tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-241416022024-03-12T19:32:55.607-07:00Knits N Thingsa-k-a Yarn and Yoga
:O)Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03059733453547758995noreply@blogger.comBlogger303125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24141602.post-64312792812170065512010-02-28T10:19:00.000-08:002010-02-28T10:20:18.133-08:00The Move . . .It's official. See me <a href="http://knitsandthings.wordpress.com/">here</a> from now on!<br /><br />:O)Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03059733453547758995noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24141602.post-39810633170591020492010-02-27T15:51:00.000-08:002010-02-28T06:26:50.551-08:00Our Guy Is OKApparently, there was <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/02/27/chile.quake/index.html?hpt=P1">bad news</a> in Chile overnight. Our guy there is a-ok. He apparently discovered that he knew how to fly. In order to escape the shaking hi-rise he lives in, he descended 14 floors in one minute flat. Oh, and he had to break his door down first because the locks and jams were leaning so badly that the door wouldn't open.<br /><br />Wow.<br /><br />Glad <a href="http://ltwis.wordpress.com/2010/02/27/wake-up-call/">you're okay, Scottie</a>!<br /><br />:O)Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03059733453547758995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24141602.post-17035136106140791512010-02-27T14:34:00.000-08:002010-02-28T06:50:35.717-08:00How'd I Do That?So, a while ago, my friend Rani asked if I could show the process I go through with raw fleece to get it ready to spin into yarn! No problem - well, actually getting off my butt to do it seemed to be, but I'M HERE NOW!!!! And, before I post this, let me just say that this will now be a 2-part tutorial because Blogger won't let me upload the correct amount of pictures. You can expect part 2 to appear in my new, Wordpress blog that I'll be switching to later today!<br /><br />Also, let me put in a disclaimer and a plug for YouTube and say that everything I learned, pretty much came from <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zp_fIc5lCuk">this</a> video. It's awesome, and it's what I'm TRYING to do when I make rolags to spin. I hope I am actually doing it!! It works for me, so what I'll show you in pictures is my style, I guess.<br /><br />First, you start with <a href="http://knits-n-things.blogspot.com/2010/01/my-excellent-mail-day.html">clean fleece</a>. Then, you pull it apart. So, step one, for me, is "pulling." I put all the locks of wool that I pull out (think doll's hair ringlets for this BFL/Cotswold fleece) in a tin bucket. Once I have a bucket full, I move on to step two - picking.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuyVkBwKPCgSqpxsNdFquoo67F1ooaVMfS1i1i6aW5PR1DyeWvN3PUjk-sGicy91RdkkX1rBEvmuEeLJ2Noy8mRKV9jiUOkpZe22PAD1NGXIw3MlftI_iKvZjT9A6PMhvZgGne/s1600-h/knitspin+119.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 179px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuyVkBwKPCgSqpxsNdFquoo67F1ooaVMfS1i1i6aW5PR1DyeWvN3PUjk-sGicy91RdkkX1rBEvmuEeLJ2Noy8mRKV9jiUOkpZe22PAD1NGXIw3MlftI_iKvZjT9A6PMhvZgGne/s320/knitspin+119.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443057502598290754" border="0" /></a><br />Picking: I grab a handful of locks, then pick them apart even more so that I wind up with a handfull of fluff, like you see above. This serves to better prepare the wool for 'carding' and also lets any little leftover bits of VM - vegetable matter (think about it!) - fall out, making the fiber even that much cleaner and nicer to spin and eventually knit or wear!<br /><br />Carding: Now that I've gotten the fiber ready, I can grab my hand-cards (basically really big dog brushes, but there are actually different grades of fineness to them and such - it's a very technical thing!) and begin to smooth the fiber out even more. I do this by brushing back and forth until all the little fibers/hairs are a pretty, airy cloud. Once there, we're ready for step 4 - rolling (no, not THAT kind!).<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsoPr8KpwzttrOkzRCJ1kMvoZwxwlh2cQPAm4Vx71lteTNsbCVSkvexQbPilOFccsk_kVxxVVaVsG0qnGIHiBu2bi1a4iZvIL53Gh5gqZd92RuuOOYvsCrG1iNFIWkGIt-hfMi/s1600-h/knitspin+120.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 179px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsoPr8KpwzttrOkzRCJ1kMvoZwxwlh2cQPAm4Vx71lteTNsbCVSkvexQbPilOFccsk_kVxxVVaVsG0qnGIHiBu2bi1a4iZvIL53Gh5gqZd92RuuOOYvsCrG1iNFIWkGIt-hfMi/s320/knitspin+120.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443057505135791042" border="0" /></a>Load the card/dog brush . . .<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizX-nafcJWekkch86abA-9kMgjw3ElwCnjuY5LhhHzeV0VTTlNhSQaquElIgKzD6rokXPl2vCF00TRXG9i9wv_xTb1G8AtLQigFQFFe8gDCOZ7l3c3DOLjYbzveCNp6wf8pL_k/s1600-h/knitspin+121.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 179px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizX-nafcJWekkch86abA-9kMgjw3ElwCnjuY5LhhHzeV0VTTlNhSQaquElIgKzD6rokXPl2vCF00TRXG9i9wv_xTb1G8AtLQigFQFFe8gDCOZ7l3c3DOLjYbzveCNp6wf8pL_k/s320/knitspin+121.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443057514136854562" border="0" /></a>Then keep smoothing it with the opposite one, back and forth a couple times until you have fluff.<br /><br />Stay tuned for part two - see you on WordPress!<br /><br />:O)Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03059733453547758995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24141602.post-39130354094202961002010-02-20T06:37:00.000-08:002010-02-20T06:50:44.434-08:00Happy Birthday, Big Guy!February 19th:<br /><br />My boy turned 8. Once again, I wait for the world to explain to me just how a thing like this could have happened. It WAS just yesterday that he was born, so how the heck did he turn 8?<br /><br />Regardless, it happened, so . . . we made cupcakes on Thursday night:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTzyhQ-eaBos6MHiumln_MIghQd8g_GV-IESXhgIWDLK8XfNMARjxFK5_LGYhkKvNodT8Cay4Ts1nwR_sAmrDHDO1N3IADx9slgNAVFJuPz1mRU1TdiwFHN-ZbdRbdC1YmZhF5/s1600-h/knitspin+134.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTzyhQ-eaBos6MHiumln_MIghQd8g_GV-IESXhgIWDLK8XfNMARjxFK5_LGYhkKvNodT8Cay4Ts1nwR_sAmrDHDO1N3IADx9slgNAVFJuPz1mRU1TdiwFHN-ZbdRbdC1YmZhF5/s320/knitspin+134.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440336013083479458" /></a><br /><br />That he then took in to his buddies in his class on Friday morning. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmCgbVsWvqvyjLdNGbWdVfgWOCOmMQfXksODu5dZsBXINaF_xVzxO7N4a-zmbMNOVtAGfC4sFX4K0gvH05-DzyJOKsl-snzQH2PVWKd3-St3yJk00kD2Vbff6OrAtXmxVXaCyU/s1600-h/knitspin+131.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 179px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmCgbVsWvqvyjLdNGbWdVfgWOCOmMQfXksODu5dZsBXINaF_xVzxO7N4a-zmbMNOVtAGfC4sFX4K0gvH05-DzyJOKsl-snzQH2PVWKd3-St3yJk00kD2Vbff6OrAtXmxVXaCyU/s320/knitspin+131.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440336007572883634" /></a><br /><br />Mom got to drop him off, too, since my school system is still running a 2-hour delay, but his school went in on time! Yay!<br /><br />After school I picked him up "in the line" (immediately after school) so that he could come home and tear into a few more packages. He was immediately wowed by the scooter my parents gave him (that I somehow managed not to have a photo of!).<br /><br />Then, it was off to pick up the cake and meet Auntie Jenn and Daddy at Red Robin. Too much fun for kids, and Auntie got extra brownie points for the Shawn White game and CLOTHES (who knew??)!!!<br /><br />After the dinner, it was over to GameStop to trade his 1 year old DS Lite for a DSi. We totally work the DS time to our advantage by requiring that he read more to earn his play time. So far, however, the DS has always taken a backseat to playing outside, and since we still have at least a foot of unmelted snow, I don't even see the new toy totally taking over like I've seen in some little ones!<br /><br />Now, he is totally happy and one year older, and I still kinda feel like I'm shell shocked. All is right with the world! LOL!<br /><br />:O)Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03059733453547758995noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24141602.post-53063009655723030522010-02-14T14:05:00.000-08:002010-02-14T14:43:19.487-08:00I have been away from the blog for a while, but all is well. Despite Mother Nature's attempt at it, we did not in fact get buried in the snow. My silly old-age claustrophobia tried to set in, though. I swear that, on Wednesday, while watching the ENDLESS coverage of the snow, and listening to the forecast for 20 more inches for the night and following day, I was feeling VERY, VERY claustrophobic - the house seemed very small, and my breathing was a bit labored. Weird, huh? Don't answer that!<br /><br />But, we did survive. The outside world is very beautiful, and we officially have the snowiest winter on record. School was closed for a week, but all should be well for Tuesday and an on-time arrival. Unless there's worry of ice. . . OY!<br /><br />The weekend has been interesting. It started on Friday with my regular spinning group meeting, which melded into the Olympic kickoff party. If only the NBC website had held up this time. But, as it did for the Summer Olympics of 2008, the site crashed, leaving all those planning to watch via the website out in the cold. I quickly called home to ask my sister to push record on the DVR, so I eventually got to watch, but I'd have really enjoyed all the chit-chat among friends if NBC had their act together.<br /><br />Saturday was exciting, with a mid-day matinee of <a href="http://nationaltheatre.org/mainstage/grease_tix.htm">Grease at the National Theater </a>downtown. It was interesting to see how the story - which I came to know in it's movie version - and worked as a stageplay. The best part was the 5th scene - the one with the song "Grease Lighting" in it. For those that are familiar with the movie, you'll remember that the old beatup car gets a makeover during that scene. I couldn't figure out how they were going to trade one car for another, or how car parts were going to fly around. But, they did it, and it was, in a word, "brilliant."<br /><br />There was also a big, big <a href="http://taylorhicks.ning.com/">Taylor Hicks</a> love fest during the "Beauty School Dropout" scene, where he played Teen Angel. The funnies thing was when the scene was going right along, and Frenchie - who's supposed to be really enamored of this cool, older guy who's suddenly showed up to serenade her - leans in really close, gives him the googly-eyes, and says in the dreamiest voice "I voted for you!" Too, too funny!<br /><br />After the show, we stopped by and picked up some steamed lobsters, came home, made a salad and french bread, popped open the wine, and had an indulgent, delicious meal! Yum-O!<br /><br />Today was quite the day as well. We headed up the road to go to the snow-date Superbowl Sale at <a href="http://www.cloverhillyarn.com/blog/">Cloverhill</a>. To say that the sale was a success for the shop would be an understatement. It was busy, busy, busy in there, and everyone was running high on the yarn fumes. Even though I wasn't supposed to be buying anything, after pulling a 20% ticket, I managed to talk myself into the <a href="http://www.jojoland.com/do/item/Select?topIndex=0&itemID=%0D%0Ams27&subIndex=3">Jojoland Melody</a> for the swirl scarf that my mother and sister want to knit with me, the <a href="http://www.skacelknitting.com/s.nl/sc.2/category.8818/.f">Trekking Hand Art</a> sock yarn that I'd been eyeing on Friday, and some gorgeous http://www.straw.com/cpy/yarns/images2/Mochi-newstripe2010webLg.jpg that was just too beautiful to pass up. I got two skeins, so either socks (which I've been thinking I need to get back into knitting!) or a shawl will get knit with it. It's yummy!<br /><br />Now I'm home, to do more spinning and maybe some knitting while I watch the Olympics. It is, after all, the <a href="http://www.yarnharlot.ca/blog/archives/2010/02/10/the_2010_knitting_olympics.html">Knitting Olympics</a>, too! LOL!<br /><br />:O)Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03059733453547758995noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24141602.post-24295993850719567582010-02-09T14:54:00.000-08:002010-02-09T15:24:58.448-08:00Snowstorm Files, Day 5Day 5 of the snowstorm brings this: MORE SNOW.<br /><br />School is closed (for the kids) through the end of the week. Friday was scheduled to be a teacher professional day (aka "training") in the first place, and we've been instructed to check back in to the website after 4 on Thursday (I think) to see if we will need to report. My guess is yes, since it's just us adults, but that's okay by me.<br /><br />I finally made it out of the house today. I'd been leery because my sister and dad reported messy roads, but enough was enough and I went for it. Since my ex, who has the same model car I do, made it in to take The Boy to dinner last night, I figured I'd be okay. We won't mention that he got stuck on a hill, and had to go back and take the "smart" route out of the neighborhood or anything. I made it free and clear. We stopped by the post office and tried to go to the library, which was closed. A stop by McDonalds finished our run, and now we feel much, much better.<br /><br />Good thing, too, because it's now snowing again. There's another storm upon us which will bring mainly snow, but has a chance of sleet and freezing rain as well. In all, we expect maybe 15 more inches and lost of wind. Whoa. We're praying that the power stays on, but if worst comes to worse, we'll hunker down in the basement/den with good ole' PopPop and his woodburning stove.<br /><br />Today was momentous in another way - I finished the wheel. Here she is in her glory:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5v5FsWJPRMR43gkYS21fKXPYMF2w82ViGrBEYdLudhtrs1l3EkVDSvoW4Dcg5IcPhifGTf5eea3VXnrwNwuZUcMBIHpbTGvmqUURFuDygndL9Gg5wJ7h8S0TVe5B2IhZxQezl/s1600-h/knitspin+103.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 179px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5v5FsWJPRMR43gkYS21fKXPYMF2w82ViGrBEYdLudhtrs1l3EkVDSvoW4Dcg5IcPhifGTf5eea3VXnrwNwuZUcMBIHpbTGvmqUURFuDygndL9Gg5wJ7h8S0TVe5B2IhZxQezl/s320/knitspin+103.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436386689217214034" /></a><br /><br />Not the best picture in the fading light, so here's a better picture of the wheel portion of the staining. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXTk_n6VjstEvc8QvxOoeOk5M_v17wVaYcr54L6yldn1DOgn11hZZ8I0lP1GPRuMt0h9LxHkbJY7zLYNShXB3HgYZp5sNwHjZzj2LALpaRE0fnNpWurmxkm3Lfq0VOxqiwXpFO/s1600-h/knitspin+083.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 179px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXTk_n6VjstEvc8QvxOoeOk5M_v17wVaYcr54L6yldn1DOgn11hZZ8I0lP1GPRuMt0h9LxHkbJY7zLYNShXB3HgYZp5sNwHjZzj2LALpaRE0fnNpWurmxkm3Lfq0VOxqiwXpFO/s320/knitspin+083.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436388053093687858" /></a><br /><br />That's when (I feel) I had really gotten the hang of it. Thank goodness, too, because I was actually not too happy with some of the pieces - there are a few drips and 'runs.' But the wheel? Perfect (if I do say so myself)!<br /><br />Everything is in working order, and I even spun long-draw style pain free to test her out.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA3icgLWNXFWLVc_9AF7bxN_TX7SzfybV3GSTO7xnE1VEv16thgxcxl3HdmJEkYOd0COdGYFCsXgSBlyXH0DokLfXbpObnXGD8e_WDVdsskO79huNQXh1EnqePnZKh4pMbXjNn/s1600-h/knitspin+109.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 179px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA3icgLWNXFWLVc_9AF7bxN_TX7SzfybV3GSTO7xnE1VEv16thgxcxl3HdmJEkYOd0COdGYFCsXgSBlyXH0DokLfXbpObnXGD8e_WDVdsskO79huNQXh1EnqePnZKh4pMbXjNn/s320/knitspin+109.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436386698943820162" /></a><br /><br />This is some of the stuff I've been dyeing during the snow - I blended a bit of the lime green and brown with my handcards a couple times, and got a good blend. I think the brown/blue will be fabulous. My earlier thoughts of blending this romney with some of the lincoln locks I received are quickly dissolving, though - the romney is so very easy to spin and very, very soft! YUM!<br /><br />:O)Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03059733453547758995noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24141602.post-79325845443814899362010-02-08T12:33:00.000-08:002010-02-08T12:59:31.566-08:00Cabin Fever?Okay, so we are on Day 4 of the snowstorm saga, and I'm getting a bit bored. I have plenty to do here at my house, it's just not stuff I wanna do! LOL<br /><br />Regardless, I did go ahead and tackle my bedroom today. I always seem to leave that for last since the mess inconveniences no one but me, but it's time. I'm finding that doing my yoga really helps out my back/hip situation, and my space is being encroached upon since I refuse to put my laundry away! I much prefer leaving it in a stack on top of the "off-season" clothes boxes in the corner, and that's what gives me the overflow/lack of yoga space. The room just ain't big enough for unnecessary piles!<br /><br />Yesterday, my sister and I got LOTS of dyeing done. She really takes to dyeing, and found the easter egg colors to be intriguing - she kept pulling out more fiber and yarn and asking what was next, even though we'd run out of containers to dye the new stuff in. In all, though, we tried all methods of dyeing - microwave and stove top, easter egg dyes and food coloring (the food coloring was really, really interesting, and very controlled - you know exactly what color you are getting, and the placement was easy peasy!<br /><br />Here a picture, but it's kinda horrible. The drying rack sits right in front of the oor in the basement, which has windows, and it's extremely bright in there right now!!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM0WWBSjpndEWb4alQEbrB9r0BkLX6N9iRP8x0TRWWDxLP648hMmso5J2oA4IYoZF6r1W5HjfyqtYXwPnrG_xk0BTcpRRIMXCy8ELAdKJ2i1ARN9VX91eDlfb5mZ-J3GzMGhUW/s1600-h/knitspin+101.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 179px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM0WWBSjpndEWb4alQEbrB9r0BkLX6N9iRP8x0TRWWDxLP648hMmso5J2oA4IYoZF6r1W5HjfyqtYXwPnrG_xk0BTcpRRIMXCy8ELAdKJ2i1ARN9VX91eDlfb5mZ-J3GzMGhUW/s320/knitspin+101.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435979005355727970" border="0" /></a><br /><br />My main goal yesterday was to get lots of the blue, denim, and brown done (and that's what you see here), because I'm thinking they'll be nice colors to blend together on my hand cards. What do you think? <br /><br />I've washed and dyed almost the whole Romney fleece now (one wash-bag full is in my tub now, waiting on more vinegar), and I'm hoping for a good amount of yarn to come of it!<br /><br />Tomorrow is another day. Another day OFF that is. School's been canceled already, and there will be another Winter storm in the afternoon/evening, so I'm thinking I know what Wednesday will look like as well. With that said, I gotta go make my kid do something OTHER than watch Phineas and Ferb! See ya!<br /><br />:O)Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03059733453547758995noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24141602.post-64084969802385191062010-02-07T05:47:00.000-08:002010-02-08T05:40:00.742-08:00Snowstorm Files, Day 3It's over.<br /><br />The blizzard warnings were called off yesterday evening around 6. It was still snowing here, but clearly winding down. We haven't taken any measurements, but the news is reporting different totals from different people around the area. Anywhere from 20-33 inches, I think, has been reported. We are leery of going with the "official" totals, which are taken at Reagan National Airport. The airport is in a low spot for the area, and always has a lower total than we have in our backyard. Of course, that's when we actually have a measurable total, so 'whatev.'<br /><br />The <a href="http://www.erh.noaa.gov/lwx/events/?event=20100206">Washington Post's online link</a> showed 24.5 for Camp Springs (right around the corner from Upper Mayberry!) yet only 17.8 for the airport. See what I mean!<br /><br />Here are some of the photos from around our house this morning. In the aftermath!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAqEcgsfRU61SlHVkLzEKvGHXMmr9QyHVkGPG8SdJ2scDXYYpl9dcedIGLhqg2jW_akq6cDscdaYCOJrC-dgZXp1ttJ3B8yAxbJ-LE4uEp3p6zuBV6pnbR6u2BHOwdssnQnBnG/s1600-h/snowstorm5.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 179px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAqEcgsfRU61SlHVkLzEKvGHXMmr9QyHVkGPG8SdJ2scDXYYpl9dcedIGLhqg2jW_akq6cDscdaYCOJrC-dgZXp1ttJ3B8yAxbJ-LE4uEp3p6zuBV6pnbR6u2BHOwdssnQnBnG/s320/snowstorm5.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435507879679420642" border="0" /></a>This is looking out the front door at the carport. You can see that there are a couple cars under there. My dad made a path out yesterday evening. The rest we'll tackle together after breakfast, I'm sure!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8lOFlle9OqMIqtMk874FbpAkP12wPDHMfxqQm9MOwcN7hf5LWuONB_fvak1vVYCBZV4UqBvuY7HbQdWPXFa5dfKNGI1b-ybTNbHtvBaWf_HAklsQRrQoyziVL1CLX2PjL0YrD/s1600-h/snowstorm4.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 179px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8lOFlle9OqMIqtMk874FbpAkP12wPDHMfxqQm9MOwcN7hf5LWuONB_fvak1vVYCBZV4UqBvuY7HbQdWPXFa5dfKNGI1b-ybTNbHtvBaWf_HAklsQRrQoyziVL1CLX2PjL0YrD/s320/snowstorm4.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435507871501268082" border="0" /></a>Another view of the front - looking more toward the yard and out to the street where Wall-E cleared a car path last night. Seriously, a backhoe came by, pushing and dumping snow in a very methodical manner. The guy was AWESOME, but it really looked like Wall-E to me!!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCF0TyzpNDrpoX8oIQZwc1VMF2l9Rp74PXhbOiMOrjLWWEy5xieKGqJkymG7T4TvQGPEWcCQVZLCHNo-rlNLZ7XhSQtsAK31U_fOU4p6-mOaQhlICsuzgc8q4RJfi8_jBijGrf/s1600-h/snowstorm3.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 179px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCF0TyzpNDrpoX8oIQZwc1VMF2l9Rp74PXhbOiMOrjLWWEy5xieKGqJkymG7T4TvQGPEWcCQVZLCHNo-rlNLZ7XhSQtsAK31U_fOU4p6-mOaQhlICsuzgc8q4RJfi8_jBijGrf/s320/snowstorm3.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435507869077992642" border="0" /></a>This is on the deck. The egg-shaped lump there is the Webber grill, and that's how much snow is surrounding it. It's on the very edge of the deck, so the blowing kinda drifted around it, but you can see how much snow is surrounding it, and that's pretty much how deep the rest of the yard is.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOxGiaXPQebm90aPb-RVNWwdWVF2RqEL9NaQmsCf4qBhRfNGM7yRSyVldMtU_beBEPoEI6O9B4d6sUhWM16TOB92m6PAX81a3po_g6ezwLzl44c-uCWarhTandI0M8uPHmOLkO/s1600-h/snowstorm2.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 179px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOxGiaXPQebm90aPb-RVNWwdWVF2RqEL9NaQmsCf4qBhRfNGM7yRSyVldMtU_beBEPoEI6O9B4d6sUhWM16TOB92m6PAX81a3po_g6ezwLzl44c-uCWarhTandI0M8uPHmOLkO/s320/snowstorm2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435507862369853858" border="0" /></a>Again the back yard - this time looking toward the table that's been moved to the side of the yard. You can see a bunch of things piled on top, but where the table starts is about hip level for me. I'm short and all that, but THAT'S A LOT OF SNOW.<br /><br />So, how'd I pass my time yesterday? Being that I can't knit (or spin) and all, I decided to play with some fiber! Messing around on YouTube the other day, I saw <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hm_lMTd4--k&feature=related">this video</a> from my new "friend" Tara at Blonde Chicken Boutique, where she dyed some raw fiber in a canning jar in the microwave using - guess what? - Easter Egg Dyes!!!! It was so easy, and I'd snapped up all the leftover Easter Egg Dye kits at Target and the FoodLion near my house last year, so I figured I'd be able to play all day!<br /><br />And that's just what I did! Looky:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7-3Ir5XVROD9trjyLZKlusnvlp19l-XkirWBo3gfmx_IYYf2L10AmnK6BGT6g5y58EngLihYSM0OpHCJuA9t0EfSEBphxXRQCQ4Dc6CXRQxBThgvuWzFQE5GKGsItLMiKiiIr/s1600-h/dyeing1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 179px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7-3Ir5XVROD9trjyLZKlusnvlp19l-XkirWBo3gfmx_IYYf2L10AmnK6BGT6g5y58EngLihYSM0OpHCJuA9t0EfSEBphxXRQCQ4Dc6CXRQxBThgvuWzFQE5GKGsItLMiKiiIr/s320/dyeing1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435511187175757106" border="0" /></a>The fiber - the Romney I just received, and washed on Friday afternoon. From left to right, and top/back to front/bottom there are - purple, brown (!), blue, teal and green. I should say that both the teal and green were listed as "green" on the packages, but you know egg dyeing - close enough is good enough for them. No worries, as I plan to card most of these colors together with other colors and blend them. The brown I'm super excited about, and plan on using the rest of the dye tablets today on more fiber (I've got two pounds). The purple was a bit wonky, and gave some interesting color effects - blue in lots of places and a funky amethyst in others. Nice! Here's the fiber back on the drying rack after coming out of the dyebaths:<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiLKHlnd3_iEI22BcX-TjXeEUANGsuBTMc4N26Q_tb9GHgdWRQTxFXBVowZQnl5q4Oz5PL3GsAbOteEZvSAyNG0xJSsBq1p4kxb08bxqx6I1ZqcUJcEv46ICVmtlyCSzdUayxu/s1600-h/dyeing2.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 179px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiLKHlnd3_iEI22BcX-TjXeEUANGsuBTMc4N26Q_tb9GHgdWRQTxFXBVowZQnl5q4Oz5PL3GsAbOteEZvSAyNG0xJSsBq1p4kxb08bxqx6I1ZqcUJcEv46ICVmtlyCSzdUayxu/s320/dyeing2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435511291629497682" border="0" /></a>The colors are (top to bottom): blue, teal, orange (see below), then brown, purple, and green.<br /><br />I also did some Lincoln locks in orange on top of the stove, but apparently forgot to take pics of that. I like it - I used a big hank of the lincoln, so used 3 orange tablets dissolved in the water, then put another crunched up on top so that some parts would be REALLY orange, and it worked!<br /><br />I'm off to fuel up so I can shovel, and then I'll be doing more washing and dyeing today.<br /><br />:O)Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03059733453547758995noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24141602.post-31705425834792215732010-02-06T05:31:00.001-08:002010-02-08T12:28:18.692-08:00Snowstorm Files, Day 2, Part 1 OR "Blizzard Warning"This morning when I woke up (6:25 am), I looked outside, was pleased at the progress the snow had made (I wanted to not be able to tell where the curbs were on my street). And, I could have sworn, the snow had stopped. I couldn't get back to sleep, so I checked Weatherbug on my phone.<br /><br />They claimed that it will continue to snow all day, though, so I put my trust in them, ended the phone connection, and opened my new book - "Change of Altitude" by Anita Shreve.<br /><br />Now that I'm up (it's 8-ish as I write), I see that it is indeed snowing again, and it does indeed look blizzard-like outside. The windows at the back of the house are difficult to see out of because the snow has blown around so much that it's stucking to the screens.<br /><br />I took several pictures of the snow from the front and back windows. It's pretty deep in our yard. Apparently, the dogs needed help getting out, and the birds (the wild ones) needed to be fed - that's one of our snowstorm past-times, watching/naming the birds! - so my mom went out to shovel and feed. And got stuck! Thank goodness my dad was awake and came to rescue her! ROFLMAO!!!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtsRY6Ui2c6p309P8RvWAQcfRpliddtabjGExo2IKIWMmQRysEEfEErCZtoeFb8110L-Jcm7c2wBbrK73Y56JSSRZezphBFWEStAOiSLIT849SQhoYCn9iiPJ_cKFLjvejiVnl/s1600-h/knitspin+077.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 179px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtsRY6Ui2c6p309P8RvWAQcfRpliddtabjGExo2IKIWMmQRysEEfEErCZtoeFb8110L-Jcm7c2wBbrK73Y56JSSRZezphBFWEStAOiSLIT849SQhoYCn9iiPJ_cKFLjvejiVnl/s320/knitspin+077.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435129738008706322" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE6Xcf6J1Tl5IpvYKN-zJUjVT0jbpqD0SgzDuhCx6daNaxIr0DyfakDyrvRggg_8R3vhIKQc8QEy2oWNPLzJCcXks0VIOrmJVTmAFBjAYQwNtVUgVNSQPdX9fcguanEc6GKETb/s1600-h/knitspin+076.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 179px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE6Xcf6J1Tl5IpvYKN-zJUjVT0jbpqD0SgzDuhCx6daNaxIr0DyfakDyrvRggg_8R3vhIKQc8QEy2oWNPLzJCcXks0VIOrmJVTmAFBjAYQwNtVUgVNSQPdX9fcguanEc6GKETb/s320/knitspin+076.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435129733416490626" border="0" /></a><br /><br />So, how is the area dealing with the snow? Well, MOST people are heeding the advice of the public officals and staying off of the roads so they don't get stuck and/or in accidents, and so that the roadcrews can do their jobs. But not everyone.<br /><br />Two people, apparently, in Virginia both got stuck. Going to get gas. Um, . . . didja hear that a snowstorm was coming? Shoulda gotten that gas earlier, bub.<br /><br />Most events/businesses are closed today. Some are reportedly trying to open at noon. I'm glad I'm not one of the people who need to try to get there then, because even main roads don't look good right now, and the side streets for the most part haven't even been touched by roadcrews. This is serious stuff. My county and the areas east and a bit south are officially under a blizzard warning until 10pm. the rest of the immediate area is under a winter storm warning.<br /><br />-There's been a report on the TV that a snowplow has now gotten stuck trying to do it's job. Wow.<br />-At least one hospital in the area was calling in all the expectant mothers who could possibly go into labor or were due this weekend. Just in case. An unexpected home birth would be very, very scary (not to mention dangerous in some cases!).<br />-I also, I know of a dialysis center that attempted to see ALL if it's patients yesterday. They didn't quite make it, but not for lack of trying!<br /><br />That's it for now, but I'll probably post again this evening to say what the day has brought, officially.<br /><br />:O)Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03059733453547758995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24141602.post-16563177885223013122010-02-05T10:42:00.001-08:002010-02-08T12:29:11.427-08:00Snowstorm FilesHow about some updates on the snowstorm, Maryland style?? This should be funny. This area CAN'T. HANDLE. Snow. At all.<br /><br />Lots of schools in Virginia closed for the day as of last night - when a pretty "official" say was on for the snowstorm happening outside now. The weathermen are listing this as a "crippling" snowstorm for the DC area - it's just "disruptive" for outlying areas. And by areas, I mean whole states.<br /><br />My county released schools 3 hours early. They didn't state this until 5:30 this morning. That meant my school was released at 10:45. We'll talk later about how many of my guys actually showed up. When we dismissed at 10:45, it was not snowing where we are. The snow started at about 11:30-ish, and it's now going strong.<br /><br />Government offices (remember, I'm just outside D.C.) were on an unscheduled leave policy. Basically - if you have leave available to take, don't feel as though you have to come to work. Take a day of leave - no biggie. Now, they'll probably close the offices later on anyway (if they haven't already), but they rarely shut down unless things are just frozen over!<br /><br />I'll keep you updated on the snow's progress and the reactions of people to this. I can already tell you that if you just happened to run out of bread, milk, eggs, or toilet paper anytime in the last 24 hours, or the next 2, you're *&^% out of luck. There probably is none in any store, anywhere.<br /><br />That's how we do.<br /><br />And, since I also got the box of fleece that I was expecting . . . you can expect "washie" updates as well. I'm about to go upstairs to wash the first bagful now . . .<br /><br />:O)Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03059733453547758995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24141602.post-695780510866398962010-02-04T18:52:00.001-08:002010-02-08T12:31:17.708-08:00And Another One On The WaySo, Yesterday, I had a day off with The Boy. The reason? 3 inches of snow on the ground (which had melted off the roads and sidewalks by about 9:00 in the morning. Oy.<br /><br />Here's the backyard in it's snowy glory, though. Beautiful.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizymp7wXElenb9qrrMAwkB9SFZyu682rAVSk7oPEkwdjIpiONU4K6fyPEXawUchVWczLvyRuXxFYuVirP0P7IPEsXfDmU86QRlnTDzHVQpcw2qN51ILSNegH1SOW3lUCuZTYcu/s1600-h/knitspin+064.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 179px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizymp7wXElenb9qrrMAwkB9SFZyu682rAVSk7oPEkwdjIpiONU4K6fyPEXawUchVWczLvyRuXxFYuVirP0P7IPEsXfDmU86QRlnTDzHVQpcw2qN51ILSNegH1SOW3lUCuZTYcu/s320/knitspin+064.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434595961216913186" border="0" /></a><br />Tomorrow, I expect an early dismissal (The Boy's school has already said they'll be closed) because yet ANOTHER snowstorm (this time, a "real" one) is on it's way late tomorrow morning, and it's supposed to turn out to be a big bear by early evening, and will continue to be so until sometime on Saturday. So, yet another snowed in weekend, and that's fine by me.<br /><br />I spent a good part of the day taking my new wheel apart in order to get it stained/finished. I'm going the easy route and using "Polyshades" from Minwax, which is a stain and polyurethane all in one. That way, I don't have to go back over it with a clear coat once I'm happy with the color, which is "Pecan Satin." It will have a bit of a rosy brown to it, but not dark red cherry or anything like that. Should be somewhat natural, but not yellowish or plain old brown. Those were two colors I just wanted to avoid, but which seemed to be everywhere at good ole Home Depot.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTxJkB9Q_H04UWVRloE5ADcGQD9tfAEPJo772mqT7C8LRLqQlHegfcbO33PWHGYrDG4o1n0iOwErVFcsOZP9efu3BaH2He3PpyhITgnGnAkZyQNyrUhevJ06zfAmOj6OWug1tA/s1600-h/dismantle.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 179px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTxJkB9Q_H04UWVRloE5ADcGQD9tfAEPJo772mqT7C8LRLqQlHegfcbO33PWHGYrDG4o1n0iOwErVFcsOZP9efu3BaH2He3PpyhITgnGnAkZyQNyrUhevJ06zfAmOj6OWug1tA/s320/dismantle.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434591590844441986" border="0" /></a><br /><br />There's the lovely all taken apart. I'm staining it bit by bit due to lack of space to spread out with some paint/stain-like materials. I can't guarantee that the four-legged friends will leave things alone while they're unsupervised, so I've got a couple pieces on a TV tray in my little living room, and I'll continue this way until she's finished! I'll hold off on the peeks at the color until I have it back together, though - a nice, dramatic before and after would be nice, right?<br /><br />Now, I promised to show the process I've been going through for the BFL/Cotswold fleece, so here goes:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkdiEFEqdHCgHqOHCZnw-9wUdMMeNHG9yld00AyBHIN5KRMNjQhry20nVVBVBY0flqFbsO4H8lKGSCj-LEgCQClNz4qBbKh5E_xcTr9CYPUeC2ZTQ1zxUH2ORU0HrESRsujr_k/s1600-h/handsomehelper.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 179px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkdiEFEqdHCgHqOHCZnw-9wUdMMeNHG9yld00AyBHIN5KRMNjQhry20nVVBVBY0flqFbsO4H8lKGSCj-LEgCQClNz4qBbKh5E_xcTr9CYPUeC2ZTQ1zxUH2ORU0HrESRsujr_k/s320/handsomehelper.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434591581105248002" border="0" /></a><br />Remember this cute guy? He's holding the box of dirty fleece. I divvied it up with two other spinners at my spin group shortly after this picture was taken. I came home with about 2 pounds, or 32 ounces.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCwGhCL_daNFfwTYXyrz3lAzfFvT0dduxvptg87aLec1v6UA9oZHaygjL-IDlQzva-kkh_wxO_xiZjoKsJ6XhBfEd7mrktIewUzgAa53Z80l9d9dyk0r88mc7NEyx7olt3hyphenhyphenJW/s1600-h/knitspin+034.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 179px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCwGhCL_daNFfwTYXyrz3lAzfFvT0dduxvptg87aLec1v6UA9oZHaygjL-IDlQzva-kkh_wxO_xiZjoKsJ6XhBfEd7mrktIewUzgAa53Z80l9d9dyk0r88mc7NEyx7olt3hyphenhyphenJW/s320/knitspin+034.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434591609624878002" border="0" /></a> To start, pull of some large bits in preparation to wash small amounts at a time - REALLY hot water, and some Dawn dish liquid (takes out the grease/lanolin).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ulFWEApu2xF65UFo_obQb1WBTs8uzuoIb41upJJfdXC8rJdYrAHWryIYB3lbZnCOnR0vWCO7RCJ2SgKvlOqrnt68jkSDD6WPLyTSEQnIB2-Ub24RAh4kvA623cmBJrWePJbA/s1600-h/washing.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 179px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ulFWEApu2xF65UFo_obQb1WBTs8uzuoIb41upJJfdXC8rJdYrAHWryIYB3lbZnCOnR0vWCO7RCJ2SgKvlOqrnt68jkSDD6WPLyTSEQnIB2-Ub24RAh4kvA623cmBJrWePJbA/s320/washing.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434593011875936274" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I do it in a bucket like this - usually the first time in the hot water with Dawn, the second is with just plain hot water (I use one kettle of boiling water from the stove, and then fill the rest of the bucket with the hottest tap water I can get), then another rinse or two with hot, hot water right from the tap, to try to get the rest of the soap out. When I remembered, I also put some Unicorn Fiber Rinse in the very last rinse, as a softener, but I didn't really need it with this fleece. It's very lovely!<br /><br />The salad spinner is to spin the excess water out of the fleece without squeezing, which could cause some felting (it is really, really hot, after all).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGXsrWkLQA9OdkBSQkUXWufvdFHFh0mbFSdgqyzxAQ0eqlNN7vpVoS6nLn6MMeXvnmNeIoUBO6XgLFiU62pqmW0ByTDUO9MTS54TBuz3bCf_-O1PhAiCCLm0XdTexqcEJ3AkpJ/s1600-h/cleanfleece.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 179px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGXsrWkLQA9OdkBSQkUXWufvdFHFh0mbFSdgqyzxAQ0eqlNN7vpVoS6nLn6MMeXvnmNeIoUBO6XgLFiU62pqmW0ByTDUO9MTS54TBuz3bCf_-O1PhAiCCLm0XdTexqcEJ3AkpJ/s320/cleanfleece.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434593024063584866" border="0" /></a>Then, you wind up with a nice, lovely pile of CLEAN fleece. I removed the brown bits you see above, and I'll see if I can get by without them. This fleece was relatively clean, though - I went from 32 ounces to about 24 ounces, so only about 6 ounces of dirt/grease came out in the wash.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuUuartLWfxsnrBYtDC2EQa86QkCblJH89qBSoB2_8WJk3DapYCkOFU3E8ABDo-BTG6dBCChemje4JDpGvlg-krK8vYMAR8TQdqi9HXTOyFRUtiYAbpXhGtQw0Y3gKQZASTiVC/s1600-h/knitspin+052.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 179px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuUuartLWfxsnrBYtDC2EQa86QkCblJH89qBSoB2_8WJk3DapYCkOFU3E8ABDo-BTG6dBCChemje4JDpGvlg-krK8vYMAR8TQdqi9HXTOyFRUtiYAbpXhGtQw0Y3gKQZASTiVC/s320/knitspin+052.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434593026996090754" border="0" /></a>Spin up some lovely singles with the hand-carded rolags (I'll get pictures of those steps as soon as I'm able to do all that stuff again - I'm still resting, icing, and stretching my poor trigger thumb. Triggering less, but still a bit uncomfortable.<br /><br />So, clear as mud? Who's ready to become a spinner?<br /><br />:O)Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03059733453547758995noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24141602.post-85877258978181833312010-02-01T15:33:00.000-08:002010-02-08T12:32:20.209-08:00HealingAll this resting is really quite exhausting! Suddenly, I actually let my mind wander into that dark corner. You know. . . the one in the living room that holds too much junk. Well, in my teeny tiny living room, there seems to be just TOO MUCH all the time, but you know what I mean!<br /><br />Yesterday, I dusted off and cleaned out under my desk. I found work/printed online textbooks from my Masters (that I've had now for four years . . . ), a few old bills (the rest will go to the bulk shredder just as soon as I do my taxes), and pretty much organized my fiber/yarn corner into neatness. Feels good.<br /><br />Wish I was spinning.<br /><br />Then, The Boy, my sister, and I also had a Create-Your-Own-Dino contest. We all created, drew, named, and colored/painted our own dinosaurs. Then, we had unwitting family members vote on their favorites. The Boy "won" but we all know my dinosaur - <span style="font-style: italic;">anglerobicus</span> was the real winner. LOL So. Much. Fun!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI0G15l-HhBqc83HhVMvYh5rlVLnr0V5jmL-APuYqIfyAfCknC6sPedzdx0uwv4ENc68Jfcj-Cen76qXJlycTAZaEdXjLYkBgjTDyxqUFjzWDmjJqGFBeuVZTDupa2l_IST_dr/s1600-h/dinos.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 179px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI0G15l-HhBqc83HhVMvYh5rlVLnr0V5jmL-APuYqIfyAfCknC6sPedzdx0uwv4ENc68Jfcj-Cen76qXJlycTAZaEdXjLYkBgjTDyxqUFjzWDmjJqGFBeuVZTDupa2l_IST_dr/s320/dinos.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433426794874914930" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I also have just about finished reading "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Tempest-Tales-Walter-Mosley/dp/1574780433">The Tempest Tales</a>" by Walter Mosley. This is one I was listening to on audio book while knitting before bed, but returned and checked out for real on Saturday. Along with 4 other actual novels. Maybe this will turn into a book-review blog for a bit . . . This one is really good - a funny look at life, death, sin, morality, heaven, and hell. Mosley is so good! Wish I was knitting and listening, though!<br /><br />And, I also discovered a GREAT way to ice my poor trigger thumb:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGIPuFGEpWMM2ZDjgx5TCkO29ajnrHVSkcTx7_0I03UDI1JXM_x5F-nfWj0xMXbikydovLHtHr9luCj8htyLuequJLJuMS83CXXOpqVueA9htLETc8Nryq_1MUiyua6_3aEx2g/s1600-h/icing.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 179px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGIPuFGEpWMM2ZDjgx5TCkO29ajnrHVSkcTx7_0I03UDI1JXM_x5F-nfWj0xMXbikydovLHtHr9luCj8htyLuequJLJuMS83CXXOpqVueA9htLETc8Nryq_1MUiyua6_3aEx2g/s320/icing.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433426782965657362" border="0" /></a><br />Perfect fit, wouldn't you say? I may need a steady stream of these to keep things under control! LOLOLOL!<br /><br />And, . . .<br /><br />Did I tell you we had another snowstorm??<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2p1q860idf2NtTlP9MyK_Eb8cVSy-2NKmoy2PCDT2XPR0Q65Xvy6ito35Wp5e3XpWUcwoBgNZzxa24HIv22b_k5R6R36dhElkAQhJqcG6y50rTvXFUD78gnU-rdadGrvM_K47/s1600-h/Jansnow.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 179px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2p1q860idf2NtTlP9MyK_Eb8cVSy-2NKmoy2PCDT2XPR0Q65Xvy6ito35Wp5e3XpWUcwoBgNZzxa24HIv22b_k5R6R36dhElkAQhJqcG6y50rTvXFUD78gnU-rdadGrvM_K47/s320/Jansnow.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433426816187088690" border="0" /></a> So far 2 feet of snow for the DC area this season. Woohoo! Now that's what I call Winter!!<br /><br />Still wish I was spinning!<br /><br /><a href="http://raniknits.blogspot.com/">Rani</a> - tomorrow, I promise a look so far at what I've done to the BFL/Cotswold fleece I recently purchased. I figure I'd best do this now, since I have 2 pounds of Lincoln locks and another 2 pounds of Romney fleece on their way to me as well!!! Tee hee!<br /><br />:O)Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03059733453547758995noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24141602.post-84581393832040312502010-01-30T10:40:00.000-08:002010-02-08T12:32:49.638-08:00Off The WagonGuess who now belongs to me?<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtqsSndnb4YYltFSyUKu3cb_TVBoK58M20ICx3Dh39xR21LNtUu1BFOA_bm5R1SiDe62QB-nYmPYqYQinRw55DI25WyA0K16I1GUiZ7rsGxGxTBsRHrNBE8s33uChHUZ8P6yAB/s1600-h/knitspin+056.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 179px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtqsSndnb4YYltFSyUKu3cb_TVBoK58M20ICx3Dh39xR21LNtUu1BFOA_bm5R1SiDe62QB-nYmPYqYQinRw55DI25WyA0K16I1GUiZ7rsGxGxTBsRHrNBE8s33uChHUZ8P6yAB/s320/knitspin+056.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432608735605554498" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.ashford.co.nz/spinning/spinning-frameset.htm">Her!</a><br /><br />I'm very happy, if even more broke, now. I'm happy to have supported my favorite all-time local yarn shop in buying it, and I think the Ashford products are wonderful besides (and I have bobbins for them already! LOL).<br /><br />Currently, I have one full bobbin of the BFL/Cotswold fiber that I'm carding up from the fleece <a href="http://knits-n-things.blogspot.com/2010/01/my-excellent-mail-day.html">I just purchased</a>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB7yrdy0PyQSz_qNvrjxh8QuzNSRFxCIwNrKh_5YxDQUg2ggyrOXazBvkc9_wMuNhNwco2kF7ckmueDHTvpnHeoNJo8gBUYNMt0-u7NUndC_1QcGg8nzAkLx0DSUrJcc3HXsY3/s1600-h/knitspin+052.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 179px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB7yrdy0PyQSz_qNvrjxh8QuzNSRFxCIwNrKh_5YxDQUg2ggyrOXazBvkc9_wMuNhNwco2kF7ckmueDHTvpnHeoNJo8gBUYNMt0-u7NUndC_1QcGg8nzAkLx0DSUrJcc3HXsY3/s320/knitspin+052.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432608724510837618" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The plan still is to spin and knit that fiber into the <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/ravensong">Ravensong</a> sweater from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fine-Fleece-Knitting-Handspun-Yarns/dp/0307346838/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1264878232&sr=8-1">A Fine Fleece</a>. The plan may just have to wait a bit longer.<br /><br />Remember the lovely brown merino I'd started spinning when I first borrowed the wheel? Well, I'm now finished spinning that up, and that's only because I decided I was FINISHED spinning that particular fiber.<br /><br />I've spun with merino before - in commercially prepared rovings, and very often in the "superwash" form that's very popular right now. Lovely fiber. No problems whatsoever, and I 'can' spin this stuff. This fiber, however, was very short, and required an immense amount of control from me to spin.<br /><br />So much so, that I now have a bit of a trigger finger (well, thumb) because of it. I was pinching really hard to get the fiber to stay together long enough to spin the way I wanted, and there was a lot of it! I spun about 600 yards, but then did a 2-ply, so wound up with 301 yards. The rest of the fiber? I 'gifted' it to my sister. Since she and I split the fleece to begin with, this will help her to ensure she can do whatever she wants with the fiber - she'd have more than enough for a cabled sweater now.<br /><br />But I'm through. I'm going to take a self-imposed knitting/spinning break for about 2 weeks. I may have to test out my progress to see how I'm healing by knitting a row or two here and there, but I really think I need the rest before I require a doctor! I'm already going to Drs and PT appointments for my back and hip pain, I don't need to add on any more ailments!<br /><br />While resting, I think the first order of business will be to take my new wheel apart and stain it, get it (and myself) ready to go for the Olympics. 'Cause you know there are <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/groups/ravelympics-2010">Olympic Knitting</a> events as well, right? If not, clicky the linky and find out all about it. Join in the craziness. The more the merrier!! I hope to begin carding more fleece during the opening ceremonies for one 'event' geared toward spinning, and will work on a few knitting works-in-progress for another.<br /><br />Until then, I'll be reading regular old books - returned my audio books this afternoon - and checking into how to disassemble and stain my wheel. That should leave plenty of time to cook up some new spinning and knitting plans!<br /><br />:O)Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03059733453547758995noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24141602.post-10152288451384036612010-01-24T20:20:00.000-08:002010-02-08T12:33:17.830-08:00Who Knew?That my little Cub Scout (actually, he's a "Wolf", but all those designations confuse the nonsense out of me) would win his first Pinewood Derby race??<br /><br />Apparently, he and his dad are pretty good at making cars that go fast! Considering Mommy tried to break the thing not once but twice (it hit the floor and off popped all the cool washers and such that weight it down . . .)I think their talents are remarkable.<br /><br />Here he is after we hot-glued several washers and small lead weights to his car (but before it hit the floor the first time). He's smiling, slightly.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSTVEj7F0NJzqLD9pcQBfHoL9RDypJLxJ-PcmbKio4TOutmoa37DKPjwKmccC701HsOlbZ4QWPXp-9XJIPuyYn61BA7y5saSuJsQSdwNOb9o2Lgx49bfsJX_coJMPPp4OttE1d/s1600-h/car.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 179px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSTVEj7F0NJzqLD9pcQBfHoL9RDypJLxJ-PcmbKio4TOutmoa37DKPjwKmccC701HsOlbZ4QWPXp-9XJIPuyYn61BA7y5saSuJsQSdwNOb9o2Lgx49bfsJX_coJMPPp4OttE1d/s320/car.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430531408850531250" border="0" /></a><br />And here he is after his car won his "heat." Made even cooler by the fact that he was the only "wolf" in attendance from the pack, so he went up against the more seasoned "bears." Notice that now, he's too cool to smile at his Mommy.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjQkELJPJk8QExPG7O1c5mxuDOeKWEVYUdteT0V65oLn-0ja2yRgqN3txeb8V98wxssDAWF7pBPYKtY8X12vabrwV522RnGEcemSibMMPFu7lPXJV7xGfGtvN6jilcuiZ9ht2S/s1600-h/ribbon.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 179px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjQkELJPJk8QExPG7O1c5mxuDOeKWEVYUdteT0V65oLn-0ja2yRgqN3txeb8V98wxssDAWF7pBPYKtY8X12vabrwV522RnGEcemSibMMPFu7lPXJV7xGfGtvN6jilcuiZ9ht2S/s320/ribbon.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430530386196427298" border="0" /></a><br />When it was all said and done, his car took 2nd place overall, earning him a trophy, and a trip to the district race in March. Let's hope the car recovers as nicely as it did the first time, cause during cleanup, the car hit the floor again. Oy.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdSeg7Nh_ApJgwws7Lpu8tlyDy4IRxoymYgH8ZnVW-ojw97pUrdKdlzHaMfGm3mg3ilFDyG1zfMddVXx7hOmaU8oEz9c9Tq-2oOjVEstrpPMP5eLN6MboYiwGEVL4xL0CbqmzE/s1600-h/trophy.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 179px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdSeg7Nh_ApJgwws7Lpu8tlyDy4IRxoymYgH8ZnVW-ojw97pUrdKdlzHaMfGm3mg3ilFDyG1zfMddVXx7hOmaU8oEz9c9Tq-2oOjVEstrpPMP5eLN6MboYiwGEVL4xL0CbqmzE/s320/trophy.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430530394097575410" border="0" /></a>Again, much too cool to smile at Mommy. Sheesh!<br /><br />:O)Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03059733453547758995noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24141602.post-42808464660078093672010-01-11T19:43:00.000-08:002010-01-16T21:16:04.063-08:00My Excellent Mail DayThe other day I had the best mail day. Ever.<br /><br />I'd been doing ((ahem)) a bit of swapping on <a href="https://www.ravelry.com/account/login">Ravelry</a> and thinking that I was due a package. Besides that, I'd also purchased a fleece from <a href="http://www.vermontcrafts.com/members/MagnusWools.html">Vermont</a> to split with some of the ladies in my spinning group.<br /><br />Sooooo, was I ever happy to see this in the living room when I came home last Thursday evening!!!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiwle2yE9obEQgTZtm6s2FuCv7zQuXIDXpD9w1dq7IaKjUU4IM3xZUs_Y7tKDnUBHiiVUcpABwq6yf3sLpINgNbAfc7w2mwWY_bdxsvhXmXlIJ3_C_zxk29SSEQ543RGW6hO-i/s1600-h/knitspin+014.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 179px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiwle2yE9obEQgTZtm6s2FuCv7zQuXIDXpD9w1dq7IaKjUU4IM3xZUs_Y7tKDnUBHiiVUcpABwq6yf3sLpINgNbAfc7w2mwWY_bdxsvhXmXlIJ3_C_zxk29SSEQ543RGW6hO-i/s320/knitspin+014.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427572996713907298" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The big one was, of course, the fleece - 6 pounds of a silver/grey BFL-Cotswold cross. It's lovely.<br />I have the best, most handsome mail helper, too!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFbUGMcQTTKs2ATjkcw8KhW70SgPue4x87KZGM_iDh44BsD0FhDndP5LeELU2_PtJR37Il6ufq0t6JDIzJyp5OcHAZ7VuN4ZhBFit8QhAFT4sFKUjR6Uu67XNiJUn8MoyWF-wq/s1600-h/handsomehelper.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 179px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFbUGMcQTTKs2ATjkcw8KhW70SgPue4x87KZGM_iDh44BsD0FhDndP5LeELU2_PtJR37Il6ufq0t6JDIzJyp5OcHAZ7VuN4ZhBFit8QhAFT4sFKUjR6Uu67XNiJUn8MoyWF-wq/s320/handsomehelper.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427571590720631554" border="0" /></a>I washed it all in small bits last weekend.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Mb6AwIYDUujLupbBzMZlFAFVD0fie3beokeHi6Bfb5ylDhvTo9aCzTbXJAeUX57aVmA7m2HaMuqHKamXhjtzVTi3v0mzsqBA2KGmOn9Rn78sl9DaerCtD1UN4JzeKZbrgeJI/s1600-h/knitspin+036.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 179px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Mb6AwIYDUujLupbBzMZlFAFVD0fie3beokeHi6Bfb5ylDhvTo9aCzTbXJAeUX57aVmA7m2HaMuqHKamXhjtzVTi3v0mzsqBA2KGmOn9Rn78sl9DaerCtD1UN4JzeKZbrgeJI/s320/knitspin+036.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427571620962243570" border="0" /></a>Well, at least my 2 pounds of it!! Very nice to way to spend a weekend, if you ask me!!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Kkyg4VOlcYVt4wqMTh9yd5VxHb0oztPQaIWlDWlIh7f_9TtjA85zMtoxhYjZ-MuxvRXR8C4GzxGOrsHka3w47_6Ar-72WE9EWHdJtL1T2nLIUIcw2JOwfxXJwNSuIkLF5qji/s1600-h/cleanfleece.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 179px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Kkyg4VOlcYVt4wqMTh9yd5VxHb0oztPQaIWlDWlIh7f_9TtjA85zMtoxhYjZ-MuxvRXR8C4GzxGOrsHka3w47_6Ar-72WE9EWHdJtL1T2nLIUIcw2JOwfxXJwNSuIkLF5qji/s320/cleanfleece.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427571597937621810" border="0" /></a><br />Now I have this pile of wonderful, silvery fluff waiting for me!!<br /><br />The other large-ish box contained more fleece that I'd ordered from Etsy. It's cormo that's been dyed in the fleece-y state. The result is like little clouds of color that are ready to be hand-carded (think really, really big dog combs)into "rolags" that are then spun up on my wheel (or a spindle!).<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMOVQhXOWI0jFWb4UJWfZnjbkzHrjoxBJTQLXM-793JvESFQwDypRT07Ky7TPm0nZZAuQItuBBo1mmnTfe1sZYhTiG3oQF_0NDAjJXSfGU9n-yPwIj7FHYCSjhS-LIrwSynUzE/s1600-h/insideleaf.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 179px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMOVQhXOWI0jFWb4UJWfZnjbkzHrjoxBJTQLXM-793JvESFQwDypRT07Ky7TPm0nZZAuQItuBBo1mmnTfe1sZYhTiG3oQF_0NDAjJXSfGU9n-yPwIj7FHYCSjhS-LIrwSynUzE/s320/insideleaf.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427571601503982354" border="0" /></a>The colors were inspired by a fallen leaf in the woods, and I think they're just fabulous. Can't wait to card and spin it!<br /><br />The last, small flat box was a nice surprise. It was my last shipment for the Intentions Yarn Club, which turned out to be a sampling of some dyeing techniques. There were 6 or so mini sock yarn skeins along with some yummy teas and a sample product from the dyer's OTHER/new business, I think. Smells wonderful.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjRGVzuxJoOhsO08HV36pk5Wbg3idYsTYfpgH1BSs_LIV6yoM-BJi5s-J8eDwt8TkCdwad90i1l8E7-dR0zd-brd5BulyRlSQbZ8dNE0IVi13KP55qtc5dDNeatXIHhJVApONH/s1600-h/knitspin+017.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 179px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjRGVzuxJoOhsO08HV36pk5Wbg3idYsTYfpgH1BSs_LIV6yoM-BJi5s-J8eDwt8TkCdwad90i1l8E7-dR0zd-brd5BulyRlSQbZ8dNE0IVi13KP55qtc5dDNeatXIHhJVApONH/s320/knitspin+017.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427571611294350402" border="0" /></a>I think I'll take the mini-skeins to my knit group on Saturday to see what they think of a possible way to use them all together. Either that or I'll be gifting them, which is more likely.<br /><br />:O)Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03059733453547758995noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24141602.post-34679666654717602502010-01-05T15:23:00.000-08:002010-01-05T15:46:49.507-08:00Hellooooo, 2010!!No New Year's post this year - no real "resolutions" to make. I'm already in the middle of trying to get rid of some serious hip/back pain so there was no real reason to vow to get healthier. How about a day without pain? I'll take that in a heartbeat, which logically means getting healthier and more active anyway. As soon as I can walk without pain, I'll get right on that!! LOL<br /><br />The holidays around here were great - lots of family time, The Boy had a blast, and I had three extra days off due to a lovely "blizzard" (I'm using that term loosely) that hit the weekend before the week of Christmas. Did that make sense? Basically, my county was planning on holding classes until December 23rd, which is crap, so Mother Nature did us all a favor. We'll see what the county says at the end of the year, though!!<br /><br />During that week off, I made a trip up to my favorite LYS to rent an Ashford Traveler to test out. It's been entertaining me immensely, and I don't want to give it back on Friday, which is when my original rental was supposed to be up. I think I'll keep it for another two weeks, unless the shop wants it back. I'd already said that I had to pay off my one major credit card before buying a new wheel (and I doubt that's going to happen in the next two weeks). I may have to re-evaluate at the end of that time, because I really, really don't want to return it - I'm liking it that much! Here's what I've been spinning:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg75rv0RuRrnWYiO26gzjcxnKyXc4PmaykNIXDmd8K4MH3EA6l0JokI28wkLvVjl0IHA1qOfT7148OvfZqXpu7VAcazOb9LH2UPmQs56iiJ6lyfTMZEjb5b2_AIOV7U_z5BfAMe/s1600-h/knitspin+012.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 179px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg75rv0RuRrnWYiO26gzjcxnKyXc4PmaykNIXDmd8K4MH3EA6l0JokI28wkLvVjl0IHA1qOfT7148OvfZqXpu7VAcazOb9LH2UPmQs56iiJ6lyfTMZEjb5b2_AIOV7U_z5BfAMe/s320/knitspin+012.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423403322338965842" border="0" /></a><br />Some core-spun fiber in a colorway called "Butterscotch Sky" from <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/spincerely">Spincerely Yours</a> I spun this for my contribution to the <a href="http://pluckyfluff1.livejournal.com/70487.html">Handspun Revolution</a>. If you're a spinner, you should spin, too. Then you can have your work dispayed in an art museum, too. A little party conversation pick-me-up, if nothing else, right?? LOL<br /><br />I spun that small skein for the art show, and in preparation to spin the rest. I'll keep the rest for myself, thank you very much!! It's very, very pretty, and core-spinning just seemed the right thing to do with it!<br /><br />And here's 125 yards of a BFL/scrap blend. The idea was that The Boy and I would work on this together - he'd card the scraps for me to spin with the BFL. I think he made 2 rolags. The rest was all me, while I tested out the borrowed wheel.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAMAVgf57YQdN-dh-Hr8-S2n1N_vVDRElZPBfG0QmoDiffmg7awiz4rKmsjwnXqhx486b3saXCx665_TO0k9njXeBz9Wk6ffZnoMfugJDStLe82PTSeI15Xb2QtI8uN7p5bKcM/s1600-h/knitspin+008.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 179px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAMAVgf57YQdN-dh-Hr8-S2n1N_vVDRElZPBfG0QmoDiffmg7awiz4rKmsjwnXqhx486b3saXCx665_TO0k9njXeBz9Wk6ffZnoMfugJDStLe82PTSeI15Xb2QtI8uN7p5bKcM/s320/knitspin+008.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423403315472039106" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqQ3V0w1JiP2K59EEPJHn_ukjRNkajbQLITGZXTDUUX2Hyiiua-4imBa3YiW2Kjq-avA7hdGrnAby2GUjuq2g3xLmMSRWldERNBvFjZknvYKFphAEtLMik591mY7FQ-Fg_QcYw/s1600-h/knitspin+006.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 179px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqQ3V0w1JiP2K59EEPJHn_ukjRNkajbQLITGZXTDUUX2Hyiiua-4imBa3YiW2Kjq-avA7hdGrnAby2GUjuq2g3xLmMSRWldERNBvFjZknvYKFphAEtLMik591mY7FQ-Fg_QcYw/s320/knitspin+006.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423403307405095330" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The brown that you see on the left is the merino top I had made from the fleece my sister and I shared from MDS&W, and the far right is a dyed corriedale blend. Lovely, but way overspun as I tested out the wheel. <br /><br />Told you I'd been having fun with it!!<br /><br />On New Year's Eve, the family and a friend spent time Wii-ing it up, and in between Dream Snowboard and Ice-skaing, I worked on finishing my Vine Yoke Cardigan. I love it, and have barely taken it off since washing and blocking it!!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipN8uk6hjFTwWO9lAsHJQ9r_3pW0OlwNcmsL4kFYtQ5QL7yT25sFF7s0xsz0f4-WMJx2Fv58-Xyhi1BMQsJaAzr6Iz3YD4G2tyrfBpaHFmgLN8bNiv39eRjmjolPbZEhdQGCNo/s1600-h/knitspin+004.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 179px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipN8uk6hjFTwWO9lAsHJQ9r_3pW0OlwNcmsL4kFYtQ5QL7yT25sFF7s0xsz0f4-WMJx2Fv58-Xyhi1BMQsJaAzr6Iz3YD4G2tyrfBpaHFmgLN8bNiv39eRjmjolPbZEhdQGCNo/s320/knitspin+004.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423403337097942194" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWoJy3GD6Am4KbP-ODFIEIizA_r3bgrSc8aPgSmnp9-d0ikMCfIFiBad2QijWSv-J-KQF_2ElBeInvYe91Xdt-m3fmk2P9f9F7ZamMk7h5zyppPq6z6nSjhbsHOqXpLSp09CmB/s1600-h/knitspin+003.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 179px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWoJy3GD6Am4KbP-ODFIEIizA_r3bgrSc8aPgSmnp9-d0ikMCfIFiBad2QijWSv-J-KQF_2ElBeInvYe91Xdt-m3fmk2P9f9F7ZamMk7h5zyppPq6z6nSjhbsHOqXpLSp09CmB/s320/knitspin+003.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423403332031848082" border="0" /></a><br /><br />:O)Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03059733453547758995noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24141602.post-85920667486533190602009-12-25T13:27:00.001-08:002009-12-25T13:29:48.713-08:00Merry Christmas!Hope your day is happy. Hope you got a reaction like this somehow, some way today.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2ONkNWvoqx8q11Mb-NCX0pYe-_XmzEi6UQL9LJk4zQHGME3fJyJ4GKy6DSkWP3swGJ9CmX70Hrde9ZMPc3rHOoGbQfCZfXIVbKHoKDpfH3KULD8QIWxMFmwQKC9LfuFIGpLV_/s1600-h/momscarf.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 179px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2ONkNWvoqx8q11Mb-NCX0pYe-_XmzEi6UQL9LJk4zQHGME3fJyJ4GKy6DSkWP3swGJ9CmX70Hrde9ZMPc3rHOoGbQfCZfXIVbKHoKDpfH3KULD8QIWxMFmwQKC9LfuFIGpLV_/s320/momscarf.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5419289021088657410" border="0" /></a><br />Harry Potter and a handknit, beaded scarf (that my sister knit) did it this year for my mom. Score!!<br /><br />:O)Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03059733453547758995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24141602.post-18635525421854458162009-12-21T13:38:00.000-08:002009-12-21T13:40:47.232-08:00Mother Nature ROCKS!Thank you, Mother Nature, for helping to make my Winter Break the length that it SHOULD have been in the first place.<br /><br />A little "<a href="http://knits-n-things.blogspot.com/2009/12/weather-outside.html">extra</a>" snow never hurt during Christmas Vacation, ya know! For the record, we got 18 inches total in our yard!<br /><br />:O)Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03059733453547758995noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24141602.post-47324855122596129212009-12-19T13:08:00.000-08:002009-12-19T13:21:54.242-08:00The Weather Outside<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl_FW_if3vo6NWJ8laqhTdjuYKuHEzjKPWZAfRXhn8zVGCyvXFanQz7MTkw3boFGPRjBe0RPu3-ZI_r_iGxr73C2eS4bw3AiDAxZTZybf6P2JeSs8bN0MVJn4NiWqeaGdqb6Vk/s1600-h/december09.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl_FW_if3vo6NWJ8laqhTdjuYKuHEzjKPWZAfRXhn8zVGCyvXFanQz7MTkw3boFGPRjBe0RPu3-ZI_r_iGxr73C2eS4bw3AiDAxZTZybf6P2JeSs8bN0MVJn4NiWqeaGdqb6Vk/s320/december09.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417060574438346258" border="0" /></a><br />. . . makes me glad I'm inside for the day!<br /><br />We are having a "weather event" here - according to the media, and what you see is a good foot of snow on top of our four (yes, four - there's a Subaru Outback behind the tan Camry if you can believe it - but it's had the snow cleared off of it!) vehicles. See how the wiper blades barely stick up out of the snow on the Camry?? I do believe those are 17 inch blades. Just sayin'.<br /><br />Soooo, what have I been up to today? A little Facebook, a little knitting (while LOST plays in the background - gotta get ready for season 6!), a little spinning, and a lot of hot liquids. My first graders gave me a cold, so I'm mad at them. Good thing I don't have a hot date this weekend. Heh.<br /><br />I've finished the Christmas knitting - cranked out another "<a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/a-hat-fit-for-a-boyfriend">Boyfriend</a>" hat for my uncle, and I declare myself officially done. Back to knitting for myself. I really, really want to knit something comfy for myself for around the house. It's clear that knitting to wear to work is futile - the boilers in our building are monsters. I've been wearing my Fall shirts since August!<br /><br />So now, I want to knit comfy and warm stuff for me to hang out here, since hanging out here (or somewhere that I can dress equally as comfy) is what I seem to do. I've got two sweaters started, but my knitting mojo for sweaters has just left me - something always gets in the way of me finishing and wearing these lovely patterns.<br /><br />Maybe the snow will send me good vibes, but for now, I'll just keep knitting <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/saroyan">Saroyan</a>, spinning away like mad, and planning all the comfy "home" sweaters I want to knit.<br /><br />By the way - did you hear about the plan that <a href="http://pluckyfluff1.livejournal.com/">Pluckyfluff</a> has for an art show? If you're a spinner and ever thought that your craft was more of an artform, you need to check this out! Then, start spinning and join in. I plan to spin a skein for the project, and I think you should too. If you don't know how to spin, then you should learn. It's fun, and just about as addicting as knitting.<br /><br />But don't let that deter you. You CAN have more than one legal addiction in life and still be fine.<br /><br />At least that's what my therapist tells me. She works at a yarn shop. Think I should trust her?<br /><br />:O)Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03059733453547758995noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24141602.post-64120238092082325272009-12-13T07:56:00.000-08:002009-12-13T08:13:37.083-08:00'Tis The Season!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3_rZhVVQvludEpLjkm6EwTfyckw5g9nZnn0s-k5TSfXw60BGj9zWKn2i0LC-NsDOUFFQVI2DDct-L67KqNgjOgqHgH8KM2STHhjtM303fguyciSZnGaUeoLF1egujXeC9m_Ra/s1600-h/Christmas+update+017.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 179px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3_rZhVVQvludEpLjkm6EwTfyckw5g9nZnn0s-k5TSfXw60BGj9zWKn2i0LC-NsDOUFFQVI2DDct-L67KqNgjOgqHgH8KM2STHhjtM303fguyciSZnGaUeoLF1egujXeC9m_Ra/s320/Christmas+update+017.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414750881493046562" border="0" /></a>Blogging has been scarce lately due to my busy, busy schedule. I have been Christmas gift knitting like a madwoman. Above is the latest project I've cast on, just for me! I've been thinking "scarf" for myself for a while now - in the midst of all my Christmas knitting, since I really only have the Clapotis that I knit myself a couple years ago, and I wear that thing out - snags and everything! So Saroyan is next for me, and I'm knitting it in red Silky Wool so that The Boy and I will match in our winter gear. We have a brown and red thang goin' on, and this will help me stick to the dress code! LOL. Excuse the crumbs on the corner of his mouth - this was just after breakfast this morning. He's showing off my progress as of midnight last night, after leaving a fellow knitter's house for knitting and chit-chat. Love those nights!<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibUvkxkFxikPTxE5oNOCXapqVuADCCllGRBpos6fpb2VdMSeO8x5ZNK0OGBYhrC-uTflHruO8CixSzmWo2s1bn4Y2hE8UXfRK1Z83Bcj-MSpnoBVmfm60BtCSdEsGDS_Xkl0MR/s1600-h/Christmas+update+002.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 179px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibUvkxkFxikPTxE5oNOCXapqVuADCCllGRBpos6fpb2VdMSeO8x5ZNK0OGBYhrC-uTflHruO8CixSzmWo2s1bn4Y2hE8UXfRK1Z83Bcj-MSpnoBVmfm60BtCSdEsGDS_Xkl0MR/s320/Christmas+update+002.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414750860381487922" border="0" /></a>Here's some of the Christmas gifts I've accomplished so far, pre-blocking. They are, from the top left: a scarf done in Alpaca Seta (MUST get more of this yarn - yum-o!!), Trilobite for a big-headed kid I know. . . and a prayer shawl for a co-worker. I was quite proud of myself for the scarf, since I just looked at a stitch pattern book, chose an edge I liked, guessed how many stitches would make a cute scarf, and went to town. I even managed to finish the bind-off edge on my own after losing the pattern book in a corner of my bedroom! Yay me!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpixAz1dIoh8smQEITwjM_dzDJ0OP0cSWT0EGDOWYfA6BYSJah2XwAGFudgRi73MgxcngTn7YP06PDhLLljHISDs842p6TB-QWclwyhkFkz-Qh0HV3h9T4XPctKEty9XWTGjZL/s1600-h/Christmas+update+009.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 179px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpixAz1dIoh8smQEITwjM_dzDJ0OP0cSWT0EGDOWYfA6BYSJah2XwAGFudgRi73MgxcngTn7YP06PDhLLljHISDs842p6TB-QWclwyhkFkz-Qh0HV3h9T4XPctKEty9XWTGjZL/s320/Christmas+update+009.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414750876381426498" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiInM27js4t9qV3gV4alLsGUJQtdRf07Oh3h20YsFYyQapKu3HhZaKJT5eHh0Uy8dmkh3Yny1MYO2On2HSLVICFFC8w0zTz8xzDwvvmGr5T8ZwV3Ur22zjNnSESrcfP2xaoLm5Z/s1600-h/Christmas+update+003.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 179px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiInM27js4t9qV3gV4alLsGUJQtdRf07Oh3h20YsFYyQapKu3HhZaKJT5eHh0Uy8dmkh3Yny1MYO2On2HSLVICFFC8w0zTz8xzDwvvmGr5T8ZwV3Ur22zjNnSESrcfP2xaoLm5Z/s320/Christmas+update+003.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414750867852292306" border="0" /></a>They look much better (but I take a crappier picture, apparently), AFTER blocking.<br /><br /><br />I can't wait to deliver the prayer shawl to my co-worker/friend. She always admires my knitting and had a bit of a rough time last year, so I thought she was definitely due!<br /><br />The hat you'll see modeled after the big day, I'm sure!! LOL.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDIAqBpao9w3e-y2Xa8OWVTzf9qFNFHvkhTYvMyvvL0-qvfQwa5BSYEwBqpuJWMULHkbtHVt9gOzURI_KOUVGv9kVMz2AyygPllfRhndEPoVDeWIKvUiHNmYhzr0pzrS9VyeXm/s1600-h/Christmas+update+001.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDIAqBpao9w3e-y2Xa8OWVTzf9qFNFHvkhTYvMyvvL0-qvfQwa5BSYEwBqpuJWMULHkbtHVt9gOzURI_KOUVGv9kVMz2AyygPllfRhndEPoVDeWIKvUiHNmYhzr0pzrS9VyeXm/s320/Christmas+update+001.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414750859570738466" border="0" /></a>And, last but not least, we FINALLY found a non-rainy, non-puddle day to get Molly together with her friend Cricket (who is still a puppy). Molly is on the right. The 'puppy' is on the left. He's a big galumpus, and so, so friendly! They had a great time running around the dog park together!<br /><br />I'm off to finish some Christmas shopping in the rain, then come home to put up our tree! Yay - now I can wrap what's hidden in my room!! Now when am I going to have the time for that . . . ???<br /><br />:O)Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03059733453547758995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24141602.post-52210945090073723362009-11-27T09:12:00.000-08:002009-11-30T15:30:31.308-08:00?Got Milk?Here's hoping everyone had a perfectly lovely Thanksgiving Day!<br /><br />I had fun PREPARING for Thanksgiving. (The Boy went with his dad for the actual holiday, but we spent the day together on Wednesday!) Here's the pies we made (one for here, one for him to take to his other grandparents' - well, actually to his Pop-pop Harold!).<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYENPQu04hiAUrhpFH2E9tqCaSlgnA-DZXqS4pX9ZLyw6TZCqq3XahNQSiiq_uileBqZIcH9FB8WvSWUXKWxhqKUpn_LzNI0CETod_49KgVhAZ4ETioEt2TShxD7FmazKzq102/s1600/pie.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYENPQu04hiAUrhpFH2E9tqCaSlgnA-DZXqS4pX9ZLyw6TZCqq3XahNQSiiq_uileBqZIcH9FB8WvSWUXKWxhqKUpn_LzNI0CETod_49KgVhAZ4ETioEt2TShxD7FmazKzq102/s320/pie.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410042422148526082" /></a><br /><br />Here's my helper with the pies. Such a ham.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqv1HATWDhDVdqlnG8iraddf5rJDfA2n_r14Xx2GCOUCcnO7aw0EJ2UUYaeW_hsjZbGDoquigtokZk7PmkYLdDgnCLhNtGtl7zJ8xTkbkxTGNZfXrpAiHXt55GZ8p17j9NSWnB/s1600/hamandpie.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqv1HATWDhDVdqlnG8iraddf5rJDfA2n_r14Xx2GCOUCcnO7aw0EJ2UUYaeW_hsjZbGDoquigtokZk7PmkYLdDgnCLhNtGtl7zJ8xTkbkxTGNZfXrpAiHXt55GZ8p17j9NSWnB/s320/hamandpie.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410042429723684130" /></a><br /><br />And here's how I enjoyed my pie yesterday after eating my meal:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_b0Uel2hSA6zlwJzPp4bM7j0seAYAXBelYOodT9Zwx4ta06a7eWORscIejL8rRz6-24e9YWEjzJsyuI1luJE1dSWK3oL3zqtyTQSmNVXgPkcArOu7rZ9lHklA-Jcai9u7hfWg/s1600/gotmilk.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_b0Uel2hSA6zlwJzPp4bM7j0seAYAXBelYOodT9Zwx4ta06a7eWORscIejL8rRz6-24e9YWEjzJsyuI1luJE1dSWK3oL3zqtyTQSmNVXgPkcArOu7rZ9lHklA-Jcai9u7hfWg/s320/gotmilk.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410042441650342530" /></a><br /><br /><strong>PSA #1 for this blog - get your Vitamin D levels checked. More on that later!</strong><br /><br />And here's the haul from the Black Friday sale at a LYS. I'll try to go clockwise. Hopefully, you'll recognize the pretties just by name . . . <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKATW7pxOExdx_CkAVj9zsnyzzbLU-zhHgoKuYzCIBo0E7e2i_aPrYZz1lr8UOGYGcj26lkBQF_coiUms7TPXhxgrrFPAZt6U7TQYUUcrpkea8AryhQW0m5Pq8yBVPcf7y39An/s1600/blackfriday.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 179px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKATW7pxOExdx_CkAVj9zsnyzzbLU-zhHgoKuYzCIBo0E7e2i_aPrYZz1lr8UOGYGcj26lkBQF_coiUms7TPXhxgrrFPAZt6U7TQYUUcrpkea8AryhQW0m5Pq8yBVPcf7y39An/s320/blackfriday.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410042442464054530" /></a><br /><br />Jitterbug sock yarn in a mint green and brown colorway that I've been eyeing for a while (20% sale = cha-ching!), Some Classic Elite Yarns "Princess" in a beautiful teal colorway for another "Frances Revisited" - love the first one, but it's a bit itchy, so I want a more wearable one, two more skeins of jitterbug in coordinating colorways that I just had to get for a giftie for someone very special . . . , some lovely burgundy, Louisa Harding "Grace", a lovely skein of Ella Rae "Lace Merino" for a giftie, and a lil' sweater's worth of red Silky Wool for myself. I am now officially a collector of Silky Wool. I have about 4 colorways in my stash (red, forest green, purple, and a teal/blue), so I NEED to get knitting! I'm wondering if I can do the Akomeogi Tunic with it - I may have to change the sleeves and make it more sweater length than tunic, but I'm thinking I'll like the fabric the yarn makes for that . . . maybe over the Winter break from school/work.<br /><br />:O)Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03059733453547758995noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24141602.post-91541097586450222009-11-25T05:59:00.000-08:002009-11-25T06:24:02.096-08:00Small Thrill<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIUttV5uO_bNnjnmMfkvtAXK0JSQuj4SZRZKdXlFs5kPM8VMcWd8w3o_z23Fqt-SNBG-6fR2nLPDg2AQQu1SGDesDQ9jVuPW939kfVivLsDmDsFVxmD9Z-_1WFSPiiZXoMZJWX/s1600/Presidential_motorcade.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 153px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIUttV5uO_bNnjnmMfkvtAXK0JSQuj4SZRZKdXlFs5kPM8VMcWd8w3o_z23Fqt-SNBG-6fR2nLPDg2AQQu1SGDesDQ9jVuPW939kfVivLsDmDsFVxmD9Z-_1WFSPiiZXoMZJWX/s320/Presidential_motorcade.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5408046026867446962" /></a><br />It's funny what a couple decades (and an historic election) can do to your point of view.<br /><br />When I was fresh out of HS, I got a boring job with a fancy, big-name government agency (a friend called it the "F-ing Big Indians"). The novelty wore off pretty quickly, and I moved on after a short 3-year stint. During that time, however, I was stopped many times in traffic on the way home by the presidential motorcade of then-president George Bush (Sr.) - yes, it was THAT long ago!<br /><br />I never really thought much of it, other than - "Oh, you're kidding - we have to pull over AGAIN???" It seems, and logically so, that no other cars should be moving within a certain radius of the President's motorcade. Yeah, yeah, okay, so do all this AFTER the good, hard-working people who pay your salary are finished with their daily commutes, will ya??<br /><br />So . . . . . it was very interesting that Monday night, I was actually EXCITED to be a stationary witness to that rolling security detail!<br /><br />I was leaving the Kennedy Center, where I'd just come from a teacher's workshop, when I came up to stopped traffic and noticed a LOT of flashing police lights. My first thought was that it was an accident, and I wondered which street to turn down to get around it. Then I noticed that all my available options had flashing police lights blocking them, too, and thought - "Hey, maybe it's the President??" My heartrate sped up, and I realized I was a bit excited to see this! Quite a different reaction from 1989!<br /><br />Well, it was, indeed Mr. Obama's motorcade (although I really have no idea if HE was actually in it - I'm assuming "yes" since there were at least 3 of those cool sedans they've put in place for him, as well as 3-4 SUV's and a TON of motorcycles. I immediately sent out a text to friends that I thought would be impressed, told my family all about it when I got home (The Boy was very jealous), and even tried (somewhat unsuccessfully) to show off to my students the next day.<br /><br />It's funny to me that I was so excited to see those cars rolling by. Since I grew up in this area, I just have never been that impressed with the presence of the president in and around the area (sometimes you go places and realize that you can't get around because things have been blocked off for his protection/safety - particularly around the base).<br /><br />But this time, with this president, it definitely seems like a big deal to me. I was honored and excited to be stopped to allow his car to pass. It didn't seem silly or inconvenient to me at all (then again, I wasn't rushing home to fix dinner or something), and I'm actually glad to have been where I was at the time to have seen it.<br /><br />Funny.<br /><br />:O)Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03059733453547758995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24141602.post-87282458560593503152009-10-04T19:32:00.000-07:002009-10-04T19:57:19.826-07:00Busy, Busy, Busy.Wow. What a weekend! If only the "long" weekends off from work coincided with weekends like this, where there are 50 things to do, and only 20 time-slots available!<br /><br />Here's our weekend in list form:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Friday:</span><br />1) Picked The Boy up early from school and took him to the doctor's office, where we were equally traumatized by the fact that he needed a flu shot. <br />2) Stopped off at ColdStone after said flu shot. We BOTH needed a cool treat (have you had one of their smoothies?? All that's missin' is the hooch. I'm just sayin' - had I the self-control to wait until I got that badboy home, that would have been a "spiked" smoothie.)<br />3) Realized that we were both too stressed and tired to brave traffic to go for a free showing of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. We have that movie here. 'Nuff said.<br />4) Proceeded to eat McDonalds for dinner, then watch <span style="font-style:italic;">Tales of Despereaux</span> and crash on the couch together.<br />**I did wind yarn and do some laundry somewhere during this evening, but I can't for the life of me remember exactly when. . .***<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Saturday:</span><br />1) Feed and properly clothe The Boy in time for an 11:00 soccer game against the team from HELL. We won. Hale-stinkin-lujah.<br />2) On the way to the game, stop at Safeway and pick up gift card for birthday/slumber party later in the day. Line too long to get Starbucks for Mommy.<br />3) Get gas, then stop at CVS for birthday CARD for party mentioned in #2. Find singing Spiderman card - BONUS!!<br />4) Zoom to the house, shower The Boy so he is fit for public again, pack slumber party bag, zoom to his school, where they are holding a Fall Festival.<br />5) Enjoy an afternoon at the Fall Festival playing with friends, talking with other parents, answering questions about the school from community members who came out to check out the school.<br />6) Follow Slumber Party Boy's mother home to drop The Boy off for party.<br />7) Go home and crash.<br />***At some time during the evening, I did manage to cast on for a new sweater and pack a bag of spinning things for a spinning demonstration, but I do not remember when/in what order I did these things. I do know they were accomplished, but the details are a bit fuzzy.***<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Sunday:</span><br />1) Wake up waaaaaaayyyyyy too early for a morning without my son. Decide I might as well knit a bit. Manage to screw up knitting several times, then fix it, then realize I need to move on to #2.<br />2) Finalize packing and leave the house for Kinderfest.<br />3) Demonstrate spinning at Kinderfest, where I said things like "I'm making yarn." and "Drop-spindle" at least 100 times, and had 50 different kids 'help' me make a wonderful spindle full of Hog-Island Wool into yarn.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZBiKmP6H5n-HOLH_cJfuKgonSQKNmt2pdxAS-kTVRHeRB_EiQ77pLNCYvaFhnh2tPNLt65zgfjuuhu2dk3W3AoNOqjFuJzQ6SFIUwyK69PhNFpBFRVAqzpaTBC8DaRc_fDfVM/s1600-h/kinderfestyarn.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 179px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZBiKmP6H5n-HOLH_cJfuKgonSQKNmt2pdxAS-kTVRHeRB_EiQ77pLNCYvaFhnh2tPNLt65zgfjuuhu2dk3W3AoNOqjFuJzQ6SFIUwyK69PhNFpBFRVAqzpaTBC8DaRc_fDfVM/s320/kinderfestyarn.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388943684133375346" /></a><br />I let the kids give the spindle some twist (little boys do it best, with their "zoom-hands") while I (mostly) pulled - some wanted in on that part, too! I plan to use this for <span style="font-style:italic;">something</span>. I really had a good time!<br />4) Drive home with a sleepy boy in the backseat who REFUSED to nap, even though he looked like a zombie.<br />5) Finish homework.<br />6) Bathe and put Zombie Boy to bed.<br />7) Knit and relax.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi3gVdUyBgililVxNQHRtqJD0OUj5eRUhSDUV_fPfE32Mvuw7thUGAzfr0EiJ0ZfciAZCnO9v8uhF9JuLRLwFp78NUZb06vD5U2Jyc7yC6v_XsSQzjvcMB8NhtlocLQmtwvGBw/s1600-h/TealVines1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 179px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi3gVdUyBgililVxNQHRtqJD0OUj5eRUhSDUV_fPfE32Mvuw7thUGAzfr0EiJ0ZfciAZCnO9v8uhF9JuLRLwFp78NUZb06vD5U2Jyc7yC6v_XsSQzjvcMB8NhtlocLQmtwvGBw/s320/TealVines1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388943674607835362" /></a><br /><br />Whew!!! Here's some picture proof of the final package (which ROCKS) of the Secret Pal 14 exchange.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh-NfBRxZ_SW5BzUMykT2qoh4NHY9PnJZXFB0DhzAmrd1dMp-KvdxU5xgas8pggEv-LofR0NurKhVNPps4l0Mhort0d9Yi3p6McrPjESV_DAu3PUJ-EZCv0pA_BB1TbZQg42U4/s1600-h/finalSP14.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 179px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh-NfBRxZ_SW5BzUMykT2qoh4NHY9PnJZXFB0DhzAmrd1dMp-KvdxU5xgas8pggEv-LofR0NurKhVNPps4l0Mhort0d9Yi3p6McrPjESV_DAu3PUJ-EZCv0pA_BB1TbZQg42U4/s320/finalSP14.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388943665743371234" /></a> My pal really rocks, and I HAVE to figure out who she is - need to do some sleuthing still, tho! More details on just exactly what was in the package tomorrow!<br /><br /><br />:O)Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03059733453547758995noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24141602.post-43322103556904785242009-09-25T19:45:00.000-07:002009-09-27T08:13:11.433-07:00NOW I'm ReadyGuess who I got to meet??<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwxq-8dFILAVBlYWdX4tyBXhyphenhyphenn5ktu1tav3bIE01mJ_tMUWYqQejniaaeJYfbPb1iKsXPugVth4ipTC8oxSeeXeXGuEt-vOhRNhjexNjU1oGetCflW7Xtgd7zMwoWCJu3eElQz/s1600-h/cookieA.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwxq-8dFILAVBlYWdX4tyBXhyphenhyphenn5ktu1tav3bIE01mJ_tMUWYqQejniaaeJYfbPb1iKsXPugVth4ipTC8oxSeeXeXGuEt-vOhRNhjexNjU1oGetCflW7Xtgd7zMwoWCJu3eElQz/s320/cookieA.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385601967493836178" /></a><br /><br />Yup, <a href="http://www.schaeferyarn.com/yrn_nancy.html">Cookie A</a>!<br /><br />Cookie came to Crazy 4 Ewe to teach classes this weekend, and seeing as how I'm an excellent educator, I was given Friday afternoon off (I busted my butt and did some extra training earlier in the week, after a full school day). So, I was able to attend a class on reading charts, given by Cookie Friday afternoon.<br /><br />She was wonderful, and even though my sister and I were a bit late (couldn't seem to find the street without a STREET SIGN - thanks, Solomon's Island!), she had no problem catching us up to the rest of the class (with a bit of help from the lovely <a href="http://crazyforewe.com/">Ellen, of Crazy 4 Ewe</a>), and we were reading cable charts in no time! See:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpuOeot7CyZtZT3sUAChDTUrh-m0eZyVfOgVtNfArclblCvMI1dAP-LIh3km7m-cYs40QqZ4Gsj87Y_sG7KvhGAWABEk5C1zELjl8InSFrFCVchuTbORJ_8wECXsFX-CkfX8-B/s1600-h/cables.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpuOeot7CyZtZT3sUAChDTUrh-m0eZyVfOgVtNfArclblCvMI1dAP-LIh3km7m-cYs40QqZ4Gsj87Y_sG7KvhGAWABEk5C1zELjl8InSFrFCVchuTbORJ_8wECXsFX-CkfX8-B/s320/cables.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385601972536656930" /></a><br /><br />She was a wealth of information, since I'd done cables before, but not necessarily from a chart, and NEVER something that twisty-turn-y! I was very happy with myself, and plan on using the beginning swatch that you see above to extend into a cute lil' scarf from SpinOff magazine. I have some handspun that will be an outer shell to the strip that I'll knit as one long, winding cable. Progress photos will help, and I should be posting soon!<br /><br />Also during her class, she had a lovely "bag O tricks" - she emptied out a huge sack full of . . . wait for it . . . all the socks she's designed. O.M.G. Makes me wish I truly had an inkling to knit socks again!!! They were gorgeous. Her gauge is perfect and machine-like, and of course, her color choices are outstanding!<br /><br />I think my sister was duly inspired - she purchased a book and asked for Cookie's autograph and everything. We followed her and Ellen back to the yarn store after the class, and had a good time picking around a store that was new to us - see Crazy 4 Ewe is a mini-chain (!) and we're patrons of the La Plata store, which is much, much closer to our house! I managed to find some Shaeffer yarn on sale (!!!) and wound up buying two skeins of <a href="http://www.schaeferyarn.com/yrn_nancy.html">Schaefer Yarn's "Nancy"</a> in the Rosa Parks colorway(!). I might try to copy the <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/projects/amyvong/rosa-parks-cardigan">cardigan Amy did</a> with this, but for right now, I'm just happy to have 1200 yards of this colorway in my stash - it's my favorite!<br /><br />So, now you see why I was so tired - after such a great, busy day, all I wanted to do was rest (even though I actually knit a bit more on my cable strip and THEN rested!).<br /><br />It was a very nice day!<br /><br /><br />:O)Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03059733453547758995noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24141602.post-28837747469381249312009-09-09T19:52:00.000-07:002009-09-09T19:55:53.553-07:00How DARE you!Joe Wilson, you ought to be ashamed. You should have been "escorted" out by the Secret Service, at the very least. Grow up and treat your office and position with some respect, so that you can learn how to show it to the leader of your country. <br /><br />Didn't your parents raise you better than that?<br /><br />:\Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03059733453547758995noreply@blogger.com2