Woolybuns

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Sorry, I had to enable the Captcha thingie due to comment spam.  I hope to have some nice fiber content for you later today or tomorrow.  I have a vendor table at Guild this weekend so in between KUO and shearing bunnies, I've been dyeing.  Most of it is now dry and getting fluffed.   DS the elder  showed me a couple things on my camera so I hope to improve my color capture in fiber photos.  He actually took a couple blurry photos which show up the real violet color! Now if we could just figure out a way for you to feel this stuff.  Ooooo la la!

Getting Reacquainted

With the kids all busy with work and social lives, DH and I are free to wander as whimsy strikes.  Under yesterday's beautiful sky, we wandered off to what was a frequent trip when the kids were little: Mystic Aquarium.  It underwent a major renovation a number of years ago, so some things are fairly new to us.  The beluga whale exhibit, for one, is much nicer.  For a long time, the poor things had only the large training pool to swim in.  In the renovation, they got an 800,000 gallon habitat that simulates the Alaskan coast if you ignore all the people and the building in the background.  That's DH in the jean jacket watching the whale through some seriously thick acrylic.  Next up on our tour was the Pribiloff Islands exhibit of fur seals and sea lions.  Lots of kids jostling for good viewing of the fur seals, so we skipped over to the sea lion out for some lazy laps around his pool.  Then we meandered over to the African penguin exhibit.   These little critters are used to warmer climes off the coast of Africa, not the raw chill of New England winter.  Much as they love frolicking in the water, by mid-afternoon, they want warmth.  Here, they are gathering near a door into the building where they can huddle with some heat.  After that, we too decided on some inside time, which presented some serious photo challenges.  The lights are kept quite low in the main building.  The tanks and terrariums are lit as appropriate for the species dwelling within.  Further complicating the photography are tank shapes, fake Christmas trees lit up in the background, and all those kids whose parents forgot to teach them it's not nice to shove others out of their way.   But the jellyfish were too nifty not to try shooting.   That's the Christmas tree glowing so fuzzy in the background.  One of the more amazing sights we hadn't seen in the old Aquarium is the pirahna.  They all hung there in the water as if they were the fruit suspended in a giant bowl of jello.  We figured they were waiting for a nice juicy hand to drop in for dinner.  My favorite exhibit is the tidal pool full of colorful anemones, starfish, assorted small crabs, sea urchins and some kind of blob thingies (perhaps sea cucumbers?) that really didn't like having their picture taken. Each time the flash exploded into their senses, they contracted like a kid screwing his face up in disgust, then moved away as slow fast as they are capable.  Sea horses presented the most challenge to photograph.  Their tank is nestled into the wall, with a big curving glass (acrylic?) viewing area, and the fascinating little creatures sway with the current as they sit attached to stalks of stuff growing in the tank or draped on the bottom.  This was the best I got.  Near the sea horses are the lionfish.  What amazingly beautiful fish!  But seriously not cuddly.  There are many more species at Mystic Aquarium but the combination of lighting and swimming speeds convinced me to put the camera away. 

Saturday Sky

Ain't it glorious?  Based on averages, we're right on target temperature wise.  But it sure seems like an unseasonably warm forecast for the next few days.  Hee - I'll take it!  The hawks are out.  Can you hear them?  They're up there somewhere off in the distance, screeing for their territory.  I hear them much more frequently lately, I guess because the hunting is more difficult this time of year.   I'm sure the rabbits are not as enthralled with resident hawks as I am, but I find the presence of a breeding pair nesting just down the street reassuring.  They were absent around here most of my life due to environmental messes.  That they are back suggests there is hope. 

Topping Off The Holiday

In between trips to the grocery store, cooking and cleaning this week, I've been Knitting Unto Others.  And enjoying the heck out of it.  I'm on a hat kick.  And not using patterns.  I love the freedom of understanding what needs to happen and just doing it as the yarn sees fit.  As a designer - well, I ain't.  Yet.  But now that I know some rules guidelines with hats, I can start playing with design.  Since I'm getting so much out of knitting these hats, it just seems right to give them to others who could use them.  So these hats are destined for a homeless shelter.  The yarn (Gedifra, I think Fashion Trend Color but DH threw away the labels yesterday, not realizing the need to document before disposal) subtly shades from red/black marl to solid red.  It's a washable  yarn, 51% wool, 49% acrylic, and nicely soft and squishy.

In preparation for knitting these hats, I went to an LYS that has previously disappointed due to space and disorganization and grumpy help.  I'd heard the store was able to expand and was now much nicer.  Seemed like a good reason to give 'em another chance, especially since it is the closest LYS to my home.  Much to my delight, the yarns are indeed all nicely displayed on shelves instead of scattered on the floor and crammed in any which way, and I didn't have to straddle obstacles to reach the books and there is move around space.  It seemed like there was lots of help, more staff than customers.  So I was wandering fondling and enjoying it.  Soon I was joined by someone's very friendly Doberman who wanted nothing more than some friendship time.  I was happy to oblige him.  So there we were, him planted firmly at my side, my left hand caressing his head, my right hand wandering from skein to skein.  Someone - employee or regular visitor I'm not sure, but not the dog's owner - came along to remove the dog from me, saying she didn't want him to bother me.  I assured her he and I were having a good time and I was not bothered.  She dragged him away anyway and got a bit rough with him (nothing serious, just unnecessary).  And then I heard her tell another of the staff/regulars that she didn't want the dog interferring with my shopping because if I paid attention to him, I wouldn't buy as much.  I had already picked out one skein of Trekking and the set of dpns I needed to finish the hats, and would have happily lingered to pick out more.  But her actions disgusted me so that was the end of my shopping.  I don't care that the store has improved - the attitudes still suck. I won't bother going back there.

I am returning to someplace else: college, again.  After my 2005 fall semester class, I couldn't get into the next class in sequence because it's a popular class and fills quickly and I missed it.  Same thing happened with fall 2006.  So when I saw the class listing still open for spring 2007, I quickly sent in my registration online.  It quickly came back as "need instructor's permission."  Seems they came up with new registration requirements for this particular class.  I contacted the professor - she's the same one who taught the fall 2005 class.  With the new registration requirements, the class only appeared open but is actually full.  And in the university's list of desireable students, I fall into the least desireable last category: non-matriculating non-thesis.  So even when I act more timely, I can only get into that class if the best students don't want it.  Sigh.  But the same class I took in 2005 was open.  What the heck - it suits my purpose.  I've already got the BA and don't want to go for a master's degree.  I just want to participate in a writing workshop.  So I registered for the same class, taught this time by a different professor. Wheee!

Shrimply Beautiful

or shrimply horrible?  You be the judge.  I'm working outside my comfy zone, folks, delving into suggested colorways from my contest in 2005.  There were a couple of similar suggetions - Velvet Shrimp: Purple, Red Violet and Salmon, and A Sunset of Silk and Fire: Tangerine Orange, Smoky Purple, and Red.  The possibilities intrique me. The pile of fiber to the left is my version of those two suggestions.  The red fiber is fine wool, the red violet and salmon fibers are angora.  The photo to the right is the same fibers lightly carded so the colors show up.  What do you think?  I have a white fleece awaiting the dye pot.  Do I stick with this direction or separate out that salmon angora and blend it with chocolate brown fleece, then dye the white fleece more in keeping with a Red Hat Society colorway?

A Day Off

With helpful travel advice from someone, DH and I took a wander up to Boston yesterday.  DH has been putting in many too long days at work in fairly frustrating circumstances.  We drove to Boston for no other reason than just to meander through something pleasant and new to us.  We've been to Boston once or twice before but not the Newbury/Commonwealth neighborhood bordering the Public Garden.  The architecture along those two streets is delightful. If I had to live in a big city, that's where I'd want to be, though I don't imagine the area is in anyway affordable for most of us.  It's clean, it's beautiful and it feels safe.  I love the little gardens that pop up everywhere and friendly folk out walking lots of dogs.   Almost a fairy tale feeling to the area, as if Mary Poppins might drift down from the sky.  The center of Commonwealth Avenue (street?  Rd?  I dunno) is a walking park as well, with a wide center sidewalk edged with trees on both sides, getting decorated for the holiday season as we strolled.

The Garden and the lovely pond merit a return trip during blooming season.  Expansive, cheery,  comfortable and most decidedly beautiful,loaded with squirrels and ducks and geese and chittering birds.  These squirrels were locked in a battle for the same peanut hidden in the leaves and there was much indignant chatter from the fella who first sniffed it out but lost it to the interloper. I love the bridge across the  pond. And all the upsidaisy antics of the mallards and other fowl paddling the pond.  There was even a wedding party photo shoot in progress.   

On Boylston Street, we took a short peek into this church, lavishly decorated with stained glass and intricate wood carvings.  Lots of history tied up in that church, including Revolutionary War activity planning as well as Mother Goose.

All in all, it was very pleasant day.

U is for

Ugh!! And Ugly.  Or more commonly expressed SH*T.  And possibly some string of other words might perhaps have escaped the lips during the adrenalin rush of late foggy night + wet curvy road + leaves + herd of deer = guard rail is the better choice.   The bad out of this ugly: $2500 repair bill.  Ulp!  The good?  There is insurance.  And no human nor animal injury.

Saturday Sky

A glorious mid November sky.  A bit chillier than it has been, but considering the time of year, I'm quite happy with today's temp.  And that bright blue sky with some wispy clouds?  Ahhhhh.  A great day to kick off Knit Unto Others.  I cast on some handspun hand dyed for what was going to be a hat but that yarn  is seriously short on hat yardage.  I have three choices: rippit and move on to another yarn, dye some compatible yarn a compatible color to finish the hat, or be happy with a headband.  I'm thinking the headband but I'm not sure I want that as a donation item.  Sure, when you're cold, a headband is better than nothing, but I'd rather a whole hat. 

I found this quiz on someone's sidebar.  I take these quizzes often for whimsy's sake, but the questions frequently have answer choices that I just don't fit into so I don't usually agree with the results.  But this one made me grin.

I am a Snapdragon What Flower Are You?

"Mischief is your middle name, but your first is friend.  You are quite the prankster that loves to make other people laugh."

Sockus Interruptus

My Dorchester Farm sock from Rhinebeck?  I've been knitting on it everyday, making for me good progress.  And I finished the first one, except for the kitchenering.  Since I can never remember how to do that without following precise directions, I'm waiting until the second sock is ready.  And within an hour of finishing the first sock, I cast on for the second.  See?  But then I stopped working on it, for the stupidest of reasons.  Yeah, I need to wind the second skein into a ball and my skein winder is in the car and it's been raining for so long and I'm apparently so cat like I couldn't get my ass out to the car.  I'll endure frigid driving sleet, two foot snows, near hurricane like conditions - pretty much anything nature throws at us - to take care of the bunnies.  But a quick run out to the car in the rain to grab my skein winder?  No.  Parlty because there is so much else here to distract me.  Like this face. (of course, I had to go out in the rain to bring this fella in the house).  All this rain is not good for bunny coats.  Humidity+body heat+moving=felt.  And it's warm enough to get them nekkid without having to make them coats which they promptly eat. So there's been a lot of this   

happening.

And that means a lot of this hanging around. Which of course leads to dye pots.  So the sock sits.  Dye pot results?  Maybe next post. 

Fiberings

I've done darned little spinning this year and I'm not sure why.  I think I must have reached a plateau where I got comfortable with my skill and needed something new to focus on.  So I've done more knitting and felting instead.  But after all that dyeing last week, I had to sample the fibers.  I carded up and spun two samples and then knit them into small swatches to check for color success.  Damn!  That was fun!  This photo doesn't show the colors that well.  The  swatch on the right is more chunks of color, with kind of a pooling effect and the blue fibers are really over powered by both the purple and the turquoise.  I much prefer the swatch on the left.  There's more harmony and cooperation there.  In the pooling, it's like turquoise is fighting purple and poor blue kind of got blown out of contention altogether.  I used pretty much the same amounts of each fiber in each sample.  The difference is in the fiber prep.  So in the sampling, I focused what I want in the fiber prep.  More importantly, I reawakened my love for spinning.  And on Sunday, I indulged the urge to spin at Second Sunday Fiber Artisans get together. I started a bobbin of Mango Tango.  I spun up a couple skeins of this in a bulky weight more than a year ago.  This time, I'm aiming for thinner, though I'm pretty sure it won't be a fine yarn, maybe more sport or DK, possibly even a worsted.  That's ok.  I need practice on consistency more than anything since I've been away from spinning for so long.

Today was a return to felt.  A sister Nutmeg Spinner's Guild member, Leslie (sheesh!  I may need to start making friends based on variety of names - I have a number of friends named Leslie and it's getting confusing!) joined me today for felting fun.  Leslie brought with her Maggie, one of my "grandkits" and we gave her a haircut.   Maggie got to romp in the kitchen while we felted scarves.

Tomorrow I have some away from the house things to do, then it's back to the dye pots.