Yesterday I spent a goodly amount of time taking breaks between spinning for Spin for Peace by washing up the box of yarn I had Spinderella’s do up for me from some of my 2007 Skylines Farm Romney purchases. I had forgotten about two of the three fleeces, but found the box last week when attempting to organize a wee bit.
Eight pounds of fingering weight yarn later, I am pondering Icelandic shawls. And I think I found the perfect pattern to use for my first try in Evelyn Clark’s new pattern. Until I spin up my own Icelandic, I’d like to use the three colors I have on hand in one of these, as well as one perhaps from Foroysk Bindingarmynstur. I have a natural white, a medium gray (with a bit of brown), and a dark gray.
Something to look forward to, perhaps, once the Games are over.
Of course that didn’t stop me from buying two sweater’s worth of yarn from WEBS for use this fall. :D
I’ve enjoyed reading her blog, but the article in the Washington Post really brought a smile to my face.
You go girl.
Spun up about three more ounces of the fabulous roving from Stonehaven Farm down in Oregon. I forgot to take a picture of the box of fabulous that came…I think Lois may have included an extra color? It’s all kind of lost in a haze of grabbyhands!fever, but I could swear that there are six colors in the box instead of the five I thought I was getting. There’s a little VM, but I think that’s inevitable due to the nature of Shetland sheep. I swear most of the times I’ve seen Shetlands in person they’re good naturedly dribbling bits of hay all over their fellow flock members at the feeder.
Wow, alliterative sentence after midnight. Cool.
Where was I? OH! Yes, the roving is fabulous. It still has that sheepy smell that so many of us spinners are addicted to, and it’s super easy spinning. My spinning is not so even, but it was consistent enough that I was pretty happy about it.
Speaking of happymaking, check out one of the candles I managed to unmold without damage. I wish I could say I made the mold, because then people would go “oooo!”, but I got it off eBay. Sorry for the fairly poor picture – I took it with the Crackberry camera. The next time I pour I’ll take a better picture. The candle should be a bit better too, now that the mold is no longer a maiden.
I did a batch mostly for personal use on Lammas/solar eclipse day. I’m keeping one of the two of these for myself. The other I am giving to a friend I’m seeing tomorrow. Solar eclipses block the “now” and tend to bring shadow work we may need to do to the surface until the lunar eclipse that follows roughly two weeks later. I know my friend has been struggling with some healing past wounds, some of which are still very, very fresh. I hope that the energies and intent that were used to craft the candle will help make processing those shadows more gentle and easier, so she can move forward back into the light.
Time for sleepytime now, I think.
I’m participating in the Spin for Peace group on Ravelry for the duration of the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics. Instead of watching the games, I’m going to spend that time in mindful meditation at my wheel.
I am posting a few links tonight as a reminder that while China has made some steps towards improving their human rights record (and yes, I realize how hypocritical it is for a US citizen to be saying this, given the actions of our government, especially since 9/11), they have not done enough.
None of us are free until ALL of us are free.
A couple of links for you. International Campaign for Tibet and Bev’s post, with a great link to Pippi Knee Socks’ Free Tibet yarn.
I wanted to dye up some fiber in the orangey-red color I see so many Buddhist monks wear, or the darker reddish version I’ve seen the nuns wear, but it seemed disrespectful. Instead I’m spinning some Shetland wool roving I got in a sampler pack, and I hope time will allow me to make something out of it that I can then auction or raffle, with the proceeds going to an organization dedicated to helping Tibetan refugees living in India.
I am one voice, but I will add mine to the chorus protesting China’s treatment of the Tibetan people, and call for an end to the occupation of Tibet.
Kitt: “Do you have a goal?”
Other hooker: “I always wanted to be in the Ice Capades.”
Bowerbird knits has a great post with all kinds of good info today. The contest really makes me think, though. I kind of went on in the comments, but I’ll just C&P here, as it really encapsulates what I want.
I want to make things and have people buy them. I’m thinking mostly batts that I’ll blend by hand, and hopefully some dyed yarns. I have nearly all the pieces assembled, and now I just need to finish organizing the studio, make up my bases and…go. I’m terrified, frankly, but look forward to it.
I also really, really want to improve my spinning this year. I want to work with each of the fleeces I have (and I have _a lot_) and learn about the different breed properties and make some small things in time for the holiday season as gifts. It’s kind of a standing joke among my family that I start a ton, and never have FOs. I’d like to change that, and at least finish one sweater and a whole plethora of mitts and hats.
Most of all? I want to find some balance. This past couple of years has been crazy with work taking over everything. So much so that I’ve spent the majority of the past two months recovering from that consulting gig. I don’t ever want to be drained to that point ever again. I want to treat myself better, to be healthier, to learn to say no to the things that are incredibly unreasonable but also the things that aren’t really in scope for what I do. I need to work to live, not live to work. This is my main goal for the foreseeable future.
So there you go. I’m hoping to have my first blends up in September. I carry a couple of notebooks around with me all the time, jotting down thoughts and color ideas. I have no training, no knowledge beyond what I know in books and have read on the web, but I’m going to do this anyway.
I couldn’t stand it any longer. I bought a couple of really amazing silk hankies from Crown Mountain Farms at Madrona in February. Even though I had no idea what to do with them. You can see the colorway Tartan here. Beautiful, no? They were so pretty I wanted to frame them if I didn’t use them.
Anyway, they’ve been taunting me with their pretty, and I have to figure this out. I watched a groovy YouTube on drafting and using them on a wheel, which was awesome. But I have a migraine and don’t want to go over to the studio where all the wheels are living at the moment.
So, my question as I work on drafting the layers (and, by the way, should there be a disconcerting…ripping…sound while doing this?) what weight spindle for these? Or does it matter? I usually work best at about a 1.5 oz, so most of my spindles are about that weight. But I always read about people who are using really, really lightweight tools for silk. Does it matter, in the end, with this form of silk?