Fiber & Arts Friday 9/24/10

Art Prize has arrived in our fair city.  It's a big, 18 day art party.  I've walked more in the past 3 days than I have in the past year, I swear.  Lots of amazing things to see around Grand Rapids and I hope to see the bulk of them making the best of every spare minute I can find.

Since I've been running short on time I'll have to post links to some of my photos this week...I totally falked out last night and forgot today was Friday...click some linkies for interesting photos.

Steam Pig at The B.O.B.

I acquired another sewing machine for my herd...Free Westinghouse, turquoise thanks to Marcia's family having a yard sale I got this beauty for $25.  Needs a bit of tlc but I'm sure she'll be shining when I get done.

The Austermann Step socks this week were finished...

and the stripes almost match.  Actually they're only off by 2 rows so they appear to match don't they?

Got a little spinning time in with my drop spindle on Sunday with the Grand River Spinners and had a wonderful time with the GR Knitters & Crocheters at the Urban Mill on Wednesday evening.  I have pics put can't access them.  Next post I'll have more photos, promise. 

Tomorrow I'll be hanging with the ZPDKs at Wonder Why Alpaca farm.  I can't wait to get there.  Map, knitting and spinning stuff in my to-go bag and the blocking wires Kim wanted to borrow are in my car so I can make a fast get-a-way after breakfast in the morning.

As always on Friday there are lots of interesting bloggers checking into the FAF spot on Andrea's blog.  Please go visit them, you'll see some great things and meet some wonderful folks.

It starts tomorrow...

Art Prize 2010!!! 

Lunchtime walks the past two days found fun things appearing around the city.  

Be sure to get out and see all the art if you're in Grand Rapids. 

If you're not here, you should get here...you have until 10/10 to see the awesomeness. 

Here are a few things I saw...

I especially like the hot dog in the mural at the bottom.  See anything that interests you?  Can't wait to get started!
all pics will biggie-size when clicked

Post-Birthday Fiber Arts Friday, September 17, 2010

My sweet daughter Rena brought me cupcakes and flowers for my birthday last Monday.  I love her.

LittleDog and Max decided to play pile-on with Rena.  She loved it!  ba-ha-ha-ha

I've made some progress on my latest pair of socks this week...my offering for Fiber Arts Friday.  I'll bet if you go check out Andrea's blog list you'll find some folks that did way more interesting fiber stuff this week than I did.  Me, I'm just getting ready to turn the heel on my second sock of this pair...

Saturday I'm going to the Coopersville Farm Museum for a Quilt Show/Fiber Festival, should be fun.  I'll try to take lots of pics so I can do a extra-fibery post next week.

Til next time...LittleDog says...

be sure to stop and smell a few things this week.  Even if they're not roses, LOL

Not to be out-done...Sam sends you all a shake and a wink...

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.