New Year's Eve

Yesterday was our anniversary - 31 years! We went to ROTK and then out for dinner. I loved the movie, but it reinforced my preference for watching movies at home. The sound was SO LOUD that even my husband thought it was too loud. (if you were a fly on the wall in my house you would know why that is a good indicator of loud noises!) Even the volume level couldn't deter from the beauty of the film. I loved the close-ups of the clothing. The green shawls were beautiful and Gandalf's white cape was gorgeous, with a quilted undercape. I don't know the weave structure, but it was breathtaking.

I've been playing with my new electric bobbin winder. I think I'll be using one of my leather garden gloves when I'm winding fine threads. Let me tell you that thing rocks. After a little fiddling I got the feel for how much pressure I needed for different speeds. I'm about half way through a scarf for Laura. It's a mohair/acrylic blend from WEBS that I picked up at Stitches last year - one's a variegated peach and the warp is variegated brown.

Usually I'm grumpy on New Year's Eve because I didn't get enough done over the vacation, but this year I've got an additional three days. Yippee!

Just Give Me A Little Time..

No, not the song, although it does bring back memories. Seems like this vacation thing could really grow on me. However I realize now that spinning ALL day may not be the best thing. Ouch!

I spent yesterday at spinning group, last evening, and most of today spinning up the springiest chocolate brown romney/merino cross that I bought from Humble Hills several years ago. Then I spun a small amount of the border leicester/mohair multi-colored bump I bought at Creative Strands. I'm going to ply my sample with the brown and see what happens. I want something for the shoulders but I don't want it to really stand out. I'm planning on this sweater being one that I can keep in my closet at school and put on when needed, so it needs to be rather neutral.

Bead Lemming!

Yes, Claudia, I'm back with another entry! I forgot to mention my beading presents - I was waiting for the sun to come up so I could take a picture.



Sarah gave me a set of tools and some stuff to get me started. I'm not sure what everything is. I know that there are earring wires, spacers, and wire. I don't know what the things that look like big straight pins are, but I'm planning to find out. I've got a few magazines, any ideas on a good beginner's book? Hopefully Dodie will be at tomorrow's spinning group so we can plan a visit to her bead store.

What to pick up next? (ha! you think I'm going to finish anything?) My new Oxford punch needle is calling me, along with the needlefelting tools I bought last May at MDS&W. I don't think this vacation is going to be long enough!

Phew!

It was a three day family celebration, but I made it! My extended family has been celebrating on the 26th for the last 17 years, since my brother found it difficult to travel on Christmas Day. My sisters and I live within a few miles of my mother, so one, if not all of us, have also had dinner with her. My nephew married in October and he and his wife had an open house Christmas Eve.

Now that our children are older it's been increasingly difficult to schedule this day-after celebration (what with work schedules, etc) so we've decided to consider alternatives - but we put it off to our Memorial Day picnic so we'd have time to figure it out. My family is so functional!

I got some nice fiber gifts. An electric bobbin winder from Robin & Russ, along with some inserted eye wire heddles, some repair heddles, and these really cool flexible metal strips for adding and removing heddles. They have one of those brass spreading clips at each end so that you can slide on heddles and transfer them safely. I don't know if I was blogging when I went through the fiasco of moving heddles in the middle of a project - not something I'd ever like to relive.

I also got a gift certificate for The Mannings. If the weather is as nice as it's supposed to be early in the week, I may just take a drive. Why waste it on postage when I can go pick it out myself??

Now for a cup of coffee and the real start to my vacation! I'm up earlier than I usually am in anticipation of an all fiber day, oh, and spinning group tomorrow.

Happy Holidays

Spinning Chair

I've been mulling over this for a few months and today I took my saw to an old chair I had in the basement. Voila! A spinning chair. I could tell you I'm going to sand the raw edges on the chair back, but unless I do damage to myself or my fibers you can be rest assured that I'll just put it off. I am going to cover some 1" foam to make a seat pad and make a small rectangular pillow to put behind me. It was so comfortable. A nice wide seat to accomodate mine and the ability to pull back without contorting AND still having some support for my back adds up to a winner.

Now off for an appearance at my nephew's then back home to wrap a few presents and drink some eggnog.

Tackling that UFO Hall of Shame

As you might know, back in Sept. 2002 Claudia threw down the gauntlet and invited everyone to share their UFO's. I dutifully complied (see Sept. 16th entry) and came up with a huge list. Now just a measily 15 months later I've taken another look and noticed that I actually have finished some things.

My biggest (and smallest) accomplishment is that I've finally finished a pair of socks. I think it was the switch to 1's that did me in. I made dozens of bulkier socks, the smallest needle size was 3. Tonight I finally finished the Regia socks.

I also took apart that alpaca sweater and made it into a Pi Shawl and finished the autumn colored handspun. I took the Coup d'Etat cardigan to school and finished the first sleeve in study hall. Who knows, maybe I can finish the sage mohair and the Bendigo cardigan this week (yeah, right!)