Well, I got this email today:

Oh my Lord! I may never ever take these socks off. Ever. Even at the beach. Thank you so much Deb. Made my whole day. Hell, made my whole week!

I think it’s safe to say that Susan got her socks and that they fit, huh?

Speaking of Martha’s Vineyard, Chappy’s blogging e-friend Fenway, an 8-month old Border Collie from Maryland, is up for “Dog of the Month” over at MV’s PlumTV.com. Right NOW, he’s got 30 votes, to the leader’s 154 … so, since Chappy isn’t eligible, go give him a vote, huh? In fact, his Mom (whom he calls Ms. Alpha) said in an email:

Here’s a really great coincidence! I was driving home at dusk yesterday from the Stop & Shop in Edgartown, and guess who signaled they wanted to pass me? (I was really going pokey slow). None other than the blue truck with the logo for the Fiber Farm!!! I took this as a really good sign that this will be a great vacation. Thanks for plugging Fenway, too.”

Clearly, she’s a kindred spirit, huh? (For the record, she used to knit and wants to get back into it.) And, I mean, really, I bet Fenway is the only one of those dogs with his own BLOG. Yes, he writes his own, instead of having his people do it. So as bloggers, don’t you think we owe it to him to vote? (I will say the picture of Ozzie in his tub is pretty cute, though.)

Now, about my boy–He was disappointed today. It was a bright, sunny morning and then, just as I came home from lunch, the skies opened and it poured. My windshield wipers were on High the entire drive home–and I can barely remember the last time I used that setting! So–no lunch time walk. That was bad enough, but I filled the time in by trimming his nails. Torture! And of course, just as I was heading back to work … bright blue sky again. Just to rub it in.

Well, we said, maybe we can try at 4:00. … Guess what happened at 3:30? Yep. Just enough rain to make everything wet again and the air all sticky. And then I came home and gave him his Friday night bath. I tell you, this boy is just terribly abused and tortured. But, look at his cool new hair-do. (And yes, he does need a haircut, but then, so do I!)

I can’t believe the Olympics have started already. This 12-hour time difference just seems so bizarre–the Opening Ceremonies started 13 hours ago but I still have 1 hour to wait before they begin here. I’m just really hoping the media controls itself this time around and doesn’t splash spoilers all over the front page of websites about who’s winning which medals. The Olympics are about the only sports I ever watch, and I don’t want to know how they end ahead of time. (And, seriously, I’ll watch almost anything if you put the Olympic Rings on it.)

One Olympics event I’m watching from the sidelines this time around? The Ravelympics. I figure I’ll stick with Stephanie and be a Winter Olympics competitor. (Remember?) I’ll be cheering all of you on, though. Like Sharon, who is not only tackling a huge project, but made a great video for it–go watch it!

And, one other nice, funny video for you: 9 Phrases Women Use. Dad, in particular, got quite a kick out of this, but we all thought it was funny. Anyone who’s watched the sexes trying to communicate over the years is going to appreciate this one.

• Tags: Friends, General • Permalink:That’s a Relief // 6 Comments »

I’m really tired, so this is going to be short and sweet–more pictures than words. The short explanation of my day? After having an urgent family-finances meeting, baking cranberry-corn muffins, and after consoling Chappy through a massive thunderstorm that rolled overhead, I climbed in my car with my wheel and my knitting and headed to Jessica’s for an afternoon of fun and friends. Good day, lots of fun. Got home about 5:45, fed Chappy, took him for a walk (to gain back some of the Mommy-points I’d lost by abandoning him in a storm), watched a movie (My Best Friend’s Wedding) with Mom, and now … exhausted!

You’ll have to forgive me for not filling this post with all the relevant, bloggy links, but I did snap some pictures–they’re not great pictures, but at least I tried.

Jessica’s bunny, Stitches, is darn cute, too–and getting so big! I absolutely loved the tufts of fur on the very top of her ears.

And, if you haven’t seen Jessica’s Etsy shop for fiber? You really must go. I was privileged to see the pile of finished fiber that she hasn’t posted yet and it’s really lovely stuff. I was sorely tempted, but considering the scary-finance meeting we had this morning, and the fact that my Visa bill with the needed-but-we-really-couldn’t-afford-it new computer from last month arrived yesterday, buying some really just wasn’t an option. At some point, though? Oh my, yes. It’s really gorgeous.

On the plus side, I finished my second bobbin of that old-rose merino/tussah blend. Considering I only started that bobbin three weeks ago, and the first one took me three months, that’s pretty good! Now all I have to do is ply it and those 8 oz will be done. It’s really quite pretty.

Okay–climbing into bed, now. I’m on Harry Potter #3, and Chappy is privileged to sleep on the bed tonight, so …

Oh–one more thing–this great You Tube video of the “Evolution of Dance.” (The embedding never seems to work on my blog for some reason, but the direct link to the video is right here.) I admit I didn’t recognize all of the dance moves, but more than half, and the man is talented. I saw it over at Liz Strauss’s Successful Blog.

• Tags: Friends, General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Fibery Saturday // 8 Comments »

As I told you yesterday, Kim came over for a couple hours of spinning this morning.

I started this bobbin almost exactly three months ago, so it’s really a good and helpful thing that she gave me an excuse to sit at my wheel and SPIN. I haven’t started spinning the second half of the roving yet, but, well, give me time. The roving, if you don’t remember, is a skein I got from the Sheep Shed at Rhinebeck last year–8 oz of merino wool and tussah silk. The color doesn’t have a name (that I know of), but I keep thinking about it as “Old Rose.” It comes out as almost a rosy-grey, very nice.

It was nice to have another knitter to show my current project to–and to get an informed opinion as to whether or not it’s likely to work as I hope. Unfortunately, of course, we both suffered from camnesia and forgot to take pictures. (For that matter, I completely forgot to ask if she got a new camera to replace the damaged one. So, um, Kim, did you?) I did, however, provide blueberry scones to go with the “Box o’Joe” she brought with her from Dunkin Donuts, so I didn’t completely fall down on my hostessing duties.

I spent most of the rest of the day reading. I finished The Mirror of Her Dreams and started A Man Rides Through, both of which I’ve had for years. In fact, they are a rarity in my library in that they make up a series that doesn’t “match.” I bought the first book in paperback and was so anxious to find out what happened next, I bought the sequel in hardcover.

I remember this quite clearly, in fact. It was my junior year in college when I really had no right spending $20 on a book, but the first one ended with such a cliffhanger, I just had to go and look at the bookstore to see if, by any chance, the sequel was out yet. (This was early 1988, before the internet.) I hopped in my little VW Golf and went to the nearest bookstore and almost jumped for joy when I saw this sitting on the shelf. I remember that my fingers almost tingled with anticipation while I paid, and I even stopped at a Dunkin Donuts on the way back to Drew to get a headstart. In fact, it was the end of the week, and I was heading home for the weekend, because I remember spending hours on the couch that afternoon, while Mom made lasagne in the kitchen … and then Dad getting home from work and coming in to say hello at one of the worst possible times, story-wise.

Now, as to why I picked up the book in the first place–well, there’s a story to that, too. I liked the cover (so much better than the current one, I think), but more importantly, the title reminded me of a line from one of my favorite books.

It turns out, there was a reason for that. Because the stanza from the song/poem it reminded me of is quoted right there on the title page.

I was pretty impressed, too, because John Myers Myers’ Silverlock isn’t exactly common reading. I’ve mentioned it before, back in 2005, but it made quite an impression on me back in high school, and it was definitely one of the books I brought with me to college. A completely unique book with an enormous cast of characters–just about anyone who lives in the canon of literature is either in there or could be in there. Of those who make an actual appearance? Just a few: Merlin, the Mad Hatter, Beowulf, Hester Prynne, Odin, Circe, Thomas Rhymer, Puck from Midsummer Night’s Dream, Robin Hood, Captain Ahab, Prometheus … the list goes on. It’s not always pleasant, mostly because A. Clarence Shandon is not always a pleasant character, but I’ve never found anything else that compared. And the writer? Well, one of the raves at the beginning of the book mentions that he must get “drunk on words” and it’s clearly true. At one point he describes a character’s infatuation with, “She fell for him like a ton of bricks through greased air.” Isn’t that perfect? Because, you know, a ton of bricks doesn’t fall quickly or hard enough on its own (grin).

Actually, I can’t recommend Silverlock highly enough, though I’ll grant that it’s not to every taste. How much do I like it? Well, over the years, I’ve bought three copies. Just in case! (A wise decision considering that I’m down to two copies because one was never returned.) So, anyway, even though I hadn’t liked Donaldson’s Thomas Covenant series, when I realized that he was obviously a Silverlock fan too, well, I had to give it a chance. And, here it is, 21 years later and I’m still drawn to rereading the duology. That’s a sign of a good story in my book–even if they ARE in different sizes.

• Tags: Friends, General, Knitting/Spinning, Reading • Permalink:At Last, There Was Spinning // 7 Comments »

Remember a couple weeks ago when I told you about the high school friend I found on Ravelry, after about 20 years? Well, the world is getting even smaller. When I posted the other day about the Bunch of Grapes fire, Sarah saw it and, having just come back from MV herself, posted about it on her blog … where Joan read it and told her she couldn’t believe Sarah read my blog and that she and I were good friends in high school. Because it turns out that Joan and Sarah are good friends, AND that she and Jessica went to library school together. What are the odds?

But wait … there’s more! At just about the same time, I saw a post on Copyblogger about good articles for freelance writers to read, and one was a link to Julie over at Writing Roads–a blog I hadn’t heard of before. In her post, she mentioned living on Martha’s Vineyard. Naturally, I had to leave her a comment. I mentioned Mom’s blog, and she replied with two links–one for the MV Fiber Farm, which I naturally know all about–but it turns out that she and Susan are good friends, and that Susan is all excited that she and I found each other.

I tell you, this world is getting smaller and smaller all the time. But, how COOL!

You’ll all be glad to hear, I’m sure, that Chappy had a good birthday.

  He had his family home, got out for a walk, played with his toys, got lots of extra attention. Not to mention popcorn. And half a cheeseburger with his supper.

He even got another present–a new blanket for his favorite chair.

Not to mention a little more cake. (Yes, I think he’s had enough sugar for the day!)

We picked a winner for his RSVP contest, but I’ll tell you about that tomorrow. AFTER I figure out what the prize should be…

And, jeez, I have to go back to work tomorrow….

• Tags: Chappy, Family, Friends, General, Martha's Vineyard • Permalink:Smaller World // 7 Comments »

Yep. Today we celebrated Chappy’s turning 7. (Although his actual birthday is Monday–and his Party Invitation/contest is still open until then.)

Naturally, the birthday boy got a cake and was sung to. Though, no, he did NOT blow out his candle on his own.

He really enjoyed the cake, though.

Carrot cake, with buttercream icing–his choice.

And there were presents.

He thought this toy from his aunt, uncle, and cousins was particularly fun–it “crinkles” in the middle, like a soda bottle or a milk carton–and since he adores playing with empty milk cartons, this made him very happy.

Really, we all had a good time–though special thanks go to my brother-in-law,  nephew, and sister for doing weeding and yardwork before the rain really started to come down.

His friend Cindy came for dessert, too, which made Chappy really happy.

The only real disappointment of the day? The weather didn’t cooperate, but who can control the weather?

About the fire in Vineyard Haven yesterday? There’s video of it on Plum TV, and it’s just so heart-breaking to watch. According to today’s update, the Bunch of Grapes bookstore looks to be a total loss–in terms of stock, if not the actual building. Susan said on Ravelry today that, “It was a bit of a down day on the Island. Pat and I just walked by BOG after getting coffee at Mocha Motts and it was so sad seeing all the smoke damaged books in the window and the postcards on racks.” Poor Martha’s Vineyard!

On the plus side, she also said on Ravelry today that she’s raised $3000 for her uncle’s wheelchair. Don’t forget, you, too, can be eligible to win her entire stash of yarn (that didn’t come from her own sheep and goats).

• Tags: Chappy, Family, Friends, General, Martha's Vineyard • Permalink:Chappy’s Birthday // 12 Comments »

Well, it’s been a long time since high school, but here am I, with my best friend Dawn and our friend Jenny, also known as Silvia (long story). We three used to hang out a lot together–and you can see why I always felt so darn short!

Today, Dawn and her brothers threw a surprise birthday party and I was invited, as was Jenny, her husband, her daughter, and her parents–who happen to be Chappy’s very favorite neighbors.

There was a lot of fun had with a little bubble “grill.”

The cake was pretty popular, too–especially with the smaller set. This enterprising young man pulled over a chair to try to get a better look–or a taste! Unfortunately, the adults stepped in before he got too close. There were a couple more attempts to take advantage of that chair, too, to no avail.

The cake was tasty, but the best part?

The label on the box. What WERE they thinking when they wrote these abbreviations?

All in all, a nice day–except for the periodic rain showers. And the fact that poor Chappy had to stay home. How did the weekend go by so FAST?

• Tags: Friends • Permalink:Picnic // 2 Comments »

I know, you’ve been desperate to see some signs of knitting, haven’t you? Well, here you go. My string bag, almost finished. A couple more rows, a bind-off, and then handles. But, seriously, I need to find something more “serious” to do.

And, here’s a blast from my past. There’s a thread on Ravelry for graduates of New Jersey schools, and I saw someone who posted the same middle school and same high school as I went to, only two years before me. When I clicked on her Ravelry ID, I realized that I knew her! In fact, we were good friends my sophomore year, before she graduated and headed off to college. Here’s a picture of her and my best friend at the Renaissance Festival. Because, naturally, after I found her, I went rooting through my old photos (grin). Talk about a small world. We’d completely lost touch sometime during college, so this was particularly fun, running into each other.

Speaking of high school, guess what I was doing 23 years ago tonight?

• Tags: Friends, General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Stringing Along // 13 Comments »

(Note: I found an internet connection but it’s SO slow, I can’t upload all the pictures I’d like to load, so this post is going to be mostly text UNTIL I get home. I promise, on Tuesday, I’ll add pictures!)

So, where to start when trying to describe such a fantastic day?

Oh, of course. I know.

Susan and Patrick (seen here with his son, Logan) are just wonderful people. Mom, Chappy, and I walked in and Susan immediately excused herself to the person she was talking to and practically ran over to give both of us big hugs. (And a pet for Chappy, of course.) Then Patrick (who is something like 9 feet tall) came in and she said, “This is Deb, Joan, and Chappy” and his face lit up as he said, “I’m so glad you could make it!” You know, not in that polite kind of way that you welcome people, but in the truly sincere, “I really do know who you are and really mean this” kind of way. Mom and I both said that there are people you meet who are nice and likeable and just lovely people (which pretty much describes everybody we met today), and then there are people that you immediately want to be friends with. Susan and Patrick fall into that category. Would you believe, though, that of all the pictures we took today (216 of them between me and Mom), we didn’t get a single picture of the two of them together?

And then, the sheep and goats. Well, they’re just adorable—especially those babies that we’ve been reading so much about. So. Cute. It was particularly cute when we walked Chappy over. He was curious and stretched toward the goat closest to him, but when several more came over to take a look at Chappy? Well, he decided that they were all a lot bigger than he was, and you know, he was on vacation and didn’t want any trouble. They all decided that he was a potential threat, and so Chappy backed away from them, they backed away from him, and it was really pretty funny.

Throughout the rest of the day, I got some pretty good pictures because the group of them would all turn to face Chappy—presumably because he was (genetically, at least) a potential threat. Do you remember in the movie Babe, how the sheep call all dogs “wolves,” and don’t trust any of them? That’s pretty much the reaction Chappy was getting. The adults would close ranks around the babies, and at least some of them would stand guard. But, as I say, that made for some good photos.

And then, the fiber festival itself. It took place in the Ag Hall (that’s the Agricultural Hall, but nobody uses the full word when describing it). First, it’s a beautiful building. It was actually a barn in New Hampshire that they transported in pieces to MV and rebuilt it several years ago. This was my first time seeing it, and it’s just beautiful. Lots of warm, golden wood color, great structural elements in the beams and ceilings. Just lovely. And while the festival got a really nice turnout, the building was never so jam-packed that you couldn’t see the building.

There were musicians down at the far end playing some really nice, mellow music, and there were some booths from other island fiber places. One table had a display of skeins dyed with different natural dyes (onion skins, hibiscus flowers, comfrey, nettles, and so on) and set with different mordants so that the colors looked different from skein to skein.

It was fascinating watching the sheep and goats be sheared. They’re so patient about it—not that they really have a choice. The shearer, Jeff, did a great job. And, really, we all just stood around watching for huge chunks of time. Just really cool. Even Chappy was impressed. Mom got excited, too, because we saw Sally Taylor (Carly Simon’s daughter) there, too. That alone would have made her happy.

Susan and Patrick did proud by their shareholders, too. Not only did I get a tote bag and a t-shirt, just for being there, I got lunch, too! The entire festival took a lunch break. They set up tables and chairs in the entrance hall and we all sat together and ate. Including a whole bunch of Ravelrers. And, here’s the horrible part, I can’t remember all the names. (I’ll try to find them later, when I can get internet access again.) But one name I DO remember? Nora—one of the sweetest little 11-months old you’d want to meet. Her Mom drove to Falmouth this morning, took a shuttle bus to the ferry dock, rode the ferry to the island, and then caught a bus to the Ag Hall—all with an 11-month old and a stroller. And Nora was just a bright, sunshiny, little girl all day long. She wailed in protest at something a couple of times, but was back to being happy again within 60 seconds. All. Day.

Chappy was good, too. Despite not having a chance to nap all day long, he was sweet and charming almost the entire day. He barked a couple of times when he saw other dogs—not in a “go away” kind of way, but as anybody would when travelling in a strange land and see somebody who speaks the same language they do. And he and Fritz, an Island Sheltie not only hit it off, but played, too. His only real fall of grace was, a couple of times, when he had finally relaxed enough to let his guard down and then did a “Woo-woo-woo-woof!” bark at people who dared to walk past him. Including Patrick’s younger son, who went off and stood in the corner for a few minutes afterwards. Chappy kind of felt badly about that, but really, considering how tired he was by that point, he was so good!

At this point—I’m typing this at 8:30 on Saturday night—Chappy is just exhausted. Not only did he have a long, full day out in the sun, watching the sheep, occasionally barking at unsuspecting bystanders, but he didn’t get much sleep last night. I know this because he kept waking Mom and me up—jumping on the bed, off the bed, on the bed, off the bed. And, at one point, jumping INTO the bed, when the throw rug on the floor slippe as he launched himself, so that he hit chest-first into the side of the bed which, you know, is quite a shock in the dark! Oh, and then there was the extra awakening when the clock-radio alarm went off at midnight … let’s just say that none of the three of us exactly got a full night’s sleep. And we were up around 6:30/6:45 which, really, is ridiculous while on vacation. I’m not that worried about tonight though, Chappy is so zonked out on the bed at the moment, I really can’t imagine that he’s going to have trouble relaxing enough to sleep.

Oh, and yes, I DID buy some yarn, but restricted myself to two skeins. I did think about buying enough to make a sweater but decided that that would be too pricey. And besides, if I’m lucky, my spinner’s share of roving will be big enough to make a sweater, which will be even better, right? I AM coming home with two more skeins of yarn, though—I offered to make Susan a pair of socks, if she gave me the yarn to do it in. I know, it SOUNDS remarkably generous of me, but really, this way I get to try out more of the yarn and I didn’t even have to pay for it. How sneaky of me is THAT?

Really, it was a wonderful day. We got there about 9:50 and left about 4:40. That’s a full day and we weren’t bored even once. Every person we met was great. Susan’s mother and sister were so sweet and helpful … and tired. As were Patrick’s sons who are both really nice kids and helped out all day without complaining (that I heard). (And, again, Chappy says he’s sorry about the barking—he was just startled.) The Ravelrers were all great and interesting and funny, and it was also great at lunch when several of us pulled out our knitting. There’s just something so cozy about a group that can do that. The weather could NOT have been better. It was right about 70 degrees and sunny—a little warm in the sun at times, but never actually hot, and the Ag Hall was nice and cool for when we felt a little warm. It was a stunningly beautiful day. And did I mention that we weren’t bored once? And that we really liked Patrick and Susan a lot?

How much? Well, they’re planning on doing something similar for the Autumn shearing and, gosh, I do have vacation time in October … I wonder what weekend that will be? Because this CSA share was one of the best $100 investments I’ve ever made—and I haven’t even gotten my share of the wool yet. But for this much sheer (shear??) fun? Absolutely worth every penny—and do you know why?

Because Susan and Patrick made a point of making it so. They could have just taken the money and sent the wool in due course with maybe a note or something. But, no. Not only does Susan write her blog, filled with lots of pictures of her flock and updates so that the animals have real names and faces to make that wool extra special with that personal touch. But they make their shareholders feel really welcome and appreciated. We’re not just people who sent money. We’re like an extended family. Or at least, it certainly felt that way. So. Cool. All that great publicity (did you see the front page of the Wall Street Journal this morning??) couldn’t happen to nicer people.

Really. Perfect day. Even if Chappy couldn’t quite get his sheep imitation down . . . every time he tried to say “Baaaa,” he just couldn’t help turning it into a “Baaaaark!”

• Tags: Chappy, Friends, Knitting/Spinning, Martha's Vineyard • Permalink:MV: Baaaa…rk! // 14 Comments »

Well, Chappy made a new friend today. Stella, who recently adopted Kim’s family.

We walked around town, gave some directions to lost people, and then stopped for coffee (for the humans). Chappy was feeling just a little disgruntled by then–people kept coming out of the coffee shop, asking all sorts of questions about Stella. What kind of dog is she? She’s so cute! How old is she? Can I take her picture. (Yes, really. One woman leaned out of the door of the coffee shop so she could take a picture on her cell phone.) All while they more or less ignored Chappy.

Which he just couldn’t understand. Wasn’t he just as cute? Not to mention fluffier? (Well, he is.) So he would go over to the person and wag his tail, looking all adorable. “Um, hello. I’m cute, too!” And they’d politely pet him and tell him he was cute and then go back to fawning all over Stella. It was like being out with a movie star. I think Chappy’s feeling just a little neglected–especially since Stella was ignoring him, too, when all he wanted to do was play. Poor guy. He’s not used to this kind of treatment!

That said, we had a lovely time. It was interesting, though–for the first time in my experience, being out for a walk with two dogs, they consistently stopped to sniff at completely different things. Usually, when one dog finds a good “sniff,” the other will come over to check it out, too. But not these two, they just did their own thing and mostly ignored each other during the walking portion of the outing. Kim and I got to chat, though, which was nice. We even saw one of the owners of Nonna’s yarn shop walking to her car. We even had two cars stop with people asking direction. (One we could help, the other? Um, no. And Kim, I looked it up–that other street was along Indian Lake, back behind the A&P. A section of town I’ve pretty much never really been.)

That hole in the shopping center I showed you a couple weeks ago? Here’s a close-up. They literally cut a hole in the building–roof and all–and then put up walls. Why, oh why?

This is what the rest of the shopping center looks like. There are exactly three businesses doing business in there– a Blimpies, a dry-cleaner, and a bank. Everything else–including much of the parking lot–is a construction site.

The rest of my day? Reading (Lion in the Valley by Elizabeth Peters and Knitting from the Top by Barbara Walker) and relaxing on the couch with Chappy, who’s exhausted from all that excitement.

And, oh yes, I went out to get the mail and timed it just as our mail-carrier was pulling up to the driveway. She said, “I’ve got a story to tell you.” This morning, before starting her rounds, she brought her mail truck to a local gas station to fill up the tank and have the oil checked. Well. When the person opened up the hood to check the oil … he saw something move. A full-grown raccoon, just curled up alongside the engine. Yikes! It sat up and looked at the two of them, crawled down the ground, back up into the engine … and finally headed off on its own. Sandi said that she would have happily given it the truck, that she wasn’t going to risk making it mad. So, really, we’re lucky to have gotten our mail at all today. That post office creed about ‘neither rain nor hail dark of night‘ says nothing about wildlife, you know.

Okay–I’m going to go crunch some numbers for my cardigan now. And, it just occured to me–if I want to knit the button bands as part of the sweater (which would be easier), I kind of sort of need to know what size buttons I’m going to be using, huh? So–before the number-crunching, off to the Button Drawer….

Kim, we had fun!

• Tags: Friends, General • Permalink:New Friend // 5 Comments »

It’s not exactly the best photo in terms of composition, since the only one you can see clearly is Risa, but see what Chappy and I did today? That’s Risa, Alex, and Kat all on our couch … and waaaaay in the background, in the far corner, is Chappy.

That would make you think that he was trying to avoid the four-year-old-inspired chaos, but in fact, he was thrilled to take part. His tail barely stopped wagging the whole time, except for when fatigue set in and he took a nap. The one who was wary was Alex, who didn’t want much to do with Chappy at all. He sort of petted him a couple times, but mostly, he was happier when his Mom was between him and Chappy. I thought he’d gotten over that, but I guess not.

The new surprise was that Katherine wanted to sit with ME. That’s definitely never happened before. Not only did she share my chair with me for a while (taking Chappy’s spot), I actually got hugs and kisses. AND got to help her on with her coat! Wow. That’s huge. We all entertained my parents, too–Dad even came down and watched the end of Stuart Little with us because he was so enjoying the sounds of laughter coming from the family room. (We’ll just gloss over the part where Kat fell on a walk and needed to come back to the house for band-aids. Or when Alex’s feelings got hurt because she wanted to play with me instead of him at the end of the visit, so that he sat on the driveway and sulked. And we’ll hope it wasn’t my banana bread that disagreed with Risa. But, um, really, why dwell on the bad parts?)

Now that he’s had a chance to sit down and relax, Chappy is exhausted. (For some reason, spending the day with two four-year-olds has that affect.) I don’t think there’s any question but that he’s going to sleep well tonight.

(Oh, and this is the dirty look he gave me for taking that picture. “Mom! I’m trying to SLEEP!”)

I finished my blue merino singles last night. And still, got to tell you, I love, love, love this color. Though, honestly, it photographs differently every time (grin). Also, yes, one bobbin was evenly-wound by my woolee winder, and one was wound by me manually moving the yarn guide on my my wheel’s flyer. So, I’m a little obsessive, what’s wrong with that?

I have a Saturday Sky picture for you, too, though technically I took it yesterday morning on my drive to work. Actually, the sky on Thursday on my way to work was pretty stunning, too, but I had a police officer right behind me and felt kind of funny pulling over just to take a picture, so I sort of skipped that one.

Oh, and Kat’s new earrings are adorable–little, sparkly pink flowers. And now, I need to clean kisses off the television. The twins got all involved in the scene where Prince Phillip woke up Sleeping Beauty….

• Tags: Friends, General, Knitting/Spinning, Sky • Permalink:Silly Saturday // 5 Comments »

So . . . there was Jessica, of course, showing off her new house.

And Risa, Kim, and Ina, with their spinning. (Ina’s spindle of singles was wound about as perfectly as humanly possible, I was very impressed.)

Kristy worked on the sweater in her beet-dyed yarn because, of course, she doesn’t spin (but seems like a lovely person anyway) (grin). Since she wasn’t spinning, she got the comfy chair. (I mean, really, doesn’t she look comfy?)

A group photo–including Jessica’s cat, Simba, who is a sweetie.

I finished my first bobbin of that blue-blue-blue merino. Now, I was told that the color didn’t look like what anybody expected, that my earlier pictures made it look more like turquoise. So, I can’t say for sure that the color you’re seeing is the color I’ve got, but I think this picture is pretty close. It’s just a lovely, medium shade of clear blue.

Oh, and so I left about 4:15, hoping that I’d be able to get Chappy out for a quick walk when I got home, before it got too dark or too cold. Well, guess what my street looked like when I got home?

I don’t know where that blue sky of the morning disappeared to! For that matter, I had my sunglasses on for most of the drive home, too. Go figure. But this did mean that Chappy did not get a walk . . . although, I’ll admit, I’m tired enough not to be overly concerned about that. I had a fabulous time, but all that laughing and spinning and chatting and eating and stuff sure can take a lot out of me!

• Tags: Friends, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Spinning Party // 8 Comments »

It was pretty and sunny for most of the day, today, but as I drove home, you could see the clouds coming in. I pulled over into the local elementary school’s parking lot to take the picture–you can still see the mound of snow left from plowing the parking lot last week.

Anyway, the weather forecast right now is:

Tonight: Periods of snow. Low around 24. South wind between 8 and 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Total nighttime snow accumulation of 3 to 7 inches possible.

Um, I don’t want to complain, or anything, but, see, Jessica has been trying to have a housewarming/spinning party for a couple of weeks now. It was cancelled two weeks ago because HWJF had the flu and she didn’t want to risk passing it on to the rest of us–which was much appreciated. I think, though, that the problem was that she kept referring to March 1st as her “Snow Date,” and Mother Nature took her seriously. Just, er hopefully not TOO seriously. I’ve got that pretty blue roving on the wheel, and everything . . . and you know how Jessica loves blue!

This photo, by the way, is one I took this on our walk last weekend, when the snow was fresh, just minutes after our ice-covered little maple tree. These are our neighbor’s stairs, but there was something very nifty about the play of shadow…. Couldn’t help myself!

Fellow spinners, did you see Abby’s post about spinning sock yarn?

Okay, got to go finish my book list for the month. Happy Leap Day, everyone!

• Tags: Friends, General, Knitting/Spinning, Sky, Weather • Permalink:Whether Weather // 5 Comments »

As I told you yesterday, I DID have a nice time this morning. I took my Little Gem and headed over to Kim’s house. I was there for about three hours, drinking coffee, eating banana bread, talking and laughing a lot, while Liam entertained himself with movies and Playstation. Oh, and you’ll be pleased to know that I did not get lost at all on my way over there … though, having to back all the way out of Kim’s street (you heard me) is a little nerve-wracking. It’s slightly uphill and with the angle of the car and the high Volvo seat backs and my own, not-so-tall self, being able to see to do so was … challenging. I imagine I’ll get used to it eventually!

The three hours were productive, too. I finished my first bobbin of singles of my NOT “clown-barf” roving. I’m showing you two pictures because the colors look so different in both of them, even though it’s the same exact bobbin. The first one was taken at Kim’s, in the natural light coming in her window. The second was taken here, in the light of an incandescent bulb.

Needless to say, the first picture is slightly more accurate as to color.

The only drawback? Having to leave Chappy at home this morning. Most of you have never seen him pout, but trust me, he does, and he was not happy about my going out without him. I’m told that he didn’t howl (which he’s been known to do), but that he sulked. I timed my return just right, though–Mom and Dad were just putting on their coats to head out to the movies with their Christmas gift-card, and so Chappy wasn’t alone for even a minute today … though he’s still not happy about the fact that we all went out and left him. But, you know how dogs are–they expect their family to be within sniffing range all the time. Packs are supposed to stay together, you know!

Anyway, it was fun, and I’ve had a fairly lazy afternoon, too–which I needed. You know how, when you’re really, really tired, you feel it in your knees? How the mere effort of standing just seems like a strain? That’s how I felt when I got home from work yesterday. Just really, really, really tired. So a few hours of spinning with a friend followed by a few hours on the couch with Chappy and a book? Ideal. I might just be able to summon up the energy to knit tonight.

And, oh yes, I’m just tickled at how much conversation is going on in the comments over on the post where I talked about leaving comments in your own comments.  Most of us respond to comments via e-mail, but many (non-knitting) bloggers respond in the comments themselves, to generate conversation. And I’m finding it fascinating that I’m getting so many comments talking about comments. Something about the irony of it, you see. Not to mention that they’re pretty interesting–which supports the theory that, when they’re substantive comments about “real” topics having an “outloud” conversation can be at least as good as a “private” conversation in e-mails. Certainly, that post has had more comments on it than any of my others recently! And Harry–who’s a non-knit-blogger but is joining in because I linked to one of his posts–is bringing some interesting insights to the party . . . and, in a perfectly nice way, coming across as clueless about the tight sense of community we knit-bloggers usually have. Again . . . I’m finding it fascinating. I guess that sometimes the “comment on your own blog” thing really is a good idea.

• Tags: Friends, General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Clowning Around // 8 Comments »

I want to talk about one of my favorite eXtra-curricular activities, today.

This is what my kitchen looked like this afternoon–three spinners, two Lendrums, one Majacraft, lots of fiber, and one dog–at least some of the time.

How eXcellent is that, huh? This is Jessica and Risa (sans twins).

It was fun the way this came about, too. EXtraordinary, even. Jessica had been interested in buying my Kiwi until she went to Rhinebeck and bought herself her Lendrum instead. Which is also where she met Risa, who mentioned her on her blog, which made me say, “Hey, I know her” and anyway, we all decided that we should get together to spin–preferably on a day when Risa’s parents could look after the monkeys. And we figured my house would be a good spot because of the three, it’s the most centrally located.

So, how much spinning did I get done in the four hours or so of spinning? An eXceptional amount. Two full ounces of my peppermint merino, plus a decent start on its corresponding magenta corriedale.

Not that we ONLY spun. We also talked. A lot. About all sorts of fun and interesting things. We ate the oatmeal cookies that Jessica brought (some with raisins and some without because I really don’t like raisins). We also ate the popcorn, which I made.

And I opened the birthday present that Risa brought me–a lovely green sweater from J. Crew. (So soft, it’s not even funny.)

Chappy was thrilled because he had guests, and there’s practically nothing Chappy likes more than the chance to say hello to people and be fussed over. I think saying hello and eating are pretty much tied for him as favorite activities. So he was beyond happy to have eXtra people in the house. He napped during most of the afternoon, though . . . watching spinning
wheels just isn’t that exciting for him . . . but he was still happy!

Speaking of spinning, a couple people asked about my wheel skeiner–which, I grant you–didn’t look like much of anything other than tinker toys in the picture I showed you the other day.

Well, assembled, it looks like this.

Hmm . . . it does rather look like a tinker toy, doesn’t it?

Okay–maybe an eXample will help:

I finished my second skein of raspberry yarn last night, and promptly wheeled it off onto this instead of laboriously winding it onto my niddy-noddy.

I love it already. Even if the little handle promptly came off. Really, it’s not that necessary (grin). It took a matter of a minute or two to wind all of this into a skein, rather than the minutes of the shoulder-tiring winding.

This means, of course, that I’ve got half of this raspberry yarn finished. (It’s hanging in the bathroom drying at this very moment.) And thanks to all the spinning today, I’m well on my way to getting the next quarter done. Isn’t that eXciting??

(I hope you don’t think I’ve over-eXtended myself by using this for my “X” post, but . . . it’s not like I have a xylaphone in the house to photograph. XXX OOO.)

• Tags: ABC-Along, Friends, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Spinning ‘Til We’re Dizzy // 16 Comments »

So, my friend Cindy and I went shoe shopping today, at DSW, and . . . even though I don’t know WHEN I’ll wear them . . . I bought these.

I mean, how could I leave them there? They are absolutely fabulous?

F.A.B.U.L.O.U.S.

Who cares if they’re impractical and that I really don’t have any place to wear them, since I don’t wear heels to the office.

Want a closer look?

(You know you do.)

(Who said, knitting blog or not, that I can only post yarn-like eye candy??)

Yes, that’s a velvet stripe at the toe.

To be honest, I didn’t expect to love these so much. I had just finished saying to Cindy how I really don’t like shoes with more than, say, a 3″ heel, but one of the fun things about stores like DSW is that it’s easy to try on pretty much anything you see, so when we saw these, we both went, “Oooh,” and I tried it on solely for kicks. But then I glanced down . . . Oooooohhhh . . .

To my credit, I did buy this very practical pair of Sketchers that will be great for taking Chappy for walks. Not only were they nice and they matched my outfit perfectly, but they (unlike the ooh-la-la pair above) were on sale.

And besides, Cindy spent the same amount of money as I did . . .

Actually, after the shoe store, we went over to Borders, and she actually spent MORE than I did. I can’t remember the last time that happened!

Although, I got a deal there, too . . . three books for the price of two. And I’ve wanted to read Team of Rivals since it came out in hardcover. But . . . it’s heavy enough in paperback . . . there was no way I was going to buy that in hardcover (grin).

Oh, and I promise that I paid for everything this week.

Now, two other things.

One, let’s give a hand to Amanda over at Clothesknit for being a fabulous KAL hostess. Not one, but TWO people participating in the Yarn Aboard contest dropped out and just stopped returning emails, which I think is a really shoddy thing to do. (Okay, unless it turns out that they were run over by a bus or something, in which case, well, I guess they’re excused.) But otherwise? That’s just . . . uncivilized! But Amanda? She rocks, because she went out and bought the two people who SHOULD have been getting the missing boxes new, wonderful gifts herself to get things back on track. How great is she, huh?? Go tell her what a nice person she is, okay?

Two . . . the moment you’ve all been waiting for . . . Can we have a drumroll, please? . . . the Winner of the Calendar contest!

Although, first, let me just say thank you to everybody who participated. That post has 119 comments on it, and there are about 20 others scattered through other posts this month. And I’ve seen calendars floating around blog-land by people who never actually left me a comment to be entered in the contest. So–thanks every one! I feel so special!

And now, without further ado . . .

First, I went through all the comments left on the all-important Calendar Contest entry and copied the “posted by” lines into Excel, and then sorted it alphabetically by name.

Then–since I have nobody else in the house at the moment to pick a random number for me–I went here to have one generated for me.

They picked number 35, the comment (dating November 10th at 10:04 AM) belonging to Deb at Wound Too Tight.

I think this is particularly apropos–even though it was totally random–because, well, not only is her name Deb, but her husband and I have the same birthday. How cool is that, huh?

Now, the prize?

Three skeins of Misti Alpaca lace yarn in my favorite shade of green, plus . . . because this WAS a Calendar Contest . . . a cute little “Passport to the World” mini calendar for 2007 that I picked up at the bookstore today.

Congratulations, Deb!

Oh, and for the record? The local Lite FM station started playing Christmas music today. All Christmas music, all the time . . . and it’s not even Thanksgiving yet! I really do like Christmas music, but . . . sheesh!

• Tags: Friends, General • Permalink:Can You Say Fabulous? // 24 Comments »

Today was all about family. My sister, brother-in-law, niece, and nephew all came down for dinner, cake and general “birthdaying.”

We had a really nice visit, even if Mom and I still aren’t feeling up to par . . . the last bit of this cold is hard to kick! In fact, I was a little feverish this afternoon. (Although, I suppose that could have been all the excitement!)

My friend Cindy, who I’ve technically known since high school, also came over for dessert–which was enjoyed by all. (This was the famous “Grandma Cake,” made to my grandmother’s recipe. I’ve never met anyone who didn’t like this cake–especially the frosting.)

Cindy was also nice enough to take a family photo for us. (She volunteed, really, we didn’t ASK her to!)

She’s done this before, though, in 2003–also on a day she came over for my birthday. We’re all a little older, and in the case of my niece and nephew, taller. My niece is leaning on the ottoman in this picture, but trust me, she’s the tallest female in the family, just recently passed by her brother . . .

See the older photo?

Yep. I’m definitely feeling older!

• Tags: Baking, Family, Friends • Permalink:Family // 20 Comments »

  Voyeur. A peek into the trunk of my car when Liz and I got back from Rhinebeck Saturday night. (Hey, some of this is hers, you know!)

A closer look? Well, of course! At my stuff, any way. From some great Vendors.

  First stop? As soon as we were in the fairgrounds? At 9:50 in the morning–ten minutes before retail officially opened? We hurried right over to The Fold for some Socks That Rock. I got the Autumn and the Harlotty colorways. Beautiful, and we got in just before the line became immense.

Value. I also bought a bump of fiber in the Carbon colorway which was vastly overpriced. 9.25 ounces for more than what I paid for 11 ounces of already spun STR yarn? Insane. I don’t know what I was thinking, except that I hadn’t noticed the price until she already had my sales slip written up and I didn’t bother to say “Stop” like I should have. Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s gorgeous but . . . that’s ridiculous. If anything, shouldn’t the finished yarn cost more? This purchase is my one regret of the day because, lovely though it is, it simply was not economically worth it. At all. Too late now! Buyer’s remorse, what can I say.

  For example? This lovely, beautiful, autumnal roving? 3/4 of a pound of each of the two colors, for one and a half pounds in total? Same price, within $2, from Spinner’s Hill. And, really, it’s gorgeous. (The colors in person are so much more alive than you see in the photo.) The plan is to spin them separately as singles and then to ply them together.

  Then there are these two, lovely, 50/50 blends of alpaca and merino from the Sheep Shed. This is the same place I got the merino/silk roving I bought myself for my birthday last year. They have beautiful stuff. I bought 8 oz of each of these colors–one a light gray, one a gray-taupe–and the plan is to ply them together, too.

  And, you may see a theme here . . . two more skeins of roving from the Sheep Shed. The multi-colored one is merino, the burgandy/magenta one is corriedale. I bought 8 ounces of each and . . . yes, plan on spinning them separately and then plying them together.

(Oh, and the cost for these two pounds of beautiful fiber? Only $4 more than I paid for the 9.25 oz of STR fiber. I really can’t tell you how much that’s bugging me . . . )

After all this shopping . . . and I won’t even go into how much fleece Liz bought as an act of kindness for her LYS . . . and stops to visit with some of her friends, including the charming Myrtle and Roy from Black Pines Sheep, who have beautiful, rare sheep like Teeswater and Wensleydale. (Liz raves about their fleeces, and judging by the samples of fiber they had, um, yeah. I can see why.) . . .

Anyway, after all the shopping and one short break when we had some apple crisp and saw some kangaroos . . .

And after six and a half hours on our aching feet . . .

And after meeting approximately 7,397 bloggers . . .

And after picking up a little something for an absent friend . . .

After all of this, we piled into the car and headed for home.

We had a gorgeous View crossing the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge. (See? Sandy? I even got a Saturday Sky picture for you!) And the sunset on the drive home was gorgeous. Really, the weather the entire day could NOT have been better.

We got home around 7:30 and were both exhausted (though Liz still managed to spin and ply until 11:30 . . . I conked out around 10:15).

Chappy did help revive her, though. They sure do love playing together! In fact, it gets quite Vigorous.

But, of course, this means that my Vacation is now over. I’ve had a great time, though. Not only did I get to spend almost every day with Chappy (and Mom, one of my very best friends), but we got to the park not once, but twice. Went to Liberty State Park and saw (from a distance) the Statue of Liberty). Went antiquing (well, sort of). Finished my bag. Got some goodies in the mail. And, of course, that little outing yesterday.

Boy, it’s going to be hard to go to work tomorrow . . . and I have to go to the dentist, too. It is going to be SUCH a Monday. (grin)

*I came, I saw, I bought.

• Tags: ABC-Along, Friends, Knitting/Spinning, Sky • Permalink:Veni Vidi Visa* // 21 Comments »

Well, if the Harlot is right and a group of knitters is a “whack,” then the Rhinebeck blogger meet-up was completely wacko. Insane. Crazy. Overwhelming.

I thought there were a lot of bloggers last year? There were at least three times as many yesterday. The volume level alone was testimony to how huge this group was. I commented to Cara that it was quite a crowd, but she said that she thought it was due more to Blogger Bingo than anything she did. But there’s no denying Cara’s power–the sheer length of the line for Socks That Rock alone demonstrated that!

She’s too modest, don’t you think? Although there’s no doubt that Stitchy’s idea was truly inspired. Speaking of Bingo–and thanks to Liz’s help–I did actually get Bingo. I was really surprised, too, since I really didn’t think I had done it. (The row I completed was on the fold, and I didn’t realize until I got home and remarked each square with an X.)

But back to the Whack. I met Stephanie and Juno. It was really quite flattering to see a flicker of recognition when I introduced myself, because I have to say, the swarm of bloggers toward Stephanie was like groupies around a rock star. She looked a little dazed at the sight of the crowd. (Or, maybe it was more the terrified, deer-in-the-headlights kind of look, knowing that was going to happen?) Anyway, silly though it was, I was a little chuffed that she knew my name (grin).

We saw Julie and Jessalu. (And Liz is there, unfortunately half cut out of the frame. Sorry Liz!)

Marcia and Beth.

Carole and Margene.

Norma and Sandy.

Other bloggers I saw but didn’t photograph? (And, there’s no conceivable way I could remember all of you, so if I leave you out of the list, please believe it wasn’t on purpose!) Liz from FidoKnits, who we kept bumping into All. Day. but who I never got a picture of. Alison. Laurie. Julia. Cate. Risa and the twins, of course, who were both SO good surrounded by hordes of loud, excited knitters. Claudia. Kate Gilbert was there, but apparently got up from her bench moments before I got to say hello (and gush slightly at how much I love her designs), but I did see her beautiful little Tadpole in her lovely new, red sweater, watched over by a man I’m pretty sure was her dad. Lanea (who really didn’t seem that crazy at all, but who asked about how I ended up with a Boykin Spaniel–I’m always glad to talk about my dog!) Not to mention the folks on my Bingo Card: Adelle, Amy, Anne, Chris, Diane, Kelly, Mia, Michelle, Tamara.

And, really, so many more . . . please leave a comment if I left you out. I can think of at least four (more, really) other faces of people I had actual conversations with, but my brain went into overload and I’m drawing a blank. (Jennifer? Kahli?) It’s nothing personal–I enjoyed meeting everyone! Just . . . well, you were there. You saw the crowd!

Later/Tomorrow, I’ll show you my loot and give some more details of the day–the quick version? Liz and I were there from the very beginning to the very end, it was stunningly beautiful, weather-wise, we had a great time and never got bored or frustrated with each other (which, you know, can happen with the best of friends)–not even when we got home around 7:30, exhausted and hungry, but . . . not cranky. Really good time.

• Tags: Friends, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Whack-o // 27 Comments »

Look!

Look!

See what came today?

My Yarn Aboard 2 spinning package.

Isn’t it pretty?

I love all the stamps. I have a thing for pretty stamps. I don’t collect stamps by any means, but I do make a point of buying nice ones from the post office (well, www.usps.com), and always appreciate seeing something other than the usual stars and stripes.

The best part, though, is that, of course, it’s even better inside. (Although it took me a while, I opened this super carefully so that I can turn the paper inside out and recycle it for my pal–since I don’t know where I could get more of this stuff! I just hope she wasn’t hoping to be able to do the same thing.)

Anyway, mine is the Marco Polo box.

Here we have, the illustration of Marco himself, no doubt on his way to discover pasta and gunpowder–or, more likely–Chinese silk for all us spinners. Because, he brought some with him! There’s 2 oz of Silk/Cashmere roving in here, in the “Reds” colorway. You heard me. Silk. And. Cashmere. Wow!

And then (because, yeah, there’s more!) 8 oz of Superwash Merino in “Great Balls of Fire,” which is so lovely, and so autumn-y, I can’t wait to see what it looks like spun up. I haven’t actually spun a real, multi-colored roving in a while. (Sure, the merino/silk I’ve been working on has variations and touches of other colors, but I wouldn’t call it multi-color, you know?)

  And, let’s not forget the little extras–as if all this roving goodness wasn’t enough–a “C” charm for Chappy’s collar, and a bar of dark chocolate for me.

Does my pal rock, or what??

What’s that? You want to know who she is? Well, I suppose she does deserve the credit, huh? Lots of it, really, let’s face it. Kathy from Knitigator.

Kathy, I’m blown away, I really am. Everything is gorgeous!!!

Now of course, it’s my turn to send the box out to its next recipient. I’ve got everything ready EXCEPT a postcard. Do you know how hard it is to find a postcard in my town? One that shows a picture of anything remotely like where I live? The couple I can think of show scenic spots that are about 30 miles from here, so where’s the fun in that? Or, the one and only postcard of my town? Shows a picture from about 1956 . . . you’d think no-one had taken any pictures since then. (I wonder if I could get my own postcards printed for things such as this?)

Anyway, my box is ready except for the taping-up part. I’ll see if I can get a postcard tomorrow, but if not . . . well . . . I don’t think my Pal would be crushed if I sent a notecard with a picture I took myself, do you? (I don’t really think so, either. Heaven knows it’s more reflective of where I actually live than a picture of High Point.) I can’t wait–I hope she likes her box as much as I liked mine!

So. In amidst all the near-terror chaos today . . . Oh, as bad as the airport mess is here in the U.S., my heart bleeds for all the people trying to fly out of Heathrow. What a near disaster this was–and really, kudos to the folks in the Intelligence industry who caught this. Anyway, aside from the awful news that we (the world) came this close to another massive terrorist attack, there was this touching memorial to the World Trade Center on msnbc.com today. Not the movie, but the buildings themselves, how our view of them has changed since we lost them.

1. Do you plan ahead for your reading? Work off of a to-be-read pile? A reading list? Or do you wing it, choose whatever you’re in the mood for?
   I rarely plan ahead, or not by very far. When I finish one book, I take it back to my “library” at the other end of the hallway and browse the shelves, looking for another book to catch my interest. I know some people who keep their unread books gathered together, but that’s too much like a quarantine to me–I like all my books to feel free to mingle together.
2. If you do plan ahead, how far ahead? Do you have two or three books waiting in queue? Or are you backed up by dozens of volumes waiting their turn?
   About the only time I plan ahead is for assembling books to read on a vacation–saving a new book by a favorite author, or something thematic for the trip (like a book about Cape Cod to read on Martha’s Vineyard, or something like that.)
3. If you do not plan ahead . . . well, never? What about if you’re reading a series? Or someone gives you a book for a present?
   I DO tend to read series in their entirety, beginning to end (assuming they’re all published), so in cases like those, I do know what my next book will be. And the vacation thing I mentioned above. But usually, it all depends on what my current read “sparks” in interest . . . like, pairing Dorothy Sayer with P.G. Wodehouse, or a book with an anthropologist as the main character, sending me to another, entirely different book that happens to also have an anthropologist. I think it’s much more fun that way.

• Tags: Friends, General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:All Aboard! // 9 Comments »

I’ve got some actual spinning progress shots to show you, isn’t that exciting?

Well, yesterday I showed you the baby camel and the targhee that I spun over the weekend.

But after I plied the camel–which I couldn’t do at Liz’s because I had only had two empty bobbins to bring with my Lendrum and I didn’t want to use her wheel because I wanted to be able to concentrate on plying, not on plying AND adapting to a different wheel (besides which, I was tired)–I wanted to do more, to free up some of my other bobbins in case such a situation came up again.

(And yes, that paragraph was one entire sentence. Why do you ask?)

Anyway, so first, I took out three bobbins with leftover singles from other batches of yarn. Something, I might add, I wouldn’t have thought to do if I hadn’t seen samples of Liz’s with different yarns plied together “just because.” They were all corriedale, just in different colors–purple, green, and red. So . . . I plied them together, just to free up their bobbins and ended up with a multi-colored skein with purple all the way through, but 2/3 with green and 1/3 with red. Really, it came out quite pretty.

Then, I was going to spin some more of my Merino/Silk that I’ve been spinning since November. I reattached my Woolee Winder to my wheel. (I took it off before leaving because I only have two bobbins and they were both busy.) Only . . . it’s not winding. Or at least, it’s technically working . . . kind of . . . but not easily. There’s a vibration as I treadle, a slight “chuff” sound on every other rotation, and a whistling noise like you get when you hum through a comb covered in waxed paper. All things that weren’t there before I lovingly placed it on my desk on Thursday night.

I tried oiling it. Tried adjusting the tension, the height of the mother-of-all, the ratio. Tried the other (full) bobbin, just to see how it spun. Tried manually spinning it very slowly to get a feel for any rough patches. Frankly, I have no idea. Now, it came with a five page set of instructions on how to disassemble it for cleaning which I suppose might work, but . . . it looks pretty tricksy. Not impossible, or not even necessarily hard. Just fiddly and tiny and painstaking.

So, then what was I to do? Well, for one thing, I decided I would empty off the less-full of my two W.W. bobbins. One of them is (was) completely full of singles, and the other was a quarter or third full (I’m really not sure). I decided it wouldn’t hurt to have a completely empty W.W. bobbin to play with while I fiddled with my Woolee Winder, without risk of somehow catching or messing up the singles on the bobbin.

So. I attached my plying-head flyer to my Lendrum and plied all the singles I had on the smaller bobbin, which leaves the first bobbn something like 3/4 full. And yet I got two, good sized skeins of such a pretty yarn… 75 turns on my niddy-noddy for one, 99 turns for the other–so that’s about 350 yards (or is it meters?) Either way–a good amount of yarn!

And, really, I’ve got to tell you. This stuff is sooooo pretty. It’s a gorgeous deep, charcoaly-purple. In direct light, or with a flash, like here, it looks very purple in deed. But in less-direct light (like that top one of the niddy-noddy, or on the left of the one showing all my weekend’s different skeins) it looks almost charcoal gray. But with the nicest accents of white and green and even a hint of burgundy.

I am just so glad I snatched up this stuff at Rhinebeck! I mean, sure, I may have gone overboard in buying three pounds of it. (Really, how was I supposed to know how much I would need for a sweater?) But, oh. Soooo nice. Soooo pretty. Sooooo soft . . .

Now, you mus