If I wait for pictures, I'll wait forever.

My daughter frequently nags me about feeding the blog, and I say, "OK - but I need to take some pictures first." The problem is that I don't LIKE to take pictures. I do it out of necessity - someone really wants to see a specific item, or I have a yarn ready to put in the Etsy shop - but I don't enjoy the role of shutterbug.

Lest May get away from me without a post (as April nearly did), I thought I'd just type and see what happens.

My weekends have been full lately with required re-certification workshops for the daycare (where I am head of the infant department - 8 sweet little newborns!) but I did manage to squeeze in a wonderful spinning/weaving retreat in Lake Charles, Louisiana last weekend. It was sponsored by the Spinning/Weaving Guild of Imperial Calcasieu (parish) and was held at the St. Charles Retreat Center in Moss Bluff, about 3.5 hours away from me. I went with Cheryl (my weaving mentor) and 6 other fellow guildmembers. We spent 4 days relaxing, spinning, weaving, laughing, and learning. The retreat center had a conference room for us to use 24 hours a day - we made "nests" with our wheels and spindles and RH looms and fiber piles, then played whenever we wanted and rested back in our rooms when we were tired. You could go spin at 3am if you were so inclined. Heaven!

I finished Jessica's Opal Magic socks, and started 3 more pair with handspun - all Spunky Eclectic. Two are Club (Soul Windows and New Day) and one is Panda Emerald Isle. I firmly resolve to take and post pictures for you when they're finished. :)

I've been spinning and knitting this past month, with no attention spared for the loom. Ezara has inspired me, though, with her descriptions of warping her Baby Wolf. I have sleyed the reed for the Monk's Belt towels on the Macomber - but they need threading, and that's what I plan to do today. There, I typed it, so now it will come true!

Squeezing A Last-Minute Post Into April

Time gets away from me... How did I manage to miss most of April? I really mean to update much more frequently - it's a hard habit to get into, but apparently pretty easy to break.

Lest I allow the entire month to pass without a post, let me give a quick update:

I've been spinning


and acquiring new tools


The loom has been neglected lately. I want to remedy that - I have a warp for some monk's belt towels that is 3/4 sleyed through the reed. A few hour's attention will get it finished and threaded, and then I can start the weaving. The colors are lovely spring shades - I need to get going on it, so I can enjoy the process!

Thanks to Ezara for reminding me that the blog needs care and attention, too. ;-)

A Winner Is Me!

Cyndy of Riverrim asked if anyone could guess the weight of her spindle with the cop on it, and my guess was closest - so she sent me this wonderful prize. It's a handmade wooden button - isn't it beautiful?? She offers them for sale in her new Etsy shop. She suggested that I use it as a closure for a woven bag - now I will have to plan the perfect bag to go with the button!


Her packaging is beautiful as well - I wish I'd thought to take pictures of how carefully it was wrapped. I suspect even the string is handmade, as Cyndy is a flax-spinner. Thank you so much, Cyndy - this is such a treat!

She Followed Me Home!

This is the wheel on which I learned to spin: a Country Craftsman saxony wheel, the guild's loaner. She's beautiful and smart. She needs repair, though - her footman is damaged, her leathers need replacing, her drivewheel is warped. While I'm ordering repair parts, I'll go ahead and order a few extra bobbins (she came with 4, and a 4-bobbin lazy kate).

She was languishing in a storage shed, with stuff piled on and around her, neglected and unloved. The guild is wanting to sell some unused equipment, including this wheel. (They now have a new Schacht Ladybug for loaning to new spinners.) I have great sentimental attachment to her, and will spend the money to fix her myself.

Isn't she lovely?

March-ing Along

The Opal socks are march-ing along, albeit slowly. I am not a fast knitter, and I would much rather spin than knit, if truth be told. Still, I have made progress in a few minutes here and there. The gusset is almost finished, and soon I'll start decreasing the heel.


I finished some handspun this week - two batches of Spunky Eclectic Club corriedale fiber 'New Day'. I received the lighter one as my Club shipment, and I traded with a friend to get the darker one, too. The lighter version is a 2-ply sportweight, the darker is a 3-ply fingering weight. I just loved spinning this, and it reminded me how much I love a 3-ply - I really enjoy seeing the colors meld.



Also got a new spindle (I know, I know!) from Amy - this one is a Greensleeves Lady Barbara, 28g of delight.

I need more hours in the day!!!
(Not less, thankyouverymuchDaylightSavingTime.)

Her Feet Are Cold - Sock Emergency

My daughter came in Monday night, sat down, and gave me the pouty face. Complete with pouty lip. She has only 2 pair of handknit socks to wear - neither pair was clean. And her feet were cold. What's a mother to do? (Never mind that said daughter is 29 years old, and should have learned by now to knit her own socks...)


Opal Magic, in shades of blue and white. Toe-up, magic loop, 2.75mm needles, on 72 stitches. I'll throw in a 3/1 rib, nothing fancy. Second sock knitted first, to avoid SSS. ;-)

Must knit quickly! After all, it'll be in the upper 70's later in the week, and her feet won't need them. Until the weather changes again, probably next week, and it's freezing once more. Silly weather.

Last Yarns of February

I finished spinning the lovely birthday gift batts from Sherie. The yarn is 500 yds of 20wpi 2-ply softness - lighter than air and super-soft. I'm going to knit the Twilight Scarf/Stole from 'A Fine Fleece' with it... someday. :)

This is 200 yds of 9 wpi 2-ply bulky yarn I spun from Polwarth dyed by David of Southern Cross Fibre in his Teresa colourway. Very squooshy and soft, and for sale in the Etsy shop.



Currently spinning Amy's Spunky Eclectic Club offering for February: 'New Day', in yellow/orange/red/brown corriedale. Very nice - I'm aiming for a heavy fingering or light sportweight, and a lovely pair of thick socks. :)

Temple

I thought I'd show the cloth beam of my loom with the blanket wound around it to illustrate the usefulness of a temple. Ellen posted a link to this DIY temple (free - just use household items), but you can spend $$$ for a good sturdy stretcher-type if you like. You can see that the cloth started to draw in, but after I applied the DIY temple to either side, it stopped drawing in and remained a constant width. I used a paper clip, some cotton string, and some large brass nuts. It did distort the cloth a bit at the insertion points until by trial and error I figured out a good weight.

Mail From Oz

I got off early today - it's Lundi Gras, and many of our parents were off work today, so they kept home their children. (I am the lead teacher in the youngest infant class in a local daycare.) We only needed one teacher in my class - my assistant drew the short straw.

The mailman arrived right after I got home, and brought a package from Oz - the first monthly installment of the Southern Cross Fibre Club. It's gorgeous and soft - 115g New Zealand Polwarth, colourway "Love Over Gold". David also included a lovely silk bag dyed in the same colours. It will be a nice spindle bag.



Tomorrow is Mardi Gras, and I have the whole day off. We don't celebrate or go to parades anymore, not since the children were younger, but we do enjoy a nice quiet day at home.

This and That, Weekend Edition

Finished twisting all the fringe on the Sister Blanket, and am working on the crocheted edging. I plan to do some sampling in double-weave for next time - I really don't want to seam panels together to get a wider blanket in the future, and there is no room in my budget (and home space) for a wider loom (yet!)

Today I'm warping for a pair of kitchen towels in "monk's belt". It's a pattern from Handwoven's 'Design Collection 18 - A Treasury of Towels'. It calls for cottolin, but I'm using cotton. The warp is 10/2, the weft is 20/2. Using a 12 dent reed, 24 epi, with 24 ppi in plain weave areas and 48 ppi in pattern areas. I can't wait to see how this turns out - if it's really nice, I plan to weave more for gifts.

Spun up another skein of handspun for the Etsy shop - 'Grape Juice', superwash merino, 160 yds, 10wpi. My camera has a hard time with purple for some reason - I'll post a picture when I have some better light.

I'm halfway through the lovely orange polwarth/camel/silk batts that Sherie carded for me. I call them "Pumpkin Spice" and I'm hoping for enough 2-ply yardage for a lovely shawl. Spinning the singles at 30 wpi, looking for a 20-ish wpi.

Lastly, I scored some gorgeous fibre in David's 'Southern Cross Fibre' update - woot! Polwarth and Shetland - yum!