The Plump Ewe

2004-09-06T08:43:00.000-04:00

Take one giant step... Mother, May I?

Remember that childhood game? Well, I am taking one without asking and hope you will grant me leniency.

For some time now, I have been thinking of doing a total blog makeover. This means a new host, new address, new look and new name. You may be wondering why I would do this.

1. The current blog template is fiddly to work with, especially with a Mac. I do not think this program is all that Apple friendly. I want to be able to change the page color, font style and color with ease and place add ons to my page without a huge and confusing (to me) template to wade through.

2. I have been wanting a 3 column template and a more sleek look for some time now.

3. My son teases me mercilessly about the name of my page continually. Thankfully, he has been kind and has not criticized the layout. (I am sure he is biting his tongue on this one, being a graphic design graduate student).

So, my dear friends, today is moving day. I would welcome one and all of you to my new "parlor" to learn of all my adventures. My new address is:

Yarn's the Word

Whew, this is harder than announcing an e-mail change

2004-09-05T22:08:00.000-04:00

Yes, I am home

And yes, it is storming here - we are under a tornado watch until 6 am, so this will be brief.

Yes, we had a wonderful time, and I took loads of pictures and had many fiber adventures which I will share over the next few days.

Yes, I met up with Bess on Monday and we had a marvelous time!

Most of all, my friends who live in Florida - Elayne, Kathy, Cindy and Catherine and all my friends in Knitting Guild, are in my thoughts and prayers, as they have been for several days now.

I will post a lot tomorrow, weather permitting, but right now, I think I'd better close down the computer.

To be continued.....

2004-08-25T19:02:00.000-04:00

One more post... before I leave for Virginia. I have packed the most important stuff (2 sock projects, shawl in progress, fiber, drop spindle and digital camera). The other stuff is getting taken care of in small little spurts, since I am still not quite up to par. We plan to picnic tomorrow on the way up - Sandwiches of honey baked ham and of chicken salad and hard boiled eggs to tempt the palate. Have you ever noticed how much better food tastes when you are on a picnic? I wonder why that is so. Anyway, here's wishing you a great couple of weeks and a very happy and safe Labor Day. See you in September...

2004-08-24T21:19:00.000-04:00

Well, it's time for vacation, so what should happen? I caught a cold or something. The last 2 days working have been a real drain on my already limited resources.

I ripped out my red mohair shawl in progress - it was turning out to be much too long in the back in proportion to the front. So, I am trying it a different way.

Well, I must go get relaxed and try to help my son come up with a creative idea for an ad campaign. (Ouch - I am so tired, I'm not sure how creative I can be).

2004-08-22T10:17:00.000-04:00

Much Ado About Dyeing

This blog is supposed to be about dyeing, too! I am sure you are thinking that I forgot that. Well, it is embarrassing to admit, but I hadn't done any dyeing since Easter... until this past Friday! Here is what I came up with using a mixture of Indigo and Plum Gaywool dyes. This is Falkland wool, and the roving performed like a dream. It is still just as soft as it was in its undyed state, and it did not felt one little bit. Nice, luxury fiber. Anyhow, here's the picture:

I am looking forward to a great couple of weeks after I get Monday and Tuesday's work out of the way. The latter part of the week, we leave for a 10 day vacation to Williamsburg and surroundings. I am planning on making a detour to Murfreesboro, NC to visit The Woolery. And the following Monday, I am getting to meet with the lovely and talented Bess for lunch and a fun filled fiberly day at the yarn shop and perhaps some spindling. Fiber people are just the best!

2004-08-20T11:49:00.000-04:00

That was then... This is now...

Here is a picture of the first shawl I ever made (crocheted). This was while I was in my second year of college, so I will not have to tell you how long ago that was.

This is my most recent shawl, knitted of course, in the marvelous pattern Elayne has created. Also, please note the Cathedral Window Quilt underlay. This marvelous quilt was crafted by my talented late Mother-in-Law.

2004-08-19T23:22:00.000-04:00

Whew!

Now that I have tinked and tinked my template (yes, that is how it felt), I am hoping now that my Knit Tracker is finally visible to everyone.

I am about 1/3 through with the red mohair shawl and plan to post pictures tomorrow. I am finally to the point where I can identify and work around potential boo boos.

Two things mentioned in the blog manual that are "supposed" to make blogs interesting.

1. Make short entries (hey, I'm good at that!) - but I really love some of the longer posts on blogs, too!

2. "Geek out" over a favorite obsession or hobby. Hey - I'm there, too, especially with spinning and probably with the geek part, too.

2004-08-17T18:34:00.000-04:00

Just messing around

I have been knitting some more on the red mohair shawl. I have only ripped it out 20 times or so, but I think I have finally gotten a handle on what I am doing now. (At least I hope so).

I am playing around on a computer hooked up to DSL (not at home, unfortunately - seems we will have dial up for a long time yet). It is really a joy to have instant access to information.

Has anyone been able to find a copy of The Knitter's Handy Book of Sweater Patterns in a retail store yet? I will be glad when I get to buy one. My Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns has been very well used in the past, so I am really looking forward to the new book, too.

2004-08-15T20:22:00.000-04:00

Wet Weekend... Warm Hearts.

Today has been dark and stormy, but lightened by the return of our dear son from his week long trip in New England. We were so relieved to see him last night at the Jacksonville airport, being somewhat concerned about his flying in post-Charley weather. In fact, he reported that while flying over New York, they did see the eye of Charley from the air. He had a delightful week, which included visits to Boston, the Yankee Candle Company and Ben and Jerry's among other activities. I was presented with a "carton" of 18 sampler Yankee Candles of various scents: Key Lime, Strawberry, Cherry, Blueberry Muffin, Spearmint, Caramel Pecan, Peppermint Swirl, to name just a few of them.

I have started (and frogged) several times a new shawl from a mohair/wool/nylon blend. This may prove to be a bit trickier than I envisioned. The stitch pattern is not hard, but the stitch definition is a problem, as loose strands of the mohair are looking like stitches on the needles, where there are actually not supposed to be stitches. The mohair is red, so this shawl is going to be making a statement.

I did considerably less spinning this weekend, so I have nothing to report on that subject.

Also, today I bought a book called Blog On, hoping to be able to modify/improve on the page. Well, only time will tell. The book was a great value though - originally $29.95, now marked down to $9.99.

2004-08-13T14:26:00.000-04:00

Looks Who's Shopping at the Mall

For some reason, I took my camera with me to the mall and grocery store. Mainly, I guess, because I thought I might get some interesting storm pictures. Well, I got some interesting pictures, but not storm related.

Look at these cute guys:

Here is another shot of them in the road. They created a minor traffic backup at one point.

Wishing safety for all the folks in Florida. Looks like we are also in for a bumpy time. No evacuations ordered, but possible gusts up to 75mph.

2004-08-12T17:06:00.000-04:00

I just finished readingCatherine's musings on the havoc Charley may or may not wreak in the next 48 hours. It looks like, regardless of the outcome, the whole east coast is in for a drenching this weekend. We usually have the worst storms when tropical storms/hurricanes hit on the west coast, so it sounds like it will be dark and wet here, too, and most probably windy. And on Saturday evening our son is due to fly into Jacksonville from a week long trip in New England. I will be glad when he is safely within our walls again. We are going to a business dinner tonight an hour away. I hope the weather holds. Right now it is only cloudy.

2004-08-10T16:55:00.000-04:00

Sometimes anticipating is better than doing.

I finished spinning and plying all of my beautiful chocolate brown Bluefaced Leicester. Since I had been dying to spin up a sample of my oatmeal California Variegated Mutant, I launched right into that task. Imagine my disappointment when I discovered this roving has a lot of noils and vegetable matter in it! It looked so beautiful when I bought it, and I really did not notice all the VM, probably due to the color of the roving and the fact that it was packaged in bags. I think the best way to "clean" this out is to get out the dog comb. I hate to lose fiber, but I really want the "best" for this project I have planned, so comb I will, and lose some of the fiber in the process. Has anyone else any suggestions? The roving is rather thin, so I don't think running it through the air fluff setting on the dryer would be suitable.

Well, off to experiment!

2004-08-08T14:38:00.000-04:00

I am calling these my "double trouble" socks.

And no, I did not try to match the stripe patterns exactly. I figured one challenge was enough for this time around.

2004-08-06T19:17:00.000-04:00

How I spent my day

Up early, as we took our son to the airport at the crack of dawn. He is visiting a friend in Massachussets for a week. Back home in time to catch Knitty Gritty. Pretty interesting show, even though it was about kids knitting. I like the shows with famous knitters! Then, off to a friend's house to help her brush up on her knitting skills. She had mentioned she had been "up north" and got some fabulous buys on yarn. Little did I know that she had been shopping at Patternworks! She had a catalog, which she passed on to me, since she is "now on the mailing list." Whoo hoo! A lot of serious browsing is ahead.

Well, call me insane, but I did start the 2 socks at a time on one circular needle. I think I am going to call this pair "double trouble." So far, I am only working the cuffs, so it is rather smooth sailing, Looks like it may get considerably more tricky after the heel flaps are knitted. Stay tuned to see if Carolyn is going to see this project through to the end!

2004-08-04T09:06:00.000-04:00

See how it grows! Now I have 425 yds. spun of the Bluefaced Leicester.

And here is the sock yarn I got. Need complementary socks for my gray, black, red, plum wardrobe items!

Dare I try doing 2 socks at once with the Magic Loop method? Maybe, well, maybe not.

I fell in love with these whimsical stitch markers. I have seen them before on the internet, but never in real life, so I just had to have them.

In case anyone is wondering, those are Swallow Casein needles.

2004-08-02T17:45:00.000-04:00

Magic Loops go Turbo!

We took our son to Jacksonville for a birthday meal today and stopped at A Stitch In Time on the way home. I picked up a pair of Addi Turbos size 1 for my Magic Loop Socks. What a difference they make from brand XYZ#*#**#! Can you believe I have been knitting for 3 years and this is my first pair of Addis? Actually, I am more of a resin/plastic needle fan, but I do love the joins on the Addis. Seamless. Now my sock knitting will go a lot faster. And... I picked up some more sock yarn. Did I need it? No. Did I want it? Of course - need matching socks for some of the new clothes I bought over the weekend when we had a sales tax holiday on clothes. Also, I splurged and bought some beaded stitch markers. Pictures will follow.

2004-07-30T11:28:00.000-04:00

Some pictures of fence and what I have been working on lately:

This is how our finished fence looks. We will stain it in about a month. We are really enjoying the privacy!

These are my Magic Loop socks - knitted on size 1 needles - proving the theory that you do not have to use 40 " circulars to use this method. Mine are 24", which was the only size I could find locally.

And last, but certainly not least, here is my #1 inspiring project for the month. I cannot say too many good things about Blue Faced Leicester. It is soft, spins easily, has a sort of ethereal luster and knits ups nicely!

2004-07-28T17:05:00.000-04:00

Whoo Hoo!! She opened the door a crack, and I stuck my foot in! Elayne mentioned she might "like" to blog, and now I have talked her into it!! Her page is going to be a great addition to the knitting bloggers community. Take a look at ImagiKnit. Be sure to especially note the picture of Miss KnitWise.
This was a piece she did in intarsia on size 0000 needles. Ambitious lady!

While in Augusta, I picked up a copy of Spinning Designer Yarns by Diane Varney. I have resisted this temptation for months, telling myself I did not need it since I have not one, but two videos dealing with creating designer yarns. I am really glad I gave in though, as she covers all aspects of design: color, plying, fiber selection, carding, color blending, specialty yarns, etc.! A small book, but very nice.

2004-07-25T13:51:00.000-04:00

We had a nice guild meeting yesterday.

Here is a picture of some of the ladies at work! Two of our members have been out for over 6 months, so it was a lot of fun having a reunion with them. Both are young ladies and they are so much fun. So, a big welcome back to Heather and Jeanine!

What's happening to me lately? Suddenly, I am not liking enough stuff in knitting magazines to actually buy the magazine. Is it me or is it the content? I would say, most likely both, since I love fall/winter things much better than spring/summer things. Finally, my quest for the Summer InKnitters Magazine was rewarded, though. I like that magazine because it seems to have a lot of articles slanted to learning new techniqes or for improving technical proficiency.

2004-07-23T21:36:00.000-04:00

Made it my own...

That's what I call it when a technique finally "clicks" without my having to check a reference book. And yes, now I know what I am doing with the Magic Loop, even to the point of arranging stitches after turning the heel. Whoo Hoo! I'm happy about that . Now, if I could just get hold of some decent size 1 circs, I would be extra pleased. The set I have right now is Susan Bates, and while they are okay, they definitely are not my first choice for knitting. I guess next I will have to tackle doing 2 of them at the same time. I have printed directions, but have not studied them yet. For one thing, my cables are only 24 inches, which is working fine for one sock, but I am not so sure it would work well for 2 socks at once.

In spinning news, I two-plied some of my cocoa bluefaced leicester. What wonderful yarn it makes! The kind you want to just hold and stroke! Yum! I am trying to do more 2-ply in order to work on making my singles more consistent and to refine my plying skills. 3-ply hides a multitude of sins that 2 ply will not.

2004-07-21T08:40:00.000-04:00

While setting up my Knit-O-Meter, I noticed that all I am knitting right now are socks! I really should be moving on to bigger projects. What to do? I could pick up my almost forgotten top down cabled raglan or start a new vest with my "purple thistle" handspun yarn. Or, I could finish spinning the blue/bronze/green/silver silk that I started a couple of months ago and whip up another scarf. Too many ideas, and well - you know the routine, not enough time.

Yesterday, I actually took a sweater to work. The room where I was working was almost an icebox on Monday, and I suffered all day long. So far, this month, I have yet to work in a building that was the correct temperature. The week before, I sweltered. Haven't any of these places heard about climate CONTROL?

2004-07-19T17:18:00.000-04:00

Catherine has directed me to a new blog ring, which I promptly joined this morning. It is , or more formally known as Southern Knit Bloggers. Now, I can find out if I am the only southern knitter who prefers wool! And, thanks to Indigirl for the code for the cool knitting tracker!

2004-07-18T13:56:00.000-04:00

BackYard-New-Fence Progress on the new fence.

2004-07-18T13:55:00.000-04:00

BackYardFountain Bill cleaned up our fountain, and he and Phillip have been recently mulching.

2004-07-18T13:51:00.000-04:00

HerbGarden

Just some yard pictures
I am still getting used to my new camera and also the Photoshop Elements program, which my son gave me. The software program came with a scanner he bought, and he did not need the software. Good for me!! So, here is a picture of my herb and mini vegetable garden. Contents: tomatoes, peppers, lemon balm, chives, rosemary (the huge bush), tarragon, orange mint and purple basil.

2004-07-17T18:16:00.000-04:00

Yes! Well, I see that Blogger has fixed whatever was wrong with my edit screen. I have gotten so used to using Safari as a browser, I was really dreading going back to Explorer. I am liking Safari better all the time - for one thing, you don't get any pop up ads.

We had an adventure this afternoon. We went down to Florida to pick up some sections of fence that we had ordered to be built. Since we no longer have a truck, we borrowed our next door neighbor's trailer. We noticed on the way down there that it was squeaking some. Well, after the fence people had loaded 3 panels in the trailer, they noticed the squeak - the wheel bearing had gone out. Luckily, there was a place almost around the corner that was able to repair it. It was not looking good at first, since they did not have the proper part and did not think they would be able to locate one. But, an auto part chain DID have what was needed, so they fixed it and put us along on our way. It was sort of a slow process though, and the repair shop was one of these little "good ole boy" places with a TON of cars sitting around waiting to be fixed, no place to wait, except standing up outside under a little "tentish" affair with a greasy pavement to stand on. On top of that, one of our normal afternoon rainstorms decided to make an appearance about that time, sending swirls of greasy water lapping around our feet. Am I glad to be home? YES And wouldn't you know, this was the one day I did not bring any knitting with me.

2004-07-16T14:50:00.000-04:00

If you are seeing strange things going on with my site, there are 2 or 3 reasons:

1. Blogger is not letting me edit when I am using my Safari Browser.

2. I am playing around with sending pictures from my new Flickr account. It is pretty cool for folks like me who do not have the premium Blogger service, and allows you to actually send your blog post directly from the photo site. Pretty nice, at least I think, when I get used to it.

Double Your Pleasure

2004-07-16T12:14:00.000-04:00

BlueDream

This morning I sat down in front of the TV with my spinning and watched the next episode of Knitty Gritty. Now that was more like it!!

I really enjoying watching the program on felting and seeing Bev Galeskas in action. I think I may have to try some needle felting soon.

2004-07-09T11:28:00.000-04:00

Frou Frou Sleep Mask in progress. I finally figured how to upload photos from my MAC. I have been having problems with it for ages.

It sort of looks like a huge pink amoeba made out of toilet seat cover material! (No reflection on the pattern, which I think is a great one and a cute idea, but on my choice of materials and workmanship on this particular thing)

And the Magic Loop socks. Just a simple pattern, but I wanted to make sure I understood the concept:

Did anyone else see Knitty Gritty today? Guitar straps!??!?

2004-07-08T18:46:00.000-04:00

Yeah!yeah! I finished my Magic Loop socks today. They were fun - I am not sure, but I think it takes me a little longer to knit them in this fashion, though. It was nice not to have to worry about dropping all those DPNS in the car though. My family gives me a hard time about that. Now, I will start on the sleep mask from Knitty. My spinning has been on the back burner lately. I am not sure why. Seems like I will spin for just a little while and then get tired. But I really need to get to work. The fiber stash is starting to build up, you know ;)

2004-07-03T08:39:00.000-04:00

Here we go Loop de loo, here we go Loop de la!

I thought I was an avowed user of DPNs exclusively for knitting socks. I never investigated knitting socks on 2 circulars. It just did not grab me and sounded like more trouble than it would be worth.
Thursday, I picked up the booklet The Magic Loop and a 40 inch cable for my Denise Needles. Last night I sat down to try it out, and I must confess, I am already totally addicted to it. I have started a pair of Fixation socks, which will work out with the pattern in the book fine and will tolerate the size 5 circ I am working with. I cannot believe what a simple concept it is, and best of all, no dropping one of those DPNs in the car, etc!! So what am I up to this morning? Going to run over to the island to see if the LYS has either size 1 or 2 circs with LONG cables. (Keep your fingers crossed for me, will ya?)

I am still working on the Weaver's Wool socks - I am in the gusset decreases of sock #2.

A few hours later.......
I haven't been able to get into Photobucket to add pictures, but here is a link to the 2 pair of socks in progress. Also, I bought some frou frou yarn. I am like many and did not like the new Knitty, but did like the little sleep mask. I bought some pink Trendsetter Zucca and some EFF Park eyelash to make this project. I rarely ever buy frou frou, but I thought I would love to try this.

See My Photos

2004-07-02T16:48:00.000-04:00

Oh no, a senior moment!

First of all, I forgot about Knitty Gritty coming on today. When I finally remembered, the 10 o'clock show was already over with. Aha!! Now I noticed it also would come on at 3 pm. Unfortunately, I had to be somewhere. Well, I dug around in tapes frantically trying to find one that would be suitable for recording over. Then, I could not figure out the stupid VCR. (I only play with one of them about once or twice a year.) I could not program it. Finally, Phillip came to the rescue by just hitting the OTR button (now why didn't I think of that?). We got back, and I was all set to watch the show... and you guessed it... I taped the wrong TV station. Arghhhhh. Well, tomorrow is another day - IF I can remember that it comes on again and IF I don't mess anything up. I know it is supposed to be sort of a beginner type show, but I am interested in seeing all the guest hosts, etc., and I always seem to pick up something I didn't know even with the simplest books, etc.

2004-07-01T17:46:00.000-04:00

We took a mini trip, Wednesday and today only, to Florida, and I bagged a couple of knitting items: the much coveted Knittting on the Edge, a 40 inch cable for my Denise Needles and the book about the Magic Loop Method of knitting small diameter objects in the round. No, I did not get any yarn... Thinking about all the stuff I have bought to spin, I just could not do it - not even sock yarn this time!! Also, I have all this handspun I need to make into something. I saw some kits with fabric strips and accessories to make a knitted fabric handbag. Quite interesting concept, although I did not care for any of the fabrics in said kits. It was a short trip, but curiously restful, despite the heat and humidity.

Off the rest of the week, too!!

2004-06-27T21:56:00.000-04:00

Not knitting... but yechhhh

I wanted to get this out in the open. I suppose I think writing about it will keep me from having nightmares. DH and DS spent the afternoon in the yard mulching, and ended up killing not one, but 2 snakes in our yard. Yikes!! It makes me not want to go outside. Last year one got on our screened porch and I came within a fraction of an inch stepping on it. This is the first time we have had 2 in one day, though. I suppose all the rain we have been getting made the river across the street rise... at least that is where I am thinking they must have come from. Maybe living so close to a river wasn't such a good idea after all.

2004-06-24T16:42:00.000-04:00

No knitting (or little knitting, in this case) makes Carolyn a dull girl. I haven't been able to stick to any one project for long this month. I am still working on the first sock of the Weaver's wool pair I started at the first of the month. But, I did make some progress last night and am finally working the toe portion. I need to go to an inspirational knitting meeting, I suppose. I won't be getting that this month (or even a visit to my knitting guild meeting). I keep switching the yarns I am spinning, also. I just can't seem to settle down and get anything "produced" lately.

On a better note, though, Bill brought me a knitting book home from his most recent trip to Augusta. Without consulting me, he managed to pick out a very good one (and one that I do not already have). It is Montse Stanley's book. I did not realize what a wealth of information is contained in that particular volume and am really glad for the new addition. Oh, and speaking of books, Elayne managed to buy a particularly fascinating one the last time we met in Jacksonville. It is Knitting on the Edge by Nicky Epstein. Has anyone else seen this totally awesome volume? Now, there IS inspiration.

2004-06-20T18:09:00.000-04:00

Sharon has me rolling in the floor with this new link:

Essay Generator

Go play with it... It is a hoot! This thing puts together the funniest essays, as evidenced by Sharon's on Yarn Diets. I decided to try one on knitting in the summertime.

An essay on Knitting sweaters in summer

The subject of Knitting sweaters in summer is a controversial issue. In depth analysis of Knitting sweaters in summer can be an enriching experience. Until recently considered taboo amongst polite society, it is yet to receive proper recognition for laying the foundations of democracy. Crossing many cultural barriers it still draws remarks such as 'I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole' and 'i'd rather eat wasps' from global commercial enterprises, who just don't like that sort of thing. At the heart of the subject are a number of key factors. I plan to examine each of these factors in detail and and asses their importance.

Social Factors

While some scholars have claimed that there is no such thing as society, this is rubbish. Upon Peter Pinkleton-PishPosh's return to Britain he remarked 'class will refelect the inner hero' [1], he, contrary to my learned colleague Sir George Allen’s recent publication ‘Into the eye of Knitting sweaters in summer’, could not have been referring to eighteenth century beliefs regarding society. While the western world use a knife and fork, the Chinese use chopsticks. Of course Knitting sweaters in summer raises the question 'why?'

Did I mention how lovely Knitting sweaters in summer is? It grows stonger every day.

Economic Factors

Is unemployment inherently bad for an economy? Yes. We will study the JTB-Guide-Dog model, making allowances for recent changes in interest rates.

Annual
Military
Budget

Knitting sweaters in summer

There are a number of reasons which may be attributed to this unquestionable correlation. Of course the annual military budget is in financial terms 'holding hands with Knitting sweaters in summer.' Strong fluctuations in investor confidence have been seen over the past two financial years.

Political Factors

Posturing as concerned patriarchs, many politicians guide the electorate herd to the inevitable cattle shed of 'equal opportunity.' Placing theory on the scales of justice and weighing it against practice can produce similar results to contrasting Knitting sweaters in summerism and post-Knitting sweaters in summerism.

It is always enlightening to consider the words of a legend in their own life time, Bonaventure T. Time 'Political idealists must ideally deal, for I daily list my ideals politically.' [2] He was first introduced to Knitting sweaters in summer by his mother. If our political system can be seen as a cake, then Knitting sweaters in summer makes a good case for being the icing.
Since the Renaissance Knitting sweaters in summer has become more and more prevalent. May it continue.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Knitting sweaters in summer plays a large part in the lives of all. It questions, 'literally' plants seeds for harvest, and it is human.

I'll leave you with this quote from Elton Paltrow: 'I would say without a shadow of a doubt: Knitting sweaters in summer ROCKS!!! [3]

[1] Flankton - The Complete History - 1999 Fantastico Publishing

[2] Time - Yes Indeed - 1987 Indegro Books

[3] My Knitting sweaters in summer! - Issue 4 - BFG Publishing

2004-06-19T08:30:00.000-04:00

I am starting to have the urge to knit something totally mindless. Minimal counting, no shaping, etc. What is happening to me? Sometimes, I just crave the soothing qualities of repetitiveness, I guess. I am thinking maybe a simple triangular shawl. I am really not a scarf knitter, except for working with silk, and I don't have enough of that spun to do anything with yet. I spent part of yesterday afternoon trying to free up some of my bobbins. I plied some light and dark blue singles made from fiber I had blended on the drum carder. I really like this effect - it is sort of tweedy, without being muddy. I also am plying some more of my silk/angora/wool blend. I am just itching to start spinning the Blue Faced Leicester that I bought in Dahlonega. It seems to be very well prepared, and I think I could make a beautiful shawl or ruana out of it. I have been wanting to make a ruana forever. In fact, I have a green woven one, and it is that particular item that prodded me into doing fiber art. (Granted, I am not weaving, and don't plan to take it up, but I just loved the feel of the wool, etc).

Well, it's time to go downstairs and get ready to go to the bridal shower. This is the first time I have every been invited to a shower in the morning, so it should be interesting.

2004-06-17T08:00:00.000-04:00

Congested weekend ahead

Do you ever have everything pile up together in a heap? Granted, I am notorious for being a "last minute" person, but it seems to be getting worse the older I get. This weekend I have a bridal shower to attend, 2 gifts to select and run out and buy, a meal to prepare for a family going through a hard time and nursery duty on Sunday at church. I admit I am guilty of thinking about this stuff too much, agonizing over what gifts to buy, etc., but I am already tired just thinking about what all I have to do.

Bess was commenting yesterday about "brain fog." It seems that happens to me all of the time lately. It is very frustrating, and fighting against it does not even seem to help. I have a very detail oriented job which requires a lot of reading and making subjective decisions, so usually by the time the work day is over, my brain is on overload. It is aggravating when you are used to having your mind serve you well, and then, all of a sudden, it doesn't. I suppose that is one of the reasons that most of my blog content is about my knitting and spinning. I truly enjoy writing about the hobbies I am passionate about, but the creative juices do not flow easily for writing about much else.

2004-06-15T19:34:00.000-04:00

Okay, Catherine and Marg, I've taken your bait. Here's my list:

Beowulf
Achebe, Chinua - Things Fall Apart
Agee, James - A Death in the Family
Austen, Jane - Pride and Prejudice
Baldwin, James - Go Tell It on the Mountain
Beckett, Samuel - Waiting for Godot
Bellow, Saul - The Adventures of Augie March
Brontë, Charlotte - Jane Eyre
Brontë, Emily - Wuthering Heights
Camus, Albert - The Stranger
Cather, Willa - Death Comes for the Archbishop
Chaucer, Geoffrey - The Canterbury Tales
Chekhov, Anton - The Cherry Orchard
Chopin, Kate - The Awakening
Conrad, Joseph - Heart of Darkness
Cooper, James Fenimore - The Last of the Mohicans
Crane, Stephen - The Red Badge of Courage
Dante - Inferno
de Cervantes, Miguel - Don Quixote
Defoe, Daniel - Robinson Crusoe
Dickens, Charles - A Tale of Two Cities
Dostoyevsky, Fyodor - Crime and Punishment
Douglass, Frederick - Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
Dreiser, Theodore - An American Tragedy
Dumas, Alexandre - The Three Musketeers
Eliot, George - The Mill on the Floss
Ellison, Ralph - Invisible Man
Emerson, Ralph Waldo - Selected Essays
Faulkner, William - As I Lay Dying
Faulkner, William - The Sound and the Fury
Fielding, Henry - Tom Jones
Fitzgerald, F. Scott - The Great Gatsby
Flaubert, Gustave - Madame Bovary
Ford, Ford Madox - The Good Soldier
Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von - Faust
Golding, William - Lord of the Flies
Hardy, Thomas - Tess of the d'Urbervilles
Hawthorne, Nathaniel - The Scarlet Letter
Heller, Joseph - Catch 22
Hemingway, Ernest - A Farewell to Arms
Homer - The Iliad
Homer - The Odyssey
Hugo, Victor - The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Hurston, Zora Neale - Their Eyes Were Watching God
Huxley, Aldous - Brave New World
Ibsen, Henrik - A Doll's House
James, Henry - The Portrait of a Lady
James, Henry - The Turn of the Screw
Joyce, James - A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
Kafka, Franz - The Metamorphosis
Kingston, Maxine Hong - The Woman Warrior
Lee, Harper - To Kill a Mockingbird
Lewis, Sinclair - Babbitt
London, Jack - The Call of the Wild
Mann, Thomas - The Magic Mountain
Marquez, Gabriel García - One Hundred Years of Solitude
Melville, Herman - Bartleby the Scrivener
Melville, Herman - Moby Dick
Miller, Arthur - The Crucible
Morrison, Toni - Beloved
O'Connor, Flannery - A Good Man is Hard to Find
O'Neill, Eugene - Long Day's Journey into Night
Orwell, George - Animal Farm
Pasternak, Boris - Doctor Zhivago
Plath, Sylvia - The Bell Jar
Poe, Edgar Allan - Selected Tales
Proust, Marcel - Swann's Way
Pynchon, Thomas - The Crying of Lot 49
Remarque, Erich Maria - All Quiet on the Western Front
Rostand, Edmond - Cyrano de Bergerac
Roth, Henry - Call It Sleep
Salinger, J.D. - The Catcher in the Rye
Shakespeare, William - Hamlet
Shakespeare, William - Macbeth
Shakespeare, William - A Midsummer Night's Dream
Shakespeare, William - Romeo and Juliet
Shaw, George Bernard - Pygmalion
Shelley, Mary - Frankenstein
Silko, Leslie Marmon - Ceremony
Solzhenitsyn, Alexander - One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
Sophocles - Antigone
Sophocles - Oedipus Rex
Steinbeck, John - The Grapes of Wrath
Stevenson, Robert Louis - Treasure Island
Stowe, Harriet Beecher - Uncle Tom's Cabin
Swift, Jonathan - Gulliver's Travels
Thackeray, William - Vanity Fair
Thoreau, Henry David - Walden
Tolstoy, Leo - War and Peace
Turgenev, Ivan - Fathers and Sons
Twain, Mark - The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Voltaire - Candide
Vonnegut, Kurt Jr. - Slaughterhouse-Five
Walker, Alice - The Color Purple
Wharton, Edith - The House of Mirth
Welty, Eudora - Collected Stories
Whitman, Walt - Leaves of Grass
Wilde, Oscar - The Picture of Dorian Gray
Williams, Tennessee - The Glass Menagerie
Woolf, Virginia - To the Lighthouse
Wright, Richard - Native Son

Wow, I don't look like I am very well read. Actually, though, there are plenty of books that were left off this list. For instance, how come they listed Frankenstein, but did not list Dracula? Yes, I read Dracula and liked it very much. It must have appealed to a hidden alter ego though, since I don't particulaly like horror stories. I guess there are a lot of books today that are considered classics that were not (or in some cases, not even written) back in the dark ages when I was in school. Here's some additional classics I have read that are NOT on the list:

Silas Marner - George Eliot
David Copperfield - Dickens
Great Expectations - Dickens
Oliver Twist - Dickens
House of Seven Gables (arguably the MOST boring book I ever had to suffer through) - Hawthorne
Julius Caeser - Shakespeare
Othello - Shakespeare
The Merchant of Venice - Shakespeare
1984 - Orwell
Tom Sawyer - Twain
The Hobbit - Tolkein
The Fellowship of the Ring - Tolkein
Sense and Sensibility - Austen
Emma - Austen
Rebecca - DuMaurier
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter - McCullers
Member of the Wedding - McCullers
East of Eden - Steinbeck

2004-06-12T14:54:00.003-04:00

Here's some of my stuff I bought in Dahlonega and also what I have been working on.

Sock yarn I bought at Magical Threads:

More sock yarn, that is turning into a sock:

Here is my Jacob wool in various states of being:

Carded batts and yarn (2 ply - spun by long draw method)

And, singles still on bobbin

I am so happy that I have finally learned the long draw. It makes spinning go so much faster and also seems to be less stress on my hands.

Last, but not least, here is the merino/silk blend I bought at The Spinning Shop.

2004-06-11T21:53:00.000-04:00

This doesn't seem to add up!

1. We have two computers.
2. I have a brand new digital camera.
3. I have plenty of knitting and non-knitting photo ops.

For Sharon and others who are wondering what's up with the pictures, this is it:

#1 (newer) computer works great for the internet, I can block pop-ups all day long, etc., but it is NOT great for uploading pictures. I thought when Blogger came out with the new, free picture hosting... hey, here's an idea. Well, it is not for Macs, which this computer is.

#2 (older) computer, windows based, works very well for uploading pictures. However, it is in our son's room, and up until today, you literally had to blaze a trail into his room. I returned from a great day in Jacksonville with Elayne to find he was working on that situation. So pictures really are coming sometime in the near future!

I have socks in progress and my first woolen skein that I really do like. So stay tuned for more information.

2004-06-09T20:08:00.000-04:00

I thought I would never say this, but I'm tired of traveling right now. Yes, I enjoyed my vacation trip immensely, but we turned right around and went to Augusta to work to avoid all the possible pandemonium surrounding the G8 summit. Thankfully, all is calm up to this point, and I am so glad to be home. Motels can get old after awhile, especially when you have to get up the next morning to go to work.

We stopped in Savannah on the way home and made a trip to Primary Art Supplies, since I wanted to get some Jacquard Acid Dyes. Well, at least I thought that is what they had. Come to find out, they had everything but... they had direct application dyes, silk dyes and Procion MX dyes, even the liquid concentrate, but alas, not the acid dyes. I guess I am the only oddball around wanting to dye wool. Yeah, something's wrong with this picture. I play with wool in 100 degree weather. There now, I've confessed! But hmm... the silk dyes looked very nice and were already in liquid form, and I've not tried dyeing silk yet. Maybe that will be my next big experiment.

When I got back home, I plied a little of the brown Jacob wool that I scoured, teased, carded and spun. It looks like it will actually be pretty nice. I have been practicing the long draw lately, and I think the yarn is going to look good. Also, I am currently knitting a pair of mock cable socks with the autumn colored Weaver's Wool that I got in Dahlonega.

2004-06-05T16:22:00.000-04:00

Same, but different.

We had a great time in Dahlonega, but a few things had changed. There used to be a public access to a river where you could play around and pan for gold. Well, that land has been bought, and a golf complex has been built, so now you cannot pan for the gold anymore. Then, we thought to visit a winery and vineyard we had discovered on our last trip. Apparently last time we went on a weekend, because it was closed the whole time we were up there. There was also a charming Folkway Center and art gallery the last time we were there (in fact, it was there I had my first "spinning in public" experience). They also had marvelous handspun for sale there. Well, you guessed it... it was also closed!! I did manage to get to The Spinning Shop, but also had a shock there, as the owner is selling her marvelous farm and farmhouse. She has decided to downsize and give up the hard work of being on a farm. She sold her Shetland sheep flock last month. Fortunately, she hopes to keep up the shop on some sort of basis. I did get to spend a couple of marvelous hours on her back porch, along with a couple of other spinners. No, I did not bring my wheel, but I sat and chatted and knitted and asked a bunch of questions and enjoyed tea and spice cake with the group. And yes, I bought fiber (like I really needed it!!) I got 1 pound of brown Bluefaced Leicester, 8 oz of a mostly blue merino/tussah blend and 4 oz. of tencel to blend with fiber to make sock yarn out of. Also, I purchased another niddy noddy and a book written by the shop owner about natural dyeing.

I took Barb's (schoolmamma) advice and visited the knitting shop there and came away with some Weaver's Wool for socks and some cotton Fixation, also for socks.

We were still able to eat at our favorite places, and found a couple of more interesting places to visit. Seems they have opened 2 antique malls right off the square, so we piddled around in there for quite awhile. I saw something described only by the seller as "antique yarn box," but it actually was some sort of spindle. The bottom portion was a box - sort of like some wooden tool boxes you see occasionally. The handle portions came up from each side, but then there were holes drilled in the handle pieces, and a shaft with a wheel on was one side and a spindle was on the other side. It sort of reminded me of a kick spindle. I would assume that one would work the wheel with one hand and draw out the fiber with the other. I could not decide whether to buy it. It would have needed some work to make it a "nice" antique, as the spindle was bent and somewhat rusted.

We left on Thursday morning to go to Fayetteville to visit my dad. Thursday night, I found out my cell phone was missing, so Friday we called and fortunately tracked it down, but unfortunately, it was left in a restaurant in Dahlonega, so we made the 1 1/2 to 2 hour trip back up there and then headed home. We got in last night around 8 pm, but went to the late movie at 10 pm. Yes, you can bet all of us slept late this morning.

2004-05-28T08:10:00.000-04:00

More Away Time Ahead

The first of the week was spent in out of town business. On Sunday, we will live for a fun trip to the north Georgia Mountains and Dahlonega. Hopefully, it will be cooler there than it has been here lately. It really, really needs to rain here. On the agenda are trips to antique stores, gold mines, dinners in two marvelous restaurants, The Oar House and The Smith House and, of course, a visit to the marvelous Spinning Shop. The Spinning Shop is in a small outbuilding (it used to be a curing house) on a farm which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The shop is literally packed with all sorts of fibers, yarns, books, dyes (mostly natural) and tools and has a lovely lavender scent permeating every nook and cranny. Outside are Shetland sheep and a natural dye garden. The last time I went there, the owner was hosting Wonderful Wednesdays - an all day open spin in. Hmm... Should I take my wheel!?!?! I also hope to give the new camera a real initiation.

2004-05-26T22:23:00.000-04:00

Kind of Cool
While working out of town this week, I bought a Route 66 for my Mac. This thing is pretty amazing. I typed in several names of yarn shops and fiber stores, and it brought them up, along with map and address and phone number. Eweeee... I think I am going to like this. (And less important, it also brings up restaurants, lodging, parks, points of interest, etc.)

2004-05-21T12:54:00.000-04:00

New pictures. Adding teaser, then I must be off to the grocery store.

This new pair fits perfectly!! Another shot of the same:

Here is the Jacob wool after washing. Some teased wool is to the right. I also put some on the drum carder. It was faster, but also messier - lots of trash, etc. fell out while teasing it, so I think it's best I do the teasing outside.

Here is the first skein of yarn spun on the Golding Drop Spindle. It definitely is nowhere near what I can do on a wheel (technically and quantity wise). Hmm... this will take lots of practice! You may be seeing a lot more of my pelican "model". He is perfect for showing off skeins. This skein has not yet been washed.

And last, but not least, part of my "Yarniverse." The colored skein is what I entered in the Maryland Sheep and Wool - my "also ran", and the white is some newly spun Falkland wool.

2004-05-19T13:48:00.000-04:00

My page is taking forever to load. In an attempt to fix this, I have first wiped out all my Tag Board posts, as that was seeming to really slow things down. I'm not sure if its the new blogger interface or the tag board causing the problem. I hope it is not a blogrolling problem, as I finally have my links the way I like them, it is easy to add more, and I just plain don't want to have to mess with what is already working. So, I just wanted everyone to know the "deleted" tags are not personal! I love hearing from all of you!

2004-05-18T17:56:00.000-04:00

My little fractured mind incorporated wool processing into a strange dream last night.

I was at the beauty salon to get my hair done. It looked fine before they started (by fine, I mean normal texture, color, etc.) As soon as the stylist had washed and dried my hair, it was all curly, frizzy and coarse and looked suspiciously like the Jacob wool I am working with (The dark and light brown parts of it, that is.) Then, horror or horrors, as the stylist started combing my hair a huge clump of it came out! I was frantic and knew I must be terribly sick.

Now, if I had to have a wooly dream, why couldn't it have been that I was really working with fiber and enjoying it. It would have been okay for me to spin in my sleep.

2004-05-16T17:06:00.000-04:00

This weekend was mostly spent recuperating from last week. I definitely do not want to "whine" with all the details, but I'm just explaining why I haven't felt too "bloggy" lately.

Yet more beautiful and exciting pictures of the Maryland Sheep and Wool can be found on Jennifer's page. It is so much fun to keep re-living the festival over and over with everyone's great pictures.

This weekend, I started a new pair of clogs. This pair will definitely glow in the dark. The soles and cuffs are hot pink and the uppers are turquoise. I went against my resolution not to use Lamb's Pride, after finally wearing my other pair without socks. The insides of those are so soft and silky, I could not resist. The reason I wear socks with that pair is that they are way too big for me. I had another pattern for clogs the first time in only one size, which was"large", but had hoped they would shrink to size. They did not. Now that I have the pattern everyone is using, I am making some in my size.

The new week is looking to be far less stressful, and our son is coming home for the summer at the end of the week. And knitting guild is Saturday... yes things are looking up!

2004-05-13T19:53:00.000-04:00

The business where I was working today had a "wear your pajamas to work" day.
Hmm... odd. I felt like going to sleepyland all day long looking at all those folks in PJ's. It was truly a strange sensation seeing a bunch of grown people running around in pajamas. And I wonder if they will put on "day clothes" tonight when they go to bed?

This has been one of those mind breaking sort of weeks, and I am truly, truly thankful that tomorrow is Friday.

On a happier note, I am working on a lovely shawl from the handpainted mohair boucle' I bought at the festival from Lady Peddler. It is a riot of colors and reminds me of a field of wildflowers. Funny thing is, she dyed the yarn with Gaywool Dyes, and since those are also the dyes I use, I knit along thinking, okay, here's tomato, here's mulberry, here's honeycomb, here's lucerne... well, you get the idea.

2004-05-12T18:12:00.000-04:00

They say a picture is worth a 1000 words, so if I don't feel like writing... does this count??

My lovely son decided to get me a new camera for Mother's Day. It is quite an upgrade from the one I had before.

So, here is a picture of the illusion hat I made on the Maryland Sheep and Wool trip. It's a little too big, unfortunately (the hat, not the picture)

And here is a small sampling of the stuff I bought at the festival. (Sandra, the apron part is for you...) The fiber is a mixture of wool, mohair, alpaca, nylon and some other stuff, but it is luscious. I regretted only buying a pound, and went back for more, but it was all gone. The Golding is the Purpleheart model and spins wonderfully!

2004-05-11T18:12:00.000-04:00

Here are some new photos to sweeten the pot:

Sheep to shawl photos - Southwest group

Traditional team, carding, spinning and weaving in the grease (ick)

Jacob Sheep Group (my favorite)

Does anyone know who won? I forgot to check.

And greetings from a llama friend:

2004-05-08T23:11:00.000-04:00

Various pictures from Maryland, including some cute, cuddly pets:

A darling little shepherd and his bedecked sheep: (This was something I missed, but I am so glad Elayne didn't)

Reunion with good friends and an opportunity to meet more:

(Yes, I know these are on everyone's blog, but maybe there is a picture of someone that got missed.)

And because I have to brag just a bit, and you have followed the project with me from the start:

2004-05-08T18:35:00.000-04:00

Wheee, pictures came today from Elayne. Testing... This is one of us at Harper's Ferry.

2004-05-07T16:03:00.000-04:00

Too hot to knit today. Well, at least outside it is. #1 son, Phillip, came in from school in Savannah and wanted to go over to the island to do some sketching. I took my knitting with me and practically burned up. Miss Weather Pixie says its 90 degrees here, but she must not be counting the heat index. It's nice to be back in the cool house. I finished my "Now You See It" hat. The pattern shows up very well. The only bad part is that it really turned out too big. Oh well - it was mainly an exercise to see if I could do the illusion knitting, and hats look wretched on me... or should I say I look wretched in hats. It certainly isn't the poor hats' fault.

I have gradually had some time to play with some of my new loot. Blue/green/gold/silver silk is on one bobbin of the wheel. I have weaved a small bag on the Wee Weaver and figured out how to re do the warp on the small little loom, and in fact have improved on the method the vendor used to string it (at least I think it is an improvement.) I just wound my skein of mohair boucle' into a ball and will soon start a shawl from it.

My cranky camera failed the "new battery" test. The flash works, as does the preview screen (sometimes), but the camera absolutely refuses to take another picture.

My thanks to everyone who has posted their fabulous pictures of the festival.

2004-05-05T19:31:00.000-04:00

Has anyone else heard about this story? Some people at work were telling me about it today, so I had to search the web to see what they were talking about. I just wonder how the poor fellow could get around in that condition!

2004-05-04T16:04:00.000-04:00

Blogger Come Lately

First of all, an aside... Now I have been blogging over 6 months! That is certainly a record for diary keeping for me.

Well, oh, oh, oh, where to begin?

The Maryland Sheep and Wool was far more than even I had imagined! Elayne and I left Thursday morning (escorted and chauferred by her longsuffering Bill) early and had a wonderful first day in the back of their extremely comfy van - it was sort of like a rolling girl slumber party, as Elayne hung out with me in the back seat and we worked on a trip project. We decided to do the shadow knitted hat with a star pattern that is in the current InKnitters Magazine. We had a long, but fun day on the road and stayed in Roanoke, Virginia. Unforutunately, my camera was throwing a temper tantrum after the first picture was taken, but Elayne had her digital one also, and took plenty. So, as soon as I get them and can upload, I will be sharing. Up bright and early the next morning with a glorious, fun ride along I-81 and the Shenandoah Valley with a 3 hour or so stop at Harper's Ferry for sightseeing. Then, on to Frederick to check in and wait for Saturday!

Saturday dawned with perfect weather (at least at first) for hitting the festival. Later, it became pretty hot and humid, but no rain. We hit the festival running with both feet! First, we visited some outdoor vendors pretty close to the gate, where I made my first impulse purchase. (Long inventory list will soon follow). Then, into the skein and garment competition for a peek at Bess' marvelous hat and to see if I had won any prizes. At first, my heart jumped up into my throat, as I saw neither one of my entries and just knew they had to have been lost or forgotton, or something. And then, turning, I saw it... I had a blue ribbon for my Easter Entrelac Socks, and I actually started crying! Totally unexpected, let me tell you. Thanks to everyone who encouraged me to enter and who cheered me on. It's nothing without being able to share with good friends. You all deserve blue ribbons from me! By then, I was too keyed up to do much looking and anxious to go check out the seemingly endless string of treasure that awaited to be oohed and aahed over, handled and, of course, bought!!

At 12:30, we met our friends from KR for food, fun and fellowship! Especially great (well... that's a hard one... it all was great) was reunion with Bess, Jennifer, Lissa (with hugs from all three of these), Anita and NEW friends too!! I met Martha, Clara, Patricia, Julie, Christina, Amie and family and actually, there were too many there to actually chat with everyone. But what a happy bunch of chatterers we were... everyone talking at once and smiling and passing around Jennifer's awesome newest additions to her exquisite Spirit Trail fiber line: handpainted yummy sock yarn (sampled in lovely socks designed by Annie Modesitt and sweater kits also of Annie's designs. Bess and Jennifer showed off the lovely yarn they learned to spin in Judith MacKenzie McCuin's workshop. Fluffy, great stuff with beads and feathers! Elayne left us early to check out the spinning and weaving equipment auction, but ended up throwing up her hands in frustration. Let me tell you, this is a long auction!!

Inventory of what I bought (I have spent the last hour of so sorting through it):

Hardware:
Golding Ring Spindle (of course) ... Solid Purpleheart
A Small Valykyrie Hackle for Blending Fibers from The Woolery
A Wee Weaver Loom from Susan's Fiber Shop

Software:
2 pounds of grey CVM from Little Barn
2 packets of 2 oz. dyed silk roving from Stony Mountain Fibers
1 lb. 7 oz. scoured Jacob locks from (oops, don't remember... a fiber shop someplace in Pennsylvania
1 + pound of "marvelous stuff" - wool, mohair, alpaca, nylon blend in mostly blues and turquoise, but with other colors and some glitzy stuff from Puckerbrush Fibers
A handpainted boucle skein of yarn from The Lady Peddler

Patterns:
Shawl Pattern
Felted Clog Pattern

Souvenir:
Spinning apron with Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival Logo!

Oops, and by the way, thanks a lot folks for recommending the Deep Fried Twinkie (you know who you are!) I had one, and the thing exploded all over my face and coat, and Elayne threatened to take my picture.

Well, that's all for now. A writer I am not!

Addendum: Also got Deb Menz' new book, Color Works

2004-04-28T15:00:00.000-04:00

Last posting before the Maryland Sheep and Wool. Yes, indeed, I am leaving tomorrow morning along with my "partner in crime" Elayne. (Sorry, Elayne... but I think I probably am the one who cooks up the most trouble). Clothes are in washer and dryer, suitcase is half packed, jacket is at the ready (just in case) and knitting bag is totally packed (after all, that's the most important thing).

Bess and Jen have already posted a list of vendors and events they want to visit. Here's mine.

These, because I have never been to the Maryland Sheep and Wool, and their ads always intrigue me in Spin Off:

Susan's Fiber Shop (I want to check out the weavette looms)
The Woolery (I have seen their catalog, and it made me drool)
Golding Spindles (I think everyone already knows why I want to visit that one)
Ellen's Half Pint Farm and Wool in the Woods (because of the pictures of their yarn I have seen in various knitting magazines)
Interweave Press (because I am hoping they will have 2 of their new books - the one on Shadow Knitting and Deb Menz's one on color)

These, because I already know they have wonderful quality stuff:

Stony Mountain Fibers
The Drafting Zone
Kid Hollow Farm
Dancing Leaf Farm
Zeilinger Wool

Here's what I definitely want to buy:

A drop spindle (preferably one of the above)
Some more space-dyed silk
More wool, but I'm open to suggestions
Perhaps some more dyes

Events I want to attend

The picnic on Saturday and reunion with fiber friends
The spinning/weaving equipment auction (probably not to buy, just to watch)
The parade of sheep
The Textile Museum Exhibits

And... last but not least, I want to have a long and leisurely look at the skein and garment competition.

Oh, I can't wait.

Hey, did I mention I wanted a Golding Drop Spindle

2004-04-23T14:50:00.000-04:00

I have found a new use for leftover sock yarn. We are supposed to wear nametags to our knitting guild meetings or pay a fine. I admit that lately I have been paying the fine, simply because I could not think of something "cute" to make. Well, here is what I have come up with:

I found the personalized zipper pull at Walmart and knew I just had to do something with it. The picture doesn't do justice to the C-A-R-O-L-Y-N, but they are painted black, white and purple.

This yarn was what I made my first "sock yarn" socks from, so it is sort of special and sentimental. I got quite a bit of mileage out of this yarn, as I also made somebody's baby a pair of socks from the same stuff. And, this is a mini-treasure bag (which can also carry a pair of scissors, if needed, or even a flower, if I'm feeling jaunty).

Pattern for Treasure Bag Name Pin:

Materials needed:

Leftover fingering weight yarn
Size 2 DPNS
Metal zipper pull, bracelet or necklace with name desired
Jewelry pin

Cast on 72 stitches and divide evenly on 3 DPNS. Join without twisting, mark join and knit in the round for 3 rounds.

The next round, knit 3 together; repeat until marker. There will now be 24 stitches on needles (8 on each needle)

Knit even for 4 more rounds.

The next round, *knit 2, yo, knit 2 together*, repeat around to marker.

Knit even for 2 to 2 1/2 inches from eyelet row.

Begin Decreases:

*Knit 2, knit 2 together* repeat for entire round.

Next three rounds, knit even.

Next round, *Knit 1, Knit 2 together* repeat for entire round.

Next two rounds, knit even.

Next round, Knit 2 together for entire round.

Cut yarn and thread through stiches twice and pull tight. Leave a tail for attaching tassel, if desired.

Make a 2 stitch I-Cord, a crocheted chain, or simply double two strands of yarn and knot each end to make tie. Thread through eyelets and tie. Sew name plate to front of piece, and jewelry pin to back.

Enjoy!

2004-04-21T15:34:00.000-04:00

10 More Days Till the Maryland Sheep and Wool!

And yes, I am doing it. I filled out all the paperwork, etc. to enter my Frosted Layer Cake Skein and the Easter Entrelac Socks. I finished up a larger skein this morning (the other was not big enough to enter), and it is outside drying right now. Did I ever have a surprise when I washed this yarn! It really, really smelled bad. Normally, I like the smell of wool, so it must have been the rabbit in this yarn that really put it over the edge. I ended up with 335 yards and took it to the post office to have it weighed. It weighs 4 ounces (I don't know who cares about this but me, but it did take out a chunk of the morning pulling this all together). The yarn is visually pleasing, but probably not prize material. I was pleased to see that it does have some shine and also has a halo. I did the blue/green singles semi-worsted and the red/pink singles woolen. It did turn out very soft. Now that I have all the aggravating stuff done, I will pop it in the mail, send it priority, and it should get there by the deadline. I just hope it doesn't get lost.

Jen had a wonderful piece on her site on what she plans to buy and what she plans to see at the festival. It has really gotten me dancing around waiting for the magical moments to happen. A week from tomorrow, we will be leaving to make the trip to Maryland. I was planning on buying one of these, but mistakenly thought they all cost under 40 bucks. Seems like only the plain one is 39 dollars, and the one I would like is in the 60's. I don't know that I want to spend that much on one item with so many temptations abounding! I am also looking forward to seeing friends Bess, Lissa, Jen, Anita and others on Saturday. Elayne and I are planning on making one of the shadow knitted hats in the most recent issue of InKnitters to occupy us on the trip up there and back. (And no, neither one of us is driving, so we are free to do as we please.)

2004-04-18T21:27:00.000-04:00

I still have not received my issue of Spin Off. It must take a long time for a new subscription to kick in. I have been assured that I will get the spring issue. Every day, I go to the mailbox and hope springs anew, but alas, to no result. It is funny how I am obsessing over a few sheets of paper, but mainly because I have not even been able to look at an issue yet, and I am just dying to see Sarah's skein. I am so glad she posted a photo on her page.

I have been playing around with my frosted layer cake yarn today, and have almost two bobbins full and will be ready for plying it soon. I am still kicking around entering it in competion, along with the entrelac socks. I must soon make up my mind, though, as the deadline is quickly arriving. I will be so interested to see all of the other entries and hope that Bess will have her hat ready in time as well.

2004-04-16T20:58:00.000-04:00

SOCKS FO and WIP. Same but different. The second pair is more sedate, but I think, just as nice.

Finished pair sitting in my spinning basket.

Cuff of the first sock of the second pair.

2004-04-16T10:26:00.000-04:00

Okay, I think I have fixed all the blog addresses that Blogger changed without telling anyone!?!??!

I am off today, and it looks like it is really going to turn into a "puttering around" day. Or is it just men that putter? I don't think I have ever heard the term applied to things women do. A little bit of knitting, spinning, laundry and maybe a trip out to buy a new pair of sneakers. I certainly do not intend for my feet to give out on me at the Maryland Sheep and Wool. Reality is finally setting in that I'mgoingi'mgoingi'mgoing! I printed out the list of vendors. It took about 9 sheets to list them all!!! I also printed out a map so we will not be overwhelmed by it all. At least by the geography.

I am playing around with color. Having finished the entrelac socks with the rainbow dyed YARN, I decided to start another pair made with yarn spun from rainbow dyed FIBER. This time, I am not adding any solid colored yarn and will just let the multicolored yarn speak for itself. The color changes in this yarn are much less abrupt and the color scheme is a little more tame than the first pair had.

2004-04-11T13:56:00.000-04:00

Happy Easter to all. How do you like my Easter basket? I worked very diligently on it.

Here is another shot which gives a better picture of the multi-colored skein.

And here are the Easter Entrelac socks these are becoming. This is by far my most ambitious sock project!

2004-04-09T23:45:00.000-04:00

I believe you belong in Pride and Prejudice; a
world of satire and true love. A world where
everything is crystal clear to the reader, and
yet where new things seem to be happening all
the time. You belong in a world where your
free-thought puts you above the silly masses,
and where bright eyes and intelligence are
enough to attract the arrogant
millionaire/prejudiced young woman of your
choice.

Which Classic Novel do You Belong In?
brought to you by Quizilla

Thanks to Wallis Knits, I find that I belong in one of my all time favorite books!

2004-04-09T19:32:00.000-04:00

I've been dyeing. While everyone else is dyeing eggs, I am dyeing yarn. I picked gold, green and purple for my colors and dyed yarn for a pair of entrelac socks. This is the first time I have tried rainbow dyeing by hanging the yarn over a wooden dowel. It worked really well, but I have to say, it took me all day (on and off) to finish. I dyed small skeins - one of each color. I would put a small skein in the bottom of the pot and let 1/3 of the large skein of yarn hang into the dyebath. When it simmered and cooled, I rinsed them out and repeated the procedure with another color, another small skein and the next third of the big skein. Well, you get the idea! I have taken a couple of pictures, but they are not uploaded to the computer yet.

We have no real plans for this Easter weekend. Stay at home, catch up on some stuff and go to church on Sunday.

2004-04-06T22:19:00.000-04:00

Here's a picture of the yarn I am presently spinning. I love the way the first skein turned out. This is the mix of wool, silk and angora. I have spun the blue and green together as a single and the red and pink together as a single. The blue/green single is spun worsted, to show of the sheen of the silk, and the red/pink is spun with the point of draw method, to give it a more woolen appearance and let the fuzziness of the angora come out. This skein of yarn is almost lighter than air. I love it!

2004-04-03T12:48:00.000-05:00

Today I bought a copy of the spring InKnitters. The more I see of this magazine, the more I am coming to love it. This issue is really packed with information. It has a section on combining knitting with weaving, modular knitting and illusion knitting, all of which I would like to learn (or know more about, in the case of the modular knitting.) The "Do You See It?" (illusion knitting) hats look like they would be great fun to do and wear. I especially like the butterfly motif one. There is an intarsia dog sweater that is perfectly adorable! I don't have a dog, but if I did, I would be tackling this particular project with enthusiasm. I think I would also like to have the Surprise Pocket Vest. Leave it to me to always want to make a non-traditional vest. This would make 3, if I were to make it.

Well, off to do a little yard work (I think).

2004-04-02T11:49:00.000-05:00

I haven't done a quiz lately, and this was an interesting one, compliments of Catherine

Non curo. Si metrum non habet, non est poema.
"I don't care. If it doesn't rhyme, it isn't
a poem."
You are a type A personality. You like bright
things, you don't call in sick to work, and you
have devastating opinions about art.

Which Weird Latin Phrase Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

2004-03-31T16:31:00.000-05:00

Whoopeee! I got a little rolling cart today for my fiber toys (ahem... I mean fiber tools). Here is how it looks.

And just because I love it so much, here is another shot.

You can see the wool, silk, angora blend I am working with.

2004-03-31T08:22:00.000-05:00

Mostly spinning stuff... Last night I finished spinning the last of a purple/blue/red/silver mix of colonial wool and decided to start working on some delightful wool/silk/angora blend in blue, red, green and pink. The single that resulted did not look like much, but when I let it ply naturally back on itself, I saw its true potential. It is going to be very soft and the bright colors are going to be not so much of a wild riot, but rather a rich impressionistic blend. Now I wish I had bought more than one pound of the stuff. Whatever I decide to use it for, it is going to be fabulous. I am certainly not saying this to boast of my feeble efforts as a spinner, but rather to comment on the genius of whoever decided to prepare the fiber in the manner it is prepared.

In knitting, I am still working on the afghan panel for the guild. I am really enjoying it. It has a chevron block repeating with a cable block. I am not sure why I put off knitting cables for so long, but now I seem to be in it full force, what with the top down raglan and now this. I am really loving doing them. Also, I found a vest pattern in an old issue of Cast On that someone brought to the guild meeting on Saturday for give away, and you guessed it... it is also cables. Also, interestingly enough, it was designed by the lady who judged my Master Knitter Level 1 work, so now I feel obligated to try her pattern. (Don't ask how Level 2 is coming, as it is not even off the ground - I haven't even ordered it )

2004-03-28T18:53:00.000-05:00

I had a very nice mostly non-knitting afternoon. On the way home from church, we stopped in Wild Birds Unlimited and stocked up on all sorts of bird goodies. 12 cakes of suet dough, a big woodpecker "picnic" seed cake, a new hummingbird feeder and a dripper for the bird bath. HP hooked up the dripper while I put together the hummingbird feeder. We also attached a rod from one of our porch posts and hung a smaller bird feeder and found a home for some wind chimes we bought earlier in the week. After all this, I sat out on the screened porch and watched the birds for awhile. Later on, we headed over to Jekyll Island for dinner and a walk on the beach. All in all, a relaxing lazy Sunday afternoon.

I am still impatiently waiting for my issue of Spin Off. I am not sure how long it will take to get here, since it is a new subscription.

2004-03-26T12:01:00.000-05:00

Everybody loves pictures and here are some:

First a slice of the glorious spring we are having here on the coast. The landscaping Honey Pie (hence will be referred to as HP) has done is really paying off this year. This is what I call our Bird Garden. Poor little birdies have eaten all their suet, so after finishing this, I am off to Walmart to get some more. We have so many birds here. Right now, the Red Winged Blackbirds are eating us out of house and home. There is a tree they roost in located in our backyard. They give us a very interesting concert. Some make harsh screaming sounds and others make a high pitched musical sound sort of like a "cuckoo." It is definitely pleasing to the ear.

Next is a landscaped area in our front yard. I just love the ruffled varieties of azaleas.

Next are the finished felted slippers. I think these will be sturdy. Brown Sheep Naturspun makes wonderful felt. Yes, they are both the same size. My photography leaves somewhat to be desired!

And last but not least, the cardigan. Notice the green yarn to the right. I am going to make this a two colored cardigan. All is handspun from blended colonial wools by Ashland Bay Fibers.

And here is the back.

I am looking forward to a marvelous knitting guild meetng tomorrow. I hope everyone likewise has pleasant plans for the weekend.

2004-03-25T07:54:00.000-05:00

Just to let you know I am still around. I have been out of town all week working with no access to the internet. Funny how we come to rely on it, isn't it?

I am experiencing stupid problems with my cardigan. It makes me so mad, as the pattern is very easy to follow - there are really no surprises, but my hands just don't seem to keep on doing what they are supposed to. Has anyone else ever had this problem? It seems like easy projects stump me, whereas, I plunge neck deep into hard ones, and just keep on going.

2004-03-21T14:52:00.000-05:00

And what, you may ask, am I doing on this, my last day of vacation?
I am felting these slipper socks.

I have never felted this yarn when knitted with a single strand, so I will be interested to see how it does. I do know, that double stranded, it makes a really thick felt.

I am also cleaning/bleaching my kitchen sink and have wiped down all my kitchen cabinets.

The top down raglan will have to go through yet another frogging, I am afraid. I really want this sweater to look nice, but I have made one too many boo boos at this point. Well, at least you don't use up your yarn very fast when you frog and re-do.

2004-03-20T17:14:00.000-05:00

I went to a spinning meeting in northern Florida and had a most marvelous time!! There were only a few of us there, but it was very stimulating. Here is some of what happened:

We listened to a CD of hammered dulcimer music while we were spinning. It gave the gathering a very earthy and warm feeling.

I got to meet Barbara, the other spinner from Georgia, who I was glad to finally get to meet. She gave us a run down on all the awesome things she did while at the John C. Campbell Folk School. She has gone there 3 different times... once she did basket weaving, once she did sheep to shawl, which covered every aspect of spinning and then she did intermediate spinning, which actually turned out to be more of a dyeing workshop. After lunch, which we ate on site, Dot and a friend of hers, Valerie (who is a machine knitter) showed up. Dot had an old spinning wheel - not sure what brand - but it surely was pretty. It was a double drive and we had a hard time trying to get it where it would draw in the fiber, but we tinkered with it for awhile.

John showed us two fleeces (Corriedale) which he had dyed. One he dyed with indigo he had grown himself. The other was dyed with goldenrod. Both were fabulously pretty, and they have not even been carded yet! Let me mention that John is the first person who showed me anything at all about spinning. He has been spinning since he was about 9 years old, I think, and of course has mastered the art. He is also a very talented weaver.

The next meeting is going to be in May in Kingsland (only about 30 minutes from where I live - yeah!!). We are going to do natural dyeing with indigo, cochineal and some sort of orange stuff - I think they said Osage Orange which will make a brilliant yellow.

2004-03-18T21:51:00.000-05:00

I am back after a short jaunt up the coast to Charleston. The weather was absolutely wonderful - not too cool, not too hot. We didn't do much of anything but browse a few antique shops, but it was just a time for my husband, son and me to be together without any set agendas, projects, etc. I did get a chance to check out the knitting shop in Mt. Pleasant, Nifty Needleworks. She had an assortment of mostly basic yarns and only one brand of knitting needles. The shop's main focus seemed to be needlepoint. However, it looked like a really new shop, and I am assuming she will add inventory as time goes on. I only bought a couple of sets of DPNS. I didn't see any yarn that I just HAD to have.

In one of the antique stores, I saw an item I had never seen before. It was a geiger counter. I am not sure what I expected it to look like, but it was much smaller than what I would have expected. I am not sure how much they were asking for it, as the tag was blurry, but I think it was $500+. There was also a wooden ladder that was advertised to have been used last year in the movie "Notebook." Has anyone ever heard of this movie? None of us had.

2004-03-15T08:00:00.000-05:00

After finally settling on doing the top down, raglan sleeved cardigan, I find that ideas are now returning to my feverish brain. First of all, I decided how to handle the huge batt of pink, green, red, blue layered wool, silk and bunny blend fiber I got last fall. First I peeled the layers apart by color, then pulled off smaller rectangles of each color. I ran some of them through the drum carder to produce some lovely smaller batts to spin. I am combining the green and blue in one batt and the pink and red in the other. Each will be spun as singles, and then I will ply them together. I figure this method will keep the colors from getting muddy. All of the colors are so vibrant in this fiber, I don't want to mess it up. I also finally decided that the lovely easter egg colors skein of wool/mohair 50-50 yarn I won is going to be another pair of felted slipper socks. This time, I will use size 11 needles to knit them up, as I want them to cover a little more ankle than the green ones I made.

2004-03-12T23:31:00.000-05:00

I am getting a two year subscription to Spin Off. We were told the issue would be mailed March 11. I surely hope I will be included in the spring mailing. The first thing I am going to do is look for Sarah Elizabeth's skein! I cannot wait to see her lovely work in print.

In knitting news, I have already frogged the cardigan I started. I messed up with the raglan increases. This is new to me, but I will stick with it and figure it out.

2004-03-10T21:11:00.000-05:00

Yes, yes, yes! Two things to cheer about tonight! I just made reservations for a room in Frederick, MD. Watch out Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival - here we come!!! I was glad I hadn't waited too long to get a room nearby. For those of you who aren't spinners, this is a wonderful treat for knitters, too. Even though I have never been to this particular festival, from going to the one in Virginia last fall, I found out fiber festivals are heavenly for just shopping for yarn, knitting books, needles, etc! It is just like going to a big mall where all the stores sell nothing but yarn and fiber, etc. And you get to see yarns you would never dream of and that you don't see in yarn stores. Gorgeous hand dyed and hand spun yarns! Yum - I am getting excited just writing about it! This year will be knitting classes given by Anna Zilboorg, if anyone is interested.

The second thing I have to cheer about is that I finally thought up what my next knitting project is going to be. I am going to do a top down, cabled front raglan cardigan. This should be fun - I have never done a top down garment, have never done raglan sleeves, and the only cables I have ever done, were the ones required for the swatches in the Level 1 Master Knitter Course. I am going to use dark heathered purple and green handspun yarns for this project. I have already started on the neckband. I'm glad to be out of my slump, you see.

2004-03-09T17:44:00.000-05:00

Here's a picture of the little woven bag I struggled with so much. I think the colors are wonderful. I'm not sure about anything else. It is only about 4 inches high by 5 inches wide. I guess it will just be a little notions bag or something. It is just the right size for a little girl to carry as a pocketbook, but I don't have any little girl friends or relatives to give it to. Anyway, I want to keep it to remind me that I don't want to take up weaving! Ha!

2004-03-08T23:55:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I heard from my spinning student. After another class with me last week, she was spinning some rather thick singles, but I could tell she was getting the technique down and just needed some time to refine her skills. Anyway, she e-mailed me to tell me she has ordered an Ashford Traveller, and that it should arrive in about a week. I am really excited for her. I think she made a good choice.

At the risk of sounding like I am repeating an urban legend, which is not the case, I am relaying this story. A fellow pharmacist that we know went to a nail place and got a pedicure. He let them cut the callouses off his feet. Seems he got a horrible infection from this and ended up having to have most of one leg amputated. He does not have diabetes or any other condition which would have caused this problem. Let me tell you - I think this is really scary stuff. I have had a pedicure before, and all they did was take one of those little cube things like an emory board and do a little bit of scraping. So whatever you do, dear readers, do not let anyone cut on your feet!! This is a tragedy that didn't have to happen.

2004-03-07T23:21:00.000-05:00

This is really starting to get ridiculous. I am still floundering over my next knitting project. After knitting non-stop (well practically, anyway) for 2 1/2 years, I have finally come up for air, but still cannot make up my mind what to do next. This is a totally new problem for me. I do have one project I really want to do, but I do not have the yarn spun for it yet. After spending the cold day in St. Augustine, I have decided I need a pair of fingerless mitts. But I want them to be out of fingering weight yarn and to be very dainty and elegant. What to knit while I am getting the yarn ready?? I honestly don't know. I suppose I should be making some spring/summer knits. What kind of nice cotton blends are out there? I do not want pure cotton, since it stretches out of shape so badly.

I starting weaving a little bag, using a book as a loom while I was at Elayne's. I finished it last night. It is sort of cute, but reinforces my attitude that I do NOT want to take up weaving. Even that small project seemed like work to me.

2004-03-05T22:17:00.000-05:00

Seems I am getting behind in blogging, but here's what is going on. I can go 2 or 3 months without this happening, then it just arrives like a bolt out of the blue. Around 9pm or so, I am just out for the count. I get so sleepy, I can hardly stand it. Usually, I am up until about midnight. I go through this particular cycle for about a week, then it disappears as mysteriously as it appears. I know they say you can never really "catch up" on sleep, but I really think that is what is having to happen with me.

And here is another picture or so:

This is part of the Menendez parade.

And here are some more spinners. The lady in the very front is Nancy, who talked me into coming to the Spin In. I am so glad she did!

My knitting has suddenly become very aimless. What I need is an inspiring project to tackle. I am test knitting a translated pattern for Civil War Socks, but it is going slowly at this point. I am currently spinning some very nice Falkland Wool. It is white, so I have to decide how I want to dye it.

2004-03-05T08:37:00.000-05:00

Here is Elayne, "societizing" with the Hon. and Mrs. George Gardner, Mayor and First Lady of St. Augustine.

2004-03-02T17:54:00.000-05:00

You ought to be in pictures! (But not me....) Seriously, though, here are some pictures in no particular order.

The first is of our spinner's line

Then, here is that monster float I was telling you about. I would not like to run into him on a dark night!

And here is darling Peggy spinning some Lyacil (I am not sure how to spell this particular fiber, but I do know it is kin to Rayon and can actually be dyed with acid dyes, just like wool or silk)

Here is Jan demonstrating spinning on a Great Wheel...

And last, but not least, here is "Mrs. Menendez." Not really, but she was playing the role. Isn't her costume fabulous?

There are more to come later.

2004-03-01T23:54:00.000-05:00

No sooner than I had gotten home yesterday, I had to leave again for a meeting we had today in Macon. That is the reason I haven't posted any pictures yet, but I could not resist putting this one up that Elayne sent me. It is my favorite picture from the weekend, so here's a teaser:

Elayne's on the left, I'm on the right. The lady at the far right is Peggy, the lady with the purple tinted hair I was mentioning in my last post.

2004-02-28T18:24:00.000-05:00

What a perfectly marvelous weekend so far! I am still at Elayne's, so I cannot upload the pictures yet. Last night, Kathy arrived and brought E. some mini carders for her birthday. Elayne was,understandably, delighted with such a thoughtful gift! Kathy had also brought along her newly assembled Ashford wheel, for which I gave a maintenance check, and pretty soon Kathy was spinning merrily away.

This morning it was very cold, especially in the shade with the wind blowing off the bay. They had us set up in the marketplace, and between the shadiness and the wind, it was truly frigid! Elayne finally had the idea to set up outside the market shelter, in the sun. We found a lovely place behind some bushes and were nicely shielded from the wind.

The Pedro Menendez Day Celebration is truly a spectacle to behold. They had a parade, which while being small, was very different and fascinating. It was truly a delight for the senses. Ladies dressed in brocades, huge papier mache figurines which were wheeled along and prancing horses. We were fed Empanadas for lunch -hearty and hot - much better than what I expected for a free lunch.

A fascinating lady named Peggy spun beside me all day long. She was dressed in all purple - purple skirt, cloak, scarf and a purple felted hat. When we got warmer, and she removed her hat, she even had her hair tinted purple! She had an early 1800's wheel with a remarkable history. It seems that her great, great grandmother had received this wheel as a wedding gift. As a young bride, she promptly remarked that they had enough money to have "store bought" cloth, and she never even used it. It was passed along through the family, and did not find a spinner owner until Peggy got it! So she virtually has an antique wheel that was never used.

We stopped by Chili's on the way home, for an early dinner, and are now safely "tucked in" Elayne's house, both tired, but very contented.

2004-02-26T22:04:00.000-05:00

Yes! The car is loaded with spinning wheel, lazy kate, fiber, knitting supplies, old timey clothes, drum carder and the good old camera and I-Pod batteries are charging. I am ready to make my fiber pilgrimage in the morning! And yes, I plan to take plenty of pictures to share.

2004-02-25T21:32:00.000-05:00

One more day to work this week, then off to Florida for a stunning weekend of fiber fun. I will be spending the day Friday with Elayne, and will take along the drum carder for us to fiddle around with. A friend of Elayne's and new spinner, Kathy, whom I have never met, is also coming. Saturday, we will all go to St. Augustine for the Spin In. I have never done anything like this before, and I really looking forward to spinning with a huge group of people. I think they said that last year about 40 spinners showed up. I am hoping for a moderate day, not too cool, but not too warm, as I get the feeling my long black skirt, long sleeved blouse and shawl will tend to get a little bit warm.

2004-02-22T22:07:00.000-05:00

Not much knitting news to report tonight. I did finish the other "Halfspun" sock, and they really did turn out quite cute. The picture doesn't really show off the colors or style to the best advantage. They look nice on an actual foot. Also, when I wear clogs, the large grey band does not show at all. I am thinking that at some point, I may try to dye some fiber to coordinate and redo the lower foot, but at least this lets me enjoy the socks now instead of later.

This is my work week to be out of town for a couple of nights, so I will be out of touch for a few days. I am so looking forward to Friday, when I drive down to Elayne's for a fabulous fiber day and then Saturday, when we will both be going to the Spin In. I hope I can remember to take my camera, since I am planning on taking a lot of pictures.

2004-02-21T22:57:00.000-05:00

Here's a Halfspun sock to go with the vest. Too bad I did not have enough yarn to make a pair completely out of the handspun, but this will work.

2004-02-21T13:26:00.000-05:00

I had a little down time for about 24 hours, as son, Phillip, came home for an eye checkup and ended up spending the night (what a delight for mom and dad!)

The answer to the word puzzle is:

WOWOLFOL

Wolf in Sheep's Clothing!

This is good to know, especially since these are also my favorite type of knitting needles. Thanks for the quiz, Bess

You are interchangeable.
Fun, free, and into everything, you've got every
eventuality covered and every opportunity just
has to be taken. Every fiber is wonderful, and
every day is a new beginning. You are good at
so many things, it's amazing, but you can
easily lose your place and forget to show up.
They have row counters for people like you!

What kind of knitting needles are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

2004-02-20T00:31:00.000-05:00

Post Vest Let Down

All of a sudden, I find myself waffling about trying to decide what project to tackle next. Even the spinning is not coming easily. I had thought I wanted to start spinning the pink Wensleydale, but after spinning a few yards, I found myself wondering: 1) What am I ever going to make with this, 2) Will it be soft enough for a "next to skin" item and 3) Will I be able to bring out the halo in this fiber? Of course, I could have just been tired ... spinning just did not seem to be my cup of tea tonight.

I only have enough of the vest yarn left to perhaps do sock cuffs, and I have some grey sock yarn to do the heels, but I am going to have to think of some other yarn for the feet. The 2-ply of this fiber is making a totally different pattern than the 3 ply did, but it is very pleasing. I really wish I had enough to do the whole pair in this yarn. Unfortunately, I cannot obtain any more of the fiber in that particular colorway. I guess I could always go back to the dyepot.

Did anyone else see this word puzzle a couple of weeks back in the USA Weekend Supplement? (I will post the answer in a day or so - I could not figure it out on my own, but kicked myself when I found out the answer)

WOWOLFOL

2004-02-18T11:45:00.000-05:00

Eeek!, pictures of me in vest... but you asked for it. The side view was much too scary to post.

2004-02-17T17:28:00.000-05:00

I just came in from my overnight trip (business) and found that my vest is still wet. It has been rainy in these parts the last few days, except for a short glorious time on Sunday afternoon, when I was able to get a nice walk in, as it was also fairly warm, in the 60's. Anyhow, when the vest dries, I will get someone to take a picture of me. Be warned, the camera is NOT friendly to me.

I took Lisa's quiz on what Peanuts character I am, and ended up being "Rerun." What a drag!

2004-02-15T20:53:00.000-05:00

Yes indeedy! The vest is finished and blocking this very moment!

2004-02-15T16:55:00.000-05:00

Thanks to all you lovelies who left such gracious comments about my vest. I admire the work all of you do, and your compliments really touch and encourage me. I am always so happy to see everyone's pictures of their projects. I love the fellowship of meeting with other knitters, seeing their work, feeling it, oohing and aahing over it, etc. - well you get the general idea. I only get to do this about once a month, so it is so great to see all of my cyberfriends' stuff. Now, back to knitting, spinning, knitting, spinning. I am only trying to ply enough yarn to finish the vest, as hopefully, if I 2-ply the rest of it, I will be able to make a pair of matching socks. I tried the "steam setting" of the yarn, as is being discussed today on the KR Forum. I am here to tell you - it works, too! It was a wonderful hint at this stage of my vest. I didn't have to wait for the yarn to dry.

2004-02-14T23:07:00.000-05:00

Hurrah ! New pictures at last!

2004-02-14T13:49:00.000-05:00

The spinning lesson went great yesterday! My student now knows how to handle a wheel and how to ply yarn. She had a bit more trouble when we proceeded to regular spinning, since she has never done any work on a drop spindle. I sent her home with one and a bunch of fiber to play with. She is very enthusiastic and wants to keep at it.

Borders done on my Sakiori Vest. Now all I lack are the little side panels (for which I must spin some more yarn) and the braided tie in the front, and of course, weaving in all those pesky yarn bits. I have taken some pics and will upload soon (I hope).