Cover your shoulders!

Now I can wear my summer dresses and tank-tops to work and other chilly/more formal places!



aren't you proud, momma?



I also have three newly spun yarns done, they're just drying so more of that to come...

and if you ever watched the cartoon George of the Jungle, remember Super Chicken? His sidekick Fred the Lion? Kinda, not really? Well, let me refresh your memory*:








*clothing animals, unless necessary, is not something I usually support or condone, especially if it's a cat, buuut in this case, it was too good not to, after the idea was kiddingly brought up. I mean, give me something that good, it's going to happen! ( Fidgit doesn't seem to mind either, he just keeps running around like the little sweet spaz he is)

How can you not be happy?

I'm quite satisfied and have lots to show you! First off, a knitting project present for some new friends who are about to have a baby! Little baby E has the coolest room set up, and when I saw it, I knew what I was going to make, a little blanket that he can drag behind him and is easy to tuck around a car seat. ( and if he doesn't like it, it matches the room at least! haha!) The yarn is Universal Classic Chunky, and I have to say, I liked knitting with it a lot, it went fast, is almost as soft as a baby's butt, and it's machine washable (key for a baby blankie, I think).

Then I've spun up the plummy roving, the colors are close, but the light pink is a lot less... fleshy... in real life. Not sure what will become of this yet.

And for some exciting colors, a batt and roving (the greens) from Miss. Babs all spun up. Both were a lot of fun to spin, especially the batt. I highly recommend Miss. Babs, she is a super sweet person and ships to Charlotte in a flash! I never have to wait too long to get things from her, I looove it! And her colors are so vibrant and saturated!! I think these two yarns will eventually end up in the same project... any suggestions?

farmgirl me!

Well here I go! First Dani made me join Plurk. Then I found out that her and another friend had joined in with a bunch of other plurkers to help form the Plurkette Hencircle, started by Miss.Violet of Lime and Violet, which I admit I have not listened to yet, but plan on fixing that soon.

So I asked to join the Hencircle, especially after reading what it was all about. A group centered around building a community? Of like-minded, wanting to make as much as they can and spread the good farm girl word and way of living?!? Darn tootin' I signed up!

In the last few years I have made a real push to make as much of what I need as possible. I'm not the best with potted plants, my herb garden died before I was able to reap the benefits, but I might try again later with a slightly more better game plan than "OH! pots! seeds! dirt! I'll plant them and grow them and who cares if I've forgotten to water these things before..." oopse.
Anyways, I did manage to stick to my plan of making my clothes ( minus underthingies and jeans) for a whole summer instead of trying to buy things that were both affordable and in line with my style ( bwahahaha, impossible). Besides, makin your own skirt is SO much more satisfying, you spend less time and money you'd have used up trying to find one that fits perfectly and is in a non nasty color/ non- hoochie mamma length.

Then I went to a pottery residency for 6 months, camped for two of them and house camped for the remaining. In the sticks, with a gross kitchen and mostly dumb people and man o' petes, I was miserable. But i was making, and stocking up on my fiber plans whilst moaning away in clay land ( I did get a whole bunch of awesome things out of it, and a few amazing new woman-friends , so it really wasn't all bad). While I was there I learned what made me happy:

making functional pieces of art, to include knitting, sewing, embroidery, spinning, dyeing and etc.
tromping through the woods
being with real-life human beings who love and care for each other and will for the rest of their lives
my tribe of friends is one of the most important parts of me. I will kick anyone's arse who messes with one of my tribe. really. and I fight scrappy.
I like clay, but do not love it the way I do fibers
I want and need to make something every day. Even if it's one piddly row on a glove (I don't do socks)
Cooking is a must. dinner and baking. breakfasts.
Making gifts for those who deserve it, no matter if it is a birthday or some official gift holiday. presents make a day.
writing notes and letters to people I think about but don't always call like I should. Really, send me an addy and I'll eventually send out a postcard.
Making messes and leaving them there until a project is done. (this also helps me finish things, small space = not a lot of mess room)


My bonuses for being at Cub Creek ( the program) was that I got to move to Charlotte, live with my Amazing man, meet a whole ton of fiber freaks, musicians and lovely people in general, get my fibery groove on, and top it off with a little orange freak-o of a kitty.

I know this has gotten rambley, but that's just how I work I guess. I'm looking forward to the projects, conversations and new people!

That's me in a blog post.

( and a parting shot of my little fuzzman)

he's so cool and yes, he knows.

Plumtastic

Some Corriedale roving I hand-dyed. The pink came out first because I forgot the vinegar, was really supposed to be reds and oranges... oopse... ( it is pretty, but I'm really not the pink type. Something had to change) Then I dumped the rest of the roving into my new giant pot and made a purple color and let the tips of the pink soak up the purple while the rest cooked (with vinegar this time)



And here is something I'm quite proud of, the first skein of yarn from my Cormo fleece I bought raw with my friend Angie last summer. I still have plenty to comb out, and this is about 150 yards... so a ways to go before I get my sweater's yardage done, but it feels good to start on it finally!!

Finished things!

I finally finished the Danish Tie Shawl a couple days ago, wish it were cold enough to wear... though I probably could use it where I work, it is freezing in there more often than not!


And I spun up my Border Leicester roving I had traded for sock yarn and dyed at tvini's house a while back (the first dye party).


I love my wheel and have just ordered more roving so I can have more and more fun making pretty colors and lovely yarns!

Fidget

now he is ours! we love!

Feel goods

So I finally got brave enough to watch The Golden Compass . I loved the books and had avoided this move because of this, but i have to say, they did a pretty good job sticking to the story and getting all the information ( and there is plenty, this is a detail detail kind of story) to the viewers. While I was watching I was knitting, of course, and finished a caplet and made a hat out of my hand spun.



The next night I plied some superwash Merino wool I had dyed at one of our parties with some black cotton thread. I love it! Incredibly soft and squooshy and light. I am so happy I bought this wheel, we are such a good fit!! I did the thread ply because I wanted something more than a single, but did not want to loose yardage and really wanted to let the colors stand on their own, not next to each other.


Here's a progress shot of the danish tie shawl, i have been neglecting it for a while and am going to sit down and give it some lovin' right after I post this.