BLUE TOE SPINNER

Hi, Here is the picture you've all been waiting for...Mumsy engagement ring. Wedding date is 2nd of October. Congrats Mumsy!

I know your computer may spontaneously combust in seeing a new post on this blog. But, life is good and I am ready to start blogging again. I actually even did some spinning this weekend. I know don't pass out. I am looking forward to the Park City Retreat and Great Basin Fiber Arts Fair . I will only be able to attend a couple of days at retreat, (i'm having a little procedure on the 30th of July), but will be there for Retreat Exchange and am looking forward to see everyone again!

I haven't fallen off the face of the earth. I have just been in a funk. I tend to have this problem with every change of the seasons. But, hang tight, I'll be back soon. Hopefully, with fun stuff to see and read about. Thanks for your patience.

This is the second Irish Hiking Scarf I have done. I love this pattern because it is so easy. And I can remember the 8 row pattern. The pattern calls for a size 8 needle and worsted-weight yarn. But, I am doing this scarf on size 4 needles and lace-weight yarn. I handspun this yarn on a drop spindle. I can't remember where I got the fiber but it is one of my favorites. It's PINK . It has a touch of flash, too. I think it will be very elegant. The Safari Vest is in limbo land right now. I need more fiber to spin for the yarn. I may have to take a trip to see Judy's Novelty Yarns. The colorway is Lothlurien. The yarn is Navajo-plyed. I am also itching to do another pair of socks. But what pattern to use, hmm? Wendy D. Johnson just finished a pair of Sunflower Socks . But, the pattern won't be available for a couple more weeks. I will have to do something else in the meantime. Oh, and I have treadle envy. This is Shirley's upgraded Hitchhiker, with a double treadle. ...

I spent Friday and Saturday evening (until Midnight) at Three Wishes Fiber Arts , knitting sweaters for Teddy Bears for the Cottonwood Police department for their Precious Pals program. The officers carry these cute little bears in their cars to give to children they may find during stressful situations. It is a wonderful program. Three Wishes had a friendly competition with Unraveled Sheep. Patrons of Three Wishes were able to contribute of 75 sweater, patrons of Unraveled Sheep contributed over 100. Fantastic success for both locations. (But, ours were cuter, My Blog, my opinion!) We were able to use up quite abit of yucky acrylic yarn for this project, (the sweaters needed to be machine washable.) These are the little sweaters I made. The top four sweaters were knitted top down Rollneck Sweater. I did do a little embellishment designs on a couple. This little sweater was the Precious Pals pattern. You knit the bottom up to the sleeves, leave a neck opening and finish the sleeves and...

This is the lovely Flirty Skirt. I love it!!! So, comfy and not all too warm to wear. It is mostly cotton and acrylic with a little wool. The grey yarn was hand carried from Ireland to me. Then I combined it two other yarns I had. The only hang-up I have with the pattern is the belt loops. I don't think a crocheted chain is sturdy enough. I would suggest a I-Cord. In any case, the skirt is still very fun to wear. I can also tell you that Taylor loves it, because her fur doesn't show on it. Notice her tiny nose in the bottom of the picture.

I took this whole week off from work. So, I have used the time off to knit my brains out. This is my second WIP finished this week. This is "Hey, Teach". Knitted from Soft Wave cotton yarn. The yarn was delightful to knit with. Soft and warm. I haven't added the button yet, because I haven't found any to match it. I am on the hunt. The sweater fits both Mumsy and me. And I want to thank Mumsy for being such a lovely model. I can't wait to wear it to work. Wait, yes I can...I'm still on holiday! I'll wear it to church on Sunday instead. I attended my first SL Knitting Guild meeting. I had so much fun! They had everyone share their favorite knitting books. I wasn't aware of the assignment, of course, but shared my love of the book, Knitting America . There were so many wonderful books shared, but a few of them are out of print. But, you could tell they were very loved books, many were care-worn and dog-earred. They gave away books from LYS as ...

The Waterfall Socks are finished! They are alittle tight for me, so I gave them to Mumsy. She has tiny little feet. I think they are wonderful! Look how closely the stripes match. I used one ball of yarn and split it as closely as I could. I think it is pretty darn close.

My baby boy turned 27 years old today. I can believe how fast time flies. He has the cutest little family and I love them all. But, I'm just glad it's him that's getting older and not me. I'm holding steady at 35.

I haven't been spinning near enough. As I was standing in front of my fiber shelves, I was over whelmed. I thought, I must get serious about spinning, or I will never make it through my stash of fiber. This may not be a problem for some of you, because a well packed stash can be very satisfying. But, for me, as pretty as it is to look at in its present state, I want it to be yarn! So, I came upon a brilliant idea. I will take Cedric to work. He will fit under my desk, and whenever I am waiting on the phone - I can spin! Or during lunch - I can spin! Or if I need a timeout, er, have to have a timeout - I can spin! I am a very lucky girl, to have such an understanding supervisor. She understands the importance of keeping her peeps in a happy place, mentally. It is working very well. I feel I am making progress even if it is only 10 minutes a day. Here is a picture of happy Cedric in his new home. But course, this causes another problem. With Emm at home and Cedric at work, do I need ...

Waterfall Socks are progressing nicely. I am using Lana Grossa Meilenweit 100 Fantasy, colorway Brown/White/Blue. I am knitting them on size 0, 40 inch, Addi Turdo circular needles. I split the one skein of yarn (460 yards) into two cakes. The pattern match is very close for both socks, which is super cool! The pattern is very easy and the produces a nice slightly lacey pattern. The pattern also uses short rows for the heel. I love short rows. LOVE 'EM, I reall love them!! And they are toe-up. I am crazy about the Magic Cast-on. So, easy and neat. The Sheep Gazing bag is finish except for the lining and handles. I had a little trouble about with the felting. Some of the yarn felted better than the others. That can be a problem when you use dye exchange yarns. Not everyone uses the same type of fiber. However the felting turned out, I think it will be okay and still really fun to use.

I was able to attend spinning saturday at the home of the Windybrook Spinner . It was really fun! CJ and Dave attended too. I thought it was very nice of them to fit the event into their travelling agenda. It was so nice to see them and visit for a couple hours. The day was beautiful and our hostess has a very warm and inviting home, and it is even more fun to see the whole family at home. I love little children, it made me miss my grandbabies. Thank you for your kind hospitality. Last Tuesday I taught my little beginner's knitting class. Thankfully, the group was small. Because there is never enough of you to help everyone at the same time. I used videos from KnittingHelp.com to show the basics. I gave them a pattern for the Idiot's Dishcloth as their project. I hoped it would be simple enough yet useful enough to get them to stick with it. I made the knitting needles myself out of dowels and thumb-tacks, to show them they didn't need to spend alot to get st...

First of all, this is my friend's new puppy Jimmy. Isn't he cute?! He's just like a little man in a fur suit. Ok, now. The 2009 WWH Dye Exchange. We were to choose three or more colors from the color wheel (primary, secondary, complementory, etc.) As you can see, the results were totally ROCKIN'!! The gals waiting patiently to for the exchange to begin. This was mine and Mumsy's haul. As you can see Taylor is inspecting the fiber. It's kind of like "Where's Waldo?", huh? This was my dye job as it dried. This is it bundled. I named it "K-Kolours". Dye in a dye pot with vinegar and Jacquard dyes (Chestnut, Sapphire and Fushia). This is Mumsy colorway. She named it "Sand Storm". Dye pot method with vinegar and Gaywool dyes: Sunflower and Raspberry and Jacquard dye: Sapphire.

For Valentine's Day, Mumsy took me to Protea Cottage at Gardner Village for High Tea. I'd never been to High Tea before, so it was very new and exciting. The day wasn't bright and sunny on our way there. It was very snowy and a bit scary driving there. When we arrived at Gardner Village we went to Anastasia's Attic first, so I could buy Mumsy and myself alittle bling. Mumsy got a very blingy braclet and bought a crown ring. We were very sparkle-y!! We went to the cottage next and took our places in the room upstairs. They had a table set aside just for us. And every table was full of chatty ladies and girls. (We did have one brave gentleman, too). Sweet little tables with rosebud petals and a rose floating in a clear teapot bud vase. Pretty teacups with lovely plates underneath and fancy folded napkin. Just elegant. We chose what we wanted to drink. I chose a Rooibos (pronounced roy-boss) Creme de Caramel tea and Mumsy chose Pink Hot Chocolate. We shared of course. T...

We are expecting several days of rain here in Utah. But, I found a bright ray of sunshine...SHEEP!! Aren't they just crazy cute!! This is my first attempt at Intarsia, and I am having a blast. And the fact that is will be felted when I'm finished leaves me without any fear. I don't have to worry about the little holes or the sheep's lopsided bodies, it will all come out in the wash...yet it the wash...felting in the washing machine...ok, I know pretty lame. I have been craving a little more time with my fellow knit-spinsters and have been kicking the idea around to host a monthly get-together. I find my self with more free time now that Mumsy has a beau. I'm not crazy about this new development, but it make her very happy and so I must learn to adapt. So, if there is any interest or ideas please let me know. Oh I forgot to mention Sweet Pea celebrated her 1st birthday last week. Her mum put together the cutest birthday party with cupcake everything. Little favors an...

The most recent KnitPicks catalogue turned me into a ordering fool. The book selection was more than I could resist. I ordered all of Elizabeth Zimmermann's books that were available (Knitting Workshop, Knitter's Almanac, Knitting Around, The Opinionated Knitter, and Knitting Without Tears), Twinkle's Weekend Knits, The Eclectic Sole and I Heart Felt. Plus I ordered some dye and some other little gadgets. So, I am basking in the afterglow of receiving fun boxes in the mail. I am still working on the Flirty Skirt. I balled together three different yarns for this project. And the "Hey, Teach" sweater. And I have been using this very cozy yarn And I have started my Retreat exchange gift. I will be my first Intarsia pattern. I am very excited to see how it turns out. For this project I am using some Dye Exchange yarn I spun and some Lamb's Pride Yarn which is 85% Wool/15% Mohair. I understand this should felt very nicely. I am going to teach my first knitting cla...

A well-kept corner. In life there are few things that can give you a true sense of pride and appreciation. Children possibly, but they have their good days in which you can bust a few buttons with pride and other days you would like to return them with a refund. Jobs. That too can have varying in degrees of satisfaction or days of dreaming of the men in white coats taking you away from it all. But, a well-kept corner. It doesn't make demands. It doesn't argue with you. It stays unchanged unless you desire to make a change. Yes, I know. Crazy, right? But, I have few things in my life that I can truly have control over without compromise. For Christmas, Mumsy gave me two 6 foot high bookcases and lovely plastic containers. In the photos to follow you will see my well-kept corner. It make me sigh with calm and peace. As you can see, containers with blue lids contain roving. Most are from Dye Exchanges. Small clear boxes contain handspun yarn. One shelf holds all my issues of Spi...

Doesn't it feel good to start a new year? I don't know why, but my inner Pollyanna revels during this time of the year. It feels like a new start to me. I know, I know...but I AM on medication. This past saturday I attended the first Spinning Saturday event of the year. After the fantastic Sugar Bowl held on Friday, everyone there was just beaming! Way to GO UTES!!! Anyway, one of the conversion we had during spinning saturday was guilt and the moms that programmed us. I told them, "I have a Jewish Mom but she isn't Jewish." And I told them about she has books that tell her how to be a Jewish Mom. They didn't believe me. Here they are ladies. Please notice how dog-earred they are. And I promise they are highlighted and written in for quick reference. I told you she was special. Love ya Mumsy!!

We have been so very blessed this year. In ways too numerous to name. We are grateful for our health and safety and the blessings of family and friends and tolerent neighbors. Mumsy, Taylor and I wish you the very best in the coming new year. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

Saturday, Mumsy and I made a trip up north. Stopping to visit a friend in Clearfield and to visit "the Kids and babies". We thought since we were around the Ogden area, we decided to visit the Needlepoint Joint for the first time. Can I say, I now know where I want to live when I retire. I think, they have room for me. We had alot of fun there. I picked up three circular needles. One was a 60 inches. I didn't know they made 60 inches. I also found a fun felted Christmas Tree. And I bought the yarn for it and got the pattern free. I had it knitted up by saturday night. So, easy and fast. I threw the tree in the washer. I think it needs to go thru a couple more times, but it is still really cute, i think. Mumsy also surprised me by sending me a very cute planter. Isn't she the best?!!!