The socks are simple stockinette from the handspun Spunky Eclectic "Flowering Weeds" that I spun in the summer. Benjamin is very happy with them.











There have been lots of knitting and spinning here, but for the present blogging will be sporadic. So much life has been going on lately that I just can't be focusing on the blog much. But for the family members who enjoy pictures of the kids and my few loyal readers, I give this post.


Of course the alpaca is keeping me spinnning, and when I send off the second box, I'll let you all have a peek. Lots of knitting of small things, because lately I have felt like knitting. In due time, I may post more of those too. In the meantime, I hope to have a chance to visit all of your blogs soon!

Baby Vest and Skeleton Leaf Bookmark

The vest for a new nephew was from hazelnut superwash merino laps, overdyed and spun in my attempt at a soft single. It was a bit overspun in spots, but worked up nicely in the vest....which I am calling a Tomten Vest as it is based on EZ's jacket pattern.







I love skeleton leaves. Like snowflakes, I wish I could translate their beauty into a fibery medium, and I will probably tackle other versions in the future. In the meantime I like how this turned out.

From handspun laceweight two-ply merino-tencel.

Making a Dent

It took me a while to find my pace with the alpaca. First I tried flick carding and spinning on the wheel. It took forever, over a week to get a measly 50-yard skein. Then I tried spinning from the lock on a spindle. That catapulted me into the 80 yards a week range. It doesn't take much calculating to figure that that is NOT FAST ENOUGH!!!

Then I tried blending on handcards, and spinning the rolags, and suddenly I was accelerating....spinning an average of 65 yards a day.....

carding early in the morning,
spinning singles on the spindle during the day,
and plying on the wheel at night.

Certainly not the fastest production spinning ever, but I do have a life outside of fiber! So I am pretty happy with this sort of progress.... I have sent the first box off to my aunt with over 800 yards of yummy skeins.

Want to meet them?

Left to right..... Pucci blended with carbonized bamboo
Pucci blended with rose colored tussah
Diamond, pure
Pucci, pure
Marlayanna blended with coyote cotton
Pucci blended with merino
and in the back, Riana blended with dyed merino-silk.

I'm taking a few days of "break" to fill some swap obligations and finish the present for a baby nephew... but looking forward to jumping back into the alpaca pile!

Hopi Black Dye Sunflowers

Apparently the Hopi tribe use the seeds from these sunflowers to make both black and purple dyes for cloth and baskets. If my seeds mature before frost, I will enjoy experimenting with them. In the meantime, they are a cheerful sight in the garden, with blue and purple morning glories climbing them, the bees clustering around them; plants green and vigorous in a brown and crispy yard.

Eclipse Rug

When I consider the heavens, the works of Your fingers, the moon and the stars which You have ordained..... what is man, that You are mindful of him, and the son of man, that You visit him?





Spunky Club "Eclipse" fiber in Romney. I spun the singles holding the club fiber with natural colored Black Norwegian, and sometimes with grey Icelandic. Plied on my new Julia. Smiles. Crocheted with a few other handspuns into a rug that to my imagination does look reminiscent of an eclipse.

Eccentric

Cary

tagged me for a meme.....six quirky things about me.

1) Link to the person who tagged me
2) Mention the rules
3) Tell six quirky yet boring things about yourself
4) Tag 6 other bloggers by linking to them
5) Go to each person's blog to let them know they have been tagged!



1. I do not spend change. It is a Detail too big for me to handle. You mean, you want me to hold on to my purse, while handing over the proper number of small metallic objects? Such doings make it far more likely that I will forget to take my purchases with me.... (something that has happened more often than I care to admit) So I spend bills and keep change. When I got married I had a great deal of change in odd places. One of my old roomates said I was like the girl in the fairy tale, who opened her mouth and roses and jewels dropped out.... except with me it was change. Now my dear husband is my change manager. He takes care of it for me.

2. I like fresh air. When I was in my early teens, in central PA, we lived in a house with no heat upstairs, and that was where I slept. Loving the wind, I kept my windows open all winter, and prided myself on using a single blanket. While I am much more fond of my comfort in my, cough, advancing years, I do still like fresh air.

3. I am clutzy and have knocked myself flat on the pavement with my own car door.

4. I have an excessive dislike of fake flowers.

5. I find it very difficult to invite people to my home because I feel like I'll be bothering them. It is this same quirk that will keep me from tagging people with this meme. ;-) However, you are welcome to pick it up from my blog at will. I'd love to read about your quirks!

6. I read and reread letters over and over before I send them, obsessing over the wording, and subsequently forget to send them. I have found many letters that I thought I sent, tucked into books and other odd places.... If I owe you one, be assured of my kind thoughts toward you.....

Covering a Scar

The Society for Knitted Upholstery, a group over on Ravelry, inspired me to get this project accomplished.

Bruce bought this chair before he even knew me, and it reminds me of him when I met him.... in his brown leather jacket and Indiana Jones-style fedora. Masculine and with a patina of adventure. Well, the chair has been weathered by a bit too much adventure since then, and it needed help!

A pound of Gulf Coast Native wool from Running Moon Farm, from my stash, was perfect for the project. Bulky spinning went fast on my Spindlewood spindle.... the wool was already clean, and I simply spun from the lock (or maybe the wad...lol) for a textured yarn that suits its purpose well.

It is good to see the chair back to its old self, except better.