Day 2, going strong!

I decided yesterday that I would do an extra "photo a day" project this year. In addition to my regular Project 365 photo, I'm going to try really hard to take a photo at the time of day that is the same as the date of the day. I came up with this idea while in the shower yesterday and when I came downstairs it was exactly 1:01 and I had to grab my camera and just shoot a picture of something nearby before it turned 1:02! Here's the photo I got. It's a small example of the new colors in the family room.

Here is today's Project 365 photo:

Love what you do! Not only that, Do what you love!!!

I have this plaque sitting next to the ceramic Christmas tree my dear Grandma made for me so many years ago. It hasn't gotten put away yet. The colored lights on the tree are reflecting here and there on the shiny paint on the plaque.

And I was in the middle of making these at 1:02 this afternoon so snapped a shot of the pile:

These orifice hooks are listed in my etsy shop if you're interested in purchasing one of them.

I didn't take this picture, but it is so cute I had to share it. This is McKenna at a NYE party she went to with her mommy and daddy. She looks so grown up in this picture. I can't believe she's 17 months old already! What a cutie-patootie!

Yay Hooray! The Sweater! It is D-O-N-E!!!

Back in the spring, I went to Threadbear in Lansing for the "More Big Girl Knits" book launch. They had many of the garments from the book there to try on, and I fell in love with the Hot Cocoa Jacket, designed by Jordana Paige.  I decided to make it, and meant to have it done in time to wear at Rhinebeck. I could have done it, but I am such a procrastinator. When will I ever learn? It didn't help that I lost a month of knitting time right before Rhinebeck when I was messing around with the CRT contact lenses. Oh well, that's all water under the bridge. The sweater is done, only a month late. I sewed the button on yesterday and wore it last night to show off to my knitting buddies. It was met with rave reviews, and I was so happy to finally be able to wear it. It was COLD last night, and as I walked in from the parking lot I could tell it was keeping me toasty warm. But with that big open neckline, something was needed to go with it.

Here's what I came up with. This is a scarf I knit with yarn I spun about a year ago. It's the first project that I have knit for myself with my handspun. That makes it very special to me! I used all of the 4 oz. I had spun, with only a teeny tiny little ball left. The pattern is called Mariko,and it was designed by Joan at Heritage Spinning and Weaving. I'm not sure if the pattern is up for sale yet. I loved knitting it. Very easy to memorize and I think it was perfect for the yarn. I started the scarf last Thursday evening at our knit night, and I think I surprised a few of the gals when I walked in with it a mere week later, done, blocked, and around my neck. 

See more photos and information about both projects on my Ravelry pages. (Click up there at the top right)

Now I need to take a little knitting break and rest my hands. I figure between knitting the collar on the sweater on Friday, and knitting the full scarf, I knit almost 40,000 stitches this past week. Yes, that is the correct number of zeros....40 THOUSAND stitches. Yikes!

Spinning again!

Coming home from Rhinebeck with some lovely fiber has inspired me to dust off the spinning wheels. They haven't been touched in many months. Shame on me! I forgot how much I enjoy spinning!

Before I could get started on the beautiful BFL I got from the Briar Rose booth, I had to crack the whip on myself and finish up the merino I started spinning for Linda (I hate to say how long ago). It has been a huge weight on my shoulders and I am happy to say that since I've been home, I finished spinning it, plied it and then this morning wound it into 2 hanks, soaked them, and they are outside drying right this very moment. I'm hoping that the 70 degree temps and sunshine will help them dry so I can present them to Linda at our knit-night tonight. 

Meanwhile, here's the first bobbin of Briar Rose BFL. (isn't it GORGEOUS?) Click to get a better look....

The fiber is prepared well, and it is a joy to spin. The colors in the roving are just beautiful and I love seeing how they blend together as I spin. I will probably end up with 3 bobbins, and am debating if I should do my first 3-ply or stick with 2 ply. I'm not sure if the colors will look too muddy if I ply 3 strands together. I guess I could try a little bit and see, and if I'm not happy, just do 2 ply!

Happy Birthday to me!

I'm off to buy "some" wool! It's a beautiful fall day in New York....we're gonna have some big fun!

Yay!

Speaking of turning 50....

I'm really feeling my age today, after getting a look at what's going on in my body....

Last Tuesday I was innocently going about my business, about to make a pot of chicken soup. I filled the stock pot in the sink, then as I picked it up and turned to walk to the stove, I felt something not quite right in my back, and went quickly (OW OW OW OW-ing) all the way to the stove. By Friday I had decided I would make an appt. with a chiropractor because it was still pretty sore. I have never been to a chiropractor before, but I figured it was time I checked out this form of "help" with a body that seems to need more and more help these days.

I was able to get in that afternoon for X-rays and a consult, went back Saturday morning for an adjustment, and today we went over my X-rays. I could clearly see the areas where there were problems. There was some mal-alignment, but I also have a couple of bone spurs, early Phase II arthritis, and some decrease in disc space.

Phooey.

Even though arthritis is not reversable, I was assured that its progress could be slowed with exercise, and keeping my spine in line. He also suggested I change the way I sleep (that's going to be a tough one, after 49+ years). I highly doubt I can train myself to sleep on my back, but maybe my side. (I am a stomach sleeper, which apparently is hard on your neck)

So I'm going to give chiropractic care a whirl and see what it does for me. I figure, it can't hurt! Our insurance fully covers 24 visits a year, so that's cool.

Any time spent in the waiting room, or waiting in the exam room, will of course be spent knitting.

Today I took my socks to work on. I'm getting bored with this pair and really want them off the needles so I can get on to something else. But I am persevering. The reward of a really cool pair of socks will be worth it. I'm thinking I'm really getting ready for a knitting challenge. What will it be?

But first, I need to get back at spinning.

PS...look for a new mitten pattern soon

Rhinebeck on my birthday!

I've been wanting to go to Rhinebeck (the New York Sheep and Wool Festival for anyone who doesn't know) for several years. I never could quite justify it. I was thinking I would try to go this year, and then when I went to the website and saw that Rhinebeck opens on my birthday, I knew that I had to make it happen. Especially since this is a momunmental birthday....I'm hitting the big 5-0,(EEK!) and what better place to do it than in the midst of fiber and friends. Yay!

So I've started looking at flights, and have lots of time to stash away some $$$ for fiber stash! (and travel, etc.) I have a very generous friend in CT who is going to get me from the airport, put a roof over my head, and accompany me to Rhinebeck. I have "known" Christine for 10 years, but it has been an online friendship, and I am so happy to be able to finally meet her in person. I am really hoping my other friend, Jane, who I've also known for several years, online, will travel to Rhinebeck this year too, because we have been very anxious to meet each other as well!

I also hope there will be others that I will be able to put a face to a name, etc. I'm quite excited.

I have started a Rhinebeck fund, and so far, in less than 3 weeks, I have been able to add $195....all of it is winnings from family poker games! I'm on a winning streak it seems, so I'm putting it away for the trip. I'm hoping to continue to add to the fund, while I'm sure it won't be at this rate. It's a nice start! I think I'll put a running total over on my sidebar. :-)

I taught another sock class this morning. All went well. It's a really fun group of ladies, and that always helps.

I'm still working on the socks I started when Diane was here. I'm done with the heels, and heading on up the legs, using the Beaded Rib stitch. I'm anxious to get them done and on my feet! I love 'em!

Still waiting for my Knitpicks order to show up with my new goodies.

Holiday Knitting Pix and misc.

I'm finally getting around to posting pix of my holiday knitting and misc. I forgot to get a picture of Kim's Peekaboo Mittens, but here is everything else...

Socks for Mike. Double strand of Araucania Ranco...nice and thick, to keep his feet toasty warm when he goes ice fishing. (But with the whacky weather we've had recently, that might not happen for a long time, if at all this season! 65 in January? Weird...)



Here's Karen wearing her Fidget, and "Fidget Mitts" that I designed. I did the Fidget using Tahki Bunny Print. I had 2 balls in my stash, and used a little more than 1 for the Fidget, and decided that some fingerless gloves with a cuff using the same pattern and yarn would be pretty cool. I used gray Lamb's Pride for the main part of the gloves, and loved how they turned out.



Kim's Peekaboo Mittens were made from the same gray Lamb's Pride. I was supposed to knit Kaitlyn a pair of mittens too, but those didn't get done.

While Diane was here, we had quite a bit of fun. We spent a couple hours at Threadbear in Lansing after I picked her up from the airport the Saturday before Christmas. Mike had gifted us with a mini retreat, telling us to stay overnight in Lansing and have some "sister time". What a nice gesture that was! I didn't get any yarn at Threadbear, but I did get this lovely glass shawl pin, made by Moving Mud. Diane got one too, though hers is a little bigger.



After hanging out with Rob and Matt at Threadbear, we made a quick trip to Little Red Schoolhouse, where I got a few sheep themed items, then we had dinner at Los Tres Amigos in the same area. We spent the night at the Best Western down the road. It had a lodge theme, and we sat for a while in the log furniture in front of the fireplace in the lobby, knitting and chatting. Unfortunately I had no batteries in my camera at that point, cuz that would have made a nice photo to add right here!

We thought about using the hot tub and pool, but there were quite a few loud unruly children families there because it was winter break. We hid out in our room, chatting, reading, relaxing. In the morning we had breakfast at the hotel, packed up, went to Target and Macy's and then back to Threadbear for another quick visit. Diane wanted to show off the shawl she is knitting with the Targhee that I spun for her.

OMG THE SUN IS SHINING FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MANY DAYS OF GLOOM!

Sorry for the interruption but that was worth taking note of!

Anyway, the shawl is beautiful, and I was happy to see how nice my handspun looked and felt knit up. Of course, dolt that I am, I didn't get a picture of that either, cuz it would have been nice to add right here! (I really must start using my camera more!!!!)

After leaving Threadbear Sunday morning, we went to Andy and Karen's house to wait for Mom and Dad to arrive for the surprise. That really was fun.

On Wednesday, we tried to shop at 4 different yarn shops, but only one was open, being the day after Christmas and all. I have been wanting to get to Artisan Knitworks ever since it opened, and was happy that it finally happened when I was with Diane and Mom. Diane and I got the last 2 hanks of really great sock yarn from Autumn House Farm in PA. It is the Specs sock yarn, which is hand-dyed merino (sooooo soft) and has flecks of other colors spun in (and hanging out) I'm not sure how long the specs will hang onto the yarn when the socks are worn and washed, but it's fun knitting with them. Here are my socks in progress:



This photo shows the little specks better than the ribbing side:



So the rest of the week Diane and I spent knitting and just hanging out, which we get so little time to do. She and mom both loved the Fidget when they saw the one I did for Karen. Diane went shopping in my stash and found some Araucania Nature Wool Chunky and knit one up. Mom knit one too.

Anyway, before I knew it, it was time for Diane to go back home. I am so sad that we can't spend more time together like that. But I really appreciate the fact that she was here for Christmas. It was very special.

Speaking of special, I was definitely spoiled this year in the gift department. Here are my knitting/spinning related gifts.

12 oz. of gorgeous merino top from my friend Jane.



Jane always spoils me with fibery goodness. She also sent these two hanks of sock yarn. Aren't they purdy?



Mike got me this "Happy Pastime" Hummel. I have several knitting Hummels now, added to the collection of Hummels that Mike started buying me when we were first married.



And I had this Snowbabies "Hooked on Knitting" figurine on my wish list, and Mike came through with it for me. I also bought this for Diane as one of her gifts this year. It's so cute!



Mom and Dad gave me a Knitpicks gift certificate which I have already put to use and am waiting for my order.

Kim gave me the Debbie Bliss Teddy Bear book, and Kaitlyn gave me the Knitted Icons book (which is a real hoot!)I got Complete Feltmaking too. I love adding to my knitting library!

I also got several cute knitting-themed ornaments (including a few I bought for myself on ebay before the holidays)

And the icing on the cake....I got a Woolee Winder with not one, not two, but THREE bobbins, for my Joy wheel. I've tried it, and found there is a bit of a learning curve trying to get the tension just right, but once I get it, I'm going to really love it!

I am definitely going to do more spinning in 2008.

Spinning

I've been spinning and spinning, and plying and skeining and setting the twist and then waiting impatiently for the skein to dry. I wish I could get a picture that shows the true color, but I wasn't able.The real colors are more saturated than the first 2 pix, and more olive-tones than the last 2. It's more Targhee. (I love Targhee!) I think it may become a Clapotis. One way or another I am just itching to finally knit myself something out of yarn I spun myself. So far the only thing I've knit with my own handspun is the moebius I knit for my mom for her birthday. But this beauty is mine, all mine!



(speaking of mine, all mine, I made the last payment on my Joy spinning wheel today. My sister, who so generously loaned me the balance a few months back, is no longer the co-owner of my wheel. We are both happy the transaction has been completed!)

Fun Birthday/Weekend

My birthday itself was rather a busy, errand-running day, but I did get to have some fun in the evening. I met up with my knitting buddies at Borders, and Tam brought some homemade cannolis that were to die for. Thanks Tam....they were sure delish!

I bought myself a birthday present while I was there: More Sensational Knitted Socks by Charlotte Schurch.

My weekend started bright dark and early Saturday morning. I left the house about 7:15 for my 2 hour drive to Lansing. I was spending the day at Threadbear for their 3rd Annual Fall Festival. The shop was hopping the entire day....it's so fun to be in the midst of all that excitement! I brought socks to knit, and also brought my portable wheel. I was able to get both knitting and spinning done while I was there for over 8 hours. I also sold some goodies. I did a little better than last year, selling some bookmarks, orifice hooks, patterns, stitch markers, pens, etc. But no matter what, it's always great to be there.

One of the other vendors there was selling some gorgeous yarns and rovings she had dyed. I ended up getting a bag of superwash merino roving that I am going to try to spin for a pair of socks. It's from To Knit Perchance To Dream and it's appropriately called Last Leaves of Fall. Pretty, no?



I finally got a chance to meet Kristi....what a sweetie she is! And Kellie was working that day...I had originally met her in line at a Yarn Harlot book signing. It was nice chatting with her again too!

My friend Kim was there for a while, hanging out with me and one of the other vendors, Rebecca, who she's known and been friends with for a lot longer than me. Kind of fun that we were in the same place at the same time again this year. I originally met Rebecca at a similar event at Heritage Spinning and Weaving a few years back, and we both also did the Threadbear event last year.

After a fun day hanging out surrounded by tons of fibers, I drove home (in the dark, having missed out on a perfectly lovely, above average temperature, sunny fall day....but it was worth it). I was pretty exhausted when I got home just before 9pm, and was dozing at times while I did some laundry. I would have loved to just drop into my bed, but I had to get Kaitlyn and her friend from work at 11:30. They are ticket-takers at the haunted house/haunted hayride at one of the many orchards in town. What a fun job, huh? Not fun for those of us who have to pick them up at that late hour though. Oh well, it's just for this month, and she's loving it.

Sunday was my birthday celebration with my mom and dad, and Kim and Drew. Mike made dinner for all of us. Oh my, was it good. We had Beef Burgundy with homemade noodles, a loaf of bread fresh from the breadmaker, roast butternut squash, veggies and dip and mom's banana cake for dessert. Mike did all the shopping and cooking (except for the squash, which I made,and the cake, which mom made), did all the dishes during prep and after dinner, etc. It was just so nice to sit back and relax. Thanks Mike!

I got some great gifts for my birthday. Earlier in the week, my friend Jane sent me a package of goodies. I could feel there was fibery goodness in the package and I couldn't wait a few more days til my birthday to open it, so I tore in and found these goodies. A green Chibi, cute bumblebee tape measure, some great sock yarn from Lotus, and these two beautiful Zitron rovings. I can't wait to spin those rainbows! Thanks Jane!



Then on my birthday I got a Knitpicks gift certificate for my mom and dad. My plan is to put it towards a set of Options needles. I've wanted them for a long time, but was in no big hurry because I have 2 sets of Denise needles (one of which I am planning on selling, so if anyone is interested, send me an email soon, before I put them up on ebay). Thanks Mom and Dad!

Kim and Drew gave me a gift card to renew my XM subscription, which was just about to expire. And the cutest cell phone holder EVER. It cracks me up every time I look at it. I tried really hard to buy myself a pair of lime green Crocs (or knockoffs) all summer but every time I found them in lime, they didn't have my size. Maybe next year. Thanks Kim and Drew!



Diane sent my gifts home with my mom and dad when they were visiting her recently. She sent a great skein of Rio de la Plata sock yarn in a bright yellowy-green. It's got a funny story behind it. Several months ago, Rob from Threadbear had called me (knowing my fondness for all things green, and sock yarn, esp. RDLP sock yarn) telling me about this skein, and wanting to know if he should save it for me. At the time, funds were very tight, and I couldn't justify buying another skein of sock yarn. I was IM-ing with Diane, and told her about the phone call from Rob. She immediately emailed him and told him she would buy it for me for my birthday. I had completely forgotten all about the phone call until I saw the note on the yarn. Isn't she sweet? Diane also sent me a great green vase from a store called Blooms. She's always finding me something that's got "Bloom" on it, and I love that. The bag was tied with ribbon that said Blooms, and there was also a pen with their Blooms logo. So cute! Thanks Diane!





My friend Maria in California sent me a Starbucks gift card. I look forward to sipping a nice hot cup of Chai Latte while thinking of her. Thanks Maria!

Here is a picture of the felted pumpkin basket I gave to my friend/neighbor Donna on her birthday Friday. I kind of screwed up the increases but I think it still turned out ok. She loved it! I'm not sure if it was the pumpkin, or all the chocolate I packed into it. =)



All in all, it was a great few days!

Happy, Happy, (I got my) Joy, Joy!!!!

Yesterday was a good day! It started out a bit busy (and way too early, after a very long, hot, eventful weekend with not enough sleep) Jake had an early ortho appt. (He's at the end of Phase 1, yeah!) and then I had a PT appt. I have been hobbling along on a sore knee for 5 months. I finally decided it was not going to get better on its own so I'm hoping the therapy will help. Otherwise I'll have to explore other options. I kinda need to walk (AND SPIN) for the rest of my life.

So around 1:00 pm, Debbie and I headed out, got some lunch and drove 2 hours to Threadbear. It certainly goes faster when you have someone to talk to!

When I was almost there, Rob called to ask where I was, and told me my friend Rebecca was there in the store (neither of us knew the other one was making the trip over there). When we got there, she and her friend Jenny were pulling up again (they had gone out to get some drinks). They came back in the store to hang out with Debbie and I for a while.

I was there to pick up my spinning wheel....I was so happy to finally be getting it...just in time for vacation. Yeah!

I also had a credit at the store so I picked up Nicky Epstein's new book Knitting Never Felt Better. It is such a great book! She is so darned creative... I'm in awe. I will get much inspiration from this book, I just know it.

I had enough credit left over to buy one of the last skeins of Rio De La Plata sock yarn that Rob and Matt had scored. In fact there were only 2 left (on the face of the earth maybe?) in the store so I took the other one for Diane. Cuz she deserves it. Aren't these skeins gorgeous?


I knew some of the yarn stores had already received their shipment of the Interweave Knits FELT magazine, even though the release date was supposed to be July 17. However, Threadbear hadn't gotten theirs yet. BUT.... When Rebecca and Jenny left to go to Little Red School House, they came back with the magazine in hand. Rebecca handed it to me, and I was practically begging her to tell me what page the ad was on as I was frantically flipping through it and then...I saw it....my B4 Bag and my name...right there in an Interweave magazine. Dang! That felt GOOD!






I don't know what was the best part of the day...getting my wheel, seeing my name and design in a magazine, bringing home a new book and sock yarn and not having to spend but a wee bit of money cuz of my credit. It was all good!

Here's Joy in her new home:



And some practicing with roving that Sabrina left in the bag for me:

Off to play some more!

Happy Anniversary to US!

Today is our 28th anniversary. Wow! Who knew, through all the trials and tribulations, we'd make it this far. Here's a photo of Mike and I on our wedding day...Oh, the 70s...weren't fashions grand? At least in this picture I am not wearing my big floppy hat! (I do, however, have my lovely parasol to block the sun)



Today is a BIG day for weddings....being 07-07-07 and all. In fact, we are going to a wedding. Oh yes, I mentioned it in my last post. At some point during the evening, I will have the DJ play our wedding song, and dedicate it to my dear hubby, Mike.

I just googled the song so I could link to it, and found something I didn't know before. Paul Stookey has donated all profit from this song to charity...almost $2 million so far! Wow! Read about it here.


Promised knitting content....


I'm working on a secret project which I am totally in love with. I can't wait to finish it and present it to its recipient. Of course it's in my favorite color which doesn't hurt. It's not the same secret project mentioned previously, (May 5), though it is for the same recipient. Unfortunately that project will be frogged. This one is better anyway, so I have no regrets. And that yarn will be used for something equally as lovely.


I'm knitting another Garden Gate Scarf (available over there on the sidebar). This one is in SWTC's Bamboo for the scarf portion, and the stems, leaves and flowers will be in Karaoke. Some of the flowers will be felted, some will not. I'm sending this to SWTC and I think Jonelle said it would be part of a Karaoke trunk show. I hope to get it in the mail to her very soon.


I also have a pair of socks on the needles, though it's slow going on those. I only pick those up occasionally. I'm about to turn the heels and then I have to decide what I'm going to do on the cuffs. It's not my favorite sock yarn, so I'm kind of anxious to have them done so I can knit with some of the wonderful Rio De La Plata sock yarn I got from Threadbear recently.


Speaking of Threadbear, I am headed there on Monday with my friend Debbie. The purpose of this visit for me is to finally pick up the Ashford Joy spinning wheel that I am buying from one of the gals who works at Threadbear. It is barely used, and I have been making payments on it for a couple of months. Unfortunately, finances on the homefront have been pretty tight, due to several recent layoffs for Mike. Thankfully they were temporary, but even still, put a halt to any frivolous spending. (Not that I consider buying a spinning wheel frivolous, by any means.....)


ANYWAY.....


I was hoping to have the Joy to take with us when we go on our camping vacation starting next Saturday. I had been picturing myself at the campsite, sitting under the awning of our camper, spinning away. It didn't look like this was going to happen. When I mentioned it to my sister the other day, my dear, sweet, wonderful, generous sister offered to loan me the money to pay it off so I could get my wheel. (THANKS DIANE!!! I LOVE YOU!) So Deb and I are going to head to Lansing. I know Deb....she's going to spend a lot of time shopping. Me? Well, remember that halt to frivolous spending I mentioned? I can't do much shopping. I do have a store credit I can possibly use. But while Deb is browsing (we spent about 6 hours in the store the first time we shopped there...to give you an indication....) I think I will spin some roving I will bring along with me, and get acquainted with Joy. I can't wait! Ever since I borrowed a Joy to spin on while I was visiting my sister in February, I have wanted my very own and in 2 days it will happen. Yeah!



I found this on Jane's blog, and thought it would be fun to play along....


Scattergories


Here are the rules:
~Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the following.
~They MUST be real places, names, things…NOTHING made up!
~If you can’t think of anything, skip it.
~Try to use different answers if the person before you had the same 1st initial.
~You CAN’T use your name for the boy/girl name question.

Have fun!

Your Name: Trish

1. Famous Singer/Band: Tim McGraw
2. 4 letter word: Tool
3. Street Name: Tienken
4. Color: Teal
5. Gifts/Presents: Toys
6. Vehicle: Train
7. Things in a Souvenir Shop: Trinkets
8. Boy Name: Tyler
9. Girl Name: Tina
10. Movie Title: Titanic
11. Drink: Tequila Sunrise
12. Occupation: Teller
13. Celebrity: Tom Hanks
14. Magazine: Time
15. U.S. City: Tampa
16. Pro Sports Teams: Tigers
18. Reason for Being Late for Work: Tired!
19. Something You Throw Away: Trash
20. Things You Shout: Time Out!
21. Cartoon Character: Tinkerbell

FO, OTN and a Mile of Targhee

Here's a baby blanket knit for my neighbor's daughter Christie who had a baby girl earlier this month. Christie was only 16 when we moved here, and has grown into a woman, a teacher, and now a mother of 2. Her son is 3 and is the cutest little guy. Anyway, I finished this a few days ago, gave it a wash and dry, and it's sitting here ready to get delivered.

The yarn is Sirdar Spree which is a chunky cotton/acrylic blend and is really soft to the touch. Just right for a baby blankie!

On the needles is a pair of socks I started when I was going to Ann Arbor to see Stephanie (Yarn Harlot) I got as far as the heels and then the socks sat for a bit. Yesterday I decided to turn the heels so I could just go around and around at Kaitlyn's track meet later in the afternoon (which I didn't end up going to after all). I'm glad the heels are done though, because now it's almost mindless knitting to the end, and I'm hoping to make good progress on them tomorrow night. We are gathering at the home of one of the gals from my knitting group instead of at the coffee shop we normally meet at. We can get a little crazy if we want to. I'm making my famous guacamole and we'll have other snacks and drinks. I'm sure a good time will be had by all.

Yarn is Wildfoote from Brown Sheep that I got (REALLY CHEAP!) in February when I visited the factory. I love the soft pink...



I skeined the last of the plied Targhee (from the previous post) for Diane, and it came to about 250 yards. Added to the first skein which was 625 yards, I figured out that is 1750 yards of singles, which equals a mile....
a MILE!!! of singles. Oh my. No wonder it felt like I was never going to finish spinning! So I spun a mile of singles. Then I respun that same mile of singles to put more twist in them. Then I plied it into 1/2 mile of 2 ply yarn.

Diane is looking for just the right shawl pattern to knit the half mile of Targhee. (Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated!)

I'm now looking forward to spinning some Merino for my friend Linda who created the logo for my business website Once In A Bloomoon Creations as well as a Bloomin' Knitiot logo (which I have unsuccessfully tried to add to the top of my blog...not being too great with HTML....so if you can help with that I'd be grateful for that too!)

Oh Happy Day!

It seems like I've been spinning this Targhee forever! Last night I finished plying the first bobbin and today I got it skeined and washed. It's just about dry after a stint out on the covered porch this afternoon.

Particulars:

Targhee top from Susan's Spinning Bunny

I somehow was able to spin this really thin. Much thinner than I thought I could, and pretty consistently. It was actually thinner than I was trying for, but decided to just keep going since it was working out ok. More yardage is not bad, it just takes a looooooooooong time to spin each ounce!


Once I was done spinning 2 bobbins, I was worried that I didn't have enough twist in the singles since they were so thin. So, believe it or not, I sent every yard back through the wheel for more twist. Dang! Would I ever get around to plying this stuff?

Finally I started plying and wondered if I was getting the right amount of plying twist. When I skeined it, it twisted back on itself a bit, so I thought maybe I had overplied, but once I gave it a bath, it hangs straight. Yeah! It poofed up a bit in the washing, and I am so anxious to send this to Diane.


I haven't done a WPI yet...I forgot to do that earlier. Curious to see what it comes out to be. I still have some more plying to do, but the first skein turned out to be 625 yards and it is 4 oz.


Eye candy:

Sweet Spring Spinning

Today started with early morning thunder and lightning, (I love a good storm during the night.....) but the storm had passed by the time I got up. It turned out to be a beautiful, very warm March day. It was a record breaking 81, which is WAY more than the 48 that is average for this time of year!

I had some errands to run this afternoon and each time I got out of my car or came out of the store or the school, I was shocked by how warm it was, since it was such a sudden warm-up rather than a more gradual one.

After dinner, as the sun started to fall in the west, it shone on my front porch. I grabbed my wheel (which I have finally given the name of Ella) and took her outside for about 30 minutes of spinning in the fresh air and sunshine.

I can see many more hours in the future, Ella and I on the porch, doin' our thing.

Trish, Diane and Becky's Excellent Adventure

I've been back from my visiting my sister for over a week and am finally getting around to writing this post. I've been busy catching up, and I've been sick. I'm still sick...and I'm sick of being sick! ICK!

So, here's the adventure...

On Tuesday Feb. 20 I arrived in Omaha where I was met by Diane and we started our drive back to Vermillion, SD where she lives. We stopped along the way to have some dinner. Before going to the house, we stopped at Diane's friend Sophia's house. Sophia is the one who lent me a spinning wheel while I was there. She lent me her Ashford Joy. Of course now I want to have a folding wheel. I really enjoyed spinning on that wheel, and I can see where it would be very convenient to have a wheel I could pack up in its carrying case and take along. Maybe camping. I can picture myself in the evening, sitting under the awning by the trailer, spinning away.

We visited with Sophia for a while and finally got to the house. Diane and Becky showed me all the things they've done to the house in the 2 years since I've been there, and Diane showed me some of the things she's knit that I hadn't seen yet. Then Diane says "Sit down...I have something to tell you". I was a little perplexed and curious...she had a piece of paper in her hands. She told me she wanted to wait until Thursday morning and tape this paper to the bathroom mirror and surprise me, but since I had so many plans for what I wanted to do while I was there (spin spin spin, work on my new pattern, work on my website, knit, etc) that she thought they should tell me so I could spend my time there wisely before we left.

Yep, we were going on a road trip. The paper said "Pack an overnight bag...we're going here!" And then there was a picture from the Brown Sheep Co. website.

Now, several weeks before I even knew I was going to Diane's, she said..."You know, the next time you come to visit, we should go out to Brown Sheep's factory." At which point I got on Mapquest and found out it was a 9-hour drive from her house. I basically wrote off the idea, thinking it was not going to happen....being that far away.

Well Diane and Becky had decided that we were going on this adventure anyway. They made hotel reservations, called Brown Sheep about getting a tour, and so it was all set. We were going!

Wednesday Diane and Becky both had to work, so I basically spun all day long. Diane and I had ordered some beautiful hand-dyed Targhee top from Spinny Bunny. I was going to spin the color she ordered, since she's not a spinner. So I got started on that.

Later that evening I spun a single of some natural roving she had (unfortunately she doesn't have any clue what kind it was...I wish I knew because it was some AWESOME roving) and I plied it together with some novelty yarn that she didn't know what she was going to do with. It turned out really cool, and I think she'll probably make a scarf with it.

Thursday I got some things together for the trip...packed the cooler and gathered whatever we needed. Becky came home, we loaded the car, picked up Diane from work, and started our trip. We drove about 1/2 way to Brown Sheep, and stopped for the night.

Before we left, we became aware that there might be some weather issues while we were gone, but at the time, the storm was just forming and we decided to take our chances.

Now, mind you, before I left home, I asked Diane what kind of clothes I should bring, and what kind of jacket, etc. She told me it was going to be around 50, not to bring a winter coat. "Just bring layers" she said. So I had no winter coat. No hat, gloves, scarf, boots. I had a nylon windbreaker, a sweatshirt, some long and short sleeved shirts. Walking shoes and clogs.

Keep this all in mind as this adventure unfolds....

Friday morning we got up and drove the rest of the way out to Brown Sheep. On the way we saw Chimney Rock. We thought we might come back to check it out up close, but that didn't end up happening. We got to Brown Sheep right around 11am. The factory doesn't run full production on Fridays, plus they close the factory at noon on Fridays. So while we didn't get to see a lot of the machines running, we were taken around and given a great tour by Sherry. It was very interesting to see, and to hear the history of the company, etc. When we were done with the tour, we went to the little outlet store, but before we got very far into our shopping, we realized we were starving! So we asked for a recommendation for lunch.

We were led to a great place in town that was in a little bungalow house remodeled to be a restaurant. The atmosphere was very nice....artsy...and the menu was superb. We went back to shop some more. Mr. and Mrs. Brown were there in the shop and it was an honor to meet them!

Diane got a quite a bit of yarn, but I didn't end up buying much. I got a case for my circular needles that has the Brown Sheep logo embroidered on it. I got a few skeins of sock yarn. I picked up some Cotton Fleece for a friend, and some roving for another friend. I still have so much stash from when the store I worked at closed. I couldn't justify buying a bunch more yarn, no matter how good the prices were! We ended up leaving there about 4:30 I think.

Meanwhile, we are hearing stories of the weather that is brewing. It was starting to sound kind of ominous...the "two-headed" storm that was forming. People were telling us "don't go east" and "don't go north". Well, we had to go east AND north. We pondered our strategy. Originally the plan was to stay Friday night out in western Nebraska by Brown Sheep and drive all the way back on Saturday. But because of the storm, we decided to try to get as much driving done on Friday night so we didn't have as far to drive on Saturday when the storm was supposed to hit.

There was much discussion on which route to take. Coming over, we had taken the interstate across Nebraska. It was a quicker route, though it was a much longer distance. If we went the shorter route, we would be on 2-lane roads through very small towns, rather than be on the more heavily travelled interstate. Eventually it was decided we would take the shorter route to the north.

We drove until about 9:30 Friday night and stopped for the night. We passed through towns with populations of under 100 people, some with populations of under 20!!! We were definitely in the sticks! We got up Saturday morning and by the time we left about 1/2 hour later, a light snow was just starting to fall.

It picked up, and within about 2 hours we were smack dab in the middle of a blizzard. The snow was coming down fast and furious. The wind was blowing like crazy. We couldn't see 3 feet in front of us. We couldn't see the road. There was hardly anyone else out in these conditions, so no tire tracks to follow. It was about every 20 minutes that another (big diesel pickem-up truck) vehicle would go by. We were out there virtually alone. It was not looking good.

Then we spotted this sign. We agreed that even in these conditions, we HAD to turn around and get a picture of the sign (specifically for the blog post, if nothing else!)

We were doing a bit of slip-sliding away and eventually got to the town of Ainsworth. This was a "real" town. There were gas stations and restaurants and yes, even hotels. We stopped for gas, and also picked up some emergency items such as jerky, cheese sticks, almonds, water, etc.

Personally, I would have been quite happy to stop right then and there and wait out the storm. I was pretty scared to get back on the road. I was too scared to even knit! My eyes were glued to the road the whole time. I have no idea how much snow had fallen at this time. I just know it was coming down hard, and blowing/drifting like crazy.

At the gas station we were told that further east it was a little warmer and the roads were better, so we decided to go on. I told Diane that before we left, we should call someone, let them know where we were, what route we were taking, etc....just in case. No one really knew where we were and if we fell off the side of the road and got stuck, no one would know where to look for us. The ordeal of James Kim kept flashing through my mind.

So on we went.....

(keep in mind....I have no boots, no hat, no scarf, no gloves, no winter coat) HOWEVER...we now have a LOT of wool in the back end of the vehicle! And crazy as it seems, when we were at Brown Sheep the day before, it WAS about 50 degrees. See? I'm in a t-shirt.

The roads eventually did get better. It was slightly warmer and so the roads were more slushy and there was more traction. The snow eased up a bit and we had several hours of "ok" driving. Then as we got close to Yankton, SD, it started coming down heavy again. We got stuck one car behind a snow plow, and I think that it was a good thing to be behind it than in front of it. We ended up following the snowplow the entire way into Vermillion (at 20 mph). There was about 4-5" when we pulled in, and I think we got back just in time. It was still snowing very heavily, and by the time Sunday morning came, there was 10"-12" out there! And it was the day I was supposed to go home.

We decided that trying to drive the 2 hours to Omaha in this weather would NOT be fun. And since the airline was offering a "weather waiver" for changing flights without a penalty, I ended up staying an extra day (Yeah!) and left on Monday. By then the roads were perfectly dry.

Turns out that on Saturday they had closed 270 miles of the interstate that we contemplated taking, so we could have gotten stranded if we had gone that way too. I have a feeling we would have been through that area before it closed, but I'm not sure.

So, it turned out ok, but it was pretty scary for a while there!

The trip turned out to be 1115 miles from start to finish. Yikes! It was a big chunk of the time I had to spend with Diane, but I have a feeling that if we hadn't gone when we did...it probably would have never happened.

Here are the other Targhee tops we got from Susan at Spinnybunny.com. They are awesome. The colors are great and I am really enjoying spinning them. I am able to spin this yarn really thin. Diane is going to end up with a lot of yardage from the Clematis Vine colorway she ordered (above). She wants to knit a Clapotis with hers. These colors are Tamarack & Spruce, and Roses For You. Pretty, yes? I'm so glad I was introduced to Targhee fiber through my spinning teacher at Threadbear. It is a wonderful wool and I know I will be spinning lots more!

While I was at Diane's, I started with a cough. Luckily I didn't really feel sick while I was there, I was just annoyed by the cough. By the time I got home I could tell it was turning into full blown bronchitis. I get bronchitis a lot, so I know the routine. I got to the clinic and got some drugs. Once I was done with the antibiotics, I started getting a stuffy nose, and the sneezing started. The cough has not yet cleared up. I am a mess! I just want to feel better!

Monday I had a knitting adventure that I will write about tomorrow. And I'll show pix of the socks I started while on our adventure. I actually got to knit on the plane coming home too, so I made lots of progress and had them finished in just over a week. That's pretty good for me.

Snow Day

We got a bunch of snow yesterday/last night and school is cancelled. We are just going to stay in today so I figured it was time to catch up with some news and photos.

Kaitlyn's birthday isn't until the 18th, but we had a party for her 16th birthday here on Saturday. All the nieces and nephews had a ball on the skating rinks, while the adults stayed toasty warm inside. Her boyfriend Paul is having a party for her at his house on Saturday for her friends. On Sunday, her birthday (and my mom's) we will go out to dinner and spend some time with my mom and dad (who just got home from FL last night....home to a rude awakening of a snowstorm). My SIL's birthday is this weekend too, so hopefully we can get all 3 of the birthday girls together for a little celebration.

The party was great, except for one thing...I ended up being on crutches for the whole thing. My knee had been bothering me for about 2 weeks...I've been kind of limping around and favoring it a bit, hoping it would just feel better if I took it easy. Well Saturday, I spent a lot of time in the kitchen in the morning getting things ready for the party, then I decided it was time to get in the shower. On my way up the stairs I heard/felt a POP! in my knee, and excruciating pain followed. Pain that brought me to tears (which doesn't happen often) From that point on, I could not put any weight on that leg at all. Just try putting on a party from a chair. Not easy. I had to delegate everything for the rest of the day/evening.

Mike took me to Prompt Care on Sunday, where we waited over an hour before I saw the dr. He determined that my knee is sprained, but I don't have a torn ligament or anything like that. I got a prescription for an anti-inflammatory which seems to be helping, along with the brace that I have been wearing. I"m still babying my leg though, trying very hard to get it healed up because in 6 days I am going to visit my sister!

I am so excited! On Super Bowl Sunday Mike secretly got in touch with Diane, then got online and made me reservations to fly out there next week while the kids are out of school for mid-winter break. Kaitlyn, of course, is not happy about having to "babysit" Jake while I'm gone, but sometimes a teenager has to have a reality check...such as..."it's not all about you...all the time".

So on Tuesday I am flying to Omaha where Diane will pick me up and we'll drive back to her house in South Dakota. It's quite a drive, so here's hoping there are no weather events to screw things up. (Cross your fingers!)

While I'm there, she will have to work part of the time, so I will spend some time spinning on a wheel that she is going to borrow from her friend for me. Diane doesn't spin, but we both ordered some beautiful hand-dyed Targhee top from Spinning Bunny and I will spin some for her while I am there. We ordered Clematis, Tamarack & Spruce, and Roses for You. If you click on that link, scroll down to see the beautiful colors!

I fell completely in love with Targhee when I spun a few ounces that I got from my spinning teacher a couple weeks ago. It was just awesome! Here is that fiber all finished up. It's so squooshy!



Here is the plied version of the singles from the last post. I didn't know if I would ply it or not, but I think it turned out ok. I have no idea what I'll do with it.



Here is some Shetland that is from my friend Jenny's sheep. I also spun some of a darker Shetland that I am going to ply with this. I ended up spinning the darker one much thinner since it was 2 weeks later (I guess I'm already getting better at this whole process!)so the plied yarn should be interesting. I guess I'll have some of the darker brown left over to make into a 2 ply solid. I really enjoyed spinning fiber that came from animals whose home I have been to.

This Blue Face Leicester fiber came from Jane.


She sent it to me when I first got my wheel. She said someone had done the same for her...sent her some fiber when she got her first wheel, to get her started. I put it aside, wanting to practice first, not wanting to ruin it. It wasn't until I took it out of the bag recently that I saw the beautiful colors that ran through it. I thought it was just black or dark gray. I must say this fiber was prepared so well...there was absolutely no predrafting necessary and it yielded my most consistent yarn yet. I am pretty darned proud of how this turned out.

Until I started spinning, I didn't realize how differently different wool fibers feel and act. I knew Merino was a soft wool, but other than that, I didn't have any experience comparing Merino or Shetland or Targhee or Blue Face Leicester. I was amazed at the sheen and slippery feel of the BFL. I can't wait to make something really special with it.


And speaking of Merino, here is a beautiful Merino that I bought from Threadbear a couple weeks ago and have begun spinning. It's 8 oz. of beauty that reminds me of the desert. (it's a little more brown/rust than what it shows in this photo) I've got about 3 oz of it spun up. Now that I am getting much better at getting my singles thinner and thinner, I am realizing how long it takes to spin each ounce of fiber! I'm curious to see how many yards I get after plying this.

Isn't it purdy?