Socks and other wooly things

Ok, I'll admit, I started another project before finishing one of the UFO's. It's a brainless pair of socks. I do love socks, but I wanted to do a lacy pair next. I just didn't have the patience this week to work on my complicated patterned UFO's, and I didn't want to start anything lacy, so a round and round and round pair of simple socks sounded great. This pair is "Herb Garden" BFL wool yarn via the Kendig Cottage ebay store. I just love what the green in the space dyed yarn is doing, I think it's really pretty.In moments of more lucidity, I've been doing a row or two on the alpaca/angora lace scarf. I'm using the pretty new needles that I picked up in Rhinebeck, they're pointier than the ones I used to start the scarf, making my life easier for K2's and such. Besides, they're beautiful and I enjoy using them. Remember the roving I said I didn't really like but it was spinning into beautiful yarn? Well here it is, I'm calling it "Mums" because it reminds me of the color of the beautiful dark green leaves and the deep autumn colors in the flowers. I knit a sample and it's beautiful, and so very soft (maybe it was some of the Mohair I had blended into the rovings?) and I can envision it as a vest or sweater, it could be for a girl or guy. It's Rambouillet wool, and although the pictures turned out a bit darker than I'd expected, it's really a beautiful color.

Maybe I'll knit, maybe I'll just whine

I was all packed and ready for my trip this morning, an easy trip from BWI to Chicago and then Ted (which is fun and I enjoy working those flights) from Chicago to Phoenix for a 19 hour layover. Then about midnight I started feeling horrible, and without going into too many details, having a Crohn's Disease attack. I haven't had a bad one in awhile, so it took me by surprise. Needless to say, after hours of dealing with it, it totally cleared me out and now I'm just nursing the horrible pain that is part of having this auto-immune disorder. Today will be a quiet day as I sit doubled over, I tried to knit earlier and my mind just isn't in it, lace patterns aren't going to work for me today. Tomorrow I'll be seeing my Doctor, and hopefully have some real food in my belly by then. If you'd like more information on this, here's a link: Crohn's DiseaseI hope everyone has a wonderful and fibery day!

Rhinebeck Adventure Report

What a fantastic weekend! After a rainy drive up to NY state with rain continuing into Saturday morning, we arrived at the Dutchess County fairgrounds for the NY State Sheep and Wool Festival in good spirits. We picked up fiber that had been processed by McClellan's Frankenmuth Woolen Mill as well as Zeilinger's Woolen Mill for pick up at this festival and got them squished into the car in the rain. We had a great time talking to John from Frankenmuth while we were there and had more occasions to visit him during the day (wink wink). These hand dyed fibers will be on the business website as soon as I get the chance to weigh, divide, and photograph the rovings. I began spindling the roving that I actually liked the least, and it's drop dead gorgous as yarn! Go figure! The picture you see is the pile of processed hand dyed rovings sitting in my living room after we got home last night. Of course, it's all awaiting my attention. Mark and I enjoyed looking at the various sheep breeds there, the Tunis being this year's featured breed. We visited our favorite vendors as well as some of my suppliers, and met a lovely lady by the name of Claudia that
produces "Heal my Hands" all natural lanolin based hand, lip, and nose creams which will be featured on my business website hopefully within the next couple of months. She is shown here (sorry, I didn't know her eyes would be closed in the picture) holding a purse she made of some of the rovings she purchased from Kendig Cottage. It's a beautiful project! We ran into Risa and her delightful twins while walking around looking at the vendors. She was accompanied by Nancy of Knitting Wench fame who was truly delightful. We were lucky enough to run into Risa and Nancy later during the day, along with Elaine Harvey with her friend Judy. The twins were having fun running around and being 2 year olds, and Mark and I were enjoying them too. Ok, I'll admit, there was a visit to the fleece sale in there somewhere. I looked up to see one of my favorite people, she who helped suck me back into the fleece vortex, Lady Vee, with her beautiful daughter! I'm not sure if she made any purchases or not as she slipped out while I was waiting in line. For personal use, I picked up a beautiful white Merino as well as an Eggshel colored slightly red "Moorit", (which went straight to John of Frankenmuth Woolen Mill to make roving from) and snagged some beautiful fleece for my future dye runs for the business. I purchased a "few" Shetland fleeces from my favorite Farm as well. Mark and I ended a wonderful Saturday by meeting Myrtle Dow and her beautiful lambs, one was a CVM, and one was a Wensleydale cross. We had a delightful conversation and I truly enjoyed meeting her, she's fantastic! Of course, never one to turn down a beautiful CVM fleece from Myrtle, there is a gorgeous Chocolate brown one awaiting washing in my basement now! I have just the pattern for it, along with a light grey lamb fleece I'd gotten from Myrtle earlier and a white one I purchased elsewhere, but it probably came from her and Roy's farm. We also managed to say hello to Jonathan Bosworth, Linda Diak, Tom Golding, and many of our other favorite folks. I purchased a pound of Icelandic Roving from Diane Golding at Meadowsweet Farm Icelandics which I can't wait to spin, it's so soft and wonderful. Sunday, Mark and I came back for awhile on our way back to Maryland. We just happened to run into Cindy from Foxglove Fiberart Supply, who has always been such a wonderful person to talk to via email, I'm so very pleased that we got to meet her at last! She's even nicer in person! It was a chance meeting at a vendor's booth, but I feel very fortunate that I got to enjoy talking to her before she went back to Washington State and us to Maryland. Speaking of going back to Maryland, we rented a car since the Mini-van was in the shop, and here's how it looked. I always enjoy car trips because Mark drives and I get the opportunity to knit, as happened in both directions on this trip. I now have 3 projects going and worked on all three, depending on my level of tiredness and mood. We stopped for lunch at a place in Poukepsie called the River Station, and this was the view of the Hudson River out of their window by our table.

Thank you, Secret pal!

This came in the mail yesterday, a package from my Secret Pal! It's wonderful and I absolutely love everything! It's got a CD with knitting patterns and magazines, Dark Chocolate, Lavender bath fizzies, and that gorgeous lavender and purple hand painted lace weight yarn. Ahh...my mind has been full of possibilities for what that yarn will become, but I haven't decided yet. Thank you so much, Secret Pal! :)

Date night!

Dinner and a movie, what could be a better way to spend Friday night with my sweetie? Maybe going to Trader Joe's afterward, followed by a trip to Starbucks and Barnes and Noble for some book browsing? That's my idea of a fantastic romantic evening. The only disappointing thing about the whole evening is that Sean the Sheep wasn't in the Wallace and Gromit movie, and you know what a wool fiber person I am! I did manage to drop a couple of stitches while knitting in the theatre while waiting for the film to start, that's tomorrow's project. :) Have a good weekend, everyone!

Knitting, Fiber, and Friends

I've been working on my moorit shawl, the boring one that's for reenactment dress in the winter, functional but not particularly lacy in the interest of keeping warm. It is growing, I'm now on my 4th ball of yarn, thinking about what I'm going to do to finish off the long edge. In between washing some of the fleece from NJ and getting it into the dyepots, I did a swatch from the Beginner lace pattern in "A Gathering of Lace" with the Merino/Kid Mohair yarn I finished the other day. This pattern gave me a fit. I didn't know why it wasn't turning out right, but I wanted to see the color in a swatch so I could decide if I liked the yarn. (I do, especially in the sunlight-it's beautiful!) That brings me to the wonderful evening DH and I spent with LizzyB and her DH and their furry children. Liz was able to figure out what I'd done wrong in the pattern and help me come up with a solution. I'm actually probably going to start over or do the Faux Russian shawl from the same book, but I learned a heck of a lot. Liz and I talked fiber while the "guys" talked about guy stuff. Liz shared some of this beautiful light brown Merino fleece with me, and I gave her some CVM (and to share with Lady Vee). I have the Merino soaking in hot water as we speak. It was so much fun to explore the fiber and yarn in Liz's stash and we even got to spin for awhile, all the while enjoying good food, good company, and good fun! Mark and I can't wait to return the favor, with dinner and fiber and fun at our place. :)

Not sure if I like it

I finally finished a monster skein of yarn I'd been working on here and there since about July. It's merino/kid mohair, and I was thinking of a lacy shawl or wrap for one of my reenactment/living history dresses. It's kind of muted pastels. I think it's going to be way more attractive of a yarn when it's knit up than it is right now. Here it is on the dress I'd intended to wear it with. I think it's going to go better with a darker color dress to contrast with, but that's getting way ahead of the whole process. First I need to finish one of my other projects (which I'm planning to work on this weekend), then I have to pick a pattern, then I actually have to get it knitted. Maybe this one will end up being a fashion statement for next winter. I have plenty of fiber to make more yarn...Now where are my lace pattern books?

How I'm spending my September vacation

I ended up with this week off, I get a certain number of days of vaction a year, (all awarded by seniority) and I have to take it regardless of when I can hold the days. I couldn't hold vaction during the summer, during spring break, or any of the other times that I might have wanted it, so I ended up with this week off. Even still, I've had a chance to do some volunteering at the farm museum doing living history, and catch up a little bit on unpacking from the NJ Festival. I was able to get some color samples started for the fibers I carry for the business yesterday, the fun thing is that I decided to spindle them all, and I spindled each one of the samples on a different spindle, some that are from my collection, some that are part of my inventory. It was fantastic for getting to know the spindles, plus a great way of lessening the boredom of spinning and plying 36 separate pieces of yarn. I'm not going to tell you which spindles were my favorites, because some of my favorites in the past weren't as good on that kind of fiber as they would have been on other fibers. And some that I usually don't like as much were perfect for this kind of fiber. Go figure, I guess it means that having more spindles is better than having less! :)

Questions, questions! :)

I've been asked to answer the following questions on my blog...

1. Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer higher quality and/or natural fibers)? Do you avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand? Or is it all the same to you?
I'm a definite yarn snob. I spent way too much time making things in my "youth" that didn't wear and wash well because it was cheap crap yarn. I enjoy using anything natural, I do use some commercial yarns, but mostly make my own these days.
2. Do you spin? Yes, it's my passion! Crochet? Not if I can help it! I've made a few scrunchies in the past, but I don't enjoy crocheting.
3. Do you have any allergies? (smoke, pets, fibers, perfume, etc.) Definitely allergic to smoke, it makes my eyes itch and water and makes me cough. Other than that, nothing.
4. How long have you been knitting? About 10 years give or take. I spent a lot of years in that time not doing any knitting at all so I still think I'm a beginning to intermediate knitter.
5. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list? Nope, not yet.
6. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.) Hmmm, lavender, gardenia, anything floral except rose.
7. Do you have a sweet tooth? Step away from the Dark Chocolate and nobody gets hurt! Actually yes I do, I fight with it every day, I love everything!
8. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Basically dyeing, spinning, knitting, and that arena are where I'm at these days. I used to quilt and make soap, but lately I haven't had the time.
9. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD) I like classic rock, modern rock (not headbanging though), folk, some classic, don't like Rap, Hip hop, or most country. Crossover country/pop is ok. I think my Comptuer can play MP3's, I don't know. I know it plays CD's.
10. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? Any colors you just can't stand? That's a tough one. It depends on my mood. I think blues, and purples most times, but then again I love the greens and autumn colors. I'm not much for yellow and most oranges though.
11. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets? I have a husband who I adore and two grown and moved out kids that come back and spend time regularly. I travel overnight sometimes and so does hubby, so I don't have pets. I miss having a dog but it wouldn't be fair to have one and not be here for him.
12. What are your life dreams? (really stretching it here, I know) I have a job I enjoy, kids that I love and enjoy, and a husband that makes me really happy. I have hobbies that are fufilling, and have lots of friends that I very much enjoy. So, I think I'm living my life dream. Sure, I'd like to have more money and be more comfortable, but despite that, I'm happy.
13. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? Right now I'm making a lace scarf with some Angora/Alpaca blend that I made, but I enjoy thinner yarns with character. There's not just one type that I could call my favorite. I love pretty much them all!
14. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like? Acryllic and "fun" fur type yarns.
15. What is/are your current knitting obsession/s? Would have to be Lace work and Fair Isles. I just love watching a pattern develop when I'm doing fair Isle, and when you block the lace you've made it emerges into a beautiful thing!
16. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit? I knit pretty much across the board. Smaller projects are gratifying because they can get finished so quickly, but the satisfaction of completing a large project such as a sweater (none of those to report in many years) or a shawl is so sweet!
17. What are you knitting right now? I'm working on 2 easy shawls for reenactment wear, a lace scarf, an entralac hat, and thinking about a Fair Isle Sweater.
18. What do you think about ponchos? I liked them when I was in my 20's. I don't really think they're great for my body type and age, but for kids and young adults, knit on! :)
19. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Circular needles are easier to carry so I use them all the time now.
20. Bamboo, aluminum, plastic? Mostly bamboo. I do have a couple of sets of Addi turbo needles for socks and one of my shawls is on a set. I might be becoming a fan, but I still like those Bamboo ones because the stitches don't fall off as easily when I'm in the car (as a passenger) knitting.
21. Are you a sock knitter? I love to knit socks! But I have second sock disease. It takes me no time to make the first, forever to make the second. But I love them. You reminded me that I want to start another pair!
22. How did you learn to knit? I taught myself out of a book. I didn't have any knitters around me when I was younger so I was on my own.
23. How old is your oldest UFO? Right now, it's around 5 years old. It's a sweater that I have the bulk of done, I just can't seem to get back to it. It probably wouldn't fit these days anyhow, and my knitting is so much more consistant now that I'm really thinking about just throwing it away unfinished. But I just can't bring myself to do that so it still sits on my UFO list.
24. What is your favorite animated character or a favorite animal/bird? Patrick the Starfish and the Serta Sheep for animated, and anything sheep related for non-animated.
25. What is your favorite holiday? Thanksgiving. It's the big family holiday on my husband's side, and I absolutely adore his family. We all gather in Illinois and see everyone and bond and just have a fantastic time! There's no pressure and it's something I look forward to every year. We also drive there so I look forward to getting a lot of knitting done in the car.
26. Is there anything that you collect? Is there anything that I don't collect is more the question! Actually, I had been collecting sheep figurines and pictures for my office - mostly primatives, but now I have no more room. I collect fiber like most spinners, and I also collect Boy Scout Council Shoulder patches, that's how DH and I met. My salt-glaze pottery collection is pretty much full too, but I enjoy looking for new manufacturers and picking up a small piece every now and then.
27. What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have? Interweave Knits, InKnitting, Spin Off.
28. Any books out there you are dying to get your hands on? Not really. I'm pretty goal oriented. A soon as I see one that I have to have, I usually buy it. I'm bad that way. I haven't really started looking at Fair Isle books, I have the Philospher's Yarn one, but that's it. I will probably build my book collection in that direction next but don't know what's out there yet.
29. Any patterns you have been coveting, but haven't bought for one reason or another?? I have been looking at patterns on the web lately for most of my projects, or from the books that I already have.
ETA: 30. What are your foot measurements, and what kind of socks do you like? I'm about a size 9.5-10US, which measures 9.25 inches tip to heel. I love the funky self striping yarns for socks but I'm also thinking about making some from handspun.
Have a fantastic and fibery day!

Finally, the fleece samples are finished!

OK, almost finished. I have one left to get done tomorrow and then they're all completed. Whew. I thought I was never going to get through them all, but it's been a wonderful learning experience! I'm very glad I spun them, you can't learn and experience the differences unless you actually wash and card or comb and spin the samples. Everything feels nice in the grease, and even washed, it's hard to tell how a yarn is going to develop. And this is my latest aquisition to arrive. This is New Zealand possum fiber. This isn't the possum that you see in America, these are beautifully furry and soft animals. This is destined to be blended with a nice and soft fine fleece like Merino, CVM or Finn, depending on what I locate in the upcoming fesitvals that I'm going to attend. It's so soft. I've spun Merino/Possum from NZ but I can't get more than a sample without having to purchase a Sea shipping container full of it. So, I'm going to make my own blend. I can't wait! :)

NJ Harvest Sheep & Fiber Festival report

DH and I spent the weekend at the NJ Harvest Sheep & Fiber Festival in our first foray into the vending arena. We decided before going that we were just hoping to break even, and we'd go and have fun. We did just that, so we weren't disappointed. This show is small and friendly, and it was so nice to meet the wonderful wendors, organizers, and folks that came to participate and look. The large shows such as Maryland and NY are getting to the point that you can't even walk in the vendor areas without getting hit and jostled by all the folks, and you certainly can't see anything or spend time talking with folks. This was different. This was really nice. They had live music, fun classes, a beautiful farmland setting, and adorable sheep, goats, bunnies, alpacas, and more sheep! My favorite, the friendly and sweet California reds were in attendance as well. They just love to be scratched, petted, and talked to, and their shepherds are just as nice as they are! And did I mention that my dh is now officially a fiber enabler? He went to the fantastic fleece auction and came away with 5 beautiful fleeces. When he was showing me, I heard such terms as "great staple length", "luster", "well skirted", so I think he's been hanging around us fiber folks quite a bit! Did I marry the right guy or what! I won't even tell you what a fantastic deal everyone that was at the auction got on their purchases, because you'd be so jealous. There was also a silent auction of great handmades and a fleece sale. I bought a beautiful chocolate brown BFL, CVM, Rambouillet cross fleece from a farm in NY at the sale. They always have fantastic fleeces for sale, and this one was no different. It wasn't advertised as being skirted (and the price was very, very low for a non-covered fleece, fantastically low for a covered one) but upon washing it today, I found absolutely nothing that I had to throw away. And besides the usual lanolin, it was clean as could be. I can't wait to start spinning it, it's drying right now and calling my name!

Another project from my stash

Monday was dye day. I have "more than one" Rambo fleece in the stash and was planning on dyeing some and blending it with some Mohair that I had. Everything was already washed so I got the dyes out and went at it. I'd measured a pound of wool out and put it in the sink to soak, made the dye and added the wool, repeated the process for the other dye pot and then found a notecard in the bag with the fleece that told me that it wasn't Rambouillet, it was the corriedale/merino that I thought I'd purchased in NY last fall but couldn't find. Of course, I figured I'd lost my mind and went on to something else! Well, there it was!
I used Gaywool Dyes "Musk" color but purposely used less than recommended for the amount of wool in the pots. Because I dyed before picking or carding, I got a nice variegated effect, it was a kind of Williamsburg blue with lighter portions as well as Indigo portions as well. After picking the color blended nicely though there was still a small amount of variation. After carding the color seemed very light. It went from being what I would have thought of as "Boy sweater Blue" to "Girl sweater Blue". I spun a sample to see if the color would darken in the finished yarn. It did just a little bit, but not very significantly. I photographed the yarn on top of the carded batt to compare the color. I have not enhanced the color or clarity of any of the photos. The yarn is soft and wonderful, and I'm really enjoying spinning from this fleece.
I'm not sure what I'm doing with the wool yet, but I'm sure it'll announce to me soon what it wants to be.

Rominov to the Rescue

While I was gone this week working, two packages came for me with some wonderful Rominov fleece in them. A huge thank you to the spin-listers who came to the rescue, now I'll be able to make a sample for my guild meeting next week. I washed up the lamb fleece, I think there's an ounce or two of it, and it'll be perfect for making a sample skein. The photo is of an adult fleece that another spin-lister offered to share with me that she had purchased at a fiber festival. I jumped at the opportunity to buy some from her I haven't delved into that one yet, but it looks interesting.

Monday morning already?

First, I want to take time out to say: "Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday DEAR Markie, Happy Birthday to you" to my dear husband who is celebrating the anniversary of his 29th Birthday today! Thank you for all you do for me and for being the love of my life and the best fiber husband on the planet! Yesterday we went to the parent's visitation at our son's school and got to see him for the first time since July. He's doing very well and keeping fit and mentally active. He looks healthy and is excelling. I'm very proud of him and the work he has done in this program, he is finally taking all his abilities and putting them to great use. He's on the drill team, chess team, is doing volunteer work, is helping the counselors and teachers, and is being an all around good person, even looking for extra things to do to help out! He's reading and getting fantastic grades too! He mentor for the program, who is his longtime scoutmaster "Mr. Charlie", is helping him out a tremendous amount and is owed credit for a lot of good influence and positives in Jon's life as well. Thank you, Mr. Charlie!
Now back to the fiber stuff...Actually since I posted last, I have been kind of busy getting ready for the NJ Harvest festival which is next weekend. I did manage to get the rest of the CVM washed, as well as some Polypay and some Mohair goat. ECCCCHHHHH! The Mohair stinks horribly! I'm going to dye it and add it to some Rambouillet fleece that's in the stash to make a sweater for me, and perhaps one for my DH, although not to be worn at the same time, don't worry! I also got a few more samples done of my own fleeces (I'm planning on doing another one or two today for the fiber survey) Top to Botton, Polypay, "Wendy" who is a BFL/Wensleydale, and CVM.

Another FO!

While waiting for my DH to come home from his business trip last night, I managed to get the Fair Isles Hat finished. It turned out to be way too long of a pattern, so I left out 2 of the motifs. The author of the pattern commented on my blog this morning that she would have substituted the larger motif near the top for the first one, but I'd already gotten quite a distance past that before I figured out that the hat would have been too big without altering the pattern. Still, I think it turned out ok. All things considered, this was my first large scale (ok, medium scale) project using all those colors and I was learning as I went. I really like the pattern on the top of the hat with the trees. Now I want to work on a sweater in Fair Isle, but that'll have to wait for now until I catch up on some other things.

The fleece fairy came today!

Again, this is a repost as the earlier one took out my sidebar. After the diappointing Rominov fleece, I held my breath as I opened up the other box. I was not at all disappointed in what I found in this one! This beautiful CVM fleece was right on top and I've already begun washing it to find that it really is beautiful when cleaned up. In addition, there was a Pretty Targhee named "Myrna" waiting for me there, and even a Shetland Lamb named "Fang" Now Fang has a little bit of VM in his coat, but nothing that will be too tough to get rid of. Normally I prefer processed rovings, but these were just too good to pass up, and I feel a sweater (maybe for Moi!) trying to emerge from them.

Disappointing

This is actually a re-post as the original one "ate" my sidebar! Anyhow, I went to the post office to gather up my packages today. I had a Rominov fleece that I'd bought from an ebay auction as well as a big box with a few others I'd purchased online. The Rominov was a complete and total loss, horribly felted and very stinky. If you want it, feel free to email me! It's yours! I did email the seller who advertized it as "Raw" Wool and clean-kept off the floor, explaining that it was unusable and the listing didn't say that it was felted. I figured that if she knew the breed, she'd know that it wasn't supposed to be felted! lol...She told me I should have emailed her before bidding to ask if it was felted! Oh well, I'm disappointed since I was planning to "gift" a bunch of fiber friends with parts of the fleece to make sample skeins to add to their collections. Now I have a big hunk-o-wool that is worthless and useless, and on top of that, smelly!

I can't get going today! :)

Yawn. I'm kind of tired from getting home late last night with lots of work on the agend before bed, but I just couldn't sleep later than I did this morning. I keep hoping the caffeine will kick in eventually, perhaps I need some of the hi test stuff from one of the FruFru Coffee places! I have been sitting on the sofa doing "just one more row" of the Fair Isle Hat that I started in LAS on Monday. It's coming out really nicely and I keep wanting to see more of the pattern develop. It's probably going to be a holiday gift for my DS who has actually met 3 of the 4 sheep whose fleeces are included in my rendition of the hat (and who doesn't read my blog ~grin~).
This pattern is actually a free one that I found online (Fair Isles Hat Pattern) but done in a blue and lighter brown colorway. Since I wanted to use my naturally colored fleeces from the basement (yes, this is the "Basement Hat" that you saw on an earlier blog entry as fiber ready to spin) I tried to match my colors to those of the hat. I'm not sure how I did but "it is what it is". The gauge is correct but it seems so huge already for the amount I have left to knit of the pattern. There is no gauge listed for the rows, just the stitches, and I think that's where the problem is. I have to think about it a bit and see if I think I can alter the pattern. I have to spin some more of the black "Blackie the Lamb" wool today, and of course, I have a bunch of errands and laundry to do, and repack for my trip tomorrow. But knitting is so much more fun!

Take a moment to remember

Today is September 11. It's been 4 years since that horrific day when the world changed forever. An airline is like a family. You get to know other crew members when you travel with them on trips, overnight sometimes, sometimes many nights in a row. You get to know them white chatting, eating, waiting, doing everyting together, basically living together flight to flight, and you grow to depend on each other. Sometimes you only interact with another crew member for a brief point in time, but you still bond, you become family, you learn about each other. You know that if there is ever any one of the many emergencies that we've been trained for, you will be able to depend on each other, regardless of what base you're from, where you live, or anything else that you have going on in life. You are a crew, you are a cohesive unit, you are together, even if it's only for one leg. You see, there's always a lot of attention given to Ground Zero in New York and to the Pentagon, as there should be as so very many good and innocent people died in those places, but what really gets to me is right outside of Shanksville, Pennsylvania, in a quiet field at the edge of the woods..

When the crew boarded that 757 that Tuesday morning, the same 757 that I've flown in the past (as had most of the flight attendants in the system at some time), they had no idea how their day was going to end. It could have been any of us flying that day, I was on a 757 between Baltimore and Denver when it all started happening. You see, I knew more folks on that airplane than I did on any of the other planes that went down. I know that the first people to lose their lives, even before the flight "ended" were Flight Attendants and Pilots, trying to the end to comprehend what was going on, and trying to help their passengers. Good people that, like everyone else that died on September 11, 2001, did not deserve their fate. Jason and Leroy, Lorraine, Sandy, Bob, Wanda, and CeCe. Lets not forget them either.

Sorry, there's no fiber content in this post. The fleeces and roving can wait.

Playing in the Dyepots

A couple of days ago a fiber friend and customer asked for some "Sunset on the Beach" Corriedale. I didn't have any in stock, so I had to make some. I got up yesterday morning kind of grumbling at having to do all the work ahead, but I really owe Stan a thank you! I really enjoy working with color normally, but yesterday I really got to playing and enjoying myself a lot. I also did a run of the Merino/Tencel blend fiber with the same dyes (I hate to throw perfectly good dye away when there's lots more color before it's exhausted!) Then I got to thinking about plying, color varieites and methods and things that both Mona's Blog and the Twisted Sister's Sock Book deal with. Each deals with taking hand dyed rovings (Mona's beautiful yarn came from some of my Iris Garden rovings) and plying them differently to come up with different effects. Anyway, while I had the dyes still in the pots, I decided to dye a series of 5 pieces of roving for myself just like the ones you see above. Then I dyed 5 pieces of roving of the same colors used in the hand dyed to ply with the variegated stuff, but this time I dyed them a single color each. My intent is to ply the solid color with the hand dyed colors and see which one(s) I like the best! I think the effect will be interesting and of course, different depending on the color used as the solid. You can see that the colors are very pastel as the dye was close to being exhausted, but I think it'll be very pretty. I'll keep you up to date on the experiments as I get the fiber spun.

Another FO

Today I finished the second Andean style headband using the same exotic fiber as the one I completed last month. The new one is on the bottom. The white is yak, the light brown camel, and the dark brown buffalo down. The first one I made was much larger than this one, I was very nervous about allowing enough yarn in the stranding and got a bit carried away. The new one fits just fine! I'd thought about using the buffalo on the border ribbing but the yarn was too fragile. I'm playing with color and not really sure which one I like better. I asked dh what he thought, and being the diplomatic husband that he is, he said he liked them both!

I love my job

What's not to love...I get to shop, I get to order, I get to unwrap, I get to oooh and aaah over the woods and even test these beautiful spindles...but then I get to adopt them out to good homes too, so life is good!

Goodies

Yesterday while I was gone a box arrived with two of my much anticipated new fleeces. The California Red (left), which is washed and picked is here, and the Polypay named "Cassie" (below)which is dirty has arrived as well. Perhaps I'll get a chance tomorrow to wash the Polypay and card some of the California Red. I did wash a small amount of the Polypay to make sure it was going to be white, and it looks beautiful. I can't wait to make up some sample skeins of both!