Monday Morning, Back to Work

Tussah silk, plying now from the nostepinne, dyed by Ruth Macgregor of Spinning Forth. It has been most wonderful to spin: drafts like butter. I can heartily recommend her dyed silks: I have more in another color, and want! yet more! (OK, every) color she dyes.

The crappy cell-phone pic of yarn and spindle on my lap was taken in the Burbank Airport, on my way home, after a very fun weekend with the Southern California Weaver's Guild: nice people, a gracious hostess, nice space to work in, and good food!

What's not to like ?!

ToddlerCare2012

ToddlerCare 2012 has come and gone.

Home again, after 13 days. Tired Grandma! Tip: buy a house built all on one level! The stairs become a playground....good learning, yes, but really? exhausting.


Gran came for a few days in the middle of the week: a great relief! Here the toddler in question is wearing her bathing suit on her head:

That Gran, such a fashionista.

I was also able to bring home a favorite Christmas present:

Some of you will recognize the place. My daughter-in-law took a photo, and her mother painted the scene.

The travelers went to Japan. That's a long way away! They brought textile gifts:

This is indigo-dyed hemp, and sakiori
They also brought me some local brandy:

um, may I say...yum!?


I came home to a snowstorm, which has left us, with bright sunshine today I can warm up the yurt: back to work!

It's a Funny Life

I met a friend for lunch this week, which we do at least once a year. I got to the restaurant about 10 minutes early, and told the hostess I was meeting someone. She replied that a woman was just in, looking for a friend, and what did my friend look like? "My height, my age, brown hair" was my reply. Nope, she said, not the same woman.

I was seated, and soon my friend arrived. The hostess (all of 23 years old) was confused. We were speaking of the same woman. But her hair is grey. I am living 30 years in the past.

Last night while sitting in the hot tub admiring the stars, I heard this undercurrent of noise that I had a hard time identifying. Frogs! Many peeping frogs, looking for a mate. They think it's spring, about six weeks early! Our sunny warm winter has confused them. I hope they are not all taken out by frost and snow, but I hope too that we have some frost and snow sometime during what should be winter.

And last, this is the twill sample causing comment:


Edited to add
Woke up this morning to a dusting of snow:

poor froggies!

Things I Forget

What I am making does not have to be The Best Thing Ever.

If I don't like it, or it does not work, I Can Make More.

Making is the Fun Part, having is not the Fun Part, Having Made Something Nice is Fun, but then I just turn around and make something else (nice or otherwise).



It's yarn. Yes, it's also time, and maybe money, but really? Nobody dies. Don't sweat the small stuff.

I'd like to be....

under the sea:


Tile Mural by Dianna Rose, now installed in our guest bath!

We've been so busy the hands are faster than the camera:



Spinning:

a bobbin a day, that's all we ask.

and some African silk:


This stuff is marvelous to work with: I spun this last night at our local guild meeting. Our speaker was Ginger Luters, who is also a member of the guild. She talked to us about Tunisian Crochet, which is apparently not Tunisian but is a form of crochet. She showed us interesting openwork and modular work, lots of inspiration.

I spun through the lecture. I was given this African silk at a workshop, but I am not sure I can remember from whom.....! If you know anything about this baggie:

can you email me please (lambspin at g mail dot com....remove all spaces etc.)? Meanwhile, I've sent an inquiry to the person I think brought it to me.

Anyway, it's wonderful to spin, drafts like a champ, and very little in the way of chaff, fluff, noils, short bits. Thank you!! to whomever....

Lots of fun stuff happening, people busy either building or making, a bit on the frenetic side around here, but that's better than being dull, I suppose. I have neglected the blog, sadly, despite having thought of lots of things to tell you: I had a whole post about the lunar eclipse last month, quite beautiful, joined by two shooting stars as I sat and watched....I just hope you are psychic, or telepathic, or something because I'm off and away! again. Back soon.

There is a warm bright sun out there, and the studio awaits.

New

Lots of New besides the year.

This year's best Christmas present ever?

Blue tarp, cut and sewn into shopping bags. It made us both laugh out loud! And furthermore:

you may not be able to tell from this photo but that is duct tape reinforcing the bottom(!). And also? It comes with a repair kit:


We laughed!! My husband thought it was such a good idea we should go into business. Think of it, he said: all the men will be clamoring to do the grocery shopping just so they can flash their bags!

I did a little knitting, but not for gifts. For me, mitts:

They do so match :D! This is worsted weight wool from Green Mountain Spinnery, bought when we had a day off from SOAR this October.

They have flip-tops for warmth:

and frankly, I've been wearing them over gloves, because I am in the mountains of Colorado and it is very cold here.

We had a sleigh ride:


to dinner in a cozy cabin:


Some of us are learning new things, like using a big-people spoon to eat our cottage cheese out of a big-people bowl:


But alas, we get distracted by our Uncle Sean:

and have to laugh out loud!

The New Year is starting out right, as we speak, with a nice long nap, so our grandma can finally (!) (I know!) get busy and put up a blog post.

If we are starting as we mean to go on, this will be a very jolly year :D!

A Whirlwind Occurred

Sometimes life just feels like this:


Obviously, I have been visiting. I took spinning with me, but tragically, forgot the plying spindle. Relax, I thought, just keep winding off onto cardboard tubes. I managed for 4 or 5 days:


Things just kept building, spinning was getting done, and then (imagine lightbulb here) I realized I would be in one place long enough to get a package delivered. I ordered a new spindle! Hooray! Was not just an excuse! See the bright shiny new spindle here?

New plying spindle delivered, all yarns plied and wound off into skeins, and everyone is happy:


Knitting has been occurring, also while traveling:


and even a small bit of weaving:


for a benefit sale (the tote bag is gone now, no idea where! If you get it for Christmas, please let me know :).

Alas, still many deadlines to meet, and miles to go before I sleep. 'Tis the season, of course, and I still feel a little:


upside down. Things are getting done, I am catching up, but, alas, not there yet! Baking to do! Letters and cards to write! Shopping! Making! wrapping and packing!If I have missed you, owe you an email, or (gasp!) need to contact you, soon! I tell you it will be soon! (The panic and desperation you may have read into this post is yours and yours alone. No one is desperate here!).