Woolybuns

Itch n Bitch

I fondled yarn yesterday and it responded by attacking me.  Right there in the LYS. I was on a good deed mission - picking up trinkets for someone else and yarn for the Red Scarf Project.  For whatever reason, I'm stuck on a red with black marled kinda yarn for the first red scarf.  There weren't many choices in such a colorway, and the ones I found all seemed scratchy to me.  So I gave them the fondle test: stuck the potentials under my chin and cuddled with 'em.  At least one of them clearly doesn't want to be my friend.  By the time I got to the cash register, under my chin was a mass of itchy bitchy bumps.  My skin was screamin.  I not only itched all the way home (LYS is not really all that local to my house - it's a 40 minute drive), but I was still bitchin' itching at bedtime.  DH, sitting on the other side of the room, said I had a big swollen bump under my eye, too. And this morning, all the bumps are still there, kind of dry and mealy, still itching.  I keep having visions of driving all the way back to the store, buying a skein of each yarn I touched, then taking those freakin' mean beasties to a scissors shop and make them watch while I pick out a gleaming, glistening sharp weapon of yarn destruction.  And in this fantasy, I go back to the LYS and right in front of all those unpurchased skeins, I'll go nuts with the scissors and those ungrateful skeins. Hah!

Ahem.  Oooo kay. 

This is the yarn I did buy.  Gedifra Fashion Trend, a wool/polyacrylic easy care, soft yarn.  I'm thinking a simple 2x2 rib.

I finished the knitting on my SSSSwap Pal #2 sock and the kitchener awaits, to be done right after I feed the rabbits.  I'm very happy with the way this sock came out.  DD is very happy with the way the sock came out.  I think I have to knit at least one pair of them for her.  I will post a pic soon.  My shawl sits waiting for a crochet hook and the will to figure out which loop is the dropped garter stitch, so I needed to cast on something last night to distract my fingers away from my chin. I started my SSSSwap sock from Pal #1.  I'm loving the yarn!

Of course, we're not talking identical twins here.  Maybe not even fraternal.
But that's ok.  Kissin Cousins will be cute!

SSSSweet Pal

After a long day of stocking up on hay for the coming winter, I finished my animal chores and headed in for evening conversation, only to discover I would be home alone tonight.  DH has a dinner meeting and DS who still lives here is out galivanting as 18 year olds do.  Too late for me to clean up and head for one of the several knit groups that meets tonight.  No motivation to make dinner for one.  Pooh!  So I wandered out to get the mail and there was a big envelope addressed to me with a return address I didn't recognize.  I haven't ordered anything.  Wasn't expecting anything I could think of.  And then DUH!!  The Second Sock Syndrome Swap!  Pal #1 emailed a couple days ago to tell me she'd finished the sock and mailed it out. I got my sock!  And some sweet goodies.  My SSSSwap Pal # 1 is Elspeth who not only knit the sock but hand dyed the yarn, too.   So of course I took pictures, even though the light is waning.  In addition to the very pretty sock and yarn to make it's match, there are 3 CDs, a couple Ghiradellis, a square tape measure (Yes!  I've been needing to add to my supply), Lindor Truffle in my favorite flavor, some delicately blue note paper, a big bar of Cadbury in one of my favorite flavors (especially nice cause no one else in this family will eat dark chocolate and I love it), a set of sock needles in several sizes, assorted little candies, some CDs and an adorable set of stitch markers which must be on the shy side cause they are hiding in every picture I took in spite of my efforts to put them in plain sight cause they are so cute.  No light and they won't show up in house lights/flash, so I'll take photos tomorrow.  As an added touch, Elspeth got everything in shades of blue in case my sock isn't blue enough.  What a sweetie!

And of course I have to pose the sock on my foot.  See how nicely it fits???  And I love the pattern.  It's garter rib from Sensational Knitted Socks, a pattern I've been planning to knit.  Thank you, Elspeth!  You are a Supreme Swap Pal and I very much appreciate your sweetness.

So tonight, I guess it's a good thing the others are away.  I have to finish the sock for SSSSwap Pal #2.  I'm ready to start toe decreases, so I should meet the Sept. 30 deadline in time.  I'm thoroughly enjoying this whole swap thing.  SSSSwap is the first time I've participated in a swap.  I don't think it will be my last. 

Saturday Sky

A cool misty drizzle settled over my land in the late night hours, bringing with it noticeable humidity and of course a bland cloud cover, meaning today's sky is not photo friendly. But earlier this week, cool and crisp air came along to coax the leaves toward autumn's mantle of glory.  This tree is the first in my little corner to show some of that mantle.  It sits on the far side of my forsythia hedge along the back property line.  I get to enjoy the show with no responsibility for the falling leaves.  My favorite fall tree is a Norway maple in my front yard.  It is also the last to change it's clothes, well worth the wait with it's soft yet fiery peachy pink orange tones.  It's also the last to let go.  Long after the neighbors around me have diligently cleaned their lawns and set out the leaf bags for collection, my tree finally starts to let go.  Just in time for the winds to scatter the top layers of leaves all over the neighbors' yards.  Some years, those leaves wait until after leaf collection.  Heh.

Cute, Ain't She?

I took this photo about a week ago, thinking I should put her on the blog and ask for name suggestions since she's about 6 months old now.  But I haven't fully committed to keeping her here (I'm not crazy about that ear set for a breeding bunny), hence the indecision on naming her.  She has one dominant characteristic.    She's not crazy about hutch life.  She occupies herself by beating up her hutch door.  It's securely latched and has not failed in spite of her determined efforts.  I do take her out to romp on the deck but that only seems to fuel her desire for life on the lam. 

This morning you know where this is headed, as I was taking the dogs out first thing, I came around to the hutches and discovered her hutch, door securely fastened,  living space empty.  Judging by the severely bowed aspect of the door and trails of white fiber hanging from said latched door, it was obvious she'd done her best head butting and squeezed out through that bow.  The dogs didn't alert on her, too intent on peeing, so I let them finish and then hustled them back into the house.  Then I did a run through the rabbitry, as the few times I've had escapees, they have tended to stick close to home.  But not this one.  No, this little minx decided life as wild bunnies have lived suited her just fine.  Her bright white coat begs to differ, though, and made her easy to spot in spite of her hidey hole: free under the wide expanse of gracefully arched forsythia bushes along one side of my yard.  That clump of bushes bridges the gap between the two fully mature pine trees on the property line.  The whole thing belongs to our neighbor, who does nothing to keep underbrush under control.  But the combination of bushes and pine trees means pine needles, twigs, leaves and all manner of forest floor litter resides right where that long coated white angora decided to play.  In the morning dew.  Yeah.  Cute, ain't she?

We played tag, I'm it under the branches, in the dirt, through the poison ivy, for about an hour before she finally stayed within reach.  Uh huh.  Cute.

R is for

Riley.  This cool dude is an African tortoise who lives at the store where I buy crickets and waxworms for Wilma.  Riley rocks!  He follows the store owner throughout the store and if my foot happens to be in his path, he just stomps on through.  He likes petting.  I put my hand down near his head, slowly so as not to startle him, and then when I gently stroked his head, Riley raised his head into it, kind of like a cat stuffing her head into your hand to say "Oh.  Yes, Yes!  More."  The store owner says the tortoise carapace (top shell) is his spine and is loaded with nerve endings, allowing Riley to feel every bit of attention.  If I stroke his shell, Riley feels it.  If a drop of water lands on his carapace, Riley feels it.  Don't think tortoises can run?  Put a ripe strawberry on the floor on the other side of the store, then get out of the way.  Dude loves his strawberries!  Just don't show up in sandals with your toenails painted red.  Until he chomps, Riley can't tell the difference.

I can't remember Riley's specific species, but based on photos I found elsewhere, I think perhaps an African Spurred Tortoise.  Unlike rabbits, dogs and cats, these critters can live a Very. Long. time, perhaps 100 years or so.  Given proper care, of course.  They start out as cute little hatchlings that fit in the palm of your hand.  But within five years, can reach up to 50 pounds, and as adults, 140 to 200 pounds.  That's a lot of strawberries!  Well, not really, because fruits should not be a major part of a tortoise's diet. Like rabbits, they eat forage stuffs, like grass hays (but not timothy, which has a lot prickly seed heads that can injure the inside of a tortoise's mouth) - not legume hays like alfalfa -  and some flowers, dandelions, plantain and clover are good for them too.  As babies and juveniles, Riley types kept as pets away from their natural habitat of Africa need to live in the house, protected from cold and damp.  During good warm weather, they should have an outdoor pen with access to natural sunlight.  Not an animal to get on a whim (but then, no animal is).  Lucky me, when I'd like some tortoise time, all I have to do is head over to the store.

Each time I go, I pick up a Riley paperweight.  Sales of these are a fundraiser for the American Tortoise Rescue.  I imagine there are many Riley types who don't have it as well as he does, so to honor Riley, I will be supporting that group.  I wonder if I could needle felt a Riley for them?
 

Q is for

Qiviut, the wool from a musk ox.  I've had a too small to register on my scale sample sitting here since last spring, when my guild presented an exotic fibers day.  Every so often, I've taken it out to fondle and ponder the eventual spinning experience.   This morning, I finally took the plunge.  Oh.  My!  Yes, Qiviut is as dreamy ultra sweet soft as you've heard.  Yum!  The sample was full of VM (yuck) but it spun up so fine that most of it just fell out as I spun.  I did try combing some but it's a very short staple so combing it really didn't make a lot of difference. 

My unwashed mini skein.




Two ply, but too loose in the ply.






With a bit more ply twist added.






And the final washed sample, some of it knit on size 1 needles - about 10 stitches per inch.  I'd use size 0 needles for stockinetter, probably go up to size 3 for lace. 





The remaining skein sample is currently looped around my neck to test for next to the skin comfort.  It is incredibly soft, lightweight, deliciously warm -  and a bit scratchy for my prissy sensitive skin.  I'd have to wear it with a cotton turtleneck, like I have to with virtually any animal fiber (yes, even my own angora blends - I'm telling ya, my skin is just stupidly sensitive).  But, spin it again?  You betcha, baby!

Progress

SSSSwap sock: I made friends with the pattern!  I just this morning knit the last two rounds of the leg and started the heel.  I'm likin' it.

And since I can't share a photo of that sock yet and I can't share a photo of the simple sock cause I ripppptit, I'll share this.  It's gonna be a triangle shawl, I'm thinking with a simple lace border.  The yarn:  Oooo La La* in colorway Sky Blue Pink.  So far.  Remember Pi too?  No?  Well, that's cause I never made it through the first lace chart and finally decided to officially abandon it for this shawl. I still want a color progression shawl.  I have several color choices in the blue/pink/purple/aqua ranges.  Well, bleck.  On my screen, the colors really don't show up, so I don't know what you're seeing.  That's Sky Blue Pink on the bottom left.   Crystal Blue is top right. The other two colorways are as yet unnamed.  I chose Crystal Blue as the second color and this is what I'm getting.  I'm mostly liking it, although there is a distinct band of color change, a bit more abrupt than I'd hoped for.  Turns out there is more darker color on the yarn in the center of the ball than there is on the outer part.  And using the center pull, thrker colors are what I'm getting.  I like it, just not so suddenly.  I'm debating ripping back and either starting Crystal Blue more in the center of the row rather than the edge and alternating every few stitches to start rather than every other row, or starting over using the outside end instead of the center pull.  Either would give me the more subtle change I fancy.  I'm leaning towards the former because I like the melding of the soft blue/pink with the darker.  I also don't expect to use up either Sky Blue Pink or Crystal Blue and the lighter left overs of Crystal Blue combined with Sky Blue Pink would go so well with Sapphire.  Of course, I might not rip at all and just learn to love the colors of the shawl as they come out.  And this is the third colorway I will be adding to this shawl.  Whether I will add more colors depends on how big the shawl is by the time I reach decision point and whether I can find my silk/angora roving to spin so I can dye it in compatible colors.  Amazing how many decisions can go into such a simple project.

*Oooo La La: my own blend of silk/angora yarn spun about sport weight by Still River Mill, then hand dyed by me.

Sunday Photos

I went to a fair and hung out mostly with the sheep crowd cause - well, there was spinning 

and yarn

and fiber and

hijinks with the fiber (yes, these people know I blog)

and kids and

more kids

and cashmere on the hoof.  At least I think I captured the cashmere in the photo.  The ID was "4th butt to the left" and by the time I could snap the photos, those butts had done some milling around. 

There was also some education going on, in the ring and

as a nice display from Anne at

One of Anne's pretty Romneys, Bonnie, whose fleece will eventually be available in one form or another.  Lucky me - Anne and I are planning to trade some fiber samples, then we'll each spin up a blend and compare the skeins.  I have blended romney and angora before, and it makes for a very Tiggery kind of yarn (soft and warm and full of bounce).  Great for hats!  A bit too coarse for next to my skin, but I have exceptionally cranky skin (it balks at aloe vera for cripes sake), so a good romney is probably great for sweaters, too.

I did venture out of the sheep area and into the rabbit/poultry barn.  No angoras.  Not even any fuzzy lops.  One jersey wooly.   But this fella caught my attention.  He (she?  I didn't pay attention long enough to consider), refused to pose, even when I jangled keys in front of him, apparently convinced there were some good grubs hiding somewhere in the sawdust and plywood.  Wouldn't some of those feathers be fun to ply into some yarn?

Saturday Sky

This morning before 7 am, my sky had the moon still peeking through as the sun started it's climb and the storm whispered adieu.   Some of the whispy clouds shot by as if they were late to a Very Important Meeting.  Others draped themselves above the breeze to linger a while.  It was quite the panoply and a bit of a reflection of my oft changing life this year.  In January, the household included DH and me, our 3 children, 4 dogs, 2 chameleons, and 2 cockatiels, plus of course all the bunnies in the back yard.  Nine months later, we are DH and I, one child/man, 2 dogs, 1 chameleon, 2 cockatiels, and the bunnies in the back yard.  Older DS left first and that was a big change, but he returns often so far.  DD moved out in August, with very little notice.  Amika (dog) and Betty (chameleon) left with her.   In between those departures, DS the younger grew up, graduated, got a driver's license and a job. And now Suki, my rock, is gone.  Not chocolate nor knitting nor fibering of any sort can fill these voids.  That's for me to do.  It will happen gradually, with resignation, sadness and acceptance slowly giving way to onward.  Onward to what, I don't know yet.  But I am confidant that will will come to me in good time. 

My Friend

One bright, crisp January day after school when I was 12, my mother took me for a ride, saying she wanted company but not telling me where we were going.  We drove for what seemed to my most bratty reluctant self forever, bright sunshine giving way to mid-winter dark.  We were lost somewhere along the backroads of Connecticut.  I was too busy sulking at having been forced to endure this senseless ride to pay attention.  Until I heard the gas station attendant giving final directions to my mother.  "And the kennel is about a 1/4 mile on the left."  Kennel??  Within 20 minutes, I had a squiggly warm Irish setter pup in my arms.  Mine.  No two beings ever fell in love so fast.  That friendship ended too soon, a year later, probably due to accidental poisoning.  I didn't think I'd ever attach so deeply to a dog again.

Then, on another bright, crisp Connecticut day when my daughter was 10, I took her for a ride to look at a puppy.  She knew our mission and we chatted excitedly about possible names and what this 8 week old pup might look like.  We knew the pup was black with a bit of white on her chest, a mixed breed thought to be lab/shepherd mix.  We both fell in love with this bouncing bundle of cheer about as fast as my Irishman and I.  Suki was a poof ball of black fuzz and sweetness.  On the drive home, we stopped for burgers and discovered Suki's insatiable love for McDonald's cheeseburgers, pickle and all.  Over time, we came to believe this remarkable dog was probably more Border collie, lab and husky with her speckled feet, massive shedding coat twice a year, a "roo-oooo" instead of a bark, and a protective, active intelligence that astounded and impressed us on many an occasion.  One of her more notable demonstrations was her insistence on acceptable behavior among the human, canine and feline members of the family.  One kitten once overnight tangled himself in my computer mouse cord, dangling and struggling and facing a long tortured death as we slept - but for Suki's wild insistence that some human member of the clan had to get up and fix this now.  Later, that same kitten, sitting in my lap, insisted on trying to steal my sandwich, so I hissed at him to leave it be.  In a flash, Suki jumped at the kitten with a firm snarl to knock it off.  A few minutes later, the silly kitten decided to sneak another try at the sandwich.  I hissed at him again.  Suki leapt, grabbed the kitten by the neck and flung him across the room.  Without hurting him.  The kitten never tried to steal my food again.  As my daughter swung into teen years and interest in boys, she'd tell me she was taking the dog for a walk after dark.  Not being naive, I knew a boy was involved.  But I didn't worry.  One night she returned and said "You knew I was meeting a boy, didn't you?"  I laughed and asked "what did Suki do?"  Seems they met at a nearby school yard and sat on swings, then moved on to flirtatious pursuits, like tickling.  At DD's first girly squeal, Suki launched at the hapless boy.  He never got close to DD again. 

Suki dominated the household, recognizing only me as one to be obeyed.  She hated other people's dogs but accepted whatever I brought into the household.   Even the lone chicken we ended up with in a failed Science Fair experiment to test the affect of dyeing  chickens still in the egg (there is no detrimental affect: chicks hatch as normal except with dyed feathers when incubation proceeds right).  The school kids probably didn't pay close enough attention to humidity in the incubation process and only one chicken hatched.  It was blue.  And lonesome.  A single chicken wants company.  Suki made a great though highly insulted babysitter and roost.  I suspect Suki had a party when I finally donated the chicken to a therapy farm.

Suki has been my faithful and devoted friend for 13 years, most recently putting up with my needs for a model.  She came into my life as my Dad faded out in that dreadful decline of Alzheimer's.  Many a time she gave soulful hugs as I sobbed into her coat at the cruelty of that disease to a man I still measure all humans against.  And today, when I need her comfort again, she can't give it.  In a nasty display of full circle, Suki started showing signs of canine dementia perhaps a year ago.  This morning, my daughter and I took the shell of Suki for that final drive.  Rest well, my faithful friend and someday we'll walk the Rainbow Bridge, together again.