Spinning With Enthusiasm

I had so much fun yesterday teaching my friend Cathy to spin and she took right to it! There is always the learning curve, but really, she did amazingly well for the first time at the wheel...better than I did my first try! I think she's a natural! Even better, than that, I now have a friend to talk spinning with-not that Tommy doesn't listen or isn't enthusiastic about my spinning. After all, he is the one who encouraged me to do this and enabled me with stash fiber and bought my wheels. I think she will dig right in there with me though and another plus is being able to share fiber...if we ever want to purchase fiber that is outrageous, we can go halvsies on it...or fleece. We can try our hand at dyeing fiber too. That should be interesting...
I loaned her a couple of books and the Traddy to practice on with a bag of various fibers to practice with. I know she will quickly get the hang of spinning. She has a friend who is going to send her some Alpaca fiber so she's anxious to learn the whole process.
We will be attending the Peachtree Handspinners Guild meeting next Saturday and not only that, we're planning on a trip to SAFF in October. That will be so much fun! She wants to get bunnies...I must resist the urge to buy furry babies though. I really can't do that. Cathy is also a real pro at gardening too, so we talked about planting veggies-I really do want a small container garden-and she left seed catalogs and gardening books. I am overwhelmed by the choices!

I'm taking Shannen to the park this evening so must get something done this morning, even if it's only a few rows of knitting or start something on the wheel. I just hope the pollen won't kill me right off. It's so bad this year!

OK, I'm the gajillionth person to say this but...

Susan Boyle is amazing! Today I heard her recording of "Cry Me A River"...I wanted to. OMG, this woman's voice is gorgeous. She may not look like what society deems beautiful, but I say she is one of the most beautiful women I have ever had the pleasure to hear sing. Brings me to tears every time I hear her. I joined the Susan Boyle group on Ravelry...had to. I have to keep up with her because I am getting her first CD when it comes out and if she is ever performing in Atlanta, I'm going! I forsee great things for her and she so deserves them!

Well, I finally got around to grafting the hose top for He'Mo Leanan and now I'm ready to get the garter section worked. Not sure how my left-handed knitting is going to skew these but, what can I do? I am left handed. Still, so far, they look like the photo-so far, so good.

Tomorrow I am teaching Cathy how to spin, so today is reserved for house cleaning...I'd hate her to see the clouds of doggy hair fluffing about as she walks and frankly, I'm a bit weary of it myself. I don't know where she's getting all this hair and why it is shedding so much this year! Overnight my beige carpets are turning black from doggy hair!! Arrrrgggghhhh Anyway, I'm going to let her use Bess and spin the Corriedale because it is so easy to spin. I think she will take to it quickly because she's a fiber person and very artsy craftsy...which is one reason we are friends..sympatico. She's a better artist than I am though-drawing wise. I've got to decide what we'll have for lunch. I think she likes cheeses and breads, so maybe we will have that sort of thing. I gotta go to the store this evening and get stuff. She's also bringing seed catalogs for me to browse so I can get a patio garden going. I really would like to grow some veggies this summer-cut down on the grocery costs.

So, I'm off to get started on the cleaning. I'll feel better once it is done and everything is de-Argie'd.

What do you do when you don't have anything to do?

I'm not speaking of myself of course....I have plenty to do as would be evident by the state of cleanliness (un) of my house and all the fiber that needs spinning and knitting that needs to be done. I choose the latter two of course...No what I mean is
PEEPS JOUSTING. My sister told me about this today on the phone. She lives in SC, me, in GA and we talk a few times a month. So anyway, she hears about this activity on the Johnboy and Billy radio show on her way to work one day. Seems like you take Peeps..the marshmallow Easter kind and line them up on opposite sides of a paper plate and stick toothpicks in them. Put the jousters in the microwave and as they expand toward one another, they joust. The object of the game is to expand them as much as possible without them exploding all over your microwave. I think the inventor of this little passtime needed to come to my house and I'd have given him/her all the housecleaning chores so I could knit and spin. Oh well.

I''m procrastinating today for some reason...could be the allergies. My head feels like a baloon. I only have today and tomorrow left of Spring Break and I'm feeling a bit let down. I sure didn't do everything I wanted to do during the time off...but then, I never do. If I were a better organized person I could accomplish something I think.

So now, really, I'm off to...let's see, what will it be?...Spin-yes, spin. After a cup of coffee.

If it's Tuesday, it must be allergy season

One thing I hate about Georgia is that every year I get the scratchy throat, itchy eyes and a really bad case of clogged head...and I snore. Tommy had to get up and go to his studio to sleep last night. I woke myself up...but had no place to go to escape myself. You'd think that the one week I have off for Spring Break I'd be well enough to enjoy it. But no.
About all I can do is hang out indoors and knit and spin, so that's a pretty good deal-even though I can't hang my head over too far or I'll drip all over my wool...lovely.
It snowed today. Not a real snow of course, but there were white flakes blowing about and it was cold and windy. Not at all like Georgia in April should be, but then, lately nothing has really been "right" has it? It isn't pleasing to have all this wrongness going on. I wish it would straighten out so things could feel right again.
I'm really enjoying my knitting today. He'mo Leanan kilt hose for Tommy. Oh they are so pretty and I do love the knotwork...Celtic patterns. Anne Gilmour is such a talent and I do hope that she will decide to publish her Celtic patterns. I'm trying to encourage her to do that. She's such a nice lady and I am thrilled to know her and be her friend. Her hose on Ridge are shown...I've only just begun mine...the red ones and can only hope they turn out as well as hers!! I did start a KAL for these hose on my Ravelry group Kilt Hose and Flashes. So far there are 4 of us knitting them!!
That's about it for today. I'm off to get myself something warm to drink and get back to knitting...or maybe spinning...no, knitting I think.

She's Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack~

I can't even say why it has been so long since I posted here...lazy? Busy? Out of words to say? I don't know. Sometimes I just get that way, but I really would like to try to keep up in a more timely way than I have been~a few words every few days at the most.

So, enough said about not keeping up. It's Spring Break you know. No school/work. I have seven glorious days to knit and spin and do what I want to do; although, we all know that at the end of it, I'm going to be cleaning house and doing laundry and all that other necessary stuff right along with the fun things. I love Spring Break-it gives me time to forget all the nit picky, back-stabbing stuff that goes on at school. There's always something-which is why I love my soon-to-be-lost private office where I can go and just do my work without all the chaos. I'm not thinking about next term having to go back to the front office and be right out there in the open with all the germ ridden kiddos traipsing through my office space. Yes, I'm old and crochety! SO!

On the bright side-besides Spring Break-I've been knitting and spinning as ususal. I made a lace coat for a friend of my sister. No pics of this because, to tell the truth, it was a PITA! Fuzzy yarn-oh yes, fuzzy yarn. But, she wanted fuzzy and that's what she got-the pattern called for it, though God knows why anyone would design a lace pattern with fuzzy yarn that cannot be ripped back if an error is made. I did have to rip back and it was the biggest PITA EVER!!! Oh, and not only was it fuzzy, boys and girls, it was BLACK YARN as well...nuff said. Still, it is done, sent to the happy recipient and I was paid nicely for it. I just finished another sweater for same person-this time, much easier but also F-U-Z-Z-Y Y-A-R-N. Seems to be a pattern. It really is a cute sweater, although I would personally knit it with some nice worsted wool if I made it for myself-which I might do because now I have the pattern (mmmmmwwwwwwhahhhaaaa) I will take pics of this sweater before it wings it's way to Michigan next week. Next in line for same person-a very pretty but much cabled sweater jacket that's going to set her back some bucks, but at least she's going to use worsted (hopefully wool not acrylic)because you can't make that jacket with anything but worsted and have it look right. Another cute pattern to add to my collect as well-It's a win-win for me and her.
I just finished spinning and plying my first 3 ply-got enough to make a pair of socks I think and it turned out nicely. Fiber from ForestFiberWorks on Etsy in the Vintage Sweetheart colorway. I thought it would be much redder than it is but actually it's more bronzey red and I like the three ply a lot. I got 315 yards, 12wpi so it will make a nice sturdy pair of short socks...or something else.

I'll be back...

Ravelympics and Knitting Projects

It's my own fault for over-extending myself-I know it. That's just how I am. I am now starting day 2 of the Ravelympics, knitting a really sweet cardi with some of my handspun, but I've got the mate to Tom's kilt hose still unfinished on the needles and the din it's making for my attention is deafening!! You know how socks are, they can be quite insistent. I told Tom this morning that I am going to have to get it done-even though he was gracious enough to understand if I put it aside for the next two weeks. But, it's me, and I can't-I just can't. I have to finish it. I'm trying to come up with a mental schedule of how I'm going to manage the two and finish them both, so here's the plan: socks get at least two hours a day dedicated time. The rest of the knitting hours are for the Cardi. What else can I do?

And talking about over-extending...but so cool...I've found a kajillion sock patterns that can be adapted to Kilt Hose; not to mention that I recieved two new books yesterday that I ordered that have some really sweet Scottish patterns in them-for hose and clothes! I bought Cables, Diamonds, Herringbone, Secrets of Knitting Traditional Fishermen's Sweaters by Sabine Domnick and Scottish Highland Knits by Sarah Dallas. Can we say "Early Retirement"? Oh I wish!! Still, there are so many things I can knit and all Scottish related too. How cool is that? I also ordered enough Gloss sock yarn-Porcini colorway and Dusk colorway-to make two pair of kilt hose. Very awesome Merino and Silk yarn! I'd love to have a sweater set made from it-in Red.

We've ordered our Sponsorship for the SMHG so that's all taken care of. Tom won't have his kilt in time for that, but should have it for GMHG next July and perhaps some other events inbetween. I think he'll look fabulous in it!! Clan Hunter, he is.

Now, off to knit-time is a-wastin!

GRANDFATHER MOUNTAIN IN JULY

What could be better than the Highland Games in North Carolina in July? The fact that it was, without a doubt, one of the best weekends we've ever had as far as weather and the games! Tom found his clan and was emotionally struck as we all are when we find our clan and roots, and he is now all out to get his kilt and I am as happy as a piggy in mud that I'll now be able to spin and knit him some kilt hose and flashes!! YEA!!! I've found some patterns I want to try so maybe he'll like one of them. I also have a fabulous pattern I've made up for flashes that will have a thistle pattern knitted in. I know he'll love it! At any rate, the games were lovely. We both love it up there and as I've said before numerous times, this trip only made my resolve that much stronger, we're going to retire up there!!

I'm gearing up for the Ravelymics in August...I'll be knitting the cardi...see below...and that is coming along just fine. I've nearly finished my spinning. I'm knitting a cabled sweater in the Blueberry wool crepe, which I started at the Games and have completed, almost, the back. It looks really nice, but will be somewhat warm for this climate I think...could put it up for sale on the site though.
Just got 4 ounces of Merino roving and I have more roving coming from Brenda-the Llama and some things her hubby made to put up on THISTLEKNITS.

So, better get back to some spinning and knitting.