Twists of Fate

I’ve pretty much made up my mind that I WILL be buying a drum carder within the next three weeks. I sold the Ashford Traditional and got it shipped yesterday (finally), and my reward for doing that was the promise of a drum carder. After a lot of research, I’ve narrowed it down to a few possibilities.

The low end of the price scale is the Strauch Petite. This one looks like it has everything I could need *at this point in time*, and it has a fairly small footprint to boot. I hear it’s heavy enough that you don’t actually need to clamp it to anything, and I think it would be a good choice. But what if I outgrow it too quickly?

Deb’s Delicate Deluxe looks fabulous, but I think I’d have a hard time figuring out which drum(s) to order. I have a (rather alarming) variety of fleeces in my stash, from Black Welsh Mountain to Romney to Shetland to Australian Merino and lots in between. There’s even some mohair and an entire prizewinning alpaca rose-grey. BFL and Finn may find their way into my stash soon too. I sort of want a carder that will do everything in one go, you know?

Louet’s Roving Carder Jr looks really cool, but I hear that if you want to do any blending, it may not be the very best choice. I’ve pretty much ruled out this one due to that factor – I want options to do pretty much everything if I feel like I need to learn it, and lack of easy blending capability is a big drawback.

At the top end of the spectrum is the Pat Greene Beverly, because it’s like the Delicate Deluxe on steroids.

And I dream of either a Fancicard or a Triple Drum Supercard, but those are pretty much “if I win the lottery” types of carders in my little corner of the universe.

Anyone out there who might actually be reading this – do you have a carder? Do you like it? What are it’s best features? Worst? If you were to get a new one, what would you get?

I need to make a decision here w/in a couple of weeks. Oh dear.

Still not much to blog about. I would take pics of the sky to distract you, but I have a terminal case of camnesia, and the sky is mostly a flat boring grey right now. I wish I could bottle the smell of the first part of Spring here in Seattle, because it’s lovely and bursting with life when you get away from the freeway, and when it rains it adds just a touch of sweet something that makes me want to swoon.

I’m fairly sure it’s all those plant hormones saying “Reproduce! Reproduce NOW!”, but it’s still a fabulous smell.

I’m in a holding pattern on most of my projects at the moment. I’m making steady, if slow progress on the knee high socks. There’s a scarf in there somewhere that’s my ‘mindless public knitting’ project. I am washing fleece. Still. Possibly until the end of time. I finished up with the 1/2 fleece from Linda of Skylines Farm (pic is from last year, and of course I forgot to get a picture of this years before I washed it). I have another Shetland waiting in the wings, but I need to do some serious sorting on that before I just dump it all in lingere bags and do my thing. There’s two more half fleeces, another Shetland, some mohair, an enormous box of Rambouillet fleeces from last year that I find I may be a little bit scared to open, and a couple other things on the way.

I could have a small fiber acquisition problem. Just maybe.

The Shepherd’s Extravaganza is coming up in a couple of weeks, and if I’m a good girl and stop buying fiber, and pay my taxes on time, AND my contract at work is extended, I may go to see if I can find a drum carder. Oh! And books! I need to find some books on blending and generally expand my spinning library from the few titles I have right now.

I can tell that the time is growing closer when I will be able to sit outside with a basket (note to self: buy basket) of wool in the sun and just spin. I’ve been wondering if it’s OK to just rinse some wool in a cool water soak to get most of the yucky stuff out but retain the lanolin…is that still spinning in the grease? That’s more like spinning in the grease to me than, say, spinning it with all the crap (possibly literally) in the locks. I may try it with part of one of the fleeces, just for shits and giggles.

I hope to have actual photos of FOs or other interesting things soon, and update with actual content rather than stream of consciousness babbling. Soon. :D

This week has flown by, for the most part. I mean, here it is Friday again, and I look back on the week and wonder what happened to it. Where did it go? I know Monday was a struggle, as I didn’t feel well. Tuesday was all about staying home sick. Wednesday was spent trying to work with the shipping department here at work on shipping an assembled Ashford Traddy, which ultimately fell through as the guy was going on vacation and couldn’t care less. Yesterday I finished up a monster assignment, which as a great feeling, and then went shopping for things like mixing bowls and muffing pans and a tool kit with bits. And a run to CostCo, which is always interesting, as I rarely go there. This single girl does not need a CostCo card, so going is always fascinating.

And, btw, 18 containers of harvest peach yogurt take up a fair amount of space in the fridge. This would be Exhibit A as to why this single girl doesn’t need a CostCo card.

Exhibit B would be the new lust I have for iPods. I barely have any music at all – I’m perfectly happy listening to the silence in my home. If I have something audio going in the background, it’s usually a movie or a television show on DVD rather than strictly music. I mean, I like music, especially music I can sing along to, which would explain why most of my selection is from artists who toured with Lilith Fair. I did want to get the new Dixie Chicks album that was released yesterday, but couldn’t find it anywhere.

I think I want an iPod because I like the idea of podcasts that I can listen to while knitting or washing fleece (which seems like a never ending task lately). My selections of movies and tv is on the smallish side (I really need to re-order my Netflix queue), and I could probably recite HP:POA verbatim by now. I like the idea of listening to spoken word, as I don’t have live television service and sometimes feel fairly out of touch with the world.

Or it could be the sleek shiny glistening white case and the lack of real buttons that makes my inner magpie go “ooo!”

I’ll tell you what though. I need to stop buying fleece, muffin pans AND tools if I want to get one.

I’ve been feeling fairly under the weather for the past week or so. Sadly, with no health insurance, a trip to a doc for an all around exam is out. I’ve been taking my vitamins though, and I think with some rest and relaxation I should be fine.

I perked up a bit today though, on one of my favorite days of the year. The first day of spring is known as Ostara to many a pagan, and while it marks the entry of the Sun into Aries and the first day of Spring, I tend to think of it as a halfway point in the season. For me, Spring starts with Imbolc (Candlemas for many), but the rapidly warming temps and the appearance of flowers and cherry blossoms here in the Seattle area bring a relief I don’t usually acknowledge until this day.

These long, wet and grey Seattle winters are kicking my ass, y’all. I’ve lived in the PNW now for most of 12 years (some in Portland, most in Seattle), and every year the winter takes a toll. I almost wept this morning when I woke up to blue skies and sun.

Yeah, see above comments about rest and relaxation.

I love my brother, but I am also thankful that he isn’t staying with me any longer. He’s gotten his job shipping out as part of the bridge crew on a steady and well paying container run to Alaska, and I have my apartment back for the time being. He’ll be staying overnight every 9 to 12 days (depending on the run), but an average of three or four nights a month is much easier to stomach than nearly three weeks of constant company.

Now that he’s gone, it also means I can start up the fleece washing machine again. (Poor man wouldn’t know how to deal with tubs of fleece in the bathroom.) Whee! I got my first Shetland fleeces ever from Ronan Country Fibers on Saturday. And, btw, if I ever need someone to pack me up for another move? I’m contacting Carol. She fit three full Shetland fleeces plus some mohair into a bag/capsule that was about 20″ x 12″ x 12″. THREE, with no damage, though I think I heard them all sigh in relief when I opened up their well smooshed bags.

And today I got my much anticipated half-fleeces from Skylines Farm and the lovely Melissa Lines. What cracks me up is that there isn’t a single full Romney fleece in the mix this time. I may have to remedy that shortly.

My goal, between now and Beltane, is to purchase a drum carder and get to making batts and blends and *spin*. I got the tensioned lazy kate put together (finally borrowed a screwdriver from a friend), sold the Traditional that I never got the hang of (me and scotch tension are not mixey things), but I think the Traveller and I will be getting much better acquainted shortly.

I hope everyone has a fantastic first day of Spring! :D

What’s that word where different streams of your life come together and interact for a short time? Not really serendipity, and coincidence seems a little too…wimpy for what I’m trying to say. Perhaps ‘bizarre and strange cosmic alignment’ would be the way to go.

I attended the RMHC MS Hockey Challenge 2006 on Saturday. I think this is the fourth year in a row that I’ve gone, which is mind boggling in and of itself. Because that means I’ve been knitting for a little over three years.

I know this because the very first projects I made on DPNs were for this lovely gentleman right here. Alas, the pics of him actually wearing the hat I made him are out in cyberspace in a place I cannot reach, or quite possibly stored on the harddrive of the computer that was dying a slow, agonizing death and is sitting in the corner having an extended time out. If I recall correctly, the formula for this project went like this:
2x Hot!Actor(I really like his character + and he has to shave his head for the role + they film in Vancouver, BC) / I’m a geeky fangirl = knitted gift when seeing him live and in person at a charity event.

It was lovely though. Hand spun, hand dyed (not by me) merino blend knit on 10.5s I think, using Bonne Marie’s beanie pattern. I gave it to one of the volunteers when they took that “resurfacing the ice” break between the second and third periods. I was watching the zamboni do its thing and then realized if I didn’t get it to him just about then, he might not get it at all. So I gave it to a volunteer and went to the bathroom to get rid of the nasty ass beer I’d bought to calm my nerves. When I got back, I sat down, went to clean off my glasses and lo, there he was, scooting back and forth on the ice and pointing to his head which is adorned with MY HAT and making excited faces into the crowd and asking “who made this?!?!?!!”

It was a proud fangirl moment, let me tell you.

Anyway, I ::heart:: him, and go every year even if I haven’t watched Smallville in about forever. I will catch up on the DVD sets someday.

And now we get to Saturday, which ties together fannish crushes, current hobbies AND recent events, because there was an Olympic Women’s Hockey player there this year. And I held a bronze medal from the 2006 Torino Olympics in my hand. Kelly Stephens was on the medal winning US Women’s Hockey team, and she came to play for the Hockey Challenge this year. I wish I’d taken a picture of her and the medal, and me *holding* the medal, because it was like my fannish knitting real life lives collided in a spectacular display of bleached teeth, great health and do-gooding.

It’s enough to make me verklempt even thinking of it now.

BTW, those medals may look like an ill conceived donut, but boy howdy are they heavy. I have no idea how this lovely, teeny woman does her thing with that hanging around her neck. Of course, she hurls herself around ice on sharpened blades and carrying an impliment of much pain if not mass destruction, in pants that look like they were made at Baby Fetishes R Us (which might explain the fierce face guards and the high sticking), so you know. Obviously a tough nut, that one.

Kind of an eventful weekend. Knitting, Olympics and old celebrity crushes, all at one small autograph table.

My head is still spinning.

Melissa Lines of Skylines Farm in Idaho was kind enough to hold the three half fleeces I reserved ages ago until I could pay for them. Which was last night. So there should be many pounds of more Romney goodness heading my way soon.

YAY!

This is the same wonderful person who sent me Georgia from last year. Now that I’ve gotten my washing method down to a science, I can hand wash the fleeces more quickly. In the meantime, I may begin the Rambo-cross fleeces from a farm in Wyoming. Or possibly the Tunis. I took a break while my brother was visiting and staying with me, as he just doesn’t understand the fiber thing, but I think I may put the Tunis in for a pre-soak tonight.

The process makes me ridiculously happy. It’s insane, but I know other fiber fiends will understand.

Next goal – saving for a drum carder. Will it be a Strauch, a Pat Greene or another? If you have a favorite, please pipe up here.

::crickets chirp::

I find continers endlessly interesting sometimes. The topic and title of this post come from the fact that I truly, absolutely, inequivocably adore cheeses that come in their own little wax containers.

It’s all gouda!

Please don’t beat me with skeins of alpaca for that terrible pun. But it make me giggle typing it up, so I am NOT sorry!

Today is fiber day, where I pay for a few fleeces I’d forgotten I ordered way back when. Today is also the day I try to resist the call of the Regia Canada yarn series. I have a surprising amount of sock yarn for a girl who knits at the speed of a slightly undercaffinated snail, and who still struggles at time with knits on teeny needles.

I think, truly, my stash is all about possibilities. It’s not so much the actual knitting as the sitting with patterns and yarn and daydreaming about what it *could* become. And yeah, making the items brings a whole heck of a lot of pleasure, but it all starts with looking at, picking up, fondling and losing myself in the possibilities of the item.

My stash, tucked away in all it’s plastic tub glory. It’s like a present that constantly renews itself. While it may not be wrapped up in pretty paper with a big fat bow, simply the act of pulling the top off of one of the containers is a gift.

Obviously, it’s time to sign off of here and go in search of more coffee before I head too far down the Forrest Gump Box o’ Chocolates path. *G*