Disjointed

I have a huge amount to talk about. Days go by and I keep collecting things to write and then days go by....
So here's Ryan riding the zamboni at the Michigan game on Saturday night. I wasn't there cause I was having a fantastic time with the spinninguru instead.
He wasn't even afraid! So cute.
But here's what I did on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. That's PatsyZ with Cindy. I forget what they're talking about but I'm sure it was highly informative and spinning life changing because that's what the weekend was for me.
Here's a really dark picture of some enthralled students. (Michelle, Tanya, and Amanda). I think we all looked like that a lot of the time. Isn't Amanda's wheel cute in green?
We did all sorts of yarns and talked and talked about sampling and the importance of it to the outcome of a project.
This is Patsy modeling her beautiful crocheted jacket/shawl/poncho/veil. It's handspun from pygora.
Here we are hard at work.... Look at that wall of beautiful color!
A little Camel beard anyone?
And here they are on Sunday morning before the ride to the airport. Fun with blocks.
My best Navajo Plying EVER!!!!!!!!
These are Maggie's samples from the second half of Saturday's class. It still had a couple of spots left and I told Maggie she could come and Patsy was kind enough to allow it. From left to right she's got yak, cashmere, buffalo, camel blended with pink wool, and two colors of angora that she carded herself. I am so proud of her.

Overall it was fantastic and tiring and gave me lots and lots of new stuff to mull and think and study about. I don't have a photo of my samples other than the Navajo one but if you're interested I'll post them in the next couple of days.
In other news...the Tabachek spindles and tools are in. They are fab and I want them all for myself. In the above picture the spindles in the back are Tibetan style and spin forever. They are beautiful and I want that purpleheart one.
The ones in the front are the Russian ones. So well balanced and lovely. Not at all polished so you can get a hold of it and give it a good flick. They also spin fast and long. I'm working on getting everything to work together. At the moment I have the steps broken down and I draft and spin separately.
Just two of the high whorl spindles. Again, all are well balanced and the wood is beautiful. I didn't keep one because my favorite went out the door the first day:-( Better for the shop budget though.)
Orifice hooks and WPI gauges.
Sample Niddies. I also got some of the 5 foot niddies in the bags. I may have to have one of those, too:-)
Ann Grout support spindles also showed up last week. Six turnips and six acorns. I own an acorn and love the thing. It's very light and can spin the finest of froghairs. The Turnips are still witing for me to choose one. I don't know. The red one is beautiful but there were a couple I liked better for the spin but the color wasn't my favorite and now I'm down by two of them anyway. I'd better place another order immediately.
Beauty shot of the turnips.
And the acorns.
And Valentine's day came and I got the traditional large Godiva heart. This ear it is made of suede and silk ribon and satin. Beautiful. I get this every year for the last 5 or 6 years. I keep the hearts and get them all out a t Valentine's day to put stuff in.
I can make one of these babies last for up to 6 weeks and I think for the next little while we will have a picture of the chocolate of the day.

I didn't eat one today and yesterday was the first one I had so there is only one missing - white chocolate ganache. I won't have one today because tomorrow is my birthday and tonight we went to Gauchos to celebrate and I ate way too much plus had the chocolate lava cake. mmmm

So tomorrow night is my birthday party at the shop so if you are nearby please stop in and have some cake and tea and chocolate.
See you tomorrow.

Wool Huffing

I’ve been feeling a little urgency to talk about a terrible disease that is sweeping the nation. Maybe it’s more than a disease. An epidemic. It happens in secret silence. It’s wreaking havoc throughout the fiber land. This emergency is Wool Huffing.

It starts out innocently enough. You’re a new spinner thinking about possibly working with your first raw fleece. Your pusher – who you consider a friend – places the beautiful locks under your nose and asks you to breath in. A beautiful scent reaches out to you. Wool is lovely. Wool is your friend. Soon your are placing your entire face into the locks of joy…but only in private moments. You can’t seem to get close enough. That beautiful sheepy smell. The feel of the lanolin filled locks on your cheeks.

All would be o.k. if you could just keep it to yourself you think. But no. Within weeks you are drawing others in. You become the pusher.

I know all of these things from my own personal experience. I have become a pusher. Things got so far advanced that I began playing games with myself. I would try to identify the breeds of sheep by their smell alone while I was blindfolded. If there were cameras in the shop they would have exposed me, nervously turning my head toward the shop door, worried that someone would catch me with my blindfold on with shaking hands and bated breath.

It got to the point where I was dreaming of the sheep’s wool. It even got so bad that I dreamed about … o.k. nobody faint…spinning in the grease. That’s when I knew I had to come out into the open and share my problem with the world.

I often host sleepovers in my shop. These sleepovers can be quite raucous and that’s where I first began sharing my addiction with the public – even those who do not spin. I have been known to stand directly over a person who is fast asleep in front of the Wall O’Fleece to get a sniff for myself and share that pleasure with anyone within arms length.

So, that is why I’m writing today. My goal in sharing this is not to scare those of you who have not been affected but to give hope to those who are in the same situation as I was. This is not an epidemic of dire proportions. It can be turned into a sunny part of your life. Sniff the wool, breath in deep. Change the secret guiltiness into something of a remedy for your tired, yearning spirit.

I am no longer ashamed. I sniff in public. I recently asked a Michigan State Representative to take part in the huffing. He was first taken aback but then that was changed when I showed him how and he saw the intense pleasure of the activity fill my eyes and therefore my soul. I can now say with pride that I am a wool huffer and also a wool pusher. Say it loud!

Wool Huffers of the world UNITE!

Cake

So Tuesday was our first birthday party of the month - meaning me and Maggie. We're having birthday parties every Tuesday night. So there will be cake and other snacks every Tuesday as well as hourly drawings.
We had pizza on tuesday and also cupcakes because they go with cake - right? There's also a contest this month. I give the contestants 1 ounce of wool and they try to spin it into the longest single thread that they can. So I handed out some wool on Tuesday and will hand out more this week if more people want to play. The prize is a spinning loft bag stuffed with more wool:-) Cause I have some wool at the shop. I guess I can't play, but I want to.
The swatching for the Faina design exersize has commenced. The above sample is Karabella Breeze swatched on size 4 and 5 needles. You can tell by the purl bumps.
This is Louet Gems Opal swatched on size 4,3,2,1,and 0 needles.
This is the Breeze after washing and blocking. It stretched wider and not longer. I think this yarn might be good for that free one Berroco has right now - Montparnasse - I don't know. But I do know it won't work for a sweater where I want the lace patterns to stay open. I also want this to be a sweater with some lovely waist shaping so as to draw attention away from my very wide buttocks. Again, this is probably not that yarn as the stretching happened side to side. Hmmmm.
This is the Louet Gems. I like the fabric best on the size 0 and 1 needles. After washing and light blocking it shrunk a little width wise but the row counts all stayed the same. I think the fabric on the size 1 needles would be great for a sweater and the size 0 fabric would be fantastic for socks.
This is a closeup of the fabric knitted on size 0 needles after washing. Pretty.
Now I need a swatch with a couple of lace patterns cause I know that will be the next question.

Apocalypse

39%
So Abby mentioned a Zombie Apocalypse. I had no idea what she meant so I went looking. Looks like I will likely die during ot so if you need any food come to my house.

My Day Was Made

So, the Okemos Lace Knitting group met again last night. I couldn't make the January meeting because - well, you know - I was at DISNEY WORLD! Now I'm back and so the Laceknitting group is the next best thing to Mickey Mouse:-)

This shawl is another Sharon Winsauer creation knit from Alpaca With A Twist Fino. I think it's the snowflake shawl but I didn't write the name down. That's Sharon behind the shawl. I love the shape of it and I love the lack of the toilet water skimming point. Not that I don't like the pointy shawls but this shape is so practical for every day, including the bathroom when you forget to remove your shawl.
Here's a close up of the center of the shawl. There was some talk last night about angles and stuff but I was too busy wiping drool to listen to Sharon's AHA moment with the angles. Email her. I'm sure she'll be happy to fill you in on her moment.
This is a shawl in progress by Faina Letouchia. She's dedicating it to a mutual friend of ours. It's knit from handspun alpaca and is just beautiful. What doesn't show up are all of the beautiful nupps. The shaping is going to be very nice and it should be a comfortable shawl to wear.

Closeup.

Here's the border. I think all Faina decided last night was that it needed to be blocked a little harder to open it up more. It is so soft and lovely.
Then we talked about a design project. Faina has designed 3 sweaters. Last night she had the swatches and the drawings. Now as a group we will come up with yarn and we will knit these sweaters from her drawings. I am so excited about this opportunity because, as I was telling the girls last night, I have a couple of sweater ideas swimming around but I'm not sure where to begin. So with this excersize I will be able to work with two of the best designers I know - Faina and Sharon - to end up with a sweater. I will see what the whole design process is like and then maybe will have the courage to move forward with my own ideas.
The above swatch is for a man's gansy with a worsted weight yarn. The sweater I'm interested in pursuing is a matching woman's sweater with a finer yarn using the same lace stitches but with a more open look.
And, I got anew shawl last night. handspun and knit by Faina. It is a lovely everyday shawl. It is spun from kid mohair and plied with silk.
Here's a blurry closeup shot. I will be wearing this everyday at the shop - o.k. not in the summer.
The next thing has to do with Ryan. Check out his arm.
Closeup of the arm. See that? It's a list from the babysitter. Things that Ryan asks for every day. 1. Chocolate Milk 2. Gum with a little smiley face. I think I highly recommend this method of list making. I think I may adopt it for all of my list making needs. Could get cold for Ryan in the frozen section of the grocery store but, you know, I think it's really better for the environment in the long run. Trees will be saved!!!!

And now for the Make My Day. Ellen from the world famous Sheepwreck blog pointed to me as one blogger who makes her day. I have been reading her blog somewhat regularly for a while but I'm not a huge blog commenter because I don't often feel like I have a huge amount to add to the conversation. "hey, that looks great" gets a little old. So when she found me through Abby i was quite a little giggly. I often feel like I am just this round red haired girl having a shop and writing a blog and kind of anonymous. Then people, who I admire, find me and it makes me...giggly. So now I have to name 10 bloggers who make my day - out of the way too many that I read. It's kind of hard to narrow it down. So here's my try:

Erika She gives me a little guilt about my non cleaning but also some great history and food for thought.
Shannah Well, what can I say about the Okitten. She's darling and even in her down times I feel good around her.

Kate Has the degree I wish I would have been smart enough to pursue and again lots of stuff to look at and think about in her blog.

Abby O.K. lots of people are choosing Abby but I can't help it. She makes me feel like I can actually do this and be successful. Always encouraging and though she is so talented she's one of the most regular girls I've ever met.

Jenny Plenty to practice and think about and again always encouraging when you have questions.

Tammy My sister. Crazy and funny and quite outspoken.

Donna - Spinning Day Dreams - She's always got something inspiring on the wheel.

Michelle - Maddiwood Farms - She doesn't update her blog nearly enough but she does come to the shop a lot. Always quick to be helpful and she does make my day happier when she's around.

Lee - Baabins - She is a beautiful writer, spinner and photographer as well as a lovely person.

Carla - Siege - Holy crap. I loved Carla from the day we met and I'm not sure if it's mutual but she has the most lovely smile.

Jillian - KnittingFrau - all I can say is moist - and you know what I mean Jillian. She can make me spit stuff out my nose.

Brittney The oldest daughter. Away to London for a semester. I worry and then wait for blog updates.

Michelle - Again needs to update more often but she's quite lovely and calming and makes me feel like a success

I have to stop because I'm already way past 10. So there you are with those off the top of my head but there are many more - oh yeah, Ask The Bellwether, Farm Witch, .....

Knit Michigan!

I can't even begin to tell you everything about the last 10 days. I meant to post several times but then my bed looked so comfortable and there were things to do to get ready for Knit Michigan. And then the time flew by and now it's today:-) Here is one side of the booth showing the variety of fibers I brought except by this point all of the dyed Karaoke was gone as well as most of the aplaca/silk blend.
So yesterday (Knit Michigan) was my first time as a true vendor. I was quite nervous about having a booth that looked inviting and not so much like a bunch of crap stacked on tables. So I stocked up on the Briar Rose and also got a new line of hand dyed rovings from River's Edge Weaving Studio. I currently have their fibers in Blue Faced Leicester and Merino/Silk. Both choices are so soft and also the colors are beautiful. I added their rovings because of their beauty and also they don't look like the other hand dyed fibers I have from The Enchanted Wheel.

The picture above is of the Briar Rose Wall by about 2PM at the show. (I forgot to take pictures at the very start). You can also see my spindle display was a little thin by then too.
This is a picture from the front of the booth with my helper and saving grace and good friend Dana. Back there shopping for the third time that day is Phyllis (RedfordPhyl on Ravelry) She was my volunteer at the knitting help table. Darling girl she is even though she was suffering from being tired and also a mono flare up.
Michelle (Maddiwoodfarms on Ravelry) was there most of the day and stayed and helped us pack up and she even carried some spinning wheels home for me. So in exchange I bought her this yummy dinner at Famous Dave's. Just look at her drooling over all of that barbequed goodness.

All in all it was good and I made some new friends who I hope will come to the shop and see for themselves my queendom. Now it's time to get these rugrats in bed and catch up on some work as the new week starts tomorrow and I now have to get ready for the arrival of the great Patsy Z!

Pink and Orange - Do they go together?

In this post they do.

So I'm going to start with this beautiful stuff that Abby promised she'd make me more of if I would just spin it!

I got the batts from Peggy in the Spindle and Wheel Swap back in September along with some other stuff I've been hoarding. I took the orange batts to the shop and had them behind my desk where I would take them out and touch them and then put them down again. The color is fantastic. touches of light yellows, little bits of red and lovely creamsicley orange.
So....when Abby said she'd make more I had no more self control.
I had two batts. The yarn weighs about 3.8 ounces and I got 294 yards of two ply. It's beautiful. It think it's a wool/mohair blend. Maybe something else like a small amount of silk in there but I'm not sure. Abby told me again and I wasn't listening. ( I think I was thinking something like, "Abby Franquemont is talking to me like I'm smart and know stuff...")

Anyway. I think this is going to be a scarf. I love it! It's drying right now from its nice warm bath. Now the search for the perfect pattern begins.
Next up is the Rowena cardigan. I finished the button bands last night and went this morning to the Fabric Gallery in Williamston for ribbon and buttons. They've got the best selection of buttons anywhere. The owner is so patient and kind and just lovely to work with. AND if you sew the fabrics are delicious. I always go there first for trims and any other sewing stuff I need.

So then I needed photos. You would think it would be easy. It used to be when Brittney and Chelsea were home but now, not so much.

Maggie took that top one. I know they are sideways but I didn't feel like messing with them.
Maggie took this one, too.
And this one.
So then I thought I'd get Lou to do it. Hee, hee.
Also Lou. Not his fault about the bad hair though.Then I thought crazy Aunt Purl takes her picture in the mirror all the time. HA. She's better than me.
So flat on the bed here she is pre blocking. I love this sweater. I love the wide neck. I love the buttons - though that's not the designer's credit. I love the ruffly hems.
It's Rowena from Knit 2 Together. The 38" size. I used Brooks Farm Yarn that I bought at Rhinebeck in 2006 right before I bought the shop. I actually bought the yarn specifically for this project. And I got the gauge called for in the pattern with the needles they suggested. The never happens for me. Well, until now.

I still have 1 1/2 skeins left. That's like 700 yards!

The only think I would do differently is add two more buttons. I think they are spread out too much to wear it closed. Even though it's not that tight I get that opening between the buttons that makes it look like you're busting out of your clothes. I could try to lose 10 pounds I guess...

Anyhoo, Pink is the new black as far as I'm concerned and it matches everything. See how I'm wearing it with that green top? It works right? (Don't tell me no) I'm wearing this every day from now until March. Well, maybe not but maybe every other day.

Mrs Hughes

mmmmmmmmmohair

I don't have much to write about even though things have been so busy lately but it's more of the same and I'm so close to finishing a sweater I'm knitting I really want to go do that right now. So...Here's a couple of pictures of some fooling around I did at the shop when I was supposed to be doing work before I left for Disney World. It's kid mohair plied with a strand of silk thread from Henry's Attic.

And the beauty shots in the snow. I'm not usually a fan of the thick and thin yarn but this stuff feels so soft and looks so pretty. Looks like mitten cuffs or a hat band or a sweater collar to me.

If you want to read something interesting go check out my sister's blog at www.meatgel.com. She's hilarious. or Brittney's blog at http://hotsietotsie.blogspot.com.

I'll be back with new sweater photos in a day or two.

Talent Galore

Now I need some time to gush please. You guys already think there's a lot of gushing going on, don't you? Well, I'm doin' it anyway. There are two teachers coming to my shop in the next couple of months. They are famous. I have their phone numbers. For me that's like if Johnny Depp gave me his phone number. I'm star struck and nervous that my spinning sucks and how can I spin in front of them but here they are.

Patsy Zawistoski is coming to teach in about 3 weeks. 2 fantastic classes. I am so excited to meet her. I am very excited to sit with her and watch her hands while she spins.

She has several spinning videos available but there's nothing like sitting next to a master spinner while they spin. (There's still room if you want to sit with me.)

Abby. Yup Abby Franquemont. You know, Abby's Yarns. She's coming to teach at my shop, too.
Here's the post where I talk about meeting Abby at SOAR. And even though I was her stalker all week she's brave enough to come and teach here in the same room with me!

The class descriptions my sister will be posting on the website tonight or tomorrow are right from Abby. Also, read between the lines of that teacher bio. She wrote it and also included the bio she'd like to include. I liked the second choice better but I'm not sure if I have permission to reprint it. It does give us a better idea of what kind of teacher she is. You can also check out all of her You Tube Videos. She's almost like a You Tube Star except with clothes.

O.K. I try not to have too much blatant shop promotion here but you all need to sign up for these classes if you are a spinner and have any possibility of getting here to Howell, MI. These girls are good. I know a lot of you missed it when Jenny was here and here's your chance to make it up.

AND there's a little tradition that's happening when teachers come to my shop. Wool Shop Sleepovers. We get lots of snacks and spin until late in the shop and just sleep over in the shop. Very fun and then you can join the Wool Shop Sleepover Group on Ravelry. Yet another reason to sign up for classes.

Also, I need to put a little plug here for Knit Michigan on February 2. It will be my first time as a real vendor so I'm very nervous but come out and support me and the very good cause. Check out the website. I think it's going to be great fun.

Books and a last look.

So I'm back from sunny Florida. It was a fantastic time. There are a few more photos coming on the end of this post but I wanted to first talk about a few books. Some new books came in while I was out and they are beautiful.
This one has beautiful photographs to inspire your spinning as well as some good basic spinning instruction and some yarn recipes. The yarns range from smooth to bumpy and from basic to art yarns. I took one of these for my own collection just for inspiration.
This is a book that looks very much like the spinning one but Creative Weaving of course looks at weaving. It focuses on fabrics made with a rigid heddle loom and they are stunning. The photography, again, is very inspiring. With color coordination this is another lovely book for your collecftion if you are a weaver. Handspun yarns can easily be substituted in many of the projects.
This book has evidently been out for some time but it's new to me. I looked at it for the first time yesterday and it was gone today so I'll be placing another order. This book has weaving projects for kids ranging from friendship bracelets to inkle to cardboard looms to making your own tapestry loom from pvc. It's a wonderful book with plenty of color photos and user friendly instructions. The person who took it home today will be using it with her 4H kids.

O.K. on to the Disney stuff.
There are no words. The kids each filled 3 autograph books with character signings. I know this was by far Ryan's favorite part of the trip.
I took the opportunity to take this picture when we had an early breakfast at the castle before the park opened.

Hee, Hee Breakfast with Pluto.

My little princess wishing on a star in Cinderella's castle.
This was one of the delicious dinners I enjoyed. Now after 10 days of eating like this my pants are tight. :-)

I don't have much else to say. I'm exhausted and feel a cold coming on but plenty of work to do to get ready for Knit Michigan and then Patsy Zawistoski and then Abby!

O.K. for those who are dying to see it here is a short rough video of my little pirate and princess.

Disney World Part 1!

So we've finished day 4 of our fantastically fabulous vacation. I have a huge amount of pictures and so I'm just putting a sampling here. It has just gotten better and better every day despite record cold weather here in Florida. But! Who can complain about 40 degrees when it's about zero degrees back home?There have been huge Gingerbread houses big enough for 2 people to be in.
There have been paintable desserts.
Princesses and characters and autographs and kisses from princesses.
You know if I'm there there are pictures of some fibery animals. I still have to look up this kind of sheep. The lady at the park said "middle eastern sheep" when I asked her what breed they are. Hmm. Never heard of those.
This is my delicious lunch at the Princess Tea Party Maggie and I attended.
This is Princess Aurora at the party. She's very delightful and taught all of the girls how to dance like a princess.
This morning was breakfast with Jojo, Goliath and the Little Einsteins Gang.
Of course there were more Characters and autographs and photographs and kisses.
We were chosen to be the Grand Marshall Family in the Disney - MGM Parade!
And then for a finale of the day the Osborne Lights.