Fiber Arts Friday, Sept 10th

Hello!  Thank you for coming to see what I'm up to this week.

I've been knitting away on my latest pair of socks, one is finished and the other is off to a good start.  Last night I managed to get the picot top knit down with a few swears and raced around for a few rows...gotta love that mindless stockinette knitting.  The yarn is Austermann Step which I love, it's treated with aloe and is so easy on your hands and feet.

I snuck in a dish cloth in between the two socks.  I enjoy how the lacy cloths look but don't really enjoy making them.  It seems to be quite painful for my hands to K1, S1, PSSO with dish cloth cotton and size 7 needles.  I do prefer the sock/lace weight yarn and smaller needles for knitting.

 I've noticed that the pile-o-cloths I've been using for awhile are fading to blah and several have holes in them.  Since I love hand-knit dishcloths I'd better get busy making some new ones so I don't have to go back to store-bought again.  They won't all be lace patterns though, gotta go back to a simpler pattern for the next ones.

Of the many blogs I troll through in a week's time I enjoy reading AmpuTeeHee. Today when I stopped by to see what she was up to I found this very interesting video...

Traditional way of processing wool in Serbia.

It's not in English but doesn't really need to be imo.  I wonder how long our clothes would last if we beat them on rocks with paddles like that.  I thought it interesting that the woman spinning the flax was actually spitting on it at regular intervals.  I know that flax wheels usually come with a little bowl attached for water so you can wet the flax while spinning it into linen thread.

It's been pretty quiet around here this week.  Daughter Rena celebrated her 4th anniversary yesterday, Hey Rena!! Love you...and The Chef too!

I'm thinking about asking The Saint to take me to a nearby Indian restaurant for my birthday.  I can't think of a thing I need (except a new phone, ha!) so will be happy with a nice dinner and not having to do dishes for the evening.

Hop on over to Andrea's blog for a great tour of the fibery things you can learn about at Greenfield Village.  You'll also find some other crafty peeps on the Fiber Arts Friday listing at the bottom of her Friday posts.  I always find interesting things there and I'll bet you will too.

LittleDog in the wild

Have a great day!

TGIF with a Long Weekend to follow...

Are you looking forward to this long weekend as much as I am?  Let's party!  I may be smelling some BBQ sometime this weekend and cleaning some machinery but in the meantime I'd like to take just a moment to dream of this...

 my favorite bar - all Tequila, mmm-mmm

Can't think of a thing that would be considered profound to write about this week.  I've been knitting on my latest sock which is looking great and have added a few rows to my office shawl but haven't really felt very inspired.  Work is all weird and is totally throwing off my mo.

So here is a big stick-out-of-the-tongue for my job today! 

Maybe I'd be good as a house painter, or something. 

On to more positive things, which I know you'd rather read...

In honor of Fiber Arts Friday I bring you a few more photos from Michigan Fiber Festival.

Angela's Mohawk Hat

isn't she beautiful at 12?  And a crafty girl too!

fresh off the sheep wool, still nice and greasy

cute alpacas

so who do you suppose is in charge around here?

LittleDog's rule!

I'm going to pick up a sewing machine today...I know you're shocked! Right?  hehehe  A girls gotta have some fun once in a while...and a $10 sewing machine pretty much does it for me these days.  Is that a sad commentary or what?  If nothing else, I can get my $10 back by selling it for a boat anchor, LOL  Pics when I get her cleaned up...she's a mess.

Thanks for visiting, have a safe and fun weekend.  If you're in the US, Happy Labor Day!  Go out and celebrate those of us who are still laboring daily.  And for my international peeps...a special Happy Weekend to you too.

Fiber Arts Friday...8/27/10

Hello peeps!  Thanks so much for your nice comments on my last post.  While I am not freaking out about having surgery, I am a bit concerned about being off some of my meds for a week prior...not gonna be fun, no sir-ree!  And Caryn, great idea on sticking the needle in the bandage, LOL.  The lovely batt is Suri Alpaca from Andrea's Wonder Why Alpaca Farm.  Here's a linky to her Etsy shop where you could purchase some for your very own.  It's so-so soft.

Welcome to another edition of Fiber Arts Friday here and elsewhere.  I've been feverishly working on a sock and a shawl, and reading a pretty good book.  I'm making a bit of progress on all but not getting them done as fast as I'd like to.  I'm thinking I only have a few weeks til I'm out of commission for - I don't know how long...eh, I have a stack of books to read and a tv so I think I'll be ok.  It'll be a good opportunity to catch up on my dusting, LOL

So, the shawl is coming along nicely, it's wide enough now that it takes a considerable amount of time to knit a row.

This sock I started just a few days ago, I love the yarn and can't wait to see what the finished sock will look like.  I'm knitting a plain sock although I started it with a picot top, which I love.

The sock yarn is Austermann Step, nice yarn with Aloe, soft to the touch and makes a very nice sock.  I have a pair of turquoise/tan/white striped socks of this same brand of yarn.  And have I mentioned that I love the Knit Picks nickel double points?  Well, I do, a lot!  For some reason using the dpn's doesn't make my hands as sore as the 2 circs method did.  Could be why all the serious sock knitters I've met use dpn's huh?

Do any of you have any favorite podcasts, any subject but especially crafty/fibery ones?  I figured out how to download podcasts and put them on my mp3 player.  Now I can pretend I'm hanging out with my fibery peeps while I'm crunching numbers at work.  Helps the day go faster and amazingly improves my concentration.  Wish I'd figured it out a long time ago...

Here's my next project...

Singer 66, decal set is known as "Red Eye"...she's treadle powered...a good thing when the electric bill was almost $200 again this month...I'll be glad when it cools off for Fall.

Have a great week!

passing the time

I'm wondering what I used to do to pass time before I learned to knit...I'll have to find something by the 17th of September as I will be out of commission for knitting for awhile.  I have to have something removed...
Do you suppose it could be a little alien?bwah-ha-ha-ha

 Seems I have a cyst growing on the nerve of my left index finger.  Doc says it needs to be surgically removed...that means no knitting for me for awhile afterward.  eek!  I'm trying to think of any hobbies that I enjoy that only involve one hand and can't think of a single one.  Oh, wait!  Where's my stack of books?

Saturday was a fun trip to MFF with Kim.  It was great to see my ZPDK friends and pet some nice soft yarns.

I believe Kim may be a little afraid of Holly's needles, LOL 

We saw fiber giving animals

 and some amazing young spinners

I picked up really pretty fiber from Andrea's booth when she wasn't looking, ha!

and brought home a pile o' lovely yarn from several other booths...aren't they nice?

I'm hoping I'll actually get to knit them up some day, sigh

LittleDog has been keepin an eye on things out in the street...keeping us all safe...

these shots make me think of the promo pic for the movie Body Double, hehehe

Have a super-duper week everybody!  Thanks for stoppin by.

learning something new

Welcome back everyone, thank you for coming.  It's great to see so many fibery peeps stopping in to say hey.  Yet another Friday rolls around and it's time for Fiber Arts Friday.  Be sure to stop over and see what Andrea and friends have to show you this week.

I got my Singer 201 back in the cabinet and sewing this week.

 Isn't she a beauty?  Purrs like a kitteh and makes a really nice stitch too.

I'm pretty excited about my estate sale find last Saturday...I went looking for a sewing machine (natch) that they had advertised (like I need another sewing machine) ahem, like I said, I'm cruising around through all the beautiful antique furniture - that I don't have room for in my bungalow - not seeing any evidence of advertised machine...I walk out the door and glance at a box that's sitting on the sidewalk and notice a carding comb...

 hmm, that would be a nice decoration piece in my sewing/yarn storing room...when I get closer to the box I see some thick/thin yarn wound around a spool...a wheel...and a bunch of other miscellaneous parts that I didn't know the names of.  A piece of masking tape said $18 but a big sign by the door said 1/2 off all small items.  I had to walk back in and ask if that box qualified as a small item...yep, it did so for $9 I got a nice old carding comb and a bunch of pieces of a spinning wheel.

 After attempting to assemble the pieces with the main one upside down, it wasn't making any sense...then something told me to turn it over and voila! all those pieces made a bit more sense.

I threw a couple pictures up on a group I belong to on Ravelry, got a bit more info and also found a great website with illustrations showing the pieces and their names and how they should be assembled.  The wheel appears to be very old.  A few parts seem to be replacements as they are a different style than the rest and one of the "maidens" is broken.

Thankfully one of my contacts in the ZPDK knew of someone that refurbishes old wheels and makes replacement parts.  I'll be taking the wheel down to MFF on Saturday so the ZPDKs can all check it out and give their opinion.  Then shop for some fiber to spin on my new fishy spindle that Shannon made.

Learning new things has always been exciting for me, no matter what the subject, eh, except all the new stuff I'm having to learn at work.  This spinning wheel stuff did not disappoint!

Here's wishing you learn something new this week too!

LittleDog has learned that if you lie real still, you won't get so hot...

when it's hot and your person doesn't want to turn on the a/c...pitiful isn't he?

Finished Quilt

Happy Fiber Arts Friday everyone!  Thank you so much for coming to see my work and be a part of my life.  I started this post last night so I could be sure and get it posted early this morning.  I know some of you are early risers like me...

8/12/10:  It is 11:12pm and I just finished stitching down the binding and the quilt signed and photographed.  Tomorrow when there is better light I'll take better photographs but for now here it is.

with the original photo

here's a close-up of the "sprigs of grass"

and all rolled up you can see the back and all the little doggies

I truly enjoyed this project.  I hope the recipient enjoys it too.

Have a great weekend and be sure to do something fibery!

August already

The summer has flown past and my thoughts are turning to autumn with its cool breezes and crispy leaves...my favorite time of year.  It's when we can buy collards by the 5 lb sack at the Farmer's Market and eat tomatoes fresh from our own vines.  This year's tomato plant is an heirloom variety that turns a pretty shade of orange when ripe.  I can hardly wait to taste the first one with some mozzarella cheese, fresh basil and balsamic vinegar.  

And, the Michigan Fiber Festival in Allegan.  It's the weekend of August 20-22 and I can hardly wait to get down there and see what all my fibery friends have in their booths.  I know at least 3 fiberistas who will be plying their wares in the barns this year.  Rita from Yarn Hollow, Rachel from Counting Sheep Farm and Andrea from Wonder Why Alpaca Farm.  I'll be looking for that special something that one of them is sure to have.

Autumn also means we'll be able to sit on the deck in the evening and not have our behinds stuck to the chairs when we get up.  Wearing shoes & socks again, something I cannot stand once the temperature gets up past 75.  I'll make an attempt to finish the Big Ass Sweater...anybody remember that project?  I haven't touched it in months.  Knitting on it is a cold weather activity, much like wearing an afghan, LOL.

There are many reasons to look forward to autumn in my opinion.  I'm sad to see the summer months fly by but I will not miss the endless run of miserably hot and humid weather we've had this year.  I'd like to order some 72 and sunny weather for the next few weeks but that would be asking too much according to the forecast.

My fibery offering this week is a little sock I made for my Zen. I think it's cute.

  And some quilt stitching...up close...

 I also wanted to show you this pretty vase I picked up for a dollar at a yard sale last weekend.

 I do enjoy some cut glass for storing my knitting needles and other long pointy things.  So pretty.

And some crazy dogs...LittleDog thinks he is so tuff.  I missed the part when he was taunting Sam by giving him the stink-eye and jiggling his tail really fast.  Maybe next time...they do this stuff every day.

Thank you so much for coming, I hope you enjoyed your visit.
Be sure to check out my friends who also celebrate Fiber Arts Friday.