I can spin(.com)

If you want to learn how to spin, this is one of the best websites out there to learn how-or just to get an idea of how it works.

Until next time...

Toontch Screen bouncer

toontch.com home

LMAO this is a neat little desktop toy. Look for the download for the Toontch Screen bouncer and install it. It's a super small file that installs this wierd looking faced ball that you can click and fling around your desktop screen. LMAO what a hoot!!

Until next time...

Hand Exercises

I've found that my hands really hurt and cramp up when I begin knitting for the day, so a nice lady on one of the many knittin groups I am apart of sent me this link. ONE LADY out of hundreds offered to help.

Oh well, at least someone had the guts to help a lady out. Humph!

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Hand Massage

With the thumb of the left hand, massage the palm of the right hand. At the same time, wrap the fingers of the left hand round the outside of the right hand and massage. Massage for one minute. Repeat with opposite hand.


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Clench and Fan

Clench your hand into a tight fist and hold for five seconds. Release smoothly, extending the thumb and fingers into a fully stretched position and hold for five seconds. Repeat five times for each hand.


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Thumb Stretch

With the left hand, gently pull the thumb of the right hand away from the thumb and down toward the forearm. Hold for five seconds. You should feel the stretch in the base of the thumb, palm side. Repeat for the left thumb. Five repetitions, alternate thumbs.


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Wrist Stretch

Hold the right hand in front of the body, palm facing out, fingertips up, fingers together. With the left hand, grasp the right hand's outstretched fingers and gently pull the fingers back toward the body. Hold for five seconds. You should feel the stretch in the wrist area. Repeat for the left wrist. Five repetitions, alternative wrists.


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Wrist Circles

With hands in front of the body and elbows held at a comfortable angle, gently rotate the wrists. Five repetitions in each direction. Good work! Now you're ready to Craft in Comfort!

Until next time...

Feeling backwards today?

Zarnan-Upside Down
Originally uploaded by C4G.

I foudn Zar this morning over on his back...probably from playing too hard. He likes to bas jump off his hide-out so be probably rolled after sliding off of it. LOL It looks like he could be throwing a fit, I know I would if I were him. What a silly tort. I took a few snap shots then helped the poor lad back onto his feet. What a clown!

Starting the cabled hat

Starting the cabled hat
Originally uploaded by rexenne.

Finally! I am starting on my cabled hat. I wanted to make it from yarn I had spun up, and in a color to match my work coat. I want a fold up rim so that is what the ribbing is for.

Hosiery Yarn Ball Holder-Yarn Bra Alternative

I actually got this idea from my LYS that was selling "The Yarn Bra" that does the same thing. But I have many packages of hoseiry that I have never used. And you can purchase them for cheaper and get more out of them.

The first picture is a really small ball of spun silk yarn as you can see with my hand for scale.

This royal blue one is a skien I recently spun up. It is worsted wieght (11 WPI) and it works with it. This one has the closed foot.
And this sky blue ball is a 7oz skien rolled into a ball on the ball winder. The bottom is open, but it wraps around it so it's cool.

And the bonus of using hosiery? Keeps the yarn protected and CLEAN! Not to metion it keeps the yarn orderly when the ball or skien gets down to those last few yards.

Until next time...

Kool-Aid dyeing

I am trying this kool-aid urban dyeing thing. I found the above link (click the title) and loved the color of Pink Lemonaid. I was looking to dye some of my white roving a pinkish color so I could knit my 24 years old teddy bear, Pinky, a sweater.

Look at that! Isn't that amazing! It's sooooooooooooo easy!

First place your fiber into a bath of hot tap water while you prepare the rest (which isn't much). It's one packet kool-aid per ounce (I had exactly two ounces of fiber), heat water on the stove (or microwave)to just boiling, add kool-aid and stir until disolved. Add fiber, let water get back up to almost boiling, turn off heat, cover and let sit. This fiber obsorbed all the color in just over 20 minutes. I am so totally amazed!! No vinagar, no harsh or harmful powers...wow.

I went Witting today-early. Just as I was getting back home from getting coffee and a few groceries it started to rain and it hasn't stopped. I wanted to do solar kool-aid dying but the sun never came out today. The LYS has all thier fiber on clearance so maybe I will get a few more 4oz balls to dye this way.

I think I'll be walking in a rain coat to knit night tonight. It's just past 4PM and knit night begins at 6, and I leave about 5:30. The BF is going to the leather shop tonight so I am on my own. Oh well, a little rain never hurt anything.

Until next time...

Knitting and Walking

I've been walking down to the local coffee shop most everyday since I am out of work for three weeks, and I have been bringing my scarf along with me. It really makes the walk go quick and I liken it to reading and walking (something I used to do a lot of when I was a kid-walking to and from school). I can knit three inches on the way there and back, and the thing is getting sooooo long! I am almost through the first skien. Today on the way back I stopped at the LYS and bought some of their clearenced llama and mohair rovings to dye and spin...eventually. It's not realted to this cable KAL, but I was on a cable row and I stood just outside the door to the LYS-finishing the row. They noticed...said I was addicted. LOL!!

Knitting while walking also helps modivate me to walk more often-and that's just plain good for me. *big grin* I get more miles in walking and knitting (maybe I should shorten that to watting, or witting...I like Witting. :) than I do walking. My mind is always in ceaseless motion, and I get bored easily. Witting eliviates that greatly. OKAy...now I need to make myself a witting button...LMAO!!!

While out and about, I was feeling very connect to nature. I dunno what it was. I have felt very peaceful today. Wish it was a feeling I could have everyday.

Until next time...

Polyphemus Eggs are Hatching!

YAY my polyphemus eggs are hatching! I got another batch in the mail today from another kind person on the catherders list. YAY! Now I have to set up a rearing container that can stay outdoors...and not bake them. I got a tip from one poly rearer that they do best when whole limbs filled with leaves are placed into the rearing container. They prefer to find the food, unlike the chinese silkmoths who are more lazy and just wave about till food lands on top of them.

I walked down to Starbucks for my coffee this afternoon. They were out of my favorite treat, glazed cake donut, so I went over to Copps and bought supplies to make a sandwhich wrap. I found a table to sit at across the street at Felly's and I sat there made a wrap sandwhich and had lunch with my remaining coffee. YUM! I knitted all the way down there and all the way back. Really makes the walk go quick because I am mostly paying attention to knitting. I cannot knit without looking yet...that'll come with years more experience (if I make it that far in this craft...HA!).

I got the needles I needed to make a cabled hat and when I get some more yarn spun, I'll start on that too. So many projects! But the cabled scarf is going quick. You can see pictures of that...you guessed it...on my flickr feed. HA!

My second batch of chinese silkworms are spinning and many of them are spinning golden cocoons! It's so interesting, but the color will come out%

Plantings...

Over the weekend the BF and I visited Olbrich gardens to see their butterflies. They didn't have many this time, although we are late in the exibit dates. They also had a daylilly sale going on and I found a wonderful miniture one called Velvet Power. It has small deep purple velvet flowers that are about 2.5 inches big. I planted those today in the corner of our rock wall. I had to move the morning glory "tree" over, but I think it will look wonderful next year. I think I may plant some of those morning glory seeds along the rock wall next year. It'd look wonderful all vined up!

I added new bedding to the worm bin, the lazy man style. I just placed it on top of the already composted material on the bottom. The worms will move up on thier own. At the moment they are all congregated around the apples I put in there last week. They LOVE apples.

The silkworms are starting to spin now, even though I am throwing more of them out each day as I find them sickly. Well at least I will get plenty more silk to work with. I am still tweeking out my methods. So far using the expensive ball winder works best.

The Polythemus eggs have not hatched yet...can't wait till they do.

My cable scarf is getting bigger by the day and I went and bought *slaps self* the circular needles I need to start on a cabled hat. I want to make one from the wool I am spinning, which is blue, to match my blue work coat.

Until next time...

Blog Template woes

I've been trying to customize my blog look, but things are not working so well. The image, as you can see, is cut off and it doesn't seem to matter what settings I change. When I preview it before saving changes...it looks the way I want it: The picture to the right fully visable, blog title to the left, and description slightly off center and to the left. When I save and publish it, I be damned it doesn't look like I did a damned thing. This blog is so complicated and hard to customize!

Grrrrrr, if you have any tips for me, I'd appriciate a heads up.

Until next time...