Tess Shawl

I finished this away back in March, I think, before we moved. It is from the Tess shawl pattern.

The yarn is that which is pictured in the spinning stage back in the "Nature's First Green" post, two different club offerings from Southern Cross Fibre plied into one yarn. Sadly, I didn't have enough yarn to make it as big as it should be, but I still like this shawl.
Garter stitch=cosy.

Studio!

We were blessed, as first time home buyers this spring, to be buying in a down market. Our house is roomy enough for the nine of us, has many horticultural delights, and a studio space all for me!

Can you see what I put on the wall? "Whatsoever things are lovely..."

The studio is for all of my different types of crafty stuff.... books, knitting needles, fabric, paints, spindles. I am storing my colored fiber here now, but most of my fiber is stored under the stairs. My wheel is upstairs where I am more apt to use it.

Here is a small sampling of the horticultural delights.

I know the gardens will keep me extra busy this summer as I get to know them and get the weeds under control.
But this year's Tour de Fleece approaches, and I will be sure to stop and sniff the fiber a little!

Respect the Spindle Review

I am so glad to finally have a copy of Abby's book, Respect the Spindle

I've taken a few classes with Abby, and have learned so much to help my spinning... she is a well of spinning knowledge, though, and always leaves me wanting to learn more.

This book fills some of that knowledge-hunger.

It is a book that covers a lot, from the basics of spindle spinning to spinning with "specialty" spindles like tahklis and Russian spindles, Turkish and Navajo. These sections are great... but the funny thing is, in my opinion, it is not where the real value of the book is found. After all, how to videos abound on the web and if you really want to learn to use a particular spindle, you can probably find out how without spending extra pennies.

No, the delightful chapter "The Science of Spindles" is my favorite so far. Maybe it is my inner geek peeking through, but truly, understanding the physics of spindles is helpful in so many ways. My little heart warms to discussions of torsion pendulums, as long as there is no math involved. And there isn't! Just a knowledge of the different factors that affect the behavior of spindles, and some concrete examples to which anybody can relate.

The rich chapter on getting more done... the detailed breakdown of what you need in a spindle repair kit...The wonderful sections on drafting for spindles and plying management. Full-color photos and a pleasing aesthetic. This is a book that I will read and re-read.

....the next time someone suggests that you are doing something very simple and old-fashioned, you can reply that you intuitively understand and work with mechanical engineering, advanced calculus, and rotational and fluid dynamics every time you pick up a spindle. ---Abby Franquemont, Respect the Spindle

It's all in the hands.

Nature's First Green

Nature's first green seems far off from us.

We are still engulfed in the purple blue shadows of winter

But spring will come and among the purples and blues of my spinning is a touch of gold and green.

Falkland in Huckleberry Train and another coordinating but unidentified club fiber from Southern Cross Fiber.

4 of 8 oz. spun

Journal entry in acrylic and gouache.

Happy New Year!

Here I am with my biggest FO of the year 2010: Hope! She's six months old now, and such a sweet baby. We have been blessed by her and in so many other ways this year.

I managed not to post at all in 2010, for various reasons, but I want to change that this year. I enjoy the blog genre, and often compose entries to you all in my mind even though they haven't made it to the net.

With the new baby and the growing family, I find that my crafting has morphed a bit. (Making food for this hungry crew devours many a pleasant hour!)

I have accomplished some knitting this year (mostly hats and scarves), but although I spin often for a few minutes at a time, my progress is slow. And I find myself wanting to branch a bit.... drawing and mixed-media are attracting me, and I've started keeping an art journal.

so this years aspirations are:

to blog as I have time and inclination

to continue my art journal---it helps empty my brain of all its teeming ideas!

to make cards with my artwork and send notes to friends and loved ones

to accomplish some of the spinning for other people that I've promised to do

to make socks... I have joined Janel Laidman's sock clubs... the first time I'll use storebought yarn in a while, but there's no shame in that, is there? :-) Since spinning is more of a process than a product for me right now, if I want to knit, then that's the way to go!

I don't know if anyone will even notice this post after sooooo long away... but if you do, I'd love it if you'd say hi and let me know how things are with you, and what you are hoping to accomplish in this new year.

"Love and joy come to you

And to you your wassail too

And God bless you and send you a

Happy New Year"

Family Camp with Knitting

Two different moods of view from our campsite.


From a peaceful stroll in the early morning.



I took this picture as evidence to Verity's children of How Much Butter she would take when Unsupervised.




Setting up the camp. Didn't get as many pictures as I should have!



Knitting accomplished. I made fair progress on this Swallowtail shawl. It is done now, but I need to rip and bind off again as I bound off too tightly the first time.

A lovely and exhausting vacation with lots of sweet fellowship.....

Tour de Fleece Week 3 Finished Yarns