DS's photographic skills

Jon took another good animal picture, this one was taken last night through the window and had to be digitally enhanced, but the little racoon was so cute I just had to share it...especially with our DD who checks the blog regularly (Hi! Jenn! :)} We live in the woods and peacefully co-exist with the little friends around us.

One of our adopted kids :) 

Spring Flowers Yarn

"The" Shawl 

Progress, well, a little

Over the past few days I've actually gotten a bit of the "Spring Flowers" Roving that I dyed a couple of weeks ago spun up. I think it will make a beautiful scarf to go with a dark colored coat (not that I'd wear it with my uniform coat or anything...lol). I did a little bit under 4 oz and plied it, now I'm waiting for it to dry so I can play with knitting it. The lace/leaf shawl is progressing, still all scrunched up until it gets blocked, I think I'm about 25-30% done so far. I have to get spinning on that fiber so I have enough yarn to keep going with the knitting! I'm knitting the last skein that has been spun. Still, I have plenty of the fiber and it spins so nicely that I don't mind.
Today I did no knitting, the kids wanted to go to Hampden and look at the antique and retro shops, they bought a bunch of LP's (that's right-records!) :) and not one of those is newer than 1980's. Both teenagers got some seriously classic rock, and my son has requested that I will all my old LP's to him...I had to keep telling him "I already have that one" at the shops! They're downstairs listening as we speak, and I'm enjoying the sounds of the Beatles, Moody Blues, Hair, etc.

DSD and DH

DD

DS and the Granddog :) 

Now to make New Year's Resolutions!

After a wonderful dinner and some fantastic family time with some of our kids (2 grown DSS's were elsewhere) we're all ready to look forward to the New Year and of course, that leaves me thinking of what my New Year's Resolutions will be. Perhaps not to buy a single bit of fiber unless I use up some of my stash, maybe not to start any new projects until those that are underway are completed, maybe to learn a skill within spinning or knitting that I didn't heretofore know. I know I plan on doing a lot more dyeing, I really enjoy working with color.
I'm *blushing* as I have no idea which colors I used in the dyed rovings I did...I was working with a bunch of left overs from some other projects. I had the 3 primary colors from Ashford which ended up in every dye pot, some Cushings baby blue, and a bunch of Gaywool colors sprinkled in, and mostly I just put a little from this bottle, a little from that, and played with the color combinations until I got what I thought would be pretty.) I like the gaywools best as they are crystals and less powdery, less of the stuff floating around in the air.
Well, I really don't have to decide on resolutions today, so I'll go back and work on my lace shawl some more before retiring to bed. I hope everyone is keeping warm and having a fantastic holiday season. :)

Dyeing for some artistic expression :)

Well, here is the output from the dyepots...I spent the day working on some different color combinations after getting out my crayons and coloring a few thoughts out first. I really like the way the Merino silk feels as I spin it. I have no idea what I'm going to make with what I spun, but something will jump out at me, besides I don't have much yarn in my stash these days! Now to find the time to sit down and spin out the other colorway. :)

Spring Flowers

Sunset- Merino/Silk, and I even got some spun 

Our squirrel friends

The now famous squirrel in the picture is actually one that lives in the woods behind our house. Some mornings dh has been putting something out in a small dog dish for the little animals. This one (we call her Shirley Squirrely) is one of 3 that are around most every day and that we've come to know by sight, and is very protective of the food bowl. She frequently chases away a smaller female we call "Sandy", yet another larger female we call "Samantha" chases Shirley. Pecking order in the Squirrel world, I suppose. DS Jon took this picture through our glass door, as we never get any closer to the wildlife. The door is within touching distance of my computer so I get to watch them in the mornings whenever I'm not flying. It's a nice diversion when I really don't feel like doing my work. :)

Our newest buddy

Half way there! Merino/Mohair fuzzy socks. 

Rambouillet Fleece

Spun up-still a single 

The beginning of the ugly sweater

The spinning group I belong to "Twisted Sisters", has a pattern going around that they call the "ugly sweater", but actually it isn't very ugly at all (the original version pictured it made up in a horrible color with a gaudy picture on the front). Most of the group members have now made a copy or two of this rolled hem, easy, quick sweater, and we are all supposed to wear them to our party this Friday. I have only been a member 6 months and just got the pattern in November. I don't have any scrap yarn to use up, so I've decided to spin up some icky, ugly fiber I've had in the basement that needs to be used up. It definitely won't be done this month, probably not until the summer, but at least I'm starting!

I purchased rambouillet fiber this summer via mail order, and dyed it a few different colors with some cushing's and some gaywool dyes. I'm carding the yellow and lavender in with the red to make a kind of lumpy, funky yarn. It's definitely going to be bumpy because I think the entire red fleece is second cuts and noils, what you see has already been through the picker. It's full of VM and generally is very disappointing...my first adventure in buying fleece sight unseen from unknown shepherds. In the future, I will buy fleece only at the wool and sheep shows so I can see and touch it. Sigh. But the yarn seems to be coming out ok, and the batts that I've made so far on my carder look like they're ok too...of course, I'm full of VM after I sit and spin a bit. lol.

A dreary day off-perfect for knitting

I've already been working a bit this morning on my orange shawl. It's a good day to be inside and cozy. I'm having hot cocoa and working on a multitude of things, I'll reward myself for accomplishing today's task (getting the rest of the yarn I carry onto the Kendig Cottage website) by sitting down and knitting on my leaf shawl, of course I also need to work on getting more of the yarn for it spun! I'm about 80% finished with the two monster bobbins full that I'm making, then it'll just be getting it plied and set. That's a real case of "be careful what you wish for" as I wanted super large bobbins, and that's exactly what I got on the new wheel, but now it takes forever to fill them-and I'm even using the fatcore lace bobbins which are about 1/2 the size! That's ok, I'll have a larger skein of yarn to knit without knots this way. :)
***I ordered the Kundert spindles a while ago and they've finally come, now I have to get spindling! I just love the wood work on the spindles, to me they are works of art. They are only 1.2 and 1.4 oz, so they're lighter than they look! They'll make beautiful fine diameter yarn. I suppose this proves that I really have the collector gene in my DNA.
***Thank you so much to those friends that advised me not to panic about the pattern on the leaf shawl pulling and bunching up...and for your assurances that the blocking will straighten it all out. I feel much better now! I will order the blocking pins and whatever else I need...never blocked anything before, thank you for your suggestions on vendors, I'm presently checking them out.

The postlady kindly brought these new friends. 

The little bit I've finished of the leafy shawl 

Did a bit on the orange shawl 

One of the best gifts in the world

Here's a picture of Jon the carpenter with the gift he made for me in wood shop class...a beautiful white oak shelf. He sanded it until it's as smooth as glass, and the wood grain is gorgeous! I can't wait to find a place of honor for it!
I got about 50 rows of my shawl done today (my first foray into charted knitting) and much to my dismay, it is coming out very dark, and it's hard to see the leaf pattern unless you hold it up to the light and spread the work out. I'm going to continue to work on it because I love the yarn, and the pattern, perhaps some of my expert knitting friends will let me know if I can expect it to grow a little bit when it is wet and then blocked, and/or if I can expect the yo's to open up a bit as well. I will wait until I get more of the pattern done to take a picture of it, right now it's still fairly small.

Jon with the present he made for me :) 

Woods outside our window...picture by Jon 

Jon with his new hat

Here's a rare picture of my ds, Jon, with the hat I knitted for him. It's an early Holiday present...from a kit I purchased from Bonker's yarns at the Estes Park Wool Market last June...the "jester's hat". It has 4 little pointy pieces on the top and is just crazy and colorful enough that he likes it a lot. :) And yes, he kind of has that Belushi eyebrow thing going on. lol.

Jon's new hat 

More about the new baby

You're right Carolyn (thanks for mentioning it), I forgot to list what the wheel is: It's a Louet S75, Double Treadle with Skeinwinder. They stained it Cherry for me at no extra cost, and I really love the color. DS Jon and I did the extra bobbins I got for it last night, but they don't look quite as nice as the wheel stain. It spins really nicely. Not as beautiful as your wheel, though...but very compact for my little place.

New project for myself: Leaf Shawl

The new Louet produced it's first skein of yarn over the weekend, a Merino/Mohair blend called "Granada". I did about 155 yards of sport/dk weight for a pattern I found in Knitted Shawls, Stoles, and Scarves, which looks like leaves in a shawl. The picture came out more purple and green but the fiber reads more navy blue with contrasting colors in person. I have about 3-4 skeins more to make for the project, but I just might get started knitting and spin as I go. I'm also knitting another mystery shawl from the orange/brown corriedale/alpaca I finished spinning over Thanksgiving, but that's my traveling (brainless) project which will stay in my work tote bag until it's finished. Ah, the feel of having lots of UFO's...lol

Fiber for "leaf" shawl 

My new baby 

The new baby has arrived

And I'll bet you didn't even know that I was expecting! The new baby arrived this week, and my DS, Jon put it together for me. It spins like a dream, and I love it! I probably would have purchased this one before the others if I'd known just how nicely and easily it spins, it's like night and day with the new one and my other wheels. I just wish I didn't have to work so much so I could spend more time spinning. Sigh (lol). In my next life, I'll be born to a life of leisure...spinning and knitting the days away with not a care in the world. Of course, I spent a lot of time reassuring the other "spinning wheel kids" that I still love them just as much as before, even if they have a new sibling.

Swan lake spindle and fiber 

Friday is SIP (Spinning in Public) day

I just finished enjoying the new Spin-Off's article about the spindler's list...and it reminded me to try to Spin in Public on Fridays. I decided to take along this spindle, my swan lake, and the merino-tencel that I've been spinning on it both Thursday and Friday. I hope that all the spindlers out there will make an attempt to spin in public on Fridays and raise awareness, perhaps even instruct and create new fiber artists. Enjoy your fibery pursuits!