Knitting and Spinning Photos, My New Spinning Spot

I finally got the pictures of some of my recently finished knitting and some finished spinning. This is the "Blueberry Hill Yogurt" by DkKnits. She is no longer dyeing fibers or yarn. I'm spinning the last 4 ounces of the pound now.

The next two are of my "Rosebud Socks" by wendyknits.

The next two are of my "Legolas" kerchief by Susan Pandorf. The left is the entire kerchief and the right is a close up of the stitches.

The final picture is my new spot for spinning. Pat hasn't had time to put the rails or awning up on on the deck yet, but I still love sitting out there on a nice day and spinning.

Socktoberfest 2010 Plans...and New Sneakers,

October 1st is the beginning of Socktoberfest and I am planning to finish my Crocus socks, and a pair of plain vanilla ones. Over on Ravelry, Through the Loops will also be starting her Mystery Sock 2010 on the 1st. That pattern calls for a semi-solid color yarn which I still need to stash dive for. Those 3 pairs should see me through October. Lace knitting is still ongoing with Evenstar and Spruce both coming along slowly.

In between knitting, I'm spinning the last of "Blueberry Hill Yogurt" from DkKnits 2009 fiber club. Then it's back to Junebug's fleece for some more sweater spinning.

My little dog, Hanna, just had her 14th birthday. She is such a little princess. :)

The weather is much cooler, even though it's been cloudy with showers on and off. I don't mind the lack of humidity at all. The temperature is making me want to get into my dye room and create.

Today was my podiatrist appointment. I now have nice short nails, and pretty new sneakers with customized insoles formed to my feet. The sneakers are so comfortable and have good support that give a nice bounce/spring when you walk. Very spiffy if I say so myself. :) Here's hoping they make my feet feel better which will make my back feel better.

O.K. It's time to head back to some more spinning.

Oh No!! Camera Batteries Died....Solstice Spinning Plans

Last Wednesday was the monthly Ocean State Knit and Crochet Guild meeting. I love spending time with these ladies. I always come away with a smile on my face and heart. I actually had finished objects for show and tell. Everyone loved Legolas and Rosebud. The in progress Crocus socks were also shown off. I've been meaning to get some pictures of Legolas and Rosebud Socks, so today I set them up for their photo shoot on the outside table. Unfortunately, I didn't realize the batteries were kaput in the camera with no more in the house. I'll pick some up tomorrow since my back was not co-operative with walking today. Dealing with the pain is a day to day, sometimes hour to hour, thing.

I did spend a couple hours on the deck with Millie Minstrel Navajo plying 4 ounces of Superwash BFL fiber. The deck still isn't finished yet. It needs it's railings and handrail as well as staining/sealing. The temptation to sit outside was too much to resist. I just put my chair on the house side, turned my face to the nice breeze, and relaxed. Pat was working on putting up my new clothesline poles while I was out there. There will be 4 shorter lines instead of just the one long one, which will give me twice the amount of space to hang clothes.

Tonight is the Fall Solstice and the completion of our latest round on the "Spin Your Stash" group on Ravelry. I added up all the spinning I had done since the Spring Solstice. Including the 4 ounces I finished today, my total of spun and plied yarn/fiber is 5 pounds. I've set some goals for the round which will end with the next Spring Solstice. There is not an actual poundage goal for this one, but, plans to finish my Junebug fleece, spin up at least one of my 92 quart bins, finish a spinning UFO that is 3 years in the works, wash 4 fleeces and get them to the mill for processing. That's enough to keep me busy. :)

Spinning With Happy Hands

Today was spent with my friends from Happy Hands Fiber Arts at our monthly gathering in North Stonington, CT. It felt good to spin with friends I hadn't seen since July. I managed to navajo ply almost all of 2 different bobbins. There was spinning, knitting, crocheting, weaving and needlefelting all happening. It's so great to see so many different talents being shared at the same time.

Later, in the evening, it was knitting time with some friends. Crocus is growing with the gusset increases in process. My goal is to be on the heel flap by Wednesday. I'm planning to knit on that part a bit while at my Ocean State Knit and Crochet Guild meeting.

I am sort of tired so I'm going to have an early night. See ya soon!!

Finishing and Starting

The Rosebud Socks are finished and I've started the Crocus Socks. I know crocuses come in many colors, but the one in my yard is a beautiful shade of purple. Because of this, I decided to knit these in Cascade Heritage Sock yarn in color number 5625 "Hyacinth". It's a pretty solid shade of purple and it shows the stitch definition really well. I do like the feel of the yarn and the way it knits. The pattern is a 16 row repeat which makes a very pretty lace.

While looking for the yarn for the Crocus socks, I found my missing fiber I want to spin for the lace part of my February Lady Sweater. It's only been missing for about a year and a half. Ironically, it was in the bin right in the living room. This fiber is from Wintechog Hill Farm and is a Coopworth Hoggett/Alpaca Cria/ Angelina blend in black. I might need to get more though. I think I will be short on the yardage. I did finish both shades of the "I Wanna Be A Pink Poinsettia" singles. I need to ply a sample of the two shades to see if I like the look or if I need to ply each shade separately. After that is finished, I want to spin some more of my Junebug fleece and the black fiber. I might alternate so I don't get bored with just one color.

This weekend's plan include spending some time in my craft room washing some fleece on Saturday and getting together with my Happy Hands pals on Sunday. I am looking forward to seeing them since I wasn't able to make it to the August gathering.

Evenstar is getting some attention as well. The new Ott lamp really helps a lot. I'm no longer struggling trying to see the tiny stitches with a table lamp.

As far as my current health issues, I'm doing o.k. There is still a lot of pain in the back and leg, but I can't do anything about that right now. I've been trying to walk and move around more which should help. This week's weigh-in found me 2 pounds lighter which is good. I hope this upcoming weigh-in finds me down some more.

I Have A Diagnosis

Today was the follow up with my orthopedic doctor. The news is not good. I have severe spinal stenosis. According to the doctor, I will definitely need surgery in the near future for this. I really don't want surgery, but he feels therapy won't really do me any good. In order to do the surgery, I need to work on losing weight faster than I have been.

This news follows the news from last week about the necessary dental surgery. My head is spinning right now. It's a lot to process at one time.

I'm going to knit for a while and think.

Open Farm CANCELLED

Thanks to Hurricane Earl, Wintechog Hill Farm's Open Farm Weekend is CANCELLED. If you were planning to go, you can contact Sandi at the info in the previous post to make an appointment to check out the fleece, fiber and other goodies.

Open Farm Weekend and a Surprise

Saturday, September 4, and Sunday, September 5, will find me at my friend Sandi's Open Farm Event. I couldn't do copy/paste so had to type the info below:

Wintechog Hill Farm Open Farm Event

Hours for both Saturday and Sunday will be 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Sandi will have both millspun and handspun yarns. Both raw and washed Coopworth fleece will sold by the pound. Coopworth/Coopworth blends will be for sale as regular roving, pin drafted roving, pencil roving, and custom batts for your handspinning or felting needs.

There will be handmade knit items, hand dyed yarns and stitch markers for knitting and crocheting by Shady Fibers.

CK6 Designs will have hand dyed batts for spinning.

Everything will be set up in the barn so this is a rain or shine event. NO CAMERAS PLEASE! Bring your knitting or spinning and hang out with us for a while.

Sandi Nemeskay Wintechog Hill Farm
116A Wintechog Hill Rd. North Stonington, CT 06359
860-912-0240 or 860-535-4046 if more info or directions are needed.

If you haven't figured it out, the surprise part is that I'm CK6 Designs. :)

A Week of Good & Bad

This has been a mixed week. I'll start with Saturday.
Good: I had my MRI of my back.
Bad: It took two Valium for me to get in the darn machine and I was foggy for the rest of the day. No knitting. Just lots of hanging out.

Sunday was a quiet day.
Good: Part of the foot of Sock 2 was knit.
Bad: I damaged my dental implant.

Monday saw me at the dentist.
Good: The implant is fixed. I had also been having pain for about a week so an X-ray was taken.
Bad: He had to do a minor surgery around the implant base.
Very Bad: I need to have a bone graft to repair some bone loss around the implant base. This is not an option. I must have the surgery. I've had this 2 other times and it's the worst pain I have ever had in my life.

Monday night found me knitting on Sock 2 again. I'm on the last increase of the gusset flap. I'll start the decreases and do the heel flap tomorrow.

Today, Tuesday, was Weight Watchers day.
Good: Stayed the same. There is no bad with this since I have lost 14 pounds since August 3.
Good: I spent a little over an hour spinning on Millie Minstrel tonight. If I have a chance tomorrow, I might finish spinning the last bit I have left. It is "I Wanna Be a Pink Poinsettia" which I dyed a while ago. If all is going well, I might start the other half which is slightly lighter.

I'm really tired so am going to have an early night. See you soon.

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Well, I had planned to go to bed about 3 hours ago, but am still awake. Millie and I spent another hour together and I've finished spinning the first half and started the second half. It's much softer in colors compared to the first bobbin. I need to decide if I still want to ply them together or just knit with both of them in a project.

Now, it's almost 3 a.m so I'm really going to bed now. Goodnight.

Rosebud Sock Update

Yesterday afternoon found me spending some time at the orthopedist office. I know the wait is usually about 45 minutes, so I made sure to bring some knitting. Of course, I forgot the pattern book at home and couldn't knit any more after I finished the stockinette portion of the toe. Due to my diabetes, I have extremely sensitive feet and don't like the patterning to go all the way to my toes. To compensate for this, I do about 5 rows of stockinette prior to starting the actual pattern. Sometimes, if it's a very textured pattern, I don't do any pattern on the top of the foot. It all depends on what the fabric will feel like. I finished the toe increases and stockinette with about 10 minutes to sit and wait in the exam room.

It seems I might have spinal stenosis which is a narrowing of the spinal column. This is usually caused by osteoarthritis. The arthritis pushes the discs out of place or alignment and squeeze the nerves which cause the pain, tingling, numbness, and inability to be mobile. My MRI is scheduled for tomorrow. Thanks to my severe claustrophobia, I have to go in the Open MRI machine. Also, I have to take a Valium just to get in that machine. I feel like such a wimp, but, can't help it. The claustrophobia can be over powering during that test. My follow up is next week and I hope the treatment plan is simply therapy. I really don't want surgery.

Last night was spent working on the Rosebud sock again with 2/3 of the first 24 row pattern repeat in place. I plan to spend this evening with it again. My goal is to have this pair finished for next weekend so I can move them from the WIP pile to the FO pile. :)

The Slow Road Back

As I sit here thinking about this past week, I feel some good progress has been made. Tuesday saw me able to spin on my wheel again. I only spent about 15 minutes but it felt so good just to put my feet on the treadles again. The leg and back were o.k. and I plan to do another 15 minutes later today. I figure it's a good idea to work my way into it slowly again.

Last night found me just relaxing and watching t.v. The shocking part is - No knitting! I just didn't feel like it.

I'm a little worried about my Rosebud socks. These are lace socks worked over a 24 row pattern. The original toe-up pattern from Wendy Knits uses a 450 yard skein. I must have missed this when I stash dived for these. I chose a gorgeous hot pink/fuchsia skein of Socks That Rock in "Lover's Leap". Unfortunately, there is only 360 yards in the skein. The first sock is knit through the heel flap and put aside. The second sock will be started tonight and worked until I get to the same point. After weighing the yarn, and sock 1, it should take another 1.5 ounces to do this. That will leave me 1.5 ounces to finish them. At this time, I estimate I can get 2 full repeats on the leg, which looks to be what is in the original photo. If I have enough, I will knit the rib section even though it might be a little shorter than the original. The other option I have is to dye a skein in a similar color which will give a slight contrast at the top and use that for the rib. I will have to wait and see how it turns out.

While on the road to the store, I made a quick visit to JoAnn's and got a second Ott Lamp for my living room. I really needed better lighting near my recliner and didn't want to keep moving the other lamp back and forth from the desk area. The new lamp has a magnifier attachment. Lately, I've noticed the small stitches are just a tiny bit harder to see. I do have reading glasses, but can't find them right now. I might put the lamp together later and then I can use it to start the second Rosebud sock later.

As for the back, I am feeling much better. The last few days have seen much improvement in my walking and moving around. There has even been a couple visits to the store. Maybe the cooler temperatures and less humidity of late are helping calm the muscles down. I did notice less swelling in my feet and hands which I usually have during the summer months.

No Spinning on My Wheel For Me

Thanks to my current back and leg pain, I've had to miss out on participating in the spinning demo at Washington County Fair this year. If I try to treadle my wheel, I have pain running from my back into my leg all the way to the front of my calf. One of my spindles has been getting some use though. I have an appointment next week with my orthopedic doctor so hopefully, I will get some relief.

So instead of spinning, I'm still knitting. Legolas was finished a few days ago, but is still not blocked at this time. (This pattern is part of the Fellowship of the Rings series and not available individually.) The first "Rosebud Sock" is coming along nicely. Tonight was my knitting guild meeting at one of the member's home. I was going to go, but didn't feel up to it. The last three weeks has been spent pretty much at home.

Oh What a Pain in the Butt!!

I have chronic back pain due to the 28 years I worked as a CNA. I usually just live with it.

Last Thursday I had a back ache which progressively got worse by Monday. That's when the leg started to ache. Each day it was a bit worse. I called my doctor on Thursday and got something to help relax the muscles. It didn't work. My knitting guild had a bus trip to WEBS this Saturday which I was really looking forward to going on. I had to give in and cancel my seat on Thursday.

I can walk about a couple minutes before the pain starts to radiate down my leg. As of right now, it's from the back, across the butt, and down the leg to the calf. I decided to go to the walk in treatment center today. The doctor took x-rays and thankfully, I don't have any discs out of place or anything. It looks like the arthritis is pressing on the nerves. He said I have sciatica, which I knew already. It was also good news to learn I don't have a blood clot or anything. I just wanted someone to give me some advice or meds to help relieve the pain a bit. He gave me a different med to take, ordered ice and heat packs intermittently twice a day, and told me to come back in 10 days if it's not better.

Well, needless to say, there has been no spinning all week since Monday. So instead, I have been knitting. I started my "Rosebud" socks and had to frog them because I was making them too big on the size 1 needles. The pattern called for size 0 but I thought it might be too tight for my foot. When I started them over, I promptly broke my needles. New ones are on their way here as of tomorrow thanks to great customer service from Knit Picks.

The medication makes lace knitting with lace weight yarn too hard to focus on so I started "Legolas" finally. It's still lace but knit with DK weight yarn. I'm on chart 2 and all I can say is that the meds make it interesting to figure out this pattern.

Hopefully, I will be able to start spinning again soon, but, in the meantime the knitting is getting some loving attention.

A Bad Case of Start-itis

I'm not sure why, but I have a bad case of Start-itis. Thankfully, it isn't usually contagious. Currently, my "Evenstar" shawl has been sharing knitting time with my "Ditto" sweater, "Legolas" kerchief/scarf, and all the Tour de Fleece spinning. There also is the "Spruce" scarf I need to finish before December. That all changed over the last few days.

Before TdF I had done some solar dyeing with a sport weight yarn. Plans were to make another pair of "Rocky Butte" socks with this yarn. Unfortunately, I didn't realize I needed 2 skeins for socks. The yardage just isn't enough in one skein. Instead, they are to be knit in my other Fiesta Baby Boom yarn. That's one addition to the project basket.

Today another project joined the pack. A nice bright pink skein of Socks That Rock in "Lovers Leap" will become "Rosebud" socks by Wendy Johnson. The pattern in in her latest book "Toe-Up Socks for Everybody".

"Skuld" and "Verdandi" shawls, both by Anna Dalvi a/k/a knitandknag, are also in the pile to be done.

That's eight projects! I hope I'm cured of Start-itis soon. The only cure I know of at this time is Finish-itis.

The Gremlins Attack Again

Yesterday was the Challenge Day for Tour de Fleece. I've been busy spinning my "Junebug" Coopworth fleece. A few other batts were spun or plied in between just to break up spinning the same project.
My decision, at the beginning of TdF, was to ply my Coop singles with my jumbo flyer on my Sonata wheel. After searching for two days, I had decided the Gremlins had hidden it on me. Bins and tote bags were looked in over and over again. I know I looked in a certain bin and it wasn't there. Then I happened to look over at this bin and there it was right at the top.

The flyer is on my wheel and I'm going to ply now. The plan is to ply as many of the 8 bobbins as I can tonight. There are only tonight, Saturday, and Sunday left for me to finish them in.

Memories of a Grill

When I mentioned cooking supper on the grill, I was reminded of a story about a grill.

In 1979 I went to work for the state of Rhode Island. I was a CNA at what was then known as The Medical Center - General Hospital. Now, it's called Eleanor Slater Hospital. Every summer the union put on a summer cookout for the members. There were also raffle tickets sold with some very nice prizes. The summer of 1980 was my first one working there. I bought a ticket, never thinking to win anything. Well, I won the second place prize - a grill.

This grill was cooked on every summer until 1988 when my boyfriend at the time decided to buy me a new "fancier" model. The still working grill was passed on to someone who passed it on to her boyfriend when she decided to re-locate out of state.

Many years go by and in 1999 I met the man I would eventually marry. One night we had to stop by his house. He called me into the back yard to show me something. It was a complete shock to me to see my old grill still in use. He was the former boyfriend of the person I had given it to 11 years earlier.

Well, the end of the tale is this: The grill is now 30 years old and I've been cooking on it again since 2000.

Here's the latest food I cooked on it tonight. Italian Sausage Shish Kabobs. The left picture is as they were put on the grill and the right is off the skewer on my dinner plate. The juice is from the veggies and the dab of margarine I put on my potato.












While I was cooking supper, Tipper the cat was cooling his belly in the hall.

Uh Oh! Pickle Jars On the Loose!!

The two large pickle jars are at it again. The sun bathing started about 2 hours ago. These jars have no shame. They are out their in all their naked glory just soaking up that sun.

This time, it's 6 ounces of BFL fiber in each one. The KoolAid is Cherry and Grape, which is used in both jars. I'm trying for a two toned fiber with some blended color. If it works, I have 12 ounces to spin into something nice.

Pictures will be added as soon as I take them. It's time to make supper on the grill, so I will try to take them while out there. BTW, since it's so hot, supper is shish kabobs tonight.

Our Neighbors At the Fair

I forgot to mention the wonderful neighbors we had next to us at the fair. These lovely ladies and gentlemen were very entertaining.

They won 3 ribbons. :)

Hi Ho! Hi Ho! It's Off to the Fair I Go!!!

(Warning: Picture heavy post.)

I just spent three wonderful, fun filled days participating at the North Stonington Fair with the Happy Hands Fiber Arts group. We did a demo that included wheel and spindle spinning, tri-loom weaving, drum and hand carding, and knitting. The shawl in the pictures was a group effort. At last year's fair, Sandi had set up some roving for the children to dye with Kool Aid. Members of HHFA help spin the yarn from this roving and everyone who was part of the demo this year did some weaving on the shawl. I might see one of these looms in my future. :)

There was also a very educational display in the sheep judging part of the barn. The fleece and info in the display are complements of Alder Brook Farm which is owned by Sylvia Murray and David Pringle. The fleece is from a Romney named Martha. There is a nice picture of this fleece on the website under the "Fleece for Sale" section. It was very hard for me to resist buying this beauty. Happily, two of my friends bought her and I will get to see her after she is processed into roving.

Here are some pictures of our demo:

These pictures are of some our bobbins we were spinning during the demo. Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of all the bobbins or the spindles from everyone.

Adventures of the Pickle Jars

Today's hot weather is perfect for putting the pickle jars out in the back yard. Let me explain. There are no pickles in the jars. One has fiber and one has yarn. I'm solar dyeing with Kool Aid. The steamy and soupy summer heat will cook them quickly. I think they might be done in a couple of hours. The left jar is 4 oz. of BFL and the right jar is 4 oz. of sport weight yarn. I'll post pictures of the finished items soon.

Just a quick note: No pickles were hurt during this adventure.

Springtime Fiber Fun

Thanks to Mother Nature for not letting it be too hot for me to be outside, I have managed to spend some happy time in my swing with my knitting.  I haven't finished any of my projects, but, progress is being made.  The current travel project, Fuzzy Feet Slippers, are knitted and just waiting to get felted. I need to pick up another WIP to be a travel project now. Evenstar is still at almost the same spot it has been lately.  It takes a while to a round on it now.

We had our annual swap at my Knitting guild last Thursday evening.  It was a terrific time with everyone going home with some new to them yarns and goodies.  I did win the grand prize gift certificate to WEBS which will be used when I go on our bus trip in July.  :)

The wheels have been very busy.  I am participating in a group on Ravelry called "Spin Your Stash".  Well, my mind had a blip and for some reason I thought we were finishing up this round on the first day of Summer.  Duh!  It's from the Spring Solstice to the Autumn Solstice in September.  My personal goal is to spin 3 pounds from the start to the finish.  Not including this week's spinning, my current total is 34 ounces.  I thought I had to have a marathon spinning session to make my goal.  Now, I think I will change my goal to 4 pounds.  :) There's nothing like a little challenge to keep you motivated.

Last Saturday was the Scottish Festival and I was part of my spinners guild demo in the morning.  Then, the guild had it's actual meeting in the afternoon where I managed to finish the singles from pink batt on "Esme Sonata".  Now, I just need to  2 ply that.

"Millie Minstrel" has been very busy with some Copperpot Woolies batts. I'm alternating bobbins between three similar colorways.  I was going to ply a single of 2 colors together.  I'm not sure now. The plying decision will be made later.  Right now, I'm taking a break from the batts and spinning a bit of wool that was dyed with Kool Ade.  It will be getting Navajo plied tonight.

Sunday was suppose to be Happy Hands monthly gathering, but it to be cancelled because the building where we meet was being painted . The weather was iffy with a possibility of rain, so spinning outside was not a good option either.  I did manage to meet up with some spin pals and spend a bit of time with them anyway.

Pooh and Hanna were way over-due for their vet visit.  We took them in last week and both passed with flying colors.  Hanna does have to have a couple of teeth out and a cleaning again.  She's in good shape for almost 14 years old. It's so funny to watch Pooh become so docile for the vet.  It's like an entire different animal.  lol  They both got their rabies shots so don't need that again for 3 years.  :)

Spinning Merino/Bamboo, MA S&W, and Llama Fleece!

Last weekend was very busy. Saturday was spent with my husband's aunt visiting the cemetery in the early afternoon. Then, I took him for his belated birthday supper at Panera. We found out they have a gluten free selection so he can eat there once in a while. After that, we visited the two cemeteries for my family.

Sunday was a long ride to MA Sheep & Woolfest in Cummington. I was suppose to go with 3 friends, but, life had other plans for them. I figured I would just skip it this year. Pat had other plans. He decided we were going. So off we went. I only bought some fiber from two vendors. I've been very conservative this year with the festivals. I need to work down the stashes. :)

Speaking of which, currently on my Minstrel wheel, Millicent, I have some lovely Merino/Bamboo blend from Copperpot Woolies. The colorway is "Victorian Holiday". The first photo is of what is left of the first 4 ounce bump and the second one waiting to be spun. The photo on the right is the bobbin of singles. The camera doesn't really show the shine from the white bamboo very well. I started spinning this last week and hope to finish the first bump tonight. It's coming out nice and thin.












My phone rang last night with a call from a young lady I had met in April. Her mother-in-law has a couple of llamas and she wanted to know if I still was interested in their fleeces. So today found me on the road going to collect two lovely fleece. One is dark brown and the other is fawn mixed with some white. There is quite a bit of guard hair and hay to be removed, but, I think they will be worth the end result. I'll post pictures of it once I get them washed.

Knitting Outdoors .... Shearing Day Rewards

I have a lovely new spot in my backyard. It's a two-seat swing and it's the perfect spot to sit, swing, and knit while listening to the birds chirp away. The swing has a drink holder built in under the arm rest and an awning to keep the sun off. Without the awning, I turn quickly into a tomato. I need to pick up a couple of cushions for it though. The metal back starts to be uncomfortable after a while. This afternoon was the perfect time to sit for a bit with my knitting and enjoy the quiet. Well, sort of quiet. Pooh didn't like being ignored and let me know this.

The last two Mondays have been Shearing Day at my friend Sandi's farm. The first Monday saw 16 sheep sheared, and this last Monday saw the additional 18 done. Sandi insisted on giving the three of us each a fleece for helping. I fell in love the the one from "Cream", who is a Coopworth/BFL cross. It's her hogget fleece and so pretty. Photos are : (left top) the fleece; (right top) closeup; (left bottom) crimp shot; (right bottom) lock length.

Spinning in the Warm Sun ... Alpaca Fleece

Today has gotten off to a slow start. It's suppose to be about 80 degrees outside today so I'm getting ready to hang laundry outside. Then, I will sit with my wheel and spin for a bit.

Pat has plans for us to head out to a flea market in the morning. This is nice, but, the stop after that is better. We are stopping at the alpaca farm who just had it's Shearing Days this past Thursday and Friday. Last Saturday, on the way home for CT Sheep and Wool, a detour to the farm was made just to visit. I really want some pure white alpaca to blend with some other fibers. The owner told me she will have some and will put it aside for me if I come up this weekend. Yippee. Now, there is a beautiful silver gray that might find it's way home with me too if it's still available........

Crazy Weather ... Finished Yarn ... Slipper Knitting

Ssshhhh. Don't tell Mother Nature, but I think she is a bit confused or extremely put out with the world. In the past month we have the Flood of 2010, followed by super warm days that felt more like June than April. This past week we have had a tremendous thunderstorm accompanied by giant pea size hail, low temperatures with frost on the windows in the late evening, and the last two days with blustery winds whipping trees like they are twigs. I hope Mother Nature calms down and doesn't decide to send blistering heat this summer. Oops. Maybe I shouldn't have said that.

On the spinning front, I have finished plying the Merino/Bamboo I won during the Ravelympics. As I mentioned before, it's called "Steel Magnolia" from FatCatKnits. The name is perfect because the finished yarn reminds me of the delicate flower. I Navajo plied it because the colors were remaining separate during the spinning portion. I'll post a pic after I set the twist.

Fuzzy Feet slippers were my travel project on the way to and from CT Sheep and Wool last week. As of yesterday, slipper 1 is ready for felting and slipper 2 is cast on. I'm not rushing these since they really are suppose to be my travel project right now. These are a fun, easy knit and work up fast thanks to the size 10 needles and worsted weight yarn used. If you have thought about making socks, but felt intimidated, this is a good pattern to start with. There is no actual rib, and except for the heel flap, you can do the entire sock on a 16 inch size 10 circular needle if you want. I somehow didn't read that part and just used DPNs for the whole thing. It works either way, and is good practice for using DPNs with fingering weight yarn socks later.

Right now, I think I will sit down with my Evenstar Shawl which hasn't seen much love this past week with other things needing attention. Bye for now.

Spinning Wheel on "Pawn Stars" Show

My husband and I like to watch a show called "Pawn Stars" on the History Channel. It's about a pawn shop in Vegas run by three family members, father, son, and grandson and a few staff members.

Last night's episode included someone bringing in a spinning wheel they wanted to sell. It had belonged to his grandmother and then mother. I recognized it as a Country Craftsman. The man didn't have a clue what to do with it or what it was worth. Rick, the son part of the owners, proceeded to tell him it was a "fake" wheel when he saw the stamp under the table of the wheel. He called it just a pretty decoration, saying people didn't really use them. Except for little old ladies. He then proceeded to say it was a worthless item and he should take it home and use it as a decoration. Or try to sell it to a shop that does home decorating. Grrr.

This wheel was complete. All it needed was a driveband. There was fiber and yarn on the bobbin. I'm tempted to write into the show and tell him he was wrong about it. I was surprised at his response because usually he will tell the owner of the item if he isn't sure of an item, not just brush it off.

Yep. I'm going to write a comment to the show. I'll let you know if I hear anything back.

Opening Day at Gilbert Stuart Birthplace

Today was the first day of the season for a historical home in Rhode Island. With a constant drizzle of rain, nine spinners, myself included, sat with our wheels in the tobacco mill and talked about making yarn. Johnnycakes, hot dogs, coffee, and lemonade were available to keep us full and warm. Flowers and some beautiful beaded items and jewelry were available to buy or just look at.

I managed to almost finish spinning the last of my Merino/Bamboo from FatCatKnits. Plans were to spin the last half ounce tonight, but, it didn't happen. I'll do it tomorrow night and start the plying as well.

Here are some pics of the grounds of the Museum. The first two are of the pond. The waters are still high from the recent Flood of 2010.


These two pictures are where you can usually see the fish swimming. Not so today.

Here's the view from the walking bridge and a shot of the waterwheel from the front.

Fiber Festival Season Begins Today

Today was the kick off of the New England Fiber Festivals of the Spring. CT Sheep and Wool held all it's usual wonders and fibery goodness. It was the first time a friend of mine had been to a festival and she had a wonderful time. Seeing some friends I hadn't seen in a while was especially nice. The more years I go to the festivals, the more people I remember from the previous year. It was lovely to talk to some I haven't seen since last year's CT festival.

Of course, two Border Leicester fleece, one black and one white, came home with me. Add to that 1/4 of a gorgeous white scoured 4-pound Mohair fleece which was split between 4 of us. I was tempted to add both a Cormo and a Polypay fleece to my growing pile, but decided to wait until the MA festival in May. Both fleece were hard to leave behind.

My favorite wool fiber, Rambouillet, was being sold in the yellow barn at the A Touch of Twist booth. I got some to add to my dye stash. This fiber takes dye beautifully, and, spins like a dream. A couple of colored bumps also made their way into my bag for my spinning pleasure.

A new T-shirt also came home with me with this year's logo on it.

That's it. I didn't use all the money I had budgeted for today and am very satisfied with my newest acquisitions.

It's going to be an early night for me since I've been up since 4:30 this morning. I think I will go spin for a bit and finish a bobbin while the wool fumes are still floating around my head.

This was so much fun and I get to do it all over again in May. :)

Fun at the Fiber Mill and New Lambs at the Farm

Wednesday found me riding up to Fibers4Ewe Mill with Sandi after a quick stop at Mystic River Yarns for a set of Addi Turbo Lace circular needles in the 60 inch size. I need these for my Evenstar Shawl. A skein of Mountain Colors sock yarn in the colorway "Lodgegrass" also came home with me.

When we got to the Mill, Liz was busy working on orders and packing stock for the CT Sheep and Wool Festival which is this Saturday in Tolland, CT from 9a.m. to 4p.m. I helped Liz pack up some of her rovings and yarns. During that, I found 3 more rovings that were the same as my purple sparkly one I had bought back in October at the Pumpkin Festival. Of course all three had to come home with me, along with a lovely skein of sock yarn. I hope to have enough yarn from this fiber when I spin it up to make a good size shawl. The sock yarn is spun by Liz on her spinner machine and it's a dream to work with. I can't wait to pick out a pattern to knit it up in. Let's just say I started my festival shopping early. lol

Part of the time I was there I learned a little about how the machines processed the fiber. I actually got to put a fleece through the picker for that part of the process and add to to the conveyor belt for the carding machine. Sandi was working at the pin drafter. It was cool to watch different colored rovings become a lovely blend. My hands were itching just to snuggle some of the finished products. We had pizza and soda for lunch in between. The day just flew by and before we knew it, the clock said 3:45.

Supper was nice, as well. We went back to the farm and picked up Sandi's husband to join us for Chinese at the Tea Room Restaurant in North Stonington. It's in the plaza in front of the Senior Center where we have our Happy Hands Fiber Arts Group gathering every month. The food was really good, and it's the first Chinese food I've had in a long time. :)

Sandi has some new lambs at the farm. There are a set of month old adorable gray Merino/Coopworth cross ewes, and a five day old rambunctious Cotswold ram. As of last night, she can add another Cotswold ram, and a set twin Coopworth - one ewe and one ram. I can't wait to see the latest additions.

Spin Demo, Destash Raffle, and New Spun Yarn

Last Saturday, April 10, found me in Groton, CT at the Groton Family Farm Sheep Shearing Day. Happy Hands Fiber Arts Group was asked to do a spinning demo during the shearing. It was a wonderful, happy time with over 100 people coming to see the Shetlands get their hair cuts. Monet, Sandi, and I were spinning on wheels, and Lora was using her spindle. Hot Chocolate, coffee, and cookies were offered. Eggs and honey were also available for sale. Of course, there was processed fiber available from last year's shearing. I think it was my favorite demo so far.

We had bought some of Warren's fiber during our first Happy Hands Fiber Arts Group Gathering last January, so we were spinning some of this fiber during the demo. An additional eight ounces found it's way home with me to be added to the original 8.

After leaving Groton, I decided I could still make it to Pawtucket to the Spinners Guild meeting which was at Slater Mill for April. I got there at 2 o'clock, so only missed the first hour of it. I really wanted to finish the bobbin I had started that morning so I kept going. A few days later, with two bobbins full, I have 8.35 ounces and 599.5 yards of pretty yarn. It's a heavy lace/light fingering weight. It will be joined by the other 8 after I finish the Merino/Bamboo I had started previously.


Sunday, found me heading back to CT for the monthly gathering of Happy Hands. This time, I had a big bag of yarn and a fleece to destash. At the March gathering, Lora had asked about destashing some of her yarns. It was decided to turn it into a "raffle" and have everyone bring stuff to re-home. I also belong to the Ocean State Knit and Crochet Guild and this is originally something I participated in with them. All the goodies were put on the table and arranged by item or group. A cup was put in front of each item/group. Everyone was given 20 "tickets" to write their name on and then put in the cup of the item they hoped to win. We had a bunch of fun and laughs with everyone going home with at least one new to them item. There were a few items left with no tickets. It was decided to donate them to the Senior Center where we hold our gatherings. Here's a couple pictures of the tables. Sorry they are a little blurry.

Oh, I almost forgot. I came home with a beautiful russet brown alpaca fleece and half of a yearling Mohair fleece. I gave half the Mohair to the other name in the cup with me, Monet. We were both drooling over it. lol :)

Blog Housekeeping

There are some new templates available, so I decided to clean up my blog a little. Actually, breathe a little color into it. :)
Leave a comment and tell me what you think of the new look.

Still Cleaning Up

There is still some water in the basement which is slowly being cleared up. The ground is still so saturated, it's still weeping in a little bit. The water only got a couple inches deep at it's worst. I consider us extremely lucky compared to so many other people. It could have been much worse. There's a tributary and pond behind a street in back of me. Before this flood, the worst storm I had seen in my lifetime was the Blizzard of '78.

I'm hoping to get the dye room back to normal so I can use it by next week. The big braided rug in the main room of the basement is going to be trashed. We may be scraping up some of the tiles too. I don't know how much of the stuff not in plastic bins is needing to be trashed yet. Thank goodness the boiler, hot water tank, washer and dryer are all safe.

My heart goes out to the people who have lost so much due to this catastrophe.

Mother Nature Needs an Attitude Adjustment

Today is not a good day, weather wise. The plan was to do laundry, and spend some time working in the dye room. Well, the laundry never happened. The working in the dye room did, but, not the work I planned.

Thanks to Mother Nature's cranky mood, she dumped lots of water on the New England coastline. Pat went to do a batch of laundry, and found some water. Thankfully, he checked the rest of the basement out. Yep, it was raining in. There's about 200 gallons at one end of the main room and it's going under the wall of my dye room. Luckily, it was heading toward the floor drain he used to connect my sink when he put it in. After disconnecting the sink, we started swishing water. The shop vac helped, but, not much. I moved the plastic bins of fiber and yarn to the dry side of the room. After inspecting the bottom bins, I was relieved to find everything was nice and dry inside. Yippee!! Nothing was lost. The little heater was sitting on the edge of the puddle so I'm not sure if it got wet. The wheel casters might have stopped the water from getting under it. We will plug it in outside later and see how it is. I just hope the stuff in the other room fairs as well. Most of it is in plastic bins as well, but some isn't.

Now if cranky Mother Nature could see her way to calming down, I would really appreciate it so my room can finish drying out. It's going to take us most of tomorrow to finish cleaning up the mess. The weather forecast is for a few days of dry and sunny weather. I hope so. The dehumidifier is also going to be working overtime afterwards. The big braided rug will probably be trashed too. :(

I'm going to make supper then knit or spin for a bit. Enjoy your night. Stay warm and dry.

Surprises in the Mail

A few days ago I got a box from Korea. I knew it was coming, but didn't expect it that fast. During the Ravelympics, I was on Team Plurk. Some of the lovely ladies decided to send out prizes to the people who completed their projects and got medals. My prize was a lovely braid of squishy merino/bamboo from FatCatKnits in some of my favorite colors.Here's a picture:

In today's mail, I got another package. Right before St. Patrick's Day, my friend, bySarah decided to hold a contest. The random generator chose my name for the prize. She made me a fabulous totebag. Thank you Sarah for such a wonderful, thoughtful gift. I can't wait to use it!

Here's a few pictures of it. The first is straight from the wrapping. I had already untied the ribbon before taking the picture, so I just tucked in back in.

These two are from each side. There's a pocket in the center of the green side too. It doesn't show well in the photo.

Of course, if there is activity in my house one of the cats or dogs has to be around to check it out. Here is proof of this:

Isabella (left photo) and Tipper (right photo) inspecting the new arrival:

Lace Woes and A Nasty Headache

It's been a tough week here in CK6 land. Late Friday night, I was happily knitting away on my Evenstar shawl and was about to start the wonky round 25 of clue 2. For some reason the directions didn't make sense to me. Then I saw it. I had misread the SSK and K2Tog stitches, and switched them as I knit. It wouldn't be bad except I did this on rounds 17, 19, 21, and 23. This meant tinking back 8 rounds and reknitting. Grrrr. I'm currently back to knitting round 20.

Thanks to a nasty migraine headache, which put me flat on my back in bed for about 10 hours, I haven't touched the shawl since Sunday. I don't drink, but, the best way to describe the residual effects is to say it feels like a hangover. I've got dizzy vertigo and nausea if I move too fast or shift the eyes quickly to look at something, fuzzy head, extremely tired, no energy, and not really an appetite. The last part is good. lol. It usually takes about 3 days for me to kick back so I hope I'll be normal by tomorrow, or Thursday at the latest. My dye plans are on hold for at least a couple more days. I don't think working with the dyes or chemicals would be good for my head right now.

Tonight is knit night at Sue's and I plan to attend. Those last 5 rows are calling to me to put them back. I'll take Ditto with me also in case the lace is too much for me to deal with.

I also got a new chart holder from a destash on Ravelry. It's the same as the Knit Picks one only twice the size. It's made by Knit Pro who is not in the US. It has a pocket to hold my pattern and notes, a tab to slide a pen into, and can be set up at 2 angles with a couple of different snaps . I'm loving this new toy.

Discovering a New Spindle andTechnique.... Plugging Along At WIPs

This past week has seen me in still not finished in regards to my spinning and knitting projects. The Masham fiber is almost spun into singles. Evenstar is about half way through clue 2 with clue 3 sitting on the side to be done. Ditto sweater is still in a state of yokeless.

I did go to the Spinners Guild meeting on Saturday and managed to get a bit of the Masham done. My Sonata wheel was squawking at me most of the meeting, so much time was spent searching for the cause. It was determined to be my left treadle. After blowing the dust out, wiping it down, and re-oiling, the wheel was finally quiet.

Sunday was the Happy Hands gathering which was fun as always. I met a lovely woman from Albania who showed us how she spins on her Albanian spindle. It's quite different from drop spindle spinning. Actually, it looks much easier to do. If she is there next month, and willing, I'll try to take a few pictures of her spinning. For now, here is a video I found on YouTube that demonstrates the same technique.

Lately, I've really been wanting to work on my spindle spinning and that is the plan now the sun is shining and the weather is warmer. I will sit in the yard and spin with the new spindle I bought at RI Handspun on Tuesday night. It's a sweet little Cascade Tiger spindle.

Mr. Attitude's fleece is almost all washed. Thank goodness for this. I did get some more colors from Pro Chem, so I can play with some more dyeing in a few days. The beads are here for Evenstar, and, the yarn for the Legolas kerchief and Spruce scarf are on their way from Knit Picks.

Lace Knitting, Enjoying the Warm Weather

A few weeks ago, I signed up for the Evenstar Mystery Shawl from Susan Pandorf. It's the first project/pattern of a multiple pattern series based on The Lord of the Rings trilogy. The whole series should take about 3 years and include about 6 patterns in each of the three sets. You can find details and sign up for the first set, Fellowship of the Ring, at Susan's blog, A Few Stitches Short. So far, I've managed to get almost through the first clue of the shawl and hope to start Clue 2 in a couple of days.

My Ditto sweater is a bit too short. Seeing as how I had to frog the yoke, I might as well add about 3 inches to the body. It was actually a bit shorter than I wanted it to be. When I measured it before, it looked like it was the right length, but, when it was finished I learned it was too short. The sleeves will be getting a couple more inches with the increases as well.

My Minstrel wheel is actually empty today. I've been finishing up some more of the WIP bobbins and little bits of fiber I had hanging around. There was 1.5 ounces of a pretty blue/brown Falkland fiber I had received as a sample with an order from Into The Whirled. I have a couple of other skeins of yarn I had already spun up in very similar colors. I'm thinking of knitting a shawl, starting with this fiber.

My Sonata has the Masham still on it. I plan to spin some of that up next.

It's been such warm beautiful weather around here the last few days. In the back yard, sits a lovely two seater swing with an awning that is calling my name. I'm tempted to grab a wheel or the knitting and sit in the back yard in soak up some of the sunshine. Maybe tomorrow will be a good day to do this. :)

The Sound of Kitty Sleeping

I'm sitting here trying not to make a loud noise or move too quickly. My cats, Tucker, Buddy, and Tipper are all snoring in unison. It's loud enough to be noticeable. My other cat Tiger just decided to give a nudge to Tipper and Buddy to let them know it's a bit too loud. lol

Ravelympic Awards

I got my third and final award today. Here's all 3: