Two Bags Full

 

First Bag Full (Madeline)

Second Bag Full (Caroline)

Saturday the sun came out so I decided to head off to the Connecticut Sheep and Wool Festival.  It a small festival, but I knew I could get through it and then be off to do my errands and chores.

I’m always drawn to the fleece sales, but fortunately managed to refrain.  Then I got to the last barn and back in the corner was Connecticut Alpaca and Tree Farm.  She had bags of alpaca fleece and once I touched it I couldn’t resist.  I was going to get a pound each of Madeline (red) and Caroline (grey) - but the owner weighed the bags (over 2 pounds each) and gave them to me for the one pound price!  Such a deal!  I could barely wait to get home to spin some up.

The red is a bit dusty, with a very small bit of vm and a few second cuts, but it is so soft that if you touched it with your eyes closed you would think it was cashmere.

The grey is lovely and soft as well, but I haven’t had a chance to take it out of the bag to look it over.

UPDATE:

Apparently I do have my camera with me today

It’s a bit blurry, but look at those cute faces.  I think someone needs to breed miniature Alpaca so I can have a couple for house pets

 

Friday Funny

Now THIS  is funny.  I just had to share that.

This week has actually been a busy week fiberwise.  Monday was play with dye day.  Wednesday was knit with Java Room buddies evening, and last night was Spin with the ladies of Westford.

So I know you are dying to know what’s on the needles these day.

I started the Eris using the Cascade 220 I got for a steal.  I’m finally ‘getting’ the pattern, I hope think.  I also got my STR Rock’in Sock Club yarn yesterday.  This stuff is gorgeous!  Silkie a merino and silk blend.  It’s almost too nice for socks.  I also like the pattern this month.  I’m trying not to post any spoilers at this point too.

I also finished spinning all the grey shetland and have two full bobbins to ply.  But not wanting to ply at Thursday night spinning meeting, I started spinning up some of the Henry’s Attic merino superwash I dyed on Monday.  This is nice stuff!  I’m practicing trying to get thinner singles.  Because PurlyQ who spins like cobweb thin has inspired me.  She brought her lovelies for show and tell.  Check out her shawl that she spun uber thin singles and then double plied then knit into THIS!  The picture does not do this justice.  It’s is spectacular and everyone last night is pushing encouraging her to enter this into the NH Sheep and Wool Festival.  So Purly Q if you are reading this go here and fill out the form now!  I can only aspire to this level of spinning.

Tomorrow I think DD and I will venture down to the CT Sheep and Wool Festival.  The weather prediction looks ok for Saturday and hopefully the showers won’t come until late afternoon with a bit o’ luck.  I hope to see some of you down there.

At last! Spring!

What a weekend.  In-spite of being sick with the snot head.  DD and I managed to drive into Boston Friday night.  As I am heading towards the Prue tunnel to exit for the Berklee Performing Arts center, I realize I can see the lights at Fenway… aren’t the Yankee’s in town? Shit… I’m never going to find parking.

But we did and it only cost me an arm and half a leg, but it was worth every penny.

We managed to arrive before the show started and even got to wave at June who was bouncing off the walls with excitement. 

Here’s a look at the article in the Boston Globe.

The best part of the whole evening was seeing June and Jean and Alice rock out.  Those chicks can still shred.  We were literally dancing in the aisles!

DD even got a shout out when June was speaking and after they had run the video of the Rock Camp.  Too cool.  I was so proud of her.

It was really good for DD to see that women can succeed in the music business.  Sure it’s not an easy life, but there is just no denying her talent and drive in this area.  It’s her calling and of course her choice.  It was also good to hear how much Berklee is recruiting young women too. 

Saturday, was kind of a blur.  Things did get done, and I did get a nap. I even spun a little, but didn’t knit.

Sunday… let’s just say Mom came up loaded for bear.  Bitched at my neighbor who owns the other half of the house and is working hard to get it fixed up so his mother can move in.  Then she started in on me.  Blaming ME! for neighbor being “lazy” and that I always choose lazy men”  WTF?! If I wasn’t in such a horrible mood I would have laughed, so she left and we are currently not speaking.  As if I chose to live next door to this guy and as if I have any say over what he does or doesn’t do.   Now I have to find away to apologize to my neighbor while asking for his half of the trash removal, winter snowplowing, ant etermination cost and condo insurance bills that I have paid.  Silence is bliss.  Yes, I did warn my sister not to answer her phone when the caller id says “Mom”!  

I did manage to drag my butt to knitting at Border’s on Sunday.  I did finish one of my Thelonius socks and it looks awesome.

I also managed to pick up a bunch of easter egg dye kits cheap, I mean really cheap and did some dyeing of superwash merino fiber from Henry’s Attic.

Check out the pics.

Steaming in the pot

 

Roving hanging out to dry

I cannot wait to see it spun up now

S is for…

Spring.  It appears to have finally sprung around here.  It’s going to get up into the 60s today and all weekend! Finally!

Sun.  The sun has finally come out to warm us up and bring out the daffodils.

Sinus.  I hate snotty sinus colds.  Hopefully this weekend if I cannot bend over without pain to do yard work then I guess I’ll just have to sit in a lawn chair and bake in the sun.

Socks,  I’m knitting away on my Thelonius socks.  Although my foot is longer than the pattern ‘Large’ and it’s unclear what to do in the pattern, so I’m just fudging it.  Pray that it comes out.  Right now my head is too snotty to think clearly.

And finally (I cannot think of an S for this) - Maybe ‘So’ Cool?

Tonight I am taking DD to Berklee School of Music to see ROCKRGRL give Fanny the Woman of Valor Award.  This is doubly cool since June (from Fanny) is one of the co-founders and directors of the Rock Camp for Girls that Grace has been going to for the last three summers. 

Rant On

I’m sick and tired of the unending coverage of the tragedy, massacre, rampage, at Virginia Tech.  Yes, it’s sad that a mentally ill man lost it and went on a rampage killing so many innocent and beautiful people.

But I am sick of the media’s dissection asking how could “we”, I assume it’s the collective WE, could have stopped or prevented this. 

Here’s a novel idea.  BAN GUNS and AMMUNITION!

Elayne Boosler has an interesting commentary in today’s Huffington Post, check it out here. 

Now I know many of you think that this is a direct violation of your constitutional rights…  but what the hell, this administrations already pissed all over our constitution for their agenda and purposes.  And especially in light of yesterdays Supreme Court decision, that pissed all over a woman’s right to determine her own fate and control over her own body,  I see no reason now why ‘we’ at the very least cannot start limiting the use, sale and ownership of some guns.

If you want to hunt, do you really need a semi-automatic gun with a mega clip of ammunition?

This is just common sense people.

So instead of running in circles, trying to figure out who to blame for this tragedy, how about taking a step back, and assigning the blame where it belongs, on a sad, sick Mr. Cho and the laws of our country that allowed him to legally obtain weapons of mass destruction.

Rant off.

And we now take you back to your regularly scheduled blog….

No whining

I really want to whine.  I have another head/sinus thing.  The second in as many months.  My head feels like it’s in a bucket, my hearing is muffled… and the snot… well lets not go there.

This cold had me flat out over the weekend.  I was so lethargic I couldn’t even concentrate longer than a nanosecond to knit.  Maybe if I had started something benign, but I didn’t want to start something either.

Instead I watched a marathon of Robin Hood.  It was just benign enough tolerate between naps.

I finally did get some energy up and started on the Thelonious socks in Meilenweit MegaBoots Stretch Soft color 507.  I wasn’t sure if this pattern was going to be too complicated for my feeble brain to deal with, but once I got into the rhythmof the pattern  and grokked it I was ok.  I actually managed to complete the leg chart for the large size.  I really love this pattern and think I will do another pair in the CTH Wild Cherry Supersock I recently acquired.

I also managed to swatch for the Eris Sweater.  I’m still debating whether to do the cardigan or pullover.  I’m leaning cardigan right now.  I would love to do this in handspun eventually, but I think I will do it up first in the Copper/Rust Cascade 220 I have.  I’m still slogging through the pattern to get a handle on this pattern.  To say it’s extremely documented is not a stretch.  I suspect it could have been condensed a bit.  To me a well written knitting pattern is like well written code.    This is not the case with this sweater.  To look at it you wouldn’t think it would require a 40 page pattern.

I have done no spinning at all, but plan to this weekend.  The weather is supposed to finally break and spring is supposed to return.  If I get some yard work done then I just might drag out the dyeing pots and do some dyeing.  Speaking of dyeing.  I was turned on to this site recently http://www.colourlovers.com/ - I love this site.  It’s giving me lots of inspiration for new colorways and combinations to try.  I must be feeling better or the Alka Seltzer Cold Plus just kicked in.

I am very disturbed about the killings at Virginia Tech.  I’m also disturbed by the death and destruction in Iraq.  I just don’t get it.  I don’t understand it.  None of it makes any sense from any perspective.  My heart aches for the victims, the families and my heart even aches for the disturbed young man that wreaked such havoc and hurt so many.  How can someone in that much pain be surrounded by so many people and even some who saw the pain and tried to help, get to that point?  It just doesn’t compute for me.  My heart aches for him and his family too.

On a brighter note.  Employee Satisfaction Survey started today.  Yes, I ranted there too.

Farewell to Kurt Vonnegut

 

“I want to stay as close to the edge as I can without going over. Out on the edge you see all kinds of things you can’t see from the center. “ Kurt Vonnegut

Ode to Opening Day

We’ve waited all winter, withstood snow and cold Thru free agent signings for millions in gold. “Play ball”, “Batter up”, the umpire will yell, Peanuts and crackerjacks the vendors will sell. Like Bogey has said with panache and glitz, “A hot dog at the ballpark beats roast beef at the Ritz!”

Baseball: ‘Ode to Opening Day by Mark H. Young

It’s a bit chilly for opening day at Fenway Park, even so, it’s a sure sign of spring.  GO RED SOX!

Tonight is Spinning night at he Westford Museum.  I hope to finish up the grey shetland and get it plied.  I cannot figure out how fast some of you seem to spin up your roving and fleece.  It seems to take me forever.

Apparently the owner of the other side of the duplex we share, left a 50 lb. bag of birdseed in his basement.  That would explain the scratching I heard in the attic over my head last night just as I was nodding off.  It would appear we have mice.  At least the cats are keeping them at bay in the living quarters of my side of the house.  I’ve emailed him and left messages to please get the birdseed out.  For now I’ve bought a bunch of yucky traps to set around the birdseed, and to place in the attic.  I’m soooo not looking forward to finding any rodents up close and personal but it must be done before we are inundated with critters or varmints as Mitt likes to call them.  Does this make me a hunter?

For now I’ll just dream of a winning season, spinning and no more scratching in the ceiling.

Ostera

Ever wonder how Easter got bunnies, and eggs?  Hmmm it may have something to do with this being a pagan fertility holiday that was ‘incorporated’ into the ‘other’ religion to try and fool the pagans once again.

So off we went on Sunday to Grandma and Grampa’s for family dinner.  I made deviled eggs, roasted asparagus, and pineapple upside down cake to go with the ham dinner.  There were no family drama’s to report.  All the children were well behaved.  This may have something to do with the fact that they are all teenagers now and no longer get huge baskets filled with enough candy to put them into a sugar coma. I was going to bake Julie’s cheddar biscuits, but I just didn’t have enough time, so I am saving them for soup - yes I called dibs on the ham bone!  I think the cheddar biscuits will be yummy with the soup.

Friday nights and Saturday morning I did get some spinning done.  I’m trying to finish up the grey shetland.  Since after washing, the yarn bloomed to Fingering/DK weight I’ve decided to do a basic shell patterned shawl.  I’m not sure if I will have enough of the grey shetland.  I’ve decided to add some stripes of left over brown corriedale and some creamy white finn.  

I’m still in the planning/designing phases of the perfect sweater, but I should like to get started on that soon.  I did manage to finish a pair of socks last week.

Remember this from Dye-O-Rama?

 I finished off knitting up a pair of socks.  Very pretty and very utilitarian.  I need to start something with a little lace.  Methinks Thelonius  should do the trick quite nicely.

I also ordered and received 2 lbs of superwash roving.  I keep hoping the weather will warm up so that I can do some dyeing.  I want to spin up some more sock yarn. 

Next week my Mom is off to visit my brother in New Mexico - It’s his turn.  Of course this means darling sister and I will have to take turns keeping tabs on Dad while she’s gone.  He really cannot cook for himself as the last couple of times she was gone he almost set the house on fire.   I’ll be taking down some soup I’m sure.  He can just microwave that. 

Remember my search for the perfect sweater.  What do you think of this!?  It will require a better understanding and more experience with cables, and I’ve never installed a zipper into a knitted sweater.  It looks like a big commitment but I just love, love, LOVE the collar.

Is there such a thing as the perfect sweater?

I think I mentioned that I finished knitting the lovely grey cardigan… only it’s doesn’t fit me, but it fits DD perfectly.  I actually considered letting her have it for a moment, but then after she wore it once I found it crumpled under a pile of her stuff in the hallway.  It was quickly reclaimed and there is no way I can possibly let her have it.  All that stockinette on size 3’s?!  I just can’t do it.

I will try to block it out to fit, but I am not optimistic and to be honest I really don’t think I want to knit this sweater again.

So, now I am in search of the perfect sweater pattern.  Being a ‘big’ girl I hate most of the larger or plus size patterns.  Most of them are either too boxy or too trendy.  I want a classic comfy, hang around on Saturday sweater.  I am even considering using the grey shetland I’ve been spinning to knit this perfect sweater.

I almost finished the pair of Fetching fingerless gloves from knitty.com.  I was knitting them with my handspun merino/angora.  Really nice…. but wouldn’t you know it! I ran out just as I got to the thumb - I think I have a bit more roving tucked somewhere that maybe I can eeek out just enough to finish these.  I appear to be batting ZERO this week.

I did finish spinning, plying and setting the twist of the brown corriedale.  It spun up nicely and bloomed beautifully.  I even finished knitting the square for the NETA Spinning for SHIPS afghan.  It’s currently being blocked and as soon as it’s dry I’ll post a photo.  I even spun enough for a second square and will be sending that off to a volunteer knitter of another square.  Then I’m done with that.

Here’s the square.

Here’s a pic of the left over skein of the corriedale

I am anxiously anticipating the second installment of my Rockin

 Socks That Rock Club stuff.  In the meantime I’m knitting up some sock yarn I dyed eons ago for the Dye-O-Rama Swap and kept for myself :)   The funny thing is that the stuff I dyed and kept closely resembled the yarn I got in the swap - LOL! 

I also recieved the box o’ yarn that I ordered from the Knit Happens Sale from last week.  The Cascade 220 is a lovely coppery color and I am considering knitting a sort of test sweater in this.  The CTH sock yarns are awesome too.  The new sock patterns from Cookie, this one and this one, will look spectacular knit up in the CTH sock yarn.

Now that my taxes are done and the return is now safely in my account, I feel the urge to to purchase a drum carder…  and lots of fleece to card with it.  I’m not sure I can justify the expense, at least not yet.  But if I were to make this investment, I would greatly appreciate it if anyone is currently using drum carder, if you would let me know what kind and model and what you love and hate about it.  Thanks. 

Shoot I was all set to blow my tax return on a drum carder but then I had to go and see this!  I could sit in this spot forever knitting and napping, napping and knitting.