3. Incorporate them randomly, but do a slip stitch mosaic with a darkish contrasting yarn to pull it all together. 4. Use it in a domino pattern with a contrasting yarn. I will definitely do some swatching before deciding on how to use it.

Well, I haven't done any spinning in almost 48 hours and my hands are beginning to itch.............

Arghhhh. How did I spend an hour messing with HTML publishing? Because I don't know what I am doing. But that is the way I learn most things - I just plow in and do the best I can. (I never think about doing anything easily, like maybe taking a class!?!?)

Anyhow, I have added 3 links now. The first is to my pictures of the absolutely fabulous and fun Fall Fiber Festival my friend and AAA knitting mentor, E and I were fortunate enough to get to attend. Another link is to my "must read daily" fix for fiberly happenings, LIKE the QUEEN, spinner and knitter extraordinaire, B whom I also met at the Fiber Festival, along with other Knitter's Review Forumites, L, J and A.

Well, must go back to spinning or carding to recover from all this intensive "computer biz."

Not exactly knitting. But I found the Harry Potter quiz on another site and could not resist putting it up for a short time.
Have fun!

Well, I am taking a deep breath and finally jumping into to cold water of blogging.

Why do I call it "cold water"? Simply because it is a painful experience for me to look back on former writings, diary entries, etc. without feeling like I am just a little bit stupid, addled or both.

However, after reading other blogs about the fiber arts, I am feeling the need to create a written record of the journey I am taking into the fiber arts.

And after all, I am just me. I figure either you will like me and visit often or consign me to the outer limits of cyberspace.

Sooooooo...... a little bit about myself.
I am a gal caught somewhere in the fuzzy time period of an empty nester. I have one "sweetheart" of a son, who is in graduate school and a wonderful husband who is supportive (and even enabling) of my severe fiber addiction. I live in the very southern part of Georgia, where knitting and spinning are mostly foreign words to the general population. I became interested in knitting a little over 2 years ago and found I could not put down the needles. About 9 months later, I stuck my hands and feet into the spinning pool. Now I am so far immersed, I am practically drowning!

I hope to chronicle my various projects, sharing tips I have picked up along the way. Since I am new to the blogging thing, I am not sure about posting pictures, etc., yet. but would dearly love to incorporate this into my journal.

Thus, the journey begins...................