I need more hours in a day....

It seems that 24 hours just isn't enough time for family, chores, studio, fibery stuff, gardening and sleeping. At the moment gardening is taking a back seat to everything else. I've yet to properly put the garden to bed for winter.

I'm managing a little studio time each week, but not as much as I'd like. I've got some dye projects and blending projects in progress and I work on them as I can.

I'm managing to sneak in about at least an hour of spinning most days. I'm working on some larger spinning projects such as this mohair/wool blend. I just finished this skein. It is nicely balanced worsted weight with beautiful sheen. The roving had just a little bit of vm still in it, but it all popped out easily as I spun the yarn. I don't know what I'll be using it for yet, have a few patterns in mind.



Another large project is some purple cashgora.. yum! The fiber is so light and short that it isn't the easiest fiber to spin, but I'm enjoying it. By the time I finish it all, I'm sure it will tell me what it wants to be.














And just for fun... I don't know if I like this or not... hmmm








I'm also getting in some knitting time... mainly in the evening. I finished the sock for my Feet To Prayers partner, Pamela and send it off to the UK in a pkg with other things. I used sock yarn for the sock once I decided what color to go with and wrote my own version of a mock cable sock pattern as I knit the sock. And I finished a pair that are a gift to the shop owner where the knitting group meets. Vicki, the owner started the knitting group and we really can be a noisy bunch every Monday. I know she's been wanting socks and so I made her a pair using my mock cable sock pattern and my denim days fingering yarn. Note my fancy sock blockers.. made from coat hangers.





















I really like the way both yarns worked for the socks and it was all I could do (Sis is probably tsk tsking as she reads this) to not keep the socks for myself. *ggg*

In the mail...

Another pkg from Cary, my Feet To Prayer partner. I opened it to find all these garden and dragonfly related goodies and carefully packed into wonderfully soft Alpaca fiber. Thank you Cary!



This is a round robin type of swap and so the person I had to send something to is someone other than Cary. She should be getting her pkg soon. I hope she likes it !

A day filled with Goodies!

The ladies in the spinning group that meets at my house came bearing all kind of goodies yesterday, banana bread, orange cranberry muffins, blueberry muffins ... When I started this group I had no idea that teaching others all about spinning would come with yummy rewards! *G*

And then my friend Lynn gave me this.... She knows I like dragonfly things, but she didn't know that I like marcasite and enameled jewelry. I love it!



And then my hubby Ruben gave me this... I like tiny enameled trinket boxes covered with crystals and while he was out, he found one he was sure I would like... and I do. Wasn't that sweet of him? The photos do not show how pretty they really are.



A photo showing the other two I have. The first one I found ... a dragonfly of course! And the
one that is my favorite of the 3... a tiny frog. One thing I like about these is how they are pretty from every angle. Also a look inside of one filled with stitch markers. I really like that they pretty, but also serve a purpose. No hunting for tiny objects.



And on the subject of little goodies.... grandson Connor got his first big boy haircut! He looks adorable, but not like a baby anymore... sigh....

Here I am!

It's been a while since I've sat down to post any blog updates on my blogs ... It's just a busy time of the year with a garden to put to bed for winter, studio work, etc.

This Saturday a group of 6 spinners (including myself) or wannabe spinners met at my house for the first time. We met for 3 hours and we didn't cover any particular topic this time, mostly just getting to know each other, what we know and want to learn. I had mulled cider in the crockpot, Sue brought some shortbread bars and Vicki brought some brownies. I showed the spinners how I spin on a Great Wheel and using a quill attachment on an my Ashford Elizabeth wheel, Lynn showed them how to use hand cards and spinning on a Louet. We tweaked wheels and talked about various fibers, techniques, etc. Before everyone left, I gave them a quick studio tour. The 3 hours went very quickly. We plan to do this on a regular basis... And maybe I'll remember to get photos next time.

Monday is when the knitting group meets at Sweet Read coffee shop/book store (Eat a book today!). I took a sock to work on and also my Louet wheel. We had a great turnout with everyone working on various projects. One of the ladies came in wearing political campaign buttons which almost sent me running in the other direction *G* I've been bombarded with calls, mail and solicitors lately... enough! I will be glad when today (election day) is over so my phone stops ringing at all hours.

When I got back from the knitting, I received a large envelope in the mail from Cary, my Feet To Prayers sock swap partner. Inside was a pattern for toe up socks. Cary made socks using this pattern with one of my yarns and I really liked it. Will I be able to resist trying the pattern before I finish the sock I'm working on?




Also inside was a pattern for a dog sweater. Now.. I'm not big on dog sweaters. I think very few dogs actually need them. And when a customer contacts me to ask if I can spin yarn from their dog's hair, to make them a sweater, I have to shake my head. Wouldn't it just be easier to leave the dog's hair longer? But, it has happened that occasionally I've needed to sweater a dog, usually for a medical reason. And since my dogs have such thick coats, they get overheated wearing anything but light weight cotton. In the past my solution has been to buy a baby onesie in the appropriate size and then put it on them backwards so that their tail can poke out where the onesie snaps at the bottom. *G* Hey.. it works! But, if you forget to unsnap and roll up the onesie when they go out to potty, it is a problem. LOL
So Cary, I thank you and the Lhasas thank you... woof!

My pkg for my FTP swap partner should be in the mail soon. I wanted to include something special that I will be making tomorrow and then it will go in the mail.