Woolybuns

Yup

The correct answer to what's a spinner to do is absolutely buy another wheel.  As of late this morning, I own 6 spinning wheels.  I found an ad for a practically brand new wheel only 100 miles from home.  Off I went to try it out.  The test spin: smooth, easy treadling, easy set up, folds for travel and this "used" version included the carry case. So here she is, my new Kromski Sonata.  You know I'll be spinning tonight!

Spinning Calls

I want to spin.  I own 5 spinning wheels.  Ashford Traditional is on long term loan to my sister who lives a couple states away.  Electric Roberta needs a switch over haul.  Rose - well.  Rose remains compromised while I work on screwing up my courage to send coveted numbers in non-secure email.  A more daunting task since someone glommed onto the husband's ATM numbers and swiped over 500 bucks out of the account last week before he noticed.  I will get Rose repaired.  Someday.  I do have Serendipity, my Canadian Production Wheel, but she has one tiny bobbin and it's full.  So when those Evil Enablers spotted a lovely little treasure, I pounced.  Quickly before anyone else could.  I walked off with my treasure, only to see it break in my hands - no crazy, heartbreaking accident involved, just old age.  Kind of a predictor of things to come?   So yes, I own 5 spinning wheels.  And three of them are broken, one is out of reach, leaving the one working wheel with a full bobbin and no way to ply it.  It's full of pure angora and with this situation, I just know a center pull ball of pure angora is going to be a disaster.  More need for screwing up courage.  What's a spinner to do????

Late Spring in My Corner of the World

Just lovely.  As my indoor garden wanes, the outdoor beauty pagent unfolds. Bearded Iris reign right now.  I have them planted on both sides of the house and along the back yard property line.  Each area gets different sun exposure, which means they each have a different time table.  That sweet little fact gives me continual iris bloom for about 6 weeks many years.  My favorites?  These purple and white.  I bought the original plant probably about 15 years ago and they are faithful and prolific.   On the other side of the house, Wisteria is loaded with buds and some of them are starting to bloom.  Back yard blooms are still all  hiding under weeds aka bunny food in bud or emerging plant stage.  I don't spend a lot of time just sitting out in the back yard, not nearly as much as I should.  It's quite peaceful.  But I do spend a great deal of time out there "puttering" with what passes for yard work around here, and tending to bunnies and getting the dog out. Along the way, birds and butterflies and assorted other winged creatures flit about, squirrels cavort and chastise, breezes waft and over it all, warmth from the sun blankets the soul. I worried about this fella yesterday because he/she was digging up food goodies on the ground, keeping an eye on Molly and me but apparently oblivious to the cat in hunt mode behind him.  I watched for a while, ready to intervene if needed.  But the birds foiled the cat's plan.  When she got too close, they started shrieking and Squirrel scampered up the tree. The birds may bicker with the squirrels over territory but they'll announce the cat everytime.

Molly enjoys hanging out in the back yard, too.  While I tend to bunny chores, she gets tied out and spends her time tossing a kong, conversing with the bird family currently nesting in the spruce and defending her turf against all manner of winged critters.  She does a good job of wearing herself out.

I don't know how much longer I will be here, but since the house is not yet on the market, I decided I have to put in a veggie garden this year.  Last week, I bought a patio tomato plant, thinking there was no sense in planting a lot of veggies with a move in the future.  But every time I look at the garden beds, I get all mushy wistful disappointed like.  Even if someone else gets to harvest, I gotta do it!  So off to the nursery I go.

Evil Enablers

If there is anything good about being the target of Evil Enablers, it's the blog fodder you end up with.  I went to Cummington with the intention of connecting with two non-enablers, and allowing myself one fiber treat.  I spent most of the day looking for the non-enablers.  Cummington is one of the few places on earth that does not have cell service, which means we should have set specific time/place parameters for connecting, should have being the operative words, of course.  Particularly important when you don't know what the person you are looking for looks like.  But of course, as I searched, I did continually crisscross paths with those two EEs.  And fresh from the success of finally connecting with one of the two non-enablers, I happened to be within range when Marcy suddenly stopped.  Have you ever watched a bird dog in action?  It's a thing of beauty.  The whole body freezes in forward attention, head up, ears perked, one front paw lifted in rapt anticipation and nose honed in with guided missile like precision, so the entire essence of that dog is pointed in full focus on the object of desire.  Marcy is like that.  I had no hope of escaping that influence, particularly with Laurie right there, quietly encouraging the exchange of cash for goody.  What did I get?  Well, minutes after I walked away with my treasure, minor disaster ensued, back to vendor I went, and returned said treasure for repair.  When the lovely is again in my possession (probably less than two weeks), I will post all about it.  In the meantime, you'll have to be content with this photo.

Is that not enough?  Ok, here are the two fiber treats I indulged myself with.  The first is yummyyummy, finger fondling goodness from Foxhill Farm, half a fleece from Alice Field's lovely lady Sylvia.  Cormo being Sylvia's last name.    Now imagine it with equal amounts of silk and angora.  Sets me all aquiver!  And then I got me some Spunky fun, a braid of merino/silk hand dyed by the goddess of goodness herself, Amy.  I'll probably double my fun by blending in an equal amount of angora.

My drive home brought me within 15 minutes of the horse show where my trainer and some of her students spent the weekend.  The car just automatically turned that way, so I joined them for an evening of classes and chatting, beautiful horses and blue ribbon riders.  That's Kate on the gray, Getting Jiggy With It, seconds before they received the blue ribbon for that class.  The horse is for sale, since this post is all about enabling if anyone's looking. 

And I've still got Sunday and Monday left to go!  I hope you are enjoying a wonderful weekend, too.

Not Exactly Quidditch Speed

But progress none the less on my Hogwarts Sock Swap sock.  I'm using Knit Picks palette in Blue and Fog.  I'm sort of winging it on pattern, using size 1 dpns for ribbing and size 2 for the rest.  What the yarn photo doesn't show are my thoughts for the sock.   I'd like something more than just a stripe.  So I've been tinkering with these, which is why actual knitting isn't further along yet.  What I'd like to do may be beyond my skills at the moment but I do have a back up idea. 

And for those times when this knitter is drinking and chatting needs a mindless knit, I indulged with a new skein of Cherry Tree Hill in Fall Foliage colorway.  Clearly with that pathetic amount of knitting progress, I did more of other activities.  This sock will go with me today as I watch a horse show.  We'll see if it's any bigger before tomorrow's MASW.  I haven't gone to that festival in several years, but this year, it's calling.  Hope to see lots of you tomorrow.

Magical Fun

Friday night, I finished book 2 of the Harry Potter series and immediately started book 3, Prisoner of Azkaban.  I'm very much enjoying JKR's writing.  She is wonderful with her witty little descriptions and plotting little twists to tickle young and old readers alike.  I also cast on for my Hogwarts Sock Swap.  I'm knitting a stripe pattern but wanted to customize it so as I cast on about for patterns, some ideas started flashing through the ole noggin.  There is something pretty stimulating about kick starting synapses and I'm having fun with the resulting highs from the magic of brain chemicals.  My swap pal sometimes reads the blog, so I don't want to give away the plan, but it's pleasing me.  I hope it will please her as well. 

CC, on the other hand, is possibly not quite as pleased with this past week.  She got her feet trimmed again, which requires her to stand still.  CC prefers not to stand still and voiced her opinion through quite an array of silent facial expressions. 

Not to worry, though, she got some loving attention along with the pedicure.

And then she got a bit in her mouth, and a surcingle around her middle.  First bitting is often best with a rubber bit, but the rubber bit at the barn turned out to be too big for CC's little Arabian sized mouth.  In the entire 15 minute session, she never closed her mouth around it, snaked her head a lot, and generally rejected the bit.  So the next day, we used a smaller steel bit and she started chewing it pretty quickly.  That's a good thing.  She did some bucking and assorted other "I don't wannnnnaaaaa!!" behaviors but did settle in pretty quickly once she realized her choices were settle in or fight a losing battle.  I'm very pleased she chose the first! 

Idle Hands in the Land of Fuzz

As busy as the booth was at NHSW, there were down times but no devil's playground competes successfully in the land of fuzz.    I didn't get out to indulge in all the luscious stuff I see reported hither and yon, but I was in my own booth.  And I kept looking at this fiber, originally planned for something no longer on the agenda.  It's rambouillet roving, bouncy soft but not really in keeping with a booth full of buns.  And there sat these two bags, bunches of ounces of sad looking and not yet foofed pink and purple (yes, purple, no matter how much the screen says blue) angora of delicious length.  And my hand cards.  What else could I do?  I got an ounce carded.  I think tonight's tv time will include more carding.  Much better for the waistline than chips.  I may spin the two colors separately, then ply them together, but we'll see when I get to that stage.  I love the freedom to wander at will!

NHSW

I bought nuthin'.  I didn't get to look around much.  I got out of my booth twice, both times just long enough to grab an Italian sausage for lunch.  So my report is pretty thin.  But, we do have a winner in the Silly Little Contest.  Kim correctly guessed that what is a grassy weed in your world is, in my world, bunny food.  Thanks to all who played along!

I did get a miserably lit fun profile shot of one of blogland's pending moms.  Ain't they cute?

I think this photo captured the essence of my weekend.  This fella strolled into my booth and clearly fell in love. I don't know his name but the look on his face when he spotted Hop Stuff bouncing around in my bunny pen just warmed my heart.  Hop Stuff went home with someone else, but this man spent some cuddle time with the bunny, then went off to fetch his family so they too could see the bunny.  Hop Stuff worked his charm on many a booth visitor including one who seriously needs to update her blog .  And welcomed each one.  Unlike his very grumpy half brother who soundly thumped his displeasure all weekend long, Hop Stuff greeted all who stopped by and snuggled with more than a few.  He went home with a very nice family who took the time to ask lots of questions, consider the needs, walk away to think about it, then came back having decided to add him to their family.  I like that in new bunny homes.  The grumpy rabbit also got a new home, but his family somehow didn't make it back to take him home.  If you are the folks who bought him, please contact me!

My hostess this weekend was Carolyn and her husband Don, blogless but Flashy.   They are the family who adopted the bastard Basset Hound, Flash.  Flash still lives with them and somehow, they still consider me a friend.  Having lived with that wretched complex critter, I am amazed at the generous hearts Carolyn and Don obviously have.   Flash has lived with them for about 3 years and they haven't killed the damn dog!  Flash remembered me, apparently fondly, because he claimed me as his in typical Flash attack manner.  Crazy dumb dog she says sappily. Carolyn has been busy learning many aspects of fiber since she and I first met almost 4 years ago.  Can you see how proud she is of her progress?  The yarn is her own, spun from a blend of her Finn sheep and her mohair.  I wish I'd had my camera* to photograph the lovely wet felted wall hanging Carolyn created.  She's quite talented!

Thanks to all who stopped by.  I wish we'd had the opportunity to chat more!

*I got locked in the vendor barn Saturday night and had to bang on the door scramble to catch the attention of the lady with the key before she got out of hearing range, leaving some essentials in my booth.

Dyeing To Go

To NHSW, of course.  I did a big stew pot of angora in spruce and I'm very pleased with the results.   And then I looked at some left over rovings in natural colors.  What the heck!  Into dye pots with them, too.  I overdyed some silvery gray shetland/angora roving, half of it in pink and half in violet.  Some natural white montadale/angora roving I split into three colors: sky blue, violet and spruce, then bagged them as trios of one ounce each color. I spun up a sample just to see what it would look like.  I like!!  It's soft, bouncy and full of color, about worsted weight.  I also decided to practice some more long draw, using undyed montadale/angora roving.  Still not terrific spinning but much better.  I'll take slow progress.  And, once handpainted, it will make a nice hat.

And then the mail came.  I decided on Knit Picks for my Ravenclaw Hogwarts pal's socks, colors are blue and fog, for the film version.  And Gee.  There was more stuff in the box.  How'd that happen?  Hee.  The yarn is alpaca/silk/merino in the discontinued color campfire, a blend of navy, white, cranberry and fog.  Enough if my math is correct for a sweater for me.  At clearance price.  And then, to get free shipping, who couldn't use a KIP bag?  The bigger question is: will this end up as stash or actually become a sweater?

Silly Little Contest

Update: Hmmm, apparently this isn't easy.  You folks don't think like me?  Huh.  So.  A clue might be in order.  It's a grassy weed, we all agree on that.  Why might that be a positive for my world?  Go ahead and think about it, but remember - when the answer hits you, don't blurt it out in comments, k?

This one's easy.  Well, easy if you're going to NHSW and you know how to find me.  Heh.  And you probably should spin, or at least know a spinner other than me willing to spin for you .  The prize?   Three ounces of angora.  Nuthing done to it but clipped off the bunny.  So, whatcha gotta do is just be the first person at NHSW to tell me what - in my world - this is.   Yeah, that green stuff on the left.  Shhhh!  Don't blurt it out in the comments!  You won't win that way.  My objective is to meet you.  Even if I already have.