The Practice Yarn

Have you ever been to the Verdant Gryphon? If you haven't seen their yarns you MUST MUST stop everything and go check them out. They have a mystical, mythical theme and some of the most beautiful hand-dyed  semi-solid tonal yarns on the internet. I remember finding their site a few years back, when I had just begun knitting. I loved their yarn, but just wasn't there yet. I was still at the Oh-Look-This-Acrylic-Skein-Is-Only-1.99  stage of my fiber journey.  I drooled over it a bit and then went on with my learning on crap yarn, in the process, forgetting all about this magical Gryphon website of yarn.

Flash forward to last week when I stumbled across them again! Being now in a totally different yarny mindset, with several years of fiber festivals, dying in the backyard, washing and spinning whole fleeces under the belt, the Gryphon yarns do not seem that out of reach. I really want to knit something from the Gryphon now! I think I can do it; just need a pattern.

Oh, look!  They have patterns! Check out this slinky little sweater called Themis designed by Gryphon Corpus.

This actually looks like a really good sweater for Texas.  Average winters where I live provide about 4-6 weeks of heavy sweater usage. That isn't much opportunity to wear something that took months to create. It was quickly decided that THIS was the perfect sweater, available as a pdf download too. This could be my first project using Knit Companion on my ipad mini!

Once I checked out the yarn required for my size (2 of their fingering weight skeins in each colorway) I headed over to the yarn page.  Everytime I put two colors together that I liked one of the colors would be sold out or only have 1 skein left. Should I compromise on the color choice or wait? Then I took a moment to do a little math. I am not a math major, or an engineer, but it didn't take me long to figure out that I would be spending over $100 in yarn (after shipping cost) on a sweater that I still have to put together. I find this really funny since I would NEVER spend $100 on an already-made ready-to-wear sweater, even at the finest department store.

I really want to make this though!  And I want to make it with the beautiful V Gryphon yarns! What if I really mess it up? What if I spend months knitting only to find that this $100+ sweater looks terrible on my body type? It seems to look fine on the model who is also of the tiny stick figure build, but ya never know, right?  I mean, I can put on a top that fits terribly, scrunch it and pose just right, and voila, looks ok in a photo.  How do I know that this technique was not employed for said model photo?

Then the ultimate solution came to me. I don't know why I hadn't thought of this before! It is perfect! I will purchase the pattern and make a sweater with practice yarn first! I will work out any adjustments that may need to be made to the pattern on less expensive yarn. By the time I move on to the drool-worthy Gryphon yarns the garment will be like it is custom made just for my little stick body.  I am now patting myself on the back for thinking of this plan. This will give me more time to choose the colors I want from their website, PLUS I can start right now!

Perhaps I have something in my stash!  Ok, stop laughing now.  You know as well as I do that no matter how much sock yarn any of us have squirreled away, the chances of finding the required yardage in two complimentary colorways in the stash is about as likely as finding a sparkly unicorn in my shower. To avoid that hour of search  being a complete waste of time, I sort of organized the sock yarn stash. It should only take me 30 min  next time to determine I don't have anything usable.

There is really only one thing left to do at this point as I am determined to begin the practice sweater RIGHT NOW.  Yes indeed, it is time for a trip to the LYS! Armed with the pattern requirements I begin the search for the perfect practice yarn. It must be fingering weight in 2 complimentary colorways that I will actually like.

I didn't expect to run into the same issue at the LYS as I had in my own stash. I would find two colors that worked well together, but at least one of the colors would only have one skein in stock. There were also very few tonals. I was mostly finding hand dyed skeins that were big blocks of color dyed across the skein. This would only work if I could find a solid or semi solid that matched one of the colors in the dyed skein.

I was just about to give up when I came across these!

Beautiful! They match and I love the colors. I've been told recently that I should wear more green and this grassy green tonal is just wonderful and springy. To top it off there were many skeins of each colorway. This is SweetGeorgia Yarns CashLuxe Fine in Grouse and in Green.  Fiber content: 70% Merino, 20% Cashmere, 10% Nylon.

oooOOOOOooooh  Cashmere!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I love it even more!

So, at the end of the day.  I spent $150 on "practice" yarn so I don't waste any of the $100 yarn I plan to ultimately knit this sweater with.  Yes, I cast on right away.

Christmas Knitting

I swear I am not going to do this to myself next year. So behind on the Christmas gifts that the hats I intended to make have been abbreviated into headbands. I had such good intentions. What happened?

Those sock you were going to get? Yeah they are just toe covers at this point.

That bag I was going to make? It is only a small pouch.

Afghans? Ha! Don't make me laugh.

I will not stress over this. I will not stress over this. Nobody is going to die if I don't get these done. No children will starve, no dogs will be harmed. It is all going to be ok.

Thanks For The Memories

It is a sweet yet sad moment when you finally finish a project that has spanned a large portion of your life. I began this shawl over two years ago. I had a large amount of shetland and decided I would create a shetland lace shawl with it from scratch, and I mean SCRATCH. I scoured Ravelry for a reproduction of a shetland hap shawl and decided this would be a appropriate pattern for some shetland wool.

 It didn't look like much of a shawl when it was a bunch of raw wool soaking in the bath tub.

 

It didn't look like much of a shawl when it was fresh out of the tub either.



It looked a little more like a shawl after it was spun into lace weight yarn (much of it on a spindle) and the center began to take shape on my needles.



This hanky sized bit of lace went into my knitting bag and traveled with me everywhere. I would pull it out anytime I had a spare moment. It went to work with me and to relatives during holidays. I knit on it at church every sunday. I knit on it while waiting on a table or waiting for my food at restaurants. It even kept me company waiting for test results at the hospital a couple of times, though the IV would make difficult to make real progress (and the drugs made it MORE difficult to follow the pattern).



When I finished the center part of the pattern I had received the spring share from Fancy Fibers CSA farm with some beautiful grey/brown shetland from a sheep named venora. This would become the border of this shawl.... more spinning... more knitting... this thing was starting to look less like a  hanky and more like a real shawl. I couldn't really see it very well though as it was all scrunched up on the circular needles. It looked like more of a lace bag than a shawl.

It continued to travel with me and was starting to fill the knitting bag completely. Everyone at church and everyone in the after church lunch bunch were beginning to wonder if it would ever become a completed item. Some of them marveled that I could create a square item on circular needles which I found very funny.

I continued on........ Finally to the border which was knit kind of like a really really really long narrow scarf and would be grafted on when completed.



I hit a HUGE snag when I was about a foot from completing the border piece and I ran out of Venora's wool! OMG! Nooooooooooooooooo  I called my friend Mary and luckily she still had some roving left from that season's shearing! I took a trip out to her farm with shawl in tow and we matched up the color. Whew! A few weeks later it was shearing time at the farm and I got to help shear Venora (along with the rest of the flock and a goodly number of mohair goats!) Venora is the brown sheep with the HELP ME I AM NAKED look on her face.



Finally the day had come. The border was done and grafted on. The shawl got a hot bath and was stretched out on my bed to block and dry.



I thought back on all we had been through together as she lay there looking all lacy shawlie on my bed. My project, my companion, my friend the shetland hap shawl. We had been through so much. Now that stage of our relationship was over. I kind of missed it already. It would feel strange not to have her to go to when I needed something to fill my hands and my head. Who would watch movies with me? Who would go to church and out to eat with me... I miss you as my project already! It felt kind of like a betrayal. I when I wove in that last bit of stray end I had killed her as a project just as surely as if I had driven a set to shearing scissors into her heart.

Then I realized that she could still go with me. Instead of being in my knitting bag she would rest comfortably on my shoulders. She would wrap me in warmth and comforting memories of all we had been through together. She could keep me cozy while I work on my next project! I wouldn't have to miss her at all! She would still be my companion. We had just moved into a different stage in our relationship, my lovely shawl of memories.

A New Adventure

Starting a new adventure tomorrow, heading out of town for my first experience as a vendor at a fiber festival. I really should be packing right now.

I have spent the last 4 or 5 months creating shawl pins and decorating knitting needles and crochet hooks. I stumbled across a really good deal on raw border leischer, washed and fluffed it to sell by the ounce.

For the last several days I have tried to fall asleep every night only to jump out of bed to add something to the show boxes that I had just thought of.  Oh I will need the kitchen scale! If I don't get it into the box I just know I will forget, so up I go.

I really should crash for the night. It is one in the morning, but I just realized that I have been concentrating on the items for the booth so hard that I haven't packed myself any clothes!!  What am I going to do, wear the same shirt and pants for five days? OMG !!

Ok, throw some clothes in a bag and THEN I can sleep..... maybe.

Here are some of the things I made.

Nuther Package

Oh my goodness! It is another package.
This time it is something wrapped up in a feedbag!



Let's open it up! Well, I had to open it. The package smells like barn. Harley wouldn't leave it alone. She was playing soccer with it all over the living room.



It's a FLEECE!!! Oh Harley!
I think everyone likes the barn smell.
Hate to be the party pooper, but this really can't stay in the house like it is.
Time for this sheep to get a bath.



First a soak in the water ... then out to the sunshine.
Wow. It washed up so beautiful!



Fleece Details:
First shearing of Bernice
Ewe Lamb
breed:Icelandic
a bit over 3lbs

Kinda Likin' this Crochet Thing

Finished the first crochet lace project.
This is a sort of shawlette/scarf published in Interweave Crochet magazine.
Here in this photo it is pinned out,  blocking on my bed.
I have never blocked lace before. This is kinda neat.

Details:

Seafoam Shawl by Kimberly K. McAlindin
published in Interweave Crochet magazine

knit in Classic Elite Yarns Alpaca Sox

The Not-So-Easy Not-So-Quick Not-So-Cheap Crochet Project

I headed out to the LYS (local yarn store) to purchase a shawl pin for a gift item I just finished. They were all out of shawl pins but they were having a BIG yarn sale! I picked up a skein of hand-painted alpaca/silk blend for only $6. It is a lovely gray, white and soft pink. I figured it was the perfect thing to pair with some gray alpaca handspun. If I put them together it should be enough to do a simple garter stitch scarf.

That was my first mistake. There must be a word for the phenomenon I keep running into after buying an unbelievably marked down item. It happens almost every time. I get home all excited about the really nice stuff I got for NEXT TO NOTHING only to end up dropping a fortune on companion items that are needed to make the cheap thing useful. Like the video game I got for only five dollars for the GameStation. How was I to know that the only way to play Pokemon Battle Stadium was if Jessica and I both got gameboys and our own red/blue pokemon games, then spend months catching pokemon and raising them up to battle? Over $100 dollars later we had what we needed to play the $5 bargain.

Well, it happened again on this beautiful yarn! It wasn't the right weight to mix well with the alpaca I had intended to use it with. No problem. I just got the Interweave Crochet magazine. It has something called the SeaFoam Shawl that I really like. On the model it looks more like a small scarf than a shawl. I think this yarn would work nicely for this.

Did I check the yardage requirements? Did I check the yarn type/weight suggestions?  Heck NO. It is a freakin scarf for cryin' out loud. Size is not that important and surely I have enough yarn. It is a dinky scarf! Look at it!

PICTURE COMING SOON

This pattern is worked lace edge first. Then the middle is filled in with seed stitch to create a sort of crescent shape. When I got to the end of the lace part it was really evident that there was not going to be enough yarn. Off to the LYS I go to get another skein. OH NO !!! What made me think that there would be any left at all? It was $25 HAND-painted alpaca/silk! What was I thinking! Of course there is none left.

Oh well, I'll frog this and make something else out of it. But, I really wanted to make this pattern so I bought a $20 hank of Alpaca Sox yarn so I could start over on the spot. I know I have close to 50 skeins of sock yarn in my stash. I KNOW that at least three of them are also Alpaca Sox. I also am very aware that one of the skeins in the stash is very close to this same color of green. I bought it anyway.

I'm not sorry. It is working up quickly and is sooooo amazingly soft and drapy. The lace is done and I'm probably 3/4 done with the seed stitch filling... wait... what >?   NOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Single stitch in the next hole twice. I thought that meant to single stitch in the hole and then single stitch again in the same hole.  She meant to single stitch in the next hole and then single stitch in the NEXT hole. All my filler rows are wrong!  Arrrrgh.
(no wonder it is shaping funny)

Here we go again.... rip ... rip....rip

New Year

As predicted, I ended the holiday season in a mad flurry of knitting and spinning. The last gift item was cast off on Jan 1, the last day of my Christmas holiday. Accck.

Now I can finally knit something for MYSELF right?  No, not so much.

Grandchilds birthday is in Feb. I think I should make something for her American Girl doll. Matching hats maybe? I really don't want to tackle a whole sweater.

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!