Lovin the Fall weather!

I was outside plying the singles for this wonderful natural color Border Leicester lace yarn for the Secret of the Stole KAL Sunday. The KAL starts Friday with the first clue being released. It took me a full two weeks to spin a bobbin almost full with singles and I only got 550 yards when plied together...that is HALF of what I need! EEP! *faint*
I am not spinning this again until I need it. WHEW! I have other projects to spin for along with some roving for a friend.

I am finally getting around to carding up some more alpaca/merino yarn for the Kimono wrap while at the same time dyeing more targhee for the Mystery shawl as I have run out of several colors.

The yarn shop gave me another shawl to knit. My feelings are mixed about it, but I have to knit something for the shop if I am gonna work there I suppose. I also want to make some thrummed slippers for Mum out of some blue, turquoise, and black Karaoke yarn with merino thrums. I haven't decided what color yet to use. Maybe green for contrast. Those shouldn't take me too long. Then I can send them along with her Bday socks and card this weekend.

The Pipers in the Prairie is this Saturday evening. I hope I have enough to pay the couple charge of $125. I've missed it so many times and I really have this urge to start doing things instead of putting it off till "maybe next time" which I have had to do so often in the past couple of years. I wonder if this is forewarning of a major illness?? Fingers crossed knock on wood nothing drastic happens. I will be turning 30 next year....and I know Saturn is far from done with me. This is just a little hiatus from the chaos for now, I believe. Nice that Saturn gives me brake in-between crisises aye? Is that a word, crisises?

Until next time...

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Spinning at the Festival

I went back to the Sheep and Wool festival today to help with the sheep to shawl demonstration.

Here is MY Trusty wheel and I unloading some low twist singles for weaving.

And here be the weaver:

I went to the Fleece show and sale area and while most of the better fleeces were all ready taken, I did find a 10 lb bag of Rambouielette (sp??) for $10 that was marked for commercial. That just means it was not as skirted as it could have been. It's oober soft like targhee and merino. Then I found 2 lbs of wonderful Shetland, skirted for handspinning. Here it all is all bagged up. I gotta tell yeah, I think I will save all my spendings for fleece for the festival because I can see, touch, and smell the fleeces before I buy them. And they are priced right with no shipping to pay. The closet is now officially overflowing with bags of fleece....must resist purchasing anymore for another year! I think I cought someone's cold...or maybe it was the exposure to so many allergens there at the fairgrounds but now I have the beginnings of something in my head. Stuffed up sinuses...the beginnings of a sore throat...blah. All worth it though. I had fun and now I am exhausted...just in time for the new work-week to begin. Yay.

The Stash:

And I designed a nice page for journaling my fiber stash. Click the photo to be taken to where you can download the word document for your own stash management needs.

Until next time...

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What a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood...

What a beautiful day for a Sheep and Wool Festival!!

OH! OH! OH! The sun was out the clouds were many but where fluffy balls of drifting cotton, they had lambs, sheep, dogs, rabbits, and fleece OH MY!

I have a slide show here:

My favorite photo I took while there was this one:

"Innocents"

Stash Acquisition:

• Viscose-8 Oz.
• Tensile- 6 Oz.
• Raw Targee X Salish Lamb, Dk. Brown with Golden tips, 5 Lbs.
• Raw Targee White 3Lbs
• Raw Border Lanchester Lamb, Brown with silver and golden tips, 1 Lb
• 2nd Spinners Control Card (the one I had disappeared)
• 2 Oz. Eucalan w/ Eucalyptus Oil
• Deep Orange and Royal Blue dyes

Well I have the natural colored fleece to spin up yarn for the Secret of the Stole KAL. I plan on spinning the white targee for the Mystery Shawl KAL which I will dye in wonderful shades of green, orange, red and brown for the fall theme of the shawl.

I packed a lunch and brought with me six cans of Diet Pepsi and six bottles of water. Not that I would drink it all...better to bring more just in case or if I want to share. I bought a root-beer float while I was there but that is all I bought from the food vendors. I thought about cheese sticks...but then decided against it since it was 5 sticks for $4.50. It just ain't worth it.

When I started out this morning, I took the wrong highway and had to go four miles in the opposite direction before the next exit so I could turn around. *face-palm* Then when I got to Johnson Creek I forgot where I went last year and the directions of the festival website are vague...at best. So I wasted about 30 minutes trying not to get lost in Johnson Creek...HA!

Here are Lime and Violet's Project cards that they put out some weeks ago helping me to remember how much of what yarn I need:

They came in handy and I actually lost them when I took my camera out of the case (where I had been storing them instead of in my jean pockets) for the first time to take some photos of the sheep. But when I re-walked my photo route, I found them in the gravel, slightly stepped on and ran over, but still intacked!

Thanks so much to the Pleasant Spinners Guild for sending me a weekend pass! I plan on returning tomorrow to spin with them in the Sheep to Shawl Demonstration.

Until next time...

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Dawn of a Day

Dawning of a Day

How *interesting is the new day
as the last of the *starlight
retreat into *dimples of *shimmery light.
Slowly, the night brakes way
as just over the horizen a growing golden light
that the Sun *streaks across the land,
Waks all creatures
to a brand new day...
even the most *subborn of creatures
cannot resist it's *appealing nudges!
The morning dew *shivers
as the air gently warms,
a mist glitters in the golden rays
and I am enthralled
as I *cherish this new day.
Any *creative *block I may have
is shattered by the song
of the Morning Dove,
As she coo's gently in my ears,
to *enthrall me in Her morning song,
and to *insist I wake to meet
the Sun's rays of this new day.
*If only I could hold on to the power
of the Dawn, the peace and
Magic it beholds,
throughout each new day...
I would never lack the inspiration
I struggle to seek
as I struggle with the mundanitites
of everyday modern life.
Therefor, I look forward
to the magic of each new Dawn,
and greet it with an open heart
and open arms,
as the Morning Dove coo's Her song.

All Rights Reserved, C4G August 15, 2007

Created by a word prompt through the yahoo group The Writers Challenge, TWO.

OMG! Award! I got a Karate Award!!!

OMGs-OMGs-OMGs-OMGs-OMGs-OMGs-OMGs-OMGs-OMGs-OMGs-OMGs-OMGs-OMGs-OMGs-OMGs-OMGs!!!!!!

I got an award from my Karate instructor Mr. Shaub at promotion today!! WOOOOOOoooooooo!

It was this moduels "Focus Award". The reason he chose me, he said, was because I came in to learn karate in the adult program without being connected to anyone who was already there as most of the other students have been. Most of the adults there had thier kids come in first and then when the adult program started, the parents joined. I came in without knowing anyone and I have trained steadily and hard. It had to take bravery to come in the first couple of times and now I have made new friends along with learning a life-long skill.

I'm thinkin, boy howdy! I was so nervous that first class. I did not know what to expect and my stomach was in knots all the way through the first week. I have really enjoyed karate and I am very greatful for that an adult program was started.

Ms. Brown, the secretary and also a student asked me afterwards if I was surprised. You betcha I was! She said she was so excited for me to get it because she had known about it before hand and it was hard not to say anything. LOL I kept thinking, oh .... this is going to one of the younger students because we had from 5-45 (maybe older) on the floor promoting at the same time. He said my name and I did a double take! Say what?! Really?! Sweetness!!

I have really been down this week with this cold and such OMG what a motivator this is. My first of many awards to come! I am gonna be smiling for a long time. Oh my, something just occured to me...I need to get a thank you card. Yep. Definately a thank you card.

NOw I just need to get my ass in gear and practice more on the bag here at home! I have slacked, mainly because of this danged cold but also because I have so many projects going. Come on self-decipline! You can do it! :)

Until next time...






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Jar Dyeing results, tarot baggie, Call me "Ms. Fix-it"!

Pictures!! We have my jar dyeing results drying in the sun *drool!!*, a tarot baggie knit out of the cotton/wool blend I made, a picture of the Velvet Purple Miniture Lilly that is blooming fantastically in my patio area, and the brown yarn is shetland and yack down blend which is superly soft!

Just call me Ms. Fix-it. I upgraded the tank components in the toilet to stop the slow leak because of old and warn seals. The toilet no longer leaks water! Hurray for saving water!! But something must have settled when I removed the tank to replace the seal under there because after I put it all back together, the toilet didn't want to flush right. The water would swirl but never go completely down like it is supposed to. So upon pondering and reading up on removing the whol damn toilet from the floor to clean the gate before the flap inthe floor, found a better way. We live in an apartment building so getting the water turned off is not an option. I have no problem doing the simplier repairs because the man that is supposed to do these things has shit for brains.

So I went to Menards (for the fourth time starting this project) and got a toilet auger and a super plunger. The auger got a whole lot of something stirred up and loose, and the super plunger must have forced it down the drain as the toilet flushes properly now. YAY! Go womyn power!! I really love how when I asked a Menards employee (much younger than myself even) if there was a tool to aid in removing the old flushing valve, he said "It is super simple to get off but there is no specialised tool for it." *eyebrow raised* There is no plumping tools to help me aye? As soon as he walked away, I went one isle down and found a shit load of plumping tools...and oversized "wrenches" for the very job I asked about. What is up with that shit? Don't tell me there is no specialized tool for it...there is a specialized tool for EVERYTHING!!! *snicker-snort* Did he think I would not find the tools or comprehend how to do the job, or that I was not capable of doing the job because I lack a penis between my legs? Typical male bullshit.

So I have also fixed the sagging chicken wire on the garden. I dunno why it was sagging but I added another peice of wood to the center to keep it up and support the center of the wire incase we get anymore hail this year. Last year the hail made a huge dent in the wire and it has sagged ever since. While I was outside with the electric staple gun, I also fixed the sagging fabric on the bottom of the patio above us. It's there for more privacy than anything, but it helps contain his mess of bird seed as well.

Today I am ficxing a cabinet door that needed new hinges. I need another set of hands for that one so I have to wait till the BF comes home from work to help me. One of these days I will look into fixing the damned leak in the kitchen shink drain. I drained a gallon of water out from the bucket under the sink. A gallon in three days...sheez!

Until next time...






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Saterday, the day the roving dyed...

HA!
I am a dyeing maniac today! I tried kettle dying, but the shades were too light so I overdyed when everything had exhausted. OOOOOOooooo pictures to come of that of which I am LOVING!! Then I tried some simple roving dyeing. Soaked two yards worth of roving in vinegar water, rung out as much water as I could, layed it down on some plastic wrap and grouped it tightly together. Then I just laid on some dye in strips using squirt bottles. I mix the dye in batches in sketti jars (way to recycle!!) by adding dye to about a 1/2 cup of water or so of hot water, then filling the jar up with vinegar. Give it a good stir to disolve all the dye and then transfer into bottles.
See photos for color detail.

I was watching Discovering Tia-Chi for Beginners: Workout Essentials before I started dying. I like to watch the workout videos I rent from Netflix before actually following along to get an idea of what is involved. The music, the soft flows of the movements....just watching it relaxed me enough to not worry about the dye. LOL This is an excellant beginners DVD on Tia-Chi BTW. The host is well built (eye-candy!!!), but not cocky. Love it.


I have the whole afternoon to myself as the BF went off to get his tattoo touched up. He reckons he'll be gone till this evening sometime. I have so much energy today...I wonder if it is the coffee?? I think I will have steak and eggs for lunch. That's a nice meal as it keeps me all day and I do not feel hungry therefor I do not eat nor do I even THINK about food. I've been having a beer before bed the last week (BAD!!!) and a couple pounds came back in the bellay. DOH!





I still have lots of roving left so off to dye I go! *snicker-snort*

Until next time...






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Poly Close-up

This is a late hatcher out of the 24 poly eggs I purchased online. Only one more egg to hatch, although it looks kinda funny and I am not sure it will hatch.

Here are a few pictures of my setup. The newly hatched poly cats are wondering around on the oak in the butterfly cage I purchased at www.educationalscience.com .

It looks huge now, but when these little darlings get bigger, the extra space will get used.

Until next time...

***All content is Copyright year and date of posting to C4G/CCW unless otherwise noted. Reproduction without permission in any form is strictly forbidden. Violators will be shut-down.***

Garden Testings: Very Low Potash...

According to this self testing kit, my garden soil is very low in potash which is essential for flower and fruit development...which explains why my pumpkins and cucumbers last year droped their flowers and never developed any fruit as a result. Nitrogen and Phospherous are very high, and that explains all the lucious leafy goodness all my plants had last year. All leaves and no fruit. I turn the garden soil every spring so lots of organics get into the soil. My soil is so loomy and black! Perfect for most veggies. The high N and P explains why my spinach is growing sooooooooooo well!

Thanks Mavin for the recipie idea! I went and bought me some skinless, boneless chicken breasts-split them in half and did what you suggested for the spinach. I added some chopped fresh tomato too (which is expensive this time of year!!). OMG....and on the formen grill it gets cooked just right...OOOOOoo we were having taste-bud orgasims!! The BF GOBBLED it up! HA! Pun intended!

But that does not explain why my tomatoes did so well last year!! I had sooooooo many cherry tomatoes that I was giving them away!! This year I am trying some Big Boy and Big Boy Hybrids.

I have no idea how to add potash to the garden, so I will need to call the greenhouse and ask them.

Until next time...






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Alpaca Festival Pictures

I found this mosaic maker online and made one of the alpaca festival pictures I took.

Until next time...

More felting of "The Bag"-Snow Picture

I ran the bag through another wash cycle, this time using dawn dish soap instead of detergent. The bag felted more and is now more of the size I was shooting for when I did all that aweful math a couple of weeks ago. I bought some jumper clasps for the front flap and extra "jean" buttons so I can adjust the closure is I need to. I have knitted and felted the inner pockets I wanted and the handle bar straps that will hold it onto the bike. The BF stuck it on my head and became a shutter bug again. LMAO! I really don't mind having my picture taken. Always time for a bit of goofing off!! I drink a lot of coffee...can you tell?! LMAO! I like my coffee!!!

And the day would not be complete without a picture from the snow storm we had. This was mid-day Wednesday. It was very pretty out as the snow was sticking to everything. Streets with a lot of trees looked like veiled pathways. SOoooooooo pretty! The pictures do not do the absolute beauty of it justice....even if it is supposed to be spring here!

I have been looking into purchasing a bike "computer" to keep track of the milage I will be biking. I tried to purchase from buildurbike on ebay after asking about his return policies but the basterd blocked me from purchasing anything!! WTF? I ask the seller a question because I am a weary and cautious buyer, not because I want to stir up some shit.I answered my email and he sounded like a good seller. Wierd. I asked this person if they wanted my sale or not because if they don't then I am just gonna go pay the extra $20 and purchase the same cateye wireless "computer" from the local shops here in town! Cripes. Wierdo.

Until next time...

Son-of-a-? SNOW!!! In April!! WTF?

Where there should be buds of green...there are buds of green with a top-hat of snow!! The woods are all a fog with snow and the wind...OH THE WIND!! Driving on the interstate this morning WAS NOT FUN. The work van was getting TOSSED too and fro...holy smokes...it was a white nuckle driving mornin'! On top of all that (pun intended) we are expecting close to 6 inches by the time this is through. I hope it melts fast and it warms up soon...I've got cabin fever and I am getting anxious about being cooped up all the time. NNnnnnnnnnaaaaaah!

OH....OH....My POOR LILAC!! OOOoooooo!!! It was growing and now...snow...OOOOoh I hope it makes it! It is a hardy variety so chances are this won't stun it...hopefully. It survived staying outside all winter which I was very happy about. The rose-however- did not make it. I'll try again this year and then come winter I will pack the cone with straw....wool waste even because the leaves made it mold I think.

BTW, did you know wool makes great mulch?! I threw a bunch of waste wool (thick with poo) on the ground last fall and it snuffed the grass out! OOoooppppssss!!! So I moved it to a planter to help snuff the weeds.

WWW: Wacky Wisconsin Weather!!

Until next time...

A bike!-A Bike! I gotta new bike!!

When you wish for abundance...it comes!

I bought myself a brand spankin new bike from Erik's Bike shop where they guarantee the price is the lowest in town. I am not sure what brand it is but it is sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!!

I had to get a helmet too but that is okay. With the way people drive in this town I'll need it!!

I went around the neighborhood twice and I was whipped out! We live in an area with lots of hills so going down them is a load of fun...but coming back home is not so fun...whew!! It's so nice to have a bike for my body type. Pat at the Erik's Bike Shop east side location was super helpful. I was so bashful about trying it out, but he said he would just need my liscense and CC/Debit card to hold while I am out testing it out. I miss having a bike I can enjoy. The walfart bike is trash for me because the seat will not go down as far as I need and then the handle bars will not go up as far as I need. Damned spare tire is always in the way...but I can sit up streight and not bother with it on this bike. I had an inkling to go to that spacific store, and when he showed me this bike I had a very good feeling about it. I have a foot pump somewhere...I just gotta find it! So now I need to tote the old walfart bike to the RCGI motherhouse to donate to them. Maybe I can get some credit from it towards my theology course.

I consider this my Bday present to myself because no one else would buy it for me. I gotta do something for me once in a while yeah know. This will help with my wieght loss too. Come spring break I will be on this thing everyday to get my coffee! I just need to get a lock as the bike lock is being used to keep the storage space locked up as I haven't needed to use it till now. I'll run and get a lock later. Right now it is lunch time! Beer brauts and beer! Boy am I famished!!!

Until next time...

Spring!

daffodils, robins, blue, green, sky, sun, daylight, rabbits, squirrels, grass, dew, breezy, blooming, depths, rebirth, joy, barefoot Spring
WOooo hooo!!

The *robins are back-the robins are back!

The bright *blue cloudless *sky

is filled with signs and sounds of *rebirth!

*Daylight gets longer every day,

the *squirrels are out and playing,

the *rabbits are out frolicking like children,

while the *daffodils stretch from the dormant *depths

upwards to greet the *sun with the first signs of *green!

What a beautiful *rebirth!

Soon they will be covered in *dew

as the first*blooming plants make their daybue.

Don't wait on me!

I'll be frolicking about in the grass,

on a wonderfully breezy, warm, spring day.

*Barefoot and carefree,

the sunlight warms my soul,

fills me with *joy of warmer daysas my energy soars!

I am loved by the sun, in spring!

Goodbye winter!

Goodbye hibernation!

Goodbye to cloudy and dreary days!

Goodbye snow!

Goodbye cold!

Till the time arrives again
I am freed from thebindings that winter had on meand I am a child again-
happy, active, and carefree!
I love spring, and spring loves me.

2007

Spring!!

Happy Spring! Today looks like spring, but we have a cold northern breeze bringing cold air down from Canada. Brrrr...but the sun is shinning big time!

I got an email from the SP10 hostess saying that it is required (????) to post 4 times post 1 TO 4 times during the month with knitting content. -I misread the email!!-

Well, posting 4 times a month will not be a problem (!!!!) but knitting content may be an issue as I have strayed from the crafts as I concentrate on my wieght loss vary. LMAO! When the days get longer, and the days get warmer, I turn into the outdoors person I love being. I love being outside, walking, sitting, thinking. My crafts take the back seat for a while. So if you will forgive me, no crafting contect for the moment unless you count my effort to sculpt myself a healthier, lighter, karate-choppin me. :)

I have some movies coming today (if the mailman ever arrives as he is late today) and I will get some knittin time in then. I will work on the ribbon shawl I am knitting for my Mum. OOOO there! Knittin content!!! It is a good three to four feet long now.

Until next time...

Snow update: Huge, wet, heavy flakes...no shampoo for you!

Day three of the snow storm. Well, the garden is almost 3/4 full of snow and there is a good foot to TWO FEET of snow out there.

The BF had to park the truck behind the work van last night because the little light-as-afeather truck would not go up the slight incline into our parking space! See that little, tiny, itty-bitty, Toyota Tacoma behind the BIG white van? I dunno if there will be any school tomorrow. The news is saying to stay home if at all possible. Now we are getting huge wet flake that are wieghing the trees down! Those cedar bushes are usually standing streight and tall! We have HUGE snow drifts around the front door of the building. I'm sure the BF will want to get out into it just to get his Starbucks fix, so I will go with him. They say it is supposed to snow all day today, and then snow more early Monday morning.
I think there is an 80% chance that there will be no work tommorrow. Yet another hit to my check. Grrrrr.

Until next time...

Daybreak: 4 inches of snow overnight

We accumulated around 4 inches 6 inches of snow overnight, and this morning we have blizzard warnings with a huge band of snow heading our way. I better get my coffee before the weather turns bad.

Until next time...

It's HEEEEEErrrrrreeeeee!

The news cast is calling it the largest snow storm to hit this area in 15 years. We shall see. Is it not odd that I yell "Well, were is it?!" and then it starts snowing?? I must stop doing that. It's dark out now so I took a picture of the porch where the previous snow fall has melted away. I took it around 6:30 Friday evening.

Until next time...

Nature Walk-Pictures

Here are some pictures of the nature walk we took over the weekend. There were turkeys out in the open so we figure they must be very hungry to risk exposure. There is a photo of turkey tracks in the snow, and one comparison to my new boots. Then we found a lone pincone still hanging onto the tree. Got some great shots of that one. Then some wintery sky and a picture of a turkey in mid wing stretch. Walk this way!

Until next time...

Snow!!!

See that snow atop the bird feeder? That is FRESH snow and we have another good 4 inches or more when I woke up this morning at around 10AM and it is STILL SNOWING!! I drove down to get my coffee this morning and the streets have not been plowed in my neck of the woods so it was FUN driving down the street! I'm serious! I go to make a turn and I cannot go very fast because out little small truck is sooo small and light so I floor it...WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE, fish-tail left, fish tail right....I love the snow! (I am a professional driver...years of experience in driving in all types of weather so I can have fun in the snow).

And look! The garden is practically half full of snow!

I LOVE SNOW!

But I think I will be walking down to knit at the LYS down the street instead of driving. It'll be a great workout treading through all this fresh snow, and then all I will have to worry about is someone not paying attention and suddenly loosing control and coming my way....I'll cross my fingers that no such thing will happen (vivd imagination).

Until next time...