One Short of a Full Set of DPNs

Sometimes I have really good ideas to get around a problem. Most of the time, however, the great idea doesn't come until I have wasted at least an entire evening. If I am on some kind of deadline, even self imposed, the good idea will only come after entire weekend has been obliterated. Yes, I am leading up to telling you about how I was brilliant, but only after I was stupid for about 6 hours first, on a night when I really wanted to make some progress.

The first brilliant idea was to use this superwash wool.



that was handpainted by this grandchild


to make fingerless mitts for said grandchilds mother. Brilliant, heh? We can give them to her for Christmas and it will really be from BOTH of us. This is such a fantastic idea that I jumped right on it!

Sunday I swatched and began the first mitt. Not following a pattern, just sort of knitting along and counting the rows so that hopefully the second mitt will be the same size as the first mitt. That is the plan anyway, we'll see what we actually end up with. Jessica already has a pair of mismatched handknit socks from me. Perhaps the mitts will complete the set. Then again, I might get lucky this time.

Everything seemed to be going along just fine. Progress was being made. The mitt came along to work with me. I figured it is straight knitting and I can get a row in here and there waiting for meeting to start and what not. I even knitted straight through one really loooooong meeting and got all the way to the final ribbing before binding off.  Woooo Hoooo maybe I can finish this up and start the second mitt only one day after casting on the first mitt!



Maybe I was just not supposed to be making this much progress. Maybe it was a little uppity of me to even think about beginning the second mitt that evening. Maybe I'm just getting older and losing my mind. It wasn't until I got home and pulled the mitt in progress out of the bag that I saw it. I had left the fifth DPN on the desk at work.

OH NOOOOOOOS. Well, I figured I had another set in that size. I have TONS of DPNs in a big vase in the craft room. An hour with the vase and the needle sizer proved that this particular size (6) is probably the only size that I didn't accidentally buy duplicates of. How can that be possible?

I gave up. I did dishes, which is a total waste of time by the way. I mean really, what is the point when they just get dirty again? I did a little laundry which is the same as dishes, really. I do have that shawl that is still on the needles, but I want to concentrate on gift making right now. If I get sucked back into the lace shawl I'm afraid it might be new years before I come back out of it, and there's Christmas to make! I was frustrated at the sudden screeching halt in the rapid progress I had been making. I was pissed at myself for setting the needle on the desk at work. What was I thinking? I put the rest of the project in the bag. The ball o yarn. The nearly finished mitt with spikes. Even the little container of stitch markers made it into the bag, but oooooh no, I think that for some reason it was ok to just put the final item next to the keyboard? REALLY??

It was about 10pm and I was chin deep in bath water when the brilliant idea came to me. If I would just do this ONE thing I could continue working on the mitt! Got out of the tub and into PJs really fast to get to it. Maybe I could finish this mitt tonight after all!

The brilliant idea was to use one smaller DPN to hold stitches that were not being worked. I would knit around till I got to the place holder needle, then move it to another spot further from where the actual knitting is taking place. It worked beautifully! The mitt was long enough to begin the 1X1 ribbing for a few rows before binding off. I was going to make it!

That is when it happened. I got to the end of the first row of ribbing and everything went bad. The last stitch in the row should be a purl. I had an even number of stitches (6 on each needle) so the 1X1 ribbing should work out perfect, but it isn't.  OMG  How did this one needle get 7 stitches on it? CRAP

Looks like I cast on one to many when I was making the thumb hole.... aaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrghhhh
Rip it Rip it.

I will finish these mitts. I will finish these mitts. They will not defeat me.

The Day I Was So Far Ahead It Wasn't Even Funny

Wow, I know I won't be able to keep up the pace, but day two of Christmas knitting and we have a second gift finished! There wasn't any knitting to speak of on this one. It's a neck scarf that I wove on a triangle loom. This one is for Mom. I did most of the weaving at her house and she really liked the colors of this yarn.



I know I will get behind on the gift making really quickly and sometime soon. I know that it will be just like every other year. It always ends with me forgoing sleep, food and other things to get my ambitious list almost complete. But right now I am so far ahead! It's not even the 15th of September and I have two gifts finished. This is unheard of and I will revel in it!



I'm marking this in my diary as the day I was so ahead of schedule it wasn't even funny. I'll need to look back on this day in a few weeks. I'll need a good laugh.

She Knitted as Texas Burned

Oh lovely September. Back to school shopping, the turning of the leaves, the smell of wood smoke in the crisp cool air. Don't ya love those first weeks of cooler weather, when it is still a relief from the heat of summer, before the cold gets old and summer seems like a long lost dream. The coming months lay before us full of wonderful sweater and hat wearing potential. Yeah, I love it too. Sure wish it would begin.

I would like to pause at this point to make three points.

1. We are nearly halfway through September. 
2. It is currently 10 PM.
3. It is 100 degrees on my back porch.
4. WTF

Sorry, that was four points.

Why is this happening when there's Christmas knitting to be done? Is it some kind of curse? Is it climate change? Do I need to move North to Montana to get away from this? Is it cooling off in Montana right now like a normal September? If not I guess we'll have to consider Canada.

Finished knitting the first Christmas present. It isn't finished, but the knitting part is done.
The first item is a loose neck warmer. I made a funky art batt at fancy fiber farm then spun it into thick and thin lumpy yarn. There's wool, sari silk and mohair curls in this one. Man OH man, the knit fabric is unbelievably soft.



It isn't finished. The plan is to make custom clay buttons to connect the ends with. The knitting part is done though. There's ONE.

To Click or Not to Click

Knit Picks sent the notification email. The Summer Seasons Shawl is up on the site. . . ON CLEARANCE.

My cart? Don't look at my cart! Ok, so there's a shawl in my cart. It doesn't mean anything until I click the purchase button. I'm just seeing what it looks like in my cart. Looks nice doesn't it?

Maybe I'll just play around adding items to my cart till I get to the free shipping. Just for fun. Doesn't mean anything till I click the purchase button.


Oh, look! I don't have this spinning book by Lexi Boeger (Pluckyfluff). I'll just put that in the cart too.  I know I don't need it. It is just for fun. We are just playing with the cart.

 I should throw a couple of the sock knitting WIP  holders in the cart too, while I'm at it. Scooter chewed mine. If you knit socks and you don't have one of the Knit Picks sock WIP holders... well ... just get some. That's all I can say. Your life will never be the same again.

Ya know, if I start the summer shawl now I just might get to wear it next summer. I'm just sayin'.

What's Up With Nectarines These Days?

I love nectarines. Loved em since I was a kid. Yummy peach sweetness without the itchy fuzz.

If you climb up a peach tree in the summer, stuff yourself with yummy fresh picked peaches, reclining on the branches lulled into a low doze by the buzzing of the bees, peach juice running down your chin, neck... arms, you will end up soooooooo itchy! Even scrubbing in the shower and soaking in a plastic wading pool will not stop the horrid itching. (ask me how I know) But, nectarines sweet nectarines. All of the goodness with none of the itchy side effects.

Last summer I purchased nectarines several times. They looked lovely though a bit hard and needing to ripen up a bit. I would bring them home and set them on the counter to get softer and juicier. Strangely, when they finally softened up a little and I took a big bite I found that they were mushy and rotting. ewwwwwwwwwwww

This summer I have purchased nectarines twice and they are the same as last year. This time I sliced one up before it got soft and found that it is quite edible though not the correct texture! It is firm and a little crunchy even. I ate two this way with no ill effects. The third got a little softer from sitting around waiting his turn and was mushy and rotting.

So, what the Hell happened to the nectarines? What did they do to them! Are these a new strain that they developed to stay hard so they transport around the globe without bruising? If so, when did it take over all nectarine production? Are there any of the old GOOD nectarines left?

Oh those Knit Picks Seasons Shawl Kits

I've just begun noticing this shawl in the Knit Picks catalog. I first saw it in the last catalog. A beautiful light weight shawl for spring/summer in colors of a spring bulb garden. I really wanted to knit it. I have a shawl on the needles that I reeeeeeeeally should finish first.

Check it out. This is the spring/summer shawl.

Seasons Shawl from KnitPicks.com

I did not order it. Talked myself out of it (got real practical), because I really DO have another shawl on the needles.

Seasons pass.... time marches on... fast forward to this weekend and the arrival of the new fall Knit Picks catalog. Happy happy joy joy

What-do-ya-know. You know what? Turns out they call it the Seasons Shawl Kit because they have one for each season!!! Why did I not see that coming? The fall one is even MORE wonderful. Note: I still have not finished the shawl that kept me from ordering the SPRING shawl kit! Drat!

Here is the Seasons Shawl for fall from Knit Picks.

Seasons Shawl from KnitPicks.com

So, I log onto KnitPicks. Just to look, mind you. I certainly don't need a shawl kit when I have so many other projects in progress and in que. Hmmmm seems the summer shawl isn't available for purchase right now, though it WILL be on sale again soon...(insert drum roll) AT CLEARANCE PRICES. Click here to be notified when that glorious day arrives. GASP CLICK

OK, I click to be notified. It doesn't mean I bought anything. I can't buy anything. That would be silly. I got stash coming out of my ears! When would I have time to knit a shawl kit? I love shawls. You really can't have too many... is there such a thing as too many shawls? The colors of that spring one are lovely. Come to think of it. I'm such a slow shawl knitter that it would be spring or summer before it would be done. I'm not really slow, more like scattered. For example, I'm about to get detoured from current projects by holiday gifts. Stuff like that happens so large projects can take quite some time.

Wonder why they put the fall one out now anyway? Does anyone really knit a giant shawl fast enough to get even one chance to use the thing before fall is over? Who are these people?

I only know two things about this.
1. I want to make one of these Seasons Shawls
2. I am already wondering what the next one will look like

Rules of Engagement

Last week I realized something. Something BIG.

For some time now I have been wrestling with the fact that people that I know. People that are straight forward and honest with me can LIE right to my face during a business negotiation. How can this be? How can someone do this and not think of themselves as a big fat liar?

Edit: Reading this a day after I wrote it I feel the need to clarify that I am NOT talking about any of my fiber friends here. I am thinking of some past employers.

Answer: During business negotiations folks are all playing a game! (except me apparently) The rules of this negotiating game are simple. Say or do whatever is needed to get the "other" to back down or give up trying to reason with you. Considering the points made or needs expressed by the other party is NOT part of the game. The arguments and facts don't have to be true or even relevant to the subject at hand. Wearing the other person down is the same as convincing them to join your side of the debate. Either will count as a win which is the ONLY important thing.

I never played that way.

For about a week I observed the goings on at work and verified my theory. Then I had another realization. This isn't just business negotiation. Expand the theory to interpersonal relations and the world makes sense now. This would explain why it takes me over an hour to decline a dinner invitation from a certain friend who NEVER just says "OK, maybe next time". It just goes on and on forever.... like a used car salesman... overcoming every objection... never... giving... up.

f - Bunch of us are getting together for steaks and wine tomorrow, wanna join us?

me - No thanks, maybe next time.

f - Why not?

me - I'm really tired from work and want to just stay home and rest.

f - rest up tonight and come out with us tomorrow

me - I don't want to leave my dog who just had surgery

f - get your daughter to watch her or bring the dog

me - she just had surgery!

f - exactly! She'll just sleep in the crate while we eat.

me - I don't want to put her through that! I just want to stay home!

f - It will be fun. I'll come by and pick you up about 5

me - NO I don't want to!

f - You'll be glad once you are biting into that good steak and drinking a glass of wine.

me - I'm VEGAN! and I don't like drink.

ETC. ETC. ETC.


Well, I'm a day late and a dollar short on this one. The day AFTER my great realization I see this article in the NY Times which basically says that researchers have come to the same conclusion.

Headline: Reason Seen More as Weapon Than Path to Truth
Cliff Notes: People argue just to win, not to listen to all sides and come to a fair compromise that benefits all parties.... it's just about a power over win.

Sometimes being right kinda sucks. I wish it weren't true.

Thanks for listening. Your reward is some yarn porn.
A little handspun with beads that I named "If You Pop That Gum One-More-Time"

Triangle looms

It has been a well kept secret that triangle looms have been luring me away from knitting/spinning for some time. Ever since I saw a girl weaving on one at the Kid N Ewe fiber festival. I resisted. It lured. I resisted some more.

I DO have a garage full of woodworking equipment and know how to use it. I kept telling myself I could make myself one. Yes, I could. Any gramma who made her grandchild a rocking horse complete with flowing mane could certainly create a triangle frame with finishing nails in it. Even got a miter saw and drill press for cryin out loud. Two and a half years later I have not cut one angle or even measured a piece of wood for a loom.

There's simply not enough time in a lifetime to make all the things that are in my brain trying to get out. Add to that a job that takes days AND a lot of evenings and then steals weekends and holidays for desert. Here's where I'm supposed to say that it is all ok because I LOVE MY JOB. But, I really can't say that.



Last weekend at Fancy Fibers Farm I saw that Mary had some smallish triangle looms in her farm store. OHHHH YEAH.
It took me about half a second to evaluate the probability of ever finding time to make myself one (zilch). Of course I brought one home with me.

I can't believe I waited so long. This triangle loom weaving is awesome!



This shawl came together in one afternoon. Crochet shells expanded the triangle which is scarf sized into a small shawl.

Shetland... Just In Time.

I finished the inside square of the shetland shawl. This is from the shetland fleece that Harley got me for Christmas. I picked up stitches all the way around the square (of course marking the corners) onto a big ol circular.

I thought I was gonna need a different fleece to complete this the way I want. You see my fleece was all one solid color. I want the big border on this thing to be done in a couple of the "other" natural shetland colors.

I was cruising the RAV fleece market and deciding on a fleece when something really cool happened. We got the spring distribution from the CSA fiber farm (Fancy Fibers Farm) and it included shetland wool all clean and processed into roving... ready to spin! I got to pick two colors... I got medium and dark brown.

I didn't even know we would be getting shetland! How cool is that!

The medium brown is spun up to lace weight and is already being added to the shawl. It looks really nice so far.

Funny thing is that my lace spinning is getting better as I progress through this project. By the time I get to the outer-most border the yarn is gonna be so much thinner that the beginning! I think I'll tell people I planned it that way.... thicker part right over the neck and shoulders... uh... yeah... it's a FEATURE!

You're Too Sensitive

I'm going to branch away from the subject of wool for a bit here. I debated with myself about posting a non knitting/spinning topic here. I decided that it is MY blog to talk about any subject I wish. Besides, no one is reading it anyway. LOL I guess that makes this a sort of public journal. Like a diary laying on a public road that no body is picking up to read.

This month is the twelve year anniversary of my escape from a verbally abusive marriage. The marriage lasted 20 years. We have two children. When I left him I still didn't know that the relationship was abusive. I only knew that I couldn't take it anymore and I felt like I was dying. I may go into more details in another post, but for now just know that it was really bad.... I mean really really bad. I am currently in treatment for PTSD and it is getting better. Verbal and emotional abuse is seriously damaging.

I have spent the last twelve years defending my actions to my parental figures. My father called me every weekend begging me to go back to my husband who "isn't that bad". He would almost cry as he would tell me how sorry he felt for the ex and how I "always had over reacted to things and was too sensitive". The pressure from Dad only stopped when he passed away. Only months ago my Aunt who raised me (and still doesn't really understand why I left the man) was asking me again if I didn't really still love him and want to go back. She wasn't pressuring me to do that.... just not understanding how OVER it really is. I told her that he had hurt me too deeply, that his behavior had killed the love I once felt for him. Her answer? "You always were too sensitive".

THE WONDERING

I wondered why so many people think that reacting to something very hurtful proves a person is "too sensitive". I couldn't understand how those same people fail to see the hypocracy they demonstrate when they cry over something cruel that was said to THEM! Yes, I've seen that happen a lot. Those same people who would bring me to my knees with their raging anger and accusations, expecting me to just stand there and take it with no reaction at all, cry out between the tears "she hurt my feelings!" How could they not SEE the disparity?

THE DETERMINATION

1. This type of person wants to convince you that you ARE too sensitive. Hopefully you will do your best to NOT be sensitive anymore. This would leave them free to spew their venom at you freely and then blame your reaction on YOU! What fun!

Trying to not be sensitive can be very dangerous. It will make you numb to life... even the good parts. I was numb for years. NOT FUN.

2. Being a sensitive person is a GOOD thing! We need MORE sensitive people in the world, not less! Sensitive people care about others, they have a thing called empathy. Truly empathetic people don't hurt other people on purpose! Sensitive and empathetic people don't have to take an ethics class in college to understand that it isn't nice to lie and cheat people.

How sensitive and empathetic do you think Kenneth Lay was toward the employees and stockholders of Enron? How about Madof?

Personally, if I never hear "Your too sensitive" again till I die it will be too soon.

Off to the Yellow Rose Fiber Fiesta

All my bags are packed. Though not in the truck yet. Dogs are at home waiting for me to get off work so we can get on the road. So EXCITED.

This is the trip that almost wasn't. Due to my stupid paranoia about being a pain in the butt, I failed to continually remind the family in Austin about this weekend! In particular i failed to continually keep their promise to watch my dogs on their minds. So last Sunday when the opportunity presented it's self (as opportunities so often do) to grab a couple of plane tickets to Cali just in time to attend her good friend's baby shower........ Jessica and Doug booked the flight.

I found out Monday during a phone conversation. My side went something like... "YOU WHAAAAAT??!! But my FIBER FESTIVAL WEEKEND!! ARRRGHHHH"

This kicked of a couple of days of frantic schedule shuffling by Jessica. She saved the weekend.

It will not be quite the weekend I had planned, since instead of dropping of my responsibilities (my 2 pups), I will be picking up responsibilities (Granddaughter and Granddog). It will not be quite the relaxing carefree experience I had hoped for. But the bright side is that the weekend is NOT lost.

We'll be hitting the road as soon as I can get home and get the stuff in the truck.

Another Kind of Needle

Not knitting needles.

This is a picture of accupuncture needles in MY VERY OWN personal ear!
I must admit that I was a bit of a sceptic as to the validity of accupuncture in general.

Two things I have discovered.
1. The needles really do not hurt. It isn't just proponents saying that.
2. There is something to this treatment.

This treatment is for the anxiety of PTSD. I really do feel more centered/balanced, less anxious and nervous after a treatment.

Needles are good for all kinds of things!

The Package

Oh boy, Oh boy. I got a package! It is something I was expecting and came all the way from Alberta Canada. I got it at work and it sat in my cube for 2 hours, taunting me. I didn't open it though. It stayed all sealed up and safe for the ride home. No tape was cut till the box was sitting in my living room.



 People were guessing what might be inside.  You got a mail order alpaca! Nope. That is a BIG box of wool. Good guess, but nope. I pointed out the lack of air holes. A live alpaca needs air holes. A dead alpaca would smell. Nope definitely not an alpaca. Is it a spinning thing or a dog thing? Wait, is it a thing or a bunch of things?

Gosh, that's a lot of questions. I didn't expect the Spanish Inquisition.




 NOBODY expects the Spanish Inquisition!
Get the FLUFFY pillows. No NOT the FLUFFY pillows!




Something wrapped in paper. It feels like one of those plastic air pillows they use for packing stuff. I'm thinking, cool Canadian air! IMPORTED Air! I'm gonna blog that!



Woh, how wonderful! Imported fiber!! Alpaca, merino, mohair.
Squeeeeee !!!!!!!!!!



What is it Harley? What did you find?



It's official. Harley has claimed this horse blanket as her own.



Kinda like a tootsie pop or a Cadbury egg we get to the goodness in the middle.





This is soooooo awesome! A Majacraft Rose.
She is smooooooooth and fast.

~~~ happy dance ~~ happy dance ~~~

Faster Faster, with a little more TWIST

About a year and a half ago, when I got Harley got me a spinning wheel for Christmas, we saw stuff like wheel ratios but the numbers didn't mean all that much. Don't get me wrong. I understand what a ratio of 5:1 or 12:1 means. One turn of the big thing equals five turns of the little thing. Got it. What did that feel like when spinning? No clue.

We settled on the Ashford Kiwi. Nice sturdy beginners wheel. Rock bottom of the price range on new wheels. Very affordable. Was in Harley's budget, anyway.  Out of the box ratios of 3:1 and 5:1. With an speel whorl (gear) available that tops out at 14:1.

There she is the day I got her.


Believe you me when I tell you that the slowest speed was too fast at first! I was inching along at 3:1 and I couldn't keep ahead of the twist.

We managed to turn this. (that's baby scooter in the background)
 

 Into THIS.

That is actually my very first yarn right there!

It didn't take long though, to need the faster whorl. It did seem quit a bit faster... at first.

At some point last week I realized that the pain in my right shoulder, the one that was causing me to put my coat on funny, the one keeping me from picking my purse up with my right hand, was probably from long draw. Been spinning long draw a lot lately, stretching the fiber past my body then holding it there while treadling like mad to get the single twisted. Immediately after bring the right arm to the front of the body to wind on the new yarn it of course goes right back to stretching it back and behind again.

Don't get me wrong Kiwi. I still love you. You will always be my first wheel. I just need another wheel who can keep up on high twist jobs.

Etsy 'Bout Time

Wow, I can't believe how many decisions had to be made to open an Etsy store. I had a bunch of yarn spun up and spent quite a bit of time measuring, reskeining, weighing, naming, pricing and labeling. Whew, that was a lot to do! I'm ready now, right?

Yeah, keep thinkin' that. Oh, innocent optimism.

I... Had... No... I-dea

Once I got into the store set up there so many dang things! How fast am I going to commit to running to the post office? How am I going to do shipping? Where am I going to get boxes? Do I offer international shipping? What is my return policy? Oh Look. I need a Texas tax number. . . send off for one of those.

I'm really not sure how many weekends have been "the weekend" the first item goes up on the Etsy store. Yup, this weekend I'm gonna get a couple of yarns online. More than one friend has told me that I was stalling. Just Do it.

Just now noticed that I have a crappy profile. Pretty much nuthin in there. Ugh. That IS important but I am really tired. The store policies are written. They can be changed if I think of something new. The shipping is FINALLY figured out!

Then I found a way to put the store items on this page! Wow! Check out the bottom of the right column there. I gotta stop... shutting down.

where My Stitches At

typing this on my phone. sitting in a parking  lot waiting for my package to be ready for pick-up. i forgot my knitting! So right now all I can say is Where My Stitches At

I don't even have my new button with me. I didn't buy this button. Well, I DID buy it. It was part of a three button set. I was really after the "hello my name is" button.

Here I am now. With out my knitting. All of a sudden I feel I really understand the Where My Stitches At button.

Holy Shamrock - Oops I could have worn a handknit

My head has been in other spinnerly places this last week. Just got to work and saw on the calendar that it is St. Patrick's Day!  I had no idea!

I'm wearing a multicolored sweater, and even if I really stretch the very definition of the color green I can't say there is any present in this outfit. Not even a little bit. This is a reason to be grateful for grade school being many years behind us.

I even have a handknit that is green. I could have worn my alpaca lace shawl/stole thingie. Funny, I wonder why I only have a picture of it when the thing was barely started? Was I not excited about finishing it? I sure was! I need to get a FO picture!

Ooops I could have worn a handknit.

Scary Knitting!

I have to admit that there is a bit of knitting that I really really need to get on but I am kinda scared of it.

My dear daughter Jessica and her family went on a European vacation last summer. They took time out of their day (more than once) to locate and visit a LYS (local yarn shop) !!!! Just for ME! European yarn! How exciting is that!

Jessica apparently spent quite a bit of time with the store owners. They chose a sweater pattern at each store and then purchased enough yarn from each store to complete these wonderful sweater patterns. Isn't that the sweetest thing a non knitting daughter and son-in-law ever did for their Mom/Mother-in-Law ?? I think so too!

I put it all in a basket to keep it together.

Nice isn't it? There is even two skeins of Regia sock yarn in there. Check out one of the sweater patterns. It is beautiful. Jessica has wonderful taste.

The yarn is really good quality too. Nice soft merino in beautiful rich colors. I love the labels. I can almost read them!

Here we are entering the spring season. I've had this since last summer. That is dangerously close to a year.... poor yarn.... sitting in the basket so long. I'm so afraid to dive into these projects though! I need to make the sweaters that Jessica chose for me. Oh my.. Oh my... what the heck am I going to do. I can't read these patterns. Take a look.

I don't speak or read either of these languages! Egads! Patterns in German and Spanish? I can sigh in French though.  Le Sigh

It Is My Stash !!!!!

If you are familiar with the website known as Ravelry skip this paragraph. Ravelry is an online fiber artist community that I have become addicted to. In addition to the forums where you can make yarn friends or ask questions, it has a nifty feature in each users profile where you can keep track of the yarn/fiber that you currently have hoarded   stashed around your home. You can upload pictures and descriptions and it has come in handy when I have been out at a store... wondering if I still have that hot pink eyelash yarn at home because I see a pattern or complimentary yarn that would go well with it. I can look it up on my phone! Look at that i have three skeins of it! Perfect.  Here is a screenshot of my ravelry stash page.

Lately, like twice in the last couple of weeks, I have logged onto Ravelry to find a message waiting for me. Yippee! Someone wants to talk to meeeeeeeee?????? When I go read the message I am a little confused.  First of all it is from a person that I do not know. . that isn't alarming really. It is a site to meet and get to know other artists, after all.  Here is where it begins to get weird.

This person whom I do not know is saying something like  "I'll take that blue chenille". Uh, ok???
 It takes me a few minutes to remember that I do indeed have some old Lions Brand blue chenille in the stash. Then I look at their next email. They sometimes have sent several because I wasn't writing them back. Hey, I sometimes don't log on for a week or so..... real life takes over. The second and third emails from them get more and more frustrated.

"I've written to you for 4 days! I want to buy the chenille!"

About this time I begin to wonder out loud to myself. Am I the one misunderstanding what the "stash" feature is for on this site? I thought the stash gallery was to document MY STASH!!! I may want to trade or destash some of it, but until then can't I just keep track of it? Did I accidentally open a store here? I am really not sure anymore.

I am going to go read the Ravelry FAQs to make sure I am not using the site incorrectly. I DO want to sell some of my handspun online. I just haven't opened a store yet. .  . or at least I didn't THINK I had!

Opinions Are Not Facts

I've been noticing an interesting thing lately. I don't think it is because this particular thing is occurring more frequently. It is much more likely that I have just begun seeing it. People don't seem to be aware of their own opinions. These people think that if they think it is so.... it IS so! And that isn't so.

I understand that sometimes it can be really difficult to distinguish the difference. Sometimes the opinion is of such popular opinion that it can seem like a fact. Closer inspection reveals that this particular "fact" is indeed still only an opinion no matter how widely held.

Some are pretty easy to spot.

Shooting people is bad. Well, obviously self defense and sniping a hostage taker to save an innocent negates that statement for those circumstances.

Mosquitos are bad. Well, many fish species depend on the larvae for food. Like fish much?

Nose piercings are ugly. Really? Lots of folks think so. In some other parts of the world the majority of the population finds them beautiful in contrast to the minority in our country that thinks the same. Can't you see that the proper statement would be "I don't care for nose piercings" ?

Declaring one thing to be better than another is also a mistake. Most of the times one thing is only better than another thing under certain circumstances.  Is a Mercedes better than a Honda? Depends on what criteria is being measured as well as the purpose. Which one is a better luxury car? Which one is better if you are trying for lower insurance payments? Which one is better if you want to blend in? That last one is a double tricky question.... blend in where? huh?

There are very few things in this world that really truly "suck". Most of the time a person declares that something sucks they are really just trying to say that they don't care for something. All said and done, I guess I am just wondering why people can't recognize their own opinion.

What started all this? A random person, a complete stranger who felt the need to approach me as I worked on my shawl to declare that KNITTING IS A TERRIBLE WASTE OF YOUR TIME. Compared to what and who the Hell are you anyway? Why did you feel the need to go out of your way to pass close enough to share that OPINION, which you declare as if it were fact.

Trip to the ER

Spent 7 hours at the hospital today. Abdominal pain that was so bad I was SURE it was a kidney stone. I had one about 2 years ago that woke me from a sound sleep. The pain was so bad I couldn't walk, was reduced to crawling to my phone to call 911. That was an interesting day involving an ambulance and a bunch of morphine. Ended with me sitting in a waiting room in my underwear, holding a phone, morphined out of my mind and unable to recall anyone's phone number to call for help getting home.

Today wasn't quite that exciting. I got to do the blood work thing and the pee in a cup thing, the IV thing, the Xray and MRI thing. Couldn't find anything. Wow, I was so sure it was a kidney stone! It has that same deep kinda pain that fluctuates in intensity.

The hospital staff were all really great. They got me warm blankets and really took good care of me.  They put something in the IV that took the edge off for quite a while. Then when that wasn't working so good anymore they gave me something better. Took it from stabby pain to dull ache. . . something way more do-able. Couldn't drive though, so I had to reach Jenny and ask her to come give me a ride home.

That is how I found myself knitting on the shetland shawl handicapped by an IV in my left arm. Had to hold it kind of further out so as not to bend my elbow. Then I held the left needle really still, twisting and turning the right needle, making it do all the work. I did about 8 rows of the lace before the drugs make me afraid to continue on it. I switched to frogging the ribbing off the sheltland hat. I could handle pulling a string even messed up.

What's on the Wheel - the Christmas Fleece

The place of employment goes on holiday from Christmas till New Year. Of course the first thing I think is WHAT a great time to process a fleece!

I had heard that shetland sheep produced really soft wool that was easy to spin. Shetland are an endangered breed from the Shetland Islands. Their wool fueled a hand knitting industry that draped the victorian upper class in gossamer lace.

The Windsweptspinner from Windswept Farms went out of her way to get a fleece in the mail to me before the holiday. It arrived in short order and was beautiful! Creamy white with carmel colored tips and oh soooo soft.

Yeah that's some in the bath right there. I got yards and yards of netting from the fabric store to use like giant tea bags. When the wool is done soaking just pick up the netting by the corners. It kept the lock structure intact so I hope I did it right.  I've only done this once so I'm no expert.

Don't tell everyone, but I really love opening the box or bag with a fresh fleece in it. That barn smell. I like it. I like the way the bathroom smells like wet sheep for the 2 or 3 days it takes me to wash the whole fleece.

And then it has to dry. Baby gates come in really handy to make drying shelves, cheap too. Just prop both ends up on something handy. This one is using one shelf of a bookshelf and on the other end on a plastic storage tub.

Fluffy clouds of creamy goodness drying in the craft room. I couldn't wait to try spinning it! I had no idea what I wanted to make at this point. I'm gonna let the fleece tell me what it wants to be. I have no experience with shetland.

The first thing I did was spin some up thin and spin some up thick. Do a lot of experimenting to see what the fiber wanted to do. Oh my gosh! It is so soft in my hands and practically spins its self. I carded some and made some thicker yarn that is so soft and lofty light. It is the color of oatmeal. I love it. I want it to be a hat..... with cables maybe.

And it spins thin... oh yeah does it spin up thin. I've not gotten this close to lace weight with any other fiber yet. Could be I've gotten better, but I think a lot of it is this fleece! This laceweight is still soft after I have enough twist to hold it together. No wonder they used this to make lace back-in-the-day.

So that decided it. I'll make a lace shawl from this fleece. Ohhhhhhh yeah. Perfect!

There ya go. The shawl project has begun. I believe we are about 3 weeks in. There's about 1/4th of the fleece left to spin. There's a LOT more shawl to knit.

I keep telling myself - more to knit is more fun to have! Look at all the fun I have yet in front of me.









Luv and Purls
Pfluffernutter

  

The New Years Resolution Thing

This blog is this my 2011 resolution.  I did very well with the new year's resolution thing last year. Don't for one second think that I am good at New Year's resolutions. I don't think I have ever succeeded at keeping one single resolution in my life, ever. I'm no spring chicken so that is quite a few resolutions I had to get it right. Nope, not a one. Until last year.

 The well-fated resolution didn't even come to me until well into the year. I'm taking that as a lesson not to rush the resolution. If it is meant to be it will come in it's own time. The resolution was to "not dress like I'm camping ALL the time."

I don't think I'm exaggerating when I admit that my casual dress had gone a bit too far. FREE t shirts! Sleep on wet hair and it's sticking out all funny? That's what hats are for! Why spend hard earned money on shirts when they give us free Pepsi branded t shirts at work? Yeah I am 5 foot, 100lbs. Free gimmee t shirts are usually extra large. So what? Did I mention Free shirts?!

The thing that finally got to me was fear of that TV show What Not To Wear. Have you seen this show? Friends and family set some poor fool up. They secretly film the subject shopping and working in their embarrassing crappy clothes/hair. The hosts of the show then stage an ambush where they take this person completely unaware. The do offer a $5000 shopping trip, fashion lessons and make over in New York in exchange for forcing the victim to watch the embarrassing video and even watching the hosts of the show throw away all their current wardrobe while verbally trashing it.... piece by piece. I love to watch it. Is that evil?

IMDB Photo - Clinton & Stacy trashing a wardrobe on What Not To Wear.

It is so funny when it isn't you. Ha ha ha. What waaaas she thinking? Clinton holds up a hideous lime green... um... thing. Stacy wants to know how you managed to fit "the girls" in that ... is it a top? Is it a doily from your gramma's dresser top? Har har har har.

I'm not the kind of person to change my entire life style based on unwarranted fear of some TV show. However valid FEAR of a TV show is a dress of an entirely different color. Both of my  children watch that TV show and were very open about their opinion of my style or lack of same. They would turn me in. Other friends at work watch that show as well, but that is still not enough to really scare me.

I work in advertising in Dallas. Our office is in a high rise in downtown that is mostly other advertising agencies. There are camera crews shooting stuff all the time in and around our building. I don't know what half of it is. Could be tests shoots for commercials maybe? Rough draft kind of shoots for a sales pitch maybe? I don't know. The agency I am in doesn't do TV commercials. But lots of other agencies in the building are... apparently. So I was finding myself actually being paranoid that the work going on in the lobby / on the sidewalk was actually Clinton and Stacy preparing to "get me".

So that is how I came to find my self making the New Year's resolution to "not dress like I'm camping ALL the time."  I did it too! Even started doing the make-up thing.

 I'm going to dare to make a resolution for 2011.
This year I am going to try to post on this blog a couple of times a week.
I hope I can do as well this year on the resolution thingy.

Love and Purls
Pfluffernutter