Me, My Wheel, and the Same Old Fiber

Christmas is over for this year. I'm kind of glad since I really had a hard time having the holiday spirit this year. The tree never got put up over here even though it usually travels back and forth to the front hall to be safe from the felines when unattended.

After dishes were put in the dishwasher and food was put away, I asked Pat to do a bit of an adjustment, on my Sonata wheel, to my footman where it kept hitting. We think we figured out what is wrong, but if it doesn't work, I'll have to contact New Voyager since the problem started being persistent about 2 months after I had the wheel.

My plan was to knit on my shawl after dinner. I started spinning on the Sonata, to see if the adjustment was right. Well, I decided to try to finish the Rambouillet I've been spinning since September. I had 2 braids and it wants to be lace weight. Around 5 p.m. I started spinning. I took a couple of breaks, had a snack, checked the Internet, moved the wheel into the living room and watched a t.v. show with Pat while spinning.

Pat went to bed over an hour ago. I'm just finishing up now. It's now 2 a.m. and the bobbin is finally full enough. The first skein has been done for a while. I plyed it as a center pull bobbin. I have more to put on another bobbin, but, that is my plan for tomorrow night. I plan to do these 2 as a regular ply. I want to start a new fiber and refuse to until this is finished. Maybe I can finish the second bobbin by Saturday and put it aside to "rest" a few days.

Of course, I want to be able to add this to my finished UFOs for the year too. Maybe even the last of the "Mandy" from Spunky will make it off the wheel by December 31st.

Well, I'm tired, so goodnight everyone.

Happy Holidays To Everyone

I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season and I wish you all a Happy New Year with lots of good blessings.

Pat and I did our gift exchange last night. I told him not to give me anything else since he already gave me my gifts earlier this month. He got me a nice card and there was cash inside. :) It's going toward some of the fiber I just bought.

Dinner was simple at my house. Roast Pork, mashed potatoes made with "Klondike Rose" potatoes which are a cross between Yukon Gold and Red Skinned one. Delicious. There was also gravy for the meat and taters as well as yellow squash, rolls, homemade cranberry sauce, ice cream with apple pie or apple/cranberry/raisin compote and soda and coffee. I made the compote so Pat would have a nice dessert and all three of us liked it. I didn't over eat, had some of the compote, but no coffee. Pat helped me with the prep and cleanup. The dishwasher has finished, I've been spinning some more of my Rambouillet trying to finish that, and now want a nap.

Snow, Snow, and More Snow.......

If I look out my window I will see snow lit by the night sky, still white, sparkly, and pure. No footprints or snow blower tracks, except where the sidewalks and drives were cleared. There's about a foot of snow blanketing the cold frozen ground. I love the peacefulness of the time after the snowstorm has stopped and people haven't really touched the scenery yet. Tomorrow, the kids will be sliding and playing in it. Cars will be getting it dirty from their exhaust, and dogs will be giving it the golden glow you don't want to touch.

Last winter I loved not having to go out in the morning and worrying about getting home in the afternoon due to bad weather. Now, I look out the window and go back to bed to sleep. When it snows, I don't leave the house if I don't have to. The idea of driving in it terrifies me.

This is perfect weather to snuggle up on the couch or your favorite chair with some knitting, a cup of tea, and a good movie playing. You could also sit and spin for a bit. That's my plan for tomorrow night after I go get my Christmas dinner items. I'll be on the sofa with my Dragon Scale Shawl, tea, and maybe "Northanger Abbey" in the DVD player. That's a lovely way to spend my evening.

Happy Hanakah everyone.

A Night Of "Firsts"

Tonight was a lot of fun. Instead of going to our usual Wednesday night at Panera's, Marva and I joined Sarah at the Providence group at Reflections Coffee Shop.

Before we headed over there, the three of us went for supper. It had been decided by Sarah and Marva the menu was to be sushi. Now, I've never had sushi. I don't think I could deal with the raw fish aspect. Luckily for me, there was also cooked food on the menu. I ended up with a seafood and veggie Tempura platter that was absolutely delicious. The batter was not the usual heavy thick breaded kind. It was light and not greasy at all. I'm glad I didn't choose the meal because I couldn't finish the a la carte selection. I brought most of the veggies home. I did try a piece of Sarah's cooked sushi and liked it very much. There was no fork on the table, just chopsticks. Marva told me they would bring me a fork if I wanted one, but I wanted to try using the chopsticks.

So that's three "firsts" for me: meeting a new knitting/craft group, eating sushi, and learning to use chopsticks. By the way, I didn't do too bad using the chopsticks.

One of the traveling scarves was worked on while sipping coffee at the shop and will be heading out tomorrow if I can get to the Post Office. Friday is suppose to be a snowy day with 4 to 8 inches projected overnight into Saturday morning. Brrr. Winter is here.

Post Office Package Pick Up...

In response to the inquiries in the comments.....Yes there was goodies at the Post Office for me. I got my monthly fiber club from CJKopec and a skein of yarn I had bought from a destash on Ravelry. That's it. As for yesterday and today....Nothing.

Parties and Plays, Nanner Socks, Crochet Scarves, Dragon Shawls.....

Thursday night was my Knitting/Crochet guild party. We had a Yankee Swap and I got a couple of nice cutting boards I really needed. My other two glass ones do double duty as hot plates on the table. We had some wonderful fun and laughs during the swap and the munchies were delicious.

Saturday was my Spinners guild party. We had an ornament swap, bazaar, and lots of food and fun. The ornaments are put on the tree with a number then a box was passed around and you chose a number. You got the matching ornament. I got an adorable miniature sweater and hanger. It's so cute. It may have to sit on my desk with a few other creatures and items after the holidays. I made the sausage, potato, peppers and onion dish and everyone liked it. I make it often since it's so easy to make and Pat always likes it. I'm still spinning the second braid of the same fiber I started in September. I think it's going to get finished at home before January's meeting. I'm getting tired of looking at it every time I pull out the wheel. I started this at Slater Mill during a demo. It is spinning lace weight so that could be why it's taking so long. After the party, several of us went to see "A Christmas Carol" performed in Foster. It was a wonderful rendition of the story with several funny parts.

Well, the Nanner Socks are finally finished on Sunday! When I put them on again, they are about a half inch or so longer at the toe than I need, but that's o.k. since I don't like my toes squished. Now I need to make a pair of socks for a friend who only wears a size 5 1/2. Should go quickly compared to my size 10s.

I've also got 2 scarves here I need to crochet on, but my hands have been bothering me a bit the last couple of days. Crocheting increases the discomfort so I have been holding back on the scarves. I will at least put the yarn with each scarf so it will be ready when my hands co-operate a bit better.

Meanwhile, the Dragon Shawl is now my priority project to finish. I don't do well in public knitting with this since it is lace and I tend to lose my place in the pattern if I don't concentrate on it.

I'm off to pick up some packages I hope are at the Post Office. Then I have a few items for the market that Pat has asked me to grab for him. Have a great night............

First Snow, Spinning and Knitting, More Shopping

We had the first snow of the season. It didn't quite cover the ground. The grass was still peeking out from underneath. More is projected for this weekend. I hope not because I have plans for Saturday to go to the Spinners Guild meeting/party and then a play that evening. I'm planning to bring the sausage, potato, peppers and onions casserole Pat loves so much. Of course, I have to make him some too.

I've been hand carding, spinning, and getting ready to knit some of the fiber for the charity hats. I hope to finish it in time for Saturday when I can give it to Jean for the collection. If I don't quite make it, I know I can give it to her later. Also the Nanner Socks are just about at the rib. I just need to finish the last repeat of the pattern. My Group 9 Traveling Scarves are finished. Mine returned home a little over a week ago. It's very nice and I'll post a picture as soon as I can get one. My Group 38 Crochet Sideways scarves are moving again. I have 2 on the way here. I need to run by the Post Office anyway and maybe they are waiting for me today. That would be good so I can hopefully get them out to the next person by next week.

I've been shopping some more. My Copperpot Woolies order came in the same time as my CJKopec order did. I have another order coming from Loop as well as The Loopy Ewe.

Christmas shopping is almost finished. I just need to take care of my husband's gift. He keeps telling me not to get him anything. Just a card. We go through this every year, and I never listen. Usually, I get him gift certificates that I know he will use. The funny thing is, he has one he can't find. It's for Back to Basics for his special foods. I think it was a good one because he can get a lot of gluten free foods there.

Well, I need to get ready to go out and do some more errands. Tonight is Knit Night at Sue's shop. Marva and I are planning to head up there and I need to pick her up at 5:30 from work. See ya later.......

Early Bird Shopping...Kitty Sneezes...Mail Call....

Four a.m. came earlier than I wanted. I couldn't sleep and finally nodded off at about 1:30. I crawled out of bed at 4:05, washed my face, threw on some clothes and combed my hair. I'm ready. Out the door at 4:15. Then I sat in the parking lot of Circuit City until the doors opened at 5. I only picked up a few movies. Pat was at Pepboy's and got me my GPS, which I love. After I left the store, Dunkin Donuts was the next stop where I grabbed a coffee and croissant with egg and headed for JoAnne's to sit in their parking lot until 6. I picked up several different flannels to make night gowns or maybe just t-shirt tops, a couple of bins, some Wooly Nylon to use in my sock knitting, and a rolling knitting cart. Everything was on sale except the knitting cart, but I had a 50% off coupon for that. When I checked out, I also got to use a 20% off coupon for your entire order. I saved a bundle! Last night I stopped by Ocean State Job Lot and picked up a new bigger scale and thermometer to use with the fiber and dyeing.

After coming home, and calling the vet, a short nap of an hour was next on the list. At 10:30, I headed out to pick up some meds for Megan. She has started sneezing and I don't want everyone to catch it. I played with the GPS and love how it tracked the trip.

The post office was my last stop on the way home. Goodies galore!! My packages were in a big locker and it was stuffed! My fiber from Flawful Fibers was there, along with my latest Loopy Ewe order. The bag with the "Sterling" from Kraemer Yarns was snuggled next to my bag from Loop . And the final package was from my upstream Traveling Scarf partner. It was another scarf for me to work on and .... ta da! ... my scarf is home! It looks really nice and everyone used the colors I said I like.

Well, gotta head out the door to Jean's house and then to the spin-in at Iris's. Hope to see some of you there.

Bye for now.

Happy Thanksgiving...Early Morning Shopping Planned...Alpaca Fiber

My day started with the bird being prepped and put in the oven. With the smell of roasting turkey, I did a quick housecleaning, and prepared the veggies. With help from Pat, the potatoes, turnips, carrots, celery and onions for the stuffing, were all chopped and cut to the sizes I needed. I made bacon cheddar mashed potatoes with red potatoes, broccoli, turnip and carrots, 2 kinds of stuffing, 2 gravies, rolls, homemade cranberry sauce, and butternut squash. Dessert was apple pie a la mode and coffee. I skipped the last part. :)

After the loading of the dishwasher and meal clean up, I managed to Navajo ply 3/4 of a bobbin on the Minstrel. The drive band decided to snap, so that took some time to replace, but, it's working fine now. Tomorrow afternoon will be spent finishing the bobbin. The fiber is BFL from Spunky Eclectic in "Mandy". I still have one braid of the original three of that fiber to spin.

My alpaca fiber from Silver Sun Alpaca came in a couple of days ago, and my Loop order is on the way.

I'm heading to bed now so I can be at the stores for the 5 a.m. sales. I don't know if I will get any of the stuff on my list, but, I will check a few places out. If anyone is going to attempt the Black Friday Crazee, have fun.

My stomach is still full. Goodnight.

Meetings, Show and Tell, and Christmas in November

I'll start with the meetings part. First I went to the spinning guild meeting where we did a show and tell of the stuff we learned and bought. This was fun because I got to see some new to me goodies and techniques. Shawl pins, scarves which were knit or woven, and lessons learned were all shared. I talked about the classes I took, passed around the dyed fibers, and showed the lazy kate Pat had made me. I'm trying to talk him into making a couple more lazy kates, but, he really doesn't want to.

Wednesday of this week was our usual craft night at Panera. A few people were missing due to prior commitments, but most of us were there. I was teased about cheating with the shopping ban because Pat bought me goodies and I didn't have to pay him back. They didn't count. The girls insisted I cheated. lol

Nancy was working on a sewing projects she is teaching her students at school. They are cute baby/toddler hats made of felt. Pam is taking a break from socks to make another Baby Surprise Jacket. She knits them up so fast, I'm sure it was done by today. Sarah was making a Morning Wave scarf in some of her handspun in a pretty sparkly cranberry red. Lisa is on the finishing side of her light blue and white variegated baby blanket for a friend. Marva is in working toward finishing her scarf in a deep green. And I was fussing with my Nanner sock. Everything I did I had to pull out when I got home. Somehow I had 12 extra stitches after finishing the heel flap. It's now fixed, and on the leg.

I did manage to mess up the leg and forget to put the pattern in the back. That meant redoing 8 rows. Here's hoping I can finish them this weekend. I only have a repeat and a half to match the first one. Then I will knit them at the same time until I run out of yarn.

Now for the Christmas in November part. Since my shopping ban is lifted, I had fun online. Now, I can shop now without restrictions. I visited Crown Mountain Farms and bought some sock yarn. Grafton Fibers was having a buy 2 get a 3rd selection free sale, so I now have some batts from there. Then I stopped at CJKopec's Etsy store and fell in love with a new color blend called Pucker and decided to grab it. Also making it's way into my cart were Candy Clouds and Rosey N Mick. I had 4 ounces of Rosey N Mick, but, decided to grab 4 more. Also arriving at the house was my monthly fiber club from CJ. It's called Jammin Nanners and is a wonderful blend of fiber with a fantastic shine from the silk in it. My fiber club from DkKnits also came in at the same time. There is my November and December fiber along with some terrific goodies. I don't want to go into details because some people haven't got their packages yet. Then my Happy Housewife soaps showed up. These are for sale over at LimeNViolet's store. Some scents are limited and some are stock. I got two bars each of Cherry Sugar and Blueberry-Guava. There are also yummy sniffies to match some of the soaps as well as different scents. There are a few series as well as a scent club. I'm in the cupcake club .

Did I mention all this stuff arrived today??? Pat offered to go to the post office for me. He said "Your packages are on the table." I thought he meant two items. Wow, did I get a surprise when I walked into the kitchen. ha-ha

Not yet here is my purchase from Silversunalpacas for some Daffodails which is a alpaca, mohair, and wool blend and looks like daffodils in the woods. Also there is a little purchase from Loop on it's way. Just 2 twin blue batts and some Angelina.

Last week I became a Loopy Groupie over at The Loopy Ewe, so I got my 6th order and loopy groupie goody bag from them as well.

That's it. No more shopping to report. I think I've made up for the ban.

Yes, Sarah and Marva, I will spin and not just pet the fiber. :)

Happy, Tired, and Sneezy

I had a wonderful time at the Gathering this past weekend and can't wait for the Open House next year. The first class was a dyeing class. I learned several new techniques and came home with four 2 ounce pieces of roving to spin. Here's some pictures. The first is dip dyed, second was actually the result of too much dye which blended together, third is dip the middle and then the two ends, fourth was chained fiber that was dyed and set.



One class was Spinning "New Wave" fibers like soysilk, bamboo, tencel, Ingeo, Angelina, and several other fibers. The third and final class was Blending Natural Fibers like wool, cashmere, camel, alpaca, silk, cotton and a few others. Doing different percentages gives different results. I learned so much from all these classes. I know my spinning will be better because of them.

Of course I came home tired, with my head spinning with fiber possibilities. My hands are itching to start something new, but, the bobbins must be emptied first.

Last night was the Knitting Guild meeting which was held at Bella Yarns. It was my first time there. I only picked up some buttons and two skeins of Lamb's Pride to use for a hat.

The other thing I came home this weekend with is a cold. Big doses of zinc and vitamin C are helping me get over it faster. I should be fine by the weekend. As a matter of fact, I think I'll call it a night. Extra rest is also very helpful. Goodnight............

Packed and Ready to Go To the Gathering

The day is finally here!! Yippee!! Everything is packed, waiting for Sandi to pick me up. I hope I haven't forgot anything.

Then it's a weekend of spinning fun. See you when I get back.

Wishing Time Away...

I'm wishing it was Friday already since I'm ready to go to the Gathering in 3 days. I just need to actually put the clothes in the suitcase and a couple of things in my tote bag. The sausage/pepper/potatoes will get cooked Thursday night for Pat to eat on Friday and Saturday. I'm also making him a Shepard Pie for tomorrow and Thursday.

Well, I'm off to vote and run a couple of errands.....

Happy Halloween Everyone!

The candy is given out as much as it's going to be. There's a bit left over, but, I'm giving that to Pat. After the third child was very rude, yelling "Give me some candy" in a very demanding voice, I called it a night. There was one more little girl coming toward my house. She was about 18 months old. I don't know if her hand was covered for a reason or missing. She was adorable and very sweet. I gave her and her parents the last 4 packs of M&Ms I had in the bowl and said have a nice night.

Now the street is quiet and the dogs have calmed down, so I think I will sit here and fix the mistake I made in my Nanner sock while giving out the candy. Then it's going to be an early night.

Tomorrow is the monthly Spin-in at Sue's shop. It's actually October's since she backed it up a week for her schedule. I am riding up with Jean and Lisa from Cranston.

My new picker came in today by UPS. It's a good size, but, unfinished. I think I will have Pat stain it to match my wheels like he is doing for the lazy kate and swift he is making for me.

Tick, Tick, Goes the Clock .... Dragons....

It's ten days until the Gathering. I'm getting excited. I need to finish emptying those bobbins for my Sonata. Some will get finished at Sue's on Saturday. Pat is busy building me a lazy kate and staining the extra bobbins I bought. I plan to take as many bobbins as I can just in case.

Of course, I always tend to over pack whenever I go away for a couple of days. This time, I'm trying to control what goes in the bag. I figure 2 complete sets of clothes, a nightgown, toiletries and meds. As for the spinning stuff, the wheel and it's accessories are ready. I'm going to carry the straw basket to bring my niddy noddy, ball winder, swift, combs and handcarders, a couple of towels for the dye class and any other item I can think of needing. Oh, and a bit of fiber for the spin in during the evenings. I might throw the socks I'm knitting in there too. They won't be done by then, I'm sure. I think that's all I need to bring.

I'm still playing with the Dragons at Dragon Cave. I have one more to grow up to adulthood in the next couple of days. I'm not going to get any eggs now because I won't be here to work with them.

I am thinking of getting a lap top computer to take with me when I'm not home. Right now, I'm weighing the actual amount of use it would get versus the expense. I don't need a fancy one. Hmmm, need to think some more about that one.

Well, I'm heading into bed now. I've managed to get almost all of the first repeat of the lace on the Nanner Sock 2 done tonight. I started knitting later than usual, so didn't accomplish as much as I would have liked. Maybe tomorrow I can get a couple of complete repeats in. I really should take a little time to work on the Dragons Scale Shawl too. It's been sitting in it's bag for a while with very little attention lately.

Good night, everyone.

Latest Knitting and Spinning Update

I posted all those pics in the previous post, and didn't mention my latest progress on my projects.

All Traveling Scarves from both my groups have been sent to their respective downstream partners. As you know there was a deluge from my first group as we play catch up. My scarf has only a few more stops before she returns home to me. In the pictures on Ravelry, it looks pretty. My other group, crochet sideways scarf, is moving speedily along. My upstream is a fast worker. I am having a bit of a problem with these scarves though. Due to my right wrist, thumb, and tendon problem, I can only crochet of about 30 minutes before it becomes too painful. I think it's the way the hook rests on my hand like a pencil. I tried holding it like a hoe or scoop, but that put more pressure. I just take a bit longer than I would like to complete any crocheting right now. I can knit much longer, and spinning doesn't seem to bother it at all.

With the scarves caught up, I can turn my attention back to my projects. Right now, I'm on the leg of my first Nanner Sock. I struggled my way through the short row heel and have no holes. Yay! I hope to finish it by the end of the weekend if no scarves arrive. This has been a good learning experience for me,also. From the toe up pattern, magic loop method, turkish cast on, and short row heel, it's an interesting and challenging project for me.

The Dragon Scales Shawl is growing slowly, also. I have been alternating it with the socks. It's not a good group project for me since I can mess up lace easily. I took it to craft night, but, didn't work on it. My Nanner sock heel was the project of the night.

As for spinning, I'm trying to empty a couple of bobbins this week as well. I have one almost full on each of my 2 wheels, one ready to ply, and another partially full. If I can ply up the 3 that are ready, and empty the fourth, I should be all set. Pat hasn't had a chance to stain the ones I got from Copper Moose yet. He plans to do that tomorrow, Saturday, in the afternoon since it's going to rain. He's also building me a tensioned Lazy Kate that will work better than my basket one. The basket keeps breaking little pieces off where the knitting needles rest if too much pressure is applied to them. I think the wood is very weak. It did it's job, though when I wanted it to. I will probably keep it for holding my bobbins in at home. I broke another bobbin, too. That's 2 or my original 3 with the metal cores, now. It's a good thing I ordered the extra ones from Copper Moose. At this rate I won't have any of the others left. lol The bobbin was sitting on top of the basket and somehow the whole thing got knocked over. I think a cat might have tapped and off balanced it. Anyway, Pat glued it for me, since it didn't break all the way through. I can still use it until it gets to where it can't be salvaged any more. The first casualty is still usable and spinning as if nothing was ever broken on it.

I am going to process the challenge fiber tonight and hopefully get that spun before the Gathering so I can knit a hat in the evenings there. I need to finish that project before the next meeting when we need to gather all of the hats together.

Well, that's it for projects right now. I'm off to work on finishing that last bit on the Minstrel, and then the Sonata..........

Dye Day and Summer Demo Yarn Pictures

Be warned that there are quite a few pictures this time. I finally got around to downloading the pictures from this summer as well as taking a couple of the yarn and fiber I did on the last dye day a few weeks ago.

First, here's some of the yarns spun or plyed at Washington County Fair back in August. Please bear in mind these pictures are before I washed the yarns, so they look a little fluffier now.
This is the kool ade I solar dyed in the pickle jar. I had spun it at home, and Navajo plyed it at the fair.


This is from DkKnits, "Mandeville Trellis". I spun the first bobbin at home, and Navajo plyed it at the fair. I started the second bobbin on the last day of the fair, but, don't have a pic of that one.


The next one I had spun back in June, but, had to learn to Navajo ply before I could finish it. I think it came out really nice. It's from Allspunup and I've named it "Beach". It's also my June fiber for the Spinner Central monthly fiber on Ravelry.


This one is the BFL and Silk I dyed with some friends last spring. I named it in memory of my mother, "Evelyn's Roses". The BFL was spun at home in July, and the Silk was spun at the fair. Both skeins were plyed at the fair. The front skein is 1 ply silk, and 1 ply BFL. The back skein is a 2-ply BFL.


Here is the latest attempt at dyeing fiber. It's Rambouillet I bought from Flawfulfibers and I just love how this fiber feels when you spin it. It practically spins by itself, letting me do a modified long draw. I've named this one "Pansies in the Sun". The color in the pic is a bit off. The purple looks blue and the raspberry pink looks purple. The purple skein is a 50/50 blend of Merino/Silk dyed in 3 shades of purple. One has a blue undertone. I love the shine from the silk. It is an extremely squishy yarn.

Impromptu Dye Day, Smith Castle Harvest Fair, Tunis Fleece Washing

Last Sunday, Oct. 12th, was a beautiful, sunny day without a rain cloud anywhere in sight. I spent the day with a couple of friends, our wheels, and knitting. Of course, fiber and yarns were brought along just in case the dye pot came out. It did. I made a beautiful tri-shaded purple yarn I'm naming "Purple Passion" and then 4 ounces of Rambouillet fiber in a bright happy yellow, purple, and raspberry. Where the colors met, greens and oranges were created. This is called "Pansies in the Sun". After we finished setting up the second round on the steamers, we took a ride and after meeting up with another friend, decided to stop at a New York Pizza restaurant. Delicious pizza and garlic bumps were served fresh from the oven, piping hot, along with cold sodas. After that we headed back and packed up for the day.

Wednesday was Craft Night as usual at Panera. Again, it was a small group. I think some of the missing friends will be back this week. One was in Italy on vacation and I know she will have stories to tell.

This past Saturday was another impromptu adventure. Marva and I were going to head to the Fiber Hop event in Hopkinton/Hope Valley. Instead, since we had a late start, we decided to check out Smith Castle's Harvest Fair. Several familiar faces were demonstrating and selling things. We ran into the lady, Janet Austin, who gave our Tapestry Workshop last spring. Jonne was there with one of his wheels demonstrating. One of the nurses I used to work with was doing a candle dipping demo. Also, there was natural dyeing, a blacksmith demo, soap, jewelry, alpacas and fiber/yarn, fresh cheese, bread, johnny cakes, apple cider, and of course, the Museum. Many people were in period dress. I think it made the event more festive.We were there until 4 p.m. and had a great time. An invitation was issued for the RI Spinners Guild to come to the Strawberry Festival in May and the next Harvest Festival in 2009 to do demonstrations.

Today, I washed another fleece. This one was the Tunis and is a pretty creamy color. It's not really white, but, more of a soft buttery color. It's drying downstairs since it's too cold to process anything outside now or leave in the shed to dry. We used a pump to empty the bins after the washings and the rinses were done in the washer.

That's it for now. I am going to head down to the drug store to get my meds and then call it a night. Have an enjoyable evening. :)

Fence Installation, Another Scarf is Sent Traveling, and Spinners Guild Meeting

The sun was barely up this morning when Pat got me out of bed to help him with the new fence. We started at 6:45 and worked until about 10 a.m. with the result of 6 sections installed as well as the connector to the house. Now one side is finished. Did I mention these are 8 foot sections??? I was so tired, I had to take a power nap which turned into an hour. Of course, the other reason I was so tired was I just couldn't sleep last night. I think I got 4 hours.

I hope we can get the other side installed next week, and then the gate can be put up. This will enclose the yard, keeping unintended visitors of the 2 and 4 legged variety from straying into it. It will also give me great privacy if I wish to sit out with my wheel while the weather is nice. The back has a chain link for now, but will be receiving a stockade later. The dogs are going to love running and frolicking once it's finished. Next comes the deck. Yippee!!

I rushed after waking up to get showered and dressed to head out to the post office and mail another Traveling Scarf on it's way.

Then it was time to head down to Gilbert Stuart Museum in South County for our meeting. The fall foliage is starting to show it's glorious self and the ride was very soothing. It's a true wonder to watch nature at work.

I got there with 5 minutes to spare. It was nice to see so many friends again and listen to the wheels whirr away. Since we have so many new members, and continue to grow, we went around the room and introduced and gave a little history about ourselves.

Two members, Dave W. and Richard, had their wheels set up to give us great demonstrations and tutorials in flax preparation and spinning. It was quite interesting to see it up close. Dave had done a demo at Coggeshall Farm last month, but, I didn't get to really see it. I don't think I will actually work with this fiber in the near future, but, it is nice to understand it better.

All the Pretty Colors in My Head, A Quiet Craft Night

Well, as far as washing the fleece and getting the scarves out of here are concerned - it didn't happen. I got busy with other stuff and none of that was accomplished.

Craft night was quiet with only Lisa, Marva, and myself. I worked on my Dragon Scales Shawl only to have to frog back over two rows to fix a mistake. Marva was working on a pretty new scarf pattern she had just got, and Lisa was working on an adorable baby blanket. There was much counting and a bit of frogging from all of us.

Today was a doctor's appointment. Not a biggie, just an annual. Everything is fine. I did mention my funky moods the other day. She thinks it's just my age and tried to attribute it to my being home. I explained that I have a busier social life now than when I worked. I'm not going to worry about it.

I did do a bit of spinning on the Minstrel, since I really want to empty out both of those bobbins and return them to the Sonata.

Now, the colors in my head are in regard to some dyeing I want to do. I've come up with about eight different themes, mostly centered around winter and the holidays. I have Merino, BFL, Rambouillet, silk, bamboo, and Corriedale all here I could dye up. Plus sock yarns. I just need to order the dyes to get started.

Pat has said I can use the small room in the basement for my stuff, so I think I will use it as a dyeing studio. It's away from the animals and I won't have to worry about them being safe from the chemicals and things. The lighting is good and has plenty of outlets to plug things into.. My glass studio will have to stay upstairs though. The room isn't big enough to handle both things. I might have him hook the phone line back up in there as well so I will have a phone handy while down there and not have to run upstairs for it. There's a sink in the laundry room that will work.

Well I'm off to bed now. Tomorrow is housework day and the never ending laundry will be needing attention again too.

Jane Austen Quiz

I joined the "Jane Austen Book Club" group on Ravelry and this quiz was posted in a thread. I had took it a while ago and am still the same character.

Take the Quiz here!

Feeling Better and Plugging Along on Projects

Today finds me in a better frame of mind and spirit. I've got an appointment in an hour at the podiatrist and will feel better after dealing with that. I'm taking my Nanner Sock with me to work on in the waiting room, just in case. Usually I get in rather quickly there, but, you never know. After posting last night, it took me another 2 hours to finally get to bed. I started doing a couple of things and the next thing I knew Pat was home.

The plan is to wash a fleece tomorrow and get that out of the way. If I can get to it, I'm going to set my drum carder up tonight and work on some of the fiber I have in the bins that need processing.

The crochet scarf is also on the agenda for tonight. I would like to drop that one in the mail tomorrow afternoon. Hopefully, there won't be one waiting for me so I can catch up with the last knit one. That one will be going to Craft Night with me I think.

Well, I need to get ready to go to the doctor so I'll see you all later......

Fiber Update and a Whiny Post, So Be Warned....

Yesterday was the National Spin/Weave/Knit event at Slater Mill. Several basket makers, quilters, knitters, crocheters, weavers, and spinners were all present demonstrating their love of textiles crafts. It was great to meet so many people there from Ravelry, and see and catch up with friends not visited in a long time. I finally got to meet Guido from It's a Purl Man Podcast. He and his wife were very nice to talk to. Three more people have joined the RI Spinners Guild as well. It was a fun day with about a half bobbin filled of the Ramboullet fiber I started last month at Sue's Sit and Spin. I hope to finish that one this weekend maybe at my Spinners Guild meeting Saturday. The plan is to then get back to a couple of other bobbins awaiting plying. One from a center pull ball, and the other a 2-ply of an alpaca single and a wool single which were spun back in May. The Minstrel still has part of the 12 ounces of BFL from Spunky Eclectic in "Mandy" on it. Here's hoping I get a bit more of that done too, since my Sonata bobbins are tied up in that fiber by accident. If possible, and Mother Nature permits, I want to wash another fleece Friday or Sunday. I just need to to do the wash part outside. I don't like to let the grease/lanolin go down my pipes. The rinses I do in the washer, then lay the fiber on elevated screens to dry.

Several Traveling Scarves have been knit or crocheted on lately and headed to their next destination as well. I have one of each sitting here today and plan to finish them both by Thursday or Friday. The crochet is next since a knit one went out today. As for my own knitting, it's sitting on the sidelines while I tend to the scarves and spinning.

For the last few weeks my hand has been sore. This is the hand in which I have a tendinitis type thing from the broken wrist last winter. The cortisone is mostly worn off and this is the cause of the pain. I can only crochet for about thirty minutes and have to stop, put the ice or heat on and rest it. It's not bad with the knitting or spinning. Jars are very hard to open, baskets and things are difficult to carry, and trying to pick up a cat or dog is tricky. Groceries are carried on the left arm and take a few trips to the car.

In the morning I have to do range of motion and sometimes the pain makes me catch my breath. Calling the doctor won't really help. He will just advise me to do what I already am. Of course, this is also my dominant hand and writing can also be awkward at times if the pain starts.

I dread the onset of winter because my hands and feet are always cold. This started about 7 years ago when I learned I was diabetic.

Tonight I'm in a funky mood. Earlier I was fine, then cranky, now mopey. I don't know what's wrong with me today. I don't feel sick, just don't want to be bothered. Little things are aggravating me for no reason. Uggh! Hopefully, tomorrow will be better. I also have a sore toe and am going to the podiatrist tomorrow to have a procedure to take care of it.

Well, that's enough whining for one night. I think I will straighten out the desk and call it an early night for me. It's only a bit after 11:00, but I think I'm ready to snooze. Good night all........

A New Spin Group and The Gremlins Strike Again.....

I was invited to the Bayberry Spinners meeting last night. It was fun to see so many familiar faces again. My wheel was making a clunky noise, so when I got home it got a thorough cleaning. Pat looked at it, and tried a few things. First, he tried to tighten the footman arm at the top. The brass piece is kind of loose, but I think it's better now. Then he took the right treadle apart and tightened one of the screws which was a bit higher than the others, checked the hinge, oiled it and put it back together. Well it was still making a noise, but a little different. He adjusted something else and now Esmeralda is quiet again. And boy was it dirty in the hinges. I think originally a piece of sand or a pebble might have been stuck from when I was at the demos outside. There was some stuff on the table after we did the treadle.

As I've mentioned before, there are gremlins living in my house stealing knitting needles. Well, I think they have advanced to bigger things. I searched last night for bobbins after realizing I didn't have one to ply with on the Sonata. I know I have 5 for this wheel. Finally about an hour ago, I found the last one. One's on the wheel, one is full waiting for plying, one is in another fiber started, and one is on the Minstrel. I wasn't thinking when I went back to spin on Millicent and started a new bobbin, using my other nylon core one. Duh! I've got 6 metal core sitting here empty. Now, I need to finish up something in order to ply on the Sonata. Of course, I could take the bobbin off the Minstrel and use one of the metal core bobbins for it. Hmmm, might be a good idea.

By the way, the Gremlins still have not returned the circulars or my Dolphin shaped notions case......

Harvest Fair, Swamp Yankee Days, Fiber Twist, Sunshine, and Rain...

On Saturday, Sept 20th I was at Coggeshall Farm with my spinner friends for a demo. It was a bit cool in the morning, but the day quickly warmed up. We were under a period replica tent and awning so the sunshine was not beating on us too much. Some actually sat out and enjoyed the warmth of the day. If I did that, I would be red as a tomato. It was good to see some people I hadn't seen since the RI Sheep and Wool Festival last May, or even since the retreat last February.

I managed to get a good portion of the same fiber I've been spinning on my Sonata done. It's the "good and plenty" from DkKnits.

There were many period activities for children including a rope ladder over hay bales and a magician. Food was available and several people said was very good. I'm trying to stay on my diet plan, so brought my lunch with me.

Sunday was spent with my husband. We went to the Mansfield CT Flea Market where I scored a luggage carrier to roll my wheel bag, chair, and tote bag around with instead of carrying it across fields and such. At another spot I found a nice big stainless steel stock pot for dyeing. Pat found a couple of tools and some hinges to use on the new fence gate. From there, we headed 6 miles up the road to the Coventry Farmer's Market and Fiber Twist. He bought me some fiber from the Painted Sheep, and after resting in the car a bit, we went back in to watch the dyeing demo by her. Sandi, Marva, and Lisa had rode up together, and Gigi was there with her husband and baby too. It was a sunshine, fiber, and friend filled day.

On Sunday evening I had a sore throat. By Monday morning I had trouble taking deep breaths. My husband wanted me to get checked out on Tuesday, but I waited until Wednesday to see my own doctor. My heart is fine. It was a bug in the lungs that is going around. It makes it hard to breath in a deep breath. Also, upon moving too much or too fast, I was short winded. I'm fine now, but, it took a few days resting. The only other thing is I'm having a good amount of pain in the right hand from the cortisone wearing off. I'm trying not to call the doctor yet. The exercises and night brace do help in the morning. Unfortunately, this does cut down on my spin, knit, and crochet time.

Then last weekend was Swamp Yankee Days. Thanks to a few tropical storms, and a nor'easter, it was decided that next year would be a better choice. My plan was to go on Sunday. I heard the puddles were the size of small lakes or ponds on Monday. I can only imagine how it looked and felt on the weekend. I had already decided to skip the Saturday because it was the monthly Sit and Spin at Sue's.

Judy, Cindy, Iris, Paula, Marva and myself spent some enjoyable time together with Sue. I managed to finish the fiber I was working on at Coggeshall Farm and start my first try at Ramboullet. This fiber wants to almost spin by itself. I'm managing sort of a modified long draw at times. Here's hoping I can finish it this week and ply the aforementioned fiber. I'm leaning toward a 2 ply with that since there are so many colors, Navajo ply will not preserve the color repeats and may muddy it too much.

I did manage to mail out 2 knitted and 1 crocheted Traveling Scarves. I have another ready to go, maybe today if I get to the Post Office.

Spinning on My Spindle, Demonstrating, Learning New Things

Saturday was a fun filled day of demonstrating at Casey Farm at the Farmer's Market. With the weather being unpredictable, I did bring my Golding spindle as well as my wheel. The wheel stayed snug and dry in my trunk because the clouds were overhead the whole morning.

After the Farmer's Market, many of us met up at Iris' and Dave's for a progressive meeting which included a lesson in Portuguese knitting. I like this method very much because my hands don't feel the stress as much as they do with my English style knitting. I plan to make something using this style in the near future. There was lots of good food, company, and conversation as always whenever we get together.

When I got home, there were more sheep to add to my little flock of stitch markers. They are so adorable. One is lavender. If I can let them go, a couple are destined for travels.

Sunday was a quiet day at home with Pat. We did the usual running to the market, errands, house things, and just relaxed a bit.

I'm still knitting on the Dragon Scales Shawl and Nanner Socks. On Friday, I found my size 1 30 inch circular needle, so I transferred from the size 0 24 inch circular needle and it is much easier to navigate the stitches without stretching them. I've not felt that great lately, so my knitting has suffered a bit.

Tonight, I plan to work on the shawl for a bit, but, need to make something for supper first. Also, I need to throw the laundry in the washer.....

Meeting Old Friends and Sharing Good Times

Wednesday night was the usual Craft Night with most of the regulars. A few were sadly missed, but, hopefully they will make it again soon.

Tonight was the monthly Knitting and Crochet Guild meeting. It was nice to see everyone again after not being able to go to the July meeting and missing the August one. I need to pay attention to the fact that the October meeting is a week later due to a holiday that day.

I've been alternating between the Dragon Scales Shawl and the Nanner Sock. The sock is easier for me to work on when with friends. The lace of the shawl means I need to concentrate a bit more and can't talk or participate in my surroundings as easily.

Tomorrow will be a quiet day to work around the house and get caught up on some things I need to finish here. Maybe even wash a fleece.

Saturday, the Spinners Guild is going to be demonstrating at Casey Farm in the morning at the Farmer's Market, and then there's a progressive meeting at Iris and Dave's house in the afternoon to learn Portuguese knitting. I think I will bring my Golding spindle and my Grafton Fibers I got from the NH Sheep and Wool Festival, in case it rains. I don't think it would be a good idea to have the Sonata get wet while I try to put it back in the bag if it decides to downpour. I came home tonight and took the spindle out and played with it a little bit. It spins so smooth.

I got my sheep stitch markers in the mail yesterday and today. They are so adorable and I love them all. I can now say have a flock of sheep, even though they are pink. I also have one in white and one in cocoa brown.

Cloudy Days, Fun Afternoons With Friends, and Spinning

Today was a dreary, cloudy, rainy day. The rains were sporadic though, so it was possible to do some things without getting soaked. The main event for today was Sit and Spin at Sue's shop. Arriving about 11:30, we were met by many familiar faces. Several happy feet were treadling away as the conversation flowed back and forth and around the room. Fiber was fed to the spinning wheels almost as if second nature from our hands. Spindles also were twirling away. There were subtle naturals, shiny black and greys, and some bright colors. Knitting needles were busy as well. Some beautiful lace was progressing on the needles in a vibrant green. Of course, there was shopping done by some, but, I only bought a set of size 0 circs so I can start my Nanner sock. The Knit Picks needles are still lost to the gremlins here. When I looked at the clock it was 5:30. Where did the afternoon escape to???

After taking my friend Jean home, I drove home and went to run a few errands with Pat. The highlight of the evening was a simple supper of ham and beans with some sauteed onions added. Cut up watermelon was served for dessert. He also had some smoked sausage he recently discovered as gluten free. Now, it's time to relax and play with the animals before crawling into bed for a good sleep.

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions......

While at Craft Night yesterday evening, I obtained the opinions of some knitting pals in regards to the bead selection and placement for my Dragon Scale Shawl. The final choice was the emerald green beads and scattered throughout the entire shawl. The other option was an iridescent bead and just beading the two scales on the ends all the way up. These beads seemed to disappear into the yarn color and just didn't work well. The other color, teal, was just the wrong shade. I get to start working on this next Thursday evening when football season officially begins.

My Spinning friend, Sarah, and her friend, Katie, came to Craft Night for the first time. We had an enjoyable evening of knitting and learning a new cast on. It's for the long tail cast on and gives a stretchier and much neater edge.

Another decision is in regards to the Butterfly Sock debacle. Sarah also suggested my first original option I posted about. I'm knitting the butterflies on a size larger needle, and returning to the original size to finish the sock. I still needed to frog sock 1 and rework it anyway. After working the butterflies of sock 2 I'm going to slide the stitches to a waste yarn, with the beginning stitch marked, and try it on. Here's hoping this works, otherwise, it's back to the drawing board and the one butterfly per leg option.

My size 1s and 0s circulars are hiding from me somewhere in my bedroom. I know they are there, just don't see them. The knitting gremlins are at work again. This meant I couldn't start the Nanner Socks as planned.

School opened so many of our regulars were not at Craft Night. I wish them many enjoyable and fulfilling days with the young minds they are helping grow and mentor.

A Hitchhiker, Finished Ravelympic Projects, a Sad Discovery, and a New KAL

Thursday was a nice day around here. Tiger and I headed to the vet's in the early afternoon, to have his ear checked, with very vocal protests from him. As I was about to turn onto the main road from the end of my street, I looked out my driver's window to see a little tiny yellow jacket bee on the glass. I hoped he would fly off before I got to the highway where I feared he would be squished from the wind. I tried slowing down so he would fly off. Nope, the little guy clung on with all his might. He finally flew off when I exited the highway and had to stop at the end of the exit. I hope he was o.k. Tiger did well at the vet and never saw the bee.

I finished the "test knit socks" for the WIP Wrestling for Team Splurk. They look o.k. I can't post a picture, since they have not been published yet.

Unfortunately, the Butterfly Sock has met a demise. I had finished the first sock a while ago and just never bothered to try it on. Well, sadly, it doesn't fit my big, fat, swollen foot. The plan is to revise the pattern so I can get it to fit me with looser stranding. I'm thinking of doing the stranded part on size 3 needles and the rest of the sock on my size 2's. The other option is to only put one butterfly instead of the four on the leg of the sock. Actually, now I think of it, this may be a better option. Stay tuned for further sock surgery.

I finished spinning the Mandevilla Trellis from DkKnits and it's so pretty. At this time, I'm not sure what it wants to be. After Navajo plying it, I have more than enough for socks, so maybe a nice scarf or lacy shoulder shawl.

I've been busy with my Dragon Cave eggs and hatchlings. There's a group on Ravelry now for them and a KAL/CAL has been started for a shawl. The two patterns are Dragon Scales Shawl for knit or Dragon Shawl for crochet. I chose the knit option, with DkKnits Dream yarn in Violet Vixen. To me, purple is a good dragon color. There's also a group started for people who don't really follow football season. Anyone who knows me knows I'm not a sports enthusiast. The group is 2008 Football KAL and I'm doing the same shawl for that.

Well, I better go get the ball winder and swift out to get the yarn ready. The pattern is printed and waiting for me.......

And the Wheels Go Round and Round......

In an old wooden building with lots of antique farm and farmhouse equipment, the spinning wheels were turning round and round, creating beautiful yarns from soft, fluffy fiber. There were natural brown, beige, and white as well as bright solid and multi colored fibers. Some even had a bit of sparkle and shine to them. A few times the fiber was silk. For five days the wheels spun and produced some beautiful yarns, which were displayed on the wall behind the display table. On the table were scarves, shawls, and socks, knitted or crocheted by the demonstrators. Also cakes of fiber processed at the mill to show some of the beauty that can be created with handpainted or handspun yarns and fiber. My Swallowtail Shawl was pinned to the wall too.



There was a tri-loom set up and a triangular shawl was worked on during the fair, with the finished item draped across a screen to show the pretty colors and design. There were squares of color in the finished item causing it to have a checkered look. The black fiber with the bits of color matched well with the purple.

On the floor loom, a complete set of place mats was created as well as an extra as a centerpiece. A soft scarf was also woven from a wool and alpaca blend incorporating some very tiny beads into the finished item.

There was a table with fluffy white wool, spindles, handcarders, and some small looms for people to try. It was a very inviting area.

During all of the spinning people came and went in the building, stopping to see what we were doing and asking questions. There was quite a bit of interest and a few even decided to join the Spinners Guild.

Across from our area was a children's play kitchen. I think this was the busiest place in the fair. Children of all ages played constantly in the kitchen "cooking" and "making tea" as well as outside on the washboard "washing clothes".

I had a wonderful time, but, am glad it's finished for this year. Can't wait until next year. I'm already planning what to spin.......

Swallowtail pictures

The first two are the shawl pinned out to block on foam blocking boards on my bed.
These two are me trying to show the beads and full size of the shawl

The Recipe For Debbie

3 parts Intensity 2 parts Craftiness 1 part Panache Splash of Elegance Limit yourself to one serving. This cocktail is strong!

What's" the Recipe for Your Personality?

My First Ravelympics Item is Finished.

I finished the Swallowtail Shawl, Monday, at 11:58 p.m. I didn't do nupps, using beads instead. Here's the details:
Team: Splurk
Yarn: DkKnits Technicolor Dreams Toes in Molly Ringwald (I had just enough with one skein because of beads. Plan to make matching socks with the other skein.)
Beads: size 6 light pink with silver lining from Fire Mountain Gems
Needle: Knit Picks Harmony circulars size 7
Actual start date: 7/15/08 (had to change date to 8/08/08 for Ravelympic entry)
Finish date: 8/11/08
Picture to follow after blocking.

Now, on to the toe decreases of that "test knit sock", and then the other Butterfly Sock with the Fair Isle.

Spinning will commence on Wednesday at the fair.

It's 3 a.m. and I'm still awake.

I have got to stop staying up like this. In the morning, it will be a fight to crawl out of the bed before 9 or so. Since I retired, I have reverted back to my old 2nd shift routine of staying up until 3 or 4 and sleeping until 10 or so. This is not good. My husband works 2nd shift and is usually asleep and then awake before me lately.

Let's put the blame on the fiber and yarn. First it was Tour de Fleece. Now it's Ravelympics. The knitting needles are flying trying to finish my Swallowtail Shawl in the next day or so. I only have 7 rows to go, but, it's kicking my butt. It took me all day just to finally get 5 rows in correctly today. Both my wheels are looking at me accusingly since I haven't touched either in over a week. The Sonata is going to the Washington County Fair with me this coming week. The Minstrel will have to just sit there stewing a bit longer. I promise to work on the yellow silk as soon as the fair is over. I need to finish that darn silk for the Ravelympic project. It would be nice to ply it to the BFL but that isn't part of the project.

I still need to knit that other fair isle sock this week too. I plan to toss that in the basket heading to the fair with me as well so I can take a spinning break and knit a bit. The test knit sock, as I call the pattern, just needs toe decreases and kitchenering on the toe. That will be done before the fair isle sock.

At least some of the dyeing project is done. I cheated. I used Kool Aid in the pickle jar. Well, technically it's not cheating. I AM dyeing some yarn, just not using the steamer and handpainting it. If I have time next weekend, or one night next week, I might try to get together with a friend and dye some fiber.

After all, I have a whole 15 days left to accomplish all of this fibery goodness.....

Goodnight, and sweet dreams........

Raising Dragon Eggs.....

I found this on Ravelry and thought it was cute. You click on each other's eggs to "hatch" baby dragons and help them grow up. I now have a few myself. Check them out by clicking on each one and maybe getting one or a few for yourself.

http://dragcave.net/user/calicokitty6

On Your Mark, Get Set, Go! Ravelympics Has Begun!!......Missed Meeting.....

As the Olympic flame was lit today at 8p.m. in China, the official beginning of this fiber event started. Since I'm on the East Coast of the USA, I'm 12 hours behind China and it actually was 8 a.m. here, I still managed to miss the beginning. I was up until almost 6 a.m. and slept until about noon. Of course, after taking my meds, and eating "breakfast" I started to work on my Swallowtail Shawl for the WIP Wrestling event. I am on the lace edging part and after finishing that part, only need to do the scalloped edge. Here's a picture when I was just finished with the bud section:



The plan was to finish it in time to block it Monday and take it with me to the Knitting Guild meeting this Tuesday. Well, unfortunately, I got the date wrong and missed the meeting. It was last Tuesday. I am so disappointed because I was looking forward to seeing everyone and spending the evening with them. Also, it was elections for the guild. I received a phone call to let me know I had been elected Secretary. I have to decline this generous offer at this time because since becoming the Spinning Guild Treasurer, I'm busy with that. Next year will be another, and possibly better opportunity for me to accept an office with the knitting guild.

My Tiger has a sore ear. I'm not sure if he scratched it himself, if something bit him, or if possibly Pooh dragged him by it. We had a 7 day dosage of amoxi left over from the respiratory problem, so he has been on that, along with ear cleansing and antibiotic ointment treatment. It looks better, but if it's not healed by next Friday, I have a vet appointment for him. They said we are doing everything right. As far a pain, he doesn't appear to be bothered by it, and is playing and running around as usual.

The weather is icky so I can't wash another fleece outside right now. Hopefully I can get one done between tomorrow and Tuesday and let it dry in the shed. I think I will take a ride on Tuesday and drop off the Romedale one to the mill.

Well, back to the knitting......

My Color Is....Blue

I was reading some blogs on Ravelry and found this quiz on CWJerry's. It's not quite what I thought I would end up with for an answer. I do love blue, so it's not too off. Feel free to take the quiz and see what color you are.

you are lightskyblue #87CEFA

Your dominant hues are cyan and blue. You like people and enjoy making friends. You're conservative and like to make sure things make sense before you step into them, especially in relationships. You are curious but respected for your opinions by people who you sometimes wouldn't even suspect. Your saturation level is lower than average - You don't stress out over things and don't understand people who do. Finishing projects may sometimes be a challenge, but you schedule time as you see fit and the important things all happen in the end, even if not everyone sees your grand master plan. Your outlook on life is bright. You see good things in situations where others may not be able to, and it frustrates you to see them get down on everything.

the spacefem.com html color quiz

It's Official! I'm Going to the Gathering! YIPPEE!!

I've been anxiously awaiting confirmation of my place at the NEHA "Gathering" in November. I got it today. Also, included was the fact I'm able to go to my first choices for all three classes. Now, I need to get my list of things needed organized. The list will be revised several times before the event gets here. lol This is going to be a blast! I can't wait.

Tour de Fleece, Ravelympics, Strange Weather

The Tour de Fleece finished on July 27th. I didn't get to spin all the silk to ply with the yellow fiber. I did meet my personal challenge though. Learning Navajo, (chain) plying, using a new to me fiber, Corriedale, and using the Sonata for this.

The latest fiber/yarn thing is over on Ravelry and is called Ravelympics. Of course, after some encouragement (not much needed) I have joined Team Splurk and am participating in three events. One is the Homespun Heptathalon where I spin fiber, the next is the Dyed Hurdles where I do some dyeing. The last is the easiest part. It's WIP Wrestling. Now, don't go thinking whipped cream. It's short for "Works in Progress". I plan to finish the Butterfly Socks and a couple of other projects. I won't even attempt to finish the Swallowtail in 17 days. During the Knitting Olympics I was ready to scream while I rushed to finish the Lady Eleanor. I made it with a day to spare.

Lately we have had severe thunderstorms, and even a couple of tornadoes. Did I mention I live in RI not in the Midwest? The sky has been getting this strange reddish orangey glow before the storms hit. Thankfully, nothing here has been damaged by the hail, lightning, downpours, and high winds. And the tornado wasn't close to me. It was about 30 miles away on the other end of my small state.

Sun Dyed Yarn, Fair Spinning, Knitting with Friends, Fleece Washing...

O.K. The Pickle Jar sat on the counter taunting me to do something with it. Finally 4 packs of Kool Aid was added, 2 strawberry lemonade and 2 plain lemonade. Then about an inch of vinegar and water and mixed the whole thing with a vigorous shake. The final item, a lovely skein of superwash/nylon sock yarn, was put in and the cover closed tightly again. Out to the yard to ferment/cook it went. After 2 days and an occasional check to see how it was doing, I emptied the jar. I knew superwash would take the color differently than fiber or regular wool. Here's the results. I'm calling it "Unripe Watermelon" because it reminds me of the part right near the rind after the white.



I brought it to knit night last Tuesday at Sue's shop and to craft night at Panera on Wednesday. It also traveled to the Foster Old Home Days with me on Friday and Saturday. Now, it's so tired from riding around, I'm letting it sit and rest in the house.

Speaking of Foster, I had a great time spinning on the Sonata in the Spinners' Tent. I managed to Navajo ply my third bobbin of Corriedale and it's getting better. There's a discussion on Ravelry that it should be called chain plyed not Navajo. I don't know. I'm just learning the technique and can call it whatever is preferred. I also managed to start spinning some of my DkKnits fiber. It's coming so fine and thin, making me very happy.

There's been a few more people joining the Wednesday night group at Panera. We have a wonderful group and always have a great time. Some people haven't been in a while and they are missed.

The current knitting projects are still the Butterfly Socks and the Swallowtail Shawl. I had trouble wrapping my head around picking up stitches with the provisional cast on. I got the chain and those stitches fine. The problem was undoing the chain and picking up there. I decided to do the optional regular cast on and will sit down and learn the provisional later. I'm on repeat 10 of the 14 bud repeats. So far it's an easy pattern, but I know the lily of the valley part is the real challenge. Another Traveling Scarf arrived yesterday, and I'm going to work on that tonight at a local concert near the water.

Today is fleece washing day. Right now, I've washed the Santa Cruz fleece in the buckets in the back yard. The 2 mesh bags are currently in the washer for the rinse cycle. I don't like to do the wash in the machine because of all the grease/lanolin going down the pipes. I did 3 washes because this was a very high grease fleece. It will get at least 2 more rinses, possibly 3 before it's put on screens to dry. Right now, it's snow white and feels so soft, even though it's very wet. Time to go drain the washer..........