Dang! That hurt

Hello!  Have you been doing anything fibery this week?

I've managed to knit a few inches of a sock, squeezing a few minutes knitting in here and there.  I really like the yarn and the colors.

Berrocco Comfort Sock.  If you scroll all the way to the bottom at the link you'll see the yarn I'm working with - Cosmopolitan.  My sock is looking a bit different than the model though.  I guess that's to be expected when you knit in 2 x 2 rib instead of plain ole stockinette.

I plied some fabo singles I'd spun from some Yarn Hollow fiber in the color called Moss.  I ended up with 204 yds from the 4 oz of fiber I had.

Why is it that after you cut your thumb in a weird place, that hits the space bar after.every.single.word while you're typing, you think of a thousand ways you could have avoided that cut thumb?  And, why is it that when you have an emergency-ish need for just the right size band-aid you have to scrounge around the bathroom cabinet for 10 minutes, with thumb bleeding, to find it?  This has truly puzzled me this week.

It's been crazy busy at work and it's sapping my knitting/spinning/washing/carding mojo.  When I get home I just want to lay down and sleep.  Seriously!  I'm hoping that after a couple weeks I'll settle into a new routine and it won't feel so crazy.  I can hope, right?!

Have a wonderful weekend.  Thank you so much for visiting.  Don't forget to check out the other fabulous peeps that participate in Fiber Arts Friday over on Andrea's blog...Wisdom Begins in Wonder.  See ya next week!

Socks! and some new tools

Hello!  Hope you're all surviving the heat wave.  Phew!  It's hot!  Makes it hard to think about wearing these lovely socks I just finished...

Scout's Swag in Olympic Medals colorway.  Picot top/plain sock

A couple of little packages arrived in the mail on Wednesday.  New fiber tools are always so exciting.  Fiber Combs for the class I'm taking at Michigan Fiber Festival next month from Paradise Fibers...

and a new Lazy Kate (a thingy to hold the bobbins) for LadyBug from The Woolery.

I'll be able to carry around 4 extra bobbins now, LOL  I hardly ever need one extra when I'm off to a spinning meet-up but you never know when you'll suddenly need 3 more.

It's been a crazy busy week for me at work.  I'm hoping all the extra time and effort will pay off with something good.  Fingers crossed


The ever-faithful LittleDog guards the Traddy...

Don't forget to Jump on over to Wisdom Begins In Wonder and check out all the other crafty peeps that contribute to Fiber Arts Friday.  You won't be disappointed.

Perhaps you'll see pretty things like this...

or find some big-scary-fun tools to play with like this...

Big Tom is hangin at my house for a coupla weeks.  Gotta do a bit of repair then I can card like crazy!  This bad boy belongs to my friend Paula.

Have a great weekend!

Ahh Vacation how quickly you are over

and re-entry can be a bit tricky.  Especially when you've been looking at things like this for a week.

I took this photo while we were fishing on Pickerel Lake on Thursday.  Didn't do too well with the fishing but the scenery all around us was beautiful.  I caught the biggest fish of the day...

I did manage to spin every day we were gone.  I set up my LadyBug on the porch each day and spun the Jacob fleece that I had prepared before I left.

I have one bobbin full and got a good start on a second bobbin.

I also did a bit of knitting and timed photography.  I know you're jealous of my swing aren't you?

Trying to make a bag for my spinning tools and so far two attempts have ended in failure.  Attempt #3 will commence tonight.

Don't forget to visit all the other crafty folks that participate in Fiber Arts Friday over on Andrea's blog.

Hopefully you've all had a great week too.  Monday it'll be back to work for me.  Thanks for stoppin by!

Fiber Arts Friday 7/8/11

Greetings fellow fiber enthusiasts!  It's another Fiber Arts Friday.  Be sure to check out all the creative folks that participate in our little circus over on Andrea's blog.

It's been a crazy coupla days around here.  Work stuff is wacky.

I've gotten a bit of spinning done, participating in the Tour de Fleece and enjoying the beautiful things that others have been spinning.  I'm making steady progress on my Jacob batts

and hope to get some plying done this weekend.

I have a pretty stalk of flowers for you today

Oh, and my studio has been littered with dogs this week.  All trying to be as still as possible so as not to overheat.

Have a great weekend!  Thank you so much for visiting, be sure to leave a comment so I know you've been here.



I've Gone Batty

Happy Fiber Arts Friday to you all!  Are you looking forward to a fun holiday weekend?

These are a  few of the batts of Jacob I've picked and carded in the past couple of weeks.  I love the variation of color that you get from Jacob.  I'm not crazy about all the vm that's in it however.  I had to run this stuff through my friend Paula's picker twice before I carded it and still found a bunch of bits and pieces still hanging in there.  It's very pretty stuff though and I know  spinning it will be enjoyable.

I did some plying this week...

I had a dream last night that I was kidnapped by a woman in a black suv and forced to visit my favorite fiber/yarn dyer and buy some stuff...

oh wait, I guess I wasn't dreaming, LOL  Isn't this pretty?  The dark braid is called Eggplant (such a dark purple that in the crappy lamp light after dark I couldn't get a good picture of it).  The fiber is Aplaca/Merino/Tussah Silk, super soft and drapey...gonna spin this and make a scarf for my purple-loving Mom for Christmas.  The other braid is called Tangerine and is Blue Faced Leicester, not sure what that one will become.  I plan to get it spun up so I can have something to wear this Fall, when I can pretend it's called Pumpkin.  That single on the bobbin at the top of the pic is also some of Rita's fiber.  She rocks when it comes to awesome fiber and yarn.

I found time to squeeze in some knitting...

a square for a blanket we're making for a friend.  Aren't those little monkey stitch markers adorable?  My friend Emily made them.  I'll bet if you asked she'd sell you some too.

Phew, I'm tired out now.  Glad it's a long holiday weekend coming up...I need that extra day to catch my breath.  Have a wonderful weekend!

Thanks so much for visiting.  Please let me know you've stopped in by leaving a comment.

You'll be in for a treat if you hop over to Andrea's blog and check out the other folks who participate in Fiber Arts Friday.

I survived!

B-93 Birthday Bash 19...I don't believe I'd want to see any more of these for awhile, LOL

tickets, tickets and more tickets

And I don't care to work in a beer tent again any time soon either.

It was a very busy, fiber-less weekend for me but on Tuesday I made up for it by driving 90 miles to pick up Milli.

Then 90 miles back home.  She traveled all the way from Tampa, FL and even though my Dad said he had to strap her on the roof of his van, wink, wink, I found no bugs on her, LOL  She hung out at Dad's for a couple weeks before I could take her on the last leg of her journey.  She's now resting comfortably in my studio, getting to know Viv and The LadyBug...and the rest of the family.  She's in excellent condition and spins very nicely.

On my way to Benton Harbor to get Milli I may have stopped at an art gallery and a yarn shop...and made a couple of small purchases.

I'm planning on knitting and felting a bag to hang on my spinning wheel with the Noro Silk Garden Lite.  The sock yarn was so very soft that I couldn't leave it behind.  There's a video at the link that shows how to get the yarn off the "flying saucer".

Last Friday LittleDog did a great job of helping me skirt and pick a Jacob fleece that Blackie so kindly grew this past year.

Blackie lives at Hillside Jacobs.  It's nice and greasy and had a very nice "oyster" that showed no sign of vm at all.  I saved that part for last as I want to get the super-veggie stuff taken care of first and enjoy the ease of cleaning the nice bit.  The super dirty stuff has been soaking in my basement for several days and I'll be glad to get it cleaned up...ooo, stinky!  I do not recommend soaking really dirty fleece in your basement for 6 days...almost made me barf!

Well, that's about it for this week.  I won't go into all the miles I drove  in 4 days (about 400) or that I've finished the baby quilt and will be passing it on to it's new owner tomorrow.  Nor will I bore you with tales of the GR Yarnies get together.  Seems like I'm cramming so much into life these days that there's not enough room here to tell it all.  Suffice it to say, it's been a busy week.

Hope you all have had a busy week too.  We all need those to remind us how great the slow ones can be.  Happy Fiber Arts Friday everybody.  Hope over to Andrea's blog and say hello to a few other fibery peeps today too.  Thanks

FAF 06 17 11

Hello!  Thanks for visiting.  Don't forget to visit the other creative folks that participate in Fiber Arts Friday over on Andrea's blog.

It's been a pretty hectic week and it's going to roll right on into a working weekend.  I'm really looking forward to Monday and I don't feel that way very often.  I have managed to get half of the binding pinned down on the little quilt and will see how much of it I can get stitched down before bed time.

I posed my  Moebius on The Torso so you could get a better look at the stitches and the pretty color.

You can click on the pic to make it bigger if you'd like.
The LadyBug is officially mine...

and has received a thorough Little Dog inspection.  She spins so nicely.

 I've found the perfect mate for her too.

This chair belonged to my beloved Grama.  I remember it sitting in one of her spare bedrooms all through my childhood.  It's very comfy and the perfect height for spinning.  It has been sitting at one of my vintage machines for a couple of years now, unused as I was afraid it wouldn't hold up to daily use.  I should have given this chair more credit.  I could have been enjoying that comfy seat all this time.  Which is a good lesson...don't put off using things that you love.  Daily interaction with those things can give you such pleasure and why would you want to miss out on any of it?  Anything worth having is worth using...you cannot take it with you.  Seriously.

I wish you all a good weekend.  I'll be Buzzin with the Bee.  Yee-haw!